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Abstract: The volumetric performance of supercapacitors (SCs), besides the gravimetric performance, is attracting an increasing attention due to the fast development of electric vehicles and smart devices. Here, a unique design of symmetric supercapacitor material is reported with a tight face‐to‐face architecture by applying a high pressure to the delaminated Ti3C2 (d‐Ti3C2) films. The high pressure makes the d‐Ti3C2 films achieve an increased density, high electron conductivity, good wettability, and abundant interconnected mesopore channels to promote ion transport efficiently, that is, more cations can intercalate/deintercalate in the charging–discharging process. As a result, with the increase of the applying pressure, the d‐Ti3C2 film pressured at 40 MPa in 1 m Li2SO4 exhibits an ultrahigh capacitance of over 633 F cm−3, outstanding energy density, and cyclic stability. Especially, the corresponding SC in 1 m 1‐ethyl‐3‐methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate/acetonitrile organic electrolyte shows a high volumetric energy density of 41 Wh L−1, which is the highest value reported for the SCs based on MXene materials in organic electrolytes. The outstanding volumetric electrochemical performance and thermal stability of the SCs based on the ultracompact d‐Ti3C2 film demonstrate their promising potential as forceful power sources for small electronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: A new calorimetric facility for the aerothermal assessment of radiative‐convective heat exchangers in concentrating solar power applications has been developed and is described in this paper. The configuration of volumetric solar receivers enables concentrated sunlight to be absorbed and conducted within their solid volume, from where it is gradually transferred by forced convection to a heat transfer fluid flowing through their structure. Current design trends towards higher thermal conversion efficiencies have led to the use of complex intricate geometries to maximise temperatures deep inside the structure. The work presented aims to aid these objectives by commissioning a new experimental facility for the fully integrated evaluation of such components. The facility is composed of a high‐flux solar simulator that provides 1.2 kW of radiative power, a radiation homogeniser, inlet and outlet collector modules, and a working section that can accommodate volumetric receivers up to 80 mm × 80 mm in aperture. Irradiance levels and flow field nondimensional governing parameters are highly representative of on‐sun experiments at larger scales. Results from experiments with a siliconised silicon carbide monolithic honeycomb are presented, conducted at realistic conditions of incident radiative power per unit mass flow rate to validate its design point operation. Measurements conducted include absorber solid temperature distributions, air inlet and outlet temperatures, pressure drop, incident heat flux, and overall thermal efficiency. The relative influence of different sources of thermal loss is analysed and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Segmentation and volumetric quantification of white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) is essential in assessment and monitoring of the vascular burden in aging and Alzheimer’s disease (AD), especially when considering their effect on cognition. Manually segmenting WMHs in large cohorts is technically unfeasible due to time and accuracy concerns. Automated tools that can detect WMHs robustly and with high accuracy are needed. Here, we present and validate a fully automatic technique for segmentation and volumetric quantification of WMHs in aging and AD. The proposed technique combines intensity and location features frommultiplemagnetic resonance imaging contrasts and manually labeled training data with a linear classifier to perform fast and robust segmentations. It provides both a continuous subject specific WMH map reflecting different levels of tissue damage and binary segmentations. Themethodwas used to detectWMHs in 80 elderly/AD brains (ADC data set) as well as 40 healthy subjects at risk of AD (PREVENT-AD data set). Robustness across different scanners was validated using ten subjects from ADNI2/GO study. Voxel-wise and volumetric agreements were evaluated using Dice similarity index (SI) and intra-class correlation (ICC), yielding \mathrm ICC=0.96 , \mathrm SI= 0.62\pm 0.16 for ADC data set and \mathrm ICC=0.78 , \mathrm SI=0.51\pm 0.15 for PREVENT-AD data set. The proposed method was robust in the independent sample yielding \mathrm SI=0.64\pm 0.17 with \mathrm ICC=0.93 for ADNI2/GO subjects. The proposed method provides fast, accurate, and robust segmentations on previously unseen data from different models of scanners, making it ideal to study WMHs in large scale multi-site studies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The technology of gerotor pumps is progressing towards cutting-edge applications in emerging sectors, which are more demanding for pump performance. Moreover, recent environmental standards are heading towards leakage-free and noiseless hydraulic systems. Hence, in order to respond to these demands, this study, which will be referred to as the GeroMAG concept, aims to make a leap from the standard gerotor pump technology: a sealed, compact, non-shaft-driven gerotor pump with a magnetically-driving outer rotor. The GeroMAG pump is conceived as a variable-flow pump to accomplish a standard volumetric flow rate at low rotational speed with satisfactory volumetric efficiency. By following the authors' methodology based on a catalogue of best-practice rules, a custom trochoidal gear set is designed. Then, two main technological challenges are encountered: how to generate the rotational movement of the driving outer rotor and how to produce the guide of rotation of the gear set once there is no drive shaft. To confront them, a quiet magnet brushless motor powers the driving outer rotor through pole pieces placed in its external sideway and the rotational movement is guided by the inner edgewise pads carved on it. Subsequently, GeroMAG pump architecture, prototype, housing, methodology, materials and manufacture will be presented. As a principal conclusion, the GeroMAG proof of concept and pump prototype are feasible, which is corroborated by experimental results and performance indexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new rotary volumetric pump, called a ‘Sliding-Vane Rotary Pump (SVRP)’, which was applied in the Xinjiang oilfield for its resistance to high temperature in well downhole was introduced in this paper. Compared to a conventional artificial lift pump, the volumetric efficiency and the energy saving are the obvious advantages of this pump. Based on the analysis of SVRP’s internal mechanical structure, the inner pressure distribution model of SVRP was established according to the compressibility of crude oil. Then, the load torque of both sides of the sliding-vane was calculated on the basis of the SVRP chamber pressure distribution model that has been established in the paper, and then the SVRP load torque curve was plotted. The pump load torque curve trend is consistent with the trend of the pressure curve. A conclusion was drawn that the ‘sealed angular difference’ of SVRP should be optimized to reduce the pump leakage and load torque for the reason of chamber pressure difference. The pressure variations of the pump chamber in the entire rotation period were analyzed in order to provide a theoretical pump leakage and pump efficiency analysis premise. It also can be utilized to explain the unbalanced pressure on pump bearing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, Zn(BH4)2, Ni, or Ti were selected as additives to improve the hydriding and dehydriding rates of magnesium. Zn(BH4)2 was prepared by milling ZnCl2 and NaBH4 in a planetary ball mill under an Ar atmosphere. The prepared Zn(BH4)2 sample contained NaCl. 13.6 wt.% MgH2+49.1 wt.% Zn(BH4)2+30.2 wt.% NaCl+7.0 wt.% Ni (named 14MgH2+49Zn(BH4)2+30NaCl+7Ni) and 13.6 wt.% MgH2+49.1 wt.% Zn(BH4)2+30.2 wt.% NaCl+7.0 wt.% Ti (named 14MgH2+49Zn(BH4)2+30NaCl+7Ti) samples were prepared by horizontal ball milling. The gas release properties, especially the metal hydride decomposition temperatures (the onset temperature of the metal hydride decomposition and the maximum rate of released gas quantity change with temperature change), of the prepared samples were investigated using a Sievert's type volumetric apparatus. The quantity of the gas released under 1.0 bar H2 was measured as the temperature was increased and the variation in the rate of released gas quantity Gr change with temperature T change, dGr/dT, as a function of temperature was obtained. This analysis method can be used instead of thermal analysis methods such as thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), and differential thermal analysis (DTA). The investigated properties of the samples were then compared. In the as-milled 14MgH2+49Zn(BH4)2+30NaCl+7Ni, it is believed that Zn(BH4)2 begins to decompose at about 350 K and the rate of Gr change with T change, dGr/dT, reaches its peak at about 390 K, and that MgH2 begins to decompose at about 670 K and dGr/dT reaches its peak at about 698 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of a body slipping down a frictionless hemisphere is very common in physics and engineering textbooks. In this type of problem, students are normally asked to find the angle at which the body flies off the surface. In this work, we have constructed an apparatus to determine the angle at which a ball flies off a circular track, and to study the motion of the ball (rolling and slipping) along the surface. The apparatus is comprised of two parallel rails that form a quarter circle. The angular position and velocity of a steel ball are measured using a moveable arm equipped with a photodetector. Two methods are used to determine the angle the ball loses contact with the track. Both methods provide values in agreement with a model for rolling followed by slipping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In wireless sensor networks (WSNs), a space filling curve (SFC) refers to a path passing through all nodes in the network, with each node visited at least once. By enforcing a linear order of the sensor nodes through an SFC, many applications in WSNs concerning serial operations on both sensor nodes and sensor data can be performed, with examples including serial data fusion and path planning of mobile nodes. Although a few studies have made efforts to find such SFCs in WSNs, they primarily target 2D planar or 3D surface settings and cannot be directly applied to 3D volumetric WSNs due to considerably more complex geometric features and topology shapes that the 3D volumetric settings introduce. This article presents BLOW-UP, a distributed, scalable, and connectivity-based algorithm to construct an SFC for a 3D volumetric WSN (or alternatively to linearize the 3D volumetric network). The main idea of BLOW-UP is to decompose the given 3D volumetric network into a series of connected and closed layers, and the nodes are traversed layer by layer, incrementally from the innermost to the outermost, yielding an SFC covering the entire network, provably at least once and atmost a constant number of times. To the best of our knowledge, BLOW-UP is the first algorithm that realizes linearization in 3D volumetric WSNs. It does not require advance knowledge of location or distance information. It is also scalable with a nearly constant per-node storage cost and message cost. Extensive simulations under various networks demonstrate its effectiveness on nodes' covered times, coverage rate, and covering speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) power systems are nowadays an option for local and domestic cogeneration of heat and electric power. Very interesting are micropower systems for heat recovery from low potential (40–90 °C) waste and renewable heat sources. Designing an ORC system dedicated to heat recovery from such a source is very difficult. Most important problems are connected with the selection of a suitable expander. Volumetric machines, such as scroll and screw expanders, are adopted as turbine alternative in small-power ORC systems. However, these machines are complicated and expensive. Vane expanders on the other hand are simple and cheap. This paper presents a theoretical and experimental analysis of the operation of a micro-ORC rotary vane expander under variable heat source temperature conditions. The main objective of this research was therefore a comprehensive analysis of relation between the vane expander output power and the heat source temperature. A series of experiments was performed using the micropower ORC test-stand. Results of these experiments are presented here, together with a mathematical description of multivane expanders. The analysis presented in this paper indicates that the output power of multivane expanders depend on the heat source temperature, and that multivane expanders are cheap alternatives to other expanders proposed for micropower ORC systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the present study was longitudinal evaluation of the volumetric tumor response and functional results after Gamma Knife radiosurgery of vestibular schwannomas, performed according to the modern standards of treatment. From October 2003 to September 2007, 133 consecutive patients with vestibular schwannomas were treated according to the concept of robotic Gamma Knife microradiosurgery, which is based on precise irradiation of the lesion, sparing adjacent structures, and delivery of the high radiation energy to the target. Multiple small-sized isocenters located within the border of the neoplasm were applied. The mean marginal dose was 11.5 Gy (range, 11-12 Gy). In total, 126 cases with a minimum posttreatment follow-up of 2 years (range, 2-7 years; median, 4 years) were analyzed. Temporary enlargement was noted in 25 % of tumors at 6 months after radiosurgery. At 3 years of follow-up, tumor shrinkage, stabilization, and increase in volume were marked in 73 %, 23 %, and 4 % of cases, respectively. All progressing lesions spontaneously stabilized later on and did not require additional management. In 3 % of patients, transitory impairment of the facial nerve function was marked; however, neither its permanent dysfunction nor trigeminal neuropathy attributed to radiosurgery was noted. Impairment of hearing compared to its pretreatment level was revealed in 4 %, 12 %, 13 %, and 16 % of patients at 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, and 3 years after radiosurgery, respectively, and this trend was statistically significant ( P = 0.0042). Overall, 77 % of patients with serviceable hearing before treatment preserved it 3 years thereafter. In conclusion, modern Gamma Knife radiosurgery provides effective and safe management of vestibular schwannomas. Nevertheless, possible temporary tumor enlargement, delay of its growth arrest, transient dysfunction of the cranial nerves, and gradual deterioration of hearing after irradiation should be always taken into consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The responsible mechanism for the formation of the enhanced-V infrared cloud-top feature observed above tropopause-penetrating thunderstorms is not well understood. A new method for the combination of volumetric radar reflectivity from individual radars into three-dimensional composites with high vertical resolution (1 km) is introduced and used to test various formation mechanisms proposed in the literature. For analysis, a set of 89 enhanced-V storms over the eastern continental United States are identified in the 10-yr period from 2001 to 2010 using geostationary satellite data. The background atmospheric state from each storm is determined using the Interim ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-Interim) and radiosonde observations. In conjunction with the infrared temperature fields, analysis of the radar data in a coordinate relative to the location of the overshooting convective top and in altitudes relative to the tropopause suggests that above-anvil (stratospheric) cirrus clouds are the most likely mechanism for the formation of the enhanced V. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An algorithm for dynamic multileaf-collimator (dMLC) tracking of a target performing a known a priori, rigid-body motion during volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT), has been experimentally validated and applied to investigate the potential of the Agility (Elekta AB, Stockholm, Sweden) multileaf-collimator (MLC) for use in motion-compensated VMAT delivery. For five VMAT patients, dosimetric measurements were performed using the Delta4 radiation detector (ScandiDos, Uppsala, Sweden) and the accuracy of dMLC tracking was evaluated using a gamma-analysis, with threshold levels of 3% for dose and 3 mm for distance-to-agreement. For a motion trajectory with components in two orthogonal directions, the mean gamma-analysis pass rate without trackingwas found to be 58.0%, 59.0% and 60.9% andwas increased to 89.1%, 88.3% and 93.1% with MLC tracking, for time periods of motion of 4 s, 6 s and 10 s respectively. Simulations were performed to compare the efficiency of the Agility MLC with the MLCi MLC when used for motion-compensated VMAT delivery for the same treatment plans and motion trajectories. Delivery time increases from a static-tumour to dMLC-tracking VMAT delivery were observed in the range 0%-20% for the Agility, and 0%-57% with the MLCi, indicating that the increased leaf speed of the Agility MLC is beneficial for MLC tracking during lung radiotherapy [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY Chromium-based metal-organic framework (MOF), MIL-101(Cr), has emerged as a potential hydrogen storage material because of its high specific surface area, tuneable pore size, and unique structure. A large portion of voids generated in MOFs remain unutilized for hydrogen storage owing to weak interactions between the walls of MOFs and H2 molecules. The present study was aimed to reduce the unutilized voids in MIL-101 by incorporating microporous activated carbon (AC) into MIL-101 pores and thereby enhancing its volumetric hydrogen storage capacity. MIL-101 and its AC composites were synthesized under hydrothermal conditions by adding AC in different proportions in situ during the synthesis of MIL-101. The synthesized materials were characterized by various physico-chemical methods such as powder X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), N2-adsorption/desorption isotherms measured at 77.4 K, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). AC@MIL-101/A prepared by the incorporation of 0.63 wt% of AC into MIL-101 shows the highest hydrogen uptake of 10.1 wt% at 77.4 K and up to 6000 kPa hydrogen pressure. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Joint analysis of medical data collected from different imaging modalities has become a common clinical practice. Therefore, image fusion techniques, which provide an efficient way of combining and enhancing information, have drawn increasing attention from the medical community. In this paper, we propose a novel cross-scale fusion rule for multiscale-decomposition-based fusion of volumetric medical images taking into account both intrascale and interscale consistencies. An optimal set of coefficients from the multiscale representations of the source images is determined by effective exploitation of neighborhood information. An efficient color fusion scheme is also proposed. Experiments demonstrate that our fusion rule generates better results than existing rules. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The hydrogen desorption/absorption behaviors of LiAlH4/LiBH4 with a focus on the effects of catalysts, namely TiCl3, TiO2, VCl3, and ZrCl4, were investigated using a thermal-volumetric apparatus. The hydrogen desorption was performed from room temperature to 300 °C with a heating rate of 2 °C min-1. The LiAlH4-LiBH4 mixture with a molar ratio of 2:1 decomposed between 100 and 220 °C, and the hydrogen desorption capacity reached up to 6.6 wt %. Doping 1 mol % of a catalyst to the mixture resulted in the two-step decomposition and a decrease in the hydrogen desorption temperature. All the doped samples provided lower amountz of desorbed hydrogen than that obtained from the undoped one. No hydrogen absorption was observed under 8.5 MPa of hydrogen pressure and 300 °C for 6 h. Despite the fact each of the catalysts may affect the hydrogen storage behaviors of the mixture differently, none resulted in a change in the sample reversibility [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Defects data and design optimization of gating system are a great challenge in casting. Most significant factors contributing to the volumetric changes and defects are pouring temperature, time, filling pattern, gating system, and casting geometry. The optimized design of gating system facilitates the smooth filling of the mold without air entrapment, material flow hindrance. Conventionally, the foundry method includes design calculations, best practices, and the tedious hit-and-trial method to get the optimum design of pattern/mold for defect-free casting. The design iterations and improvements directly affect the development cost and time, and one of the great challenges of the foundry method is to reduce this time and cost. The numerical simulation techniques embedded in casting simulation software are a powerful tool to overcome these challenges. It predicts the factors such as filling pressure, velocity, cooling rate, hot spots, and inside porosity. This article describes the design, simulation, experimental results, and design improvements for the complex geometries in the sand casting process. Impeller is selected as test case. The gating system was initially designed by using the text book mathematical relations and best practices recommendations. To study the predicted results of effected parameters, MAGMASOFT Software was used as a simulation tool. Three design modifications of mold design were studied. The effect of design including location and size of risers, gates on parameters such as filling pattern, pressure and velocity, cooling rate, solidification and defects such as air entrapment, hot spot, and porosity were studied. The predicted results were then compared with experimental data, and an excellent agreement between them was reported. The article highlighted the effectiveness of simulation to reach an optimal design of mold by passing the costly hit-and-trial conventional practice in the foundry industry and shows the effectiveness of simulations in time compression of casting pattern/development. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Two different perturbative approaches have been recently presented for the evaluation of scattering from layered media characterized by rough interfaces: the Boundary Perturbation Theory (BPT) and the Volumetric-Perturbative Reciprocal Theory (VPRT). These two approaches are conceptually different: They employ different strategies to provide closed-form solutions to the scattering problem, and, at first sight, they rely on different basic assumptions, so that different regimes of validity seem to be expected. In spite of that, both approaches lead to the same expression of the first-order scattered field. To solve this (seeming) incongruence, in this paper a careful theoretical analysis of basic assumptions of VPRT is carried out. This requires also considering the procedure to obtain the VPRT solution that, in this paper, is reformulated relying on a more physically sound way. The performed analysis demonstrates that, actually, basic assumptions of VPRT are equivalent to those of BPT, so that their ranges of validity are, consistently, also the same. Thus, the seeming incongruence is solved: The two theoretical constructs can be now regarded in a conceptually coherent frame. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on an observational finding of discrimination criteria between planar and volumetric faults through ultrasonic pulse-echo or phased array method grounded on the ratio of diffracted echoes in welding testing. It presents the confirmation whether the modulation value modeled by the method is consistent with the examinations through fracture mechanics criteria. It also shows if the element condition can be examined applying the applicable criteria for the type of defects.

A laboratory investigation was made of the effects of isotropic unloading on the mechanical behaviour of cemented sandstones, modelling in a simple way the influence of sampling on hydrocarbon reservoir sandstones that have been cemented at depth. Artificial samples of sandstone were created by allowing a cement to hydrate while a sand sample was under a high confining stress in a triaxial apparatus. Comparisons were then made between the behaviour of samples that had been unloaded to zero confining stress with that of samples tested at stress levels around that during cementing. It was found that the isotropic unloading damaged the cement, which had a significant effect on the small-strain and yielding behaviour but not on the strength and large-strain behaviour. Comparisons were also made with tests on natural samples of reservoir and analogue sandstones, and it was found that the artificial sandstone had reproduced the key elements of their behaviour. The intrinsic properties of all of the sandstones tested were found to be similar, although there were significant differences in the peak strengths and gross yielding envelopes. Cement content was found not to be the sole factor that influenced the peak and gross yield envelopes, and significant anisotropy was also revealed in one sandstone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A rapid, reliable radiation-free method of pediatric body venography might complement US by evaluating veins in the abdomen and pelvis and by providing a global depiction of venous anatomy. We describe a MR venography technique utilizing gadofosveset, a blood pool contrast agent, in children. The technique allows high-spatial-resolution imaging of the veins from the diaphragm to the knees in less than 15 min of total exam time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses research on the use of a volumetric velocimetry imaging system to gather information on fish locomotion. The swimming behaviours of four bluegill sunfishes and one cichlid were observed, particle position and displacements were also determined. Dorsal fin wake properties were noted to be highly variable while anal fins produced a consistent jet angle. Volumetric imaging of flow patterns is considered an effective technique for the study of locomotor dynamics.

Purpose: Elekta accelerators controlled by the current clinically used accelerator control system, Desktop 7.01 (D7), uses binned variable dose rate (BVDR) for volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT). The next version of the treatment control system (Integrity™) supports continuously variable dose rate (CVDR) as well as BVDR. Using CVDR opposed to BVDR for VMAT has the potential of reducing the treatment time but may lead to lower dosimetric accuracy due to faster moving accelerator parts. Using D7 and a test version of Integrity, differences in ability to control the accelerator, treatment efficiency, and dosimetric accuracy between the two systems were investigated. Methods: Single parameter tests were designed to expose differences in the way the two systems control the movements of the accelerator. In these tests, either the jaws, multi leaf collimators (MLCs), or gantry moved at constant speed while the dose rate was changed in discrete steps. The positional errors of the moving component and dose rate were recorded using the control systems with a sampling frequency of 4 Hz. The clinical applicability of Integrity was tested using 15 clinically used VMAT plans (5 prostate, 5 H&N, and 5 lung) generated by the SmartArc algorithm in PINNACLE. The treatment time was measured from beam-on to beam-off and the accuracy of the dose delivery was assessed by comparing DELTA4 measurements and PINNACLE calculated doses using gamma evaluation. Results: The single parameter tests showed that Integrity had an improved feedback between gantry motion and dose rate at the slight expense of MLC control compared to D7. The single parameter test did not reveal any significant differences in the control of either jaws or backup jaws between the two systems. These differences in gantry and MLC control together with the use of CVDR gives a smoother Integrity VMAT delivery compared to D7 with less abrupt changes in accelerator motion. Gamma evaluation (2% of 2 Gy and 2 mm) of the calculated doses and DELTA4 measured doses corrected for systematic errors showed an average pass rate of more than 97.8% for both D7, Integrity BVDR, and Integrity CVDR deliveries. Direct comparisons between the measured doses using strict gamma criteria of 0.5% and 0.5 mm showed excellent agreement between D7 and Integrity delivered doses with average pass rates above 95.7%. Finally, the Integrity control system resulted in a significant 35% (55 ± 13 s) reduction in treatment time, on average. Conclusions: Single parameter tests showed that the two control systems differed in their feedback loops between MLC, gantry, and dose rate. These differences made the VMAT deliveries more smooth using the new Integrity treatment control system, compared to the current Desktop 7.01. Together with the use of CVDR, which results in less abrupt changes in dose rate, this further increases the smoothness of the delivery. The use of CVDR for VMAT with the Integrity desktop results in a significant reduction in treatment time compared to BVDR with an average reduction of 35%. This decrease in delivery time was achieved without compromising the dosimetric accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: It is unknown whether the use of volumetric infusion pumps for the transfusion of red blood cells (RBCs) or platelet (PLT) concentrates (PCs) affects the quality of the blood components. We therefore investigated the in vitro quality of these components after use of infusion pumps. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Ten different volumetric infusion pumps were used to simulate transfusion with RBCs and PCs. To prevent donor-dependent differences multiple units were pooled and divided into equal portions. The storage time of RBCs was 30 to 35 days (n = 10 experiments), and for PCs, either 2 (n = 5) or 7 days (n = 5). For RBCs an infusion rate of 100 or 300 mL/hr was used, and for PCs, 600 mL/hr. Transfusions without an infusion pump served as a reference. RESULTS: None of the infusion pumps induced an increase of free hemoglobin, annexin A5 binding, or formation of echinocytes in RBCs compared to reference units. In 2- and 7-day-old PCs no effect was shown on PLT concentration, annexin A5 binding, mean PLT volume, and morphology score compared to the reference. The CD62P expression of 2-day-old PCs was significantly lower after transfusion compared to the reference, that is, 11.7 ± 2.1% versus 8.1 ± 1.3% (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: There was no adverse effect on the in vitro quality of RBCs or PCs after simulated transfusion using volumetric infusion pumps. A decrease in PLT activation was observed, which can probably be explained by capturing of activated or damaged PLTs in the 200-µm filter present in the infusion system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with constructive solutions for an equipment dedicated to ultrasonic aiding of wire electrodischarge machining (WEDM+US). Basic phenomenology is presented emphasising the contribution of ultrasonics within removal mechanism at WEDM. Finite element method is applied to simulate WEDM+US removal process obtaining results in agreement with preliminary experimental data. The use of equipment at volumetric EDM is also presented in a variant of lateral flushing. Costs analysis is accomplished in order to establish the rentability of WEDM+US. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

novel, cheap and easy to use method has been developed to measure low gas yields in bioreactors, based on the principle of bubble counting via digital imaging techniques and pattern recognition. No external hardware control is required for the measurements, and the device can be turned into a multichannel tool without further detector accessories. The method proved to perform outstandingly according to the testing and calibrating measurements against standard gas flow and revealed a short periodicity in the gas yields of two parallel laboratory-scale mesophilic biogas reactors providing well analysable data about them. For exact characterization of the oscillation, the data were converted into Morell wavelet spectra, which showed that every feeding period had a characteristic and similarly shaped wavelet profile, thereby this rhythm must have had an immanent source in the community metabolism, and it was not an artefact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The technical and experimental aspects of creating the conditions of differential dissolution in a flow stoichiographic system are discussed; the scheme of the experimental apparatus, stoichiograph, is presented. The construction, operation conditions of the main units of the stoichiograph, and sample treatment issues are considered. The principles of the creation and optimization of the conditions of the dynamic differential dissolution for the analysis of compounds and materials of the known and unknown phase composition are discussed: the composition of solvents and temperature, and the principles of their variation in time, including those in the processes of stoichiographic titration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Standard compendia dissolution apparatus are the first choice for development of new dissolution methods. Nevertheless, limitations coming from the amount of material available, analytical sensitivity, lack of discrimination or biorelevance may warrant the use of non compendial methods. In this regard, the use of small volume dissolution methods offers strong advantages. The present study aims primarily to evaluate the dissolution performance of various drug products having different release mechanisms, using commercially available small volume USP2 dissolution equipment. The present series of tests indicate that the small volume dissolution is a useful tool for the characterization of immediate release drug product. Depending on the release mechanism, different speed factors are proposed to mimic common one liter vessel performance. In addition, by increasing the discriminating power of the dissolution method, it potentially improves know how about formulations and on typical events which are evaluated during pharmaceutical development such as ageing or scale-up. In this regard, small volume dissolution is a method of choice in case of screening for critical quality attributes of rapidly dissolving tablets, where it is often difficult to detect differences using standard working conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impact of Si/Al ratio on the adsorption capacity and separation selectivity of CO2/CH4 in SAPO-34 has been investigated. SAPO-34 samples were synthesized with two Si/Al ratios (0.2 and 0.3). A batch adsorption volumetric apparatus was used to measure the adsorption equilibrium capacity and derive the equilibrium isotherms. The tests were performed in a wide range of pressure from normal to 3000 kPa and three levels of temperatures from 277 to 298 K. Results proved decreasing Si/Al ratio, from 0.3 to 0.2, improved CO2 separation from CH4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents a volumetric approach to reconstruct and characterise 3D models of external anatomical structures from 2D images. Volumetric methods represent the final volume using a finite set of 3D geometric primitives, usually designed as voxels. Thus, from an image sequence acquired around the object to reconstruct, the images are calibrated and the 3D models of the referred object are built using different approaches of volumetric methods. The final goal is to analyse the accuracy of the obtained models when modifying some of the parameters of the considered volumetric methods, such as the type of voxel projection (rectangular or accurate), the way the consistency of the voxels is tested (only silhouettes or silhouettes and photo-consistency) and the initial size of the reconstructed volume. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  To produce a highly stable wood-based product with increased mechanical properties, phenol formaldehyde (PF) resin impregnation was combined with the viscoelastic thermal compression (VTC) process. Dimensional stability and bending stiffness were evaluated. Two PF resins with weight average molecular weights of 172 and 780 were studied at three different concentrations, 5, 10 and 20%. After 24-h room temperature water soak and 2-h boil, both PF treatments at all concentration levels showed high levels of dimensional stability compared to non-impregnated VTC processed controls. The higher molecular weight PF provided greater stability with an average thickness swell value of 12% compared to 20 and 37% for the lower molecular weight PF resin treatment and control, respectively. High anti-swelling efficiency values were recorded for both low and high molecular weight resins, implying these modifications were effective at reducing the volumetric swelling which occurred in the unmodified control. PF treatments were also extremely effective at reducing irreversible swelling. The low and high molecular weight resin treatments had 1/5th and 1/7th the irreversible swelling than the unmodified VTC processed controls, respectively. All dimensional stability values improved as resin concentrations increased. Both resin types at all concentration levels reduced Young’s modulus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Real-time information on salinity levels and transport of fertilizers are generally missing from soil profile knowledge bases. A dual-frequency multisensor capacitance probe (MCP) is now commercially available, for sandy soils, to simultaneously monitor volumetric soil water content (VWC) measured as a percentage and salinity as a unitless volumetric ion content (VIC). The objectives of this research were to assess the relationship of salinity and water content with these dual-frequency MCPs under laboratory conditions, and assess its potential for field use in sandy soils of the mid-Atlantic region of the US. Water and salinity studies were conducted in two sand-filled PVC columns, 1.2 m long by 0.25 m ID. Each column was instrumented with ten dual-frequency capacitance sensors and two thermocouple temperature sensors. Four salinity levels were studied in the two columns using 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 dSm−1 NH4NO3 solutions. Water, salinity, and temperature readings were continuously recorded at 1-min intervals. The VIC values were found to be primarily qualitative, but combined with real-time VWC measures the probe could still be an important fertigation management tool to provide near-continuous real-time information on fertilizer penetration, spread and subsequent changes during crop growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the thermal conductivity of fly ash concrete. Experiments were conducted to obtain the thermal conductivity of fly ash-cement pastes and mortars. Pastes were prepared to investigate the effect of fly ash, and mortar specimens were prepared for studying the effect of aggregates. It was found from the test that the replacement of cement by fly ash resulted in lower thermal conductivity. Thermal conductivity of mortar was higher than that of the cement paste. A simple parallel model for predicting thermal conductivity of fly ash concrete was proposed as a time-, material- and mix-proportion-dependent function. Thermal conductivity of concrete was computed based on the volumetric fractions and respective thermal conductivity values of each ingredient including the hydrated and pozzolanic products. Thermal conductivity of all ingredients in concrete are obtained from other studies except for the fly ash powder and hydrated products. In this study, thermal conductivity of hydrated product was obtained by the use of regression analysis together with the test results of cement paste, and thermal conductivity of fly ash powder was derived from the test results of cement-fly ash paste. The model was satisfactorily verified with various experimental results for pastes, mortars and concretes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a microfluidic chip that is capable of measuring volume changes in single cells in real-time. Single eukaryotic cells were immobilized in the sensing area and changes in volume in response to hypotonic challenges and drugs were measured using the electrical impedance method. Experiments on MDCK cells showed that the maximum swelling and the time course of swelling vary between individual cells following hypotonic stimulation. The microfluidic chip allows, rapid and convenient change of solutions, enabling detailed studies of various drugs and chemicals that may play important role in cell physiology at the single cell level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of different activation conditions, including activating agent/CNFs ratio, activation temperature, and He flow rate, on the pore structure development of herringbone carbon nanofibers (CNFs) was studied. The best results of activated CNFs with larger specific surface area can be achieved using the following optimized factors: RbOH/CNFs ratio = 4/1, activation temperature = 900°C ,and a He flow rate = 850 ml/min. The optimization of these three factors leads to high CNFs micropore volume, being the surface area increased by a factor of 3 compared to the raw CNFs. It is important to note that only the creation of micropores (ultramicropores principally) took place, and mesopores were not generated if compared with raw CNFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 3D TV applications, the extraction of 3D representations of dynamic scenes from images plays a central role in the preparation of the presented visual content. This paper focuses on the stereo cue to the extraction of these representations and, in particular, on the recently developed family of volumetric approaches to stereo. Two methods are proposed that improve the accuracy of volumetric stereo approaches, which compare backprojections of image regions to establish stereo correspondences. The proposed methods are based on maximizing the utilization of the available image resolution, as well as, equalizing the sampled image area across pairs of image regions that are compared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the development of three-dimensional (3-D) technologies. It cites the adoption of a design that involves a transparent volume in an electromechanical television created by John Logie Baird in which 3-D images could be located. Reachin Technologies has developed a technique for volumetric display that supports haptic interaction. It cites the capabilities of holographic systems in terms of 3D image depiction.

This paper presents the modeling of a new design of a polymeric thermal microactuator with an embedded meander-shaped silicon skeleton. The design has a skeleton embedded in a polymer block. The embedded skeleton improves heat transfer to the polymer and reinforces it. In addition, the skeleton laterally constrains the polymer to direct the volumetric thermal expansion of the polymer in the actuation direction. The complex geometry and multiple-material composition of the actuator make its modeling very involved. In this paper, the main focus is on the development of approximate electrothermal and thermoelastic models to capture the essence of the actuator behavior. The approximate models are validated with a fully coupled multiphysics finite element model and with experimental testing. The approximate models can be useful as an inexpensive tool for subsequent design optimization. Evaluation, using the analytical and numerical models, shows that the polymer actuator with the embedded skeleton outperforms its counterpart without a skeleton, which is in terms of heat transfer and, thus, response time, actuation stress, and planarity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the development of a new flow system by substituting the injection valve of a FIA system with an automatic microburette controlled by a PC via an RS-232 interface to introduce flexibility into the system. Initially, the response of the system was characterized without a chemical reaction by using a reference system (6-port valve) and a modified system (automatic microburette). The response vs. flow rate and injected volume were studied. The statistic analysis and comparison of the dispersion coefficients obtained for both systems showed no significant difference between them. Comparative studies with chemical reactions were also performed using a reverse Flow Injection Analysis (r-FIA) technique and the Griess-Ilosvay model reaction for nitrite ions. Finally, the system based on the automatic microburette was validated for the analysis of nitrite in two complementary concentration ranges (0.0–0.1 and 0.0–3.0 mg · L−1) using 25 and 350 µL of reactant, respectively. The detection limits obtained were 0.009 and 0.024 mg · L−1, respectively. High repeatability was obtained for both concentration ranges (RSD: 0.52 and 1.35%, respectively). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A volumetric apparatus to measure hydrogen adsorption and desorption at room temperature and up to 100 atm has been constructed and studied for accuracy, reproducibility, and stability. The design principles are presented and considerable attention to detail is given to examine the effects of diurnal temperature changes in the manifold and helium adsorption by carbon-based adsorbents during free volume measurement. A heuristic for helium correction is derived from a model with a basis in literature and verified through calculation of adsorbent density. Several materials with well-known hydrogen capacities are studied to examine reproducibility. The microporous carbon AX-21 is studied to examine the effects of pressure step size and approach to equilibrium caused by gas mixing and the Joule–Thomson effect. Hydrogen spillover on a hybrid material, Pt on templated carbon, is examined for several loadings of metal. Kinetics of both physisorption and spillover are compared via the diffusion time constant (D/R2) estimated by fitting models for pore and surface diffusion to time-dependent adsorption profiles. No concentration dependence was found for pore diffusion; however, the surface diffusion time constant was shown to decrease with respect to increasing hydrogen concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To support investigations of flood tolerance occurring at a field-based research facility, changes in soil volumetric water content, temperature, redox potential, dissolved oxygen content, and pH over the course of flood events were monitored. Electronic sensors connected to dataloggers for continuous monitoring of these parameters were installed, and soil redox potential and pH were also monitored manually for comparison. Soil volumetric water content showed that soils became saturated quickly following inundation. Soil redox potentials revealed a reduction of the soil with inundation; however, stagnant water treatments did not result in lower redox potentials than flowing water treatments. Similarly, dissolved oxygen content was not lower in the stagnant water treatment. The automated and manual systems detected similar trends in redox potential response to flooding; however, redox potentials measured manually were generally higher and significantly different from those obtained with the automated system. Anomalous readings were detected with the automated measurement of soil pH, indicating further need for improvement of this system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The aim of this study is to calculate the coefficient of friction of wheel/rail interface in both water lubrication and dry friction conditions. Design/methodology/approach - Specimens taken from wheel and rail used in railway transport were exposed to pin-on-disc wear testing with 10, 20, 30 and 40?N loads. The disc took the place of the rail and the pin that of the wheel in wear tests, and rain water was fed to the disc/pin interface with a three drops/min speed in wet friction conditions. The coefficient of friction and weight loss values of specimens were determined and types of wear mechanism were characterized. Findings - It was observed that the friction coefficient decreased in wet sliding experiments, so smaller values were calculated in wet friction conditions than those of dry friction conditions for wheel specimens. However, this decrease was more drastic for rail specimens. Weight and volumetric loss values of rail materials were lower than those of wheel samples. Originality/value - This study investigates the wet and dry sliding wear characteristics of train wheel-rail materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new type of solar heated reformers have been developed in recent years. In these reactors, called volumetric reformers, concentrated solar radiation directly illuminates the catalyst through a transparent window. This new type of solar reformer can operate at higher temperatures (1000–1100 °C), since the surface temperature limit of a regular metal tube reactor used in the industry is eliminated and a much higher heating rate is feasible. In the last few years the Weizmann Institute has gathered experience in developing high temperature steam reforming catalysts for its “DIAPR-Kippod” based volumetric reformer. The configuration of the absorber in this reformer is an array of ceramic pins. The thermal stability of the catalysts is crucial for the viability of such reactors. Ru/Al2O3 catalysts promoted with Mn oxides are studied. The effect of Mn on the dispersion and sintering of the Ru particles is investigated in the present work with the aid of TEM and EDS. It was found that addition of Mn oxides decreases in the rate of the sintering of the Ru particles. Catalytic elements for use in a volumetric reformer have been developed and tested. The Ru/Al2O3 catalyst promoted with Mn oxides was supported on ceramic pins (made of alumina) by wash coating. The long-term test confirmed the chemical and thermal stability of the catalyst even after operating for 500 hours at 1100 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses how John Logie Baird's research helped in the development of volumetric display technology and its potential application in modern computer monitors and television systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A procedure is presented for estimation of uncertainty in measurement of the pKa of a weak acid by potentiometric titration. The procedure is based on the ISO GUM. The core of the procedure is a mathematical model that involves 40 input parameters. A novel approach is used for taking into account the purity of the acid, the impurities are not treated as inert compounds only, their possible acidic dissociation is also taken into account. Application to an example of practical pKa determination is presented. Altogether 67 different sources of uncertainty are identified and quantified within the example. The relative importance of different uncertainty sources is discussed. The most important source of uncertainty (with the experimental set-up of the example) is the uncertainty of pH measurement followed by the accuracy of the burette and the uncertainty of weighing. The procedure gives uncertainty separately for each point of the titration curve. The uncertainty depends on the amount of titrant added, being lowest in the central part of the titration curve. The possibilities of reducing the uncertainty and interpreting the drift of the pKa values obtained from the same curve are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a comparative study between a volumetric apparatus and a gravimetric one, which were developed for the acquisition of high-pressure adsorption isotherms. The volumetric apparatus is able to perform measurements in the temperature range 278–323 K and in the pressure range 0–4000 kPa. We provide a complete report on the experimental errors due to the mass balance calculation based on pressure–volume–temperature measurements. The same analytical study has been achieved for a gravimetric apparatus (temperature range: 223–393 K, pressure range: 0–10 000 kPa). The comparison comments are based on experimental data obtained for the system: activated carbon (CENTAUR Chemviron Carbon)–nitrogen. It appears that for such a system exhibiting quite low adsorbed quantities, important discrepancies may appear if the measurements are not properly achieved. Minimizing the experimental errors for the two experimental techniques leads to an average observed deviation (relative error) between the two methods equal to 3% in the whole measurement range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen storage in carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is investigated at ambient temperature and pressures of 0–12 MPa, using 35–85 g multi-wall carbon nanotube (MWNT) samples that were synthesized in a nano-agglomerate fluidized bed reactor. The volume of hydrogen gas released by the CNTs was measured by a volumetric flow meter. The capability of H[sub 2] storage in the CNT samples of mass of up to 85 g can be obtained with a precision of 0.01 wt. %. MWNTs with average diameters ranging from 10–30 nm and were pretreated using nitric acid or a sodium hydroxide solution wash and a high temperature treatment. The influence of the hydrogen pressure, hydrogen storage time and treatment method were studied. All data show that the amount of hydrogen released by the MWNTs at room temperature is no more than 0.30 wt. %, while hydrogen released by MWNT at 77 K can reach 2.27 wt. %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the advent of high-powered, commodity volume visualization hardware comes a new challenge: effectively harnessing the visualization power to enable greater understanding of data through dynamic interaction. We examine Cube-4/VolumePro as the latest advance in real-time volume visualization hardware. We describe tools to utilize this hardware including a software developers' kit, called the Cube Toolkit (CTK). We show how the CTK supports algorithms such as perspective rendering, overlapping volumes, and geometry mixing within volumes. We examine a case study of a virtual colonoscopy application developed using the CTK.© 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol, 11, 44–52, 2000 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]