Modeling exposure period for solar disinfection (SODIS) under varying turbidity and cloud cover conditions

Solar disinfection (SODIS) is widely practiced all around the world. The process requires variable exposure periods depending upon a number of process parameters (e.g., water turbidity, atmospheric temperature, and cloud cover conditions). This paper describes the development of a mathematical model to estimate required exposure period to achieve Fecal coliforms (FCs) removal for changing process parameters. Daily and hourly solar radiation were estimated and found to be suitable for SODIS application with intensity of 500 W/m² over a period of 3–5 h/day. Randomized SODIS experiments over a period of 3 years were conducted to consider seasonal and weather variations. Six samples each for five levels of turbidity (0, 5, 10, 20, and 30 NTU) were exposed to sunlight under variable cloud cover conditions on different days during the 3-year sampling period. Samples were collected and analyzed for remaining FCs at different intervals in each sampling day. Analysis of variance revealed that turbidity and percent of cloud cover are the most significant process parameters. It was found that FCs die-off in SODIS bottles followed the first-order kinetics. Different data sets were used for the development and calibration of the model. The calibrated model was further verified against the literature. Simple characteristics curves have also been established for practical application at household level to estimate exposure periods. The study revealed a significant difference between the required exposure periods for different turbidity and cloud cover conditions.     

Nanoscale semiconductor "X" on substrate "Y"--processes, devices, and applications

Recent advancements in the integration of nanoscale, single-crystalline semiconductor 'X' on substrate 'Y' (XoY) for use in transistor and sensor applications are presented. XoY is a generic materials framework for enabling the fabrication of various novel devices, without the constraints of the original growth substrates. Two specific XoY process schemes, along with their associated materials, device and applications are presented. In one example, the layer transfer of ultrathin III-V semiconductors with thicknesses of just a few nanometers on Si substrates is explored for use as energy-efficient electronics, with the fabricated devices exhibiting excellent electrical properties. In the second example, contact printing of nanowire-arrays on thin, bendable substrates for use as artificial electronic-skin is presented. Here, the devices are capable of conformably covering any surface, and providing a real-time, two-dimensional mapping of external stimuli for the realization of smart functional surfaces. This work is an example of the emerging field of "translational nanotechnology" as it bridges basic science of nanomaterials with practical applications.     

Quantum confinement effects in nanoscale-thickness InAs membranes

Nanoscale size effects drastically alter the fundamental properties of semiconductors. Here, we investigate the dominant role of quantum confinement in the field-effect device properties of free-standing InAs nanomembranes with varied thicknesses of 5-50 nm. First, optical absorption studies are performed by transferring InAs "quantum membranes" (QMs) onto transparent substrates, from which the quantized sub-bands are directly visualized. These sub-bands determine the contact resistance of the system with the experimental values consistent with the expected number of quantum transport modes available for a given thickness. Finally, the effective electron mobility of InAs QMs is shown to exhibit anomalous field and thickness dependences that are in distinct contrast to the conventional MOSFET models, arising from the strong quantum confinement of carriers. The results provide an important advance toward establishing the fundamental device physics of two-dimensional semiconductors.     

Measuring the tribological performance of all the tappets in a production engine using magnetometer sensors and the effect of lubricant rheology

Tappet rotation is one of the key tribological parameters that play an important role in component wear. Lack of available techniques has discouraged researchers from performing such studies on real production engines. In this research work, a novel experimental technique has been developed that allows the measurement of tappet rotation speed on any engine having direct acting tappets. This unique method does not require any changes or modifications to the components or engine itself. Using this innovative technique, for the first time, all the tappets of a single camshaft have been instrumented, and tappet speed was measured at different operating conditions verifying that not all the tappets behave in the same way. Experimental results clearly showed that all tappets do not respond to the change in lubricant viscosity and the direction of tappet rotation may be one of the factors influencing the performance. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modelling deformations in car crash animation

In this paper, we present a prototype of a deformation engine to efficiently model and render the damaged structure of vehicles in crash scenarios. We introduce a novel system architecture to accelerate the computation, which is traditionally an extremely expensive task. We alter a rigid body simulator to predict trajectories of cars during a collision and formulate a correction procedure to estimate the deformations of the collapsed car structures within the contact area. Non-linear deformations are solved based on the principle of energy conservation. Large plastic deformations resulting from collisions are modelled as a weighted combination of deformation examples of beams which can be produced using classical mechanics.     

Endothelial dysfunction in cerebral microcirculation during hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass in newborn lambs

OBJECTIVES: Inflammatory stimuli or mechanical stresses associated with hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass could potentially impair cerebrovascular function, resulting in inadequate cerebral perfusion. We hypothesize that hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass is associated with endothelial or vascular smooth muscle dysfunction and associated cerebral hypoperfusion. Therefore we studied the cerebrovascular response to endothelium-dependent vasodilator, acetylcholine, endothelium-independent nitric oxide donor, sodium nitroprusside, and vasoactive amine, serotonin, in newborn lambs undergoing hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass (nasopharygeal temperature = 18 degrees C). METHODS: Studies were performed on 13 newborn lambs equipped with a closed cranial window, allowing for direct visualization of surface pial arterioles. Six animals were studied while undergoing hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass, whereas seven served as nonbypass, warm (37 degrees C) controls. Pial arteriolar caliber (range = 111 to 316 microm diameter) was monitored using video microscopy. RESULTS: Topical application of acetylcholine caused a dose-dependent increase in arteriolar diameter in the control group that was absent in animals undergoing hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass. Hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass did not alter the vasodilation in response to sodium nitroprusside. Furthermore, the contractile response to serotonin was fully expressed during hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass. CONCLUSIONS: The specific loss of acetylcholine-induced vasodilation suggests endothelial cell dysfunction rather than impaired ability of vascular smooth muscle to respond to nitric oxide. It is speculated that loss of endothelium-dependent regulatory factors in the cerebral microcirculation during hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass may enhance vasoconstriction, and impaired cerebrovascular function may be a basis for associated neurologic injury during or after hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass.