The effect of geology on the suitability of the Olynthios river dam site,Northern Greece

The paper draws attention to the adverse geological and tectonic setting for a proposed dam on the Olynthios river in Northern Greece. The preliminary investigation showed the foundation area to be at the boundary of two dissimilar units in tectonic contact: Mesozoic metamorphic strata juxtaposed with Neogene sedimentary strata. It discusses the significance of the conglomerates in the Neogene deposits and the importance of the clay lenses and clay matrix for the stability and potential settlement of the dam. Although numerous faults are present, the major faults dip steeply at right angles to the dam axis. The study has indicated that there is little loose disturbed material associated with the faults. In this particular environment, in addition to selective grouting, it is recommended that a clay blanket is placed upstream to lengthen the flow path. The feasibility study has shown that despite the theoretically unfavorable conditions the site can be considered suitable.      

Buckling strength of multi-story sway, non-sway and partially-sway frames with semi-rigid connections

The objective of this paper is to propose a simplified approach to the evaluation of the critical buckling load of multi-story frames with semi-rigid connections. To that effect, analytical expressions and corresponding graphs accounting for the boundary conditions of the column under investigation are proposed for the calculation of the effective buckling length coefficient for different levels of frame sway ability. In addition, a complete set of rotational stiffness coefficients is derived, which is then used for the replacement of members converging at the bottom and top ends of the column in question by equivalent springs. All possible rotational and translational boundary conditions at the far end of these members, featuring semi-rigid connection at their near end as well as the eventual presence of axial force, are considered. Examples of sway, non-sway and partially-sway frames with semi-rigid connections are presented, where the proposed approach is found to be in excellent agreement with the finite element results, while the application of codes such as Eurocode 3 and LRFD leads to significant inaccuracies.     

Particle paths of Lagrangian velocity distribution simulating the spiral arms of galaxy M51

Galaxies are huge families of stars held together by their own gravities. The system M51 is a spiral galaxy. It possesses billions of stars. The range of the spiral arms extends hundred thousand light years. The present study is in an attempt in using the particle paths of the Lagrangian flow field to simulate the spiral arms of Galaxy M51. The Lagrangian flow field is introduced. The initial locations of fluid particles in the space between two concen- tric cylinders are ftrst specified. Then a linear velocity distribution of the fluid particles is used with different an- gle rotations of the particles to obtain the particle paths in the Lagrangian diagram. For simulating the spiral arms of Galaxy M51, the Lagrangian M51 diagram is developed. The particle paths of the Lagrangian M51 diagram agree quite well with the spiral arms of Galaxy M51.     

Detection of icing on wind turbine blades by means of vibration and power curve analysis

Ice accretion on wind turbines' blades is one of the main challenges of systems installed in cold climate locations, resulting in power performance deterioration and excessive nacelle oscillation. In this work, consistent detection of icing events is achieved utilizing indications from the nacelle accelerometers and power performance analysis. Features extracted from these two techniques serve as inputs in a decision‐making scheme, allowing early activation of de‐icing systems or shut down of the wind turbine. An additional parameter is the month of operation, assuring consistent outcomes in both winter and summer seasons. The amplitude of lateral nacelle vibration at rotor speed is the used condition indicator from vibration standpoint, which is verified by the presence of sinusoidal shape in high‐resolution time waveforms. Employment of k‐nearest neighbour on wind speed ‐ power production data sets leads to successful recognition of power performance deterioration. Results from one wind park consisting of 13 turbines operating under icing are presented, where similar patterns on both vibration and power curve data validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach on the reliable detection of icing formation. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of medium molecular weight xanthan gum in rheology and stability of oil‐in‐water emulsion stabilized with legume proteins

Xanthan gum is a water‐soluble extracellular polysaccharide that has gained widespread commercial use because of its strong pseudoplasticity and tolerance to high ionic strength, which bring unique rheological properties to solutions. This study compares and evaluates the emulsifying properties of oil‐in‐water (30:70 v/v) emulsions stabilized with lupin and soya protein isolates and medium molecular weight xanthan gum. The protein was obtained by an isoelectric precipitation method and the polysaccharide was produced by Xanthomonas campestris ATCC 1395 in batch culture in a laboratory fermenter (LBG medium) without pH control. The addition of xanthan gum in the emulsion formulation enhances emulsion stability through the phenomenon of thermodynamic incompatibility with the legume protein, resulting in an increase of the adsorbed protein at the interface. The emulsion stability is also enhanced by a network structure built by the polysaccharide in the bulk phase. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Ecosystem Management: A Review of a New Concept and Methodology

Ecosystem Management (EM) is a new holistic approach to the management of natural resources. It integrates the scientificknowledge on ecological interrelationships and the complex socioeconomic and political frame of values, aiming at the long-term sustainability of a region, i.e., the ecosystem. Itincludes the human, biological and natural dimensions, and canregulate the internal structures and functions of the ecosystem,and the inputs and outputs from it, so that solutions to development and protection problems can be achieved and be socially well-accepted. It has been given attention since 1991,mainly in the U.S.A., where the existing legal framework formeda basis for EM. The former experience of programs based on the traditional methods of management, the goal of sustainable development stated by many governmental, public or private agencies, and the advent of scientific knowledge, permitted the development of a theoretical basis for EM. Today, a significant number of EM programs have been established and are in progressin the U.S.A. Here the concept, general principles and methodology of EM are reviewed, and the EM program in the Stateof Florida in the U.S.A. is presented, which is considered a successful case study. In addition, the examples of managementof two very important ecosystems in Northern Greece are critically presented for comparison, in order to evaluate if they have EM characteristics.     

Novel additively manufactured bio-inspired 3D structures for impact energy damping

Additive manufacturing enables the design of complicated structures that would not be feasible to manufacture otherwise. Novel bio-inspired 3D structures were digitally produced employing Voronoi tessellation techniques and manufactured by selective laser sintering from polyamide. Impact tests were performed to analyze the impact absorption capacity of these structures, while FEM modeling offered insights on the fracture mechanisms and the prediction of the material response, which proved to be highly sensitive to strain rate. The results show a considerable impact attenuation in the case of 80% porosity and strut radius of 0.5 mm, encountering small transmitted peak force and smooth deceleration.     

Renormalization for Initialization of Rolling Shutter Visual-Inertial Odometry

International Journal of Computer Vision - In this paper we deal with the initialization problem of a visual-inertial odometry system with rolling shutter cameras. Initialization is a prerequisite...