LiF TLD-100 as a dosimeter in high energy proton beam therapy--can it yield accurate results?

PubMed

Zullo, John R; Kudchadker, Rajat J; Zhu, X Ronald; Sahoo, Narayan; Gillin, Michael T

2010-01-01

In the region of high-dose gradients at the end of the proton range, the stopping power ratio of the protons undergoes significant changes, allowing for a broad spectrum of proton energies to be deposited within a relatively small volume. Because of the potential linear energy transfer dependence of LiF TLD-100 (thermolumescent dosimeter), dose measurements made in the distal fall-off region of a proton beam may be less accurate than those made in regions of low-dose gradients. The purpose of this study is to determine the accuracy and precision of dose measured using TLD-100 for a pristine Bragg peak, particularly in the distal fall-off region. All measurements were made along the central axis of an unmodulated 200-MeV proton beam from a Probeat passive beam-scattering proton accelerator (Hitachi, Ltd., Tokyo, Japan) at varying depths along the Bragg peak. Measurements were made using TLD-100 powder flat packs, placed in a virtual water slab phantom. The measurements were repeated using a parallel plate ionization chamber. The dose measurements using TLD-100 in a proton beam were accurate to within +/-5.0% of the expected dose, previously seen in our past photon and electron measurements. The ionization chamber and the TLD relative dose measurements agreed well with each other. Absolute dose measurements using TLD agreed with ionization chamber measurements to within +/- 3.0 cGy, for an exposure of 100 cGy. In our study, the differences in the dose measured by the ionization chamber and those measured by TLD-100 were minimal, indicating that the accuracy and precision of measurements made in the distal fall-off region of a pristine Bragg peak is within the expected range. Thus, the rapid change in stopping power ratios at the end of the range should not affect such measurements, and TLD-100 may be used with confidence as an in vivo dosimeter for proton beam therapy. Copyright 2010 American Association of Medical Dosimetrists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights

LiF TLD-100 as a Dosimeter in High Energy Proton Beam Therapy-Can It Yield Accurate Results?

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

Zullo, John R.; Kudchadker, Rajat J.; Zhu, X. Ronald

In the region of high-dose gradients at the end of the proton range, the stopping power ratio of the protons undergoes significant changes, allowing for a broad spectrum of proton energies to be deposited within a relatively small volume. Because of the potential linear energy transfer dependence of LiF TLD-100 (thermolumescent dosimeter), dose measurements made in the distal fall-off region of a proton beam may be less accurate than those made in regions of low-dose gradients. The purpose of this study is to determine the accuracy and precision of dose measured using TLD-100 for a pristine Bragg peak, particularly inmore » the distal fall-off region. All measurements were made along the central axis of an unmodulated 200-MeV proton beam from a Probeat passive beam-scattering proton accelerator (Hitachi, Ltd., Tokyo, Japan) at varying depths along the Bragg peak. Measurements were made using TLD-100 powder flat packs, placed in a virtual water slab phantom. The measurements were repeated using a parallel plate ionization chamber. The dose measurements using TLD-100 in a proton beam were accurate to within {+-}5.0% of the expected dose, previously seen in our past photon and electron measurements. The ionization chamber and the TLD relative dose measurements agreed well with each other. Absolute dose measurements using TLD agreed with ionization chamber measurements to within {+-} 3.0 cGy, for an exposure of 100 cGy. In our study, the differences in the dose measured by the ionization chamber and those measured by TLD-100 were minimal, indicating that the accuracy and precision of measurements made in the distal fall-off region of a pristine Bragg peak is within the expected range. Thus, the rapid change in stopping power ratios at the end of the range should not affect such measurements, and TLD-100 may be used with confidence as an in vivo dosimeter for proton beam therapy.« less

Analysis of the trade-off between high crop yield and low yield instability at the global scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ben-Ari, Tamara; Makowski, David

2016-10-01

Yield dynamics of major crops species vary remarkably among continents. Worldwide distribution of cropland influences both the expected levels and the interannual variability of global yields. An expansion of cultivated land in the most productive areas could theoretically increase global production, but also increase global yield instability if the most productive regions are characterized by high interannual yield variability. In this letter, we use portfolio analysis to quantify the tradeoff between the expected values and the interannual variance of global yield. We compute optimal frontiers for four crop species i.e., maize, rice, soybean and wheat and show how the distribution of cropland among large world regions can be optimized to either increase expected global crop production or decrease its interannual variability. We also show that a preferential allocation of cropland in the most productive regions can increase global expected yield at the expense of yield stability. Theoretically, optimizing the distribution of a small fraction of total cultivated areas can help find a good compromise between low instability and high crop yields at the global scale.

Atmospheric Fluorescence Yield

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adams, James H., Jr.; Christl, M. J.; Fountain, W. F.; Gregory, J. C.; Martens, K.; Sokolsky, P.; Whitaker, Ann F. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Several existing and planned experiments estimate the energies of ultra-high energy cosmic rays from air showers using the atmospheric fluorescence from these showers. Accurate knowledge of the conversion from atmospheric fluorescence to energy loss by ionizing particles in the atmosphere is key to this technique. In this paper we discuss a small balloon-borne instrument to make the first in situ measurements versus altitude of the atmospheric fluorescence yield. The instrument can also be used in the lab to investigate the dependence of the fluorescence yield in air on temperature, pressure and the concentrations of other gases that present in the atmosphere. The results can be used to explore environmental effects on and improve the accuracy of cosmic ray energy measurements for existing ground-based experiments and future space-based experiments.

High-yield positron systems for linear colliders

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

Clendenin, J.E.

1989-04-01

Linear colliders, such as the SLC, are among those accelerators for which a high-yield positron source operating at the repetition rate of the accelerator is desired. The SLC, having electron energies up to 50 GeV, presents the possibility of generating positron bunches with useful charge even exceeding that of the initial electron bunch. The exact positron yield to be obtained depends on the particular capture, transport and damping system employed. Using 31 GeV electrons impinging on a W-type converter phase-space at the target to the acceptance of the capture rf section, the SLC source is capable of producing, for everymore » electron, up to two positrons within the acceptance of the positron damping ring. The design of this source and the performance of the positron system as built are described. Also, future prospects and limitations for high-yield positron systems are discussed. 11 refs., 5 figs., 3 tabs.« less

Accurate measurement of junctional conductance between electrically coupled cells with dual whole-cell voltage-clamp under conditions of high series resistance.

PubMed

Hartveit, Espen; Veruki, Margaret Lin

2010-03-15

Accurate measurement of the junctional conductance (G(j)) between electrically coupled cells can provide important information about the functional properties of coupling. With the development of tight-seal, whole-cell recording, it became possible to use dual, single-electrode voltage-clamp recording from pairs of small cells to measure G(j). Experiments that require reduced perturbation of the intracellular environment can be performed with high-resistance pipettes or the perforated-patch technique, but an accompanying increase in series resistance (R(s)) compromises voltage-clamp control and reduces the accuracy of G(j) measurements. Here, we present a detailed analysis of methodologies available for accurate determination of steady-state G(j) and related parameters under conditions of high R(s), using continuous or discontinuous single-electrode voltage-clamp (CSEVC or DSEVC) amplifiers to quantify the parameters of different equivalent electrical circuit model cells. Both types of amplifiers can provide accurate measurements of G(j), with errors less than 5% for a wide range of R(s) and G(j) values. However, CSEVC amplifiers need to be combined with R(s)-compensation or mathematical correction for the effects of nonzero R(s) and finite membrane resistance (R(m)). R(s)-compensation is difficult for higher values of R(s) and leads to instability that can damage the recorded cells. Mathematical correction for R(s) and R(m) yields highly accurate results, but depends on accurate estimates of R(s) throughout an experiment. DSEVC amplifiers display very accurate measurements over a larger range of R(s) values than CSEVC amplifiers and have the advantage that knowledge of R(s) is unnecessary, suggesting that they are preferable for long-duration experiments and/or recordings with high R(s). Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Strontium and barium iodide high light yield scintillators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cherepy, Nerine J.; Hull, Giulia; Drobshoff, Alexander D.; Payne, Stephen A.; van Loef, Edgar; Wilson, Cody M.; Shah, Kanai S.; Roy, Utpal N.; Burger, Arnold; Boatner, Lynn A.; Choong, Woon-Seng; Moses, William W.

2008-02-01

Europium-doped strontium and barium iodide are found to be readily growable by the Bridgman method and to produce high scintillation light yields. SrI2(Eu ) emits into the Eu2+ band, centered at 435nm, with a decay time of 1.2μs and a light yield of ˜90000photons/MeV. It offers energy resolution better than 4% full width at half maximum at 662keV, and exhibits excellent light yield proportionality. BaI2(Eu ) produces >30000photons/MeV into the Eu2+ band at 420nm (<1μs decay). An additional broad impurity-mediated recombination band is present at 550nm (>3μs decay), unless high-purity feedstock is used.

Reducing pressure on natural forests through high-yield forestry

Treesearch

W.T. Gladstone; F. Thomas Ledig

1990-01-01

High-yield forestry can make a valuable contribution to the conservation and sustained use of forest ecosystems. Despite the pressing reasons for conserving forest resources, population growth creates pressures for exploiting them. Unless needs for forest products, export credits, and local employment can be met by new devices, such as high-yield forestry, these...

Apparatus for accurately measuring high temperatures

DOEpatents

Smith, D.D.

The present invention is a thermometer used for measuring furnace temperatures in the range of about 1800/sup 0/ to 2700/sup 0/C. The thermometer comprises a broadband multicolor thermal radiation sensor positioned to be in optical alignment with the end of a blackbody sight tube extending into the furnace. A valve-shutter arrangement is positioned between the radiation sensor and the sight tube and a chamber for containing a charge of high pressure gas is positioned between the valve-shutter arrangement and the radiation sensor. A momentary opening of the valve shutter arrangement allows a pulse of the high gas to purge the sight tube of air-borne thermal radiation contaminants which permits the radiation sensor to accurately measure the thermal radiation emanating from the end of the sight tube.

Apparatus for accurately measuring high temperatures

DOEpatents

Smith, Douglas D.

1985-01-01

The present invention is a thermometer used for measuring furnace temperaes in the range of about 1800.degree. to 2700.degree. C. The thermometer comprises a broadband multicolor thermal radiation sensor positioned to be in optical alignment with the end of a blackbody sight tube extending into the furnace. A valve-shutter arrangement is positioned between the radiation sensor and the sight tube and a chamber for containing a charge of high pressure gas is positioned between the valve-shutter arrangement and the radiation sensor. A momentary opening of the valve shutter arrangement allows a pulse of the high gas to purge the sight tube of air-borne thermal radiation contaminants which permits the radiation sensor to accurately measure the thermal radiation emanating from the end of the sight tube.

Minimum number of measurements for evaluating soursop (Annona muricata L.) yield.

PubMed

Sánchez, C F B; Teodoro, P E; Londoño, S; Silva, L A; Peixoto, L A; Bhering, L L

2017-05-31

Repeatability studies on fruit species are of great importance to identify the minimum number of measurements necessary to accurately select superior genotypes. This study aimed to identify the most efficient method to estimate the repeatability coefficient (r) and predict the minimum number of measurements needed for a more accurate evaluation of soursop (Annona muricata L.) genotypes based on fruit yield. Sixteen measurements of fruit yield from 71 soursop genotypes were carried out between 2000 and 2016. In order to estimate r with the best accuracy, four procedures were used: analysis of variance, principal component analysis based on the correlation matrix, principal component analysis based on the phenotypic variance and covariance matrix, and structural analysis based on the correlation matrix. The minimum number of measurements needed to predict the actual value of individuals was estimated. Principal component analysis using the phenotypic variance and covariance matrix provided the most accurate estimates of both r and the number of measurements required for accurate evaluation of fruit yield in soursop. Our results indicate that selection of soursop genotypes with high fruit yield can be performed based on the third and fourth measurements in the early years and/or based on the eighth and ninth measurements at more advanced stages.

Using an Active-Optical Sensor to Develop an Optimal NDVI Dynamic Model for High-Yield Rice Production (Yangtze, China)

PubMed Central

Liu, Xiaojun; Ferguson, Richard B.; Zheng, Hengbiao; Cao, Qiang; Tian, Yongchao; Cao, Weixing; Zhu, Yan

2017-01-01

The successful development of an optimal canopy vegetation index dynamic model for obtaining higher yield can offer a technical approach for real-time and nondestructive diagnosis of rice (Oryza sativa L) growth and nitrogen (N) nutrition status. In this study, multiple rice cultivars and N treatments of experimental plots were carried out to obtain: normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), leaf area index (LAI), above-ground dry matter (DM), and grain yield (GY) data. The quantitative relationships between NDVI and these growth indices (e.g., LAI, DM and GY) were analyzed, showing positive correlations. Using the normalized modeling method, an appropriate NDVI simulation model of rice was established based on the normalized NDVI (RNDVI) and relative accumulative growing degree days (RAGDD). The NDVI dynamic model for high-yield production in rice can be expressed by a double logistic model: RNDVI=(1+e−15.2829×(RAGDDi−0.1944))−1−(1+e−11.6517×(RAGDDi−1.0267))−1 (R2 = 0.8577**), which can be used to accurately predict canopy NDVI dynamic changes during the entire growth period. Considering variation among rice cultivars, we constructed two relative NDVI (RNDVI) dynamic models for Japonica and Indica rice types, with R2 reaching 0.8764** and 0.8874**, respectively. Furthermore, independent experimental data were used to validate the RNDVI dynamic models. The results showed that during the entire growth period, the accuracy (k), precision (R2), and standard deviation of RNDVI dynamic models for the Japonica and Indica cultivars were 0.9991, 1.0170; 0.9084**, 0.8030**; and 0.0232, 0.0170, respectively. These results indicated that RNDVI dynamic models could accurately reflect crop growth and predict dynamic changes in high-yield crop populations, providing a rapid approach for monitoring rice growth status. PMID:28338637

Using an Active-Optical Sensor to Develop an Optimal NDVI Dynamic Model for High-Yield Rice Production (Yangtze, China).

PubMed

Liu, Xiaojun; Ferguson, Richard B; Zheng, Hengbiao; Cao, Qiang; Tian, Yongchao; Cao, Weixing; Zhu, Yan

2017-03-24

The successful development of an optimal canopy vegetation index dynamic model for obtaining higher yield can offer a technical approach for real-time and nondestructive diagnosis of rice (Oryza sativa L) growth and nitrogen (N) nutrition status. In this study, multiple rice cultivars and N treatments of experimental plots were carried out to obtain: normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), leaf area index (LAI), above-ground dry matter (DM), and grain yield (GY) data. The quantitative relationships between NDVI and these growth indices (e.g., LAI, DM and GY) were analyzed, showing positive correlations. Using the normalized modeling method, an appropriate NDVI simulation model of rice was established based on the normalized NDVI (RNDVI) and relative accumulative growing degree days (RAGDD). The NDVI dynamic model for high-yield production in rice can be expressed by a double logistic model: RNDVI = ( 1 + e - 15.2829 × ( R A G D D i - 0.1944 ) ) - 1 - ( 1 + e - 11.6517 × ( R A G D D i - 1.0267 ) ) - 1 (R2 = 0.8577**), which can be used to accurately predict canopy NDVI dynamic changes during the entire growth period. Considering variation among rice cultivars, we constructed two relative NDVI (RNDVI) dynamic models for Japonica and Indica rice types, with R2 reaching 0.8764** and 0.8874**, respectively. Furthermore, independent experimental data were used to validate the RNDVI dynamic models. The results showed that during the entire growth period, the accuracy (k), precision (R2), and standard deviation of RNDVI dynamic models for the Japonica and Indica cultivars were 0.9991, 1.0170; 0.9084**, 0.8030**; and 0.0232, 0.0170, respectively. These results indicated that RNDVI dynamic models could accurately reflect crop growth and predict dynamic changes in high-yield crop populations, providing a rapid approach for monitoring rice growth status.

High sample throughput genotyping for estimating C-lineage introgression in the dark honeybee: an accurate and cost-effective SNP-based tool.

PubMed

Henriques, Dora; Browne, Keith A; Barnett, Mark W; Parejo, Melanie; Kryger, Per; Freeman, Tom C; Muñoz, Irene; Garnery, Lionel; Highet, Fiona; Jonhston, J Spencer; McCormack, Grace P; Pinto, M Alice

2018-06-04

The natural distribution of the honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) has been changed by humans in recent decades to such an extent that the formerly widest-spread European subspecies, Apis mellifera mellifera, is threatened by extinction through introgression from highly divergent commercial strains in large tracts of its range. Conservation efforts for A. m. mellifera are underway in multiple European countries requiring reliable and cost-efficient molecular tools to identify purebred colonies. Here, we developed four ancestry-informative SNP assays for high sample throughput genotyping using the iPLEX Mass Array system. Our customized assays were tested on DNA from individual and pooled, haploid and diploid honeybee samples extracted from different tissues using a diverse range of protocols. The assays had a high genotyping success rate and yielded accurate genotypes. Performance assessed against whole-genome data showed that individual assays behaved well, although the most accurate introgression estimates were obtained for the four assays combined (117 SNPs). The best compromise between accuracy and genotyping costs was achieved when combining two assays (62 SNPs). We provide a ready-to-use cost-effective tool for accurate molecular identification and estimation of introgression levels to more effectively monitor and manage A. m. mellifera conservatories.

The high cost of accurate knowledge.

PubMed

Sutcliffe, Kathleen M; Weber, Klaus

2003-05-01

Many business thinkers believe it's the role of senior managers to scan the external environment to monitor contingencies and constraints, and to use that precise knowledge to modify the company's strategy and design. As these thinkers see it, managers need accurate and abundant information to carry out that role. According to that logic, it makes sense to invest heavily in systems for collecting and organizing competitive information. Another school of pundits contends that, since today's complex information often isn't precise anyway, it's not worth going overboard with such investments. In other words, it's not the accuracy and abundance of information that should matter most to top executives--rather, it's how that information is interpreted. After all, the role of senior managers isn't just to make decisions; it's to set direction and motivate others in the face of ambiguities and conflicting demands. Top executives must interpret information and communicate those interpretations--they must manage meaning more than they must manage information. So which of these competing views is the right one? Research conducted by academics Sutcliffe and Weber found that how accurate senior executives are about their competitive environments is indeed less important for strategy and corresponding organizational changes than the way in which they interpret information about their environments. Investments in shaping those interpretations, therefore, may create a more durable competitive advantage than investments in obtaining and organizing more information. And what kinds of interpretations are most closely linked with high performance? Their research suggests that high performers respond positively to opportunities, yet they aren't overconfident in their abilities to take advantage of those opportunities.

High accurate time system of the Low Latitude Meridian Circle.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Jing; Wang, Feng; Li, Zhiming

In order to obtain the high accurate time signal for the Low Latitude Meridian Circle (LLMC), a new GPS accurate time system is developed which include GPS, 1 MC frequency source and self-made clock system. The second signal of GPS is synchronously used in the clock system and information can be collected by a computer automatically. The difficulty of the cancellation of the time keeper can be overcomed by using this system.

[Study on High-yield Cultivation Measures for Arctii Fructus].

PubMed

Liu, Shi-yong; Jiang, Xiao-bo; Wang, Tao; Sun, Ji-ye; Hu, Shang-qin; Zhang, Li

2015-02-01

To find out the high yield cultivation measures for Arctii Fructus. Completely randomized block experiment design method was used in the field planting, to analyze the effect of different cultivation way on agronomic characters, phenological phase,quality and quantity of Arctii Fructus. Arctium lappa planted on August 28 had the best results of plant height, thousand seeds weight and yield. The highest yield of Arctii Fructus was got at the density of 1,482 plants/667 m2. Arctiin content was in an increase trend with the planting time delay and planting density increasing. The plant height, thousand seeds weight, yield and arctiin content by split application of fertilizer were significantly higher than that by one-time fertilization. Compared with open field Arctium lappa, plant height, yield, arctiin content and relative water content of plastic film mulching Arctium lappa was higher by 7.74%, 10.87%, 6.38% and 24.20%, respectively. In the topping Arctium lappa, the yield was increased by 11.09%, with 39. 89% less branching number. Early planting time and topping shortened the growth cycle of Arctium lappa plant. The high-yield cultivation measures of Arctii Fructus are: around August 28 to sowing, planting density of 1 482 plants/667 m2, split application of fertilizer for four times, covering film on surface of the soil and topping in bolting.

High-accurate optical fiber liquid level sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Dexing; Chen, Shouliu; Pan, Chao; Jin, Henghuan

1991-08-01

A highly accurate optical fiber liquid level sensor is presented. The single-chip microcomputer is used to process and control the signal. This kind of sensor is characterized by self-security and is explosion-proof, so it can be applied in any liquid level detecting areas, especially in the oil and chemical industries. The theories and experiments about how to improve the measurement accuracy are described. The relative error for detecting the measurement range 10 m is up to 0.01%.

Absolute quantum yield measurement of powder samples.

PubMed

Moreno, Luis A

2012-05-12

quantum yield calculation. 5. Corrected quantum yield calculation. 6. Chromaticity coordinates calculation using Report Generator program. The Hitachi F-7000 Quantum Yield Measurement System offer advantages for this application, as follows: High sensitivity (S/N ratio 800 or better RMS). Signal is the Raman band of water measured under the following conditions: Ex wavelength 350 nm, band pass Ex and Em 5 nm, response 2 sec), noise is measured at the maximum of the Raman peak. High sensitivity allows measurement of samples even with low quantum yield. Using this system we have measured quantum yields as low as 0.1 for a sample of salicylic acid and as high as 0.8 for a sample of magnesium tungstate. Highly accurate measurement with a dynamic range of 6 orders of magnitude allows for measurements of both sharp scattering peaks with high intensity, as well as broad fluorescence peaks of low intensity under the same conditions. High measuring throughput and reduced light exposure to the sample, due to a high scanning speed of up to 60,000 nm/minute and automatic shutter function. Measurement of quantum yield over a wide wavelength range from 240 to 800 nm. Accurate quantum yield measurements are the result of collecting instrument spectral response and integrating sphere correction factors before measuring the sample. Large selection of calculated parameters provided by dedicated and easy to use software. During this video we will measure sodium salicylate in powder form which is known to have a quantum yield value of 0.4 to 0.5.

High Energy Explosive Yield Enhancer Using Microencapsulation.

DTIC Science & Technology

The invention consists of a class of high energy explosive yield enhancers created through the use of microencapsulation techniques. The... microcapsules consist of combinations of highly reactive oxidizers that are encapsulated in either passivated inorganic fuels or inert materials and inorganic...fuels. Depending on the application, the availability of the various oxidizers and fuels within the microcapsules can be customized to increase the

Accurate high-speed liquid handling of very small biological samples.

PubMed

Schober, A; Günther, R; Schwienhorst, A; Döring, M; Lindemann, B F

1993-08-01

Molecular biology techniques require the accurate pipetting of buffers and solutions with volumes in the microliter range. Traditionally, hand-held pipetting devices are used to fulfill these requirements, but many laboratories have also introduced robotic workstations for the handling of liquids. Piston-operated pumps are commonly used in manually as well as automatically operated pipettors. These devices cannot meet the demands for extremely accurate pipetting of very small volumes at the high speed that would be necessary for certain applications (e.g., in sequencing projects with high throughput). In this paper we describe a technique for the accurate microdispensation of biochemically relevant solutions and suspensions with the aid of a piezoelectric transducer. It is suitable for liquids of a viscosity between 0.5 and 500 milliPascals. The obtainable drop sizes range from 5 picoliters to a few nanoliters with up to 10,000 drops per second. Liquids can be dispensed in single or accumulated drops to handle a wide volume range. The system proved to be excellently suitable for the handling of biological samples. It did not show any detectable negative impact on the biological function of dissolved or suspended molecules or particles.

Robust High-Resolution Cloth Using Parallelism, History-Based Collisions and Accurate Friction

PubMed Central

Selle, Andrew; Su, Jonathan; Irving, Geoffrey; Fedkiw, Ronald

2015-01-01

In this paper we simulate high resolution cloth consisting of up to 2 million triangles which allows us to achieve highly detailed folds and wrinkles. Since the level of detail is also influenced by object collision and self collision, we propose a more accurate model for cloth-object friction. We also propose a robust history-based repulsion/collision framework where repulsions are treated accurately and efficiently on a per time step basis. Distributed memory parallelism is used for both time evolution and collisions and we specifically address Gauss-Seidel ordering of repulsion/collision response. This algorithm is demonstrated by several high-resolution and high-fidelity simulations. PMID:19147895

A high order accurate finite element algorithm for high Reynolds number flow prediction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baker, A. J.

1978-01-01

A Galerkin-weighted residuals formulation is employed to establish an implicit finite element solution algorithm for generally nonlinear initial-boundary value problems. Solution accuracy, and convergence rate with discretization refinement, are quantized in several error norms, by a systematic study of numerical solutions to several nonlinear parabolic and a hyperbolic partial differential equation characteristic of the equations governing fluid flows. Solutions are generated using selective linear, quadratic and cubic basis functions. Richardson extrapolation is employed to generate a higher-order accurate solution to facilitate isolation of truncation error in all norms. Extension of the mathematical theory underlying accuracy and convergence concepts for linear elliptic equations is predicted for equations characteristic of laminar and turbulent fluid flows at nonmodest Reynolds number. The nondiagonal initial-value matrix structure introduced by the finite element theory is determined intrinsic to improved solution accuracy and convergence. A factored Jacobian iteration algorithm is derived and evaluated to yield a consequential reduction in both computer storage and execution CPU requirements while retaining solution accuracy.

High-resolution mapping of yield curve shape and evolution for high porosity sandstones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bedford, J. D.; Faulkner, D.; Wheeler, J.; Leclere, H.

2017-12-01

The onset of permanent inelastic deformation for porous rock is typically defined by a yield curve plotted in P-Q space, where P is the effective mean stress and Q is the differential stress. Sandstones usually have broadly elliptical shaped yield curves, with the low pressure side of the ellipse associated with localized brittle faulting (dilation) and the high pressure side with distributed ductile deformation (compaction). However recent works have shown that these curves might not be perfectly elliptical and that significant evolution in shape occurs with continued deformation. We therefore use a novel stress-probing methodology to map in high-resolution the yield curve shape for Boise and Idaho Gray sandstones (36-38% porosity) and also investigate curve evolution with increasing deformation. The data reveal yield curves with a much flatter geometry than previously recorded for porous sandstone and that the compactive side of the curve is partly comprised of a near vertical limb. The yield curve evolution is found to be strongly dependent on the nature of inelastic strain. Samples that were compacted under a deviatoric load, with a component of inelastic shear strain, were found to have yield curves with peaks that are approximately 50% higher than similar porosity samples that were hydrostatically compacted (i.e. purely volumetric strain). The difference in yield curve evolution along the different loading paths is attributed to mechanical anisotropy that develops during deviatoric loading by the closure of preferentially orientated fractures. Increased shear strain also leads to the formation of a plateau at the peak of the yield curve as samples deform along the deviatoric loading path. These results have important implications for understanding how the strength of porous rock evolves along different stress paths, including during fluid extraction from hydrocarbon reservoirs where the stress state is rarely isotropic.

Identification of saline soils with multi-year remote sensing of crop yields

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

Lobell, D; Ortiz-Monasterio, I; Gurrola, F C

2006-10-17

Soil salinity is an important constraint to agricultural sustainability, but accurate information on its variation across agricultural regions or its impact on regional crop productivity remains sparse. We evaluated the relationships between remotely sensed wheat yields and salinity in an irrigation district in the Colorado River Delta Region. The goals of this study were to (1) document the relative importance of salinity as a constraint to regional wheat production and (2) develop techniques to accurately identify saline fields. Estimates of wheat yield from six years of Landsat data agreed well with ground-based records on individual fields (R{sup 2} = 0.65).more » Salinity measurements on 122 randomly selected fields revealed that average 0-60 cm salinity levels > 4 dS m{sup -1} reduced wheat yields, but the relative scarcity of such fields resulted in less than 1% regional yield loss attributable to salinity. Moreover, low yield was not a reliable indicator of high salinity, because many other factors contributed to yield variability in individual years. However, temporal analysis of yield images showed a significant fraction of fields exhibited consistently low yields over the six year period. A subsequent survey of 60 additional fields, half of which were consistently low yielding, revealed that this targeted subset had significantly higher salinity at 30-60 cm depth than the control group (p = 0.02). These results suggest that high subsurface salinity is associated with consistently low yields in this region, and that multi-year yield maps derived from remote sensing therefore provide an opportunity to map salinity across agricultural regions.« less

On-line prediction of yield grade, longissimus muscle area, preliminary yield grade, adjusted preliminary yield grade, and marbling score using the MARC beef carcass image analysis system.

PubMed

Shackelford, S D; Wheeler, T L; Koohmaraie, M

2003-01-01

The present experiment was conducted to evaluate the ability of the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center's beef carcass image analysis system to predict calculated yield grade, longissimus muscle area, preliminary yield grade, adjusted preliminary yield grade, and marbling score under commercial beef processing conditions. In two commercial beef-processing facilities, image analysis was conducted on 800 carcasses on the beef-grading chain immediately after the conventional USDA beef quality and yield grades were applied. Carcasses were blocked by plant and observed calculated yield grade. The carcasses were then separated, with 400 carcasses assigned to a calibration data set that was used to develop regression equations, and the remaining 400 carcasses assigned to a prediction data set used to validate the regression equations. Prediction equations, which included image analysis variables and hot carcass weight, accounted for 90, 88, 90, 88, and 76% of the variation in calculated yield grade, longissimus muscle area, preliminary yield grade, adjusted preliminary yield grade, and marbling score, respectively, in the prediction data set. In comparison, the official USDA yield grade as applied by online graders accounted for 73% of the variation in calculated yield grade. The technology described herein could be used by the beef industry to more accurately determine beef yield grades; however, this system does not provide an accurate enough prediction of marbling score to be used without USDA grader interaction for USDA quality grading.

[Characteristics of phosphorus uptake and use efficiency of rice with high yield and high phosphorus use efficiency].

PubMed

Li, Li; Zhang, Xi-Zhou; Li, Tinx-Xuan; Yu, Hai-Ying; Ji, Lin; Chen, Guang-Deng

2014-07-01

A total of twenty seven middle maturing rice varieties as parent materials were divided into four types based on P use efficiency for grain yield in 2011 by field experiment with normal phosphorus (P) application. The rice variety with high yield and high P efficiency was identified by pot experiment with normal and low P applications, and the contribution rates of various P efficiencies to yield were investigated in 2012. There were significant genotype differences in yield and P efficiency of the test materials. GRLu17/AiTTP//Lu17_2 (QR20) was identified as a variety with high yield and high P efficiency, and its yields at the low and normal rates of P application were 1.96 and 1.92 times of that of Yuxiang B, respectively. The contribution rate of P accumulation to yield was greater than that of P grain production efficiency and P harvest index across field and pot experiments. The contribution rates of P accumulation and P grain production efficiency to yield were not significantly different under the normal P condition, whereas obvious differences were observed under the low P condition (66.5% and 26.6%). The minimal contribution to yield was P harvest index (11.8%). Under the normal P condition, the contribution rates of P accumulation to yield and P harvest index were the highest at the jointing-heading stage, which were 93.4% and 85.7%, respectively. In addition, the contribution rate of P accumulation to grain production efficiency was 41.8%. Under the low P condition, the maximal contribution rates of P accumulation to yield and grain production efficiency were observed at the tillering-jointing stage, which were 56.9% and 20.1% respectively. Furthermore, the contribution rate of P accumulation to P harvest index was 16.0%. The yield, P accumulation, and P harvest index of QR20 significantly increased under the normal P condition by 20.6%, 18.1% and 18.2% respectively compared with that in the low P condition. The rank of the contribution rates of P

High Order Schemes in Bats-R-US for Faster and More Accurate Predictions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Y.; Toth, G.; Gombosi, T. I.

2014-12-01

BATS-R-US is a widely used global magnetohydrodynamics model that originally employed second order accurate TVD schemes combined with block based Adaptive Mesh Refinement (AMR) to achieve high resolution in the regions of interest. In the last years we have implemented fifth order accurate finite difference schemes CWENO5 and MP5 for uniform Cartesian grids. Now the high order schemes have been extended to generalized coordinates, including spherical grids and also to the non-uniform AMR grids including dynamic regridding. We present numerical tests that verify the preservation of free-stream solution and high-order accuracy as well as robust oscillation-free behavior near discontinuities. We apply the new high order accurate schemes to both heliospheric and magnetospheric simulations and show that it is robust and can achieve the same accuracy as the second order scheme with much less computational resources. This is especially important for space weather prediction that requires faster than real time code execution.

High pressure intensification of cassava resistant starch (RS3) yields.

PubMed

Lertwanawatana, Proyphon; Frazier, Richard A; Niranjan, Keshavan

2015-08-15

Cassava starch, typically, has resistant starch type 3 (RS3) content of 2.4%. This paper shows that the RS3 yields can be substantially enhanced by debranching cassava starch using pullulanase followed by high pressure or cyclic high-pressure annealing. RS3 yield of 41.3% was obtained when annealing was carried out at 400MPa/60°C for 15 min, whereas it took nearly 8h to obtain the same yield under conventional atmospheric annealing at 60°C. The yield of RS3 could be further significantly increased by annealing under 400 MPa/60°C pressure for 15 min followed by resting at atmospheric pressure for 3h 45 min, and repeating this cycle for up to six times. Microstructural surface analysis of the product under a scanning electron microscope showed an increasingly rigid density of the crystalline structure formed, confirming higher RS3 content. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Progress Toward Accurate Measurements of Power Consumptions of DBD Plasma Actuators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ashpis, David E.; Laun, Matthew C.; Griebeler, Elmer L.

2012-01-01

The accurate measurement of power consumption by Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) plasma actuators is a challenge due to the characteristics of the actuator current signal. Micro-discharges generate high-amplitude, high-frequency current spike transients superimposed on a low-amplitude, low-frequency current. We have used a high-speed digital oscilloscope to measure the actuator power consumption using the Shunt Resistor method and the Monitor Capacitor method. The measurements were performed simultaneously and compared to each other in a time-accurate manner. It was found that low signal-to-noise ratios of the oscilloscopes used, in combination with the high dynamic range of the current spikes, make the Shunt Resistor method inaccurate. An innovative, nonlinear signal compression circuit was applied to the actuator current signal and yielded excellent agreement between the two methods. The paper describes the issues and challenges associated with performing accurate power measurements. It provides insights into the two methods including new insight into the Lissajous curve of the Monitor Capacitor method. Extension to a broad range of parameters and further development of the compression hardware will be performed in future work.

Random Forests for Global and Regional Crop Yield Predictions.

PubMed

Jeong, Jig Han; Resop, Jonathan P; Mueller, Nathaniel D; Fleisher, David H; Yun, Kyungdahm; Butler, Ethan E; Timlin, Dennis J; Shim, Kyo-Moon; Gerber, James S; Reddy, Vangimalla R; Kim, Soo-Hyung

2016-01-01

Accurate predictions of crop yield are critical for developing effective agricultural and food policies at the regional and global scales. We evaluated a machine-learning method, Random Forests (RF), for its ability to predict crop yield responses to climate and biophysical variables at global and regional scales in wheat, maize, and potato in comparison with multiple linear regressions (MLR) serving as a benchmark. We used crop yield data from various sources and regions for model training and testing: 1) gridded global wheat grain yield, 2) maize grain yield from US counties over thirty years, and 3) potato tuber and maize silage yield from the northeastern seaboard region. RF was found highly capable of predicting crop yields and outperformed MLR benchmarks in all performance statistics that were compared. For example, the root mean square errors (RMSE) ranged between 6 and 14% of the average observed yield with RF models in all test cases whereas these values ranged from 14% to 49% for MLR models. Our results show that RF is an effective and versatile machine-learning method for crop yield predictions at regional and global scales for its high accuracy and precision, ease of use, and utility in data analysis. RF may result in a loss of accuracy when predicting the extreme ends or responses beyond the boundaries of the training data.

Highly accurate articulated coordinate measuring machine

DOEpatents

Bieg, Lothar F.; Jokiel, Jr., Bernhard; Ensz, Mark T.; Watson, Robert D.

2003-12-30

Disclosed is a highly accurate articulated coordinate measuring machine, comprising a revolute joint, comprising a circular encoder wheel, having an axis of rotation; a plurality of marks disposed around at least a portion of the circumference of the encoder wheel; bearing means for supporting the encoder wheel, while permitting free rotation of the encoder wheel about the wheel's axis of rotation; and a sensor, rigidly attached to the bearing means, for detecting the motion of at least some of the marks as the encoder wheel rotates; a probe arm, having a proximal end rigidly attached to the encoder wheel, and having a distal end with a probe tip attached thereto; and coordinate processing means, operatively connected to the sensor, for converting the output of the sensor into a set of cylindrical coordinates representing the position of the probe tip relative to a reference cylindrical coordinate system.

High-yielding continuous-flow synthesis of antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine

PubMed Central

Telang, Nakul S; Kong, Caleb J; Verghese, Jenson; Gilliland III, Stanley E; Ahmad, Saeed; Dominey, Raymond N

2018-01-01

Numerous synthetic methods for the continuous preparation of fine chemicals and active pharmaceutical ingredients (API’s) have been reported in recent years resulting in a dramatic improvement in process efficiencies. Herein we report a highly efficient continuous synthesis of the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). Key improvements in the new process include the elimination of protecting groups with an overall yield improvement of 52% over the current commercial process. The continuous process employs a combination of packed bed reactors with continuous stirred tank reactors for the direct conversion of the starting materials to the product. This high-yielding, multigram-scale continuous synthesis provides an opportunity to achieve increase global access to hydroxychloroquine for treatment of malaria. PMID:29623120

Identification of Microorganisms by High Resolution Tandem Mass Spectrometry with Accurate Statistical Significance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alves, Gelio; Wang, Guanghui; Ogurtsov, Aleksey Y.; Drake, Steven K.; Gucek, Marjan; Suffredini, Anthony F.; Sacks, David B.; Yu, Yi-Kuo

2016-02-01

Correct and rapid identification of microorganisms is the key to the success of many important applications in health and safety, including, but not limited to, infection treatment, food safety, and biodefense. With the advance of mass spectrometry (MS) technology, the speed of identification can be greatly improved. However, the increasing number of microbes sequenced is challenging correct microbial identification because of the large number of choices present. To properly disentangle candidate microbes, one needs to go beyond apparent morphology or simple `fingerprinting'; to correctly prioritize the candidate microbes, one needs to have accurate statistical significance in microbial identification. We meet these challenges by using peptidome profiles of microbes to better separate them and by designing an analysis method that yields accurate statistical significance. Here, we present an analysis pipeline that uses tandem MS (MS/MS) spectra for microbial identification or classification. We have demonstrated, using MS/MS data of 81 samples, each composed of a single known microorganism, that the proposed pipeline can correctly identify microorganisms at least at the genus and species levels. We have also shown that the proposed pipeline computes accurate statistical significances, i.e., E-values for identified peptides and unified E-values for identified microorganisms. The proposed analysis pipeline has been implemented in MiCId, a freely available software for Microorganism Classification and Identification. MiCId is available for download at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/CBBresearch/Yu/downloads.html.

Accurate Emission Line Diagnostics at High Redshift

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, Tucker

2017-08-01

How do the physical conditions of high redshift galaxies differ from those seen locally? Spectroscopic surveys have invested hundreds of nights of 8- and 10-meter telescope time as well as hundreds of Hubble orbits to study evolution in the galaxy population at redshifts z 0.5-4 using rest-frame optical strong emission line diagnostics. These surveys reveal evolution in the gas excitation with redshift but the physical cause is not yet understood. Consequently there are large systematic errors in derived quantities such as metallicity.We have used direct measurements of gas density, temperature, and metallicity in a unique sample at z=0.8 to determine reliable diagnostics for high redshift galaxies. Our measurements suggest that offsets in emission line ratios at high redshift are primarily caused by high N/O abundance ratios. However, our ground-based data cannot rule out other interpretations. Spatially resolved Hubble grism spectra are needed to distinguish between the remaining plausible causes such as active nuclei, shocks, diffuse ionized gas emission, and HII regions with escaping ionizing flux. Identifying the physical origin of evolving excitation will allow us to build the necessary foundation for accurate measurements of metallicity and other properties of high redshift galaxies. Only then can we expoit the wealth of data from current surveys and near-future JWST spectroscopy to understand how galaxies evolve over time.

Breeding high-yielding drought-tolerant rice: genetic variations and conventional and molecular approaches

PubMed Central

Kumar, Arvind; Dixit, Shalabh; Ram, T.; Yadaw, R. B.; Mishra, K. K.; Mandal, N. P.

2014-01-01

The increased occurrence and severity of drought stress have led to a high yield decline in rice in recent years in drought-affected areas. Drought research at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) over the past decade has concentrated on direct selection for grain yield under drought. This approach has led to the successful development and release of 17 high-yielding drought-tolerant rice varieties in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Africa. In addition to this, 14 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) showing a large effect against high-yielding drought-susceptible popular varieties were identified using grain yield as a selection criterion. Six of these (qDTY 1.1, qDTY 2.2, qDTY 3.1, qDTY 3.2, qDTY 6.1, and qDTY 12.1) showed an effect against two or more high-yielding genetic backgrounds in both the lowland and upland ecosystem, indicating their usefulness in increasing the grain yield of rice under drought. The yield of popular rice varieties IR64 and Vandana has been successfully improved through a well-planned marker-assisted backcross breeding approach, and QTL introgression in several other popular varieties is in progress. The identification of large-effect QTLs for grain yield under drought and the higher yield increase under drought obtained through the use of these QTLs (which has not been reported in other cereals) indicate that rice, because of its continuous cultivation in two diverse ecosystems (upland, drought tolerant, and lowland, drought susceptible), has benefited from the existence of larger genetic variability than in other cereals. This can be successfully exploited using marker-assisted breeding. PMID:25205576

Highly accurate surface maps from profilometer measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Medicus, Kate M.; Nelson, Jessica D.; Mandina, Mike P.

2013-04-01

Many aspheres and free-form optical surfaces are measured using a single line trace profilometer which is limiting because accurate 3D corrections are not possible with the single trace. We show a method to produce an accurate fully 2.5D surface height map when measuring a surface with a profilometer using only 6 traces and without expensive hardware. The 6 traces are taken at varying angular positions of the lens, rotating the part between each trace. The output height map contains low form error only, the first 36 Zernikes. The accuracy of the height map is ±10% of the actual Zernike values and within ±3% of the actual peak to valley number. The calculated Zernike values are affected by errors in the angular positioning, by the centering of the lens, and to a small effect, choices made in the processing algorithm. We have found that the angular positioning of the part should be better than 1?, which is achievable with typical hardware. The centering of the lens is essential to achieving accurate measurements. The part must be centered to within 0.5% of the diameter to achieve accurate results. This value is achievable with care, with an indicator, but the part must be edged to a clean diameter.

Mapping Crop Yield and Sow Date Using High Resolution Imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Royal, K.

2015-12-01

Keitasha Royal, Meha Jain, Ph.D., David Lobell, Ph.D Mapping Crop Yield and Sow Date Using High Resolution ImageryThe use of satellite imagery in agriculture is becoming increasingly more significant and valuable. Due to the emergence of new satellites, such as Skybox, these satellites provide higher resolution imagery (e.g 1m) therefore improving the ability to map smallholder agriculture. For the smallholder farm dominated area of northern India, Skybox high-resolution satellite imagery can aid in understanding how to improve farm yields. In particular, we are interested in mapping winter wheat in India, as this region produces approximately 80% of the country's wheat crop, which is important given that wheat is a staple crop that provides approximately 20% of household calories. In northeast India, the combination of increased heat stress, limited irrigation access, and the difficulty for farmers to access advanced farming technologies results in farmers only producing about 50% of their potential crop yield. The use of satellite imagery can aid in understanding wheat yields through time and help identify ways to increase crop yields in the wheat belt of India. To translate Skybox satellite data into meaningful information about wheat fields, we examine vegetation indices, such as the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), to measure the "greenness" of plants to help determine the health of the crops. We test our ability to predict crop characteristics, like sow date and yield, using vegetation indices of 59 fields for which we have field data in Bihar, India.

Methods for high yield production of terpenes

DOEpatents

Kutchan, Toni; Higashi, Yasuhiro; Feng, Xiaohong

2017-01-03

Provided are enhanced high yield production systems for producing terpenes in plants via the expression of fusion proteins comprising various combinations of geranyl diphosphate synthase large and small subunits and limonene synthases. Also provided are engineered oilseed plants that accumulate monoterpene and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons in their seeds, as well as methods for producing such plants, providing a system for rapidly engineering oilseed crop production platforms for terpene-based biofuels.

A time accurate finite volume high resolution scheme for three dimensional Navier-Stokes equations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liou, Meng-Sing; Hsu, Andrew T.

1989-01-01

A time accurate, three-dimensional, finite volume, high resolution scheme for solving the compressible full Navier-Stokes equations is presented. The present derivation is based on the upwind split formulas, specifically with the application of Roe's (1981) flux difference splitting. A high-order accurate (up to the third order) upwind interpolation formula for the inviscid terms is derived to account for nonuniform meshes. For the viscous terms, discretizations consistent with the finite volume concept are described. A variant of second-order time accurate method is proposed that utilizes identical procedures in both the predictor and corrector steps. Avoiding the definition of midpoint gives a consistent and easy procedure, in the framework of finite volume discretization, for treating viscous transport terms in the curvilinear coordinates. For the boundary cells, a new treatment is introduced that not only avoids the use of 'ghost cells' and the associated problems, but also satisfies the tangency conditions exactly and allows easy definition of viscous transport terms at the first interface next to the boundary cells. Numerical tests of steady and unsteady high speed flows show that the present scheme gives accurate solutions.

Growth and yield in Eucalyptus globulus

Treesearch

James A. Rinehart; Richard B. Standiford

1983-01-01

A study of the major Eucalyptus globulus stands throughout California conducted by Woodbridge Metcalf in 1924 provides a complete and accurate data set for generating variable site-density yield models. Two models were developed using linear regression techniques. Model I depicts a linear relationship between age and yield best used for stands between five and fifteen...

Laryngeal High-Speed Videoendoscopy: Rationale and Recommendation for Accurate and Consistent Terminology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deliyski, Dimitar D.; Hillman, Robert E.; Mehta, Daryush D.

2015-01-01

Purpose: The authors discuss the rationale behind the term "laryngeal high-speed videoendoscopy" to describe the application of high-speed endoscopic imaging techniques to the visualization of vocal fold vibration. Method: Commentary on the advantages of using accurate and consistent terminology in the field of voice research is…

High yield neutron generator based on a high-current gasdynamic electron cyclotron resonance ion source

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

Skalyga, V.; Sidorov, A.; Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod

2015-09-07

In present paper, an approach for high yield compact D-D neutron generator based on a high current gasdynamic electron cyclotron resonance ion source is suggested. Results on dense pulsed deuteron beam production with current up to 500 mA and current density up to 750 mA/cm{sup 2} are demonstrated. Neutron yield from D{sub 2}O and TiD{sub 2} targets was measured in case of its bombardment by pulsed 300 mA D{sup +} beam with 45 keV energy. Neutron yield density at target surface of 10{sup 9} s{sup −1} cm{sup −2} was detected with a system of two {sup 3}He proportional counters. Estimations based on obtained experimental resultsmore » show that neutron yield from a high quality TiD{sub 2} target bombarded by D{sup +} beam demonstrated in present work accelerated to 100 keV could reach 6 × 10{sup 10} s{sup −1} cm{sup −2}. It is discussed that compact neutron generator with such characteristics could be perspective for a number of applications like boron neutron capture therapy, security systems based on neutron scanning, and neutronography.« less

High-yield maize with large net energy yield and small global warming intensity

PubMed Central

Grassini, Patricio; Cassman, Kenneth G.

2012-01-01

Addressing concerns about future food supply and climate change requires management practices that maximize productivity per unit of arable land while reducing negative environmental impact. On-farm data were evaluated to assess energy balance and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of irrigated maize in Nebraska that received large nitrogen (N) fertilizer (183 kg of N⋅ha−1) and irrigation water inputs (272 mm or 2,720 m3 ha−1). Although energy inputs (30 GJ⋅ha−1) were larger than those reported for US maize systems in previous studies, irrigated maize in central Nebraska achieved higher grain and net energy yields (13.2 Mg⋅ha−1 and 159 GJ⋅ha−1, respectively) and lower GHG-emission intensity (231 kg of CO2e⋅Mg−1 of grain). Greater input-use efficiencies, especially for N fertilizer, were responsible for better performance of these irrigated systems, compared with much lower-yielding, mostly rainfed maize systems in previous studies. Large variation in energy inputs and GHG emissions across irrigated fields in the present study resulted from differences in applied irrigation water amount and imbalances between applied N inputs and crop N demand, indicating potential to further improve environmental performance through better management of these inputs. Observed variation in N-use efficiency, at any level of applied N inputs, suggests that an N-balance approach may be more appropriate for estimating soil N2O emissions than the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change approach based on a fixed proportion of applied N. Negative correlation between GHG-emission intensity and net energy yield supports the proposition that achieving high yields, large positive energy balance, and low GHG emissions in intensive cropping systems are not conflicting goals. PMID:22232684

High precision and high yield fabrication of dense nanoparticle arrays onto DNA origami at statistically independent binding sites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takabayashi, Sadao; Klein, William P.; Onodera, Craig; Rapp, Blake; Flores-Estrada, Juan; Lindau, Elias; Snowball, Lejmarc; Sam, Joseph T.; Padilla, Jennifer E.; Lee, Jeunghoon; Knowlton, William B.; Graugnard, Elton; Yurke, Bernard; Kuang, Wan; Hughes, William L.

2014-10-01

High precision, high yield, and high density self-assembly of nanoparticles into arrays is essential for nanophotonics. Spatial deviations as small as a few nanometers can alter the properties of near-field coupled optical nanostructures. Several studies have reported assemblies of few nanoparticle structures with controlled spacing using DNA nanostructures with variable yield. Here, we report multi-tether design strategies and attachment yields for homo- and hetero-nanoparticle arrays templated by DNA origami nanotubes. Nanoparticle attachment yield via DNA hybridization is comparable with streptavidin-biotin binding. Independent of the number of binding sites, >97% site-occupation was achieved with four tethers and 99.2% site-occupation is theoretically possible with five tethers. The interparticle distance was within 2 nm of all design specifications and the nanoparticle spatial deviations decreased with interparticle spacing. Modified geometric, binomial, and trinomial distributions indicate that site-bridging, steric hindrance, and electrostatic repulsion were not dominant barriers to self-assembly and both tethers and binding sites were statistically independent at high particle densities.High precision, high yield, and high density self-assembly of nanoparticles into arrays is essential for nanophotonics. Spatial deviations as small as a few nanometers can alter the properties of near-field coupled optical nanostructures. Several studies have reported assemblies of few nanoparticle structures with controlled spacing using DNA nanostructures with variable yield. Here, we report multi-tether design strategies and attachment yields for homo- and hetero-nanoparticle arrays templated by DNA origami nanotubes. Nanoparticle attachment yield via DNA hybridization is comparable with streptavidin-biotin binding. Independent of the number of binding sites, >97% site-occupation was achieved with four tethers and 99.2% site-occupation is theoretically possible with five

High-Gum-Yielding Slash Pines Survive and Grow Well

Treesearch

S.V. Kossuth; W.J. Peters; C.R. Gansell

1982-01-01

Plantings in Georgia and Florida were established with slash pine seedlings of three genetic types: selections improved for high gum yield (IHGY), selections with improved growth and form (IGF), and commercial stock (CS). Under adverse environmental conditions in Florida, IHGY survived best at age 3, CS next best, and IGF poorest.Survival was more than twice as high in...

Pink-Beam, Highly-Accurate Compact Water Cooled Slits

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

Lyndaker, Aaron; Deyhim, Alex; Jayne, Richard

2007-01-19

Advanced Design Consulting, Inc. (ADC) has designed accurate compact slits for applications where high precision is required. The system consists of vertical and horizontal slit mechanisms, a vacuum vessel which houses them, water cooling lines with vacuum guards connected to the individual blades, stepper motors with linear encoders, limit (home position) switches and electrical connections including internal wiring for a drain current measurement system. The total slit size is adjustable from 0 to 15 mm both vertically and horizontally. Each of the four blades are individually controlled and motorized. In this paper, a summary of the design and Finite Elementmore » Analysis of the system are presented.« less

Final Report on X-ray Yields from OMEGA II Targets

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

Fournier, K B; May, M J; MacLaren, S A

2007-06-20

We present details about X-ray yields measured with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) diagnostics in soft and moderately hard X-ray bands from laser-driven, doped-aerogel targets shot on 07/14/06 during the OMEGA II test series. Yields accurate to {+-}25% in the 5-15 keV band are measured with Livermore's HENWAY spectrometer. Yields in the sub-keV to 3.2 keV band are measured with LLNL's DANTE diagnostic, the DANTE yields are accurate to 10-15%. SNL ran a PCD-based diagnostic that also measured X-ray yields in the spectral region above 4 keV, and also down to the sub-keV range. Themore » PCD and HENWAY and DANTE numbers are compared. The time histories of the moderately hard (h{nu} > 4 keV) X-ray signals are measured with LLNL's H11 PCD, and from two SNL PCDs with comparable filtration. There is general agreement between the H11 PCD and SNL PCD measured FWHM except for two of the shorter-laser-pulse shots, which is shown not to be due to analysis techniques. The recommended X-ray waveform is that from the SNL PCD p66k10, which was recorded on a fast, high-bandwidth TDS 6804 oscilloscope. X-ray waveforms from target emission in two softer spectral bands are also shown; the X-ray emissions have increasing duration as the spectral content gets softer.« less

An accurate, fast, and scalable solver for high-frequency wave propagation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zepeda-Núñez, L.; Taus, M.; Hewett, R.; Demanet, L.

2017-12-01

In many science and engineering applications, solving time-harmonic high-frequency wave propagation problems quickly and accurately is of paramount importance. For example, in geophysics, particularly in oil exploration, such problems can be the forward problem in an iterative process for solving the inverse problem of subsurface inversion. It is important to solve these wave propagation problems accurately in order to efficiently obtain meaningful solutions of the inverse problems: low order forward modeling can hinder convergence. Additionally, due to the volume of data and the iterative nature of most optimization algorithms, the forward problem must be solved many times. Therefore, a fast solver is necessary to make solving the inverse problem feasible. For time-harmonic high-frequency wave propagation, obtaining both speed and accuracy is historically challenging. Recently, there have been many advances in the development of fast solvers for such problems, including methods which have linear complexity with respect to the number of degrees of freedom. While most methods scale optimally only in the context of low-order discretizations and smooth wave speed distributions, the method of polarized traces has been shown to retain optimal scaling for high-order discretizations, such as hybridizable discontinuous Galerkin methods and for highly heterogeneous (and even discontinuous) wave speeds. The resulting fast and accurate solver is consequently highly attractive for geophysical applications. To date, this method relies on a layered domain decomposition together with a preconditioner applied in a sweeping fashion, which has limited straight-forward parallelization. In this work, we introduce a new version of the method of polarized traces which reveals more parallel structure than previous versions while preserving all of its other advantages. We achieve this by further decomposing each layer and applying the preconditioner to these new components separately and

Automated Purification of Recombinant Proteins: Combining High-throughput with High Yield

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

Lin, Chiann Tso; Moore, Priscilla A.; Auberry, Deanna L.

2006-05-01

Protein crystallography, mapping protein interactions and other approaches of current functional genomics require not only purifying large numbers of proteins but also obtaining sufficient yield and homogeneity for downstream high-throughput applications. There is a need for the development of robust automated high-throughput protein expression and purification processes to meet these requirements. We developed and compared two alternative workflows for automated purification of recombinant proteins based on expression of bacterial genes in Escherichia coli: First - a filtration separation protocol based on expression of 800 ml E. coli cultures followed by filtration purification using Ni2+-NTATM Agarose (Qiagen). Second - a smallermore » scale magnetic separation method based on expression in 25 ml cultures of E.coli followed by 96-well purification on MagneHisTM Ni2+ Agarose (Promega). Both workflows provided comparable average yields of proteins about 8 ug of purified protein per unit of OD at 600 nm of bacterial culture. We discuss advantages and limitations of the automated workflows that can provide proteins more than 90 % pure in the range of 100 ug – 45 mg per purification run as well as strategies for optimization of these protocols.« less

Atomic Oxygen Erosion Yield Prediction for Spacecraft Polymers in Low Earth Orbit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Banks, Bruce A.; Backus, Jane A.; Manno, Michael V.; Waters, Deborah L.; Cameron, Kevin C.; deGroh, Kim K.

2009-01-01

The ability to predict the atomic oxygen erosion yield of polymers based on their chemistry and physical properties has been only partially successful because of a lack of reliable low Earth orbit (LEO) erosion yield data. Unfortunately, many of the early experiments did not utilize dehydrated mass loss measurements for erosion yield determination, and the resulting mass loss due to atomic oxygen exposure may have been compromised because samples were often not in consistent states of dehydration during the pre-flight and post-flight mass measurements. This is a particular problem for short duration mission exposures or low erosion yield materials. However, as a result of the retrieval of the Polymer Erosion and Contamination Experiment (PEACE) flown as part of the Materials International Space Station Experiment 2 (MISSE 2), the erosion yields of 38 polymers and pyrolytic graphite were accurately measured. The experiment was exposed to the LEO environment for 3.95 years from August 16, 2001 to July 30, 2005 and was successfully retrieved during a space walk on July 30, 2005 during Discovery s STS-114 Return to Flight mission. The 40 different materials tested (including Kapton H fluence witness samples) were selected specifically to represent a variety of polymers used in space as well as a wide variety of polymer chemical structures. The MISSE 2 PEACE Polymers experiment used carefully dehydrated mass measurements, as well as accurate density measurements to obtain accurate erosion yield data for high-fluence (8.43 1021 atoms/sq cm). The resulting data was used to develop an erosion yield predictive tool with a correlation coefficient of 0.895 and uncertainty of +/-6.3 10(exp -25)cu cm/atom. The predictive tool utilizes the chemical structures and physical properties of polymers to predict in-space atomic oxygen erosion yields. A predictive tool concept (September 2009 version) is presented which represents an improvement over an earlier (December 2008) version.

Chemo-selective high yield microwave assisted reaction turns cellulose to green chemicals.

PubMed

Hassanzadeh, Salman; Aminlashgari, Nina; Hakkarainen, Minna

2014-11-04

Exceptionally high cellulose liquefaction yields, up to 87% as calculated from the amount of solid residue, were obtained under mild conditions by utilizing the synergistic effect of microwave radiation and acid catalysis. The effect of processing conditions on degradation products was fingerprinted by rapid laser desorption ionization-mass spectrometry (LDI-MS) method. The reaction was chemo-tunable, enabling production of glucose (Glc) or levulinic acid (LeA) at significantly high selectivity and yields, the relative molar yields being up to 50 and 69%, respectively. A turning point from pure depolymerization to glucose to further degradation to levulinic acid and formic acid was observed at approximately 50% liquefaction or above 140 °C. This was accompanied by the formation of small amounts of solid spherical carbonized residues. The reaction was monitored by multiple analytical techniques. The high yields were connected to the ability of the process to break the strong secondary interactions in cellulose. The developed method has great potential for future production of green platform chemicals. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Farnesylated and methylated KRAS4b: high yield production of protein suitable for biophysical studies of prenylated protein-lipid interactions.

PubMed

Gillette, William K; Esposito, Dominic; Abreu Blanco, Maria; Alexander, Patrick; Bindu, Lakshman; Bittner, Cammi; Chertov, Oleg; Frank, Peter H; Grose, Carissa; Jones, Jane E; Meng, Zhaojing; Perkins, Shelley; Van, Que; Ghirlando, Rodolfo; Fivash, Matthew; Nissley, Dwight V; McCormick, Frank; Holderfield, Matthew; Stephen, Andrew G

2015-11-02

Prenylated proteins play key roles in several human diseases including cancer, atherosclerosis and Alzheimer's disease. KRAS4b, which is frequently mutated in pancreatic, colon and lung cancers, is processed by farnesylation, proteolytic cleavage and carboxymethylation at the C-terminus. Plasma membrane localization of KRAS4b requires this processing as does KRAS4b-dependent RAF kinase activation. Previous attempts to produce modified KRAS have relied on protein engineering approaches or in vitro farnesylation of bacterially expressed KRAS protein. The proteins produced by these methods do not accurately replicate the mature KRAS protein found in mammalian cells and the protein yield is typically low. We describe a protocol that yields 5-10 mg/L highly purified, farnesylated, and methylated KRAS4b from insect cells. Farnesylated and methylated KRAS4b is fully active in hydrolyzing GTP, binds RAF-RBD on lipid Nanodiscs and interacts with the known farnesyl-binding protein PDEδ.

Farnesylated and methylated KRAS4b: high yield production of protein suitable for biophysical studies of prenylated protein-lipid interactions

PubMed Central

Gillette, William K.; Esposito, Dominic; Abreu Blanco, Maria; Alexander, Patrick; Bindu, Lakshman; Bittner, Cammi; Chertov, Oleg; Frank, Peter H.; Grose, Carissa; Jones, Jane E.; Meng, Zhaojing; Perkins, Shelley; Van, Que; Ghirlando, Rodolfo; Fivash, Matthew; Nissley, Dwight V.; McCormick, Frank; Holderfield, Matthew; Stephen, Andrew G.

2015-01-01

Prenylated proteins play key roles in several human diseases including cancer, atherosclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease. KRAS4b, which is frequently mutated in pancreatic, colon and lung cancers, is processed by farnesylation, proteolytic cleavage and carboxymethylation at the C-terminus. Plasma membrane localization of KRAS4b requires this processing as does KRAS4b-dependent RAF kinase activation. Previous attempts to produce modified KRAS have relied on protein engineering approaches or in vitro farnesylation of bacterially expressed KRAS protein. The proteins produced by these methods do not accurately replicate the mature KRAS protein found in mammalian cells and the protein yield is typically low. We describe a protocol that yields 5–10 mg/L highly purified, farnesylated, and methylated KRAS4b from insect cells. Farnesylated and methylated KRAS4b is fully active in hydrolyzing GTP, binds RAF-RBD on lipid Nanodiscs and interacts with the known farnesyl-binding protein PDEδ. PMID:26522388

Synthesis and characterization of poly (dihydroxybiphenyl borate) with high char yield for high-performance thermosetting resins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Shujuan; Xing, Xiaolong; Li, Jian; Jing, Xinli

2018-01-01

The objective of the current work is to synthesize novel boron-containing polymers with excellent thermal resistance, and reveal the structure and the reason for the high char yield. Thus, poly (dihydroxybiphenyl borate) (PDDB) with a more rigid molecular chain, was successfully synthesized using 4,4‧-dihydroxybiphenyl and boric acid. Structural characterizations of the prepared PDDB were performed via NMR, FTIR, XPS, and XRD analyses. The results reveal that PDDB consists of aromatic, Phsbnd Osbnd B and Bsbnd Osbnd B structures as well as a small number of boron hydroxyl and phenolic hydroxyl groups. PDDB shows good solubility in strong polar solvents, which is of great importance for the modification of thermosetting resins. TGA combined with DSC were employed to evaluate the thermal properties of PDDB, and increases in the glass transition temperature (Tg) and char yield were observed with increased boron content. Tg and char yield of PDDB (800 °C, nitrogen atmosphere) reached up to 219 °C and 66.5%, respectively. PDDB was extensively characterized during pyrolysis to reveal the high char yield of PDDB. As briefly discussed, the boron oxide and boron carbide that formed during pyrolysis play a crucial role in the high char yield of PDDB, which reduces the release of volatile carbon dioxide and carbon. This research suggests that PDDB has great potential as a novel modified agent for the improvement of the comprehensive performance of thermosetting resins to broaden their applicability in the field of advanced composites.

Highly accurate nephelometric titrimetry.

PubMed

Zhan, Xiancheng; Li, Chengrong; Li, Zhiyi; Yang, Xiucen; Zhong, Shuguang; Yi, Tao

2004-02-01

A method that accurately indicates the end-point of precipitation reactions by the measurement of the relative intensity of the scattered light in the titrate is presented. A new nephelometric titrator with an internal nephelometric sensor has been devised. The work of the titrator including the sensor and change in the turbidity of the titrate and intensity of the scattered light are described. The accuracy of the nephelometric titrimetry is discussed theoretically. The titration of NaCl with AgNO(3) serves as a model. A relative error as well as deviation is within 0.2% under the experimental conditions. The applicability of the titrimetry in pharmaceutical analyses, for example, phenytoin sodium and procaine hydrochloride, is generally illustrated. Copyright 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association

Rational design of high-yield and superior-quality rice.

PubMed

Zeng, Dali; Tian, Zhixi; Rao, Yuchun; Dong, Guojun; Yang, Yaolong; Huang, Lichao; Leng, Yujia; Xu, Jie; Sun, Chuan; Zhang, Guangheng; Hu, Jiang; Zhu, Li; Gao, Zhenyu; Hu, Xingming; Guo, Longbiao; Xiong, Guosheng; Wang, Yonghong; Li, Jiayang; Qian, Qian

2017-03-20

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a staple food for more than half of the world's population. To meet the ever-increasing demand for food, because of population growth and improved living standards, world rice production needs to double by 2030 1 . The development of new elite rice varieties with high yield and superior quality is challenging for traditional breeding approaches, and new strategies need to be developed. Here, we report the successful development of new elite varieties by pyramiding major genes that significantly contribute to grain quality and yield from three parents over five years. The new varieties exhibit higher yield potential and better grain quality than their parental varieties and the China's leading super-hybrid rice, Liang-you-pai-jiu (LYP9 or Pei-ai 64S/93-11). Our results demonstrate that rational design is a powerful strategy for meeting the challenges of future crop breeding, particularly in pyramiding multiple complex traits.

Efficient SRAM yield optimization with mixture surrogate modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhongjian, Jiang; Zuochang, Ye; Yan, Wang

2016-12-01

Largely repeated cells such as SRAM cells usually require extremely low failure-rate to ensure a moderate chi yield. Though fast Monte Carlo methods such as importance sampling and its variants can be used for yield estimation, they are still very expensive if one needs to perform optimization based on such estimations. Typically the process of yield calculation requires a lot of SPICE simulation. The circuit SPICE simulation analysis accounted for the largest proportion of time in the process yield calculation. In the paper, a new method is proposed to address this issue. The key idea is to establish an efficient mixture surrogate model. The surrogate model is based on the design variables and process variables. This model construction method is based on the SPICE simulation to get a certain amount of sample points, these points are trained for mixture surrogate model by the lasso algorithm. Experimental results show that the proposed model is able to calculate accurate yield successfully and it brings significant speed ups to the calculation of failure rate. Based on the model, we made a further accelerated algorithm to further enhance the speed of the yield calculation. It is suitable for high-dimensional process variables and multi-performance applications.

X-ray power and yield measurements at the refurbished Z machine

DOE PAGES

Jones, M. C.; Ampleford, D. J.; Cuneo, M. E.; ...

2014-08-04

Advancements have been made in the diagnostic techniques to measure accurately the total radiated x-ray yield and power from z-pinch loads at the Z Machine with high accuracy. The Z-accelerator is capable of outputting 2MJ and 330 TW of x-ray yield and power, and accurately measuring these quantities is imperative. We will describe work over the past several years which include the development of new diagnostics, improvements to existing diagnostics, and implementation of automated data analysis routines. A set of experiments were conducted on the Z machine where the load and machine configuration were held constant. During this shot series,more » it was observed that total z-pinch x-ray emission power determined from the two common techniques for inferring the x-ray power, Kimfol filtered x-ray diode diagnostic and the Total Power and Energy diagnostic gave 450 TW and 327 TW respectively. Our analysis shows the latter to be the more accurate interpretation. More broadly, the comparison demonstrates the necessity to consider spectral response and field of view when inferring xray powers from z-pinch sources.« less

Simulated yields for managed northern hardwood stands

Treesearch

Dale S. Solomon; William B. Leak; William B. Leak

1986-01-01

Board-foot and cubic-foot yields developed with the forest growth model SlMTlM are presented for northern hardwood stands grown with and without management. SIMTIM has been modified to include more accurate growth rates by species, a new stocking chart, and yields that reflect species values and quality classes. Treatments range from no thinning to intensive quality...

An accurate model for predicting high frequency noise of nanoscale NMOS SOI transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Yanfei; Cui, Jie; Mohammadi, Saeed

2017-05-01

A nonlinear and scalable model suitable for predicting high frequency noise of N-type Metal Oxide Semiconductor (NMOS) transistors is presented. The model is developed for a commercial 45 nm CMOS SOI technology and its accuracy is validated through comparison with measured performance of a microwave low noise amplifier. The model employs the virtual source nonlinear core and adds parasitic elements to accurately simulate the RF behavior of multi-finger NMOS transistors up to 40 GHz. For the first time, the traditional long-channel thermal noise model is supplemented with an injection noise model to accurately represent the noise behavior of these short-channel transistors up to 26 GHz. The developed model is simple and easy to extract, yet very accurate.

Bremsstrahlung Dose Yield for High-Intensity Short-Pulse Laser–Solid Experiments

DOE PAGES

Liang, Taiee; Bauer, Johannes M.; Liu, James C.; ...

2016-12-01

A bremsstrahlung source term has been developed by the Radiation Protection (RP) group at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory for high-intensity short-pulse laser–solid experiments between 10 17 and 10 22 W cm –2. This source term couples the particle-in-cell plasma code EPOCH and the radiation transport code FLUKA to estimate the bremsstrahlung dose yield from laser–solid interactions. EPOCH characterizes the energy distribution, angular distribution, and laser-to-electron conversion efficiency of the hot electrons from laser–solid interactions, and FLUKA utilizes this hot electron source term to calculate a bremsstrahlung dose yield (mSv per J of laser energy on target). The goal of thismore » paper is to provide RP guidelines and hazard analysis for high-intensity laser facilities. In conclusion, a comparison of the calculated bremsstrahlung dose yields to radiation measurement data is also made.« less

Bremsstrahlung Dose Yield for High-Intensity Short-Pulse Laser–Solid Experiments

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

Liang, Taiee; Bauer, Johannes M.; Liu, James C.

A bremsstrahlung source term has been developed by the Radiation Protection (RP) group at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory for high-intensity short-pulse laser–solid experiments between 10 17 and 10 22 W cm –2. This source term couples the particle-in-cell plasma code EPOCH and the radiation transport code FLUKA to estimate the bremsstrahlung dose yield from laser–solid interactions. EPOCH characterizes the energy distribution, angular distribution, and laser-to-electron conversion efficiency of the hot electrons from laser–solid interactions, and FLUKA utilizes this hot electron source term to calculate a bremsstrahlung dose yield (mSv per J of laser energy on target). The goal of thismore » paper is to provide RP guidelines and hazard analysis for high-intensity laser facilities. In conclusion, a comparison of the calculated bremsstrahlung dose yields to radiation measurement data is also made.« less

Home Circadian Phase Assessments with Measures of Compliance Yield Accurate Dim Light Melatonin Onsets.

PubMed

Burgess, Helen J; Wyatt, James K; Park, Margaret; Fogg, Louis F

2015-06-01

There is a need for the accurate assessment of circadian phase outside of the clinic/laboratory, particularly with the gold standard dim light melatonin onset (DLMO). We tested a novel kit designed to assist in saliva sampling at home for later determination of the DLMO. The home kit includes objective measures of compliance to the requirements for dim light and half-hourly saliva sampling. Participants were randomized to one of two 10-day protocols. Each protocol consisted of two back-to-back home and laboratory phase assessments in counterbalanced order, separated by a 5-day break. Laboratory or participants' homes. Thirty-five healthy adults, age 21-62 y. N/A. Most participants received at least one 30-sec epoch of light > 50 lux during the home phase assessments (average light intensity 4.5 lux), but on average for < 9 min of the required 8.5 h. Most participants collected every saliva sample within 5 min of the scheduled time. Ninety-two percent of home DLMOs were not affected by light > 50 lux or sampling errors. There was no significant difference between the home and laboratory DLMOs (P > 0.05); on average the home DLMOs occurred 9.6 min before the laboratory DLMOs. The home DLMOs were highly correlated with the laboratory DLMOs (r = 0.91, P < 0.001). Participants were reasonably compliant to the home phase assessment procedures. The good agreement between the home and laboratory dim light melatonin onsets (DLMOs) demonstrates that including objective measures of light exposure and sample timing during home saliva sampling can lead to accurate home DLMOs. Circadian Phase Assessments at Home, http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT01487252, NCT01487252. © 2015 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

Prediction of winter wheat high yield from remote sensing based model: application in United States and Ukraine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Franch, B.; Vermote, E.; Roger, J. C.; Skakun, S.; Becker-Reshef, I.; Justice, C. O.

2017-12-01

Accurate and timely crop yield forecasts are critical for making informed agricultural policies and investments, as well as increasing market efficiency and stability. In Becker-Reshef et al. (2010) and Franch et al. (2015) we developed an empirical generalized model for forecasting winter wheat yield. It is based on the relationship between the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) at the peak of the growing season and the Growing Degree Day (GDD) information extracted from NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data. These methods were applied to MODIS CMG data in Ukraine, the US and China with errors around 10%. However, the NDVI is saturated for yield values higher than 4 MT/ha. As a consequence, the model had to be re-calibrated in each country and the validation of the national yields showed low correlation coefficients. In this study we present a new model based on the extrapolation of the pure wheat signal (100% of wheat within the pixel) from MODIS data at 1km resolution and using the Difference Vegetation Index (DVI). The model has been applied to monitor the national yield of winter wheat in the United States and Ukraine from 2001 to 2016.

High yield neutron generators using the DD reaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vainionpaa, J. H.; Harris, J. L.; Piestrup, M. A.; Gary, C. K.; Williams, D. L.; Apodaca, M. D.; Cremer, J. T.; Ji, Qing; Ludewigt, B. A.; Jones, G.

2013-04-01

A product line of high yield neutron generators has been developed at Adelphi technology inc. The generators use the D-D fusion reaction and are driven by an ion beam supplied by a microwave ion source. Yields of up to 5 × 109 n/s have been achieved, which are comparable to those obtained using the more efficient D-T reaction. The microwave-driven plasma uses the electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) to produce a high plasma density for high current and high atomic ion species. These generators have an actively pumped vacuum system that allows operation at reduced pressure in the target chamber, increasing the overall system reliability. Since no radioactive tritium is used, the generators can be easily serviced, and components can be easily replaced, providing essentially an unlimited lifetime. Fast neutron source size can be adjusted by selecting the aperture and target geometries according to customer specifications. Pulsed and continuous operation has been demonstrated. Minimum pulse lengths of 50 μs have been achieved. Since the generators are easily serviceable, they offer a long lifetime neutron generator for laboratories and commercial systems requiring continuous operation. Several of the generators have been enclosed in radiation shielding/moderator structures designed for customer specifications. These generators have been proven to be useful for prompt gamma neutron activation analysis (PGNAA), neutron activation analysis (NAA) and fast neutron radiography. Thus these generators make excellent fast, epithermal and thermal neutron sources for laboratories and industrial applications that require neutrons with safe operation, small footprint, low cost and small regulatory burden.

Accurate van der Waals coefficients from density functional theory

PubMed Central

Tao, Jianmin; Perdew, John P.; Ruzsinszky, Adrienn

2012-01-01

The van der Waals interaction is a weak, long-range correlation, arising from quantum electronic charge fluctuations. This interaction affects many properties of materials. A simple and yet accurate estimate of this effect will facilitate computer simulation of complex molecular materials and drug design. Here we develop a fast approach for accurate evaluation of dynamic multipole polarizabilities and van der Waals (vdW) coefficients of all orders from the electron density and static multipole polarizabilities of each atom or other spherical object, without empirical fitting. Our dynamic polarizabilities (dipole, quadrupole, octupole, etc.) are exact in the zero- and high-frequency limits, and exact at all frequencies for a metallic sphere of uniform density. Our theory predicts dynamic multipole polarizabilities in excellent agreement with more expensive many-body methods, and yields therefrom vdW coefficients C6, C8, C10 for atom pairs with a mean absolute relative error of only 3%. PMID:22205765

High-yield, ultrafast, surface plasmon-enhanced, Au nanorod optical field electron emitter arrays.

PubMed

Hobbs, Richard G; Yang, Yujia; Fallahi, Arya; Keathley, Philip D; De Leo, Eva; Kärtner, Franz X; Graves, William S; Berggren, Karl K

2014-11-25

Here we demonstrate the design, fabrication, and characterization of ultrafast, surface-plasmon enhanced Au nanorod optical field emitter arrays. We present a quantitative study of electron emission from Au nanorod arrays fabricated by high-resolution electron-beam lithography and excited by 35 fs pulses of 800 nm light. We present accurate models for both the optical field enhancement of Au nanorods within high-density arrays, and electron emission from those nanorods. We have also studied the effects of surface plasmon damping induced by metallic interface layers at the substrate/nanorod interface on near-field enhancement and electron emission. We have identified the peak optical field at which the electron emission mechanism transitions from a 3-photon absorption mechanism to strong-field tunneling emission. Moreover, we have investigated the effects of nanorod array density on nanorod charge yield, including measurement of space-charge effects. The Au nanorod photocathodes presented in this work display 100-1000 times higher conversion efficiency relative to previously reported UV triggered emission from planar Au photocathodes. Consequently, the Au nanorod arrays triggered by ultrafast pulses of 800 nm light in this work may outperform equivalent UV-triggered Au photocathodes, while also offering nanostructuring of the electron pulse produced from such a cathode, which is of interest for X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) development where nanostructured electron pulses may facilitate more efficient and brighter XFEL radiation.

Satellite-based assessment of grassland yields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grant, K.; Siegmund, R.; Wagner, M.; Hartmann, S.

2015-04-01

Cutting date and frequency are important parameters determining grassland yields in addition to the effects of weather, soil conditions, plant composition and fertilisation. Because accurate and area-wide data of grassland yields are currently not available, cutting frequency can be used to estimate yields. In this project, a method to detect cutting dates via surface changes in radar images is developed. The combination of this method with a grassland yield model will result in more reliable and regional-wide numbers of grassland yields. For the test-phase of the monitoring project, a study area situated southeast of Munich, Germany, was chosen due to its high density of managed grassland. For determining grassland cutting robust amplitude change detection techniques are used evaluating radar amplitude or backscatter statistics before and after the cutting event. CosmoSkyMed and Sentinel-1A data were analysed. All detected cuts were verified according to in-situ measurements recorded in a GIS database. Although the SAR systems had various acquisition geometries, the amount of detected grassland cut was quite similar. Of 154 tested grassland plots, covering in total 436 ha, 116 and 111 cuts were detected using CosmoSkyMed and Sentinel-1A radar data, respectively. Further improvement of radar data processes as well as additional analyses with higher sample number and wider land surface coverage will follow for optimisation of the method and for validation and generalisation of the results of this feasibility study. The automation of this method will than allow for an area-wide and cost efficient cutting date detection service improving grassland yield models.

High-resolution, regional-scale crop yield simulations for the Southwestern United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stack, D. H.; Kafatos, M.; Medvigy, D.; El-Askary, H. M.; Hatzopoulos, N.; Kim, J.; Kim, S.; Prasad, A. K.; Tremback, C.; Walko, R. L.; Asrar, G. R.

2012-12-01

Over the past few decades, there have been many process-based crop models developed with the goal of better understanding the impacts of climate, soils, and management decisions on crop yields. These models simulate the growth and development of crops in response to environmental drivers. Traditionally, process-based crop models have been run at the individual farm level for yield optimization and management scenario testing. Few previous studies have used these models over broader geographic regions, largely due to the lack of gridded high-resolution meteorological and soil datasets required as inputs for these data intensive process-based models. In particular, assessment of regional-scale yield variability due to climate change requires high-resolution, regional-scale, climate projections, and such projections have been unavailable until recently. The goal of this study was to create a framework for extending the Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator (APSIM) crop model for use at regional scales and analyze spatial and temporal yield changes in the Southwestern United States (CA, AZ, and NV). Using the scripting language Python, an automated pipeline was developed to link Regional Climate Model (RCM) output with the APSIM crop model, thus creating a one-way nested modeling framework. This framework was used to combine climate, soil, land use, and agricultural management datasets in order to better understand the relationship between climate variability and crop yield at the regional-scale. Three different RCMs were used to drive APSIM: OLAM, RAMS, and WRF. Preliminary results suggest that, depending on the model inputs, there is some variability between simulated RCM driven maize yields and historical yields obtained from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Furthermore, these simulations showed strong non-linear correlations between yield and meteorological drivers, with critical threshold values for some of the inputs (e.g. minimum and

Ultra-broadband nonlinear saturable absorption of high-yield MoS2 nanosheets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Rongfei; Zhang, Hang; Hu, Zhongliang; Qiao, Tian; He, Xin; Guo, Qiangbing; Tian, Xiangling; Chen, Zhi; Qiu, Jianrong

2016-07-01

High-yield MoS2 nanosheets with strong nonlinear optical (NLO) responses in a broad near-infrared range were synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method. The observation of saturable absorption, which was excited by the light with photon energy smaller than the gap energy of MoS2, can be attributed to the enhancement of the hybridization between the Mo d-orbital and S p-orbital by the oxygen incorporation into MoS2. High-yield MoS2 nanosheets with high modulation depth and large saturable intensity generated a stable, passively Q-switched fiber laser pulse at 1.56 μm. The high output power of 1.08 mW can be attained under a very low pump power of 30.87 mW. Compared to recently reported passively Q-switched fiber lasers utilizing exfoliated MoS2 nanosheets, the efficiency of the laser for our passive Q-switching operation is larger and reaches 3.50%. This research may extend the understanding on the NLO properties of MoS2 and indicate the feasibility of the high-yield MoS2 nanosheets to passively Q-switched fiber laser effectively at low pump strengths.

Real-time yield estimation based on deep learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahnemoonfar, Maryam; Sheppard, Clay

2017-05-01

Crop yield estimation is an important task in product management and marketing. Accurate yield prediction helps farmers to make better decision on cultivation practices, plant disease prevention, and the size of harvest labor force. The current practice of yield estimation based on the manual counting of fruits is very time consuming and expensive process and it is not practical for big fields. Robotic systems including Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV), provide an efficient, cost-effective, flexible, and scalable solution for product management and yield prediction. Recently huge data has been gathered from agricultural field, however efficient analysis of those data is still a challenging task. Computer vision approaches currently face diffident challenges in automatic counting of fruits or flowers including occlusion caused by leaves, branches or other fruits, variance in natural illumination, and scale. In this paper a novel deep convolutional network algorithm was developed to facilitate the accurate yield prediction and automatic counting of fruits and vegetables on the images. Our method is robust to occlusion, shadow, uneven illumination and scale. Experimental results in comparison to the state-of-the art show the effectiveness of our algorithm.

Predawn respiration rates during flowering are highly predictive of yield response in Gossypium hirsutum when yield variability is water-induced.

PubMed

Snider, John L; Chastain, Daryl R; Meeks, Calvin D; Collins, Guy D; Sorensen, Ronald B; Byrd, Seth A; Perry, Calvin D

2015-07-01

Respiratory carbon evolution by leaves under abiotic stress is implicated as a major limitation to crop productivity; however, respiration rates of fully expanded leaves are positively associated with plant growth rates. Given the substantial sensitivity of plant growth to drought, it was hypothesized that predawn respiration rates (RPD) would be (1) more sensitive to drought than photosynthetic processes and (2) highly predictive of water-induced yield variability in Gossypium hirsutum. Two studies (at Tifton and Camilla Georgia) addressed these hypotheses. At Tifton, drought was imposed beginning at the onset of flowering (first flower) and continuing for three weeks (peak bloom) followed by a recovery period, and predawn water potential (ΨPD), RPD, net photosynthesis (AN) and maximum quantum yield of photosystem II (Fv/Fm) were measured throughout the study period. At Camilla, plants were exposed to five different irrigation regimes throughout the growing season, and average ΨPD and RPD were determined between first flower and peak bloom for all treatments. For both sites, fiber yield was assessed at crop maturity. The relationships between ΨPD, RPD and yield were assessed via non-linear regression. It was concluded for field-grown G. hirsutum that (1) RPD is exceptionally sensitive to progressive drought (more so than AN or Fv/Fm) and (2) average RPD from first flower to peak bloom is highly predictive of water-induced yield variability. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Laser heating challenges of high yield MagLIF targets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slutz, Stephen; Sefkow, Adam; Vesey, Roger

2014-10-01

The MagLIF (Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion) concept is predicted by numerical simulation to produce fusion yields of about 100 kJ, when driven by 25 MA from the existing Z accelerator [S. A. Slutz et al. Phys. Plasmas 17, 056303 (2010)] and much higher yields with future accelerators delivering higher currents [Slutz and Vesey PRL 108, 025003 (2012)]. The fuel must be heated before compression to obtain significant fusion yields due to the relatively slow implosion velocities (~ 100 km/s) of magnetically driven liners. Lasers provide a convenient means to accomplish this pre-compressional heating of the fusion fuel, but there are challenges. The laser must penetrate a foil covering the laser entrance hole and deposit 20-30 kJ within the ~1 cm length of the liner in fuel at 6-12 mg/cc. Such high densities could result in beam scattering due to refraction and laser plasma interactions. Numerical simulations of the laser heating process are presented, which indicate that energies as high as 30 kJ could be deposited in the fuel by using two laser pulses of different wavelengths. Simulations of this process will be presented as well of results for a MagLIF design for a potential new machine delivering 50 MA of current. Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Company, for the United States Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under Contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

Automatic yield-line analysis of slabs using discontinuity layout optimization

PubMed Central

Gilbert, Matthew; He, Linwei; Smith, Colin C.; Le, Canh V.

2014-01-01

The yield-line method of analysis is a long established and extremely effective means of estimating the maximum load sustainable by a slab or plate. However, although numerous attempts to automate the process of directly identifying the critical pattern of yield-lines have been made over the past few decades, to date none has proved capable of reliably analysing slabs of arbitrary geometry. Here, it is demonstrated that the discontinuity layout optimization (DLO) procedure can successfully be applied to such problems. The procedure involves discretization of the problem using nodes inter-connected by potential yield-line discontinuities, with the critical layout of these then identified using linear programming. The procedure is applied to various benchmark problems, demonstrating that highly accurate solutions can be obtained, and showing that DLO provides a truly systematic means of directly and reliably automatically identifying yield-line patterns. Finally, since the critical yield-line patterns for many problems are found to be quite complex in form, a means of automatically simplifying these is presented. PMID:25104905

Accurate RNA consensus sequencing for high-fidelity detection of transcriptional mutagenesis-induced epimutations.

PubMed

Reid-Bayliss, Kate S; Loeb, Lawrence A

2017-08-29

Transcriptional mutagenesis (TM) due to misincorporation during RNA transcription can result in mutant RNAs, or epimutations, that generate proteins with altered properties. TM has long been hypothesized to play a role in aging, cancer, and viral and bacterial evolution. However, inadequate methodologies have limited progress in elucidating a causal association. We present a high-throughput, highly accurate RNA sequencing method to measure epimutations with single-molecule sensitivity. Accurate RNA consensus sequencing (ARC-seq) uniquely combines RNA barcoding and generation of multiple cDNA copies per RNA molecule to eliminate errors introduced during cDNA synthesis, PCR, and sequencing. The stringency of ARC-seq can be scaled to accommodate the quality of input RNAs. We apply ARC-seq to directly assess transcriptome-wide epimutations resulting from RNA polymerase mutants and oxidative stress.

High Useful Yield and Isotopic Analysis of Uranium by Resonance Ionization Mass Spectrometry

DOE PAGES

Savina, Michael R.; Isselhardt, Brett H.; Kucher, Andrew; ...

2017-05-09

Useful yields from resonance ionization mass spectrometry can be extremely high compared to other mass spectrometry techniques, but uranium analysis shows strong matrix effects arising from the tendency of uranium to form strongly bound oxide molecules that do not dissociate appreciably on energetic ion bombardment. Here, we demonstrate a useful yield of 24% for metallic uranium. Modeling the laser ionization and ion transmission processes shows that the high useful yield is attributable to a high ion fraction achieved by resonance ionization. We quantify the reduction of uranium oxide surface layers by Ar + and Ga + sputtering. The useful yieldmore » for uranium atoms from a uranium dioxide matrix is 0.4% and rises to 2% when the surface is in sputter equilibrium with the ion beam. The lower useful yield from the oxide is almost entirely due to uranium oxide molecules reducing the neutral atom content of the sputtered flux. We also demonstrate rapid isotopic analysis of solid uranium oxide at a precision of <0.5% relative standard deviation using relatively broadband lasers to mitigate spectroscopic fractionation.« less

High Useful Yield and Isotopic Analysis of Uranium by Resonance Ionization Mass Spectrometry

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

Savina, Michael R.; Isselhardt, Brett H.; Kucher, Andrew

Useful yields from resonance ionization mass spectrometry can be extremely high compared to other mass spectrometry techniques, but uranium analysis shows strong matrix effects arising from the tendency of uranium to form strongly bound oxide molecules that do not dissociate appreciably on energetic ion bombardment. Here, we demonstrate a useful yield of 24% for metallic uranium. Modeling the laser ionization and ion transmission processes shows that the high useful yield is attributable to a high ion fraction achieved by resonance ionization. We quantify the reduction of uranium oxide surface layers by Ar + and Ga + sputtering. The useful yieldmore » for uranium atoms from a uranium dioxide matrix is 0.4% and rises to 2% when the surface is in sputter equilibrium with the ion beam. The lower useful yield from the oxide is almost entirely due to uranium oxide molecules reducing the neutral atom content of the sputtered flux. We also demonstrate rapid isotopic analysis of solid uranium oxide at a precision of <0.5% relative standard deviation using relatively broadband lasers to mitigate spectroscopic fractionation.« less

Lincoln Laboratory demonstrates highly accurate vehicle localization under adverse weather conditions

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-05-25

2016 Lincoln Laboratory demonstrates highly accurate vehicle localization under adverse weather conditions A ground-penetrating radar system...the problems limiting the development and adoption of self-driving vehicles: how can a vehicle navigate to stay within its lane when bad weather ... weather conditions, but it is challenging, even impossible, for them to work when snow covers the markings and surfaces or precipitation obscures points

High yield neutron generators using the DD reaction

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

Vainionpaa, J. H.; Harris, J. L.; Piestrup, M. A.

2013-04-19

A product line of high yield neutron generators has been developed at Adelphi technology inc. The generators use the D-D fusion reaction and are driven by an ion beam supplied by a microwave ion source. Yields of up to 5 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 9} n/s have been achieved, which are comparable to those obtained using the more efficient D-T reaction. The microwave-driven plasma uses the electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) to produce a high plasma density for high current and high atomic ion species. These generators have an actively pumped vacuum system that allows operation at reduced pressure in the target chamber,more » increasing the overall system reliability. Since no radioactive tritium is used, the generators can be easily serviced, and components can be easily replaced, providing essentially an unlimited lifetime. Fast neutron source size can be adjusted by selecting the aperture and target geometries according to customer specifications. Pulsed and continuous operation has been demonstrated. Minimum pulse lengths of 50 {mu}s have been achieved. Since the generators are easily serviceable, they offer a long lifetime neutron generator for laboratories and commercial systems requiring continuous operation. Several of the generators have been enclosed in radiation shielding/moderator structures designed for customer specifications. These generators have been proven to be useful for prompt gamma neutron activation analysis (PGNAA), neutron activation analysis (NAA) and fast neutron radiography. Thus these generators make excellent fast, epithermal and thermal neutron sources for laboratories and industrial applications that require neutrons with safe operation, small footprint, low cost and small regulatory burden.« less

Electrorheological fluid with an extraordinarily high yield stress

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yuling; Lu, Kunquan; Rao, Guanghui; Tian, Yu; Zhang, Shaohua; Liang, Jingkui

2002-02-01

Surface modified complex strontium titanate microparticles are synthesized by means of a modified sol-gel technique. A suspension composed of these particles immersed in a silicone oil exhibits excellent electrorheological properties attractive to industry and technology applications: a yield stress as high as 27 kPa in an applied electric field of 3 kV/mm, a low leakage current, wide dynamic ranges in temperature and shear rate, and a long-term stability against sedimentation. In addition to the high dielectric constant of strontium titanate, surfactant and water-free character of the particles may be responsible for the dramatic improvement of the electrorheological properties of the suspension.

A Remote Sensing-Derived Corn Yield Assessment Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shrestha, Ranjay Man

Agricultural studies and food security have become critical research topics due to continuous growth in human population and simultaneous shrinkage in agricultural land. In spite of modern technological advancements to improve agricultural productivity, more studies on crop yield assessments and food productivities are still necessary to fulfill the constantly increasing food demands. Besides human activities, natural disasters such as flood and drought, along with rapid climate changes, also inflect an adverse effect on food productivities. Understanding the impact of these disasters on crop yield and making early impact estimations could help planning for any national or international food crisis. Similarly, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) insurance management utilizes appropriately estimated crop yield and damage assessment information to sustain farmers' practice through timely and proper compensations. Through County Agricultural Production Survey (CAPS), the USDA National Agricultural Statistical Service (NASS) uses traditional methods of field interviews and farmer-reported survey data to perform annual crop condition monitoring and production estimations at the regional and state levels. As these manual approaches of yield estimations are highly inefficient and produce very limited samples to represent the entire area, NASS requires supplemental spatial data that provides continuous and timely information on crop production and annual yield. Compared to traditional methods, remote sensing data and products offer wider spatial extent, more accurate location information, higher temporal resolution and data distribution, and lower data cost--thus providing a complementary option for estimation of crop yield information. Remote sensing derived vegetation indices such as Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) provide measurable statistics of potential crop growth based on the spectral reflectance and could

Projecting crop yield in northern high latitude area.

PubMed

Matsumura, Kanichiro

2014-01-01

Changing climatic conditions on seasonal and longer time scales influence agricultural production. Improvement of soil and fertilizer is a strong factor in agricultural production, but agricultural production is influenced by climate conditions even in highly developed countries. It is valuable if fewer predictors make it possible to conduct future projections. Monthly temperature and precipitation, wintertime 500hPa geopotential height, and the previous year's yield are used as predictors to forecast spring wheat yield in advance. Canadian small agricultural divisions (SAD) are used for analysis. Each SAD is composed of a collection of Canadian Agricultural Regions (CAR) of similar weather and growing conditions. Spring wheat yields in each CAR are forecast from the following variables: (a) the previous year's yield, (b) earlier stages of the growing season's climate conditions and, (c) the previous year's wintertime northern hemisphere 500hPa geopotential height field. Arctic outflow events in the Okanagan Valley in Canada are associated with episodes of extremely low temperatures during wintertime. Principal component analysis (PCA) is applied for wintertime northern hemisphere 500hPa geopotential height anomalies. The spatial PCA mode1 is defined as Arctic Oscillation and it influences prevailing westerlies. The prevailing westerlies meanders and influences climatic conditions. The spatial similarity between wintertime top 5 Arctic outflow event year's composites of 500hPa geopotential height anomalies and mode 3's spatial pattern is found. Mode 3's spatial pattern looks like the Pacific/North American (PNA) pattern which describes the variation of atmospheric circulation pattern over the Pacific Ocean and North America. Climate conditions from April to June, May to July, mode 3's time coefficients, and previous year's yield are used for forecasting spring wheat yield in each SAD. Cross-validation procedure which generates eight sets of models for the eight

Design of high-reliability low-cost amorphous silicon modules for high energy yield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jansen, Kai W.; Varvar, Anthony; Twesme, Edward; Berens, Troy; Dhere, Neelkanth G.

2008-08-01

For PV modules to fulfill their intended purpose, they must generate sufficient economic return over their lifetime to justify their initial cost. Not only must modules be manufactured at a low cost/Wp with a high energy yield (kWh/kWp), they must also be designed to withstand the significant environmental stresses experienced throughout their 25+ year lifetime. Based on field experience, the most common factors affecting the lifetime energy yield of glass-based amorphous silicon (a-Si) modules have been identified; these include: 1) light-induced degradation; 2) moisture ingress and thin film corrosion; 3) transparent conductive oxide (TCO) delamination; and 4) glass breakage. The current approaches to mitigating the effect of these degradation mechanisms are discussed and the accelerated tests designed to simulate some of the field failures are described. In some cases, novel accelerated tests have been created to facilitate the development of improved manufacturing processes, including a unique test to screen for TCO delamination. Modules using the most reliable designs are tested in high voltage arrays at customer and internal test sites, as well as at independent laboratories. Data from tests at the Florida Solar Energy Center has shown that a-Si tandem modules can demonstrate an energy yield exceeding 1200 kWh/kWp/yr in a subtropical climate. In the same study, the test arrays demonstrated low long-term power loss over two years of data collection, after initial stabilization. The absolute power produced by the test arrays varied seasonally by approximately +/-7%, as expected.

Adjusting slash pine growth and yield for silvicultural treatments

Treesearch

Stephen R. Logan; Barry D. Shiver

2006-01-01

With intensive silvicultural treatments such as fertilization and competition control now commonplace in today's slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm.) plantations, a method to adjust current growth and yield models is required to accurately account for yield increases due to these practices. Some commonly used ad-hoc methods, such as raising site...

Unique method for controlling device level overlay with high-NA optical overlay technique using YieldStar in a DRAM HVM environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Dong-Kiu; Kim, Hyun-Sok; Seo, Moo-Young; Ju, Jae-Wuk; Kim, Young-Sik; Shahrjerdy, Mir; van Leest, Arno; Soco, Aileen; Miceli, Giacomo; Massier, Jennifer; McNamara, Elliott; Hinnen, Paul; Böcker, Paul; Oh, Nang-Lyeom; Jung, Sang-Hoon; Chai, Yvon; Lee, Jun-Hyung

2018-03-01

This paper demonstrates the improvement using the YieldStar S-1250D small spot, high-NA, after-etch overlay in-device measurements in a DRAM HVM environment. It will be demonstrated that In-device metrology (IDM) captures after-etch device fingerprints more accurately compared to the industry-standard CDSEM. Also, IDM measurements (acquiring both CD and overlay) can be executed significantly faster increasing the wafer sampling density that is possible within a realistic metrology budget. The improvements to both speed and accuracy open the possibility of extended modeling and correction capabilities for control. The proof-book data of this paper shows a 36% improvement of device overlay after switching to control in a DRAM HVM environment using indevice metrology.

Rapid Classification and Identification of Multiple Microorganisms with Accurate Statistical Significance via High-Resolution Tandem Mass Spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alves, Gelio; Wang, Guanghui; Ogurtsov, Aleksey Y.; Drake, Steven K.; Gucek, Marjan; Sacks, David B.; Yu, Yi-Kuo

2018-06-01

Rapid and accurate identification and classification of microorganisms is of paramount importance to public health and safety. With the advance of mass spectrometry (MS) technology, the speed of identification can be greatly improved. However, the increasing number of microbes sequenced is complicating correct microbial identification even in a simple sample due to the large number of candidates present. To properly untwine candidate microbes in samples containing one or more microbes, one needs to go beyond apparent morphology or simple "fingerprinting"; to correctly prioritize the candidate microbes, one needs to have accurate statistical significance in microbial identification. We meet these challenges by using peptide-centric representations of microbes to better separate them and by augmenting our earlier analysis method that yields accurate statistical significance. Here, we present an updated analysis workflow that uses tandem MS (MS/MS) spectra for microbial identification or classification. We have demonstrated, using 226 MS/MS publicly available data files (each containing from 2500 to nearly 100,000 MS/MS spectra) and 4000 additional MS/MS data files, that the updated workflow can correctly identify multiple microbes at the genus and often the species level for samples containing more than one microbe. We have also shown that the proposed workflow computes accurate statistical significances, i.e., E values for identified peptides and unified E values for identified microbes. Our updated analysis workflow MiCId, a freely available software for Microorganism Classification and Identification, is available for download at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/CBBresearch/Yu/downloads.html.

Rapid Classification and Identification of Multiple Microorganisms with Accurate Statistical Significance via High-Resolution Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

PubMed

Alves, Gelio; Wang, Guanghui; Ogurtsov, Aleksey Y; Drake, Steven K; Gucek, Marjan; Sacks, David B; Yu, Yi-Kuo

2018-06-05

Rapid and accurate identification and classification of microorganisms is of paramount importance to public health and safety. With the advance of mass spectrometry (MS) technology, the speed of identification can be greatly improved. However, the increasing number of microbes sequenced is complicating correct microbial identification even in a simple sample due to the large number of candidates present. To properly untwine candidate microbes in samples containing one or more microbes, one needs to go beyond apparent morphology or simple "fingerprinting"; to correctly prioritize the candidate microbes, one needs to have accurate statistical significance in microbial identification. We meet these challenges by using peptide-centric representations of microbes to better separate them and by augmenting our earlier analysis method that yields accurate statistical significance. Here, we present an updated analysis workflow that uses tandem MS (MS/MS) spectra for microbial identification or classification. We have demonstrated, using 226 MS/MS publicly available data files (each containing from 2500 to nearly 100,000 MS/MS spectra) and 4000 additional MS/MS data files, that the updated workflow can correctly identify multiple microbes at the genus and often the species level for samples containing more than one microbe. We have also shown that the proposed workflow computes accurate statistical significances, i.e., E values for identified peptides and unified E values for identified microbes. Our updated analysis workflow MiCId, a freely available software for Microorganism Classification and Identification, is available for download at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/CBBresearch/Yu/downloads.html . Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

Differential gene expression at different stages of mesocarp development in high- and low-yielding oil palm.

PubMed

Wong, Yick Ching; Teh, Huey Fang; Mebus, Katharina; Ooi, Tony Eng Keong; Kwong, Qi Bin; Koo, Ka Loo; Ong, Chuang Kee; Mayes, Sean; Chew, Fook Tim; Appleton, David R; Kulaveerasingam, Harikrishna

2017-06-21

The oil yield trait of oil palm is expected to involve multiple genes, environmental influences and interactions. Many of the underlying mechanisms that contribute to oil yield are still poorly understood. In this study, we used a microarray approach to study the gene expression profiles of mesocarp tissue at different developmental stages, comparing genetically related high- and low- oil yielding palms to identify genes that contributed to the higher oil-yielding palm and might contribute to the wider genetic improvement of oil palm breeding populations. A total of 3412 (2001 annotated) gene candidates were found to be significantly differentially expressed between high- and low-yielding palms at at least one of the different stages of mesocarp development evaluated. Gene Ontologies (GO) enrichment analysis identified 28 significantly enriched GO terms, including regulation of transcription, fatty acid biosynthesis and metabolic processes. These differentially expressed genes comprise several transcription factors, such as, bHLH, Dof zinc finger proteins and MADS box proteins. Several genes involved in glycolysis, TCA, and fatty acid biosynthesis pathways were also found up-regulated in high-yielding oil palm, among them; pyruvate dehydrogenase E1 component Subunit Beta (PDH), ATP-citrate lyase, β- ketoacyl-ACP synthases I (KAS I), β- ketoacyl-ACP synthases III (KAS III) and ketoacyl-ACP reductase (KAR). Sucrose metabolism-related genes such as Invertase, Sucrose Synthase 2 and Sucrose Phosphatase 2 were found to be down-regulated in high-yielding oil palms, compared to the lower yield palms. Our findings indicate that a higher carbon flux (channeled through down-regulation of the Sucrose Synthase 2 pathway) was being utilized by up-regulated genes involved in glycolysis, TCA and fatty acid biosynthesis leading to enhanced oil production in the high-yielding oil palm. These findings are an important stepping stone to understand the processes that lead to

Identification of potentially high yielding irradiated cassava ‘Gajah’ genotype with different geographic coordinates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Subekti, I.; Khumaida, N.; Ardie, SW

2017-01-01

Cassava is one of the main and important carbohydrate producing crops in Indonesia. Thus cassava production and its tuber quality need to be improved. ‘Gajah’ genotype is a local genotypes cassava from East Kalimantan, has high potential yield (> 60 ton Ha-1). However, the harvest time of this genotype is quite long (>= 12 months). The objective of this research was to identify the high yielding cassava mutants from the gamma rays irradiated ‘Gajah’ genotype at M1V3 population and potential yield at different location. Several putative cassava mutants (12 mutants) were planted in Cikabayan Experimental Field, IPB from March 2015 to March 2016 and the yields compared with the same genotype grown at different location by seeing its coordinates to observe the potential yield. Our result showed that the fresh tuber weight per plant of some putative mutants could reach more than 8 kg (yield potential of 64 ton Ha-1). The harvested tubers also had sweet flavor, although the tubers of some putative mutants were bitter. Based on previous research study, the different geographic coordinate has resulted variability on fresh tuber yield. It seems that it needs to observe the stability of ‘Gajah’- irradiated mutants in several location in Java Island.

MISSE 2 PEACE Polymers Experiment Atomic Oxygen Erosion Yield Error Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McCarthy, Catherine E.; Banks, Bruce A.; deGroh, Kim, K.

2010-01-01

Atomic oxygen erosion of polymers in low Earth orbit (LEO) poses a serious threat to spacecraft performance and durability. To address this, 40 different polymer samples and a sample of pyrolytic graphite, collectively called the PEACE (Polymer Erosion and Contamination Experiment) Polymers, were exposed to the LEO space environment on the exterior of the International Space Station (ISS) for nearly 4 years as part of the Materials International Space Station Experiment 1 & 2 (MISSE 1 & 2). The purpose of the PEACE Polymers experiment was to obtain accurate mass loss measurements in space to combine with ground measurements in order to accurately calculate the atomic oxygen erosion yields of a wide variety of polymeric materials exposed to the LEO space environment for a long period of time. Error calculations were performed in order to determine the accuracy of the mass measurements and therefore of the erosion yield values. The standard deviation, or error, of each factor was incorporated into the fractional uncertainty of the erosion yield for each of three different situations, depending on the post-flight weighing procedure. The resulting error calculations showed the erosion yield values to be very accurate, with an average error of 3.30 percent.

Co-pyrolysis characteristics of microalgae Isochrysis and Chlorella: Kinetics, biocrude yield and interaction.

PubMed

Zhao, Bingwei; Wang, Xin; Yang, Xiaoyi

2015-12-01

Co-pyrolysis characteristics of Isochrysis (high lipid) and Chlorella (high protein) were investigated qualitatively and quantitatively based on DTG curves, biocrude yield and composition by individual pyrolysis and co-pyrolysis. DTG curves in co-pyrolysis have been compared accurately with those in individual pyrolysis. An interaction has been detected at 475-500°C in co-pyrolysis based on biocrude yields, and co-pyrolysis reaction mechanism appear three-dimensional diffusion in comparison with random nucleation followed by growth in individual pyrolysis based on kinetic analysis. There is no obvious difference in the maximum biocrude yields for individual pyrolysis and co-pyrolysis, but carboxylic acids (IC21) decreased and N-heterocyclic compounds (IC12) increased in co-pyrolysis. Simulation results of biocrude yield by Components Biofuel Model and Kinetics Biofuel Model indicate that the processes of co-pyrolysis comply with those of individual pyrolysis in solid phase by and large. Variation of percentage content in co-pyrolysis and individual pyrolysis biocrude indicated interaction in gas phase. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

High-resolution endoscopic ultrasound imaging and the number of needle passages are significant factors predicting high yield of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration for pancreatic solid masses without an on-site cytopathologist

PubMed Central

Jeong, Seok Hoo; Yoon, Hyun Hwa; Kim, Eui Joo; Kim, Yoon Jae; Kim, Yeon Suk; Cho, Jae Hee

2017-01-01

Abstract Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) is the accurate diagnostic method for pancreatic masses and its accuracy is affected by various FNA methods and EUS equipment. Therefore, we aimed to elucidate the instrumental and methodologic factors for determining the diagnostic yield of EUS-FNA for pancreatic solid masses without an on-site cytopathology evaluation. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 260 patients (265 pancreatic solid masses) who underwent EUS-FNA. We compared historical conventional EUS groups with high-resolution imaging devices and finally analyzed various factors affecting EUS-FNA accuracy. In total, 265 pancreatic solid masses of 260 patients were included in this study. The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of EUS-FNA for pancreatic solid masses without on-site cytopathology evaluation were 83.4%, 81.8%, 100.0%, 100.0%, and 34.3%, respectively. In comparison with conventional image group, high-resolution image group showed the increased accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of EUS-FNA (71.3% vs 92.7%, 68.9% vs 91.9%, and 100% vs 100%, respectively). On the multivariate analysis with various instrumental and methodologic factors, high-resolution imaging (P = 0.040, odds ratio = 3.28) and 3 or more needle passes (P = 0.039, odds ratio = 2.41) were important factors affecting diagnostic yield of pancreatic solid masses. High-resolution imaging and 3 or more passes were the most significant factors influencing diagnostic yield of EUS-FNA in patients with pancreatic solid masses without an on-site cytopathologist. PMID:28079803

Highly accurate and fast optical penetration-based silkworm gender separation system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamtongdee, Chakkrit; Sumriddetchkajorn, Sarun; Chanhorm, Sataporn

2015-07-01

Based on our research work in the last five years, this paper highlights our innovative optical sensing system that can identify and separate silkworm gender highly suitable for sericulture industry. The key idea relies on our proposed optical penetration concepts and once combined with simple image processing operations leads to high accuracy in identifying of silkworm gender. Inside the system, there are electronic and mechanical parts that assist in controlling the overall system operation, processing the optical signal, and separating the female from male silkworm pupae. With current system performance, we achieve a very highly accurate more than 95% in identifying gender of silkworm pupae with an average system operational speed of 30 silkworm pupae/minute. Three of our systems are already in operation at Thailand's Queen Sirikit Sericulture Centers.

Comparison of statistical models for analyzing wheat yield time series.

PubMed

Michel, Lucie; Makowski, David

2013-01-01

The world's population is predicted to exceed nine billion by 2050 and there is increasing concern about the capability of agriculture to feed such a large population. Foresight studies on food security are frequently based on crop yield trends estimated from yield time series provided by national and regional statistical agencies. Various types of statistical models have been proposed for the analysis of yield time series, but the predictive performances of these models have not yet been evaluated in detail. In this study, we present eight statistical models for analyzing yield time series and compare their ability to predict wheat yield at the national and regional scales, using data provided by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and by the French Ministry of Agriculture. The Holt-Winters and dynamic linear models performed equally well, giving the most accurate predictions of wheat yield. However, dynamic linear models have two advantages over Holt-Winters models: they can be used to reconstruct past yield trends retrospectively and to analyze uncertainty. The results obtained with dynamic linear models indicated a stagnation of wheat yields in many countries, but the estimated rate of increase of wheat yield remained above 0.06 t ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ in several countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and America, and the estimated values were highly uncertain for several major wheat producing countries. The rate of yield increase differed considerably between French regions, suggesting that efforts to identify the main causes of yield stagnation should focus on a subnational scale.

Comparison of Statistical Models for Analyzing Wheat Yield Time Series

PubMed Central

Michel, Lucie; Makowski, David

2013-01-01

The world's population is predicted to exceed nine billion by 2050 and there is increasing concern about the capability of agriculture to feed such a large population. Foresight studies on food security are frequently based on crop yield trends estimated from yield time series provided by national and regional statistical agencies. Various types of statistical models have been proposed for the analysis of yield time series, but the predictive performances of these models have not yet been evaluated in detail. In this study, we present eight statistical models for analyzing yield time series and compare their ability to predict wheat yield at the national and regional scales, using data provided by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and by the French Ministry of Agriculture. The Holt-Winters and dynamic linear models performed equally well, giving the most accurate predictions of wheat yield. However, dynamic linear models have two advantages over Holt-Winters models: they can be used to reconstruct past yield trends retrospectively and to analyze uncertainty. The results obtained with dynamic linear models indicated a stagnation of wheat yields in many countries, but the estimated rate of increase of wheat yield remained above 0.06 t ha−1 year−1 in several countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and America, and the estimated values were highly uncertain for several major wheat producing countries. The rate of yield increase differed considerably between French regions, suggesting that efforts to identify the main causes of yield stagnation should focus on a subnational scale. PMID:24205280

Accurate high-throughput structure mapping and prediction with transition metal ion FRET

PubMed Central

Yu, Xiaozhen; Wu, Xiongwu; Bermejo, Guillermo A.; Brooks, Bernard R.; Taraska, Justin W.

2013-01-01

Mapping the landscape of a protein’s conformational space is essential to understanding its functions and regulation. The limitations of many structural methods have made this process challenging for most proteins. Here, we report that transition metal ion FRET (tmFRET) can be used in a rapid, highly parallel screen, to determine distances from multiple locations within a protein at extremely low concentrations. The distances generated through this screen for the protein Maltose Binding Protein (MBP) match distances from the crystal structure to within a few angstroms. Furthermore, energy transfer accurately detects structural changes during ligand binding. Finally, fluorescence-derived distances can be used to guide molecular simulations to find low energy states. Our results open the door to rapid, accurate mapping and prediction of protein structures at low concentrations, in large complex systems, and in living cells. PMID:23273426

High Titer and Yields Achieved with Novel, Low-Severity Pretreatment Strategy

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

NREL researchers obtained high concentration sugar syrups in enzymatic hydrolysis that are fermentable to ethanol and other advanced biofuels and intermediate products at high yields. The novel DMR process is simpler and bypasses all severe pretreatment methods, thus reducing the environmental impact. The results are unprecedented. Researchers achieved a high concentration of sugars (230g/L of monomeric sugar and 270 g/L total sugar) and this low toxicity, highly fermentable syrup yielded 86 g/L ethanol (> 90 percent conversion). In addition, the lignin streams from this process can readily be converted to jet or renewable diesel blendstocks through a hydrodeoxygenation step. Themore » NREL-developed, low severity DMR process may potentially replace higher severity chemical pretreatments and associated expensive reactors constructed of exotic alloys with a simpler process, using commercial-scale equipment commonly associated with the pulp and paper industry, to produce high concentration, low toxicity sugar streams and highly reactive lignin streams from non-food renewable biomass for biological and catalytic upgrading to advanced biofuels and chemicals. The simpler DMR process with black liquor recycling could reduce environmental and life-cycle impacts, and repurpose shuttered pulp and paper mills to help revitalize rural economies.« less

High-Yield Synthesis and Applications of Anisotropic Gold Nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vigderman, Leonid

This work will describe research directed towards the synthesis of anisotropic gold nanoparticles as well as their functionalization and biological applications. The thesis will begin by describing a new technique for the high-yield synthesis of gold nanorods using hydroquinone as a reducing agent. This addresses important limitations of the traditional nanorod synthesis including low yield of gold ions conversion to metallic form and inability to produce rods with longitudinal surface plasmon peak above 850 nm. The use of hydroquinone was also found to improve the synthesis of gold nanowires via the nanorod-seed mediated procedure developed in our lab. The thesis will next present the synthesis of novel starfruitshaped nanorods, mesorods, and nanowires using a modified nanorod-seed mediated procedure. The starfruit particles displayed increased activity as surfaceenhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrates as compared to smooth structures. Next, a method for the functionalization of gold nanorods using a cationic thiol, 16-mercaptohexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (MTAB), will be described. By using this thiol, we were able to demonstrate the complete removal of toxic surfactant from the nanorods and were also able to precisely quantify the grafting density of thiol molecules on the nanorod surface through a combination of several analytical techniques. Finally, this thesis will show that MTABfunctionalized nanorods are nontoxic and can be taken up in extremely high numbers into cancer cells. The thesis will conclude by describing the surprising uptake of larger mesorods and nanowires functionalized with MTAB into cells in high quantities.

Development of high-yield influenza B virus vaccine viruses

PubMed Central

Ping, Jihui; Lopes, Tiago J. S.; Neumann, Gabriele; Kawaoka, Yoshihiro

2016-01-01

The burden of human infections with influenza A and B viruses is substantial, and the impact of influenza B virus infections can exceed that of influenza A virus infections in some seasons. Over the past few decades, viruses of two influenza B virus lineages (Victoria and Yamagata) have circulated in humans, and both lineages are now represented in influenza vaccines, as recommended by the World Health Organization. Influenza B virus vaccines for humans have been available for more than half a century, yet no systematic efforts have been undertaken to develop high-yield candidates. Therefore, we screened virus libraries possessing random mutations in the six “internal” influenza B viral RNA segments [i.e., those not encoding the major viral antigens, hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase NA)] for mutants that confer efficient replication. Candidate viruses that supported high yield in cell culture were tested with the HA and NA genes of eight different viruses of the Victoria and Yamagata lineages. We identified combinations of mutations that increased the titers of candidate vaccine viruses in mammalian cells used for human influenza vaccine virus propagation and in embryonated chicken eggs, the most common propagation system for influenza viruses. These influenza B virus vaccine backbones can be used for improved vaccine virus production. PMID:27930325

Development of high-yield influenza B virus vaccine viruses.

PubMed

Ping, Jihui; Lopes, Tiago J S; Neumann, Gabriele; Kawaoka, Yoshihiro

2016-12-20

The burden of human infections with influenza A and B viruses is substantial, and the impact of influenza B virus infections can exceed that of influenza A virus infections in some seasons. Over the past few decades, viruses of two influenza B virus lineages (Victoria and Yamagata) have circulated in humans, and both lineages are now represented in influenza vaccines, as recommended by the World Health Organization. Influenza B virus vaccines for humans have been available for more than half a century, yet no systematic efforts have been undertaken to develop high-yield candidates. Therefore, we screened virus libraries possessing random mutations in the six "internal" influenza B viral RNA segments [i.e., those not encoding the major viral antigens, hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase NA)] for mutants that confer efficient replication. Candidate viruses that supported high yield in cell culture were tested with the HA and NA genes of eight different viruses of the Victoria and Yamagata lineages. We identified combinations of mutations that increased the titers of candidate vaccine viruses in mammalian cells used for human influenza vaccine virus propagation and in embryonated chicken eggs, the most common propagation system for influenza viruses. These influenza B virus vaccine backbones can be used for improved vaccine virus production.

Highly accurate potential energy surface for the He-H2 dimer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bakr, Brandon W.; Smith, Daniel G. A.; Patkowski, Konrad

2013-10-01

A new highly accurate interaction potential is constructed for the He-H2 van der Waals complex. This potential is fitted to 1900 ab initio energies computed at the very large-basis coupled-cluster level and augmented by corrections for higher-order excitations (up to full configuration interaction level) and the diagonal Born-Oppenheimer correction. At the vibrationally averaged H-H bond length of 1.448736 bohrs, the well depth of our potential, 15.870 ± 0.065 K, is nearly 1 K larger than the most accurate previous studies have indicated. In addition to constructing our own three-dimensional potential in the van der Waals region, we present a reparameterization of the Boothroyd-Martin-Peterson potential surface [A. I. Boothroyd, P. G. Martin, and M. R. Peterson, J. Chem. Phys. 119, 3187 (2003)] that is suitable for all configurations of the triatomic system. Finally, we use the newly developed potentials to compute the properties of the lone bound states of 4He-H2 and 3He-H2 and the interaction second virial coefficient of the hydrogen-helium mixture.

Accurate paleointensities - the multi-method approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Groot, Lennart

2016-04-01

The accuracy of models describing rapid changes in the geomagnetic field over the past millennia critically depends on the availability of reliable paleointensity estimates. Over the past decade methods to derive paleointensities from lavas (the only recorder of the geomagnetic field that is available all over the globe and through geologic times) have seen significant improvements and various alternative techniques were proposed. The 'classical' Thellier-style approach was optimized and selection criteria were defined in the 'Standard Paleointensity Definitions' (Paterson et al, 2014). The Multispecimen approach was validated and the importance of additional tests and criteria to assess Multispecimen results must be emphasized. Recently, a non-heating, relative paleointensity technique was proposed -the pseudo-Thellier protocol- which shows great potential in both accuracy and efficiency, but currently lacks a solid theoretical underpinning. Here I present work using all three of the aforementioned paleointensity methods on suites of young lavas taken from the volcanic islands of Hawaii, La Palma, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, and Terceira. Many of the sampled cooling units are <100 years old, the actual field strength at the time of cooling is therefore reasonably well known. Rather intuitively, flows that produce coherent results from two or more different paleointensity methods yield the most accurate estimates of the paleofield. Furthermore, the results for some flows pass the selection criteria for one method, but fail in other techniques. Scrutinizing and combing all acceptable results yielded reliable paleointensity estimates for 60-70% of all sampled cooling units - an exceptionally high success rate. This 'multi-method paleointensity approach' therefore has high potential to provide the much-needed paleointensities to improve geomagnetic field models for the Holocene.

High Photoluminescence Quantum Yield in Band Gap Tunable Bromide Containing Mixed Halide Perovskites.

PubMed

Sutter-Fella, Carolin M; Li, Yanbo; Amani, Matin; Ager, Joel W; Toma, Francesca M; Yablonovitch, Eli; Sharp, Ian D; Javey, Ali

2016-01-13

Hybrid organic-inorganic halide perovskite based semiconductor materials are attractive for use in a wide range of optoelectronic devices because they combine the advantages of suitable optoelectronic attributes and simultaneously low-cost solution processability. Here, we present a two-step low-pressure vapor-assisted solution process to grow high quality homogeneous CH3NH3PbI3-xBrx perovskite films over the full band gap range of 1.6-2.3 eV. Photoluminescence light-in versus light-out characterization techniques are used to provide new insights into the optoelectronic properties of Br-containing hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites as a function of optical carrier injection by employing pump-powers over a 6 orders of magnitude dynamic range. The internal luminescence quantum yield of wide band gap perovskites reaches impressive values up to 30%. This high quantum yield translates into substantial quasi-Fermi level splitting and high "luminescence or optically implied" open-circuit voltage. Most importantly, both attributes, high internal quantum yield and high optically implied open-circuit voltage, are demonstrated over the entire band gap range (1.6 eV ≤ Eg ≤ 2.3 eV). These results establish the versatility of Br-containing perovskite semiconductors for a variety of applications and especially for the use as high-quality top cell in tandem photovoltaic devices in combination with industry dominant Si bottom cells.

Estimating rice yield from MODIS-Landsat fusion data in Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, C. R.; Chen, C. F.; Nguyen, S. T.

2017-12-01

Rice production monitoring with remote sensing is an important activity in Taiwan due to official initiatives. Yield estimation is a challenge in Taiwan because rice fields are small and fragmental. High spatiotemporal satellite data providing phenological information of rice crops is thus required for this monitoring purpose. This research aims to develop data fusion approaches to integrate daily Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Landsat data for rice yield estimation in Taiwan. In this study, the low-resolution MODIS LST and emissivity data are used as reference data sources to obtain the high-resolution LST from Landsat data using the mixed-pixel analysis technique, and the time-series EVI data were derived the fusion of MODIS and Landsat spectral band data using STARFM method. The LST and EVI simulated results showed the close agreement between the LST and EVI obtained by the proposed methods with the reference data. The rice-yield model was established using EVI and LST data based on information of rice crop phenology collected from 371 ground survey sites across the country in 2014. The results achieved from the fusion datasets compared with the reference data indicated the close relationship between the two datasets with the correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.75 and root mean square error (RMSE) of 338.7 kgs, which were more accurate than those using the coarse-resolution MODIS LST data (R2 = 0.71 and RMSE = 623.82 kgs). For the comparison of total production, 64 towns located in the west part of Taiwan were used. The results also confirmed that the model using fusion datasets produced more accurate results (R2 = 0.95 and RMSE = 1,243 tons) than that using the course-resolution MODIS data (R2 = 0.91 and RMSE = 1,749 tons). This study demonstrates the application of MODIS-Landsat fusion data for rice yield estimation at the township level in Taiwan. The results obtained from the methods used in this study could be useful to policymakers

A flexible and accurate digital volume correlation method applicable to high-resolution volumetric images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pan, Bing; Wang, Bo

2017-10-01

Digital volume correlation (DVC) is a powerful technique for quantifying interior deformation within solid opaque materials and biological tissues. In the last two decades, great efforts have been made to improve the accuracy and efficiency of the DVC algorithm. However, there is still a lack of a flexible, robust and accurate version that can be efficiently implemented in personal computers with limited RAM. This paper proposes an advanced DVC method that can realize accurate full-field internal deformation measurement applicable to high-resolution volume images with up to billions of voxels. Specifically, a novel layer-wise reliability-guided displacement tracking strategy combined with dynamic data management is presented to guide the DVC computation from slice to slice. The displacements at specified calculation points in each layer are computed using the advanced 3D inverse-compositional Gauss-Newton algorithm with the complete initial guess of the deformation vector accurately predicted from the computed calculation points. Since only limited slices of interest in the reference and deformed volume images rather than the whole volume images are required, the DVC calculation can thus be efficiently implemented on personal computers. The flexibility, accuracy and efficiency of the presented DVC approach are demonstrated by analyzing computer-simulated and experimentally obtained high-resolution volume images.

Pathways between primary production and fisheries yields of large marine ecosystems.

PubMed

Friedland, Kevin D; Stock, Charles; Drinkwater, Kenneth F; Link, Jason S; Leaf, Robert T; Shank, Burton V; Rose, Julie M; Pilskaln, Cynthia H; Fogarty, Michael J

2012-01-01

The shift in marine resource management from a compartmentalized approach of dealing with resources on a species basis to an approach based on management of spatially defined ecosystems requires an accurate accounting of energy flow. The flow of energy from primary production through the food web will ultimately limit upper trophic-level fishery yields. In this work, we examine the relationship between yield and several metrics including net primary production, chlorophyll concentration, particle-export ratio, and the ratio of secondary to primary production. We also evaluate the relationship between yield and two additional rate measures that describe the export of energy from the pelagic food web, particle export flux and mesozooplankton productivity. We found primary production is a poor predictor of global fishery yields for a sample of 52 large marine ecosystems. However, chlorophyll concentration, particle-export ratio, and the ratio of secondary to primary production were positively associated with yields. The latter two measures provide greater mechanistic insight into factors controlling fishery production than chlorophyll concentration alone. Particle export flux and mesozooplankton productivity were also significantly related to yield on a global basis. Collectively, our analyses suggest that factors related to the export of energy from pelagic food webs are critical to defining patterns of fishery yields. Such trophic patterns are associated with temperature and latitude and hence greater yields are associated with colder, high latitude ecosystems.

Pathways between Primary Production and Fisheries Yields of Large Marine Ecosystems

PubMed Central

Friedland, Kevin D.; Stock, Charles; Drinkwater, Kenneth F.; Link, Jason S.; Leaf, Robert T.; Shank, Burton V.; Rose, Julie M.; Pilskaln, Cynthia H.; Fogarty, Michael J.

2012-01-01

The shift in marine resource management from a compartmentalized approach of dealing with resources on a species basis to an approach based on management of spatially defined ecosystems requires an accurate accounting of energy flow. The flow of energy from primary production through the food web will ultimately limit upper trophic-level fishery yields. In this work, we examine the relationship between yield and several metrics including net primary production, chlorophyll concentration, particle-export ratio, and the ratio of secondary to primary production. We also evaluate the relationship between yield and two additional rate measures that describe the export of energy from the pelagic food web, particle export flux and mesozooplankton productivity. We found primary production is a poor predictor of global fishery yields for a sample of 52 large marine ecosystems. However, chlorophyll concentration, particle-export ratio, and the ratio of secondary to primary production were positively associated with yields. The latter two measures provide greater mechanistic insight into factors controlling fishery production than chlorophyll concentration alone. Particle export flux and mesozooplankton productivity were also significantly related to yield on a global basis. Collectively, our analyses suggest that factors related to the export of energy from pelagic food webs are critical to defining patterns of fishery yields. Such trophic patterns are associated with temperature and latitude and hence greater yields are associated with colder, high latitude ecosystems. PMID:22276100

PCR amplification of up to 35-kb DNA with high fidelity and high yield from lambda bacteriophage templates.

PubMed Central

Barnes, W M

1994-01-01

A target length limitation to PCR amplification of DNA has been identified and addressed. Concomitantly, the base-pair fidelity, the ability to use PCR products as primers, and the maximum yield of target fragment were increased. These improvements were achieved by the combination of a high level of an exonuclease-free, N-terminal deletion mutant of Taq DNA polymerase, Klentaq1, with a very low level of a thermostable DNA polymerase exhibiting a 3'-exonuclease activity (Pfu, Vent, or Deep Vent). At least 35 kb can be amplified to high yields from 1 ng of lambda DNA template. Images PMID:8134376

How does spatial and temporal resolution of vegetation index impact crop yield estimation?

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Timely and accurate estimation of crop yield before harvest is critical for food market and administrative planning. Remote sensing data have long been used in crop yield estimation for decades. The process-based approach uses light use efficiency model to estimate crop yield. Vegetation index (VI) ...

Secondary electron emission yield from high aspect ratio carbon velvet surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Chenggang; Ottaviano, Angelica; Raitses, Yevgeny

2017-11-01

The plasma electrons bombarding a plasma-facing wall surface can induce secondary electron emission (SEE) from the wall. A strong SEE can enhance the power losses by reducing the wall sheath potential and thereby increasing the electron flux from the plasma to the wall. The use of the materials with surface roughness and the engineered materials with surface architecture is known to reduce the effective SEE by trapping the secondary electrons. In this work, we demonstrate a 65% reduction of SEE yield using a velvet material consisting of high aspect ratio carbon fibers. The measurements of SEE yield for different velvet samples using the electron beam in vacuum demonstrate the dependence of the SEE yield on the fiber length and the packing density, which is strongly affected by the alignment of long velvet fibers with respect to the electron beam impinging on the velvet sample. The results of SEE measurements support the previous observations of the reduced SEE measured in Hall thrusters.

Development of High Yield Feedstocks and Biomass Conversion Technology for Renewable Energy

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

Hashimoto, Andrew G.; Crow, Susan; DeBeryshe, Barbara

2015-04-09

This project had two main goals. The first goal was to evaluate several high yielding tropical perennial grasses as feedstock for biofuel production, and to characterize the feedstock for compatible biofuel production systems. The second goal was to assess the integration of renewable energy systems for Hawaii. The project focused on high-yield grasses (napiergrass, energycane, sweet sorghum, and sugarcane). Field plots were established to evaluate the effects of elevation (30, 300 and 900 meters above sea level) and irrigation (50%, 75% and 100% of sugarcane plantation practice) on energy crop yields and input. The test plots were extensive monitored including:more » hydrologic studies to measure crop water use and losses through seepage and evapotranspiration; changes in soil carbon stock; greenhouse gas flux (CO 2, CH 4, and N 2O) from the soil surface; and root morphology, biomass, and turnover. Results showed significant effects of environment on crop yields. In general, crop yields decrease as the elevation increased, being more pronounced for sweet sorghum and energycane than napiergrass. Also energy crop yields were higher with increased irrigation levels, being most pronounced with energycane and less so with sweet sorghum. Daylight length greatly affected sweet sorghum growth and yields. One of the energy crops (napiergrass) was harvested at different ages (2, 4, 6, and 8 months) to assess the changes in feedstock characteristics with age and potential to generate co-products. Although there was greater potential for co-products from younger feedstock, the increased production was not sufficient to offset the additional cost of harvesting multiple times per year. The feedstocks were also characterized to assess their compatibility with biochemical and thermochemical conversion processes. The project objectives are being continued through additional support from the Office of Naval Research, and the Biomass Research and Development Initiative. Renewable

High Photoluminescence Quantum Yield in Band Gap Tunable Bromide Containing Mixed Halide Perovskites

DOE PAGES

Sutter-Fella, Carolin M.; Li, Yanbo; Amani, Matin; ...

2015-12-21

Hybrid organic-inorganic halide perovskite based semiconductor materials are attractive for use in a wide range of optoelectronic devices because they combine the advantages of suitable optoelectronic attributes and simultaneously low-cost solution processability. Here, we present a two-step low-pressure vapor-assisted solution process to grow high quality homogeneous CH 3NH 3PbI 3-xBr x perovskite films over the full band gap range of 1.6-2.3 eV. Photoluminescence light-in versus light-out characterization techniques are used to provide new insights into the optoelectronic properties of Br-containing hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites as a function of optical carrier injection by employing pump-powers over a 6 orders of magnitude dynamicmore » range. The internal luminescence quantum yield of wide band gap perovskites reaches impressive values up to 30%. This high quantum yield translates into substantial quasi-Fermi level splitting and high "luminescence or optically implied" open-circuit voltage. Most importantly, both attributes, high internal quantum yield and high optically implied open-circuit voltage, are demonstrated over the entire band gap range (1.6 eV ≤ E g ≤ 2.3 eV). These results establish the versatility of Br-containing perovskite semiconductors for a variety of applications and especially for the use as high-quality top cell in tandem photovoltaic devices in combination with industry dominant Si bottom cells. (Figure Presented).« less

Trade-offs between high yields and greenhouse gas emissions in irrigation wheat cropland in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, Z. L.; Wu, L.; Ye, Y. L.; Ma, W. Q.; Chen, X. P.; Zhang, F. S.

2014-04-01

Although the concept of producing higher yields with reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is a goal that attracts increasing public and scientific attention, the trade-off between high yields and GHG emissions in intensive agricultural production is not well understood. Here, we hypothesize that there exists a mechanistic relationship between wheat grain yield and GHG emission, and that could be transformed into better agronomic management. A total 33 sites of on-farm experiments were investigated to evaluate the relationship between grain yield and GHG emissions using two systems (conventional practice, CP; high-yielding systems, HY) of intensive winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in China. Furthermore, we discussed the potential to produce higher yields with lower GHG emissions based on a survey of 2938 farmers. Compared to the CP system, grain yield was 39% (2352 kg ha-1) higher in the HY system, while GHG emissions increased by only 10%, and GHG emission intensity was reduced by 21%. The current intensive winter wheat system with farmers' practice had a median yield and maximum GHG emission rate of 6050 kg ha-1 and 4783 kg CO2 eq ha-1, respectively; however, this system can be transformed to maintain yields while reducing GHG emissions by 26% (6077 kg ha-1, and 3555 kg CO2 eq ha-1). Further, the HY system was found to increase grain yield by 39% with a simultaneous reduction in GHG emissions by 18% (8429 kg ha-1, and 3905 kg CO2 eq ha-1, respectively). In the future, we suggest moving the trade-off relationships and calculations from grain yield and GHG emissions to new measures of productivity and environmental protection using innovative management technologies.

Accurate modeling of high-repetition rate ultrashort pulse amplification in optical fibers

PubMed Central

Lindberg, Robert; Zeil, Peter; Malmström, Mikael; Laurell, Fredrik; Pasiskevicius, Valdas

2016-01-01

A numerical model for amplification of ultrashort pulses with high repetition rates in fiber amplifiers is presented. The pulse propagation is modeled by jointly solving the steady-state rate equations and the generalized nonlinear Schrödinger equation, which allows accurate treatment of nonlinear and dispersive effects whilst considering arbitrary spatial and spectral gain dependencies. Comparison of data acquired by using the developed model and experimental results prove to be in good agreement. PMID:27713496

Toward more accurate loss tangent measurements in reentrant cavities

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

Moyer, R. D.

1980-05-01

Karpova has described an absolute method for measurement of dielectric properties of a solid in a coaxial reentrant cavity. His cavity resonance equation yields very accurate results for dielectric constants. However, he presented only approximate expressions for the loss tangent. This report presents more exact expressions for that quantity and summarizes some experimental results.

Accuracy of quantum sensors measuring yield photon flux and photosynthetic photon flux

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barnes, C.; Tibbitts, T.; Sager, J.; Deitzer, G.; Bubenheim, D.; Koerner, G.; Bugbee, B.; Knott, W. M. (Principal Investigator)

1993-01-01

Photosynthesis is fundamentally driven by photon flux rather than energy flux, but not all absorbed photons yield equal amounts of photosynthesis. Thus, two measures of photosynthetically active radiation have emerged: photosynthetic photon flux (PPF), which values all photons from 400 to 700 nm equally, and yield photon flux (YPF), which weights photons in the range from 360 to 760 nm according to plant photosynthetic response. We selected seven common radiation sources and measured YPF and PPF from each source with a spectroradiometer. We then compared these measurements with measurements from three quantum sensors designed to measure YPF, and from six quantum sensors designed to measure PPF. There were few differences among sensors within a group (usually <5%), but YPF values from sensors were consistently lower (3% to 20%) than YPF values calculated from spectroradiometric measurements. Quantum sensor measurements of PPF also were consistently lower than PPF values calculated from spectroradiometric measurements, but the differences were <7% for all sources, except red-light-emitting diodes. The sensors were most accurate for broad-band sources and least accurate for narrow-band sources. According to spectroradiometric measurements, YPF sensors were significantly less accurate (>9% difference) than PPF sensors under metal halide, high-pressure sodium, and low-pressure sodium lamps. Both sensor types were inaccurate (>18% error) under red-light-emitting diodes. Because both YPF and PPF sensors are imperfect integrators, and because spectroradiometers can measure photosynthetically active radiation much more accurately, researchers should consider developing calibration factors from spectroradiometric data for some specific radiation sources to improve the accuracy of integrating sensors.

Variable sensitivity of US maize yield to high temperatures across developmental stages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Butler, E. E.; Huybers, P. J.

2013-12-01

The sensitivity of maize to high temperatures has been widely demonstrated. Furthermore, field work has indicated that reproductive development stages are particularly sensitive to stress, but this relationship has not been quantified across a wide geographic region. Here, the relationship between maize yield and temperature variations is examined as a function of developmental stage. US state-level data from the National Agriculture Statistics Service provide dates for six growing stages: planting, silking, doughing, dented, mature, and harvested. Temperatures that correspond to each developmental stage are then inferred from a network of weather station observations interpolated to the county level, and a multiple linear regression technique is employed to estimate the sensitivity of county yield outcomes to variations in growing-degree days and an analogous measure of high temperatures referred to as killing-degree days. Uncertainties in the transition times between county-level growth stages are accounted for. Results indicate that the silking and dented stages are generally the most sensitive to killing degree days, with silking the most sensitive stage in the US South and dented the most sensitive in the US North. These variable patterns of sensitivity aid in interpreting which weather events are of greatest significance to maize yields and provide some insight into how shifts in planting time or changes in developmental timing would influence the risks associated with exposure to high temperatures.

Extractive Fermentation of Sugarcane Juice to Produce High Yield and Productivity of Bioethanol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rofiqah, U.; Widjaja, T.; Altway, A.; Bramantyo, A.

2017-04-01

Ethanol production by batch fermentation requires a simple process and it is widely used. Batch fermentation produces ethanol with low yield and productivity due to the accumulation of ethanol in which poisons microorganisms in the fermenter. Extractive fermentation technique is applied to solve the microorganism inhibition problem by ethanol. Extractive fermentation technique can produce ethanol with high yield and productivity. In this process raffinate still, contains much sugar because conversion in the fermentation process is not perfect. Thus, to enhance ethanol yield and productivity, recycle system is applied by returning the raffinate from the extraction process to the fermentation process. This raffinate also contains ethanol which would inhibit the performance of microorganisms in producing ethanol during the fermentation process. Therefore, this study aims to find the optimum condition for the amount of solvent to broth ratio (S: B) and recycle to fresh feed ratio (R: F) which enter the fermenter to produce high yield and productivity. This research was carried out by experiment. In the experiment, sugarcane juice was fermented using Zymomonasmobilis mutant. The fermentation broth was extracted using amyl alcohol. The process was integrated with the recycle system by varying the recycle ratio. The highest yield and productivity is 22.3901% and 103.115 g / L.h respectively, obtained in a process that uses recycle to fresh feed ratio (R: F) of 50:50 and solvents to both ratio of 1.

Facile high-yield synthesis of polyaniline nanosticks with intrinsic stability and electrical conductivity.

PubMed

Li, Xin-Gui; Li, Ang; Huang, Mei-Rong

2008-01-01

Chemical oxidative polymerization at 15 degrees C was used for the simple and productive synthesis of polyaniline (PAN) nanosticks. The effect of polymerization media on the yield, size, stability, and electrical conductivity of the PAN nanosticks was studied by changing the concentration and nature of the acid medium and oxidant and by introducing organic solvent. Molecular and supramolecular structure, size, and size distribution of the PAN nanosticks were characterized by UV/Vis and IR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, laser particle-size analysis, and transmission electron microscopy. Introduction of organic solvent is advantageous for enhancing the yield of PAN nanosticks but disadvantageous for formation of PAN nanosticks with small size and high conductivity. The concentration and nature of the acid medium have a major influence on the polymerization yield and conductivity of the nanosized PAN. The average diameter and length of PAN nanosticks produced with 2 M HNO(3) and 0.5 M H(2)SO(4) as acid media are about 40 and 300 nm, respectively. The PAN nanosticks obtained in an optimal medium (i.e., 2 M HNO(3)) exhibit the highest conductivity of 2.23 S cm(-1) and the highest yield of 80.7 %. A mechanism of formation of nanosticks instead of nanoparticles is proposed. Nanocomposite films of the PAN nanosticks with poly(vinyl alcohol) show a low percolation threshold of 0.2 wt %, at which the film retains almost the same transparency and strength as pure poly(vinyl alcohol) but 262 000 times the conductivity of pure poly(vinyl alcohol) film. The present synthesis of PAN nanosticks requires no external stabilizer and provides a facile and direct route for fabrication of PAN nanosticks with high yield, controllable size, intrinsic self-stability, strong redispersibility, high purity, and optimizable conductivity.

Melon yield prediction using small unmanned aerial vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Tiebiao; Wang, Zhongdao; Yang, Qi; Chen, YangQuan

2017-05-01

Thanks to the development of camera technologies, small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS), it is possible to collect aerial images of field with more flexible visit, higher resolution and much lower cost. Furthermore, the performance of objection detection based on deeply trained convolutional neural networks (CNNs) has been improved significantly. In this study, we applied these technologies in the melon production, where high-resolution aerial images were used to count melons in the field and predict the yield. CNN-based object detection framework-Faster R-CNN is applied in the melon classification. Our results showed that sUAS plus CNNs were able to detect melons accurately in the late harvest season.

High-Yield Production of Levulinic Acid from Pretreated Cow Dung in Dilute Acid Aqueous Solution.

PubMed

Su, Jialei; Shen, Feng; Qiu, Mo; Qi, Xinhua

2017-02-14

Agricultural waste cow dung was used as feedstock for the production of a high value-added chemical levulinic acid (LA) in dilute acid aqueous solutions. A high LA yield of 338.9 g/kg was obtained from the pretreated cow dung, which was much higher than that obtained from the crude cow dung (135 g/kg), mainly attributed to the breakage of the lignin fraction in the lignocellulose structure of the cow dung by potassium hydroxide (KOH) pretreatment, and thus enhanced the accessibility of cow dung to the acid sites in the catalytic reaction. Meanwhile, another value-added chemical formic acid could be obtained with a yield of ca. 160 g/kg in the process, implying a total production of ca. 500 g/kg yield for LA and formic acid from the pretreated cow dung with the proposed process. The developed process was shown to be tolerant to high initial substrate loading with a satisfied LA yield. This work provides a promising strategy for the value-increment utilization of liglocellulosic agricultural residues.

Wafer scale fabrication of carbon nanotube thin film transistors with high yield

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

Tian, Boyuan; Liang, Xuelei, E-mail: liangxl@pku.edu.cn, E-mail: ssxie@iphy.ac.cn; Yan, Qiuping

Carbon nanotube thin film transistors (CNT-TFTs) are promising candidates for future high performance and low cost macro-electronics. However, most of the reported CNT-TFTs are fabricated in small quantities on a relatively small size substrate. The yield of large scale fabrication and the performance uniformity of devices on large size substrates should be improved before the CNT-TFTs reach real products. In this paper, 25 200 devices, with various geometries (channel width and channel length), were fabricated on 4-in. size ridged and flexible substrates. Almost 100% device yield were obtained on a rigid substrate with high out-put current (>8 μA/μm), high on/off current ratiomore » (>10{sup 5}), and high mobility (>30 cm{sup 2}/V·s). More importantly, uniform performance in 4-in. area was achieved, and the fabrication process can be scaled up. The results give us more confidence for the real application of the CNT-TFT technology in the near future.« less

Effect of high oleic acid soybean on seed oil, protein concentration, and yield

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Soybeans with high oleic acid content are desired by oil processors because of their improved oxidative stability for broader use in food, fuel and other products. However, non-GMO high-oleic soybeans have tended to have low seed yield. The objective of this study was to test non-GMO, high-oleic s...

High-yield production of herbicidal thaxtomins and analogs in a nonpathogenic Streptomyces strain.

PubMed

Jiang, Guangde; Zhang, Yucheng; Powell, Magan M; Zhang, Peilan; Zuo, Ran; Zhang, Yi; Kallifidas, Dimitrios; Tieu, Albert M; Luesch, Hendrik; Loria, Rosemary; Ding, Yousong

2018-03-30

Thaxtomins are virulence factors of most plant pathogenic Streptomyces strains. Due to their potent herbicidal activity, attractive environmental compatibility and inherent biodegradability, thaxtomins are key active ingredients of bioherbicides approved by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. However, the low yield of thaxtomins in native Streptomyces producers limits their wide agricultural applications. Here, we describe the high-yield production of thaxtomins in a heterologous host. The thaxtomin gene cluster from S. scabiei 87.22 was cloned and expressed in S. albus J1074 after chromosomal integration. The production of thaxtomins and nitro-tryptophan analogs were observed using LC-MS analysis. When culturing the engineered S. albus J1074 in the minimal medium TMDc, the yield of the most abundant and herbicidal analog, thaxtomin A, was 10 times higher than S. scabiei 87.22, and optimization of the medium resulted in the highest yield of thaxtomin analogs at about 222 mg/L. Further engineering of the thaxtomin biosynthetic gene cluster through gene deletion led to the production of multiple biosynthetic intermediates important to the chemical synthesis of new analogs. Additionally, the versatility of the thaxtomin biosynthetic system in S. albus J1074 was capitalized to produce one unnatural fluorinated analog 5-F-thaxtomin A, whose structure was elucidated by a combination of MS and 1D and 2D NMR analyses. Natural and unnatural thaxtomins demonstrated potent herbicidal activity in radish seedling assays. These results indicated that S. albus J1074 has the potential to produce thaxtomins and thereof with high yield, fostering their agricultural applications. IMPORTANCE Thaxtomins are agriculturally valuable herbicidal natural products but the productivity of native producers is limiting. Heterologous expression of thaxtomin gene cluster in S. albus J1074 resulted in the highest yield of thaxtomins ever reported, representing a significant leap

Characterization of Novel Materials with Very Low Secondary Electron Emission Yield for Use in High-Power Microwave Devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Svimonishvili, Tengiz; Zameroski, Nathan; Gilmore, Mark; Schamiloglu, Edl; Gaudet, John; Yan, Lincan

2004-11-01

Secondary Electron Emission (SEE) results from bombarding materials with electrons, atoms, or ions. The amount of secondary emission depends on factors such as bulk and surface properties of materials, energy of incident particles, and their angle of incidence. Total secondary electron emission yield, defined as the number of secondary electrons ejected per primary electron, is an important material parameter. Materials with high yield find use, for instance, in photomultiplier tubes, whereas materials with low yield, such as graphite, are used for SEE suppression in high-power microwave devices. The lower the SEE yield, the better the performance of high-power microwave devices (for example, gyrotrons). Employing a low-energy electron gun (energy range from 5 eV to 2000 eV), our work aims at characterizing and eventually identifying novel materials (with the lowest possible SEE yield) that will enhance operation and efficiency of high-power microwave devices.

Microbial electrolysis cells for high yield hydrogen gas production from organic matter.

PubMed

Logan, Bruce E; Call, Douglas; Cheng, Shaoan; Hamelers, Hubertus V M; Sleutels, Tom H J A; Jeremiasse, Adriaan W; Rozendal, René A

2008-12-01

The use of electrochemically active bacteria to break down organic matter, combined with the addition of a small voltage (> 0.2 V in practice) in specially designed microbial electrolysis cells (MECs), can result in a high yield of hydrogen gas. While microbial electrolysis was invented only a few years ago, rapid developments have led to hydrogen yields approaching 100%, energy yields based on electrical energy input many times greater than that possible by water electrolysis, and increased gas production rates. MECs used to make hydrogen gas are similar in design to microbial fuel cells (MFCs) that produce electricity, but there are important differences in architecture and analytical methods used to evaluate performance. We review here the materials, architectures, performance, and energy efficiencies of these MEC systems that show promise as a method for renewable and sustainable energy production, and wastewater treatment.

(18)F-FDG uptake predicts diagnostic yield of transbronchial biopsy in peripheral lung cancer.

PubMed

Umeda, Yukihiro; Demura, Yoshiki; Anzai, Masaki; Matsuoka, Hiroki; Araya, Tomoyuki; Nishitsuji, Masaru; Nishi, Koichi; Tsuchida, Tatsuro; Sumida, Yasuyuki; Morikawa, Miwa; Ameshima, Shingo; Ishizaki, Takeshi; Kasahara, Kazuo; Ishizuka, Tamotsu

2014-07-01

Recent advances in endobronchial ultrasonography with a guide sheath (EBUS-GS) have enabled better visualization of distal airways, while virtual bronchoscopic navigation (VBN) has been shown useful as a guide to navigate the bronchoscope. However, indications for utilizing VBN and EBUS-GS are not always clear. To clarify indications for a bronchoscopic examination using VBN and EBUS-GS, we evaluated factors that predict the diagnostic yield of a transbronchial biopsy (TBB) procedure for peripheral lung cancer (PLC) lesions. We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 194 patients with 201 PLC lesions (≤3cm mean diameter), and analyzed the association of diagnostic yield of TBB with [(18)F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose ((18)F-FDG) positron emission tomography and chest computed tomography (CT) findings. The diagnostic yield of TBB using VBN and EBUS-GS was 66.7%. High maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), positive bronchus sign, and ground-glass opacity component shown on CT were all significant predictors of diagnostic yield, while multivariate analysis showed only high (18)F-FDG uptake (SUVmax ≥2.8) and positive bronchus sign as significant predictors. Diagnostic yield was higher for PLC lesions with high (18)F-FDG uptake (SUVmax ≥2.8) and positive bronchus sign (84.6%) than for those with SUVmax <2.8 and negative bronchus sign (33.3%). High (18)F-FDG uptake was also correlated with tumor invasiveness. High (18)F-FDG uptake predicted the diagnostic yield of TBB using VBN and EBUS-GS for PLC lesions. (18)F-FDG uptake and bronchus sign may indicate for the accurate application of bronchoscopy with those modalities for diagnosing PLC. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sputtering yields of carbon based materials under high particle flux with low energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakamura, K.; Nagase, A.; Dairaku, M.; Akiba, M.; Araki, M.; Okumura, Y.

1995-04-01

A new ion source which can produce high particle flux beams at low energies has been developed. This paper presents preliminary results on the sputtering yield of the carbon fiber reinforced composites (CFCs) measured with the new ion source. The sputtering yields of 1D and 2D CFCs, which are candidate materials for the divertor armour tiles, have been measured by the weight loss method under the hydrogen and deuterium particle fluxes of 2 ˜ 7 × 10 20/m 2 s at 50 ˜ 150 eV. Preferential sputtering of the matrix was observed on CFCs which included the matrix of 40 ˜ 60 w%. The energy dependence of the sputtering yields was weak. The sputtering yields of CFCs normally irradiated with deuterium beam were from 0.073 to 0.095, and were around three times larger than those with hydrogen beam.

Secondary electron emission yield from high aspect ratio carbon velvet surfaces

DOE PAGES

Jin, Chenggang; Ottaviano, Angelica; Raitses, Yevgeny

2017-11-01

The plasma electrons bombarding a plasma-facing wall surface can induce secondary electron emission (SEE) from the wall. A strong SEE can enhance the power losses by reducing the wall sheath potential and thereby increasing the electron flux from the plasma to the wall. The use of the materials with surface roughness and the engineered materials with surface architecture is known to reduce the effective SEE by trapping the secondary electrons. In this work, we demonstrate a 65% reduction of SEE yield using a velvet material consisting of high aspect ratio carbon fibers. The measurements of SEE yield for different velvetmore » samples using the electron beam in vacuum demonstrate the dependence of the SEE yield on the fiber length and the packing density, which is strongly affected by the alignment of long velvet fibers with respect to the electron beam impinging on the velvet sample. Furthermore, the results of SEE measurements support the previous observations of the reduced SEE measured in Hall thrusters.« less

Construction high-yield candidate influenza vaccine viruses in Vero cells by reassortment.

PubMed

Yu, Wei; Yang, Fan; Yang, Jinghui; Ma, Lei; Cun, Yina; Song, Shaohui; Liao, Guoyang

2016-11-01

Usage of influenza vaccine is the best choice measure for preventing and conclusion of influenza virus infection. Although it has been used of chicken embryo to produce influenza vaccine, following with WHO recommended vaccine strain, there were uncontrollable factors and its deficiencies, specially, during an influenza pandemic in the world. The Vero cells are used for vaccine production of a few strains including influenza virus, because of its homology with human, recommended by WHO. However, as known most of the influenza viruses strains could not culture by Vero cells. It was used two high-yield influenza viruses adapted in Vero cells as donor viruses, such as A/Yunnan/1/2005Va (H3N2) and B/Yunnan/2/2005Va (B), to construct high-yield wild influenza virus in Vero cells under antibody selection pressure. After reassortment and passages, it obtained the new Vaccine strains with A/Tianjin/15/2009Va (H1N1), A/Fujian/196/2009Va (H3N2) and B/Chongqing/1384/2010Va (B), which was not only completely keeping their original antigenic (HA and NA), but also grown well in Vero cells with high-yield. All results of gene analysis and HA, HI shown that this reassortment method could be used to find new direction to product the influenza vaccine. J. Med. Virol. 88:1914-1921, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Highly Accurate Analytical Approximate Solution to a Nonlinear Pseudo-Oscillator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Baisheng; Liu, Weijia; Lim, C. W.

2017-07-01

A second-order Newton method is presented to construct analytical approximate solutions to a nonlinear pseudo-oscillator in which the restoring force is inversely proportional to the dependent variable. The nonlinear equation is first expressed in a specific form, and it is then solved in two steps, a predictor and a corrector step. In each step, the harmonic balance method is used in an appropriate manner to obtain a set of linear algebraic equations. With only one simple second-order Newton iteration step, a short, explicit, and highly accurate analytical approximate solution can be derived. The approximate solutions are valid for all amplitudes of the pseudo-oscillator. Furthermore, the method incorporates second-order Taylor expansion in a natural way, and it is of significant faster convergence rate.

Limitations to photosynthesis under light and heat stress in three high-yielding wheat genotypes.

PubMed

Monneveux, Philippe; Pastenes, Claudio; Reynolds, Matthew P

2003-06-01

Three high-yielding wheat genotypes (T. aestivum L., c.v. Siete Cerros, Seri and Bacanora, released in 1966, 1982 and 1988, respectively) were grown under irrigation in two high radiation, low relative humidity environments (Tlaltizapan and Ciudad Obregon CIMMYT experimental stations, Mexico). Gas exchange and fluorescence parameters were assessed on the flag leaf during the day. Carbon isotope discrimination (delta) was analysed in flag leaf at anthesis and in grain at maturity. In both environments, gas exchange and fluorescence parameters varied markedly with irradiance and temperature. Analysis of their respective variation indicated the occurrence of photo-respiration and photo-inhibition, particularly in Tlaltizapan, the warmest environment, and in Siete Cerros. In Ciudad Obregon (high-yielding environment) lower Ci (internal CO2 concentration) and delta La (carbon isotope discrimination of the leaf) suggested a higher intrinsic photosynthetic capacity in the variety Bacanora. Higher yield of this genotype was also associated with higher Fv'/Fo' (ratio of photochemical and non photochemical rate constants in the light) and Fm'/Fm (ratio of the non photochemical rate constants in the dark and light adapted state).

Accurate upwind methods for the Euler equations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huynh, Hung T.

1993-01-01

A new class of piecewise linear methods for the numerical solution of the one-dimensional Euler equations of gas dynamics is presented. These methods are uniformly second-order accurate, and can be considered as extensions of Godunov's scheme. With an appropriate definition of monotonicity preservation for the case of linear convection, it can be shown that they preserve monotonicity. Similar to Van Leer's MUSCL scheme, they consist of two key steps: a reconstruction step followed by an upwind step. For the reconstruction step, a monotonicity constraint that preserves uniform second-order accuracy is introduced. Computational efficiency is enhanced by devising a criterion that detects the 'smooth' part of the data where the constraint is redundant. The concept and coding of the constraint are simplified by the use of the median function. A slope steepening technique, which has no effect at smooth regions and can resolve a contact discontinuity in four cells, is described. As for the upwind step, existing and new methods are applied in a manner slightly different from those in the literature. These methods are derived by approximating the Euler equations via linearization and diagonalization. At a 'smooth' interface, Harten, Lax, and Van Leer's one intermediate state model is employed. A modification for this model that can resolve contact discontinuities is presented. Near a discontinuity, either this modified model or a more accurate one, namely, Roe's flux-difference splitting. is used. The current presentation of Roe's method, via the conceptually simple flux-vector splitting, not only establishes a connection between the two splittings, but also leads to an admissibility correction with no conditional statement, and an efficient approximation to Osher's approximate Riemann solver. These reconstruction and upwind steps result in schemes that are uniformly second-order accurate and economical at smooth regions, and yield high resolution at discontinuities.

Simulations of super-ellipse hohlraum targets as a path to high neutron yields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milovich, Jose; Amendt, Peter; Storm, Erik; Robey, Harry; Haan, Steve; Landen, Otto; Meezan, Nathan; Lindl, John

2017-10-01

Recently neutron yields in excess of 1016 have been achieved at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) using a low-density gas fill hohlraum and a subscale high-density-carbon capsule. The laser power used was near the current maximum level allowed on the inner cones of the NIF laser. While more energy can be extracted from the laser to provide additional improvement on the neutron yield, a more efficient design is desired. A new effort has begun to investigate alternatives to the current cylinder-shaped hohlraum for driving larger capsules (1.1 mm outer radius). If these new hohlraums can preserve the implosion symmetry, the additional absorbed energy is expected to provide a path to high neutron yield and potential ignition. Super-ellipse hohlraums, a generalization of an earlier rugby hohlraum design, have the advantage of a larger waist diameter and reduced parasitic energy losses from the corners of cylindrical hohlraums while still being able to produce the required capsule drive at the current energy and power limits available at the NIF. We will present plausible designs of these hohlraums based on the Lamé mathematical construction, and discuss their prospects to reach high neutron gains. Prepared by LLNL under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Automatically high accurate and efficient photomask defects management solution for advanced lithography manufacture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Jun; Chen, Lijun; Ma, Lantao; Li, Dejian; Jiang, Wei; Pan, Lihong; Shen, Huiting; Jia, Hongmin; Hsiang, Chingyun; Cheng, Guojie; Ling, Li; Chen, Shijie; Wang, Jun; Liao, Wenkui; Zhang, Gary

2014-04-01

Defect review is a time consuming job. Human error makes result inconsistent. The defects located on don't care area would not hurt the yield and no need to review them such as defects on dark area. However, critical area defects can impact yield dramatically and need more attention to review them such as defects on clear area. With decrease in integrated circuit dimensions, mask defects are always thousands detected during inspection even more. Traditional manual or simple classification approaches are unable to meet efficient and accuracy requirement. This paper focuses on automatic defect management and classification solution using image output of Lasertec inspection equipment and Anchor pattern centric image process technology. The number of mask defect found during an inspection is always in the range of thousands or even more. This system can handle large number defects with quick and accurate defect classification result. Our experiment includes Die to Die and Single Die modes. The classification accuracy can reach 87.4% and 93.3%. No critical or printable defects are missing in our test cases. The missing classification defects are 0.25% and 0.24% in Die to Die mode and Single Die mode. This kind of missing rate is encouraging and acceptable to apply on production line. The result can be output and reloaded back to inspection machine to have further review. This step helps users to validate some unsure defects with clear and magnification images when captured images can't provide enough information to make judgment. This system effectively reduces expensive inline defect review time. As a fully inline automated defect management solution, the system could be compatible with current inspection approach and integrated with optical simulation even scoring function and guide wafer level defect inspection.

Second Preliminary Report on X-ray Yields from OMEGA II Targets

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

Fournier, K B; May, M J; MacLaren, S A

2006-08-28

We present details about X-ray yields measured with LLNL and SNL diagnostics in soft and moderately hard X-ray bands from laser-driven, doped-aerogel targets shot on 07/14/06 during the OMEGA II test series. Yields accurate to {+-}25% in the 5-15 keV band are measured with Livermore's HENWAY spectrometer. Yields in the sub-keV to 3.2 keV band are measured with LLNL's DANTE diagnostic, the DANTE yields may be 35-40% too large. SNL ran a PCD-based diagnostic that also measured X-ray yields in the spectral region above 4 keV, and also down to the nearly sub-keV range. The PCD and HENWAY and DANTEmore » numbers are compared. The time histories of the X-ray signals are measured with LLNL's H11 PCD, and from two SNL PCDs with comparable filtering. There is a persistent disagreement between the H11 PCD and SNL PCD measured FWHM, which is shown not to be due to analysis techniques. The recommended X-ray waveform is that from the SNL PCD p66k10, which was recorded on a fast, high-bandwidth TDS 6804 oscilloscope, and which are not plotted here.« less

Countercurrent chromatography separation of saponins by skeleton type from Ampelozizyphus amazonicus for off-line ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography/high resolution accurate mass spectrometry analysis and characterisation.

PubMed

de Souza Figueiredo, Fabiana; Celano, Rita; de Sousa Silva, Danila; das Neves Costa, Fernanda; Hewitson, Peter; Ignatova, Svetlana; Piccinelli, Anna Lisa; Rastrelli, Luca; Guimarães Leitão, Suzana; Guimarães Leitão, Gilda

2017-01-20

Ampelozizyphus amazonicus Ducke (Rhamnaceae), a medicinal plant used to prevent malaria, is a climbing shrub, native to the Amazonian region, with jujubogenin glycoside saponins as main compounds. The crude extract of this plant is too complex for any kind of structural identification, and HPLC separation was not sufficient to resolve this issue. Therefore, the aim of this work was to obtain saponin enriched fractions from the bark ethanol extract by countercurrent chromatography (CCC) for further isolation and identification/characterisation of the major saponins by HPLC and MS. The butanol extract was fractionated by CCC with hexane - ethyl acetate - butanol - ethanol - water (1:6:1:1:6; v/v) solvent system yielding 4 group fractions. The collected fractions were analysed by UHPLC-HRMS (ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography/high resolution accurate mass spectrometry) and MS n . Group 1 presented mainly oleane type saponins, and group 3 showed mainly jujubogenin glycosides, keto-dammarane type triterpene saponins and saponins with C 31 skeleton. Thus, CCC separated saponins from the butanol-rich extract by skeleton type. A further purification of group 3 by CCC (ethyl acetate - ethanol - water (1:0.2:1; v/v)) and HPLC-RI was performed in order to obtain these unusual aglycones in pure form. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Very high CO2 reduces photosynthesis, dark respiration and yield in wheat

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reuveni, J.; Bugbee, B.

1997-01-01

Although terrestrial CO2 concentrations, [CO2] are not expected to reach 1000 micromoles mol-1 for many decades, CO2 levels in closed systems such as growth chambers and glasshouses, can easily exceed this concentration. CO2 levels in life support systems in space can exceed 10000 micromoles mol-1 (1%). Here we studied the effect of six CO2 concentrations, from ambient up to 10000 micromoles mol-1, on seed yield, growth and gas exchange of two wheat cultivars (USU-Apogee and Veery-l0). Elevating [CO2] from 350 to 1000 micromoles mol-1 increased seed yield (by 33%), vegetative biomass (by 25%) and number of heads m-2 (by 34%) of wheat plants. Elevation of [CO2] from 1000 to 10000 micromoles mol-1 decreased seed yield (by 37%), harvest index (by 14%), mass per seed (by 9%) and number of seeds per head (by 29%). This very high [CO2] had a negligible, non-significant effect on vegetative biomass, number of heads m-2 and seed mass per head. A sharp decrease in seed yield, harvest index and seeds per head occurred by elevating [CO2] from 1000 to 2600 micromoles mol-1. Further elevation of [CO2] from 2600 to 10000 micromoles mol-1 caused a further but smaller decrease. The effect of CO2 on both wheat cultivars was similar for all growth parameters. Similarly there were no differences in the response to high [CO2] between wheat grown hydroponically in growth chambers under fluorescent lights and those grown in soilless media in a glasshouse under sunlight and high pressure sodium lamps. There was no correlation between high [CO2] and ethylene production by flag leaves or by wheat heads. Therefore, the reduction in seed set in wheat plants is not mediated by ethylene. The photosynthetic rate of whole wheat plants was 8% lower and dark respiration of the wheat heads 25% lower when exposed to 2600 micromoles mol-1 CO2 compared to ambient [CO2]. It is concluded that the reduction in the seed set can be mainly explained by the reduction in the dark respiration in wheat heads

A time-accurate high-resolution TVD scheme for solving the Navier-Stokes equations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kim, Hyun Dae; Liu, Nan-Suey

1992-01-01

A total variation diminishing (TVD) scheme has been developed and incorporated into an existing time-accurate high-resolution Navier-Stokes code. The accuracy and the robustness of the resulting solution procedure have been assessed by performing many calculations in four different areas: shock tube flows, regular shock reflection, supersonic boundary layer, and shock boundary layer interactions. These numerical results compare well with corresponding exact solutions or experimental data.

Supportability of a High-Yield-Stress Slurry in a New Stereolithography-Based Ceramic Fabrication Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Li; Song, Xuan

2018-03-01

In recent years, ceramic fabrication using stereolithography (SLA) has gained in popularity because of its high accuracy and density that can be achieved in the final part of production. One of the key challenges in ceramic SLA is that support structures are required for building overhanging features, whereas removing these support structures without damaging the components is difficult. In this research, a suspension-enclosing projection-stereolithography process is developed to overcome this challenge. This process uses a high-yield-stress ceramic slurry as the feedstock material and exploits the elastic force of the material to support overhanging features without the need for building additional support structures. Ceramic slurries with different solid loadings are studied to identify the rheological properties most suitable for supporting overhanging features. An analytical model of a double doctor-blade module is established to obtain uniform and thin recoating layers from a high-yield-stress slurry. Several test cases highlight the feasibility of using a high-yield-stress slurry to support overhanging features in SLA.

High yield production of extracellular recombinant levansucrase by Bacillus megaterium.

PubMed

Korneli, Claudia; Biedendieck, Rebekka; David, Florian; Jahn, Dieter; Wittmann, Christoph

2013-04-01

In this study, a high yield production bioprocess with recombinant Bacillus megaterium for the production of the extracellular enzyme levansucrase (SacB) was developed. For basic optimization of culture parameters and nutrients, a recombinant B. megaterium reporter strain that produced green fluorescent protein under control of a vector-based xylose-inducible promoter was used. It enabled efficient microtiter plate-based screening via fluorescence analysis. A pH value of pH 6, 20 % of dissolved oxygen, 37 °C, and elevated levels of biotin (100 μg L(-1)) were found optimal with regard to high protein yield and reduced overflow metabolism. Among the different compounds tested, fructose and glycerol were identified as the preferred source of carbon. Subsequently, the settings were transferred to a B. megaterium strain recombinantly producing levansucrase SacB based on the plasmid-located xylose-inducible expression system. In shake flask culture under the optimized conditions, the novel strain already secreted the target enzyme in high amounts (14 U mL(-1) on fructose and 17.2 U mL(-1) on glycerol). This was further increased in high cell density fed-batch processes up to 55 U mL(-1), reflecting a levansucrase concentration of 0.52 g L(-1). This is 100-fold more than previous efforts for this enzyme in B. megaterium and more than 10-fold higher than reported values of other extracellular protein produced in this microorganism so far. The recombinant strain could also handle raw glycerol from biodiesel industry which provided the same amount and quality of the recombinant protein and suggests future implementation into existing biorefinery concepts.

High-yield production of a stable Vero cell-based vaccine candidate against the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N1

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

Zhou, Fangye; Zhou, Jian; Ma, Lei

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Vero cell-based HPAI H5N1 vaccine with stable high yield. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Stable high yield derived from the YNVa H3N2 backbone. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer H5N1/YNVa has a similar safety and immunogenicity to H5N1delta. -- Abstract: Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses pose a global pandemic threat, for which rapid large-scale vaccine production technology is critical for prevention and control. Because chickens are highly susceptible to HPAI viruses, the supply of chicken embryos for vaccine production might be depleted during a virus outbreak. Therefore, developing HPAI virus vaccines using other technologies is critical. Meeting vaccine demand using the Vero cell-based fermentation process hasmore » been hindered by low stability and yield. In this study, a Vero cell-based HPAI H5N1 vaccine candidate (H5N1/YNVa) with stable high yield was achieved by reassortment of the Vero-adapted (Va) high growth A/Yunnan/1/2005(H3N2) (YNVa) virus with the A/Anhui/1/2005(H5N1) attenuated influenza vaccine strain (H5N1delta) using the 6/2 method. The reassorted H5N1/YNVa vaccine maintained a high hemagglutination (HA) titer of 1024. Furthermore, H5N1/YNVa displayed low pathogenicity and uniform immunogenicity compared to that of the parent virus.« less

Processable high-carbon-yielding polymer for micro- and nanofabrication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perpall, Mark W.; Zengin, Huseyin; Perera, K. Prasanna U.; Zhou, Wensheng; Shah, Hiren; Wu, Xinyu; Creager, Stephen E.; Smith, Dennis W., Jr.; Foulger, Stephen H.; Ballato, John M.

2003-01-01

Bis-ortho-Diynyl Arene (BODA) monomers polymerize to network polynapthalene by the thermally-driven Bergman cyclization and subsequent radical polymerization via oligomeric intermediates that can be melt or solution processed. Further heating of the network to 1000 °C affords a high-yield glassy carbon structure that retains the approximate size and dimensions of the polymer precursor. The higher carbon-yield for BODA networks (75- 80 % by mass) is significantly greater than that of traditional phenol-formaldehyde resins and other carbon precursor polymers leading to its greater dimensional stability. Phenyl terminated BODA derived polymers were fabricated using microprocessing such as the micromolding in capillaries (MIMIC) technique, direct microtransfer molding, and molding in quartz capillary tubes. Nano-scale fabrication using closed packed silica spheres as templates was demonstrated with an hydroxy-terminated monomer which exhibits greatly enhanced compatibility for silica surfaces. After pyrolysis to glassy carbon, the silica is chemically etched leaving an inverse carbon opal photonic crystal which is electrically conductive. The wavelength of light diffracted is a function of the average refractive index of the carbon/ filler composite, which can be modified for use as sensitive detector elements.

High-Yield Synthesis and Optical Properties of Carbon Nanotube Porins

DOE PAGES

Tunuguntla, Ramya H.; Chen, Xi; Belliveau, Allison; ...

2017-01-18

Carbon nanotube porins (CNTPs) are a convenient membrane-based model system for studying nanofluidic transport that replicates a number of key structural features of biological membrane channels. We present a generalized approach for CNTP synthesis using sonochemistry-assisted segmenting of carbon nanotubes. Prolonged tip sonication in the presence of lipid molecules debundles and fragments long carbon nanotube aggregates into stable and water-soluble individual CNTPs with lengths in the range 5–20 nm. We discuss the main parameters that determine the efficiency and the yield of this process, describe the optimized conditions for high-yield CNTP synthesis, and demonstrate that this methodology can be adaptedmore » for synthesis of CNTPs of different diameters. We also present the optical properties of CNTPs and show that a combination of Raman and UV–vis–NIR spectroscopy can be used to monitor the quality of the CNTP synthesis. Altogether, CNTPs represent a versatile nanopore building block for creating higher-order functional biomimetic materials.« less

High-accurate optical vector analysis based on optical single-sideband modulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xue, Min; Pan, Shilong

2016-11-01

Most of the efforts devoted to the area of optical communications were on the improvement of the optical spectral efficiency. Varies innovative optical devices are thus developed to finely manipulate the optical spectrum. Knowing the spectral responses of these devices, including the magnitude, phase and polarization responses, is of great importance for their fabrication and application. To achieve high-resolution characterization, optical vector analyzers (OVAs) based on optical single-sideband (OSSB) modulation have been proposed and developed. Benefiting from the mature and highresolution microwave technologies, the OSSB-based OVA can potentially achieve a resolution of sub-Hz. However, the accuracy is restricted by the measurement errors induced by the unwanted first-order sideband and the high-order sidebands in the OSSB signal, since electrical-to-optical conversion and optical-to-electrical conversion are essentially required to achieve high-resolution frequency sweeping and extract the magnitude and phase information in the electrical domain. Recently, great efforts have been devoted to improve the accuracy of the OSSB-based OVA. In this paper, the influence of the unwanted-sideband induced measurement errors and techniques for implementing high-accurate OSSB-based OVAs are discussed.

Creating high yield water soluble luminescent graphene quantum dots via exfoliating and disintegrating carbon nanotubes and graphite flakes.

PubMed

Lin, Liangxu; Zhang, Shaowei

2012-10-21

We have developed an effective method to exfoliate and disintegrate multi-walled carbon nanotubes and graphite flakes. With this technique, high yield production of luminescent graphene quantum dots with high quantum yield and low oxidization can be achieved.

Energy-switching potential energy surface for the water molecule revisited: A highly accurate singled-sheeted form.

PubMed

Galvão, B R L; Rodrigues, S P J; Varandas, A J C

2008-07-28

A global ab initio potential energy surface is proposed for the water molecule by energy-switching/merging a highly accurate isotope-dependent local potential function reported by Polyansky et al. [Science 299, 539 (2003)] with a global form of the many-body expansion type suitably adapted to account explicitly for the dynamical correlation and parametrized from extensive accurate multireference configuration interaction energies extrapolated to the complete basis set limit. The new function mimics also the complicated Sigma/Pi crossing that arises at linear geometries of the water molecule.

31 CFR 356.21 - How are awards at the high yield or discount rate calculated?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... discount rate calculated? 356.21 Section 356.21 Money and Finance: Treasury Regulations Relating to Money... high yield or discount rate calculated? (a) Awards to submitters. We generally prorate bids at the highest accepted yield or discount rate under § 356.20(a)(2) of this part. For example, if 80.15% is the...

Enhanced electron yield from laser-driven wakefield acceleration in high-Z gas jets.

PubMed

Mirzaie, Mohammad; Hafz, Nasr A M; Li, Song; Liu, Feng; He, Fei; Cheng, Ya; Zhang, Jie

2015-10-01

An investigation of the electron beam yield (charge) form helium, nitrogen, and neon gas jet plasmas in a typical laser-plasma wakefield acceleration experiment is carried out. The charge measurement is made by imaging the electron beam intensity profile on a fluorescent screen into a charge coupled device which was cross-calibrated with an integrated current transformer. The dependence of electron beam charge on the laser and plasma conditions for the aforementioned gases are studied. We found that laser-driven wakefield acceleration in low Z-gas jet targets usually generates high-quality and well-collimated electron beams with modest yields at the level of 10-100 pC. On the other hand, filamentary electron beams which are observed from high-Z gases at higher densities reached much higher yields. Evidences for cluster formation were clearly observed in the nitrogen gas jet target, where we received the highest electron beam charge of ∼1.7 nC. Those intense electron beams will be beneficial for the applications on the generation of bright X-rays, gamma rays radiations, and energetic positrons via the bremsstrahlung or inverse-scattering processes.

Covariance Matrix Evaluations for Independent Mass Fission Yields

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

Terranova, N., E-mail: nicholas.terranova@unibo.it; Serot, O.; Archier, P.

2015-01-15

Recent needs for more accurate fission product yields include covariance information to allow improved uncertainty estimations of the parameters used by design codes. The aim of this work is to investigate the possibility to generate more reliable and complete uncertainty information on independent mass fission yields. Mass yields covariances are estimated through a convolution between the multi-Gaussian empirical model based on Brosa's fission modes, which describe the pre-neutron mass yields, and the average prompt neutron multiplicity curve. The covariance generation task has been approached using the Bayesian generalized least squared method through the CONRAD code. Preliminary results on mass yieldsmore » variance-covariance matrix will be presented and discussed from physical grounds in the case of {sup 235}U(n{sub th}, f) and {sup 239}Pu(n{sub th}, f) reactions.« less

High quantum-yield phosphors via quantum splitting and upconversion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeong, Joayoung

The Gd3+ ion has been used to induce quantum splitting in luminescent materials by using cross-relaxation energy transfer (CRET). In Nd:LiGdF4, quantum splitting results from a two-step CRET between Gd3+ and Nd3+, first involving a transition 6G→6I on Gd3+ and an excitation within the 4f3 configuration of Nd3+ followed by a second CRET that brings Gd3+ to 6P7/2. The excited Nd3+ ion rapidly relaxes nonradiatively to the emitting 4F3/2. The excited Gd3+ ion then transfers its energy back to Nd3+, which gives rise to the second photon. The result is a quantum yield of 1.05 +/- 0.35 with emission in the NIR following excitation at 175 nm. GdF3:Pr3+, Eu 3+ also exhibits quantum splitting, but only at very low concentration of Pr3+ (0.3%) and Eu3+ (0.2%), resulting in a quantum yield of approximately 20% under 160-nm excitation. Host intrinsic emission via a self-trapped exciton (STE) was also examined as a means to sensitize Gd3+ emission. The material ScPO4:Gd 3+ exhibits a high absolute quantum yield of 0.9 +/- 0.2 under 170-nm excitation, demonstrating a potentially new and efficient pathway for exciting quantum splitting phosphors. Single crystals of the material GdZrF7 were grown, and its structure was established via single-crystal X-ray diffraction methods. Doped samples of GdZrF7:Yb3+, Er3+ exhibit bright up-conversion luminescence with light output that is up to twice that of a commercial material based on the host Gd2O2S. When doped with Eu3+, the fluoride also emits a nearly white color under vacuum ultraviolet excitation with an absolute quantum yield near 0.9. The new compound Gd4.67(SiO4)3S was synthesized and studied. The structure was established via single-crystal X-ray methods, and the luminescence of Tb3+ samples was investigated.

Flow “Fine” Synthesis: High Yielding and Selective Organic Synthesis by Flow Methods

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Abstract The concept of flow “fine” synthesis, that is, high yielding and selective organic synthesis by flow methods, is described. Some examples of flow “fine” synthesis of natural products and APIs are discussed. Flow methods have several advantages over batch methods in terms of environmental compatibility, efficiency, and safety. However, synthesis by flow methods is more difficult than synthesis by batch methods. Indeed, it has been considered that synthesis by flow methods can be applicable for the production of simple gasses but that it is difficult to apply to the synthesis of complex molecules such as natural products and APIs. Therefore, organic synthesis of such complex molecules has been conducted by batch methods. On the other hand, syntheses and reactions that attain high yields and high selectivities by flow methods are increasingly reported. Flow methods are leading candidates for the next generation of manufacturing methods that can mitigate environmental concerns toward sustainable society. PMID:26337828

Experimental Determination of DT Yield in High Current DD Dense Plasma Focii

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

Lowe, D. R.; Hagen, E. C.; Meehan, B. T.

2013-06-18

Dense Plasma Focii (DPF), which utilize deuterium gas to produce 2.45 MeV neutrons, may in fact also produce DT fusion neutrons at 14.1 MeV due to the triton production in the DD reaction. If beam-target fusion is the primary producer of fusion neutrons in DPFs, it is possible that ejected tritons from the first pinch will interact with the second pinch, and so forth. The 2 MJ DPF at National Security Technologies’ Losee Road Facility is able to, and has produced, over 1E12 DD neutrons per pulse, allowing an accurate measurement of the DT/DD ratio. The DT/DD ratio was experimentallymore » verified by using the (n,2n) reaction in a large piece of praseodymium metal, which has a threshold reaction of 8 MeV, and is widely used as a DT yield measurement system1. The DT/DD ratio was experimentally determined for over 100 shots, and then compared to independent variables such as tube pressure, number of pinches per shot, total current, pinch current and charge voltage.« less

Extracting DNA from 'jaws': high yield and quality from archived tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) skeletal material.

PubMed

Nielsen, E E; Morgan, J A T; Maher, S L; Edson, J; Gauthier, M; Pepperell, J; Holmes, B J; Bennett, M B; Ovenden, J R

2017-05-01

Archived specimens are highly valuable sources of DNA for retrospective genetic/genomic analysis. However, often limited effort has been made to evaluate and optimize extraction methods, which may be crucial for downstream applications. Here, we assessed and optimized the usefulness of abundant archived skeletal material from sharks as a source of DNA for temporal genomic studies. Six different methods for DNA extraction, encompassing two different commercial kits and three different protocols, were applied to material, so-called bio-swarf, from contemporary and archived jaws and vertebrae of tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier). Protocols were compared for DNA yield and quality using a qPCR approach. For jaw swarf, all methods provided relatively high DNA yield and quality, while large differences in yield between protocols were observed for vertebrae. Similar results were obtained from samples of white shark (Carcharodon carcharias). Application of the optimized methods to 38 museum and private angler trophy specimens dating back to 1912 yielded sufficient DNA for downstream genomic analysis for 68% of the samples. No clear relationships between age of samples, DNA quality and quantity were observed, likely reflecting different preparation and storage methods for the trophies. Trial sequencing of DNA capture genomic libraries using 20 000 baits revealed that a significant proportion of captured sequences were derived from tiger sharks. This study demonstrates that archived shark jaws and vertebrae are potential high-yield sources of DNA for genomic-scale analysis. It also highlights that even for similar tissue types, a careful evaluation of extraction protocols can vastly improve DNA yield. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Laryngeal High-Speed Videoendoscopy: Rationale and Recommendation for Accurate and Consistent Terminology

PubMed Central

Deliyski, Dimitar D.; Hillman, Robert E.

2015-01-01

Purpose The authors discuss the rationale behind the term laryngeal high-speed videoendoscopy to describe the application of high-speed endoscopic imaging techniques to the visualization of vocal fold vibration. Method Commentary on the advantages of using accurate and consistent terminology in the field of voice research is provided. Specific justification is described for each component of the term high-speed videoendoscopy, which is compared and contrasted with alternative terminologies in the literature. Results In addition to the ubiquitous high-speed descriptor, the term endoscopy is necessary to specify the appropriate imaging technology and distinguish among modalities such as ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, and nonendoscopic optical imaging. Furthermore, the term video critically indicates the electronic recording of a sequence of optical still images representing scenes in motion, in contrast to strobed images using high-speed photography and non-optical high-speed magnetic resonance imaging. High-speed videoendoscopy thus concisely describes the technology and can be appended by the desired anatomical nomenclature such as laryngeal. Conclusions Laryngeal high-speed videoendoscopy strikes a balance between conciseness and specificity when referring to the typical high-speed imaging method performed on human participants. Guidance for the creation of future terminology provides clarity and context for current and future experiments and the dissemination of results among researchers. PMID:26375398

Is 50 Hz high enough ECG sampling frequency for accurate HRV analysis?

PubMed

Mahdiani, Shadi; Jeyhani, Vala; Peltokangas, Mikko; Vehkaoja, Antti

2015-01-01

With the worldwide growth of mobile wireless technologies, healthcare services can be provided at anytime and anywhere. Usage of wearable wireless physiological monitoring system has been extensively increasing during the last decade. These mobile devices can continuously measure e.g. the heart activity and wirelessly transfer the data to the mobile phone of the patient. One of the significant restrictions for these devices is usage of energy, which leads to requiring low sampling rate. This article is presented in order to investigate the lowest adequate sampling frequency of ECG signal, for achieving accurate enough time domain heart rate variability (HRV) parameters. For this purpose the ECG signals originally measured with high 5 kHz sampling rate were down-sampled to simulate the measurement with lower sampling rate. Down-sampling loses information, decreases temporal accuracy, which was then restored by interpolating the signals to their original sampling rates. The HRV parameters obtained from the ECG signals with lower sampling rates were compared. The results represent that even when the sampling rate of ECG signal is equal to 50 Hz, the HRV parameters are almost accurate with a reasonable error.

High-yield production of pure tagatose from fructose by a three-step enzymatic cascade reaction.

PubMed

Lee, Seon-Hwa; Hong, Seung-Hye; Kim, Kyoung-Rok; Oh, Deok-Kun

2017-08-01

To produce tagatose from fructose with a high conversion rate and to establish a high-yield purification method of tagatose from the reaction mixture. Fructose at 1 M (180 g l -1 ) was converted to 0.8 M (144 g l -1 ) tagatose by a three-step enzymatic cascade reaction, involving hexokinase, plus ATP, fructose-1,6-biphosphate aldolase, phytase, over 16 h with a productivity of 9 g l -1 h -1 . No byproducts were detected. Tagatose was recrystallized from ethanol to a purity of 99.9% and a yield of 96.3%. Overall, tagatose at 99.9% purity was obtained from fructose with a yield of 77%. This is the first biotechnological production of tagatose from fructose and the first application of solvent recrystallization for the purification of rare sugars.

Creation of High-Yield Polyhydroxyalkanoates Engineered Strains by Low Energy Ion Implantation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qian, Shiquan; Cheng, Ying; Zhu, Suwen; Cheng, Beijiu

2008-12-01

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), as a candidate for biodegradable plastic materials, can be synthesized by numerous microorganisms. However, as its production cost is high in comparison with those of chemically synthesized plastics, a lot of research has been focused on the efficient production of PHAs using different methods. In the present study, the mutation effects of PHAs production in strain pCB4 were investigated with implantation of low energy ions. It was found that under the implantation conditions of 7.8 × 1014 N+/cm2 at 10 keV, a high-yield PHAs strain with high genetic stability was generated from many mutants. After optimizing its fermentation conditions, the biomass, PHAs concentration and PHAs content of pCBH4 reached 2.26 g/L, 1.81 g/L, and 80.08% respectively, whereas its wild type controls were about 1.24 g/L, 0.61 g/L, and 49.20%. Moreover, the main constituent of PHAs was identified as poly-3-hydroxybutyrates (PHB) in the mutant stain and the yield of this compound was increased up to 41.33% in contrast to that of 27.78% in the wild type strain.

Neutron temporal diagnostic for high-yield deuterium-tritium cryogenic implosions on OMEGA

DOE PAGES

Stoeckl, C.; Boni, R.; Ehrne, F.; ...

2016-05-10

A next-generation neutron temporal diagnostic (NTD) capable of recording high-quality data for the highest anticipated yield cryogenic DT implosion experiments was recently installed at the Omega Laser Facility. A high-quality measurement of the neutron production width is required to determine the hot-spot pressure achieved in inertial confinement fusion experiments—a key metric in assessing the quality of these implosions. The design of this NTD is based on a fast-rise-time plastic scintillator, which converts the neutron kinetic energy to 350- to 450-nm-wavelength light. The light from the scintillator inside the nose-cone assembly is relayed ~16 m to a streak camera in amore » well-shielded location. An ~200× reduction in neutron background was observed during the first high-yield DT cryogenic implosions compared to the current NTD installation on OMEGA. An impulse response of ~40±10 ps was measured in a dedicated experiment using hard x rays from a planar target irradiated with a 10-ps short pulse from the OMEGA EP laser. Furthermore, the measured instrument response includes contributions from the scintillator rise time, optical relay, and streak camera.« less

Neutron temporal diagnostic for high-yield deuterium–tritium cryogenic implosions on OMEGA

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

Stoeckl, C.; Boni, R.; Ehrne, F.

A next-generation neutron temporal diagnostic (NTD) capable of recording high-quality data for the highest anticipated yield cryogenic deuterium–tritium (DT) implosion experiments was recently installed at the Omega Laser Facility. A high-quality measurement of the neutron production width is required to determine the hot-spot pressure achieved in inertial confinement fusion experiments—a key metric in assessing the quality of these implosions. The design of this NTD is based on a fast-rise-time plastic scintillator, which converts the neutron kinetic energy to 350- to 450-nm-wavelength light. The light from the scintillator inside the nose-cone assembly is relayed ∼16 m to a streak camera inmore » a well-shielded location. An ∼200× reduction in neutron background was observed during the first high-yield DT cryogenic implosions compared to the current NTD installation on OMEGA. An impulse response of ∼40 ± 10 ps was measured in a dedicated experiment using hard x-rays from a planar target irradiated with a 10-ps short pulse from the OMEGA EP laser. The measured instrument response includes contributions from the scintillator rise time, optical relay, and streak camera.« less

Neutron temporal diagnostic for high-yield deuterium-tritium cryogenic implosions on OMEGA

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

Stoeckl, C.; Boni, R.; Ehrne, F.

A next-generation neutron temporal diagnostic (NTD) capable of recording high-quality data for the highest anticipated yield cryogenic DT implosion experiments was recently installed at the Omega Laser Facility. A high-quality measurement of the neutron production width is required to determine the hot-spot pressure achieved in inertial confinement fusion experiments—a key metric in assessing the quality of these implosions. The design of this NTD is based on a fast-rise-time plastic scintillator, which converts the neutron kinetic energy to 350- to 450-nm-wavelength light. The light from the scintillator inside the nose-cone assembly is relayed ~16 m to a streak camera in amore » well-shielded location. An ~200× reduction in neutron background was observed during the first high-yield DT cryogenic implosions compared to the current NTD installation on OMEGA. An impulse response of ~40±10 ps was measured in a dedicated experiment using hard x rays from a planar target irradiated with a 10-ps short pulse from the OMEGA EP laser. Furthermore, the measured instrument response includes contributions from the scintillator rise time, optical relay, and streak camera.« less

Albumin-Bilirubin and Platelet-Albumin-Bilirubin Grades Accurately Predict Overall Survival in High-Risk Patients Undergoing Conventional Transarterial Chemoembolization for Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

PubMed

Hansmann, Jan; Evers, Maximilian J; Bui, James T; Lokken, R Peter; Lipnik, Andrew J; Gaba, Ron C; Ray, Charles E

2017-09-01

To evaluate albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) and platelet-albumin-bilirubin (PALBI) grades in predicting overall survival in high-risk patients undergoing conventional transarterial chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This single-center retrospective study included 180 high-risk patients (142 men, 59 y ± 9) between April 2007 and January 2015. Patients were considered high-risk based on laboratory abnormalities before the procedure (bilirubin > 2.0 mg/dL, albumin < 3.5 mg/dL, platelet count < 60,000/mL, creatinine > 1.2 mg/dL); presence of ascites, encephalopathy, portal vein thrombus, or transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt; or Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score > 15. Serum albumin, bilirubin, and platelet values were used to determine ALBI and PALBI grades. Overall survival was stratified by ALBI and PALBI grades with substratification by Child-Pugh class (CPC) and Barcelona Liver Clinic Cancer (BCLC) stage using Kaplan-Meier analysis. C-index was used to determine discriminatory ability and survival prediction accuracy. Median survival for 79 ALBI grade 2 patients and 101 ALBI grade 3 patients was 20.3 and 10.7 months, respectively (P < .0001). Median survival for 30 PALBI grade 2 and 144 PALBI grade 3 patients was 20.3 and 12.9 months, respectively (P = .0667). Substratification yielded distinct ALBI grade survival curves for CPC B (P = .0022, C-index 0.892), BCLC A (P = .0308, C-index 0.887), and BCLC C (P = .0287, C-index 0.839). PALBI grade demonstrated distinct survival curves for BCLC A (P = 0.0229, C-index 0.869). CPC yielded distinct survival curves for the entire cohort (P = .0019) but not when substratified by BCLC stage (all P > .05). ALBI and PALBI grades are accurate survival metrics in high-risk patients undergoing conventional transarterial chemoembolization for HCC. Use of these scores allows for more refined survival stratification within CPC and BCLC stage. Copyright © 2017 SIR. Published by Elsevier Inc. All

One-step synthesis of high-yield biodiesel from waste cooking oils by a novel and highly methanol-tolerant immobilized lipase.

PubMed

Wang, Xiumei; Qin, Xiaoli; Li, Daoming; Yang, Bo; Wang, Yonghua

2017-07-01

This study reported a novel immobilized MAS1 lipase from marine Streptomyces sp. strain W007 for synthesizing high-yield biodiesel from waste cooking oils (WCO) with one-step addition of methanol in a solvent-free system. Immobilized MAS1 lipase was selected for the transesterification reactions with one-step addition of methanol due to its much more higher biodiesel yield (89.50%) when compared with the other three commercial immobilized lipases (<10%). The highest biodiesel yield (95.45%) was acquired with one-step addition of methanol under the optimized conditions. Moreover, it was observed that immobilized MAS1 lipase retained approximately 70% of its initial activity after being used for four batch cycles. Finally, the obtained biodiesel was further characterized using FT-IR, 1 H and 13 C NMR spectroscopy. These findings indicated that immobilized MAS1 lipase is a promising catalyst for biodiesel production from WCO with one-step addition of methanol under high methanol concentration. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Importance of Juvenile Root Traits for Crop Yields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, Philip; Adu, Michael; Broadley, Martin; Brown, Lawrie; Dupuy, Lionel; George, Timothy; Graham, Neil; Hammond, John; Hayden, Rory; Neugebauer, Konrad; Nightingale, Mark; Ramsay, Gavin; Thomas, Catherine; Thompson, Jacqueline; Wishart, Jane; Wright, Gladys

2014-05-01

Genetic variation in root system architecture (RSA) is an under-exploited breeding resource. This is partly a consequence of difficulties in the rapid and accurate assessment of subterranean root systems. However, although the characterisation of root systems of large plants in the field are both time-consuming and labour-intensive, high-throughput (HTP) screens of root systems of juvenile plants can be performed in the field, glasshouse or laboratory. It is hypothesised that improving the root systems of juvenile plants can accelerate access to water and essential mineral elements, leading to rapid crop establishment and, consequently, greater yields. This presentation will illustrate how aspects of the juvenile root systems of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) and oilseed rape (OSR; Brassica napus L.) correlate with crop yields and examine the reasons for such correlations. It will first describe the significant positive relationships between early root system development, phosphorus acquisition, canopy establishment and eventual yield among potato genotypes. It will report the development of a glasshouse assay for root system architecture (RSA) of juvenile potato plants, the correlations between root system architectures measured in the glasshouse and field, and the relationships between aspects of the juvenile root system and crop yields under drought conditions. It will then describe the development of HTP systems for assaying RSA of OSR seedlings, the identification of genetic loci affecting RSA in OSR, the development of mathematical models describing resource acquisition by OSR, and the correlations between root traits recorded in the HTP systems and yields of OSR in the field.

Energy stable and high-order-accurate finite difference methods on staggered grids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Reilly, Ossian; Lundquist, Tomas; Dunham, Eric M.; Nordström, Jan

2017-10-01

For wave propagation over distances of many wavelengths, high-order finite difference methods on staggered grids are widely used due to their excellent dispersion properties. However, the enforcement of boundary conditions in a stable manner and treatment of interface problems with discontinuous coefficients usually pose many challenges. In this work, we construct a provably stable and high-order-accurate finite difference method on staggered grids that can be applied to a broad class of boundary and interface problems. The staggered grid difference operators are in summation-by-parts form and when combined with a weak enforcement of the boundary conditions, lead to an energy stable method on multiblock grids. The general applicability of the method is demonstrated by simulating an explosive acoustic source, generating waves reflecting against a free surface and material discontinuity.

Highly Accurate Calculations of the Phase Diagram of Cold Lithium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shulenburger, Luke; Baczewski, Andrew

The phase diagram of lithium is particularly complicated, exhibiting many different solid phases under the modest application of pressure. Experimental efforts to identify these phases using diamond anvil cells have been complemented by ab initio theory, primarily using density functional theory (DFT). Due to the multiplicity of crystal structures whose enthalpy is nearly degenerate and the uncertainty introduced by density functional approximations, we apply the highly accurate many-body diffusion Monte Carlo (DMC) method to the study of the solid phases at low temperature. These calculations span many different phases, including several with low symmetry, demonstrating the viability of DMC as a method for calculating phase diagrams for complex solids. Our results can be used as a benchmark to test the accuracy of various density functionals. This can strengthen confidence in DFT based predictions of more complex phenomena such as the anomalous melting behavior predicted for lithium at high pressures. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. DOE's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

Highly accurate symplectic element based on two variational principles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qing, Guanghui; Tian, Jia

2018-02-01

For the stability requirement of numerical resultants, the mathematical theory of classical mixed methods are relatively complex. However, generalized mixed methods are automatically stable, and their building process is simple and straightforward. In this paper, based on the seminal idea of the generalized mixed methods, a simple, stable, and highly accurate 8-node noncompatible symplectic element (NCSE8) was developed by the combination of the modified Hellinger-Reissner mixed variational principle and the minimum energy principle. To ensure the accuracy of in-plane stress results, a simultaneous equation approach was also suggested. Numerical experimentation shows that the accuracy of stress results of NCSE8 are nearly the same as that of displacement methods, and they are in good agreement with the exact solutions when the mesh is relatively fine. NCSE8 has advantages of the clearing concept, easy calculation by a finite element computer program, higher accuracy and wide applicability for various linear elasticity compressible and nearly incompressible material problems. It is possible that NCSE8 becomes even more advantageous for the fracture problems due to its better accuracy of stresses.

A Time-Accurate Upwind Unstructured Finite Volume Method for Compressible Flow with Cure of Pathological Behaviors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Loh, Ching Y.; Jorgenson, Philip C. E.

2007-01-01

A time-accurate, upwind, finite volume method for computing compressible flows on unstructured grids is presented. The method is second order accurate in space and time and yields high resolution in the presence of discontinuities. For efficiency, the Roe approximate Riemann solver with an entropy correction is employed. In the basic Euler/Navier-Stokes scheme, many concepts of high order upwind schemes are adopted: the surface flux integrals are carefully treated, a Cauchy-Kowalewski time-stepping scheme is used in the time-marching stage, and a multidimensional limiter is applied in the reconstruction stage. However even with these up-to-date improvements, the basic upwind scheme is still plagued by the so-called "pathological behaviors," e.g., the carbuncle phenomenon, the expansion shock, etc. A solution to these limitations is presented which uses a very simple dissipation model while still preserving second order accuracy. This scheme is referred to as the enhanced time-accurate upwind (ETAU) scheme in this paper. The unstructured grid capability renders flexibility for use in complex geometry; and the present ETAU Euler/Navier-Stokes scheme is capable of handling a broad spectrum of flow regimes from high supersonic to subsonic at very low Mach number, appropriate for both CFD (computational fluid dynamics) and CAA (computational aeroacoustics). Numerous examples are included to demonstrate the robustness of the methods.

High char yield epoxy curing agents

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Delvigs, P.; Serafini, T. T.; Vanucci, R. D.

1981-01-01

Class of imide-amine curing agents preserves structural integrity, prevents fiber release, and is fully compatible with conventional epoxy resins; agents do not detract from composite properties while greatly reducing char yield. Materials utilizing curing are used in aerospace, automotive, and other structural components where deterioration must be minimized and fiber release avoided in event of fire.

Climate Change Impacts on Sediment Yield in Headwaters of a High-latitude Region in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Y.; Xu, Y. J.; Wang, J., , Dr; Weihua, X.; Huang, Y.

2017-12-01

Climate change is expected to have strongest effects in higher latitude regions. Despite intensive research on possible hydrological responses to global warming in these regions, our knowledge of climate change on surface erosion and sediment yield in high-latitude headwaters is limited. In this study, we used the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to predict future runoff and sediment yield from the headwaters of a high-latitude river basin in China's far northeast. The SWAT model was first calibrated with historical discharge records and the model parameterization achieved satisfactory validation. The calibrated model was then applied to two greenhouse gas concentration trajectories, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, for the period from 2020 to 2050 to estimate future runoff. Sediment yields for this period were predicted using a discharge-sediment load rating curve developed from field measurements in the past nine years. Our preliminary results show an increasing trend of sediment yield under both climate change scenarios, and that the increase is more pronounced in the summer and autumn months. Changes in precipitation and temperature seem to exert variable impacts on runoff and sediment yield at interannual and seasonal scales in these headwaters. These findings imply that the current river basin management in the region needs to be reviewed and improved in order to be effective under a changing climate.

Accurate radiative transfer calculations for layered media.

PubMed

Selden, Adrian C

2016-07-01

Simple yet accurate results for radiative transfer in layered media with discontinuous refractive index are obtained by the method of K-integrals. These are certain weighted integrals applied to the angular intensity distribution at the refracting boundaries. The radiative intensity is expressed as the sum of the asymptotic angular intensity distribution valid in the depth of the scattering medium and a transient term valid near the boundary. Integrated boundary equations are obtained, yielding simple linear equations for the intensity coefficients, enabling the angular emission intensity and the diffuse reflectance (albedo) and transmittance of the scattering layer to be calculated without solving the radiative transfer equation directly. Examples are given of half-space, slab, interface, and double-layer calculations, and extensions to multilayer systems are indicated. The K-integral method is orders of magnitude more accurate than diffusion theory and can be applied to layered scattering media with a wide range of scattering albedos, with potential applications to biomedical and ocean optics.

[Effects of Chemical Fertilizers and Organic Fertilizer on Yield of Ligusticum chuanxiong Rhizome].

PubMed

Liang, Qin; Chen, Xing-fu; Li, Yan; Zhang, Jun; Meng, Jie; Peng, Shi-ming

2015-10-01

To study the effects of different N, P, K and organic fertilizer (OF) on yield of Ligusticum chuanxiong rhizome, in order to provide the theoretical foundation for the establishment of standardization cultivation techniques. The field plot experiments used Ligusticum chuanxiong rhizome which planted in Pengshan as material, and were studied by the four factors and five levels with quadratic regression rotation-orthogonal combination design. According to the data obtained, a function model which could predict the fertilization and yield of Ligusticum chuanxiong rhizome accurately was established. The model analysis showed that the yields of Ligusticum chuanxiong rhizome were significantly influenced by the N, P, K and OF applications. Among these factors, the order of increase rates by the fertilizers was K > OF > N > P; The effect of interaction between N and K, N and OF, K and OF on the yield of Ligusticum chuanxiong rhizome were significantly different. High levels of N and P, N and organic fertilizer, K and organic fertilizer were conducive to improve the yield of Ligusticum chuanxiong rhizome. The results showed that the optimal fertilizer application rates of N was 148.20 - 172.28 kg/hm2, P was 511.92 - 599.40 kg/hm2, K was 249.70 - 282.37 kg/hm2, and OF was 940.00 - 1 104.00 kg/hm2. N, P, K and OF obviously affect the yield of Ligusticum chuanxiong rhizome. K and OF can significantly increase the yield of Ligusticum chuanxiong rhizome. Thus it is suggested that properly high mount of K and OF and appropriate increasing N are two favorable factors for cultivating Ligusticum chuanxiong.

Creating a High-Touch Recruitment Event: Utilizing Faculty to Recruit and Yield Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freed, Lindsey R.; Howell, Leanne L.

2018-01-01

The following article describes the planning and implementation of a university student recruitment event that produced a high (new) student yield. Detailed descriptions of how staff and faculty worked together to plan and implement this event are described.

Studies of fission fragment yields via high-resolution γ-ray spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, J. N.; Lebois, M.; Qi, L.; Amador-Celdran, P.; Bleuel, D.; Briz, J. A.; Carroll, R.; Catford, W.; Witte, H. De; Doherty, D. T.; Eloirdi, R.; Georgiev, G.; Gottardo, A.; Goasduff, A.; Hadyñska-Klek, K.; Hauschild, K.; Hess, H.; Ingeberg, V.; Konstantinopoulos, T.; Ljungvall, J.; Lopez-Martens, A.; Lorusso, G.; Lozeva, R.; Lutter, R.; Marini, P.; Matea, I.; Materna, T.; Mathieu, L.; Oberstedt, A.; Oberstedt, S.; Panebianco, S.; Podolyak, Zs.; Porta, A.; Regan, P. H.; Reiter, P.; Rezynkina, K.; Rose, S. J.; Sahin, E.; Seidlitz, M.; Serot, O.; Shearman, R.; Siebeck, B.; Siem, S.; Smith, A. G.; Tveten, G. M.; Verney, D.; Warr, N.; Zeiser, F.; Zielinska, M.

2018-03-01

Precise spectroscopic information on the fast neutron induced fission of the 238U(n,f) reaction was recently gained using a new technique which involved coupling of the Miniball high resolution y-ray spectrometer and the LICORNE directional neutron source. The experiment allowed measurement of the isotopic fission yields for around 40 even-even nuclei at an incident neutron energy of around 2 MeV where yield data are very sparse. In addition spectroscopic information on very neutron-rich fission products was obtained. Results were compared to models, both the JEFF-3.1.1 data base and the GEF code, and large discrepancies for the S1 fission mode in the Sn/Mo isotope pair were discovered. This suggests that current models are overestimating the role played by spherical shell effects in fast neutron induced fission. In late 2017 and 2018 the nu-ball hybrid spectrometer will be constructed at the IPN Orsay to perform further experimental investigations with directional neutrons coupled to a powerful hybrid Ge/LaBr3 detector array. This will open up new possibilities for measurements of fission yields for fast-neutron-induced fission using the spectroscopic technique and will be complimentary to other methods being developed.

New approach to increasing rice lodging resistance and biomass yield through the use of high gibberellin producing varieties.

PubMed

Okuno, Ayako; Hirano, Ko; Asano, Kenji; Takase, Wakana; Masuda, Reiko; Morinaka, Yoichi; Ueguchi-Tanaka, Miyako; Kitano, Hidemi; Matsuoka, Makoto

2014-01-01

Traditional breeding for high-yielding rice has been dependent on the widespread use of fertilizers and the cultivation of gibberellin (GA)-deficient semi-dwarf varieties. The use of semi-dwarf plants facilitates high grain yield since these varieties possess high levels of lodging resistance, and thus could support the high grain weight. Although this approach has been successful in increasing grain yield, it is desirable to further improve grain production and also to breed for high biomass. In this study, we re-examined the effect of GA on rice lodging resistance and biomass yield using several GA-deficient mutants (e.g. having defects in the biosynthesis or perception of GA), and high-GA producing line or mutant. GA-deficient mutants displayed improved bending-type lodging resistance due to their short stature; however they showed reduced breaking-type lodging resistance and reduced total biomass. In plants producing high amounts of GA, the bending-type lodging resistance was inferior to the original cultivars. The breaking-type lodging resistance was improved due to increased lignin accumulation and/or larger culm diameters. Further, these lines had an increase in total biomass weight. These results show that the use of rice cultivars producing high levels of GA would be a novel approach to create higher lodging resistance and biomass.

Compact, accurate description of diagnostic neutral beam propagation and attenuation in a high temperature plasma for charge exchange recombination spectroscopy analysis.

PubMed

Bespamyatnov, Igor O; Rowan, William L; Granetz, Robert S

2008-10-01

Charge exchange recombination spectroscopy on Alcator C-Mod relies on the use of the diagnostic neutral beam injector as a source of neutral particles which penetrate deep into the plasma. It employs the emission resulting from the interaction of the beam atoms with fully ionized impurity ions. To interpret the emission from a given point in the plasma as the density of emitting impurity ions, the density of beam atoms must be known. Here, an analysis of beam propagation is described which yields the beam density profile throughout the beam trajectory from the neutral beam injector to the core of the plasma. The analysis includes the effects of beam formation, attenuation in the neutral gas surrounding the plasma, and attenuation in the plasma. In the course of this work, a numerical simulation and an analytical approximation for beam divergence are developed. The description is made sufficiently compact to yield accurate results in a time consistent with between-shot analysis.

High-Yield Secretion of Multiple Client Proteins in Aspergillus

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

Segato, F.; Damasio, A. R. L.; Goncalves, T. A.

2012-07-15

Production of pure and high-yield client proteins is an important technology that addresses the need for industrial applications of enzymes as well as scientific experiments in protein chemistry and crystallization. Fungi are utilized in industrial protein production because of their ability to secrete large quantities of proteins. In this study, we engineered a high-expression-secretion vector, pEXPYR that directs proteins towards the extracellular medium in two Aspergillii host strains, examine the effect of maltose-induced over-expression and protein secretion as well as time and pH-dependent protein stability in the medium. We describe five client proteins representing a core set of hemicellulose degradingmore » enzymes that accumulated up to 50-100 mg/L of protein. Using a recyclable genetic marker that allows serial insertion of multiple genes, simultaneous hyper-secretion of three client proteins in a single host strain was accomplished.« less

Method for reproducibly preparing a low-melting high-carbon yield precursor

DOEpatents

Smith, Wesley E.; Napier, Jr., Bradley

1978-01-01

The present invention is directed to a method for preparing a reproducible synthetic carbon precursor by the autoclave polymerization of indene (C.sub.9 H.sub.8) at a temperature in the range of 470.degree.-485.degree. C, and at a pressure in the range of about 1000 to about 4300 psi. Volatiles in the resulting liquid indene polymer are removed by vacuum outgassing to form a solid carbon precursor characterized by having a relatively low melting temperature, high-carbon yield, and high reproducibility which provide for the fabrication of carbon and graphite composites having strict requirements for reproducible properties.

Accurately Mapping M31's Microlensing Population

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crotts, Arlin

2004-07-01

We propose to augment an existing microlensing survey of M31 with source identifications provided by a modest amount of ACS {and WFPC2 parallel} observations to yield an accurate measurement of the masses responsible for microlensing in M31, and presumably much of its dark matter. The main benefit of these data is the determination of the physical {or "einstein"} timescale of each microlensing event, rather than an effective {"FWHM"} timescale, allowing masses to be determined more than twice as accurately as without HST data. The einstein timescale is the ratio of the lensing cross-sectional radius and relative velocities. Velocities are known from kinematics, and the cross-section is directly proportional to the {unknown} lensing mass. We cannot easily measure these quantities without knowing the amplification, hence the baseline magnitude, which requires the resolution of HST to find the source star. This makes a crucial difference because M31 lens m ass determinations can be more accurate than those towards the Magellanic Clouds through our Galaxy's halo {for the same number of microlensing events} due to the better constrained geometry in the M31 microlensing situation. Furthermore, our larger survey, just completed, should yield at least 100 M31 microlensing events, more than any Magellanic survey. A small amount of ACS+WFPC2 imaging will deliver the potential of this large database {about 350 nights}. For the whole survey {and a delta-function mass distribution} the mass error should approach only about 15%, or about 6% error in slope for a power-law distribution. These results will better allow us to pinpoint the lens halo fraction, and the shape of the halo lens spatial distribution, and allow generalization/comparison of the nature of halo dark matter in spiral galaxies. In addition, we will be able to establish the baseline magnitude for about 50, 000 variable stars, as well as measure an unprecedentedly deta iled color-magnitude diagram and luminosity

Exogenously Applied Plant Growth Regulators Enhance the Morpho-Physiological Growth and Yield of Rice under High Temperature.

PubMed

Fahad, Shah; Hussain, Saddam; Saud, Shah; Hassan, Shah; Ihsan, Zahid; Shah, Adnan N; Wu, Chao; Yousaf, Muhammad; Nasim, Wajid; Alharby, Hesham; Alghabari, Fahad; Huang, Jianliang

2016-01-01

A 2-year experiment was conducted to ascertain the effects of exogenously applied plant growth regulators (PGR) on rice growth and yield attributes under high day (HDT) and high night temperature (HNT). Two rice cultivars (IR-64 and Huanghuazhan) were subjected to temperature treatments in controlled growth chambers and four different combinations of ascorbic acid (Vc), alpha-tocopherol (Ve), brassinosteroids (Br), methyl jasmonates (MeJA), and triazoles (Tr) were applied. High temperature severely affected rice morphology, and also reduced leaf area, above-, and below-ground biomass, photosynthesis, and water use efficiency, while increased the leaf water potential of both rice cultivars. Grain yield and its related attributes except number of panicles, were reduced under high temperature. The HDT posed more negative effects on rice physiological attributes, while HNT was more detrimental for grain formation and yield. The Huanghuazhan performed better than IR-64 under high temperature stress with better growth and higher grain yield. Exogenous application of PGRs was helpful in alleviating the adverse effects of high temperature. Among PGR combinations, the Vc+Ve+MejA+Br was the most effective treatment for both cultivars under high temperature stress. The highest grain production by Vc+Ve+MejA+Br treated plants was due to enhanced photosynthesis, spikelet fertility and grain filling, which compensated the adversities of high temperature stress. Taken together, these results will be of worth for further understanding the adaptation and survival mechanisms of rice to high temperature and will assist in developing heat-resistant rice germplasm in future.

A simple, robust and efficient high-order accurate shock-capturing scheme for compressible flows: Towards minimalism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohwada, Taku; Shibata, Yuki; Kato, Takuma; Nakamura, Taichi

2018-06-01

Developed is a high-order accurate shock-capturing scheme for the compressible Euler/Navier-Stokes equations; the formal accuracy is 5th order in space and 4th order in time. The performance and efficiency of the scheme are validated in various numerical tests. The main ingredients of the scheme are nothing special; they are variants of the standard numerical flux, MUSCL, the usual Lagrange's polynomial and the conventional Runge-Kutta method. The scheme can compute a boundary layer accurately with a rational resolution and capture a stationary contact discontinuity sharply without inner points. And yet it is endowed with high resistance against shock anomalies (carbuncle phenomenon, post-shock oscillations, etc.). A good balance between high robustness and low dissipation is achieved by blending three types of numerical fluxes according to physical situation in an intuitively easy-to-understand way. The performance of the scheme is largely comparable to that of WENO5-Rusanov, while its computational cost is 30-40% less than of that of the advanced scheme.

Estimation of dew yield from radiative condensers by means of an energy balance model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maestre-Valero, J. F.; Ragab, R.; Martínez-Alvarez, V.; Baille, A.

2012-08-01

SummaryThis paper presents an energy balance modelling approach to predict the nightly water yield and the surface temperature (Tf) of two passive radiative dew condensers (RDCs) tilted 30° from horizontal. One was fitted with a white hydrophilic polyethylene foil recommended for dew harvest and the other with a black polyethylene foil widely used in horticulture. The model was validated in south-eastern Spain by comparing the simulation outputs with field measurements of Tf and dew yield. The results indicate that the model is robust and accurate in reproducing the behaviour of the two RDCs, especially in what refers to Tf, whose estimates were very close to the observations. The results were somewhat less precise for dew yield, with a larger scatter around the 1:1 relationship. A sensitivity analysis showed that the simulated dew yield was highly sensitive to changes in relative humidity and downward longwave radiation. The proposed approach provides a useful tool to water managers for quantifying the amount of dew that could be harvested as a valuable water resource in arid, semiarid and water stressed regions.

Accurate FRET Measurements within Single Diffusing Biomolecules Using Alternating-Laser Excitation

PubMed Central

Lee, Nam Ki; Kapanidis, Achillefs N.; Wang, You; Michalet, Xavier; Mukhopadhyay, Jayanta; Ebright, Richard H.; Weiss, Shimon

2005-01-01

Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between a donor (D) and an acceptor (A) at the single-molecule level currently provides qualitative information about distance, and quantitative information about kinetics of distance changes. Here, we used the sorting ability of confocal microscopy equipped with alternating-laser excitation (ALEX) to measure accurate FRET efficiencies and distances from single molecules, using corrections that account for cross-talk terms that contaminate the FRET-induced signal, and for differences in the detection efficiency and quantum yield of the probes. ALEX yields accurate FRET independent of instrumental factors, such as excitation intensity or detector alignment. Using DNA fragments, we showed that ALEX-based distances agree well with predictions from a cylindrical model of DNA; ALEX-based distances fit better to theory than distances obtained at the ensemble level. Distance measurements within transcription complexes agreed well with ensemble-FRET measurements, and with structural models based on ensemble-FRET and x-ray crystallography. ALEX can benefit structural analysis of biomolecules, especially when such molecules are inaccessible to conventional structural methods due to heterogeneity or transient nature. PMID:15653725

Metabolic engineering of biomass for high energy density: oilseed-like triacylglycerol yields from plant leaves

PubMed Central

Vanhercke, Thomas; El Tahchy, Anna; Liu, Qing; Zhou, Xue-Rong; Shrestha, Pushkar; Divi, Uday K; Ral, Jean-Philippe; Mansour, Maged P; Nichols, Peter D; James, Christopher N; Horn, Patrick J; Chapman, Kent D; Beaudoin, Frederic; Ruiz-López, Noemi; Larkin, Philip J; de Feyter, Robert C; Singh, Surinder P; Petrie, James R

2014-01-01

High biomass crops have recently attracted significant attention as an alternative platform for the renewable production of high energy storage lipids such as triacylglycerol (TAG). While TAG typically accumulates in seeds as storage compounds fuelling subsequent germination, levels in vegetative tissues are generally low. Here, we report the accumulation of more than 15% TAG (17.7% total lipids) by dry weight in Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco) leaves by the co-expression of three genes involved in different aspects of TAG production without severely impacting plant development. These yields far exceed the levels found in wild-type leaf tissue as well as previously reported engineered TAG yields in vegetative tissues of Arabidopsis thaliana and N. tabacum. When translated to a high biomass crop, the current levels would translate to an oil yield per hectare that exceeds those of most cultivated oilseed crops. Confocal fluorescence microscopy and mass spectrometry imaging confirmed the accumulation of TAG within leaf mesophyll cells. In addition, we explored the applicability of several existing oil-processing methods using fresh leaf tissue. Our results demonstrate the technical feasibility of a vegetative plant oil production platform and provide for a step change in the bioenergy landscape, opening new prospects for sustainable food, high energy forage, biofuel and biomaterial applications. PMID:24151938

Accurate predictions of iron redox state in silicate glasses: A multivariate approach using X-ray absorption spectroscopy

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

Dyar, M. Darby; McCanta, Molly; Breves, Elly

2016-03-01

Pre-edge features in the K absorption edge of X-ray absorption spectra are commonly used to predict Fe3+ valence state in silicate glasses. However, this study shows that using the entire spectral region from the pre-edge into the extended X-ray absorption fine-structure region provides more accurate results when combined with multivariate analysis techniques. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (lasso) regression technique yields %Fe3+ values that are accurate to ±3.6% absolute when the full spectral region is employed. This method can be used across a broad range of glass compositions, is easily automated, and is demonstrated to yield accurate resultsmore » from different synchrotrons. It will enable future studies involving X-ray mapping of redox gradients on standard thin sections at 1 × 1 μm pixel sizes.« less

Determining the Critical Dose Threshold of Electron-Induced Electron Yield for Minimally Charged Highly Insulating Materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoffmann, Ryan; Dennison, J. R.; Abbott, Jonathan

2006-03-01

When incident energetic electrons interact with a material, they excite electrons within the material to escape energies. The electron emission is quantified as the ratio of emitted electrons to incident particle flux, termed electron yield. Measuring the electron yield of insulators is difficult due to dynamic surface charge accumulation which directly affects landing energies and the potential barrier that emitted electrons must overcome. Our recent measurements of highly insulating materials have demonstrated significant changes in total yield curves and yield decay curves for very small electron doses equivalent to a trapped charge density of <10^10 electrons /cm^3. The Chung-Everhart theory provides a basic model for the behavior of the electron emission spectra which we relate to yield decay curves as charge is allowed to accumulate. Yield measurements as a function of dose for polyimide (Kapton^TM) and microcrystalline SiO2 will be presented. We use our data and model to address the question of whether there is a minimal dose threshold at which the accumulated charge no longer affects the yield.

A highly accurate symmetric optical flow based high-dimensional nonlinear spatial normalization of brain images.

PubMed

Wen, Ying; Hou, Lili; He, Lianghua; Peterson, Bradley S; Xu, Dongrong

2015-05-01

Spatial normalization plays a key role in voxel-based analyses of brain images. We propose a highly accurate algorithm for high-dimensional spatial normalization of brain images based on the technique of symmetric optical flow. We first construct a three dimension optical model with the consistency assumption of intensity and consistency of the gradient of intensity under a constraint of discontinuity-preserving spatio-temporal smoothness. Then, an efficient inverse consistency optical flow is proposed with aims of higher registration accuracy, where the flow is naturally symmetric. By employing a hierarchical strategy ranging from coarse to fine scales of resolution and a method of Euler-Lagrange numerical analysis, our algorithm is capable of registering brain images data. Experiments using both simulated and real datasets demonstrated that the accuracy of our algorithm is not only better than that of those traditional optical flow algorithms, but also comparable to other registration methods used extensively in the medical imaging community. Moreover, our registration algorithm is fully automated, requiring a very limited number of parameters and no manual intervention. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

High-yield exfoliation of tungsten disulphide nanosheets by rational mixing of low-boiling-point solvents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sajedi-Moghaddam, Ali; Saievar-Iranizad, Esmaiel

2018-01-01

Developing high-throughput, reliable, and facile approaches for producing atomically thin sheets of transition metal dichalcogenides is of great importance to pave the way for their use in real applications. Here, we report a highly promising route for exfoliating two-dimensional tungsten disulphide sheets by using binary combination of low-boiling-point solvents. Experimental results show significant dependence of exfoliation yield on the type of solvents as well as relative volume fraction of each solvent. The highest yield was found for appropriate combination of isopropanol/water (20 vol% isopropanol and 80 vol% water) which is approximately 7 times higher than that in pure isopropanol and 4 times higher than that in pure water. The dramatic increase in exfoliation yield can be attributed to perfect match between the surface tension of tungsten disulphide and binary solvent system. Furthermore, solvent molecular size also has a profound impact on the exfoliation efficiency, due to the steric repulsion.

A highly accurate wireless digital sun sensor based on profile detecting and detector multiplexing technologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Minsong; Xing, Fei; You, Zheng

2017-01-01

The advancing growth of micro- and nano-satellites requires miniaturized sun sensors which could be conveniently applied in the attitude determination subsystem. In this work, a profile detecting technology based high accurate wireless digital sun sensor was proposed, which could transform a two-dimensional image into two-linear profile output so that it can realize a high update rate under a very low power consumption. A multiple spots recovery approach with an asymmetric mask pattern design principle was introduced to fit the multiplexing image detector method for accuracy improvement of the sun sensor within a large Field of View (FOV). A FOV determination principle based on the concept of FOV region was also proposed to facilitate both sub-FOV analysis and the whole FOV determination. A RF MCU, together with solar cells, was utilized to achieve the wireless and self-powered functionality. The prototype of the sun sensor is approximately 10 times lower in size and weight compared with the conventional digital sun sensor (DSS). Test results indicated that the accuracy of the prototype was 0.01° within a cone FOV of 100°. Such an autonomous DSS could be equipped flexibly on a micro- or nano-satellite, especially for highly accurate remote sensing applications.

High accurate interpolation of NURBS tool path for CNC machine tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Qiang; Liu, Huan; Yuan, Songmei

2016-09-01

Feedrate fluctuation caused by approximation errors of interpolation methods has great effects on machining quality in NURBS interpolation, but few methods can efficiently eliminate or reduce it to a satisfying level without sacrificing the computing efficiency at present. In order to solve this problem, a high accurate interpolation method for NURBS tool path is proposed. The proposed method can efficiently reduce the feedrate fluctuation by forming a quartic equation with respect to the curve parameter increment, which can be efficiently solved by analytic methods in real-time. Theoretically, the proposed method can totally eliminate the feedrate fluctuation for any 2nd degree NURBS curves and can interpolate 3rd degree NURBS curves with minimal feedrate fluctuation. Moreover, a smooth feedrate planning algorithm is also proposed to generate smooth tool motion with considering multiple constraints and scheduling errors by an efficient planning strategy. Experiments are conducted to verify the feasibility and applicability of the proposed method. This research presents a novel NURBS interpolation method with not only high accuracy but also satisfying computing efficiency.

Electron-induced electron yields of uncharged insulating materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoffmann, Ryan Carl

Presented here are electron-induced electron yield measurements from high-resistivity, high-yield materials to support a model for the yield of uncharged insulators. These measurements are made using a low-fluence, pulsed electron beam and charge neutralization to minimize charge accumulation. They show charging induced changes in the total yield, as much as 75%, even for incident electron fluences of <3 fC/mm2, when compared to an uncharged yield. The evolution of the yield as charge accumulates in the material is described in terms of electron recapture, based on the extended Chung and Everhart model of the electron emission spectrum and the dual dynamic layer model for internal charge distribution. This model is used to explain charge-induced total yield modification measured in high-yield ceramics, and to provide a method for determining electron yield of uncharged, highly insulating, high-yield materials. A sequence of materials with progressively greater charge susceptibility is presented. This series starts with low-yield Kapton derivative called CP1, then considers a moderate-yield material, Kapton HN, and ends with a high-yield ceramic, polycrystalline aluminum oxide. Applicability of conductivity (both radiation induced conductivity (RIC) and dark current conductivity) to the yield is addressed. Relevance of these results to spacecraft charging is also discussed.

Evaluation of Rgb-Based Vegetation Indices from Uav Imagery to Estimate Forage Yield in Grassland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lussem, U.; Bolten, A.; Gnyp, M. L.; Jasper, J.; Bareth, G.

2018-04-01

Monitoring forage yield throughout the growing season is of key importance to support management decisions on grasslands/pastures. Especially on intensely managed grasslands, where nitrogen fertilizer and/or manure are applied regularly, precision agriculture applications are beneficial to support sustainable, site-specific management decisions on fertilizer treatment, grazing management and yield forecasting to mitigate potential negative impacts. To support these management decisions, timely and accurate information is needed on plant parameters (e.g. forage yield) with a high spatial and temporal resolution. However, in highly heterogeneous plant communities such as grasslands, assessing their in-field variability non-destructively to determine e.g. adequate fertilizer application still remains challenging. Especially biomass/yield estimation, as an important parameter in assessing grassland quality and quantity, is rather laborious. Forage yield (dry or fresh matter) is mostly measured manually with rising plate meters (RPM) or ultrasonic sensors (handheld or mounted on vehicles). Thus the in-field variability cannot be assessed for the entire field or only with potential disturbances. Using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) equipped with consumer grade RGB cameras in-field variability can be assessed by computing RGB-based vegetation indices. In this contribution we want to test and evaluate the robustness of RGB-based vegetation indices to estimate dry matter forage yield on a recently established experimental grassland site in Germany. Furthermore, the RGB-based VIs are compared to indices computed from the Yara N-Sensor. The results show a good correlation of forage yield with RGB-based VIs such as the NGRDI with R2 values of 0.62.

Epidemiology and impact of Fasciola hepatica exposure in high-yielding dairy herds

PubMed Central

Howell, Alison; Baylis, Matthew; Smith, Rob; Pinchbeck, Gina; Williams, Diana

2015-01-01

The liver fluke Fasciola hepatica is a trematode parasite with a worldwide distribution and is the cause of important production losses in the dairy industry. The aim of this observational study was to assess the prevalence of exposure to F. hepatica in a group of high yielding dairy herds, to determine the risk factors and investigate their associations with production and fertility parameters. Bulk milk tank samples from 606 herds that supply a single retailer with liquid milk were tested with an antibody ELISA for F. hepatica. Multivariable linear regression was used to investigate the effect of farm management and environmental risk factors on F. hepatica exposure. Higher rainfall, grazing boggy pasture, presence of beef cattle on farm, access to a stream or pond and smaller herd size were associated with an increased risk of exposure. Univariable regression was used to look for associations between fluke exposure and production-related variables including milk yield, composition, somatic cell count and calving index. Although causation cannot be assumed, a significant (p < 0.001) negative association was seen between F. hepatica exposure and estimated milk yield at the herd level, representing a 15% decrease in yield for an increase in F. hepatica exposure from the 25th to the 75th percentile. This remained significant when fertility, farm management and environmental factors were controlled for. No associations were found between F. hepatica exposure and any of the other production, disease or fertility variables. PMID:26093971

Simple, high-yield purification of xanthine oxidase from bovine milk.

PubMed

Ozer, N; Müftüoglu, M; Ataman, D; Ercan, A; Ogüs, I H

1999-05-13

Xanthine oxidase, a commercially important enzyme with a wide area of application, was extracted from fresh milk, without added preservatives, using toluene and heat. The short purification procedure, with high yield, consisted of extraction, ammonium sulfate fractionation, and DEAE-Sepharose (fast flow) column chromatography. Xanthine oxidase was eluted as a single activity peak from the column using a buffer gradient. The purification fold, specific activity and yield for the purified xanthine oxidase were 328, 10.161 U/mg and 69%, respectively. The enzyme was concentrated by ultrafiltration, although 31% of the activity was lost during concentration, no change in specific activity was observed. Activity and protein gave coincident staining bands on native polyacrylamide gels. The intensity and the number of bands were dependent on the oxidative state(s) of the enzyme; reduction by 2-mercaptoethanol decreased the intensity of the slow-moving bands and increased the intensity of the fastest-moving band. Following sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), two major bands (molecular masses of 152 and 131 kDa) were observed, accounting for > or = 95% of xanthine oxidase. Native- and SDS-PAGE showed that the purified xanthine oxidase becomes a heterodimer due to endogenous proteases.

High yield cell-free production of integral membrane proteins without refolding or detergents.

PubMed

Wuu, Jessica J; Swartz, James R

2008-05-01

Integral membrane proteins act as critical cellular components and are important drug targets. However, difficulties in producing membrane proteins have hampered investigations of structure and function. In vivo production systems are often limited by cell toxicity, and previous in vitro approaches have required unnatural folding pathways using detergents or lipid solutions. To overcome these limitations, we present an improved cell-free expression system which produces high yields of integral membrane proteins without the use of detergents or refolding steps. Our cell-free reaction activates an Escherichia coli-derived cell extract for transcription and translation. Purified E. coli inner membrane vesicles supply membrane-bound components and the lipid environment required for insertion and folding. Using this system, we demonstrated successful synthesis of two complex integral membrane transporters, the tetracycline pump (TetA) and mannitol permease (MtlA), in yields of 570+/-50 microg/mL and 130+/-30 microg/mL of vesicle-associated protein, respectively. These yields are up to 400 times typical in vivo concentrations. Insertion and folding of these proteins are verified by sucrose flotation, protease digestion, and activity assays. Whereas TetA incorporates efficiently into vesicle membranes with over two-thirds of the synthesized protein being inserted, MtlA yields appear to be limited by insufficient concentrations of a membrane-associated chaperone.

Optimizing rice yields while minimizing yield-scaled global warming potential.

PubMed

Pittelkow, Cameron M; Adviento-Borbe, Maria A; van Kessel, Chris; Hill, James E; Linquist, Bruce A

2014-05-01

To meet growing global food demand with limited land and reduced environmental impact, agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are increasingly evaluated with respect to crop productivity, i.e., on a yield-scaled as opposed to area basis. Here, we compiled available field data on CH4 and N2 O emissions from rice production systems to test the hypothesis that in response to fertilizer nitrogen (N) addition, yield-scaled global warming potential (GWP) will be minimized at N rates that maximize yields. Within each study, yield N surplus was calculated to estimate deficit or excess N application rates with respect to the optimal N rate (defined as the N rate at which maximum yield was achieved). Relationships between yield N surplus and GHG emissions were assessed using linear and nonlinear mixed-effects models. Results indicate that yields increased in response to increasing N surplus when moving from deficit to optimal N rates. At N rates contributing to a yield N surplus, N2 O and yield-scaled N2 O emissions increased exponentially. In contrast, CH4 emissions were not impacted by N inputs. Accordingly, yield-scaled CH4 emissions decreased with N addition. Overall, yield-scaled GWP was minimized at optimal N rates, decreasing by 21% compared to treatments without N addition. These results are unique compared to aerobic cropping systems in which N2 O emissions are the primary contributor to GWP, meaning yield-scaled GWP may not necessarily decrease for aerobic crops when yields are optimized by N fertilizer addition. Balancing gains in agricultural productivity with climate change concerns, this work supports the concept that high rice yields can be achieved with minimal yield-scaled GWP through optimal N application rates. Moreover, additional improvements in N use efficiency may further reduce yield-scaled GWP, thereby strengthening the economic and environmental sustainability of rice systems. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Metabolic engineering of biomass for high energy density: oilseed-like triacylglycerol yields from plant leaves.

PubMed

Vanhercke, Thomas; El Tahchy, Anna; Liu, Qing; Zhou, Xue-Rong; Shrestha, Pushkar; Divi, Uday K; Ral, Jean-Philippe; Mansour, Maged P; Nichols, Peter D; James, Christopher N; Horn, Patrick J; Chapman, Kent D; Beaudoin, Frederic; Ruiz-López, Noemi; Larkin, Philip J; de Feyter, Robert C; Singh, Surinder P; Petrie, James R

2014-02-01

High biomass crops have recently attracted significant attention as an alternative platform for the renewable production of high energy storage lipids such as triacylglycerol (TAG). While TAG typically accumulates in seeds as storage compounds fuelling subsequent germination, levels in vegetative tissues are generally low. Here, we report the accumulation of more than 15% TAG (17.7% total lipids) by dry weight in Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco) leaves by the co-expression of three genes involved in different aspects of TAG production without severely impacting plant development. These yields far exceed the levels found in wild-type leaf tissue as well as previously reported engineered TAG yields in vegetative tissues of Arabidopsis thaliana and N. tabacum. When translated to a high biomass crop, the current levels would translate to an oil yield per hectare that exceeds those of most cultivated oilseed crops. Confocal fluorescence microscopy and mass spectrometry imaging confirmed the accumulation of TAG within leaf mesophyll cells. In addition, we explored the applicability of several existing oil-processing methods using fresh leaf tissue. Our results demonstrate the technical feasibility of a vegetative plant oil production platform and provide for a step change in the bioenergy landscape, opening new prospects for sustainable food, high energy forage, biofuel and biomaterial applications. © 2013 CSIRO. Plant Biotechnology Journal published by Society for Experimental Biology, Association of Applied Biologists and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

[Effects of nitrogen application level on soil nitrate accumulation and ammonia volatilization in high-yielding wheat field].

PubMed

Wang, Dong; Yu, Zhenwen; Yu, Wenming; Shi, Yu; Zhou, Zhongxin

2006-09-01

The study showed that during the period from sowing to pre-wintering, the soil nitrate in high-yielding wheat field moved down to deeper layers, and accumulated in the layers below 140 cm. An application rate of 96-168 kg N x hm(-2) increased the nitrate content in 0-60 cm soil layer and the wheat grain yield and its protein content, and decreased the proportion of apparent N loss to applied N and the ammonia volatilization loss from basal nitrogen. Applying 240 kg N x hm(-2) promoted the downward movement of soil nitrate and its accumulation in deeper layers, increased the proportion of apparent N loss to applied N and the ammonia volatilization loss from basal nitrogen, had no significant effect on the protein content of wheat grain, but decreased the grain yield. The appropriate application rate of nitrogen on high-yielding wheat field was 132-204 kg N x hm(-2).

Fourier Transform Mass Spectrometry and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Analysis for the Rapid and Accurate Characterization of Hexacosanoylceramide.

PubMed

Ross, Charles W; Simonsick, William J; Bogusky, Michael J; Celikay, Recep W; Guare, James P; Newton, Randall C

2016-06-28

Ceramides are a central unit of all sphingolipids which have been identified as sites of biological recognition on cellular membranes mediating cell growth and differentiation. Several glycosphingolipids have been isolated, displaying immunomodulatory and anti-tumor activities. These molecules have generated considerable interest as potential vaccine adjuvants in humans. Accurate analyses of these and related sphingosine analogues are important for the characterization of structure, biological function, and metabolism. We report the complementary use of direct laser desorption ionization (DLDI), sheath flow electrospray ionization (ESI) Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICR MS) and high-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis for the rapid, accurate identification of hexacosanoylceramide and starting materials. DLDI does not require stringent sample preparation and yields representative ions. Sheath-flow ESI yields ions of the product and byproducts and was significantly better than monospray ESI due to improved compound solubility. Negative ion sheath flow ESI provided data of starting materials and products all in one acquisition as hexacosanoic acid does not ionize efficiently when ceramides are present. NMR provided characterization of these lipid molecules complementing the results obtained from MS analyses. NMR data was able to differentiate straight chain versus branched chain alkyl groups not easily obtained from mass spectrometry.

High-throughput and high-yield fabrication of uniaxially-aligned chitosan-based nanofibers by centrifugal electrospinning

PubMed Central

Erickson, Ariane E.; Edmondson, Dennis; Chang, Fei-Chien; Wood, Dave; Gong, Alex; Levengood, Sheeny Lan; Zhang, Miqin

2016-01-01

The inability to produce large quantities of nanofibers has been a primary obstacle in advancement and commercialization of electrospinning technologies, especially when aligned nanofibers are desired. Here, we present a high-throughput centrifugal electrospinning (HTP-CES) system capable of producing a large number of highly-aligned nanofiber samples with high-yield and tunable diameters. The versatility of the design was revealed when bead-less nanofibers were produced from copolymer chitosan/polycaprolactone (C-PCL) solutions despite variations in polymer blend composition or spinneret needle gauge. Compared to conventional electrospinning techniques, fibers spun with the HTP-CES not only exhibited superior alignment, but also better diameter uniformity. Nanofiber alignment was quantified using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) analysis. In addition, a concave correlation between the needle diameter and resultant fiber diameter was identified. This system can be easily scaled up for industrial production of highly-aligned nanofibers with tunable diameters that can potentially meet the requirements for various engineering and biomedical applications. PMID:26428148

Application of a rising plate meter to estimate forage yield on dairy farms in Pennsylvania

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Accurately assessing pasture forage yield is necessary for producers who want to budget feed expenses and make informed pasture management decisions. Clipping and weighing forage from a known area is a direct method to measure pasture forage yield, however it is time consuming. The rising plate mete...

Highly Accurate Quantitative Analysis Of Enantiomeric Mixtures from Spatially Frequency Encoded 1H NMR Spectra.

PubMed

Plainchont, Bertrand; Pitoux, Daisy; Cyrille, Mathieu; Giraud, Nicolas

2018-02-06

We propose an original concept to measure accurately enantiomeric excesses on proton NMR spectra, which combines high-resolution techniques based on a spatial encoding of the sample, with the use of optically active weakly orienting solvents. We show that it is possible to simulate accurately dipolar edited spectra of enantiomers dissolved in a chiral liquid crystalline phase, and to use these simulations to calibrate integrations that can be measured on experimental data, in order to perform a quantitative chiral analysis. This approach is demonstrated on a chemical intermediate for which optical purity is an essential criterion. We find that there is a very good correlation between the experimental and calculated integration ratios extracted from G-SERF spectra, which paves the way to a general method of determination of enantiomeric excesses based on the observation of 1 H nuclei.

Highly accurate thickness measurement of multi-layered automotive paints using terahertz technology

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

Krimi, Soufiene; Beigang, René; Klier, Jens

2016-07-11

In this contribution, we present a highly accurate approach for thickness measurements of multi-layered automotive paints using terahertz time domain spectroscopy in reflection geometry. The proposed method combines the benefits of a model-based material parameters extraction method to calibrate the paint coatings, a generalized Rouard's method to simulate the terahertz radiation behavior within arbitrary thin films, and the robustness of a powerful evolutionary optimization algorithm to increase the sensitivity of the minimum thickness measurement limit. Within the framework of this work, a self-calibration model is introduced, which takes into consideration the real industrial challenges such as the effect of wet-on-wetmore » spray in the painting process.« less

Breeding cassava for higher yield

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Cassava is a root crop grown for food and for starch production. Breeding progress is slowed by asexual production and high levels of heterozygosity. Germplasm resources are rich and accessible to breeders through genebanks worldwide. Breeding objectives include high root yield, yield stability, dis...

Yield: it's now an entitlement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

George, Bill

1994-09-01

Only a few years ago, the primary method of cost reduction and productivity improvement in the semiconductor industry was increasing manufacturing yields throughout the process. Many of the remarkable reliability improvements realized over the past decade have come about as a result of actions that were originally taken primarily to improve device yields. Obviously, the practice of productivity improvement through yield enhancement is limited to the attainment of 100% yield, at which point some other mechanism must be employed. Traditionally, new products have been introduced to manufacturing at a point of relative immaturity, and semiconductor producers have relied on the traditional `learning curve' method of yield improvement to attain profitable levels of manufacturing yield. Recently, results of a survey of several fabs by a group of University of California at Berkeley researchers in the Competitive Semiconductor Manufacturing Program indicate that most factories learn at about the same rate after startup, in terms of both line yield and defectivity. If this is indeed generally true, then the most competitive factor is the one that starts with the highest yield, and it is difficult to displace a leader once his lead has been established. The two observations made above carry enormous implications for the semiconductor development or manufacturing professional. First, one must achieve very high yields in order to even play the game. Second, the achievement of competitive yields over time in the life of a factory is determined even before the factory is opened, in the planning and development phase. Third, and perhaps most uncomfortable for those of us who have relied on yield improvement as a cost driver, the winners of the nineties will find new levers to drive costs down, having already gotten the benefit of very high yield. This paper looks at the question of how the winners will achieve the critical measures of success, high initial yield and utilization

Accurate ab initio Quartic Force Fields of Cyclic and Bent HC2N Isomers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Inostroza, Natalia; Huang, Xinchuan; Lee, Timothy J.

2012-01-01

Highly correlated ab initio quartic force field (QFFs) are used to calculate the equilibrium structures and predict the spectroscopic parameters of three HC2N isomers. Specifically, the ground state quasilinear triplet and the lowest cyclic and bent singlet isomers are included in the present study. Extensive treatment of correlation effects were included using the singles and doubles coupled-cluster method that includes a perturbational estimate of the effects of connected triple excitations, denoted CCSD(T). Dunning s correlation-consistent basis sets cc-pVXZ, X=3,4,5, were used, and a three-point formula for extrapolation to the one-particle basis set limit was used. Core-correlation and scalar relativistic corrections were also included to yield highly accurate QFFs. The QFFs were used together with second-order perturbation theory (with proper treatment of Fermi resonances) and variational methods to solve the nuclear Schr dinger equation. The quasilinear nature of the triplet isomer is problematic, and it is concluded that a QFF is not adequate to describe properly all of the fundamental vibrational frequencies and spectroscopic constants (though some constants not dependent on the bending motion are well reproduced by perturbation theory). On the other hand, this procedure (a QFF together with either perturbation theory or variational methods) leads to highly accurate fundamental vibrational frequencies and spectroscopic constants for the cyclic and bent singlet isomers of HC2N. All three isomers possess significant dipole moments, 3.05D, 3.06D, and 1.71D, for the quasilinear triplet, the cyclic singlet, and the bent singlet isomers, respectively. It is concluded that the spectroscopic constants determined for the cyclic and bent singlet isomers are the most accurate available, and it is hoped that these will be useful in the interpretation of high-resolution astronomical observations or laboratory experiments.

Accurate Finite Difference Algorithms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goodrich, John W.

1996-01-01

Two families of finite difference algorithms for computational aeroacoustics are presented and compared. All of the algorithms are single step explicit methods, they have the same order of accuracy in both space and time, with examples up to eleventh order, and they have multidimensional extensions. One of the algorithm families has spectral like high resolution. Propagation with high order and high resolution algorithms can produce accurate results after O(10(exp 6)) periods of propagation with eight grid points per wavelength.

A Comprehensive Strategy for Accurate Mutation Detection of the Highly Homologous PMS2.

PubMed

Li, Jianli; Dai, Hongzheng; Feng, Yanming; Tang, Jia; Chen, Stella; Tian, Xia; Gorman, Elizabeth; Schmitt, Eric S; Hansen, Terah A A; Wang, Jing; Plon, Sharon E; Zhang, Victor Wei; Wong, Lee-Jun C

2015-09-01

Germline mutations in the DNA mismatch repair gene PMS2 underlie the cancer susceptibility syndrome, Lynch syndrome. However, accurate molecular testing of PMS2 is complicated by a large number of highly homologous sequences. To establish a comprehensive approach for mutation detection of PMS2, we have designed a strategy combining targeted capture next-generation sequencing (NGS), multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification, and long-range PCR followed by NGS to simultaneously detect point mutations and copy number changes of PMS2. Exonic deletions (E2 to E9, E5 to E9, E8, E10, E14, and E1 to E15), duplications (E11 to E12), and a nonsense mutation, p.S22*, were identified. Traditional multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification and Sanger sequencing approaches cannot differentiate the origin of the exonic deletions in the 3' region when PMS2 and PMS2CL share identical sequences as a result of gene conversion. Our approach allows unambiguous identification of mutations in the active gene with a straightforward long-range-PCR/NGS method. Breakpoint analysis of multiple samples revealed that recurrent exon 14 deletions are mediated by homologous Alu sequences. Our comprehensive approach provides a reliable tool for accurate molecular analysis of genes containing multiple copies of highly homologous sequences and should improve PMS2 molecular analysis for patients with Lynch syndrome. Copyright © 2015 American Society for Investigative Pathology and the Association for Molecular Pathology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Accurate determination of non-metallic impurities in high purity tetramethylammonium hydroxide using inductively coupled plasma tandem mass spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Liang; Xie, Hualin; Shi, Shuyun; Chen, Xiaoqing

2018-06-01

The content of non-metallic impurities in high-purity tetramethylammonium hydroxide (HPTMAH) aqueous solution has an important influence on the yield, electrical properties and reliability of the integrated circuit during the process of chip etching and cleaning. Therefore, an efficient analytical method to directly quantify the content of non-metallic impurities in HPTMAH aqueous solutions is necessary. The present study was aimed to develop a novel method that can accurately determine seven non-metallic impurities (B, Si, P, S, Cl, As, and Se) in an aqueous solution of HPTMAH by inductively coupled plasma tandem mass spectrometry (ICP-MS/MS). The samples were measured using a direct injection method. In the MS/MS mode, oxygen and hydrogen were used as reaction gases in the octopole reaction system (ORS) to eliminate mass spectral interferences during the analytical process. The detection limits of B, Si, P, S, Cl, As, and Se were 0.31, 0.48, 0.051, 0.27, 3.10, 0.008, and 0.005 μg L-1, respectively. The samples were analyzed by the developed method and the sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SF-ICP-MS) was used for contrastive analysis. The values of these seven elements measured using ICP-MS/MS were consistent with those measured by SF-ICP-MS. The proposed method can be utilized to analyze non-metallic impurities in HPTMAH aqueous solution. Table S2 Multiple potential interferences on the analytes. Table S3 Parameters of calibration curve and the detection limit (DL). Table S4 Results obtained for 25% concentration high-purity grade TMAH aqueous solution samples (μg L-1, mean ± standard deviation, n = 10).

Future consequences of decreasing marginal production efficiency in the high-yielding dairy cow.

PubMed

Moallem, U

2016-04-01

The objectives were to examine the gross and marginal production efficiencies in high-yielding dairy cows and the future consequences on dairy industry profitability. Data from 2 experiments were used in across-treatments analysis (n=82 mid-lactation multiparous Israeli-Holstein dairy cows). Milk yields, body weights (BW), and dry matter intakes (DMI) were recorded daily. In both experiments, cows were fed a diet containing 16.5 to 16.6% crude protein and net energy for lactation (NEL) at 1.61 Mcal/kg of dry matter (DM). The means of milk yield, BW, DMI, NEL intake, and energy required for maintenance were calculated individually over the whole study, and used to calculate gross and marginal efficiencies. Data were analyzed in 2 ways: (1) simple correlation between variables; and (2) cows were divided into 3 subgroups, designated low, moderate, and high DMI (LDMI, MDMI, and HDMI), according to actual DMI per day: ≤ 26 kg (n=27); >26 through 28.2 kg (n=28); and >28.2 kg (n=27). The phenotypic Pearson correlations among variables were analyzed, and the GLM procedure was used to test differences between subgroups. The relationships between milk and fat-corrected milk yields and the corresponding gross efficiencies were positive, whereas BW and gross production efficiency were negatively correlated. The marginal production efficiency from DM and energy consumed decreased with increasing DMI. The difference between BW gain as predicted by the National Research Council model (2001) and the present measurements increased with increasing DMI (r=0.68). The average calculated energy balances were 1.38, 2.28, and 4.20 Mcal/d (standard error of the mean=0.64) in the LDMI, MDMI, and HDMI groups, respectively. The marginal efficiency for milk yields from DMI or energy consumed was highest in LDMI, intermediate in MDMI, and lowest in HDMI. The predicted BW gains for the whole study period were 22.9, 37.9, and 75.8 kg for the LDMI, MDMI, and HDMI groups, respectively. The

High-Yield Hydrogen Production from Starch and Water by a Synthetic Enzymatic Pathway

PubMed Central

Zhang, Y.-H. Percival; Evans, Barbara R.; Mielenz, Jonathan R.; Hopkins, Robert C.; Adams, Michael W.W.

2007-01-01

Background The future hydrogen economy offers a compelling energy vision, but there are four main obstacles: hydrogen production, storage, and distribution, as well as fuel cells. Hydrogen production from inexpensive abundant renewable biomass can produce cheaper hydrogen, decrease reliance on fossil fuels, and achieve zero net greenhouse gas emissions, but current chemical and biological means suffer from low hydrogen yields and/or severe reaction conditions. Methodology/Principal Findings Here we demonstrate a synthetic enzymatic pathway consisting of 13 enzymes for producing hydrogen from starch and water. The stoichiometric reaction is C6H10O5 (l)+7 H2O (l)→12 H2 (g)+6 CO2 (g). The overall process is spontaneous and unidirectional because of a negative Gibbs free energy and separation of the gaseous products with the aqueous reactants. Conclusions Enzymatic hydrogen production from starch and water mediated by 13 enzymes occurred at 30°C as expected, and the hydrogen yields were much higher than the theoretical limit (4 H2/glucose) of anaerobic fermentations. Significance The unique features, such as mild reaction conditions (30°C and atmospheric pressure), high hydrogen yields, likely low production costs ($∼2/kg H2), and a high energy-density carrier starch (14.8 H2-based mass%), provide great potential for mobile applications. With technology improvements and integration with fuel cells, this technology also solves the challenges associated with hydrogen storage, distribution, and infrastructure in the hydrogen economy. PMID:17520015

Physiological Mechanisms Underlying the High-Grain Yield and High-Nitrogen Use Efficiency of Elite Rice Varieties under a Low Rate of Nitrogen Application in China.

PubMed

Wu, Lilian; Yuan, Shen; Huang, Liying; Sun, Fan; Zhu, Guanglong; Li, Guohui; Fahad, Shah; Peng, Shaobing; Wang, Fei

2016-01-01

Selecting rice varieties with a high nitrogen (N) use efficiency (NUE) is the best approach to reduce N fertilizer application in rice production and is one of the objectives of the Green Super Rice (GSR) Project in China. However, the performance of elite candidate GSR varieties under low N supply remains unclear. In the present study, differences in the grain yield and NUE of 13 and 14 candidate varieties with two controls were determined at a N rate of 100 kg ha(-1) in field experiments in 2014 and 2015, respectively. The grain yield for all of the rice varieties ranged from 8.67 to 11.09 t ha(-1), except for a japonica rice variety YG29, which had a grain yield of 6.42 t ha(-1). HY549 and YY4949 produced the highest grain yield, reflecting a higher biomass production and harvest index in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Total N uptake at maturity (TNPM) ranged from 144 to 210 kg ha(-1), while the nitrogen use efficiency for grain production (NUEg) ranged from 35.2 to 62.0 kg kg(-1). Both TNPM and NUEg showed a significant quadratic correlation with grain yield, indicating that it is possible to obtain high grain yield and NUEg with the reduction of TNPM. The correlation between N-related parameters and yield-related traits suggests that promoting pre-heading growth could increase TNPM, while high biomass accumulation during the grain filling period and large panicles are important for a higher NUEg. In addition, there were significant and negative correlations between the NUEg and N concentrations in leaf, stem, and grain tissues at maturity. Further improvements in NUEg require a reduction in the stem N concentration but not the leaf N concentration. The daily grain yield was the only parameter that significantly and positively correlated with both TNPMand NUEg. This study determined variations in the grain yield and NUE of elite candidate GSR rice varieties and provided plant traits that could be used as selection criteria in breeding N-efficient rice varieties.

How Accurately Can We Map SEP Observations Using L*?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Young, S. L.; Kress, B. T.

2016-12-01

In a dipole the cutoff rigidities at a given location are inversely proportional to L2. Smart and Shea, 1967 showed that this was approximately true at low altitudes using the McIlwain L parameter (Lm) in realistic magnetospheric models and provided heuristic evidence that it was also true at high altitudes. Later models developed by Smart and Shea and others (Ogliore et al., 2001, Neal et al., 2013, Selesnick et al., 2015) also use this relationship at low altitudes. Only the Smart and Shea model (Smart and Shea, 2006) uses this relationship to extrapolate to high altitudes, but they introduce a correction that yields a 1 MeV proton vertical cutoff at geosynchronous. Recent work mapped POES observations to the Van Allen Probes locations as a function of L* (Young et al., 2015). The comparison between mapped and observed was reasonably good, but this mapping was along L* and only attempted to account for differences in shielding between high and low latitude. No attempt was made to map across L* so the inverse squared relationship was not tested. These previous results suggest that L* may be useful for mapping flux observations between satellites at high altitudes. In this study we calculate cutoffs and L* shells in a Tsyganenko 2005 + IGRF magnetic field model to examine how accurately L* based mapping can be used in different regions of the magnetosphere.

Pairagon: a highly accurate, HMM-based cDNA-to-genome aligner.

PubMed

Lu, David V; Brown, Randall H; Arumugam, Manimozhiyan; Brent, Michael R

2009-07-01

The most accurate way to determine the intron-exon structures in a genome is to align spliced cDNA sequences to the genome. Thus, cDNA-to-genome alignment programs are a key component of most annotation pipelines. The scoring system used to choose the best alignment is a primary determinant of alignment accuracy, while heuristics that prevent consideration of certain alignments are a primary determinant of runtime and memory usage. Both accuracy and speed are important considerations in choosing an alignment algorithm, but scoring systems have received much less attention than heuristics. We present Pairagon, a pair hidden Markov model based cDNA-to-genome alignment program, as the most accurate aligner for sequences with high- and low-identity levels. We conducted a series of experiments testing alignment accuracy with varying sequence identity. We first created 'perfect' simulated cDNA sequences by splicing the sequences of exons in the reference genome sequences of fly and human. The complete reference genome sequences were then mutated to various degrees using a realistic mutation simulator and the perfect cDNAs were aligned to them using Pairagon and 12 other aligners. To validate these results with natural sequences, we performed cross-species alignment using orthologous transcripts from human, mouse and rat. We found that aligner accuracy is heavily dependent on sequence identity. For sequences with 100% identity, Pairagon achieved accuracy levels of >99.6%, with one quarter of the errors of any other aligner. Furthermore, for human/mouse alignments, which are only 85% identical, Pairagon achieved 87% accuracy, higher than any other aligner. Pairagon source and executables are freely available at http://mblab.wustl.edu/software/pairagon/

The Z {yields} cc-bar {yields} {gamma}{gamma}*, Z {yields} bb-bar {yields} {gamma}{gamma}* triangle diagrams and the Z {yields} {gamma}{psi}, Z {yields} {gamma}Y decays

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

Achasov, N. N., E-mail: achasov@math.nsc.ru

2011-03-15

The approach to the Z {yields} {gamma}{psi} and Z {yields} {gamma}Y decay study is presented in detail, based on the sum rules for the Z {yields} cc-bar {yields} {gamma}{gamma}* and Z {yields} bb-bar {yields} {gamma}{gamma}* amplitudes and their derivatives. The branching ratios of the Z {yields} {gamma}{psi} and Z {yields} {gamma}Y decays are calculated for different hypotheses on saturation of the sum rules. The lower bounds of {Sigma}{sub {psi}} BR(Z {yields} {gamma}{psi}) = 1.95 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -7} and {Sigma}{sub {upsilon}} BR(Z {yields} {gamma}Y) = 7.23 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -7} are found. Deviations from the lower bounds are discussed, including the possibilitymore » of BR(Z {yields} {gamma}J/{psi}(1S)) {approx} BR(Z {yields} {gamma}Y(1S)) {approx} 10{sup -6}, that could be probably measured in LHC. The angular distributions in the Z {yields} {gamma}{psi} and Z {yields} {gamma}Y decays are also calculated.« less

Capsule symmetry sensitivity and hohlraum symmetry calculations for the z-pinch driven hohlraum high-yield concept

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vesey, Roger; Cuneo, M. E.; Hanson Porter, D. L., Jr.; Mehlhorn, T. A.; Ruggles, L. E.; Simpson, W. W.; Hammer, J. H.; Landen, O.

2000-10-01

Capsule radiation symmetry is a crucial issue in the design of the z-pinch driven hohlraum approach to high-yield inertial confinement fusion [1]. Capsule symmetry may be influenced by power imbalance of the two z-pinch x-ray sources, and by hohlraum effects (geometry, time-dependent albedo, wall motion). We have conducted two-dimensional radiation-hydrodynamics calculations to estimate the symmetry sensitivity of the 220 eV beryllium ablator capsule that nominally yields 400 MJ in this concept. These estimates then determine the symmetry requirements to be met by the hohlraum design (for even Legendre modes) and by the top-bottom pinch imbalance and mistiming (for odd Legendre modes). We have used a combination of 2- and 3-D radiosity ("viewfactor"), and 2-D radiation-hydrodynamics calculations to identify hohlraum geometries that meet these symmetry requirements for high-yield, and are testing these models against ongoing Z foam ball symmetry experiments. 1. J. H. Hammer et al., Phys. Plas. 6, 2129 (1999).

Fast and inexpensive synthesis of pentacene with high yield using 6,13-pentacenequinone as precursor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mota, María L.; Rodriguez, Bibiana; Carrillo, Amanda; Ambrosio, Roberto C.; Luque, Priscy A.; Mireles, Marcela; Vivaldo, Israel; Quevedo, Manuel A.

2018-02-01

Pentacene is an important semiconductor in the field of organic electronics. In this work is presented an alternative synthesis procedure to obtain pentacene from 6,13-pentacenequinone as a precursor. Synthesis of pentacene was performed in two reactions, Diels-Adler cycloaddition of 6,13-pentacenequinone followed by 6,13-pentacenequinone reduction to pentacene, employing LiAlH4 as reducing agent. The products were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), 1H-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (1H-NMR), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy (UV-VIS). In this work, 6,13-pentacenequinone was synthetized with a high yield (55%) using an alternative method. The optimization process resulted in an overall reduction of reaction time while exhibiting high yield. The method presented here provides an affordable pentacene synthesis route with high purity, which can be further applied for research and development of organic electronic applications.

ACCURATE CHARACTERIZATION OF HIGH-DEGREE MODES USING MDI OBSERVATIONS

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

Korzennik, S. G.; Rabello-Soares, M. C.; Schou, J.

2013-08-01

We present the first accurate characterization of high-degree modes, derived using the best Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) full-disk full-resolution data set available. A 90 day long time series of full-disk 2 arcsec pixel{sup -1} resolution Dopplergrams was acquired in 2001, thanks to the high rate telemetry provided by the Deep Space Network. These Dopplergrams were spatially decomposed using our best estimate of the image scale and the known components of MDI's image distortion. A multi-taper power spectrum estimator was used to generate power spectra for all degrees and all azimuthal orders, up to l = 1000. We used a largemore » number of tapers to reduce the realization noise, since at high degrees the individual modes blend into ridges and thus there is no reason to preserve a high spectral resolution. These power spectra were fitted for all degrees and all azimuthal orders, between l = 100 and l = 1000, and for all the orders with substantial amplitude. This fitting generated in excess of 5.2 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 6} individual estimates of ridge frequencies, line widths, amplitudes, and asymmetries (singlets), corresponding to some 5700 multiplets (l, n). Fitting at high degrees generates ridge characteristics, characteristics that do not correspond to the underlying mode characteristics. We used a sophisticated forward modeling to recover the best possible estimate of the underlying mode characteristics (mode frequencies, as well as line widths, amplitudes, and asymmetries). We describe in detail this modeling and its validation. The modeling has been extensively reviewed and refined, by including an iterative process to improve its input parameters to better match the observations. Also, the contribution of the leakage matrix on the accuracy of the procedure has been carefully assessed. We present the derived set of corrected mode characteristics, which includes not only frequencies, but line widths, asymmetries, and amplitudes. We present and

The yield and decay coefficients of exoelectrogenic bacteria in bioelectrochemical systems.

PubMed

Wilson, Erica L; Kim, Younggy

2016-05-01

In conventional wastewater treatment, waste sludge management and disposal contribute the major cost for wastewater treatment. Bioelectrochemical systems, as a potential alternative for future wastewater treatment and resources recovery, are expected to produce small amounts of waste sludge because exoelectrogenic bacteria grow on anaerobic respiration and form highly populated biofilms on bioanode surfaces. While waste sludge production is governed by the yield and decay coefficient, none of previous studies have quantified these kinetic constants for exoelectrogenic bacteria. For yield coefficient estimation, we modified McCarty's free energy-based model by using the bioanode potential for the free energy of the electron acceptor reaction. The estimated true yield coefficient ranged 0.1 to 0.3 g-VSS (volatile suspended solids) g-COD(-1) (chemical oxygen demand), which is similar to that of most anaerobic microorganisms. The yield coefficient was sensitively affected by the bioanode potential and pH while the substrate and bicarbonate concentrations had relatively minor effects on the yield coefficient. In lab-scale experiments using microbial electrolysis cells, the observed yield coefficient (including the effect of cell decay) was found to be 0.020 ± 0.008 g-VSS g-COD(-1), which is an order of magnitude smaller than the theoretical estimation. Based on the difference between the theoretical and experimental results, the decay coefficient was approximated to be 0.013 ± 0.002 d(-1). These findings indicate that bioelectrochemical systems have potential for future wastewater treatment with reduced waste sludge as well as for resources recovery. Also, the found kinetic information will allow accurate estimation of wastewater treatment performance in bioelectrochemical systems. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Calculation of K-shell fluorescence yields for low-Z elements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nekkab, M.; Kahoul, A.; Deghfel, B.; Aylikci, N. Küp; Aylikçi, V.

2015-03-01

The analytical methods based on X-ray fluorescence are advantageous for practical applications in a variety of fields including atomic physics, X-ray fluorescence surface chemical analysis and medical research and so the accurate fluorescence yields (ωK) are required for these applications. In this contribution we report a new parameters for calculation of K-shell fluorescence yields (ωK) of elements in the range of 11≤Z≤30. The experimental data are interpolated by using the famous analytical function (ωk/(1 -ωk)) 1 /q (were q=3, 3.5 and 4) vs Z to deduce the empirical K-shell fluorescence yields. A comparison is made between the results of the procedures followed here and those theoretical and other semi-empirical fluorescence yield values. Reasonable agreement was typically obtained between our result and other works.

Accurate masking technology for high-resolution powder blasting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pawlowski, Anne-Gabrielle; Sayah, Abdeljalil; Gijs, Martin A. M.

2005-07-01

We have combined eroding 10 µm diameter Al2O3 particles with a new masking technology to realize the smallest and most accurate possible structures by powder blasting. Our masking technology is based on the sequential combination of two polymers:(i) the brittle epoxy resin SU8 for its photosensitivity and (ii) the elastic and thermocurable poly-dimethylsiloxane for its large erosion resistance. We have micropatterned various types of structures with a minimum width of 20 µm for test structures with an aspect ratio of 1, and 50 µm for test structures with an aspect ratio of 2.

A Permanent-Magnet Microwave Ion Source For A Compact High-Yield Neutron Generator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waldmann, O.; Ludewigt, B.

2011-06-01

We present recent work on the development of a microwave ion source that will be used in a high-yield compact neutron generator for active interrogation applications. The sealed tube generator will be capable of producing high neutron yields, 5×1011 n/s for D-T and ˜1×1010 n/s for D-D reactions, while remaining transportable. We constructed a microwave ion source (2.45 GHz) with permanent magnets to provide the magnetic field strength of 87.5 mT necessary for satisfying the electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) condition. Microwave ion sources can produce high extracted beam currents at the low gas pressures required for sealed tube operation and at lower power levels than previously used RF-driven ion sources. A 100 mA deuterium/tritium beam will be extracted through a large slit (60×6 mm2) to spread the beam power over a larger target area. This paper describes the design of the permanent-magnet microwave ion source and discusses the impact of the magnetic field design on the source performance. The required equivalent proton beam current density of 40 mA/cm2 was extracted at a moderate microwave power of 400 W with an optimized magnetic field.

Establishing a high yielding streptomyces-based cell-free protein synthesis system.

PubMed

Li, Jian; Wang, He; Kwon, Yong-Chan; Jewett, Michael C

2017-06-01

Cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) has emerged as a powerful platform for applied biotechnology and synthetic biology, with a range of applications in synthesizing proteins, evolving proteins, and prototyping genetic circuits. To expand the current CFPS repertoire, we report here the development and optimization of a Streptomyces-based CFPS system for the expression of GC-rich genes. By developing a streamlined crude extract preparation protocol and optimizing reaction conditions, we were able to achieve active enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) yields of greater than 50 μg/mL with batch reactions lasting up to 3 h. By adopting a semi-continuous reaction format, the EGFP yield could be increased to 282 ± 8 μg/mL and the reaction time was extended to 48 h. Notably, our extract preparation procedures were robust to multiple Streptomyces lividans and Streptomyces coelicolor strains, although expression yields varied. We show that our optimized Streptomyces lividans system provides benefits when compared to an Escherichia coli-based CFPS system for increasing percent soluble protein expression for four Streptomyces-originated high GC-content genes that are involved in biosynthesis of the nonribosomal peptides tambromycin and valinomycin. Looking forward, we believe that our Streptomyces-based CFPS system will contribute significantly towards efforts to express complex natural product gene clusters (e.g., nonribosomal peptides and polyketides), providing a new avenue for obtaining and studying natural product biosynthesis pathways. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 1343-1353. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Acid soil infertility effects on peanut yields and yield components

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

Blamey, F.P.C.

1983-01-01

The interpretation of soil amelioration experiments with peanuts is made difficult by the unpredictibility of the crop and by the many factors altered when ameliorating acid soils. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of lime and gypsum applications on peanut kernel yield via the three first order yield components, pods per ha, kernels per pod, and kernel mass. On an acid medium sandy loam soil (typic Plinthustult), liming resulted in a highly significant kernel yield increase of 117% whereas gypsum applications were of no significant benefit. As indicated by path coefficient analysis, an increase in the numbermore » of pods per ha was markedly more important in increasing yield than an increase in either the number of kernels per pod or kernel mass. Furthermore, exch. Al was found to be particularly detrimental to pod number. It was postulated that poor peanut yields resulting from acid soil infertility were mainly due to the depressive effect of exch. Al on pod number. Exch. Ca appeared to play a secondary role by ameliorating the adverse effects of exch. Al.« less

Engineering of Corynebacterium glutamicum for high-yield L-valine production under oxygen deprivation conditions.

PubMed

Hasegawa, Satoshi; Suda, Masako; Uematsu, Kimio; Natsuma, Yumi; Hiraga, Kazumi; Jojima, Toru; Inui, Masayuki; Yukawa, Hideaki

2013-02-01

We previously demonstrated efficient L-valine production by metabolically engineered Corynebacterium glutamicum under oxygen deprivation. To achieve the high productivity, a NADH/NADPH cofactor imbalance during the synthesis of l-valine was overcome by engineering NAD-preferring mutant acetohydroxy acid isomeroreductase (AHAIR) and using NAD-specific leucine dehydrogenase from Lysinibacillus sphaericus. Lactate as a by-product was largely eliminated by disrupting the lactate dehydrogenase gene ldhA. Nonetheless, a few other by-products, particularly succinate, were still produced and acted to suppress the L-valine yield. Eliminating these by-products therefore was deemed key to improving theL-valine yield. By additionally disrupting the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase gene ppc, succinate production was effectively suppressed, but both glucose consumption and L-valine production dropped considerably due to the severely elevated intracellular NADH/NAD(+) ratio. In contrast, this perturbed intracellular redox state was more than compensated for by deletion of three genes associated with NADH-producing acetate synthesis and overexpression of five glycolytic genes, including gapA, encoding NADH-inhibited glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. Inserting feedback-resistant mutant acetohydroxy acid synthase and NAD-preferring mutant AHAIR in the chromosome resulted in higher L-valine yield and productivity. Deleting the alanine transaminase gene avtA suppressed alanine production. The resultant strain produced 1,280 mM L-valine at a yield of 88% mol mol of glucose(-1) after 24 h under oxygen deprivation, a vastly improved yield over our previous best.

Engineering of Corynebacterium glutamicum for High-Yield l-Valine Production under Oxygen Deprivation Conditions

PubMed Central

Hasegawa, Satoshi; Suda, Masako; Uematsu, Kimio; Natsuma, Yumi; Hiraga, Kazumi; Jojima, Toru; Inui, Masayuki

2013-01-01

We previously demonstrated efficient l-valine production by metabolically engineered Corynebacterium glutamicum under oxygen deprivation. To achieve the high productivity, a NADH/NADPH cofactor imbalance during the synthesis of l-valine was overcome by engineering NAD-preferring mutant acetohydroxy acid isomeroreductase (AHAIR) and using NAD-specific leucine dehydrogenase from Lysinibacillus sphaericus. Lactate as a by-product was largely eliminated by disrupting the lactate dehydrogenase gene ldhA. Nonetheless, a few other by-products, particularly succinate, were still produced and acted to suppress the l-valine yield. Eliminating these by-products therefore was deemed key to improving the l-valine yield. By additionally disrupting the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase gene ppc, succinate production was effectively suppressed, but both glucose consumption and l-valine production dropped considerably due to the severely elevated intracellular NADH/NAD+ ratio. In contrast, this perturbed intracellular redox state was more than compensated for by deletion of three genes associated with NADH-producing acetate synthesis and overexpression of five glycolytic genes, including gapA, encoding NADH-inhibited glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. Inserting feedback-resistant mutant acetohydroxy acid synthase and NAD-preferring mutant AHAIR in the chromosome resulted in higher l-valine yield and productivity. Deleting the alanine transaminase gene avtA suppressed alanine production. The resultant strain produced 1,280 mM l-valine at a yield of 88% mol mol of glucose−1 after 24 h under oxygen deprivation, a vastly improved yield over our previous best. PMID:23241971

Accurate Sample Assignment in a Multiplexed, Ultrasensitive, High-Throughput Sequencing Assay for Minimal Residual Disease.

PubMed

Bartram, Jack; Mountjoy, Edward; Brooks, Tony; Hancock, Jeremy; Williamson, Helen; Wright, Gary; Moppett, John; Goulden, Nick; Hubank, Mike

2016-07-01

High-throughput sequencing (HTS) (next-generation sequencing) of the rearranged Ig and T-cell receptor genes promises to be less expensive and more sensitive than current methods of monitoring minimal residual disease (MRD) in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. However, the adoption of new approaches by clinical laboratories requires careful evaluation of all potential sources of error and the development of strategies to ensure the highest accuracy. Timely and efficient clinical use of HTS platforms will depend on combining multiple samples (multiplexing) in each sequencing run. Here we examine the Ig heavy-chain gene HTS on the Illumina MiSeq platform for MRD. We identify errors associated with multiplexing that could potentially impact the accuracy of MRD analysis. We optimize a strategy that combines high-purity, sequence-optimized oligonucleotides, dual indexing, and an error-aware demultiplexing approach to minimize errors and maximize sensitivity. We present a probability-based, demultiplexing pipeline Error-Aware Demultiplexer that is suitable for all MiSeq strategies and accurately assigns samples to the correct identifier without excessive loss of data. Finally, using controls quantified by digital PCR, we show that HTS-MRD can accurately detect as few as 1 in 10(6) copies of specific leukemic MRD. Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hydrostatic Stress Effect On the Yield Behavior of Inconel 100

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allen, Phillip A.; Wilson, Christopher D.

2002-01-01

Classical metal plasticity theory assumes that hydrostatic stress has no effect on the yield and postyield behavior of metals. Recent reexaminations of classical theory have revealed a significant effect of hydrostatic stress on the yield behavior of notched geometries. New experiments and nonlinear finite element analyses (FEA) of Inconel 100 (IN 100) equal-arm bend and double-edge notch tension (DENT) test specimens have revealed the effect of internal hydrostatic tensile stresses on yielding. Nonlinear FEA using the von Mises (yielding is independent of hydrostatic stress) and the Drucker-Prager (yielding is linearly dependent on hydrostatic stress) yield functions was performed. In all test cases, the von Mises constitutive model, which is independent of hydrostatic pressure, overestimated the load for a given displacement or strain. Considering the failure displacements or strains, the Drucker-Prager FEMs predicted loads that were 3% to 5% lower than the von Mises values. For the failure loads, the Drucker Prager FEMs predicted strains that were 20% to 35% greater than the von Mises values. The Drucker-Prager yield function seems to more accurately predict the overall specimen response of geometries with significant internal hydrostatic stress influence.

On the Yield Strength of Oceanic Lithosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jain, C.; Korenaga, J.; Karato, S. I.

2017-12-01

The origin of plate tectonic convection on Earth is intrinsically linked to the reduction in the strength of oceanic lithosphere at plate boundaries. A few mechanisms, such as deep thermal cracking [Korenaga, 2007] and strain localization due to grain-size reduction [e.g., Ricard and Bercovici, 2009], have been proposed to explain this reduction in lithospheric strength, but the significance of these mechanisms can be assessed only if we have accurate estimates on the strength of the undamaged oceanic lithosphere. The Peierls mechanism is likely to govern the rheology of old oceanic lithosphere [Kohlstedt et al., 1995], but the flow-law parameters for the Peierls mechanism suggested by previous studies do not agree with each other. We thus reanalyze the relevant experimental deformation data of olivine aggregates using Markov chain Monte Carlo inversion, which can handle the highly nonlinear constitutive equation of the Peierls mechanism [Korenaga and Karato, 2008; Mullet et al., 2015]. Our inversion results indicate nontrivial nonuniqueness in every flow-law parameter for the Peierls mechanism. Moreover, the resultant flow laws, all of which are consistent with the same experimental data, predict substantially different yield stresses under lithospheric conditions and could therefore have different implications for the origin of plate tectonics. We discuss some future directions to improve our constraints on lithospheric yield strength.

Slope Controls Grain Yield and Climatic Yield in Mountainous Yunnan province, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duan, X.; Rong, L.; Gu, Z.; Feng, D.

2017-12-01

Mountainous regions are increasingly vulnerable to food insecurity because of limited arable land, growing population pressure, and climate change. Development of sustainable mountain agriculture will require an increased understanding of the effects of environmental factors on grain and climatic yields. The objective of this study was to explore the relationships between actual grain yield, climatic yield, and environmental factors in a mountainous region in China. We collected data on the average grain yield per unit area in 119 counties in Yunnan province from 1985 to 2012, and chose 17 environmental factors for the same period. Our results showed that actual grain yield ranged from 1.43 to 6.92 t·ha-1, and the climatic yield ranged from -0.15 to -0.01 t·ha-1. Lower climatic yield but higher grain yield was generally found in central areas and at lower slopes and elevations in the western and southwestern counties of Yunnan province. Higher climatic yield but lower grain yield were found in northwestern parts of Yunnan province on steep slopes. Annual precipation and temperature had a weak influence on the climatic yield. Slope explained 44.62 and 26.29% of the variation in grain yield and climatic yield. The effects of topography on grain and climatic yields were greater than climatic factors. Slope was the most important environmental variable for the variability in climatic and grain yields in the mountainous Yunnan province due to the highly heterogeneous topographic conditions. Conversion of slopes to terraces in areas with higher climatic yields is an effective way to maintain grain production in response to climate variability. Additionally, soil amendments and soil and water conservation measures should be considered to maintain soil fertility and aid in sustainable development in central areas, and in counties at lower slopes and elevations in western and southwestern Yunnan province.

A Dual-Mode Large-Arrayed CMOS ISFET Sensor for Accurate and High-Throughput pH Sensing in Biomedical Diagnosis.

PubMed

Huang, Xiwei; Yu, Hao; Liu, Xu; Jiang, Yu; Yan, Mei; Wu, Dongping

2015-09-01

The existing ISFET-based DNA sequencing detects hydrogen ions released during the polymerization of DNA strands on microbeads, which are scattered into microwell array above the ISFET sensor with unknown distribution. However, false pH detection happens at empty microwells due to crosstalk from neighboring microbeads. In this paper, a dual-mode CMOS ISFET sensor is proposed to have accurate pH detection toward DNA sequencing. Dual-mode sensing, optical and chemical modes, is realized by integrating a CMOS image sensor (CIS) with ISFET pH sensor, and is fabricated in a standard 0.18-μm CIS process. With accurate determination of microbead physical locations with CIS pixel by contact imaging, the dual-mode sensor can correlate local pH for one DNA slice at one location-determined microbead, which can result in improved pH detection accuracy. Moreover, toward a high-throughput DNA sequencing, a correlated-double-sampling readout that supports large array for both modes is deployed to reduce pixel-to-pixel nonuniformity such as threshold voltage mismatch. The proposed CMOS dual-mode sensor is experimentally examined to show a well correlated pH map and optical image for microbeads with a pH sensitivity of 26.2 mV/pH, a fixed pattern noise (FPN) reduction from 4% to 0.3%, and a readout speed of 1200 frames/s. A dual-mode CMOS ISFET sensor with suppressed FPN for accurate large-arrayed pH sensing is proposed and demonstrated with state-of-the-art measured results toward accurate and high-throughput DNA sequencing. The developed dual-mode CMOS ISFET sensor has great potential for future personal genome diagnostics with high accuracy and low cost.

Thermic conversion of benzene into 6-phenylfulvene with high yield mediated by GaP nanocrystals.

PubMed

Gao, Shanmin; Lu, Jun; Zhao, Yan; Chen, Nan; Xie, Yi

2002-12-07

With GaP nanocrystals being used in a close reaction system, 6-phenylfulvene is successfully obtained via a high yield thermic conversion from benzene, which provides the possibility of applying nanocrystals to mediate organic reactions.

Mass spectrometry-based protein identification with accurate statistical significance assignment.

PubMed

Alves, Gelio; Yu, Yi-Kuo

2015-03-01

Assigning statistical significance accurately has become increasingly important as metadata of many types, often assembled in hierarchies, are constructed and combined for further biological analyses. Statistical inaccuracy of metadata at any level may propagate to downstream analyses, undermining the validity of scientific conclusions thus drawn. From the perspective of mass spectrometry-based proteomics, even though accurate statistics for peptide identification can now be achieved, accurate protein level statistics remain challenging. We have constructed a protein ID method that combines peptide evidences of a candidate protein based on a rigorous formula derived earlier; in this formula the database P-value of every peptide is weighted, prior to the final combination, according to the number of proteins it maps to. We have also shown that this protein ID method provides accurate protein level E-value, eliminating the need of using empirical post-processing methods for type-I error control. Using a known protein mixture, we find that this protein ID method, when combined with the Sorić formula, yields accurate values for the proportion of false discoveries. In terms of retrieval efficacy, the results from our method are comparable with other methods tested. The source code, implemented in C++ on a linux system, is available for download at ftp://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/qmbp/qmbp_ms/RAId/RAId_Linux_64Bit. Published by Oxford University Press 2014. This work is written by US Government employees and is in the public domain in the US.

Low LET radiolysis escape yields for reducing radicals and H2 in pressurized high temperature water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sterniczuk, Marcin; Yakabuskie, Pamela A.; Wren, J. Clara; Jacob, Jasmine A.; Bartels, David M.

2016-04-01

Low Linear Energy Transfer (LET) radiolysis escape yields (G values) are reported for the sum (G(radH)+G(e-)aq) and for G(H2) in subcritical water up to 350 °C. The scavenger system 1-10 mM acetate/0.001 M hydroxide/0.00048 M N2O was used with simultaneous mass spectroscopic detection of H2 and N2 product. Temperature-dependent measurements were carried out with 2.5 MeV electrons from a van de Graaff accelerator, while room temperature calibration measurements were done with a 60Co gamma source. The concentrations and dose range were carefully chosen so that initial spur chemistry is not perturbed and the N2 product yield corresponds to those reducing radicals that escape recombination in pure water. In comparison with a recent review recommendation of Elliot and Bartels (AECL report 153-127160-450-001, 2009), the measured reducing radical yield is seven percent smaller at room temperature but in fairly good agreement above 150 °C. The H2 escape yield is in good agreement throughout the temperature range with several previous studies that used much larger radical scavenging rates. Previous analysis of earlier high temperature measurements of Gesc(radOH) is shown to be flawed, although the actual G values may be nearly correct. The methodology used in the present report greatly reduces the range of possible error and puts the high temperature escape yields for low-LET radiation on a much firmer quantitative foundation than was previously available.

Utility of high-resolution accurate MS to eliminate interferences in the bioanalysis of ribavirin and its phosphate metabolites.

PubMed

Wei, Cong; Grace, James E; Zvyaga, Tatyana A; Drexler, Dieter M

2012-08-01

The polar nucleoside drug ribavirin (RBV) combined with IFN-α is a front-line treatment for chronic hepatitis C virus infection. RBV acts as a prodrug and exerts its broad antiviral activity primarily through its active phosphorylated metabolite ribavirin 5´-triphosphate (RTP), and also possibly through ribavirin 5´-monophosphate (RMP). To study RBV transport, diffusion, metabolic clearance and its impact on drug-metabolizing enzymes, a LC-MS method is needed to simultaneously quantify RBV and its phosphorylated metabolites (RTP, ribavirin 5´-diphosphate and RMP). In a recombinant human UGT1A1 assay, the assay buffer components uridine and its phosphorylated derivatives are isobaric with RBV and its phosphorylated metabolites, leading to significant interference when analyzed by LC-MS with the nominal mass resolution mode. Presented here is a LC-MS method employing LC coupled with full-scan high-resolution accurate MS analysis for the simultaneous quantitative determination of RBV, RMP, ribavirin 5´-diphosphate and RTP by differentiating RBV and its phosphorylated metabolites from uridine and its phosphorylated derivatives by accurate mass, thus avoiding interference. The developed LC-high-resolution accurate MS method allows for quantitation of RBV and its phosphorylated metabolites, eliminating the interferences from uridine and its phosphorylated derivatives in recombinant human UGT1A1 assays.

Quantitative self-assembly prediction yields targeted nanomedicines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shamay, Yosi; Shah, Janki; Işık, Mehtap; Mizrachi, Aviram; Leibold, Josef; Tschaharganeh, Darjus F.; Roxbury, Daniel; Budhathoki-Uprety, Januka; Nawaly, Karla; Sugarman, James L.; Baut, Emily; Neiman, Michelle R.; Dacek, Megan; Ganesh, Kripa S.; Johnson, Darren C.; Sridharan, Ramya; Chu, Karen L.; Rajasekhar, Vinagolu K.; Lowe, Scott W.; Chodera, John D.; Heller, Daniel A.

2018-02-01

Development of targeted nanoparticle drug carriers often requires complex synthetic schemes involving both supramolecular self-assembly and chemical modification. These processes are generally difficult to predict, execute, and control. We describe herein a targeted drug delivery system that is accurately and quantitatively predicted to self-assemble into nanoparticles based on the molecular structures of precursor molecules, which are the drugs themselves. The drugs assemble with the aid of sulfated indocyanines into particles with ultrahigh drug loadings of up to 90%. We devised quantitative structure-nanoparticle assembly prediction (QSNAP) models to identify and validate electrotopological molecular descriptors as highly predictive indicators of nano-assembly and nanoparticle size. The resulting nanoparticles selectively targeted kinase inhibitors to caveolin-1-expressing human colon cancer and autochthonous liver cancer models to yield striking therapeutic effects while avoiding pERK inhibition in healthy skin. This finding enables the computational design of nanomedicines based on quantitative models for drug payload selection.

A high yield neutron target for cancer therapy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alger, D. L.; Steinberg, R.

1972-01-01

A rotating target was developed that has the potential for providing an initial yield of 10 to the 13th power neutrons per second by the T(d,n)He-4 reaction, and a useable lifetime in excess of 600 hours. This yield and lifetime are indicated for a 300 Kv and 30 mA deuteron accelerator and a 30 microns thick titanium tritide film formed of the stoichiometric compound TiT2. The potential for extended lifetime is made possible by incorporating a sputtering electrode that permits use of titanium tritide thicknesses much greater than the deuteron range. The electrode is used to remove in situ depleted titanium layers to expose fresh tritide beneath. The utilization of the rotating target as a source of fast neutrons for cancer therapy is discussed.

High-Yield Synthesis of Stoichiometric Boron Nitride Nanostructures

DOE PAGES

Nocua, José E.; Piazza, Fabrice; Weiner, Brad R.; ...

2009-01-01

Boron nimore » tride (BN) nanostructures are structural analogues of carbon nanostructures but have completely different bonding character and structural defects. They are chemically inert, electrically insulating, and potentially important in mechanical applications that include the strengthening of light structural materials. These applications require the reliable production of bulk amounts of pure BN nanostructures in order to be able to reinforce large quantities of structural materials, hence the need for the development of high-yield synthesis methods of pure BN nanostructures. Using borazine ( B 3 N 3 H 6 ) as chemical precursor and the hot-filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) technique, pure BN nanostructures with cross-sectional sizes ranging between 20 and 50 nm were obtained, including nanoparticles and nanofibers. Their crystalline structure was characterized by (XRD), their morphology and nanostructure was examined by (SEM) and (TEM), while their chemical composition was studied by (EDS), (FTIR), (EELS), and (XPS). Taken altogether, the results indicate that all the material obtained is stoichiometric nanostructured BN with hexagonal and rhombohedral crystalline structure.« less

Advances in Multicollector ICPMS for precise and accurate isotope ratio measurements of Uranium isotopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouman, C.; Lloyd, N. S.; Schwieters, J.

2011-12-01

The accurate and precise determination of uranium isotopes is challenging, because of the large dynamic range posed by the U isotope abundances and the limited available sample material. Various mass spectrometric techniques are used for the measurement of U isotopes, where TIMS is the most accepted and accurate one. Multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICPMS) can offer higher productivity compared to TIMS, but is traditionally limited by low efficiency of sample utilisation. This contribution will discuss progress in MC-ICPMS for detecting 234U, 235U, 236U and 238U in various uranium reference materials from IRMM and NBL. The Thermo Scientific NEPTUNE Plus with Jet Interface offers a modified dry plasma ICP interface using a large interface pump combined with a special set of sample and skimmer cones giving ultimate sensitivity for all elements across the mass range. For uranium, an ion yield of > 3 % was reported previously [1]. The NEPTUNE Plus also offers Multi Ion Counting using discrete dynode electron multipliers as well as two high abundance-sensitivity filters to discriminate against peak tailing effects on 234U and 236U originating from the major uranium beams. These improvements in sensitivity and dynamic range allow accurate measurements of 234U, 235U and 236U abundances on very small samples and at low concentration. In our approach, minor U isotopes 234U and 236U were detected on ion counters with high abundance sensitivity filters, whereas 235U and 238U were detected on Faraday Cups using a high gain current amplifier (10e12 Ohm) for 235U. Precisions and accuracies for 234U and 236U were down to ~1%. For 235U, subpermil levels were reached.

Highly accurate analytic formulae for projectile motion subjected to quadratic drag

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turkyilmazoglu, Mustafa

2016-05-01

The classical phenomenon of motion of a projectile fired (thrown) into the horizon through resistive air charging a quadratic drag onto the object is revisited in this paper. No exact solution is known that describes the full physical event under such an exerted resistance force. Finding elegant analytical approximations for the most interesting engineering features of dynamical behavior of the projectile is the principal target. Within this purpose, some analytical explicit expressions are derived that accurately predict the maximum height, its arrival time as well as the flight range of the projectile at the highest ascent. The most significant property of the proposed formulas is that they are not restricted to the initial speed and firing angle of the object, nor to the drag coefficient of the medium. In combination with the available approximations in the literature, it is possible to gain information about the flight and complete the picture of a trajectory with high precision, without having to numerically simulate the full governing equations of motion.

Simultaneous achievement of high ethanol yield and titer in Clostridium thermocellum.

PubMed

Tian, Liang; Papanek, Beth; Olson, Daniel G; Rydzak, Thomas; Holwerda, Evert K; Zheng, Tianyong; Zhou, Jilai; Maloney, Marybeth; Jiang, Nannan; Giannone, Richard J; Hettich, Robert L; Guss, Adam M; Lynd, Lee R

2016-01-01

Biofuel production from plant cell walls offers the potential for sustainable and economically attractive alternatives to petroleum-based products. Fuels from cellulosic biomass are particularly promising, but would benefit from lower processing costs. Clostridium thermocellum can rapidly solubilize and ferment cellulosic biomass, making it a promising candidate microorganism for consolidated bioprocessing for biofuel production, but increases in product yield and titer are still needed. Here, we started with an engineered C. thermocellum strain where the central metabolic pathways to products other than ethanol had been deleted. After two stages of adaptive evolution, an evolved strain was selected with improved yield and titer. On chemically defined medium with crystalline cellulose as substrate, the evolved strain produced 22.4 ± 1.4 g/L ethanol from 60 g/L cellulose. The resulting yield was about 0.39 gETOH/gGluc eq, which is 75 % of the maximum theoretical yield. Genome resequencing, proteomics, and biochemical analysis were used to examine differences between the original and evolved strains. A two step selection method successfully improved the ethanol yield and the titer. This evolved strain has the highest ethanol yield and titer reported to date for C. thermocellum, and is an important step in the development of this microbe for industrial applications.

Specific energy yield comparison between crystalline silicon and amorphous silicon based PV modules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferenczi, Toby; Stern, Omar; Hartung, Marianne; Mueggenburg, Eike; Lynass, Mark; Bernal, Eva; Mayer, Oliver; Zettl, Marcus

2009-08-01

As emerging thin-film PV technologies continue to penetrate the market and the number of utility scale installations substantially increase, detailed understanding of the performance of the various PV technologies becomes more important. An accurate database for each technology is essential for precise project planning, energy yield prediction and project financing. However recent publications showed that it is very difficult to get accurate and reliable performance data of theses technologies. This paper evaluates previously reported claims the amorphous silicon based PV modules have a higher annual energy yield compared to crystalline silicon modules relative to their rated performance. In order to acquire a detailed understanding of this effect, outdoor module tests were performed at GE Global Research Center in Munich. In this study we examine closely two of the five reported factors that contribute to enhanced energy yield of amorphous silicon modules. We find evidence to support each of these factors and evaluate their relative significance. We discuss aspects for improvement in how PV modules are sold and identify areas for further study further study.

High-yield production of mannitol by Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides CTCC G123 from chicory-derived inulin hydrolysate.

PubMed

Zhang, Min; Gu, Lei; Cheng, Chao; Zhu, Junru; Wu, Hao; Ma, Jiangfeng; Dong, Weiliang; Kong, Xiangping; Jiang, Min; Ouyang, Pingkai

2017-08-01

Chicory is an agricultural plant with considerable potential as a carbohydrate substrate for low-cost production of biochemicals. In this work, the production of mannitol by Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides CTCC G123 from chicory-derived inulin hydrolysate was investigated. The bioconversion process initially suffered from the leakage of fructose to the phosphoketolase pathway, resulting in a low mannitol yield. When inulin hydrolysate was supplemented with glucose as a substrate for mannitol production in combination with aeration induction and nicotinic acid induced redox modulation strategies, the mannitol yield greatly improved. Under these conditions, significant improvement in the glucose consumption rate, intracellular NADH levels and mannitol dehydrogenase specific activity were observed, with mannitol production increasing from 64.6 to 88.1 g/L and overall yield increase from 0.69 to 0.94 g/g. This work demonstrated an efficient method for the production of mannitol from inulin hydrolysate with a high overall yield.

Mitochondrial DNA as a non-invasive biomarker: Accurate quantification using real time quantitative PCR without co-amplification of pseudogenes and dilution bias

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

Malik, Afshan N., E-mail: afshan.malik@kcl.ac.uk; Shahni, Rojeen; Rodriguez-de-Ledesma, Ana

2011-08-19

Highlights: {yields} Mitochondrial dysfunction is central to many diseases of oxidative stress. {yields} 95% of the mitochondrial genome is duplicated in the nuclear genome. {yields} Dilution of untreated genomic DNA leads to dilution bias. {yields} Unique primers and template pretreatment are needed to accurately measure mitochondrial DNA content. -- Abstract: Circulating mitochondrial DNA (MtDNA) is a potential non-invasive biomarker of cellular mitochondrial dysfunction, the latter known to be central to a wide range of human diseases. Changes in MtDNA are usually determined by quantification of MtDNA relative to nuclear DNA (Mt/N) using real time quantitative PCR. We propose that themore » methodology for measuring Mt/N needs to be improved and we have identified that current methods have at least one of the following three problems: (1) As much of the mitochondrial genome is duplicated in the nuclear genome, many commonly used MtDNA primers co-amplify homologous pseudogenes found in the nuclear genome; (2) use of regions from genes such as {beta}-actin and 18S rRNA which are repetitive and/or highly variable for qPCR of the nuclear genome leads to errors; and (3) the size difference of mitochondrial and nuclear genomes cause a 'dilution bias' when template DNA is diluted. We describe a PCR-based method using unique regions in the human mitochondrial genome not duplicated in the nuclear genome; unique single copy region in the nuclear genome and template treatment to remove dilution bias, to accurately quantify MtDNA from human samples.« less

Find_tfSBP: find thermodynamics-feasible and smallest balanced pathways with high yield from large-scale metabolic networks.

PubMed

Xu, Zixiang; Sun, Jibin; Wu, Qiaqing; Zhu, Dunming

2017-12-11

Biologically meaningful metabolic pathways are important references in the design of industrial bacterium. At present, constraint-based method is the only way to model and simulate a genome-scale metabolic network under steady-state criteria. Due to the inadequate assumption of the relationship in gene-enzyme-reaction as one-to-one unique association, computational difficulty or ignoring the yield from substrate to product, previous pathway finding approaches can't be effectively applied to find out the high yield pathways that are mass balanced in stoichiometry. In addition, the shortest pathways may not be the pathways with high yield. At the same time, a pathway, which exists in stoichiometry, may not be feasible in thermodynamics. By using mixed integer programming strategy, we put forward an algorithm to identify all the smallest balanced pathways which convert the source compound to the target compound in large-scale metabolic networks. The resulting pathways by our method can finely satisfy the stoichiometric constraints and non-decomposability condition. Especially, the functions of high yield and thermodynamics feasibility have been considered in our approach. This tool is tailored to direct the metabolic engineering practice to enlarge the metabolic potentials of industrial strains by integrating the extensive metabolic network information built from systems biology dataset.

Frameless robotically targeted stereotactic brain biopsy: feasibility, diagnostic yield, and safety.

PubMed

Bekelis, Kimon; Radwan, Tarek A; Desai, Atman; Roberts, David W

2012-05-01

Frameless stereotactic brain biopsy has become an established procedure in many neurosurgical centers worldwide. Robotic modifications of image-guided frameless stereotaxy hold promise for making these procedures safer, more effective, and more efficient. The authors hypothesized that robotic brain biopsy is a safe, accurate procedure, with a high diagnostic yield and a safety profile comparable to other stereotactic biopsy methods. This retrospective study included 41 patients undergoing frameless stereotactic brain biopsy of lesions (mean size 2.9 cm) for diagnostic purposes. All patients underwent image-guided, robotic biopsy in which the SurgiScope system was used in conjunction with scalp fiducial markers and a preoperatively selected target and trajectory. Forty-five procedures, with 50 supratentorial targets selected, were performed. The mean operative time was 44.6 minutes for the robotic biopsy procedures. This decreased over the second half of the study by 37%, from 54.7 to 34.5 minutes (p < 0.025). The diagnostic yield was 97.8% per procedure, with a second procedure being diagnostic in the single nondiagnostic case. Complications included one transient worsening of a preexisting deficit (2%) and another deficit that was permanent (2%). There were no infections. Robotic biopsy involving a preselected target and trajectory is safe, accurate, efficient, and comparable to other procedures employing either frame-based stereotaxy or frameless, nonrobotic stereotaxy. It permits biopsy in all patients, including those with small target lesions. Robotic biopsy planning facilitates careful preoperative study and optimization of needle trajectory to avoid sulcal vessels, bridging veins, and ventricular penetration.

Seedless Synthesis of Monodispersed Gold Nanorods with Remarkably High Yield: Synergistic Effect of Template Modification and Growth Kinetics Regulation.

PubMed

Liu, Kang; Bu, Yanru; Zheng, Yuanhui; Jiang, Xuchuan; Yu, Aibing; Wang, Huanting

2017-03-08

Gold nanorods (AuNRs) are versatile materials due to their broadly tunable optical properties associated with their anisotropic feature. Conventional seed-mediated synthesis is, however, not only limited by the operational complexity and over-sensitivity towards subtle changes of experimental conditions but also suffers from low yield (≈15 %). A facile seedless method is reported to overcome these challenges. Monodispersed AuNRs with high yield (≈100 %) and highly adjustable longitudinal surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) are reproducibly synthesized. The parameters that influence the AuNRs growth were thoroughly investigated in terms of growth kinetics and soft-template regulation, offering a better understanding of the template-based mechanism. The facile synthesis, broad tunability of LSRP, high reproducibility, high yield, and ease of scale-up make this method promising for the future mass production of monodispersed AuNRs for applications in catalysis, sensing, and biomedicine. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Unexpected high yields of carbonyl and peroxide products of aqueous isoprene ozonolysis and implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, H. L.; Huang, D.; Zhang, X.; Zhao, Y.; Chen, Z. M.

2012-03-01

The aqueous phase reaction of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has not been considered in most analyses of atmospheric chemical processes. However, some experimental evidence has shown that, compared to the corresponding gas phase reaction, the aqueous chemical processes of VOCs in the bulk solutions and surfaces of ambient wet particles (cloud, fog, and wet aerosols) may potentially contribute to the products and formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA). In the present study, we performed a laboratory experiment of the aqueous ozonolysis of isoprene at different pHs (3-7) and temperatures (4-25 °C). We detected three important kinds of products, including carbonyl compounds, peroxide compounds, and organic acids. Our results showed that the molar yields of these products were nearly independent of the investigated pHs and temperatures. These products included (1) carbonyls: 56.7 ± 6.7% formaldehyde, 42.8 ± 2.5% methacrolein (MAC), and 57.7 ± 3.4% methyl vinyl ketone (MVK); (2) peroxides: 53.4 ± 4.1% hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and 15.1 ± 3.1% hydroxylmethyl hydroperoxide (HMHP); and (3) organic acids: undetectable (< 1% estimated by the detection limit). Based on the amounts of products formed and the isoprene consumed, the total carbon yield was estimated to be 95 ± 4%. This implied that most of the products in the reaction system were detected. Of note, the combined yields of both MAC + MVK and H2O2 + HMHP in the aqueous isoprene ozonolysis were much higher than those observed in the corresponding gas phase reaction. We suggested that these unexpected high yields of carbonyls and peroxides were related to the greater capability of condensed water, compared to water vapor, to stabilize energy-rich Criegee radicals. This aqueous ozonolysis of isoprene (and possibly other biogenic VOCs) could potentially occur on the surfaces of ambient wet particles and plants. Moreover, the high-yield carbonyl and peroxide products might provide a considerable source of

How Accurately Do Maize Crop Models Simulate the Interactions of Atmospheric CO2 Concentration Levels With Limited Water Supply on Water Use and Yield?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Durand, Jean-Louis; Delusca, Kenel; Boote, Ken; Lizaso, Jon; Manderscheid, Remy; Weigel, Hans Johachim; Ruane, Alexander Clark; Rosenzweig, Cynthia E.; Jones, Jim; Ahuja, Laj;

Factors related to well yield in the fractured-bedrock aquifer of New Hampshire

USGS Publications Warehouse

Moore, Richard Bridge; Schwartz, Gregory E.; Clark, Stewart F.; Walsh, Gregory J.; Degnan, James R.

2002-01-01

The New Hampshire Bedrock Aquifer Assessment was designed to provide information that can be used by communities, industry, professional consultants, and other interests to evaluate the ground-water development potential of the fractured-bedrock aquifer in the State. The assessment was done at statewide, regional, and well field scales to identify relations that potentially could increase the success in locating high-yield water supplies in the fractured-bedrock aquifer. statewide, data were collected for well construction and yield information, bedrock lithology, surficial geology, lineaments, topography, and various derivatives of these basic data sets. Regionally, geologic, fracture, and lineament data were collected for the Pinardville and Windham quadrangles in New Hampshire. The regional scale of the study examined the degree to which predictive well-yield relations, developed as part of the statewide reconnaissance investigation, could be improved by use of quadrangle-scale geologic mapping. Beginning in 1984, water-well contractors in the State were required to report detailed information on newly constructed wells to the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES). The reports contain basic data on well construction, including six characteristics used in this study?well yield, well depth, well use, method of construction, date drilled, and depth to bedrock (or length of casing). The NHDES has determined accurate georeferenced locations for more than 20,000 wells reported since 1984. The availability of this large data set provided an opportunity for a statistical analysis of bedrock-well yields. Well yields in the database ranged from zero to greater than 500 gallons per minute (gal/min). Multivariate regression was used as the primary statistical method of analysis because it is the most efficient tool for predicting a single variable with many potentially independent variables. The dependent variable that was explored in this study was the

Improved modified energy ratio method using a multi-window approach for accurate arrival picking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Minho; Byun, Joongmoo; Kim, Dowan; Choi, Jihun; Kim, Myungsun

2017-04-01

To identify accurately the location of microseismic events generated during hydraulic fracture stimulation, it is necessary to detect the first break of the P- and S-wave arrival times recorded at multiple receivers. These microseismic data often contain high-amplitude noise, which makes it difficult to identify the P- and S-wave arrival times. The short-term-average to long-term-average (STA/LTA) and modified energy ratio (MER) methods are based on the differences in the energy densities of the noise and signal, and are widely used to identify the P-wave arrival times. The MER method yields more consistent results than the STA/LTA method for data with a low signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio. However, although the MER method shows good results regardless of the delay of the signal wavelet for signals with a high S/N ratio, it may yield poor results if the signal is contaminated by high-amplitude noise and does not have the minimum delay. Here we describe an improved MER (IMER) method, whereby we apply a multiple-windowing approach to overcome the limitations of the MER method. The IMER method contains calculations of an additional MER value using a third window (in addition to the original MER window), as well as the application of a moving average filter to each MER data point to eliminate high-frequency fluctuations in the original MER distributions. The resulting distribution makes it easier to apply thresholding. The proposed IMER method was applied to synthetic and real datasets with various S/N ratios and mixed-delay wavelets. The results show that the IMER method yields a high accuracy rate of around 80% within five sample errors for the synthetic datasets. Likewise, in the case of real datasets, 94.56% of the P-wave picking results obtained by the IMER method had a deviation of less than 0.5 ms (corresponding to 2 samples) from the manual picks.

Development of a New Class of Scintillating Fibres with Very Short Decay Time and High Light Yield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borshchev, O.; Cavalcante, A. B. R.; Gavardi, L.; Gruber, L.; Joram, C.; Ponomarenko, S.; Shinji, O.; Surin, N.

2017-05-01

We present first studies of a new class of scintillating fibres which are characterised by very short decay times and high light yield. The fibres are based on a novel type of luminophores admixed to a polystyrene core matrix. These so-called Nanostructured Organosilicon Luminophores (NOL) have high photoluminescense quantum yield and decay times just above 1 ns. A blue and a green emitting prototype fibre with 250 μm diameter were produced and characterised in terms of attenuation length, ionisation light yield, decay time and tolerance to x-ray irradiation. The well-established Kuraray SCSF-78 and SCSF-3HF fibres were taken as references. Even though the two prototype fibres mark just an intermediate step in an ongoing development, their performance is already on a competitive level. In particular, their decay time constants are about a factor of two shorter than the fastest known fibres, which makes them promising candidates for time critical applications.

High symptom reporters are less interoceptively accurate in a symptom-related context.

PubMed

Bogaerts, Katleen; Millen, An; Li, Wan; De Peuter, Steven; Van Diest, Ilse; Vlemincx, Elke; Fannes, Stien; Van den Bergh, Omer

2008-11-01

We investigated the role of a symptom interpretation frame on the accuracy of interoception and on retrospective symptom reporting in nonclinical high and low reporters of medically unexplained symptoms. All participants (N=74) went through two subsequent trials of the Rebreathing Test, inducing altered respiration and other physical sensations as a result of a gradually increasing pCO(2) level in the blood. Each trial consisted of a baseline (60 s), a rebreathing phase (150 s), and a recovery phase (150 s). In one trial, the sensations were framed in a neutral way ("the gas mixture might alter breathing behavior and induce respiratory sensations"). In the other trial, a symptom frame was induced ("the gas mixture might alter breathing behavior and induce respiratory symptoms"). Breathing behavior was continuously monitored, subjective sensations were rated every 10 s, and after each trial, participants filled out a symptom checklist. Within-subject correlations between the subjective rating and its physiological referent were calculated for the rebreathing phase and recovery phase of each trial separately. High symptom reporters had more (retrospective) complaints than low symptom reporters, especially in the symptom trial. Only in the symptom frame were high symptom reporters less accurate than low symptom reporters. The reduction in interoceptive accuracy (IA) in high symptom reporters was most striking in the recovery phase of the symptom frame trial. A contextual cue, such as a reference to symptoms, reduced IA in high symptom reporters and this was more so during recovery from the symptom induction.

Generating Converged Accurate Free Energy Surfaces for Chemical Reactions with a Force-Matched Semiempirical Model.

PubMed

Kroonblawd, Matthew P; Pietrucci, Fabio; Saitta, Antonino Marco; Goldman, Nir

2018-04-10

We demonstrate the capability of creating robust density functional tight binding (DFTB) models for chemical reactivity in prebiotic mixtures through force matching to short time scale quantum free energy estimates. Molecular dynamics using density functional theory (DFT) is a highly accurate approach to generate free energy surfaces for chemical reactions, but the extreme computational cost often limits the time scales and range of thermodynamic states that can feasibly be studied. In contrast, DFTB is a semiempirical quantum method that affords up to a thousandfold reduction in cost and can recover DFT-level accuracy. Here, we show that a force-matched DFTB model for aqueous glycine condensation reactions yields free energy surfaces that are consistent with experimental observations of reaction energetics. Convergence analysis reveals that multiple nanoseconds of combined trajectory are needed to reach a steady-fluctuating free energy estimate for glycine condensation. Predictive accuracy of force-matched DFTB is demonstrated by direct comparison to DFT, with the two approaches yielding surfaces with large regions that differ by only a few kcal mol -1 .

Generating Converged Accurate Free Energy Surfaces for Chemical Reactions with a Force-Matched Semiempirical Model

DOE PAGES

Kroonblawd, Matthew P.; Pietrucci, Fabio; Saitta, Antonino Marco; ...

2018-03-15

Here, we demonstrate the capability of creating robust density functional tight binding (DFTB) models for chemical reactivity in prebiotic mixtures through force matching to short time scale quantum free energy estimates. Molecular dynamics using density functional theory (DFT) is a highly accurate approach to generate free energy surfaces for chemical reactions, but the extreme computational cost often limits the time scales and range of thermodynamic states that can feasibly be studied. In contrast, DFTB is a semiempirical quantum method that affords up to a thousandfold reduction in cost and can recover DFT-level accuracy. Here, we show that a force-matched DFTBmore » model for aqueous glycine condensation reactions yields free energy surfaces that are consistent with experimental observations of reaction energetics. Convergence analysis reveals that multiple nanoseconds of combined trajectory are needed to reach a steady-fluctuating free energy estimate for glycine condensation. Predictive accuracy of force-matched DFTB is demonstrated by direct comparison to DFT, with the two approaches yielding surfaces with large regions that differ by only a few kcal mol –1.« less

Generating Converged Accurate Free Energy Surfaces for Chemical Reactions with a Force-Matched Semiempirical Model

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

Kroonblawd, Matthew P.; Pietrucci, Fabio; Saitta, Antonino Marco

Here, we demonstrate the capability of creating robust density functional tight binding (DFTB) models for chemical reactivity in prebiotic mixtures through force matching to short time scale quantum free energy estimates. Molecular dynamics using density functional theory (DFT) is a highly accurate approach to generate free energy surfaces for chemical reactions, but the extreme computational cost often limits the time scales and range of thermodynamic states that can feasibly be studied. In contrast, DFTB is a semiempirical quantum method that affords up to a thousandfold reduction in cost and can recover DFT-level accuracy. Here, we show that a force-matched DFTBmore » model for aqueous glycine condensation reactions yields free energy surfaces that are consistent with experimental observations of reaction energetics. Convergence analysis reveals that multiple nanoseconds of combined trajectory are needed to reach a steady-fluctuating free energy estimate for glycine condensation. Predictive accuracy of force-matched DFTB is demonstrated by direct comparison to DFT, with the two approaches yielding surfaces with large regions that differ by only a few kcal mol –1.« less

Accurate dipole moment curve and non-adiabatic effects on the high resolution spectroscopic properties of the LiH molecule

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diniz, Leonardo G.; Kirnosov, Nikita; Alijah, Alexander; Mohallem, José R.; Adamowicz, Ludwik

2016-04-01

A very accurate dipole moment curve (DMC) for the ground X1Σ+ electronic state of the 7LiH molecule is reported. It is calculated with the use of all-particle explicitly correlated Gaussian functions with shifted centers. The DMC - the most accurate to our knowledge - and the corresponding highly accurate potential energy curve are used to calculate the transition energies, the transition dipole moments, and the Einstein coefficients for the rovibrational transitions with ΔJ = - 1 and Δv ⩽ 5 . The importance of the non-adiabatic effects in determining these properties is evaluated using the model of a vibrational R-dependent effective reduced mass in the rovibrational calculations introduced earlier (Diniz et al., 2015). The results of the present calculations are used to assess the quality of the two complete linelists of 7LiH available in the literature.

Milk yield and composition, nutrition, body conformation traits, body condition scores, fertility and diseases in high-yielding dairy cows--Part 1.

PubMed

Aeberhard, K; Bruckmaier, R M; Kuepfer, U; Blum, J W

2001-03-01

Twenty-nine pairs of high-yielding dairy cows (HC; > or = 45 kg/day reached at least once during lactation) and corresponding control cows (CC; with milk yields representing the average yield of the herds) were examined on 29 Swiss farms from March 1995 to September 1996. The hypotheses were tested that there are differences in feed intake, body-conformation traits, body weight (BW), body condition score (BCS), fertility status and disease incidence between HC and CC cows. Cows were studied 2 weeks before and at 5, 9, 13, 17 and 40 weeks post-partum. HC cows produced more energy-corrected milk (ECM) than CC cows (10,670 +/- 321 kg in 293 +/- 5 days and 8385 +/- 283 kg in 294 +/- 4 days, respectively; P < or = 0.001) and yields in the first 100 days of lactation were greater in HC than in CC cows (46.2 +/- 1.1 and 36.2 +/- 1.0 kg ECM/day, respectively; P < or = 0.001). Concentrate intake was greater (P < or = 0.05) in HC than in CC cows (7.6 +/- 0.5 and 5.7 +/- 0.5 kg/day, respectively) and dry matter intakes (measured in week 5 of lactation over 3 days on six farms) were greater in HC than in CC cows (24.0 +/- 1.1 and 20.3 +/- 1.1 kg/day, respectively; P < or = 0.001). HC cows were taller than CC cows (wither heights 143.3 +/- 0.8 and 140.1 +/- 0.8 cm, respectively; P < or = 0.01). Although BW in HC cows was greater than in CC cows throughout the study, differences and decreases of BW during lactation were not significant. BCS at the end of pregnancy and decrements during lactation were similar in HC and CC cows. Fertility parameters were similar in HC and CC cows. Incidences of mastitis, claw and feet problems, hypocalcemia/downer cow syndrome, ovarian cysts and abortions were similar in HC and CC cows, but there were more indigestion problems in HC than in CC cows.

Progress toward accurate high spatial resolution actinide analysis by EPMA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jercinovic, M. J.; Allaz, J. M.; Williams, M. L.

2010-12-01

High precision, high spatial resolution EPMA of actinides is a significant issue for geochronology, resource geochemistry, and studies involving the nuclear fuel cycle. Particular interest focuses on understanding of the behavior of Th and U in the growth and breakdown reactions relevant to actinide-bearing phases (monazite, zircon, thorite, allanite, etc.), and geochemical fractionation processes involving Th and U in fluid interactions. Unfortunately, the measurement of minor and trace concentrations of U in the presence of major concentrations of Th and/or REEs is particularly problematic, especially in complexly zoned phases with large compositional variation on the micro or nanoscale - spatial resolutions now accessible with modern instruments. Sub-micron, high precision compositional analysis of minor components is feasible in very high Z phases where scattering is limited at lower kV (15kV or less) and where the beam diameter can be kept below 400nm at high current (e.g. 200-500nA). High collection efficiency spectrometers and high performance electron optics in EPMA now allow the use of lower overvoltage through an exceptional range in beam current, facilitating higher spatial resolution quantitative analysis. The U LIII edge at 17.2 kV precludes L-series analysis at low kV (high spatial resolution), requiring careful measurements of the actinide M series. Also, U-La detection (wavelength = 0.9A) requires the use of LiF (220) or (420), not generally available on most instruments. Strong peak overlaps of Th on U make highly accurate interference correction mandatory, with problems compounded by the ThMIV and ThMV absorption edges affecting peak, background, and interference calibration measurements (especially the interference of the Th M line family on UMb). Complex REE bearing phases such as monazite, zircon, and allanite have particularly complex interference issues due to multiple peak and background overlaps from elements present in the activation

Growth and yield models for central hardwoods

Treesearch

Martin E. Dale; Donald E. Hilt

1989-01-01

Over the last 20 years computers have become an efficient tool to estimate growth and yield. Computerized yield estimates vary from simple approximation or interpolation of traditional normal yield tables to highly sophisticated programs that simulate the growth and yield of each individual tree.

Hot spots of wheat yield decline with rising temperatures.

PubMed

Asseng, Senthold; Cammarano, Davide; Basso, Bruno; Chung, Uran; Alderman, Phillip D; Sonder, Kai; Reynolds, Matthew; Lobell, David B

2017-06-01

Many of the irrigated spring wheat regions in the world are also regions with high poverty. The impacts of temperature increase on wheat yield in regions of high poverty are uncertain. A grain yield-temperature response function combined with a quantification of model uncertainty was constructed using a multimodel ensemble from two key irrigated spring wheat areas (India and Sudan) and applied to all irrigated spring wheat regions in the world. Southern Indian and southern Pakistani wheat-growing regions with large yield reductions from increasing temperatures coincided with high poverty headcounts, indicating these areas as future food security 'hot spots'. The multimodel simulations produced a linear absolute decline of yields with increasing temperature, with uncertainty varying with reference temperature at a location. As a consequence of the linear absolute yield decline, the relative yield reductions are larger in low-yielding environments (e.g., high reference temperature areas in southern India, southern Pakistan and all Sudan wheat-growing regions) and farmers in these regions will be hit hardest by increasing temperatures. However, as absolute yield declines are about the same in low- and high-yielding regions, the contributed deficit to national production caused by increasing temperatures is higher in high-yielding environments (e.g., northern India) because these environments contribute more to national wheat production. Although Sudan could potentially grow more wheat if irrigation is available, grain yields would be low due to high reference temperatures, with future increases in temperature further limiting production. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Selected wild strains of Agaricus bisporus produce high yields of mushrooms at 25°C.

PubMed

Navarro, Pilar; Savoie, Jean-Michel

2015-01-01

To cultivate the button mushroom Agaricus bisporus in warm countries or during summer in temperate countries, while saving energy, is a challenge that could be addressed by using the biological diversity of the species. The objective was to evaluate the yield potential of eight wild strains previously selected in small scale experiments for their ability to produce mature fruiting bodies at 25°C and above. Culture units of 8 kg of compost were used. The yield expressed as weight or number per surface unit and earliness of fruiting were recorded during cultivation in climatic rooms at 17, 25 or 30°C. Only strains of A. bisporus var. burnettii were able to fruit at 30°C. At 25°C they produced the highest yields (27 kg m(-2)) and had best earliness. The yields at 25°C for the strains of A. bisporus var. bisporus ranged from 12 to 16 kg m(-2). The yield ratios 25°C/17°C ranged from 0.8 to 1.2. The variety burnettii originated in the Sonoran Desert in California showed adaptation for quickly producing fruiting bodies at high temperature when humidity conditions were favorable. Strains of the variety bisporus showed interesting potentials for their ability to produce mature fruiting bodies at higher temperature than present cultivars and might be used in breeding programs. Copyright © 2012 Revista Iberoamericana de Micología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Fast co-pyrolysis of waste newspaper with high-density polyethylene for high yields of alcohols and hydrocarbons.

PubMed

Chen, Weimin; Shi, Shukai; Chen, Minzhi; Zhou, Xiaoyan

2017-09-01

Waste newspaper (WP) was first co-pyrolyzed with high-density polyethylene (HDPE) using pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) to enhance the yields of alcohols and hydrocarbons. The effects of WP: HDPE feed ratio (100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, 0:100) and temperature (500-800°C) on products distribution were investigated and the interaction mechanism during co-pyrolysis was also proposed. Maximum yields of alcohols and hydrocarbons reached 85.88% (feed ratio 50:50wt.%, 600°C). Hydrogen supplements and deoxidation by HDPE and subsequently fragments recombination result in the conversion of aldehydes and ketones into branched hydrocarbons. Radicals from WP degradation favor the secondary crack for HDPE products resulting in the formation of linear hydrocarbons with low carbon number. Hydrocarbons with activated radical site from HDPE degradation were interacted with hydroxyl from WP degradation promoting the formation of linear long chain alcohols. Moreover, co-pyrolysis significantly enhanced condensable oil qualities, which were close to commercial diesel No. 0. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

EarthSat spring wheat yield system test 1975

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

The results of an operational test of the EarthSat System during the period 1 June - 30 August 1975 over the spring wheat regions of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota are presented. The errors associated with each sub-element of the system during the operational test and the sensitivity of the complete system and each major functional sub-element of the system to the observed errors were evaluated. Evaluations and recommendations for future operational users of the system include: (1) changes in various system sub-elements, (2) changes in the yield model to affect improved accuracy, (3) changes in the number of geobased cells needed to develop an accurate aggregated yield estimate, (4) changes associated with the implementation of future operational satellites and data processing systems, and (5) detailed system documentation.

Yield determination and water-use effenciency of wheat under water-limited conditions in the U.S. southern high plains

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Drought is the most important stress for reducing wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) yield and water-use efficiency (WUE) on the U.S. Southern High Plains. Adoption of cultivars with higher yield and WUE under drought conditions is critical in the area. The objective of this study was to investigate the p...

Yield determination and water use efficiency of wheat under water-limited conditions in the U.S. Southern High Plains.

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Drought is the most important stress for reducing wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) yield and water use efficiency (WUE) in the U.S. Southern High Plains (SHP). Adoption of cultivars with higher yield and WUE under drought conditions in critical in the area. The objective of this study was to investiga...

Boron application improves yield of rice cultivars under high temperature stress during vegetative and reproductive stages.

PubMed

Shahid, Mohammad; Nayak, Amaresh Kumar; Tripathi, Rahul; Katara, Jawahar Lal; Bihari, Priyanka; Lal, Banwari; Gautam, Priyanka

2018-04-12

It is reported that high temperatures (HT) would cause a marked decrease in world rice production. In tropical regions, high temperatures are a constraint to rice production and the most damaging effect is on spikelet sterility. Boron (B) plays a very important role in the cell wall formation, sugar translocation, and reproduction of the rice crop and could play an important role in alleviating high temperature stress. A pot culture experiment was conducted to study the effect of B application on high temperature tolerance of rice cultivars in B-deficient soil. The treatments comprised of four boron application treatments viz. control (B0), soil application of 1 kg B ha -1 (B1), soil application of 2 kg B ha -1 (B2), and foliar spray of 0.2% B (Bfs); three rice cultivars viz. Annapurna (HT stress tolerant), Naveen, and Shatabdi (both HT stress susceptible); and three temperature regimes viz. ambient (AT), HT at vegetative stage (HTV), and HT at reproductive stage (HTR). The results revealed that high temperature stress during vegetative or flowering stage reduced grain yield of rice cultivars mainly because of low pollen viability and spikelet fertility. The effects of high temperature on the spikelet fertility and grain filling varied among cultivars and the growth stages of plant when exposed to the high temperature stress. Under high temperature stress, the tolerant cultivar displays higher cell membrane stability, less accumulation of osmolytes, more antioxidant enzyme activities, and higher pollen viability and spikelet fertility than the susceptible cultivars. In the present work, soil application of boron was effective in reducing the negative effects of high temperature both at vegetative and reproductive stages. Application of B results into higher grain yield under both ambient and high temperature condition over control for all the three cultivars; however, more increase was observed for the susceptible cultivar over the tolerant one. The results

Boron application improves yield of rice cultivars under high temperature stress during vegetative and reproductive stages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shahid, Mohammad; Nayak, Amaresh Kumar; Tripathi, Rahul; Katara, Jawahar Lal; Bihari, Priyanka; Lal, Banwari; Gautam, Priyanka

2018-04-01

It is reported that high temperatures (HT) would cause a marked decrease in world rice production. In tropical regions, high temperatures are a constraint to rice production and the most damaging effect is on spikelet sterility. Boron (B) plays a very important role in the cell wall formation, sugar translocation, and reproduction of the rice crop and could play an important role in alleviating high temperature stress. A pot culture experiment was conducted to study the effect of B application on high temperature tolerance of rice cultivars in B-deficient soil. The treatments comprised of four boron application treatments viz. control (B0), soil application of 1 kg B ha-1 (B1), soil application of 2 kg B ha-1 (B2), and foliar spray of 0.2% B (Bfs); three rice cultivars viz. Annapurna (HT stress tolerant), Naveen, and Shatabdi (both HT stress susceptible); and three temperature regimes viz. ambient (AT), HT at vegetative stage (HTV), and HT at reproductive stage (HTR). The results revealed that high temperature stress during vegetative or flowering stage reduced grain yield of rice cultivars mainly because of low pollen viability and spikelet fertility. The effects of high temperature on the spikelet fertility and grain filling varied among cultivars and the growth stages of plant when exposed to the high temperature stress. Under high temperature stress, the tolerant cultivar displays higher cell membrane stability, less accumulation of osmolytes, more antioxidant enzyme activities, and higher pollen viability and spikelet fertility than the susceptible cultivars. In the present work, soil application of boron was effective in reducing the negative effects of high temperature both at vegetative and reproductive stages. Application of B results into higher grain yield under both ambient and high temperature condition over control for all the three cultivars; however, more increase was observed for the susceptible cultivar over the tolerant one. The results suggest

A High-Yield Synthesis of Chalcopyrite CuIn S 2 Nanoparticles with Exceptional Size Control

DOE PAGES

Sun, Chivin; Gardner, Joseph S.; Shurdha, Endrit; ...

2009-01-01

We repormore » t high-yield and efficient size-controlled syntheses of Chalcopyrite CuIn S 2 nanoparticles by decomposing molecular single source precursors (SSPs) via microwave irradiation in the presence of 1,2-ethanedithiol at reaction temperatures as low as 100 ° C and times as short as 30 minutes. The nanoparticles sizes were 1.8 nm to 10.8 nm as reaction temperatures were varied from 100 ° C to 200 ° C with the bandgaps from 2.71 eV to 1.28 eV with good size control and high yields (64%–95%). The resulting nanoparticles were analyzed by XRD, UV-Vis, ICP-OES, XPS, SEM, EDS, and HRTEM. Titration studies by 1 H NMR using SSP 1 with 1,2-ethanedithiol and benzyl mercaptan were conducted to elucidate the formation of Chalcopyrite CuIn S 2 nanoparticles.« less

Crystal growth and characterization of europium doped KCaI3, a high light yield scintillator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindsey, Adam C.; Zhuravleva, Mariya; Stand, Luis; Wu, Yuntao; Melcher, Charles L.

2015-10-01

The presented study reports on the spectroscopic characteristics of a new high performance scintillation material KCaI3:Eu. The growth of ∅ 17 mm boules using the Bridgman-Stockbarger method in fused silica ampoules is demonstrated to produce yellow tinted, yet transparent single crystals suitable for use in spectroscopic applications due to very promising performance. Scintillation light yield of 72,000 ± 3000 ph/MeV and energy resolution of 3% (FWHM) at 662 keV and 6.1% at 122 keV was obtained from small single crystals of approximately 15 mm3. For a much larger 3.8 cm3 detector, 4.4% and 7.3% for the same energy. Proportionality of the scintillation response to the energy of ionizing radiation is within 96% of the ideal response over an energy range of 14-662 keV. The high light yield and energy resolution of KCaI3:Eu make it suitable for potential use in domestic security applications requiring radionuclide identification.

Predicting watershed post-fire sediment yield with the InVEST sediment retention model: Accuracy and uncertainties

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sankey, Joel B.; McVay, Jason C.; Kreitler, Jason R.; Hawbaker, Todd J.; Vaillant, Nicole; Lowe, Scott

2015-01-01

Increased sedimentation following wildland fire can negatively impact water supply and water quality. Understanding how changing fire frequency, extent, and location will affect watersheds and the ecosystem services they supply to communities is of great societal importance in the western USA and throughout the world. In this work we assess the utility of the InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs) Sediment Retention Model to accurately characterize erosion and sedimentation of burned watersheds. InVEST was developed by the Natural Capital Project at Stanford University (Tallis et al., 2014) and is a suite of GIS-based implementations of common process models, engineered for high-end computing to allow the faster simulation of larger landscapes and incorporation into decision-making. The InVEST Sediment Retention Model is based on common soil erosion models (e.g., USLE – Universal Soil Loss Equation) and determines which areas of the landscape contribute the greatest sediment loads to a hydrological network and conversely evaluate the ecosystem service of sediment retention on a watershed basis. In this study, we evaluate the accuracy and uncertainties for InVEST predictions of increased sedimentation after fire, using measured postfire sediment yields available for many watersheds throughout the western USA from an existing, published large database. We show that the model can be parameterized in a relatively simple fashion to predict post-fire sediment yield with accuracy. Our ultimate goal is to use the model to accurately predict variability in post-fire sediment yield at a watershed scale as a function of future wildfire conditions.

A natural variant of NAL1, selected in high-yield rice breeding programs, pleiotropically increases photosynthesis rate.

PubMed

Takai, Toshiyuki; Adachi, Shunsuke; Taguchi-Shiobara, Fumio; Sanoh-Arai, Yumiko; Iwasawa, Norio; Yoshinaga, Satoshi; Hirose, Sakiko; Taniguchi, Yojiro; Yamanouchi, Utako; Wu, Jianzhong; Matsumoto, Takashi; Sugimoto, Kazuhiko; Kondo, Katsuhiko; Ikka, Takashi; Ando, Tsuyu; Kono, Izumi; Ito, Sachie; Shomura, Ayahiko; Ookawa, Taiichiro; Hirasawa, Tadashi; Yano, Masahiro; Kondo, Motohiko; Yamamoto, Toshio

2013-01-01

Improvement of leaf photosynthesis is an important strategy for greater crop productivity. Here we show that the quantitative trait locus GPS (GREEN FOR PHOTOSYNTHESIS) in rice (Oryza sativa L.) controls photosynthesis rate by regulating carboxylation efficiency. Map-based cloning revealed that GPS is identical to NAL1 (NARROW LEAF1), a gene previously reported to control lateral leaf growth. The high-photosynthesis allele of GPS was found to be a partial loss-of-function allele of NAL1. This allele increased mesophyll cell number between vascular bundles, which led to thickened leaves, and it pleiotropically enhanced photosynthesis rate without the detrimental side effects observed in previously identified nal1 mutants, such as dwarf plant stature. Furthermore, pedigree analysis suggested that rice breeders have repeatedly selected the high-photosynthesis allele in high-yield breeding programs. The identification and utilization of NAL1 (GPS) can enhance future high-yield breeding and provides a new strategy for increasing rice productivity.

A natural variant of NAL1, selected in high-yield rice breeding programs, pleiotropically increases photosynthesis rate

PubMed Central

Takai, Toshiyuki; Adachi, Shunsuke; Taguchi-Shiobara, Fumio; Sanoh-Arai, Yumiko; Iwasawa, Norio; Yoshinaga, Satoshi; Hirose, Sakiko; Taniguchi, Yojiro; Yamanouchi, Utako; Wu, Jianzhong; Matsumoto, Takashi; Sugimoto, Kazuhiko; Kondo, Katsuhiko; Ikka, Takashi; Ando, Tsuyu; Kono, Izumi; Ito, Sachie; Shomura, Ayahiko; Ookawa, Taiichiro; Hirasawa, Tadashi; Yano, Masahiro; Kondo, Motohiko; Yamamoto, Toshio

2013-01-01

Improvement of leaf photosynthesis is an important strategy for greater crop productivity. Here we show that the quantitative trait locus GPS (GREEN FOR PHOTOSYNTHESIS) in rice (Oryza sativa L.) controls photosynthesis rate by regulating carboxylation efficiency. Map-based cloning revealed that GPS is identical to NAL1 (NARROW LEAF1), a gene previously reported to control lateral leaf growth. The high-photosynthesis allele of GPS was found to be a partial loss-of-function allele of NAL1. This allele increased mesophyll cell number between vascular bundles, which led to thickened leaves, and it pleiotropically enhanced photosynthesis rate without the detrimental side effects observed in previously identified nal1 mutants, such as dwarf plant stature. Furthermore, pedigree analysis suggested that rice breeders have repeatedly selected the high-photosynthesis allele in high-yield breeding programs. The identification and utilization of NAL1 (GPS) can enhance future high-yield breeding and provides a new strategy for increasing rice productivity. PMID:23985993

A decade of precision agriculture impacts on grain yield and yield variation

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Targeting management practices and inputs with precision agriculture has high potential to meet some of the grand challenges of sustainability in the coming century, including simultaneously improving crop yields and reducing environmental impacts. Although the potential is high, few studies have do...

Dual-component video image analysis system (VIASCAN) as a predictor of beef carcass red meat yield percentage and for augmenting application of USDA yield grades.

PubMed

Cannell, R C; Tatum, J D; Belk, K E; Wise, J W; Clayton, R P; Smith, G C

1999-11-01

An improved ability to quantify differences in the fabrication yields of beef carcasses would facilitate the application of value-based marketing. This study was conducted to evaluate the ability of the Dual-Component Australian VIASCAN to 1) predict fabricated beef subprimal yields as a percentage of carcass weight at each of three fat-trim levels and 2) augment USDA yield grading, thereby improving accuracy of grade placement. Steer and heifer carcasses (n = 240) were evaluated using VIASCAN, as well as by USDA expert and online graders, before fabrication of carcasses to each of three fat-trim levels. Expert yield grade (YG), online YG, VIASCAN estimates, and VIASCAN estimated ribeye area used to augment actual and expert grader estimates of the remaining YG factors (adjusted fat thickness, percentage of kidney-pelvic-heart fat, and hot carcass weight), respectively, 1) accounted for 51, 37, 46, and 55% of the variation in fabricated yields of commodity-trimmed subprimals, 2) accounted for 74, 54, 66, and 75% of the variation in fabricated yields of closely trimmed subprimals, and 3) accounted for 74, 54, 71, and 75% of the variation in fabricated yields of very closely trimmed subprimals. The VIASCAN system predicted fabrication yields more accurately than current online yield grading and, when certain VIASCAN-measured traits were combined with some USDA yield grade factors in an augmentation system, the accuracy of cutability prediction was improved, at packing plant line speeds, to a level matching that of expert graders applying grades at a comfortable rate.

High pressure thermal hydrolysis as pre-treatment to increase the methane yield during anaerobic digestion of microalgae.

PubMed

Keymer, Philip; Ruffell, Ian; Pratt, Steven; Lant, Paul

2013-03-01

Anaerobic digestion of algal biomass will be an essential component of algal biofuel production systems, yet the methane yield from digestion of algae is typically much lower than the theoretical potential. In this work, high pressure thermal hydrolysis (HPTH) is shown to enhance methane yield during algae digestion. HPTH pre-treatment was applied to both raw algae and algal residue resulting from lipid extraction. HPTH and even the lipid extraction process itself increased methane yield, by 81% and 33% respectively; in combination they increased yield by 110% over that of the raw algae (18L CH4 gVS(-1) substrate). HPTH had little effect on the rate of anaerobic digestion, however lipid extraction enhanced it by 33% over that for raw algae (0.21day(-1)). Digestion resulted in solubilisation of nitrogen (and phosphorous to a lesser degree) in all cases, showing that there is potential for nutrient recycling for algal growth. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Predicting cotton yield of small field plots in a cotton breeding program using UAV imagery data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maja, Joe Mari J.; Campbell, Todd; Camargo Neto, Joao; Astillo, Philip

2016-05-01

One of the major criteria used for advancing experimental lines in a breeding program is yield performance. Obtaining yield performance data requires machine picking each plot with a cotton picker, modified to weigh individual plots. Harvesting thousands of small field plots requires a great deal of time and resources. The efficiency of cotton breeding could be increased significantly while the cost could be decreased with the availability of accurate methods to predict yield performance. This work is investigating the feasibility of using an image processing technique using a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) camera mounted on a small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (sUAV) to collect normal RGB images in predicting cotton yield on small plot. An orthonormal image was generated from multiple images and used to process multiple, segmented plots. A Gaussian blur was used to eliminate the high frequency component of the images, which corresponds to the cotton pixels, and used image subtraction technique to generate high frequency pixel images. The cotton pixels were then separated using k-means cluster with 5 classes. Based on the current work, the calculated percentage cotton area was computed using the generated high frequency image (cotton pixels) divided by the total area of the plot. Preliminary results showed (five flights, 3 altitudes) that cotton cover on multiple pre-selected 227 sq. m. plots produce an average of 8% which translate to approximately 22.3 kgs. of cotton. The yield prediction equation generated from the test site was then use on a separate validation site and produced a prediction error of less than 10%. In summary, the results indicate that a COTS camera with an appropriate image processing technique can produce results that are comparable to expensive sensors.

Characterization of Thin Film Materials using SCAN meta-GGA, an Accurate Nonempirical Density Functional

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

Buda, I. G.; Lane, C.; Barbiellini, B.

We discuss self-consistently obtained ground-state electronic properties of monolayers of graphene and a number of ’beyond graphene’ compounds, including films of transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), using the recently proposed strongly constrained and appropriately normed (SCAN) meta-generalized gradient approximation (meta-GGA) to the density functional theory. The SCAN meta-GGA results are compared with those based on the local density approximation (LDA) as well as the generalized gradient approximation (GGA). As expected, the GGA yields expanded lattices and softened bonds in relation to the LDA, but the SCAN meta-GGA systematically improves the agreement with experiment. Our study suggests the efficacy of the SCAN functionalmore » for accurate modeling of electronic structures of layered materials in high-throughput calculations more generally.« less

Characterization of Thin Film Materials using SCAN meta-GGA, an Accurate Nonempirical Density Functional

DOE PAGES

Buda, I. G.; Lane, C.; Barbiellini, B.; ...

2017-03-23

We discuss self-consistently obtained ground-state electronic properties of monolayers of graphene and a number of ’beyond graphene’ compounds, including films of transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), using the recently proposed strongly constrained and appropriately normed (SCAN) meta-generalized gradient approximation (meta-GGA) to the density functional theory. The SCAN meta-GGA results are compared with those based on the local density approximation (LDA) as well as the generalized gradient approximation (GGA). As expected, the GGA yields expanded lattices and softened bonds in relation to the LDA, but the SCAN meta-GGA systematically improves the agreement with experiment. Our study suggests the efficacy of the SCAN functionalmore » for accurate modeling of electronic structures of layered materials in high-throughput calculations more generally.« less

Estimating tar and nicotine exposure: human smoking versus machine generated smoke yields.

PubMed

St Charles, F K; Kabbani, A A; Borgerding, M F

2010-02-01

Determine human smoked (HS) cigarette yields of tar and nicotine for smokers using their own brand in their everyday environment. A robust, filter analysis method was used to estimate the tar and nicotine yields for 784 subjects. Seventeen brands were chosen to represent a wide range of styles: 85 and 100 mm lengths; menthol and non-menthol; 17, 23, and 25 mm circumference; with tar yields [Federal Trade Commission (FTC) method] ranging from 1 to 18 mg. Tar bands chosen corresponded to yields of 1-3 mg, 4-6 mg, 7-12 mg, and 13+ mg. A significant difference (p<0.0001) in HS yields of tar and nicotine between tar bands was found. Machine-smoked yields were reasonable predictors of the HS yields for groups of subjects, but the relationship was neither exact nor linear. Neither the FTC, the Massachusetts (MA) nor the Canadian Intensive (CI) machine-smoking methods accurately reflect the HS yields across all brands. The FTC method was closest for the 7-12 mg and 13+ mg products and the MA method was closest for the 1-3mg products. The HS yields for the 4-6 mg products were approximately midway between the FTC and the MA yields. HS nicotine yields corresponded well with published urinary and plasma nicotine biomarker studies. 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Rapid, cost-effective and accurate quantification of Yucca schidigera Roezl. steroidal saponins using HPLC-ELSD method.

PubMed

Tenon, Mathieu; Feuillère, Nicolas; Roller, Marc; Birtić, Simona

2017-04-15

Yucca GRAS-labelled saponins have been and are increasingly used in food/feed, pharmaceutical or cosmetic industries. Existing techniques presently used for Yucca steroidal saponin quantification remain either inaccurate and misleading or accurate but time consuming and cost prohibitive. The method reported here addresses all of the above challenges. HPLC/ELSD technique is an accurate and reliable method that yields results of appropriate repeatability and reproducibility. This method does not over- or under-estimate levels of steroidal saponins. HPLC/ELSD method does not require each and every pure standard of saponins, to quantify the group of steroidal saponins. The method is a time- and cost-effective technique that is suitable for routine industrial analyses. HPLC/ELSD methods yield a saponin fingerprints specific to the plant species. As the method is capable of distinguishing saponin profiles from taxonomically distant species, it can unravel plant adulteration issues. Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Accurate Time/Frequency Transfer Method Using Bi-Directional WDM Transmission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Imaoka, Atsushi; Kihara, Masami

1996-01-01

An accurate time transfer method is proposed using b-directional wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) signal transmission along a single optical fiber. This method will be used in digital telecommunication networks and yield a time synchronization accuracy of better than 1 ns for long transmission lines over several tens of kilometers. The method can accurately measure the difference in delay between two wavelength signals caused by the chromatic dispersion of the fiber in conventional simple bi-directional dual-wavelength frequency transfer methods. We describe the characteristics of this difference in delay and then show that the accuracy of the delay measurements can be obtained below 0.1 ns by transmitting 156 Mb/s times reference signals of 1.31 micrometer and 1.55 micrometers along a 50 km fiber using the proposed method. The sub-nanosecond delay measurement using the simple bi-directional dual-wavelength transmission along a 100 km fiber with a wavelength spacing of 1 nm in the 1.55 micrometer range is also shown.

Fast and accurate: high-speed metrological large-range AFM for surface and nanometrology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dai, Gaoliang; Koenders, Ludger; Fluegge, Jens; Hemmleb, Matthias

2018-05-01

Low measurement speed remains a major shortcoming of the scanning probe microscopic technique. It not only leads to a low measurement throughput, but a significant measurement drift over the long measurement time needed (up to hours or even days). To overcome this challenge, PTB, the national metrology institute of Germany, has developed a high-speed metrological large-range atomic force microscope (HS Met. LR-AFM) capable of measuring speeds up to 1 mm s‑1. This paper has introduced the design concept in detail. After modelling scanning probe microscopic measurements, our results suggest that the signal spectrum of the surface to be measured is the spatial spectrum of the surface scaled by the scanning speed. The higher the scanning speed , the broader the spectrum to be measured. To realise an accurate HS Met. LR-AFM, our solution is to combine different stages/sensors synchronously in measurements, which provide a much larger spectrum area for high-speed measurement capability. Two application examples have been demonstrated. The first is a new concept called reference areal surface metrology. Using the developed HS Met. LR-AFM, surfaces are measured accurately and traceably at a speed of 500 µm s‑1 and the results are applied as a reference 3D data map of the surfaces. By correlating the reference 3D data sets and 3D data sets of tools under calibration, which are measured at the same surface, it has the potential to comprehensively characterise the tools, for instance, the spectrum properties of the tools. The investigation results of two commercial confocal microscopes are demonstrated, indicating very promising results. The second example is the calibration of a kind of 3D nano standard, which has spatially distributed landmarks, i.e. special unique features defined by 3D-coordinates. Experimental investigations confirmed that the calibration accuracy is maintained at a measurement speed of 100 µm s‑1, which improves the calibration efficiency by a

Genotypic Variation in Yield, Yield Components, Root Morphology and Architecture, in Soybean in Relation to Water and Phosphorus Supply

PubMed Central

He, Jin; Jin, Yi; Du, Yan-Lei; Wang, Tao; Turner, Neil C.; Yang, Ru-Ping; Siddique, Kadambot H. M.; Li, Feng-Min

2017-01-01

Water shortage and low phosphorus (P) availability limit yields in soybean. Roots play important roles in water-limited and P-deficient environment, but the underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. In this study we determined the responses of four soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] genotypes [Huandsedadou (HD), Bailudou (BLD), Jindou 21 (J21), and Zhonghuang 30 (ZH)] to three P levels [applied 0 (P0), 60 (P60), and 120 (P120) mg P kg-1 dry soil to the upper 0.4 m of the soil profile] and two water treatment [well-watered (WW) and water-stressed (WS)] with special reference to root morphology and architecture, we compared yield and its components, root morphology and root architecture to find out which variety and/or what kind of root architecture had high grain yield under P and drought stress. The results showed that water stress and low P, respectively, significantly reduced grain yield by 60 and 40%, daily water use by 66 and 31%, P accumulation by 40 and 80%, and N accumulation by 39 and 65%. The cultivar ZH with the lowest daily water use had the highest grain yield at P60 and P120 under drought. Increased root length was positively associated with N and P accumulation in both the WW and WS treatments, but not with grain yield under water and P deficits. However, in the WS treatment, high adventitious and lateral root densities were associated with high N and P uptake per unit root length which in turn was significantly and positively associated with grain yield. Our results suggest that (1) genetic variation of grain yield, daily water use, P and N accumulation, and root morphology and architecture were observed among the soybean cultivars and ZH had the best yield performance under P and water limited conditions; (2) water has a major influence on nutrient uptake and grain yield, while additional P supply can modestly increase yields under drought in some soybean genotypes; (3) while conserved water use plays an important role in grain yield under drought

Genotypic Variation in Yield, Yield Components, Root Morphology and Architecture, in Soybean in Relation to Water and Phosphorus Supply.

PubMed

He, Jin; Jin, Yi; Du, Yan-Lei; Wang, Tao; Turner, Neil C; Yang, Ru-Ping; Siddique, Kadambot H M; Li, Feng-Min

2017-01-01

Water shortage and low phosphorus (P) availability limit yields in soybean. Roots play important roles in water-limited and P-deficient environment, but the underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. In this study we determined the responses of four soybean [ Glycine max (L.) Merr.] genotypes [Huandsedadou (HD), Bailudou (BLD), Jindou 21 (J21), and Zhonghuang 30 (ZH)] to three P levels [applied 0 (P0), 60 (P60), and 120 (P120) mg P kg -1 dry soil to the upper 0.4 m of the soil profile] and two water treatment [well-watered (WW) and water-stressed (WS)] with special reference to root morphology and architecture, we compared yield and its components, root morphology and root architecture to find out which variety and/or what kind of root architecture had high grain yield under P and drought stress. The results showed that water stress and low P, respectively, significantly reduced grain yield by 60 and 40%, daily water use by 66 and 31%, P accumulation by 40 and 80%, and N accumulation by 39 and 65%. The cultivar ZH with the lowest daily water use had the highest grain yield at P60 and P120 under drought. Increased root length was positively associated with N and P accumulation in both the WW and WS treatments, but not with grain yield under water and P deficits. However, in the WS treatment, high adventitious and lateral root densities were associated with high N and P uptake per unit root length which in turn was significantly and positively associated with grain yield. Our results suggest that (1) genetic variation of grain yield, daily water use, P and N accumulation, and root morphology and architecture were observed among the soybean cultivars and ZH had the best yield performance under P and water limited conditions; (2) water has a major influence on nutrient uptake and grain yield, while additional P supply can modestly increase yields under drought in some soybean genotypes; (3) while conserved water use plays an important role in grain yield under drought

High yield growth of patterned vertically aligned carbon nanotubes using inkjet-printed catalyst.

PubMed

Beard, James D; Stringer, Jonathan; Ghita, Oana R; Smith, Patrick J

2013-10-09

This study reports on the fabrication of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes localized at specific sites on a growth substrate by deposition of a nanoparticle suspension using inkjet printing. Carbon nanotubes were grown with high yield as vertically aligned forests to a length of approximately 400 μm. The use of inkjet printing for catalyst fabrication considerably improves the production rate of vertically aligned patterned nanotube forests compared with conventional patterning techniques, for example, electron beam lithography or photolithography.

Simultaneous achievement of high ethanol yield and titer in Clostridium thermocellum

DOE PAGES

Tian, Liang; Papanek, Beth; Olson, Daniel G.; ...

2016-06-02

Background Biofuel production from plant cell walls offers the potential for sustainable and economically attractive alternatives to petroleum-based products. Fuels from cellulosic biomass are particularly promising, but would benefit from lower processing costs. Clostridium thermocellum can rapidly solubilize and ferment cellulosic biomass, making it a promising candidate microorganism for consolidated bioprocessing for biofuel production, but increases in product yield and titer are still needed. Results We started with an engineered C. thermocellum strain where the central metabolic pathways to products other than ethanol had been deleted. After two stages of adaptive evolution, an evolved strain was selected with improved yieldmore » and titer. On chemically defined medium with crystalline cellulose as substrate, the evolved strain produced 22.4 ± 1.4 g/L ethanol from 60 g/L cellulose. Moreover, the resulting yield was about 0.39 gETOH/gGluc eq, which is 75 % of the maximum theoretical yield. Genome resequencing, proteomics, and biochemical analysis were used to examine differences between the original and evolved strains. Conclusions A two step selection method successfully improved the ethanol yield and the titer. Finaly, this evolved strain has the highest ethanol yield and titer reported to date for C. thermocellum, and is an important step in the development of this microbe for industrial applications.« less

Dakota Diamond: An exceptionally high yielding, cold chipping potato cultivar with long-term storage potential

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Dakota Diamond (ND5822C-7) is a medium to late maturing cultivar with uniformly sized tubers and very high yield potential. It resulted from the cross of ND4103-2 and “Dakota Pearl”. Dakota Diamond is comprised of approximately 23.3% wild potato species germplasm. It combines the characteristics ...

RNA isolation from loquat and other recalcitrant woody plants with high quality and yield.

PubMed

Morante-Carriel, Jaime; Sellés-Marchart, Susana; Martínez-Márquez, Ascensión; Martínez-Esteso, María José; Luque, Ignacio; Bru-Martínez, Roque

2014-05-01

RNA isolation is difficult in plants that contain large amounts of polysaccharides and polyphenol compounds. To date, no commercial kit has been developed for the isolation of high-quality RNA from tissues with these characteristics, especially for fruit. The common protocols for RNA isolation are tedious and usually result in poor yields when applied to recalcitrant plant tissues. Here an efficient RNA isolation protocol based on cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and two successive precipitations with 10 M lithium chloride (LiCl) was developed specifically for loquat fruits, but it was proved to work efficiently in other tissues of loquat and woody plants. The RNA isolated by this improved protocol was not only of high purity and integrity (A260/A280 ratios ranged from 1.90 to 2.04 and A260/A230 ratios were>2.0) but also of high yield (up to 720 μg on average [coefficient of variation=21%] total RNA per gram fresh tissue). The protocol was tested on loquat fruit (different stages of development, postharvest, ripening, and bruising), leaf, root, flower, stem, and bud; quince fruit and root; grapevine cells in liquid culture; and rose petals. The RNA obtained with this method is amenable to enzymatic treatments and can be efficiently applied for research on gene characterization, expression, and function. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Robust and Accurate Shock Capturing Method for High-Order Discontinuous Galerkin Methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Atkins, Harold L.; Pampell, Alyssa

2011-01-01

A simple yet robust and accurate approach for capturing shock waves using a high-order discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method is presented. The method uses the physical viscous terms of the Navier-Stokes equations as suggested by others; however, the proposed formulation of the numerical viscosity is continuous and compact by construction, and does not require the solution of an auxiliary diffusion equation. This work also presents two analyses that guided the formulation of the numerical viscosity and certain aspects of the DG implementation. A local eigenvalue analysis of the DG discretization applied to a shock containing element is used to evaluate the robustness of several Riemann flux functions, and to evaluate algorithm choices that exist within the underlying DG discretization. A second analysis examines exact solutions to the DG discretization in a shock containing element, and identifies a "model" instability that will inevitably arise when solving the Euler equations using the DG method. This analysis identifies the minimum viscosity required for stability. The shock capturing method is demonstrated for high-speed flow over an inviscid cylinder and for an unsteady disturbance in a hypersonic boundary layer. Numerical tests are presented that evaluate several aspects of the shock detection terms. The sensitivity of the results to model parameters is examined with grid and order refinement studies.

Simulating large-scale crop yield by using perturbed-parameter ensemble method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iizumi, T.; Yokozawa, M.; Sakurai, G.; Nishimori, M.

2010-12-01

Toshichika Iizumi, Masayuki Yokozawa, Gen Sakurai, Motoki Nishimori Agro-Meteorology Division, National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, Japan Abstract One of concerning issues of food security under changing climate is to predict the inter-annual variation of crop production induced by climate extremes and modulated climate. To secure food supply for growing world population, methodology that can accurately predict crop yield on a large scale is needed. However, for developing a process-based large-scale crop model with a scale of general circulation models (GCMs), 100 km in latitude and longitude, researchers encounter the difficulties in spatial heterogeneity of available information on crop production such as cultivated cultivars and management. This study proposed an ensemble-based simulation method that uses a process-based crop model and systematic parameter perturbation procedure, taking maize in U.S., China, and Brazil as examples. The crop model was developed modifying the fundamental structure of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to incorporate the effect of heat stress on yield. We called the new model PRYSBI: the Process-based Regional-scale Yield Simulator with Bayesian Inference. The posterior probability density function (PDF) of 17 parameters, which represents the crop- and grid-specific features of the crop and its uncertainty under given data, was estimated by the Bayesian inversion analysis. We then take 1500 ensemble members of simulated yield values based on the parameter sets sampled from the posterior PDF to describe yearly changes of the yield, i.e. perturbed-parameter ensemble method. The ensemble median for 27 years (1980-2006) was compared with the data aggregated from the county yield. On a country scale, the ensemble median of the simulated yield showed a good correspondence with the reported yield: the Pearson’s correlation coefficient is over 0.6 for all countries. In contrast, on a grid scale, the correspondence

Maximization of DRAM yield by control of surface charge and particle addition during high dose implantation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horvath, J.; Moffatt, S.

1991-04-01

Ion implantation processing exposes semiconductor devices to an energetic ion beam in order to deposit dopant ions in shallow layers. In addition to this primary process, foreign materials are deposited as particles and surface films. The deposition of particles is a major cause of IC yield loss and becomes even more significant as device dimensions are decreased. Control of particle addition in a high-volume production environment requires procedures to limit beamline and endstation sources, control of particle transport, cleaning procedures and a well grounded preventative maintenance philosophy. Control of surface charge by optimization of the ion beam and electron shower conditions and measurement with a real-time charge sensor has been effective in improving the yield of NMOS and CMOS DRAMs. Control of surface voltages to a range between 0 and -20 V was correlated with good implant yield with PI9200 implanters for p + and n + source-drain implants.

High yield antibiotic producing mutants of Streptomyces erythreus induced by low energy ion implantation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Chen; Zhixin, Lin; Zuyao, Zou; Feng, Zhang; Duo, Liu; Xianghuai, Liu; Jianzhong, Tang; Weimin, Zhu; Bo, Huang

1998-05-01

Conidia of Streptomyces erythreus, an industrial microbe, were implanted by nitrogen ions with energy of 40-60 keV and fluence from 1 × 10 11 to 5 × 10 14 ions/cm 2. The logarithm value of survival fraction had good linear relationship with the logarithm value of fluence. Some mutants with a high yield of erythromycin were induced by ion implantation. The yield increment was correlated with the implantation fluence. Compared with the mutation results induced by ultraviolet rays, mutation effects of ion implantation were obvious having higher increasing erythromycin potency and wider mutation spectrum. The spores of Bacillus subtilis were implanted by arsenic ions with energy of 100 keV. The distribution of implanted ions was measured by Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS) and calculated in theory. The mechanism of mutation induced by ion implantation was discussed.

Highly accurate quantitative spectroscopy of massive stars in the Galaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nieva, María-Fernanda; Przybilla, Norbert

2017-11-01

Achieving high accuracy and precision in stellar parameter and chemical composition determinations is challenging in massive star spectroscopy. On one hand, the target selection for an unbiased sample build-up is complicated by several types of peculiarities that can occur in individual objects. On the other hand, composite spectra are often not recognized as such even at medium-high spectral resolution and typical signal-to-noise ratios, despite multiplicity among massive stars is widespread. In particular, surveys that produce large amounts of automatically reduced data are prone to oversight of details that turn hazardous for the analysis with techniques that have been developed for a set of standard assumptions applicable to a spectrum of a single star. Much larger systematic errors than anticipated may therefore result because of the unrecognized true nature of the investigated objects, or much smaller sample sizes of objects for the analysis than initially planned, if recognized. More factors to be taken care of are the multiple steps from the choice of instrument over the details of the data reduction chain to the choice of modelling code, input data, analysis technique and the selection of the spectral lines to be analyzed. Only when avoiding all the possible pitfalls, a precise and accurate characterization of the stars in terms of fundamental parameters and chemical fingerprints can be achieved that form the basis for further investigations regarding e.g. stellar structure and evolution or the chemical evolution of the Galaxy. The scope of the present work is to provide the massive star and also other astrophysical communities with criteria to evaluate the quality of spectroscopic investigations of massive stars before interpreting them in a broader context. The discussion is guided by our experiences made in the course of over a decade of studies of massive star spectroscopy ranging from the simplest single objects to multiple systems.

Tensile strength/yield strength (TS/YS) ratios of high-strength steel (HSS) reinforcing bars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tavio, Anggraini, Retno; Raka, I. Gede Putu; Agustiar

2018-05-01

The building codes such as American Concrete Institute (ACI) 318M-14 and Standard National Indonesia (SNI) 2847:2013 require that the ratio of tensile strength (TS) and yield strength (YS) should not less than 1.25. The requirement is based on the assumption that a capability of a structural member to develop inelastic rotation capacity is a function of the length of the yield region. This paper reports an investigation on various steel grades, namely Grades 420, 550, 650, and 700 MPa, to examine the impact of different TS/YS ratios if it is less or greater than the required value. Grades 550, 650, and 700 MPa were purposely selected with the intention to examine if these higher grades are still promising to be implemented in special structural systems since they are prohibited by the building codes for longitudinal reinforcement, whereas Grade 420 MPa bars are the maximum limit of yield strength of reinforcing bars that is allowable for longitudinal reinforcement of special structural systems. Tensile tests of these steel samples were conducted under displacement controlled mode to capture the complete stress-strain curves and particularly the post-yield response of the steel bars. From the study, it can be concluded that Grade 420 performed higher TS/YS ratios and they were able to reach up to more than 1.25. However, the High Strength Still (HSS) bars (Grades 550, 600, and 700 MPa) resulted in lower TS/YS ratios (less than 1.25) compared with those of Grade 420 MPa.

Investigation of Ozone Yield of Air Fed Ozonizer by High Pressure Homogeneous Dielectric Barrier Discharge

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-07-01

31st ICPIG, July 14-19, 2013, Granada , Spain Investigation of ozone yield of air fed ozonizer by high pressure homogeneous dielectric barrier...Phenomena in Ionized Gases (31st) (ICPIG) Held in Granada , Spain on 14-19 July 2013 14. ABSTRACT We succeed in generating an atmospheric and high...8-98) Prescribed by ANSI Std Z39-18 31st ICPIG, July 14-19, 2013, Granada , Spain size and thickness are 100 cm2 and 2 mm respectively. The

Altered Tuber Yield in Genetically Modified High-Amylose and Oil Potato Lines Is Associated With Changed Whole-Plant Nitrogen Economy

PubMed Central

Pourazari, Fereshteh; Andersson, Mariette; Weih, Martin

2018-01-01

Breeding for improved crop quality traits can affect non-target traits related to growth and resource use, and these effects may vary in different cultivation conditions (e. g., greenhouse vs. field). The objectives of this study are to investigate the growth and whole-plant nitrogen (N) economy of two genetically modified (GM) potato lines compared to their non-GM parental varieties and when grown in different cultivation conditions. A high-amylose GM potato line and its parent were grown under field and greenhouse conditions for one growing season in Sweden; and a GM oil potato line and its parent were grown in greenhouse conditions only. Tuber yield, above ground biomass, N uptake efficiency and other plant N economy traits were assessed. In both cultivation conditions, the GM lines produced between 1.5 and two times more tubers as compared with their parents. In the greenhouse, fresh tuber yield and N uptake efficiency were unaffected by the genetic modifications, but the GM-lines produced less tuber biomass per plant-internal N compared to their parents. In the field, the fresh tuber yield was 40% greater in the high-amylose line as compared with its parent; the greater fresh tuber yield in the high-amylose GM line was accomplished by higher water allocation to the harvested tubers, and associated with increased N recovery from soil (+20%), N uptake efficiency (+53%), tuber N content (+20%), and N accumulation (+120%) compared with the non-GM parent. The cultivation conditions influenced the yield and N economy. For example, the final fresh above-ground plant biomass and N pool were considerably higher in the greenhouse conditions, whilst the tuber yield was higher in the field conditions. In conclusion, the genetic modification inducing high accumulation of amylose in potato tubers affected several non-target traits related to plant N economy, and increased the plant N uptake and accumulation efficiency of the field-grown plants. Due to strongly increased

Implicit time accurate simulation of unsteady flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Buuren, René; Kuerten, Hans; Geurts, Bernard J.

2001-03-01

Implicit time integration was studied in the context of unsteady shock-boundary layer interaction flow. With an explicit second-order Runge-Kutta scheme, a reference solution to compare with the implicit second-order Crank-Nicolson scheme was determined. The time step in the explicit scheme is restricted by both temporal accuracy as well as stability requirements, whereas in the A-stable implicit scheme, the time step has to obey temporal resolution requirements and numerical convergence conditions. The non-linear discrete equations for each time step are solved iteratively by adding a pseudo-time derivative. The quasi-Newton approach is adopted and the linear systems that arise are approximately solved with a symmetric block Gauss-Seidel solver. As a guiding principle for properly setting numerical time integration parameters that yield an efficient time accurate capturing of the solution, the global error caused by the temporal integration is compared with the error resulting from the spatial discretization. Focus is on the sensitivity of properties of the solution in relation to the time step. Numerical simulations show that the time step needed for acceptable accuracy can be considerably larger than the explicit stability time step; typical ratios range from 20 to 80. At large time steps, convergence problems that are closely related to a highly complex structure of the basins of attraction of the iterative method may occur. Copyright

A highly accurate finite-difference method with minimum dispersion error for solving the Helmholtz equation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Zedong; Alkhalifah, Tariq

2018-07-01

Numerical simulation of the acoustic wave equation in either isotropic or anisotropic media is crucial to seismic modeling, imaging and inversion. Actually, it represents the core computation cost of these highly advanced seismic processing methods. However, the conventional finite-difference method suffers from severe numerical dispersion errors and S-wave artifacts when solving the acoustic wave equation for anisotropic media. We propose a method to obtain the finite-difference coefficients by comparing its numerical dispersion with the exact form. We find the optimal finite difference coefficients that share the dispersion characteristics of the exact equation with minimal dispersion error. The method is extended to solve the acoustic wave equation in transversely isotropic (TI) media without S-wave artifacts. Numerical examples show that the method is highly accurate and efficient.

Facile Growth of High-Yield Gold Nanobipyramids Induced by Chloroplatinic Acid for High Refractive Index Sensing Properties.

PubMed

Fang, Caihong; Zhao, Guili; Xiao, Yanling; Zhao, Jun; Zhang, Zijun; Geng, Baoyou

2016-11-14

Au nanobipyramids (NBPs) have attracted great attention because of their unique localized surface plasmon resonance properties. However, the current growth methods always have low yield or suffer tedious process. Developing new ways to direct synthesis of high-yield Au NBPs using common agents is therefore desirable. Here, we employed chloroplatinic acid as the key shape-directing agent for the first time to grow Au NBPs using a modified seed-mediated method at room temperature. H 2 PtCl 6 was added both during the seed preparation and in growth solution. Metallic Pt, reduced from chloroplatinic acid, will deposit on the surface of the seed nanoparticles and the Au nanocrystals and thus plays a critical role for the formation of Au NBPs. Additionally, the reductant, precursor, and surfactant are all cheap and commonly used. Furthermore, the Au NBPs offer narrow size distribution, two sharp tips, and a shared basis. Au NBPs therefore show much higher refractive index sensitivities than that of the Au nanorods. The refractive index sensitivities and lager figure of merit values of Au NBPs exhibit an increase of 63% and 321% respectively compared to the corresponding values of Au nanorod sample.

A model-updating procedure to stimulate piezoelectric transducers accurately.

PubMed

Piranda, B; Ballandras, S; Steichen, W; Hecart, B

2001-09-01

The use of numerical calculations based on finite element methods (FEM) has yielded significant improvements in the simulation and design of piezoelectric transducers piezoelectric transducer utilized in acoustic imaging. However, the ultimate precision of such models is directly controlled by the accuracy of material characterization. The present work is dedicated to the development of a model-updating technique adapted to the problem of piezoelectric transducer. The updating process is applied using the experimental admittance of a given structure for which a finite element analysis is performed. The mathematical developments are reported and then applied to update the entries of a FEM of a two-layer structure (a PbZrTi-PZT-ridge glued on a backing) for which measurements were available. The efficiency of the proposed approach is demonstrated, yielding the definition of a new set of constants well adapted to predict the structure response accurately. Improvement of the proposed approach, consisting of the updating of material coefficients not only on the admittance but also on the impedance data, is finally discussed.

Co-solvent pretreatment reduces costly enzyme requirements for high sugar and ethanol yields from lignocellulosic biomass.

PubMed

Nguyen, Thanh Yen; Cai, Charles M; Kumar, Rajeev; Wyman, Charles E

2015-05-22

We introduce a new pretreatment called co-solvent-enhanced lignocellulosic fractionation (CELF) to reduce enzyme costs dramatically for high sugar yields from hemicellulose and cellulose, which is essential for the low-cost conversion of biomass to fuels. CELF employs THF miscible with aqueous dilute acid to obtain up to 95 % theoretical yield of glucose, xylose, and arabinose from corn stover even if coupled with enzymatic hydrolysis at only 2 mgenzyme  gglucan (-1) . The unusually high saccharification with such low enzyme loadings can be attributed to a very high lignin removal, which is supported by compositional analysis, fractal kinetic modeling, and SEM imaging. Subsequently, nearly pure lignin product can be precipitated by the evaporation of volatile THF for recovery and recycling. Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of CELF-pretreated solids with low enzyme loadings and Saccharomyces cerevisiae produced twice as much ethanol as that from dilute-acid-pretreated solids if both were optimized for corn stover. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Raman spectroscopy for highly accurate estimation of the age of refrigerated porcine muscle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Timinis, Constantinos; Pitris, Costas

2016-03-01

The high water content of meat, combined with all the nutrients it contains, make it vulnerable to spoilage at all stages of production and storage even when refrigerated at 5 °C. A non-destructive and in situ tool for meat sample testing, which could provide an accurate indication of the storage time of meat, would be very useful for the control of meat quality as well as for consumer safety. The proposed solution is based on Raman spectroscopy which is non-invasive and can be applied in situ. For the purposes of this project, 42 meat samples from 14 animals were obtained and three Raman spectra per sample were collected every two days for two weeks. The spectra were subsequently processed and the sample age was calculated using a set of linear differential equations. In addition, the samples were classified in categories corresponding to the age in 2-day steps (i.e., 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 or 14 days old), using linear discriminant analysis and cross-validation. Contrary to other studies, where the samples were simply grouped into two categories (higher or lower quality, suitable or unsuitable for human consumption, etc.), in this study, the age was predicted with a mean error of ~ 1 day (20%) or classified, in 2-day steps, with 100% accuracy. Although Raman spectroscopy has been used in the past for the analysis of meat samples, the proposed methodology has resulted in a prediction of the sample age far more accurately than any report in the literature.

Parkinsonian rest tremor can be detected accurately based on neuronal oscillations recorded from the subthalamic nucleus.

PubMed

Hirschmann, J; Schoffelen, J M; Schnitzler, A; van Gerven, M A J

2017-10-01

To investigate the possibility of tremor detection based on deep brain activity. We re-analyzed recordings of local field potentials (LFPs) from the subthalamic nucleus in 10 PD patients (12 body sides) with spontaneously fluctuating rest tremor. Power in several frequency bands was estimated and used as input to Hidden Markov Models (HMMs) which classified short data segments as either tremor-free rest or rest tremor. HMMs were compared to direct threshold application to individual power features. Applying a threshold directly to band-limited power was insufficient for tremor detection (mean area under the curve [AUC] of receiver operating characteristic: 0.64, STD: 0.19). Multi-feature HMMs, in contrast, allowed for accurate detection (mean AUC: 0.82, STD: 0.15), using four power features obtained from a single contact pair. Within-patient training yielded better accuracy than across-patient training (0.84vs. 0.78, p=0.03), yet tremor could often be detected accurately with either approach. High frequency oscillations (>200Hz) were the best performing individual feature. LFP-based markers of tremor are robust enough to allow for accurate tremor detection in short data segments, provided that appropriate statistical models are used. LFP-based markers of tremor could be useful control signals for closed-loop deep brain stimulation. Copyright © 2017 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Satellite-based assessment of yield variation and its determinants in smallholder African systems

PubMed Central

Lobell, David B.

2017-01-01

The emergence of satellite sensors that can routinely observe millions of individual smallholder farms raises possibilities for monitoring and understanding agricultural productivity in many regions of the world. Here we demonstrate the potential to track smallholder maize yield variation in western Kenya, using a combination of 1-m Terra Bella imagery and intensive field sampling on thousands of fields over 2 y. We find that agreement between satellite-based and traditional field survey-based yield estimates depends significantly on the quality of the field-based measures, with agreement highest (R2 up to 0.4) when using precise field measures of plot area and when using larger fields for which rounding errors are smaller. We further show that satellite-based measures are able to detect positive yield responses to fertilizer and hybrid seed inputs and that the inferred responses are statistically indistinguishable from estimates based on survey-based yields. These results suggest that high-resolution satellite imagery can be used to make predictions of smallholder agricultural productivity that are roughly as accurate as the survey-based measures traditionally used in research and policy applications, and they indicate a substantial near-term potential to quickly generate useful datasets on productivity in smallholder systems, even with minimal or no field training data. Such datasets could rapidly accelerate learning about which interventions in smallholder systems have the most positive impact, thus enabling more rapid transformation of rural livelihoods. PMID:28202728

Satellite-based assessment of yield variation and its determinants in smallholder African systems.

PubMed

Burke, Marshall; Lobell, David B

2017-02-28

The emergence of satellite sensors that can routinely observe millions of individual smallholder farms raises possibilities for monitoring and understanding agricultural productivity in many regions of the world. Here we demonstrate the potential to track smallholder maize yield variation in western Kenya, using a combination of 1-m Terra Bella imagery and intensive field sampling on thousands of fields over 2 y. We find that agreement between satellite-based and traditional field survey-based yield estimates depends significantly on the quality of the field-based measures, with agreement highest ([Formula: see text] up to 0.4) when using precise field measures of plot area and when using larger fields for which rounding errors are smaller. We further show that satellite-based measures are able to detect positive yield responses to fertilizer and hybrid seed inputs and that the inferred responses are statistically indistinguishable from estimates based on survey-based yields. These results suggest that high-resolution satellite imagery can be used to make predictions of smallholder agricultural productivity that are roughly as accurate as the survey-based measures traditionally used in research and policy applications, and they indicate a substantial near-term potential to quickly generate useful datasets on productivity in smallholder systems, even with minimal or no field training data. Such datasets could rapidly accelerate learning about which interventions in smallholder systems have the most positive impact, thus enabling more rapid transformation of rural livelihoods.

Using artificial neural network and satellite data to predict rice yield in Bangladesh

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akhand, Kawsar; Nizamuddin, Mohammad; Roytman, Leonid; Kogan, Felix; Goldberg, Mitch

2015-09-01

Rice production in Bangladesh is a crucial part of the national economy and providing about 70 percent of an average citizen's total calorie intake. The demand for rice is constantly rising as the new populations are added in every year in Bangladesh. Due to the increase in population, the cultivation land decreases. In addition, Bangladesh is faced with production constraints such as drought, flooding, salinity, lack of irrigation facilities and lack of modern technology. To maintain self sufficiency in rice, Bangladesh will have to continue to expand rice production by increasing yield at a rate that is at least equal to the population growth until the demand of rice has stabilized. Accurate rice yield prediction is one of the most important challenges in managing supply and demand of rice as well as decision making processes. Artificial Neural Network (ANN) is used to construct a model to predict Aus rice yield in Bangladesh. Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR)-based remote sensing satellite data vegetation health (VH) indices (Vegetation Condition Index (VCI) and Temperature Condition Index (TCI) are used as input variables and official statistics of Aus rice yield is used as target variable for ANN prediction model. The result obtained with ANN method is encouraging and the error of prediction is less than 10%. Therefore, prediction can play an important role in planning and storing of sufficient rice to face in any future uncertainty.

High diagnostic yield of clinical exome sequencing in Middle Eastern patients with Mendelian disorders.

PubMed

Yavarna, Tarunashree; Al-Dewik, Nader; Al-Mureikhi, Mariam; Ali, Rehab; Al-Mesaifri, Fatma; Mahmoud, Laila; Shahbeck, Noora; Lakhani, Shenela; AlMulla, Mariam; Nawaz, Zafar; Vitazka, Patrik; Alkuraya, Fowzan S; Ben-Omran, Tawfeg

2015-09-01

Clinical exome sequencing (CES) has become an increasingly popular diagnostic tool in patients with heterogeneous genetic disorders, especially in those with neurocognitive phenotypes. Utility of CES in consanguineous populations has not yet been determined on a large scale. A clinical cohort of 149 probands from Qatar with suspected Mendelian, mainly neurocognitive phenotypes, underwent CES from July 2012 to June 2014. Intellectual disability and global developmental delay were the most common clinical presentations but our cohort displayed other phenotypes, such as epilepsy, dysmorphism, microcephaly and other structural brain anomalies and autism. A pathogenic or likely pathogenic mutation, including pathogenic CNVs, was identified in 89 probands for a diagnostic yield of 60%. Consanguinity and positive family history predicted a higher diagnostic yield. In 5% (7/149) of cases, CES implicated novel candidate disease genes (MANF, GJA9, GLG1, COL15A1, SLC35F5, MAGE4, NEUROG1). CES uncovered two coexisting genetic disorders in 4% (6/149) and actionable incidental findings in 2% (3/149) of cases. Average time to diagnosis was reduced from 27 to 5 months. CES, which already has the highest diagnostic yield among all available diagnostic tools in the setting of Mendelian disorders, appears to be particularly helpful diagnostically in the highly consanguineous Middle Eastern population.

Study of optimal extraction conditions for achieving high yield and antioxidant activity of tomato seed oil.

PubMed

Shao, Dongyan; Atungulu, Griffiths G; Pan, Zhongli; Yue, Tianli; Zhang, Ang; Li, Xuan

2012-08-01

Value of tomato seed has not been fully recognized. The objectives of this research were to establish suitable processing conditions for extracting oil from tomato seed by using solvent, determine the impact of processing conditions on yield and antioxidant activity of extracted oil, and elucidate kinetics of the oil extraction process. Four processing parameters, including time, temperature, solvent-to-solid ratio and particle size were studied. A second order model was established to describe the oil extraction process. Based on the results, increasing temperature, solvent-to-solid ratio, and extraction time increased oil yield. In contrast, larger particle size reduced the oil yield. The recommended oil extraction conditions were 8 min of extraction time at temperature of 25 °C, solvent-to-solids ratio of 5/1 (v/w) and particle size of 0.38 mm, which gave oil yield of 20.32% with recovery rate of 78.56%. The DPPH scavenging activity of extracted oil was not significantly affected by the extraction parameters. The inhibitory concentration (IC(50) ) of tomato seed oil was 8.67 mg/mL which was notably low compared to most vegetable oils. A 2nd order model successfully described the kinetics of tomato oil extraction process and parameters of extraction kinetics including initial extraction rate (h), equilibrium concentration of oil (C(s) ), and the extraction rate constant (k) could be precisely predicted with R(2) of at least 0.957. The study revealed that tomato seed which is typically treated as a low value byproduct of tomato processing has great potential in producing oil with high antioxidant capability. The impact of processing conditions including time, temperature, solvent-to-solid ratio and particle size on yield, and antioxidant activity of extracted tomato seed oil are reported. Optimal conditions and models which describe the extraction process are recommended. The information is vital for determining the extraction processing conditions for industrial

Analysis of a large dataset of mycorrhiza inoculation field trials on potato shows highly significant increases in yield.

PubMed

Hijri, Mohamed

2016-04-01

An increasing human population requires more food production in nutrient-efficient systems in order to simultaneously meet global food needs while reducing the environmental footprint of agriculture. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have the potential to enhance crop yield, but their efficiency has yet to be demonstrated in large-scale crop production systems. This study reports an analysis of a dataset consisting of 231 field trials in which the same AMF inoculant (Rhizophagus irregularis DAOM 197198) was applied to potato over a 4-year period in North America and Europe under authentic field conditions. The inoculation was performed using a liquid suspension of AMF spores that was sprayed onto potato seed pieces, yielding a calculated 71 spores per seed piece. Statistical analysis showed a highly significant increase in marketable potato yield (ANOVA, P < 0.0001) for inoculated fields (42.2 tons/ha) compared with non-inoculated controls (38.3 tons/ha), irrespective of trial year. The average yield increase was 3.9 tons/ha, representing 9.5 % of total crop yield. Inoculation was profitable with a 0.67-tons/ha increase in yield, a threshold reached in almost 79 % of all trials. This finding clearly demonstrates the benefits of mycorrhizal-based inoculation on crop yield, using potato as a case study. Further improvements of these beneficial inoculants will help compensate for crop production deficits, both now and in the future.

Skiff-based Sonar/LiDAR Survey to Calibrate Reservoir Volumes for Watershed Sediment Yield Studies: Carmel River Example

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, D. P.; Kvitek, R.; Quan, S.; Iampietro, P.; Paddock, E.; Richmond, S. F.; Gomez, K.; Aiello, I. W.; Consulo, P.

2009-12-01

Models of watershed sediment yield are complicated by spatial and temporal variability of geologic substrate, land cover, and precipitation parameters. Episodic events such as ENSO cycles and severe wildfire are frequent enough to matter in the long-term average yield, and they can produce short-lived, extreme geomorphic responses. The sediment yield from extreme events is difficult to accurately capture because of the obvious dangers associated with field measurements during flood conditions, but it is critical to include extreme values for developing realistic models of rainfall-sediment yield relations, and for calculating long term average denudation rates. Dammed rivers provide a time-honored natural laboratory for quantifying average annual sediment yield and extreme-event sediment yield. While lead-line surveys of the past provided crude estimates of reservoir sediment trapping, recent advances in geospatial technology now provide unprecedented opportunities to improve volume change measurements. High-precision digital elevation models surveyed on an annual basis, or before-and-after specific rainfall-runoff events can be used to quantify relations between rainfall and sediment yield as a function of landscape parameters, including spatially explicit fire intensity. The Basin-Complex Fire of June and July 2008 resulted in moderate to severe burns in the 114 km^2 portion of the Carmel River watershed above Los Padres Dam. The US Geological Survey produced a debris flow probability/volume model for the region indicating that the reservoir could lose considerable capacity if intense enough precipitation occurred in the 2009-10 winter. Loss of Los Padres reservoir capacity has implications for endangered steelhead and red-legged frogs, and groundwater on municipal water supply. In anticipation of potentially catastrophic erosion, we produced an accurate volume calculation of the Los Padres reservoir in fall 2009, and locally monitored hillslope and fluvial

Accurate simulation of backscattering spectra in the presence of sharp resonances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barradas, N. P.; Alves, E.; Jeynes, C.; Tosaki, M.

2006-06-01

In elastic backscattering spectrometry, the shape of the observed spectrum due to resonances in the nuclear scattering cross-section is influenced by many factors. If the energy spread of the beam before interaction is larger than the resonance width, then a simple convolution with the energy spread on exit and with the detection system resolution will lead to a calculated spectrum with a resonance much sharper than the observed signal. Also, the yield from a thin layer will not be calculated accurately. We have developed an algorithm for the accurate simulation of backscattering spectra in the presence of sharp resonances. Albeit approximate, the algorithm leads to dramatic improvements in the quality and accuracy of the simulations. It is simple to implement and leads to only small increases of the calculation time, being thus suitable for routine data analysis. We show different experimental examples, including samples with roughness and porosity.

Estimation of genetic parameters and selection of high-yielding, upright common bean lines with slow seed-coat darkening.

PubMed

Alvares, R C; Silva, F C; Melo, L C; Melo, P G S; Pereira, H S

2016-11-21

Slow seed coat darkening is desirable in common bean cultivars and genetic parameters are important to define breeding strategies. The aims of this study were to estimate genetic parameters for plant architecture, grain yield, grain size, and seed-coat darkening in common bean; identify any genetic association among these traits; and select lines that associate desirable phenotypes for these traits. Three experiments were set up in the winter 2012 growing season, in Santo Antônio de Goiás and Brasília, Brazil, including 220 lines obtained from four segregating populations and five parents. A triple lattice 15 x 15 experimental design was used. The traits evaluated were plant architecture, grain yield, grain size, and seed-coat darkening. Analyses of variance were carried out and genetic parameters such as heritability, gain expected from selection, and correlations, were estimated. For selection of superior lines, a "weight-free and parameter-free" index was used. The estimates of genetic variance, heritability, and gain expected from selection were high, indicating good possibility for success in selection of the four traits. The genotype x environment interaction was proportionally more important for yield than for the other traits. There was no strong genetic correlation observed among the four traits, which indicates the possibility of selection of superior lines with many traits. Considering simultaneous selection, it was not possible to join high genetic gains for the four traits. Forty-four lines that combined high yield, more upright plant architecture, slow darkening grains, and commercial grade size were selected.

Control of Emission Color of High Quantum Yield CH3NH3PbBr3 Perovskite Quantum Dots by Precipitation Temperature.

PubMed

Huang, He; Susha, Andrei S; Kershaw, Stephen V; Hung, Tak Fu; Rogach, Andrey L

2015-09-01

Emission color controlled, high quantum yield CH 3 NH 3 PbBr 3 perovskite quantum dots are obtained by changing the temperature of a bad solvent during synthesis. The products for temperatures between 0 and 60 °C have good spectral purity with narrow emission line widths of 28-36 nm, high absolute emission quantum yields of 74% to 93%, and short radiative lifetimes of 13-27 ns.

Competitive Abilities in Experimental Microcosms Are Accurately Predicted by a Demographic Index for R*

PubMed Central

Murrell, Ebony G.; Juliano, Steven A.

2012-01-01

Resource competition theory predicts that R*, the equilibrium resource amount yielding zero growth of a consumer population, should predict species' competitive abilities for that resource. This concept has been supported for unicellular organisms, but has not been well-tested for metazoans, probably due to the difficulty of raising experimental populations to equilibrium and measuring population growth rates for species with long or complex life cycles. We developed an index (Rindex) of R* based on demography of one insect cohort, growing from egg to adult in a non-equilibrium setting, and tested whether Rindex yielded accurate predictions of competitive abilities using mosquitoes as a model system. We estimated finite rate of increase (λ′) from demographic data for cohorts of three mosquito species raised with different detritus amounts, and estimated each species' Rindex using nonlinear regressions of λ′ vs. initial detritus amount. All three species' Rindex differed significantly, and accurately predicted competitive hierarchy of the species determined in simultaneous pairwise competition experiments. Our Rindex could provide estimates and rigorous statistical comparisons of competitive ability for organisms for which typical chemostat methods and equilibrium population conditions are impractical. PMID:22970128

Selection of strawberry cultivars with tolerance to Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae) and high yield under different managements.

PubMed

Costa, A F; Teodoro, P E; Bhering, L L; Fornazier, M J; Andrade, J S; Martins, D S; Zanuncio Junior, J S

2017-04-28

Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) is considered the main pest of strawberry. Several factors can favor its development, among them the genotype susceptibility and cropping system. The aims of this study were to evaluate the agronomic performance of strawberry cultivars under different managements and to identify strawberry cultivars that meet tolerance to T. urticae and high fruit yield. Thirteen cultivars of strawberry ('Albion', 'Aleluia', 'Aromas', 'Camarosa', 'Camino Real', 'Campinas', 'Diamante', 'Dover', 'Festival', 'Seascape', 'Toyonoka', 'Tudla', and 'Ventana') under three managements (open field, low tunnel, and high tunnel) were evaluated. The T. urticae attack to different cultivars was influenced by managements, being low tunnel the one that provided higher infestations in the most evaluated cultivars. 'Camarosa' was the cultivar with the lower incidence of pest and 'Dover' had the higher infestation. The genotype most suitable for growing under different managements is the 'Festival' genotype, since it meets tolerance to T. urticae, high fruit yield, and phenotypic stability.

Does ultrasonography accurately diagnose acute cholecystitis? Improving diagnostic accuracy based on a review at a regional hospital

PubMed Central

Hwang, Hamish; Marsh, Ian; Doyle, Jason

2014-01-01

Background Acute cholecystitis is one of the most common diseases requiring emergency surgery. Ultrasonography is an accurate test for cholelithiasis but has a high false-negative rate for acute cholecystitis. The Murphy sign and laboratory tests performed independently are also not particularly accurate. This study was designed to review the accuracy of ultrasonography for diagnosing acute cholecystitis in a regional hospital. Methods We studied all emergency cholecystectomies performed over a 1-year period. All imaging studies were reviewed by a single radiologist, and all pathology was reviewed by a single pathologist. The reviewers were blinded to each other’s results. Results A total of 107 patients required an emergency cholecystectomy in the study period; 83 of them underwent ultrasonography. Interradiologist agreement was 92% for ultrasonography. For cholelithiasis, ultrasonography had 100% sensitivity, 18% specificity, 81% positive predictive value (PPV) and 100% negative predictive value (NPV). For acute cholecystitis, it had 54% sensitivity, 81% specificity, 85% PPV and 47% NPV. All patients had chronic cholecystitis and 67% had acute cholecystitis on histology. When combined with positive Murphy sign and elevated neutrophil count, an ultrasound showing cholelithiasis or acute cholecystitis yielded a sensitivity of 74%, specificity of 62%, PPV of 80% and NPV of 53% for the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis. Conclusion Ultrasonography alone has a high rate of false-negative studies for acute cholecystitis. However, a higher rate of accurate diagnosis can be achieved using a triad of positive Murphy sign, elevated neutrophil count and an ultrasound showing cholelithiasis or cholecystitis. PMID:24869607

Accurate Modeling Method for Cu Interconnect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamada, Kenta; Kitahara, Hiroshi; Asai, Yoshihiko; Sakamoto, Hideo; Okada, Norio; Yasuda, Makoto; Oda, Noriaki; Sakurai, Michio; Hiroi, Masayuki; Takewaki, Toshiyuki; Ohnishi, Sadayuki; Iguchi, Manabu; Minda, Hiroyasu; Suzuki, Mieko

This paper proposes an accurate modeling method of the copper interconnect cross-section in which the width and thickness dependence on layout patterns and density caused by processes (CMP, etching, sputtering, lithography, and so on) are fully, incorporated and universally expressed. In addition, we have developed specific test patterns for the model parameters extraction, and an efficient extraction flow. We have extracted the model parameters for 0.15μm CMOS using this method and confirmed that 10%τpd error normally observed with conventional LPE (Layout Parameters Extraction) was completely dissolved. Moreover, it is verified that the model can be applied to more advanced technologies (90nm, 65nm and 55nm CMOS). Since the interconnect delay variations due to the processes constitute a significant part of what have conventionally been treated as random variations, use of the proposed model could enable one to greatly narrow the guardbands required to guarantee a desired yield, thereby facilitating design closure.

Modelling predicts that tolerance to drought during reproductive development will be required for high yield potential and stability of wheat in Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Semenov, Mikhail A.; Stratonovitch, Pierre; Paul, Matthew J.

2017-04-01

Short periods of extreme weather, such as a spell of high temperature or drought during a sensitive stage of development, could result in substantial yield losses due to reduction in grain number and grain size. In a modelling study (Stratonovitch & Semenov 2015), heat tolerance around flowering in wheat was identified as a key trait for increased yield potential in Europe under climate change. Ji et all (Ji et al. 2010) demonstrated cultivar specific responses of yield to drought stress around flowering in wheat. They hypothesised that carbohydrate supply to anthers may be the key in maintaining pollen fertility and grain number in wheat. It was shown in (Nuccio et al. 2015) that genetically modified varieties of maize that increase the concentration of sucrose in ear spikelets, performed better under non-drought and drought conditions in field experiments. The objective of this modelling study was to assess potential benefits of tolerance to drought during reproductive development for wheat yield potential and yield stability across Europe. We used the Sirius wheat model to optimise wheat ideotypes for 2050 (HadGEM2, RCP8.5) climate scenarios at selected European sites. Eight cultivar parameters were optimised to maximise mean yields, including parameters controlling phenology, canopy growth and water limitation. At those sites where water could be limited, ideotypes sensitive to drought produced substantially lower mean yields and higher yield variability compare with tolerant ideotypes. Therefore, tolerance to drought during reproductive development is likely to be required for wheat cultivars optimised for the future climate in Europe in order to achieve high yield potential and yield stability.

MULTI-KEV X-RAY YIELDS FROM HIGH-Z GAS TARGETS FIELDED AT OMEGA

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

Kane, J O; Fournier, K B; May, M J

2010-11-04

The authors report on modeling of x-ray yield from gas-filled targets shot at the OMEGA laser facility. The OMEGA targets were 1.8 mm long, 1.95 mm in diameter Be cans filled with either a 50:50 Ar:Xe mixture, pure Ar, pure Kr or pure Xe at {approx} 1 atm. The OMEGA experiments heated the gas with 20 kJ of 3{omega} ({approx} 350 nm) laser energy delivered in a 1 ns square pulse. the emitted x-ray flux was monitored with the x-ray diode based DANTE instruments in the sub-keV range. Two-dimensional x-ray images (for energies 3-5 keV) of the targets were recordedmore » with gated x-ray detectors. The x-ray spectra were recorded with the HENWAY crystal spectrometer at OMEGA. Predictions are 2D r-z cylindrical with DCA NLTE atomic physics. Models generally: (1) underpredict the Xe L-shell yields; (2) overpredict the Ar K-shell yields; (3) correctly predict the Xe thermal yields; and (4) greatly underpredict the Ar thermal yields. However, there are spreads within the data, e.g. the DMX Ar K-shell yields are correctly predicted. The predicted thermal yields show strong angular dependence.« less

Dual-fission chamber and neutron beam characterization for fission product yield measurements using monoenergetic neutrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhatia, C.; Fallin, B.; Gooden, M. E.; Howell, C. R.; Kelley, J. H.; Tornow, W.; Arnold, C. W.; Bond, E. M.; Bredeweg, T. A.; Fowler, M. M.; Moody, W. A.; Rundberg, R. S.; Rusev, G.; Vieira, D. J.; Wilhelmy, J. B.; Becker, J. A.; Macri, R.; Ryan, C.; Sheets, S. A.; Stoyer, M. A.; Tonchev, A. P.

2014-09-01

A program has been initiated to measure the energy dependence of selected high-yield fission products used in the analysis of nuclear test data. We present out initial work of neutron activation using a dual-fission chamber with quasi-monoenergetic neutrons and gamma-counting method. Quasi-monoenergetic neutrons of energies from 0.5 to 15 MeV using the TUNL 10 MV FM tandem to provide high-precision and self-consistent measurements of fission product yields (FPY). The final FPY results will be coupled with theoretical analysis to provide a more fundamental understanding of the fission process. To accomplish this goal, we have developed and tested a set of dual-fission ionization chambers to provide an accurate determination of the number of fissions occurring in a thick target located in the middle plane of the chamber assembly. Details of the fission chamber and its performance are presented along with neutron beam production and characterization. Also presented are studies on the background issues associated with room-return and off-energy neutron production. We show that the off-energy neutron contribution can be significant, but correctable, while room-return neutron background levels contribute less than <1% to the fission signal.

Gold nanospikes based microsensor as a highly accurate mercury emission monitoring system

PubMed Central

Sabri, Ylias M.; Ippolito, Samuel J.; Tardio, James; Bansal, Vipul; O'Mullane, Anthony P.; Bhargava, Suresh K.

2014-01-01

Anthropogenic elemental mercury (Hg0) emission is a serious worldwide environmental problem due to the extreme toxicity of the heavy metal to humans, plants and wildlife. Development of an accurate and cheap microsensor based online monitoring system which can be integrated as part of Hg0 removal and control processes in industry is still a major challenge. Here, we demonstrate that forming Au nanospike structures directly onto the electrodes of a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) using a novel electrochemical route results in a self-regenerating, highly robust, stable, sensitive and selective Hg0 vapor sensor. The data from a 127 day continuous test performed in the presence of volatile organic compounds and high humidity levels, showed that the sensor with an electrodeposted sensitive layer had 260% higher response magnitude, 3.4 times lower detection limit (~22 μg/m3 or ~2.46 ppbv) and higher accuracy (98% Vs 35%) over a Au control based QCM (unmodified) when exposed to a Hg0 vapor concentration of 10.55 mg/m3 at 101°C. Statistical analysis of the long term data showed that the nano-engineered Hg0 sorption sites on the developed Au nanospikes sensitive layer play a critical role in the enhanced sensitivity and selectivity of the developed sensor towards Hg0 vapor. PMID:25338965

Gold nanospikes based microsensor as a highly accurate mercury emission monitoring system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sabri, Ylias M.; Ippolito, Samuel J.; Tardio, James; Bansal, Vipul; O'Mullane, Anthony P.; Bhargava, Suresh K.

2014-10-01

Anthropogenic elemental mercury (Hg0) emission is a serious worldwide environmental problem due to the extreme toxicity of the heavy metal to humans, plants and wildlife. Development of an accurate and cheap microsensor based online monitoring system which can be integrated as part of Hg0 removal and control processes in industry is still a major challenge. Here, we demonstrate that forming Au nanospike structures directly onto the electrodes of a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) using a novel electrochemical route results in a self-regenerating, highly robust, stable, sensitive and selective Hg0 vapor sensor. The data from a 127 day continuous test performed in the presence of volatile organic compounds and high humidity levels, showed that the sensor with an electrodeposted sensitive layer had 260% higher response magnitude, 3.4 times lower detection limit (~22 μg/m3 or ~2.46 ppbv) and higher accuracy (98% Vs 35%) over a Au control based QCM (unmodified) when exposed to a Hg0 vapor concentration of 10.55 mg/m3 at 101°C. Statistical analysis of the long term data showed that the nano-engineered Hg0 sorption sites on the developed Au nanospikes sensitive layer play a critical role in the enhanced sensitivity and selectivity of the developed sensor towards Hg0 vapor.

Invited review: A commentary on predictive cheese yield formulas.

PubMed

Emmons, D B; Modler, H W

2010-12-01

Predictive cheese yield formulas have evolved from one based only on casein and fat in 1895. Refinements have included moisture and salt in cheese and whey solids as separate factors, paracasein instead of casein, and exclusion of whey solids from moisture associated with cheese protein. The General, Barbano, and Van Slyke formulas were tested critically using yield and composition of milk, whey, and cheese from 22 vats of Cheddar cheese. The General formula is based on the sum of cheese components: fat, protein, moisture, salt, whey solids free of fat and protein, as well as milk salts associated with paracasein. The testing yielded unexpected revelations. It was startling that the sum of components in cheese was <100%; the mean was 99.51% (N × 6.31). The mean predicted yield was only 99.17% as a percentage of actual yields (PY%AY); PY%AY is a useful term for comparisons of yields among vats. The PY%AY correlated positively with the sum of components (SofC) in cheese. The apparent low estimation of SofC led to the idea of adjusting upwards, for each vat, the 5 measured components in the formula by the observed SofC, as a fraction. The mean of the adjusted predicted yields as percentages of actual yields was 99.99%. The adjusted forms of the General, Barbano, and Van Slyke formulas gave predicted yields equal to the actual yields. It was apparent that unadjusted yield formulas did not accurately predict yield; however, unadjusted PY%AY can be useful as a control tool for analyses of cheese and milk. It was unexpected that total milk protein in the adjusted General formula gave the same predicted yields as casein and paracasein, indicating that casein or paracasein may not always be necessary for successful yield prediction. The use of constants for recovery of fat and protein in the adjusted General formula gave adjusted predicted yields equal to actual yields, indicating that analyses of cheese for protein and fat may not always be necessary for yield prediction

High process yield rates of thermoplastic nanofluidic devices using a hybrid thermal assembly technique.

PubMed

Uba, Franklin I; Hu, Bo; Weerakoon-Ratnayake, Kumuditha; Oliver-Calixte, Nyote; Soper, Steven A

2015-02-21

Over the past decade, thermoplastics have been used as alternative substrates to glass and Si for microfluidic devices because of the diverse and robust fabrication protocols available for thermoplastics that can generate high production rates of the desired structures at low cost and with high replication fidelity, the extensive array of physiochemical properties they possess, and the simple surface activation strategies that can be employed to tune their surface chemistry appropriate for the intended application. While the advantages of polymer microfluidics are currently being realized, the evolution of thermoplastic-based nanofluidic devices is fraught with challenges. One challenge is assembly of the device, which consists of sealing a cover plate to the patterned fluidic substrate. Typically, channel collapse or substrate dissolution occurs during assembly making the device inoperable resulting in low process yield rates. In this work, we report a low temperature hybrid assembly approach for the generation of functional thermoplastic nanofluidic devices with high process yield rates (>90%) and with a short total assembly time (16 min). The approach involves thermally sealing a high T(g) (glass transition temperature) substrate containing the nanofluidic structures to a cover plate possessing a lower T(g). Nanofluidic devices with critical feature sizes ranging between 25-250 nm were fabricated in a thermoplastic substrate (T(g) = 104 °C) and sealed with a cover plate (T(g) = 75 °C) at a temperature significantly below the T(g) of the substrate. Results obtained from sealing tests revealed that the integrity of the nanochannels remained intact after assembly and devices were useful for fluorescence imaging at high signal-to-noise ratios. The functionality of the assembled devices was demonstrated by studying the stretching and translocation dynamics of dsDNA in the enclosed thermoplastic nanofluidic channels.

Anatomically accurate high resolution modeling of human whole heart electromechanics: A strongly scalable algebraic multigrid solver method for nonlinear deformation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Augustin, Christoph M.; Neic, Aurel; Liebmann, Manfred; Prassl, Anton J.; Niederer, Steven A.; Haase, Gundolf; Plank, Gernot

2016-01-01

Electromechanical (EM) models of the heart have been used successfully to study fundamental mechanisms underlying a heart beat in health and disease. However, in all modeling studies reported so far numerous simplifications were made in terms of representing biophysical details of cellular function and its heterogeneity, gross anatomy and tissue microstructure, as well as the bidirectional coupling between electrophysiology (EP) and tissue distension. One limiting factor is the employed spatial discretization methods which are not sufficiently flexible to accommodate complex geometries or resolve heterogeneities, but, even more importantly, the limited efficiency of the prevailing solver techniques which is not sufficiently scalable to deal with the incurring increase in degrees of freedom (DOF) when modeling cardiac electromechanics at high spatio-temporal resolution. This study reports on the development of a novel methodology for solving the nonlinear equation of finite elasticity using human whole organ models of cardiac electromechanics, discretized at a high para-cellular resolution. Three patient-specific, anatomically accurate, whole heart EM models were reconstructed from magnetic resonance (MR) scans at resolutions of 220 μm, 440 μm and 880 μm, yielding meshes of approximately 184.6, 24.4 and 3.7 million tetrahedral elements and 95.9, 13.2 and 2.1 million displacement DOF, respectively. The same mesh was used for discretizing the governing equations of both electrophysiology (EP) and nonlinear elasticity. A novel algebraic multigrid (AMG) preconditioner for an iterative Krylov solver was developed to deal with the resulting computational load. The AMG preconditioner was designed under the primary objective of achieving favorable strong scaling characteristics for both setup and solution runtimes, as this is key for exploiting current high performance computing hardware. Benchmark results using the 220 μm, 440 μm and 880 μm meshes demonstrate

Anatomically accurate high resolution modeling of human whole heart electromechanics: A strongly scalable algebraic multigrid solver method for nonlinear deformation

PubMed Central

Augustin, Christoph M.; Neic, Aurel; Liebmann, Manfred; Prassl, Anton J.; Niederer, Steven A.; Haase, Gundolf; Plank, Gernot

2016-01-01

Electromechanical (EM) models of the heart have been used successfully to study fundamental mechanisms underlying a heart beat in health and disease. However, in all modeling studies reported so far numerous simplifications were made in terms of representing biophysical details of cellular function and its heterogeneity, gross anatomy and tissue microstructure, as well as the bidirectional coupling between electrophysiology (EP) and tissue distension. One limiting factor is the employed spatial discretization methods which are not sufficiently flexible to accommodate complex geometries or resolve heterogeneities, but, even more importantly, the limited efficiency of the prevailing solver techniques which are not sufficiently scalable to deal with the incurring increase in degrees of freedom (DOF) when modeling cardiac electromechanics at high spatio-temporal resolution. This study reports on the development of a novel methodology for solving the nonlinear equation of finite elasticity using human whole organ models of cardiac electromechanics, discretized at a high para-cellular resolution. Three patient-specific, anatomically accurate, whole heart EM models were reconstructed from magnetic resonance (MR) scans at resolutions of 220 μm, 440 μm and 880 μm, yielding meshes of approximately 184.6, 24.4 and 3.7 million tetrahedral elements and 95.9, 13.2 and 2.1 million displacement DOF, respectively. The same mesh was used for discretizing the governing equations of both electrophysiology (EP) and nonlinear elasticity. A novel algebraic multigrid (AMG) preconditioner for an iterative Krylov solver was developed to deal with the resulting computational load. The AMG preconditioner was designed under the primary objective of achieving favorable strong scaling characteristics for both setup and solution runtimes, as this is key for exploiting current high performance computing hardware. Benchmark results using the 220 μm, 440 μm and 880 μm meshes demonstrate

High-yield sol-gel synthesis of well-dispersed, colorless ZrO(2) nanocrystals.

PubMed

Mizuno, Mikihisa; Sasaki, Yuichi; Lee, Sungkil; Katakura, Hitoshi

2006-08-15

A 93% high-yield synthesis of well-dispersed, colorless zirconium dioxide (ZrO(2)) nanocrystals is reported. In this synthesis, hydrolysis and condensation reactions of zirconium(IV) tert-butoxide in the presence of oleic acid (100 degrees C) formed ZrO(2) precursors. The ZrO(2) precursors were made of -Zr-O-Zr- networks surrounded by oleic acid molecules. Annealing (280 degrees C) the precursors dispersed in dioctyl ether caused crystallization of the -Zr-O-Zr- networks, thereby generating 4 nm ZrO(2) nanocrystals stabilized with oleic acid. The particles were highly crystalline and tetragonal phase. A dense ZrO(2) nanocrystal dispersion in toluene (280 mg/mL) showed a transmittance of about 90% (3 mm optical path length) in the whole visible region.

Enhancing biomass energy yield from pilot-scale high rate algal ponds with recycling.

PubMed

Park, J B K; Craggs, R J; Shilton, A N

2013-09-01

This paper investigates the effect of recycling on biomass energy yield in High Rate Algal Ponds (HRAPs). Two 8 m(3) pilot-scale HRAPs treating primary settled sewage were operated in parallel and monitored over a 2-year period. Volatile suspended solids were measured from both HRAPs and their gravity settlers to determine biomass productivity and harvest efficiency. The energy content of the biomass was also measured. Multiplying biomass productivity and harvest efficiency gives the 'harvestable biomass productivity' and multiplying this by the energy content defines the actual 'biomass energy yield'. In Year 1, algal recycling was implemented in one of the ponds (HRAPr) and improved harvestable biomass productivity by 58% compared with the control (HRAPc) without recycling (HRAPr: 9.2 g/m(2)/d; HRAPc: 5.8 g/m(2)/d). The energy content of the biomass grown in HRAPr, which was dominated by Pediastrun boryanum, was 25% higher than the control HRAPc which contained a mixed culture of 4-5 different algae (HRAPr: 21.5 kJ/g; HRAPc: 18.6 kJ/g). In Year 2, HRAPc was then seeded with the biomass harvested from the P. boryanum dominated HRAPr. This had the effect of shifting algal dominance from 89% Dictyosphaerium sp. (which is poorly-settleable) to over 90% P. boryanum in 5 months. Operation of this pond was then switched to recycling its own harvested biomass, which maintained P. boryanum dominance for the rest of Year 2. This result confirms, for the first time in the literature, that species control is possible for similarly sized co-occurring algal colonies in outdoor HRAP by algal recycling. With regard to the overall improvement in biomass energy yield, which is a critical parameter in the context of algal cultivation for biofuels, the combined improvements that recycling triggered in biomass productivity, harvest efficiency and energy content enhanced the harvested biomass energy yield by 66% (HRAPr: 195 kJ/m(2)/day; HRAPc: 118 kJ/m(2)/day). Copyright © 2013

The Probability of Muon Sticking and X-Ray Yields in the Muon Catalyzed Fusion Cycle in a Deuterium and Tritium Mixture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pahlavani, M. R.; Motevalli, S. M.

2008-03-01

The muon catalyzed fusion cycle in mixtures of deuterium and tritium is of particular interest due to the observation of high fusion yields. In the D-T mixture, the most serious limitation to the efficiency of the fusion chain is the probability of muon sticking to the alpha -particle produced in the nuclear reaction. An accurate kinetic treatment has been applied to the muonic helium atoms formed by a muon sticking to the alpha -particles. In this work accurate rates for collisions of alpha mu + ions with hydrogen atoms have been used for calculation of muon stripping probability and the intensities of X-ray transitions by solving a set of coupled differential equations numerically. Our calculated results are in good agreement with experimental data available in literature.

Yield estimation of corn with multispectral data and the potential of using imaging spectrometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bach, Heike

1997-05-01

In the frame of the special yield estimation, a regular procedure conducted for the European Union to more accurately estimate agricultural yield, a project was conducted for the state minister for Rural Environment, Food and Forestry of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany) to test remote sensing data with advanced yield formation models for accuracy and timelines of yield estimation of corn. The methodology employed uses field-based plant parameter estimation from atmospherically corrected multitemporal/multispectral LANDSAT-TM data. An agrometeorological plant-production-model is used for yield prediction. Based solely on 4 LANDSAT-derived estimates and daily meteorological data the grain yield of corn stands was determined for 1995. The modeled yield was compared with results independently gathered within the special yield estimation for 23 test fields in the Upper Rhine Valley. The agrement between LANDSAT-based estimates and Special Yield Estimation shows a relative error of 2.3 percent. The comparison of the results for single fields shows, that six weeks before harvest the grain yield of single corn fields was estimated with a mean relative accuracy of 13 percent using satellite information. The presented methodology can be transferred to other crops and geographical regions. For future applications hyperspectral sensors show great potential to further enhance the results or yield prediction with remote sensing.

In search of annual legumes to improve forage sorghum yield and nutritive value in the southern high plains

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Livestock production is significant in the Southern High Plains of the USA and demand is increasing for greater forage dry matter (DM) yield with increased nutritive value. Forage sorghum (FS)[Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] is commonly used, although, it is low in crude protein (CP) and high in fiber....

Optimizing Hill Seeding Density for High-Yielding Hybrid Rice in a Single Rice Cropping System in South China

PubMed Central

Wang, Danying; Chen, Song; Wang, Zaiman; Ji, Chenglin; Xu, Chunmei; Zhang, Xiufu; Chauhan, Bhagirath Singh

2014-01-01

Mechanical hill direct seeding of hybrid rice could be the way to solve the problems of high seeding rates and uneven plant establishment now faced in direct seeded rice; however, it is not clear what the optimum hill seeding density should be for high-yielding hybrid rice in the single-season rice production system. Experiments were conducted in 2010 and 2011 to determine the effects of hill seeding density (25 cm×15 cm, 25 cm×17 cm, 25 cm×19 cm, 25 cm×21 cm, and 25 cm×23 cm; three to five seeds per hill) on plant growth and grain yield of a hybrid variety, Nei2you6, in two fields with different fertility (soil fertility 1 and 2). In addition, in 2012 and 2013, comparisons among mechanical hill seeding, broadcasting, and transplanting were conducted with three hybrid varieties to evaluate the optimum seeding density. With increases in seeding spacing from 25 cm×15 cm to 25 cm×23 cm, productive tillers per hill increased by 34.2% and 50.0% in soil fertility 1 and 2. Panicles per m2 declined with increases in seeding spacing in soil fertility 1. In soil fertility 2, no difference in panicles per m2 was found at spacing ranging from 25 cm×17 cm to 25 cm×23 cm, while decreases in the area of the top three leaves and aboveground dry weight per shoot at flowering were observed. Grain yield was the maximum at 25 cm×17 cm spacing in both soil fertility fields. Our results suggest that a seeding density of 25 cm×17 cm was suitable for high-yielding hybrid rice. These results were verified through on-farm demonstration experiments, in which mechanical hill-seeded rice at this density had equal or higher grain yield than transplanted rice. PMID:25290342

Experimental Techniques Verified for Determining Yield and Flow Surfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lerch, Brad A.; Ellis, Rod; Lissenden, Cliff J.

1998-01-01

Structural components in aircraft engines are subjected to multiaxial loads when in service. For such components, life prediction methodologies are dependent on the accuracy of the constitutive models that determine the elastic and inelastic portions of a loading cycle. A threshold surface (such as a yield surface) is customarily used to differentiate between reversible and irreversible flow. For elastoplastic materials, a yield surface can be used to delimit the elastic region in a given stress space. The concept of a yield surface is central to the mathematical formulation of a classical plasticity theory, but at elevated temperatures, material response can be highly time dependent. Thus, viscoplastic theories have been developed to account for this time dependency. Since the key to many of these theories is experimental validation, the objective of this work (refs. 1 and 2) at the NASA Lewis Research Center was to verify that current laboratory techniques and equipment are sufficient to determine flow surfaces at elevated temperatures. By probing many times in the axial-torsional stress space, we could define the yield and flow surfaces. A small offset definition of yield (10 me) was used to delineate the boundary between reversible and irreversible behavior so that the material state remained essentially unchanged and multiple probes could be done on the same specimen. The strain was measured with an off-the-shelf multiaxial extensometer that could measure the axial and torsional strains over a wide range of temperatures. The accuracy and resolution of this extensometer was verified by comparing its data with strain gauge data at room temperature. The extensometer was found to have sufficient resolution for these experiments. In addition, the amount of crosstalk (i.e., the accumulation of apparent strain in one direction when strain in the other direction is applied) was found to be negligible. Tubular specimens were induction heated to determine the flow

Xenon Sputter Yield Measurements for Ion Thruster Materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, John D.; Gardner, Michael M.; Johnson, Mark L.; Wilbur, Paul J.

2003-01-01

In this paper, we describe a technique that was used to measure total and differential sputter yields of materials important to high specific impulse ion thrusters. The heart of the technique is a quartz crystal monitor that is swept at constant radial distance from a small target region where a high current density xenon ion beam is aimed. Differential sputtering yields were generally measured over a full 180 deg arc in a plane that included the beam centerline and the normal vector to the target surface. Sputter yield results are presented for a xenon ion energy range from 0.5 to 10 keV and an angle of incidence range from 0 deg to 70 deg from the target surface normal direction for targets consisting of molybdenum, titanium, solid (Poco) graphite, and flexible graphite (grafoil). Total sputter yields are calculated using a simple integration procedure and comparisons are made to sputter yields obtained from the literature. In general, the agreement between the available data is good. As expected for heavy xenon ions, the differential and total sputter yields are found to be strong functions of angle of incidence. Significant under- and over-cosine behavior is observed at low- and high-ion energies, respectively. In addition, strong differences in differential yield behavior are observed between low-Z targets (C and Ti) and high-Z targets (Mo). Curve fits to the differential sputter yield data are provided. They should prove useful to analysts interested in predicting the erosion profiles of ion thruster components and determining where the erosion products re-deposit.

Demonstration of radiation pulse shaping with nested-tungsten-wire-array pinches for high-yield inertial confinement fusion.

PubMed

Cuneo, M E; Vesey, R A; Sinars, D B; Chittenden, J P; Waisman, E M; Lemke, R W; Lebedev, S V; Bliss, D E; Stygar, W A; Porter, J L; Schroen, D G; Mazarakis, M G; Chandler, G A; Mehlhorn, T A

2005-10-28

Nested wire-array pinches are shown to generate soft x-ray radiation pulse shapes required for three-shock isentropic compression and hot-spot ignition of high-yield inertial confinement fusion capsules. We demonstrate a reproducible and tunable foot pulse (first shock) produced by interaction of the outer and inner arrays. A first-step pulse (second shock) is produced by inner array collision with a central CH2 foam target. Stagnation of the inner array at the axis produces the third shock. Capsules optimized for several of these shapes produce 290-900 MJ fusion yields in 1D simulations.

Past crops yield dynamics reconstruction from tree-ring chronologies in the forest-steppe zone based on low- and high-frequency components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Babushkina, Elena A.; Belokopytova, Liliana V.; Shah, Santosh K.; Zhirnova, Dina F.

2018-05-01

Interrelations of the yield variability of the main crops (wheat, barley, and oats) with hydrothermal regime and growth of conifer trees ( Pinus sylvestris and Larix sibirica) in forest-steppes were investigated in Khakassia, South Siberia. An attempt has been made to understand the role and mechanisms of climatic impact on plants productivity. It was found that amongst variables describing moisture supply, wetness index had maximum impact. Strength of climatic response and correlations with tree growth are different for rain-fed and irrigated crops yield. Separated high-frequency variability components of yield and tree-ring width have more pronounced relationships between each other and with climatic variables than their chronologies per se. Corresponding low-frequency variability components are strongly correlated with maxima observed after 1- to 5-year time shift of tree-ring width. Results of analysis allowed us to develop original approach of crops yield dynamics reconstruction on the base of high-frequency variability component of the growth of pine and low-frequency one of larch.

Enhancement of yield strength in zirconium metal through high-pressure induced structural phase transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Yusheng; Zhang, Jianzhong

2007-11-01

We report here a high-pressure phase-transition induced strengthening in ultrapure zirconium metal. The determined yield strength shows more than sixfold abrupt increase at the transition pressure of Pc=6GPa, from σyα≈180MPa in the low-pressure phase of α-Zr to σyω≈1180MPa in the high-pressure phase of ω-Zr. The observed enhancement provides an alternate route for material strengthening and is the most significant among the known strengthening techniques for metals. Our findings support the theoretical simulations of the substantial covalent bonding and "rougher" corrugation of slip planes for dislocations in the ω-phase of zirconium.

The relation of the yield stress of high-pressure anvils to the pressure attained at yielding and the ultimate attainable pressure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Panda, P. C.; Ruoff, A. L.

1979-01-01

A sensitive microprofilometer was used to determine the onset of yielding in the anvils of a supported opposed anvil device for the case of 3% cobalt-cemented tungsten carbide as the anvil material. In addition, it is shown how the commencement of yielding in boron carbide pistons, the yield strength being known, can be used to obtain the transition pressure to a conducting phase in gallium phosphide. The transition pressures of bismuth and gallium phosphide are obtained and it is found that these transitions are extremely close to the maximum attainable pressure in, respectively, a maraging steel and a 3% cobalt-cemented tungsten carbide.

Directional RNA-seq reveals highly complex condition-dependent transcriptomes in E. coli K12 through accurate full-length transcripts assembling.

PubMed

Li, Shan; Dong, Xia; Su, Zhengchang

2013-07-30

Although prokaryotic gene transcription has been studied over decades, many aspects of the process remain poorly understood. Particularly, recent studies have revealed that transcriptomes in many prokaryotes are far more complex than previously thought. Genes in an operon are often alternatively and dynamically transcribed under different conditions, and a large portion of genes and intergenic regions have antisense RNA (asRNA) and non-coding RNA (ncRNA) transcripts, respectively. Ironically, similar studies have not been conducted in the model bacterium E coli K12, thus it is unknown whether or not the bacterium possesses similar complex transcriptomes. Furthermore, although RNA-seq becomes the major method for analyzing the complexity of prokaryotic transcriptome, it is still a challenging task to accurately assemble full length transcripts using short RNA-seq reads. To fill these gaps, we have profiled the transcriptomes of E. coli K12 under different culture conditions and growth phases using a highly specific directional RNA-seq technique that can capture various types of transcripts in the bacterial cells, combined with a highly accurate and robust algorithm and tool TruHMM (http://bioinfolab.uncc.edu/TruHmm_package/) for assembling full length transcripts. We found that 46.9 ~ 63.4% of expressed operons were utilized in their putative alternative forms, 72.23 ~ 89.54% genes had putative asRNA transcripts and 51.37 ~ 72.74% intergenic regions had putative ncRNA transcripts under different culture conditions and growth phases. As has been demonstrated in many other prokaryotes, E. coli K12 also has a highly complex and dynamic transcriptomes under different culture conditions and growth phases. Such complex and dynamic transcriptomes might play important roles in the physiology of the bacterium. TruHMM is a highly accurate and robust algorithm for assembling full-length transcripts in prokaryotes using directional RNA-seq short reads.

Reverse radiance: a fast accurate method for determining luminance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, Kenneth E.; Rykowski, Ronald F.; Gangadhara, Sanjay

2012-10-01

Reverse ray tracing from a region of interest backward to the source has long been proposed as an efficient method of determining luminous flux. The idea is to trace rays only from where the final flux needs to be known back to the source, rather than tracing in the forward direction from the source outward to see where the light goes. Once the reverse ray reaches the source, the radiance the equivalent forward ray would have represented is determined and the resulting flux computed. Although reverse ray tracing is conceptually simple, the method critically depends upon an accurate source model in both the near and far field. An overly simplified source model, such as an ideal Lambertian surface substantially detracts from the accuracy and thus benefit of the method. This paper will introduce an improved method of reverse ray tracing that we call Reverse Radiance that avoids assumptions about the source properties. The new method uses measured data from a Source Imaging Goniometer (SIG) that simultaneously measures near and far field luminous data. Incorporating this data into a fast reverse ray tracing integration method yields fast, accurate data for a wide variety of illumination problems.

Semiconductor Seeded Nanorods with Graded Composition Exhibiting High Quantum-Yield, High Polarization, and Minimal Blinking.

PubMed

Hadar, Ido; Philbin, John P; Panfil, Yossef E; Neyshtadt, Shany; Lieberman, Itai; Eshet, Hagai; Lazar, Sorin; Rabani, Eran; Banin, Uri

2017-04-12

Seeded semiconductor nanorods represent a unique family of quantum confined materials that manifest characteristics of mixed dimensionality. They show polarized emission with high quantum yield and fluorescence switching under an electric field, features that are desirable for use in display technologies and other optical applications. So far, their robust synthesis has been limited mainly to CdSe/CdS heterostructures, thereby constraining the spectral tunability to the red region of the visible spectrum. Herein we present a novel synthesis of CdSe/Cd 1-x Zn x S seeded nanorods with a radially graded composition that show bright and highly polarized green emission with minimal intermittency, as confirmed by ensemble and single nanorods optical measurements. Atomistic pseudopotential simulations elucidate the importance of the Zn atoms within the nanorod structure, in particular the effect of the graded composition. Thus, the controlled addition of Zn influences and improves the nanorods' optoelectronic performance by providing an additional handle to manipulate the degree confinement beyond the common size control approach. These nanorods may be utilized in applications that require the generation of a full, rich spectrum such as energy-efficient displays and lighting.

77 FR 55880 - Prudential Short Duration High Yield Fund, Inc. and Prudential Investments LLC; Notice of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-11

... High Yield Fund, Inc. (``Initial Fund'') and Prudential Investments LLC (``PI'' or the ``Adviser... investment company currently advised or to be advised in the future by PI (including any successor in... 2(a)(9) of the Act) with PI (such entities, together with PI, the ``Advisers'') that decides in the...

Earthquake Rupture Dynamics using Adaptive Mesh Refinement and High-Order Accurate Numerical Methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kozdon, J. E.; Wilcox, L.

2013-12-01

Our goal is to develop scalable and adaptive (spatial and temporal) numerical methods for coupled, multiphysics problems using high-order accurate numerical methods. To do so, we are developing an opensource, parallel library known as bfam (available at http://bfam.in). The first application to be developed on top of bfam is an earthquake rupture dynamics solver using high-order discontinuous Galerkin methods and summation-by-parts finite difference methods. In earthquake rupture dynamics, wave propagation in the Earth's crust is coupled to frictional sliding on fault interfaces. This coupling is two-way, required the simultaneous simulation of both processes. The use of laboratory-measured friction parameters requires near-fault resolution that is 4-5 orders of magnitude higher than that needed to resolve the frequencies of interest in the volume. This, along with earlier simulations using a low-order, finite volume based adaptive mesh refinement framework, suggest that adaptive mesh refinement is ideally suited for this problem. The use of high-order methods is motivated by the high level of resolution required off the fault in earlier the low-order finite volume simulations; we believe this need for resolution is a result of the excessive numerical dissipation of low-order methods. In bfam spatial adaptivity is handled using the p4est library and temporal adaptivity will be accomplished through local time stepping. In this presentation we will present the guiding principles behind the library as well as verification of code against the Southern California Earthquake Center dynamic rupture code validation test problems.

Accurate interatomic force fields via machine learning with covariant kernels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glielmo, Aldo; Sollich, Peter; De Vita, Alessandro

2017-06-01

We present a novel scheme to accurately predict atomic forces as vector quantities, rather than sets of scalar components, by Gaussian process (GP) regression. This is based on matrix-valued kernel functions, on which we impose the requirements that the predicted force rotates with the target configuration and is independent of any rotations applied to the configuration database entries. We show that such covariant GP kernels can be obtained by integration over the elements of the rotation group SO (d ) for the relevant dimensionality d . Remarkably, in specific cases the integration can be carried out analytically and yields a conservative force field that can be recast into a pair interaction form. Finally, we show that restricting the integration to a summation over the elements of a finite point group relevant to the target system is sufficient to recover an accurate GP. The accuracy of our kernels in predicting quantum-mechanical forces in real materials is investigated by tests on pure and defective Ni, Fe, and Si crystalline systems.

Measurements of Electrical and Electron Emission Properties of Highly Insulating Materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dennison, J. R.; Brunson, Jerilyn; Hoffman, Ryan; Abbott, Jonathon; Thomson, Clint; Sim, Alec

2005-01-01

Highly insulating materials often acquire significant charges when subjected to fluxes of electrons, ions, or photons. This charge can significantly modify the materials properties of the materials and have profound effects on the functionality of the materials in a variety of applications. These include charging of spacecraft materials due to interactions with the severe space environment, enhanced contamination due to charging in Lunar of Martian environments, high power arching of cables and sources, modification of tethers and ion thrusters for propulsion, and scanning electron microscopy, to name but a few examples. This paper describes new techniques and measurements of the electron emission properties and resistivity of highly insulating materials. Electron yields are a measure of the number of electrons emitted from a material per incident particle (electron, ion or photon). Electron yields depend on incident species, energy and angle, and on the material. They determine the net charge acquired by a material subject to a give incident flu. New pulsed-beam techniques will be described that allow accurate measurement of the yields for uncharged insulators and measurements of how the yields are modified as charge builds up in the insulator. A key parameter in modeling charge dissipation is the resistivity of insulating materials. This determines how charge will accumulate and redistribute across an insulator, as well as the time scale for charge transport and dissipation. Comparison of new long term constant-voltage methods and charge storage methods for measuring resistivity of highly insulating materials will be compared to more commonly used, but less accurate methods.

Brazilian Soybean Yields and Yield Gaps Vary with Farm Size

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeffries, G. R.; Cohn, A.; Griffin, T. S.; Bragança, A.

2017-12-01

Understanding the farm size-specific characteristics of crop yields and yield gaps may help to improve yields by enabling better targeting of technical assistance and agricultural development programs. Linking remote sensing-based yield estimates with property boundaries provides a novel view of the relationship between farm size and yield structure (yield magnitude, gaps, and stability over time). A growing literature documents variations in yield gaps, but largely ignores the role of farm size as a factor shaping yield structure. Research on the inverse farm size-productivity relationship (IR) theory - that small farms are more productive than large ones all else equal - has documented that yield magnitude may vary by farm size, but has not considered other yield structure characteristics. We examined farm size - yield structure relationships for soybeans in Brazil for years 2001-2015. Using out-of-sample soybean yield predictions from a statistical model, we documented 1) gaps between the 95th percentile of attained yields and mean yields within counties and individual fields, and 2) yield stability defined as the standard deviation of time-detrended yields at given locations. We found a direct relationship between soy yields and farm size at the national level, while the strength and the sign of the relationship varied by region. Soybean yield gaps were found to be inversely related to farm size metrics, even when yields were only compared to farms of similar size. The relationship between farm size and yield stability was nonlinear, with mid-sized farms having the most stable yields. The work suggests that farm size is an important factor in understanding yield structure and that opportunities for improving soy yields in Brazil are greatest among smaller farms.

High Purity and Yield of Boron Nitride Nanotubes Using Amorphous Boron and a Nozzle-Type Reactor

PubMed Central

Kim, Jaewoo; Seo, Duckbong; Yoo, Jeseung; Jeong, Wanseop; Seo, Young-Soo; Kim, Jaeyong

2014-01-01

Enhancement of the production yield of boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) with high purity was achieved using an amorphous boron-based precursor and a nozzle-type reactor. Use of a mixture of amorphous boron and Fe decreases the milling time for the preparation of the precursor for BNNTs synthesis, as well as the Fe impurity contained in the B/Fe interdiffused precursor nanoparticles by using a simple purification process. We also explored a nozzle-type reactor that increased the production yield of BNNTs compared to a conventional flow-through reactor. By using a nozzle-type reactor with amorphous boron-based precursor, the weight of the BNNTs sample after annealing was increased as much as 2.5-times with much less impurities compared to the case for the flow-through reactor with the crystalline boron-based precursor. Under the same experimental conditions, the yield and quantity of BNNTs were estimated as much as ~70% and ~1.15 g/batch for the former, while they are ~54% and 0.78 g/batch for the latter. PMID:28788161

High Purity and Yield of Boron Nitride Nanotubes Using Amorphous Boron and a Nozzle-Type Reactor.

PubMed

Kim, Jaewoo; Seo, Duckbong; Yoo, Jeseung; Jeong, Wanseop; Seo, Young-Soo; Kim, Jaeyong

2014-08-11

Enhancement of the production yield of boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) with high purity was achieved using an amorphous boron-based precursor and a nozzle-type reactor. Use of a mixture of amorphous boron and Fe decreases the milling time for the preparation of the precursor for BNNTs synthesis, as well as the Fe impurity contained in the B/Fe interdiffused precursor nanoparticles by using a simple purification process. We also explored a nozzle-type reactor that increased the production yield of BNNTs compared to a conventional flow-through reactor. By using a nozzle-type reactor with amorphous boron-based precursor, the weight of the BNNTs sample after annealing was increased as much as 2.5-times with much less impurities compared to the case for the flow-through reactor with the crystalline boron-based precursor. Under the same experimental conditions, the yield and quantity of BNNTs were estimated as much as ~70% and ~1.15 g/batch for the former, while they are ~54% and 0.78 g/batch for the latter.

The origin and evolution of safe-yield policies in the Kansas groundwater management districts

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sophocleous, M.

2000-01-01

The management of groundwater resources in Kansas continues to evolve. Declines in the High Plains aquifer led to the establishment of groundwater management districts in the mid-1970s and reduced streamflows prompted the enactment of minimum desirable streamflow standards in the mid-1980s. Nonetheless, groundwater levels and streamflows continued to decline, although at reduced rates compared to premid-1980s rates. As a result, "safe-yield" policies were revised to take into account natural groundwater discharge in the form of stream baseflow. These policies, although a step in the right direction, are deficient in several ways. In addition to the need for more accurate recharge data, pumping-induced streamflow depletion, natural stream losses, and groundwater evapotranspiration need to be accounted for in the revised safe-yield policies. Furthermore, the choice of the 90% flow-duration statistic as a measure of baseflow needs to be reevaluated, as it significantly underestimates mean baseflow estimated from baseflow separation computer programs; moreover, baseflow estimation needs to be refined and validated. ?? 2000 International Association for Mathematical Geology.

0.15 {mu}m InGaAs/AlGaAs/GaAs HEMT production process for high performance and high yield v-band power MMICs

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

Lai, R.; Biedenbender, M.; Lee, J.

1995-12-31

The authors present a unique high yield, high performance 0.15 {mu}m HEMT production process which supports fabrication of MMW power MMICs up to 70 GHz. This process has been transferred successfully from an R&D process to TRW`s GaAs production line. This paper reports the on-wafer test results of more than 1300 V-band MMIC PA circuits measured over 24 wafers. The best 2-stage V-band power MMICs have demonstrated state-of-the-art performance with 9 dB power gain, 20% PAE and 330 mW output power. An excellent RF yield of 60% was achieved with an 8 dB power gain and 250 mW output powermore » specification.« less

Quantum Yields in Mixed-Conifer Forests and Ponderosa Pine Plantations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, L.; Marshall, J. D.; Zhang, J.

2008-12-01

Most process-based physiological models require canopy quantum yield of photosynthesis as a starting point to simulate carbon sequestration and subsequently gross primary production (GPP). The quantum yield is a measure of photosynthetic efficiency expressed in moles of CO2 assimilated per mole of photons absorbed; the process is influenced by environmental factors. In the summer 2008, we measured quantum yields on both sun and shade leaves for four conifer species at five sites within Mica Creek Experimental Watershed (MCEW) in northern Idaho and one conifer species at three sites in northern California. The MCEW forest is typical of mixed conifer stands dominated by grand fir (Abies grandis (Douglas ex D. Don) Lindl.). In northern California, the three sites with contrasting site qualities are ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa C. Lawson var. ponderosa) plantations that were experimentally treated with vegetation control, fertilization, and a combination of both. We found that quantum yields in MCEW ranged from ~0.045 to ~0.075 mol CO2 per mol incident photon. However, there were no significant differences between canopy positions, or among sites or tree species. In northern California, the mean value of quantum yield of three sites was 0.051 mol CO2/mol incident photon. No significant difference in quantum yield was found between canopy positions, or among treatments or sites. The results suggest that these conifer species maintain relatively consistent quantum yield in both MCEW and northern California. This consistency simplifies the use of a process-based model to accurately predict forest productivity in these areas.

Hydrogen atoms can be located accurately and precisely by x-ray crystallography.

PubMed

Woińska, Magdalena; Grabowsky, Simon; Dominiak, Paulina M; Woźniak, Krzysztof; Jayatilaka, Dylan

2016-05-01

Precise and accurate structural information on hydrogen atoms is crucial to the study of energies of interactions important for crystal engineering, materials science, medicine, and pharmacy, and to the estimation of physical and chemical properties in solids. However, hydrogen atoms only scatter x-radiation weakly, so x-rays have not been used routinely to locate them accurately. Textbooks and teaching classes still emphasize that hydrogen atoms cannot be located with x-rays close to heavy elements; instead, neutron diffraction is needed. We show that, contrary to widespread expectation, hydrogen atoms can be located very accurately using x-ray diffraction, yielding bond lengths involving hydrogen atoms (A-H) that are in agreement with results from neutron diffraction mostly within a single standard deviation. The precision of the determination is also comparable between x-ray and neutron diffraction results. This has been achieved at resolutions as low as 0.8 Å using Hirshfeld atom refinement (HAR). We have applied HAR to 81 crystal structures of organic molecules and compared the A-H bond lengths with those from neutron measurements for A-H bonds sorted into bonds of the same class. We further show in a selection of inorganic compounds that hydrogen atoms can be located in bridging positions and close to heavy transition metals accurately and precisely. We anticipate that, in the future, conventional x-radiation sources at in-house diffractometers can be used routinely for locating hydrogen atoms in small molecules accurately instead of large-scale facilities such as spallation sources or nuclear reactors.

Hydrogen atoms can be located accurately and precisely by x-ray crystallography

PubMed Central

Woińska, Magdalena; Grabowsky, Simon; Dominiak, Paulina M.; Woźniak, Krzysztof; Jayatilaka, Dylan

2016-01-01

Precise and accurate structural information on hydrogen atoms is crucial to the study of energies of interactions important for crystal engineering, materials science, medicine, and pharmacy, and to the estimation of physical and chemical properties in solids. However, hydrogen atoms only scatter x-radiation weakly, so x-rays have not been used routinely to locate them accurately. Textbooks and teaching classes still emphasize that hydrogen atoms cannot be located with x-rays close to heavy elements; instead, neutron diffraction is needed. We show that, contrary to widespread expectation, hydrogen atoms can be located very accurately using x-ray diffraction, yielding bond lengths involving hydrogen atoms (A–H) that are in agreement with results from neutron diffraction mostly within a single standard deviation. The precision of the determination is also comparable between x-ray and neutron diffraction results. This has been achieved at resolutions as low as 0.8 Å using Hirshfeld atom refinement (HAR). We have applied HAR to 81 crystal structures of organic molecules and compared the A–H bond lengths with those from neutron measurements for A–H bonds sorted into bonds of the same class. We further show in a selection of inorganic compounds that hydrogen atoms can be located in bridging positions and close to heavy transition metals accurately and precisely. We anticipate that, in the future, conventional x-radiation sources at in-house diffractometers can be used routinely for locating hydrogen atoms in small molecules accurately instead of large-scale facilities such as spallation sources or nuclear reactors. PMID:27386545

Evaluation of seeding depth and guage-wheel load effects on maize emergence and yield

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Planting represents perhaps the most important field operation with errors likely to negatively affect crop yield and thereby farm profitability. Performance of row-crop planters are evaluated by their ability to accurately place seeds into the soil at an adequate and pre-determined depth, the goal ...

Evaluating high temporal and spatial resolution vegetation index for crop yield prediction

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Remote sensing data have been widely used in estimating crop yield. Remote sensing derived parameters such as Vegetation Index (VI) were used either directly in building empirical models or by assimilating with crop growth models to predict crop yield. The abilities of remote sensing VI in crop yiel...

Anomalous softening of yield strength in tantalum at high pressures

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

Jing, Qiumin, E-mail: j-qm@163.com; Wu, Qiang; Xu, Ji-an

2015-02-07

The pressure dependence of the yield strength of tantalum was investigated experimentally up to 101 GPa at room temperature using a diamond anvil cell. A yield strength softening is observed between 52 and 84 GPa, whereas a normal trend is observed below 52 GPa and above 84 GPa. The onset pressure of the softening is in agreement with previous results obtained by the pressure gradient method and shock wave experiments. This unusual strength softening in tantalum is not related with structural transformation, preferred orientation, or material damage. Our measurements indicate that microscopic deviatoric strain is the major reason for the observed strength softening inmore » tantalum.« less

Combination of uniform design with artificial neural network coupling genetic algorithm: an effective way to obtain high yield of biomass and algicidal compound of a novel HABs control actinomycete

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Controlling harmful algae blooms (HABs) using microbial algicides is cheap, efficient and environmental-friendly. However, obtaining high yield of algicidal microbes to meet the need of field test is still a big challenge since qualitative and quantitative analysis of algicidal compounds is difficult. In this study, we developed a protocol to increase the yield of both biomass and algicidal compound present in a novel algicidal actinomycete Streptomyces alboflavus RPS, which kills Phaeocystis globosa. To overcome the problem in algicidal compound quantification, we chose algicidal ratio as the index and used artificial neural network to fit the data, which was appropriate for this nonlinear situation. In this protocol, we firstly determined five main influencing factors through single factor experiments and generated the multifactorial experimental groups with a U15(155) uniform-design-table. Then, we used the traditional quadratic polynomial stepwise regression model and an accurate, fully optimized BP-neural network to simulate the fermentation. Optimized with genetic algorithm and verified using experiments, we successfully increased the algicidal ratio of the fermentation broth by 16.90% and the dry mycelial weight by 69.27%. These results suggested that this newly developed approach is a viable and easy way to optimize the fermentation conditions for algicidal microorganisms. PMID:24886410

Combination of uniform design with artificial neural network coupling genetic algorithm: an effective way to obtain high yield of biomass and algicidal compound of a novel HABs control actinomycete.

PubMed

Cai, Guanjing; Zheng, Wei; Yang, Xujun; Zhang, Bangzhou; Zheng, Tianling

2014-05-24

Controlling harmful algae blooms (HABs) using microbial algicides is cheap, efficient and environmental-friendly. However, obtaining high yield of algicidal microbes to meet the need of field test is still a big challenge since qualitative and quantitative analysis of algicidal compounds is difficult. In this study, we developed a protocol to increase the yield of both biomass and algicidal compound present in a novel algicidal actinomycete Streptomyces alboflavus RPS, which kills Phaeocystis globosa. To overcome the problem in algicidal compound quantification, we chose algicidal ratio as the index and used artificial neural network to fit the data, which was appropriate for this nonlinear situation. In this protocol, we firstly determined five main influencing factors through single factor experiments and generated the multifactorial experimental groups with a U15(155) uniform-design-table. Then, we used the traditional quadratic polynomial stepwise regression model and an accurate, fully optimized BP-neural network to simulate the fermentation. Optimized with genetic algorithm and verified using experiments, we successfully increased the algicidal ratio of the fermentation broth by 16.90% and the dry mycelial weight by 69.27%. These results suggested that this newly developed approach is a viable and easy way to optimize the fermentation conditions for algicidal microorganisms.

Yield Estimation for Semipalatinsk Underground Nuclear Explosions Using Seismic Surface-wave Observations at Near-regional Distances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adushkin, V. V.

- A statistical procedure is described for estimating the yields of underground nuclear tests at the former Soviet Semipalatinsk test site using the peak amplitudes of short-period surface waves observed at near-regional distances (Δ < 150 km) from these explosions. This methodology is then applied to data recorded from a large sample of the Semipalatinsk explosions, including the Soviet JVE explosion of September 14, 1988, and it is demonstrated that it provides seismic estimates of explosion yield which are typically within 20% of the yields determined for these same explosions using more accurate, non-seismic techniques based on near-source observations.

Low-temperature, high yield synthesis, and convenient isolation of the high-electron-density cluster compound Ta6Br14.8H2O for use in biomacromolecular crystallographic phase determination.

PubMed

Hay, Daniel N T; Messerle, Louis

2002-09-01

Reduction of TaBr(5) with Ga in the presence of KBr in a sealed borosilicate ampule at 400 degrees, followed by aqueous Soxhlet extraction and addition of stannous bromide and hydrobromic acid to the extract, yielded Ta(6)Br(14).8H(2)O in 80-84% yield. The new procedure provides a convenient, low temperature, high yield route to the synthesis of the title compound from inexpensive precursors.

High-precision Location, Yield and Tectonic Release of North Korea's 3 September 2017 Nuclear Test

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, J.; Tian, D.; Wen, L.

2017-12-01

On 3 September 2017, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) announced that it had successfully conducted a thermonuclear (hydrogen bomb) test. The nuclear test was collaborated by reports of a seismic event with a magnitude ranging from 6.1 to 6.3 by many governmental and international agencies, although its thermonuclear nature remains to be confirmed. In this study, by combining modern methods of high-precision relocation and satellite imagery, and using the knowledge of a previous test (North Korea's 9 September 2016 test) as reference, we determine the location and yield of North Korea's 2017 test. The location of the 2017 test is determined by deriving relative location between North Korea's 2017 and 2016 nuclear tests and using the previously determined location of the 2016 nuclear test by our group, while its yield is estimated based on the relative amplitude ratios of the Lg waves recorded for both events, the previously determined Lg-magnitude of the 2016 test and burial depth inferred from satellite imagery. The 2017 nuclear test is determined to be located at (41° 17' 53.52″ N, 129° 4' 27.12″ E) with a geographic precision of 100 m, and its yield is estimated to be 108±48 kt. The 2017 nuclear test and its four previous tests since 2009 are located several hundred meters apart, beneath the same mountain Mantap. We also evaluate the tectonic release by the 2017 nuclear test and discuss its implications for the yield estimation of the test.

Hyperspectral sensing to detect the impact of herbicide drift on cotton growth and yield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suarez, L. A.; Apan, A.; Werth, J.

2016-10-01

Yield loss in crops is often associated with plant disease or external factors such as environment, water supply and nutrient availability. Improper agricultural practices can also introduce risks into the equation. Herbicide drift can be a combination of improper practices and environmental conditions which can create a potential yield loss. As traditional assessment of plant damage is often imprecise and time consuming, the ability of remote and proximal sensing techniques to monitor various bio-chemical alterations in the plant may offer a faster, non-destructive and reliable approach to predict yield loss caused by herbicide drift. This paper examines the prediction capabilities of partial least squares regression (PLS-R) models for estimating yield. Models were constructed with hyperspectral data of a cotton crop sprayed with three simulated doses of the phenoxy herbicide 2,4-D at three different growth stages. Fibre quality, photosynthesis, conductance, and two main hormones, indole acetic acid (IAA) and abscisic acid (ABA) were also analysed. Except for fibre quality and ABA, Spearman correlations have shown that these variables were highly affected by the chemical. Four PLS-R models for predicting yield were developed according to four timings of data collection: 2, 7, 14 and 28 days after the exposure (DAE). As indicated by the model performance, the analysis revealed that 7 DAE was the best time for data collection purposes (RMSEP = 2.6 and R2 = 0.88), followed by 28 DAE (RMSEP = 3.2 and R2 = 0.84). In summary, the results of this study show that it is possible to accurately predict yield after a simulated herbicide drift of 2,4-D on a cotton crop, through the analysis of hyperspectral data, thereby providing a reliable, effective and non-destructive alternative based on the internal response of the cotton leaves.

Accelerated high-yield generation of limb-innervating motor neurons from human stem cells

PubMed Central

Amoroso, Mackenzie W.; Croft, Gist F.; Williams, Damian J.; O’Keeffe, Sean; Carrasco, Monica A.; Davis, Anne R.; Roybon, Laurent; Oakley, Derek H.; Maniatis, Tom; Henderson, Christopher E.; Wichterle, Hynek

2013-01-01

Human pluripotent stem cells are a promising source of differentiated cells for developmental studies, cell transplantation, disease modeling, and drug testing. However, their widespread use even for intensely studied cell types like spinal motor neurons is hindered by the long duration and low yields of existing protocols for in vitro differentiation and by the molecular heterogeneity of the populations generated. We report a combination of small molecules that within 3 weeks induce motor neurons at up to 50% abundance and with defined subtype identities of relevance to neurodegenerative disease. Despite their accelerated differentiation, motor neurons expressed combinations of HB9, ISL1 and column-specific markers that mirror those observed in vivo in human fetal spinal cord. They also exhibited spontaneous and induced activity, and projected axons towards muscles when grafted into developing chick spinal cord. Strikingly, this novel protocol preferentially generates motor neurons expressing markers of limb-innervating lateral motor column motor neurons (FOXP1+/LHX3−). Access to high-yield cultures of human limb-innervating motor neuron subtypes will facilitate in-depth study of motor neuron subtype-specific properties, disease modeling, and development of large-scale cell-based screening assays. PMID:23303937

High-yield secretion of recombinant proteins expressed in tobacco cell culture with a designer glycopeptide tag: Process development.

PubMed

Zhang, Ningning; Gonzalez, Maria; Savary, Brett; Xu, Jianfeng

2016-03-01

Low-yield protein production remains the most significant economic hurdle with plant cell culture technology. Fusions of recombinant proteins with hydroxyproline-O-glycosylated designer glycopeptide tags have consistently boosted secreted protein yields. This prompted us to study the process development of this technology aiming to achieve productivity levels necessary for commercial viability. We used a tobacco BY-2 cell culture expressing EGFP as fusion with a glycopeptide tag comprised of 32 repeat of "Ser-Pro" dipeptide, or (SP)32 , to study cell growth and protein secretion, culture scale-up, and establishment of perfusion cultures for continuous production. The BY-2 cells accumulated low levels of cell biomass (~7.5 g DW/L) in Schenk & Hildebrandt medium, but secreted high yields of (SP)32 -tagged EGFP (125 mg/L). Protein productivity of the cell culture has been stable for 6.0 years. The BY-2 cells cultured in a 5-L bioreactor similarly produced high secreted protein yield at 131 mg/L. Successful operation of a cell perfusion culture for 30 days was achieved under the perfusion rate of 0.25 and 0.5 day(-1) , generating a protein volumetric productivity of 17.6 and 28.9 mg/day/L, respectively. This research demonstrates the great potential of the designer glycopeptide technology for use in commercial production of valuable proteins with plant cell cultures. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Redefining yield gaps at various spatial scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meng, K.; Fishman, R.; Norstrom, A. V.; Diekert, F. K.; Engstrom, G.; Gars, J.; McCarney, G. R.; Sjostedt, M.

2013-12-01

Recent research has highlighted the prevalence of 'yield gaps' around the world and the importance of closing them for global food security. However, the traditional concept of yield gap -defined as the difference between observed and optimal yield under biophysical conditions - omit relevant socio-economic and ecological constraints and thus offer limited guidance on potential policy interventions. This paper proposes alternative definitions of yield gaps by incorporating rich, high resolution, national and sub-national agricultural datasets. We examine feasible efforts to 'close yield gaps' at various spatial scales and across different socio-economic and ecological domains.

Highly Efficient Red-Emitting Carbon Dots with Gram-Scale Yield for Bioimaging.

PubMed

Ding, Hui; Wei, Ji-Shi; Zhong, Ning; Gao, Qing-Yu; Xiong, Huan-Ming

2017-11-07

Carbon dots (CDs) are a new class of photoluminescent (PL), biocompatible, environment-friendly, and low-cost carbon nanomaterials. Synthesis of highly efficient red-emitting carbon dots (R-CDs) on a gram scale is a great challenge at present, which heavily restricts the wide applications of CDs in the bioimaging field. Herein, R-CDs with a high quantum yield (QY) of 53% are produced on a gram scale by heating a formamide solution of citric acid and ethylenediamine. The as-prepared R-CDs have an average size of 4.1 nm and a nitrogen content of about 30%, with an excitation-independent emission at 627 nm. After detailed characterizations, such strong red fluorescence is ascribed to the contribution from the nitrogen- and oxygen-related surface states and the nitrogen-derived structures in the R-CD cores. Our R-CDs show good photostability and low cytotoxicity, and thus they are excellent red fluorescence probes for bioimaging both in vitro and in vivo.

Recent Results from Lohengrin on Fission Yields and Related Decay Properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Serot, O.; Amouroux, C.; Bidaud, A.; Capellan, N.; Chabod, S.; Ebran, A.; Faust, H.; Kessedjian, G.; Köester, U.; Letourneau, A.; Litaize, O.; Martin, F.; Materna, T.; Mathieu, L.; Panebianco, S.; Regis, J.-M.; Rudigier, M.; Sage, C.; Urban, W.

2014-05-01

The Lohengrin mass spectrometer is one of the 40 instruments built around the reactor of the Institute Laue-Langevin (France) which delivers a very intense thermal neutron flux. Usually, Lohengrin was combined with a high-resolution ionization chamber in order to obtain good nuclear charge discrimination within a mass line, yielding an accurate isotopic yield determination. Unfortunately, this experimental procedure can only be applied for fission products with a nuclear charge less than about 42, i.e. in the light fission fragment region. Since 2008, a large collaboration has started with the aim of studying various fission aspects, mainly in the heavy fragment region. For that, a new experimental setup which allows isotopic identification by γ-ray spectrometry has been developed and validated. This technique was applied on the 239Pu(nth,f) reaction where about 65 fission product yields were measured with an uncertainty that has been reduced on average by a factor of 2 compared with what was that previously available in nuclear data libraries. The same γ-ray spectrometric technique is currently being applied to the study of the 233U(nth,f) reaction. Our aim is to deduce charge and mass distributions of the fission products and to complete the experimental data that exist mainly for light fission fragments. The measurement of 41 mass yields from the 241Am(2nth,f) reaction has been also performed. In addition to these activities on fission yield measurements, various new nanosecond isomers were discovered. Their presence can be revealed from a strong deformed ionic charge distribution compared to a 'normal' Gaussian shape. Finally, a new neutron long-counter detector designed to have a detection efficiency independent of the detected neutron energy has been built. Combining this neutron device with a Germanium detector and a beta-ray detector array allowed us to measure the beta-delayed neutron emission probability Pn of some important fission products for reactor

Interrelations between glucose-induced insulin response, metabolic indicators, and time of first ovulation in high-yielding dairy cows.

PubMed

Bossaert, P; Leroy, J L M R; De Vliegher, S; Opsomer, G

2008-09-01

High-yielding dairy cows are more susceptible to metabolic and reproductive disorders than low-yielding cows. Insulin plays a pivotal role in the development of both problems. In the present study, we aimed to assess the glucose-induced insulin responses of dairy cows at different time points relative to calving and to relate this to the metabolic status and the time of first ovulation. Twenty-three healthy, multiparous Holstein-Friesian cows with a high genetic merit for milk yield were studied from 14 d prepartum to 42 d postpartum. Intravenous glucose tolerance tests were performed on -14, 14, and 42 d relative to calving to evaluate the plasma insulin and glucose responses to a glucose load, as estimated by the peak concentration, the area under the curve (AUC), and the clearance rates of insulin and glucose. Blood samples were obtained at 3-d intervals and analyzed for glucose, insulin, and nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA). The time of first ovulation was defined by transrectal ultrasonography and plasma progesterone analysis. Glucose-induced insulin AUC and peak concentration decreased and glucose clearance increased during lactation compared with the dry period. Plasma NEFA concentrations were negatively related to insulin AUC and peak concentrations. Fourteen cows ovulated within 42 d postpartum, and the remaining 9 cows suffered from delayed resumption of ovarian function. Survival analysis demonstrated that cows with lower NEFA concentrations during the dry period tended to have earlier resumption of ovarian activity. In conclusion, our data suggest a decreased plasma insulin response to glucose postpartum in high-yielding dairy cows, possibly contributing to metabolic stress during the early postpartum period. It is hypothesized that NEFA impair glucose-induced insulin secretion in dairy cows. Additionally, our results suggest the importance of lipolysis during the transition period as a risk factor for delayed ovulation.

Development and characterization of a high yield transportable pulsed neutron source with efficient and compact pulsed power system

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

Verma, Rishi, E-mail: rishiv9@gmail.com, E-mail: rishiv@barc.gov.in; Mishra, Ekansh; Dhang, Prosenjit

2016-09-15

The results of characterization experiments carried out on a newly developed dense plasma focus device based intense pulsed neutron source with efficient and compact pulsed power system are reported. Its high current sealed pseudospark switch based low inductance capacitor bank with maximum stored energy of ∼10 kJ is segregated into four modules of ∼2.5 kJ each and it cumulatively delivers peak current in the range of 400 kA–600 kA (corresponding to charging voltage range of 14 kV–18 kV) in a quarter time period of ∼2 μs. The neutron yield performance of this device has been optimized by discretely varying deuteriummore » filling gas pressure in the range of 6 mbar–11 mbar at ∼17 kV/550 kA discharge. At ∼7 kJ/8.5 mbar operation, the average neutron yield has been measured to be in the order of ∼4 × 10{sup 9} neutrons/pulse which is the highest ever reported neutron yield from a plasma focus device with the same stored energy. The average forward to radial anisotropy in neutron yield is found to be ∼2. The entire system is contained on a moveable trolley having dimensions 1.5 m × 1 m × 0.7 m and its operation and control (up to the distance of 25 m) are facilitated through optically isolated handheld remote console. The overall compactness of this system provides minimum proximity to small as well as large samples for irradiation. The major intended application objective of this high neutron yield dense plasma focus device development is to explore the feasibility of active neutron interrogation experiments by utilization of intense pulsed neutron sources.« less

Development and characterization of a high yield transportable pulsed neutron source with efficient and compact pulsed power system.

PubMed

Verma, Rishi; Mishra, Ekansh; Dhang, Prosenjit; Sagar, Karuna; Meena, Manraj; Shyam, Anurag

2016-09-01

The results of characterization experiments carried out on a newly developed dense plasma focus device based intense pulsed neutron source with efficient and compact pulsed power system are reported. Its high current sealed pseudospark switch based low inductance capacitor bank with maximum stored energy of ∼10 kJ is segregated into four modules of ∼2.5 kJ each and it cumulatively delivers peak current in the range of 400 kA-600 kA (corresponding to charging voltage range of 14 kV-18 kV) in a quarter time period of ∼2 μs. The neutron yield performance of this device has been optimized by discretely varying deuterium filling gas pressure in the range of 6 mbar-11 mbar at ∼17 kV/550 kA discharge. At ∼7 kJ/8.5 mbar operation, the average neutron yield has been measured to be in the order of ∼4 × 10 9 neutrons/pulse which is the highest ever reported neutron yield from a plasma focus device with the same stored energy. The average forward to radial anisotropy in neutron yield is found to be ∼2. The entire system is contained on a moveable trolley having dimensions 1.5 m × 1 m × 0.7 m and its operation and control (up to the distance of 25 m) are facilitated through optically isolated handheld remote console. The overall compactness of this system provides minimum proximity to small as well as large samples for irradiation. The major intended application objective of this high neutron yield dense plasma focus device development is to explore the feasibility of active neutron interrogation experiments by utilization of intense pulsed neutron sources.

Microdomain Yield Behaviour in an Ultra-High Strength Low Alloy Steel for Marine Use with Low Sensitivity of SCC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, Jiang; Tao, Anxiang; Xu, Pingguang; Ping, Dehai

The present paper involves a fundamental research on microdomain yield behavior of an ultrahigh strength low alloy steel with high temperature tempered bainite. The smooth cylinder specimen was took from deep water mooring chain links from the steel with the chemical composition of 0.23C-0.25Si -0.70Mn-3.55 (Cr+Ni+Mo) -0.13 (V+Nb+Ti) (mass %) ,which was quenched from 1253K and then tempered at 873K Its macroscopic yield strength is 1120MPa and the tensile strength is 1250MPa In-situ neutron diffraction measurements of loading tension have suggested that a good linear elastic deformation can be kept up to 500MPa stress, and then (200) priority non-linear elastic strain, that is the yield of crystal lattice occur at 700MPa and the (110) non-linear elastic strain was found at 800MPa. The (200) and (110) nonlinear elastic strain increases gradually when the stress was further increased, however, the (211) kept its linear elastic deformation stage as before. The sub-microstructural analysis carried out using TEM and additional determine the nature and quantitative analysis has revealed that there are three kinds of alloy carbides: (1) θ-M3C cementites with an average particle size of less than 50 nm which inside laths and lath boundaries; (2) ɛ-M2C formed uniformly within the ferrites with a length of less than 200 nm and width of less than 20 nm; (3) ultra-fine high density MC cohered with matrix α-Fe and its particle size is about 2 nm. The whole microdomain yield behaviour of the material was possibly influenced by the fcc-MC with high density. The results of CLT (constant load), SSRT (slow strain rate) and KIscc test of the present chain in seawater solution indicate, that threshold value of SCC (stress corrosion cracking) stress exceed 0.8 tensile strength and the chain's KIscc value is double of KIscc value of 4340 steel type parts. MC not only form strong hydrogen trap, but also slow down microdomain yield likely by means of increasing yield strength of

‘Caro-Tex 312’, a high yielding, orange-fruited, Habanero-type, F1 hybrid pepper

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Agricultural Research Service of the U. S. Department of Agriculture and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences of Texas A&M University have released the high yielding, orange-fruited, Habanero-type, F1 hybrid pepper cultivar CaroTex-312. CaroTex-312 is the result of an F1 cross made at C...

Algorithm for evaluating the effectiveness of a high-rise development project based on current yield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soboleva, Elena

2018-03-01

The article is aimed at the issues of operational evaluation of development project efficiency in high-rise construction under the current economic conditions in Russia. The author touches the following issues: problems of implementing development projects, the influence of the operational evaluation quality of high-rise construction projects on general efficiency, assessing the influence of the project's external environment on the effectiveness of project activities under crisis conditions and the quality of project management. The article proposes the algorithm and the methodological approach to the quality management of the developer project efficiency based on operational evaluation of the current yield efficiency. The methodology for calculating the current efficiency of a development project for high-rise construction has been updated.

Efficient and high yield isolation of myoblasts from skeletal muscle.

PubMed

Shahini, Aref; Vydiam, Kalyan; Choudhury, Debanik; Rajabian, Nika; Nguyen, Thy; Lei, Pedro; Andreadis, Stelios T

2018-05-24

Skeletal muscle (SkM) regeneration relies on the activity of myogenic progenitors that reside beneath the basal lamina of myofibers. Here, we describe a protocol for the isolation of the SkM progenitors from young and old mice by exploiting their outgrowth potential from SkM explants on matrigel coated dishes in the presence of high serum, chicken embryo extract and basic fibroblast growth factor. Compared to other protocols, this method yields a higher number of myoblasts (10-20 million) by enabling the outgrowth of these cells from tissue fragments. The majority of outgrowth cells (~90%) were positive for myogenic markers such as α7-integrin, MyoD, and Desmin. The myogenic cell population could be purified to 98% with one round of pre-plating on collagen coated dishes, where differential attachment of fibroblasts and other non-myogenic progenitors separates them from myoblasts. Moreover, the combination of high serum medium and matrigel coating provided a proliferation advantage to myogenic cells, which expanded rapidly (~24 h population doubling), while non-myogenic cells diminished over time, thereby eliminating the need for further purification steps such as FACS sorting. Finally, myogenic progenitors gave rise to multinucleated myotubes that exhibited sarcomeres and spontaneous beating in the culture dish. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Multi-approach assessment of the spatial distribution of the specific yield: application to the Crau plain aquifer, France

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seraphin, Pierre; Gonçalvès, Julio; Vallet-Coulomb, Christine; Champollion, Cédric

2018-03-01

Spatially distributed values of the specific yield, a fundamental parameter for transient groundwater mass balance calculations, were obtained by means of three independent methods for the Crau plain, France. In contrast to its traditional use to assess recharge based on a given specific yield, the water-table fluctuation (WTF) method, applied using major recharging events, gave a first set of reference values. Then, large infiltration processes recorded by monitored boreholes and caused by major precipitation events were interpreted in terms of specific yield by means of a one-dimensional vertical numerical model solving Richards' equations within the unsaturated zone. Finally, two gravity field campaigns, at low and high piezometric levels, were carried out to assess the groundwater mass variation and thus alternative specific yield values. The range obtained by the WTF method for this aquifer made of alluvial detrital material was 2.9- 26%, in line with the scarce data available so far. The average spatial value of specific yield by the WTF method (9.1%) is consistent with the aquifer scale value from the hydro-gravimetric approach. In this investigation, an estimate of the hitherto unknown spatial distribution of the specific yield over the Crau plain was obtained using the most reliable method (the WTF method). A groundwater mass balance calculation over the domain using this distribution yielded similar results to an independent quantification based on a stable isotope-mixing model. This agreement reinforces the relevance of such estimates, which can be used to build a more accurate transient hydrogeological model.

Multi-approach assessment of the spatial distribution of the specific yield: application to the Crau plain aquifer, France

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seraphin, Pierre; Gonçalvès, Julio; Vallet-Coulomb, Christine; Champollion, Cédric

2018-06-01

Spatially distributed values of the specific yield, a fundamental parameter for transient groundwater mass balance calculations, were obtained by means of three independent methods for the Crau plain, France. In contrast to its traditional use to assess recharge based on a given specific yield, the water-table fluctuation (WTF) method, applied using major recharging events, gave a first set of reference values. Then, large infiltration processes recorded by monitored boreholes and caused by major precipitation events were interpreted in terms of specific yield by means of a one-dimensional vertical numerical model solving Richards' equations within the unsaturated zone. Finally, two gravity field campaigns, at low and high piezometric levels, were carried out to assess the groundwater mass variation and thus alternative specific yield values. The range obtained by the WTF method for this aquifer made of alluvial detrital material was 2.9- 26%, in line with the scarce data available so far. The average spatial value of specific yield by the WTF method (9.1%) is consistent with the aquifer scale value from the hydro-gravimetric approach. In this investigation, an estimate of the hitherto unknown spatial distribution of the specific yield over the Crau plain was obtained using the most reliable method (the WTF method). A groundwater mass balance calculation over the domain using this distribution yielded similar results to an independent quantification based on a stable isotope-mixing model. This agreement reinforces the relevance of such estimates, which can be used to build a more accurate transient hydrogeological model.

Propagation method for persistent high yield of diverse Listeria phages on permissive hosts at refrigeration temperatures.

PubMed

Radford, Devon R; Ahmadi, Hanie; Leon-Velarde, Carlos G; Balamurugan, Sampathkumar

2016-10-01

The efficient production of a high concentration of bacteriophage in large volumes has been a limiting factor in the exploration of the true potential of these organisms for biotechnology, agriculture and medicine. Traditional methods focus on generating small volumes of highly concentrated samples as the end product of extensive mechanical and osmotic processing. To function at an industrial scale mandates extensive investment in infrastructure and input materials not feasible for many smaller facilities. To address this, we developed a novel, scalable, generic method for producing significantly higher titer psychrophilic phage (P < 2.0 × 10(-6)), 2- to 4-fold faster than traditional methods. We generate renewable high yields from single source cultures by propagating phage under refrigeration conditions in which Listeria, Yersinia and their phages grow in equilibrium. Diverse Yersinia and Listeria phages tested yielded averages of 3.49 × 10(8) to 3.36 × 10(12) PFU/ml/day compared to averages of 1.28 × 10(5) to 1.30 × 10(10) PFU/ml/day by traditional methods. Host growth and death kinetics made this method ineffective for extended propagation of mesophilic phages. Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

A hybrid solution using computational prediction and measured data to accurately determine process corrections with reduced overlay sampling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noyes, Ben F.; Mokaberi, Babak; Mandoy, Ram; Pate, Alex; Huijgen, Ralph; McBurney, Mike; Chen, Owen

2017-03-01

Reducing overlay error via an accurate APC feedback system is one of the main challenges in high volume production of the current and future nodes in the semiconductor industry. The overlay feedback system directly affects the number of dies meeting overlay specification and the number of layers requiring dedicated exposure tools through the fabrication flow. Increasing the former number and reducing the latter number is beneficial for the overall efficiency and yield of the fabrication process. An overlay feedback system requires accurate determination of the overlay error, or fingerprint, on exposed wafers in order to determine corrections to be automatically and dynamically applied to the exposure of future wafers. Since current and future nodes require correction per exposure (CPE), the resolution of the overlay fingerprint must be high enough to accommodate CPE in the overlay feedback system, or overlay control module (OCM). Determining a high resolution fingerprint from measured data requires extremely dense overlay sampling that takes a significant amount of measurement time. For static corrections this is acceptable, but in an automated dynamic correction system this method creates extreme bottlenecks for the throughput of said system as new lots have to wait until the previous lot is measured. One solution is using a less dense overlay sampling scheme and employing computationally up-sampled data to a dense fingerprint. That method uses a global fingerprint model over the entire wafer; measured localized overlay errors are therefore not always represented in its up-sampled output. This paper will discuss a hybrid system shown in Fig. 1 that combines a computationally up-sampled fingerprint with the measured data to more accurately capture the actual fingerprint, including local overlay errors. Such a hybrid system is shown to result in reduced modelled residuals while determining the fingerprint, and better on-product overlay performance.

Rapid high-yield expression of full-size IgG antibodies in plants coinfected with noncompeting viral vectors

PubMed Central

Giritch, Anatoli; Marillonnet, Sylvestre; Engler, Carola; van Eldik, Gerben; Botterman, Johan; Klimyuk, Victor; Gleba, Yuri

2006-01-01

Plant viral vectors allow expression of heterologous proteins at high yields, but so far, they have been unable to express heterooligomeric proteins efficiently. We describe here a rapid and indefinitely scalable process for high-level expression of functional full-size mAbs of the IgG class in plants. The process relies on synchronous coinfection and coreplication of two viral vectors, each expressing a separate antibody chain. The two vectors are derived from two different plant viruses that were found to be noncompeting. Unlike vectors derived from the same virus, noncompeting vectors effectively coexpress the heavy and light chains in the same cell throughout the plant body, resulting in yields of up to 0.5 g of assembled mAbs per kg of fresh-leaf biomass. This technology allows production of gram quantities of mAbs for research purposes in just several days, and the same protocol can be used on an industrial scale in situations requiring rapid response, such as pandemic or terrorism events. PMID:16973752

High Yields of Hydrogen Production Induced by Meta-Substituted Dichlorophenols Biodegradation from the Green Alga Scenedesmus obliquus

PubMed Central

Papazi, Aikaterini; Andronis, Efthimios; Ioannidis, Nikolaos E.; Chaniotakis, Nikolaos; Kotzabasis, Kiriakos

2012-01-01

Hydrogen is a highly promising energy source with important social and economic implications. The ability of green algae to produce photosynthetic hydrogen under anaerobic conditions has been known for years. However, until today the yield of production has been very low, limiting an industrial scale use. In the present paper, 73 years after the first report on H2-production from green algae, we present a combinational biological system where the biodegradation procedure of one meta-substituted dichlorophenol (m-dcp) is the key element for maintaining continuous and high rate H2-production (>100 times higher than previously reported) in chloroplasts and mitochondria of the green alga Scenedesmus obliquus. In particular, we report that reduced m-dcps (biodegradation intermediates) mimic endogenous electron and proton carriers in chloroplasts and mitochondria, inhibit Photosystem II (PSII) activity (and therefore O2 production) and enhance Photosystem I (PSI) and hydrogenase activity. In addition, we show that there are some indications for hydrogen production from sources other than chloroplasts in Scenedesmus obliquus. The regulation of these multistage and highly evolved redox pathways leads to high yields of hydrogen production and paves the way for an efficient application to industrial scale use, utilizing simple energy sources and one meta-substituted dichlorophenol as regulating elements. PMID:23145057

Hydraulics of high-yield orchard trees: a case study of three Malus domestica cultivars.

PubMed

Beikircher, Barbara; De Cesare, Chiara; Mayr, Stefan

2013-12-01

The drought tolerance of three economically important apple cultivars, Golden Delicious, Braeburn and Red Delicious, was analysed. The work offers insights into the hydraulics of these high-yield trees and indicates a possible hydraulic limitation of carbon gain. The hydraulic safety and efficiency of branch xylem and leaves were quantified, drought tolerance of living tissues was measured and stomatal regulation, turgor-loss point and osmotic potential at full turgor were analysed. Physiological measurements were correlated with anatomical parameters, such as conduit diameter, cell-wall reinforcement, stomatal density and stomatal pore length. Hydraulic safety differed considerably between the three cultivars with Golden Delicious being significantly less vulnerable to drought-induced embolism than Braeburn and Red Delicious. In Golden Delicious, leaves were less resistant than branch xylem, while in the other cultivars leaves were more resistant than branch xylem. Hydraulic efficiency and xylem anatomical measurements indicate differences in pit properties, which may also be responsible for variations in hydraulic safety. In all three cultivars, full stomatal closure occurred at water potentials where turgor had already been lost and severe loss of hydraulic conductivity as well as damage to living cells had been induced. The consequential negative safety margins pose a risk for hydraulic failure but facilitate carbon gain, which is further improved by the observed high stomatal conductance. Maximal stomatal conductance was clearly seen to be related to stomatal density and size. Based on our results, these three high-yield Malus domestica Borkh. cultivars span a wide range of drought tolerances, appear optimized for maximal carbon gain and, thus, all perform best under well-managed growing conditions.

[Body condition and metabolic stability as the basis for high milk yield and undisturbed fertility in dairy cows--a contribution for deduction of reference values].

PubMed

Staufenbiel, R; Arndt, G; Schröder, U; Gelfert, C C

2004-05-01

The target of this study was to describe the interactions between body condition and various descriptors of yield and fertility. It was aimed to identify an optimal conditional range to be used in herd management which combines high milk yield with acceptable fertility traits and general health. For this purpose, backfat thickness was measured by ultrasound at 46111 dairy cows on 78 different farms and was subsequently related to production variables. Negative energy balance is getting more intense and prolonged with increasing milk yield. However a conditional nadir below 10 mm leads to decreased milk production. To reach a high production level without an increasing incidence of health disorders, conditional nadir should not decline below 13 mm backfat thickness on herd average. Lower value only lead to negligibly higher milk yield but cause a distinctively higher risk of fertility problems and culling. High herd yields do not have to be at expense of reproduction performance and can be achieved without extreme body condition losses. An efficient herd management can offset depression in fertility, which commonly is combined with increasing milk yield. A standard curve for backfat thickness throughout lactation is suggested to be used in dairy herd management.

Weather-based forecasts of California crop yields

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

Lobell, D B; Cahill, K N; Field, C B

2005-09-26

Crop yield forecasts provide useful information to a range of users. Yields for several crops in California are currently forecast based on field surveys and farmer interviews, while for many crops official forecasts do not exist. As broad-scale crop yields are largely dependent on weather, measurements from existing meteorological stations have the potential to provide a reliable, timely, and cost-effective means to anticipate crop yields. We developed weather-based models of state-wide yields for 12 major California crops (wine grapes, lettuce, almonds, strawberries, table grapes, hay, oranges, cotton, tomatoes, walnuts, avocados, and pistachios), and tested their accuracy using cross-validation over themore » 1980-2003 period. Many crops were forecast with high accuracy, as judged by the percent of yield variation explained by the forecast, the number of yields with correctly predicted direction of yield change, or the number of yields with correctly predicted extreme yields. The most successfully modeled crop was almonds, with 81% of yield variance captured by the forecast. Predictions for most crops relied on weather measurements well before harvest time, allowing for lead times that were longer than existing procedures in many cases.« less

The Zugspitze radiative closure experiment for quantifying water vapor absorption over the terrestrial and solar infrared - Part 2: Accurate calibration of high spectral-resolution infrared measurements of surface solar radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reichert, Andreas; Rettinger, Markus; Sussmann, Ralf

2016-09-01

Quantitative knowledge of water vapor absorption is crucial for accurate climate simulations. An open science question in this context concerns the strength of the water vapor continuum in the near infrared (NIR) at atmospheric temperatures, which is still to be quantified by measurements. This issue can be addressed with radiative closure experiments using solar absorption spectra. However, the spectra used for water vapor continuum quantification have to be radiometrically calibrated. We present for the first time a method that yields sufficient calibration accuracy for NIR water vapor continuum quantification in an atmospheric closure experiment. Our method combines the Langley method with spectral radiance measurements of a high-temperature blackbody calibration source (< 2000 K). The calibration scheme is demonstrated in the spectral range 2500 to 7800 cm-1, but minor modifications to the method enable calibration also throughout the remainder of the NIR spectral range. The resulting uncertainty (2σ) excluding the contribution due to inaccuracies in the extra-atmospheric solar spectrum (ESS) is below 1 % in window regions and up to 1.7 % within absorption bands. The overall radiometric accuracy of the calibration depends on the ESS uncertainty, on which at present no firm consensus has been reached in the NIR. However, as is shown in the companion publication Reichert and Sussmann (2016), ESS uncertainty is only of minor importance for the specific aim of this study, i.e., the quantification of the water vapor continuum in a closure experiment. The calibration uncertainty estimate is substantiated by the investigation of calibration self-consistency, which yields compatible results within the estimated errors for 91.1 % of the 2500 to 7800 cm-1 range. Additionally, a comparison of a set of calibrated spectra to radiative transfer model calculations yields consistent results within the estimated errors for 97.7 % of the spectral range.

Managment oriented analysis of sediment yield time compression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smetanova, Anna; Le Bissonnais, Yves; Raclot, Damien; Nunes, João P.; Licciardello, Feliciana; Le Bouteiller, Caroline; Latron, Jérôme; Rodríguez Caballero, Emilio; Mathys, Nicolle; Klotz, Sébastien; Mekki, Insaf; Gallart, Francesc; Solé Benet, Albert; Pérez Gallego, Nuria; Andrieux, Patrick; Moussa, Roger; Planchon, Olivier; Marisa Santos, Juliana; Alshihabi, Omran; Chikhaoui, Mohamed

2016-04-01

The understanding of inter- and intra-annual variability of sediment yield is important for the land use planning and management decisions for sustainable landscapes. It is of particular importance in the regions where the annual sediment yield is often highly dependent on the occurrence of few large events which produce the majority of sediments, such as in the Mediterranean. This phenomenon is referred as time compression, and relevance of its consideration growths with the increase in magnitude and frequency of extreme events due to climate change in many other regions. So far, time compression has ben studied mainly on events datasets, providing high resolution, but (in terms of data amount, required data precision and methods), demanding analysis. In order to provide an alternative simplified approach, the monthly and yearly time compressions were evaluated in eight Mediterranean catchments (of the R-OSMed network), representing a wide range of Mediterranean landscapes. The annual sediment yield varied between 0 to ~27100 Mg•km-2•a-1, and the monthly sediment yield between 0 to ~11600 Mg•km-2•month-1. The catchment's sediment yield was un-equally distributed at inter- and intra-annual scale, and large differences were observed between the catchments. Two types of time compression were distinguished - (i) the inter-annual (based on annual values) and intra- annual (based on monthly values). Four different rainfall-runoff-sediment yield time compression patterns were observed: (i) no time-compression of rainfall, runoff, nor sediment yield, (ii) low time compression of rainfall and runoff, but high compression of sediment yield, (iii) low compression of rainfall and high of runoff and sediment yield, and (iv) low, medium and high compression of rainfall, runoff and sediment yield. All four patterns were present at inter-annual scale, while at intra-annual scale only the two latter were present. This implies that high sediment yields occurred in

Expression of the Nitrate Transporter Gene OsNRT1.1A/OsNPF6.3 Confers High Yield and Early Maturation in Rice.

PubMed

Wang, Wei; Hu, Bin; Yuan, Dingyang; Liu, Yongqiang; Che, Ronghui; Hu, Yingchun; Ou, Shujun; Liu, Yongxin; Zhang, Zhihua; Wang, Hongru; Li, Hua; Jiang, Zhimin; Zhang, Zhengli; Gao, Xiaokai; Qiu, Yahong; Meng, Xiangbing; Liu, Yongxin; Bai, Yang; Liang, Yan; Wang, Yiqin; Zhang, Lianhe; Li, Legong; Sodmergen; Jing, Haichun; Li, Jiayang; Chu, Chengcai

2018-03-01

Nitrogen (N) is a major driving force for crop yield improvement, but application of high levels of N delays flowering, prolonging maturation and thus increasing the risk of yield losses. Therefore, traits that enable utilization of high levels of N without delaying maturation will be highly desirable for crop breeding. Here, we show that OsNRT1.1A (OsNPF6.3), a member of the rice ( Oryza sativa ) nitrate transporter 1/peptide transporter family, is involved in regulating N utilization and flowering, providing a target to produce high yield and early maturation simultaneously. OsNRT.1A has functionally diverged from previously reported NRT1.1 genes in plants and functions in upregulating the expression of N utilization-related genes not only for nitrate but also for ammonium, as well as flowering-related genes. Relative to the wild type, osnrt1.1a mutants exhibited reduced N utilization and late flowering. By contrast, overexpression of OsNRT1.1A in rice greatly improved N utilization and grain yield, and maturation time was also significantly shortened. These effects were further confirmed in different rice backgrounds and also in Arabidopsis thaliana Our study paves a path for the use of a single gene to dramatically increase yield and shorten maturation time for crops, outcomes that promise to substantially increase world food security. © 2018 American Society of Plant Biologists. All rights reserved.

Facile and High-Yielding Synthesis of TAM Biradicals and Monofunctional TAM Radicals.

PubMed

Trukhin, Dmitry V; Rogozhnikova, Olga Yu; Troitskaya, Tatiana I; Vasiliev, Vladimir G; Bowman, Michael K; Tormyshev, Victor M

2016-04-01

Facile and high-yielding procedures for synthesis of monocarboxylic acid derivatives of triarylmethyl radicals (TAMs) were developed. Reaction of methyl thioglycolate with tris(2,3,5,6-tetrathiaaryl)methyl cation smoothly afforded the monosubstituted TAM derivative, which was hydrolyzed to a monocarboxylic acid, with the TAM moiety attached to thioglycolic acid via the sulfur atom. Alternatively, the diamagnetic tricarboxylic acid precursor of Finland trityl was transformed to a trimethyl ester and partially hydrolyzed under controlled conditions. The diester product was isolated and the remaining fractions were converted back to the trimethyl ester for production of more diester. The first representatives of TAM biradicals with different TAM cores and interspin distances were obtained by reaction of these new TAM monocaboxylic acids with N,N'-dimethylethylenediamine.

Use of Nonspecific, Glutamic Acid-Free, Media and High Glycerol or High Amylase as Inducing Parameters for Screening Bacillus Isolates Having High Yield of Polyglutamic Acid

PubMed Central

Baxi, Nandita N.

2014-01-01

Out of fifty-five Bacillus isolates obtained from ten different regional locations and sources, seven showed the ability to consistently produce specific extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) on rich as well as synthetic but nonspecific media which did not contain glutamic acid. The isolates were identified as either Bacillus licheniformis or Bacillus subtilis. The EPS from all isolates was resistant to alpha protease, proteinase K, and was thus of high molecular weight. Further it was detected after SDS-PAGE by methylene blue but not by coomassie blue R staining as in case of proteins with high proportion of acidic amino acids. Cell-free EPS, after acid hydrolysis, showed absence of carbohydrates and presence of only glutamic acid. Thus the native the EPS from all seven isolates was confirmed to be gamma polyglutamic acid (PGA) and not exopolysaccharide. The Bacillus isolate T which produced maximum polymer on all media tested had higher amylase: protease activity as compared to other strains. If inoculum was developed in rich medium as compared to synthetic medium, the PGA produced increased by twofold in the subsequent synthetic production medium. Similarly, use of inoculum consisting of young and vegetative cells also increased the PGA production by twofold though amount of inoculum did not affect yield of PGA. Though PGA was produced in even in the absence of glutamic acid supplementation in the production medium by all isolates, the yield of PGA increased by fourfold in the presence glutamic acid and the maximum yield was 30 g/l for isolate K. The supplementation of glutamine instead of glutamic acid into the medium caused an increase in the viscosity of the non-Newtonian solution of PGA. PMID:27379328

Use of Nonspecific, Glutamic Acid-Free, Media and High Glycerol or High Amylase as Inducing Parameters for Screening Bacillus Isolates Having High Yield of Polyglutamic Acid.

PubMed

Baxi, Nandita N

2014-01-01

Out of fifty-five Bacillus isolates obtained from ten different regional locations and sources, seven showed the ability to consistently produce specific extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) on rich as well as synthetic but nonspecific media which did not contain glutamic acid. The isolates were identified as either Bacillus licheniformis or Bacillus subtilis. The EPS from all isolates was resistant to alpha protease, proteinase K, and was thus of high molecular weight. Further it was detected after SDS-PAGE by methylene blue but not by coomassie blue R staining as in case of proteins with high proportion of acidic amino acids. Cell-free EPS, after acid hydrolysis, showed absence of carbohydrates and presence of only glutamic acid. Thus the native the EPS from all seven isolates was confirmed to be gamma polyglutamic acid (PGA) and not exopolysaccharide. The Bacillus isolate T which produced maximum polymer on all media tested had higher amylase: protease activity as compared to other strains. If inoculum was developed in rich medium as compared to synthetic medium, the PGA produced increased by twofold in the subsequent synthetic production medium. Similarly, use of inoculum consisting of young and vegetative cells also increased the PGA production by twofold though amount of inoculum did not affect yield of PGA. Though PGA was produced in even in the absence of glutamic acid supplementation in the production medium by all isolates, the yield of PGA increased by fourfold in the presence glutamic acid and the maximum yield was 30 g/l for isolate K. The supplementation of glutamine instead of glutamic acid into the medium caused an increase in the viscosity of the non-Newtonian solution of PGA.

Annual Corn Yield Estimation through Multi-temporal MODIS Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shao, Y.; Zheng, B.; Campbell, J. B.

2013-12-01

This research employed 13 years of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) to estimate annual corn yield for the Midwest of the United States. The overall objective of this study was to examine if annual corn yield could be accurately predicted using MODIS time-series NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) and ancillary data such monthly precipitation and temperature. MODIS-NDVI 16-Day composite images were acquired from the USGS EROS Data Center for calendar years 2000 to 2012. For the same time-period, county level corn yield statistics were obtained from the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). The monthly precipitation and temperature measures were derived from Precipitation-Elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model (PRISM) climate data. A cropland mask was derived using 2006 National Land Cover Database. For each county and within the cropland mask, the MODIS-NDVI time-series data and PRISM climate data were spatially averaged, at their respective time steps. We developed a random forest predictive model with the MODIS-NDVI and climate data as predictors and corn yield as response. To assess the model accuracy, we used twelve years of data as training and the remaining year as hold-out testing set. The training and testing procedures were repeated 13 times. The R2 ranged from 0.72 to 0.83 for testing years. It was also found that the inclusion of climate data did not improve the model predictive performance. MODIS-NDVI time-series data alone might provide sufficient information for county level corn yield prediction.

Identifying seedling root architectural traits associated with yield and yield components in wheat.

PubMed

Xie, Quan; Fernando, Kurukulasuriya M C; Mayes, Sean; Sparkes, Debbie L

2017-05-01

Plant roots growing underground are critical for soil resource acquisition, anchorage and plant-environment interactions. In wheat ( Triticum aestivum ), however, the target root traits to improve yield potential still remain largely unknown. This study aimed to identify traits of seedling root system architecture (RSA) associated with yield and yield components in 226 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a cross between the bread wheat Triticum aestivum 'Forno' (small, wide root system) and spelt Triticum spelta 'Oberkulmer' (large, narrow root system). A 'pouch and wick' high-throughput phenotyping pipeline was used to determine the RSA traits of 13-day-old RIL seedlings. Two field experiments and one glasshouse experiment were carried out to investigate the yield, yield components and phenology, followed by identification of quantitative trait loci (QTLs). There was substantial variation in RSA traits between genotypes. Seminal root number and total root length were both positively associated with grains m -2 , grains per spike, above-ground biomass m -2 and grain yield. More seminal roots and longer total root length were also associated with delayed maturity and extended grain filling, likely to be a consequence of more grains being defined before anthesis. Additionally, the maximum width of the root system displayed positive relationships with spikes m -2 , grains m -2 and grain yield. Ten RILs selected for the longest total roots exhibited the same effects on yield and phenology as described above, compared with the ten lines with the shortest total roots. Genetic analysis revealed 38 QTLs for the RSA, and QTL coincidence between the root and yield traits was frequently observed, indicating tightly linked genes or pleiotropy, which concurs with the results of phenotypic correlation analysis. Based on the results from the Forno × Oberkulmer population, it is proposed that vigorous early root growth, particularly more seminal roots and longer total

Directional RNA-seq reveals highly complex condition-dependent transcriptomes in E. coli K12 through accurate full-length transcripts assembling

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Although prokaryotic gene transcription has been studied over decades, many aspects of the process remain poorly understood. Particularly, recent studies have revealed that transcriptomes in many prokaryotes are far more complex than previously thought. Genes in an operon are often alternatively and dynamically transcribed under different conditions, and a large portion of genes and intergenic regions have antisense RNA (asRNA) and non-coding RNA (ncRNA) transcripts, respectively. Ironically, similar studies have not been conducted in the model bacterium E coli K12, thus it is unknown whether or not the bacterium possesses similar complex transcriptomes. Furthermore, although RNA-seq becomes the major method for analyzing the complexity of prokaryotic transcriptome, it is still a challenging task to accurately assemble full length transcripts using short RNA-seq reads. Results To fill these gaps, we have profiled the transcriptomes of E. coli K12 under different culture conditions and growth phases using a highly specific directional RNA-seq technique that can capture various types of transcripts in the bacterial cells, combined with a highly accurate and robust algorithm and tool TruHMM (http://bioinfolab.uncc.edu/TruHmm_package/) for assembling full length transcripts. We found that 46.9 ~ 63.4% of expressed operons were utilized in their putative alternative forms, 72.23 ~ 89.54% genes had putative asRNA transcripts and 51.37 ~ 72.74% intergenic regions had putative ncRNA transcripts under different culture conditions and growth phases. Conclusions As has been demonstrated in many other prokaryotes, E. coli K12 also has a highly complex and dynamic transcriptomes under different culture conditions and growth phases. Such complex and dynamic transcriptomes might play important roles in the physiology of the bacterium. TruHMM is a highly accurate and robust algorithm for assembling full-length transcripts in prokaryotes using directional RNA

Fission yield measurements at IGISOL

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lantz, M.; Al-Adili, A.; Gorelov, D.; Jokinen, A.; Kolhinen, V. S.; Mattera, A.; Moore, I.; Penttilä, H.; Pomp, S.; Prokofiev, A. V.; Rakopoulos, V.; Rinta-Antila, S.; Simutkin, V.; Solders, A.

2016-06-01

The fission product yields are an important characteristic of the fission process. In fundamental physics, knowledge of the yield distributions is needed to better understand the fission process. For nuclear energy applications good knowledge of neutroninduced fission-product yields is important for the safe and efficient operation of nuclear power plants. With the Ion Guide Isotope Separator On-Line (IGISOL) technique, products of nuclear reactions are stopped in a buffer gas and then extracted and separated by mass. Thanks to the high resolving power of the JYFLTRAP Penning trap, at University of Jyväskylä, fission products can be isobarically separated, making it possible to measure relative independent fission yields. In some cases it is even possible to resolve isomeric states from the ground state, permitting measurements of isomeric yield ratios. So far the reactions U(p,f) and Th(p,f) have been studied using the IGISOL-JYFLTRAP facility. Recently, a neutron converter target has been developed utilizing the Be(p,xn) reaction. We here present the IGISOL-technique for fission yield measurements and some of the results from the measurements on proton induced fission. We also present the development of the neutron converter target, the characterization of the neutron field and the first tests with neutron-induced fission.

High transpiration efficiency increases pod yield under intermittent drought in dry and hot atmospheric conditions but less so under wetter and cooler conditions in groundnut (Arachis hypogaea (L.)).

PubMed

Vadez, Vincent; Ratnakumar, Pasala

2016-07-01

Water limitation is a major yield limiting factor in groundnut and transpiration efficiency (TE) is considered the main target for improvement, but TE being difficult to measure it has mostly been screened with surrogates. The paper re-explore the contribution of TE to grain yield in peanut by using a novel experimental approach in which TE is measured gravimetrically throughout the crop life cycle, in addition to measurement of TE surrogates. Experimentation was carried out with the groundnut reference collection (n = 288), across seasons varying for the evaporative demand (vapor pressure deficit, VPD) and across both fully irrigated and intermittent water stress conditions. There was large genotypic variation for TE under water stress in both low and high VPD season but the range was larger (5-fold) in the high- than in the low-VPD season (2-fold). Under water stress in both seasons, yield was closely related to the harvest index (HI) while TE related directly to yield only in the high VPD season. After discounting the direct HI effect on yield, TE explained a large portion of the remaining yield variations in both seasons, although marginally in the low VPD season. By contrast, the total water extracted from the soil profile, which varied between genotypes, did not relate directly to pod yield and neither to the yield residuals unexplained by HI. Surrogates for TE (specific leaf area, SLA, and SPAD chlorophyll meter readings, SCMR) never showed any significant correlation to TE measurements. Therefore, TE is an important factor explaining yield differences in groundnut under high VPD environments, suggesting that stomatal regulation under high VPD, rather than high photosynthetic rate as proposed earlier, may have a key role to play in the large TE differences found, which open new opportunities to breed improved groundnut for high VPD.

Accurate documentation in cultural heritage by merging TLS and high-resolution photogrammetric data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grussenmeyer, Pierre; Alby, Emmanuel; Assali, Pierre; Poitevin, Valentin; Hullo, Jean-François; Smigiel, Eddie

2011-07-01

Several recording techniques are used together in Cultural Heritage Documentation projects. The main purpose of the documentation and conservation works is usually to generate geometric and photorealistic 3D models for both accurate reconstruction and visualization purposes. The recording approach discussed in this paper is based on the combination of photogrammetric dense matching and Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) techniques. Both techniques have pros and cons, and criteria as geometry, texture, accuracy, resolution, recording and processing time are often compared. TLS techniques (time of flight or phase shift systems) are often used for the recording of large and complex objects or sites. Point cloud generation from images by dense stereo or multi-image matching can be used as an alternative or a complementary method to TLS. Compared to TLS, the photogrammetric solution is a low cost one as the acquisition system is limited to a digital camera and a few accessories only. Indeed, the stereo matching process offers a cheap, flexible and accurate solution to get 3D point clouds and textured models. The calibration of the camera allows the processing of distortion free images, accurate orientation of the images, and matching at the subpixel level. The main advantage of this photogrammetric methodology is to get at the same time a point cloud (the resolution depends on the size of the pixel on the object), and therefore an accurate meshed object with its texture. After the matching and processing steps, we can use the resulting data in much the same way as a TLS point cloud, but with really better raster information for textures. The paper will address the automation of recording and processing steps, the assessment of the results, and the deliverables (e.g. PDF-3D files). Visualization aspects of the final 3D models are presented. Two case studies with merged photogrammetric and TLS data are finally presented: - The Gallo-roman Theatre of Mandeure, France); - The

Accurate predictions of iron redox state in silicate glasses: A multivariate approach using X-ray absorption spectroscopy

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

Dyar, M. Darby; McCanta, Molly; Breves, Elly

2016-03-01

Pre-edge features in the K absorption edge of X-ray absorption spectra are commonly used to predict Fe 3+ valence state in silicate glasses. However, this study shows that using the entire spectral region from the pre-edge into the extended X-ray absorption fine-structure region provides more accurate results when combined with multivariate analysis techniques. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (lasso) regression technique yields %Fe 3+ values that are accurate to ±3.6% absolute when the full spectral region is employed. This method can be used across a broad range of glass compositions, is easily automated, and is demonstrated to yieldmore » accurate results from different synchrotrons. It will enable future studies involving X-ray mapping of redox gradients on standard thin sections at 1 × 1 μm pixel sizes.« less

High-Reproducibility and High-Accuracy Method for Automated Topic Classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lancichinetti, Andrea; Sirer, M. Irmak; Wang, Jane X.; Acuna, Daniel; Körding, Konrad; Amaral, Luís A. Nunes

2015-01-01

Much of human knowledge sits in large databases of unstructured text. Leveraging this knowledge requires algorithms that extract and record metadata on unstructured text documents. Assigning topics to documents will enable intelligent searching, statistical characterization, and meaningful classification. Latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) is the state of the art in topic modeling. Here, we perform a systematic theoretical and numerical analysis that demonstrates that current optimization techniques for LDA often yield results that are not accurate in inferring the most suitable model parameters. Adapting approaches from community detection in networks, we propose a new algorithm that displays high reproducibility and high accuracy and also has high computational efficiency. We apply it to a large set of documents in the English Wikipedia and reveal its hierarchical structure.

Glycerol etherification with TBA: high yield to poly-ethers using a membrane assisted batch reactor.

PubMed

Cannilla, Catia; Bonura, Giuseppe; Frusteri, Leone; Frusteri, Francesco

2014-05-20

In this work, a novel approach to obtain high yield to poly-tert-butylglycerolethers by glycerol etherification reaction with tert-butyl alcohol (TBA) is proposed. The limit of this reaction is the production of poly-ethers, which inhibits the formation of poly-ethers potentially usable in the blend with conventional diesel for transportation. The results herein reported demonstrate that the use of a water permselective membrane offers the possibility to shift the equilibrium toward the formation of poly-ethers since the water formed during reaction is continuously and selectively removed from the reaction medium by the recirculation of the gas phase. Using a proper catalyst and optimizing the reaction conditions, in a single experiment, a total glycerol conversion can be reached with a yield to poly-ethers close to 70%, which represents data never before reached using TBA as reactant. The approach here proposed could open up new opportunities for all catalytic reactions affected by water formation.

Yields in high density, short rotation intensive culture (SRIC)—plantations of Eucalyptus and Other Hardwood Species

Treesearch

R.M. Sachs; C.B. Low

1983-01-01

Initial high density (17,200 trees ha-1, 6961 trees a-1) plantations of Eucalyptus grandis yielded up to 22 oven dry tons (ODT) ha-l yr-I (10 ta-1 yr-1) on an approximate 6 month rotation. Border effects could not be eliminated from the small sized plots used...

Yield gaps and yield relationships in US soybean production systems

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The magnitude of yield gaps (YG) (potential yield – farmer yield) provides some indication of the prospects for increasing crop yield to meet the food demands of future populations. Quantile regression analysis was applied to county soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] yields (1971 – 2011) from Kentuc...

Accurate analysis of parabens in human urine using isotope-dilution ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Zhou, Hui-Ting; Chen, Hsin-Chang; Ding, Wang-Hsien

2018-02-20

An analytical method that utilizes isotope-dilution ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled with hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF-MS or called UHPLC-HRMS) was developed, and validated to be highly precise and accurate for the detection of nine parabens (methyl-, ethyl-, propyl-, isopropyl-, butyl-, isobutyl-, pentyl-, hexyl-, and benzyl-parabens) in human urine samples. After sample preparation by ultrasound-assisted emulsification microextraction (USAEME), the extract was directly injected into UHPLC-HRMS. By using negative electrospray ionization in the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode and measuring the peak area ratios of both the natural and the labeled-analogues in the samples and calibration standards, the target analytes could be accurately identified and quantified. Another use for the labeled-analogues was to correct for systematic errors associated with the analysis, such as the matrix effect and other variations. The limits of quantitation (LOQs) were ranging from 0.3 to 0.6 ng/mL. High precisions for both repeatability and reproducibility were obtained ranging from 1 to 8%. High trueness (mean extraction recovery, or called accuracy) ranged from 93 to 107% on two concentration levels. According to preliminary results, the total concentrations of four most detected parabens (methyl-, ethyl-, propyl- and butyl-) ranged from 0.5 to 79.1 ng/mL in male urine samples, and from 17 to 237 ng/mL in female urine samples. Interestingly, two infrequently detected pentyl- and hexyl-parabens were found in one of the male samples in this study. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Expression of the Nitrate Transporter Gene OsNRT1.1A/OsNPF6.3 Confers High Yield and Early Maturation in Rice[OPEN

PubMed Central

Wang, Wei; Hu, Bin; Liu, Yongqiang; Che, Ronghui; Hu, Yingchun; Zhang, Zhihua; Wang, Hongru; Li, Hua; Jiang, Zhimin; Zhang, Zhengli; Gao, Xiaokai; Qiu, Yahong; Meng, Xiangbing; Liu, Yongxin; Bai, Yang; Liang, Yan; Wang, Yiqin; Zhang, Lianhe; Li, Legong; Sodmergen; Jing, Haichun

2018-01-01

Nitrogen (N) is a major driving force for crop yield improvement, but application of high levels of N delays flowering, prolonging maturation and thus increasing the risk of yield losses. Therefore, traits that enable utilization of high levels of N without delaying maturation will be highly desirable for crop breeding. Here, we show that OsNRT1.1A (OsNPF6.3), a member of the rice (Oryza sativa) nitrate transporter 1/peptide transporter family, is involved in regulating N utilization and flowering, providing a target to produce high yield and early maturation simultaneously. OsNRT.1A has functionally diverged from previously reported NRT1.1 genes in plants and functions in upregulating the expression of N utilization-related genes not only for nitrate but also for ammonium, as well as flowering-related genes. Relative to the wild type, osnrt1.1a mutants exhibited reduced N utilization and late flowering. By contrast, overexpression of OsNRT1.1A in rice greatly improved N utilization and grain yield, and maturation time was also significantly shortened. These effects were further confirmed in different rice backgrounds and also in Arabidopsis thaliana. Our study paves a path for the use of a single gene to dramatically increase yield and shorten maturation time for crops, outcomes that promise to substantially increase world food security. PMID:29475937

Genome-Wide Identification of Differentially Expressed Genes Associated with the High Yielding of Oleoresin in Secondary Xylem of Masson Pine (Pinus massoniana Lamb) by Transcriptomic Analysis

PubMed Central

Liu, Qinghua; Zhou, Zhichun; Wei, Yongcheng; Shen, Danyu; Feng, Zhongping; Hong, Shanping

2015-01-01

Masson pine is an important timber and resource for oleoresin in South China. Increasing yield of oleoresin in stems can raise economic benefits and enhance the resistance to bark beetles. However, the genetic mechanisms for regulating the yield of oleoresin were still unknown. Here, high-throughput sequencing technology was used to investigate the transcriptome and compare the gene expression profiles of high and low oleoresin-yielding genotypes. A total of 40,690,540 reads were obtained and assembled into 137,499 transcripts from the secondary xylem tissues. We identified 84,842 candidate unigenes based on sequence annotation using various databases and 96 unigenes were candidates for terpenoid backbone biosynthesis in pine. By comparing the expression profiles of high and low oleoresin-yielding genotypes, 649 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. GO enrichment analysis of DEGs revealed that multiple pathways were related to high yield of oleoresin. Nine candidate genes were validated by QPCR analysis. Among them, the candidate genes encoding geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase (GGPS) and (-)-alpha/beta-pinene synthase were up-regulated in the high oleoresin-yielding genotype, while tricyclene synthase revealed lower expression level, which was in good agreement with the GC/MS result. In addition, DEG encoding ABC transporters, pathogenesis-related proteins (PR5 and PR9), phosphomethylpyrimidine synthase, non-specific lipid-transfer protein-like protein and ethylene responsive transcription factors (ERFs) were also confirmed to be critical for the biosynthesis of oleoresin. The next-generation sequencing strategy used in this study has proven to be a powerful means for analyzing transcriptome variation related to the yield of oleoresin in masson pine. The candidate genes encoding GGPS, (-)-alpha/beta-pinene, tricyclene synthase, ABC transporters, non-specific lipid-transfer protein-like protein, phosphomethylpyrimidine synthase, ERFs and pathogen

Optimization of the structural characteristics of CaO and its effective stabilization yield high-capacity CO2 sorbents.

PubMed

Naeem, Muhammad Awais; Armutlulu, Andac; Imtiaz, Qasim; Donat, Felix; Schäublin, Robin; Kierzkowska, Agnieszka; Müller, Christoph R

2018-06-19

Calcium looping, a CO 2 capture technique, may offer a mid-term if not near-term solution to mitigate climate change, triggered by the yet increasing anthropogenic CO 2 emissions. A key requirement for the economic operation of calcium looping is the availability of highly effective CaO-based CO 2 sorbents. Here we report a facile synthesis route that yields hollow, MgO-stabilized, CaO microspheres featuring highly porous multishelled morphologies. As a thermal stabilizer, MgO minimized the sintering-induced decay of the sorbents' CO 2 capacity and ensured a stable CO 2 uptake over multiple operation cycles. Detailed electron microscopy-based analyses confirm a compositional homogeneity which is identified, together with the characteristics of its porous structure, as an essential feature to yield a high-performance sorbent. After 30 cycles of repeated CO 2 capture and sorbent regeneration, the best performing material requires as little as 11 wt.% MgO for structural stabilization and exceeds the CO 2 uptake of the limestone-derived reference material by ~500%.

Dehydrogenation of n-Alkanes by Solid-Phase Molecular Pincer-Iridium Catalysts. High Yields of α-Olefin Product.

PubMed

Kumar, Akshai; Zhou, Tian; Emge, Thomas J; Mironov, Oleg; Saxton, Robert J; Krogh-Jespersen, Karsten; Goldman, Alan S

2015-08-12

We report the transfer-dehydrogenation of gas-phase alkanes catalyzed by solid-phase, molecular, pincer-ligated iridium catalysts, using ethylene or propene as hydrogen acceptor. Iridium complexes of sterically unhindered pincer ligands such as (iPr4)PCP, in the solid phase, are found to give extremely high rates and turnover numbers for n-alkane dehydrogenation, and yields of terminal dehydrogenation product (α-olefin) that are much higher than those previously reported for solution-phase experiments. These results are explained by mechanistic studies and DFT calculations which jointly lead to the conclusion that olefin isomerization, which limits yields of α-olefin from pincer-Ir catalyzed alkane dehydrogenation, proceeds via two mechanistically distinct pathways in the case of ((iPr4)PCP)Ir. The more conventional pathway involves 2,1-insertion of the α-olefin into an Ir-H bond of ((iPr4)PCP)IrH2, followed by 3,2-β-H elimination. The use of ethylene as hydrogen acceptor, or high pressures of propene, precludes this pathway by rapid hydrogenation of these small olefins by the dihydride. The second isomerization pathway proceeds via α-olefin C-H addition to (pincer)Ir to give an allyl intermediate as was previously reported for ((tBu4)PCP)Ir. The improved understanding of the factors controlling rates and selectivity has led to solution-phase systems that afford improved yields of α-olefin, and provides a framework required for the future development of more active and selective catalytic systems.

[Contrast of Z-Pinch X-Ray Yield Measure Technique].

PubMed

Li, Mo; Wang, Liang-ping; Sheng, Liang; Lu, Yi

2015-03-01

Resistive bolometer and scintillant detection system are two mainly Z-pinch X-ray yield measure techniques which are based on different diagnostic principles. Contrasting the results from two methods can help with increasing precision of X-ray yield measurement. Experiments with different load material and shape were carried out on the "QiangGuang-I" facility. For Al wire arrays, X-ray yields measured by the two techniques were largely consistent. However, for insulating coating W wire arrays, X-ray yields taken from bolometer changed with load parameters while data from scintillant detection system hardly changed. Simulation and analysis draw conclusions as follows: (1) Scintillant detection system is much more sensitive to X-ray photons with low energy and its spectral response is wider than the resistive bolometer. Thus, results from the former method are always larger than the latter. (2) The responses of the two systems are both flat to Al plasma radiation. Thus, their results are consistent for Al wire array loads. (3) Radiation form planar W wire arrays is mainly composed of sub-keV soft X-ray. X-ray yields measured by the bolometer is supposed to be accurate because of the nickel foil can absorb almost all the soft X-ray. (4) By contrast, using planar W wire arrays, data from scintillant detection system hardly change with load parameters. A possible explanation is that while the distance between wires increases, plasma temperature at stagnation reduces and spectra moves toward the soft X-ray region. Scintillator is much more sensitive to the soft X-ray below 200 eV. Thus, although the total X-ray yield reduces with large diameter load, signal from the scintillant detection system is almost the same. (5) Both Techniques affected by electron beams produced by the loads.

Prediction of County-Level Corn Yields Using an Energy-Crop Growth Index.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andresen, Jeffrey A.; Dale, Robert F.; Fletcher, Jerald J.; Preckel, Paul V.

1989-01-01

Weather conditions significantly affect corn yields. while weather remains as the major uncontrolled variable in crop production, an understanding of the influence of weather on yields can aid in early and accurate assessment of the impact of weather and climate on crop yields and allow for timely agricultural extension advisories to help reduce farm management costs and improve marketing, decisions. Based on data for four representative countries in Indiana from 1960 to 1984 (excluding 1970 because of the disastrous southern corn leaf blight), a model was developed to estimate corn (Zea mays L.) yields as a function of several composite soil-crop-weather variables and a technology-trend marker, applied nitrogen fertilizer (N). The model was tested by predicting corn yields for 15 other counties. A daily energy-crop growth (ECG) variable in which different weights were used for the three crop-weather variables which make up the daily ECG-solar radiation intercepted by the canopy, a temperature function, and the ratio of actual to potential evapotranspiration-performed better than when the ECG components were weighted equally. The summation of the weighted daily ECG over a relatively short period (36 days spanning silk) was found to provide the best index for predicting county average corn yield. Numerical estimation results indicate that the ratio of actual to potential evapotranspiration (ET/PET) is much more important than the other two ECG factors in estimating county average corn yield in Indiana.

High yield production of long branched Au nanoparticles characterized by atomic resolution transmission electron microscopy

PubMed Central

Mayoral, Alvaro; Magen, Cesar; Jose-Yacaman, Miguel

2011-01-01

Long multi-branched gold nanoparticles have been synthesized in a very high yield through a facile synthesis combining two different capping agents. The stability of these materials with the time has been tested and their characterization have been performed by diverse advanced electron microscopy techniques, paying special attention to aberration corrected transmission electron microscopy in order to unambiguously analyze the surface structure of the branches and provide insights for the formation of stellated gold nanoparticles. PMID:22125420

Numerical algorithm comparison for the accurate and efficient computation of high-incidence vortical flow

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chaderjian, Neal M.

1991-01-01

Computations from two Navier-Stokes codes, NSS and F3D, are presented for a tangent-ogive-cylinder body at high angle of attack. Features of this steady flow include a pair of primary vortices on the leeward side of the body as well as secondary vortices. The topological and physical plausibility of this vortical structure is discussed. The accuracy of these codes are assessed by comparison of the numerical solutions with experimental data. The effects of turbulence model, numerical dissipation, and grid refinement are presented. The overall efficiency of these codes are also assessed by examining their convergence rates, computational time per time step, and maximum allowable time step for time-accurate computations. Overall, the numerical results from both codes compared equally well with experimental data, however, the NSS code was found to be significantly more efficient than the F3D code.

Integration of ARTP mutagenesis with biosensor-mediated high-throughput screening to improve L-serine yield in Corynebacterium glutamicum.

PubMed

Zhang, Xin; Zhang, Xiaomei; Xu, Guoqiang; Zhang, Xiaojuan; Shi, Jinsong; Xu, Zhenghong

2018-05-03

L-Serine is widely used in the pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetics industries. Although direct fermentative production of L-serine from sugar in Corynebacterium glutamicum has been achieved, the L-serine yield remains relatively low. In this study, atmospheric and room temperature plasma (ARTP) mutagenesis was used to improve the L-serine yield based on engineered C. glutamicum ΔSSAAI strain. Subsequently, we developed a novel high-throughput screening method using a biosensor constructed based on NCgl0581, a transcriptional factor specifically responsive to L-serine, so that L-serine concentration within single cell of C. glutamicum can be monitored via fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). Novel L-serine-producing mutants were isolated from a large library of mutagenized cells. The mutant strain A36-pDser was screened from 1.2 × 10 5 cells, and the magnesium ion concentration in the medium was optimized specifically for this mutant. C. glutamicum A36-pDser accumulated 34.78 g/L L-serine with a yield of 0.35 g/g sucrose, which were 35.9 and 66.7% higher than those of the parent C. glutamicum ΔSSAAI-pDser strain, respectively. The L-serine yield achieved in this mutant was the highest of all reported L-serine-producing strains of C. glutamicum. Moreover, the whole-genome sequencing identified 11 non-synonymous mutations of genes associated with metabolic and transport pathways, which might be responsible for the higher L-serine production and better cell growth in C. glutamicum A36-pDser. This study explored an effective mutagenesis strategy and reported a novel high-throughput screening method for the development of L-serine-producing strains.

Spatial Sampling of Weather Data for Regional Crop Yield Simulations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Van Bussel, Lenny G. J.; Ewert, Frank; Zhao, Gang; Hoffmann, Holger; Enders, Andreas; Wallach, Daniel; Asseng, Senthold; Baigorria, Guillermo A.; Basso, Bruno; Biernath, Christian;