ARAB LIGHT CRUDE STUDY FOCUSES ON KINEMATIC VISCOSITY

Arab light crude oil has been characterized in terms of API gravity, total sulfur content, Reid vapor pressure, ash content, heating value, salt content, viscosity SUS, vanadium content as V₂O₅, pour point and analyses of various metals. The crude oil was fractionated into six true boiling point (TBP) fractions (IBP-95°C, 95-205°C, 205-260°C, 260-345°C, 345-455°C and 455°C+). These fractions were characterized in terms of API gravity, total sulfur, H₂S, mercaptan contents, molecular weight, elemental analyses for total carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen, and analyses of various metals. The kinematic viscosity data have been obtained for 95°C+ TBP fractions for a wide range of temperature up to 200°C.     

Hormonal mechanism of follicle deviation as indicated by major versus minor follicular waves during the transition into the anovulatory season in mares

Follicle growth and circulating hormone concentrations were compared between an interovulatory interval and the first 60 days of the anovulatory season in pony mares. Daily observations were made from November of three groups: (i) ablation of follicles of >/=6 mm in diameter at day 10 after an ovulation that initiated an interovulatory interval, as determined retrospectively (ovulatory group, n=8), (ii) ablation at day 10 after the last ovulation of the year (anovulatory-10 group, n=6); and (iii) ablation at day 60 after the last ovulation of the year (anovulatory-60 group, n=6). Follicular waves were defined as major (dominant follicle) and minor (no dominant follicle). The percentage of mares with major waves after ablation for the ovulatory, anovulatory-10 and anovulatory-60 groups was 100, 33 and 0%, respectively, and the percentage with minor waves was 0, 67 and 100%, respectively. Minor waves were also detected in 83% of anovulatory mares between day 20 and day 60. Growth of the largest follicle was similar for major waves and minor waves but only until the beginning of deviation in the major waves. FSH surges after ablation were similar for all groups and for surges detected during days 20-60. Concentrations of LH were greater in association with major waves than with minor waves. Both diameter of the largest follicle and LH concentrations for minor waves were greater after ablation at day 10 after the last ovulation of the year than after ablation at day 60. The results of this study indicate that major follicular waves developed in some mares early in the anovulatory season and that minor waves developed throughout the first 2 months. Despite similarities in the wave-stimulating FSH surge, differences in follicle growth occurred and were attributable, on a temporal basis, to differences in LH concentrations. A minor wave developed into a major wave when the largest follicle reached a diameter characteristic of the beginning of deviation in the presence of an adequate LH stimulus for continued growth of a dominant follicle.     

Discharge repetition in an air-filled cavity in polythene under high direct electric stresses

Measurements, at ambient temperature, with electric stresses in the solid up to 110kV/mm approaching the electric strength of the dielectric, are described. At the highest stresses, the tendency to self extinction of the discharges disappears, and the larger discharges become more frequent with time.     

Large deformation diffeomorphism and momentum based hippocampal shape discrimination in dementia of the Alzheimer type

In large-deformation diffeomorphic metric mapping (LDDMM), the diffeomorphic matching of images are modeled as evolution in time, or a flow, of an associated smooth velocity vector field v controlling the evolution. The initial momentum parameterizes the whole geodesic and encodes the shape and form of the target image. Thus, methods such as principal component analysis (PCA) of the initial momentum leads to analysis of anatomical shape and form in target images without being restricted to small-deformation assumption in the analysis of linear displacements. We apply this approach to a study of dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT). The left hippocampus in the DAT group shows significant shape abnormality while the right hippocampus shows similar pattern of abnormality. Further, PCA of the initial momentum leads to correct classification of 12 out of 18 DAT subjects and 22 out of 26 control subjects.     

Symmetric data attachment terms for large deformation image registration

Nonrigid medical image registration between images that are linked by an invertible transformation is an inherently symmetric problem. The transformation that registers the image pair should ideally be the inverse of the transformation that registers the pair with the order of images interchanged. This property is referred to as symmetry in registration or inverse consistent registration. However, in practical estimation, the available registration algorithms have tended to produce inverse inconsistent transformations when the template and target images are interchanged. In this paper, we propose two novel cost functions in the large deformation diffeomorphic framework that are inverse consistent. These cost functions have symmetric data-attachment terms; in the first, the matching error is measured at all points along the flow between template and target, and in the second, matching is enforced only at the midpoint of the flow between the template and target. We have implemented these cost functions and present experimental results to validate their inverse consistent property and registration accuracy.     

EFFECTS OF TRANSVERSE MAGNETIC FIELD,PRANDTL NUMBER AND REYNOLDS NUMBER ON NON-DARCY MIXED CONVECTIVE FLOW OF AN INCOMPRESSIBLE VISCOUS FLUID PAST A POROUS VERTICAL FLAT PLATE IN A SATURATED POROUS MEDIUM

The effect of transverse magnetic field parameter (Hartmann number, Ha), Reynolds number (Re) and Prandtl number (Pr) on the mixed convection flow past a semi-infinite vertical porous plate in a non-Darcian porous medium with variable viscosity and porosity, viscous dissipation and fluid–solid thermal conductivity ratio in the presence of plate transpiration (lateral mass flux) is investigated theoretically and numerically using Keller's implicit finite difference scheme. It is shown that the Hartmann number acts as a retarding force and increases the momentum boundary layer thickness, analogous to the flow against a positive pressure gradient, simultaneously decreasing local skin friction (shear stress). The heat transfer rate is however enhanced by the magnetic field (for positive values of the Eckert number) since the fluid is heated and temperature gradients become reduced between the fluid and the plate, with important potential applications in MHD power generators, materials processing and geothermal systems containing electrically-conducting fluids. The effects of high velocity flow (larger Re) and different Prandtl numbers corresponding to different industrial and geophysical fluids on heat transfer are also discussed. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of enzyme microcapsule shape on the performance of a nonisothermal packed-bed tubular reactor

The effects of enzyme microcapsule shape (spherical, cylindrical and flat plate) on the performance of a nonisothermal, packed-bed reactor have been modeled as a function of Biot number and Peclet number for mass and heat transfer (Bi_m, Bi_h, Pe_m and Pe_h), and dimensionless heat of reaction α. Under the given simulation conditions, only higher values of Bi_m and Bi_h (>2·5) confirm the influence of microcapsule shape on the reactor performance such that the axial and overall conversion and bulk temperature decrease as follows: spherical > cylindrical > flat plate. In terms of the shape-independent modified Biot number, Bi* = Bi/{(n + 1)/3}, this order is retained for 2 < Bi* < 8. The influence of increasing Pe_m, Pe_h, and α on conversion and bulk temperature also follows the above order. For the flat plate, the exit conversion and temperature are not influenced by Pe_m and Pe_h, that is, mass transfer and thermal backmixing effects, respectively. On the other hand, for the spherical and cylindrical microcapsules, overall backmixing effects are negligible only beyond a critical value of Pe_m (∼7) and Pe_h (∼1·75). The conversion and bulk temperature increase with the increase in α, independent of the microcapsule shape. The spherical and cylindrical microcapsules, unlike the flat plate, cannot be considered isothermal.     

High strength steel tension splices with one or two bolts

The paper presents experimental research of 38 tension splices with bolts in double shear. Steel grade S690 was used. The objective of the research was to determine ductility and resistance of such connections. The experimental resistance is compared to Eurocode provisions and a new bearing resistance formula is developed. The reliability assessment is given according to EN 1990, Annex D.     

Investigation of phase stability and oxide ion performance in new perovskite-type bismuth vanadate

Samples of the BICDVOX system, formulated as Bi₄Cd_xV_2−xO_{11−(3x/2)−δ} in the Cd substitution range 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.25 were synthesized using the standard solid state reaction.The correlation between phase stability and oxide ion performance were investigated by variable temperature XRPD, DSC and AC impedance spectroscopy. The substitution of V⁵⁺ by Cd²⁺ exhibited different phase transitions upon varying composition. For compositions with x ≤ 0.05, two successive transitions; α↔β↔γ are evident, while the β↔γ transition exists in the composition range 0.05 < x < 0.175. However, some temperature dependent phenomena confirmed the exixtence of the γ′↔γ transition, coupled with the tetragonal symmetry stabilization for x ≥ 0.175. The maximum oxide ion conductivity at lower temperatures was observed for x = 0.20. It has also been found that the slow V⁴⁺ → V⁵⁺ re–oxidation results in increased defect trapping effects in the system at higher temperatures.