Automated Data Evaluation Research Articles

Mixing layer height over Munich, Germany: Variability and comparisons of different methodologies

On 4 days in summer and winter the mixing layer height over the municipal area of Munich, Germany, was determined by several remote sensing instruments and in situ probes. The main motivation was to obtain information on aerosols, and therefore we decided to understand the mixing layer as that layer where most of the locally produced aerosols are concentrated. In this paper we wanted to investigate the potential of the quite different methodologies which depend on measurements of aerosol properties and those which do not. The operation of two lidars, a ceilometer, a wind‐temperature‐radar, a sodar, radiosondes, and aerosol probes onboard of a microlight aircraft allowed such a thorough intercomparison. As the instruments were located at different sites, the horizontal homogeneity of the mixing layer could also be observed. It was found that the agreement between the different methodologies is very good as long as the mixing layer height does not exceed approximately 1 km, which is the common measurement range of all instruments. In summer, however, the mixing layer can reach 2 km and more, so that the lidar turns out to be the most capable remote sensing technique. Another advantage of the lidar is the possibility to clearly derive the internal structure of the mixing layer. The latter is important in cases when simple parameterizations assume vertical homogeneity of aerosol properties within the mixing layer. On the other hand, lidars are quite expensive and require a trained operator. As a conclusion, the development of unattended working lidars including automated data evaluation should be fostered. From the limited data set it was found that the mixing layer height in Munich did not change more than approximately 100 m over a horizontal distance of around 50 km. If this finding can be confirmed by further measurements, the area of Munich is a good test bed for the validation of aerosol retrievals from satellite data with medium spatial resolution and for the validation of the numerical treatment of aerosols in mesoscale chemistry transport models.

Setup for High-Throughput Impedance Screening of Gas-Sensing Materials

This paper reports on the setup for a high-throughput impedance measurement system that allows rapid screening of the electrical and dielectrical properties of solid-state sample libraries in variable atmospheres and temperatures. Using multielectrode arrays, most time-consuming steps in the workflow are parallelized. In addition, an approach for automated data evaluation of impedance spectra is presented. For reasons of verification of robust measuring results and reproducibility, screening results of a sample library composed of doped indium(III) oxide as a resistive-type gas-sensing material are discussed on the basis of the determined sensitivities focusing temperature and testing gas gradients.

Pesticide residue analysis in foodstuffs applying capillary gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection: State-of-the-art use of modified DFG-multimethod S19 and automated data evaluation

This paper focuses on recent developments in the author’s laboratory and reports on the “ultimate” analysis scheme which has evolved over the last 20 years in our laboratory. This demonstrates the feasibility of screening analyses for pesticide residue identification, mainly by full scan GC–MS, down to the 0.01 ppm concentration level in plant foodstuffs. It is based on a miniaturized DFG S19 extraction applying acetone for extraction followed by liquid–liquid extraction with ethyl acetate–cyclohexane followed by gel permeation chromatography. The final chromatographic determination is carried out with a battery of three parallel operating gas chromatographic systems using effluent splitting to electron-capture and nitrogen–phosphorus detection, one with a SE-54 the other with a OV-17 capillary column and the third one with a SE-54 capillary column and mass selective detection for identification and quantitation. The method is established for monitoring more than 400 pesticides amenable to gas chromatography. These pesticide residues are identified in screening analyses by means of the dedicated mass spectral library PEST.L containing reference mass spectra and retention times of more than 400 active ingredients and also metabolites applying the macro program AuPest (Automated residue analysis on Pesticides) for automated evaluation which runs with Windows based HP ChemStation software. The two gas chromatographic systems with effluent splitting to electron-capture and nitrogen–phosphorus detection are used to check the results obtained with the automated GC–MS screening and also to detect those few pesticides which exhibit better response to electron-capture and nitrogen–phosphorus detection than to mass spectrometry in full scan.

Biochemical fingerprinting of coliform bacterial populations – comparisons between polluted river water and factory effluents

Bacteria from different pollution sources may consist of essentially the same species but with different strains predominating. Therefore, sub-typing of bacterial strains recovered in the polluted water and comparison with those present in possible pollution sources is a valuable tool for identification of the source. Since such studies require investigations of large numbers of isolates, simple laboratory methods combined with automated data evaluation and presentation are necessary. The Phene Plate (PhP) system for biochemical fingerprinting of bacteria is based on measurements of the kinetics of biochemical tests, performed in micro-plates. The system also includes mathematical models to calculate the diversity (Di) of the bacterial flora within samples, as well as the similarities between bacterial populations in different samples as the population similarity coefficient (Sp). We have used the PhP system to type coliform bacteria isolated from a polluted river in Sweden and from the outlets from three paper mills that were suspected contamination sources. From each of 27 river water samples and 8 samples from factory outlets, collected on eight sampling occasions, between 10 and 50 coliforms were typed, yielding altogether 1,027 isolates. The diversity among the bacteria in river water samples was generally high (mean Di = 0.95) compared with factory outlets (mean Di = 0.63) which usually were dominated by isolates belonging to a few PhP types. These PhP types were very rarely recovered from the river water samples which is also reflected in low similarities between bacterial populations in river water and factory outlets (mean Sp = 0.03). Thus the bacteria from factory outlets did not seem to have spread downstream. In contrast, bacterial populations from sampling sites close to each other in the river were more similar to each other (mean Sp 0.13), indicating the presence of several, diffuse contamination sources, possibly from animal or human faecal material.

Biochemical fingerprinting of coliform bacterial populations — comparisons between polluted river water and factory effluents

Bacteria from different pollution sources may consist of essentially the same species but with different strains predominating. Therefore, sub-typing of bacterial strains recovered in the polluted water and comparison with those present in possible pollution sources is a valuable tool for idenlification of the source. Since such studies require investigations of large numbers of isolates, simple laboratory methods combined with automated data evaluation and presentation are necessary. The Phene Plate (PhP) system for biochemical fingerprinting of bacteria is based on measurements of the kinetics of biochemical tests, performed in micro-plates. The system also includes mathematical models to calculate the diversity (Di) of the bacterial flora within samples, as well as the similarities between bacterial populations in different samples as the population similarity coefficient (Sp). We have used the NIP system to type coliform bacteria isolated from a polluted river in Sweden and from the outlets from three paper mills that were suspected contamination sources. From each of 27 river water samples and 8 samples from factory outlets, collected on eight Sampling occasions, between 10 and 50 coliforms were typed, yielding altogether 1,027 isolates. The diversity among the bacteria in river water samples was generally high (mean Di = 0.95) compared with factory Outlets (mean Di = 0.63) which usually were dominated by isolates belonging to a few NIP types. These PhP types were very rarely recovered from the river water samples which is also reflected in low similarities between bacterial populations in river water and factory outlets (mean Sp = 0.03). Thus the bacteria from factory outlets did not seem to have spread downstream. In contrast, bacterial populations from sampling sites close to each other in the river were more similar to each other (mean Sp 0.13), indicating the presence of several, diffuse contamination sources, possibly from animal or human faecal material.

Eddy current inspection of steam generators; development of automated data evaluation : Proceedings of the 12th world conference on non-destructive testing, Amsterdam (Netherlands), 23–28 Apr. 1989, Vol. 2, pp. 1004–1009. Edited by J. Boogaard and G.M. van Dijk, Elsevier, 1989

In the iron smelting process, slag, which is production waste, usually forms the majority of remains found at ancient metallurgical sites. In Ban Kruat, Buriram Province, Northeast Thailand, at least 50 slag-bearing sites have so far been documented, which can be divided into nine clusters. One of the clusters, Ban Sai Tho 7 group, demonstrates a quite unique spatial organisation of slag mounds. Here, 10–11 mounds of circular or ellipsoid shape were found surrounding a flat area of 350 × 400 m. Two different stages of iron production were identified between these two areas: iron smelting at the circular mounds and iron smithing on the central plain. Compared with the nearby neighboring heap, this is a comparatively large concentration of slag, and possibly illustrates the long dynamic history of iron-smelting production. Although in 2009 and 2010, this site was estimated to have existed in the Iron age by accelerator mass spectrometric (AMS) dating of in-slag charcoal, the result only reveals the early production of iron-smelting regarding the law of superposition. Therefore, in order to assess the duration of production, optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating was employed to date technical ceramics (i.e., furnaces and tuyères) from the topmost layers of the surface slag heap in order to indicate the late or terminal iron-smelting production. The dates of the technical ceramics that came from the different sides of the slag heap show two different periods: the early 10th to the early 11th centuries (around 1000–1100 years ago) and the early 17th century (around 370 years ago). More significantly, the old samples were at the edge of the southern part, while the young samples came from the topmost of the northeastern slag heap. Therefore, these two furnaces were possibly used in different periods and distributed in different areas of the slag heap. The result also illustrates the terminal period (the early 17th century) of metallurgy in the ancient Angkor highlands, particularly at the Ban Sai Tho 7 site. An iron-smelting activity at Ban Sai Tho 7 seems to exist in the same location for several centuries. Moreover, OSL dating is an alternative method to directly date the late period of iron-smelting production.

Eddy current inspection of steam generators; development of automated data evaluation Proceedings of the 12th world conference on non-destructive testing, Amsterdam (Netherlands), 23–28 Apr. 1989, Vol. 2, pp. 1004–1009. Edited by J. Boogaard and G.M. van Dijk, Elsevier, 1989

Eddy current inspection of steam generators; development of automated data evaluation Proceedings of the 12th world conference on non-destructive testing, Amsterdam (Netherlands), 23–28 Apr. 1989, Vol. 2, pp. 1004–1009. Edited by J. Boogaard and G.M. van Dijk, Elsevier, 1989

Using the tools of chromatography, mass spectrometry, and automated data processing in the detection of arson

AbstractThe analysis of residual accelerants in fire debris is commonly carried out by a three‐step procedure: sample preparation; separation and detection; and data interpretation. Each of these steps can be optimized individually but successful analysis requires that they are compatible with each other. The isolation of residual accelerant from fire debris requires that several methods are used to cover the range of fueis that are commonly used by arsonists. Since almost all incendiary fires are set with petroleum based fuels such as gasoline or heating oil, analysis is targeted toward hydrocarbons. Capillary column gas chromatography on apolar phases is now the overwhelmingly predominant method of separation. Data interpretation is commonly carried out by visual comparison of chromatograms.Fire debris analysis presents some unique challenges that are not often encountered in other fields. The analyte may be present at only trace levels and pyrolysis products from building materials or furnishings may dominate chromatographic patterns. Synthetic polymers may act as precursors to hydrocarbons that compete with substances typically found in petroleum based fuels. Exposure to heat and other environmental factors may also generate severe distortions in the chromatographic profiles of accelerants.Unfortunately, there is no simple solution to these problems. Methods are available to reduce some of the chemical noise introduced by interferences and thus enhance the recognizability of the target substances. Mass spectrometry, in combination with a modern data system, is the most effective approach to filter out unwanted substances. The interpretation of the analytical results is aided by scaling, side‐by‐side comparison, or stacking of chromatograms. An additional advantage of such computerized systems is the possibility of complete automation of the analysis.In this communication, we look at the interplay of chromatographic resolution, noise reduction by mass spectrometry, and automated data evaluation. Examples from model experiments and from simulated arson samples are presented.

Quantitative depth profiling with AES: application to oxide layers of NiCrFe alloys

To achieve an understanding of alloy oxidation at room temperature, AES sputter depth profiling was used to disclose the elemental distribution, the existence of a sequence of different oxide layers and their respective thickness. A polycrystalline, homogenized, and polished sample of Ni21 at % Cr-12 at % Fe was oxidized in air at room temperature and atmospheric pressure for 20 min after sputter cleaning. Additionally, a polycrystalline sample of Fe18 a t% Cr was passivated for 24 h in deaerated 0.5 tool/1 H2SO 4 at 1 VN~E. Then, photoelectron spectra (2p of the alloy elements and Ols) were taken using an Mg K~ X-ray source to characterize the chemical state of the oxides and to determine the oxide thickness. The depth profile analysis was performed with a rastered Ar + ion beam of 3 keV with 34 ~ incidence angle to the surface normal and an Ar pressure of 4104 Pa in the analysis chamber. After each sputtering cycle the Auger peaks of the elements Ni (848 eV), Cr (529 eV), Fe (650 eV) and O (510 eV) were recorded in the derivative mode with 2 Vpp modulation voltage using a double pass cylindrical mirror analyser with 0.6% energy resolution. Additionally, the M23VV transitions of the alloy elements were measured in the low energy region between 20 eV and 70 eV. For the quantitative evaluation of the composition in the oxide layers and the oxide thicknesses the sequential layer sputtering model (SLS) [ / 3] was applied to the measured intensity/sputtering time profiles. This model assumes a monoatomic layer structure and a Poisson distribution as resolution function in combination with the exponential escape depth correction and is appropriate for very thin layers if the information depth of the electrons used for the analysis is comparable or larger than the thickness of the film [1]. It is suitable for an automated data evaluation by computers. The sputtering time scale is first converted into a depth scale by calibration with the total oxide layer thickness obtained from XPS measurements [4, 5]. Assuming constant oxide density and sputtering rate and neglecting a possible preferential sputtering, an intensity corresponding to each removed monolayer equivalent is obtained by a spline interpolation to the measured intensities. The functional dependence of these elemental intensities on the unknown concentrations in each atomic layer is given by Eq. (13) in ref. [6] which can be modified into a linear equation system

Automatic data evaluation, manipulation, display, and plotting with speed

Automatic data evaluation, manipulation, display, and plotting with speed

SCOPE: (Schedule, cost, performance) planning and control system

This paper describes a system for internal organization, schedule, and cost control of complex research and development programs with automatic features for generating customer-required external reports and summaries. The system is in operation in all of the Autonetics engineering departments. The system includes automatic data evaluation features such as earned value and percent physical completion computations, performance indexes, projections to completion, etc. The data processing techniques used provide exceptionally low cost methods in terms of data output, updating manhours, and computation time.

Telemetry Data Reduction for Space Vehicles

Real-time automatic digital data reduction and evaluation have been used at Lockheed Missiles and Space Company for the last year and a half. The advantages of this method over analog-record methods are clearly demonstrated. The computer programming-software is described which controls the system. The operation of the data evaluation system is described and operational data is included.