Classical black holes: the nonlinear dynamics of curved spacetime.

PubMed

Thorne, Kip S

2012-08-03

Numerical simulations have revealed two types of physical structures, made from curved spacetime, that are attached to black holes: tendexes, which stretch or squeeze anything they encounter, and vortexes, which twist adjacent inertial frames relative to each other. When black holes collide, their tendexes and vortexes interact and oscillate (a form of nonlinear dynamics of curved spacetime). These oscillations generate gravitational waves, which can give kicks up to 4000 kilometers per second to the merged black hole. The gravitational waves encode details of the spacetime dynamics and will soon be observed and studied by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory and its international partners.

Classical Black Holes: The Nonlinear Dynamics of Curved Spacetime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thorne, Kip S.

2012-08-01

Numerical simulations have revealed two types of physical structures, made from curved spacetime, that are attached to black holes: tendexes, which stretch or squeeze anything they encounter, and vortexes, which twist adjacent inertial frames relative to each other. When black holes collide, their tendexes and vortexes interact and oscillate (a form of nonlinear dynamics of curved spacetime). These oscillations generate gravitational waves, which can give kicks up to 4000 kilometers per second to the merged black hole. The gravitational waves encode details of the spacetime dynamics and will soon be observed and studied by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory and its international partners.

The Use of Statistically Based Rolling Supply Curves for Electricity Market Analysis: A Preliminary Look

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

Jenkin, Thomas J; Larson, Andrew; Ruth, Mark F

In light of the changing electricity resource mixes across the United States, an important question in electricity modeling is how additions and retirements of generation, including additions in variable renewable energy (VRE) generation could impact markets by changing hourly wholesale energy prices. Instead of using resource-intensive production cost models (PCMs) or building and using simple generator supply curves, this analysis uses a 'top-down' approach based on regression analysis of hourly historical energy and load data to estimate the impact of supply changes on wholesale electricity prices, provided the changes are not so substantial that they fundamentally alter the market andmore » dispatch-order driven behavior of non-retiring units. The rolling supply curve (RSC) method used in this report estimates the shape of the supply curve that fits historical hourly price and load data for given time intervals, such as two-weeks, and then repeats this on a rolling basis through the year. These supply curves can then be modified on an hourly basis to reflect the impact of generation retirements or additions, including VRE and then reapplied to the same load data to estimate the change in hourly electricity price. The choice of duration over which these RSCs are estimated has a significant impact on goodness of fit. For example, in PJM in 2015, moving from fitting one curve per year to 26 rolling two-week supply curves improves the standard error of the regression from 16 dollars/MWh to 6 dollars/MWh and the R-squared of the estimate from 0.48 to 0.76. We illustrate the potential use and value of the RSC method by estimating wholesale price effects under various generator retirement and addition scenarios, and we discuss potential limits of the technique, some of which are inherent. The ability to do this type of analysis is important to a wide range of market participants and other stakeholders, and it may have a role in complementing use of or providing calibrating insights to PCMs.« less

Input-output relation and energy efficiency in the neuron with different spike threshold dynamics.

PubMed

Yi, Guo-Sheng; Wang, Jiang; Tsang, Kai-Ming; Wei, Xi-Le; Deng, Bin

2015-01-01

Neuron encodes and transmits information through generating sequences of output spikes, which is a high energy-consuming process. The spike is initiated when membrane depolarization reaches a threshold voltage. In many neurons, threshold is dynamic and depends on the rate of membrane depolarization (dV/dt) preceding a spike. Identifying the metabolic energy involved in neural coding and their relationship to threshold dynamic is critical to understanding neuronal function and evolution. Here, we use a modified Morris-Lecar model to investigate neuronal input-output property and energy efficiency associated with different spike threshold dynamics. We find that the neurons with dynamic threshold sensitive to dV/dt generate discontinuous frequency-current curve and type II phase response curve (PRC) through Hopf bifurcation, and weak noise could prohibit spiking when bifurcation just occurs. The threshold that is insensitive to dV/dt, instead, results in a continuous frequency-current curve, a type I PRC and a saddle-node on invariant circle bifurcation, and simultaneously weak noise cannot inhibit spiking. It is also shown that the bifurcation, frequency-current curve and PRC type associated with different threshold dynamics arise from the distinct subthreshold interactions of membrane currents. Further, we observe that the energy consumption of the neuron is related to its firing characteristics. The depolarization of spike threshold improves neuronal energy efficiency by reducing the overlap of Na(+) and K(+) currents during an action potential. The high energy efficiency is achieved at more depolarized spike threshold and high stimulus current. These results provide a fundamental biophysical connection that links spike threshold dynamics, input-output relation, energetics and spike initiation, which could contribute to uncover neural encoding mechanism.

Input-output relation and energy efficiency in the neuron with different spike threshold dynamics

PubMed Central

Yi, Guo-Sheng; Wang, Jiang; Tsang, Kai-Ming; Wei, Xi-Le; Deng, Bin

2015-01-01

Neuron encodes and transmits information through generating sequences of output spikes, which is a high energy-consuming process. The spike is initiated when membrane depolarization reaches a threshold voltage. In many neurons, threshold is dynamic and depends on the rate of membrane depolarization (dV/dt) preceding a spike. Identifying the metabolic energy involved in neural coding and their relationship to threshold dynamic is critical to understanding neuronal function and evolution. Here, we use a modified Morris-Lecar model to investigate neuronal input-output property and energy efficiency associated with different spike threshold dynamics. We find that the neurons with dynamic threshold sensitive to dV/dt generate discontinuous frequency-current curve and type II phase response curve (PRC) through Hopf bifurcation, and weak noise could prohibit spiking when bifurcation just occurs. The threshold that is insensitive to dV/dt, instead, results in a continuous frequency-current curve, a type I PRC and a saddle-node on invariant circle bifurcation, and simultaneously weak noise cannot inhibit spiking. It is also shown that the bifurcation, frequency-current curve and PRC type associated with different threshold dynamics arise from the distinct subthreshold interactions of membrane currents. Further, we observe that the energy consumption of the neuron is related to its firing characteristics. The depolarization of spike threshold improves neuronal energy efficiency by reducing the overlap of Na+ and K+ currents during an action potential. The high energy efficiency is achieved at more depolarized spike threshold and high stimulus current. These results provide a fundamental biophysical connection that links spike threshold dynamics, input-output relation, energetics and spike initiation, which could contribute to uncover neural encoding mechanism. PMID:26074810

Fermionic Approach to Weighted Hurwitz Numbers and Topological Recursion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alexandrov, A.; Chapuy, G.; Eynard, B.; Harnad, J.

2017-12-01

A fermionic representation is given for all the quantities entering in the generating function approach to weighted Hurwitz numbers and topological recursion. This includes: KP and 2D Toda {τ} -functions of hypergeometric type, which serve as generating functions for weighted single and double Hurwitz numbers; the Baker function, which is expanded in an adapted basis obtained by applying the same dressing transformation to all vacuum basis elements; the multipair correlators and the multicurrent correlators. Multiplicative recursion relations and a linear differential system are deduced for the adapted bases and their duals, and a Christoffel-Darboux type formula is derived for the pair correlator. The quantum and classical spectral curves linking this theory with the topological recursion program are derived, as well as the generalized cut-and-join equations. The results are detailed for four special cases: the simple single and double Hurwitz numbers, the weakly monotone case, corresponding to signed enumeration of coverings, the strongly monotone case, corresponding to Belyi curves and the simplest version of quantum weighted Hurwitz numbers.

Fermionic Approach to Weighted Hurwitz Numbers and Topological Recursion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alexandrov, A.; Chapuy, G.; Eynard, B.; Harnad, J.

2018-06-01

A fermionic representation is given for all the quantities entering in the generating function approach to weighted Hurwitz numbers and topological recursion. This includes: KP and 2 D Toda {τ} -functions of hypergeometric type, which serve as generating functions for weighted single and double Hurwitz numbers; the Baker function, which is expanded in an adapted basis obtained by applying the same dressing transformation to all vacuum basis elements; the multipair correlators and the multicurrent correlators. Multiplicative recursion relations and a linear differential system are deduced for the adapted bases and their duals, and a Christoffel-Darboux type formula is derived for the pair correlator. The quantum and classical spectral curves linking this theory with the topological recursion program are derived, as well as the generalized cut-and-join equations. The results are detailed for four special cases: the simple single and double Hurwitz numbers, the weakly monotone case, corresponding to signed enumeration of coverings, the strongly monotone case, corresponding to Belyi curves and the simplest version of quantum weighted Hurwitz numbers.

A dose-response curve for biodosimetry from a 6 MV electron linear accelerator

PubMed Central

Lemos-Pinto, M.M.P.; Cadena, M.; Santos, N.; Fernandes, T.S.; Borges, E.; Amaral, A.

2015-01-01

Biological dosimetry (biodosimetry) is based on the investigation of radiation-induced biological effects (biomarkers), mainly dicentric chromosomes, in order to correlate them with radiation dose. To interpret the dicentric score in terms of absorbed dose, a calibration curve is needed. Each curve should be constructed with respect to basic physical parameters, such as the type of ionizing radiation characterized by low or high linear energy transfer (LET) and dose rate. This study was designed to obtain dose calibration curves by scoring of dicentric chromosomes in peripheral blood lymphocytes irradiated in vitro with a 6 MV electron linear accelerator (Mevatron M, Siemens, USA). Two software programs, CABAS (Chromosomal Aberration Calculation Software) and Dose Estimate, were used to generate the curve. The two software programs are discussed; the results obtained were compared with each other and with other published low LET radiation curves. Both software programs resulted in identical linear and quadratic terms for the curve presented here, which was in good agreement with published curves for similar radiation quality and dose rates. PMID:26445334

The value of energy spectral CT in the differential diagnosis between benign and malignant soft tissue masses of the musculoskeletal system.

PubMed

Sun, Xin; Shao, Xiaodong; Chen, Haisong

2015-06-01

To explore the value of energy spectral CT in the differential diagnosis between benign and malignant tumor of the musculoskeletal system. Energy spectral CT scan was performed on 100 patients with soft tissue mass caused by musculoskeletal tumors found by MRI. Solid areas with homogenous density were chosen as region of interests (ROI), avoiding necrosis, hemorrhage and calcification region. Select the optimal keV on single energy images, and then the keV-CT curve was automatically generated. All 100 cases of tumors proved by histological examination were divided into four groups, 38 cases were in benign group, 10 cases in borderline group, 49 cases in malignant group, and 3 cases of lipoma (that were analyzed separately since its curve was arc shaped, significantly different from other curves). The formula used to calculate the slope of spectral curve was as follows: slope=(Hu40 keV-Hu80 keV)/40. As the slope was steep within the range of 40-80 keV based on preliminary observations, 40 keV and 80 keV were used as the reference points to calculate the slope value of the energy spectral curve. Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test was applied for statistical analysis, and P<0.05 was considered to indicate a statistically significant difference. The spectral curve of benign group was gradually falling type with a mean slope of 0.75 ± 0.30, that of malignant group was sharply falling type with a mean slope of 1.64 ± 1.00, and that of borderline group was a falling type between the above two groups with a mean slope of 1.34 ± 0.45. The differences of slopes between benign and malignant group, benign and borderline group were of statistical significance (P<0.05) respectively. The spectral curves of 3 cases of lipoma showed arc shaped rising type with a mean slope of -2.00. Spectral curve is useful in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant tumor of the musculoskeletal system. Arc shaped curve is a specific sign for tumors containing abundant fat. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Flight-path estimation in passive low-altitude flight by visual cues

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grunwald, Arthur J.; Kohn, S.

1993-01-01

A series of experiments was conducted, in which subjects had to estimate the flight path while passively being flown in straight or in curved motion over several types of nominally flat, textured terrain. Three computer-generated terrain types were investigated: (1) a random 'pole' field, (2) a flat field consisting of random rectangular patches, and (3) a field of random parallelepipeds. Experimental parameters were the velocity-to-height (V/h) ratio, the viewing distance, and the terrain type. Furthermore, the effect of obscuring parts of the visual field was investigated. Assumptions were made about the basic visual-field information by analyzing the pattern of line-of-sight (LOS) rate vectors in the visual field. The experimental results support these assumptions and show that, for both a straight as well as a curved flight path, the estimation accuracy and estimation times improve with the V/h ratio. Error scores for the curved flight path are found to be about 3 deg in visual angle higher than for the straight flight path, and the sensitivity to the V/h ratio is found to be considerably larger. For the straight motion, the flight path could be estimated successfully from local areas in the far field. Curved flight-path estimates have to rely on the entire LOS rate pattern.

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

Zhang, J; Li, X; Liu, G

Purpose: We compare and investigate the dosimetric impacts on pencil beam scanning (PBS) proton treatment plans generated with CT calibration curves from four different CT scanners and one averaged ‘global’ CT calibration curve. Methods: The four CT scanners are located at three different hospital locations within the same health system. CT density calibration curves were collected from these scanners using the same CT calibration phantom and acquisition parameters. Mass density to HU value tables were then commissioned in a commercial treatment planning system. Five disease sites were chosen for dosimetric comparisons at brain, lung, head and neck, adrenal, and prostate.more » Three types of PBS plans were generated at each treatment site using SFUD, IMPT, and robustness optimized IMPT techniques. 3D dose differences were investigated using 3D Gamma analysis. Results: The CT calibration curves for all four scanners display very similar shapes. Large HU differences were observed at both the high HU and low HU regions of the curves. Large dose differences were generally observed at the distal edges of the beams and they are beam angle dependent. Out of the five treatment sites, lung plans exhibits the most overall range uncertainties and prostate plans have the greatest dose discrepancy. There are no significant differences between the SFUD, IMPT, and the RO-IMPT methods. 3D gamma analysis with 3%, 3 mm criteria showed all plans with greater than 95% passing rate. Two of the scanners with close HU values have negligible dose difference except for lung. Conclusion: Our study shows that there are more than 5% dosimetric differences between different CT calibration curves. PBS treatment plans generated with SFUD, IMPT, and the robustness optimized IMPT has similar sensitivity to the CT density uncertainty. More patient data and tighter gamma criteria based on structure location and size will be used for further investigation.« less

Ankle moment generation and maximum-effort curved sprinting performance.

PubMed

Luo, Geng; Stefanyshyn, Darren

2012-11-15

Turning at high speed along acute curves is crucial for athletic performance. One determinant of curved sprinting speed is the ground reaction force that can be created by the supporting limb; the moment generated at the ankle joint may influence such force generation. Body lean associated with curved sprints positions the ankle joints in extreme in-/eversion, and may hinder the ankle moment generation. To examine the influence of ankle moment generation on curved sprinting performance, 17 male subjects performed maximum-effort curved sprints in footwear with and without a wedge. The wedged footwear was constructed with the intention to align the ankle joints closer to their neutral frontal-plane configuration during counter-clockwise curved sprints so greater joint moments might be generated. We found, with the wedged footwear, the average eversion angle of the inside leg ankle was reduced, and the plantarflexion moment generation increased significantly. Meanwhile, the knee extension moment remained unchanged. With the wedged footwear, stance-average centripetal ground reaction force increased significantly while no difference in the vertical ground reaction force was detected. The subjects created a greater centripetal ground reaction impulse in the wedged footwear despite a shortened stance phase when compared to the control. Stance-average curved sprinting speed improved by 4.3% with the wedged footwear. The changes in ankle moment and curved sprinting speed observed in the current study supports the notion that the moment generation at the ankle joint may be a performance constraint for curved sprinting. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

SDL: A Surface Description Language

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maple, Raymond C.

1992-01-01

A new interpreted language specifically designed for surface grid generation is introduced. Many unique aspects of the language are discussed, including the farray, vector, curve, and surface data types and the operators used to manipulate them. Custom subroutine libraries written in the language are used to easily build surface grids for generic missile shapes.

Revisiting head circumference of Brazilian newborns in public and private maternity hospitals.

PubMed

Amorim, Maria do Socorro Teixeira; Melo, Aurea Nogueira de

2017-06-01

To revisit the head circumference (HC) of newborns in public and private maternity hospitals; to correlate our findings with the gestational age, gender, and type of delivery; and build and validate graphs and curves. This was a prospective study performed on healthy newborns. Differences in HC were analyzed as a function of gestational age, gender, the healthcare system and the type of delivery. Smoothed percentile curves were created using the least mean squares method. Of the included newborns, 697 were born in private maternity hospitals and 2,150 were born in public maternity hospitals. In all, 839 were born by vaginal delivery, and 1,311 were born by cesarean delivery. At 37 to 42 weeks of gestation, male newborns had a larger HC than females. Infants born in private maternity and those born by cesarean delivery had a larger HC. An important result of the present study is that our analyses allowed us to generate curves and statistically-validated graphs that can be used in clinical neonatal practice.

Geometric engineering on flops of length two

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Collinucci, Andrés; Fazzi, Marco; Valandro, Roberto

2018-04-01

Type IIA on the conifold is a prototype example for engineering QED with one charged hypermultiplet. The geometry admits a flop of length one. In this paper, we study the next generation of geometric engineering on singular geometries, namely flops of length two such as Laufer's example, which we affectionately think of as the conifold 2.0. Type IIA on the latter geometry gives QED with higher-charge states. In type IIB, even a single D3-probe gives rise to a nonabelian quiver gauge theory. We study this class of geometries explicitly by leveraging their quiver description, showing how to parametrize the exceptional curve, how to see the flop transition, and how to find the noncompact divisors intersecting the curve. With a view towards F-theory applications, we show how these divisors contribute to the enhancement of the Mordell-Weil group of the local elliptic fibration defined by Laufer's example.

The association of patient characteristics and spinal curve parameters with Lenke classification types.

PubMed

Sponseller, Paul D; Flynn, John M; Newton, Peter O; Marks, Michelle C; Bastrom, Tracey P; Petcharaporn, Maty; McElroy, Mark J; Lonner, Baron S; Betz, Randal R

2012-06-01

Retrospective review. To determine the association of patient characteristics and spinal curve parameters with Lenke curve types. The Lenke curve classification may be used for surgical planning and clinical research. We retrospectively reviewed the records of 1912 patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis who underwent initial surgery at 21 years of age or younger; collected data on patient's age, patient's sex, primary curve magnitude (<50°, 50°-75°, and .75°), and Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) outcomes questionnaire (SRS-22) score; and compared that data by Lenke curve type. Analysis of variance and χ tests were used as appropriate (significance level, P ≤ 0.005). RESULTS.: Lenke types vary by sex: male patients had more major thoracic (types 1-4) than major thoracolumbar/lumbar (types 5 and 6) curves, fewer lumbar C-modifiers (32% vs. 44%), and less apical lumbar translation (1.1 vs. 1.7 cm). Lenke types vary by frequency: the most common type was 1 (50%); the least common, 4 (4%). Lenke types vary by magnitude: type 4 had the greatest percentage of large curves (52% of curves .75°), most smaller curves were types 1 and 5, and type 4 had the largest mean magnitude (78° ± 17°). Lenke types vary by patient age: type 5 curves occurred in the oldest patients (average age at surgery: 15.4 ± 2.2 vs. 14.3 ± 14.6 years for all others) despite having the lowest mean magnitude (P = 0.001); curve size was negatively correlated with age at surgery (r = -0.16, P = 0.001). Lenke types vary by patient self-image: patients with type 4 curves had lower preoperative SRS outcome scores for self-image than did patients with type 1 curves (P = 0.005). Lenke types vary by sex, frequency magnitude, patient age, and patient self-image, which should be considered in designing studies.

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

Calva-tildeo, M.O.; Reboucas, M.J.; Teixeira, A.F.F.

The breakdown of causality in homogeneous Goedel-type space-time manifolds is examined. An extension of Reboucas--Tiomno (RT) and Accioly--Goncalves studies is made. The existence of noncausal curves is also investigated under two different conditions on the energy-momentum tensor. An integral representation of the infinitesimal generators of isometries is obtained, extending previous works on the RT geometry.

Exponential Stellar Disks in Low Surface Brightness Galaxies: A Critical Test of Viscous Evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bell, Eric F.

2002-12-01

Viscous redistribution of mass in Milky Way-type galactic disks is an appealing way of generating an exponential stellar profile over many scale lengths, almost independent of initial conditions, requiring only that the viscous timescale and star formation timescale are approximately equal. However, galaxies with solid-body rotation curves cannot undergo viscous evolution. Low surface brightness (LSB) galaxies have exponential surface brightness profiles, yet have slowly rising, nearly solid-body rotation curves. Because of this, viscous evolution may be inefficient in LSB galaxies: the exponential profiles, instead, would give important insight into initial conditions for galaxy disk formation. Using star formation laws from the literature and tuning the efficiency of viscous processes to reproduce an exponential stellar profile in Milky Way-type galaxies, I test the role of viscous evolution in LSB galaxies. Under the conservative and not unreasonable condition that LSB galaxies are gravitationally unstable for at least a part of their lives, I find that it is impossible to rule out a significant role for viscous evolution. This type of model still offers an attractive way of producing exponential disks, even in LSB galaxies with slowly rising rotation curves.

Activity Analyses for Solar-type Stars Observed with Kepler. II. Magnetic Feature versus Flare Activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Han; Wang, Huaning; Zhang, Mei; Mehrabi, Ahmad; Yan, Yan; Yun, Duo

2018-05-01

The light curves of solar-type stars present both periodic fluctuation and flare spikes. The gradual periodic fluctuation is interpreted as the rotational modulation of magnetic features on the stellar surface and is used to deduce magnetic feature activity properties. The flare spikes in light curves are used to derive flare activity properties. In this paper, we analyze the light curve data of three solar-type stars (KIC 6034120, KIC 3118883, and KIC 10528093) observed with Kepler space telescope and investigate the relationship between their magnetic feature activities and flare activities. The analysis shows that: (1) both the magnetic feature activity and the flare activity exhibit long-term variations as the Sun does; (2) unlike the Sun, the long-term variations of magnetic feature activity and flare activity are not in phase with each other; (3) the analysis of star KIC 6034120 suggests that the long-term variations of magnetic feature activity and flare activity have a similar cycle length. Our analysis and results indicate that the magnetic features that dominate rotational modulation and the flares possibly have different source regions, although they may be influenced by the magnetic field generated through a same dynamo process.

Intrinsic Cellular Properties and Connectivity Density Determine Variable Clustering Patterns in Randomly Connected Inhibitory Neural Networks

PubMed Central

Rich, Scott; Booth, Victoria; Zochowski, Michal

2016-01-01

The plethora of inhibitory interneurons in the hippocampus and cortex play a pivotal role in generating rhythmic activity by clustering and synchronizing cell firing. Results of our simulations demonstrate that both the intrinsic cellular properties of neurons and the degree of network connectivity affect the characteristics of clustered dynamics exhibited in randomly connected, heterogeneous inhibitory networks. We quantify intrinsic cellular properties by the neuron's current-frequency relation (IF curve) and Phase Response Curve (PRC), a measure of how perturbations given at various phases of a neurons firing cycle affect subsequent spike timing. We analyze network bursting properties of networks of neurons with Type I or Type II properties in both excitability and PRC profile; Type I PRCs strictly show phase advances and IF curves that exhibit frequencies arbitrarily close to zero at firing threshold while Type II PRCs display both phase advances and delays and IF curves that have a non-zero frequency at threshold. Type II neurons whose properties arise with or without an M-type adaptation current are considered. We analyze network dynamics under different levels of cellular heterogeneity and as intrinsic cellular firing frequency and the time scale of decay of synaptic inhibition are varied. Many of the dynamics exhibited by these networks diverge from the predictions of the interneuron network gamma (ING) mechanism, as well as from results in all-to-all connected networks. Our results show that randomly connected networks of Type I neurons synchronize into a single cluster of active neurons while networks of Type II neurons organize into two mutually exclusive clusters segregated by the cells' intrinsic firing frequencies. Networks of Type II neurons containing the adaptation current behave similarly to networks of either Type I or Type II neurons depending on network parameters; however, the adaptation current creates differences in the cluster dynamics compared to those in networks of Type I or Type II neurons. To understand these results, we compute neuronal PRCs calculated with a perturbation matching the profile of the synaptic current in our networks. Differences in profiles of these PRCs across the different neuron types reveal mechanisms underlying the divergent network dynamics. PMID:27812323

N=2 gauge theories and degenerate fields of Toda theory

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

Kanno, Shoichi; Matsuo, Yutaka; Shiba, Shotaro

We discuss the correspondence between degenerate fields of the W{sub N} algebra and punctures of Gaiotto's description of the Seiberg-Witten curve of N=2 superconformal gauge theories. Namely, we find that the type of degenerate fields of the W{sub N} algebra, with null states at level one, is classified by Young diagrams with N boxes, and that the singular behavior of the Seiberg-Witten curve near the puncture agrees with that of W{sub N} generators. We also find how to translate mass parameters of the gauge theory to the momenta of the Toda theory.

Managing Data From Signal-Propagation Experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kantak, A. V.

1989-01-01

Computer programs generate characteristic plots from amplitudes and phases. Software system enables minicomputer to process data on amplitudes and phases of signals received during experiments in ground-mobile/satellite radio propagation. Takes advantage of file-handling capabilities of UNIX operating system and C programming language. Interacts with user, under whose guidance programs in FORTRAN language generate plots of spectra or other curves of types commonly used to characterize signals. FORTRAN programs used to process file-handling outputs into any of several useful forms.

Solar updraft power generator with radial and curved vanes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hafizh, Hadyan; Hamsan, Raziff; Zamri, Aidil Azlan Ahmad; Keprawi, Mohamad Fairuz Mohamad; Shirato, Hiromichi

2018-02-01

Solar radiation is the largest source of energy available on earth and the solar updraft power generator (SUPG) is a renewable energy facility capable of harnessing its abundant power. Unlike the conventional wind turbines that harness natural wind in the atmosphere and often encounter with the intermittent issue or even complete cut-off from airflow, the SUPG creates artificial wind as a result of solar-induced convective flows. However, the SUPG has an inherent low total efficiency due to the conversion of thermal energy into pressure energy. Acknowledging the low efficiency and considering its potential as a renewable energy facility, the current work aims to increase the total efficiency by installing a series of guide walls inside the collector. Two types of guide walls were used i.e. radial and curved vanes. The result with curved vanes showed that the updraft velocity is higher compare to those without vanes. About 18% and 64% improvement of updraft velocity and mechanical power were attained respectively. Furthermore, it was observed that the role of radial vanes configuration was more to produce a smooth updraft velocity profile rather than increasing the total efficiency.

Optimal generator bidding strategies for power and ancillary services

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morinec, Allen G.

As the electric power industry transitions to a deregulated market, power transactions are made upon price rather than cost. Generator companies are interested in maximizing their profits rather than overall system efficiency. A method to equitably compensate generation providers for real power, and ancillary services such as reactive power and spinning reserve, will ensure a competitive market with an adequate number of suppliers. Optimizing the generation product mix during bidding is necessary to maximize a generator company's profits. The objective of this research work is to determine and formulate appropriate optimal bidding strategies for a generation company in both the energy and ancillary services markets. These strategies should incorporate the capability curves of their generators as constraints to define the optimal product mix and price offered in the day-ahead and real time spot markets. In order to achieve such a goal, a two-player model was composed to simulate market auctions for power generation. A dynamic game methodology was developed to identify Nash Equilibria and Mixed-Strategy Nash Equilibria solutions as optimal generation bidding strategies for two-player non-cooperative variable-sum matrix games with incomplete information. These games integrated the generation product mix of real power, reactive power, and spinning reserve with the generators's capability curves as constraints. The research includes simulations of market auctions, where strategies were tested for generators with different unit constraints, costs, types of competitors, strategies, and demand levels. Studies on the capability of large hydrogen cooled synchronous generators were utilized to derive useful equations that define the exact shape of the capability curve from the intersections of the arcs defined by the centers and radial vectors of the rotor, stator, and steady-state stability limits. The available reactive reserve and spinning reserve were calculated given a generator operating point in the P-Q plane. Four computer programs were developed to automatically perform the market auction simulations using the equal incremental cost rule. The software calculates the payoffs for the two competing competitors, dispatches six generators, and allocates ancillary services for 64 combinations of bidding strategies, three levels of system demand, and three different types of competitors. Matrix Game theory was utilized to calculate Nash Equilibrium solutions and mixed-strategy Nash solutions as the optimal generator bidding strategies. A method to incorporate ancillary services into the generation bidding strategy, to assure an adequate supply of ancillary services, and to allocate these necessary resources to the on-line units was devised. The optimal generator bid strategy in a power auction was shown to be the Nash Equilibrium solution found in two-player variable-sum matrix games.

NEXT Performance Curve Analysis and Validation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Saripalli, Pratik; Cardiff, Eric; Englander, Jacob

2016-01-01

Performance curves of the NEXT thruster are highly important in determining the thruster's ability in performing towards mission-specific goals. New performance curves are proposed and examined here. The Evolutionary Mission Trajectory Generator (EMTG) is used to verify variations in mission solutions based on both available thruster curves and the new curves generated. Furthermore, variations in BOL and EOL curves are also examined. Mission design results shown here validate the use of EMTG and the new performance curves.

Against the Wind: Radio Light Curves of Type IA Supernovae Interacting with Low-Density Circumstellar Shells

DOE PAGES

Harris, Chelsea E.; Nugent, Peter E.; Kasen, Daniel N.

2016-05-26

For decades a wide variety of observations spanning the radio through optical and on to the X-ray have attempted to uncover signs of type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) interacting with a circumstellar medium (CSM). The goal of these studies is to constrain the nature of the hypothesized SN Ia mass-donor companion. A continuous CSM is typically assumed when interpreting observations of interaction. However, while such models have been successfully applied to core-collapse SNe, the assumption of continuity may not be accurate for SNe Ia, because shells of CSM could be formed by pre-supernova eruptions (novae). In this work, we modelmore » the interaction of SNe with a spherical, low-density, finite-extent CSM and create a suite of synthetic radio synchrotron light curves. We find that CSM shells produce sharply peaked light curves. We also identify a fiducial set of models that obey a common evolution and can be used to generate radio light curves for an interaction with an arbitrary shell. The relations obeyed by the fiducial models can be used to deduce CSM properties from radio observations; we demonstrate this by applying them to the nondetections of SN 2011fe and SN 2014J. Finally, we explore a multiple shell CSM configuration and describe its more complicated dynamics and the resultant radio light curves.« less

AGAINST THE WIND: RADIO LIGHT CURVES OF TYPE IA SUPERNOVAE INTERACTING WITH LOW-DENSITY CIRCUMSTELLAR SHELLS

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

Harris, Chelsea E.; Nugent, Peter E.; Kasen, Daniel N., E-mail: chelseaharris@berkeley.edu

2016-06-01

For decades a wide variety of observations spanning the radio through optical and on to the X-ray have attempted to uncover signs of type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) interacting with a circumstellar medium (CSM). The goal of these studies is to constrain the nature of the hypothesized SN Ia mass-donor companion. A continuous CSM is typically assumed when interpreting observations of interaction. However, while such models have been successfully applied to core-collapse SNe, the assumption of continuity may not be accurate for SNe Ia, because shells of CSM could be formed by pre-supernova eruptions (novae). In this work, we modelmore » the interaction of SNe with a spherical, low-density, finite-extent CSM and create a suite of synthetic radio synchrotron light curves. We find that CSM shells produce sharply peaked light curves. We also identify a fiducial set of models that obey a common evolution and can be used to generate radio light curves for an interaction with an arbitrary shell. The relations obeyed by the fiducial models can be used to deduce CSM properties from radio observations; we demonstrate this by applying them to the nondetections of SN 2011fe and SN 2014J. Finally, we explore a multiple shell CSM configuration and describe its more complicated dynamics and the resultant radio light curves.« less

The effect of pavement markings on driving behaviour in curves: a simulator study.

PubMed

Ariën, Caroline; Brijs, Kris; Vanroelen, Giovanni; Ceulemans, Wesley; Jongen, Ellen M M; Daniels, Stijn; Brijs, Tom; Wets, Geert

2017-05-01

This study investigates the effect of two pavement markings (transverse rumble strips (TRS) and a backward pointing herringbone pattern (HP)) on speed and lateral control in and nearby curves. Two real-world curves with strong indications of a safety problem were replicated as realistic as possible in the simulator. Results show that both speed and lateral control differ between the curves. These behavioural differences are probably due to curve-related dissimilarities with respect to geometric alignment, cross-sectional design and speed limit. TRS and HP both influenced mean speed and mean acceleration/deceleration but not lateral control. TRS generated an earlier and more stable speed reduction than HP which induced significant speed reductions along the curve. The TRS gives drivers more time to generate the right expectations about the upcoming curve. When accidents occur primarily near the curve entry, TRS is recommended. The HP has the potential to reduce accidents at the curve end. Practitioner Summary: Two pavement markings (transversal rumble strips and HP) nearby dangerous curves were investigated in the driving simulator. TRS generated an earlier and more stable speed reduction than HP which induced speed reductions along the curve. The TRS gives drivers more time to generate right expectations about the upcoming curve.

Accounting for Atmospheric Rivers in the Flood Frequency Estimation in the Western United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barth, N. A.; Villarini, G.; White, K. D.

2016-12-01

The Bulletin 17B framework assumes that the observed annual peak flow data included in a flood frequency analysis are a "representative time sample of random homogeneous events." However, flood frequency analysis over the western United States is complicated by annual peak flow records that frequently contain flows generated from distinctly different flood generating mechanisms. Among the different flood generating mechanisms, atmospheric rivers (ARs) are responsible for large, regional scale floods. USGS streamgaging stations in the central Columbia River Basin in the Pacific Northwest, the Sierra Nevada, the central and southern California coast, and central Arizona show a mixture of 30-70% AR-generated flood peaks among the complete period of record. It is relatively common for the annual peaks fitted to the log-Pearson Type III distribution in these regions to show sharp breaks in the slope or a curve that reverses direction, pointing to the presence of different flood generating mechanisms. Following the recommendation by B17B to develop separate frequency curves when different flood agents can be identified, we will perform flood frequency analyses accounting for the role played by ARs. We will compare and contrast the results obtained by treating all annual maximum discharge values as generated from a single population against those from a mixed population analyses.

Comparison of main-shock and aftershock fragility curves developed for New Zealand and US buildings

USGS Publications Warehouse

Uma, S.R.; Ryu, H.; Luco, N.; Liel, A.B.; Raghunandan, M.

2011-01-01

Seismic risk assessment involves the development of fragility functions to express the relationship between ground motion intensity and damage potential. In evaluating the risk associated with the building inventory in a region, it is essential to capture 'actual' characteristics of the buildings and group them so that 'generic building types' can be generated for further analysis of their damage potential. Variations in building characteristics across regions/countries largely influence the resulting fragility functions, such that building models are unsuitable to be adopted for risk assessment in any other region where a different set of building is present. In this paper, for a given building type (represented in terms of height and structural system), typical New Zealand and US building models are considered to illustrate the differences in structural model parameters and their effects on resulting fragility functions for a set of main-shocks and aftershocks. From this study, the general conclusion is that the methodology and assumptions used to derive basic capacity curve parameters have a considerable influence on fragility curves.

Time dependence of solid-particle impingement erosion of an aluminum alloy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Veerabhadrarao, P.; Buckley, D. H.

1983-01-01

Erosion studies were conducted on 6061-T6511 aluminum alloy by using jet impingement of glass beads and crushed glass particles to investigate the influence of exposure time on volume loss rate at different pressures. The results indicate a direct relationship between erosion-versus-time curves and pitmorphology (width, depth, and width-depth ratio)-versus-time curves for both glass forms. Extensive erosion data from the literature were analyzed to find the variations of erosion-rate-versus-time curves with respect to the type of device, the size and shape of erodent particles, the abrasive charge, the impact velocity, etc. Analysis of the experimental data, obtained with two forms of glass, resulted in three types of erosion-rate-versus-time curves: (1) curves with incubation, acceleration, and steadystate periods (type 1); (2) curves with incubation, acceleration, decleration, and steady-state periods (type 3); and (3) curves with incubation, acceleration, peak rate, and deceleration periods (type 4). The type 4 curve is a less frequently seen curve and was not reported in the literature. Analysis of extensive literature data generally indicated three types of erosion-rate-versus-time curves. Two types (types 1 and 3) were observed in the present study; the third type involves incubation (and deposition), acceleration, and steady-state periods (type 2). Examination of the extensive literature data indicated that it is absolutely necessary to consider the corresponding stages or periods of erosion in correlating and characterizing erosion resistance of a wide spectrum of ductile materials.

Well test mathematical model for fractures network in tight oil reservoirs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diwu, Pengxiang; Liu, Tongjing; Jiang, Baoyi; Wang, Rui; Yang, Peidie; Yang, Jiping; Wang, Zhaoming

2018-02-01

Well test, especially build-up test, has been applied widely in the development of tight oil reservoirs, since it is the only available low cost way to directly quantify flow ability and formation heterogeneity parameters. However, because of the fractures network near wellbore, generated from artificial fracturing linking up natural factures, traditional infinite and finite conductivity fracture models usually result in significantly deviation in field application. In this work, considering the random distribution of natural fractures, physical model of fractures network is proposed, and it shows a composite model feature in the large scale. Consequently, a nonhomogeneous composite mathematical model is established with threshold pressure gradient. To solve this model semi-analytically, we proposed a solution approach including Laplace transform and virtual argument Bessel function, and this method is verified by comparing with existing analytical solution. The matching data of typical type curves generated from semi-analytical solution indicates that the proposed physical and mathematical model can describe the type curves characteristic in typical tight oil reservoirs, which have up warping in late-term rather than parallel lines with slope 1/2 or 1/4. It means the composite model could be used into pressure interpretation of artificial fracturing wells in tight oil reservoir.

Use of regionalisation approach to develop fire frequency curves for Victoria, Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khastagir, Anirban; Jayasuriya, Niranjali; Bhuyian, Muhammed A.

2017-11-01

It is important to perform fire frequency analysis to obtain fire frequency curves (FFC) based on fire intensity at different parts of Victoria. In this paper fire frequency curves (FFCs) were derived based on forest fire danger index (FFDI). FFDI is a measure related to fire initiation, spreading speed and containment difficulty. The mean temperature (T), relative humidity (RH) and areal extent of open water (LC2) during summer months (Dec-Feb) were identified as the most important parameters for assessing the risk of occurrence of bushfire. Based on these parameters, Andrews' curve equation was applied to 40 selected meteorological stations to identify homogenous stations to form unique clusters. A methodology using peak FFDI from cluster averaged FFDIs was developed by applying Log Pearson Type III (LPIII) distribution to generate FFCs. A total of nine homogeneous clusters across Victoria were identified, and subsequently their FFC's were developed in order to estimate the regionalised fire occurrence characteristics.

Photoacid generator study for chemically amplified negative resists for high-resolution lithography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dentinger, Paul M.; Knapp, Kurtis G.; Reynolds, Geoffrey W.; Taylor, James W.; Fedynyshyn, Theodore H.; Richardson, Todd A.

1998-06-01

The effect of photoacid generator and photogenerated acid molecular structures on a negative-tone chemically-amplified resist was tested using two different sets of acid generators, each set with one formulation creating a 'volatile' acid, and the other formulation creating a 'non- volatile' acid when exposed to x-rays. The acids from one set were generated from a derivative of iodonium salt and the acids from the other set were generated from a covalently bound photoacid generator. Both sets were compared to Shipley SAL 605 resist. In this study of five formulations, normalized remaining thickness (NRT) curves, SEM images of printed lines, spectrophotometric titration of the photogenerated acid, real-time curves, SEM images of printed lines, spectrophotometric titration of the photogenerated acid, real-time FTIR for kinetics of the PEB reaction, dissolution rate measurements, and atomic force microscopy for surface roughness were employed. RT-FTIR suggested that both the proposed 'volatile' and 'non- volatile' acids were retained to approximately the same extent within the films cast from these formulations. A mechanism is suggested where the type of photogenerated acid has an effect on the kinetics of the reaction and the photogenerated acid or photoacid effect on the kinetics of the reaction and the photogenerated acid or photoacid generator has a large effect on the ability of the aqueous developer to penetrate or dissolve the film.

Predictive Service Life Tests for Roofing Membranes: Phase II Investigation of Accelerated Aging Tests for Tracking Degradation of Roofing Membrane Materials

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-09-01

bitumens, EPDM , and PVC. Most heat-driven aging tests for building materials use a temperature of 70 °C. Ultraviolet radiation exposure in the...of 0.85 mm/sec. These samples generated three types of load-strain curves. A relatively straight line was generated by each EPDM rubber sample...Mathey 1974) at -18 °C. Except for the EPDM rubber membranes and Sample H, all samples tested comply with this suggested requirement. Sample H is an

Competition between SFG and two SHGs in broadband type-I QPM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dang, Weirui; Chen, Yuping; Gong, Mingjun; Chen, Xianfeng

2013-03-01

In this paper, we have studied the characteristics of second-order nonlinear interactions with band-overlapped type-I quasi-phase-matching (QPM) second harmonic generation (SHG) and sum-frequency generation (SFG), and predicted a blue-shift with a band-narrowing of their bands and a sunken response in the SFG curve, which are due to the phase-matching-dependent competition between band-overlapped SHG and SFG processes. This prediction is then verified by the experiment in an 18-mm-long bulk MgO-doped periodically poled lithium niobate crystal (MgO:PPLN) and may provide the candidate solution to output controlling for flexible broadcast wavelength conversion, channel-selective wavelength conversion and all-optical logic gates by cascaded QPM second-order nonlinear processes.

LIGHT CURVES OF CORE-COLLAPSE SUPERNOVAE WITH SUBSTANTIAL MASS LOSS USING THE NEW OPEN-SOURCE SUPERNOVA EXPLOSION CODE (SNEC)

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

Morozova, Viktoriya; Renzo, Mathieu; Ott, Christian D.

We present the SuperNova Explosion Code (SNEC), an open-source Lagrangian code for the hydrodynamics and equilibrium-diffusion radiation transport in the expanding envelopes of supernovae. Given a model of a progenitor star, an explosion energy, and an amount and distribution of radioactive nickel, SNEC generates the bolometric light curve, as well as the light curves in different broad bands assuming blackbody emission. As a first application of SNEC, we consider the explosions of a grid of 15 M{sub ⊙} (at zero-age main sequence, ZAMS) stars whose hydrogen envelopes are stripped to different extents and at different points in their evolution. Themore » resulting light curves exhibit plateaus with durations of ∼20–100 days if ≳1.5–2 M{sub ⊙} of hydrogen-rich material is left and no plateau if less hydrogen-rich material is left. If these shorter plateau lengths are not seen for SNe IIP in nature, it suggests that, at least for ZAMS masses ≲20 M{sub ⊙}, hydrogen mass loss occurs as an all or nothing process. This perhaps points to the important role binary interactions play in generating the observed mass-stripped supernovae (i.e., Type Ib/c events). These light curves are also unlike what is typically seen for SNe IIL, arguing that simply varying the amount of mass loss cannot explain these events. The most stripped models begin to show double-peaked light curves similar to what is often seen for SNe IIb, confirming previous work that these supernovae can come from progenitors that have a small amount of hydrogen and a radius of ∼500 R{sub ⊙}.« less

The S-curve for forecasting waste generation in construction projects.

PubMed

Lu, Weisheng; Peng, Yi; Chen, Xi; Skitmore, Martin; Zhang, Xiaoling

2016-10-01

Forecasting construction waste generation is the yardstick of any effort by policy-makers, researchers, practitioners and the like to manage construction and demolition (C&D) waste. This paper develops and tests an S-curve model to indicate accumulative waste generation as a project progresses. Using 37,148 disposal records generated from 138 building projects in Hong Kong in four consecutive years from January 2011 to June 2015, a wide range of potential S-curve models are examined, and as a result, the formula that best fits the historical data set is found. The S-curve model is then further linked to project characteristics using artificial neural networks (ANNs) so that it can be used to forecast waste generation in future construction projects. It was found that, among the S-curve models, cumulative logistic distribution is the best formula to fit the historical data. Meanwhile, contract sum, location, public-private nature, and duration can be used to forecast construction waste generation. The study provides contractors with not only an S-curve model to forecast overall waste generation before a project commences, but also with a detailed baseline to benchmark and manage waste during the course of construction. The major contribution of this paper is to the body of knowledge in the field of construction waste generation forecasting. By examining it with an S-curve model, the study elevates construction waste management to a level equivalent to project cost management where the model has already been readily accepted as a standard tool. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Robot Trajectory Optimization Approach for Thermal Barrier Coatings Used for Free-Form Components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, Zhenhua; Qi, Beichun; Tao, Chongyuan; Luo, Jie; Chen, Yuepeng; Xie, Changjun

2017-10-01

This paper is concerned with a robot trajectory optimization approach for thermal barrier coatings. As the requirements of high reproducibility of complex workpieces increase, an optimal thermal spraying trajectory should not only guarantee an accurate control of spray parameters defined by users (e.g., scanning speed, spray distance, scanning step, etc.) to achieve coating thickness homogeneity but also help to homogenize the heat transfer distribution on the coating surface. A mesh-based trajectory generation approach is introduced in this work to generate path curves on a free-form component. Then, two types of meander trajectories are generated by performing a different connection method. Additionally, this paper presents a research approach for introducing the heat transfer analysis into the trajectory planning process. Combining heat transfer analysis with trajectory planning overcomes the defects of traditional trajectory planning methods (e.g., local over-heating), which helps form the uniform temperature field by optimizing the time sequence of path curves. The influence of two different robot trajectories on the process of heat transfer is estimated by coupled FEM models which demonstrates the effectiveness of the presented optimization approach.

GridTool: A surface modeling and grid generation tool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Samareh-Abolhassani, Jamshid

1995-01-01

GridTool is designed around the concept that the surface grids are generated on a set of bi-linear patches. This type of grid generation is quite easy to implement, and it avoids the problems associated with complex CAD surface representations and associated surface parameterizations. However, the resulting surface grids are close to but not on the original CAD surfaces. This problem can be alleviated by projecting the resulting surface grids onto the original CAD surfaces. GridTool is designed primary for unstructured grid generation systems. Currently, GridTool supports VGRID and FELISA systems, and it can be easily extended to support other unstructured grid generation systems. The data in GridTool is stored parametrically so that once the problem is set up, one can modify the surfaces and the entire set of points, curves and patches will be updated automatically. This is very useful in a multidisciplinary design and optimization process. GridTool is written entirely in ANSI 'C', the interface is based on the FORMS library, and the graphics is based on the GL library. The code has been tested successfully on IRIS workstations running IRIX4.0 and above. The memory is allocated dynamically, therefore, memory size will depend on the complexity of geometry/grid. GridTool data structure is based on a link-list structure which allows the required memory to expand and contract dynamically according to the user's data size and action. Data structure contains several types of objects such as points, curves, patches, sources and surfaces. At any given time, there is always an active object which is drawn in magenta, or in their highlighted colors as defined by the resource file which will be discussed later.

Problems in using p-curve analysis and text-mining to detect rate of p-hacking and evidential value.

PubMed

Bishop, Dorothy V M; Thompson, Paul A

2016-01-01

Background. The p-curve is a plot of the distribution of p-values reported in a set of scientific studies. Comparisons between ranges of p-values have been used to evaluate fields of research in terms of the extent to which studies have genuine evidential value, and the extent to which they suffer from bias in the selection of variables and analyses for publication, p-hacking. Methods. p-hacking can take various forms. Here we used R code to simulate the use of ghost variables, where an experimenter gathers data on several dependent variables but reports only those with statistically significant effects. We also examined a text-mined dataset used by Head et al. (2015) and assessed its suitability for investigating p-hacking. Results. We show that when there is ghost p-hacking, the shape of the p-curve depends on whether dependent variables are intercorrelated. For uncorrelated variables, simulated p-hacked data do not give the "p-hacking bump" just below .05 that is regarded as evidence of p-hacking, though there is a negative skew when simulated variables are inter-correlated. The way p-curves vary according to features of underlying data poses problems when automated text mining is used to detect p-values in heterogeneous sets of published papers. Conclusions. The absence of a bump in the p-curve is not indicative of lack of p-hacking. Furthermore, while studies with evidential value will usually generate a right-skewed p-curve, we cannot treat a right-skewed p-curve as an indicator of the extent of evidential value, unless we have a model specific to the type of p-values entered into the analysis. We conclude that it is not feasible to use the p-curve to estimate the extent of p-hacking and evidential value unless there is considerable control over the type of data entered into the analysis. In particular, p-hacking with ghost variables is likely to be missed.

A Unified Overset Grid Generation Graphical Interface and New Concepts on Automatic Gridding Around Surface Discontinuities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chan, William M.; Akien, Edwin (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

For many years, generation of overset grids for complex configurations has required the use of a number of different independently developed software utilities. Results created by each step were then visualized using a separate visualization tool before moving on to the next. A new software tool called OVERGRID was developed which allows the user to perform all the grid generation steps and visualization under one environment. OVERGRID provides grid diagnostic functions such as surface tangent and normal checks as well as grid manipulation functions such as extraction, extrapolation, concatenation, redistribution, smoothing, and projection. Moreover, it also contains hyperbolic surface and volume grid generation modules that are specifically suited for overset grid generation. It is the first time that such a unified interface existed for the creation of overset grids for complex geometries. New concepts on automatic overset surface grid generation around surface discontinuities will also be briefly presented. Special control curves on the surface such as intersection curves, sharp edges, open boundaries, are called seam curves. The seam curves are first automatically extracted from a multiple panel network description of the surface. Points where three or more seam curves meet are automatically identified and are called seam corners. Seam corner surface grids are automatically generated using a singular axis topology. Hyperbolic surface grids are then grown from the seam curves that are automatically trimmed away from the seam corners.

Photometric Analysis of Eclipsing Binary Az Vir

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neugarten, Andrew; Akiba, Tatsuya; Gokhale, Vayujeet

2018-06-01

We present photometric analysis of the eclipsing binary star system Az Vir. Standard BVR filter data were obtained using the 17-inch PlaneWave Instruments CDK telescope at the Truman State University Observatory in Kirksville, Mo and the 31-inch NURO telescope at the Lowell Observatory complex in Flagstaff, AZ. We apply an eight-term truncated Fourier fit to the light curves generated from these data to confirm the classification of Az Vir as a W Ursae Majoris-type eclipsing variable, using criteria specified by Rucinski (1997). We also calculate the values for the O’Connell Effect Ratio (OER) and the Light Curve Asymmetry (LCA) to quantify the asymmetry in the BVR light curves. In addition, we use data provided by the SuperWASP mission to perform long term O-C (observed minus calculated) analysis on the system to determine if and how its period is changing.

Methods of fabricating a conductor assembly having a curvilinear arcuate shape

DOEpatents

Meinke, Rainer [Melbourne, FL

2011-08-23

A method for manufacture of a conductor assembly along a curvilinear axis. The assembly may be of the type which, when conducting current, generates a magnetic field or in which, in the presence of a changing magnetic field, a voltage is induced. In one example, the assembly includes a structure having a curved shape extending along the axis. A surface of the structure is positioned for formation of a channel along the curved shape. The structure is rotated about a second axis. While rotating the structure, a channel is formed in the surface that results in a helical shape in the structure. The channel extends both around and along the first axis.

The Type Ia Supernova Color-Magnitude Relation and Host Galaxy Dust: A Simple Hierarchical Bayesian Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mandel, Kaisey S.; Scolnic, Daniel M.; Shariff, Hikmatali; Foley, Ryan J.; Kirshner, Robert P.

2017-06-01

Conventional Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) cosmology analyses currently use a simplistic linear regression of magnitude versus color and light curve shape, which does not model intrinsic SN Ia variations and host galaxy dust as physically distinct effects, resulting in low color-magnitude slopes. We construct a probabilistic generative model for the dusty distribution of extinguished absolute magnitudes and apparent colors as the convolution of an intrinsic SN Ia color-magnitude distribution and a host galaxy dust reddening-extinction distribution. If the intrinsic color-magnitude (M B versus B - V) slope {β }{int} differs from the host galaxy dust law R B , this convolution results in a specific curve of mean extinguished absolute magnitude versus apparent color. The derivative of this curve smoothly transitions from {β }{int} in the blue tail to R B in the red tail of the apparent color distribution. The conventional linear fit approximates this effective curve near the average apparent color, resulting in an apparent slope {β }{app} between {β }{int} and R B . We incorporate these effects into a hierarchical Bayesian statistical model for SN Ia light curve measurements, and analyze a data set of SALT2 optical light curve fits of 248 nearby SNe Ia at z< 0.10. The conventional linear fit gives {β }{app}≈ 3. Our model finds {β }{int}=2.3+/- 0.3 and a distinct dust law of {R}B=3.8+/- 0.3, consistent with the average for Milky Way dust, while correcting a systematic distance bias of ˜0.10 mag in the tails of the apparent color distribution. Finally, we extend our model to examine the SN Ia luminosity-host mass dependence in terms of intrinsic and dust components.

Inter-observer and intra-observer agreement on interpretation of uroflowmetry curves of kindergarten children.

PubMed

Chang, Shang-Jen; Yang, Stephen S D

2008-12-01

To evaluate the inter-observer and intra-observer agreement on the interpretation of uroflowmetry curves of children. Healthy kindergarten children were enrolled for evaluation of uroflowmetry. Uroflowmetry curves were classified as bell-shaped, tower, plateau, staccato and interrupted. Only the bell-shaped curves were regarded as normal. Two urodynamists evaluated the curves independently after reviewing the definitions of the different types of uroflowmetry curve. The senior urodynamist evaluated the curves twice 3 months apart. The final conclusion was made when consensus was reached. Agreement among observers was analyzed using kappa statistics. Of 190 uroflowmetry curves eligible for analysis, the intra-observer agreement in interpreting each type of curve and interpreting normalcy vs abnormality was good (kappa=0.71 and 0.68, respectively). Very good inter-observer agreement (kappa=0.81) on normalcy and good inter-observer agreement (kappa=0.73) on types of uroflowmetry were observed. Poor inter-observer agreement existed on the classification of specific types of abnormal uroflowmetry curves (kappa=0.07). Uroflowmetry is a good screening tool for normalcy of kindergarten children, while not a good tool to define the specific types of abnormal uroflowmetry.

On a framework for generating PoD curves assisted by numerical simulations

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

Subair, S. Mohamed, E-mail: prajagopal@iitm.ac.in; Agrawal, Shweta, E-mail: prajagopal@iitm.ac.in; Balasubramaniam, Krishnan, E-mail: prajagopal@iitm.ac.in

2015-03-31

The Probability of Detection (PoD) curve method has emerged as an important tool for the assessment of the performance of NDE techniques, a topic of particular interest to the nuclear industry where inspection qualification is very important. The conventional experimental means of generating PoD curves though, can be expensive, requiring large data sets (covering defects and test conditions), and equipment and operator time. Several methods of achieving faster estimates for PoD curves using physics-based modelling have been developed to address this problem. Numerical modelling techniques are also attractive, especially given the ever-increasing computational power available to scientists today. Here wemore » develop procedures for obtaining PoD curves, assisted by numerical simulation and based on Bayesian statistics. Numerical simulations are performed using Finite Element analysis for factors that are assumed to be independent, random and normally distributed. PoD curves so generated are compared with experiments on austenitic stainless steel (SS) plates with artificially created notches. We examine issues affecting the PoD curve generation process including codes, standards, distribution of defect parameters and the choice of the noise threshold. We also study the assumption of normal distribution for signal response parameters and consider strategies for dealing with data that may be more complex or sparse to justify this. These topics are addressed and illustrated through the example case of generation of PoD curves for pulse-echo ultrasonic inspection of vertical surface-breaking cracks in SS plates.« less

On a framework for generating PoD curves assisted by numerical simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Subair, S. Mohamed; Agrawal, Shweta; Balasubramaniam, Krishnan; Rajagopal, Prabhu; Kumar, Anish; Rao, Purnachandra B.; Tamanna, Jayakumar

2015-03-01

The Probability of Detection (PoD) curve method has emerged as an important tool for the assessment of the performance of NDE techniques, a topic of particular interest to the nuclear industry where inspection qualification is very important. The conventional experimental means of generating PoD curves though, can be expensive, requiring large data sets (covering defects and test conditions), and equipment and operator time. Several methods of achieving faster estimates for PoD curves using physics-based modelling have been developed to address this problem. Numerical modelling techniques are also attractive, especially given the ever-increasing computational power available to scientists today. Here we develop procedures for obtaining PoD curves, assisted by numerical simulation and based on Bayesian statistics. Numerical simulations are performed using Finite Element analysis for factors that are assumed to be independent, random and normally distributed. PoD curves so generated are compared with experiments on austenitic stainless steel (SS) plates with artificially created notches. We examine issues affecting the PoD curve generation process including codes, standards, distribution of defect parameters and the choice of the noise threshold. We also study the assumption of normal distribution for signal response parameters and consider strategies for dealing with data that may be more complex or sparse to justify this. These topics are addressed and illustrated through the example case of generation of PoD curves for pulse-echo ultrasonic inspection of vertical surface-breaking cracks in SS plates.

Nonlinear Dynamic of Curved Railway Tracks in Three-Dimensional Space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, X.; Ngamkhanong, C.; Kaewunruen, S.

2017-12-01

On curved tracks, high-pitch noise pollution can often be a considerable concern of rail asset owners, commuters, and people living or working along the rail corridor. Inevitably, wheel/rail interface can cause a traveling source of sound and vibration, which spread over a long distance of rail network. The sound and vibration can be in various forms and spectra. The undesirable sound and vibration on curves is often called ‘noise,’ includes flanging and squealing noises. This paper focuses on the squeal noise phenomena on curved tracks located in urban environments. It highlights the effect of curve radii on lateral track dynamics. It is important to note that rail freight curve noises, especially for curve squeals, can be observed almost everywhere and every type of track structures. The most pressing noise appears at sharper curved tracks where excessive lateral wheel/rail dynamics resonate with falling friction states, generating a tonal noise problem, so-call ‘squeal’. Many researchers have carried out measurements and simulations to understand the actual root causes of the squeal noise. Most researchers believe that wheel resonance over falling friction is the main cause, whilst a few others think that dynamic mode coupling of wheel and rail may also cause the squeal. Therefore, this paper is devoted to systems thinking the approach and dynamic assessment in resolving railway curve noise problems. The simulations of railway tracks with different curve radii will be carried out to develop state-of-the-art understanding into lateral track dynamics, including rail dynamics, cant dynamics, gauge dynamics and overall track responses.

ON CHROMOSOME BALANCE AS A FACTOR IN DURATION OF LIFE

PubMed Central

Gowen, John W.

1931-01-01

This paper presents a study of the influence of chromosome balance on duration of life in Drosophila. The balanced type of cells are shown to favor a longer life than are the unbalanced type. Under the identical conditions of the experiment, the type females live an average of 33.1±.6 days; the type males 28.9±.8 days; the triploid females 33.1±.8 days and the sex-intergrade females 15.0±.3 days. The unbalance of the chromosomes and therefore of the genes contained within them is evidently a fundamental factor in the probable life span of the individual. The magnitude of the effect is fully on a par with that found for other factors, i.e., different Mendelian genes for constitutional vigor, etc. It has been possible to show by a study of the various sex classifications within the sex-intergrade class that the presence or absence of ovarian or testicular tissue as such is not the primary cause of the difference in the life duration in the type males and females but that the cause is to be found deeper, sex determination and duration of life accompanying each other and resulting from the common cause, chromosome constitution. The survival curve of the sex-intergrade groups present a limiting curve of duration of life, a constant death rate for each day of age. The curves have different rates of degeneration. To account for this fact it is necessary to assume that for these particular organisms a different organ in the two groups has assumed major significance to life due to the gene complex which causes their differentiation. Recurrent chance environmental and hereditary agents acting on organs generate the type of probability curve observed. Triploid flies are made up of cells which are one-third larger than the cells of the type flies. It is not without significance to note that such individuals show no greater or less duration of life than do the ordinary flies when both groups have their chromosomes in balance. PMID:19872597

Gene Scanning of an Internalin B Gene Fragment Using High-Resolution Melting Curve Analysis as a Tool for Rapid Typing of Listeria monocytogenes

PubMed Central

Pietzka, Ariane T.; Stöger, Anna; Huhulescu, Steliana; Allerberger, Franz; Ruppitsch, Werner

2011-01-01

The ability to accurately track Listeria monocytogenes strains involved in outbreaks is essential for control and prevention of listeriosis. Because current typing techniques are time-consuming, cost-intensive, technically demanding, and difficult to standardize, we developed a rapid and cost-effective method for typing of L. monocytogenes. In all, 172 clinical L. monocytogenes isolates and 20 isolates from culture collections were typed by high-resolution melting (HRM) curve analysis of a specific locus of the internalin B gene (inlB). All obtained HRM curve profiles were verified by sequence analysis. The 192 tested L. monocytogenes isolates yielded 15 specific HRM curve profiles. Sequence analysis revealed that these 15 HRM curve profiles correspond to 18 distinct inlB sequence types. The HRM curve profiles obtained correlated with the five phylogenetic groups I.1, I.2, II.1, II.2, and III. Thus, HRM curve analysis constitutes an inexpensive assay and represents an improvement in typing relative to classical serotyping or multiplex PCR typing protocols. This method provides a rapid and powerful screening tool for simultaneous preliminary typing of up to 384 samples in approximately 2 hours. PMID:21227395

Collision-induced stimulated photon echo generated at transition 0-1 on broad spectral line conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rubtsova, N. N.; Gol'dort, V. G.; Ishchenko, V. N.; Khvorostov, E. B.; Kochubei, S. A.; Borisov, G. M.; Ledovskikh, D. V.; Reshetov, V. A.

2018-04-01

For the first time, the collision induced stimulated photon echo generated at transition 1S0 → 3 P1 of 174Yb (type 0-1) in the mixture of gases Yb  +  Xe was investigated in the presence of weak longitudinal magnetic field, with experimental parameters corresponding to broad spectral line conditions. Comparison of the experimental echo amplitude versus magnetic field strength dependence with the theoretical curve shows a very good agreement, giving rise to an improved estimate for the difference between alignment and orientation decay rates.

A model of high-affinity antibody binding to type III group B Streptococcus capsular polysaccharide.

PubMed

Wessels, M R; Muñoz, A; Kasper, D L

1987-12-01

We recently reported that the single repeating-unit pentasaccharide of type III group B Streptococcus (GBS) capsular polysaccharide is only weakly reactive with type III GBS antiserum. To further elucidate the relationship between antigen-chain length and antigenicity, tritiated oligosaccharides derived from type III capsular polysaccharide were used to generate detailed saturation binding curves with a fixed concentration of rabbit antiserum in a radioactive antigen-binding assay. A graded increase in affinity of antigen-antibody binding was seen as oligosaccharide size increased from 2.6 repeating units to 92 repeating units. These differences in affinity of antibody binding to oligosaccharides of different molecular size were confirmed by immunoprecipitation and competitive ELISA, two independent assays of antigen-antibody binding. Analysis of the saturation binding experiment indicated a difference of 300-fold in antibody-binding affinity for the largest versus the smallest tested oligosaccharides. Unexpectedly, the saturation binding values approached by the individual curves were inversely related to oligosaccharide chain length on a molar basis but equivalent on a weight basis. This observation is compatible with a model in which binding of an immunoglobulin molecule to an antigenic site on the polysaccharide facilitates subsequent binding of antibody to that antigen.

Characteristics of Kodak Insight, an F-speed intraoral film.

PubMed

Ludlow, J B; Platin, E; Mol, A

2001-01-01

This study reports film speed, contrast, exposure latitude, resolution, and response to processing solution depletion of Kodak Insight intraoral film. Densitometric curves were generated by using International Standards Organization protocol. Additional curves were generated for Ultra-speed, Ektaspeed Plus, and Insight films developed in progressively depleted processing solutions. Eight observers viewed images of a resolution test tool for maximum resolution assessment. Images of an aluminum step-wedge were reviewed to determine useful exposure latitude. Insight's sensitivity in fresh automatic processor solutions places it in the F-speed group. An average gradient of 1.8 was found with all film types. Insight provided 93% of the useful exposure latitude of Ektaspeed Plus film. Insight maintained contrast in progressively depleted processing solutions. Like Ektaspeed Plus, Insight was able to resolve at least 20 line-pairs per millimeter. Under International Standards Organization conditions, Insight required only 77% of the exposure of Ektaspeed Plus film. Insight film provided stable contrast in depleted processing solutions.

Enhanced photoelectrochemical performance of inorganic-organic hybrid consisting of BiVO4 and PEDOT:PSS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trzciński, K.; Szkoda, M.; Siuzdak, K.; Sawczak, M.; Lisowska-Oleksiak, A.

2016-12-01

The PEDOT:PSS (poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate)) was electrodeposited on a thin layer of bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) prepared using the pulsed laser deposition technique onto FTO. The inorganic-organic junction was characterized by Raman spectroscopy, UV-vis spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Chronoamperometry curves, recorded under simulated solar light illumination, were performed to determine generated photocurrent during water and hydroquinone oxidation at the electrode surface. Experiments were performed for three types of electrode materials: (i) FTO/BiVO4, (ii) FTO/PEDOT:PSS and (iii) FTO/BiVO4/PEDOT:PSS in aqueous electrolyte. Almost 5 times higher photocurrent in electrolyte containing hole scavenger was generated after modification of BiVO4 photoanode with electrodeposited polymer. It is noteworthy that anodic photocurrent was stable even after 4 h of illumination. Cyclic voltammetry curves of FTO/BiVO4/PEDOT:PSS recorded before and after experiments performed under electrode illumination indicated that the organic part in tested junction is photo-corrosion resistant.

Species-area curves indicate the importance of habitats' contributions to regional biodiversity

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chong, G.W.; Stohlgren, T.J.

2007-01-01

We examined species-area curves, species composition and similarity (Jaccard's coefficients), and species richness in 17 vegetation types to develop a composite index of a vegetation type's contribution to regional species richness. We collected data from 1 to 1000 m2 scales in 147 nested plots in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA to compare three species-area curve models' abilities to estimate the number of species observed in each vegetation type. The log(species)-log(area) curve had the largest adjusted coefficients of determination (r2 values) in 12 of the 17 types, followed by the species-log(area) curve with five of the highest values. When the slopes of the curves were corrected for species overlap among plots with Jaccard's coefficients, the species-log(area) curves estimated values closest to those observed. We combined information from species-area curves and measures of heterogeneity with information on the area covered by each vegetation type and found that the types making the greatest contributions to regional biodiversity covered the smallest areas. This approach may provide an accurate and relatively rapid way to rank hotspots of plant diversity within regions of interest.

Three-dimensional spatially curved local Bessel beams generated by metasurface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Dawei; Wu, Jiawen; Cheng, Bo; Li, Hongliang

2018-03-01

We propose a reflective metasurface based on an artificial admittance modulation surface to generate three-dimensional spatially curved beams. The phase acquisition utilized to modulate this sinusoidally varying surface admittance combines the enveloping theory of differential geometry and the method for producing two-dimensional Bessel beams. The metasurface is fabricated, and the comparison between the full-wave simulations and experimental results demonstrates good performance of three-dimensional spatially curved beams generated by the metasurface.

Multimodal approach to seismic pavement testing

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ryden, N.; Park, C.B.; Ulriksen, P.; Miller, R.D.

2004-01-01

A multimodal approach to nondestructive seismic pavement testing is described. The presented approach is based on multichannel analysis of all types of seismic waves propagating along the surface of the pavement. The multichannel data acquisition method is replaced by multichannel simulation with one receiver. This method uses only one accelerometer-receiver and a light hammer-source, to generate a synthetic receiver array. This data acquisition technique is made possible through careful triggering of the source and results in such simplification of the technique that it is made generally available. Multiple dispersion curves are automatically and objectively extracted using the multichannel analysis of surface waves processing scheme, which is described. Resulting dispersion curves in the high frequency range match with theoretical Lamb waves in a free plate. At lower frequencies there are several branches of dispersion curves corresponding to the lower layers of different stiffness in the pavement system. The observed behavior of multimodal dispersion curves is in agreement with theory, which has been validated through both numerical modeling and the transfer matrix method, by solving for complex wave numbers. ?? ASCE / JUNE 2004.

New well testing applications of the pressure derivative

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

Onur, M.

1989-01-01

This work presents new derivative type curves based on a new derivative group which is equal to the dimensionless pressure group divided by its logarithmic derivative with respect to dimensionless time group. One major advantage of these type curves is that the type-curve match of field pressure/pressure-derivative data with the new derivative type curves is accomplished by moving the field data plot in only the horizontal direction. This type-curve match fixes time match-point values. The pressure change versus time data is then matched with the dimensionless pressure solution to determine match-point values. Well/reservoir parameters can then be estimated in themore » standard way. This two step type-curve matching procedure increases the likelihood of obtaining a unique match. Moreover, the unique correspondence between the ordinate of the field data plot and the new derivative type curves should prove useful in determining whether given field data actually represents the well/reservoir model assumed by a selected type curve solution. It is also shown that the basic idea used in construction the type curves can be used to ensure that proper semilog straight lines are chosen when analyzing pressure data by semilog methods. Analysis of both drawdown and buildup data is considered and actual field cases are analyzed using the new derivative type curves and the semilog identification method. This work also presents new methods based on the pressure derivative to analyze buildup data obtained at a well (fracture or unfractured) produced to pseudosteady-state prior to shut-in. By using a method of analysis based on the pressure derivative, it is shown that a well's drainage area at the instant of shut-in and the flow capacity can be computed directly from buildup data even in cases where conventional semilog straight lines are not well-defined.« less

Heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics of the tube bank fin heat exchanger with fin punched with flow redistributors and curved triangular vortex generators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Song; Jin, Hua; Song, KeWei; Wang, LiangChen; Wu, Xiang; Wang, LiangBi

2017-10-01

The heat transfer performance of the tube bank fin heat exchanger is limited by the air-side thermal resistance. Thus, enhancing the air-side heat transfer is an effective method to improve the performance of the heat exchanger. A new fin pattern with flow redistributors and curved triangular vortex generators is experimentally studied in this paper. The effects of the flow redistributors located in front of the tube stagnation point and the curved vortex generators located around the tube on the characteristics of heat transfer and pressure drop are discussed in detail. A performance comparison is also carried out between the fins with and without flow redistributors. The experimental results show that the flow redistributors stamped out from the fin in front of the tube stagnation points can decrease the friction factor at the cost of decreasing the heat transfer performance. Whether the combination of the flow redistributors and the curved vortex generators will present a better heat transfer performance depends on the size of the curved vortex generators. As for the studied two sizes of vortex generators, the heat transfer performance is promoted by the flow redistributors for the fin with larger size of vortex generators and the performance is suppressed by the flow redistributors for the fin with smaller vortex generators.

Visualization of flow separation and control by vortex generators on an single flap in landing configuration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Součková, Natálie; Kuklová, Jana; Popelka, Lukáš; Matějka, Milan

2012-04-01

This paper focuses on a suppression of the flow separation, which occurs on a deflected flap, by means of vortex generators (VG's). An airfoil NACA 63A421 with a simple flap and vane-type vortex generators were used. The investigation was carried out by using experimental and numerical methods. The data from the numerical simulation of the flapped airfoil without VG's control were used for the vortex generator design. Two sizes, two different shapes and various spacing of the vortex generators were tested. The flow past the airfoil was visualized through three methods, namely tuft filaments technique, oil and thermo camera visualization. The experiments were performed in closed circuit wind tunnels with closed and open test sections. The lift curves for both cases without and with vortex generators were acquired for a lift coefficient improvement determination. The improvement was achieved for several cases by means all of the applied methods.

Trajectories of Listeria-type motility in two dimensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wen, Fu-Lai; Leung, Kwan-tai; Chen, Hsuan-Yi

2012-12-01

Force generated by actin polymerization is essential in cell motility and the locomotion of organelles or bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes. Both in vivo and in vitro experiments on actin-based motility have observed geometrical trajectories including straight lines, circles, S-shaped curves, and translating figure eights. This paper reports a phenomenological model of an actin-propelled disk in two dimensions that generates geometrical trajectories. Our model shows that when the evolutions of actin density and force per filament on the disk are strongly coupled to the disk self-rotation, it is possible for a straight trajectory to lose its stability. When the instability is due to a pitchfork bifurcation, the resulting trajectory is a circle; a straight trajectory can also lose stability through a Hopf bifurcation, and the resulting trajectory is an S-shaped curve. We also show that a half-coated disk, which mimics the distribution of functionalized proteins in Listeria, also undergoes similar symmetry-breaking bifurcations when the straight trajectory loses stability. For both a fully coated disk and a half-coated disk, when the trajectory is an S-shaped curve, the angular frequency of the disk self-rotation is different from that of the disk trajectory. However, for circular trajectories, these angular frequencies are different for a fully coated disk but the same for a half-coated disk.

PyBetVH: A Python tool for probabilistic volcanic hazard assessment and for generation of Bayesian hazard curves and maps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tonini, Roberto; Sandri, Laura; Anne Thompson, Mary

2015-06-01

PyBetVH is a completely new, free, open-source and cross-platform software implementation of the Bayesian Event Tree for Volcanic Hazard (BET_VH), a tool for estimating the probability of any magmatic hazardous phenomenon occurring in a selected time frame, accounting for all the uncertainties. New capabilities of this implementation include the ability to calculate hazard curves which describe the distribution of the exceedance probability as a function of intensity (e.g., tephra load) on a grid of points covering the target area. The computed hazard curves are (i) absolute (accounting for the probability of eruption in a given time frame, and for all the possible vent locations and eruptive sizes) and (ii) Bayesian (computed at different percentiles, in order to quantify the epistemic uncertainty). Such curves allow representation of the full information contained in the probabilistic volcanic hazard assessment (PVHA) and are well suited to become a main input to quantitative risk analyses. PyBetVH allows for interactive visualization of both the computed hazard curves, and the corresponding Bayesian hazard/probability maps. PyBetVH is designed to minimize the efforts of end users, making PVHA results accessible to people who may be less experienced in probabilistic methodologies, e.g. decision makers. The broad compatibility of Python language has also allowed PyBetVH to be installed on the VHub cyber-infrastructure, where it can be run online or downloaded at no cost. PyBetVH can be used to assess any type of magmatic hazard from any volcano. Here we illustrate how to perform a PVHA through PyBetVH using the example of analyzing tephra fallout from the Okataina Volcanic Centre (OVC), New Zealand, and highlight the range of outputs that the tool can generate.

Atmospheric Correction of Satellite Imagery Using Modtran 3.5 Code

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gonzales, Fabian O.; Velez-Reyes, Miguel

1997-01-01

When performing satellite remote sensing of the earth in the solar spectrum, atmospheric scattering and absorption effects provide the sensors corrupted information about the target's radiance characteristics. We are faced with the problem of reconstructing the signal that was reflected from the target, from the data sensed by the remote sensing instrument. This article presents a method for simulating radiance characteristic curves of satellite images using a MODTRAN 3.5 band model (BM) code to solve the radiative transfer equation (RTE), and proposes a method for the implementation of an adaptive system for automated atmospheric corrections. The simulation procedure is carried out as follows: (1) for each satellite digital image a radiance characteristic curve is obtained by performing a digital number (DN) to radiance conversion, (2) using MODTRAN 3.5 a simulation of the images characteristic curves is generated, (3) the output of the code is processed to generate radiance characteristic curves for the simulated cases. The simulation algorithm was used to simulate Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) images for two types of locations: the ocean surface, and a forest surface. The simulation procedure was validated by computing the error between the empirical and simulated radiance curves. While results in the visible region of the spectrum where not very accurate, those for the infrared region of the spectrum were encouraging. This information can be used for correction of the atmospheric effects. For the simulation over ocean, the lowest error produced in this region was of the order of 105 and up to 14 times smaller than errors in the visible region. For the same spectral region on the forest case, the lowest error produced was of the order of 10-4, and up to 41 times smaller than errors in the visible region,

Rapid screening of rpoB and katG mutations in Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates by high-resolution melting curve analysis.

PubMed

Haeili, M; Fooladi, A I; Bostanabad, S Z; Sarokhalil, D D; Siavoshi, F; Feizabadi, M M

2014-01-01

Early detection of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is essential to prevent its transmission in the community and initiate effective anti-TB treatment regimen. High-resolution melting curve (HRM) analysis was evaluated for rapid detection of resistance conferring mutations in rpoB and katG genes. We screened 95 Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolates including 20 rifampin resistant (RIF-R), 21 isoniazid resistant (INH-R) and 54 fully susceptible (S) isolates determined by proportion method of drug susceptibility testing. Nineteen M. tuberculosis isolates with known drug susceptibility genotypes were used as references for the assay validation. The nucleotide sequences of the target regions rpoB and katG genes were determined to investigate the frequency and type of mutations and to confirm HRM results. HRM analysis of a 129-bp fragment of rpoB allowed correct identification of 19 of the 20 phenotypically RIF-R and all RIF-S isolates. All INH-S isolates generated wild-type HRM curves and 18 out of 21 INH-R isolates harboured any mutation in 109-bp fragment of katG exhibited mutant type HRM curves. However, 1 RIF-R and 3 INH-R isolates were falsely identified as susceptible which were confirmed for having no mutation in their target regions by sequencing. The main mutations involved in RIF and INH resistance were found at codons rpoB531 (60% of RIF-R isolates) and katG315 (85.7% of INH-R isolates), respectively. HRM was found to be a reliable, rapid and low cost method to characterise drug susceptibility of clinical TB isolates in resource-limited settings.

Shock Hugoniot and equations of states of water, castor oil, and aqueous solutions of sodium chloride, sucrose and gelatin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gojani, A. B.; Ohtani, K.; Takayama, K.; Hosseini, S. H. R.

2016-01-01

This paper reports a result of experiments for the determination of reliable shock Hugoniot curves of liquids, in particular, at relatively low pressure region, which are needed to perform precise numerical simulations of shock wave/tissue interaction prior to the development of shock wave related therapeutic devices. Underwater shock waves were generated by explosions of laser ignited 10 mg silver azide pellets, which were temporally and spatially well controlled. Measuring temporal variation of shock velocities and over-pressures in caster oil, aqueous solutions of sodium chloride, sucrose and gelatin with various concentrations, we succeeded to determine shock Hugoniot curves of these liquids and hence parameters describing Tait type equations of state.

Type Ibn Supernovae Show Photometric Homogeneity and Spectral Diversity at Maximum Light

DOE PAGES

Hosseinzadeh, Griffin; Arcavi, Iair; Valenti, Stefano; ...

2017-02-16

Type Ibn supernovae (SNe) are a small yet intriguing class of explosions whose spectra are characterized by low-velocity helium emission lines with little to no evidence for hydrogen. The prevailing theory has been that these are the core-collapse explosions of very massive stars embedded in helium-rich circumstellar material (CSM). We report optical observations of six new SNe Ibn: PTF11rfh, PTF12ldy, iPTF14aki, iPTF15ul, SN 2015G, and iPTF15akq. This brings the sample size of such objects in the literature to 22. We also report new data, including a near-infrared spectrum, on the Type Ibn SN 2015U. In order to characterize the classmore » as a whole, we analyze the photometric and spectroscopic properties of the full Type Ibn sample. Here, we find that, despite the expectation that CSM interaction would generate a heterogeneous set of light curves, as seen in SNe IIn, most Type Ibn light curves are quite similar in shape, declining at rates around 0.1 mag day -1 during the first month after maximum light, with a few significant exceptions. Early spectra of SNe Ibn come in at least two varieties, one that shows narrow P Cygni lines and another dominated by broader emission lines, both around maximum light, which may be an indication of differences in the state of the progenitor system at the time of explosion. Alternatively, the spectral diversity could arise from viewing-angle effects or merely from a lack of early spectroscopic coverage. Finally, together, the relative light curve homogeneity and narrow spectral features suggest that the CSM consists of a spatially confined shell of helium surrounded by a less dense extended wind.« less

Type Ibn Supernovae Show Photometric Homogeneity and Spectral Diversity at Maximum Light

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

Hosseinzadeh, Griffin; Arcavi, Iair; McCully, Curtis

2017-02-20

Type Ibn supernovae (SNe) are a small yet intriguing class of explosions whose spectra are characterized by low-velocity helium emission lines with little to no evidence for hydrogen. The prevailing theory has been that these are the core-collapse explosions of very massive stars embedded in helium-rich circumstellar material (CSM). We report optical observations of six new SNe Ibn: PTF11rfh, PTF12ldy, iPTF14aki, iPTF15ul, SN 2015G, and iPTF15akq. This brings the sample size of such objects in the literature to 22. We also report new data, including a near-infrared spectrum, on the Type Ibn SN 2015U. In order to characterize the classmore » as a whole, we analyze the photometric and spectroscopic properties of the full Type Ibn sample. We find that, despite the expectation that CSM interaction would generate a heterogeneous set of light curves, as seen in SNe IIn, most Type Ibn light curves are quite similar in shape, declining at rates around 0.1 mag day{sup −1} during the first month after maximum light, with a few significant exceptions. Early spectra of SNe Ibn come in at least two varieties, one that shows narrow P Cygni lines and another dominated by broader emission lines, both around maximum light, which may be an indication of differences in the state of the progenitor system at the time of explosion. Alternatively, the spectral diversity could arise from viewing-angle effects or merely from a lack of early spectroscopic coverage. Together, the relative light curve homogeneity and narrow spectral features suggest that the CSM consists of a spatially confined shell of helium surrounded by a less dense extended wind.« less

High-performance shape-engineerable thermoelectric painting

PubMed Central

Park, Sung Hoon; Jo, Seungki; Kwon, Beomjin; Kim, Fredrick; Ban, Hyeong Woo; Lee, Ji Eun; Gu, Da Hwi; Lee, Se Hwa; Hwang, Younghun; Kim, Jin-Sang; Hyun, Dow-Bin; Lee, Sukbin; Choi, Kyoung Jin; Jo, Wook; Son, Jae Sung

2016-01-01

Output power of thermoelectric generators depends on device engineering minimizing heat loss as well as inherent material properties. However, the device engineering has been largely neglected due to the limited flat or angular shape of devices. Considering that the surface of most heat sources where these planar devices are attached is curved, a considerable amount of heat loss is inevitable. To address this issue, here, we present the shape-engineerable thermoelectric painting, geometrically compatible to surfaces of any shape. We prepared Bi2Te3-based inorganic paints using the molecular Sb2Te3 chalcogenidometalate as a sintering aid for thermoelectric particles, with ZT values of 0.67 for n-type and 1.21 for p-type painted materials that compete the bulk values. Devices directly brush-painted onto curved surfaces produced the high output power of 4.0 mW cm−2. This approach paves the way to designing materials and devices that can be easily transferred to other applications. PMID:27834369

Self-Action of Second Harmonic Generation and Longitudinal Temperature Gradient in Nonlinear-Optical Crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baranov, A. I.; Konyashkin, A. V.; Ryabushkin, O. A.

2015-09-01

Model of second harmonic generation with thermal self-action was developed. Second harmonic generation temperature phase matching curves were measured and calculated for periodically polled lithium niobate crystal. Both experimental and calculated data show asymmetrical shift of temperature tuning curves with pump power.

Selective thoracic surgery in the Lenke type 1A: King III and King IV type curves.

PubMed

Parisini, P; Di Silvestre, M; Lolli, F; Bakaloudis, G

2009-06-01

Pedicle screw fixation enables enhanced three-dimensional correction of spinal deformities and effectively shortens the distal fusion level. However, the choice of distal fusion level is still controversial in single thoracic idiopathic scoliosis with the lumbar compensatory curve not crossing the middle line (Lenke type 1 with modifier A or King type III and IV curves).The authors retrospectively analyzed 31 patients treated by segmental pedicular instrumentation alone, affected by a single thoracic adolescent idiopathic scoliosis with a compensatory lumbar curve not crossing the midline (Lenke 1A), with an average age of 16.3 years (range 10-22 years). The patients with regard to the King classification were also assessed. A statistical analysis was performed to determine whether the two groups (King III, King IV) presented differences concerning the level of the stable vertebra (SV), end vertebra (EV), and neutral vertebra (NV) and were also analyzed the results at follow-up regarding the relationships between the SV, EV, and lowest instrumented vertebra (LIV). The statistical analysis showed a significant difference between the two curve types. In the King III type curve the SV, EV, and NV appeared to be more proximal than those of the King IV type curve and the segments between the SV, EV, and NV appeared to be reduced in King III curves compared with King IV curves. At a follow-up of 3.2 years (range 2.2-5) the thoracic curve showed a correction of 58.4% (from 62.3 degrees to 26.6 degrees ) and compensatory lumbar curve an average spontaneous correction of 52.4% (from 38.1 degrees to 18.1 degrees ).The position of the LIV was shorter than the position of the SV in 30 patients (97%) with an average "salvage" of 2.1 (from 1 to 4) distal fusion levels. Four cases (13%), all affected by a King IV type curve, presented at follow-up an unsatisfactory results due to an "adding on" phenomenon. The statistical analysis confirmed that this phenomenon was correlated with The King IV curve (P = 0.043; Chi-square test) and that the only predictive parameter for its onset was the LIV-SV difference (odds ratio = 0.093; with a confidence interval of 0.008-1): every time that in King IV curve type the LIV was three or more levels shorter than the stable vertebra at follow-up the "adding on" phenomenon was present. The authors conclude that Lenke's type 1 with modifier A includes two kinds of curves, King III and King IV and that the Lenke's type 2 curves and King V with the lumbar curve not crossing the middle line have a similar behavior. Therefore, it is of authors' opinion that "the adding on phenomenon" could be prevented by more rigidly defining K. IV versus K. III curves. In Lenke's 1/2 A-K. IV/V type with the rotation of the first vertebra just below the thoracic lower EV in the same direction as the thoracic curve, and when SV and EV show more than two levels of difference, it is necessary to extend the lower fusion down to L2 or L3 (not more than two levels shorter than the SV). Whereas in Lenke's 1/2 A-K. III/V with the rotation of the first proximal vertebra of lumbar curve in the opposite direction to the thoracic apex and when SV and EV show not more than two level gap differences, the position of the lowest instrumented vertebra can be two or three levels shorter than the stable vertebra with satisfactory postoperative spinal balance. Therefore, the stable vertebra and the rotation of lumbar curve are considered to be a reliable guide for selecting the lower level of fusion.

The E3 combustors: Status and challenges. [energy efficient turbofan engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sokolowski, D. E.; Rohde, J. E.

1981-01-01

The design, fabrication, and initial testing of energy efficient engine combustors, developed for the next generation of turbofan engines for commercial aircraft, are described. The combustor designs utilize an annular configuration with two zone combustion for low emissions, advanced liners for improved durability, and short, curved-wall, dump prediffusers for compactness. Advanced cooling techniques and segmented construction characterize the advanced liners. Linear segments are made from castable, turbine-type materials.

Using a commercial CAD system for simultaneous input to theoretical aerodynamic programs and wind-tunnel model construction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Enomoto, F.; Keller, P.

1984-01-01

The Computer Aided Design (CAD) system's common geometry database was used to generate input for theoretical programs and numerically controlled (NC) tool paths for wind tunnel part fabrication. This eliminates the duplication of work in generating separate geometry databases for each type of analysis. Another advantage is that it reduces the uncertainty due to geometric differences when comparing theoretical aerodynamic data with wind tunnel data. The system was adapted to aerodynamic research by developing programs written in Design Analysis Language (DAL). These programs reduced the amount of time required to construct complex geometries and to generate input for theoretical programs. Certain shortcomings of the Design, Drafting, and Manufacturing (DDM) software limited the effectiveness of these programs and some of the Calma NC software. The complexity of aircraft configurations suggests that more types of surface and curve geometry should be added to the system. Some of these shortcomings may be eliminated as improved versions of DDM are made available.

A Novel Videography Method for Generating Crack-Extension Resistance Curves in Small Bone Samples

PubMed Central

Katsamenis, Orestis L.; Jenkins, Thomas; Quinci, Federico; Michopoulou, Sofia; Sinclair, Ian; Thurner, Philipp J.

2013-01-01

Assessment of bone quality is an emerging solution for quantifying the effects of bone pathology or treatment. Perhaps one of the most important parameters characterising bone quality is the toughness behaviour of bone. Particularly, fracture toughness, is becoming a popular means for evaluating bone quality. The method is moving from a single value approach that models bone as a linear-elastic material (using the stress intensity factor, K) towards full crack extension resistance curves (R-curves) using a non-linear model (the strain energy release rate in J-R curves). However, for explanted human bone or small animal bones, there are difficulties in measuring crack-extension resistance curves due to size constraints at the millimetre and sub-millimetre scale. This research proposes a novel “whitening front tracking” method that uses videography to generate full fracture resistance curves in small bone samples where crack propagation cannot typically be observed. Here we present this method on sharp edge notched samples (<1 mm×1 mm×Length) prepared from four human femora tested in three-point bending. Each sample was loaded in a mechanical tester with the crack propagation recorded using videography and analysed using an algorithm to track the whitening (damage) zone. Using the “whitening front tracking” method, full R-curves and J-R curves could be generated for these samples. The curves for this antiplane longitudinal orientation were similar to those found in the literature, being between the published longitudinal and transverse orientations. The proposed technique shows the ability to generate full “crack” extension resistance curves by tracking the whitening front propagation to overcome the small size limitations and the single value approach. PMID:23405186

Analytical drafting curves provide exact equations for plotted data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stewart, R. B.

1967-01-01

Analytical drafting curves provide explicit mathematical expressions for any numerical data that appears in the form of graphical plots. The curves each have a reference coordinate axis system indicated on the curve as well as the mathematical equation from which the curve was generated.

Problems in using p-curve analysis and text-mining to detect rate of p-hacking and evidential value

PubMed Central

Thompson, Paul A.

2016-01-01

Background. The p-curve is a plot of the distribution of p-values reported in a set of scientific studies. Comparisons between ranges of p-values have been used to evaluate fields of research in terms of the extent to which studies have genuine evidential value, and the extent to which they suffer from bias in the selection of variables and analyses for publication, p-hacking. Methods. p-hacking can take various forms. Here we used R code to simulate the use of ghost variables, where an experimenter gathers data on several dependent variables but reports only those with statistically significant effects. We also examined a text-mined dataset used by Head et al. (2015) and assessed its suitability for investigating p-hacking. Results. We show that when there is ghost p-hacking, the shape of the p-curve depends on whether dependent variables are intercorrelated. For uncorrelated variables, simulated p-hacked data do not give the “p-hacking bump” just below .05 that is regarded as evidence of p-hacking, though there is a negative skew when simulated variables are inter-correlated. The way p-curves vary according to features of underlying data poses problems when automated text mining is used to detect p-values in heterogeneous sets of published papers. Conclusions. The absence of a bump in the p-curve is not indicative of lack of p-hacking. Furthermore, while studies with evidential value will usually generate a right-skewed p-curve, we cannot treat a right-skewed p-curve as an indicator of the extent of evidential value, unless we have a model specific to the type of p-values entered into the analysis. We conclude that it is not feasible to use the p-curve to estimate the extent of p-hacking and evidential value unless there is considerable control over the type of data entered into the analysis. In particular, p-hacking with ghost variables is likely to be missed. PMID:26925335

Extragalactic interstellar extinction curves: Indicators of local physical conditions

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

Cecchi-Pestellini, Cesare; Viti, Serena; Williams, David A., E-mail: cecchi-pestellini@astropa.unipa.it, E-mail: sv@star.ucl.ac.uk, E-mail: daw@star.ucl.ac.uk

Normalized interstellar extinction curves (ISECs) in the Milky Way and other galaxies show a variety of shapes. This variety is attributed to differences along different sight lines in the abundances of the several dust and gas components contributing to extinction. In this paper we propose that these abundance differences are not arbitrary but are a specific consequence of the physical conditions on those sight lines. If this proposal is correct, then it implies that ISECs contain information about physical conditions in the regions generating extinction. This may be particularly important for high redshift galaxies where information on the conditions maymore » be difficult to obtain. We adopt a model of extinction carriers in which the solid and gaseous components are not immutable but respond time-dependently to the local physics. We validate this model by fitting extinction curves measured on sight lines in the Magellanic Clouds and obtained for the gamma-ray burst afterglow GRB 080605. We present results for this model as follows: (1) we show that computed ISECs are controlled by a small number of physical parameters, (2) we demonstrate the sensitivity of computed ISECs to these parameters, (3) we compute as examples ISECs for particular galaxy types, and (4) we note that different galaxy types have different shapes of ISEC.« less

A GRB and Broad-lined Type Ic Supernova from a Single Central Engine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barnes, Jennifer; Duffell, Paul C.; Liu, Yuqian; Modjaz, Maryam; Bianco, Federica B.; Kasen, Daniel; MacFadyen, Andrew I.

2018-06-01

Unusually high velocities (≳0.1c) and correspondingly high kinetic energies have been observed in a subset of Type Ic supernovae (so-called “broad-lined Ic” supernovae; SNe Ic-BL), prompting a search for a central engine model capable of generating such energetic explosions. A clue to the explosion mechanism may lie in the fact that all supernovae that accompany long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) belong to the SN Ic-BL class. Using a combination of two-dimensional relativistic hydrodynamics and radiation transport calculations, we demonstrate that the central engine responsible for long GRBs can also trigger an SN Ic-BL. We find that a reasonable GRB engine injected into a stripped Wolf–Rayet progenitor produces a relativistic jet with energy ∼1051 erg, as well as an SN whose synthetic light curves and spectra are fully consistent with observed SNe Ic-BL during the photospheric phase. As a result of the jet’s asymmetric energy injection, the SN spectra and light curves depend on viewing angle. The impact of viewing angle on the spectrum is particularly pronounced at early times, while the viewing-angle dependence for the light curves (∼10% variation in bolometric luminosity) persists throughout the photospheric phase.

Curvature facilitates prey fixation in predatory insect claws.

PubMed

Petie, Ronald; Muller, Mees

2007-02-21

Insects show a large variety in prey capture strategies, with a correspondingly large diversity in predatory adaptations. We studied a specific type of predatory claws, these can for example be found in praying mantis species. The claw is closeable over its entire length and the prey is fixed between the femur (upper arm) and the tibia (lower arm) of the insect leg. The morphology of these predatory claws is diverse. Some species have straight claws covered with spines, while other species have smooth, curved claws. We have studied the mechanics of this femur-tibia type of predatory insect claws, by making a physical model, eventually trying to explain why in some insect species the claws are curved instead of straight. The main results are (1) when comparing curved claws to straight claws, curvature leads to a strong reduction of forces driving the prey away from the pivoting point, thereby reducing the need for friction generating structures. (2) In the curved claw model a position exists where the resulting force on the prey is exactly zero. This is because the normal forces on the femur and tibia are opposed, and in line. At this position the prey is perfectly clamped and not driven out of the claw. This feature does not exist in straight claws. (3) In the curved claw, the prey cannot be placed at a position further than a certain maximum distance from the pivoting point. Near this maximum position, the resulting force on the prey reaches high values because moment arms are near zero. (4) Between the zero position and the maximum position the resulting force is directed toward the pivoting point, which stabilizes prey fixation.

Generating functions for weighted Hurwitz numbers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guay-Paquet, Mathieu; Harnad, J.

2017-08-01

Double Hurwitz numbers enumerating weighted n-sheeted branched coverings of the Riemann sphere or, equivalently, weighted paths in the Cayley graph of Sn generated by transpositions are determined by an associated weight generating function. A uniquely determined 1-parameter family of 2D Toda τ -functions of hypergeometric type is shown to consist of generating functions for such weighted Hurwitz numbers. Four classical cases are detailed, in which the weighting is uniform: Okounkov's double Hurwitz numbers for which the ramification is simple at all but two specified branch points; the case of Belyi curves, with three branch points, two with specified profiles; the general case, with a specified number of branch points, two with fixed profiles, the rest constrained only by the genus; and the signed enumeration case, with sign determined by the parity of the number of branch points. Using the exponentiated quantum dilogarithm function as a weight generator, three new types of weighted enumerations are introduced. These determine quantum Hurwitz numbers depending on a deformation parameter q. By suitable interpretation of q, the statistical mechanics of quantum weighted branched covers may be related to that of Bosonic gases. The standard double Hurwitz numbers are recovered in the classical limit.

Surface representations of two- and three-dimensional fluid flow topology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Helman, James L.; Hesselink, Lambertus

1990-01-01

We discuss our work using critical point analysis to generate representations of the vector field topology of numerical flow data sets. Critical points are located and characterized in a two-dimensional domain, which may be either a two-dimensional flow field or the tangential velocity field near a three-dimensional body. Tangent curves are then integrated out along the principal directions of certain classes of critical points. The points and curves are linked to form a skeleton representing the two-dimensional vector field topology. When generated from the tangential velocity field near a body in a three-dimensional flow, the skeleton includes the critical points and curves which provide a basis for analyzing the three-dimensional structure of the flow separation. The points along the separation curves in the skeleton are used to start tangent curve integrations to generate surfaces representing the topology of the associated flow separations.

Automatic generation and analysis of solar cell IV curves

DOEpatents

Kraft, Steven M.; Jones, Jason C.

2014-06-03

A photovoltaic system includes multiple strings of solar panels and a device presenting a DC load to the strings of solar panels. Output currents of the strings of solar panels may be sensed and provided to a computer that generates current-voltage (IV) curves of the strings of solar panels. Output voltages of the string of solar panels may be sensed at the string or at the device presenting the DC load. The DC load may be varied. Output currents of the strings of solar panels responsive to the variation of the DC load are sensed to generate IV curves of the strings of solar panels. IV curves may be compared and analyzed to evaluate performance of and detect problems with a string of solar panels.

Augmentation of third generation instrumentation with sublaminar titanium wiring in late onset idiopathic scoliosis: the surgical results and analysis of trunk balance.

PubMed

Benlï, I Teoman; Büyukgullu, Osman; Altuģ, Tibet; Akalin, Serdar; Kurtuluş, Burhan; Aydin, Erbil

2004-01-01

In recent years, third generation instrumentation systems which achieve correction by maneuvers like derotation and translation, have been widely used in the treatment of idiopathic scoliosis. To increase correction, additional procedures that increase stability, such as screw application for every segment, have been used. In this study, as a new technique, the effects of combined translation and derotation maneuver with augmentation by using titanium double crimp Songer cable applied on apical region, on trunk balance, sagittal and frontal planes have been examined. 45 idiopathic scoliosis patients operated between 1996 and 2002 have been included in the study. Mean age was 14.5+/-1.7 years and female/male ratio was 30/15. Mean follow up time was 51.9+/-22.7 months. According to King Classification, 15 patients had Type II, 18 patients Type III and 12 patients had Type IV curves. One of the apical cables has been tensioned and translation has been performed. At the second step, derotation has been applied to the vertebra, which is firmly attached to the rod. Sagittal and frontal Cobb angles have been measured in preoperative, postoperative and recent radiographic examinations. Trunk balance has been examined both clinically and radiographically. Also, secondary curves have been measured in every examination for decompensation findings. In overall frontal plane measurements, postoperative correction was 79.9+/-13.5 %, loss of correction 2.9 degrees +/-3.2 degrees and final correction 74.3 % +/-14.3 %. In postoperative measurements, normal physiological contours have been achieved in 97.8 % of the patients for the thoracic region (30 degrees -50 degrees ) and 80.7 % of the patients for the lumbar region (40 degrees -60 degrees ). In secondary curves, 75.2+/-34.4 % postoperative correction has been observed. No decompensation findings have been observed in the last examination. In postoperative and last follow up examinations, balanced and totally balanced vertebral column has been achieved in every patient of the study group. Solid fusion mass has been observed in every patient. No early or late, local or systemic postoperative complications have been observed. Given these findings, we conclude that derotation-translation combined maneuver performed with 3rd generation instrumentation reinforced sublaminar wires is a good choice in the treatment of the late-onset idiopathic scoliosis.

Contribution of first- versus second-generation products to secondary organic aerosols formed in the oxidation of biogenic hydrocarbons.

PubMed

Ng, Nga L; Kroll, Jesse H; Keywood, Melita D; Bahreini, Roya; Varutbangkul, Varuntida; Flagan, Richard C; Seinfeld, John H; Lee, Anita; Goldstein, Allen H

2006-04-01

Biogenic hydrocarbons emitted by vegetation are important contributors to secondary organic aerosol (SOA), but the aerosol formation mechanisms are incompletely understood. In this study, the formation of aerosols and gas-phase products from the ozonolysis and photooxidation of a series of biogenic hydrocarbons (isoprene, 8 monoterpenes, 4 sesquiterpenes, and 3 oxygenated terpenes) are examined. By comparing aerosol growth (measured by Differential Mobility Analyzers, DMAs) and gas-phase concentrations (monitored by a Proton Transfer Reaction Mass Spectrometer, PTR-MS), we study the general mechanisms of SOA formation. Aerosol growth data are presented in terms of a "growth curve", a plot of aerosol mass formed versus the amount of hydrocarbon reacted. From the shapes of the growth curves, it is found that all the hydrocarbons studied can be classified into two groups based entirely on the number of double bonds of the hydrocarbon, regardless of the reaction systems (ozonolysis or photooxidation) and the types of hydrocarbons studied: compounds with only one double bond and compounds with more than one double bond. For compounds with only one double bond, the first oxidation step is rate-limiting, and aerosols are formed mainly from low volatility first-generation oxidation products; whereas for compounds with more than one double bond, the second oxidation step may also be rate-limiting and second-generation products contribute substantially to SOA growth. This behavior is characterized by a vertical section in the growth curve, in which continued aerosol growth is observed even after all the parent hydrocarbon is consumed.

Multiscale sampling of plant diversity: Effects of minimum mapping unit size

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stohlgren, T.J.; Chong, G.W.; Kalkhan, M.A.; Schell, L.D.

1997-01-01

Only a small portion of any landscape can be sampled for vascular plant diversity because of constraints of cost (salaries, travel time between sites, etc.). Often, the investigator decides to reduce the cost of creating a vegetation map by increasing the minimum mapping unit (MMU), and/or by reducing the number of vegetation classes to be considered. Questions arise about what information is sacrificed when map resolution is decreased. We compared plant diversity patterns from vegetation maps made with 100-ha, 50-ha, 2-ha, and 0.02-ha MMUs in a 754-ha study area in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, United States, using four 0.025-ha and 21 0.1-ha multiscale vegetation plots. We developed and tested species-log(area) curves, correcting the curves for within-vegetation type heterogeneity with Jaccard's coefficients. Total species richness in the study area was estimated from vegetation maps at each resolution (MMU), based on the corrected species-area curves, total area of the vegetation type, and species overlap among vegetation types. With the 0.02-ha MMU, six vegetation types were recovered, resulting in an estimated 552 species (95% CI = 520-583 species) in the 754-ha study area (330 plant species were observed in the 25 plots). With the 2-ha MMU, five vegetation types were recognized, resulting in an estimated 473 species for the study area. With the 50-ha MMU, 439 plant species were estimated for the four vegetation types recognized in the study area. With the 100-ha MMU, only three vegetation types were recognized, resulting in an estimated 341 plant species for the study area. Locally rare species and keystone ecosystems (areas of high or unique plant diversity) were missed at the 2-ha, 50-ha, and 100-ha scales. To evaluate the effects of minimum mapping unit size requires: (1) an initial stratification of homogeneous, heterogeneous, and rare habitat types; and (2) an evaluation of within-type and between-type heterogeneity generated by environmental gradients and other factors. We suggest that at least some portions of vegetation maps created at a coarser level of resolution be validated at a higher level of resolution.

Composite recovery type curves in normalized time from Theis' exact solution

USGS Publications Warehouse

Goode, Daniel J.

1997-01-01

Type curves derived from Theis’ exact nonequilibrium well function solution are proposed for graphical estimation of aquifer hydraulic properties, transmissivity (T), and storage coefficient (S), from water-level recovery data after cessation of a constant-rate discharge test. Drawdown (on log scale) is plotted versus the ratio of time since pumping stopped to duration of pumping, a normalized time. Under Theis conditions, individual type curves depend on only the dimensionless pumping duration, which depends in turn on S and radial distance from the pumping well. Type curve matching, in contrast to the Theis procedure for pumping data, is performed by shifting only the drawdown axis; the time axis is fixed because it is a relative or normalized time. The match-point for the drawdown axis is used to compute T, and S is determined from matching the curve shape, which depends on early dimensionless-time data. Multiple well data can be plotted and matched simultaneously (a composite plot), with drawdown at different radial distances matching different curves. The ratio of dimensionless pumping durations for any two matched curves is equal to one over the squared ratio of radial distances. Application to two recovery datasets from the literature confirm the utility of these type curves in normalized time for composite estimation of T and S.

Folding to Curved Surfaces: A Generalized Design Method and Mechanics of Origami-based Cylindrical Structures.

PubMed

Wang, Fei; Gong, Haoran; Chen, Xi; Chen, C Q

2016-09-14

Origami structures enrich the field of mechanical metamaterials with the ability to convert morphologically and systematically between two-dimensional (2D) thin sheets and three-dimensional (3D) spatial structures. In this study, an in-plane design method is proposed to approximate curved surfaces of interest with generalized Miura-ori units. Using this method, two combination types of crease lines are unified in one reprogrammable procedure, generating multiple types of cylindrical structures. Structural completeness conditions of the finite-thickness counterparts to the two types are also proposed. As an example of the design method, the kinematics and elastic properties of an origami-based circular cylindrical shell are analysed. The concept of Poisson's ratio is extended to the cylindrical structures, demonstrating their auxetic property. An analytical model of rigid plates linked by elastic hinges, consistent with numerical simulations, is employed to describe the mechanical response of the structures. Under particular load patterns, the circular shells display novel mechanical behaviour such as snap-through and limiting folding positions. By analysing the geometry and mechanics of the origami structures, we extend the design space of mechanical metamaterials and provide a basis for their practical applications in science and engineering.

Folding to Curved Surfaces: A Generalized Design Method and Mechanics of Origami-based Cylindrical Structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Fei; Gong, Haoran; Chen, Xi; Chen, C. Q.

2016-09-01

Origami structures enrich the field of mechanical metamaterials with the ability to convert morphologically and systematically between two-dimensional (2D) thin sheets and three-dimensional (3D) spatial structures. In this study, an in-plane design method is proposed to approximate curved surfaces of interest with generalized Miura-ori units. Using this method, two combination types of crease lines are unified in one reprogrammable procedure, generating multiple types of cylindrical structures. Structural completeness conditions of the finite-thickness counterparts to the two types are also proposed. As an example of the design method, the kinematics and elastic properties of an origami-based circular cylindrical shell are analysed. The concept of Poisson’s ratio is extended to the cylindrical structures, demonstrating their auxetic property. An analytical model of rigid plates linked by elastic hinges, consistent with numerical simulations, is employed to describe the mechanical response of the structures. Under particular load patterns, the circular shells display novel mechanical behaviour such as snap-through and limiting folding positions. By analysing the geometry and mechanics of the origami structures, we extend the design space of mechanical metamaterials and provide a basis for their practical applications in science and engineering.

Folding to Curved Surfaces: A Generalized Design Method and Mechanics of Origami-based Cylindrical Structures

PubMed Central

Wang, Fei; Gong, Haoran; Chen, Xi; Chen, C. Q.

2016-01-01

Origami structures enrich the field of mechanical metamaterials with the ability to convert morphologically and systematically between two-dimensional (2D) thin sheets and three-dimensional (3D) spatial structures. In this study, an in-plane design method is proposed to approximate curved surfaces of interest with generalized Miura-ori units. Using this method, two combination types of crease lines are unified in one reprogrammable procedure, generating multiple types of cylindrical structures. Structural completeness conditions of the finite-thickness counterparts to the two types are also proposed. As an example of the design method, the kinematics and elastic properties of an origami-based circular cylindrical shell are analysed. The concept of Poisson’s ratio is extended to the cylindrical structures, demonstrating their auxetic property. An analytical model of rigid plates linked by elastic hinges, consistent with numerical simulations, is employed to describe the mechanical response of the structures. Under particular load patterns, the circular shells display novel mechanical behaviour such as snap-through and limiting folding positions. By analysing the geometry and mechanics of the origami structures, we extend the design space of mechanical metamaterials and provide a basis for their practical applications in science and engineering. PMID:27624892

Fault detection and diagnosis of photovoltaic systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Xing

The rapid growth of the solar industry over the past several years has expanded the significance of photovoltaic (PV) systems. One of the primary aims of research in building-integrated PV systems is to improve the performance of the system's efficiency, availability, and reliability. Although much work has been done on technological design to increase a photovoltaic module's efficiency, there is little research so far on fault diagnosis for PV systems. Faults in a PV system, if not detected, may not only reduce power generation, but also threaten the availability and reliability, effectively the "security" of the whole system. In this paper, first a circuit-based simulation baseline model of a PV system with maximum power point tracking (MPPT) is developed using MATLAB software. MATLAB is one of the most popular tools for integrating computation, visualization and programming in an easy-to-use modeling environment. Second, data collection of a PV system at variable surface temperatures and insolation levels under normal operation is acquired. The developed simulation model of PV system is then calibrated and improved by comparing modeled I-V and P-V characteristics with measured I--V and P--V characteristics to make sure the simulated curves are close to those measured values from the experiments. Finally, based on the circuit-based simulation model, a PV model of various types of faults will be developed by changing conditions or inputs in the MATLAB model, and the I--V and P--V characteristic curves, and the time-dependent voltage and current characteristics of the fault modalities will be characterized for each type of fault. These will be developed as benchmark I-V or P-V, or prototype transient curves. If a fault occurs in a PV system, polling and comparing actual measured I--V and P--V characteristic curves with both normal operational curves and these baseline fault curves will aid in fault diagnosis.

Simplified and quick electrical modeling for dye sensitized solar cells: An experimental and theoretical investigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Andrade, Rocelito Lopes; de Oliveira, Matheus Costa; Kohlrausch, Emerson Cristofer; Santos, Marcos José Leite

2018-05-01

This work presents a new and simple method for determining IPH (current source dependent on luminance), I0 (reverse saturation current), n (ideality factor), RP and RS, (parallel and series resistance) to build an electrical model for dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The electrical circuit parameters used in the simulation and to generate theoretical curves for the single diode electrical model were extracted from I-V curves of assembled DSSCs. Model validation was performed by assembling five different types of DSSCs and evaluating the following parameters: effect of a TiO2 blocking/adhesive layer, thickness of the TiO2 layer and the presence of a light scattering layer. In addition, irradiance, temperature, series and parallel resistance, ideality factor and reverse saturation current were simulated.

Automated Blazar Light Curves Using Machine Learning

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

Johnson, Spencer James

2017-07-27

This presentation describes a problem and methodology pertaining to automated blazar light curves. Namely, optical variability patterns for blazars require the construction of light curves and in order to generate the light curves, data must be filtered before processing to ensure quality.

Self-organization of developing embryo using scale-invariant approach

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Self-organization is a fundamental feature of living organisms at all hierarchical levels from molecule to organ. It has also been documented in developing embryos. Methods In this study, a scale-invariant power law (SIPL) method has been used to study self-organization in developing embryos. The SIPL coefficient was calculated using a centro-axial skew symmetrical matrix (CSSM) generated by entering the components of the Cartesian coordinates; for each component, one CSSM was generated. A basic square matrix (BSM) was constructed and the determinant was calculated in order to estimate the SIPL coefficient. This was applied to developing C. elegans during early stages of embryogenesis. The power law property of the method was evaluated using the straight line and Koch curve and the results were consistent with fractal dimensions (fd). Diffusion-limited aggregation (DLA) was used to validate the SIPL method. Results and conclusion The fractal dimensions of both the straight line and Koch curve showed consistency with the SIPL coefficients, which indicated the power law behavior of the SIPL method. The results showed that the ABp sublineage had a higher SIPL coefficient than EMS, indicating that ABp is more organized than EMS. The fd determined using DLA was higher in ABp than in EMS and its value was consistent with type 1 cluster formation, while that in EMS was consistent with type 2. PMID:21635789

Self-organization of developing embryo using scale-invariant approach.

PubMed

Tiraihi, Ali; Tiraihi, Mujtaba; Tiraihi, Taki

2011-06-03

Self-organization is a fundamental feature of living organisms at all hierarchical levels from molecule to organ. It has also been documented in developing embryos. In this study, a scale-invariant power law (SIPL) method has been used to study self-organization in developing embryos. The SIPL coefficient was calculated using a centro-axial skew symmetrical matrix (CSSM) generated by entering the components of the Cartesian coordinates; for each component, one CSSM was generated. A basic square matrix (BSM) was constructed and the determinant was calculated in order to estimate the SIPL coefficient. This was applied to developing C. elegans during early stages of embryogenesis. The power law property of the method was evaluated using the straight line and Koch curve and the results were consistent with fractal dimensions (fd). Diffusion-limited aggregation (DLA) was used to validate the SIPL method. The fractal dimensions of both the straight line and Koch curve showed consistency with the SIPL coefficients, which indicated the power law behavior of the SIPL method. The results showed that the ABp sublineage had a higher SIPL coefficient than EMS, indicating that ABp is more organized than EMS. The fd determined using DLA was higher in ABp than in EMS and its value was consistent with type 1 cluster formation, while that in EMS was consistent with type 2. © 2011 Tiraihi et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Experimental Investigation of Pseudospark generated electron beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Niraj; Verma, D. K.; Prajapati, J.; Kumar, M.; Meena, B. L.; Tyagi, M. S.; Srivastava, V.; Pal, U. N.

2012-11-01

The pseudospark (PS) discharge is, however, more recently recognized as a different type of discharge which is capable of generating electron beams with the highest combined current density and brightness of any known type of electron source. PS discharge is a specific type of gas discharge, which operates on the left-hand side of the hollow cathode analogy to the Paschen curve with axially symmetric parallel electrodes and central holes on the electrodes. The PS discharge generated electron beam has tremendous applications in plasma filled microwave sources where normal material cathode cannot be used. Analysis of the electron beam profile has been carried out experimentally for different applied voltages. The investigation has been done at different axial and radial location inside the drift tube in argon atmosphere. This paper represents experimentally derived axial and radial variation of the beam current inside the plasma filled drift tube of PS discharge based plasma cathode electron (PCE) gun. With the help of current density estimation the focusing and defocusing point of electron beam in axial direction can be analyzed. It has been further confirmed the successful propagation of electron beam in confined manner without any assistance of external magnetic field.

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

Martel, Laura; Smith, Paul; Rizea, Steven

The Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) Life Cycle Cost Assessment (OLCCA) is a study performed by members of the Lockheed Martin (LM) OTEC Team under funding from the Department of Energy (DOE), Award No. DE-EE0002663, dated 01/01/2010. OLCCA objectives are to estimate procurement, operations and maintenance, and overhaul costs for two types of OTEC plants: -Plants moored to the sea floor where the electricity produced by the OTEC plant is directly connected to the grid ashore via a marine power cable (Grid Connected OTEC plants) -Open-ocean grazing OTEC plant-ships producing an energy carrier that is transported to designated ports (Energymore » Carrier OTEC plants) Costs are developed using the concept of levelized cost of energy established by DOE for use in comparing electricity costs from various generating systems. One area of system costs that had not been developed in detail prior to this analysis was the operations and sustainment (O&S) cost for both types of OTEC plants. Procurement costs, generally referred to as capital expense and O&S costs (operations and maintenance (O&M) costs plus overhaul and replacement costs), are assessed over the 30 year operational life of the plants and an annual annuity calculated to achieve a levelized cost (constant across entire plant life). Dividing this levelized cost by the average annual energy production results in a levelized cost of electricity, or LCOE, for the OTEC plants. Technical and production efficiency enhancements that could result in a lower value of the OTEC LCOE were also explored. The thermal OTEC resource for Oahu, Hawaii and projected build out plan were developed. The estimate of the OTEC resource and LCOE values for the planned OTEC systems enable this information to be displayed as energy supplied versus levelized cost of the supplied energy; this curve is referred to as an Energy Supply Curve. The Oahu Energy Supply Curve represents initial OTEC deployment starting in 2018 and demonstrates the predicted economies of scale as technology and efficiency improvements are realized and larger more economical plants deployed. Utilizing global high resolution OTEC resource assessment from the Ocean Thermal Extractable Energy Visualization (OTEEV) project (an independent DOE project), Global Energy Supply Curves were generated for Grid Connected and Energy Carrier OTEC plants deployed in 2045 when the predicted technology and efficiencies improvements are fully realized. The Global Energy Supply Curves present the LCOE versus capacity in ascending order with the richest, lowest cost resource locations being harvested first. These curves demonstrate the vast ocean thermal resource and potential OTEC capacity that can be harvested with little change in LCOE.« less

Nash equilibrium strategy in the deregulated power industry and comparing its lost welfare with Iran wholesale electricity market

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mousavi, Seyed Hosein; Nazemi, Ali; Hafezalkotob, Ashkan

2016-09-01

With the increasing use of different types of auctions in market designing, modeling of participants' behaviors to evaluate the market structure is one of the main discussions in the studies related to the deregulated power industries. In this article, we apply an approach of the optimal bidding behavior to the Iran wholesale electricity market as a restructured electric power industry and model how the participants of the market bid in the spot electricity market. The problem is formulated analytically using the Nash equilibrium concept composed of large numbers of players having discrete and very large strategy spaces. Then, we compute and draw supply curve of the competitive market in which all generators' proposed prices are equal to their marginal costs and supply curve of the real market in which the pricing mechanism is pay-as-bid. We finally calculate the lost welfare or inefficiency of the Nash equilibrium and the real market by comparing their supply curves with the competitive curve. We examine 3 cases on November 24 (2 cases) and July 24 (1 case), 2012. It is observed that in the Nash equilibrium on November 24 and demand of 23,487 MW, there are 212 allowed plants for the first case (plants are allowed to choose any quantity of generation except one of them that should be equal to maximum Power) and the economic efficiency or social welfare of Nash equilibrium is 2.77 times as much as the real market. In addition, there are 184 allowed plants for the second case (plants should offer their maximum power with different prices) and the efficiency or social welfare of Nash equilibrium is 3.6 times as much as the real market. On July 24 and demand of 42,421 MW, all 370 plants should generate maximum energy due to the high electricity demand that the economic efficiency or social welfare of the Nash equilibrium is about 2 times as much as the real market.

Refined hierarchical kinematics quasi-3D Ritz models for free vibration analysis of doubly curved FGM shells and sandwich shells with FGM core

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fazzolari, Fiorenzo A.; Carrera, Erasmo

2014-02-01

In this paper, the Ritz minimum energy method, based on the use of the Principle of Virtual Displacements (PVD), is combined with refined Equivalent Single Layer (ESL) and Zig Zag (ZZ) shell models hierarchically generated by exploiting the use of Carrera's Unified Formulation (CUF), in order to engender the Hierarchical Trigonometric Ritz Formulation (HTRF). The HTRF is then employed to carry out the free vibration analysis of doubly curved shallow and deep functionally graded material (FGM) shells. The PVD is further used in conjunction with the Gauss theorem to derive the governing differential equations and related natural boundary conditions. Donnell-Mushtari's shallow shell-type equations are given as a particular case. Doubly curved FGM shells and doubly curved sandwich shells made up of isotropic face sheets and FGM core are investigated. The proposed shell models are widely assessed by comparison with the literature results. Two benchmarks are provided and the effects of significant parameters such as stacking sequence, boundary conditions, length-to-thickness ratio, radius-to-length ratio and volume fraction index on the circular frequency parameters and modal displacements are discussed.

Development of defined microbial population standards using fluorescence activated cell sorting for the absolute quantification of S. aureus using real-time PCR.

PubMed

Martinon, Alice; Cronin, Ultan P; Wilkinson, Martin G

2012-01-01

In this article, four types of standards were assessed in a SYBR Green-based real-time PCR procedure for the quantification of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) in DNA samples. The standards were purified S. aureus genomic DNA (type A), circular plasmid DNA containing a thermonuclease (nuc) gene fragment (type B), DNA extracted from defined populations of S. aureus cells generated by Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting (FACS) technology with (type C) or without purification of DNA by boiling (type D). The optimal efficiency of 2.016 was obtained on Roche LightCycler(®) 4.1. software for type C standards, whereas the lowest efficiency (1.682) corresponded to type D standards. Type C standards appeared to be more suitable for quantitative real-time PCR because of the use of defined populations for construction of standard curves. Overall, Fieller Confidence Interval algorithm may be improved for replicates having a low standard deviation in Cycle Threshold values such as found for type B and C standards. Stabilities of diluted PCR standards stored at -20°C were compared after 0, 7, 14 and 30 days and were lower for type A or C standards compared with type B standards. However, FACS generated standards may be useful for bacterial quantification in real-time PCR assays once optimal storage and temperature conditions are defined.

The shape of the glucose concentration curve during an oral glucose tolerance test predicts risk for type 1 diabetes.

PubMed

Ismail, Heba M; Xu, Ping; Libman, Ingrid M; Becker, Dorothy J; Marks, Jennifer B; Skyler, Jay S; Palmer, Jerry P; Sosenko, Jay M

2018-01-01

We aimed to examine: (1) whether specific glucose-response curve shapes during OGTTs are predictive of type 1 diabetes development; and (2) the extent to which the glucose-response curve is influenced by insulin secretion. Autoantibody-positive relatives of people with type 1 diabetes whose baseline OGTT met the definition of a monophasic or biphasic glucose-response curve were followed for the development of type 1 diabetes (n = 2627). A monophasic curve was defined as an increase in OGTT glucose between 30 and 90 min followed by a decline of ≥ 0.25 mmol/l between 90 and 120 min. A biphasic response curve was defined as a decrease in glucose after an initial increase, followed by a second increase of ≥ 0.25 mmol/l. Associations of type 1 diabetes risk with glucose curve shapes were examined using cumulative incidence curve comparisons and proportional hazards regression. C-peptide responses were compared with and without adjustments for potential confounders. The majority of participants had a monophasic curve at baseline (n = 1732 [66%] vs n = 895 [34%]). The biphasic group had a lower cumulative incidence of type 1 diabetes (p < 0.001), which persisted after adjustments for age, sex, BMI z score and number of autoantibodies (p < 0.001). Among the monophasic group, the risk of type 1 diabetes was greater for those with a glucose peak at 90 min than for those with a peak at 30 min; the difference persisted after adjustments (p < 0.001). Compared with the biphasic group, the monophasic group had a lower early C-peptide (30-0 min) response, a lower C-peptide index (30-0 min C-peptide/30-0 min glucose), as well as a greater 2 h C-peptide level (p < 0.001 for all). Those with biphasic glucose curves have a lower risk of progression to type 1 diabetes than those with monophasic curves, and the risk among the monophasic group is increased when the glucose peak occurs at 90 min than at 30 min. Differences in glucose curve shapes between the monophasic and biphasic groups appear to be related to C-peptide responses.

Comparison of two methods to determine fan performance curves using computational fluid dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Onma, Patinya; Chantrasmi, Tonkid

2018-01-01

This work investigates a systematic numerical approach that employs Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to obtain performance curves of a backward-curved centrifugal fan. Generating the performance curves requires a number of three-dimensional simulations with varying system loads at a fixed rotational speed. Two methods were used and their results compared to experimental data. The first method incrementally changes the mass flow late through the inlet boundary condition while the second method utilizes a series of meshes representing the physical damper blade at various angles. The generated performance curves from both methods are compared with an experiment setup in accordance with the AMCA fan performance testing standard.

Integrating K-means Clustering with Kernel Density Estimation for the Development of a Conditional Weather Generation Downscaling Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Y.; Ho, C.; Chang, L.

2011-12-01

In previous decades, the climate change caused by global warming increases the occurrence frequency of extreme hydrological events. Water supply shortages caused by extreme events create great challenges for water resource management. To evaluate future climate variations, general circulation models (GCMs) are the most wildly known tools which shows possible weather conditions under pre-defined CO2 emission scenarios announced by IPCC. Because the study area of GCMs is the entire earth, the grid sizes of GCMs are much larger than the basin scale. To overcome the gap, a statistic downscaling technique can transform the regional scale weather factors into basin scale precipitations. The statistic downscaling technique can be divided into three categories include transfer function, weather generator and weather type. The first two categories describe the relationships between the weather factors and precipitations respectively based on deterministic algorithms, such as linear or nonlinear regression and ANN, and stochastic approaches, such as Markov chain theory and statistical distributions. In the weather type, the method has ability to cluster weather factors, which are high dimensional and continuous variables, into weather types, which are limited number of discrete states. In this study, the proposed downscaling model integrates the weather type, using the K-means clustering algorithm, and the weather generator, using the kernel density estimation. The study area is Shihmen basin in northern of Taiwan. In this study, the research process contains two steps, a calibration step and a synthesis step. Three sub-steps were used in the calibration step. First, weather factors, such as pressures, humidities and wind speeds, obtained from NCEP and the precipitations observed from rainfall stations were collected for downscaling. Second, the K-means clustering grouped the weather factors into four weather types. Third, the Markov chain transition matrixes and the conditional probability density function (PDF) of precipitations approximated by the kernel density estimation are calculated respectively for each weather types. In the synthesis step, 100 patterns of synthesis data are generated. First, the weather type of the n-th day are determined by the results of K-means clustering. The associated transition matrix and PDF of the weather type were also determined for the usage of the next sub-step in the synthesis process. Second, the precipitation condition, dry or wet, can be synthesized basing on the transition matrix. If the synthesized condition is dry, the quantity of precipitation is zero; otherwise, the quantity should be further determined in the third sub-step. Third, the quantity of the synthesized precipitation is assigned as the random variable of the PDF defined above. The synthesis efficiency compares the gap of the monthly mean curves and monthly standard deviation curves between the historical precipitation data and the 100 patterns of synthesis data.

A computational model-based validation of Guyton's analysis of cardiac output and venous return curves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mukkamala, R.; Cohen, R. J.; Mark, R. G.

2002-01-01

Guyton developed a popular approach for understanding the factors responsible for cardiac output (CO) regulation in which 1) the heart-lung unit and systemic circulation are independently characterized via CO and venous return (VR) curves, and 2) average CO and right atrial pressure (RAP) of the intact circulation are predicted by graphically intersecting the curves. However, this approach is virtually impossible to verify experimentally. We theoretically evaluated the approach with respect to a nonlinear, computational model of the pulsatile heart and circulation. We developed two sets of open circulation models to generate CO and VR curves, differing by the manner in which average RAP was varied. One set applied constant RAPs, while the other set applied pulsatile RAPs. Accurate prediction of intact, average CO and RAP was achieved only by intersecting the CO and VR curves generated with pulsatile RAPs because of the pulsatility and nonlinearity (e.g., systemic venous collapse) of the intact model. The CO and VR curves generated with pulsatile RAPs were also practically independent. This theoretical study therefore supports the validity of Guyton's graphical analysis.

Alzheimer disease identification using amyloid imaging and reserve variables

PubMed Central

Roe, C.M.; Mintun, M.A.; Ghoshal, N.; Williams, M.M.; Grant, E.A.; Marcus, D.S.; Morris, J.C.

2010-01-01

Objective: Several factors may influence the relationship between Alzheimer disease (AD) lesions and the expression of dementia, including those related to brain and cognitive reserve. Other factors may confound the association between AD pathology and dementia. We tested whether factors thought to influence the association of AD pathology and dementia help to accurately identify dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT) when considered together with amyloid imaging. Methods: Participants with normal cognition (n = 180) and with DAT (n = 25), aged 50 years or older, took part in clinical, neurologic, and psychometric assessments. PET with the Pittsburgh compound B (PiB) tracer was used to measure brain amyloid, yielding a mean cortical binding potential (MCBP) reflecting PiB uptake. Logistic regression was used to generate receiver operating characteristic curves, and the areas under those curves (AUC), to compare the predictive accuracy of using MCBP alone vs MCBP together with other variables selected using a stepwise selection procedure to identify participants with DAT vs normal cognition. Results: The AUC resulting from MCBP alone was 0.84 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.73–0.94; cross-validated AUC = 0.80, 95% CI = 0.68–0.92). The AUC for the predictive equation generated by a stepwise model including education, normalized whole brain volume, physical health rating, gender, and use of medications that may interfere with cognition was 0.94 (95% CI = 0.90–0.98; cross-validated AUC = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.85–0.96), an improvement (p = 0.025) over that yielded using MCBP alone. Conclusion: Results suggest that factors reported to influence associations between AD pathology and dementia can improve the predictive accuracy of amyloid imaging for the identification of symptomatic AD. GLOSSARY A β = amyloid-β; AD = Alzheimer disease; AUC = area under receiver operating characteristic curve; BP = binding potential; CDR = Clinical Dementia Rating; CI = confidence interval; DAT = dementia of the Alzheimer type; DV = distribution volume; MCBP = mean cortical binding potential; nWBV = normalized whole brain volume; OR = odds ratio; PiB = Pittsburgh compound B; ROC = receiver operating characteristic curve; ROI = region of interest. PMID:20603484

Modelling the distribution of hard seabed using calibrated multibeam acoustic backscatter data in a tropical, macrotidal embayment: Darwin Harbour, Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siwabessy, P. Justy W.; Tran, Maggie; Picard, Kim; Brooke, Brendan P.; Huang, Zhi; Smit, Neil; Williams, David K.; Nicholas, William A.; Nichol, Scott L.; Atkinson, Ian

2018-06-01

Spatial information on the distribution of seabed substrate types in high use coastal areas is essential to support their effective management and environmental monitoring. For Darwin Harbour, a rapidly developing port in northern Australia, the distribution of hard substrate is poorly documented but known to influence the location and composition of important benthic biological communities (corals, sponges). In this study, we use angular backscatter response curves to model the distribution of hard seabed in the subtidal areas of Darwin Harbour. The angular backscatter response curve data were extracted from multibeam sonar data and analysed against backscatter intensity for sites observed from seabed video to be representative of "hard" seabed. Data from these sites were consolidated into an "average curve", which became a reference curve that was in turn compared to all other angular backscatter response curves using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov goodness-of-fit. The output was used to generate interpolated spatial predictions of the probability of hard seabed ( p-hard) and derived hard seabed parameters for the mapped area of Darwin Harbour. The results agree well with the ground truth data with an overall classification accuracy of 75% and an area under curve measure of 0.79, and with modelled bed shear stress for the Harbour. Limitations of this technique are discussed with attention to discrepancies between the video and acoustic results, such as in areas where sediment forms a veneer over hard substrate.

Radiation sensors based on the generation of mobile protons in organic dielectrics.

PubMed

Kapetanakis, Eleftherios; Douvas, Antonios M; Argitis, Panagiotis; Normand, Pascal

2013-06-26

A sensing scheme based on mobile protons generated by radiation, including ionizing radiation (IonR), in organic gate dielectrics is investigated for the development of metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS)-type dosimeters. Application of an electric field to the gate dielectric moves the protons and thereby alters the flat band voltage (VFB) of the MIS device. The shift in the VFB is proportional to the IonR-generated protons and, therefore, to the IonR total dose. Triphenylsulfonium nonaflate (TPSNF) photoacid generator (PAG)-containing poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) polymeric films was selected as radiation-sensitive gate dielectrics. The effects of UV (249 nm) and gamma (Co-60) irradiations on the high-frequency capacitance versus the gate voltage (C-VG) curves of the MIS devices were investigated for different total dose values. Systematic improvements in sensitivity can be accomplished by increasing the concentration of the TPSNF molecules embedded in the polymeric matrix.

Asteroid spectral reflectivities.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chapman, C. R.; Mccord, T. B.; Johnson, T. V.

1973-01-01

We measured spectral reflectivities (0.3-1.1 micron) for 32 asteroids. There are at least 14 different curve types. Common types are: (a) reddish curves with 10% absorptions near 0.95 micron or beyond 1.0 micron, due to Fe(2+) in minerals such as pyroxenes; (b) flat curves in the visible and near-IR with sharp decreases in the UV and (c) flat curves even into the UV. Several asteroids show probable color variations with rotation, especially 6 Hebe. A sample of 102 asteroids with reliably known colors is derived from the reflectivities and from earlier colorimetry. Several correlations of colors and spectral curve types with orbital and physical parameters are examined: (1) asteroids with large aphelia have flat reflectivities while those with small perihelia are mostly reddish, (2) curve types show evidence for clustering on an a vs e plot, with 0.95 micron bands occuring mainly for Mars-approaching asteroids, (3) no strong correlation exists between color and either proper eccentricity or proper inclination.

Topology and boundary shape optimization as an integrated design tool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bendsoe, Martin Philip; Rodrigues, Helder Carrico

1990-01-01

The optimal topology of a two dimensional linear elastic body can be computed by regarding the body as a domain of the plane with a high density of material. Such an optimal topology can then be used as the basis for a shape optimization method that computes the optimal form of the boundary curves of the body. This results in an efficient and reliable design tool, which can be implemented via common FEM mesh generator and CAD type input-output facilities.

Evaluation of Dry, Rough Vacuum Pumps

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hunter, Brian

2006-01-01

This document provides information on the testing and evaluation of thirteen dry rough vacuum pumps of various designs and from various manufacturers. Several types of rough vacuum pumps were evaluated, including scroll, roots, and diaphragm pumps. Tests included long term testing, speed curve generation, voltage variance, vibrations emissions and susceptibility, electromagnetic interference emissions and susceptibility, static leak rate, exhaust restriction, response/recovery time tests, and a contamination analysis for scroll pumps. Parameters were found for operation with helium, which often is not provided from the manufacturer

Surface growth kinematics via local curve evolution.

PubMed

Moulton, Derek E; Goriely, Alain

2014-01-01

A mathematical framework is developed to model the kinematics of surface growth for objects that can be generated by evolving a curve in space, such as seashells and horns. Growth is dictated by a growth velocity vector field defined at every point on a generating curve. A local orthonormal basis is attached to each point of the generating curve and the velocity field is given in terms of the local coordinate directions, leading to a fully local and elegant mathematical structure. Several examples of increasing complexity are provided, and we demonstrate how biologically relevant structures such as logarithmic shells and horns emerge as analytical solutions of the kinematics equations with a small number of parameters that can be linked to the underlying growth process. Direct access to cell tracks and local orientation enables for connections to be made to the underlying growth process.

Estimating non-isothermal bacterial growth in foods from isothermal experimental data.

PubMed

Corradini, M G; Peleg, M

2005-01-01

To develop a mathematical method to estimate non-isothermal microbial growth curves in foods from experiments performed under isothermal conditions and demonstrate the method's applicability with published growth data. Published isothermal growth curves of Pseudomonas spp. in refrigerated fish at 0-8 degrees C and Escherichia coli 1952 in a nutritional broth at 27.6-36 degrees C were fitted with two different three-parameter 'primary models' and the temperature dependence of their parameters was fitted by ad hoc empirical 'secondary models'. These were used to generate non-isothermal growth curves by solving, numerically, a differential equation derived on the premise that the momentary non-isothermal growth rate is the isothermal rate at the momentary temperature, at a time that corresponds to the momentary growth level of the population. The predicted non-isothermal growth curves were in agreement with the reported experimental ones and, as expected, the quality of the predictions did not depend on the 'primary model' chosen for the calculation. A common type of sigmoid growth curve can be adequately described by three-parameter 'primary models'. At least in the two systems examined, these could be used to predict growth patterns under a variety of continuous and discontinuous non-isothermal temperature profiles. The described mathematical method whenever validated experimentally will enable the simulation of the microbial quality of stored and transported foods under a large variety of existing or contemplated commercial temperature histories.

STACCATO: a novel solution to supernova photometric classification with biased training sets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Revsbech, E. A.; Trotta, R.; van Dyk, D. A.

2018-01-01

We present a new solution to the problem of classifying Type Ia supernovae from their light curves alone given a spectroscopically confirmed but biased training set, circumventing the need to obtain an observationally expensive unbiased training set. We use Gaussian processes (GPs) to model the supernovae's (SN's) light curves, and demonstrate that the choice of covariance function has only a small influence on the GPs ability to accurately classify SNe. We extend and improve the approach of Richards et al. - a diffusion map combined with a random forest classifier - to deal specifically with the case of biased training sets. We propose a novel method called Synthetically Augmented Light Curve Classification (STACCATO) that synthetically augments a biased training set by generating additional training data from the fitted GPs. Key to the success of the method is the partitioning of the observations into subgroups based on their propensity score of being included in the training set. Using simulated light curve data, we show that STACCATO increases performance, as measured by the area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve (AUC), from 0.93 to 0.96, close to the AUC of 0.977 obtained using the 'gold standard' of an unbiased training set and significantly improving on the previous best result of 0.88. STACCATO also increases the true positive rate for SNIa classification by up to a factor of 50 for high-redshift/low-brightness SNe.

Mating-Type Inheritance and Maturity Times in Crosses between Subspecies of TETRAHYMENA PIGMENTOSA

PubMed Central

Simon, Ellen M.

1980-01-01

Subspecies 6 and 8 of T. pigmentosa (formerly syngens 6 and 8 of T. pyriformis) share a mating-type system controlled by three alleles with "peck-order" dominance at a single locus. The system is apparently closed and limited to three mating types that are homologous, but not identical, in the subspecies. These relationships are reflected in new mating-type designations.—The viability in some intersyngenic crosses is excellent, and the inheritance of major mating types in first-generation hybrids and their progeny follows the pattern of subspecies 8.—The period of immaturity is shorter than that previously reported for subspecies 8, with 50% of the subclones maturing between 46 and 100 fissions after conjugation. Maturity curves are generally sigmoid, but some are apparently biphasic. The onset of maturity in triplicate sublines from the same synclone is usually highly correlated. PMID:17248998

{sup 75}As NMR study of the oriented pnictide superconducting compound NdFeAsO{sub 0.83}F{sub 0.17}

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

Pahari, Bholanath

Magnetization and {sup 75}As nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements in the superconductor NdFeAsO{sub 0.83}F{sub 0.17} (T{sub C}~46 K) are performed in order to investigate the effect of the Nd 4f electrons in the superconducting property. The magnetization curve displays a Nd 4f moments generated Curie-Weiss signal in the field of 7 T. {sup 75}As NMR spectra in the oriented sample (H{sub 0}‖ab) are recorded at 7 T in the temperature range 10–300 K and temperature dependent {sup 75}As NMR shift, K{sub ab} has been obtained. The K{sub ab} curve shows a Curie-Weiss type contribution. The magnitude of hyperfine field, H{submore » hf} (4.4 kOe/μ{sub B}) estimated from the K{sub ab} vs χ plot indicates a non-negligible RKKY-type interaction between localized Nd 4f moments mediated by itinerant Fe 3d electrons.« less

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

Development of cubic Bezier curve and curve-plane intersection method for parametric submarine hull form design to optimize hull resistance using CFD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chrismianto, Deddy; Zakki, Ahmad Fauzan; Arswendo, Berlian; Kim, Dong Joon

2015-12-01

Optimization analysis and computational fluid dynamics (CFDs) have been applied simultaneously, in which a parametric model plays an important role in finding the optimal solution. However, it is difficult to create a parametric model for a complex shape with irregular curves, such as a submarine hull form. In this study, the cubic Bezier curve and curve-plane intersection method are used to generate a solid model of a parametric submarine hull form taking three input parameters into account: nose radius, tail radius, and length-height hull ratio ( L/ H). Application program interface (API) scripting is also used to write code in the ANSYS design modeler. The results show that the submarine shape can be generated with some variation of the input parameters. An example is given that shows how the proposed method can be applied successfully to a hull resistance optimization case. The parametric design of the middle submarine type was chosen to be modified. First, the original submarine model was analyzed, in advance, using CFD. Then, using the response surface graph, some candidate optimal designs with a minimum hull resistance coefficient were obtained. Further, the optimization method in goal-driven optimization (GDO) was implemented to find the submarine hull form with the minimum hull resistance coefficient ( C t ). The minimum C t was obtained. The calculated difference in C t values between the initial submarine and the optimum submarine is around 0.26%, with the C t of the initial submarine and the optimum submarine being 0.001 508 26 and 0.001 504 29, respectively. The results show that the optimum submarine hull form shows a higher nose radius ( r n ) and higher L/ H than those of the initial submarine shape, while the radius of the tail ( r t ) is smaller than that of the initial shape.

Quantitation of spatially-localized proteins in tissue samples using MALDI-MRM imaging.

PubMed

Clemis, Elizabeth J; Smith, Derek S; Camenzind, Alexander G; Danell, Ryan M; Parker, Carol E; Borchers, Christoph H

2012-04-17

MALDI imaging allows the creation of a "molecular image" of a tissue slice. This image is reconstructed from the ion abundances in spectra obtained while rastering the laser over the tissue. These images can then be correlated with tissue histology to detect potential biomarkers of, for example, aberrant cell types. MALDI, however, is known to have problems with ion suppression, making it difficult to correlate measured ion abundance with concentration. It would be advantageous to have a method which could provide more accurate protein concentration measurements, particularly for screening applications or for precise comparisons between samples. In this paper, we report the development of a novel MALDI imaging method for the localization and accurate quantitation of proteins in tissues. This method involves optimization of in situ tryptic digestion, followed by reproducible and uniform deposition of an isotopically labeled standard peptide from a target protein onto the tissue, using an aerosol-generating device. Data is acquired by MALDI multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mass spectrometry (MS), and accurate peptide quantitation is determined from the ratio of MRM transitions for the endogenous unlabeled proteolytic peptides to the corresponding transitions from the applied isotopically labeled standard peptides. In a parallel experiment, the quantity of the labeled peptide applied to the tissue was determined using a standard curve generated from MALDI time-of-flight (TOF) MS data. This external calibration curve was then used to determine the quantity of endogenous peptide in a given area. All standard curves generate by this method had coefficients of determination greater than 0.97. These proof-of-concept experiments using MALDI MRM-based imaging show the feasibility for the precise and accurate quantitation of tissue protein concentrations over 2 orders of magnitude, while maintaining the spatial localization information for the proteins.

Quantum particles in general spacetimes: A tangent bundle formalism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wohlfarth, Mattias N. R.

2018-06-01

Using tangent bundle geometry we construct an equivalent reformulation of classical field theory on flat spacetimes which simultaneously encodes the perspectives of multiple observers. Its generalization to curved spacetimes realizes a new type of nonminimal coupling of the fields and is shown to admit a canonical quantization procedure. For the resulting quantum theory we demonstrate the emergence of a particle interpretation, fully consistent with general relativistic geometry. The path dependency of parallel transport forces each observer to carry their own quantum state; we find that the communication of the corresponding quantum information may generate extra particles on curved spacetimes. A speculative link between quantum information and spacetime curvature is discussed which might lead to novel explanations for quantum decoherence and vanishing interference in double-slit or interaction-free measurement scenarios, in the mere presence of additional observers.

Finding the First Cosmic Explosions: Hypernovae and Pair-Instability Supernovae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiggins, Brandon; Whalen, D. J.; Migenes, V.; Astrophysics Research Group at Los Alamos National Laboratory

2014-01-01

The cosmic Dark Ages ended with the formation of the first stars at z ~ 20, or ~ 200 Myr after the Big Bang. Because they literally lie at the edge of the observable universe Pop III stars will be beyond the reach of even next generation observatories like JWST and the Thirty-Meter Telescope. But primordial supernovae could soon directly probe the properties of the first stars because they can be observed at high redshifts and their masses can be inferred from their light curves. I will present numerical simulations of Pop III hypernovae and pair-instability supernovae and their light curves done with the Los Alamos RAGE and SPECTRUM codes. We find that these two types of explosions will be visible at z ~ 10 - 15, revealing the positions of ancient dim galaxies on the sky and tracing their star formation rates.

Time effect of erosion by solid particle impingement on ductile materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rao, P. V.; Buckley, D. H.

1983-01-01

Erosion and morphological studies of several metals and alloys eroded by normal impingement jets of spherical glass beads and angular crushed-glass erodent particles were conducted. Erosion morphology (the width, depth, and width-depth ratio of the pit) was studied in order to fully investigate the effect of time on erosion rate. The eroded surfaces were studied with a scanning electron microscope, and surface profiles were measured with a profilometer. A large amount of experimental data reported in the literature was also analyzed in order to understand the effect of variables such as the type of device, the erodent particle size and shape, the impact velocity, and the abrasive charge on erosion-rate-versus-time curves. In the present experiments the pit-width-versus-time or pit-depth-versus-time curves were similar to erosion-versus-time curves for glass-bead impingement. The pit-depth-rate-versus-time curves were similar to erosion-rate-versus-time curves for crushed-glass impingement. Analysis of experimental data with two forms of glass resulted in four types of erosion-rate-versus-time curves: (1) incubation, acceleration, and steady-state periods (type I), (2) incubation, acceleration, deceleration, and steady-state periods (type III), (3) incubation, acceleration, peak rate, and deceleration periods (type IV), and (4) incubation, acceleration, steady-state, and deceleration periods (type V).

Modeling streamflow from coupled airborne laser scanning and acoustic Doppler current profiler data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Norris, Lam; Kean, Jason W.; Lyon, Steve

2016-01-01

The rating curve enables the translation of water depth into stream discharge through a reference cross-section. This study investigates coupling national scale airborne laser scanning (ALS) and acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) bathymetric survey data for generating stream rating curves. A digital terrain model was defined from these data and applied in a physically based 1-D hydraulic model to generate rating curves for a regularly monitored location in northern Sweden. Analysis of the ALS data showed that overestimation of the streambank elevation could be adjusted with a root mean square error (RMSE) block adjustment using a higher accuracy manual topographic survey. The results of our study demonstrate that the rating curve generated from the vertically corrected ALS data combined with ADCP data had lower errors (RMSE = 0.79 m3/s) than the empirical rating curve (RMSE = 1.13 m3/s) when compared to streamflow measurements. We consider these findings encouraging as hydrometric agencies can potentially leverage national-scale ALS and ADCP instrumentation to reduce the cost and effort required for maintaining and establishing rating curves at gauging station sites similar to the Röån River.

Utility of single-energy and dual-energy computed tomography in clot characterization: An in-vitro study

PubMed Central

Michalak, Gregory; Kadirvel, Ramanathan; Dai, Daying; Gilvarry, Michael; Duffy, Sharon; Kallmes, David F; McCollough, Cynthia; Leng, Shuai

2017-01-01

Background and purpose Because computed tomography (CT) is the most commonly used imaging modality for the evaluation of acute ischemic stroke patients, developing CT-based techniques for improving clot characterization could prove useful. The purpose of this in-vitro study was to determine which single-energy or dual-energy CT techniques provided optimum discrimination between red blood cell (RBC) and fibrin-rich clots. Materials and methods Seven clot types with varying fibrin and RBC densities were made (90% RBC, 99% RBC, 63% RBC, 36% RBC, 18% RBC and 0% RBC with high and low fibrin density) and their composition was verified histologically. Ten of each clot type were created and scanned with a second generation dual source scanner using three single (80 kV, 100 kV, 120 kV) and two dual-energy protocols (80/Sn 140 kV and 100/Sn 140 kV). A region of interest (ROI) was placed over each clot and mean attenuation was measured. Receiver operating characteristic curves were calculated at each energy level to determine the accuracy at differentiating RBC-rich clots from fibrin-rich clots. Results Clot attenuation increased with RBC content at all energy levels. Single-energy at 80 kV and 120 kV and dual-energy 80/Sn 140 kV protocols allowed for distinguishing between all clot types, with the exception of 36% RBC and 18% RBC. On receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the 80/Sn 140 kV dual-energy protocol had the highest area under the curve for distinguishing between fibrin-rich and RBC-rich clots (area under the curve 0.99). Conclusions Dual-energy CT with 80/Sn 140 kV had the highest accuracy for differentiating RBC-rich and fibrin-rich in-vitro thrombi. Further studies are needed to study the utility of non-contrast dual-energy CT in thrombus characterization in acute ischemic stroke. PMID:28604189

The Type Ia Supernova Color-Magnitude Relation and Host Galaxy Dust: A Simple Hierarchical Bayesian Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mandel, Kaisey; Scolnic, Daniel; Shariff, Hikmatali; Foley, Ryan; Kirshner, Robert

2017-01-01

Inferring peak optical absolute magnitudes of Type Ia supernovae (SN Ia) from distance-independent measures such as their light curve shapes and colors underpins the evidence for cosmic acceleration. SN Ia with broader, slower declining optical light curves are more luminous (“broader-brighter”) and those with redder colors are dimmer. But the “redder-dimmer” color-luminosity relation widely used in cosmological SN Ia analyses confounds its two separate physical origins. An intrinsic correlation arises from the physics of exploding white dwarfs, while interstellar dust in the host galaxy also makes SN Ia appear dimmer and redder. Conventional SN Ia cosmology analyses currently use a simplistic linear regression of magnitude versus color and light curve shape, which does not model intrinsic SN Ia variations and host galaxy dust as physically distinct effects, resulting in low color-magnitude slopes. We construct a probabilistic generative model for the dusty distribution of extinguished absolute magnitudes and apparent colors as the convolution of an intrinsic SN Ia color-magnitude distribution and a host galaxy dust reddening-extinction distribution. If the intrinsic color-magnitude (MB vs. B-V) slope βint differs from the host galaxy dust law RB, this convolution results in a specific curve of mean extinguished absolute magnitude vs. apparent color. The derivative of this curve smoothly transitions from βint in the blue tail to RB in the red tail of the apparent color distribution. The conventional linear fit approximates this effective curve near the average apparent color, resulting in an apparent slope βapp between βint and RB. We incorporate these effects into a hierarchical Bayesian statistical model for SN Ia light curve measurements, and analyze a dataset of SALT2 optical light curve fits of 277 nearby SN Ia at z < 0.10. The conventional linear fit obtains βapp ≈ 3. Our model finds a βint = 2.2 ± 0.3 and a distinct dust law of RB = 3.7 ± 0.3, consistent with the average for Milky Way dust, while correcting a systematic distance bias of ~0.10 mag in the tails of the apparent color distribution. This research is supported by NSF grants AST-156854, AST-1211196, and NASA grant NNX15AJ55G.

Temperature and speed of testing influence on the densification and recovery of polyurethane foams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Apostol, Dragoş Alexandru; Constantinescu, Dan Mihai

2013-02-01

Polyurethane foams with densities of 35, 93, and 200 kg/m3 were tested in compression at three levels of temperatures as: -60 °C, 23 °C, and 80 °C. The influence of speed of testing from 2 mm/min up to 6 m/s (0.0014 to 545 s-1) on the response of the foams is analyzed. Testing is done separately on the rise direction and on the in-plane direction of the foams, and differences in their behavior are commented. With interpolation functions which approximate the plateau and densification region, the specific strain energy is calculated together with the energy efficiency and onset strain of densification. A Nagy-type phenomenological strain-rate-dependent model is proposed to generate engineering stress-strain curves and is validated through comparison with experimental stress-strain curves obtained at different speeds of testing. Starting from a reference experimental curve, two material parameters which are density and temperature dependent are established. Foam recovery for each density of the polyurethane foams is analyzed as a function of direction of testing, temperature, and speed of testing.

A new method of testing pile using dynamic P-S-curve made by amplitude of wave train

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Yi-Li; Xu, Jun; Duan, Yong-Kong; Xu, Zhao-Yong; Yang, Run-Hai; Zhao, Jin-Ming

2004-11-01

A new method of detecting the vertical bearing capacity for single-pile with high strain is discussed in this paper. A heavy hammer or a small type of rocket is used to strike the pile top and the detectors are used to record vibration graphs. An expression of higher degree of strain (deformation force) is introduced. It is testified theoretically that the displacement, velocity and acceleration cannot be obtained by simple integral acceleration and differential velocity when long displacement and high strain exist, namely when the pile phase generates a whole slip relative to the soil body. That is to say that there are non-linear relations between them. It is educed accordingly that the force P and displacement S are calculated from the amplitude of wave train and (dynamic) P-S curve is drew so as to determine the yield points. Further, a method of determining the vertical bearing capacity for single-pile is discussed. A static load test is utilized to check the result of dynamic test and determine the correlative constants of dynamic-static P( Q)- S curve.

On the Constitutive Model of Nitrogen-Containing Austenitic Stainless Steel 316LN at Elevated Temperature

PubMed Central

Zhang, Lei; Feng, Xiao; Wang, Xin; Liu, Changyong

2014-01-01

The nitrogen-containing austenitic stainless steel 316LN has been chosen as the material for nuclear main-pipe, which is one of the key parts in 3rd generation nuclear power plants. In this research, a constitutive model of nitrogen-containing austenitic stainless steel is developed. The true stress-true strain curves obtained from isothermal hot compression tests over a wide range of temperatures (900–1250°C) and strain rates (10−3–10 s−1), were employed to study the dynamic deformational behavior of and recrystallization in 316LN steels. The constitutive model is developed through multiple linear regressions performed on the experimental data and based on an Arrhenius-type equation and Zener-Hollomon theory. The influence of strain was incorporated in the developed constitutive equation by considering the effect of strain on the various material constants. The reliability and accuracy of the model is verified through the comparison of predicted flow stress curves and experimental curves. Possible reasons for deviation are also discussed based on the characteristics of modeling process. PMID:25375345

Utilization of curve offsets in additive manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haseltalab, Vahid; Yaman, Ulas; Dolen, Melik

2018-05-01

Curve offsets are utilized in different fields of engineering and science. Additive manufacturing, which lately becomes an explicit requirement in manufacturing industry, utilizes curve offsets widely. One of the necessities of offsetting is for scaling which is required if there is shrinkage after the fabrication or if the surface quality of the resulting part is unacceptable. Therefore, some post-processing is indispensable. But the major application of curve offsets in additive manufacturing processes is for generating head trajectories. In a point-wise AM process, a correct tool-path in each layer can reduce lots of costs and increase the surface quality of the fabricated parts. In this study, different curve offset generation algorithms are analyzed to show their capabilities and disadvantages through some test cases and improvements on their drawbacks are suggested.

Titration Curves: Fact and Fiction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chamberlain, John

1997-01-01

Discusses ways in which datalogging equipment can enable titration curves to be measured accurately and how computing power can be used to predict the shape of curves. Highlights include sources of error, use of spreadsheets to generate titration curves, titration of a weak acid with a strong alkali, dibasic acids, weak acid and weak base, and…

ROC-ing along: Evaluation and interpretation of receiver operating characteristic curves.

PubMed

Carter, Jane V; Pan, Jianmin; Rai, Shesh N; Galandiuk, Susan

2016-06-01

It is vital for clinicians to understand and interpret correctly medical statistics as used in clinical studies. In this review, we address current issues and focus on delivering a simple, yet comprehensive, explanation of common research methodology involving receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. ROC curves are used most commonly in medicine as a means of evaluating diagnostic tests. Sample data from a plasma test for the diagnosis of colorectal cancer were used to generate a prediction model. These are actual, unpublished data that have been used to describe the calculation of sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive and negative predictive values, and accuracy. The ROC curves were generated to determine the accuracy of this plasma test. These curves are generated by plotting the sensitivity (true-positive rate) on the y axis and 1 - specificity (false-positive rate) on the x axis. Curves that approach closest to the coordinate (x = 0, y = 1) are more highly predictive, whereas ROC curves that lie close to the line of equality indicate that the result is no better than that obtained by chance. The optimum sensitivity and specificity can be determined from the graph as the point where the minimum distance line crosses the ROC curve. This point corresponds to the Youden index (J), a function of sensitivity and specificity used commonly to rate diagnostic tests. The area under the curve is used to quantify the overall ability of a test to discriminate between 2 outcomes. By following these simple guidelines, interpretation of ROC curves will be less difficult and they can then be interpreted more reliably when writing, reviewing, or analyzing scientific papers. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Conceptual Design of a 100kW Energy Integrated Type Bi-Directional Tidal Current Turbine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Ki Pyoung; Ahmed, M. Rafiuddin; Lee, Young Ho

2010-06-01

The development of a tidal current turbine that can extract maximum energy from the tidal current will be extremely beneficial for supplying continuous electric power. The present paper presents a conceptual design of a 100kW energy integrated type tidal current turbine for tidal power generation. The instantaneous power density of a flowing fluid incident on an underwater turbine is proportional to the cubic power of current velocity which is approximately 2.5m/s. A cross-flow turbine, provided with a nozzle and a diffuser, is designed and analyzed. The potential advantages of ducted and diffuser-augmented turbines were taken into consideration in order to achieve higher output at a relatively low speed. This study looks at a cross-flow turbine system which is placed in an augmentation channel to generate electricity bi-directionally. The compatibility of this turbine system is verified using a commercial CFD code, ANSYSCFX. This paper presents the results of the numerical analysis in terms of pressure, streaklines, velocity vectors and performance curves for energy integrated type bi-directional tidal current turbine (BDT) with augmentation.

The Biological Effectiveness of Four Energies of Neon Ions for the Induction of Chromosome Damage in Human Lymphocytes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

George, Kerry; Hada, Megumi; Cucinotta, F. A.

2011-01-01

Chromosomal aberrations were measured in human peripheral blood lymphocytes after in vitro exposure to neon ions at energies of 64, 89, 142, or 267. The corresponding LET values for these energies of neon ranged from 38-103 keV/micrometers and doses delivered were in the 10 to 80 cGy range. Chromosome exchanges were assessed in metaphase and G2 phase cells at first division after exposure using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with whole chromosome probes and dose response curves were generated for different types of chromosomal exchanges. The yields of total chromosome exchanges were similar for the 64, 89, and 142 MeV exposures, whereas the 267 MeV/u neon with LET of 38 keV/micrometers produced about half as many exchanges per unit dose. The induction of complex type chromosome exchanges (exchanges involving three or more breaks and two or more chromosomes) showed a clear LET dependence for all energies. The ratio of simple to complex type exchanges increased with LET from 18 to 51%. The relative biological effectiveness (RBE) was estimated from the initial slope of the dose response curve for chromosome damage with respect to gamma-rays. The RBE(sub max) values for total chromosome exchanges for the 64 MeV/u was around 30.

Inversion of Surface-wave Dispersion Curves due to Low-velocity-layer Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, C.; Xia, J.; Mi, B.

2016-12-01

A successful inversion relies on exact forward modeling methods. It is a key step to accurately calculate multi-mode dispersion curves of a given model in high-frequency surface-wave (Rayleigh wave and Love wave) methods. For normal models (shear (S)-wave velocity increasing with depth), their theoretical dispersion curves completely match the dispersion spectrum that is generated based on wave equation. For models containing a low-velocity-layer, however, phase velocities calculated by existing forward-modeling algorithms (e.g. Thomson-Haskell algorithm, Knopoff algorithm, fast vector-transfer algorithm and so on) fail to be consistent with the dispersion spectrum at a high frequency range. They will approach a value that close to the surface-wave velocity of the low-velocity-layer under the surface layer, rather than that of the surface layer when their corresponding wavelengths are short enough. This phenomenon conflicts with the characteristics of surface waves, which results in an erroneous inverted model. By comparing the theoretical dispersion curves with simulated dispersion energy, we proposed a direct and essential solution to accurately compute surface-wave phase velocities due to low-velocity-layer models. Based on the proposed forward modeling technique, we can achieve correct inversion for these types of models. Several synthetic data proved the effectiveness of our method.

Bragg Curve, Biological Bragg Curve and Biological Issues in Space Radiation Protection with Shielding

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Honglu, Wu; Cucinotta, F.A.; Durante, M.; Lin, Z.; Rusek, A.

2006-01-01

The space environment consists of a varying field of radiation particles including high-energy ions, with spacecraft shielding material providing the major protection to astronauts from harmful exposure. Unlike low-LET gamma or X-rays, the presence of shielding does not always reduce the radiation risks for energetic charged particle exposure. Since the dose delivered by the charged particle increases sharply as the particle approaches the end of its range, a position known as the Bragg peak, the Bragg curve does not necessarily represent the biological damage along the particle traversal since biological effects are influenced by the track structure of both primary and secondary particles. Therefore, the biological Bragg curve is dependent on the energy and the type of the primary particle, and may vary for different biological endpoints. To achieve a Bragg curve distribution, we exposed cells to energetic heavy ions with the beam geometry parallel to a monolayer of fibroblasts. Qualitative analyses of gamma-H2AX fluorescence, a known marker of DSBs, indicated increased clustering of DNA damage before the Bragg peak, enhanced homogenous distribution at the peak, and provided visual evidence of high linear energy transfer (LET) particle traversal of cells beyond the Bragg peak. A quantitative biological response curve generated for micronuclei (MN) induction across the Bragg curve did not reveal an increased yield of MN at the location of the Bragg peak. However, the ratio of mono-to bi-nucleated cells, which indicates inhibition in cell progression, increased at the Bragg peak location. These results, along with other biological concerns, show that space radiation protection with shielding can be a complicated issue.

Global expression for representing cohesive-energy curves. II

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schlosser, Herbert; Ferrante, John

1993-01-01

Schlosser et al. (1991) showed that the R dependence of the cohesive energy of partially ionic solids may be characterized by a two-term energy relationship consisting of a Coulomb term arising from the charge transfer, delta-Z, and a scaled universal energy function, E*(a *), which accounts for the partially covalent character of the bond and for repulsion between the atomic cores for small R; a* is a scaled length. In the paper by Schlosser et al., the normalized cohesive-energy curves of NaCl-structure alkali-halide crystals were generated with this expression. In this paper we generate the cohesive-energy curves of several families of partially ionic solids with different crystal structures and differing degrees of ionicity. These include the CsCl-structure Cs halides, and the Tl and Ag halides, which have weaker ionic bonding than the alkali halides, and which have the CsCl and NaCl structures, respectively. The cohesive-energy-curve parameters are then used to generate theoretical isothermal compression curves for the Li, Na, K, Cs, and Ag halides. We find good agreement with the available experimental compression data.

Integrating expert opinion with modelling for quantitative multi-hazard risk assessment in the Eastern Italian Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Lixia; van Westen, Cees J.; Hussin, Haydar; Ciurean, Roxana L.; Turkington, Thea; Chavarro-Rincon, Diana; Shrestha, Dhruba P.

2016-11-01

Extreme rainfall events are the main triggering causes for hydro-meteorological hazards in mountainous areas, where development is often constrained by the limited space suitable for construction. In these areas, hazard and risk assessments are fundamental for risk mitigation, especially for preventive planning, risk communication and emergency preparedness. Multi-hazard risk assessment in mountainous areas at local and regional scales remain a major challenge because of lack of data related to past events and causal factors, and the interactions between different types of hazards. The lack of data leads to a high level of uncertainty in the application of quantitative methods for hazard and risk assessment. Therefore, a systematic approach is required to combine these quantitative methods with expert-based assumptions and decisions. In this study, a quantitative multi-hazard risk assessment was carried out in the Fella River valley, prone to debris flows and flood in the north-eastern Italian Alps. The main steps include data collection and development of inventory maps, definition of hazard scenarios, hazard assessment in terms of temporal and spatial probability calculation and intensity modelling, elements-at-risk mapping, estimation of asset values and the number of people, physical vulnerability assessment, the generation of risk curves and annual risk calculation. To compare the risk for each type of hazard, risk curves were generated for debris flows, river floods and flash floods. Uncertainties were expressed as minimum, average and maximum values of temporal and spatial probability, replacement costs of assets, population numbers, and physical vulnerability. These result in minimum, average and maximum risk curves. To validate this approach, a back analysis was conducted using the extreme hydro-meteorological event that occurred in August 2003 in the Fella River valley. The results show a good performance when compared to the historical damage reports.

A New Approach for Obtaining Cosmological Constraints from Type Ia Supernovae using Approximate Bayesian Computation

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

Jennings, Elise; Wolf, Rachel; Sako, Masao

2016-11-09

Cosmological parameter estimation techniques that robustly account for systematic measurement uncertainties will be crucial for the next generation of cosmological surveys. We present a new analysis method, superABC, for obtaining cosmological constraints from Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) light curves using Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC) without any likelihood assumptions. The ABC method works by using a forward model simulation of the data where systematic uncertainties can be simulated and marginalized over. A key feature of the method presented here is the use of two distinct metrics, the `Tripp' and `Light Curve' metrics, which allow us to compare the simulated data to the observed data set. The Tripp metric takes as input the parameters of models fit to each light curve with the SALT-II method, whereas the Light Curve metric uses the measured fluxes directly without model fitting. We apply the superABC sampler to a simulated data set ofmore » $$\\sim$$1000 SNe corresponding to the first season of the Dark Energy Survey Supernova Program. Varying $$\\Omega_m, w_0, \\alpha$$ and $$\\beta$$ and a magnitude offset parameter, with no systematics we obtain $$\\Delta(w_0) = w_0^{\\rm true} - w_0^{\\rm best \\, fit} = -0.036\\pm0.109$$ (a $$\\sim11$$% 1$$\\sigma$$ uncertainty) using the Tripp metric and $$\\Delta(w_0) = -0.055\\pm0.068$$ (a $$\\sim7$$% 1$$\\sigma$$ uncertainty) using the Light Curve metric. Including 1% calibration uncertainties in four passbands, adding 4 more parameters, we obtain $$\\Delta(w_0) = -0.062\\pm0.132$$ (a $$\\sim14$$% 1$$\\sigma$$ uncertainty) using the Tripp metric. Overall we find a $17$% increase in the uncertainty on $$w_0$$ with systematics compared to without. We contrast this with a MCMC approach where systematic effects are approximately included. We find that the MCMC method slightly underestimates the impact of calibration uncertainties for this simulated data set.« less

High resolution melting curve analysis as a new tool for rapid identification of canine parvovirus type 2 strains.

PubMed

Bingga, Gali; Liu, Zhicheng; Zhang, Jianfeng; Zhu, Yujun; Lin, Lifeng; Ding, Shuangyang; Guo, Pengju

2014-01-01

A high resolution melting (HRM) curve method was developed to identify canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2) strains by nested PCR. Two sets of primers, CPV-426F/426R and CPV-87R/87F, were designed that amplified a 52 bp and 53 bp product from the viral VP2 capsid gene. The region amplified by CPV-426F/426R included the A4062G and T4064A mutations in CPV-2a, CPV-2b and CPV-2c. The region amplified by CPV-87F/87R included the A3045T mutation in the vaccine strains of CPV-2 and CPV-2a, CPV-2b and CPV-2c. Faecal samples were obtained from 30 dogs that were CPV antigen-positive. The DNA was isolated from the faecal samples and PCR-amplified using the two sets of primers, and genotyped by HRM curve analysis. The PCR-HRM assay was able to distinguish single nucleotide polymorphisms between CPV-2a, CPV-2b and CPV-2c using CPV-426F/426R. CPV-2a was distinguished from CPV-2b and CPV-2c by differences in the melting temperature. CPV-2b and CPV-2c could be distinguished based on the shape of the melting curve after generating heteroduplexes using a CPV-2b reference sample. The vaccine strains of CPV-2 were identified using CPV-87F/87R. Conventional methods for genotyping CPV strains are labor intensive, expensive or time consuming; the present PCR-based HRM assay might be an attractive alternative. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Clinically orientated classification incorporating shoulder balance for the surgical treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

PubMed

Elsebaie, H B; Dannawi, Z; Altaf, F; Zaidan, A; Al Mukhtar, M; Shaw, M J; Gibson, A; Noordeen, H

2016-02-01

The achievement of shoulder balance is an important measure of successful scoliosis surgery. No previously described classification system has taken shoulder balance into account. We propose a simple classification system for AIS based on two components which include the curve type and shoulder level. Altogether, three curve types have been defined according to the size and location of the curves, each curve pattern is subdivided into type A or B depending on the shoulder level. This classification was tested for interobserver reproducibility and intraobserver reliability. A retrospective analysis of the radiographs of 232 consecutive cases of AIS patients treated surgically between 2005 and 2009 was also performed. Three major types and six subtypes were identified. Type I accounted for 30 %, type II 28 % and type III 42 %. The retrospective analysis showed three patients developed a decompensation that required extension of the fusion. One case developed worsening of shoulder balance requiring further surgery. This classification was tested for interobserver and intraobserver reliability. The mean kappa coefficients for interobserver reproducibility ranged from 0.89 to 0.952, while the mean kappa value for intraobserver reliability was 0.964 indicating a good-to-excellent reliability. The treatment algorithm guides the spinal surgeon to achieve optimal curve correction and postoperative shoulder balance whilst fusing the smallest number of spinal segments. The high interobserver reproducibility and intraobserver reliability makes it an invaluable tool to describe scoliosis curves in everyday clinical practice.

Optimization of SPR signals: Monitoring the physical structures and refractive indices of prisms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maisarah Mukhtar, Wan; Halim, Razman Mohd; Hassan, Hazirah

2017-11-01

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) can only be achieved if sufficient energy is provided at the boundary between metal and dielectric. An employment of prism as a light coupler by using Kretschmann configuration is one of the alternative for the production of adequate energy to be generated as surface plasmon polaritons (SPP). This work is carried out to investigate the effect of physical structure of the prism and its refractive index to the excitation of SPPs. A 50nm gold thin metal film with dielectric constant of ɛ=-12.45i+1.3 was deposited on the hypotenuse surface of the prisms. The physical structures of the prisms were varied such as triangular, conical, hemispherical and half cylindrical. These prisms were classified into two types of refractive indices (RI), namely n=1.51(type BK7) and n=1.77(type SF11). Based on SPR curve analyses, we discovered that strong SPR signals which consist of 82.98% photons were excited as SPPs can be obtained by using type-BK7 prism with physical structures of hemispherical or half cylindrical. From the view of selectivity ability as sensors, the usage of type-SF11 prisms (half cylindrical and hemispherical) able to enhance this impressive feature in which sharp SPR curves with small FWHM values were obtained. In conclusion, apart from properties of thin film materials, the physical structure of prisms and their RI values play crucial roles to obtain optimum SPR signal. High sensitivity SPR sensor can be established with the appointment of type-BK7 prisms (hemispherical or half cylindrical shape) as light couplers.

Showcasing electrode-electrolyte interfacial potential as a vital parameter in the hydrogen generation by metal oxides electrodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niveditha, C. V.; Nizamudeen, A. C.; Ramanarayanan, Rajita; Jabeen Fatima, M. J.; Swaminathan, Sindhu

2018-03-01

This investigation presents a new insight by experimentally demonstrating electrode-electrolyte interface potential that is flat band potential as a determinant in photoelectrochemical splitting of water. Two different metal oxides namely n type, nitrogen doped titania and p type copper oxides have been synthesized for the study. The flat band potential values of these oxide systems were obtained from Mott-Schottky analysis. The obtained flat band potential is used as a marker to fix the working potential in water splitting experiment. To obtain optimum photocurrent a potential more positive than flatband is applied to n-type N-TiO2 and vice-versa for p-type Cu2O. The findings are well supported by I-t curves derived from chronoamperometric measurements. Finally the mechanisms behind interfacial potential dynamics have been discussed in this work.

Sensitive Fibre-Based Thermoluminescence Detectors for High Resolution In-Vivo Dosimetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghomeishi, Mostafa; Mahdiraji, G. Amouzad; Adikan, F. R. Mahamd; Ung, N. M.; Bradley, D. A.

2015-08-01

With interest in the potential of optical fibres as the basis of next-generation thermoluminescence dosimeters (TLDs), the development of suitable forms of material and their fabrication has become a fast-growing endeavour. Present study focuses on three types of Ge-doped optical fibres with different structural arrangements and/or shapes, namely conventional cylindrical fibre, capillary fibre, and flat fibre, all fabricated using the same optical fibre preform. For doses from 0.5 to 8 Gy, obtained at electron and photon energies, standard thermoluminescence (TL) characteristics of the optical fibres have been the subject of detailed investigation. The results show that in collapsing the capillary fibre into a flat shape, the TL yield is increased by a factor of 5.5, the yield being also some 3.2 times greater than that of the conventional cylindrical fibre fabricated from the same perform. This suggests a means of production of suitably sensitive TLD for in-vivo dosimeter applications. Addressing the associated defects generating luminescence from each of the optical fibres, the study encompasses analysis of the TL glow curves, with computerized glow curve deconvolution (CGCD) and 2nd order kinetics.

Sensitive Fibre-Based Thermoluminescence Detectors for High Resolution In-Vivo Dosimetry.

PubMed

Ghomeishi, Mostafa; Mahdiraji, G Amouzad; Adikan, F R Mahamd; Ung, N M; Bradley, D A

2015-08-28

With interest in the potential of optical fibres as the basis of next-generation thermoluminescence dosimeters (TLDs), the development of suitable forms of material and their fabrication has become a fast-growing endeavour. Present study focuses on three types of Ge-doped optical fibres with different structural arrangements and/or shapes, namely conventional cylindrical fibre, capillary fibre, and flat fibre, all fabricated using the same optical fibre preform. For doses from 0.5 to 8 Gy, obtained at electron and photon energies, standard thermoluminescence (TL) characteristics of the optical fibres have been the subject of detailed investigation. The results show that in collapsing the capillary fibre into a flat shape, the TL yield is increased by a factor of 5.5, the yield being also some 3.2 times greater than that of the conventional cylindrical fibre fabricated from the same perform. This suggests a means of production of suitably sensitive TLD for in-vivo dosimeter applications. Addressing the associated defects generating luminescence from each of the optical fibres, the study encompasses analysis of the TL glow curves, with computerized glow curve deconvolution (CGCD) and 2(nd) order kinetics.

Sensitive Fibre-Based Thermoluminescence Detectors for High Resolution In-Vivo Dosimetry

PubMed Central

Ghomeishi, Mostafa; Mahdiraji, G. Amouzad; Adikan, F. R. Mahamd; Ung, N. M.; Bradley, D. A.

2015-01-01

With interest in the potential of optical fibres as the basis of next-generation thermoluminescence dosimeters (TLDs), the development of suitable forms of material and their fabrication has become a fast-growing endeavour. Present study focuses on three types of Ge-doped optical fibres with different structural arrangements and/or shapes, namely conventional cylindrical fibre, capillary fibre, and flat fibre, all fabricated using the same optical fibre preform. For doses from 0.5 to 8 Gy, obtained at electron and photon energies, standard thermoluminescence (TL) characteristics of the optical fibres have been the subject of detailed investigation. The results show that in collapsing the capillary fibre into a flat shape, the TL yield is increased by a factor of 5.5, the yield being also some 3.2 times greater than that of the conventional cylindrical fibre fabricated from the same perform. This suggests a means of production of suitably sensitive TLD for in-vivo dosimeter applications. Addressing the associated defects generating luminescence from each of the optical fibres, the study encompasses analysis of the TL glow curves, with computerized glow curve deconvolution (CGCD) and 2nd order kinetics. PMID:26314683

Multiple incidence angle SIR-B experiment over Argentina

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cimino, Jobea; Casey, Daren; Wall, Stephen; Brandani, Aldo; Domik, Gitta; Leberl, Franz

1986-01-01

The Shuttle Imaging Radar (SIR-B), the second synthetic aperture radar (SAR) to fly aboard a shuttle, was launched on October 5, 1984. One of the primary goals of the SIR-B experiment was to use multiple incidence angle radar images to distinguish different terrain types through the use of their characteristic backscatter curves. This goal was accomplished in several locations including the Chubut Province of southern Argentina. Four descending image acquisitions were collected providing a multiple incidence angle image set. The data were first used to assess stereo-radargrammetric techniques. A digital elevation model was produced using the optimum pair of multiple incidence angle images. This model was then used to determine the local incidence angle of each picture element to generate curves of relative brightness vs. incidence angle. Secondary image products were also generated using the multi-angle data. The results of this work indicate that: (1) various forest species and various structures of a single species may be discriminated using multiple incidence angle radar imagery, and (2) it is essential to consider the variation in backscatter due to a variable incidence angle when analyzing and comparing data collected at varying frequencies and polarizations.

Temperature Effects on Force and Actin⁻Myosin Interaction in Muscle: A Look Back on Some Experimental Findings.

PubMed

Ranatunga, K W

2018-05-22

Observations made in temperature studies on mammalian muscle during force development, shortening, and lengthening, are re-examined. The isometric force in active muscle goes up substantially on warming from less than 10 °C to temperatures closer to physiological (>30 °C), and the sigmoidal temperature dependence of this force has a half-maximum at ~10 °C. During steady shortening, when force is decreased to a steady level, the sigmoidal curve is more pronounced and shifted to higher temperatures, whereas, in lengthening muscle, the curve is shifted to lower temperatures, and there is a less marked increase with temperature. Even with a small rapid temperature-jump (T-jump), force in active muscle rises in a definitive way. The rate of tension rise is slower with adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and faster with increased phosphate. Analysis showed that a T-jump enhances an early, pre-phosphate release step in the acto-myosin (crossbridge) ATPase cycle, thus inducing a force-rise. The sigmoidal dependence of steady force on temperature is due to this endothermic nature of crossbridge force generation. During shortening, the force-generating step and the ATPase cycle are accelerated, whereas during lengthening, they are inhibited. The endothermic force generation is seen in different muscle types (fast, slow, and cardiac). The underlying mechanism may involve a structural change in attached myosin heads and/or their attachments on heat absorption.

Temperature Effects on Force and Actin–Myosin Interaction in Muscle: A Look Back on Some Experimental Findings

PubMed Central

Ranatunga, K. W.

2018-01-01

Observations made in temperature studies on mammalian muscle during force development, shortening, and lengthening, are re-examined. The isometric force in active muscle goes up substantially on warming from less than 10 °C to temperatures closer to physiological (>30 °C), and the sigmoidal temperature dependence of this force has a half-maximum at ~10 °C. During steady shortening, when force is decreased to a steady level, the sigmoidal curve is more pronounced and shifted to higher temperatures, whereas, in lengthening muscle, the curve is shifted to lower temperatures, and there is a less marked increase with temperature. Even with a small rapid temperature-jump (T-jump), force in active muscle rises in a definitive way. The rate of tension rise is slower with adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and faster with increased phosphate. Analysis showed that a T-jump enhances an early, pre-phosphate release step in the acto-myosin (crossbridge) ATPase cycle, thus inducing a force-rise. The sigmoidal dependence of steady force on temperature is due to this endothermic nature of crossbridge force generation. During shortening, the force-generating step and the ATPase cycle are accelerated, whereas during lengthening, they are inhibited. The endothermic force generation is seen in different muscle types (fast, slow, and cardiac). The underlying mechanism may involve a structural change in attached myosin heads and/or their attachments on heat absorption. PMID:29786656

New insights on timing of oil and gas generation in the central Gulf Coast interior zone based on hydrous-pyrolysis kinetic parameters

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lewan, Michael D.; Dutton, Shirley P.; Ruppel, Stephen C.; Hentz, Tucker F.

2002-01-01

Timing of oil and gas generation from Turonian and Smackover source rocks in the central Gulf CoastInterior Zone was determined in one-dimensional burial-history curves (BHCs) using hydrous-pyrolysis kinetic parameters. The results predict that basal Smackover source-rock intervals with Type-IIS kerogen completed oil generation between 121 and 99 Ma, and Turonian source-rocks with Type-II kerogen remain immature over most of the same area. The only exception to the latter occurs in the northwestern part of the Mississippi salt basin, where initial stages of oil generation have started as a result of higher thermal gradients. This maturity difference between Turonian and Smackover source rocks is predicted with present-day thermal gradients. Predicted oil generation prior to the Sabine and Monroe uplifts suggests that a significant amount of the oil emplaced in Cretaceous reservoirs of these uplifts would have been lost during periods of erosion. Hydrous-pyrolysis kineticparameters predict that cracking of Smackover oil to gas started 52 Ma, which postdates major uplift and erosional events of the Sabine and Monroe uplifts. This generated gas would accumulate and persist in these uplift areas as currently observed. The predicted timing of oil and gas generation with hydrous-pyrolysis kinetic parameters is in accordance with the observed scarcity of oil from Turonian source rocks, predominance of gas accumulations on the Sabine and Monroe uplifts, and predominance of oil accumulations along the northern rim of the Interior Zone.

Environmental Kuznets Curve Analysis of the Economic Development and Nonpoint Source Pollution in the Ningxia Yellow River Irrigation Districts in China

PubMed Central

Mao, Chunlan; Zhai, Ningning; Yang, Jingchao; Feng, Yongzhong; Cao, Yanchun; Han, Xinhui; Ren, Guangxin; Yang, Gaihe; Meng, Qing-xiang

2013-01-01

This study applies the environmental Kuznets curve to test the relationship between the regional economic growth and the different types of agricultural nonpoint source pollution loads in the Ningxia Yellow River irrigation area by using the Johnes export coefficient method. Results show that the pollution load generated by crop cultivation and livestock-breeding industries in the Ningxia Yellow River irrigation area shows an inverted U-shaped feature; however, this feature is absent in living-sewage pollution load. Crop pollution has shown a decreasing trend since 1997 because of the increased per capita income of farmers. Livestock-breeding pollution load reached its turning point when the per capita income of farmers reached 8386.74 RMB. Therefore, an increase in the per capita income of farmers corresponds to an increase in the livestock-breeding pollution load in the Ningxia Yellow River irrigation area. PMID:24171160

Environmental Kuznets curve analysis of the economic development and nonpoint source pollution in the Ningxia Yellow River irrigation districts in China.

PubMed

Mao, Chunlan; Zhai, Ningning; Yang, Jingchao; Feng, Yongzhong; Cao, Yanchun; Han, Xinhui; Ren, Guangxin; Yang, Gaihe; Meng, Qing-xiang

2013-01-01

This study applies the environmental Kuznets curve to test the relationship between the regional economic growth and the different types of agricultural nonpoint source pollution loads in the Ningxia Yellow River irrigation area by using the Johnes export coefficient method. Results show that the pollution load generated by crop cultivation and livestock-breeding industries in the Ningxia Yellow River irrigation area shows an inverted U-shaped feature; however, this feature is absent in living-sewage pollution load. Crop pollution has shown a decreasing trend since 1997 because of the increased per capita income of farmers. Livestock-breeding pollution load reached its turning point when the per capita income of farmers reached 8386.74 RMB. Therefore, an increase in the per capita income of farmers corresponds to an increase in the livestock-breeding pollution load in the Ningxia Yellow River irrigation area.

Advanced composites structural concepts and materials technologies for primary aircraft structures. Structural response and failure analysis: ISPAN modules users manual

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hairr, John W.; Huang, Jui-Ten; Ingram, J. Edward; Shah, Bharat M.

1992-01-01

The ISPAN Program (Interactive Stiffened Panel Analysis) is an interactive design tool that is intended to provide a means of performing simple and self contained preliminary analysis of aircraft primary structures made of composite materials. The program combines a series of modules with the finite element code DIAL as its backbone. Four ISPAN Modules were developed and are documented. These include: (1) flat stiffened panel; (2) curved stiffened panel; (3) flat tubular panel; and (4) curved geodesic panel. Users are instructed to input geometric and material properties, load information and types of analysis (linear, bifurcation buckling, or post-buckling) interactively. The program utilizing this information will generate finite element mesh and perform analysis. The output in the form of summary tables of stress or margins of safety, contour plots of loads or stress, and deflected shape plots may be generalized and used to evaluate specific design.

Parametric analysis of ATM solar array.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, B. K.; Adkisson, W. B.

1973-01-01

The paper discusses the methods used for the calculation of ATM solar array performance characteristics and provides the parametric analysis of solar panels used in SKYLAB. To predict the solar array performance under conditions other than test conditions, a mathematical model has been developed. Four computer programs have been used to convert the solar simulator test data to the parametric curves. The first performs module summations, the second determines average solar cell characteristics which will cause a mathematical model to generate a curve matching the test data, the third is a polynomial fit program which determines the polynomial equations for the solar cell characteristics versus temperature, and the fourth program uses the polynomial coefficients generated by the polynomial curve fit program to generate the parametric data.

Kinetic modeling sheds light on the mode of action of recombinant factor VIIa on thrombin generation.

PubMed

Mitrophanov, Alexander Y; Reifman, Jaques

2011-10-01

The therapeutic potential of a hemostatic agent can be assessed by investigating its effects on the quantitative parameters of thrombin generation. For recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa)--a promising hemostasis-inducing biologic--experimental studies addressing its effects on thrombin generation yielded disparate results. To elucidate the inherent ability of rFVIIa to modulate thrombin production, it is necessary to identify rFVIIa-induced effects that are compatible with the available biochemical knowledge about thrombin generation mechanisms. The existing body of knowledge about coagulation biochemistry can be rigorously represented by a computational model that incorporates the known reactions and parameter values constituting the biochemical network. We used a thoroughly validated numerical model to generate activated factor VII (FVIIa) titration curves in the cases of normal blood composition, hemophilia A and B blood, blood lacking factor VII, blood lacking tissue factor pathway inhibitor, and diluted blood. We utilized the generated curves to perform systematic fold-change analyses for five quantitative parameters characterizing thrombin accumulation. The largest fold changes induced by increasing FVIIa concentration were observed for clotting time, thrombin peak time, and maximum slope of the thrombin curve. By contrast, thrombin peak height was much less affected by FVIIa titrations, and the area under the thrombin curve stayed practically unchanged. Comparisons with experimental data demonstrated that the computationally derived patterns can be observed in vitro. rFVIIa modulates thrombin generation primarily by accelerating the process, without significantly affecting the total amount of generated thrombin. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A new scheme for strain typing of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus on the basis of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry by using machine learning approach.

PubMed

Wang, Hsin-Yao; Lee, Tzong-Yi; Tseng, Yi-Ju; Liu, Tsui-Ping; Huang, Kai-Yao; Chang, Yung-Ta; Chen, Chun-Hsien; Lu, Jang-Jih

2018-01-01

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), one of the most important clinical pathogens, conducts an increasing number of morbidity and mortality in the world. Rapid and accurate strain typing of bacteria would facilitate epidemiological investigation and infection control in near real time. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry is a rapid and cost-effective tool for presumptive strain typing. To develop robust method for strain typing based on MALDI-TOF spectrum, machine learning (ML) is a promising algorithm for the construction of predictive model. In this study, a strategy of building templates of specific types was used to facilitate generating predictive models of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strain typing through various ML methods. The strain types of the isolates were determined through multilocus sequence typing (MLST). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and the predictive accuracy of the models were compared. ST5, ST59, and ST239 were the major MLST types, and ST45 was the minor type. For binary classification, the AUC values of various ML methods ranged from 0.76 to 0.99 for ST5, ST59, and ST239 types. In multiclass classification, the predictive accuracy of all generated models was more than 0.83. This study has demonstrated that ML methods can serve as a cost-effective and promising tool that provides preliminary strain typing information about major MRSA lineages on the basis of MALDI-TOF spectra.

J-resistance curves for Inconel 690 and Incoloy 800 nuclear steam generators tubes at room temperature and at 300 °C

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bergant, Marcos A.; Yawny, Alejandro A.; Perez Ipiña, Juan E.

2017-04-01

The structural integrity of steam generator tubes is a relevant issue concerning nuclear plant safety. In the present work, J-resistance curves of Inconel 690 and Incoloy 800 nuclear steam generator tubes with circumferential and longitudinal through wall cracks were obtained at room temperature and 300 °C using recently developed non-standard specimens' geometries. It was found that Incoloy 800 tubes exhibited higher J-resistance curves than Inconel 690 for both crack orientations. For both materials, circumferential cracks resulted into higher fracture resistance than longitudinal cracks, indicating a certain degree of texture anisotropy introduced by the tube fabrication process. From a practical point of view, temperature effects have found to be negligible in all cases. The results obtained in the present work provide a general framework for further application to structural integrity assessments of cracked tubes in a variety of nuclear steam generator designs.

Strategies Toward Automation of Overset Structured Surface Grid Generation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chan, William M.

2017-01-01

An outline of a strategy for automation of overset structured surface grid generation on complex geometries is described. The starting point of the process consists of an unstructured surface triangulation representation of the geometry derived from a native CAD, STEP, or IGES definition, and a set of discretized surface curves that captures all geometric features of interest. The procedure for surface grid generation is decomposed into an algebraic meshing step, a hyperbolic meshing step, and a gap-filling step. This paper will focus primarily on the high-level plan with details on the algebraic step. The algorithmic procedure for the algebraic step involves analyzing the topology of the network of surface curves, distributing grid points appropriately on these curves, identifying domains bounded by four curves that can be meshed algebraically, concatenating the resulting grids into fewer patches, and extending appropriate boundaries of the concatenated grids to provide proper overlap. Results are presented for grids created on various aerospace vehicle components.

PRROC: computing and visualizing precision-recall and receiver operating characteristic curves in R.

PubMed

Grau, Jan; Grosse, Ivo; Keilwagen, Jens

2015-08-01

Precision-recall (PR) and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves are valuable measures of classifier performance. Here, we present the R-package PRROC, which allows for computing and visualizing both PR and ROC curves. In contrast to available R-packages, PRROC allows for computing PR and ROC curves and areas under these curves for soft-labeled data using a continuous interpolation between the points of PR curves. In addition, PRROC provides a generic plot function for generating publication-quality graphics of PR and ROC curves. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press.

Atlantoaxial rotatory fixation: part 2--new diagnostic paradigm and a new classification based on motion analysis using computed tomographic imaging.

PubMed

Pang, Dachling; Li, Veetai

2005-11-01

This is Part II of a study on atlantoaxial rotatory fixation (AARF) that aims to introduce a new diagnostic paradigm and a new classification of this condition based on motion analysis of C1C2 rotation using computed tomographic (CT) imaging. This phase of the study is possible because Part I succeeded in defining physiological C1C2 axial rotation with CT data from 21 normal children, displayed in a highly concordant composite motion curve, which is used as the normal template for the present study. AARF is defined as flagrant departure from normal motion dynamics as delineated by abnormal motion curves. The new classification is predicated on the graded amount of pathological stickiness in the restricted rotation. Forty children age 1.5 to 14 years with painful "cock-robin" necks resulting from minor trauma or otolaryngological procedures were subjected to 3 CT examinations: 1) in the presenting (P) position; 2) with the nose pointing up (P0 position); and 3) with the head forcefully turned to the opposite side as much as the patient could tolerate (P_ position). The angles made by C1 and C2 and the separation angle C1C2 degrees (C1 minus C2 degrees) were obtained as described in Part I. The test motion curve was generated by plotting C1 against C1C2 angles, and all motion curves were analyzed in the context of the normal template. Five distinct groups with highly characteristic motion curves could be identified. Group 1 (n = 5) patients showed essentially unaltered ("locked") C1C2 coupled configurations regardless of corrective counterrotation, with curves that are horizontal lines in the upper two quadrants of the template. Group 2 (n = 7) patients had reduction of the C1C2 separation angle with forced correction, but C1 could not be made to cross C2. Their curves slope downward from right to left in the upper quadrants but never traverse the x axis. Group 3 (n = 9) patients showed C1C2 crossover, but only when the head was cranked far to the opposite side. Their motion curves traverse the x axis left of C1 = -20 degrees. Groups 1, 2, and 3 motion dynamics are respectively classified as Types I, II, and III AARF in descending degree of pathological stickiness, which is in essence a resistance against closure of the C1C2 angle to counterrotation. Group 4 (n = 14) patients had normal dynamics, and Group 5 (n = 5) patients showed motion curve features between normal and Type III AARF, designated as belonging to the diagnostic gray zone, an uncertain group that may or may not revert to normal dynamics with only comfort measures. AARF can be reliably diagnosed with a simple and practical CT protocol and construction of a three-point motion curve superimposed on a reusable normal template. The type of AARF, reflective of the severity of pathological stickiness of rotation, can be identified readily by the shape of the motion curve. This system of classification is useful in selecting the best regimen of management.

An assessment of mode-coupling and falling-friction mechanisms in railway curve squeal through a simplified approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Bo; Squicciarini, Giacomo; Thompson, David; Corradi, Roberto

2018-06-01

Curve squeal is one of the most annoying types of noise caused by the railway system. It usually occurs when a train or tram is running around tight curves. Although this phenomenon has been studied for many years, the generation mechanism is still the subject of controversy and not fully understood. A negative slope in the friction curve under full sliding has been considered to be the main cause of curve squeal for a long time but more recently mode coupling has been demonstrated to be another possible explanation. Mode coupling relies on the inclusion of both the lateral and vertical dynamics at the contact and an exchange of energy occurs between the normal and the axial directions. The purpose of this paper is to assess the role of the mode-coupling and falling-friction mechanisms in curve squeal through the use of a simple approach based on practical parameter values representative of an actual situation. A tramway wheel is adopted to study the effect of the adhesion coefficient, the lateral contact position, the contact angle and the damping ratio. Cases corresponding to both inner and outer wheels in the curve are considered and it is shown that there are situations in which both wheels can squeal due to mode coupling. Additionally, a negative slope is introduced in the friction curve while keeping active the vertical dynamics in order to analyse both mechanisms together. It is shown that, in the presence of mode coupling, the squealing frequency can differ from the natural frequency of either of the coupled wheel modes. Moreover, a phase difference between wheel vibration in the vertical and lateral directions is observed as a characteristic of mode coupling. For both these features a qualitative comparison is shown with field measurements which show the same behaviour.

Method for detecting an image of an object

DOEpatents

Chapman, Leroy Dean; Thomlinson, William C.; Zhong, Zhong

1999-11-16

A method for detecting an absorption, refraction and scatter image of an object by independently analyzing, detecting, digitizing, and combining images acquired on a high and a low angle side of a rocking curve of a crystal analyzer. An x-ray beam which is generated by any suitable conventional apparatus can be irradiated upon either a Bragg type crystal analyzer or a Laue type crystal analyzer. Images of the absorption, refraction and scattering effects are detected, such as on an image plate, and then digitized. The digitized images are simultaneously solved, preferably on a pixel-by-pixel basis, to derive a combined visual image which has dramatically improved contrast and spatial resolution over an image acquired through conventional radiology methods.

Mitochondrial Haplogroups Define Two Phenotypes of Osteoarthritis

PubMed Central

Fernández-Moreno, Mercedes; Soto-Hermida, Angel; Oreiro, Natividad; Pértega, Sonia; Fenández-López, Carlos; Rego-Pérez, Ignacio; Blanco, Francisco J.

2012-01-01

Objective: To assess a mitochondrion-related phenotype in patients with osteoarthritis (OA). Methods: Serum levels of the following OA-related biomarkers: matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1); MMP-3; MMP-13; myeloperoxidase (MPO); a peptide of the alpha-helical region of type II collagen, Coll2-1, and its nitrated form Coll2-1NO2; a C-terminal neoepitope generated by the collagenase-mediated cleavage of collagen type II triple helix, C2C; the C-propeptide of collagen type II, CPII; hyaluronic acid (HA); human cartilage glycoprotein 39, YKL-40; cartilage oligomeric matrix protein; and cathepsin K were analyzed in 48 OA patients and 52 healthy controls carrying the haplogroups H and J. Logistic regression models and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were performed to predict the onset of OA. Results: MMP-13 was the only biomarker significantly increased in OA patients compared to healthy controls in both haplogroups H and J. The collagen type II biomarkers, Coll2-1, Coll2-1NO2, the Coll2-1NO2/Coll2-1 ratio, C2C, CPII, and the C2C:CPII ratio were significantly increased in OA patients carrying haplogroup H compared to OA carriers of the haplogroup J. Two logistic regression models for diagnosis were constructed and adjusted for age, gender, and body mass index. For haplogroup H, the biomarkers significantly associated with OA were MMP-13 and Coll2-1; the area under the curve (AUC) of the ROC curve for this model was 0.952 (95% CI = 0.892–1.012). For haplogroup J, the only biomarker significantly associated with OA was MMP-13; the AUC for this model was 0.895 (95% CI = 0.801–0.989). Conclusion: The mitochondrial DNA haplogroups are potential complementary candidates for biomarkers of OA; their genotyping in conjunction with the assessment of classical protein molecular markers is recommended. PMID:22593743

Approximate correlations for chevron-type plate heat exchangers

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

Wanniarachchi, A.S.; Ratnam, U.; Tilton, B.E.

1995-12-31

There exists very little useful data representing the performance of industrial plate heat exchangers (PHEs) in the open literature. As a result, it has been difficult to arrive at any generalized correlations. While every PHE manufacturer is believed to have a comprehensive set of performance curves for their own designs, there exists the need to generate an approximate set of generalized correlations for the heat-transfer community. Such correlations can be used for preliminary designs and analytical studies. This paper attempts to develop such a set of generalized correlations to quantify the heat-transfer and pressure-drop performance of chevron-type PHEs. For thismore » purpose, the experimental data reported by Heavner et al. were used for the turbulent region. For the laminar region, a semi-theoretical approach was used to express, for example, the friction factor as a function of the Reynolds number and the chevron angle. Asymptotic curves were used for the transitional region. Physical explanations are provided for the trends shown by the generalized correlations. The correlations are compared against the open-literature data, where appropriate. These correlations are expected to be improved in the future when more data become available.« less

Experimental Investigation of Actuators for Flow Control in Inlet Ducts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vaccaro, John; Elimelech, Yossef; Amitay, Michael

2010-11-01

Attractive to aircraft designers are compact inlets, which implement curved flow paths to the compressor face. These curved flow paths could be employed for multiple reasons. One of which is to connect the air intake to the engine embedded in the aircraft body. A compromise must be made between the compactness of the inlet and its aerodynamic performance. The aerodynamic purpose of inlets is to decelerate the oncoming flow before reaching the engine while minimizing total pressure loss, unsteadiness and distortion. Low length-to-diameter ratio inlets have a high degree of curvature, which inevitably causes flow separation and secondary flows. Currently, the length of the propulsion system is constraining the overall size of Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs), thus, smaller more efficient aircrafts could be realized if the propulsion system could be shortened. Therefore, active flow control is studied in a compact (L/D=1.5) inlet to improve performance metrics. Actuation from a spanwise varying coanda type ejector actuator and a hybrid coanda type ejector / vortex generator jet actuator is investigated. Special attention will be given to the pressure recovery at the AIP along with unsteady pressure signatures along the inlet surface and at the AIP.

Characterizing mid-ultraviolet to optical light curves of nearby type IIn supernovae

DOE PAGES

de la Rosa, Janie; Roming, Pete; Pritchard, Tyler; ...

2016-03-21

Here, we present early mid-ultraviolet and optical observations of Type IIn supernovae (SNe IIn) observed from 2007 to 2013. Our results focus on the properties of UV light curves: peak absolute magnitudes, temporal decay, and color evolution. During early times, this sample demonstrates that UV light decays faster than optical, and each event transitions from a predominantly UV-bright phase to an optically bright phase. In order to understand early UV behavior, we generate and analyze the sample's blackbody luminosity, temperature, and radius as the SN ejecta expand and cool. Since most of our observations were detected post maximum luminosity, wemore » introduce a method for estimating the date of peak magnitude. When our observations are compared based on filter, we find that even though these SNe IIn vary in peak magnitudes, there are similarities in UV decay rates. We use a simple semi-analytical SN model in order to understand the effects of the explosion environment on our UV observations. Understanding the UV characteristics of nearby SNe IIn during an early phase can provide valuable information about the environment surrounding these explosions, leading us to evaluating the diversity of observational properties in this subclass.« less

[Experimental studies of using real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR and RT-PCR to detect E6 and E7 genes of human papillomavirus type 16 in cervical carcinoma cell lines].

PubMed

Chen, Yue-yue; Peng, Zhi-lan; Liu, Shan-ling; He, Bing; Hu, Min

2007-06-01

To establish a method of using real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR and RT-PCR to detect the E6 and E7 genes of human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16). Plasmids containing HPV-16 E6 or E7 were used to generate absolute standard curves. Three cervical carcinoma cell lines CaSki, SiHa and HeLa were tested by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR and RT-PCR analyses for the expressions of HPV-16 E6 and E7. The correlation coefficients of standard curves were larger than 0. 99, and the PCR efficiency was more than 90%. The relative levels of HPV-16 E6 and E7 DNA and RNA were CaSki>SiHa>HeLa cell. HPV-16 E6 and E7 quantum by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR and RT-PCR analyses may serve as a reliable and sensitive tool. This study provides the possibility of further researches on the relationship between HPV-16 E6 or E7 copy number and cervical carcinoma.

Hybrid Micro-Electro-Mechanical Tunable Filter

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-09-01

Figure 2.10), one can see the developers have used surface micromachining techniques to build the micromirror structure over the CMOS addressing...DBRs, microcavity composition, initial air gap, contact layers, substrate Dispersion Data Curve -fit dispersion data or generate dispersion function...measurements • Curve -fit the dispersion data or generate a continuous, wavelength-dependent, representation of material dispersion • Manually design the

The Triangle: a Multiprocessor Architecture for Fast Curve and Surface Generation.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-08-01

design , curves and surfaces, graphics hardware. 20...curves, B-splines, computer-aided geometric design ; curves and sur- faces, graphics hardware. (k 12). -/ .... This work was supported in part by the...34 Electronic Design , October 30, 1986. 21. M. A. Penna and R. R. Patterson, Projective Geometry and its Applications to Computer Graphics , Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., 1985. 70,e, 41100vr -~ ~ - -- --

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

Alkhatib, H; Oves, S; Gebreamlak, W

Purpose: To investigate discrepancies between measured percent depth dose curves of a linear accelerator at depths beyond the commissioning data and those generated by the treatment planning system (TPS) via extrapolation. Methods: Relative depth doses were measured on an Elekta Synergy™ linac for photon beams of 6 -MV and 10-MV. SSDs for all curves were 100-cm and field sizes ranged from 4×4 to 35×35-cm{sup 2}. As most scanning tanks cannot provide depths greater than about 30-cm, percent depth dose measurements, extending 45-cm depths, were performed in Solid Water™ using a 0.125-cc ionization chamber (PTW model TN31012). The buildup regions ofmore » the curves were acquired with a parallel plate chamber (PTW model TN34001). Extrapolated curves were generated by the TPS (Phillips Pinnacle{sup 3} v. 9.6) by applying beams to CT images of 50-cm of Solid Water™ with density override set to 1.0-g/cc. Results: Percent difference between the two sets of curves (measured and TPS) was investigated. There is significant discrepancy in the buildup region to a depth of 7-mm. Beyond this depth, the two sets show good agreement. When analyzing the tail end of the curves, we saw percent difference of between 1.2% and 3.2%. The highest disagreement for the 6-MV curves was 10×10-cm{sup 2} (3%) and for the 10-MV curves it was the 35×35-cm{sup 2} (3.2%). Conclusion: A qualitative analysis of the measured data versus PDD curves generated by the TPS shows generally good agreement beyond 1-cm. However, a measurable percent difference was observed when comparing curves at depths beyond that provided by the commissioning data and at depths in the buildup region. Possible explanations for this include inaccuracies in modeling of the Solid Water™ or drift in beam energy since commissioning. Additionally, closer attention must be paid for measurements in the buildup region.« less

Antiplatelet Agents Can Promote Two-Peaked Thrombin Generation in Platelet Rich Plasma: Mechanism and Possible Applications

PubMed Central

Tarandovskiy, Ivan D.; Artemenko, Elena O.; Panteleev, Mikhail A.; Sinauridze, Elena I.; Ataullakhanov, Fazoil I.

2013-01-01

Background Thrombin generation assay is a convenient and widely used method for analysis of the blood coagulation system status. Thrombin generation curve (TGC) is usually bell-shaped with a single peak, but there are exceptions. In particular, TGC in platelet-rich plasma (PRP) can sometimes have two peaks. Objective We sought to understand the mechanism underlying the occurrence of two peaks in the PRP thrombin generation curve. Methods Tissue factor-induced thrombin generation in PRP and platelet-poor plasma (PPP) was monitored using continuous measurement of the hydrolysis rate of the thrombin-specific fluorogenic substrate Z-Gly-Gly-Arg-AMC. Expression of phosphatidylserine (PS) and CD62P on the surface of activated platelets was measured by flow cytometry using corresponding fluorescently labeled markers. Results The addition of the P2Y12 receptor antagonist MeS-AMP (160 µM), 83 nM prostaglandin E1 (PGE1), or 1.6% DMSO to PRP caused the appearance of two peaks in the TGC. The PS exposure after thrombin activation on washed platelets in a suspension supplemented with DMSO, PGE1 or MeS-AMP was delayed, which could indicate mechanism of the second peak formation. Supplementation of PRP with 1.6% DMSO plus 830 nM PGE1 mediated the disappearance of the second peak and decreased the amplitude of the first peak. Increasing the platelet concentration in the PRP promoted the consolidation of the two peaks into one. Conclusions Procoagulant tenase and prothrombinase complexes in PRP assemble on phospholipid surfaces containing PS of two types - plasma lipoproteins and the surface of activated platelets. Thrombin generation in the PRP can be two-peaked. The second peak appears in the presence of platelet antagonists as a result of delayed PS expression on platelets, which leads to delayed assembly of the membrane-dependent procoagulant complexes and a second wave of thrombin generation. PMID:23405196

A direct method to solve optimal knots of B-spline curves: An application for non-uniform B-spline curves fitting.

PubMed

Dung, Van Than; Tjahjowidodo, Tegoeh

2017-01-01

B-spline functions are widely used in many industrial applications such as computer graphic representations, computer aided design, computer aided manufacturing, computer numerical control, etc. Recently, there exist some demands, e.g. in reverse engineering (RE) area, to employ B-spline curves for non-trivial cases that include curves with discontinuous points, cusps or turning points from the sampled data. The most challenging task in these cases is in the identification of the number of knots and their respective locations in non-uniform space in the most efficient computational cost. This paper presents a new strategy for fitting any forms of curve by B-spline functions via local algorithm. A new two-step method for fast knot calculation is proposed. In the first step, the data is split using a bisecting method with predetermined allowable error to obtain coarse knots. Secondly, the knots are optimized, for both locations and continuity levels, by employing a non-linear least squares technique. The B-spline function is, therefore, obtained by solving the ordinary least squares problem. The performance of the proposed method is validated by using various numerical experimental data, with and without simulated noise, which were generated by a B-spline function and deterministic parametric functions. This paper also discusses the benchmarking of the proposed method to the existing methods in literature. The proposed method is shown to be able to reconstruct B-spline functions from sampled data within acceptable tolerance. It is also shown that, the proposed method can be applied for fitting any types of curves ranging from smooth ones to discontinuous ones. In addition, the method does not require excessive computational cost, which allows it to be used in automatic reverse engineering applications.

Alternate methods for FAAT S-curve generation

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

Kaufman, A.M.

The FAAT (Foreign Asset Assessment Team) assessment methodology attempts to derive a probability of effect as a function of incident field strength. The probability of effect is the likelihood that the stress put on a system exceeds its strength. In the FAAT methodology, both the stress and strength are random variables whose statistical properties are estimated by experts. Each random variable has two components of uncertainty: systematic and random. The systematic uncertainty drives the confidence bounds in the FAAT assessment. Its variance can be reduced by improved information. The variance of the random uncertainty is not reducible. The FAAT methodologymore » uses an assessment code called ARES to generate probability of effect curves (S-curves) at various confidence levels. ARES assumes log normal distributions for all random variables. The S-curves themselves are log normal cumulants associated with the random portion of the uncertainty. The placement of the S-curves depends on confidence bounds. The systematic uncertainty in both stress and strength is usually described by a mode and an upper and lower variance. Such a description is not consistent with the log normal assumption of ARES and an unsatisfactory work around solution is used to obtain the required placement of the S-curves at each confidence level. We have looked into this situation and have found that significant errors are introduced by this work around. These errors are at least several dB-W/cm{sup 2} at all confidence levels, but they are especially bad in the estimate of the median. In this paper, we suggest two alternate solutions for the placement of S-curves. To compare these calculational methods, we have tabulated the common combinations of upper and lower variances and generated the relevant S-curves offsets from the mode difference of stress and strength.« less

High-order computer-assisted estimates of topological entropy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grote, Johannes

The concept of Taylor Models is introduced, which offers highly accurate C0-estimates for the enclosures of functional dependencies, combining high-order Taylor polynomial approximation of functions and rigorous estimates of the truncation error, performed using verified interval arithmetic. The focus of this work is on the application of Taylor Models in algorithms for strongly nonlinear dynamical systems. A method to obtain sharp rigorous enclosures of Poincare maps for certain types of flows and surfaces is developed and numerical examples are presented. Differential algebraic techniques allow the efficient and accurate computation of polynomial approximations for invariant curves of certain planar maps around hyperbolic fixed points. Subsequently we introduce a procedure to extend these polynomial curves to verified Taylor Model enclosures of local invariant manifolds with C0-errors of size 10-10--10 -14, and proceed to generate the global invariant manifold tangle up to comparable accuracy through iteration in Taylor Model arithmetic. Knowledge of the global manifold structure up to finite iterations of the local manifold pieces enables us to find all homoclinic and heteroclinic intersections in the generated manifold tangle. Combined with the mapping properties of the homoclinic points and their ordering we are able to construct a subshift of finite type as a topological factor of the original planar system to obtain rigorous lower bounds for its topological entropy. This construction is fully automatic and yields homoclinic tangles with several hundred homoclinic points. As an example rigorous lower bounds for the topological entropy of the Henon map are computed, which to the best knowledge of the authors yield the largest such estimates published so far.

The distribution of mass for spiral galaxies in clusters and in the field

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

Forbes, D.A.; Whitmore, B.C.

1989-04-01

A comparison is made between the mass distributions of spiral galaxies in clusters and in the field using Burstein's mass-type methodology. Both the H-alpha emission-line rotation curves and more extended H I rotation curves are used. The fitting technique for determining mass types used by Burstein and coworkers has been replaced by an objective chi-sq method. Mass types are shown to be a function of both the Hubble type and luminosity, contrary to earlier results. The present data show a difference in the distribution of mass types for spiral galaxies in the field and in clusters, in the sense thatmore » mass type I galaxies, where the inner and outer velocity gradients are similar, are generally found in the field rather than in clusters. This can be understood in terms of the results of Whitmore, Forbes, and Rubin (1988), who find that the rotation curves of galaxies in the central region of clusters are generally failing, while the outer galaxies in a cluster and field galaxies tend to have flat or rising rotation curves. 15 refs.« less

Unsupervised classification of variable stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valenzuela, Lucas; Pichara, Karim

2018-03-01

During the past 10 years, a considerable amount of effort has been made to develop algorithms for automatic classification of variable stars. That has been primarily achieved by applying machine learning methods to photometric data sets where objects are represented as light curves. Classifiers require training sets to learn the underlying patterns that allow the separation among classes. Unfortunately, building training sets is an expensive process that demands a lot of human efforts. Every time data come from new surveys; the only available training instances are the ones that have a cross-match with previously labelled objects, consequently generating insufficient training sets compared with the large amounts of unlabelled sources. In this work, we present an algorithm that performs unsupervised classification of variable stars, relying only on the similarity among light curves. We tackle the unsupervised classification problem by proposing an untraditional approach. Instead of trying to match classes of stars with clusters found by a clustering algorithm, we propose a query-based method where astronomers can find groups of variable stars ranked by similarity. We also develop a fast similarity function specific for light curves, based on a novel data structure that allows scaling the search over the entire data set of unlabelled objects. Experiments show that our unsupervised model achieves high accuracy in the classification of different types of variable stars and that the proposed algorithm scales up to massive amounts of light curves.

High-pressure, High-temperature Deformation Experiment Using the New Generation Griggs-type Apparatus

PubMed Central

Précigout, Jacques; Stünitz, Holger; Pinquier, Yves; Champallier, Rémi; Schubnel, Alexandre

2018-01-01

In order to address geological processes at great depths, rock deformation should ideally be tested at high pressure (> 0.5 GPa) and high temperature (> 300 °C). However, because of the low stress resolution of current solid-pressure-medium apparatuses, high-resolution measurements are today restricted to low-pressure deformation experiments in the gas-pressure-medium apparatus. A new generation of solid-medium piston-cylinder ("Griggs-type") apparatus is here described. Able to perform high-pressure deformation experiments up to 5 GPa and designed to adapt an internal load cell, such a new apparatus offers the potential to establish a technological basis for high-pressure rheology. This paper provides video-based detailed documentation of the procedure (using the "conventional" solid-salt assembly) to perform high-pressure, high-temperature experiments with the newly designed Griggs-type apparatus. A representative result of a Carrara marble sample deformed at 700 °C, 1.5 GPa and 10-5 s-1 with the new press is also given. The related stress-time curve illustrates all steps of a Griggs-type experiment, from increasing pressure and temperature to sample quenching when deformation is stopped. Together with future developments, the critical steps and limitations of the Griggs apparatus are then discussed. PMID:29683444

Voltage-ampere characteristics of YBCO coated conductor under inhomogeneous oscillating magnetic field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geng, J.; Shen, B.; Li, C.; Zhang, H.; Matsuda, K.; Li, J.; Zhang, X.; Coombs, T. A.

2016-06-01

Direct current carrying type II superconductors present a dynamic resistance when subjected to an oscillating magnetic field perpendicular to the current direction. If a superconductor is under a homogeneous field with high magnitude, the dynamic resistance value is nearly independent of transport current. Hoffmann and coworkers [Hoffmann et al., IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. 21, 1628 (2011)] discovered, however, flux pumping effect when a superconducting tape is under an inhomogeneous field orthogonal to the tape surface generated by rotating magnets. Following their work, we report the whole Voltage-Ampere (V-I) curves of an YBCO coated conductor under permanent magnets rotating with different frequencies and directions. We discovered that the two curves under opposite rotating directions differ from each other constantly when the transport current is less than the critical current, whereas the difference gradually reduces after the transport current exceeds the critical value. We also find that for different field frequencies, the difference between the two curves decreases faster with lower field frequency. The result indicates that the transport loss is dependent on the relative direction of the transport current and field travelling, which is distinct from traditional dynamic resistance model. The work may be instructive for the design of superconducting motors.

From single muscle fiber to whole muscle mechanics: a finite element model of a muscle bundle with fast and slow fibers.

PubMed

Marcucci, Lorenzo; Reggiani, Carlo; Natali, Arturo N; Pavan, Piero G

2017-12-01

Muscles exhibit highly complex, multi-scale architecture with thousands of muscle fibers, each with different properties, interacting with each other and surrounding connective structures. Consequently, the results of single-fiber experiments are scarcely linked to the macroscopic or whole muscle behavior. This is especially true for human muscles where it would be important to understand of how skeletal muscles disorders affect patients' life. In this work, we developed a mathematical model to study how fast and slow muscle fibers, well characterized in single-fiber experiments, work and generate together force and displacement in muscle bundles. We characterized the parameters of a Hill-type model, using experimental data on fast and slow single human muscle fibers, and comparing experimental data with numerical simulations obtained from finite element (FE) models of single fibers. Then, we developed a FE model of a bundle of 19 fibers, based on an immunohistochemically stained cross section of human diaphragm and including the corresponding properties of each slow or fast fiber. Simulations of isotonic contractions of the bundle model allowed the generation of its apparent force-velocity relationship. Although close to the average of the force-velocity curves of fast and slow fibers, the bundle curve deviates substantially toward the fast fibers at low loads. We believe that the present model and the characterization of the force-velocity curve of a fiber bundle represents the starting point to link the single-fiber properties to those of whole muscle with FE application in phenomenological models of human muscles.

Computer user's manual for a generalized curve fit and plotting program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schlagheck, R. A.; Beadle, B. D., II; Dolerhie, B. D., Jr.; Owen, J. W.

1973-01-01

A FORTRAN coded program has been developed for generating plotted output graphs on 8-1/2 by 11-inch paper. The program is designed to be used by engineers, scientists, and non-programming personnel on any IBM 1130 system that includes a 1627 plotter. The program has been written to provide a fast and efficient method of displaying plotted data without having to generate any additions. Various output options are available to the program user for displaying data in four different types of formatted plots. These options include discrete linear, continuous, and histogram graphical outputs. The manual contains information about the use and operation of this program. A mathematical description of the least squares goodness of fit test is presented. A program listing is also included.

Next-Generation Intensity-Duration-Frequency Curves for Hydrologic Design in Snow-Dominated Environments

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

Yan, Hongxiang; Sun, Ning; Wigmosta, Mark

Precipitation-based intensity-duration-frequency (PREC-IDF) curves are a standard tool used to derive design floods for hydraulic infrastructure worldwide. In snow-dominated regions where a large percentage of flood events are caused by snowmelt and rain-on-snow events, the PREC-IDF design approach can lead to substantial underestimation/overestimation of design floods and associated infrastructure. In this study, next-generation IDF (NG-IDF) curves, which characterize the actual water reaching the land surface, are introduced into the design process to improve hydrologic design. The authors compared peak design flood estimates from the National Resource Conservation Service TR-55 hydrologic model driven by NG-IDF and PREC-IDF curves at 399 Snowpackmore » Telemetry (SNOTEL) stations across the western United States, all of which had at least 30 years of high-quality records. They found that about 72% of the stations in the western United States showed the potential for underdesign, for which the PREC-IDF curves underestimated peak design floods by as much as 324%. These results demonstrated the need to update the use of PREC-IDF curves to the use of NG-IDF curves for hydrologic design in snow-dominated regions.« less

Next-Generation Intensity‐Duration‐Frequency Curves for Hydrologic Design in Snow-Dominated Environments

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

Yan, Hongxiang; Sun, Ning; Wigmosta, Mark S.

Precipitation-based intensity-duration-frequency (PREC-IDF) curves are a standard tool used to derive design floods for hydraulic infrastructure worldwide. In snow-dominated regions where a large percentage of flood events are caused by snowmelt and rain-on-snow events, the PREC-IDF design approach can lead to substantial underestimation/overestimation of design floods and associated infrastructure. In this study, next-generation IDF (NG-IDF) curves, which characterize the actual water reaching the land surface, are introduced into the design process to improve hydrologic design. The authors compared peak design flood estimates from the National Resource Conservation Service TR-55 hydrologic model driven by NG-IDF and PREC-IDF curves at 399 Snowpackmore » Telemetry (SNOTEL) stations across the western United States, all of which had at least 30 years of high-quality records. They found that about 72% of the stations in the western United States showed the potential for underdesign, for which the PREC-IDF curves underestimated peak design floods by as much as 324%. These results demonstrated the need to update the use of PREC-IDF curves to the use of NG-IDF curves for hydrologic design in snow-dominated regions.« less

Propagating Cell-Membrane Waves Driven by Curved Activators of Actin Polymerization

PubMed Central

Peleg, Barak; Disanza, Andrea; Scita, Giorgio; Gov, Nir

2011-01-01

Cells exhibit propagating membrane waves which involve the actin cytoskeleton. One type of such membranal waves are Circular Dorsal Ruffles (CDR) which are related to endocytosis and receptor internalization. Experimentally, CDRs have been associated with membrane bound activators of actin polymerization of concave shape. We present experimental evidence for the localization of convex membrane proteins in these structures, and their insensitivity to inhibition of myosin II contractility in immortalized mouse embryo fibroblasts cell cultures. These observations lead us to propose a theoretical model which explains the formation of these waves due to the interplay between complexes that contain activators of actin polymerization and membrane-bound curved proteins of both types of curvature (concave and convex). Our model predicts that the activity of both types of curved proteins is essential for sustaining propagating waves, which are abolished when one type of curved activator is removed. Within this model waves are initiated when the level of actin polymerization induced by the curved activators is higher than some threshold value, which allows the cell to control CDR formation. We demonstrate that the model can explain many features of CDRs, and give several testable predictions. This work demonstrates the importance of curved membrane proteins in organizing the actin cytoskeleton and cell shape. PMID:21533032

Analysis and Recognition of Curve Type as The Basis of Object Recognition in Image

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nugraha, Nurma; Madenda, Sarifuddin; Indarti, Dina; Dewi Agushinta, R.; Ernastuti

2016-06-01

An object in an image when analyzed further will show the characteristics that distinguish one object with another object in an image. Characteristics that are used in object recognition in an image can be a color, shape, pattern, texture and spatial information that can be used to represent objects in the digital image. The method has recently been developed for image feature extraction on objects that share characteristics curve analysis (simple curve) and use the search feature of chain code object. This study will develop an algorithm analysis and the recognition of the type of curve as the basis for object recognition in images, with proposing addition of complex curve characteristics with maximum four branches that will be used for the process of object recognition in images. Definition of complex curve is the curve that has a point of intersection. By using some of the image of the edge detection, the algorithm was able to do the analysis and recognition of complex curve shape well.

Multioriented and curved text lines extraction from Indian documents.

PubMed

Pal, U; Roy, Partha Pratim

2004-08-01

There are printed artistic documents where text lines of a single page may not be parallel to each other. These text lines may have different orientations or the text lines may be curved shapes. For the optical character recognition (OCR) of these documents, we need to extract such lines properly. In this paper, we propose a novel scheme, mainly based on the concept of water reservoir analogy, to extract individual text lines from printed Indian documents containing multioriented and/or curve text lines. A reservoir is a metaphor to illustrate the cavity region of a character where water can be stored. In the proposed scheme, at first, connected components are labeled and identified either as isolated or touching. Next, each touching component is classified either straight type (S-type) or curve type (C-type), depending on the reservoir base-area and envelope points of the component. Based on the type (S-type or C-type) of a component two candidate points are computed from each touching component. Finally, candidate regions (neighborhoods of the candidate points) of the candidate points of each component are detected and after analyzing these candidate regions, components are grouped to get individual text lines.

The Wagner-Nelson method can generate an accurate gastric emptying flow curve from CO2 data obtained by a 13C-labeled substrate breath test.

PubMed

Sanaka, Masaki; Yamamoto, Takatsugu; Ishii, Tarou; Kuyama, Yasushi

2004-01-01

In pharmacokinetics, the Wagner-Nelson (W-N) method can accurately estimate the rate of drug absorption from its urinary elimination rate. A stable isotope (13C) breath test attempts to estimate the rate of absorption of 13C, as an index of gastric emptying rate, from the rate of pulmonary elimination of 13CO2. The time-gastric emptying curve determined by the breath test is quite different from that determined by scintigraphy or ultrasonography. In this report, we have shown that the W-N method can adjust the difference. The W-N equation to estimate gastric emptying from breath data is as follows: the fractional cumulative amount of gastric contents emptied by time t = Abreath (t)/Abreath (infinity) + (1/0.65).d[Abreath (t)/Abreath (infinity) ]/dt, where Abreath (t) = the cumulative recovery of 13CO2 in breath by time t and Abreath ( infinity ) = the ultimate cumulative 13CO2 recovery. The emptying flow curve generated by ultrasonography was compared with that generated by the W-N method-adjusted breath test in 6 volunteers. The emptying curves by the W-N method were almost identical to those by ultrasound. The W-N method can generate an accurate emptying flow curve from 13CO2 data, and it can adjust the difference between ultrasonography and the breath test. Copyright 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel

Methods of Technological Forecasting,

DTIC Science & Technology

1977-05-01

Trend Extrapolation Progress Curve Analogy Trend Correlation Substitution Analysis or Substitution Growth Curves Envelope Curve Advances in the State of...the Art Technological Mapping Contextual Mapping Matrix Input-Output Analysis Mathematical Models Simulation Models Dynamic Modelling. CHAPTER IV...Generation Interaction between Needs and Possibilities Map of the Technological Future — (‘ross- Impact Matri x Discovery Matrix Morphological Analysis

Friction of Compression-ignition Engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, Charles S; Collins, John H , Jr

1936-01-01

The cost in mean effective pressure of generating air flow in the combustion chambers of single-cylinder compression-ignition engines was determined for the prechamber and the displaced-piston types of combustion chamber. For each type a wide range of air-flow quantities, speeds, and boost pressures was investigated. Supplementary tests were made to determine the effect of lubricating-oil temperature, cooling-water temperature, and compression ratio on the friction mean effective pressure of the single-cylinder test engine. Friction curves are included for two 9-cylinder, radial, compression-ignition aircraft engines. The results indicate that generating the optimum forced air flow increased the motoring losses approximately 5 pounds per square inch mean effective pressure regardless of chamber type or engine speed. With a given type of chamber, the rate of increase in friction mean effective pressure with engine speed is independent of the air-flow speed. The effect of boost pressure on the friction cannot be predicted because the friction was decreased, unchanged, or increased depending on the combustion-chamber type and design details. High compression ratio accounts for approximately 5 pounds per square inch mean effective pressure of the friction of these single-cylinder compression-ignition engines. The single-cylinder test engines used in this investigation had a much higher friction mean effective pressure than conventional aircraft engines or than the 9-cylinder, radial, compression-ignition engines tested so that performance should be compared on an indicated basis.

Scoliosis curve type classification using kernel machine from 3D trunk image

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adankon, Mathias M.; Dansereau, Jean; Parent, Stefan; Labelle, Hubert; Cheriet, Farida

2012-03-01

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a deformity of the spine manifested by asymmetry and deformities of the external surface of the trunk. Classification of scoliosis deformities according to curve type is used to plan management of scoliosis patients. Currently, scoliosis curve type is determined based on X-ray exam. However, cumulative exposure to X-rays radiation significantly increases the risk for certain cancer. In this paper, we propose a robust system that can classify the scoliosis curve type from non invasive acquisition of 3D trunk surface of the patients. The 3D image of the trunk is divided into patches and local geometric descriptors characterizing the surface of the back are computed from each patch and forming the features. We perform the reduction of the dimensionality by using Principal Component Analysis and 53 components were retained. In this work a multi-class classifier is built with Least-squares support vector machine (LS-SVM) which is a kernel classifier. For this study, a new kernel was designed in order to achieve a robust classifier in comparison with polynomial and Gaussian kernel. The proposed system was validated using data of 103 patients with different scoliosis curve types diagnosed and classified by an orthopedic surgeon from the X-ray images. The average rate of successful classification was 93.3% with a better rate of prediction for the major thoracic and lumbar/thoracolumbar types.

Computational Geometry and Computer-Aided Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fay, T. H. (Compiler); Shoosmith, J. N. (Compiler)

1985-01-01

Extended abstracts of papers addressing the analysis, representation, and synthesis of shape information are presented. Curves and shape control, grid generation and contouring, solid modelling, surfaces, and curve intersection are specifically addressed.

The Spot Variability and Related Brightness variations of the Solar Type PreContact W UMa Binary System V1001 Cas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samec, Ronald George; Koenke, Sam S.; Faulkner, Danny R.

2015-08-01

A new classification of eclipsing binary has emerged, Pre Contact WUMa Binaries (PCWB’s, Samec et al. 2012). These solar-type systems are usually detached or semidetached with one or both components under filling their critical Roche lobes. They usually have EA or EB-type light curves (unequal eclipse depths, indicating components with substantially different temperatures). The accepted scenario for these W UMa binaries is that they are undergoing steady but slow angular momentum losses due to magnetic braking as stellar winds blow radially away on stiff bipolar field lines. These binaries are believed to come into stable contact and eventually coalesce into blue straggler type, single, fast rotating A-type stars (Guinan and Bradstreet,1988). High precision 2012 and 2009 light curves are compared for the very short period (~0.43d) Precontact W UMa Binary (PCWB), V1001 Cassiopeia. This is the shortest period PCWB found so far. Its short period, similar to the majority of W UMa’s, in contrast to its distinct Algol-type light curve, make it a very rare and interesting system. Our solutions of light curves separated by some three years give approximately the same physical parameters. However the spots radically change, in temperature, area and position causing a distinctive variation in the shape of the light curves. We conclude that spots are very active on this solar type dwarf system and that it may mimic its larger cousins, the RS CVn binaries.

The EB factory project. II. Validation with the Kepler field in preparation for K2 and TESS

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

Parvizi, Mahmoud; Paegert, Martin; Stassun, Keivan G., E-mail: mahmoud.parvizi@vanderbilt.edu

Large repositories of high precision light curve data, such as the Kepler data set, provide the opportunity to identify astrophysically important eclipsing binary (EB) systems in large quantities. However, the rate of classical “by eye” human analysis restricts complete and efficient mining of EBs from these data using classical techniques. To prepare for mining EBs from the upcoming K2 mission as well as other current missions, we developed an automated end-to-end computational pipeline—the Eclipsing Binary Factory (EBF)—that automatically identifies EBs and classifies them into morphological types. The EBF has been previously tested on ground-based light curves. To assess the performancemore » of the EBF in the context of space-based data, we apply the EBF to the full set of light curves in the Kepler “Q3” Data Release. We compare the EBs identified from this automated approach against the human generated Kepler EB Catalog of ∼2600 EBs. When we require EB classification with ⩾90% confidence, we find that the EBF correctly identifies and classifies eclipsing contact (EC), eclipsing semi-detached (ESD), and eclipsing detached (ED) systems with a false positive rate of only 4%, 4%, and 8%, while complete to 64%, 46%, and 32%, respectively. When classification confidence is relaxed, the EBF identifies and classifies ECs, ESDs, and EDs with a slightly higher false positive rate of 6%, 16%, and 8%, while much more complete to 86%, 74%, and 62%, respectively. Through our processing of the entire Kepler “Q3” data set, we also identify 68 new candidate EBs that may have been missed by the human generated Kepler EB Catalog. We discuss the EBF's potential application to light curve classification for periodic variable stars more generally for current and upcoming surveys like K2 and the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite.« less

The Eb Factory Project. Ii. Validation With the Kepler Field in Preparation for K2 and Tess

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parvizi, Mahmoud; Paegert, Martin; Stassun, Keivan G.

2014-12-01

Large repositories of high precision light curve data, such as the Kepler data set, provide the opportunity to identify astrophysically important eclipsing binary (EB) systems in large quantities. However, the rate of classical “by eye” human analysis restricts complete and efficient mining of EBs from these data using classical techniques. To prepare for mining EBs from the upcoming K2 mission as well as other current missions, we developed an automated end-to-end computational pipeline—the Eclipsing Binary Factory (EBF)—that automatically identifies EBs and classifies them into morphological types. The EBF has been previously tested on ground-based light curves. To assess the performance of the EBF in the context of space-based data, we apply the EBF to the full set of light curves in the Kepler “Q3” Data Release. We compare the EBs identified from this automated approach against the human generated Kepler EB Catalog of ˜ 2600 EBs. When we require EB classification with ≥slant 90% confidence, we find that the EBF correctly identifies and classifies eclipsing contact (EC), eclipsing semi-detached (ESD), and eclipsing detached (ED) systems with a false positive rate of only 4%, 4%, and 8%, while complete to 64%, 46%, and 32%, respectively. When classification confidence is relaxed, the EBF identifies and classifies ECs, ESDs, and EDs with a slightly higher false positive rate of 6%, 16%, and 8%, while much more complete to 86%, 74%, and 62%, respectively. Through our processing of the entire Kepler “Q3” data set, we also identify 68 new candidate EBs that may have been missed by the human generated Kepler EB Catalog. We discuss the EBF's potential application to light curve classification for periodic variable stars more generally for current and upcoming surveys like K2 and the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite.

ACTIVITY ANALYSES FOR SOLAR-TYPE STARS OBSERVED WITH KEPLER. I. PROXIES OF MAGNETIC ACTIVITY

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

He, Han; Wang, Huaning; Yun, Duo, E-mail: hehan@nao.cas.cn

2015-11-15

Light curves of solar-type stars often show gradual fluctuations due to rotational modulation by magnetic features (starspots and faculae) on stellar surfaces. Two quantitative measures of modulated light curves are employed as the proxies of magnetic activity for solar-type stars observed with Kepler telescope. The first is named autocorrelation index i{sub AC}, which describes the degree of periodicity of the light curve; the second is the effective fluctuation range of the light curve R{sub eff}, which reflects the depth of rotational modulation. The two measures are complementary and depict different aspects of magnetic activities on solar-type stars. By using themore » two proxies i{sub AC} and R{sub eff}, we analyzed activity properties of two carefully selected solar-type stars observed with Kepler (Kepler ID: 9766237 and 10864581), which have distinct rotational periods (14.7 versus 6.0 days). We also applied the two measures to the Sun for a comparative study. The result shows that both the measures can reveal cyclic activity variations (referred to as i{sub AC}-cycle and R{sub eff}-cycle) on the two Kepler stars and the Sun. For the Kepler star with the faster rotation rate, i{sub AC}-cycle and R{sub eff}-cycle are in the same phase, while for the Sun (slower rotator), they are in the opposite phase. By comparing the solar light curve with simultaneous photospheric magnetograms, it is identified that the magnetic feature that causes the periodic light curve during solar minima is the faculae of the enhanced network region, which can also be a candidate of magnetic features that dominate the periodic light curves on the two Kepler stars.« less

Linear Legendrian curves in T(3)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghiggini, Paolo

2006-05-01

Using convex surfaces and Kanda's classification theorem, we classify Legendrian isotopy classes of Legendrian linear curves in all tight contact structures on T(3) . Some of the knot types considered in this paper provide new examples of non transversally simple knot types.

The average receiver operating characteristic curve in multireader multicase imaging studies

PubMed Central

Samuelson, F W

2014-01-01

Objective: In multireader, multicase (MRMC) receiver operating characteristic (ROC) studies for evaluating medical imaging systems, the area under the ROC curve (AUC) is often used as a summary metric. Owing to the limitations of AUC, plotting the average ROC curve to accompany the rigorous statistical inference on AUC is recommended. The objective of this article is to investigate methods for generating the average ROC curve from ROC curves of individual readers. Methods: We present both a non-parametric method and a parametric method for averaging ROC curves that produce a ROC curve, the area under which is equal to the average AUC of individual readers (a property we call area preserving). We use hypothetical examples, simulated data and a real-world imaging data set to illustrate these methods and their properties. Results: We show that our proposed methods are area preserving. We also show that the method of averaging the ROC parameters, either the conventional bi-normal parameters (a, b) or the proper bi-normal parameters (c, da), is generally not area preserving and may produce a ROC curve that is intuitively not an average of multiple curves. Conclusion: Our proposed methods are useful for making plots of average ROC curves in MRMC studies as a companion to the rigorous statistical inference on the AUC end point. The software implementing these methods is freely available from the authors. Advances in knowledge: Methods for generating the average ROC curve in MRMC ROC studies are formally investigated. The area-preserving criterion we defined is useful to evaluate such methods. PMID:24884728

Smart grid integration of small-scale trigeneration systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vacheva, Gergana; Kanchev, Hristiyan; Hinov, Nikolay

2017-12-01

This paper presents a study on the possibilities for implementation of local heating, air-conditioning and electricity generation (trigeneration) as distributed energy resource in the Smart Grid. By the means of microturbine-based generators and absorption chillers buildings are able to meet partially or entirely their electrical load curve or even supply power to the grid by following their heating and air-conditioning daily schedule. The principles of small-scale cooling, heating and power generation systems are presented at first, then the thermal calculations of an example building are performed: the heat losses due to thermal conductivity and the estimated daily heating and air-conditioning load curves. By considering daily power consumption curves and weather data for several winter and summer days, the heating/air-conditioning schedule is estimated and the available electrical energy from a microturbine-based cogeneration system is estimated. Simulation results confirm the potential of using cogeneration and trigeneration systems for local distributed electricity generation and grid support in the daily peaks of power consumption.

Qualis-SIS: automated standard curve generation and quality assessment for multiplexed targeted quantitative proteomic experiments with labeled standards.

PubMed

Mohammed, Yassene; Percy, Andrew J; Chambers, Andrew G; Borchers, Christoph H

2015-02-06

Multiplexed targeted quantitative proteomics typically utilizes multiple reaction monitoring and allows the optimized quantification of a large number of proteins. One challenge, however, is the large amount of data that needs to be reviewed, analyzed, and interpreted. Different vendors provide software for their instruments, which determine the recorded responses of the heavy and endogenous peptides and perform the response-curve integration. Bringing multiplexed data together and generating standard curves is often an off-line step accomplished, for example, with spreadsheet software. This can be laborious, as it requires determining the concentration levels that meet the required accuracy and precision criteria in an iterative process. We present here a computer program, Qualis-SIS, that generates standard curves from multiplexed MRM experiments and determines analyte concentrations in biological samples. Multiple level-removal algorithms and acceptance criteria for concentration levels are implemented. When used to apply the standard curve to new samples, the software flags each measurement according to its quality. From the user's perspective, the data processing is instantaneous due to the reactivity paradigm used, and the user can download the results of the stepwise calculations for further processing, if necessary. This allows for more consistent data analysis and can dramatically accelerate the downstream data analysis.

Seismic Performance Evaluation of Reinforced Concrete Frames Subjected to Seismic Loads

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zameeruddin, Mohd.; Sangle, Keshav K.

2017-06-01

Ten storied-3 bays reinforced concrete bare frame designed for gravity loads following the guidelines of IS 456 and IS 13920 for ductility is subjected to seismic loads. The seismic demands on this building were calculated by following IS 1893 for response spectra of 5% damping (for hard soil type). Plastic hinges were assigned to the beam and column at both ends to represent the failure mode, when member yields. Non-linear static (pushover) analysis was performed to evaluate the performance of the building in reference to first (ATC 40), second (FEMA 356) and next-generation (FEMA 440) performance based seismic design procedures. Base shear against top displacement curve of structure, known as pushover curve was obtained for two actions of plastic hinge behavior, force-controlled (brittle) and deformation-controlled (ductile) actions. Lateral deformation corresponding to performance point proves the building capability to sustain a certain level of seismic loads. The failure is represented by a sequence of formation of plastic hinges. Deformation-controlled action of hinges showed that building behaves like strong-column-weak-beam mechanism, whereas force-controlled action showed formation of hinges in the column. The study aims to understand the first, second and next generation performance based design procedure in prediction of actual building responses and their conservatism into the acceptance criteria.

Electromyographic Assessment of Functional Symmetry of Paraspinal Muscles during Static Exercises in Adolescents with Idiopathic Scoliosis

PubMed Central

Chwała, Wiesław; Koziana, Agnieszka; Kasperczyk, Tadeusz; Płaszewski, Maciej

2014-01-01

Background. The question of how to correct and rehabilitate scoliosis remains one of the most difficult problems of orthopaedics. Controversies continue to arise regarding various types of both symmetric and asymmetric scoliosis-specific therapeutic exercises. Objective. The aim of the present paper was to conduct an electromyographic assessment of functional symmetry of paraspinal muscles during symmetric and asymmetric exercises in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis. Materials and Methods. The study was conducted in a group of 82 girls, mean age 12.4 ± 2.3 years with single- or double-major-idiopathic scoliosis, Cobb angle 24 ± 9.4°. The functional biopotentials during isometric work of paraspinal muscles in “at rest” position and during two symmetric and four asymmetric exercises were measured with the use of the Muscle Tester ME 6000 electromyograph. Results. In general, asymmetric exercises were characterised by larger differences in bioelectrical activity of paraspinal muscles, in comparison with symmetric exercises, both in the groups of patients with single-curve and double-curve scoliosis. Conclusion. During symmetric and asymmetric exercises, muscle tension patterns differed significantly in both groups, in comparison with the examination at rest, in most cases generating positive corrective patterns. Asymmetric exercises generated divergent muscle tension patterns on the convex and concave sides of the deformity. PMID:25258713

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

Eperin, A.P.; Zakharzhevsky, Yu.O.; Arzhaev, A.I.

A two-year Finnish-Russian cooperation program has been initiated in 1995 to demonstrate the applicability of the leak-before-break concept (LBB) to the primary circuit piping of the Leningrad NPP. The program includes J-R curve testing of authentic pipe materials at full operating temperature, screening and computational LBB analyses complying with the USNRC Standard Review Plan 3.6.3, and exchange of LBB-related information with emphasis on NDE. Domestic computer codes are mainly used, and all tests and analyses are independently carried out by each party. The results are believed to apply generally to RBMK type plants of the first generation.

Development of analog watch with minute repeater

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okigami, Tomio; Aoyama, Shigeru; Osa, Takashi; Igarashi, Kiyotaka; Ikegami, Tomomi

A complementary metal oxide semiconductor with large scale integration was developed for an electronic minute repeater. It is equipped with the synthetic struck sound circuit to generate natural struck sound necessary for the minute repeater. This circuit consists of an envelope curve drawing circuit, frequency mixer, polyphonic mixer, and booster circuit made by using analog circuit technology. This large scale integration is a single chip microcomputer with motor drivers and input ports in addition to the synthetic struck sound circuit, and it is possible to make an electronic system of minute repeater at a very low cost in comparison with the conventional type.

Estimation of Curve Tracing Time in Supercapacitor based PV Characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basu Pal, Sudipta; Das Bhattacharya, Konika; Mukherjee, Dipankar; Paul, Debkalyan

2017-08-01

Smooth and noise-free characterisation of photovoltaic (PV) generators have been revisited with renewed interest in view of large size PV arrays making inroads into the urban sector of major developing countries. Such practice has recently been observed to be confronted by the use of a suitable data acquisition system and also the lack of a supporting theoretical analysis to justify the accuracy of curve tracing. However, the use of a selected bank of supercapacitors can mitigate the said problems to a large extent. Assuming a piecewise linear analysis of the V-I characteristics of a PV generator, an accurate analysis of curve plotting time has been possible. The analysis has been extended to consider the effect of equivalent series resistance of the supercapacitor leading to increased accuracy (90-95%) of curve plotting times.

Changing Amplitudes: Detecting RR Lyrae Light Curve Shape Variations in the Galactic Disk and Inner Halo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Lee, Nathan M.; Kinemuchi, K.; Pepper, J.; Rodriguez, J. E.

2014-01-01

In this poster we will discuss our ongoing program to use extant light curves from the Kilodegree Extremely Little Telescope (KELT) survey to find and characterize RR Lyrae (RRL) stars in the disk and inner halo of the Milky Way. RRL stars are of particular interest because they are standard candles and can be used to map out structure in the galaxy. The periods and shape of RRL light curves also contain information about their Oosterhoff type, which can probe galactic formation history, and metallicity respectively. Although there have been several large photometric surveys for RR Lyrae in the nearby galaxy (OGLE, NSVS, ASAS, and MACHO to name a few), they have each been limited in either sky coverage or number of epochs. The KELT survey represents a new generation of surveys that has many epochs over a large portion of the sky. KELT samples 60% of the sky in both northern and southern hemispheres, and has a long-time-baseline of 4-8 years with a very high cadence rate of less than 20 minutes. This translates into 4,000 to 9,000 epochs per light curve with completeness out to 3 kpc from the Sun. Recent results from both Kepler and ground based surveys results suggest that as many as 50% of RR Lyrae stars show long-term modulation of their light curve shapes (Blazhko effect). These stars combined with RRL stars that pulsate in more than one mode give a sample of objects that the KELT survey is uniquely suited to explore. This poster concentrates on a pilot project to examine RRL stars in a limited number of KELT fields. In particular, we focus on, detecting RR Lyrae, developing a light curve shape-metallicity relationship in the KELT band-pass, and some initial characterization of RRL with either amplitude-modulated or period-modulated light curves.

Application of computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) in MR-mammography (MRM): do we really need whole lesion time curve distribution analysis?

PubMed

Baltzer, Pascal Andreas Thomas; Renz, Diane M; Kullnig, Petra E; Gajda, Mieczyslaw; Camara, Oumar; Kaiser, Werner A

2009-04-01

The identification of the most suspect enhancing part of a lesion is regarded as a major diagnostic criterion in dynamic magnetic resonance mammography. Computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) software allows the semi-automatic analysis of the kinetic characteristics of complete enhancing lesions, providing additional information about lesion vasculature. The diagnostic value of this information has not yet been quantified. Consecutive patients from routine diagnostic studies (1.5 T, 0.1 mmol gadopentetate dimeglumine, dynamic gradient-echo sequences at 1-minute intervals) were analyzed prospectively using CAD. Dynamic sequences were processed and reduced to a parametric map. Curve types were classified by initial signal increase (not significant, intermediate, and strong) and the delayed time course of signal intensity (continuous, plateau, and washout). Lesion enhancement was measured using CAD. The most suspect curve, the curve-type distribution percentage, and combined dynamic data were compared. Statistical analysis included logistic regression analysis and receiver-operating characteristic analysis. Fifty-one patients with 46 malignant and 44 benign lesions were enrolled. On receiver-operating characteristic analysis, the most suspect curve showed diagnostic accuracy of 76.7 +/- 5%. In comparison, the curve-type distribution percentage demonstrated accuracy of 80.2 +/- 4.9%. Combined dynamic data had the highest diagnostic accuracy (84.3 +/- 4.2%). These differences did not achieve statistical significance. With appropriate cutoff values, sensitivity and specificity, respectively, were found to be 80.4% and 72.7% for the most suspect curve, 76.1% and 83.6% for the curve-type distribution percentage, and 78.3% and 84.5% for both parameters. The integration of whole-lesion dynamic data tends to improve specificity. However, no statistical significance backs up this finding.

The Bell Curve Wars. Race, Intelligence, and the Future of America.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fraser, Steven, Ed.

"The Bell Curve" by Richard J. Herrnstein and Charles Murray has generated enormous debate as a result of its claim that there is a connection between race and intelligence. The essays of this collection respond to "The Bell Curve" in various ways. Taken together, the following offer an antidote to a work of dubious premises…

Safety, efficiency and learning curves in robotic surgery: a human factors analysis.

PubMed

Catchpole, Ken; Perkins, Colby; Bresee, Catherine; Solnik, M Jonathon; Sherman, Benjamin; Fritch, John; Gross, Bruno; Jagannathan, Samantha; Hakami-Majd, Niv; Avenido, Raymund; Anger, Jennifer T

2016-09-01

Expense, efficiency of use, learning curves, workflow integration and an increased prevalence of serious incidents can all be barriers to adoption. We explored an observational approach and initial diagnostics to enhance total system performance in robotic surgery. Eighty-nine robotic surgical cases were observed in multiple operating rooms using two different surgical robots (the S and Si), across several specialties (Urology, Gynecology, and Cardiac Surgery). The main measures were operative duration and rate of flow disruptions-described as 'deviations from the natural progression of an operation thereby potentially compromising safety or efficiency.' Contextual parameters collected were surgeon experience level and training, type of surgery, the model of robot and patient factors. Observations were conducted across four operative phases (operating room pre-incision; robot docking; main surgical intervention; post-console). A mean of 9.62 flow disruptions per hour (95 % CI 8.78-10.46) were predominantly caused by coordination, communication, equipment and training problems. Operative duration and flow disruption rate varied with surgeon experience (p = 0.039; p < 0.001, respectively), training cases (p = 0.012; p = 0.007) and surgical type (both p < 0.001). Flow disruption rates in some phases were also sensitive to the robot model and patient characteristics. Flow disruption rate is sensitive to system context and generates improvement diagnostics. Complex surgical robotic equipment increases opportunities for technological failures, increases communication requirements for the whole team, and can reduce the ability to maintain vision in the operative field. These data suggest specific opportunities to reduce the training costs and the learning curve.

Characterization and classification of South American land cover types using satellite data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Townshend, J. R. G.; Justice, C. O.; Kalb, V.

1987-01-01

Various methods are compared for carrying out land cover classifications of South America using multitemporal Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer data. Fifty-two images of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) from a 1-year period are used to generate multitemporal data sets. Three main approaches to land cover classification are considered, namely the use of the principal components transformed images, the use of a characteristic curves procedure based on NDVI values plotted against time, and finally application of the maximum likelihood rule to multitemporal data sets. Comparison of results from training sites indicates that the last approach yields the most accurate results. Despite the reliance on training site figures for performance assessment, the results are nevertheless extremely encouraging, with accuracies for several cover types exceeding 90 per cent.

Design of transmission-type phase holograms for a compact radar-cross-section measurement range at 650 GHz.

PubMed

Noponen, Eero; Tamminen, Aleksi; Vaaja, Matti

2007-07-10

A design formalism is presented for transmission-type phase holograms for use in a submillimeter-wave compact radar-cross-section (RCS) measurement range. The design method is based on rigorous electromagnetic grating theory combined with conventional hologram synthesis. Hologram structures consisting of a curved groove pattern on a 320 mmx280 mm Teflon plate are designed to transform an incoming spherical wave at 650 GHz into an output wave generating a 100 mm diameter planar field region (quiet zone) at a distance of 1 m. The reconstructed quiet-zone field is evaluated by a numerical simulation method. The uniformity of the quiet-zone field is further improved by reoptimizing the goal field. Measurement results are given for a test hologram fabricated on Teflon.

Type IIP supernova light curves affected by the acceleration of red supergiant winds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moriya, Takashi J.; Förster, Francisco; Yoon, Sung-Chul; Gräfener, Götz; Blinnikov, Sergei I.

2018-05-01

We introduce the first synthetic light-curve model set of Type IIP supernovae exploded within circumstellar media in which the acceleration of the red supergiant winds is taken into account. Because wind acceleration makes the wind velocities near the progenitors low, the density of the immediate vicinity of the red supergiant supernova progenitors can be higher than that extrapolated by using a constant terminal wind velocity. Therefore, even if the mass-loss rate of the progenitor is relatively low, it can have a dense circumstellar medium at the immediate stellar vicinity and the early light curves of Type IIP supernovae are significantly affected by it. We adopt a simple β velocity law to formulate the wind acceleration. We provide bolometric and multicolour light curves of Type IIP supernovae exploding within such accelerated winds from the combinations of three progenitors, 12-16 M⊙; five β, 1-5; seven mass-loss rates, 10-5-10-2 M⊙ yr-1; and four explosion energies, (0.5-2) × 1051 erg. All the light-curve models are available at https://goo.gl/o5phYb. When the circumstellar density is sufficiently high, our models do not show a classical shock breakout as a consequence of the interaction with the dense and optically thick circumstellar media. Instead, they show a delayed `wind breakout', substantially affecting early light curves of Type IIP supernovae. We find that the mass-loss rates of the progenitors need to be 10-3-10-2 M⊙ yr-1 to explain typical rise times of 5-10 d in Type IIP supernovae assuming a dense circumstellar radius of 1015 cm.

Curved manifolds with conserved Runge-Lenz vectors

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

Ngome, J.-P.

2009-12-15

van Holten's algorithm is used to construct Runge-Lenz-type conserved quantities, induced by Killing tensors, on curved manifolds. For the generalized Taub-Newman-Unti-Tamburino metric, the most general external potential such that the combined system admits a conserved Runge-Lenz-type vector is found. In the multicenter case, the subclass of two-center metric exhibits a conserved Runge-Lenz-type scalar.

Curved manifolds with conserved Runge-Lenz vectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ngome, J.-P.

2009-12-01

van Holten's algorithm is used to construct Runge-Lenz-type conserved quantities, induced by Killing tensors, on curved manifolds. For the generalized Taub-Newman-Unti-Tamburino metric, the most general external potential such that the combined system admits a conserved Runge-Lenz-type vector is found. In the multicenter case, the subclass of two-center metric exhibits a conserved Runge-Lenz-type scalar.

Comparison of Superconducting Transition Characteristics of Two Iridium/Gold Bilayer Transition Edge Sensor Devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kunieda, Yuichi; Fukuda, Daiji; Ohno, Masashi; Takahashi, Hiroyuki; Nakazawa, Masaharu; Inou, Tadashi; Ataka, Manabu

2004-05-01

We are developing a high-energy-resolution X-ray microcalorimeter for X-ray fluorescent spectrometry using a superconducting transition edge sensor (TES) that consists of a bilayer of iridium and gold (Ir/Au). In this paper, we have studied the superconducting transition characteristics of two different bilayer structures. Type 1 is a simple stacked bilayer where a square-pattern film of iridium is covered with an identical pattern of gold. Type 2 is based on the Type 1 Ir/Au film, however, it has Au side banks. The resistance-temperature characteristics of these films are investigated by a four-wired resistance measurement method. As a result, the transition curve of Type 2 obeyed the Ginzburg-Landau (GL) theory; however, the transition curve of Type 1 was entirely different from that of Type 2. The reason there was a difference in these transition curves of the two devices is discussed in terms of the difference in the electric current distribution inside TESs. Even if we assume a uniform bilayer film and a uniform proximity effect over the entire film, the current density inside the device affects the characteristics of the transition curves.

An empirical method for determining average soil infiltration rates and runoff, Powder River structural basin, Wyoming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rankl, James G.

1982-01-01

This report describes a method to estimate infiltration rates of soils for use in estimating runoff from small basins. Average rainfall intensity is plotted against storm duration on log-log paper. All rainfall events are designated as having either runoff or nonrunoff. A power-decay-type curve is visually fitted to separate the two types of rainfall events. This separation curve is an incipient-ponding curve and its equation describes infiltration parameters for a soil. For basins with more than one soil complex, only the incipient-ponding curve for the soil complex with the lowest infiltration rate can be defined using the separation technique. Incipient-ponding curves for soils with infiltration rates greater than the lowest curve are defined by ranking the soils according to their relative permeabilities and optimizing the curve position. A comparison of results for six basins produced computed total runoff for all events used ranging from 16.6 percent less to 2.3 percent more than measured total runoff. (USGS)

Holomorphic curves in surfaces of general type.

PubMed Central

Lu, S S; Yau, S T

1990-01-01

This note answers some questions on holomorphic curves and their distribution in an algebraic surface of positive index. More specifically, we exploit the existence of natural negatively curved "pseudo-Finsler" metrics on a surface S of general type whose Chern numbers satisfy c(2)1>2c2 to show that a holomorphic map of a Riemann surface to S whose image is not in any rational or elliptic curve must satisfy a distance decreasing property with respect to these metrics. We show as a consequence that such a map extends over isolated punctures. So assuming that the Riemann surface is obtained from a compact one of genus q by removing a finite number of points, then the map is actually algebraic and defines a compact holomorphic curve in S. Furthermore, the degree of the curve with respect to a fixed polarization is shown to be bounded above by a multiple of q - 1 irrespective of the map. PMID:11607050

BOX-COUNTING DIMENSION COMPUTED BY α-DENSE CURVES

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García, G.; Mora, G.; Redtwitz, D. A.

We introduce a method to reduce to the real case the calculus of the box-counting dimension of subsets of the unit cube In, n > 1. The procedure is based on the existence of special types of α-dense curves (a generalization of the space-filling curves) in In called δ-uniform curves.

Auditory steady-state evoked potentials vs. compound action potentials for the measurement of suppression tuning curves in the sedated dog puppy.

PubMed

Markessis, Emily; Poncelet, Luc; Colin, Cécile; Hoonhorst, Ingrid; Collet, Grégory; Deltenre, Paul; Moore, Brian C J

2010-06-01

Auditory steady-state evoked potential (ASSEP) tuning curves were compared to compound action potential (CAP) tuning curves, both measured at 2 Hz, using sedated beagle puppies. The effect of two types of masker (narrowband noise and sinusoidal) on the tuning curve parameters was assessed. Whatever the masker type, CAP tuning curve parameters were qualitatively and quantitatively similar to the ASSEP ones, with a similar inter-subject variability, but with a greater incidence of upward tip displacement. Whatever the procedure, sinusoidal maskers produced sharper tuning curves than narrow-band maskers. Although these differences are not likely to have significant implications for clinical work, from a fundamental point of view, their origin requires further investigations. The same amount of time was needed to record a CAP and an ASSEP 13-point tuning curve. The data further validate the ASSEP technique, which has the advantages of having a smaller tendency to produce upward tip shifts than the CAP technique. Moreover, being non invasive, ASSEP tuning curves can be easily repeated over time in the same subject for clinical and research purposes.

Next-Generation Intensity-Duration-Frequency Curves for Hydrologic Design in Snow-Dominated Environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Hongxiang; Sun, Ning; Wigmosta, Mark; Skaggs, Richard; Hou, Zhangshuan; Leung, Ruby

2018-02-01

There is a renewed focus on the design of infrastructure resilient to extreme hydrometeorological events. While precipitation-based intensity-duration-frequency (IDF) curves are commonly used as part of infrastructure design, a large percentage of peak runoff events in snow-dominated regions are caused by snowmelt, particularly during rain-on-snow (ROS) events. In these regions, precipitation-based IDF curves may lead to substantial overestimation/underestimation of design basis events and subsequent overdesign/underdesign of infrastructure. To overcome this deficiency, we proposed next-generation IDF (NG-IDF) curves, which characterize the actual water reaching the land surface. We compared NG-IDF curves to standard precipitation-based IDF curves for estimates of extreme events at 376 Snowpack Telemetry (SNOTEL) stations across the western United States that each had at least 30 years of high-quality records. We found standard precipitation-based IDF curves at 45% of the stations were subject to underdesign, many with significant underestimation of 100 year extreme events, for which the precipitation-based IDF curves can underestimate water potentially available for runoff by as much as 125% due to snowmelt and ROS events. The regions with the greatest potential for underdesign were in the Pacific Northwest, the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and the Middle and Southern Rockies. We also found the potential for overdesign at 20% of the stations, primarily in the Middle Rockies and Arizona mountains. These results demonstrate the need to consider snow processes in the development of IDF curves, and they suggest use of the more robust NG-IDF curves for hydrologic design in snow-dominated environments.

Seismic assessment of a multi-span steel railway bridge in Turkey based on nonlinear time history

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yılmaz, Mehmet F.; Çağlayan, Barlas Ö.

2018-01-01

Many research studies have shown that bridges are vulnerable to earthquakes, graphically confirmed by incidents such as the San Fernando (1971 USA), Northridge (1994 USA), Great Hanshin (1995 Japan), and Chi-Chi (1999 Taiwan) earthquakes, amongst many others. The studies show that fragility curves are useful tools for bridge seismic risk assessments, which can be generated empirically or analytically. Empirical fragility curves can be generated where damage reports from past earthquakes are available, but otherwise, analytical fragility curves can be generated from structural seismic response analysis. Earthquake damage data in Turkey are very limited, hence this study employed an analytical method to generate fragility curves for the Alasehir bridge. The Alasehir bridge is part of the Manisa-Uşak-Dumlupınar-Afyon railway line, which is very important for human and freight transportation, and since most of the country is seismically active, it is essential to assess the bridge's vulnerability. The bridge consists of six 30 m truss spans with a total span 189 m supported by 2 abutments and 5 truss piers, 12.5, 19, 26, 33, and 40 m. Sap2000 software was used to model the Alasehir bridge, which was refined using field measurements, and the effect of 60 selected real earthquake data analyzed using the refined model, considering material and geometry nonlinearity. Thus, the seismic behavior of Alasehir railway bridge was determined and truss pier reaction and displacements were used to determine its seismic performance. Different intensity measures were compared for efficiency, practicality, and sufficiency and their component and system fragility curves derived.

Type Ia Supernova Light Curve Inference: Hierarchical Models for Nearby SN Ia in the Optical and Near Infrared

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mandel, Kaisey; Kirshner, R. P.; Narayan, G.; Wood-Vasey, W. M.; Friedman, A. S.; Hicken, M.

2010-01-01

I have constructed a comprehensive statistical model for Type Ia supernova light curves spanning optical through near infrared data simultaneously. The near infrared light curves are found to be excellent standard candles (sigma(MH) = 0.11 +/- 0.03 mag) that are less vulnerable to systematic error from dust extinction, a major confounding factor for cosmological studies. A hierarchical statistical framework incorporates coherently multiple sources of randomness and uncertainty, including photometric error, intrinsic supernova light curve variations and correlations, dust extinction and reddening, peculiar velocity dispersion and distances, for probabilistic inference with Type Ia SN light curves. Inferences are drawn from the full probability density over individual supernovae and the SN Ia and dust populations, conditioned on a dataset of SN Ia light curves and redshifts. To compute probabilistic inferences with hierarchical models, I have developed BayeSN, a Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm based on Gibbs sampling. This code explores and samples the global probability density of parameters describing individual supernovae and the population. I have applied this hierarchical model to optical and near infrared data of over 100 nearby Type Ia SN from PAIRITEL, the CfA3 sample, and the literature. Using this statistical model, I find that SN with optical and NIR data have a smaller residual scatter in the Hubble diagram than SN with only optical data. The continued study of Type Ia SN in the near infrared will be important for improving their utility as precise and accurate cosmological distance indicators.

Non-Contact Ultrasonic Imaging

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-10-31

difficult to measure because of the amount of sound at the difference frequency still produced in the air. Nonlinear Reflection off of a Curved Surface...separate sound generated in air from sound generated in liquid. Two incoming rays incident upon a curved surface may reflect collinearly. At a different... sound reflecting off of the air-water interface from the air, the energy density of the incident and reflected waves are around 1000x that of the

Survival and weak chaos.

PubMed

Nee, Sean

2018-05-01

Survival analysis in biology and reliability theory in engineering concern the dynamical functioning of bio/electro/mechanical units. Here we incorporate effects of chaotic dynamics into the classical theory. Dynamical systems theory now distinguishes strong and weak chaos. Strong chaos generates Type II survivorship curves entirely as a result of the internal operation of the system, without any age-independent, external, random forces of mortality. Weak chaos exhibits (a) intermittency and (b) Type III survivorship, defined as a decreasing per capita mortality rate: engineering explicitly defines this pattern of decreasing hazard as 'infant mortality'. Weak chaos generates two phenomena from the normal functioning of the same system. First, infant mortality- sensu engineering-without any external explanatory factors, such as manufacturing defects, which is followed by increased average longevity of survivors. Second, sudden failure of units during their normal period of operation, before the onset of age-dependent mortality arising from senescence. The relevance of these phenomena encompasses, for example: no-fault-found failure of electronic devices; high rates of human early spontaneous miscarriage/abortion; runaway pacemakers; sudden cardiac death in young adults; bipolar disorder; and epilepsy.

Survival and weak chaos

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Survival analysis in biology and reliability theory in engineering concern the dynamical functioning of bio/electro/mechanical units. Here we incorporate effects of chaotic dynamics into the classical theory. Dynamical systems theory now distinguishes strong and weak chaos. Strong chaos generates Type II survivorship curves entirely as a result of the internal operation of the system, without any age-independent, external, random forces of mortality. Weak chaos exhibits (a) intermittency and (b) Type III survivorship, defined as a decreasing per capita mortality rate: engineering explicitly defines this pattern of decreasing hazard as ‘infant mortality’. Weak chaos generates two phenomena from the normal functioning of the same system. First, infant mortality—sensu engineering—without any external explanatory factors, such as manufacturing defects, which is followed by increased average longevity of survivors. Second, sudden failure of units during their normal period of operation, before the onset of age-dependent mortality arising from senescence. The relevance of these phenomena encompasses, for example: no-fault-found failure of electronic devices; high rates of human early spontaneous miscarriage/abortion; runaway pacemakers; sudden cardiac death in young adults; bipolar disorder; and epilepsy. PMID:29892407

Impact of fitting algorithms on errors of parameter estimates in dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Debus, C.; Floca, R.; Nörenberg, D.; Abdollahi, A.; Ingrisch, M.

2017-12-01

Parameter estimation in dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE MRI) is usually performed by non-linear least square (NLLS) fitting of a pharmacokinetic model to a measured concentration-time curve. The two-compartment exchange model (2CXM) describes the compartments ‘plasma’ and ‘interstitial volume’ and their exchange in terms of plasma flow and capillary permeability. The model function can be defined by either a system of two coupled differential equations or a closed-form analytical solution. The aim of this study was to compare these two representations in terms of accuracy, robustness and computation speed, depending on parameter combination and temporal sampling. The impact on parameter estimation errors was investigated by fitting the 2CXM to simulated concentration-time curves. Parameter combinations representing five tissue types were used, together with two arterial input functions, a measured and a theoretical population based one, to generate 4D concentration images at three different temporal resolutions. Images were fitted by NLLS techniques, where the sum of squared residuals was calculated by either numeric integration with the Runge-Kutta method or convolution. Furthermore two example cases, a prostate carcinoma and a glioblastoma multiforme patient, were analyzed in order to investigate the validity of our findings in real patient data. The convolution approach yields improved results in precision and robustness of determined parameters. Precision and stability are limited in curves with low blood flow. The model parameter ve shows great instability and little reliability in all cases. Decreased temporal resolution results in significant errors for the differential equation approach in several curve types. The convolution excelled in computational speed by three orders of magnitude. Uncertainties in parameter estimation at low temporal resolution cannot be compensated by usage of the differential equations. Fitting with the convolution approach is superior in computational time, with better stability and accuracy at the same time.

Negative branes, supergroups and the signature of spacetime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dijkgraaf, Robbert; Heidenreich, Ben; Jefferson, Patrick; Vafa, Cumrun

2018-02-01

We study the realization of supergroup gauge theories using negative branes in string theory. We show that negative branes are intimately connected with the possibility of timelike compactification and exotic spacetime signatures previously studied by Hull. Isolated negative branes dynamically generate a change in spacetime signature near their worldvolumes, and are related by string dualities to a smooth M-theory geometry with closed timelike curves. Using negative D3-branes, we show that SU(0| N) supergroup theories are holographically dual to an exotic variant of type IIB string theory on {dS}_{3,2}× {\\overline{S}}^5 , for which the emergent dimensions are timelike. Using branes, mirror symmetry and Nekrasov's instanton calculus, all of which agree, we derive the Seiberg-Witten curve for N=2 SU( N | M ) gauge theories. Together with our exploration of holography and string dualities for negative branes, this suggests that supergroup gauge theories may be non-perturbatively well-defined objects, though several puzzles remain.

WKB solutions of difference equations and reconstruction by the topological recursion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marchal, Olivier

2018-01-01

The purpose of this article is to analyze the connection between Eynard-Orantin topological recursion and formal WKB solutions of a \\hbar -difference equation: \\Psi(x+\\hbar)=≤ft(e\\hbar\\fracd{dx}\\right) \\Psi(x)=L(x;\\hbar)\\Psi(x) with L(x;\\hbar)\\in GL_2( ({C}(x))[\\hbar]) . In particular, we extend the notion of determinantal formulas and topological type property proposed for formal WKB solutions of \\hbar -differential systems to this setting. We apply our results to a specific \\hbar -difference system associated to the quantum curve of the Gromov-Witten invariants of {P}1 for which we are able to prove that the correlation functions are reconstructed from the Eynard-Orantin differentials computed from the topological recursion applied to the spectral curve y=\\cosh-1\\frac{x}{2} . Finally, identifying the large x expansion of the correlation functions, proves a recent conjecture made by Dubrovin and Yang regarding a new generating series for Gromov-Witten invariants of {P}1 .

Digital Access to a Sky Century at Harvard: Initial Photometry and Astrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laycock, S.; Tang, S.; Grindlay, J.; Los, E.; Simcoe, R.; Mink, D.

2010-10-01

Digital Access to a Sky Century at Harvard (DASCH) is a project to digitize the collection of ~500,000 glass photographic plates held at Harvard College Observatory. The collection spans the time period from 1880 to 1985, during which time every point on the sky was been observed from 500 to 1000 times. In this paper, we describe the DASCH commissioning run, during which we developed the data-reduction pipeline, characterized the plates and fine-tuned the digitizer's performance and operation. This initial run consisted of 500 plates taken from a variety of different plate series, all containing the open cluster Praeseppe (M44). We report that accurate photometry at the 0.1 mag level is possible on the majority of plates, and demonstrate century-long light curves of various types of variable stars in and around M44. DASCH will generate a public online archive of the entire plate collection, including images, source catalogs, and light curves for nearly all astronomical objects brighter than about 17th magnitude.

Derivation of mechanical characteristics for Ni/Au intermetallic surface with SAC305 solder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jong-Min; Lee, Hyun-Boo; Chang, Yoon-Suk; Choi, Jae-Boong

2013-03-01

Many surface finish methods are used to connect a substrate with the electric components of IT products in the micro-packaging process, and various types of lead-free solder have been developed as alternative materials to lead-based solder to reduce environmental contamination. However, there has been little research on the mechanical properties of the inter-metallic surface which is generated in the bumping process between the lead-free solder and surface films such as Ni/Au. The present work is to derive the material properties of a Ni/Au inter-metallic surface with SAC305 solder. A series of indentation tests were carried out by changing four nano-scale indentation depths and two strain rates. Also, a reverse algorithm method was adopted to determine the elastic-plastic stress-strain curve based on the load-displacement curve from the indentation test data. As a result of the material characterization effort, the mean elastic modulus, yield strength and strain hardening exponent of IMC with Ni/Au finish were determined.

A Type D Non-Vacuum Spacetime with Causality Violating Curves, and Its Physical Interpretation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmed, Faizuddin

2017-12-01

We present a topologically trivial, non-vacuum solution of the Einstein’s field equations in four dimensions, which is regular everywhere. The metric admits circular closed timelike curves, which appear beyond the null curve, and these timelike curves are linearly stable under linear perturbations. Additionally, the spacetime admits null geodesics curve, which are not closed, and the metric is of type D in the Petrov classification scheme. The stress-energy tensor anisotropic fluid satisfy the different energy conditions and a generalization of Equation-of-State parameter of perfect fluid p=ω ρ . The metric admits a twisting, shearfree, nonexapnding timelike geodesic congruence. Finally, the physical interpretation of this solution, based on the study of the equation of the geodesics deviation, will be presented.

Ultra slow muon microscopy by laser resonant ionization at J-PARC, MUSE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miyake, Y.; Ikedo, Y.; Shimomura, K.; Strasser, P.; Kawamura, N.; Nishiyama, K.; Koda, A.; Fujimori, H.; Makimura, S.; Nakamura, J.; Nagatomo, T.; Kadono, R.; Torikai, E.; Iwasaki, M.; Wada, S.; Saito, N.; Okamura, K.; Yokoyama, K.; Ito, T.; Higemoto, W.

2013-04-01

As one of the principal muon beam line at the J-PARC muon facility (MUSE), we are now constructing a Muon beam line (U-Line), which consists of a large acceptance solenoid made of mineral insulation cables (MIC), a superconducting curved transport solenoid and superconducting axial focusing magnets. There, we can extract 2 × 108/s surface muons towards a hot tungsten target. At the U-Line, we are now establishing a new type of muon microscopy; a new technique with use of the intense ultra-slow muon source generated by resonant ionization of thermal Muonium (designated as Mu; consisting of a μ + and an e - ) atoms generated from the surface of the tungsten target. In this contribution, the latest status of the Ultra Slow Muon Microscopy project, fully funded, is reported.

Minimisation of the LCOE for the hybrid power supply system with the lead-acid battery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kasprzyk, Leszek; Tomczewski, Andrzej; Bednarek, Karol; Bugała, Artur

2017-10-01

The paper presents the methodology of minimisation of the unit cost of production of energy generated in the hybrid system compatible with the lead-acid battery, and used to power a load with the known daily load curve. For this purpose, the objective function in the form of the LCOE and the genetic algorithm method were used. Simulation tests for three types of load with set daily load characteristics were performed. By taking advantage of the legal regulations applicable in the territory of Poland, regarding the energy storing in the power system, the optimal structure of the prosumer solar-wind system including the lead-acid battery, which meets the condition of maximum rated power, was established. An assumption was made that the whole solar energy supplied to the load would be generated in the optimised system.

Pulsar Emission Geometry and Accelerating Field Strength

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DeCesar, Megan E.; Harding, Alice K.; Miller, M. Coleman; Kalapotharakos, Constantinos; Parent, Damien

2012-01-01

The high-quality Fermi LAT observations of gamma-ray pulsars have opened a new window to understanding the generation mechanisms of high-energy emission from these systems, The high statistics allow for careful modeling of the light curve features as well as for phase resolved spectral modeling. We modeled the LAT light curves of the Vela and CTA I pulsars with simulated high-energy light curves generated from geometrical representations of the outer gap and slot gap emission models. within the vacuum retarded dipole and force-free fields. A Markov Chain Monte Carlo maximum likelihood method was used to explore the phase space of the magnetic inclination angle, viewing angle. maximum emission radius, and gap width. We also used the measured spectral cutoff energies to estimate the accelerating parallel electric field dependence on radius. under the assumptions that the high-energy emission is dominated by curvature radiation and the geometry (radius of emission and minimum radius of curvature of the magnetic field lines) is determined by the best fitting light curves for each model. We find that light curves from the vacuum field more closely match the observed light curves and multiwavelength constraints, and that the calculated parallel electric field can place additional constraints on the emission geometry

Functional Characterization of the Small Regulatory Subunit PetP from the Cytochrome b6f Complex in Thermosynechococcus elongatus[C][W

PubMed Central

Rexroth, Sascha; Rexroth, Dorothea; Veit, Sebastian; Plohnke, Nicole; Cormann, Kai U.; Nowaczyk, Marc M.; Rögner, Matthias

2014-01-01

The cyanobacterial cytochrome b6f complex is central for the coordination of photosynthetic and respiratory electron transport and also for the balance between linear and cyclic electron transport. The development of a purification strategy for a highly active dimeric b6f complex from the thermophilic cyanobacterium Thermosynechococcus elongatus BP-1 enabled characterization of the structural and functional role of the small subunit PetP in this complex. Moreover, the efficient transformability of this strain allowed the generation of a ΔpetP mutant. Analysis on the whole-cell level by growth curves, photosystem II light saturation curves, and P700+ reduction kinetics indicate a strong decrease in the linear electron transport in the mutant strain versus the wild type, while the cyclic electron transport via photosystem I and cytochrome b6f is largely unaffected. This reduction in linear electron transport is accompanied by a strongly decreased stability and activity of the isolated ΔpetP complex in comparison with the dimeric wild-type complex, which binds two PetP subunits. The distinct behavior of linear and cyclic electron transport may suggest the presence of two distinguishable pools of cytochrome b6f complexes with different functions that might be correlated with supercomplex formation. PMID:25139006

Apparent-Strain Correction for Combined Thermal and Mechanical Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Theodore F.; O'Neil, Teresa L.

2007-01-01

Combined thermal and mechanical testing requires that the total strain be corrected for the coefficient of thermal expansion mismatch between the strain gage and the specimen or apparent strain when the temperature varies while a mechanical load is being applied. Collecting data for an apparent strain test becomes problematic as the specimen size increases. If the test specimen cannot be placed in a variable temperature test chamber to generate apparent strain data with no mechanical loads, coupons can be used to generate the required data. The coupons, however, must have the same strain gage type, coefficient of thermal expansion, and constraints as the specimen to be useful. Obtaining apparent-strain data at temperatures lower than -320 F is challenging due to the difficulty to maintain steady-state and uniform temperatures on a given specimen. Equations to correct for apparent strain in a real-time fashion and data from apparent-strain tests for composite and metallic specimens over a temperature range from -450 F to +250 F are presented in this paper. Three approaches to extrapolate apparent-strain data from -320 F to -430 F are presented and compared to the measured apparent-strain data. The first two approaches use a subset of the apparent-strain curves between -320 F and 100 F to extrapolate to -430 F, while the third approach extrapolates the apparent-strain curve over the temperature range of -320 F to +250 F to -430 F. The first two approaches are superior to the third approach but the use of either of the first two approaches is contingent upon the degree of non-linearity of the apparent-strain curve.

Extending Supernova Spectral Templates for Next Generation Space Telescope Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roberts-Pierel, Justin; Rodney, Steven A.; Steven Rodney

2018-01-01

Widely used empirical supernova (SN) Spectral Energy Distributions (SEDs) have not historically extended meaningfully into the ultraviolet (UV), or the infrared (IR). However, both are critical for current and future aspects of SN research including UV spectra as probes of poorly understood SN Ia physical properties, and expanding our view of the universe with high-redshift James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) IR observations. We therefore present a comprehensive set of SN SED templates that have been extended into the UV and IR, as well as an open-source software package written in Python that enables a user to generate their own extrapolated SEDs. We have taken a sampling of core-collapse (CC) and Type Ia SNe to get a time-dependent distribution of UV and IR colors (U-B,r’-[JHK]), and then generated color curves are used to extrapolate SEDs into the UV and IR. The SED extrapolation process is now easily duplicated using a user’s own data and parameters via our open-source Python package: SNSEDextend. This work develops the tools necessary to explore the JWST’s ability to discriminate between CC and Type Ia SNe, as well as provides a repository of SN SEDs that will be invaluable to future JWST and WFIRST SN studies.

Limitations to maximum running speed on flat curves.

PubMed

Chang, Young-Hui; Kram, Rodger

2007-03-01

Why is maximal running speed reduced on curved paths? The leading explanation proposes that an increase in lateral ground reaction force necessitates a decrease in peak vertical ground reaction force, assuming that maximum leg extension force is the limiting factor. Yet, no studies have directly measured these forces or tested this critical assumption. We measured maximum sprint velocities and ground reaction forces for five male humans sprinting along a straight track and compared them to sprints along circular tracks of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 m radii. Circular track sprint trials were performed either with or without a tether that applied centripetal force to the center of mass. Sprinters generated significantly smaller peak resultant ground reaction forces during normal curve sprinting compared to straight sprinting. This provides direct evidence against the idea that maximum leg extension force is always achieved and is the limiting factor. Use of the tether increased sprint speed, but not to expected values. During curve sprinting, the inside leg consistently generated smaller peak forces compared to the outside leg. Several competing biomechanical constraints placed on the stance leg during curve sprinting likely make the inside leg particularly ineffective at generating the ground reaction forces necessary to attain maximum velocities comparable to straight path sprinting. The ability of quadrupeds to redistribute function across multiple stance legs and decouple these multiple constraints may provide a distinct advantage for turning performance.

The effect of a modified Boston brace with anti-rotatory blades on the progression of curves in idiopathic scoliosis: aetiologic implications.

PubMed

Grivas, Theodoros B; Vasiliadis, Elias; Chatziargiropoulos, Theodoros; Polyzois, Vassilios D; Gatos, Konstandinos

2003-01-01

The effect of a modified Boston brace with anti-rotatory blades on idiopathic scoliotic curves, mainly right thoracic with a compensatory left lumbar, was studied. Twenty-eight scoliotic children divided into three sub-groups according to the curve type were included in the study. Cobb angle and rotation was measured on posteroanterior spinal radiographs taken during the first examination and also during the follow-up with the children in and out of the brace. Ten curves improved, 13 remained stable and 5 increased (Cobb angle change >5 degrees compared with the initial measurement). The brace treatment had more affect on the double curves, while single curves remained unaffected. Rotation remained unchanged in all curve types except in the lumbar component of double (right thoracic-left lumbar) curves. These findings indicate that in curves with a compensatory component (e.g. main thoracic with compensatory lumbar curve), a deforming rotatory force, which is blocked by the de-rotatory action of the blades of the above-modified Boston brace, is present and seems to be more active in the lumbar spine. It is hypothesized that this deforming rotatory force seems to be a major aetiological factor for double curves. In conclusion the conservative treatment using this brace is beneficially affecting the natural history of IS in children.

BVR{sub c}I{sub c} observations and analyses on V2421 Cygni, a precontact W UMa binary

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

Samec, R. G.; Shebs, Travis S.; Faulkner, D. R.

2014-01-01

We present the first precision BVRI light curves, synthetic light curve solutions, and a period study for the high amplitude solar type binary, V2421 Cygni. The light curves have the appearance of an Algol (EA) type; however, it is made up of dwarf solar type components in a detached mode with a period of only 0.6331 days with an amplitude of about a full magnitude, i.e., it is a precontact W UMa binary. Flare-like disruptions occur in the light curves following the primary and secondary eclipses possibly due to the line-of-sight track of a gas stream. An associated stream spotmore » and splash spot cause bright equatorial spots on the stellar surface of the primary star. The more massive star is the gainer, making this system a classic, albeit dwarf, Algol.« less

Latent factor structure of a behavioral economic cigarette demand curve in adolescent smokers

PubMed Central

Bidwell, L. Cinnamon; MacKillop, James; Murphy, James G.; Tidey, Jennifer W.; Colby, Suzanne M.

2012-01-01

Behavioral economic demand curves, or quantitative representations of drug consumption across a range of prices, have been used to assess motivation for a variety of drugs. Such curves generate multiple measures of drug demand that are associated with cigarette consumption and nicotine dependence. However, little is known about the relationships among these facets of demand. The aim of the study was to quantify these relationships in adolescent smokers by using exploratory factor analysis to examine the underlying structure of the facets of nicotine incentive value generated from a demand curve measure. Participants were 138 adolescent smokers who completed a hypothetical cigarette purchase task, which assessed estimated cigarette consumption at escalating levels of price/cigarette. Demand curves and five facets of demand were generated from the measure: Elasticity (i.e., 1/α or proportionate price sensitivity); Intensity (i.e., consumption at zero price); Omax (i.e., maximum financial expenditure on cigarettes); Pmax (i.e., price at which expenditure is maximized); and Breakpoint (i.e., the price that suppresses consumption to zero). Principal components analysis was used to examine the latent structure among the variables. The results revealed a two-factor solution, which were interpreted as “Persistence,” reflecting insensitivity to escalating price, and “Amplitude,” reflecting the absolute levels of consumption and price. These findings suggest a two factor structure of nicotine incentive value as measured via a demand curve. If supported, these findings have implications for understanding the relationships among individual demand indices in future behavioral economic studies and may further contribute to understanding of the nature of cigarette reinforcement. PMID:22727784

Generalization of turbojet and turbine-propeller engine performance in windmilling condition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wallner, Ewis E; Welna, Henry J

1951-01-01

Windmilling characteristics of several turbojet and turbine-propeller engines were investigated individually over a wide range of flight conditions in the NACA Lewis altitude wind tunnel. A study was made of all these data and windmilling performance of gas turbine engines was generalized. Although internal-drag, air-flow, and total-pressure-drop parameters were generalized to a single curve for both the axial-flow type engines and another for the centrifugal-flow engine. The engine speed, component pressure changes, and windmilling-propeller drag were generalized to single curves for the two turbine-propeller-type engines investigated. By the use of these curves the windmilling performance can be estimated for axial-flow type gas turbine engines similar to the types investigated over a wide range of flight conditions.

Radiation dose response of N channel MOSFET submitted to filtered X-ray photon beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonçalves Filho, Luiz C.; Monte, David S.; Barros, Fabio R.; Santos, Luiz A. P.

2018-01-01

MOSFET can operate as a radiation detector mainly in high-energy photon beams, which are normally used in cancer treatments. In general, such an electronic device can work as a dosimeter from threshold voltage shift measurements. The purpose of this article is to show a new way for measuring the dose-response of MOSFETs when they are under X-ray beams generated from 100kV potential range, which is normally used in diagnostic radiology. Basically, the method consists of measuring the MOSFET drain current as a function of the radiation dose. For this the type of device, it has to be biased with a high value resistor aiming to see a substantial change in the drain current after it has been irradiated with an amount of radiation dose. Two types of N channel device were used in the experiment: a signal transistor and a power transistor. The delivered dose to the device was varied and the electrical curves were plotted. Also, a sensitivity analysis of the power MOSFET response was made, by varying the tube potential of about 20%. The results show that both types of devices have responses very similar, the shift in the electrical curve is proportional to the radiation dose. Unlike the power MOSFET, the signal transistor does not provide a linear function between the dose rate and its drain current. We also have observed that the variation in the tube potential of the X-ray equipment produces a very similar dose-response.

Statistically generated weighted curve fit of residual functions for modal analysis of structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bookout, P. S.

1995-01-01

A statistically generated weighting function for a second-order polynomial curve fit of residual functions has been developed. The residual flexibility test method, from which a residual function is generated, is a procedure for modal testing large structures in an external constraint-free environment to measure the effects of higher order modes and interface stiffness. This test method is applicable to structures with distinct degree-of-freedom interfaces to other system components. A theoretical residual function in the displacement/force domain has the characteristics of a relatively flat line in the lower frequencies and a slight upward curvature in the higher frequency range. In the test residual function, the above-mentioned characteristics can be seen in the data, but due to the present limitations in the modal parameter evaluation (natural frequencies and mode shapes) of test data, the residual function has regions of ragged data. A second order polynomial curve fit is required to obtain the residual flexibility term. A weighting function of the data is generated by examining the variances between neighboring data points. From a weighted second-order polynomial curve fit, an accurate residual flexibility value can be obtained. The residual flexibility value and free-free modes from testing are used to improve a mathematical model of the structure. The residual flexibility modal test method is applied to a straight beam with a trunnion appendage and a space shuttle payload pallet simulator.

Going Beyond, Going Further: The Preparation of Acid-Base Titration Curves.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McClendon, Michael

1984-01-01

Background information, list of materials needed, and procedures used are provided for a simple technique for generating mechanically plotted acid-base titration curves. The method is suitable for second-year high school chemistry students. (JN)

Supernova Light Curves and Spectra from Two Different Codes: Supernu and Phoenix

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van Rossum, Daniel R; Wollaeger, Ryan T

2014-08-01

The observed similarities between light curve shapes from Type Ia supernovae, and in particular the correlation of light curve shape and brightness, have been actively studied for more than two decades. In recent years, hydronamic simulations of white dwarf explosions have advanced greatly, and multiple mechanisms that could potentially produce Type Ia supernovae have been explored in detail. The question which of the proposed mechanisms is (or are) possibly realized in nature remains challenging to answer, but detailed synthetic light curves and spectra from explosion simulations are very helpful and important guidelines towards answering this question.We present results from a newly developed radiation transport code, Supernu. Supernu solves the supernova radiation transfer problem uses a novel technique based on a hybrid between Implicit Monte Carlo and Discrete Diffusion Monte Carlo. This technique enhances the efficiency with respect to traditional implicit monte carlo codes and thus lends itself perfectly for multi-dimensional simulations. We show direct comparisons of light curves and spectra from Type Ia simulations with Supernu versus the legacy Phoenix code.

Application of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation in a vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kao, Jui-Hsiang; Tseng, Po-Yuan

2018-01-01

The objective of this paper is to describe the application of CFD (Computational fluid dynamics) technology in the matching of turbine blades and generator to increase the efficiency of a vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT). A VAWT is treated as the study case here. The SST (Shear-Stress Transport) k-ω turbulence model with SIMPLE algorithm method in transient state is applied to solve the T (torque)-N (r/min) curves of the turbine blades at different wind speed. The T-N curves of the generator at different CV (constant voltage) model are measured. Thus, the T-N curves of the turbine blades at different wind speed can be matched by the T-N curves of the generator at different CV model to find the optimal CV model. As the optimal CV mode is selected, the characteristics of the operating points, such as tip speed ratio, revolutions per minute, blade torque, and efficiency, can be identified. The results show that, if the two systems are matched well, the final output power at a high wind speed of 9-10 m/s will be increased by 15%.

Supernovae with two peaks in the optical light curve and the signature of progenitors with low-mass extended envelopes

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

Nakar, Ehud; Piro, Anthony L.

2014-06-20

Early observations of supernova light curves are powerful tools for shedding light on the pre-explosion structures of their progenitors and their mass-loss histories just prior to explosion. Some core-collapse supernovae that are detected during the first days after the explosion prominently show two peaks in the optical bands, including the R and I bands, where the first peak appears to be powered by the cooling of shocked surface material and the second peak is clearly powered by radioactive decay. Such light curves have been explored in detail theoretically for SN 1993J and 2011dh, where it was found that they maymore » be explained by progenitors with extended, low-mass envelopes. Here, we generalize these results. We first explore whether any double-peaked light curve of this type can be generated by a progenitor with a 'standard' density profile, such as a red supergiant or a Wolf-Rayet star. We show that a standard progenitor (1) cannot produce a double-peaked light curve in the R and I bands and (2) cannot exhibit a fast drop in the bolometric luminosity as is seen after the first peak. We then explore the signature of a progenitor with a compact core surrounded by extended, low-mass material. This may be a hydrostatic low-mass envelope or material ejected just prior to the explosion. We show that it naturally produces both of these features. We use this result to provide simple formulae to estimate (1) the mass of the extended material from the time of the first peak, (2) the extended material radius from the luminosity of the first peak, and (3) an upper limit on the core radius from the luminosity minimum between the two peaks.« less

Characteristics of time-activity curves obtained from dynamic 11C-methionine PET in common primary brain tumors.

PubMed

Nomura, Yuichi; Asano, Yoshitaka; Shinoda, Jun; Yano, Hirohito; Ikegame, Yuka; Kawasaki, Tomohiro; Nakayama, Noriyuki; Maruyama, Takashi; Muragaki, Yoshihiro; Iwama, Toru

2018-07-01

The aim of this study was to assess whether dynamic PET with 11 C-methionine (MET) (MET-PET) is useful in the diagnosis of brain tumors. One hundred sixty patients with brain tumors (139 gliomas, 9 meningiomas, 4 hemangioblastomas and 8 primary central nervous system lymphomas [PCNSL]) underwent dynamic MET-PET with a 3-dimensional acquisition mode, and the maximum tumor MET-standardized uptake value (MET-SUV) was measured consecutively to construct a time-activity curve (TAC). Furthermore, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated from the time-to-peak (TTP) and the slope of the curve in the late phase (SLOPE). The TAC patterns of MET-SUVs (MET-TACs) could be divided into four characteristic types when MET dynamics were analyzed by dividing the MET-TAC into three phases. MET-SUVs were significantly higher in early and late phases in glioblastoma compared to anaplastic astrocytoma, diffuse astrocytoma and the normal frontal cortex (P < 0.05). The SLOPE in the late phase was significantly lower in tumors that included an oligodendroglial component compared to astrocytic tumors (P < 0.001). When we set the cutoff of the SLOPE in the late phase to - 0.04 h -1 for the differentiation of tumors that included an oligodendroglial component from astrocytic tumors, the diagnostic accuracy was 74.2% sensitivity and 64.9% specificity. The area under the ROC curve was 0.731. The results of this study show that quantification of the MET-TAC for each brain tumor identified by a dynamic MET-PET study could be helpful in the non-invasive discrimination of brain tumor subtypes, in particular gliomas.

In Vitro Evaluation of Evacuated Blood Collection Tubes as a Closed-Suction Surgical Drain Reservoir.

PubMed

Heiser, Brian; Okrasinski, E B; Murray, Rebecca; McCord, Kelly

The initial negative pressures of evacuated blood collection tubes (EBCT) and their in vitro performance as a rigid closed-suction surgical drain (CSSD) reservoir has not been evaluated in the scientific literature despite being described in both human and veterinary texts and journals. The initial negative pressures of EBCT sized 3, 6, 10, and 15 mL were measured and the stability of the system monitored. The pressure-to-volume curve as either air or water was added and maximal filling volumes were measured. Evacuated blood collection tubes beyond the manufacture's expiration date were evaluated for initial negative pressures and maximal filling volumes. Initial negative pressure ranged from -214 mm Hg to -528 mm Hg for EBCT within the manufacturer's expiration date. Different pressure-to-volume curves were found for air versus water. Optimal negative pressures of CSSD are debated in the literature. Drain purpose and type of exudates are factors that should be considered when deciding which EBCT size to implement. Evacuated blood collection tubes have a range of negative pressures and pressure-to-volume curves similar to previously evaluated CSSD rigid reservoirs. Proper drain management and using EBCT within labeled expiration date are important to ensure that expected negative pressures are generated.

A Kepler study of starspot lifetimes with respect to light-curve amplitude and spectral type

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giles, Helen A. C.; Collier Cameron, Andrew; Haywood, Raphaëlle D.

2017-12-01

Wide-field high-precision photometric surveys such as Kepler have produced reams of data suitable for investigating stellar magnetic activity of cooler stars. Starspot activity produces quasi-sinusoidal light curves whose phase and amplitude vary as active regions grow and decay over time. Here we investigate, first, whether there is a correlation between the size of starspots - assumed to be related to the amplitude of the sinusoid - and their decay time-scale and, secondly, whether any such correlation depends on the stellar effective temperature. To determine this, we computed the auto-correlation functions of the light curves of samples of stars from Kepler and fitted them with apodised periodic functions. The light-curve amplitudes, representing spot size, were measured from the root-mean-squared scatter of the normalized light curves. We used a Monte Carlo Markov Chain to measure the periods and decay time-scales of the light curves. The results show a correlation between the decay time of starspots and their inferred size. The decay time also depends strongly on the temperature of the star. Cooler stars have spots that last much longer, in particular for stars with longer rotational periods. This is consistent with current theories of diffusive mechanisms causing starspot decay. We also find that the Sun is not unusually quiet for its spectral type - stars with solar-type rotation periods and temperatures tend to have (comparatively) smaller starspots than stars with mid-G or later spectral types.

Probability Density Functions of Observed Rainfall in Montana

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Larsen, Scott D.; Johnson, L. Ronald; Smith, Paul L.

1995-01-01

The question of whether a rain rate probability density function (PDF) can vary uniformly between precipitation events is examined. Image analysis on large samples of radar echoes is possible because of advances in technology. The data provided by such an analysis easily allow development of radar reflectivity factors (and by extension rain rate) distribution. Finding a PDF becomes a matter of finding a function that describes the curve approximating the resulting distributions. Ideally, one PDF would exist for all cases; or many PDF's that have the same functional form with only systematic variations in parameters (such as size or shape) exist. Satisfying either of theses cases will, validate the theoretical basis of the Area Time Integral (ATI). Using the method of moments and Elderton's curve selection criteria, the Pearson Type 1 equation was identified as a potential fit for 89 percent of the observed distributions. Further analysis indicates that the Type 1 curve does approximate the shape of the distributions but quantitatively does not produce a great fit. Using the method of moments and Elderton's curve selection criteria, the Pearson Type 1 equation was identified as a potential fit for 89% of the observed distributions. Further analysis indicates that the Type 1 curve does approximate the shape of the distributions but quantitatively does not produce a great fit.

Optimal joint detection and estimation that maximizes ROC-type curves

PubMed Central

Wunderlich, Adam; Goossens, Bart; Abbey, Craig K.

2017-01-01

Combined detection-estimation tasks are frequently encountered in medical imaging. Optimal methods for joint detection and estimation are of interest because they provide upper bounds on observer performance, and can potentially be utilized for imaging system optimization, evaluation of observer efficiency, and development of image formation algorithms. We present a unified Bayesian framework for decision rules that maximize receiver operating characteristic (ROC)-type summary curves, including ROC, localization ROC (LROC), estimation ROC (EROC), free-response ROC (FROC), alternative free-response ROC (AFROC), and exponentially-transformed FROC (EFROC) curves, succinctly summarizing previous results. The approach relies on an interpretation of ROC-type summary curves as plots of an expected utility versus an expected disutility (or penalty) for signal-present decisions. We propose a general utility structure that is flexible enough to encompass many ROC variants and yet sufficiently constrained to allow derivation of a linear expected utility equation that is similar to that for simple binary detection. We illustrate our theory with an example comparing decision strategies for joint detection-estimation of a known signal with unknown amplitude. In addition, building on insights from our utility framework, we propose new ROC-type summary curves and associated optimal decision rules for joint detection-estimation tasks with an unknown, potentially-multiple, number of signals in each observation. PMID:27093544

Optimal Joint Detection and Estimation That Maximizes ROC-Type Curves.

PubMed

Wunderlich, Adam; Goossens, Bart; Abbey, Craig K

2016-09-01

Combined detection-estimation tasks are frequently encountered in medical imaging. Optimal methods for joint detection and estimation are of interest because they provide upper bounds on observer performance, and can potentially be utilized for imaging system optimization, evaluation of observer efficiency, and development of image formation algorithms. We present a unified Bayesian framework for decision rules that maximize receiver operating characteristic (ROC)-type summary curves, including ROC, localization ROC (LROC), estimation ROC (EROC), free-response ROC (FROC), alternative free-response ROC (AFROC), and exponentially-transformed FROC (EFROC) curves, succinctly summarizing previous results. The approach relies on an interpretation of ROC-type summary curves as plots of an expected utility versus an expected disutility (or penalty) for signal-present decisions. We propose a general utility structure that is flexible enough to encompass many ROC variants and yet sufficiently constrained to allow derivation of a linear expected utility equation that is similar to that for simple binary detection. We illustrate our theory with an example comparing decision strategies for joint detection-estimation of a known signal with unknown amplitude. In addition, building on insights from our utility framework, we propose new ROC-type summary curves and associated optimal decision rules for joint detection-estimation tasks with an unknown, potentially-multiple, number of signals in each observation.

Properties of Special Types of Radiators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parsons, S R

1921-01-01

This report discusses the general performance characteristics of three special classes of radiators: those with flat plate water tubes, fin and tube types, and types that whistle in an air stream. Curves and tables show the performance of representative radiators of each class and compare the flat plate and whistling types. Empirical equations are given for estimating the performance of flat plate radiators of various dimensions. This report also contains a brief discussion, with curves, showing the effect of yawing on the properties of a radiator.

Applications of crude incidence curves.

PubMed

Korn, E L; Dorey, F J

1992-04-01

Crude incidence curves display the cumulative number of failures of interest as a function of time. With competing causes of failure, they are distinct from cause-specific incidence curves that treat secondary types of failures as censored observations. After briefly reviewing their definition and estimation, we present five applications of crude incidence curves to show their utility in a broad range of studies. In some of these applications it is helpful to model survival-time distributions with use of two different time metameters, for example, time from diagnosis and age of the patient. We describe how one can incorporate published vital statistics into the models when secondary types of failure correspond to common causes of death.

Development of a device to simulate tooth mobility.

PubMed

Erdelt, Kurt-Jürgen; Lamper, Timea

2010-10-01

The testing of new materials under simulation of oral conditions is essential in medicine. For simulation of fracture strength different simulation devices are used for test set-up. The results of these in vitro tests differ because there is no standardization of tooth mobility in simulation devices. The aim of this study is to develop a simulation device that depicts the tooth mobility curve as accurately as possible and creates reproducible and scalable mobility curves. With the aid of published literature and with the help of dentists, average forms of tooth classes were generated. Based on these tooth data, different abutment tooth shapes and different simulation devices were designed with a CAD system and were generated with a Rapid Prototyping system. Then, for all simulation devices the displacement curves were created with a universal testing machine and compared with the tooth mobility curve. With this new information, an improved adapted simulation device was constructed. A simulations device that is able to simulate the mobility curve of natural teeth with high accuracy and where mobility is reproducible and scalable was developed.

Inherent Driving Force for Charge Separation in Curved Stacks of Oligothiophenes

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

Wu, Qin

Coexistence of high local charge mobility and an energy gradient can lead to efficient free charge carrier generation from geminate charge transfer states at the donor–acceptor interface in bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaics. It is, however, not clear what polymer microstructures can support such coexistence. Using recent methods from density functional theory, we propose that a stack of similarly curved oligothiophene chains can deliver the requirements for efficient charge separation. Curved stacks are stable because of the polymer’s strong π-stacking ability and because backbone torsions are flexible in neutral chains. However, energy of a charge in a polymer chain has remarkablymore » stronger dependence on torsions. The trend of increasing planarity in curved stacks effectively creates an energy gradient that drives charge in one direction. The curvature of these partially ordered stacks is found to beneficially interact with fullerenes for charge separation. The curved stacks, therefore, are identified as possible building blocks for interfacial structures that lead to efficient free carrier generation in high-performing organic photovoltaic systems.« less

Inherent Driving Force for Charge Separation in Curved Stacks of Oligothiophenes

DOE PAGES

Wu, Qin

2015-01-30

Coexistence of high local charge mobility and an energy gradient can lead to efficient free charge carrier generation from geminate charge transfer states at the donor–acceptor interface in bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaics. It is, however, not clear what polymer microstructures can support such coexistence. Using recent methods from density functional theory, we propose that a stack of similarly curved oligothiophene chains can deliver the requirements for efficient charge separation. Curved stacks are stable because of the polymer’s strong π-stacking ability and because backbone torsions are flexible in neutral chains. However, energy of a charge in a polymer chain has remarkablymore » stronger dependence on torsions. The trend of increasing planarity in curved stacks effectively creates an energy gradient that drives charge in one direction. The curvature of these partially ordered stacks is found to beneficially interact with fullerenes for charge separation. The curved stacks, therefore, are identified as possible building blocks for interfacial structures that lead to efficient free carrier generation in high-performing organic photovoltaic systems.« less

The fundamentals of adaptive grid movement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eiseman, Peter R.

1990-01-01

Basic grid point movement schemes are studied. The schemes are referred to as adaptive grids. Weight functions and equidistribution in one dimension are treated. The specification of coefficients in the linear weight, attraction to a given grid or a curve, and evolutionary forces are considered. Curve by curve and finite volume methods are described. The temporal coupling of partial differential equations solvers and grid generators was discussed.

Next-Generation Intensity-Duration-Frequency Curves for Hydrologic Design in Snow-Dominated Environments

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

Yan, Hongxiang; Sun, Ning; Wigmosta, Mark

There is a renewed focus on the design of infrastructure resilient to extreme hydrometeorological events. While precipitation-based intensity-duration-frequency (IDF) curves are commonly used as part of infrastructure design, a large percentage of peak runoff events in snow-dominated regions are caused by snowmelt, particularly during rain-on-snow (ROS) events. In these regions, precipitation-based IDF curves may lead to substantial over-/under-estimation of design basis events and subsequent over-/under-design of infrastructure. To overcome this deficiency, we proposed next-generation IDF (NG-IDF) curves, which characterize the actual water reaching the land surface. We compared NG-IDF curves to standard precipitation-based IDF curves for estimates of extreme eventsmore » at 376 Snowpack Telemetry (SNOTEL) stations across the western United States that each had at least 30 years of high-quality records. We found standard precipitation-based IDF curves at 45% of the stations were subject to under-design, many with significant under-estimation of 100-year extreme events, for which the precipitation-based IDF curves can underestimate water potentially available for runoff by as much as 125% due to snowmelt and ROS events. The regions with the greatest potential for under-design were in the Pacific Northwest, the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and the Middle and Southern Rockies. We also found the potential for over-design at 20% of the stations, primarily in the Middle Rockies and Arizona mountains. These results demonstrate the need to consider snow processes in the development of IDF curves, and they suggest use of the more robust NG-IDF curves for hydrologic design in snow-dominated environments.« less

Are precipitation-based intensity-duration-frequency curves appropriate for cost effective and resilient infrastructure design in snow-dominated regions? Next-generation curves with inclusion of rain-on-snow events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, H.; Sun, N.; Wigmosta, M. S.; Hou, Z.

2017-12-01

There is a renewed focus on the design of infrastructure resilient to extreme hydrometeorological events. While precipitation-based intensity-duration-frequency (IDF) curves are commonly used as part of infrastructure design, a large percentage of peak runoff events in the snow-dominated regions are caused by snowmelt, particularly during rain-on-snow (ROS) events. In this study, we examined next-generation IDF (NG-IDF) curves with inclusion of snowmelt and ROS events to improve infrastructure design in snow-dominated regions. We compared NG-IDF curves to standard precipitation-based IDF curves for estimates of extreme events at 377 Snowpack Telemetry (SNOTEL) stations across the western United States with at least 30 years of high quality record. We found 38% of the stations were subject to under-design, many with significant underestimation of 100-year extreme events, where the precipitation-based IDF curves can underestimate water potentially available for runoff by as much as 121% due to snowmelt and ROS events. The regions with the greatest potential for under-design were in the Pacific Northwest, the Sierra Nevada, and the Middle and Southern Rockies. We also found the potential for over-design at 27% of the stations, primarily in the Middle Rockies and Arizona mountains. These results demonstrate the need to consider snow processes in development of IDF curves for engineering design procedures in snow-dominated regions.

Method of estimating flood-frequency parameters for streams in Idaho

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kjelstrom, L.C.; Moffatt, R.L.

1981-01-01

Skew coefficients for the log-Pearson type III distribution are generalized on the basis of some similarity of floods in the Snake River basin and other parts of Idaho. Generalized skew coefficients aid in shaping flood-frequency curves because skew coefficients computed from gaging stations having relatively short periods of peak flow records can be unreliable. Generalized skew coefficients can be obtained for a gaging station from one of three maps in this report. The map to be used depends on whether (1) snowmelt floods are domiant (generally when more than 20 percent of the drainage area is above 6,000 feet altitude), (2) rainstorm floods are dominant (generally when the mean altitude is less than 3,000 feet), or (3) either snowmelt or rainstorm floods can be the annual miximum discharge. For the latter case, frequency curves constructed using separate arrays of each type of runoff can be combined into one curve, which, for some stations, is significantly different than the frequency curve constructed using only annual maximum discharges. For 269 gaging stations, flood-frequency curves that include the generalized skew coefficients in the computation of the log-Pearson type III equation tend to fit the data better than previous analyses. Frequency curves for ungaged sites can be derived by estimating three statistics of the log-Pearson type III distribution. The mean and standard deviation of logarithms of annual maximum discharges are estimated by regression equations that use basin characteristics as independent variables. Skew coefficient estimates are the generalized skews. The log-Pearson type III equation is then applied with the three estimated statistics to compute the discharge at selected exceedance probabilities. Standard errors at the 2-percent exceedance probability range from 41 to 90 percent. (USGS)

Bolometric Light Curves of Peculiar Type II-P Supernovae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lusk, Jeremy A.; Baron, E.

2017-04-01

We examine the bolometric light curves of five Type II-P supernovae (SNe 1998A, 2000cb, 2006V, 2006au, and 2009E), which are thought to originate from blue supergiant progenitors like that of SN 1987A, using a new python package named SuperBoL. With this code, we calculate SNe light curves using three different common techniques common from the literature: the quasi-bolometric method, which integrates the observed photometry, the direct integration method, which additionally corrects for unobserved flux in the UV and IR, and the bolometric correction method, which uses correlations between observed colors and V-band bolometric corrections. We present here the light curves calculated by SuperBoL, along with previously published light curves, as well as peak luminosities and 56Ni yields. We find that the direct integration and bolometric correction light curves largely agree with previously published light curves, but with what we believe to be more robust error calculations, with 0.2≲ δ {L}{bol}/{L}{bol}≲ 0.5. Peak luminosities and 56Ni masses are similarly comparable to previous work. SN 2000cb remains an unusual member of this sub-group, owing to the faster rise and flatter plateau than the other supernovae in the sample. Initial comparisons with the NLTE atmosphere code PHOENIX show that the direct integration technique reproduces the luminosity of a model supernova spectrum to ˜5% when given synthetic photometry of the spectrum as input. Our code is publicly available. The ability to produce bolometric light curves from observed sets of broadband light curves should be helpful in the interpretation of other types of supernovae, particularly those that are not well characterized, such as extremely luminous supernovae and faint fast objects.

Multichannel analysis of surface waves

USGS Publications Warehouse

Park, C.B.; Miller, R.D.; Xia, J.

1999-01-01

The frequency-dependent properties of Rayleigh-type surface waves can be utilized for imaging and characterizing the shallow subsurface. Most surface-wave analysis relies on the accurate calculation of phase velocities for the horizontally traveling fundamental-mode Rayleigh wave acquired by stepping out a pair of receivers at intervals based on calculated ground roll wavelengths. Interference by coherent source-generated noise inhibits the reliability of shear-wave velocities determined through inversion of the whole wave field. Among these nonplanar, nonfundamental-mode Rayleigh waves (noise) are body waves, scattered and nonsource-generated surface waves, and higher-mode surface waves. The degree to which each of these types of noise contaminates the dispersion curve and, ultimately, the inverted shear-wave velocity profile is dependent on frequency as well as distance from the source. Multichannel recording permits effective identification and isolation of noise according to distinctive trace-to-trace coherency in arrival time and amplitude. An added advantage is the speed and redundancy of the measurement process. Decomposition of a multichannel record into a time variable-frequency format, similar to an uncorrelated Vibroseis record, permits analysis and display of each frequency component in a unique and continuous format. Coherent noise contamination can then be examined and its effects appraised in both frequency and offset space. Separation of frequency components permits real-time maximization of the S/N ratio during acquisition and subsequent processing steps. Linear separation of each ground roll frequency component allows calculation of phase velocities by simply measuring the linear slope of each frequency component. Breaks in coherent surface-wave arrivals, observable on the decomposed record, can be compensated for during acquisition and processing. Multichannel recording permits single-measurement surveying of a broad depth range, high levels of redundancy with a single field configuration, and the ability to adjust the offset, effectively reducing random or nonlinear noise introduced during recording. A multichannel shot gather decomposed into a swept-frequency record allows the fast generation of an accurate dispersion curve. The accuracy of dispersion curves determined using this method is proven through field comparisons of the inverted shear-wave velocity (??(s)) profile with a downhole ??(s) profile.Multichannel recording is an efficient method of acquiring ground roll. By displaying the obtained information in a swept-frequency format, different frequency components of Rayleigh waves can be identified by distinctive and simple coherency. In turn, a seismic surface-wave method is derived that provides a useful noninvasive tool, where information about elastic properties of near-surface materials can be effectively obtained.

Wheelset curving guidance using H∞ control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qazizadeh, Alireza; Stichel, Sebastian; Feyzmahdavian, Hamid Reza

2018-03-01

This study shows how to design an active suspension system for guidance of a rail vehicle wheelset in curve. The main focus of the study is on designing the controller and afterwards studying its effect on the wheel wear behaviour. The controller is designed based on the closed-loop transfer function shaping method and ? control strategy. The study discusses designing of the controller for both nominal and uncertain plants and considers both stability and performance. The designed controllers in Simulink are then applied to the vehicle model in Simpack to study the wheel wear behaviour in curve. The vehicle type selected for this study is a two-axle rail vehicle. This is because this type of vehicle is known to have very poor curving performance and high wheel wear. On the other hand, the relative simpler structure of this type of vehicle compared to bogie vehicles make it a more economic choice. Hence, equipping this type of vehicle with the active wheelset steering is believed to show high enough benefit to cost ratio to remain attractive to rail vehicle manufacturers and operators.

Size Determination of Y2O3 Crystallites in MgO Composite Using Mie Scattering

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-11-07

particle size, and the path length through the material to generate an expected light transmission spectrum. These calculated curves were compared to...materials. In the current work, light transmission data are compared to the theoretical curves generated by the Mie scattering model in an attempt to...Since the authors wanted to compare the model’s predictions to the experimental %T values, it seemed logical to start with Beer’s Law: )exp()1( 2

Hydraulic properties of Mt. Simon aquifer, Prairie Island Indian community, southeastern Minnesota, 2001

USGS Publications Warehouse

Winterstein, Thomas A.

2002-01-01

Hantush and Theis methods type curves were fitted to the measured drawdown and recovery curves in the observation well. The results of matching the type curves to the measured data indicate that leakage is negligible from the overlying Eau Claire confining unit into the Mt. Simon aquifer. The transmissivity and storage coeffi-cients for the Mt. Simon aquifer, determined by both methods, are 3, 000 ft2/d and 3 x 10-4, respectively. The average hydraulic conductivity, assuming an aquifer thickness of 233 ft, is 10 ft/d.

Dusty Donuts: Modeling the Reverberation Response of the Circumnuclear Dusty Torus Emission in AGN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Almeyda, Triana R.

The obscuring circumnuclear torus of dusty molecular gas is one of the major components of AGN (active galactic nuclei), yet its size, composition, and structure are not well understood. These properties can be studied by analyzing the temporal variations of the infrared (IR) dust emission from the torus in response to variations in the AGN continuum luminosity; a technique known as reverberation mapping. In a recent international campaign 12 AGN were monitored using the Spitzer Space Telescope and several ground-based telescopes, providing a unique set of well-sampled mid-IR and optical light curves which are required in order to determine the approximate sizes of the tori in these AGN. To help extract structural information contained in the data a computer model, TORMAC, has been developed that simulates the reverberation response of the clumpy torus emission. Given an input optical light curve, the code computes the emission of a 3D ensemble of dust clouds as a function of time at selected IR wavelengths, taking into account light travel delays. A large library of torus reverberation response simulations has been constructed, to investigate the effects of various geometrical and structural properties such as inclination, cloud distribution, disk half-opening angle, and radial depth. The effects of dust cloud orientation, cloud optical depth, anisotropy of the illuminating AGN radiation field, dust cloud shadowing, and cloud occultation are also explored in detail. TORMAC was also used to generate synthetic IR light curves for the Seyfert 1 galaxy, NGC 6418, using the observed optical light curve as the input, to investigate how the torus and dust cloud properties incorporated in the code affect the results obtained from reverberation mapping. This dissertation presents the most comprehensive investigation to date showing that radiative transfer effects within the torus and anisotropic illumination of the torus can strongly influence the torus IR response at different wavelengths, and should be accounted for when interpreting reverberation mapping data. TORMAC provides a powerful modeling tool that can generate simulated IR light curves for direct comparison to observations. As many types of astronomical sources are both variable and embedded in, or surrounded, by dust, TORMAC also has applications for dust reverberation studies well beyond the AGN observed in the Spitzer monitoring campaign.

Growth curve for Propionibacterium acnes.

PubMed

Hall, G S; Pratt-Rippin, K; Meisler, D M; Washington, J A; Roussel, T J; Miller, D

1994-06-01

We established growth curves for Propionibacterium acnes isolates recovered from eyes with chronic postoperative endophthalmitis. The growth curve plotted the average of the duplicate bacterial concentration against time. The generation time for P. acnes calculated from the growth curves was approximately 5.1 hours. The growth of P. acnes is slower than other anaerobic bacteria. This may account for its delayed appearance in culture of ocular specimens. It may also explain treatment failure if the concentration of an antibiotic injected into the vitreous does not remain at an effective level during the critical replicative phase of the organism.

Response of thyroid follicular cells to gamma irradiation compared to proton irradiation: II. The role of connexin 32

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Green, L. M.; Tran, D. T.; Murray, D. K.; Rightnar, S. S.; Todd, S.; Nelson, G. A.

2002-01-01

The objective of this study was to determine whether connexin 32-type gap junctions contribute to the "contact effect" in follicular thyrocytes and whether the response is influenced by radiation quality. Our previous studies demonstrated that early-passage follicular cultures of Fischer rat thyroid cells express functional connexin 32 gap junctions, with later-passage cultures expressing a truncated nonfunctional form of the protein. This model allowed us to assess the role of connexin 32 in radiation responsiveness without relying solely on chemical manipulation of gap junctions. The survival curves generated after gamma irradiation revealed that early-passage follicular cultures had significantly lower values of alpha (0.04 Gy(-1)) than later-passage cultures (0.11 Gy(-1)) (P < 0.0001, n = 12). As an additional way to determine whether connexin 32 was contributing to the difference in survival, cultures were treated with heptanol, resulting in higher alpha values, with early-passage cultures (0.10 Gy(-1)) nearly equivalent to untreated late-passage cultures (0.11 Gy(-1)) (P > 0.1, n = 9). This strongly suggests that the presence of functional connexin 32-type gap junctions was contributing to radiation resistance in gamma-irradiated thyroid follicles. Survival curves from proton-irradiated cultures had alpha values that were not significantly different whether cells expressed functional connexin 32 (0.10 Gy(-1)), did not express connexin 32 (0.09 Gy(-1)), or were down-regulated (early-passage plus heptanol, 0.09 Gy(-1); late-passage plus heptanol, 0.12 Gy(-1)) (P > 0.1, n = 19). Thus, for proton irradiation, the presence of connexin 32-type gap junctional channels did not influence their radiosensitivity. Collectively, the data support the following conclusions. (1) The lower alpha values from the gamma-ray survival curves of the early-passage cultures suggest greater repair efficiency and/or enhanced resistance to radiation-induced damage, coincident with the expression of connexin 32-type gap junctions. (2) The increased sensitivity of FRTL-5 cells to proton irradiation was independent of their ability to communicate through connexin 32 gap junctions. (3) The fact that the beta components of the survival curves from both gamma rays and proton beams were similar (average 0.022 +/- 0.008 Gy(-2), P > 0.1, n = 39) suggests that at higher doses the loss of viability occurs at a relatively constant rate and is independent of radiation quality and the presence of functional gap junctions.

Can low-resolution airborne laser scanning data be used to model stream rating curves?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lyon, Steve; Nathanson, Marcus; Lam, Norris; Dahlke, Helen; Rutzinger, Martin; Kean, Jason W.; Laudon, Hjalmar

2015-01-01

This pilot study explores the potential of using low-resolution (0.2 points/m2) airborne laser scanning (ALS)-derived elevation data to model stream rating curves. Rating curves, which allow the functional translation of stream water depth into discharge, making them integral to water resource monitoring efforts, were modeled using a physics-based approach that captures basic geometric measurements to establish flow resistance due to implicit channel roughness. We tested synthetically thinned high-resolution (more than 2 points/m2) ALS data as a proxy for low-resolution data at a point density equivalent to that obtained within most national-scale ALS strategies. Our results show that the errors incurred due to the effect of low-resolution versus high-resolution ALS data were less than those due to flow measurement and empirical rating curve fitting uncertainties. As such, although there likely are scale and technical limitations to consider, it is theoretically possible to generate rating curves in a river network from ALS data of the resolution anticipated within national-scale ALS schemes (at least for rivers with relatively simple geometries). This is promising, since generating rating curves from ALS scans would greatly enhance our ability to monitor streamflow by simplifying the overall effort required.

Improved Field-Effect Transistor Equations for Computer Simulation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kidd, Richard; Ardini, James

1979-01-01

Presents a laboratory experiment that was developed to acquaint physics students with field-effect transistor characteristics and circuits. Computer-drawn curves supplementing student laboratory exercises can be generated to provide more permanent, usable data than those taken from a curve tracer. (HM)

Diamond thin film temperature and heat-flux sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aslam, M.; Yang, G. S.; Masood, A.; Fredricks, R.

1995-01-01

Diamond film temperature and heat-flux sensors are developed using a technology compatible with silicon integrated circuit processing. The technology involves diamond nucleation, patterning, doping, and metallization. Multi-sensor test chips were designed and fabricated to study the thermistor behavior. The minimum feature size (device width) for 1st and 2nd generation chips are 160 and 5 micron, respectively. The p-type diamond thermistors on the 1st generation test chip show temperature and response time ranges of 80-1270 K and 0.29-25 microseconds, respectively. An array of diamond thermistors, acting as heat flux sensors, was successfully fabricated on an oxidized Si rod with a diameter of 1 cm. Some problems were encountered in the patterning of the Pt/Ti ohmic contacts on the rod, due mainly to the surface roughness of the diamond film. The use of thermistors with a minimum width of 5 micron (to improve the spatial resolution of measurement) resulted in lithographic problems related to surface roughness of diamond films. We improved the mean surface roughness from 124 nm to 30 nm by using an ultra high nucleation density of 10(exp 11)/sq cm. To deposit thermistors with such small dimensions on a curved surface, a new 3-D diamond patterning technique is currently under development. This involves writing a diamond seed pattern directly on the curved surface by a computer-controlled nozzle.

Evaluation of NDE Round-Robin Exercises Using the NRC Steam Generator Mockup at Argonne National Laboratory

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

Muscara, Joseph; Kupperman, David S.; Bakhtiari, Sasab

2002-07-01

This paper discusses round-robin exercises using the NRC steam generator (SG) mock-up at Argonne National Laboratory to assess inspection reliability. The purpose of the round robins was to assess the current reliability of SG tubing inservice inspection, determine the probability of detection (POD) as function of flaw size or severity, and assess the capability for sizing of flaws. For the round robin and subsequent evaluation completed in 2001, eleven teams participated. Bobbin and rotating coil mock-up data collected by qualified industry personnel were evaluated. The mock-up contains hundreds of cracks and simulations of artifacts such as corrosion deposits and tubemore » support plates that make detection and characterization of cracks more difficult in operating steam generators than in most laboratory situations. An expert Task Group from industry, Argonne National Laboratory, and the NRC have reviewed the signals from the laboratory-grown cracks used in the mock-up to ensure that they provide reasonable simulations of those obtained in the field. The mock-up contains 400 tube openings. Each tube contains nine 22.2-mm (7/8-in.) diameter, 30.5-cm (1-ft) long, Alloy 600 test sections. The flaws are located in the tube sheet near the roll transition zone (RTZ), in the tube support plate (TSP), and in the free-span. The flaws are primarily intergranular stress corrosion cracks (axial and circumferential, ID and OD) though intergranular attack (IGA) wear and fatigue cracks are also present, as well as cracks in dents. In addition to the simulated tube sheet and TSP the mock-up has simulated sludge and magnetite deposits. A multiparameter eddy current algorithm, validated for mock-up flaws, provided a detailed isometric plot for every flaw and was used to establish the reference state of defects in the mock-up. The detection results for the 11 teams were used to develop POD curves as a function of maximum depth, voltage and the parameter m p, for the various types of flaws. The POD curves were represented as linear logistic curves, and the curve parameters were determined by the method of Maximum Likelihood. The effect of both statistical uncertainties inherent in sampling from distributions and the uncertainties due to errors in the estimates of maximum depth and m p was investigated. The 95% one-sided confidence limits (OSL), which include errors in maximum depth estimates, are presented along with the POD curves. For the second round robin a reconfigured mock-up is being used to evaluate the effectiveness of eddy current array probes. The primary emphasis is on the X-Probe. Progress with the X-Probe round robin is discussed in this paper. (authors)« less

Determining the hydraulic and fracture properties of the Coal Seam Gas well by numerical modelling and GLUE analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Askarimarnani, Sara; Willgoose, Garry; Fityus, Stephen

2017-04-01

Coal seam gas (CSG) is a form of natural gas that occurs in some coal seams. Coal seams have natural fractures with dual-porosity systems and low permeability. In the CSG industry, hydraulic fracturing is applied to increase the permeability and extract the gas more efficiently from the coal seam. The industry claims that it can design fracking patterns. Whether this is true or not, the public (and regulators) requires assurance that once a well has been fracked that the fracking has occurred according to plan and that the fracked well is safe. Thus defensible post-fracking testing methodologies for gas generating wells are required. In 2009 a fracked well HB02, owned by AGL, near Broke, NSW, Australia was subjected to "traditional" water pump-testing as part of this assurance process. Interpretation with well Type Curves and simple single phase (i.e. only water, no gas) highlighted deficiencies in traditional water well approaches with a systemic deviation from the qualitative characteristic of well drawdown curves (e.g. concavity versus convexity of drawdown with time). Accordingly a multiphase (i.e. water and methane) model of the well was developed and compared with the observed data. This paper will discuss the results of this multiphase testing using the TOUGH2 model and its EOS7C constitutive model. A key objective was to test a methodology, based on GLUE monte-carlo calibration technique, to calibrate the characteristics of the frack using the well test drawdown curve. GLUE involves a sensitivity analysis of how changes in the fracture properties change the well hydraulics through and analysis of the drawdown curve and changes in the cone of depression. This was undertaken by changing the native coal, fracture, and gas parameters to see how changing those parameters changed the match between simulations and the observed well drawdown. Results from the GLUE analysis show how much information is contained in the well drawdown curve for estimating field scale coal and gas generation properties, the fracture geometry, and the proponent characteristics. The results with the multiphase model show a better match to the drawdown than using a single phase model but the differences between the best fit drawdowns were small, and smaller than the difference between the best fit and field data. However, the parameters derived to generate these best fits for each model were very different. We conclude that while satisfactory fits with single phase groundwater models (e.g. MODFLOW, FEFLOW) can be achieved the parameters derived will not be realistic, with potential implications for drawdowns and water yields for gas field modelling. Multiphase models are thus required and we will discuss some of the limitations of TOUGH2 for the CSG problem.

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

Zhang, Jie; Jain, Rishabh; Hodge, Bri-Mathias

A data-driven methodology is developed to analyze how ambient and wake turbulence affect the power generation of wind turbine(s). Using supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) data from a wind plant, we select two sets of wind velocity and power data for turbines on the edge of the plant that resemble (i) an out-of-wake scenario and (ii) an in-wake scenario. For each set of data, two surrogate models are developed to represent the turbine(s) power generation as a function of (i) the wind speed and (ii) the wind speed and turbulence intensity. Three types of uncertainties in turbine(s) power generationmore » are investigated: (i) the uncertainty in power generation with respect to the reported power curve; (ii) the uncertainty in power generation with respect to the estimated power response that accounts for only mean wind speed; and (iii) the uncertainty in power generation with respect to the estimated power response that accounts for both mean wind speed and turbulence intensity. Results show that (i) the turbine(s) generally produce more power under the in-wake scenario than under the out-of-wake scenario with the same wind speed; and (ii) there is relatively more uncertainty in the power generation under the in-wake scenario than under the out-of-wake scenario.« less

Modelling deformation and fracture in confectionery wafers

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

Mohammed, Idris K.; Charalambides, Maria N.; Williams, J. Gordon

2015-01-22

The aim of this research is to model the deformation and fracture behaviour of brittle wafers often used in chocolate confectionary products. Three point bending and compression experiments were performed on beam and circular disc samples respectively to determine the 'apparent' stress-strain curves in bending and compression. The deformation of the wafer for both these testing types was observed in-situ within an SEM. The wafer is modeled analytically and numerically as a composite material with a core which is more porous than the skins. X-ray tomography was used to generate a three dimensional volume of the wafer microstructure which wasmore » then meshed and used for quantitative analysis. A linear elastic material model, with a damage function and element deletion, was used and the XMT generated architecture was loaded in compression. The output from the FE simulations correlates closely to the load-deflection deformation observed experimentally.« less

Generation of gene-corrected iPSC line from Parkinson's disease patient iPSC line with alpha-SNCA A53T mutation.

PubMed

Lee, Seo-Young; Jeong, SangKyun; Kim, Janghwan; Chung, Sun-Ku

2018-06-09

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common age-related neurodegenerative disorder. PD can result from a mutation of alpha-synuclein (α-SNCA), such as α-SNCA A53T. Using episomal vectors, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) were generated from skin fibroblasts with the α-SNCA A53T mutation. A huge bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) harboring the normal α-SNCA gene successfully corrected the α-SNCA A53T-mutant iPSCs. Melting curve analysis for allelic composition indicated that the BAC DNA was precisely targeted to the α-SNCA A53T mutation allele, without random integration. The corrected PD-iPSCs displayed the normal karyotype and pluripotency, with the capability to differentiate to any cell type. Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A molecular dynamics study of the role of pressure on the response of reactive materials to thermal initiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weingarten, N. Scott; Mattson, William D.; Yau, Anthony D.; Weihs, Timothy P.; Rice, Betsy M.

2010-05-01

To elucidate the mechanisms of energy release in a reacting nickel/aluminum bilayer, we simulate the exothermic alloying reactions using both microcanonical and isoenthalpic-isobaric molecular dynamics simulations and an embedded-atom method type potential. The mechanism of the mixing consists of a sequence of steps in which mixing and reaction first occurs at the interface; the resulting heat generated from the mixing then melts the Al layer; subsequent mixing leads to further heat generation after which the Ni layer melts. The mixing continues until the alloying reactions are completed. The results indicate that pressure has a significant influence on the rates of atomic mixing and alloying reactions. Local pressures and temperatures within the individual layers at the time of melting are calculated, and these results are compared with the pressure-dependent melting curves determined for pure Al and pure Ni using this interaction potential.

Modelling deformation and fracture in confectionery wafers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohammed, Idris K.; Charalambides, Maria N.; Williams, J. Gordon; Rasburn, John

2015-01-01

The aim of this research is to model the deformation and fracture behaviour of brittle wafers often used in chocolate confectionary products. Three point bending and compression experiments were performed on beam and circular disc samples respectively to determine the 'apparent' stress-strain curves in bending and compression. The deformation of the wafer for both these testing types was observed in-situ within an SEM. The wafer is modeled analytically and numerically as a composite material with a core which is more porous than the skins. X-ray tomography was used to generate a three dimensional volume of the wafer microstructure which was then meshed and used for quantitative analysis. A linear elastic material model, with a damage function and element deletion, was used and the XMT generated architecture was loaded in compression. The output from the FE simulations correlates closely to the load-deflection deformation observed experimentally.

Latent factor structure of a behavioral economic cigarette demand curve in adolescent smokers.

PubMed

Bidwell, L Cinnamon; MacKillop, James; Murphy, James G; Tidey, Jennifer W; Colby, Suzanne M

2012-11-01

Behavioral economic demand curves, or quantitative representations of drug consumption across a range of prices, have been used to assess motivation for a variety of drugs. Such curves generate multiple measures of drug demand that are associated with cigarette consumption and nicotine dependence. However, little is known about the relationships among these facets of demand. The aim of the study was to quantify these relationships in adolescent smokers by using exploratory factor analysis to examine the underlying structure of the facets of nicotine incentive value generated from a demand curve measure. Participants were 138 adolescent smokers who completed a hypothetical cigarette purchase task, which assessed estimated cigarette consumption at escalating levels of price/cigarette. Demand curves and five facets of demand were generated from the measure: Elasticity (i.e., 1/α or proportionate price sensitivity); Intensity (i.e., consumption at zero price); O(max) (i.e., maximum financial expenditure on cigarettes); P(max) (i.e., price at which expenditure is maximized); and Breakpoint (i.e., the price that suppresses consumption to zero). Principal components analysis was used to examine the latent structure among the variables. The results revealed a two-factor solution, which were interpreted as "Persistence," reflecting insensitivity to escalating price, and "Amplitude," reflecting the absolute levels of consumption and price. These findings suggest a two factor structure of nicotine incentive value as measured via a demand curve. If supported, these findings have implications for understanding the relationships among individual demand indices in future behavioral economic studies and may further contribute to understanding of the nature of cigarette reinforcement. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Aerodynamic shape optimization of Airfoils in 2-D incompressible flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rangasamy, Srinivethan; Upadhyay, Harshal; Somasekaran, Sandeep; Raghunath, Sreekanth

2010-11-01

An optimization framework was developed for maximizing the region of 2-D airfoil immersed in laminar flow with enhanced aerodynamic performance. It uses genetic algorithm over a population of 125, across 1000 generations, to optimize the airfoil. On a stand-alone computer, a run takes about an hour to obtain a converged solution. The airfoil geometry was generated using two Bezier curves; one to represent the thickness and the other the camber of the airfoil. The airfoil profile was generated by adding and subtracting the thickness curve from the camber curve. The coefficient of lift and drag was computed using potential velocity distribution obtained from panel code, and boundary layer transition prediction code was used to predict the location of onset of transition. The objective function of a particular design is evaluated as the weighted-average of aerodynamic characteristics at various angles of attacks. Optimization was carried out for several objective functions and the airfoil designs obtained were analyzed.

Positive direct current corona discharges in single wire-duct electrostatic precipitators

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

Yehia, Ashraf, E-mail: yehia30161@yahoo.com; Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Assiut University, Assiut 71516, Arab Republic of Egypt; Abdel-Fattah, E.

This paper is aimed to study the characteristics of the positive dc corona discharges in single wire-duct electrostatic precipitators. Therefore, the corona discharges were formed inside dry air fed single wire-duct reactor under positive dc voltage at the normal atmospheric conditions. The corona current-voltage characteristics curves have been measured in parallel with the ozone concentration generated inside the reactor under different discharge conditions. The corona current-voltage characteristics curves have agreed with a semi empirical equation derived from the previous studies. The experimental results of the ozone concentration generated inside the reactor were formulated in the form of an empirical equationmore » included the different parameters that were studied experimentally. The obtained equations are valid to expect both the current-voltage characteristics curves and the corresponding ozone concentration that generates with the positive dc corona discharges inside single wire-duct electrostatic precipitators under any operating conditions in the same range of the present study.« less

Application of remote sensing and geographical information system for generation of runoff curve number

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meshram, S. Gajbhiye; Sharma, S. K.; Tignath, S.

2017-07-01

Watershed is an ideal unit for planning and management of land and water resources (Gajbhiye et al., IEEE international conference on advances in technology and engineering (ICATE), Bombay, vol 1, issue 9, pp 23-25, 2013a; Gajbhiye et al., Appl Water Sci 4(1):51-61, 2014a; Gajbhiye et al., J Geol Soc India (SCI-IF 0.596) 84(2):192-196, 2014b). This study aims to generate the curve number, using remote sensing and geographical information system (GIS) and the effect of slope on curve number values. The study was carried out in Kanhaiya Nala watershed located in Satna district of Madhya Pradesh. Soil map, Land Use/Land cover and slope map were generated in GIS Environment. The CN parameter values corresponding to various soil, land cover, and land management conditions were selected from Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) standard table. Curve number (CN) is an index developed by the NRCS, to represent the potential for storm water runoff within a drainage area. The CN for a drainage basin is estimated using a combination of land use, soil, and antecedent soil moisture condition (AMC). In present study effect of slope on CN values were determined. The result showed that the CN unadjusted value are higher in comparison to CN adjusted with slope. Remote sensing and GIS is very reliable technique for the preparation of most of the input data required by the SCS curve number model.

Ensuring Reliable Natural Gas-Fired Generation with Fuel Contracts and Storage - DOE/NETL-2017/1816

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

Myles, Paul T.; Labarbara, Kirk A.; Logan, Cecilia Elise

This report finds that natural gas-fired power plants purchase fuel both on the spot market and through firm supply contracts; there do not appear to be clear drivers propelling power plants toward one or the other type. Most natural gas-fired power generators are located near major natural gas transmission pipelines, and most natural gas contracts are currently procured on the spot market. Although there is some regional variation in the type of contract used, a strong regional pattern does not emerge. Whether gas prices are higher with spot or firm contracts varies by both region and year. Natural gas pricesmore » that push the generators higher in the supply curve would make them less likely to dispatch. Most of the natural gas generators discussed in this report would be unlikely to enter firm contracts if the agreed price would decrease their dispatch frequency. The price points at which these generators would be unlikely to enter a firm contract depends upon the region that the generator is in, and how dependent that region is on natural gas. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) is more dependent on natural gas than either Eastern Interconnection or Western Interconnection. This report shows that above-ground storage is prohibitively expensive with respect to providing storage for an extended operational fuel reserve comparable to the amount of on-site fuel storage used for coal-fired plants. Further, both pressurized and atmospheric tanks require a significant amount of land for storage, even to support one day’s operation at full output. Underground storage offers the only viable option for 30-day operational storage of natural gas, and that is limited by the location of suitable geologic formations and depleted fields.« less

The behavioral economics of drug self-administration: A review and new analytical approach for within-session procedures

PubMed Central

Bentzley, Brandon S.; Fender, Kimberly M.; Aston-Jones, Gary

2012-01-01

Rationale Behavioral-economic demand curve analysis offers several useful measures of drug self-administration. Although generation of demand curves previously required multiple days, recent within-session procedures allow curve construction from a single 110-min cocaine self-administration session, making behavioral-economic analyses available to a broad range of self-administration experiments. However, a mathematical approach of curve fitting has not been reported for the within-session threshold procedure. Objectives We review demand curve analysis in drug self-administration experiments and provide a quantitative method for fitting curves to single-session data that incorporates relative stability of brain drug concentration. Methods Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to self-administer cocaine, and then tested with the threshold procedure in which the cocaine dose was sequentially decreased on a fixed ratio-1 schedule. Price points (responses/mg cocaine) outside of relatively stable brain cocaine concentrations were removed before curves were fit. Curve-fit accuracy was determined by the degree of correlation between graphical and calculated parameters for cocaine consumption at low price (Q0) and the price at which maximal responding occurred (Pmax). Results Removing price points that occurred at relatively unstable brain cocaine concentrations generated precise estimates of Q0 and resulted in Pmax values with significantly closer agreement with graphical Pmax than conventional methods. Conclusion The exponential demand equation can be fit to single-session data using the threshold procedure for cocaine self-administration. Removing data points that occur during relatively unstable brain cocaine concentrations resulted in more accurate estimates of demand curve slope than graphical methods, permitting a more comprehensive analysis of drug self-administration via a behavioral-economic framework. PMID:23086021

Seismic rehabilitation of skewed and curved bridges using a new generation of buckling restrained braces : research brief.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-12-01

Damage to skewed and curved bridges during strong earthquakes is documented. This project investigates whether such damage could be mitigated by using buckling restrained braces. Nonlinear models show that using buckling restrained braces to mitigate...

Seismic rehabilitation of skewed and curved bridges using a new generation of buckling restrained braces.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-12-01

The objective of this project is to find effective configurations for using buckling restrained braces (BRBs) in both skewed and curved bridges for reducing the effects of strong earthquakes. Verification is performed by numerical simulation using an...

MICA: Multiple interval-based curve alignment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mann, Martin; Kahle, Hans-Peter; Beck, Matthias; Bender, Bela Johannes; Spiecker, Heinrich; Backofen, Rolf

2018-01-01

MICA enables the automatic synchronization of discrete data curves. To this end, characteristic points of the curves' shapes are identified. These landmarks are used within a heuristic curve registration approach to align profile pairs by mapping similar characteristics onto each other. In combination with a progressive alignment scheme, this enables the computation of multiple curve alignments. Multiple curve alignments are needed to derive meaningful representative consensus data of measured time or data series. MICA was already successfully applied to generate representative profiles of tree growth data based on intra-annual wood density profiles or cell formation data. The MICA package provides a command-line and graphical user interface. The R interface enables the direct embedding of multiple curve alignment computation into larger analyses pipelines. Source code, binaries and documentation are freely available at https://github.com/BackofenLab/MICA

Spline Trajectory Algorithm Development: Bezier Curve Control Point Generation for UAVs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Howell, Lauren R.; Allen, B. Danette

2016-01-01

A greater need for sophisticated autonomous piloting systems has risen in direct correlation with the ubiquity of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technology. Whether surveying unknown or unexplored areas of the world, collecting scientific data from regions in which humans are typically incapable of entering, locating lost or wanted persons, or delivering emergency supplies, an unmanned vehicle moving in close proximity to people and other vehicles, should fly smoothly and predictably. The mathematical application of spline interpolation can play an important role in autopilots' on-board trajectory planning. Spline interpolation allows for the connection of Three-Dimensional Euclidean Space coordinates through a continuous set of smooth curves. This paper explores the motivation, application, and methodology used to compute the spline control points, which shape the curves in such a way that the autopilot trajectory is able to meet vehicle-dynamics limitations. The spline algorithms developed used to generate these curves supply autopilots with the information necessary to compute vehicle paths through a set of coordinate waypoints.

More Unusual Light Curves from Kepler

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2017-03-01

Twenty-three new objects have been added to the growing collection of stars observed to have unusual dips in their light curves. A recent study examines these stars and the potential causes of their strange behavior.An Influx of DataThe primary Kepler mission provided light curves for over 100,000 stars, and its continuation K2 is observing another 20,000 stars every three months. As we enter an era where these enormous photometric data sets become commonplace Gaia will obtain photometry for millions of stars, and LSST billions its crucial that we understand the different categories of variability observed in these stars.The authors find three different types of light curves among their 23 unusual stars. Scallop-shell curves (top) show many undulations; persistent flux-dip class curves (middle) have discrete triangularly shaped flux dips; transient, narrow dip class curves (bottom) have only one dip that is variable in depth. The authors speculate a common cause for the scallop-shell and persistent flux-dip stars, and a different cause for the transient flux-dip stars. [Stauffer et al. 2017]After filtering out the stars with planets, those in binary systems, those with circumstellar disks, and those with starspots, a number of oddities remain: a menagerie of stars with periodic variability that cant be accounted for in these categories. Some of these stars are now famous (for instance, Boyajians star); some are lesser known. But by continuing to build up this sample of stars with unusual light curves, we have a better chance of understanding the sources of variability.Building the MenagerieTo this end, a team of scientists led by John Stauffer (Spitzer Science Center at Caltech) has recently hunted for more additions to this sample in the K2 data set. In particular, they searched through the light curves from stars in the Oph and Upper Scorpius star-forming region a data set that makes up the largest collection of high-quality light curves for low-mass, pre-main-sequence stars ever obtained.In these light curves, Stauffer and collaborators found a set of 23 very low-mass, mid-to-late-type M dwarfs with unusual variability in their light curves. The variability is consistent with the stars rotation period where measured which suggests that whatever causes the dips in the light curve, its orbiting at the same rate as the star spins.Causes of Variability?These plots show how the properties of these 23 stars compare to those of the rest of the stars in their cluster (click for a closer look!). For all but the rotation rate, they are typical. But the stars with scallop-shaped light curves have among the shortest periods in Upper Sco, with somenear the theoretical break-up for stars of their age. [Stauffer et al. 2017]The authors categorize the 23 stars into two main groups.The first group consists of 19 stars with short periods; more than half of them rotate within a factor of two of their predicted breakup period! Many of these show sudden changes in their light-curve morphology, often after a stellar flare. The authors propose that the variability in these light curves might be caused by warm coronal gas clouds that are organized into a structured toroidal shape around the star.The second group consists of the remaining four stars, which have slightly longer periods. The light curves show a single short-duration flux dip with highly variable depth and shape superposed on normal, spotted-star light curves. The authors best guess for these four stars is that there are clouds of dusty debris circling the star, possibly orbiting a close-in planet or resulting from a recent collisional event.Stauffer and collaborators are currently developing more detailed models for these stars based on the possible variability scenarios. The next step, they state, is to determine if the gas in these structures have properties necessary to generate the light-curve features we see.CitationJohn Stauffer et al 2017 AJ 153 152. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/aa5eb9

Serotonin regulates voltage-dependent currents in type Ie(A) and Ii interneurons of Hermissenda

PubMed Central

Jin, Nan Ge

2011-01-01

Serotonin (5-HT) has both direct and modulatory actions on central neurons contributing to behavioral arousal and cellular-synaptic plasticity in diverse species. In Hermissenda, 5-HT produces changes in intrinsic excitability of different types of identified interneurons in the circumesophageal nervous system. Using whole cell patch-clamp techniques we have examined membrane conductance changes produced by 5-HT that contribute to intrinsic excitability in two identified classes of interneurons, types Ii and IeA. Whole cell currents were examined before and after 5-HT application to the isolated nervous system. A 4-aminopyridine-sensitive transient outward K+ current [IK(A)], a tetraethylammonium-sensitive delayed rectifier K+ current [IK(V)], an inward rectifier K+ current [IK(IR)], and a hyperpolarization-activated current (Ih) were characterized. 5-HT decreased the amplitude of IK(A) and IK(V) in both type Ii and IeA interneurons. However, differences in 5-HT's effects on the activation-inactivation kinetics were observed in different types of interneurons. 5-HT produced a depolarizing shift in the activation curve of IK(V) and a hyperpolarizing shift in the inactivation curve of IK(A) in type Ii interneurons. In contrast, 5-HT produced a depolarizing shift in the activation curve and a hyperpolarizing shift in the inactivation curve of both IK(V) and IK(A) in type IeA interneurons. In addition, 5-HT decreased the amplitude of IK(IR) in type Ii interneurons and increased the amplitude of Ih in type IeA interneurons. These results indicate that 5-HT-dependent changes in IK(A), IK(V), IK(IR), and Ih contribute to multiple mechanisms that synergistically support modulation of increased intrinsic excitability associated with different functional classes of identified type I interneurons. PMID:21813747

Shielding requirements for constant-potential diagnostic x-ray beams determined by a Monte Carlo calculation.

PubMed

Simpkin, D J

1989-02-01

A Monte Carlo calculation has been performed to determine the transmission of broad constant-potential x-ray beams through Pb, concrete, gypsum wallboard, steel and plate glass. The EGS4 code system was used with a simple broad-beam geometric model to generate exposure transmission curves for published 70, 100, 120 and 140-kVcp x-ray spectra. These curves are compared to measured three-phase generated x-ray transmission data in the literature and found to be reasonable. For calculation ease the data are fit to an equation previously shown to describe such curves quite well. These calculated transmission data are then used to create three-phase shielding tables for Pb and concrete, as well as other materials not available in Report No. 49 of the NCRP.

Analysis of several Boolean operation based trajectory generation strategies for automotive spray applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Guoyou; Jiang, Chunsheng; Chen, Tao; Hui, Chun

2018-05-01

Industrial robots are widely used in various processes of surface manufacturing, such as thermal spraying. The established robot programming methods are highly time-consuming and not accurate enough to fulfil the demands of the actual market. There are many off-line programming methods developed to reduce the robot programming effort. This work introduces the principle of several based robot trajectory generation strategy on planar surface and curved surface. Since the off-line programming software is widely used and thus facilitates the robot programming efforts and improves the accuracy of robot trajectory, the analysis of this work is based on the second development of off-line programming software Robot studio™. To meet the requirements of automotive paint industry, this kind of software extension helps provide special functions according to the users defined operation parameters. The presented planning strategy generates the robot trajectory by moving an orthogonal surface according to the information of coating surface, a series of intersection curves are then employed to generate the trajectory points. The simulation results show that the path curve created with this method is successive and smooth, which corresponds to the requirements of automotive spray industrial applications.

Photometric properties of intermediate-redshift Type Ia supernovae observed by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey-II Supernova Survey

DOE PAGES

Takanashi, N.; Doi, M.; Yasuda, N.; ...

2016-12-06

We have analyzed multi-band light curves of 328 intermediate redshift (0.05 <= z < 0.24) type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) observed by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey-II Supernova Survey (SDSS-II SN Survey). The multi-band light curves were parameterized by using the Multi-band Stretch Method, which can simply parameterize light curve shapes and peak brightness without dust extinction models. We found that most of the SNe Ia which appeared in red host galaxies (u - r > 2.5) don't have a broad light curve width and the SNe Ia which appeared in blue host galaxies (u - r < 2.0) havemore » a variety of light curve widths. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test shows that the colour distribution of SNe Ia appeared in red / blue host galaxies is different (significance level of 99.9%). We also investigate the extinction law of host galaxy dust. As a result, we find the value of Rv derived from SNe Ia with medium light curve width is consistent with the standard Galactic value. On the other hand, the value of Rv derived from SNe Ia that appeared in red host galaxies becomes significantly smaller. Furthermore, these results indicate that there may be two types of SNe Ia with different intrinsic colours, and they are obscured by host galaxy dust with two different properties.« less

Photometric properties of intermediate-redshift Type Ia supernovae observed by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey-II Supernova Survey

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

Takanashi, N.; Doi, M.; Yasuda, N.

We have analyzed multi-band light curves of 328 intermediate redshift (0.05 <= z < 0.24) type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) observed by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey-II Supernova Survey (SDSS-II SN Survey). The multi-band light curves were parameterized by using the Multi-band Stretch Method, which can simply parameterize light curve shapes and peak brightness without dust extinction models. We found that most of the SNe Ia which appeared in red host galaxies (u - r > 2.5) don't have a broad light curve width and the SNe Ia which appeared in blue host galaxies (u - r < 2.0) havemore » a variety of light curve widths. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test shows that the colour distribution of SNe Ia appeared in red / blue host galaxies is different (significance level of 99.9%). We also investigate the extinction law of host galaxy dust. As a result, we find the value of Rv derived from SNe Ia with medium light curve width is consistent with the standard Galactic value. On the other hand, the value of Rv derived from SNe Ia that appeared in red host galaxies becomes significantly smaller. Furthermore, these results indicate that there may be two types of SNe Ia with different intrinsic colours, and they are obscured by host galaxy dust with two different properties.« less

Spherical images and inextensible curved folding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seffen, Keith A.

2018-02-01

In their study, Duncan and Duncan [Proc. R. Soc. London A 383, 191 (1982), 10.1098/rspa.1982.0126] calculate the shape of an inextensible surface folded in two about a general curve. They find the analytical relationships between pairs of generators linked across the fold curve, the shape of the original path, and the fold angle variation along it. They present two special cases of generator layouts for which the fold angle is uniform or the folded curve remains planar, for simplifying practical folding in sheet-metal processes. We verify their special cases by a graphical treatment according to a method of Gauss. We replace the fold curve by a piecewise linear path, which connects vertices of intersecting pairs of hinge lines. Inspired by the d-cone analysis by Farmer and Calladine [Int. J. Mech. Sci. 47, 509 (2005), 10.1016/j.ijmecsci.2005.02.013], we construct the spherical images for developable folding of successive vertices: the operating conditions of the special cases in Duncan and Duncan are then revealed straightforwardly by the geometric relationships between the images. Our approach may be used to synthesize folding patterns for novel deployable and shape-changing surfaces without need of complex calculation.

Axial spatial distribution focusing: improving MALDI-TOF/RTOF mass spectrometric performance for high-energy collision-induced dissociation of biomolecules.

PubMed

Belgacem, O; Pittenauer, E; Openshaw, M E; Hart, P J; Bowdler, A; Allmaier, G

2016-02-15

For the last two decades, curved field reflectron technology has been used in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometers, assisting in the generation of post-source-decay (PSD) or collision-induced dissociation (CID) without decelerating precursor ions, producing true high-energy CID spectra. The result was the generation of product ion mass spectra with product ions typical of high-energy (10 keV and beyond) collision processes. The disadvantage of this approach was the lack of resolution in CID spectra resulting from the excess laser energy deposition used to generate those MS/MS spectra. The work presented in this study overcomes this limitation and includes comprehensive examples of high-energy and high-resolution CID MALDI-MS/MS spectra of biomolecules. The devices used in this study are TOF/RTOF instruments equipped with a high-vacuum MALDI ion source. High-resolution and high-energy CID spectra result from the use of axial spatial distribution focusing (ASDF) in combination with curved field reflectron technology. A CID spectrum of the P14 R1 peptide exhibits product ion resolution in excess of 10,000 (FWHM) but at the same time yields typical high-energy product ions such as w- and [y-2]-type ion series. High-energy CID spectra of lipids, exemplified by a glycerophospholipid and triglyceride, demonstrate C-C backbone fragmentation elucidating the presence of a hydroxyl group in addition to double-bond positioning. A complex high mannose carbohydrate (Man)8 (GlcNAc)2 was also studied at 20 keV collision energy and revealed further high-energy product ions with very high resolution, allowing unambiguous detection and characterization of cross-ring cleavage-related ions. This is the first comprehensive study using a MALDI-TOF/RTOF instrument equipped with a curved field reflectron and an ASDF device prior to the reflectron. © 2015 The Authors. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. © 2015 The Authors. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Light Curves of the Type II-P Supernova SN 2017eaw: The First 200 Days

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsvetkov, D. Yu.; Shugarov, S. Yu.; Volkov, I. M.; Pavlyuk, N. N.; Vozyakova, O. V.; Shatsky, N. I.; Nikiforova, A. A.; Troitsky, I. S.; Troitskaya, Yu. V.; Baklanov, P. V.

2018-05-01

We present the results of our UBVRI photometry for the type II-P supernova SN 2017eaw in NGC6946 obtained fromMay 14 to December 7, 2017, at several telescopes, including the 2.5-m telescope at the CaucasusHigh-Altitude Observatory of the SAIMSU. The dates andmagnitudes atmaximumlight and the light-curve parameters have been determined. The color evolution, extinction, and peak luminosity of SN 2017eaw are discussed. The results of our preliminary radiation-gasdynamic simulations of its light curves with the STELLA code describe satisfactorily the UBVRI observational data.

Measurement of N-Type 6H SiC Minority-Carrier Diffusion Lengths by Electron Bombardment of Schottky Barriers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hubbard, S. M.; Tabib-Azar, M.; Balley, S.; Rybickid, G.; Neudeck, P.; Raffaelle, R.

2004-01-01

Minority-Carrier diffusion lengths of n-type 6H-SiC were measured using the electron-beam induced current (EBIC) technique. Experimental values of primary beam current, EBIC, and beam voltage were obtained for a variety of SIC samples. This data was used to calculate experimental diode efficiency vs. beam voltage curves. These curves were fit to theoretically calculated efficiency curves, and the diffusion length and metal layer thickness were extracted. The hole diffusion length in n-6H SiC ranged from 0.93 +/- 0.15 microns.

On genera of curves from high-loop generalized unitarity cuts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Rijun; Zhang, Yang

2013-04-01

Generalized unitarity cut of a Feynman diagram generates an algebraic system of polynomial equations. At high-loop levels, these equations may define a complex curve or a (hyper-)surface with complicated topology. We study the curve cases, i.e., a 4-dimensional L-loop diagram with (4 L-1) cuts. The topology of a complex curve is classified by its genus. Hence in this paper, we use computational algebraic geometry to calculate the genera of curves from two and three-loop unitarity cuts. The global structure of degenerate on-shell equations under some specific kinematic configurations is also sketched. The genus information can also be used to judge if a unitary cut solution could be rationally parameterized.

Passenger Acceptance of Alignments with Frequent Curves in Maglev or Other Very-High-Speed Ground Systems

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-03-31

This study explored comfort and motion-sickness effects of Maglev travel in corridors characterized by frequent curves. A procedure was developed for estimating the propensity of a given set of ride motions to induce motion sickness, generating a num...

Experimental characterization of a small custom-built double-acting gamma-type stirling engine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Intsiful, Peter; Mensah, Francis; Thorpe, Arthur

This paper investigates characterization of a small custom-built double-acting gamma-type stirling engine. Stirling-cycle engine is a reciprocating energy conversion machine with working spaces operating under conditions of oscillating pressure and flow. These conditions may be due to compressibility as wells as pressure and temperature fluctuations. In standard literature, research indicates that there is lack of basic physics to account for the transport phenomena that manifest themselves in the working spaces of reciprocating engines. Previous techniques involve governing equations: mass, momentum and energy. Some authors use engineering thermodynamics. None of these approaches addresses this particular engine. A technique for observing and analyzing the behavior of this engine via parametric spectral profiles has been developed, using laser beams. These profiles enabled the generation of pv-curves and other trajectories for investigating the thermos-physical and thermos-hydrodynamic phenomena that manifest in the exchangers. The engine's performance was examined. The results indicate that with current load of 35.78A, electric power of 0.505 kW was generated at a speed of 240 rpm and 29.50 percent efficiency was obtained. Nasa grants to Howard University NASA/HBCU-NHRETU & CSTEA.

Comparison of power curve monitoring methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cambron, Philippe; Masson, Christian; Tahan, Antoine; Torres, David; Pelletier, Francis

2017-11-01

Performance monitoring is an important aspect of operating wind farms. This can be done through the power curve monitoring (PCM) of wind turbines (WT). In the past years, important work has been conducted on PCM. Various methodologies have been proposed, each one with interesting results. However, it is difficult to compare these methods because they have been developed using their respective data sets. The objective of this actual work is to compare some of the proposed PCM methods using common data sets. The metric used to compare the PCM methods is the time needed to detect a change in the power curve. Two power curve models will be covered to establish the effect the model type has on the monitoring outcomes. Each model was tested with two control charts. Other methodologies and metrics proposed in the literature for power curve monitoring such as areas under the power curve and the use of statistical copulas have also been covered. Results demonstrate that model-based PCM methods are more reliable at the detecting a performance change than other methodologies and that the effectiveness of the control chart depends on the types of shift observed.

Full fusion of proximal thoracic curve helps to prevent postoperative cervical tilt in Lenke type 2 adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients with right-elevated shoulder.

PubMed

Jiang, Jun; Qian, Bang-Ping; Qiu, Yong; Wang, Bin; Yu, Yang; Zhu, Ze-Zhang

2017-08-23

To date, no study had reported the phenomenon of deteriorated postoperative cervical tilt in Lenke type 2 adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the cervical tilt in Lenke type 2 adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients with right-elevated shoulder treated by either full fusion or partial/non fusion of the proximal thoracic curve. A total of 30 Lenke type 2 AIS patients with preoperative right-elevated shoulder underwent posterior spinal instrumentation from 2009 to 2011 were included in this study. All the subjects were divided into 2 groups according to the selection of upper instrumented vertebra. There were 14 cases proximally fused to T1 or T2 (Group A) and 16 cases proximally fused to T3 or below (Group B). Both standing anteroposterior and sagittal X-ray films of the spine obtained preoperatively, one week after the operation, and at a minimum of two-year follow-up were analyzed with respect to the following parameters: cervical tilt, T1 tilt, proximal thoracic Cobb angle, main thoracic Cobb angle, apical vertebral translation of proximal thoracic curve, apical vertebral translation of main thoracic curve, radiographic shoulder height, cervical lordosis, proximal thoracic kyphosis and main thoracic kyphosis. Most (83.3%) of the patients in these two groups gained satisfactory shoulder balance after surgery. However, the cervical tilt significantly improved in group A (p < 0.001) but deteriorated in group B (p < 0.001). In group A, the decrease of cervical tilt significantly positively correlated with that of T1 tilt (p < 0.001). In group B, the increase of cervical tilt significantly positively correlated with both the increase of T1 tilt (p < 0.001) and the increase of apical vertebral translation of proximal thoracic curve (p < 0.05). Lenke type 2 AIS patients with right-elevated shoulder gain improved shoulder but deteriorated cervical tilt after partial/non fusion of proximal thoracic curve. Full fusion of proximal thoracic curve helps to prevent the residual cervical tilt in these patients.

Predictive aging results for cable materials in nuclear power plants

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

Gillen, K.T.; Clough, R.L.

1990-11-01

In this report, we provide a detailed discussion of methodology of predicting cable degradation versus dose rate, temperature, and exposure time and its application to data obtained on a number of additional nuclear power plant cable insulation (a hypalon, a silicon rubber and two ethylenetetrafluoroethylenes) and jacket (a hypalon) materials. We then show that the predicted, low-dose-rate results for our materials are in excellent agreement with long-term (7 to 9 years), low dose-rate results recently obtained for the same material types actually aged under nuclear power plant conditions. Based on a combination of the modelling and long-term results, we findmore » indications of reasonably similar degradation responses among several different commercial formulations for each of the following generic'' materials: hypalon, ethylenetetrafluoroethylene, silicone rubber and PVC. If such generic'' behavior can be further substantiated through modelling and long-term results on additional formulations, predictions of cable life for other commercial materials of the same generic types would be greatly facilitated. Finally, to aid utilities in their cable life extension decisions, we utilize our modelling results to generate lifetime prediction curves for the materials modelled to data. These curves plot expected material lifetime versus dose rate and temperature down to the levels of interest to nuclear power plant aging. 18 refs., 30 figs., 3 tabs.« less

CO2 and CH4 Fluxes across Polygon Geomorphic Types, Barrow, Alaska, 2006-2010

DOE Data Explorer

Tweedie,Craig; Lara, Mark

2014-09-17

Carbon flux data are reported as Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE), Gross Ecosystem Exchange (GEE), Ecosystem Respiration (ER), and Methane (CH4) flux. Measurements were made at 82 plots across various polygon geomorphic classes at research sites on the Barrow Environmental Observatory (BEO), the Biocomplexity Experiment site on the BEO, and the International Biological Program (IBP) site a little west of the BEO. This product is a compilation of data from 27 plots as presented in Lara et al. (2012), data from six plots presented in Olivas et al. (2010); and from 49 plots described in (Lara et al. 2014). Measurements were made during the peak of the growing seasons during 2006 to 2010. At each of the measurement plots (except Olivas et al., 2010) four different thicknesses of shade cloth were used to generate CO2 light response curves. Light response curves were used to normalize photosynthetically active radiation that is diurnally variable to a peak growing season average ~400 umolm-2sec-1. At the Olivas et al. (2010) plots, diurnal patterns were characterized by repeated sampling. CO2 measurements were made using a closed-chamber photosynthesis system and CH4 measurements were made using a photo-acoustic multi-gas analyzer. In addition, plot-level measurements for thaw depth (TD), water table depth (WTD), leaf area index (LAI), and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) are summarized by geomorphic polygon type.

Estimating Transmissivity from the Water Level Fluctuations of a Sinusoidally Forced Well

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mehnert, E.; Valocchi, A.J.; Heidari, M.; Kapoor, S.G.; Kumar, P.

1999-01-01

The water levels in wells are known to fluctuate in response to earth tides and changes in atmospheric pressure. These water level fluctuations can be analyzed to estimate transmissivity (T). A new method to estimate transmissivity, which assumes that the atmospheric pressure varies in a sinusoidal fashion, is presented. Data analysis for this simplified method involves using a set of type curves and estimating the ratio of the amplitudes of the well response over the atmospheric pressure. Type curves for this new method were generated based on a model for ground water flow between the well and aquifer developed by Cooper et al. (1965). Data analysis with this method confirmed these published results: (1) the amplitude ratio is a function of transmissivity, the well radius, and the frequency of the sinusoidal oscillation; and (2) the amplitude ratio is a weak function of storativity. Compared to other methods, the developed method involves simpler, more intuitive data analysis and allows shorter data sets to be analyzed. The effect of noise on estimating the amplitude ratio was evaluated and found to be more significant at lower T. For aquifers with low T, noise was shown to mask the water level fluctuations induced by atmospheric pressure changes. In addition, reducing the length of the data series did not affect the estimate of T, but the variance of the estimate was higher for the shorter series of noisy data.

National Cohort Study of Suicidality and Violent Criminality among Danish Immigrants

PubMed Central

Webb, Roger T.; Antonsen, Sussie; Mok, Pearl L. H.; Agerbo, Esben; Pedersen, Carsten B.

2015-01-01

Background Immigrant populations in western societies have grown in their size and diversity yet evidence is incomplete for their risks of suicidality and criminal violence. We examined these correlated harmful behaviours in a national cohort. Aims (i) Compare absolute risk between first and second generation immigrants, foreign-born adoptees and native Danes by plotting cumulative incidence curves to onset of early middle age; (ii) estimate sex-specific relative risks for these immigrant type subgroups vs. native Danes; (iii) examine effect modification by higher vs. lower socio-economic status. Methods In a cohort of over two million persons, attempted suicides and violent crimes were investigated using data from multiple interlinked registers. We plotted sex-specific cumulative incidence curves and estimated incidence rate ratios. Results In the whole study cohort, 1414 people died by suicide, 46,943 attempted suicide, and 51,344 were convicted of committing a violent crime. Among all immigrant subgroups combined, compared with native Danes, relative risk of attempted suicide was greater in female immigrants (incidence rate ratio, 1.59; 95% confidence interval: CI 1.54-1.64) than in male immigrants (1.26; CI 1.20-1.32), and vice versa for relative risk of violent offending in male immigrants (2.36; CI 2.31-2.42) than in female immigrants (1.74; CI 1.62-1.87). Risk for both adverse outcomes was significantly elevated in virtually every gender-specific immigrant type subgroup examined. Violent crime risk was markedly raised in first generation immigrant males and in the Danish born male children of two immigrant parents. However, male immigrants of lower social status had lower risk of attempted suicide than their native Danish peers. Conclusion Young immigrants of both first and second generation status face serious challenges and vulnerabilities that western societies need to urgently address. Relative risk patterns for these adverse outcomes vary greatly between the genders and also by socioeconomic status. This high degree of heterogeneity points to the existence of modifiable factors that are amenable to positive change and a potential for effective intervention. PMID:26121654

National Cohort Study of Suicidality and Violent Criminality among Danish Immigrants.

PubMed

Webb, Roger T; Antonsen, Sussie; Mok, Pearl L H; Agerbo, Esben; Pedersen, Carsten B

2015-01-01

Immigrant populations in western societies have grown in their size and diversity yet evidence is incomplete for their risks of suicidality and criminal violence. We examined these correlated harmful behaviours in a national cohort. (i) Compare absolute risk between first and second generation immigrants, foreign-born adoptees and native Danes by plotting cumulative incidence curves to onset of early middle age; (ii) estimate sex-specific relative risks for these immigrant type subgroups vs. native Danes; (iii) examine effect modification by higher vs. lower socio-economic status. In a cohort of over two million persons, attempted suicides and violent crimes were investigated using data from multiple interlinked registers. We plotted sex-specific cumulative incidence curves and estimated incidence rate ratios. In the whole study cohort, 1414 people died by suicide, 46,943 attempted suicide, and 51,344 were convicted of committing a violent crime. Among all immigrant subgroups combined, compared with native Danes, relative risk of attempted suicide was greater in female immigrants (incidence rate ratio, 1.59; 95% confidence interval: CI 1.54-1.64) than in male immigrants (1.26; CI 1.20-1.32), and vice versa for relative risk of violent offending in male immigrants (2.36; CI 2.31-2.42) than in female immigrants (1.74; CI 1.62-1.87). Risk for both adverse outcomes was significantly elevated in virtually every gender-specific immigrant type subgroup examined. Violent crime risk was markedly raised in first generation immigrant males and in the Danish born male children of two immigrant parents. However, male immigrants of lower social status had lower risk of attempted suicide than their native Danish peers. Young immigrants of both first and second generation status face serious challenges and vulnerabilities that western societies need to urgently address. Relative risk patterns for these adverse outcomes vary greatly between the genders and also by socioeconomic status. This high degree of heterogeneity points to the existence of modifiable factors that are amenable to positive change and a potential for effective intervention.

Recent developments in tissue-type imaging (TTI) for planning and monitoring treatment of prostate cancer.

PubMed

Feleppa, Ernest J; Porter, Christopher R; Ketterling, Jeffrey; Lee, Paul; Dasgupta, Shreedevi; Urban, Stella; Kalisz, Andrew

2004-07-01

Because current methods of imaging prostate cancer are inadequate, biopsies cannot be effectively guided and treatment cannot be effectively planned and targeted. Therefore, our research is aimed at ultrasonically characterizing cancerous prostate tissue so that we can image it more effectively and thereby provide improved means of detecting, treating and monitoring prostate cancer. We base our characterization methods on spectrum analysis of radiofrequency (rf) echo signals combined with clinical variables such as prostate-specific antigen (PSA). Tissue typing using these parameters is performed by artificial neural networks. We employed and evaluated different approaches to data partitioning into training, validation, and test sets and different neural network configuration options. In this manner, we sought to determine what neural network configuration is optimal for these data and also to assess possible bias that might exist due to correlations among different data entries among the data for a given patient. The classification efficacy of each neural network configuration and data-partitioning method was measured using relative-operating-characteristic (ROC) methods. Neural network classification based on spectral parameters combined with clinical data generally produced ROC-curve areas of 0.80 compared to curve areas of 0.64 for conventional transrectal ultrasound imaging combined with clinical data. We then used the optimal neural network configuration to generate lookup tables that translate local spectral parameter values and global clinical-variable values into pixel values in tissue-type images (TTIs). TTIs continue to show cancerous regions successfully, and may prove to be particularly useful clinically in combination with other ultrasonic and nonultrasonic methods, e.g., magnetic-resonance spectroscopy.

Recent Developments in Tissue-type Imaging(TTI) for Planning and Monitoring Treatment of Prostate Cancer

PubMed Central

Feleppa, Ernest J.; Porter, Christopher R.; Ketterling, Jeffrey; Lee, Paul; Dasgupta, Shreedevi; Urban, Stella; Kalisz, Andrew

2006-01-01

Because current methods of imaging prostate cancer are inadequate, biopsies cannot be effectively guided and treatment cannot be effectively planned and targeted. Therefore, our research is aimed at ultrasonically characterizing cancerous prostate tissue so that we can image it more effectively and thereby provide improved means of detecting, treating and monitoring prostate cancer. We base our characterization methods on spectrum analysis of radio frequency (rf) echo signals combined with clinical variables such as prostate-specific antigen (PSA). Tissue typing using these parameters is performed by artificial neural networks. We employedand evaluated different approaches to data partitioning into training, validation, and test sets and different neural network configuration options. In this manner, we sought to determine what neural network configuration is optimal for these data and also to assess possible bias that might exist due to correlations among different data entries among the data for a given patient. The classification efficacy of each neural network configuration and data-partitioning method was measured using relative-operating-characteristic (ROC) methods. Neural network classification based on spectral parameters combined with clinical data generally produced ROC-curve areas of 0.80 compared to curve areas of 0.64 for conventional transrectal ultrasound imaging combined with clinical data. We then used the optimal neural network configuration to generate lookup tables that translate local spectral parameter values and global clinical-variable values into pixel values in tissue-type images (TTIs). TTIs continue to show can cerous regions successfully, and may prove to be particularly useful clinically in combination with other ultrasonic and nonultrasonic methods, e.g., magnetic-resonance spectroscopy. PMID:15754797

The application of simulation modeling to the cost and performance ranking of solar thermal power plants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rosenberg, L. S.; Revere, W. R.; Selcuk, M. K.

1981-01-01

A computer simulation code was employed to evaluate several generic types of solar power systems (up to 10 MWe). Details of the simulation methodology, and the solar plant concepts are given along with cost and performance results. The Solar Energy Simulation computer code (SESII) was used, which optimizes the size of the collector field and energy storage subsystem for given engine-generator and energy-transport characteristics. Nine plant types were examined which employed combinations of different technology options, such as: distributed or central receivers with one- or two-axis tracking or no tracking; point- or line-focusing concentrator; central or distributed power conversion; Rankin, Brayton, or Stirling thermodynamic cycles; and thermal or electrical storage. Optimal cost curves were plotted as a function of levelized busbar energy cost and annualized plant capacity. Point-focusing distributed receiver systems were found to be most efficient (17-26 percent).

Evaluation of Two Commercial Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay Kits for the Detection of Human Circulating Metrnl.

PubMed

Zheng, Si-Li; Li, Zhi-Yong; Zhang, Zheng; Wang, Dong-Sheng; Xu, Jian; Miao, Chao-Yu

2018-04-01

Metrnl is a newly discovered secreted protein with neurotrophic activity and metabolic effect, while in earlier studies its circulating level in human was not explored. We evaluated two commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits (DY7867-05, R&D Systems and SK00478-02, Aviscera Bioscience) for the detection of human circulating Metrnl. The DY7867-05 kit showed superiority over the SK00478-02 kit since it generated better curve fitting degree, smaller variation among tests, higher inter-assay reproducibility and better specificity, and could effectively detect human Metrnl in six types of blood samples. Subsequent analysis was performed using the DY7867-05 kit. Sample storage conditions were investigated. No gender difference in circulating Metrnl levels was found, while people with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) had significantly lower Metrnl levels compared to the healthy controls.

Diatomic predissociation line widths

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Child, M. S.

1973-01-01

Predissociation by rotation and curve crossing in diatomic molecules is discussed. The pattern of predissociation line widths is seen as providing a highly sensitive yardstick for the determination of unknown potential curves. In addition, the computation of such a pattern for given potential curves is considered a matter of routine, unless the predissociation happens to occur from an adiabatic potential curve. Analytic formulas are used to provide physical insight into the details of the predissociation pattern, to the extent that a direct inversion procedure is developed for determination of the repulsive potential curves for Type 1 predissociations.

Four spot laser anemometer and optical access techniques for turbine applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wernet, Mark P.

A time-of-flight anemometer (TOFA) system utilizing a spatial lead-lag filter for bipolar pulse generation has been constructed and tested. This system, called a four-spot laser anemometer, was specifically designed for use in high-speed, turbulent flows in the presence of walls or surfaces. The TOFA system uses elliptical spots to increase the flow acceptance angle to be comparable with that of a fringe-type anemometer. The tightly focused spots used in the four spot yield excellent flare light rejection capabilities. Good results have been obtained to 75 microns normal to a surface, with an f/2.5 collection lens. This system is being evaluated for use in a warm turbine facility. Results from both a particle-lag velocity experiment and boundary layer profiles will be discussed. In addition, an analysis of the use of curved windows in a turbine casing will be presented. Curved windows, matching the inner radius of the turbine casing, preserve the flow conditions, but introduce astigmatic aberrations. A correction optic was designed that virtually eliminates these astigmatic aberrations throughout the intrablade survey region for normal incidence.

Four spot laser anemometer and optical access techniques for turbine applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wernet, Mark P.

A time-of-flight anemometer (TOFA) system, utilizing a spatial lead-lag filter for bipolar pulse generation was constructed and tested. This system, called a Four Spot Laser Anemometer, was specifically designed for use in high speed, turbulent flows in the presence of walls or surfaces. The TOFA system uses elliptical spots to increase the flow acceptance angle to be comparable with that of a fringe type anemometer. The tightly focused spots used in the Four Spot yield excellent flare light rejection capabilities. Good results were obtained to 75 microns normal to a surface, with a f/2.5 collecting lens. This system is being evaluated for use in a warm turbine facility. Results from both a particle lag velocity experiment and boundary layer profiles will be discussed. In addition, an analysis of the use of curved windows in a turbine casing will be presented. Curved windows, matching the inner radius of the turbine casing, preserve the flow conditions, but introduce astigmatic aberrations. A correction optic was designed that virtually eliminates these astigmatic aberrations throughout the intrablade survey region for normal incidence.

Variable Stars Observed in the Galactic Disk by AST3-1 from Dome A, Antarctica

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

Wang, Lingzhi; Ma, Bin; Hu, Yi

AST3-1 is the second-generation wide-field optical photometric telescope dedicated to time-domain astronomy at Dome A, Antarctica. Here, we present the results of an i -band images survey from AST3-1 toward one Galactic disk field. Based on time-series photometry of 92,583 stars, 560 variable stars were detected with i magnitude ≤16.5 mag during eight days of observations; 339 of these are previously unknown variables. We tentatively classify the 560 variables as 285 eclipsing binaries (EW, EB, and EA), 27 pulsating variable stars ( δ Scuti, γ Doradus, δ Cephei variable, and RR Lyrae stars), and 248 other types of variables (unclassifiedmore » periodic, multiperiodic, and aperiodic variable stars). Of the eclipsing binaries, 34 show O’Connell effects. One of the aperiodic variables shows a plateau light curve and another variable shows a secondary maximum after peak brightness. We also detected a complex binary system with an RS CVn-like light-curve morphology; this object is being followed-up spectroscopically using the Gemini South telescope.« less

Elliptic Curve Cryptography-Based Authentication with Identity Protection for Smart Grids

PubMed Central

Zhang, Liping; Tang, Shanyu; Luo, He

2016-01-01

In a smart grid, the power service provider enables the expected power generation amount to be measured according to current power consumption, thus stabilizing the power system. However, the data transmitted over smart grids are not protected, and then suffer from several types of security threats and attacks. Thus, a robust and efficient authentication protocol should be provided to strength the security of smart grid networks. As the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system provides the security protection between the control center and substations in most smart grid environments, we focus on how to secure the communications between the substations and smart appliances. Existing security approaches fail to address the performance-security balance. In this study, we suggest a mitigation authentication protocol based on Elliptic Curve Cryptography with privacy protection by using a tamper-resistant device at the smart appliance side to achieve a delicate balance between performance and security of smart grids. The proposed protocol provides some attractive features such as identity protection, mutual authentication and key agreement. Finally, we demonstrate the completeness of the proposed protocol using the Gong-Needham- Yahalom logic. PMID:27007951

Elliptic Curve Cryptography-Based Authentication with Identity Protection for Smart Grids.

PubMed

Zhang, Liping; Tang, Shanyu; Luo, He

2016-01-01

In a smart grid, the power service provider enables the expected power generation amount to be measured according to current power consumption, thus stabilizing the power system. However, the data transmitted over smart grids are not protected, and then suffer from several types of security threats and attacks. Thus, a robust and efficient authentication protocol should be provided to strength the security of smart grid networks. As the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system provides the security protection between the control center and substations in most smart grid environments, we focus on how to secure the communications between the substations and smart appliances. Existing security approaches fail to address the performance-security balance. In this study, we suggest a mitigation authentication protocol based on Elliptic Curve Cryptography with privacy protection by using a tamper-resistant device at the smart appliance side to achieve a delicate balance between performance and security of smart grids. The proposed protocol provides some attractive features such as identity protection, mutual authentication and key agreement. Finally, we demonstrate the completeness of the proposed protocol using the Gong-Needham-Yahalom logic.

New Energy-Dependent Soft X-Rav Damage In MOS Devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chan, Tung-Yi; Gaw, Henry; Seligson, Daniel; Pan, Lawrence; King, Paul L.; Pianetta, Piero

1988-06-01

An energy-dependent soft x-ray-induced device damage has been discovered in MOS devices fabricated using standard CMOS process. MOS devices were irradiated by monochromatic x-rays in energy range just above and below the silicon K-edge (1.84 keV). Photons below the K-edge is found to create more damage in the oxide and oxide/silicon interface than photons above the K-edge. This energy-dependent damage effect is believed to be due to charge traps generated during device fabrication. It is found that data for both n- and p-type devices lie along a universal curve if normalized threshold voltage shifts are plotted against absorbed dose in the oxide. The threshold voltage shift saturates when the absorbed dose in the oxide exceeds 1.4X105 mJ/cm3, corresponding to 6 Mrad in the oxide. Using isochronal anneals, the trapped charge damage is found to recover with an activation energy of 0.38 eV. A discrete radiation-induced damage state appears in the low frequency C-V curve in a temperature range from 1750C to 325°C.

Gold Nanoparticle-Aptamer-Based LSPR Sensing of Ochratoxin A at a Widened Detection Range by Double Calibration Curve Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Boshi; Huang, Renliang; Yu, Yanjun; Su, Rongxin; Qi, Wei; He, Zhimin

2018-04-01

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a type of mycotoxin generated from the metabolism of Aspergillus and Penicillium, and is extremely toxic to humans, livestock, and poultry. However, traditional assays for the detection of OTA are expensive and complicated. Other than OTA aptamer, OTA itself at high concentration can also adsorb on the surface of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), and further inhibit AuNPs salt aggregation. We herein report a new OTA assay by applying the localized surface plasmon resonance effect of AuNPs and their aggregates. The result obtained from only one single linear calibration curve is not reliable, and so we developed a “double calibration curve” method to address this issue and widen the OTA detection range. A number of other analytes were also examined, and the structural properties of analytes that bind with the AuNPs were further discussed. We found that various considerations must be taken into account in the detection of these analytes when applying AuNP aggregation-based methods due to their different binding strengths.

Four spot laser anemometer and optical access techniques for turbine applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wernet, Mark P.

1987-01-01

A time-of-flight anemometer (TOFA) system utilizing a spatial lead-lag filter for bipolar pulse generation has been constructed and tested. This system, called a four-spot laser anemometer, was specifically designed for use in high-speed, turbulent flows in the presence of walls or surfaces. The TOFA system uses elliptical spots to increase the flow acceptance angle to be comparable with that of a fringe-type anemometer. The tightly focused spots used in the four spot yield excellent flare light rejection capabilities. Good results have been obtained to 75 microns normal to a surface, with an f/2.5 collection lens. This system is being evaluated for use in a warm turbine facility. Results from both a particle-lag velocity experiment and boundary layer profiles will be discussed. In addition, an analysis of the use of curved windows in a turbine casing will be presented. Curved windows, matching the inner radius of the turbine casing, preserve the flow conditions, but introduce astigmatic aberrations. A correction optic was designed that virtually eliminates these astigmatic aberrations throughout the intrablade survey region for normal incidence.

Four spot laser anemometer and optical access techniques for turbine applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wernet, Mark P.

1987-01-01

A time-of-flight anemometer (TOFA) system, utilizing a spatial lead-lag filter for bipolar pulse generation was constructed and tested. This system, called a Four Spot Laser Anemometer, was specifically designed for use in high speed, turbulent flows in the presence of walls or surfaces. The TOFA system uses elliptical spots to increase the flow acceptance angle to be comparable with that of a fringe type anemometer. The tightly focused spots used in the Four Spot yield excellent flare light rejection capabilities. Good results were obtained to 75 microns normal to a surface, with a f/2.5 collecting lens. This system is being evaluated for use in a warm turbine facility. Results from both a particle lag velocity experiment and boundary layer profiles will be discussed. In addition, an analysis of the use of curved windows in a turbine casing will be presented. Curved windows, matching the inner radius of the turbine casing, preserve the flow conditions, but introduce astigmatic aberrations. A correction optic was designed that virtually eliminates these astigmatic aberrations throughout the intrablade survey region for normal incidence.

Hierarchical Models for Type Ia Supernova Light Curves in the Optical and Near Infrared

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mandel, Kaisey; Narayan, G.; Kirshner, R. P.

2011-01-01

I have constructed a comprehensive statistical model for Type Ia supernova optical and near infrared light curves. Since the near infrared light curves are excellent standard candles and are less sensitive to dust extinction and reddening, the combination of near infrared and optical data better constrains the host galaxy extinction and improves the precision of distance predictions to SN Ia. A hierarchical probabilistic model coherently accounts for multiple random and uncertain effects, including photometric error, intrinsic supernova light curve variations and correlations across phase and wavelength, dust extinction and reddening, peculiar velocity dispersion and distances. An improved BayeSN MCMC code is implemented for computing probabilistic inferences for individual supernovae and the SN Ia and host galaxy dust populations. I use this hierarchical model to analyze nearby Type Ia supernovae with optical and near infared data from the PAIRITEL, CfA3, and CSP samples and the literature. Using cross-validation to test the robustness of the model predictions, I find that the rms Hubble diagram scatter of predicted distance moduli is 0.11 mag for SN with optical and near infrared data versus 0.15 mag for SN with only optical data. Accounting for the dispersion expected from random peculiar velocities, the rms intrinsic prediction error is 0.08-0.10 mag for SN with both optical and near infrared light curves. I discuss results for the inferred intrinsic correlation structures of the optical-NIR SN Ia light curves and the host galaxy dust distribution captured by the hierarchical model. The continued observation and analysis of Type Ia SN in the optical and near infrared is important for improving their utility as precise and accurate cosmological distance indicators.

The Separation of Between-person and Within-person Components of Individual Change Over Time: A Latent Curve Model with Structured Residuals

PubMed Central

Curran, Patrick J.; Howard, Andrea L.; Bainter, Sierra; Lane, Stephanie T.; McGinley, James S.

2014-01-01

Objective Although recent statistical and computational developments allow for the empirical testing of psychological theories in ways not previously possible, one particularly vexing challenge remains: how to optimally model the prospective, reciprocal relations between two constructs as they developmentally unfold over time. Several analytic methods currently exist that attempt to model these types of relations, and each approach is successful to varying degrees. However, none provide the unambiguous separation of between-person and within-person components of stability and change over time, components that are often hypothesized to exist in the psychological sciences. The goal of our paper is to propose and demonstrate a novel extension of the multivariate latent curve model to allow for the disaggregation of these effects. Method We begin with a review of the standard latent curve models and describe how these primarily capture between-person differences in change. We then extend this model to allow for regression structures among the time-specific residuals to capture within-person differences in change. Results We demonstrate this model using an artificial data set generated to mimic the developmental relation between alcohol use and depressive symptomatology spanning five repeated measures. Conclusions We obtain a specificity of results from the proposed analytic strategy that are not available from other existing methodologies. We conclude with potential limitations of our approach and directions for future research. PMID:24364798

Droplet-based microfluidics for dose-response assay of enzyme inhibitors by electrochemical method.

PubMed

Gu, Shuqing; Lu, Youlan; Ding, Yaping; Li, Li; Zhang, Fenfen; Wu, Qingsheng

2013-09-24

A simple but robust droplet-based microfluidic system was developed for dose-response enzyme inhibition assay by combining concentration gradient generation method with electrochemical detection method. A slotted-vials array and a tapered tip capillary were used for reagents introduction and concentration gradient generation, and a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic chip integrated with microelectrodes was used for droplet generation and electrochemical detection. Effects of oil flow rate and surfactant on electrochemical sensing were investigated. This system was validated by measuring dose-response curves of three types of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors, including carbamate pesticide, organophosphorus pesticide, and therapeutic drugs regulating Alzheimer's disease. Carbaryl, chlorpyrifos, and tacrine were used as model analytes, respectively, and their IC50 (half maximal inhibitory concentration) values were determined. A whole enzyme inhibition assay was completed in 6 min, and the total consumption of reagents was less than 5 μL. This microfluidic system is applicable to many biochemical reactions, such as drug screening and kinetic studies, as long as one of the reactants or products is electrochemically active. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Short-Term Aging of NeFeB Magnets for Stirling Linear Alternator Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Niedra, Janis M.; Schwarze, Gene E. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

NeFeB type magnets have been proposed for use in free piston Stirling engine driven, linear alternators to generate electric power during long duration space missions. These type of materials provide the highest energy product commercial magnets, thus minimizing alternator size or mass, but do not provide the high temperature stability of magnetic properties found in the SmCo type magnets. Therefore, to apply the NeFeB type magnets at elevated temperatures to multiyear space missions, their long-term aging characteristics must be determined. This report presents 200 hr aging data for six types of NeFeB magnets selected from three manufacturers. Aging was performed under vacuum at 150 C, with a steady demagnetizing field of 5 kOe applied. From the data produced by this short-term aging run, candidate magnet types were selected for a planned 12,000 hr long-term run. Depending on the manufacturer's magnet type, remanence losses observed ranged from 0 to 7%, when measured at 120 C on an established recoil line. Also, intrinsic coercivity losses up to about 4% were observed for the M-H curve at 120 C. In some cases, these coercivity losses were not recoverable by recharge of the magnet, indicating a structural change of the material.

Thermoluminscence of irradiated herbs and spices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mamoon, A.; Abdul-Fattah, A. A.; Abulfaraj, W. H.

1994-07-01

Several types of herbs and spices from the local market were irradiated with different doses of γ radiations. Doses varied from a few kilograys to 10 kilograys. Thermoluminescence of the irradiated samples and their controls was investigated. For the same type of herb or spice glow curves of different magnitudes, corresponding somewhat to the doses given, were obtained from the irradiated samples. Most control samples gave little or insignificant glow. Glow curves from different herbs and spices irradiated with the same doses were not similar in the strength of the glow signal given. Samples of the black pepper obtained from different packages sometimes give glow curves of very different intensities. Samples from irradiated black pepper were found to show little fading of their glow curves even at 9 months postirradiation. All irradiations were done under the same experimental conditions and at a dose rate of approximately 1 kGy h-1. The glow curves were obtained using a heating rate of about 9°C s-1 and a constant nitrogen flow rate.

On the distribution of saliency.

PubMed

Berengolts, Alexander; Lindenbaum, Michael

2006-12-01

Detecting salient structures is a basic task in perceptual organization. Saliency algorithms typically mark edge-points with some saliency measure, which grows with the length and smoothness of the curve on which these edge-points lie. Here, we propose a modified saliency estimation mechanism that is based on probabilistically specified grouping cues and on curve length distributions. In this framework, the Shashua and Ullman saliency mechanism may be interpreted as a process for detecting the curve with maximal expected length. Generalized types of saliency naturally follow. We propose several specific generalizations (e.g., gray-level-based saliency) and rigorously derive the limitations on generalized saliency types. We then carry out a probabilistic analysis of expected length saliencies. Using ergodicity and asymptotic analysis, we derive the saliency distributions associated with the main curves and with the rest of the image. We then extend this analysis to finite-length curves. Using the derived distributions, we derive the optimal threshold on the saliency for discriminating between figure and background and bound the saliency-based figure-from-ground performance.

The Strategic Nature of the Tactical Satellite. Part 2

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-08-13

hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and...constellation orbiting at 100 NM. The curves represent data for three mission types: SIGINT (solid), comm/BFT (dashed), and imagery (dotted). Two panes...persistent constellation orbiting at 500 km. The curves represent data for three mission types: SIGINT (solid), comm/BFT (dashed), and imagery (dotted

Helical Peierls distortion: Formation of helices of polyketone and polyisocyanide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, Chang-Xing; Kertesz, Miklos

1990-06-01

A new type of Peierls-like distortion, the formation of a helix due to the existence of partially filled crossing bands, is reported for polyketone and polyisocyanide. The torsional potential curves, optimized geometries, band structures and phonon dispersion curves are derived. A comparison with the well-known Peierls-distorted all-trans polyacetylene indicates close similarity between the two types of Peierls distortions.

Photometry and Blazhko Effect in RR Lyr Type Star DM Cyg

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Udovichenko, S. N.; Dubovsky, P. A.; Kudzej, I.

2010-12-01

The photometric CCD observations for RR Lyr type star DM Cyg in Astronomical stations near Odessa(Ukraine) and Kolonica(Slovakia) in 2008 and near Odessa in 2009 have been carried out. The light curves in V system were obtained and the frequency Fourier analyse was performed. From Fourier spectra of the light curves 18 frequencies were identified. The weak Blazhko effect was detected.

Experimental Studies of Active and Passive Flow Control Techniques Applied in a Twin Air-Intake

PubMed Central

Joshi, Shrey; Jindal, Aman; Maurya, Shivam P.; Jain, Anuj

2013-01-01

The flow control in twin air-intakes is necessary to improve the performance characteristics, since the flow traveling through curved and diffused paths becomes complex, especially after merging. The paper presents a comparison between two well-known techniques of flow control: active and passive. It presents an effective design of a vortex generator jet (VGJ) and a vane-type passive vortex generator (VG) and uses them in twin air-intake duct in different combinations to establish their effectiveness in improving the performance characteristics. The VGJ is designed to insert flow from side wall at pitch angle of 90 degrees and 45 degrees. Corotating (parallel) and counterrotating (V-shape) are the configuration of vane type VG. It is observed that VGJ has the potential to change the flow pattern drastically as compared to vane-type VG. While the VGJ is directed perpendicular to the side walls of the air-intake at a pitch angle of 90 degree, static pressure recovery is increased by 7.8% and total pressure loss is reduced by 40.7%, which is the best among all other cases tested for VGJ. For bigger-sized VG attached to the side walls of the air-intake, static pressure recovery is increased by 5.3%, but total pressure loss is reduced by only 4.5% as compared to all other cases of VG. PMID:23935422

The geometry of the cutting front created by Fibre and CO2 lasers when profiling stainless steel under standard commercial conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pocorni, Jetro; Powell, John; Frostevarg, Jan; Kaplan, Alexander F. H.

2018-07-01

Cutting fronts created by CO2 and fibre lasers in stainless steel at thicknesses between 2 mm and 10 mm have been 'frozen' and their geometry has been measured. Standard commercial cutting parameters were used to generate the cuts for both types of laser. The resulting three-dimensional cutting front shapes have been curve fitted as polynomials and semicircles. Various features of the cutting front geometry are discussed including the lack of correlation of the cut front inclination with either the relevant Brewster angle or the inclination of the striations on the cut edge.

An Image Encryption Algorithm Utilizing Julia Sets and Hilbert Curves

PubMed Central

Sun, Yuanyuan; Chen, Lina; Xu, Rudan; Kong, Ruiqing

2014-01-01

Image encryption is an important and effective technique to protect image security. In this paper, a novel image encryption algorithm combining Julia sets and Hilbert curves is proposed. The algorithm utilizes Julia sets’ parameters to generate a random sequence as the initial keys and gets the final encryption keys by scrambling the initial keys through the Hilbert curve. The final cipher image is obtained by modulo arithmetic and diffuse operation. In this method, it needs only a few parameters for the key generation, which greatly reduces the storage space. Moreover, because of the Julia sets’ properties, such as infiniteness and chaotic characteristics, the keys have high sensitivity even to a tiny perturbation. The experimental results indicate that the algorithm has large key space, good statistical property, high sensitivity for the keys, and effective resistance to the chosen-plaintext attack. PMID:24404181

The shape of the glucose response curve during an oral glucose tolerance test heralds biomarkers of type 2 diabetes risk in obese youth

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The shape of the glucose response curve during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), monophasic versus biphasic, identifies physiologically distinct groups of individuals with differences in insulin secretion and sensitivity. We aimed to verify the value of the OGTT-glucose response curve against m...

Genetically shaping morphology of the filamentous fungus Aspergillus glaucus for production of antitumor polyketide aspergiolide A

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background For filamentous fungi, the basic growth unit of hyphae usually makes it sensitive to shear stress which is generated from mechanical force and dynamic fluid in bioreactor, and it severely decreases microbial productions. The conventional strategies against shear-sensitive conundrum in fungal fermentation usually focus on adapting agitation, impeller type and bioreactor configuration, which brings high cost and tough work in industry. This study aims to genetically shape shear resistant morphology of shear-sensitive filamentous fungus Aspergillus glaucus to make it adapt to bioreactor so as to establish an efficient fermentation process. Results Hyphal morphology shaping by modifying polarized growth genes of A. glaucus was applied to reduce its shear-sensitivity and enhance aspergiolide A production. Degenerate PCR and genome walking were used to obtain polarized growth genes AgkipA and AgteaR, followed by construction of gene-deficient mutants by homologous integration of double crossover. Deletion of both genes caused meandering hyphae, for which, ΔAgkipA led to small but intense curves comparing with ΔAgteaR by morphology analysis. The germination of a second germ tube from conidiospore of the mutants became random while colony growth and development almost maintained the same. Morphology of ΔAgkipA and ΔAgteaR mutants turned to be compact pellet and loose clump in liquid culture, respectively. The curved hyphae of both mutants showed no remarkably resistant to glass bead grinding comparing with the wild type strain. However, they generated greatly different broth rheology which further caused growth and metabolism variations in bioreactor fermentations. By forming pellets, the ΔAgkipA mutant created a tank environment with low-viscosity, low shear stress and high dissolved oxygen tension, leading to high production of aspergiolide A (121.7 ± 2.3 mg/L), which was 82.2% higher than the wild type. Conclusions A new strategy for shaping fungal morphology by modifying polarized growth genes was applied in submerged fermentation in bioreactor. This work provides useful information of shaping fungal morphology for submerged fermentation by genetically modification, which could be valuable for morphology improvement of industrial filamentous fungi. PMID:24886193

LONG-TERM LIGHT CURVE OF HIGHLY VARIABLE PROTOSTELLAR STAR GM CEP

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

Xiao Limin; Kroll, Peter; Henden, Arne A.

2010-04-15

We present data from the archival plates at Harvard College Observatory and Sonneberg Observatory showing the field of the solar-type pre-main-sequence star GM Cep. A total of 186 magnitudes of GM Cep have been measured on these archival plates, with 176 in blue sensitivity, six in visible, and four in red. We combine our data with data from the literature and from the American Association of Variable Star Observers to depict the long-term light curves of GM Cep in both B and V wavelengths. The light curves span from 1895 until now, with two densely sampled regions (1935-1945 in themore » B band, and 2006 until now in the V band). The long-term light curves do not show any fast rise behavior as predicted by an accretion mechanism. Both the light curves and the magnitude histograms confirm the conclusion that the light curves are dominated by dips (possibly from extinction) superposed on some quiescence state, instead of outbursts caused by accretion flares. Our result excludes the possibility of GM Cep being a FUor, EXor, or McNeil's Nebula-type star. Several special cases of T Tauri stars were checked, but none of these light curves were compatible with that of GM Cep. The lack of periodicity in the light curve excludes the possibility of GM Cep being a KH 15D system.« less

Nasal versus oronasal raised volume forced expirations in infants – A real physiologic challenge

PubMed Central

Morris, Mohy G.

2012-01-01

Summary Raised volume rapid thoracoabdominal compression (RTC) generates forced expiration (FE) in infants typically from an airway opening pressure of 30 cm H2O (V30). We hypothesized that the higher nasal than pulmonary airway resistance limits forced expiratory flows (FEF%) during (nasal) FEn, which an opened mouth, (oronasal) FEo, would resolve. Measurements were performed during a brief post-hyperventilation apnea on twelve healthy infants aged 6.9–104 weeks. In two infants, forced expiratory (FEFV) flow volume (FV) curves were generated using a facemask that covered the nose and a closed mouth, then again with a larger mask with the mouth opened. In other infants (n=10), the mouth closed spontaneously during FE. Oronasal passive expiration from V30 generated either the inspiratory capacity (IC) or by activating RTC before end-expiration, the slow vital capacity (jSVC). Peak flow (PF), FEF25, FEF50, FEF25–75, FEV0.4 and FEV0.5 were lower via FEn than FEo (p<0.05), but the ratio of expired volume at PF and forced vital capacity (FVC) as percent was higher (p<0.05). FEF75, FEF85, FEF90, FVC as well as the applied jacket pressures were not different (p>0.05). FEFV curves generated via FEo exhibited higher PF than FV curves of IC (p< 0.05); PF of those produced via FEn were not different from FV curves of IC (p> 0.05) but lower than those of jSVC (p< 0.05). In conclusion, the higher nasal than pulmonary airways resistance unequivocally affects the FEFV curves by consistently reducing PF and decreases mid-expiratory flows. A monitored slightly opened mouth and a gentle anterior jaw thrust are physiologically integral for raised volume RTC in order to maximize the oral and minimize nasal airways contribution to FE so that flow limitation would be in the pulmonary not nasal airways. PMID:22328241

An Unified Multiscale Framework for Planar, Surface, and Curve Skeletonization.

PubMed

Jalba, Andrei C; Sobiecki, Andre; Telea, Alexandru C

2016-01-01

Computing skeletons of 2D shapes, and medial surface and curve skeletons of 3D shapes, is a challenging task. In particular, there is no unified framework that detects all types of skeletons using a single model, and also produces a multiscale representation which allows to progressively simplify, or regularize, all skeleton types. In this paper, we present such a framework. We model skeleton detection and regularization by a conservative mass transport process from a shape's boundary to its surface skeleton, next to its curve skeleton, and finally to the shape center. The resulting density field can be thresholded to obtain a multiscale representation of progressively simplified surface, or curve, skeletons. We detail a numerical implementation of our framework which is demonstrably stable and has high computational efficiency. We demonstrate our framework on several complex 2D and 3D shapes.

Analysis of Classes of Superlinear Semipositone Problems with Nonlinear Boundary Conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morris, Quinn A.

We study positive radial solutions for classes of steady state reaction diffusion problems on the exterior of a ball with both Dirichlet and nonlinear boundary conditions. We consider p-Laplacian problems (p > 1) with reaction terms which are superlinear at infinity and semipositone. In the case p = 2, using variational methods, we establish the existence of a solution, and via detailed analysis of the Green's function, we prove the positivity of the solution. In the case p ≠ 2, we again use variational methods to establish the existence of a solution, but the positivity of the solution is achieved via sophisticated a priori estimates. In the case p ≠ 2, the Green's function analysis is no longer available. Our results significantly enhance the literature on superlinear semipositone problems. Finally, we provide algorithms for the numerical generation of exact bifurcation curves for one-dimensional problems. In the autonomous case, we extend and analyze a quadrature method, and using nonlinear solvers in Mathematica, generate bifurcation curves. In the nonautonomous case, we employ shooting methods in Mathematica to generate bifurcation curves.

GENERATING FRACTAL PATTERNS BY USING p-CIRCLE INVERSION

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramírez, José L.; Rubiano, Gustavo N.; Zlobec, Borut Jurčič

2015-10-01

In this paper, we introduce the p-circle inversion which generalizes the classical inversion with respect to a circle (p = 2) and the taxicab inversion (p = 1). We study some basic properties and we also show the inversive images of some basic curves. We apply this new transformation to well-known fractals such as Sierpinski triangle, Koch curve, dragon curve, Fibonacci fractal, among others. Then we obtain new fractal patterns. Moreover, we generalize the method called circle inversion fractal be means of the p-circle inversion.

Pointwise regularity of parameterized affine zipper fractal curves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bárány, Balázs; Kiss, Gergely; Kolossváry, István

2018-05-01

We study the pointwise regularity of zipper fractal curves generated by affine mappings. Under the assumption of dominated splitting of index-1, we calculate the Hausdorff dimension of the level sets of the pointwise Hölder exponent for a subinterval of the spectrum. We give an equivalent characterization for the existence of regular pointwise Hölder exponent for Lebesgue almost every point. In this case, we extend the multifractal analysis to the full spectrum. In particular, we apply our results for de Rham’s curve.

Uncooled Cantilever Microbolometer Focal Plane Arrays with mK Temperature Resolution: Engineering Mechanics for the Next Generation

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-11-25

34Nanoindentation Stress-Strain Curves of Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposited Silicon Oxide Thin Films," Thin Solid Films, 516 (8) (2008) 1941-1951. 9. S...1604. 5. Z. Cao* and X. Zhang, "Measurement of Stress-Strain Curves of PECVD Silicon Oxide Thin Films by Means of Nanoindentation," in Processing...Microsystems (Transducers 󈧋), Lyon, France, June 10-14, 2007. 9. Z. Cao* and X. Zhang, “Measurement of Stress-strain Curves of PECVD Silicon Oxide

Oscillatory patterns in the light curves of five long-term monitored type 1 active galactic nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kovačević, Andjelka B.; Pérez-Hernández, Ernesto; Popović, Luka Č.; Shapovalova, Alla I.; Kollatschny, Wolfram; Ilić, Dragana

2018-04-01

New combined data of five well-known type 1 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are probed with a novel hybrid method in a search for oscillatory behaviour. Additional analysis of artificial light curves obtained from the coupled oscillatory models gives confirmation for detected periods that could have a physical background. We find periodic variations in the long-term light curves of 3C 390.3, NGC 4151 and NGC 5548, and E1821 + 643, with correlation coefficients larger than 0.6. We show that the oscillatory patterns of two binary black hole candidates, NGC 5548 and E1821 + 643, correspond to qualitatively different dynamical regimes of chaos and stability, respectively. We demonstrate that the absence of oscillatory patterns in Arp 102B could be the result of a weak coupling between oscillatory mechanisms. This is the first good evidence that 3C 390.3 and Arp 102B, categorized as double-peaked Balmer line objects, have qualitative different dynamics. Our analysis shows a novelty in the oscillatory dynamical patterns of the light curves of these type 1 AGNs.

CEC-normalized clay-water sorption isotherm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woodruff, W. F.; Revil, A.

2011-11-01

A normalized clay-water isotherm model based on BET theory and describing the sorption and desorption of the bound water in clays, sand-clay mixtures, and shales is presented. Clay-water sorption isotherms (sorption and desorption) of clayey materials are normalized by their cation exchange capacity (CEC) accounting for a correction factor depending on the type of counterion sorbed on the mineral surface in the so-called Stern layer. With such normalizations, all the data collapse into two master curves, one for sorption and one for desorption, independent of the clay mineralogy, crystallographic considerations, and bound cation type; therefore, neglecting the true heterogeneity of water sorption/desorption in smectite. The two master curves show the general hysteretic behavior of the capillary pressure curve at low relative humidity (below 70%). The model is validated against several data sets obtained from the literature comprising a broad range of clay types and clay mineralogies. The CEC values, derived by inverting the sorption/adsorption curves using a Markov chain Monte Carlo approach, are consistent with the CEC associated with the clay mineralogy.

Extension of Ko Straight-Beam Displacement Theory to Deformed Shape Predictions of Slender Curved Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ko, William L.; Fleischer, Van Tran

2011-01-01

The Ko displacement theory originally developed for shape predictions of straight beams is extended to shape predictions of curved beams. The surface strains needed for shape predictions were analytically generated from finite-element nodal stress outputs. With the aid of finite-element displacement outputs, mathematical functional forms for curvature-effect correction terms are established and incorporated into straight-beam deflection equations for shape predictions of both cantilever and two-point supported curved beams. The newly established deflection equations for cantilever curved beams could provide quite accurate shape predictions for different cantilever curved beams, including the quarter-circle cantilever beam. Furthermore, the newly formulated deflection equations for two-point supported curved beams could provide accurate shape predictions for a range of two-point supported curved beams, including the full-circular ring. Accuracy of the newly developed curved-beam deflection equations is validated through shape prediction analysis of curved beams embedded in the windward shallow spherical shell of a generic crew exploration vehicle. A single-point collocation method for optimization of shape predictions is discussed in detail

How to use hand-held computers to evaluate wood drying.

Treesearch

Howard N. Rosen; Darrell S. Martin

1985-01-01

Techniques have been developed to evaluate end generate wood drying curves with hand-held computers (3-5K memory). Predictions of time to dry to a specific moisture content, drying rates, and other characteristics of wood drying curves can be made. The paper describes the development of programs and illustrates their use.

Electro-Mechanical Resonance Curves

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greenslade, Thomas B., Jr.

2018-01-01

Recently I have been investigating the frequency response of galvanometers. These are direct-current devices used to measure small currents. By using a low-frequency function generator to supply the alternating-current signal and a stopwatch smartphone app to measure the period, I was able to take data to allow a resonance curve to be drawn. This…

A dynamical systems approach to the tilted Bianchi models of solvable type

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coley, Alan; Hervik, Sigbjørn

2005-02-01

We use a dynamical systems approach to analyse the tilting spatially homogeneous Bianchi models of solvable type (e.g., types VIh and VIIh) with a perfect fluid and a linear barotropic γ-law equation of state. In particular, we study the late-time behaviour of tilted Bianchi models, with an emphasis on the existence of equilibrium points and their stability properties. We briefly discuss the tilting Bianchi type V models and the late-time asymptotic behaviour of irrotational Bianchi type VII0 models. We prove the important result that for non-inflationary Bianchi type VIIh models vacuum plane-wave solutions are the only future attracting equilibrium points in the Bianchi type VIIh invariant set. We then investigate the dynamics close to the plane-wave solutions in more detail, and discover some new features that arise in the dynamical behaviour of Bianchi cosmologies with the inclusion of tilt. We point out that in a tiny open set of parameter space in the type IV model (the loophole) there exist closed curves which act as attracting limit cycles. More interestingly, in the Bianchi type VIIh models there is a bifurcation in which a set of equilibrium points turns into closed orbits. There is a region in which both sets of closed curves coexist, and it appears that for the type VIIh models in this region the solution curves approach a compact surface which is topologically a torus.

Uncertainty estimation with bias-correction for flow series based on rating curve

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shao, Quanxi; Lerat, Julien; Podger, Geoff; Dutta, Dushmanta

2014-03-01

Streamflow discharge constitutes one of the fundamental data required to perform water balance studies and develop hydrological models. A rating curve, designed based on a series of concurrent stage and discharge measurements at a gauging location, provides a way to generate complete discharge time series with a reasonable quality if sufficient measurement points are available. However, the associated uncertainty is frequently not available even though it has a significant impact on hydrological modelling. In this paper, we identify the discrepancy of the hydrographers' rating curves used to derive the historical discharge data series and proposed a modification by bias correction which is also in the form of power function as the traditional rating curve. In order to obtain the uncertainty estimation, we propose a further both-side Box-Cox transformation to stabilize the regression residuals as close to the normal distribution as possible, so that a proper uncertainty can be attached for the whole discharge series in the ensemble generation. We demonstrate the proposed method by applying it to the gauging stations in the Flinders and Gilbert rivers in north-west Queensland, Australia.

Detection and quantification of a toxic salt substitute (LiCl) by using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS).

PubMed

Sezer, Banu; Velioglu, Hasan Murat; Bilge, Gonca; Berkkan, Aysel; Ozdinc, Nese; Tamer, Ugur; Boyaci, Ismail Hakkı

2018-01-01

The use of Li salts in foods has been prohibited due to their negative effects on central nervous system; however, they might still be used especially in meat products as Na substitutes. Lithium can be toxic and even lethal at higher concentrations and it is not approved in foods. The present study focuses on Li analysis in meatballs by using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). Meatball samples were analyzed using LIBS and flame atomic absorption spectroscopy. Calibration curves were obtained by utilizing Li emission lines at 610nm and 670nm for univariate calibration. The results showed that Li calibration curve at 670nm provided successful determination of Li with 0.965 of R 2 and 4.64ppm of limit of detection (LOD) value. While Li Calibration curve obtained using emission line at 610nm generated R 2 of 0.991 and LOD of 22.6ppm, calibration curve obtained at 670nm below 1300ppm generated R 2 of 0.965 and LOD of 4.64ppm. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

ArcCN-Runoff: An ArcGIS tool for generating curve number and runoff maps

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zhan, X.; Huang, M.-L.

2004-01-01

The development and the application of ArcCN-Runoff tool, an extension of ESRI@ ArcGIS software, are reported. This tool can be applied to determine curve numbers and to calculate runoff or infiltration for a rainfall event in a watershed. Implementation of GIS techniques such as dissolving, intersecting, and a curve-number reference table improve efficiency. Technical processing time may be reduced from days, if not weeks, to hours for producing spatially varied curve number and runoff maps. An application example for a watershed in Lyon County and Osage County, Kansas, USA, is presented. ?? 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Shape of the Glucose Response Curve During an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test Heralds Biomarkers of Type 2 Diabetes Risk in Obese Youth

PubMed Central

Kim, Joon Young; Michaliszyn, Sara F.; Nasr, Alexis; Lee, SoJung; Tfayli, Hala; Hannon, Tamara; Hughan, Kara S.; Bacha, Fida; Arslanian, Silva

2016-01-01

OBJECTIVE The shape of the glucose response curve during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), monophasic versus biphasic, identifies physiologically distinct groups of individuals with differences in insulin secretion and sensitivity. We aimed to verify the value of the OGTT-glucose response curve against more sensitive clamp-measured biomarkers of type 2 diabetes risk, and to examine incretin/pancreatic hormones and free fatty acid associations in these curve phenotypes in obese adolescents without diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A total of 277 obese adolescents without diabetes completed a 2-h OGTT and were categorized to either a monophasic or a biphasic group. Body composition, abdominal adipose tissue, OGTT-based metabolic parameters, and incretin/pancreatic hormone levels were examined. A subset of 106 participants had both hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic and hyperglycemic clamps to measure in vivo insulin sensitivity, insulin secretion, and β-cell function relative to insulin sensitivity. RESULTS Despite similar fasting and 2-h glucose and insulin concentrations, the monophasic group had significantly higher glucose, insulin, C-peptide, and free fatty acid OGTT areas under the curve compared with the biphasic group, with no differences in levels of glucagon, total glucagon-like peptide 1, glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide, and pancreatic polypeptide. Furthermore, the monophasic group had significantly lower in vivo hepatic and peripheral insulin sensitivity, lack of compensatory first and second phase insulin secretion, and impaired β-cell function relative to insulin sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS In obese youth without diabetes, the risk imparted by the monophasic glucose curve compared with biphasic glucose curve, independent of fasting and 2-h glucose and insulin concentrations, is reflected in lower insulin sensitivity and poorer β-cell function, which are two major pathophysiological biomarkers of type 2 diabetes in youth. PMID:27293201

TOWARD CHARACTERIZATION OF THE TYPE IIP SUPERNOVA PROGENITOR POPULATION: A STATISTICAL SAMPLE OF LIGHT CURVES FROM Pan-STARRS1

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

Sanders, N. E.; Soderberg, A. M.; Chornock, R.

2015-02-01

In recent years, wide-field sky surveys providing deep multiband imaging have presented a new path for indirectly characterizing the progenitor populations of core-collapse supernovae (SNe): systematic light-curve studies. We assemble a set of 76 grizy-band Type IIP SN light curves from Pan-STARRS1, obtained over a constant survey program of 4 yr and classified using both spectroscopy and machine-learning-based photometric techniques. We develop and apply a new Bayesian model for the full multiband evolution of each light curve in the sample. We find no evidence of a subpopulation of fast-declining explosions (historically referred to as ''Type IIL'' SNe). However, we identify a highly significantmore » relation between the plateau phase decay rate and peak luminosity among our SNe IIP. These results argue in favor of a single parameter, likely determined by initial stellar mass, predominantly controlling the explosions of red supergiants. This relation could also be applied for SN cosmology, offering a standardizable candle good to an intrinsic scatter of ≲ 0.2 mag. We compare each light curve to physical models from hydrodynamic simulations to estimate progenitor initial masses and other properties of the Pan-STARRS1 Type IIP SN sample. We show that correction of systematic discrepancies between modeled and observed SN IIP light-curve properties and an expanded grid of progenitor properties are needed to enable robust progenitor inferences from multiband light-curve samples of this kind. This work will serve as a pathfinder for photometric studies of core-collapse SNe to be conducted through future wide-field transient searches.« less

Considerations of "Combined Probability of Injury" in the next-generation USA frontal NCAP.

PubMed

Laituri, Tony R; Henry, Scott; Sullivan, Kaye; Nutt, Marvin

2010-08-01

The numerical basis for assigning star ratings in the next-generation USA New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) for frontal impacts was assessed. That basis, the Combined Probability of Injury, or CPI, is the probability of an occupant sustaining an injury to any of the specified body regions. For an NCAP test, a CPI value is computed by (a) using risk curves to convert body-region responses from a test dummy into body-region risks and (b) using a theoretical, overarching CPI equation to convert those separate body-region risks into a single CPI value. Though the general concept of applying a CPI equation to assign star ratings has existed since 1994, there will be numerous changes to the 2011 frontal NCAP: there will be two additional body regions (n = 4 vs. 2), the injury probabilities will be evaluated for lower-severity (more likely) injury levels, and some of the occupant responses will change. These changes could yield more disperse CPIs that could yield more disperse ratings. However, the reasons for this increased dispersion should be consistent with real-world findings. Related assessments were the topic of this two-part study, focused on drivers. In Part 1, the CPI equation was assessed without applying risk curves. Specifically, field injury probabilities for the four body regions were used as inputs to the CPI equation, and the resulting equation-produced CPIs were compared with the field CPIs. In Part 2, subject to analyses of test dummy responses from recent NCAP tests, the effect of risk curve choice on CPIs was assessed. Specifically, dispersion statistics were compared for CPIs based on various underlying risk curves applied to data from 2001-2005 model year vehicles (n = 183). From Part 1, the theoretical CPI equation for four body regions demonstrated acceptable fidelity when provided field injury rates (R(2)= 0.92), with the equation-based CPIs being approximately 12 percent lower than those of ideal correlation. From Part 2, the 2011 NCAP protocol (i.e., application of a four-body-region CPI equation whose inputs were from risk curves) generally increased both the CPIs and their dispersion relative to the current NCAP protocol. However, the CPIs generally increased due to an emphasis on neck injury-an emphasis not observed in real-world crashes. Subject to alternative risk curves for the neck and chest, again there was increased dispersion of the CPIs, but the unrealistic emphasis on the neck was eliminated. However, risk estimates for the knee/thigh/hip (KTH) for NCAP-type events remained understated and did not fall within the confidence bands of the field data. Accordingly, KTH risk estimation is an area for future research.

Balance the nodule shape and surroundings: a new multichannel image based convolutional neural network scheme on lung nodule diagnosis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Wenqing; Zheng, Bin; Huang, Xia; Qian, Wei

2017-03-01

Deep learning is a trending promising method in medical image analysis area, but how to efficiently prepare the input image for the deep learning algorithms remains a challenge. In this paper, we introduced a novel artificial multichannel region of interest (ROI) generation procedure for convolutional neural networks (CNN). From LIDC database, we collected 54880 benign nodule samples and 59848 malignant nodule samples based on the radiologists' annotations. The proposed CNN consists of three pairs of convolutional layers and two fully connected layers. For each original ROI, two new ROIs were generated: one contains the segmented nodule which highlighted the nodule shape, and the other one contains the gradient of the original ROI which highlighted the textures. By combining the three channel images into a pseudo color ROI, the CNN was trained and tested on the new multichannel ROIs (multichannel ROI II). For the comparison, we generated another type of multichannel image by replacing the gradient image channel with a ROI contains whitened background region (multichannel ROI I). With the 5-fold cross validation evaluation method, the CNN using multichannel ROI II achieved the ROI based area under the curve (AUC) of 0.8823+/-0.0177, compared to the AUC of 0.8484+/-0.0204 generated by the original ROI. By calculating the average of ROI scores from one nodule, the lesion based AUC using multichannel ROI was 0.8793+/-0.0210. By comparing the convolved features maps from CNN using different types of ROIs, it can be noted that multichannel ROI II contains more accurate nodule shapes and surrounding textures.

Structural Vulnerability of the Boeing B-29 Aircraft Wing to Damage by Warhead Fragments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kordes, Eldon E.; OSullivan, William J., Jr.

1952-01-01

An elementary type of analysis has been used to determine the amount of wing tip that must be severed to produce irrevocable loss of control of a B-29 airplane. The remaining inboard structure of the Boeing B-29 wing has then been analyzed and curves are presented for the estimated reduction in structural strength due to four general types of damage produced by rod-type warhead fragments. The curves indicate the extent of structural damage required to produce a kill of the aircraft within 10 seconds.

Curved Displacement Transfer Functions for Geometric Nonlinear Large Deformation Structure Shape Predictions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ko, William L.; Fleischer, Van Tran; Lung, Shun-Fat

2017-01-01

For shape predictions of structures under large geometrically nonlinear deformations, Curved Displacement Transfer Functions were formulated based on a curved displacement, traced by a material point from the undeformed position to deformed position. The embedded beam (depth-wise cross section of a structure along a surface strain-sensing line) was discretized into multiple small domains, with domain junctures matching the strain-sensing stations. Thus, the surface strain distribution could be described with a piecewise linear or a piecewise nonlinear function. The discretization approach enabled piecewise integrations of the embedded-beam curvature equations to yield the Curved Displacement Transfer Functions, expressed in terms of embedded beam geometrical parameters and surface strains. By entering the surface strain data into the Displacement Transfer Functions, deflections along each embedded beam can be calculated at multiple points for mapping the overall structural deformed shapes. Finite-element linear and nonlinear analyses of a tapered cantilever tubular beam were performed to generate linear and nonlinear surface strains and the associated deflections to be used for validation. The shape prediction accuracies were then determined by comparing the theoretical deflections with the finiteelement- generated deflections. The results show that the newly developed Curved Displacement Transfer Functions are very accurate for shape predictions of structures under large geometrically nonlinear deformations.

The TESS Science Processing Operations Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jenkins, Jon; Twicken, Joseph D.; McCauliff, Sean; Campbell, Jennifer; Sanderfer, Dwight; Lung, David; Mansouri-Samani, Masoud; Girouard, Forrest; Tenenbaum, Peter; Klaus, Todd;

Design of airborne imaging spectrometer based on curved prism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nie, Yunfeng; Xiangli, Bin; Zhou, Jinsong; Wei, Xiaoxiao

2011-11-01

A novel moderate-resolution imaging spectrometer spreading from visible wavelength to near infrared wavelength range with a spectral resolution of 10 nm, which combines curved prisms with the Offner configuration, is introduced. Compared to conventional imaging spectrometers based on dispersive prism or diffractive grating, this design possesses characteristics of small size, compact structure, low mass as well as little spectral line curve (smile) and spectral band curve (keystone or frown). Besides, the usage of compound curved prisms with two or more different materials can greatly reduce the nonlinearity inevitably brought by prismatic dispersion. The utilization ratio of light radiation is much higher than imaging spectrometer of the same type based on combination of diffractive grating and concentric optics. In this paper, the Seidel aberration theory of curved prism and the optical principles of Offner configuration are illuminated firstly. Then the optical design layout of the spectrometer is presented, and the performance evaluation of this design, including spot diagram and MTF, is analyzed. To step further, several types of telescope matching this system are provided. This work provides an innovational perspective upon optical system design of airborne spectral imagers; therefore, it can offer theoretic guide for imaging spectrometer of the same kind.

An analysis of the massless planet approximation in transit light curve models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Millholland, Sarah; Ruch, Gerry

2015-08-01

Many extrasolar planet transit light curve models use the approximation of a massless planet. They approximate the planet as orbiting elliptically with the host star at the orbit’s focus instead of depicting the planet and star as both orbiting around a common center of mass. This approximation should generally be very good because the transit is a small fraction of the full-phase curve and the planet to stellar mass ratio is typically very small. However, to fully examine the legitimacy of this approximation, it is useful to perform a robust, all-parameter space-encompassing statistical comparison between the massless planet model and the more accurate model.Towards this goal, we establish two questions: (1) In what parameter domain is the approximation invalid? (2) If characterizing an exoplanetary system in this domain, what is the error of the parameter estimates when using the simplified model? We first address question (1). Given each parameter vector in a finite space, we can generate the simplified and more complete model curves. Associated with these model curves is a measure of the deviation between them, such as the root mean square (RMS). We use Gibbs sampling to generate a sample that is distributed according to the RMS surface. The high-density regions in the sample correspond to a large deviation between the models. To determine the domains of these high-density areas, we first employ the Ordering Points to Identify the Clustering Structure (OPTICS) algorithm. We then characterize the subclusters by performing the Patient Rule Induction Method (PRIM) on the transformed Principal Component spaces of each cluster. This process yields descriptors of the parameter domains with large discrepancies between the models.To consider question (2), we start by generating synthetic transit curve observations in the domains specified by the above analysis. We then derive the best-fit parameters of these synthetic light curves according to each model and examine the quality of agreement between the estimated parameters. Taken as a whole, these steps allow for a thorough analysis of the validity of the massless planet approximation.

Explanation of climate and human impacts on sediment discharge change in Darwinian hydrology: Derivation of a differential equation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jianjun; Gao, Guangyao; Fu, Bojie; Zhang, Lu

2018-04-01

The assessment for impacts of climate variability and human activities on suspended sediment yield (SSY) change has long been a question of great interest. However, the sediment generation processes are sophisticated with high nonlinearity and great uncertainty, which give rise to extreme complexity for SSY change assessment in Newtonian approach. Consequently, few approaches can be simply but widely applied to decompose impacts of climatic variability and human activities on SSY change. Thus, it is an urgent need to develop advanced methods that are simple and robust. Since that the Newtonian approach is hardly achievable due to limitation of either observations or knowledge of mechanisms, there have been repeated calls to capture the hydrologic system in Darwinian approach for hydrological change prediction or explanation. As streamflow is the carrier of suspended sediment, SSY change are thus documented in changes of sediment concentrated flow and suspended sediment concentration - water discharge (C-Q) relationships. By deduced corollaries, a differential equation of sediment discharge change was derived to explicitly decompose impacts of climate variability and human activities in Darwinian hydrology. Besides, a new form of sediment rating curves was proposed and curved as C-Q relationships and probability distribution of sediment concentrated flow. River sediment flux can be revealed by this representation, which simply elucidates mechanism of SSY generation covering a range of time scales from finer than rainfall-event to long term. By the new sediment rating curves, the differential equation was partly solved using a segmentation algorithm proposed and validated in this paper, and then was submitted to water balance framework expressed by Budyko-type equation. Thus, for catchment management, hydrologists can obtain explicit explanation of how climate variation and human activities propagate through landscape and result in sediment discharge change. The differential equation is simple and robust for widely application in sediment discharge change assessment, as only discrete data of precipitation, potential evaporation and C-Q observed at gauging stations are required.

An investigation of the diffraction of an acoustic plane wave by a curved surface of finite impedance. Ph.D. Thesis Final Technical Report, 1 Feb. 1985 - 1 Sep. 1989

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kearns, James A.

1989-01-01

Phenomena associated with long range propagation of sound over irregular topography motivated this work, which was to analyze the diffraction effects which would occur near the tops of hills and ridges. The diffraction of a high frequency plane wave due to its grazing of a two-dimensional curved surface of finite impedance was also studied. Laboratory scale models were constructed and measurements were made of the field on, above, and behind either of two curved surfaces possessing distinctly different impedances; that is, one was soft while the other was hard. The experimental technique consisted of simultaneously measuring the pressure at a reference point and at a field point due to a transient pulse generated by an electric spark. The pressure waveforms were digitized and processed. The ratio of the discrete Fourier transforms of the two waveforms provided an estimate of the insertion loss between them. The results of the measurements were compared with the predictions of a theory which was derived by Pierce using the method of Matched Asymptotic Expansions (MAE). The predictions relied upon the experimental evaluation of the impedance of each surface at grazing angles of incidence. This evaluation was achieved by a fairly standard technique involving empirical models of various generic types of surfaces. An example was shown of the important role that the structural intricacies of a surface play in the determination of an appropriate model. The comparison between the measurements and predictions indicated that the theory gives an excellent description of the field anywhere near a curved surface. Further, with a simple modification, the theory was also shown to give nearly as good of a description of the field surrounding a curved surface even at distances far behind the surface yet near the line of sight.

Tourism and solid waste generation in Europe: A panel data assessment of the Environmental Kuznets Curve.

PubMed

Arbulú, Italo; Lozano, Javier; Rey-Maquieira, Javier

2015-12-01

The relationship between tourism growth and municipal solid waste (MSW) generation has been, until now, the subject of little research. This is puzzling since the tourism sector is an important MSW generator and, at the same time, is willing to avoid negative impacts from MSW mismanagement. This paper aims to provide tools for tourism and MSW management by assessing the effects of tourism volume, tourism quality and tourism specialization on MSW generation in the UE. This is done using the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) framework. The study considers a panel data for 32 European economies in the 1997-2010 periods. Empirical results support the EKC hypothesis for MSW and shows that northern countries tend to have lower income elasticity than less developed countries; furthermore, results confirm a non-linear and significant effect of tourism arrivals, expenditure per tourist and tourism specialization on MSW generation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

AFM probing in aqueous environment of Staphylococcus epidermidis cells naturally immobilised on glass: physico-chemistry behind the successful immobilisation.

PubMed

Méndez-Vilas, A; Gallardo-Moreno, A M; Calzado-Montero, R; González-Martín, M L

2008-05-01

AFM probing of microbial cells in liquid environments usually requires them to be physically or chemically attached to a solid surface. The fixation mechanisms may influence the nanomechanical characterization done by force curve mapping using an AFM. To study the response of a microbial cell surface to this kind of local measurement this study attempts to overcome the problem associated to the uncertainties introduced by the different fixation treatments by analysing the surface of Staphylococcus epidermidis cells naturally (non-artificially mediated) immobilised on a glass support surface. The particularities of this natural bacterial fixation process for AFM surface analysis are discussed in terms of theoretical predictions of the XDLVO model applied to the systems bacteria/support substratum and bacteria/AFM tip immersed in water. In this sense, in the first part of this study the conditions for adequate natural fixation of three S. epidermidis strains have been analyzed by taking into account the geometries of the bacterium, substrate and tip. In the second part, bacteria are probed without the risk of any possible artefacts due to the mechanical or chemical fixation procedures. Forces measured over the successfully adhered cells have (directly) shown that the untreated bacterial surface suffers from a combination of both reversible and non-reversible deformations during acquisition of force curves all taken under the same operational conditions. This is revealed directly through high-resolution tapping-mode imaging of the bacterial surface immediately following force curve mapping. The results agree with the two different types of force curves that were repeatedly obtained. Interestingly, one type of these force curves suggests that the AFM tip is breaking (rather than pushing) the cell surface during acquisition of the force curve. In this case, adhesive peaks were always observed, suggesting a mechanical origin of the measured pull-off forces. The other type of force curves shows no adhesive peaks and exhibits juxtaposing of approaching and retraction curves, reflecting elastic deformations.

Modeling water resources as a constraint in electricity capacity expansion models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Newmark, R. L.; Macknick, J.; Cohen, S.; Tidwell, V. C.; Woldeyesus, T.; Martinez, A.

2013-12-01

In the United States, the electric power sector is the largest withdrawer of freshwater in the nation. The primary demand for water from the electricity sector is for thermoelectric power plant cooling. Areas likely to see the largest near-term growth in population and energy usage, the Southwest and the Southeast, are also facing freshwater scarcity and have experienced water-related power reliability issues in the past decade. Lack of water may become a barrier for new conventionally-cooled power plants, and alternative cooling systems will impact technology cost and performance. Although water is integral to electricity generation, it has long been neglected as a constraint in future electricity system projections. Assessing the impact of water resource scarcity on energy infrastructure development is critical, both for conventional and renewable energy technologies. Efficiently utilizing all water types, including wastewater and brackish sources, or utilizing dry-cooling technologies, will be essential for transitioning to a low-carbon electricity system. This work provides the first demonstration of a national electric system capacity expansion model that incorporates water resources as a constraint on the current and future U.S. electricity system. The Regional Electricity Deployment System (ReEDS) model was enhanced to represent multiple cooling technology types and limited water resource availability in its optimization of electricity sector capacity expansion to 2050. The ReEDS model has high geographic and temporal resolution, making it a suitable model for incorporating water resources, which are inherently seasonal and watershed-specific. Cooling system technologies were assigned varying costs (capital, operations and maintenance), and performance parameters, reflecting inherent tradeoffs in water impacts and operating characteristics. Water rights supply curves were developed for each of the power balancing regions in ReEDS. Supply curves include costs and availability of freshwater (surface and groundwater) and alternative water resources (municipal wastewater and brackish groundwater). In each region, a new power plant must secure sufficient water rights for operation before being built. Water rights constraints thus influence the type of power plant, cooling system, or location of new generating capacity. Results indicate that the aggregate national generating capacity by fuel type and associated carbon dioxide emissions change marginally with the inclusion of water rights. Water resource withdrawals and consumption, however, can vary considerably. Regional water resource dynamics indicate substantial differences in the location where power plant-cooling system technology combinations are built. These localized impacts highlight the importance of considering water resources as a constraint in the electricity sector when evaluating costs, transmission infrastructure needs, and externalities. Further scenario evaluations include assessments of how climate change could affect the availability of water resources, and thus the development of the electricity sector.

Using Evolved Fuzzy Neural Networks for Injury Detection from Isokinetic Curves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Couchet, Jorge; Font, José María; Manrique, Daniel

In this paper we propose an evolutionary fuzzy neural networks system for extracting knowledge from a set of time series containing medical information. The series represent isokinetic curves obtained from a group of patients exercising the knee joint on an isokinetic dynamometer. The system has two parts: i) it analyses the time series input in order generate a simplified model of an isokinetic curve; ii) it applies a grammar-guided genetic program to obtain a knowledge base represented by a fuzzy neural network. Once the knowledge base has been generated, the system is able to perform knee injuries detection. The results suggest that evolved fuzzy neural networks perform better than non-evolutionary approaches and have a high accuracy rate during both the training and testing phases. Additionally, they are robust, as the system is able to self-adapt to changes in the problem without human intervention.

Thermo-Electro-Mechanical Analysis of a Curved Functionally Graded Piezoelectric Actuator with Sandwich Structure.

PubMed

Yan, Zhi; Zaman, Mostafa; Jiang, Liying

2011-12-12

In this work, the problem of a curved functionally graded piezoelectric (FGP) actuator with sandwich structure under electrical and thermal loads is investigated. The middle layer in the sandwich structure is functionally graded with the piezoelectric coefficient g 31 varying continuously along the radial direction of the curved actuator. Based on the theory of linear piezoelectricity, analytical solutions are obtained by using Airy stress function to examine the effects of material gradient and heat conduction on the performance of the curved actuator. It is found that the material gradient and thermal load have significant influence on the electroelastic fields and the mechanical response of the curved FGP actuator. Without the sacrifice of actuation deflection, smaller internal stresses are generated by using the sandwich actuator with functionally graded piezoelectric layer instead of the conventional bimorph actuator. This work is very helpful for the design and application of curved piezoelectric actuators under thermal environment.

Future projection of design storms using a GCM-informed weather generator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

KIm, T. W.; Wi, S.; Valdés-Pineda, R.; Valdés, J. B.

2017-12-01

The rainfall Intensity-Duration-Frequency (IDF) curves are one of the most common tools used to provide planners with a description of the frequency of extreme rainfall events of various intensities and durations. Therefore deriving appropriate IDF estimates is important to avoid malfunctions of water structures that cause huge damage. Evaluating IDF estimates in the context of climate change has become more important because projections from climate models suggest that the frequency of intense rainfall events will increase in the future due to the increase in greenhouse gas emissions. In this study, the Bartlett-Lewis (BL) stochastic rainfall model is employed to generate annual maximum series of various sub-daily durations for test basins of the Model Parameter Estimation Experiment (MOPEX) project, and to derive the IDF curves in the context of climate changes projected by the North American Regional Climate Change (NARCCAP) models. From our results, it has been found that the observed annual rainfall maximum series is reasonably represented by the synthetic annual maximum series generated by the BL model. The observed data is perturbed by change factors to incorporate the NARCCAP climate change scenarios into the IDF estimates. The future IDF curves show a significant difference from the historical IDF curves calculated for the period 1968-2000. Overall, the projected IDF curves show an increasing trend over time. The impacts of changes in extreme rainfall on the hydrologic response of the MOPEX basins are also explored. Acknowledgement: This research was supported by a grant [MPSS-NH-2015-79] through the Disaster and Safety Management Institute funded by Ministry of Public Safety and Security of Korean government.

Limiting Forces on Transit Trucks in Steady-State Curving

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1981-05-01

This study develops conservative bounds on wheel/rail forces and flange forces for several types of rigid and flexible trucks in steady-state curving conditions. The approximate analysis presented provides closed-form relations for estimating forces,...

Atlas of the Light Curves and Phase Plane Portraits of Selected Long-Period Variables

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kudashkina, L. S.; Andronov, I. L.

2017-12-01

For a group of the Mira-type stars, semi-regular variables and some RV Tau - type stars the limit cycles were computed and plotted using the phase plane diagrams. As generalized coordinates x and x', we have used φ - the brightness of the star and its phase derivative. We have used mean phase light curves using observations of various authors from the databases of AAVSO, AFOEV, VSOLJ, ASAS and approximated using a trigonometric polynomial of statistically optimal degree. For a simple sine-like light curve, the limit cycle is a simple ellipse. In a case of more complicated light curve, in which harmonics are statistically significant, the limit cycle has deviations from the ellipse. In an addition to a classical analysis, we use the error estimates of the smoothing function and its derivative to constrain an "error corridor" in the phase plane.

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

Yang, Y.-G.; Dai, H.-F.; Zhang, X.-B.

We present new photometry for the eclipsing binary V1241 Tau, which was obtained on six nights between 2011 December and 2012 January using the 85 cm telescope at the Xinglong station of the National Astronomical Observatories of China. By using the updated Wilson-Devinney code, photometric models with third lights were deduced from two sets of light curves. The result implies that V1241 Tau is an Algol-type near-contact binary (NCB), whose mass ratio and filling-out of the primary are q = 0.545 ({+-} 0.003) and f{sub 1} = 82.4% ({+-} 0.2%), respectively. Based on all available times of minimum light spanningmore » over 80 yr, the O - C curve of V1241 Tau appears to show a quasi-sinusoidal oscillation, i.e., a light-time orbit. The modulated period and amplitude are P{sub mod} = 47.4 ({+-} 1.7) yr and A = 0.0087 ({+-} 0.0005) days, respectively. This kind of period variation may be more likely attributed to the light-time effect via a presence of an unseen third body. From an analysis of 23 Algol-type NCBs with EB-type light curves, we determine that the fill-out for the primary f{sub 1} will increase as the orbital period P decreases. With angular momentum loss, the orbit of the binary will shrink, which causes f{sub 1} to increase. The primary component finally fills its Roche lobe, and the binary evolves into contact configuration. Therefore, this kind of Algol-type NCB with EB-type light curves, such as V1241 Tau, may be a progenitor of the A-type W UMa binary.« less

Field 1: A First Look at the KELT RR Lyrae Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Lee, Nathan M.; Kinemuchi, Karen; Pepper, Joshua; Rodriguez, Joseph E.; Paegert, Martin

2015-01-01

In this poster we will discuss our ongoing program to use extant light curves from the Kilodegree Extremely Little Telescope (KELT) survey to find and characterize RR Lyrae (RRL) stars in the disk and inner halo of the Milky Way. We will focus on initial results from our testbed region, Field 1. RRL stars are of particular interest because they are standard candles and can be used to map out structure in the galaxy. The periods and shape of RRL light curves also contain information about their Oosterhoff type, which can probe galactic formation history, and metallicity respectively. Although there have been several large photometric surveys for RR Lyrae in the nearby galaxy (OGLE, NSVS, ASAS, and MACHO to name a few), they have each been limited in either sky coverage or number of epochs. The KELT survey represents a new generation of surveys that has many epochs over a large portion of the sky. KELT samples 60% of the sky in both northern and southern hemispheres, and has a long-time-baseline of 4-8 years with a very high cadence rate of less than 20 minutes. This translates into 4,000 to 9,000 epochs per light curve with completeness out to 3 kpc from the Sun.Recent results from both Kepler and ground based surveys results suggest that as many as 50% of RR Lyrae stars show long-term modulation of their light curve shapes (Blazhko effect). These stars combined with RRL stars that pulsate in more than one mode give a sample of objects that the KELT survey is uniquely suited to explore. This poster uses the RR Lyrae stars in Field 1 of the KELT survey to compare detection methods to previous variable star surveys of the same region. We also discuss the individual RR Lyrae found in Field 1. In particular, we focus on initial characterization of RRL light curves including those with amplitude-modulated or period-modulated light curves. We uses these initial results to discuss future plans for this survey.

A type N radiation field solution with Λ <0 in a curved space-time and closed time-like curves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmed, Faizuddin

2018-05-01

An anti-de Sitter background four-dimensional type N solution of the Einstein's field equations, is presented. The matter-energy content pure radiation field satisfies the null energy condition (NEC), and the metric is free-from curvature divergence. In addition, the metric admits a non-expanding, non-twisting and shear-free geodesic null congruence which is not covariantly constant. The space-time admits closed time-like curves which appear after a certain instant of time in a causally well-behaved manner. Finally, the physical interpretation of the solution, based on the study of the equation of the geodesics deviation, is analyzed.

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

Chen, Yu-Peng; Zhang, Shu; Zhang, Shuang-Nan

We report the discovery of an anti-correlation between the soft and hard X-ray light curves of the X-ray binary Aql X-1 when bursting. This behavior may indicate that the corona is cooled by the soft X-ray shower fed by the type-I X-ray bursts, and that this process happens within a few seconds. Stacking the Aql X-1 light curves of type-I bursts, we find a shortage in the 40-50 keV band, delayed by 4.5 ± 1.4 s with respect to the soft X-rays. The photospheric radius expansion bursts are different in that neither a shortage nor an excess shows up inmore » the hard X-ray light curve.« less

Complete spectrum of long operators in Script N = 4 SYM at one loop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beisert, Niklas; Kazakov, Vladimir A.; Sakai, Kazuhiro; Zarembo, Konstantin

2005-07-01

We construct the complete spectral curve for an arbitrary local operator, including fermions and covariant derivatives, of one-loop Script N = 4 gauge theory in the thermodynamic limit. This curve perfectly reproduces the Frolov-Tseytlin limit of the full spectral curve of classical strings on AdS5 × S5 derived in [64]. To complete the comparison we introduce stacks, novel bound states of roots of different flavors which arise in the thermodynamic limit of the corresponding Bethe ansatz equations. We furthermore show the equivalence of various types of Bethe equations for the underlying fraktur sfraktur u(2,2|4) superalgebra, in particular of the type ``Beauty'' and ``Beast''.

Proposed Spontaneous Generation of Magnetic Fields by Curved Layers of a Chiral Superconductor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kvorning, T.; Hansson, T. H.; Quelle, A.; Smith, C. Morais

2018-05-01

We demonstrate that two-dimensional chiral superconductors on curved surfaces spontaneously develop magnetic flux. This geometric Meissner effect provides an unequivocal signature of chiral superconductivity, which could be observed in layered materials under stress. We also employ the effect to explain some puzzling questions related to the location of zero-energy Majorana modes.

Parallel resonant converter with LLC-type commutation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, C. Q.; Liu, Rui; Batarseh, Issa

1989-11-01

It is shown that by using a proper transformation of state variables, the third-order system of the parallel resonant converter (PRC) with LLC-type commutation can be analyzed by means of a two-dimensional state-plane diagram. A set of characteristic curves which can be used for the converter design is derived from the analysis. It is shown from these curves that the converter possesses more desirable features than the conventional PRC.

Electro-mechanical coupling of semiconductor film grown on stainless steel by oxidation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, M. C.; Wang, G.; Guo, L. Q.; Qiao, L. J.; Volinsky, Alex A.

2013-09-01

Electro-mechanical coupling phenomenon in oxidation film on stainless steel has been discovered by using current-sensing atomic force microscopy, along with the I-V curves measurements. The oxidation films exhibit either ohmic, n-type, or p-type semiconductor properties, according to the obtained I-V curves. This technique allows characterizing oxidation films with high spatial resolution. Semiconductor properties of oxidation films must be considered as additional stress corrosion cracking mechanisms.

Limits on passivating defects in semiconductors: the case of Si edge dislocations.

PubMed

Chan, Tzu-Liang; West, D; Zhang, S B

2011-07-15

By minimizing the free energy while constraining dopant density, we derive a universal curve that relates the formation energy (E(form)) of doping and the efficiency of defect passivation in terms of segregation of dopants at defect sites. The universal curve takes the simple form of a Fermi-Dirac distribution. Our imposed constraint defines a chemical potential that assumes the role of "Fermi energy," which sets the thermodynamic limit on the E(form) required to overcome the effect of entropy such that dopant segregation at defects in semiconductors can occur. Using Si edge dislocation as an example, we show by first-principles calculations how to map the experimentally measurable passivation efficiency to our calculated E(form) by using the universal curve for typical n- and p-type substitutional dopants. We show that n-type dopants are ineffective. Among p-type dopants, B can satisfy the thermodynamic limit while improving electronic properties.

The link between the baryonic mass distribution and the rotation curve shape

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swaters, R. A.; Sancisi, R.; van der Hulst, J. M.; van Albada, T. S.

2012-09-01

The observed rotation curves of disc galaxies, ranging from late-type dwarf galaxies to early-type spirals, can be fitted remarkably well simply by scaling up the contributions of the stellar and H I discs. This 'baryonic scaling model' can explain the full breadth of observed rotation curves with only two free parameters. For a small fraction of galaxies, in particular early-type spiral galaxies, H I scaling appears to fail in the outer parts, possibly due to observational effects or ionization of H I. The overall success of the baryonic scaling model suggests that the well-known global coupling between the baryonic mass of a galaxy and its rotation velocity (known as the baryonic Tully-Fisher relation) applies at a more local level as well, and it seems to imply a link between the baryonic mass distribution and the distribution of total mass (including dark matter).

Search for the signatures of a new-born black hole from the collapse of a supra-massive millisecond magnetar in short GRB light curves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Q.; Lei, W. H.; Zhang, B. B.; Chen, W.; Xiong, S. L.; Song, L. M.

2018-03-01

`Internal plateau' followed by a sharp decay is commonly seen in short gamma-ray burst (GRB) light curves. The plateau component is usually interpreted as the dipole emission from a supra-massive magnetar, and the sharp decay may imply the collapse of the magnetar to a black hole (BH). Fall-back accretion on to the new-born BH could produce long-lasting activities via the Blandford-Znajek (BZ) process. The magnetic flux accumulated near the BH would be confined by the accretion discs for a period of time. As the accretion rate decreases, the magnetic flux is strong enough to obstruct gas infall, leading to a magnetically arrested disc. Within this scenario, we show that the BZ process could produce two types of typical X-ray light curves: type I exhibits a long-lasting plateau, followed by a power-law (PL) decay with slopes ranging from 5/3 to 40/9; type II shows roughly a single PL decay with a slope of 5/3. The former requires low magnetic field strength, while the latter corresponds to relatively high values. We search for such signatures of the new-born BH from a sample of short GRBs with an internal plateau, and find two candidates: GRB 101219A and GRB 160821B, corresponding to type II and type I light curves, respectively. It is shown that our model can explain the data very well.

Grid Generation Techniques Utilizing the Volume Grid Manipulator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alter, Stephen J.

1998-01-01

This paper presents grid generation techniques available in the Volume Grid Manipulation (VGM) code. The VGM code is designed to manipulate existing line, surface and volume grids to improve the quality of the data. It embodies an easy to read rich language of commands that enables such alterations as topology changes, grid adaption and smoothing. Additionally, the VGM code can be used to construct simplified straight lines, splines, and conic sections which are common curves used in the generation and manipulation of points, lines, surfaces and volumes (i.e., grid data). These simple geometric curves are essential in the construction of domain discretizations for computational fluid dynamic simulations. By comparison to previously established methods of generating these curves interactively, the VGM code provides control of slope continuity and grid point-to-point stretchings as well as quick changes in the controlling parameters. The VGM code offers the capability to couple the generation of these geometries with an extensive manipulation methodology in a scripting language. The scripting language allows parametric studies of a vehicle geometry to be efficiently performed to evaluate favorable trends in the design process. As examples of the powerful capabilities of the VGM code, a wake flow field domain will be appended to an existing X33 Venturestar volume grid; negative volumes resulting from grid expansions to enable flow field capture on a simple geometry, will be corrected; and geometrical changes to a vehicle component of the X33 Venturestar will be shown.

Development of growth and yield models for southern hardwoods: site index determinations

Treesearch

John Paul McTague; Daniel J. Robison; David O' Loughlin; Joseph Roise; Robert Kellison

2006-01-01

Growth and yield data from across 13 southern States, collected from 1967 to 2004 from fully-stocked even-aged southern hardwood forests on a variety of site types, was used to calculate site index curves. These derived curves provide an efficient means to evaluate the productivity-age relation which varies across many sites. These curves were derived for mixed-species...

Contribution of flow-volume curves to the detection of central airway obstruction*

PubMed Central

Raposo, Liliana Bárbara Perestrelo de Andrade e; Bugalho, António; Gomes, Maria João Marques

2013-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To assess the sensitivity and specificity of flow-volume curves in detecting central airway obstruction (CAO), and to determine whether their quantitative and qualitative criteria are associated with the location, type and degree of obstruction. METHODS: Over a four-month period, we consecutively evaluated patients with bronchoscopy indicated. Over a one-week period, all patients underwent clinical evaluation, flow-volume curve, bronchoscopy, and completed a dyspnea scale. Four reviewers, blinded to quantitative and clinical data, and bronchoscopy results, classified the morphology of the curves. A fifth reviewer determined the morphological criteria, as well as the quantitative criteria. RESULTS: We studied 82 patients, 36 (44%) of whom had CAO. The sensitivity and specificity of the flow-volume curves in detecting CAO were, respectively, 88.9% and 91.3% (quantitative criteria) and 30.6% and 93.5% (qualitative criteria). The most prevalent quantitative criteria in our sample were FEF50%/FIF50% ≥ 1, in 83% of patients, and FEV1/PEF ≥ 8 mL . L–1 . min–1, in 36%, both being associated with the type, location, and degree of obstruction (p < 0.05). There was concordance among the reviewers as to the presence of CAO. There is a relationship between the degree of obstruction and dyspnea. CONCLUSIONS: The quantitative criteria should always be calculated for flow-volume curves in order to detect CAO, because of the low sensitivity of the qualitative criteria. Both FEF50%/FIF50% ≥ 1 and FEV1/PEF ≥ 8 mL . L–1 . min–1 were associated with the location, type and degree of obstruction. PMID:24068266

No special K! A signal detection framework for the strategic regulation of memory accuracy.

PubMed

Higham, Philip A

2007-02-01

Two experiments investigated criterion setting and metacognitive processes underlying the strategic regulation of accuracy on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) using Type-2 signal detection theory (SDT). In Experiment 1, report bias was manipulated by penalizing participants either 0.25 (low incentive) or 4 (high incentive) points for each error. Best guesses to unanswered items were obtained so that Type-2 signal detection indices of discrimination and bias could be calculated. The same incentive manipulation was used in Experiment 2, only the test was computerized, confidence ratings were taken so that receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves could be generated, and feedback was manipulated. The results of both experiments demonstrated that SDT provides a viable alternative to A. Koriat and M. Goldsmith's (1996c) framework of monitoring and control and reveals information about the regulation of accuracy that their framework does not. For example, ROC analysis indicated that the threshold model implied by formula scoring is inadequate. Instead, performance on the SAT should be modeled with an equal-variance Gaussian, Type-2 signal detection model. ((c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved).

N-type Cu2O doped activated carbon as catalyst for improving power generation of air cathode microbial fuel cells.

PubMed

Zhang, Xi; Li, Kexun; Yan, Pengyu; Liu, Ziqi; Pu, Liangtao

2015-01-01

A novel n-type Cu2O doped activated carbon (AC) air cathode (Cu/AC) was developed as an alternative to Pt electrode for oxygen reduction in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). The maximum power density of MFCs using this novel air cathode was as high as 1390±76mWm(-2), almost 59% higher than the bare AC air cathode. Specifically, the resistance including total resistance and charge transfer resistance significantly decreased comparing to the control. Tafel curve also showed the faster electro-transfer kinetics of Cu/AC with exchange current density of 1.03×10(-3)Acm(-2), which was 69% higher than the control. Ribbon-like Cu2O was deposited on the surface of AC with the mesopore surface area increasing. Cubic Cu2O crystals exclusively expose (111) planes with the interplanar crystal spacing of 2.48Å, which was the dominate active sites for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). N-type Cu2O with oxygen vacancies played crucial roles in electrochemical catalytic activity. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Radiation Hydrodynamical Models for Type I Superluminous Supernovae: Constraints on Progenitors and Explosion Mechanisms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nomoto, Ken&'Ichi; Tolstov, Alexey; Sorokina, Elena; Blinnikov, Sergei; Bersten, Melina; Suzuki, Tomoharu

2017-11-01

The physical origin of Type-I (hydrogen-less) superluminous supernovae (SLSNe-I), whose luminosities are 10 to 500 times higher than normal core-collapse supernovae, remains still unknown. Thanks to their brightness, SLSNe-I would be useful probes of distant Universe. For the power source of the light curves of SLSNe-I, radioactive-decays, magnetars, and circumstellar interactions have been proposed, although no definitive conclusions have been reached yet. Since most of light curve studies have been based on simplified semi-analytic models, we have constructed multi-color light curve models by means of detailed radiation hydrodynamical calculations for various mass of stars including very massive ones and large amount of mass loss. We compare the rising time, peak luminosity, width, and decline rate of the model light curves with observations of SLSNe-I and obtain constraints on their progenitors and explosion mechanisms. We particularly pay attention to the recently reported double peaks of the light curves. We discuss how to discriminate three models, relevant models parameters, their evolutionary origins, and implications for the early evolution of the Universe.

Target switching in curved human arm movements is predicted by changing a single control parameter.

PubMed

Hoffmann, Heiko

2011-01-01

Straight-line movements have been studied extensively in the human motor-control literature, but little is known about how to generate curved movements and how to adjust them in a dynamic environment. The present work studied, for the first time to my knowledge, how humans adjust curved hand movements to a target that switches location. Subjects (n = 8) sat in front of a drawing tablet and looked at a screen. They moved a cursor on a curved trajectory (spiral or oval shaped) toward a goal point. In half of the trials, this goal switched 200 ms after movement onset to either one of two alternative positions, and subjects smoothly adjusted their movements to the new goal. To explain this adjustment, we compared three computational models: a superposition of curved and minimum-jerk movements (Flash and Henis in J Cogn Neurosci 3(3):220-230, 1991), Vector Planning (Gordon et al. in Exp Brain Res 99(1):97-111, 1994) adapted to curved movements (Rescale), and a nonlinear dynamical system, which could generate arbitrarily curved smooth movements and had a point attractor at the goal. For each model, we predicted the trajectory adjustment to the target switch by changing only the goal position in the model. As result, the dynamical model could explain the observed switch behavior significantly better than the two alternative models (spiral: P = 0.0002 vs. Flash, P = 0.002 vs. Rescale; oval: P = 0.04 vs. Flash; P values obtained from Wilcoxon test on R (2) values). We conclude that generalizing arbitrary hand trajectories to new targets may be explained by switching a single control command, without the need to re-plan or re-optimize the whole movement or superimpose movements.

Construction of estimated flow- and load-duration curves for Kentucky using the Water Availability Tool for Environmental Resources (WATER)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Unthank, Michael D.; Newson, Jeremy K.; Williamson, Tanja N.; Nelson, Hugh L.

2012-01-01

Flow- and load-duration curves were constructed from the model outputs of the U.S. Geological Survey's Water Availability Tool for Environmental Resources (WATER) application for streams in Kentucky. The WATER application was designed to access multiple geospatial datasets to generate more than 60 years of statistically based streamflow data for Kentucky. The WATER application enables a user to graphically select a site on a stream and generate an estimated hydrograph and flow-duration curve for the watershed upstream of that point. The flow-duration curves are constructed by calculating the exceedance probability of the modeled daily streamflows. User-defined water-quality criteria and (or) sampling results can be loaded into the WATER application to construct load-duration curves that are based on the modeled streamflow results. Estimates of flow and streamflow statistics were derived from TOPographically Based Hydrological MODEL (TOPMODEL) simulations in the WATER application. A modified TOPMODEL code, SDP-TOPMODEL (Sinkhole Drainage Process-TOPMODEL) was used to simulate daily mean discharges over the period of record for 5 karst and 5 non-karst watersheds in Kentucky in order to verify the calibrated model. A statistical evaluation of the model's verification simulations show that calibration criteria, established by previous WATER application reports, were met thus insuring the model's ability to provide acceptably accurate estimates of discharge at gaged and ungaged sites throughout Kentucky. Flow-duration curves are constructed in the WATER application by calculating the exceedence probability of the modeled daily flow values. The flow-duration intervals are expressed as a percentage, with zero corresponding to the highest stream discharge in the streamflow record. Load-duration curves are constructed by applying the loading equation (Load = Flow*Water-quality criterion) at each flow interval.

Simplified curve fits for the thermodynamic properties of equilibrium air

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Srinivasan, S.; Tannehill, J. C.; Weilmuenster, K. J.

1987-01-01

New, improved curve fits for the thermodynamic properties of equilibrium air have been developed. The curve fits are for pressure, speed of sound, temperature, entropy, enthalpy, density, and internal energy. These curve fits can be readily incorporated into new or existing computational fluid dynamics codes if real gas effects are desired. The curve fits are constructed from Grabau-type transition functions to model the thermodynamic surfaces in a piecewise manner. The accuracies and continuity of these curve fits are substantially improved over those of previous curve fits. These improvements are due to the incorporation of a small number of additional terms in the approximating polynomials and careful choices of the transition functions. The ranges of validity of the new curve fits are temperatures up to 25 000 K and densities from 10 to the -7 to 10 to the 3d power amagats.

Automatic bearing fault diagnosis of permanent magnet synchronous generators in wind turbines subjected to noise interference

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Jun; Lu, Siliang; Zhai, Chao; He, Qingbo

2018-02-01

An automatic bearing fault diagnosis method is proposed for permanent magnet synchronous generators (PMSGs), which are widely installed in wind turbines subjected to low rotating speeds, speed fluctuations, and electrical device noise interferences. The mechanical rotating angle curve is first extracted from the phase current of a PMSG by sequentially applying a series of algorithms. The synchronous sampled vibration signal of the fault bearing is then resampled in the angular domain according to the obtained rotating phase information. Considering that the resampled vibration signal is still overwhelmed by heavy background noise, an adaptive stochastic resonance filter is applied to the resampled signal to enhance the fault indicator and facilitate bearing fault identification. Two types of fault bearings with different fault sizes in a PMSG test rig are subjected to experiments to test the effectiveness of the proposed method. The proposed method is fully automated and thus shows potential for convenient, highly efficient and in situ bearing fault diagnosis for wind turbines subjected to harsh environments.

Investigation, development and application of optimal output feedback theory. Volume 2: Development of an optimal, limited state feedback outer-loop digital flight control system for 3-D terminal area operation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Broussard, J. R.; Halyo, N.

1984-01-01

This report contains the development of a digital outer-loop three dimensional radio navigation (3-D RNAV) flight control system for a small commercial jet transport. The outer-loop control system is designed using optimal stochastic limited state feedback techniques. Options investigated using the optimal limited state feedback approach include integrated versus hierarchical control loop designs, 20 samples per second versus 5 samples per second outer-loop operation and alternative Type 1 integration command errors. Command generator tracking techniques used in the digital control design enable the jet transport to automatically track arbitrary curved flight paths generated by waypoints. The performance of the design is demonstrated using detailed nonlinear aircraft simulations in the terminal area, frequency domain multi-input sigma plots, frequency domain single-input Bode plots and closed-loop poles. The response of the system to a severe wind shear during a landing approach is also presented.

Multivariate analysis of remote LIBS spectra using partial least squares, principal component analysis, and related techniques

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

Clegg, Samuel M; Barefield, James E; Wiens, Roger C

2008-01-01

Quantitative analysis with LIBS traditionally employs calibration curves that are complicated by the chemical matrix effects. These chemical matrix effects influence the LIBS plasma and the ratio of elemental composition to elemental emission line intensity. Consequently, LIBS calibration typically requires a priori knowledge of the unknown, in order for a series of calibration standards similar to the unknown to be employed. In this paper, three new Multivariate Analysis (MV A) techniques are employed to analyze the LIBS spectra of 18 disparate igneous and highly-metamorphosed rock samples. Partial Least Squares (PLS) analysis is used to generate a calibration model from whichmore » unknown samples can be analyzed. Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and Soft Independent Modeling of Class Analogy (SIMCA) are employed to generate a model and predict the rock type of the samples. These MV A techniques appear to exploit the matrix effects associated with the chemistries of these 18 samples.« less

Fabricating small-scale, curved, polymeric structures with convex and concave menisci through interfacial free energy equilibrium.

PubMed

Cheng, Chao-Min; Matsuura, Koji; Wang, I-Jan; Kuroda, Yuka; LeDuc, Philip R; Naruse, Keiji

2009-11-21

Polymeric curved structures are widely used in imaging systems including optical fibers and microfluidic channels. Here, we demonstrate that small-scale, poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)-based, curved structures can be fabricated through controlling interfacial free energy equilibrium. Resultant structures have a smooth, symmetric, curved surface, and may be convex or concave in form based on surface tension balance. Their curvatures are controlled by surface characteristics (i.e., hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity) of the molds and semi-liquid PDMS. In addition, these structures are shown to be biocompatible for cell culture. Our system provides a simple, efficient and economical method for generating integrateable optical components without costly fabrication facilities.

Optimization of Composite Structures with Curved Fiber Trajectories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lemaire, Etienne; Zein, Samih; Bruyneel, Michael

2014-06-01

This paper studies the problem of optimizing composites shells manufactured using Automated Tape Layup (ATL) or Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) processes. The optimization procedure relies on a new approach to generate equidistant fiber trajectories based on Fast Marching Method. Starting with a (possibly curved) reference fiber direction defined on a (possibly curved) meshed surface, the new method allows determining fibers orientation resulting from a uniform thickness layup. The design variables are the parameters defining the position and the shape of the reference curve which results in very few design variables. Thanks to this efficient parameterization, maximum stiffness optimization numerical applications are proposed. The shape of the design space is discussed, regarding local and global optimal solutions.

Electro-Mechanical Resonance Curves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greenslade, Thomas B.

2018-03-01

Recently I have been investigating the frequency response of galvanometers. These are direct-current devices used to measure small currents. By using a low-frequency function generator to supply the alternating-current signal and a stopwatch smartphone app to measure the period, I was able to take data to allow a resonance curve to be drawn. This is the sort of project that should provide a fascinating research experience for the introductory physics student. In this article I will discuss the galvanometers that I used in this work, and will show a resonance curve for one of them.

A comparative assessment of torque generated by lingual and conventional brackets.

PubMed

Sifakakis, Iosif; Pandis, Nikolaos; Makou, Margarita; Eliades, Theodore; Katsaros, Christos; Bourauel, Christoph

2013-06-01

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of bracket type on the labiopalatal moments generated by lingual and conventional brackets. Incognito™ lingual brackets (3M Unitek), STb™ lingual brackets (Light Lingual System; ORMCO), In-Ovation L lingual brackets (DENTSPLY GAC), and conventional 0.018 inch slot brackets (Gemini; 3M Unitek) were bonded on identical maxillary acrylic resin models with levelled and aligned teeth. Each model was mounted on the orthodontic measurement and simulation system and 10 0.0175 × 0.0175 TMA wires were used for each bracket type. The wire was ligated with elastomerics into the Incognito, STb, and conventional brackets and each measurement was repeated once after religation. A 15 degrees buccal root torque (+15 degrees) and then a 15 degrees palatal root torque (-15 degrees) were gradually applied to the right central incisor bracket. After each activation, the bracket returned to its initial position and the moments in the sagittal plane were recorded during these rotations of the bracket. One-way analysis of variance with post hoc multiple comparisons (Tukey test at 0.05 error rate) was conducted to assess the effect on bracket type on the generated moments. The magnitude of maximum moment at +15 degrees ranged 8.8, 8.2, 7.1, and 5.8 Nmm for the Incognito, STb, conventional Gemini, and the In-Ovation L brackets, respectively; similar values were recorded at -15 degrees: 8.6, 8.1, 7.0, and 5.7 Nmm, respectively. The recorded differences of maximum moments were statistically significant, except between the Incognito and STb brackets. Additionally, the torque angles were evaluated at which the crown torque fell well below the minimum levels of 5.0 Nmm, as well as the moment/torque ratio at the last part of the activation/deactivation curve, between 10 and 15 degrees. The lowest torque expression was observed at the self-ligating lingual brackets, followed by the conventional brackets. The Incognito and STb lingual brackets generated the highest moments.

Biomimetic heterogeneous multiple ion channels: a honeycomb structure composite film generated by breath figures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Keyu; Heng, Liping; Wen, Liping; Jiang, Lei

2016-06-01

We design a novel type of artificial multiple nanochannel system with remarkable ion rectification behavior via a facile breath figure (BF) method. Notably, even though the charge polarity in the channel wall reverses under different pH values, this nanofluidic device displays the same ionic rectification direction. Compared with traditional nanochannels, this composite multiple ion channel device can be more easily obtained and has directional ionic rectification advantages, which can be applied in many fields.We design a novel type of artificial multiple nanochannel system with remarkable ion rectification behavior via a facile breath figure (BF) method. Notably, even though the charge polarity in the channel wall reverses under different pH values, this nanofluidic device displays the same ionic rectification direction. Compared with traditional nanochannels, this composite multiple ion channel device can be more easily obtained and has directional ionic rectification advantages, which can be applied in many fields. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Pore size distribution histograms of the AAO substrates; SEM images of the side view of pure AAO membranes and top view of the flat PI/AAO composite film; the current-time curves of the flat composite film; the current-voltage characteristics curves of pure AAO nanochannels with different mean pore diameters; CA of the two surfaces of the composite PI/AAO film, the structural formula of the polymer polyimide resin (PI), and solid surface zeta potential. See DOI: 10.1039/c6nr02506d

Regulation of molecular clock oscillations and phagocytic activity via muscarinic Ca2+ signaling in human retinal pigment epithelial cells

PubMed Central

Ikarashi, Rina; Akechi, Honami; Kanda, Yuzuki; Ahmad, Alsawaf; Takeuchi, Kouhei; Morioka, Eri; Sugiyama, Takashi; Ebisawa, Takashi; Ikeda, Masaaki; Ikeda, Masayuki

2017-01-01

Vertebrate eyes are known to contain circadian clocks, however, the intracellular mechanisms regulating the retinal clockwork remain largely unknown. To address this, we generated a cell line (hRPE-YC) from human retinal pigmental epithelium, which stably co-expressed reporters for molecular clock oscillations (Bmal1-luciferase) and intracellular Ca2+ concentrations (YC3.6). The hRPE-YC cells demonstrated circadian rhythms in Bmal1 transcription. Also, these cells represented circadian rhythms in Ca2+-spiking frequencies, which were canceled by dominant-negative Bmal1 transfections. The muscarinic agonist carbachol, but not photic stimulation, phase-shifted Bmal1 transcriptional rhythms with a type-1 phase response curve. This is consistent with significant M3 muscarinic receptor expression and little photo-sensor (Cry2 and Opn4) expression in these cells. Moreover, forskolin phase-shifted Bmal1 transcriptional rhythm with a type-0 phase response curve, in accordance with long-lasting CREB phosphorylation levels after forskolin exposure. Interestingly, the hRPE-YC cells demonstrated apparent circadian rhythms in phagocytic activities, which were abolished by carbachol or dominant-negative Bmal1 transfection. Because phagocytosis in RPE cells determines photoreceptor disc shedding, molecular clock oscillations and cytosolic Ca2+ signaling may be the driving forces for disc-shedding rhythms known in various vertebrates. In conclusion, the present study provides a cellular model to understand molecular and intracellular signaling mechanisms underlying human retinal circadian clocks. PMID:28276525

NR2C in the thalamic reticular nucleus; effects of the NR2C knockout.

PubMed

Zhang, Yuchun; Buonanno, Andres; Vertes, Robert P; Hoover, Walter B; Lisman, John E

2012-01-01

NMDAR antagonists can evoke delta frequency bursting in the nucleus reticularis of the thalamus (nRT). The mechanism of this oscillation was determined; antagonist blocks an NR2C-like conductance that has low Mg block at resting potential and thus can contribute a resting inward current in response to ambient glutamate. Block of this current hyperpolarizes the cell, deinactivating T-type Ca channels and thus triggering delta frequency bursting. The basis for assuming a NR2C-like conductance was that (1) transcripts for NR2C are abundant in the thalamus and (2) the current-voltage curve of the synaptically evoked NMDAR current has the low rectification characteristic of NR2C. In the current study, we have sought to determine whether the channels that generate the NMDAR current are NR2C-like or are actually comprised of receptors containing NR2C. We studied the current-voltage curve of synaptically evoked NMDAR current in the nRT of NR2C knockout mice. In wild-type mice, the current was weakly voltage dependent, as previously observed in rats. This weak rectification was absent in NR2C KO mice. In contrast, NR2C KO had no effect on the strongly rectifying NMDAR current in pyramidal cells of the prefrontal cortex. These results demonstrate that the low rectification normally observed in the nRT is due to NR2C.

Laboratory investigation and simulation of breakthrough curves in karst conduits with pools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Xiaoer; Chang, Yong; Wu, Jichun; Peng, Fu

2017-12-01

A series of laboratory experiments are performed under various hydrological conditions to analyze the effect of pools in pipes on breakthrough curves (BTCs). The BTCs are generated after instantaneous injections of NaCl tracer solution. In order to test the feasibility of reproducing the BTCs and obtain transport parameters, three modeling approaches have been applied: the equilibrium model, the linear graphical method and the two-region nonequilibrium model. The investigation results show that pools induce tailing of the BTCs, and the shapes of BTCs depend on pool geometries and hydrological conditions. The simulations reveal that the two-region nonequilibrium model yields the best fits to experimental BTCs because the model can describe the transient storage in pools by the partition coefficient and the mass transfer coefficient. The model parameters indicate that pools produce high dispersion. The increased tailing occurs mainly because the partition coefficient decreases, as the number of pools increases. When comparing the tracer BTCs obtained using the two types of pools with the same size, the more appreciable BTC tails that occur for symmetrical pools likely result mainly from the less intense exchange between the water in the pools and the water in the pipe, because the partition coefficients for the two types of pools are virtually identical. Dispersivity values decrease as flow rates increase; however, the trend in dispersion is not clear. The reduced tailing is attributed to a decrease in immobile water with increasing flow rate. It provides evidence for hydrodynamically controlled tailing effects.

The Designs of Fins Air-Cooled Cylinders

DTIC Science & Technology

1939-06-28

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

Using the LMS method to calculate z-scores for the Fenton preterm infant growth chart.

PubMed

Fenton, T R; Sauve, R S

2007-12-01

The use of exact percentiles and z-scores permit optimal assessment of infants' growth. In addition, z-scores allow the precise description of size outside of the 3rd and 97th percentiles of a growth reference. To calculate percentiles and z-scores, health professionals require the LMS parameters (Lambda for the skew, Mu for the median, and Sigma for the generalized coefficient of variation; Cole, 1990). The objective of this study was to calculate the LMS parameters for the Fenton preterm growth chart (2003). Secondary data analysis of the Fenton preterm growth chart data. The Cole methods were used to produce the LMS parameters and to smooth the L parameter. New percentiles were generated from the smooth LMS parameters, which were then compared with the original growth chart percentiles. The maximum differences between the original percentile curves and the percentile curves generated from the LMS parameters were: for weight; a difference of 66 g (2.9%) at 32 weeks along the 90th percentile; for head circumference; some differences of 0.3 cm (0.6-1.0%); and for length; a difference of 0.5 cm (1.6%) at 22 weeks on the 97th percentile. The percentile curves generated from the smoothed LMS parameters for the Fenton growth chart are similar to the original curves. These LMS parameters for the Fenton preterm growth chart facilitate the calculation of z-scores, which will permit the more precise assessment of growth of infants who are born preterm.

Occurrence of CPPopt Values in Uncorrelated ICP and ABP Time Series.

PubMed

Cabeleira, M; Czosnyka, M; Liu, X; Donnelly, J; Smielewski, P

2018-01-01

Optimal cerebral perfusion pressure (CPPopt) is a concept that uses the pressure reactivity (PRx)-CPP relationship over a given period to find a value of CPP at which PRx shows best autoregulation. It has been proposed that this relationship be modelled by a U-shaped curve, where the minimum is interpreted as being the CPP value that corresponds to the strongest autoregulation. Owing to the nature of the calculation and the signals involved in it, the occurrence of CPPopt curves generated by non-physiological variations of intracranial pressure (ICP) and arterial blood pressure (ABP), termed here "false positives", is possible. Such random occurrences would artificially increase the yield of CPPopt values and decrease the reliability of the methodology.In this work, we studied the probability of the random occurrence of false-positives and we compared the effect of the parameters used for CPPopt calculation on this probability. To simulate the occurrence of false-positives, uncorrelated ICP and ABP time series were generated by destroying the relationship between the waves in real recordings. The CPPopt algorithm was then applied to these new series and the number of false-positives was counted for different values of the algorithm's parameters. The percentage of CPPopt curves generated from uncorrelated data was demonstrated to be 11.5%. This value can be minimised by tuning some of the calculation parameters, such as increasing the calculation window and increasing the minimum PRx span accepted on the curve.

The Critical Importance of Data Reduction Calibrations in the Interpretability of S-type Asteroid Spectra

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gaffey, Michael J.

2005-01-01

There is significant dispute concerning the interpretation and meteoritic affinities of S-type asteroids. Some of this arises from the use of inappropriate analysis methods and the derivation of conclusions which cannot be supported by those interpretive methodologies [1]. The most frequently applied inappropriate technique is curve matching. Whether matching spectra from a spectral library or mixing end-member spectra to match the asteroid spectrum, curve matching for S-type spectra suffers from a suite of weaknesses that are virtually impossible to overcome. Chief among these is the lack of a comprehensive comparison set. Lacking a complete library that includes both the mineralogical variations and the spectrally significant physical variations (e.g., particle size, petrographic relationships, etc.), curve matches are plagued with potential unresolved ambiguities. The other major weakness of virtually all curve matching efforts is that equal weight is given to matching all portions of the spectrum. In actuality, some portions of the spectrum (e.g., centers of absorption features) must be matched very accurately while other portions of the spectrum (e.g., continuum regions and overall slopes) do not require good matches since they are strongly effected by parameters unrelated to the mineralogy of the sample.

Application of multi-criteria decision analysis in prediction of groundwater resources potential: A case of Oke-Ana, Ilesa Area Southwestern, Nigeria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akinlalu, A. A.; Adegbuyiro, A.; Adiat, K. A. N.; Akeredolu, B. E.; Lateef, W. Y.

2017-06-01

Groundwater Potential of Oke-Ana area southwestern Nigeria have been evaluated using the integration of electrical resistivity method, remote sensing and geographic information systems. The effect of five hydrogeological indices, namely lineament density, drainage density, lithology, overburden thickness and aquifer layer resistivity on groundwater occurrence was established. Multi-criteria decision analysis technique was employed to assign weight to each of the index using the concept of analytical hierarchy process. The assigned weight was normalized and consistency ratio was established. In order to evaluate the groundwater potential of Oke-Ana, sixty-seven (67) vertical electrical sounding points were occupied. Ten curve types were delineated in the study area. The curve types vary from simple three layer A and H-type curves to the more complex four, five and six layer AA, HA, KH, QH, AKH, HKH, KHA and KHKH curves. Four subsurface geo-electric sequences of top soil, weathered layer, partially weathered/fractured basement and the fresh basement were delineated in the area. The analytical process assisted in classifying Oke-Ana into, low, medium and high groundwater potential zones. Validation of the model from well information and two aborted boreholes suggest 70% agreement.

Know how to maximize maintenance spending

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

Carrino, A.J.; Jones, R.B.; Platt, W.E.

Solomon has developed a methodology to determine a large optimum point where availability meets maintenance spending for Powder River Basin (PRB) coal-fired units. Using a database of sufficient size and composition across various operating ranges, Solomon generated an algorithm that predicts the relationship between maintenance spending and availability. Coupling this generalized algorithm with a unit-specific market-loss curve determines the optimum spending for a facility. The article presents the results of the analysis, how this methodology can be applied to develop optimum operating and financial targets for specific units and markets and a process to achieve those targets. It also describesmore » how this methodology can be used for other types of fossil-fired technologies and future enhancements to the analysis. 5 figs.« less

Estimation of pseudo-2D shear-velocity section by inversion of high frequency surface waves

USGS Publications Warehouse

Luo, Y.; Liu, J.; Xia, J.; Xu, Y.; Liu, Q.

2006-01-01

A scheme to generate pseudo-2D shear-velocity sections with high horizontal resolution and low field cost by inversion of high frequency surface waves is presented. It contains six steps. The key step is the joint method of crossed correlation and phase shift scanning. This joint method chooses only two traces to generate image of dispersion curve. For Rayleigh-wave dispersion is most important for estimation of near-surface shear-wave velocity, it can effectively obtain reliable images of dispersion curves with a couple of traces. The result of a synthetic example shows the feasibility of this scheme. ?? 2005 Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

Modularization and Response Curve Engineering of a Naringenin-Responsive Transcriptional Biosensor.

PubMed

De Paepe, Brecht; Maertens, Jo; Vanholme, Bartel; De Mey, Marjan

2018-05-18

To monitor the intra- and extracellular environment of micro-organisms and to adapt their metabolic processes accordingly, scientists are reprogramming nature's myriad of transcriptional regulatory systems into transcriptional biosensors, which are able to detect small molecules and, in response, express specific output signals of choice. However, the naturally occurring response curve, the key characteristic of biosensor circuits, is typically not in line with the requirements for real-life biosensor applications. In this contribution, a natural LysR-type naringenin-responsive biosensor circuit is developed and characterized with Escherichia coli as host organism. Subsequently, this biosensor is dissected into a clearly defined detector and effector module without loss of functionality, and the influence of the expression levels of both modules on the biosensor response characteristics is investigated. Two collections of ten unique synthetic biosensors each are generated. Each collection demonstrates a unique diversity of response curve characteristics spanning a 128-fold change in dynamic and 2.5-fold change in operational ranges and 3-fold change in levels of Noise, fit for a wide range of applications, such as adaptive laboratory evolution, dynamic pathway control and high-throughput screening methods. The established biosensor engineering concepts, and the developed biosensor collections themselves, are of use for the future development and customization of biosensors in general, for the multitude of biosensor applications and as a compelling alternative for the commonly used LacI-, TetR- and AraC-based inducible circuits.

Photovoltaic frequency–watt curve design for frequency regulation and fast contingency reserves

DOE PAGES

Johnson, Jay; Neely, Jason C.; Delhotal, Jarod J.; ...

2016-09-02

When renewable energy resources are installed in electricity grids, they typically increase generation variability and displace thermal generator control action and inertia. Grid operators combat these emerging challenges with advanced distributed energy resource (DER) functions to support frequency and provide voltage regulation and protection mechanisms. This paper focuses on providing frequency reserves using autonomous IEC TR 61850-90-7 pointwise frequency-watt (FW) functions that adjust DER active power as a function of measured grid frequency. The importance of incorporating FW functions into a fleet of photovoltaic (PV) systems is demonstrated in simulation. Effects of FW curve design, including curtailment, deadband, and droop,more » were analyzed against performance metrics using Latin hypercube sampling for 20%, 70%, and 120% PV penetration scenarios on the Hawaiian island of Lanai. Finally, to understand the financial implications of FW functions to utilities, a performance function was defined based on monetary costs attributable to curtailed PV production, load shedding, and generator wear. An optimization wrapper was then created to find the best FW function curve for each penetration level. Lastly, it was found that in all cases, the utility would save money by implementing appropriate FW functions.« less

Testing and analysis of flat and curved panels with multiple cracks

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1994-08-01

An experimental and analytical investigation of multiple cracking in various types of test specimens is described in this paper. The testing phase is comprised of a flat unstiffened panel series and curved stiffened and unstiffened panel series. The ...

AMSARA: Accession Medical Standards Analysis and Research Activity. Report of 2007 Attrition and Morbidity Data for 2006 Accessions

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-08-04

31 43.7 Available data for curve types (i.e. scoliosis, kyphosis, lordosis ) and subtypes of scoliosis (i.e. thoracic, lumbar, thoracolumbar, double...1% were lordosis . Among scoliosis subtypes, double major curves were the most prevalent (19% of all cases), followed by thoracic, thoracolumbar, and...lumbar. 8 FIGURE 1.2 SPINAL CURVATURE TYPES AND SCOLIOSIS SUBTYPES FORSPINAL CURVATURE EPTS DISCHARGES (2006) N = 71 Lordosis 1% Kyphosis_ 11

Surgical correction of bilateral metacarpophalangeal valgus with curved osteotomies and type II external skeletal fixation in a seven-month-old alpaca.

PubMed

Schoonover, Mike J; Whitfield, Chase T; Rochat, Mark C; Streeter, Robert N; Sippel, Kate

2016-09-20

To report the successful surgical correction of severe bilateral metacarpophalangeal valgus angular limb deformities in a seven-month-old intact male alpaca cria using curved osteotomies stabilized with type II external skeletal fixation. Using a 21 mm crescentic shaped oscillating saw blade, bilateral osteotomies were performed in the distal metaphyses of the fused third and fourth metacarpal bones to correct valgus angular limb deformity of the metacarpophalangeal joints. Axial alignment of each limb was achieved by medially rotating the distal metacarpus in the frontal plane along the curved osteotomies. The osteotomies were stabilized using type II external skeletal fixators. The alpaca was immediately weight-bearing following the surgical procedure and no to minimal lameness was observed during healing of the osteotomies. Evaluation at five and 10 months following the surgery demonstrated acceptable axial alignment in the left forelimb while moderate to severe varus deformity (overcorrection) was observed in the right. Curved osteotomy of the distal metacarpus stabilized with type II external skeletal fixation can provide a favourable outcome in older alpaca crias affected with metacarpophalangeal angular limb deformities. Placement of the distal transfixation pins relative to the metacarpal physes should be carefully evaluated as overcorrection is possible, especially if growthpotential remains in only one physis of the fused third and fourth metacarpal bones.

Optimization and validation of moving average quality control procedures using bias detection curves and moving average validation charts.

PubMed

van Rossum, Huub H; Kemperman, Hans

2017-02-01

To date, no practical tools are available to obtain optimal settings for moving average (MA) as a continuous analytical quality control instrument. Also, there is no knowledge of the true bias detection properties of applied MA. We describe the use of bias detection curves for MA optimization and MA validation charts for validation of MA. MA optimization was performed on a data set of previously obtained consecutive assay results. Bias introduction and MA bias detection were simulated for multiple MA procedures (combination of truncation limits, calculation algorithms and control limits) and performed for various biases. Bias detection curves were generated by plotting the median number of test results needed for bias detection against the simulated introduced bias. In MA validation charts the minimum, median, and maximum numbers of assay results required for MA bias detection are shown for various bias. Their use was demonstrated for sodium, potassium, and albumin. Bias detection curves allowed optimization of MA settings by graphical comparison of bias detection properties of multiple MA. The optimal MA was selected based on the bias detection characteristics obtained. MA validation charts were generated for selected optimal MA and provided insight into the range of results required for MA bias detection. Bias detection curves and MA validation charts are useful tools for optimization and validation of MA procedures.

Study of the influence of Type Ia supernovae environment on the Hubble diagram

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henne, Vincent

2016-06-01

The observational cosmology with distant Type Ia supernovae as standard candles claims that the Universe is in accelerated expansion, caused by a large fraction of dark energy. In this report we investigated SNe Ia environment, studying the impact of the nature of their host galaxies and their distance to the host galactic center on the Hubble diagram fitting. The supernovae used in the analysis were extracted from Joint-Light-curves-Analysis compilation of high-redshift and nearby supernovae. The analysis are based on the empirical fact that SN Ia luminosities depend on their light curve shapes and colors. No conclusive correlation between SN Ia light curve parameters and galocentric distance were identified. Concerning the host morphology, we showed that the stretch parameter of Type Ia supernovae is correlated with the host galaxy type. The supernovae with lower stretch mainly exploded in elliptical and lenticular galaxies. The studies show that into old star population and low dust environment, supernovae are fainter. We did not find any significant correlation between Type Ia supernovae color and host morphology. We confirm that supernova properties depend on their environment and propose to incorporate a host galaxy term into the Hubble diagram fit in the future cosmological analysis.

Cortisol dysregulation: the bidirectional link between stress, depression, and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

PubMed

Joseph, Joshua J; Golden, Sherita H

2017-03-01

Controversy exists over the role of stress and depression in the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Depression has been shown to increase the risk for progressive insulin resistance and incident type 2 diabetes mellitus in multiple studies, whereas the association of stress with diabetes is less clear, owing to differences in study designs and in forms and ascertainment of stress. The biological systems involved in adaptation that mediate the link between stress and physiological functions include the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the autonomic nervous and immune systems. The HPA axis is a tightly regulated system that represents one of the body's mechanisms for responding to acute and chronic stress. Depression is associated with cross-sectional and longitudinal alterations in the diurnal cortisol curve, including a blunted cortisol awakening response and flattening of the diurnal cortisol curve. Flattening of the diurnal cortisol curve is also associated with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus. In this article, we review and summarize the evidence supporting HPA axis dysregulation as an important biological link between stress, depression, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. © 2016 New York Academy of Sciences.

Cortisol dysregulation: the bidirectional link between stress, depression, and type 2 diabetes mellitus

PubMed Central

Joseph, Joshua J.; Golden, Sherita H.

2016-01-01

Controversy exists over the role of stress and depression in the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Depression has been shown to increase the risk for progressive insulin resistance and incident type 2 diabetes mellitus in multiple studies, whereas the association of stress with diabetes is less clear, owing to differences in study designs and in forms and ascertainment of stress. The biological systems involved in adaptation that mediate the link between stress and physiological functions include the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis and the autonomic nervous and immune systems. The hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis is a tightly regulated system that represents one of the body’s mechanisms for responding to acute and chronic stress. Depression is associated with cross-sectional and longitudinal alterations in the diurnal cortisol curve, including a blunted cortisol awakening response and flattening of the diurnal cortisol curve. Flattening of the diurnal cortisol curve is also associated with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus. In this article, we review and summarize the evidence supporting hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis dysregulation as an important biological link between stress, depression, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. PMID:27750377

Updated greenhouse gas and criteria air pollutant emission factors and their probability distribution functions for electricity generating units

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

Cai, H.; Wang, M.; Elgowainy, A.

Greenhouse gas (CO{sub 2}, CH{sub 4} and N{sub 2}O, hereinafter GHG) and criteria air pollutant (CO, NO{sub x}, VOC, PM{sub 10}, PM{sub 2.5} and SO{sub x}, hereinafter CAP) emission factors for various types of power plants burning various fuels with different technologies are important upstream parameters for estimating life-cycle emissions associated with alternative vehicle/fuel systems in the transportation sector, especially electric vehicles. The emission factors are typically expressed in grams of GHG or CAP per kWh of electricity generated by a specific power generation technology. This document describes our approach for updating and expanding GHG and CAP emission factors inmore » the GREET (Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation) model developed at Argonne National Laboratory (see Wang 1999 and the GREET website at http://greet.es.anl.gov/main) for various power generation technologies. These GHG and CAP emissions are used to estimate the impact of electricity use by stationary and transportation applications on their fuel-cycle emissions. The electricity generation mixes and the fuel shares attributable to various combustion technologies at the national, regional and state levels are also updated in this document. The energy conversion efficiencies of electric generating units (EGUs) by fuel type and combustion technology are calculated on the basis of the lower heating values of each fuel, to be consistent with the basis used in GREET for transportation fuels. On the basis of the updated GHG and CAP emission factors and energy efficiencies of EGUs, the probability distribution functions (PDFs), which are functions that describe the relative likelihood for the emission factors and energy efficiencies as random variables to take on a given value by the integral of their own probability distributions, are updated using best-fit statistical curves to characterize the uncertainties associated with GHG and CAP emissions in life-cycle modeling with GREET.« less

Time-Temperature Superposition to Determine the Stress-Rupture of Aramid Fibres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alwis, K. G. N. C.; Burgoyne, C. J.

2006-07-01

Conventional creep testing takes a long time to obtain stress-rupture data for aramid fibres at the low stress levels likely to be used in practical applications. However, the rate of creep of aramid can be accelerated by a thermally activated process to obtain the failure of fibres within a few hours. It is possible to obtain creep curves at different temperature levels which can be shifted along the time axis to generate a single curve know as a master curve, from which stress-rupture data can be obtained. This technique is known as the time-temperature superposition principle and will be applied to Kevlar 49 yarns. Important questions relating to the techniques needed to obtain smooth master curves will be discussed, as will the validity the resulting curves and the corresponding stress-rupture lifetime.

Better P-curves: Making P-curve analysis more robust to errors, fraud, and ambitious P-hacking, a Reply to Ulrich and Miller (2015).

PubMed

Simonsohn, Uri; Simmons, Joseph P; Nelson, Leif D

2015-12-01

When studies examine true effects, they generate right-skewed p-curves, distributions of statistically significant results with more low (.01 s) than high (.04 s) p values. What else can cause a right-skewed p-curve? First, we consider the possibility that researchers report only the smallest significant p value (as conjectured by Ulrich & Miller, 2015), concluding that it is a very uncommon problem. We then consider more common problems, including (a) p-curvers selecting the wrong p values, (b) fake data, (c) honest errors, and (d) ambitiously p-hacked (beyond p < .05) results. We evaluate the impact of these common problems on the validity of p-curve analysis, and provide practical solutions that substantially increase its robustness. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Effect of skew angle on second harmonic guided wave measurement in composite plates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cho, Hwanjeong; Choi, Sungho; Lissenden, Cliff J.

2017-02-01

Waves propagating in anisotropic media are subject to skewing effects due to the media having directional wave speed dependence, which is characterized by slowness curves. Likewise, the generation of second harmonics is sensitive to micro-scale damage that is generally not detectable from linear features of ultrasonic waves. Here, the effect of skew angle on second harmonic guided wave measurement in a transversely isotropic lamina and a quasi-isotropic laminate are numerically studied. The strain energy density function for a nonlinear transversely isotropic material is formulated in terms of the Green-Lagrange strain invariants. The guided wave mode pairs for cumulative second harmonic generation in the plate are selected in accordance with the internal resonance criteria - i.e., phase matching and non-zero power flux. Moreover, the skew angle dispersion curves for the mode pairs are obtained from the semi-analytical finite element method using the derivative of the slowness curve. The skew angles of the primary and secondary wave modes are calculated and wave propagation simulations are carried out using COMSOL. Numerical simulations revealed that the effect of skew angle mismatch can be significant for second harmonic generation in anisotropic media. The importance of skew angle matching on cumulative second harmonic generation is emphasized and the accompanying issue of the selection of internally resonant mode pairs for both a unidirectional transversely isotropic lamina and a quasi-isotropic laminate is demonstrated.

Hydrologic Impacts of Oak Harvesting and Evaluation of the Modified Universal Soil Loss Equation

Treesearch

Charlette R. Epifanio; Michael J. Singer; Xiaohong Huang

1991-01-01

Two Sierra foothill watersheds were monitored to learn what effects selective oak removal would have on watershed hydrology and water quality. We also used the data to generate sediment rating curves and evaluate the modified universal soil loss equation (MUSLE). Annual sediment rating curves better accounted for the variability in precipitation events from year to...

Concept for Determining the Life of Ceramic Matrix Composites Using Nondestructive Characterization Techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Effinger, M.; Ellingson, B.; Spohnholtz, T.; Koenig, J.

2001-01-01

An idea is put forth for a nondestructive characterization (NDC) generated algorithm-N curve to replace a S-N curve. A scenario for NDC life determination has been proposed. There are many challenges for the NDC life determination and prediction, but it could yield a grand payoff. The justification for NDC life determination and prediction is documented.

Calculating Galactic Distances Through Supernova Light Curve Analysis (Abstract)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glanzer, J.

2018-06-01

(Abstract only) The purpose of this project is to experimentally determine the distance to the galaxy M101 by using data that were taken on the type Ia supernova SN 2011fe at the Paul P. Feder Observatory. Type Ia supernovae are useful for determining distances in astronomy because they all have roughly the same luminosity at the peak of their outburst. Comparing the apparent magnitude to the absolute magnitude allows a measurement of the distance. The absolute magnitude is estimated in two ways: using an empirical relationship from the literature between the rate of decline and the absolute magnitude, and using sncosmo, a PYTHON package used for supernova light curve analysis that fits model light curves to the photometric data.

Behavior of scoliosis during growth in children with osteogenesis imperfecta.

PubMed

Anissipour, Alireza K; Hammerberg, Kim W; Caudill, Angela; Kostiuk, Theodore; Tarima, Sergey; Zhao, Heather Shi; Krzak, Joseph J; Smith, Peter A

2014-02-05

Spinal deformities are common in patients with osteogenesis imperfecta, a heritable disorder that causes bone fragility. The purpose of this study was to describe the behavior of spinal curvature during growth in patients with osteogenesis imperfecta and establish its relationship to disease severity and medical treatment with bisphosphonates. The medical records and radiographs of 316 patients with osteogenesis imperfecta were retrospectively reviewed. The severity of osteogenesis imperfecta was classified with the modified Sillence classification. Serial curve measurements were recorded throughout the follow-up period for each patient with scoliosis. Regression analysis was used to determine the effect of disease severity (Sillence type), patient age, and bisphosphonate treatment on the progression of scoliosis as measured with the Cobb method. Of the 316 patients with osteogenesis imperfecta, 157 had associated scoliosis, a prevalence of 50%. Scoliosis prevalence (68%) and mean progression rate (6° per year) were the highest in the group of patients with the most severe osteogenesis imperfecta (modified Sillence type III). A group with intermediate osteogenesis imperfecta severity, modified Sillence type IV, demonstrated intermediate scoliosis values (54%, 4° per year). The patient group with the mildest form of osteogenesis imperfecta, modified Sillence type I, had the lowest scoliosis prevalence (39%) and rate of progression (1° per year). Early treatment-before the patient reached the age of six years-of type-III osteogenesis imperfecta with bisphosphonate therapy decreased the curve progression rate by 3.8° per year, which was a significant decrease. Bisphosphonate treatment had no demonstrated beneficial effect on curve behavior in patients with other types of osteogenesis imperfecta or in patients of older age. The prevalence of scoliosis in association with osteogenesis imperfecta is high. Progression rates of scoliosis in children with osteogenesis imperfecta are variable, depending on the Sillence type of osteogenesis imperfecta. High rates of scoliosis progression in type-III and type-IV osteogenesis imperfecta contrast with a benign course in type I. Bisphosphonate therapy initiated before the patient reaches the age of six years can modulate curve progression in type-III osteogenesis imperfecta.

Robust estimation of simulated urinary volume from camera images under bathroom illumination.

PubMed

Honda, Chizuru; Bhuiyan, Md Shoaib; Kawanaka, Haruki; Watanabe, Eiichi; Oguri, Koji

2016-08-01

General uroflowmetry method involves the risk of nosocomial infections or time and effort of the recording. Medical institutions, therefore, need to measure voided volume simply and hygienically. Multiple cylindrical model that can estimate the fluid flow rate from the photographed image using camera has been proposed in an earlier study. This study implemented a flow rate estimation by using a general-purpose camera system (Raspberry Pi Camera Module) and the multiple cylindrical model. However, large amounts of noise in extracting liquid region are generated by the variation of the illumination when performing measurements in the bathroom. So the estimation error gets very large. In other words, the specifications of the previous study's camera setup regarding the shutter type and the frame rate was too strict. In this study, we relax the specifications to achieve a flow rate estimation using a general-purpose camera. In order to determine the appropriate approximate curve, we propose a binarizing method using background subtraction at each scanning row and a curve approximation method using RANSAC. Finally, by evaluating the estimation accuracy of our experiment and by comparing it with the earlier study's results, we show the effectiveness of our proposed method for flow rate estimation.

Computational Design of Animated Mechanical Characters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coros, Stelian; Thomaszewski, Bernhard; DRZ Team Team

2014-03-01

A factor key to the appeal of modern CG movies and video-games is that the virtual worlds they portray place no bounds on what can be imagined. Rapid manufacturing devices hold the promise of bringing this type of freedom to our own world, by enabling the fabrication of physical objects whose appearance, deformation behaviors and motions can be precisely specified. In order to unleash the full potential of this technology however, computational design methods that create digital content suitable for fabrication need to be developed. In recent work, we presented a computational design system that allows casual users to create animated mechanical characters. Given an articulated character as input, the user designs the animated character by sketching motion curves indicating how they should move. For each motion curve, our framework creates an optimized mechanism that reproduces it as closely as possible. The resulting mechanisms are attached to the character and then connected to each other using gear trains, which are created in a semi-automated fashion. The mechanical assemblies generated with our system can be driven with a single input driver, such as a hand-operated crank or an electric motor, and they can be fabricated using rapid prototyping devices.

Prognostic value of inflammation-based scores in patients with osteosarcoma

PubMed Central

Liu, Bangjian; Huang, Yujing; Sun, Yuanjue; Zhang, Jianjun; Yao, Yang; Shen, Zan; Xiang, Dongxi; He, Aina

2016-01-01

Systemic inflammation responses have been associated with cancer development and progression. C-reactive protein (CRP), Glasgow prognostic score (GPS), neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), lymphocyte-monocyte ratio (LMR), and neutrophil-platelet score (NPS) have been shown to be independent risk factors in various types of malignant tumors. This retrospective analysis of 162 osteosarcoma cases was performed to estimate their predictive value of survival in osteosarcoma. All statistical analyses were performed by SPSS statistical software. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was generated to set optimal thresholds; area under the curve (AUC) was used to show the discriminatory abilities of inflammation-based scores; Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed to plot the survival curve; cox regression models were employed to determine the independent prognostic factors. The optimal cut-off points of NLR, PLR, and LMR were 2.57, 123.5 and 4.73, respectively. GPS and NLR had a markedly larger AUC than CRP, PLR and LMR. High levels of CRP, GPS, NLR, PLR, and low level of LMR were significantly associated with adverse prognosis (P < 0.05). Multivariate Cox regression analyses revealed that GPS, NLR, and occurrence of metastasis were top risk factors associated with death of osteosarcoma patients. PMID:28008988

Computer-Generated, Three-Dimensional Spine Model From Biplanar Radiographs: A Validity Study in Idiopathic Scoliosis Curves Greater Than 50 Degrees.

PubMed

Carreau, Joseph H; Bastrom, Tracey; Petcharaporn, Maty; Schulte, Caitlin; Marks, Michelle; Illés, Tamás; Somoskeöy, Szabolcs; Newton, Peter O

2014-03-01

Reproducibility study of SterEOS 3-dimensional (3D) software in large, idiopathic scoliosis (IS) spinal curves. To determine the accuracy and reproducibility of various 3D, software-generated radiographic measurements acquired from a 2-dimensional (2D) imaging system. SterEOS software allows a user to reconstruct a 3D spinal model from an upright, biplanar, low-dose, X-ray system. The validity and internal consistency of this system have not been tested in large IS curves. EOS images from 30 IS patients with curves greater than 50° were collected for analysis. Three observers blinded to the study protocol conducted repeated, randomized, manual 2D measurements, and 3D software generated measurements from biplanar images acquired from an EOS Imaging system. Three-dimensional measurements were repeated using both the Full 3D and Fast 3D guided processes. A total of 180 (120 3D and 60 2D) sets of measurements were obtained of coronal (Cobb angle) and sagittal (T1-T12 and T4-T12 kyphosis; L1-S1 and L1-L5; and pelvic tilt, pelvic incidence, and sacral slope) parameters. Intra-class correlation coefficients were compared, as were the calculated differences in values generated by SterEOS 3D software and manual 2D measurements. The 95% confidence intervals of the mean differences in measures were calculated as an estimate of reproducibility. Average intra-class correlation coefficients were excellent: 0.97, 0.97, and 0.93 for Full 3D, Fast 3D, and 2D measures, respectively (p = .11). Measurement errors for some sagittal measures were significantly lower with the 3D techniques. Both the Full 3D and Fast 3D techniques provided consistent measurements of axial plane vertebral rotation. SterEOS 3D reconstruction spine software creates reproducible measurements in all 3 planes of deformity in curves greater than 50°. Advancements in 3D scoliosis imaging are expected to improve our understanding and treatment of idiopathic scoliosis. Copyright © 2014 Scoliosis Research Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Warning System for Rainfall-Induced Debris Flows: A Integrated Remote Sensing and Data Mining Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elkadiri, R.; Sultan, M.; Nurmemet, I.; Al Harbi, H.; Youssef, A.; Elbayoumi, T.; Zabramwi, Y.; Alzahrani, S.; Bahamil, A.

2014-12-01

We developed methodologies that heavily rely on observations extracted from a wide-range of remote sensing data sets (TRMM, Landsat ETM, ENVISAT, ERS, SPOT, Orbview, GeoEye) to develop a warning system for rainfall-induced debris flows in the Jazan province in the Red Sea Hills. The developed warning system integrates static controlling factors and dynamic triggering factors. The algorithm couples a susceptibility map with a rainfall I-D curve, both are developed using readily available remote sensing datasets. The static susceptibility map was constructed as follows: (1) an inventory was compiled for debris flows identified from high spatial resolution datasets and field verified; (2) 10 topographical and land cover predisposing factors (i.e. slope angle, slope aspect, normalized difference vegetation index, topographical position index, stream power index, flow accumulation, distance to drainage line, soil weathering index, elevation and topographic wetness index) were generated; (3) an artificial neural network model (ANN) was constructed, optimized and validated; (4) a debris-flow susceptibility map was generated using the ANN model and refined (using differential backscatter coefficient radar images). The rainfall threshold curve was derived as follows: (1) a spatial database was generated to host temporal co-registered and radiometrically and atmospherically corrected Landsat images; (2) temporal change detection images were generated for pairs of successively acquired Landsat images and criteria were established to identify "the change" related to debris flows, (3) the duration and intensity of the precipitation event that caused each of the identified debris flow events was assumed to be that of the most intense event within the investigated period; and (4) the I-D curve was extracted using data (intensity and duration of precipitation) for the inventoried events. Our findings include: (1) the spatial controlling factors with the highest predictive power of debris-flow locations are: topographic position index, slope, NDVI and distance to drainage line; (2) the ANN model showed an excellent prediction performance (area under receiver operating characteristic [ROC] curve: 0.961); 3) the preliminary I-D curve is I=39.797×D-0.7355 (I: Intensity and D: duration).

Usefulness of Chest Radiographs for Scoliosis Screening: A Comparison with Thoraco-Lumbar Standing Radiographs

PubMed Central

Oh, Chang Hyun; Kim, Chan Gyu; Lee, Myoung Seok; Park, Hyeong-Chun; Park, Chong Oon

2012-01-01

Purpose The purposes of this study were to evaluate the usefulness and limitations of chest radiographs in scoliosis screening and to compare these results with those of thoraco-lumbar standing radiographs (TLSR). Materials and Methods During Korean conscription, 419 males were retrospectively examined using both chest radiographs and TLSR to confirm the scoliosis and Cobb angle at the Regional Military Manpower. We compared the types of spinal curves and Cobb angles as measured from different radiographs. Results In the pattern of spinal curves, the overall matching rate of chest radiographs using TLSR was about 58.2% (244 of 419 cases). Cobb angle differences between chest radiographs and TLSR with meaningful difference was observed in 156 cases (37.2%); a relatively high proportion (9.5%) of Cobb angle differences more than 10 degrees was also observed. The matching rate of both spinal curve types and Cobb angle accuracy between chest radiographs and TLSR was 27.9% (117 among 419 cases). Chest radiographs for scoliosis screening were observed with 93.94% of sensitivity and 61.67% of specificity in thoracic curves; however, less than 40% of sensitivity (38.27%, 20.00%, and 25.80%) and more than 95% of specificity (97.34%, 99.69%, and 98.45%) were observed in thoraco-lumbar, lumbar, and double major curves, respectively. Conclusion The accuracy of chest radiographs for scoliosis screening was low. The incidence of thoracic curve scoliosis was overestimated and lumbar curve scoliosis was easily missed by chest radiography. Scoliosis screening using chest radiography has limited values, nevertheless, it is useful method for detecting thoracic curve scoliosis. PMID:23074120

The curvature of sensitometric curves for Kodak XV-2 film irradiated with photon and electron beams.

PubMed

van Battum, L J; Huizenga, H

2006-07-01

Sensitometric curves of Kodak XV-2 film, obtained in a time period of ten years with various types of equipment, have been analyzed both for photon and electron beams. The sensitometric slope in the dataset varies more than a factor of 2, which is attributed mainly to variations in developer conditions. In the literature, the single hit equation has been proposed as a model for the sensitometric curve, as with the parameters of the sensitivity and maximum optical density. In this work, the single hit equation has been translated into a polynomial like function as with the parameters of the sensitometric slope and curvature. The model has been applied to fit the sensitometric data. If the dataset is fitted for each single sensitometric curve separately, a large variation is observed for both fit parameters. When sensitometric curves are fitted simultaneously it appears that all curves can be fitted adequately with a sensitometric curvature that is related to the sensitometric slope. When fitting each curve separately, apparently measurement uncertainty hides this relation. This relation appears to be dependent only on the type of densitometer used. No significant differences between beam energies or beam modalities are observed. Using the intrinsic relation between slope and curvature in fitting sensitometric data, e.g., for pretreatment verification of intensity-modulated radiotherapy, will increase the accuracy of the sensitometric curve. A calibration at a single dose point, together with a predetermined densitometer-dependent parameter ODmax will be adequate to find the actual relation between optical density and dose.

Driver response to delineation treatments on horizontal curves on two-lane roads.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-05-01

The delineation of horizontal curves on two-lane rural roads is an important component of safety : improvements to reduce run-off-road and head-on crashes. This project assessed four types of vertical : delineation in conjunction with edgeline markin...

Effects on the pouch of different digestive tract reconstruction modes assessed by radionuclide scintigraphy

PubMed Central

Li, Dong-Sheng; Xu, Hui-Mian; Han, Chun-Qi; Li, Ya-Ming

2010-01-01

AIM: To determine the effect of three digestive tract reconstruction procedures on pouch function, after radical surgery undertaken because of gastric cancer, as assessed by radionuclide dynamic imaging. METHODS: As a measure of the reservoir function, with a designed diet containing technetium-99m (99mTc), the emptying time of the gastric substitute was evaluated using a 99mTc-labeled solid test meal. Immediately after the meal, the patient was placed in front of a γ camera in a supine position and the radioactivity was measured over the whole abdomen every minute. A frame image was obtained. The emptying sequences were recorded by the microprocessor and then stored on a computer disk. According to a computer processing system, the half-emptying actual curve and the fitting curve of food containing isotope in the detected region were depicted, and the half-emptying actual curves of the three reconstruction procedures were directly compared. RESULTS: Of the three reconstruction procedures, the half-emptying time of food containing isotope in the Dual Braun type esophagojejunal anastomosis procedure (51.86 ± 6.43 min) was far closer to normal, significantly better than that of the proximal gastrectomy orthotopic reconstruction (30.07 ± 15.77 min, P = 0.002) and P type esophagojejunal anastomosis (27.88 ± 6.07 min, P = 0.001) methods. The half-emptying actual curve and fitting curves for the Dual Braun type esophagojejunal anastomosis were fairly similar while those of the proximal gastrectomy orthotopic reconstruction and P type esophagojejunal anastomosis were obviously separated, which indicated bad food conservation in the reconstructed pouches. CONCLUSION: Dual Braun type esophagojejunal anastomosis is the most useful of the three procedures for improving food accommodation in patients with a pouch and can retard evacuation of solid food from the reconstructed pouch. PMID:20238408

Texture analysis applied to second harmonic generation image data for ovarian cancer classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wen, Bruce L.; Brewer, Molly A.; Nadiarnykh, Oleg; Hocker, James; Singh, Vikas; Mackie, Thomas R.; Campagnola, Paul J.

2014-09-01

Remodeling of the extracellular matrix has been implicated in ovarian cancer. To quantitate the remodeling, we implement a form of texture analysis to delineate the collagen fibrillar morphology observed in second harmonic generation microscopy images of human normal and high grade malignant ovarian tissues. In the learning stage, a dictionary of "textons"-frequently occurring texture features that are identified by measuring the image response to a filter bank of various shapes, sizes, and orientations-is created. By calculating a representative model based on the texton distribution for each tissue type using a training set of respective second harmonic generation images, we then perform classification between images of normal and high grade malignant ovarian tissues. By optimizing the number of textons and nearest neighbors, we achieved classification accuracy up to 97% based on the area under receiver operating characteristic curves (true positives versus false positives). The local analysis algorithm is a more general method to probe rapidly changing fibrillar morphologies than global analyses such as FFT. It is also more versatile than other texture approaches as the filter bank can be highly tailored to specific applications (e.g., different disease states) by creating customized libraries based on common image features.

Organic metamorphism in the California petroleum basins; Chapter B, Insights from extractable bitumen and saturated hydrocarbons

USGS Publications Warehouse

Price, Leigh C.

2000-01-01

Seventy-five shales from the Los Angeles, Ventura, and Southern San Joaquin Valley Basins were extracted and analyzed. Samples were chosen on the basis of ROCK-EVAL analyses of a much larger sample base. The samples ranged in burial temperatures from 40 ? to 220 ? C, and contained hydrogen-poor to hydrogen-rich organic matter (OM), based on OM visual typing and a correlation of elemental kerogen hydrogen to carbon ratios with ROCK-EVAL hydrogen indices. By extractable bitumen measurements, rocks with hydrogen- poor OM in the Los Angeles Basin began mainstage hydrocarbon (HC) generation by 90 ? C. The HC concentrations maximized by 165 ? C, and beyond 165 ? C, HC and bitumen concentrations and ROCK-EVAL hydrogen indices all began decreasing to low values reached by 220 ? C, where HC generation was largely complete. Rocks with hydrogen-poor OM in the Southern San Joaquin Valley Basin commenced mainstage HC generation at 135 ? C and HC concentrations maximized by 180 ? C. Above 180 ? C, HC and bitumen concentrations and ROCK-EVAL hydrogen indices all decreased to low values reached by 214 ? C, again the process of HC generation being largely complete. In both cases, bell-shaped HC-generation curves were present versus depth (burial temperature). Mainstage HC generation had not yet begun in Ventura Basin rocks with hydrogen-poor OM by 140 ? C. The apparent lower temperature for initiation of mainstage generation in the Los Angeles Basin is attributed to very recent cooling in that basin from meteoric-water flow. Thus, HC generation there most probably occurred at higher burial temperatures. In contrast, mainstage HC generation, and all aspects of organic metamorphism, were strongly suppressed in rocks with hydrogen-rich OM at temperatures as high as 198 ? C. For example, shales from the Wilmington field (Los Angeles Basin) from 180 ? to 198 ? C retained ROCK-EVAL hydrogen indices of 550- 700 and had saturated-HC coefficients of only 4-15 mg/g organic carbon. The rocks with hydrogen-rich OM were subjected to the same burial conditions as the rocks with hydrogenpoor OM. We attribute this suppression of organic metamorphism in this study primarily to much stronger bonds in the hydrogen-rich OM compared to the bonds in hydrogen-poor OM. Trends in bitumen compositions (qualitative characteristics) versus burial temperature were also very different for rocks with hydrogen-poor OM compared to that in rocks with hydrogen- rich OM. This observation demonstrated that the two OM types also had significantly different reaction pathways, in addition to different reaction kinetics. Strong exploration implications arise from these observations. Above 40?C, but before mainstage HC generation, a lowtemperature (pre-mainstage) HC generation occurred in all rocks, and all OM types, studied. This low-temperature generation resulted in significant qualitative changes in the bitumen and HCS (hydrocarbons) from rocks of all OM types, especially in rocks with hydrogen-rich OM, from 40 ? to 70 ? C. This, and previous studies, document that very high carbon-normalized concentrations of indigenous bitumen and HCS occur in late Neogene immature rocks of any OM type in all southern California basins. This characteristic is attributed to the low-temperature generation occurring in both sulfur-poor and sulfur-rich kerogens, which originally had unusually high concentrations of weak (15-40 Kcal/mole) bonds. These observations and considerations have marked relevance to exploration regarding the possible formation of commercial oil deposits at immature ranks in these basins. Other significant geochemical observations also result from this study.

Applications of MASW Method with Different Offsets and Geophone Geometries in Buca District of Izmir City, TURKEY

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pamuk, Eren; Önsen, Funda; Turan, Seçil

2014-05-01

Shear-wave velocity is so critical parameter for evaluating the dynamic behaviour of soil in the subsurface investigations. Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW) is a popular method to utilize shear-wave velocity in shallow depth surveys. This method uses the dispersive properties of shear-waves for imaging the subsurface layers. In MASW method, firstly data are acquired multichannel field records (or shot gathers), then dispersion curves are extracted. Finally, these dispersion curves are inverted to obtain one dimension (1D) Vs depth profiles. Reliable and accurate results of evaluating shear wave velocity depends on dispersion curves. Therefore, determination of basic mode dispersion curve is very important. In this study, MASW measurements were carried out different types of spread and various offsets to obtain better results in Ä°zmir, Turkey. The types of spread were selected as pairs geophone group of spread, increase spread and constant interval spread. The data were collected in the Campus of Tinaztepe, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir (Buca). 24 channel Geometrix Geode seismic instruments, 4.5 Hz low frequency receiver (geophone) and sledge hammer (8kg) as an energy source were used in this study. The data were collected with forward shots. MASW measurements were applied different profiles and their lengths were 24 m. Geophone intervals were selected 1 m in the constant interval spread and offsets were selected respectively 1, 4, 8, 12, 24 m in all spreads. In the first stage of this study, the measurements, which were taken in these offsets, were compared between each other in all spreads. The results show that higher resolution dispersion curves were observed at 1 m, 2 m and 4 m offsets. In the other offsets (8, 12, 24 m), distinguishability between basic and higher modes dispersion curves became difficult. In the second stage of this study, obtained dispersion curves of different spread were compared to all spread type of MASW survey.

Gauging the cosmic acceleration with recent type Ia supernovae data sets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Velten, Hermano; Gomes, Syrios; Busti, Vinicius C.

2018-04-01

We revisit a model-independent estimator for cosmic acceleration based on type Ia supernovae distance measurements. This approach does not rely on any specific theory for gravity, energy content, nor parametrization for the scale factor or deceleration parameter and is based on falsifying the null hypothesis that the Universe never expanded in an accelerated way. By generating mock catalogs of known cosmologies, we test the robustness of this estimator, establishing its limits of applicability. We detail the pros and cons of such an approach. For example, we find that there are specific counterexamples in which the estimator wrongly provides evidence against acceleration in accelerating cosmologies. The dependence of the estimator on the H0 value is also discussed. Finally, we update the evidence for acceleration using the recent UNION2.1 and Joint Light-Curve Analysis samples. Contrary to recent claims, available data strongly favor an accelerated expansion of the Universe in complete agreement with the standard Λ CDM model.

Microstructure and Properties of a High-Strength Cu-Ni-Si-Co-Zr Alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chenna Krishna, S.; Srinath, J.; Jha, Abhay K.; Pant, Bhanu; Sharma, S. C.; George, Koshy M.

2013-07-01

A high-strength Cu-Ni-Si alloy was developed with the additions of Co and Zr. The aging curve for the alloy was generated using hardness. Electron microscopy studies were conducted to analyze the phases in the alloy. Two types of phases, one of copper matrix and the other of Ni-Si-Co-Zr intermetallic phase, could be identified using scanning electron microscopy. Transmission electron microscopy studies confirmed the presence of two types of precipitates in solution-treated and aged (STA) condition, i.e., Ni2Si and Co2Si. Mechanical properties and electrical conductivity were evaluated in solution-treated (ST) and STA conditions. Aging of the ST samples at 500 °C for 3 h has shown an increase of 72 and 15% in yield strength (YS) and electrical conductivity, respectively. This increase in YS and conductivity on aging is primarily attributed to the formation of fine Ni2Si and Co2Si precipitates.

A Review of Endoscopic Simulation: Current Evidence on Simulators and Curricula.

PubMed

King, Neil; Kunac, Anastasia; Merchant, Aziz M

2016-01-01

Upper and lower endoscopy is an important tool that is being utilized more frequently by general surgeons. Training in therapeutic endoscopic techniques has become a mandatory requirement for general surgery residency programs in the United States. The Fundamentals of Endoscopic Surgery has been developed to train and assess competency in these advanced techniques. Simulation has been shown to increase the skill and learning curve of trainees in other surgical disciplines. Several types of endoscopy simulators are commercially available; mechanical trainers, animal based, and virtual reality or computer-based simulators all have their benefits and limitations. However they have all been shown to improve trainee's endoscopic skills. Endoscopic simulators will play a critical role as part of a comprehensive curriculum designed to train the next generation of surgeons. We reviewed recent literature related to the various types of endoscopic simulators and their use in an educational curriculum, and discuss the relevant findings. Copyright © 2015 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Genotyping of Listeria monocytogenes isolates from poultry carcasses using high resolution melting (HRM) analysis.

PubMed

Sakaridis, Ioannis; Ganopoulos, Ioannis; Madesis, Panagiotis; Tsaftaris, Athanasios; Argiriou, Anagnostis

2014-01-02

An outbreak situation of human listeriosis requires a fast and accurate protocol for typing Listeria monocytogenes . Existing techniques are either characterized by low discriminatory power or are laborious and require several days to give a final result. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) coupled with high resolution melting (HRM) analysis was investigated in this study as an alternative tool for a rapid and precise genotyping of L. monocytogenes isolates. Fifty-five isolates of L. monocytogenes isolated from poultry carcasses and the environment of four slaughterhouses were typed by HRM analysis using two specific markers, internalin B and ssrA genes. The analysis of genotype confidence percentage of L. monocytogenes isolates produced by HRM analysis generated dendrograms with two major groups and several subgroups. Furthermore, the analysis of the HRM curves revealed that all L. monocytogenes isolates could easily be distinguished. In conclusion, HRM was proven to be a fast and powerful tool for genotyping isolates of L. monocytogenes .

Vacancy and curvature effects on the phonon properties of single wall carbon nanotube

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hossain Howlader, Ashraful; Sherajul Islam, Md.; Tanaka, Satoru; Makino, Takayuki; Hashimoto, Akihiro

2018-02-01

Single wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) is considered as an ideal candidate for next-generation nanoelectronics owing to its unusual properties. Here we have performed an in-depth theoretical analysis of the effect of vacancy defects and curvature on the phonon properties of (10,0) and (10,10) SWCNTs using the forced vibrational method. We report that Raman active E2g mode softens towards the low-frequency region with increasing vacancies and curvature in both types of CNTs. Vacancy induces some new peaks at low-frequency region of the phonon density of states. Phonon localization properties are also manifested. Our calculated mode pattern and localization length show that optical phonon at Raman D-band frequency is strongly localized in vacancy defected and large curved CNTs. Our findings will be helpful in explaining the thermal conductivity, specific heat capacity, and Raman spectra in vacancy type disordered CNTs, as well as electron transport properties of CNT-based nanoelectronic devices.

Evaluation of production tests in oil wells stimulated by massive acid fracturing offshore Qatar

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

McDonald, S.W.

This paper presents the evaluation of pressure-buildup data from production tests in wells that have been stimulated by massive acid fracturing. Fracture type curves are used in combination with conventional semilog analysis techniques. Fracture characteristics are calculated from a match of the early-time pressure data with the type curves, and reservoir characteristics are calculated from a conventional semilog plot of late-time data. Unexpectedly high formation permeabilities are evaluated, and fracture half-lengths are much shorter than design values.

Responses of flocculus and vestibular nuclei neurons in Weaver mutant mice (B6CBA wv/wv) to combined head and body rotation.

PubMed

Grüsser-Cornehls, U

1995-01-01

The responses of vestibular nuclei (Vn) neurons and floccular Purkinje (P) cells to natural stimulation of the horizontal canals were recorded in paralyzed Weaver mutant mice. The Weaver mice suffer from an almost complete postnatal degeneration of granule cells and a portion of the P cells (Sidman et al. 1965). Parallel fibers are never elaborated (Bradley and Berry 1978). Recording sites were localized by means of small, iontophoretically applied HRP markings. Phase and sensitivity were analyzed by a Fourier analysis and a "best sine fitting" program. As in the normal "control" mice (Grüsser-Cornehls et al. 1995), the "simple spike" discharges of Vn and P cells in Weaver mutant mice are modulated sinusoidally upon sinusoidal stimulation. The neuronal response amplitude at fundamental frequency (determined from peristimulus time histograms, PSTHs increased with frequency (0.05-0.5 Hz) for both Vn and floccular neurons. The stimulus frequency/response amplitude and sensitivity (re velocity) curves for floccular neurons are distinctly lower in magnitude than those of Vn neurons (P < 0.01). In our sample of neurons, the Vn neurons curves of the mutants display a remarkable be behavior: the mean value curve of type I neurons is shifted upward, indicating a loss of inhibition but that of type II, downward, demonstrating a downregulation in comparison with the control values. The difference between the two curves is statistically significant (P < 0.001). The mean value curve of all mutant Vn neurons depends on the different fractions of type I and type II neurons in the sample investigated. In our investigations, the mean value curves of both type I and type II neurons also exceed those of the normal controls. The phase shift relative to head angular velocity in the midfrequency range in Vn neurons was very similar to that in normal controls, but the phase advance in the range of 0.3-0.5 Hz was somewhat larger and the SD larger over the whole range tested. Concerning the phase relationship for floccular neurons, a major difference occurred in contrast to the normal controls: the phase lead and phase lag varied from neurons to neuron, in individual neurons from frequency to frequency, and in some neurons distinctly from trial to trail. It is hypothesized that an intact mossy fiber-granule cell-parallel fiber system plays an important role in an orderly information flow, transmitted through the P-cell axons, and that the morphological disruption has implications for target cell activity. There is a strong suggestion that the diverse behavior of type I and type II neurons in the Vn may have implications for the poor motor performance in Weaver mutant mice.

Acceptance criteria for welds in ASTM A106 grade B steel pipe and plate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hudson, C. M.; Wright, D. B., Jr.; Leis, B. N.

1986-01-01

Based on the RECERT Program findings, NASA-Langley funded a fatigue study of code-unacceptable welds. Usage curves were developed which were based on the structural integrity of the welds. The details of this study are presented in NASA CR-178114. The information presented is a condensation and reinterpretation of the information in NASA CR-178114. This condensation and reinterpretation generated usage curves for welds having: (1) indications 0.20 -inch deep by 0.40-inch long, and (2) indications 0.195-inch deep by 8.4-inches long. These curves were developed using the procedures used in formulating the design curves in Section VIII, Division 2 of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code.

Evaluation of PCR and high-resolution melt curve analysis for differentiation of Salmonella isolates.

PubMed

Saeidabadi, Mohammad Sadegh; Nili, Hassan; Dadras, Habibollah; Sharifiyazdi, Hassan; Connolly, Joanne; Valcanis, Mary; Raidal, Shane; Ghorashi, Seyed Ali

2017-06-01

Consumption of poultry products contaminated with Salmonella is one of the major causes of foodborne diseases worldwide and therefore detection and differentiation of Salmonella spp. in poultry is important. In this study, oligonucleotide primers were designed from hemD gene and a PCR followed by high-resolution melt (HRM) curve analysis was developed for rapid differentiation of Salmonella isolates. Amplicons of 228 bp were generated from 16 different Salmonella reference strains and from 65 clinical field isolates mainly from poultry farms. HRM curve analysis of the amplicons differentiated Salmonella isolates and analysis of the nucleotide sequence of the amplicons from selected isolates revealed that each melting curve profile was related to a unique DNA sequence. The relationship between reference strains and tested specimens was also evaluated using a mathematical model without visual interpretation of HRM curves. In addition, the potential of the PCR-HRM curve analysis was evaluated for genotyping of additional Salmonella isolates from different avian species. The findings indicate that PCR followed by HRM curve analysis provides a rapid and robust technique for genotyping of Salmonella isolates to determine the serovar/serotype.

Straight and Curved Conformations of FtsZ Are Regulated by GTP Hydrolysis

PubMed Central

Lu, Chunlin; Reedy, Mary; Erickson, Harold P.

2000-01-01

FtsZ assembles in vitro into protofilaments that can adopt two conformations—the straight conformation, which can assemble further into two-dimensional protofilament sheets, and the curved conformation, which forms minirings about 23 nm in diameter. Here, we describe the structure of FtsZ tubes, which are a variation of the curved conformation. In the tube the curved protofilament forms a shallow helix with a diameter of 23 nm and a pitch of 18 or 24°. We suggest that this shallow helix is the relaxed structure of the curved protofilament in solution. We provide evidence that GTP favors the straight conformation while GDP favors the curved conformation. In particular, exclusively straight protofilaments and protofilament sheets are assembled in GMPCPP, a nonhydrolyzable GTP analog, or in GTP following chelation of Mg, which blocks GTP hydrolysis. Assembly in GDP produces exclusively tubes. The transition from straight protofilaments to the curved conformation may provide a mechanism whereby the energy of GTP hydrolysis is used to generate force for the constriction of the FtsZ ring in cell division. PMID:10613876

GERLUMPH Data Release 2: 2.5 Billion Simulated Microlensing Light Curves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vernardos, G.; Fluke, C. J.; Bate, N. F.; Croton, D.; Vohl, D.

2015-04-01

In the upcoming synoptic all-sky survey era of astronomy, thousands of new multiply imaged quasars are expected to be discovered and monitored regularly. Light curves from the images of gravitationally lensed quasars are further affected by superimposed variability due to microlensing. In order to disentangle the microlensing from the intrinsic variability of the light curves, the time delays between the multiple images have to be accurately measured. The resulting microlensing light curves can then be analyzed to reveal information about the background source, such as the size of the quasar accretion disk. In this paper we present the most extensive and coherent collection of simulated microlensing light curves; we have generated \\gt 2.5 billion light curves using the GERLUMPH high resolution microlensing magnification maps. Our simulations can be used to train algorithms to measure lensed quasar time delays, plan future monitoring campaigns, and study light curve properties throughout parameter space. Our data are openly available to the community and are complemented by online eResearch tools, located at http://gerlumph.swin.edu.au.

SCEW: a Microsoft Excel add-in for easy creation of survival curves.

PubMed

Khan, Haseeb Ahmad

2006-07-01

Survival curves are frequently used for reporting survival or mortality outcomes of experimental pharmacological/toxicological studies and of clinical trials. Microsoft Excel is a simple and widely used tool for creation of numerous types of graphic presentations however it is difficult to create step-wise survival curves in Excel. Considering the familiarity of clinicians and biomedical scientists with Excel, an algorithm survival curves in Excel worksheet (SCEW) has been developed for easy creation of survival curves directly in Excel worksheets. The algorithm has been integrated in the form of Excel add-in for easy installation and usage. The program is based on modification of frequency data for binary break-up using the spreadsheet formula functions whereas a macro subroutine automates the creation of survival curves. The advantages of this program are simple data input, minimal procedural steps and the creation of survival curves in the familiar confines of Excel.

FIRST PRECISION LIGHT CURVE ANALYSIS OF THE NEGLECTED EXTREME MASS RATIO SOLAR-TYPE BINARY HR BOOTIS

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

Samec, Ronald G.; Benkendorf, Barry; Dignan, James B.

2015-04-15

HR Bootis is a neglected binary that is found to be a solar-type (G2V) extreme mass ratio binary (EMRB). It was discovered by Hanley and Shapley in 1940. Surprisingly, little has been published in the intervening years. In 1999 it was characterized by a 0.31587 day orbital period. Since that time it has been observed by various observers who have determined ∼20 timings of minimum light over the past ∼15,000 orbits. Our observations in 2012 represent the first precision curves in the BVR{sub c}I{sub c} Johnson–Cousins wavelength bands. The light curves have rather low amplitudes, averaging some 0.5 magnitudes, yetmore » they exhibit total eclipses, which is typical of the rare group of solar-type EMRBs. An improved linear ephemeris was computed along with a quadratic ephemeris showing a decaying orbit, which indicates magnetic breaking may be occurring. The light curve solution reveals that HR Boo is a contact system with a somewhat low 21% Roche-lobe fill-out but a mass ratio of q = 4.09 (0.2444), which defines it as an EMRB. Two spots, both hot, were allowed to iterate to fit the light curve asymmetries. Their radii are 32° and 16°. Both are high-latitude polar spots indicative of strong magnetic activity. The shallow contact yet nearly equal component temperatures makes it an unusual addition to this group.« less

Thermo-Electro-Mechanical Analysis of a Curved Functionally Graded Piezoelectric Actuator with Sandwich Structure

PubMed Central

Yan, Zhi; Zaman, Mostafa; Jiang, Liying

2011-01-01

In this work, the problem of a curved functionally graded piezoelectric (FGP) actuator with sandwich structure under electrical and thermal loads is investigated. The middle layer in the sandwich structure is functionally graded with the piezoelectric coefficient g31 varying continuously along the radial direction of the curved actuator. Based on the theory of linear piezoelectricity, analytical solutions are obtained by using Airy stress function to examine the effects of material gradient and heat conduction on the performance of the curved actuator. It is found that the material gradient and thermal load have significant influence on the electroelastic fields and the mechanical response of the curved FGP actuator. Without the sacrifice of actuation deflection, smaller internal stresses are generated by using the sandwich actuator with functionally graded piezoelectric layer instead of the conventional bimorph actuator. This work is very helpful for the design and application of curved piezoelectric actuators under thermal environment. PMID:28824130

Understand Centrifugal Compressor stage curves

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

Stadler, E.L.

1986-08-01

Multistage Centrifugal Compressor Performance is generally presented in the form of a composite curve showing discharge pressure and bhp plotted as a function of capacity. This composite curve represents the cumulative performance of each stage performance curve. A simple yet quite accurate means of measuring compressor total performance is to test each stage as a single-stage compressor, usually on air with atmospheric inlets. Stage curves are then generated from the test data and three important variables are plotted: head coefficient, work coefficient and adiabatic efficiency. These variables are plotted against a normalized flow coefficient, Q/N, which is inlet volume flowmore » (cfm) divided by impeller speed (rpm). The nomenclature used to define these stage variables changes from manufacturer to manufacturer; however, the parameters presented are the same. An understanding of each parameter's theoretical derivation and determination from test data will help the engineer reviewing test curves to be more cognizant of the interrelationships between these variables; specifically, how they affect overall machine pressure rise and power consumption.« less

Jackknife variance of the partial area under the empirical receiver operating characteristic curve.

PubMed

Bandos, Andriy I; Guo, Ben; Gur, David

2017-04-01

Receiver operating characteristic analysis provides an important methodology for assessing traditional (e.g., imaging technologies and clinical practices) and new (e.g., genomic studies, biomarker development) diagnostic problems. The area under the clinically/practically relevant part of the receiver operating characteristic curve (partial area or partial area under the receiver operating characteristic curve) is an important performance index summarizing diagnostic accuracy at multiple operating points (decision thresholds) that are relevant to actual clinical practice. A robust estimate of the partial area under the receiver operating characteristic curve is provided by the area under the corresponding part of the empirical receiver operating characteristic curve. We derive a closed-form expression for the jackknife variance of the partial area under the empirical receiver operating characteristic curve. Using the derived analytical expression, we investigate the differences between the jackknife variance and a conventional variance estimator. The relative properties in finite samples are demonstrated in a simulation study. The developed formula enables an easy way to estimate the variance of the empirical partial area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, thereby substantially reducing the computation burden, and provides important insight into the structure of the variability. We demonstrate that when compared with the conventional approach, the jackknife variance has substantially smaller bias, and leads to a more appropriate type I error rate of the Wald-type test. The use of the jackknife variance is illustrated in the analysis of a data set from a diagnostic imaging study.

Modeling, control, and simulation of grid connected intelligent hybrid battery/photovoltaic system using new hybrid fuzzy-neural method.

PubMed

Rezvani, Alireza; Khalili, Abbas; Mazareie, Alireza; Gandomkar, Majid

2016-07-01

Nowadays, photovoltaic (PV) generation is growing increasingly fast as a renewable energy source. Nevertheless, the drawback of the PV system is its dependence on weather conditions. Therefore, battery energy storage (BES) can be considered to assist for a stable and reliable output from PV generation system for loads and improve the dynamic performance of the whole generation system in grid connected mode. In this paper, a novel topology of intelligent hybrid generation systems with PV and BES in a DC-coupled structure is presented. Each photovoltaic cell has a specific point named maximum power point on its operational curve (i.e. current-voltage or power-voltage curve) in which it can generate maximum power. Irradiance and temperature changes affect these operational curves. Therefore, the nonlinear characteristic of maximum power point to environment has caused to development of different maximum power point tracking techniques. In order to capture the maximum power point (MPP), a hybrid fuzzy-neural maximum power point tracking (MPPT) method is applied in the PV system. Obtained results represent the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method, and the average tracking efficiency of the hybrid fuzzy-neural is incremented by approximately two percentage points in comparison to the conventional methods. It has the advantages of robustness, fast response and good performance. A detailed mathematical model and a control approach of a three-phase grid-connected intelligent hybrid system have been proposed using Matlab/Simulink. Copyright © 2016 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

WTAQ - A computer program for aquifer-test analysis of confined and unconfined aquifers

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barlow, P.M.; Moench, A.F.

2004-01-01

Computer program WTAQ was developed to implement a Laplace-transform analytical solution for axial-symmetric flow to a partially penetrating, finite-diameter well in a homogeneous and anisotropic unconfined (water-table) aquifer. The solution accounts for wellbore storage and skin effects at the pumped well, delayed response at an observation well, and delayed or instantaneous drainage from the unsaturated zone. For the particular case of zero drainage from the unsaturated zone, the solution simplifies to that of axial-symmetric flow in a confined aquifer. WTAQ calculates theoretical time-drawdown curves for the pumped well and observation wells and piezometers. The theoretical curves are used with measured time-drawdown data to estimate hydraulic parameters of confined or unconfined aquifers by graphical type-curve methods or by automatic parameter-estimation methods. Parameters that can be estimated are horizontal and vertical hydraulic conductivity, specific storage, and specific yield. A sample application illustrates use of WTAQ for estimating hydraulic parameters of a hypothetical, unconfined aquifer by type-curve methods. Copyright ASCE 2004.

Analysis of fast and slow responses in AC conductance curves for p-type SiC MOS capacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karamoto, Yuki; Zhang, Xufang; Okamoto, Dai; Sometani, Mitsuru; Hatakeyama, Tetsuo; Harada, Shinsuke; Iwamuro, Noriyuki; Yano, Hiroshi

2018-06-01

We used a conductance method to investigate the interface characteristics of a SiO2/p-type 4H-SiC MOS structure fabricated by dry oxidation. It was found that the measured equivalent parallel conductance–frequency (G p/ω–f) curves were not symmetric, showing that there existed both high- and low-frequency signals. We attributed high-frequency responses to fast interface states and low-frequency responses to near-interface oxide traps. To analyze the fast interface states, Nicollian’s standard conductance method was applied in the high-frequency range. By extracting the high-frequency responses from the measured G p/ω–f curves, the characteristics of the low-frequency responses were reproduced by Cooper’s model, which considers the effect of near-interface traps on the G p/ω–f curves. The corresponding density distribution of slow traps as a function of energy level was estimated.

Spectral reflectance properties of major objects in desert oasis: a case study of the Weigan-Kuqa river delta oasis in Xinjiang, China.

PubMed

Zhang, Fei; Tiyip, Tashpolat; Ding, Jianli; Sawut, Mamat; Tashpolat, Nigara; Kung, Hsiangte; Han, Guihong; Gui, Dongwei

2012-08-01

Aiming at the remote sensing application has been increasingly relying on ground object spectral characteristics. In order to further research the spectral reflectance characteristics in arid area, this study was performed in the typical delta oasis of Weigan and Kuqa rivers located north of Tarim Basin. Data were collected from geo-targets at multiple sites in various field conditions. The spectra data were collected for different soil types including saline-alkaline soil, silt sandy soil, cotton field, and others; vegetations of Alhagi sparsifolia, Phragmites australis, Tamarix, Halostachys caspica, etc., and water bodies. Next, the data were processed to remove high-frequency noise, and the spectral curves were smoothed with the moving average method. The derivative spectrum was generated after eliminating environmental background noise so that to distinguish the original overlap spectra. After continuum removal of the undesirable absorbance, the spectrum curves were able to highlight features for both optical absorbance and reflectance. The spectrum information of each ground object is essential for fully utilizing the multispectrum data generated by remote sensing, which will need a representative spectral library. In this study using ENVI 4.5 software, a preliminary spectral library of surface features was constructed using the data surveyed in the study area. This library can support remote sensing activities such as feature investigation, vegetation classification, and environmental monitoring in the delta oasis region. Future plan will focus on sharing and standardizing the criteria of professional spectral library and to expand and promote the utilization of the spectral databases.

Dose gradient curve: A new tool for evaluating dose gradient.

PubMed

Sung, KiHoon; Choi, Young Eun

2018-01-01

Stereotactic radiotherapy, which delivers an ablative high radiation dose to a target volume for maximum local tumor control, requires a rapid dose fall-off outside the target volume to prevent extensive damage to nearby normal tissue. Currently, there is no tool to comprehensively evaluate the dose gradient near the target volume. We propose the dose gradient curve (DGC) as a new tool to evaluate the quality of a treatment plan with respect to the dose fall-off characteristics. The average distance between two isodose surfaces was represented by the dose gradient index (DGI) estimated by a simple equation using the volume and surface area of isodose levels. The surface area was calculated by mesh generation and surface triangulation. The DGC was defined as a plot of the DGI of each dose interval as a function of the dose. Two types of DGCs, differential and cumulative, were generated. The performance of the DGC was evaluated using stereotactic radiosurgery plans for virtual targets. Over the range of dose distributions, the dose gradient of each dose interval was well-characterized by the DGC in an easily understandable graph format. Significant changes in the DGC were observed reflecting the differences in planning situations and various prescription doses. The DGC is a rational method for visualizing the dose gradient as the average distance between two isodose surfaces; the shorter the distance, the steeper the dose gradient. By combining the DGC with the dose-volume histogram (DVH) in a single plot, the DGC can be utilized to evaluate not only the dose gradient but also the target coverage in routine clinical practice.

Comparison of the scoliosis curve patterns and MRI syrinx cord characteristics of idiopathic syringomyelia versus Chiari I malformation.

PubMed

Zhu, Zezhang; Sha, Shifu; Chu, Winnie C C; Yan, Huang; Xie, Dingding; Liu, Zhen; Sun, Xu; Zhu, Weiguo; Cheng, Jack C Y; Qiu, Yong

2016-02-01

Although the more readily available MR imaging has brought about more incidental findings of idiopathic syringomyelia (IS), no published study has specifically addressed the clinical and imaging features of IS-associated scoliosis. Since IS and Chiari I malformation (CMI)-type syringomyelia are hypothesized to share a common underlying developmental pathomechanism, this study aimed to investigate the scoliosis curve patterns and MRI syrinx cord characteristics of patients with IS comparing with those seen in CMI. Sixty-one patients with scoliosis secondary to IS were identified and reviewed retrospectively. The curve pattern and specific curve features were recorded and compared with historic CMI controls. Location, size, and morphological appearance of the syrinx were systematically assessed on MR images. The maximal syrinx/cord ratio and rostrocaudal length of the syrinx in IS averaged 0.43 ± 0.16 (range 0.17-0.78) and 4.6 ± 2.5 (range 2-15) vertebral levels, respectively, both of which were smaller than those reported in CMI-type syringomyelia. Regarding the characteristics of IS-related scoliosis, sagittal profiles as well as the frequency of curve patterns and atypical features were all found to resemble those in patients with CMI (P > .05). Among the 47 individuals with a single thoracic curve, Fisher exact test revealed a significant correlation between curve convexity and the dominant side of deviated syrinx (83.3 % concordance rate, P = .021). In addition, apex of the thoracic curve trended toward being significantly correlated with the level of maximum expansion of the syrinx (P = .066). Radiological characteristics of scoliosis were found to be similar between idiopathic and CMI-type syrinx in both the coronal and sagittal planes, adding further evidence to the concept that these entities may be part of a spectrum of disease sharing a common pathophysiological mechanism. The thoracic spine in IS patients tended to be convex to the deviated side of syrinx, which indirectly supported the likely role of spinal cord dysfunction in the pathogenesis of syrinx-associated spinal deformities.

MUSIC-type imaging of a thin penetrable inclusion from its multi-static response matrix

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Won-Kwang; Lesselier, Dominique

2009-07-01

The imaging of a thin inclusion, with dielectric and/or magnetic contrasts with respect to the embedding homogeneous medium, is investigated. A MUSIC-type algorithm operating at a single time-harmonic frequency is developed in order to map the inclusion (that is, to retrieve its supporting curve) from scattered field data collected within the multi-static response matrix. Numerical experiments carried out for several types of inclusions (dielectric and/or magnetic ones, straight or curved ones), mostly single inclusions and also two of them close by as a straightforward extension, illustrate the pros and cons of the proposed imaging method.

Geometry modeling and grid generation using 3D NURBS control volume

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yu, Tzu-Yi; Soni, Bharat K.; Shih, Ming-Hsin

1995-01-01

The algorithms for volume grid generation using NURBS geometric representation are presented. The parameterization algorithm is enhanced to yield a desired physical distribution on the curve, surface and volume. This approach bridges the gap between CAD surface/volume definition and surface/volume grid generation. Computational examples associated with practical configurations have shown the utilization of these algorithms.

Arcmancer: Geodesics and polarized radiative transfer library

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pihajoki, Pauli; Mannerkoski, Matias; Nättilä, Joonas; Johansson, Peter H.

2018-05-01

Arcmancer computes geodesics and performs polarized radiative transfer in user-specified spacetimes. The library supports Riemannian and semi-Riemannian spaces of any dimension and metric; it also supports multiple simultaneous coordinate charts, embedded geometric shapes, local coordinate systems, and automatic parallel propagation. Arcmancer can be used to solve various problems in numerical geometry, such as solving the curve equation of motion using adaptive integration with configurable tolerances and differential equations along precomputed curves. It also provides support for curves with an arbitrary acceleration term and generic tools for generating ray initial conditions and performing parallel computation over the image, among other tools.

The sensitivity of catchment hypsometry and hypsometric properties to DEM resolution and polynomial order

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liffner, Joel W.; Hewa, Guna A.; Peel, Murray C.

2018-05-01

Derivation of the hypsometric curve of a catchment, and properties relating to that curve, requires both use of topographical data (commonly in the form of a Digital Elevation Model - DEM), and the estimation of a functional representation of that curve. An early investigation into catchment hypsometry concluded 3rd order polynomials sufficiently describe the hypsometric curve, without the consideration of higher order polynomials, or the sensitivity of hypsometric properties relating to the curve. Another study concluded the hypsometric integral (HI) is robust against changes in DEM resolution, a conclusion drawn from a very limited sample size. Conclusions from these earlier studies have resulted in the adoption of methods deemed to be "sufficient" in subsequent studies, in addition to assumptions that the robustness of the HI extends to other hypsometric properties. This study investigates and demonstrates the sensitivity of hypsometric properties to DEM resolution, DEM type and polynomial order through assessing differences in hypsometric properties derived from 417 catchments and sub-catchments within South Australia. The sensitivity of hypsometric properties across DEM types and polynomial orders is found to be significant, which suggests careful consideration of the methods chosen to derive catchment hypsometric information is required.

Rapid Light-curve Changes and Probable Flip-flop Activity of the W UMa-type Binary V410 Aur

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Xia; Wang, Kun; Zhang, Xiaobin; Deng, Licai; Luo, Yangping; Luo, Changqing

2017-09-01

New photometric observations of a W UMa system, V410 Aur, were carried out over 10 nights from 2014 December 19 to 2015 February 8, from which four sets of light curves were obtained. The light curves show many unusual behavioral features, including changing occultation depths, transit minima, and asymmetric maxima. The four sets of light curves have been separately analyzed with the Wilson-Devinney method. The results suggest a totally eclipsing contact configuration for the system. Over a surprisingly short time span of only 52 days, the dominant spot distortion phase jumped twice between phases 0.0 and 0.5. The light-curve variations can be interpreted by the presence of two cool spots on the massive component. Based on our analysis, it is further suggested that the peculiar behavioral patterns are probably caused by the presence of two permanent, active large spots separated in longitude by about 180°, whose locations remain almost unchanged throughout. Our study demonstrates that the system has been undergoing typical flip-flop activity. We therefore conclude that V410 Aur is a W UMa-type system exhibiting flip-flop activity.

Relevance Vector Machine and Support Vector Machine Classifier Analysis of Scanning Laser Polarimetry Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Measurements

PubMed Central

Bowd, Christopher; Medeiros, Felipe A.; Zhang, Zuohua; Zangwill, Linda M.; Hao, Jiucang; Lee, Te-Won; Sejnowski, Terrence J.; Weinreb, Robert N.; Goldbaum, Michael H.

2010-01-01

Purpose To classify healthy and glaucomatous eyes using relevance vector machine (RVM) and support vector machine (SVM) learning classifiers trained on retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness measurements obtained by scanning laser polarimetry (SLP). Methods Seventy-two eyes of 72 healthy control subjects (average age = 64.3 ± 8.8 years, visual field mean deviation =−0.71 ± 1.2 dB) and 92 eyes of 92 patients with glaucoma (average age = 66.9 ± 8.9 years, visual field mean deviation =−5.32 ± 4.0 dB) were imaged with SLP with variable corneal compensation (GDx VCC; Laser Diagnostic Technologies, San Diego, CA). RVM and SVM learning classifiers were trained and tested on SLP-determined RNFL thickness measurements from 14 standard parameters and 64 sectors (approximately 5.6° each) obtained in the circumpapillary area under the instrument-defined measurement ellipse (total 78 parameters). Tenfold cross-validation was used to train and test RVM and SVM classifiers on unique subsets of the full 164-eye data set and areas under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve for the classification of eyes in the test set were generated. AUROC curve results from RVM and SVM were compared to those for 14 SLP software-generated global and regional RNFL thickness parameters. Also reported was the AUROC curve for the GDx VCC software-generated nerve fiber indicator (NFI). Results The AUROC curves for RVM and SVM were 0.90 and 0.91, respectively, and increased to 0.93 and 0.94 when the training sets were optimized with sequential forward and backward selection (resulting in reduced dimensional data sets). AUROC curves for optimized RVM and SVM were significantly larger than those for all individual SLP parameters. The AUROC curve for the NFI was 0.87. Conclusions Results from RVM and SVM trained on SLP RNFL thickness measurements are similar and provide accurate classification of glaucomatous and healthy eyes. RVM may be preferable to SVM, because it provides a Bayesian-derived probability of glaucoma as an output. These results suggest that these machine learning classifiers show good potential for glaucoma diagnosis. PMID:15790898

A cardioid oscillator with asymmetric time ratio for establishing CPG models.

PubMed

Fu, Q; Wang, D H; Xu, L; Yuan, G

2018-01-13

Nonlinear oscillators are usually utilized by bionic scientists for establishing central pattern generator models for imitating rhythmic motions by bionic scientists. In the natural word, many rhythmic motions possess asymmetric time ratios, which means that the forward and the backward motions of an oscillating process sustain different times within one period. In order to model rhythmic motions with asymmetric time ratios, nonlinear oscillators with asymmetric forward and backward trajectories within one period should be studied. In this paper, based on the property of the invariant set, a method to design the closed curve in the phase plane of a dynamic system as its limit cycle is proposed. Utilizing the proposed method and considering that a cardioid curve is a kind of asymmetrical closed curves, a cardioid oscillator with asymmetric time ratios is proposed and realized. Through making the derivation of the closed curve in the phase plane of a dynamic system equal to zero, the closed curve is designed as its limit cycle. Utilizing the proposed limit cycle design method and according to the global invariant set theory, a cardioid oscillator applying a cardioid curve as its limit cycle is achieved. On these bases, the numerical simulations are conducted for analyzing the behaviors of the cardioid oscillator. The example utilizing the established cardioid oscillator to simulate rhythmic motions of the hip joint of a human body in the sagittal plane is presented. The results of the numerical simulations indicate that, whatever the initial condition is and without any outside input, the proposed cardioid oscillator possesses the following properties: (1) The proposed cardioid oscillator is able to generate a series of periodic and anti-interference self-exciting trajectories, (2) the generated trajectories possess an asymmetric time ratio, and (3) the time ratio can be regulated by adjusting the oscillator's parameters. Furthermore, the comparison between the simulated trajectories by the established cardioid oscillator and the measured angle trajectories of the hip angle of a human body show that the proposed cardioid oscillator is fit for imitating the rhythmic motions of the hip of a human body with asymmetric time ratios.

Symmetric digit sets for elliptic curve scalar multiplication without precomputation

PubMed Central

Heuberger, Clemens; Mazzoli, Michela

2014-01-01

We describe a method to perform scalar multiplication on two classes of ordinary elliptic curves, namely E:y2=x3+Ax in prime characteristic p≡1mod4, and E:y2=x3+B in prime characteristic p≡1mod3. On these curves, the 4-th and 6-th roots of unity act as (computationally efficient) endomorphisms. In order to optimise the scalar multiplication, we consider a width-w-NAF (Non-Adjacent Form) digit expansion of positive integers to the complex base of τ, where τ is a zero of the characteristic polynomial x2−tx+p of the Frobenius endomorphism associated to the curve. We provide a precomputationless algorithm by means of a convenient factorisation of the unit group of residue classes modulo τ in the endomorphism ring, whereby we construct a digit set consisting of powers of subgroup generators, which are chosen as efficient endomorphisms of the curve. PMID:25190900

Sensitivity curves for searches for gravitational-wave backgrounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thrane, Eric; Romano, Joseph D.

2013-12-01

We propose a graphical representation of detector sensitivity curves for stochastic gravitational-wave backgrounds that takes into account the increase in sensitivity that comes from integrating over frequency in addition to integrating over time. This method is valid for backgrounds that have a power-law spectrum in the analysis band. We call these graphs “power-law integrated curves.” For simplicity, we consider cross-correlation searches for unpolarized and isotropic stochastic backgrounds using two or more detectors. We apply our method to construct power-law integrated sensitivity curves for second-generation ground-based detectors such as Advanced LIGO, space-based detectors such as LISA and the Big Bang Observer, and timing residuals from a pulsar timing array. The code used to produce these plots is available at https://dcc.ligo.org/LIGO-P1300115/public for researchers interested in constructing similar sensitivity curves.

Surface fitting three-dimensional bodies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dejarnette, F. R.

1974-01-01

The geometry of general three-dimensional bodies is generated from coordinates of points in several cross sections. Since these points may not be smooth, they are divided into segments and general conic sections are curve fit in a least-squares sense to each segment of a cross section. The conic sections are then blended in the longitudinal direction by fitting parametric cubic-spline curves through coordinate points which define the conic sections in the cross-sectional planes. Both the cross-sectional and longitudinal curves may be modified by specifying particular segments as straight lines and slopes at selected points. Slopes may be continuous or discontinuous and finite or infinite. After a satisfactory surface fit has been obtained, cards may be punched with the data necessary to form a geometry subroutine package for use in other computer programs. At any position on the body, coordinates, slopes and second partial derivatives are calculated. The method is applied to a blunted 70 deg delta wing, and it was found to generate the geometry very well.

Gaussian decomposition of high-resolution melt curve derivatives for measuring genome-editing efficiency

PubMed Central

Zaboikin, Michail; Freter, Carl

2018-01-01

We describe a method for measuring genome editing efficiency from in silico analysis of high-resolution melt curve data. The melt curve data derived from amplicons of genome-edited or unmodified target sites were processed to remove the background fluorescent signal emanating from free fluorophore and then corrected for temperature-dependent quenching of fluorescence of double-stranded DNA-bound fluorophore. Corrected data were normalized and numerically differentiated to obtain the first derivatives of the melt curves. These were then mathematically modeled as a sum or superposition of minimal number of Gaussian components. Using Gaussian parameters determined by modeling of melt curve derivatives of unedited samples, we were able to model melt curve derivatives from genetically altered target sites where the mutant population could be accommodated using an additional Gaussian component. From this, the proportion contributed by the mutant component in the target region amplicon could be accurately determined. Mutant component computations compared well with the mutant frequency determination from next generation sequencing data. The results were also consistent with our earlier studies that used difference curve areas from high-resolution melt curves for determining the efficiency of genome-editing reagents. The advantage of the described method is that it does not require calibration curves to estimate proportion of mutants in amplicons of genome-edited target sites. PMID:29300734

Relation of Monocyte/High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Ratio with Coronary Artery Disease in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

PubMed

Ya, Gao; Qiu, Zhang; Tianrong, Pan

2018-06-01

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, and both coronary artery disease (CAD) and diabetes mellitus are associated with inflammation. Emerging evidence suggests a relationship of the monocyte to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (MHR) with the incidence and severity of CAD. The aim of the present study was to examine the association of MHR with CAD in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. A total of 458 consecutive individuals were enrolled, comprising 178 type 2 diabetic patients, 124 type 2 diabetes with CAD, and 156 healthy volunteers as the controls. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to evaluate the relationship between the MHR and CAD in type 2 diabetes, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of MHR was used for predicting the presence of CAD in type 2 diabetic patients. Values of MHR were significantly higher in type 2 diabetic patients with CAD compared with those without CAD and the control group. Moreover, multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that MHR was an independent predictor of the presence of CAD in type 2 diabetic patients (OR = 1.361, 95% CI 1.245 - 1.487, p < 0.0001). Based on the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, the cutoff value of MHR (> 8.2) in predicting the presence of CAD in type 2 diabetic patients yields a sensitivity and specificity of 83.74% and 62.15%, respectively, with an area under the curve of 0.795 (95% CI: 0.745 - 0.840). The MHR is strongly associated with CAD in type 2 diabetes and might be a potential biomarker to predict the presence of CAD in type 2 diabetic patients.

Evolution of stable carbon-isotope compositions for methane and carbon dioxide in freshwater wetlands and other anaerobic environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hornibrook, Edward R. C.; Longstaffe, Frederick J.; Fyfe, William S.

2000-03-01

Two types of distribution for α C values are observed in anaerobic environments when δ 13C-ΣCO 2 and δ 13C-CH 4 values are measured across gradients of depth or age of organic debris. The type-I distribution involves a systematic increase in α C values with depth as a result of decreasing δ 13C-CH 4 and increasing δ 13C-ΣCO 2 values. This behavior corresponds to a progressive increase in the prevalence of methanogenesis by the CO 2 reduction pathway relative to acetate fermentation. Utilization of autotrophically formed acetate by methanogens would also cause an increase in α C values. The type-II distribution occurs when both δ 13C-CH 4 and δ 13C-ΣCO 2 values decrease with depth, resulting in approximately constant α C values. This condition corresponds with a strong dependence of methanogens on porewater ΣCO 2 as a carbon source by way of either the CO 2 reduction pathway or utilization of autotrophically formed acetate. Freshwater wetlands possess both types of α C value distribution. Wetlands with type-I distributions exhibit curves with slopes that vary probably as a function of deposition and preservation of labile organic carbon. An abundance of labile substrates in anaerobic soils yields steeper curves because aceticlastic methanogenesis predominates and δ 13C-CH 4 and δ 13C-CO 2 values are high. Diminished transfer of labile carbon to the methanogenic zone results in an increased prevalence of the CO 2 reduction pathway, yielding low δ 13C-CH 4 values and shallowly sloping curves. Aerobic oxidation of organic matter or decay involving sulfate reduction produces CO 2 with low δ 13C values, which also will contribute to shallowly sloping curves. The size of the dissolved CO 2 pool can influence the sensitivity of δ 13C-CO 2 values to change during methanogenesis. Regression curves of δ 13C-CH 4 and δ 13C-ΣCO 2 values from four wetlands with type-I distributions intersect at δ 13C-CH 4 = -40.7 ± 6.1‰ (1σ) and δ 13C-ΣCO 2 = -23.9 ± 4.8‰ (1σ). These values are similar to δ 13C values for methyl and carboxyl moieties within acetate produced by anaerobic degradation of fresh C 3 plant matter. A low abundance of acetate during aceticlastic methanogenesis will result in minimal expression of metabolic kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) and production of CH 4 and CO 2 with δ 13C values similar to the intramolecular distribution of sedimentary acetate. The type-II distribution is prevalent in marine environments, probably because of substrate depletion in the sulfate reduction zone. The type-I distribution does occur in marine settings where deposition rates of organic matter are high. Landfills possess only the type-I distribution of α C values and exhibit unusually steep curves, possibly because methanogenesis occurs predominantly from acetate produced by fermentation at mesophilic temperatures. The high abundance of acetate in landfill leachate may permit varying degrees of expression of the KIE associated with aceticlastic methanogenesis. Outgassing of 12CO 2 may contribute further to the steepening of α C curves in landfills and other anaerobic environments possessing a type-I distribution. Defining the type of α C distributions in different wetlands could reduce uncertainty in estimating the δ 13C value of CH 4 emissions. Hence, the prevalence of type-I vs. type-II α C distributions in wetlands may have practical importance for the refinement of global CH 4 budgets that rely on 13C/ 12C ratios for mass balance.

40 CFR 1033.501 - General provisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... power from measured alternator/generator output, use an alternator/generator efficiency curve that... tests. (1) For diesel-fueled locomotives, use the appropriate diesel fuel specified in 40 CFR part 1065, subpart H, for emission testing. The applicable diesel test fuel is either the ultra low-sulfur diesel or...

40 CFR 1033.501 - General provisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... power from measured alternator/generator output, use an alternator/generator efficiency curve that... tests. (1) For diesel-fueled locomotives, use the appropriate diesel fuel specified in 40 CFR part 1065, subpart H, for emission testing. The applicable diesel test fuel is either the ultra low-sulfur diesel or...

The TESS science processing operations center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jenkins, Jon M.; Twicken, Joseph D.; McCauliff, Sean; Campbell, Jennifer; Sanderfer, Dwight; Lung, David; Mansouri-Samani, Masoud; Girouard, Forrest; Tenenbaum, Peter; Klaus, Todd; Smith, Jeffrey C.; Caldwell, Douglas A.; Chacon, A. D.; Henze, Christopher; Heiges, Cory; Latham, David W.; Morgan, Edward; Swade, Daryl; Rinehart, Stephen; Vanderspek, Roland

2016-08-01

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) will conduct a search for Earth's closest cousins starting in early 2018 and is expected to discover 1,000 small planets with Rp < 4 R⊕ and measure the masses of at least 50 of these small worlds. The Science Processing Operations Center (SPOC) is being developed at NASA Ames Research Center based on the Kepler science pipeline and will generate calibrated pixels and light curves on the NASA Advanced Supercomputing Division's Pleiades supercomputer. The SPOC will also search for periodic transit events and generate validation products for the transit-like features in the light curves. All TESS SPOC data products will be archived to the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST).

Diagnostics of Robust Growth Curve Modeling Using Student's "t" Distribution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tong, Xin; Zhang, Zhiyong

2012-01-01

Growth curve models with different types of distributions of random effects and of intraindividual measurement errors for robust analysis are compared. After demonstrating the influence of distribution specification on parameter estimation, 3 methods for diagnosing the distributions for both random effects and intraindividual measurement errors…

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

Samec, R. G.; Melton, R. A.; Figg, E. R.

GSC 3355 0394 has an EB-type light curve, which is dominated by hot and cool spot activities. It displays night-to-night variations in light-curve shapes. The period study yields six new times of minimum light and the first precision ephemeris, HJD T{sub min}I = 2, 454, 408.9547 {+-} 0.0017 + 0.4621603 {+-} 0.0000008d*E. VR{sub c}I{sub c} standard magnitudes are presented. BVRI Wilson synthetic light-curve solutions are calculated for both a Mode 4 (V1010 Oph-type, semidetached, more massive component filling its Roche lobe) configuration and a Mode 3, contact configuration (fill-out 100% or critical contact). The critical contact is the lowest residualmore » solution. Four major spot regions are needed to model this binary, at least one is evidently a stream spot.« less

Infrared light curves of type Ia supernovae

DOE PAGES

Phillips, M. M.; Krisciunas, K.; Suntzeff, N. B.; ...

2003-10-02

This article provides a progress report on a collaborative program at the Las Campanas and Cerro Tololo Observatories to observe the near-IR light curves of Type Ia supernovae. We discuss how the morphologies of the JHK light curves change as a function of the decline rate parameter Δm 15 (B). Evidence is presented which indicates that the absolute magnitudes in the H band have little or no dependence on the decline rate, suggesting that SNe Ia may be nearly perfect cosmological standard candles in the near-IR. A preliminary Hubble diagram in the H band is presented and compared with amore » similar diagram in V for the same objects. Finally, observations of two peculiar supernovae, 1999ac and 2001ay, are briefly discussed.« less

1998 UBV Light Curves of Eclipsing Binary AI Draconis and Absolute Parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jassur, D. M. Z.; Khaledian, M. S.; Kermani, M. H.

New UBV photometry of Algol-Type eclipsing binary star AI Dra and the absolute physical parameters of this system have been presented. The light curve analysis carried out by the method of differential corrections indicates that both components are inside their Roche-Lobes. From combining the photometric solution with spectroscopic data obtained from velocity curve analysis, it has been found that the system consist of a main sequence primary and an evolved (subgiant) secondary.

Variation of the period and light curves of the solar-type contact binary EQ Tauri

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Jinzhao; Qian, Shengbang

2007-10-01

We present two new sets of complete light curves of EQ Tauri (EQ Tau) observed in 2000 October and 2004 December. These were analysed, together with the light curves obtained by Yang & Liu in 2001 December, with the 2003 version of the Wilson-Devinney code. In the three observing seasons, the light curves show a noticeable variation in the time-scale of years. The more massive component of EQ Tau is a solar-type star (G2) with a very deep convective envelope, which rotates about 80 times as fast as the Sun. Therefore, the change can be explained by dark-spot activity on the common convective envelope. The assumed unperturbed part of the light curve and the radial velocities published by Rucinski et al. were used to determine the basic parameters of the system, which were kept fixed for spot modelling in the three sets of light curves. The results reveal that the total spotted area on the more massive component covers 18, 3 and 20 per cent of the photospheric surface in the three observing seasons, respectively. Polar spots and high-latitude spots are found. The analysis of the orbital period has demonstrated that it undergoes cyclical oscillation, which is due to either a tertiary component or periodic magnetic activity in the more massive component.

Observations of SN 2015F Suggest a Correlation between the Intrinsic Luminosity of Type Ia Supernovae and the Shape of Their Light Curves >900 Days after Explosion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Graur, Or; Zurek, David R.; Rest, Armin; Seitenzahl, Ivo R.; Shappee, Benjamin J.; Fisher, Robert; Guillochon, James; Shara, Michael M.; Riess, Adam G.

2018-06-01

The late-time light curves of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), observed >900 days after explosion, present the possibility of a new diagnostic for SN Ia progenitor and explosion models. First, however, we must discover what physical process (or processes) leads to the slow-down of the light curve relative to a pure 56Co decay, as observed in SNe 2011fe, 2012cg, and 2014J. We present Hubble Space Telescope observations of SN 2015F, taken ≈600–1040 days past maximum light. Unlike those of the three other SNe Ia, the light curve of SN 2015F remains consistent with being powered solely by the radioactive decay of 56Co. We fit the light curves of these four SNe Ia in a consistent manner and measure possible correlations between the light-curve stretch—a proxy for the intrinsic luminosity of the SN—and the parameters of the physical model used in the fit. We propose a new, late-time Phillips-like correlation between the stretch of the SNe and the shape of their late-time light curves, which we parameterize as the difference between their pseudo-bolometric luminosities at 600 and 900 days: ΔL 900 = log(L 600/L 900). Our analysis is based on only four SNe, so a larger sample is required to test the validity of this correlation. If true, this model-independent correlation provides a new way to test which physical process lies behind the slow-down of SN Ia light curves >900 days after explosion, and, ultimately, fresh constraints on the various SN Ia progenitor and explosion models.