Academic literature on the topic 'Measurement G.fast'

A simple, fast method for the measurement of serum α1-antichymotrypsin by an immunoturbidimetric technique is described. The assay spans the range 0·21 g/L to 2·83 g/L which covers adequately the majority of concentrations encountered in normal and pathological sera. The precision is good and the accuracy acceptable, as judged by a comparison with an electroimmunoassay technique. A reference range has been obtained using samples collected from blood donors.

We present an efficient algorithm for computing a sub-optimal Earth Movers' Distance (EMD) between multidimensional histograms called EMD- g f, which is not limited to any type of measurement. Some algorithms that find a cross-bin distance between histograms have been proposed in the literature. Nevertheless, most of this research has been applied on 1D-histograms or on nD-histograms but with limited types of measurements. The EMD is a cross-bin distance between nD-histograms with any ground distance. Experimental validation shows that it obtains good retrieval results although the main drawback of this method is its cubic computational cost, O(z3), z being the total number of bins. The worst-case complexity of EMD- g f is O(z2), although the obtained average computational cost in the experiments is near O(m2), where m represents the number of bins per dimension, which is clearly lower than the computational cost of the EMD algorithm. Moreover, the experiments using real data show similar retrieval results.

Background: Biomass measurement and monitoring is a challenge in a number of biotechnology processes where fast, inexpensive, and non-contact measurement techniques would be of great benefit. Magnetic induction spectroscopy (MIS) is a novel non-destructive and contactless impedance measurement technique with many potential industrial and biomedical applications. The aim of this paper is to use computer modeling and experimental measurements to prove the suitability of the MIS system developed at the University of South Wales for controlled biomass measurements. Methods: The paper reports experimental measurements conducted on saline solutions and yeast suspensions at different concentrations to test the detection performance of the MIS system. The commercial electromagnetic simulation software CST was used to simulate the measurement outcomes with saline solutions and compare them with those of the actual measurements. We adopted two different ways for yeast suspension preparation to assess the system’s sensitivity and accuracy. Results: For saline solutions, the simulation results agree well with the measurement results, and the MIS system was able to distinguish saline solutions at different concentrations even in the small range of 0–1.6 g/L. For yeast suspensions, regardless of the preparation method, the MIS system can reliably distinguish yeast suspensions with lower concentrations 0–20 g/L. The conductivity spectrum of yeast suspensions present excellent separability between different concentrations and dielectric dispersion property at concentrations higher than 100 g/L. Conclusions: The South Wales MIS system can achieve controlled yeast measurements with high sensitivity and stability, and it shows promising potential applications, with further development, for cell biology research where contactless monitoring of cellular density is of relevance.

BACKGROUND: UK Royal Air Force fast jet aircrew use three different anti-G systems, however, little objective comparison of the G protection they provide exists. The G-protection afforded by each system and associated hemodynamic responses were investigated.METHODS: Ten subjects performed centrifuge acceleration exposures using Mk-10 (S1) and Mk-4 (S2) five-bladder anti-G trousers (AGT) and full coverage AGT plus pressure breathing for G-protection (PBG; S3). Measurements of relaxed G tolerance (RGT), eye-level blood pressure (BPeye), lower body blood volume (LBV), stroke volume (SV) and total peripheral resistance (TPR) were made during gradual onset runs (GOR) and rapid onset runs (ROR). The subjective effort required to maintain clear vision at +7 and +8 Gz provided an indication of the protection provided by the system.RESULTS: All systems moderated decreases in SV and BPeye and increases in LBV under increased +Gz. S3 provided the greatest mean RGT during GOR (+6.2 Gz) and ROR (+6 Gz), reduced the effort required to maintain clear vision at up to +8 Gz, prevented venous pooling and afforded the greatest rise in TPR. The majority of indices revealed no difference between S1 and S2 although RGT during the ROR was greater with S2 (+0.25 Gz).DISCUSSION: S3 effectively prevented pooling of blood in the lower limbs under +Gz, despite the use of PBG, and offers an advantage over five-bladder AGT. Given the similarities of S1 and S2, it was unsurprising that the majority of indices measured were similar. The objective measurement of hemodynamic parameters provides useful information for comparing the G-protection provided by anti-G systems.Pollock RD, Firth RV, Storey JA, Phillips KE, Connolly DM, Green NDC, Stevenson AT. Hemodynamic responses and G protection afforded by three different anti-G systems. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2019; 90(11):925–933.

Abstract Enzymatic (glucose oxidase) measurement of glucose concentration in the fluid compartment of Psammomys erythrocytes (Gfe) and of its concentration in the fluid compartment of blood plasma (Gfp) gives the ratio (mean +/- SD): Gfe/Gfp = 1.50 +/- 0.43 (n = 12, 23 degrees C). However, when we added 3H-labeled glucose (G*) in vitro to the whole blood, the ratio after 2 min was G*fe/G*fp = 0.90 (SD 0.11) and after 5 min G*fe/G*fp = 0.97 (SD 0.12). These calculations were based on previous determination of the fractional volumes of the fluid and non-fluid compartments in Psammomys blood. The results suggest that there is more than one compartment of measurable glucose in Psammomys erythrocytes. Glucose undergoes a fast free transfer between the plasma and the erythrocyte fluids, and a much slower transmission to another measurable compartment in the erythrocyte, where it is loosely bound to other molecules. This loosely bound glucose does not participate in the fast kinetic transmission across the erythrocyte membrane, but it is measurable by the glucose-oxidase-based method. Preliminary studies on human erythrocytes lead to similar conclusions.

A thermogravimetric system was designed, in which a large amount of sample (about 10 g) can be examined. Test of the combustion characteristics of cooking oil tar in pipe was conducted. Wavelet transform was introduced to the thermogravimetric data smoothing and differentiation analysis according to the experiment results, and the orthogonal test method was used to find the optimize wavelet parameter. Wavelet transform results were compared to the traditional Moving average,Gaussian Smoothing and Vondrak smoothing methods and it was proved that the signal-to-noise ratio () of the measurement is increased significantly. The kinetic parameters calculated from the original TG curves and smoothed DTG curves have excellent agreement,and thus the wavelet transform smoothing algorithms can be used directly and accurately in kinetic analysis.

SummaryActivated protein C resistance is in almost all cases caused by the factor V Leiden mutation (FV:R506Q). Due to the high prevalence and clinical significance of the mutation reliable methods suited for processing large sets of samples are in demand. We here present the oligonucleotide ligation assay (OLA) with lanthanide labeled oligonucleotides for the detection of FV Leiden. The assay is based on time resolved fluorescence measurement of lanthanide labeled oligonucleotides (DELFIA: Delayed Enhanced Lanthanide Fluorescence Immuno Assay) and on the specificity of T-4 DNA Ligase to join two adjacent oligonucleotides only when the two are complementary to the PCR template at the ligation junction. The Europium/Samarium fluorescence pattern is specific for each of the three genotypes (G/G, G/A, A/A) and clearly separates the three genotypes. By using a wildtype probe (Samarium labeled) and a mutant-specific probe (Europium labeled) simultaneously an internal control of the assay is included in each reaction. The assay is simple to perform, can be partly automated and is ideal for processing large sets of samples.

The new composite material Al(III)-TiO2 has been synthesized and applied as a modifier of graphene paste electrode for the determination of fipronil pesticide by cyclic voltammetry. The methods were to synthesis of Aluminum-Titanium dioxide (AT), preparation of graphene paste electrode with mass varied Al(III)-TiO2 (GAT) (0.05 g, 0.1 g, 0.2 g), and fipronil electroanalytic respons. Addition of Al(III)-TiO2 to the graphene paste electrode shows redox properties which are well characterized by a fast electron transfer process. Based on the results of measurements in a solution containing fipronil, it is known that fipronil is oxidized at a potential value of 0.26 V. Furthermore, the fipronil oxidation process on the GAT surface is influenced by diffusion control, this is powered by R2 value 0.91 when plotted between peak oxidation currents (Ip­a) vs. root scan rate. Other results show that measurement linearity is in the range 0.01 to 0.09 µg/L with a limit of detection (LOD) value of 0.0164 μg/L. Moreover, GAT shows good stability in the determination of fipronil with% RSD equal to 5%.

Bones are multifunctional passive organs of movement that supports soft tissue and directly attached muscles. They also protect internal organs and are a reserve of calcium, phosphorus and magnesium. Each bone is covered with periosteum, and the adjacent bone surfaces are covered by articular cartilage. Histologically, the bone is an organ composed of many different tissues. The main component is bone tissue (cortical and spongy) composed of a set of bone cells and intercellular substance (mineral and organic), it also contains fat, hematopoietic (bone marrow) and cartilaginous tissue. Bones are a tissue that even in adult life retains the ability to change shape and structure depending on changes in their mechanical and hormonal environment, as well as self-renewal and repair capabilities. This process is called bone turnover. The basic processes of bone turnover are: • bone modeling (incessantly changes in bone shape during individual growth) following resorption and tissue formation at various locations (e.g. bone marrow formation) to increase mass and skeletal morphology. This process occurs in the bones of growing individuals and stops after reaching puberty • bone remodeling (processes involve in maintaining bone tissue by resorbing and replacing old bone tissue with new tissue in the same place, e.g. repairing micro fractures). It is a process involving the removal and internal remodeling of existing bone and is responsible for maintaining tissue mass and architecture of mature bones. Bone turnover is regulated by two types of transformation: • osteoclastogenesis, i.e. formation of cells responsible for bone resorption • osteoblastogenesis, i.e. formation of cells responsible for bone formation (bone matrix synthesis and mineralization) Bone maturity can be defined as the completion of basic structural development and mineralization leading to maximum mass and optimal mechanical strength. The highest rate of increase in pig bone mass is observed in the first twelve weeks after birth. This period of growth is considered crucial for optimizing the growth of the skeleton of pigs, because the degree of bone mineralization in later life stages (adulthood) depends largely on the amount of bone minerals accumulated in the early stages of their growth. The development of the technique allows to determine the condition of the skeletal system (or individual bones) in living animals by methods used in human medicine, or after their slaughter. For in vivo determination of bone properties, Abstract 10 double energy X-ray absorptiometry or computed tomography scanning techniques are used. Both methods allow the quantification of mineral content and bone mineral density. The most important property from a practical point of view is the bone’s bending strength, which is directly determined by the maximum bending force. The most important factors affecting bone strength are: • age (growth period), • gender and the associated hormonal balance, • genotype and modification of genes responsible for bone growth • chemical composition of the body (protein and fat content, and the proportion between these components), • physical activity and related bone load, • nutritional factors: – protein intake influencing synthesis of organic matrix of bone, – content of minerals in the feed (CA, P, Zn, Ca/P, Mg, Mn, Na, Cl, K, Cu ratio) influencing synthesis of the inorganic matrix of bone, – mineral/protein ratio in the diet (Ca/protein, P/protein, Zn/protein) – feed energy concentration, – energy source (content of saturated fatty acids - SFA, content of polyun saturated fatty acids - PUFA, in particular ALA, EPA, DPA, DHA), – feed additives, in particular: enzymes (e.g. phytase releasing of minerals bounded in phytin complexes), probiotics and prebiotics (e.g. inulin improving the function of the digestive tract by increasing absorption of nutrients), – vitamin content that regulate metabolism and biochemical changes occurring in bone tissue (e.g. vitamin D3, B6, C and K). This study was based on the results of research experiments from available literature, and studies on growing pigs carried out at the Kielanowski Institute of Animal Physiology and Nutrition, Polish Academy of Sciences. The tests were performed in total on 300 pigs of Duroc, Pietrain, Puławska breeds, line 990 and hybrids (Great White × Duroc, Great White × Landrace), PIC pigs, slaughtered at different body weight during the growth period from 15 to 130 kg. Bones for biomechanical tests were collected after slaughter from each pig. Their length, mass and volume were determined. Based on these measurements, the specific weight (density, g/cm3) was calculated. Then each bone was cut in the middle of the shaft and the outer and inner diameters were measured both horizontally and vertically. Based on these measurements, the following indicators were calculated: • cortical thickness, • cortical surface, • cortical index. Abstract 11 Bone strength was tested by a three-point bending test. The obtained data enabled the determination of: • bending force (the magnitude of the maximum force at which disintegration and disruption of bone structure occurs), • strength (the amount of maximum force needed to break/crack of bone), • stiffness (quotient of the force acting on the bone and the amount of displacement occurring under the influence of this force). Investigation of changes in physical and biomechanical features of bones during growth was performed on pigs of the synthetic 990 line growing from 15 to 130 kg body weight. The animals were slaughtered successively at a body weight of 15, 30, 40, 50, 70, 90, 110 and 130 kg. After slaughter, the following bones were separated from the right half-carcass: humerus, 3rd and 4th metatarsal bone, femur, tibia and fibula as well as 3rd and 4th metatarsal bone. The features of bones were determined using methods described in the methodology. Describing bone growth with the Gompertz equation, it was found that the earliest slowdown of bone growth curve was observed for metacarpal and metatarsal bones. This means that these bones matured the most quickly. The established data also indicate that the rib is the slowest maturing bone. The femur, humerus, tibia and fibula were between the values of these features for the metatarsal, metacarpal and rib bones. The rate of increase in bone mass and length differed significantly between the examined bones, but in all cases it was lower (coefficient b <1) than the growth rate of the whole body of the animal. The fastest growth rate was estimated for the rib mass (coefficient b = 0.93). Among the long bones, the humerus (coefficient b = 0.81) was characterized by the fastest rate of weight gain, however femur the smallest (coefficient b = 0.71). The lowest rate of bone mass increase was observed in the foot bones, with the metacarpal bones having a slightly higher value of coefficient b than the metatarsal bones (0.67 vs 0.62). The third bone had a lower growth rate than the fourth bone, regardless of whether they were metatarsal or metacarpal. The value of the bending force increased as the animals grew. Regardless of the growth point tested, the highest values were observed for the humerus, tibia and femur, smaller for the metatarsal and metacarpal bone, and the lowest for the fibula and rib. The rate of change in the value of this indicator increased at a similar rate as the body weight changes of the animals in the case of the fibula and the fourth metacarpal bone (b value = 0.98), and more slowly in the case of the metatarsal bone, the third metacarpal bone, and the tibia bone (values of the b ratio 0.81–0.85), and the slowest femur, humerus and rib (value of b = 0.60–0.66). Bone stiffness increased as animals grew. Regardless of the growth point tested, the highest values were observed for the humerus, tibia and femur, smaller for the metatarsal and metacarpal bone, and the lowest for the fibula and rib. Abstract 12 The rate of change in the value of this indicator changed at a faster rate than the increase in weight of pigs in the case of metacarpal and metatarsal bones (coefficient b = 1.01–1.22), slightly slower in the case of fibula (coefficient b = 0.92), definitely slower in the case of the tibia (b = 0.73), ribs (b = 0.66), femur (b = 0.59) and humerus (b = 0.50). Bone strength increased as animals grew. Regardless of the growth point tested, bone strength was as follows femur > tibia > humerus > 4 metacarpal> 3 metacarpal> 3 metatarsal > 4 metatarsal > rib> fibula. The rate of increase in strength of all examined bones was greater than the rate of weight gain of pigs (value of the coefficient b = 2.04–3.26). As the animals grew, the bone density increased. However, the growth rate of this indicator for the majority of bones was slower than the rate of weight gain (the value of the coefficient b ranged from 0.37 – humerus to 0.84 – fibula). The exception was the rib, whose density increased at a similar pace increasing the body weight of animals (value of the coefficient b = 0.97). The study on the influence of the breed and the feeding intensity on bone characteristics (physical and biomechanical) was performed on pigs of the breeds Duroc, Pietrain, and synthetic 990 during a growth period of 15 to 70 kg body weight. Animals were fed ad libitum or dosed system. After slaughter at a body weight of 70 kg, three bones were taken from the right half-carcass: femur, three metatarsal, and three metacarpal and subjected to the determinations described in the methodology. The weight of bones of animals fed aa libitum was significantly lower than in pigs fed restrictively All bones of Duroc breed were significantly heavier and longer than Pietrain and 990 pig bones. The average values of bending force for the examined bones took the following order: III metatarsal bone (63.5 kg) <III metacarpal bone (77.9 kg) <femur (271.5 kg). The feeding system and breed of pigs had no significant effect on the value of this indicator. The average values of the bones strength took the following order: III metatarsal bone (92.6 kg) <III metacarpal (107.2 kg) <femur (353.1 kg). Feeding intensity and breed of animals had no significant effect on the value of this feature of the bones tested. The average bone density took the following order: femur (1.23 g/cm3) <III metatarsal bone (1.26 g/cm3) <III metacarpal bone (1.34 g / cm3). The density of bones of animals fed aa libitum was higher (P<0.01) than in animals fed with a dosing system. The density of examined bones within the breeds took the following order: Pietrain race> line 990> Duroc race. The differences between the “extreme” breeds were: 7.2% (III metatarsal bone), 8.3% (III metacarpal bone), 8.4% (femur). Abstract 13 The average bone stiffness took the following order: III metatarsal bone (35.1 kg/mm) <III metacarpus (41.5 kg/mm) <femur (60.5 kg/mm). This indicator did not differ between the groups of pigs fed at different intensity, except for the metacarpal bone, which was more stiffer in pigs fed aa libitum (P<0.05). The femur of animals fed ad libitum showed a tendency (P<0.09) to be more stiffer and a force of 4.5 kg required for its displacement by 1 mm. Breed differences in stiffness were found for the femur (P <0.05) and III metacarpal bone (P <0.05). For femur, the highest value of this indicator was found in Pietrain pigs (64.5 kg/mm), lower in pigs of 990 line (61.6 kg/mm) and the lowest in Duroc pigs (55.3 kg/mm). In turn, the 3rd metacarpal bone of Duroc and Pietrain pigs had similar stiffness (39.0 and 40.0 kg/mm respectively) and was smaller than that of line 990 pigs (45.4 kg/mm). The thickness of the cortical bone layer took the following order: III metatarsal bone (2.25 mm) <III metacarpal bone (2.41 mm) <femur (5.12 mm). The feeding system did not affect this indicator. Breed differences (P <0.05) for this trait were found only for the femur bone: Duroc (5.42 mm)> line 990 (5.13 mm)> Pietrain (4.81 mm). The cross sectional area of the examined bones was arranged in the following order: III metatarsal bone (84 mm2) <III metacarpal bone (90 mm2) <femur (286 mm2). The feeding system had no effect on the value of this bone trait, with the exception of the femur, which in animals fed the dosing system was 4.7% higher (P<0.05) than in pigs fed ad libitum. Breed differences (P<0.01) in the coross sectional area were found only in femur and III metatarsal bone. The value of this indicator was the highest in Duroc pigs, lower in 990 animals and the lowest in Pietrain pigs. The cortical index of individual bones was in the following order: III metatarsal bone (31.86) <III metacarpal bone (33.86) <femur (44.75). However, its value did not significantly depend on the intensity of feeding or the breed of pigs.

In the field of obstetrics, the advent of diagnostic ultrasound was most welcome because of the obvious lack of a non-invasive method providing information on the fetus in utero. The subsequent very fast and widespread use of ultrasound in clinical obstetrics was vindication that the method fulfilled the expectations and that it literally ‘opened a window into the uterus’. Ultrasound enabled direct examinations of fetal anatomy, measurements of fetal size and growth, and recording of intrauterine activities. Nowadays, 97 % of all pregnant women in Sweden undergo at least one ultrasound examination during their pregnancy. The early positive results reported from the application of ultrasound in cardiology and neurosurgery at Lund University elicited interest to test the method on pregnant women at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Lund. In 1957, Alf Sjövall, then professor in obstetrics and gynaecology, discussed over a lunch-table with neurosurgeon Lars Leksell his very first experience of diagnosing subdural hematoma using ultrasound. Professor Sjövall asked then Bertil Sundén, who worked at his department, to investigate early pregnancies with the Krautkrämer echoscope belonging to Leksell. The aim was to examine whether it would be possible to detect echoes from the fetus in early pregnancies and to differentiate it from myomatous enlargements of the uterus and from ovarian tumours. The Krautkrämer echoscope offered only an A-mode display of ultrasound signals so no tangible results were obtained as the origin of the echoes could not be identified. At that time, it was unknown whether or not ultrasound might have any harmful effects on embryonic tissue and therefore these first investigations in early pregnancies were done on patients admitted for interruption of pregnancy. After that Ian Donald published the first description of an echoscope generating a two dimensional display in 1958, Bertil Sundén went on a three-week visit to Professor Donald in Glasgow. There he met electronic engineer Tom G. Brown, employed by Smiths Industrial Division in Glasgow, who had built Donald’s machine. During his stay in Glasgow Sundén performed several investigations on obstetric and gynaecological patients using Brown’s equipment that was the only one of its type.

The development of modern gas turbines is accompanied by an extensive prototype testing. To evaluate performance, the engines are fitted with a substantial number of sensors measuring pressures, temperatures, shaft speeds etc. The test data is analyzed by procedures calculating data that is not directly measured, e. g. component efficiencies and turbine temperatures. Engine manufacturers usually apply such procedures for a detailed analysis after the test (offline) as well as to ensure a safe and efficient engine operation during the test (online). Especially for the latter application, a fast and reliable assessment of the performance of the engine and its components as well as a fast and reliable detection of measurement faults is required. The paper describes a fully automated performance analysis procedure for offline as well as for online applications. Basis of the procedure is a full thermodynamic model representing the expected behavior of the engine to be tested. By such a model-based analysis procedure a comparison between test data and the expected engine behavior is performed. The way the comparison is done allows detecting and isolating measurement faults and component malfunctions. In case of a detected measurement fault, the measurement will be excluded automatically from the analysis. At MTU Aero Engines GmbH the procedure is regularly applied for online and offline test data analysis of different engine types. Compared to the procedures used so far, a lot of measurement faults can be detected quickly and reliably.

Pressure vessel integrity assessment after long-term service irradiation is commonly based on surveillance program results. Nevertheless, only the investigation of RPV material from decommissioned NPPs enables the evaluation of the real toughness response. Such a chance is given now through the investigation of material from the former Greifswald NPP (VVER-440/230) to evaluate the material state of a standard RPV design and to assess the quality of prediction rules and assessment tools. The operation of the four Greifswald units was finished in 1991 after 12–15 years of operation. In autumn 2005 the first trepans (diameter 120 mm) were gained from the unit 1 of this NPP. Some details of the trepanning procedure will be given. The paper mainly deals with the retrospective dosimetry based on Niobium, which is a trace element of the RPV material. The reaction 93Nb(n,n′)93mNb with an energy dependence highly correlated to radiation damage and a half life of the reaction product of 16.13 years is well suited for retrospective fast neutron dosimetry. Fluence calculations using the code TRAMO were based on pin-wise time dependent neutron sources and an updated nuclear data base (ENDF/B-VI release 8). The neutron spectra were determined at the trepan positions. The different loading schemes of unit 1 (standard and with 4 or 6 dummy assemblies) were taken into account. The calculated specific 93mNb activities for February, 2006 at the sample positions were determined to 16.3 Bq/μg Nb for sample 1, (0.1cm distance from inner wall), and 4.0 Bq/μg Nb for sample 2 (11.5 cm distance from inner wall). Unfortunately, a second neutron reaction besides 93Nb(n,n′) leading to 93mNb-activity is the reaction 92Mo(n,γ)93Mo. 93Mo decays by electron capture to 93mNb with a half life of 4000 years and a branching ratio br = 0.88. As (n,γ)-reactions are produced mainly by low energy neutrons, being less important for material damage, the 93mNb-activity generated through the Mo-path should be determined separately and subtracted from the measured activity. For the sample 1 in the maximum flux azimuthal position of weld SN4 with a Nb-content of 8 ppm and an Mo-content of 4000 ppm for February 3, 2006 was obtained a Mo-induced 93mNb-activity of 80 Bq/g steel, amounting to 37.7% of the total 93mNb-activity. It turns out that the 93mNb generation on the second path is nearly of the same order as the fast neutron induced generation from Niobium. For the experimental determination of the 93mNb-activity the Nb-content was determined by ICP-MS (inductive coupled plasma mass spectrometry) after dissolution of the material sample. The radiochemical isolation of Nb was done by anion exchange separation. The radiochemical separation was accompanied by determination of the chemical yield of Nb using again the ICP-MS method. The measurement of the 93mNb activity was realized by Liquid Scintillation Spectrometry (LSC). The first comparison between the calculated and the measured 93mNb activities resulted in deviations between 15 and 50%. Possible reasons for the observed differences are discussed.

There has been an increasing interest in dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuation for flow control in the past decade. Compared to other means of active flow controls, the DBD plasma actuations have several advantages, including absence of moving parts, a fast time response for unsteady applications, a very low mass of the device, no cavities or holes on control surfaces, and possibly low energy consumption. These features are especially important for applications with high g-loads, such as turbomachinery blades rotating at high speed. A computational method has been developed to couple a DBD electro-hydrodynamic (EHD) body force model with the Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) model for incompressible flows. The EHD body force model is based on solving the electrostatic equations for the electric potential due to applied voltage and the net charge density due to ionized air. The boundary condition for charge density on the dielectric surface is obtained from a Space-Time Lumped-Element (STLE) circuit model that accounts for time and space dependence of the air ionization on the input voltage amplitude, frequency, electrode geometry, and dielectric properties. Alternatively, an empirical formulation representing a Gaussian distribution of charge density on the dielectric surface can also be used. The EHD body force is calculated using the solutions obtained from solving the electric potential and the net charge density equations. As a comparison, a much simpler Linearized Electric Body Force (LEBF) model is also used to directly specify the spatial distribution of the averaged EHD body force. The coupled computational models have been implemented using a multiple-domain approach. The electric potential equation, the net charge density equation, and the flow equations are solved in separate computational domains. All equations are discretized in space using a cell-centered finite volume method. Parallel computation is implemented using domain-decomposition and message passing interface (MPI). Due to a large disparity in time scales between the electric discharge and the flow, a multiple sub-cycle technique is used in coupling the plasma solver and the flow solver. The DBD plasma induced flow in quiescent air is used as a test case and the computational results are validated against experimental measurement. A comparison between different EHD body force models is also presented. Then, the effect of driving duty-cycles with different waveforms and input voltage amplitudes is investigated in terms of electrical power, EHD thrust, and kinetic energy of induced flow.

Few measurements have been made of vitamin K in neonatal tissues. Using an assay based on HPLC with dual-electrode electrochemical detection we have investigated the vitamin K status of the newborn from analyses of paired cord-maternal plasma samples and liver samples obtained at post-mortem. For vitamin K1 (K1) the median value in cord plasma (16 pg/ml, range 4-45 pg/ml) in 20 babies was some 30 fold lower than that in maternal plasma (median 0.47 ng/ml , range 0.14-2.42 ng/ml). This is the highest maternal-cord gradient of all the fat-soluble vitamins and together with the lack of correlation between cord and maternal values suggests that K1 does not rapidly equilibrate across the placenta. Hepatic neonatal-adult differences in K1 levels were less marked being about 5 fold lower at birth (median 1.2 ng/g, range 0.1-8.8 ng/g, n = 22) than in adults (median 5.4 ng/g, range 1.1-21.3 ng/g, n = 32). No relationship was found between hepatic K1 and gestational age and relatively high levels (1-2 ng/g) were detected at 10-12 weeks gestation. Post mortem livers obtained after intramuscular K1 prophylaxis at birth (0.5-1.0 mg) had K1 levels which were raised dramatically (1000 to 5000 fold after 24-48 h) and which remained raised for at least one week. A preliminary assessment of the contribution of vitamins K1 (menaquinones, MKs) to vitamin K1 status revealed undetectable levels in fetal or neonatal livers until about 14 days post-partum. This was in marked contrast to adults in whom MKs 7-10 accounted for the majority of liver vitamin K (75-97% on a molar basis). In adult plasma MKs were present at much lower levels than K1; the low circulating levels and poor1placental transport would explain our inability to detect MKs in newborn livers. When expressed as total vitamin K (K1 and MKs) we concluded that the newborn may have only about 2% of adult hepatic concentrations; this relative deficit of MKs may be responsible for the high susceptibility of the newborn to vitamin K deficiency.

A single-velocity-component Phase Doppler Particle Analyzer is used to survey and measure local variations in drop-size distributions and drop velocities in the near-nozzle region of a practical, contra-swirling, prefilming airblast atomizer. The technique of Laser Sheet Imaging is used to obtain global patterns of the spray. All measurements are taken with a constant pressure drop across the atomizer of 5 percent, at ambient air pressures of 1, 6 and 12 bar. The liquid employed is aviation kerosine at flow rates up to 75 g/s. The results show that increasing the air pressure from 1 to 12 bar at a constant air/fuel ratio causes the initial spray cone angle to widen from 85° to 105°. Further downstream the spray volume remains largely unaffected by variations in atomizer operating conditions. However, the radial distribution of fuel within the spray volume is such that increases in fuel flow rate cause a larger proportion of fuel to be contained in the outer regions of the spray. The effect of ambient pressure on the overall Sauter mean diameter is small. This is attributed to the fact that the rapid disintegration of the fuel sheet produced by the contra-swirling air streams ensures that the atomization process is dominated by the ‘prompt’ mechanism. For this mode of liquid breakup, theory predicts that mean drop sizes are independent of air pressure.

One of the key factors ensuring gas turbine engines (GTE) competitiveness is improvement of life, reliability and fuel efficiency. However fuel efficiency improvement and the required increase of turbine inlet gas temperature (T*g) can result in gas turbine engine life reduction because of hot path components structural properties deterioration. Considering circumferential nonuniformity, local gas temperature T*g can reach 2500 K. Under these conditions the largest attention at designing is paid to reliable cooling of turbine vanes and blades. At present in design practice and scientific publications comparatively little attention is paid to detailed study of turbine split rings thermal condition. At the same time the experience of modern GTE operation shows high possibility of defects occurrence in turbine 1st stage split ring. This work objective is to perform conjugate numerical simulation (gas dynamics + heat transfer) of thermal condition for the turbine 1st stage split ring in a modern GTE. This research main task is to determine the split ring thermal condition by defining the conjugate gas dynamics and heat transfer result in ANSYS CFX 13.0 package. The research subject is the turbine 1st stage split ring. The split ring was simulated together with the cavity of cooling air supply from vanes through the case. Besides turbine 1st stage vanes and blades have been simulated. Patterns of total temperature (T*Max = 2000 °C) and pressure and turbulence level at vanes inlet (19.2 %) have been defined based on results of calculating the 1st stage vanes together with the combustor. The obtained results of numerical simulation are well coherent with various experimental studies (measurements of static pressure and temperature in supply cavity, metallography). Based on the obtained performance of the split ring cooling system and its thermal condition, the split ring design has been considerably modified (one supply cavity has been split into separate cavities, the number and arrangement of perforation holes have been changed etc.). All these made it possible to reduce considerably (by 40…50 °C) the split ring temperature comparing with the initial design. The design practice has been added with the methods which make it possible to define thermal condition of GTE turbine components by conjugating gas dynamics and heat transfer problems and this fact will allow to improve the designing level substantially and to consider the influence of different factors on aerodynamics and thermal state of turbine components in an integrated programming and computing suite.

Abstract The work bowl acceleration of a vibratory finishing machine is mainly determined by the process input variables, e. g. the mass distribution between the upper and the lower imbalance weights, the offset angle between these imbalance weights and the rotational speed of the imbalance motor. The acceleration of the work bowl has a strong effect on the acceleration of the abrasive media and workpiece within the work bowl and thus on their movement. This movement indirectly determines the contact conditions, contact forces and relative velocities, between the abrasive media and the workpiece. The contact conditions have a strong effect on the material removal rate and the surface roughness of the machined workpieces in a vibratory finishing process. Due to the fact that the contact conditions can hardly be measured during the vibratory finishing process a comprehensive understanding of the transfer behavior of the work bowl acceleration on the acceleration of the abrasive media and the workpiece and thus on the prevailing contact conditions is necessary. Therefore, this publication presents an innovative approach to identify these cause-effect relationships, in order to determine the machining intensity based on the work bowl acceleration as a function of the process input variables. Hence, new measurement systems are presented which enable the determination of the acceleration of the abrasive media and the workpiece as a function of the acceleration of the work bowl of a vibratory finishing machine for the first time. Based on these investigations it is possible to identify significant areas for the work bowl acceleration, as well as for the acceleration of the abrasive media and the workpiece and thus for the contact conditions, contact forces and relative velocities, which can be used for a targeted control of the machining intensity of vibratory finishing processes.

For the deterministic analysis of extreme structure behavior, the hydrodynamics of the exciting wave field, i. e. pressure and velocity fields, must be known. Whereas responses of structures, e. g. motions, can easily be obtained by model tests, the detailed characteristics of the exciting waves are often difficult to determine by measurements. Therefore, numerical wave tanks (NWT) promise to be a handy tool for providing detailed insight into wave hydrodynamics. In this paper different approaches for numerical wave tanks are introduced and used for the simulation of rogue wave sequences. The numerical wave tanks presented are characterized by the following key features: a) Potential theory with Finite Element discretization (Pot/FE); b) Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes Equations (RANSE) using the Volume of Fluid (VOF) method for describing the free surface. For the NWT using the VOF method three different commercial RANSE codes (CFX, FLUENT, COMET) are applied to calculate wave propagation, whereas simulations based on potential theory are carried out with a wave simulation code developed at Technical University Berlin (WAVETUB). It is shown that the potential theory method allows a fast and accurate simulation of the propagation of nonbreaking waves. In contrast, the RANSE/VOF method allows the calculation of breaking waves but is much more time-consuming, and effects of numerical diffusion can not be neglected. To benefit from the advantages of both solvers, i. e. the calculation speed (Pot/FE-solver WAVETUB) and the capability of simulating breaking waves (RANSE/VOF-solver), the coupling of both simulation methods is introduced. Two different methods of coupling are presented: a) at a given position in the wave tank; b) at a given time step. WAVETUB is used to simulate the propagation of the wave train from the start towards the coupling position (case A) or until wave breaking is encountered (case B). Subsequently, the velocity field and the contour of the free surface is handed over as boundary (case A) or initial values (case B) to the RANSE/VOF-solver and the simulation process is continued. To validate these approaches, different types of model seas for investigating wave/structure interactions are generated in a physical wave tank and compared to the numerical simulations.

All proposals for clearance from regulatory control of very low level radioactive material are based on predicted scenarios for subsequent utilisation of the released materials. The calculation models used in these scenarios tend to utilise conservative data regarding exposure times and dose uptake as well as other assumptions as a safeguard against uncertainties. Another aspects is common to all these calculation models and codes: none of them has ever been validated by comparison with the actual real life practice of recycling. An international project has recently been concluded where two calculation codes used for this purpose (the RESRAD-RECYCLE and CERISE codes) were used to calculate the dose uptake by workers, during the segmentation and melting of a contaminated fuel rack at Studsvik RadWaste, Sweden. These calculated doses were compared with electronic dosimeter measurements on workers participating in the various operations. The measurements showed that segmenting was the work operation that gave the highest dose, almost 65% of the total dose incurred, while melting itself accounted for only about 13%. The project was a co-operation between the Swedish Radiation Protection Institute, Studsvik (Sweden), the US Department of Energy, Argonne National Laboratory (USA), the Institute de Radioprotection et Securite´ Nucle´aire (France) and Belgoprocess (Belgium). The comparison of the calculation results indicated that, even with a carefully controlled reflection of reality with respect to geometry and exposure time and with a “best judgment” choice of densities for each operation, the calculation programmes have tended to overestimate the dose uptake by a factor 4 to 7, i.e. about an order of magnitude. An obvious explanation is the fact that the workers are not static, they move about constantly, changing the geometry, thus not taking the assumed doses. There are also some other practical aspects difficult to reflect exactly in the calculations. It should be noted that the Swedish Radiation Protection Institute were not completely of the same opinion as the project team, pointing out that the codes also underestimated doses for certain operations. We feel, however, that this is irrelevant, as only the maximum estimated doses for any operation in the process are used for the determination of clearance levels. It seems reasonable to state that the use of ‘enveloping’ scenarios, which necessarily cover a wide range of scenarios range of scenarios in connection with the calculation of clearance levels, would tend to accentuate this tendency of overestimation of dose uptake in most individual cases of recycling by melting. Taking into account the sensitivity of the modelling and the practical aspects listed above, the estimated doses can be, say, one or even more orders of magnitude higher than those actually taken. A side aspect of the execution of the Validation Project — specifically the background measurements — was the revelation of radioactivity in unexpected places: the paint used for the painting of moulds at A˚kers (3–5 Bq/g), the slag binding product (twice background radiation), the stamp mass, insulation and new asphalt at the Studsvik furnace (all at three to four times background). This serves to illustrate the undetected omnipresence of radioactivity in the human habitat at dose rate levels considerably higher (up to 400% over background) than the levels (ca 1% over background) at which the currently proposed clearance criteria are based on. Finally, it is important to note that the degree of overestimation (a factor of 4 −7), as recorded in the validation project, is generally regarded as ‘acceptable’ by dose modellers. The results will most probably not lead to any revision or refinement of these codes. For the nuclear decommissioner and the other producers of large volumes of only slightly radioactively contaminated material, the clearance levels resulting from such a degree of conservatism can lead to huge amounts of material unnecessarily being condemned to burial as radioactive waste. Considering that most such producers transfer their costs to the public, it is society at large that will foot the bill for this exercise in conservatism.