On the use of the Trigonometric Ritz method for general vibration analysis of rectangular Kirchhoff plates

A comprehensive study on the use of a set of trigonometric functions, originally proposed by Beslin and Nicolas [Journal of Sound and Vibration 1997;202:633–55], as admissible solutions in the Ritz method for general vibration analysis of rectangular orthotropic Kirchhoff plates is presented. The approach is denoted here as Trigonometric Ritz method (TRM). Since its introduction, application of TRM was limited to a very few plate problems. The aim of this work is to extend the potential of the method on predicting natural flexural frequencies of plates with various complicating factors, including in-plane loads, elastically restrained edges, rigid/elastic concentrated masses, intermediate line and point supports or their combinations. Computational efficiency, stability, convergence and accuracy of the method are discussed and supported by extensive analysis. TRM-based solutions are compared with many reference cases available in the literature obtained with other methods or Ritz functions. Numerical results indicate that TRM exhibits good to excellent accuracy for all cases considered. New solutions are also presented for future comparison purpose.     

Investigation of laser-produced aluminum plasma

At DMFCI of Catania University, where a Quanta System Nd:YAG laser 600 mJ of energy, 1064 nm wavelength and 6 ns pulse length operates, experiments about plasma expansion in vacuum (<10⁻⁵ mbar), have been performed. Our studies are mostly devoted to nuclear and astrophysical purposes. Some preliminary investigations with aluminum thick targets are reported here. Plasma dynamics have been investigated mainly by means of a movable Langmuir Probe, and time of flight spectra have been acquired at different distances from the laser-target interaction area. The cross-correlation of Langmuir probe signals and hydro-dynamical simulation has permitted to calculate the structure of the inner plasma self-generated electric field that drives the plume expansion. The experimental data reveals also a time variable behavior of the self-generated field. This dependence on time produces also a multi-shell plasma in which the different layers expand with a given velocity, temperature and density.     

Constraint effects on multiple void interaction in pressure sensitive plastic solids

In this work, effects of pressure sensitive yielding and plastic dilatancy on void growth and void interaction mechanisms in fracture specimens displaying high and low constraint levels are investigated. To this end, large deformation finite element simulations are carried out with discrete voids ahead of the notch. It is observed that multiple void interaction mechanism which is favored by high initial porosity is further accelerated by pressure sensitive yielding, but is retarded by loss of constraint. The resistance curves predicted based on a simple void coalescence criterion show enhancement in fracture resistance when constraint level is low and when pressure sensitivity is suppressed.     

Using a failure modes, effects and diagnostic analysis (FMEDA) to measure diagnostic coverage in programmable electronic systems

One of the key issues in the quantitative evaluation of programmable electronic systems is the diagnostic capability of the equipment. This is measured by a parameter called the Coverage Factor, C. This factor can vary widely. The range of possible values is often the subject of great debate. Within limits, the diagnostic coverage factor can be calculated by knowing which component failure modes are detected by diagnostics. An extension of the Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) can be used to show this information. This extension, called a Failure Modes, Effects and Diagnostic Analysis can serve as a useful design verification tool as well as a means to provide more precise input to reliability and safety modeling.     

Hemispheric asymmetries for global and local visual perception: Effects of stimulus and task factors.

Although neurological and physiological studies indicate a right hemisphere superiority in global processing and a left hemisphere superiority in local processing of Navon-type hierarchical letters (D. Navon, 1977), most investigations of lateralized perception in healthy participants report neither asymmetry. In 6 experiments the authors examined the influence of attentional demands, stimulus properties, and mode of response on perceptual asymmetries for global and local perception. Consistent with their theoretical predictions, asymmetries were more robust on divided- than focused-attention tasks and in response to stimuli in which local and global levels were equally salient compared with those with greater global than local saliency. Contrary to their prediction, perceptual asymmetries were not influenced by the complexity of the motor response. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

No thanks, I'm good. Any more and I'll be sick: Comment on Lynch and Carroll (2001).

W. J. Lynch and M. E. Carroll's (see record 200106653-001) excellent analyses of drug intake from a regulation perspective are formalized in terms of control systems. Satiation corresponds to the set point, deviations below which are called hunger or craving, deviations above which are called surfeit. Although simple, the model provides a unifying framework for many of the phenomena Lynch and Carroll describe. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Atomistic studies of stress effects on self-interstitial diffusion in α-titanium*

The diffusion anisotropy of intrinsic point defects is an important factor governing the behavior of the HCP metals bombarded by energetic particles. The effects of stress on the diffusion and its anisotropy, although known to be important, have not been well understood. In this paper, we use a combination of molecular dynamics and molecular statics methods to investigate energy states of a self-interstitial in α-titanium, a typical HCP metal. Our calculation shows that the most stable configuration of the self-interstitial is the basal-split dumbbell configuration on the basal plane. Compression along the [0001] or the [1ˉ100] directions leads to an insignificant change in the migration energies, while compression along the [11ˉ20] direction leads to a larger migration energy. A significant change of the diffusion anisotropy is observed when a uni-axial compressive stress of 200 MPa is applied along the [11ˉ20] direction. Similar stress along the other two directions does not produce substantial changes of the anisotropy. We also show that an applied hydrostatic stress can significantly change the diffusion anisotropy of HCP metals and alloys. Thus, under irradiation, a hydrostatic stress can produce a significant creep-like deformation (i.e., with a deviatoric strain rate) through a stress-dependent change of the growth rate. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Simplified modeling strategies for surrogate validation with multivariate failure-time data

The linear mixed effects model has become a standard tool for the analysis of continuous hierarchical data such as, for example, repeated measures or data from meta-analyses. However, in certain situations the model does pose unavoidable computational problems. In the context of surrogate markers, this problem has appeared when using an estimation and prediction-based approach for the evaluation of surrogate endpoints. Convergence problems can occur mainly due to small between-trial variability or small number of trials. A number of alternative strategies has been proposed and studied for normally distributed data, but not such study has been conducted for other types of endpoints. The idea is to study if such simplified strategies, which always ignore individual level surrogacy, can also be applied when both surrogate and true endpoints are of failure-time types. It is shown via simulations that the 3 simplified strategies produced biased estimates, especially for the cases in which the strength of individual level association is different from the strength of trial level association. For this reason, it is recommended not to use simplified strategies when dealing with failure-time data, in contrast to the case of normally distributed data, for which simplified strategies are recommended. Possible reasons for this discrepancy might be that, in this case, ignoring the individual level association influences estimates of the mean structure parameters, what results in distorted estimates of the trial level association.     

HOT TEST OF A TALSPEAK PROCEDURE FOR SEPARATION OF ACTINIDES AND LANTHANIDES USING RECIRCULATING DTPA-LACTIC ACID SOLUTION

Abstract

Results are reported from a hot test of a TALSPEAK type process for separation of higher actinides (Am, Cm) from lanthanides. Actinides and lanthanides are extracted by 1 M HDEHP and separated by selective strip of the actinides, using a mixture of DTPA and lactic acid (reversed TALSPEAK process). In order to minimize the generation of secondary waste, a procedure using recirculating DTPA-Lactic acid solution has been developed. A separation factor between Am and Eu of 132 was achieved. In regard to separations of Am and Cm from commercial HLLW, this corresponds to 1.5 % of the lanthanide group remaining with the actlnldes. The loss of Am was about 0.2 %.     

Object color preferences

In this article, we investigate how context influences color preferences by comparing preferences for “contextless” colored squares with preferences for colors of a variety of objects (e.g., walls, couches, and T‐shirts). In experiment 1, we find that hue preferences for contextless squares generalize relatively well to hue preferences for imagined objects, with the substantial differences being in the saturation and lightness dimensions. In experiments 2 and 3, we find that object color preferences are relatively invariant when the objects are (a) imagined to be the color that is presented as a small square, (b) depicted as colored images of objects, and (c) viewed as actual physical objects. In experiment 4, we investigate the possibility that object color preferences are related to the degree to which colors help objects fulfill particular functions or outcomes. We also discuss relations between our results and previous theories of color preference. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 38, 393–411, 2013