Cement take estimation using neural networks and statistical analysis in Bakhtiari and Karun 4 dam sites,in south west of Iran

Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment - Water seepage from dam foundations causes reservoir water loss and raises the risk of dam instability. One method of remediation for...     

Emulation of gas‐liquid flow in packed beds for offshore floating applications using a swell simulation hexapod

A laboratory‐scale packed column was positioned on a six degree of freedom swell simulation hexapod to emulate the hydrodynamics of packed bed scrubbers/reactors onboard offshore floating systems. The bed was instrumented with wire mesh capacitance sensors to measure liquid saturation and velocity fields, flow regime transition, liquid maldistribution, and tracer radial and axial dispersion patterns while robot was subject to sinusoidal translation (sway, heave) and rotation (roll, roll + pitch, yaw) motions at different frequencies. Three metrics were defined to analyze the deviations induced by the various column motions, namely, coefficient of variation and degree of uniformity for liquid saturation fluctuating fields, and effective Péclet number. Nontilting oscillations led to frequency‐independent maldistribution while tilting motions induced swirl/zigzag secondary circulation and prompted nonuniform maldistribution oscillations that deteriorated with decreasing frequencies. Regardless of excited degree of freedom, a qualitative loss of plug‐flow character was observed compared with static vertical beds which worsened as frequencies decreased. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 61: 2354–2367, 2015     

On certain aspects of pressure transient without scram in a BWR

This paper examines the effects of gamma and neutron heating and pressure wave propagation on the core response during an instantaneous loss of condenser vacuum transient without scram (ATWS) in a BWR. By incorporating the gamma and neutron heating, which contribute about 3% of the total power to the moderator, into the transient thermal-hydraulic analysis, the peak power was found to be 35% lower compared with the case with no direct heating. The incorporation of the two-dimensional radial and axial variations of reactivity feedbacks and moderator density into the transient analysis led to a lower power prediction than the one-dimensional model. The pressure surge was examined by a computer program based on the method of characteristics. The pressure rise calculated by this new code was found to be in good agreement with experimental data, while the results of similar calculations done by computer code RELAP4, which is based on finite differencing of the flow equations, were 50% lower.     

Claudication on mastication following bilateral external carotid artery ligation for posterior epistaxis

One-day-old specific-pathogen-free White Leghorn chicks were inoculated orally with Salmonella enteritidis phage type 4 to study adhesion and invasion of the ceca by immunohistochemistry. Positive staining bacilli were associated with the epithelial surface and were present in the lumen of the cecal crypts. They were observed in the interstitial tissue and in the cytoplasm of macrophage-like cells in the lamina propria. A granulomatous nodule containing positive staining bacilli was present in the submucosa of the cecum of one bird at 14 d after inoculation.     

Postoperative hypoxaemia: continuous extradural infusion of bupivacaine and morphine vs patient-controlled analgesia with intravenous morphine

We carried out a randomized prospective study in 60 patients who had undergone major abdominal surgery for cancer. For postoperative pain control, 30 patients received continuous extradural infusion of 0.125% bupivacaine 12.5 mg h-1 and morphine 0.25 mg h-1 (EXI group) and 30 received patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) with intravenous morphine (1 mg bolus, 5-min lock-out and maximum dose 20 mg 4h-1). Both groups had general anaesthesia. The two groups were compared for postoperative pain scores, satisfaction, sedation and oxygen saturation. Oxygen saturation was recorded continuously the night before surgery and for two consecutive postoperative nights. Episodes of moderate desaturation (90% > SpO2 85%) were more frequent in the EXI group than in the PCA group (P < 0.05). Pain scores were lower in the EXI group compared with the PCA group at rest and while coughing (P < 0.05). No significant difference was found for patient sedation and satisfaction.     

Hydrodynamics of inclined packed beds under flow modulation ‐ CFD simulation and experimental validation

A three‐dimensional unsteady‐state Eulerian multi‐fluid CFD model was developed to simulate the hydrodynamic behavior of inclined gas‐liquid cocurrent downflow packed beds under ON‐OFF liquid, ON‐OFF gas, and gas/liquid alternating cyclic operations. Validation of the CFD simulation results was performed with experimental data provided by electrical capacitance tomography imaging. Incorporation in the Eulerian multifluid CFD model of capillary pressure and mechanical dispersion force was essential to accurately capture the transient spatial heterogeneities arising in tilted packed beds under different cyclic modulation strategies. The applied CFD model was able to satisfactorily predict the values of liquid holdup and pressure drop as well as the morphological characteristics of the traveling waves inside the bed for the examined flow modulations. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 63: 4161–4176, 2017     

Interaction nonlinearity in asphalt binders

Asphalt mixtures are complex composites that comprise aggregate, asphalt binder, and air. Several research studies have shown that the mechanical behavior of the asphalt mixture is strongly influenced by the matrix, i.e. the asphalt binder. Characterization and a thorough understanding of the binder behavior is the first and crucial step towards developing an accurate constitutive model for the composite. Accurate constitutive models for the constituent materials are critical to ensure accurate performance predictions at a material and structural level using micromechanics. This paper presents the findings from a systematic investigation into the nature of the linear and nonlinear response of asphalt binders subjected to different types of loading using the Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR). Laboratory test data show that a compressive normal force is generated in an axially constrained specimen subjected to torsional shear. This paper investigates the source of this normal force and demonstrates that the asphalt binder can dilate when subjected to shear loads. This paper also presents the findings from a study conducted to investigate the source of the nonlinearity in the asphalt binder. Test results demonstrate that the application of cyclic shear loads results in the development of a normal force and a concomitant reduction in the dynamic shear modulus. This form of nonlinear response is referred to as an “interaction nonlinearity”. A combination of experimental and analytical tools is used to demonstrate and verify the presence of this interaction nonlinearity in asphalt binders. The findings from this study highlight the importance of modeling the mechanical behavior of asphalt binders based on the overall stress state of the material.     

SPARC inhibits endothelial cell adhesion but not proliferation through a tyrosine phosphorylation-dependent pathway

SPARC, a counteradhesive matricellular protein, inhibits endothelial cell adhesion and proliferation, but the pathways through which these activities are blocked are not known. In this study, we used inhibitors of major signaling proteins to identify mediators through which SPARC exerts its counteradhesive and antiproliferative functions. Pretreatments with the general protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) inhibitors, herbimycin A and genistein, protected against the inhibitory effect of SPARC on bovine aortic endothelial (BAE) cell spreading by more than 60%. Similar pretreatments with PTK inhibitors significantly blocked the diminishment of focal adhesions by SPARC in confluent BAE cell monolayers, as determined by the formation of actin stress-fibers and the distribution of vinculin in focal adhesion plaques. Inhibition of endothelial cell cycle progression by SPARC and a calcium-binding SPARC peptide, however, was not affected by PTK inhibitors. Inhibition of DNA synthesis by SPARC was not reversed by inhibitors of the activity of protein kinase C (PKC), or of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA), but was sensitive to pertussis (and to a lesser extent, cholera) toxin. The counteradhesive effect of SPARC on endothelial cells is, therefore, mediated through a tyrosine phosphorylation-dependent pathway, whereas its antiproliferative function is dependent, in part, on signal transduction via a G protein-coupled receptor.     

Surgical correction of spastic thumb-in-palm deformity

A series of 31 operations on 27 patients for correction of the spastic thumb-in-palm deformity is reported. 19 patients were followed four years or longer post-operatively; the remainder have been followed for at least one year. In approximately 70 per cent of the operations, supplementary procedures were performed on the hand or forearm, as the deformity is usually only one facet of a complex spastic disability of the upper extremity. The surgical technique and illustrative cases are presented. Augmentation of a markedly weak extensor-abductor motor function is necessary, otherwise the spastic thumb-in-palm deformity will recur, as in two cases in the present series which required a second operation. The remainder of the patients were classified as improved, indicating that the thumb was no longer clenched in the palm, could be used in gross grasping activities, and the hand had become more useful. In no instance did the spastic hand become the primary functioning hand post-operatively.     

Fuzzy-based algorithm for Fongbe continuous speech segmentation

Text-independent speech segmentation is a challenging topic in computer-based speech recognition systems. This paper proposes a novel time-domain algorithm based on fuzzy knowledge for continuous speech segmentation task via a nonlinear speech analysis. Short-term energy, zero-crossing rate and the singularity exponents are the time-domain features that we have calculated in each point of speech signal in order to exploit relevant information for generating the significant segments. This is down for the phoneme or syllable identification and the transition fronts. Fuzzy logic technique helped us to fuzzify the calculated features into three complementary sets namely: low, medium, high and to perform a matching phase using a set of fuzzy rules. The outputs of our proposed algorithm are silence, phonemes, or syllables. Once evaluated, our algorithm produced the best performances with efficient results on Fongbe language (an African tonal language spoken especially in Benin, Togo and Nigeria).