Equivalent electrical network of the DNA molecule

The variation of current density with bias or temperature is examined for DNA molecules of different configuration. To this end, the DNA molecule is represented as an equivalent electrical network whose behavior is then simulated with PSPICE. The results are found to be in close agreement with ones obtained within a physical model. It is established that the electrical response of a DNA molecule to an applied electric field depends on the boundary conditions and the potential profile along the molecule. This finding should contribute to the creation of a complete library of DNA-molecule configurations with prescribed electrical properties.     

Dynamics of liquid-filled spacecraft

A method is presented for simulating coupled liquid-solid dynamics. An important example of a coupled liquid-solid system is a satellite carrying fuel. The dynamics of the satellite and the onboard fuel influence each other, which may lead to satellite motion that is uncontrollable. For better understanding of the complex dynamics of coupled systems, a numerical model is developed. The model consists of two parts. The first part that solves the liquid motion is only briefly discussed here. The focus in this paper is on the way in which the dynamics of the liquid and the solid body are coupled. For this, the governing equations are presented in which terms appear that represent the force and torque on the solid body due to the sloshing liquid. The governing equations are rewritten such that the discrete approximation of these equations can be integrated in a stable manner for arbitrary liquid/solid mass ratios. Results are presented demonstrating the stability of the present model. A grid-refinement study and a time-step analysis are performed. Finally, the flat-spin motion of a satellite, partially filled with liquid, that flew in 1992 as part of the Wet Satellite Model experiment is studied. Results from the simulation are compared with the actual flight data.     

Finite element piezothermoelasticity analysis and the active control of FGM plates with integrated piezoelectric sensors and actuators

 An efficient finite element model is presented for the static and dynamic piezothermoelastic analysis and control of FGM plates under temperature gradient environments using integrated piezoelectric sensor/actuator layers. The properties of an FGM plate are functionally graded in the thickness direction according to a volume fraction power law distribution. A constant displacement-cum-velocity feedback control algorithm that couples the direct and inverse piezoelectric effects is applied to provide active feedback control of the integrated FGM plate in a closed loop system. Numerical results for the static and dynamic control are presented for the FGM plate, which consists of zirconia and aluminum. The effects of the constituent volume fractions and the influence of feedback control gain on the static and dynamic responses of the FGM plates are examined. Received: 13 March 2002 / Accepted: 5 March 2003 The work described in this paper was supported by a grant awarded by the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (Project No. CityU 1024/01E).     

Self-oscillating dimmable electronic ballast

This paper presents a simple alternative for an electronic ballast operating in self-sustained oscillating mode with dimming capability for fluorescent lamps. A simple modification in one of the gate drivers side circuit allows the lamp to dim without compromising the simplicity, reliability, and low cost which characterize the self-oscillating electronic ballast (SOEB). A qualitative analysis is presented to explain the behavior of the proposed self-oscillating electronic ballast with dimming feature. In addition, the stability and the key equations for the design are derived using the extended Nyquist criterion and describing function method. Experimental results from two 40-W electronic ballasts are presented to demonstrate the performance and to validate the analysis carried out.     

Characterization of the Residence Time Distribution in Spray Dryers

In this work it is presented a study on the residence time distribution (RTD) of particles in a co-current pilot-plant spray dryer operated with a rotary atomization system. A nuclear technique is applied to investigate the RTD responses of spray dryers. The methodology is based on the injection of a radioisotope tracer in the feed stream followed by the monitoring of its concentration at the outlet stream. The experiments were performed during the drying of aqueous suspensions of gadolinium oxide. The RTD responses obtained experimentally presented good reproducibility, indicating that the technique applied is well suited to investigating fluid-dynamics of spray dryers. In addition to the experimental investigation, a mathematical model was used to describe the RTD experimental curves.     

Changes in the gaseous H2S barrier properties of damaged silicate coated nylon 6 films

The damage imposed on SiO _x deposited nylon 6 films as a result of abrasion with a cotton cloth and Gelboflex testing was examined by evaluating the rate at which copper plates, which were enveloped by the damaged films, were corroded by H₂S. Abrasion with a cotton cloth caused some micro-cracking of the SiO _x layer and the permeation rate of H₂S approached that of the uncoated nylon 6 film. Damage to the SiO _x layer by twisting and crushing progressed gradually with the number of Gelboflex test cycles and correspondingly the corrosion rate of the copper plates increased. Comparison of the corrosion rates of the copper plates kept in the pouches made of various commercial films with those obtained for the damaged SiO _x deposited nylon 6 films showed a clear relationship between the H₂ permeation rate of the films and the corrosion rate of the copper plates by H₂S.     

Failure analysis of a broken tooth

Several days after heart surgery, a patient discovered his upper right canine tooth had broken at the root. Such tooth damage, recognized post-operatively, is usually assumed to be caused by blunt mechanical force from an instrument used by the anesthesiologist during placement of a breathing tube at the start of surgery. In this case, the patient had saved the crown portion of the broken tooth, and it was possible to examine the root fracture characteristics. The curvature and direction of the crack path and natural tooth situation suggested that failure could be described through a cantilever beam model. This was confirmed when a whole extracted sample tooth was embedded and broken by a measured force in a manner consistent with the model. The resulting fracture surface matched that of the patient’s broken canine tooth. However, the high load and force direction necessary to fracture the root was inconsistent with forces applied during the anesthesia procedure. The failure analysis and further investigation indicated tooth clenching on the breathing tube during recovery was the likely cause of fracture. This paper presents an alternate explanation for intubation-related dental injury, demonstrates the practicality of fractographic analysis of biological materials, and introduces a methodology for simulating in vitro tooth settings for mechanical testing.     

Explosive chemistry: Simulating the chemistry of energetic materials at extreme conditions

In this article, we review recent atomistic computational techniques to study the electronic structure aspects and chemistry of energetic materials at high-pressure and/or high temperature. While several mechanisms have been proposed for the initial events of energetic materials at high-pressure, we explore the validity of a proposed shear-induced local metallization via molecular bond bending in the insensitive explosive TATB. We study the effect of high-stress (both uniform and uniaxial) on the electronic energy band-gap and the first chemical event of a prototypical energetic material, that of nitromethane. We also determine chemical reactions rate laws and decomposition mechanisms from a quantum-based molecular dynamics simulation of HMX, a widely used explosive material, at conditions of high density and temperature similar to that encounter under detonation. Finally, we review a new multi-scale computational tool recently developed to model the shock-induced chemistry of energetic materials at the atomistic level, and report its applicability to shocked solid nitromethane. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

NANODEV: A Nanoelectronic-Device Simulation Software System

The concept and structure of the NANODEV simulation software are described. NANODEV deals with nanoelectronic devices that exploit single-electron tunneling, resonant tunneling, or quantum interference. It can use both simplified and sophisticated models and enables one to evaluate a wide variety of devices and configurations. The capabilities of NANODEV are illustrated by examples.