PWR annulus thermal hydraulics important to analysis of pressurized thermal shock

Analysis of plume mixing in the annulus of a pressurized water reactor (PWR) are presented. The plume mixing analysis is based on a simple two-dimensional model that accounts for the surrounding flow and confinement. A correlation for entrainment is presented and comparison with experiment is made.Mixed convection resulting from downflow between parallel heated plates is studied experimentally. The experimental system used to obtain the data is described with the scaling rationale for choosing the working fluid. Heat transfer results are presented in terms of a Nusselt number and a correlation is given. Results show an enhancement in heat transfer with increasing Gr_Dh/Re_Dh² due to an increase in turbulence intensity associated with the buoyant wall layer. The correlation obtained for Gr_Dh/Re_Dh² < 2.29 was found to be Nu_Dh/Nu_Dh,0 = 1 + 2.93 (Gr_Dh/Re_Dh²)^0.54, where where Nu_Dh,0 is given by the Dittus-Boelter correlation. Use of this correlation for Gr_Dh/Re_Dh² > 2.29 is not recommended due to an observed flow bifurcation in this neighborhood.     

Semiparametric additive models under symmetric distributions

In this paper we discuss estimation and diagnostic procedures in semiparametric additive models with symmetric errors in order to permit distributions with heavier and lighter tails than the normal ones, such as Student-t, Pearson VII, power exponential, logistics I and II, and contaminated normal, among others. Such models belong to the general class of statistical models GAMLSS proposed by Rigby and Stasinopoulos (Appl. Stat. 54:507–554, 2005). A back-fitting algorithm to attain the maximum penalized likelihood estimates (MPLEs) by using natural cubic smoothing splines is presented. In particular, the score functions and Fisher information matrices for the parameters of interest are expressed in a similar notation of that used in parametric symmetric models. Sufficient conditions on the existence of the MPLEs are presented as well as some inferential results and discussions on degrees of freedom and smoothing parameter estimation. Diagnostic quantities such as leverage, standardized residual and normal curvatures of local influence under two perturbation schemes are derived. A real data set previously analyzed under normal linear models is reanalyzed under semiparametric additive models with symmetric errors.     

Bupropion and cognitive-behavioral treatment for depression in smoking cessation.

This study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial examining the effects of an intensive cognitive-behavioral mood management treatment (CBTD) and of bupropion, both singularly and in combination, on smoking cessation in adult smokers. As an extension of our previous work, we planned to examine the synergistic effects of CBTD and bupropion on smoking cessation outcomes in general and among smokers with depression vulnerability factors. Participants were 524 smokers (47.5% female, M (age) = 44.27 years) who were randomized to one of four 12-week treatments: (a) standard, cognitive-behavioral smoking cessation treatment (ST) plus bupropion (BUP), (b) ST plus placebo (PLAC), (c) standard cessation treatment combined with cognitive-behavioral treatment for depression (CBTD) plus BUP, and (d) CBTD plus PLAC. Follow-up assessments were conducted 2, 6, and 12 months after treatment, and self-reported abstinence was verified biochemically. Consistent with previous studies, bupropion, in comparison with placebo, resulted in better smoking outcomes in both intensive group treatments. Adding CBTD to standard intensive group treatment did not result in improved smoking cessation outcomes. In addition, neither CBTD nor bupropion, either alone or in combination, was differentially effective for smokers with single-past-episode major depressive disorder (MDD), recurrent MDD, or elevated depressive symptoms. However, findings with regard to recurrent MDD and elevated depressive symptoms should be interpreted with caution given the low rate of recurrent MDD and the low level of depressive symptoms in our sample. An a priori test of treatment effects in smokers with these depression vulnerability factors is warranted in future clinical trials.     

A REGULARITY FOR CYCLIC CONJUGATION IN ACENAPHYHYLENE,FLUORANTHENE AND THEIR CONGENERS

Acenaphthylene, fluoranthene and their congeners are compounds that, in view of their chemical and physical properties, belong among benzenoid hydrocarbons. However, because of the presence of a five-membered ring, in all chemical-graph-theoretical considerations of benzenoid systems, these species have been disregarded. Continuing our recent studies of the title compounds, we report here on a peculiar characteristic of the pattern of their cyclic conjugation, named “the phenyl-cyclopentadienyl rule” (PCP rule): if a benzene ring is connected with the (unique) five-membered ring by exactly one carbon-carbon bond (which we refer to as a PCP constellation), then the cyclic conjugation in the five-membered ring significantly increases. If there are several PCP constellations, then the intensity of cyclic conjugation is additionally increased.     

Fully-Naphthalenoid Hydrocarbons: Enumeration and Classification

Abstract

A fully-naphthalenoid system (or simply fully-naphthalenoid) is a benzenoid where all vertices can be covered by disjoint naphthalene units. Invariants of these systems are studied with special emphasis on the C_nH_s formulae. An extensive enumeration of fully-naphthalenoids by means of a computer program is reported. A detailed classification of the numbers includes the symmetry distribution and an enumeration of the C_nH_s isomers. The forms of the smallest fully-naphthalenoids are displayed together with their Kekulé structure counts.     

The extent of knowledge of Quick Response Manufacturing principles: an exploratory transnational study

The main goal of this research is to identify whether companies that have implemented the Quick Response Manufacturing (QRM) approach have full knowledge of the QRM principles or have merely applied the elements (principles and tools) that have a close relationship with Lean Manufacturing. Based on a review of the literature regarding the QRM principles, an exploratory survey was conducted for over 20 manufacturing companies from Brazil, Europe and the USA that operate in an Engineer or Make to Order environment system and explicitly have conducted QRM journeys. The results of the present study show that (i) the surveyed companies have difficulty knowing and applying some of the exclusive elements of this approach, even if they started implementing QRM several years ago; (ii) the surveyed companies’ knowledge degree over QRM exclusive elements is apparently higher among US-based companies due to better trained employees and better dissemination and awareness of the QRM exclusive elements; and (iii) a mentality based on productivity, low costs and due date delivery was identified as the main barrier for companies to achieve a higher knowledge degree regarding QRM.     

Amphiphilic four-helix bundle peptides designed for light-induced electron transfer across a soft interface

A family of four-helix bundle peptides were designed to be amphiphilic, possessing distinct hydrophilic and hydrophobic domains along the length of the bundle's exterior. This facilitates their vectorial insertion across a soft interface between polar and nonpolar media. Their design also now provides for selective incorporation of electron donor and acceptor cofactors within each domain. This allows translation of the designed intramolecular electron transfer along the bundle axis into a macroscopic charge separation across the interface.     

Experimental and calculated liquid-liquid interfacial tension in demixing metal alloys

Liquid-liquid interracial tension in binary and temary Al-based monotectic systems has been determined experimentally with a tensiometric method in a wide temperature interval. The temperature dependence of the interfacial tension is well described by a power law function of the type σαβ - （1 - T/Tc）δ with the critical exponent δ= 1.3 and a critical temperature Tc. Theoretical models describing the liquid-liquid interface in monotectic alloys and their applicability for calculation of the interfacial tension and its temperature dependence in binary systems are considered.     

On the stability of the V5B6-phase

The currently assessed V–B phase diagram indicates a peritectoid formation at 1727 °C (V₃B₄+VBV₅B₆) for the V₅B₆ boride. The observation of this phase in several as-cast V–B alloys has lead us to a systematic evaluation of its stability, specially its possible formation from the liquid. In this work, V–B alloys (52–56 at.% B range) were produced through arc melting and heat-treated under high vacuum at 2000 °C for 2 h. The materials in both as-cast and heat-treated conditions were characterized through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) (backscattered electron (BSE) images) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The features observed in the as-cast samples allowed us to conclude that this phase should be formed from the liquid through the L+V₃B₄V₅B₆ peritectic reaction. In spite of not reaching equilibrium condition during heat-treating, the results from the characterization of heat-treated samples have indicated the stability of the V₅B₆-phase at 2000 °C, in disagreement with the currently accepted V–B phase diagram.