On-time Durations Research Articles

Fundamental/harmonics beam control using 1-bit space time-modulated plasma DMA

This paper investigates a space-time modulated digital metamaterial array (DMA) based on reconfigurable plasma ionization. The DMA consists of 8 × 8 unit-cell elements with total dimensions of 120 × 120 × 3.2 mm3. Each unit-cell consists of a ring container filled with argon gas and is backed with a grounded dielectric substrate. The argon gas is ionized into a plasma state through metallic electrodes. The logic state of the unit cell is controlled via the changing of the plasma frequency, {omega }_{p}. The value of {omega }_{p}=6times {10}^{11}mathrm{ rad}/mathrm{sec} represents logic “0”, and {omega }_{p}=8times {10}^{11} mathrm{rad}/mathrm{sec} represents logic “bit 1”. The periodic time switching of the plasma ionization controls the radiation at the fundamental and harmonic frequencies. The on-time instants and on-time durations control the number of radiated beams, their directions, amplitudes, and side-lobe levels. Different time-switching sequences are investigated for beam steering, dual-sum beams, broadside beams, end-fire beams, multi-beams, and fan-shaped beams for wireless communications applications. The DMA was investigated under different switching sequences for phase-modulation and amplitude-modulation schemes. A full-wave simulation CST Microwave Studio simulator is used to analyze the proposed DMA and the results are compared with ideal point sources array excited with the same switching sequences.

Combined effect of ultrasound and sodium bicarbonate marination on chicken breast tenderness and its molecular mechanism

The objective of this study was to explore the combined effect of ultrasound (20 kHz ultrasound probe (12 mm diameter), an output power of 350 W for 5 min (on-time and off-time pulse durations of 2 s and 3 s, respectively)) with low concentration (0.2 M) sodium bicarbonate solution (USB) on chicken breast tenderness and its preliminary molecular mechanism. Therefore, myofibril fragmentation index (MFI), filtering residues, cooking loss, shear force, histology of meat as well as SDS-PAGE, circular dichroism (CD), synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetrv (DSC) of actomyosin were investigated and compared with untreated (Control), deionized water (DW), ultrasound in deionized water (UDW), 0.2 M sodium bicarbonate solution (SB), respectively. The results showed that USB can effectively increase MFI, and reduce filtering residues, cooking loss and shear force by compared with UDW or SB. Furthermore, myofibril was presented with the largest interfibrillary spaces and the highest degree of actomyosin dissociation in USB group. The increase in α-helix content and decrease in fluorescence intensity of tyrosine and tryptophan implied that USB caused the conformation change in actomyosin. Additionally, actomyosin in USB group became more sensitive to temperature. Therefore, the treatment of ultrasound combined with low concentration of sodium bicarbonate accelerated actomyosin degeneration was considered as a promising and efficient technique in meat processing, especially for the fitness enthusiasts.

Performance analysis of pulsed flow control method for radiant slab system

We present a novel pulsed flow control method (PFM) using a two-position valve to regulate the capacity of radiant slab systems. Under PFM, the on-time duration of the valve is short (compared to all prior work, e.g. 4-minute), and fixed, while the off-time varies. We present a novel, open-source, finite difference model that assesses three-dimensional transient slab heat transfer, accounting for the transient heat storage of the pipe fluid. Sensitivity analysis results indicate the dominant factors influencing energy performance of the PFM are: on-time duration; pipe diameter; and spacing. We experimentally validated both the new control strategy and model in full-scale laboratory experiments. Compared with previous intermittent control strategies (with on-time durations over 30 min), at 50% part load the PFM reduces 27% required water flow rate and increases supply to return water temperature differential. Compared with the variable temperature control method, at 50% part load the PFM reduces 24% required water flow rate. The energy performance of PFM is comparable to that of a conventional variable flow rate control. However, it has more accurate capacity control, achieves a more uniform surface temperature distribution, and reduces initial investment by substituting two-position for modulating valves, thus showing promise for engineering applications.

Understanding Photoinduced Charge Transfer Dynamics of Single Perylenediimide Dyes in a Polymer Matrix by Bin-Time Dependence of their Fluorescence Blinking Statistics

Fluorescence on–off blinking of single perylenediimide (DMP–PDI) dyes embedded in a disordered matrix of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was investigated by single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy. In particular, we examined the bin-time dependencies of the complementary cumulative distribution functions (cCDF) of the on-time and off-time durations. It appears that intersystem crossing (ISC) within DMP–PDI competes with charge transfer between DMP–PDI and PMMA. The single-molecule and ensemble cCDFs of the on-time and off-time durations (induced by charge transfer) were best described by Weibull functions and log-normal functions, respectively. The dispersive kinetics of the on-time duration were attributed to radical ion pair ISC from triplet charge separation (3CS) state to the corresponding singlet (1CS) state via charge hopping between charge trap sites in PMMA. This process should compete with triplet charge recombination (3CR), which restores the triplet state. On-to-off switching occurs only when 3CS → 1CS ISC overcomes the 3CR process. The resultant Weibull distribution (with A < 1) reflects that the probability of charge hopping rapidly decreases with time. On the other hand, the off-time log-normal kinetics of single-molecules are explained by a Gaussian distribution of activation energies for charge recombination (the so-called Albery model). A simulation study revealed that the ensemble off-time cCDF included power-law kinetics of charge hopping in the polymer matrix.

Performance improvements of a ground sink direct cooling system under intermittent operations

Ground heat exchangers (GHEs) present declining performance during continuous running. The purpose of this paper is to study the effects of intermittent operations on improving the heat transfer of GHEs in a ground sink direct cooling system (GSDCS), and then optimize the on-time and off-time durations of the intermittent cycles. A numerical model of a GHE was developed with experimental validation. The influences of different flow rates and ground temperatures on the GHE performance were studied in direct cooling mode. Different operation modes were adopted to investigate the intermittent performance of the GHE and analyze the recovery mechanism of the surrounding ground temperature. The results reveal that lower flow rate of the GHE is preferred to decrease the outlet water temperature in direct cooling. Intermittent operations can effectively raise the heat transfer rate of the GHE and slower the increase of its outlet water temperature. The length of on-time and off-time shows significant influence on the ground temperature recovery. Shorter on-time contributes to quicker recovery for next off period. Prolonging off-time enables ground temperature to recover more sufficiently, however, overlong time leads to inefficient process. The proper length of intermittent durations is provided in the study for better utilization of the system.

Comparative Study on Synthesizing Reconfigurable Time- Modulated Linear Arrays using Differential Evolution, Artificial Bee Colony and Particle Swarm Optimization

This paper presents a new technique based on optimization tools to design phase only, digitally controlled, reconfigurable antenna arrays through time modulation. In the proposed approach, the on-time durations of the time-modulated elements and the static amplitudes of the array elements are perturbed in such a way that the same on-time sequence and discrete values of static amplitudes for four bit digital attenuators produces either a pencil or a flat-top beam pattern, depending on the suitable discrete phase distributions of five bit digital phase shifters. In order to illustrate the technique, three optimization tools: differential evolution (DE), artificial bee colony (ABC), and particle swarm optimization (PSO) are employed and their performances are compared. The numerical results for a 20-element linear array are presented.

The effect of poly (N-vinylpyrrolidone) molecular weight on flash light sintering of copper nanopaste

The effect of poly (N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) molecular weight (MW) on the flash light sintering of copper nanopaste was investigated. The copper nanopaste was coated on polyimide substrates using doctor blade method. PVP was used as reducing agent to functionalize the copper nanoparticles during flash light sintering process. To find the optimum sintering conditions of copper nanoparticles, the various MWs of PVP (10 000, 40 000 and 55 000) were used and the flash light irradiation energy was varied from 7.5J/cm2 to 17.5J/cm2. Meanwhile, other flash light irradiation conditions (pulse numbers, on-time and off-time durations) and amounts of PVP were fixed to clarify the effect of the PVP MW. As the results, it was found that flash light sintered copper nanofilms have the resistivity of 54μΩcm without any damages to the polymer substrate. To characterize the microstructures and transformation crystal phase of the sintered copper nanofilms, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction were conducted. In order to understand the interaction between oxidized copper and PVP, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was analyzed. To observe the electrical conductivity of flash light sintered copper nanofilms, the sheet resistance of the sintered copper nanofilms was measured using a four-point probe method and the sheet resistance changes during the flash light irradiation process were monitored using in-situ monitoring system.

Influence of interfacial electron transfer on fluorescence blinking of quantum dots

The fluorescence blinking characteristics of the single CdSe/ZnS core/shell quantum dots (QDs) absorbed on the cover glass surface, indium-tin oxide (ITO) nanoparticles, and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) film surface are measured by a laser scanning confocal fluorescence microscopy. It is found that all the distributions of bright state duration time of QDs on the three different interfaces can be described by a truncated power law P(t)∝ t-αexp(-t/μ). The statistical on-time durations of single QDs absorbed on the ITO nanoparticles is shorter than on the glass. In addition, the on-time duration with single QDs absorbed on the PMMA is longer than on the others. These differences can be attributed to the diverse interfacial electron transfers between QD and different materials.

SYNTHESIS OF SIMULTANEOUS MULTIPLE-HARMONIC-PATTERNS IN TIME-MODULATED LINEAR ANTENNA ARRAYS

In time-modulated antenna arrays (TMAAs), as a result of periodical switch-on and switch- ofi of the antenna elements, including operating frequency (termed as center frequency) signal, sideband signals are appeared at either sides of the center frequency in integer multiples of the modulation frequency. In this paper, it is shown that without using phase shifters, just by suitably controlling the on-time instants (OTIs) and on-time durations (OTDs) of a time-modulated linear antenna array (TMLAA) elements, simultaneously, along with a pencil beam pattern at the operating frequency, a shaped beam pattern can be obtained at both the flrst positive and negative harmonics of the time- modulation frequency. The important advantage of such a technique is that realization of multi-beam pattern in conventional antenna array (CAA) system generally requires complex feed network, whereas by using simple radio frequency (RF) switching circuit in the feed network of TMLAA, by virtue of the properties of harmonic radiations, synthesis of a shaped pattern at either (positive or negative) harmonic results in generating the same pattern in its opposite harmonic, and the synthesized patterns at difierent harmonics can be simultaneously used as independent communication channels. By employing a difierential evolution (DE) based optimization method, numerical results for a 16-element TMLAA with uniform excitation show that in conjunction with a pencil beam pattern at the center frequency, a ∞at-top or a cosec square pattern at flrst positive and negative sidebands of side-lobe levels (SLL) i20dB can be synthesized by suppressing the higher sideband level (SBL) to below i10dB.

Space-Vector Pulsewidth Modulation for Three-Level NPC Converter With the Neutral Point Voltage Control

This paper proposes a new space-vector pulsewidth modulation (SV-PWM) strategy for a three-level neutral point clamped inverter. The presented SV-PWM strategy makes it possible to control the neutral point voltage by optimum choice of switch sequence for any position and length of output voltage vector. The proposed solution takes into consideration the unbalance of the dc-link voltages. It also analyzes the influence of vector sequences on the predicted unbalance of the dc-link voltage. The solution allows selecting optimum vectors and their on-time durations in order to reduce quickly the dc-link voltage unbalance. The calculation of the space vector area proposed in this paper takes into consideration voltage unbalance and its influence on the length and position of vectors. The proposed approach assures properly generating the voltage output vectors, even in the case of the existing large voltage unbalance in the dc-link. The results of the experimental investigation of the proposed modulation strategy are presented in this paper.

Biarticular Leg Muscles and Links to Running Economy

Relationships between an index of running economy (VO2 per distance) and the temporal electromyographic characteristics of leg muscles were quantified in female runners. Sixteen women performed a 30-min treadmill run at a speed designed to elicit a hard rating of perceived of exertion. Near the end of the run, oxygen uptake, video, and electromyographic data were collected simultaneously. Measures of muscle on-time durations, and on-time coactivation durations were calculated from the following muscles: gastrocnemius, vastus lateralis, rectus femoris, and biceps femoris. Nonparametric correlations between VO2 per distance and temporal electromyographic data were evaluated. Greater on-time duration of rectus femoris during stance, and greater on-time coactivation duration of rectus femoris-gastrocnemius during stance were significantly associated with more economical runners (i.e., lower VO2 per distance). The coactivation of biarticular leg muscles during stance is clearly linked to running economy and this control strategy may elicit greater elastic energy return.

Effect of Arm Cranking Direction on EMG, Kinematic, and Oxygen Consumption Responses

The purpose of this study was to compare muscle activity, kinematic, and oxygen consumption characteristics between forward and reverse arm cranking. Twenty able-bodied men performed 5-min exercise bouts of forward and reverse arm cranking while electromyographic (EMG), kinematic, and oxygen consumption data were collected. EMG activity of biceps brachii, triceps brachii, deltoid, and infraspinatus muscles were recorded and analyzed to reflect on-time durations and amplitudes for each half-cycle (first 180° and second 180° of crank cycle). Kinematic data were quantified from digitization of video images, and oxygen consumption was calculated from expired gases. Dependent measures were analyzed with a MANOVA and follow-up univariate procedures; alpha was set at .01. The biceps brachii, deltoid, and infraspinatus muscles displayed greater on-time durations and amplitudes for select half-cycles of reverse arm cranking compared to forward arm cranking (p&lt; 0.01). Peak wrist flexion was 9% less in reverse arm cranking (p&lt; 0.01), and oxygen consumption values did not differ between conditions (p= 0.25). Although there were no differences in oxygen consumption and only minor differences kinematically, reverse arm cranking requires greater muscle activity from the biceps brachii, deltoid, and infraspinatus muscles. These results may allow clinicians to more effectively choose an arm cranking direction that either minimizes or maximizes upper extremity muscle activity depending on the treatment objectives.

Transient Behavior of Current Modulated 2-T Inductively Coupled Plasma

Time-dependent thermal plasmas are not in an equilibrium condition even if they are operated at a very high pressure. Therefore, nonequilibrium modeling is required in order to understand the underlying physics. Unfortunately, substantial modeling complexities have prevented significant advancements in the state-of-the-art. This paper presents new information for the nonequilibrium situation where the electron temperature is generally assumed to be higher than the heavy particle or gas temperature. Calculations are done for a radio-frequency inductively coupled thermal plasma where the coil current is pulse modulated. The discharge medium is argon at one atmosphere of pressure. The high-level current (representing the on-time state) is 170 A and is reduced to 80% of the high-level current or 136 A during the off-time state. The on-time and off-time durations are 10 and 5 ms, respectively. The electron temperature is observed to be higher by a factor of two or three compared to the gas temperature in the cooler region of the discharge. The difference between electron and heavy-particle temperature is negligible in the plasma core. The temporal behavior of the electron and heavy-particle temperatures are similar during the off-time, whereas the electron temperature's response is much faster than that of the heavy particle during the on-time. The response of the electron temperature to a step change in input power is almost instantaneous and enhances the energy exchange mechanism through elastic collisions between electron and heavy particles.

A Neuromuscular and Metabolic Comparison between Forward and Reverse Pedaling

The purpose of this study was to determine how muscle activity and oxygen consumption are influenced by reverse pedaling (RP) compared to forward pedaling (FP). Seventeen physically active males performed FP and RP at an external workrate of 157 W (80 rpm) while EMG data were collected from five muscles: rectus femoris (RF), biceps femoris (BF), gastrocnemius (GN), tibialis anterior (TA), and vastus medialis (VM). Oxygen consumption (V̇O2 L·min-1) data were collected. On-time durations and EMG amplitudes were quantified for each half-cycle (first 180° and second 180° of crank angle). V̇O2 was similar between pedaling conditions while muscles RF and BF exhibited phasic shifts in response to RP with no amplitude change. VM showed an increase and GN displayed a decrease in EMG amplitude from FP to RP. The phasic shifts in muscle activation seen in RP, particularly in RF and BF, may alter the sequence of the knee extensor–hip extensor joint moments during the first half-cycle of pedaling.

NEUROMUSCULAR RESPONSES TO REVERSE ARM CRANKING

967 Shoulder rehabilitation strives to improve muscular strength and endurance, and often includes forward as well as reverse arm cranking (FC, RC) using upper-body ergometers. A paucity of research exists concerning the reverse motion, therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare muscle activity characteristics between FC and RC. Twenty physically active males performed FC and RC while EMG data were recorded from four muscles: biceps brachii (BB); triceps brachii (TB); deltoid (DT); infraspinatus (INF). Ontime durations and EMG amplitudes (integrated EMG divided by duration) were quantified for each half-cycle (first 180 ° and second 180 ° of crank angle). A significant multivariate effect for cranking direction was found and follow-up comparisons for each variable are shown below in the table;TableAs expected, temporal muscle activity patterns shifted for RC as evidenced by significant differences in on-time durations (see left side of table). DT and INF displayed more activity during RC (1st half-cycle) indicating greater rotator cuff involvement, which is often the aim of shoulder rehabilitation.

Relationships between running economy and temporal EMG characteristics of bi-articular leg muscles.

Relationships between running economy (RE; submaximal VO(2) for a given running speed) and the temporal EMG characteristics of bi-articular leg muscles were quantified in a group of well-trained runners. Nine subjects completed three test sessions: a determination of maximal aerobic demand (VO(2)max); an accommodation session at the experimental speed of 4.13 m.s(-1) and a session during which EMG and RE data were collected simultaneously at the experimental speed of 4.13 m.s(-1) Measures of muscle onset, on-time durations, and on-time coactivation durations were calculated from the following muscles: rectus femoris, medial hamstrings, lateral hamstrings, and gastrocnemius. Nonparametric correlations between RE and EMG characteristics displayed both positive and negative relationships and exhibited a wide range of values. Two EMG measures were significantly correlated (r > 0.67) with RE. Earlier onset of rectus femoris during swing phase and a shorter duration of hamstring - gastrocnemius coactivation during swing were associated with more economical runners. Although not statistically significant, correlation coefficients calculated for measures of coactivation during stance and RE ranged from -0.42 to -0.65. This trend indicates that individuals who exhibited a greater amount of coactivation between bi-articular muscles during the stance phase of the running cycle tended to be more economical. These relationships suggest different activation patterns in bi-articular muscles between economical and uneconomical runners.