Self-activated ultrahigh chemosensitivity of oxide thin film nanostructures for transparent sensors

PubMed Central

Moon, Hi Gyu; Shim, Young-Soek; Kim, Do Hong; Jeong, Hu Young; Jeong, Myoungho; Jung, Joo Young; Han, Seung Min; Kim, Jong Kyu; Kim, Jin-Sang; Park, Hyung-Ho; Lee, Jong-Heun; Tuller, Harry L.; Yoon, Seok-Jin; Jang, Ho Won

2012-01-01

One of the top design priorities for semiconductor chemical sensors is developing simple, low-cost, sensitive and reliable sensors to be built in handheld devices. However, the need to implement heating elements in sensor devices, and the resulting high power consumption, remains a major obstacle for the realization of miniaturized and integrated chemoresistive thin film sensors based on metal oxides. Here we demonstrate structurally simple but extremely efficient all oxide chemoresistive sensors with ~90% transmittance at visible wavelengths. Highly effective self-activation in anisotropically self-assembled nanocolumnar tungsten oxide thin films on glass substrate with indium-tin oxide electrodes enables ultrahigh response to nitrogen dioxide and volatile organic compounds with detection limits down to parts per trillion levels and power consumption less than 0.2 microwatts. Beyond the sensing performance, high transparency at visible wavelengths creates opportunities for their use in transparent electronic circuitry and optoelectronic devices with avenues for further functional convergence. PMID:22905319

Development of Non-Proprietary Ultra-High Performance Concrete : Research Topic Statement

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-05-29

Ultra-high performance concrete became commercially available in the U.S. in 2000. Since then, UHPC has been actively promoted by the Federal Highway Administration. UHPC has mostly been used in the U.S. for field-cast connections of prefabricated br...

Unprecedented ultrahigh photocatalytic activity of δ-Bi2O3 for cylindrospermopsin decomposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sudrajat, Hanggara

2017-11-01

The delta phase of bismuth oxide (δ-Bi2O3) is an important metal oxide due to its highest conductivity of any oxide material. However, it is only stable over a narrow high temperature range, and thus, incorporation of small, high-valence cation is a prerequisite for stabilizing its cubic structure to room temperature. The δ-Bi2O3 is also known to have low photocatalytic activity because of its low conduction band edge. As a consequence, the conduction band electrons cannot be consumed by the dissolved oxygen to produce superoxide radicals. Herein, for the first time, the δ-Bi2O3 has been successfully synthesized through a facile hydrothermal route without addition of any dopant. The as-synthesized δ-Bi2O3 shows ultrahigh photocatalytic activity for cylindrospermopsin decomposition. Within only 20 min of UV irradiation, the degradation efficiency for cylindrospermopsin by 0.5 g/L of the δ-Bi2O3 with a cylindrospermopsin concentration of 5 mg/L reaches 98%. Restricted charge carrier recombination and effective consumption of the conduction band electrons are behind such an unprecedented high photocatalytic activity of the δ-Bi2O3. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Ultrahigh energy cosmic rays from nearby starburst galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Attallah, Reda; Bouchachi, Dallel

2018-04-01

Ultrahigh energy cosmic rays are the most energetic of any subatomic particles ever observed in nature. The quest for their mysterious origin is currently a major scientific challenge. Here we explore the possibility that these particles originate from nearby starburst galaxies, a scenario that matches the recent observation by the Telescope Array experiment of a cosmic-ray hotspot above 57 EeV not far from the direction of the starburst galaxy M82. Specifically, we study the stochastic propagation in space of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays through the state-of-the-art simulation framework CRPropa 3, taking into account all relevant particle interactions as well as deflections by the intervening magnetic fields. To ensure a comprehensive understanding of this model, we consider the energy spectrum, the cosmogenic neutrinos and gamma rays, and the distribution of arrival directions. The starburst galaxy scenario reproduces well observations from both the Telescope Array and Pierre Auger Observatories, making it very attractive for explaining the origin of cosmic rays at the highest energies.

Ultrahigh energy cosmic rays from nearby starburst galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Attallah, Reda; Bouchachi, Dallel

2018-07-01

Ultrahigh energy cosmic rays are the most energetic of any subatomic particles ever observed in nature. The quest for their mysterious origin is currently a major scientific challenge. Here we explore the possibility that these particles originate from nearby starburst galaxies, a scenario that matches the recent observation by the Telescope Array experiment of a cosmic ray hotspot above 57 EeV not far from the direction of the starburst galaxy M82. Specifically, we study the stochastic propagation in space of ultrahigh ENERGY cosmic rays through the state-of-the-art simulation framework CRPROPA 3, taking into account all relevant particle interactions as well as deflections by the intervening magnetic fields. To ensure a comprehensive understanding of this model, we consider the energy spectrum, the cosmogenic neutrinos and gamma rays, and the distribution of arrival directions. The starburst galaxy scenario reproduces well observations from both the Telescope Array and Pierre Auger Observatories, making it very attractive for explaining the origin of cosmic rays at the highest energies.

Ultra-high performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) for infrastructure rehabilitation Volume II : behavior of ultra-high strength concrete bridge deck panels compared to conventional stay-in-place deck panels

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-08-01

The remarkable features of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) have been reported. Its application in bridge construction has been an active research area in recent years, attributed to its higher compressive strength, higher ductility and reduced...

Plasmonic metamaterial for electromagnetically induced transparency analogue and ultra-high figure of merit sensor

PubMed Central

Wu, Dong; Liu, Yumin; Yu, Li; Yu, Zhongyuan; Chen, Lei; Li, Ruifang; Ma, Rui; Liu, Chang; Zhang, Jinqiannan; Ye, Han

2017-01-01

In this work, using finite-difference time-domain method, we propose and numerically demonstrate a novel way to achieve electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) phenomenon in the reflection spectrum by stacking two different types of coupling effect among different elements of the designed metamaterial. Compared with the conventional EIT-like analogues coming from only one type of coupling effect between bright and dark meta-atoms on the same plane, to our knowledge the novel approach is the first to realize the optically active and precise control of the wavelength position of EIT-like phenomenon using optical metamaterials. An on-to-off dynamic control of the EIT-like phenomenon also can be achieved by changing the refractive index of the dielectric substrate via adjusting an optical pump pulse. Furthermore, in near infrared region, the metamaterial structure can be operated as an ultra-high resolution refractive index sensor with an ultra-high figure of merit (FOM) reaching 3200, which remarkably improve the FOM value of plasmonic refractive index sensors. The novel approach realizing EIT-like spectral shape with easy adjustment to the working wavelengths will open up new avenues for future research and practical application of active plasmonic switch, ultra-high resolution sensors and active slow-light devices. PMID:28332629

Quantile Regression for Analyzing Heterogeneity in Ultra-high Dimension

PubMed Central

Wang, Lan; Wu, Yichao

2012-01-01

Ultra-high dimensional data often display heterogeneity due to either heteroscedastic variance or other forms of non-location-scale covariate effects. To accommodate heterogeneity, we advocate a more general interpretation of sparsity which assumes that only a small number of covariates influence the conditional distribution of the response variable given all candidate covariates; however, the sets of relevant covariates may differ when we consider different segments of the conditional distribution. In this framework, we investigate the methodology and theory of nonconvex penalized quantile regression in ultra-high dimension. The proposed approach has two distinctive features: (1) it enables us to explore the entire conditional distribution of the response variable given the ultra-high dimensional covariates and provides a more realistic picture of the sparsity pattern; (2) it requires substantially weaker conditions compared with alternative methods in the literature; thus, it greatly alleviates the difficulty of model checking in the ultra-high dimension. In theoretic development, it is challenging to deal with both the nonsmooth loss function and the nonconvex penalty function in ultra-high dimensional parameter space. We introduce a novel sufficient optimality condition which relies on a convex differencing representation of the penalized loss function and the subdifferential calculus. Exploring this optimality condition enables us to establish the oracle property for sparse quantile regression in the ultra-high dimension under relaxed conditions. The proposed method greatly enhances existing tools for ultra-high dimensional data analysis. Monte Carlo simulations demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed procedure. The real data example we analyzed demonstrates that the new approach reveals substantially more information compared with alternative methods. PMID:23082036

Ultrahigh pressure extraction of bioactive compounds from plants-A review.

PubMed

Xi, Jun

2017-04-13

Extraction of bioactive compounds from plants is one of the most important research areas for pharmaceutical and food industries. Conventional extraction techniques are usually associated with longer extraction times, lower yields, more organic solvent consumption, and poor extraction efficiency. A novel extraction technique, ultrahigh pressure extraction, has been developed for the extraction of bioactive compounds from plants, in order to shorten the extraction time, decrease the solvent consumption, increase the extraction yields, and enhance the quality of extracts. The mild processing temperature of ultrahigh pressure extraction may lead to an enhanced extraction of thermolabile bioactive ingredients. A critical review is conducted to introduce the different aspects of ultrahigh pressure extraction of plants bioactive compounds, including principles and mechanisms, the important parameters influencing its performance, comparison of ultrahigh pressure extraction with other extraction techniques, advantages, and disadvantages. The future opportunities of ultrahigh pressure extraction are also discussed.

Effects of low-intensity ultrahigh frequency electromagnetic radiation on inflammatory processes.

PubMed

Lushnikov, K V; Shumilina, Yu V; Yakushina, V S; Gapeev, A B; Sadovnikov, V B; Chemeris, N K

2004-04-01

Low-intensity ultrahigh frequency electromagnetic radiation (42 GHz, 100 microW/cm(2)) reduces the severity of inflammation and inhibits production of active oxygen forms by inflammatory exudate neutrophils only in mice with inflammatory process. These data suggest that some therapeutic effects of electromagnetic radiation can be explained by its antiinflammatory effect which is realized via modulation of functional activity of neutrophils in the focus of inflammation.

Advanced Photon Source accelerator ultrahigh vacuum guide

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

Liu, C.; Noonan, J.

1994-03-01

In this document the authors summarize the following: (1) an overview of basic concepts of ultrahigh vacuum needed for the APS project, (2) a description of vacuum design and calculations for major parts of APS, including linac, linac waveguide, low energy undulator test line, positron accumulator ring (PAR), booster synchrotron ring, storage ring, and insertion devices, and (3) cleaning procedures of ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) components presently used at APS.

Ultrahigh-speed ultrahigh-resolution adaptive optics: optical coherence tomography system for in-vivo small animal retinal imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jian, Yifan; Xu, Jing; Zawadzki, Robert J.; Sarunic, Marinko V.

2013-03-01

Small animal models of human retinal diseases are a critical component of vision research. In this report, we present an ultrahigh-resolution ultrahigh-speed adaptive optics optical coherence tomography (AO-OCT) system for small animal retinal imaging (mouse, fish, etc.). We adapted our imaging system to different types of small animals in accordance with the optical properties of their eyes. Results of AO-OCT images of small animal retinas acquired with AO correction are presented. Cellular structures including nerve fiber bundles, capillary networks and detailed double-cone photoreceptors are visualized.

Development of a 300,000-pixel ultrahigh-speed high-sensitivity CCD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohtake, H.; Hayashida, T.; Kitamura, K.; Arai, T.; Yonai, J.; Tanioka, K.; Maruyama, H.; Etoh, T. Goji; Poggemann, D.; Ruckelshausen, A.; van Kuijk, H.; Bosiers, Jan T.

2006-02-01

We are developing an ultrahigh-speed, high-sensitivity broadcast camera that is capable of capturing clear, smooth slow-motion videos even where lighting is limited, such as at professional baseball games played at night. In earlier work, we developed an ultrahigh-speed broadcast color camera1) using three 80,000-pixel ultrahigh-speed, highsensitivity CCDs2). This camera had about ten times the sensitivity of standard high-speed cameras, and enabled an entirely new style of presentation for sports broadcasts and science programs. Most notably, increasing the pixel count is crucially important for applying ultrahigh-speed, high-sensitivity CCDs to HDTV broadcasting. This paper provides a summary of our experimental development aimed at improving the resolution of CCD even further: a new ultrahigh-speed high-sensitivity CCD that increases the pixel count four-fold to 300,000 pixels.

Piezo-Catalytic Effect on the Enhancement of the Ultra-High Degradation Activity in the Dark by Single- and Few-Layers MoS2 Nanoflowers.

PubMed

Wu, Jyh Ming; Chang, Wei En; Chang, Yu Ting; Chang, Chih-Kai

2016-05-01

Single- and few-layer MoS2 nanoflowers are first discovered to have a piezo-catalyst effect, exhibiting an ultra-high degradation activity in the dark by introducing external mechanical strains. The degradation ratio of the Rhodamine-B dye solution reaches 93% within 60 s under ultrasonic-wave assistance in the dark. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Examining the association between social cognition and functioning in individuals at ultra-high risk for psychosis.

PubMed

Cotter, Jack; Bartholomeusz, Cali; Papas, Alicia; Allott, Kelly; Nelson, Barnaby; Yung, Alison R; Thompson, Andrew

2017-01-01

Social and role functioning are compromised for the majority of individuals at ultra-high risk of psychosis, and it is important to identify factors that contribute to this functional decline. This study aimed to investigate social cognitive abilities, which have previously been linked to functioning in schizophrenia, as potential factors that impact social, role and global functioning in ultra-high risk patients. A total of 30 ultra-high risk patients were recruited from an established at-risk clinical service in Melbourne, Australia, and completed a battery of social cognitive, neurocognitive, clinical and functioning measures. We examined the relationships between all four core domains of social cognition (emotion recognition, theory of mind, social perception and attributional style), neurocognitive, clinical and demographic variables with three measures of functioning (the Global Functioning Social and Role scales and the Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale) using correlational and multiple regression analyses. Performance on a visual theory of mind task (visual jokes task) was significantly correlated with both concurrent role ( r = 0.425, p = 0.019) and global functioning ( r = 0.540, p = 0.002). In multivariate analyses, it also accounted for unique variance in global, but not role functioning after adjusting for negative symptoms and stress. Social functioning was not associated with performance on any of the social cognition tasks. Among specific social cognitive abilities, only a test of theory of mind was associated with functioning in our ultra-high risk sample. Further longitudinal research is needed to examine the impact of social cognitive deficits on long-term functional outcome in the ultra-high risk group. Identifying social cognitive abilities that significantly impact functioning is important to inform the development of targeted intervention programmes for ultra-high risk individuals.

Ultrahigh-Resolution Optical Coherence Tomography in Glaucoma

PubMed Central

Wollstein, Gadi; Paunescu, Leila A.; Ko, Tony H.; Fujimoto, James G.; Kowalevicz, Andrew; Hartl, Ingmar; Beaton, Siobahn; Ishikawa, Hiroshi; Mattox, Cynthia; Singh, Omah; Duker, Jay; Drexler, Wolfgang; Schuman, Joel S.

2007-01-01

Objective Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has been shown to be a valuable tool in glaucoma assessment. We investigated a new ultrahigh-resolution OCT (UHR-OCT) imaging system in glaucoma patients and compared the findings with those obtained by conventional-resolution OCT. Design Retrospective comparative case series. Participants A normal subject and 4 glaucoma patients representing various stages of glaucomatous damage. Testing All participants were scanned with StratusOCT (axial resolution of ~10 μm) and UHR-OCT (axial resolution of ~3 μm) at the same visit. Main Outcome Measure Comparison of OCT findings detected with StratusOCT and UHR-OCT. Results Ultrahigh-resolution OCT provides a detailed cross-sectional view of the scanned retinal area that allows differentiation between retinal layers. These UHR images were markedly better than those obtained by the conventional-resolution OCT. Conclusions Ultrahigh-resolution OCT provides high-resolution images of the ocular posterior segment, which improves the ability to detect retinal abnormalities due to glaucoma. PMID:15691556

Biowaste-Derived Hierarchical Porous Carbon Nanosheets for Ultrahigh Power Density Supercapacitors.

PubMed

Yu, Dengfeng; Chen, Chong; Zhao, Gongyuan; Sun, Lei; Du, Baosheng; Zhang, Hong; Li, Zhuo; Sun, Ye; Besenbacher, Flemming; Yu, Miao

2018-03-05

Low-cost activated carbons with high capacitive properties remain desirable for supercapacitor applications. Herein, a three-dimensional scaffolding framework of porous carbon nanosheets (PCNSs) has been produced from a typical biowaste, namely, ground cherry calyces, the specific composition and natural structures of which have contributed to the PCNSs having a very large specific surface area of 1612 m 2  g -1 , a hierarchical pore size distribution, a turbostratic carbon structure with a high degree graphitization, and about 10 % oxygen and nitrogen heteroatoms. A high specific capacitance of 350 F g -1 at 0.1 A g -1 has been achieved in a two-electrode system with 6 m KOH; this value is among the highest specific capacitance of biomass-derived carbon materials. More inspiringly, a high energy density of 22.8 Wh kg -1 at a power density of 198.8 W kg -1 can be obtained with 1 m aqueous solution of Li 2 SO 4 , and an ultrahigh energy density of 81.4 Wh kg -1 at a power density of 446.3 W kg -1 is realized with 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate electrolyte. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Effects of the ultra-high pressure on structure and α-glucosidase inhibition of polysaccharide from Astragalus.

PubMed

Zhu, Zhen-Yuan; Luo, You; Dong, Guo-Ling; Ren, Yuan-Yuan; Chen, Li-Jing; Guo, Ming-Zhu; Wang, Xiao-Ting; Yang, Xue-Ying; Zhang, Yongmin

2016-06-01

A novel homogeneous polysaccharide fraction (APS) was extracted from Astragalus by hot water and purified by Sephadex G-100 and G-75 column. Its molecular weight was 693kDa. APS and APS with ultra-high pressure treatment exhibited significant inhibitory abilities on a-glucosidase, inhibition rate from high to low in order was 400MPa-APS, 300MPa-APS, 500MPa-APS and APS. The inhibition ​percentage of 400MPa-APS (1.5mg/mL) was 49% (max.). This suggested that the inhibitory activity of APS on a-glucosidase was improved by ultra-high pressure treatment. FT-IR, SEM, CD spectra, atomic force microscope and Congo red test analysis of APS and 400MPa-APS showed ultra-high pressure treatment didn't change the preliminary structure but had an effect on its advanced structure. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Scalable Graphene-Based Membranes for Ionic Sieving with Ultrahigh Charge Selectivity.

PubMed

Hong, Seunghyun; Constans, Charlotte; Surmani Martins, Marcos Vinicius; Seow, Yong Chin; Guevara Carrió, Juan Alfredo; Garaj, Slaven

2017-02-08

Nanostructured graphene-oxide (GO) laminate membranes, exhibiting ultrahigh water flux, are excellent candidates for next generation nanofiltration and desalination membranes, provided the ionic rejection could be further increased without compromising the water flux. Using microscopic drift-diffusion experiments, we demonstrated the ultrahigh charge selectivity for GO membranes, with more than order of magnitude difference in the permeabilities of cationic and anionic species of equivalent hydration radii. Measuring diffusion of a wide range of ions of different size and charge, we were able to clearly disentangle different physical mechanisms contributing to the ionic sieving in GO membranes: electrostatic repulsion between ions and charged chemical groups; and the compression of the ionic hydration shell within the membrane's nanochannels, following the activated behavior. The charge-selectivity allows us to rationally design membranes with increased ionic rejection and opens up the field of ion exchange and electrodialysis to the GO membranes.

Sensitivity and specificity considerations for fMRI encoding, decoding, and mapping of auditory cortex at ultra-high field.

PubMed

Moerel, Michelle; De Martino, Federico; Kemper, Valentin G; Schmitter, Sebastian; Vu, An T; Uğurbil, Kâmil; Formisano, Elia; Yacoub, Essa

2018-01-01

Following rapid technological advances, ultra-high field functional MRI (fMRI) enables exploring correlates of neuronal population activity at an increasing spatial resolution. However, as the fMRI blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) contrast is a vascular signal, the spatial specificity of fMRI data is ultimately determined by the characteristics of the underlying vasculature. At 7T, fMRI measurement parameters determine the relative contribution of the macro- and microvasculature to the acquired signal. Here we investigate how these parameters affect relevant high-end fMRI analyses such as encoding, decoding, and submillimeter mapping of voxel preferences in the human auditory cortex. Specifically, we compare a T 2 * weighted fMRI dataset, obtained with 2D gradient echo (GE) EPI, to a predominantly T 2 weighted dataset obtained with 3D GRASE. We first investigated the decoding accuracy based on two encoding models that represented different hypotheses about auditory cortical processing. This encoding/decoding analysis profited from the large spatial coverage and sensitivity of the T 2 * weighted acquisitions, as evidenced by a significantly higher prediction accuracy in the GE-EPI dataset compared to the 3D GRASE dataset for both encoding models. The main disadvantage of the T 2 * weighted GE-EPI dataset for encoding/decoding analyses was that the prediction accuracy exhibited cortical depth dependent vascular biases. However, we propose that the comparison of prediction accuracy across the different encoding models may be used as a post processing technique to salvage the spatial interpretability of the GE-EPI cortical depth-dependent prediction accuracy. Second, we explored the mapping of voxel preferences. Large-scale maps of frequency preference (i.e., tonotopy) were similar across datasets, yet the GE-EPI dataset was preferable due to its larger spatial coverage and sensitivity. However, submillimeter tonotopy maps revealed biases in assigned frequency

Ultrahigh sensitivity endoscopic camera using a new CMOS image sensor: providing with clear images under low illumination in addition to fluorescent images.

PubMed

Aoki, Hisae; Yamashita, Hiromasa; Mori, Toshiyuki; Fukuyo, Tsuneo; Chiba, Toshio

2014-11-01

We developed a new ultrahigh-sensitive CMOS camera using a specific sensor that has a wide range of spectral sensitivity characteristics. The objective of this study is to present our updated endoscopic technology that has successfully integrated two innovative functions; ultrasensitive imaging as well as advanced fluorescent viewing. Two different experiments were conducted. One was carried out to evaluate the function of the ultrahigh-sensitive camera. The other was to test the availability of the newly developed sensor and its performance as a fluorescence endoscope. In both studies, the distance from the endoscopic tip to the target was varied and those endoscopic images in each setting were taken for further comparison. In the first experiment, the 3-CCD camera failed to display the clear images under low illumination, and the target was hardly seen. In contrast, the CMOS camera was able to display the targets regardless of the camera-target distance under low illumination. Under high illumination, imaging quality given by both cameras was quite alike. In the second experiment as a fluorescence endoscope, the CMOS camera was capable of clearly showing the fluorescent-activated organs. The ultrahigh sensitivity CMOS HD endoscopic camera is expected to provide us with clear images under low illumination in addition to the fluorescent images under high illumination in the field of laparoscopic surgery.

Ultrahigh energy neutrinos from Centaurus A and the Auger hot spot

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

Cuoco, A.; Hannestad, S.

2008-07-15

The Pierre Auger Collaboration has reported a correlation between ultrahigh energy cosmic rays (UHECR) and nearby active galactic nuclei (AGN) within {approx}75 Mpc. Two of these events fall within 3 degrees from Centaurus A (Cen A), the nearest AGN, clearly suggesting that this object is a strong UHECR emitter. Here we pursue this hypothesis and forecast the expected rate of ultrahigh energy neutrinos in detectors like IceCube. In our baseline model we find a rate of {approx}0.4-0.6 yr{sup -1} events above a threshold of 100 TeV, the uncertainty of which is mainly related to the poor knowledge of the physicalmore » parameters of the source and details of the model. This situation will improve with detailed high energy gamma ray measurements of Cen A by the upcoming Gamma Ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) satellite. This would make Cen A the first example where the potential of high energy multimessenger astronomy is finally realized.« less

Model-Free Conditional Independence Feature Screening For Ultrahigh Dimensional Data.

PubMed

Wang, Luheng; Liu, Jingyuan; Li, Yong; Li, Runze

2017-03-01

Feature screening plays an important role in ultrahigh dimensional data analysis. This paper is concerned with conditional feature screening when one is interested in detecting the association between the response and ultrahigh dimensional predictors (e.g., genetic makers) given a low-dimensional exposure variable (such as clinical variables or environmental variables). To this end, we first propose a new index to measure conditional independence, and further develop a conditional screening procedure based on the newly proposed index. We systematically study the theoretical property of the proposed procedure and establish the sure screening and ranking consistency properties under some very mild conditions. The newly proposed screening procedure enjoys some appealing properties. (a) It is model-free in that its implementation does not require a specification on the model structure; (b) it is robust to heavy-tailed distributions or outliers in both directions of response and predictors; and (c) it can deal with both feature screening and the conditional screening in a unified way. We study the finite sample performance of the proposed procedure by Monte Carlo simulations and further illustrate the proposed method through two real data examples.

Imaging at ultrahigh magnetic fields: History, challenges, and solutions.

PubMed

Uğurbil, Kamil

2018-03-01

Following early efforts in applying nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to study biological processes in intact systems, and particularly since the introduction of 4 T human scanners circa 1990, rapid progress was made in imaging and spectroscopy studies of humans at 4 T and animal models at 9.4 T, leading to the introduction of 7 T and higher magnetic fields for human investigation at about the turn of the century. Work conducted on these platforms has provided numerous technological solutions to challenges posed at these ultrahigh fields, and demonstrated the existence of significant advantages in signal-to-noise ratio and biological information content. Primary difference from lower fields is the deviation from the near field regime at the radiofrequencies (RF) corresponding to hydrogen resonance conditions. At such ultrahigh fields, the RF is characterized by attenuated traveling waves in the human body, which leads to image non-uniformities for a given sample-coil configuration because of destructive and constructive interferences. These non-uniformities were initially considered detrimental to progress of imaging at high field strengths. However, they are advantageous for parallel imaging in signal reception and transmission, two critical technologies that account, to a large extend, for the success of ultrahigh fields. With these technologies and improvements in instrumentation and imaging methods, today ultrahigh fields have provided unprecedented gains in imaging of brain function and anatomy, and started to make inroads into investigation of the human torso and extremities. As extensive as they are, these gains still constitute a prelude to what is to come given the increasingly larger effort committed to ultrahigh field research and development of ever better instrumentation and techniques. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Lipid and glycolipid isomer analyses using ultra-high resolution ion mobility spectrometry separations

DOE PAGES

Wojcik, Roza; Webb, Ian K.; Deng, Liulin; ...

2017-01-18

Understanding the biological mechanisms related to lipids and glycolipids is challenging due to the vast number of possible isomers. Mass spectrometry (MS) measurements are currently the dominant approach for studying and providing detailed information on lipid and glycolipid structures. However, difficulties in distinguishing many structural isomers (e.g. distinct acyl chain positions, double bond locations, as well as glycan isomers) inhibit the understanding of their biological roles. Here we utilized ultra-high resolution ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) separations based upon the use of traveling waves in a serpentine long path length multi-pass Structures for Lossless Manipulations (SLIM) to enhance isomer resolution. Themore » multi-pass arrangement allowed separations ranging from ~16 m (1 pass) to ~470 m (32 passes) to be investigated for the distinction of lipids and glycolipids with extremely small structural differences. Lastly, these ultra-high resolution SLIM IMS-MS analyses provide a foundation for exploring and better understanding isomer specific biological and disease processes.« less

Two-spoke placement optimization under explicit specific absorption rate and power constraints in parallel transmission at ultra-high field.

PubMed

Dupas, Laura; Massire, Aurélien; Amadon, Alexis; Vignaud, Alexandre; Boulant, Nicolas

2015-06-01

The spokes method combined with parallel transmission is a promising technique to mitigate the B1(+) inhomogeneity at ultra-high field in 2D imaging. To date however, the spokes placement optimization combined with the magnitude least squares pulse design has never been done in direct conjunction with the explicit Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) and hardware constraints. In this work, the joint optimization of 2-spoke trajectories and RF subpulse weights is performed under these constraints explicitly and in the small tip angle regime. The problem is first considerably simplified by making the observation that only the vector between the 2 spokes is relevant in the magnitude least squares cost-function, thereby reducing the size of the parameter space and allowing a more exhaustive search. The algorithm starts from a set of initial k-space candidates and performs in parallel for all of them optimizations of the RF subpulse weights and the k-space locations simultaneously, under explicit SAR and power constraints, using an active-set algorithm. The dimensionality of the spoke placement parameter space being low, the RF pulse performance is computed for every location in k-space to study the robustness of the proposed approach with respect to initialization, by looking at the probability to converge towards a possible global minimum. Moreover, the optimization of the spoke placement is repeated with an increased pulse bandwidth in order to investigate the impact of the constraints on the result. Bloch simulations and in vivo T2(∗)-weighted images acquired at 7 T validate the approach. The algorithm returns simulated normalized root mean square errors systematically smaller than 5% in 10 s. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Imaging of cartilage degeneration progression in vivo using ultrahigh-resolution OCT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herz, Paul R.; Bourquin, Stephane; Hsiung, Pei-lin; Ko, Tony H.; Schneider, Karl; Fujimoto, James G.; Adams, Samuel, Jr.; Roberts, Mark; Patel, Nirlep; Brezinski, Mark

2003-10-01

Ultrahigh resolution OCT is used to visualize experimentally induced osteoarthritis in a rat knee model. Using a Cr4+:Forsterite laser, ultrahigh image resolutions of 5um are achieved. Progression of osteoarthritic remodeling and cartilage degeneration are quantified. The utility of OCT for the assessment of cartilage integrity is demonstrated.

Ultra-High Rate Measurements of Spent Fuel Gamma-Ray Emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodriguez, Douglas; Vandevender, Brent; Wood, Lynn; Glasgow, Brian; Taubman, Matthew; Wright, Michael; Dion, Michael; Pitts, Karl; Runkle, Robert; Campbell, Luke; Fast, James

2014-03-01

Presently there are over 200,000 irradiated spent nuclear fuel (SNF) assemblies in the world, each containing a concerning amount of weapons-usable material. Both facility operators and safeguards inspectors want to improve composition determination. Current measurements are expensive and difficult so new methods are developed through models. Passive measurements are limited since a few specific decay products and the associated down-scatter overwhelm the gamma rays of interest. Active interrogation methods produce gamma rays beyond 3 MeV, minimizing the impact of the passive emissions that drop off sharply above this energy. New devices like the Ultra-High Rate Germanium (UHRGe) detector are being developed to advance these novel measurement methods. Designed for reasonable resolution at 106 s-1 output rates (compared to ~ 1 - 10 e 3 s-1 standards), SNF samples were directly measured using UHRGe and compared to models. Model verification further enables using Los Alamos National Laboratory SNF assembly models, developed under the Next Generation Safeguards Initiative, to determine emission and signal expectations. Measurement results and future application requirements for UHRGe will be discussed.

Surface oxidation of GaN(0001): Nitrogen plasma-assisted cleaning for ultrahigh vacuum applications

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

Gangopadhyay, Subhashis; Schmidt, Thomas, E-mail: tschmidt@ifp.uni-bremen.de; Kruse, Carsten

The cleaning of metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxial GaN(0001) template layers grown on sapphire has been investigated. Different procedures, performed under ultrahigh vacuum conditions, including degassing and exposure to active nitrogen from a radio frequency nitrogen plasma source have been compared. For this purpose, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, reflection high-energy electron diffraction, and scanning tunneling microscopy have been employed in order to assess chemical as well as structural and morphological surface properties. Initial degassing at 600 °C under ultrahigh vacuum conditions only partially eliminates the surface contaminants. In contrast to plasma assisted nitrogen cleaning at temperatures as low as 300 °C, active-nitrogen exposure at temperaturesmore » as high as 700 °C removes the majority of oxide species from the surface. However, extended high-temperature active-nitrogen cleaning leads to severe surface roughening. Optimum results regarding both the removal of surface oxides as well as the surface structural and morphological quality have been achieved for a combination of initial low-temperature plasma-assisted cleaning, followed by a rapid nitrogen plasma-assisted cleaning at high temperature.« less

Ultra-High Surface Speed for Metal Removal, Artillery Shell

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-07-01

TECHNICAL LIBRARY "y/a^^cr^ AD-E400 660 CONTRACTOR REPORT ARLCD-CR- 81019 ULTRA-HIGH SURFACE SPEED FOR METAL REMOVAL, ARTILLERY SHELL RICHARD F...Report ARLCD-CR- 81019 2. GOVT ACCESSION NO. 3. RECIPIENT’S CATALOG NUMBER 4. TITLE (and Subtitle) ULTRA-HIGH SURFACE SPEED FOR METAL...UNIT* tuiPPtO 1 MIL -STD-43CA i, ASTM A-274-64 EF A1SI~1340 SEHI FIN FORGING STEEL 6 RC SQ ■ IP 120093* a LIFTS 38 PCS

Rapid and quantitative determination of 10 major active components in Lonicera japonica Thunb. by ultrahigh pressure extraction-HPLC/DAD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Li; Lin, Changhu; Duan, Wenjuan; Wang, Xiao; Liu, Jianhua; Liu, Feng

2015-01-01

An ultrahigh pressure extraction (UPE)-high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)/diode array detector (DAD) method was established to evaluate the quality of Lonicera japonica Thunb. Ten active components, including neochlorogenic acid, chlorogenic acid, 4-dicaffeoylquinic acid, caffeic acid, rutin, luteoloside, isochlorogenic acid B, isochlorogenic acid A, isochlorogenic acid C, and quercetin, were qualitatively evaluated and quantitatively determined. Scanning electron microscope images elucidated the bud surface microstructure and extraction mechanism. The optimal extraction conditions of the UPE were 60% methanol solution, 400 MPa of extraction pressure, 3 min of extraction time, and 1:30 (g/mL) solid:liquid ratio. Under the optimized conditions, the total extraction yield of 10 active components was 57.62 mg/g. All the components showed good linearity (r2 ≥ 0.9994) and recoveries. This method was successfully applied to quantify 10 components in 22 batches of L. japonica samples from different areas. Compared with heat reflux extraction and ultrasonic-assisted extraction, UPE can be considered as an alternative extraction technique for fast extraction of active ingredient from L. japonica.

Ultra-high density intra-specific genetic linkage maps accelerate identification of functionally relevant molecular tags governing important agronomic traits in chickpea

PubMed Central

Kujur, Alice; Upadhyaya, Hari D.; Shree, Tanima; Bajaj, Deepak; Das, Shouvik; Saxena, Maneesha S.; Badoni, Saurabh; Kumar, Vinod; Tripathi, Shailesh; Gowda, C. L. L.; Sharma, Shivali; Singh, Sube; Tyagi, Akhilesh K.; Parida, Swarup K.

2015-01-01

We discovered 26785 and 16573 high-quality SNPs differentiating two parental genotypes of a RIL mapping population using reference desi and kabuli genome-based GBS assay. Of these, 3625 and 2177 SNPs have been integrated into eight desi and kabuli chromosomes, respectively in order to construct ultra-high density (0.20–0.37 cM) intra-specific chickpea genetic linkage maps. One of these constructed high-resolution genetic map has potential to identify 33 major genomic regions harbouring 35 robust QTLs (PVE: 17.9–39.7%) associated with three agronomic traits, which were mapped within <1 cM mean marker intervals on desi chromosomes. The extended LD (linkage disequilibrium) decay (~15 cM) in chromosomes of genetic maps have encouraged us to use a rapid integrated approach (comparative QTL mapping, QTL-region specific haplotype/LD-based trait association analysis, expression profiling and gene haplotype-based association mapping) rather than a traditional QTL map-based cloning method to narrow-down one major seed weight (SW) robust QTL region. It delineated favourable natural allelic variants and superior haplotype-containing one seed-specific candidate embryo defective gene regulating SW in chickpea. The ultra-high-resolution genetic maps, QTLs/genes and alleles/haplotypes-related genomic information generated and integrated strategy for rapid QTL/gene identification developed have potential to expedite genomics-assisted breeding applications in crop plants, including chickpea for their genetic enhancement. PMID:25942004

[Application study of qualitatively diagnosing prostate cancer using ultrahigh b-value DWI].

PubMed

Ji, L B; Lu, Z H; Yao, H H; Cao, Y; Lu, W W; Qian, W X; Wang, X M; Hu, C H

2017-07-18

Objective: To explore the value of ultrahigh b-value DWI in diagnosis of prostate cancer. Methods: From October 2015 to October 2016, a total of 84 cases from Affiliated Changshu Hospital of Soochow University(39 cases of prostate cancer with a total of 57 lesions, 45 cases of benign prostate hyperplasia) were examined with T(2)WI, high b-value DWI (b=1 000 s/mm(2)) and ultrahigh b-value DWI (b=2 000 s/mm(2)) .Three image sets were rated respectively based on PI-RADS V2 by two radiologists and the scores were compared with biopsy results.The differences of the area under the ROC curve (AUC) among the three groups of each observer were compared by Z test. Results: The difference of AUC between ultrahigh b-value DWI and T(2)WI in the diagnosis of peripheral and transitional zone cancer was statistically significant between the two observers ( P =0.009 9, 0.008 2, 0.010 8 and 0.004 5 respectively), and there was no significant difference of AUC between ultrahigh b-value DWI and high b-value DWI in the diagnosis of peripheral and transitional zone cancer.The inter-reader agreement was found to be perfect for all lesions, peripheral zone lesions and transition zone lesions at ultrahigh b-value DWI ( kappa values were 0.738, 0.709 and 0.768 respectively). Conclusion: The diagnostic performance of ultrahigh b-value DWI is superior to high b-value DWI and T(2)WI in both peripheral zone and transition zone cancers.

Grand unified theories, topological defects, and ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bhattacharjee, Pijushpani; Hill, Christopher T.; Schramm, David N.

1992-01-01

The ultrahigh-energy (UHE) proton and neutrino spectra resulting from collapse or annihilations of topological defects surviving from the GUT era are calculated. Irrespective of the specific process under consideration (which determines the overall normalization of the spectrum), the UHE proton spectrum always 'recovers' at approximately 1.8 x 10 exp 11 GeV after a partial Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuz'min 'cutoff' at approximately 5 x 10 exp 10 GeV and continues to a GUT-scale energy with a universal shape determined by the physics of hadronic jet fragmentation. Implications of the results are discussed.

Grand unified theories, topological defects and ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bhattacharjee, Pijushpani; Hill, Christopher T.; Schramm, David N.

1991-01-01

The ultrahigh-energy (UHE) proton and neutrino spectra resulting from collapse or annihilations of topological defects surviving from the GUT era are calculated. Irrespective of the specific process under consideration (which determines the overall normalization of the spectrum), the UHE proton spectrum always 'recovers' at approximately 1.8 x 10 exp 11 GeV after a partial Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuz'min 'cutoff' at approximately 5 x 10 exp 10 GeV and continues to a GUT-scale energy with a universal shape determined by the physics of hadronic jet fragmentation. Implications of our results are discussed.

Fluctuating Dermatoglyphic Asymmetries in Youth at Ultrahigh-risk for Psychotic Disorders

PubMed Central

Russak, Olivia Diane Fern; Ives, Lindsay; Mittal, Vijay A.; Dean, Derek J.

2015-01-01

Fluctuating dermatoglyphic asymmetry represents one specific class of minor physical anomaly that has been proposed to reflect prenatal insult and vulnerability to psychosis. However, very little is known about fluctuating dermatoglyphic asymmetry in youth showing symptoms of ultrahigh risk (UHR) for psychosis. Using high-resolution photographs of fingerprints and clinical interviews, the UHR group in this study showed greater fluctuating dermatoglyphic asymmetry compared to controls; however, this was not further linked to symptomatology. The results of this study provide an important perspective on potential biomarkers and support neurodevelopmental conceptions of psychosis. PMID:26723845

Design Method For Ultra-High Resolution Linear CCD Imagers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheu, Larry S.; Truong, Thanh; Yuzuki, Larry; Elhatem, Abdul; Kadekodi, Narayan

1984-11-01

This paper presents the design method to achieve ultra-high resolution linear imagers. This method utilizes advanced design rules and novel staggered bilinear photo sensor arrays with quadrilinear shift registers. Design constraint in the detector arrays and shift registers are analyzed. Imager architecture to achieve ultra-high resolution is presented. The characteristics of MTF, aliasing, speed, transfer efficiency and fine photolithography requirements associated with this architecture are also discussed. A CCD imager with advanced 1.5 um minimum feature size was fabricated. It is intended as a test vehicle for the next generation small sampling pitch ultra-high resolution CCD imager. Standard double-poly, two-phase shift registers were fabricated at an 8 um pitch using the advanced design rules. A special process step that blocked the source-drain implant from the shift register area was invented. This guaranteed excellent performance of the shift registers regardless of the small poly overlaps. A charge transfer efficiency of better than 0.99995 and maximum transfer speed of 8 MHz were achieved. The imager showed excellent performance. The dark current was less than 0.2 mV/ms, saturation 250 mV, adjacent photoresponse non-uniformity ± 4% and responsivity 0.7 V/ μJ/cm2 for the 8 μm x 6 μm photosensor size. The MTF was 0.6 at 62.5 cycles/mm. These results confirm the feasibility of the next generation ultra-high resolution CCD imagers.

Metal Hydride Nanoparticles with Ultrahigh Structural Stability and Hydrogen Storage Activity Derived from Microencapsulated Nanoconfinement.

PubMed

Zhang, Jiguang; Zhu, Yunfeng; Lin, Huaijun; Liu, Yana; Zhang, Yao; Li, Shenyang; Ma, Zhongliang; Li, Liquan

2017-06-01

Metal hydrides (MHs) have recently been designed for hydrogen sensors, switchable mirrors, rechargeable batteries, and other energy-storage and conversion-related applications. The demands of MHs, particular fast hydrogen absorption/desorption kinetics, have brought their sizes to nanoscale. However, the nanostructured MHs generally suffer from surface passivation and low aggregation-resisting structural stability upon absorption/desorption. This study reports a novel strategy named microencapsulated nanoconfinement to realize local synthesis of nano-MHs, which possess ultrahigh structural stability and superior desorption kinetics. Monodispersed Mg 2 NiH 4 single crystal nanoparticles (NPs) are in situ encapsulated on the surface of graphene sheets (GS) through facile gas-solid reactions. This well-defined MgO coating layer with a thickness of ≈3 nm efficiently separates the NPs from each other to prevent aggregation during hydrogen absorption/desorption cycles, leading to excellent thermal and mechanical stability. More interestingly, the MgO layer shows superior gas-selective permeability to prevent further oxidation of Mg 2 NiH 4 meanwhile accessible for hydrogen absorption/desorption. As a result, an extremely low activation energy (31.2 kJ mol -1 ) for the dehydrogenation reaction is achieved. This study provides alternative insights into designing nanosized MHs with both excellent hydrogen storage activity and thermal/mechanical stability exempting surface modification by agents. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Differential renal effects of candesartan at high and ultra-high doses in diabetic mice–potential role of the ACE2/AT2R/Mas axis

PubMed Central

Callera, Glaucia E.; Antunes, Tayze T.; Correa, Jose W.; Moorman, Danielle; Gutsol, Alexey; He, Ying; Cat, Aurelie Nguyen Dinh; Briones, Ana M.; Montezano, Augusto C.; Burns, Kevin D.; Touyz, Rhian M.

2016-01-01

High doses of Ang II receptor (AT1R) blockers (ARBs) are renoprotective in diabetes. Underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We evaluated whether high/ultra-high doses of candesartan (ARB) up-regulate angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2)/Ang II type 2 receptor (AT2R)/Mas receptor [protective axis of the of the renin–angiotensin system (RAS)] in diabetic mice. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), albuminuria and expression/activity of RAS components were assessed in diabetic db/db and control db/+ mice treated with increasing candesartan doses (intermediate, 1 mg/kg/d; high, 5 mg/kg/d; ultra-high, 25 and 75 mg/kg/d; 4 weeks). Lower doses candesartan did not influence SBP, but ultra-high doses reduced SBP in both groups. Plasma glucose and albuminuria were increased in db/db compared with db/+ mice. In diabetic mice treated with intermediate dose candesartan, renal tubular damage and albuminuria were ameliorated and expression of ACE2, AT2R and Mas and activity of ACE2 were increased, effects associated with reduced ERK1/2 phosphorylation, decreased fibrosis and renal protection. Ultra-high doses did not influence the ACE2/AT2R/Mas axis and promoted renal injury with increased renal ERK1/2 activation and exaggerated fibronectin expression in db/db mice. Our study demonstrates dose-related effects of candesartan in diabetic nephropathy: intermediate–high dose candesartan is renoprotective, whereas ultra-high dose candesartan induces renal damage. Molecular processes associated with these effects involve differential modulation of the ACE2/AT2R/Mas axis: intermediate–high dose candesartan up-regulating RAS protective components and attenuating pro-fibrotic processes, and ultra-high doses having opposite effects. These findings suggest novel mechanisms through the protective RAS axis, whereby candesartan may ameliorate diabetic nephropathy. Our findings also highlight potential injurious renal effects of ultra-high dose candesartan in diabetes. PMID:27612496

Screening bioactive quality control markers of QiShenYiQi dripping pills based on the relationship between the ultra-high performance liquid chromatography fingerprint and vascular protective activity.

PubMed

Zhuo, Limeng; Peng, Jingjing; Zhao, Yunli; Li, Dongxiang; Xie, Xiuman; Tong, Ling; Yu, Zhiguo

2017-10-01

Traditional Chinese medicine consists of complex phytochemical constituents. Selecting appropriate analytical markers of traditional Chinese medicine is a critical step in quality control. Currently, the combination of fingerprinting and efficacy evaluation is considered as a useful method for screening active ingredients in complex mixtures. This study was designed to develop an orthogonal partial least squares model for screening bioactive quality control markers of QishenYiqi dripping pills based on the fingerprint-efficacy relationship. First, the chemical fingerprints of 49 batches of QishenYiqi dripping pill samples were established by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with a photodiode array detector. Second, ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry was exploited to systematically investigate the 36 copossessing fingerprint components in QishenYiqi dripping pills. The vascular protective activity of QishenYiqi dripping pills was determined by using a cell counting kit-8 assay. Finally, fingerprint-efficacy relationship was established by orthogonal partial least squares model. The results indicated that ten components exhibited strong correlation with vascular protective activity, and these were preliminarily screened as quality control markers. The present study provided a novel idea for the study of the pharmacodynamic material basis and quality evaluation of QishenYiqi dripping pills. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Ultrahigh 6D-brightness electron beams for the light sources of the next generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Habib, Fahim; Manahan, Grace G.; Scherkl, Paul; Heinemann, Thomas; Sheng, Z. M.; Bruhwiler, D. L.; Cary, J. R.; Rosenzweig, J. B.; Hidding, Bernhard

2017-10-01

The plasma photocathode mechanism (aka Trojan Horse) enables a path towards electron beams with nm-level normalized emittance and kA range peak currents, hence ultrahigh 5D-brightness. This ultrahigh 5D-brightness beams hold great prospects to realize laboratory scale free-electron-lasers. However, the GV/m-accelerating gradient in plasma accelerators leads to substantial energy chirp and spread. The large energy spread is a major show-stopper towards key application such as the free-electron-laser. Here we present a novel method for energy chirp compensation which takes advantage of tailored beam loading due to a second ``escort'' bunch released via plasma photocathode. The escort bunch reverses the accelerating field locally at the trapping position of the ultrahigh 5D-brightness beam. This induces a counter-clockwise rotation within the longitudinal phase space and allows to compensate the chirp completely. Analytical scaling predicts energy spread values below 0.01 percentage level. Ultrahigh 5D-brightness combined with minimized energy spread opens a path towards witness beams with unprecedented ultrahigh 6D-brightness.

Arylesterase Phenotype-Specific Positive Association Between Arylesterase Activity and Cholinesterase Specific Activity in Human Serum

PubMed Central

Aoki, Yutaka; Helzlsouer, Kathy J.; Strickland, Paul T.

2014-01-01

Context: Cholinesterase (ChE) specific activity is the ratio of ChE activity to ChE mass and, as a biomarker of exposure to cholinesterase inhibitors, has a potential advantage over simple ChE activity. Objective: To examine the association of several potential correlates (serum arylesterase/paraoxonase activity, serum albumin, sex, age, month of blood collection, and smoking) with plasma ChE specific activity. Methods: We analyzed data from 195 cancer-free controls from a nested case-control study, accounting for potential confounding. Results: Arylesterase activity had an independent, statistically significant positive association with ChE specific activity, and its magnitude was the greatest for the arylesterase phenotype corresponding to the QQ PON1192 genotype followed by phenotypes corresponding to QR and RR genotypes. Serum albumin was positively associated with ChE specific activity. Conclusions: Plasma arylesterase activity was positively associated with plasma ChE specific activity. This observation is consistent with protection conferred by a metabolic phenotype resulting in reduced internal dose. PMID:24473115

Fornax A, Centaurus A other radio galaxies as sources of ultra-high energy cosmic rays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matthews, J. H.; Bell, A. R.; Blundell, K. M.; Araudo, A. T.

2018-06-01

The origin of ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) is still unknown. It has recently been proposed that UHECR anisotropies can be attributed to starburst galaxies or active galactic nuclei. We suggest that the latter is more likely and that giant-lobed radio galaxies such as Centaurus A and Fornax A can explain the data.

Feature Screening for Ultrahigh Dimensional Categorical Data with Applications.

PubMed

Huang, Danyang; Li, Runze; Wang, Hansheng

2014-01-01

Ultrahigh dimensional data with both categorical responses and categorical covariates are frequently encountered in the analysis of big data, for which feature screening has become an indispensable statistical tool. We propose a Pearson chi-square based feature screening procedure for categorical response with ultrahigh dimensional categorical covariates. The proposed procedure can be directly applied for detection of important interaction effects. We further show that the proposed procedure possesses screening consistency property in the terminology of Fan and Lv (2008). We investigate the finite sample performance of the proposed procedure by Monte Carlo simulation studies, and illustrate the proposed method by two empirical datasets.

Ultrahigh vacuum gauge having two collector electrodes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Torney, F. L., Jr. (Inventor)

1967-01-01

A gauge for measuring ultrahigh vacuums with great accuracy is described. It provides a means for ionizing the gas whose pressure is being measured, and consists of a collector electrode, a suppressor, radiation shielding, and a second collector.

Design of a Porous Cathode for Ultrahigh Performance of a Li-ion Battery: An Overlooked Pore Distribution

PubMed Central

Song, Jihwan; Kim, Junhyung; Kang, Taewook; Kim, Dongchoul

2017-01-01

Typical cathode materials of Li-ion battery suffer from a severe loss in specific capacity, and this problem is regarded as a major obstacle in the expansion of newer applications. To overcome this, porous cathodes are being extensively utilized. However, although it seems that the porosity in the cathode would be a panacea for high performance of LIBs, there is a blind point in the cathode consisting of porous structures, which makes the porous design to be a redundant. Here, we report the importance of designing the porosity of a cathode in obtaining ultrahigh performance with the porous design or a degraded performance even with increase of porosity. Numerical simulations show that the cathode with 40% porosity has 98% reduction in the loss of specific capacity when compared to the simple spherical cathode when the C-rate increases from 2.5 to 80 C. In addition, the loss over total cycles decreases from 30% to only about 1% for the cathode with 40% porosity under 40 C. Interestingly, however, the specific capacity could be decreased even with the increase in porosity unless the pores were evenly distributed in the cathode. The present analysis provides an important insight into the design of ultrahigh performance cathodes. PMID:28211894

Ultrahigh-Resolution Optical Coherence Tomography of Surgically Closed Macular Holes

PubMed Central

Ko, Tony H.; Witkin, Andre J.; Fujimoto, James G.; Chan, Annie; Rogers, Adam H.; Baumal, Caroline R.; Schuman, Joel S.; Drexler, Wolfgang; Reichel, Elias; Duker, Jay S.

2007-01-01

Objective To evaluate retinal anatomy using ultrahigh-resolution optical coherence tomography (OCT) in eyes after successful surgical repair of full-thickness macular hole. Methods Twenty-two eyes of 22 patients were diagnosed as having macular hole, underwent pars plana vitrectomy, and had flat/closed macular anatomy after surgery, as confirmed with biomicroscopic and OCT examination findings. An ultrahigh-resolution–OCT system developed for retinal imaging, with the capability to achieve approximately 3-μm axial resolution, was used to evaluate retinal anatomy after hole repair. Results Despite successful closure of the macular hole, all 22 eyes had macular abnormalities on ultrahigh-resolution–OCT images after surgery. These abnormalities were separated into the following 5 categories: (1) outer foveal defects in 14 eyes (64%), (2) persistent foveal detachment in 4 (18%), (3) moderately reflective foveal lesions in 12 (55%), (4) epiretinal membranes in 14 (64%), and (5) nerve fiber layer defects in 3 (14%). Conclusions With improved visualization of fine retinal architectural features, ultrahigh-resolution OCT can visualize persistent retinal abnormalities despite anatomically successful macular hole surgery. Outer foveal hyporeflective disruptions of the junction between the inner and outer segments of the photoreceptors likely represent areas of foveal photoreceptor degeneration. Moderately reflective lesions likely represent glial cell proliferation at the site of hole reapproximation. Thin epiretinal membranes do not seem to decrease visual acuity and may play a role in reestablishing foveal anatomy after surgery. PMID:16769836

Comparison of ultra-high performance supercritical fluid chromatography and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography for the separation of spirostanol saponins.

PubMed

Zhu, Ling-Ling; Zhao, Yang; Xu, Yong-Wei; Sun, Qing-Long; Sun, Xin-Guang; Kang, Li-Ping; Yan, Ren-Yi; Zhang, Jie; Liu, Chao; Ma, Bai-Ping

2016-02-20

Spirostanol saponins are important active components of some herb medicines, and their isolation and purification are crucial for the research and development of traditional Chinese medicines. We aimed to compare the separation of spirostanol saponins by ultra-high performance supercritical fluid chromatography (UHPSFC) and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC). Four groups of spirostanol saponins were separated respectively by UHPSFC and UHPLC. After optimization, UHPSFC was performed with a HSS C18 SB column or a Diol column and with methanol as the co-solvent. A BEH C18 column and mobile phase containing water (with 0.1% formic acid) and acetonitrile were used in UHPLC. We found that UHPSFC could be performed automatically and quickly. It is effective in separating the spirostanol saponins which share the same aglycone and vary in sugar chains, and is very sensitive to the number and the position of hydroxyl groups in aglycones. However, the resolution of spirostanol saponins with different aglycones and the same sugar moiety by UHPSFC was not ideal and could be resolved by UHPLC instead. UHPLC is good at differentiating the variation in aglycones, and is influenced by double bonds in aglycones. Therefore, UHPLC and UHPSFC are complementary in separating spirostanol saponins. Considering the naturally produced spirostanol saponins in herb medicines are different both in aglycones and in sugar chains, a better separation can be achieved by combination of UHPLC and UHPSFC. UHPSFC is a powerful technique for improving the resolution when UHPLC cannot resolve a mixture of spirostanol saponins and vice versa. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ultrahigh Frequency Lensless Ultrasonic Transducers for Acoustic Tweezers Application

PubMed Central

Hsu, Hsiu-Sheng; Li, Ying; Lee, Changyang; Lin, Anderson; Zhou, Qifa; Kim, Eun Sok; Shung, Kirk Koping

2014-01-01

Similar to optical tweezers, a tightly focused ultrasound microbeam is needed to manipulate microparticles in acoustic tweezers. The development of highly sensitive ultrahigh frequency ultrasonic transducers is crucial for trapping particles or cells with a size of a few microns. As an extra lens would cause excessive attenuation at ultrahigh frequencies, two types of 200-MHz lensless transducer design were developed as an ultrasound microbeam device for acoustic tweezers application. Lithium niobate single crystal press-focused (PF) transducer and zinc oxide self-focused transducer were designed, fabricated and characterized. Tightly focused acoustic beams produced by these transducers were shown to be capable of manipulating single microspheres as small as 5 μm two-dimensionally within a range of hundreds of micrometers in distilled water. The size of the trapped microspheres is the smallest ever reported in the literature of acoustic PF devices. These results suggest that these lensless ultrahigh frequency ultrasonic transducers are capable of manipulating particles at the cellular level and that acoustic tweezers may be a useful tool to manipulate a single cell or molecule for a wide range of biomedical applications. PMID:23042219

An ultrahigh-speed color video camera operating at 1,000,000 fps with 288 frame memories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kitamura, K.; Arai, T.; Yonai, J.; Hayashida, T.; Kurita, T.; Maruyama, H.; Namiki, J.; Yanagi, T.; Yoshida, T.; van Kuijk, H.; Bosiers, Jan T.; Saita, A.; Kanayama, S.; Hatade, K.; Kitagawa, S.; Etoh, T. Goji

2008-11-01

We developed an ultrahigh-speed color video camera that operates at 1,000,000 fps (frames per second) and had capacity to store 288 frame memories. In 2005, we developed an ultrahigh-speed, high-sensitivity portable color camera with a 300,000-pixel single CCD (ISIS-V4: In-situ Storage Image Sensor, Version 4). Its ultrahigh-speed shooting capability of 1,000,000 fps was made possible by directly connecting CCD storages, which record video images, to the photodiodes of individual pixels. The number of consecutive frames was 144. However, longer capture times were demanded when the camera was used during imaging experiments and for some television programs. To increase ultrahigh-speed capture times, we used a beam splitter and two ultrahigh-speed 300,000-pixel CCDs. The beam splitter was placed behind the pick up lens. One CCD was located at each of the two outputs of the beam splitter. The CCD driving unit was developed to separately drive two CCDs, and the recording period of the two CCDs was sequentially switched. This increased the recording capacity to 288 images, an increase of a factor of two over that of conventional ultrahigh-speed camera. A problem with the camera was that the incident light on each CCD was reduced by a factor of two by using the beam splitter. To improve the light sensitivity, we developed a microlens array for use with the ultrahigh-speed CCDs. We simulated the operation of the microlens array in order to optimize its shape and then fabricated it using stamping technology. Using this microlens increased the light sensitivity of the CCDs by an approximate factor of two. By using a beam splitter in conjunction with the microlens array, it was possible to make an ultrahigh-speed color video camera that has 288 frame memories but without decreasing the camera's light sensitivity.

Ultra-high density aligned Carbon-nanotube with controled nano-morphology for supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghaffari, Mehdi; Zhao, Ran; Liu, Yang; Zhou, Yue; Cheng, Jiping; Guzman de Villoria, Roberto; Wardle, B. L.; Zhang, Q. M.

2012-02-01

Recent advances in fabricating controlled-morphology vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VA-CNTs) with ultrahigh volume fractioncreate unique opportunities for developing unconventional supercapacitors with ultra-high energy density, power density, and long charge/discharge cycle life.Continuous paths through inter-VA-CNT channels allow fast ion transport, and high electrical conduction of the aligned CNTs in the composite electrodes lead to fast discharge speed. We investigate the charge-discharge characteristics of VA-CNTs with >20 vol% of CNT and ionic liquids as electrolytes. By employing both the electric and electromechanical spectroscopes, as well as nanostructured materials characterization, the ion transport and storage behaviors in porous electrodes are studied. The results suggest pathways for optimizing the electrode morphology in supercapacitorsusing ultra-high volume fraction VA-CNTs to further enhance performance.

Defect-free ultrahigh flux asymmetric membranes

DOEpatents

Pinnau, Ingo; Koros, William J.

1990-01-01

Defect-free, ultrahigh flux integrally-skinned asymmetric membranes having extremely thin surface layers (<0.2 .mu.m) comprised of glassy polymers are disclosed. The membranes are formed by casting an appropriate drope followed by forced convective evaporation of solvent to obtain a dry phase separated asymmetrical structure. The structure is then washed in a precipitation liquid and dried.

High-energy green supercapacitor driven by ionic liquid electrolytes as an ultra-high stable next-generation energy storage device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thangavel, Ranjith; Kannan, Aravindaraj G.; Ponraj, Rubha; Thangavel, Vigneysh; Kim, Dong-Won; Lee, Yun-Sung

2018-04-01

Development of supercapacitors with high energy density and long cycle life using sustainable materials for next-generation applications is of paramount importance. The ongoing challenge is to elevate the energy density of supercapacitors on par with batteries, while upholding the power and cyclability. In addition, attaining such superior performance with green and sustainable bio-mass derived compounds is very crucial to address the rising environmental concerns. Herein, we demonstrate the use of watermelon rind, a bio-waste from watermelons, towards high energy, and ultra-stable high temperature green supercapacitors with a high-voltage ionic liquid electrolyte. Supercapacitors assembled with ultra-high surface area, hierarchically porous carbon exhibits a remarkable performance both at room temperature and at high temperature (60 °C) with maximum energy densities of ∼174 Wh kg-1 (25 °C), and 177 Wh kg-1 (60 °C) - based on active mass of both electrodes. Furthermore, an ultra-high specific power of ∼20 kW kg-1 along with an ultra-stable cycling performance with 90% retention over 150,000 cycles has been achieved even at 60 °C, outperforming supercapacitors assembled with other carbon based materials. These results demonstrate the potential to develop high-performing, green energy storage devices using eco-friendly materials for next generation electric vehicles and other advanced energy storage systems.

Anisotropy in the Arrival Directions of Ultrahigh-Energy Cosmic Rays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Villaseñor, Luis

2017-06-01

In this article we illustrate, in an interactive way, the analysis and visualization of anisotropy properties in the arrival directions of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays detected by the Telescope Array and the Pierre Auger experiments by using data released by both collaborations. We describe the use of several programs that we have written in Python and Julia languages for this purpose. We also discuss the potential sources and analyse the effect of correcting the arrival directions to take into account the deflections of the cosmic rays by the magnetic field of our galaxy for one specific model of the galactic magnetic field under several assumptions about the composition of the primary cosmic rays.

Ultra-high Temperature Emittance Measurements for Space and Missile Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rogers, Jan; Crandall, David

2009-01-01

Advanced modeling and design efforts for many aerospace components require high temperature emittance data. Applications requiring emittance data include propulsion systems, radiators, aeroshells, heatshields/thermal protection systems, and leading edge surfaces. The objective of this work is to provide emittance data at ultra-high temperatures. MSFC has a new instrument for the measurement of emittance at ultra-high temperatures, the Ultra-High Temperature Emissometer System (Ultra-HITEMS). AZ Technology Inc. developed the instrument, designed to provide emittance measurements over the temperature range 700-3500K. The Ultra-HITEMS instrument measures the emittance of samples, heated by lasers, in vacuum, using a blackbody source and a Fourier Transform Spectrometer. Detectors in a Nicolet 6700 FT-IR spectrometer measure emittance over the spectral range of 0.4-25 microns. Emitted energy from the specimen and output from a Mikron M390S blackbody source at the same temperature with matched collection geometry are measured. Integrating emittance over the spectral range yields the total emittance. The ratio provides a direct measure of total hemispherical emittance. Samples are heated using lasers. Optical pyrometry provides temperature data. Optical filters prevent interference from the heating lasers. Data for Inconel 718 show excellent agreement with results from literature and ASTM 835. Measurements taken from levitated spherical specimens provide total hemispherical emittance data; measurements taken from flat specimens mounted in the chamber provide near-normal emittance data. Data from selected characterization studies will be presented. The Ultra-HITEMS technique could advance space and missile technologies by advancing the knowledge base and the technology readiness level for ultra-high temperature materials.

Search for Ultra-High Energy Photons with the Pierre Auger Observatory

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

Homola, Piotr

One of key scientific objectives of the Pierre Auger Observatory is the search for ultra-high energy photons. Such photons could originate either in the interactions of energetic cosmic-ray nuclei with the cosmic microwave background (so-called cosmogenic photons) or in the exotic scenarios, e.g. those assuming a production and decay of some hypothetical super-massive particles. The latter category of models would imply relatively large fluxes of photons with ultra-high energies at Earth, while the former, involving interactions of cosmic-ray nuclei with the microwave background - just the contrary: very small fractions. The investigations on the data collected so far in themore » Pierre Auger Observatory led to placing very stringent limits to ultra-high energy photon fluxes: below the predictions of the most of the exotic models and nearing the predicted fluxes of the cosmogenic photons. In this paper the status of these investigations and perspectives for further studies are summarized.« less

Bridging ultrahigh-Q devices and photonic circuits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Ki Youl; Oh, Dong Yoon; Lee, Seung Hoon; Yang, Qi-Fan; Yi, Xu; Shen, Boqiang; Wang, Heming; Vahala, Kerry

2018-05-01

Optical microresonators are essential to a broad range of technologies and scientific disciplines. However, many of their applications rely on discrete devices to attain challenging combinations of ultra-low-loss performance (ultrahigh Q) and resonator design requirements. This prevents access to scalable fabrication methods for photonic integration and lithographic feature control. Indeed, finding a microfabrication bridge that connects ultrahigh-Q device functions with photonic circuits is a priority of the microcavity field. Here, an integrated resonator having a record Q factor over 200 million is presented. Its ultra-low-loss and flexible cavity design brings performance to integrated systems that has been the exclusive domain of discrete silica and crystalline microcavity devices. Two distinctly different devices are demonstrated: soliton sources with electronic repetition rates and high-coherence/low-threshold Brillouin lasers. This multi-device capability and performance from a single integrated cavity platform represents a critical advance for future photonic circuits and systems.

Study on creep of fiber reinforced ultra-high strength concrete based on strength

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Wenjun; Wang, Tao

2018-04-01

To complement the creep performance of ultra-high strength concrete, the long creep process of fiber reinforced concrete was studied in this paper. The long-term creep process and regularity of ultra-high strength concrete with 0.5% PVA fiber under the same axial compression were analyzed by using concrete strength (C80/C100/C120) as a variable. The results show that the creep coefficient of ultra-high strength concrete decreases with the increase of concrete strength. Compared with ACI209R (92), GL2000 models, it is found that the predicted value of ACI209R (92) are close to the experimental value, and the creep prediction model suitable for this experiment is proposed based on ACI209R (92).

Mapping the Ice Depth of Europa with Ultrahigh Energy Particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romero-Wolf, A.; Naudet, C. J.

2012-12-01

There has been recent interest in applying radio emission of ultra-high energy neutrinos interacting in the ice of Europa. The idea was first described by Gorham (2004)[1] in the context of ultra-high energy particle detection. Shoji, Kurita, and Tanaka (2011)[2] proposed a technique for measuring ice depth using the radio intensity distribution of radio impulses emitted by interactions deep in the Europan ice. Miller, Schaefer, and Sequeira (2012)[3] follow up this study with a simulation of a radio detector mission to constrain the ice depth of Europa. The radio signal results from an effect proposed by Askar'yan (1962)[4] where the particle shower induced by the neutrino interaction accumulates a charge excess traveling faster than the speed of light in the medium and produces a coherent Cherenkov pulse at radio frequencies. We evaluate the feasibility of such a mission given the current state of knowledge of ultra-high energy particle detection and radio pulse production. References [1] Gorham (2004), Planet-sized Detectors for Ultra-high Energy Neutrinos & Cosmic Rays, NASA Advanced Planning Office's Capability Roadmap Public Workshop, Nov. 30, 2004, astro-ph/0411510 [2] Shoji, Kurita, and Tanaka (2011), Constraint of Europan ice thickness by measuring electromagnetic emissions induced by neutrino interaction, Geophysical Research Letters, 38, L08202 [3] Miller, Shaefer, Sequeira, PRIDE (Passive Radio [frequency] Ice Depth Experiment): An instrument to passively measure ice depth from a Europan orbiter using neutrinos, Icarus 220 877-888 [4] Askar'yan (1962), Excess negative charge of an electron photon shower and its coherent radiation originating from it. Radio recording of showers under the ground and on the Moon, Sov. Phys. JETP, 14, 441-443.

Ultrahigh Field NMR and MRI: Science at a Crossroads Workshop Report

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

Polenova, Tatyana; Budinger, Thomas F.

2016-01-04

The workshop “Ultrahigh Field NMR and MRI: Science at Crossroads”, initiated by the scientific community and supported by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, and the National Institutes of Health, took place on November 12-13, 2015, in Bethesda, MD, on the NIH campus. The meeting was held to assess the science drivers, technological challenges, prospects for achieving field strengths for NMR and MRI nearly double their current value, and strategies on how to provide ultrahigh field NMR/MRI capabilities to a national user community.

Field Evaluation of Ultra-High Pressure Water Systems for Runway Rubber Removal

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-04-01

ER D C/ G SL T R- 14 -1 1 Field Evaluation of Ultra-High Pressure Water Systems for Runway Rubber Removal G eo te ch ni ca l a nd S tr...Field Evaluation of Ultra-High Pressure Water Systems for Runway Rubber Removal Aaron B. Pullen Applied Research Associates, Inc. 421 Oak Avenue...collaboration with Applied Research Associates, Inc. (ARA). Several types of commercial UHPW water blasting systems were tested on an ungrooved portland cement

Laser beam welding of new ultra-high strength and supra-ductile steels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dahmen, Martin

2015-03-01

Ultra-high strength and supra-ductile are entering fields of new applications. Those materials are excellent candidates for modern light-weight construction and functional integration. As ultra-high strength steels the stainless martensitic grade 1.4034 and the bainitic steel UNS 53835 are investigated. For the supra-ductile steels stand two high austenitic steels with 18 and 28 % manganese. As there are no processing windows an approach from the metallurgical base on is required. Adjusting the weld microstructure the Q+P and the QT steels require weld heat treatment. The HSD steel is weldable without. Due to their applications the ultra-high strength steels are welded in as-rolled and strengthened condition. Also the reaction of the weld on hot stamping is reflected for the martensitic grades. The supra-ductile steels are welded as solution annealed and work hardened by 50%. The results show the general suitability for laser beam welding.

REVIEWS OF TOPICAL PROBLEMS: Ultrahigh-energy neutrinos from astrophysical sources and superheavy particle decays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryabov, Vladimir A.

2006-09-01

Problems in the fields of neutrino astronomy and ultrahigh-energy astrophysics are reviewed. Neutrino fluxes produced in various astrophysical sources (bottom-up acceleration scenarios) and resulting from the decay of superheavy particles (top-down scenarios) are considered. Neutrino oscillation processes and the absorption and regeneration of neutrinos inside the earth are analyzed and some other factors affecting the intensity and flavor composition of astrophysical neutrino fluxes are discussed. Details of ultrahigh-energy neutrino interactions are discussed within the Standard Model, as well as using nonstandard scenarios predicting an anomalous increase in the inelastic neutrino-nucleon cross section. Ultrahigh-energy neutrino detection techniques currently in use in new-generation neutrino telescopes and cosmic ray detectors are also discussed.

AMANDA Observations Constrain the Ultrahigh Energy Neutrino Flux

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

Halzen, Francis; /Wisconsin U., Madison; Hooper, Dan

2006-05-01

A number of experimental techniques are currently being deployed in an effort to make the first detection of ultra-high energy cosmic neutrinos. To accomplish this goal, techniques using radio and acoustic detectors are being developed, which are optimally designed for studying neutrinos with energies in the PeV-EeV range and above. Data from the AMANDA experiment, in contrast, has been used to place limits on the cosmic neutrino flux at less extreme energies (up to {approx}10 PeV). In this letter, we show that by adopting a different analysis strategy, optimized for much higher energy neutrinos, the same AMANDA data can bemore » used to place a limit competitive with radio techniques at EeV energies. We also discuss the sensitivity of the IceCube experiment, in various stages of deployment, to ultra-high energy neutrinos.« less

Ultra-high Speed Optical Imaging of Ultrasound-activated Microbubbles in Mesenteric Microvessels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Hong

Ultrasound contrast agent microbubbles have gained widespread applications in diagnostic and therapeutic ultrasound. Animal studies of bioeffects induced by ultrasound-activated microbubbles have demonstrated that microbubbles can cause microvessel damage. Much scientific attention has been attracted to such microvascular bioeffects, not only because of the related safety concerns, but also because of the potential useful applications of microbubbles in the intravascular delivery of drugs and genetic materials into target tissues. A significant challenge in using microbubbles in medical ultrasound is the lack of knowledge about how the microbubbles behave in blood vessels when exposed to ultrasound and how their interactions with ultrasound cause vascular damage. Although extensive studies were performed in the past to study the dynamics of microbubbles, most of those studies were performed in vitro and did not directly address the clinical environment in which microbubbles are injected into blood vessels. In this thesis work, a synchronized optical-acoustic system was set up for ultrahigh speed imaging of insonated microbubbles in microvessels. The recorded images revealed the formation of microjets penetrating the microbubbles, as well as vessel distention (motion outward against the surrounding tissue) and vessel invagination (motion inward toward the lumen) caused by the expansion and collapse of the microbubbles, respectively. Contrary to current paradigms which propose that microbubbles damage vessels either by distending them or by forming liquid jets impinging on them, microbubbles translation and jetting were in the direction away from the nearest vessel wall; furthermore, invagination typically exceeded distention in arterioles and venules. Vessel invagination was found to be associated with vascular damage. These studies suggest that vessel invagination may be a newly discovered potential mechanism for vascular damage by ultrasound-activated microbubbles

Ultra-high strain in epitaxial silicon carbide nanostructures utilizing residual stress amplification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phan, Hoang-Phuong; Nguyen, Tuan-Khoa; Dinh, Toan; Ina, Ginnosuke; Kermany, Atieh Ranjbar; Qamar, Afzaal; Han, Jisheng; Namazu, Takahiro; Maeda, Ryutaro; Dao, Dzung Viet; Nguyen, Nam-Trung

2017-04-01

Strain engineering has attracted great attention, particularly for epitaxial films grown on a different substrate. Residual strains of SiC have been widely employed to form ultra-high frequency and high Q factor resonators. However, to date, the highest residual strain of SiC was reported to be limited to approximately 0.6%. Large strains induced into SiC could lead to several interesting physical phenomena, as well as significant improvement of resonant frequencies. We report an unprecedented nanostrain-amplifier structure with an ultra-high residual strain up to 8% utilizing the natural residual stress between epitaxial 3C-SiC and Si. In addition, the applied strain can be tuned by changing the dimensions of the amplifier structure. The possibility of introducing such a controllable and ultra-high strain will open the door to investigating the physics of SiC in large strain regimes and the development of ultra sensitive mechanical sensors.

Ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays from tidally-ignited white dwarfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alves Batista, Rafael; Silk, Joseph

2017-11-01

Ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) can be accelerated by tidal disruption events of stars by black holes. We suggest a novel mechanism for UHECR acceleration wherein white dwarfs (WDs) are tidally compressed by intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs), leading to their ignition and subsequent explosion as a supernova. Cosmic rays accelerated by the supernova may receive an energy boost when crossing the accretion-powered jet. The rate of encounters between WDs and IMBHs can be relatively high, as the number of IMBHs may be substantially augmented once account is taken of their likely presence in dwarf galaxies. Here we show that this kind of tidal disruption event naturally provides an intermediate composition for the observed UHECRs, and suggest that dwarf galaxies and globular clusters are suitable sites for particle acceleration to ultrahigh energies.

BAKABLE ULTRA-HIGH VACUUM VALVE

DOEpatents

Mark, J.T.; Gantz, I.H.

1962-07-10

S>This patent relates to a valve useful in applications involving successively closing and opening a communication between a chamber evacuated to an ultra-high vacuum condition of the order of 10/sup -10/ millimeters of mercury and another chamber or the ambient. The valve is capable of withstanding extended baking at 450 deg C and repeated opening and closing without repiacement of the valve seat (approximately 200 cycle limit). The seal is formed by mutual interdiffusion weld, coerced by a pneumatic actuator. (AEC)

Application of ultra-high performance concrete to bridge girders.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-02-01

"Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) is a new class of concrete that has superior performance characteristics : compared to conventional concrete. The enhanced strength and durability properties of UHPC are mainly due to optimized : particle grada...

Ultrahigh Pressure Processing Produces Alterations in the Metabolite Profiles of Panax ginseng.

PubMed

Lee, Mee Youn; Singh, Digar; Kim, Sung Han; Lee, Sang Jun; Lee, Choong Hwan

2016-06-22

Ultrahigh pressure (UHP) treatments are non-thermal processing methods that have customarily been employed to enhance the quality and productivity of plant consumables. We aimed to evaluate the effects of UHP treatments on ginseng samples (white ginseng: WG; UHP-treated WG: UWG; red ginseng: RG; UHP-treated RG: URG; ginseng berries: GB; and UHP-treated GB: UGB) using metabolite profiling based on ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-linear trap quadrupole-ion trap-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-LTQ-IT-MS/MS) and gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOF-MS). Multivariate data analyses revealed a clear demarcation among the GB and UGB samples, and the phenotypic evaluations correlated the highest antioxidant activities and the total phenolic and flavonoid compositions with the UGB samples. Overall, eight amino acids, seven organic acids, seven sugars and sugar derivatives, two fatty acids, three notoginsenosides, three malonylginsenosides, and three ginsenosides, were identified as significantly discriminant metabolites between the GB and UGB samples, with relatively higher proportions in the latter. Ideally, these metabolites can be used as quality biomarkers for the assessment of ginseng products and our results indicate that UHP treatment likely led to an elevation in the proportions of total extractable metabolites in ginseng samples.

The effect of cognitive remediation in individuals at ultra-high risk for psychosis: a systematic review.

PubMed

Glenthøj, Louise Birkedal; Hjorthøj, Carsten; Kristensen, Tina Dam; Davidson, Charlie Andrew; Nordentoft, Merete

2017-01-01

Cognitive deficits are prominent features of the ultra-high risk state for psychosis that are known to impact functioning and course of illness. Cognitive remediation appears to be the most promising treatment approach to alleviate the cognitive deficits, which may translate into functional improvements. This study systematically reviewed the evidence on the effectiveness of cognitive remediation in the ultra-high risk population. The electronic databases MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Embase were searched using keywords related to cognitive remediation and the UHR state. Studies were included if they were peer-reviewed, written in English, and included a population meeting standardized ultra-high risk criteria. Six original research articles were identified. All the studies provided computerized, bottom-up-based cognitive remediation, predominantly targeting neurocognitive function. Four out of five studies that reported a cognitive outcome found cognitive remediation to improve cognition in the domains of verbal memory, attention, and processing speed. Two out of four studies that reported on functional outcome found cognitive remediation to improve the functional outcome in the domains of social functioning and social adjustment. Zero out of the five studies that reported such an outcome found cognitive remediation to affect the magnitude of clinical symptoms. Research on the effect of cognitive remediation in the ultra-high risk state is still scarce. The current state of evidence indicates an effect of cognitive remediation on cognition and functioning in ultra-high risk individuals. More research on cognitive remediation in ultra-high risk is needed, notably in large-scale trials assessing the effect of neurocognitive and/or social cognitive remediation on multiple outcomes.

Processing of fibre suspensions at ultra-high consistencies

Treesearch

Daniel F. Caulfield; Rodney E. Jacobson

2004-01-01

Typically the paper physicist considers pulp suspensions greater than 0.5% consistency as high consistency. In our research on cellulose fibre- reinforced engineering plastics we have had to develop a two-step method for the processing of fibers suspensions at ultrahigh consistencies (consistencies greater than 30%).

Micromotor endoscope catheter for in vivo, ultrahigh-resolution optical coherence tomography.

PubMed

Herz, P R; Chen, Y; Aguirre, A D; Schneider, K; Hsiung, P; Fujimoto, J G; Madden, K; Schmitt, J; Goodnow, J; Petersen, C

2004-10-01

A distally actuated, rotational-scanning micromotor endoscope catheter probe is demonstrated for ultrahigh-resolution in vivo endoscopic optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging. The probe permits focus adjustment for visualization of tissue morphology at varying depths with improved transverse resolution compared with standard OCT imaging probes. The distal actuation avoids nonuniform scanning motion artifacts that are present with other probe designs and can permit a wider range of imaging speeds. Ultrahigh-resolution endoscopic imaging is demonstrated in a rabbit with <4-microm axial resolution by use of a femtosecond Cr:forsterite laser light source. The micromotor endoscope catheter probe promises to improve OCT imaging performance in future endoscopic imaging applications.

Micromotor endoscope catheter for in vivo, ultrahigh-resolution optical coherence tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herz, P. R.; Chen, Y.; Aguirre, A. D.; Schneider, K.; Hsiung, P.; Fujimoto, J. G.; Madden, K.; Schmitt, J.; Goodnow, J.; Petersen, C.

2004-10-01

A distally actuated, rotational-scanning micromotor endoscope catheter probe is demonstrated for ultrahigh-resolution in vivo endoscopic optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging. The probe permits focus adjustment for visualization of tissue morphology at varying depths with improved transverse resolution compared with standard OCT imaging probes. The distal actuation avoids nonuniform scanning motion artifacts that are present with other probe designs and can permit a wider range of imaging speeds. Ultrahigh-resolution endoscopic imaging is demonstrated in a rabbit with <4-µm axial resolution by use of a femtosecond Crforsterite laser light source. The micromotor endoscope catheter probe promises to improve OCT imaging performance in future endoscopic imaging applications.

Ultrahigh-Density Nanowire Arrays Grown in Self-Assembled Diblock Copolymer Templates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thurn-Albrecht, T.; Schotter, J.; Kästle, G. A.; Emley, N.; Shibauchi, T.; Krusin-Elbaum, L.; Guarini, K.; Black, C. T.; Tuominen, M. T.; Russell, T. P.

2000-12-01

We show a simple, robust, chemical route to the fabrication of ultrahigh-density arrays of nanopores with high aspect ratios using the equilibrium self-assembled morphology of asymmetric diblock copolymers. The dimensions and lateral density of the array are determined by segmental interactions and the copolymer molecular weight. Through direct current electrodeposition, we fabricated vertical arrays of nanowires with densities in excess of 1.9 × 1011 wires per square centimeter. We found markedly enhanced coercivities with ferromagnetic cobalt nanowires that point toward a route to ultrahigh-density storage media. The copolymer approach described is practical, parallel, compatible with current lithographic processes, and amenable to multilayered device fabrication.

Ultrahigh-density nanowire arrays grown in self-assembled diblock copolymer templates.

PubMed

Thurn-Albrecht, T; Schotter, J; Kästle, G A; Emley, N; Shibauchi, T; Krusin-Elbaum, L; Guarini, K; Black, C T; Tuominen, M T; Russell, T P

2000-12-15

We show a simple, robust, chemical route to the fabrication of ultrahigh-density arrays of nanopores with high aspect ratios using the equilibrium self-assembled morphology of asymmetric diblock copolymers. The dimensions and lateral density of the array are determined by segmental interactions and the copolymer molecular weight. Through direct current electrodeposition, we fabricated vertical arrays of nanowires with densities in excess of 1.9 x 10(11) wires per square centimeter. We found markedly enhanced coercivities with ferromagnetic cobalt nanowires that point toward a route to ultrahigh-density storage media. The copolymer approach described is practical, parallel, compatible with current lithographic processes, and amenable to multilayered device fabrication.

Survival of Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells Following Ultrahigh Dose Rate Electron and Bremsstrahlung Radiation

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-04-01

and a stepped lead flattening filter. The electron energy used for these studies was 13 MeV. Dosimetry was performed by the Health Physics Division...VolI LJSAFSAPA-TR-90-4 AD-A222 722 SURVIVAL OF CHINESE HAMSTER OVARY CELLS FOLLOWING ULTRAHIGH DOSE RATE ELECTRON AND BREMISSTRAHLUNG RADIATION...Include Security ;a!. iatcn) Survival of Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells Following Ultrahigh Dose Rate Electron and Bremsstrahlung Radiation 12 PERSONAL

Spatially-Resolved Characterization Techniques to Investigate Impact Damage in Ultra-High Performance Concretes

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-04-01

Concretes G eo te ch n ic al a n d S tr u ct u re s La b or at or y Robert D. Moser, Paul G. Allison, and Mei Q. Chandler April 2013 Approved...Impact Damage in Ultra-High Performance Concretes Robert D. Moser, Paul G. Allison, and Mei Q. Chandler Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory US...Portland Cement concrete (OPC) and Ultra-High Performance Concretes (UHPCs) under high-strain impact and penetration loads at lower length scales

Ultrahigh Pressure Dynamic Compression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duffy, T. S.

2017-12-01

Laser-based dynamic compression provides a new opportunity to study the lattice structure and other properties of geological materials to ultrahigh pressure conditions ranging from 100 - 1000 GPa (1 TPa) and beyond. Such studies have fundamental applications to understanding the Earth's core as well as the interior structure of super-Earths and giant planets. This talk will review recent dynamic compression experiments using high-powered lasers on materials including Fe-Si, MgO, and SiC. Experiments were conducted at the Omega laser (University of Rochester) and the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS, Stanford). At Omega, laser drives as large as 2 kJ are applied over 10 ns to samples that are 50 microns thick. At peak compression, the sample is probed with quasi-monochromatic X-rays from a laser-plasma source and diffraction is recorded on image plates. At LCLS, shock waves are driven into the sample using a 40-J laser with a 10-ns pulse. The sample is probed with X-rays form the LCLS free electron laser providing 1012 photons in a monochromatic pulse near 10 keV energy. Diffraction is recorded using pixel array detectors. By varying the delay between the laser and the x-ray beam, the sample can be probed at various times relative to the shock wave transiting the sample. By controlling the shape and duration of the incident laser pulse, either shock or ramp (shockless) loading can be produced. Ramp compression produces less heating than shock compression, allowing samples to be probed to ultrahigh pressures without melting. Results for iron alloys, oxides, and carbides provide new constraints on equations of state and phase transitions that are relevant to the interior structure of large, extrasolar terrestrial-type planets.

Quantification of dopamine transporters in the mouse brain using ultra-high resolution single-photon emission tomography.

PubMed

Acton, Paul D; Choi, Seok-Rye; Plössl, Karl; Kung, Hank F

2002-05-01

Functional imaging of small animals, such as mice and rats, using ultra-high resolution positron emission tomography (PET) and single-photon emission tomography (SPET), is becoming a valuable tool for studying animal models of human disease. While several studies have shown the utility of PET imaging in small animals, few have used SPET in real research applications. In this study we aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of using ultra-high resolution SPET in quantitative studies of dopamine transporters (DAT) in the mouse brain. Four healthy ICR male mice were injected with (mean+/-SD) 704+/-154 MBq [(99m)Tc]TRODAT-1, and scanned using an ultra-high resolution SPET system equipped with pinhole collimators (spatial resolution 0.83 mm at 3 cm radius of rotation). Each mouse had two studies, to provide an indication of test-retest reliability. Reference tissue kinetic modeling analysis of the time-activity data in the striatum and cerebellum was used to quantitate the availability of DAT. A simple equilibrium ratio of striatum to cerebellum provided another measure of DAT binding. The SPET imaging results were compared against ex vivo biodistribution data from the striatum and cerebellum. The mean distribution volume ratio (DVR) from the reference tissue kinetic model was 2.17+/-0.34, with a test-retest reliability of 2.63%+/-1.67%. The ratio technique gave similar results (DVR=2.03+/-0.38, test-retest reliability=6.64%+/-3.86%), and the ex vivo analysis gave DVR=2.32+/-0.20. Correlations between the kinetic model and the ratio technique ( R(2)=0.86, P<0.001) and the ex vivo data ( R(2)=0.92, P=0.04) were both excellent. This study demonstrated clearly that ultra-high resolution SPET of small animals is capable of accurate, repeatable, and quantitative measures of DAT binding, and should open up the possibility of further studies of cerebral binding sites in mice using pinhole SPET.

The Road to FUNCTIONAL IMAGING and ULTRAHIGH FIELDS

PubMed Central

Uğurbil, Kâmil

2012-01-01

The Center for Magnetic Resonance (CMRR) at the University of Minnesota was one of laboratories where the work that simultaneously and independently introduced functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of human brain activity was carried out. However, unlike other laboratories pursuing fMRI at the time, our work was performed at 4 Tesla magnetic field and coincided with the effort to push human magnetic resonance imaging to field strength significantly beyond 1.5 Tesla which was the high-end standard of the time. The human fMRI experiments performed in CMRR were planned between two colleagues who had known each other and had worked together previously in Bell Laboratories, namely Seiji Ogawa and myself, immediately after the Blood Oxygenation Level Dependent (BOLD) contrast was developed by Seiji. We were waiting for our first human system, a 4 Tesla system, to arrive in order to attempt at imaging brain activity in the human brain and these were the first experiments we performed on the 4 Tesla instrument in CMRR when it became marginally operational. This was a prelude to a subsequent systematic push we initiated for exploiting higher magnetic fields to improve the accuracy and sensitivity of fMRI maps, first going to 9.4 Tesla for animal model studies and subsequently developing a 7 Tesla human system for the first time. Steady improvements in high field instrumentation and ever expanding armamentarium of image acquisition and engineering solutions to challenges posed by ultrahigh fields has brought fMRI to submillimeter resolution in the whole brain at 7 Tesla, the scale necessary to reach cortical columns and laminar differentiation in the whole brain. The solutions that emerged in response to technological challenges posed by 7 Tesla also propagated and continues to propagate to lower field clinical systems, a major advantage of the ultrahigh fields effort that is underappreciated. Further improvements at 7T are inevitable. Further translation of these

Features of Extrusion Processing of Ultrahigh Molecular Weight Polyethylene. Experiment and Theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skul‧skii, O. I.; Slavnov, E. V.

2018-05-01

Experimental studies have been made of the permissible regimes of processing ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene GUR 2122 with molecular mass of 4.5 million g/moles in a laboratory extruder with an auger diameter 32 mm and a ratio L/D = 20 at temperatures of 155-165oC. On the basis of rotational viscometry, the rheological properties of the melt are described. A mathematical model and a numerical method for calculating the motion of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene melt in the auger and in the moulding rigging are proposed. The velocity and stress fields have been determined.

Hadron diffractive production at ultrahigh energies and shadow effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anisovich, V. V.; Matveev, M. A.; Nikonov, V. A.

2016-10-01

Shadow effects at collisions of hadrons with light nuclei at high energies were subject of scientific interest of V.N. Gribov, first, we mean his study of the hadron-deuteron scattering, see Sov. Phys. JETP 29, 483 (1969) [Zh. Eksp. Teor. Fiz. 56, 892 (1969)] and discovery of the reinforcement of shadowing due to inelastic diffractive rescatterings. It turns out that the similar effect exists on hadron level though at ultrahigh energies. Diffractive production is considered in the ultrahigh energy region where pomeron exchange amplitudes are transformed into black disk ones due to rescattering corrections. The corresponding corrections in hadron reactions h1 + h3 → h1 + h2 + h3 with small momenta transferred (q1→12 ˜ m2/ln2s, q3→32 ˜ m2/ln2s) are calculated in terms of the K-matrix technique modified for ultrahigh energies. Small values of the momenta transferred are crucial for introducing equations for amplitudes. The three-body equation for hadron diffractive production reaction h1 + h3 → h1 + h2 + h3 is written and solved precisely in the eikonal approach. In the black disk regime final state scattering processes do not change the shapes of amplitudes principally but dump amplitudes by a factor ˜ 1 4; initial state rescatterings result in additional factor ˜ 1 2. In the resonant disk regime initial and final state scatterings damp strongly the production amplitude that corresponds to σinel/σtot → 0 at s →∞ in this mode.

Hadron Diffractive Production at Ultrahigh Energies and Shadow Effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anisovich, V. V.; Matveev, M. A.; Nikonov, V. A.

Shadow effects at collisions of hadrons with light nuclei at high energies were subject of scientific interest of V.N. Gribov, first, we mean his study of the hadron-deuteron scattering, see Sov. Phys. JETP 29, 483 (1969) [Zh. Eksp. Teor. Fiz. 56, 892 (1969)] and discovery of the reinforcement of shadowing due to inelastic diffractive rescatterings. It turns out that the similar effect exists on hadron level though at ultrahigh energies... Diffractive production is considered in the ultrahigh energy region where pomeron exchange amplitudes are transformed into black disk ones due to rescattering corrections. The corresponding corrections in hadron reactions h1 + h3 → h1 + h2 + h3 with small momenta transferred (q^2_{1 to 1} m^2/ ln^2 s, q^2_{3 to 3} m^2/ ln^2 s) are calculated in terms of the K-matrix technique modified for ultrahigh energies. Small values of the momenta transferred are crucial for introducing equations for amplitudes. The three-body equation for hadron diffractive production reaction h1 + h3 → h1 + h2 + h3 is written and solved precisely in the eikonal approach. In the black disk regime final state scattering processes do not change the shapes of amplitudes principally but dump amplitudes by a factor 1/4 initial state rescatterings result in additional factor 1/2. In the resonant disk regime initial and final state scatterings damp strongly the production amplitude that corresponds to σ_{inel}/σ_{tot} to 0 at √{s}to ∞ in this mode.

Ultrahigh vacuum process for the deposition of nanotubes and nanowires

DOEpatents

Das, Biswajit; Lee, Myung B

2015-02-03

A system and method A method of growing an elongate nanoelement from a growth surface includes: a) cleaning a growth surface on a base element; b) providing an ultrahigh vacuum reaction environment over the cleaned growth surface; c) generating a reactive gas of an atomic material to be used in forming the nanoelement; d) projecting a stream of the reactive gas at the growth surface within the reactive environment while maintaining a vacuum of at most 1.times.10.sup.-4 Pascal; e) growing the elongate nanoelement from the growth surface within the environment while maintaining the pressure of step c); f) after a desired length of nanoelement is attained within the environment, stopping direction of reactive gas into the environment; and g) returning the environment to an ultrahigh vacuum condition.

Ultrahigh vacuum focused ion beam micromill and articles therefrom

DOEpatents

Lamartine, Bruce C.; Stutz, Roger A.

1998-01-01

An ultrahigh vacuum focused ion beam micromilling apparatus and process are isclosed. Additionally, a durable data storage medium using the micromilling process is disclosed, the durable data storage medium capable of storing, e.g., digital or alphanumeric characters as well as graphical shapes or characters.

Bond Behavior of Reinforcing Steel in Ultra-High Performance Concrete

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-11-01

Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) has garnered interest from the highway infrastructure community for its greatly enhanced mechanical and durability properties. The objective of this research is to extensively evaluate the factors that affect bo...

Ultrahigh-Repetition Pulse Train with Absolute-Phase Control Produced by AN Adiabatic Raman Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katsuragawa, M.; Suzuki, T.; Shiraga, K.; Arakawa, M.; Onose, T.; Yokoyama, K.; Hong, F. L.; Misawa, K.

2010-02-01

We describe the generation of an ultrahigh-repetition-rate train of ultrashort pulses on the basis of an adiabatic Raman process. We also describe recent progress in studies toward the ultimate regime: realization of an ultrahigh-repetition-rate train of monocycle pulses with control of the absolute phase. We comment on the milestones expected in the near future in terms of the study of such novel light sources and the new field of optical science stimulated by their development.

Development of Non-Proprietary Ultra-High Performance Concrete : Final Report

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-12-01

Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) has mechanical and durability properties that far exceed those of conventional concrete. Particularly, UHPC has compressive and post-cracking tensile strengths of around 20 ksi and 0.72 ksi, respectively. Thus, ...

Ultrahigh vacuum focused ion beam micromill and articles therefrom

DOEpatents

Lamartine, B.C.; Stutz, R.A.

1998-02-24

An ultrahigh vacuum focused ion beam micromilling apparatus and process are disclosed. Additionally, a durable data storage medium using the micromilling process is disclosed, the durable data storage medium capable of storing, e.g., digital or alphanumeric characters as well as graphical shapes or characters. 6 figs.

Development of ultrahigh-resolution inelastic x-ray scattering optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Xian-Rong; Zhong, Zhong; Cai, Yong Q.; Coburn, S.

2008-08-01

One of the major goals of the National Synchrotron Light Source II project is to achieve ultrahigh energy resolution up to 0.1 meV for medium-energy inelastic X-ray scattering spectroscopy based on the angular dispersion optics employing extremely asymmetric backscattering geometry. In this papaer, we describe the complete monochromatization mechanisms underlying the new optics. We have also designed and tested a CDW-CDW prototype under ambient condition, with which we have successfully demonstrated the important angular dispersion effect, the Borrman enhanced transmission effect, and other optical principles involved in every step of the entire diffraction process, and found good agreement with the theoretical expectations. These studies indicate that the new optics are feasible in principle but face some technical challenges that need to be solved by our future systematic research and development activities before their practical applications.

Manganese oxide micro-supercapacitors with ultra-high areal capacitance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xu; Myers, Benjamin D.; Yan, Jian; Shekhawat, Gajendra; Dravid, Vinayak; Lee, Pooi See

2013-05-01

A symmetric micro-supercapacitor is constructed by electrochemically depositing manganese oxide onto micro-patterned current collectors. High surface-to-volume ratio of manganese oxide and short diffusion distance between electrodes give an ultra-high areal capacitance of 56.3 mF cm-2 at a current density of 27.2 μA cm-2.A symmetric micro-supercapacitor is constructed by electrochemically depositing manganese oxide onto micro-patterned current collectors. High surface-to-volume ratio of manganese oxide and short diffusion distance between electrodes give an ultra-high areal capacitance of 56.3 mF cm-2 at a current density of 27.2 μA cm-2. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Experimental procedures; optical images of micro-supercapacitors; areal capacitances of samples M-0.3C, M-0.6C and M-0.9C; illustration of interdigital finger electrodes; Nyquist plot of Co(OH)2 deposited on micro-electrodes. See DOI: 10.1039/c3nr00210a

Ultra-high vacuum compatible induction-heated rod casting furnace

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bauer, A.; Neubauer, A.; Münzer, W.; Regnat, A.; Benka, G.; Meven, M.; Pedersen, B.; Pfleiderer, C.

2016-06-01

We report the design of a radio-frequency induction-heated rod casting furnace that permits the preparation of polycrystalline ingots of intermetallic compounds under ultra-high vacuum compatible conditions. The central part of the system is a bespoke water-cooled Hukin crucible supporting a casting mold. Depending on the choice of the mold, typical rods have a diameter between 6 mm and 10 mm and a length up to 90 mm, suitable for single-crystal growth by means of float-zoning. The setup is all-metal sealed and may be baked out. We find that the resulting ultra-high vacuum represents an important precondition for processing compounds with high vapor pressures under a high-purity argon atmosphere up to 3 bars. Using the rod casting furnace, we succeeded to prepare large high-quality single crystals of two half-Heusler compounds, namely, the itinerant antiferromagnet CuMnSb and the half-metallic ferromagnet NiMnSb.

Ultra-high vacuum compatible induction-heated rod casting furnace.

PubMed

Bauer, A; Neubauer, A; Münzer, W; Regnat, A; Benka, G; Meven, M; Pedersen, B; Pfleiderer, C

2016-06-01

We report the design of a radio-frequency induction-heated rod casting furnace that permits the preparation of polycrystalline ingots of intermetallic compounds under ultra-high vacuum compatible conditions. The central part of the system is a bespoke water-cooled Hukin crucible supporting a casting mold. Depending on the choice of the mold, typical rods have a diameter between 6 mm and 10 mm and a length up to 90 mm, suitable for single-crystal growth by means of float-zoning. The setup is all-metal sealed and may be baked out. We find that the resulting ultra-high vacuum represents an important precondition for processing compounds with high vapor pressures under a high-purity argon atmosphere up to 3 bars. Using the rod casting furnace, we succeeded to prepare large high-quality single crystals of two half-Heusler compounds, namely, the itinerant antiferromagnet CuMnSb and the half-metallic ferromagnet NiMnSb.

Tribological reactions of perfluoroalkyl polyether oils with stainless steel under ultrahigh vacuum conditions at room temperature

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mori, Shigeyuki; Morales, Wilfredo

1989-01-01

The reaction between three types of commercial perfluoroalkyl polyether (PFPE) oils and stainless steel 440C was investigated experimentally during sliding under ultrahigh vacuum conditions at room temperature. It is found that the tribological reaction of PFPE is mainly affected by the activity of the mechanically formed fresh surfaces of metals rather than the heat generated at the sliding contacts. The fluorides formed on the wear track act as a boundary layer, reducing the friction coefficient.

Ultrahigh-speed X-ray imaging of hypervelocity projectiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, Stuart; Singh, Bipin; Cool, Steven; Entine, Gerald; Campbell, Larry; Bishel, Ron; Rushing, Rick; Nagarkar, Vivek V.

2011-08-01

High-speed X-ray imaging is an extremely important modality for healthcare, industrial, military and research applications such as medical computed tomography, non-destructive testing, imaging in-flight projectiles, characterizing exploding ordnance, and analyzing ballistic impacts. We report on the development of a modular, ultrahigh-speed, high-resolution digital X-ray imaging system with large active imaging area and microsecond time resolution, capable of acquiring at a rate of up to 150,000 frames per second. The system is based on a high-resolution, high-efficiency, and fast-decay scintillator screen optically coupled to an ultra-fast image-intensified CCD camera designed for ballistic impact studies and hypervelocity projectile imaging. A specially designed multi-anode, high-fluence X-ray source with 50 ns pulse duration provides a sequence of blur-free images of hypervelocity projectiles traveling at speeds exceeding 8 km/s (18,000 miles/h). This paper will discuss the design, performance, and high frame rate imaging capability of the system.

Functional cell-surface display of a lipase-specific chaperone.

PubMed

Wilhelm, Susanne; Rosenau, Frank; Becker, Stefan; Buest, Sebastian; Hausmann, Sascha; Kolmar, Harald; Jaeger, Karl-Erich

2007-01-02

Lipases are important enzymes in biotechnology. Extracellular bacterial lipases from Pseudomonads and related species require the assistance of specific chaperones, designated "Lif" proteins (lipase specific foldases). Lifs, a unique family of steric chaperones, are anchored to the periplasmic side of the inner membrane where they convert lipases into their active conformation. We have previously shown that the autotransporter protein EstA from P. aeruginosa can be used to direct a variety of proteins to the cell surface of Escherichia coli. Here we demonstrate for the first time the functional cell-surface display of the Lif chaperone and FACS (fluorescence-activated cell sorting)-based analysis of bacterial cells that carried foldase-lipase complexes. The model Lif protein, LipH from P. aeruginosa, was displayed at the surface of E. coli cells. Surface exposed LipH was functional and efficiently refolded chemically denatured lipase. The foldase autodisplay system reported here can be used for a variety of applications including the ultrahigh-throughput screening of large libraries of foldase variants generated by directed evolution.

Bond behavior of reinforcing steel in ultra-high performance concrete.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-10-01

Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) is a relatively new class of advanced cementitious composite : materials, which exhibits high compressive [above 21.7 ksi (150 MPa)] and tensile [above 0.72 ksi (5 MPa)] : strengths. The discrete steel fiber rei...

Ultra-high speed vacuum pump system with first stage turbofan and second stage turbomolecular pump

DOEpatents

Jostlein, Hans

2006-04-04

An ultra-high speed vacuum pump evacuation system includes a first stage ultra-high speed turbofan and a second stage conventional turbomolecular pump. The turbofan is either connected in series to a chamber to be evacuated, or is optionally disposed entirely within the chamber. The turbofan employs large diameter rotor blades operating at high linear blade velocity to impart an ultra-high pumping speed to a fluid. The second stage turbomolecular pump is fluidly connected downstream from the first stage turbofan. In operation, the first stage turbofan operates in a pre-existing vacuum, with the fluid asserting only small axial forces upon the rotor blades. The turbofan imparts a velocity to fluid particles towards an outlet at a high volume rate, but moderate compression ratio. The second stage conventional turbomolecular pump then compresses the fluid to pressures for evacuation by a roughing pump.

Biochemical gas sensor (bio-sniffer) for ultrahigh-sensitive gaseous formaldehyde monitoring.

PubMed

Kudo, Hiroyuki; Suzuki, Yuki; Gessei, Tomoko; Takahashi, Daishi; Arakawa, Takahiro; Mitsubayashi, Kohji

2010-10-15

An ultrahigh-sensitive fiber-optic biochemical gas sensor (bio-sniffer) for continuous monitoring of indoor formaldehyde was constructed and tested. The bio-sniffer measures gaseous formaldehyde as fluorescence of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH), which is the product of formaldehyde dehydrogenase (FALDH) reaction. The bio-sniffer device was constructed by attaching a flow cell with a FALDH immobilized membrane onto a fiber-optic NADH measurement system. The NADH measurement system utilizes an ultraviolet-light emitting diode (UV-LED) with peak emission of 335 nm as an excitation light source. The excitation light was introduced to an optical fiber probe, and fluorescence emission of neighboring NADH, which was produced by applying formaldehyde vapor to the FALDH membrane, was concentrically measured with a photomultiplier tube. Assessment of the bio-sniffer was carried out using a standard gas generator. Response, calibration range and selectivity to other chemical substances were investigated. Circulating phosphate buffer, which contained NAD+, available for continuous monitoring of formaldehyde vapor. The calibration range of the bio-sniffer was 2.5 ppb to 10 ppm, which covers the guideline value of the World Health Organization (80 ppb). High selectivity to other gaseous substances due to specific activity of FALDH was also confirmed. Considering its high sensitivity, a possible application of the bio-sniffer is continuous indoor formaldehyde monitoring to provide healthy residential atmosphere. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

High-speed and ultrahigh-speed cinematographic recording techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miquel, J. C.

1980-12-01

A survey is presented of various high-speed and ultrahigh-speed cinematographic recording systems (covering a range of speeds from 100 to 14-million pps). Attention is given to the functional and operational characteristics of cameras and to details of high-speed cinematography techniques (including image processing, and illumination). A list of cameras (many of them French) available in 1980 is presented

MDOT aims for lower-cost ultra-high performance concrete : research spotlight.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-08-01

In recent years, several vendors have developed ultra-high performance : concrete (UHPC) that surpasses traditional concrete mixes by offering : exceptional freeze-thaw resistance, reduced susceptibility to cracking : and far less reinforcement corro...

Ultrahigh-resolution optical coherence tomography with a fiber laser source at 1 microm.

PubMed

Lim, Hyungsik; Jiang, Yi; Wang, Yimin; Huang, Yu-Chih; Chen, Zhongping; Wise, Frank W

2005-05-15

We report a compact, high-power, fiber-based source for ultrahigh-resolution optical coherence tomography (OCT) near 1 microm. The practical source is based on a short-pulse, ytterbium-doped fiber laser and on generation of a continuum spectrum in a photonic crystal fiber. The broadband emission has an average power of 140 mW and offers an axial resolution of 2.1 microm in air (<1.6 microm in biological tissue). The generation of a broad bandwidth is robust and efficient. We demonstrate ultrahigh-resolution, time-domain OCT imaging of in vitro and in vivo biological tissues.

Myocardial T2* Mapping at Ultrahigh Field: Physics and Frontier Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huelnhagen, Till; Paul, Katharina; Ku, Min-Chi; Serradas Duarte, Teresa; Niendorf, Thoralf

2017-06-01

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) has become an indispensable clinical tool for the assessment of morphology, function and structure of the heart muscle. By exploiting quantification of the effective transverse relaxation time (T2*) CMR also affords myocardial tissue characterization and probing of cardiac physiology, both being in the focus of ongoing research. These developments are fueled by the move to ultrahigh magnetic field strengths, which permits enhanced sensitivity and spatial resolution that help to overcome limitations of current clinical MR systems with the goal to contribute to a better understanding of myocardial (patho)physiology in vivo. In this context, the aim of this report is to introduce myocardial T2* mapping at ultrahigh magnetic fields as a promising technique to non-invasively assess myocardial (patho)physiology. For this purpose the basic principles of T2* assessment, the biophysical mechanisms determining T2* and (pre)clinical applications of myocardial T2* mapping are presented. Technological challenges and solutions for T2* sensitized CMR at ultrahigh magnetic field strengths are discussed followed by a review of acquisition techniques and post processing approaches. Preliminary results derived from myocardial T2* mapping in healthy subjects and cardiac patients at 7.0 Tesla are presented. A concluding section discusses remaining questions and challenges and provides an outlook on future developments and potential clinical applications.

Microstructural change in electroformed copper liners of shaped charges upon plastic deformation at ultra-high strain rate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, W. H.; Hu, S. L.; Fan, A. L.; Wang, Z.

2002-01-01

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations were carried out for examining the as-formed and post-deformed microstructures in a variety of electroformed copper liners of shaped charges. The deformation was carried out at an ultra-high strain rate. Specifically, the electron backscattering Kikuchi pattern (EBSP) technique was utilized to examine the micro-texture of these materials. TEM observations revealed that these electroformed copper liners of shaped charges have a grain size of about 1-3 mum, EBSP analysis demonstrated that the as-grown copper liners of shaped charges exhibit a l 10) fiber micro-texture which is parallel to the normal direction of the surface of the liners of shaped charges. Having undergone plastic deformation at ultra-high strain rate (10(7) s(-1)), the specimens which were recovered from the copper slugs were found to have grain size of the same order as that before deformation. EBSP analysis revealed that the (110) fiber texture existed in the as-formed copper liners disappears in the course of deformation. TEM examination results indicate that dynamic recovery and recrystallization play a significant role in this deformation process.

Photonuclear interactions of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays and their astrophysical consequences

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Puget, J. L.; Stecker, F. W.; Bredekamp, J. H.

1975-01-01

Results of detailed Monte Carlo calculations of the interaction histories of ultrahigh energy cosmic-ray nuclei with intergalactic radiation fields are presented. Estimates of these fields and empirical determinations of photonuclear cross sections are used, including multinuclear disintegrations for nuclei up to 56Fe. Intergalactic and galactic energy loss rates and nucleon loss rates for nuclei up to 56Fe are also given. Astrophysical implications are discussed in terms of expected features in the cosmic-ray spectrum between quintillion and sextillion eV for the universal and supercluster origin hypotheses. The results of these calculations indicate that ultrahigh energy cosmic rays cannot be universal in origin regardless of whether they are protons or nuclei. Both the supercluster and galactic origin hypotheses, however, are possible regardless of nuclear composition.

Choriocapillaris and Choroidal Microvasculature Imaging with Ultrahigh Speed OCT Angiography

PubMed Central

Choi, WooJhon; Mohler, Kathrin J.; Potsaid, Benjamin; Lu, Chen D.; Liu, Jonathan J.; Jayaraman, Vijaysekhar; Cable, Alex E.; Duker, Jay S.; Huber, Robert; Fujimoto, James G.

2013-01-01

We demonstrate in vivo choriocapillaris and choroidal microvasculature imaging in normal human subjects using optical coherence tomography (OCT). An ultrahigh speed swept source OCT prototype at 1060 nm wavelengths with a 400 kHz A-scan rate is developed for three-dimensional ultrahigh speed imaging of the posterior eye. OCT angiography is used to image three-dimensional vascular structure without the need for exogenous fluorophores by detecting erythrocyte motion contrast between OCT intensity cross-sectional images acquired rapidly and repeatedly from the same location on the retina. En face OCT angiograms of the choriocapillaris and choroidal vasculature are visualized by acquiring cross-sectional OCT angiograms volumetrically via raster scanning and segmenting the three-dimensional angiographic data at multiple depths below the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Fine microvasculature of the choriocapillaris, as well as tightly packed networks of feeding arterioles and draining venules, can be visualized at different en face depths. Panoramic ultra-wide field stitched OCT angiograms of the choriocapillaris spanning ∼32 mm on the retina show distinct vascular structures at different fundus locations. Isolated smaller fields at the central fovea and ∼6 mm nasal to the fovea at the depths of the choriocapillaris and Sattler's layer show vasculature structures consistent with established architectural morphology from histological and electron micrograph corrosion casting studies. Choriocapillaris imaging was performed in eight healthy volunteers with OCT angiograms successfully acquired from all subjects. These results demonstrate the feasibility of ultrahigh speed OCT for in vivo dye-free choriocapillaris and choroidal vasculature imaging, in addition to conventional structural imaging. PMID:24349078

Choriocapillaris and choroidal microvasculature imaging with ultrahigh speed OCT angiography.

PubMed

Choi, WooJhon; Mohler, Kathrin J; Potsaid, Benjamin; Lu, Chen D; Liu, Jonathan J; Jayaraman, Vijaysekhar; Cable, Alex E; Duker, Jay S; Huber, Robert; Fujimoto, James G

2013-01-01

We demonstrate in vivo choriocapillaris and choroidal microvasculature imaging in normal human subjects using optical coherence tomography (OCT). An ultrahigh speed swept source OCT prototype at 1060 nm wavelengths with a 400 kHz A-scan rate is developed for three-dimensional ultrahigh speed imaging of the posterior eye. OCT angiography is used to image three-dimensional vascular structure without the need for exogenous fluorophores by detecting erythrocyte motion contrast between OCT intensity cross-sectional images acquired rapidly and repeatedly from the same location on the retina. En face OCT angiograms of the choriocapillaris and choroidal vasculature are visualized by acquiring cross-sectional OCT angiograms volumetrically via raster scanning and segmenting the three-dimensional angiographic data at multiple depths below the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Fine microvasculature of the choriocapillaris, as well as tightly packed networks of feeding arterioles and draining venules, can be visualized at different en face depths. Panoramic ultra-wide field stitched OCT angiograms of the choriocapillaris spanning ∼32 mm on the retina show distinct vascular structures at different fundus locations. Isolated smaller fields at the central fovea and ∼6 mm nasal to the fovea at the depths of the choriocapillaris and Sattler's layer show vasculature structures consistent with established architectural morphology from histological and electron micrograph corrosion casting studies. Choriocapillaris imaging was performed in eight healthy volunteers with OCT angiograms successfully acquired from all subjects. These results demonstrate the feasibility of ultrahigh speed OCT for in vivo dye-free choriocapillaris and choroidal vasculature imaging, in addition to conventional structural imaging.

Ultrahigh speed Spectral / Fourier domain OCT ophthalmic imaging at 70,000 to 312,500 axial scans per second

PubMed Central

Potsaid, Benjamin; Gorczynska, Iwona; Srinivasan, Vivek J.; Chen, Yueli; Jiang, James; Cable, Alex; Fujimoto, James G.

2009-01-01

We demonstrate ultrahigh speed spectral / Fourier domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) using an ultrahigh speed CMOS line scan camera at rates of 70,000 - 312,500 axial scans per second. Several design configurations are characterized to illustrate trade-offs between acquisition speed, resolution, imaging range, sensitivity and sensitivity roll-off performance. Ultrahigh resolution OCT with 2.5 - 3.0 micron axial image resolution is demonstrated at ∼ 100,000 axial scans per second. A high resolution spectrometer design improves sensitivity roll-off and imaging range performance, trading off imaging speed to 70,000 axial scans per second. Ultrahigh speed imaging at >300,000 axial scans per second with standard image resolution is also demonstrated. Ophthalmic OCT imaging of the normal human retina is investigated. The high acquisition speeds enable dense raster scanning to acquire densely sampled volumetric three dimensional OCT (3D-OCT) data sets of the macula and optic disc with minimal motion artifacts. Imaging with ∼ 8 - 9 micron axial resolution at 250,000 axial scans per second, a 512 × 512 × 400 voxel volumetric 3D-OCT data set can be acquired in only ∼ 1.3 seconds. Orthogonal registration scans are used to register OCT raster scans and remove residual axial eye motion, resulting in 3D-OCT data sets which preserve retinal topography. Rapid repetitive imaging over small volumes can visualize small retinal features without motion induced distortions and enables volume registration to remove eye motion. Cone photoreceptors in some regions of the retina can be visualized without adaptive optics or active eye tracking. Rapid repetitive imaging of 3D volumes also provides dynamic volumetric information (4D-OCT) which is shown to enhance visualization of retinal capillaries and should enable functional imaging. Improvements in the speed and performance of 3D-OCT volumetric imaging promise to enable earlier diagnosis and improved monitoring of disease

Development of Non-Proprietary Ultra-High Performance Concrete : Project Summary Report

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-12-01

Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) has mechanical and durability properties that far exceed those of conventional concrete. Thus, elements made with UHPC can be thinner/lighter than elements made with conventional concrete. The enhanced durabilit...

An ultra-high input impedance ECG amplifier for long-term monitoring of athletes.

PubMed

Gargiulo, Gaetano; Bifulco, Paolo; Cesarelli, Mario; Ruffo, Mariano; Romano, Maria; Calvo, Rafael A; Jin, Craig; van Schaik, André

2010-01-01

We present a new, low-power electrocardiogram (ECG) recording system with an ultra-high input impedance that enables the use of long-lasting, dry electrodes. The system incorporates a low-power Bluetooth module for wireless connectivity and is designed to be suitable for long-term monitoring during daily activities. The new system using dry electrodes was compared with a clinically approved ECG reference system using gelled Ag/AgCl electrodes and performance was found to be equivalent. In addition, the system was used to monitor an athlete during several physical tasks, and a good quality ECG was obtained in all cases, including when the athlete was totally submerged in fresh water.

A Novel Phase-Transformation Activation Process toward Ni-Mn-O Nanoprism Arrays for 2.4 V Ultrahigh-Voltage Aqueous Supercapacitors.

PubMed

Zuo, Wenhua; Xie, Chaoyue; Xu, Pan; Li, Yuanyuan; Liu, Jinping

2017-09-01

One of the key challenges of aqueous supercapacitors is the relatively low voltage (0.8-2.0 V), which significantly limits the energy density and feasibility of practical applications of the device. Herein, this study reports a novel Ni-Mn-O solid-solution cathode to widen the supercapacitor device voltage, which can potentially suppress the oxygen evolution reaction and thus be operated stably within a quite wide potential window of 0-1.4 V (vs saturated calomel electrode) after a simple but unique phase-transformation electrochemical activation. The solid-solution structure is designed with an ordered array architecture and in situ nanocarbon modification to promote the charge/mass transfer kinetics. By paring with commercial activated carbon anode, an ultrahigh voltage asymmetric supercapacitor in neutral aqueous LiCl electrolyte is assembled (2.4 V; among the highest for single-cell supercapacitors). Moreover, by using a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-LiCl electrolyte, a 2.4 V hydrogel supercapacitor is further developed with an excellent Coulombic efficiency, good rate capability, and remarkable cycle life (>5000 cycles; 95.5% capacity retention). Only one cell can power the light-emitting diode indicator brightly. The resulting maximum volumetric energy density is 4.72 mWh cm -3 , which is much superior to previous thin-film manganese-oxide-based supercapacitors and even battery-supercapacitor hybrid devices. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Development of a Family of Ultra-High Performance Concrete Pi-Girders

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-01-01

Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) is an advanced cementitious composite material, which tends to exhibit superior properties such as exceptional durability, increased strength, and long-term stability. (See references 1-4.) The use of existing s...

Ultra-high performance concrete for Michigan bridges, material performance : phase I.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-10-13

One of the latest advancements in concrete technology is Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC). UHPC is : defined as concretes attaining compressive strengths exceeding 25 ksi (175 MPa). It is a fiber-reinforced, denselypacked : concrete material wh...

Rapid determination of the various native forms of vitamin B6 and B2 in cow's milk using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Schmidt, A; Schreiner, M G; Mayer, H K

2017-06-02

As the formation of pyridoxal phosphate, the active cofactor of vitamin B 6 , is dependent on riboflavin 5-phosphate, we propose a fast and simple ultra-high performance liquid chromatography method for the simultaneous determination of the native B 6 vitamers pyridoxal, pyridoxine, pyridoxamine, their mono phosphorus esters and 4-pyridoxic acid as well as vitamin B 2 as riboflavin and its phosphorus ester riboflavin 5-phosphate in milk. Separation was achieved under 6.0min by reversed-phase and pH gradient elution. Sample preparation was optimized regarding various acids and pH levels. Changes in those parameters led to significant deviations of sample matrix breakdown efficiency. The optimized method was then validated regarding specificity, accuracy, precision, linearity, range, detection and quantification limits. As the method performed satisfactory, is was used to study commercial liquid cow's milk (n=31), regarding effects of the employed preservation technique (pasteurization, extended shelf-life, ultra-high temperature) on the composition and content of B 6 and B 2 vitamers. In cow's milk, vitamin B 6 mostly consists of pyridoxal and its phosphate ester, with pyridoxal phosphate being the bulk component. The catabolite of the vitamin B 6 metabolism, 4-pyridoxic acid was present in significant amounts in all studied samples, with up to 2.69μmolL -1 . Vitamin B 2 was present as riboflavin and its phosphate ester up to 12.86μmolL -1 . Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Searching for New Physics with Ultrahigh Energy Cosmic Rays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stecker, Floyd W.; Scully, Sean T.

2009-01-01

Ultrahigh energy cosmic rays that produce giant extensive showers of charged particles and photons when they interact in the Earth's atmosphere provide a unique tool to search for new physics. Of particular interest is the possibility of detecting a very small violation of Lorentz invariance such as may be related to the structure of space-time near the Planck scale of approximately 10 (exp -35) m. We discuss here the possible signature of Lorentz invariance violation on the spectrum of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays as compared with present observations of giant air showers. We also discuss the possibilities of using more sensitive detection techniques to improve searches for Lorentz invariance violation in the future. Using the latest data from the Pierre Auger Observatory, we derive a best fit to the LIV parameter of 3 .0 + 1.5 - 3:0 x 10 (exp -23) ,corresponding to an upper limit of 4.5 x 10-23 at a proton Lorentz factor of approximately 2 x 10(exp 11) . This result has fundamental implications for quantum gravity models.

Ultrahigh density alignment of carbon nanotube arrays by dielectrophoresis.

PubMed

Shekhar, Shashank; Stokes, Paul; Khondaker, Saiful I

2011-03-22

We report ultrahigh density assembly of aligned single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) two-dimensional arrays via AC dielectrophoresis using high-quality surfactant-free and stable SWNT solutions. After optimization of frequency and trapping time, we can reproducibly control the linear density of the SWNT between prefabricated electrodes from 0.5 SWNT/μm to more than 30 SWNT/μm by tuning the concentration of the nanotubes in the solution. Our maximum density of 30 SWNT/μm is the highest for aligned arrays via any solution processing technique reported so far. Further increase of SWNT concentration results in a dense array with multiple layers. We discuss how the orientation and density of the nanotubes vary with concentrations and channel lengths. Electrical measurement data show that the densely packed aligned arrays have low sheet resistances. Selective removal of metallic SWNTs via controlled electrical breakdown produced field-effect transistors with high current on-off ratio. Ultrahigh density alignment reported here will have important implications in fabricating high-quality devices for digital and analog electronics.

Terapascal static pressure generation with ultrahigh yield strength nanodiamond.

PubMed

Dubrovinskaia, Natalia; Dubrovinsky, Leonid; Solopova, Natalia A; Abakumov, Artem; Turner, Stuart; Hanfland, Michael; Bykova, Elena; Bykov, Maxim; Prescher, Clemens; Prakapenka, Vitali B; Petitgirard, Sylvain; Chuvashova, Irina; Gasharova, Biliana; Mathis, Yves-Laurent; Ershov, Petr; Snigireva, Irina; Snigirev, Anatoly

2016-07-01

Studies of materials' properties at high and ultrahigh pressures lead to discoveries of unique physical and chemical phenomena and a deeper understanding of matter. In high-pressure research, an achievable static pressure limit is imposed by the strength of available strong materials and design of high-pressure devices. Using a high-pressure and high-temperature technique, we synthesized optically transparent microballs of bulk nanocrystalline diamond, which were found to have an exceptional yield strength (~460 GPa at a confining pressure of ~70 GPa) due to the unique microstructure of bulk nanocrystalline diamond. We used the nanodiamond balls in a double-stage diamond anvil cell high-pressure device that allowed us to generate static pressures beyond 1 TPa, as demonstrated by synchrotron x-ray diffraction. Outstanding mechanical properties (strain-dependent elasticity, very high hardness, and unprecedented yield strength) make the nanodiamond balls a unique device for ultrahigh static pressure generation. Structurally isotropic, homogeneous, and made of a low-Z material, they are promising in the field of x-ray optical applications.

Terapascal static pressure generation with ultrahigh yield strength nanodiamond

PubMed Central

Dubrovinskaia, Natalia; Dubrovinsky, Leonid; Solopova, Natalia A.; Abakumov, Artem; Turner, Stuart; Hanfland, Michael; Bykova, Elena; Bykov, Maxim; Prescher, Clemens; Prakapenka, Vitali B.; Petitgirard, Sylvain; Chuvashova, Irina; Gasharova, Biliana; Mathis, Yves-Laurent; Ershov, Petr; Snigireva, Irina; Snigirev, Anatoly

2016-01-01

Studies of materials’ properties at high and ultrahigh pressures lead to discoveries of unique physical and chemical phenomena and a deeper understanding of matter. In high-pressure research, an achievable static pressure limit is imposed by the strength of available strong materials and design of high-pressure devices. Using a high-pressure and high-temperature technique, we synthesized optically transparent microballs of bulk nanocrystalline diamond, which were found to have an exceptional yield strength (~460 GPa at a confining pressure of ~70 GPa) due to the unique microstructure of bulk nanocrystalline diamond. We used the nanodiamond balls in a double-stage diamond anvil cell high-pressure device that allowed us to generate static pressures beyond 1 TPa, as demonstrated by synchrotron x-ray diffraction. Outstanding mechanical properties (strain-dependent elasticity, very high hardness, and unprecedented yield strength) make the nanodiamond balls a unique device for ultrahigh static pressure generation. Structurally isotropic, homogeneous, and made of a low-Z material, they are promising in the field of x-ray optical applications. PMID:27453944

Ultrahigh Elastic Strain Energy Storage in Metal-Oxide-Infiltrated Patterned Hybrid Polymer Nanocomposites

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

Dusoe, Keith J.; Ye, Xinyi; Kisslinger, Kim

Modulus of resilience, the measure of a material’s capacity to store and release elastic strain energy, is critical for realizing advanced mechanical actuation technologies in micro/nanoelectromechanical systems. In general, engineering the modulus of resilience is difficult because it requires asymmetrically increasing yield strength and Young’s modulus against their mutual scaling behavior. This task becomes further challenging if it needs to be carried out at the nanometer scale. Here, we demonstrate organic–inorganic hybrid composite nanopillars with one of the highest modulus of resilience per density by utilizing vapor-phase aluminum oxide infiltration in lithographically patterned negative photoresist SU-8. In situ nanomechanical measurementsmore » reveal a metal-like high yield strength (~500 MPa) with an unusually low, foam-like Young’s modulus (~7 GPa), a unique pairing that yields ultrahigh modulus of resilience, reaching up to ~24 MJ/m 3 as well as exceptional modulus of resilience per density of ~13.4 kJ/kg, surpassing those of most engineering materials. The hybrid polymer nanocomposite features lightweight, ultrahigh tunable modulus of resilience and versatile nanoscale lithographic patternability with potential for application as nanomechanical components which require ultrahigh mechanical resilience and strength.« less

Ultrahigh Elastic Strain Energy Storage in Metal-Oxide-Infiltrated Patterned Hybrid Polymer Nanocomposites

DOE PAGES

Dusoe, Keith J.; Ye, Xinyi; Kisslinger, Kim; ...

2017-10-19

Modulus of resilience, the measure of a material’s capacity to store and release elastic strain energy, is critical for realizing advanced mechanical actuation technologies in micro/nanoelectromechanical systems. In general, engineering the modulus of resilience is difficult because it requires asymmetrically increasing yield strength and Young’s modulus against their mutual scaling behavior. This task becomes further challenging if it needs to be carried out at the nanometer scale. Here, we demonstrate organic–inorganic hybrid composite nanopillars with one of the highest modulus of resilience per density by utilizing vapor-phase aluminum oxide infiltration in lithographically patterned negative photoresist SU-8. In situ nanomechanical measurementsmore » reveal a metal-like high yield strength (~500 MPa) with an unusually low, foam-like Young’s modulus (~7 GPa), a unique pairing that yields ultrahigh modulus of resilience, reaching up to ~24 MJ/m 3 as well as exceptional modulus of resilience per density of ~13.4 kJ/kg, surpassing those of most engineering materials. The hybrid polymer nanocomposite features lightweight, ultrahigh tunable modulus of resilience and versatile nanoscale lithographic patternability with potential for application as nanomechanical components which require ultrahigh mechanical resilience and strength.« less

Enantioselective simultaneous analysis of selected pharmaceuticals in environmental samples by ultrahigh performance supercritical fluid based chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Camacho-Muñoz, Dolores; Kasprzyk-Hordern, Barbara; Thomas, Kevin V

2016-08-31

In order to assess the true impact of each single enantiomer of pharmacologically active compounds (PACs) in the environment, highly efficient, fast and sensitive analytical methods are needed. For the first time this paper focuses on the use of ultrahigh performance supercritical fluid based chromatography coupled to a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer to develop multi-residue enantioselective methods for chiral PACs in environmental matrices. This technique exploits the advantages of supercritical fluid chromatography, ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. Two coated modified 2.5 μm-polysaccharide-based chiral stationary phases were investigated: an amylose tris-3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate column and a cellulose tris-3-chloro-4-methylphenylcarbamate column. The effect of different chromatographic variables on chiral recognition is highlighted. This novel approach resulted in the baseline resolution of 13 enantiomers PACs (aminorex, carprofen, chloramphenicol, 3-N-dechloroethylifosfamide, flurbiprofen, 2-hydroxyibuprofen, ifosfamide, imazalil, naproxen, ofloxacin, omeprazole, praziquantel and tetramisole) and partial resolution of 2 enantiomers PACs (ibuprofen and indoprofen) under fast-gradient conditions (<10 min analysis time). The overall performance of the methods was satisfactory. The applicability of the methods was tested on influent and effluent wastewater samples. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first feasibility study on the simultaneous separation of chemically diverse chiral PACs in environmental matrices using ultrahigh performance supercritical fluid based chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ultrahigh surface area meso/microporous carbon formed with self-template for high-voltage aqueous supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Jie; Hu, Jiangtao; Zhu, Min; Zhao, Yan; Chen, Haibiao; Pan, Feng

2017-10-01

A new hierarchically porous carbon has been synthesized with self-template of silica phase from a commercial silicone resin by pyrolysis and subsequent NaOH activation. The obtained carbon materials achieve an ultrahigh specific surface area (2896 m2 g-1) with abundant mesopores. The C800 sample demonstrates excellent performance in supercapacitors, with a high capacitance of 322 F g-1 at 0.5 A g-1 and outstanding rate capability (182 F g-1 at 100 A g-1) in a three-electrode system using 6.0 mol L-1 KOH electrolyte. The energy density is improved by widening the voltage window using 1.0 mol L-1 alkali metal nitrate solutions (LiNO3, NaNO3, KNO3) in which the strong solvation of alkali metal cations and nitrate anions effectively reduce the activity of water. In a symmetric supercapacitor, the maximum operating voltage is essentially restricted by the potential of positive electrode and the total capacitance is dominated by the capacitance of the anion at the positive electrode. The symmetric supercapacitors based on C800 deliver a high energy density of 22.4 Wh kg-1 at a power density of 0.23 kW kg-1 in 1.0 mol L-1 LiNO3 with a voltage of 1.8 V and long-term stability with a retention of 89.87% after 10000 cycles.

Chemically etched ultrahigh-Q wedge-resonator on a silicon chip

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Hansuek; Chen, Tong; Li, Jiang; Yang, Ki Youl; Jeon, Seokmin; Painter, Oskar; Vahala, Kerry J.

2012-06-01

Ultrahigh-Q optical resonators are being studied across a wide range of fields, including quantum information, nonlinear optics, cavity optomechanics and telecommunications. Here, we demonstrate a new resonator with a record Q-factor of 875 million for on-chip devices. The fabrication of our device avoids the requirement for a specialized processing step, which in microtoroid resonators has made it difficult to control their size and achieve millimetre- and centimetre-scale diameters. Attaining these sizes is important in applications such as microcombs and potentially also in rotation sensing. As an application of size control, stimulated Brillouin lasers incorporating our device are demonstrated. The resonators not only set a new benchmark for the Q-factor on a chip, but also provide, for the first time, full compatibility of this important device class with conventional semiconductor processing. This feature will greatly expand the range of possible `system on a chip' functions enabled by ultrahigh-Q devices.

Experimental system for drilling simulated lunar rock in ultrahigh vacuum

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roepke, W. W.

1975-01-01

An experimental apparatus designed for studying drillability of hard volcanic rock in a simulated lunar vacuum of 5 x 10 to the minus 10th power torr is described. The engineering techniques used to provide suitable drilling torque inside the ultrahigh vacuum chamber while excluding all hydrocarbon are detailed. Totally unlubricated bearings and gears were used to better approximate the true lunar surface conditions within the ultrahigh vacuum system. The drilling system has a starting torque of 30 in-lb with an unloaded running torque of 4 in-lb. Nominal torque increase during drilling is 4.5 in-lb or a total drilling torque of 8.5 in-lb with a 100-lb load on the drill bit at 210 rpm. The research shows conclusively that it is possible to design operational equipment for moderate loads operating under UHV conditions without the use of sealed bearings or any need of lubricants whatsoever.

Implications of Ultrahigh Energy Air Showers for Physics and Astrophysics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stecker, F. W.; White, Nicholas E. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The primary ultrahigh energy particles which produce giant extensive air showers in the Earth atmosphere present an intriguing mystery from two points of view: (1) How are the base particles produced with such astounding energies, eight orders of magnitude higher than those produced by the best man-made terrestrial accelerators? (2) Since they are most likely extragalactic in origin, how do they reach us from extragalactic distances without suffering the severe losses expected from interactions with the 2.7 K thermal cosmic background photons, the so called GZK effect? The answers to these questions may involve new physics: violations of special relativity, grand unification theories, and quantum gravity theories involving large extra dimensions. They may involve new astrophysical sources, "zevatrons". Or some heretofore totally unknown physics or astrophysics may hold the answer. I will discuss here the mysteries involving the production and extragalactic propagation of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays and some suggested possible solutions.

High-energy supercapacitors based on hierarchical porous carbon with an ultrahigh ion-accessible surface area in ionic liquid electrolytes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhong, Hui; Xu, Fei; Li, Zenghui; Fu, Ruowen; Wu, Dingcai

2013-05-01

A very important yet really challenging issue to address is how to greatly increase the energy density of supercapacitors to approach or even exceed those of batteries without sacrificing the power density. Herein we report the fabrication of a new class of ultrahigh surface area hierarchical porous carbon (UHSA-HPC) based on the pore formation and widening of polystyrene-derived HPC by KOH activation, and highlight its superior ability for energy storage in supercapacitors with ionic liquid (IL) as electrolyte. The UHSA-HPC with a surface area of more than 3000 m2 g-1 shows an extremely high energy density, i.e., 118 W h kg-1 at a power density of 100 W kg-1. This is ascribed to its unique hierarchical nanonetwork structure with a large number of small-sized nanopores for IL storage and an ideal meso-/macroporous network for IL transfer.A very important yet really challenging issue to address is how to greatly increase the energy density of supercapacitors to approach or even exceed those of batteries without sacrificing the power density. Herein we report the fabrication of a new class of ultrahigh surface area hierarchical porous carbon (UHSA-HPC) based on the pore formation and widening of polystyrene-derived HPC by KOH activation, and highlight its superior ability for energy storage in supercapacitors with ionic liquid (IL) as electrolyte. The UHSA-HPC with a surface area of more than 3000 m2 g-1 shows an extremely high energy density, i.e., 118 W h kg-1 at a power density of 100 W kg-1. This is ascribed to its unique hierarchical nanonetwork structure with a large number of small-sized nanopores for IL storage and an ideal meso-/macroporous network for IL transfer. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Sample preparation, material characterization, electrochemical characterization and specific mass capacitance and energy density. See DOI: 10.1039/c3nr00738c

Digital image analysis to quantify carbide networks in ultrahigh carbon steels

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

Hecht, Matthew D.; Webler, Bryan A.; Picard, Yoosuf N., E-mail: ypicard@cmu.edu

A method has been developed and demonstrated to quantify the degree of carbide network connectivity in ultrahigh carbon steels through digital image processing and analysis of experimental micrographs. It was shown that the network connectivity and carbon content can be correlated to toughness for various ultrahigh carbon steel specimens. The image analysis approach first involved segmenting the carbide network and pearlite matrix into binary contrast representations via a grayscale intensity thresholding operation. Next, the carbide network pixels were skeletonized and parceled into braches and nodes, allowing the determination of a connectivity index for the carbide network. Intermediate image processing stepsmore » to remove noise and fill voids in the network are also detailed. The connectivity indexes of scanning electron micrographs were consistent in both secondary and backscattered electron imaging modes, as well as across two different (50 × and 100 ×) magnifications. Results from ultrahigh carbon steels reported here along with other results from the literature generally showed lower connectivity indexes correlated with higher Charpy impact energy (toughness). A deviation from this trend was observed at higher connectivity indexes, consistent with a percolation threshold for crack propagation across the carbide network. - Highlights: • A method for carbide network analysis in steels is proposed and demonstrated. • ImageJ method extracts a network connectivity index from micrographs. • Connectivity index consistent in different imaging conditions and magnifications. • Impact energy may plateau when a critical network connectivity is exceeded.« less

Photonuclear interactions of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays and their astrophysical consequences

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Puget, J. L.; Stecker, F. W.; Bredekamp, J. H.

1976-01-01

Results are presented for detailed Monte Carlo calculations of the interaction histories of ultrahigh-energy cosmic-ray nuclei with intergalactic radiation fields, using improved estimates of these fields and empirical determinations of photonuclear cross sections, including multinuclear disintegrations for nuclei up to Fe-56. Intergalactic and galactic energy-loss rates and nucleon-loss rates for nuclei up to Fe-56 are also given. Astrophysical implications are discussed in terms of expected features in the cosmic-ray spectrum between 10 to the 18th and 10 to the 21st power eV for the universal and supercluster origin hypotheses. The results of these calculations indicate that ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays cannot be universal in origin regardless of whether they are protons or nuclei. Both the supercluster and galactic origin hypotheses, however, are possible regardless of nuclear composition.

Clinical applications at ultrahigh field (7  T). Where does it make the difference?

PubMed

Trattnig, Siegfried; Bogner, Wolfgang; Gruber, Stephan; Szomolanyi, Pavol; Juras, Vladimir; Robinson, Simon; Zbýň, Štefan; Haneder, Stefan

2016-09-01

Presently, three major MR vendors provide commercial 7-T units for clinical research under ethical permission, with the number of operating 7-T systems having increased to over 50. This rapid increase indicates the growing interest in ultrahigh-field MRI because of improved clinical results with regard to morphological as well as functional and metabolic capabilities. As the signal-to-noise ratio scales linearly with the field strength (B0 ) of the scanner, the most obvious application at 7 T is to obtain higher spatial resolution in the brain, musculoskeletal system and breast. Of specific clinical interest for neuro-applications is the cerebral cortex at 7 T, for the detection of changes in cortical structure as a sign of early dementia, as well as for the visualization of cortical microinfarcts and cortical plaques in multiple sclerosis. In the imaging of the hippocampus, even subfields of the internal hippocampal anatomy and pathology can be visualized with excellent resolution. The dynamic and static blood oxygenation level-dependent contrast increases linearly with the field strength, which significantly improves the pre-surgical evaluation of eloquent areas before tumor removal. Using susceptibility-weighted imaging, the plaque-vessel relationship and iron accumulation in multiple sclerosis can be visualized for the first time. Multi-nuclear clinical applications, such as sodium imaging for the evaluation of repair tissue quality after cartilage transplantation and (31) P spectroscopy for the differentiation between non-alcoholic benign liver disease and potentially progressive steatohepatitis, are only possible at ultrahigh fields. Although neuro- and musculoskeletal imaging have already demonstrated the clinical superiority of ultrahigh fields, whole-body clinical applications at 7 T are still limited, mainly because of the lack of suitable coils. The purpose of this article was therefore to review the clinical studies that have been performed thus

Ultrahigh-power supercapacitors based on highly conductive graphene nanosheet/nanometer-sized carbide-derived carbon frameworks.

PubMed

Yan, Pengtao; Zhang, Xuesha; Hou, Meiling; Liu, Yanyan; Liu, Ting; Liu, Kang; Zhang, Ruijun

2018-06-22

In order to develop energy storage devices with high power performance, electrodes should hold well-defined pathways for efficient ionic and electronic transport. Herein, we demonstrate a highly conductive graphene nanosheet/nanometer-sized carbide-derived carbon framework (hcGNS/nCDC). In this architecture, nCDC possesses short transport paths for electrolyte ions, thus ensuring the rapid ions transportation. The excellent electrical conductivity of hcGNS can reduce the electrode internal resistance for the supercapacitor and thus endows the hcGNS/nCDC composite electrodes with excellent electronic transportation performance. Electrochemical measurements show that the cyclic voltammogram of hcGNS/nCDC can maintain a rectangular-like shape with the increase of the scan rate from 5 mV s -1 to 20 V s -1 , and the specific capacitance retention is up to 51% even at a high scan rate of 20 V s -1 , suggesting ultrahigh power performance, which, to the best of our knowledge, is among the best power performances reported so far for the carbon materials. Furthermore, the hcGNS/nCDC composite also shows an excellent cycling stability (no drop in its capacitance occurs even after 10000 cycles). This work demonstrates the advantage in the ultrahigh power performance for the framework having both short transport pathways for electrolyte ions and high electrical conductivity.

Ultrahigh-power supercapacitors based on highly conductive graphene nanosheet/nanometer-sized carbide-derived carbon frameworks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Pengtao; Zhang, Xuesha; Hou, Meiling; Liu, Yanyan; Liu, Ting; Liu, Kang; Zhang, Ruijun

2018-06-01

In order to develop energy storage devices with high power performance, electrodes should hold well-defined pathways for efficient ionic and electronic transport. Herein, we demonstrate a highly conductive graphene nanosheet/nanometer-sized carbide-derived carbon framework (hcGNS/nCDC). In this architecture, nCDC possesses short transport paths for electrolyte ions, thus ensuring the rapid ions transportation. The excellent electrical conductivity of hcGNS can reduce the electrode internal resistance for the supercapacitor and thus endows the hcGNS/nCDC composite electrodes with excellent electronic transportation performance. Electrochemical measurements show that the cyclic voltammogram of hcGNS/nCDC can maintain a rectangular-like shape with the increase of the scan rate from 5 mV s‑1 to 20 V s‑1, and the specific capacitance retention is up to 51% even at a high scan rate of 20 V s‑1, suggesting ultrahigh power performance, which, to the best of our knowledge, is among the best power performances reported so far for the carbon materials. Furthermore, the hcGNS/nCDC composite also shows an excellent cycling stability (no drop in its capacitance occurs even after 10000 cycles). This work demonstrates the advantage in the ultrahigh power performance for the framework having both short transport pathways for electrolyte ions and high electrical conductivity.

Structural Analysis of Titan's Tholins by Ultra-High Resolution Mass Spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vuitton, V.; Frisari, M.; Thissen, R.; Dutuit, O.; Bonnet, J.-Y.; Quirico, E.; Sciamma O'Brien, E.; Szopa, C.; Carrasco, N.; Somogyi, A.; Smith, M.; Hörst, S. M.; Yelle, R.

2010-04-01

We propose here a systematic ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry and MS/MS study in order to provide a more coherent and complete characterization of the structure of the molecules making up the soluble fraction of the Titan tholins.

A search for ultrahigh-energy neutrinos and measurement of cosmic ray radio emission with the Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoover, Stephen Lam Douglas

2010-11-01

New astronomical messengers may reveal unexpected aspects of the Universe and have often provided a unique source of fresh physical insights. Neutrinos are a promising new messenger particle, capable of carrying information from otherwise inaccessible sources. The ANtarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA) seeks to make the first detection of an ultrahigh-energy (E > 1018 eV) neutrino flux. Such a neutrino flux almost certainly exists, produced in interactions of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays with photons from the cosmic microwave background. ANITA is a balloon payload which monitors large volumes of the Antarctic ice sheet from an altitude of 38 km. An ultrahigh-energy neutrino which interacts in the ice sheet will produce a particle shower which will coherently radiate Cherenkov radiation in radio wavelengths (<3 GHz). Antennas on the balloon payload can then detect the resulting impulsive radio signal. The full ANITA flew for the first time from 15 December 2006 to 19 January 2007. In this dissertation, I will describe the ground calibration system used to transmit calibration signals to the payload in-flight. I will then describe techniques for analysis of ANITA data and give limits on the ultrahigh-energy neutrino flux implied by the null result of that analysis. Finally, I will demonstrate that ANITA is also sensitive to ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays and show the detection of 16 ultrahigh-energy cosmic-ray events during ANITA's first flight. This constitutes the highest frequency and widest bandwidth radio observations of cosmic-ray emission to date I show the average waveform and spectrum of these events and describe their polarization properties, which are strongly correlated with the geomagnetic field.

The composite capacitive behaviors of the N and S dual doped ordered mesoporous carbon with ultrahigh doping level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Deyi; Lei, Longyan; Shang, Yonghua; Wang, Kunjie; Wang, Yi

2016-01-01

Heteroatoms doping provides a promising strategy for improving the energy density of supercapacitors based on the carbon electrodes. In this paper, we present a N and S dual doped ordered mesoporous carbon with ultrahigh doping level using dimethylglyoxime as pristine precursor. The N doping content of the reported materials varies from 6.6 to 15.6 at.% dependent on the carbonization temperature, and the S doping content varies from 0.46 to 1.01 at.%. Due to the ultrahigh heteroatoms doping content, the reported materials exhibit pronounced pseudo-capacitance. Meanwhile, the reported materials exhibit high surface areas (640⿿869 m2 g⿿1), large pore volume (0.71⿿1.08 cm2 g⿿1) and ordered pore structure. The outstanding textual properties endow the reported materials excellent electrical double-layer capacitance (EDLC). By effectively combining the pseudo-capacitance with EDLC, the reported materials exhibit a surprising energy storage/relax capacity with the highest specific capacitance of 565 F g⿿1, which value is 3.3 times higher than that of pristine CMK-3, and can compete against some conventional pseudo-capacitance materials.

Tracking the unconscious generation of free decisions using ultra-high field fMRI.

PubMed

Bode, Stefan; He, Anna Hanxi; Soon, Chun Siong; Trampel, Robert; Turner, Robert; Haynes, John-Dylan

2011-01-01

Recently, we demonstrated using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) that the outcome of free decisions can be decoded from brain activity several seconds before reaching conscious awareness. Activity patterns in anterior frontopolar cortex (BA 10) were temporally the first to carry intention-related information and thus a candidate region for the unconscious generation of free decisions. In the present study, the original paradigm was replicated and multivariate pattern classification was applied to functional images of frontopolar cortex, acquired using ultra-high field fMRI at 7 Tesla. Here, we show that predictive activity patterns recorded before a decision was made became increasingly stable with increasing temporal proximity to the time point of the conscious decision. Furthermore, detailed questionnaires exploring subjects' thoughts before and during the decision confirmed that decisions were made spontaneously and subjects were unaware of the evolution of their decision outcomes. These results give further evidence that FPC stands at the top of the prefrontal executive hierarchy in the unconscious generation of free decisions.

Caveats when Analyzing Ultra-high Molar Mass Polymers by SEC

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The analysis of ultra-high molar mass (M > 1 million g/mol) polymers via size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) presents a number of non-trivial challenges. Dissolution and full solvation may take days, as is the case for cellulose dissolution in non-complexing non degrading solvents; very low concent...

Super-achromatic microprobe for ultrahigh-resolution endoscopic OCT imaging at 800 nm (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Wu; Alemohammad, Milad; Yu, Xiaoyun; Yu, Shaoyong; Li, Xingde

2016-03-01

In this paper, we report a super-achromatic microprobe made with fiber-optic ball lens to enable ultrahigh-resolution endoscopic OCT imaging. An axial resolution of ~2.4 µm (in air) can be achieved with a 7-fs Ti:Sapphire laser. The microprobe has minimal astigmatism which affords a high transverse resolution of ~5.6 µm. The miniaturized microprobe has an outer diameter of ~520 µm including the encasing metal guard and can be used to image small luminal organs. The performance of the ultrahigh-resolution OCT microprobe was demonstrated by imaging rat esophagus, guinea pig esophagus, and mouse rectum in vivo.

Flavor characterization of sugar-added pennywort (Centella asiatica L.) juices treated with ultra-high pressure and thermal processes.

PubMed

Apichartsrangkoon, Arunee; Wongfhun, Pronprapa; Gordon, Michael H

2009-01-01

The flavor characteristics of pennywort juices with added sugar treated by ultra-high pressure, pasteurization, and sterilization were investigated using solid phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. It was found that sesquiterpene hydrocarbons comprised the major class of volatile components present and the juices had a characteristic aroma due to the presence of volatiles including beta-caryophyllene and humulene and alpha-copaene. In comparison with heated juices, HPP-treated samples could retain more volatile compounds such as linalool and geraniol similar to those present in fresh juice, whereas some volatiles such as alpha-terpinene and ketone class were apparently formed by thermal treatment. All processing operations produced juice that was not significantly different in the concentration of total volatiles. Practical Application: Pennywort juice is considered a nutraceutical drink for health benefits. Therefore, to preserve all aroma and active components in this juice, a nonthermal process such as ultra-high pressure should be a more appropriate technique for retention of its nutritive values than pasteurization and sterilization.

Decoding the direction of imagined visual motion using 7 T ultra-high field fMRI

PubMed Central

Emmerling, Thomas C.; Zimmermann, Jan; Sorger, Bettina; Frost, Martin A.; Goebel, Rainer

2016-01-01

There is a long-standing debate about the neurocognitive implementation of mental imagery. One form of mental imagery is the imagery of visual motion, which is of interest due to its naturalistic and dynamic character. However, so far only the mere occurrence rather than the specific content of motion imagery was shown to be detectable. In the current study, the application of multi-voxel pattern analysis to high-resolution functional data of 12 subjects acquired with ultra-high field 7 T functional magnetic resonance imaging allowed us to show that imagery of visual motion can indeed activate the earliest levels of the visual hierarchy, but the extent thereof varies highly between subjects. Our approach enabled classification not only of complex imagery, but also of its actual contents, in that the direction of imagined motion out of four options was successfully identified in two thirds of the subjects and with accuracies of up to 91.3% in individual subjects. A searchlight analysis confirmed the local origin of decodable information in striate and extra-striate cortex. These high-accuracy findings not only shed new light on a central question in vision science on the constituents of mental imagery, but also show for the first time that the specific sub-categorical content of visual motion imagery is reliably decodable from brain imaging data on a single-subject level. PMID:26481673

Model-Free Feature Screening for Ultrahigh Dimensional Discriminant Analysis

PubMed Central

Cui, Hengjian; Li, Runze

2014-01-01

This work is concerned with marginal sure independence feature screening for ultra-high dimensional discriminant analysis. The response variable is categorical in discriminant analysis. This enables us to use conditional distribution function to construct a new index for feature screening. In this paper, we propose a marginal feature screening procedure based on empirical conditional distribution function. We establish the sure screening and ranking consistency properties for the proposed procedure without assuming any moment condition on the predictors. The proposed procedure enjoys several appealing merits. First, it is model-free in that its implementation does not require specification of a regression model. Second, it is robust to heavy-tailed distributions of predictors and the presence of potential outliers. Third, it allows the categorical response having a diverging number of classes in the order of O(nκ) with some κ ≥ 0. We assess the finite sample property of the proposed procedure by Monte Carlo simulation studies and numerical comparison. We further illustrate the proposed methodology by empirical analyses of two real-life data sets. PMID:26392643

Successful Cleaning and Study of Contamination of Si(001) in Ultrahigh Vacuum

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

Gheorghe, N. G.; Lungu, G. A.; Husanu, M. A.

2011-10-03

This paper presents the very first surface physics experiment performed in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) in Romania, using a new molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) installation. Cleaning of a Si(001) wafer was achieved by using a very simple technique: sequences of annealing at 900-1000 deg. C in ultrahigh vacuum: low 10{sup -8} mbar, with a base pressure of 1.5x10{sup -10} mbar. The preparation procedure is quite reproducible and allows repeated cleaning of the Si(001) after contamination in ultrahigh vacuum. The Si(001) single crystal surface is characterized by low energy electron diffraction (LEED), reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED), and Auger electron spectroscopymore » (AES). The latter technique is utilized in order to investigate the sample contamination by the residual gas in the UHV chamber, as determined by a residual gas analyzer (RGA). Unambiguous assignment of oxidized and unoxidized silicon is provided; also, an important feature is that the LVV Auger peak at 90-92 eV cannot be solely attributed to clean Si (i.e. Si surrounded only by Si), but also to silicon atoms bounded with carbon. Even with a sum of partial pressures of oxygen and carbon containing molecules in the range of 5x10{sup -10} mbar, the sample is contaminated very quickly, having a (1/e) lifetime of about 76 minutes.« less

Ultrahigh speed endoscopic optical coherence tomography for gastroenterology.

PubMed

Tsai, Tsung-Han; Lee, Hsiang-Chieh; Ahsen, Osman O; Liang, Kaicheng; Giacomelli, Michael G; Potsaid, Benjamin M; Tao, Yuankai K; Jayaraman, Vijaysekhar; Figueiredo, Marisa; Huang, Qin; Cable, Alex E; Fujimoto, James; Mashimo, Hiroshi

2014-12-01

We describe an ultrahigh speed endoscopic swept source optical coherence tomography (OCT) system for clinical gastroenterology using a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) and micromotor imaging catheter. The system had a 600 kHz axial scan rate and 8 µm axial resolution in tissue. Imaging was performed with a 3.2 mm diameter imaging catheter at 400 frames per second with a 12 µm spot size. Three-dimensional OCT (3D-OCT) imaging was performed in patients with a cross section of pathologies undergoing upper and lower endoscopy. The use of distally actuated imaging catheters enabled OCT imaging with more flexibility, such as volumetric imaging in the small intestine and the assessment of hiatal hernia using retroflex imaging. The high rotational scanning stability of the micromotor enabled 3D volumetric imaging with micron scale volumetric accuracy for both en face OCT and cross-sectional imaging, as well as OCT angiography (OCTA) for 3D visualization of subsurface microvasculature. The ability to perform both structural and functional 3D OCT imaging in the GI tract with microscopic accuracy should enable a wide range of studies and enhance the sensitivity and specificity of OCT for detecting pathology.

Ultrahigh speed endoscopic optical coherence tomography for gastroenterology

PubMed Central

Tsai, Tsung-Han; Lee, Hsiang-Chieh; Ahsen, Osman O.; Liang, Kaicheng; Giacomelli, Michael G.; Potsaid, Benjamin M.; Tao, Yuankai K.; Jayaraman, Vijaysekhar; Figueiredo, Marisa; Huang, Qin; Cable, Alex E.; Fujimoto, James; Mashimo, Hiroshi

2014-01-01

We describe an ultrahigh speed endoscopic swept source optical coherence tomography (OCT) system for clinical gastroenterology using a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) and micromotor imaging catheter. The system had a 600 kHz axial scan rate and 8 µm axial resolution in tissue. Imaging was performed with a 3.2 mm diameter imaging catheter at 400 frames per second with a 12 µm spot size. Three-dimensional OCT (3D-OCT) imaging was performed in patients with a cross section of pathologies undergoing upper and lower endoscopy. The use of distally actuated imaging catheters enabled OCT imaging with more flexibility, such as volumetric imaging in the small intestine and the assessment of hiatal hernia using retroflex imaging. The high rotational scanning stability of the micromotor enabled 3D volumetric imaging with micron scale volumetric accuracy for both en face OCT and cross-sectional imaging, as well as OCT angiography (OCTA) for 3D visualization of subsurface microvasculature. The ability to perform both structural and functional 3D OCT imaging in the GI tract with microscopic accuracy should enable a wide range of studies and enhance the sensitivity and specificity of OCT for detecting pathology. PMID:25574446

Simultaneous structural and environmental loading of an ultra-high performance concrete component

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-07-01

Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) is an advanced cementitious composite material which tends to exhibit superior properties such as increased durability, strength, and long-term stability. This experimental investigation focused on the flexural ...

Ultrahigh Energy Cosmic Rays: Old Physics or New Physics?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stecker, F. W.

2004-01-01

We consider the advantages of and the problems associated with hypotheses to explain the origin of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays (UHECR: E greater than 10 EeV) and the "trans-GZK" cosmic rays (TGZK: E greater than 100 EeV) both through "old physics" (acceleration in cosmic sources) and "new physics" (new particles, topological defects, fat neutrino cross sections, Lorentz invariance violation).

Adaptive sensor-based ultra-high accuracy solar concentrator tracker

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brinkley, Jordyn; Hassanzadeh, Ali

2017-09-01

Conventional solar trackers use information of the sun's position, either by direct sensing or by GPS. Our method uses the shading of the receiver. This, coupled with nonimaging optics design allows us to achieve ultra-high concentration. Incorporating a sensor based shadow tracking method with a two stage concentration solar hybrid parabolic trough allows the system to maintain high concentration with acute accuracy.

Ultra-high power capabilities in amorphous FePO4 thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gandrud, Knut B.; Nilsen, Ola; Fjellvåg, Helmer

2016-02-01

Record breaking electrochemical properties of FePO4 have been found through investigation of the thickness dependent electrochemical properties of amorphous thin film electrodes. Atomic layer deposition was used for production of thin films of amorphous FePO4 with highly accurate thickness and topography. Electrochemical characterization of these thin film electrodes revealed that the thinner electrodes behave in a pseudocapacitive manner even at high rates of Li+ de/intercalation, which enabled specific powers above 1 MW kg-1 FePO4 to be obtained with minimal capacity loss. In addition, a self-enhancing kinetic effect was observed during cycling enabling more than 10,000 cycles at current rates approaching that of a supercapacitor (11s charge/discharge). The current findings may open for construction of ultra-high power battery electrodes that combines the energy density of batteries with the power capabilities of supercapacitors.

Q-switch-pumped supercontinuum for ultra-high resolution optical coherence tomography.

PubMed

Maria, Michael; Bravo Gonzalo, Ivan; Feuchter, Thomas; Denninger, Mark; Moselund, Peter M; Leick, Lasse; Bang, Ole; Podoleanu, Adrian

2017-11-15

In this Letter, we investigate the possibility of using a commercially available Q-switch-pumped supercontinuum (QS-SC) source, operating in the kilohertz regime, for ultra-high resolution optical coherence tomography (UHR-OCT) in the 1300 nm region. The QS-SC source proves to be more intrinsically stable from pulse to pulse than a mode-locked-based SC (ML-SC) source while, at the same time, is less expensive. However, its pumping rate is lower than that used in ML-SC sources. Therefore, we investigate here specific conditions to make such a source usable for OCT. We compare images acquired with the QS-SC source and with a current state-of-the-art SC source used for imaging. We show that comparable visual contrast obtained with the two technologies is achievable by increasing the readout time of the camera to include a sufficient number of QS-SC pulses.

Synthesis of porous carbon/silica nanostructured microfiber with ultrahigh surface area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Dan; Dong, Yan; Cui, Liru; Lin, Huiming; Qu, Fengyu

2014-12-01

Carbon/silica-nanostructured microfibers were synthesized via electrospinning method using phenol-formaldehyde resin and tetraethyl orthosilicate as carbon and silica precursor with triblock copolymer Pluronic P123 as soft template. The prepared samples show uniform microfiber structure with 1 μm in diameter and dozens of microns in length. Additionally, the mesopores in the material is about 2-6 nm. When the silica component was removed by HF, the porous carbon microfibers (PCMFs) were obtained. In addition, after the carbon/silica composites were calcined in air, the porous silica microfibers (PSiMFs) were obtained, revealing the converse porous nanostructure as PCMFs. It is a simple way to prepare PCMFs and PSiMFs with silica and carbon as the template to each other. Additionally, PCMFs possess an ultrahigh specific surface area (2,092 m2 g-1) and large pore volume. The electrochemical performance of the prepared PCMF material was investigated in 6.0 M KOH electrolyte. The PCMF electrode exhibits a high specific capacitance (252 F g-1 at 0.5 A g-1). Then, superior cycling stability (97 % retention after 4,000 cycles) mainly is due to its unique nanostructure.

Integrated computational study of ultra-high heat flux cooling using cryogenic micro-solid nitrogen spray

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishimoto, Jun; Oh, U.; Tan, Daisuke

2012-10-01

A new type of ultra-high heat flux cooling system using the atomized spray of cryogenic micro-solid nitrogen (SN2) particles produced by a superadiabatic two-fluid nozzle was developed and numerically investigated for application to next generation super computer processor thermal management. The fundamental characteristics of heat transfer and cooling performance of micro-solid nitrogen particulate spray impinging on a heated substrate were numerically investigated and experimentally measured by a new type of integrated computational-experimental technique. The employed Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis based on the Euler-Lagrange model is focused on the cryogenic spray behavior of atomized particulate micro-solid nitrogen and also on its ultra-high heat flux cooling characteristics. Based on the numerically predicted performance, a new type of cryogenic spray cooling technique for application to a ultra-high heat power density device was developed. In the present integrated computation, it is clarified that the cryogenic micro-solid spray cooling characteristics are affected by several factors of the heat transfer process of micro-solid spray which impinges on heated surface as well as by atomization behavior of micro-solid particles. When micro-SN2 spraying cooling was used, an ultra-high cooling heat flux level was achieved during operation, a better cooling performance than that with liquid nitrogen (LN2) spray cooling. As micro-SN2 cooling has the advantage of direct latent heat transport which avoids the film boiling state, the ultra-short time scale heat transfer in a thin boundary layer is more possible than in LN2 spray. The present numerical prediction of the micro-SN2 spray cooling heat flux profile can reasonably reproduce the measurement results of cooling wall heat flux profiles. The application of micro-solid spray as a refrigerant for next generation computer processors is anticipated, and its ultra-high heat flux technology is expected

Development of a driving method suitable for ultrahigh-speed shooting in a 2M-fps 300k-pixel single-chip color camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yonai, J.; Arai, T.; Hayashida, T.; Ohtake, H.; Namiki, J.; Yoshida, T.; Etoh, T. Goji

2012-03-01

We have developed an ultrahigh-speed CCD camera that can capture instantaneous phenomena not visible to the human eye and impossible to capture with a regular video camera. The ultrahigh-speed CCD was specially constructed so that the CCD memory between the photodiode and the vertical transfer path of each pixel can store 144 frames each. For every one-frame shot, the electric charges generated from the photodiodes are transferred in one step to the memory of all the parallel pixels, making ultrahigh-speed shooting possible. Earlier, we experimentally manufactured a 1M-fps ultrahigh-speed camera and tested it for broadcasting applications. Through those tests, we learned that there are cases that require shooting speeds (frame rate) of more than 1M fps; hence we aimed to develop a new ultrahigh-speed camera that will enable much faster shooting speeds than what is currently possible. Since shooting at speeds of more than 200,000 fps results in decreased image quality and abrupt heating of the image sensor and drive circuit board, faster speeds cannot be achieved merely by increasing the drive frequency. We therefore had to improve the image sensor wiring layout and the driving method to develop a new 2M-fps, 300k-pixel ultrahigh-speed single-chip color camera for broadcasting purposes.

Exploratory Thermal-mechanical Fatigue Results for Rene' 80 in Ultrahigh Vacuum

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sheinker, A. A.

1978-01-01

A limited study was conducted of the use of strainage partitioning for predicting the thermalmechanical fatigue life of cast nickel-base superalloy Rene' 80. The fatigue lives obtained by combined inphase thermal and mechanical strain cycling between 400 C (752 F) and 1000 C (1802 F) in an ultrahigh vacuum were considerably shorter than those represented by the four basic partitioned inelastic strainrange fatigue life relationships established previously for this alloy at 871 C (1600 F) and 1000 C (1832 F) in an ultrahigh vacuum. This behavior was attributed to the drastic decrease in ductility with decreasing temperature for this alloy. These results indicated that the prediction of the thermal-mechanical fatigue life of Rene' 80 by the method of strainrange partioning may be improved if based on the four basic fatigue life relationships determined at a lower temperature in the thermal-mechanical strain cycle.

Ultrahigh-Dimensional Multiclass Linear Discriminant Analysis by Pairwise Sure Independence Screening

PubMed Central

Pan, Rui; Wang, Hansheng; Li, Runze

2016-01-01

This paper is concerned with the problem of feature screening for multi-class linear discriminant analysis under ultrahigh dimensional setting. We allow the number of classes to be relatively large. As a result, the total number of relevant features is larger than usual. This makes the related classification problem much more challenging than the conventional one, where the number of classes is small (very often two). To solve the problem, we propose a novel pairwise sure independence screening method for linear discriminant analysis with an ultrahigh dimensional predictor. The proposed procedure is directly applicable to the situation with many classes. We further prove that the proposed method is screening consistent. Simulation studies are conducted to assess the finite sample performance of the new procedure. We also demonstrate the proposed methodology via an empirical analysis of a real life example on handwritten Chinese character recognition. PMID:28127109

Ultrahigh-Speed Optical Coherence Tomography for Three-Dimensional and En Face Imaging of the Retina and Optic Nerve Head

PubMed Central

Srinivasan, Vivek J.; Adler, Desmond C.; Chen, Yueli; Gorczynska, Iwona; Huber, Robert; Duker, Jay S.; Schuman, Joel S.; Fujimoto, James G.

2009-01-01

Purpose To demonstrate ultrahigh-speed optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging of the retina and optic nerve head at 249,000 axial scans per second and a wavelength of 1060 nm. To investigate methods for visualization of the retina, choroid, and optic nerve using high-density sampling enabled by improved imaging speed. Methods A swept-source OCT retinal imaging system operating at a speed of 249,000 axial scans per second was developed. Imaging of the retina, choroid, and optic nerve were performed. Display methods such as speckle reduction, slicing along arbitrary planes, en face visualization of reflectance from specific retinal layers, and image compounding were investigated. Results High-definition and three-dimensional (3D) imaging of the normal retina and optic nerve head were performed. Increased light penetration at 1060 nm enabled improved visualization of the choroid, lamina cribrosa, and sclera. OCT fundus images and 3D visualizations were generated with higher pixel density and less motion artifacts than standard spectral/Fourier domain OCT. En face images enabled visualization of the porous structure of the lamina cribrosa, nerve fiber layer, choroid, photoreceptors, RPE, and capillaries of the inner retina. Conclusions Ultrahigh-speed OCT imaging of the retina and optic nerve head at 249,000 axial scans per second is possible. The improvement of ∼5 to 10× in imaging speed over commercial spectral/Fourier domain OCT technology enables higher density raster scan protocols and improved performance of en face visualization methods. The combination of the longer wavelength and ultrahigh imaging speed enables excellent visualization of the choroid, sclera, and lamina cribrosa. PMID:18658089

Ultrahigh hydrostatic pressure extraction of flavonoids from Epimedium koreanum Nakai

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hou, Lili; Zhang, Shouqin; Dou, Jianpeng; Zhu, Junjie; Liang, Qing

2011-02-01

Herba Epimedii is one of the most famous Chinese herbal medicines listed in the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China, as one of the representatives of traditional Chinese herb, it has been widely applied in the field of invigorate the kidney and strengthen 'Yang'. The attention to Epimedium extract has more and more increased in recent years. In this work, a novel extraction technique, ultra-high hydrostatic pressure extraction (UPE) technology was applied to extract the total flavonoids of E. koreanum. Three factors (pressure, ethanol concentration and extraction time) were chosen as the variables of extraction experiments, and the optimum UPE conditions were pressure 350 MPa; ethanol concentration 50% (v/v); extraction time 5 min. Compared with Supercritical CO2 extraction, Reflux extraction and Ultrasonic-assisted extraction, UPE has excellent advantages (shorter extraction time, higher yield, better antioxidant activity, lower energy consumption and eco-friendly).

Physicochemical properties and storage stability of soybean protein nanoemulsions prepared by ultra-high pressure homogenization.

PubMed

Xu, Jing; Mukherjee, Dipaloke; Chang, Sam K C

2018-02-01

This study investigated the effects of the ultrahigh pressure homogenization (pressure, protein concentration, oil phase fraction, pH, temperature, and ionic strength) and storage on the properties of nanoemulsions (100-500nm range), which were stabilized by laboratory-prepared soybean protein isolate (SPI), β-conglycinin (7S) and glycinin (11S). The nanoemulsions made with SPI, 7S and 11S proteins exhibited considerable stability over various ionic strengths (0-500mM NaCl), pH (<4 or >7), thermal treatments (30-60°C) and storage (0-45days). The far-UV spectra of SPI, 7S, 11S dispersions, and SPI-, 7S-, 11S protein-stabilized nanoemulsions were analyzed for the protein structural changes following lipid removal. The ultra-high pressure homogenization changed the secondary structure of SPI, 7S, 11S proteins in the nanoemulsions, and enhanced their stability. This study demonstrated that SPI, 7S, and 11S proteins can be used as effective emulsifiers in nanoemulsions prepared by ultra-high pressure homogenization. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Two-dimensional ultrahigh-density X-ray optical memory.

PubMed

Bezirganyan, Hakob P; Bezirganyan, Siranush E; Bezirganyan, Hayk H; Bezirganyan, Petros H

2007-01-01

Most important aspect of nanotechnology applications in the information ultrahigh storage is the miniaturization of data carrier elements of the storage media with emphasis on the long-term stability. Proposed two-dimensional ultrahigh-density X-ray optical memory, named X-ROM, with long-term stability is an information carrier basically destined for digital data archiving. X-ROM is a semiconductor wafer, in which the high-reflectivity nanosized X-ray mirrors are embedded. Data are encoded due to certain positions of the mirrors. Ultrahigh-density data recording procedure can e.g., be performed via mask-less zone-plate-array lithography (ZPAL), spatial-phase-locked electron-beam lithography (SPLEBL), or focused ion-beam lithography (FIB). X-ROM manufactured by nanolithography technique is a write-once memory useful for terabit-scale memory applications, if the surface area of the smallest recording pits is less than 100 nm2. In this case the X-ROM surface-storage capacity of a square centimetre becomes by two orders of magnitude higher than the volumetric data density really achieved for three-dimensional optical data storage medium. Digital data read-out procedure from proposed X-ROM can e.g., be performed via glancing-angle incident X-ray micro beam (GIX) using the well-developed X-ray reflectometry technique. In presented theoretical paper the crystal-analyser operating like an image magnifier is added to the set-up of X-ROM data handling system for the purpose analogous to case of application the higher numerical aperture objective in optical data read-out system. We also propose the set-up of the X-ROM readout system based on more the one incident X-ray micro beam. Presented scheme of two-beam data handling system, which operates on two mutually perpendicular well-collimated monochromatic incident X-ray micro beams, essentially increases the reliability of the digital information read-out procedure. According the graphs of characteristic functions presented in

Heat treatment for improvement in lower temperature mechanical properties of 0.40 pct C-Cr-Mo ultrahigh strength steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomita, Yoshiyuki; Okabayashi, Kunio

1983-11-01

In the previous paper, it was reported that isothermal heat treatment of a commercial Japanese 0.40 pct C-Ni-Cr-Mo ultrahigh strength steel (AISI 4340 type) at 593 K for a short time followed by water quenching, in which a mixed structure of 25 vol pct lower bainite and 75 vol pct martensite is produced, results in the improvement of low temperature mechanical properties (287 to 123 K). The purpose of this paper is to study whether above new heat treatment will still be effective in commercial practice for improving low temperature mechanical properties of the ultrahigh strength steel when applied to a commercial Japanese 0.40 pct C-Cr-Mo ultrahigh strength steel which is economical because it lacks the expensive nickel component (AISI 4140 type). At and above 203 K this new heat treatment, as compared with the conventional 1133 K direct water quenching treatment, significantly improved the strength, tensile ductility, and notch toughness of the 0.40 pct C-Cr-Mo ultrahigh strength steel. At and above 203 K the new heat treatment also produced superior fracture ductility and notch toughness results at similar strength levels as compared to those obtained by using γ α' repetitive heat treatment for the same steel. However, the new heat treatment remarkably decreased fracture ductility and notch toughness of the 0.40 pct C-Cr-Mo ultrahigh strength steel below 203 K, and thus no significant improvement in the mechanical properties was noticeable as compared with the properties produced by the conventional 1133 K direct water quenching treatment and the γ α' repetitive heat treatment. This contrasts with the fact that the new heat treatment, as compared with the conventional 1133 K direct water quenching treatment and the γ α' repetitive heat treatment, dramatically improved the notch toughness of the 0.40 pct C-Ni-Cr-Mo ultrahigh strength steel, providing a better combination of strength and ductility throughout the 287 to 123 K temperature range. The difference

Highly exposed Fe-N4 active sites in porous poly-iron-phthalocyanine based oxygen reduction electrocatalyst with ultrahigh performance for air cathode.

PubMed

Anandhababu, Ganesan; Abbas, Syed Comail; Lv, Jiangquan; Ding, Kui; Liu, Qin; Babu, Dickson D; Huang, Yiyin; Xie, Jiafang; Wu, Maoxiang; Wang, Yaobing

2017-02-14

Progress in the development of efficient electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reactions is imperative for various energy systems such as metal-air batteries and fuel cells. In this paper, an innovative porous two-dimensional (2D) poly-iron-phthalocyanine (PFe-Pc) based oxygen reduction electrocatalyst created with a simple solid-state chemical reaction without pyrolysis is reported. In this strategy, silicon dioxide nanoparticles play a pivotal role in preserving the Fe-N 4 structure during the polymerization process and thereby assist in the development of a porous structure. The new polymerized phthalocyanine electrocatalyst with tuned porous structure, improved specific surface area and more exposed catalytic active sites via the 2D structure shows an excellent performance towards an oxygen reduction reaction in alkaline media. The onset potential (E = 1.033 V) and limiting current density (I = 5.58 mA cm -2 ) are much better than those obtained with the commercial 20% platinum/carbon electrocatalyst (1.046 V and 4.89 mA cm -2 ) and also show better stability and tolerance to methanol crossover. For practical applications, a zinc-air (Zn-air) battery and methanol fuel cell equipped with the PFe-Pc electrocatalyst as an air cathode reveal a high open circuit voltage and maximum power output (1.0 V and 23.6 mW cm -2 for a methanol fuel cell, and 1.6 V and 192 mW cm -2 for the liquid Zn-air battery). In addition, using the PFe-Pc electrocatalyst as an air cathode in a flexible cable-type Zn-air battery exhibits excellent performance with an open-circuit voltage of 1.409 V. This novel porous 2D PFe-Pc has been designed logically using a new, simple strategy with ultrahigh electrochemical performances in Zn-air batteries and methanol fuel cell applications.

Bitter-type magnet plate design with compound conductor of ultrahigh mechanical strength

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

Haubenberger, W.D.

1981-01-01

A Bitter-type magnet plate design based on a compound conductor of ultrahigh mechanical strength is described. An explosion-bonded and cold-worked copper-austenite compound is jointed by a special procedure with a soft compound sheet.

SU-F-J-45: Sparing Normal Tissue with Ultra-High Dose Rate in Radiation Therapy

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

Feng, Y

Purpose: To spare normal tissue by reducing the location uncertainty of a moving target, we proposed an ultra-high dose rate system and evaluated. Methods: High energy electrons generated with a linear accelerator were injected into a storage ring to be accumulated. The number of the electrons in the ring was determined based on the prescribed radiation dose. The dose was delivered within a millisecond, when an online imaging system found that the target was in the position that was consistent with that in a treatment plan. In such a short time period, the displacement of the target was negligible. Themore » margin added to the clinical target volume (CTV) could be reduced that was evaluated by comparing of volumes between CTV and ITV in 14 cases of lung stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) treatments. A design of the ultra-high dose rate system was evaluated based clinical needs and the recent developments of low energy (a few MeV) electron storage ring. Results: This design of ultra-high dose rate system was feasible based on the techniques currently available. The reduction of a target volume was significant by reducing the margin that accounted the motion of the target. ∼50% volume reduction of the internal target volume (ITV) could be achieved in lung SBRT treatments. Conclusion: With this innovation of ultra-high dose rate system, the margin of target is able to be significantly reduced. It will reduce treatment time of gating and allow precisely specified gating window to improve the accuracy of dose delivering.« less

Ultrahigh Energy Density in SrTiO3 Film Capacitors.

PubMed

Hou, Chuangming; Huang, Weichuan; Zhao, Wenbo; Zhang, Dalong; Yin, Yuewei; Li, Xiaoguang

2017-06-21

Solid-state dielectric film capacitors with high-energy-storage density will further promote advanced electronic devices and electrical power systems toward miniaturization, lightweight, and integration. In this study, the influence of interface and thickness on energy storage properties of SrTiO 3 (STO) films grown on La 0.67 Sr 0.33 MnO 3 (LSMO) electrode are systematically studied. The cross-sectional high resolution transmission electron microscopy reveals an ion interdiffusion layer and oxygen vacancies at the STO/LSMO interface. The capacitors show good frequency stability and increased dielectric constant with increasing STO thickness (410-710 nm). The breakdown strength (E b ) increases with decreasing STO thickness and reaches 6.8 MV/cm. Interestingly, the E b under positive field is enhanced significantly and an ultrahigh energy density up to 307 J/cm 3 with a high efficiency of 89% is realized. The enhanced E b may be related to the modulation of local electric field and redistribution of oxygen vacancies at the STO/LSMO interface. Our results should be helpful for potential strategies to design devices with ultrahigh energy density.

Observation of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays and neutrinos from lunar orbit: LORD space experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryabov, Vladimir; Chechin, Valery; Gusev, German

The problem of detecting highest-energy cosmic rays and neutrinos in the Universe is reviewed. Nowadays, there becomes clear that observation of these particles requires approaches based on novel principles. Projects based on orbital radio detectors for particles of energies above the CZK cut-off are discussed. We imply the registration of coherent Cherenkov radio emission produced by cascades of most energetic particles in radio-transparent lunar regolith. The Luna-Glob space mission proposed for launching in the near future involves the Lunar Orbital Radio Detector (LORD). The feasibility of LORD space instrument to detect radio signals from cascades initiated by ultrahigh-energy particles interacting with lunar regolith is examined. The comprehensive Monte Carlo calculations were carried out within the energy range of 10 (20) -10 (25) eV with the account for physical properties of the Moon such as its density, the lunar-regolith radiation length, the radio-wave absorption length, the refraction index, and the orbital altitude of a lunar satellite. We may expect that the LORD space experiment will surpass in its apertures and capabilities the majority of well-known current and proposed experiments dealing with the detection of both ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays and neutrinos. The design of the LORD space instrument and its scientific potentialities in registration of low-intense cosmic-ray particle fluxes above the GZK cut-off up to 10 (25) eV is discussed as well. The designed LORD module (including an antenna system, amplifiers, and a data acquisition system) now is under construction. The LORD space experiment will make it possible to obtain important information on the highest-energy particles in the Universe, to verify modern models for the origin and the propagation of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays and neutrinos. Successful completion of the LORD experiment will permit to consider the next step of the program, namely, a multi-satellite lunar systems to

Synergistic Effect of Molecular-Type Electrocatalysts with Ultrahigh Pore Volume Carbon Microspheres for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

PubMed

Lim, Won-Gwang; Mun, Yeongdong; Cho, Ara; Jo, Changshin; Lee, Seonggyu; Han, Jeong Woo; Lee, Jinwoo

2018-05-14

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are regarded as potential high-energy storage devices due to their outstanding energy density. However, the low electrical conductivity of sulfur, dissolution of the active material, and sluggish reaction kinetics cause poor cycle stability and rate performance. A variety of approaches have been attempted to resolve the above issues and achieve enhanced electrochemical performance. However, inexpensive multifunctional host materials which can accommodate large quantities of sulfur and exhibit high electrode density are not widely available, which hinders the commercialization of Li-S batteries. Herein, mesoporous carbon microspheres with ultrahigh pore volume are synthesized, followed by the incorporation of Fe-N-C molecular catalysts into the mesopores, which can act as sulfur hosts. The ultrahigh pore volume of the prepared host material can accommodate up to ∼87 wt % sulfur, while the uniformly controlled spherical morphology and particle size of the carbon microspheres enable high areal/volumetric capacity with high electrode density. Furthermore, the uniform distribution of Fe-N-C (only 0.33 wt %) enhances the redox kinetics of the conversion reaction of sulfur and efficiently captures the soluble intermediates. The resulting electrode with 5.2 mg sulfur per cm 2 shows excellent cycle stability and 84% retention of the initial capacity even after 500 cycles at a 3 C rate.

Second dip as a signature of ultrahigh energy proton interactions with cosmic microwave background radiation.

PubMed

Berezinsky, V; Gazizov, A; Kachelrieb, M

2006-12-08

We discuss as a new signature for the interaction of extragalactic ultrahigh energy protons with cosmic microwave background radiation a spectral feature located at E= 6.3 x 10(19) eV in the form of a narrow and shallow dip. It is produced by the interference of e+e(-)-pair and pion production. We show that this dip and, in particular, its position are almost model-independent. Its observation by future ultrahigh energy cosmic ray detectors may give the conclusive confirmation that an observed steepening of the spectrum is caused by the Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin effect.

LORD Space Experiment for Investigation of Ultrahigh Energy Cosmic-ray Particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryabov, V. A.; Gusev, G. A.; Chechin, V. A.

2013-02-01

The problem of detecting cosmic rays and neutrinos of energies above the GZK cutoff is reviewed. Nowadays, it becomes clear that registration of nature's most energetic particles requires approaches based on new principles. First of all, we imply the detection of the coherent Cherenkov radio emission in cascades of ultrahigh-energy particles in radio-transparent natural dense media, i.e., ice shields of Antarctica, mineral salt, and lunar regolith. The Luna-Glob space mission planned for launching in the near future involves the Lunar Orbital Radio Detector (LORD) whose aperture for cosmic rays and neutrinos of energies E >= 1020 eV exceeds all existing ground-based arrays. The feasibility of LORD to detect radio signals from showers initiated by ultrahigh-energy particles interacting with the lunar regolith is examined. The design of the LORD space instrument and its scientific potentialities for registration of low-intense cosmic-ray particle fluxes above the GZK cut-off up to 1025 eV is discussed.

Spent Fuel Assay with an Ultra-High Rate HPGe Spectrometer

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

Fast, James; Fulsom, Bryan; Pitts, Karl

2015-07-01

Traditional verification of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) includes determination of initial enrichment, burnup and cool down time (IE, BU, CT). Along with neutron measurements, passive gamma assay provides important information for determining BU and CT. Other gamma-ray-based assay methods such as passive tomography and active delayed gamma offer the potential to measure the spatial distribution of fission products and the fissile isotopic concentration of the fuel, respectively. All fuel verification methods involving gamma-ray spectroscopy require that the spectrometers manage very high count rates while extracting the signatures of interest. PNNL has developed new digital filtering and analysis techniques to producemore » an ultra-high rate gamma-ray spectrometer from a standard coaxial high-purity germanium (HPGe) crystal. This 37% relative efficiency detector has been operated for SNF measurements at input count rates of 500-1300 kcps and throughput in excess of 150 kcps. Optimized filtering algorithms preserve the spectroscopic capability of the system even at these high rates. This paper will present the results of both passive and active SNF measurement performed with this system at PNNL. (authors)« less

An Evaluation of Ultra-High Pressure Regulator for Robotic Lunar Landing Spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burnside, Christopher; Trinh, Huu; Pedersen, Kevin

2011-01-01

The Robotic Lunar Lander Development (RLLD) Project Office at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has studied several lunar surface science mission concepts. These missions focus on spacecraft carrying multiple science instruments and power systems that will allow extended operations on the lunar surface. Initial trade studies of launch vehicle options for these mission concepts indicate that the spacecraft design will be significantly mass-constrained. To minimize mass and facilitate efficient packaging, the notional propulsion system for these landers has a baseline of an ultra-high pressure (10,000 psig) helium pressurization system that has been used on Defense missiles. The qualified regulator is capable of short duration use; however, the hardware has not been previously tested at NASA spacecraft requirements with longer duration. Hence, technical risks exist in using this missile-based propulsion component for spacecraft applications. A 10,000-psig helium pressure regulator test activity is being carried out as part of risk reduction testing for MSFC RLLD project. The goal of the test activity is to assess the feasibility of commercial off-the-shelf ultra-high pressure regulator by testing with a representative flight mission profile. Slam-start, gas blowdown, water expulsion, lock-up, and leak tests are also performed on the regulator to assess performance under various operating conditions. The preliminary test results indicated that the regulator can regulate helium to a stable outlet pressure of 740 psig within the +/- 5% tolerance band and maintain a lock-up pressure less than +5% for all tests conducted. Numerous leak tests demonstrated leakage less than 10-3 standard cubic centimeters per second (SCCS) for internal seat leakage at lock-up and less than10-5 SCCS for external leakage through the regulator ambient reference cavity. The successful tests have shown the potential for 10,000 psig helium systems in NASA spacecraft and have reduced risk

Abseq: Ultrahigh-throughput single cell protein profiling with droplet microfluidic barcoding.

PubMed

Shahi, Payam; Kim, Samuel C; Haliburton, John R; Gartner, Zev J; Abate, Adam R

2017-03-14

Proteins are the primary effectors of cellular function, including cellular metabolism, structural dynamics, and information processing. However, quantitative characterization of proteins at the single-cell level is challenging due to the tiny amount of protein available. Here, we present Abseq, a method to detect and quantitate proteins in single cells at ultrahigh throughput. Like flow and mass cytometry, Abseq uses specific antibodies to detect epitopes of interest; however, unlike these methods, antibodies are labeled with sequence tags that can be read out with microfluidic barcoding and DNA sequencing. We demonstrate this novel approach by characterizing surface proteins of different cell types at the single-cell level and distinguishing between the cells by their protein expression profiles. DNA-tagged antibodies provide multiple advantages for profiling proteins in single cells, including the ability to amplify low-abundance tags to make them detectable with sequencing, to use molecular indices for quantitative results, and essentially limitless multiplexing.

Abseq: Ultrahigh-throughput single cell protein profiling with droplet microfluidic barcoding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shahi, Payam; Kim, Samuel C.; Haliburton, John R.; Gartner, Zev J.; Abate, Adam R.

2017-03-01

Proteins are the primary effectors of cellular function, including cellular metabolism, structural dynamics, and information processing. However, quantitative characterization of proteins at the single-cell level is challenging due to the tiny amount of protein available. Here, we present Abseq, a method to detect and quantitate proteins in single cells at ultrahigh throughput. Like flow and mass cytometry, Abseq uses specific antibodies to detect epitopes of interest; however, unlike these methods, antibodies are labeled with sequence tags that can be read out with microfluidic barcoding and DNA sequencing. We demonstrate this novel approach by characterizing surface proteins of different cell types at the single-cell level and distinguishing between the cells by their protein expression profiles. DNA-tagged antibodies provide multiple advantages for profiling proteins in single cells, including the ability to amplify low-abundance tags to make them detectable with sequencing, to use molecular indices for quantitative results, and essentially limitless multiplexing.

Abseq: Ultrahigh-throughput single cell protein profiling with droplet microfluidic barcoding

PubMed Central

Shahi, Payam; Kim, Samuel C.; Haliburton, John R.; Gartner, Zev J.; Abate, Adam R.

2017-01-01

Proteins are the primary effectors of cellular function, including cellular metabolism, structural dynamics, and information processing. However, quantitative characterization of proteins at the single-cell level is challenging due to the tiny amount of protein available. Here, we present Abseq, a method to detect and quantitate proteins in single cells at ultrahigh throughput. Like flow and mass cytometry, Abseq uses specific antibodies to detect epitopes of interest; however, unlike these methods, antibodies are labeled with sequence tags that can be read out with microfluidic barcoding and DNA sequencing. We demonstrate this novel approach by characterizing surface proteins of different cell types at the single-cell level and distinguishing between the cells by their protein expression profiles. DNA-tagged antibodies provide multiple advantages for profiling proteins in single cells, including the ability to amplify low-abundance tags to make them detectable with sequencing, to use molecular indices for quantitative results, and essentially limitless multiplexing. PMID:28290550

Surfactant Effects on Structure and Mechanical Properties of Ultrahigh-Molecular-Weight Polyethylene/Layered Silicate Composites.

PubMed

Nikiforov, Leonid A; Okhlopkova, Tatinana A; Kapitonova, Iullia V; Sleptsova, Sardana A; Okhlopkova, Aitalina A; Shim, Ee Le; Cho, Jin-Ho

2017-12-05

In this study, the reinforcement of ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) with biotite was investigated. The biotite filler was mechanically activated with different dry surfactants to improve its compatibility with UHMWPE and decrease agglomeration among biotite particles. Alkyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride (ADBAC) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) were selected as cationic surfactants. The tensile strength of composites containing 1 wt % of CTAB-treated biotite was increased by 30% relative to those with untreated biotite, but was unchanged with ADBAC treatment of the same biotite content. The stereochemistry of the surfactant may be critical to the composite structure and mechanical properties of the material. The stereochemistry of CTAB was preferable to that of ADBAC in enhancing mechanical properties because the stereochemistry of ADBAC impedes favorable interactions with the biotite surface during mechanical activation.

Ultrahigh field MRI in clinical neuroimmunology: a potential contribution to improved diagnostics and personalised disease management.

PubMed

Sinnecker, Tim; Kuchling, Joseph; Dusek, Petr; Dörr, Jan; Niendorf, Thoralf; Paul, Friedemann; Wuerfel, Jens

2015-01-01

Conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 1.5 Tesla (T) is limited by modest spatial resolution and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), impeding the identification and classification of inflammatory central nervous system changes in current clinical practice. Gaining from enhanced susceptibility effects and improved SNR, ultrahigh field MRI at 7 T depicts inflammatory brain lesions in great detail. This review summarises recent reports on 7 T MRI in neuroinflammatory diseases and addresses the question as to whether ultrahigh field MRI may eventually improve clinical decision-making and personalised disease management.

Ultrahigh-resolution FT-ICR mass spectrometry characterization of a-pinene ozonolysis SOA

EPA Science Inventory

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) of α-pinene ozonolysis with and without hydroxyl radical scavenging hexane was characterized by ultrahigh-resolution. Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS). Molecular formulas for more than 900 negative ions were i...

First principles study of iron-bearing MgO under ultrahigh pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Umemoto, K.; Hsu, H.

2017-12-01

Understanding of minerals under ultrahigh pressure is essential to model interiors of super-Earths. Chemical compositions of the super-Earths are expected to be similar to those of the Earth. Computational studies on Mg-Si-O ternary systems under ultrahigh pressures, which are difficult to be achieved by diamond-anvil-cell experiments, have been intensively performed (e.g., [1] for MgO, [2,3] for SiO2, and [4,5] for MgSiO3). However, as far as we know, these studies have been restricted to pure Mg-Si-O systems. In the mantles of super-Earths, we expect that there should be impurities as in the Earth's mantle. Among candidates of impurities, iron is especially important to model interiors of super-Earths. Here, we investigate iron-bearing MgO under ultrahigh pressures by first principles. We clarify effects of iron on the phase transition of MgO and thermodynamic quantities by first principles. The role of the 3d electrons will be elucidated. [1] Z. Wu, R. M. Wentzcovitch, K. Umemoto, B. Li, K. Hirose, and J. C. Zheng, J. Geophys. Res. 113, B06204 (2008). [2] S. Q. Wu, K. Umemoto, M. Ji, C. Z. Wang, K. M. Ho, and R. M. Wentzcovitch, Phys. Rev. B 83, 184102 (2011). [3] T. Tsuchiya and J. Tsuchiya, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 108, 1252 (2011) [4] S. Q. Wu, M. Ji, C. Z. Wang, M. C. Nguye, X. Zhao, K. Umemoto, R. M. Wentzcovitch, and K. M. Ho, J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 26, 035402 (2014). [5] H. Niu, A. R. Oganov, X.-C. Chen, and D. Li, Sci. Rep. 5, 18347 (2015).

Superplastic behavior of two ultrahigh boron steels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiménez, J. A.; González-Doncel, G.; Acosta, P.; Ruano, O. A.

1994-06-01

The high-temperature deformation behavior of two ultrahigh boron steels containing 2.2 pct and 4.9 pct B was investigated. Both alloys were processed via powder metallurgy involving gas atomization and hot isostatic pressing (hipping) at various temperatures. After hipping at 700 °C, the Fe-2.2 pct B alloy showed a fine microstructure consisting of l- µm grains and small elongated borides (less than 1 µm) . At 1100 °C, a coarser microstructure with rounded borides was formed. This alloy was superplastic at 850 °C with stress exponents of about two and tensile elongations as high as 435 pct. The microstructure of the Fe-4.9 pct B alloy was similar to that of the Fe-2.2 pct B alloy showing, in addition, coarse borides. This alloy also showed low stress exponent values but lacked high tensile elongation (less than 65 pct), which was attributed to the presence of stress accumulation at the interface between the matrix and the large borides. A change in the activation energy value at the α-γ transformation temperature was seen in the Fe-2.2 pct B alloy. The plastic flow data were in agreement with grain boundary sliding and slip creep models.

Advanced intermediate temperature sodium-nickel chloride batteries with ultra-high energy density

DOE PAGES

Li, Guosheng; Lu, Xiaochuan; Kim, Jin Yong; ...

2016-02-11

Here we demonstrate for the first time that planar Na-NiCl 2 batteries can be operated at an intermediate temperature of 190°C with ultra-high energy density. A specific energy density of 350 Wh/kg, which is 3 times higher than that of conventional tubular Na-NiCl 2 batteries operated at 280°C, was obtained for planar Na-NiCl 2 batteries operated at 190°C over a long-term cell test (1000 cycles). The high energy density and superior cycle stability are attributed to the slower particle growth of the cathode materials (NaCl and Ni) at 190°C. The results reported in this work demonstrate that planar Na-NiCl 2more » batteries operated at an intermediate temperature could greatly benefit this traditional energy storage technology by improving battery energy density, cycle life and reducing material costs.« less

Calibration of ultra-high frequency (UHF) partial discharge sensors using FDTD method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishak, Asnor Mazuan; Ishak, Mohd Taufiq

2018-02-01

Ultra-high frequency (UHF) partial discharge sensors are widely used for conditioning monitoring and defect location in insulation system of high voltage equipment. Designing sensors for specific applications often requires an iterative process of manufacturing, testing and mechanical modifications. This paper demonstrates the use of finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) technique as a tool to predict the frequency response of UHF PD sensors. Using this approach, the design process can be simplified and parametric studies can be conducted in order to assess the influence of component dimensions and material properties on the sensor response. The modelling approach is validated using gigahertz transverse electromagnetic (GTEM) calibration system. The use of a transient excitation source is particularly suitable for modeling using FDTD, which is able to simulate the step response output voltage of the sensor from which the frequency response is obtained using the same post-processing applied to the physical measurement.

Three-dimensional retinal imaging with high-speed ultrahigh-resolution optical coherence tomography.

PubMed

Wojtkowski, Maciej; Srinivasan, Vivek; Fujimoto, James G; Ko, Tony; Schuman, Joel S; Kowalczyk, Andrzej; Duker, Jay S

2005-10-01

To demonstrate high-speed, ultrahigh-resolution, 3-dimensional optical coherence tomography (3D OCT) and new protocols for retinal imaging. Ultrahigh-resolution OCT using broadband light sources achieves axial image resolutions of approximately 2 microm compared with standard 10-microm-resolution OCT current commercial instruments. High-speed OCT using spectral/Fourier domain detection enables dramatic increases in imaging speeds. Three-dimensional OCT retinal imaging is performed in normal human subjects using high-speed ultrahigh-resolution OCT. Three-dimensional OCT data of the macula and optic disc are acquired using a dense raster scan pattern. New processing and display methods for generating virtual OCT fundus images; cross-sectional OCT images with arbitrary orientations; quantitative maps of retinal, nerve fiber layer, and other intraretinal layer thicknesses; and optic nerve head topographic parameters are demonstrated. Three-dimensional OCT imaging enables new imaging protocols that improve visualization and mapping of retinal microstructure. An OCT fundus image can be generated directly from the 3D OCT data, which enables precise and repeatable registration of cross-sectional OCT images and thickness maps with fundus features. Optical coherence tomography images with arbitrary orientations, such as circumpapillary scans, can be generated from 3D OCT data. Mapping of total retinal thickness and thicknesses of the nerve fiber layer, photoreceptor layer, and other intraretinal layers is demonstrated. Measurement of optic nerve head topography and disc parameters is also possible. Three-dimensional OCT enables measurements that are similar to those of standard instruments, including the StratusOCT, GDx, HRT, and RTA. Three-dimensional OCT imaging can be performed using high-speed ultrahigh-resolution OCT. Three-dimensional OCT provides comprehensive visualization and mapping of retinal microstructures. The high data acquisition speeds enable high

Nanosecond laser ablated copper superhydrophobic surface with tunable ultrahigh adhesion and its renewability with low temperature annealing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, An; Liu, Wenwen; Xue, Wei; Yang, Huan; Cao, Yu

2018-03-01

Recently, metallic superhydrophobic surfaces with ultrahigh adhesion have got plentiful attention on account of their significance in scientific researches and industrial applications like droplet transport, drug delivery and novel microfluidic devices. However, the long lead time and transience hindered its in-depth development and industrial application. In this work, nanosecond laser ablation was carried out to construct grid of micro-grooves on copper surface, whereafter, by applying fast ethanol assisted low-temperature annealing, we obtained surface with superhydrophobicity and ultrahigh adhesion within hours. And the ultrahigh adhesion force was found tunable by varying the groove spacing. Using ultrasonic cleaning as the simulation of natural wear and tear in service, the renewability of superhydrophobicity was also investigated, and the result shows that the contact angle can rehabilitate promptly by the processing of ethanol assisted low-temperature annealing, which gives a promising fast and cheap circuitous strategy to realize the long wish durable metallic superhydrophobic surfaces in practical applications.

Ultra-high resolution and high-brightness AMOLED

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wacyk, Ihor; Ghosh, Amal; Prache, Olivier; Draper, Russ; Fellowes, Dave

2012-06-01

As part of its continuing effort to improve both the resolution and optical performance of AMOLED microdisplays, eMagin has recently developed an SXGA (1280×3×1024) microdisplay under a US Army RDECOM CERDEC NVESD contract that combines the world's smallest OLED pixel pitch with an ultra-high brightness green OLED emitter. This development is aimed at next-generation HMD systems with "see-through" and daylight imaging requirements. The OLED pixel array is built on a 0.18-micron CMOS backplane and contains over 4 million individually addressable pixels with a pixel pitch of 2.7 × 8.1 microns, resulting in an active area of 0.52 inches diagonal. Using both spatial and temporal enhancement, the display can provide over 10-bits of gray-level control for high dynamic range applications. The new pixel design also enables the future implementation of a full-color QSXGA (2560 × RGB × 2048) microdisplay in an active area of only 1.05 inch diagonal. A low-power serialized low-voltage-differential-signaling (LVDS) interface is integrated into the display for use as a remote video link for tethered systems. The new SXGA backplane has been combined with the high-brightness green OLED device developed by eMagin under an NVESD contract. This OLED device has produced an output brightness of more than 8000fL with all pixels on; lifetime measurements are currently underway and will presented at the meeting. This paper will describe the operational features and first optical and electrical test results of the new SXGA demonstrator microdisplay.

Ultrahigh-pressure polyamorphism in GeO2 glass with coordination number >6

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kono, Yoshio; Kenney-Benson, Curtis; Ikuta, Daijo; Shibazaki, Yuki; Wang, Yanbin; Shen, Guoyin

2016-03-01

Knowledge of pressure-induced structural changes in glasses is important in various scientific fields as well as in engineering and industry. However, polyamorphism in glasses under high pressure remains poorly understood because of experimental challenges. Here we report new experimental findings of ultrahigh-pressure polyamorphism in GeO2 glass, investigated using a newly developed double-stage large-volume cell. The Ge-O coordination number (CN) is found to remain constant at ∼6 between 22.6 and 37.9 GPa. At higher pressures, CN begins to increase rapidly and reaches 7.4 at 91.7 GPa. This transformation begins when the oxygen-packing fraction in GeO2 glass is close to the maximal dense-packing state (the Kepler conjecture = ∼0.74), which provides new insights into structural changes in network-forming glasses and liquids with CN higher than 6 at ultrahigh-pressure conditions.

PET imaging of putative microglial activation in individuals at ultra-high risk for psychosis, recently diagnosed and chronically ill with schizophrenia.

PubMed

Di Biase, M A; Zalesky, A; O'keefe, G; Laskaris, L; Baune, B T; Weickert, C S; Olver, J; McGorry, P D; Amminger, G P; Nelson, B; Scott, A M; Hickie, I; Banati, R; Turkheimer, F; Yaqub, M; Everall, I P; Pantelis, C; Cropley, V

2017-08-29

We examined putative microglial activation as a function of illness course in schizophrenia. Microglial activity was quantified using [ 11 C](R)-(1-[2-chrorophynyl]-N-methyl-N-[1-methylpropyl]-3 isoquinoline carboxamide ( 11 C-(R)-PK11195) positron emission tomography (PET) in: (i) 10 individuals at ultra-high risk (UHR) of psychosis; (ii) 18 patients recently diagnosed with schizophrenia; (iii) 15 patients chronically ill with schizophrenia; and, (iv) 27 age-matched healthy controls. Regional-binding potential (BP ND ) was calculated using the simplified reference-tissue model with four alternative reference inputs. The UHR, recent-onset and chronic patient groups were compared to age-matched healthy control groups to examine between-group BP ND differences in 6 regions: dorsal frontal, orbital frontal, anterior cingulate, medial temporal, thalamus and insula. Correlation analysis tested for BP ND associations with gray matter volume, peripheral cytokines and clinical variables. The null hypothesis of equality in BP ND between patients (UHR, recent-onset and chronic) and respective healthy control groups (younger and older) was not rejected for any group comparison or region. Across all subjects, BP ND was positively correlated to age in the thalamus (r=0.43, P=0.008, false discovery rate). No correlations with regional gray matter, peripheral cytokine levels or clinical symptoms were detected. We therefore found no evidence of microglial activation in groups of individuals at high risk, recently diagnosed or chronically ill with schizophrenia. While the possibility of 11 C-(R)-PK11195-binding differences in certain patient subgroups remains, the patient cohorts in our study, who also displayed normal peripheral cytokine profiles, do not substantiate the assumption of microglial activation in schizophrenia as a regular and defining feature, as measured by 11 C-(R)-PK11195 BP ND .

Design of Ultra-High Temperature Ceramics for Improved Performance

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-02-28

e.g., grain boundary chemistry or change in impurity concentrations) or physical (e.g., residual stress) effects. 600 co 500 a. oi400 c CD i...SA037 Effects of oxygen content on the properties of supcr-high-teiiiperature resistant Si-AI- C fibers D.f. Zhao (National University of Defense...of Technology, China) 15:05 S A034 Oxyacetylene ablation behavior of carbon fibers reinforced carbon matrix and ultra-high temperature

Ultra-high density diffraction grating

DOEpatents

Padmore, Howard A.; Voronov, Dmytro L.; Cambie, Rossana; Yashchuk, Valeriy V.; Gullikson, Eric M.

2012-12-11

A diffraction grating structure having ultra-high density of grooves comprises an echellette substrate having periodically repeating recessed features, and a multi-layer stack of materials disposed on the echellette substrate. The surface of the diffraction grating is planarized, such that layers of the multi-layer stack form a plurality of lines disposed on the planarized surface of the structure in a periodical fashion, wherein lines having a first property alternate with lines having a dissimilar property on the surface of the substrate. For example, in one embodiment, lines comprising high-Z and low-Z materials alternate on the planarized surface providing a structure that is suitable as a diffraction grating for EUV and soft X-rays. In some embodiments, line density of between about 10,000 lines/mm to about 100,000 lines/mm is provided.

Baking enables McLeod gauge to measure in ultrahigh vacuum range

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kreisman, W. S.

1965-01-01

Accurate measurements in the ultrahigh vacuum range by a conventional McLeod gage requires degassing of the gage's glass walls. A closed system, in which mercury is forced into the gage by gravity alone, and in which the gage components are baked out for long periods, is used to achieve this degassing.

Simultaneous quantitation of 14 active components in Yinchenhao decoction with an ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector: Method development and ingredient analysis of different commonly prepared samples.

PubMed

Yi, YaXiong; Zhang, Yong; Ding, Yue; Lu, Lu; Zhang, Tong; Zhao, Yuan; Xu, XiaoJun; Zhang, YuXin

2016-11-01

J. Sep. Sci. 2016, 39, 4147-4157 DOI: 10.1002/jssc.201600284 Yinchenhao decoction (YCHD) is a famous Chinese herbal formula recorded in the Shang Han Lun which was prescribed by Zhongjing Zhang during 150-219 AD. A novel quantitative analysis method was developed, based on ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography coupled with a diode array detector for the simultaneous determination of 14 main active components in Yinchenhao decoction. Furthermore, the method has been applied for compositional difference analysis of the 14 components in eight normal extraction samples of Yinchenhao decoction, with the aid of hierarchical clustering analysis and similarity analysis. The present research could help hospital, factory and lab choose the best way to make Yinchenhao decoction with better efficacy. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Gas-Enhanced Ultra-High Shear Mixing: A Concept and Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Czerwinski, Frank; Birsan, Gabriel

2017-04-01

The processes of mixing, homogenizing, and deagglomeration are of paramount importance in many industries for modifying properties of liquids or liquid-based dispersions at room temperature and treatment of molten or semi-molten alloys at high temperatures, prior to their solidification. To implement treatments, a variety of technologies based on mechanical, electromagnetic, and ultrasonic principles are used commercially or tested at the laboratory scale. In a large number of techniques, especially those tailored toward metallurgical applications, the vital role is played by cavitation, generation of gas bubbles, and their interaction with the melt. This paper describes a novel concept exploring an integration of gas injection into the shear zone with ultra-high shear mixing. As revealed via experiments with a prototype of the cylindrical rotor-stator apparatus and transparent media, gases injected radially through the high-speed rotor generate highly refined bubbles of high concentration directly in the shear zone of the mixer. It is believed that an interaction of large volume of fine gas bubbles with the liquid, superimposed on ultra-high shear, will enhance mixing capabilities and cause superior refining and homogenizing of the liquids or solid-liquid slurries, thus allowing their effective property modification.

Durability and smart condition assessment of ultra-high performance concrete in cold climates.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-12-31

The goals of this study were to develop ecological ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) with local materials and supplementary cementitious materials and to evaluate the long-term performance of UHPC in cold climates using effective mechanical test...

Cosmic strings and ultra-high energy cosmic rays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bhattacharjee, Pijushpani

1989-01-01

The flux is calculated of ultrahigh energy protons due to the process of cusp evaporation from cosmic string loops. For the standard value of the dimensionless cosmic string parameter epsilon is identical to G(sub mu) approx. = 10(exp -6), the flux is several orders of magnitude below the observed cosmic ray flux of ultrahigh energy protons. However, the flux at any energy initially increases as the value of epsilon is decreased. This at first suggests that there may be a lower limit on the value of epsilon, which would imply a lower limit on the temperature of a cosmic string forming phase transition in the early universe. However, the calculation shows that this is not the case -- the particle flux at any energy reaches its highest value at epsilon approx. = 10(exp -15) and it then decreases for further decrease of the value of epsilon. This is due to the fact that for too small values of epsilon (less than 10(exp -15)), the energy loss of the loops through the cusp evaporation process itself (rather than gravitational energy loss of the loops) becomes the dominant factor that controls the behavior of the number density of the loops at the relevant times of emission of the particles. The highest flux at any energy remains at least four orders of magnitude below the observed flux. There is thus no lower limit on epsilon.

21 CFR 331.11 - Listing of specific active ingredients.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 5 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Listing of specific active ingredients. 331.11... (CONTINUED) DRUGS FOR HUMAN USE ANTACID PRODUCTS FOR OVER-THE-COUNTER (OTC) HUMAN USE Active Ingredients § 331.11 Listing of specific active ingredients. (a) Aluminum-containing active ingredients: (1) Basic...

21 CFR 331.11 - Listing of specific active ingredients.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 5 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Listing of specific active ingredients. 331.11... (CONTINUED) DRUGS FOR HUMAN USE ANTACID PRODUCTS FOR OVER-THE-COUNTER (OTC) HUMAN USE Active Ingredients § 331.11 Listing of specific active ingredients. (a) Aluminum-containing active ingredients: (1) Basic...

Design and evaluation of a single-span bridge using ultra-high performance concrete.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-09-01

"Research presented herein describes an application of a newly developed material called Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) to a : single-span bridge. The two primary objectives of this research were to develop a shear design procedure for possib...

Design and evaluation of a single-span bridge using ultra-high performance concrete.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-09-01

Research presented herein describes an application of a newly developed material called Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) to a : single-span bridge. The two primary objectives of this research were to develop a shear design procedure for possibl...

Characterization of the punching shear capacity of thin ultra-high performance concrete slabs.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2005-01-01

Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) is a relatively new type of concrete that exhibits mechanical properties that are far superior to those of conventional concrete and in some cases rival those of steel. The main characteristics that distinguish ...

Nano-RuO2 -Decorated Holey Graphene Composite Fibers for Micro-Supercapacitors with Ultrahigh Energy Density.

PubMed

Zhai, Shengli; Wang, Chaojun; Karahan, Huseyin Enis; Wang, Yanqing; Chen, Xuncai; Sui, Xiao; Huang, Qianwei; Liao, Xiaozhou; Wang, Xin; Chen, Yuan

2018-06-07

Compactness and versatility of fiber-based micro-supercapacitors (FMSCs) make them promising for emerging wearable electronic devices as energy storage solutions. But, increasing the energy storage capacity of microscale fiber electrodes, while retaining their high power density, remains a significant challenge. Here, this issue is addressed by incorporating ultrahigh mass loading of ruthenium oxide (RuO 2 ) nanoparticles (up to 42.5 wt%) uniformly on nanocarbon-based microfibers composed largely of holey reduced graphene oxide (HrGO) with a lower amount of single-walled carbon nanotubes as nanospacers. This facile approach involes (1) space-confined hydrothermal assembly of highly porous but 3D interconnected carbon structure, (2) impregnating wet carbon structures with aqueous Ru 3+ ions, and (3) anchoring RuO 2 nanoparticles on HrGO surfaces. Solid-state FMSCs assembled using those fibers demonstrate a specific volumetric capacitance of 199 F cm -3 at 2 mV s -1 . Fabricated FMSCs also deliver an ultrahigh energy density of 27.3 mWh cm -3 , the highest among those reported for FMSCs to date. Furthermore, integrating 20 pieces of FMSCs with two commercial flexible solar cells as a self-powering energy system, a light-emitting diode panel can be lit up stably. The current work highlights the excellent potential of nano-RuO 2 -decorated HrGO composite fibers for constructing micro-supercapacitors with high energy density for wearable electronic devices. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Case study: dairies utilizing ultra-high stock density grazing in the Northeast

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Ultra-high stock density (UHSD) grazing has gained interest in the forage industry. However, little credible research exists to support anecdotal claims that forage and soil improvement occur through trampling high proportions (75+%) of mature forage into the soil by grazing dense groups of cattle o...

Ultra-high cooling rate utilizing thin film evaporation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Fengmin; Ma, Hongbin; Han, Xu; Chen, Hsiu-hung; Tian, Bohan

2012-09-01

This research introduces a cell cryopreservation method, which utilizes thin film evaporation and provides an ultra-high cooling rate. The microstructured surface forming the thin film evaporation was fabricated from copper microparticles with an average diameter of 50 μm. Experimental results showed that a cooling rate of approximately 5×104 °C/min was achieved in a temperature range from 10 °C to -187 °C. The current investigation will give birth to a cell cryopreservation method through vitrification with relatively low concentrations of cryoprotectants.

Ultrahigh-frequency ultrasound of fascicles in the median nerve at the wrist.

PubMed

Cartwright, Michael S; Baute, Vanessa; Caress, James B; Walker, Francis O

2017-10-01

An ultrahigh-frequency (70 MHZ) ultrasound device has recently been approved for human use. This study seeks to determine whether this device facilitates counting of fascicles within the median nerve at the wrist. Twenty healthy volunteers underwent imaging of the median nerve at the wrist bilaterally. The number of fascicles in each nerve was counted by two independent raters. The mean fascicle number was 22.68. Correlation was strong between the two raters (r = 0.68, P < 0.001). Age, sex, body mass index, and nerve area did not predict fascicle number. Those with bifid median nerves and persistent median arteries had lower fascicle density than those without anatomic anomalies (1.79 vs. 2.29; P = 0.01). Fascicles within the median nerve at the wrist can be readily imaged. Ultrahigh-frequency ultrasound technology may be informative in a variety of disorders affecting the peripheral nervous system. Muscle Nerve 56: 819-822, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Enhancing ultra-high CPV passive cooling using least-material finned heat sinks

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

Micheli, Leonardo, E-mail: lm409@exeter.ac.uk; Mallick, Tapas K., E-mail: T.K.Mallick@exeter.ac.uk; Fernandez, Eduardo F., E-mail: E.Fernandez-Fernandez2@exeter.ac.uk

2015-09-28

Ultra-high concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) systems aim to increase the cost-competiveness of CPV by increasing the concentrations over 2000 suns. In this work, the design of a heat sink for ultra-high concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) applications is presented. For the first time, the least-material approach, widely used in electronics to maximize the thermal dissipation while minimizing the weight of the heat sink, has been applied in CPV. This method has the potential to further decrease the cost of this technology and to keep the multijunction cell within the operative temperature range. The designing procedure is described in the paper and the resultsmore » of a thermal simulation are shown to prove the reliability of the solution. A prediction of the costs is also reported: a cost of 0.151$/W{sub p} is expected for a passive least-material heat sink developed for 4000x applications.« less

Advanced intermediate temperature sodium-nickel chloride batteries with ultra-high energy density

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Guosheng; Lu, Xiaochuan; Kim, Jin Y.; Meinhardt, Kerry D.; Chang, Hee Jung; Canfield, Nathan L.; Sprenkle, Vincent L.

2016-02-01

Sodium-metal halide batteries have been considered as one of the more attractive technologies for stationary electrical energy storage, however, they are not used for broader applications despite their relatively well-known redox system. One of the roadblocks hindering market penetration is the high-operating temperature. Here we demonstrate that planar sodium-nickel chloride batteries can be operated at an intermediate temperature of 190 °C with ultra-high energy density. A specific energy density of 350 Wh kg-1, higher than that of conventional tubular sodium-nickel chloride batteries (280 °C), is obtained for planar sodium-nickel chloride batteries operated at 190 °C over a long-term cell test (1,000 cycles), and it attributed to the slower particle growth of the cathode materials at the lower operating temperature. Results reported here demonstrate that planar sodium-nickel chloride batteries operated at an intermediate temperature could greatly benefit this traditional energy storage technology by improving battery energy density, cycle life and reducing material costs.

Ultrahigh-sensitive sensing platform based on p-type dumbbell-like Co3O4 network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Tingting; Zhang, Tong; Zhang, Rui; Lou, Zheng; Deng, Jianan; Wang, Lili

2017-12-01

Development of high performance room temperature sensors remains a grand challenge for high demand of practical application. Metal oxide semiconductors (MOSs) have many advantages over others due to their easy functionalization, high surface area, and low cost. However, they typically need a high work temperature during sensing process. Here, p-type sensing layer is reported, consisting of pore-rich dumbbell-like Co3O4 particles (DP-Co3O4) with intrinsic high catalytic activity. The gas sensor (GS) based DP-Co3O4 catalyst exhibits ultrahigh NH3 sensing activity along with excellent stability over other structure based NH3 GSs in room temperature work environment. In addition, the unique structure of DP-Co3O4 with pore-rich and high catalytic activity endows fast gas diffusion rate and high sensitivity at room temperature. Taken together, the findings in this work highlight the merit of integrating highly active materials in p-type materials, offering a framework to develop high-sensitivity room temperature sensing platforms.

Case study: dairies utilizing ultra-high stock density grazing in the northeast

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Ultra-high stock density (UHSD) grazing (also loosely referred to as ‘mob grazing’) has attracted a lot of attention and press in the forage industry. Numerous anecdotal articles can be found in trade magazines that promote the perceived benefits of UHSD grazing. However, there is little credible re...

Systematic Calibration for Ultra-High Accuracy Inertial Measurement Units.

PubMed

Cai, Qingzhong; Yang, Gongliu; Song, Ningfang; Liu, Yiliang

2016-06-22

An inertial navigation system (INS) has been widely used in challenging GPS environments. With the rapid development of modern physics, an atomic gyroscope will come into use in the near future with a predicted accuracy of 5 × 10(-6)°/h or better. However, existing calibration methods and devices can not satisfy the accuracy requirements of future ultra-high accuracy inertial sensors. In this paper, an improved calibration model is established by introducing gyro g-sensitivity errors, accelerometer cross-coupling errors and lever arm errors. A systematic calibration method is proposed based on a 51-state Kalman filter and smoother. Simulation results show that the proposed calibration method can realize the estimation of all the parameters using a common dual-axis turntable. Laboratory and sailing tests prove that the position accuracy in a five-day inertial navigation can be improved about 8% by the proposed calibration method. The accuracy can be improved at least 20% when the position accuracy of the atomic gyro INS can reach a level of 0.1 nautical miles/5 d. Compared with the existing calibration methods, the proposed method, with more error sources and high order small error parameters calibrated for ultra-high accuracy inertial measurement units (IMUs) using common turntables, has a great application potential in future atomic gyro INSs.

Constraints on Ultrahigh-Energy Cosmic-Ray Sources from a Search for Neutrinos above 10 PeV with IceCube

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aartsen, M. G.; Abraham, K.; Ackermann, M.; Adams, J.; Aguilar, J. A.; Ahlers, M.; Ahrens, M.; Altmann, D.; Andeen, K.; Anderson, T.; Ansseau, I.; Anton, G.; Archinger, M.; Argüelles, C.; Auffenberg, J.; Axani, S.; Bai, X.; Barwick, S. W.; Baum, V.; Bay, R.; Beatty, J. J.; Becker Tjus, J.; Becker, K.-H.; BenZvi, S.; Berghaus, P.; Berley, D.; Bernardini, E.; Bernhard, A.; Besson, D. Z.; Binder, G.; Bindig, D.; Bissok, M.; Blaufuss, E.; Blot, S.; Bohm, C.; Börner, M.; Bos, F.; Bose, D.; Böser, S.; Botner, O.; Braun, J.; Brayeur, L.; Bretz, H.-P.; Burgman, A.; Carver, T.; Casier, M.; Cheung, E.; Chirkin, D.; Christov, A.; Clark, K.; Classen, L.; Coenders, S.; Collin, G. H.; Conrad, J. M.; Cowen, D. F.; Cross, R.; Day, M.; de André, J. P. A. M.; De Clercq, C.; del Pino Rosendo, E.; Dembinski, H.; De Ridder, S.; Desiati, P.; de Vries, K. D.; de Wasseige, G.; de With, M.; DeYoung, T.; Díaz-Vélez, J. C.; di Lorenzo, V.; Dujmovic, H.; Dumm, J. P.; Dunkman, M.; Eberhardt, B.; Ehrhardt, T.; Eichmann, B.; Eller, P.; Euler, S.; Evenson, P. A.; Fahey, S.; Fazely, A. R.; Feintzeig, J.; Felde, J.; Filimonov, K.; Finley, C.; Flis, S.; Fösig, C.-C.; Franckowiak, A.; Friedman, E.; Fuchs, T.; Gaisser, T. K.; Gallagher, J.; Gerhardt, L.; Ghorbani, K.; Giang, W.; Gladstone, L.; Glagla, M.; Glüsenkamp, T.; Goldschmidt, A.; Golup, G.; Gonzalez, J. G.; Grant, D.; Griffith, Z.; Haack, C.; Haj Ismail, A.; Hallgren, A.; Halzen, F.; Hansen, E.; Hansmann, B.; Hansmann, T.; Hanson, K.; Hebecker, D.; Heereman, D.; Helbing, K.; Hellauer, R.; Hickford, S.; Hignight, J.; Hill, G. C.; Hoffman, K. D.; Hoffmann, R.; Holzapfel, K.; Hoshina, K.; Huang, F.; Huber, M.; Hultqvist, K.; In, S.; Ishihara, A.; Jacobi, E.; Japaridze, G. S.; Jeong, M.; Jero, K.; Jones, B. J. P.; Jurkovic, M.; Kappes, A.; Karg, T.; Karle, A.; Katz, U.; Kauer, M.; Keivani, A.; Kelley, J. L.; Kemp, J.; Kheirandish, A.; Kim, M.; Kintscher, T.; Kiryluk, J.; Kittler, T.; Klein, S. R.; Kohnen, G.; Koirala, R.; Kolanoski, H.; Konietz, R.; Köpke, L.; Kopper, C.; Kopper, S.; Koskinen, D. J.; Kowalski, M.; Krings, K.; Kroll, M.; Krückl, G.; Krüger, C.; Kunnen, J.; Kunwar, S.; Kurahashi, N.; Kuwabara, T.; Labare, M.; Lanfranchi, J. L.; Larson, M. J.; Lauber, F.; Lennarz, D.; Lesiak-Bzdak, M.; Leuermann, M.; Leuner, J.; Lu, L.; Lünemann, J.; Madsen, J.; Maggi, G.; Mahn, K. B. M.; Mancina, S.; Mandelartz, M.; Maruyama, R.; Mase, K.; Maunu, R.; McNally, F.; Meagher, K.; Medici, M.; Meier, M.; Meli, A.; Menne, T.; Merino, G.; Meures, T.; Miarecki, S.; Mohrmann, L.; Montaruli, T.; Moulai, M.; Nahnhauer, R.; Naumann, U.; Neer, G.; Niederhausen, H.; Nowicki, S. C.; Nygren, D. R.; Obertacke Pollmann, A.; Olivas, A.; O'Murchadha, A.; Palczewski, T.; Pandya, H.; Pankova, D. V.; Penek, Ö.; Pepper, J. A.; Pérez de los Heros, C.; Pieloth, D.; Pinat, E.; Price, P. B.; Przybylski, G. T.; Quinnan, M.; Raab, C.; Rädel, L.; Rameez, M.; Rawlins, K.; Reimann, R.; Relethford, B.; Relich, M.; Resconi, E.; Rhode, W.; Richman, M.; Riedel, B.; Robertson, S.; Rongen, M.; Rott, C.; Ruhe, T.; Ryckbosch, D.; Rysewyk, D.; Sabbatini, L.; Sanchez Herrera, S. E.; Sandrock, A.; Sandroos, J.; Sarkar, S.; Satalecka, K.; Schimp, M.; Schlunder, P.; Schmidt, T.; Schoenen, S.; Schöneberg, S.; Schumacher, L.; Seckel, D.; Seunarine, S.; Soldin, D.; Song, M.; Spiczak, G. M.; Spiering, C.; Stahlberg, M.; Stanev, T.; Stasik, A.; Steuer, A.; Stezelberger, T.; Stokstad, R. G.; Stößl, A.; Ström, R.; Strotjohann, N. L.; Sullivan, G. W.; Sutherland, M.; Taavola, H.; Taboada, I.; Tatar, J.; Tenholt, F.; Ter-Antonyan, S.; Terliuk, A.; Tešić, G.; Tilav, S.; Toale, P. A.; Tobin, M. N.; Toscano, S.; Tosi, D.; Tselengidou, M.; Turcati, A.; Unger, E.; Usner, M.; Vandenbroucke, J.; van Eijndhoven, N.; Vanheule, S.; van Rossem, M.; van Santen, J.; Veenkamp, J.; Vehring, M.; Voge, M.; Vraeghe, M.; Walck, C.; Wallace, A.; Wallraff, M.; Wandkowsky, N.; Weaver, Ch.; Weiss, M. J.; Wendt, C.; Westerhoff, S.; Whelan, B. J.; Wickmann, S.; Wiebe, K.; Wiebusch, C. H.; Wille, L.; Williams, D. R.; Wills, L.; Wolf, M.; Wood, T. R.; Woolsey, E.; Woschnagg, K.; Xu, D. L.; Xu, X. W.; Xu, Y.; Yanez, J. P.; Yodh, G.; Yoshida, S.; Zoll, M.; IceCube Collaboration

2016-12-01

We report constraints on the sources of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) above 1 09 GeV , based on an analysis of seven years of IceCube data. This analysis efficiently selects very high- energy neutrino-induced events which have deposited energies from 5 ×1 05 GeV to above 1 011 GeV . Two neutrino-induced events with an estimated deposited energy of (2.6 ±0.3 )×1 06 GeV , the highest neutrino energy observed so far, and (7.7 ±2.0 )×1 05 GeV were detected. The atmospheric background-only hypothesis of detecting these events is rejected at 3.6 σ . The hypothesis that the observed events are of cosmogenic origin is also rejected at >99 % CL because of the limited deposited energy and the nonobservation of events at higher energy, while their observation is consistent with an astrophysical origin. Our limits on cosmogenic neutrino fluxes disfavor the UHECR sources having a cosmological evolution stronger than the star formation rate, e.g., active galactic nuclei and γ -ray bursts, assuming proton-dominated UHECRs. Constraints on UHECR sources including mixed and heavy UHECR compositions are obtained for models of neutrino production within UHECR sources. Our limit disfavors a significant part of parameter space for active galactic nuclei and new-born pulsar models. These limits on the ultrahigh-energy neutrino flux models are the most stringent to date.

Antioxidant Capability of Ultra-high Temperature Milk and Ultra-high Temperature Soy Milk and their Fermented Products Determined by Four Distinct Spectrophotometric Methods

PubMed Central

Baghbadorani, Sahar Torki; Ehsani, Mohammad Reza; Mirlohi, Maryam; Ezzatpanah, Hamid; Azadbakht, Leila; Babashahi, Mina

2017-01-01

Background: Due to the recent emerging information on the antioxidant properties of soy products, substitution of soy milk for milk in the diet has been proposed by some nutritionists. We aimed to compare four distinct antioxidant measuring methods in the evaluation of antioxidant properties of industrial ultra-high temperature (UHT) milk, UHT soy milk, and their fermented products by Lactobacillus plantarum A7. Materials and Methods: Ascorbate auto-oxidation inhibition assay, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate (DPPH) free radical scavenging method, hydrogen peroxide neutralization assay and reducing activity test were compared for the homogeneity and accuracy of the results. Results: The results obtained by the four tested methods did not completely match with each other. The results of the DPPH assay and the reducing activity were more coordinated than the other methods. By the use of these methods, the antioxidant capability of UHT soy milk was measured more than UHT milk (33.51 ± 6.00% and 945 ± 56 μM cysteine compared to 8.70 ± 3.20% and 795 ± 82 μM cysteine). The negative effect of fermentation on the antioxidant potential of UHT soy milk was revealed as ascorbate auto-oxidation inhibition assay, DPPH method and reducing activity tests ended to approximately 52%, 58%, and 80% reduction in antioxidant potential of UHT soy milk, respectively. Conclusions: The antioxidative properties of UHT soy milk could not be solely due to its phenolic components. Peptides and amino acids derived from thermal processing in soy milk probably have a main role in its antioxidant activity, which should be studied in the future. PMID:28603703

Graphene and carbon nanotube composite electrodes for supercapacitors with ultra-high energy density.

PubMed

Cheng, Qian; Tang, Jie; Ma, Jun; Zhang, Han; Shinya, Norio; Qin, Lu-Chang

2011-10-21

We describe a graphene and single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) composite film prepared by a blending process for use as electrodes in high energy density supercapacitors. Specific capacitances of 290.6 F g(-1) and 201.0 F g(-1) have been obtained for a single electrode in aqueous and organic electrolytes, respectively, using a more practical two-electrode testing system. In the organic electrolyte the energy density reached 62.8 Wh kg(-1) and the power density reached 58.5 kW kg(-1). The addition of single-walled carbon nanotubes raised the energy density by 23% and power density by 31% more than the graphene electrodes. The graphene/CNT electrodes exhibited an ultra-high energy density of 155.6 Wh kg(-1) in ionic liquid at room temperature. In addition, the specific capacitance increased by 29% after 1000 cycles in ionic liquid, indicating their excellent cyclicity. The SWCNTs acted as a conductive additive, spacer, and binder in the graphene/CNT supercapacitors. This work suggests that our graphene/CNT supercapacitors can be comparable to NiMH batteries in performance and are promising for applications in hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles. This journal is © the Owner Societies 2011

Ultra-high performance concrete : a state-of-the-art report for the bridge community.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-06-01

"The term Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) refers to a relatively new class of advanced cementitious : composite materials whose mechanical and durability properties far surpass those of conventional concrete. This : class of concrete has been ...

Ultra-high temperature tensile properties of ODS steel claddings under severe accident conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yano, Y.; Tanno, T.; Oka, H.; Ohtsuka, S.; Inoue, T.; Kato, S.; Furukawa, T.; Uwaba, T.; Kaito, T.; Ukai, S.; Oono, N.; Kimura, A.; Hayashi, S.; Torimaru, T.

2017-04-01

Ultra-high temperature ring tensile tests were performed to investigate the tensile behavior of oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steel claddings and wrapper materials under severe accident conditions with temperatures ranging from room temperature to 1400 °C which is close to the melting point of core materials. The experimental results showed that the tensile strength of 9Cr-ODS steel claddings was highest in the core materials at ultra-high temperatures of 900-1200 °C, but there was significant degradation in the tensile strength of 9Cr-ODS steel claddings above 1200 °C. This degradation was attributed to grain boundary sliding deformation with γ/δ transformation, which is associated with reduced ductility. By contrast, the tensile strength of recrystallized 12Cr-ODS and FeCrAl-ODS steel claddings retained its high value above 1200 °C, unlike the other tested materials.

Suppression of Antigen-Specific Lymphocyte Activation in Simulated Microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cooper, David; Pride, Michael W.; Brown, Eric L.; Risin, Diana; Pellis, Neal R.

1999-01-01

Various parameters of immune suppression are observed in astronauts during and after spaceflight, and in isolated immune cells in true and simulated microgravity. Specifically, polyclonal activation of T cells is severely suppressed in true and simulated microgravity. These recent findings with various polyclonal activators suggests a suppression of oligoclonal lymphocyte activation in microgravity. We utilized rotating wall vessel (RWV) bioreactors that simulate aspects of microgravity for cell cultures to analyze three models of antigen-specific activation. A mixed-lymphocyte reaction (MLR), as a model for a primary immune response; a tetanus toxoid (TT) response and a B. burgdorferi (Bb) response, as models of a secondary immune response, were all suppressed in the RWV bioreactor. Our findings confirm that the suppression of activation observed with polyclonal models also encompasses oligoclonal antigen-specific activation.

Cortico-Striatal GABAergic and Glutamatergic Dysregulations in Subjects at Ultra-High Risk for Psychosis Investigated with Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

PubMed Central

Reyes-Madrigal, Francisco; Mao, Xiangling; León-Ortiz, Pablo; Rodríguez-Mayoral, Oscar; Solís-Vivanco, Rodolfo; Favila, Rafael; Graff-Guerrero, Ariel; Shungu, Dikoma C.

2016-01-01

Background: Dysregulations of the major inhibitory and excitatory amino neurotransmitter systems of γ-aminobutyric acid and glutamate, respectively, have been described in patients with schizophrenia. However, it is unclear whether these abnormalities are present in subjects at ultra-high risk for psychosis. Methods: Twenty-three antipsychotic naïve subjects at ultra-high risk and 24 healthy control subjects, matched for age, sex, handedness, cigarette smoking, and parental education, underwent proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy scans in the dorsal caudate bilaterally and the medial prefrontal cortex at 3T. Levels of γ-aminobutyric acid and of the combined resonance of glutamate and glutamine (Glx) were obtained using the standard J-editing technique and expressed as peak area ratios relative to the synchronously acquired unsuppressed voxel water signal. Results: Higher levels of γ-aminobutyric acid (P<.001) and Glx (P=.007) were found in the dorsal caudate of the subjects at ultra-high risk than in the healthy controls. In the medial prefrontal cortex, likewise, both γ-aminobutyric acid (P=.03) and Glx (P=.006) levels were higher in the ultra-high risk group than in the healthy controls. No group differences were found for any of the other metabolites (N-acetylaspartate, total choline, or total creatine) in the 2 regions of interest. Conclusions: This study presents the first evidence of abnormal elevations, in subjects at ultra-high risk, of γ-aminobutyric acid and Glx in 2 brain regions that have been implicated in the pathophysiology of psychosis, warranting longitudinal studies to assess whether these neurotransmitter abnormalities can serve as noninvasive biomarkers of conversion risk to psychosis as well as of illness progression and treatment response. PMID:26364273

Ultra-high pressure LC for astaxanthin determination in shrimp by-products and active food packaging.

PubMed

Sanches-Silva, A; Ribeiro, T; Albuquerque, T G; Paseiro, P; Sendón, R; de Quirós, A Bernaldo; López-Cervantes, J; Sánchez-Machado, D I; Soto Valdez, H; Angulo, I; Aurrekoetxea, G P; Costa, H S

2013-06-01

Nowadays, there is increasing interest in natural antioxidants from food by-products. Astaxanthin is a potent antioxidant and one of the major carotenoids in crustaceans and salmonids. An ultra-high pressure liquid chromatographic method was developed and validated for the determination of astaxanthin in shrimp by-products, and its migration from new packaging materials to food simulants was also studied. The method uses an UPLC® BEH guard-column (2.1 × 5 mm, 1.7 µm particle size) and an UPLC® BEH analytical column (2.1 × 50 mm, 1.7 µm particle size). Chromatographic separation was achieved using a programmed gradient mobile phase consisting of (A) acetonitrile-methanol (containing 0.05 m ammonium acetate)-dichloromethane (75:20:5, v/v/v) and (B) ultrapure water. This method was evaluated with respect to validation parameters such as linearity, precision, limit of detection, limit of quantification and recovery. Low-density polyethylene films were prepared with different amounts of the lipid fraction of fermented shrimp waste by extrusion, and migration was evaluated into food simulants (isooctane and ethanol 95%, v/v). Migration was not detected under the tested conditions. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

An intra-neural microstimulation system for ultra-high field magnetic resonance imaging and magnetoencephalography.

PubMed

Glover, Paul M; Watkins, Roger H; O'Neill, George C; Ackerley, Rochelle; Sanchez-Panchuelo, Rosa; McGlone, Francis; Brookes, Matthew J; Wessberg, Johan; Francis, Susan T

2017-10-01

Intra-neural microstimulation (INMS) is a technique that allows the precise delivery of low-current electrical pulses into human peripheral nerves. Single unit INMS can be used to stimulate individual afferent nerve fibres during microneurography. Combining this with neuroimaging allows the unique monitoring of central nervous system activation in response to unitary, controlled tactile input, with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) providing exquisite spatial localisation of brain activity and magnetoencephalography (MEG) high temporal resolution. INMS systems suitable for use within electrophysiology laboratories have been available for many years. We describe an INMS system specifically designed to provide compatibility with both ultra-high field (7T) fMRI and MEG. Numerous technical and safety issues are addressed. The system is fully analogue, allowing for arbitrary frequency and amplitude INMS stimulation. Unitary recordings obtained within both the MRI and MEG screened-room environments are comparable with those obtained in 'clean' electrophysiology recording environments. Single unit INMS (current <7μA, 200μs pulses) of individual mechanoreceptive afferents produces appropriate and robust responses during fMRI and MEG. This custom-built MRI- and MEG-compatible stimulator overcomes issues with existing INMS approaches; it allows well-controlled switching between recording and stimulus mode, prevents electrical shocks because of long cable lengths, permits unlimited patterns of stimulation, and provides a system with improved work-flow and participant comfort. We demonstrate that the requirements for an INMS-integrated system, which can be used with both fMRI and MEG imaging systems, have been fully met. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Next-generation technologies for spatial proteomics: Integrating ultra-high speed MALDI-TOF and high mass resolution MALDI FTICR imaging mass spectrometry for protein analysis.

PubMed

Spraggins, Jeffrey M; Rizzo, David G; Moore, Jessica L; Noto, Michael J; Skaar, Eric P; Caprioli, Richard M

2016-06-01

MALDI imaging mass spectrometry is a powerful analytical tool enabling the visualization of biomolecules in tissue. However, there are unique challenges associated with protein imaging experiments including the need for higher spatial resolution capabilities, improved image acquisition rates, and better molecular specificity. Here we demonstrate the capabilities of ultra-high speed MALDI-TOF and high mass resolution MALDI FTICR IMS platforms as they relate to these challenges. High spatial resolution MALDI-TOF protein images of rat brain tissue and cystic fibrosis lung tissue were acquired at image acquisition rates >25 pixels/s. Structures as small as 50 μm were spatially resolved and proteins associated with host immune response were observed in cystic fibrosis lung tissue. Ultra-high speed MALDI-TOF enables unique applications including megapixel molecular imaging as demonstrated for lipid analysis of cystic fibrosis lung tissue. Additionally, imaging experiments using MALDI FTICR IMS were shown to produce data with high mass accuracy (<5 ppm) and resolving power (∼75 000 at m/z 5000) for proteins up to ∼20 kDa. Analysis of clear cell renal cell carcinoma using MALDI FTICR IMS identified specific proteins localized to healthy tissue regions, within the tumor, and also in areas of increased vascularization around the tumor. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Depth-resolved imaging of capillary networks in retina and choroid using ultrahigh sensitive optical microangiography

PubMed Central

Wang, Ruikang K.; An, Lin; Francis, Peter; Wilson, David J.

2010-01-01

We demonstrate the depth-resolved and detailed ocular perfusion maps within retina and choroid can be obtained from an ultrahigh sensitive optical microangiography (OMAG). As opposed to the conventional OMAG, we apply the OMAG algorithm along the slow scanning axis to achieve the ultrahigh sensitive imaging to the slow flows within capillaries. We use an 840nm system operating at an imaging rate of 400 frames/sec that requires 3 sec to complete one 3D scan of ~3x3 mm2 area on retina. We show the superior imaging performance of OMAG to provide functional images of capillary level microcirculation at different land-marked depths within retina and choroid that correlate well with the standard retinal pathology. PMID:20436605

Design optimization of ultra-high concentrator photovoltaic system using two-stage non-imaging solar concentrator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wong, C.-W.; Yew, T.-K.; Chong, K.-K.; Tan, W.-C.; Tan, M.-H.; Lim, B.-H.

2017-11-01

This paper presents a systematic approach for optimizing the design of ultra-high concentrator photovoltaic (UHCPV) system comprised of non-imaging dish concentrator (primary optical element) and crossed compound parabolic concentrator (secondary optical element). The optimization process includes the design of primary and secondary optics by considering the focal distance, spillage losses and rim angle of the dish concentrator. The imperfection factors, i.e. mirror reflectivity of 93%, lens’ optical efficiency of 85%, circumsolar ratio of 0.2 and mirror surface slope error of 2 mrad, were considered in the simulation to avoid the overestimation of output power. The proposed UHCPV system is capable of attaining effective ultra-high solar concentration ratio of 1475 suns and DC system efficiency of 31.8%.

Ultrahigh resolution multicolor colocalization of single fluorescent probes

DOEpatents

Weiss, Shimon; Michalet, Xavier; Lacoste, Thilo D.

2005-01-18

A novel optical ruler based on ultrahigh-resolution colocalization of single fluorescent probes is described. Two unique families of fluorophores are used, namely energy-transfer fluorescent beads and semiconductor nanocrystal (NC) quantum dots, that can be excited by a single laser wavelength but emit at different wavelengths. A novel multicolor sample-scanning confocal microscope was constructed which allows one to image each fluorescent light emitter, free of chromatic aberrations, by scanning the sample with nanometer scale steps using a piezo-scanner. The resulting spots are accurately localized by fitting them to the known shape of the excitation point-spread-function of the microscope.

Ultra-high current density thin-film Si diode

DOEpatents

Wang; Qi

2008-04-22

A combination of a thin-film .mu.c-Si and a-Si:H containing diode structure characterized by an ultra-high current density that exceeds 1000 A/cm.sup.2, comprising: a substrate; a bottom metal layer disposed on the substrate; an n-layer of .mu.c-Si deposited the bottom metal layer; an i-layer of .mu.c-Si deposited on the n-layer; a buffer layer of a-Si:H deposited on the i-layer, a p-layer of .mu.c-Si deposited on the buffer layer; and a top metal layer deposited on the p-layer.

Wide band cryogenic ultra-high vacuum microwave absorber

DOEpatents

Campisi, I.E.

1992-05-12

An absorber waveguide assembly for absorbing higher order modes of microwave energy under cryogenic ultra-high vacuum conditions, that absorbs wide-band multi-mode energy. The absorber is of a special triangular shape, made from flat tiles of silicon carbide and aluminum nitride. The leading sharp end of the absorber is located in a corner of the waveguide and tapers to a larger cross-sectional area whose center is located approximately in the center of the wave guide. The absorber is relatively short, being of less height than the maximum width of the waveguide. 11 figs.

Wide band cryogenic ultra-high vacuum microwave absorber

DOEpatents

Campisi, Isidoro E.

1992-01-01

An absorber wave guide assembly for absorbing higher order modes of microwave energy under cryogenic ultra-high vacuum conditions, that absorbs wide-band multi-mode energy. The absorber is of a special triangular shape, made from flat tiles of silicon carbide and aluminum nitride. The leading sharp end of the absorber is located in a corner of the wave guide and tapers to a larger cross-sectional area whose center is located approximately in the center of the wave guide. The absorber is relatively short, being of less height than the maximum width of the wave guide.

UML activity diagrams in requirements specification of logic controllers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grobelna, Iwona; Grobelny, Michał

2015-12-01

Logic controller specification can be prepared using various techniques. One of them is the wide understandable and user-friendly UML language and its activity diagrams. Using formal methods during the design phase increases the assurance that implemented system meets the project requirements. In the approach we use the model checking technique to formally verify a specification against user-defined behavioral requirements. The properties are usually defined as temporal logic formulas. In the paper we propose to use UML activity diagrams in requirements definition and then to formalize them as temporal logic formulas. As a result, UML activity diagrams can be used both for logic controller specification and for requirements definition, what simplifies the specification and verification process.

In-situ determination of residual specific activity in activated concrete walls of a PET-cyclotron room

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsumura, H.; Toyoda, A.; Masumoto, K.; Yoshida, G.; Yagishita, T.; Nakabayashi, T.; Sasaki, H.; Matsumura, K.; Yamaya, Y.; Miyazaki, Y.

2018-06-01

In the decommissioning work for concrete walls of PET-cyclotron rooms, an in-situ measurement is expected to be useful for obtaining a contour map of the specific activity on the walls without destroying the structure. In this study, specific activities of γ-ray-emitting radionuclides in concrete walls were determined by using an in-situ measurement method employing a portable Ge semiconductor detector, and compared with the specific activity obtained using the sampling measurement method, at the Medical and Pharmacological Research Center Foundation in Hakui, Ishikawa, Japan. Accordingly, the specific activity could be determined by the in-situ determination method. Since there is a clear correlation between the total specific activity of γ-ray-emitting radionuclides and contact dose rate, the specific activity can be determined approximately by contact dose-rate measurement using a NaI scintillation survey meter. The specific activity of each γ-ray-emitting radionuclide can also be estimated from the contact dose rate using a NaI scintillation survey meter. The in-situ measurement method is a powerful tool for the decommissioning of the PET cyclotron room.

Constraints on Ultrahigh-Energy Cosmic-Ray Sources from a Search for Neutrinos above 10 PeV with IceCube.

PubMed

Aartsen, M G; Abraham, K; Ackermann, M; Adams, J; Aguilar, J A; Ahlers, M; Ahrens, M; Altmann, D; Andeen, K; Anderson, T; Ansseau, I; Anton, G; Archinger, M; Argüelles, C; Auffenberg, J; Axani, S; Bai, X; Barwick, S W; Baum, V; Bay, R; Beatty, J J; Becker Tjus, J; Becker, K-H; BenZvi, S; Berghaus, P; Berley, D; Bernardini, E; Bernhard, A; Besson, D Z; Binder, G; Bindig, D; Bissok, M; Blaufuss, E; Blot, S; Bohm, C; Börner, M; Bos, F; Bose, D; Böser, S; Botner, O; Braun, J; Brayeur, L; Bretz, H-P; Burgman, A; Carver, T; Casier, M; Cheung, E; Chirkin, D; Christov, A; Clark, K; Classen, L; Coenders, S; Collin, G H; Conrad, J M; Cowen, D F; Cross, R; Day, M; de André, J P A M; De Clercq, C; Del Pino Rosendo, E; Dembinski, H; De Ridder, S; Desiati, P; de Vries, K D; de Wasseige, G; de With, M; DeYoung, T; Díaz-Vélez, J C; di Lorenzo, V; Dujmovic, H; Dumm, J P; Dunkman, M; Eberhardt, B; Ehrhardt, T; Eichmann, B; Eller, P; Euler, S; Evenson, P A; Fahey, S; Fazely, A R; Feintzeig, J; Felde, J; Filimonov, K; Finley, C; Flis, S; Fösig, C-C; Franckowiak, A; Friedman, E; Fuchs, T; Gaisser, T K; Gallagher, J; Gerhardt, L; Ghorbani, K; Giang, W; Gladstone, L; Glagla, M; Glüsenkamp, T; Goldschmidt, A; Golup, G; Gonzalez, J G; Grant, D; Griffith, Z; Haack, C; Haj Ismail, A; Hallgren, A; Halzen, F; Hansen, E; Hansmann, B; Hansmann, T; Hanson, K; Hebecker, D; Heereman, D; Helbing, K; Hellauer, R; Hickford, S; Hignight, J; Hill, G C; Hoffman, K D; Hoffmann, R; Holzapfel, K; Hoshina, K; Huang, F; Huber, M; Hultqvist, K; In, S; Ishihara, A; Jacobi, E; Japaridze, G S; Jeong, M; Jero, K; Jones, B J P; Jurkovic, M; Kappes, A; Karg, T; Karle, A; Katz, U; Kauer, M; Keivani, A; Kelley, J L; Kemp, J; Kheirandish, A; Kim, M; Kintscher, T; Kiryluk, J; Kittler, T; Klein, S R; Kohnen, G; Koirala, R; Kolanoski, H; Konietz, R; Köpke, L; Kopper, C; Kopper, S; Koskinen, D J; Kowalski, M; Krings, K; Kroll, M; Krückl, G; Krüger, C; Kunnen, J; Kunwar, S; Kurahashi, N; Kuwabara, T; Labare, M; Lanfranchi, J L; Larson, M J; Lauber, F; Lennarz, D; Lesiak-Bzdak, M; Leuermann, M; Leuner, J; Lu, L; Lünemann, J; Madsen, J; Maggi, G; Mahn, K B M; Mancina, S; Mandelartz, M; Maruyama, R; Mase, K; Maunu, R; McNally, F; Meagher, K; Medici, M; Meier, M; Meli, A; Menne, T; Merino, G; Meures, T; Miarecki, S; Mohrmann, L; Montaruli, T; Moulai, M; Nahnhauer, R; Naumann, U; Neer, G; Niederhausen, H; Nowicki, S C; Nygren, D R; Obertacke Pollmann, A; Olivas, A; O'Murchadha, A; Palczewski, T; Pandya, H; Pankova, D V; Penek, Ö; Pepper, J A; Pérez de Los Heros, C; Pieloth, D; Pinat, E; Price, P B; Przybylski, G T; Quinnan, M; Raab, C; Rädel, L; Rameez, M; Rawlins, K; Reimann, R; Relethford, B; Relich, M; Resconi, E; Rhode, W; Richman, M; Riedel, B; Robertson, S; Rongen, M; Rott, C; Ruhe, T; Ryckbosch, D; Rysewyk, D; Sabbatini, L; Sanchez Herrera, S E; Sandrock, A; Sandroos, J; Sarkar, S; Satalecka, K; Schimp, M; Schlunder, P; Schmidt, T; Schoenen, S; Schöneberg, S; Schumacher, L; Seckel, D; Seunarine, S; Soldin, D; Song, M; Spiczak, G M; Spiering, C; Stahlberg, M; Stanev, T; Stasik, A; Steuer, A; Stezelberger, T; Stokstad, R G; Stößl, A; Ström, R; Strotjohann, N L; Sullivan, G W; Sutherland, M; Taavola, H; Taboada, I; Tatar, J; Tenholt, F; Ter-Antonyan, S; Terliuk, A; Tešić, G; Tilav, S; Toale, P A; Tobin, M N; Toscano, S; Tosi, D; Tselengidou, M; Turcati, A; Unger, E; Usner, M; Vandenbroucke, J; van Eijndhoven, N; Vanheule, S; van Rossem, M; van Santen, J; Veenkamp, J; Vehring, M; Voge, M; Vraeghe, M; Walck, C; Wallace, A; Wallraff, M; Wandkowsky, N; Weaver, Ch; Weiss, M J; Wendt, C; Westerhoff, S; Whelan, B J; Wickmann, S; Wiebe, K; Wiebusch, C H; Wille, L; Williams, D R; Wills, L; Wolf, M; Wood, T R; Woolsey, E; Woschnagg, K; Xu, D L; Xu, X W; Xu, Y; Yanez, J P; Yodh, G; Yoshida, S; Zoll, M

2016-12-09

We report constraints on the sources of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) above 10^{9}  GeV, based on an analysis of seven years of IceCube data. This analysis efficiently selects very high- energy neutrino-induced events which have deposited energies from 5×10^{5}  GeV to above 10^{11}  GeV. Two neutrino-induced events with an estimated deposited energy of (2.6±0.3)×10^{6}  GeV, the highest neutrino energy observed so far, and (7.7±2.0)×10^{5}  GeV were detected. The atmospheric background-only hypothesis of detecting these events is rejected at 3.6σ. The hypothesis that the observed events are of cosmogenic origin is also rejected at >99% CL because of the limited deposited energy and the nonobservation of events at higher energy, while their observation is consistent with an astrophysical origin. Our limits on cosmogenic neutrino fluxes disfavor the UHECR sources having a cosmological evolution stronger than the star formation rate, e.g., active galactic nuclei and γ-ray bursts, assuming proton-dominated UHECRs. Constraints on UHECR sources including mixed and heavy UHECR compositions are obtained for models of neutrino production within UHECR sources. Our limit disfavors a significant part of parameter space for active galactic nuclei and new-born pulsar models. These limits on the ultrahigh-energy neutrino flux models are the most stringent to date.

Enhancing thermal reliability of fiber-optic sensors for bio-inspired applications at ultra-high temperatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Donghoon; Kim, Heon-Young; Kim, Dae-Hyun

2014-07-01

The rapid growth of bio-(inspired) sensors has led to an improvement in modern healthcare and human-robot systems in recent years. Higher levels of reliability and better flexibility, essential features of these sensors, are very much required in many application fields (e.g. applications at ultra-high temperatures). Fiber-optic sensors, and fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors in particular, are being widely studied as suitable sensors for improved structural health monitoring (SHM) due to their many merits. To enhance the thermal reliability of FBG sensors, thermal sensitivity, generally expressed as αf + ξf and considered a constant, should be investigated more precisely. For this purpose, the governing equation of FBG sensors is modified using differential derivatives between the wavelength shift and the temperature change in this study. Through a thermal test ranging from RT to 900 °C, the thermal sensitivity of FBG sensors is successfully examined and this guarantees thermal reliability of FBG sensors at ultra-high temperatures. In detail, αf + ξf has a non-linear dependence on temperature and varies from 6.0 × 10-6 °C-1 (20 °C) to 10.6 × 10-6 °C-1 (650 °C). Also, FBGs should be carefully used for applications at ultra-high temperatures due to signal disappearance near 900 °C.

Ultra-high resolution spectral domain optical coherence tomography using supercontinuum light source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lim, Yiheng; Yatagai, Toyohiko; Otani, Yukitoshi

2016-04-01

An ultra-high resolution spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) was developed using a cost-effective supercontinuum laser. A spectral filter consists of a dispersive prism, a cylindrical lens and a right-angle prism was built to transmit the wavelengths in range 680-940 nm to the OCT system. The SD-OCT has achieved 1.9 μm axial resolution and the sensitivity was estimated to be 91.5 dB. A zero-crossing fringes matching method which maps the wavelengths to the pixel indices of the spectrometer was proposed for the OCT spectral calibration. A double sided foam tape as a static sample and the tip of a middle finger as a biological sample were measured by the OCT. The adhesive and the internal structure of the foam of the tape were successfully visualized in three dimensions. Sweat ducts was clearly observed in the OCT images at very high resolution. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of ultra-high resolution visualization of sweat duct by OCT.

Beyond sixfold coordinated Si in SiO2 glass at ultrahigh pressures

PubMed Central

Prescher, Clemens; Prakapenka, Vitali B.; Stefanski, Johannes; Jahn, Sandro; Skinner, Lawrie B.; Wang, Yanbin

2017-01-01

We investigated the structure of SiO2 glass up to 172 GPa using high-energy X-ray diffraction. The combination of a multichannel collimator with diamond anvil cells enabled the measurement of structural changes in silica glass with total X-ray diffraction to previously unachievable pressures. We show that SiO2 first undergoes a change in Si–O coordination number from fourfold to sixfold between 15 and 50 GPa, in agreement with previous investigations. Above 50 GPa, the estimated coordination number continuously increases from 6 to 6.8 at 172 GPa. Si–O bond length shows first an increase due to the fourfold to sixfold coordination change and then a smaller linear decrease up to 172 GPa. We reconcile the changes in relation to the oxygen-packing fraction, showing that oxygen packing decreases at ultrahigh pressures to accommodate the higher than sixfold Si–O coordination. These results give experimental insight into the structural changes of silicate glasses as analogue materials for silicate melts at ultrahigh pressures. PMID:28874582

Beyond sixfold coordinated Si in SiO2 glass at ultrahigh pressures.

PubMed

Prescher, Clemens; Prakapenka, Vitali B; Stefanski, Johannes; Jahn, Sandro; Skinner, Lawrie B; Wang, Yanbin

2017-09-19

We investigated the structure of SiO 2 glass up to 172 GPa using high-energy X-ray diffraction. The combination of a multichannel collimator with diamond anvil cells enabled the measurement of structural changes in silica glass with total X-ray diffraction to previously unachievable pressures. We show that SiO 2 first undergoes a change in Si-O coordination number from fourfold to sixfold between 15 and 50 GPa, in agreement with previous investigations. Above 50 GPa, the estimated coordination number continuously increases from 6 to 6.8 at 172 GPa. Si-O bond length shows first an increase due to the fourfold to sixfold coordination change and then a smaller linear decrease up to 172 GPa. We reconcile the changes in relation to the oxygen-packing fraction, showing that oxygen packing decreases at ultrahigh pressures to accommodate the higher than sixfold Si-O coordination. These results give experimental insight into the structural changes of silicate glasses as analogue materials for silicate melts at ultrahigh pressures.

Fracture Mechanisms of Zirconium Diboride Ultra-High Temperature Ceramics under Pulse Loading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skripnyak, Vladimir V.; Bragov, Anatolii M.; Skripnyak, Vladimir A.; Lomunov, Andrei K.; Skripnyak, Evgeniya G.; Vaganova, Irina K.

2015-06-01

Mechanisms of failure in ultra-high temperature ceramics (UHTC) based on zirconium diboride under pulse loading were studied experimentally by the method of SHPB and theoretically using the multiscale simulation method. The obtained experimental and numerical data are evidence of the quasi-brittle fracture character of nanostructured zirconium diboride ceramics under compression and tension at high strain rates and the room temperatures. Damage of nanostructured porous zirconium diboride -based UHTC can be formed under stress pulse amplitude below the Hugoniot elastic limit. Fracture of nanostructured ultra-high temperature ceramics under pulse and shock-wave loadings is provided by fast processes of intercrystalline brittle fracture and relatively slow processes of quasi-brittle failure via growth and coalescence of microcracks. A decrease of the shear strength can be caused by nano-voids clusters in vicinity of triple junctions between ceramic matrix grains and ultrafine-grained ceramics. This research was supported by grants from ``The Tomsk State University Academic D.I. Mendeleev Fund Program'' and also N. I. Lobachevski State University of Nizhny Novgorod (Grant of post graduate mobility).

A Novel Study Connecting Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays, Neutrinos, and Gamma-Rays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coenders, Stefan; Resconi, Elisa; Padovani, Paolo; Giommi, Paolo; Caccianiga, Lorenzo

We present a novel study connecting ultra-high energy cosmic rays, neutrinos, and gamma-rays with the objective to identify common counterparts of the three astrophysical messengers. In the test presented here, we first identify potential hadronic sources by filtering gamma-ray emitters that are in spatial coincidence with IceCube neutrinos. Subsequently, these objects are correlated against ultra-high energy cosmic rays detected by the Pierre Auger Observatory and the Telescope Array, scanning in gamma-ray flux and angular separation between sources and cosmic rays. A maximal excess of 80 cosmic rays (41.9 expected) is observed for the second catalog of hard Fermi-LAT objects of blazars of the high synchrotron peak type. This corresponds to a deviation from the null-hypothesis of 2.94σ . No excess is observed for objects not in spatial connection with neutrinos. The gamma-ray sources that make up the excess are blazars of the high synchrotron peak type.

Ultrahigh vacuum/high pressure chamber for surface x-ray diffraction experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernard, P.; Peters, K.; Alvarez, J.; Ferrer, S.

1999-02-01

We describe an ultrahigh vacuum chamber that can be internally pressurized to several bars and that is designed to perform surface x-ray diffraction experiments on solid-gas interfaces. The chamber has a cylindrical beryllium window that serves as the entrance and exit for the x rays. The sample surface can be ion bombarded with an ancillary ion gun and annealed to 1200 K.

Live Ultra-High Definition from the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grubbs, Rodney; George, Sandy

2017-01-01

The first ever live downlink of Ultra-High Definition (UHD) video from the International Space Station (ISS) was the highlight of a 'Super Session' at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) in April 2017. The Ultra-High Definition video downlink from the ISS all the way to the Las Vegas Convention Center required considerable planning, pushed the limits of conventional video distribution from a space-craft, and was the first use of High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) from a space-craft. The live event at NAB will serve as a pathfinder for more routine downlinks of UHD as well as use of HEVC for conventional HD downlinks to save bandwidth. HEVC may also enable live Virtual Reality video downlinks from the ISS. This paper will describe the overall work flow and routing of the UHD video, how audio was synchronized even though the video and audio were received many seconds apart from each other, and how the demonstration paves the way for not only more efficient video distribution from the ISS, but also serves as a pathfinder for more complex video distribution from deep space. The paper will also describe how a 'live' event was staged when the UHD coming from the ISS had a latency of 10+ seconds. Finally, the paper will discuss how NASA is leveraging commercial technologies for use on-orbit vs. creating technology as was required during the Apollo Moon Program and early space age.

Suppression of antigen-specific lymphocyte activation in modeled microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cooper, D.; Pride, M. W.; Brown, E. L.; Risin, D.; Pellis, N. R.; McIntire, L. V. (Principal Investigator)

2001-01-01

Various parameters of immune suppression are observed in lymphocytes from astronauts during and after a space flight. It is difficult to ascribe this suppression to microgravity effects on immune cells in crew specimens, due to the complex physiological response to space flight and the resultant effect on in vitro immune performance. Use of isolated immune cells in true and modeled microgravity in immune performance tests, suggests a direct effect of microgravity on in vitro cellular function. Specifically, polyclonal activation of T-cells is severely suppressed in true and modeled microgravity. These recent findings suggest a potential suppression of oligoclonal antigen-specific lymphocyte activation in microgravity. We utilized rotating wall vessel (RWV) bioreactors as an analog of microgravity for cell cultures to analyze three models of antigen-specific activation. A mixed-lymphocyte reaction, as a model for a primary immune response, a tetanus toxoid response and a Borrelia burgdorferi response, as models of a secondary immune response, were all suppressed in the RWV bioreactor. Our findings confirm that the suppression of activation observed with polyclonal models also encompasses oligoclonal antigen-specific activation.

Ionic liquid gating on atomic layer deposition passivated GaN: Ultra-high electron density induced high drain current and low contact resistance

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

Zhou, Hong; Du, Yuchen; Ye, Peide D., E-mail: yep@purdue.edu

2016-05-16

Herein, we report on achieving ultra-high electron density (exceeding 10{sup 14 }cm{sup −2}) in a GaN bulk material device by ionic liquid gating, through the application of atomic layer deposition (ALD) of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} to passivate the GaN surface. Output characteristics demonstrate a maximum drain current of 1.47 A/mm, the highest reported among all bulk GaN field-effect transistors, with an on/off ratio of 10{sup 5} at room temperature. An ultra-high electron density exceeding 10{sup 14 }cm{sup −2} accumulated at the surface is confirmed via Hall-effect measurement and transfer length measurement. In addition to the ultra-high electron density, we also observe a reductionmore » of the contact resistance due to the narrowing of the Schottky barrier width on the contacts. Taking advantage of the ALD surface passivation and ionic liquid gating technique, this work provides a route to study the field-effect and carrier transport properties of conventional semiconductors in unprecedented ultra-high charge density regions.« less

Ultrahigh photoconductivity of bandgap-graded CdSxSe1-x nanowires probed by terahertz spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Hongwei; Lu, Junpeng; Yang, Zongyin; Teng, Jinghua; Ke, Lin; Zhang, Xinhai; Tong, Limin; Sow, Chorng Haur

2016-06-01

Superiorly high photoconductivity is desirable in optoelectronic materials and devices for information transmission and processing. Achieving high photoconductivity via bandgap engineering in a bandgap-graded semiconductor nanowire has been proposed as a potential strategy. In this work, we report the ultrahigh photoconductivity of bandgap-graded CdSxSe1-x nanowires and its detailed analysis by means of ultrafast optical-pump terahertz-probe (OPTP) spectroscopy. The recombination rates and carrier mobility are quantitatively obtained via investigation of the transient carrier dynamics in the nanowires. By analysis of the terahertz (THz) spectra, we obtain an insight into the bandgap gradient and band alignment to carrier transport along the nanowires. The demonstration of the ultrahigh photoconductivity makes bandgap-graded CdSxSe1-x nanowires a promising candidate as building blocks for nanoscale electronic and photonic devices.

Development of ultra-high temperature material characterization capabilities using digital image correlation analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cline, Julia Elaine

2011-12-01

Ultra-high temperature deformation measurements are required to characterize the thermo-mechanical response of material systems for thermal protection systems for aerospace applications. The use of conventional surface-contacting strain measurement techniques is not practical in elevated temperature conditions. Technological advancements in digital imaging provide impetus to measure full-field displacement and determine strain fields with sub-pixel accuracy by image processing. In this work, an Instron electromechanical axial testing machine with a custom-designed high temperature gripping mechanism is used to apply quasi-static tensile loads to graphite specimens heated to 2000°F (1093°C). Specimen heating via Joule effect is achieved and maintained with a custom-designed temperature control system. Images are captured at monotonically increasing load levels throughout the test duration using an 18 megapixel Canon EOS Rebel T2i digital camera with a modified Schneider Kreutznach telecentric lens and a combination of blue light illumination and narrow band-pass filter system. Images are processed using an open-source Matlab-based digital image correlation (DIC) code. Validation of source code is performed using Mathematica generated images with specified known displacement fields in order to gain confidence in accurate software tracking capabilities. Room temperature results are compared with extensometer readings. Ultra-high temperature strain measurements for graphite are obtained at low load levels, demonstrating the potential for non-contacting digital image correlation techniques to accurately determine full-field strain measurements at ultra-high temperature. Recommendations are given to improve the experimental set-up to achieve displacement field measurements accurate to 1/10 pixel and strain field accuracy of less than 2%.

SMALLER FOOTPRINT DRILLING SYSTEM FOR DEEP AND HARD ROCK ENVIRONMENTS; FEASIBILITY OF ULTRA-HIGH SPEED DIAMOND DRILLING

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

Alan Black; Arnis Judzis

2004-10-01

The two phase program addresses long-term developments in deep well and hard rock drilling. TerraTek believes that significant improvements in drilling deep hard rock will be obtained by applying ultra-high (greater than 10,000 rpm) rotational speeds. The work includes a feasibility of concept research effort aimed at development and test results that will ultimately result in the ability to reliably drill ''faster and deeper'' possibly with rigs having a smaller footprint to be more mobile. The principle focus is on demonstration testing of diamond bits rotating at speeds in excess of 10,000 rpm to achieve high rate of penetration rockmore » cutting with substantially lower inputs of energy and loads. The project draws on TerraTek results submitted to NASA's ''Drilling on Mars'' program. The objective of that program was to demonstrate miniaturization of a robust and mobile drilling system that expends small amounts of energy. TerraTek successfully tested ultrahigh speed ({approx}40,000 rpm) small kerf diamond coring. Adaptation to the oilfield will require innovative bit designs for full hole drilling or continuous coring and the eventual development of downhole ultra-high speed drives. For domestic operations involving hard rock and deep oil and gas plays, improvements in penetration rates is an opportunity to reduce well costs and make viable certain field developments. An estimate of North American hard rock drilling costs is in excess of $1,200 MM. Thus potential savings of $200 MM to $600 MM are possible if drilling rates are doubled [assuming bit life is reasonable]. The net result for operators is improved profit margin as well as an improved position on reserves. The significance of the ''ultra-high rotary speed drilling system'' is the ability to drill into rock at very low weights on bit and possibly lower energy levels. The drilling and coring industry today does not practice this technology. The highest rotary speed systems in oil field and mining

SMALLER FOOTPRINT DRILLING SYSTEM FOR DEEP AND HARD ROCK ENVIRONMENTS; FEASIBILITY OF ULTRA-HIGH SPEED DIAMOND DRILLING

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

Alan Black; Arnis Judzis

2004-10-01

The two phase program addresses long-term developments in deep well and hard rock drilling. TerraTek believes that significant improvements in drilling deep hard rock will be obtained by applying ultra-high (greater than 10,000 rpm) rotational speeds. The work includes a feasibility of concept research effort aimed at development and test results that will ultimately result in the ability to reliably drill ''faster and deeper'' possibly with rigs having a smaller footprint to be more mobile. The principle focus is on demonstration testing of diamond bits rotating at speeds in excess of 10,000 rpm to achieve high rate of penetration rockmore » cutting with substantially lower inputs of energy and loads. The project draws on TerraTek results submitted to NASA's ''Drilling on Mars'' program. The objective of that program was to demonstrate miniaturization of a robust and mobile drilling system that expends small amounts of energy. TerraTek successfully tested ultrahigh speed ({approx}40,000 rpm) small kerf diamond coring. Adaptation to the oilfield will require innovative bit designs for full hole drilling or continuous coring and the eventual development of downhole ultra-high speed drives. For domestic operations involving hard rock and deep oil and gas plays, improvements in penetration rates is an opportunity to reduce well costs and make viable certain field developments. An estimate of North American hard rock drilling costs is in excess of $1,200 MM. Thus potential savings of $200 MM to $600 MM are possible if drilling rates are doubled [assuming bit life is reasonable]. The net result for operators is improved profit margin as well as an improved position on reserves. The significance of the ''ultra-high rotary speed drilling system'' is the ability to drill into rock at very low weights on bit and possibly lower energy levels. The drilling and coring industry today does not practice this technology. The highest rotary speed systems in oil field and mining

Cavity resonance absorption in ultra-high bandwidth CRT deflection structure by a resistive load

DOEpatents

Dunham, M.E.; Hudson, C.L.

1993-05-11

An improved ultra-high bandwidth helical coil deflection structure for a cathode ray tube is described comprising a first metal member having a bore therein, the metal walls of which form a first ground plane; a second metal member coaxially mounted in the bore of the first metal member and forming a second ground plane; a helical deflection coil coaxially mounted within the bore between the two ground planes; and a resistive load disposed in one end of the bore and electrically connected to the first and second ground planes, the resistive load having an impedance substantially equal to the characteristic impedance of the coaxial line formed by the two coaxial ground planes to inhibit cavity resonance in the structure within the ultra-high bandwidth of operation. Preferably, the resistive load comprises a carbon film on a surface of an end plug in one end of the bore.

Cavity resonance absorption in ultra-high bandwidth CRT deflection structure by a resistive load

DOEpatents

Dunham, Mark E.; Hudson, Charles L.

1993-01-01

An improved ultra-high bandwidth helical coil deflection structure for a hode ray tube is described comprising a first metal member having a bore therein, the metal walls of which form a first ground plane; a second metal member coaxially mounted in the bore of the first metal member and forming a second ground plane; a helical deflection coil coaxially mounted within the bore between the two ground planes; and a resistive load disposed in one end of the bore and electrically connected to the first and second ground planes, the resistive load having an impedance substantially equal to the characteristic impedance of the coaxial line formed by the two coaxial ground planes to inhibit cavity resonance in the structure within the ultra-high bandwidth of operation. Preferably, the resistive load comprises a carbon film on a surface of an end plug in one end of the bore.

Application of Magnetic Suspension and Balance Systems to Ultra-High Reynolds Number Facilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Britcher, Colin P.

1996-01-01

The current status of wind tunnel magnetic suspension and balance system development is briefly reviewed. Technical work currently underway at NASA Langley Research Center is detailed, where it relates to the ultra-high Reynolds number application. The application itself is addressed, concluded to be quite feasible, and broad design recommendations given.

Design of ultrahigh brightness solar-pumped disk laser.

PubMed

Liang, Dawei; Almeida, Joana

2012-09-10

To significantly improve the solar-pumped laser beam brightness, a multi-Fresnel lens scheme is proposed for side-pumping either a single-crystal Nd:YAG or a core-doped ceramic Sm(3+) Nd:YAG disk. Optimum laser system parameters are found through ZEMAX and LASCAD numerical analysis. An ultrahigh laser beam figure of merit B of 53 W is numerically calculated, corresponding to a significant enhancement of more than 180 times over the previous record. 17.7 W/m(2) collection efficiency is also numerically attained. The strong thermal effects that have hampered present-day rod-type solar-pumped lasers can also be largely alleviated.

Defect-engineered graphene chemical sensors with ultrahigh sensitivity.

PubMed

Lee, Geonyeop; Yang, Gwangseok; Cho, Ara; Han, Jeong Woo; Kim, Jihyun

2016-05-25

We report defect-engineered graphene chemical sensors with ultrahigh sensitivity (e.g., 33% improvement in NO2 sensing and 614% improvement in NH3 sensing). A conventional reactive ion etching system was used to introduce the defects in a controlled manner. The sensitivity of graphene-based chemical sensors increased with increasing defect density until the vacancy-dominant region was reached. In addition, the mechanism of gas sensing was systematically investigated via experiments and density functional theory calculations, which indicated that the vacancy defect is a major contributing factor to the enhanced sensitivity. This study revealed that defect engineering in graphene has significant potential for fabricating ultra-sensitive graphene chemical sensors.

Ultra-high aggregate bandwidth two-dimensional multiple-wavelength diode laser arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang-Hasnain, Connie

1994-04-01

Two-dimensional (2D) multi-wavelength vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) arrays is promising for ultrahigh aggregate capacity optical networks. A 2D VCSEL array emitting 140 distinct wavelengths was reported by implementing a spatially graded layer in the VCSEL structure, which in turn creates a wavelength spread. In this program, we concentrated on novel epitaxial growth techniques to make reproducible and repeatable multi-wavelength VCSEL arrays.

Improvement in the light sensitivity of the ultrahigh-speed high-sensitivity CCD with a microlens array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayashida, T.,; Yonai, J.; Kitamura, K.; Arai, T.; Kurita, T.; Tanioka, K.; Maruyama, H.; Etoh, T. Goji; Kitagawa, S.; Hatade, K.; Yamaguchi, T.; Takeuchi, H.; Iida, K.

2008-02-01

We are advancing the development of ultrahigh-speed, high-sensitivity CCDs for broadcast use that are capable of capturing smooth slow-motion videos in vivid colors even where lighting is limited, such as at professional baseball games played at night. We have already developed a 300,000 pixel, ultrahigh-speed CCD, and a single CCD color camera that has been used for sports broadcasts and science programs using this CCD. However, there are cases where even higher sensitivity is required, such as when using a telephoto lens during a baseball broadcast or a high-magnification microscope during science programs. This paper provides a summary of our experimental development aimed at further increasing the sensitivity of CCDs using the light-collecting effects of a microlens array.

Phenomenology of ultrahigh energy neutrino interactions and fluxes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hussain, Shahid

There are several models that predict the existence of high and ultrahigh energy (UHE) neutrinos; neutrinos that have amazingly high energies---energies above 10 15 eV. No man-made machines, existing or planned, can produce any particles of this high energies. It is the energies of these neutrinos that make them very interesting for the particle physics and astrophysics community; these neutrinos can be a unique tool to study the unknown regimes of energy, space, and time. Consequently, there is intense experimental activity focused on the detection of these neutrinos; no UHE neutrinos have been detected by these experiments so far. However, most of the UHE neutrino flux models predict that the fluxes of these neutrinos might be too small to be detected by the current detectors. Therefore, more powerful detectors are being built and we are at the beginning of a new and exciting era in neutrino astronomy. The interactions and fluxes of UHE neutrinos both are unknown experimentally. Our focus here is to explore, by numerically calculating observable signals from these neutrinos, different scenarios that can arise by the inter play of UHE neutrino interaction and flux models. Given several AGN and cosmogenic neutrino flux models, we look at two possibilities for neutrino interactions: (i) Neutrinos have standard model weak interactions at ultrahigh energies. (ii) neutrino interactions are enhanced around a TeV mass-scale, as implied by low scale gravity models with extra dimensions. The standard model weak and low scale gravity enhanced neutrino-nucleon interactions of UHE neutrinos both produce observable signals. In standard model, the charged current neutrino-nucleon interactions give muons, taus, and particle showers, and the neutral current interactions give particle showers. In low scale gravity, the micro black hole formation (and its subsequent decay) and the graviton exchange both give particle showers. Muons, taus, and the showers can be detected by the

Advanced intermediate temperature sodium-nickel chloride batteries with ultra-high energy density.

PubMed

Li, Guosheng; Lu, Xiaochuan; Kim, Jin Y; Meinhardt, Kerry D; Chang, Hee Jung; Canfield, Nathan L; Sprenkle, Vincent L

2016-02-11

Sodium-metal halide batteries have been considered as one of the more attractive technologies for stationary electrical energy storage, however, they are not used for broader applications despite their relatively well-known redox system. One of the roadblocks hindering market penetration is the high-operating temperature. Here we demonstrate that planar sodium-nickel chloride batteries can be operated at an intermediate temperature of 190 °C with ultra-high energy density. A specific energy density of 350 Wh kg(-1), higher than that of conventional tubular sodium-nickel chloride batteries (280 °C), is obtained for planar sodium-nickel chloride batteries operated at 190 °C over a long-term cell test (1,000 cycles), and it attributed to the slower particle growth of the cathode materials at the lower operating temperature. Results reported here demonstrate that planar sodium-nickel chloride batteries operated at an intermediate temperature could greatly benefit this traditional energy storage technology by improving battery energy density, cycle life and reducing material costs.

Advanced intermediate temperature sodium–nickel chloride batteries with ultra-high energy density

PubMed Central

Li, Guosheng; Lu, Xiaochuan; Kim, Jin Y.; Meinhardt, Kerry D.; Chang, Hee Jung; Canfield, Nathan L.; Sprenkle, Vincent L.

2016-01-01

Sodium-metal halide batteries have been considered as one of the more attractive technologies for stationary electrical energy storage, however, they are not used for broader applications despite their relatively well-known redox system. One of the roadblocks hindering market penetration is the high-operating temperature. Here we demonstrate that planar sodium–nickel chloride batteries can be operated at an intermediate temperature of 190 °C with ultra-high energy density. A specific energy density of 350 Wh kg−1, higher than that of conventional tubular sodium–nickel chloride batteries (280 °C), is obtained for planar sodium–nickel chloride batteries operated at 190 °C over a long-term cell test (1,000 cycles), and it attributed to the slower particle growth of the cathode materials at the lower operating temperature. Results reported here demonstrate that planar sodium–nickel chloride batteries operated at an intermediate temperature could greatly benefit this traditional energy storage technology by improving battery energy density, cycle life and reducing material costs. PMID:26864635

Improved rolling element bearings provide low torque and small temperature rise in ultrahigh vacuum environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glenn, D. C.

1966-01-01

Rolling element bearing with stainless steel races and rolling elements and a porous bronze cage successfully operates in ultrahigh vacuum environments at a low torque and with small temperature rise. All components are burnished in molybdenum disulfide.

Splice length of prestressing strand in field-cast ultra-high performance concrete connections, TechBrief

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-02-02

The objective of this research was to determine the lap splice length of untensioned prestressing strand in field-cast ultrahigh performance concrete (UHPC). This document is a technical summary of the Federal Highway Administration report, Splice Le...

Constructing Ultrahigh-Capacity Zinc-Nickel-Cobalt Oxide@Ni(OH)2 Core-Shell Nanowire Arrays for High-Performance Coaxial Fiber-Shaped Asymmetric Supercapacitors.

PubMed

Zhang, Qichong; Xu, Weiwei; Sun, Juan; Pan, Zhenghui; Zhao, Jingxin; Wang, Xiaona; Zhang, Jun; Man, Ping; Guo, Jiabin; Zhou, Zhenyu; He, Bing; Zhang, Zengxing; Li, Qingwen; Zhang, Yuegang; Xu, Lai; Yao, Yagang

2017-12-13

Increased efforts have recently been devoted to developing high-energy-density flexible supercapacitors for their practical applications in portable and wearable electronics. Although high operating voltages have been achieved in fiber-shaped asymmetric supercapacitors (FASCs), low specific capacitance still restricts the further enhancement of their energy density. This article specifies a facile and cost-effective method to directly grow three-dimensionally well-aligned zinc-nickel-cobalt oxide (ZNCO)@Ni(OH) 2 nanowire arrays (NWAs) on a carbon nanotube fiber (CNTF) with an ultrahigh specific capacitance of 2847.5 F/cm 3 (10.678 F/cm 2 ) at a current density of 1 mA/cm 2 , These levels are approximately five times higher than those of ZNCO NWAs/CNTF electrodes (2.10 F/cm 2 ) and four times higher than Ni(OH) 2 /CNTF electrodes (2.55 F/cm 2 ). Benefiting from their unique features, we successfully fabricated a prototype coaxial FASC (CFASC) with a maximum operating voltage of 1.6 V, which was assembled by adopting ZNCO@Ni(OH) 2 NWAs/CNTF as the core electrode and a thin layer of carbon coated vanadium nitride (VN@C) NWAs on a carbon nanotube strip (CNTS) as the outer electrode with KOH poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) as the gel electrolyte. A high specific capacitance of 94.67 F/cm 3 (573.75 mF/cm 2 ) and an exceptional energy density of 33.66 mWh/cm 3 (204.02 μWh/cm 2 ) were achieved for our CFASC device, which represent the highest levels of fiber-shaped supercapacitors to date. More importantly, the fiber-shaped ZnO-based photodetector is powered by the integrated CFASC, and it demonstrates excellent sensitivity in detecting UV light. Thus, this work paves the way to the construction of ultrahigh-capacity electrode materials for next-generation wearable energy-storage devices.

Hierarchically porous nitrogen-doped carbon derived from the activation of agriculture waste by potassium hydroxide and urea for high-performance supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zou, Kaixiang; Deng, Yuanfu; Chen, Juping; Qian, Yunqian; Yang, Yuewang; Li, Yingwei; Chen, Guohua

2018-02-01

Nitrogen-doped carbon with an ultra-high specific surface area and a hierarchically interconnected porous structure is synthesized in large scale from a green route, that is, the activation of bagasse via a one-step method using KOH and urea. KOH and urea play a synergistic effect for the enhancement of the specific surface area and the modification of pore size of the as-prepared material. Benefiting from the multiple synergistic roles originated from an ultra-high specific area (2905.4 m2 g-1), a high porous volume (2.05 mL g-1 with 75.6 vol% micropores, which is an ideal proportion of micropores for obtaining high specific capacitance), a suitable nitrogen content (2.63 wt%), and partial graphitization, the hierarchically interconnected porous N-doped carbon exhibits an excellent electrochemical performance with a high specific capacitance (350.8, 301.9, and 259.5 F g-1 at 1.0 A g-1 in acidic, alkaline, and neutral electrolytes, respectively), superior rate capability and excellent cycling stability (almost no capacitance loss up to 5000 cycles). Furthermore, the symmetric device assembled by this material achieves high energy densities of 39.1 and 23.5 Wh kg-1 at power densities of 1.0 and 20 kW kg-1, respectively, and exhibits an excellent long-term cycling stability (with capacitance retention above 95.0% after 10 000 cycles).

Preparation of Labeled Aflatoxins with High Specific Activities

PubMed Central

Hsieh, D. P. H.; Mateles, R. I.

1971-01-01

Resting cells of Aspergillus parasiticus ATCC 15517 were used to prepare highly labeled aflatoxins from labeled acetate. High synthetic activity in growing cells was evidenced only during 40 to 70 hr of incubation. Glucose was required for high incorporation efficiency, whereas the concentration of the labeled acetate determined the specific activity of the product. When labeled acetate was continuously added to maintain a concentration near but not exceeding 10 mm, in a culture containing 30 g of glucose per liter, 2% of its labels could be recovered in the purified aflatoxins which have a specific activity more than three times that of the labeled acetate. PMID:4329435

Stunning Aurora Borealis from Space - Ultra-High Definition 4K

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-04-17

NASA Television’s newest offering, NASA TV UHD, brings ultra-high definition video to a new level with the kind of imagery only the world’s leader in space exploration could provide. Harmonic produced this show exclusively for NASA TV UHD, using time-lapses shot from the International Space Station, showing both the Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis phenomena that occur when electrically charged electrons and protons in the Earth's magnetic field collide with neutral atoms in the upper atmosphere.

Stage-specific effects of Notch activation during skeletal myogenesis

PubMed Central

Bi, Pengpeng; Yue, Feng; Sato, Yusuke; Wirbisky, Sara; Liu, Weiyi; Shan, Tizhong; Wen, Yefei; Zhou, Daoguo; Freeman, Jennifer; Kuang, Shihuan

2016-01-01

Skeletal myogenesis involves sequential activation, proliferation, self-renewal/differentiation and fusion of myogenic stem cells (satellite cells). Notch signaling is known to be essential for the maintenance of satellite cells, but its function in late-stage myogenesis, i.e. post-differentiation myocytes and post-fusion myotubes, is unknown. Using stage-specific Cre alleles, we uncovered distinct roles of Notch1 in mononucleated myocytes and multinucleated myotubes. Specifically, constitutive Notch1 activation dedifferentiates myocytes into Pax7 quiescent satellite cells, leading to severe defects in muscle growth and regeneration, and postnatal lethality. By contrast, myotube-specific Notch1 activation improves the regeneration and exercise performance of aged and dystrophic muscles. Mechanistically, Notch1 activation in myotubes upregulates the expression of Notch ligands, which modulate Notch signaling in the adjacent satellite cells to enhance their regenerative capacity. These results highlight context-dependent effects of Notch activation during myogenesis, and demonstrate that Notch1 activity improves myotube’s function as a stem cell niche. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.17355.001 PMID:27644105

High-resolution microscope for tip-enhanced optical processes in ultrahigh vacuum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steidtner, Jens; Pettinger, Bruno

2007-10-01

An optical microscope based on tip-enhanced optical processes that can be used for studies on adsorbates as well as thin layers and nanostructures is presented. The microscope provides chemical and topographic informations with a resolution of a few nanometers and can be employed in ultrahigh vacuum as well as gas phase. The construction involves a number of improvements compared to conventional instruments. The central idea is to mount, within an UHV system, an optical platform with all necessary optical elements to a rigid frame that also carries the scanning tunneling microscope unit and to integrate a high numerical aperture parabolic mirror between the scanning probe microscope head and the sample. The parabolic mirror serves to focus the incident light and to collect a large fraction of the scattered light. The first experimental results of Raman measurements on silicon samples as well as brilliant cresyl blue layers on single crystalline gold and platinum surfaces in ultrahigh vacuum are presented. For dye adsorbates a Raman enhancement of ˜106 and a net signal gain of up to 4000 was observed. The focus diameter (˜λ/2) was measured by Raman imaging the focal region on a Si surface. The requirements of the parabolic mirror in terms of alignment accuracy were experimentally determined as well.

Ultrahigh vacuum and low-temperature cleaning of oxide surfaces using a low-concentration ozone beam

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

Pratt, A.; Department of Physics, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD; Graziosi, P.

We present a novel method of delivering a low-concentration (<15%) ozone beam to an ultra-high vacuum environment for the purpose of cleaning and dosing experimental samples through oxidation processing. The system described is safe, low-cost, and practical and overcomes the limitations of ozone transport in the molecular flow environment of high or ultrahigh vacuum whilst circumventing the use of pure ozone gas which is potentially highly explosive. The effectiveness of this method in removing surface contamination is demonstrated through comparison of high-temperature annealing of a simple oxide (MgO) in ozone and oxygen environments as monitored using quadrupole mass spectroscopy andmore » Auger electron spectroscopy. Additionally, we demonstrate the potential of ozone for obtaining clean complex oxide surfaces without the need for high-temperature annealing which may significantly alter surface structure.« less

Techniques for measuring ultrahigh-pressure Hugoniot equation of state on a three-stage gas gun

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xiang; Hu, Jianbo; Dai, Chengda; Wang, Qiangsong; Bo, Jingsong; Tan, Hua; Yu, Yuying

2011-06-01

A three-stage gas gun was developed by mounting an extending launcher tube on a two-stage gas gun, and was successfully applied to perform ultrahigh-pressure Hugoniot measurements for Ta and Pt by using this three-stage gun. Here we introduced the three-stag gas gun launcher and Hugoniot measurement techniques, including shock front shape diagnosis, shock wave velocity and impact velocity measurement as well as numerical simulation. By using this three-stage gun, Ta or Pt impactors were launched up to ~10 km/s, and the Hugoniot data were respectively measured with high accuracy up to 750 GPa for Ta and 1TPa for Pt. It is demonstrated that the three-stage gas gun is a promising technique for studying the ultrahigh-pressure properties of materials, which never before obtained by utilizing two-stage light-gas-gun.

Microfluidic droplet platform for ultrahigh-throughput single-cell screening of biodiversity.

PubMed

Terekhov, Stanislav S; Smirnov, Ivan V; Stepanova, Anastasiya V; Bobik, Tatyana V; Mokrushina, Yuliana A; Ponomarenko, Natalia A; Belogurov, Alexey A; Rubtsova, Maria P; Kartseva, Olga V; Gomzikova, Marina O; Moskovtsev, Alexey A; Bukatin, Anton S; Dubina, Michael V; Kostryukova, Elena S; Babenko, Vladislav V; Vakhitova, Maria T; Manolov, Alexander I; Malakhova, Maja V; Kornienko, Maria A; Tyakht, Alexander V; Vanyushkina, Anna A; Ilina, Elena N; Masson, Patrick; Gabibov, Alexander G; Altman, Sidney

2017-03-07

Ultrahigh-throughput screening (uHTS) techniques can identify unique functionality from millions of variants. To mimic the natural selection mechanisms that occur by compartmentalization in vivo, we developed a technique based on single-cell encapsulation in droplets of a monodisperse microfluidic double water-in-oil-in-water emulsion (MDE). Biocompatible MDE enables in-droplet cultivation of different living species. The combination of droplet-generating machinery with FACS followed by next-generation sequencing and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of the secretomes of encapsulated organisms yielded detailed genotype/phenotype descriptions. This platform was probed with uHTS for biocatalysts anchored to yeast with enrichment close to the theoretically calculated limit and cell-to-cell interactions. MDE-FACS allowed the identification of human butyrylcholinesterase mutants that undergo self-reactivation after inhibition by the organophosphorus agent paraoxon. The versatility of the platform allowed the identification of bacteria, including slow-growing oral microbiota species that suppress the growth of a common pathogen, Staphylococcus aureus , and predicted which genera were associated with inhibitory activity.

Quest for ultrahigh resolution in X-ray optics. [for solar astronomy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, J. M.; Krieger, A. S.; Silk, J. K.; Chase, R. C.

1979-01-01

A program of solar X-ray astronomy using grazing incidence optics has culminated in X-ray images of the corona having one arc second spatial resolution. These images have demonstrated that, in general, X-ray optics can be fabricated to their specifications and can provide the level of resolution for which they are designed. Several aspects of these programs relating to the performance of X-ray optics in regard to resolution, including the point response function, the variation of resolution with off-axis position and the recognition that nearly all solar X-ray images have been film limited, are discussed. By extending the experience gained on this and other programs it is clearly possible to design and fabricate X-ray optics with sub arc sec resolution. The performance required to meet the scientific objectives for the remainder of the century are discussed in relation to AXIO, an Advanced X-Ray Imaging Observatory for solar observations which is proposed for flight on the Space Shuttle. Several configurations of AXIO are described, each of which would be a major step in the quest for ultrahigh-resolution observations.

Ultrahigh-speed non-invasive widefield angiography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blatter, Cedric; Klein, Thomas; Grajciar, Branislav; Schmoll, Tilman; Wieser, Wolfgang; Andre, Raphael; Huber, Robert; Leitgeb, Rainer A.

2012-07-01

Retinal and choroidal vascular imaging is an important diagnostic benefit for ocular diseases such as age-related macular degeneration. The current gold standard for vessel visualization is fluorescence angiography. We present a potential non-invasive alternative to image blood vessels based on functional Fourier domain optical coherence tomography (OCT). For OCT to compete with the field of view and resolution of angiography while maintaining motion artifacts to a minimum, ultrahigh-speed imaging has to be introduced. We employ Fourier domain mode locking swept source technology that offers high quality imaging at an A-scan rate of up to 1.68 MHz. We present retinal angiogram over ˜48 deg acquired in a few seconds in a single recording without the need of image stitching. OCT at 1060 nm allows for high penetration in the choroid and efficient separate characterization of the retinal and choroidal vascularization.

A comparison of the wear of cross-linked polyethylene against itself with the wear of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene against itself.

PubMed

Joyce, T J; Unsworth, A

1996-01-01

Wear tests were carried out on reciprocating pin-on-plate machines which had pins loaded at 10 N and 40 N. The materials tested were irradiated cross-linked polyethylene sliding against itself, irradiated ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene sliding against itself and non-irradiated ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene sliding against itself. After 153.5 km of sliding, the non-irradiated ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene plates and pins showed mean wear factors under 10 N loads, or a nominal contact stress of 0.51 MPa, of 84.0 x 10(-6) mm3/N m for the plates and 81.3 x 10(-6) mm3/N m for the pins. Under 40 N loads, or a nominal contact stress of 2.04 MPa, the non-irradiated ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene pins sheared at 22.3 km. At the last measurement point prior to this failure, 19.1 km, wear factors of 158 x 10(-6) mm3/N m for the plates and 85.0 x 10(-6) mm3/N m for the pins had been measured. After 152.8 km. the irradiated ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene plates and pins showed mean wear factors under 10 N loads of 59.8 x 10(-6) mm3/N m for the plates and 31.1 x 10(-6) mm3/N m for the pins. In contrast, after 150.2 km, a mean wear factor of 0.72 x 10(-6) mm3/N m was found for the irradiated cross-linked polyethylene plates compared with 0.053 x 10(-6) mm3/N m for the irradiated cross-linked polyethylene pins.

Ultrahigh Charpy impact toughness (~450J) achieved in high strength ferrite/martensite laminated steels

PubMed Central

Cao, Wenquan; Zhang, Mingda; Huang, Chongxiang; Xiao, Shuyang; Dong, Han; Weng, Yuqing

2017-01-01

Strength and toughness are a couple of paradox as similar as strength-ductility trade-off in homogenous materials, body-centered-cubic steels in particular. Here we report a simple way to get ultrahigh toughness without sacrificing strength. By simple alloying design and hot rolling the 5Mn3Al steels in ferrite/austenite dual phase temperature region, we obtain a series of ferrite/martensite laminated steels that show up-to 400–450J Charpy V-notch impact energy combined with a tensile strength as high as 1.0–1.2 GPa at room temperature, which is nearly 3–5 times higher than that of conventional low alloy steels at similar strength level. This remarkably enhanced toughness is mainly attributed to the delamination between ferrite and martensite lamellae. The current finding gives us a promising way to produce high strength steel with ultrahigh impact toughness by simple alloying design and hot rolling in industry. PMID:28150692

Ultrahigh Piezoelectric Properties in Textured (K,Na)NbO3 -Based Lead-Free Ceramics.

PubMed

Li, Peng; Zhai, Jiwei; Shen, Bo; Zhang, Shujun; Li, Xiaolong; Zhu, Fangyuan; Zhang, Xingmin

2018-02-01

High-performance lead-free piezoelectric materials are in great demand for next-generation electronic devices to meet the requirement of environmentally sustainable society. Here, ultrahigh piezoelectric properties with piezoelectric coefficients (d 33 ≈700 pC N -1 , d 33 * ≈980 pm V -1 ) and planar electromechanical coupling factor (k p ≈76%) are achieved in highly textured (K,Na)NbO 3 (KNN)-based ceramics. The excellent piezoelectric properties can be explained by the strong anisotropic feature, optimized engineered domain configuration in the textured ceramics, and facilitated polarization rotation induced by the intermediate phase. In addition, the nanodomain structures with decreased domain wall energy and increased domain wall mobility also contribute to the ultrahigh piezoelectric properties. This work not only demonstrates the tremendous potential of KNN-based ceramics to replace lead-based piezoelectrics but also provides a good strategy to design high-performance piezoelectrics by controlling appropriate phase and crystallographic orientation. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Ultrahigh Charpy impact toughness (~450J) achieved in high strength ferrite/martensite laminated steels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Wenquan; Zhang, Mingda; Huang, Chongxiang; Xiao, Shuyang; Dong, Han; Weng, Yuqing

2017-02-01

Strength and toughness are a couple of paradox as similar as strength-ductility trade-off in homogenous materials, body-centered-cubic steels in particular. Here we report a simple way to get ultrahigh toughness without sacrificing strength. By simple alloying design and hot rolling the 5Mn3Al steels in ferrite/austenite dual phase temperature region, we obtain a series of ferrite/martensite laminated steels that show up-to 400-450J Charpy V-notch impact energy combined with a tensile strength as high as 1.0-1.2 GPa at room temperature, which is nearly 3-5 times higher than that of conventional low alloy steels at similar strength level. This remarkably enhanced toughness is mainly attributed to the delamination between ferrite and martensite lamellae. The current finding gives us a promising way to produce high strength steel with ultrahigh impact toughness by simple alloying design and hot rolling in industry.

Hydrogenated borophene as a stable two-dimensional Dirac material with an ultrahigh Fermi velocity.

PubMed

Xu, Li-Chun; Du, Aijun; Kou, Liangzhi

2016-10-05

The recent synthesis of monolayer borophene (triangular boron monolayer) on a substrate has opened the era of boron nanosheets (Science, 2015, 350, 1513), but the structural instability and a need to explore the novel physical properties are still open issues. Here we demonstrated that borophene can be stabilized by full surface hydrogenation (borophane), from first-principles calculations. Most interestingly, our calculations show that borophane has direction-dependent Dirac cones, which are mainly caused by the in-plane p x and p y orbitals of boron atoms. The Dirac fermions possess an ultrahigh Fermi velocity of up to 3.5 × 10 6 m s -1 under the HSE06 level, which is 4 times higher than that of graphene. The Young's moduli are calculated to be 190 and 120 GPa nm along two different directions, which are comparable to those of steel. The ultrahigh Fermi velocity and good mechanical features render borophane ideal for nanoelectronic applications.

Ultrahigh pressure deformation of polycrystaline hcp-cobalt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Merkel, S.; Antonangeli, D.; Fiquet, G.; Yagi, T.

2003-12-01

During the past few years, a novel set of methods has been developed allowing direct measurements on elasticity and rheology under static ultrahigh pressures using synchrotron x-ray diffraction and the diamond anvil cell. In particular, the analysis on the development of texture and uniaxial stress in a polycrystalline sample under ultrahigh pressure and non-hydrostatic conditions yielded to very interesting results on the microscopic deformation mechanisms and strength of MgO, silicate perovskite or ɛ -Fe [eg. Merkel et al. 2002, Merkel et al. 2003]. However, our understanding of the properties of the ɛ phase of iron remains poor. There are considerable uncertainties and disagreement on the results of various experiments or first-principles calculations. In particular, the results of the radial diffraction measurement on ɛ -Fe [Mao et al. 1998] have been highly controversial. In order to address this issue, we performed investigations on polycrystalline hcp-cobalt. Its properties such as the bulk modulus and thermal expansion are very close to those of ɛ -Fe and it is readily available under ambient conditions. Thus, it is a well known material and results from the high pressure radial diffraction experiments can be compared with those from well-established techniques. In the present analysis, we performed a new set a measurements between 0 and 20 GPa under ambient temperature conditions at the ESRF synchrotron source using amorphous boron gasket, monochromatic x-ray beam, and imaging plate techniques. From such an experiment, we are able to extract information on non-hydrostatic stress, elasticity, and preferred orientations of the sample in-situ under high pressure and compare them with results obtained previously on ɛ -Fe. Documenting the evolution of stress, elasticity and texture in hcp metals is of great interest for our understanding of the bulk properties and seismic anisotropy of the Earth's inner core. S. Merkel et al., J. Geophys. Res. 107 (2002

Sub-10-Minute Characterization of an Ultrahigh Molar Mass Polymer by Multi-detector Hydrodynamic Chromatography

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Molar mass averages, distributions, and architectural information of polymers are routinely obtained using size-exclusion chromatography (SEC). It has previously been shown that ultrahigh molar mass polymers may experience degradation during SEC analysis, leading to inaccurate molar mass averages a...

O-Ring sealing arrangements for ultra-high vacuum systems

DOEpatents

Kim, Chang-Kyo; Flaherty, Robert

1981-01-01

An all metal reusable O-ring sealing arrangement for sealing two concentric tubes in an ultra-high vacuum system. An O-ring of a heat recoverable alloy such as Nitinol is concentrically positioned between protruding sealing rings of the concentric tubes. The O-ring is installed between the tubes while in a stressed martensitic state and is made to undergo a thermally induced transformation to an austenitic state. During the transformation the O-ring expands outwardly and contracts inwardly toward a previously sized austenitic configuration, thereby sealing against the protruding sealing rings of the concentric tubes.

Ultra-High Density Single Nanometer-Scale Anodic Alumina Nanofibers Fabricated by Pyrophosphoric Acid Anodizing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kikuchi, Tatsuya; Nishinaga, Osamu; Nakajima, Daiki; Kawashima, Jun; Natsui, Shungo; Sakaguchi, Norihito; Suzuki, Ryosuke O.

2014-12-01

Anodic oxide fabricated by anodizing has been widely used for nanostructural engineering, but the nanomorphology is limited to only two oxides: anodic barrier and porous oxides. Therefore, the discovery of an additional anodic oxide with a unique nanofeature would expand the applicability of anodizing. Here we demonstrate the fabrication of a third-generation anodic oxide, specifically, anodic alumina nanofibers, by anodizing in a new electrolyte, pyrophosphoric acid. Ultra-high density single nanometer-scale anodic alumina nanofibers (1010 nanofibers/cm2) consisting of an amorphous, pure aluminum oxide were successfully fabricated via pyrophosphoric acid anodizing. The nanomorphologies of the anodic nanofibers can be controlled by the electrochemical conditions. Anodic tungsten oxide nanofibers can also be fabricated by pyrophosphoric acid anodizing. The aluminum surface covered by the anodic alumina nanofibers exhibited ultra-fast superhydrophilic behavior, with a contact angle of less than 1°, within 1 second. Such ultra-narrow nanofibers can be used for various nanoapplications including catalysts, wettability control, and electronic devices.

Failure Resistance of Fiber-Reinforced Ultra-High Performance Concrete (FRUHPC) Subjected to Blast Loading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ellis, Brett; Zhou, Min; McDowell, David

2011-06-01

As part of a hierarchy-based computational materials design program, a fully dynamic 3D mesoscale model is developed to quantify the effects of energy storage and dissipation mechanisms in Fiber-Reinforced Ultra-High Performance Concretes (FRUHPCs) subjected to blast loading. This model accounts for three constituent components: reinforcement fibers, cementitious matrix, and fiber-matrix interfaces. Microstructure instantiations encompass a range of fiber volume fraction (0-2%), fiber length (10-15 mm), and interfacial bonding strength (1-100 MPa). Blast loading with scaled distances between 5 and 10 m/kg1/3 are considered. Calculations have allowed the delineation and characterization of the evolutions of kinetic energy, strain energy, work expended on interfacial damage and failure, frictional dissipation along interfaces, and bulk dissipation through granular flow as functions of microstructure, loading and constituent attributes. The relations obtained point out avenues for designing FRUHPCs with properties tailored for specific load environments and reveal trade-offs between various design scenarios.

Ultra-High Density Single Nanometer-Scale Anodic Alumina Nanofibers Fabricated by Pyrophosphoric Acid Anodizing

PubMed Central

Kikuchi, Tatsuya; Nishinaga, Osamu; Nakajima, Daiki; Kawashima, Jun; Natsui, Shungo; Sakaguchi, Norihito; Suzuki, Ryosuke O.

2014-01-01

Anodic oxide fabricated by anodizing has been widely used for nanostructural engineering, but the nanomorphology is limited to only two oxides: anodic barrier and porous oxides. Therefore, the discovery of an additional anodic oxide with a unique nanofeature would expand the applicability of anodizing. Here we demonstrate the fabrication of a third-generation anodic oxide, specifically, anodic alumina nanofibers, by anodizing in a new electrolyte, pyrophosphoric acid. Ultra-high density single nanometer-scale anodic alumina nanofibers (1010 nanofibers/cm2) consisting of an amorphous, pure aluminum oxide were successfully fabricated via pyrophosphoric acid anodizing. The nanomorphologies of the anodic nanofibers can be controlled by the electrochemical conditions. Anodic tungsten oxide nanofibers can also be fabricated by pyrophosphoric acid anodizing. The aluminum surface covered by the anodic alumina nanofibers exhibited ultra-fast superhydrophilic behavior, with a contact angle of less than 1°, within 1 second. Such ultra-narrow nanofibers can be used for various nanoapplications including catalysts, wettability control, and electronic devices. PMID:25491282

Ultra-High Temperature Materials Characterization for Propulsion Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rogers, Jan; Hyers, Robert

2007-01-01

Propulsion system efficiency increases as operating temperatures are increased. Some very high-temperature materials are being developed, including refractory metal alloys, carbides, borides, and silicides. System design requires data for materials properties at operating temperatures. Materials property data are not available for many materials of interest at the desired operating temperatures (up to approx. 3000 K). The objective of this work is to provide important physical property data at ultra-high temperatures. The MSFC Electrostatic levitation (ESL) facility can provide measurements of thermophysical properties which include: creep strength, density and thermal expansion for materials being developed for propulsion applications. The ESL facility uses electrostatic fields to position samples between electrodes during processing and characterization studies. Because the samples float between the electrodes during studies, they are free from any contact with a container or test apparatus. This provides a high purity environment for the study of high-temperature, reactive materials. ESL can be used to process a wide variety of materials including metals, alloys, ceramics, glasses and semiconductors. The MSFC ESL has provided non-contact measurements of properties of materials up to 3400 C. Density and thermal expansion are measured by analyzing digital images of the sample at different temperatures. Our novel, non-contact method for measuring creep uses rapid rotation to deform the sample. Digital images of the deformed samples are analyzed to obtain the creep properties, which match those obtained using ASTM Standard E-139 for Nb at 1985 C. Data from selected ESL-based characterization studies will be presented. The ESL technique could support numerous propulsion technologies by advancing the knowledge base and the technology readiness level for ultra-high temperature materials. Applications include non-eroding nozzle materials and lightweight, high

Markers of nonselective and specific NK cell activation.

PubMed

Fogel, Leslie A; Sun, Michel M; Geurs, Theresa L; Carayannopoulos, Leonidas N; French, Anthony R

2013-06-15

NK cell activation is controlled by the integration of signals from cytokine receptors and germline-encoded activation and inhibitory receptors. NK cells undergo two distinct phases of activation during murine CMV (MCMV) infection: a nonselective phase mediated by proinflammatory cytokines and a specific phase driven by signaling through Ly49H, an NK cell activation receptor that recognizes infected cells. We sought to delineate cell surface markers that could distinguish NK cells that had been activated nonselectively from those that had been specifically activated through NK cell receptors. We demonstrated that stem cell Ag 1 (Sca-1) is highly upregulated during viral infections (to an even greater extent than CD69) and serves as a novel marker of early, nonselective NK cell activation. Indeed, a greater proportion of Sca-1(+) NK cells produced IFN-γ compared with Sca-1(-) NK cells during MCMV infection. In contrast to the universal upregulation of Sca-1 (as well as KLRG1) on NK cells early during MCMV infection, differential expression of Sca-1, as well as CD27 and KLRG1, was observed on Ly49H(+) and Ly49H(-) NK cells late during MCMV infection. Persistently elevated levels of KLRG1 in the context of downregulation of Sca-1 and CD27 were observed on NK cells that expressed Ly49H. Furthermore, the differential expression patterns of these cell surface markers were dependent on Ly49H recognition of its ligand and did not occur solely as a result of cellular proliferation. These findings demonstrate that a combination of Sca-1, CD27, and KLRG1 can distinguish NK cells nonselectively activated by cytokines from those specifically stimulated through activation receptors.

Engineering Specification for Large-aperture UVO Space Telescopes Derived from Science Requirements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stahl, H. Philip; Postman, Marc; Smith, W. Scott

2013-01-01

The Advance Mirror Technology Development (AMTD) project is a three year effort initiated in FY12 to mature by at least a half TRL step six critical technologies required to enable 4 to 8 meter UVOIR space telescope primary mirror assemblies for both general astrophysics and ultra-high contrast observations of exoplanets. AMTD uses a science-driven systems engineering approach. We mature technologies required to enable the highest priority science AND result in a high-performance low-cost low-risk system. To provide the science community with options, we are pursuing multiple technology paths. We have assembled an outstanding team from academia, industry, and government with extensive expertise in astrophysics and exoplanet characterization, and in the design/manufacture of monolithic and segmented space telescopes. A key accomplishment is deriving engineering specifications for advanced normal-incidence monolithic and segmented mirror systems needed to enable both general astrophysics and ultra-high contrast observations of exoplanets missions as a function of potential launch vehicles and their mass and volume constraints.

Recognition of military-specific physical activities with body-fixed sensors.

PubMed

Wyss, Thomas; Mäder, Urs

2010-11-01

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate an algorithm for recognizing military-specific, physically demanding activities using body-fixed sensors. To develop the algorithm, the first group of study participants (n = 15) wore body-fixed sensors capable of measuring acceleration, step frequency, and heart rate while completing six military-specific activities: walking, marching with backpack, lifting and lowering loads, lifting and carrying loads, digging, and running. The accuracy of the algorithm was tested in these isolated activities in a laboratory setting (n = 18) and in the context of daily military training routine (n = 24). The overall recognition rates during isolated activities and during daily military routine activities were 87.5% and 85.5%, respectively. We conclude that the algorithm adequately recognized six military-specific physical activities based on sensor data alone both in a laboratory setting and in the military training environment. By recognizing type of physical activities this objective method provides additional information on military-job descriptions.

Case study: dairies utilizing ultra-high stocking density grazing in Pennsylvania and New York

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Ultra-high stocking density (UHSD) grazing has gained interest in the forage industry. Proponents of UHSD emphasize increased forage use efficiency and soil improvement by grazing mature forage with stocking densities up to 560,425 kg ha**-1 of beef cattle on small paddocks with rest periods of up t...

Case study: dairies using ultra-high stocking density grazing in the Northeastern U.S.

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Proponents of ultra-high stocking density (UHSD) grazing emphasize increased forage use efficiency and soil improvement by grazing mature forage with stocking densities up to 500,000 lb per acre of beef cattle on small paddocks with rest periods up to 180 days. However, it is unclear if this managem...

Ultra-high resolution computed tomography imaging

DOEpatents

Paulus, Michael J.; Sari-Sarraf, Hamed; Tobin, Jr., Kenneth William; Gleason, Shaun S.; Thomas, Jr., Clarence E.

2002-01-01

A method for ultra-high resolution computed tomography imaging, comprising the steps of: focusing a high energy particle beam, for example x-rays or gamma-rays, onto a target object; acquiring a 2-dimensional projection data set representative of the target object; generating a corrected projection data set by applying a deconvolution algorithm, having an experimentally determined a transfer function, to the 2-dimensional data set; storing the corrected projection data set; incrementally rotating the target object through an angle of approximately 180.degree., and after each the incremental rotation, repeating the radiating, acquiring, generating and storing steps; and, after the rotating step, applying a cone-beam algorithm, for example a modified tomographic reconstruction algorithm, to the corrected projection data sets to generate a 3-dimensional image. The size of the spot focus of the beam is reduced to not greater than approximately 1 micron, and even to not greater than approximately 0.5 microns.

A crustal model of the ultrahigh-pressure Dabie Shan orogenic belt, China, derived from deep seismic refraction profiling

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wang, Chun-Yong; Zeng, Rong-Sheng; Mooney, W.D.; Hacker, B.R.

2000-01-01

We present a new crustal cross section through the east-west trending ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) Dabie Shan orogenic belt, east central China, based on a 400-km-long seismic refraction profile. Data from our profile reveal that the cratonal blocks north and south of the orogen are composed of 35-km-thick crust consisting of three layers (upper, middle, and lower crust) with average seismic velocities of 6.0±0.2 km/s, 6.5±0.1 km/s, and 6.8±0.1 km/s. The crust reaches a maximum thickness of 41.5 km beneath the northern margin of the orogen, and thus the present-day root beneath the orogen is only 6.5 km thick. The upper mantle velocity is 8.0±0.1 km/s. Modeling of shear wave data indicate that Poisson's ratio increases from 0.24±0.02 in the upper crust to 0.27±0.03 in the lower crust. This result is consistent with a dominantly felsic upper crustal composition and a mafic lower crustal composition within the amphibolite or granulite metamorphic facies. Our seismic model indicates that eclogite, which is abundant in surface exposures within the orogen, is not a volumetrically significant component in the middle or lower crust. Much of the Triassic structure associated with the formation of the UHP rocks of the Dabie Shan has been obscured by post-Triassic igneous activity, extension and large-offset strike-slip faulting. Nevertheless, we can identify a high-velocity (6.3 km/s) zone in the upper (<5 km depth) crustal core of the orogen which we interpret as a zone of ultrahigh-pressure rocks, a north dipping suture, and an apparent Moho offset that marks a likely active strike-slip fault.

Temporal reliability of ultra-high field resting-state MRI for single-subject sensorimotor and language mapping.

PubMed

Branco, Paulo; Seixas, Daniela; Castro, São Luís

2018-03-01

Resting-state fMRI is a well-suited technique to map functional networks in the brain because unlike task-based approaches it requires little collaboration from subjects. This is especially relevant in clinical settings where a number of subjects cannot comply with task demands. Previous studies using conventional scanner fields have shown that resting-state fMRI is able to map functional networks in single subjects, albeit with moderate temporal reliability. Ultra-high resolution (7T) imaging provides higher signal-to-noise ratio and better spatial resolution and is thus well suited to assess the temporal reliability of mapping results, and to determine if resting-state fMRI can be applied in clinical decision making including preoperative planning. We used resting-state fMRI at ultra-high resolution to examine whether the sensorimotor and language networks are reliable over time - same session and one week after. Resting-state networks were identified for all subjects and sessions with good accuracy. Both networks were well delimited within classical regions of interest. Mapping was temporally reliable at short and medium time-scales as demonstrated by high values of overlap in the same session and one week after for both networks. Results were stable independently of data quality metrics and physiological variables. Taken together, these findings provide strong support for the suitability of ultra-high field resting-state fMRI mapping at the single-subject level. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Post-mortem inference of the human hippocampal connectivity and microstructure using ultra-high field diffusion MRI at 11.7 T.

PubMed

Beaujoin, Justine; Palomero-Gallagher, Nicola; Boumezbeur, Fawzi; Axer, Markus; Bernard, Jeremy; Poupon, Fabrice; Schmitz, Daniel; Mangin, Jean-François; Poupon, Cyril

2018-06-01

The human hippocampus plays a key role in memory management and is one of the first structures affected by Alzheimer's disease. Ultra-high magnetic resonance imaging provides access to its inner structure in vivo. However, gradient limitations on clinical systems hinder access to its inner connectivity and microstructure. A major target of this paper is the demonstration of diffusion MRI potential, using ultra-high field (11.7 T) and strong gradients (750 mT/m), to reveal the extra- and intra-hippocampal connectivity in addition to its microstructure. To this purpose, a multiple-shell diffusion-weighted acquisition protocol was developed to reach an ultra-high spatio-angular resolution with a good signal-to-noise ratio. The MRI data set was analyzed using analytical Q-Ball Imaging, Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), and Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging models. High Angular Resolution Diffusion Imaging estimates allowed us to obtain an accurate tractography resolving more complex fiber architecture than DTI models, and subsequently provided a map of the cross-regional connectivity. The neurite density was akin to that found in the histological literature, revealing the three hippocampal layers. Moreover, a gradient of connectivity and neurite density was observed between the anterior and the posterior part of the hippocampus. These results demonstrate that ex vivo ultra-high field/ultra-high gradients diffusion-weighted MRI allows the mapping of the inner connectivity of the human hippocampus, its microstructure, and to accurately reconstruct elements of the polysynaptic intra-hippocampal pathway using fiber tractography techniques at very high spatial/angular resolutions.

Disposable photonic integrated circuits for evanescent wave sensors by ultra-high volume roll-to-roll method.

PubMed

Aikio, Sanna; Hiltunen, Jussi; Hiitola-Keinänen, Johanna; Hiltunen, Marianne; Kontturi, Ville; Siitonen, Samuli; Puustinen, Jarkko; Karioja, Pentti

2016-02-08

Flexible photonic integrated circuit technology is an emerging field expanding the usage possibilities of photonics, particularly in sensor applications, by enabling the realization of conformable devices and introduction of new alternative production methods. Here, we demonstrate that disposable polymeric photonic integrated circuit devices can be produced in lengths of hundreds of meters by ultra-high volume roll-to-roll methods on a flexible carrier. Attenuation properties of hundreds of individual devices were measured confirming that waveguides with good and repeatable performance were fabricated. We also demonstrate the applicability of the devices for the evanescent wave sensing of ambient refractive index. The production of integrated photonic devices using ultra-high volume fabrication, in a similar manner as paper is produced, may inherently expand methods of manufacturing low-cost disposable photonic integrated circuits for a wide range of sensor applications.

Fatigue Properties of the Ultra-High Strength Steel TM210A

PubMed Central

Kang, Xia; Zhao, Gui-ping

2017-01-01

This paper presents the results of an experiment to investigate the high cycle fatigue properties of the ultra-high strength steel TM210A. A constant amplitude rotating bending fatigue experiment was performed at room temperature at stress ratio R = −1. In order to evaluate the notch effect, the fatigue experiment was carried out upon two sets of specimens, smooth and notched, respectively. In the experiment, the rotating bending fatigue life was tested using the group method, and the rotating bending fatigue limit was tested using the staircase method at 1 × 107 cycles. A double weighted least square method was then used to fit the stress-life (S–N) curve. The S–N curves of the two sets of specimens were obtained and the morphologies of the fractures of the two sets of specimens were observed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that the fatigue limit of the smooth specimen for rotating bending fatigue was 615 MPa; the ratio of the fatigue limit to tensile strength was 0.29, and the cracks initiated at the surface of the smooth specimen; while the fatigue limit of the notched specimen for rotating bending fatigue was 363 MPa, and the cracks initiated at the edge of the notch. The fatigue notch sensitivity index of the ultra-high strength maraging steel TM210A was 0.69. PMID:28891934

Ultra-high field magnets for whole-body MRI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Warner, Rory

2016-09-01

For whole-body MRI, an ultra-high field (UHF) magnet is currently defined as a system operating at 7 T or above. Over 70 UHF magnets have been built, all with the same technical approach originally developed by Magnex Scientific Ltd. The preferred coil configuration is a compensated solenoid. In this case, the majority of the field is generated by a simple long solenoid that stretches the entire length of the magnet. Additional coils are wound on a separate former outside the main windings with the purpose of balancing the homogeneity. Most of the magnets currently in operation are passively shielded systems where the magnet is surrounded by a steel box of 200-870 tonnes of carbon steel. More recently actively shielded magnets have been built for operation at 7 T; in this case the stray field is controlled by with reverse turns wound on a separate former outside the primary coils. Protection against quench damage is much more complex with an actively shielded magnet design due to the requirement to prevent the stray field from increasing during a quench. In the case of the 7 T 900 magnet this controlled by combining some of the screening coils into each section of the protection circuit. Correction of the field variations caused by manufacturing tolerances and environmental effects are made with a combination of superconducting shims and passive shims. Modern UHF magnets operate in zero boil-off mode with the use of cryocoolers with cooling capacity at 4.2 K. Although there are no cryogen costs associated with normal operation UHF magnets require a significant volume (10 000-20 000 l) of liquid helium for the cool-down. Liquid helium is expensive therefore new methods of cool-down using high-power cryocoolers are being implemented to reduce the requirement.

Review of total cross sections and forward scattering parameters at ultra-high energies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Block, M. M.; White, A. R.

1991-10-01

We review the field of the elastic scattering of pp and (bar p)p at the ultra-high energies. The recent total cross section, sigma (sub tot), and rho-value results from the Fermilab Tevatron Collider experiments presented at the 4th 'Blois' Workshop on Elastic and Diffractive Scattering (Elba, Italy, in May, 1991), allow us a comprehensive overview of the field.

Tocotrienols: A Family of Molecules with Specific Biological Activities

PubMed Central

Comitato, Raffaella; Ambra, Roberto

2017-01-01

Vitamin E is a generic term frequently used to group together eight different molecules, namely: α-, β-, γ- and δ-tocopherol and the corresponding tocotrienols. The term tocopherol and eventually Vitamin E and its related activity was originally based on the capacity of countering foetal re-absorption in deficient rodents or the development of encephalomalacia in chickens. In humans, Vitamin E activity is generally considered to be solely related to the antioxidant properties of the tocolic chemical structure. In recent years, several reports have shown that specific activities exist for each different tocotrienol form. In this short review, tocotrienol ability to inhibit cancer cell growth and induce apoptosis thanks to specific mechanisms, not shared by tocopherols, such as the binding to Estrogen Receptor-β (ERβ) and the triggering of endoplasmic reticulum (EndoR) stress will be described. The neuroprotective activity will also be presented and discussed. We propose that available studies strongly indicate that specific forms of tocotrienols have a distinct mechanism and biological activity, significantly different from tocopherol and more specifically from α-tocopherol. We therefore suggest not pooling them together within the broad term “Vitamin E” on solely the basis of their putative antioxidant properties. This option implies obvious consequences in the assessment of dietary Vitamin E adequacy and, probably more importantly, on the possibility of evaluating a separate biological variable, determinant in the relationship between diet and health. PMID:29156559

Radiation sterilization of medical devices. Effects of ionizing radiation on ultra-high molecular-weight polyethylene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buchalla, R.; Schüttler, C.; Bögl, K. W.

1995-02-01

Sterilization by ionizing radiation has become, next to ethylene oxide treament, the most important "cold" sterilization process for medical devices made from plastics. The effects of ionizing radiation on the most important polymer for medical devices, ultra-high molecular-weight polyethylene, are briefly described in this review.

Formation Mechanism of Finished Surface in Ultrahigh-Speed Grinding with cubic Boron Nitride (cBN) Wheels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ichida, Yoshio; Sato, Ryunosuke; Morimoto, Yoshitaka; Ohsawa, Yoshiteru; Fredj, Nabil Ben

In this paper, we describe the formation mechanism of a finished surface in ultrahigh-speed grinding under a peripheral wheel speed higher than 200m/s. Grinding experiments using a grinding machine tool equipped with an active magnetic bearing spindle have been conducted over a range of grinding speeds from 60 to 300m/s. Moreover, grinding tests for producing some individual grooves using a grinding tool with multiple cBN grit have been carried out to clarify the effects of grinding speed on the side swelling formed along both sides of the grinding grooves. From the results of these experiments, we have confirmed that the roughness of the ground surface decreases with an increase in grinding speed, and this decrease is mainly due to the reduction of the swelling ratio with increasing grinding speed.

Ultrahigh resolution radiation imaging system using an optical fiber structure scintillator plate.

PubMed

Yamamoto, Seiichi; Kamada, Kei; Yoshikawa, Akira

2018-02-16

High resolution imaging of radiation is required for such radioisotope distribution measurements as alpha particle detection in nuclear facilities or high energy physics experiments. For this purpose, we developed an ultrahigh resolution radiation imaging system using an optical fiber structure scintillator plate. We used a ~1-μm diameter fiber structured GdAlO 3 :Ce (GAP) /α-Al 2 O 3 scintillator plate to reduce the light spread. The fiber structured scintillator plate was optically coupled to a tapered optical fiber plate to magnify the image and combined with a lens-based high sensitivity CCD camera. We observed the images of alpha particles with a spatial resolution of ~25 μm. For the beta particles, the images had various shapes, and the trajectories of the electrons were clearly observed in the images. For the gamma photons, the images also had various shapes, and the trajectories of the secondary electrons were observed in some of the images. These results show that combining an optical fiber structure scintillator plate with a tapered optical fiber plate and a high sensitivity CCD camera achieved ultrahigh resolution and is a promising method to observe the images of the interactions of radiation in a scintillator.

Regulation of platelet activating factor receptor coupled phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C activity

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

Morrison, W.J.

1988-01-01

The major objectives of this study were two-fold. The first was to establish whether binding of platelet activating factor (PAF) to its receptor was integral to the stimulation of polyphosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C (PLC) in rabbit platelets. The second was to determine regulatory features of this receptor-coupled mechanism. ({sup 3}H)PAF binding demonstrated two binding sites, a high affinity site with a inhibitory constant (Ki) of 2.65 nM and a low affinity site with a Ki of 0.80 {mu}M. PAF receptor coupled activation of phosphoinositide-specific PLC was studied in platelets which were made refractory, by short term pretreatments, to either PAF ormore » thrombin. Saponin-permeabilized rabbit platelets continue to regulate the mechanism(s) coupling PAF receptors to PLC stimulation. However, TRP{gamma}S and GDP{beta}S, which affect guanine nucleotide regulatory protein functions, were unable to modulate the PLC activity to any appreciable extent as compared to PAF. The possible involvement of protein kinase C (PKC) activation in regulating PAF-stimulated PLC activity was studied in rabbit platelets pretreated with staurosporine followed by pretreatments with PAF or phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA).« less

Pulp extrusion at ultra-high consistencies : selection of water soluble polymers for process optimization

Treesearch

C. Tim Scott

2002-01-01

Pulp extrusion at ultra-high consistencies (20% to 40% solids) is a new process developed at USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) to convert recovered papers, wastepaper, and papermill residuals into solid sheets or profiles for compression molding. This process requires adding a water-soluble polymer (WSP) to alter the rheological properties of the...

Exploration of the benefits of an activity-specific test of temperament.

PubMed

Trofimova, Irina N

2009-10-01

The Structure of Temperament Questionnaire (STQ) was proposed by Rusalov in 1989 and subsequently tested in five languages. The questionnaire assesses four temperamental traits (Ergonicity, Plasticity, Tempo, and Emotionality) in three separate areas of activity: physical, verbal-social, and intellectual. The scales are all activity-specific. In 775 Canadian subjects, two temperament tests were compared, both developed on the basis of Pavlovian studies of the nervous system: the activity-specific approach (STQ) and the nonspecific Pavlovian Temperamental Survey (PTS). More significant sex differences were found on activity-specific scales of the STQ than on the nonspecific PTS scales. The pattern of correlations between the STQ scales and the time taken on an experimental task requiring a prolonged and intense word-assessment activity showed stronger correlations with the specific scales of the STQ measuring the dynamic aspects of social-verbal activity, and not with the PTS Strength of Excitation scale, which is based on a "general arousal" concept. The results supported the separation of temperament traits related to three different types of activities and opposed to "general arousal" theories of temperament.

Discharging a Li-S battery with ultra-high sulphur content cathode using a redox mediator.

PubMed

Kim, Kwi Ryong; Lee, Kug-Seung; Ahn, Chi-Yeong; Yu, Seung-Ho; Sung, Yung-Eun

2016-08-30

Lithium-sulphur batteries are under intense research due to the high specific capacity and low cost. However, several problems limit their commercialization. One of them is the insulating nature of sulphur, which necessitates a large amount of conductive agent and binder in the cathode, reducing the effective sulphur load as well as the energy density. Here we introduce a redox mediator, cobaltocene, which acts as an electron transfer agent between the conductive surface and the polysulphides in the electrolyte. We confirmed that cobaltocene could effectively convert polysulphides to Li2S using scanning electron microscope, X-ray absorption near-edge structure and in-situ X-ray diffraction studies. This redox mediator enabled excellent electrochemical performance in a cathode with ultra-high sulphur content (80 wt%). It delivered 400 mAh g(-1)cathode capacity after 50 cycles, which is equivalent to 800 mAh g(-1)S in a typical cathode with 50 wt% sulphur. Furthermore, the volumetric capacity was also dramatically improved.

Ultrahigh photo-responsivity and detectivity in multilayer InSe nanosheets phototransistors with broadband response

DOE PAGES

Feng, Wei; Wu, Jing-Bin; Li, Xiaoli; ...

2015-05-20

In this paper, we demonstrate the strategies and principles for the performance improvement of layered semiconductor based photodetectors using multilayer indium selenide (InSe) as the model material. It is discovered that multiple reflection interference at the interfaces in the phototransistor device leads to a thickness-dependent photo-response, which provides a guideline to improve the performance of layered semiconductor based phototransistors. The responsivity and detectivity of InSe nanosheet phototransistor can be adjustable using applied gate voltage. Our InSe nanosheet phototransistor exhibits ultrahigh responsivity and detectivity. An ultrahigh external photo-responsivity of ~10 4 A W -1 can be achieved from broad spectra rangingmore » from UV to near infrared wavelength using our InSe nanosheet photodetectors. The detectivity of multilayer InSe devices is ~10 12 to 10 13 Jones, which surpasses that of the currently exploited InGaAs photodetectors (10 11 to 10 12 Jones). Finally, this research shows that multilayer InSe nanosheets are promising materials for high performance photodetectors.« less

Ultrahigh resolution optical coherence elastography using a Bessel beam for extended depth of field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Curatolo, Andrea; Villiger, Martin; Lorenser, Dirk; Wijesinghe, Philip; Fritz, Alexander; Kennedy, Brendan F.; Sampson, David D.

2016-03-01

Visualizing stiffness within the local tissue environment at the cellular and sub-cellular level promises to provide insight into the genesis and progression of disease. In this paper, we propose ultrahigh-resolution optical coherence elastography, and demonstrate three-dimensional imaging of local axial strain of tissues undergoing compressive loading. The technique employs a dual-arm extended focus optical coherence microscope to measure tissue displacement under compression. The system uses a broad bandwidth supercontinuum source for ultrahigh axial resolution, Bessel beam illumination and Gaussian beam detection, maintaining sub-2 μm transverse resolution over nearly 100 μm depth of field, and spectral-domain detection allowing high displacement sensitivity. The system produces strain elastograms with a record resolution (x,y,z) of 2×2×15 μm. We benchmark the advances in terms of resolution and strain sensitivity by imaging a suitable inclusion phantom. We also demonstrate this performance on freshly excised mouse aorta and reveal the mechanical heterogeneity of vascular smooth muscle cells and elastin sheets, otherwise unresolved in a typical, lower resolution optical coherence elastography system.

Effect of Nb on Delayed Fracture Resistance of Ultra-High Strength Martensitic Steels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Rongjie; Fonstein, Nina; Pottore, Narayan; Jun, Hyun Jo; Bhattacharya, Debanshu; Jansto, Steve

Ultra-high strength steels are materials of considerable interest for automotive and structural applications and are increasingly being used in those areas. Higher strength, however, makes steels more prone to hydrogen embrittlement (HE). The effects of Nb and other alloying elements on the hydrogen-induced delayed fracture resistance of cold rolled martensitic steels with ultra-high strength 2000 MPa were studied using an acid immersion test, thermal desorption analysis (TDA) and measuring of permeation. The microstructure was characterized by high resolution field emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) with Electron Backscattered Diffraction (EBSD) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). It was shown that the combined addition of Nb significantly improved the delayed fracture resistance of investigated steel. The addition of Nb to alloyed martensitic steels resulted in very apparent grain refinement of the prior austenite grain size. The Nb microalloyed steel contained a lower diffusible hydrogen content during thermal desorption analysis as compared to the base steel and had a higher trapped hydrogen amount after charging. The reason that Nb improved the delayed fracture resistance of steels can be attributed mostly to both hydrogen trapping and grain refinement.

Quantitation of fibroblast activation protein (FAP)-specific protease activity in mouse, baboon and human fluids and organs.

PubMed

Keane, Fiona M; Yao, Tsun-Wen; Seelk, Stefanie; Gall, Margaret G; Chowdhury, Sumaiya; Poplawski, Sarah E; Lai, Jack H; Li, Youhua; Wu, Wengen; Farrell, Penny; Vieira de Ribeiro, Ana Julia; Osborne, Brenna; Yu, Denise M T; Seth, Devanshi; Rahman, Khairunnessa; Haber, Paul; Topaloglu, A Kemal; Wang, Chuanmin; Thomson, Sally; Hennessy, Annemarie; Prins, John; Twigg, Stephen M; McLennan, Susan V; McCaughan, Geoffrey W; Bachovchin, William W; Gorrell, Mark D

2013-01-01

The protease fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is a specific marker of activated mesenchymal cells in tumour stroma and fibrotic liver. A specific, reliable FAP enzyme assay has been lacking. FAP's unique and restricted cleavage of the post proline bond was exploited to generate a new specific substrate to quantify FAP enzyme activity. This sensitive assay detected no FAP activity in any tissue or fluid of FAP gene knockout mice, thus confirming assay specificity. Circulating FAP activity was ∼20- and 1.3-fold less in baboon than in mouse and human plasma, respectively. Serum and plasma contained comparable FAP activity. In mice, the highest levels of FAP activity were in uterus, pancreas, submaxillary gland and skin, whereas the lowest levels were in brain, prostate, leukocytes and testis. Baboon organs high in FAP activity included skin, epididymis, bladder, colon, adipose tissue, nerve and tongue. FAP activity was greatly elevated in tumours and associated lymph nodes and in fungal-infected skin of unhealthy baboons. FAP activity was 14- to 18-fold greater in cirrhotic than in non-diseased human liver, and circulating FAP activity was almost doubled in alcoholic cirrhosis. Parallel DPP4 measurements concorded with the literature, except for the novel finding of high DPP4 activity in bile. The new FAP enzyme assay is the first to be thoroughly characterised and shows that FAP activity is measurable in most organs and at high levels in some. This new assay is a robust tool for specific quantitation of FAP enzyme activity in both preclinical and clinical samples, particularly liver fibrosis.

Quantitation of fibroblast activation protein (FAP)-specific protease activity in mouse, baboon and human fluids and organs☆

PubMed Central

Keane, Fiona M.; Yao, Tsun-Wen; Seelk, Stefanie; Gall, Margaret G.; Chowdhury, Sumaiya; Poplawski, Sarah E.; Lai, Jack H.; Li, Youhua; Wu, Wengen; Farrell, Penny; Vieira de Ribeiro, Ana Julia; Osborne, Brenna; Yu, Denise M.T.; Seth, Devanshi; Rahman, Khairunnessa; Haber, Paul; Topaloglu, A. Kemal; Wang, Chuanmin; Thomson, Sally; Hennessy, Annemarie; Prins, John; Twigg, Stephen M.; McLennan, Susan V.; McCaughan, Geoffrey W.; Bachovchin, William W.; Gorrell, Mark D.

2013-01-01

The protease fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is a specific marker of activated mesenchymal cells in tumour stroma and fibrotic liver. A specific, reliable FAP enzyme assay has been lacking. FAP's unique and restricted cleavage of the post proline bond was exploited to generate a new specific substrate to quantify FAP enzyme activity. This sensitive assay detected no FAP activity in any tissue or fluid of FAP gene knockout mice, thus confirming assay specificity. Circulating FAP activity was ∼20- and 1.3-fold less in baboon than in mouse and human plasma, respectively. Serum and plasma contained comparable FAP activity. In mice, the highest levels of FAP activity were in uterus, pancreas, submaxillary gland and skin, whereas the lowest levels were in brain, prostate, leukocytes and testis. Baboon organs high in FAP activity included skin, epididymis, bladder, colon, adipose tissue, nerve and tongue. FAP activity was greatly elevated in tumours and associated lymph nodes and in fungal-infected skin of unhealthy baboons. FAP activity was 14- to 18-fold greater in cirrhotic than in non-diseased human liver, and circulating FAP activity was almost doubled in alcoholic cirrhosis. Parallel DPP4 measurements concorded with the literature, except for the novel finding of high DPP4 activity in bile. The new FAP enzyme assay is the first to be thoroughly characterised and shows that FAP activity is measurable in most organs and at high levels in some. This new assay is a robust tool for specific quantitation of FAP enzyme activity in both preclinical and clinical samples, particularly liver fibrosis. PMID:24371721

Analysis and design of an ultrahigh temperature hydrogen-fueled MHD generator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moder, Jeffrey P.; Myrabo, Leik N.; Kaminski, Deborah A.

1993-01-01

A coupled gas dynamics/radiative heat transfer analysis of partially ionized hydrogen, in local thermodynamic equilibrium, flowing through an ultrahigh temperature (10,000-20,000 K) magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) generator is performed. Gas dynamics are modeled by a set of quasi-one-dimensional, nonlinear differential equations which account for friction, convective and radiative heat transfer, and the interaction between the ionized gas and applied magnetic field. Radiative heat transfer is modeled using nongray, absorbing-emitting 2D and 3D P-1 approximations which permit an arbitrary variation of the spectral absorption coefficient with frequency. Gas dynamics and radiative heat transfer are coupled through the energy equation and through the temperature- and density-dependent absorption coefficient. The resulting nonlinear elliptic problem is solved by iterative methods. Design of such MHD generators as onboard, open-cycle, electric power supplies for a particular advanced airbreathing propulsion concept produced an efficient and compact 128-MWe generator characterized by an extraction ratio of 35.5 percent, a power density of 10,500 MWe/cu m, and a specific (extracted) energy of 324 MJe/kg of hydrogen. The maximum wall heat flux and total wall heat load were 453 MW/sq m and 62 MW, respectively.

The BPAQ: a bone-specific physical activity assessment instrument.

PubMed

Weeks, B K; Beck, B R

2008-11-01

A newly developed bone-specific physical activity questionnaire (BPAQ) was compared with other common measures of physical activity for its ability to predict parameters of bone strength in healthy, young adults. The BPAQ predicted indices of bone strength at clinically relevant sites in both men and women, while other measures did not. Only certain types of physical activity (PA) are notably osteogenic. Most methods to quantify levels of PA fail to account for bone relevant loading. Our aim was to examine the ability of several methods of PA assessment and a new bone-specific measure to predict parameters of bone strength in healthy adults. We recruited 40 men and women (mean age 24.5). Subjects completed the modifiable activity questionnaire, Bouchard 3-day activity record, a recently published bone loading history questionnaire (BLHQ), and wore a pedometer for 14 days. We also administered our bone-specific physical activity questionnaire (BPAQ). Calcaneal broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA) (QUS-2, Quidel) and densitometric measures (XR-36, Norland) were examined. Multiple regression and correlation analyses were performed on the data. The current activity component of BPAQ was a significant predictor of variance in femoral neck bone mineral density (BMD), lumbar spine BMD, and whole body BMD (R(2) = 0.36-0.68, p < 0.01) for men, while the past activity component of BPAQ predicted calcaneal BUA (R(2) = 0.48, p = 0.001) for women. The BPAQ predicted indices of bone strength at skeletal sites at risk of osteoporotic fracture while other PA measurement tools did not.

Ultra-high Q terahertz whispering-gallery modes in a silicon resonator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vogt, Dominik Walter; Leonhardt, Rainer

2018-05-01

We report on the first experimental demonstration of terahertz (THz) whispering-gallery modes (WGMs) with an ultra-high quality factor of 1.5 × 104 at 0.62 THz. The WGMs are observed in a high resistivity float zone silicon spherical resonator coupled to a sub-wavelength silica waveguide. A detailed analysis of the coherent continuous wave THz spectroscopy measurements combined with a numerical model based on Mie-Debye-Aden-Kerker theory allows us to unambiguously identify the observed higher order radial THz WGMs.

Improving the toughness of ultrahigh strength steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sato, Koji

2002-01-01

The ideal structural steel combines high strength with high fracture toughness. This dissertation discusses the toughening mechanism of the Fe/Co/Ni/Cr/Mo/C steel, AerMet 100, which has the highest toughness/strength combination among all commercial ultrahigh strength steels. The possibility of improving the toughness of this steel was examined by considering several relevant factors. Chapter 1 reviews the mechanical properties of ultrahigh strength steels and the physical metallurgy of AerMet 100. It also describes the fracture mechanisms of steel, i.e. ductile microvoid coalescence, brittle transgranular cleavage, and intergranular separation. Chapter 2 examines the strength-toughness relationship for three heats of AerMet 100. A wide variation of toughness is obtained at the same strength level. The toughness varies despite the fact that all heat fracture in the ductile fracture mode. The difference originates from the inclusion content. Lower inclusion volume fraction and larger inclusion spacing gives rise to a greater void growth factor and subsequently a higher fracture toughness. The fracture toughness value, JIc, is proportional to the particle spacing of the large non-metallic inclusions. Chapter 3 examines the ductile-brittle transition of AerMet 100 and the effect of a higher austenitization temperature, using the Charpy V-notch test. The standard heat treatment condition of AerMet 100 shows a gradual ductile-brittle transition due to its fine effective grain size. Austenitization at higher temperature increases the prior austenite grain size and packet size, leading to a steeper transition at a higher temperature. Both transgranular cleavage and intergranular separation are observed in the brittle fracture mode. Chapter 4 examines the effect of inclusion content, prior austenite grain size, and the amount of austenite on the strength-toughness relationship. The highest toughness is achieved by low inclusion content, small prior austenite grain size

The Galactic Magnetic Field and Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urban, Federico R.

The Galactic Magnetic Field is a peeving and importune screen between Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays and us cosmologists, engaged in the combat to unveil their properties and origin, as it deviates their paths towards the Earth in unpredictable ways. I will, in this order: briefly review the available field models on the market; explain a little trick which allows one to obtain cosmic rays deflection variances without even knowing what the (random) GMF model is; and argue that there is a lack of anisotropy in the large scales cosmic rays signal, which the Galactic field can do nothing about.

Investigating the origin of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays with CRPropa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouchachi, Dallel; Attallah, Reda

2016-07-01

Ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays are the most energetic of any subatomic particles ever observed in nature. Yet, their sources and acceleration mechanisms are still unknown. To better understand the origin of these particles, we carried out extensive numerical simulations of their propagation in extragalactic space. We used the public CRPropa code which considers all relevant particle interactions and magnetic deflections. We examined the energy spectrum, the mass composition, and the distribution of arrival directions under different scenarios. Such a study allows, in particular, to properly interpret the data of modern experiments like "The Pierre Auger Observatory" and "The Telescope Array".

Masked Chimeric Antigen Receptor for Tumor-Specific Activation.

PubMed

Han, Xiaolu; Bryson, Paul D; Zhao, Yifan; Cinay, Gunce E; Li, Si; Guo, Yunfei; Siriwon, Natnaree; Wang, Pin

2017-01-04

Adoptive cellular therapy based on chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered T (CAR-T) cells is a powerful form of cancer immunotherapy. CAR-T cells can be redirected to specifically recognize tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) and induce high levels of antitumor activity. However, they may also display "on-target off-tumor" toxicities, resulting from low-level expression of TAAs in healthy tissues. These adverse effects have raised considerable safety concerns and limited the clinical application of this otherwise promising therapeutic modality. To minimize such side effects, we have designed an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-specific masked CAR (mCAR), which consists of a masking peptide that blocks the antigen-binding site and a protease-sensitive linker. Proteases commonly active in the tumor microenvironment can cleave the linker and disengage the masking peptide, thereby enabling CAR-T cells to recognize target antigens only at the tumor site. In vitro mCAR showed dramatically reduced antigen binding and antigen-specific activation in the absence of proteases, but normal levels of binding and activity upon treatment with certain proteases. Masked CAR-T cells also showed antitumor efficacy in vivo comparable to that of unmasked CAR. Our study demonstrates the feasibility of improving the safety profile of conventional CARs and may also inspire future design of CAR molecules targeting broadly expressed TAAs. Copyright © 2017 The American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ultrahigh-Temperature Ceramics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Sylvia M.; Ellerby, Donald T.; Beckman, Sarah E.; Irby, Edward; Gasch, Matthew J.; Gusman, Michael I.

2007-01-01

Ultrahigh temperature ceramics (UHTCs) are a class of materials that include the diborides of metals such as hafnium and zirconium. The materials are of interest to NASA for their potential utility as sharp leading edges for hypersonic vehicles. Such an application requires that the materials be capable of operating at temperatures, often in excess of 2,000 C. UHTCs are highly refractory and have high thermal conductivity, an advantage for this application. UHTCs are potentially applicable for other high-temperature processing applications, such as crucibles for molten-metal processing and high-temperature electrodes. UHTCs were first studied in the 1960 s by the U.S. Air Force. NASA s Ames Research Center concentrated on developing materials in the HfB2/SiC family for a leading-edge application. The work focused on developing a process to make uniform monolithic (2-phase) materials, and on the testing and design of these materials. Figure 1 shows arc-jet models made from UHTC materials fabricated at Ames. Figure 2 shows a cone being tested in the arc-jet. Other variations of these materials being investigated elsewhere include zirconium based materials and fiber-reinforced composites. Current UHTC work at Ames covers four broad topics: monoliths, coatings, composites, and processing. The goals include improving the fracture toughness, thermal conductivity and oxidation resistance of monolithic UHTCs and developing oxidation-resistant UHTC coatings for thermal-protection-system substrates through novel coating methods. As part of this effort, researchers are exploring compositions and processing changes that have yielded improvements in properties. Computational materials science and nanotechnology are being explored as approaches to reduce materials development time and improve and tailor properties.

50 CFR 654.27 - Specifically authorized activities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 8 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Specifically authorized activities. 654.27 Section 654.27 Wildlife and Fisheries FISHERY CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT, NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE STONE CRAB FISHERY OF THE GULF OF MEXICO Management...

Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene: Influence of the Chemical, Physical and Mechanical Properties on the Wear Behavior. A Review

PubMed Central

Bellare, Anuj; Bistolfi, Alessandro

2017-01-01

Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is the most common bearing material in total joint arthroplasty due to its unique combination of superior mechanical properties and wear resistance over other polymers. A great deal of research in recent decades has focused on further improving its performances, in order to provide durable implants in young and active patients. From “historical”, gamma-air sterilized polyethylenes, to the so-called first and second generation of highly crosslinked materials, a variety of different formulations have progressively appeared in the market. This paper reviews the structure–properties relationship of these materials, with a particular emphasis on the in vitro and in vivo wear performances, through an analysis of the existing literature. PMID:28773153

Control of Promatrilysin (MMP7) Activation and Substrate-specific Activity by Sulfated Glycosaminoglycans*

PubMed Central

Ra, Hyun-Jeong; Harju-Baker, Susanna; Zhang, Fuming; Linhardt, Robert J.; Wilson, Carole L.; Parks, William C.

2009-01-01

Matrix metalloproteinases are maintained in an inactive state by a bond between the thiol of a conserved cysteine in the prodomain and a zinc atom in the catalytic domain. Once this bond is disrupted, MMPs become active proteinases and can act on a variety of extracellular protein substrates. In vivo, matrilysin (MMP7) activates pro-α-defensins (procryptdins), but in vitro, processing of these peptides is slow, with about 50% conversion in 8–12 h. Similarly, autolytic activation of promatrilysin in vitro can take up to 12–24 h for 50% conversion. These inefficient reactions suggest that natural cofactors enhance the activation and activity of matrilysin. We determined that highly sulfated glycosaminoglycans (GAG), such as heparin, chondroitin-4,6-sulfate (CS-E), and dermatan sulfate, markedly enhanced (>50-fold) the intermolecular autolytic activation of promatrilysin and the activity of fully active matrilysin to cleave specific physiologic substrates. In contrast, heparan sulfate and less sulfated forms of chondroitin sulfate did not augment matrilysin activation or activity. Chondroitin-2,6-sulfate (CS-D) also did not enhance matrilysin activity, suggesting that the presentation of sulfates is more important than the overall degree of sulfation. Surface plasmon resonance demonstrated that promatrilysin bound heparin (KD, 400 nm) and CS-E (KD, 630 nm). Active matrilysin bound heparin (KD, 150 nm) but less so to CS-E (KD, 60 μm). Neither form bound heparan sulfate. These observations demonstrate that sulfated GAGs regulate matrilysin activation and its activity against specific substrates. PMID:19654318

Stimulus-Responsive Micro-Supercapacitors with Ultrahigh Energy Density and Reversible Electrochromic Window.

PubMed

Zhang, Panpan; Zhu, Feng; Wang, Faxing; Wang, Jinhui; Dong, Renhao; Zhuang, Xiaodong; Schmidt, Oliver G; Feng, Xinliang

2017-02-01

Stimulus-responsive micro-supercapacitors (SR-MSCs) with ultrahigh volumetric energy density and reversible electrochromic effect are successfully fabricated by employing a vanadium pentoxide and electrochemical exfoliated graphene-based hybrid nanopaper and viologen as electrode and stimulus-responsive material, respectively. The fabricated high-performance SR-MSCs offer new opportunities for intuitively observing the working state of energy devices without the aid of extra equipment and techniques. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Ultrahigh-yield growth of GaN via halogen-free vapor-phase epitaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakamura, Daisuke; Kimura, Taishi

2018-06-01

The material yield of Ga during GaN growth via halogen-free vapor-phase epitaxy (HF-VPE) was systematically investigated and found to be much higher than that obtained using conventional hydride VPE. This is attributed to the much lower process pressure and shorter seed-to-source distance, owing to the inherent chemical reactions and corresponding reactor design used for HF-VPE growth. Ultrahigh-yield GaN growth was demonstrated on a 4-in.-diameter sapphire seed substrate.

Ultrahigh temperature vapor core reactor-MHD system for space nuclear electric power

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maya, Isaac; Anghaie, Samim; Diaz, Nils J.; Dugan, Edward T.

1991-01-01

The conceptual design of a nuclear space power system based on the ultrahigh temperature vapor core reactor with MHD energy conversion is presented. This UF4 fueled gas core cavity reactor operates at 4000 K maximum core temperature and 40 atm. Materials experiments, conducted with UF4 up to 2200 K, demonstrate acceptable compatibility with tungsten-molybdenum-, and carbon-based materials. The supporting nuclear, heat transfer, fluid flow and MHD analysis, and fissioning plasma physics experiments are also discussed.

Radiation cross-linking in ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene for orthopaedic applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oral, Ebru; Muratoglu, Orhun K.

2007-12-01

The motivation for radiation cross-linking of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is to increase its wear resistance to be used as bearing surfaces for total joint arthroplasty. However, radiation also leaves behind long-lived residual free radicals in this polymer, the reactions of which can detrimentally affect mechanical properties. In this review, we focus on the radiation cross-linking and oxidative stability of first and second generation highly cross-linked UHMWPEs developed in our laboratory.

AMTD: update of engineering specifications derived from science requirements for future UVOIR space telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stahl, H. Philip; Postman, Marc; Mosier, Gary; Smith, W. Scott; Blaurock, Carl; Ha, Kong; Stark, Christopher C.

2014-08-01

The Advance Mirror Technology Development (AMTD) project is in Phase 2 of a multiyear effort, initiated in FY12, to mature by at least a half TRL step six critical technologies required to enable 4 meter or larger UVOIR space telescope primary mirror assemblies for both general astrophysics and ultra-high contrast observations of exoplanets. AMTD uses a science-driven systems engineering approach. We mature technologies required to enable the highest priority science AND provide a high-performance low-cost low-risk system. To give the science community options, we are pursuing multiple technology paths. A key task is deriving engineering specifications for advanced normal-incidence monolithic and segmented mirror systems needed to enable both general astrophysics and ultra-high contrast observations of exoplanets missions as a function of potential launch vehicles and their mass and volume constraints. A key finding of this effort is that the science requires an 8 meter or larger aperture telescope.

AMTD: Update of Engineering Specifications Derived from Science Requirements for Future UVOIR Space Telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stahl, H. Philip; Postman, Marc; Mosier, Gary; Smith, W. Scott; Blaurock, Carl; Ha, Kong; Stark, Christopher C.

2014-01-01

The Advance Mirror Technology Development (AMTD) project is in Phase 2 of a multiyear effort, initiated in FY12, to mature by at least a half TRL step six critical technologies required to enable 4 meter or larger UVOIR space telescope primary mirror assemblies for both general astrophysics and ultra-high contrast observations of exoplanets. AMTD uses a science-driven systems engineering approach. We mature technologies required to enable the highest priority science AND provide a high-performance low-cost low-risk system. To give the science community options, we are pursuing multiple technology paths. A key task is deriving engineering specifications for advanced normal-incidence monolithic and segmented mirror systems needed to enable both general astrophysics and ultra-high contrast observations of exoplanets missions as a function of potential launch vehicles and their mass and volume constraints. A key finding of this effort is that the science requires an 8 meter or larger aperture telescope

Mnemonic discrimination relates to perforant path integrity: An ultra-high resolution diffusion tensor imaging study.

PubMed

Bennett, Ilana J; Stark, Craig E L

2016-03-01

Pattern separation describes the orthogonalization of similar inputs into unique, non-overlapping representations. This computational process is thought to serve memory by reducing interference and to be mediated by the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. Using ultra-high in-plane resolution diffusion tensor imaging (hrDTI) in older adults, we previously demonstrated that integrity of the perforant path, which provides input to the dentate gyrus from entorhinal cortex, was associated with mnemonic discrimination, a behavioral outcome designed to load on pattern separation. The current hrDTI study assessed the specificity of this perforant path integrity-mnemonic discrimination relationship relative to other cognitive constructs (identified using a factor analysis) and white matter tracts (hippocampal cingulum, fornix, corpus callosum) in 112 healthy adults (20-87 years). Results revealed age-related declines in integrity of the perforant path and other medial temporal lobe (MTL) tracts (hippocampal cingulum, fornix). Controlling for global effects of brain aging, perforant path integrity related only to the factor that captured mnemonic discrimination performance. Comparable integrity-mnemonic discrimination relationships were also observed for the hippocampal cingulum and fornix. Thus, whereas perforant path integrity specifically relates to mnemonic discrimination, mnemonic discrimination may be mediated by a broader MTL network. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Quantitative imaging of brain energy metabolisms and neuroenergetics using in vivo X-nuclear 2H, 17O and 31P MRS at ultra-high field.

PubMed

Zhu, Xiao-Hong; Lu, Ming; Chen, Wei

2018-07-01

Brain energy metabolism relies predominantly on glucose and oxygen utilization to generate biochemical energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is essential for maintaining basal electrophysiological activities in a resting brain and supporting evoked neuronal activity under an activated state. Studying complex neuroenergetic processes in the brain requires sophisticated neuroimaging techniques enabling noninvasive and quantitative assessment of cerebral energy metabolisms and quantification of metabolic rates. Recent state-of-the-art in vivo X-nuclear MRS techniques, including 2 H, 17 O and 31 P MRS have shown promise, especially at ultra-high fields, in the quest for understanding neuroenergetics and brain function using preclinical models and in human subjects under healthy and diseased conditions. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Retraction Note to: Ultra-High Strength and Ductile Lamellar-Structured Powder Metallurgy Binary Ti-Ta Alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yong; Xu, Shenghang; Wang, Xin; Li, Kaiyang; Liu, Bin; Wu, Hong; Tang, Huiping

2018-05-01

The editors and authors have retracted the article, "Ultra-High Strength and Ductile Lamellar-Structured Powder Metallurgy Binary Ti-Ta Alloys" by Yong Liu, Shenghang Xu, Xin Wang, Kaiyang Li, Bin Liu, Hong Wu, and Huiping Tang (https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-015-1801-1).

Portable ultrahigh-vacuum sample storage system for polarization-dependent total-reflection fluorescence x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy

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

Watanabe, Yoshihide, E-mail: e0827@mosk.tytlabs.co.jp; Nishimura, Yusaku F.; Suzuki, Ryo

A portable ultrahigh-vacuum sample storage system was designed and built to investigate the detailed geometric structures of mass-selected metal clusters on oxide substrates by polarization-dependent total-reflection fluorescence x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (PTRF-XAFS). This ultrahigh-vacuum (UHV) sample storage system provides the handover of samples between two different sample manipulating systems. The sample storage system is adaptable for public transportation, facilitating experiments using air-sensitive samples in synchrotron radiation or other quantum beam facilities. The samples were transferred by the developed portable UHV transfer system via a public transportation at a distance over 400 km. The performance of the transfer system was demonstratedmore » by a successful PTRF-XAFS study of Pt{sub 4} clusters deposited on a TiO{sub 2}(110) surface.« less

Connecting blazars with ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays and astrophysical neutrinos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Resconi, E.; Coenders, S.; Padovani, P.; Giommi, P.; Caccianiga, L.

2017-06-01

We present a strong hint of a connection between high-energy γ-ray emitting blazars, very high energy neutrinos, and ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays. We first identify potential hadronic sources by filtering γ-ray emitters in spatial coincidence with the high-energy neutrinos detected by IceCube. The neutrino filtered γ-ray emitters are then correlated with the ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays from the Pierre Auger Observatory and the Telescope Array by scanning in γ-ray flux (Fγ) and angular separation (θ) between sources and cosmic rays. A maximal excess of 80 cosmic rays (42.5 expected) is found at θ ≤ 10° from the neutrino-filtered γ-ray emitters selected from the second hard Fermi-LAT catalogue (2FHL) and for Fγ(>50 GeV) ≥ 1.8 × 10-11 ph cm-2 s-1. The probability for this to happen is 2.4 × 10-5, which translates to ˜2.4 × 10-3 after compensation for all the considered trials. No excess of cosmic rays is instead observed for the complement sample of γ-ray emitters (I.e. not in spatial connection with IceCube neutrinos). A likelihood ratio test comparing the connection between the neutrino-filtered and the complement source samples with the cosmic rays favours a connection between neutrino-filtered emitters and cosmic rays with a probability of ˜1.8 × 10-3 (2.9σ) after compensation for all the considered trials. The neutrino-filtered γ-ray sources that make up the cosmic rays excess are blazars of the high synchrotron peak type. More statistics is needed to further investigate these sources as candidate cosmic ray and neutrino emitters.

Ultra-High Temperature Materials Characterization for Space and Missile Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rogers, Jan; Hyers, Robert

2007-01-01

Numerous advanced space and missile technologies including propulsion systems require operations at high temperatures. Some very high-temperature materials are being developed to meet these needs, including refractory metal alloys, carbides, borides, and silicides. System design requires data for materials properties at operating temperatures. Materials property data are not available at the desired operating temperatures for many materials of interest. The objective of this work is to provide important physical property data at ultra-high temperatures. The MSFC Electrostatic Levitation (ESL) facility can provide measurements of thermophysical properties which include: creep strength, emissivity, density and thermal expansion. ESL uses electrostatic fields to position samples between electrodes during processing and characterization experiments. Samples float between the electrodes during studies and are free from any contact with a container or test apparatus. This provides a high purity environment for the study of high-temperature, reactive materials. ESL can be used to process a wide variety of materials including metals, alloys, ceramics, glasses and semiconductors. A system for the determination of total hemispherical emissivity is being developed for the MSFC ESL facility by AZ Technology Inc. The instrument has been designed to provide emissivity measurements for samples during ESL experiments over the temperature range 700-3400K. A novel non-contact technique for the determination of high-temperature creep strength has been developed. Data from selected ESL-based characterization studies will be presented. The ESL technique could advance space and missile technologies by advancing the knowledge base and the technology readiness level for ultra-high temperature materials. Applications include non-eroding nozzle materials and lightweight, high-temperature alloys for turbines and structures.

Investigation of Molecular Exchange Using DEXSY with Ultra-High Pulsed Field Gradients

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

Gratz, Marcel; Galvosas, Petrik

2008-12-05

Diffusion exchange spectroscopy has been employed for the investigation of water exchange between different regions of a cosmetic lotion as well as for the exchange of n-pentane between the inter- and intra-crystalline space in zeolite NaX. We successfully combined this two-dimensional (2D) NMR experiment with methods for the application of ultra-high pulsed field gradients of up to 35 T/m, resulting in observation times and mixing times as short as 2 ms and 2.8 ms, respectively.

A simplified competition data analysis for radioligand specific activity determination.

PubMed

Venturino, A; Rivera, E S; Bergoc, R M; Caro, R A

1990-01-01

Non-linear regression and two-step linear fit methods were developed to determine the actual specific activity of 125I-ovine prolactin by radioreceptor self-displacement analysis. The experimental results obtained by the different methods are superposable. The non-linear regression method is considered to be the most adequate procedure to calculate the specific activity, but if its software is not available, the other described methods are also suitable.

Development of Non-Proprietary Ultra-High Performance Concrete for Use in the Highway Bridge Sector : TechBrief

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-10-01

The long-term goals of this study are to facilitate the use of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) among U.S. suppliers and contractors, accelerate its application in U.S. construction, and promote a more resilient and sustainable future U.S. infr...

Ultrahigh b-values MRI in normal human prostate: Initial research on reproducibility and age-related differences.

PubMed

Shi, Changzheng; Zhang, Dong; Xiao, Zeyu; Wang, Li; Ma, Rong; Chen, Hanwei; Luo, Liangping

2017-09-01

To investigate the reproducibility of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) with ultrahigh b-values, and analyze the age-related differences in normal prostates. In all, 67 healthy participants were divided into three age groups (group A, 15-30 years; group B, 31-50 years; group C, ≥51 years), and underwent DWI scanning twice with 15 b-factors from 0 to 3000 at 3.0T. Triexponential fits were applied to calculate the molecular diffusion coefficient (D), the pseudo-diffusion coefficient (D*), the ultrahigh apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC uh ), and perfusion fraction (f). The interobserver and short-term interscan reproducibility were evaluated, and the change in these parameters with age were assessed. The D, ADC uh , and f values presented good to excellent reproducibility. With increasing age, a trend of increasing D values was observed, with significant difference in both peripheral zone (PZ, P = 0.01) and central gland (CG, P = 0.01) of normal prostate tissue. The f value increased in the CG beginning at 50 years of age while the ADC uh value decreased in the PZ after 50 years of age; all of them showed significant differences between groups A and C and groups B and C (P = 0.01/0.01). The D, ADC uh , and f values have good to excellent reproducibility in the normal prostate, and these values change with age. The ultrahigh b-values magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can provide additional information (ADC uh ), which is different from the IVIM (intravoxel incoherent motion)-derived parameters. 1 Technical Efficacy: Stage 2 J. MAGN. RESON. IMAGING 2017;46:801-812. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

46 CFR 148.04-1 - Radioactive material, Low Specific Activity (LSA).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Radioactive material, Low Specific Activity (LSA). 148... § 148.04-1 Radioactive material, Low Specific Activity (LSA). (a) Authorized materials are limited to: (1) Uranium or thorium ores and physical or chemical concentrates of such ores; (2) Uranium metal...

Ultrahigh near infrared photoresponsive organic field-effect transistors with lead phthalocyanine/C60 heterojunction on poly(vinyl alcohol) gate dielectric.

PubMed

Sun, Lei; Zhang, Jianping; Zhao, Feiyu; Luo, Xiao; Lv, Wenli; li, Yao; Ren, Qiang; Wen, Zhanwei; Peng, Yingquan; Liu, Xingyuan

2015-05-08

Performances of photoresponsive organic field-effect transistors (photOFETs) operating in the near infrared (NIR) region utilizing SiO2 as the gate dielectric is generally low due to low carrier mobility of the channel. We report on NIR photOFETs based on lead phthalocyanine (PbPc)/C60 heterojunction with ultrahigh photoresponsivity by utilizing poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) as the gate dielectric. For 808 nm NIR illumination of 1.69 mW cm(-2), an ultrahigh photoresponsivity of 21 A W(-1), and an external quantum efficiency of 3230% were obtained at a gate voltage of 30 V and a drain voltage of 80 V, which are 124 times and 126 times as large as the reference device with SiO2 as the gate dielectric, respectively. The ultrahigh enhancement of photoresponsivity is resulted from the huge increase of electron mobility of C60 film grown on PVA dielectric. AFM investigations revealed that the C60 film grown on PVA is much smooth and uniform and the grain size is much larger than that grown on SiO2 dielectric, which together results in four orders of magnitude increase of the field-effect electron mobility of C60 film.

Observation of shadowing of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays by the Moon and the Sun

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

Alexandreas, D.E.; Allen, R.C.; Berley, D.

1991-03-01

Data from an extensive air shower detector of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays shows shadowing of the cosmic-ray flux by the Moon and the Sun with significance of 4.9 standard deviations. This is the first observation of such shadowing. The effect has been used to determine that the angular resolution of the detector is 0.75{degree} {sub {minus}0.90{degree}}{sup +0.13{degree}}.

Characterization of an Ultra-High Temperature Ceramic Composite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Levine, Stanley R.; Opila, Elizabeth J.; Robinson, Raymond C.; Lorincz, Jonathan A.

2004-01-01

Ultra-high temperature ceramics (UHTC) are of interest for hypersonic vehicle leading edge applications. Monolithic UHTCs are of concern because of their low fracture toughness and brittle behavior. UHTC composites (UHTCC) are being investigated as a possible approach to overcome these deficiencies. In this study a small sample of a UHTCC was evaluated by limited mechanical property tests, furnace oxidation exposures, and oxidation exposures in a flowing environment generated by an oxy-acetylene torch. The composite was prepared from a carbon fiber perform using ceramic particulates and a pre-cerns about microcracking due to thermal expansion mismatch between the matrix and the carbon fiber reinforcements, and about the oxidation resistance of the HfB2-SiC coating layer and the composite constituents. However, positive performance in the torch test warrants further study of this concept.

Memory consolidation by replay of stimulus-specific neural activity.

PubMed

Deuker, Lorena; Olligs, Jan; Fell, Juergen; Kranz, Thorsten A; Mormann, Florian; Montag, Christian; Reuter, Martin; Elger, Christian E; Axmacher, Nikolai

2013-12-04

Memory consolidation transforms initially labile memory traces into more stable representations. One putative mechanism for consolidation is the reactivation of memory traces after their initial encoding during subsequent sleep or waking state. However, it is still unknown whether consolidation of individual memory contents relies on reactivation of stimulus-specific neural representations in humans. Investigating stimulus-specific representations in humans is particularly difficult, but potentially feasible using multivariate pattern classification analysis (MVPA). Here, we show in healthy human participants that stimulus-specific activation patterns can indeed be identified with MVPA, that these patterns reoccur spontaneously during postlearning resting periods and sleep, and that the frequency of reactivation predicts subsequent memory for individual items. We conducted a paired-associate learning task with items and spatial positions and extracted stimulus-specific activity patterns by MVPA in a simultaneous electroencephalography and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study. As a first step, we investigated the amount of fMRI volumes during rest that resembled either one of the items shown before or one of the items shown as a control after the resting period. Reactivations during both awake resting state and sleep predicted subsequent memory. These data are first evidence that spontaneous reactivation of stimulus-specific activity patterns during resting state can be investigated using MVPA. They show that reactivation occurs in humans and is behaviorally relevant for stabilizing memory traces against interference. They move beyond previous studies because replay was investigated on the level of individual stimuli and because reactivations were not evoked by sensory cues but occurred spontaneously.

Relative Expression Levels Rather Than Specific Activity Plays the Major Role in Determining In Vivo AKT Isoform Substrate Specificity

PubMed Central

Lee, Rachel S.; House, Colin M.; Cristiano, Briony E.; Hannan, Ross D.; Pearson, Richard B.; Hannan, Katherine M.

2011-01-01

The AKT protooncogene mediates many cellular processes involved in normal development and disease states such as cancer. The three structurally similar isoforms: AKT1, AKT2, and AKT3 exhibit both functional redundancy and isoform-specific functions; however the basis for their differential signalling remains unclear. Here we show that in vitro, purified AKT3 is ∼47-fold more active than AKT1 at phosphorylating peptide and protein substrates. Despite these marked variations in specific activity between the individual isoforms, a comprehensive analysis of phosphorylation of validated AKT substrates indicated only subtle differences in signalling via individual isoforms in vivo. Therefore, we hypothesise, at least in this model system, that relative tissue/cellular abundance, rather than specific activity, plays the dominant role in determining AKT substrate specificity in situ. PMID:21869924

Ultra-high resolution water window x ray microscope optics design and analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shealy, David L.; Wang, C.

1993-01-01

This project has been focused on the design and analysis of an ultra-high resolution water window soft-x-ray microscope. These activities have been accomplished by completing two tasks contained in the statement of work of this contract. The new results from this work confirm: (1) that in order to achieve resolutions greater than three times the wavelength of the incident radiation, it will be necessary to use spherical mirror surfaces and to use graded multilayer coatings on the secondary in order to accommodate the large variations of the angle of incidence over the secondary when operating the microscope at numerical apertures of 0.35 or greater; (2) that surface contour errors will have a significant effect on the optical performance of the microscope and must be controlled to a peak-to-valley variation of 50-100 A and a frequency of 8 periods over the surface of a mirror; and (3) that tolerance analysis of the spherical Schwarzschild microscope has been shown that the water window operations will require 2-3 times tighter tolerances to achieve a similar performance of operations with 130 A radiation. These results have been included in a manuscript included in the appendix.

Ultrahigh energy cosmic ray nuclei from remnants of dead quasars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moncada, Roberto J.; Colon, Rafael A.; Guerra, Juan J.; O'Dowd, Matthew J.; Anchordoqui, Luis A.

2017-03-01

We re-examine the possibility of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays being accelerated in nearby dormant quasars. We particularize our study to heavy nuclei to accommodate the spectrum and nuclear composition recently reported by the Pierre Auger Collaboration. Particle acceleration is driven by the Blandford-Znajek mechanism, which wires the dormant spinning black holes as Faraday unipolar dynamos. We demonstrate that energy losses are dominated by photonuclear interactions on the ambient photon fields. We argue that the local dark fossils of the past quasar activity can be classified on the basis of how source parameters (mass of the central engine and photon background surrounding the accelerator) impact the photonuclear interaction. In this classification it is possible to distinguish two unequivocal type of sources: those in which nuclei are completely photodisintegrated before escaping the acceleration region and those in which photopion production is the major energy damping mechanism. We further argue that the secondary nucleons from the photodisintegrated nuclei (which have a steep spectral index at injection) can populate the energy region below ;the ankle; feature in the cosmic ray spectrum, whereas heavy and medium mass nuclei (with a harder spectral index) populate the energy region beyond ;the ankle;, all the way to the high energy end of the spectrum. In addition, we show that five potential quasar remnants from our cosmic backyard correlate with the hot-spot observed by the Telescope Array.

Ultra-high sensitivity Fabry-Perot interferometer gas refractive index fiber sensor based on photonic crystal fiber and Vernier effect.

PubMed

Quan, Mingran; Tian, Jiajun; Yao, Yong

2015-11-01

An ultra-high sensitivity open-cavity Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) gas refractive index (RI) sensor based on the photonic crystal fiber (PCF) and Vernier effect is proposed and demonstrated. The sensor is prepared by splicing a section of PCF to a section of fiber tube fused with a section of single mode fiber. The air holes running along the cladding of the PCF enable the gas to enter or leave the cavity freely. The reflection beam from the last end face of the PCF is used to generate the Vernier effect, which significantly improves the sensitivity of the sensor. Experimental results show that the proposed sensor can provide an ultra-high RI sensitivity of 30899 nm/RIU. This sensor has potential applications in fields such as gas concentration analyzing and humidity monitoring.

Ultra-High Pressure Homogenization improves oxidative stability and interfacial properties of soy protein isolate-stabilized emulsions.

PubMed

Fernandez-Avila, C; Trujillo, A J

2016-10-15

Ultra-High Pressure Homogenization (100-300MPa) has great potential for technological, microbiological and nutritional aspects of fluid processing. Its effect on the oxidative stability and interfacial properties of oil-in-water emulsions prepared with 4% (w/v) of soy protein isolate and soybean oil (10 and 20%, v/v) were studied and compared to emulsions treated by conventional homogenization (15MPa). Emulsions were characterized by particle size, emulsifying activity index, surface protein concentration at the interface and by transmission electron microscopy. Primary and secondary lipid oxidation products were evaluated in emulsions upon storage. Emulsions with 20% oil treated at 100 and 200MPa exhibited the most oxidative stability due to higher amount of oil and protein surface load at the interface. This manuscript addresses the improvement in oxidative stability in emulsions treated by UHPH when compared to conventional emulsions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Infinite efficiency of the collisional Penrose process: Can a overspinning Kerr geometry be the source of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays and neutrinos?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patil, Mandar; Harada, Tomohiro; Nakao, Ken-ichi; Joshi, Pankaj S.; Kimura, Masashi

2016-05-01

The origin of the ultrahigh-energy particles we receive on Earth from outer space such as EeV cosmic rays and PeV neutrinos remains an enigma. All mechanisms known to us currently make use of electromagnetic interaction to accelerate charged particles. In this paper, we propose a mechanism exclusively based on gravity rather than electromagnetic interaction. We show that it is possible to generate ultrahigh-energy particles starting from particles with moderate energies using the collisional Penrose process in an overspinning Kerr spacetime transcending the Kerr bound only by an infinitesimal amount, i.e., with the Kerr parameter a =M (1 +ɛ ) , where we take the limit ɛ →0+. We consider two massive particles starting from rest at infinity that collide at r =M with divergent center-of-mass energy and produce two massless particles. We show that massless particles produced in the collision can escape to infinity with the ultrahigh energies exploiting the collisional Penrose process with the divergent efficiency η ˜1 /√{ɛ }→∞ . Assuming the isotropic emission of massless particles in the center-of-mass frame of the colliding particles, we show that half of the particles created in the collisions escape to infinity with the divergent energies, while the proportion of particles that reach infinity with finite energy is minuscule. To a distant observer, ultrahigh-energy particles appear to originate from a bright spot which is at the angular location ξ ˜2 M /robs with respect to the singularity on the side which is rotating toward the observer. We compute the spectrum of the high-energy massless particles and show that anisotropy in the emission in the center-of-mass frame leaves a distinct signature on its shape. Since the anisotropy is dictated by the differential cross section of the underlying particle physics process, the observation of the spectrum can constrain the particle physics model and serve as a unique probe into fundamental physics at

An active-optics image-motion compensation technology application for high-speed searching and infrared detection system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Jianping; Lu, Fei; Zou, Kai; Yan, Hong; Wan, Min; Kuang, Yan; Zhou, Yanqing

2018-03-01

An ultra-high angular velocity and minor-caliber high-precision stably control technology application for active-optics image-motion compensation, is put forward innovatively in this paper. The image blur problem due to several 100°/s high-velocity relative motion between imaging system and target is theoretically analyzed. The velocity match model of detection system and active optics compensation system is built, and active optics image motion compensation platform experiment parameters are designed. Several 100°/s high-velocity high-precision control optics compensation technology is studied and implemented. The relative motion velocity is up to 250°/s, and image motion amplitude is more than 20 pixel. After the active optics compensation, motion blur is less than one pixel. The bottleneck technology of ultra-high angular velocity and long exposure time in searching and infrared detection system is successfully broke through.

Optical Method for Detecting Displacements and Strains at Ultra-High Temperatures During Thermo-Mechanical Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roth, Mark C. (Inventor); Smith, Russell W. (Inventor); Sikora, Joseph G. (Inventor); Rivers, H. Kevin (Inventor); Johnston, William M. (Inventor)

2016-01-01

An ultra-high temperature optical method incorporates speckle optics for sensing displacement and strain measurements well above conventional measurement techniques. High temperature pattern materials are used which can endure experimental high temperature environments while simultaneously having a minimum optical aberration. A purge medium is used to reduce or eliminate optical distortions and to reduce, and/or eliminate oxidation of the target specimen.

Identifying ultrahigh-energy cosmic-ray accelerators with future ultrahigh-energy neutrino detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fang, Ke; Kotera, Kumiko; Miller, M. Coleman; Murase, Kohta; Oikonomou, Foteini

2016-12-01

The detection of ultrahigh-energy (UHE) neutrino sources would contribute significantly to solving the decades-old mystery of the origin of the highest-energy cosmic rays. We investigate the ability of a future UHE neutrino detector to identify the brightest neutrino point sources, by exploring the parameter space of the total number of observed events and the angular resolution of the detector. The favored parameter region can be translated to requirements for the effective area, sky coverage and angular resolution of future detectors, for a given source number density and evolution history. Moreover, by studying the typical distance to sources that are expected to emit more than one event for a given diffuse neutrino flux, we find that a significant fraction of the identifiable UHE neutrino sources may be located in the nearby Universe if the source number density is above ~10-6 Mpc-3. If sources are powerful and rare enough, as predicted in blazar scenarios, they can first be detected at distant locations. Our result also suggests that if UHE cosmic-ray accelerators are neither beamed nor transients, it will be possible to associate the detected UHE neutrino sources with nearby UHE cosmic-ray and gamma-ray sources, and that they may also be observed using other messengers, including ones with limited horizons such as TeV gamma rays, UHE gamma rays and cosmic rays. We find that for a gtrsim5σ detection of UHE neutrino sources with a uniform density, ns~10-7-10-5 Mpc-3, at least ~100-1000 events and sub-degree angular resolution are needed, and the results depend on the source evolution model.

Dewaterability of five sewage sludges in Guangzhou conditioned with Fenton's reagent/lime and pilot-scale experiments using ultrahigh pressure filtration system.

PubMed

Liang, Jialin; Huang, Shaosong; Dai, Yongkang; Li, Lei; Sun, Shuiyu

2015-11-01

Sludge conditioning with Fenton's reagent and lime is a valid method for sludge dewatering. This study investigated the influence of different organic matter content sludge on sludge dewatering and discussed the main mechanism of sludge conditioning by combined Fenton's reagent and lime. The results indicated that the specific resistance to filterability (SRF) of sludge was reduced efficiently by approximately 90%, when conditioned with Fenton's reagent and lime. Through single factor experiments, the optimal conditioning combinations were found. In addition, the relationship between VSS% and consumption of the reagents was detected. Furthermore, it was also demonstrated that the SRF and filtrate TOC values had a significant correlation with VSS% of sludge (including raw and conditioned). The main mechanism of sludge dewatering was also investigated. Firstly, it revealed that the dewaterability of sludge was closely correlated to extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and bound water contents. Secondly, the results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) stated that sludge particles were to be smaller and thinner after conditioning. And this structure could easily form outflow channels for releasing free water. Additionally, with the ultrahigh pressure filtration system, the water content of sludge cake conditioned with Fenton's reagent and lime could be reduced to below 50%. Moreover, the economic assessment shows that Fenton's reagent and lime combined with ultrahigh pressure filtration system can be an economical and viable technology for sewage sludge dewatering. Finally, three types of sludge were classified: (1) Fast to dewater; (2) Moderately fast to dewater; (3) Slow to dewater sludge. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Seed Structure Characteristics to Form Ultrahigh Oil Content in Rapeseed

PubMed Central

Zhang, Liang; Deng, Lin-Bin; Wang, Xin-Fa; Liu, Gui-Hua; Hao, Wan-Jun; Wang, Han-Zhong

2013-01-01

Background Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) is an important oil crop in the world, and increasing its oil content is a major breeding goal. The studies on seed structure and characteristics of different oil content rapeseed could help us to understand the biological mechanism of lipid accumulation, and be helpful for rapeseed breeding. Methodology/Principal Findings Here we report on the seed ultrastructure of an ultrahigh oil content rapeseed line YN171, whose oil content is 64.8%, and compared with other high and low oil content rapeseed lines. The results indicated that the cytoplasms of cotyledon, radicle, and aleuronic cells were completely filled with oil and protein bodies, and YN171 had a high oil body organelle to cell area ratio for all cell types. In the cotyledon cells, oil body organelles comprised 81% of the total cell area in YN171, but only 53 to 58% in three high oil content lines and 33 to 38% in three low oil content lines. The high oil body organelle to cotyledon cell area ratio and the cotyledon ratio in seed were the main reasons for the ultrahigh oil content of YN171. The correlation analysis indicated that oil content is significantly negatively correlated with protein content, but is not correlated with fatty acid composition. Conclusions/Significance Our results indicate that the oil content of YN171 could be enhanced by increasing the oil body organelle to cell ratio for some cell types. The oil body organelle to seed ratio significantly highly positively correlates with oil content, and could be used to predict seed oil content. Based on the structural analysis of different oil content rapeseed lines, we estimate the maximum of rapeseed oil content could reach 75%. Our results will help us to screen and identify high oil content lines in rapeseed breeding. PMID:23637973

Mechanisms of specificity in neuronal activity-regulated gene transcription

PubMed Central

Lyons, Michelle R.; West, Anne E.

2011-01-01

The brain is a highly adaptable organ that is capable of converting sensory information into changes in neuronal function. This plasticity allows behavior to be accommodated to the environment, providing an important evolutionary advantage. Neurons convert environmental stimuli into long-lasting changes in their physiology in part through the synaptic activity-regulated transcription of new gene products. Since the neurotransmitter-dependent regulation of Fos transcription was first discovered nearly 25 years ago, a wealth of studies have enriched our understanding of the molecular pathways that mediate activity-regulated changes in gene transcription. These findings show that a broad range of signaling pathways and transcriptional regulators can be engaged by neuronal activity to sculpt complex programs of stimulus-regulated gene transcription. However, the shear scope of the transcriptional pathways engaged by neuronal activity raises the question of how specificity in the nature of the transcriptional response is achieved in order to encode physiologically relevant responses to divergent stimuli. Here we summarize the general paradigms by which neuronal activity regulates transcription while focusing on the molecular mechanisms that confer differential stimulus-, cell-type-, and developmental-specificity upon activity-regulated programs of neuronal gene transcription. In addition, we preview some of the new technologies that will advance our future understanding of the mechanisms and consequences of activity-regulated gene transcription in the brain. PMID:21620929

Modified heat treatment for lower temperature improvement of the mechanical properties of two ultrahigh strength low alloy steels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomita, Yoshiyuki; Okabayashi, Kunio

1985-01-01

In the previous papers, a new heat treatment for improving the lower temperature mechanical propertise of the ultrahigh strength low alloy steels was suggested by the authors which produces a mixed structure of 25 vol pct lower bainite and 75 vol pct martensite through isothermal transformation at 593 K for a short time followed by water quenching (after austenitization at 1133 K). In this paper, two commercial Japanese ultrahigh strength steels, 0.40 pct C-Ni-Cr-Mo (AISI 4340 type) and 0.40 pct C-Cr-Mo (AISI 4140 type), have been studied to determine the effect of the modified heat treatment, coupled above new heat treatment with γ ⇆ α' repctitive heat treatment, on the mechanical properties from ambient temperature (287 K) to 123 K. The results obtained for various test temperatures have been compared with those for the new heat treatment reported previously and the conventional 1133 K direct water quenching treatment. The incorporation of intermediate four cyclic γ ⇆ α' repctitive heat treatment steps (after the initial austenitization at 1133 K and oil quenching) into the new heat treatment reported previously, as compared with the conventional 1133 K direct water quenching treatment, significantly improved 0.2 pct proof stress as well as notch toughness of the 0.40 pct C-Ni-Cr-Mo ultrahigh strength steel at similar fracture ductility levels from 287 to 123 K. Also, this heat treatment, as compared with the conventional 1133 K direct water quenching treatment, significantly improved both 0.2 pct proof stress and notch toughness of the 0.40 pct C-Cr-Mo ultrahigh strength steel with increased fracture ductility at 203 K and above. The microstructure consists of mixed areas of ultrafine grained martensite, within which is the refined blocky, highly dislocated structure, and the second phase lower bainite (about 15 vol pct), which appears in acicular form and partitions prior austenite grains. This newly developed heat treatment makes it possible to modify

Influence of heteroatom pre-selection on the molecular formula assignment of soil organic matter components determined by ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Ohno, Tsutomu; Ohno, Paul E

2013-04-01

Soil organic matter (SOM) is involved in many important ecosystem processes. Ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry has become a powerful technique in the chemical characterization of SOM, allowing assignment of elemental formulae for thousands of peaks resolved in a typical mass spectrum. We investigated how the addition of N, S, and P heteroatoms in the formula calculation stage of the mass spectra processing workflow affected the formula assignments of mass spectra peaks. Dissolved organic matter extracted from plant biomass and soil as well as the soil humic acid fraction was studied. We show that the addition of S and P into the molecular formula calculation increased peak assignments on average by 17.3 % and 10.7 %, respectively, over the assignments based on the CHON elements frequently reported by SOM researchers using ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry. The organic matter chemical characteristics as represented by van Krevelen diagrams were appreciably affected by differences in the heteroatom pre-selection for the three organic matter samples investigated, especially so for the wheat-derived dissolved organic matter. These results show that inclusion of both S and P heteroatoms into the formula calculation step, which is not routinely done, is important to obtain a more chemically complete interpretation of the ultrahigh resolution mass spectra of SOM.

Visible-to-visible four-photon ultrahigh resolution microscopic imaging with 730-nm diode laser excited nanocrystals.

PubMed

Wang, Baoju; Zhan, Qiuqiang; Zhao, Yuxiang; Wu, Ruitao; Liu, Jing; He, Sailing

2016-01-25

Further development of multiphoton microscopic imaging is confronted with a number of limitations, including high-cost, high complexity and relatively low spatial resolution due to the long excitation wavelength. To overcome these problems, for the first time, we propose visible-to-visible four-photon ultrahigh resolution microscopic imaging by using a common cost-effective 730-nm laser diode to excite the prepared Nd(3+)-sensitized upconversion nanoparticles (Nd(3+)-UCNPs). An ordinary multiphoton scanning microscope system was built using a visible CW diode laser and the lateral imaging resolution as high as 161-nm was achieved via the four-photon upconversion process. The demonstrated large saturation excitation power for Nd(3+)-UCNPs would be more practical and facilitate the four-photon imaging in the application. A sample with fine structure was imaged to demonstrate the advantages of visible-to-visible four-photon ultrahigh resolution microscopic imaging with 730-nm diode laser excited nanocrystals. Combining the uniqueness of UCNPs, the proposed visible-to-visible four-photon imaging would be highly promising and attractive in the field of multiphoton imaging.

Argentation chromatography coupled to ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry for the separation of a heavy crude oil.

PubMed

Molnárné Guricza, Lilla; Schrader, Wolfgang

2017-02-10

Simplification of highly complex mixtures such as crude oil by using chromatographic methods makes it possible to get more detailed information about the composition of the analyte. Separation by argentation chromatography can be achieved based on the interaction of different strength between the silver ions (Ag + ) immobilized through a spacer on the silica gel surface and the π-bonds of the analytes. Heavy crude oils contain compounds with a high number of heteroatoms (N, O, S) and a high degree of unsaturation thus making them the perfect analyte for argentation chromatography. The direct coupling of argentation chromatography and ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry allows to continuously tracking the separation of the many different compounds by retention time and allows sensitive detection on a molecular level. Direct injection of a heavy crude oil into a ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometer showed components with DBE of up to 25, whereas analytes with DBE of up to 35 could be detected only after separation with argentation chromatography. The reduced complexity achieved by the separation helps increasing the information depth. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Super-SERS-active and highly effective antimicrobial Ag nanodendrites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, H. B.; Liu, P.; Liang, Y.; Xiao, J.; Yang, G. W.

2012-07-01

We have developed simple and green electrochemistry to synthesize Ag nanostructures with high purity, good crystallinity and smooth surface for applications as super-SERS (surface-enhanced Raman scattering), SERS-active substrates and with highly effective antimicrobial activities. This synthesis takes place in a clean and slow reaction environment without any chemical additives, which ensures an ultrahigh active surface of the as-synthesized Ag nanostructures owing to their purity, good crystallinity and smooth morphology. Using this method, we synthesized nearly perfect Ag nanodendrites (NDs), which exhibit super-SERS sensitivity when they are used to detect the SERS spectra of rhodamine 6G at concentrations as low as 5 × 10-16 M, and have an ultrahigh electromagnetic (EM) enhancement factor of the order of 1013, breaking through the theoretical limit of EM enhancement. Meanwhile, the as-synthesized Ag NDs possess highly effective antimicrobial activities for Escherichia coli, Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus, which are over 10 times that of silver nanoparticles. Additionally, the basic physics and chemistry involved in the fabrication of Ag nanostructures are pursued. These investigations show that silver nanostructures with highly active surfaces can make the most of Ag nanostructures functioning as super-SERS-active substrates and multiple antibiotics.

A selective ultrahigh responding high temperature ethanol sensor using TiO2 nanoparticles.

PubMed

Arafat, M M; Haseeb, A S M A; Akbar, Sheikh A

2014-07-28

In this research work, the sensitivity of TiO2 nanoparticles towards C2H5OH, H2 and CH4 gases was investigated. The morphology and phase content of the particles was preserved during sensing tests by prior heat treatment of the samples at temperatures as high as 750 °C and 1000 °C. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis were employed to characterize the size, morphology and phase content of the particles. For sensor fabrication, a film of TiO2 was printed on a Au interdigitated alumina substrate. The sensing temperature was varied from 450 °C to 650 °C with varying concentrations of target gases. Results show that the sensor has ultrahigh response towards ethanol (C2H5OH) compared to hydrogen (H2) and methane (CH4). The optimum sensing temperature was found to be 600 °C. The response and recovery times of the sensor are 3 min and 15 min, respectively, for 20 ppm C2H5OH at the optimum operating temperature of 600 °C. It is proposed that the catalytic action of TiO2 with C2H5OH is the reason for the ultrahigh response of the sensor.

Characterization of unknown brominated disinfection byproducts during chlorination using ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Zhang, Haifeng; Zhang, Yahe; Shi, Quan; Zheng, Hongdie; Yang, Min

2014-03-18

Brominated disinfection byproducts (Br-DBPs), formed from the reaction of disinfectant(s) with natural organic matter in the presence of bromide in raw water, are generally more cytotoxic and genotoxic than their chlorinated analogues. To date, only a few Br-DBPs in drinking water have been identified, while a significant portion of Br-DBPs in drinking water is still unknown. In this study, negative ion electrospray ionization ultrahigh resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (ESI FT-ICR MS) was used to characterize unknown Br-DBPs in artificial drinking water. In total, 441 formulas for one-bromine-containing products and 37 formulas for two-bromine-containing products, most of which had not been previously reported, were detected in the chlorinated sample. Most Br-DBPs have corresponding chlorine-containing analogues with identical CHO composition. In addition, on-resonance collision-induced dissociation (CID) of single ultrahigh resolved bromine containing mass peaks was performed in the ICR cell to isolate single bromine-containing components in a very complex natural organic matter spectrum and provide structure information. Relatively abundant neutral loss of CO2 was observed in MS-MS spectra, indicating that the unknown Br-DBPs are rich in carboxyl groups. The results demonstrate that the ESI FT-ICR MS method could provide valuable molecular composition and structure information on unknown Br-DBPs.

A Selective Ultrahigh Responding High Temperature Ethanol Sensor Using TiO2 Nanoparticles

PubMed Central

Arafat, M. M.; Haseeb, A. S. M. A.; Akbar, Sheikh A.

2014-01-01

In this research work, the sensitivity of TiO2 nanoparticles towards C2H5OH, H2 and CH4 gases was investigated. The morphology and phase content of the particles was preserved during sensing tests by prior heat treatment of the samples at temperatures as high as 750 °C and 1000 °C. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis were employed to characterize the size, morphology and phase content of the particles. For sensor fabrication, a film of TiO2 was printed on a Au interdigitated alumina substrate. The sensing temperature was varied from 450 °C to 650 °C with varying concentrations of target gases. Results show that the sensor has ultrahigh response towards ethanol (C2H5OH) compared to hydrogen (H2) and methane (CH4). The optimum sensing temperature was found to be 600 °C. The response and recovery times of the sensor are 3 min and 15 min, respectively, for 20 ppm C2H5OH at the optimum operating temperature of 600 °C. It is proposed that the catalytic action of TiO2 with C2H5OH is the reason for the ultrahigh response of the sensor. PMID:25072346

A Manganin Thin Film Ultra-High Pressure Sensor for Microscale Detonation Pressure Measurement

PubMed Central

Zhang, Guodong; Zhao, Yulong; Zhao, Yun; Wang, Xinchen; Ren, Wei; Li, Hui; Zhao, You

2018-01-01

With the development of energetic materials (EMs) and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) initiating explosive devices, the measurement of detonation pressure generated by EMs in the microscale has become a pressing need. This paper develops a manganin thin film ultra-high pressure sensor based on MEMS technology for measuring the output pressure from micro-detonator. A reliable coefficient is proposed for designing the sensor’s sensitive element better. The sensor employs sandwich structure: the substrate uses a 0.5 mm thick alumina ceramic, the manganin sensitive element with a size of 0.2 mm × 0.1 mm × 2 μm and copper electrodes of 2 μm thick are sputtered sequentially on the substrate, and a 25 μm thick insulating layer of polyimide is wrapped on the sensitive element. The static test shows that the piezoresistive coefficient of manganin thin film is 0.0125 GPa−1. The dynamic experiment indicates that the detonation pressure of micro-detonator is 12.66 GPa, and the response time of the sensor is 37 ns. In a word, the sensor developed in this study is suitable for measuring ultra-high pressure in microscale and has a shorter response time than that of foil-like manganin gauges. Simultaneously, this study could be beneficial to research on ultra-high-pressure sensors with smaller size. PMID:29494519

Visualization and tissue classification of human breast cancer images using ultrahigh-resolution OCT.

PubMed

Yao, Xinwen; Gan, Yu; Chang, Ernest; Hibshoosh, Hanina; Feldman, Sheldon; Hendon, Christine

2017-03-01

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers, and recognized as the third leading cause of mortality in women. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) enables three dimensional visualization of biological tissue with micrometer level resolution at high speed, and can play an important role in early diagnosis and treatment guidance of breast cancer. In particular, ultra-high resolution (UHR) OCT provides images with better histological correlation. This paper compared UHR OCT performance with standard OCT in breast cancer imaging qualitatively and quantitatively. Automatic tissue classification algorithms were used to automatically detect invasive ductal carcinoma in ex vivo human breast tissue. Human breast tissues, including non-neoplastic/normal tissues from breast reduction and tumor samples from mastectomy specimens, were excised from patients at Columbia University Medical Center. The tissue specimens were imaged by two spectral domain OCT systems at different wavelengths: a home-built ultra-high resolution (UHR) OCT system at 800 nm (measured as 2.72 μm axial and 5.52 μm lateral) and a commercial OCT system at 1,300 nm with standard resolution (measured as 6.5 μm axial and 15 μm lateral), and their imaging performances were analyzed qualitatively. Using regional features derived from OCT images produced by the two systems, we developed an automated classification algorithm based on relevance vector machine (RVM) to differentiate hollow-structured adipose tissue against solid tissue. We further developed B-scan based features for RVM to classify invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) against normal fibrous stroma tissue among OCT datasets produced by the two systems. For adipose classification, 32 UHR OCT B-scans from 9 normal specimens, and 28 standard OCT B-scans from 6 normal and 4 IDC specimens were employed. For IDC classification, 152 UHR OCT B-scans from 6 normal and 13 IDC specimens, and 104 standard OCT B-scans from 5 normal and 8 IDC specimens

Ultrahigh interlayer friction in multiwalled boron nitride nanotubes.

PubMed

Niguès, A; Siria, A; Vincent, P; Poncharal, P; Bocquet, L

2014-07-01

Friction at the nanoscale has revealed a wealth of behaviours that depart strongly from the long-standing macroscopic laws of Amontons-Coulomb. Here, by using a 'Christmas cracker'-type of system in which a multiwalled nanotube is torn apart between a quartz-tuning-fork-based atomic force microscope (TF-AFM) and a nanomanipulator, we compare the mechanical response of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and multiwalled boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) during the fracture and telescopic sliding of the layers. We found that the interlayer friction for insulating BNNTs results in ultrahigh viscous-like dissipation that is proportional to the contact area, whereas for the semimetallic CNTs the sliding friction vanishes within experimental uncertainty. We ascribe this difference to the ionic character of the BN, which allows charge localization. The interlayer viscous friction of BNNTs suggests that BNNT membranes could serve as extremely efficient shock-absorbing surfaces.

High statistics search for ultrahigh energy {gamma}-ray emission from Cygnus X-3 and Hercules X-1

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

Borione, A.; Chantell, M.C.; Covault, C.E.

1997-02-01

We have carried out a high statistics (2{times}10{sup 9} events) search for ultrahigh energy {gamma}-ray emission from the x-ray binary sources Cygnus X-3 and Hercules X-1. Using data taken with the CASA-MIA detector over a five year period (1990{endash}1995), we find no evidence for steady emission from either source. The derived 90{percent} C.L. upper limit to the steady integral flux of {gamma} rays from Cygnus X-3 is {Phi}(E{gt}115TeV){lt}6.3{times}10{sup {minus}15} photons cm{sup {minus}2}sec{sup {minus}1}, and from Hercules X-1 it is {Phi}(E{gt}115TeV){lt}8.5{times}10{sup {minus}15} photonscm{sup {minus}2}sec{sup {minus}1}. These limits are more than two orders of magnitude lower than earlier claimed detections and aremore » better than recent experiments operating in the same energy range. We have also searched for transient emission on time periods of one day and 0.5 h and find no evidence for such emission from either source. The typical daily limit on the integral {gamma}-ray flux from Cygnus X-3 or Hercules X-1 is {Phi}{sub daily}(E{gt}115TeV){lt}2.0{times}10{sup {minus}13} photons cm{sup {minus}2}sec{sup {minus}1}. For Cygnus X-3, we see no evidence for emission correlated with the 4.8 h x-ray periodicity or with the occurrence of large radio flares. Unless one postulates that these sources were very active earlier and are now dormant, the limits presented here put into question the earlier results, and highlight the difficulties that possible future experiments will have in detecting {gamma}-ray signals at ultrahigh energies. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}« less

Comparative analysis of main bio-active components in the herb pair Danshen-Honghua and its single herbs by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Qu, Cheng; Pu, Zong-Jin; Zhou, Gui-Sheng; Wang, Jun; Zhu, Zhen-Hua; Yue, Shi-Jun; Li, Jian-Ping; Shang, Li-Li; Tang, Yu-Ping; Shi, Xu-Qin; Liu, Pei; Guo, Jian-Ming; Sun, Jing; Tang, Zhi-Shu; Zhao, Jing; Zhao, Bu-Chang; Duan, Jin-Ao

2017-09-01

A sensitive, reliable, and powerful ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for simultaneous quantification of the 15 main bio-active components including phenolic acids and flavonoids within 13 min for the first time. The proposed method was first reported and validated by good linearity (r 2  > 0.9975), limit of detection (1.12-7.01 ng/mL), limit of quantification (3.73-23.37 ng/mL), intra- and inter-day precisions (RSD ≤ 1.92%, RSD ≤ 2.45%), stability (RSD ≤ 5.63%), repeatability (RSD ≤ 4.34%), recovery (96.84-102.12%), and matrix effects (0.92-1.02). The established analytical methodology was successfully applied to comparative analysis of main bio-active components in the herb pair Danshen-Honghua and its single herbs. Compared to the single herb, the content of most flavonoid glycosides was remarkably increased in their herb pair, and main phenolic acids were decreased, conversely. The content changes of the main components in the herb pair supported the synergistic effects on promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis. The results provide a scientific basis and reference for the quality control of Danshen-Honghua herb pair and the drug interactions based on variation of bio-active components in herb pairs. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

High and ultra-high resolution metabolite mapping of the human brain using 1H FID MRSI at 9.4T.

PubMed

Nassirpour, Sahar; Chang, Paul; Henning, Anke

2018-03-01

Magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) is a promising technique for mapping the spatial distribution of multiple metabolites in the human brain. These metabolite maps can be used as a diagnostic tool to gain insight into several biochemical processes and diseases in the brain. In comparison to lower field strengths, MRSI at ultra-high field strengths benefits from a higher signal to noise ratio (SNR) as well as higher chemical shift dispersion, and hence spectral resolution. This study combines the benefits of an ultra-high field magnet with the advantages of an ultra-short TE and TR single-slice FID-MRSI sequence (such as negligible J-evolution and loss of SNR due to T 2 relaxation effects) and presents the first metabolite maps acquired at 9.4T in the healthy human brain at both high (voxel size of 97.6µL) and ultra-high (voxel size of 24.4µL) spatial resolutions in a scan time of 11 and 46min respectively. In comparison to lower field strengths, more anatomically-detailed maps with higher SNR from a larger number of metabolites are shown. A total of 12 metabolites including glutamate (Glu), glutamine (Gln), N-acetyl-aspartyl-glutamate (NAAG), Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutathione (GSH) are reliably mapped. Comprehensive description of the methodology behind these maps is provided. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ultrahigh-Energy Density Lithium-Ion Cable Battery Based on the Carbon-Nanotube Woven Macrofilms.

PubMed

Wu, Ziping; Liu, Kaixi; Lv, Chao; Zhong, Shengwen; Wang, Qinghui; Liu, Ting; Liu, Xianbin; Yin, Yanhong; Hu, Yingyan; Wei, Di; Liu, Zhongfan

2018-05-01

Moore's law predicts the performance of integrated circuit doubles every two years, lasting for more than five decades. However, the improvements of the performance of energy density in batteries lag far behind that. In addition, the poor flexibility, insufficient-energy density, and complexity of incorporation into wearable electronics remain considerable challenges for current battery technology. Herein, a lithium-ion cable battery is invented, which is insensitive to deformation due to its use of carbon nanotube (CNT) woven macrofilms as the charge collectors. An ultrahigh-tap density of 10 mg cm -2 of the electrodes can be obtained, which leads to an extremely high-energy density of 215 mWh cm -3 . The value is approximately seven times than that of the highest performance reported previously. In addition, the battery displays very stable rate performance and lower internal resistance than conventional lithium-ion batteries using metal charge collectors. Moreover, it demonstrates excellent convenience for connecting electronics as a new strategy is applied, in which both electrodes can be integrated into one end by a CNT macrorope. Such an ultrahigh-energy density lithium-ion cable battery provides a feasible way to power wearable electronics with commercial viability. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Life review based on remembering specific positive events in active aging.

PubMed

Latorre, José M; Serrano, Juan P; Ricarte, Jorge; Bonete, Beatriz; Ros, Laura; Sitges, Esther

2015-02-01

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of life review (LR) based on specific positive events in non-depressed older adults taking part in an active aging program. Fifty-five older adults were randomly assigned to an experimental group or an active control (AC) group. A six-session individual training of LR based on specific positive events was carried out with the experimental group. The AC group undertook a "media workshop" of six sessions focused on learning journalistic techniques. Pre-test and post-test measures included life satisfaction, depressive symptoms, experiencing the environment as rewarding, and autobiographical memory (AM) scales. LR intervention decreased depressive symptomatology, improved life satisfaction, and increased specific memories. The findings suggest that practice in AM for specific events is an effective component of LR that could be a useful tool in enhancing emotional well-being in active aging programs, thus reducing depressive symptoms. © The Author(s) 2014.

Modal analysis of the ultrahigh finesse Haroche QED cavity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marsic, Nicolas; De Gersem, Herbert; Demésy, Guillaume; Nicolet, André; Geuzaine, Christophe

2018-04-01

In this paper, we study a high-order finite element approach to simulate an ultrahigh finesse Fabry–Pérot superconducting open resonator for cavity quantum electrodynamics. Because of its high quality factor, finding a numerically converged value of the damping time requires an extremely high spatial resolution. Therefore, the use of high-order simulation techniques appears appropriate. This paper considers idealized mirrors (no surface roughness and perfect geometry, just to cite a few hypotheses), and shows that under these assumptions, a damping time much higher than what is available in experimental measurements could be achieved. In addition, this work shows that both high-order discretizations of the governing equations and high-order representations of the curved geometry are mandatory for the computation of the damping time of such cavities.

Acceleration of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays in starburst superwinds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anchordoqui, Luis Alfredo

2018-03-01

The sources of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) have been stubbornly elusive. However, the latest report of the Pierre Auger Observatory provides a compelling indication for a possible correlation between the arrival directions of UHECRs and nearby starburst galaxies. We argue that if starbursts are sources of UHECRs, then particle acceleration in the large-scale terminal shock of the superwind that flows from the starburst engine represents the best known concept model in the market. We investigate new constraints on the model and readjust free parameters accordingly. We show that UHECR acceleration above about 1 011 GeV remains consistent with observation. We also show that the model could accommodate hard source spectra as required by Auger data. We demonstrate how neutrino emission can be used as a discriminator among acceleration models.

Magnetic Material Assessment of a Novel Ultra-High Step-Up Converter with Single Semiconductor Switch and Galvanic Isolation for Fuel-Cell Power System.

PubMed

Shen, Chih-Lung; Liou, Heng

2017-11-15

In this paper, a novel step-up converter is proposed, which has the particular features of single semiconductor switch, ultra-high conversion ratio, galvanic isolation, and easy control. Therefore, the proposed converter is suitable for the applications of fuel-cell power system. Coupled inductors and switched capacitors are incorporated in the converter to obtain an ultra-high voltage ratio that is much higher than that of a conventional high step-up converter. Even if the turns ratio of coupled inductor and duty ratio are only to be 1 and 0.5, respectively, the converter can readily achieve a voltage gain of up to 18. Owing to this outstanding performance, it can also be applied to any other low voltage source for voltage boosting. In the power stage, only one active switch is used to handle the converter operation. In addition, the leakage energy of the two couple inductors can be totally recycled without any snubber, which simplifies the control mechanism and improves the conversion efficiency. Magnetic material dominates the conversion performance of the converter. Different types of iron cores are discussed for the possibility to serve as a coupled inductor. A 200 W prototype with 400 V output voltage is built to validate the proposed converter. In measurement, it indicates that the highest efficiency can be up to 94%.

Magnetic Material Assessment of a Novel Ultra-High Step-Up Converter with Single Semiconductor Switch and Galvanic Isolation for Fuel-Cell Power System

PubMed Central

Shen, Chih-Lung; Liou, Heng

2017-01-01

In this paper, a novel step-up converter is proposed, which has the particular features of single semiconductor switch, ultra-high conversion ratio, galvanic isolation, and easy control. Therefore, the proposed converter is suitable for the applications of fuel-cell power system. Coupled inductors and switched capacitors are incorporated in the converter to obtain an ultra-high voltage ratio that is much higher than that of a conventional high step-up converter. Even if the turns ratio of coupled inductor and duty ratio are only to be 1 and 0.5, respectively, the converter can readily achieve a voltage gain of up to 18. Owing to this outstanding performance, it can also be applied to any other low voltage source for voltage boosting. In the power stage, only one active switch is used to handle the converter operation. In addition, the leakage energy of the two couple inductors can be totally recycled without any snubber, which simplifies the control mechanism and improves the conversion efficiency. Magnetic material dominates the conversion performance of the converter. Different types of iron cores are discussed for the possibility to serve as a coupled inductor. A 200 W prototype with 400 V output voltage is built to validate the proposed converter. In measurement, it indicates that the highest efficiency can be up to 94%. PMID:29140282

A Situation-specific Theory of Midlife Women's Attitudes toward Physical Activity (MAPA)

PubMed Central

Im, Eun-Ok; Stuifbergen, Alexa K.; Walker, Lorraine

2010-01-01

This paper presents a situation specific theory—the Midlife Women's Attitudes toward Physical Activity (MAPA) theory—that explains how women's attitudes toward physical activity influence their participation in physical activity. Using the integrative approach of Im, the theory was developed based on the Attitude, Social Influence, and Self Efficacy Model, a review of the related literature, and a study of women's attitudes toward physical activity. As a situation-specific theory, the MAPA theory can be easily linked to nursing practice and research projects related to physical activity in midlife women, especially interventions aimed at increasing midlife women's participation in physical activity. PMID:20113755

Distinct modes of gene regulation by a cell-specific transcriptional activator.

PubMed

Sengupta, Tanushri; Cohet, Nathalie; Morlé, François; Bieker, James J

2009-03-17

The architectural layout of a eukaryotic RNA polymerase II core promoter plays a role in general transcriptional activation. However, its role in tissue-specific expression is not known. For example, differing modes of its recognition by general transcription machinery can provide an additional layer of control within which a single tissue-restricted transcription factor may operate. Erythroid Kruppel-like factor (EKLF) is a hematopoietic-specific transcription factor that is critical for the activation of subset of erythroid genes. We find that EKLF interacts with TATA binding protein-associated factor 9 (TAF9), which leads to important consequences for expression of adult beta-globin. First, TAF9 functionally supports EKLF activity by enhancing its ability to activate the beta-globin gene. Second, TAF9 interacts with a conserved beta-globin downstream promoter element, and ablation of this interaction by beta-thalassemia-causing mutations decreases its promoter activity and disables superactivation. Third, depletion of EKLF prevents recruitment of TAF9 to the beta-globin promoter, whereas depletion of TAF9 drastically impairs beta-promoter activity. However, a TAF9-independent mode of EKLF transcriptional activation is exhibited by the alpha-hemoglobin-stabilizing protein (AHSP) gene, which does not contain a discernable downstream promoter element. In this case, TAF9 does not enhance EKLF activity and depletion of TAF9 has no effect on AHSP promoter activation. These studies demonstrate that EKLF directs different modes of tissue-specific transcriptional activation depending on the architecture of its target core promoter.

Chosen postures during specific sitting activities.

PubMed

Kamp, Irene; Kilincsoy, Umit; Vink, Peter

2011-11-01

This research study analysed the interaction between people's postures and activities while in semi-public/leisure situations and during transportation (journey by train). In addition, the use of small electronic devices received particular emphasis. Video recordings in German trains and photographs in Dutch semi-public spaces were analysed using a variation of Branton and Grayson's (An evaluation of train seats by observation of sitting behaviour. Ergonomics, 10 (1), (1967), 35-51) postural targeting forms and photos. The analysis suggests a significant relationship between most activities and the position of the head, trunk and arms during transportation situations. The relationship during public situations is less straightforward. Watching, talking/discussing and reading were the most observed activities for the transportation and leisure situations combined. Surprisingly, differences in head, trunk, arm and leg postures were not significant when using small electronic devices. Important issues not considered in this study include the duration of the activities, the gender and age of observed subjects and the influence of the time of day. These are interesting issues to consider and include for future research. STATEMENT OF RELEVANCE: This study shows what activities people choose to carry out and their related postures when not forced to a specific task (e.g. driving). The results of this study can be used for designing comfortable seating in the transportation industry (car passenger, train, bus and aircraft seats) and semi-public/leisure spaces.

Control of Hydrogen Environment Embrittlement of Ultra-High Strength Steel for Naval Application

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-07-01

load cracking behavior of maraging steels in hydrogen. Corrosion , 29, 1973, 299-304. D.A. Jones, A.F. Jankowski and G.A. Davidson, "Diffusion of...short crack case. This behavior is relevant to small surface cracks in coated UHSS components such as a landing gear. IV.B. Effect of Steel Composition ...PRESSURE (k N /m 2) Figure 26. The effect of H2 pressure on the HEAC growth rate for a ultra-high strength 18Ni Maraging steel stressed in a highly

FFT-impedance spectroscopy analysis of the growth of magnetic metal nanowires in ultra-high aspect ratio InP membranes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gerngross, M.-D.; Carstensen, J.; Föll, H.; Adelung, R.

2016-01-01

This paper reports on the characterization of the electrochemical growth process of magnetic nanowires in ultra-high-aspect ratio InP membranes via in situ fast Fourier transform impedance spectroscopy in a typical frequency range from 75 Hz to 18.5 kHz. The measured impedance data from the Ni, Co, and FeCo can be very well fitted using the same electric equivalent circuit consisting of a series resistance in serial connection to an RC-element and a Maxwell element. The impedance data clearly indicate the similarities in the growth behavior of Ni, Co and FeCo nanowires in ultra-high aspect ratio InP membranes—the beneficial impact of boric acid on the metal deposition in ultra-high aspect ratio membranes and the diffusion limitation of boric acid, as well as differences such as passivation or side reactions.

High specific activity platinum-195m

DOEpatents

Mirzadeh, Saed; Du, Miting; Beets, Arnold L.; Knapp, Jr., Furn F.

2004-10-12

A new composition of matter includes .sup.195m Pt characterized by a specific activity of at least 30 mCi/mg Pt, generally made by method that includes the steps of: exposing .sup.193 Ir to a flux of neutrons sufficient to convert a portion of the .sup.193 Ir to .sup.195m Pt to form an irradiated material; dissolving the irradiated material to form an intermediate solution comprising Ir and Pt; and separating the Pt from the Ir by cation exchange chromatography to produce .sup.195m Pt.

Dipole-modified graphene with ultrahigh gas sensibility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, Ruokun; Xie, Peng; Feng, Yancong; Chen, Zhuo; Umar, Ahmad; Wang, Yao

2018-05-01

This study reports the supramolecular assembly of functional graphene-based materials with ultrahigh gas sensing performances which are induced by charge transfer enhancement. Two typical Donor-π-Accepter (D-π-A) structure molecules 4-aminoquinoline (4AQ, μ = 3.17 Debye) and 4-hydroxyquinoline (4HQ, μ = 1.98 Debye), with different charge transfer enhancing effects, were selected to modify reduce oxide graphene (rGO) via supramolecular assembly. Notably, compared to the 4HQ-rGO, the 4AQ-rGO exhibits more significant increase of gas response (Ra/Rg = 3.79) toward 10 ppm NO2, which is ascribed to the larger dipole moment (μ) of 4AQ and hence the more intensive enhancing effect of charge transfer on the interface of rGO. Meanwhile, 4AQ-rGO sensors also reveal superior comprehensive gas sensing performances, including excellent gas sensing selectivity, linearity, repeatability and stability. It is believed that the present work demonstrates an effective supramolecular approach of modifying rGO with strong dipoles to significantly improve gas sensing properties of graphene-based materials.

Hierarchical mesoporous perovskite La0.5Sr0.5CoO2.91 nanowires with ultrahigh capacity for Li-air batteries

PubMed Central

Zhao, Yunlong; Xu, Lin; Mai, Liqiang; Han, Chunhua; An, Qinyou; Xu, Xu; Liu, Xue; Zhang, Qingjie

2012-01-01

Lithium-air batteries have captured worldwide attention due to their highest energy density among the chemical batteries. To provide continuous oxygen channels, here, we synthesized hierarchical mesoporous perovskite La0.5Sr0.5CoO2.91 (LSCO) nanowires. We tested the intrinsic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity in both aqueous electrolytes and nonaqueous electrolytes via rotating disk electrode (RDE) measurements and demonstrated that the hierarchical mesoporous LSCO nanowires are high-performance catalysts for the ORR with low peak-up potential and high limiting diffusion current. Furthermore, we fabricated Li-air batteries on the basis of hierarchical mesoporous LSCO nanowires and nonaqueous electrolytes, which exhibited ultrahigh capacity, ca. over 11,000 mAh⋅g –1, one order of magnitude higher than that of LSCO nanoparticles. Besides, the possible reaction mechanism is proposed to explain the catalytic activity of the LSCO mesoporous nanowire. PMID:23150570

Experimental Investigation of Magnetic Superconducting and other Phase Transitions in Novel f-Electron Materials at Ultra-high Pressures using Designer Diamond Anvils

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

Maple, M. Brian; Jeffries, Jason R.; Ho, Pei-Chun

Pressure is often used as a controlled parameter for the investigation of condensed matter systems. In particular, pressure experiments can provide valuable information into the nature of superconductivity, magnetism, and the coexistence of these two phenomena. Some f-electron, heavy-fermion materials display interesting and novel behavior at moderately low pressures achievable with conventional experimental techniques; however, a growing number of condensed matter systems require ultrahigh pressure techniques, techniques that generate significantly higher pressures than conventional methods, to sufficiently explore their important properties. To that end, we have been funded to develop an ultrahigh pressure diamond anvil cell facility at the Universitymore » of California, San Diego (UCSD) in order to investigate superconductivity, magnetism, non-Fermi liquid behavior, and other phenomena. Our goals for the first year of this grant were as follows: (a) set up and test a suitable refrigerator; (b) set up a laser and spectrometer fluorescence system to determine the pressure within the diamond anvil cell; (c) perform initial resistivity measurements at moderate pressures from room temperature to liquid helium temperatures ({approx}1K); (d) investigate f-electron materials within our current pressure capabilities to find candidate materials for high-pressure studies. During the past year, we have ordered almost all the components required to set up a diamond anvil cell facility at UCSD, we have received and implemented many of the components that have been ordered, we have performed low pressure research on several materials, and we have engaged in a collaborative effort with Sam Weir at Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNL) to investigate Au4V under ultrahigh pressure in a designer diamond anvil cell (dDAC). This report serves to highlight the progress we have made towards developing an ultrahigh pressure research facility at UCSD, the research performed in the

Electrochemical growth of Co nanowires in ultra-high aspect ratio InP membranes: FFT-impedance spectroscopy of the growth process and magnetic properties.

PubMed

Gerngross, Mark-Daniel; Carstensen, Jürgen; Föll, Helmut

2014-01-01

The electrochemical growth of Co nanowires in ultra-high aspect ratio InP membranes has been investigated by fast Fourier transform-impedance spectroscopy (FFT-IS) in the frequency range from 75 Hz to 18.5 kHz. The impedance data could be fitted very well using an electric circuit equivalent model with a series resistance connected in series to a simple resistor-capacitor (RC) element and a Maxwell element. Based on the impedance data, the Co deposition in ultra-high aspect ratio InP membranes can be divided into two different Co deposition processes. The corresponding share of each process on the overall Co deposition can be determined directly from the transfer resistances of the two processes. The impedance data clearly show the beneficial impact of boric acid on the Co deposition and also indicate a diffusion limitation of boric acid in ultra-high aspect ratio InP membranes. The grown Co nanowires are polycrystalline with a very small grain size. They show a narrow hysteresis loop with a preferential orientation of the easy magnetization direction along the long nanowire axis due to the arising shape anisotropy of the Co nanowires.

Cosmic PeV neutrinos and the sources of ultrahigh energy protons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kistler, Matthew D.; Stanev, Todor; Yüksel, Hasan

2014-12-01

The IceCube experiment recently detected the first flux of high-energy neutrinos in excess of atmospheric backgrounds. We examine whether these neutrinos originate from within the same extragalactic sources as ultrahigh energy cosmic rays. Starting from rather general assumptions about spectra and flavors, we find that producing a neutrino flux at the requisite level through pion photoproduction leads to a flux of protons well below the cosmic-ray data at ˜1 018 eV , where the composition is light, unless pions/muons cool before decaying. This suggests a dominant class of accelerator that allows for cosmic rays to escape without significant neutrino yields.

The development of a portable ultrahigh vacuum chamber via silicon block.

PubMed

Chuang, Ho-Chiao; Huang, Chia-Shiuan

2014-05-01

This paper describes a nonmetallic, light weight portable chamber for ultra-high vacuum (UHV) applications. The chamber consists of a processed silicon block anodically bonding five polished Pyrex glass windows and a Pyrex glass adapter, without using any screws, bolts or vacuum adhesives. The design features provide an alternative chamber for UHV applications which require nonmetallic components. We have cyclically baked the chamber up to 180 °C for 160 h and have achieved an ultimate pressure of 1.4 × 10(-9) Torr (limited by our pumping station), with no leak detected. Both Pyrex glass windows and Pyrex glass adapter have been used successfully.

A situation-specific theory of Midlife Women's Attitudes Toward Physical Activity (MAPA).

PubMed

Im, Eun-Ok; Stuifbergen, Alexa K; Walker, Lorraine

2010-01-01

This paper presents a situation specific theory-the Midlife Women's Attitudes Toward Physical Activity (MAPA) theory-that explains how women's attitudes toward physical activity influence their participation in physical activity. Using the integrative approach of Im, the theory was developed based on the Attitude, Social Influence, and Self Efficacy Model; a review of the related literature; and a study of women's attitudes toward physical activity. As a situation-specific theory, the MAPA theory can be linked easily to nursing practice and research projects related to physical activity in midlife women, especially interventions aimed at increasing midlife women's participation in physical activity. Copyright 2010 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Aquatic plant-derived changes in oil sands naphthenic acid signatures determined by low-, high- and ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Headley, John V; Peru, Kerry M; Armstrong, Sarah A; Han, Xiumei; Martin, Jonathan W; Mapolelo, Mmilili M; Smith, Donald F; Rogers, Ryan P; Marshall, Alan G

2009-02-01

Mass spectrometry is a common tool for studying the fate of complex organic compound mixtures in oil sands processed water (OSPW), but a comparison of low-, high- ( approximately 10 000), and ultrahigh-resolution ( approximately 400 000) instrumentation for this purpose has not previously been made. High-resolution quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (QTOF MS) and ultrahigh-resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS), with negative-ion electrospray ionization, provided evidence for the selective dissipation of components in OSPW. Dissipation of oil sands naphthenic acids (NAs with general formula C(n)H(2n+z)O(2) where n is the number of carbon atoms, and Z is zero or a negative even number describing the number of rings) was masked (by components such as fatty acids, O(3), O(5), O(6), O(7), SO(2), SO(3), SO(4), SO(5), SO(6), and NO(4) species) at low resolution (1000) when using a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. Changes observed in the relative composition of components in OSPW appear to be due primarily to the presence of plants, specifically cattails (Typha latifolia) and their associated microorganisms. The observed dissipation included a range of heteratomic species containing O(2), O(3), O(4), and O(5), present in Athabasca oil sands acid extracts. For the heteratomic O(2) species, namely naphthenic acids, an interesting structural relationship suggests that low and high carbon number NAs are dissipated by the plants preferentially, with a minimum around C(14)/C(15). Other heteratomic species containing O(6), O(7), SO(2), SO(3), SO(4), SO(5), SO(6), and NO(4) appear to be relatively recalcitrant to the cattails and were not dissipated to the same extent in planted systems. Copyright 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Achieving reversibility of ultra-high mechanical stress by hydrogen loading of thin films

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

Hamm, M.; Burlaka, V.; Wagner, S.

2015-06-15

Nano-materials are commonly stabilized by supports to maintain their desired shape and size. When these nano-materials take up interstitial atoms, this attachment to the support induces mechanical stresses. These stresses can be high when the support is rigid. High stress in the nano-material is typically released by delamination from the support or by the generation of defects, e.g., dislocations. As high mechanical stress can be beneficial for tuning the nano-materials properties, it is of general interest to deduce how real high mechanical stress can be gained. Here, we show that below a threshold nano-material size, dislocation formation can be completelymore » suppressed and, when delamination is inhibited, even the ultrahigh stress values of the linear elastic limit can be reached. Specifically, for hydrogen solved in epitaxial niobium films on sapphire substrate supports a threshold film thickness of 6 nm was found and mechanical stress of up to (−10 ± 1) GPa was reached. This finding is of basic interest for hydrogen energy applications, as the hydride stability in metals itself is affected by mechanical stress. Thus, tuning of the mechanical stress-state in nano-materials may lead to improved storage properties of nano-sized materials.« less

Achieving reversibility of ultra-high mechanical stress by hydrogen loading of thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamm, M.; Burlaka, V.; Wagner, S.; Pundt, A.

2015-06-01

Nano-materials are commonly stabilized by supports to maintain their desired shape and size. When these nano-materials take up interstitial atoms, this attachment to the support induces mechanical stresses. These stresses can be high when the support is rigid. High stress in the nano-material is typically released by delamination from the support or by the generation of defects, e.g., dislocations. As high mechanical stress can be beneficial for tuning the nano-materials properties, it is of general interest to deduce how real high mechanical stress can be gained. Here, we show that below a threshold nano-material size, dislocation formation can be completely suppressed and, when delamination is inhibited, even the ultrahigh stress values of the linear elastic limit can be reached. Specifically, for hydrogen solved in epitaxial niobium films on sapphire substrate supports a threshold film thickness of 6 nm was found and mechanical stress of up to (-10 ± 1) GPa was reached. This finding is of basic interest for hydrogen energy applications, as the hydride stability in metals itself is affected by mechanical stress. Thus, tuning of the mechanical stress-state in nano-materials may lead to improved storage properties of nano-sized materials.

Halogenated Organic Compounds Identified in Hydraulic Fracturing Wastewaters Using Ultrahigh Resolution Mass Spectrometry.

PubMed

Luek, Jenna L; Schmitt-Kopplin, Philippe; Mouser, Paula J; Petty, William Tyler; Richardson, Susan D; Gonsior, Michael

2017-05-16

Large volumes of water return to the surface following hydraulic fracturing of deep shale formations to retrieve oil and natural gas. Current understanding of the specific organic constituents in these hydraulic fracturing wastewaters is limited to hydrocarbons and a fraction of known chemical additives. In this study, we analyzed hydraulic fracturing wastewater samples using ultrahigh resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR-MS) as a nontargeted technique to assign unambiguous molecular formulas to singly charged molecular ions. Halogenated molecular formulas were identified and confirmed using isotopic simulation and MS-MS fragmentation spectra. The abundance of halogenated organic compounds in flowback fluids rather than older wastewaters suggested that the observed molecular ions might have been related to hydraulic fracturing additives and related subsurface reactions, such as through the reaction of shale-extracted chloride, bromide, and iodide with strong oxidant additives (e.g., hypochlorite, persulfate, hydrogen peroxide) and subsequently with diverse dissolved organic matter. Some molecular ions matched the exact masses of known disinfection byproducts including diiodoacetic acid, dibromobenzoic acid, and diiodobenzoic acid. The identified halogenated organic compounds, particularly iodinated organic molecules, are absent from inland natural systems and these compounds could therefore play an important role as environmental tracers.

X-ray Interferometry with Transmissive Beam Combiners for Ultra-High Angular Resolution Astronomy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Skinner, G. K.; Krismanic, John F.

2009-01-01

Abstract Interferometry provides one of the possible routes to ultra-high angular resolution for X-ray and gamma-ray astronomy. Sub-micro-arc-second angular resolution, necessary to achieve objectives such as imaging the regions around the event horizon of a super-massive black hole at the center of an active galaxy, can be achieved if beams from parts of the incoming wavefront separated by 100s of meters can be stably and accurately brought together at small angles. One way of achieving this is by using grazing incidence mirrors. We here investigate an alternative approach in which the beams are recombined by optical elements working in transmission. It is shown that the use of diffractive elements is a particularly attractive option. We report experimental results from a simple 2-beam interferometer using a low-cost commercially available profiled film as the diffractive elements. A rotationally symmetric filled (or mostly filled) aperture variant of such an interferometer, equivalent to an X-ray axicon, is shown to offer a much wider bandpass than either a Phase Fresnel Lens (PFL) or a PFL with a refractive lens in an achromatic pair. Simulations of an example system are presented.

Chloride removal from recycled cooling water using ultra-high lime with aluminum process.

PubMed

Abdel-Wahab, Ahmed; Batchelor, Bill

2002-01-01

Chloride is a deleterious ionic species in cooling water systems because it promotes corrosion, and most of the scale and corrosion inhibitors are sensitive to chloride concentration in the water. Chloride can be removed from cooling water by precipitation as calcium chloroaluminate [Ca4Al2Cl2(OH)12]. A set of equilibrium experiments and one kinetic experiment were conducted to evaluate chloride removal using the ultra-high lime with aluminum (UHLA) process and to characterize the equilibrium conditions of calcium chloroaluminate precipitation. A total of 48 batch-equilibrium experiments were conducted on a 30 mM NaCl solution over a range of values for lime dose (0 to 200 mM) and sodium aluminate dose (0 to 100 mM). Experimental results showed that the UHLA process can remove chloride and that the formation of a calcium chloroaluminate solid phase is a reasonable mechanism that is able to adequately describe experimental results. An average value of the ion activity product of 10(-94.75) was obtained and can be used as an estimate of the solubility product for Ca4Al2Cl2(OH)12.

Identifying ultrahigh-energy cosmic-ray accelerators with future ultrahigh-energy neutrino detectors

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

Fang, Ke; Miller, M. Coleman; Kotera, Kumiko

2016-12-01

The detection of ultrahigh-energy (UHE) neutrino sources would contribute significantly to solving the decades-old mystery of the origin of the highest-energy cosmic rays. We investigate the ability of a future UHE neutrino detector to identify the brightest neutrino point sources, by exploring the parameter space of the total number of observed events and the angular resolution of the detector. The favored parameter region can be translated to requirements for the effective area, sky coverage and angular resolution of future detectors, for a given source number density and evolution history. Moreover, by studying the typical distance to sources that are expectedmore » to emit more than one event for a given diffuse neutrino flux, we find that a significant fraction of the identifiable UHE neutrino sources may be located in the nearby Universe if the source number density is above ∼10{sup −6} Mpc{sup −3}. If sources are powerful and rare enough, as predicted in blazar scenarios, they can first be detected at distant locations. Our result also suggests that if UHE cosmic-ray accelerators are neither beamed nor transients, it will be possible to associate the detected UHE neutrino sources with nearby UHE cosmic-ray and gamma-ray sources, and that they may also be observed using other messengers, including ones with limited horizons such as TeV gamma rays, UHE gamma rays and cosmic rays. We find that for a ∼>5σ detection of UHE neutrino sources with a uniform density, n {sub s} {sub ∼}10{sup −7}−10{sup −5} Mpc{sup −3}, at least ∼100−1000 events and sub-degree angular resolution are needed, and the results depend on the source evolution model.« less

A Novel Layered Sedimentary Rocks Structure of the Oxygen-Enriched Carbon for Ultrahigh-Rate-Performance Supercapacitors.

PubMed

Zhang, Lin-Lin; Li, Huan-Huan; Shi, Yan-Hong; Fan, Chao-Ying; Wu, Xing-Long; Wang, Hai-Feng; Sun, Hai-Zhu; Zhang, Jing-Ping

2016-02-17

In this paper, gelatin as a natural biomass was selected to successfully prepare an oxygen-enriched carbon with layered sedimentary rocks structure, which exhibited ultrahigh-rate performance and excellent cycling stability as supercapacitors. The specific capacitance reached 272.6 F g(-1) at 1 A g(-1) and still retained 197.0 F g(-1) even at 100 A g(-1) (with high capacitance retention of 72.3%). The outstanding electrochemical performance resulted from the special layered structure with large surface area (827.8 m(2) g(-1)) and high content of oxygen (16.215 wt %), which effectively realized the synergistic effects of the electrical double-layer capacitance and pseudocapacitance. Moreover, it delivered an energy density of 25.3 Wh kg(-1) even with a high power density of 34.7 kW kg(-1) and ultralong cycling stability (with no capacitance decay even over 10,000 cycles at 2 A g(-1)) in a symmetric supercapacitor, which are highly desirable for their practical application in energy storage devices and conversion.

Ultrahigh vacuum, high temperature, low cycle fatigue of coated and uncoated Rene 80

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kortovich, C. S.

1976-01-01

A study was conducted on the ultrahigh vacuum strain controlled by low cycle fatigue behavior of uncoated and CODEP B-1 aluminide coated Rene' 80 nickel-base superalloy at 1000 C (1832 F) and 871 C (1600 F). The results indicated little effect of coating or temperature on the fatigue properties. There was, however, a significant effect on fatigue life when creep was introduced into the strain cycles. The effect of this creep component was analyzed in terms of the method of strainrange partitioning.

Recent advances in capillary ultrahigh pressure liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Blue, Laura E; Franklin, Edward G; Godinho, Justin M; Grinias, James P; Grinias, Kaitlin M; Lunn, Daniel B; Moore, Stephanie M

2017-11-10

In the twenty years since its initial demonstration, capillary ultrahigh pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) has proven to be one of most powerful separation techniques for the analysis of complex mixtures. This review focuses on the most recent advances made since 2010 towards increasing the performance of such separations. Improvements in capillary column preparation techniques that have led to columns with unprecedented performance are described. New stationary phases and phase supports that have been reported over the past decade are detailed, with a focus on their use in capillary formats. A discussion on the instrument developments that have been required to ensure that extra-column effects do not diminish the intrinsic efficiency of these columns during analysis is also included. Finally, the impact of these capillary UHPLC topics on the field of proteomics and ways in which capillary UHPLC may continue to be applied to the separation of complex samples are addressed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Note: reliable and reusable ultrahigh vacuum optical viewports.

PubMed

Arora, P; Sen Gupta, A

2012-04-01

We report a simple technique for the realization of ultrahigh vacuum optical viewports. The technique relies on using specially designed thin copper knife-edges and using a thin layer of Vacseal(®) on tip of the knife-edges between the optical flat and the ConFlat(®) (CF) flange. The design of the windows is such that it gives uniform pressure on the flat without breaking it. The assembled window is a complete unit, which can be mounted directly onto a CF flange of the vacuum chamber. It can be removed and reused without breaking the window seal. The design is reliable as more than a dozen such windows have survived several bake out and cooling cycles and have been leak tested up to 10(-11) Torr l/s level with a commercial Helium leak detector. The advantages of this technique are ease of assembly and leak proof sealing that survives multiple temperature cycling making the windows reliable and reusable. © 2012 American Institute of Physics

Study of ultra-high energy emission from Cygnus X-3 and Hercules X-1

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

Dingus, B.L.

1988-11-01

The CYGNUS experiment, consisting of an extensive air shower detector and a muon detector, was built at Los Alamos, New Mexico (latitude 36 N, longitude 107W, altitude 2310 meters), to search for point sources of ultra-high energy (>10/sup 14/ eV) particles. These particles must be long-lived neutral particles because of the long source distances and the presence of the intragalactic magnetic field. Gamma rays are the most likely candidates because of the short neutron lifetime and the small neutrino cross section. Therefore, the muon content of the source showers is examined to determine if these events are muon poor asmore » is expected for gamma-initiated showers. The data set from April 1986 to July 1987 is searched for continual emission from Cygnus X-3 and Hercules X-1, and an upper bound to flux is determined for both sources. The flux limit for Cygnus X-3, 2.0 /times/ 10/sup /minus/13/ cm/sup /minus/2/ sec/sup /minus/1/ above 50 TeV, is lower than previous ultra-high energy observations. Hercules X-1 has never been observed continually at ultra-high energies. Cygnus X-3 is observed for a shorter interval of time, beginning on 17 April 1986 and ending 1 June 1986. There is one chance in 300 that the observation is due to a random fluctuation. The signal is correlated with the 4.8 hour orbital period, and the muon content of the showers in the signal is inconsistent with the conventional prediction of gamma- initiated showers. An episodic signal is also reported for Hercules X-1, and it consists of two bursts of less than one hour duration on 24 July 1986. The probability is one chance in 12,000 that this observation is not associated with Hercules X-1. The signal is pulsed at frequency near, but significantly different from, the x-ray pulsar frequency. The muon content of the signal showers is also anomalous, assuming the showers are initiated by gamma rays. 62 refs., 60 figs.« less

Functional Specificity of the Visual Word Form Area: General Activation for Words and Symbols but Specific Network Activation for Words

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reinke, Karen; Fernandes, Myra; Schwindt, Graeme; O'Craven, Kathleen; Grady, Cheryl L.

2008-01-01

The functional specificity of the brain region known as the Visual Word Form Area (VWFA) was examined using fMRI. We explored whether this area serves a general role in processing symbolic stimuli, rather than being selective for the processing of words. Brain activity was measured during a visual 1-back task to English words, meaningful symbols…

Probing a four flavor vis-a-vis three flavor neutrino mixing for ultrahigh energy neutrino signals at a 1 km2 detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pandey, Madhurima; Majumdar, Debasish; Dutta Banik, Amit

2018-05-01

We consider a four-flavor scenario for the neutrinos where an extra sterile neutrino is introduced to the three families of active neutrinos and study the deviation from the three-flavor scenario in the ultrahigh-energy (UHE) regime. We calculate the possible muon and shower yields at a 1 km2 detector such as IceCube for these neutrinos from distant UHE sources, e.g., gamma-ray bursts, etc. Similar estimations for muon and shower yields are also obtained for the three-flavor case. Comparing the two results, we find considerable differences between the yields for these two cases. This can be useful for probing the existence of a fourth sterile component using UHE neutrino flux.

NPPB structure-specifically activates TRPA1 channels.

PubMed

Liu, Kun; Samuel, Manoj; Ho, Melisa; Harrison, Richard K; Paslay, Jeff W

2010-07-01

TRPA1 channels have been found to play an important role in mammalian pain sensation, especially when the pain is caused by chemicals on site of inflammation. A large number of structurally diverse chemicals are found to activate TRPA1 channels, implicating a potential chemosensor in neuronal nociception. Identification of the channel activation by cysteine modification through covalent chemical reaction provides arguments for the diversity of the agonist structures. However, it is largely unknown how nonreactive compounds activate TRPA1 channels. Here, we report that NPPB, a classic Cl(-) channel blocker, potently activated human TRPA1 channels overexpressed in mammalian HEK-293 cells. This effect was confirmed in Ca(2+) imaging assay, patch clamp whole cell and single channel recordings. The NPPB response was quick, fully reversible and replicable, contrary to the effect of covalent modification by AITC. The mutagenesis studies revealed a refreshed look at several mutations known to be critical for the actions of AITC and menthol. The blocking profile of NPPB on these mutants showed that the NPPB activation was similar to that of FTS and different from AITC and menthol. The results indicated a possible close interaction between S5 and N-terminal domains of the channel. We also tested a group of NPPB analogs on TRPA1 channel activities. The results demonstrated that NPPB activation was tightly associated with chemical structure. None of the single chemical group was sufficient to activate the channel, indicating that NPPB activated TRPA1 through a structure-specific mechanism. (c) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ultra-high resolution crystal structure of recombinant caprine β-lactoglobulin.

PubMed

Crowther, Jennifer M; Lassé, Moritz; Suzuki, Hironori; Kessans, Sarah A; Loo, Trevor S; Norris, Gillian E; Hodgkinson, Alison J; Jameson, Geoffrey B; Dobson, Renwick C J

2014-11-03

β-Lactoglobulin (βlg) is the most abundant whey protein in the milks of ruminant animals. While bovine βlg has been subjected to a vast array of studies, little is known about the caprine ortholog. We present an ultra-high resolution crystal structure of caprine βlg complemented by analytical ultracentrifugation and small-angle X-ray scattering data. In both solution and crystalline states caprine βlg is dimeric (K(D)<5 μM); however, our data suggest a flexible quaternary arrangement of subunits within the dimer. These structural findings will provide insight into relationships among structural, processing, nutritional and immunological characteristics that distinguish cow's and goat's milk. Copyright © 2014 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of ultrahigh pressure extraction on yield and antioxidant activity of chlorogenic acid and cynaroside extracted from flower buds of Lonicera japonica.

PubMed

Hu, Wen; Guo, Ting; Jiang, Wen-Jun; Dong, Guang-Li; Chen, Da-Wei; Yang, Shi-Lin; Li, He-Ran

2015-06-01

The present study was designed to establish and optimize a new method for extracting chlorogenic acid and cynaroside from Lonicera japonica Thunb. through orthogonal experimental designl. A new ultrahigh pressure extraction (UPE) technology was applied to extract chlorogenic acid and cynaroside from L. japonica. The influential factors, including solvent type, ethanol concentration, extraction pressure, time, and temperature, and the solid/liquid ratio, have been studied to optimize the extraction process. The optimal conditions for the UPE were developed by quantitative analysis of the extraction products by HPLC-DAD in comparison with standard samples. In addition, the microstructures of the medicinal materials before and after extraction were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Furthermore, the extraction efficiency of different extraction methods and the 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activities of the extracts were investigated. The optimal conditions for extracting chlorogenic acid and cynaroside were as follows: ethanol concentration, 60%; extraction pressure, 400 MPa; extraction time, 2 min; extraction temperature, 30 °C; and the solid/liquid ratio, 1 : 50. Under these conditions, the yields of chlorogenic acid and cynaroside were raised to 4.863% and 0.080%, respectively. Compared with other extraction methods, such as heat reflux extraction (HRE), ultrasonic extraction (UE), and Sohxlet extraction (SE), the UPE method showed several advantages, including higher extraction yield, shorter extraction time, lower energy consumption, and higher purity of the extracts. This study could help better utilize L. japonica flower buds as a readily accessible source of natural antioxidants in food and pharmaceutical industries. Copyright © 2015 China Pharmaceutical University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A specific, transmembrane interface regulates fibroblast activation protein (FAP) homodimerization, trafficking and exopeptidase activity.

PubMed

Wonganu, Benjamaporn; Berger, Bryan W

2016-08-01

Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is a cell-surface serine protease which promotes invasiveness of certain epithelial cancers and is therefore a potential target for cancer drug development and delivery. Unlike dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPPIV), FAP exhibits prolyl endopeptidase activity and is active as a homodimer with specificity for type I collagen. The mechanism that regulates FAP homodimerization and its relation to prolyl endopeptidase activity is not completely understood. Here, we investigate key residues in the FAP TM domain that may be significant for FAP homodimerization. Mutations to predicted TM interfacial residues (G10L, S14L, and A18L) comprising a small-X3-small motif reduced FAP TM-CYTO dimerization relative to wild type as measured using the AraTM assay, whereas predicted off-interface residues showed no significant change from wild type. The results implied that the predicted small-X3-small dimer interface affect stabilization of FAP TM-CYTO homodimerization. Compared with FAPwild-type, the interfacial TM residue G10L significantly decreased FAP endopeptidase activity more than 25%, and also reduced cell-surface versus intracellular expression relative to other interfacial residues S14L and A18L. Thus, our results suggest FAP dimerization is important for both trafficking and protease activity, and is dependent on a specific TM interface. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

In situ growth of NiCo2S4 nanotube arrays on Ni foam for supercapacitors: Maximizing utilization efficiency at high mass loading to achieve ultrahigh areal pseudocapacitance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Haichao; Jiang, Jianjun; Zhang, Li; Xia, Dandan; Zhao, Yuandong; Guo, Danqing; Qi, Tong; Wan, Houzhao

2014-05-01

Self-standing NiCo2S4 nanotube arrays have been in situ grown on Ni foam by the anion-exchange reaction and directly used as the electrode for supercapacitors. The NiCo2S4 nanotube in the arrays effectively reduces the inactive material and increases the electroactive surface area because of the ultrathin wall, which is quite competent to achieve high utilization efficiency at high electroactive materials mass loading. The NiCo2S4 nanotube arrays hybrid electrode exhibits an ultrahigh specific capacitance of 14.39 F cm-2 at 5 mA cm-2 with excellent rate performance (67.7% retention for current increases 30 times) and cycling stability (92% retention after 5000 cycles) at a high mass loading of 6 mg cm-2. High areal capacitance (4.68 F cm-2 at 10 mA cm-2), high energy density (31.5 Wh kg-1 at 156.6 W kg-1) and high power density (2348.5 W kg-1 at 16.6 Wh kg-1) can be achieved by assembling asymmetric supercapacitor with reduced graphene oxide at a total active material mass loading as high as 49.5 mg. This work demonstrates that NiCo2S4 nanotube arrays structure is a superior electroactive material for high-performance supercapacitors even at a mass loading of potential application-specific scale.

Simulations of ultra-high energy cosmic rays in the local Universe and the origin of cosmic magnetic fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hackstein, S.; Vazza, F.; Brüggen, M.; Sorce, J. G.; Gottlöber, S.

2018-04-01

We simulate the propagation of cosmic rays at ultra-high energies, ≳1018 eV, in models of extragalactic magnetic fields in constrained simulations of the local Universe. We use constrained initial conditions with the cosmological magnetohydrodynamics code ENZO. The resulting models of the distribution of magnetic fields in the local Universe are used in the CRPROPA code to simulate the propagation of ultra-high energy cosmic rays. We investigate the impact of six different magneto-genesis scenarios, both primordial and astrophysical, on the propagation of cosmic rays over cosmological distances. Moreover, we study the influence of different source distributions around the Milky Way. Our study shows that different scenarios of magneto-genesis do not have a large impact on the anisotropy measurements of ultra-high energy cosmic rays. However, at high energies above the Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin (GZK)-limit, there is anisotropy caused by the distribution of nearby sources, independent of the magnetic field model. This provides a chance to identify cosmic ray sources with future full-sky measurements and high number statistics at the highest energies. Finally, we compare our results to the dipole signal measured by the Pierre Auger Observatory. All our source models and magnetic field models could reproduce the observed dipole amplitude with a pure iron injection composition. Our results indicate that the dipole is observed due to clustering of secondary nuclei in direction of nearby sources of heavy nuclei. A light injection composition is disfavoured, since the increase in dipole angular power from 4 to 8 EeV is too slow compared to observation by the Pierre Auger Observatory.

Interpersonal sensitivity and functioning impairment in youth at ultra-high risk for psychosis.

PubMed

Masillo, A; Valmaggia, L R; Saba, R; Brandizzi, M; Lindau, J F; Solfanelli, A; Curto, M; Narilli, F; Telesforo, L; Kotzalidis, G D; Di Pietro, D; D'Alema, M; Girardi, P; Fiori Nastro, P

2016-01-01

A personality trait that often elicits poor and uneasy interpersonal relationships is interpersonal sensitivity. The aim of the present study was to explore the relationship between interpersonal sensitivity and psychosocial functioning in individuals at ultra-high risk for psychosis as compared to help-seeking individuals who screened negative for an ultra-high risk of psychosis. A total sample of 147 adolescents and young adult who were help seeking for emerging mental health problems participated in the study. The sample was divided into two groups: 39 individuals who met criteria for an ultra-high-risk mental state (UHR), and 108 (NS). The whole sample completed the Interpersonal Sensitivity Measure (IPSM) and the Global Functioning: Social and Role Scale (GF:SS; GF:RS). Mediation analysis was used to explore whether attenuated negative symptoms mediated the relationship between interpersonal sensitivity and social functioning. Individuals with UHR state showed higher IPSM scores and lower GF:SS and GF:RS scores than NS participants. A statistically negative significant correlation between two IPSM subscales (Interpersonal Awareness and Timidity) and GF:SS was found in both groups. Our results also suggest that the relationship between the aforementioned aspects of interpersonal sensitivity and social functioning was not mediated by negative prodromal symptoms. This study suggests that some aspects of interpersonal sensitivity were associated with low level of social functioning. Assessing and treating interpersonal sensitivity may be a promising therapeutic target to improve social functioning in young help-seeking individuals.

Ultrahigh Frequency Nanomechanical Piezoresistive Amplifiers for Direct Channel-Selective Receiver Front-Ends.

PubMed

Ramezany, Alireza; Pourkamali, Siavash

2018-04-11

Channel-selective filtering and amplification in ultrahigh frequency (UHF) receiver front-ends are crucial for realization of cognitive radio systems and the future of wireless communication. In the past decade, there have been significant advances in the performance of microscale electromechanical resonant devices. However, such devices have not yet been able to meet the requirements for direct channel selection at RF. They also occupy a relatively large area on the chip making implementation of large arrays to cover several frequency bands challenging. On the other hand, electromechanical piezoresistive resonant devices are active devices that have recently shown the possibility of simultaneous signal amplification and channel-select filtering at lower frequencies. It has been theoretically predicted that if scaled down into the nanoscale, they can operate in the UHF range with a very low power consumption. Here, for the first time nanomechanical piezoresistive amplifiers with active element dimensions as small as 50 nm × 200 nm are demonstrated. With a device area of less than 1.5 μm 2 a piezoresistive amplifier operating at 730 MHz shows effective quality factor ( Q) of 89,000 for a 50Ω load and gains as high as 10 dB and Q of 330,000 for a 250Ω load while consuming 189 μW of power. On the basis of the measurement results, it is shown that for piezoresistor dimensions of 30 nm × 100 nm it is possible to get a similar performance at 2.4 GHz with device footprint of less than 0.2 μm 2 .

Pharmacological AMP-kinase activators have compartment-specific effects on cell physiology.

PubMed

Kodiha, Mohamed; Ho-Wo-Cheong, Dennis; Stochaj, Ursula

2011-12-01

5'-AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) regulates numerous biological events and is an essential target for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. The objectives of the present study were first to determine the compartment-specific effects of three established AMPK activators on Thr172 phosphorylation of the α-subunit, an indicator of AMPK activation. Second, we examined how cytoplasmic and nuclear processes are modulated by pharmacological AMPK activators. Specifically, the impact of phenformin, resveratrol, and 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide riboside (AICAR) on Thr172 phosphorylation in the cytoplasm and nucleus was quantified by different methods. To analyze how these activators change cell physiology, we measured the inactivation of acetyl-CoA-carboxylase 1, a predominantly cytoplasmic enzyme that is crucial for lipid metabolism. As a criterion for activities associated with the nucleus, de novo RNA synthesis in nucleoli was quantified. Our studies demonstrate that pharmacological activators of AMPK can alter the balance between nuclear and cytoplasmic AMPK pools. Thus, phenformin and resveratrol caused a strong activation of AMPK in the cytoplasm, whereas the effect was less pronounced in nuclei. By contrast, AICAR elicited a comparable rise in Thr172 phosphorylation in both compartments. Notably, these activators differed drastically in their effects on physiological processes that are located in distinct subcellular compartments. All compounds led to a substantial inactivation of acetyl-CoA-carboxylase 1 in the cytoplasm, with only minor changes to the nuclear enzyme. In the nucleolus, transcription was strongly inhibited by resveratrol, while a moderate inhibition was observed with phenformin and AICAR. Taken together, the compartment-specific phosphorylation of AMPK and downstream events are determined by the activator.

Is active participation in specific sport activities linked with back pain?

PubMed

Mogensen, A M; Gausel, A M; Wedderkopp, N; Kjaer, P; Leboeuf-Yde, C

2007-12-01

A cross-sectional survey of 439 children/adolescents aged 12-13, living in Odense, Denmark, in the year 2001. To investigate (1) if there is any difference in back pain reporting among those practising specific sports as compared with non-performers and (2) if there is an association between specific kinds of sports and self-reported back problems. Back pain is a common complaint in young people and physical inactivity is generally thought to contribute to this. However, some specific sport activities may be detrimental or beneficial to the spine. Information was collected through a semi-structured interview, a physical examination, and a questionnaire. Associations for back pain, low back pain, mid back pain and neck pain in the preceding month were investigated in relation to specific sports. Associations were controlled for body mass index, puberty stage and sex. There was no association between back problems and the practising of sports in general. However, some sports were either positively or negatively associated with back pain. Taking into account the relatively small subgroups and multiple testing, some sports seem to be potentially harmful or beneficial. These sports should be investigated in proper longitudinal study designs, in relation to their effects on back problems in the young.

Gender-specific activity demands experienced during semiprofessional basketball game play.

PubMed

Scanlan, Aaron T; Dascombe, Ben J; Kidcaff, Andrew P; Peucker, Jessica L; Dalbo, Vincent J

2015-07-01

To compare game activity demands between female and male semiprofessional basketball players. Female (n=12) and male (n=12) semiprofessional basketball players were monitored across 3 competitive games. Time-motion-analysis procedures quantified player activity into predefined movement categories across backcourt (BC) and frontcourt (FC) positions. Activity frequencies, durations, and distances were calculated relative to live playing time (min). Work:rest ratios were also calculated using the video data. Game activity was compared between genders for each playing position and all players. Female players performed at greater running work-rates than male players (45.7±1.4 vs. 42.1±1.7 m/min, P=.05), while male players performed more dribbling than female players (2.5±0.3 vs. 3.0±0.2 s/min; 8.4±0.3 vs. 9.7±0.7 m/min, P=.05). Positional analyses revealed that female BC players performed more low-intensity shuffling (P=.04) and jumping (P=.05), as well as longer (P=.04) jogging durations, than male BC players. Female FC players executed more upper-body activity (P=.03) and larger work:rest ratios (P<.001) than male FC players. No significant gender differences were observed in the overall intermittent demands, distance traveled, high-intensity shuffling activity, and sprinting requirements during game play. These findings indicate that gender-specific running and dribbling differences might exist in semiprofessional basketball. Furthermore, position-specific variations between female and male basketball players should be considered. These data may prove useful in the development of gender-specific conditioning plans relative to playing position in basketball.

Baicalin and scutellarin are proteasome inhibitors that specifically target chymotrypsin-like catalytic activity.

PubMed

Wu, Yi-Xin; Sato, Eiji; Kimura, Wataru; Miura, Naoyuki

2013-09-01

Baicalin and scutellarin are the major active principal flavonoids extracted from the Chinese herbal medicines Scutellaria baicalensis and Erigeron breviscapus (Vant.) Hand-Mazz. It has recently been reported that baicalin and scutellarin have antitumor activity. However, the mechanisms of action are unknown. We previously reported that some flavonoids have a specific role in the inhibition of the activity of proteasome subunits and induced apoptosis in tumor cells. To further investigate these pharmacological effects, we examined the inhibitory activity of baicalin and scutellarin on the extracted proteasomes from mice and cancer cells. Using fluorogenic substrates for proteasome catalytic subunits, we found that baicalin and scutellarin specifically inhibited chymotrypsin-like activity but did not inhibit trypsin-like and peptidyl-glutamyl peptide hydrolyzing activities. These data suggested that baicalin and scutellarin specifically inhibit chymotrypsin-like catalytic activity in the proteasome. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

CNT Sheet Air Electrode for the Development of Ultra-High Cell Capacity in Lithium-Air Batteries

PubMed Central

Nomura, Akihiro; Ito, Kimihiko; Kubo, Yoshimi

2017-01-01

Lithium-air batteries (LABs) are expected to provide a cell with a much higher capacity than ever attained before, but their prototype cells present a limited areal cell capacity of no more than 10 mAh cm−2, mainly due to the limitation of their air electrodes. Here, we demonstrate the use of flexible carbon nanotube (CNT) sheets as a promising air electrode for developing ultra-high capacity in LAB cells, achieving areal cell capacities of up to 30 mAh cm−2, which is approximately 15 times higher than the capacity of cells with lithium-ion battery (LiB) technology (~2 mAh cm−2). During discharge, the CNT sheet electrode experienced enormous swelling to a thickness of a few millimeters because of the discharge product deposition of lithium peroxide (Li2O2), but the sheet was fully recovered after being fully charged. This behavior results from the CNT sheet characteristics of the flexible and fibrous conductive network and suggests that the CNT sheet is an effective air electrode material for developing a commercially available LAB cell with an ultra-high cell capacity. PMID:28378746

Retinal Structure of Birds of Prey Revealed by Ultra-High Resolution Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography

PubMed Central

Ruggeri, Marco; Major, James C.; McKeown, Craig; Knighton, Robert W.; Puliafito, Carmen A.

2010-01-01

Purpose. To reveal three-dimensional (3-D) information about the retinal structures of birds of prey in vivo. Methods. An ultra-high resolution spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) system was built for in vivo imaging of retinas of birds of prey. The calibrated imaging depth and axial resolution of the system were 3.1 mm and 2.8 μm (in tissue), respectively. 3-D segmentation was performed for calculation of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) map. Results. High-resolution OCT images were obtained of the retinas of four species of birds of prey: two diurnal hawks (Buteo platypterus and Buteo brachyurus) and two nocturnal owls (Bubo virginianus and Strix varia). These images showed the detailed retinal anatomy, including the retinal layers and the structure of the deep and shallow foveae. The calculated thickness map showed the RNFL distribution. Traumatic injury to one bird's retina was also successfully imaged. Conclusions. Ultra-high resolution SD-OCT provides unprecedented high-quality 2-D and 3-D in vivo visualization of the retinal structures of birds of prey. SD-OCT is a powerful imaging tool for vision research in birds of prey. PMID:20554605

Virus-specific cytotoxic T cells in chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection.

PubMed

Shibayama, Haruna; Imadome, Ken-Ichi; Onozawa, Erika; Tsuzura, Akiho; Miura, Osamu; Koyama, Takatoshi; Arai, Ayako

2017-01-01

Chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection (CAEBV) is a disease characterized by clonally proliferating and activated EBV-infected T or NK cells accompanied by chronic inflammation and T- or NK-cell neoplasms. However, the mechanism for developing CAEBV has not been clarified to date. Because the decreased number or inactivation of EBV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) resulted in the development of EBV-positive B-cell neoplasms, we investigated the number of CTLs in CAEBV patients using the tetrameric complexes of HLA-restricted EBV-specific peptides. Among the seven patients examined, EBV-specific CTLs were detected in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of four cases but were not detected in three cases. The ratio of EBV-specific CTLs in PBMCs tended to be higher in the patients with active disease than in those with inactive disease. In two patients in whom EBV-specific CTLs had not been detected, CTLs appeared after the eradication of EBV-infected T cells by allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. These results suggested that the failure of CTLs had a role in developing CAEBV, although the induction number and function of EBV-specific CTLs might vary in each patient.

Advanced processing of gallium nitride and gallium nitride-based devices: Ultra-high temperature annealing and implantation incorporation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Haijiang

This dissertation is focused on three fields: ultra-high temperature annealing of GaN, activation of implanted GaN and the implantation incorporation into AlGaN/GaN HEMT processing, with an aim to increase the performance, manufacturability and reliability of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs. First, the ultra high temperature (around 1500°C) annealing of MOCVD grown GaN on sapphire has been studied, and a thermally induced threading dislocation (TD) motion and reaction are reported. Using a rapid thermal annealing (RTA) approach capable of heating 2 inch wafers to around 1500°C with 100 bar N2 over-pressure, evidence of dislocation motion was first observed in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) micrographs of both planar and patterned GaN films protected by an AIN capping layer. An associated decrease in x-ray rocking curve (XRC) full-width-half-maximum (FWHM) was also observed for both the symmetric and asymmetric scans. After annealing, the AIN capping layer remained intact, and optical measurements showed no degradation of the opto-electronic properties of the films. Then activation annealing of Si implants in MOCVD grown GaN has been studied for use in ohmic contacts. Si was implanted in semi-insulating GaN at 100 keV with doses from 5 x 1014 cm-2 to 1.5 x 1016 cm-2. Rapid thermal annealing at 1500°C with 100 bar N2 over-pressure was used for dopant activation, resulting in a minimum sheet resistance of 13.9 O/square for a dose of 7 x 1015 cm-2. Secondary ion mass spectroscopy measurements showed a post-activation broadening of the dopant concentration peak by 20 nm (at half the maximum), while X-Ray triple axis o-2theta scans indicated nearly complete implant damage recovery. Transfer length method measurements of the resistance of Ti/Al/Ni/Au contacts to activated GaN:Si (5 x 1015 cm-2 at 100 keV) indicated lowest contact resistances of 0.07 Omm and 0.02 Omm for as-deposited and subsequently annealed contacts, respectively. Finally, the incorporation of Si implantation

Process for the production of ultrahigh purity silane with recycle from separation columns

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coleman, Larry M. (Inventor)

1982-01-01

Tri- and dichlorosilanes formed by hydrogenation in the course of the reaction of metallurgical silicon, hydrogen and recycle silicon tetrachloride are employed as feed into a separation column arrangement of sequential separation columns and redistribution reactors which processes the feed into ultrahigh purity silane and recycle silicon tetrachloride. A slip stream is removed from the bottom of two sequential columns and added to the recycle silicon tetrachloride process stream causing impurities in the slip streams to be subjected to reactions in the hydrogenation step whereby waste materials can be formed and readily separated.

Process for the production of ultrahigh purity silane with recycle from separation columns

DOEpatents

Coleman, Larry M.

1982-07-20

Tri- and dichlorosilanes formed by hydrogenation in the course of the reaction of metallurgical silicon, hydrogen and recycle silicon tetrachloride are employed as feed into a separation column arrangement of sequential separation columns and redistribution reactors which processes the feed into ultrahigh purity silane and recycle silicon tetrachloride. A slip stream is removed from the bottom of two sequential columns and added to the recycle silicon tetrachloride process stream causing impurities in the slip streams to be subjected to reactions in the hydrogenation step whereby waste materials can be formed and readily separated.

Improved limit to the diffuse flux of ultrahigh energy neutrinos from the Pierre Auger Observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aab, A.; Abreu, P.; Aglietta, M.; Ahn, E. J.; Al Samarai, I.; Albuquerque, I. F. M.; Allekotte, I.; Allison, P.; Almela, A.; Alvarez Castillo, J.; Alvarez-Muñiz, J.; Alves Batista, R.; Ambrosio, M.; Aminaei, A.; Anchordoqui, L.; Andringa, S.; Aramo, C.; Aranda, V. M.; Arqueros, F.; Arsene, N.; Asorey, H.; Assis, P.; Aublin, J.; Ave, M.; Avenier, M.; Avila, G.; Awal, N.; Badescu, A. M.; Barber, K. B.; Bäuml, J.; Baus, C.; Beatty, J. J.; Becker, K. H.; Bellido, J. A.; Berat, C.; Bertaina, M. E.; Bertou, X.; Biermann, P. L.; Billoir, P.; Blaess, S. G.; Blanco, A.; Blanco, M.; Bleve, C.; Blümer, H.; Boháčová, M.; Boncioli, D.; Bonifazi, C.; Borodai, N.; Brack, J.; Brancus, I.; Bridgeman, A.; Brogueira, P.; Brown, W. C.; Buchholz, P.; Bueno, A.; Buitink, S.; Buscemi, M.; Caballero-Mora, K. S.; Caccianiga, B.; Caccianiga, L.; Candusso, M.; Caramete, L.; Caruso, R.; Castellina, A.; Cataldi, G.; Cazon, L.; Cester, R.; Chavez, A. G.; Chiavassa, A.; Chinellato, J. A.; Chudoba, J.; Cilmo, M.; Clay, R. W.; Cocciolo, G.; Colalillo, R.; Coleman, A.; Collica, L.; Coluccia, M. R.; Conceição, R.; Contreras, F.; Cooper, M. J.; Cordier, A.; Coutu, S.; Covault, C. E.; Cronin, J.; Dallier, R.; Daniel, B.; Dasso, S.; Daumiller, K.; Dawson, B. R.; de Almeida, R. M.; de Jong, S. J.; De Mauro, G.; de Mello Neto, J. R. T.; De Mitri, I.; de Oliveira, J.; de Souza, V.; del Peral, L.; Deligny, O.; Dembinski, H.; Dhital, N.; Di Giulio, C.; Di Matteo, A.; Diaz, J. C.; Díaz Castro, M. L.; Diogo, F.; Dobrigkeit, C.; Docters, W.; D'Olivo, J. C.; Dorofeev, A.; Dorosti Hasankiadeh, Q.; Dova, M. T.; Ebr, J.; Engel, R.; Erdmann, M.; Erfani, M.; Escobar, C. O.; Espadanal, J.; Etchegoyen, A.; Falcke, H.; Fang, K.; Farrar, G.; Fauth, A. C.; Fazzini, N.; Ferguson, A. P.; Fernandes, M.; Fick, B.; Figueira, J. M.; Filevich, A.; Filipčič, A.; Fox, B. D.; Fratu, O.; Freire, M. M.; Fuchs, B.; Fujii, T.; García, B.; Garcia-Pinto, D.; Gate, F.; Gemmeke, H.; Gherghel-Lascu, A.; Ghia, P. L.; Giaccari, U.; Giammarchi, M.; Giller, M.; Głas, D.; Glaser, C.; Glass, H.; Golup, G.; Gómez Berisso, M.; Gómez Vitale, P. F.; González, N.; Gookin, B.; Gordon, J.; Gorgi, A.; Gorham, P.; Gouffon, P.; Griffith, N.; Grillo, A. F.; Grubb, T. D.; Guardincerri, Y.; Guarino, F.; Guedes, G. P.; Hampel, M. R.; Hansen, P.; Harari, D.; Harrison, T. A.; Hartmann, S.; Harton, J. L.; Haungs, A.; Hebbeker, T.; Heck, D.; Heimann, P.; Herve, A. E.; Hill, G. C.; Hojvat, C.; Hollon, N.; Holt, E.; Homola, P.; Hörandel, J. R.; Horvath, P.; Hrabovský, M.; Huber, D.; Huege, T.; Insolia, A.; Isar, P. G.; Jandt, I.; Jansen, S.; Jarne, C.; Johnsen, J. A.; Josebachuili, M.; Kääpä, A.; Kambeitz, O.; Kampert, K. H.; Kasper, P.; Katkov, I.; Kégl, B.; Keilhauer, B.; Keivani, A.; Kemp, E.; Kieckhafer, R. M.; Klages, H. O.; Kleifges, M.; Kleinfeller, J.; Krause, R.; Krohm, N.; Krömer, O.; Kuempel, D.; Kunka, N.; LaHurd, D.; Latronico, L.; Lauer, R.; Lauscher, M.; Lautridou, P.; Le Coz, S.; Lebrun, D.; Lebrun, P.; Leigui de Oliveira, M. A.; Letessier-Selvon, A.; Lhenry-Yvon, I.; Link, K.; Lopes, L.; López, R.; López Casado, A.; Louedec, K.; Lu, L.; Lucero, A.; Malacari, M.; Maldera, S.; Mallamaci, M.; Maller, J.; Mandat, D.; Mantsch, P.; Mariazzi, A. G.; Marin, V.; Mariş, I. C.; Marsella, G.; Martello, D.; Martin, L.; Martinez, H.; Martínez Bravo, O.; Martraire, D.; Masías Meza, J. J.; Mathes, H. J.; Mathys, S.; Matthews, J.; Matthews, J. A. J.; Matthiae, G.; Maurel, D.; Maurizio, D.; Mayotte, E.; Mazur, P. O.; Medina, C.; Medina-Tanco, G.; Meissner, R.; Mello, V. B. B.; Melo, D.; Menshikov, A.; Messina, S.; Meyhandan, R.; Micheletti, M. I.; Middendorf, L.; Minaya, I. A.; Miramonti, L.; Mitrica, B.; Molina-Bueno, L.; Mollerach, S.; Montanet, F.; Morello, C.; Mostafá, M.; Moura, C. A.; Muller, M. A.; Müller, G.; Müller, S.; Mussa, R.; Navarra, G.; Navarro, J. L.; Navas, S.; Necesal, P.; Nellen, L.; Nelles, A.; Neuser, J.; Nguyen, P. H.; Niculescu-Oglinzanu, M.; Niechciol, M.; Niemietz, L.; Niggemann, T.; Nitz, D.; Nosek, D.; Novotny, V.; Nožka, L.; Ochilo, L.; Oikonomou, F.; Olinto, A.; Pacheco, N.; Pakk Selmi-Dei, D.; Palatka, M.; Pallotta, J.; Papenbreer, P.; Parente, G.; Parra, A.; Paul, T.; Pech, M.; PÈ©kala, J.; Pelayo, R.; Pepe, I. M.; Perrone, L.; Petermann, E.; Peters, C.; Petrera, S.; Petrov, Y.; Phuntsok, J.; Piegaia, R.; Pierog, T.; Pieroni, P.; Pimenta, M.; Pirronello, V.; Platino, M.; Plum, M.; Porcelli, A.; Porowski, C.; Prado, R. R.; Privitera, P.; Prouza, M.; Purrello, V.; Quel, E. J.; Querchfeld, S.; Quinn, S.; Rautenberg, J.; Ravel, O.; Ravignani, D.; Revenu, B.; Ridky, J.; Riggi, S.; Risse, M.; Ristori, P.; Rizi, V.; Rodrigues de Carvalho, W.; Rodriguez Fernandez, G.; Rodriguez Rojo, J.; Rodríguez-Frías, M. D.; Rogozin, D.; Rosado, J.; Roth, M.; Roulet, E.; Rovero, A. C.; Saffi, S. J.; Saftoiu, A.; Salamida, F.; Salazar, H.; Saleh, A.; Salesa Greus, F.; Salina, G.; Sánchez, F.; Sanchez-Lucas, P.; Santos, E.; Santos, E. M.; Sarazin, F.; Sarkar, B.; Sarmento, R.; Sato, R.; Scarso, C.; Schauer, M.; Scherini, V.; Schieler, H.; Schiffer, P.; Schmidt, D.; Scholten, O.; Schoorlemmer, H.; Schovánek, P.; Schröder, F. G.; Schulz, A.; Schulz, J.; Schumacher, J.; Sciutto, S. J.; Segreto, A.; Settimo, M.; Shadkam, A.; Shellard, R. C.; Sidelnik, I.; Sigl, G.; Sima, O.; Śmiałkowski, A.; Šmída, R.; Snow, G. R.; Sommers, P.; Sorokin, J.; Squartini, R.; Srivastava, Y. N.; Stanca, D.; Stanič, S.; Stapleton, J.; Stasielak, J.; Stephan, M.; Stutz, A.; Suarez, F.; Suomijärvi, T.; Supanitsky, A. D.; Sutherland, M. S.; Swain, J.; Szadkowski, Z.; Taborda, O. A.; Tapia, A.; Tepe, A.; Theodoro, V. M.; Tiffenberg, J.; Timmermans, C.; Todero Peixoto, C. J.; Toma, G.; Tomankova, L.; Tomé, B.; Tonachini, A.; Torralba Elipe, G.; Torres Machado, D.; Travnicek, P.; Ulrich, R.; Unger, M.; Urban, M.; Valdés Galicia, J. F.; Valiño, I.; Valore, L.; van Aar, G.; van Bodegom, P.; van den Berg, A. M.; van Velzen, S.; van Vliet, A.; Varela, E.; Vargas Cárdenas, B.; Varner, G.; Vasquez, R.; Vázquez, J. R.; Vázquez, R. A.; Veberič, D.; Verzi, V.; Vicha, J.; Videla, M.; Villaseñor, L.; Vlcek, B.; Vorobiov, S.; Wahlberg, H.; Wainberg, O.; Walz, D.; Watson, A. A.; Weber, M.; Weidenhaupt, K.; Weindl, A.; Werner, F.; Widom, A.; Wiencke, L.; Wilczyński, H.; Winchen, T.; Wittkowski, D.; Wundheiler, B.; Wykes, S.; Yang, L.; Yapici, T.; Yushkov, A.; Zas, E.; Zavrtanik, D.; Zavrtanik, M.; Zepeda, A.; Zhu, Y.; Zimmermann, B.; Ziolkowski, M.; Zuccarello, F.; Pierre Auger Collaboration

2015-05-01

Neutrinos in the cosmic ray flux with energies near 1 EeV and above are detectable with the Surface Detector array (SD) of the Pierre Auger Observatory. We report here on searches through Auger data from 1 January 2004 until 20 June 2013. No neutrino candidates were found, yielding a limit to the diffuse flux of ultrahigh energy neutrinos that challenges the Waxman-Bahcall bound predictions. Neutrino identification is attempted using the broad time structure of the signals expected in the SD stations, and is efficiently done for neutrinos of all flavors interacting in the atmosphere at large zenith angles, as well as for "Earth-skimming" neutrino interactions in the case of tau neutrinos. In this paper the searches for downward-going neutrinos in the zenith angle bins 60°-75° and 75°-90° as well as for upward-going neutrinos, are combined to give a single limit. The 90% C.L. single-flavor limit to the diffuse flux of ultrahigh energy neutrinos with an E-2 spectrum in the energy range 1.0 ×1 017 eV - 2.5 ×1 019 eV is Eν2d Nν/d Eν<6.4 ×10-9 GeV cm-2 s-1 sr-1 .

Brain–heart interactions: challenges and opportunities with functional magnetic resonance imaging at ultra-high field

PubMed Central

Raven, Erika P.; Duyn, Jeff H.

2016-01-01

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at ultra-high field (UHF) strengths (7 T and above) offers unique opportunities for studying the human brain with increased spatial resolution, contrast and sensitivity. However, its reliability can be compromised by factors such as head motion, image distortion and non-neural fluctuations of the functional MRI signal. The objective of this review is to provide a critical discussion of the advantages and trade-offs associated with UHF imaging, focusing on the application to studying brain–heart interactions. We describe how UHF MRI may provide contrast and resolution benefits for measuring neural activity of regions involved in the control and mediation of autonomic processes, and in delineating such regions based on anatomical MRI contrast. Limitations arising from confounding signals are discussed, including challenges with distinguishing non-neural physiological effects from the neural signals of interest that reflect cardiorespiratory function. We also consider how recently developed data analysis techniques may be applied to high-field imaging data to uncover novel information about brain–heart interactions. PMID:27044994

Brain-heart interactions: challenges and opportunities with functional magnetic resonance imaging at ultra-high field.

PubMed

Chang, Catie; Raven, Erika P; Duyn, Jeff H

2016-05-13

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at ultra-high field (UHF) strengths (7 T and above) offers unique opportunities for studying the human brain with increased spatial resolution, contrast and sensitivity. However, its reliability can be compromised by factors such as head motion, image distortion and non-neural fluctuations of the functional MRI signal. The objective of this review is to provide a critical discussion of the advantages and trade-offs associated with UHF imaging, focusing on the application to studying brain-heart interactions. We describe how UHF MRI may provide contrast and resolution benefits for measuring neural activity of regions involved in the control and mediation of autonomic processes, and in delineating such regions based on anatomical MRI contrast. Limitations arising from confounding signals are discussed, including challenges with distinguishing non-neural physiological effects from the neural signals of interest that reflect cardiorespiratory function. We also consider how recently developed data analysis techniques may be applied to high-field imaging data to uncover novel information about brain-heart interactions. © 2016 The Author(s).

Specific heat measurement set-up for quench condensed thin superconducting films.

PubMed

Poran, Shachaf; Molina-Ruiz, Manel; Gérardin, Anne; Frydman, Aviad; Bourgeois, Olivier

2014-05-01

We present a set-up designed for the measurement of specific heat of very thin or ultra-thin quench condensed superconducting films. In an ultra-high vacuum chamber, materials of interest can be thermally evaporated directly on a silicon membrane regulated in temperature from 1.4 K to 10 K. On this membrane, a heater and a thermometer are lithographically fabricated, allowing the measurement of heat capacity of the quench condensed layers. This apparatus permits the simultaneous thermal and electrical characterization of successively deposited layers in situ without exposing the deposited materials to room temperature or atmospheric conditions, both being irreversibly harmful to the samples. This system can be used to study specific heat signatures of phase transitions through the superconductor to insulator transition of quench condensed films.

Simulation of the Acoustic Pulse Expected from the Interaction of Ultra-High Energy Neutrinos and Seawater

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-03-01

the diameter. This equation is given by Sulak et. al. [1979] as: Eq 3 2 2 sin 8 o p EK cP C r d x ≅ x ’ Where sinLx π θ λ ⎛ ⎞= ⎜ ⎟ ⎝ ⎠ , L is...and others, "Sensitivity of an Underwater Acoustic Array to Ultra-High Energy Neutrinos", Astroparticle Physics, n.17, 2002. Sulak , L., Armstrong

CHARACTERIZATION OF A NARROW SPECTRUM ANTIMICROBIAL THAT EXHIBITS SPECIFIC ACTIVITY AGAINST UROPATHOGENIC BACTERIA

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-08-28

NARROW-SPECTRUM ANTIMICROBIAL THAT EXHIBITS SPECIFIC ACTIVITY AGAINST UROPATHOGENIC BACTERIA by Caitlin M. Barrows Courtney M. Cowell Jennifer...From - To) October 2015 – September 2016 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE CHARACTERIZATION OF A NARROW-SPECTRUM ANTIMICROBIAL THAT EXHIBITS SPECIFIC ACTIVITY ...objective of the work described in this report is to identify a narrow-spectrum antimicrobial that exhibits targeted activity against uropathogenic

Transformation process for production of ultrahigh carbon steels and new alloys

DOEpatents

Strum, M.J.; Goldberg, A.; Sherby, O.D.; Landingham, R.L.

1995-08-29

Ultrahigh carbon steels with superplastic properties are produced by heating a steel containing ferrite and carbide phases to a soaking temperature approximately 50 C above the A{sub 1} transformation temperature, soaking the steel above the A{sub 1} temperature for a sufficient time that the major portion of the carbides dissolve into the austenite matrix, and then cooling the steel in a controlled manner within predetermined limits of cooling rate or transformation temperature, to obtain a steel having substantially spheroidal carbides. New alloy compositions contain aluminum and solute additions which promote the formation of a fine grain size and improve the resistance of the carbides to coarsening at the forming temperature. 9 figs.

Transformation process for production of ultrahigh carbon steels and new alloys

DOEpatents

Strum, Michael J.; Goldberg, Alfred; Sherby, Oleg D.; Landingham, Richard L.

1995-01-01

Ultrahigh carbon steels with superplastic properties are produced by heating a steel containing ferrite and carbide phases to a soaking temperature approximately 50.degree. C. above the A.sub.1 transformation temperature, soaking the steel above the A.sub.1 temperature for a sufficient time that the major portion of the carbides dissolve into the austenite matrix, and then cooling the steel in a controlled manner within predetermined limits of cooling rate or transformation temperature, to obtain a steel having substantially spheroidal carbides. New alloy compositions contain aluminum and solute additions which promote the formation of a fine grain size and improve the resistance of the carbides to coarsening at the forming temperature.

RECENT ADVANCES IN ULTRA-HIGH PERFORMANCE LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY FOR THE ANALYSIS OF TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE

PubMed Central

Huang, Huilian; Liu, Min; Chen, Pei

2014-01-01

Traditional Chinese medicine has been widely used for the prevention and treatment of various diseases for thousands of years in China. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) is a relatively new technique offering new possibilities. This paper reviews recent developments in UHPLC in the separation and identification, fingerprinting, quantification, and metabolism of traditional Chinese medicine. Recently, the combination of UHPLC with MS has improved the efficiency of the analysis of these materials. PMID:25045170

ISO Technical Specification for the Ionosphere -IRI Recent Activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bilitza, Dieter; Reinisch, Bodo; Tamara, Gulyaeva

ISO Technical Specification TS 16457 recommends the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) for the specification of ionospheric densities and temperatures. We review the latest develop-ments towards improving the IRI model and the newest version of the model IRI-2010. IRI-2010 includes several important improvements and additions. This presentation introduces these changes and discusses their benefits. The changes affect primarily the density profiles in the bottomside ionosphere and the density and height of the F2 peak, the point of highest density in the ionosphere. An important new addition to the model is the inclusion of auroral boundaries and their movement with magnetic activity. We will also discuss the status of other ongoing IRI activities and some of the recent applications of the IRI model. The homepage for the IRI project is at http://IRI.gsfc.nasa.gov/.

Korean immigrant women's physical activity experience: a situation-specific theory.

PubMed

Im, Eun-Ok; Chang, Sun Ju; Nguyen, Giang; Stringer, Lynn; Chee, Wonshik; Chee, Eunice

2015-01-01

To develop successful physical activity promotion programs for midlife immigrant women, especially for Korean immigrant midlife women, concrete theoretical bases are needed. However, virtually no theoretical frameworks and/or theories exist that can explain the influences of immigration transition on the physical activity experience of midlife immigrant women in general or Korean immigrant midlife women in specific. The purpose of this article is to present a situation-specific theory on physical activity experience of Korean immigrant midlife women (SPAKIM) with its development process. An integrative approach was used to develop the theory based on the midlife women's attitudes toward physical activity (MAPA) theory, the transitions theory, a review of the relevant literature, and two studies on midlife women's attitudes toward physical activity. The proposed theory includes nature of transitions, nonmodifiable and modifiable transition conditions, contexts of daily life, patterns of response, and nursing therapeutics as major concepts, and each major concept includes several related subconcepts. Because several concepts of the theory were developed mainly based on the literature review, the major concepts and related subconcepts need to be further developed and evaluated in future studies.

Diagnostic Validity of the Eppendorf Schizophrenia Inventory (ESI): A Self-Report Screen for Ultrahigh Risk and Acute Psychosis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Niessen, Maurice A. J.; Dingemans, Peter M. A. J.; van de Fliert, Reinaud; Becker, Hiske E.; Nieman, Dorien H.; Linszen, Don

2010-01-01

Providers of mental health services need tools to screen for acute psychosis and ultrahigh risk (UHR) for transition to psychosis in help-seeking individuals. In this study, the Eppendorf Schizophrenia Inventory (ESI) was examined as a screening tool and for its ability to correctly predict diagnostic group membership (e.g., help seeking, mild…

Two-stage optical recording: photoinduced birefringence and surface-mediated bits storage in bisazo-containing copolymers towards ultrahigh data memory.

PubMed

Hu, Yanlei; Wu, Dong; Li, Jiawen; Huang, Wenhao; Chu, Jiaru

2016-10-03

Ultrahigh density data storage is in high demand in the current age of big data and thus motivates many innovative storage technologies. Femtosecond laser induced multi-dimensional optical data storage is an appealing method to fulfill the demand of ultrahigh storage capacity. Here we report a femtosecond laser induced two-stage optical storage in bisazobenzene copolymer films by manipulating the recording energies. Different mechanisms can be selected for specified memory use: two-photon isomerization (TPI) and laser induced surface deformation. Giant birefringence can be generated by TPI and brings about high signal-to-noise ratio (>20 dB) multi-dimensional reversible storage. Polarization-dependent surface deformation arises when increasing the recording energy, which not only facilitates the multi-level storage by black bits (dots), but also enhances the bits' readout signal and storing stability. This facile bits recording method, which enables completely different recording mechanisms in an identical storage medium, paves the way for sustainable big data storage.

Unravelling Site-Specific Photo-Reactions of Ethanol on Rutile TiO2(110)

PubMed Central

Hansen, Jonas Ø.; Bebensee, Regine; Martinez, Umberto; Porsgaard, Soeren; Lira, Estephania; Wei, Yinying; Lammich, Lutz; Li, Zheshen; Idriss, Hicham; Besenbacher, Flemming; Hammer, Bjørk; Wendt, Stefan

2016-01-01

Finding the active sites of catalysts and photo-catalysts is crucial for an improved fundamental understanding and the development of efficient catalytic systems. Here we have studied the photo-activated dehydrogenation of ethanol on reduced and oxidized rutile TiO2(110) in ultrahigh vacuum conditions. Utilizing scanning tunnelling microscopy, various spectroscopic techniques and theoretical calculations we found that the photo-reaction proceeds most efficiently when the reactants are adsorbed on regular Ti surface sites, whereas species that are strongly adsorbed at surface defects such as O vacancies and step edges show little reaction under reducing conditions. We propose that regular Ti surface sites are the most active sites in photo-reactions on TiO2. PMID:26915303

Ultrahigh piezoelectricity in ferroelectric ceramics by design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Fei; Lin, Dabin; Chen, Zibin; Cheng, Zhenxiang; Wang, Jianli; Li, ChunChun; Xu, Zhuo; Huang, Qianwei; Liao, Xiaozhou; Chen, Long-Qing; Shrout, Thomas R.; Zhang, Shujun

2018-03-01

Piezoelectric materials, which respond mechanically to applied electric field and vice versa, are essential for electromechanical transducers. Previous theoretical analyses have shown that high piezoelectricity in perovskite oxides is associated with a flat thermodynamic energy landscape connecting two or more ferroelectric phases. Here, guided by phenomenological theories and phase-field simulations, we propose an alternative design strategy to commonly used morphotropic phase boundaries to further flatten the energy landscape, by judiciously introducing local structural heterogeneity to manipulate interfacial energies (that is, extra interaction energies, such as electrostatic and elastic energies associated with the interfaces). To validate this, we synthesize rare-earth-doped Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 (PMN-PT), as rare-earth dopants tend to change the local structure of Pb-based perovskite ferroelectrics. We achieve ultrahigh piezoelectric coefficients d33 of up to 1,500 pC N-1 and dielectric permittivity ɛ33/ɛ0 above 13,000 in a Sm-doped PMN-PT ceramic with a Curie temperature of 89 °C. Our research provides a new paradigm for designing material properties through engineering local structural heterogeneity, expected to benefit a wide range of functional materials.

Ultrahigh piezoelectricity in ferroelectric ceramics by design.

PubMed

Li, Fei; Lin, Dabin; Chen, Zibin; Cheng, Zhenxiang; Wang, Jianli; Li, ChunChun; Xu, Zhuo; Huang, Qianwei; Liao, Xiaozhou; Chen, Long-Qing; Shrout, Thomas R; Zhang, Shujun

2018-04-01

Piezoelectric materials, which respond mechanically to applied electric field and vice versa, are essential for electromechanical transducers. Previous theoretical analyses have shown that high piezoelectricity in perovskite oxides is associated with a flat thermodynamic energy landscape connecting two or more ferroelectric phases. Here, guided by phenomenological theories and phase-field simulations, we propose an alternative design strategy to commonly used morphotropic phase boundaries to further flatten the energy landscape, by judiciously introducing local structural heterogeneity to manipulate interfacial energies (that is, extra interaction energies, such as electrostatic and elastic energies associated with the interfaces). To validate this, we synthesize rare-earth-doped Pb(Mg 1/3 Nb 2/3 )O 3 -PbTiO 3 (PMN-PT), as rare-earth dopants tend to change the local structure of Pb-based perovskite ferroelectrics. We achieve ultrahigh piezoelectric coefficients d 33 of up to 1,500 pC N -1 and dielectric permittivity ε 33 /ε 0 above 13,000 in a Sm-doped PMN-PT ceramic with a Curie temperature of 89 °C. Our research provides a new paradigm for designing material properties through engineering local structural heterogeneity, expected to benefit a wide range of functional materials.

New test of Lorentz symmetry using ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anchordoqui, Luis A.; Soriano, Jorge F.

2018-02-01

We propose an innovative test of Lorentz symmetry by observing pairs of simultaneous parallel extensive air showers produced by the fragments of ultrahigh-energy cosmic ray nuclei which disintegrated in collisions with solar photons. We show that the search for a cross-correlation of showers in arrival time and direction becomes background free for an angular scale ≲3 ° and a time window O (10 s ) . We also show that if the solar photo-disintegration probability of helium is O (10-5.5) then the hunt for spatiotemporal coincident showers could be within range of existing cosmic ray facilities, such as the Pierre Auger Observatory. We demonstrate that the actual observation of a few events can be used to constrain Lorentz violating dispersion relations of the nucleon.

Double-tilt in situ TEM holder with ultra-high stability.

PubMed

Xu, Mingjie; Dai, Sheng; Blum, Thomas; Li, Linze; Pan, Xiaoqing

2018-05-06

A double tilting holder with high stability is essential for acquiring atomic-scale information by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), but the availability of such holders for in situ TEM studies under various external stimuli is limited. Here, we report a unique design of seal-bearing components that provides ultra-high stability and multifunctionality (including double tilting) in an in situ TEM holder. The seal-bearing subsystem provides superior vibration damping and electrical insulation while maintaining excellent vacuum sealing and small form factor. A wide variety of in situ TEM applications including electrical measurement, STM mapping, photovoltaic studies, and CL spectroscopy can be performed on this platform with high spatial resolution imaging and electrical sensitivity at the pA scale. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Search for ultrahigh-energy tau neutrinos with IceCube

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbasi, R.; Abdou, Y.; Abu-Zayyad, T.; Ackermann, M.; Adams, J.; Aguilar, J. A.; Ahlers, M.; Altmann, D.; Andeen, K.; Auffenberg, J.; Bai, X.; Baker, M.; Barwick, S. W.; Baum, V.; Bay, R.; Beattie, K.; Beatty, J. J.; Bechet, S.; Becker, J. K.; Becker, K.-H.; Bell, M.; Benabderrahmane, M. L.; BenZvi, S.; Berdermann, J.; Berghaus, P.; Berley, D.; Bernardini, E.; Bertrand, D.; Besson, D. Z.; Bindig, D.; Bissok, M.; Blaufuss, E.; Blumenthal, J.; Boersma, D. J.; Bohm, C.; Bose, D.; Böser, S.; Botner, O.; Brayeur, L.; Brown, A. M.; Buitink, S.; Caballero-Mora, K. S.; Carson, M.; Casier, M.; Chirkin, D.; Christy, B.; Clevermann, F.; Cohen, S.; Cowen, D. F.; Cruz Silva, A. H.; D'Agostino, M. V.; Danninger, M.; Daughhetee, J.; Davis, J. C.; De Clercq, C.; Degner, T.; Descamps, F.; Desiati, P.; de Vries-Uiterweerd, G.; DeYoung, T.; Díaz-Vélez, J. C.; Dreyer, J.; Dumm, J. P.; Dunkman, M.; Eisch, J.; Ellsworth, R. W.; Engdegård, O.; Euler, S.; Evenson, P. A.; Fadiran, O.; Fazely, A. R.; Fedynitch, A.; Feintzeig, J.; Feusels, T.; Filimonov, K.; Finley, C.; Fischer-Wasels, T.; Flis, S.; Franckowiak, A.; Franke, R.; Gaisser, T. K.; Gallagher, J.; Gerhardt, L.; Gladstone, L.; Glüsenkamp, T.; Goldschmidt, A.; Goodman, J. A.; Góra, D.; Grant, D.; Groß, A.; Grullon, S.; Gurtner, M.; Ha, C.; Haj Ismail, A.; Hallgren, A.; Halzen, F.; Hanson, K.; Heereman, D.; Heimann, P.; Heinen, D.; Helbing, K.; Hellauer, R.; Hickford, S.; Hill, G. C.; Hoffman, K. D.; Hoffmann, B.; Homeier, A.; Hoshina, K.; Huelsnitz, W.; Hulth, P. O.; Hultqvist, K.; Hussain, S.; Ishihara, A.; Jacobi, E.; Jacobsen, J.; Japaridze, G. S.; Johansson, H.; Kappes, A.; Karg, T.; Karle, A.; Kiryluk, J.; Kislat, F.; Klein, S. R.; Köhne, J.-H.; Kohnen, G.; Kolanoski, H.; Köpke, L.; Kopper, S.; Koskinen, D. J.; Kowalski, M.; Krasberg, M.; Kroll, G.; Kunnen, J.; Kurahashi, N.; Kuwabara, T.; Labare, M.; Laihem, K.; Landsman, H.; Larson, M. J.; Lauer, R.; Lünemann, J.; Madsen, J.; Maruyama, R.; Mase, K.; Matis, H. S.; Meagher, K.; Merck, M.; Mészáros, P.; Meures, T.; Miarecki, S.; Middell, E.; Milke, N.; Miller, J.; Montaruli, T.; Morse, R.; Movit, S. M.; Nahnhauer, R.; Nam, J. W.; Naumann, U.; Nowicki, S. C.; Nygren, D. R.; Odrowski, S.; Olivas, A.; Olivo, M.; O'Murchadha, A.; Panknin, S.; Paul, L.; Pérez de los Heros, C.; Pieloth, D.; Posselt, J.; Price, P. B.; Przybylski, G. T.; Rawlins, K.; Redl, P.; Resconi, E.; Rhode, W.; Ribordy, M.; Richman, M.; Riedel, B.; Rodrigues, J. P.; Rothmaier, F.; Rott, C.; Ruhe, T.; Rutledge, D.; Ruzybayev, B.; Ryckbosch, D.; Sander, H.-G.; Santander, M.; Sarkar, S.; Schatto, K.; Scheel, M.; Schmidt, T.; Schöneberg, S.; Schönwald, A.; Schukraft, A.; Schulte, L.; Schultes, A.; Schulz, O.; Schunck, M.; Seckel, D.; Semburg, B.; Seo, S. H.; Sestayo, Y.; Seunarine, S.; Silvestri, A.; Smith, M. W. E.; Spiczak, G. M.; Spiering, C.; Stamatikos, M.; Stanev, T.; Stezelberger, T.; Stokstad, R. G.; Stößl, A.; Strahler, E. A.; Ström, R.; Stüer, M.; Sullivan, G. W.; Taavola, H.; Taboada, I.; Tamburro, A.; Ter-Antonyan, S.; Tilav, S.; Toale, P. A.; Toscano, S.; van Eijndhoven, N.; Van Overloop, A.; van Santen, J.; Vehring, M.; Voge, M.; Walck, C.; Waldenmaier, T.; Wallraff, M.; Walter, M.; Wasserman, R.; Weaver, Ch.; Wendt, C.; Westerhoff, S.; Whitehorn, N.; Wiebe, K.; Wiebusch, C. H.; Williams, D. R.; Wischnewski, R.; Wissing, H.; Wolf, M.; Wood, T. R.; Woschnagg, K.; Xu, C.; Xu, D. L.; Xu, X. W.; Yanez, J. P.; Yodh, G.; Yoshida, S.; Zarzhitsky, P.; Zoll, M.

2012-07-01

The first dedicated search for ultrahigh-energy (UHE) tau neutrinos of astrophysical origin was performed using the IceCube detector in its 22-string configuration with an instrumented volume of roughly 0.25km3. The search also had sensitivity to UHE electron and muon neutrinos. After application of all selection criteria to approximately 200 live-days of data, we expect a background of 0.60±0.19(stat)(+0.56)/(-0.58)(syst) events and observe three events, which after inspection, emerge as being compatible with background but are kept in the final sample. Therefore, we set an upper limit on neutrinos of all flavors from UHE astrophysical sources at 90% C.L. of Eν2Φ90(νx)<16.3×10-8GeVcm-2sr-1s-1 over an estimated primary neutrino energy range of 340 TeV to 200 PeV.

Conformal Coating Strategy Comprising N-doped Carbon and Conventional Graphene for Achieving Ultrahigh Power and Cyclability of LiFePO4.

PubMed

Zhang, Kan; Lee, Jeong-Taik; Li, Ping; Kang, Byoungwoo; Kim, Jung Hyun; Yi, Gi-Ra; Park, Jong Hyeok

2015-10-14

Surface carbon coating to improve the inherent poor electrical conductivity of lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4, LFP) has been considered as most efficient strategy. Here, we also report one of the conventional methods for LFP but exhibiting a specific capacity beyond the theoretical value, ultrahigh rate performance, and excellent long-term cyclability: the specific capacity is 171.9 mAh/g (70 μm-thick electrode with ∼10 mg/cm(2) loading mass) at 0.1 C (17 mA/g) and retains 143.7 mAh/g at 10 C (1.7 A/g) and 95.8% of initial capacity at 10 C after 1000 cycles. It was found that the interior conformal N-C coating enhances the intrinsic conductivity of LFP nanorods (LFP NR) and the exterior reduced graphene oxide coating acts as an electrically conducting secondary network to electrically connect the entire electrode. The great electron transport mutually promoted with shorten Li diffusion length on (010) facet exposed LFP NR represents the highest specific capacity value recorded to date at 10 C and ultralong-term cyclability. This conformal carbon coating approach can be a promising strategy for the commercialization of LFP cathode in lithium ion batteries.

Construction of an ultra-high density consensus genetic map, and enhancement of the physical map from genome sequencing in Lupinus angustifolius.

PubMed

Zhou, Gaofeng; Jian, Jianbo; Wang, Penghao; Li, Chengdao; Tao, Ye; Li, Xuan; Renshaw, Daniel; Clements, Jonathan; Sweetingham, Mark; Yang, Huaan

2018-01-01

An ultra-high density genetic map containing 34,574 sequence-defined markers was developed in Lupinus angustifolius. Markers closely linked to nine genes of agronomic traits were identified. A physical map was improved to cover 560.5 Mb genome sequence. Lupin (Lupinus angustifolius L.) is a recently domesticated legume grain crop. In this study, we applied the restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (RADseq) method to genotype an F 9 recombinant inbred line population derived from a wild type × domesticated cultivar (W × D) cross. A high density linkage map was developed based on the W × D population. By integrating sequence-defined DNA markers reported in previous mapping studies, we established an ultra-high density consensus genetic map, which contains 34,574 markers consisting of 3508 loci covering 2399 cM on 20 linkage groups. The largest gap in the entire consensus map was 4.73 cM. The high density W × D map and the consensus map were used to develop an improved physical map, which covered 560.5 Mb of genome sequence data. The ultra-high density consensus linkage map, the improved physical map and the markers linked to genes of breeding interest reported in this study provide a common tool for genome sequence assembly, structural genomics, comparative genomics, functional genomics, QTL mapping, and molecular plant breeding in lupin.

Two-dimensional single-shot diffusion-weighted stimulated EPI with reduced FOV for ultrahigh-b radial diffusion-weighted imaging of spinal cord.

PubMed

Sapkota, Nabraj; Shi, Xianfeng; Shah, Lubdha M; Bisson, Erica F; Rose, John W; Jeong, Eun-Kee

2017-06-01

High-resolution diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) of the spinal cord (SC) is problematic because of the small cross-section of the SC and the large field inhomogeneity. Obtaining the ultrahigh-b DWI poses a further challenge. The purpose of the study was to design and validate two-dimensional (2D) single-shot diffusion-weighted stimulated echo planar imaging with reduced field of view (2D ss-DWSTEPI-rFOV) for ultrahigh-b radial DWI (UHB-rDWI) of the SC. A novel time-efficient 2D ss-DWSTEPI-rFOV sequence was developed based on the stimulated echo sequence. Reduced-phase field of view was obtained by using two slice-selective 90 ° radiofrequency pulses in the presence of the orthogonal slice selection gradients. The sequence was validated on a cylindrical phantom and demonstrated on SC imaging. Ultrahigh-b radial diffusion-weighted ( bmax = 7300 s/mm2) images of the SC with greatly reduced distortion were obtained. The exponential plus constant fitting of the diffusion-decay curve estimated the constant fraction (restricted water fraction) as 0.36 ± 0.05 in the SC white matter. A novel 2D ss-DWSTEPI-rFOV sequence has been designed and demonstrated for high-resolution UHB-rDWI of localized anatomic structures with significantly reduced distortion induced by nonlinear static field inhomogeneity. Magn Reson Med 77:2167-2173, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Real Space Imaging of the Microscopic Origins of the Ultrahigh Dielectric Constant in Polycrystalline CaCu 3Ti 4O 12

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

Kalinin, Sergei V; Shin, Junsoo; Veith, Gabriel M

2005-01-01

The origins of an ultrahigh dielectric constant in polycrystalline CaCu{sub 3}Ti{sub 4}O{sub 12} (CCTO) were studied using the combination of impedance spectroscopy, electron microscopy, and scanning probe microscopy (SPM). Impedance spectra indicate that the transport properties in the 0.1 Hz-1 MHz frequency range are dominated by a single parallel resistive-capacitive (RC) element with a characteristic relaxation frequency of 16 Hz. dc potential distributions measurements by SPM illustrate that significant potential drops occur at the grain boundaries, which thus can be unambiguously identified as the dominant RC element. High frequency ac amplitude and phase distributions illustrate very weak grain boundary contrastmore » in SPM, indicative of strong capacitive coupling across the interfaces. These results demonstrate that the ultrahigh dielectric constant reported for polycrystalline CCTO materials is related to grain-boundary behavior.« less

Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Subtype- and Cell-Type-Specific Activation of Genomic Target Genes upon Adenoviral Transgene Delivery

PubMed Central

Nielsen, Ronni; Grøntved, Lars; Stunnenberg, Hendrik G.; Mandrup, Susanne

2006-01-01

Investigations of the molecular events involved in activation of genomic target genes by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) have been hampered by the inability to establish a clean on/off state of the receptor in living cells. Here we show that the combination of adenoviral delivery and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) is ideal for dissecting these mechanisms. Adenoviral delivery of PPARs leads to a rapid and synchronous expression of the PPAR subtypes, establishment of transcriptional active complexes at genomic loci, and immediate activation of even silent target genes. We demonstrate that PPARγ2 possesses considerable ligand-dependent as well as independent transactivation potential and that agonists increase the occupancy of PPARγ2/retinoid X receptor at PPAR response elements. Intriguingly, by direct comparison of the PPARs (α, γ, and β/δ), we show that the subtypes have very different abilities to gain access to target sites and that in general the genomic occupancy correlates with the ability to activate the corresponding target gene. In addition, the specificity and potency of activation by PPAR subtypes are highly dependent on the cell type. Thus, PPAR subtype-specific activation of genomic target genes involves an intricate interplay between the properties of the subtype- and cell-type-specific settings at the individual target loci. PMID:16847324

Increasing the wear resistance of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene by adding solid lubricating fillers

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

Panin, S. V., E-mail: svp@ispms.tsc.ru; Kornienko, L. A.; Poltaranin, M. A.

2014-11-14

In order to compare effectiveness of adding solid lubricating fillers for polymeric composites based on ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) with graphite, molybdenum disulfide and polytetrafluoroethylene, their tribotechnical characteristics under dry friction, boundary lubrication and abrasive wearing were investigated. The optimal weight fractions of fillers in terms of improving wear resistance have been determined. The supramolecular structure and topography of wear track surfaces of UHMWPE-based composites with different content of fillers have been studied.

Ultrahigh Ductility, High-Carbon Martensitic Steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qin, Shengwei; Liu, Yu; Hao, Qingguo; Zuo, Xunwei; Rong, Yonghua; Chen, Nailu

2016-10-01

Based on the proposed design idea of the anti-transformation-induced plasticity effect, both the additions of the Nb element and pretreatment of the normalization process as a novel quenching-partitioning-tempering (Q-P-T) were designed for Fe-0.63C-1.52Mn-1.49Si-0.62Cr-0.036Nb hot-rolled steel. This high-carbon Q-P-T martensitic steel exhibits a tensile strength of 1890 MPa and elongation of 29 pct accompanied by the excellent product of tensile and elongation of 55 GPa pct. The origin of ultrahigh ductility for high-carbon Q-P-T martensitic steel is revealed from two aspects: one is the softening of martensitic matrix due to both the depletion of carbon in the matensitic matrix during the Q-P-T process by partitioning of carbon from supersaturated martensite to retained austenite and the reduction of the dislocation density in a martensitic matrix by dislocation absorption by retained austenite effect during deformation, which significantly enhances the deformation ability of martensitic matrix; another is the high mechanical stability of considerable carbon-enriched retained austenite, which effectively reduces the formation of brittle twin-type martensite. This work verifies the correctness of the design idea of the anti-TRIP effect and makes the third-generation advanced high-strength steels extend to the field of high-carbon steels from low- and medium-carbon steels.

Identification of Mercury and Dissolved Organic Matter Complexes Using Ultrahigh Resolution Mass Spectrometry

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

Chen, Hongmei; Johnston, Ryne C.; Mann, Benjamin F.

The chemical speciation and bioavailability of mercury (Hg) is markedly influenced by its complexation with naturally dissolved organic matter (DOM) in aquatic environments. To date, however, analytical methodologies capable of identifying such complexes are scarce. Here, we utilize ultrahigh resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICR-MS) coupled with electrospray ionization to identify individual Hg-DOM complexes. The measurements were performed by direct infusion of DOM in a 1:1 methanol:water solution at a Hg to dissolved organic carbon (DOC) molar ratio of 3 × 10 -4. Heteroatomic molecules, especially those containing multiple S and N atoms, were found to bemore » among the most important in forming strong complexes with Hg. Major Hg-DOM complexes of C10H21N2S4Hg+ and C8H17N2S4Hg+ were identified based on both the exact molecular mass and patterns of Hg stable isotope distributions detected by FTICR-MS. Density functional theory was used to predict the solution-phase structures of candidate molecules. These findings represent the first step to unambiguously identify specific DOM molecules in Hg binding, although future studies are warranted to further optimize and validate the methodology so as to explore detailed molecular compositions and structures of Hg-DOM complexes that affect biological uptake and transformation of Hg in the environment.« less

Beyond Slurry-Cast Supercapacitor Electrodes: PAN/MWNT Heteromat-Mediated Ultrahigh Capacitance Electrode Sheets.

PubMed

Lee, Jung Han; Kim, Jeong A; Kim, Ju-Myung; Lee, Sun-Young; Yeon, Sun-Hwa; Lee, Sang-Young

2017-01-31

Supercapacitors (SCs) have garnered considerable attention as an appealing power source for forthcoming smart energy era. An ultimate challenge facing the SCs is the acquisition of higher energy density without impairing their other electrochemical properties. Herein, we demonstrate a new class of polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/multi-walled carbon tube (MWNT) heteromat-mediated ultrahigh capacitance electrode sheets as an unusual electrode architecture strategy to address the aforementioned issue. Vanadium pentoxide (V 2 O 5 ) is chosen as a model electrode material to explore the feasibility of the suggested concept. The heteromat V 2 O 5 electrode sheets are produced through one-pot fabrication based on concurrent electrospraying (for V 2 O 5 precursor/MWNT) and electrospinning (for PAN nanofiber) followed by calcination, leading to compact packing of V 2 O 5 materials in intimate contact with MWNTs and PAN nanofibers. As a consequence, the heteromat V 2 O 5 electrode sheets offer three-dimensionally bicontinuous electron (arising from MWNT networks)/ion (from spatially reticulated interstitial voids to be filled with liquid electrolytes) conduction pathways, thereby facilitating redox reaction kinetics of V 2 O 5 materials. In addition, elimination of heavy metallic foil current collectors, in combination with the dense packing of V 2 O 5 materials, significantly increases (electrode sheet-based) specific capacitances far beyond those accessible with conventional slurry-cast electrodes.

Beyond Slurry-Cast Supercapacitor Electrodes: PAN/MWNT Heteromat-Mediated Ultrahigh Capacitance Electrode Sheets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Jung Han; Kim, Jeong A.; Kim, Ju-Myung; Lee, Sun-Young; Yeon, Sun-Hwa; Lee, Sang-Young

2017-01-01

Supercapacitors (SCs) have garnered considerable attention as an appealing power source for forthcoming smart energy era. An ultimate challenge facing the SCs is the acquisition of higher energy density without impairing their other electrochemical properties. Herein, we demonstrate a new class of polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/multi-walled carbon tube (MWNT) heteromat-mediated ultrahigh capacitance electrode sheets as an unusual electrode architecture strategy to address the aforementioned issue. Vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) is chosen as a model electrode material to explore the feasibility of the suggested concept. The heteromat V2O5 electrode sheets are produced through one-pot fabrication based on concurrent electrospraying (for V2O5 precursor/MWNT) and electrospinning (for PAN nanofiber) followed by calcination, leading to compact packing of V2O5 materials in intimate contact with MWNTs and PAN nanofibers. As a consequence, the heteromat V2O5 electrode sheets offer three-dimensionally bicontinuous electron (arising from MWNT networks)/ion (from spatially reticulated interstitial voids to be filled with liquid electrolytes) conduction pathways, thereby facilitating redox reaction kinetics of V2O5 materials. In addition, elimination of heavy metallic foil current collectors, in combination with the dense packing of V2O5 materials, significantly increases (electrode sheet-based) specific capacitances far beyond those accessible with conventional slurry-cast electrodes.

Beyond Slurry-Cast Supercapacitor Electrodes: PAN/MWNT Heteromat-Mediated Ultrahigh Capacitance Electrode Sheets

PubMed Central

Lee, Jung Han; Kim, Jeong A; Kim, Ju-Myung; Lee, Sun-Young; Yeon, Sun-Hwa; Lee, Sang-Young

2017-01-01

Supercapacitors (SCs) have garnered considerable attention as an appealing power source for forthcoming smart energy era. An ultimate challenge facing the SCs is the acquisition of higher energy density without impairing their other electrochemical properties. Herein, we demonstrate a new class of polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/multi-walled carbon tube (MWNT) heteromat-mediated ultrahigh capacitance electrode sheets as an unusual electrode architecture strategy to address the aforementioned issue. Vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) is chosen as a model electrode material to explore the feasibility of the suggested concept. The heteromat V2O5 electrode sheets are produced through one-pot fabrication based on concurrent electrospraying (for V2O5 precursor/MWNT) and electrospinning (for PAN nanofiber) followed by calcination, leading to compact packing of V2O5 materials in intimate contact with MWNTs and PAN nanofibers. As a consequence, the heteromat V2O5 electrode sheets offer three-dimensionally bicontinuous electron (arising from MWNT networks)/ion (from spatially reticulated interstitial voids to be filled with liquid electrolytes) conduction pathways, thereby facilitating redox reaction kinetics of V2O5 materials. In addition, elimination of heavy metallic foil current collectors, in combination with the dense packing of V2O5 materials, significantly increases (electrode sheet-based) specific capacitances far beyond those accessible with conventional slurry-cast electrodes. PMID:28139765

Thermal noise limit for ultra-high vacuum noncontact atomic force microscopy.

PubMed

Lübbe, Jannis; Temmen, Matthias; Rode, Sebastian; Rahe, Philipp; Kühnle, Angelika; Reichling, Michael

2013-01-01

The noise of the frequency-shift signal Δf in noncontact atomic force microscopy (NC-AFM) consists of cantilever thermal noise, tip-surface-interaction noise and instrumental noise from the detection and signal processing systems. We investigate how the displacement-noise spectral density d(z) at the input of the frequency demodulator propagates to the frequency-shift-noise spectral density d(Δ) (f) at the demodulator output in dependence of cantilever properties and settings of the signal processing electronics in the limit of a negligible tip-surface interaction and a measurement under ultrahigh-vacuum conditions. For a quantification of the noise figures, we calibrate the cantilever displacement signal and determine the transfer function of the signal-processing electronics. From the transfer function and the measured d(z), we predict d(Δ) (f) for specific filter settings, a given level of detection-system noise spectral density d(z) (ds) and the cantilever-thermal-noise spectral density d(z) (th). We find an excellent agreement between the calculated and measured values for d(Δ) (f). Furthermore, we demonstrate that thermal noise in d(Δ) (f), defining the ultimate limit in NC-AFM signal detection, can be kept low by a proper choice of the cantilever whereby its Q-factor should be given most attention. A system with a low-noise signal detection and a suitable cantilever, operated with appropriate filter and feedback-loop settings allows room temperature NC-AFM measurements at a low thermal-noise limit with a significant bandwidth.

Thermal noise limit for ultra-high vacuum noncontact atomic force microscopy

PubMed Central

Lübbe, Jannis; Temmen, Matthias; Rode, Sebastian; Rahe, Philipp; Kühnle, Angelika

2013-01-01

Summary The noise of the frequency-shift signal Δf in noncontact atomic force microscopy (NC-AFM) consists of cantilever thermal noise, tip–surface-interaction noise and instrumental noise from the detection and signal processing systems. We investigate how the displacement-noise spectral density d z at the input of the frequency demodulator propagates to the frequency-shift-noise spectral density d Δ f at the demodulator output in dependence of cantilever properties and settings of the signal processing electronics in the limit of a negligible tip–surface interaction and a measurement under ultrahigh-vacuum conditions. For a quantification of the noise figures, we calibrate the cantilever displacement signal and determine the transfer function of the signal-processing electronics. From the transfer function and the measured d z, we predict d Δ f for specific filter settings, a given level of detection-system noise spectral density d z ds and the cantilever-thermal-noise spectral density d z th. We find an excellent agreement between the calculated and measured values for d Δ f. Furthermore, we demonstrate that thermal noise in d Δ f, defining the ultimate limit in NC-AFM signal detection, can be kept low by a proper choice of the cantilever whereby its Q-factor should be given most attention. A system with a low-noise signal detection and a suitable cantilever, operated with appropriate filter and feedback-loop settings allows room temperature NC-AFM measurements at a low thermal-noise limit with a significant bandwidth. PMID:23400758

Highly precise and compact ultrahigh vacuum rotary feedthrough.

PubMed

Aiura, Y; Kitano, K

2012-03-01

The precision and rigidity of compact ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) rotary feedthroughs were substantially improved by preparing and installing an optimal crossed roller bearing with mounting holes. Since there are mounting holes on both the outer and inner races, the bearing can be mounted directly to rotary and stationary stages without any fixing plates and housing. As a result, it is possible to increase the thickness of the bearing or the size of the rolling elements in the bearing without increasing the distance between the rotating and fixing International Conflat flanges of the UHV rotary feedthrough. Larger rolling elements enhance the rigidity of the UHV rotary feedthrough. Moreover, owing to the structure having integrated inner and outer races and mounting holes, the performance is almost entirely unaffected by the installation of the bearing, allowing for a precise optical encoder to be installed in the compact UHV rotary feedthrough. Using position feedback via a worm gear system driven by a stepper motor and a precise rotary encoder, the actual angle of the compact UHV rotary feedthrough can be controlled with extremely high precision.

Highly precise and compact ultrahigh vacuum rotary feedthrough

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aiura, Y.; Kitano, K.

2012-03-01

The precision and rigidity of compact ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) rotary feedthroughs were substantially improved by preparing and installing an optimal crossed roller bearing with mounting holes. Since there are mounting holes on both the outer and inner races, the bearing can be mounted directly to rotary and stationary stages without any fixing plates and housing. As a result, it is possible to increase the thickness of the bearing or the size of the rolling elements in the bearing without increasing the distance between the rotating and fixing International Conflat flanges of the UHV rotary feedthrough. Larger rolling elements enhance the rigidity of the UHV rotary feedthrough. Moreover, owing to the structure having integrated inner and outer races and mounting holes, the performance is almost entirely unaffected by the installation of the bearing, allowing for a precise optical encoder to be installed in the compact UHV rotary feedthrough. Using position feedback via a worm gear system driven by a stepper motor and a precise rotary encoder, the actual angle of the compact UHV rotary feedthrough can be controlled with extremely high precision.

Ultrahigh Energy Neutrinos at the Pierre Auger Observatory

DOE PAGES

Abreu, P.; Aglietta, M.; Ahlers, M.; ...

2013-01-01

The observation of ultrahigh energy neutrinos (UHE ν s) has become a priority in experimental astroparticle physics. UHE ν s can be detected with a variety of techniques. In particular, neutrinos can interact in the atmosphere (downward-going ν ) or in the Earth crust (Earth-skimming ν ), producing air showers that can be observed with arrays of detectors at the ground. With the surface detector array of the Pierre Auger Observatory we can detect these types of cascades. The distinguishing signature for neutrino events is the presence of very inclined showers produced close to the ground (i.e., after having traversedmore » a large amount of atmosphere). In this work we review the procedure and criteria established to search for UHE ν s in the data collected with the ground array of the Pierre Auger Observatory. This includes Earth-skimming as well as downward-going neutrinos. No neutrino candidates have been found, which allows us to place competitive limits to the diffuse flux of UHE ν s in the EeV range and above.« less

Measurement of ciliary beat frequency using ultra-high resolution optical coherence tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Jason J.; Jing, Joseph C.; Su, Erica; Badger, Christopher; Coughlan, Carolyn A.; Chen, Zhongping; Wong, Brian J. F.

2016-02-01

Ciliated epithelial cells populate up to 80% of the surface area of the human airway and are responsible for mucociliary transport, which is the key protective mechanism that provides the first line of defense in the respiratory tract. Cilia beat in a rhythmic pattern and may be easily affected by allergens, pollutants, and pathogens, altering ciliary beat frequency (CBF) subsequently. Diseases including cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and primary ciliary dyskinesia may also decrease CBF. CBF is therefore a critical component of respiratory health. The current clinical method of measuring CBF is phase-contrast microscopy, which involves a tissue biopsy obtained via brushing of the nasal cavity. While this method is minimally invasive, the tissue sample must be oriented to display its profile view, making the visualization of a single layer of cilia challenging. In addition, the conventional method requires subjective analysis of CBF, e.g., manually counting by visual inspection. On the contrary, optical coherence tomography (OCT) has been used to study the retina in ophthalmology as well as vasculature in cardiology, and offers higher resolution than conventional computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. Based on this technology, our lab specifically developed an ultra-high resolution OCT system to image the microstructure of the ciliated epithelial cells. Doppler analysis was also performed to determine CBF. Lastly, we also developed a program that utilizes fast Fourier transform to determine CBF under phase-contrast microscopy, providing a more objective method compared to the current method.

Imaging interactions of metal oxide nanoparticles with macrophage cells by ultra-high resolution scanning electron microscopy techniques.

PubMed

Plascencia-Villa, Germán; Starr, Clarise R; Armstrong, Linda S; Ponce, Arturo; José-Yacamán, Miguel

2012-11-01

Use of engineered metal oxide nanoparticles in a plethora of biological applications and custom products has warned about some possible dose-dependent cytotoxic effects. Macrophages are key components of the innate immune system used to study possible toxic effects and internalization of different nanoparticulate materials. In this work, ultra-high resolution field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) was used to offer new insights into the dynamical processes of interaction of nanomaterials with macrophage cells dosed with different concentrations of metal oxide nanoparticles (CeO(2), TiO(2) and ZnO). The versatility of FE-SEM has allowed obtaining a detailed characterization of processes of adsorption and endocytosis of nanoparticles, by using advanced analytical and imaging techniques on complete unstained uncoated cells, including secondary electron imaging, high-sensitive backscattered electron imaging, X-ray microanalysis and stereoimaging. Low voltage BF/DF-STEM confirmed nanoparticle adsorption and internalization into endosomes of CeO(2) and TiO(2), whereas ZnO develop apoptosis after 24 h of interaction caused by dissolution and invasion of cell nucleus. Ultra-high resolution scanning electron microscopy techniques provided new insights into interactions of inorganic nanoparticles with macrophage cells with high spatial resolution.

Imaging interactions of metal oxide nanoparticles with macrophage cells by ultra-high resolution scanning electron microscopy techniques†

PubMed Central

Plascencia-Villa, Germán; Starr, Clarise R.; Armstrong, Linda S.; Ponce, Arturo

2016-01-01

Use of engineered metal oxide nanoparticles in a plethora of biological applications and custom products has warned about some possible dose-dependent cytotoxic effects. Macrophages are key components of the innate immune system used to study possible toxic effects and internalization of different nanoparticulate materials. In this work, ultra-high resolution field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) was used to offer new insights into the dynamical processes of interaction of nanomaterials with macrophage cells dosed with different concentrations of metal oxide nanoparticles (CeO2, TiO2 and ZnO). The versatility of FE-SEM has allowed obtaining a detailed characterization of processes of adsorption and endocytosis of nanoparticles, by using advanced analytical and imaging techniques on complete unstained uncoated cells, including secondary electron imaging, high-sensitive backscattered electron imaging, X-ray microanalysis and stereoimaging. Low voltage BF/DF-STEM confirmed nanoparticle adsorption and internalization into endosomes of CeO2 and TiO2, whereas ZnO develop apoptosis after 24 h of interaction caused by dissolution and invasion of cell nucleus. Ultra-high resolution scanning electron microscopy techniques provided new insights into interactions of inorganic nanoparticles with macrophage cells with high spatial resolution. PMID:23023106

Simulation and fabrication of 0-3 composite PZT films for ultrahigh frequency (100-300 MHz) ultrasonic transducers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xiaoyang; Fei, Chunlong; Chen, Zeyu; Chen, Ruimin; Yu, Ping; Chen, Zhongping; Shung, K. Kirk; Zhou, Qifa

2016-03-01

This paper presents simulation, fabrication, and characterization of single-element ultrahigh frequency (100-300-MHz) needle ultrasonic transducers based on 0-3 composite Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 (PZT) films prepared by using composite ceramic sol-gel film and sol-infiltration technique. The center frequency of the developed transducer at 300-MHz was the highest frequency of PbTiO3 ceramic-based ultrasonic transducers ever reported. Furthermore, a brief description of the composite model was followed by the development of a new expression for predicting the longitudinal velocity, the clamped dielectric constant, and the complex electromechanical coupling coefficient kt of these films, which is very important in ultrasonic transducer design. Moreover, these parameters are difficult to obtain by measuring the frequency dependence of impedance and phase angle because of the weak signal of the previous 0-3 composite films transducer (>100 MHz). The modeling results show that the Cubes model with a geometric factor n = 0.05 fits well with the measured data. This model will be helpful for developing the 0-3 composite systems for ultrahigh frequency ultrasonic transducer design.

Polyacrylic acid@zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 nanoparticles with ultrahigh drug loading capability for pH-sensitive drug release.

PubMed

Ren, Hong; Zhang, Lingyu; An, Jiping; Wang, Tingting; Li, Lu; Si, Xiaoyan; He, Liu; Wu, Xiaotong; Wang, Chungang; Su, Zhongmin

2014-01-28

The polyacrylic acid@zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (PAA@ZIF-8) nanoparticles (NPs) were first fabricated using a facile and simple route. It is worthwhile noting that the as-fabricated PAA@ZIF-8 NPs possessed ultrahigh doxorubicin (DOX) loading capability (1.9 g DOX g(-1) NPs), which were employed as pH-dependent drug delivery vehicles.

Effect of sterilization irradiation on friction and wear of ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, W. R., Jr.; Hady, W. F.; Crugnola, A.

1979-01-01

The effect of sterilization gamma irradiation on the friction and wear properties of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) sliding against 316L stainless steel in dry air at 23 C was determined. A pin-on-disk apparatus was used. Experimental conditions included a 1-kilogram load, a 0.061- to 0.27-meter-per-second sliding velocity, and a 32000- to 578000-meter sliding distance. Although sterilization doses of 2.5 and 5.0 megarads greatly altered the average molecular weight and the molecular weight distribution, the friction and wear properties of the polymer were not significantly changed.

[Application of low-intensity and ultrahigh frequency electromagnetic radiation in modern pediatric practice].

PubMed

Azov, N A; Azova, E A

2009-01-01

The use of an Amfit-0,2/10-01 apparatus generating low-intensity ultrahigh frequency (UHF) electromagnetic radiation improved efficiency of therapy of sick children. This treatment allowed to reduce the frequency of intake of anesthetics in the post-operative period, correct metabolic disorders in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus, reduce severity of diabetic nephropathy and polyneuropathy, prevent formation of fresh foci of lipoid necrobiosis. The results of the study indicate that the use of low-intensity UHF electromagnetic radiation may be recommended for more extensive introduction into practical clinical work of pediatric endocrinologists and surgeons.

Progress and promises of human cardiac magnetic resonance at ultrahigh fields: a physics perspective.

PubMed

Niendorf, Thoralf; Graessl, Andreas; Thalhammer, Christof; Dieringer, Matthias A; Kraus, Oliver; Santoro, Davide; Fuchs, Katharina; Hezel, Fabian; Waiczies, Sonia; Ittermann, Bernd; Winter, Lukas

2013-04-01

A growing number of reports eloquently speak about explorations into cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) at ultrahigh magnetic fields (B0≥7.0 T). Realizing the progress, promises and challenges of ultrahigh field (UHF) CMR this perspective outlines current trends in enabling MR technology tailored for cardiac MR in the short wavelength regime. For this purpose many channel radiofrequency (RF) technology concepts are outlined. Basic principles of mapping and shimming of transmission fields including RF power deposition considerations are presented. Explorations motivated by the safe operation of UHF-CMR even in the presence of conductive implants are described together with the physics, numerical simulations and experiments, all of which detailing antenna effects and RF heating induced by intracoronary stents at 7.0 T. Early applications of CMR at 7.0 T and their clinical implications for explorations into cardiovascular diseases are explored including assessment of cardiac function, myocardial tissue characterization, MR angiography of large and small vessels as well as heteronuclear MR of the heart and the skin. A concluding section ventures a glance beyond the horizon and explores future directions. The goal here is not to be comprehensive but to inspire the biomedical and diagnostic imaging communities to throw further weight behind the solution of the many remaining unsolved problems and technical obstacles of UHF-CMR with the goal to transfer MR physics driven methodological advancements into extra clinical value. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Method for preparing high specific activity 177Lu

DOEpatents

Mirzadeh, Saed; Du, Miting; Beets, Arnold L.; Knapp, Jr., Furn F.

2004-04-06

A method of separating lutetium from a solution containing Lu and Yb, particularly reactor-produced .sup.177 Lu and .sup.177 Yb, includes the steps of: providing a chromatographic separation apparatus containing LN resin; loading the apparatus with a solution containing Lu and Yb; and eluting the apparatus to chromatographically separate the Lu and the Yb in order to produce high-specific-activity .sup.177 Yb.

Telescope Array Radar (TARA) Observatory for Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays

DOE PAGES

Abbasi, R.; Takai, H.; Allen, C.; ...

2014-08-19

Construction was completed during summer 2013 on the Telescope Array RAdar (TARA) bi-static radar observatory for Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECR). TARA is co-located with the Telescope Array, the largest “conventional” cosmic ray detector in the Northern Hemisphere, in radio-quiet Western Utah. TARA employs an 8 MW Effective Radiated Power (ERP) VHF transmitter and smart receiver system based on a 250 MS/s data acquisition system in an effort to detect the scatter of sounding radiation by UHECR-induced atmospheric ionization. TARA seeks to demonstrate bi-static radar as a useful new remote sensing technique for UHECRs. In this report, we describe themore » design and performance of the TARA transmitter and receiver systems.« less

Unconscious Semantic Activation Depends on Feature-Specific Attention Allocation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spruyt, Adriaan; De Houwer, Jan; Everaert, Tom; Hermans, Dirk

2012-01-01

We examined whether semantic activation by subliminally presented stimuli is dependent upon the extent to which participants assign attention to specific semantic stimulus features and stimulus dimensions. Participants pronounced visible target words that were preceded by briefly presented, masked prime words. Both affective and non-affective…

Ultra-high performance supercritical fluid chromatography of lignin-derived phenols from alkaline cupric oxide oxidation.

PubMed

Sun, Mingzhe; Lidén, Gunnar; Sandahl, Margareta; Turner, Charlotta

2016-08-01

Traditional chromatographic methods for the analysis of lignin-derived phenolic compounds in environmental samples are generally time consuming. In this work, an ultra-high performance supercritical fluid chromatography method with a diode array detector for the analysis of major lignin-derived phenolic compounds produced by alkaline cupric oxide oxidation was developed. In an analysis of a collection of 11 representative monomeric lignin phenolic compounds, all compounds were clearly separated within 6 min with excellent peak shapes, with a limit of detection of 0.5-2.5 μM, a limit of quantification of 2.5-5.0 μM, and a dynamic range of 5.0-2.0 mM (R(2) > 0.997). The new ultra-high performance supercritical fluid chromatography method was also applied for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of lignin-derived phenolic compounds obtained upon alkaline cupric oxide oxidation of a commercial humic acid. Ten out of the previous eleven model compounds could be quantified in the oxidized humic acid sample. The high separation power and short analysis time obtained demonstrate for the first time that supercritical fluid chromatography is a fast and reliable technique for the analysis of lignin-derived phenols in complex environmental samples. © 2016 The Authors, Journal of Separation Science Published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Improved limit to the diffuse flux of ultrahigh energy neutrinos from the Pierre Auger Observatory

DOE PAGES

Aab, Alexander

2015-05-26

Neutrinos in the cosmic ray flux with energies near 1 EeV and above are detectable with the Surface Detector array (SD) of the Pierre Auger Observatory. We report here on searches through Auger data from 1 January 2004 until 20 June 2013. No neutrino candidates were found, yielding a limit to the diffuse flux of ultrahigh energy neutrinos that challenges the Waxman-Bahcall bound predictions. Neutrino identification is attempted using the broad time structure of the signals expected in the SD stations, and is efficiently done for neutrinos of all flavors interacting in the atmosphere at large zenith angles, as wellmore » as for “Earth-skimming” neutrino interactions in the case of tau neutrinos. In this paper the searches for downward-going neutrinos in the zenith angle bins 60°–75° and 75°–90° as well as for upward-going neutrinos, are combined to give a single limit. In addition, the 90% C.L. single-flavor limit to the diffuse flux of ultrahigh energy neutrinos with an E –2 spectrum in the energy range 1.0 × 10 17 eV – 2.5 × 10 19 eV is E 2 νdN ν/dE ν < 6.4 × 10 –9 GeV cm –2 s –1 sr –1.« less

Ultrahigh Sensitive and Flexible Magnetoelectronics with Magnetic Nanocomposites: Toward an Additional Perception of Artificial Intelligence.

PubMed

Cai, Shu-Yi; Chang, Cheng-Han; Lin, Hung-I; Huang, Yuan-Fu; Lin, Wei-Ju; Lin, Shih-Yao; Liou, Yi-Rou; Shen, Tien-Lin; Huang, Yen-Hsiang; Tsao, Po-Wei; Tzou, Chen-Yang; Liao, Yu-Ming; Chen, Yang-Fang

2018-05-23

In recent years, flexible magnetoelectronics has attracted a great attention for its intriguing functionalities and potential applications, such as healthcare, memory, soft robots, navigation, and touchless human-machine interaction systems. Here, we provide the first attempt to demonstrate a new type of magneto-piezoresistance device, which possesses an ultrahigh sensitivity with several orders of resistance change under an external magnetic field (100 mT). In our device, Fe-Ni alloy powders are embedded in the silver nanowire-coated micropyramid polydimethylsiloxane films. Our devices can not only serve as an on/off switch but also act as a sensor that can detect different magnetic fields because of its ultrahigh sensitivity, which is very useful for the application in analog signal communication. Moreover, our devices contain several key features, including large-area and easy fabrication processes, fast response time, low working voltage, low power consumption, excellent flexibility, and admirable compatibility onto a freeform surface, which are the critical criteria for the future development of touchless human-machine interaction systems. On the basis of all of these unique characteristics, we have demonstrated a nontouch piano keyboard, instantaneous magnetic field visualization, and autonomous power system, making our new devices be integrable with magnetic field and enable to be implemented into our daily life applications with unfamiliar human senses. Our approach therefore paves a useful route for the development of wearable electronics and intelligent systems.

Extracting and compensating dispersion mismatch in ultrahigh-resolution Fourier domain OCT imaging of the retina

PubMed Central

Choi, WooJhon; Baumann, Bernhard; Swanson, Eric A.; Fujimoto, James G.

2012-01-01

We present a numerical approach to extract the dispersion mismatch in ultrahigh-resolution Fourier domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging of the retina. The method draws upon an analogy with a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor. By exploiting mathematical similarities between the expressions for aberration in optical imaging and dispersion mismatch in spectral / Fourier domain OCT, Shack-Hartmann principles can be extended from the two-dimensional paraxial wavevector space (or the x-y plane in the spatial domain) to the one-dimensional wavenumber space (or the z-axis in the spatial domain). For OCT imaging of the retina, different retinal layers, such as the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), the photoreceptor inner and outer segment junction (IS/OS), or all the retinal layers near the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) can be used as point source beacons in the axial direction, analogous to point source beacons used in conventional two-dimensional Shack-Hartman wavefront sensors for aberration characterization. Subtleties regarding speckle phenomena in optical imaging, which affect the Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor used in adaptive optics, also occur analogously in this application. Using this approach and carefully suppressing speckle, the dispersion mismatch in spectral / Fourier domain OCT retinal imaging can be successfully extracted numerically and used for numerical dispersion compensation to generate sharper, ultrahigh-resolution OCT images. PMID:23187353

When a Step Is Not a Step! Specificity Analysis of Five Physical Activity Monitors.

PubMed

O'Connell, Sandra; ÓLaighin, Gearóid; Quinlan, Leo R

2017-01-01

Physical activity is an essential aspect of a healthy lifestyle for both physical and mental health states. As step count is one of the most utilized measures for quantifying physical activity it is important that activity-monitoring devices be both sensitive and specific in recording actual steps taken and disregard non-stepping body movements. The objective of this study was to assess the specificity of five activity monitors during a variety of prescribed non-stepping activities. Participants wore five activity monitors simultaneously for a variety of prescribed activities including deskwork, taking an elevator, taking a bus journey, automobile driving, washing and drying dishes; functional reaching task; indoor cycling; outdoor cycling; and indoor rowing. Each task was carried out for either a specific duration of time or over a specific distance. Activity monitors tested were the ActivPAL micro™, NL-2000™ pedometer, Withings Smart Activity Monitor Tracker (Pulse O2)™, Fitbit One™ and Jawbone UP™. Participants were video-recorded while carrying out the prescribed activities and the false positive step count registered on each activity monitor was obtained and compared to the video. All activity monitors registered a significant number of false positive steps per minute during one or more of the prescribed activities. The Withings™ activity performed best, registering a significant number of false positive steps per minute during the outdoor cycling activity only (P = 0.025). The Jawbone™ registered a significant number of false positive steps during the functional reaching task and while washing and drying dishes, which involved arm and hand movement (P < 0.01 for both). The ActivPAL™ registered a significant number of false positive steps during the cycling exercises (P < 0.001 for both). As a number of false positive steps were registered on the activity monitors during the non-stepping activities, the authors conclude that non

Unconscious semantic activation depends on feature-specific attention allocation.

PubMed

Spruyt, Adriaan; De Houwer, Jan; Everaert, Tom; Hermans, Dirk

2012-01-01

We examined whether semantic activation by subliminally presented stimuli is dependent upon the extent to which participants assign attention to specific semantic stimulus features and stimulus dimensions. Participants pronounced visible target words that were preceded by briefly presented, masked prime words. Both affective and non-affective semantic congruence of the prime-target pairs were manipulated under conditions that either promoted selective attention for affective stimulus information or selective attention for non-affective semantic stimulus information. In line with our predictions, results showed that affective congruence had a clear impact on word pronunciation latencies only if participants were encouraged to assign attention to the affective stimulus dimension. In contrast, non-affective semantic relatedness of the prime-target pairs produced no priming at all. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that unconscious activation of (affective) semantic information is modulated by feature-specific attention allocation. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Production Of High Specific Activity Copper-67

DOEpatents

Jamriska, Sr., David J.; Taylor, Wayne A.; Ott, Martin A.; Fowler, Malcolm; Heaton, Richard C.

2002-12-03

A process for the selective production and isolation of high specific activity cu.sup.67 from proton-irradiated enriched Zn.sup.70 target comprises target fabrication, target irradiation with low energy (<25 MeV) protons, chemical separation of the Cu.sup.67 product from the target material and radioactive impurities of gallium, cobalt, iron, and stable aluminum via electrochemical methods or ion exchange using both anion and cation organic ion exchangers, chemical recovery of the enriched Zn.sup.70 target material, and fabrication of new targets for re-irradiation is disclosed.

Production Of High Specific Activity Copper-67

DOEpatents

Jamriska, Sr., David J.; Taylor, Wayne A.; Ott, Martin A.; Fowler, Malcolm; Heaton, Richard C.

2003-10-28

A process for the selective production and isolation of high specific activity Cu.sup.67 from proton-irradiated enriched Zn.sup.70 target comprises target fabrication, target irradiation with low energy (<25 MeV) protons, chemical separation of the Cu.sup.67 product from the target material and radioactive impurities of gallium, cobalt, iron, and stable aluminum via electrochemical methods or ion exchange using both anion and cation organic ion exchangers, chemical recovery of the enriched Zn.sup.70 target material, and fabrication of new targets for re-irradiation is disclosed.

Mechanical flip-chip for ultra-high electron mobility devices

DOE PAGES

Bennaceur, Keyan; Schmidt, Benjamin A.; Gaucher, Samuel; ...

2015-09-22

In this study, electrostatic gates are of paramount importance for the physics of devices based on high-mobility two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) since they allow depletion of electrons in selected areas. This field-effect gating enables the fabrication of a wide range of devices such as, for example, quantum point contacts (QPC), electron interferometers and quantum dots. To fabricate these gates, processing is usually performed on the 2DEG material, which is in many cases detrimental to its electron mobility. Here we propose an alternative process which does not require any processing of the 2DEG material other than for the ohmic contacts. Thismore » approach relies on processing a separate wafer that is then mechanically mounted on the 2DEG material in a flip-chip fashion. This technique proved successful to fabricate quantum point contacts on both GaAs/AlGaAs materials with both moderate and ultra-high electron mobility.« less

Ultra-high vacuum compatible preparation chain for intermetallic compounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bauer, A.; Benka, G.; Regnat, A.; Franz, C.; Pfleiderer, C.

2016-11-01

We report the development of a versatile material preparation chain for intermetallic compounds, which focuses on the realization of a high-purity growth environment. The preparation chain comprises an argon glovebox, an inductively heated horizontal cold boat furnace, an arc melting furnace, an inductively heated rod casting furnace, an optically heated floating-zone furnace, a resistively heated annealing furnace, and an inductively heated annealing furnace. The cold boat furnace and the arc melting furnace may be loaded from the glovebox by means of a load-lock permitting to synthesize compounds starting with air-sensitive elements while handling the constituents exclusively in an inert gas atmosphere. All furnaces are all-metal sealed, bakeable, and may be pumped to ultra-high vacuum. We find that the latter represents an important prerequisite for handling compounds with high vapor pressure under high-purity argon atmosphere. We illustrate the operational aspects of the preparation chain in terms of the single-crystal growth of the heavy-fermion compound CeNi2Ge2.

Beyond AICA Riboside: In Search of New Specific AMP-activated Protein Kinase Activators

PubMed Central

Guigas, Bruno; Sakamoto, Kei; Taleux, Nellie; Reyna, Sara M.; Musi, Nicolas; Viollet, Benoit; Hue, Louis

2010-01-01

Summary 5-Aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-β-d-ribofuranoside (AICA riboside) has been extensively used in vitro and in vivo to activate the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a metabolic sensor involved in both cellular and whole body energy homeostasis. However, it has been recently highlighted that AICA riboside also exerts AMPK-independent effects, mainly on AMP-regulated enzymes and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), leading to the conclusion that new compounds with reduced off target effects are needed to specifically activate AMPK. Here, we review recent findings on newly discovered AMPK activators, notably on A-769662, a nonnucleoside compound from the thienopyridone family. We also report that A-769662 is able to activate AMPK and stimulate glucose uptake in both L6 cells and primary myotubes derived from human satellite cells. In addition, A-769662 increases AMPK activity and phosphorylation of its main downstream targets in primary cultured rat hepatocytes but, by contrast with AICA riboside, does neither affect mitochondrial OXPHOS nor change cellular AMP:ATP ratio. We conclude that A-769662 could be one of the new promising chemical agents to activate AMPK with limited AMPK-independent side effects. PMID:18798311

Developmental and morphological studies in Japanese medaka with ultra-high resolution optical coherence tomography.

PubMed

Gladys, Fanny Moses; Matsuda, Masaru; Lim, Yiheng; Jackin, Boaz Jessie; Imai, Takuto; Otani, Yukitoshi; Yatagai, Toyohiko; Cense, Barry

2015-02-01

We propose ultra-high resolution optical coherence tomography to study the morphological development of internal organs in medaka fish in the post-embryonic stages at micrometer resolution. Different stages of Japanese medaka were imaged after hatching in vivo with an axial resolution of 2.8 µm in tissue. Various morphological structures and organs identified in the OCT images were then compared with the histology. Due to the medaka's close resemblance to vertebrates, including humans, these morphological features play an important role in morphogenesis and can be used to study diseases that also occur in humans.

Magnetic Microcalorimeter (MMC) Gamma Detectors with Ultra-High Energy Resolution

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

Friedrich, Stephen

The goal of this LCP is to develop ultra-high resolution gamma detectors based on magnetic microcalorimeters (MMCs) for accurate non-destructive analysis (NDA) of nuclear materials. For highest energy resolution, we will introduce erbium-doped silver (Ag:Er) as a novel sensor material, and implement several geometry and design changes to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. The detector sensitivity will be increased by developing arrays of 32 Ag:Er pixels read out by 16 SQUID preamplifiers, and by developing a cryogenic Compton veto to reduce the spectral background. Since best MMC performance requires detector operation at ~10 mK, we will purchase a dilution refrigerator withmore » a base temperature <10 mK and adapt it for MMC operation. The detector performance will be tested with radioactive sources of interest to the safeguards community.« less

High-energy supercapacitors based on hierarchical porous carbon with an ultrahigh ion-accessible surface area in ionic liquid electrolytes.

PubMed

Zhong, Hui; Xu, Fei; Li, Zenghui; Fu, Ruowen; Wu, Dingcai

2013-06-07

A very important yet really challenging issue to address is how to greatly increase the energy density of supercapacitors to approach or even exceed those of batteries without sacrificing the power density. Herein we report the fabrication of a new class of ultrahigh surface area hierarchical porous carbon (UHSA-HPC) based on the pore formation and widening of polystyrene-derived HPC by KOH activation, and highlight its superior ability for energy storage in supercapacitors with ionic liquid (IL) as electrolyte. The UHSA-HPC with a surface area of more than 3000 m(2) g(-1) shows an extremely high energy density, i.e., 118 W h kg(-1) at a power density of 100 W kg(-1). This is ascribed to its unique hierarchical nanonetwork structure with a large number of small-sized nanopores for IL storage and an ideal meso-/macroporous network for IL transfer.

Simple, rapid, and environmentally friendly method for the separation of isoflavones using ultra-high performance supercritical fluid chromatography.

PubMed

Wu, Wenjie; Zhang, Yuan; Wu, Hanqiu; Zhou, Weie; Cheng, Yan; Li, Hongna; Zhang, Chuanbin; Li, Lulu; Huang, Ying; Zhang, Feng

2017-07-01

Isoflavones are natural substances that exhibit hormone-like pharmacological activities. The separation of isoflavones remains an analytical challenge because of their similar structures. We show that ultra-high performance supercritical fluid chromatography can be an appropriate tool to achieve the fast separation of 12 common dietary isoflavones. Among the five tested columns the Torus DEA column was found to be the most effective column for the separation of these isoflavones. The impact of individual parameters on the retention time and separation factor was evaluated. These parameters were optimized to develop a simple, rapid, and green method for the separation of the 12 target analytes. It only took 12.91 min using gradient elution with methanol as an organic modifier and formic acid as an additive. These isoflavones were determined with limit of quantitation ranging from 0.10 to 0.50 μg/mL, which was sufficient for reliable determination of various matrixes. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Ultrahigh-Speed Electrically Injected 1.55 micrometer Quantum Dot Microtube and Nanowire Lasers on Si

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-08-30

Ultrahigh-Speed Electrically Injected 1.55 um Quantum Dot Microtube and Nanowire Lasers on Si In this report, we describe the progress made in rolled...up InP-based tube lasers and in the growth and characterization of III-nitride nanowire structures on Si. We report on the demonstration of...injected AlGaN nanowire lasers that can operate in the UV-AII (315-340 nm), UV-B (280-315nm), and UV-C (200-280 nm). The views, opinions and/or findings

Eye-specific retinogeniculate segregation proceeds normally following disruption of patterned spontaneous retinal activity.

PubMed

Speer, Colenso M; Sun, Chao; Liets, Lauren C; Stafford, Ben K; Chapman, Barbara; Cheng, Hwai-Jong

2014-11-07

Spontaneous retinal activity (SRA) is important during eye-specific segregation within the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN), but the feature(s) of activity critical for retinogeniculate refinement are controversial. Pharmacologically or genetically manipulating cholinergic signaling during SRA perturbs correlated retinal ganglion cell (RGC) spiking and disrupts eye-specific retinofugal refinement in vivo, consistent with an instructive role for SRA during visual system development. Paradoxically, ablating the starburst amacrine cells (SACs) that generate cholinergic spontaneous activity disrupts correlated RGC firing without impacting retinal activity levels or eye-specific segregation in the dLGN. Such experiments suggest that patterned SRA during retinal waves is not critical for eye-specific refinement and instead, normal activity levels are permissive for retinogeniculate development. Here we revisit the effects of ablating the cholinergic network during eye-specific segregation and show that SAC ablation disrupts, but does not eliminate, retinal waves with no concomitant impact on normal eye-specific segregation in the dLGN. We induced SAC ablation in postnatal ferret pups beginning at birth by intraocular injection of a novel immunotoxin selective for the ferret vesicular acetylcholine transporter (Ferret VAChT-Sap). Through dual-patch whole-cell and multi-electrode array recording we found that SAC ablation altered SRA patterns and led to significantly smaller retinal waves compared with controls. Despite these defects, eye-specific segregation was normal. Further, interocular competition for target territory in the dLGN proceeded in cases where SAC ablation was asymmetric in the two eyes. Our data demonstrate normal eye-specific retinogeniculate development despite significant abnormalities in patterned SRA. Comparing our current results with earlier studies suggests that defects in retinal wave size, absolute levels of SRA, correlations between RGC

Mass spectrometry-based phytochemical screening for hypoglycemic activity of Fagioli di Sarconi beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.).

PubMed

Pascale, Raffaella; Bianco, Giuliana; Cataldi, Tommaso R I; Kopplin, Philippe-Schmitt; Bosco, Federica; Vignola, Lisiana; Uhl, Jenny; Lucio, Marianna; Milella, Luigi

2018-03-01

The present study deals with the evaluation of antidiabetic activities of Fagioli di Sarconi beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), including 21 ecotypes protected by the European Union with the mark PGI (i.e., Protected Geographical Indication), and cultivated in Basilicata (southern Italy). For this purpose, α-glucosidase and α-amylase assays were assessed; among all bean ecotypes, the tight green seed colour of Verdolino extracts exhibited the highest α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitory activity with IC 50 =1.1±0.1μg/ml and IC 50 =19.3±1.1μg/ml, respectively. Phytochemical compound screening of all Fagioli di Sarconi beans performed by flow injection-electrospray ionization-ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry (uHRMS) and based on the calculation of elemental formulas from accurate m/z values, was helpful to annotate specific compounds, such as alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, and terpenoids, which are most likely responsible for their biological activity. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Artemisinin Directly Targets Malarial Mitochondria through Its Specific Mitochondrial Activation

PubMed Central

Wang, Juan; Huang, Liying; Li, Jian; Fan, Qiangwang; Long, Yicheng; Li, Ying; Zhou, Bing

2010-01-01

The biological mode of action of artemisinin, a potent antimalarial, has long been controversial. Previously we established a yeast model addressing its mechanism of action and found mitochondria the key in executing artemisinin's action. Here we present data showing that artemisinin directly acts on mitochondria and it inhibits malaria in a similar way as yeast. Specifically, artemisinin and its homologues exhibit correlated activities against malaria and yeast, with the peroxide bridge playing a key role for their inhibitory action in both organisms. In addition, we showed that artemisinins are distributed to malarial mitochondria and directly impair their functions when isolated mitochondria were tested. In efforts to explore how the action specificity of artemisinin is achieved, we found strikingly rapid and dramatic reactive oxygen species (ROS) production is induced with artemisinin in isolated yeast and malarial but not mammalian mitochondria, and ROS scavengers can ameliorate the effects of artemisinin. Deoxyartemisinin, which lacks an endoperoxide bridge, has no effect on membrane potential or ROS production in malarial mitochondria. OZ209, a distantly related antimalarial endoperoxide, also causes ROS production and depolarization in isolated malarial mitochondria. Finally, interference of mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) can alter the sensitivity of the parasite towards artemisinin. Addition of iron chelator desferrioxamine drastically reduces ETC activity as well as mitigates artemisinin-induced ROS production. Taken together, our results indicate that mitochondrion is an important direct target, if not the sole one, in the antimalarial action of artemisinins. We suggest that fundamental differences among mitochondria from different species delineate the action specificity of this class of drugs, and differing from many other drugs, the action specificity of artemisinins originates from their activation mechanism. PMID:20221395

DREAM Controls the On/Off Switch of Specific Activity-Dependent Transcription Pathways

PubMed Central

Mellström, Britt; Sahún, Ignasi; Ruiz-Nuño, Ana; Murtra, Patricia; Gomez-Villafuertes, Rosa; Savignac, Magali; Oliveros, Juan C.; Gonzalez, Paz; Kastanauskaite, Asta; Knafo, Shira; Zhuo, Min; Higuera-Matas, Alejandro; Errington, Michael L.; Maldonado, Rafael; DeFelipe, Javier; Jefferys, John G. R.; Bliss, Tim V. P.; Dierssen, Mara

2014-01-01

Changes in nuclear Ca2+ homeostasis activate specific gene expression programs and are central to the acquisition and storage of information in the brain. DREAM (downstream regulatory element antagonist modulator), also known as calsenilin/KChIP-3 (K+ channel interacting protein 3), is a Ca2+-binding protein that binds DNA and represses transcription in a Ca2+-dependent manner. To study the function of DREAM in the brain, we used transgenic mice expressing a Ca2+-insensitive/CREB-independent dominant active mutant DREAM (daDREAM). Using genome-wide analysis, we show that DREAM regulates the expression of specific activity-dependent transcription factors in the hippocampus, including Npas4, Nr4a1, Mef2c, JunB, and c-Fos. Furthermore, DREAM regulates its own expression, establishing an autoinhibitory feedback loop to terminate activity-dependent transcription. Ablation of DREAM does not modify activity-dependent transcription because of gene compensation by the other KChIP family members. The expression of daDREAM in the forebrain resulted in a complex phenotype characterized by loss of recurrent inhibition and enhanced long-term potentiation (LTP) in the dentate gyrus and impaired learning and memory. Our results indicate that DREAM is a major master switch transcription factor that regulates the on/off status of specific activity-dependent gene expression programs that control synaptic plasticity, learning, and memory. PMID:24366545

Investigation of aquaporins and apparent diffusion coefficient from ultra-high b-values in a rat model of diabetic nephropathy.

PubMed

Wang, Yu; Zhang, Heng; Zhang, Ruzhi; Zhao, Zhoushe; Xu, Ziqian; Wang, Lei; Liu, Rongbo; Gao, Fabao

2017-01-01

To assess kidney damage in a rat model of type-2 diabetic nephropathy based on apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) data obtained from ultra-high b-values and discuss its relationship to the expression of aquaporins (AQPs). This study was approved by the institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Thirty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomised into two groups: (1) untreated controls and (2) diabetes mellitus (DM). All rats underwent diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) with 18 b-values (0-4500 s/mm 2 ). Maps of low ADC (ADC low ), standard ADC (ADC st ) and ultra-high ADC (ADC uh ) were calculated from low b-values (0-200 s/mm 2 ), standard b-values (300-1500 s/mm 2 ) and ultra-high b-values (1700-4500 s/mm 2 ), respectively. The expression of AQPs in the kidneys was studied using immunohistochemistry. Laboratory parameters of diabetic and kidney functions, ADC low , ADC st , ADC uh , and the optical density (OD) of AQP expression in the two groups were compared using an independent t test. Correlations between ADCs and the OD of AQP expression were evaluated by Pearson's correlation analysis. ADC uh were significantly higher in the cortex (CO), outer stripe of the outer medulla (OS) and inner stripe of the outer medulla (IS), and the OD values of AQ-2 were significantly higher in the OS, IS and inner medulla (IM) in DM animals compared with control animals. ADC uh and OD values of AQP-2 expression were positively correlated in the OS, IS and IM of the kidney. ADC uh may work as useful metrics for early detection of kidney damage in diabetic nephropathy and may be associated with AQP-2 expression.

Reward Activates Stimulus-Specific and Task-Dependent Representations in Visual Association Cortices

PubMed Central

Muller, Timothy; Yeung, Nick; Waszak, Florian

2014-01-01

Humans reliably learn which actions lead to rewards. One prominent question is how credit is assigned to environmental stimuli that are acted upon. Recent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have provided evidence that representations of rewarded stimuli are activated upon reward delivery, providing possible eligibility traces for credit assignment. Our study sought evidence of postreward activation in sensory cortices satisfying two conditions of instrumental learning: postreward activity should reflect the stimulus category that preceded reward (stimulus specificity), and should occur only if the stimulus was acted on to obtain reward (task dependency). Our experiment implemented two tasks in the fMRI scanner. The first was a perceptual decision-making task on degraded face and house stimuli. Stimulus specificity was evident as rewards activated the sensory cortices associated with face versus house perception more strongly after face versus house decisions, respectively, particularly in the fusiform face area. Stimulus specificity was further evident in a psychophysiological interaction analysis wherein face-sensitive areas correlated with nucleus accumbens activity after face-decision rewards, whereas house-sensitive areas correlated with nucleus accumbens activity after house-decision rewards. The second task required participants to make an instructed response. The criterion of task dependency was fulfilled as rewards after face versus house responses activated the respective association cortices to a larger degree when faces and houses were relevant to the performed task. Our study is the first to show that postreward sensory cortex activity meets these two key criteria of credit assignment, and does so independently from bottom-up perceptual processing. PMID:25411489

Layer-by-layer assembled heteroatom-doped graphene films with ultrahigh volumetric capacitance and rate capability for micro-supercapacitors.

PubMed

Wu, Zhong-Shuai; Parvez, Khaled; Winter, Andreas; Vieker, Henning; Liu, Xianjie; Han, Sheng; Turchanin, Andrey; Feng, Xinliang; Müllen, Klaus

2014-07-09

Highly uniform, ultrathin, layer-by-layer heteroatom (N, B) co-doped graphene films are fabricated for high-performance on-chip planar micro-supercapacitors with an ultrahigh volumetric capacitance of ∼488 F cm(-3) and excellent rate capability due to the synergistic effect of nitrogen and boron co-doping. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

T1-weighted in vivo human whole brain MRI dataset with an ultrahigh isotropic resolution of 250 μm.

PubMed

Lüsebrink, Falk; Sciarra, Alessandro; Mattern, Hendrik; Yakupov, Renat; Speck, Oliver

2017-03-14

We present an ultrahigh resolution in vivo human brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) dataset. It consists of T 1 -weighted whole brain anatomical data acquired at 7 Tesla with a nominal isotropic resolution of 250 μm of a single young healthy Caucasian subject and was recorded using prospective motion correction. The raw data amounts to approximately 1.2 TB and was acquired in eight hours total scan time. The resolution of this dataset is far beyond any previously published in vivo structural whole brain dataset. Its potential use is to build an in vivo MR brain atlas. Methods for image reconstruction and image restoration can be improved as the raw data is made available. Pre-processing and segmentation procedures can possibly be enhanced for high magnetic field strength and ultrahigh resolution data. Furthermore, potential resolution induced changes in quantitative data analysis can be assessed, e.g., cortical thickness or volumetric measures, as high quality images with an isotropic resolution of 1 and 0.5 mm of the same subject are included in the repository as well.

T1-weighted in vivo human whole brain MRI dataset with an ultrahigh isotropic resolution of 250 μm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lüsebrink, Falk; Sciarra, Alessandro; Mattern, Hendrik; Yakupov, Renat; Speck, Oliver

2017-03-01

We present an ultrahigh resolution in vivo human brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) dataset. It consists of T1-weighted whole brain anatomical data acquired at 7 Tesla with a nominal isotropic resolution of 250 μm of a single young healthy Caucasian subject and was recorded using prospective motion correction. The raw data amounts to approximately 1.2 TB and was acquired in eight hours total scan time. The resolution of this dataset is far beyond any previously published in vivo structural whole brain dataset. Its potential use is to build an in vivo MR brain atlas. Methods for image reconstruction and image restoration can be improved as the raw data is made available. Pre-processing and segmentation procedures can possibly be enhanced for high magnetic field strength and ultrahigh resolution data. Furthermore, potential resolution induced changes in quantitative data analysis can be assessed, e.g., cortical thickness or volumetric measures, as high quality images with an isotropic resolution of 1 and 0.5 mm of the same subject are included in the repository as well.

Perceived correlates of domain-specific physical activity in rural adults in the Midwest.

PubMed

Chrisman, Matthew; Nothwehr, Faryle; Yang, Jingzen; Oleson, Jacob

2014-01-01

In response to calls for more specificity when measuring physical activity, this study examined perceived correlates of this behavior in rural adults separately by the domain in which this behavior occurs (ie, home care, work, active living, and sport). A cross-sectional survey was completed by 407 adults from 2 rural towns in the Midwest. The questionnaire assessed the perceived social and physical environment, including neighborhood characteristics, as well as barriers to being active. The Kaiser Physical Activity Survey captured domain-specific activity levels. The response rate was 25%. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the associations between social and physical environment factors and domain-specific physical activity. Having a favorable attitude toward using government funds for exercise and activity-friendly neighborhood characteristic were positively associated with active living. Friends encouraging exercise was positively associated with participation in sport. Barriers were inversely associated with active living and sport. Total physical activity was positively associated with workplace incentives for exercise, favorable policy attitudes toward supporting physical education in schools and supporting the use of government funds for biking trails, and it was inversely associated with barriers. There were no factors associated with physical activity in the domains of work or home care. Correlates of physical activity are unique to the domain in which this behavior occurs. Programs to increase physical activity in rural adults should target policy attitudes, neighborhood characteristics, and social support from friends while also working to decrease personal barriers to exercise. © 2014 National Rural Health Association.