Investigation of Airfoil Aeroacoustics with Blowing Control Mechanism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Baha ZAFER

2016-11-01

Full Text Available In this investigation, it is dealt with computational aero-acoustic analysis of an airfoil with jet blowing. The airfoil shape is selected as NACA0015 profile with jet blowing on upper surface. The calculations of analysis are done by using commercial finite volume solver. The k-ε turbulence model is used for the turbulence modeling and the Ffowcs Williams and Hawking acoustic analogy model is run for determination of acoustic data. The numerical results are compared with experimental data for computed Sound Pressure Level without jet blowing and well agreement is observed. In the case of jet blowing, the effects of different jet angle, velocity ratio and angle of attack on airfoil are investigated and noise levels of non jet cases and jet blowing cases are studied.

Whistle-blowing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fitzgerald, K.

1990-01-01

In this paper five engineers in nuclear power, aerospace, and air-traffic control recount their experiences in following their consciences. Exposing errors or unethical conduct in any occupation is risky, but when engineering judgement is involved, the risks of blowing the whistle acquire an added dimension. A technical decision cannot always be categorized as strictly right or wrong - unlike situations in which an organization is falsifying documents or overcharging for a product. Consequently, the engineer must be convinced of being right and then wait, sometimes years and even decades after lives are lost or millions of dollars are spent, to be proved right or wrong. Frequently, the whistle-blower's career is destroyed in the meantime. In the following cases, which date from the 1970s and 1980s, the whistle-blowers have by now been vindicated to a degree for their actions, though the verdict may not be unanimous. And the careers of the first group may have even benefitted by blowing the whistle

Blow-up: A Free Lunch?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jan Koenderink

2012-02-01

Full Text Available We consider operations that change the size of images, either shrinks or blow-ups. Image processing offers numerous possibilities, put at everyone's disposal with such computer programs as Adobe Photoshop. We consider a different class of operations, aimed at immediate visual awareness, rather than pixel arrays. We demonstrate cases of blow-ups that do not sacrifice apparent resolution. This apparent information gain is due to “amodal occlusion.”

Use of cooling tower blow down in ethanol fermentation.

Science.gov (United States)

Rajagopalan, N; Singh, V; Panno, B; Wilcoxon, M

2010-01-01

Reducing water consumption in bioethanol production conserves an increasingly scarce natural resource, lowers production costs, and minimizes effluent management issues. The suitability of cooling tower blow down water for reuse in fermentation was investigated as a means to lower water consumption. Extensive chemical characterization of the blow down water revealed low concentrations of toxic elements and total dissolved solids. Fermentation carried out with cooling tower blow down water resulted in similar levels of ethanol and residual glucose as a control study using deionized water. The study noted good tolerance by yeast to the specific scale and corrosion inhibitors found in the cooling tower blow down water. This research indicates that, under appropriate conditions, reuse of blow down water from cooling towers in fermentation is feasible.

Unveiling Cebuano Traditional Healing Practices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ZachiaRaiza Joy S. Berdon

2016-02-01

Full Text Available This study aims to identify the features of Cebuano’s traditional healing practices. Specifically, it also answers the following objectives: analyze traditional healing in Cebuano’s perspectives, explain the traditional healing process practiced in terms of the traditional healers’ belief, and extrapolate perceptions of medical practitioners toward traditional healing. This study made use of qualitative approach, among five traditional healers who performed healing for not less than ten years, in the mountain barangays of Cebu City. These healers served as the primary informants who were selected because of their popularity in healing. The use of open-ended interview in local dialect and naturalistic observation provided a free listing of their verbatim accounts were noted and as primary narratives. Participation in the study was voluntary and participants were interviewed privately after obtaining their consent. The Cebuano traditional healing practices or “panambal” comprise the use of “himolso” (pulse-checking, “palakaw” (petition, “pasubay” (determining what causes the sickness and its possible means of healing, “pangalap” (searching of medicinal plants for “palina” (fumigation, “tayhop” (gentle-blowing, “tutho” (saliva-blowing,“tuob” (boiling, “orasyon” (mystical prayers, “hilot” (massage, and “barang” (sorcery. Though traditional with medical science disapproval, it contributes to a mystical identity of Cebuano healers, as a manifestation of folk Catholicism belief, in order to do a good legacy to the community that needs help. For further study, researchers may conduct further the studies on the: curative effects of medicinal plants in Cebu, psychological effect pulsechecking healed persons by the mananambal, and unmasking the other features of traditional healing.

Holes at High Blowing Ratios

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Phillip M. Ligrani

1996-01-01

Full Text Available Experimental results are presented which describe the development and structure of flow downstream of a single row of holes with compound angle orientations producing film cooling at high blowing ratios. This film cooling configuration is important because similar arrangements are frequently employed on the first stage of rotating blades of operating gas turbine engines. With this configuration, holes are spaced 6d apart in the spanwise direction, with inclination angles of 24 degrees, and angles of orientation of 50.5 degrees. Blowing ratios range from 1.5 to 4.0 and the ratio of injectant to freestream density is near 1.0. Results show that spanwise averaged adiabatic effectiveness, spanwise-averaged iso-energetic Stanton number ratios, surveys of streamwise mean velocity, and surveys of injectant distributions change by important amounts as the blowing ratio increases. This is due to injectant lift-off from the test surface just downstream of the holes.

Numerical study of blow-up in the Davey-Stewartson system

KAUST Repository

Klein, Christian

2013-03-01

Nonlinear dispersive partial differential equations such as the nonlinear Schrödinger equations can have solutions that blow up. We numerically study the long time behavior and potential blow-up of solutions to the focusing Davey-Stewartson II equation by analyzing perturbations of the lump and the Ozawa solutions. It is shown in this way that both are unstable to blow-up and dispersion, and that blow-up in the Ozawa solution is generic.

Numerical study of blow-up in the Davey-Stewartson system

KAUST Repository

Klein, Christian; Muite, Benson; Roidot, Kristelle

2013-01-01

Nonlinear dispersive partial differential equations such as the nonlinear Schrödinger equations can have solutions that blow up. We numerically study the long time behavior and potential blow-up of solutions to the focusing Davey-Stewartson II equation by analyzing perturbations of the lump and the Ozawa solutions. It is shown in this way that both are unstable to blow-up and dispersion, and that blow-up in the Ozawa solution is generic.

Self-sustained Oscillation Pulsed Air Blowing System for Energy Saving

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

CAI Maolin; XU Weiqing

2010-01-01

Currently, many studies have been made for years on dimensions of pneumatic nozzle, which influence the flow characteristic of blowing system. For the purpose of outputting the same blowing force, the supply pressure could be reduced by decreasing the ratio of length to diameter of nozzle. The friction between high speed air and pipe wall would be reduced if the nozzle is designed to be converging shape comparing with straight shape. But the volume flow and pressure, discussed in these studies, do not describe energy loss of the blowing system directly. Pneumatic power is an innovative principle to estimate pneumatic system's energy consumption directly. Based on the above principle, a pulse blowing method is put forward for saving energy. A flow experiment is carried out, in which the high speed air flows from the pulse blowing system and continuous blowing system respectively to a plate with grease on top. Supply pressure and the volume of air used for removing the grease are measured to calculate energy consumption. From the experiment result, the pulse blowing system performs to conserve energy comparing with the continuous blowing system. The frequency and duty ratio of pulse flow influence the blowing characteristic. The pulse blowing system performs to be the most efficient at the specified frequency and duty ratio. Then a pneumatic self-oscillated method based on air operated valve is put forward to generate pulse flow. A simulation is made about dynamic modeling the air operated valve and calculating the motion of the valve core and output pressure. The simulation result verifies the system to be able to generate pulse flow, and predicts the key parameters of the frequency and duty ratio measured by experiment well. Finally, on the basis of simplifying and solution of the pulse blowing system's mathematic model, the relationship between system's frequency duty ratio and the dimensions of components is simply described with four algebraic equations. The

Control rod blow out protection system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dietrich, J.R.; Flinn, W.S.; Groves, M.D.

1979-01-01

An absorber element blow-out protection system for a nuclear reactor having a pressure vessel through which a coolant is circulated. The blow-out protection system includes devices which hydraulically couple groups of guide tubes in which the absorber elements move, the coupling devices limiting coolant lift flow rate to a level commensurate with the raising of individual absorber elements but insufficient to raise a plurality of absorber elements simultaneously

Advanced Trailing Edge Blowing Concepts for Fan Noise Control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cezar RIZEA

2012-03-01

Full Text Available This study documents trailing edge blowing research performed to reduce rotor / stator interaction noise in turbofan engines. The existing technique of filling every velocity deficit requires a large amount of air and is therefore impractical. The purpose of this research is to investigate new blowing configurations in order to achieve noise reduction with lesser amounts of air. Using the new configurations air is not injected into every fan blade, but is instead varied circumferentially. For example, blowing air may be applied to alternating fan blades. This type of blowing configuration both reduces the amount of air used and changes the spectral shape of the tonal interaction noise. The original tones at the blade passing frequency and its harmonics are reduced and new tones are introduced between them. This change in the tonal spectral shape increases the performance of acoustic liners used in conjunction with trailing edge blowing.

Blow-Up Time for Nonlinear Heat Equations with Transcendental Nonlinearity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hee Chul Pak

2012-01-01

Full Text Available A blow-up time for nonlinear heat equations with transcendental nonlinearity is investigated. An upper bound of the first blow-up time is presented. It is pointed out that the upper bound of the first blow-up time depends on the support of the initial datum.

Blow Flies Visiting Decaying Alligators: Is Succession Synchronous or Asynchronous?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mark P. Nelder

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Succession patterns of adult blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae on decaying alligators were investigated in Mobile (Ala, USA during August 2002. The most abundant blow fly species visiting the carcasses were Chrysomya rufifacies (Macquart, Cochliomyia macellaria (Fabricus, Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricus, Phormia regina (Meigen, and Lucilia coeruleiviridis (Macquart. Lucilia coeruleiviridis was collected more often during the early stages of decomposition, followed by Chrysomya spp., Cochliomyia macellaria, and Phormia regina in the later stages. Lucilia coeruleiviridis was the only synchronous blow fly on the three carcasses; other blow fly species exhibited only site-specific synchrony. Using dichotomous correlations and analyses of variance, we demonstrated that blow fly-community succession was asynchronous among three alligators; however, Monte Carlo simulations indicate that there was some degree of synchrony between the carcasses.

Simulation of the Two Stages Stretch-Blow Molding Process: Infrared Heating and Blowing Modeling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bordival, M.; Schmidt, F. M.; Le Maoult, Y.; Velay, V.

2007-01-01

In the Stretch-Blow Molding (SBM) process, the temperature distribution of the reheated perform affects drastically the blowing kinematic, the bottle thickness distribution, as well as the orientation induced by stretching. Consequently, mechanical and optical properties of the final bottle are closely related to heating conditions. In order to predict the 3D temperature distribution of a rotating preform, numerical software using control-volume method has been developed. Since PET behaves like a semi-transparent medium, the radiative flux absorption was computed using Beer Lambert law. In a second step, 2D axi-symmetric simulations of the SBM have been developed using the finite element package ABAQUS registered . Temperature profiles through the preform wall thickness and along its length were computed and applied as initial condition. Air pressure inside the preform was not considered as an input variable, but was automatically computed using a thermodynamic model. The heat transfer coefficient applied between the mold and the polymer was also measured. Finally, the G'sell law was used for modeling PET behavior. For both heating and blowing stage simulations, a good agreement has been observed with experimental measurements. This work is part of the European project ''APT P ACK'' (Advanced knowledge of Polymer deformation for Tomorrow's PACKaging)

Simulation of the Two Stages Stretch-Blow Molding Process: Infrared Heating and Blowing Modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Bordival, M.; Schmidt, F. M.; Le Maoult, Y.; Velay, V.

2007-05-01

In the Stretch-Blow Molding (SBM) process, the temperature distribution of the reheated perform affects drastically the blowing kinematic, the bottle thickness distribution, as well as the orientation induced by stretching. Consequently, mechanical and optical properties of the final bottle are closely related to heating conditions. In order to predict the 3D temperature distribution of a rotating preform, numerical software using control-volume method has been developed. Since PET behaves like a semi-transparent medium, the radiative flux absorption was computed using Beer Lambert law. In a second step, 2D axi-symmetric simulations of the SBM have been developed using the finite element package ABAQUS®. Temperature profiles through the preform wall thickness and along its length were computed and applied as initial condition. Air pressure inside the preform was not considered as an input variable, but was automatically computed using a thermodynamic model. The heat transfer coefficient applied between the mold and the polymer was also measured. Finally, the G'sell law was used for modeling PET behavior. For both heating and blowing stage simulations, a good agreement has been observed with experimental measurements. This work is part of the European project "APT_PACK" (Advanced knowledge of Polymer deformation for Tomorrow's PACKaging).

Blowing snow detection from ground-based ceilometers : Application to East Antarctica

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gossart, Alexandra; Souverijns, Niels; Gorodetskaya, Irina V.; Lhermitte, S.L.M.; Lenaerts, Jan T M; Schween, Jan H.; Mangold, Alexander; Laffineur, Quentin; van Lipzig, Nicole P. M.

2017-01-01

Blowing snow impacts Antarctic ice sheet surface mass balance by snow redistribution and sublimation. However, numerical models poorly represent blowing snow processes, while direct observations are limited in space and time. Satellite retrieval of blowing snow is hindered by clouds and only the

Employee perceptions regarding whistle-blowing in the workplace: A South African perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sandra Perks

2008-11-01

Full Text Available The purpose of whistle-blowing is to eradicate unethical behaviour in the work place. This article investigates the perceptions of South African employees (n=387 employed in medium and large organisations regarding whistle-blowing. Respondents regard personal viewpoints and the supportive organisational environment as determining factors for whistle-blowing. South African employees have faced minimal negative consequences and will again engage in whistle-blowing, regardless of union support. Organisations can create a whistle-blowing culture by having a personal code of ethics, using hotlines, having an ethical committee, engaging in periodic ethics training and doing an annual ethical audit.

Gene expression during blow fly development: improving the precision of age estimates in forensic entomology.

Science.gov (United States)

Tarone, Aaron M; Foran, David R

2011-01-01

Forensic entomologists use size and developmental stage to estimate blow fly age, and from those, a postmortem interval. Since such estimates are generally accurate but often lack precision, particularly in the older developmental stages, alternative aging methods would be advantageous. Presented here is a means of incorporating developmentally regulated gene expression levels into traditional stage and size data, with a goal of more precisely estimating developmental age of immature Lucilia sericata. Generalized additive models of development showed improved statistical support compared to models that did not include gene expression data, resulting in an increase in estimate precision, especially for postfeeding third instars and pupae. The models were then used to make blind estimates of development for 86 immature L. sericata raised on rat carcasses. Overall, inclusion of gene expression data resulted in increased precision in aging blow flies. © 2010 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Development and implementation of Intelligent Soot Blowing Optimization System for TNB Janamanjung

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sundaram Taneshwaren

2017-01-01

Full Text Available With an ever increasing demand for energy, Malaysia has become a nation that thrives on solid power generation sector to meet the energy demand and supply market. In a coal fired power plant, soot blowing operation is commonly used as a cleaning mechanism inside the boiler. There are many types of sequence available for this soot blowing operation. Hence, there is no efficient ways in utilizing the soot blowing operation to enhance the efficiency of boiler. Soot blowing optimization requires specific set of data preparation and simulation in order to achieve the best modal. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD is used to model a 700MW super-critical boiler, whereby parameters with effect to soot blowing operation is studied. Two different boiler condition is studied to analyze parameters in a clean and faulty boiler. Artificial Neural Network (ANN is used to train neural network modal with back propagation method to determine the best modal that will be used to predict soot blowing operation. Combination of neural network different number of neurons, hidden layers, training algorithm, and training functions is trained to find the modal with lowest error. By improving soot blowing sequence, efficiency of boiler can be improved by providing best parameter and model. This model is then used as a reference for advisory tool whereby a Neural Network Predictive Tool is suggested to the station to predict the soot blowing operation that occurs.

Helical instability in film blowing process: Analogy to buckling instability

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Joo Sung; Kwon, Ilyoung; Jung, Hyun Wook; Hyun, Jae Chun

2017-12-01

The film blowing process is one of the most important polymer processing operations, widely used for producing bi-axially oriented film products in a single-step process. Among the instabilities observed in this film blowing process, i.e., draw resonance and helical motion occurring on the inflated film bubble, the helical instability is a unique phenomenon portraying the snake-like undulation motion of the bubble, having the period on the order of few seconds. This helical instability in the film blowing process is commonly found at the process conditions of a high blow-up ratio with too low a freezeline position and/or too high extrusion temperature. In this study, employing an analogy to the buckling instability for falling viscous threads, the compressive force caused by the pressure difference between inside and outside of the film bubble is introduced into the simulation model along with the scaling law derived from the force balance between viscous force and centripetal force of the film bubble. The simulation using this model reveals a close agreement with the experimental results of the film blowing process of polyethylene polymers such as low density polyethylene and linear low density polyethylene.

The effects of local blowing perturbations on thermal turbulent structures

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Can; Araya, Guillermo; Leonardi, Stefano; Castillo, Luciano

2013-11-01

Blowing is an active flow control technique with several industrial applications, particularly in film cooling of turbine blades. In the past, the effects of localized blowing have been mostly analyzed on the velocity field and its influence of the flow parameters and turbulence structures (Krogstad and Kourakine, 2000). However, little literature can be found on the effects of blowing on the coherent thermal structures. In the present study, an incompressible turbulent channel flow with given steady blowing at the wall is simulated via DNS by means of five spanwise holes. The Reynolds number based on the friction velocity and half channel height is approximately Re = 394 and the molecular Prandtl number is Pr = 0.71. Temperature is considered a passive scalar with isothermal conditions at the wall. Different blowing amplitudes and perturbing angles (with respect to the streamwise direction) are applied to find out their effects on the turbulent thermal structures by means of a two-point correlation analysis. In addition, local reduction and increase of drag are connected to vorticity. The corresponding influence of perturbing amplitudes and angles on the energy budget of thermal fluctuations and turbulent Prandtl numbers are also shown and discussed.

New Perspectives on Blowing Snow Transport, Sublimation, and Layer Thermodynamic Structure over Antarctica

Science.gov (United States)

Palm, Steve; Kayetha, Vinay; Yang, Yuekui; Pauly, Rebecca M.

2017-01-01

Blowing snow over Antarctica is a widespread and frequent event. Satellite remote sensing using lidar has shown that blowing snow occurs over 70% of the time over large areas of Antarctica in winter. The transport and sublimation of blowing snow are important terms in the ice sheet mass balance equation and the latter is also an important part of the hydrological cycle. Until now the only way to estimate the magnitude of these processes was through model parameterization. We present a technique that uses direct satellite observations of blowing snow and model (MERRA-2) temperature and humidity fields to compute both transport and sublimation of blowing snow over Antarctica for the period 2006 to 2016. The results show a larger annual continent-wide integrated sublimation than current published estimates and a significant transport of snow from continent to ocean. The talk will also include the lidar backscatter structure of blowing snow layers that often reach heights of 200 to 300 m as well as the first dropsonde measurements of temperature, moisture and wind through blowing snow layers.

Some blow-up problems for a semilinear parabolic equation with a potential

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Ting; Zheng, Gao-Feng

The blow-up rate estimate for the solution to a semilinear parabolic equation u=Δu+V(x)|u in Ω×(0,T) with 0-Dirichlet boundary condition is obtained. As an application, it is shown that the asymptotic behavior of blow-up time and blow-up set of the problem with nonnegative initial data u(x,0)=Mφ(x) as M goes to infinity, which have been found in [C. Cortazar, M. Elgueta, J.D. Rossi, The blow-up problem for a semilinear parabolic equation with a potential, preprint, arXiv: math.AP/0607055, July 2006], is improved under some reasonable and weaker conditions compared with [C. Cortazar, M. Elgueta, J.D. Rossi, The blow-up problem for a semilinear parabolic equation with a potential, preprint, arXiv: math.AP/0607055, July 2006].

Blow-up for a three dimensional Keller-Segel model with consumption of chemoattractant

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Jie; Wu, Hao; Zheng, Songmu

2018-04-01

We investigate blow-up properties for the initial-boundary value problem of a Keller-Segel model with consumption of chemoattractant when the spatial dimension is three. Through a kinetic reformulation of the Keller-Segel system, we first derive some higher-order estimates and obtain certain blow-up criteria for the local classical solutions. These blow-up criteria generalize the results in [4,5] from the whole space R3 to the case of bounded smooth domain Ω ⊂R3. Lower global blow-up estimate on ‖ n ‖ L∞ (Ω) is also obtained based on our higher-order estimates. Moreover, we prove local non-degeneracy for blow-up points.

Blowing snow detection in Antarctica, from space borne and ground-based remote sensing

Science.gov (United States)

Gossart, A.; Souverijns, N.; Lhermitte, S.; Lenaerts, J.; Gorodetskaya, I.; Schween, J. H.; Van Lipzig, N. P. M.

2017-12-01

Surface mass balance (SMB) strongly controls spatial and temporal variations in the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) mass balance and its contribution to sea level rise. Currently, the scarcity of observational data and the challenges of climate modelling over the ice sheet limit our understanding of the processes controlling AIS SMB. Particularly, the impact of blowing snow on local SMB is not yet constrained and is subject to large uncertainties. To assess the impact of blowing snow on local SMB, we investigate the attenuated backscatter profiles from ceilometers at two East Antarctic locations in Dronning Maud Land. Ceilometers are robust ground-based remote sensing instruments that yield information on cloud base height and vertical structure, but also provide information on the particles present in the boundary layer. We developed a new algorithm to detect blowing snow (snow particles lifted by the wind from the surface to substantial height) from the ceilometer attenuated backscatter. The algorithm successfully allows to detect strong blowing snow signal from layers thicker than 15 m at the Princess Elisabeth (PE, (72°S, 23°E)) and Neumayer (70°S, 8° W) stations. Applying the algorithm to PE, we retrieve the frequency and annual cycle of blowing snow as well as discriminate between clear sky and overcast conditions during blowing snow. We further apply the blowing snow algorithm at PE to evaluate the blowing snow events detection by satellite imagery (Palm et al., 2011): the near-surface blowing snow layers are apparent in lidar backscatter profiles and enable snowdrift events detection (spatial and temporal frequency, height and optical depth). These data are processed from CALIPSO, at a high resolution (1x1 km digital elevation model). However, the remote sensing detection of blowing snow events by satellite is limited to layers of a minimal thickness of 20-30 m. In addition, thick clouds, mostly occurring during winter storms, can impede drifting snow

Origins of transverse emittance blow-up during the LHC energy tramp

CERN Document Server

Kuhn, M; Arduini, G; Kain, V; Schaumann, M; Tomas, R

2014-01-01

During LHC Run 1 about 30 % of the potential peak performance was lost due to transverse emittance blow-up through the LHC cycle. Measurements indicated that the majority of the blow-up occurred during the energy ramp. Until the end of LHC Run 1 this emittance blow-up could not be eliminated. In this paper the measurements and observations of emittance growth through the ramp are summarized. Simulation results for growth due to Intra Beam Scattering will be shown and compared to measurements. A summary of investigations of other possible sources will be given and backed up with simulations where possible. Requirements for commissioning the LHC with beam in 2015 after Long Shutdown 1 to understand and control emittance blow-up will be listed.

Blow-up in nonlinear Schroedinger equations. II. Similarity structure of the blow-up singularity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rypdal, K.; Juul Rasmussen, Jens

1986-01-01

invariance and generalizations of the latter. This generalized "quasi-invariance" reveals the nature of the blow-up singularity and resolves an old controversy. Most of the previous work has been done on the cubic nonlinearity. We generalize the results to an arbitrary power nonlinearity....

Religiosity, Job Status and Whistle-Blowing: Evidence from Micro-Finance Companies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emmanuel Selase Asamoah

2016-03-01

Full Text Available We investigate the effect of religiosity and job status on whistle-blowing among employees of micro finance companies in Ga-East district of Ghana. The intellectual dimension of religiosity informs and produces high sense of morality in an individual thus influencing whistle-blowing. Additionally, religion create the platform for building belief in certain rules and regulations as right or as wrong. Using quantitative approach for analyzing the effect between independent variables (job status and religiosity on the dependent variable (whistle-blowing, we show that though religiosity and job status can influence whistle-blowing, however in this study, the magnitude is negligible and perhaps other variables in concert with religiosity and job status may influence whistle-blowing activities in an organization. We conclude that that whistleblowing generally in the Ghanaian setting is yet to receive high prominence due to the general belief of lack of protection for persons who come out to expose wrongdoings and the general fear of harassment, victimization and loss of job by the whistle-blower.

Occurrence of blow fly species (Diptera: calliphoridae) in Phitsanulok Province, Northern Thailand.

Science.gov (United States)

Bunchu, Nophawan; Sukontason, Kom; Sanit, Sangob; Chidburee, Polprecha; Kurahashi, Hiromu; Sukontason, Kabkaew L

2012-12-01

Based on the current forensic importance of blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae), their biological aspects have been studied increasingly worldwide. The blow fly fauna in Phitsanulok Province, Northern Thailand was studied from May 2009 to April 2010 in the residential, agricultural, mountainous and forested areas of Muang, Wat Bot, Nakhon Thai and Wang Thong districts, respectively, in order to know the occurrence of blow flies in this province. Collections were carried out monthly using commercial funnel fly traps and sweeping methods, with 1-day tainted pork viscera as bait. Identification of adult blow flies exhibited 14 634 specimens, comprising of 5 subfamilies, 14 genera and 36 species. Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius, 1794) and Achoetandrus rufifacies (Macquart, 1843) were the most and second most abundant species trapped, respectively. These two species of carrion flies prevailed in all the types of land investigated. We calculated and compared the diversity indices, species evenness and richness, and similarity coefficients of the blow fly species in various areas. The data from this study may be used to identify the potential of forensicallyimportant fly species within Phitsanulok Province and fulfill the information on blow fly fauna in Thailand.

Blow up of solutions to ordinary differential equations arising in nonlinear dispersive problems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Milena Dimova

2018-03-01

Full Text Available We study a new class of ordinary differential equations with blow up solutions. Necessary and sufficient conditions for finite blow up time are proved. Based on the new differential equation, a revised version of the concavity method of Levine is proposed. As an application we investigate the non-existence of global solutions to the Cauchy problem of Klein-Gordon, and to the double dispersive equations. We obtain necessary and sufficient condition for finite time blow up with arbitrary positive energy. A very general sufficient condition for blow up is also given.

'Whistle-blowing' and the quandary of policy implementation in Nigeria

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Nigeria as a country has undergone series of economic policies and Programs to bring her economy back on track. These policies range from National Development Plan to the present day whistle-blowing policy. The whistle blowing policy was introduced by the administration of President Buhari in December, 2016, with a ...

Blow-up : A free lunch?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koenderink, J.J.; Richards, W.; Van Doorn, A.J.

2012-01-01

We consider operations that change the size of images, either shrinks or blow-ups. Image processing offers numerous possibilities, put at everyone’s disposal with such computer programs as Adobe Photoshop. We consider a different class of operations, aimed at immediate visual awareness, rather than

Thermal large Eddy simulations and experiments in the framework of non-isothermal blowing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brillant, G.

2004-06-01

The aim of this work is to study thermal large-eddy simulations and to determine the nonisothermal blowing impact on a turbulent boundary layer. An experimental study is also carried out in order to complete and validate simulation results. In a first time, we developed a turbulent inlet condition for the velocity and the temperature, which is necessary for the blowing simulations.We studied the asymptotic behavior of the velocity, the temperature and the thermal turbulent fluxes in a large-eddy simulation point of view. We then considered dynamics models for the eddy-diffusivity and we simulated a turbulent channel flow with imposed temperature, imposed flux and adiabatic walls. The numerical and experimental study of blowing permitted to obtain to the modifications of a thermal turbulent boundary layer with the blowing rate. We observed the consequences of the blowing on mean and rms profiles of velocity and temperature but also on velocity-velocity and velocity-temperature correlations. Moreover, we noticed an increase of the turbulent structures in the boundary layer with blowing. (author)

Numerical and experimental study of blowing jet on a high lift airfoil

Science.gov (United States)

Bobonea, A.; Pricop, M. V.

2013-10-01

Active manipulation of separated flows over airfoils at moderate and high angles of attack in order to improve efficiency or performance has been the focus of a number of numerical and experimental investigations for many years. One of the main methods used in active flow control is the usage of blowing devices with constant and pulsed blowing. Through CFD simulation over a 2D high-lift airfoil, this study is trying to highlight the impact of pulsed blowing over its aerodynamic characteristics. The available wind tunnel data from INCAS low speed facility are also beneficial for the validation of the numerical analysis. This study intends to analyze the impact of the blowing jet velocity and slot geometry on the efficiency of an active flow control.

Field observations of the electrostatic charges of blowing snow in Hokkaido, Japan

Science.gov (United States)

Omiya, S.; Sato, A.

2011-12-01

An electrostatic charge of blowing snow may be a contributing factor in the formation of a snow drift and a snow cornice, and changing of the trajectory of own motion. However, detailed electrification characteristics of blowing snow are not known as there are few reports of charge measurements. We carried out field observations of the electrostatic charges of blowing snow in Tobetsu, Hokkaido, Japan in the mid winter of 2011. An anemovane and a thermohygrometer were used for the meteorological observation. Charge-to-mass ratios of blowing snow were obtained by a Faraday-cage, an electrometer and an electric balance. In this observation period, the air temperature during the blowing snow event was -6.5 to -0.5 degree Celsius. The measured charges in this observation were consistent with the previous studies in sign, which is negative, but they were smaller than the previous one. In most cases, the measured values increased with the temperature decrease, which corresponds with previous studies. However, some results contradicted the tendency, and the maximum value was obtained on the day of the highest air temperature of -0.5 degree Celsius. This discrepancy may be explained from the difference of the snow surface condition on observation day. The day when the maximum value was obtained, the snow surface was covered with old snow, and hard. On the other hand, in many other cases, the snow surface was covered with the fresh snow, and soft. Blowing snow particles on the hard surface can travel longer distance than on the soft one. Therefore, it can be surmised that the hard surface makes the blowing snow particles accumulate a lot of negative charges due to a large number of collisions to the surface. This can be supported by the results of the wind tunnel experiments by Omiya and Sato (2011). By this field observation, it was newly suggested that the electrostatic charge of blowing snow are influenced greatly by the difference of the snow surface condition. REFERENCE

Dynamic shock wave: hammer blow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lackme, Claude

1978-01-01

The general properties of shocks, their generation and the conditions of reflexion to an interface are dealt with in turn. By then applying these concepts to a liquid column and its environment (wall, free area, closing devices) the hammer blow is presented as being a relatively weak shock [fr

Developing and teaching the virtue-ethics foundations of healthcare whistle blowing.

Science.gov (United States)

Faunce, Thomas

2004-10-01

Healthcare whistle blowing, despite the benefits it has brought to healthcare systems in many developed countries, remains generally regarded as a pariah activity by many of the most influential healthcare professionals and regulatory institutions. Few if any medical schools or law department health law and bioethics classes, teach whistle blowing in a formal sense. Yet without exception, public inquiries initiated by healthcare whistle blowers have validated their central allegations and demonstrated that the whistle blowers themselves were sincere in their desire to implement the fundamental virtues and principles of medical ethics, bioethics and public health law. In many jurisdictions, the law, this time remarkably in advance of professional opinion, has offered legislative protection for reasonable allegations of whistleblowers made in good faith and in the public interest concerning a substantial and imminent threat to public safety. One reason for this paradoxical position, explored here, is that healthcare whistle blowing lacks a firm virtue-based theoretical bioethical and jurisprudential foundation. The hypothesis discussed is that the lack of this bioethical and jurisprudential substrate has contributed to a situation where healthcare whistle blowing suffers in terms of institutional support due to its lack of academic legitimacy. This article commences the process of redressing this imbalance by attempting to lay the theoretical foundations for healthcare whistle blowing. As a case study, this article concludes by discussing the Personal and Professional Development course at the ANU Medical School where healthcare whistle blowing is a formal part of a virtue-based curriculum that emphasises the foundational importance of conscience. Illustrative elements of that program are discussed.

On the effect of leading edge blowing on circulation control airfoil aerodynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Mclachlan, B. G.

1987-01-01

In the present context the term circulation control is used to denote a method of lift generation that utilizes tangential jet blowing over the upper surface of a rounded trailing edge airfoil to determine the location of the boundary layer separation points, thus setting an effective Kutta condition. At present little information exists on the flow structure generated by circulation control airfoils under leading edge blowing. Consequently, no theoretical methods exist to predict airfoil performance under such conditions. An experimental study of the flow field generated by a two dimensional circulation control airfoil under steady leading and trailing edge blowing was undertaken. The objective was to fundamentally understand the overall flow structure generated and its relation to airfoil performance. Flow visualization was performed to define the overall flow field structure. Measurements of the airfoil forces were also made to provide a correlation of the observed flow field structure to airfoil performance. Preliminary results are presented, specifically on the effect on the flow field structure of leading edge blowing, alone and in conjunction with trailing edge blowing.

Sounds of Silence: Organisational trust and decisions to blow the whistle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elli Binikos

2008-11-01

Full Text Available Whistleblowing is a form of pro-social behaviour that occurs when an employee reports organisational wrongdoing to an authority able to implement corrective action. While a number of social factors may infuence an employee’s decision to blow the whistle, very little cognisance is given to the role of organisational trust. Since whistleblowing situations often pose problems for whistleblowers, organisational trust becomes an important facilitator for the decision to blow the whistle. Drawing on a case study, this paper shows that when trust exists, employees are more likely to blow the whistle and to do so internally rather than externally.

A One-Dimensional Global-Scaling Erosive Burning Model Informed by Blowing Wall Turbulence

Science.gov (United States)

Kibbey, Timothy P.

2014-01-01

A derivation of turbulent flow parameters, combined with data from erosive burning test motors and blowing wall tests results in erosive burning model candidates useful in one-dimensional internal ballistics analysis capable of scaling across wide ranges of motor size. The real-time burn rate data comes from three test campaigns of subscale segmented solid rocket motors tested at two facilities. The flow theory admits the important effect of the blowing wall on the turbulent friction coefficient by using blowing wall data to determine the blowing wall friction coefficient. The erosive burning behavior of full-scale motors is now predicted more closely than with other recent models.

A Basic Study on Countermeasure Against Aerodynamic Force Acting on Train Running Inside Tunnel Using Air Blowing

Science.gov (United States)

Suzuki, Masahiro; Nakade, Koji

A basic study of flow controls using air blowing was conducted to reduce unsteady aerodynamic force acting on trains running in tunnels. An air blowing device is installed around a model car in a wind tunnel. Steady and periodic blowings are examined utilizing electromagnetic valves. Pressure fluctuations are measured and the aerodynamic force acting on the car is estimated. The results are as follows: a) The air blowing allows reducing the unsteady aerodynamic force. b) It is effective to blow air horizontally at the lower side of the car facing the tunnel wall. c) The reduction rate of the unsteady aerodynamic force relates to the rate of momentum of the blowing to that of the uniform flow. d) The periodic blowing with the same frequency as the unsteady aerodynamic force reduces the aerodynamic force in a manner similar to the steady blowing.

Mathematical model of whole-process calculation for bottom-blowing copper smelting

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Ming-zhou; Zhou, Jie-min; Tong, Chang-ren; Zhang, Wen-hai; Li, He-song

2017-11-01

The distribution law of materials in smelting products is key to cost accounting and contaminant control. Regardless, the distribution law is difficult to determine quickly and accurately by mere sampling and analysis. Mathematical models for material and heat balance in bottom-blowing smelting, converting, anode furnace refining, and electrolytic refining were established based on the principles of material (element) conservation, energy conservation, and control index constraint in copper bottom-blowing smelting. Simulation of the entire process of bottom-blowing copper smelting was established using a self-developed MetCal software platform. A whole-process simulation for an enterprise in China was then conducted. Results indicated that the quantity and composition information of unknown materials, as well as heat balance information, can be quickly calculated using the model. Comparison of production data revealed that the model can basically reflect the distribution law of the materials in bottom-blowing copper smelting. This finding provides theoretical guidance for mastering the performance of the entire process.

Blow Flies Visiting Decaying Alligators: Is Succession Synchronous or Asynchronous?

OpenAIRE

Nelder, Mark P.; McCreadie, John W.; Major, Clinton S.

2009-01-01

Succession patterns of adult blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) on decaying alligators were investigated in Mobile (Ala, USA) during August 2002. The most abundant blow fly species visiting the carcasses were Chrysomya rufifacies (Macquart), Cochliomyia macellaria (Fabricus), Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricus), Phormia regina (Meigen), and Lucilia coeruleiviridis (Macquart). Lucilia coeruleiviridis was collected more often during the early stages of decomposition, followed by Chrysomya spp., C...

IDENTIFICATION OF CFC AND HCFC SUBSTITUTES FOR BLOWING POLYURETHANE FOAM INSULATION PRODUCTS

Science.gov (United States)

The report gives results of a cooperative effort to identiry chlorofluorocarbons and hydrochlorofluorocarbon substitutes for blowing polyurethane foam insulation products. The substantial ongoing effort is identifying third-generation blowing agets for polyurethane foams to repla...

Blowing snow sublimation and transport over Antarctica from 11 years of CALIPSO observations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. P. Palm

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Blowing snow processes commonly occur over the earth's ice sheets when the 10 m wind speed exceeds a threshold value. These processes play a key role in the sublimation and redistribution of snow thereby influencing the surface mass balance. Prior field studies and modeling results have shown the importance of blowing snow sublimation and transport on the surface mass budget and hydrological cycle of high-latitude regions. For the first time, we present continent-wide estimates of blowing snow sublimation and transport over Antarctica for the period 2006–2016 based on direct observation of blowing snow events. We use an improved version of the blowing snow detection algorithm developed for previous work that uses atmospheric backscatter measurements obtained from the CALIOP (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization lidar aboard the CALIPSO (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation satellite. The blowing snow events identified by CALIPSO and meteorological fields from MERRA-2 are used to compute the blowing snow sublimation and transport rates. Our results show that maximum sublimation occurs along and slightly inland of the coastline. This is contrary to the observed maximum blowing snow frequency which occurs over the interior. The associated temperature and moisture reanalysis fields likely contribute to the spatial distribution of the maximum sublimation values. However, the spatial pattern of the sublimation rate over Antarctica is consistent with modeling studies and precipitation estimates. Overall, our results show that the 2006–2016 Antarctica average integrated blowing snow sublimation is about 393 ± 196 Gt yr−1, which is considerably larger than previous model-derived estimates. We find maximum blowing snow transport amount of 5 Mt km−1 yr−1 over parts of East Antarctica and estimate that the average snow transport from continent to ocean is about 3.7 Gt yr−1. These

SIKAP, NORMA SUBJEKTIF, DAN INTENSI PEGAWAI NEGERI SIPIL UNTUK MENGADUKAN PELANGGARAN (WHISTLE-BLOWING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erwan Suryono

2016-06-01

Full Text Available This study aims to investigate factors that influence civil servants to whistle-blow fraud. It also investigates the effect of government’s bureaucracy reforming program on the civil servants’ intention to whistle-blow fraud. By employing the theory of reasoned action, this study included variables of subjective norms, attitudes, and whistle-blowing intentions. This study used primary data gathered from questionnaires of 293 respondents. Respondents were civil servants in the ministries/agencies that have and have not implemented bureaucratic reforms. The findings of this study indicated that subjective norms positively affected the attitudes and intentions of civil servants to report the wrongdoings. However, the attitudes had no significant effect on civil servants’ whistle-blowing intentions. In addition, there are no significant differences on subjective norms, attitudes, and whistle-blowing intentions between civil servants in ministries/agencies that have implemented bureaucratic reforms and civil servants in ministries/agencies that have not implement bureaucratic reforms.

Reduction of airfoil trailing edge noise by trailing edge blowing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerhard, T; Carolus, T; Erbslöh, S

2014-01-01

The paper deals with airfoil trailing edge noise and its reduction by trailing edge blowing. A Somers S834 airfoil section which originally was designed for small wind turbines is investigated. To mimic realistic Reynolds numbers the boundary layer is tripped on pressure and suction side. The chordwise position of the blowing slot is varied. The acoustic sources, i.e. the unsteady flow quantities in the turbulent boundary layer in the vicinity of the trailing edge, are quantified for the airfoil without and with trailing edge blowing by means of a large eddy simulation and complementary measurements. Eventually the far field airfoil noise is measured by a two-microphone filtering and correlation and a 40 microphone array technique. Both, LES-prediction and measurements showed that a suitable blowing jet on the airfoil suction side is able to reduce significantly the turbulence intensity and the induced surface pressure fluctuations in the trailing edge region. As a consequence, trailing edge noise associated with a spectral hump around 500 Hz could be reduced by 3 dB. For that a jet velocity of 50% of the free field velocity was sufficient. The most favourable slot position was at 90% chord length

The blow-off mechanism of a bluff-body stabilized laminar premixed flame

KAUST Repository

Kedia, Kushal S.

2015-04-01

© 2014 The Combustion Institute. The objective of this work is to investigate the dynamics leading to blow-off of a laminar premixed flame stabilized on a confined bluff-body using high fidelity numerical simulations. We used unsteady, fully resolved, two-dimensional simulations with detailed chemical kinetics and species transport for methane-air combustion. The flame-wall interaction between the hot reactants and the heat conducting bluff-body was accurately captured by incorporating the conjugate heat exchange between them. Simulations showed a shear-layer stabilized flame just downstream of the bluff-body, with a recirculation zone formed by the products of combustion. The flame was negatively stretched along its entire length, primarily dominated by the normal component of the strain. Blow-off was approached by decreasing the mixture equivalence ratio, at a fixed Reynolds number, of the incoming flow. A flame is stable (does not undergo blow-off) when (1) flame displacement speed is equal to the flow speed and (2) the gradient of the flame displacement speed normal to its surface is higher than the gradient of the flow speed along the same direction. As the equivalence ratio is reduced, the difference between the former and the latter shrinks until the dynamic stability condition (2) is violated, leading to blow-off. Blow-off initiates at a location where this is first violated along the flame. Our results showed that this location was far downstream from the flame anchoring zone, near the end of the recirculation zone. Blow-off started by flame pinching separating the flame into an upstream moving (carried within the recirculation zone) and a downstream convecting (detached from the recirculation zone) flame piece. Within the range of operating conditions investigated, the conjugate heat exchange with the bluff-body had no impact on the flame blow-off.

Description of regional blow-up in a porous-medium equation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carmen Cortazar

2002-10-01

Full Text Available We describe the (finite-time blow-up phenomenon for a non-negative solution of a porous medium equation of the form $$ u_t = Delta u^m + u^m $$ in the entire space. Here $m>1$ and the initial condition is assumed compactly supported. Blow-up takes place exactly inside a finite number of balls with same radii and exhibiting the same self-similar profile.

Blow-up boundary regimes for general quasilinear parabolic equations in multidimensional domains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shishkov, A E; Shchelkov, A G

1999-01-01

A new approach (not based on the techniques of barriers) to the study of asymptotic properties of the generalized solutions of parabolic initial boundary-value problems with finite-time blow-up of the boundary values is proposed. Precise conditions on the blow-up pattern are found that guarantee uniform localization of the solution for an arbitrary compactly supported initial function. The main result of the paper consists in obtaining precise sufficient conditions for the singular (or blow-up) set of an arbitrary solution to remain within the boundary of the domain

Prevalence and virulence factors of Candida spp. associated with blow flies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wimonrat GunTang

2017-05-01

Conclusions: The results indicate that blow flies could play an essential role in the transmission of potentially pathogenic and antifungal resistant C. albicans into the environment. Further investigation on other virulence factors and genetic relatedness among isolates from the blow flies, the environment and clinical specimens is required to confirm this role.

Effects of cathode channel size and operating conditions on the performance of air-blowing PEMFCs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Bosung; Lee, Yongtaek; Woo, Ahyoung; Kim, Yongchan

2013-01-01

Highlights: • Effect of cathode channel size on the air-blowing PEMFC is analyzed. • Performance and EIS tests of air-blowing PEMFCs are conducted. • Test conditions include the operating temperature, fan voltage, and anode humidity. • Flooding is a limiting factor for decreasing channel size at low temperature. • Water management is investigated by analyzing ohmic resistance. - Abstract: Air-blowing proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) have been developed as a potential new power source for portable electronic devices. However, air-blowing PEMFCs show lower performance than compressed-air PEMFCs because of their adverse operating conditions. In this study, the effects of the cathode channel size and operating conditions on the performance of the air-blowing PEMFC were analyzed. At the normal operating temperature, the performance of the air-blowing PEMFC improved with the decrease in the cathode channel size. However, at a low operating temperature and low fan voltage, massive flooding limits the decrease in the cathode channel size. In addition, water management in the air-blowing PEMFC was investigated by analyzing ohmic resistance. The transition current density between the humidification and the flooding region decreased with decreasing cathode channel size and operating temperature

The Strong Disjoint Blow-Up/Collapse Property

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Héctor N. Salas

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Let be a topological vector space, and let be the algebra of continuous linear operators on . The operators are disjoint hypercyclic if there is such that the orbit is dense in . Bès and Peris have shown that if satisfy the Disjoint Blow-up/Collapse property, then they are disjoint hypercyclic. In a recent paper Bès, Martin, and Sanders, among other things, have characterized disjoint hypercyclic -tuples of weighted shifts in terms of this property. We introduce the Strong Disjoint Blow-up/Collapse property and prove that if satisfy this new property, then they have a dense linear manifold of disjoint hypercyclic vectors. This allows us to give a partial affirmative answer to one of their questions.

First Satellite-detected Perturbations of Outgoing Longwave Radiation Associated with Blowing Snow Events over Antarctica

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Yuekui; Palm, Stephen P.; Marshak, Alexander; Wu, Dong L.; Yu, Hongbin; Fu, Qiang

2014-01-01

We present the first satellite-detected perturbations of the outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) associated with blowing snow events over the Antarctic ice sheet using data from Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization and Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System. Significant cloud-free OLR differences are observed between the clear and blowing snow sky, with the sign andmagnitude depending on season and time of the day. During nighttime, OLRs are usually larger when blowing snow is present; the average difference in OLRs between without and with blowing snow over the East Antarctic Ice Sheet is about 5.2 W/m2 for the winter months of 2009. During daytime, in contrast, the OLR perturbation is usually smaller or even has the opposite sign. The observed seasonal variations and day-night differences in the OLR perturbation are consistent with theoretical calculations of the influence of blowing snow on OLR. Detailed atmospheric profiles are needed to quantify the radiative effect of blowing snow from the satellite observations.

Employees’ intention to blow the whistle: The role of fairness and moral identity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karin Proost, Adríana Pavlinská, Elfi Baillien, Lieven Brebels, Anja Van den Broeck

2013-10-01

Full Text Available In this study we focused on key concepts – moral identity and fairness – in order to explain whistleblowingintention. We examined the relationship between intention to blow the whistle and moral identity, and exploredthe moderating effect of perceived supervisor procedural fairness in this relationship. Our results showed thatemployees (N = 278 with a strong moral identity were more likely to blow the whistle on wrongdoing of whichthey had become aware of, and employees who were low in moral identity were less likely to blow the whistle.Furthermore, we found that the impact of moral identity on the intention to blow the whistle is increased by highprocedural fairness, and that low procedural fairness leaves this relationship insignificant. These findingsrepresent new insights into the study of whistleblowing.

Shooting method for solution of boundary-layer flows with massive blowing

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, T.-M.; Nachtsheim, P. R.

1973-01-01

A modified, bidirectional shooting method is presented for solving boundary-layer equations under conditions of massive blowing. Unlike the conventional shooting method, which is unstable when the blowing rate increases, the proposed method avoids the unstable direction and is capable of solving complex boundary-layer problems involving mass and energy balance on the surface.

Blow-out of nonpremixed turbulent jet flames at sub-atmospheric pressures

KAUST Repository

Wang, Qiang; Hu, Longhua; Chung, Suk-Ho

2016-01-01

Blow-out limits of nonpremixed turbulent jet flames in quiescent air at sub-atmospheric pressures (50–100 kPa) were studied experimentally using propane fuel with nozzle diameters ranging 0.8–4 mm. Results showed that the fuel jet velocity at blow-out limit increased with increasing ambient pressure and nozzle diameter. A Damköhler (Da) number based model was adopted, defined as the ratio of characteristic mixing time and characteristic reaction time, to include the effect of pressure considering the variations in laminar burning velocity and thermal diffusivity with pressure. The critical lift-off height at blow-out, representing a characteristic length scale for mixing, had a linear relationship with the theoretically predicted stoichiometric location along the jet axis, which had a weak dependence on ambient pressure. The characteristic mixing time (critical lift-off height divided by jet velocity) adjusted to the characteristic reaction time such that the critical Damköhler at blow-out conditions maintained a constant value when varying the ambient pressure.

Blow-out of nonpremixed turbulent jet flames at sub-atmospheric pressures

KAUST Repository

Wang, Qiang

2016-12-09

Blow-out limits of nonpremixed turbulent jet flames in quiescent air at sub-atmospheric pressures (50–100 kPa) were studied experimentally using propane fuel with nozzle diameters ranging 0.8–4 mm. Results showed that the fuel jet velocity at blow-out limit increased with increasing ambient pressure and nozzle diameter. A Damköhler (Da) number based model was adopted, defined as the ratio of characteristic mixing time and characteristic reaction time, to include the effect of pressure considering the variations in laminar burning velocity and thermal diffusivity with pressure. The critical lift-off height at blow-out, representing a characteristic length scale for mixing, had a linear relationship with the theoretically predicted stoichiometric location along the jet axis, which had a weak dependence on ambient pressure. The characteristic mixing time (critical lift-off height divided by jet velocity) adjusted to the characteristic reaction time such that the critical Damköhler at blow-out conditions maintained a constant value when varying the ambient pressure.

How does nose blowing effect the computed tomography of paranasal sinuses in chronic sinusitis?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Savranlar, Ahmet; Uzun, Lokman; Ugur, Mehmet Birol; Mahmutyazicioglu, Kamran; Ozer, Tulay; Gundogdu, Sadi

2005-01-01

Objective: Our aim was to determine whether inward or outward movement of the secretions in the paranasal sinuses due to nose blowing after nasal decongestion has any effect on the paranasal sinus computed tomography (CT) images in patients with sinusitis and to asses whether nose blowing may result in misdiagnosis or overdiagnosis in radiological evaluation of sinusitis. Materials and methods: Twenty-four patients with chronic sinusitis were evaluated in an academic tertiary care hospital and data were collected prospectively. After coronal sinus computed tomography scans were performed at 100 mA setting which was half the value of the standard radiation dose suggested by the manufacturer, topical decongestion was applied to each nostril followed by nose blowing 10 min later. Sinus CT scans were then repeated at the same setting. We evaluated the mucosal thickness of medial, lateral, superior and inferior maxillary and frontal sinus walls and the maximal thickness in anterior ethmoidal cells. The measurements prior to and following nose blowing were compared with Wilcoxon signed ranks test. The obtained images were also staged using Lund-McKay staging system separately and the scores were compared with Student's t-test. Results: We observed a tendency towards reduction in mucosal thickness after nose blowing. There were statistically significant differences between maxillary sinus inferior wall and frontal sinus inferior wall mucosal thickness values prior to and after nose blowing. The difference however was very small, about 0.5 mm in magnitude and Lund-McKay score did not change in any of the patients after nose blowing. Conclusion: Nose blowing and topical nasal decongestion does not have any effect on the diagnostic accuracy of sinus CT in chronic sinusitis patients

A Comparison of Predictive Thermo and Water Solvation Property Prediction Tools and Experimental Data for Selected Traditional Chemical Warfare Agents and Simulants II: COSMO RS and COSMOTherm

Science.gov (United States)

2017-04-01

SELECTED TRADITIONAL CHEMICAL WARFARE AGENTS AND SIMULANTS II: COSMO-RS AND COSMOTHERM ECBC-TR-1454 Jerry B. Cabalo RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY...Traditional Chemical Warfare Agents and Simulants II: COSMO-RS and COSMOTherm 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER CB10115...in the ADF 2012 suite of programs for the physico- chemical properties of a set of traditional chemical warfare agents and selected simulants. To

Control of leading edge vortex breakdown by blowing

Science.gov (United States)

Visser, K. D.; Iwanski, K. P.; Nelson, R. C.; Ng, T. T.

1988-01-01

An investigation into the effects of using a jet of air to control the vortex breakdown position on a 70 degree delta wing is presented. The specific objectives focused on optimizing the blowing positions in terms of maximum lift increments obtained for minimum blowing rates. The tests were conducted at chord Reynolds numbers of 150,000, 200,000, and 250,000 at angles of incidence of 30 and 35 degrees. Visualization and force data is presented to show the effect of the jet on the wing aerodynamic characteristics. The results indicate a jet position located at and aligned parallel to the leading edge to be the optimum. Nearness to the apex and tangency to the upper surface were also crucial factors. The influence of the jet on the leading edge vortex structure was examined using laser Doppler anemometry. Velocity surveys through the vortex showed that at high blowing rates the parallel velocity in the outer swirling region of the vortex increased and the normal velocity decreased. This resulted in a decrease in the swirling angle in the outer region. The peak core velocity was reduced and the vortex breakdown was delayed.

Blow-off of hydrogen using an optimized design of discharge jet-mixer arrangement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ristow, Torsten

2011-01-01

Hydrogen is ignitable in air at volume concentrations between 4 % and 75 %. Therefore, in the case of an emergency evacuation of a hydrogen-cooled generator in nuclear power plants, the gas has to be safely blown-off above the turbine building. Especially, a leakage at the hydrogen containing piping system at the generator has gained more and more importance in the context of safety assessments. The design of a blow-off system respects two safety aspects: Firstly, a short blow-off time is necessary to reduce the hydrogen release inside the turbine building in case of a leakage. Secondly, for the postulated ignition of the released hydrogen on the roof of the building the resulting pressure load must remain below the maximum admissible one of the turbine building roof. In order to fulfill the first condition an appropriate fast evacuation piping system from the generator to the blow-off outlet is designed. Regarding the latter the blow-off system uses special discharge nozzles placed horizontally in a radial-symmetric configuration. In this respect, the influence of strong wind conditions during the evacuation process is also considered. The resulting ignitable volume of the overlapping H2-air clouds does not exceed the maximum allowed ignitable volume. In the following the underlying process of blow-off by a fast hydrogen evacuation system is discussed. First the transient general blow-off behavior in the dedicated piping system is analyzed with the fluid piping tool ROLAST. The results of these calculations are boundary conditions for the subsequent qualification of the blow-off jet-mixer. Here a proof of the general functionality is given (2D CFD). Subsequently the blow-off behavior of the H2-air mixture is discussed in independent 3D CFD calculations with and without wind. From these analyses the possible ignitable gas volumes are determined. Final step is a simplified semi-analytical assessment of the resulting possible deflagration loads on the civil structure

Blowing-up Semilinear Wave Equation with Exponential ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Blowing-up Semilinear Wave Equation with Exponential Nonlinearity in Two Space ... We investigate the initial value problem for some semi-linear wave equation in two space dimensions with exponential nonlinearity growth. ... Current Issue

Blow molding electric drives of Mechanical Engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Bukhanov, S. S.; Ramazanov, M. A.; Tsirkunenko, A. T.

2018-03-01

The article considers the questions about the analysis of new possibilities, which gives the use of adjustable electric drives for blowing mechanisms of plastic production. Thus, the use of new semiconductor converters makes it possible not only to compensate the instability of the supply network by using special dynamic voltage regulators, but to improve (correct) the power factor. The calculation of economic efficiency in controlled electric drives of blowing mechanisms is given. On the basis of statistical analysis, the calculation of the reliability parameters of the regulated electric drives’ elements under consideration is given. It is shown that an increase in the reliability of adjustable electric drives is possible both due to overestimation of the electric drive’s installed power, and in simpler schemes with pulse-vector control.

How does nose blowing effect the computed tomography of paranasal sinuses in chronic sinusitis?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Savranlar, Ahmet; Uzun, Lokman; Ugur, Mehmet Birol; Mahmutyazicioglu, Kamran; Ozer, Tulay; Gundogdu, Sadi

2005-02-01

Objective: Our aim was to determine whether inward or outward movement of the secretions in the paranasal sinuses due to nose blowing after nasal decongestion has any effect on the paranasal sinus computed tomography (CT) images in patients with sinusitis and to asses whether nose blowing may result in misdiagnosis or overdiagnosis in radiological evaluation of sinusitis. Materials and methods: Twenty-four patients with chronic sinusitis were evaluated in an academic tertiary care hospital and data were collected prospectively. After coronal sinus computed tomography scans were performed at 100 mA setting which was half the value of the standard radiation dose suggested by the manufacturer, topical decongestion was applied to each nostril followed by nose blowing 10 min later. Sinus CT scans were then repeated at the same setting. We evaluated the mucosal thickness of medial, lateral, superior and inferior maxillary and frontal sinus walls and the maximal thickness in anterior ethmoidal cells. The measurements prior to and following nose blowing were compared with Wilcoxon signed ranks test. The obtained images were also staged using Lund-McKay staging system separately and the scores were compared with Student's t-test. Results: We observed a tendency towards reduction in mucosal thickness after nose blowing. There were statistically significant differences between maxillary sinus inferior wall and frontal sinus inferior wall mucosal thickness values prior to and after nose blowing. The difference however was very small, about 0.5 mm in magnitude and Lund-McKay score did not change in any of the patients after nose blowing. Conclusion: Nose blowing and topical nasal decongestion does not have any effect on the diagnostic accuracy of sinus CT in chronic sinusitis patients.

Navier-Stokes Computations of a Wing-Flap Model With Blowing Normal to the Flap Surface

Science.gov (United States)

Boyd, D. Douglas, Jr.

2005-01-01

A computational study of a generic wing with a half span flap shows the mean flow effects of several blown flap configurations. The effort compares and contrasts the thin-layer, Reynolds averaged, Navier-Stokes solutions of a baseline wing-flap configuration with configurations that have blowing normal to the flap surface through small slits near the flap side edge. Vorticity contours reveal a dual vortex structure at the flap side edge for all cases. The dual vortex merges into a single vortex at approximately the mid-flap chord location. Upper surface blowing reduces the strength of the merged vortex and moves the vortex away from the upper edge. Lower surface blowing thickens the lower shear layer and weakens the merged vortex, but not as much as upper surface blowing. Side surface blowing forces the lower surface vortex farther outboard of the flap edge by effectively increasing the aerodynamic span of the flap. It is seen that there is no global aerodynamic penalty or benefit from the particular blowing configurations examined.

An Agent-Based Assessment of Land Use and Ecosystem Changes in Traditional Agricultural Landscape of Portugal

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Acosta, L.; Rounsevell, M.D.A.; Bakker, M.M.; Doorn, van A.M.; Gómez-Delgado, M.; Delgado, M.

2014-01-01

This paper presents an assessment of land use changes and their impacts on the ecosystem in the Montado, a traditional agricultural landscape of Portugal in response to global environmental change. The assessment uses an agent- based model (ABM) of the adaptive decisions of farmers to simulate the

Asymptotic properties of blow-up solutions in reaction-diffusion equations with nonlocal boundary flux

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Bingchen; Dong, Mengzhen; Li, Fengjie

2018-04-01

This paper deals with a reaction-diffusion problem with coupled nonlinear inner sources and nonlocal boundary flux. Firstly, we propose the critical exponents on nonsimultaneous blow-up under some conditions on the initial data. Secondly, we combine the scaling technique and the Green's identity method to determine four kinds of simultaneous blow-up rates. Thirdly, the lower and the upper bounds of blow-up time are derived by using Sobolev-type differential inequalities.

Blow-up, Global Existence and Persistence Properties for the Coupled Camassa–Holm equations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu Mingxuan

2011-01-01

In this paper, we consider the coupled Camassa–Holm equations. First, we present some new criteria on blow-up. Then global existence and blow-up rate of the solution are also established. Finally, we discuss persistence properties of this system.

The index of a vector field under blow ups

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seade, J.

1991-08-01

A useful technique when studying the behaviour of holomorphic vector fields around their isolated singularities is that of blowing up the singular points. On the other hand, the most basic invariant of a vector field with isolated singularities is its local index, as defined by Poincare and Hopf. It is thus natural to ask how does the index of a vector field behaves under blowing ups? The purpose of this work is to study and answer this question, by taking a rather general point of view and bearing in mind that complex manifolds have a powerful birational invariant, the Todd genus. 20 refs

Transition between extinction and blow-up in a generalized Fisher–KPP model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hernández-Bermejo, Benito, E-mail: benito.hernandez@urjc.es [Departamento de Física, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Calle Tulipán S/N, 28933, Móstoles, Madrid (Spain); Sánchez-Valdés, Ariel [Departamento de Matemática Aplicada, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Calle Tulipán S/N, 28933, Móstoles, Madrid (Spain)

2014-05-01

Stationary solutions of the Fisher–KPP equation with general nonlinear diffusion and arbitrary reactional kinetic orders terms are characterized. Such stationary (separatrix-like) solutions disjoint the blow-up solutions from those showing extinction. In addition a criterion for general parameter values is presented, which allows determining the blow-up or vanishing character of the solutions.

Transition between extinction and blow-up in a generalized Fisher–KPP model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hernández-Bermejo, Benito; Sánchez-Valdés, Ariel

2014-01-01

Stationary solutions of the Fisher–KPP equation with general nonlinear diffusion and arbitrary reactional kinetic orders terms are characterized. Such stationary (separatrix-like) solutions disjoint the blow-up solutions from those showing extinction. In addition a criterion for general parameter values is presented, which allows determining the blow-up or vanishing character of the solutions.

Finite-time blow-up for quasilinear degenerate Keller-Segel systems of parabolic-parabolic type

Science.gov (United States)

Hashira, Takahiro; Ishida, Sachiko; Yokota, Tomomi

2018-05-01

This paper deals with the quasilinear degenerate Keller-Segel systems of parabolic-parabolic type in a ball of RN (N ≥ 2). In the case of non-degenerate diffusion, Cieślak-Stinner [3,4] proved that if q > m + 2/N, where m denotes the intensity of diffusion and q denotes the nonlinearity, then there exist initial data such that the corresponding solution blows up in finite time. As to the case of degenerate diffusion, it is known that a solution blows up if q > m + 2/N (see Ishida-Yokota [13]); however, whether the blow-up time is finite or infinite has been unknown. This paper gives an answer to the unsolved problem. Indeed, the finite-time blow-up of energy solutions is established when q > m + 2/N.

Effects of free-stream turbulence intensity and blowing ratio on film cooling of turbine blade leading edge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, S. M.; Kim, Youn J.; Cho, H. H.

2001-01-01

We used a cylindrical model which simulates turbine blade leading edge to investigate the effects of free-stream turbulence intensity and blowing ratio on film cooling of turbine blade leading edge. Tests are carried out in a low-speed wind tunnel on a cylindrical model with three rows of injection holes. Mainstream Reynolds number based on the cylinder diameter was 7.1x10 4 . Two types of turbulence grid are used to increase a free-stream turbulence intensity. The effect of coolant blowing ratio was studied for various blowing ratios. For each blowing ratios, wall temperatures around the surface of the test model are measured by thermocouples installed inside the model. Results show that blowing ratios have small effect on spanwise-averaged film effectiveness at high free-stream turbulence intensity. However, an increase in free-stream turbulence intensity enhances significantly spanwise-averaged film effectiveness at low blowing ratio

The performance of ethics course for increasing students intention to blow the whistle using information technology

Science.gov (United States)

Munandar, Agus

2017-10-01

The profession of accounting believes that ethics is very important in the workplace. For that, profession recommends that ethics course should be taught for accounting student. Unfornutaly, the impact of ethics courses on accounting students intention to blow the whistle on organizational wrongdoing using information technology have not been determined. For that, this paper attempts to measure the impact of ethics courses on accounting student intention to blow the whistle on organizational wrongdoing. The research using experimental design for investigate the impact of ethic course on students intention to blow the whistle using IT. The respondents for this study are 40 accountig students. The respondent were given the ethical scenarios and were measured their intention to blow the whistle using information technology. This result of study reports that 70% of accounting student who completed ethic course indicated high intention to blow the whistle on organizational wrongdoing using information technology. Hence, ethics course is beneficial for increasing accounting professionalism especially their intentio to blow the whistle wrongdoing using information technology.

A Mathematical Model for Reactions During Top-Blowing in the AOD Process: Validation and Results

Science.gov (United States)

Visuri, Ville-Valtteri; Järvinen, Mika; Kärnä, Aki; Sulasalmi, Petri; Heikkinen, Eetu-Pekka; Kupari, Pentti; Fabritius, Timo

2017-06-01

In earlier work, a fundamental mathematical model was proposed for side-blowing operation in the argon oxygen decarburization (AOD) process. In the preceding part "Derivation of the Model," a new mathematical model was proposed for reactions during top-blowing in the AOD process. In this model it was assumed that reactions occur simultaneously at the surface of the cavity caused by the gas jet and at the surface of the metal droplets ejected from the metal bath. This paper presents validation and preliminary results with twelve industrial heats. In the studied heats, the last combined-blowing stage was altered so that oxygen was introduced from the top lance only. Four heats were conducted using an oxygen-nitrogen mixture (1:1), while eight heats were conducted with pure oxygen. Simultaneously, nitrogen or argon gas was blown via tuyères in order to provide mixing that is comparable to regular practice. The measured carbon content varied from 0.4 to 0.5 wt pct before the studied stage to 0.1 to 0.2 wt pct after the studied stage. The results suggest that the model is capable of predicting changes in metal bath composition and temperature with a reasonably high degree of accuracy. The calculations indicate that the top slag may supply oxygen for decarburization during top-blowing. Furthermore, it is postulated that the metal droplets generated by the shear stress of top-blowing create a large mass exchange area, which plays an important role in enabling the high decarburization rates observed during top-blowing in the AOD process. The overall rate of decarburization attributable to top-blowing in the last combined-blowing stage was found to be limited by the mass transfer of dissolved carbon.

Analysis of Tonguing and Blowing Actions During Clarinet Performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Pàmies-Vilà, Montserrat; Hofmann, Alex; Chatziioannou, Vasileios

2018-01-01

Articulation on the clarinet is achieved by a combination of precise actions taking place inside the player's mouth. With the aim to analyse the effects of tonguing and blowing actions during playing, several physical variables are measured and parameters related to articulation are studied. Mouth pressure, mouthpiece pressure and reed displacement are recorded in an experiment with clarinet players to evaluate the influence of the player's actions on the selected parameters and on the sound. The results show that different combinations of tongue and blowing actions are used during performance. Portato and legato playing show constant blowing throughout the musical phrase, which varies according to the dynamic level. In portato, short tongue-reed interaction is used homogeneously among players and playing conditions. In staccato playing, where the tongue-reed contact is longer, the mouth pressure is reduced significantly between notes. Such a mouth-pressure decrease might be used to stop the note in slow staccato playing. It is hereby shown that when the note is stopped by the action of the tongue both the attack and release transients are shorter compared to the case where the vibration of the reed is stopped by a decrease of mouth pressure.

INCOMPRESSIBLE LAMINAR BOUNDARY LAYER CONTROL BY BLOWING AND SUCTION

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AZZEDINE NAHOUI

2013-12-01

Full Text Available A two-dimensional incompressible laminar boundary layer and its control using blowing and suction over a flat plate and around the NACA 0012 and 661012 profiles, is studied numerically. The study is based on the Prandtl boundary layer model using the finite differences method and the Crank-Nicolson scheme. The velocity distribution, the boundary layer thickness and the friction coefficient, are determined and presented with and without control. The application of the control technique, has demonstrated its positive effect on the transition point and the friction coefficient. Both control procedures are compared for different lengths, speeds and angles of blowing and suction.

Sex determination mechanisms in the Calliphoridae (blow flies).

Science.gov (United States)

Scott, M J; Pimsler, M L; Tarone, A M

2014-01-01

The Calliphoridae or blow flies are a family of insects that occupy diverse habitats and perform important ecological roles, particularly the decomposition of animal remains. Some Calliphoridae species are also important in the forensic sciences, in agriculture (e.g. as livestock pests) and in medicine (e.g. maggot therapy). Calliphoridae provide striking examples in support of the hypothesis that sex determination regulatory gene hierarchies evolve in the reverse order, with the gene at the top being the most recently added. Unlike the model fly Drosophila melanogaster, where sex is determined by the number of X chromosomes, in the Australian sheep blow fly (Lucilia cuprina) sex is determined by a Y-linked male-determining gene (M). A different regulatory system appears to operate in the hairy maggot blow fly (Chrysomya rufifacies) where the maternal genotype determines sex. It is hypothesized that females heterozygous for a dominant female-determining factor (F/f) produce only female offspring and homozygous f/f females produce only sons. The bottom of the regulatory hierarchy appears to be the same in D. melanogaster and L. cuprina, with sex-specific splicing of doublesex transcripts being controlled by the female-specific Transformer (TRA) protein. We discuss a model that has been proposed for how tra transcripts are sex-specifically spliced in calliphorids, which is very different from D. melanogaster. © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Blow fly maggots (Diptera: Calliphoridae)from a human corpse in a vehicle.

Science.gov (United States)

Sribanditmongkol, Pongruk; Monum, Tawachai; Wannasan, Anchalee; Tomberlin, Jeffery K; Sukontason, Kom; Sukontason, Kabkaew L

2014-09-01

Correct species identification and development data of insects associated with a cadaver can help estimate the time of colonization which could be used to infer a minimal post-mortem interval (minPMI) for forensic investigations. Human remains are found in a variety of locations ranging from open fields to inside automobiles. We report the investigation of blow fly larvae collected from a decomposing body located in the trunk of a car. There were two blow fly (Diptera: Calliphoridae) species: Achoetandrus rufifacies (Macquart) and Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius). Blow flies can enter the vehicle and colonize human remains. Based on age estimations of third stage larvae of A. rufifacies, the minPMI was estimated to be 4-5 days, which was within the range of 3-5 days estimated by other forensically relevant information.

Analysis of Tonguing and Blowing Actions During Clarinet Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Montserrat Pàmies-Vilà

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Articulation on the clarinet is achieved by a combination of precise actions taking place inside the player's mouth. With the aim to analyse the effects of tonguing and blowing actions during playing, several physical variables are measured and parameters related to articulation are studied. Mouth pressure, mouthpiece pressure and reed displacement are recorded in an experiment with clarinet players to evaluate the influence of the player's actions on the selected parameters and on the sound. The results show that different combinations of tongue and blowing actions are used during performance. Portato and legato playing show constant blowing throughout the musical phrase, which varies according to the dynamic level. In portato, short tongue-reed interaction is used homogeneously among players and playing conditions. In staccato playing, where the tongue-reed contact is longer, the mouth pressure is reduced significantly between notes. Such a mouth-pressure decrease might be used to stop the note in slow staccato playing. It is hereby shown that when the note is stopped by the action of the tongue both the attack and release transients are shorter compared to the case where the vibration of the reed is stopped by a decrease of mouth pressure.

The effect of blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) on the size and weight of mangos (Mangifera indica L.)

Science.gov (United States)

Naqqash, Muhammad Nadir; Saeed, Qamar; Ghouri, Fozia

2016-01-01

Background: Pollination has a great effect on the yield of fruit trees. Blow flies are considered as an effective pollinator compared to hand pollination in fruit orchards. Therefore, this study was designed to evaluate the effect of different pollination methods in mango orchards. Methodology: The impact of pollination on quantity and quality of mango yield by blow flies was estimated by using three treatments, i.e., open pollinated trees, trees were covered by a net in the presence of blow flies for pollination, and trees were covered with a net but without insects. Results: The maximum number of flowers was recorded in irregular types of inflorescence, i.e., 434.80 flowers/inflorescence. Fruit setting (bud) was higher in open pollinated mango trees (i.e. 37.00/inflorescence) than enclosed pollination by blow flies (i.e. 22.34/inflorescence). The size of the mango fruit was the highest (5.06 mm) in open pollinated tree than those pollinated by blow flies (3.93 mm) and followed by without any pollinator (3.18 mm) at marble stage. We found that the maximum weight of mango fruit (201.19 g) was in open pollinated trees. Discussion: The results demonstrated that blow flies can be used as effective mango pollinators along with other flies and bees. The blow flies have shown a positive impact on the quality and quantity of mango. This study will be helpful in future and also applicable at farm level to use blow flies as pollinators that are cheap and easy to rear. PMID:27441107

Cycle Time Optimization of Chamomile Package 120 MI Product at Blow Molding Process

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Yuni Hermawan

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Chamomile is a package which is applied for cosmetic. In industry this package is being processed by blow molding. Thereare many parameters that influence cycle time during production; in this project only three of them were varied, i.e. blowingpressure, blowing time and stopping time. Each parameter is determined three chosen level. Middle level is taken fromstandard setting of machining which is being used by industry. Top and bottom level is randomized. Three stopping time are0.1, 0.55, and 1.0 second. Blowing time are 10.5, 11.5 and 12.5 second. Where as, blowing pressures is 4, 5 and 6 bar.Combination of among levels is based on Box Behnken design. Those three parameters are called variable process. In theother hand, variable responses are cycle time and net weight. Each combination is replicated 5 times and then averaged. Thedata then is processed by using Minitab version 14th. Square regression of the model for cycle time is ?CT = 21,1300 - 0,0912X1 + 0,2000 X2 + 0,6313 X3 + 0,6100 X12 + 0,6975 X22 – 0,1000 X1 X2 – 0,1725 X1 X3 + 0,1100 X2 X3 and Net = 19,2933 –0,0088 X1 + 0,0175 X2 + 0,0712 X3 + 0,0133 X 21 + 0.0158 X22- 0.0217 X 23 + 0.0125 X1X2 - 0,0150 X1 X3 for product netweight. Where X1 is blowing pressure, X2 is blowing time and X3 is stopping time.The model developed then tested by lack offit testing, variance by ANOVA and R square. Second stage of model testing is residual test. Three tests are carry out, i.e.identically test and independency test and normality. Optimization of both values, cycle time and net weight, are searched byResponse Surface Method. By the method it is found that the optimum condition of cycle time is 20.5 seconds and net weightis 19.19 grams. The optimum condition is achieved when stopping is 0.1 second, blowing time 11.35 second and blowingpressure 5.1 bars.

Fledging success is a poor indicator of the effects of bird blow flies on ovenbird survival

Science.gov (United States)

Peterson, Sean M.; Streby, Henry M.; Kapfer, Paul M.

2009-01-01

Infestations of bird blow flies (Protocalliphora spp. and Trypocalliphora braueri) have various negative effects on the condition of nestling birds. In the absence of other stressors such as inclement weather, however, infestation alone rarely reduces fledging success. Previous studies have documented effects of blow flies on nestling condition and fledging success. Without information regarding fledgling survival, the full effect of blow-fly infestation remains unclear. To fully investigate the effect of blow-fly infestation on reproductive success of the Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla), we monitored infested and non-infested nests and monitored fledglings from each by using radio telemetry. Blow flies did not affect birds during the nestling period, as brood size, mean nestling mass, fledging success, and time to fledging in infested and non-infested nests were no different. Fledgling survival and minimum distance traveled the first day after fledging, however, were significantly lower for infected fledglings than for those that were not infected. We conclude that the stress of the early fledgling period combined with recent or concurrent blow-fly infection increases mortality in young Oven-birds. Our results demonstrate the importance of including the post-fledging period in investigations of the effects of ectoparasitic infestations on birds.

Computation and measurement of air temperature distribution of an industrial melt blowing die

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wu Li-Li

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The air flow field of the dual slot die on an HDF-6D melt blowing non-woven equipment is computed numerically. A temperature measurement system is built to measure air temperatures. The computation results tally with the measured results proving the correctness of the computation. The results have great valuable significance in the actual melt blowing production.

Local-in-space blow-up criteria for a class of nonlinear dispersive wave equations

Science.gov (United States)

Novruzov, Emil

2017-11-01

This paper is concerned with blow-up phenomena for the nonlinear dispersive wave equation on the real line, ut -uxxt +[ f (u) ] x -[ f (u) ] xxx +[ g (u) + f″/(u) 2 ux2 ] x = 0 that includes the Camassa-Holm equation as well as the hyperelastic-rod wave equation (f (u) = ku2 / 2 and g (u) = (3 - k) u2 / 2) as special cases. We establish some a local-in-space blow-up criterion (i.e., a criterion involving only the properties of the data u0 in a neighborhood of a single point) simplifying and precising earlier blow-up criteria for this equation.

Modeling of Mixing Behavior in a Combined Blowing Steelmaking Converter with a Filter-Based Euler-Lagrange Model

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Mingming; Li, Lin; Li, Qiang; Zou, Zongshu

2018-05-01

A filter-based Euler-Lagrange multiphase flow model is used to study the mixing behavior in a combined blowing steelmaking converter. The Euler-based volume of fluid approach is employed to simulate the top blowing, while the Lagrange-based discrete phase model that embeds the local volume change of rising bubbles for the bottom blowing. A filter-based turbulence method based on the local meshing resolution is proposed aiming to improve the modeling of turbulent eddy viscosities. The model validity is verified through comparison with physical experiments in terms of mixing curves and mixing times. The effects of the bottom gas flow rate on bath flow and mixing behavior are investigated and the inherent reasons for the mixing result are clarified in terms of the characteristics of bottom-blowing plumes, the interaction between plumes and top-blowing jets, and the change of bath flow structure.

Tensile Properties and Fracture Behavior of Aluminum Alloy Foam Fabricated from Die Castings without Using Blowing Agent by Friction Stir Processing Route.

Science.gov (United States)

Hangai, Yoshihiko; Kamada, Hiroto; Utsunomiya, Takao; Kitahara, Soichiro; Kuwazuru, Osamu; Yoshikawa, Nobuhiro

2014-03-21

Al foam has been used in a wide range of applications owing to its light weight, high energy absorption and high sound insulation. One of the promising processes for fabricating Al foam involves the use of a foamable precursor. In this study, ADC12 Al foams with porosities of 67%-78% were fabricated from Al alloy die castings without using a blowing agent by the friction stir processing route. The pore structure and tensile properties of the ADC12 foams were investigated and compared with those of commercially available ALPORAS. From X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT) observations of the pore structure of ADC12 foams, it was found that they have smaller pores with a narrower distribution than those in ALPORAS. Tensile tests on the ADC12 foams indicated that as their porosity increased, the tensile strength and tensile strain decreased, with strong relation between the porosity, tensile strength, and tensile strain. ADC12 foams exhibited brittle fracture, whereas ALPORAS exhibited ductile fracture, which is due to the nature of the Al alloy used as the base material of the foams. By image-based finite element (FE) analysis using X-ray CT images corresponding to the tensile tests on ADC12 foams, it was shown that the fracture path of ADC12 foams observed in tensile tests and the regions of high stress obtained from FE analysis correspond to each other. Therefore, it is considered that the fracture behavior of ADC12 foams in relation to their pore structure distribution can be investigated by image-based FE analysis.

BLOW.MOD2: program for a vessel depressurization calculation with the contribution of structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doval, A.

1990-01-01

The BLOW.MOD2 program developed to calculate pressure vessels' depressurization is presented, considering heat contribution of the structures. The results are opposite to those obtained from other more complex numerical models, being the comparison extremely satisfactory. BLOW.MOD2 is a software of the 'Systems Sub-Branch', INVAP S.E. (Author) [es

Quantifying pteridines in the heads of blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae): Application for forensic entomology.

Science.gov (United States)

Cammack, J A; Reiskind, M H; Guisewite, L M; Denning, S S; Watson, D W

2017-11-01

In forensic cases involving entomological evidence, establishing the postcolonization interval (post-CI) is a critical component of the investigation. Traditional methods of estimating the post-CI rely on estimating the age of immature blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) collected from remains. However, in cases of delayed discovery (e.g., when remains are located indoors), these insects may have completed their development and be present in the environment as adults. Adult fly collections are often ignored in cases of advanced decomposition because of a presumed little relevance to the investigation; herein we present information on how these insects can be of value. In this study we applied an age-grading technique to estimate the age of adults of Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius), Cochliomyia macellaria (Fabricius), and Phormia regina (Meigen), based on the temperature-dependent accumulation of pteridines in the compound eyes, when reared at temperatures ranging from 5 to 35°C. Age could be estimated for all species*sex*rearing temperature combinations (mean r 2 ±SE: 0.90±0.01) for all but P. regina reared at 5.4°C. These models can be used to increase the precision of post-CI estimates for remains found indoors, and the high r 2 values of 22 of the 24 regression equations indicates that this is a valid method for estimating the age of adult blow flies at temperatures ≥15°C. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Blow-up criteria for the 3D cubic nonlinear Schrödinger equation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holmer, Justin; Platte, Rodrigo; Roudenko, Svetlana

2010-01-01

We consider solutions u to the 3D nonlinear Schrödinger equation i∂ t u + Δu + |u| 2 u = 0. In particular, we are interested in finding criteria on the initial data u 0 that predict the asymptotic behaviour of u(t), e.g., whether u(t) blows up in finite time, exists globally in time but behaves like a linear solution for large times (scatters), or exists globally in time but does not scatter. This question has been resolved (at least for H 1 data) (Duyckaerts–Holmer–Roudenko) if M[u]E[u] ≤ M[Q]E[Q], where M[u] and E[u] denote the mass and energy of u and Q denotes the ground state solution to −Q + ΔQ + |Q| 2 Q = 0. Here we consider the complementary case M[u]E[u] > M[Q]E[Q]. In the first (analytical) part of the paper, we present a result due to Lushnikov, based on the virial identity and the generalized uncertainty principle, giving a sufficient condition for blow-up. By replacing the uncertainty principle in his argument with an interpolation-type inequality, we obtain a new blow-up condition that in some cases improves upon Lushnikov's condition. Our approach also allows for an adaptation to radial infinite-variance initial data that has a conceptual interpretation: for real-valued initial data, if a certain fraction of the mass is contained within the ball of radius M[u], then blow up occurs. We also show analytically (if one takes the numerically computed value of ||Q|| .H 1/2 ) that there exist Gaussian initial data u 0 with negative quadratic phase such that ||u 0 || .H 1/2 .H 1/2 but the solution u(t) blows up. In the second (numerical) part of the paper, we examine several different classes of initial data—Gaussian, super Gaussian, off-centred Gaussian, and oscillatory Gaussian—and for each class give the theoretical predictions for scattering or blow-up provided by the above theorems as well as the results of numerical simulation. We find that depending upon the form of the initial conditions, any of the three analytical criteria for blow

A multi-agent approach to intelligent monitoring in smart grids

Science.gov (United States)

Vallejo, D.; Albusac, J.; Glez-Morcillo, C.; Castro-Schez, J. J.; Jiménez, L.

2014-04-01

In this paper, we propose a scalable multi-agent architecture to give support to smart grids, paying special attention to the intelligent monitoring of distribution substations. The data gathered by multiple sensors are used by software agents that are responsible for monitoring different aspects or events of interest, such as normal voltage values or unbalanced intensity values that can end up blowing fuses and decreasing the quality of service of end consumers. The knowledge bases of these agents have been built by means of a formal model for normality analysis that has been successfully used in other surveillance domains. The architecture facilitates the integration of new agents and can be easily configured and deployed to monitor different environments. The experiments have been conducted over a power distribution network.

Proteus mirabilis interkingdom swarming signals attract blow flies

Science.gov (United States)

Flies transport specific bacteria with their larvae which provides a wider range of nutrients for those bacteria. Our hypothesis was that this symbiotic interaction may depend on interkingdom signaling. We obtained Proteus mirabilis from the salivary glands of the blow fly Lucilia sericat. This s...

Resection and primary anastomosis with or without modified blow-hole colostomy for sigmoid volvulus

Science.gov (United States)

Coban, Sacid; Yilmaz, Mehmet; Terzi, Alpaslan; Yildiz, Fahrettin; Ozgor, Dincer; Ara, Cengiz; Yologlu, Saim; Kirimlioglu, Vedat

2008-01-01

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of resection and primary anastomosis (RPA) and RPA with modified blow-hole colostomy for sigmoid volvulus. METHODS: From March 2000 to September 2007, 77 patients with acute sigmoid volvulus were treated. A total of 47 patients underwent RPA or RPA with modified blow-hole colostomy. Twenty-five patients received RPA (Group A), and the remaining 22 patients had RPA with modified blow-hole colostomy (Group B). The clinical course and postoperative complications of the two groups were compared. RESULTS: The mean hospital stay, wound infection and mortality did not differ significantly between the groups. Superficial wound infection rate was higher in group A (32% vs 9.1%). Anastomotic leakage was observed only in group A, with a rate of 6.3%. The difference was numerically impressive but was statistically not significant. CONCLUSION: RPA with modified blow-hole colostomy provides satisfactory results. It is easy to perform and may become a method of choice in patients with sigmoid volvulus. Further studies are required to further establish its role in the treatment of sigmoid volvulus. PMID:18810779

Humidification of Blow-By Oxygen During Recovery of Postoperative Pediatric Patients: One Unit's Journey.

Science.gov (United States)

Donahue, Suzanne; DiBlasi, Robert M; Thomas, Karen

2018-02-02

To examine the practice of nebulizer cool mist blow-by oxygen administered to spontaneously breathing postanesthesia care unit (PACU) pediatric patients during Phase one recovery. Existing evidence was evaluated. Informal benchmarking documented practices in peer organizations. An in vitro study was then conducted to simulate clinical practice and determine depth and amount of airway humidity delivery with blow-by oxygen. Informal benchmarking information was obtained by telephone interview. Using a three-dimensional printed simulation model of the head connected to a breathing lung simulator, depth and amount of moisture delivery in the respiratory tree were measured. Evidence specific to PACU administration of cool mist blow-by oxygen was limited. Informal benchmarking revealed that routine cool mist oxygenated blow-by administration was not widely practiced. The laboratory experiment revealed minimal moisture reaching the mid-tracheal area of the simulated airway model. Routine use of oxygenated cool mist in spontaneously breathing pediatric PACU patients is not supported. Copyright © 2017 American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Blow-up Mechanism of Classical Solutions to Quasilinear Hyperbolic Systems in the Critical Case

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2006-01-01

This paper deals with the blow-up phenomenon, particularly, the geometric blow-up mechanism, of classical solutions to the Cauchy problem for quasilinear hyperbolic systems in the critical case. We prove that it is still the envelope of the same family of characteristics which yields the blowup of classical solutions to the Cauchy problem in the critical case.

Extensive Core Microbiome in Drone-Captured Whale Blow Supports a Framework for Health Monitoring.

Science.gov (United States)

Apprill, Amy; Miller, Carolyn A; Moore, Michael J; Durban, John W; Fearnbach, Holly; Barrett-Lennard, Lance G

2017-01-01

The pulmonary system is a common site for bacterial infections in cetaceans, but very little is known about their respiratory microbiome. We used a small, unmanned hexacopter to collect exhaled breath condensate (blow) from two geographically distinct populations of apparently healthy humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ), sampled in the Massachusetts coastal waters off Cape Cod ( n = 17) and coastal waters around Vancouver Island ( n = 9). Bacterial and archaeal small-subunit rRNA genes were amplified and sequenced from blow samples, including many of sparse volume, as well as seawater and other controls, to characterize the associated microbial community. The blow microbiomes were distinct from the seawater microbiomes and included 25 phylogenetically diverse bacteria common to all sampled whales. This core assemblage comprised on average 36% of the microbiome, making it one of the more consistent animal microbiomes studied to date. The closest phylogenetic relatives of 20 of these core microbes were previously detected in marine mammals, suggesting that this core microbiome assemblage is specialized for marine mammals and may indicate a healthy, noninfected pulmonary system. Pathogen screening was conducted on the microbiomes at the genus level, which showed that all blow and few seawater microbiomes contained relatives of bacterial pathogens; no known cetacean respiratory pathogens were detected in the blow. Overall, the discovery of a shared large core microbiome in humpback whales is an important advancement for health and disease monitoring of this species and of other large whales. IMPORTANCE The conservation and management of large whales rely in part upon health monitoring of individuals and populations, and methods generally necessitate invasive sampling. Here, we used a small, unmanned hexacopter drone to noninvasively fly above humpback whales from two populations, capture their exhaled breath (blow), and examine the associated microbiome. In the

Tensile Properties and Fracture Behavior of Aluminum Alloy Foam Fabricated from Die Castings without Using Blowing Agent by Friction Stir Processing Route

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yoshihiko Hangai

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Al foam has been used in a wide range of applications owing to its light weight, high energy absorption and high sound insulation. One of the promising processes for fabricating Al foam involves the use of a foamable precursor. In this study, ADC12 Al foams with porosities of 67%–78% were fabricated from Al alloy die castings without using a blowing agent by the friction stir processing route. The pore structure and tensile properties of the ADC12 foams were investigated and compared with those of commercially available ALPORAS. From X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT observations of the pore structure of ADC12 foams, it was found that they have smaller pores with a narrower distribution than those in ALPORAS. Tensile tests on the ADC12 foams indicated that as their porosity increased, the tensile strength and tensile strain decreased, with strong relation between the porosity, tensile strength, and tensile strain. ADC12 foams exhibited brittle fracture, whereas ALPORAS exhibited ductile fracture, which is due to the nature of the Al alloy used as the base material of the foams. By image-based finite element (FE analysis using X-ray CT images corresponding to the tensile tests on ADC12 foams, it was shown that the fracture path of ADC12 foams observed in tensile tests and the regions of high stress obtained from FE analysis correspond to each other. Therefore, it is considered that the fracture behavior of ADC12 foams in relation to their pore structure distribution can be investigated by image-based FE analysis.

The blow-up problem for a semilinear parabolic equation with a potential

OpenAIRE

Cortazar, C.; Elgueta, M.; Rossi, J. D.

2006-01-01

Let $\\Omega$ be a bounded smooth domain in $\\RR^N$. We consider the problem $u_t= \\Delta u + V(x) u^p$ in $\\Omega \\times [0,T)$, with Dirichlet boundary conditions $u=0$ on $\\partial \\Omega \\times [0,T)$ and initial datum $u(x,0)= M \\phi (x)$ where $M \\geq 0$, $\\phi$ is positive and compatible with the boundary condition. We give estimates for the blow up time of solutions for large values of $M$. As a consequence of these estimates we find that, for $M$ large, the blow up set concentrates ne...

LES-based characterization of a suction and oscillatory blowing fluidic actuator

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jeonglae; Moin, Parviz

2015-11-01

Recently, a novel fluidic actuator using steady suction and oscillatory blowing was developed for control of turbulent flows. The suction and oscillatory blowing (SaOB) actuator combines steady suction and pulsed oscillatory blowing into a single device. The actuation is based upon a self-sustained mechanism of confined jets and does not require any moving parts. The control output is determined by a pressure source and the geometric details, and no additional input is needed. While its basic mechanisms have been investigated to some extent, detailed characteristics of internal turbulent flows are not well understood. In this study, internal flows of the SaOB actuator are simulated using large-eddy simulation (LES). Flow characteristics within the actuator are described in detail for a better understanding of the physical mechanisms and improving the actuator design. LES predicts the self-sustained oscillations of the turbulent jet. Switching frequency, maximum velocity at the actuator outlets, and wall pressure distribution are in good agreement with the experimental measurements. The computational results are used to develop simplified boundary conditions for numerical experiments of active flow control. Supported by the Boeing company.

Controlled Transverse Blow-up of Highenergy Proton Beams for Aperture Measurements and Loss Maps

CERN Document Server

Hӧfle, W; Redaelli, S; Schmidt, R; Valuch, D; Wollmann, D; Zerlauth, M

2012-01-01

A technique was developed to blow-up transversely in a controlled way high energy proton beams in the LHC. The technique is based on band limited white noise excitation that is injected into the transverse damper feedback loop. The injected signal can be gated to selectively blow-up individual trains of bunches. The speed of transverse blow-up can be precisely controlled. This opens the possibility to perform safely and efficiently aperture measurements and loss maps with high intensity bunch trains well above stored beam energies that are considered to be safe. In particular, lengthy procedures for measurements at top energy, otherwise requiring multiple fills of individual bunches, can be avoided. In this paper, the method is presented and results from beam measurements are discussed and compared with alternative blowup methods.

In vitro antimicrobial activity of solution blow spun poly(lactic acid)/polyvinylpyrrolidone nanofibers loaded with Copaiba (Copaifera sp.) oil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bonan, Roberta F. [Departamento de Engenharia de Materiais (DEMAT), Universidade Federal da Paraíba (UFPB), Cidade Universitária, 58.051-900 João Pessoa, PB (Brazil); Centro de Ciências da Saúde (CCS), Universidade Federal da Paraíba (UFPB), Cidade Universitária, 58.051-900 João Pessoa, PB (Brazil); Bonan, Paulo R.F.; Batista, André U.D.; Sampaio, Fábio C.; Albuquerque, Allan J.R. [Centro de Ciências da Saúde (CCS), Universidade Federal da Paraíba (UFPB), Cidade Universitária, 58.051-900 João Pessoa, PB (Brazil); Moraes, Maria C.B. [Embrapa Recursos Genéticos e Biotecnologia, Parque Estação Ecológica, W/5 Norte (Final) Cenargen (Laboratório de Semioquímicos) ASA NORTE, 70770900 Brasília, DF (Brazil); Mattoso, Luiz H.C. [Laboratório Nacional de Nanotecnologia para o Agronegócio (LNNA), Embrapa Instrumentação Agropecuária (CNPDIA), Rua XV de Novembro, 1452, Centro, 13.560, 970 São Carlos, SP (Brazil); Glenn, Gregory M. [United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Western Regional Research Center (WRRC), Bioproduct Chemistry and Engineering - BCE, Albany, CA 94710 (United States); and others

2015-03-01

In this study poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) micro- and nanofiber mats loaded with Copaiba (Copaifera sp.) oil were produced by solution blow spinning (SBS). The Copaiba (Copaifera sp.) oil was characterized by gas chromatography (GC). Neat PLA and four PLA/PVP blends containing 20% (wt.%) oil were spun and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and by studying the surface contact angle, in vitro release rate, and antimicrobial activity. All compositions evaluated were able to produce continuous and smooth fibers by SBS. The addition of PVP increased fiber diameter, and decreased the surface contact angle. GC analysis demonstrated that the main component of the Copaiba oil was β-caryophyllene, a known antimicrobial agent. In vitro release tests of Copaiba oil volatiles demonstrated a higher release rate in fibers containing PVP. Fiber mats made from blends containing higher amounts of PVP had greater antimicrobial action against Staphylococcus aureus. The results confirm the potential of the fiber mats for use in controlled drug release and could lead to promising applications in the biomedical field. - Highlights: • An efficient method for production of antimicrobial nanofiber mats using solution blow spinning was reported. • Nanofiber mats containing Copaiba oil were efficient against Staphylococcus aureus. • Nanofiber composition changed morphological properties and antimicrobial action.

Droplet-born air blowing: novel dissolving microneedle fabrication.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jung Dong; Kim, Miroo; Yang, Huisuk; Lee, Kwang; Jung, Hyungil

2013-09-28

The microneedle-mediated drug delivery system has been developed to provide painless self-administration of drugs in a patient-friendly manner. Current dissolving microneedle fabrication methods, however, require harsh conditions for biological drugs and also have problems standardizing the drug dose. Here, we suggested the droplet-born air blowing (DAB) method, which provides gentle (4-25 °C) and fast (≤10min) microneedle fabrication conditions without drug loss. The amount of drug in the microneedle can be controlled by the pressure and time of droplet dispenser and the air blowing shapes this droplet to the microneedle, providing a force sufficient to penetrate skin. Also, the introduction of a base structure of two layered DAB-microneedle could provide complete drug delivery without wasting of drug. The DAB-based insulin loaded microneedle shows similar bioavailability (96.6±2.4%) and down regulation of glucose level compared with subcutaneous injection. We anticipate that DAB described herein will be suitable to design dissolving microneedles for use in biological drug delivery to patients. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The pattern of fraudulent accounting : Ethics, external auditing and internal whistle-blowing process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Loredana Ferri Di Fabrizio

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The ongoing debate in the literature centres on the compromised auditor’s independence in consequence of the relevant provisions perceived for non-audit services provided to the audited clients. The accounting scandals that have occurred over the past two decades show the lack of competence and independence of external auditors, who kept quite in the face of attempted frauds. The case of Tesco represents an undeniable example of the loss of auditor’s independence, who failed to detect accounting manipulation confirming the importance of whistle-blowing procedures in disclosing concerns before they become serious problems. When turnover occurs in CEOs it is more likely that a rotation in external auditors occurs as well. Finally, changes in top management enable whistle-blowing actions to be successful, interrupting the organization’s dependence on serious wrongdoings and preventing a disastrous ending. The success of whistle-blowing in preventing company failure makes it an effective instrument of сorporate пovernance.

Assessing the stretch-blow moulding FE simulation of PET over a large process window

Science.gov (United States)

Nixon, J.; Menary, G. H.; Yan, S.

2017-10-01

Injection stretch blow moulding has been extensively researched for numerous years and is a well-established method of forming thin-walled containers. This paper is concerned with validating the finite element analysis of the stretch-blow-moulding (SBM) process in an effort to progress the development of injection stretch blow moulding of poly(ethylene terephthalate). Extensive data was obtained experimentally over a wide process window accounting for material temperature, air flow rate and stretch-rod speed while capturing cavity pressure, stretch-rod reaction force, in-mould contact timing and material thickness distribution. This data was then used to assess the accuracy of the correlating FE simulation constructed using ABAQUS/Explicit solver and an appropriate user-defined viscoelastic material subroutine. Results reveal that the simulation was able to pick up the general trends of how the pressure, reaction force and in-mould contact timings vary with the variation in preform temperature and air flow rate. Trends in material thickness were also accurately predicted over the length of the bottle relative to the process conditions. The knowledge gained from these analyses provides insight into the mechanisms of bottle formation, subsequently improving the blow moulding simulation and potentially providing a reduction in production costs.

Quantitative orientational characterization if low - density polyethylene blow films by x-ray and birefringence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taheri Qazvini, N.; Mohammadi, N.; Ghaffarian, R.; Assempour, H.; Haghighatkish, M.

2002-01-01

The effect of two important parameters of film blowing processes, i.e., take-up ration and blow-up ratio, on the overall orientation of low-density blown films have been investigated using birefringence measurements. Furthermore, by combining x-ray diffraction pole figure analysis and birefringence, the White and Spruiell biaxial orientation functions have been determined for aforementioned sample. Within the range of processing condition studied, increasing take-up ratio, increases orientation in both machine and transverse direction. Upon increasing blow-up ratio, orientation in the transverse direction increases and the overall orientation state approaches to equal biaxial one. Characterization of the crystalline regions by pole figure analysis reveals that a and b crystallographic axes preferentially orientate in the film plane and the direction normal to it, respectively. The amorphous regions do not have any preferential orientation

LHC MD 1087: Controlled Longitudinal Emittance Blow-up with Short Bunches

CERN Document Server

Timko, Helga; Esteban Muller, Juan; Jaussi, Michael; Lasheen, Alexandre; Shaposhnikova, Elena; CERN. Geneva. ATS Department

2017-01-01

The aim of the MD was to study the controlled longitudinal emittance blow-up applied during the ramp with bunches that are slightly shorter than operational. Earlier MDs in 2015 have shown that with a short target bunch length, the blow-up is less controlled and a bifurcation of bunch lengths occurs. The presented measurements show that the bifurcation is independent of the presence of the bunch length feedback, pointing towards an intensity-dependent phenomenon, originating from a synchrotron frequency shift with intensity. Accurate measurements of synchrotron frequency shift with intensity are presented as well. The measurements took place between 22nd August 2016, 19:00 and 23rd August 2016, 04:00.

Oviposition preferences of two forensically important blow fly species, Chrysomya megacephala and C. rufifacies (Diptera: Calliphoridae), and implications for postmortem interval estimation.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Shih-Tsai; Shiao, Shiuh-Feng

2012-03-01

Necrophagous blow fly species (Diptera: Calliphoridae) are the most important agents for estimating the postmortem interval (PMI) in forensic entomology. Nevertheless, the oviposition preferences of blow flies may cause a bias of PMI estimations because of a delay or acceleration of egg laying. Chrysomya megacephala (F.) and C. rufifacies (Macquart) are two predominant necrophagous blow fly species in Taiwan. Their larvae undergo rather intense competition, and the latter one can prey on the former under natural conditions. To understand the oviposition preferences of these two species, a dual-choice device was used to test the choice of oviposition sites by females. Results showed when pork liver with and without larvae of C. rufifacies was provided, C. megacephala preferred to lay eggs on the liver without larvae. However, C. megacephala showed no preference when pork liver with and without conspecific larvae or larvae of Hemipyrellia ligurriens (Wiedemann) was provided. These results indicate that females of C. megacephala try to avoid laying eggs around larvae of facultatively predaceous species of C. rufifacies. However, C. rufifacies showed significant oviposition preference for pork liver with larvae of C. megacephala or conspecific ones when compared with pork liver with no larvae. These results probably imply that conspecific larvae or larvae of C. megacephala may potentially be alternative food resources for C. rufifacies, so that its females prefer to lay eggs in their presence. When considering the size of the oviposition media, pork livers of a relatively small size were obviously unfavorable to both species. This may be because females need to find sufficient resources to meet the food demands of their larvae. In another experiment, neither blow fly species showed an oviposition preference for pork livers of different stages of decay. In addition, the oviposition preferences of both species to those media with larvae were greatly disturbed in a dark

On lower bounds for possible blow-up solutions to the periodic Navier-Stokes equation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cortissoz, Jean C.; Montero, Julio A.; Pinilla, Carlos E.

2014-01-01

We show a new lower bound on the H .3/2 (T 3 ) norm of a possible blow-up solution to the Navier-Stokes equation, and also comment on the extension of this result to the whole space. This estimate can be seen as a natural limiting result for Leray's blow-up estimates in L p (R 3 ), 3 .5/2 (T 3 ), and give the corresponding extension to the case of the whole space

Dolphins Who Blow Bubbles: Anthropological Machines and Native Informants

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lord, C.

2011-01-01

"Dolphins Who Blow Bubbles: Anthropological Machines and Native Informants" engages a reading between an Oscar winning and now ‘cult’ activist film The Cove (Louise Psihoyos 2009) and classical texts on the human-animal threshold. Giorgio Agamben’s The Open (2002) and Jacques Derrida’s "The Animal

Theoretical studies on the free-blowing process of the vent pipes in the pressure suppression system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aust, E.

1979-01-01

This report deals with the free-blowing period of the vent pipes in a pressure suppression system, treating especially the analytical simulation of this period. In order to do this the equations presently laid down for use in the computer codes and describing the free-blowing process are presented and their essential model simplifications are worked out. Subsequently, for the simple system of a U-tube filled with water, the fundamental mechanism of the free-blowing process is studied and the results to be transferred from it to the pressure suppression system are discussed. Based on them there are performed calculations with the individual free-blowing models using plant-related parameters as input data, in order to verify in a benchmark comparison the information and the results of calculation of the individual model concepts in relation to one another. Finally the validity of the individual model set-ups and the quality of their predictions are checked by means of experimental results from the pressure suppression experiments on the PSS test stand. (orig.) [de

FE-Analysis of Stretch-Blow Moulded Bottles Using an Integrative Process Simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Hopmann, C.; Michaeli, W.; Rasche, S.

2011-05-01

The two-stage stretch-blow moulding process has been established for the large scale production of high quality PET containers with excellent mechanical and optical properties. The total production costs of a bottle are significantly caused by the material costs. Due to this dominant share of the bottle material, the PET industry is interested in reducing the total production costs by an optimised material efficiency. However, a reduced material inventory means decreasing wall thicknesses and therewith a reduction of the bottle properties (e.g. mechanical properties, barrier properties). Therefore, there is often a trade-off between a minimal bottle weight and adequate properties of the bottle. In order to achieve the objectives Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) techniques can assist the designer of new stretch-blow moulded containers. Hence, tools such as the process simulation and the structural analysis have become important in the blow moulding sector. The Institute of Plastics Processing (IKV) at RWTH Aachen University, Germany, has developed an integrative three-dimensional process simulation which models the complete path of a preform through a stretch-blow moulding machine. At first, the reheating of the preform is calculated by a thermal simulation. Afterwards, the inflation of the preform to a bottle is calculated by finite element analysis (FEA). The results of this step are e.g. the local wall thickness distribution and the local biaxial stretch ratios. Not only the material distribution but also the material properties that result from the deformation history of the polymer have significant influence on the bottle properties. Therefore, a correlation between the material properties and stretch ratios is considered in an integrative simulation approach developed at IKV. The results of the process simulation (wall thickness, stretch ratios) are transferred to a further simulation program and mapped on the bottles FE mesh. This approach allows a local

Ultrastructure of male genitalia of blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) of forensic importance.

Science.gov (United States)

Sontigun, Narin; Sanit, Sangob; Wannasan, Anchalee; Sukontason, Kom; Amendt, Jens; Yasanga, Tippawan; Sukontason, Kabkaew L

2018-03-01

Male genitalia of blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) are distinctive in their morphological features and are often used for species identification. The aim of this work was to investigate the male genitalia of blow flies of medical and forensic importance from Thailand at the ultrastructural level, using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Flies in two subfamilies were examined: Chrysomyinae [Chrysomya bezziana Villeneuve, Chrysomya chani Kurahashi, Chrysomya nigripes Aubertin, Chrysomya pinguis (Walker), Chrysomya rufifacies (Macquart), Chrysomya thanomthini Kurahashi & Tumrasvin, and Chrysomya villeneuvi Patton] and Luciliinae [Hemipyrellia ligurriens (Wiedemann), Hypopygiopsis infumata (Bigot), Hypopygiopsis tumrasvini Kurahashi, Lucilia cuprina (Wiedemann), Lucilia papuensis Macquart, Lucilia porphyrina (Walker), and Lucilia sinensis Aubertin]. Particular attention was paid to the main distinguishing features such as the shapes of the cercus and the surstylus, and the complex structure of the distiphallus. The differentiation of the male genitalia of these species at the SEM level is discussed and compared to the conditions in closely related species such as Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius). A key for the identification of 14 blow fly species based on male genitalia is provided. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The blow-up problem for a semilinear parabolic equation with a potential

Science.gov (United States)

Cortazar, Carmen; Elgueta, Manuel; Rossi, Julio D.

2007-11-01

Let [Omega] be a bounded smooth domain in . We consider the problem ut=[Delta]u+V(x)up in [Omega]×[0,T), with Dirichlet boundary conditions u=0 on [not partial differential][Omega]×[0,T) and initial datum u(x,0)=M[phi](x) where M[greater-or-equal, slanted]0, [phi] is positive and compatible with the boundary condition. We give estimates for the blow-up time of solutions for large values of M. As a consequence of these estimates we find that, for M large, the blow-up set concentrates near the points where [phi]p-1V attains its maximum.

Echinacea plants as antioxidant and antibacterial agents: From traditional medicine to biotechnological applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharifi-Rad, Mehdi; Mnayer, Dima; Morais-Braga, Maria Flaviana Bezerra; Carneiro, Joara Nályda Pereira; Bezerra, Camila Fonseca; Coutinho, Henrique Douglas Melo; Salehi, Bahare; Martorell, Miquel; Del Mar Contreras, María; Soltani-Nejad, Azam; Uribe, Yoshie Adriana Hata; Yousaf, Zubaida; Iriti, Marcello; Sharifi-Rad, Javad

2018-05-10

The genus Echinacea consists of 11 taxa of herbaceous and perennial flowering plants. In particular, Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench is widely cultivated all over the United States, Canada, and in Europe, exclusively in Germany, for its beauty and reported medicinal properties. Echinacea extracts have been used traditionally as wound healing to improve the immune system and to treat respiratory symptoms caused by bacterial infections. Echinacea extracts have demonstrated antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, and to be safe. This survey aims at reviewing the medicinal properties of Echinacea species, their cultivation, chemical composition, and the potential uses of these plants as antioxidant and antibacterial agents in foods and in a clinical context. Moreover, the factors affecting the chemical composition of Echinacea spp. are also covered. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Frequency Response of Near-Wall Coherent Structures to Localized Periodic Blowing and Suction in Turbulent Boundary Layer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jian-Hua, Liu; Nan, Jiang

2008-01-01

We experimentally investigate the frequency response of near-wall coherent structures to localized periodic blowing and suction through a spanwise slot in a turbulent boundary layer by changing the frequency of periodic disturbance at similar velocities of free stream. The effects of blowing and suction disturbance on energy redistribution, turbulent intensity u' rms + , over y + and waveforms of phase-averaged velocity during sweeping process are respectively discussed under three frequencies of periodic blowing and suction in near-wall region of turbulent boundary layer, compared with those in a standard turbulent boundary layer. The most effective disturbance frequency is figured out in this system. (fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications))

Blow-Up Analysis for a Quasilinear Degenerate Parabolic Equation with Strongly Nonlinear Source

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pan Zheng

2012-01-01

Full Text Available We investigate the blow-up properties of the positive solution of the Cauchy problem for a quasilinear degenerate parabolic equation with strongly nonlinear source ut=div(|∇um|p−2∇ul+uq,  (x,t∈RN×(0,T, where N≥1, p>2 , and m, l,  q>1, and give a secondary critical exponent on the decay asymptotic behavior of an initial value at infinity for the existence and nonexistence of global solutions of the Cauchy problem. Moreover, under some suitable conditions we prove single-point blow-up for a large class of radial decreasing solutions.

Parameters of the Two-Phase Sand-Air Stream in the Blowing Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Danko J.

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Theoretical problems concerning the determination of work parameters of the two-phase sand-air stream in the cores making process by blowing methods as well as experimental methods of determination of the main and auxiliary parameters of this process decisive on the cores quality assessed by the value and distribution of their apparent density are presented in the paper. In addition the results of visualisations of the core-box filling with the sand-air stream, from the blowing chamber, obtained by the process filming by means of the quick-action camera are presented in the paper and compared with the results of simulation calculations with the application of the ProCast software.

Thermo-mechanical simulation of liquid-supported stretch blow molding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zimmer, J.; Stommel, M.

2015-01-01

Stretch blow molding is the well-established plastics forming method to produce Polyehtylene therephtalate (PET) bottles. An injection molded preform is heated up above the PET glass transition temperature (Tg∼85°C) and subsequently inflated by pressurized air into a closed cavity. In the follow-up filling process, the resulting bottle is filled with the final product. A recently developed modification of the process combines the blowing and filling stages by directly using the final liquid product to inflate the preform. In a previously published paper, a mechanical simulation and successful evaluation of this liquid-driven stretch blow molding process was presented. In this way, a realistic process parameter dependent simulation of the preform deformation throughout the forming process was enabled, whereas the preform temperature evolution during forming was neglected. However, the formability of the preform is highly reduced when the temperature sinks below Tg during forming. Experimental investigations show temperature-induced failure cases due to the fast heat transfer between hot preform and cold liquid. Therefore, in this paper, a process dependent simulation of the temperature evolution during processing to avoid preform failure is presented. For this purpose, the previously developed mechanical model is used to extract the time dependent thickness evolution. This information serves as input for the heat transfer simulation. The required material parameters are calibrated from preform cooling experiments recorded with an infrared-camera. Furthermore, the high deformation ratios during processing lead to strain induced crystallization. This exothermal reaction is included into the simulation by extracting data from preform measurements at different stages of deformation via Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). Finally, the thermal simulation model is evaluated by free forming experiments, recorded by a high-speed infrared camera

Numerical Analysis of Film Cooling at High Blowing Ratio

Science.gov (United States)

El-Gabry, Lamyaa; Heidmann, James; Ameri, Ali

2009-01-01

Computational Fluid Dynamics is used in the analysis of a film cooling jet in crossflow. Predictions of film effectiveness are compared with experimental results for a circular jet at blowing ratios ranging from 0.5 to 2.0. Film effectiveness is a surface quantity which alone is insufficient in understanding the source and finding a remedy for shortcomings of the numerical model. Therefore, in addition, comparisons are made to flow field measurements of temperature along the jet centerline. These comparisons show that the CFD model is accurately predicting the extent and trajectory of the film cooling jet; however, there is a lack of agreement in the near-wall region downstream of the film hole. The effects of main stream turbulence conditions, boundary layer thickness, turbulence modeling, and numerical artificial dissipation are evaluated and found to have an insufficient impact in the wake region of separated films (i.e. cannot account for the discrepancy between measured and predicted centerline fluid temperatures). Analyses of low and moderate blowing ratio cases are carried out and results are in good agreement with data.

Occurrence of blowing snow events at an alpine site over a 10-year period: Observations and modelling

Science.gov (United States)

Vionnet, V.; Guyomarc'h, G.; Naaim Bouvet, F.; Martin, E.; Durand, Y.; Bellot, H.; Bel, C.; Puglièse, P.

2013-05-01

Blowing snow events control the evolution of the snow pack in mountainous areas and cause inhomogeneous snow distribution. The goal of this study is to identify the main features of blowing snow events at an alpine site and assess the ability of the detailed snowpack model Crocus to reproduce the occurrence of these events in a 1D configuration. We created a database of blowing snow events observed over 10 years at our experimental site. Occurrences of blowing snow events were divided into cases with and without concurrent falling snow. Overall, snow transport is observed during 10.5% of the time in winter and occurs with concurrent falling snow 37.3% of the time. Wind speed and snow age control the frequency of occurrence. Model results illustrate the necessity of taking the wind-dependence of falling snow grain characteristics into account to simulate periods of snow transport and mass fluxes satisfactorily during those periods. The high rate of false alarms produced by the model is investigated in detail for winter 2010/2011 using measurements from snow particle counters.

Severe diffuse axon injury in chronic alcoholic rat medulla oblongata following a concussion blow.

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Jianming; Chen, Guang; Wei, Lai; Qian, Hong; Lai, Xiaoping; Wang, Dian; Lv, Junyao; Yu, Xiaojun

2014-01-01

We investigated the axonal morphological changes and expression of both tau protein and β-APP following concussion to the medulla oblongata, in a rat model of chronic alcoholism. Fifty-nine male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into EtOH, EtOH-TBI and control groups (water group, water-TBI group). To establish chronic alcoholic rats, rats were intragastrically given edible spirituous liquor twice daily. Rats also received a blow on the occipital tuberosity with an iron pendulum. Morphological changes and expression of tau and β-APP proteins in the medulla oblongata were examined. (a) Nerve fibre thickening and twisting were observed in alcoholic rats, with nerve fibre changes becoming more significant following a concussion blow, which leads to some nerve fibres fracturing. (b) Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the nerve fibre myelin became loosened and displayed lamellar separation, which became more significant following concussion. (c) The integral optical density (IOD) sum value of β-APP of the EtOH-TBI group was lower than that in the EtOH group (P Chronic alcoholism caused nerve fibre and neuronal morphology damage in the rat medulla oblongata, with structural damage becoming more significant following concussion. (b) Concussion changed the expression of β-APP and tau protein in chronic alcoholic rat medulla oblongata, suggesting that chronic alcoholism can lead to severe axonal injury following a concussion blow. (c) The effect of chronic alcoholism may be synergistic the concussion blow to promote animal injury and death.

Importance of back blow maneuvers in a 6 month old patient with sudden upper airway obstruction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pinar Gencpinar

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Foreign body aspiration in children under four years old is one of the most frequently observed reasons for accident related deaths. It is more common in this age group due to inadequate swallowing functions and exploration of objects with the mouth. The most frequently encountered foreign bodies are food and toy parts. Life threatening complete laryngeal obstruction is rarely observed. Dyspnea, hypersalivation, cough and cyanosis can be seen. The basic and life-saving treatment approach is complete removal of foreign body maneuvers in the sudden onset of total obstruction. Here we report a six-month old male, who ingested a foreign body and was treated with back blow maneuvers successfully. In this case we emphasized the importance of back blow maneuvers. Keywords: Upper airway obstruction, Child, Back blows maneuvers

Molecular identification of blow flies recovered from human cadavers during crime scene investigations in Malaysia.

Science.gov (United States)

Kavitha, Rajagopal; Nazni, Wasi Ahmad; Tan, Tian Chye; Lee, Han Lim; Isa, Mohd Noor Mat; Azirun, Mohd Sofian

2012-12-01

Forensic entomology applies knowledge about insects associated with decedent in crime scene investigation. It is possible to calculate a minimum postmortem interval (PMI) by determining the age and species of the oldest blow fly larvae feeding on decedent. This study was conducted in Malaysia to identify maggot specimens collected during crime scene investigations. The usefulness of the molecular and morphological approach in species identifications was evaluated in 10 morphologically identified blow fly larvae sampled from 10 different crime scenes in Malaysia. The molecular identification method involved the sequencing of a total length of 2.2 kilo base pairs encompassing the 'barcode' fragments of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI), cytochrome oxidase II (COII) and t-RNA leucine genes. Phylogenetic analyses confirmed the presence of Chrysomya megacephala, Chrysomya rufifacies and Chrysomya nigripes. In addition, one unidentified blow fly species was found based on phylogenetic tree analysis.

Convection heat transfer of closely-spaced spheres with surface blowing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kleinstreuer, C. (North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC (United States). Dept. of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering); Chiang, H. (Thermofluid Technology Div., Industrial Technology Research Inst., Chutung (Taiwan, Province of China))

1993-05-01

A validated computer simulation model has been developed for the analysis of colinear spheres in a heated gas stream. Using the Galerkin finite element method, the steady-state Navier-Stokes and heat transfer equations have been solved describing laminar axisymmetric thermal flow past closely-spaced monodisperse spheres with fluid injection. Of interest are the coupled nonlinear interaction effects on the temperature fields and ultimately on the Nusselt number of each sphere for different free stream Reynolds numbers (20 [<=] Re [<=] 200) and intersphere distances (1.5 [<=] d[sub ij] [<=] 6.0) in the presence of surface blowing (0 [<=] v[sub b] [<=] 0.1). Fluid injection (i.e. blowing) and associated wake effects generate lower average heat transfer coefficients for each interacting sphere when the Reynolds number increases (Re > 100). Heat transfer is also reduced at small spacings especially for the second and third sphere. A Nusselt number correlation for each interacting (porous) sphere has been developed based on computer experiments. (orig.)

Stefan blowing effect on bioconvective flow of nanofluid over a solid rotating stretchable disk

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N.A. Latiff

2016-12-01

Full Text Available A mathematical model for the unsteady forced convection over rotating stretchable disk in nanofluid containing micro-organisms and taking into account Stefan blowing effect is presented theoretically and numerically. Appropriate transformations are used to transform the governing boundary layer equations into non-linear ordinary differential equations, before being solved numerically using the Runge-Kutta-Fehlberg method. The effect of the governing parameters on the dimensionless velocities, temperature, nanoparticle volume fraction (concentration, density of motile microorganisms as well as on the local skin friction, local Nusselt, Sherwood number and motile microorganisms numbers are thoroughly examined via graphs. It is observed that the Stefan blowing increases the local skin friction and reduces the heat transfer, mass transfer and microorganism transfer rates. The numerical results are in good agreement with those obtained from previous literature. Physical quantities results from this investigation show that the effects of higher disk stretching strength and suction case provides a good medium to enhance the heat, mass and microorganisms transfer compared to blowing case.

Blow-up of solutions to the rotation b-family system modeling equatorial water waves

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Min Zhu

2018-03-01

Full Text Available We consider the blow-up mechanism to the periodic generalized rotation b-family system (R-b-family system. This model can be derived from the f-plane governing equations for the geographical water waves with a constant underlying current in the equatorial water waves with effect of the Coriolis force. When b=2, it is a rotation two-component Camassa-Holm (R2CH system. We consider the periodic R2CH system when linear dispersion is absent (which model is called r2CH system and derive two finite-time blow-up results.

An electrostatic charge measurement of blowing snow particles focusing on collision frequency to the snow surface

Science.gov (United States)

Omiya, S.; Sato, A.

2010-12-01

Blowing snow particles are known to have an electrostatic charge. This charge may be a contributing factor in the formation of snow drifts and snow cornices and changing of the trajectory of blowing snow particles. These formations and phenomena can cause natural disaster such as an avalanche and a visibility deterioration, and obstruct transportation during winter season. Therefore, charging phenomenon of the blowing snow particles is an important issue in terms of not only precise understanding of the particle motion but disaster prevention. The primary factor of charge accumulation to the blowing snow particles is thought to be due to “saltation” of them. The “saltation” is one of movement forms of blowing snow: when the snow particles are transported by the wind, they repeat frictional collisions with the snow surface. In previous studies, charge-to-mass ratios measured in the field were approximately -50 to -10 μC/kg, and in the wind tunnel were approximately -0.8 to -0.1 μC/kg. While there were qualitatively consistent in sign, negative, there were huge gaps quantitatively between them. One reason of those gaps is speculated to be due to differences in fetch. In other words, the difference of the collision frequency of snow particles to the snow surface has caused the gaps. But it is merely a suggestion and that has not been confirmed. The purpose of this experiment is to measure the charge of blowing snow particles focusing on the collision frequency and clarify the relationship between them. Experiments were carried out in the cryogenic wind tunnel of Snow and Ice Research Center (NIED, JAPAN). A Faraday cage and an electrometer were used to measure the charge of snow particles. These experiments were conducted over the hard snow surface condition to prevent the erosion of the snow surface and the generation of new snow particles from the surface. The collision frequency of particle was controlled by changing the wind velocity (4.5 to 7 m/s) under

Nose micro-blowing for asymmetric vortices control on blunt-nose slender body at high angle of attack

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lei Wang

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The asymmetric vortices over blunt-nose slender body at high angles of attack result in random side force. In this paper, a nose micro-blowing technology is used to control the asymmetric flow. Pressure measurement and particle image velocimetry (PIV experiments are conducted in a low-speed wind tunnel to research effects of jet flow rate on asymmetric vortices over blunt-nose slender body. The angle of attack of the model is fixed at 50° and the Reynolds number for the experiments is 1.6×10 5 based on diameter of aftbody. A blow hole (5 mm in diameter on the nose is processed at circumferential angle θb= 90° and meridian angle γb= 20° with jet momentum ratio Cμ ranging from 5.30×10-7 to 1.19×10−4. Tests are made under two kinds of perturbations. One is called single perturbation with only blow hole and the other is called combined perturbation consists of blow hole and additional granules set on nose. The results show that whether the model has the single perturbation or the combined one, the sectional side force of x/D = 3 varies in the same direction with the increasement of Cμ and remains stable when Cμ is greater than 3.29×10−6. But the stable force values are different according to various perturbations. The fact proves that the size and direction of the side force of blunt-nose slender body can be controlled by the nose micro-blowing.

Hypersonic Boundary Layer Measurements with Variable Blowing Rates Using Molecular Tagging Velocimetry

Science.gov (United States)

Bathel, Brett F.; Danehy, Paul M.; Johansen, Craig T.; Jones, Stephen B.; Goyne, Christopher P.

2012-01-01

Measurements of mean and instantaneous streamwise velocity profiles in a hypersonic boundary layer with variable rates of mass injection (blowing) of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) were obtained over a 10-degree half-angle wedge model. The NO2 was seeded into the flow from a slot located 29.4 mm downstream of the sharp leading edge. The top surface of the wedge was oriented at a 20 degree angle in the Mach 10 flow, yielding an edge Mach number of approximately 4.2. The streamwise velocity profiles and streamwise fluctuating velocity component profiles were obtained using a three-laser NO2->NO photolysis molecular tagging velocimetry method. Observed trends in the mean streamwise velocity profiles and profiles of the fluctuating component of streamwise velocity as functions of the blowing rate are described. An effort is made to distinguish between the effect of blowing rate and wall temperature on the measured profiles. An analysis of the mean velocity profiles for a constant blowing rate is presented to determine the uncertainty in the measurement for different probe laser delay settings. Measurements of streamwise velocity were made to within approximately 120 gm of the model surface. The streamwise spatial resolution in this experiment ranged from 0.6 mm to 2.6 mm. An improvement in the spatial precision of the measurement technique has been made, with spatial uncertainties reduced by about a factor of 2 compared to previous measurements. For the quiescent flow calibration measurements presented, uncertainties as low as 2 m/s are obtained at 95% confidence for long delay times (25 gs). For the velocity measurements obtained with the wind tunnel operating, average single-shot uncertainties of less than 44 m/s are obtained at 95% confidence with a probe laser delay setting of 1 gs. The measurements were performed in the 31-inch Mach 10 Air Tunnel at the NASA Langley Research Center.

Controlled longitudinal emittance blow-up using band-limited phase noise in CERN PSB

Science.gov (United States)

Quartullo, D.; Shaposhnikova, E.; Timko, H.

2017-07-01

Controlled longitudinal emittance blow-up (from 1 eVs to 1.4 eVs) for LHC beams in the CERN PS Booster is currently achievied using sinusoidal phase modulation of a dedicated high-harmonic RF system. In 2021, after the LHC injectors upgrade, 3 eVs should be extracted to the PS. Even if the current method may satisfy the new requirements, it relies on low-power level RF improvements. In this paper another method of blow-up was considered, that is the injection of band-limited phase noise in the main RF system (h=1), never tried in PSB but already used in CERN SPS and LHC, under different conditions (longer cycles). This technique, which lowers the peak line density and therefore the impact of intensity effects in the PSB and the PS, can also be complementary to the present method. The longitudinal space charge, dominant in the PSB, causes significant synchrotron frequency shifts with intensity, and its effect should be taken into account. Another complication arises from the interaction of the phase loop with the injected noise, since both act on the RF phase. All these elements were studied in simulations of the PSB cycle with the BLonD code, and the required blow-up was achieved.

Self-contained anti-static adapter for compressed gas dust blowing devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schwartz, L.H.; Miller, S.W.; Severud, C.N. Jr.

1984-01-01

An anti-static adapter which enhances the operation of compressed gas dust blowing devices by allowing the safe use of a radioactive source to ionize a gas stream. The adapter may be used and handled safely without special precautions on the part of the operator

Asymptotic analysis of reaction-diffusion-advection problems: Fronts with periodic motion and blow-up

Science.gov (United States)

Nefedov, Nikolay

2017-02-01

This is an extended variant of the paper presented at MURPHYS-HSFS 2016 conference in Barcelona. We discuss further development of the asymptotic method of differential inequalities to investigate existence and stability of sharp internal layers (fronts) for nonlinear singularly perturbed periodic parabolic problems and initial boundary value problems with blow-up of fronts for reaction-diffusion-advection equations. In particular, we consider periodic solutions with internal layer in the case of balanced reaction. For the initial boundary value problems we prove the existence of fronts and give their asymptotic approximation including the new case of blowing-up fronts. This case we illustrate by the generalised Burgers equation.

10 blows that stopped nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Komanoff, C.

1991-01-01

The author describes these 10 blows in chronological order, 1973 through 1981, namely: (1) Arab Oil Embargo; (2) India Explodes a Bomb; (3) NRC replaces AEC; (4) Fire at Browns Ferry; (5) General Electric and NRC Engineers switch Sides; (6) Amory Lovins Recasts the Energy Debate; (7) The Seabrook Occupation; (8) The Three Mile Island Accident; (9) Federal Reserve Tightens the Money Supply; and (1) Pacific Gas and Electric Co. Gets it Backwards at Diablo Canyon. he stops there, not including the Washington Public Power Supply fiasco and the Chernobyl disaster, feeling nuclear expansion was essentially foreclosed without them. Further, he feels nuclear power seems fated to be forever at the mercy of forces beyond its control

Oscillation of Vortex Breakdown Location and Blowing Control of Time-Averaged Location

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Mitchell, Anthony

2000-01-01

The goal of this research is the control of leading-edge vortex breakdown location utilizing along-the-core blowing near the apex on the leeward surface of sharp-edged, slender, delta wings at high angles of attack...

Species composition of carrion blow flies in northern Thailand: altitude appraisal.

Science.gov (United States)

Moophayak, Kittikhun; Klong-Klaew, Tunwadee; Sukontason, Kom; Kurahashi, Hiromu; Tomberlin, Jeffery K; Sukontason, Kabkaew L

2014-01-01

Distribution and occurrence of blow flies of forensic importance was performed during 2007 and 2008 in Chiang Mai and Lampang Provinces, northern Thailand. Surveys were conducted in forested areas for 30 minutes using a sweep net to collected flies attracted to a bait. A total of 2,115 blow flies belonging to six genera and 14 species were collected; Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius) (44.7%), C. pinguis (Walker) (15.1%), C. chani Kurahashi (9.3%), C. thanomthini Kurahashi & Tumrasvin (0.3%); Achoetandrus rufifacies (Macquart) (10.5%), A. villeneuvi (Patton) (2.2%); Lucilia papuensis Macquart (2.2%), L. porphyrina (Walker) (12.4%), L. sinensis Aubertin (0.7%); Hemipyrellia ligurriens (Wiedemann) (1.3%), H. pulchra (Wiedemann) (0.1%); Hypopygiopsis infumata (Bigot) (0.6%), Hy. tumrasvini Kurahashi (0.2%) and Ceylonomyia nigripes Aubertin (0.4%). Among them, C. megacephala was the predominant species collected, particularly in the summer. The species likely to prevail in highland areas are C. pinguis, C. thanomthini, Hy. tumrasvini, L. papuensis and L. porphyrina.

SPECIES COMPOSITION OF CARRION BLOW FLIES IN NORTHERN THAILAND: ALTITUDE APPRAISAL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kittikhun Moophayak

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Distribution and occurrence of blow flies of forensic importance was performed during 2007 and 2008 in Chiang Mai and Lampang Provinces, northern Thailand. Surveys were conducted in forested areas for 30 minutes using a sweep net to collected flies attracted to a bait. A total of 2,115 blow flies belonging to six genera and 14 species were collected; Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius (44.7%, C. pinguis (Walker (15.1%, C. chani Kurahashi (9.3%, C. thanomthini Kurahashi & Tumrasvin (0.3%; Achoetandrus rufifacies (Macquart (10.5%, A. villeneuvi (Patton (2.2%; Lucilia papuensis Macquart (2.2%, L. porphyrina (Walker (12.4%, L. sinensis Aubertin (0.7%; Hemipyrellia ligurriens(Wiedemann (1.3%, H. pulchra(Wiedemann (0.1%; Hypopygiopsis infumata (Bigot (0.6%, Hy. tumrasvini Kurahashi (0.2% and Ceylonomyia nigripes Aubertin (0.4%. Among them, C. megacephala was the predominant species collected, particularly in the summer. The species likely to prevail in highland areas are C. pinguis, C. thanomthini, Hy. tumrasvini, L. papuensis and L. porphyrina.

Method to reduce arc blow during DC arc welding of pipelines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Espina-Hernandez, J. H.; Rueda-Morales, G.L.; Caleyo, F.; Hallen, J. M. [Instituto Politecnico Nacional, Mexico, (Mexico); Lopez-Montenegro, A.; Perz-Baruch, E. [Pemex Exploracion y Produccion, Tabasco, (Mexico)

2010-07-01

Steel pipelines are huge ferromagnetic structures and can be easily subjected to arc blow during the DC arc welding process. The development of methods to avoid arc blow during pipeline DC arc welding is a major objective in the pipeline industry. This study developed a simple procedure to compensate the residual magnetic field in the groove during DC arc welding. A Gaussmeter was used to perform magnetic flux density measurements in pipelines in southern Mexico. These data were used to perform magnetic finite element simulations using FEMM. Different variables were studied such as the residual magnetic field in the groove or the position of the coil with respect to the groove. An empirical predictive equation was developed from these trials to compensate for the residual magnetic field. A new method of compensating for the residual magnetic field in the groove by selecting the number of coil turns and the position of the coil with respect to the groove was established.

The blow-off mechanism of a bluff-body stabilized laminar premixed flame

KAUST Repository

Kedia, Kushal S.; Ghoniem, Ahmed F.

2015-01-01

the end of the recirculation zone. Blow-off started by flame pinching separating the flame into an upstream moving (carried within the recirculation zone) and a downstream convecting (detached from the recirculation zone) flame piece. Within the range

Simulation on the Effect of Bottle Wall Thickness Distribution using Blow Moulding Technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suraya, S; Azman, M D; Fatchurrohman, N; Jaafar, A A; Yusoff, A R

2016-01-01

The aims of this study are to assess the deformation behavior of a polymeric material during a blow moulding process. Transient computations of two dimensional model of a PP bottle were performed using ANSYS Polyflow computer code to predict the wall thickness distribution at four different parison's diameter; 8mm, 10mm, 18mm, and 20mm. Effects on the final wall thickness diameter and time step are studied. The simulated data shows that the inflation performance degrades with increasing parison diameter. It is concluded that the blow moulding process using 10mm parison successfully meet the product processing requirements. Factors that contribute to the variation in deformation behaviour of the plastic during the manufacturing process are discussed. (paper)

Synthesis of a novel adaptive wavelet optimized neural cascaded steam blow-off control system for a nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malik, A.H.; Memon, A.A.; Arshad, F.

2013-01-01

Blow-Off System Controller (MIMO AWNN-SBOSC) is designed based on real time dynamic parametric plant data of steam blow-off system with conventional Single-Input Multi-Output Proportional plus Integral plus Derivative Controller (SIMO PIDC). The proposed MIMO AWANN-SBOSC is designed using three Multi-Input Single-Output Adaptive Wavelet Neural Network based Steam Blow-Off System Controllers (MISO AWNN-SBOSC). The hidden layer of each MISO AWNN-SBOSC is formulated using Mother Wavelet Transforms (MWT). Using nonlinear dynamic neural data of designed MIMO AWNN-SBOSC, a Multi-Input Multi-Output Adaptive Wavelet Neural Network based Steam Blow-Off System Model (MIMO AWNN-SBOSM) is developed in cascaded mode. MIMO AWNN-SBOSM is designed using two MISO AWNN-SBOSM. All training, testing and validation of MIMO AWNN-SBOSC and MIMO AWNN-SBOSM are carried out in MA TLAB while all simulation experiments are performed in Visual C. The results of the new design is evaluated against conventional controller based measured data and found robust, fast and much better in performance. (author)

Estimating the Number of Eggs in Blow Fly (Diptera: Calliphoridae) Egg Masses Using Photographic Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosati, J Y; Pacheco, V A; Vankosky, M A; Vanlaerhoven, S L

2015-07-01

Little work has been done to quantify the number of eggs oviposited by blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in studies examining colonization behavior. Egg counting methods currently available are time-consuming and destructive. This study used ImageJ software and analysis of covariance to relate the volume of egg masses to the number of eggs laid by three different blow fly species: Lucilia sericata (Meigen), Phormia regina (Meigen), and Chrysomya rufifacies (Macquart). Egg mass volume, species, and the interaction of species and egg mass volume all affected the number of blow fly eggs deposited in egg masses. Both species identity and egg mass volume are important when predicting egg number, as such a single regression equation cannot be used to estimate egg number for these three species. Therefore, simple linear regression equations were determined for each species. The volume of individual eggs was incorporated into the model, yet differences between species were observed, suggesting that the orientation of the eggs oviposited by multiple conspecific females within egg masses influences egg estimates. Based on our results, we expect that imaging software can be used for other blow fly species, as well as other insect species; however, equations specific to each species must be developed. This study describes an important tool for quantifying egg deposition in a nondestructive manner, which is important in studying the colonization behavior and life history of insects of ecological and forensic importance. © The Authors 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Solution blow spun Poly(lactic acid)/Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose nanofibers with antimicrobial properties

Science.gov (United States)

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nanofibers containing hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) and tetracycline hydrochloride (THC) were solution blow spun from two different solvents, chloroform/acetone (CA, 80:20 v/v) and 2,2,2-triflouroethanol (TFE). The diameter distribution, chemical, thermal, thermal stab...

FEASTING BLACK HOLE BLOWS BUBBLES

Science.gov (United States)

2002-01-01

A monstrous black hole's rude table manners include blowing huge bubbles of hot gas into space. At least, that's the gustatory practice followed by the supermassive black hole residing in the hub of the nearby galaxy NGC 4438. Known as a peculiar galaxy because of its unusual shape, NGC 4438 is in the Virgo Cluster, 50 million light-years from Earth. These NASA Hubble Space Telescope images of the galaxy's central region clearly show one of the bubbles rising from a dark band of dust. The other bubble, emanating from below the dust band, is barely visible, appearing as dim red blobs in the close-up picture of the galaxy's hub (the colorful picture at right). The background image represents a wider view of the galaxy, with the central region defined by the white box. These extremely hot bubbles are caused by the black hole's voracious eating habits. The eating machine is engorging itself with a banquet of material swirling around it in an accretion disk (the white region below the bright bubble). Some of this material is spewed from the disk in opposite directions. Acting like high-powered garden hoses, these twin jets of matter sweep out material in their paths. The jets eventually slam into a wall of dense, slow-moving gas, which is traveling at less than 223,000 mph (360,000 kph). The collision produces the glowing material. The bubbles will continue to expand and will eventually dissipate. Compared with the life of the galaxy, this bubble-blowing phase is a short-lived event. The bubble is much brighter on one side of the galaxy's center because the jet smashed into a denser amount of gas. The brighter bubble is 800 light-years tall and 800 light-years across. The observations are being presented June 5 at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Rochester, N.Y. Both pictures were taken March 24, 1999 with the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2. False colors were used to enhance the details of the bubbles. The red regions in the picture denote the hot gas

Effect of air-blowing duration on the bond strength of current one-step adhesives to dentin.

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Jiale; Saikaew, Pipop; Kawano, Shimpei; Carvalho, Ricardo M; Hannig, Matthias; Sano, Hidehiko; Selimovic, Denis

2017-08-01

To evaluate the influence of different air-blowing durations on the micro-tensile bond strength (μTBS) of five current one-step adhesive systems to dentin. One hundred and five caries-free human molars and five current one-step adhesive systems were used: ABU (All Bond Universal, Bisco, Inc.), CUB (CLEARFIL™ Universal Bond, Kuraray), GPB (G-Premio BOND, GC), OBA (OptiBond All-in-one, Kerr) and SBU (Scotchbond Universal, 3M ESPE). The adhesives were applied to 600 SiC paper-flat dentin surfaces according to each manufacturer's instructions and were air-dried with standard, oil-free air pressure of 0.25MPa for either 0s, 5s, 15s or 30s before light-curing. Bond strength to dentin was determined by using μTBS test after 24h of water storage. The fracture pattern on the dentin surface was analyzed by SEM. The resin-dentin interface of untested specimens was visualized by panoramic SEM image. Data from μTBS were analyzed using two-way ANOVA (adhesive vs. air-blowing time), and Games-Howell (a=0.05). Two-way ANOVA revealed a significant effect of materials (p=0.000) and air-blowing time (p=0.000) on bond strength to dentin. The interaction between factors was also significantly different (p=0.000). Maximum bond strength for each system were recorded, OBA/15s (76.34±19.15MPa), SBU/15s (75.18±12.83MPa), CUB/15s (68.23±16.36MPa), GPB/30s (55.82±12.99MPa) and ABU/15s (44.75±8.95MPa). The maximum bond strength of OBA and SUB were significantly higher than that of GPB and ABU (padhesive systems is material-dependent (p=0.000), and was influenced by air-blowing duration (p=0.000). For the current one-step adhesive systems, higher bond strengths could be achieved with prolonged air-blowing duration between 15-30s. Copyright © 2017 The Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of environmental temperature on oviposition behavior in three blow fly species of forensic importance.

Science.gov (United States)

Ody, Helen; Bulling, Mark T; Barnes, Kate M

2017-06-01

A number of factors are known to affect blow fly behavior with respect to oviposition. Current research indicates that temperature is the most significant factor. However temperature thresholds for oviposition in forensically important blow flies have not been well studied. Here, the oviposition behavior of three species of forensically important blow fly species (Calliphora vicina, Calliphora vomitoria and Lucilia sericata,) was studied under controlled laboratory conditions over a range of temperatures (10-40°C). Lower temperature thresholds for oviposition of 16°C and 17.5°C were established for C. vomitoria and L. sericata respectively, whilst C. vicina continued to lay eggs at 10°C. C. vomitoria and L. sericata both continued to lay eggs at 40°C, whilst the highest temperature at which oviposition occurred in C. vicina was 35°C. Within these thresholds there was considerable variation in the number of surviving pupae, with a general pattern of a single peak within the range of temperatures at which eggs were laid, but with the pattern being much less distinct for L. sericata. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Interferometric measurement of film thickness during bubble blowing

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Z.; Mandracchia, B.; Ferraro, V.; Tammaro, D.; Di Maio, E.; Maffettone, P. L.; Ferraro, P.

2017-06-01

In this paper, we propose digital holography in transmission configuration as an effective method to measure the time-dependent thickness of polymeric films during bubble blowing. We designed a complete set of experiments to measure bubble thickness, including the evaluation of the refractive index of the polymer solution. We report the measurement of thickness distribution along the film during the bubble formation process until the bubble`s rupture. Based on those data, the variation range and variation trend of bubble film thickness are clearly measured during the process of expansion to fracture is indicated.

INCOMPRESSIBLE LAMINAR BOUNDARY LAYER CONTROL BY BLOWING AND SUCTION

OpenAIRE

AZZEDINE NAHOUI; LAKHDAR BAHI

2013-01-01

A two-dimensional incompressible laminar boundary layer and its control using blowing and suction over a flat plate and around the NACA 0012 and 661012 profiles, is studied numerically. The study is based on the Prandtl boundary layer model using the finite differences method and the Crank-Nicolson scheme. The velocity distribution, the boundary layer thickness and the friction coefficient, are determined and presented with and without control. The application of the control technique, has de...

Blow.MOD2: a program for blowdown transient calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doval, A.

1990-01-01

The BLOW.MOD2 program has been developed to calculate the blowdown phase in a pressurized vessel after a break/valve is opened. It is a one volume model where break height and flow area are specified. Moody critical flow model was adopted under saturation conditions for flow calculation through the break. Heat transfer from structures and internals have been taken into account. Long term depressurization results and a more complex model are compared satisfactorily. (Author)

Blow-up in multidimensional aggregation equations with mildly singular interaction kernels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bertozzi, Andrea L; Laurent, Thomas; Carrillo, José A

2009-01-01

We consider the multidimensional aggregation equation u t − ∇· (u∇K * u) = 0 in which the radially symmetric attractive interaction kernel has a mild singularity at the origin (Lipschitz or better). In the case of bounded initial data, finite time singularity has been proved for kernels with a Lipschitz point at the origin (Bertozzi and Laurent 2007 Commun. Math. Sci. 274 717–35), whereas for C 2 kernels there is no finite-time blow-up. We prove, under mild monotonicity assumptions on the kernel K, that the Osgood condition for well-posedness of the ODE characteristics determines global in time well-posedness of the PDE with compactly supported bounded nonnegative initial data. When the Osgood condition is violated, we present a new proof of finite time blow-up that extends previous results, requiring radially symmetric data, to general bounded, compactly supported nonnegative initial data without symmetry. We also present a new analysis of radially symmetric solutions under less strict monotonicity conditions. Finally, we conclude with a discussion of similarity solutions for the case K(x) = |x| and some open problems

Flap Gap Oscillatory Blowing on 2D and 2.5D Wing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cătălin NAE

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Here we present preliminary results obtained in developing an active flow control system for highlift systems at advanced TRL level. The work is based on theoretical and experimental workperformed in AVERT EU FP6 project where the oscillatory flap gap blowing system was designedand tested on a INCAS F15 2D wing model. Pressure data and global loads have been recorded fora complex evaluation of the basic flow control mechanism. In 2.5D test cases this work has beenextended so that the proposed system may be selected as a mature technology in the JTI Clean Sky,Smart Fixed Wing Aircraft ITD. For this goal, new experimental setup was used and also updatedelectronics for the blowing system have been introduces. This was complemented by a newextension for the data acquisition system and visualization tools. Finally global correlations forbasic lift increments have been compared with the reference 2D case and analysed with respect tothe system efficiency.

Low-Speed Wind-Tunnel Investigation of Blowing Boundary-Layer Control on Leading- and Trailing-Edge Flaps of a Large-Scale, Low-Aspect-Ratio, 45 Swept-wing Airplane Configuration

Science.gov (United States)

Maki, Ralph L.

1959-01-01

Blowing boundary-layer control was applied to the leading- and trailing-edge flaps of a 45 deg sweptback-wing complete model in a full-scale low-speed wind-tunnel study. The principal purpose of the study was to determine the effects of leading-edge flap deflection and boundary-layer control on maximum lift and longitudinal stability. Leading-edge flap deflection alone was sufficient to maintain static longitudinal stability without trailing-edge flaps. However, leading-edge flap blowing was required to maintain longitudinal stability by delaying leading-edge flow separation when trailing-edge flaps were deflected either with or without blowing. Partial-span leading-edge flaps deflected 60 deg with moderate blowing gave the major increase in maximum lift, although higher deflection and additional blowing gave some further increase. Inboard of 0.4 semispan leading-edge flap deflection could be reduced to 40 deg and/or blowing could be omitted with only small loss in maximum lift. Trailing-edge flap lift increments were increased by boundary-layer control for deflections greater than 45 deg. Maximum lift was not increased with deflected trailing-edge flaps with blowing.

On wake response to asymmetric blowing in spurts from a blunt ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

tion and generation of noise continue to attract the attention of researchers .... the crest width was maintained as one-fifth of the full cycle, thereby making the blowing .... result in any discernible change in the velocity profile far from the base region, x/h = 5, .... Proceedings of the 44th IEEE Conf. on Decision and Control, and.

Blow-out limits of nonpremixed turbulent jet flames in a cross flow at atmospheric and sub-atmospheric pressures

KAUST Repository

Wang, Qiang

2015-07-22

The blow-out limits of nonpremixed turbulent jet flames in cross flows were studied, especially concerning the effect of ambient pressure, by conducting experiments at atmospheric and sub-atmospheric pressures. The combined effects of air flow and pressure were investigated by a series of experiments conducted in an especially built wind tunnel in Lhasa, a city on the Tibetan plateau where the altitude is 3650 m and the atmospheric pressure condition is naturally low (64 kPa). These results were compared with results obtained from a wind tunnel at standard atmospheric pressure (100 kPa) in Hefei city (altitude 50 m). The size of the fuel nozzles used in the experiments ranged from 3 to 8 mm in diameter and propane was used as the fuel. It was found that the blow-out limit of the air speed of the cross flow first increased (“cross flow dominant” regime) and then decreased (“fuel jet dominant” regime) as the fuel jet velocity increased in both pressures; however, the blow-out limit of the air speed of the cross flow was much lower at sub-atmospheric pressure than that at standard atmospheric pressure whereas the domain of the blow-out limit curve (in a plot of the air speed of the cross flow versus the fuel jet velocity) shrank as the pressure decreased. A theoretical model was developed to characterize the blow-out limit of nonpremixed jet flames in a cross flow based on a Damköhler number, defined as the ratio between the mixing time and the characteristic reaction time. A satisfactory correlation was obtained at relative strong cross flow conditions (“cross flow dominant” regime) that included the effects of the air speed of the cross flow, fuel jet velocity, nozzle diameter and pressure.

What Actions Can Be Taken to Increase Whistle-Blowing in the Classroom?

Science.gov (United States)

Bernardi, Richard A.; Landry, Alexandra C.; Landry, Erynne E.; Buonafede, Mitchell R.; Berardi, Marissa E.

2016-01-01

This study surveyed undergraduate business students on various issues concerning the potential of students whistle-blowing when they observe other students cheating. Developing the courage of one's conviction in our accounting students is important to accounting educators as we are also emphasizing traits such as integrity, skepticism, and…

Thermal large Eddy simulations and experiments in the framework of non-isothermal blowing; Simulations des grandes echelles thermiques et experiences dans le cadre d'effusion anisotherme

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brillant, G

2004-06-15

The aim of this work is to study thermal large-eddy simulations and to determine the nonisothermal blowing impact on a turbulent boundary layer. An experimental study is also carried out in order to complete and validate simulation results. In a first time, we developed a turbulent inlet condition for the velocity and the temperature, which is necessary for the blowing simulations.We studied the asymptotic behavior of the velocity, the temperature and the thermal turbulent fluxes in a large-eddy simulation point of view. We then considered dynamics models for the eddy-diffusivity and we simulated a turbulent channel flow with imposed temperature, imposed flux and adiabatic walls. The numerical and experimental study of blowing permitted to obtain to the modifications of a thermal turbulent boundary layer with the blowing rate. We observed the consequences of the blowing on mean and rms profiles of velocity and temperature but also on velocity-velocity and velocity-temperature correlations. Moreover, we noticed an increase of the turbulent structures in the boundary layer with blowing. (author)

Whistle-blowing and workplace culture in older peoples' care: qualitative insights from the healthcare and social care workforce.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Aled; Kelly, Daniel

2014-09-01

Inquiries in the UK into mistreatment of older people by healthcare employees over the last 30 years have focused on introducing or supporting employee whistle-blowing. Although whistle-blowers have made an important contribution to patient safety it remains a controversial activity. The fate of whistle-blowers is bleak, often resulting in personal and professional sacrifices. Here we draw on the views of healthcare and social care employees working with older people to explore perceptions of whistle-blowing as well as alternative strategies that may be used to raise concerns about the mistreatment of patients by co-workers. Whistle-blowing was perceived as a negative term. Managers said they promoted open cultures underpinned by regular team meetings and an open-door ethos. Others described workplace norms that were somewhat at odds with these open culture ideals. Whistle-blowing was considered risky, and this led to staff creating informal channels through which to raise concerns. Those who witnessed wrongdoing were aware that support was available from external agencies but preferred local solutions and drew upon personal ethics rather than regulatory edicts to shape their responses. We argue that the importance of workplace relationships and informal channels for raising concerns should be better understood to help prevent the mistreatment of vulnerable groups. © 2014 The Authors. Sociology of Health & Illness © 2014 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness/John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Extraordinary blowing snow transport events in East Antarctica

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Scarchilli, Claudio; Agnoletto, Lucia [ENEA, Rome (Italy); Universita di Siena, Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Siena (Italy); Frezzotti, Massimo; Grigioni, Paolo; Silvestri, Lorenzo de [ENEA, Rome (Italy); Dolci, Stefano [CNR, Rome (Italy); Consorzio P.N.R.A. S.C.r.l., Rome (Italy)

2010-06-15

In the convergence slope/coastal areas of Antarctica, a large fraction of snow is continuously eroded and exported by wind to the atmosphere and into the ocean. Snow transport observations from instruments and satellite images were acquired at the wind convergence zone of Terra Nova Bay (East Antarctica) throughout 2006 and 2007. Snow transport features are well-distinguished in satellite images and can extend vertically up to 200 m as first-order quantitatively estimated by driftometer sensor FlowCapt trademark. Maximum snow transportation occurs in the fall and winter seasons. Snow transportation (drift/blowing) was recorded for {proportional_to}80% of the time, and 20% of time recorded, the flux is >10{sup -2} kg m{sup -2} s{sup -1} with particle density increasing with height. Cumulative snow transportation is {proportional_to}4 orders of magnitude higher than snow precipitation at the site. An increase in wind speed and transportation ({proportional_to}30%) was observed in 2007, which is in agreement with a reduction in observed snow accumulation. Extensive presence of ablation surface (blue ice and wind crust) upwind and downwind of the measurement site suggest that the combine processes of blowing snow sublimation and snow transport remove up to 50% of the precipitation in the coastal and slope convergence area. These phenomena represent a major negative effect on the snow accumulation, and they are not sufficiently taken into account in studies of surface mass balance. The observed wind-driven ablation explains the inconsistency between atmospheric model precipitation and measured snow accumulation value. (orig.)

Determinants and impediments of whistle-blowing in local government councils: A case study of the South-East District Council, Botswana

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abiodun M.T. Omotoye

2017-11-01

Full Text Available This article investigates the perceptions of public service employees regarding the role of whistle-blowing in local government. Whistle-blowing has received increased attention and support as a means of detecting and correcting wrongdoing in organisations. Yet, as this case study discusses, the absence of whistle-blower protection measures and fear of reprisal and job loss deter potential witnesses from reporting wrongdoing in the workplace. A mixed research method approach was employed to undertake the study. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to public servants employed within the South-East District Council (SEDC and literature related to corruption and whistle-blowing was reviewed. The findings indicate that public service employees strongly support the role whistle-blowing has to play in curbing corruption in the workplace, particularly if the corrupt activity could potentially threaten people’s lives and suppress social justice. However, the absence of whistle-blower protection measures was cited as the most significant impediment to reporting wrongdoing. The article proposes the need for the SEDC to adopt effective policies and procedures that place a strong emphasis on providing protection for employees to disclose misconduct and fraudulent conduct.

Pelletierung von Metallpulvern

OpenAIRE

Hannemann, Christian; Scholz, Steffen

2017-01-01

The method is solving the problem of inhomogeneous blowing agent distribution in precursor fabrication for the metal foam production. The conventional process contains a mixing procedure of metal and blowing agent powders followed by extrusion-compaction resulting in uneven pore sizes and density differences in the finally generated metal foam. Instead the new method coats metal particles with the blowing agent by spray coating, rolling processes or is using pelletizing as in-between step bef...

Finite Element Modeling of Reheat Stretch Blow Molding of PET

Science.gov (United States)

Krishnan, Dwarak; Dupaix, Rebecca B.

2004-06-01

Poly (ethylene terephthalate) or PET is a polymer used as a packaging material for consumer products such as beverages, food or other liquids, and in other applications including drawn fibers and stretched films. Key features that make it widely used are its transparency, dimensional stability, gas impermeability, impact resistance, and high stiffness and strength in certain preferential directions. These commercially useful properties arise from the fact that PET crystallizes upon deformation above the glass transition temperature. Additionally, this strain-induced crystallization causes the deformation behavior of PET to be highly sensitive to processing conditions. It is thus crucial for engineers to be able to predict its performance at various process temperatures, strain rates and strain states so as to optimize the manufacturing process. In addressing these issues; a finite element analysis of the reheat blow molding process with PET has been carried out using ABAQUS. The simulation employed a constitutive model for PET developed by Dupaix and Boyce et al.. The model includes the combined effects of molecular orientation and strain-induced crystallization on strain hardening when the material is deformed above the glass transition temperature. The simulated bottles were also compared with actual blow molded bottles to evaluate the validity of the simulation.

Criteria on global boundedness versus finite time blow-up to a two-species chemotaxis system with two chemicals

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Hao; Wang, Wei; Zheng, Sining

2018-02-01

This paper considers the two-species chemotaxis system with two chemicals in a smooth bounded domain Ω\\subset{R}2 , subject to the non-flux boundary condition, and χ, ξ, α, β, γ, δ>0 . We obtain a blow-up criterion that if m_1m_2-2π(\\frac{m_1}χβ+\\frac{m_2}ξδ)>0 , then there exist finite time blow-up solutions to the system with m_1:=\\int_Ω u_0(x)dx and m_2:=\\int_Ω w_0(x)dx . When χ=ξ= β=δ=1 , the blow-up criterion becomes m_1m_2-2π(m_1+m_2)>0 , and the global boundedness of solutions is furthermore established with α=γ=1 under the condition that \\max\\{m_1, m_2\\}4π and global boundedness with \\max\\{m_1, m_2\\}Funds for the Central Universities (DUT16LK24).

NAFTA Students'Whistle-blowing Perceptions: A Case of Sexual Harassme

OpenAIRE

Peek, L., M; Roxas, G. Peek; Robichaud, B; Covarrubias; J. Barragan

2005-01-01

Whistle-blowing mechanisms in the U.S. have gained more prominence as an element of legal compliance and antifraud programs. Sexual harassment is a significant business risk in terms of financial costs and the loss of reputation. lt is important for corporations to develop sexual harassment policies and to provide mechanisms for employees toreport sexual harassment behaviors to upper level management. This paper reports on business students' responses to a possible Sexual Harassment scenar...

Development of blow down and sodium-water reaction jet analysis codes-Validation by sodium-water reaction tests (SWAT-1R)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hiroshi Seino; Akikazu Kurihara; Isao Ono; Koji Jitsu

2005-01-01

Blow down analysis code (LEAP-BLOW) and sodium-water reaction jet analysis code (LEAP-JET) have been developed in order to improve the evaluation method on sodium-water reaction event in the steam generator (SG) of a sodium cooled fast breeder reactor (FBR). The validation analyses by these two codes were carried out using the data of Sodium-Water Reaction Test (SWAT-1R). The following main results have been obtained through this validation: (1) The calculational results by LEAP-BLOW such as internal pressure and water flow rate show good agreement with the results of the SWAT- 1R test. (2) The LEAP-JET code can qualitatively simulate the behavior of sodium-water reaction. However, it is found that the code has tendency to overestimate the maximum temperature of the reaction jet. (authors)

Pattern injuries from blows with the muzzle end of a handgun.

Science.gov (United States)

Geisenberger, D; Vogt, S; Pircher, R; Kramer, L; Pollak, S; Große Perdekamp, M

2015-12-01

Pistols, revolvers and blank guns are not only used to discharge cartridges, but also for hits to the victim. In such cases, the blows preferably affect the head and/or the interposed hands protecting the body. The impact is mostly exerted either by the grip of a pistol or the butt of a revolver. In vigorous thrusts inflicted with the muzzle end of the weapon, the edge of the barrel may produce circular punch lesions with central skin flaps roughly corresponding to the bore. As in other kinds of pistol-whipping, the scalp wounds may be associated with fractures of the skull and even with brain contusions. Using the example of a homicide committed by pistol-whipping, the morphological features of blunt injuries from a handgun's muzzle are presented. The characteristic wound pattern found on the victim's head could be reproduced experimentally by forceful blows to the forehead of a slaughtered pig. In the case presented, the dominant hand of the perpetrator showed friction blisters due to prolonged striking with an unhandy tool in the form of a pistol. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Poly(L-lactic acid) and polyurethane nanofibers fabricated by solution blow spinning as potential substrates for cardiac cell culture

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tomecka, Ewelina, E-mail: etomecka@ch.pw.edu.pl [Department of Microbioanalytics, Institute of Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry, Warsaw University of Technology, Noakowskiego 3, 00-664 Warsaw (Poland); Wojasinski, Michal [Department of Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, Waryńskiego 1, 00-645 Warsaw (Poland); Jastrzebska, Elzbieta; Chudy, Michal [Department of Microbioanalytics, Institute of Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry, Warsaw University of Technology, Noakowskiego 3, 00-664 Warsaw (Poland); Ciach, Tomasz [Department of Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, Waryńskiego 1, 00-645 Warsaw (Poland); Brzozka, Zbigniew [Department of Microbioanalytics, Institute of Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry, Warsaw University of Technology, Noakowskiego 3, 00-664 Warsaw (Poland)

2017-06-01

This paper presents a comparison and evaluation of cardiac cell proliferation on poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) and polyurethane (PU) nanofibrous mats fabricated by solution blow spinning (SBS). Three different cardiac cell lines: rat cardiomyoblasts (H9C2 line), human (HCM) and rat cardiomyocytes (RCM) were used for experiments. Cell morphology, orientation and proliferation were investigated on non-modified and protein-modified (fibronectin, collagen, gelatin, laminin, poly-L-lysine) surfaces of both types of nanofibers. Obtained results of cell culture on nanofibers surfaces were compared to the results of cell culture on polystyrene (PS) surfaces modified in the same way. The results indicated that in most cases polymeric nanofibers (PLLA and PU) are better substrates for cardiac cell culture than PS surfaces. All types of investigated cells, cultured on nanofibers (PLLA and PU), had more elongated shape than cells cultured on PS surfaces. Moreover, cells were arranged in parallel to each other, according to fibers orientation. Additionally, it was shown that the protein modifications of investigated surfaces influenced on cell proliferation. Therefore, we suggest that the cardiac cell culture on nanofibrous mats fabricated by SBS could be more advanced experimental in vitro model for studies on the effect of various cardiac drugs than traditional culture on PS surface. - Highlights: • Solution blow spinning was used for PLLA and PU nanofibers fabrication. • Three cardiac cell lines differing in age and origin were used for experiments. • The protein modifications of investigated surfaces influenced on cell proliferation. • Nanofibers are better substrates for cardiac cell culture than PS surface. • Nanofibers enable cultivating cardiac cells under conditions similar to in vivo.

Poly(L-lactic acid) and polyurethane nanofibers fabricated by solution blow spinning as potential substrates for cardiac cell culture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tomecka, Ewelina; Wojasinski, Michal; Jastrzebska, Elzbieta; Chudy, Michal; Ciach, Tomasz; Brzozka, Zbigniew

2017-01-01

This paper presents a comparison and evaluation of cardiac cell proliferation on poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) and polyurethane (PU) nanofibrous mats fabricated by solution blow spinning (SBS). Three different cardiac cell lines: rat cardiomyoblasts (H9C2 line), human (HCM) and rat cardiomyocytes (RCM) were used for experiments. Cell morphology, orientation and proliferation were investigated on non-modified and protein-modified (fibronectin, collagen, gelatin, laminin, poly-L-lysine) surfaces of both types of nanofibers. Obtained results of cell culture on nanofibers surfaces were compared to the results of cell culture on polystyrene (PS) surfaces modified in the same way. The results indicated that in most cases polymeric nanofibers (PLLA and PU) are better substrates for cardiac cell culture than PS surfaces. All types of investigated cells, cultured on nanofibers (PLLA and PU), had more elongated shape than cells cultured on PS surfaces. Moreover, cells were arranged in parallel to each other, according to fibers orientation. Additionally, it was shown that the protein modifications of investigated surfaces influenced on cell proliferation. Therefore, we suggest that the cardiac cell culture on nanofibrous mats fabricated by SBS could be more advanced experimental in vitro model for studies on the effect of various cardiac drugs than traditional culture on PS surface. - Highlights: • Solution blow spinning was used for PLLA and PU nanofibers fabrication. • Three cardiac cell lines differing in age and origin were used for experiments. • The protein modifications of investigated surfaces influenced on cell proliferation. • Nanofibers are better substrates for cardiac cell culture than PS surface. • Nanofibers enable cultivating cardiac cells under conditions similar to in vivo.

NAFTA Students'Whistle-blowing Perceptions: A Case of Sexual Harassme

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peek, L., M

2005-07-01

Full Text Available Whistle-blowing mechanisms in the U.S. have gained more prominence as an element of legal compliance and antifraud programs. Sexual harassment is a significant business risk in terms of financial costs and the loss of reputation. lt is important for corporations to develop sexual harassment policies and to provide mechanisms for employees toreport sexual harassment behaviors to upper level management. This paper reports on business students' responses to a possible Sexual Harassment scenario from Arthur Andersen's Business Ethics Program and the actions that the characters in the video should take in terms of whistle-blowing. l fall 2004,78 students from two U.S. universities and one Mexican and one Canadian university participated in the prolect as part of the NAFIA Challenges of Accounting and Buslness Sysfems Granf funded by the United States Department of Education Fund for the lmprovement of PostSecondary Education (FIPSE, Human Resources Develópment Canada (HRDC, and Mexico's Secretaría de Educación Pública (SEP. Students from the three NAFTA countries were shown the vignette and asked to respond to a pre-questionnaire concerning the characters' behaviors and possible actions. The students were then asked to discuss the situation and write a reoort from the points of view of the three characters in the vigneite and also to find a copy of an organizations' sexual harassment policy from the Internet. At the end of the project the students responded to a post questionnaire. The students were asked to consider whether the characters should report the possible harasser totheir supervisor, and thus engage in whistle-blowing behavior. Hypotheses are formulated for the three NAFTA'countries based on Hofstede's cultural dimensions and comparisons are made based on overall responses to the pre-and posfquestionnaire. There were significant differences, but in some cases not in the direction expected. Gender differences are also explored, but

Effects of combined traditional Chinese medicine with immunosuppressive agents for patients with myasthenia gravis

Science.gov (United States)

Qi, Guoyan; Gu, Shanshan; Liu, Peng; Yang, Hongxia; Dong, Huimin

2015-01-01

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a kind of autoimmune disease induced by transferring dysfunction of neuromuscular junction. In the present study, we developed an integrated therapy combined with traditional Chinese medicine and immuno suppressive agents to seek for an effective treatment of MG. 220 MG patients were randomly divided into two groups with different therapies. Plasma levels of acetylcholine receptors antibodies (AchRAb) and CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (CD4+CD25+Treg) were conducted through ELISA and flow cytometry. The amount of AchRAb (8.52±0.96 vs. 5.22±0.46) and CD4+CD25+Treg (1.94±1.21 vs. 3.21±0.96) in Group A receiving integrated therapy were significantly improved compared with Group B; the clinical performance of group treated with the integrated therapy was also much better. The integrated therapy in the present study could significantly improve the condition of MG with high recovery rate and low recurrence rate, which can be employed in future clinical treatment of MG. PMID:26770531

MHD Boundary Layer Flow of Dilatant Fluid in a Divergent Channel with Suction or Blowing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhattacharyya, Krishnendu; Layek, G. C.

2011-01-01

An analysis is carried out to study a steady magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) boundary layer flow of an electrically conducting incompressible power-law non-Newtonian fluid through a divergent channel. The channel walls are porous and subjected to either suction or blowing of equal magnitude of the same kind of fluid on both walls. The fluid is permeated by a magnetic field produced by electric current along the line of intersection of the channel walls. The governing partial differential equation is transformed into a self-similar nonlinear ordinary differential equation using similarity transformations. The possibility of boundary layer flow in a divergent channel is analyzed with the power-law fluid model. The analysis reveals that the boundary layer flow (without separation) is possible for the case of the dilatant fluid model subjected to suitable suction velocity applied through its porous walls, even in the absence of a magnetic field. Further, it is found that the boundary layer flow is possible even in the presence of blowing for a suitable value of the magnetic parameter. It is found that the velocity increases with increasing values of the power-law index for the case of dilatant fluid. The effects of suction/blowing and magnetic field on the velocity are shown graphically and discussed physically. (fundamental areas of phenomenology(including applications))

Agents Network´s and Innovation in Traditional Small Business

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ricardo Augusto Bonotto Barboza

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The universe of micro and small enterprises (MSEs which is operating in traditional sectors of the economy have peculiar characteristics that is materialized in barriers to innovation, public policy of interventions are needed to minimize their difficulties. This study aimed to report the virtues , the limitations and difficulties of the implementation of two instruments as potential or as an actual innovations inducers in micro and small enterprises ( MSEs traditional base. The methodological strategy used included a qualitative research, exploratory, designed as simple cases study , with data collected through interviews and participant observation. It was found that the micro and small business traditional base, even those who are targets of public policies and programs have many difficulties to operationalize innovation. It was also noted that the junction of the two instruments potentiated innovative activities.

Numerical modelling of heat transfer in a cavity due to liquid jet impingement for liquid supported stretch blow moulding

Science.gov (United States)

Smyth, Trevor; Menary, Gary; Geron, Marco

2018-05-01

Impingement of a liquid jet in a polymer cavity has been modelled numerically in this study. Liquid supported stretch blow moulding is a nascent polymer forming process using liquid as the forming medium to produce plastic bottles. The process derives from the conventional stretch blow moulding process which uses compressed air to deform the preform. Heat transfer away from the preform greatly increases when a liquid instead of a gas is flowing over a solid; in the blow moulding process the temperature of the preform is tightly controlled to achieve optimum forming conditions. A model was developed with Computational Fluid Dynamics code ANSYS Fluent which allows the extent of heat transfer between the incoming liquid and the solid preform to be determined in the initial transient stage, where a liquid jet enters an air filled preform. With this data, an approximation of the extent of cooling through the preform wall can be determined.

Morphology of immature stages of blow fly, Lucilia sinensis Aubertin (Diptera: Calliphoridae), a potential species of forensic importance.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanit, Sangob; Sukontason, Kom; Kurahashi, Hiromu; Tomberlin, Jeffery K; Wannasan, Anchalee; Kraisittipanit, Rungroj; Sukontason, Kabkaew L

2017-12-01

Lucilia sinensis Aubertin (Diptera: Calliphoridae) is a blow fly species of potential forensic importance since adults are attracted to, and colonize, decomposing vertebrate remains. Blow fly larvae associated with human corpses can be useful evidence in forensic investigations; however, their use is dependent in most cases on proper species identification and availability of developmental data. For identification, morphological information on each life stage is traditionally used. We used scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to examine the ultrastructure of eggs, all instars, and puparia, of L. sinensis. The important characteristics used to differentiate L. sinensis from other species are provided. Distinctive features of the eggs are the slight widening median area extending almost the entire length. The last abdominal segment of the first instar bears elongated outer ventral tubercles along the rim of the last abdominal segment. These tubercles, as well as the well developed median and outer dorsal tubercles, are more prominent in the second and third instars. The surface integument of the tubercles is equipped with circular rows of microtrichia. Pairs of inner dorsal tubercle are absent. Each anterior spiracle is comprised of 9-12 papillae arrange in a single row in the second and third instars. As for the third instar, the dorsal spines between the first and second thoracic segments are delicate, narrow, small, and close together (as row or set). The peristigmatic tufts adjacent to the posterior spiracle of the third instar are moderately branches of short, fine hairs, but minute in puparia. In conclusion, the prominent outer ventral tubercle in all instars and puparia is a new diagnostic feature of L. sinensis and helpful in differentiating it from other Lucilia species that are forensically important. The description of immature L. sinensis in this study will be useful for forensic entomologists in countries where this species exists. Copyright © 2017

Chestnut flowers as functionalizing agents to enhance the antioxidant properties of highly appreciated traditional pastry.

Science.gov (United States)

Carocho, Márcio; Barreira, João C M; Bento, Albino; Morales, Patricia; Ferreira, Isabel C F R

2014-11-01

Some studies have proven the antioxidant and antimicrobial potency of chestnut flowers both in the raw matrix and after extraction, and the consumption of their decoctions has been related to beneficial effects towards health. In recent years, due to controversy and ambiguous legislation of chemical conservatives, plant extracts have been successfully used as functionalizing agents in different matrixes by displaying their various beneficial effects towards the foodstuff and/or the consumer. In this paper, decoctions of chestnut flowers as well as the dried flower were added to Portuguese traditional cakes that were then stored for 15 and 30 days, after which they were analysed for their antioxidant potential. The results were analysed by means of a 2 way ANOVA and a linear discriminant analysis, concluding that storage time had a slightly higher influence on alteration of the antioxidant activity. DPPH and TBARS were the most improved parameters, regardless of the concentration added.

On blow-up of solutions of the Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pokhozhaev, S I

2008-01-01

The problem of the absence of global solutions of initial-boundary value problems for the Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation is considered. Sufficient conditions for the absence of global solutions of the problems under consideration are obtained both for bounded and unbounded domains. These conditions imply a priori the blow-up of the solution of the corresponding initial-boundary value problem. The proof uses a generalization of the method of non-linear capacity based on the choice of asymptotically optimal test functions. Bibliography: 20 titles.

PSB beam longitudinal blow-up by phase modulation with the digital LLRF prototype system

CERN Document Server

Angoletta, M E; Butterworth, A; Findlay, A; Jaussi, M; Leinonen, P; Molendijk, J; Sanchez-Quesada, J

2014-01-01

The PSB will be upgraded to a new, Digital Low-Level RF (DLLRF) system in 2014 at the injectors’ restart after LS1. This DLLRF is an evolution of that successfully deployed in LEIR and comprises new hardware, software and implementation strategies. Machine development studies have been carried out in the PSB over recent years with the existing LEIR-style hardware installed in PSB ring four. These studies have allowed testing approaches and validating implementation strategies. This note focuses on a series of MDs carried out during the 2011 run where a new implementation of the longitudinal beam blow-up obtained by phase modulation was tested. Test results and effects on the beam are show for a CNGS-type beam. Finally, an overview is given of the final longitudinal blow-up implementation planned with the new hardware, which will be operationally deployed in 2014.

Clinical features and MRI findings of blow-out fracture

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yamanouchi, Yasuo; Yasuda, Takasumi; Kawamoto, Keiji [Kansai Medical Univ., Moriguchi, Osaka (Japan); Inagaki, Takayuki; Someda, Kuniyuki

1996-06-01

Precise anatomical understanding of orbital blow-out fracture lesions is necessary for the treatment of patients. Retrospectively, MRI findings were compared with the clinical features of pure type blow-out fractures and the efficacy of MRI in influencing a decision for surgical intervention was evaluated. Eighteen child (15 boys, 3 girls) cases were evaluated and compared with adult cases. The patients were classified into three categories (Fig.1) and two types (Fig.2) in accordance with the degree of protrusion of fat tissue. The degree of muscle protrusion also was divided into three categories (Fig. 3). Both muscle and fat tissue were protruding from the fracture site in 14 cases. Fat tissue protrusion alone was found in 3 cases. In contrast, no protrusion was seen in one case. The incarcerated type of fat prolapse was found in 40% of cases, while muscle tissue prolapse was found in 75% of patients. Marginal irregularity or swelling of muscle was observed in 11 patients. There was good correlation of ocular motor disturbance and MRI findings. Disturbance of eyeball movement was observed in all patients with either incarcerated fat tissue or marginal irregularity or swelling of muscle. In contrast, restriction of eyeball movement was rare in cases of no incarceration, even if the fracture was wide. Deformity or marginal irregularity of the ocular muscle demonstrated in MRI may suggest damage an adhesion to the muscle wall. When MRI reveals incarceration or severe prolapse of fat tissue, or deformity and marginal irregularity of the ocular muscle, surgical intervention should be considered. (author)

Clinical features and MRI findings of blow-out fracture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamanouchi, Yasuo; Yasuda, Takasumi; Kawamoto, Keiji; Inagaki, Takayuki; Someda, Kuniyuki.

1996-01-01

Precise anatomical understanding of orbital blow-out fracture lesions is necessary for the treatment of patients. Retrospectively, MRI findings were compared with the clinical features of pure type blow-out fractures and the efficacy of MRI in influencing a decision for surgical intervention was evaluated. Eighteen child (15 boys, 3 girls) cases were evaluated and compared with adult cases. The patients were classified into three categories (Fig.1) and two types (Fig.2) in accordance with the degree of protrusion of fat tissue. The degree of muscle protrusion also was divided into three categories (Fig. 3). Both muscle and fat tissue were protruding from the fracture site in 14 cases. Fat tissue protrusion alone was found in 3 cases. In contrast, no protrusion was seen in one case. The incarcerated type of fat prolapse was found in 40% of cases, while muscle tissue prolapse was found in 75% of patients. Marginal irregularity or swelling of muscle was observed in 11 patients. There was good correlation of ocular motor disturbance and MRI findings. Disturbance of eyeball movement was observed in all patients with either incarcerated fat tissue or marginal irregularity or swelling of muscle. In contrast, restriction of eyeball movement was rare in cases of no incarceration, even if the fracture was wide. Deformity or marginal irregularity of the ocular muscle demonstrated in MRI may suggest damage an adhesion to the muscle wall. When MRI reveals incarceration or severe prolapse of fat tissue, or deformity and marginal irregularity of the ocular muscle, surgical intervention should be considered. (author)

Bernoulli Suction Effect on Soap Bubble Blowing?

Science.gov (United States)

Davidson, John; Ryu, Sangjin

2015-11-01

As a model system for thin-film bubble with two gas-liquid interfaces, we experimentally investigated the pinch-off of soap bubble blowing. Using the lab-built bubble blower and high-speed videography, we have found that the scaling law exponent of soap bubble pinch-off is 2/3, which is similar to that of soap film bridge. Because air flowed through the decreasing neck of soap film tube, we studied possible Bernoulli suction effect on soap bubble pinch-off by evaluating the Reynolds number of airflow. Image processing was utilized to calculate approximate volume of growing soap film tube and the volume flow rate of the airflow, and the Reynolds number was estimated to be 800-3200. This result suggests that soap bubbling may involve the Bernoulli suction effect.

Comparative advantage between traditional and smart navigation systems

Science.gov (United States)

Shin, Jeongkyu; Kim, Pan-Jun; Kim, Seunghwan

2013-03-01

The smart navigation system that refers to real-time traffic data is believed to be superior to traditional navigation systems. To verify this belief, we created an agent-based traffic model and examined the effect of changing market share of the traditional shortest-travel-time algorithm based navigation and the smart navigation system. We tested our model on the grid and actual metropolitan road network structures. The result reveals that the traditional navigation system have better performance than the smart one as the market share of the smart navigation system exceeds a critical value, which is contrary to conventional expectation. We suggest that the superiority inversion between agent groups is strongly related to the traffic weight function form, and is general. We also found that the relationship of market share, traffic flow density and travel time is determined by the combination of congestion avoidance behavior of the smartly navigated agents and the inefficiency of shortest-travel-time based navigated agents. Our results can be interpreted with the minority game and extended to the diverse topics of opinion dynamics. This work was supported by the Original Technology Research Program for Brain Science through the National Research Foundation of Korea funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology(No. 2010-0018847).

Medical Mucilage Used in Traditional Persian Medicine Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Heydarirad, Ghazaleh; Choopani, Rasool; Mehdi, Pasalar; Jafari, Jamileh Mahdavi

2016-01-01

Background: Mucilage compounds are pharmaceutically important polysaccharides that have an extensive range of applications, including binding agents, thickeners, water retention agents, emulsion stabilizers, suspending agents, disintegrates, film formers, and gelling agents. A historical approach to medical science written by Iranian scholars could help in identifying excellent ideas and provide valuable information in this field for proper application. The aim of the current study was to introduce some mucilage uses derived from traditional Persian medicine (TPM). Methods: In this literature review, we assessed a few main traditional manuscripts of Iranian medicine, including the books Al Havi, Canon of Medicine, Qarabadine-kabir, Zakhireh-ye Khwarazm shahi, Tuhfat ul-Momineen and Makhzan-ul-Adwiah. The word “loab” in the aforementioned books were searched and all data about mucilage compounds were collected. Results: The use of medicinal plants containing mucilage in Iran dates back to ancient times. In traditional Persian manuscripts, mucilage is one of the most cited applications of medicinal plants for therapeutic objectives. There are various mucilage-producing plants in TPM such as Malva silvestris, Linum usitissimum, Althaea officinalis, Plantago psyllium, Descureania sophia and Ziziphus vulgaris. They have been used traditionally via oral or topical routes for respiratory, gastrointestinal, urinary, musculoskeletal, and genital systems as well as skin disorders. Certain applications are unique and promising for today’s chronic ailments. Conclusion: A scientific assessment of these valuable manuscripts would provide a better insight into the thoughts of the past sages and applicable for clinical use of the mucilage compounds. This may lead to research opportunities in the future. PMID:27840507

Estimating total 239240Pu in blow-sand mounds of two safety-shot sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gilbert, R.O.; Essington, E.H.

1977-01-01

A study for estimating the total amount (inventory) of 239 240 Pu in blow-sand mounds at two safety-shot sites (Area 13-Project 57 on the Nellis Air Force Base and Clean Slate 3 on the Tonopah Test Range in Nevada) is described. The total amount in blow-sand mounds at these two sites is estimated to be 5.8 +- 1.3 (total +- standard error) and 10.6 +- 2.5 curies, respectively. The total 239 240 Pu in mounds plus desert pavement areas, both to a depth of 5 cm below desert pavement level, is estimated to be 39 +- 5.7 curies at the Project 57 site and 36 +- 4.8 curies at Clean Slate 3. These estimates are compared with the somewhat higher estimates of 46 +- 9 and 37 +- 5.4 curies reported that pertain to only the top 5 cm of mounds and desert pavement. The possibility is discussed that these differences are due to sampling variability arising from the skewed nature of plutonium concentrations, particularly near ground zero

Modeling blowing snow accumulation downwind of an obstruction: The Ohara Eulerian particle distribution equation

Science.gov (United States)

Kinar, N. J.

2017-05-01

An equation was proposed to model the height of blowing snow accumulation downwind of an obstacle such as vegetation, a snow fence, a building, or a topographic feature. The equation does not require aerodynamic flow condition parameters such as wind speed, allowing for the spatial distribution of snow to be determined at locations where meteorological data is not available. However, snow particle diffusion, drift, and erosion coefficients must be estimated for application of the equation. These coefficients can be used to provide insight into the relative magnitude of blowing snow processes at a field location. Further research is required to determine efficient methods for coefficient estimation. The equation could be used with other models of wind-transported snow to predict snow accumulation downwind of an obstacle without the need for wind speed adjustments or correction equations. Applications for this equation include the design of snow fences, and the use of this equation with other hydrological models to predict snow distribution, climate change, drought, flooding, and avalanches.

Intelligent soot blowing for boilers co-firing waste and biofuel; Behovsstyrd sotblaasning foer bio- och avfallseldade pannor - inventering och teknikval

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kjoerk, Anders [S.E.P. Scandinavian Energy Project AB, Goeteborg (Sweden)

2003-11-01

To achieve optimum boiler operation and performance it is necessary to control the cleanliness and limit the fouling of the heat transfer surfaces. Historically, the heating surfaces in boilers firing biomass and waste are cleaned by steamblowing soot blowers on scheduled time-based and/or parameter-based intervals or by mechanical methods. With the advent of fuel switching strategies and use of mixed-in industrial waste, the control of heating surface cleanliness has become even more crucial for these boilers. Scheduled and/or parameter based approaches do not easily address operational changes. As plant operators push to achieve greater efficiency and performance from their boilers, the ability to more effectively optimize cleaning cycles has become increasingly important. If soot blowing is done only when and where it is required rather than at set intervals, unit performance can be maintained with reduced blowing, which saves steam. Two philosophical approaches toward intelligent soot blowing are currently being applied in the industry. One incorporates heat flux monitors to gather real-time heat transfer data to determine which areas of the furnace need cleaning. The other uses indirect temperature and pressure data to infer locations where soot blowing is needed, and is mainly applied for controlling soot blowers in the superheater and economiser area. The heat flux monitors are so fare used for control of the furnace wall blowers. A system using temperature, pressure and flow data does not require much additional instrumentation as compared with what is available on a standard boiler. However the blower control system must be capable of operating blowers on an individual basis. For advanced options it should also be possible to adjust the speed of the soot blower and the steam pressure. The control program could be more or less advanced but the ability to model heating surfaces and determine real-time cleanliness is crucial for an intelligent soot blowing

Agent-Based Optimization

CERN Document Server

Jędrzejowicz, Piotr; Kacprzyk, Janusz

2013-01-01

This volume presents a collection of original research works by leading specialists focusing on novel and promising approaches in which the multi-agent system paradigm is used to support, enhance or replace traditional approaches to solving difficult optimization problems. The editors have invited several well-known specialists to present their solutions, tools, and models falling under the common denominator of the agent-based optimization. The book consists of eight chapters covering examples of application of the multi-agent paradigm and respective customized tools to solve  difficult optimization problems arising in different areas such as machine learning, scheduling, transportation and, more generally, distributed and cooperative problem solving.

Blow/trauma to the chest and sudden cardiac death: Commotio cordis and contusio cordis are leading causes.

Science.gov (United States)

Krexi, Lydia; Sheppard, Mary N

2018-01-01

Background In forensic practice, a blow to the chest can lead to sudden cardiac death (SCD). Commotio cordis and contusio cordis are leading causes. Methods From a database of 4678 patients who suffered from SCD, we found three patients with commotio cordis and two patients with contusio cordis. All the patients were examined macroscopically and microscopically and had negative toxicology screen. Results The three patients who died due to commotio cordis were young males (16, 23 and 38 years old). The circumstances of death were: a blow to the chest by a football, by a friend during a party and during an assault. The hearts were completely normal at autopsy. The two patients who had contusio cordis were older males (42 and 63 years old). Both patients died during traffic accidents. At autopsy, one had significant contusion over the left ventricle, and the second had contusion over the right ventricle. Conclusion This study indicates that a blow to the chest is very important to document in the circumstances of death, and a detailed history is vital. It raises the left ventricular intra-cavitary pressure, leading to commotio cordis with immediate death with a normal heart. Blunt chest trauma can cause direct myocardial lesions, with acute changes leading to contusio cordis.

Methodology for characterization of corrosive agents of thermal insulating foams; Desenvolvimento de metodologia para caracterizacao de agentes corrosivos de espumas de isolamento termico

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sousa, Flavio V. Vasques de [Universidade Federal, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Coordenacao dos Programas de Pos-graduacao de Engenharia. Fundacao Coordenacao de Projetos, Pesquisas e Estudos Tecnologicos - COPPETEC; Mattos, Oscar R.; Mota, Rafael O. da [Universidade Federal, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Coordenacao dos Programas de Pos-graduacao de Engenharia. Programa de Engenharia Metalurgica e de Materiais; Margarit-Mattos, Isabel C.P. [Universidade Federal, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Escola de Quimica. Dept. de Processos Organicos; Quintela, Joaquim P. [PETROBRAS, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Vieira, Magda M. [PETROBRAS, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Centro de Pesquisas

2005-07-01

Warming up oil and derivatives is a required procedure to make their transportation more efficient due to the increase in fluidity. Therefore, the use of thermally insulated pipeline becomes essential. The commonly practice has been the use of pipelines covered with an optional anticorrosive coating, followed by a polyurethane foam layer, as thermal insulator, and a polyethylene top coating for mechanical protection. During the life time of the pipeline, local ruptures of the polyethylene coating frequently occur, allowing the water permeation throughout the thermal insulator. This water may cause foam leaching that would release corrosive agents on the external wall pipe. The objective of the present work was to investigate the effects of the blowing agents, the addition of flame retardant to the foam as well as operating temperatures on the generation of corrosive solutions on the external wall of thermally insulated pipes. In this sense, polyurethane foams expanded with HCFC-141b, CFC-11 and CO{sub 2}, with and without flame retardant, were evaluated at the temperatures of 80 and 120 deg C. (author)

Multi-agent and complex systems

CERN Document Server

Ren, Fenghui; Fujita, Katsuhide; Zhang, Minjie; Ito, Takayuki

2017-01-01

This book provides a description of advanced multi-agent and artificial intelligence technologies for the modeling and simulation of complex systems, as well as an overview of the latest scientific efforts in this field. A complex system features a large number of interacting components, whose aggregate activities are nonlinear and self-organized. A multi-agent system is a group or society of agents which interact with others cooperatively and/or competitively in order to reach their individual or common goals. Multi-agent systems are suitable for modeling and simulation of complex systems, which is difficult to accomplish using traditional computational approaches.

Topical antifungal agents: an update.

Science.gov (United States)

Diehl, K B

1996-10-01

So many topical antifungal agents have been introduced that it has become very difficult to select the proper agent for a given infection. Nonspecific agents have been available for many years, and they are still effective in many situations. These agents include Whitfield's ointment, Castellani paint, gentian violet, potassium permanganate, undecylenic acid and selenium sulfide. Specific antifungal agents include, among others, the polyenes (nystatin, amphotericin B), the imidazoles (metronidazole, clotrimazole) and the allylamines (terbinafine, naftifine). Although the choice of an antifungal agent should be based on an accurate diagnosis, many clinicians believe that topical miconazole is a relatively effective agent for the treatment of most mycotic infections. Terbinafine and other newer drugs have primary fungicidal effects. Compared with older antifungal agents, these newer drugs can be used in lower concentrations and shorter therapeutic courses. Studies are needed to evaluate the clinical efficacies and cost advantages of both newer and traditional agents.

Blow-up of the quantum potential for a free particle in one dimension

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Devillanova, G.; Maddalena, F.; Florio, G.

2013-01-01

We derive a non-linear differential equation that must be satisfied by the quantum potential, in the context of the Madelung equations, in one dimension for a particular class of wave functions. In this case, we exhibit explicit conditions leading to the blow-up of the quantum potential of a free particle at the boundary of the compact support of the probability density.

Control of Flow Structure on Non-Slender Delta Wing: Bio-inspired Edge Modifications, Passive Bleeding, and Pulsed Blowing

Science.gov (United States)

Yavuz, Mehmet Metin; Celik, Alper; Cetin, Cenk

2016-11-01

In the present study, different flow control approaches including bio-inspired edge modifications, passive bleeding, and pulsed blowing are introduced and applied for the flow over non-slender delta wing. Experiments are conducted in a low speed wind tunnel for a 45 degree swept delta wing using qualitative and quantitative measurement techniques including laser illuminated smoke visualization, particle image velocimety (PIV), and surface pressure measurements. For the bio-inspired edge modifications, the edges of the wing are modified to dolphin fluke geometry. In addition, the concept of flexion ratio, a ratio depending on the flexible length of animal propulsors such as wings, is introduced. For passive bleeding, directing the free stream air from the pressure side of the planform to the suction side of the wing is applied. For pulsed blowing, periodic air injection through the leading edge of the wing is performed in a square waveform with 25% duty cycle at different excitation frequencies and compared with the steady and no blowing cases. The results indicate that each control approach is quite effective in terms of altering the overall flow structure on the planform. However, the success level, considering the elimination of stall or delaying the vortex breakdown, depends on the parameters in each method.

Preparation of Fish Skin Gelatin-Based Nanofibers Incorporating Cinnamaldehyde by Solution Blow Spinning

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Fei; Avena-Bustillos, Roberto J.; Bridges, David F.; Takeoka, Gary R.; Wu, Vivian C. H.; Chiou, Bor-Sen; McHugh, Tara H.; Zhong, Fang

2018-01-01

Cinnamaldehyde, a natural preservative that can non-specifically deactivate foodborne pathogens, was successfully incorporated into fish skin gelatin (FSG) solutions and blow spun into uniform nanofibers. The effects of cinnamaldehyde ratios (5–30%, w/w FSG) on physicochemical properties of fiber-forming emulsions (FFEs) and their nanofibers were investigated. Higher ratios resulted in higher values in particle size and viscosity of FFEs, as well as higher values in diameter of nanofibers. Loss of cinnamaldehyde was observed during solution blow spinning (SBS) process and cinnamaldehyde was mainly located on the surface of resultant nanofibers. Nanofibers all showed antibacterial activity by direct diffusion and vapor release against Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella typhimurium, and Listeria monocytogenes. Inhibition zones increased as cinnamaldehyde ratio increased. Nanofibers showed larger inhibition effects than films prepared by casting method when S. typhimurium was exposed to the released cinnamaldehyde vapor, although films had higher remaining cinnamaldehyde than nanofibers after preparation. Lower temperature was favorable for cinnamaldehyde retention, and nanofibers added with 10% cinnamaldehyde ratio showed the highest retention over eight-weeks of storage. Results suggest that FSG nanofibers can be prepared by SBS as carriers for antimicrobials. PMID:29470390

Preparation of Fish Skin Gelatin-Based Nanofibers Incorporating Cinnamaldehyde by Solution Blow Spinning.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Fei; Türker Saricaoglu, Furkan; Avena-Bustillos, Roberto J; Bridges, David F; Takeoka, Gary R; Wu, Vivian C H; Chiou, Bor-Sen; Wood, Delilah F; McHugh, Tara H; Zhong, Fang

2018-02-22

Cinnamaldehyde, a natural preservative that can non-specifically deactivate foodborne pathogens, was successfully incorporated into fish skin gelatin (FSG) solutions and blow spun into uniform nanofibers. The effects of cinnamaldehyde ratios (5-30%, w / w FSG) on physicochemical properties of fiber-forming emulsions (FFEs) and their nanofibers were investigated. Higher ratios resulted in higher values in particle size and viscosity of FFEs, as well as higher values in diameter of nanofibers. Loss of cinnamaldehyde was observed during solution blow spinning (SBS) process and cinnamaldehyde was mainly located on the surface of resultant nanofibers. Nanofibers all showed antibacterial activity by direct diffusion and vapor release against Escherichia coli O157:H7 , Salmonella typhimurium , and Listeria monocytogenes . Inhibition zones increased as cinnamaldehyde ratio increased. Nanofibers showed larger inhibition effects than films prepared by casting method when S . typhimurium was exposed to the released cinnamaldehyde vapor, although films had higher remaining cinnamaldehyde than nanofibers after preparation. Lower temperature was favorable for cinnamaldehyde retention, and nanofibers added with 10% cinnamaldehyde ratio showed the highest retention over eight-weeks of storage. Results suggest that FSG nanofibers can be prepared by SBS as carriers for antimicrobials.

A Paradigm for Operant Conditioning in Blow Flies ("Phormia Terrae Novae" Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830)

Science.gov (United States)

Sokolowski, Michel B. C.; Disma, Gerald; Abramson, Charles I.

2010-01-01

An operant conditioning situation for the blow fly ("Protophormia terrae novae") is described. Individual flies are trained to enter and reenter a hole as the operant response. Only a few sessions of contingent reinforcement are required to increase response rates. When the response is no longer followed by food, the rate of entering the hole…

Large Eddy simulation of flat plate film cooling at high blowing ratio using open FOAM

Science.gov (United States)

Baagherzadeh Hushmandi, Narmin

2018-06-01

In this work, numerical analysis was performed to predict the behaviour of high Reynolds number turbulent cross-flows used in film cooling applications. The geometry included one row of three discrete coolant holes inclined at 30 degrees to the main flow. In the computational model, the width of the channel was cut into one sixth and symmetry boundaries were applied in the centreline of the coolant hole and along the line of symmetry between two adjacent holes. One of the main factors that affect the performance of film cooling is the blowing ratio of coolant to the main flow. A blowing ratio equal to two was chosen in this study. Analysis showed that the common practice CFD models that employ RANS equations together with turbulence modelling under predict the film cooling effectiveness up to a factor of four. However, LES method showed better agreement of film cooling effectiveness both in tendency and absolute values compared with experimental results.

Dating Pupae of the Blow Fly Calliphora vicina Robineau–Desvoidy 1830 (Diptera: Calliphoridae for Post Mortem Interval—Estimation: Validation of Molecular Age Markers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Barbara K. Zajac

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Determining the age of juvenile blow flies is one of the key tasks of forensic entomology when providing evidence for the minimum post mortem interval. While the age determination of blow fly larvae is well established using morphological parameters, the current study focuses on molecular methods for estimating the age of blow flies during the metamorphosis in the pupal stage, which lasts about half the total juvenile development. It has already been demonstrated in several studies that the intraspecific variance in expression of so far used genes in blow flies is often too high to assign a certain expression level to a distinct age, leading to an inaccurate prediction. To overcome this problem, we previously identified new markers, which show a very sharp age dependent expression course during pupal development of the forensically-important blow fly Calliphora vicina Robineau–Desvoidy 1830 (Diptera: Calliphoridae by analyzing massive parallel sequencing (MPS generated transcriptome data. We initially designed and validated two quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR assays for each of 15 defined pupal ages representing a daily progress during the total pupal development if grown at 17 °C. We also investigated whether the performance of these assays is affected by the ambient temperature, when rearing pupae of C. vicina at three different constant temperatures—namely 17 °C, 20 °C and 25 °C. A temperature dependency of the performance could not be observed, except for one marker. Hence, for each of the defined development landmarks, we can present gene expression profiles of one to two markers defining the mentioned progress in development.

Blowing jets as a circulation flow control to enhancement the lift of wing or generated power of wind turbine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandru DUMITRACHE

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The goal of this paper is to provide a numerical flow analysis based on RANS equations in two directions: the study of augmented high-lift system for a cross-section airfoil of a wing up to transonic regime and the circulation control implemented by tangentially blowing jet over a highly curved surface due to Coanda effect on a rotor blade for a wind turbine. This study were analyzed the performance, sensitivities and limitations of the circulation control method based on blowing jet for a fixed wing as well as for a rotating wing. Directions of future research are identified and discussed.

Transport of nonintrinsic impurities injected by laser blow-off method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bakos, J.S.

1993-09-01

The transport of nonintrinsic impurities injected by laser blow-off method is theoretically described by solving the two-dimensional (radial and toroidal) time dependent equations of diffusion in the edge plasmas of a tokamak. Explicit expressions and evaluation procedures are given for the calculation of the density profile, temperature profile and the diffusion coefficients for the atoms injected and for the ions formed from the injected atoms from the two-dimensional intensity distribution of line radiation of two sorts of atom and ions formed from the atoms measured by a (matrix) CCD camera time resolved. (orig.)

Adapted Traditions: The Case of Traditional Palestinian Women Healers in Israel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ariela Popper-Giveon

2009-02-01

Full Text Available This article examines transformations in the roles and treatment practices of traditional Palestinian women healers in Israel. Comparing narratives of women healers residing in Jewish-Arab mixed cities in central Israel with those of their counterparts in the Bedouin community of the Negev reveals that traditional healing has not disappeared as a result of modernization but rather has transformed. Urban women healers are abandoning treatment of physical problems in favor of addressing life hardships; they distance themselves from problems whose cause and treatment are considered natural and prefer those perceived as derived from supernatural causes and treated through supernatural, magical and religious means. Despite these transformations, traditional Palestinian women healers appear as agents of preservation and conservatism, a role that imbues them with a central position in their community. Hence, their place is currently secured and expected to remain so as processes of modernization and acculturation increase in intensity. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0902119

A note on Burgers' equation with time delay: Instability via finite-time blow-up

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jordan, P.M.

2008-01-01

Burgers' equation with time delay is considered. Using the Cole-Hopf transformation, the exact solution of this nonlinear partial differential equation (PDE) is determined in the context of a (seemingly) well-posed initial-boundary value problem (IBVP) involving homogeneous Dirichlet data. The solution obtained, however, is shown to exhibit a delay-induced instability, suffering blow-up in finite-time

Aerodynamic drag reduction of a simplified squareback vehicle using steady blowing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Littlewood, R.P. [LaVisionUK Ltd, Grove, Oxon (United Kingdom); Passmore, M.A. [Loughborough University, Department of Aeronautical and Automotive Engineering, Loughborough (United Kingdom)

2012-08-15

A large contribution to the aerodynamic drag of a vehicle arises from the failure to fully recover pressure in the wake region, especially on squareback configurations. A degree of base pressure recovery can be achieved through careful shape optimisation, but the freedom of an automotive aerodynamicist to implement significant shape changes is limited by a variety of additional factors such styling, ergonomics and loading capacity. Active flow control technologies present the potential to create flow field modifications without the need for external shape changes and have received much attention in previous years within the aeronautical industry and, more recently, within the automotive industry. In this work the influence of steady blowing applied at a variety of angles on the roof trailing edge of a simplified 1/4 scale squareback style vehicle has been investigated. Hot-wire anemometry, force balance measurements, surface pressure measurements and PIV have been used to investigate the effects of the steady blowing on the vehicle wake structures and the resulting body forces. The energy consumption of the steady jet is calculated and is used to deduce an aerodynamic drag power change. Results show that overall gains can be achieved; however, the large mass flow rate required restricts the applicability of the technique to road vehicles. Means by which the mass flow rate requirements of the jet may be reduced are discussed and suggestions for further work put forward. (orig.)

Using gas blow methods to realize accurate volume measurement of radioactivity liquid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Caiyun

2010-01-01

For liquid which has radioactivity, Realized the accurate volume measurement uncertainty less than 0.2% (k=2) by means of gas blow methods presented in the 'American National Standard-Nuclear Material Control-Volume Calibration Methods(ANSI N15.19-1989)' and the 'ISO Committee Drafts (ISO/TC/85/SC 5N 282 )' and Explored a set methods of Data Processing. In the article, the major problems is to solve data acquisition and function foundation and measurement uncertainty estimate. (authors)

A review of bacterial interactions with blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) of medical, veterinary, and forensic importance

Science.gov (United States)

Blow flies are commonly associated with decomposing material. In most cases, the larvae are found feeding on decomposing vertebrate remains. However, some species have specialized to feed on living tissue or can survive on other alternate resources like feces. Because of their affiliation with su...

Blow-Up Criterion of Weak Solutions for the 3D Boussinesq Equations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhaohui Dai

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The Boussinesq equations describe the three-dimensional incompressible fluid moving under the gravity and the earth rotation which come from atmospheric or oceanographic turbulence where rotation and stratification play an important role. In this paper, we investigate the Cauchy problem of the three-dimensional incompressible Boussinesq equations. By commutator estimate, some interpolation inequality, and embedding theorem, we establish a blow-up criterion of weak solutions in terms of the pressure p in the homogeneous Besov space Ḃ∞,∞0.

Global existence and blow-up analysis for some degenerate and quasilinear parabolic systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haihua Lu

2009-08-01

Full Text Available This paper deals with positive solutions of some degenerate and quasilinear parabolic systems not in divergence form: $u_{1t}=f_1(u_2(\\Delta u_1+a_1u_1,\\cdots, u_{(n-1t}=f_{n-1}(u_n(\\Delta u_{n-1}+a_{n-1} u_{n-1},\\ u_{nt}=f_n(u_1(\\Delta u_n+a_nu_n$ with homogeneous Dirichlet boundary condition and positive initial condition, where $a_i\\ (i=1,2,\\cdots,n$ are positive constants and $f_i\\ (i=1,2,\\cdots,n$ satisfy some conditions. The local existence and uniqueness of classical solution are proved. Moreover, it will be proved that: (i when $\\min\\{a_1,\\cdots,\\ a_n\\}\\leq\\lambda_1$ then there exists global positive classical solution, and all positive classical solutions can not blow up in finite time in the meaning of maximum norm; (ii when $\\min\\{a_1,\\cdots,\\ a_n\\}>\\lambda_1$, and the initial datum $(u_{10},\\cdots,\\ u_{n0}$ satisfies some assumptions, then the positive classical solution is unique and blows up in finite time, where $\\lambda_1$ is the first eigenvalue of $-\\Delta$ in $\\Omega$ with homogeneous Dirichlet boundary condition.

Some problems on non-linear semigroups and the blow-up of integral solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pavel, N.H.

1983-07-01

After some introductory remarks, this highly mathematical document considers a unifying approach in the theory of non-linear semigroups. Then a brief survey is given on blow-up of mild solutions from the semilinear case. Finally, the global behavior of solutions to non-linear evolution equations is addressed; it is found that classical results on the behavior of the maximal solution u as t up-arrow tsub(max) hold also for integral solutions

Blow-out limits of nonpremixed turbulent jet flames in a cross flow at atmospheric and sub-atmospheric pressures

KAUST Repository

Wang, Qiang; Hu, Longhua; Yoon, Sung Hwan; Lu, Shouxiang; Delichatsios, Michael; Chung, Suk-Ho

2015-01-01

The blow-out limits of nonpremixed turbulent jet flames in cross flows were studied, especially concerning the effect of ambient pressure, by conducting experiments at atmospheric and sub-atmospheric pressures. The combined effects of air flow

Self Induced Buoyant Blow Off in Upward Flame Spread on Thin Solid Fuels

Science.gov (United States)

Johnston, Michael C.; T'ien, James S.; Muff, Derek E.; Olson, Sandra L.; Ferkul, Paul V.

2013-01-01

Upward flame spread experiments were conducted on a thin fabric cloth consisting of 75% cotton and 25% fiberglass. The sample is sandwiched symmetrically with stainless steel plates with the exposed width varying between 2 to 8.8 cm from test to test and >1.5m tall. The bottom edge was ignited resulting in a symmetric two sided flame. For the narrower samples (. 5cm), two sided flame growth would proceed until reaching some limiting value (15-30 cm depending on sample width). Fluctuation or instability of the flame base on one side would initially become visible and then the flame base would retreat downstream and cause extinguishment on one side. Detailed examination of the still images shows that the fuel continues to vaporize from the extinguished side due to the thermally thin nature of the fuel. But, due to the remaining inert fiberglass mesh, which acts as a flashback arrestor, the extinguished side was not able to be reignited by the remaining flame. The remaining flame would then shrink in length due to the reduced heat transfer to the solid to a shorter length. The one-sided flame will spread stably with a constant speed and a constant flame length to the end of the sample. A constant length flame implies that the pyrolysis front and the burnt out fronts move at the same speed. For the wider samples (. 7cm), no one-sided extinction is observed. Two-sided flames spread all the way to the top of the sample. For these wider widths, the flames are still growing and have not reached their limiting length if it exists. Care was taken to minimize the amount of non-symmetries in the experimental configuration. Repeated tests show that blow-off can occur on either side of the sample. The flame growth is observed to be very symmetric during the growth phase and grew to significant length (>10cm) before extinction of the flame on one side. Our proposed explanation of this unusual phenomenon (i.e. stronger two ]sided flame cannot exist but weaker one-sided flame can

Cryoinsulation Material Development to Mitigate Obsolescence Risk for Global Warming Potential Foams

Science.gov (United States)

Protz, Alison; Bruyns, Roland; Nettles, Mindy

2015-01-01

Cryoinsulation foams currently being qualified for the Space Launch System (SLS) core stage are nonozone- depleting substances (ODP) and are compliant with current environmental regulations. However, these materials contain the blowing agent HFC-245fa, a hydrofluorocarbon (HFC), which is a Global Warming Potential (GWP) substance. In August 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a policy change to reduce or eliminate certain HFCs, including HFC-245fa, in end-use categories including foam blowing agents beginning in 2017. The policy proposes a limited exception to allow continued use of HFC and HFC-blend foam blowing agents for military or space- and aeronautics-related applications, including rigid polyurethane spray foams, but only until 2022.

Psoriatic arthritis: treatment strategies using biologic agents

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Palazzi

2012-06-01

Full Text Available The traditional management of psoriatic arthritis (PsA includes NSAIDs, corticosteroids and DMARDs. Advancement in the knowledge of the immunopathogenesis of PsA has been associated with the development of biologic agents which have revolutionized the management of the disease. Among biologics drugs, there are the 4 currently availablee anti-TNFα blocking agents (etanercept, infliximab, adalimumab and golimumab which are more effective than traditional DMARDs on symptoms/signs of inflammation, quality of life, function, and in inhibiting the progression of the structural joint damage. Despite of the high cost, TNF inhibitors are costeffective on both the musculoskeletal and skin manifestations of psoriatic disease.

Optimization of total vaporization solid-phase microextraction (TV-SPME) for the determination of lipid profiles of Phormia regina, a forensically important blow fly species.

Science.gov (United States)

Kranz, William; Carroll, Clinton; Dixon, Darren; Picard, Christine; Goodpaster, John

2017-11-01

A new method has been developed for the determination of fatty acids, sterols, and other lipids which naturally occur within pupae of the blow fly Phormia regina. The method relies upon liquid extraction in non-polar solvent, followed by derivatization using N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide (BSTFA) w/ 1% trimethylchlorsilane (TMCS) carried out inside the sample vial. The analysis is facilitated by total vaporization solid-phase microextraction (TV-SPME), with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) serving as the instrumentation for analysis. The TV-SPME delivery technique is approximately a factor of five more sensitive than traditional liquid injection, which may alleviate the need for rotary evaporation, reconstitution, collection of high performance liquid chromatography fractions, and many of the other pre-concentration steps that are commonplace in the current literature. Furthermore, the ability to derivatize the liquid extract in a single easy step while increasing sensitivity represents an improvement over current derivatization methods. The most common lipids identified in fly pupae were various saturated and unsaturated fatty acids ranging from lauric acid (12:0) to arachinoic acid (20:4), as well as cholesterol. The concentrations of myristic acid (14:0), palmitelaidic acid (16:2), and palmitoleic acid (16:1) were the most reliable indicators of the age of the pupae. Graphical abstract Blow fly pupae were extracted prior to emerging as adults. The extracts were analyzed via total vaporization solid-phase microextraction (TV-SPME), revealing a complex mixture of lipids that could be associated with the age of the insect. This information may assist in determining a post-mortum interval (PMI) in a death investigation.

Development and validation of a new technique for estimating a minimum postmortem interval using adult blow fly (Diptera: Calliphoridae) carcass attendance.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohr, Rachel M; Tomberlin, Jeffery K

2015-07-01

Understanding the onset and duration of adult blow fly activity is critical to accurately estimating the period of insect activity or minimum postmortem interval (minPMI). Few, if any, reliable techniques have been developed and consequently validated for using adult fly activity to determine a minPMI. In this study, adult blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) of Cochliomyia macellaria and Chrysomya rufifacies were collected from swine carcasses in rural central Texas, USA, during summer 2008 and Phormia regina and Calliphora vicina in the winter during 2009 and 2010. Carcass attendance patterns of blow flies were related to species, sex, and oocyte development. Summer-active flies were found to arrive 4-12 h after initial carcass exposure, with both C. macellaria and C. rufifacies arriving within 2 h of one another. Winter-active flies arrived within 48 h of one another. There was significant difference in degree of oocyte development on each of the first 3 days postmortem. These frequency differences allowed a minPMI to be calculated using a binomial analysis. When validated with seven tests using domestic and feral swine and human remains, the technique correctly estimated time of placement in six trials.

Preparation and mechanism analysis of an environment-friendly maize seed coating agent.

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, Defang; Fan, Zhao; Tian, Xu; Wang, Wenjin; Zhou, Mingchun; Li, Haochuan

2018-06-01

Traditional seed coating agents often contain toxic ingredients, which contaminate the environment and threaten human health. This paper expounds a method of preparing a novel environment-friendly seed coating agent for maize and researches its mechanism of action. The natural polysaccharide polymer, which is the main active ingredient of this environment-friendly seed coating agent, has the characteristics of innocuity and harmlessness, and it can replace the toxic ingredients used in traditional seed coating agents. This environment-friendly seed coating agent for maize was mainly made up of the natural polysaccharide polymer and other additives. The field trials results showed that the control efficacy of Helminthosporium maydis came to 93.72%, the anti-feeding rate of cutworms came to 81.29%, and the maize yield was increased by 17.75%. Besides, the LD 50 value (half the lethal dose in rats) of this seed coating agent was 10 times higher than that of the traditional seed coating agents. This seed coating agent could improve the activity of plant protective enzymes (peroxidase, catalase and superoxidase dismutase) and increase the chlorophyll content. This seed coating agent has four characteristics of disease prevention, desinsectization, increasing yield and safety. Results of mechanism analyses showed that this seed coating agent could enhance disease control effectiveness by improving plant protective enzymes activity and increase maize yield by improving chlorophyll content. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Towards improving the efficiency of blowing through a permeable wall and prospects of its use for a flow control

Science.gov (United States)

Kornilov, V. I.; Boiko, A. V.

2016-10-01

Modern achievements, status, and prospects of studies on reducing the turbulent friction and aerodynamic drag with the help of the blowing through a permeable wall are discussed. The main focus is placed upon a physical modeling of the process of boundary layer blowing in the framework of the dimensional theory, a critical analysis of experimental and numerical results for different conditions of air blowing through a high-tech finely perforated wall including the case of external-pressure-flow air supply in wind tunnel, and elicitation of the physical mechanisms responsible for the reduction of turbulent friction at flow-exposed surfaces. It is shown that the use of air supply through the micro-perforated wall with low effective roughness, which is manufactured in compliance with the highest necessary requirements to quality and geometry of orifices, is quite a justified means for easy, affordable, and reliable control of near-wall turbulent flows in laboratory experiment and numerical simulation. This approach can provide a sustained reduction of local skin friction coefficient along flat plate, which in some cases reaches 90%. At the request of all authors of the paper and with the agreement of the Proceedings Editor, an updated version of this article was published on 26 October 2016. The original version supplied to AIP Publishing contained a misrepresentation in Figure 1. This has been corrected in the updated and republished article.

LS1 Report: Blowing away the cobwebs

CERN Multimedia

Anaïs Schaeffer

2014-01-01

With the pressure tests now complete (see here), we are coming to the equally important phase of cleaning the machine. With all the work performed over the past year, quite a lot of dust and dirt has accumulated in certain areas of the accelerator.   Result of the flushing performed in 2007 in Sector 5-6... This year, in Sector 6-7, the filters were particularly clean. A simple and efficient solution, known as helium flushing, has been devised by the Cryogenics group (TE-CRG) to clean up these areas. “We circulate helium gas around the machine in both the cryogenic distribution lines and the magnets,” explains Gérard Ferlin, who is responsible for the flushing operations. “This blows all the debris into a filter at the outlet. ” The flow-rate needs to be high enough to ensure that everything is swept away, so the helium is injected at rates of between 15 and 40 metres per second, much higher than in normal operation. “There&rs...

Asymptotic stability and blow up for a semilinear damped wave equation with dynamic boundary conditions

KAUST Repository

Gerbi, Stéphane

2011-12-01

In this paper we consider a multi-dimensional wave equation with dynamic boundary conditions, related to the KelvinVoigt damping. Global existence and asymptotic stability of solutions starting in a stable set are proved. Blow up for solutions of the problem with linear dynamic boundary conditions with initial data in the unstable set is also obtained. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Asymptotic stability and blow up for a semilinear damped wave equation with dynamic boundary conditions

KAUST Repository

Gerbi, Sté phane; Said-Houari, Belkacem

2011-01-01

In this paper we consider a multi-dimensional wave equation with dynamic boundary conditions, related to the KelvinVoigt damping. Global existence and asymptotic stability of solutions starting in a stable set are proved. Blow up for solutions of the problem with linear dynamic boundary conditions with initial data in the unstable set is also obtained. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An Agent Framework of Tourism Recommender System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jia Zhi Yang

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes the development of an Agent framework for tourism recommender system. The recommender system can be featured as an online web application which is capable of generating a personalized list of preference attractions for tourists. Traditional technologies of classical recommender system application domains, such as collaborative filtering, content-based filtering and content-based filtering are effectively adopted in the framework. In the framework they are constructed as Agents that can generate recommendations respectively. Recommender Agent can generate recommender information by integrating the recommendations of Content-based Agent, collaborative filtering-based Agent and constraint-based Agent. In order to make the performance more effective, linear combination method of data fusion is applied. User interface is provided by the tourist Agent in form of webpages and mobile app.

A Numerical Study of Anti-Vortex Film Cooling Designs at High Blowing Ratio

Science.gov (United States)

Heidmann, James D.

2008-01-01

A concept for mitigating the adverse effects of jet vorticity and liftoff at high blowing ratios for turbine film cooling flows has been developed and studied at NASA Glenn Research Center. This "anti-vortex" film cooling concept proposes the addition of two branched holes from each primary hole in order to produce a vorticity counter to the detrimental kidney vortices from the main jet. These vortices typically entrain hot freestream gas and are associated with jet separation from the turbine blade surface. The anti-vortex design is unique in that it requires only easily machinable round holes, unlike shaped film cooling holes and other advanced concepts. The anti-vortex film cooling hole concept has been modeled computationally for a single row of 30deg angled holes on a flat surface using the 3D Navier-Stokes solver Glenn-HT. A modification of the anti-vortex concept whereby the branched holes exit adjacent to the main hole has been studied computationally for blowing ratios of 1.0 and 2.0 and at density ratios of 1.0 and 2.0. This modified concept was selected because it has shown the most promise in recent experimental studies. The computational results show that the modified design improves the film cooling effectiveness relative to the round hole baseline and previous anti-vortex cases, in confirmation of the experimental studies.

A novel integrated approach for path following and directional stability control of road vehicles after a tire blow-out

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Fei; Chen, Hong; Guo, Konghui; Cao, Dongpu

2017-09-01

The path following and directional stability are two crucial problems when a road vehicle experiences a tire blow-out or sudden tire failure. Considering the requirement of rapid road vehicle motion control during a tire blow-out, this article proposes a novel linearized decoupling control procedure with three design steps for a class of second order multi-input-multi-output non-affine system. The evaluating indicators for controller performance are presented and a performance related control parameter distribution map is obtained based on the stochastic algorithm which is an innovation for non-blind parameter adjustment in engineering implementation. The analysis on the robustness of the proposed integrated controller is also performed. The simulation studies for a range of driving conditions are conducted, to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed controller.

Econophysics of agent-based models

CERN Document Server

Aoyama, Hideaki; Chakrabarti, Bikas; Chakraborti, Anirban; Ghosh, Asim

2014-01-01

The primary goal of this book is to present the research findings and conclusions of physicists, economists, mathematicians and financial engineers working in the field of "Econophysics" who have undertaken agent-based modelling, comparison with empirical studies and related investigations. Most standard economic models assume the existence of the representative agent, who is “perfectly rational” and applies the utility maximization principle when taking action. One reason for this is the desire to keep models mathematically tractable: no tools are available to economists for solving non-linear models of heterogeneous adaptive agents without explicit optimization. In contrast, multi-agent models, which originated from statistical physics considerations, allow us to go beyond the prototype theories of traditional economics involving the representative agent. This book is based on the Econophys-Kolkata VII Workshop, at which many such modelling efforts were presented. In the book, leading researchers in the...

Soot blowing methods and soot steam consumption in Swedish recovery boilers; Sotningsmetoder och sotaangfoerbrukning i svenska sodapannor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Svedin, Kristoffer; Wallin, Erik; Ahlroth, Mikael

2008-09-15

The aim with the report was to put together a description of the current state of the sootblowing systems at Swedish recovery boilers, and to explain differences in cleanability and sootblowing efficiency. In chapter 4 a summary of new techniques and alternative soot blowing methods is found. The report is intended for persons working in the pulp industry. To facilitate the benchmarking the recovery boilers have been divided into two groups. Group A comprises recovery boilers which only have one stop per year and the remaining recovery boilers with more than one stop are classified into group B. The following conclusions, based on the recovery boiler design specifications, are of importance to achieve high boiler availability: Low furnace load; High recovery boiler, wide furnace bottom area; Modern air ports; Small or no correlation between cross pitch division in heat surfaces and cleanability could be seen. The expectation was to identify such a relation. However there are doubts on the correctness in reported data. The amount of chlorine and potassium is assumed to affect the cleanability for a few recovery boilers, but for the majority the amounts are low and most likely do not impact the operation. Because of the large impact of the recovery boilers design data (furnace area, load etc.) on the sootblowing, it has been hard to identify the relation cleanability contra sootblowing system. The relations that could be seen are: No distinction between normally designed nozzles and 'high efficiency' nozzles could be identified. The operational conditions for the different models differ a lot and the effect of nozzle type could not be distinguished. Only a minority of the soot blowing sequences are known from the study. In the recovery boilers with problematic areas improvements can be made in the soot blowing sequence. Four recovery boilers are using intelligent soot blowing of some kind. Two of these boilers have low availability and the other two have

Longitudinal phase space characterization of the blow-out regime of rf photoinjector operation

OpenAIRE

J. T. Moody; P. Musumeci; M. S. Gutierrez; J. B. Rosenzweig; C. M. Scoby

2009-01-01

Using an experimental scheme based on a vertically deflecting rf deflector and a horizontally dispersing dipole, we characterize the longitudinal phase space of the beam in the blow-out regime at the UCLA Pegasus rf photoinjector. Because of the achievement of unprecedented resolution both in time (50 fs) and energy (1.0 keV), we are able to demonstrate some important properties of the beams created in this regime such as extremely low longitudinal emittance, large temporal energy chirp, and ...

The effect of warm air-blowing on the microtensile bond strength of one-step self-etch adhesives to root canal dentin.

Science.gov (United States)

Taguchi, Keita; Hosaka, Keiichi; Ikeda, Masaomi; Kishikawa, Ryuzo; Foxton, Richard; Nakajima, Masatoshi; Tagami, Junji

2018-02-01

The use of warm air-blowing to evaporate solvents of one-step self-etch adhesive systems (1-SEAs) has been reported to be a useful method. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of warm air-blowing on root canal dentin. Four 1-SEAs (Clearfil Bond SE ONE, Unifil Core EM self-etch bond, Estelink, BeautiDualbond EX) were used. Each 1-SEA was applied to root canal dentin according to the manufacturers' instructions. After the adhesives were applied, solvent was evaporated using either normal air (23±1°C) or warm air (80±1°C) for 20s, and resin composite was placed in the post spaces. The air from the dryer, which could be used in normal- or hot-air-mode, was applied at a distance of 5cm above the root canal cavity in the direction of tooth axis. The temperature of the stream of air from the dryer in the hot-air-mode was 80±1°C, and in the normal mode, 23±1°C. After water storage of the specimens for 24h, the μTBS were evaluated at the coronal and apical regions. The μTBSs were statistically analyzed using three-way ANOVA and Student's t-test with Bonferroni correction (α=0.05). The warm air-blowing significantly increased the μTBS of all 1-SEAs at the apical regions, and also significantly increased the μTBS of two adhesives (Estelink and BeautiDualBond EX) at coronal regions. The μTBS of 1-SEAs to root canal dentin was improved by using warm air-blowing. Copyright © 2017 Japan Prosthodontic Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Generating Soap Bubbles by Blowing on Soap Films

Science.gov (United States)

Salkin, Louis; Schmit, Alexandre; Panizza, Pascal; Courbin, Laurent

2016-02-01

Making soap bubbles by blowing air on a soap film is an enjoyable activity, yet a poorly understood phenomenon. Working either with circular bubble wands or long-lived vertical soap films having an adjustable steady state thickness, we investigate the formation of such bubbles when a gas is blown through a nozzle onto a film. We vary film size, nozzle radius, space between the film and nozzle, and gas density, and we measure the gas velocity threshold above which bubbles are formed. The response is sensitive to containment, i.e., the ratio between film and jet sizes, and dissipation in the turbulent gas jet, which is a function of the distance from the film to the nozzle. We rationalize the observed four different regimes by comparing the dynamic pressure exerted by the jet on the film and the Laplace pressure needed to create the curved surface of a bubble. This simple model allows us to account for the interplay between hydrodynamic, physicochemical, and geometrical factors.

Acute effect of blows to the head due one bout of amateur boxing match on electroencephalography (EEG

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

keyvan Shabanimoghadam

2011-06-01

Conclusion: It is seems that in boxing sport the nature of blow to the head can lead to brain tissue electrical flow disturbance. This tension that is accompanied with acute mild brain injury and is observed in boxers, electroencephalography, is serious and can lead to next complications and injuries.

Continuum deformation of multi-agent systems

CERN Document Server

Rastgoftar, Hossein

2016-01-01

This monograph presents new algorithms for formation control of multi-agent systems (MAS) based on principles of continuum mechanics. Beginning with an overview of traditional methods, the author then introduces an innovative new approach whereby agents of an MAS are considered as particles in a continuum evolving in ℝn whose desired configuration is required to satisfy an admissible deformation function. The necessary theory and its validation on a mobile-agent-based swarm test bed are considered for two primary tasks: homogeneous transformation of the MAS and deployment of a random distribution of agents on a desired configuration. The framework for this model is based on homogeneous transformations for the evolution of an MAS under no inter-agent communication, local inter-agent communication, and intelligent perception by agents. Different communication protocols for MAS evolution, the robustness of tracking of a desired motion by an MAS evolving in ℝn, and the effect of communication delays in an MAS...

Ultrasound Contrast Agent Microbubble Dynamics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Overvelde, M.L.J.; Vos, Henk; de Jong, N.; Versluis, Michel; Paradossi, Gaio; Pellegretti, Paolo; Trucco, Andrea

2010-01-01

Ultrasound contrast agents are traditionally used in ultrasound-assisted organ perfusion imaging. Recently the use of coated microbubbles has been proposed for molecular imaging applications where the bubbles are covered with a layer of targeting ligands to bind specifically to their target cells.

Double agents and secret agents: the emerging fields of exogenous chemical exchange saturation transfer and T2-exchange magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents for molecular imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Daryaei, Iman; Pagel, Mark D

2015-01-01

Two relatively new types of exogenous magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents may provide greater impact for molecular imaging by providing greater specificity for detecting molecular imaging biomarkers. Exogenous chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) agents rely on the selective saturation of the magnetization of a proton on an agent, followed by chemical exchange of a proton from the agent to water. The selective detection of a biomarker-responsive CEST signal and an unresponsive CEST signal, followed by the ratiometric comparison of these signals, can improve biomarker specificity. We refer to this improvement as a "double-agent" approach to molecular imaging. Exogenous T 2 -exchange agents also rely on chemical exchange of protons between the agent and water, especially with an intermediate rate that lies between the slow exchange rates of CEST agents and the fast exchange rates of traditional T 1 and T 2 agents. Because of this intermediate exchange rate, these agents have been relatively unknown and have acted as "secret agents" in the contrast agent research field. This review exposes these secret agents and describes the merits of double agents through examples of exogenous agents that detect enzyme activity, nucleic acids and gene expression, metabolites, ions, redox state, temperature, and pH. Future directions are also provided for improving both types of contrast agents for improved molecular imaging and clinical translation. Therefore, this review provides an overview of two new types of exogenous contrast agents that are becoming useful tools within the armamentarium of molecular imaging.

The existence of global solution and ''blow up'' phenomenon for the system of multi-dimensional symmetric regularized wave equations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo Boling.

1988-08-01

The existence and uniqueness of the global smooth solution for the initial-boundary value problem of the system of multi-dimensions SRWE are proved. The sufficient conditions of ''blowing up'' of the solution are given. (author). 6 refs

Investigation on thermomechanical properties of poly (l-lactic acid) for the stretch blow moulding process of bioresorbable vascular scaffold

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Huidong; Menary, Gary

2017-10-01

Stretch blow moulding process has been used for the manufacture of bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) made by poly (l-lactic acid) (PLLA) to improve its mechanical performance. In order to better understand the process, thermomechanical properties of PLLA were investigated by experimental method. Extruded PLLA sheets were biaxial stretched under strain rate of 1s-1, 4s-1 and 16s-1 to simulate the deformation process applicable in the blow moulding process. Both the equal-biaxial stretch and constant-width stretch were conducted by an in-house developed equipment. By differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), thermal analysis for materials before and after stretch were compared to evaluate the microstructural change of PLLA materials in the deformation process. A constitutive model based on glass rubber model was presented to simulate the mechanical behaviour of PLLA above glass transition under biaxial deformation.

"Blow-torch phenomenon" during laser assisted excision of a thyroglossal cyst at the base of the tongue

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anitha G Bhat

2012-01-01

Full Text Available We report a case of blow-torch phenomenon encountered during diode laser assisted excision of a thyroglossal cyst in a child. This is first such case report from India and highlights an unusual complication which anesthesiologists need to be aware of due to the increasing use of operative laser.

Antibacterial activity of some selected plants traditionally used as ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

SAM

2014-03-26

Mar 26, 2014 ... The antibacterial activity was determined using agar well diffusion ... antimicrobial chemotherapeutic agents, but the cost of production of .... Hamilton ex D Don. in the traditional system of medicine ... Based on this, further.

(H)-FCKW foamed insulating materials in the building industry in Germany. Estimation of the potential emissions up to the year 2010; (H)-FCKW-geschaeumte Daemmstoffe im Bauwesen in Deutschland. Schaetzung der potentiellen Emissionen bis zum Jahr 2010

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Obernosterer, Richard [Ressourcen Management Agentur GmbH, Villach (Austria)

2012-09-15

CFCs and HCFCs are controlled substances under European Regulation (EC) No. 1005/2009. Article 22 of that Regulation provides that controlled substances contained in certain products (e.g. insulating materials) must be recovered, if technically and economically feasible, or be destroyed without prior recovery. Annex VII lists specific technologies for destruction, recycling or reclamation. In Germany, the use of (H)CFCs in insulating materials has been prohibited since 1995 (R 11 and R 12) and 2000 (R 22). At European level, use of HCFCs (141b and 142b) has been banned since 2002 mainly in the production of extruded polystyrene rigid foam and since 2003 in the production of polyurethane foams. Few data have become available to date on the amounts of (H)CFCs produced and banked up to the time the prohibitions went into effect. The present report therefore provides details on the amounts of (H)CFC-containing insulating materials installed in Germany and estimates the quantities of (H)CFCs still present in them. The study focuses on rigid XPS foam and rigid PU foam used in the construction sector, due to the original objective of the study and the quantitative significance of these foams. XPS insulating foams: XPS panels were assumed to have an average density of 33 kg/m3. Based on annual foam use (volume), density, the market shares of the blowing agents, and blowing agent content in the foam, the annual increase in banked amounts of blowing agents was estimated. Annual fugitive losses were deducted from those banks, specific to the relevant products and blowing agents. As result a bank of approximately 43.7 kt or 15 000 t-ODP was estimated for Germany in 2009. PU insulating foams: Based on annual foam use (volume), density (assumed to be 41 kg/m3 for PU sandwich panels and 33 kg/m3 for other PU products), the market shares of the blowing agents, and blowing agent content in the foam, the annual increase in banked amounts of blowing agents was estimated. Annual

Improved Longitudinal Blow-up and Shaving in the Booster

CERN Document Server

Hancock, S

2013-01-01

The low-intensity proton beam for p-Pb collisions in the LHC did not come back in the Booster at the beginning of 2013 anything like it had been set up at the end of 2012. In particular there were unexplained intensity fluctuations of ±100%. Although the root cause of the drift in performance was never established, its investigation revealed long-standing issues in the longitudinal plane which, when corrected, allowed single-bunch beams to be delivered with unprecedented reproducibility and control of both intensity and longitudinal emittance. The new approach was adopted for the ion run and subsequently for MDs at higher intensities, where it made possible a robust control of intensity at constant 6D phase space volume. Post-LS1, it may even provide a platform upon which to build a more exotic controlled longitudinal blow-up to generate higher intensity bunches with a flattened line density.

Optimal Wonderful Life Utility Functions in Multi-Agent Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Wolpert, David H.; Tumer, Kagan; Swanson, Keith (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

The mathematics of Collective Intelligence (COINs) is concerned with the design of multi-agent systems so as to optimize an overall global utility function when those systems lack centralized communication and control. Typically in COINs each agent runs a distinct Reinforcement Learning (RL) algorithm, so that much of the design problem reduces to how best to initialize/update each agent's private utility function, as far as the ensuing value of the global utility is concerned. Traditional team game solutions to this problem assign to each agent the global utility as its private utility function. In previous work we used the COIN framework to derive the alternative Wonderful Life Utility (WLU), and experimentally established that having the agents use it induces global utility performance up to orders of magnitude superior to that induced by use of the team game utility. The WLU has a free parameter (the clamping parameter) which we simply set to zero in that previous work. Here we derive the optimal value of the clamping parameter, and demonstrate experimentally that using that optimal value can result in significantly improved performance over that of clamping to zero, over and above the improvement beyond traditional approaches.

Blowing up solutions for a biharmonic equation with critical nonlinearity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El Mehdi, K.; Hammami, M.

2004-05-01

In this paper we consider the following biharmonic equation with critical exponent (P ε ):Δ 2 u=Ku (n+4)/(n-4)-ε , u>0 in Ω and u=Δu=0 on ∂Ω, where Ω is a smooth bounded domain in R n , n≥5, ε is a small positive parameter, and K is a smooth positive function in Ω-bar. We construct solutions of (P ε ) which blow up and concentrate at strict local maximum of K either at the boundary or in the interior of Ω. We also construct solutions of (P ε ) concentrating at an interior strict local minimum point of K. Finally, we prove a nonexistence result for the supercritical problem which is in sharp contrast to what happened for (P ε ). (author)

Clustering recommendations to compute agent reputation

Science.gov (United States)

Bedi, Punam; Kaur, Harmeet

2005-03-01

Traditional centralized approaches to security are difficult to apply to multi-agent systems which are used nowadays in e-commerce applications. Developing a notion of trust that is based on the reputation of an agent can provide a softer notion of security that is sufficient for many multi-agent applications. Our paper proposes a mechanism for computing reputation of the trustee agent for use by the trustier agent. The trustier agent computes the reputation based on its own experience as well as the experience the peer agents have with the trustee agents. The trustier agents intentionally interact with the peer agents to get their experience information in the form of recommendations. We have also considered the case of unintentional encounters between the referee agents and the trustee agent, which can be directly between them or indirectly through a set of interacting agents. The clustering is done to filter off the noise in the recommendations in the form of outliers. The trustier agent clusters the recommendations received from referee agents on the basis of the distances between recommendations using the hierarchical agglomerative method. The dendogram hence obtained is cut at the required similarity level which restricts the maximum distance between any two recommendations within a cluster. The cluster with maximum number of elements denotes the views of the majority of recommenders. The center of this cluster represents the reputation of the trustee agent which can be computed using c-means algorithm.

Specialty in Colonial Governance: the Place of Political Agents in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Political agents were special among African employees who were directly employed in the British colonial administration of northern Nigeria, as distinct from traditional ruling officials. Political agents were unique, as they commanded knowledge of local languages and cultures as well as some knowledge of English and ...

A distributed agent architecture for real-time knowledge-based systems: Real-time expert systems project, phase 1

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, S. Daniel

1990-01-01

We propose a distributed agent architecture (DAA) that can support a variety of paradigms based on both traditional real-time computing and artificial intelligence. DAA consists of distributed agents that are classified into two categories: reactive and cognitive. Reactive agents can be implemented directly in Ada to meet hard real-time requirements and be deployed on on-board embedded processors. A traditional real-time computing methodology under consideration is the rate monotonic theory that can guarantee schedulability based on analytical methods. AI techniques under consideration for reactive agents are approximate or anytime reasoning that can be implemented using Bayesian belief networks as in Guardian. Cognitive agents are traditional expert systems that can be implemented in ART-Ada to meet soft real-time requirements. During the initial design of cognitive agents, it is critical to consider the migration path that would allow initial deployment on ground-based workstations with eventual deployment on on-board processors. ART-Ada technology enables this migration while Lisp-based technologies make it difficult if not impossible. In addition to reactive and cognitive agents, a meta-level agent would be needed to coordinate multiple agents and to provide meta-level control.

Prospecting for bioactive constituents from traditional medicinal plants through ethnobotanical approaches.

Science.gov (United States)

Gu, Ronghui; Wang, Yuehu; Long, Bo; Kennelly, Edward; Wu, Shibiao; Liu, Bo; Li, Ping; Long, Chunlin

2014-01-01

Pharmacologically active constituents from traditional medicinal plants have received great attention as sources of novel agents, pharmaceutical intermediates, and chemical entities for synthetic or semisynthetic drugs due to their potent pharmacological activities, low toxicity, and economic viability. Numerous components have been isolated from traditional medicinal plants, including alkaloids, flavonoids, and terpenoids, and clinical and experimental studies suggested that these components have useful pharmacological properties such as antiinfectious, antioxidative, and antiinflammatory effects. In this review, modern ethnobotanical approaches to explore folk medicinal plants as candidates for drug discovery with the greatest possibility of success are discussed. Determining the bioactive mechanisms and tracing structure-activity relationships will promote the discovery of new drugs and pharmacological agents.

A Method for Reasoning about other Agents' Beliefs from Observations

OpenAIRE

Nittka, Alexander; Booth, Richard

2007-01-01

Traditional work in belief revision deals with the question of what an agent should believe upon receiving new information. We will give an overview about what can be concluded about an agent based on an observation of its belief revision behaviour. The observation contains partial information about the revision inputs received by the agent and its beliefs upon receiving them. We will sketch a method for reasoning about past and future beliefs of the agent and predicting which inputs i...

Simulative design and process optimization of the two-stage stretch-blow molding process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hopmann, Ch.; Rasche, S.; Windeck, C. [Institute of Plastics Processing at RWTH Aachen University (IKV) Pontstraße 49, 52062 Aachen (Germany)

2015-05-22

The total production costs of PET bottles are significantly affected by the costs of raw material. Approximately 70 % of the total costs are spent for the raw material. Therefore, stretch-blow molding industry intends to reduce the total production costs by an optimized material efficiency. However, there is often a trade-off between an optimized material efficiency and required product properties. Due to a multitude of complex boundary conditions, the design process of new stretch-blow molded products is still a challenging task and is often based on empirical knowledge. Application of current CAE-tools supports the design process by reducing development time and costs. This paper describes an approach to determine optimized preform geometry and corresponding process parameters iteratively. The wall thickness distribution and the local stretch ratios of the blown bottle are calculated in a three-dimensional process simulation. Thereby, the wall thickness distribution is correlated with an objective function and preform geometry as well as process parameters are varied by an optimization algorithm. Taking into account the correlation between material usage, process history and resulting product properties, integrative coupled simulation steps, e.g. structural analyses or barrier simulations, are performed. The approach is applied on a 0.5 liter PET bottle of Krones AG, Neutraubling, Germany. The investigations point out that the design process can be supported by applying this simulative optimization approach. In an optimization study the total bottle weight is reduced from 18.5 g to 15.5 g. The validation of the computed results is in progress.

Simulative design and process optimization of the two-stage stretch-blow molding process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hopmann, Ch.; Rasche, S.; Windeck, C.

2015-01-01

The total production costs of PET bottles are significantly affected by the costs of raw material. Approximately 70 % of the total costs are spent for the raw material. Therefore, stretch-blow molding industry intends to reduce the total production costs by an optimized material efficiency. However, there is often a trade-off between an optimized material efficiency and required product properties. Due to a multitude of complex boundary conditions, the design process of new stretch-blow molded products is still a challenging task and is often based on empirical knowledge. Application of current CAE-tools supports the design process by reducing development time and costs. This paper describes an approach to determine optimized preform geometry and corresponding process parameters iteratively. The wall thickness distribution and the local stretch ratios of the blown bottle are calculated in a three-dimensional process simulation. Thereby, the wall thickness distribution is correlated with an objective function and preform geometry as well as process parameters are varied by an optimization algorithm. Taking into account the correlation between material usage, process history and resulting product properties, integrative coupled simulation steps, e.g. structural analyses or barrier simulations, are performed. The approach is applied on a 0.5 liter PET bottle of Krones AG, Neutraubling, Germany. The investigations point out that the design process can be supported by applying this simulative optimization approach. In an optimization study the total bottle weight is reduced from 18.5 g to 15.5 g. The validation of the computed results is in progress

An Emotional Agent Model Based on Granular Computing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jun Hu

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Affective computing has a very important significance for fulfilling intelligent information processing and harmonious communication between human being and computers. A new model for emotional agent is proposed in this paper to make agent have the ability of handling emotions, based on the granular computing theory and the traditional BDI agent model. Firstly, a new emotion knowledge base based on granular computing for emotion expression is presented in the model. Secondly, a new emotional reasoning algorithm based on granular computing is proposed. Thirdly, a new emotional agent model based on granular computing is presented. Finally, based on the model, an emotional agent for patient assistant in hospital is realized, experiment results show that it is efficient to handle simple emotions.

An Innovative Oil Pollution Containment Method for Ship Wrecks Proposed for Offshore Well Blow-outs

OpenAIRE

ANDRITSOS Fivos; COJINS Hans

2011-01-01

In the aftermath of the PRESTIGE disaster, an innovative system for the prompt intervention on oil pollution sources (primarily ship wrecks) at great depths was conceived at the Joint Research Center of the European Commission. This system, with some re-engineering, could also serve for collecting oil and gas leaking after an offshore well blow-out and could constitute a reference method for prompt intervention on deep water oil pollution sources like ship wrecks and blown-out offshore wells....

Treatment of reactive process wastewater with high-level ammonia by blow-off method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Xiaotong; Quan Ying; Wang Yang; Fu Genna; Liu Bing; Tang Yaping

2012-01-01

The ceramic UO 2 kernels for nuclear fuel elements of high temperature gas cooled reactors were prepared through sol-gel process with uranyl nitrate, which produces process wastewater containing high-level ammonia and uranium. The blow-off method on a bench scale was investigated to remove ammonia from reactive wastewater. Under the optimized operating conditions, the ammonia can be removed by more than 95%, with little reactive uranium distilled. The effects of pH, heating temperature and stripping time were studied. Static tests with ion-exchange resin indicate that ammonia removal treatment increases uranium accumulation in anion exchange resin. (authors)

Enhancement of efficacy of process water monitors in detecting heavy water leak in steam generator blow down lines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mitra, S.R.; Kohale, S.D.; Parida, B.K.; Gathe, G.D.; Pati, C.K.; Mudgal, B.K.; Niraj; Pawar, S.K.

2006-01-01

The Steam Generator (SG) serves as an interface between primary and secondary cycle in Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR). Failure of steam generator tubes result in leaking of active heavy water in the secondary closed loop. In Tarapur Atomic Power Station-3 and 4 (TAPS- 3 and 4), Scintillator detectors are provided to detect on line heavy water leakages in SG and moderator heat exchangers by monitoring Nitrogen-16 ( 16 N) and Oxygen-19 ( 19 O) activities. Efficacy of detection of these activities at designed detector position on SG blow down line in presence of background radiation field is analysed theoretically. The count rate of 19 O and 16 N estimated at the detector position inside Reactor Building (RB) shows that detectors only respond to very high leak rates due to presence of high ambient radiation level even though sensitivity is appreciably good. For detector position in RB in the accessible areas and out side the RE containment, the travel time for the blow down feed water becomes moderately and very long respectively resulting in poor sensitivity. However the results show that wherever background levels is low, the efficacy of leak detection becomes considerably better than the results obtained when detector is placed inside RB. The study was validated during the reactor operation by recording the detector count rates due to prevalent ambient radiation level near to the detectors. Subsequently the detectors were relocated in an area inside RB where relocation was feasible, travel time of the blow down feed water was moderate and the area had an relatively low ambient radiation level. This paper discusses the methodology adopted during the study and results obtained during theoretical estimation and practical validation. (author)

Semiotics and agents for integrating and navigating through multimedia representations of concepts

Science.gov (United States)

Joyce, Dan W.; Lewis, Paul H.; Tansley, Robert H.; Dobie, Mark R.; Hall, Wendy

1999-12-01

The purpose of this paper is two-fold. We begin by exploring the emerging trend to view multimedia information in terms of low-level and high-level components; the former being feature-based and the latter the 'semantics' intrinsic to what is portrayed by the media object. Traditionally, this has been viewed by employing analogies with generative linguistics. Recently, a new perceptive based on the semiotic tradition has been alluded to in several papers. We believe this to be a more appropriate approach. From this, we propose an approach for tackling this problem which uses an associative data structure expressing authored information together with intelligent agents acting autonomously over this structure. We then show how neural networks can be used to implement such agents. The agents act as 'vehicles' for bridging the gap between multimedia semantics and concrete expressions of high-level knowledge, but we suggest that traditional neural network techniques for classification are not architecturally adequate.

On Blowing Up the Pokies: The Pokie Lounge as a Cultural Site of Neoliberal Governmentality in Australia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fiona Nicoll

2011-03-01

Full Text Available In 1999 The Whitlams, a popular ‘indie’ band named after a former Australian prime minister whose government was controversially sacked in 1975 by the Governor-General, released a single titled ‘Blow up the Pokies’. Written about a former band member’s fatal attraction to electronic gaming machines (henceforth referred to as ‘pokies’, the song was mixed by a top LA producer, a decision that its writer and The Whitlam’s front-man, Tim Freedman, describes as calculated to ‘get it on big, bombastic commercial radio’. The investment paid off and the song not only became a big hit for the band, it developed a legacy beyond the popular music scene, with Freedman invited to write the foreword of a ‘self-help manual for giving up gambling’ as well as appearing on public affairs television shows to discuss the issue of problem gambling. The lyrics of ‘Blow up the Pokies’ frame the central themes of this article: spaces, technologies and governmentality of gambling. It then explores what cultural articulations of resistance to the pokie lounge tell us about broader social and cultural dynamics of neoliberal governmentality in Australia.

A paradigm for operant conditioning in blow flies (Phormia terrae novae Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830).

Science.gov (United States)

Sokolowski, Michel B C; Disma, Gérald; Abramson, Charles I

2010-01-01

An operant conditioning situation for the blow fly (Protophormia terrae novae) is described. Individual flies are trained to enter and reenter a hole as the operant response. Only a few sessions of contingent reinforcement are required to increase response rates. When the response is no longer followed by food, the rate of entering the hole decreases. Control procedures revealed that rate of responding is not a simple overall result of feeding or of aging. The flies entered into the hole only if the response was required to obtain the food.

Towards the automated identification of Chrysomya blow flies from wing images.

Science.gov (United States)

Macleod, N; Hall, M J R; Wardhana, A H

2018-04-15

The Old World screwworm fly (OWSF), Chrysomya bezziana (Diptera: Calliphoridae), is an important agent of traumatic myiasis and, as such, a major human and animal health problem. In the implementation of OWSF control operations, it is important to determine the geographical origins of such disease-causing species in order to establish whether they derive from endemic or invading populations. Gross morphological and molecular studies have demonstrated the existence of two distinct lineages of this species, one African and the other Asian. Wing morphometry is known to be of substantial assistance in identifying the geographical origin of individuals because it provides diagnostic markers that complement molecular diagnostics. However, placement of the landmarks used in traditional geometric morphometric analysis can be time-consuming and subject to error caused by operator subjectivity. Here we report results of an image-based approach to geometric morphometric analysis for delivering wing-based identifications. Our results indicate that this approach can produce identifications that are practically indistinguishable from more traditional landmark-based results. In addition, we demonstrate that the direct analysis of digital wing images can be used to discriminate between three Chrysomya species of veterinary and forensic importance and between C. bezziana genders. © 2018 The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London. Medical and Veterinary Entomology © 2018 Royal Entomological Society.

Chemotaxonomic Profile and Intraspecific Variation in the Blow Fly of Forensic Interest Chrysomya megacephala (Diptera: Calliphoridae).

Science.gov (United States)

Paula, Michele C; Antonialli-Junior, William F; Mendonça, Angélica; Michelutti, Kamylla B; Eulalio, Aylson D M M; Cardoso, Claudia A L; de Lima, Thiago; Von Zuben, Cláudio J

2017-01-01

Necrophagous insects such as blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) are considered crucial in forensic entomology. Identification at species level and determination of larval stage are the basis for estimation of postmortem interval (PMI). Insect evidence can also be used in the determination of crime scenes, since body displacement is common. The aim of this study was to determine the chemotaxonomic profile and intraspecific variability of the forensically important blow fly Chrysomya megacephala (F. 1794). Adults were collected in the municipalities of Dourados-MS (Brazil) and Rio Claro-SP (Brazil), and then transferred to the laboratory for oviposition and development of the immature stages. Chemical analysis of cuticular compounds was performed by gas chromatography. Cuticular chemical profiles varied significantly between the two populations, as well as between developmental stages, supporting the use of these compounds as a complementary tool to help identify the species and its stages, along with geographical variability. This could greatly accelerate forensic investigations, eliminating the need to allow the fly larvae to develop until adult stage in order to confirm the species identity and sample origin. © The Authors 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Parameters of the Two-Phase Sand-Air Stream in the Blowing Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Danko

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Theoretical problems concerning the determination of work parameters of the two-phase sand-air stream in the cores making process byblowing methods as well as experimental methods of determination of the main and auxiliary parameters of this process decisive on thecores quality assessed by the value and distribution of their apparent density are presented in the paper. In addition the results of visualisations of the core-box filling with the sand-air stream, from the blowing chamber, obtained by the process filming by means of the quick-action camera are presented in the paper and compared with the results of simulation calculations with the application of the ProCast software.

Maintaining the Identify of Dynamically Embodied Agents

OpenAIRE

Martin, Alan; O'Hare, Gregory; Duffy, Brian; Schoen-Phelan, Bianca; Bradley, John

2005-01-01

Virtual agents are traditionally constrained in their embod- iment, as they are restricted to one form of body. We propose allowing them to change their embodiment in order to expand their capabili- ties. This presents users with a number of di±culties in maintaining the identity of the agents, but these can be overcome by using identity cues, certain features that remain constant across embodiment forms. This pa- per outlines an experiment that examines these identity cues, and shows that th...

Negotiation and argumentation in multi-agent systems

CERN Document Server

Lopes, Fernando

2014-01-01

Multi-agent systems (MAS) composed of autonomous agents representing individuals or organizations and capable of reaching mutually beneficial agreements through negotiation and argumentation are becoming increasingly important and pervasive.Research on both automated negotiation and argumentation in MAS has a vigorous, exciting tradition. However, efforts to integrate both areas have received only selective attention in the academia and the practitioner literature. A symbiotic relationship could significantly strengthen each area's progress and trigger new R&D challenges and prospects toward t

A water blown urethane insulation for use in cryogenic environments

Science.gov (United States)

Blevins, Elana; Sharpe, Jon

1995-01-01

Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) of NASA's Space Shuttle External Tank include polyurethane and polyisocyanurate modified polyurethane foam insulations. These insulations, currently foamed with CFC 11 blowing agent, serve to maintain cryogenic propellant quality, maintain the external tank structural temperature limits, and minimize the formation of ice and frost that could potentially damage the ceramic insulation on the space shuttle orbiter. During flight the external tank insulations are exposed to mechanical, thermal and acoustical stresses. TPS must pass cryogenic flexure and substrate adhesion tests at -253 C, aerothermal and radiant heating tests at fluxes up to approximately 14 kilowatts per square meter, and thermal conductivity tests at cryogenic and elevated temperatures. Due to environmental concerns, the polyurethane insulation industry and the External Tank Project are tasked with replacing CFC 11. The flight qualification of foam insulations employing HCFC 141b as a foaming agent is currently in progress; HCFC 141b blown insulations are scheduled for production implementation in 1995. Realizing that the second generation HCFC blowing agents are an interim solution, the evaluation of third generation blowing agents with zero ozone depletion potential is underway. NASA's TPS Materials Research Laboratory is evaluating third generation blowing agents in cryogenic insulations for the External Tank; one option being investigated is the use of water as a foaming agent. A dimensionally stable insulation with low friability, good adhesion to cryogenic substrates, and acceptable thermal conductivity has been developed with low viscosity materials that are easily processed in molding applications. The development criteria, statistical experimental approach, and resulting foam properties will be presented.

Evolution PDEs with nonstandard growth conditions existence, uniqueness, localization, blow-up

CERN Document Server

Antontsev, Stanislav

2015-01-01

This monograph offers the reader a treatment of the theory of evolution PDEs with nonstandard growth conditions. This class includes parabolic and hyperbolic equations with variable or anisotropic nonlinear structure. We develop methods for the study of such equations and present a detailed account of recent results. An overview of other approaches to the study of PDEs of this kind is provided. The presentation is focused on the issues of existence and uniqueness of solutions in appropriate function spaces, and on the study of the specific qualitative properties of solutions, such as localization in space and time, extinction in a finite time and blow-up, or nonexistence of global in time solutions. Special attention is paid to the study of the properties intrinsic to solutions of equations with nonstandard growth.

Release and attenuation of fluorocarbons in landfills

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjeldsen, Peter; Scheutz, Charlotte

2003-01-01

Several halocarbons with very high global warming and ozone depleting potentials have been used as blowing agent for insulation foam in refrigerators and freezers. Many appliances are shredded after the end of their useful life. Release experiments carried out in the laboratory on insulation foam...... blown with CFC-11, HCFC-141b, HFC- 134a, and HFC-245fa revealed that most of the blowing agent is not released to the atmosphere during a six-week period following the shredding process. The fraction which is released in the six-week period is highly dependent on how fine the foam is shredded....... The residual blowing agent remaining after the six-week period may be very slowly released if the integrity of the foam particles with respect to diffusional properties is kept after disposal of the foam waste in landfills. Laboratory experiments simulating attenuation processes in the landfilled waste...

Trusted intermediating agents in electronic trade networks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

T.B. Klos (Tomas); F. Alkemade (Floortje)

2005-01-01

htmlabstract Electronic commerce and trading of information goods significantly impact the role of intermediaries: consumers can bypass intermediating agents by forming direct links to producers. One reason that traditional intermediaries can still make a profit, is that they have more knowledge of

Adaptive tracking control of leader-following linear multi-agent systems with external disturbances

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Hanquan; Wei, Qinglai; Liu, Derong; Ma, Hongwen

2016-10-01

In this paper, the consensus problem for leader-following linear multi-agent systems with external disturbances is investigated. Brownian motions are used to describe exogenous disturbances. A distributed tracking controller based on Riccati inequalities with an adaptive law for adjusting coupling weights between neighbouring agents is designed for leader-following multi-agent systems under fixed and switching topologies. In traditional distributed static controllers, the coupling weights depend on the communication graph. However, coupling weights associated with the feedback gain matrix in our method are updated by state errors between neighbouring agents. We further present the stability analysis of leader-following multi-agent systems with stochastic disturbances under switching topology. Most traditional literature requires the graph to be connected all the time, while the communication graph is only assumed to be jointly connected in this paper. The design technique is based on Riccati inequalities and algebraic graph theory. Finally, simulations are given to show the validity of our method.

Nanofiber production of poly (vinylidene fluoride) / hexaferrite, obtained by Blow Spinning Technique; Producao de nanofibras de poli (fluoreto de vinilideno)/hexaferrita, obtidos pela tecnica Blow Spinning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dias, G.C.; Zadorosny, L.; Malmonge, J.A.; Malmonge, L.F., E-mail: gabriel.fct@gmail.com [Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP), Ilha Solteira, SP (Brazil)

2014-07-01

In this study, fibrous films of poly (vinylidene fluoride) - PVDF with barium hexaferrite particles were obtained by Solution Blow Spinning technique. In such technique, the polymer solution is injected through an inner nozzle which experiences the action of an accelerated flux of gas that drags and stretches the jet solution forming the nanofibers. The films were obtained from solutions of PVDF/DMF (30% w/v), which was incorporated into barium hexaferrite particles in proportions of 1, 3 and 5% (w / w). The results of the micrographs revealed the formation of a fibrous film with good dispersion of the particles. Xray analyzes showed the predominance of the β crystalline phase of PVDF. The increase of the amount of particles induces the appearance of a characteristic peak of PVDF. EDX measurements confirmed the presence of particles in the films. (author)

The Toshiba Blow-Down MHD Test Facility, and Experiments on Non-Equilibrium Ionization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamamoto, Y.; Ogiwara, H.; Shioda, S.; Miyata, M.; Goto, M.; Kasahara, E.

1968-01-01

The Toshiba blow-down MHD test facility, which was constructed in 1966 and has operated successfully in many experiments, is described. Operating conditions achieved are: the working gas is helium seeded with potassium, the maximum mass flow being 80 g/sec, the maximum seed fraction 0.1%; the gas static lies between temperature 1200 and 1700°K, the static pressure between 2.0 ∼ 1.2 atm, the velocity of gas in the generator channel between 1000 and 200 m/sec; the duration is up to 30 sec; the magnetic field is 2.7 T; the impurity of working gas is below 150 ppm. (author)

The selection of adhesive systems for resin-based luting agents.

Science.gov (United States)

Carville, Rebecca; Quinn, Frank

2008-01-01

The use of resin-based luting agents is ever expanding with the development of adhesive dentistry. A multitude of different adhesive systems are used with resin-based luting agents, and new products are introduced to the market frequently. Traditional adhesives generally required a multiple step bonding procedure prior to cementing with active resin-based luting materials; however, combined agents offer a simple application procedure. Self-etching 'all-in-one' systems claim that there is no need for the use of a separate adhesive process. The following review addresses the advantages and disadvantages of the available adhesive systems used with resin-based luting agents.

The effect of traditional herbal medicines on pregnancy outcome

African Journals Online (AJOL)

developing countries.Hi This interest arises from the fact that traditional medicines not only have important cultural roles but may have beneficial medicinal effects and be more cost-effective than modern pharmaceutical agents. Furthermore the ingestion of herbal medicines during pregnancy is reported to be high in African ...

Simulation on Effect of Preform Diameter in Injection Stretch Blow Molding

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Z. Q.; Rosli, Nurrina; Oktaviandri, Muchamad

2018-03-01

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is the most common material of resin for manufacturing plastic bottle by injection stretch blow molding due to its excellent properties. As various issues of health and environmental hazards due to the PET use have risen, PET bottle manufacture may be improved by minimizing the wall thickness to reduce the PET use. One of the critical qualifications of the manufacturing process which lead to the wall thickness distribution is the initial preform diameter. In this project, we used the ANSYS Polyflow with aim to evaluate the wall thickness distribution of PET bottle for different diameter of initial preform. As a result, only 4 mm preform diameter presented wall thickness below than 1 mm. On the other hand, at least 6 mm preform diameter can permit the wall thickness 1.3 mm i.e. at the shoulder area.

A revised geological range (Late Pliocene) for foraminifer taxon Bolliella adamsi Banner et Blow, 1959

Science.gov (United States)

Reddy, A. Nallapa; Nagendra, R.

2017-12-01

The foraminifer taxon Bolliella adamsi Banner et Blow, 1959 is found to co-occur with index planktic foraminifer taxa of the Late Pliocene (Zone N21) in a core of 2.60 m at 1300 m water depth off Tuticorin, Bay of Bengal. This taxon has been previously known as a Holocene taxon of the Indo-Pacific province. This study significantly revises the known stratigraphic range of B. adamsi from the Late Pliocene (uppermost part of Zone N21) to the Holocene in the Bay of Bengal area.

Visual Stereotypes and Virtual Pedagogical Agents

Science.gov (United States)

Haake, Magnus; Gulz, Agneta

2008-01-01

The paper deals with the use of visual stereotypes in virtual pedagogical agents and its potential impact in digital learning environments. An analysis of the concept of visual stereotypes is followed by a discussion of affordances and drawbacks as to their use in the context of traditional media. Next, the paper explores whether virtual…

Ultra low density biodegradable shape memory polymer foams with tunable physical properties

Science.gov (United States)

Singhal, Pooja; Wilson, Thomas S.; Cosgriff-Hernandez, Elizabeth; Maitland, Duncan J.

2017-12-12

Compositions and/or structures of degradable shape memory polymers (SMPs) ranging in form from neat/unfoamed to ultra low density materials of down to 0.005 g/cc density. These materials show controllable degradation rate, actuation temperature and breadth of transitions along with high modulus and excellent shape memory behavior. A method of m ly low density foams (up to 0.005 g/cc) via use of combined chemical and physical aking extreme blowing agents, where the physical blowing agents may be a single compound or mixtures of two or more compounds, and other related methods, including of using multiple co-blowing agents of successively higher boiling points in order to achieve a large range of densities for a fixed net chemical composition. Methods of optimization of the physical properties of the foams such as porosity, cell size and distribution, cell openness etc. of these materials, to further expand their uses and improve their performance.

Software agent Technology: A Framework for Minimizing Fraud in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Software agent Technology: A Framework for Minimizing Fraud in Postpaid Billing Systems. ... Journal of Research in National Development ... to the traditional Object-oriented Software engineering methodology was used to come up with this ...

Using the Agent-Based Modeling in Economic Field

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nora Mihail

2006-12-01

Full Text Available The last ten years of the XX century has been the witnesses of the apparition of a new scientific field, which is usually defined as the study of “Complex adaptive systems”. This field, generic named Complexity Sciences, shares its subject, the general proprieties of complex systems across traditional disciplinary boundaries, with cybernetics and general systems theory. But the development of Complexity Sciences approaches is determined by the extensive use of Agent-Based-Models (ABM as a research tool and an emphasis on systems, such as markets, populations or ecologies, which are less integrated or “organized” than the ones, such as companies and economies, intensively studied by the traditional disciplines. For ABM, a complex system is a system of individual agents who have the freedom to act in ways that are not always totally predictable, and whose actions are interconnected such that one agent’s actions changes the context (environment for other agents. These are many examples of such complex systems: the stock market, the human body immune system, a business organization, an institution, a work-team, a family etc.

Longitudinal phase space characterization of the blow-out regime of rf photoinjector operation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. T. Moody

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Using an experimental scheme based on a vertically deflecting rf deflector and a horizontally dispersing dipole, we characterize the longitudinal phase space of the beam in the blow-out regime at the UCLA Pegasus rf photoinjector. Because of the achievement of unprecedented resolution both in time (50 fs and energy (1.0 keV, we are able to demonstrate some important properties of the beams created in this regime such as extremely low longitudinal emittance, large temporal energy chirp, and the degrading effects of the cathode image charge in the longitudinal phase space which eventually leads to poorer beam quality. All of these results have been found in good agreement with simulations.

Improvement of blow down model for LEAP code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Itooka, Satoshi; Fujimata, Kazuhiro

2003-03-01

In Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute, the improvement of analysis method for overheating tube rapture was studied for the accident of sodium-water reactions in the steam generator of a fast breeder reactor and the evaluation of heat transfer condition in the tube were carried out based on study of critical heat flux (CHF) and post-CHF heat transfer equation in Light Water Reactors. In this study, the improvement of blow down model for the LEAP code was carried out taking into consideration the above-mentioned evaluation of heat transfer condition. Improvements of the LEAP code were following items. Calculations and verification were performed with the improved LEAP code in order to confirm the code functions. The addition of critical heat flux (CHF) by the formula of Katto and the formula of Tong. The addition of post-CHF heat transfer equation by the formula of Condie-BengstonIV and the formula of Groeneveld 5.9. The physical properties of the water and steam are expanded to the critical conditions of the water. The expansion of the total number of section and the improvement of the input form. The addition of the function to control the valve setting by the PID control model. (author)

Global existence and blow-up phenomena for two-component Degasperis-Procesi system and two-component b-family system

OpenAIRE

Liu, Jingjing; Yin, Zhaoyang

2014-01-01

This paper is concerned with global existence and blow-up phenomena for two-component Degasperis-Procesi system and two-component b-family system. The strategy relies on our observation on new conservative quantities of these systems. Several new global existence results and a new blowup result of strong solutions to the two-component Degasperis- Procesi system and the two-component b-family system are presented by using these new conservative quantities.

Steam condensation behavior of high pressure water's blow down directly into water in containment under LOCA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kusunoki, Tsuyoshi; Ishida, Toshihisa; Yoritsune, Tsutomu; Kasahara, Y.

1995-01-01

JAERI has been conducting a design study of an advanced type Marine Reactor X (MRX) for merchant ships. By employing 'Integral type PWR', In-vessel type control rod drive systems', 'Water filled containment system' and 'Decay heat removal system by natural convection', MRX achieved a compact, light weight and highly safe plant. Experiments on steam condensation behavior of high pressure water's blow down into water have been conducted in order to investigate a major safety issue related to the design decision of 'Water filled containment system'. (author)

Efficacy and safety of traditional medical therapies for chronic constipation: systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramkumar, Davendra; Rao, Satish S C

2005-04-01

Constipation is common, and its treatment is unsatisfactory. Although many agents have been tried, there are limited data to support their use. Our aim was to undertake a systematic review of the efficacy and safety of traditional medical therapies for chronic constipation and to make evidence-based recommendations. We searched the English literature for drug trials evaluating treatment of constipation by using MEDLINE and PUBMED databases from 1966 to 2003. Only studies that were randomized, conducted on adult subjects, and published as full manuscripts were included. Studies were assigned a quality score based on published methodology. Standard forms were used to abstract data regarding study design, duration, outcome measures, and adverse events. By using the cumulative evidence of published data for each agent, recommendations were made regarding their use following the United States Preventive Services Task Force guidelines. Good evidence (Grade A) was found to support the use of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and tegaserod. Moderate evidence (Grade B) was found to support the use of psyllium, and lactulose. There was a paucity of quality data regarding many commonly used agents including milk of magnesia, senna, bisacodyl, and stool softeners. There is good evidence to support the use of PEG, tegaserod, lactulose, and psyllium. Surprisingly, there is a paucity of trials for many commonly used agents. These aspects should be considered when designing trials comparing new agents with traditional therapies because their use may not be well validated.

Potential of anticlostridial Lactobacillus isolated from cheese to prevent blowing defects in semihard cheese

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christiansen, Pia; Vogensen,, F. K.; Nielsen, E. W

2010-01-01

Five anticlostridial Lactobacillus strains isolated from cheese were selected for a mixed adjunct culture. Cheese with the mixed adjunct culture (experimental) and without (control) was made in triplicate and ripened as vacuum-packed and surface-ripened cheese. Cheese gross composition was similar....... Excessive gas formation occurred only in control cheeses. In contrast to control cheeses, the experimental cheeses were dominated by the added adjunct Lactobacillus strains (repetitive-PCR). Casein breakdown was not influenced, however, the total amount of amino acids and pH was slightly lower...... in the experimental cheeses. Anticlostridial nonstarter Lactobacillus strains have potential as protective adjunct cultures against blowing defects in cheese....

Research of negotiation in network trade system based on multi-agent

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Jun; Wang, Guozheng; Wu, Haiyan

2009-07-01

A construction and implementation technology of network trade based on multi-agent is described in this paper. First, we researched the technology of multi-agent, then we discussed the consumer's behaviors and the negotiation between purchaser and bargainer which emerges in the traditional business mode and analysed the key technology to implement the network trade system. Finally, we implement the system.

Agent-based modeling and simulation Part 3 : desktop ABMS.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Macal, C. M.; North, M. J.; Decision and Information Sciences

2007-01-01

Agent-based modeling and simulation (ABMS) is a new approach to modeling systems comprised of autonomous, interacting agents. ABMS promises to have far-reaching effects on the way that businesses use computers to support decision-making and researchers use electronic laboratories to support their research. Some have gone so far as to contend that ABMS 'is a third way of doing science,' in addition to traditional deductive and inductive reasoning (Axelrod 1997b). Computational advances have made possible a growing number of agent-based models across a variety of application domains. Applications range from modeling agent behavior in the stock market, supply chains, and consumer markets, to predicting the spread of epidemics, the threat of bio-warfare, and the factors responsible for the fall of ancient civilizations. This tutorial describes the theoretical and practical foundations of ABMS, identifies toolkits and methods for developing agent models, and illustrates the development of a simple agent-based model of shopper behavior using spreadsheets.

Numerical modeling of plasma plume evolution against ambient background gas in laser blow off experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patel, Bhavesh G.; Das, Amita; Kaw, Predhiman; Singh, Rajesh; Kumar, Ajai

2012-01-01

Two dimensional numerical modelling based on simplified hydrodynamic evolution for an expanding plasma plume (created by laser blow off) against an ambient background gas has been carried out. A comparison with experimental observations shows that these simulations capture most features of the plasma plume expansion. The plume location and other gross features are reproduced as per the experimental observation in quantitative detail. The plume shape evolution and its dependence on the ambient background gas are in good qualitative agreement with the experiment. This suggests that a simplified hydrodynamic expansion model is adequate for the description of plasma plume expansion.

Morphological comparison between Chrysomya rufifacies (Macquart) and Chrysomya villeneuvi Patton (Diptera: Calliphoridae) puparia, forensically important blow flies.

Science.gov (United States)

Sukontason, Kabkaew L; Narongchai, Paitoon; Kanchai, Chaturong; Vichairat, Karnda; Piangjai, Somsak; Boonsriwong, Worachote; Bunchu, Nophawan; Sripakdee, Duanghatai; Chaiwong, Tarinee; Kuntalue, Budsabong; Siriwattanarungsee, Sirisuda; Sukontason, Kom

2006-12-20

In Thailand, the hairy maggots of the blow flies, Chrysomya rufifacies (Macquart) and Chrysomya villeneuvi Patton, are of forensic importance. Both flies are closely related species, not only in the morphological appearance of their larvae and puparia, but also on the aggressive feeding habit of the former. In our continuing studies of forensically important flies, identification of immature ones needs particular attention. In this study, we reported the morphological comparison between the puparia of these two blow fly species using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Observation revealed that the cuticular sculpture of tubercles along the dorsal and lateral segments had markedly different features: with C. rufifacies having many sharp spines assembling only at the tip, while of C. villeneuvi bore stout spines throughout the tubercle. A larger number of globules at the bubble membrane on the dorsolateral border of the fifth segment was found in C. villeneuvi (average 225) than in C. rufifacies (average 35), and more papillae was observed on the anterior spiracle in C. villeneuvi (13-15) than in C. rufifacies (9-12). However, the morphology of distinct net-like patches of the integument and structure of the posterior spiracle of both species were almost identical. Morphological comparison in this study permitted identification of the puparia of both fly species, particularly in areas where they co-exist.

Expanding the Adoption on Private Lands : Blowing-and-Drifting Snow Control Treatments and the Cost Effectiveness of Permanent versus Non-Permanent Treatment Options

Science.gov (United States)

2017-11-01

Previous research that estimated the costs and benefits of snow-fences for MnDOT in terms of a reduction in the costs of mitigating blowing-and-drifting snow problem areas (MN/RC 2012-03) demonstrated the ability of snow-fences to significantly lower...

Nasal Drug Delivery in Traditional Persian Medicine

Science.gov (United States)

Zarshenas, Mohammad Mehdi; Zargaran, Arman; Müller, Johannes; Mohagheghzadeh, Abdolali

2013-01-01

Background Over one hundred different pharmaceutical dosage forms have been recorded in literatures of Traditional Persian Medicine among which nasal forms are considerable. Objectives This study designed to derive the most often applied nasal dosage forms together with those brief clinical administrations. Materials and Methods In the current study remaining pharmaceutical manuscripts of Persia during 9th to 18th century AD have been studied and different dosage forms related to nasal application of herbal medicines and their therapeutic effects were derived. Results By searching through pharmaceutical manuscripts of medieval Persia, different nasal dosage forms involving eleven types related to three main groups are found. These types could be derived from powder, solution or liquid and gaseous forms. Gaseous form were classified into fumigation (Bakhoor), vapor bath (Enkebab), inhalation (Lakhlakheh), aroma agents (Ghalieh) and olfaction or smell (Shomoom). Nasal solutions were as drops (Ghatoor), nasal snuffing drops (Saoot) and liquid snuff formulations (Noshoogh). Powders were as nasal insufflation or snorting agents (Nofookh) and errhine or sternutator medicine (Otoos). Nasal forms were not applied only for local purposes. Rather systemic disorders and specially CNS complications were said to be a target for these dosage forms. Discussion While this novel type of drug delivery is known as a suitable substitute for oral and parenteral administration, it was well accepted and extensively mentioned in Persian medical and pharmaceutical manuscripts and other traditional systems of medicine as well. Accordingly, medieval pharmaceutical standpoints on nasal dosage forms could still be an interesting subject of study. Therefore, the current work can briefly show the pharmaceutical knowledge on nasal formulations in medieval Persia and clarify a part of history of traditional Persian pharmacy. PMID:24624204

Planning of Autonomous Multi-agent Intersection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Viksnin Ilya I.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we propose a traffic management system with agents acting on behalf autonomous vehicle at the crossroads. Alternatively to existing solutions based on usage of semiautonomous control systems with the control unit, proposed in this paper algorithm apply the principles of decentralized multi-agent control. Agents during their collaboration generate intersection plan and determinate the optimal order of road intersection for a given criterion based on the exchange of information about them and their environment. The paper contains optimization criteria for possible routes selection and experiments that perform in order to estimate the proposed model. Experiment results show that this model can significantly reduce traffic density compared to the traditional traffic management systems. Moreover, the proposed algorithm efficiency increases with road traffic density. Furthermore, the availability of control unit in the system significantly reduces the negative impact of possible failures and hacker attacks.

Melting of corrosion–resisting steels using air in bath agitation at the end of oxygen blowing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gizatulin, R A; Valuev, D V; Valueva, A V; Yedesheva, Ch V

2014-01-01

A number of metallurgical plants employ ladle stirring with argon at the end of oxygen blowing during the melting process of corrosion–resisting steels [1, 2]. At the same time, the scarcity and relatively high cost of argon, its low pressure in a shop air pipeline restrain most plants from using argon for corrosion–resisting steel production. Compressed air was used instead of argon to intensify the process of decarbonizing when chromium–nickel stainless steels were made with a 40–ton electric arc furnace at the Kuznetsk Metallurgical Plant

A critical blow-up exponent in a chemotaxis system with nonlinear signal production

Science.gov (United States)

Winkler, Michael

2018-05-01

This paper is concerned with radially symmetric solutions of the Keller–Segel system with nonlinear signal production, as given by in the ball for and R  >  0, where f is a suitably regular function generalizing the prototype determined by the choice , , with . The main results assert that if in this setting the number κ satisfies then for any prescribed mass level m  >  0, there exist initial data u 0 with , for which the solution of the corresponding Neumann initial-boundary value problem blows up in finite time. The condition in () is essentially optimal and is indicated by a complementary result according to which in the case , for widely arbitrary initial data, a global bounded classical solution can always be found.

Electron density profile determination by means of laser blow-off injected neutral beam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kocsis, G.; Bakos, J.S.; Ignacz, P.N.; Kardon, B.; Koltai, L.; Veres, G.

1992-01-01

This paper is devoted to the experimental and theoretical studies of the determination of the electron density profiles by means of laser blow-off neutrals. For the determination of the density profile the time and spatial distributions of the spectral line radiation intensity of the injected neutrals are used. The method is compared to other previously proposed methods and the advantages and disadvantages of the different methods are discussed. The result of the comparison is that our method gives the most reliable result with the highest temporal resolution for the density profile of the edge plasma. The only disadvantage is the need of careful calibration of the sensitivity of the spatial channels. The advantage is the ability of the method as a standard diagnostic. (orig.)

Use of the theory of recognition of patterns in developing methane metering equipment for blow-out-dangerous mines. [Instrument recognizes rate of change of methane concentration and, if dangerous, shuts off electrical equipment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Medvedev, V N

1978-01-01

In the most general form, the existing methane-metering equipment which issues command signals when the maximum permissible value of methane concentration has been reached can be viewed as a recognition system. The algorithm for operation on the principle of evaluating the degree of blow-out danger of the ore atmosphere stipulates the recognition of two situations: 1) ''not dangerous ''(methane concentration below maximum permissible value); 2) ''dangerous'' (disorders in technological process; methane concentration above maximum permissible value). This approach for constructing means for gas protection is optimal only for mines working beds which are not dangerous for sudden blow-outs. However, if we ''train'' the apparatus to recognize what was the reason for increase in methane concentration, ways are afforded for solving the problem of creating an effective methane-metering equipment for mines with sudden blow-outs. Gas-dynamic processes with sudden blow-outs can be distinguished from standard technological, in particular, according to the rate in increase in methane concentration. On this basis, functional plan is proposed for constructing the automatic gas protection for explosiondangerous mines which includes a primary measurement of methane concentration, block of concentration control, block of process recognition, block of command signals, block of information delay, block of measuring the rate of methane concentration, threshold device for the rate of increase in concentration.

Nanofiber production of poly (vinylidene fluoride) / hexaferrite, obtained by Blow Spinning Technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dias, G.C.; Zadorosny, L.; Malmonge, J.A.; Malmonge, L.F.

2014-01-01

In this study, fibrous films of poly (vinylidene fluoride) - PVDF with barium hexaferrite particles were obtained by Solution Blow Spinning technique. In such technique, the polymer solution is injected through an inner nozzle which experiences the action of an accelerated flux of gas that drags and stretches the jet solution forming the nanofibers. The films were obtained from solutions of PVDF/DMF (30% w/v), which was incorporated into barium hexaferrite particles in proportions of 1, 3 and 5% (w / w). The results of the micrographs revealed the formation of a fibrous film with good dispersion of the particles. Xray analyzes showed the predominance of the β crystalline phase of PVDF. The increase of the amount of particles induces the appearance of a characteristic peak of PVDF. EDX measurements confirmed the presence of particles in the films. (author)

Data Provenance for Agent-Based Models in a Distributed Memory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Delmar B. Davis

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Agent-Based Models (ABMs assist with studying emergent collective behavior of individual entities in social, biological, economic, network, and physical systems. Data provenance can support ABM by explaining individual agent behavior. However, there is no provenance support for ABMs in a distributed setting. The Multi-Agent Spatial Simulation (MASS library provides a framework for simulating ABMs at fine granularity, where agents and spatial data are shared application resources in a distributed memory. We introduce a novel approach to capture ABM provenance in a distributed memory, called ProvMASS. We evaluate our technique with traditional data provenance queries and performance measures. Our results indicate that a configurable approach can capture provenance that explains coordination of distributed shared resources, simulation logic, and agent behavior while limiting performance overhead. We also show the ability to support practical analyses (e.g., agent tracking and storage requirements for different capture configurations.

A Digital System for Longitudinal Emittance Blow-Up in the LHC

CERN Document Server

JaussI, M; Baudrenghien, P; Butterworth, A; Sanchez-Quesada, J; Shaposhnikova, E; Tuckmantel, J

2011-01-01

In order to preserve beam stability with nominal bunch intensity in the LHC, longitudinal emittance blow-up is performed during the energy ramp by injecting phase noise in the main accelerating cavities. The noise spectrum spans a small frequency band around the synchrotron frequency. It is generated continuously in software and streamed digitally into the Digital Signal Processor (DSP) of the Beam Control system where it is added to the pick-up signal of the beam phase loop, resulting in a phase modulation of the accelerating RF. In order to achieve reproducible results, a feedback system, using as input the measured bunch lengths averaged over each ring, controls the strength of the excitation, allowing the operator to simply set a target bunch length. The spectrum of the noise is adjusted to excite the core of the bunch only, extending to the desired bunch length. As it must follow the evolution of the synchrotron frequency through the ramp, it is automatically calculated by the LHC settings management sof...

Personalized E- learning System Based on Intelligent Agent

Science.gov (United States)

Duo, Sun; Ying, Zhou Cai

Lack of personalized learning is the key shortcoming of traditional e-Learning system. This paper analyzes the personal characters in e-Learning activity. In order to meet the personalized e-learning, a personalized e-learning system based on intelligent agent was proposed and realized in the paper. The structure of system, work process, the design of intelligent agent and the realization of intelligent agent were introduced in the paper. After the test use of the system by certain network school, we found that the system could improve the learner's initiative participation, which can provide learners with personalized knowledge service. Thus, we thought it might be a practical solution to realize self- learning and self-promotion in the lifelong education age.

French studies on blow-down accident in light water reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pelce, J.

1977-01-01

The effects on fuel elements and containment buildings resulting from a rapid blow-down accident and the effectiveness of proposed emergency systems are currently being evaluated in France, using the so-called first generation computer codes. Some of these were developed by the constructing organization Framatome for the design of actual power plants; others were developed by the Nuclear Safety Division to back-up related safety studies. These codes are considered to be inadequate and for several years a large effort has been made jointly by EDF and safety authorities, and with the technical assistance of CEA, to make a significant improvement in the methods of assessment. Framatome also participates in this work to some extent. A more physical method is proposed. In particular, selected models are supported by a quite comprehensive experimental programme which is mainly analytical in nature, as follows: (1) Basic analysis, using experiments which are planned or in progress, such as CANON, MOBY-DICK, SUPER MOBY-DICK, REBECA (critical flow at the break and between sub-compartments of the containment building), ECOTRA (condensation on inner walls), TAPIOCA (phase separation at small cracks), EPIS (water and steam mixing during emergency injection), EDGAR (fuel cladding behavior). (2) More intricate or semi-integral analysis such as OMEGA and ERSEC (tests on in-core heat transfer during blow-down and rewetting), both of which are in progress, in-pile PHEBUS loop due to start operating in 1977 (fuel behavior during the accident), pump tests (EVA, POMPE). Future methods of assessing the reactor itself will include the physical models thus perfected: A first code, (CLYSTERE) has been written and can be used. Although it has not been validated experimentally, it can already evaluate the effect of some physical phenomena on the development of the accident. Work is being done on reconstructing the general flow chart of this code in order to improve the conditions of use, in

Diagnosis of blow-out fracture of the orbital floor using a computed tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishikawa, Yoshimi; Aoki, Shinjiroh; Ono, Shigeru; Fujita, Kiyohide

1986-01-01

Diagnosis of a blow-out fracture of the orbital floor is relatively easy from clinical and roentogen findings but information from these findings are not adequate for the decision for surgical indication. Until recently, computed tomography for the orbital region was generally performed only in axial plane. But the axial plane is parallel to the orbital structure, therefore it is difficult to visualize the orbital floor and inferior rectus muscle. On the other hand, coronal plane is cross-section to the orbital structure, and we can visualize the all orbital soft tissues including extraocular muscles. We examined 3 cases diagnosed as a blow-out fracture of the orbital floor by conventional roentogen films and clinical findings. After axial CT was performed firstly, the coronal CT was scanned with 60 degrees to 70 degrees from OM line, setting the patient in the hanging head position. Case 1 used coronal reformation of the axial CT data. Case 2 and case 3 used direct coronal scanning. By bi-plane CT we could diagnose whether inferior rectus muscle was entrapped or not, and confirm surgical indication. Using of a cadaver, we studied the mechanism for limitation of eye movement. These studies revealed that it is rare that the inferior rectus muscle is entrapped directly by fractured segments at the orbital anterior floor. Because there is a lot of orbital fat-pad between the inferior rectus muscle and the orbital floor, and it may play an important role. The limited mobility of the inferior rectus muscle may occur as a result of increased tension of the fibrous bands that attach to the muscle sheath from the prolapsed fat-pad, and contructure by scar formed secondarily. Diagnosis of the location of a fracture in the orbital floor and cause of the limitation of eye movement must be done as early as possible and from this information we can confirm surgical indication. (J.P.N.)

Measuring SPIO and Gd contrast agent magnetization using 3 T MRI

Science.gov (United States)

Cantillon-Murphy, Pádraig; Wald, Lawrence L.; Zahn, Markus; Adalsteinsson, Elfar

2011-01-01

Traditional methods of measuring magnetization in magnetic fluid samples, such as vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM), are typically limited to maximum field strengths of about 1 T. This work demonstrates the ability of MRI to measure the magnetization associated with two commercial MRI contrast agents at 3 T by comparing analytical solutions to experimental imaging results for the field pattern associated with agents in cylindrical vials. The results of the VSM and fitted MRI data match closely. The method represents an improvement over VSM measurements since results are attainable at imaging field strengths. The agents investigated are Feridex, a superparamagnetic iron oxide suspension used primarily for liver imaging, and Magnevist, a paramagnetic, gadolinium-based compound used for tumors, inflammation and vascular lesions. MR imaging of the agents took place in sealed cylindrical vials in the presence of a surrounding volume of deionized water where the effects of the contrast agents had a measurable effect on the water's magnetization in the vicinity of the compartment of contrast agent. A pair of phase images were used to reconstruct a B0 fieldmap. The resultant B0 maps in the water region, corrected for shimming and container edge effects, were used to predict the agent's magnetization at 3 T. The results were compared with the results from VSM measurements up to 1.2 T and close correlation was observed. The technique should be of interest to those seeking quantification of the magnetization associated with magnetic suspensions beyond the traditional scope of VSM. The magnetization needs to be sufficiently strong (Ms≳50 Am2/kg Fe for Feridex and χm≳5 × 10−5 m3/kg Gd for Magnevist) for a measurable dipole field in the surrounding water. For this reason, the technique is mostly suitable for undiluted agents. PMID:19588450

ANALISIS KELAYAKAN FINANSIAL PROYEK NARROWNECK PRESS AND BLOW UNTUK PROSES PRODUKSIBOTOL MINUMAN BERENERGI DI PT. ABC

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Toni MT Munthe

2015-08-01

Full Text Available PT. ABC merupakan salah satu pabrik yang memproduksi botol kemasan kaca. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui layak atau tidaknya rencana investasi pada proyek Narrow Neck Press and Blow secara finansial di PT. ABC pada periode bulan April 2014 hingga bulan Juni 2014. Analisis kelayakan finansial proyek Narrow Neck Press and Blow, menggunakan metode analisis Net Present Value, Internal Rate of Return, Payback Period dan Sensitivity Analysis. Perbedaan antara nilai sekarang dari semua kas masuk dengan nilai sekarang dari semua kas keluar dari suatu proyek atau suatu investasi diperoleh dengan metode NPV, sedangkan untuk mencari tingkat bunga yang menyamakan nilai sekarang dari aliran kas bersih dan investasi diperoleh dengan metode IRR. Metode analisis yang dapat digunakan untuk mengetahui berapa lamakah waktu yang diperlukan untuk menutup dana yang dikeluarkan untuk suatu proyek dapat diperoleh dengan metode Payback Period. Setelah itu, dilakukan pengujian menggunakan sensitivitas analisis untuk mengetahui tingkat sensitivitas untuk tiap-tiap parameter terhadap persentase kenaikan dan penurunan. Dari hasil analisis data diperoleh nilai NPV sebesar Rp. 1.179.728.649.900,06, nilai IRR sebesar 56,36% dan periode pengembalian terletak pada 2 tahun 2 bulan 9 hari. Dengan menggunakan analisis sensitivitas dapat diketahui bahwa proyek ini sangat sensitif terhadap penurunan volume produksi. Berdasarkan hasil perhitungan, titik impas akan dicapai apabila volume produksi 213.403.267 unit per tahun atau 88,92% dari volume produksi awal. Nilai ini menunjukkan bahwa apabila volume produksi pada suatu periode mengalami penurunan lebih dari 11,08% dari volume produksi awal, maka investasi tersebut akan merugikan.

Variability of Blowing Dust Weather Frequency over Semi-Arid Areas of China (Baicheng, Jilin Province and Relationships with Climatic Factors During 1951 - 2006

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yun-Fei Wu

2011-01-01

Full Text Available We analyzed the variability of blowing dust weather frequency (BDWF and patterns in climatic factors over Baicheng for the period 1951 - 2006 in this study. The data showed that blowing dust over Baicheng occurs intensively during the spring and shows significant inter-decadal variability. One of the main findings is that the occurrence of blowing dust has significantly decreased after the mid-1980s. The mean wind speed (WS, diurnal temperature range (DTR, relative humidity (RH and precipitation at Baicheng during the spring show decreasing trends. The decreasing trends of the mean WS and DTR are significant at 99% confidence levels according to the t-test; the dataset also indicated a sharp decrease in WS occurred after the mid-1980s. The mean surface air temperature (SAT escalated in a fluctuating manner during 1951 - 2006. BDWF at Baicheng was significantly related to local WS, SAT and DTR during the spring [correlation coefficients (CCs are 0.41, -0.47 and 0.36, respectively]. The correlation between BDWF at Baicheng and selected climatic factors over the sand-dust source regions and transmission paths were also calculated. We found that BDWF is well correlated to the mean WS and SAT during the spring, with CCs of 0.45 and -0.48, respectively. The most likely causes for the dramatic decrease observed in BDWF after the mid-1980s were related to the adjustment of large-scale circulation patterns in response to a decrease of meridional temperature differences, the weakening of steering westerlies and the strengthening of downward motions that has occurred at the middle latitudes of eastern Eurasia in recent decades.

Compressed Air System Modifications Improve Efficiency at a Plastics Blow Molding Plant (Southeastern Container Plant): Office of Industrial Technologies (OIT) BestPractices Technical Case Study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wogsland, J.

2001-06-18

This case study is one in a series on industrial firms who are implementing energy efficient technologies and system improvements into their manufacturing processes. This case study documents the activities, savings, and lessons learned on the plastics blow molding plant project.

OPTIMASI PROSES MESIN STRETCH BLOW MOULDING PADA BOTOL 600 ML DENGAN METODE RSM (RESPONSE SURFACE METHODOLOGY STUDI KASUS DI PT. UNIPLASTINDO INTERBUANA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mochamad Mas'ud

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Pada proses produksi Aqua botol plastik 600 ml menggunakan mesin stretch blow moulding dengan sistem pneumatik, Pembuatan produk dengan menggunakan mesin ini memiliki faktor-faktor yang dapat mempengaruhi kualitas botol yang dihasilkan . Penyimpangan ukuran (pemerataan tebal botol dan kemiringan botol tidak sesuai dengan spesifikasi mengakibatkan botol dibagian pundak putih dan bergelang (shrinkage. Tujuan dari penelitian ini yaitu mengoptimalkan setting parameter mesin stretch blow moulding agar menghasilkan kualitas baik pada produk botol plastik 600 ml. Adapun variable(prediktor yang di pilih yaitu preblow (bar, preform temperature (, dan P1 point (mm, sedangkan respon yang dicari yaitu kemiringan minimal dan tebal maksimal. Metode yang di gunakan dalam penelitian ini yaitu menggunakan Response Surface Metodhology (RSM yang mana dalam perhitungannya menggunakan software minitab 16. Dengan menggunakan Box Behnken Design dan 3 level factorial di hasilkan run 15 percobaan. Berdasarkan hasil kondisi yang optimal parameter yaitu preblow sebesar 6,5 bar, preform temperature sebesar 114 , dan P1 Point sebesar 25 mm. Dengan setting sebesar tersebut akan menghasilkan respon tebal botol sebesar 0,1446 dan kemiringan botol sebesar 0,1875.

Effect of Limited Hydrolysis on Traditional Soy Protein Concentrate

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Mirjana B. Pesic

2006-09-01

Full Text Available The influence of limited proteolysis of soy protein concentrate on proteinextractability, the composition of the extractable proteins, their emulsifying properties andsome nutritional properties were investigated. Traditional concentrate (alcohol leachedconcentrate was hydrolyzed using trypsin and pepsin as hydrolytic agents. Significantdifferences in extractable protein composition between traditional concentrate and theirhydrolysates were observed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE and by SDSPAGE.All hydrolysates showed better extractability than the original protein concentrate,whereas significantly better emulsifying properties were noticed at modified concentratesobtained by trypsin induced hydrolysis. These improved properties are the result of twosimultaneous processes, dissociation and degradation of insoluble alcohol-induced proteinaggregates. Enzyme induced hydrolysis had no influence on trypsin-inibitor activity, andsignificantly reduced phytic acid content.

Nonlinear parabolic equations with blowing-up coefficients with respect to the unknown and with soft measure data

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Khaled Zaki

2016-12-01

Full Text Available We establish the existence of solutions for the nonlinear parabolic problem with Dirichlet homogeneous boundary conditions, $$ \\frac{\\partial u}{\\partial t} - \\sum_{i=1}^N\\frac{\\partial}{\\partial x_i} \\Big( d_i(u\\frac{\\partial u}{\\partial x_i} \\Big =\\mu,\\quad u(t=0=u_0, $$ in a bounded domain. The coefficients $d_i(s$ are continuous on an interval $]-\\infty,m[$, there exists an index p such that $d_p(u$ blows up at a finite value m of the unknown u, and $\\mu$ is a diffuse measure.

MODERNIZATION OF TECHNOLOGICAL LINE FOR CELLULAR EXTRUSION PROCESS

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Tomasz Garbacz

2014-06-01

As part of the modernization of the cellular extrusion technology the extrusion head was designed and made. During the designing and modeling of the head the Auto CAD programe was used. After the prototyping the extrusion head was tested. In the article specification of cellular extrusion process of thermoplastics was presented. In the research, the endothermal chemical blowing agents in amount 1,0% by mass were used. The quantity of used blowing agent has a direct influence on density and structure of the extruded product of modified polymers. However, these properties have further influence on porosity, impact strength, hardness, tensile strength and another.

Research and Implementation of Key Technologies in Multi-Agent System to Support Distributed Workflow

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Tianheng

2018-01-01

In recent years, the combination of workflow management system and Multi-agent technology is a hot research field. The problem of lack of flexibility in workflow management system can be improved by introducing multi-agent collaborative management. The workflow management system adopts distributed structure. It solves the problem that the traditional centralized workflow structure is fragile. In this paper, the agent of Distributed workflow management system is divided according to its function. The execution process of each type of agent is analyzed. The key technologies such as process execution and resource management are analyzed.

Fluorine-Containing Taxoid Anticancer Agents and Their Tumor-Targeted Drug Delivery

OpenAIRE

Seitz, Joshua; Vineberg, Jacob G.; Zuniga, Edison S.; Ojima, Iwao

2013-01-01

A long-standing problem of conventional chemotherapy is the lack of tumor-specific treatments. Traditional chemotherapy relies on the premise that rapidly proliferating cancer cells are more likely to be killed by a cytotoxic agent. In reality, however, cytotoxic agents have very little or no specificity, which leads to systemic toxicity, causing undesirable severe side effects. Consequently, various “molecularly targeted cancer therapies” have been developed for use in specific cancers, incl...

Keys to the blow flies of Taiwan, with a checklist of recorded species and the description of a new species of Paradichosia Senior-White (Diptera, Calliphoridae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shih-Tsai Yang

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae show a great diversity in behavior and ecology, play important roles in ecosystems, and have medical and forensic importance to humans. Despite this, the taxonomy and classification of Taiwan's Calliphoridae have rarely been studied. In this study, specimens of Taiwanese calliphorids were collected and carefully studied, and all 76 species recorded in Taiwan are listed following the identification keys. Dichotomous keys to all subfamilies, tribes, genera, and species of blow flies recorded in Taiwan are provided, including 16 species that are newly recorded from Taiwan. In addition, one new species of the genus Paradichosia Senior-White is described and illustrated. We also discuss the morphological differences between the specimens of Silbomyia hoeneana Enderlein collected from China and Taiwan, a species that has only been found previously in Southern China.

Keys to the blow flies of Taiwan, with a checklist of recorded species and the description of a new species of Paradichosia Senior-White (Diptera, Calliphoridae)

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Shih-Tsai; Kurahashi, Hiromu; Shiao, Shiuh-Feng

2014-01-01

Abstract Blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) show a great diversity in behavior and ecology, play important roles in ecosystems, and have medical and forensic importance to humans. Despite this, the taxonomy and classification of Taiwan's Calliphoridae have rarely been studied. In this study, specimens of Taiwanese calliphorids were collected and carefully studied, and all 76 species recorded in Taiwan are listed following the identification keys. Dichotomous keys to all subfamilies, tribes, genera, and species of blow flies recorded in Taiwan are provided, including 16 species that are newly recorded from Taiwan. In addition, one new species of the genus Paradichosia Senior-White is described and illustrated. We also discuss the morphological differences between the specimens of Silbomyia hoeneana Enderlein collected from China and Taiwan, a species that has only been found previously in Southern China. PMID:25152681

Residue analysis of veterinary drugs and growth-promoting agents

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stolker, A.A.M.; Zuidema, T.; Nielen, M.W.F.

2007-01-01

Two major trends are observed in the analysis of veterinary drugs and growth-promoting agents. First is the selection of sample material for monitoring the use of registered veterinary drugs. Traditionally meat, kidney and liver were analyzed but, due to the food scandals in which meat was very

Asymptomatic urinary tract infection among pregnant women receiving ante-natal care in a traditional birth home in Benin City, Nigeria.

Science.gov (United States)

Oladeinde, Bankole H; Omoregie, Richard; Oladeinde, Oladapo B

2015-01-01

A good proportion of pregnant women patronize traditional birth homes in Nigeria for ante-natal care. This study aimed at determining the prevalence, risk factors, and susceptibility profile of etiologic agents of urinary tract infection among ante-natal attendees in a traditional birth home in Benin City, Nigeria. Clean-catch urine was collected from 220 pregnant women attending a traditional birth home in Benin City, Nigeria. Urine samples were processed, and microbial isolates identified using standard bacteriological procedures. A cross-sectional study design was used. The prevalence of urinary tract infection among pregnant women was 55.0%, significantly affected by parity and gestational age (Pinfection was recorded among 13(10.7%) pregnant women, and was unaffected by maternal age, parity, gravidity, gestational age, and educational status. Irrespective of trimester Escherichia coli was the most prevalent etiologic agent of urinary tract infection, followed by Staphylococcus aureus. The flouroquinolones were the most effective antibacterial agents, while Sulphamethoxazole-trimetoprim, Amoxicillin, Nalidixic acid, and Nitrofurantoin had poor activity against uropathogens isolated. The prevalence of urinary tract infection among pregnant women was 55.0% and significantly affected by gestational age and parity. The most prevalent etiologic agent observed was Escherichia coli. With the exception of the flouroquinolones, aminoglycoside, and Amoxicillin-cluvanate, the activity of other antibiotics used on uropathogens were poor. Health education of the traditional birth attendant and her clients by relevant intervention agencies is strongly advocated.

Local correlations for flap gap oscillatory blowing active flow control technology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cătălin NAE

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Active technology for oscillatory blowing in the flap gap has been tested at INCAS subsonic wind tunnel in order to evaluate this technology for usage in high lift systems with active flow control. The main goal for this investigation was to validate TRL level 4 for this technology and to extend towards flight testing. CFD analysis was performed in order to identify local correlations with experimental data and to better formulate a design criteria so that a maximum increase in lift is possible under given geometrical constraints. Reference to a proposed metric for noise evaluation is also given. This includes basic 2D flow cases and also 2.5D configurations. In 2.5D test cases this work has been extended so that the proposed system may be selected as a mature technology in the JTI Clean Sky, Smart Fixed Wing Aircraft ITD. Complex post-processing of the experimental and CFD data was mainly oriented towards system efficiency and TRL evaluation for this active technology.

How are soap bubbles blown? Fluid dynamics of soap bubble blowing

Science.gov (United States)

Davidson, John; Lambert, Lori; Sherman, Erica; Wei, Timothy; Ryu, Sangjin

2013-11-01

Soap bubbles are a common interfacial fluid dynamics phenomenon having a long history of delighting not only children and artists but also scientists. In contrast to the dynamics of liquid droplets in gas and gas bubbles in liquid, the dynamics of soap bubbles has not been well documented. This is possibly because studying soap bubbles is more challenging due to there existing two gas-liquid interfaces. Having the thin-film interface seems to alter the characteristics of the bubble/drop creation process since the interface has limiting factors such as thickness. Thus, the main objective of this study is to determine how the thin-film interface differentiates soap bubbles from gas bubbles and liquid drops. To investigate the creation process of soap bubbles, we constructed an experimental model consisting of air jet flow and a soap film, which consistently replicates the conditions that a human produces when blowing soap bubbles, and examined the interaction between the jet and the soap film using the high-speed videography and the particle image velocimetry.

Evaluation of bait traps as a means to predict initial blow fly (Diptera: Calliphoridae) communities associated with decomposing swine remains in New Jersey, USA.

Science.gov (United States)

Weidner, Lauren M; Gemmellaro, M Denise; Tomberlin, Jeffery K; Hamilton, George C

2017-09-01

Information about blow fly (Diptera: Calliphoridae) species distributions can be valuable for criminal investigations, with regards to determining movement of remains from one location to another and time of colonization estimates, making these data extremely useful. Past work has been conducted on initial species community structure across New Jersey, USA using traps baited with beef liver; however, if these same species frequent vertebrate carrion remains unclear. In order to evaluate these data, piglet carcasses were placed out once every two weeks for a year in New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA. The same methods were implemented as those used for traps baited with beef liver, with length of collections being based on ADD values. Seven calliphorid species, Calliphora vicina (Robineau-Desvoidy), Lucilia sericata (Meigen), Lucilia coeruleiviridis (Macquart), Phormia regina (Meigen), Pollenia pediculata Macquart, Pollenia rudis (F.) and Protophormia terraenovae (Robineau-Desvoidy) were collected from the carcasses. During this experiment L. sericata, L. coeruleiviridis and P. regina were the dominant adult blow flies captured, totaling 38.2%, 29.2% and 29.2% respectively of all adults caught. All three species colonized the carcasses as well, although not all were dominant colonizers. C. vicina was recorded ovipositing in December, while the piglet was submerged in approximately 5cm of snow. All species that totaled at least 1% of the total collection (adults captured and larvae reared) were the same across baited traps and carcasses. This study supports the use of beef liver baits for surveying forensically important blow flies and the application of such information to forensic investigations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Novel Method of Weighting Cumulative Helmet Impacts Improves Correlation with Brain White Matter Changes After One Football Season of Sub-concussive Head Blows.

Science.gov (United States)

Merchant-Borna, Kian; Asselin, Patrick; Narayan, Darren; Abar, Beau; Jones, Courtney M C; Bazarian, Jeffrey J

2016-12-01

One football season of sub-concussive head blows has been shown to be associated with subclinical white matter (WM) changes on diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Prior research analyses of helmet-based impact metrics using mean and peak linear and rotational acceleration showed relatively weak correlations to these WM changes; however, these analyses failed to account for the emerging concept that neuronal vulnerability to successive hits is inversely related to the time between hits (TBH). To develop a novel method for quantifying the cumulative effects of sub-concussive head blows during a single season of collegiate football by weighting helmet-based impact measures for time between helmet impacts. We further aim to compare correlations to changes in DTI after one season of collegiate football using weighted cumulative helmet-based impact measures to correlations using non-weighted cumulative helmet-based impact measures and non-cumulative measures. We performed a secondary analysis of DTI and helmet impact data collected on ten Division III collegiate football players during the 2011 season. All subjects underwent diffusion MR imaging before the start of the football season and within 1 week of the end of the football season. Helmet impacts were recorded at each practice and game using helmet-mounted accelerometers, which computed five helmet-based impact measures for each hit: linear acceleration (LA), rotational acceleration (RA), Gadd Severity Index (GSI), Head Injury Criterion (HIC 15 ), and Head Impact Technology severity profile (HITsp). All helmet-based impact measures were analyzed using five methods of summary: peak and mean (non-cumulative measures), season sum-totals (cumulative unweighted measures), and season sum-totals weighted for time between hits (TBH), the interval of time from hit to post-season DTI assessment (TUA), and both TBH and TUA combined. Summarized helmet-based impact measures were correlated to statistically significant changes in

A Multi-Agent Framework for Coordination of Intelligent Assistive Technologies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Valente, Pedro Ricardo da Nova; Hossain, S.; Groenbaek, B.

2010-01-01

Intelligent care for the future is the IntelliCare project's main priority. This paper describes the design of a generic multi-agent framework for coordination of intelligent assistive technologies. The paper overviews technologies and software systems suitable for context awareness...... and housekeeping tasks, especially for performing a multi-robot cleaning-task activity. It also describes conducted work in the design of a multi-agent platform for coordination of intelligent assistive technologies. Instead of using traditional robot odometry estimation methods, we have tested an independent...

Starch/poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate/montmorillonite films produced by blow extrusion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rodrigo A. L. Santos

2014-07-01

Full Text Available This study aims to prepare biodegradable films from cassava starch, poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate (PBAT, and montmorillonite (MMT using blow-extrusion process and analyze the effects of different types and concentrations of MMT on the microstructure, physicochemical, and mechanical properties of the resulting films. The films were produced by blending 30% of PBAT with glycerol (17.5%, starch (49.0-52.5%, and four different types of montmorillonite (Cloisite® Na+, 10A, 15A, and 30B at two different concentrations (1.75% and 3.5%. All the films prepared in this study showed an increase in the basal spacing of MMT layers. In particular, the films with 10A and 30B showed the highest increase in intercalation basal spacing, suggesting the formation of intercalated composites. The addition of nanoclays decreased the elongation of films. The addition of Cloisite® 10A resulted in films with the lowest WVP values and the highest stability to water adsorption under different RH conditions.

A review of the use of common antiplatelet agents in orthopaedic practice.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Dineen, P F

2010-09-01

Antiplatelet agents are widely prescribed for the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular events. A common clinical problem facing orthopaedic and trauma surgeons is how to manage patients receiving these agents who require surgery, either electively or following trauma. The dilemma is to balance the risk of increased blood loss if the antiplatelet agents are continued peri-operatively against the risk of coronary artery\\/stent thrombosis and\\/or other vascular event if the drugs are stopped. The traditional approach of stopping these medications up to two weeks before surgery appears to pose significant danger to patients and may require review. This paper covers the important aspects regarding the two most commonly prescribed antiplatelet agents, aspirin and clopidogrel.

Biomedicines—Moving Biologic Agents into Approved Treatment Options

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kenneth Cornetta

2013-03-01

Full Text Available The development of biologic agents for therapeutic purposes, or biomedicines, has seen an active area of research both at the bench and in clinical trials. There is mounting evidence that biologic products can provide effective therapy for diseases that have been unresponsive to traditional pharmacologic approaches. Monoclonal antibody therapy for cancer and rheumatologic diseases has become a well accepted part of disease treatment plans. Gene therapy products have been approved in China and Europe. Bioengineering of new agents capitalizing on microRNA biology, nanoparticle technology, stem cell biology, and an increasing understanding of immunology predict a rich future for product development. [...

A review of Agent Based Modeling for agricultural policy evaluation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kremmydas, Dimitris; Athanasiadis, I.N.; Rozakis, Stelios

2018-01-01

Farm level scale policy analysis is receiving increased attention due to a changing agricultural policy orientation. Agent based models (ABM) are farm level models that have appeared in the end of 1990's, having several differences from traditional farm level models, like the consideration of

The effect of starvation on the larval behavior of two forensically important species of blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae).

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Devinder; Bala, Madhu

2009-12-15

The postfeeding larval stage in blow flies is generally an irreversible condition when the fully grown third instar larvae stop feeding and give no response towards food. The larvae of most species then disperse away from their feeding medium and pupariate. There are several cases reported about the use of postfeeding larvae as forensic evidence. It is a matter of common observation that the postfeeding stage can be reached earlier than the expected time if food becomes unavailable. However, no information is available on whether postfeeding stage induced by scarcity of food is also irreversible. Similarly, the minimum period of development required by the larvae of different blow flies species to enable their survival as postfeeding larvae and pupariation in the absence of food is unknown. It was observed during the present studies that the larvae of two Chrysomya species must feed for at least 35 h at 28 degrees C in order to be capable of reaching the postfeeding stage and subsequent pupariation. Duration of the starvation period required to induce postfeeding behavior decreases with increasing age of larvae. In the case of Chrysomya megacephala, 35, 45, 55 and 65 h old larvae attained irreversible postfeeding stage after 30, 20, 12 and 2 h of starvation, respectively. Similarly, larvae of Chrysomya rufifacies that were 35, 45, 55 and 60 h old attained irreversible postfeeding stage after 25, 16, 6 and 2 h of starvation, respectively.

Agent-Centered Decision Making in Normal and Abnormal Cognition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Goldberg, Elkhonon

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Much of human cognition is “agent-centered,” subjective, and in that sense relative, directed at deciding, “What is best for me”. This is very different from “veridical” cognition, directed at finding an objectively correct solution inherent in the task and independent of the agent. The frontal lobes in particular are central to agent-centered decision making. Yet very little is available in the arsenal of cognitive paradigms used in the cognitive neuroscience research and in clinical neuropsychology test design to examine “agent-centered” decision making. Current paradigms and tests used to measure decision making clinically and experimentally are veridical in nature and as such miss the essence of “agent-centered” cognition. The dearth of “agent-centered” cognitive paradigms severely limits our ability to understand fully the function and dysfunction of the frontal lobes. The Cognitive Bias Task (CBT is an agent-centered paradigm designed to fill this gap. CBT has been used as a cognitive activation task in fMRI, SPECT, and EEG, as well as in studies of normal development, addiction, dementia, focal lesions, and schizophrenia. This resulted in a range of findings that eluded more traditional “veridical” paradigms and are reviewed here.

Dependence of energy characteristics of ascending swirling air flow on velocity of vertical blowing

Science.gov (United States)

Volkov, R. E.; Obukhov, A. G.; Kutrunov, V. N.

2018-05-01

In the model of a compressible continuous medium, for the complete Navier-Stokes system of equations, an initial boundary problem is proposed that corresponds to the conducted and planned experiments and describes complex three-dimensional flows of a viscous compressible heat-conducting gas in ascending swirling flows that are initiated by a vertical cold blowing. Using parallelization methods, three-dimensional nonstationary flows of a polytropic viscous compressible heat-conducting gas are constructed numerically in different scaled ascending swirling flows under the condition when gravity and Coriolis forces act. With the help of explicit difference schemes and the proposed initial boundary conditions, approximate solutions of the complete system of Navier-Stokes equations are constructed as well as the velocity and energy characteristics of three-dimensional nonstationary gas flows in ascending swirling flows are determined.

Polyurethane Foams for Thermal Insulation Uses Produced from Castor Oil and Crude Glycerol Biopolyols.

Science.gov (United States)

Carriço, Camila S; Fraga, Thaís; Carvalho, Vagner E; Pasa, Vânya M D

2017-07-02

Rigid polyurethane foams were synthesized using a renewable polyol from the simple physical mixture of castor oil and crude glycerol. The effect of the catalyst (DBTDL) content and blowing agents in the foams' properties were evaluated. The use of physical blowing agents (cyclopentane and n-pentane) allowed foams with smaller cells to be obtained in comparison with the foams produced with a chemical blowing agent (water). The increase of the water content caused a decrease in density, thermal conductivity, compressive strength, and Young's modulus, which indicates that the increment of CO₂ production contributes to the formation of larger cells. Higher amounts of catalyst in the foam formulations caused a slight density decrease and a small increase of thermal conductivity, compressive strength, and Young's modulus values. These green foams presented properties that indicate a great potential to be used as thermal insulation: density (23-41 kg·m -3 ), thermal conductivity (0.0128-0.0207 W·m -1 ·K -1 ), compressive strength (45-188 kPa), and Young's modulus (3-28 kPa). These biofoams are also environmentally friendly polymers and can aggregate revenue to the biodiesel industry, contributing to a reduction in fuel prices.

Characterization of volatile compounds in Fen-Daqu - a traditional Chinese liquor fermentation starter

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van-Diep, L.; Zheng, X.; Chen, J.Y.; Han, B.Z.

2012-01-01

Fen-Daqu is a saccharifying agent and fermentation starter for the production of Chinese liquor Fen (alcoholic spirit) and Fen traditional vinegar. The volatile compounds produced at seven incubation steps were analysed by HS-SPME-GC-MS. A total of 83 major volatile compounds were identified,

Method for producing small hollow spheres

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hendricks, C.D.

1979-01-01

A method is described for producing small hollow spheres of glass, metal or plastic, wherein the sphere material is mixed with or contains as part of the composition a blowing agent which decomposes at high temperature (T >approx. 600 0 C). As the temperature is quickly raised, the blowing agent decomposes and the resulting gas expands from within, thus forming a hollow sphere of controllable thickness. The thus produced hollow spheres (20 to 10 3 μm) have a variety of application, and are particularly useful in the fabrication of targets for laser implosion such as neutron sources, laser fusion physics studies, and laser initiated fusion power plants

Phytochemicals and the breakthrough of traditional herbs in the management of sexual dysfunctions.

Science.gov (United States)

Adimoelja, A

2000-01-01

Traditional herbs have been a revolutionary breakthrough in the management of erectile dysfunction and have become known world-wide as an 'instant' treatment. The modern view of the management of erectile dysfunction subscribes to a single etiology, i.e. the mechanism of erection. A large number of pharmacological agents are orally consumed and vasoactive agents inserted intraurethrally or injected intrapenially to regain good erection. Modern phytochemicals have developed from traditional herbs. Phytochemicals focus their mechanism of healing action to the root cause, i.e. the inability to control the proper function of the whole body system. Hence phytochemicals manage erectile dysfunction in the frame of sexual dysfunction as a whole entity. Protodioscin is a phytochemical agent derived from Tribulus terrestris L plant, which has been clinically proven to improve sexual desire and enhance erection via the conversion of protodioscine to DHEA (De-Hydro-Epi-Androsterone). Preliminary observations suggest that Tribulus terrestris L grown on different soils does not consistently produce the active component Protodioscin. Further photochemical studies of many other herbal plants are needed to explain the inconsistent results found with other herbal plants, such as in diversities of Ginseng, Eurycoma longifolia, Pimpinella pruacen, Muara puama, Ginkgo biloba, Yohimbe etc.

Morphology and Developmental Rate of the Blow Fly, Hemipyrellia ligurriens (Diptera: Calliphoridae: Forensic Entomology Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nophawan Bunchu

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Hemipyrellia ligurriens (Diptera: Calliphoridae is a forensically important blow fly species presented in many countries. In this study, we determined the morphology of all stages and the developmental rate of H. ligurriens reared under natural ambient conditions in Phitsanulok province, northern Thailand. Morphological features of all stages based on observing under a light microscope were described and demonstrated in order to use for identification purpose. Moreover, development time in each stage was given. The developmental time of H. ligurriens to complete metamorphosis; from egg, larva, pupa to adult, took 270.71 h for 1 cycle of development. The results from this study may be useful not only for application in forensic investigation, but also for study in its biology in the future.

Forensically Important Blow Flies Chrysomya pinguis, C. villeneuvi, and Lucilia porphyrina (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in a Case of Human Remains in Thailand

Science.gov (United States)

Monum, Tawatchai; Sukontason, Kabkaew L.; Sribanditmongkol, Pongruk; Sukontason, Kom; Samerjai, Chutharat; Limsopatham, Kwankamol; Suwannayod, Suttida; Klong-klaew, Tunwadee; Wannasan, Anchalee

2017-01-01

This is the first study to report Chrysomya pinguis (Walker) and Lucilia porphyrina (Walker) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) as forensically important blow fly species from human cadavers in Thailand, in addition to Chrysomya villeneuvi (Patton) already known in Thailand. In 2016, a fully decomposed body of an unknown adult male was discovered in a high mountainous forest during winter in Chiang Mai province. The remains were infested heavily with thousands of blow fly larvae feeding simultaneously on them. Morphological identification of adults reared from the larvae, and molecular analysis based on sequencing of 1,247 bp partial mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene (CO1) of the larvae and puparia, confirmed the above mentioned 3 species. The approving forensic fly evidence by molecular approach was described for the first time in Thailand. Moreover, neighbor-joining phylogenetic analysis of the CO1 was performed to compare the relatedness of the species, thereby affirming the accuracy of identification. As species of entomofauna varies among cases in different geographic and climatic circumstances, C. pinguis and L. porphyrina were added to the list of Thai forensic entomology caseworks, including colonizers of human remains in open, high mountainous areas during winter. Further research should focus on these 3 species, for which no developmental data are currently available. PMID:28285509

Cool-weather activity of the forensically important hairy maggot blow fly Chrysomya rufifacies (Macquart) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) on carrion in Upstate South Carolina, United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Cammack, Jonathan A; Nelder, Mark P

2010-02-25

The hairy maggot blow fly Chrysomya rufifacies (Macquart) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) has expanded its range in the United States since its introduction into Texas (ca. 1980) and has been collected in 15 states. We investigated the bionomics of immature and adult C. rufifacies collected from carcasses of a raccoon Procyon lotor (Linnaeus) and white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus Zimmerman in Upstate South Carolina during November 2007, and used these insects to estimate the minimum period of insect activity. Puparia of C. rufifacies were collected from deer carrion; 28% were parasitized by Nasonia vitripennis (Walker) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae). The mean daily ambient temperature during this study was 11.4+/-1.02 degrees C, representing the lowest recorded mean temperature for adult activity of C. rufifacies; adults of C. rufifacies were observed flying among the carcasses at 9.0 degrees C. Although C. rufifacies is considered a warm-weather blow fly, researchers should be aware of its activity at suboptimal conditions, behavior that might aid its expansion into more northern areas. 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Traditional Turkish Fermented Non-Alcoholic Beverage, “Shalgam”

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fatma Coskun

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Shalgam is a traditional Turkish beverage produced by lactic acid fermentation. Shalgam is also sold in markets in some European cities. In shalgam production, bulgur flour (formed during the crushing process, it is the part that remains under the sieve after breaking the outer shells of boiled dried wheat for processing, salt, water, purple carrot, turnip, and sometimes red beet is used. The traditional method of production can take 10–12 days. Commercial production takes 4–5 days. Shalgam is a probiotic food and a good source of nutrients. It helps regulate the pH of the digestive system. It contains β-carotene, group B vitamins, calcium, potassium, and iron. People also use it as a medicine because of its antiseptic agents. Shalgam consumption should be increased and become worldwide.

Changes in Blow-Off Velocity Observed in Two Explosives at the Threshold for Sustained Ignition Using the Modified Gap Test

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, R. J.; Forbes, J. W.; Tasker, D. G.; Orme, R. S.

2009-12-01

The Modified Gap Test was used to quantify different levels of partial reaction for various input stresses. This test configuration has been historically useful in highlighting thresholds for first reaction, sustained ignition, and detonation. Two different HMX based compositions were studied; a cast-cured composition with 87% HMX and a pressed composition with 92% HMX. Each explosive was prepared from large industrially produced batches consisting of different unreactive polymeric binder systems. Short samples (50.8 mm in diameter and 12.7 mm thick) were shock loaded using the standard large-scale gap test donor system. Product-cloud blow-off velocities at the opposite end of the sample were measured using a high-speed digital-camera. Velocity versus input pres sure plots provided changes in reactivity that had developed by the 12.7 mm run distance. Results appear consistent for the lower input stresses. In contrast, the results varied widely in a range of input stresses around the transition to detonation in both explosives. These results indicate that both explosives are subject to large variation in blow-off velocity in a range of input stresses near the threshold for prompt detonation. This is explained by localized variations of HMX particle size and density in industrially prepared samples. Approved for public release, Distribution unlimited, IHDIV Log No. 09-108.

Secure Mobile Agent from Leakage-Resilient Proxy Signatures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fei Tang

2015-01-01

Full Text Available A mobile agent can sign a message in a remote server on behalf of a customer without exposing its secret key; it can be used not only to search for special products or services, but also to make a contract with a remote server. Hence a mobile agent system can be used for electronic commerce as an important key technology. In order to realize such a system, Lee et al. showed that a secure mobile agent can be constructed using proxy signatures. Intuitively, a proxy signature permits an entity (delegator to delegate its signing right to another entity (proxy to sign some specified messages on behalf of the delegator. However, the proxy signatures are often used in scenarios where the signing is done in an insecure environment, for example, the remote server of a mobile agent system. In such setting, an adversary could launch side-channel attacks to exploit some leakage information about the proxy key or even other secret states. The proxy signatures which are secure in the traditional security models obviously cannot provide such security. Based on this consideration, in this paper, we design a leakage-resilient proxy signature scheme for the secure mobile agent systems.

Recovery Act. Advanced Building Insulation by the CO₂ Foaming Process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Arthur [Industrial Science and Technology Network, Inc., Lancaster, PA (United States)

2013-12-30

In this project, ISTN proposed to develop a new "3rd" generation of insulation technology. The focus was a cost-effective foaming process that could be used to manufacture XPS and other extruded polymer foams using environmentally clean blowing agents, and ultimately achieve higher R-values than existing products while maintaining the same level of cost-efficiency. In the U.S., state-of-the-art products are primarily manufactured by two companies: Dow and Owens Corning. These products (i.e., STYROFOAM and FOAMULAR) have a starting thermal resistance of R-5.0/inch, which declines over the life of the product as the HFC blowing agents essential to high R-value exchange with air in the environment. In the existing technologies, the substitution of CO2 for HFCs as the primary foaming agent results in a much lower starting R-value, as evidenced in CO2-foamed varieties of XPS in Europe with R-4.2/inch insulation value. The major overarching achievement from this project was ISTN's development of a new process that uses CO2 as a clean blowing agent to achieve up to R-5.2/inch at the manufacturing scale, with a production cost on a per unit basis that is less than the cost of Dow and Owens Corning XPS products.

Agent Based Fuzzy T-S Multi-Model System and Its Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaopeng Zhao

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Based on the basic concepts of agent and fuzzy T-S model, an agent based fuzzy T-S multi-model (ABFT-SMM system is proposed in this paper. Different from the traditional method, the parameters and the membership value of the agent can be adjusted along with the process. In this system, each agent can be described as a dynamic equation, which can be seen as the local part of the multi-model, and it can execute the task alone or collaborate with other agents to accomplish a fixed goal. It is proved in this paper that the agent based fuzzy T-S multi-model system can approximate any linear or nonlinear system at arbitrary accuracy. The applications to the benchmark problem of chaotic time series prediction, water heater system and waste heat utilizing process illustrate the viability and the efficiency of the mentioned approach. At the same time, the method can be easily used to a number of engineering fields, including identification, nonlinear control, fault diagnostics and performance analysis.

Rediscovering the Economics of Keynes in an Agent-Based Computational Setting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bruun, Charlotte

The aim of this paper is to use agent-based computational economics to explore the economic thinking of Keynes. Taking his starting point at the macroeconomic level, Keynes argued that economic systems are characterized by fundamental uncertainty - an uncertainty that makes rule-based behaviour...... and reliance on monetary magnitudes more optimal to the economic agent than profit- and utility optimazation in the traditional sense. Unfortunately more systematic studies of the properties of such a system was not possible at the time of Keynes. The system envisioned by Keynes holds a lot of properties...... in commen with what we today call complex dynamic systems, and today we may aply the method of agent-based computational economics to the ideas of Keynes. The presented agent-based Keynesian model demonstrate, as argued by Keynes, that the economy can selforganize without relying on price movement...

Synthetic Ni3S2/Ni hybrid architectures as potential contrast agents in MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ma, J; Chen, K

2016-01-01

Traditional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents mainly include superparamagnetic (SPM) iron oxide nanoparticle as T 2 contrast agent for liver and paramagnetic Gd (III)-chelate as T 1 contrast agent for all organs. In this work, weak ferromagnetic kale-like and SPM cabbage-like Ni 3 S 2 @Ni hybrid architectures were synthesized and evaluated as potential T 1 MRI contrast agents. Their relatively small r 2 /r 1 ratios of 2.59 and 2.38, and high r 1 values of 11.27 and 4.89 mmol −1 L s −1 (for the kale-like and cabbage-like Ni 3 S 2 @Ni, respectively) will shed some light on the development of new-type MRI contrast agents. (paper)

Model and experiences of initiating collaboration with traditional healers in validation of ethnomedicines for HIV/AIDS in Namibia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chinsembu Kazhila C

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Many people with Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS in Namibia have access to antiretroviral drugs but some still use traditional medicines to treat opportunistic infections and offset side-effects from antiretroviral medication. Namibia has a rich biodiversity of indigenous plants that could contain novel anti-HIV agents. However, such medicinal plants have not been identified and properly documented. Various ethnomedicines used to treat HIV/AIDS opportunistic infections have not been scientifically validated for safety and efficacy. These limitations are mostly attributable to the lack of collaboration between biomedical scientists and traditional healers. This paper presents a five-step contextual model for initiating collaboration with Namibian traditional healers in order that candidate plants that may contain novel anti-HIV agents are identified, and traditional medicines used to treat HIV/AIDS opportunistic infections are subjected to scientific validation. The model includes key structures and processes used to initiate collaboration with traditional healers in Namibia; namely, the National Biosciences Forum, a steering committee with the University of Namibia (UNAM as the focal point, a study tour to Zambia and South Africa where other collaborative frameworks were examined, commemorations of the African Traditional Medicine Day (ATMD, and consultations with stakeholders in north-eastern Namibia. Experiences from these structures and processes are discussed. All traditional healers in north-eastern Namibia were willing to collaborate with UNAM in order that their traditional medicines could be subjected to scientific validation. The current study provides a framework for future collaboration with traditional healers and the selection of candidate anti-HIV medicinal plants and ethnomedicines for scientific testing in Namibia.

Effects of eucalyptol on house fly (Diptera: Muscidae and blow fly (Diptera: Calliphoridae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sukontason Kabkaew L.

2004-01-01

Full Text Available The effects of eucalyptol were evaluated against the house fly, Musca domestica L., and blow fly, Chrysomya megacephala (F.. The bioassay of adults, using topical application, indicated that M. domestica males were more susceptible than females, with the LD50 being 118 and 177 mg/fly, respectively. A higher LD50 of C. megacephala was obtained; 197 mg/fly for males and 221 mg/fly for females. Living flies of both species yielded a shorter life span after being treated with eucalyptol. The bioassay of larvae, using the dipping method on the third instar, showed that M. domestica was more susceptible than C. megacephala, with their LC50 being 101 and 642 mg/ml, respectively. The emergence of adults, which had been treated with eucalyptol in larvae, decreased only in M. domestica. Having the volatile property, fumigation or impregnated paper test of eucalyptol or the efficacy of repellence or attractiveness merits further investigations to enhance bio-insecticidal efficacy.

CROSS DIFFUSION AND NONLINEAR DIFFUSION PREVENTING BLOW UP IN THE KELLER–SEGEL MODEL

KAUST Repository

CARRILLO, JOSÉ ANTONIO

2012-12-01

A parabolic-parabolic (Patlak-)Keller-Segel model in up to three space dimensions with nonlinear cell diffusion and an additional nonlinear cross-diffusion term is analyzed. The main feature of this model is that there exists a new entropy functional, yielding gradient estimates for the cell density and chemical concentration. For arbitrarily small cross-diffusion coefficients and for suitable exponents of the nonlinear diffusion terms, the global-in-time existence of weak solutions is proved, thus preventing finite-time blow up of the cell density. The global existence result also holds for linear and fast diffusion of the cell density in a certain parameter range in three dimensions. Furthermore, we show L∞ bounds for the solutions to the parabolic-elliptic system. Sufficient conditions leading to the asymptotic stability of the constant steady state are given for a particular choice of the nonlinear diffusion exponents. Numerical experiments in two and three space dimensions illustrate the theoretical results. © 2012 World Scientific Publishing Company.

Perspectives on Phytochemicals as Antibacterial Agents: An Outstanding Contribution to Modern Therapeutics.

Science.gov (United States)

Khatri, Savita; Kumar, Manish; Phougat, Neetu; Chaudhary, Renu; Chhillar, Anil Kumar

2016-01-01

Despite the considerable advancements in the development of antimicrobial agents, incidents of epidemics due to multi drug resistance in microorganisms have created a massive hazard to mankind. Due to increased resistance against conventional antibiotics, researchers and pharmaceutical industries are more concerned about novel therapeutic agents for the prevention of bacterial infections. Enormous wealth of traditional system of medicine gains importance in health therapies over again. With ancient credentials of potent medicinal plants, various herbal remedies came forward for the management of bacterial infections. The Ayurvedic approach facilitates the development of new therapeutic agents due to structural and functional diversity among phytochemicals. The abundance and diversity is responsible for the characterization of new lead structures from medicinal plants. Industrial interest has increased due to recent research advancements viz. synergistic and high-throughput screening approach for the evaluation of vast variety of phytochemicals. The review certainly emphasizes on the traditional medicines as alternatives to conventional chemotherapeutic drugs. The review briefly describes mode of action of various antibiotics and resistance mechanisms. This review focuses on the chemical diversity and various mechanisms of action of phytochemicals against bacterial pathogens.

Analysis on blow-down transient in water ingress accident of high temperature gas-cooled reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Yan; Zheng, Yanhua; Li, Fu; Shi, Lei

2014-01-01

Water ingress into the primary circuit is generally recognized as one of the severe accidents with potential hazard to the modular high temperature gas-cooled reactor, which will cause a positive reactivity introduction with the increase of steam density in reactor core to enhance neutron slowing-down, also the chemical corrosion of graphite fuel elements and the damage of reflector structure material. The increase of the primary pressure may result in the opening of the safety valves, consequently leading the release of radioactive isotopes and flammable water gas. The research on water ingress transient is significant for the verification of inherent safety characteristics of high temperature gas-cooled reactor. The 200 MWe high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTR-PM), designed by the Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology of Tsinghua University, is exampled to be analyzed in this paper. The design basis accident (DBA) scenarios of double-ended guillotine break of single heat-exchange tube (steam generator heat-exchange tube rupture) are simulated by the thermal-hydraulic analysis code, and some key concerns which are relative to the amount of water into the reactor core during the blow-down transient are analyzed in detail. The results show that both of water mass and steam ratio of the fluid spouting from the broken heat-exchange tube are affected by break location, which will increase obviously with the broken location closing to the outlet of the heat-exchange tube. The double-ended guillotine rupture at the outlet of the heat-exchange will result more steam penetrates into the reactor core in the design basis accident of water ingress. The mass of water ingress will also be affected by the draining system. It is concluded that, with reasonable optimization on design to balance safety and economy, the total mass of water ingress into the primary circuit of reactor could be limited effectively to meet the safety requirements, and the pollution of

Crosslinked polyethylene foams, via eb radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cardoso, E.C.L.; Lugao, A. B.; Andrade e Silva, L. G.

1998-01-01

Polyethylene foams, produced by radio-induced crosslinking, show a smooth and homogeneous surface, when compared to chemical crosslinking method using peroxide as crosslinking agent. This process fosters excellent adhesive and printability properties. Besides that, closed cells, intrinsic to these foams, imparts optimum mechanical, shocks and insulation resistance, indicating these foams to some markets segments as: automotive and transport; buoyancy, flotation and marine; building and insulation; packaging; domestic sports and leisure goods. We were in search of an ideal foam, by adding 5 to 15% of blowing agent in LDPE. A series of preliminary trials defined 203 degree sign C as the right blowing agent decomposition temperature. At a 22.7 kGys/dose ratio, the lowest dose for providing an efficient foam was 30 kGy, for a formulation comprising 10% of azodicarbonamide in LDPE, within a 10 minutes foaming time

Method and apparatus for producing small hollow spheres

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hendricks, C.D.

1979-01-01

A method and apparatus are described for producing small hollow spheres of glass, metal or plastic, wherein the sphere material is mixed with or contains as part of the composition a blowing agent which decomposes at high temperature (T greater than or equal to 600 0 C). As the temperature is quickly raised, the blowing agent decomposes and the resulting gas expands from within, thus forming a hollow sphere of controllable thickness. The thus produced hollow spheres (20 to 10 3 μm) have a variety of application, and are particularly useful in the fabrication of targets for laser implosion such as neutron sources, laser fusion physics studies, and laser initiated fusion power plants

Effects of traditional oriental medicines as anti-cytotoxic agents in radiotherapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Wanyeon; Kang, Jihoon; Lee, Sungmin; Youn, Buhyun

2017-06-01

The primary goal of radiotherapy in oncology is to enhance the efficacy of tumor cell death while decreasing damage to surrounding normal cells. Positive therapeutic outcomes may be accomplished by improved targeting, precisely targeting tumor cells or protecting normal cells against radiation-induced damage. The potential for antioxidants to decrease normal tissue damage induced by radiation has been investigated in animal models for a number of decades. In attempts for radioprotection, certain synthetic chemicals are suggested as antioxidants and normal tissue protectors against radiation-induced damage, but they have exhibited limitations in pharmacological application due to undesirable effects and high toxicities at clinical doses. The present review focuses on the radioprotective efficacy of traditional oriental medicines with the advantage of low toxicity at pharmacological doses and how such treatments may influence various harmful effects induced by radiation in vitro and in vivo . In addition, medicinal plants and their active constituents with biological activities that may be associated with alleviation of radiation-induced damage through antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, wound healing and immunostimulatory properties are discussed.

Self-Calibrating, Variable-Flow Pumping System

Science.gov (United States)

Walls, Joe T.

1994-01-01

Pumping system provides accurate, controlled flows of two chemical liquids mixed in spray head and react to form rigid or flexible polyurethane or polyisocyanurate foam. Compatible with currently used polyurethane-based coating materials and gas-bubble-forming agents (called "blowing agents" in industry) and expected to be compatible with materials that used in near future. Handles environmentally acceptable substitutes for chlorofluorocarbon foaming agents.

Strengthening Theoretical Testing in Criminology Using Agent-based Modeling.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Shane D; Groff, Elizabeth R

2014-07-01

The Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency ( JRCD ) has published important contributions to both criminological theory and associated empirical tests. In this article, we consider some of the challenges associated with traditional approaches to social science research, and discuss a complementary approach that is gaining popularity-agent-based computational modeling-that may offer new opportunities to strengthen theories of crime and develop insights into phenomena of interest. Two literature reviews are completed. The aim of the first is to identify those articles published in JRCD that have been the most influential and to classify the theoretical perspectives taken. The second is intended to identify those studies that have used an agent-based model (ABM) to examine criminological theories and to identify which theories have been explored. Ecological theories of crime pattern formation have received the most attention from researchers using ABMs, but many other criminological theories are amenable to testing using such methods. Traditional methods of theory development and testing suffer from a number of potential issues that a more systematic use of ABMs-not without its own issues-may help to overcome. ABMs should become another method in the criminologists toolbox to aid theory testing and falsification.

Sanguinaria canadensis: Traditional Medicine, Phytochemical Composition, Biological Activities and Current Uses

OpenAIRE

Croaker, Andrew; King, Graham J.; Pyne, John H.; Anoopkumar-Dukie, Shailendra; Liu, Lei

2016-01-01

Sanguinaria canadensis, also known as bloodroot, is a traditional medicine used by Native Americans to treat a diverse range of clinical conditions. The plants rhizome contains several alkaloids that individually target multiple molecular processes. These bioactive compounds, mechanistically correlate with the plant’s history of ethnobotanical use. Despite their identification over 50 years ago, the alkaloids of S. canadensis have not been developed into successful therapeutic agents. Instead...

USB environment measurements based on full-scale static engine ground tests. [Upper Surface Blowing for YC-14

Science.gov (United States)

Sussman, M. B.; Harkonen, D. L.; Reed, J. B.

1976-01-01

Flow turning parameters, static pressures, surface temperatures, surface fluctuating pressures and acceleration levels were measured in the environment of a full-scale upper surface blowing (USB) propulsive-lift test configuration. The test components included a flightworthy CF6-50D engine, nacelle and USB flap assembly utilized in conjunction with ground verification testing of the USAF YC-14 Advanced Medium STOL Transport propulsion system. Results, based on a preliminary analysis of the data, generally show reasonable agreement with predicted levels based on model data. However, additional detailed analysis is required to confirm the preliminary evaluation, to help delineate certain discrepancies with model data and to establish a basis for future flight test comparisons.

Oral (Systemic) Botanical Agents for the Treatment of Psoriasis: A Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Farahnik, Benjamin; Sharma, Divya; Alban, Joseph; Sivamani, Raja

2017-06-01

Patients with psoriasis often use botanical therapies as part of their treatment. It is important for clinicians to be aware of the current evidence regarding these agents as they treat patients. A systematic literature search was conducted using the PubMed, MEDLINE, and EMBASE database for randomized clinical trials assessing the use of botanical therapeutics for psoriasis. The search included the following keywords: "psoriasis" and "plant" or "herbal" or "botanical." Citations within articles were also reviewed to identify relevant sources. The results were then further refined by route of administration, and the oral (systemic) botanical agents are reviewed herein. A total of 12 controlled and uncontrolled clinical trials addressing the use of oral, systemic botanical agents for psoriasis were assessed in this review. While overall evidence is limited in quantity and quality, HESA-A, curcumin, neem extract, and, to a lesser degree, Traditional Chinese Medicine seem to be the most efficacious agents. The literature addresses a large amount of studies in regards to botanicals for the treatment of psoriasis. While most agents appear to be safe, further research is necessary for evidence-based recommendation of oral botanical agents to psoriasis patients.

Application of blood-pool agents in visualization of peripheral vessels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giovagnoni, A.; Catalano, C.

2007-01-01

Effective arterial imaging is essential in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in whom a revascularization procedure is planned. Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) has traditionally been regarded as the gold standard for imaging in peripheral arterial disease, but this technique is subject to certain limitations, such as the risks of adverse reactions associated with arterial catheterization and iodinated contrast agents. Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography is now recommended as an effective and useful imaging technique in peripheral arterial disease, since it offers high enhanced contrast between blood and stationary tissue and fast acquisition times. However, extracellular gadolinium contrast agents rapidly diffuse into the interstitial spaces, and thus are suitable only for first-pass imaging. This limitation can be overcome by the use of blood-pool (intravascular) contrast agents, such as gadofosveset trisodium (Vasovist, Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Berlin, Germany), which are retained within the blood vessels and hence facilitate both first-pass and steady-state imaging with high spatial resolution. Blood-pool agents, therefore, offer improved imaging, particularly of distal vessels, compared with extracellular contrast agents. Examples of first-pass and steady-state imaging with gadofosveset are presented. (orig.)

Biomedicines?Moving Biologic Agents into Approved Treatment Options

OpenAIRE

Cornetta, Kenneth

2013-01-01

The development of biologic agents for therapeutic purposes, or biomedicines, has seen an active area of research both at the bench and in clinical trials. There is mounting evidence that biologic products can provide effective therapy for diseases that have been unresponsive to traditional pharmacologic approaches. Monoclonal antibody therapy for cancer and rheumatologic diseases has become a well accepted part of disease treatment plans. Gene therapy products have been approved in China and...

A mobile-agent-based wireless sensing network for structural monitoring applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taylor, Stuart G; Farinholt, Kevin M; Figueiredo, Eloi; Moro, Erik A; Park, Gyuhae; Farrar, Charles R; Flynn, Eric B; Mascarenas, David L; Todd, Michael D

2009-01-01

A new wireless sensing network paradigm is presented for structural monitoring applications. In this approach, both power and data interrogation commands are conveyed via a mobile agent that is sent to sensor nodes to perform intended interrogations, which can alleviate several limitations of the traditional sensing networks. Furthermore, the mobile agent provides computational power to make near real-time assessments on the structural conditions. This paper will discuss such prototype systems, which are used to interrogate impedance-based sensors for structural health monitoring applications. Our wireless sensor node is specifically designed to accept various energy sources, including wireless energy transmission, and to be wirelessly triggered on an as-needed basis by the mobile agent or other sensor nodes. The capabilities of this proposed sensing network paradigm are demonstrated in the laboratory and the field

Reduced fractal model for quantitative analysis of averaged micromotions in mesoscale: Characterization of blow-like signals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nigmatullin, Raoul R.; Toboev, Vyacheslav A.; Lino, Paolo; Maione, Guido

2015-01-01

Highlights: •A new approach describes fractal-branched systems with long-range fluctuations. •A reduced fractal model is proposed. •The approach is used to characterize blow-like signals. •The approach is tested on data from different fields. -- Abstract: It has been shown that many micromotions in the mesoscale region are averaged in accordance with their self-similar (geometrical/dynamical) structure. This distinctive feature helps to reduce a wide set of different micromotions describing relaxation/exchange processes to an averaged collective motion, expressed mathematically in a rather general form. This reduction opens new perspectives in description of different blow-like signals (BLS) in many complex systems. The main characteristic of these signals is a finite duration also when the generalized reduced function is used for their quantitative fitting. As an example, we describe quantitatively available signals that are generated by bronchial asthmatic people, songs by queen bees, and car engine valves operating in the idling regime. We develop a special treatment procedure based on the eigen-coordinates (ECs) method that allows to justify the generalized reduced fractal model (RFM) for description of BLS that can propagate in different complex systems. The obtained describing function is based on the self-similar properties of the different considered micromotions. This kind of cooperative model is proposed here for the first time. In spite of the fact that the nature of the dynamic processes that take place in fractal structure on a mesoscale level is not well understood, the parameters of the RFM fitting function can be used for construction of calibration curves, affected by various external/random factors. Then, the calculated set of the fitting parameters of these calibration curves can characterize BLS of different complex systems affected by those factors. Though the method to construct and analyze the calibration curves goes beyond the scope

Virtual customer service agents: using social presence and personalization to shape online service encounters

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verhagen, T.; van Nes, J; Feldberg, F; van Dolen, W.

2014-01-01

By performing tasks traditionally fulfilled by service personnel and having a humanlike appearance, virtual customer service agents bring classical service elements to the web, which may positively influence customer satisfaction through eliciting social responses and feelings of personalization.

Virtual Customer Service Agents: Using Social Presence and Personalization to Shape Online Service Encounters

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verhagen, T.; van Nes, J.; Feldberg, J.F.M.; van Dolen, W.M.

2014-01-01

By performing tasks traditionally fulfilled by service personnel and having a humanlike appearance, virtual customer service agents bring classical service elements to the web, which may positively influence customer satisfaction through eliciting social responses and feelings of personalization.

Integral blow moulding for cycle time reduction of CFR-TP aluminium contour joint processing

Science.gov (United States)

Barfuss, Daniel; Würfel, Veit; Grützner, Raik; Gude, Maik; Müller, Roland

2018-05-01

Integral blow moulding (IBM) as a joining technology of carbon fibre reinforced thermoplastic (CFR-TP) hollow profiles with metallic load introduction elements enables significant cycle time reduction by shortening of the process chain. As the composite part is joined to the metallic part during its consolidation process subsequent joining steps are omitted. In combination with a multi-scale structured load introduction element its form closure function enables to pass very high loads and is capable to achieve high degrees of material utilization. This paper first shows the process set-up utilizing thermoplastic tape braided preforms and two-staged press and internal hydro formed load introduction elements. Second focuses on heating technologies and process optimization. Aiming at cycle time reduction convection and induction heating in regard to the resulting product quality is inspected by photo micrographs and computer tomographic scans. Concluding remarks give final recommendations for the process design in regard to the structural design.

Nanogels as imaging agents for modalities spanning the electromagnetic spectrum.

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, Minnie; Almutairi, Adah

2016-01-21

In the past few decades, advances in imaging equipment and protocols have expanded the role of imaging in in vivo diagnosis and disease management, especially in cancer. Traditional imaging agents have rapid clearance and low specificity for disease detection. To improve accuracy in disease identification, localization and assessment, novel nanomaterials are frequently explored as imaging agents to achieve high detection specificity and sensitivity. A promising material for this purpose are hydrogel nanoparticles, whose high hydrophilicity, biocompatibility, and tunable size in the nanometer range make them ideal for imaging. These nanogels (10 to 200 nm) can circumvent uptake by the reticuloendothelial system, allowing longer circulation times than small molecules. In addition, their size/surface properties can be further tailored to optimize their pharmacokinetics for imaging of a particular disease. Herein, we provide a comprehensive review of nanogels as imaging agents in various modalities with sources of signal spanning the electromagnetic spectrum, including MRI, NIR, UV-vis, and PET. Many materials and formulation methods will be reviewed to highlight the versatility of nanogels as imaging agents.

Multi-agent machine learning a reinforcement approach

CERN Document Server

Schwartz, H M

2014-01-01

The book begins with a chapter on traditional methods of supervised learning, covering recursive least squares learning, mean square error methods, and stochastic approximation. Chapter 2 covers single agent reinforcement learning. Topics include learning value functions, Markov games, and TD learning with eligibility traces. Chapter 3 discusses two player games including two player matrix games with both pure and mixed strategies. Numerous algorithms and examples are presented. Chapter 4 covers learning in multi-player games, stochastic games, and Markov games, focusing on learning multi-pla

Debris transport evaluation during the blow-down phase of a LOCA using computational fluid dynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Jong Pil; Jeong, Ji Hwan; Kim, Won Tae; Kim, Man Woong; Park, Ju Yeop

2011-01-01

Highlights: → We conducted CFD simulation on the spreading of the coolant in the containment after a break of the hot leg. It is used to estimate the dispersion of the debris within the containment. → It was assumed that the small and fine debris is transported by the discharge flow so that a fraction of the small and fine debris transport can be estimated based on the amount of water. → The break flow was assumed to be a homogeneous two-phase mixture without phase separation. Isenthalpic expansion of the break flow was used to specify the inlet boundary condition of the break flow. → The fraction of the small and fine debris transported to the upper part is 73%; this value is close to the value calculated using 1D lumped-parameter codes by the USNRC and the KINS, respectively, while 48% more than the value shown in the NEI 04-07. - Abstract: The performance of the emergency recirculation water sump under the influence of debris accumulation following a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) has long been of safety concern. Debris generation and transport during a LOCA are significantly influenced by the characteristics of the ejected coolant flow. One-dimensional analyses previously have been attempted to evaluate the debris transport during the blow-down phase but the transport evaluation still has large uncertainties. In this work, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis was utilized to evaluate small and fine debris transport during the blow-down phase of a pressurized water reactor, OPR1000. The coolant ejected from the ruptured hot-leg was assumed to expand in an isenthalpic process. The transport of small and fine debris was assumed to be dominated by water-borne transport, and the transport fractions for the upper and lower parts of the containment were quantified based on the CFD analysis. It was estimated that 73% of small and fine debris is transported to the upper part of the containment. This value is close to the values estimated by nuclear

Blowing dust and highway safety in the southwestern United States: Characteristics of dust emission "hotspots" and management implications.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Junran; Kandakji, Tarek; Lee, Jeffrey A; Tatarko, John; Blackwell, John; Gill, Thomas E; Collins, Joe D

2018-04-15

Despite the widespread media attention of chain-reaction traffic incidents and property damage caused by windblown dust in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world, very few studies have provided in-depth analysis on this issue. Remote sensing and field observations reveal that wind erosion in the southwestern U.S. typically occurs in localized source areas, characterized as "hotspots", while most of the landscape is not eroding. In this study, we identified the spatial and temporal distribution patterns of hotspots that may contribute dust blowing onto highways in the southwestern U.S. We further classified the hotspots for the potential of blowing dust production based upon field observations and wind erosion modeling. Results of land use and land cover show that shrubland, grassland, and cropland accounted for 42%, 31%, and 21% of the overall study area, respectively. However, of the 620 total hotspots identified, 164 (26%), 141 (22%), and 234 (38%) are located on shrubland, grassland, and cropland, respectively. Barren land represented 0.9% of the land area but 8% of the dust hotspots. While a majority of these hotspots are located close to highways, we focused on 55 of them, which are located hotspot sites are dominated by sand and silt particles with threshold shear velocities ranging from 0.17-0.78m s -1 , largely depending on the land use of the hotspot sites. Dust emission modeling showed that 13 hotspot sites could produce annual emissions >3.79kg m -2 , yielding highly hazardous dust emissions to ground transportation with visibility hotspots are critical information for highway authorities to make informed and timely management decisions when wind events strike. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

BLOW-3A. A theoretical model to describe transient two-phase flow conditions in LMFBR coolant channels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bottoni, M.; Struwe, D.

1982-12-01

The computer programme BLOW-3A describes sodium boiling phenomena in subassemblies of fast breeder reactors as well as in in-pile or out-of-pile experiments simulating different failure conditions. This report presents a complete documentation of the code from three main viewpoints: the theoretical foundations of the programme are first described with particular reference to the most recent developments; the structure of the programme is then explained in all details necessary for the user to get a rapid acquaintance with it; eventually several examples of the programme validation are discussed thus enabling the reader to acquire a full picture of the possible applications of the code and at the same time to know its validity range. (orig.) [de

MIDAS: a practical Bayesian design for platform trials with molecularly targeted agents.

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Ying; Guo, Beibei; Munsell, Mark; Lu, Karen; Jazaeri, Amir

2016-09-30

Recent success of immunotherapy and other targeted therapies in cancer treatment has led to an unprecedented surge in the number of novel therapeutic agents that need to be evaluated in clinical trials. Traditional phase II clinical trial designs were developed for evaluating one candidate treatment at a time and thus not efficient for this task. We propose a Bayesian phase II platform design, the multi-candidate iterative design with adaptive selection (MIDAS), which allows investigators to continuously screen a large number of candidate agents in an efficient and seamless fashion. MIDAS consists of one control arm, which contains a standard therapy as the control, and several experimental arms, which contain the experimental agents. Patients are adaptively randomized to the control and experimental agents based on their estimated efficacy. During the trial, we adaptively drop inefficacious or overly toxic agents and 'graduate' the promising agents from the trial to the next stage of development. Whenever an experimental agent graduates or is dropped, the corresponding arm opens immediately for testing the next available new agent. Simulation studies show that MIDAS substantially outperforms the conventional approach. The proposed design yields a significantly higher probability for identifying the promising agents and dropping the futile agents. In addition, MIDAS requires only one master protocol, which streamlines trial conduct and substantially decreases the overhead burden. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A physical data model for fields and agents

Science.gov (United States)

de Jong, Kor; de Bakker, Merijn; Karssenberg, Derek

2016-04-01

Two approaches exist in simulation modeling: agent-based and field-based modeling. In agent-based (or individual-based) simulation modeling, the entities representing the system's state are represented by objects, which are bounded in space and time. Individual objects, like an animal, a house, or a more abstract entity like a country's economy, have properties representing their state. In an agent-based model this state is manipulated. In field-based modeling, the entities representing the system's state are represented by fields. Fields capture the state of a continuous property within a spatial extent, examples of which are elevation, atmospheric pressure, and water flow velocity. With respect to the technology used to create these models, the domains of agent-based and field-based modeling have often been separate worlds. In environmental modeling, widely used logical data models include feature data models for point, line and polygon objects, and the raster data model for fields. Simulation models are often either agent-based or field-based, even though the modeled system might contain both entities that are better represented by individuals and entities that are better represented by fields. We think that the reason for this dichotomy in kinds of models might be that the traditional object and field data models underlying those models are relatively low level. We have developed a higher level conceptual data model for representing both non-spatial and spatial objects, and spatial fields (De Bakker et al. 2016). Based on this conceptual data model we designed a logical and physical data model for representing many kinds of data, including the kinds used in earth system modeling (e.g. hydrological and ecological models). The goal of this work is to be able to create high level code and tools for the creation of models in which entities are representable by both objects and fields. Our conceptual data model is capable of representing the traditional feature data

Injection of new psychoactive substance snow blow associated with recently acquired HIV infections among homeless people who inject drugs in Dublin, Ireland, 2015.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Giese, Coralie

2015-10-08

In February 2015, an outbreak of recently acquired HIV infections among people who inject drugs (PWID) was identified in Dublin, following similar outbreaks in Greece and Romania in 2011. We compared drug and risk behaviours among 15 HIV cases and 39 controls. Injecting a synthetic cathinone, snow blow, was associated with recent HIV infection (AOR: 49; p = 0.003). Prevention and control efforts are underway among PWID in Dublin, but may also be needed elsewhere in Europe.

In Search of Saint John: Reinventing Tradition for Migrants and Tourists in Cabo Verde

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Isabel P.B. Fêo Rodrigues

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Following the revitalization of a popular feasts such as San Jon in Cabo Verde, this article highlights how this traditional feast is co-produced by those who left their rural villages in search of a better life in the USA and those who stay hoping to enhance the emigrant’s desire to return. These collective events not only help to sustain a relationship with a homeland, they also contribute to the flows of emigrant remittances and a transnational flow of gift exchange. In between departing and returning, migrants revitalize traditions, contribute to the wellbeing of rural lifestyles, and become agents of economic and cultural investment in their homeland.

Application of advanced coatings to narrow neck press and blow plungers in the glass container industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Penlington, R. [Northumbria Univ., Newcastle upon Tyne (United Kingdom). Dept. of Mech. Eng. and Manufacturing Syst.; Sarwar, M. [Northumbria Univ., Newcastle upon Tyne (United Kingdom). Dept. of Mech. Eng. and Manufacturing Syst.; Lewis, D.B. [Sheffield Hallam Univ. (United Kingdom)

1995-11-01

Wear and failure modes exhibited by narrow neck press and blow (NNPB) plungers in the glass container industry have been related to inappropriate material selection. Problems exist with substrate and coating materials which lead to machine down time, process instability and poor product quality. Previous attempts to improve the service life of NNPB plungers have not examined the process operating characteristics and demanding nature of the application. New substrate and coating materials have been utilized and an assessment of their suitability for this application examined. Initial results from plant trials with modified plungers suggest that improvements in operational performance are achievable. This application, and other components of the mould tooling set, may benefit from improvements which may increase tool life and reduce the problems which result from the application of lubricant dopes to glass contact surfaces. (orig.)

Using cheminformatics to find simulants for chemical warfare agents

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lavoie, J.; Srinivasan, Sree [Molecular Sciences and Engineering Team, U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, 15 Kansas Street, Natick, MA 01760 (United States); Nagarajan, R., E-mail: Ramanathan.Nagarajan@us.army.mil [Molecular Sciences and Engineering Team, U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, 15 Kansas Street, Natick, MA 01760 (United States)

2011-10-30

Highlights: {yields} Summary of chemical warfare agent (CWA) simulants in current use. {yields} Application of method of molecular similarity to CWA and simulants. {yields} Quantitative metric for CWA-simulant similarity. {yields} Rank ordering of simulants in current use. {yields} Potential of method to identify simulants for emerging agents. - Abstract: Direct experimentation with chemical warfare agents (CWA) to study important problems such as their permeation across protective barrier materials, decontamination of equipment and facilities, or the environmental transport and fate of CWAs is not feasible because of the obvious toxicity of the CWAs and associated restrictions on their laboratory use. The common practice is to use 'simulants,' namely, analogous chemicals that closely resemble the CWAs but are less toxic, with the expectation that the results attained for simulants can be correlated to how the CWAs would perform. Simulants have been traditionally chosen by experts, by means of intuition, using similarity in one or more physical properties (such as vapor pressure or aqueous solubility) or in the molecular structural features (such as functional groups) between the stimulant and the CWA. This work is designed to automate the simulant identification process backed by quantitative metrics, by means of chemical similarity search software routinely used in pharmaceutical drug discovery. The question addressed here is: By the metrics of such software, how similar are traditional simulants to CWAs? That is, what is the numerical 'distance' between each CWA and its customary simulants in the quantitative space of molecular descriptors? The answers show promise for finding close but less toxic simulants for the ever-increasing numbers of CWAs objectively and fast.

Using cheminformatics to find simulants for chemical warfare agents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lavoie, J.; Srinivasan, Sree; Nagarajan, R.

2011-01-01

Highlights: → Summary of chemical warfare agent (CWA) simulants in current use. → Application of method of molecular similarity to CWA and simulants. → Quantitative metric for CWA-simulant similarity. → Rank ordering of simulants in current use. → Potential of method to identify simulants for emerging agents. - Abstract: Direct experimentation with chemical warfare agents (CWA) to study important problems such as their permeation across protective barrier materials, decontamination of equipment and facilities, or the environmental transport and fate of CWAs is not feasible because of the obvious toxicity of the CWAs and associated restrictions on their laboratory use. The common practice is to use 'simulants,' namely, analogous chemicals that closely resemble the CWAs but are less toxic, with the expectation that the results attained for simulants can be correlated to how the CWAs would perform. Simulants have been traditionally chosen by experts, by means of intuition, using similarity in one or more physical properties (such as vapor pressure or aqueous solubility) or in the molecular structural features (such as functional groups) between the stimulant and the CWA. This work is designed to automate the simulant identification process backed by quantitative metrics, by means of chemical similarity search software routinely used in pharmaceutical drug discovery. The question addressed here is: By the metrics of such software, how similar are traditional simulants to CWAs? That is, what is the numerical 'distance' between each CWA and its customary simulants in the quantitative space of molecular descriptors? The answers show promise for finding close but less toxic simulants for the ever-increasing numbers of CWAs objectively and fast.

A novel biomimetic orthodontic bonding agent helps prevent white spot lesions adjacent to brackets.

Science.gov (United States)

Manfred, Lauren; Covell, David A; Crowe, Jennifer J; Tufekci, Eser; Mitchell, John C

2013-01-01

To compare changes in enamel microhardness adjacent to orthodontic brackets after using bonding agents containing various compositions of bioactive glass compared to a traditional resin adhesive following a simulated caries challenge. Extracted human third molars (n  =  10 per group) had orthodontic brackets bonded using one of four novel bioactive glass (BAG)-containing orthodontic bonding agents (BAG-Bonds) or commercially available Transbond-XT. The four new adhesives contained BAG in varying percentages incorporated into a traditional resin monomer mixture. Teeth were cycled through low-pH demineralizing and physiologic-pH remineralizing solutions once each day over 14 days. Microhardness was measured on longitudinal sections of the teeth 100, 200, and 300 µm from the bracket edge and beneath the brackets, at depths of 25 to 200 µm from the enamel surface. Normalized hardness values were compared using three-way analysis of variance. Significantly less reduction in enamel microhardness was found with the experimental adhesives at depths of 25 and 50 µm at all distances from the bracket edge. In all groups, there were no significant changes in enamel microhardness past 125-µm depth. Results varied with the different BAG-Bonds, with 81BAG-Bond showing the smallest decrease in enamel microhardness. The BAG-Bonds tested in this study showed a reduction in the amount of superficial enamel softening surrounding orthodontic brackets compared to a traditional bonding agent. The results indicate that clinically, BAG-Bonds may aid in maintaining enamel surface hardness, therefore helping prevent white spot lesions adjacent to orthodontic brackets.

Plutonium, americium, and uranium in blow-sand mounds of safety-shot sites at the Nevada Test Site and the Tonopah Test Range

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Essington, E.H.; Gilbert, R.O.; Wireman, D.L.; Brady, D.N.; Fowler, E.B.

1977-01-01

Blow-sand mounds or miniature sand dunes and mounds created by burrowing activities of animals were investigated by the Nevada Applied Ecology Group (NAEG) to determine the influence of mounds on plutonium, americium, and uranium distributions and inventories in areas of the Nevada Test Site and Tonopah Test Range. Those radioactive elements were added to the environment as a result of safety experiments of nuclear devices. Two studies were conducted. The first was to estimate the vertical distribution of americium in the blow-sand mounds and in the desert pavement surrounding the mounds. The second was to estimate the amount or concentration of the radioactive materials accumulated in the mound relative to the desert pavement. Five mound types were identified in which plutonium, americium, and uranium concentrations were measured: grass, shrub, complex, animal, and diffuse. The mount top (that portion above the surrounding land surface datum), the mound bottom (that portion below the mound to a depth of 5 cm below the surrounding land surface datum), and soil from the immediate area surrounding the mound were compared separately to determine if the radioactive elements had concentrated in the mounds. Results of the studies indicate that the mounds exhibit higher concentrations of plutonium, americium, and uranium than the immediate surrounding soil. The type of mound does not appear to have influenced the amount of the radioactive material found in the mound except for the animal mounds where the burrowing activities appear to have obliterated distribution patterns

Comparison of Absorbable Mesh Plate versus Titanium-Dynamic Mesh Plate in Reconstruction of Blow-Out Fracture: An Analysis of Long-Term Outcomes

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Woon Il Baek

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Background A blow-out fracture is one of the most common facial injuries in midface trauma. Orbital wall reconstruction is extremely important because it can cause various functional and aesthetic sequelae. Although many materials are available, there are no uniformly accepted guidelines regarding material selection for orbital wall reconstruction. Methods From January 2007 to August 2012, a total of 78 patients with blow-out fractures were analyzed. 36 patients received absorbable mesh plates, and 42 patients received titanium-dynamic mesh plates. Both groups were retrospectively evaluated for therapeutic efficacy and safety according to the incidence of three different complications: enophthalmos, extraocular movement impairment, and diplopia. Results For all groups (inferior wall fracture group, medial wall fractrue group, and combined inferomedial wall fracture group, there were improvements in the incidence of each complication regardless of implant types. Moreover, a significant improvement of enophthalmos occurred for both types of implants in group 1 (inferior wall fracture group. However, we found no statistically significant differences of efficacy or complication rate in every groups between both implant types. Conclusions Both types of implants showed good results without significant differences in long-term follow up, even though we expected the higher recurrent enophthalmos rate in patients with absorbable plate. In conclusion, both types seem to be equally effective and safe for orbital wall reconstruction. In particular, both implant types significantly improve the incidence of enophthalmos in cases of inferior orbital wall fractures.

Study of process parameters on two phase flow agitated by top blowing lance injection into a bath

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xia Jiliang; Ahokainen, T.; Holappa, L.

1998-12-31

Numerical investigation has been carried out for two phase flow in a bath agitated by top blowing lance injection. Eulerian two phase flow model is used. Lance immersion depth, injection gas flow rate, nozzle diameter, and bubble size have been systematically changed to examine their influence on the flow characteristics in the bath. It is found that there appear three typical flow patterns: one-vortex, two-vortex, and three-vortex type, with changing the injection gas flow rate or/and the nozzle diameter at moderate lance immersion depth. Predicted velocities are in a good agreement with Iguchi et al.`s experimental data and the main findings are also consistent with the measurements and observations of Chatterjee and Hsiao and Lehner. (orig.) 24 refs. Computational Fluid Dynamics Technology Programme

Agent Based Modeling Applications for Geosciences

Science.gov (United States)

Stein, J. S.

2004-12-01

Agent-based modeling techniques have successfully been applied to systems in which complex behaviors or outcomes arise from varied interactions between individuals in the system. Each individual interacts with its environment, as well as with other individuals, by following a set of relatively simple rules. Traditionally this "bottom-up" modeling approach has been applied to problems in the fields of economics and sociology, but more recently has been introduced to various disciplines in the geosciences. This technique can help explain the origin of complex processes from a relatively simple set of rules, incorporate large and detailed datasets when they exist, and simulate the effects of extreme events on system-wide behavior. Some of the challenges associated with this modeling method include: significant computational requirements in order to keep track of thousands to millions of agents, methods and strategies of model validation are lacking, as is a formal methodology for evaluating model uncertainty. Challenges specific to the geosciences, include how to define agents that control water, contaminant fluxes, climate forcing and other physical processes and how to link these "geo-agents" into larger agent-based simulations that include social systems such as demographics economics and regulations. Effective management of limited natural resources (such as water, hydrocarbons, or land) requires an understanding of what factors influence the demand for these resources on a regional and temporal scale. Agent-based models can be used to simulate this demand across a variety of sectors under a range of conditions and determine effective and robust management policies and monitoring strategies. The recent focus on the role of biological processes in the geosciences is another example of an area that could benefit from agent-based applications. A typical approach to modeling the effect of biological processes in geologic media has been to represent these processes in

Blow-off characteristics of turbulent premixed flames in curved-wall Jet Burner

KAUST Repository

Mansour, Morkous S.

2015-08-02

This study concerns the flame dynamics of a curved-wall jet (CWJ) stabilized turbulent premixed flame as it approaches blow-off conditions. Time resolved OH planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) delineated reaction zone contours and simultaneously stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (SPIV) quantified the turbulent flow field features. Ethylene/air flames were stabilized in CWJ burner to determine the sequence of events leading to blowoff. For stably burning flames far from blowoff, flames are characterized with a recirculation zone (RZ) upstream for flame stabilization followed by an intense turbulent interaction jet (IJ) and merged-jet regions downstream; the flame front counterparts the shear layer vortices. Near blowoff, as the velocity of reactants increases, high local stretch rates exceed the extinction stretch rates instantaneously resulting in localized flame extinction along the IJ region. As Reynolds number (Re) increases, flames become shorter and are entrained by larger amounts of cold reactants. The increased strain rates together with heat loss effects result in further fragmentation of the flame, eventually leading to the complete quenching of the flame. This is explained in terms of local turbulent Karlovitz stretch factor (K) and principal flow strain rates associated with C contours. Hydrogen addition and increasing the RZ size lessen the tendency of flames to be locally extinguished.

MIXING LOSSES INVESTIGATION DOWNSTREAM OF TURBINE BLADE CASCADE WITH COOLANT FLOW BLOWING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ASSIM HAMEED YOUSIF

2011-04-01

Full Text Available A major cause of noise and vibration characteristics of turbomachinery has caused by wakes. The characteristics of the wake, the wake decay, the path that it follows, and the mechanisms of mixing losses generated due to the mixing of blade trailing edge cold jet issued into the hot cross flow are important to find adequate solution to the problem. At the present work the wake characteristic was observed by introducing experimental work inside a cascade test rig to investigate the wake domain downstream of blade cascade with the aid of five-hole probe. The case studies were done with cold jets blowing ratios 1.58, 1.667 and 1.935 with jet stream wise angle and jet lateral injection angle 37.5° and 35 º respectively. The measurement showed that there is a certain harmonization in the region of high reverse pressure loss coefficient which reflects the concentration of wake region. Also it was observed three distinct wake regions located in the centre of the passage vortex region. The wake characteristics measurements of the movement path, the growth of wake width, and the physical awareness of the wake propagating may help to explain the mechanisms of mixing losses.

Study polymeric membranes PVDF/TiO2 photocatalytic applications with synthesized by solution blow spinning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gimenes, T.C.; Pereira, E.A.; Montanhera, M.A.; Paula, F.R. de; Spada, E.R.

2016-01-01

In this study we obtained nanofibers titanium dioxide (TiO2) incorporated into the poly (vinylidene fluoride) - PVDF in different concentrations, using a new technique denominated Solution Blow Spinning. This technique has the merits of simplicity, low cost and high efficiency in the production of nanofibers, compared with the technique of Electrospinning, using pressurized gas instead of high voltage, is not limited to the dielectric constant of the material and provides a processing period of at least 100 times faster. The obtained nanofibers exhibit little account and a very smooth morphology, with diameters ranging from 400 to 700 nm and with presence of crystalline anatase phase. The tests showed photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B dye, being more degradation shown by the PVDF nanofibers containing 0,7 g of TiO 2 , approximately 75 % of degraded dye. However nanofibers obtained the PVDF/TiO2 applications of this material are numerous, as filters, conductive nanofibers, photocatalysis and sensors. (author)

Three-dimensional strutted graphene grown by substrate-free sugar blowing for high-power-density supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xuebin; Zhang, Yuanjian; Zhi, Chunyi; Wang, Xi; Tang, Daiming; Xu, Yibin; Weng, Qunhong; Jiang, Xiangfen; Mitome, Masanori; Golberg, Dmitri; Bando, Yoshio

2013-12-01

Three-dimensional graphene architectures in the macroworld can in principle maintain all the extraordinary nanoscale properties of individual graphene flakes. However, current 3D graphene products suffer from poor electrical conductivity, low surface area and insufficient mechanical strength/elasticity; the interconnected self-supported reproducible 3D graphenes remain unavailable. Here we report a sugar-blowing approach based on a polymeric predecessor to synthesize a 3D graphene bubble network. The bubble network consists of mono- or few-layered graphitic membranes that are tightly glued, rigidly fixed and spatially scaffolded by micrometre-scale graphitic struts. Such a topological configuration provides intimate structural interconnectivities, freeway for electron/phonon transports, huge accessible surface area, as well as robust mechanical properties. The graphene network thus overcomes the drawbacks of presently available 3D graphene products and opens up a wide horizon for diverse practical usages, for example, high-power high-energy electrochemical capacitors, as highlighted in this work.

Three-dimensional strutted graphene grown by substrate-free sugar blowing for high-power-density supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xuebin; Zhang, Yuanjian; Zhi, Chunyi; Wang, Xi; Tang, Daiming; Xu, Yibin; Weng, Qunhong; Jiang, Xiangfen; Mitome, Masanori; Golberg, Dmitri; Bando, Yoshio

2013-01-01

Three-dimensional graphene architectures in the macroworld can in principle maintain all the extraordinary nanoscale properties of individual graphene flakes. However, current 3D graphene products suffer from poor electrical conductivity, low surface area and insufficient mechanical strength/elasticity; the interconnected self-supported reproducible 3D graphenes remain unavailable. Here we report a sugar-blowing approach based on a polymeric predecessor to synthesize a 3D graphene bubble network. The bubble network consists of mono- or few-layered graphitic membranes that are tightly glued, rigidly fixed and spatially scaffolded by micrometre-scale graphitic struts. Such a topological configuration provides intimate structural interconnectivities, freeway for electron/phonon transports, huge accessible surface area, as well as robust mechanical properties. The graphene network thus overcomes the drawbacks of presently available 3D graphene products and opens up a wide horizon for diverse practical usages, for example, high-power high-energy electrochemical capacitors, as highlighted in this work. PMID:24336225

Improving energy efficiency and smart grid program analysis with agent-based end-use forecasting models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jackson, Jerry

2010-01-01

Electric utilities and regulators face difficult challenges evaluating new energy efficiency and smart grid programs prompted, in large part, by recent state and federal mandates and financial incentives. It is increasingly difficult to separate electricity use impacts of individual utility programs from the impacts of increasingly stringent appliance and building efficiency standards, increasing electricity prices, appliance manufacturer efficiency improvements, energy program interactions and other factors. This study reviews traditional approaches used to evaluate electric utility energy efficiency and smart-grid programs and presents an agent-based end-use modeling approach that resolves many of the shortcomings of traditional approaches. Data for a representative sample of utility customers in a Midwestern US utility are used to evaluate energy efficiency and smart grid program targets over a fifteen-year horizon. Model analysis indicates that a combination of the two least stringent efficiency and smart grid program scenarios provides peak hour reductions one-third greater than the most stringent smart grid program suggesting that reductions in peak demand requirements are more feasible when both efficiency and smart grid programs are considered together. Suggestions on transitioning from traditional end-use models to agent-based end-use models are provided.

Traditional Therapies for Skin Wound Healing.

Science.gov (United States)

Pereira, Rúben F; Bártolo, Paulo J

2016-05-01

with promising results. Although these products are in general less expensive than the modern treatments, they can be sensitive to the geographic location and season, and exhibit batch-to-batch variation, which can lead to unexpected allergic reactions, side effects, and contradictory clinical results. Future Directions: The scientific evidence for the use of traditional therapies in wound healing indicates beneficial effects in the treatment of different lesions. However, specific challenges remain unsolved. To extend the efficacy and the usage of natural substances in wound care, multidisciplinary efforts are necessary to prove the safety of these products, investigate their side effects, and develop standard controlled trials. The development of good manufacturing practices and regulatory legislation also assume a pivotal role in order to improve the use of traditional therapies by the clinicians and to promote their integration into the national health system. Current trends move to the development of innovative wound care treatments, combining the use of traditional healing agents and modern products/practices, such as nanofibers containing silver nanoparticles, Aloe vera loaded into alginate hydrogels, propolis into dressing films, and hydrogel sheets containing honey.

Fabrication of three-dimensional micro-nanofiber structures by a novel solution blow spinning device

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Feng Liang

2017-02-01

Full Text Available The fabrication of three-dimensional scaffolds has attracted more attention in tissue engineering. The purpose of this study is to explore a new method for the fabrication of three-dimensional micro-nanofiber structures by combining solution blow spinning and rotating collector. In this study, we successfully fabricated fibers with a minimum diameter of 200 nm and a three-dimensional structure with a maximum porosity of 89.9%. At the same time, the influence of various parameters such as the solvent volatility, the shape of the collector, the feed rate of the solution and the applied gas pressure were studied. It is found that solvent volatility has large effect on the formation of the three-dimensional shape of the structure. The shape of the collector affects the porosity and fiber distribution of the three-dimensional structure. The fiber diameter and fiber uniformity can be controlled by adjusting the solution feed rate and the applied gas pressure. It is feasible to fabricate high-quality three-dimensional micro-nanofiber structure by this new method, which has great potential in tissue engineering.

Pediatric Infective Endocarditis: Has Staphylococcus aureus Overtaken Viridans Group Streptococci as the Predominant Etiological Agent?

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Aisha Alshammary

2008-01-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Viridans group streptococci (VGS have traditionally been the most common etiological agents of infective endocarditis (IE. Advances in cardiovascular surgery and the increasing use of long-term central venous catheters may have altered the epidemiology of pediatric IE.

Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge: 1996 Greener Reaction Conditions Award

Science.gov (United States)

Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge 1996 award winner, Dow Chemical Company, developed a process to manufacture polystyrene foam sheet packaging that uses carbon dioxide (CO2) as a blowing agent, eliminating CFC-12 and HCFC-22.

Agent-based reactive power management of power distribution networks with distributed energy generation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rahman, M.S.; Mahmud, M.A.; Oo, A.M.T.; Pota, H.R.; Hossain, M.J.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A coordinated multi-agent system is proposed for reactive power management. • A linear quadratic regulator with a proportional integral controller is designed. • Proposed multi-agent scheme provides accurate estimation and control of the system. • Voltage stability is improved with proper power management for different scenarios. • Results obtained from the proposed scheme is compared to the traditional approach. - Abstract: In this paper, a new agent-based distributed reactive power management scheme is proposed to improve the voltage stability of energy distribution systems with distributed generation units. Three types of agents – distribution system agent, estimator agent, and control agent are developed within the multi-agent framework. The agents simultaneously coordinated their activities through the online information and energy flow. The overall achievement of the proposed scheme depends on the coordination between two tasks – (i) estimation of reactive power using voltage variation formula and (ii) necessary control actions to provide the estimated reactive power to the distribution networks through the distributed static synchronous compensators. A linear quadratic regulator with a proportional integrator is designed for the control agent in order to control the reactive component of the current and the DC voltage of the compensators. The performance of the proposed scheme is tested on a 10-bus power distribution network under various scenarios. The effectiveness is validated by comparing the proposed approach to the conventional proportional integral control approach. It is found that, the agent-based scheme provides excellent robust performance under various operating conditions of the power distribution network.

Ficus carica L. (Moraceae: Phytochemistry, Traditional Uses and Biological Activities

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Shukranul Mawa

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This paper describes the botanical features of Ficus carica L. (Moraceae, its wide variety of chemical constituents, its use in traditional medicine as remedies for many health problems, and its biological activities. The plant has been used traditionally to treat various ailments such as gastric problems, inflammation, and cancer. Phytochemical studies on the leaves and fruits of the plant have shown that they are rich in phenolics, organic acids, and volatile compounds. However, there is little information on the phytochemicals present in the stem and root. Reports on the biological activities of the plant are mainly on its crude extracts which have been proven to possess many biological activities. Some of the most interesting therapeutic effects include anticancer, hepatoprotective, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, and antimicrobial activities. Thus, studies related to identification of the bioactive compounds and correlating them to their biological activities are very useful for further research to explore the potential of F. carica as a source of therapeutic agents.

Alcohols as alkylating agents in heteroarene C–H functionalization

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, Jian; MacMillan, David W. C.

2015-01-01

Redox processes and radical intermediates are found in many biochemical processes, including deoxyribonucleotide synthesis and oxidative DNA damage1. One of the core principles that underlies DNA biosynthesis is the radical-mediated elimnation of H2O to deoxygenate ribonucleotides, an example of ‘spin-center shift’ (SCS)2, during which an alcohol C–O bond is cleaved, resulting in a carbon-centered radical intermediate. While SCS is a well-understood biochemical process, it is underutilized by the synthetic organic chemistry community. We wondered whether it would be possible to take advantage of this naturally occurring process to accomplish mild, non-traditional alkylations using alcohols as radical precursors. Considering traditional radical-based alkylation methods require the use of stoichiometric oxidants, elevated temperatures, or peroxides3–7, the development of a mild protocol using simple and abundant alkylating agents would have significant utility in the synthesis of diversely functionalized pharmacophores. In this manuscript, we describe the successful execution of this idea via the development of a dual catalytic alkylation of heteroarenes using alcohols as mild alkylating reagents. This method represents the first broadly applicable use of unactivated alcohols as latent alkylating reagents, achieved via the successful merger of photoredox and hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) catalysis. The utility of this multi-catalytic protocol has been demonstrated through the late-stage functionalization of the medicinal agents, fasudil and milrinone. PMID:26308895

中药闻香促进记忆的临床研究%Clinical Study of Self-made Aromatic Olfactory Agents from Traditional Chinese Medicine in Promoting Memory

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

李辉; 高根德

2011-01-01

Objective;To observe the clinical effect of self - made aromatic olfactory agents from traditional Chinese medicine to promote the short - term memory. Methods; 80 cases of healthy college students were divided randomly into treatment group and control group respectively. The treatment group n = 48 and control one n = 32 . The treatment group of healthy college students treated by aromatic Chinese medicine twice a day - and - sniff fragrant ,2-3 minutes each time, continuing medication 2 weeks . Healthy control group of college students sniffed honey water, approach with treatment group. Another choice of memory impaired patients with chief complaint of 59 patients, of which 35 cases of young adult, 24 cases of physical examination was essentially normal aging as a patient group, no control group, only the self-memory comparison before and after treatment. Results; The impact of aromatic olfactory agents of traditional Chinese medicine on the health of university students group; memory scores after treatment group (except for picture recall) was significantly higher than that before treatment, before and after treatment there was significant difference ( P 0.05);治疗组与对照组比较有显着性差异(P<0.05),治疗组记忆得分明显高于对照组.中青年组用药后在数字广度、数字广度倒数、方位、空间位置记忆广度、联想学习测试项目上经非参数检验有显着差异(P<0.05),记忆得分明显高于治疗前.老年组用药后部分测试项目记忆得分略高于治疗前,部分病人无进步,考虑与原发病有关.结论:芳香中药嗅入剂能改善健康年轻人记忆力,能改善以记忆力减退为主诉的青中年部分记忆,如数字广度、数字广度倒数、方位、空间位置记忆广度及联想学习.但对老年人的记忆促进效果不明显.

Strategic evolution of petroleum agents in Latin America

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Freire, Alexandre de Figueiredo

1999-01-01

This paper analyses the strategies of the Latin-American agents PDVSA, PEMEX, YPF and Ecopetrol face to the double transformation: global re-structuration and deregulation of the national industries. The study focuses the traditional sectors of the petroleum industries (core business), including the petrochemical industries and new segments such as natural gas and electric power. The paper analyses the period 1992-1996, which is characterized by price instability, liberalization of the Latin-American markets and in the corporation-enterprise plane by successive mergings and acquisitions modifying the actors strategic behaviour

Complexity and agent-based modelling in urban research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fertner, Christian

influence on the bigger system. Traditional scientific methods or theories often tried to simplify, not accounting complex relations of actors and decision-making. The introduction of computers in simulation made new approaches in modelling, as for example agent-based modelling (ABM), possible, dealing......Urbanisation processes are results of a broad variety of actors or actor groups and their behaviour and decisions based on different experiences, knowledge, resources, values etc. The decisions done are often on a micro/individual level but resulting in macro/collective behaviour. In urban research...

Effect of breathing technique of blowing on the extent of damage to the perineum at the moment of delivery: A randomized clinical trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zohre Ahmadi

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: One of the important tasks in managing labor is the protection of perineum. An important variable affecting this outcome is maternal pushing during the second stage of labor. This study was done to investigate the effect of breathing technique on perineal damage extention in laboring Iranian women. Materials and Methods: This randomized clinical trial was performed on 166 nulliparous pregnant women who had reached full-term pregnancy, had low risk pregnancy, and were candidates for vaginal delivery in two following groups: using breathing techniques (case group and valsalva maneuver (control group. In the control group, pushing was done with holding the breath. In the case group, the women were asked to take 2 deep abdominal breaths at the onset of pain, then take another deep breath, and push 4–5 seconds with the open mouth while controlling exhalation. From the crowning stage onward, the women were directed to control their pushing, and do the blowing technique. Results: According to the results, intact perineum was more observed in the case group (P = 0.002. Posterior tears (Grade 1, 2, and 3 was considerably higher in the control group (P = 0.003. Anterior tears (labias and episiotomy were not significantly different in the two groups. Conclusions: It was concluded that breathing technique of blowing can be a good alternative to Valsalva maneuver in order to reduce perineal damage in laboring women.

Agent Programming Languages and Logics in Agent-Based Simulation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, John

2018-01-01

and social behavior, and work on verification. Agent-based simulation is an approach for simulation that also uses the notion of agents. Although agent programming languages and logics are much less used in agent-based simulation, there are successful examples with agents designed according to the BDI...

Evaluation of a New Nano-filled Bonding Agent for Bonding Orthodontic Brackets as Compared to a Conventional Bonding Agent: An in vitro Study

OpenAIRE

Sandesh S Pai; Amrita Nagendra; Vinaya S Pai; K Neelima; A E Vishwanath; P Vinod; Sharanya Ajit Kumar; Roopa R Tubaki

2012-01-01

Introduction: Recent advances in the field of material sciences have opened up a new horizon of options for bonding agents that can be used efficiently in orthodontics. The purpose of this study was evaluate and compare the shear bond strength (SBS) of the traditionally used Transbond XT and a newer nano-filled material Prime and Bond NT. Materials and methods: Sixty freshly extracted maxillary first premolars were stored in 0.1% (weight/volume) thymol. These were divided into two Groups. ...

[Development of Biliary Contrast Agents Remote Pushing Device].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Haoyang; Dong, Dinghui; Luo, Yu; Ren, Fenggang; Zhang, Jing; Tan, Wenjun; Shi, Aihua; Hu, Liangshuo; Wu, Rongqian; Lyu, Yi

2018-01-30

A biliary contrast agents pushing device, including a syringe pushing system and a remote controller is introduced. The syringe pushing system comprises an injector card slot, a support platform and an injection bolus fader. A 20 mL syringe can be fitted on the syringe pushing system and kept with the ground about 30 degree. This system can perform air bubble pumping back and contrast agents bolus injection as well as speed adjustment. Remote controller is an infrared remote control which can start and stop the syringe pushing system. With this device, the remote controlled cholangiography technology can be achieved, which can not only protect doctors from X-ray radiation but also improve the traditional T-tube cholangiography and the contrast effect, reduce postoperative complications in patients as well. The application of this device will improve the current diagnosis and treatment system, the device will benefit the majority of doctors and patients.

Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia L.: From a variety of traditional medicinal applications to its novel roles as active antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-mutagenic and analgesic agent

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rafie Hamidpour

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Elaeagnus angustifolia L., which is commonly known as oleaster or Russian olive, is a deciduous plant from Elaeagnacea family. This plant can tolerate and survive a wide variety of environmental conditions. Different parts of E. angustifolia plant, especially the fruits and flowers, have been used traditionally in treating a variety of common illnesses such as nausea, cough, asthma, fever, jaundice, and diarrhea. The use of fruit powder and extract of E. angustifolia L. have shown to be effective in alleviating pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and also in reducing the healing time of wounds in injured person. In addition, some recent reports have indicated the anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anticancer and some other properties of oleaster plant. The other important property of this plant would be its role in bio-monitoring the environment for some toxic elements and also its action as a bio-fertilizer agent in distressed lands. It seems that with more advanced studies on E. angustifolia L. and its bioactive components, this plant might be potentially effective and can be used as a natural alternative resource in pharmaceutical industries for treating chronic and serious problems, Fig. 1.

Blow-off device for limiting excess pressure in nuclear power plants, especially in boiling water nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simon, U.; Werner, K.D.; Hoffmann, D.; Pontani, B.

1979-01-01

In a blow-off device for limiting excess pressure in nuclear power plants, at least one condensation tube disposed so that a lower outflow and thereof is immersed in a volume of water, and an upper inflow end of the condensation tube extends out of the volume of water and is connectible to a source of steam that is to be condensed or a steam-air mixture, the outflow end of the condensation tube, for stabilizing the condensation being provided with an assembly of wall parts forming passageways extending in axial direction for subdividing the steam flow and bubbles produced in the volume of water, the passageways of the assembly of wall parts being stepped in axial direction at both axial ends of the assembly of wall parts

Agents unleashed a public domain look at agent technology

CERN Document Server

Wayner, Peter

1995-01-01

Agents Unleashed: A Public Domain Look at Agent Technology covers details of building a secure agent realm. The book discusses the technology for creating seamlessly integrated networks that allow programs to move from machine to machine without leaving a trail of havoc; as well as the technical details of how an agent will move through the network, prove its identity, and execute its code without endangering the host. The text also describes the organization of the host's work processing an agent; error messages, bad agent expulsion, and errors in XLISP-agents; and the simulators of errors, f

Scanning electron microscopic studies on antenna of Hemipyrellia ligurriens (Wiedemann, 1830) (Diptera: Calliphoridae)-A blow fly species of forensic importance.

Science.gov (United States)

Hore, Garima; Maity, Aniruddha; Naskar, Atanu; Ansar, Waliza; Ghosh, Shyamasree; Saha, Goutam Kumar; Banerjee, Dhriti

2017-08-01

Blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) are one of the foremost organisms amongst forensic insects to colonize corpses shortly after death, thus are of immense importance in the domain of forensic entomology. The blow fly Hemipyrellia ligurriens (Wiedemann, 1830) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) is considered as a forensically important fly species globally and is also known for its medical and veterinary importance. In the present study, we report for the first time scanning electron microscopic studies on the morphology of sensilla of antenna of adult male and female of H. ligurriens is with profound importance in better understanding of the insect morphology from forensic entomological perspective, and also could aid in proper identification of the species from other calliphorid flies. The structural peculiarities observed in the (i) antenna of H. ligurriens with three segments- scape, pedicel and flagellum with dorso-laterally placed arista (ii) densely covered microtrichia and most abundant trichoid sensilla identified on the antenna (iii) observation of only one type of sensilla, chaetic sensilla (ChI) on the scape (iv) two types of chaetic sensilla (ChI and ChII) and styloconic sensilla on the pedicel (v) the flagellum with three types of sensilla- trichoid, basiconic and coeloconic sensilla (vi) Basiconic sensilla with multiporous surfaces with characteristic olfactory function. Moderate sexual dimorphism in the width of the flagellum, the females with wider flagella than the males, bear significance to the fact that they bear more multi-porous sensilla than the males, thus suffice their need to detect oviposition sites. Significant difference was observed in the length and width of coeloconic sensilla between the two sexes, the females showed bigger coeloconic sensilla, suggesting their function in oviposition site detection and successful colonization in corpses. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Reception of the Istrian musical tradition(s

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Marušić Dario

2007-01-01

Full Text Available The successive colonization of Istria with culturally differentiated populations, and peripheral position of the peninsula regarding both the Latin and Slav worlds, has conditioned interesting phenomena which defines the traditional life of the province. On the spiritual level it is primarily reflected in two cultural dimensions: the language and traditional music.

A discourse on the master musician and informal music education in yoruba Traditional culture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

OLUSOJI STEPHEN Ph.D

2013-06-01

Full Text Available  This paper discusses issues relating to informal education in Yoruba traditional music using the master musician as an important agent for propagating traditional knowledge and values. The study is an ethnographic research and uses oral interviews and other qualitative techniques for eliciting information. As part of its findings, the study found out that informal education in Yoruba culture follows a typical pattern of instruction which is acquired through heredity, apprentice under a well-known artist, observation and participation in communal activities. In the case of music, which is the focus of the study, it is promoted by the master musician, a position that could be occupied by men or women depending on the nature of the ensemble and the societal norms approved for such groups. In conclusion, it was suggested in the study that contemporary music educators and curriculum planners should tailor their curriculum to reflect the traditional values and practices of their people.

A discourse on the master musician and informal music education in yoruba Traditional culture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

OLUSOJI STEPHEN Ph.D

2013-06-01

Full Text Available This paper discusses issues relating to informal education in Yoruba traditional music using the master musician as an important agent for propagating traditional knowledge and values. The study is an ethnographic research and uses oral interviews and other qualitative techniques for eliciting information. As part of its findings, the study found out that informal education in Yoruba culture follows a typical pattern of instruction which is acquired through heredity, apprentice under a well-known artist, observation and participation in communal activities. In the case of music, which is the focus of the study, it is promoted by the master musician, a position that could be occupied by men or women depending on the nature of the ensemble and the societal norms approved for such groups. In conclusion, it was suggested in the study that contemporary music educators and curriculum planners should tailor their curriculum to reflect the traditional values and practices of their people.

Reduce conflicts in traditional merariq traditions through the long tradition of the tribal people of sasak lombok

Science.gov (United States)

Sarmini; Nadiroh, Ulin; Saeun Fahmi, Muhammad

2018-01-01

Marriage is a container for framing the inner-to-heart relationship, the bond of love and affection between a man and woman to nurture a joy of happiness. This study aims to find out how the process and stages in traditional merariq traditions in the Sasak people, conflicts arising from merariq traditions, and reduce conflict through the tradition of selabar. The method used in this research is qualitative analysis method. In the process, merariq tradition is done by kidnapping the bride without the knowledge of the parents or the family of the women. There are several stages that must be passed by the bride and groom in the tradition merariq, namely: besejati, nyelabar, bait wali, sorong serah dan nyongkolang. Conflict that often arises, for internal family, merariq often become a place of coercion against the female family. For society, merariq impact on disruption of harmony of social life. In order to reduce the conflicts done selabar tradition, the tragedy is regarded as an alternative problem solving in the form of negotiations between the bride and groom’s family and the bride-to-be relating to ajikrame and pisuke transactions.

A multi-agent system architecture for sensor networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Fuentes-Fernández, Rubén; Guijarro, María; Pajares, Gonzalo

2009-01-01

The design of the control systems for sensor networks presents important challenges. Besides the traditional problems about how to process the sensor data to obtain the target information, engineers need to consider additional aspects such as the heterogeneity and high number of sensors, and the flexibility of these networks regarding topologies and the sensors in them. Although there are partial approaches for resolving these issues, their integration relies on ad hoc solutions requiring important development efforts. In order to provide an effective approach for this integration, this paper proposes an architecture based on the multi-agent system paradigm with a clear separation of concerns. The architecture considers sensors as devices used by an upper layer of manager agents. These agents are able to communicate and negotiate services to achieve the required functionality. Activities are organized according to roles related with the different aspects to integrate, mainly sensor management, data processing, communication and adaptation to changes in the available devices and their capabilities. This organization largely isolates and decouples the data management from the changing network, while encouraging reuse of solutions. The use of the architecture is facilitated by a specific modelling language developed through metamodelling. A case study concerning a generic distributed system for fire fighting illustrates the approach and the comparison with related work.

Mobile Agent Data Integrity Using Multi-Agent Architecture

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

McDonald, Jeffrey

2004-01-01

.... Security issues for mobile agents continue to produce research interest, particularly in developing mechanisms that guarantee protection of agent data and agent computations in the presence of malicious hosts...

Recent Trends in Potential Traditional Indian Herbs Emblica Officinalis and Its Medicinal Importance

OpenAIRE

Lokesh Deb; Shweta Srivastava; Shravan Paswan; Akhilesh Pd.Yadav; Amitsankar Dutta; K.P.Sampath Kumar; Debjit Bhowmik

2012-01-01

Emblica Officinalis is a natural, efficacious, an antioxidant with the richest natural source of Vitamin C. Emblica Officinalis berries have the highest amount of naturally occurring vitamin C of any ripe fruit in the world used as a traditional food. Numerous studies conducted on Emblica Officinalis fruit suggest that it has anti-viral properties and also functions as an anti-bacterial and anti-fungal agent. The gelatinous plum-sized Amla fruit contains naturally occurring vitamin, heat stab...

Intelligent microchip networks: an agent-on-chip synthesis framework for the design of smart and robust sensor networks

Science.gov (United States)

Bosse, Stefan

2013-05-01

Sensorial materials consisting of high-density, miniaturized, and embedded sensor networks require new robust and reliable data processing and communication approaches. Structural health monitoring is one major field of application for sensorial materials. Each sensor node provides some kind of sensor, electronics, data processing, and communication with a strong focus on microchip-level implementation to meet the goals of miniaturization and low-power energy environments, a prerequisite for autonomous behaviour and operation. Reliability requires robustness of the entire system in the presence of node, link, data processing, and communication failures. Interaction between nodes is required to manage and distribute information. One common interaction model is the mobile agent. An agent approach provides stronger autonomy than a traditional object or remote-procedure-call based approach. Agents can decide for themselves, which actions are performed, and they are capable of flexible behaviour, reacting on the environment and other agents, providing some degree of robustness. Traditionally multi-agent systems are abstract programming models which are implemented in software and executed on program controlled computer architectures. This approach does not well scale to micro-chip level and requires full equipped computers and communication structures, and the hardware architecture does not consider and reflect the requirements for agent processing and interaction. We propose and demonstrate a novel design paradigm for reliable distributed data processing systems and a synthesis methodology and framework for multi-agent systems implementable entirely on microchip-level with resource and power constrained digital logic supporting Agent-On-Chip architectures (AoC). The agent behaviour and mobility is fully integrated on the micro-chip using pipelined communicating processes implemented with finite-state machines and register-transfer logic. The agent behaviour

Multi-agent Water Resources Management

Science.gov (United States)

Castelletti, A.; Giuliani, M.

2011-12-01

Increasing environmental awareness and emerging trends such as water trading, energy market, deregulation and democratization of water-related services are challenging integrated water resources planning and management worldwide. The traditional approach to water management design based on sector-by-sector optimization has to be reshaped to account for multiple interrelated decision-makers and many stakeholders with increasing decision power. Centralized management, though interesting from a conceptual point of view, is unfeasible in most of the modern social and institutional contexts, and often economically inefficient. Coordinated management, where different actors interact within a full open trust exchange paradigm under some institutional supervision is a promising alternative to the ideal centralized solution and the actual uncoordinated practices. This is a significant issue in most of the Southern Alps regulated lakes, where upstream hydropower reservoirs maximize their benefit independently form downstream users; it becomes even more relevant in the case of transboundary systems, where water management upstream affects water availability downstream (e.g. the River Zambesi flowing through Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique or the Red River flowing from South-Western China through Northern Vietnam. In this study we apply Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) theory to design an optimal management in a decentralized way, considering a set of multiple autonomous agents acting in the same environment and taking into account the pay-off of individual water users, which are inherently distributed along the river and need to coordinate to jointly reach their objectives. In this way each real-world actor, representing the decision-making entity (e.g. the operator of a reservoir or a diversion dam) can be represented one-to-one by a computer agent, defined as a computer system that is situated in some environment and that is capable of autonomous action in this environment in

Dead-blow hammer design applied to a calibration target mechanism to dampen excessive rebound

Science.gov (United States)

Lim, Brian Y.

1991-01-01

An existing rotary electromagnetic driver was specified to be used to deploy and restow a blackbody calibration target inside of a spacecraft infrared science instrument. However, this target was much more massive than any other previously inherited design applications. The target experienced unacceptable bounce when reaching its stops. Without any design modification, the momentum generated by the driver caused the target to bounce back to its starting position. Initially, elastomeric dampers were used between the driver and the target. However, this design could not prevent the bounce, and it compromised the positional accuracy of the calibration target. A design that successfully met all the requirements incorporated a sealed pocket 85 percent full of 0.75 mm diameter stainless steel balls in the back of the target to provide the effect of a dead-blow hammer. The energy dissipation resulting from the collision of balls in the pocket successfully dampened the excess momentum generated during the target deployment. The disastrous effects of new requirements on a design with a successful flight history, the modifications that were necessary to make the device work, and the tests performed to verify its functionality are described.

Role of traditional health workers in prevention and control of AIDS in Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Staugaard, F

1991-01-01

The WHO held an Expert Committee Meeting in Botswana to identify ways by which traditional health practitioners might contribute to AIDS prevention and treatment. Medium Term Plans for AIDS control in Botswana, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Uganda have already defined areas of community-based care, counseling and symptomatic treatment appropriate for traditional healers. Traditional healers and midwives often play central roles in maintenance of social stability, provide valuable information on sexual behavior, teach young people about sexual roles, and act as informal networks for women, especially in Islamic communities. Many indigenous concepts on the cause and transmission of HIV/AIDS are compatible with modern scientific concepts, although expressed in different terms and conceptual frameworks. AIDS is often considered an indigenous disease, caused by contact of blood and semen, therefore treatable by indigenous methods. In their role as informal community leaders and guardians of social norms, healers and midwives can channel educational messages and act as change agents. Healers can convey technically appropriate home care, dispense symptomatic care, treat opportunistic infections and counsel young people about control of HIV.

POTENCY OF KIPO, A TRADITIONAL FOOD FROM KOTAGEDE – YOGYAKARTA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wahyu Supartono

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Kipo is a traditional food from Kotagede Region – Yogyakarta, which is produced from glutinous rice. It was processed through some steps such as weighing, mixing, melting, roasting and packing. This traditional food is not popular like other traditional foods such as gudeg or yangko. Problems concerning this situation were, the information of kipo was not well delivered to the consumers and people who were doing business with kipo were very limited and only in Kotagede.This research was aimed to disclosure the potency of kipo, if it was developed as industrial foods. The aspects of market, technical and financial were conducted and analyzed. These aspects were used for giving considerations, if this product could be developed in the future. The results depicted, that from the market aspect, value kipoconsumer’s attitude index was good (3.8845 from 5. The technical aspect showed, that this industry was quite small scale with processing capacity only 19 kg product per day, used 5 menpower and 60 m2 area.Based on the financial aspect at actual capacity, the results showed Net Present Value was Rp. 70,180,679; Payback Period 1.21 years; Profitability Index 5.51;Internal Rate of Return 98.5% and Break Even Point was Rp. 505,414 or 212,693 kipo. This industry was very sensitive to the increase of interest level, total cost and decrease of price product. Some challenged aspects of kipo were, it was produced from naural sources such as glutinous rice, coconut, brown sugar and also natural food colouring agent. The traditional process was still kept and the people could enjoy how it was produced. This is the challenge to develop the traditional food as part of culinary or historical tour.

Reinforcement Learning Multi-Agent Modeling of Decision-Making Agents for the Study of Transboundary Surface Water Conflicts with Application to the Syr Darya River Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Riegels, N.; Siegfried, T.; Pereira Cardenal, S. J.; Jensen, R. A.; Bauer-Gottwein, P.

2008-12-01

In most economics--driven approaches to optimizing water use at the river basin scale, the system is modelled deterministically with the goal of maximizing overall benefits. However, actual operation and allocation decisions must be made under hydrologic and economic uncertainty. In addition, river basins often cross political boundaries, and different states may not be motivated to cooperate so as to maximize basin- scale benefits. Even within states, competing agents such as irrigation districts, municipal water agencies, and large industrial users may not have incentives to cooperate to realize efficiency gains identified in basin- level studies. More traditional simulation--optimization approaches assume pre-commitment by individual agents and stakeholders and unconditional compliance on each side. While this can help determine attainable gains and tradeoffs from efficient management, such hardwired policies do not account for dynamic feedback between agents themselves or between agents and their environments (e.g. due to climate change etc.). In reality however, we are dealing with an out-of-equilibrium multi-agent system, where there is neither global knowledge nor global control, but rather continuous strategic interaction between decision making agents. Based on the theory of stochastic games, we present a computational framework that allows for studying the dynamic feedback between decision--making agents themselves and an inherently uncertain environment in a spatially and temporally distributed manner. Agents with decision-making control over water allocation such as countries, irrigation districts, and municipalities are represented by reinforcement learning agents and coupled to a detailed hydrologic--economic model. This approach emphasizes learning by agents from their continuous interaction with other agents and the environment. It provides a convenient framework for the solution of the problem of dynamic decision-making in a mixed cooperative / non

Element Distribution in the Oxygen-Rich Side-Blow Bath Smelting of a Low-Grade Bismuth-Lead Concentrate

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Tianzu; Xiao, Hui; Chen, Lin; Chen, Wei; Liu, Weifeng; Zhang, Duchao

2018-03-01

Oxygen-rich side-blow bath smelting (OSBS) technology offers an efficient method for processing complex bismuth-lead concentrates; however, the element distributions in the process remain unclear. This work determined the distributions of elements, i.e., bismuth, lead, silver, copper, arsenic and antimony, in an industrial-scale OSBS process. The feed, oxidized slag and final products were collected from the respective sampling points and analyzed. For the oxidative smelting process, 65% of bismuth and 76% of silver in the concentrate report to the metal alloy, whereas less lead reports to the metal ( 31%) than the oxidized slag ( 44%). Approximately 50% of copper enters the matte, while more than 63% of arsenic and antimony report to the slag. For the reductive smelting process, less than 4.5% of bismuth, lead, silver and copper in the oxidized slag enter the reduced slag, indicating high recoveries of these metal values.

Anti–elastase, anti–tyrosinase and matrix metalloproteinase–1 inhibitory activity of earthworm extracts as potential new anti–aging agent

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nurhazirah Azmi

2014-05-01

Conclusions: Earthworms extract showed effective inhibition of tyrosinase, elastase and MMP-1 activities. Therefore, this experiment further rationalizes the traditional use of this worm extracts which may be useful as an anti-wrinkle agent.

Is God just a big person? Children's conceptions of God across cultures and religious traditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Nyhof, Melanie A; Johnson, Carl N

2017-03-01

The present research examines the influence of intuitive cognitive domain and religion on the God concepts of children growing up in religious traditions that present God in ways varying from abstract to concrete. In Study 1, we compared children from a Latter-Day Saints (LDS) background with those from mainstream Christian (MC) backgrounds in the United States. In contrast to MC theology that holds that God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and disembodied, LDS theology depicts God as embodied. In Study 1, 3- to 7-year-olds from LDS and MC backgrounds were asked about supernatural mental and immaterial attributes of God, a ghost, a dad, and a bug. In Study 2, children ages 3-7 from Muslim and Catholic backgrounds in Indonesia were presented with a variant of Study 1. Taken together, the two studies examine the God concepts of children raised in three different religious traditions with God concepts that range from highly abstract to concrete. Overall, we find that the youngest children, regardless of religion, distinguish God from humans and hold similar ideas of God, attributing more supernatural psychological than physical properties. Older children's conceptions of God are more in line with the theological notions of their traditions. The results suggest that children are not simply anthropomorphic in their God concepts, but early on understand supernatural agents as having special mental properties and they continue to learn about differences between agents, influenced by their religious traditions. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject Research on children's God concepts has established that children begin to distinguish the mind of God from that of humans by around age 4-5. The main debate in the field is whether children start out thinking about God in anthropomorphic terms or whether they start out with an undifferentiated idea of agents' minds as all having access to knowledge. Research on children's understanding of immortality has

[Alkylating agents].

Science.gov (United States)

Pourquier, Philippe

2011-11-01

With the approval of mechlorethamine by the FDA in 1949 for the treatment of hematologic malignancies, alkylating agents are the oldest class of anticancer agents. Even though their clinical use is far beyond the use of new targeted therapies, they still occupy a major place in specific indications and sometimes represent the unique option for the treatment of refractory diseases. Here, we are reviewing the major classes of alkylating agents and their mechanism of action, with a particular emphasis for the new generations of alkylating agents. As for most of the chemotherapeutic agents used in the clinic, these compounds are derived from natural sources. With a complex but original mechanism of action, they represent new interesting alternatives for the clinicians, especially for tumors that are resistant to conventional DNA damaging agents. We also briefly describe the different strategies that have been or are currently developed to potentiate the use of classical alkylating agents, especially the inhibition of pathways that are involved in the repair of DNA lesions induced by these agents. In this line, the development of PARP inhibitors is a striking example of the recent regain of interest towards the "old" alkylating agents.

The Scarlet Letter of Alkylation: A Mini Review of Selective Alkylating Agents

Science.gov (United States)

Oronsky, Bryan T; Reid, Tony; Knox, Susan J; Scicinski, Jan J

2012-01-01

If there were a stigma scale for chemotherapy, alkylating agents would be ranked at the top of the list. The chemical term alkylation is associated with nonselective toxicity, an association that dates back to the use of nitrogen mustards during World War I as chemical warfare agents. That this stigma persists and extends to compounds that, through selectivity, attempt to “tame” the indiscriminate destructive potential of alkylation is the subject of this review. Selective alkylation, as it is referred to herein, constitutes an extremely nascent and dynamic field in oncology. The pharmacodynamic response to this selective strategy depends on a delicate kinetic balance between specificity and the rate and extent of binding. Three representative compounds are presented: RRx-001, 3-bromopyruvate, and TH-302. The main impetus for the development of these compounds has been the avoidance of the serious complications of traditional alkylating agents; therefore, it is the thesis of this review that they should not experience stigma by association. PMID:22937173

The scarlet letter of alkylation: a mini review of selective alkylating agents.

Science.gov (United States)

Oronsky, Bryan T; Reid, Tony; Knox, Susan J; Scicinski, Jan J

2012-08-01

If there were a stigma scale for chemotherapy, alkylating agents would be ranked at the top of the list. The chemical term alkylation is associated with nonselective toxicity, an association that dates back to the use of nitrogen mustards during World War I as chemical warfare agents. That this stigma persists and extends to compounds that, through selectivity, attempt to "tame" the indiscriminate destructive potential of alkylation is the subject of this review. Selective alkylation, as it is referred to herein, constitutes an extremely nascent and dynamic field in oncology. The pharmacodynamic response to this selective strategy depends on a delicate kinetic balance between specificity and the rate and extent of binding. Three representative compounds are presented: RRx-001, 3-bromopyruvate, and TH-302. The main impetus for the development of these compounds has been the avoidance of the serious complications of traditional alkylating agents; therefore, it is the thesis of this review that they should not experience stigma by association.

A multi-agent based intelligent configuration method for aircraft fleet maintenance personnel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Feng Qiang

2014-04-01

Full Text Available A multi-agent based fleet maintenance personnel configuration method is proposed to solve the mission oriented aircraft fleet maintenance personnel configuration problem. The maintenance process of an aircraft fleet is analyzed first. In the process each aircraft contains multiple parts, and different parts are repaired by personnel with different majors and levels. The factors and their relationship involved in the process of maintenance are analyzed and discussed. Then the whole maintenance process is described as a 3-layer multi-agent system (MAS model. A communication and reasoning strategy among the agents is put forward. A fleet maintenance personnel configuration algorithm is proposed based on contract net protocol (CNP. Finally, a fleet of 10 aircraft is studied for verification purposes. A mission type with 3 waves of continuous dispatch is imaged. Compared with the traditional methods that can just provide configuration results, the proposed method can provide optimal maintenance strategies as well.

Waterless Hand Rub Versus Traditional Hand Scrub Methods for Preventing the Surgical Site Infection in Orthopedic Surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Iwakiri, Kentaro; Kobayashi, Akio; Seki, Masahiko; Ando, Yoshiyuki; Tsujio, Tadao; Hoshino, Masatoshi; Nakamura, Hiroaki

2017-11-15

MINI: Fourteen hundred consecutive patients were investigated for evaluating the utility of waterless hand rub before orthopaedic surgery. The risk in the surgical site infection incidence was the same, but costs of liquids used for hand hygiene were cheaper and the hand hygiene time was shorter for waterless protocol, compared with traditional hand scrub. A retrospective cohort study with prospectively collected data. The aim of this study was to compare SSI incidences, the cost of hand hygiene agents, and hand hygiene time between the traditional hand scrub and the waterless hand rub protocols before orthopedic surgery. Surgical site infections (SSI) prolong hospitalization and are a leading nosocomial cause of morbidity and a source of excess cost. Recently, a waterless hand rub protocol comprising alcohol based chlorhexidine gluconate for use before surgery was developed, but no studies have yet examined its utility in orthopedic surgery. Fourteen hundred consecutive patients who underwent orthopedic surgery (spine, joint replacement, hand, and trauma surgeries) in our hospital since April 1, 2012 were included. A total of 712 cases underwent following traditional hand scrub between April 1, 2012 and April 30, 2013 and 688 cases underwent following waterless hand rub between June 1, 2013 and April 30, 2014. We compared SSI incidences within all and each subcategory between two hand hygiene protocols. All patients were screened for SSI within 1 year after surgery. We compared the cost of hand hygiene agents and hand hygiene time between two groups. The SSI incidences were 1.3% (9 of 712) following the traditional protocol (2 deep and 7 superficial infections) and 1.1% (8 of 688) following the waterless protocol (all superficial infections). There were no significant differences between the two groups. The costs of liquids used for one hand hygiene were about $2 for traditional hand scrub and less than $1 for waterless hand rub. The mean hand hygiene time was 264

Holograms as Teaching Agents

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, Robin A.

2013-02-01

Hungarian physicist Dennis Gabor won the Pulitzer Prize for his 1947 introduction of basic holographic principles, but it was not until the invention of the laser in 1960 that research scientists, physicians, technologists and the general public began to seriously consider the interdisciplinary potentiality of holography. Questions around whether and when Three-Dimensional (3-D) images and systems would impact American entertainment and the arts would be answered before educators, instructional designers and students would discover how much Three-Dimensional Hologram Technology (3DHT) would affect teaching practices and learning environments. In the following International Symposium on Display Holograms (ISDH) poster presentation, the author features a traditional board game as well as a reflection hologram to illustrate conventional and evolving Three-Dimensional representations and technology for education. Using elements from the American children's toy Operation® (Hasbro, 2005) as well as a reflection hologram of a human brain (Ko, 1998), this poster design highlights the pedagogical effects of 3-D images, games and systems on learning science. As teaching agents, holograms can be considered substitutes for real objects, (human beings, organs, and animated characters) as well as agents (pedagogical, avatars, reflective) in various learning environments using many systems (direct, emergent, augmented reality) and electronic tools (cellphones, computers, tablets, television). In order to understand the particular importance of utilizing holography in school, clinical and public settings, the author identifies advantages and benefits of using 3-D images and technology as instructional tools.

Development of test systems for characterizing emissions from spray polyurethane foam insulation (SPFI)

Science.gov (United States)

The relationship between onsite manufacture of spray polyurethane foam insulation (SPFI) and potential exposures to diisocyanates, amines, flame retardants (FRs), blowing agents, aldehydes and other organic compounds that may be emitted from SPFI is not well understood. EPA is de...

Selected Topical Agents Used in Traditional Chinese Medicine in the Treatment of Minor Injuries- A Review

OpenAIRE

Leung, Ping-chung; Ko, Erik Chun-hay; Siu, Wing-sum; Pang, Ellie Suet-yee; Lau, Clara Bik-san

2016-01-01

Topical medicinal patches have been popular for the treatment of minor injuries like sprains and avulsions. Other inflammatory conditions like chronic musculo-tendinous pain and or fasciitis are also taken care of by local ointments or rubs. In the oriental communities, medicinal herbs frequently form the major components of the patches. In spite of the lack of scientific evidence of efficacy, the popularity of such traditional application persists for centuries. In this era of evidence-based...

Selected topical agents used in Traditional Chinese Medicine in the treatment of minor injuries- a review

OpenAIRE

Ping Chung eLEUNG; Ping Chung eLEUNG; Ping Chung eLEUNG; Sammy Wing-sum eSIU; Chun Hay eKo; Clara Bik-san eLau; Clara Bik-san eLau

2016-01-01

Topical medicinal patches have been popular for the treatment of minor injuries like sprains and avulsions. Other inflammatory conditions like chronic musculo-tendinous pain and or fasciitis are also taken care of by local ointments or rubs. In the oriental communities, medicinal herbs frequently form the major components of the patches.In spite of the lack of scientific evidence of efficacy, the popularity of such traditional application persists for centuries.In this era of evidence-based c...

Proc. of the Workshop on Agent Simulation : Applications, Models, and Tools, Oct. 15-16, 1999

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Macal, C. M.; Sallach, D.

2000-01-01

The many motivations for employing agent-based computation in the social sciences are reviewed. It is argued that there exist three distinct uses of agent modeling techniques. One such use-the simplest-is conceptually quite close to traditional simulation in operations research. This use arises when equations can be formulated that completely describe a social process, and these equations are explicitly soluble, either analytically or numerically. In the former case, the agent model is merely a tool for presenting results, while in the latter it is a novel kind of Monte Carlo analysis. A second, more commonplace usage of computational agent models arises when mathematical models can be written down but not completely solved. In this case the agent-based model can shed significant light on the solution structure, illustrate dynamical properties of the model, serve to test the dependence of results on parameters and assumptions, and be a source of counter-examples. Finally, there are important classes of problems for which writing down equations is not a useful activity. In such circumstances, resort to agent-based computational models may be the only way available to explore such processes systematically, and constitute a third distinct usage of such models

SYMBIOTIC STAR BLOWS BUBBLES INTO SPACE

Science.gov (United States)

2002-01-01

A tempestuous relationship between an unlikely pair of stars may have created an oddly shaped, gaseous nebula that resembles an hourglass nestled within an hourglass. Images taken with Earth-based telescopes have shown the larger, hourglass-shaped nebula. But this picture, taken with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, reveals a small, bright nebula embedded in the center of the larger one (close-up of nebula in inset). Astronomers have dubbed the entire nebula the 'Southern Crab Nebula' (He2-104), because, from ground-based telescopes, it looks like the body and legs of a crab. The nebula is several light-years long. The possible creators of these shapes cannot be seen at all in this Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 image. It's a pair of aging stars buried in the glow of the tiny, central nebula. One of them is a red giant, a bloated star that is exhausting its nuclear fuel and is shedding its outer layers in a powerful stellar wind. Its companion is a hot, white dwarf, a stellar zombie of a burned-out star. This odd duo of a red giant and a white dwarf is called a symbiotic system. The red giant is also a Mira Variable, a pulsating red giant, that is far away from its partner. It could take as much as 100 years for the two to orbit around each other. Astronomers speculate that the interaction between these two stars may have sparked episodic outbursts of material, creating the gaseous bubbles that form the nebula. They interact by playing a celestial game of 'catch': as the red giant throws off its bulk in a powerful stellar wind, the white dwarf catches some of it. As a result, an accretion disk of material forms around the white dwarf and spirals onto its hot surface. Gas continues to build up on the surface until it sparks an eruption, blowing material into space. This explosive event may have happened twice in the 'Southern Crab.' Astronomers speculate that the hourglass-shaped nebulae represent two separate outbursts that occurred several thousand years apart

Understanding traditional African healing.

Science.gov (United States)

Mokgobi, M G

2014-09-01

Traditional African healing has been in existence for many centuries yet many people still seem not to understand how it relates to God and religion/spirituality. Some people seem to believe that traditional healers worship the ancestors and not God. It is therefore the aim of this paper to clarify this relationship by discussing a chain of communication between the worshipers and the Almighty God. Other aspects of traditional healing namely types of traditional healers, training of traditional healers as well as the role of traditional healers in their communities are discussed. In conclusion, the services of traditional healers go far beyond the uses of herbs for physical illnesses. Traditional healers serve many roles which include but not limited to custodians of the traditional African religion and customs, educators about culture, counselors, social workers and psychologists.

Tensile bond strength of hydroxyethyl methacrylate dentin bonding agent on dentin surface at various drying techniques

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kun Ismiyatin

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Background: There are several dentin surface drying techniques to provide a perfect resin penetration on dentin. There are two techniques which will be compared in this study. The first technique was by rubbing dentin surface gently using cotton pellet twice, this technique is called blot dry technique. The second technique is by air blowing dentin surface for one second and continued by rubbing dentin surface gently using moist cotton. Purpose: This experiment was aimed to examine the best dentin surface drying techniques after 37% phosphoric acid etching to obtain the optimum tensile bond strength between hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA and dentin surface. Method: Bovine teeth was prepared flat to obtain the dentin surface and than was etched using 37% phosphoric acid for 15 seconds. After etching the dentin was cleaned using 20 cc plain water and dried with blot dry techniques (group I, or dried with air blow for one second (group II, or dried with air blow for one second, and continued with rubbing gently using moist cotton pellet (group III, and without any drying as control group (group IV. After these drying, the dentin surfaces were applied with resin dentin bonding agent and put into plunger facing the composite mould. The antagonist plunger was filled with composite resin. After 24 hours, therefore bond strength was measured using Autograph. Result: Data obtained was analyzed using One-Way ANOVA with 95% confidence level and continued with LSD test on p≤0.05. The result showed that the highest tensile bond strength was on group I, while the lowest on group IV. Group II and IV, III and IV, II and III did not show signigicant difference (p>0.05. Conclusion: Dentin surface drying techniques through gentle rubbing using cotton pellet twice (blot dry technique gave the greatest tensile bond strength.Latar belakang masalah: Tehnik pengeringan permukaan dentin agar resin dapat penetrasi dengan sempurna adalah dengan cara pengusapan secara

Incorporating BDI Agents into Human-Agent Decision Making Research

Science.gov (United States)

Kamphorst, Bart; van Wissen, Arlette; Dignum, Virginia

Artificial agents, people, institutes and societies all have the ability to make decisions. Decision making as a research area therefore involves a broad spectrum of sciences, ranging from Artificial Intelligence to economics to psychology. The Colored Trails (CT) framework is designed to aid researchers in all fields in examining decision making processes. It is developed both to study interaction between multiple actors (humans or software agents) in a dynamic environment, and to study and model the decision making of these actors. However, agents in the current implementation of CT lack the explanatory power to help understand the reasoning processes involved in decision making. The BDI paradigm that has been proposed in the agent research area to describe rational agents, enables the specification of agents that reason in abstract concepts such as beliefs, goals, plans and events. In this paper, we present CTAPL: an extension to CT that allows BDI software agents that are written in the practical agent programming language 2APL to reason about and interact with a CT environment.

Chemical warfare agents.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuca, Kamil; Pohanka, Miroslav

2010-01-01

Chemical warfare agents are compounds of different chemical structures. Simple molecules such as chlorine as well as complex structures such as ricin belong to this group. Nerve agents, vesicants, incapacitating agents, blood agents, lung-damaging agents, riot-control agents and several toxins are among chemical warfare agents. Although the use of these compounds is strictly prohibited, the possible misuse by terrorist groups is a reality nowadays. Owing to this fact, knowledge of the basic properties of these substances is of a high importance. This chapter briefly introduces the separate groups of chemical warfare agents together with their members and the potential therapy that should be applied in case someone is intoxicated by these agents.

Logics for Intelligent Agents and Multi-Agent Systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Meyer, John-Jules Charles

2014-01-01

This chapter presents the history of the application of logic in a quite popular paradigm in contemporary computer science and artificial intelligence, viz. the area of intelligent agents and multi-agent systems. In particular we discuss the logics that have been used to specify single agents, the

Traditional Chinese medicine as adjunctive therapy improves the long-term survival of lung cancer patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Liao, Yueh-Hsiang; Li, Chia-Ing; Lin, Cheng-Chieh; Lin, Jaung-Geng; Chiang, Jen-Huai; Li, Tsai-Chung

2017-12-01

Traditional Chinese medicine is one of the popular alternative treatments for cancer, mainly enhancing host immune response and reducing adverse effect of chemotherapy. This study first explored traditional Chinese medicine treatment effect on long-term survival of lung cancer patients. This study evaluated whether traditional Chinese medicine combined with conventional cancer treatment improved overall survival of lung cancer patients. We had conducted a retrospective cohort study on 111,564 newly diagnosed lung cancer patients in 2000-2009 from National Health Insurance Program database. A total of 23,803 (21.31%) patients used traditional Chinese medicine for lung cancer care. Eligible participants were followed up until 2011 with a mean follow-up period of 1.96 years (standard deviation 2.55) for non-TCM users and 3.04 years (2.85) for traditional Chinese medicine users. Patients with traditional Chinese medicine utilization were significantly more likely to have a 32% decreased risk of death [hazard ratio = 0.62; 95% confidence interval = 0.61-0.63], compared with patients without traditional Chinese medicine utilization after multivariate adjustment. We also observed a similar significant reduction risk across various subgroups of chronic lung diseases. Qing Zao Jiu Fei Tang was the most effective traditional Chinese medicine agent for mortality reduction both in the entire lung cancer (0.81; 0.72-0.91) and matched populations (0.86; 0.78-0.95). This study demonstrated adjunctive therapy with traditional Chinese medicine may improve overall survival of lung cancer patients. This study also suggested traditional Chinese medicine may be used as an adjunctive therapy for cancer treatment. These observational findings need being validated by future randomized controlled trials to rule out the possibility of effect due to holistic care.

Computational modeling and analysis of heavy water losses in boiler blow down with different positions of BBW-V100 at KANUPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maqbool, M. U.

2012-01-01

The term blowdown is referred to the boilers and steam generators. Blowing down water from the steam generators maintains the chemistry of the feedwater and helps prevent scaling or sludge formation. In a nuclear power plant, the primary loop contains some activity in the form of tritium content. In boilers, primary and secondary systems interface and due to the pressure difference there is always a chance of mixing of primary and secondary fluids in event of tube leak. This primary fluid i.e., heavy water in our case can be lost through the blowdown lines after mixing with the feedwater. This thesis is a computational work for the determination of heavy water losses through the blowdown lines. (author)

Fast imaging of the laser-blow-off plume driven shock wave: Dependence on the mass and density of the ambient gas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

George, Sony [ISP, Cochin University of Science and Tech., Cochin 682 022 (India); Singh, R.K., E-mail: rajesh@ipr.res.in [Institute for Plasma Research, Gandhinagar 382 428 (India); Nampoori, V.P.N. [ISP, Cochin University of Science and Tech., Cochin 682 022 (India); Kumar, Ajai [Institute for Plasma Research, Gandhinagar 382 428 (India)

2013-01-17

A systemic investigation of expansion dynamics of plasma plume, produced by laser-blow-off of LiF–C thin film has been done with emphasis on the formation of shock wave and their dependence on the pressure and nature of the ambient gas. The present results demonstrate that highly directional plume produces a strong shock wave in comparison to shock produced by the diverging plume. Shock-velocity, strength and its structure are strongly dependent on ambient environment; maximum shock velocity is observed in helium whereas shock strength is highest in argon environment. The role of chemically reactive processes was not observed in the present case as the plume structure is almost similar in argon and oxygen.

Biological Agents

Science.gov (United States)

... E-Tools Safety and Health Topics / Biological Agents Biological Agents This page requires that javascript be enabled ... 202) 693-2300 if additional assistance is required. Biological Agents Menu Overview In Focus: Ebola Frederick A. ...

A Multi-Agent System Architecture for Sensor Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

María Guijarro

2009-12-01

Full Text Available The design of the control systems for sensor networks presents important challenges. Besides the traditional problems about how to process the sensor data to obtain the target information, engineers need to consider additional aspects such as the heterogeneity and high number of sensors, and the flexibility of these networks regarding topologies and the sensors in them. Although there are partial approaches for resolving these issues, their integration relies on ad hoc solutions requiring important development efforts. In order to provide an effective approach for this integration, this paper proposes an architecture based on the multi-agent system paradigm with a clear separation of concerns. The architecture considers sensors as devices used by an upper layer of manager agents. These agents are able to communicate and negotiate services to achieve the required functionality. Activities are organized according to roles related with the different aspects to integrate, mainly sensor management, data processing, communication and adaptation to changes in the available devices and their capabilities. This organization largely isolates and decouples the data management from the changing network, while encouraging reuse of solutions. The use of the architecture is facilitated by a specific modelling language developed through metamodelling. A case study concerning a generic distributed system for fire fighting illustrates the approach and the comparison with related work.

Tradition

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Otto, Ton

2016-01-01

: beliefs, practices, institutions, and also things. In this sense, the meaning of the term in social research is very close to its usage in common language and is not always theoretically well developed (see Shils, 1971: 123). But the concept of tradition has also been central to major theoretical debates...... on the nature of social change, especially in connection with the notion of modernity. Here tradition is linked to various forms of agency as a factor of both stability and intentional change....

Using Agent-Based Modeling to Enhance System-Level Real-time Control of Urban Stormwater Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Rimer, S.; Mullapudi, A. M.; Kerkez, B.

2017-12-01

The ability to reduce combined-sewer overflow (CSO) events is an issue that challenges over 800 U.S. municipalities. When the volume of a combined sewer system or wastewater treatment plant is exceeded, untreated wastewater then overflows (a CSO event) into nearby streams, rivers, or other water bodies causing localized urban flooding and pollution. The likelihood and impact of CSO events has only exacerbated due to urbanization, population growth, climate change, aging infrastructure, and system complexity. Thus, there is an urgent need for urban areas to manage CSO events. Traditionally, mitigating CSO events has been carried out via time-intensive and expensive structural interventions such as retention basins or sewer separation, which are able to reduce CSO events, but are costly, arduous, and only provide a fixed solution to a dynamic problem. Real-time control (RTC) of urban drainage systems using sensor and actuator networks has served as an inexpensive and versatile alternative to traditional CSO intervention. In particular, retrofitting individual stormwater elements for sensing and automated active distributed control has been shown to significantly reduce the volume of discharge during CSO events, with some RTC models demonstrating a reduction upwards of 90% when compared to traditional passive systems. As more stormwater elements become retrofitted for RTC, system-level RTC across complete watersheds is an attainable possibility. However, when considering the diverse set of control needs of each of these individual stormwater elements, such system-level RTC becomes a far more complex problem. To address such diverse control needs, agent-based modeling is employed such that each individual stormwater element is treated as an autonomous agent with a diverse decision making capabilities. We present preliminary results and limitations of utilizing the agent-based modeling computational framework for the system-level control of diverse, interacting

CFC alternatives for thermal insulation foams

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shankland, I.R. (Allied-Signal Inc., Buffalo, NY (US))

1990-03-01

Low density polymeric foam materials expanded with chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) blowing agents have found widespread use as highly efficient thermal insulation materials in the construction, refrigeration appliance and transportation industries. The advent of regulations which are reducing the production and consumption of the fully halogenated CFCs for environmental reasons has prompted the development of environmentally acceptable substitutes for the CFC blowing agents. This paper summarizes the physical properties and performance of the leading alternatives for CFC-11, which is used to expand rigid polyurethane and polyisocyanurate foams, and the leading alternatives for CFC-12 which is used to expand extruded polystyrene board foam. Although the alternatives, HCFC-123 and HCFC-14lb for CFC-11 and HCFC142b and HCFC-124 for CFC-12, are not perfect matches from the performance viewpoint, they represent the optimum choice given the constraints on environmental acceptability, toxicity, flammability and performance. (author).

Blow Flies from Forest Fragments Embedded in Different Land Uses: Implications for Selecting Indicators in Forensic Entomology.

Science.gov (United States)

de Souza, Mirian S; Pepinelli, Mateus; de Almeida, Eduardo C; Ochoa-Quintero, Jose M; Roque, Fabio O

2016-01-01

Given the general expectation that forest loss can alter biodiversity patterns, we hypothesize that blow fly species abundances differ in a gradient of native vegetation cover. This study was conducted in 17 fragments across different landscapes in central Brazil. Different land cover type proportions were used to represent landscape structure. In total, 2334 specimens of nine species of Calliphoridae were collected. We used principal component analysis (PCA) to reduce dimensionality and multicollinearity of the landscape data. The first component explained 70%, and it represented a gradient of forest-pasture land uses. Alien species showed a wide distribution in different fragments with no clear relationship between the abundance values and the scores of PCA axes, whereas native species occurred only in areas with a predominance of forest cover. Our study revealed that certain native species may be sensitive to forest loss at the landscape scale, and they represent a bioindicator in forensic entomology. © 2015 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Cultural Transmission of Traditional Knowledge in two populations of North-western Patagonia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lozada Mariana

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In the present study we have investigated the cultural transmission of two types of traditional plant knowledge in two communities of North-western Patagonia, Argentina. In the Pilcaniyeu community, we studied the transmission of traditional knowledge related to horticultural practices in home-gardens, greenhouses and gardens; while in the community of Cuyin Manzano, we studied wild plant gathering customs. Methods Ethnobotanical fieldwork was conducted by means of semi-structured interviews, in which we investigated which plants are used, at what life history phase was learned, modes of transmission and who the principal transmitters were in childhood and adulthood. In both communities, each of this three aspects related to cultural transmission were categorized and the frequencies of each category were obtained. The total number of species recorded in each community was also calculated. Frequencies were analyzed with the Chi-square test of independence. Results and discussion In both communities, transmission of traditional plant knowledge begins at an early age, as a family custom, in which women play a predominant role. Wild plant use and horticultural knowledge continue to be learned during adulthood. This was particularly registered associated with horticultural learning, which receives greater influence from extension agents who are introducing new practices and technology. This outside influence, which implies novelty, could imply syncretism but also traditional knowledge loss. Conclusion Given the remarkable acculturation processes occurring at present in rural communities of Northwestern Patagonia, it might be of vital importance to document traditional knowledge of ancient practices. Moreover, it could be interesting to share our results with both populations in order to encourage participatory activities within the communities which could enhance traditional knowledge horizontal transmission, particularly among

Medicinal Plants in Neurodegenerative Diseases: Perspective of Traditional Persian Medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Farzaei, Mohammad Hosein; Shahpiri, Zahra; Mehri, Mohammad Reza; Bahramsoltani, Roodabeh; Rezaei, Mahdi; Raeesdana, Azade; Rahimi, Roja

2018-01-01

Neurodegenerative diseases are a progressive loss of structure and/or function of neurons. Weak therapeutic response and progressive nature of the diseases, as well as a wide range of side effects caused by conventional therapeutic approaches make patients seek for complementary and alternative medicine. The aim of the present paper is to discuss the neuropharmacological basis of medicinal plants and their principle phytochemicals which have been used in traditional Persian medicine for different types of neurodegenerative diseases. Medicinal plants introduced in traditional Persian medicine perform beneficial effects in neurodegenerative diseases via various cellular and molecular mechanisms including suppression of apoptosis mediated by an increase in the expression of anti-apoptotic agents (e.g. Bcl-2) as well as a decrease in the expression and activity of proapoptotic proteins (e.g. Bax, caspase 3 and 9). Alleviating inflammatory responses and suppressing the expression and function of pro-inflammatory cytokines like Tumor necrosis factor α and interleukins, as well as improvement in antioxidative performance mediated by superoxide dismutase and catalase, are among other neuroprotective mechanisms of traditional medicinal plants. Modulation of transcription, transduction, intracellular signaling pathways including ERK, p38, and MAPK, with upstream regulatory activity on inflammatory cascades, apoptosis and oxidative stress associated pathways, play an essential role in the preventive and therapeutic potential of the plants in neurodegenerative diseases. Medicinal plants used in traditional Persian medicine along with their related phytochemicals by affecting various neuropharmacological pathways can be considered as future drugs or adjuvant therapies with conventional pharmacotherapeutics; though, further clinical studies are necessary for the confirmation of their safety and efficacy. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at

CONSUMERS’ BRAND EQUITY PERCEPTIONS OF TRADITIONAL AND NON-TRADITIONAL BRANDS

OpenAIRE

Catli, Ozlem; Ermec Sertoglu, Aysegul; Ors, Husniye

2017-01-01

Thisstudy aims to compare consumers' brand perception of traditional brands withbrand perceptions of non-traditional brands.  Consumers livingin Ankara constitute the universe of work, and data were gathered in aface-to-face interview using the survey method. the demographic characteristicsof the participants was prepared with the aim of evaluating and comparing onetraditional brand and one non traditional brand of brand equity related to thebrand equity by the participants. According to...

Female Clergy as Agents of Religious Change?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kati Niemelä

2011-08-01

Full Text Available This article focuses on female clergy as potential agents of change in the Church. I argue that the adoption of female clergy is one of the main factors that cause the Church to change its practices, policies and theological orientation. The first female ministers were ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland in 1988. This is fairly late compared to other Nordic countries. However, the number of female ministers and female students has been growing fast and nowadays about 70 percent of theology students are female.The paper is based on quantitative surveys conducted among the members of the Clergy Union in 2002, 2006 and 2010 (N = about 1,000 each and among the applicants for university studies in theology in 2010. The research shows that clergywomen are changing the Church in a clearly more liberal direction. They do it in various areas of church life: they change the perception of faith and dogma, the policies of the Church as well as daily practices in parishes. Clergymen are notably more traditional in their orientation, even young clergymen. Therefore it is especially the female clergy who serve as agents of religious change in the Church.

Prediction of turbulent heat transfer with surface blowing using a non-linear algebraic heat flux model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bataille, F.; Younis, B.A.; Bellettre, J.; Lallemand, A.

2003-01-01

The paper reports on the prediction of the effects of blowing on the evolution of the thermal and velocity fields in a flat-plate turbulent boundary layer developing over a porous surface. Closure of the time-averaged equations governing the transport of momentum and thermal energy is achieved using a complete Reynolds-stress transport model for the turbulent stresses and a non-linear, algebraic and explicit model for the turbulent heat fluxes. The latter model accounts explicitly for the dependence of the turbulent heat fluxes on the gradients of mean velocity. Results are reported for the case of a heated boundary layer which is first developed into equilibrium over a smooth impervious wall before encountering a porous section through which cooler fluid is continuously injected. Comparisons are made with LDA measurements for an injection rate of 1%. The reduction of the wall shear stress with increase in injection rate is obtained in the calculations, and the computed rates of heat transfer between the hot flow and the wall are found to agree well with the published data

Prospects of application of vegetable oils as antifungal agents (Literature review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. A. Mikheev

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Purpose of work – to summarize and present modern scientific literature reviews of alternative antifungal agents usage, among which herbal medicines, and in particular herbal oils, may play significant role. Fungal infections (mycoses are one of the leading infectious diseases in the world. Besides the medical importance, pathogenic fungi play a significant role in the food industry as potential pollutants. In order to treat fungal infections and to prevent food spoilage various medications that are products of chemical synthesis are widely used and the need for them increases significantly. However, among large number of medications and herbal drugs only a small part is used to treat fungal infections and to prevent food decay, though plants contain a lot of bioactive compounds with potential antifungal properties. Therefore, question of application of vegetable oils as antifungal agents is relevant. Various plants contain oils that have the potential antifungal properties, but are often used only in gastronomic purpose. The same time those oils can be successfully used for the treatment of candidiasis and infections caused by fungi of genera Aspergillus, Trichoderma, Penicillium, Fusarium, Metrhizium, Ophiostoma, Scopulariopsis and others. Their effects are manifested like using a single vegetable oil and mixtures of oils. Conclusions. Vegetable oils usage has big perspectives due to the lack of «addictive» effect and the development of resistance in fungi of different taxa. Vegetable oils do not require considerable investments for their reception, and thanks to traditions of aromo- and herbal medicine, their usage can be more effective in contrast to traditional chemotherapeutic agents. The search and study of new medicines based on vegetable oils may be a perspective direction of modern microbiological sciences and requires further deep studies of their biological properties and mechanisms of action.

Interaction of antimicrobial preservatives with blow-fill-seal packs: correlating sorption with solubility parameters.

Science.gov (United States)

Amin, Aeshna; Dare, Manish; Sangamwar, Abhay; Bansal, Arvind Kumar

2012-01-01

The aim of this work was to study the interaction of four commonly used ophthalmic antimicrobial preservatives [benzyl alcohol (BA), chlorbutol (CBL), benzalkonium chloride (BKC), and chlorhexidine gluconate (CG)] with Blow-Fill-Seal (BFS) packs. Effect of packaging material [low-density polyethylene (LDPE), polypropylene (PP)], humidity (25% RH, 75% RH) and concentration (0.5, 1.0, 2.0 mM BA/CBL in LDPE) was studied. BKC and CG gave negligible loss (<4%) in BFS packs over a period of 3 months. BA and CBL, however, gave marked losses in LDPE (ca. 70-90%) and PP (ca. 7-25%) packs. Humidity did not have any effect on the sorption loss of any preservative. Loss of BA switched from Case II to anomalous behavior with increasing initial concentration. A two-stage sorption behavior was inherent at all concentrations. Loss of CBL followed anomalous behavior with biphasic kinetics of loss. It was concluded that all the four preservatives were appropriate for use in PP BFS packs. However, only BKC and CG were amenable to be used in LDPE BFS packs. Lastly, an empirical expression consisting of the "solubility parameter distance" and "molar volume" of preservatives was developed to correlate the preservative loss in LDPE with the physicochemical properties of the preservatives.

Development of a Gastroretentive Drug Delivery System based on ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Erah

Purpose: The aim of this work was to synthesize superporous hydrogels of rosiglitazone using chitosan and to study its swelling behaviour for application as a gastroretentive drug delivery system. Methods: Chitosan superporous hydrogels were synthesized using glyoxal as a crosslinking agent by gas blowing method.

Computational study on decomposition kinetics of CH3CFClO radical

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

'greenhouse gases'.5–7. ∗ ... widely used CFCs in the industry as a foam blow- ing agent in polyurethane ... order to access the full impact of its potential use, knowledge of .... This is also supported by the free energy change data included in ...

Assessment of the Possibility of Using Reclaimed Materials for Making Cores by the Blowing Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dańko R.

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The cumulative results of investigations of the possibility of using the reclaimed materials after the mechanical, thermal or mechanical-thermal reclamation for making cores by means of the blowing method in the alkaline CO2 technology, are presented in the paper. Three kinds of spent sands: with furfuryl resin, bentonite and alkaline phenolic resin, obtained from the foundry, were subjected to three kinds of reclamation: mechanical, thermal and combined mechanical-thermal, applying for this aim adequate experimental devices. The obtained reclaims were assessed with regard to the degree of the matrix liberation from the determined binding material. Reclaims of moulding sands with binders of the form of resin were assessed with regard to ignition loss values and pH reaction, while reclaims of moulding sands with bentonite with regard to the residual clay content and pH value. In all cases the results of the performed sieve analyses were estimated and the average characteristic diameter dl was determined. The reclaimed matrix was applied as a full substitute of the fresh high-silica sand in typical procedures of preparing core sands used for making shaped samples for bending strength investigations, Rgu.

Occupational hazards of traditional healers: repeated unprotected blood exposures risk infectious disease transmission.

Science.gov (United States)

Audet, Carolyn M; Salato, José; Blevins, Meridith; Silva, Wilson; González-Calvo, Lázaro; Vermund, Sten H; Gaspar, Felisbela

2016-11-01

Healers provide support for acute and chronic illnesses in rural Mozambique, such as socially acceptable traditional 'vaccinations' (subcutaneous cuts in the skin to rub herbs directly into the bloody lesion). We aimed to document the frequency of blood exposure by traditional practitioners in Mozambique. We conducted surveys with a simple random sample of 236 traditional healers in Zambézia province. Chi-square and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were used to compare 'injection' behaviours across districts. Healers treated a median of eight patients in the past month (IQR: 4-15). About 75% conducted 'injections'. These healers 'injected' a median of four patients (IQR: 1-8), used a new razor a median of three times (IQR: 1-8), and almost never used gloves. Lifetime blood exposures among those who provided 'injections' during treatments were estimated to be 1758 over a healer's career. The majority of healers are exposed repeatedly to patient blood. Given the high prevalence of HIV, hepatitis B and C virus, and other blood-borne agents, specific healer practices are an occupational hazard and reuse of razors is risky for their clients. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Understanding traditional African healing

OpenAIRE

MOKGOBI, M.G.

2014-01-01

Traditional African healing has been in existence for many centuries yet many people still seem not to understand how it relates to God and religion/spirituality. Some people seem to believe that traditional healers worship the ancestors and not God. It is therefore the aim of this paper to clarify this relationship by discussing a chain of communication between the worshipers and the Almighty God. Other aspects of traditional healing namely types of traditional healers, training of tradition...

Current Research and Development of Chemotherapeutic Agents for Melanoma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kyaw Minn Hsan

2010-04-01

Full Text Available Cutaneous malignant melanoma is the most lethal form of skin cancer and an increasingly common disease worldwide. It remains one of the most treatment-refractory malignancies. The current treatment options for patients with metastatic melanoma are limited and in most cases non-curative. This review focuses on conventional chemotherapeutic drugs for melanoma treatment, by a single or combinational agent approach, but also summarizes some potential novel phytoagents discovered from dietary vegetables or traditional herbal medicines as alternative options or future medicine for melanoma prevention. We explore the mode of actions of these natural phytoagents against metastatic melanoma.

Contrast agents for cardiac angiography: effects of a nonionic agent vs. a standard ionic agent

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bettmann, M.A.; Bourdillon, P.D.; Barry, W.H.; Brush, K.A.; Levin, D.C.

1984-01-01

The effects on cardiac hemodynamics and of a standard contrast agent, sodium methylglucamine diatrizoate [Renografin 76] were compared with the effects of a new nonionic agent (iohexol) in a double-blind study in 51 patietns undergoing coronary angiography and left ventriculography. No significant alteration in measured blood parameters occurred with either contrast agent. Hemodynamic changes occurred with both, but were significantly greater with the standard renografin than with the low-osmolality, nonionic iohexol. After left ventriculography, heart rate increased and peripheral arterial pressure fell with both agents, but less with iohexol. It is concluded that iohexol causes less alteration in cardiac function than does the agent currently most widely used. Nonionic contrast material is likely to improve the safety of coronary angiography, particularly in those patients at greatest risk

Maintenance service contract model for heavy equipment in mining industry using principal agent theory

Science.gov (United States)

Pakpahan, Eka K. A.; Iskandar, Bermawi P.

2015-12-01

Mining industry is characterized by a high operational revenue, and hence high availability of heavy equipment used in mining industry is a critical factor to ensure the revenue target. To maintain high avaliability of the heavy equipment, the equipment's owner hires an agent to perform maintenance action. Contract is then used to control the relationship between the two parties involved. The traditional contracts such as fixed price, cost plus or penalty based contract studied is unable to push agent's performance to exceed target, and this in turn would lead to a sub-optimal result (revenue). This research deals with designing maintenance contract compensation schemes. The scheme should induce agent to select the highest possible maintenance effort level, thereby pushing agent's performance and achieve maximum utility for both parties involved. Principal agent theory is used as a modeling approach due to its ability to simultaneously modeled owner and agent decision making process. Compensation schemes considered in this research includes fixed price, cost sharing and revenue sharing. The optimal decision is obtained using a numerical method. The results show that if both parties are risk neutral, then there are infinite combination of fixed price, cost sharing and revenue sharing produced the same optimal solution. The combination of fixed price and cost sharing contract results in the optimal solution when the agent is risk averse, while the optimal combination of fixed price and revenue sharing contract is obtained when agent is risk averse. When both parties are risk averse, the optimal compensation scheme is a combination of fixed price, cost sharing and revenue sharing.

Agent Based Trust Management Model Based on Weight Value Model for Online Auctions

OpenAIRE

Sathiyamoorthy, E.; Iyenger, N. Ch. Sriman Narayana; Ramachandran, V.

2010-01-01

This paper is aimed at the stipulations which arise in the traditional online auctions as a result of various anomalies in the reputation and trust calculation mechanism. We try to improve the scalability andefficiency of the online auctions by providing efficient trust management methodology considering several factors into consideration. A comparison between the performance of the auctions system with and without the agent methodology is done with good results.

Elaboration of the Thermodynamic Model of Refining the Converter Bath when Blowing through Three-Tier Oxygen Lance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anatoliy G. Chernyatevich

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Background. In modern conditions, the BOP-process is the main method of mass use steel product production. At the same time, due to the shortage of high-quality charge materials, resource and energy-saving technologies are particularly relevant. To optimize the BOP-process under modern conditions, it is promising to use improved oxygen lances for top blowing in comparison with known designs. Objective. An important stage in the development of advanced steel production technologies is obtaining information on the thermodynamic model of blowing a converter bath through a three-tier lance with the elaboration of the regularities of oxidation processes within the reaction zone of a 160-ton industrial converter. Methods. The analysis that was carried out has a theoretical nature and is based on the definition of the influence of temperature and pressure on the regularities of oxidation processes within the reaction zones formed when oxygen jets are introduced into the volume of a metal bath, foamed slag-metallic emulsion and waste gases in the working space of the converter. As a thermodynamic parameter, the Gibbs energy was used to estimate the probability of chemical reactions. The pressure effect on the oxidation processes in the converter bath was evaluated in accordance with the Van’t Hoff formula. Results. The thermodynamic features of oxidation processes in the 160-ton BOF bath using a three-tier lance are presented. Primary reaction zone is characterized by the occurrence of oxidation of manganese, silicon, carbon, and iron by gaseous oxygen. In the secondary reaction zone there are chemical reactions of the oxidation of silicon and carbon dissolved in the metal by oxygen, as well as the reduction of iron oxide by carbon. The presence or absence of a slag phase on the melt surface practically does not affect the occurrence probability of chemical transformations within the boundary of primary and secondary reaction zones. The additional

Reconstructing Tradition: Heritage Authentication and Tourism-Related Commodification of the Ancient City of Pingyao

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoyan Su

2018-03-01

Full Text Available This paper examines how the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage (CCPWCNH is implemented in China, with specific reference to tourism development at the local level in the Ancient City of Pingyao (ACP. Based on a qualitative methodology and constructivist paradigm, the research employs observation and semi-structured interviews to explore how the interaction between heritage authorization and tourism-related commodification shapes the transformation of the local community. Giddens’ theories, amongst others, on modernity, time–space distanciation, disembedding, and reflexivity, are employed to analyze this case study. The paper argues that the reconstruction of “traditional-style culture” has contributed to the transformative processes in the ACP. Traditional-style culture differs from “traditional culture” in that the former refers to cultural forms that are purposely (reconstructed to serve contemporary political or economic needs, while the latter refers to cultural forms that are rooted in the local contexts of premodern societies. One of the impacts of traditional-style culture, which is the product of the interaction between heritage authorization and tourism development, is the emergence of a commercialized environment. This environment confounds the notion of authenticity that is claimed in authorized concepts of heritage. There, construction of traditional-style culture demonstrates the relationship of powerful actors with hierarchical power, leading to an unequal positioning of external agents (such as heritage experts and local residents.

Traditional perceptions and treatment of mental disorders in western Ethiopia before the 1974 revolution.

Science.gov (United States)

Jacobsson, L; Merdasa, F

1991-11-01

This article describes the traditional concepts and treatment of mental disorders in the Oromo areas in western Ethiopia before the revolution in 1974. There are three traditional cultural influences operating: traditional Oromo thinking, the Coptic church and the Islamic culture. One important element in traditional Oromo thinking is that each person is believed to possess an ayana, which is a special divine agent that can descend upon people, but also means a person's character and personality. In the traditional Oromo society, the Kallu is the religious leader who, through an ecstatic ritual technique, can investigate the causes of the disorder and advise what to do. Mental disorders are generally explained as resulting from disturbances in the relationship between people and divinity. The second important cultural element in western Ethiopia is the orthodox Coptic church, which usually looks upon mental disorders as possession by evil spirits, which are thus treated by specially gifted priests and monks by praying and giving holy water or eventually exhortation. According to Islamic teaching in the area, mental disorders are caused by evil spirits sent by God to punish the unfaithful people. Some Muslim sheiks treat mental cases with prayers, but herbal remedies are also used. There is a great intermingling of these different cultural and religious elements and people attend different healers and religious leaders more depending on the reputation of the person than on cultural and religious affiliation.

Estimating the age of the adult stages of the blow flies Lucilia sericata and Calliphora vicina (Diptera: Calliphoridae) by means of the cuticular hydrocarbon n-pentacosane.

Science.gov (United States)

Bernhardt, Victoria; Pogoda, Werner; Verhoff, Marcel A; Toennes, Stefan W; Amendt, Jens

2017-09-01

Age estimation of insects like blow flies plays an important role in forensic entomology and can answer questions in regard to time of death. So far the focus is on the immature stages of these insects, but recently the adult fly became a target of interest. It has been established that the profile of specific cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) changes in a consistent pattern as adult insects age; thus, their analysis could be a promising tool for the age estimation of adult insects. We investigated the CHC n-pentacosane (nC25) on the legs of the adult blow flies Lucilia sericata and Calliphora vicina with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The flies were kept at room temperature (17°C±2°C) and 12:12 L:D from Day 1 to Day 20 post-emergence. For each of five flies per species, the amount of nC25 on all legs was determined daily. The amounts of nC25 on C. vicina increased linearly (R 2 =0.949). No significant difference between sexes could be detected. While L. sericata showed the same linear increase in general, we found significant (page is constructed from these data. Although the influence of various environmental factors, e.g., fluctuating temperatures, still needs to be tested, nC25 seems to be a promising tool for the age estimation of adult flies. Copyright © 2017 The Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Helichrysum italicum: from traditional use to scientific data.

Science.gov (United States)

Antunes Viegas, Daniel; Palmeira-de-Oliveira, Ana; Salgueiro, Lígia; Martinez-de-Oliveira, José; Palmeira-de-Oliveira, Rita

2014-01-01

Helichrysum italicum (Roth) G. Don fil. (family Asteraceae) has been used for its medicinal properties for a long time and, even nowadays, continues to play an important role in the traditional medicine of Mediterranean countries. Based on this traditional knowledge, its different pharmacological activities have been the focus of active research. This review aims to provide an overview of the current state of knowledge of the pharmacological activities of Helichrysum italicum, as well as its traditional uses, toxicity, drug interactions and safety. The selection of relevant data was made through a search using the keywords "Helichrysum italicum" and "H. italicum" in "Directory of Open Access Journals", "Google Scholar", "ISI Web of Knowledge", "PubMed", "ScienceDirect" and "Wiley Online Library". Information obtained in local and foreign books and other sources was also included. There are reports on the traditional use of Helichrysum italicum in European countries, particularly Italy, Spain, Portugal and Bosnia and Herzegovina. In these countries, its flowers and leaves are the most used parts in the treatment of health disorders such as allergies, colds, cough, skin, liver and gallbladder disorders, inflammation, infections and sleeplessness. In order to validate some of the traditional uses of Helichrysum italicum and highlight other potential applications for its extracts and isolated compounds, several scientific studies have been conducted in the last decades. In vitro studies characterized Helichrysum italicum as an antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory agent. Its flavonoids and terpenes were effective against bacteria (e.g. Staphylococcus aureus), its acetophenones, phloroglucinols and terpenoids displayed antifungal action against Candida albicans and its flavonoids and phloroglucinols inhibited HSV and HIV, respectively. Helichrysum italicum acetophenones, flavonoids and phloroglucinols demonstrated inhibitory action in different pathways of arachidonic

Bioprotective agents in safety control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dimitrijević-Branković Suzana I.

2003-01-01

Full Text Available Food poisoning is the one of the main health hazards even today. More than 200 known diseases are transmitted through food. The causes of foodborne illness include viruses, bacteria, parasites, toxins, metals, and prions and the symptoms of foodborne illness range from mild gastroenteritis to life-threatening neurological, hepatic and renal syndromes.The prevention of food poisonings represents very serious task for food manufacturers. Beside food control according to the concept "from the farm to the table" there is increased need for the development of new technology for longer shelf lifes of food. Food fermented by lactic acid bacteria (LAB and traditionally considered to be safe. There are many substances produced by LAB that affect the shelf life of fermented food, by active suppression of poisoning microorganisms growth. Because of that, the LAB is recently considered as bioprotective agents that have important role in food safety.

Inhibition of Staphylococcus epidermidis Biofilm Formation by Traditional Thai Herbal Recipes Used for Wound Treatment

OpenAIRE

Chusri, S.; Sompetch, K.; Mukdee, S.; Jansrisewangwong, S.; Srichai, T.; Maneenoon, K.; Limsuwan, S.; Voravuthikunchai, S. P.

2012-01-01

Development of biofilm is a key mechanism involved in Staphylococcus epidermidis virulence during device-associated infections. We aimed to investigate antibiofilm formation and mature biofilm eradication ability of ethanol and water extracts of Thai traditional herbal recipes including THR-SK004, THR-SK010, and THR-SK011 against S. epidermidis. A biofilm forming reference strain, S. epidermidis ATCC 35984 was employed as a model for searching anti-biofilm agents by MTT reduction assay. The r...

Effect of Tragacanth as Binding Agents to Ginger (Zingiber Officinale Roxb.) Lozenges

OpenAIRE

Taurina, Wintari; Syukri, Yandi; Triastuti, Asih

2013-01-01

Ginger (Zingiber Officinale Roxb.) is a traditional plants usually used to relieve pain, rheumatism, and neutralize poison. The aim of this study was to get the optimum concentration of tragacanth as a binding agent in ginger lozenges formulation. The components from ginger were extracted using percolation with ethanol 70% and then evaporated using rotary evaporator. Lozenges were made in three formulas ; formula 1 (5%), 2 (7,5%), 3 (10%) of tragacanth using wet granulation method. Granules a...

A Composite Agent Architecture for Multi-Agent Simulations

OpenAIRE

VanPutte, Michael; Osborn, Brian; Hiles, John

2002-01-01

CGF Computer Generated Forces and Behavioral Representation The MOVES Institute’s Computer-Generated Autonomy Group has focused on a research goal of modeling complex and adaptive behavior while at the same time making the behavior easier to create and control. This research has led to several techniques for agent construction, that includes a social and organization relationship management engine, a composite agent architecture, an agent goal apparatus, a structure for capturi...

TACtic- A Multi Behavioral Agent for Trading Agent Competition

Science.gov (United States)

Khosravi, Hassan; Shiri, Mohammad E.; Khosravi, Hamid; Iranmanesh, Ehsan; Davoodi, Alireza

Software agents are increasingly being used to represent humans in online auctions. Such agents have the advantages of being able to systematically monitor a wide variety of auctions and then make rapid decisions about what bids to place in what auctions. They can do this continuously and repetitively without losing concentration. To provide a means of evaluating and comparing (benchmarking) research methods in this area the trading agent competition (TAC) was established. This paper describes the design, of TACtic. Our agent uses multi behavioral techniques at the heart of its decision making to make bidding decisions in the face of uncertainty, to make predictions about the likely outcomes of auctions, and to alter the agent's bidding strategy in response to the prevailing market conditions.

Short- and long-term releases of fluorocarbons from disposal of polyurethane foam waste

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjeldsen, Peter; Scheutz, Charlotte

2003-01-01

Several halocarbons having very high global warming or ozone depletion potentials have been used as a blowing agent (BA) for insulation foam in home appliances, such as refrigerators and freezers. Many appliances are shredded after the end of their useful life. Release experiments carried out in ...

Emission of volatiles from spray polyurethane foam (SPF) insulated crawl spaces

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Havermans, J.B.G.A.

2014-01-01

The emission of (di)isocyantes, polyols and blowing agents from curing Spray Polyurethane Foam (SPF) was studied in a house having its crawl space recently insulated. Before insulation a blank measurement was made and he emission was followed up to 144 hours after the insolation application. The

Method of fabricating nested shells and resulting product

Science.gov (United States)

Henderson, Timothy M.; Kool, Lawrence B.

1982-01-01

A multiple shell structure and a method of manufacturing such structure wherein a hollow glass microsphere is surface treated in an organosilane solution so as to render the shell outer surface hydrophobic. The surface treated glass shell is then suspended in the oil phase of an oil-aqueous phase dispersion. The oil phase includes an organic film-forming monomer, a polymerization initiator and a blowing agent. A polymeric film forms at each phase boundary of the dispersion and is then expanded in a blowing operation so as to form an outer homogeneously integral monocellular substantially spherical thermoplastic shell encapsulating an inner glass shell of lesser diameter.

Traditional and non-traditional educational outcomes : Trade-off or complementarity?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Wal, Marieke; Waslander, Sietske

2007-01-01

Recently, schools have increasingly been charged with enhancing non-traditional academic competencies, in addition to traditional academic competencies. This article raises the question whether schools can implement these new educational goals in their curricula and simultaneously realise the

Failure of Sterne- and Pasteur-like strains of Bacillus anthracis to replicate and survive in the urban bluebottle blow fly Calliphora vicina under laboratory conditions.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Britta von Terzi

Full Text Available This study aimed to elucidate the bacteriological events occurring within the gut of Calliphora vicina, selected as the European representative of blow flies held responsible for the spread of anthrax during epidemics in certain parts of the world. Green-fluorescent-protein-carrying derivatives of Bacillus anthracis were used. These lacked either one of the virulence plasmids pXO1 and pXO2 and were infected, or not infected, with a worm intestine phage (Wip4 known to influence the phenotype and survival of the pathogen. Blood meals were prepared for the flies by inoculation of sheep blood with germinated and, in case of pXO2+ strains, encapsulated cells of the four B. anthracis strains. After being fed for 4 h an initial 10 flies were externally disinfected with peracetic acid to ensure subsequent quantitation representing ingested B. anthracis only. Following neutralization, they were crushed in sterile saline. Over each of the ensuing 7 to 10 days, 10 flies were removed and processed the same way. In the absence of Wip4, strains showed steady declines to undetectable in the total B. anthracis counts, within 7-9 days. With the phage infected strains, the falls in viable counts were significantly more rapid than in their uninfected counterparts. Spores were detectable in flies for longer periods than vegetative bacteria. In line with the findings in both biting and non-biting flies of early workers our results indicate that B. anthracis does not multiply in the guts of blow flies and survival is limited to a matter of days.

Preparation of polyurethane foams using liquefied oil palm mesocarp fibre (OPMF) and renewable monomer from waste cooking oil

Science.gov (United States)

Kormin, Shaharuddin; Rus, Anika Zafiah M.; Azahari, M. Shafiq M.

2017-09-01

The aim of this research is the production of polyurethane (PU) foams with biopolyols from liquefied oil palm mesocarp fibre (OPMF) and renewable monomer. Liquefaction of OPMF was studied using polyhydric alcohol (PA) which is PEG-400 as liquefaction solvents in conventional glass flask. In the second part of this paper was obtained the PU foams which presented good results when compared with commercial foams and include polyols from of fossil fuels. PU foams were prepared by mixing liquefied OPMF biopolyol, renewable monomer from waste cooking, additives and methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI). Water was used as an environmental friendly blowing agent. The factors that influence the cell structure of foams (i.e., catalyst, surfactant, dosage of blowing agent, and mass ratio of biopolyol to renewable monomer were studied. The synthesized PU foams were characterized by FTIR and SEM. The formulation of the PU foams should be improved, but the results show that is possible the use biopolyols and renewable monomer to produce industrial foams with lower cost.

Whistle Blowing: What Do Contemporary Ethical Theories Say?

OpenAIRE

Bosupeng Mpho

2017-01-01

The rising number of scandals leading to the closure of many large companies is worrisome. The traditional belief is that business and ethics are oxymorons and one is not expected to be totally virtuous during business operations. Nonetheless, this does not mean ethical standards should be side-lined. Professional associations such as the Chartered Financial Institute (CFA) uphold moral values and urge members to exercise high moral standards and diligence in their duties. Philosophically, ma...

Gelatin sponge particle used as an embolic agent in transcatheter arterial chemoembolization treatment for primary hepatocellular carcinoma: its current situation in research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ao Jin; Zhang Yuewei; Xu Ke

2011-01-01

Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) is one of the most commonly used therapeutic procedures for primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). As an important and easily-available embolic agent, gelatin sponge (Gelfoam) particles have been constantly and widely employed in clinical practice. Various types of embolic agents have been continuously developed and effectively used in TACE for liver cancers. For recent years, great progress has been made in the clinical use of gelatin sponge particles, as the most traditional embolic agent, in the interventional therapeutic field for HCC. This article aims to make a comprehensive review about gelatin sponge. (authors)

Tracking movement and temperature selection of larvae of two forensically important blow fly species within a "maggot mass".

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Aidan P; Wighton, Samuel J; Wallman, James F

2014-11-01

The current study responds to the lack of understanding about the temperatures experienced by individual blow fly larvae within "maggot masses." The temperature selection of both aggregating (in a mass) and nonaggregating larvae was compared and their pattern of movement assessed. Infrared imaging determined the temperatures within a mass and in the vicinity of the constituent individual larvae, whose movements were tracked by dyeing their tissues red. Individual Chrysomya rufifacies larvae selected temperatures above 27°C, significantly higher than the temperature selected by Calliphora vicina larvae (24.5°C). However, this same difference was not seen within a mass, with both species selecting temperatures around 28°C. Larval movement in a mass was nonrandom, indicating that larvae actively select their position in a mass. Furthermore, larvae have a strong tendency to select the hottest part of a mass; therefore, maximum mass temperatures might provide a reliable proxy for the actual temperatures experienced by larvae. © 2014 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

A targetted intervention research on traditional healer perspectives of sexually transmitted illnesses in urban Zambia. Current research.

Science.gov (United States)

Masauso Nzima, M; Romano, K; Anyangwe, S; Wiseman, J; Macwan'gi, M; Kendall, C; Green, E C

1996-07-01

Interviews with 81 traditional healers from 4 Copperbelt towns in Zambia (Chililabombwe, Chingola, Luanshya, and Mufulira) investigated healers' understanding of, attitudes toward, and management of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). In general, Zambian traditional healers had detailed constructs of the physiology and infective processes underlying syphilis, gonorrhea, chancroid, and AIDS. STDs were considered to be caused by "dirt" or contamination residing in sperm or vaginal fluids and were closely linked to violations of moral codes. Healers shared complex nosologies based on distinctions between symptoms of different STD pathologies that were more inclusive than biomedical categories. Although condom use was not promoted, healers understood the importance of preventing an infective agent from passing from one person to another. Except for AIDS, STDs were considered curable by expelling the dirt through purgatives or emetics. Modern medicine was perceived as treating only STD symptoms, not curing. Most traditional healers insisted that the infected partner bring the other partner for consultation or treatment was withheld. Since these findings identified some areas of compatibility between indigenous and biomedical models of STDs, the Traditional Medicine Unit of the Ministry of Health and the HIV/AIDS Prevention Project of the Morehouse School of Medicine (Lusaka) established a program in which traditional healers receive AIDS training and learn to counsel clients on safer sex behaviors. Follow-up entails monthly meetings between health professionals and traditional healers. Since program initiation in June 1994, 800 traditional healers and 70 health professionals have participated. Traditional healers now sell condoms to their clients through a social marketing program.

Traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine: Focusing on research into traditional Tibetan medicine in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Peipei; Xia, Jufeng; Rezeng, Caidan; Tong, Li; Tang, Wei

2016-07-19

As a form of traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine (TCAM), traditional Tibetan medicine has developed into a mainstay of medical care in Tibet and has spread from there to China and then to the rest of the world. Thus far, research on traditional Tibetan medicine has focused on the study of the plant and animal sources of traditional medicines, study of the histology of those plants and animals, chemical analysis of traditional medicines, pharmacological study of those medicines, and evaluation of the clinical efficacy of those medicines. A number of papers on traditional Tibetan medicines have been published, providing some evidence of the efficacy of traditional Tibetan medicine. However, many traditional Tibetan medicines have unknown active ingredients, hampering the establishment of drug quality standards, the development of new medicines, commercial production of medicines, and market availability of those medicines. Traditional Tibetan medicine must take several steps to modernize and spread to the rest of the world: the pharmacodynamics of traditional Tibetan medicines need to be determined, the clinical efficacy of those medicines needs to be verified, criteria to evaluate the efficacy of those medicines need to be established in order to guide their clinical use, and efficacious medicines need to be acknowledged by the pharmaceutical market. The components of traditional Tibetan medicine should be studied, traditional Tibetan medicines should be screened for their active ingredients, and techniques should be devised to prepare and manufacture those medicines.

An agent-based model for energy service companies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robinson, Marguerite; Varga, Liz; Allen, Peter

2015-01-01

Highlights: • An agent-based model for household energy efficiency upgrades is considered. • Energy service companies provide an alternative to traditional utility providers. • Household self-financing is a limiting factor to widespread efficiency upgrading. • Longer term service contracts can lead to reduced household energy costs. • Future energy price increases enable service providers to retain their customer base. - Abstract: The residential housing sector is a major consumer of energy accounting for approximately one third of carbon emissions in the United Kingdom. Achieving a sustainable, low-carbon infrastructure necessitates a reduced and more efficient use of domestic energy supplies. Energy service companies offer an alternative to traditional providers, which supply a single utility product to satisfy the unconstrained demand of end users, and have been identified as a potentially important actor in sustainable future economies. An agent-based model is developed to examine the potential of energy service companies to contribute to the large scale upgrading of household energy efficiency, which would ultimately lead to a more sustainable and secure energy infrastructure. The migration of households towards energy service companies is described by an attractiveness array, through which potential customers can evaluate the future benefits, in terms of household energy costs, of changing provider. It is shown that self-financing is a limiting factor to the widespread upgrading of residential energy efficiency. Greater reductions in household energy costs could be achieved by committing to longer term contracts, allowing upgrade costs to be distributed over greater time intervals. A steadily increasing cost of future energy usage lends an element of stability to the market, with energy service companies displaying the ability to retain customers on contract expiration. The model highlights how a greater focus on the provision of energy services, as

Resolving the Framework Position of Organic Structure-Directing Agents in Hierarchical Zeolites via Polarized Stimulated Raman Scattering.

Science.gov (United States)

Fleury, Guillaume; Steele, Julian A; Gerber, Iann C; Jolibois, F; Puech, P; Muraoka, Koki; Keoh, Sye Hoe; Chaikittisilp, Watcharop; Okubo, Tatsuya; Roeffaers, Maarten B J

2018-04-05

The direct synthesis of hierarchically intergrown silicalite-1 can be achieved using a specific diquaternary ammonium agent. However, the location of these molecules in the zeolite framework, which is critical to understand the formation of the material, remains unclear. Where traditional characterization tools have previously failed, herein we use polarized stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy to resolve molecular organization inside few-micron-sized crystals. Through a combination of experiment and first-principles calculations, our investigation reveals the preferential location of the templating agent inside the linear pores of the MFI framework. Besides illustrating the attractiveness of SRS microscopy in the field of material science to study and spatially resolve local molecular distribution as well as orientation, these results can be exploited in the design of new templating agents for the preparation of hierarchical zeolites.

Multi-Agent Pathfinding with n Agents on Graphs with n Vertices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Förster, Klaus-Tycho; Groner, Linus; Hoefler, Torsten

2017-01-01

We investigate the multi-agent pathfinding (MAPF) problem with $n$ agents on graphs with $n$ vertices: Each agent has a unique start and goal vertex, with the objective of moving all agents in parallel movements to their goal s.t.~each vertex and each edge may only be used by one agent at a time....... We give a combinatorial classification of all graphs where this problem is solvable in general, including cases where the solvability depends on the initial agent placement. Furthermore, we present an algorithm solving the MAPF problem in our setting, requiring O(n²) rounds, or O(n³) moves...... of individual agents. Complementing these results, we show that there are graphs where Omega(n²) rounds and Omega(n³) moves are required for any algorithm....

Integrating adaptive behaviour in large-scale flood risk assessments: an Agent-Based Modelling approach

Science.gov (United States)

Haer, Toon; Aerts, Jeroen

2015-04-01

Between 1998 and 2009, Europe suffered over 213 major damaging floods, causing 1126 deaths, displacing around half a million people. In this period, floods caused at least 52 billion euro in insured economic losses making floods the most costly natural hazard faced in Europe. In many low-lying areas, the main strategy to cope with floods is to reduce the risk of the hazard through flood defence structures, like dikes and levees. However, it is suggested that part of the responsibility for flood protection needs to shift to households and businesses in areas at risk, and that governments and insurers can effectively stimulate the implementation of individual protective measures. However, adaptive behaviour towards flood risk reduction and the interaction between the government, insurers, and individuals has hardly been studied in large-scale flood risk assessments. In this study, an European Agent-Based Model is developed including agent representatives for the administrative stakeholders of European Member states, insurers and reinsurers markets, and individuals following complex behaviour models. The Agent-Based Modelling approach allows for an in-depth analysis of the interaction between heterogeneous autonomous agents and the resulting (non-)adaptive behaviour. Existing flood damage models are part of the European Agent-Based Model to allow for a dynamic response of both the agents and the environment to changing flood risk and protective efforts. By following an Agent-Based Modelling approach this study is a first contribution to overcome the limitations of traditional large-scale flood risk models in which the influence of individual adaptive behaviour towards flood risk reduction is often lacking.

The Effect of Traditional Chinese Formula Danchaiheji on the Differentiation of Regulatory Dendritic Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yingxi Li

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Recently, regulatory dendritic cells (DCregs, a newly described dendritic cell subset with potent immunomodulatory function, have attracted increased attention for their utility in treating immune response-related diseases, such as graft-versus-host disease, hypersensitivity, and autoimmune diseases. Danchaiheji (DCHJ is a traditional Chinese formula that has been used for many years in the clinic. However, whether DCHJ can program dendritic cells towards a regulatory phenotype and the underlying mechanism behind this process remain unknown. Herein, we investigate the effects of traditional Chinese DCHJ on DCregs differentiation and a mouse model of skin transplantation. The current study demonstrates that DCHJ can induce dendritic cells to differentiate into DCregs, which are represented by high CD11b and low CD86 and HLA-DR expression as well as the secretion of IL-10 and TGF-β. In addition, DCHJ inhibited DC migration and T cell proliferation, which correlated with increased IDO expression. Furthermore, DCHJ significantly prolonged skin graft survival time in a mouse model of skin transplantation without any liver or kidney toxicity. The traditional Chinese formula DCHJ has the potential to be a potent immunosuppressive agent with high efficiency and nontoxicity.

The Effect of Traditional Chinese Formula Danchaiheji on the Differentiation of Regulatory Dendritic Cells

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xiaodong; Tong, Jingzhi; Li, Keqiu; Jing, Yaqing

2016-01-01

Recently, regulatory dendritic cells (DCregs), a newly described dendritic cell subset with potent immunomodulatory function, have attracted increased attention for their utility in treating immune response-related diseases, such as graft-versus-host disease, hypersensitivity, and autoimmune diseases. Danchaiheji (DCHJ) is a traditional Chinese formula that has been used for many years in the clinic. However, whether DCHJ can program dendritic cells towards a regulatory phenotype and the underlying mechanism behind this process remain unknown. Herein, we investigate the effects of traditional Chinese DCHJ on DCregs differentiation and a mouse model of skin transplantation. The current study demonstrates that DCHJ can induce dendritic cells to differentiate into DCregs, which are represented by high CD11b and low CD86 and HLA-DR expression as well as the secretion of IL-10 and TGF-β. In addition, DCHJ inhibited DC migration and T cell proliferation, which correlated with increased IDO expression. Furthermore, DCHJ significantly prolonged skin graft survival time in a mouse model of skin transplantation without any liver or kidney toxicity. The traditional Chinese formula DCHJ has the potential to be a potent immunosuppressive agent with high efficiency and nontoxicity. PMID:27525028

9th KES Conference on Agent and Multi-Agent Systems : Technologies and Applications

CERN Document Server

Howlett, Robert; Jain, Lakhmi

2015-01-01

Agents and multi-agent systems are related to a modern software paradigm which has long been recognized as a promising technology for constructing autonomous, complex and intelligent systems. The topics covered in this volume include agent-oriented software engineering, agent co-operation, co-ordination, negotiation, organization and communication, distributed problem solving, specification of agent communication languages, agent privacy, safety and security, formalization of ontologies and conversational agents. The volume highlights new trends and challenges in agent and multi-agent research and includes 38 papers classified in the following specific topics: learning paradigms, agent-based modeling and simulation, business model innovation and disruptive technologies, anthropic-oriented computing, serious games and business intelligence, design and implementation of intelligent agents and multi-agent systems, digital economy, and advances in networked virtual enterprises. Published p...