CRITICAL PLANE APPROACHES IN HIGH-CYCLE FATIGUE: ON THE DEFINITION OF THE AMPLITUDE AND MEAN VALUE OF THE SHEAR STRESS ACTING ON THE CRITICAL PLANE

Critical plane approaches are useful methods when designing against long-term fatigue of machine components made from metals. Somewhat surprisingly, the very basic problem of the evaluation of the amplitude and mean value of the shear stress acting on the critical plane is still not resolved satisfactorily for non-proportional cyclic loading conditions. In the present paper, existing proposals for solving this problem are briefly reviewed and their weaknesses highlighted. Then it is shown, through particular examples, that application of these proposals can lead to ambiguous results. Therefore, new definitions of the amplitude and mean value of the shear stress acting on the critical plane are formulated here. These new definitions are free from any ambiguity because they are based on the construction of the unique minimum-circumscribed circle to the path described by the shear stress on the critical plane. The centre of this circle defines the mean shear stress, whereas its radius provides the corresponding shear stress amplitude. The algorithm yielding this minimum-circumscribed circle is presented in some detail.     

Yield response and nitrogen utilization efficiency by drip-irrigated potato

Two field experiments were conducted in the Jordan Valley to evaluate potato response to N fertigation. Nitrogen as ammonium sulphate was supplied through irrigation water (fertigation) at rates of 0, 35, 70 and 105 mg N l^-1. Soil N application treatment equivalent to the fertigation treatment of 70 mg N l^-1 was included. ¹⁵N labelled ammonium sulphate was used to evaluate the N recovery and utilization efficiency. Yield increased by the N rate. The soil N application gave higher yield than the zero N and lower than the fertigated treatments. The increase in yield was due to the increase in the size of the tubers. The specific gravity was the highest with the zero N. The index ratios of potato tubers were similar with all treatments. The N derived from fertilizers by both tubers and shoots, increased with the N rate regardless of the method of application. The soil application treatments had fertilizer utilization as high as the fertigation treatments and produced total tuber yield not significantly different from that obtained by the fertigation treatment with similar rate. This might be attributed to the poor fertilizer distribution in the root zone in the fine textured soil. The low value of the fertilizer utilization of the plant receiving the ¹⁵N in the preceding season suggested possibilities of rapid transformation and immobilization by the soil microorganisms.     

Speed and power factor controller for AC adjustable speed drives

The speed and power factor of an adjustable speed slip power recovery drive are controlled in order to optimize the operation. This is accomplished by means of a variable-voltage-variable-frequencies power converter. The function of the digital controller of the power converter is to provide the online speed and power factor regulation. The hardware and software are described. This scheme has an accurate voltage output with very low harmonic content, a good resolution for the phase angle regulation and the frequency control with the possibility of range extension     

Targeted disruption of the peripheral-type benzodiazepine receptor gene inhibits steroidogenesis in the R2C Leydig tumor cell line

To evaluate the role of the mitochondrial peripheral-type benzodiazepine receptor (PBR) in steroidogenesis, we developed a molecular approach based on the disruption of the PBR gene, by homologous recombination, in the constitutive steroid producing R2C rat Leydig tumor cell line. Inactivation of one allele of the PBR gene resulted in the suppression of PBR mRNA and ligand binding expression. Immunoblot and electron microscopic immunogold labeling analyses confirmed the absence of the 18-kDa PBR protein in the selected clone. Although mitochondria from the PBR-negative cells contained high levels of the constitutively expressed 30-kDa steroidogenic activity regulator protein, these cells produced minimal amounts of steroids compared with normal cells (5%). Moreover, mitochondria from PBR-negative cells failed to produce pregnenolone when supplied with exogenous cholesterol. Addition of the hydrosoluble cholesterol derivative, 22R-hydroxycholesterol, increased steroid production by the PBR-negative R2C cells, indicating that the cholesterol transport mechanism was impaired. Stable transfection of the PBR-negative R2C Leydig cells with a vector containing the PBR cDNA resulted in the recovery of the steroidogenic function of the cells. These data demonstrate that PBR is an indispensable element of the steroidogenic machinery, where it mediates the delivery of the substrate cholesterol to the inner mitochondrial side chain cleavage cytochrome P-450.     

Computer-assisted measurement of lumbar spine radiographs

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: The authors evaluated a method for obtaining reproducible, reliable measurements from standard lumbar spine radiographs for determining the degree of spondylolisthesis, vertebral body height, intervertebral disk space height, disk space angle, and degree of vertebral body wedging. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four to six easily defined points were identified on each vertebral body on anteroposterior and lateral plain radiographs of the lumbosacral spine of patients. From these points, the degree of spondylolisthesis, the vertebral body height, the intervertebral disk space height, the disk space angle, and the degree of vertebral body wedging were easily calculated by using well-known geometric relationships. This method requires the use of a personal computer and a standard spreadsheet program but does not require the use of any other specialized radiographic equipment, computer hardware, or custom software. RESULTS: Calculations of intra- and interobserver variability for the measurement of spondylolisthesis, disk space height, disk space angle, and vertebral body height measurement showed that the technique is extremely reproducible. CONCLUSION: This technique may prove useful in the prospective evaluation of potential candidates for lumbar spinal stenosis surgery.     

Simulation and analysis of small and medium size power systemscontaining wind turbines

A method of simulation and analysis of small or medium-sized power systems with high wind penetration is presented. The computer program developed provides the capability to consider separately the existence of wind turbines dispersed on the radial distribution networks or concentrated in wind parks. The repercussions of their operation for the power generation or the distribution system are calculated, taking into account the composition and the reaction of the system loads. The program was applied to the study of the transient behavior of a small power system typical of the ones existing in small- and medium-sized islands in Greece     

Low energy cooling of the White Tower, functioning as a contemporary museum

Historical buildings are of significance not only because they preserve the cultural heritage of nations but also because of their representative character. However, as buildings they not necessarily provide satisfactory comfort and health conditions, despite the fact that they can be high-energy consumers. The Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki has decided to convert the White Tower, a six-floor fortress dating back to the 15th century, into a contemporary city museum with means of audiovisual, virtual and information technologies. A study has been carried out in 2005–2006 to determine the possibilities, given the restrictions applying, to implement measures in order to establish and maintain satisfactory thermal comfort and indoor air quality conditions in the White Tower, whilst ensuring its unobstructed function as a contemporary city museum. The measurements and simulations carried out, together with the resulting suggested interventions are discussed in this paper.     

Using cut-through forwarding to retain the real-time properties of Profibus over hybrid wired/wireless architectures

The benefits of wireless extensions in industrial networks are well recognized as long as the integration of the wireless and fieldbus domains will be capable of retaining the real-time and dependability quality of the current wired industrial networking solutions. In this paper, the architecture and the operation of a cut-through forwarding device are described, to be used in broadcasting, hybrid wired/wireless Profibus systems. Analytical models of the delay overhead introduced due to frame forwarding are presented. It is shown that the usage of cut-through forwarding devices relaxes the bit-rate requirements in the radio segments, while it drastically improves the inherent advantages and reduces the drawbacks of hybrid transmission media architectures, which are based on a single Medium Access Control domain.     

On the survivability and pyrosynthesis of PAH during combustion of pulverized coal and tire crumb

Results are presented on the emissions of semivolatile polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) from the combustion of a pulverized bituminous coal and ground waste automobile tires. Streams of fuel particles were injected at steady-state steady-flow conditions, and burned inside an isothermal drop-tube furnace, in air, at a gas temperature and gas residence time of 1150°C and 0.75 s, respectively. Combustion occurred under either very fuel-lean conditions (bulk equivalence ratio, φ < 0.5) or substantially fuel-rich conditions (φ = 1.6–1.9). Emissions from fuel pyrolysis, in the absence of oxygen, were also examined. The survivability of the fuel-PAHs during combustion/pyrolysis was assessed by examining the reactants (fuels) and the products of their oxidation/pyrolysis. The PAH species in the effluent of combustion were: 1) qualitatively compared with indigenous PAH constituents of the input fuels, and 2) quantitatively contrasted with known amounts of deuterium-labeled PAH standards, which were absorbed on the input fuels. No PAHs were detected in the effluent of combustion of either fuel under sufficiently fuel-lean conditions, e.g., φ < 0.5. This indicated that the PAH constituents of the input fuels, either indigenous or adsorbed, as well as those formed by pyrosynthesis in either the diffusion volatile flames or during the heterogeneous oxidation of the chars were destroyed. Significant amounts of PAHs were detected in the effluent of the combustion of both fuels under sufficiently fuel-rich conditions, e.g., φ > 1.6 and, especially, under pyrolytic conditions in N₂. These PAHs were mostly attributed to pyrosynthesis since none of the deuterated PAHs, adsorbed on the fuels, survived the combustion process. Small amounts of the labeled compounds, however, survived under purely pyrolytic conditions. These results were confirmed with separate experiments, where deuterium-labeled PAH standards were adsorbed on highly porous calcium/magnesium oxide or mullite particles. Again, small amounts of some PAHs survived in high-temperature pyrolytic conditions, but none in oxidative environments. These observations suggest that pyrosynthesis is the major contributing mechanism to the PAH emissions from the combustion of these fuels. Survivability of parent PAHs may be a minor mechanism at very high equivalence ratios.

Finally, both fuels were mixed with powders of calcium magnesium acetate (CMA), calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), and calcium oxide (CaO), all of which are known sulfur reduction agents, at a molar Ca/S ratio of 1. Combustion of the fuels mixed with CMA or CaCO₃ generated enhanced amounts of PAHs, while combustion with CaO had no effect on the PAH emissions.