Assessment of solar and wind energy resources in Ethiopia. I. Solar energy

This paper describes how data from a variety of sources are merged to present new countrywide maps of the solar energy distribution over Ethiopia. The spatial coverage of stations with radiation data was found to be unsatisfactory for the purpose of a countrywide solar energy assessment exercise. Therefore, radiation had to be predicted from sunshine hours by employing empirical models. Using data from seven stations in Ethiopia, linear and quadratic correlation relationships between monthly mean daily solar radiation and sunshine hours per day have been developed. These regional models show a distinct improvement over previously employed countrywide models. To produce a national solar-energy distribution profile, a spatial extension of the radiation/sunshine relationships had to be carried out. To do this, the intercepts (a) and slopes (b) of each of the seven linear regression equations and another six from previous studies, completed in neighbouring Sudan, Kenya and Yemen, were used to interpolate the corresponding values to areas between them. Subsequent to these procedures, 142 stations providing only sunshine data were assigned their “appropriate” a and b values to estimate the amount of solar radiation received, which was then used to produce annual and monthly solar radiation distribution maps for Ethiopia. The results show that in all regions solar energy is an abundant resource.     

Low-Temperature Superplastic Deformation of Cold-Rolled Fe–5.6Mn–1.1Al–0.2C Steel

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A - A cold-rolled low Al-added medium Mn steel was employed to investigate the low-temperature superplastic deformation at a relatively high initial strain...     

Passive and transpassive behaviour of CoCrMo in simulated biological solutions

In this work, the behaviour of a CoCrMo alloy under simulated body conditions was investigated. More specifically, the electrochemical properties of the alloy and the relevant mechanisms in the passive and transpassive states were studied in detail. Electrochemical techniques such as potentiodynamic and potentiostatic polarisation, cyclic voltammetry, rotating disc electrode and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were employed. Further, ex situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis of the passive films was carried out. A good correlation between the results obtained from all the experimental techniques was achieved. Overall, it was found that the passive film on CoCrMo changed in composition and thickness with both potential and time. The passive behaviour of the CrCrMo alloy is due to a formation an oxide film highly enriched with Cr (≈90% Cr oxides) on the alloy surface. The passive and transpassive behaviour of the alloy is hence dominated by the alloying element Cr. In the transpassive region, strong thickening of the oxide film takes place, combined with a change in the composition of the film, and strongly increased dissolution rate. In the transpassive region, all alloying elements dissolve according to the composition of the alloy. The metal ion release is also very strongly enhanced by cyclic variation of the potential between reducing and oxidizing conditions. In this case, during activation/repassivation cycles, cobalt dissolution is greater than expected from the composition of the alloy. Therefore, active dissolution behaviour is mainly dominated by the alloying element Co.     

Response of Solid-State Detectors to Fission Fragments

Pulse amplitude spectra for fission fragments from the spontaneous fission of Cf252 have been studied for more than 50 silicon surface-barrier detectors. Silicon resistivities ranged from 100 to 2000 Ohm-cm; spectra were obtained for several bias voltages for each detector. A search for correlations among shape parameters associated with Cf252 fragment pulse-amplitude spectra was carried out. Such correlations were, in fact, observed and are shown to be related to the pulse-height response characteristics of surface-barrier detectors for fission fragments. Some guide lines by which the quality of a fission-fragment detector may be determined from the spectrum parameters are given.     

Protein design for non-aqueous solvents

Improving protein stability in unnatural and suboptimal environmentsis a promising application of protein engineering technology.Carefully designed amino acid alterations may lead to dramaticpositive effects on the stability of proteins under highly perturbingconditions, such as in non-aqueous solvents. Applications ofbiocatalysts and proteins with specific binding capabilitiesin the chemical industry have been severely limited by constraintsplaced on the solvent environment. With the advent of convenientmethods for altering the amino acid composition and even synthesizingentirely new protein molecules, it is worthwhile to considerengineering proteins for stability in non-aqueous solvents.In order to identify the features that a protein would needfor stability in organic media, we have been studying the structureand properties of the hydrophobic protein crambin. Crambin isunique in that it is soluble and stable in very high concentrationsof polar organic solvents. Crambin and its water-soluble homologsoffer a powerful demonstration of protein engineering for non-aqueoussolvents. This paper describes the structural features thatcontribute to crambin's special properties. Based on these observationsand consideration of how non-aqueous solvents affect the interactionsimportant in protein folding, a set of rules for designing non-aqueoussolvent-stable proteins is proposed.     

Halting the hallmarks: a cellular automaton model of early cancer growth inhibition

Cancer treatment is a fragmented and varied process, as “cancer” is really hundreds of different diseases. The “hallmarks of cancer” proposed by Hanahan and Weinberg (Cell 100(1):57–70, 2000) are a framework for viewing cancer within a common set of underlying principles—ten properties that are common to almost all cancers, allowing them to grow uncontrollably and ravage the body. We used a cellular automaton model of tumour growth paired with lattice Boltzmann methods modelling oxygen flow to simulate combination drugs targeted at knocking out pairs of hallmarks. We found that knocking out some pairs of cancer-enabling hallmarks did not prevent tumour formation, while other pairs significantly prevent tumour growth (\(p=0.0004\) using Wilcoxon signed-rank adjusted with the Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons). This is not what would be expected from models of knocking out the hallmarks individually, as many pairs did not have an additive effect but had either no statistically significant effect or a multiplicative one. We propose that targeting certain pairs of cancer hallmarks, specifically cancers ability to induce blood vessel development paired with another cancer hallmark, could prove an effective cancer treatment option.     

Effect of High‐Energy Ball Milling on Mechanical Properties of the Mg–Nb Composites Fabricated through Powder Metallurgy Process

New biocompatible and biodegradable Mg–Nb composites used as bone implant materials are fabricated through powder metallurgy process. Mg–Nb mixture powders are prepared through mechanical milling and manual mixing. Then, the Mg–Nb composites are fabricated through cold press and sintering processes. The effect of mechanical milling and Nb particles as reinforcements on the microstructures and mechanical properties of Mg–Nb composites are investigated. The mechanical milling process is found to be effective in reducing the size of Mg and Nb particles, distributing the Nb particles uniformly in the Mg matrix and obtaining Mg–Nb composite particles. The Mg–Nb composite particles can be bound together firmly during the sintering process, result in Mg–Nb composite structures with no intermetallic formation, lower porosity, and higher mechanical properties compared to composites prepared through manual mixing. Interestingly, the mechanical properties of manually mixed Mg–Nb composites appear to be even lower than that of pure Mg.

     

Comparison of two tools for the measurement of interfragmentary movement in femoral neck fractures stabilised by cannulated screws

Achieving stability at the site of femoral neck fracture is an important factor for callus formation in the post-operative period. However, measuring interfragmentary movement in vivo is not currently possible as telemetric screws have not been manufactured for surgical use. Understanding how the implantation of the screws can affect the stability of the fracture allows the surgeon to tailor the procedure to the patient and produce the best possible outcome. Two techniques have been developed that measure interfragmentary movement between fractured surfaces. The first was a FEA model of the proximal femur with screws represented by nodal links. Movement was quantified by the amount of relative motion occurring between paired nodes either side of the fracture. The second was a mechanical compression test of a composite femur that allowed the motion analysis of paired markers on the external surface of the femur. Movement was digitised with markers selected and displacements calculated by transforming the global coordinate system to a local system relative to the fracture plane.