Modeling Abrasion Forces in a Pneumatically Powered Grinding Tool Using Compressible Large Eddy Simulation

This paper describes the design of a new kind of miniature abrading sphere, which is magnetically mounted inside a spherical gap and set in rotation pneumatically with air. Large eddy simulation is performed in conjunction with the compressible Smagorinsky model. Minimal temperature variation allows for the assumption of adiabatic walls. Fluid-solid interaction is modeled using the law of the wall for compressible turbulent flow. A parametric study is done to determine optimal geometric layout while taking physical restrictions into account. The resulting optimal configuration is then examined in detail in order to determine demands to be met by the computerized control of the magnetic bearing as well as to quantify the force available to the abrasion process. Finally, a mathematical relation is given that determines available abrasion force depending on standard volumetric flow rate and rotation frequency. The findings presented here provide a basis for further development of smaller versions of the tool.     

Suitability of European climate for the Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus: recent trends and future scenarios

The Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) is an invasive species that has the potential to transmit infectious diseases such as dengue and chikungunya fever. Using high-resolution observations and regional climate model scenarios for the future, we investigated the suitability of Europe for A. albopictus using both recent climate and future climate conditions. The results show that southern France, northern Italy, the northern coast of Spain, the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea and western Turkey were climatically suitable areas for the establishment of the mosquito during the 1960–1980s. Over the last two decades, climate conditions have become more suitable for the mosquito over central northwestern Europe (Benelux, western Germany) and the Balkans, while they have become less suitable over southern Spain. Similar trends are likely in the future, with an increased risk simulated over northern Europe and slightly decreased risk over southern Europe. These distribution shifts are related to wetter and warmer conditions favouring the overwintering of A. albopictus in the north, and drier and warmer summers that might limit its southward expansion.     

Modelling electricity storage systems management under the influence of demand‐side management programmes

Electricity storage systems (ESS) for bulk energy storage are principally used for load levelling purposes or for relieving the intermittency of renewables. Another use is electricity arbitrage through the rule of ‘buy low, sell high’. This operation tracks the market‐clearing price (MCP) profiles and produces profit by exploiting the differences between peak and off‐peak prices. The profits made in this way depend on technology characteristics and the market competition level. We investigate the influence of demand‐side management (DSM) on ESS profitability when the only income is from provision of electricity arbitrage services, by optimizing the time allocation of the charge and discharge operations. Two scenarios of DSM in the market have been selected for two management periods (MP): 1 day and 3 days. The longer MP is examined in order to investigate the potential for higher economic value when energy transfer to the next day is permitted. The key finding is that a very small load shifting from peaks to off‐peaks, due to DSM, significantly affects the ESS profit. The significant profit losses the ESS showed are a result of the high capital costs and the small difference of the peak and off‐peak electricity prices in the Greek market. Therefore, under the assumptions we have made for this research, any attempt to use ESS in ‘buy low, sell high’ operation is not profitable. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Application of high-throughput computing in bioinformatics

We describe the challenges faced when developing a Linux/PC-based cluster to apply bioinformatics algorithms to the rapidly increasing raw genomics data available. The calculations, which take around two months to complete, result in a powerful resource that can be used for data mining--most obviously for the human genome. Our current infrastructure consists of a 1314 node cluster with 1734 processors supporting both production and research. This paper highlights the problems in achieving high data throughput with such systems and shows that raw computer power is only one component of a complex problem.     

Perceptual and signal detection factors in radiography

Diagnostic imaging systems (e.g. X-rays and ultrasound) play an important role in medicine. Owing to increasing workloads now carried by clinical radiologists, the interpretation of medical images is increasingly being passed to radiographers. This is especially so in those areas of diagnoses where examinations are performed on large numbers of patients but when the frequency of the disorder is very low (e.g. mass mammography screening). This study explored the accuracy of the radiographic interpretation of pulmonary nodules by clinical radiologists and student radiographers, and their correlations with tests of field-dependency, visual search and spatial reasoning. Overall performance in lung nodule detection gave a mean ROC (Az)=0.851 for student radiographers, while radiologists achieved 0.871. No correlation was found between diagnostic performance and either fielddependency or visual search. A significant negative correlation was found between diagnostic performance and spatial reasoning (p < 0.05).     

Changes in cow teat tissue created by two types of milking cluster

We have investigated the responses of cow teats to machine milking in a study of relatively newly installed commercial milking parlours fitted with one of two types of milking cluster. The first was a common type with a large claw volume (> 200 ml), 15-16 mm i.d. long milk tube, 10 mm short pulse tube, cluster weight < 3-2 kg and used alternate pulsation. The second was a more traditional type with a 150 ml claw bowl volume, 13.5 mm i.d. long milk tube, 8 mm short pulse tube, cluster weight approximately 3.5 kg and used simultaneous pulsation. We scored approximately 50 cows in each of 20 herds, all within 60 s of cluster removal, for changes from the premilking teat condition: teat colour (creation of reddening or blueness), firmness, thickening at the base of the teat associated with the position of the liner mouthpiece, and whether the teat duct orifice was open. There were statistically significant differences in the proportion of cows displaying these four alterations in teat condition between herds using the two types of cluster. The more common type of cluster was always associated with better teat condition. The cause and effect of poorer teat condition have not been fully established and are likely to be multifactorial. The principal risk factors may be cluster weight, overmilking, vacuum applied during the overmilking phase and the design of the liner mouthpiece.     

Taste agnosia following gustatory neocortex ablation: Dissociation from odor and generality across taste qualities.

In Exp I, 18 male Long-Evans hooded rats trained to avoid drinking in the presence of a compound odor (benzyl acetate) and taste (sucrose) CS lost the taste habit but retained the odor habit following gustatory neocortex (GN) ablation. Conversely, olfactory bulb ablation resulted in loss of the odor habit but retention of the taste habit. In Exp II, with 60 Ss, Ss lacking GN did not retain preoperatively instated learned aversions to a suprathreshold quinine hydrochloride (bitter) taste solution that had been employed as a CS. However, Ss with GN lesions that were virtually identical to those of the bitter-trained group retained a preoperatively learned aversion to a hydrochloric acid (sour) CS. Exp III, with 60 Ss, demonstrated that reliable agnosia for an acid CS could be produced by lesions that extended more deeply into perirhinal areas near the claustrum at the level of the GN. It is concluded that the agnosia following GN ablation is relatively specific to gustation and that agnosia for preoperatively acquired tasted aversion habits occurs for all 4 basic gustatory stimuli following anterolateral cortex ablations centered on the GN. (49 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Fast OBJ file importing and parsing in CUDA

Computational Visual Media - Alias-Wavefront OBJ meshes are a common text file type for transferring 3D mesh data between applications made by different vendors. However, as the mesh complexity...     

Carbonaceous nanomaterials for the enhancement of TiO2 photocatalysis

Semiconductor photocatalysis has important applications such as achieving sustainable energy generation and treating environmental pollution. TiO₂ has been the most widely-researched photocatalyst, but suffers from low efficiency and narrow light response range. Combining TiO₂ with carbonaceous nanomaterials is being increasingly investigated as a means to increase photocatalytic activity, and demonstrations of enhancement are plentiful. This review surveys the literature and highlights recent progress in the development of nanocarbon-TiO₂ photocatalysts, covering activated carbon, carbon doping, carbon nanotubes, [60]-fullerenes, graphene, thin layer carbon coating, nanometric carbon black and more recently developed morphologies. Mechanisms of enhancement, synthesis routes and future applications are summarised and discussed. New insight and enhanced photocatalytic activity may be provided by novel nanocarbon-TiO₂ systems. Ongoing challenges and possible new directions are outlined.