248 research outputs found
Reservoir tillage for controlling runoff and saving energy
As energy costs have risen in recent years, sprinkler
irrigation equipment has been designed to apply water at
lower pressures. Some low pressure devices have been
developed for use with set-move systems, but the most
popular application has been on self-propelled systems
such as center-pivot and linearmove systems.
Although low pressure sprinkler systems reduce irrigation
pumping energy requirements in most cases, their
use can greatly increase the potential for runoff. Since
the pattern diameter of low pressure sprinklers is less
than that of high pressure sprinklers, water is applied
over a smaller area. This increases the application rate,
and can often exceed the soil water intake rate. (These
relationships are explained in the BPA Irrigation Energy
Efficiency sheet on "Irrigation Runoff Control Strategies.")
If the water application rate exceeds the intake rate,
surface ponding can occur. This surface water can move
within the field from high areas to low areas. Runoff or
wet and dry areas provide visual evidence of surface
water movement, which results in crop variability and loss
in crop production. These losses can be reduced by
increasing intake rates and/or surface storage capacity of
the soil so that all water is retained where it is applied
A comparison of low pressure center pivot irrigation systems
Center-pivot sprinkler irrigation is presently being
used on about 1.7 million acres in the Pacific Northwest.
This acreage is increasing as other types of sprinkler
systems are converted to center pivots. As electric
energy rates increase and labor becomes more scarce,
there is more incentive to convert to low pressure center
pivots. However, there are potential problems associated
with low pressure systems of which the user should be
aware, namely pressure regulation and potential runoff.
(See the companion bulletin on reservoir tillage for controlling
runoff.
Low pressure center pivot irrigation and reservoir tillage
In 1989 there were 4 million ha of cropland under center pivot irrigation in the 17 western states
(irrigation Journal 1990). The largest areas under center pivot are in the High Plains with soils
ranging from sands to clay loams, and the Pacific Northwest with predominately silt loam soils. Most
center pivot systems in the semi-arid areas are designed with gross capacities near the peak
seasonal evapotranspiration rate, or approximately 10 mm/d. The length of a typical center pivot
lateral ls about 400 m, which evolved from standard field sizes in the western U. S. Application rates
are highest near the outer end of the lateral and are determined by the system capacity, length of
lateral, and the width of the water application pattern
Constructing 3D crystal templates for photonic band gap materials using holographic optical tweezers
A simple and robust method is presented for the construction of 3-dimensional crystals from silica and polystyrene microspheres. The crystals are suitable for use as templates in the production of three-dimensional photonic band gap (PBG) materials. Manipulation of the microspheres was achieved using a dynamic holographic assembler (DHA) consisting of computer controlled holographic optical tweezers. Attachment of the microspheres was achieved by adjusting their colloidal interactions during assembly. The method is demonstrated by constructing a variety of 3-dimensional crystals using spheres ranging in size from 3 µm down to 800 nm. A major advantage of the technique is that it may be used to build structures that cannot be made using self-assembly. This is illustrated through the construction of crystals in which line defects have been deliberately included, and by building simple cubic structures
Astroparticle Physics with a Customized Low-Background Broad Energy Germanium Detector
The MAJORANA Collaboration is building the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR, a 60 kg
array of high purity germanium detectors housed in an ultra-low background
shield at the Sanford Underground Laboratory in Lead, SD. The MAJORANA
DEMONSTRATOR will search for neutrinoless double-beta decay of 76Ge while
demonstrating the feasibility of a tonne-scale experiment. It may also carry
out a dark matter search in the 1-10 GeV/c^2 mass range. We have found that
customized Broad Energy Germanium (BEGe) detectors produced by Canberra have
several desirable features for a neutrinoless double-beta decay experiment,
including low electronic noise, excellent pulse shape analysis capabilities,
and simple fabrication. We have deployed a customized BEGe, the MAJORANA
Low-Background BEGe at Kimballton (MALBEK), in a low-background cryostat and
shield at the Kimballton Underground Research Facility in Virginia. This paper
will focus on the detector characteristics and measurements that can be
performed with such a radiation detector in a low-background environment.Comment: Submitted to NIMA Proceedings, SORMA XII. 9 pages, 4 figure
Genome-wide meta-analysis of variant-by-diuretic interactions as modulators of lipid traits in persons of European and African ancestry
Hypertension (HTN) is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Metabolic abnormalities, including adverse cholesterol and triglycerides (TG) profiles, are frequent comorbid findings with HTN and contribute to cardiovascular disease. Diuretics, which are used to treat HTN and heart failure, have been associated with worsening of fasting lipid concentrations. Genome-wide meta-analyses with 39,710 European-ancestry (EA) individuals and 9925 African-ancestry (AA) individuals were performed to identify genetic variants that modify the effect of loop or thiazide diuretic use on blood lipid concentrations. Both longitudinal and cross sectional data were used to compute cohort-specific interaction results, which were then combined through meta-analysis in each ancestry. These ancestry-specific results were further combined through trans-ancestry meta-analysis. Analysis of EA data identified two genome-wide significant (p < 5 × 10−8) loci with single nucleotide variant (SNV)-loop diuretic interaction on TG concentrations (including COL11A1). Analysis of AA data identified one genome-wide significant locus adjacent to BMP2 with SNV-loop diuretic interaction on TG concentrations. Trans-ancestry analysis strengthened evidence of association for SNV-loop diuretic interaction at two loci (KIAA1217 and BAALC). There were few significant SNV-thiazide diuretic interaction associations on TG concentrations and for either diuretic on cholesterol concentrations. Several promising loci were identified that may implicate biologic pathways that contribute to adverse metabolic side effects from diuretic therapy
Interpretation of Fracture Toughness and R-Curve Behavior by Direct Observation of Microfracture Process in Ti-Based Dendrite-Containing Amorphous Alloys
Fracture properties of Ti-based amorphous alloys containing ductile beta dendrites were explained by directly observing microfracture processes. Three Ti-based amorphous alloys were fabricated by adding Ti, Zr, V, Ni, Al, and Be into a Ti-6Al-4V alloy by a vacuum arc melting method. The effective sizes of dendrites varied from 63 to 104 mu m, while their volume fractions were almost constant within the range from 74 to 76 pct. The observation of the microfracture of the alloy containing coarse dendrites revealed that a microcrack initiated at the amorphous matrix of the notch tip and propagated along the amorphous matrix. In the alloy containing fine dendrites, the crack propagation was frequently blocked by dendrites, and many deformation bands were formed near or in front of the propagating crack, thereby resulting in a zig-zag fracture path. Crack initiation toughness was almost the same at 35 to 36 MPaaem within error ranges in the three alloys because it was heavily affected by the stress applied to the specimen at the time of crack initiation at the crack tip as well as strength levels of the alloys. According to the R-curve behavior, however, the best overall fracture properties in the alloy containing fine dendrites were explained by mechanisms of blocking of the crack growth and crack blunting and deformation band formation at dendrites. (C) The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society and ASM International 2015ope
Genome-wide meta-analysis of variant-by-diuretic interactions as modulators of lipid traits in persons of European and African ancestry
Hypertension (HTN) is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Metabolic abnormalities, including adverse cholesterol and triglycerides (TG) profiles, are frequent comorbid findings with HTN and contribute to cardiovascular disease. Diuretics, which are used to treat HTN and heart failure, have been associated with worsening of fasting lipid concentrations. Genome-wide meta-analyses with 39,710 European-ancestry (EA) individuals and 9925 African-ancestry (AA) individuals were performed to identify genetic variants that modify the effect of loop or thiazide diuretic use on blood lipid concentrations. Both longitudinal and cross sectional data were used to compute cohort-specific interaction results, which were then combined through meta-analysis in each ancestry. These ancestry-specific results were further combined through trans-ancestry meta-analysis. Analysis of EA data identified two genome-wide significant (p < 5 × 10−8) loci with single nucleotide variant (SNV)-loop diuretic interaction on TG concentrations (including COL11A1). Analysis of AA data identified one genome-wide significant locus adjacent to BMP2 with SNV-loop diuretic interaction on TG concentrations. Trans-ancestry analysis strengthened evidence of association for SNV-loop diuretic interaction at two loci (KIAA1217 and BAALC). There were few significant SNV-thiazide diuretic interaction associations on TG concentrations and for either diuretic on cholesterol concentrations. Several promising loci were identified that may implicate biologic pathways that contribute to adverse metabolic side effects from diuretic therapy
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