A Comparison Between the Interpolated Bounce-Back Scheme and the Immersed Boundary Method to Treat Solid Boundary Conditions for Laminar Flows in the Lattice Boltzmann Framework

In this paper, the interpolated bounce-back scheme and the immersed boundary method are compared in order to handle solid boundary conditions in the lattice Boltzmann method. These two approaches are numerically investigated in two test cases: a rigid fixed cylinder invested by an incoming viscous fluid and an oscillating cylinder in a calm viscous fluid. Findings in terms of velocity profiles in several cross sections are shown. Differences and similarities between the two methods are discussed, by emphasizing pros and cons in terms of stability and computational effort of the numerical algorithm.     

Operational transfer path analysis

One of the tools used to study the NVH behaviour of a system is the transfer path analysis. It aims to identify the operational forces and the propagation paths of the vibrations and is especially interesting in the case when the system is composed of different subsystems. The classical techniques identify the transfer paths when the system is disassembled. This way one eliminates flanking transfer paths. Yet it is very time-consuming and the boundary conditions are not correct anymore. The presented method makes it possible to identify the transfer paths without disassembling the system. The advantages are that the overall testing time is reduced and that the real boundary conditions are present. In this article the theory will be reviewed and it will be validated using data generated by finite element simulations.     

Loss characteristics in coplanar propagation waveguides fabricated on IIa diamond substrates

The properties of coplanar propagation waveguides (CPW) on various diamond substrates are investigated. We demonstrate that on such material, the physico-chemical surface treatments may be fundamental to obtain good microwave properties. CPW were processed on single crystal CVD diamond samples that were grown either as bulk substrate or as a thin epitaxial layer on a type IIa natural diamond substrate. These CPW exhibited losses around 0.15 dB/mm at 10 GHz and 0.25 dB/mm at 40 GHz. Temperature-dependant measurements imply that structural defects may involve parasitic current conduction. The loss angle tangents of both samples have then been extracted from a quasi-TEM numerical modelling, they are about 0.025 for each kind of substrate.     

Electrical contact resistance between stainless steel bipolar plate and carbon felt in PEFC: A comprehensive study

Bipolar plate represents a key component of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEFC) with several essential functions, among them the electric connection of elementary cells. Usually made of graphite, this component is studied worldwide in order to develop a commercially viable alternative: different ways have been being investigated, and to date, despite corrosion issues, stainless steel (SS) appears as a good candidate material, but its Electrical Contact Resistance (ECR) can reach unacceptable values when exposed to PEFC environment. This paper offers a comprehensive study of the parameters acting on ECR when using uncoated SS in PEFC: roughness, which influences the surface contact area with carbon baking, bulk composition of the alloy, which influences only partly the nature of passive films, and the composition and structure of passive films, strongly modified by surface treatments and ageing conditions.     

The effect of concentrated masses on the response of a plate under a turbulent boundary layer excitation

This work is aimed at the numerical analysis of the vibration response of a plate, carrying one or more concentrated masses, under a stochastic, and convective load. The pressure load is a typical turbulent boundary layer excitation (TBL) and the structural configurations reproduce common experimental situations because the concentrated masses can be considered similar to accelerometer sensors.The models adopt the Corcos TBL model and the concentrated masses are simulated with the Dirac singularity function. The approximations, introduced with the above assumptions on the concentrated masses, and the necessary numerical accuracy, in calculating the structural responses, are discussed.The added masses do not lead to a relevant modification of the global structural response but, on the contrary, the results show that the local effects can be relevant: the paper highlights the differences of the vibration responses from the analogous structural configurations under a stochastic load without convective characteristics.     

Acerola and cashew apple as sources of antioxidants and dietary fibre

Several tropical fruits have been described as natural sources of dietary fibre (DF) and phenolic compounds, associated with different health effects. The aim of this work was to ascertain the DF, phenolic compounds content (including non‐extractable polyphenols, mostly associated with DF) and antioxidant capacity in acerola fruits and cashew apples from selected clones. ‘BRS 236’ acerola fruits presented a high antioxidant capacity because of the combination of both extractable polyphenols and l ‐ascorbic acid (providing together a Folin value of 170 kg^?1 g d.m.). ‘CCP 76’ cashew apples contained 28 g kg^?1 d.m. of extractable polyphenols and 13 g kg^?1 d.m. of ascorbic acid as well as a high amount of non‐extractable condensed tannins (52 g kg^?1 d.m.). DF content was of 260 g kg^?1 d.m. in acerola fruit and of 209 g kg^?1 d.m. in cashew apple. Acerola fruits and cashew apple should therefore be considered as new natural sources of DF and phenolic compounds.     

Dietary krill oil increases docosahexaenoic acid and reduces 2-arachidonoylglycerol but not N-acylethanolamine levels in the brain of obese Zucker rats

Evidence suggests that dietary long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs), and particularly those belonging to the n-3 family, may influence the brain fatty acid profile and, thereby, the biosynthesis of endocannabinoids in rodents. However, the doses used are usually quite high and not comparable with human intake. Recently, we have shown that relatively low doses of dietary n-3 LCPUFAs (4 weeks), in the form of either fish or krill oil, balanced for EPA and DHA content, and against a control diet with no EPA and DHA and similar contents of oleic, linoleic and α-linolenic acids, lower the concentrations of the endocannabinoids, anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), in the visceral adipose tissue, and of AEA in the liver and heart, of obese Zucker rats. This, in turn, is associated with lower levels of arachidonic acid in membrane phospholipids and with amelioration of some metabolic syndrome parameters. We investigated here whether in Zucker rats, under the same conditions, fish and krill oil are also able to influence LCPUFA and endocannabinoid profiles in brain. Only krill oil was able to increase significantly DHA levels in brain phospholipids, with no changes in arachidonic acid. DHA increase was associated with lower levels of 2-AG in the brain, whereas AEA and its congeners, N-palmitoylethanolamine and N-oleoylethanolamine, were unchanged. We conclude that, despite the strong impact of dietary n-3 fatty acid on endocannabinoid levels previously observed in peripheral tissues, in the brain only 2-AG is affected by dietary krill oil, suggesting that the beneficial effect of the latter on the metabolic syndrome is mostly exerted by modifying peripheral endocannabinoids. Nevertheless, possible effects of dietary krill oil in the brain through modification of 2-AG levels deserve further investigation.     

Design of a Stable DC Voltage Source and Computer Controlling of It Using an Indigenously Developed All-Digital Addressing-Cum-Control Hardware

We have developed a digitally operated addressing and control module (DACM) for addressing and controlling of equipment from a remote computer using a communication protocol developed in-house. This is useful for automation of an experiment that uses multiple equipment in a pre-decided synchronized manner. We also report design of a multipurpose high voltage direct current (DC) source that provides output of 0–100 V with an average stability of 1.90 (36) mV and has minimum step size of 3 mV. Operation of the DACM is examined by selecting the desired equipment, which in this case is the dc source, and remotely controlling its output from a computer. We also show that this can generate voltage with different waveforms within a 0–10 Hz frequency bandwidth. Such computer controlled ultra-stable high voltage sources tuneable to any arbitrary waveforms at low frequencies have many applications such as, driving a piezo for smooth scanning of laser frequencies, tuning length of a Fabry–Perot cavity, biasing of the electrodes in an ion trap and so on.