scholarly journals Hydraulic characterization of aquifers by thermal response testing: Validation by large-scale tank and field experiments

2014 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentin Wagner ◽  
Peter Bayer ◽  
Gerhard Bisch ◽  
Markus Kübert ◽  
Philipp Blum
Author(s):  
Simon Thomas

Trends in the technology development of very large scale integrated circuits (VLSI) have been in the direction of higher density of components with smaller dimensions. The scaling down of device dimensions has been not only laterally but also in depth. Such efforts in miniaturization bring with them new developments in materials and processing. Successful implementation of these efforts is, to a large extent, dependent on the proper understanding of the material properties, process technologies and reliability issues, through adequate analytical studies. The analytical instrumentation technology has, fortunately, kept pace with the basic requirements of devices with lateral dimensions in the micron/ submicron range and depths of the order of nonometers. Often, newer analytical techniques have emerged or the more conventional techniques have been adapted to meet the more stringent requirements. As such, a variety of analytical techniques are available today to aid an analyst in the efforts of VLSI process evaluation. Generally such analytical efforts are divided into the characterization of materials, evaluation of processing steps and the analysis of failures.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chem Int

The objective of this work is to study the ageing state of a used reverse osmosis (RO) membrane taken in Algeria from the Benisaf Water Company seawater desalination unit. The study consists of an autopsy procedure used to perform a chain of analyses on a membrane sheet. Wear of the membrane is characterized by a degradation of its performance due to a significant increase in hydraulic permeability (25%) and pressure drop as well as a decrease in salt retention (10% to 30%). In most cases the effects of ageing are little or poorly known at the local level and global measurements such as (flux, transmembrane pressure, permeate flow, retention rate, etc.) do not allow characterization. Therefore, a used RO (reverse osmosis) membrane was selected at the site to perform the membrane autopsy tests. These tests make it possible to analyze and identify the cause as well as to understand the links between performance degradation observed at the macroscopic scale and at the scale at which ageing takes place. External and internal visual observations allow seeing the state of degradation. Microscopic analysis of the used membranes surface shows the importance of fouling. In addition, quantification and identification analyses determine a high fouling rate in the used membrane whose foulants is of inorganic and organic nature. Moreover, the analyses proved the presence of a biofilm composed of protein.


Author(s):  
H.W. Ho ◽  
J.C.H. Phang ◽  
A. Altes ◽  
L.J. Balk

Abstract In this paper, scanning thermal conductivity microscopy is used to characterize interconnect defects due to electromigration. Similar features are observed both in the temperature and thermal conductivity micrographs. The key advantage of the thermal conductivity mode is that specimen bias is not required. This is an important advantage for the characterization of defects in large scale integrated circuits. The thermal conductivity micrographs of extrusion, exposed and subsurface voids are presented and compared with the corresponding topography and temperature micrographs.


HortScience ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 483a-483
Author(s):  
Roy N. Keys ◽  
Dennis T. Ray ◽  
David A. Dierig

Guayule (Parthenium argentatum Gray, Asteraceae) is a latex-producing perennial desert shrub that is potentially of economic importance as an industrial crop for the desert Southwest. It is known to possess complex reproductive modes. Diploids are predominantly sexual and self-incompatible, while polyploids show a range of apomictic potential and self-compatibility. This paper describes the development of a relatively rapid and simple technique for characterizing reproductive modes of breeding lines of P. argentatum. Initial field experiments were based on an auxin test used successfully to characterize reproductive mode in the Poaceae. The application of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid inhibited embryo formation in P. argentatum, but this was not the case with other auxins tested. Results of field experiments were ambiguous because: 1) the floral structure of P. argentatum is such that auxins might not have penetrated to the ovules, and 2) there was potential self-fertilization by pollen released within isolation bags. Therefore, in vitro culture of flower heads was tested because it provided much better control of environmental conditions, growth regulator application, and pollen release. Auxin alone, or in combination with gibberellic acid or kinetin, inhibited parthenogenesis in vitro. Embryo production did not vary using two substantially different nutrient media. In vitro flower head culture using a (Nitsch and Nitsch) liquid nutrient medium without growth regulators, enabled characterization of the reproductive mode of seven breeding lines, ranging from predominantly sexual to predominantly apomictic. The results of this technique were substantiated using RAPD analyzes of progeny arrays from controlled crosses.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Honglei Liu ◽  
◽  
Yu-Feng F. Lin ◽  
Yu-Feng F. Lin ◽  
Andrew J. Stumpf ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Stefano Vassanelli

Establishing direct communication with the brain through physical interfaces is a fundamental strategy to investigate brain function. Starting with the patch-clamp technique in the seventies, neuroscience has moved from detailed characterization of ionic channels to the analysis of single neurons and, more recently, microcircuits in brain neuronal networks. Development of new biohybrid probes with electrodes for recording and stimulating neurons in the living animal is a natural consequence of this trend. The recent introduction of optogenetic stimulation and advanced high-resolution large-scale electrical recording approaches demonstrates this need. Brain implants for real-time neurophysiology are also opening new avenues for neuroprosthetics to restore brain function after injury or in neurological disorders. This chapter provides an overview on existing and emergent neurophysiology technologies with particular focus on those intended to interface neuronal microcircuits in vivo. Chemical, electrical, and optogenetic-based interfaces are presented, with an analysis of advantages and disadvantages of the different technical approaches.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerod L. Ptacin ◽  
Carolina E. Caffaro ◽  
Lina Ma ◽  
Kristine M. San Jose Gall ◽  
Hans R. Aerni ◽  
...  

AbstractThe implementation of applied engineering principles to create synthetic biological systems promises to revolutionize medicine, but application of fundamentally redesigned organisms has thus far not impacted practical drug development. Here we utilize an engineered microbial organism with a six-letter semi-synthetic DNA code to generate a library of site-specific, click chemistry compatible amino acid substitutions in the human cytokine IL-2. Targeted covalent modification of IL-2 variants with PEG polymers and screening identifies compounds with distinct IL-2 receptor specificities and improved pharmacological properties. One variant, termed THOR-707, selectively engages the IL-2 receptor beta/gamma complex without engagement of the IL-2 receptor alpha. In mice, administration of THOR-707 results in large-scale activation and amplification of CD8+ T cells and NK cells, without Treg expansion characteristic of IL-2. In syngeneic B16-F10 tumor-bearing mice, THOR-707 enhances drug accumulation in the tumor tissue, stimulates tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T and NK cells, and leads to a dose-dependent reduction of tumor growth. These results support further characterization of the immune modulatory, anti-tumor properties of THOR-707 and represent a fundamental advance in the application of synthetic biology to medicine, leveraging engineered semi-synthetic organisms as cellular factories to facilitate discovery and production of differentiated classes of chemically modified biologics.


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