A 3D visualization system for hurricane storm-surge flooding

Three-dimensional computer visualization and animation can provide a substitute for coastal residents', lack of personal experience with hurricane-surge flooding. Tremendous progress has been made in 3D animation in the last decade, which movies such as Perfect Storm and The Day After Tomorrow have demonstrated. However, the 3D visualization and animation system for storm-surge flooding differs from those in Hollywood movies in three aspects. First, objects such as buildings, roads, and trees in a synthetic 3D visualization environment not only have to be able to duplicate the real-world feature visually, but also be georeferenced so users can find real locations through addresses or spatial coordinates. The sizes and shapes of buildings and trees have to be accurate so users can sense the severity of flooding by comparing the water level with heights of familiar objects. Second, the magnitude, extent, and process of storm-surge flooding have to be accurate enough to represent the real situation. This information has to be based on hydrodynamics of storm surge. Third, the damage extent of a property caused by storm surge and waves, such as the collapse of a house, must be determined by engineering rules. Recent advances in high-resolution remote-sensing technology and numerical modeling make it possible to provide accurate data for the earth's surface features and storm-surge flooding.     

3D Wave Propagation and an Ultra–Low-Frequency Instability in Magnetopause

A model set of equations for the low-frequency electromagnetic perturbations in a magnetized nonuniform plasma is presented. A more convenient and systematic procedure is suggested to treat the fluid equations in order to deduce electrostatic and electromagnetic limits. A general dispersion relation is derived for the waves propagating in 3D under local approximation in nonuniform plasmas, which includes almost all the known modes of cold ion magnetized plasmas in the limit < _i (where _i is the ion cyclotron frequency). Both the limits 1 and O(1) have been discussed briefly. The shear Alfvén waves and electromagnetic ion acoustic waves near ultra low frequency (ULF) range are found unstable in the high plasma of magnetopause. The results are in complete agreement with the satellite observations.     

Controlling emissions from electroplating by the application of ultrasound

Ultrasonic irradiation applied either above the surface of a chromic acid plating bath or through the plating bath itself during the process of chromium electroplating reduces the emissions of hazardous chromic acid mist The use of ultrasound is particularly effective at high current densities. The results suggest that sonication during the electroplating of chromium may provide a useful method of controlling chrome mist emission without the need for a chemical additive (mist suppressant). In conjunction with lip extraction this could lead to a more efficient process since the use of ultrasound has been shown to be of benefit in the electroplating process itself.     

Prediction of Dry Powder Inhaler Formulation Performance From Surface Energetics and Blending Dynamics

The purpose of these studies was to investigate the ability of surface energy measurements and rates of mixing in dry powder inhaler (DPI) formulations to predict aerosol dispersion performance. Two lactose carrier systems comprising either spray-dried or milled particles were developed such that they had identical physical characteristics except for surface morphology and surface energies avoiding confounding variables common in other studies. Surface energy measurements confirmed significant differences between the powder systems. Spray-dried lactose had a higher surface entropy (0.20 vs. 0.13 mJ/m²K) and surface enthalpy (103.2 vs. 79.2 mJ/m²) compared with milled lactose. Mixing rates of budesonide or fluorescein were assessed dynamically, and significant differences in blending were observed between lactose systems for both drugs. Surface energies of the lactose carriers were inversely proportional to dispersion performance. In addition, the root mean square (RMS) of blending rates correlated positively with aerosol dispersion performance. Both techniques have potential utility in routine screening of DPI formulations.     

Electrostatic Auroral Density Cavities

A model set of nonlinear electrostatic equations is analyzed critically; they have been presented earlier to study the short-scale auroral density cavities (SSADC) observed by Freja satellite. It is shown that electron inertial effect is not necessary to obtain solitary structure through electrostatic nonlinear equations. The ion streaming and direction of propagation of the structure seem to be the two parameters that can decide the width of the density cavity.     

Study on the preparation and properties of novel block copolymeric materials based on structurally modified organometallic as well as organic polyamides and polydimethylsiloxane

Some novel ferrocene‐containing polyamide‐based block copolymer materials with telechelic polydimethylsiloxane oligomer and their organic analogues were prepared by solution‐phase polycondensation of ferrocene‐based organometallic and terephthaloyl‐ as well as isophthaloyl‐based organic acyl chlorides with a series of semi‐aromatic diamines having ether linkages together with variable aliphatic character. The corresponding polyamides of the synthesized materials, without polydimethylsiloxane segment, were also prepared for comparison of physicochemical properties. None of the synthesized organometallic and organic block copolymers along with their respective polyamides melted below 300 °C and their structural features were confirmed by their physical properties and spectroscopic studies. The weight‐average molecular weights and molecular parameters of all these materials were determined by the static laser light scattering technique. The materials were soluble in sulfuric acid and partially soluble in common organic solvents, and yet became readily soluble upon N‐trifluoroacetylation. The synthesized materials were further characterized by their water absorption characteristics, X‐ray diffraction studies and surface morphology (SEM and AFM) and thermal (DSC and TG) analyses, and their structure–property relationships were elucidated from these studies. The energies of pyrolysis for these materials were calculated by the Horowitz and Metzger method. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

An analytical simulator for deploying IP telephony

Deploying IP telephony or voice over IP (VoIP) is a major and challenging task. This paper describes an analytical design and planning simulator to assess the readiness of existing IP networks for the deployment of VoIP. The analytical simulator utilizes techniques used for network flows and queuing network analysis to compute two key performance bounds for VoIP: delay and bandwidth. The simulator is GUI‐based and has an interface with drag‐and‐drop features to easily construct any generic network topology. The simulator has an engine that automates and implements the analytical techniques. The engine determines the number of VoIP calls that can be sustained by the constructed network while satisfying VoIP QoS requirements and leaving adequate capacity for future growth. As a case study, the paper illustrates how the simulator can be utilized to assess the readiness to deploy VoIP for a typical network of a small enterprise. We have made the analytical simulator publicly available in order to improve and ease the process of VoIP deployment. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.