A new radiometric instrument for in situ measurements of physical sediment properties

2009 ◽  
Vol 60 (7) ◽  
pp. 727 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Jacobs ◽  
M. Eelkema ◽  
H. Limburg ◽  
J. C. Winterwerp

Information on the sedimentological composition of sediment beds in marine wetlands is important for the study of the complicated interactions between physical, biological and chemical processes. In situ soil sample collection and subsequent laboratory analyses using traditional methods is rather time consuming. The present paper presents the Medusa (Multi Detector system for Underwater Sediment Activity) RhoC system. ‘Rho’ refers to density and ‘C’ to the activity concentration of the decaying isotopes adhered to the sediments. The new instrument directly translates (the attenuation of) natural radioactivity to sedimentological data concerning the depth-averaged sediment composition and vertical density profiles of the upper 15 cm of the sediment bed. The accuracy and applicability of the instrument were assessed to illustrate its potential and limitations. Results from a field campaign on several intertidal flats and from similar measurements in the laboratory for controlled circumstances were compared with data obtained by traditional analyses. The instrument generates accurate results for the depth-averaged sediment composition. Vertical density profiles are also well represented by the RhoC after smoothing and correcting the data for partly saturated soils. Thus, Medusa RhoC is a useful and practical tool to provide accurate sedimentological data in a fast and cost-effective way. The combination of sedimentological relations with the data obtained by RhoC further increases the applicability of the new instrument.

1983 ◽  
Vol 105 (4) ◽  
pp. 380-382 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Langeliers ◽  
C. G. Stojanoff

The stability of a solar pond is critically dependent upon the maintenance of a suitable vertical density gradient, but rapid, inexpensive methods of profiling the density gradient do not presently exist. A method for obtaining in situ density profiles through measurement of hydrostatic pressure differential is described and investigated. Design parameters and experimental results are presented for a prototype instrument.


1987 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 811-821 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars G. Rudstam ◽  
Clarence S. Clay ◽  
John J. Magnuson

We estimated size and density of fish in three Wisconsin lakes from echo peak probability density functions (PDFs) obtained at night with a single-transducer 70-kHz echosounder. At night, cisco (Coregonus artedii) dominated the pelagic zone in all three lakes. The beam pattern effect was removed with a deconvolving filter technique. Fish size was estimated by fitting a combination of Rice PDFs to the deconvolved fish scattering PDF. Vertical density profiles and size estimates obtained acoustically corresponded to distributions and lengths of fish caught in vertical gill nets. The proportion of different size classes caught in gill nets agreed fairly well with the proportions determined acoustically. This analysis can be applied to signals from noncalibrated sonars and can be used to calibrate simultaneously obtained echo squared integration values. With calibrated sonars, target strength can be estimated in situ. For Cisco, TS = 21.9 log10L − 67.2, where TS is target strength in (decibels) and L is fish length (centimetres). The average number of Cisco in the three lakes ranged from 89 to 1551 fish/ha, corresponding to a biomass of 2–223 kg/ha. Maximum densities range from 12 to 49 fish/1000 m3.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Zen ◽  
Jan C. Thomas ◽  
Eric V. Mueller ◽  
Bhisham Dhurandher ◽  
Michael Gallagher ◽  
...  

AbstractA new instrument to quantify firebrand dynamics during fires with particular focus on those associated with the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) has been developed. During WUI fires, firebrands can ignite spot fires, which can rapidly increase the rate of spread (ROS) of the fire, provide a mechanism by which the fire can pass over firebreaks and are the leading cause of structure ignitions. Despite this key role in driving wildfire dynamics and hazards, difficulties in collecting firebrands in the field and preserving their physical condition (e.g. dimensions and temperature) have limited the development of knowledge of firebrand dynamics. In this work we present a new, field-deployable diagnostic tool, an emberometer, designed to provide measurement of firebrand fluxes and information on both the geometry and the thermal conditions of firebrands immediately before deposition by combining a visual and infrared camera. A series of laboratory experiments were conducted to calibrate and validate the developed imaging techniques. The emberometer was then deployed in the field to explore firebrand fluxes and particle conditions for a range of fire intensities in natural pine forest environments. In addition to firebrand particle characterization, field observations with the emberometer enabled detailed time history of deposition (i.e. firebrand flux) relative to concurrent in situ fire behaviour observations. We highlight that deposition was characterised by intense, short duration “showers” that can be reasonably associated to spikes in the average fire line intensity. The results presented illustrate the potential use of an emberometer in studying firebrand and spot fire dynamics.


Microscopy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoguang Li ◽  
Kazutaka Mitsuishi ◽  
Masaki Takeguchi

Abstract Liquid cell transmission electron microscopy (LCTEM) enables imaging of dynamic processes in liquid with high spatial and temporal resolution. The widely used liquid cell (LC) consists of two stacking microchips with a thin wet sample sandwiched between them. The vertically overlapped electron-transparent membrane windows on the microchips provide passage for the electron beam. However, microchips with imprecise dimensions usually cause poor alignment of the windows and difficulty in acquiring high-quality images. In this study, we developed a new and efficient microchip fabrication process for LCTEM with a large viewing area (180 µm × 40 µm) and evaluated the resultant LC. The new positioning reference marks on the surface of the Si wafer dramatically improve the precision of dicing the wafer, making it possible to accurately align the windows on two stacking microchips. The precise alignment led to a liquid thickness of 125.6 nm close to the edge of the viewing area. The performance of our LC was demonstrated by in situ transmission electron microscopy imaging of the dynamic motions of 2-nm Pt particles. This versatile and cost-effective microchip production method can be used to fabricate other types of microchips for in situ electron microscopy.


2021 ◽  
pp. 100773
Author(s):  
Kamoldara Reansuwan ◽  
Rotsukon Jawana ◽  
Saoharit Nitayavardhana ◽  
Sirichai Koonaphapdeelert
Keyword(s):  

2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma T. Helm ◽  
Eric R. Burrough ◽  
Fernando L. Leite ◽  
Nicholas K. Gabler

AbstractLawsonia intracellularis is endemic to swine herds worldwide, however much is still unknown regarding its impact on intestinal function. Thus, this study aimed to characterize the impact of L. intracellularis on digestive function, and how vaccination mitigates these impacts. Thirty-six L. intracellularis negative barrows were assigned to treatment groups (n  =  12/trt): (1) nonvaccinated, L. intracellularis negative (NC); (2) nonvaccinated, L intracellularis challenged (PC); and (3) L. intracellularis challenged, vaccinated (Enterisol® Ileitis, Boehringer Ingelheim) 7 weeks pre-challenge (VAC). On days post-inoculation (dpi) 0 PC and VAC pigs were inoculated with L. intracellularis. From dpi 19–21 fecal samples were collected for apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) and at dpi 21, pigs were euthanized for sample collection. Post-inoculation, ADG was reduced in PC pigs compared with NC (41%, P  <  0.001) and VAC (25%, P  <  0.001) pigs. Ileal gross lesion severity was greater in PC pigs compared with NC (P  =  0.003) and VAC (P  =  0.018) pigs. Dry matter, organic matter, nitrogen, and energy ATTD were reduced in PC pigs compared with NC pigs (P  ≤  0.001 for all). RNAscope in situ hybridization revealed abolition of sucrase-isomaltase transcript in the ileum of PC pigs compared with NC and VAC pigs (P  <  0.01). Conversely, abundance of stem cell signaling markers Wnt3, Hes1, and p27Kip1 were increased in PC pigs compared with NC pigs (P  ≤  0.085). Taken together, these data demonstrate that reduced digestibility during L. intracellularis challenge is partially driven by abolition of digestive machinery in lesioned tissue. Further, vaccination mitigated several of these effects, likely from lower bacterial burden and reduced disease severity.


2015 ◽  
Vol 44 (19) ◽  
pp. 8906-8916 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sankar Das ◽  
Subhra Jana

Halloysite/metal nanocomposites have been synthesized through the immobilization of preformed and in situ synthesized metal nanoparticles over halloysite surfaces, which in turn produce efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally benign heterogeneous catalysts.


Author(s):  
Mohd Azril Riduan ◽  
Mohd Jumain Jalil ◽  
Intan Suhada Azmi ◽  
Afifudin Habulat ◽  
Danial Nuruddin Azlan Raofuddin ◽  
...  

Background: Greener epoxidation by using vegetable oil to create an eco-friendly epoxide is being studied because it is a more cost-effective and environmentally friendly commodity that is safer than non-renewable materials. The aim of this research is to come up with low-cost solutions for banana trunk acoustic panels with kinetic modelling of epoxy-based palm oil. Method: In this study, the epoxidation of palm oleic acid was carried out by in situ performic acid to produce epoxidized palm oleic acid. Results: Banana trunk acoustic panel was successfully innovated based on the performance when the epoxy was applied. Lastly, a mathematical model was developed by using the numerical integration of the 4th order Runge-Kutta method, and the results showed that there is a good agreement between the simulation and experimental data, which validates the kinetic model. Conclusion: Overall, the peracid mechanism was effective in producing a high yield of epoxy from palm oleic acid that is useful for the improvement of acoustic panels based on the banana trunk.


Author(s):  
Miss Payal W. Paratpure

Tracking of public bus location requires a GPS device to be installed, and lots of bus operators in developing countries don't have such an answer in situ to supply an accurate estimation of bus time of arrival (ETA). Without ETA information, it's very difficult for the overall public to plan their journey effectively. In this paper, implementation of an innovative IOT solution to trace the real time location of buses without requiring the deployment of a GPS device is discussed. It uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) proximity beacon to trace the journey of a bus by deploying an Estimate location beacon on the bus. BLE detection devices (Raspberry Pi 4) are installed at selected bus stops along the path to detect the arrival of buses. Once detected, the situation of the bus is submitted to a cloud server to compute the bus ETAs. A field trial is currently being conducted in Johor, Malaysia together with an area bus operator on one single path. Our test results showed that the detection of BLE beacons is extremely accurate and it's feasible to trace the situation of buses without employing a GPS device during a cost-effective way.


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