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Scale Experiments (scale + experiment)
Selected AbstractsExperimental validation of the wavefield transform of electromagnetic fieldsGEOPHYSICAL PROSPECTING, Issue 5 2002Kaushik Das The wavefield transform is a mathematical technique for transforming low-frequency electromagnetic (EM) signals to a non-diffusive wave domain. The ray approximation is valid in the transform space and this makes traveltime tomography for 3D mapping of the electrical conductivity distribution in the subsurface possible. The transform, however, imposes stringent frequency bandwidth and signal-to-noise ratio requirements on the data. Here we discuss a laboratory scale experiment designed to collect transform quality EM data, and to demonstrate the practical feasibility of transforming these data to the wavefield domain. We have used the scalable nature of EM fields to design a time-domain experiment using graphite blocks to simulate realistic field conditions while leaving the time scale undisturbed. The spatial dimensions have been scaled down by a factor of a thousand by scaling conductivity up by a factor of a million. The graphite blocks have two holes drilled into them to carry out cross-well and borehole-to-surface experiments. Steel sheets have been inserted between the blocks to simulate a conductive layer. Our experiments show that accurate EM data can be recorded on a laboratory scale model even when the scaling of some features, such as drill-hole diameters, is not maintained. More importantly, the time-domain EM data recorded in cross-well and surface-to-borehole modes can be usefully and accurately transformed to the wavefield domain. The observed wavefield propagation delay is proportional to the direct distance between the transmitter and receiver in a homogeneous medium. In a layered medium, data accuracy is reduced and, hence, our results are not so conclusive. On the basis of the experimental results we conclude that the wavefield transform could constitute a valid approach to the interpretation of accurate, undistorted time-domain data if further improvement in the transform can be realized. [source] The angiosperm radiation revisited, an ecological explanation for Darwin's ,abominable mystery'ECOLOGY LETTERS, Issue 9 2009Frank Berendse Abstract One of the greatest terrestrial radiations is the diversification of the flowering plants (Angiospermae) in the Cretaceous period. Early angiosperms appear to have been limited to disturbed, aquatic or extremely dry sites, suggesting that they were suppressed in most other places by the gymnosperms that still dominated the plant world. However, fossil evidence suggests that by the end of the Cretaceous the angiosperms had spectacularly taken over the dominant position from the gymnosperms around the globe. Here, we suggest an ecological explanation for their escape from their subordinate position relative to gymnosperms and ferns. We propose that angiosperms due to their higher growth rates profit more rapidly from increased nutrient supply than gymnosperms, whereas at the same time angiosperms promote soil nutrient release by producing litter that is more easily decomposed. This positive feedback may have resulted in a runaway process once angiosperms had reached a certain abundance. Evidence for the possibility of such a critical transition to angiosperm dominance comes from recent work on large scale vegetation shifts, linking long-term field observations, large scale experiments and the use of simulation models. [source] Capacitors with an Equivalent Oxide Thickness of <0.5 nm for Nanoscale Electronic Semiconductor MemoryADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 18 2010Seong Keun Kim Abstract The recent progress in the metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitor technology is reviewed in terms of the materials and processes mostly for dynamic random access memory (DRAM) applications. As TiN/ZrO2 -Al2O3 -ZrO2/TiN (ZAZ) type DRAM capacitors approach their technical limits, there has been renewed interest in the perovskite SrTiO3, which has a dielectric constant of >100, even at a thickness ,10 nm. However, there are many technical challenges to overcome before this type of MIM capacitor can be used in mass-production compatible processes despite the large advancements in atomic layer deposition (ALD) technology over the past decade. In the mean time, rutile structure TiO2 and Al-doped TiO2 films might find space to fill the gap between ZAZ and SrTiO3 MIM capacitors due to their exceptionally high dielectric constant among binary oxides. Achieving a uniform and dense rutile structure is the key technology for the TiO2 -based dielectrics, which depends on having a dense, uniform and smooth RuO2 layer as bottom electrode. Although the Ru (and RuO2) layers grown by ALD using metal-organic precursors are promising, recent technological breakthroughs using the RuO4 precursor made a thin, uniform, and denser Ru and RuO2 layer on a TiN electrode. A minimum equivalent oxide thickness as small as 0.45 nm with a low enough leakage current was confirmed, even in laboratory scale experiments. The bulk dielectric constant of ALD SrTiO3 films, grown at 370 °C, was ,150 even with thicknesses ,15 nm. The recent development of novel group II precursors made it possible to increase the growth rate largely while leaving the electrical properties of the ALD SrTiO3 film intact. This is an important advancement toward the commercial applications of these MIM capacitors to DRAM as well as to other fields, where an extremely high capacitor density and three-dimensional structures are necessary. [source] Full scale experiments for evaluating theoretical fire wall modelsFIRE AND MATERIALS, Issue 6 2004P. Clancy Abstract The aim of the research described in this paper was to provide experimental results for the evaluation of theoretical models for predicting the behaviour and time-to-failure of loadbearing and non-loadbearing wood framed walls in fire. References for thermal and mechanical properties of wood and gypsum board are given to provide comprehensive input for the evaluation of theoretical wall models. The scope of the research involved full-scale uninsulated cavity walls with well-controlled clearly known conditions including initial ambient vertical load capacity for benchmarking the reduction in capacity and stiffness, rotational stiffness of supports, eccentricity of vertical load, elastic moduli of wood and gypsum board in compression, stiffness of slip between gypsum board and studs and end stud effects. The experiments were repeated and they demonstrated that the controls led to high consistency in the results despite the inherent large variability of the mechanical properties of wood. The results include temperature distributions, initial vertical load capacity, load-deflection plots and times-to-failure. The results show that the temperatures in the studs are approximately uniform until all the moisture is vaporized. Thermal properties of wood will not vary significantly for consistent density, moisture content and species of wood. The main structural actions that should be modelled for different loading regimes are deduced. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A Novel Process for the Recovery of Polyphenols from Grape (Vitis vinifera L.) PomaceJOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE, Issue 2 2005Dietmar Kammerer ABSTRACT: A novel process for enzyme-assisted extraction of polyphenols from winery by-products was established on a pilot-plant scale. Optimization of enzymatic hydrolysis of grape skins, that is, selection of pectinolytic and cellulolytic enzymes, enzyme-substrate ratio, and time-temperature regime of enzymatic treatment, was conducted on a laboratory scale. Enzyme activities were monitored by viscosity measurement of resuspended grape pomace and by quantification of oligomeric pectin and cellulose degradation products released from cell wall material. Optimal conditions were obtained with 5000 ppm (based on dry matter) of a pectinolytic and 2500 ppm of a cellulolytic enzyme preparation, respectively, at 50°C, which were also applied in pilot-plant scale experiments. Concomitant determination of individual polyphenolics demonstrated a significantly improved yield for most compounds when compared with experiments without enzyme addition. Recovery rates were comparable to those obtained when grape pomace was extracted using sulfite. Pre-extraction of the pomace with hot water followed by treatment with cell wall degrading enzymes even increased yields of phenolic compounds. Only some quercetin glycosides and malvidin coumaroylglucoside were partly hydrolyzed due to enzyme side activities. This new process may provide a valuable alternative to the application of sulfite, which is considered crucial in food processing. [source] Can parasites synchronise the population fluctuations of sympatric tetraonids? ,examining some minimum conditionsOIKOS, Issue 3 2005Per R. Holmstad Sympatric populations of tetraonid birds tend to fluctuate in synchrony, at least on local scales. If shared parasites among sympatric populations of different tetraonid species are to operate as a local, synchronizing factor for population fluctuations at least two conditions should be met: i) the host species should share the same (or similar) parasite species, and ii) geographical location should contribute significantly more to the variation in the parasite species composition and abundance than differences among host species. We examined these conditions among subpopulations of sympatric willow ptarmigan and rock ptarmigan and found that host species shared a common pool of parasite species, and geographic location was more important than host species in determining parasite abundance across locations. There was no time lag between density oscillations in the two hosts, suggesting a symmetrical pattern of transmission and maintenance of parasites within habitats governed by the density of hosts and the environment. These findings are consistent with the idea that parasites may play a role in generating synchronous density fluctuations, but large scale experiments are needed to verify this hypothesis. [source] Air Current Segregation of Alumina PowderPARTICLE & PARTICLE SYSTEMS CHARACTERIZATION, Issue 2 2007Stefan Zigan Abstract This paper outlines the industrial problem of air current segregation in alumina storage silos which occurs with the handling of the feedstock alumina in aluminium plants and investigates the parameters that affect the severity of the segregation. Bates [1] stated that the feeding rate influences segregation which we can confirm with own experimental findings. Higher powder flow rates tend to reduce air current segregation. Cooper et al. [2] pointed out that the air extraction rate affects the content of fine particles (dust) in the circulating air currents and we confirm his finding. The importance of the effect of different feeding rates on air current segregation was discovered in a two dimensional apparatus. The investigation of the influence of air extraction rate was realised in a cylindrical silo. Both experiments show a strong relationship between the strength of the particle-air flow in the silo and air current segregation. It is found that an increase of the powder feeding rate or the air extraction rate reduces air current segregation in the experimental equipment. The aim of our experiments was to find all significant parameters and to apply dimensional analysis to develop a method which scales the findings from small scale experiments to large industrial alumina silos. Five dimensionless groups were obtained, which is unwieldy. To reduce the number of dimensionless groups, physical properties were lumped into the terminal velocity. This simplified approach gives three dimensionless groups. Experiments in a water model and an air model justify more research using this simplified scaling method. [source] Size and Structure Characterization of Dye Flocs during Coagulation of Reactive Black 5 DyePARTICLE & PARTICLE SYSTEMS CHARACTERIZATION, Issue 2 2006Marta Janeczko Abstract This paper deals with results from laboratory scale experiments with model dye effluents comprising of the commercially used textile diazo dye, CI "Reactive Black 5", coagulated with ZETAG type primary coagulants. Size and structure analysis of flocs in coagulated dye sludge was undertaken in order to evaluate their separation abilities. The particle size distribution was estimated by use of a Galai CIS-100 particle counting system working on a time-of-transition principle, while their fractal dimension was obtained from laser scattering instrument in LALS mode. An image analysis of the flocculated dye-sludge has also been carried out. In parallel to the flocs characterization, the measurement of surface charge density of coagulated dye sludge was performed with the aim of linking surface charge data with the floc characteristics, and on this basis, to outline the predominant mechanism of color removal. It was found that flocs produced at optimal dosage are characterized by large sizes and a high value of fractal dimension, which is manifested in a very good level of color removal by sedimentation. The evident correlation between the surface charge density progression of coagulated dye flocs and color removal, suggests adsorption and charge neutralization as the predominant mechanism of dye destabilization. [source] Protein to carbohydrate ratio in high-energy diets for Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.)AQUACULTURE RESEARCH, Issue 7 2001Marie Hillestad Abstract The effect of dietary protein to carbohydrate ratios (P/CH, weight percentage) of P34/CH21, P39/CH15 and P44/CH10 was studied in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) with respect to growth and feed conversion ratio (FCR) in one medium-scale experiment (Experiment 1) and to slaughter quality in two production scale experiments (Experiments 2A and 2B). The dietary fat was maintained at 290 g kg,1 whereas the protein (fish meal) was exchanged with carbohydrate (wheat). Fish grown from approximately 1 to 4 kg were fed a restricted diet (iso-energetic on gross energy basis) or to satiation. Nitrogen, fat, starch and energy digestibilities were measured in a separate experiment. There were slight tendencies for lower growth (P = 0.06) and for higher FCRs (P = 0.06) in Experiment 1, and a slight tendency for a lower dress-out percentage in Experiments 2A and 2B (P = 0.10 and 0.20 respectively) with decreasing P/CH. The P/CH had no effect on the fat concentration of fillets, flesh colour or sexual maturation. The digestibility of starch decreased from 62.1% to 46.1% and the digestibility of energy from 84.9% to 79.5% when P/CH decreased from P44/CH10 to P34/CH21. Growth per unit digestible protein increased with decreasing P/CH. Feeding to satiation improved the growth but the FCR was higher than it was for restricted feeding. The calculated starch load per kg of fish growth increased with decreasing P/CH, whereas the effluent nitrogen decreased. [source] Tropical rainforest canopies and climate changeAUSTRAL ECOLOGY, Issue 1 2007NIGEL E. STORK Abstract There is less certainty about the impact of climate change on tropical rainforests than on temperate forests because of the comparative lack of background data and because few large scale experiments have been, and are being, carried out in tropical rainforests. Many of the factors critical to the future of tropical rainforests concern canopies, the key processes that take place there, and the roles and interactions of canopy biodiversity. In particular there are almost no data on how forest canopies and processes are changing with increased carbon dioxide levels. The implications of elevated carbon dioxide, climatic stress and related changes in water-use efficiency, nutrient availability and other such changes are discussed particularly with references to Australia's tropical rainforests. [source] Removal of endogenous retrovirus-like particles from CHO-cell derived products using Q sepharose fast flow chromatography,BIOTECHNOLOGY PROGRESS, Issue 4 2009Daniel M. Strauss Abstract Retrovirus-like particles (RVLPs) that are expressed during the production of monoclonal antibodies in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell cultures must be removed during product recovery. Anion exchange chromatography (AEX) performed in product flow-through mode, a common component in the purification of monoclonal antibodies, has been shown to provide robust removal of a related retrovirus model, but it's ability to remove the actual RVLP impurities has not been directly investigated. We have determined the ability of a typical Q sepharose process to remove actual CHO RVLP impurities. Using small scale experiments with three model antibodies, we observe that this AEX process is capable of effectively removing both in-process and spiked RVLPs from different feedstocks containing different mAb products. In addition, we show that this AEX process also achieves a similarly high degree of RVLP removal during large scale manufacturing operations. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2009 [source] Evaluation of Production Parameters with the Vaccinia Virus Expression System Using Microcarrier Attached HeLa CellsBIOTECHNOLOGY PROGRESS, Issue 2 2005Nicole A. Bleckwenn Parameters that affect production of the recombinant reporter protein, EGFP, in the T7 promoter based VOTE vaccinia virus-HeLa cell expression system were examined. Length of infection phase, inducer concentration, and timing of its addition relative to infection were evaluated in 6-well plate monolayer cultures. One hour infection with 1.0 mM IPTG added at the time of infection provided a robust process. For larger scale experiments, anchorage-dependent HeLa cells were grown on 5 g/L Cytodex 3 microcarriers. The change to this dynamic culture environment, with cell-covered microcarriers suspended in culture medium in spinner flasks, suggested a re-examination of the multiplicity of infection (MOI) for this culture type that indicated a need for an increase in the number of virus particles per cell to 5.0, higher than that needed for complete infection in monolayer tissue flask culture. Additionally, dissolved oxygen level and temperature during the protein production phase were evaluated for their effect on EGFP expression in microcarrier spinner flask culture. Both increased dissolved oxygen, based on surface area to volume (SA/V) adjustments, and decreased temperature from 37 to 31 °C showed increases in EGFP production over the course of the production phase. The level of production achieved with this system reached approximately 17 ,g EGFP/106 infected cells. [source] |