Sample records for high-performance functional fluids

  1. Parametric performance of circumferentially grooved heat pipes with homogeneous and graded-porosity slab wicks at cryogenic temperatures. [methane and ethane working fluids

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Groll, M.; Pittman, R. B.; Eninger, J. E.

    1976-01-01

    A recently developed, potentially high-performance nonarterial wick was extensively tested. This slab wick has an axially varying porosity which can be tailored to match the local stress imposed on the wick. The purpose of the tests was to establish the usefulness of the graded-porosity slab wick at cryogenic temperatures between 110 and 260 K, with methane and ethane as working fluids. For comparison, a homogeneous (i.e., uniform porosity) slab wick was also tested. The tests included: maximum heat pipe performance as a function of fluid inventory, maximum performance as a function of operating temperature, maximum performance as a function of evaporator elevation, and influence of slab wick orientation on performance. The experimental data were compared with theoretical predictions obtained with the GRADE computer program.

  2. A General Approach for Fluid Patterning and Application in Fabricating Microdevices.

    PubMed

    Huang, Zhandong; Yang, Qiang; Su, Meng; Li, Zheng; Hu, Xiaotian; Li, Yifan; Pan, Qi; Ren, Wanjie; Li, Fengyu; Song, Yanlin

    2018-06-19

    Engineering the fluid interface such as the gas-liquid interface is of great significance for solvent processing applications including functional material assembly, inkjet printing, and high-performance device fabrication. However, precisely controlling the fluid interface remains a great challenge owing to its flexibility and fluidity. Here, a general method to manipulate the fluid interface for fluid patterning using micropillars in the microchannel is reported. The principle of fluid patterning for immiscible fluid pairs including air, water, and oils is proposed. This understanding enables the preparation of programmable multiphase fluid patterns and assembly of multilayer functional materials to fabricate micro-optoelectronic devices. This general strategy of fluid patterning provides a promising platform to study the fundamental processes occurring on the fluid interface, and benefits applications in many subjects, such as microfluidics, microbiology, chemical analysis and detection, material synthesis and assembly, device fabrication, etc. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  3. Aging and strategic retrieval in a cued-recall test: the role of executive functions and fluid intelligence.

    PubMed

    Taconnat, Laurence; Clarys, David; Vanneste, Sandrine; Bouazzaoui, Badiâa; Isingrini, Michel

    2007-06-01

    Cued-recall in episodic memory was investigated in relation to low and high cognitive support at retrieval, executive function level and fluid intelligence level in 81 healthy adults divided first into two age groups (young and elderly adults). The first analyses showed that age-related differences were greater when a low cognitive support was provided to recall the words. An individual index of loss of performance when the number of cues was decreased was then calculated. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that the executive functions measure (perseverative errors on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test) was a better candidate than the fluid intelligence measure (Cattell's culture fair test) to account for the age-related variance of the size of performance loss. These findings suggest that age differences in implementing strategic retrieval may be mainly due to a decline in executive functions.

  4. Parametric performance of circumferentially grooved heat pipes with homogeneous and graded-porosity slab wicks at cryogenic temperatures

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Groll, M.; Pittman, R. B.; Eninger, J. E.

    1975-01-01

    A recently developed, potentially high-performance nonarterial wick has been extensively tested. This slab wick has an axially varying porosity which can be tailored to match the local stress imposed on the wick. The purpose of the tests was to establish the usefulness of the graded-porosity slab wick at cryogenic temperatures between 110 K and 260 K, with methane and ethane as working fluids. For comparison, a homogeneous (i.e., uniform porosity) slab wick was also tested. The tests included: (1) maximum heat pipe performance as a function of fluid inventory, (2) maximum performance as a function of operating temperature, (3) maximum performance as a function of evaporator elevation, and (4) influence of slab wick orientation on performance. The experimental data was compared with theoretical predictions obtained with the computer program GRADE.

  5. Effects of hydration on cognitive function of pilots.

    PubMed

    Lindseth, Paul D; Lindseth, Glenda N; Petros, Thomas V; Jensen, Warren C; Caspers, Julie

    2013-07-01

    The objective of this study was to examine the effect of fluid intake and possible dehydration on cognitive flight performance of pilots. A repeated-measures, counterbalanced, mixed study design was used to examine differences in working memory, spatial orientation, and cognitive flight performance of 40 randomly selected healthy pilots after having high and low fluid intakes. Serial weights were also analyzed to determine differences in cognitive flight performance of the dehydrated (1-3% weight loss) and hydrated study participants. Results showed flight performance and spatial cognition test scores were significantly (p < 0.05) poorer for pilots who had low fluid intakes and experienced dehydration in comparison to the hydrated pilots. These findings indicate fluid intake differences resulting in dehydration may have safety implications because peak cognitive performance among pilots is critical for flight safety. Reprint & Copyright © 2013 Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.

  6. Errors on interrupter tasks presented during spatial and verbal working memory performance are linearly linked to large-scale functional network connectivity in high temporal resolution resting state fMRI.

    PubMed

    Magnuson, Matthew Evan; Thompson, Garth John; Schwarb, Hillary; Pan, Wen-Ju; McKinley, Andy; Schumacher, Eric H; Keilholz, Shella Dawn

    2015-12-01

    The brain is organized into networks composed of spatially separated anatomical regions exhibiting coherent functional activity over time. Two of these networks (the default mode network, DMN, and the task positive network, TPN) have been implicated in the performance of a number of cognitive tasks. To directly examine the stable relationship between network connectivity and behavioral performance, high temporal resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were collected during the resting state, and behavioral data were collected from 15 subjects on different days, exploring verbal working memory, spatial working memory, and fluid intelligence. Sustained attention performance was also evaluated in a task interleaved between resting state scans. Functional connectivity within and between the DMN and TPN was related to performance on these tasks. Decreased TPN resting state connectivity was found to significantly correlate with fewer errors on an interrupter task presented during a spatial working memory paradigm and decreased DMN/TPN anti-correlation was significantly correlated with fewer errors on an interrupter task presented during a verbal working memory paradigm. A trend for increased DMN resting state connectivity to correlate to measures of fluid intelligence was also observed. These results provide additional evidence of the relationship between resting state networks and behavioral performance, and show that such results can be observed with high temporal resolution fMRI. Because cognitive scores and functional connectivity were collected on nonconsecutive days, these results highlight the stability of functional connectivity/cognitive performance coupling.

  7. Global and critical test of the perturbation density-functional theory based on extensive simulation of Lennard-Jones fluid near an interface and in confined systems.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Shiqi; Jamnik, Andrej

    2005-09-22

    The structure of a Lennard-Jones (LJ) fluid subjected to diverse external fields maintaining the equilibrium with the bulk LJ fluid is studied on the basis of the third-order+second-order perturbation density-functional approximation (DFA). The chosen density and potential parameters for the bulk fluid correspond to the conditions situated at "dangerous" regions of the phase diagram, i.e., near the critical temperature or close to the gas-liquid coexistence curve. The accuracy of DFA predictions is tested against the results of a grand canonical ensemble Monte Carlo simulation. It is found that the DFA theory presented in this work performs successfully for the nonuniform LJ fluid only on the condition of high accuracy of the required bulk second-order direct correlation function. The present report further indicates that the proposed perturbation DFA is efficient and suitable for both supercritical and subcritical temperatures.

  8. Infusion fluids contain harmful glucose degradation products

    PubMed Central

    Bryland, Anna; Broman, Marcus; Erixon, Martin; Klarin, Bengt; Lindén, Torbjörn; Friberg, Hans; Wieslander, Anders; Kjellstrand, Per; Ronco, Claudio; Carlsson, Ola

    2010-01-01

    Purpose Glucose degradation products (GDPs) are precursors of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) that cause cellular damage and inflammation. We examined the content of GDPs in commercially available glucose-containing infusion fluids and investigated whether GDPs are found in patients’ blood. Methods The content of GDPs was examined in infusion fluids by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. To investigate whether GDPs also are found in patients, we included 11 patients who received glucose fluids (standard group) during and after their surgery and 11 control patients receiving buffered saline (control group). Blood samples were analyzed for GDP content and carboxymethyllysine (CML), as a measure of AGE formation. The influence of heat-sterilized fluids on cell viability and cell function upon infection was investigated. Results All investigated fluids contained high concentrations of GDPs, such as 3-deoxyglucosone (3-DG). Serum concentration of 3-DG increased rapidly by a factor of eight in patients receiving standard therapy. Serum CML levels increased significantly and showed linear correlation with the amount of infused 3-DG. There was no increase in serum 3-DG or CML concentrations in the control group. The concentration of GDPs in most of the tested fluids damaged neutrophils, reducing their cytokine secretion, and inhibited microbial killing. Conclusions These findings indicate that normal standard fluid therapy involves unwanted infusion of GDPs. Reduction of the content of GDPs in commonly used infusion fluids may improve cell function, and possibly also organ function, in intensive-care patients. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00134-010-1873-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. PMID:20397009

  9. Performance Analysis of AN Engine Mount Featuring ER Fluids and Piezoactuators

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Choi, S. H.; Choi, Y. T.; Choi, S. B.; Cheong, C. C.

    Conventional rubber mounts and various types of passive or semi-active hydraulic engine mounts for a passenger vehicle have their own functional aims on the limited frequency band in the broad engine operating frequency range. In order to achieve high system performance over all frequency ranges of the engine operation, a new type of engine mount featuring electro-rheological(ER) fluids and piezoactuators is proposed in this study. A mathematical model of the proposed engine mount is derived using the bond graph method which is inherently adequate to model the interconnected hydromechanical system. In the low frequency domain, the ER fluid is activated upon imposing an electric field for vibration isolation while the piezoactuator is activated in the high frequency domain. A neuro-control algorithm is utilized to determine control electric field for the ER fluid, and H∞ control technique is adopted for the piezoactuator Comparative works between the proposed and single-actuating(ER fluid only or piezoactuator only) engine mounts are undertaken by evaluating force transmissibility over a wide operating frequency range.

  10. Association between aerobic fitness and cerebrovascular function with neurocognitive functions in healthy, young adults.

    PubMed

    Hwang, Jungyun; Kim, Kiyoung; Brothers, R Matthew; Castelli, Darla M; Gonzalez-Lima, F

    2018-05-01

    Studies of the effects of physical activity on cognition suggest that aerobic fitness can improve cognitive abilities. However, the physiological mechanisms for the cognitive benefit of aerobic fitness are less well understood. We examined the association between aerobic fitness and cerebrovascular function with neurocognitive functions in healthy, young adults. Participants aged 18-29 years underwent measurements of cerebral vasomotor reactivity (CVMR) in response to rebreathing-induced hypercapnia, maximal oxygen uptake (VO 2 max) during cycle ergometry to voluntary exhaustion, and simple- and complex-neurocognitive assessments at rest. Ten subjects were identified as having low-aerobic fitness (LF < 15th fitness percentile), and twelve subjects were identified as having high-aerobic fitness (HF > 80th fitness percentile). There were no LF versus HF group differences in cerebrovascular hemodynamics during the baseline condition. Changes in middle cerebral artery blood velocity and CVMR during hypercapnia were elevated more in the HF than the LF group. Compared to the LF, the HF performed better on a complex-cognitive task assessing fluid reasoning, but not on simple attentional abilities. Statistical modeling showed that measures of VO 2 max, CVMR, and fluid reasoning were positively inter-correlated. The relationship between VO 2 max and fluid reasoning, however, did not appear to be reliably mediated by CVMR. In conclusion, a high capacity for maximal oxygen uptake among healthy, young adults was associated with greater CVMR and better fluid reasoning, implying that high-aerobic fitness may promote cerebrovascular and cognitive functioning abilities.

  11. Performance of journal bearings with semi-compressible fluids

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Carpino, M.; Peng, J.-P.

    1991-01-01

    Cryogenic fluids in isothermal rigid surface and foil type journal bearings can sometimes be treated as semicompressible fluids. In these applications, the fluid density is a function of the pressure. At low pressures, the fluids can change from a liquid to a saturated liquid-vapor phase. The performance of a rigid surface journal bearing with an idealized semicompressible fluid is discussed. Pressure solutions are based upon a Reynolds equation which includes the effects of a compressibility via the bulk modulus of the fluid. Results are contrasted with the performance of isothermal constant property incompressible fluids.

  12. Condenser design for AMTEC power conversion

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Crowley, Christopher J.

    1991-01-01

    The condenser and the electrodes are the two elements of an alkali metal thermal-to-electric conversion (AMTEC) cell which most greatly affect the energy conversion performance. A condenser is described which accomplishes two critical functions in an AMTEC cell: management of the fluid under microgravity conditions and optimization of conversion efficiency. The first function is achieved via the use of a controlled surface shape, along with drainage grooves and arteries to collect the fluid. Capillary forces manage the fluid in microgravity and dominate hydrostatic effects on the ground so the device is ground-testable. The second function is achieved via a smooth film of highly reflective liquid sodium on the condensing surface, resulting in minimization of parasitic heat losses due to radiation heat transfer. Power conversion efficiencies of 25 percent to 30 percent are estimated with this condenser using present technology for the electrodes.

  13. The Influence of Fluid Intelligence, Executive Functions and Premorbid Intelligence on Memory in Frontal Patients.

    PubMed

    Chan, Edgar; MacPherson, Sarah E; Bozzali, Marco; Shallice, Tim; Cipolotti, Lisa

    2018-01-01

    Objective: It is commonly thought that memory deficits in frontal patients are a result of impairments in executive functions which impact upon storage and retrieval processes. Yet, few studies have specifically examined the relationship between memory performance and executive functions in frontal patients. Furthermore, the contribution of more general cognitive processes such as fluid intelligence and demographic factors such as age, education, and premorbid intelligence has not been considered. Method: Our study examined the relationship between recall and recognition memory and performance on measures of fluid intelligence, executive functions and premorbid intelligence in 39 frontal patients and 46 healthy controls. Results: Recall memory impairments in frontal patients were strongly correlated with fluid intelligence, executive functions and premorbid intelligence. These factors were all found to be independent predictors of recall performance, with fluid intelligence being the strongest predictor. In contrast, recognition memory impairments were not related to any of these factors. Furthermore, age and education were not significantly correlated with either recall or recognition memory measures. Conclusion: Our findings show that recall memory in frontal patients was related to fluid intelligence, executive functions and premorbid intelligence. In contrast, recognition memory was not. These findings suggest that recall and recognition memory deficits following frontal injury arise from separable cognitive factors. Recognition memory tests may be more useful when assessing memory functions in frontal patients.

  14. The Influence of Fluid Intelligence, Executive Functions and Premorbid Intelligence on Memory in Frontal Patients

    PubMed Central

    Chan, Edgar; MacPherson, Sarah E.; Bozzali, Marco; Shallice, Tim; Cipolotti, Lisa

    2018-01-01

    Objective: It is commonly thought that memory deficits in frontal patients are a result of impairments in executive functions which impact upon storage and retrieval processes. Yet, few studies have specifically examined the relationship between memory performance and executive functions in frontal patients. Furthermore, the contribution of more general cognitive processes such as fluid intelligence and demographic factors such as age, education, and premorbid intelligence has not been considered. Method: Our study examined the relationship between recall and recognition memory and performance on measures of fluid intelligence, executive functions and premorbid intelligence in 39 frontal patients and 46 healthy controls. Results: Recall memory impairments in frontal patients were strongly correlated with fluid intelligence, executive functions and premorbid intelligence. These factors were all found to be independent predictors of recall performance, with fluid intelligence being the strongest predictor. In contrast, recognition memory impairments were not related to any of these factors. Furthermore, age and education were not significantly correlated with either recall or recognition memory measures. Conclusion: Our findings show that recall memory in frontal patients was related to fluid intelligence, executive functions and premorbid intelligence. In contrast, recognition memory was not. These findings suggest that recall and recognition memory deficits following frontal injury arise from separable cognitive factors. Recognition memory tests may be more useful when assessing memory functions in frontal patients. PMID:29937746

  15. Experimental Investigation of Triplet Correlation Approximations for Fluid Water.

    PubMed

    Pallewela, Gayani N; Ploetz, Elizabeth A; Smith, Paul E

    2018-08-25

    Triplet correlations play a central role in our understanding of fluids and their properties. Of particular interest is the relationship between the pair and triplet correlations. Here we use a combination of Fluctuation Solution Theory and experimental pair radial distribution functions to investigate the accuracy of the Kirkwood Superposition Approximation (KSA), as given by integrals over the relevant pair and triplet correlation functions, at a series of state points for pure water using only experimental quantities. The KSA performs poorly, in agreement with a variety of other studies. Several additional approximate relationships between the pair and triplet correlations in fluids are also investigated and generally provide good agreement for the fluid thermodynamics for regions of the phase diagram where the compressibility is small. A simple power law relationship between the pair and triplet fluctuations is particularly successful for state points displaying low to moderately high compressibilities.

  16. Fluidic origami cellular structure -- combining the plant nastic movements with paper folding art

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Suyi; Wang, K. W.

    2015-04-01

    By combining the physical principles behind the nastic plant movements and the rich designs of paper folding art, we propose a new class of multi-functional adaptive structure called fluidic origami cellular structure. The basic elements of this structure are fluid filled origami "cells", made by connecting two compatible Miura-Ori stripes along their crease lines. These cells are assembled seamlessly into a three dimensional topology, and their internal fluid pressure or volume are strategically controlled just like in plants for nastic movements. Because of the unique geometry of the Miura-Ori, the relationships among origami folding, internal fluid properties, and the crease bending are intricate and highly nonlinear. Fluidic origami can exploit such relationships to provide multiple adaptive functions concurrently and effectively. For example, it can achieve actuation or morphing by actively changing the internal fluid volume, and stillness tuning by constraining the fluid volume. Fluidic origami can also be bistable because of the nonlinear correlation between folding and crease material bending, and such bistable character can be altered significantly by fluid pressurization. These functions are natural and essential companions with respect to each other, so that fluidic origami can holistically exhibit many attractive characteristics of plants and deliver rapid and efficient actuation/morphing while maintaining a high structural stillness. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the design and working principles of the fluidic origami, as well as to explore and demonstrate its performance potential.

  17. Graphene nanoplatelets as high-performance filtration control material in water-based drilling fluids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ridha, Syahrir; Ibrahim, Arif; Shahari, Radzi; Fonna, Syarizal

    2018-05-01

    The main objective of this work is to evaluate the effectiveness of graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) as filtration control materials in water based drilling fluids. Three (3) general samples of water based drilling fluids were prepared including basic potassium chloride (KCl) drilling fluids, nanosilica (NS) drilling fluids and GNP drilling fluids. Several concentrations of NS and GNP were dispersed in controlled formulations of water based drilling fluids. Standard API filtration tests were carried out for comparison purposes as well as High Temperature High Pressure (HTHP) filtration tests at 150 °F (∼66 °C), 250 °F (∼121 °C) and 350 °F (∼177 °C) at a fixed 500 (∼3.45MPa) psi to study the filtration trend as a function of temperature. Mud cake samples from several tests were selectively chosen and analyzed under Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) for its morphology. Results from this work show that nanoparticle concentrations play a factor in filtration ability of colloid materials in water based drilling fluids when studied at elevated temperature. Low temperature filtration, however, shows only small differences in volume in all the drilling fluid samples. 0.1 ppb concentrations of GNP reduced the fluid loss of 350 °F by 4.6 mL as compared to the similar concentration of NS drilling fluids.

  18. Biphasic investigation of contact mechanics in natural human hips during activities

    PubMed Central

    Hua, Xijin; Jin, Zhongmin; Fisher, John; Wilcox, Ruth K

    2014-01-01

    The aim of this study was to determine the cartilage contact mechanics and the associated fluid pressurisation of the hip joint under eight daily activities, using a three-dimensional finite element hip model with biphasic cartilage layers and generic geometries. Loads with spatial and temporal variations were applied over time and the time-dependent performance of the hip cartilage during walking was also evaluated. It was found that the fluid support ratio was over 90% during the majority of the cycles for all the eight activities. A reduced fluid support ratio was observed for the time at which the contact region slid towards the interior edge of the acetabular cartilage, but these occurred when the absolute level of the peak contact stress was minimal. Over 10 cycles of gait, the peak contact stress and peak fluid pressure remained constant, but a faster process of fluid exudation was observed for the interior edge region of the acetabular cartilage. The results demonstrate the excellent function of the hip cartilage within which the solid matrix is prevented from high levels of stress during activities owing to the load shared by fluid pressurisation. The findings are important in gaining a better understanding of the hip function during daily activities, as well as the pathology of hip degeneration and potential for future interventions. They provide a basis for future subject-specific biphasic investigations of hip performance during activities. PMID:24898443

  19. Biology's built-in Faraday cages

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Klee, Maurice M.

    2014-05-01

    Biological fluids are water-based, ionic conductors. As such, they have both high relative dielectric constants and substantial conductivities, meaning they are lossy dielectrics. These fluids contain charged molecules (free charges), whose movements play roles in essentially all cellular processes from metabolism to communication with other cells. Using the problem of a point source in air above a biological fluid of semi-infinite extent, the bound charges in the fluid are shown to perform the function of a fast-acting Faraday cage, which protects the interior of the fluid from external electric fields. Free charges replace bound charges in accordance with the fluid's relaxation time, thereby providing a smooth transition between the initial protection provided by the bound charges and the steady state protection provided by the free charges. The electric fields within the biological fluid are thus small for all times just as they would be inside a classical Faraday cage.

  20. Comparison of surfactant lipids between pleural and pulmonary lining fluids.

    PubMed

    Mills, P C; Chen, Y; Hills, Y C; Hills, B A

    2006-01-01

    Saturated phospholipids (PCs), particularly dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC), predominate in surfactant lining the alveoli, although little is known about the relationship between saturated and unsaturated PCs on the outer surface of the lung, the pleura. Seven healthy cats were anesthetized and a bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was performed, immediately followed by a pleural lavage (PL). Lipid was extracted from lavage fluid and then analyzed for saturated, primarily dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC), and unsaturated PC species using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with combined fluorescence and ultraviolet detection. Dilution of epithelial lining fluid (ELF) in lavage fluids was corrected for using the urea method. The concentration of DPPC in BAL fluid (85.3+/-15.7 microg/mL) was significantly higher (P=0.021) than unsaturated PCs ( approximately 40 microg/mL). However, unsaturated PCs ( approximately 34 microg/mL), particularly stearoyl-linoleoyl-phosphatidylcholine (SLPC; 17.4+/-6.8), were significantly higher (P=0.021) than DPPC (4.3+/-1.8 microg/mL) in PL fluid. These results show that unsaturated PCs appear functionally more important in the pleural cavity, which may have implications for surfactant replenishment following pleural disease or thoracic surgery.

  1. Heat Transfer Performance of Functionalized Graphene Nanoplatelet Aqueous Nanofluids

    PubMed Central

    Agromayor, Roberto; Cabaleiro, David; Pardinas, Angel A.; Vallejo, Javier P.; Fernandez-Seara, Jose; Lugo, Luis

    2016-01-01

    The low thermal conductivity of fluids used in many industrial applications is one of the primary limitations in the development of more efficient heat transfer systems. A promising solution to this problem is the suspension of nanoparticles with high thermal conductivities in a base fluid. These suspensions, known as nanofluids, have great potential for enhancing heat transfer. The heat transfer enhancement of sulfonic acid-functionalized graphene nanoplatelet water-based nanofluids is addressed in this work. A new experimental setup was designed for this purpose. Convection coefficients, pressure drops, and thermophysical properties of various nanofluids at different concentrations were measured for several operational conditions and the results are compared with those of pure water. Enhancements in thermal conductivity and in convection heat transfer coefficient reach 12% (1 wt %) and 32% (0.5 wt %), respectively. New correlations capable of predicting the Nusselt number and the friction factor of this kind of nanofluid as a function of other dimensionless quantities are developed. In addition, thermal performance factors are obtained from the experimental convection coefficient and pressure drop data in order to assess the convenience of replacing the base fluid with designed nanofluids. PMID:28773578

  2. Fluid infusion system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1974-01-01

    Performance testing carried out in the development of the prototype zero-g fluid infusion system is described and summarized. Engineering tests were performed in the course of development, both on the original breadboard device and on the prototype system. This testing was aimed at establishing baseline system performance parameters and facilitating improvements. Acceptance testing was then performed on the prototype system to verify functional performance. Acceptance testing included a demonstration of the fluid infusion system on a laboratory animal.

  3. Active Magnetic Regenerative Liquefier

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Barclay, John A.; Oseen-Send, Kathryn; Ferguson, Luke

    2016-01-12

    This final report for the DOE Project entitled Active Magnetic Regenerative Liquefier (AMRL) funded under Grant DE-FG36-08GO18064 to Heracles Energy Corporation d.b.a. Prometheus Energy (Heracles/Prometheus) describes an active magnetic regenerative refrigerator (AMRR) prototype designed and built during the period from July 2008 through May 2011. The primary goal of this project was to make significant technical advances toward highly efficient liquefaction of hydrogen. Conventional hydrogen liquefiers at any scale have a maximum FOM of ~0.35 due primarily to the intrinsic difficulty of rapid, efficient compression of either hydrogen or helium working gases. Numerical simulation modeling of high performance AMRL designsmore » indicates certain designs have promise to increase thermodynamic efficiency from a FOM of ~0.35 toward ~0.5 to ~0.6. The technical approach was the use of solid magnetic working refrigerants cycled in and out of high magnetic fields to build an efficient active regenerative magnetic refrigeration module providing cooling power for AMRL. A single-stage reciprocating AMRR with a design temperature span from ~290 K to ~120 K was built and tested with dual magnetic regenerators moving in and out of the conductively-cooled superconducting magnet subsystem. The heat transfer fluid (helium) was coupled to the process stream (refrigeration/liquefaction load) via high performance heat exchangers. In order to maximize AMRR efficiency a helium bypass loop with adjustable flow was incorporated in the design because the thermal mass of magnetic refrigerants is higher in low magnetic field than in high magnetic field. Heracles/Prometheus designed experiments to measure AMRR performance under a variety of different operational parameters such as cycle frequency, magnetic field strength, heat transfer fluid flow rate, amount of bypass flow of the heat transfer fluid while measuring work input, temperature span, cooling capability as a function of cold temperature as a function of the amount of bypass flow of the heat transfer fluid. The operational AMRR prototype can be used to answer key questions such as the best recipe for multiple layers of different magnetic refrigerants in one or more integrated regenerators with varying amounts of bypass flow of the heat transfer fluid. Layered regenerators are necessary to span the AMRR range from 290 K to 120K. Our AMRR performance simulation model predicts that ~10-15 % of bypass flow should significantly improve the thermodynamic performance. Initial results obtained with regenerators made of gadolinium spheres were very encouraging; a temperature span of ~ 50 K (between 295K and 245 K) across both regenerators was achieved with zero bypass flow of the heat transfer fluid and with the magnetic field strength of ~4 T.« less

  4. Comparison of ultra high performance supercritical fluid chromatography, ultra high performance liquid chromatography, and gas chromatography for the separation of synthetic cathinones.

    PubMed

    Carnes, Stephanie; O'Brien, Stacey; Szewczak, Angelica; Tremeau-Cayel, Lauriane; Rowe, Walter F; McCord, Bruce; Lurie, Ira S

    2017-09-01

    A comparison of ultra high performance supercritical fluid chromatography, ultra high performance liquid chromatography, and gas chromatography for the separation of synthetic cathinones has been conducted. Nine different mixtures of bath salts were analyzed in this study. The three different chromatographic techniques were examined using a general set of controlled synthetic cathinones as well as a variety of other synthetic cathinones that exist as positional isomers. Overall 35 different synthetic cathinones were analyzed. A variety of column types and chromatographic modes were examined for developing each separation. For the ultra high performance supercritical fluid chromatography separations, analyses were performed using a series of Torus and Trefoil columns with either ammonium formate or ammonium hydroxide as additives, and methanol, ethanol or isopropanol organic solvents as modifiers. Ultra high performance liquid chromatographic separations were performed in both reversed phase and hydrophilic interaction chromatographic modes using SPP C18 and SPP HILIC columns. Gas chromatography separations were performed using an Elite-5MS capillary column. The orthogonality of ultra high performance supercritical fluid chromatography, ultra high performance liquid chromatography, and gas chromatography was examined using principal component analysis. For the best overall separation of synthetic cathinones, the use of ultra high performance supercritical fluid chromatography in combination with gas chromatography is recommended. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  5. Biphasic investigation of contact mechanics in natural human hips during activities.

    PubMed

    Li, Junyan; Hua, Xijin; Jin, Zhongmin; Fisher, John; Wilcox, Ruth K

    2014-06-01

    The aim of this study was to determine the cartilage contact mechanics and the associated fluid pressurisation of the hip joint under eight daily activities, using a three-dimensional finite element hip model with biphasic cartilage layers and generic geometries. Loads with spatial and temporal variations were applied over time and the time-dependent performance of the hip cartilage during walking was also evaluated. It was found that the fluid support ratio was over 90% during the majority of the cycles for all the eight activities. A reduced fluid support ratio was observed for the time at which the contact region slid towards the interior edge of the acetabular cartilage, but these occurred when the absolute level of the peak contact stress was minimal. Over 10 cycles of gait, the peak contact stress and peak fluid pressure remained constant, but a faster process of fluid exudation was observed for the interior edge region of the acetabular cartilage. The results demonstrate the excellent function of the hip cartilage within which the solid matrix is prevented from high levels of stress during activities owing to the load shared by fluid pressurisation. The findings are important in gaining a better understanding of the hip function during daily activities, as well as the pathology of hip degeneration and potential for future interventions. They provide a basis for future subject-specific biphasic investigations of hip performance during activities. © IMechE 2014.

  6. Development of garlic bioactive compounds analytical methodology based on liquid phase microextraction using response surface design. Implications for dual analysis: Cooked and biological fluids samples.

    PubMed

    Ramirez, Daniela Andrea; Locatelli, Daniela Ana; Torres-Palazzolo, Carolina Andrea; Altamirano, Jorgelina Cecilia; Camargo, Alejandra Beatriz

    2017-01-15

    Organosulphur compounds (OSCs) present in garlic (Allium sativum L.) are responsible of several biological properties. Functional foods researches indicate the importance of quantifying these compounds in food matrices and biological fluids. For this purpose, this paper introduces a novel methodology based on dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) coupled to high performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detector (HPLC-UV) for the extraction and determination of organosulphur compounds in different matrices. The target analytes were allicin, (E)- and (Z)-ajoene, 2-vinyl-4H-1,2-dithiin (2-VD), diallyl sulphide (DAS) and diallyl disulphide (DADS). The microextraction technique was optimized using an experimental design, and the analytical performance was evaluated under optimum conditions. The desirability function presented an optimal value for 600μL of chloroform as extraction solvent using acetonitrile as dispersant. The method proved to be reliable, precise and accurate. It was successfully applied to determine OSCs in cooked garlic samples as well as blood plasma and digestive fluids. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Effects of humidified and dry air on corneal endothelial cells during vitreal fluid-air exchange.

    PubMed

    Cekiç, Osman; Ohji, Masahito; Hayashi, Atsushi; Fang, Xiao Y; Kusaka, Shunji; Tano, Yasuo

    2002-07-01

    To report the immediate anatomic and functional alterations in corneal endothelial cells following use of humidified air and dry air during vitreal fluid-air exchange in rabbits. Experimental study. Rabbits undergoing pars plana vitrectomy and lensectomy were perfused with either dry or humidified air during fluid-air exchange for designated durations. Three different experiments were performed. First, control and experimental corneas were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Second, corneas were stained with Phalloidin-FITC and examined by fluorescein microscopy. Finally, third, transendothelial permeability for carboxyfluorescein was determined using a diffusion chamber. While different from the corneal endothelial cells, those cells exposed to humidified air were less stressed than cells exposed to dry air by SEM. Actin cytoskeleton was found highly disorganized with dry air exposure. Humidified air maintained the normal actin cytoskeleton throughout the 20 minutes of fluid-air exchange. Paracellular carboxyfluorescein leakage was significantly higher in dry air insufflated eyes compared with that of the humidified air after 5, 10, and 20 minutes of fluid-air exchange (P =.002, P =.004, and P =.002, respectively). Dry air stress during fluid-air exchange causes significant immediate alterations in monolayer appearance, actin cytoskeleton, and barrier function of corneal endothelium in aphakic rabbit eyes. Use of humidified air largely prevents the alterations in monolayer appearance, actin cytoskeleton, and barrier function of corneal endothelial cells.

  8. Wavelet based comparison of high frequency oscillations in the geodetic and fluid excitation functions of polar motion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kosek, W.; Popinski, W.; Niedzielski, T.

    2011-10-01

    It has been already shown that short period oscillations in polar motion, with periods less than 100 days, are very chaotic and are responsible for increase in short-term prediction errors of pole coordinates data. The wavelet technique enables to compare the geodetic and fluid excitation functions in the high frequency band in many different ways, e.g. by looking at the semblance function. The waveletbased semblance filtering enables determination the common signal in both geodetic and fluid excitation time series. In this paper the considered fluid excitation functions consist of the atmospheric, oceanic and land hydrology excitation functions from ECMWF atmospheric data produced by IERS Associated Product Centre Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum, Potsdam. The geodetic excitation functions have been computed from the combined IERS pole coordinates data.

  9. Design and analysis of a new high frequency double-servo direct drive rotary valve

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhu, Muzhi; Zhao, Shengdun; Li, Jingxiang

    2016-12-01

    Researchers have investigated direct drive valve for many years to solve problems, such as fluid force imbalance and switching frequency. The structure of the rotary valve has received considerable research interest because of its favorable dynamic properties and simple structure. This paper studied the high frequency doubleservo direct drive rotary valve (DDRV), and proposed a novel structure and drive method satisfying high reversing frequency and adequate quantity of flow. Servo motors are integrated into the valve by the innovative structure, which is designed to equilibrate the unbalanced radial fluid force with the symmetric distributed oil ports. Aside from the fast reversing function of the valve, the DDRV presented high performance in linearity of the flow quantity and valve opening as a result of the fan-shaped flow ports. In addition, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method based on Fluent was conducted to verify the flux regulation effect of the height change of the adjustable boss.

  10. A computational fluid dynamics simulation of high- and low-current arcs in self-blast circuit breakers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Claessens, M.; Möller, K.; Thiel, H. G.

    1997-07-01

    Computational fluid dynamics calculations for high- and low-current arcs in an interrupter of the self-blast type have been performed. The mixing process of the hot PTFE cloud with the cold 0022-3727/30/13/011/img6 in the pressure chamber is strongly inhomogeneous. The existence of two different species has been taken into account by interpolation of the material functions according to their mass fraction in each grid cell. Depending on the arcing time, fault current and interrupter geometry, blow temperatures of up to 2000 K have been found. The simulation results for a decaying arc immediately before current zero yield a significantly reduced arc cooling at the stagnation point for high blow temperatures.

  11. Experimental and theoretical analysis of nanofluids based on high temperature-heat transfer fluid with enhanced thermal properties

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Navas, Javier; Sánchez-Coronilla, Antonio; Martín, Elisa I.; Gómez-Villarejo, Roberto; Teruel, Miriam; Gallardo, Juan Jesús; Aguilar, Teresa; Alcántara, Rodrigo; Fernández-Lorenzo, Concha; Martín-Calleja, Joaquín

    2017-04-01

    In this work, nanofluids were prepared using commercial Cu nanoparticles and a commercial high temperature-heat transfer Fluid (eutectic mixture of diphenyl oxide and biphenyl) as the base fluid, which is used in concentrating solar power (CSP) plants. Different properties such as density, viscosity, heat capacity and thermal conductivity were characterized. Nanofluids showed enhanced heat transfer efficiency. In detail, the incorporation of Cu nanoparticles led to an increase of the heat capacity up to 14%. Also, thermal conductivity was increased up to 13%. Finally, the performance of the nanofluids prepared increased up to 11% according to the Dittus-Boelter correlation. On the other hand, equilibrium molecular dynamics simulation was used to model the experimental nanofluid system studied. Thermodynamic properties such as heat capacity and thermal conductivity were calculated and the results were compared with experimental data. The analysis of the radial function distributions (RDFs) and the inspection of the spatial distribution functions (SDFs) indicate the important role that plays the metal-oxygen interaction in the system. Dynamic properties such as the diffusion coefficients of base fluid and nanofluid were computed according to Einstein relation by computing the mean square displacement (MSD). Supplementary online material is available in electronic form at http://www.epjap.org

  12. Double dissociation of structure-function relationships in memory and fluid intelligence observed with magnetic resonance elastography.

    PubMed

    Johnson, Curtis L; Schwarb, Hillary; Horecka, Kevin M; McGarry, Matthew D J; Hillman, Charles H; Kramer, Arthur F; Cohen, Neal J; Barbey, Aron K

    2018-05-01

    Brain tissue mechanical properties, measured in vivo with magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), have proven to be sensitive metrics of neural tissue integrity. Recently, our group has reported on the positive relationship between viscoelasticity of the hippocampus and performance on a relational memory task in healthy young adults, which highlighted the potential of sensitive MRE measures for studying brain health and its relation to cognitive function; however, structure-function relationships outside of the hippocampus have not yet been explored. In this study, we examined the relationships between viscoelasticity of both the hippocampus and the orbitofrontal cortex and performance on behavioral assessments of relational memory and fluid intelligence. In a sample of healthy, young adults (N = 53), there was a significant, positive relationship between orbitofrontal cortex viscoelasticity and fluid intelligence performance (r = 0.42; p = .002). This finding is consistent with the previously reported relationship between hippocampal viscoelasticity and relational memory performance (r = 0.41; p = .002). Further, a significant double dissociation between the orbitofrontal-fluid intelligence relationship and the hippocampal-relational memory relationship was observed. These data support the specificity of regional brain MRE measures in support of separable cognitive functions. This report of a structure-function relationship observed with MRE beyond the hippocampus suggests a future role for MRE as a sensitive neuroimaging technique for brain mapping. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Fluid intensifier having a double acting power chamber with interconnected signal rods

    DOEpatents

    Whitehead, John C.

    2001-01-01

    A fluid driven reciprocating apparatus having a double acting power chamber with signal rods serving as high pressure pistons, or to transmit mechanical power. The signal rods are connected to a double acting piston in the power chamber thereby eliminating the need for pilot valves, with the piston being controlled by a pair of intake-exhaust valves. The signal rod includes two spaced seals along its length with a vented space therebetween so that the driving fluid and driven fluid can't mix, and performs a switching function to eliminate separate pilot valves. The intake-exhaust valves can be integrated into a single housing with the power chamber, or these valves can be built into the cylinder head only of the power chamber, or they can be separate from the power chamber.

  14. Fluid intelligence and brain functional organization in aging yoga and meditation practitioners

    PubMed Central

    Gard, Tim; Taquet, Maxime; Dixit, Rohan; Hölzel, Britta K.; de Montjoye, Yves-Alexandre; Brach, Narayan; Salat, David H.; Dickerson, Bradford C.; Gray, Jeremy R.; Lazar, Sara W.

    2014-01-01

    Numerous studies have documented the normal age-related decline of neural structure, function, and cognitive performance. Preliminary evidence suggests that meditation may reduce decline in specific cognitive domains and in brain structure. Here we extended this research by investigating the relation between age and fluid intelligence and resting state brain functional network architecture using graph theory, in middle-aged yoga and meditation practitioners, and matched controls. Fluid intelligence declined slower in yoga practitioners and meditators combined than in controls. Resting state functional networks of yoga practitioners and meditators combined were more integrated and more resilient to damage than those of controls. Furthermore, mindfulness was positively correlated with fluid intelligence, resilience, and global network efficiency. These findings reveal the possibility to increase resilience and to slow the decline of fluid intelligence and brain functional architecture and suggest that mindfulness plays a mechanistic role in this preservation. PMID:24795629

  15. Fluid intelligence and executive functioning more alike than different?

    PubMed

    van Aken, Loes; Kessels, Roy P C; Wingbermühle, Ellen; van der Veld, William M; Egger, Jos I M

    2016-02-01

    Fluid intelligence (Gf) has been related to executive functioning (EF) in previous studies, and it is also known to be correlated with crystallized intelligence (Gc). The present study includes representative measures of Gf, Gc, and EF frequently used in clinical practice to examine this Gf-EF relation. It is hypothesised that the Gf-EF relation is higher than the Gc-EF relation, and that working memory in particular (as a measure of EF) shows a high contribution to this relation. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed on a mixed neuropsychiatric and non-clinical sample consisting of 188 participants, using the Kaufman Adolescent and Adult Intelligence Test, and three executive tasks of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery, covering working memory, planning skills, and set shifting. The model fitted the data well [χ²(24)=35.25, p=0.07, RMSEA=0.050]. A very high correlation between Gf and EF was found (0.91), with working memory being the most profound indicator. A moderate to high correlation between Gc and EF was present. Current results are consistent with findings of a strong relation between Gf and working memory. Gf and EF are highly correlated. Gf dysfunction in neuropsychiatric patients warrants further EF examination and vice versa. It is discussed that results confirm the need to distinguish between specific versus general fluid/executive functioning, the latter being more involved when task complexity and novelty increase. This distinction can provide a more refined differential diagnosis and improve neuropsychiatric treatment indication.

  16. Individual differences and specificity of prefrontal gamma frequency-tACS on fluid intelligence capabilities.

    PubMed

    Santarnecchi, E; Muller, T; Rossi, S; Sarkar, A; Polizzotto, N R; Rossi, A; Cohen Kadosh, R

    2016-02-01

    Emerging evidence suggests that transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) is an effective, frequency-specific modulator of endogenous brain oscillations, with the potential to alter cognitive performance. Here, we show that reduction in response latencies to solve complex logic problem indexing fluid intelligence is obtained through 40 Hz-tACS (gamma band) applied to the prefrontal cortex. This improvement in human performance depends on individual ability, with slower performers at baseline receiving greater benefits. The effect could have not being explained by regression to the mean, and showed task and frequency specificity: it was not observed for trials not involving logical reasoning, as well as with the application of low frequency 5 Hz-tACS (theta band) or non-periodic high frequency random noise stimulation (101-640 Hz). Moreover, performance in a spatial working memory task was not affected by brain stimulation, excluding possible effects on fluid intelligence enhancement through an increase in memory performance. We suggest that such high-level cognitive functions are dissociable by frequency-specific neuromodulatory effects, possibly related to entrainment of specific brain rhythms. We conclude that individual differences in cognitive abilities, due to acquired or developmental origins, could be reduced during frequency-specific tACS, a finding that should be taken into account for future individual cognitive rehabilitation studies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Marc Henry de Frahan | NREL

    Science.gov Websites

    Computing Project, Marc develops high-fidelity turbulence models to enhance simulation accuracy and efficient numerical algorithms for future high performance computing hardware architectures. Research Interests High performance computing High order numerical methods for computational fluid dynamics Fluid

  18. Fully-Implicit Orthogonal Reconstructed Discontinuous Galerkin for Fluid Dynamics with Phase Change

    DOE PAGES

    Nourgaliev, R.; Luo, H.; Weston, B.; ...

    2015-11-11

    A new reconstructed Discontinuous Galerkin (rDG) method, based on orthogonal basis/test functions, is developed for fluid flows on unstructured meshes. Orthogonality of basis functions is essential for enabling robust and efficient fully-implicit Newton-Krylov based time integration. The method is designed for generic partial differential equations, including transient, hyperbolic, parabolic or elliptic operators, which are attributed to many multiphysics problems. We demonstrate the method’s capabilities for solving compressible fluid-solid systems (in the low Mach number limit), with phase change (melting/solidification), as motivated by applications in Additive Manufacturing (AM). We focus on the method’s accuracy (in both space and time), as wellmore » as robustness and solvability of the system of linear equations involved in the linearization steps of Newton-based methods. The performance of the developed method is investigated for highly-stiff problems with melting/solidification, emphasizing the advantages from tight coupling of mass, momentum and energy conservation equations, as well as orthogonality of basis functions, which leads to better conditioning of the underlying (approximate) Jacobian matrices, and rapid convergence of the Krylov-based linear solver.« less

  19. Functional Alterations in Neural Substrates of Geometric Reasoning in Adults with High-Functioning Autism

    PubMed Central

    Yamada, Takashi; Ohta, Haruhisa; Watanabe, Hiromi; Kanai, Chieko; Tani, Masayuki; Ohno, Taisei; Takayama, Yuko; Iwanami, Akira; Kato, Nobumasa; Hashimoto, Ryuichiro

    2012-01-01

    Individuals with autism spectrum condition (ASC) are known to excel in some perceptual cognitive tasks, but such developed functions have been often regarded as “islets of abilities” that do not significantly contribute to broader intellectual capacities. However, recent behavioral studies have reported that individuals with ASC have advantages for performing Raven's (Standard) Progressive Matrices (RPM/RSPM), a standard neuropsychological test for general fluid intelligence, raising the possibility that ASC′s cognitive strength can be utilized for more general purposes like novel problem solving. Here, the brain activity of 25 adults with high-functioning ASC and 26 matched normal controls (NC) was measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine neural substrates of geometric reasoning during the engagement of a modified version of the RSPM test. Among the frontal and parietal brain regions involved in fluid intelligence, ASC showed larger activation in the left lateral occipitotemporal cortex (LOTC) during an analytic condition with moderate difficulty than NC. Activation in the left LOTC and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) increased with task difficulty in NC, whereas such modulation of activity was absent in ASC. Furthermore, functional connectivity analysis revealed a significant reduction of activation coupling between the left inferior parietal cortex and the right anterior prefrontal cortex during both figural and analytic conditions in ASC. These results indicate altered pattern of functional specialization and integration in the neural system for geometric reasoning in ASC, which may explain its atypical cognitive pattern, including performance on the Raven's Matrices test. PMID:22912831

  20. Effect of working fluids on thermal performance of closed loop pulsating heat pipe

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kolková, Zuzana; Malcho, Milan

    2014-08-01

    Improving the performance of electrical components needs higher heat removal from these systems. One of the solutions available is to use a sealed heat pipe with a throbbing filling, where development meets the current requirements for intensification of heat removal and elimination of moving parts cooling systems. Heat pipes operate using phase change working fluid, and it is evaporation and condensation. They have a meandering shape and are characterized by high intensity of heat transfer, high durability and reliability. Advantage of these tubes is that it is not necessary to create the internal capillary structure for transporting liquid and they need any pump to the working fluid circulation. They have a simple structure, low cost, high performance, and they can be used for various structural applications. The choice of working fluid volume and performance affects thermal performance. Distilled water, ethanol and acetone were used in the performance ranges 0-80%.

  1. Flow characterization and patch clamp dose responses using jet microfluidics in a tubeless microfluidic device.

    PubMed

    Resto, Pedro J; Bhat, Abhishek; Stava, Eric; Lor, Chong; Merriam, Elliot; Diaz-Rivera, Ruben E; Pearce, Robert; Blick, Robert; Williams, Justin C

    2017-11-01

    Surface tension passive pumping is a way to actuate flow without the need for pumps, tubing or valves by using the pressure inside small drop to move liquid via a microfluidic channel. These types of tubeless devices have typically been used in cell biology. Herein we present the use of tubeless devices as a fluid exchange platform for patch clamp electrophysiology. Inertia from high-speed droplets and jets is used to create flow and perform on-the-fly mixing of solutions. These are then flowed over GABA transfected HEK cells under patch in order to perform a dose response analysis. TIRF imaging and electrical recordings are used to study the fluid exchange properties of the microfluidic device, resulting in 0-90% fluid exchange times of hundreds of milliseconds. COMSOL is used to model flow and fluid exchange within the device. Patch-clamping experiments show the ability to use high-speed passive pumping and its derivatives for studying peak dose responses, but not for studying ion channel kinetics. Our system results in fluid exchange times slower than when using a standard 12-barrel application system and is not as stable as traditional methods, but it offers a new platform with added functionality. Surface tension passive pumping and tubeless devices can be used in a limited fashion for electrophysiology. Users may obtain peak dose responses but the system, in its current form, is not capable of fluid exchange fast enough to study the kinetics of most ion channels. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Proprioceptive Flexible Fluidic Actuators Using Conductive Working Fluids

    PubMed Central

    Rossiter, Jonathan

    2018-01-01

    Abstract Soft robotic systems generally require both soft actuators and soft sensors to perform complex functions. Separate actuators and sensors are often combined into one composite device when proprioception (self-sensing) is required. In this article, we introduce the concept of using a conductive liquid to perform both the sensing and actuation functions of a proprioceptive soft actuator. The working fluid drives actuator deformation while simultaneously acting as a strain-sensing component for detecting actuator deformation. The concept is examined and demonstrated in two proprioceptive flexible fluidic actuators (FFAs) that use conductive liquids as their working fluids: a linear actuator and a bending actuator. In both cases, we show that resistance can be used to infer strain. Some hysteresis and nonlinearity are present, but repeatability is high. The bandwidth of resistance as a sensing variable in the bending FFA is tested and found to be ∼3.665 Hz. Resistance is demonstrated as a feedback variable in a control loop, and the proprioceptive bending FFA is controlled to respond to step input and sinusoidal target functions. The effect of temperature on resistance–strain behavior is also examined, and we demonstrate how measurement of volume and resistance can be used to detect when the actuator is constrained. Biocompatible proprioceptive soft actuators such as those presented in this article are ideal for use in low-cost bionic healthcare components such as orthotics, prosthetics, or even replacement muscles. PMID:29211627

  3. Proprioceptive Flexible Fluidic Actuators Using Conductive Working Fluids.

    PubMed

    Helps, Tim; Rossiter, Jonathan

    2018-04-01

    Soft robotic systems generally require both soft actuators and soft sensors to perform complex functions. Separate actuators and sensors are often combined into one composite device when proprioception (self-sensing) is required. In this article, we introduce the concept of using a conductive liquid to perform both the sensing and actuation functions of a proprioceptive soft actuator. The working fluid drives actuator deformation while simultaneously acting as a strain-sensing component for detecting actuator deformation. The concept is examined and demonstrated in two proprioceptive flexible fluidic actuators (FFAs) that use conductive liquids as their working fluids: a linear actuator and a bending actuator. In both cases, we show that resistance can be used to infer strain. Some hysteresis and nonlinearity are present, but repeatability is high. The bandwidth of resistance as a sensing variable in the bending FFA is tested and found to be ∼3.665 Hz. Resistance is demonstrated as a feedback variable in a control loop, and the proprioceptive bending FFA is controlled to respond to step input and sinusoidal target functions. The effect of temperature on resistance-strain behavior is also examined, and we demonstrate how measurement of volume and resistance can be used to detect when the actuator is constrained. Biocompatible proprioceptive soft actuators such as those presented in this article are ideal for use in low-cost bionic healthcare components such as orthotics, prosthetics, or even replacement muscles.

  4. The Role of Flight Experiments in the Development of Cryogenic Fluid Management Technologies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chato, David J.

    2006-01-01

    This paper reviews the history of cryogenic fluid management technology development and infusion into both the Saturn and Centaur vehicles. Ground testing and analysis proved inadequate to demonstrate full scale performance. As a consequence flight demonstration with a full scale vehicle was required by both the Saturn and Centaur programs to build confidence that problems were addressed. However; the flight vehicles were highly limited on flight instrumentation and the flight demonstration locked-in the design without challenging the function of design elements. Projects reviewed include: the Aerobee Sounding Rocket Cryogenic Fluid Management (CFM) tests which served as a valuable stepping stone to flight demonstration and built confidence in the ability to handle hydrogen in low gravity; the Saturn IVB Fluid Management Qualification flight test; the Atlas Centaur demonstration flights to develop two burn capability; and finally the Titan Centaur two post mission flight tests.

  5. Chronic Fluid Flow Is an Environmental Modifier of Renal Epithelial Function

    PubMed Central

    Resnick, Andrew

    2011-01-01

    Although solitary or sensory cilia are present in most cells of the body and their existence has been known since the sixties, very little is been known about their functions. One suspected function is fluid flow sensing- physical bending of cilia produces an influx of Ca++, which can then result in a variety of activated signaling pathways. Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD) is a progressive disease, typically appearing in the 5th decade of life and is one of the most common monogenetic inherited human diseases, affecting approximately 600,000 people in the United States. Because ADPKD is a slowly progressing disease, I asked how fluid flow may act, via the primary cilium, to alter epithelial physiology during the course of cell turnover. I performed an experiment to determine under what conditions fluid flow can result in a change of function of renal epithelial tissue. A wildtype epithelial cell line derived the cortical collecting duct of a heterozygous offspring of the Immortomouse (Charles River Laboratory) was selected as our model system. Gentle orbital shaking was used to induce physiologically relevant fluid flow, and periodic measurements of the transepithelial Sodium current were performed. At the conclusion of the experiment, mechanosensitive proteins of interest were visualized by immunostaining. I found that fluid flow, in itself, modifies the transepithelial sodium current, cell proliferation, and the actin cytoskeleton. These results significantly impact the understanding of both the mechanosensation function of primary cilia as well as the understanding of ADPKD disease progression. PMID:22046444

  6. Fluid Intelligence Predicts Novel Rule Implementation in a Distributed Frontoparietal Control Network.

    PubMed

    Tschentscher, Nadja; Mitchell, Daniel; Duncan, John

    2017-05-03

    Fluid intelligence has been associated with a distributed cognitive control or multiple-demand (MD) network, comprising regions of lateral frontal, insular, dorsomedial frontal, and parietal cortex. Human fluid intelligence is also intimately linked to task complexity, and the process of solving complex problems in a sequence of simpler, more focused parts. Here, a complex target detection task included multiple independent rules, applied one at a time in successive task epochs. Although only one rule was applied at a time, increasing task complexity (i.e., the number of rules) impaired performance in participants of lower fluid intelligence. Accompanying this loss of performance was reduced response to rule-critical events across the distributed MD network. The results link fluid intelligence and MD function to a process of attentional focus on the successive parts of complex behavior. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Fluid intelligence is intimately linked to the ability to structure complex problems in a sequence of simpler, more focused parts. We examine the basis for this link in the functions of a distributed frontoparietal or multiple-demand (MD) network. With increased task complexity, participants of lower fluid intelligence showed reduced responses to task-critical events. Reduced responses in the MD system were accompanied by impaired behavioral performance. Low fluid intelligence is linked to poor foregrounding of task-critical information across a distributed MD system. Copyright © 2017 Tschentscher et al.

  7. Assessment of WENO-extended two-fluid modelling in compressible multiphase flows

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kitamura, Keiichi; Nonomura, Taku

    2017-03-01

    The two-fluid modelling based on an advection-upwind-splitting-method (AUSM)-family numerical flux function, AUSM+-up, following the work by Chang and Liou [Journal of Computational Physics 2007;225: 840-873], has been successfully extended to the fifth order by weighted-essentially-non-oscillatory (WENO) schemes. Then its performance is surveyed in several numerical tests. The results showed a desired performance in one-dimensional benchmark test problems: Without relying upon an anti-diffusion device, the higher-order two-fluid method captures the phase interface within a fewer grid points than the conventional second-order method, as well as a rarefaction wave and a very weak shock. At a high pressure ratio (e.g. 1,000), the interpolated variables appeared to affect the performance: the conservative-variable-based characteristic-wise WENO interpolation showed less sharper but more robust representations of the shocks and expansions than the primitive-variable-based counterpart did. In two-dimensional shock/droplet test case, however, only the primitive-variable-based WENO with a huge void fraction realised a stable computation.

  8. Working memory, inhibition, and fluid intelligence as predictors of performance on Tower of Hanoi and London tasks.

    PubMed

    Zook, Nancy A; Davalos, Deana B; Delosh, Edward L; Davis, Hasker P

    2004-12-01

    The contributions of working memory, inhibition, and fluid intelligence to performance on the Tower of Hanoi (TOH) and Tower of London (TOL) were examined in 85 undergraduate participants. All three factors accounted for significant variance on the TOH, but only fluid intelligence accounted for significant variance on the TOL. When the contribution of fluid intelligence was accounted for, working memory and inhibition continued to account for significant variance on the TOH. These findings support argument that fluid intelligence contributes to executive functioning, but also show that the executive processes elicited by tasks vary according to task structure.

  9. Charon Message-Passing Toolkit for Scientific Computations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    VanderWijngaart, Rob F.; Yan, Jerry (Technical Monitor)

    2000-01-01

    Charon is a library, callable from C and Fortran, that aids the conversion of structured-grid legacy codes-such as those used in the numerical computation of fluid flows-into parallel, high- performance codes. Key are functions that define distributed arrays, that map between distributed and non-distributed arrays, and that allow easy specification of common communications on structured grids. The library is based on the widely accepted MPI message passing standard. We present an overview of the functionality of Charon, and some representative results.

  10. Effect of the Dialysis Fluid Buffer on Peritoneal Membrane Function in Children

    PubMed Central

    Nau, Barbara; Gemulla, Gita; Bonzel, Klaus E.; Hölttä, Tuula; Testa, Sara; Fischbach, Michel; John, Ulrike; Kemper, Markus J.; Sander, Anja; Arbeiter, Klaus; Schaefer, Franz

    2013-01-01

    Summary Background and objectives Double-chamber peritoneal dialysis fluids exert less toxicity by their neutral pH and reduced glucose degradation product content. The role of the buffer compound (lactate and bicarbonate) has not been defined in humans. Design, setting, participants, & measurements A multicenter randomized controlled trial in 37 children on automated peritoneal dialysis was performed. After a 2-month run-in period with conventional peritoneal dialysis fluids, patients were randomized to neutral-pH, low-glucose degradation product peritoneal dialysis fluids with 35 mM lactate or 34 mM bicarbonate content. Clinical and biochemical monitoring was performed monthly, and peritoneal equilibration tests and 24-hour clearance studies were performed at 0, 3, 6, and 10 months. Results No statistically significant difference in capillary blood pH, serum bicarbonate, or oral buffer supplementation emerged during the study. At baseline, peritoneal solute equilibration and clearance rates were similar. During the study, 4-hour dialysis to plasma ratio of creatinine tended to increase, and 24-hour dialytic creatinine and phosphate clearance increased with lactate peritoneal dialysis fluid but not with bicarbonate peritoneal dialysis fluid. Daily net ultrafiltration, which was similar at baseline (lactate fluid=5.4±2.6 ml/g glucose exposure, bicarbonate fluid=4.9±1.9 ml/g glucose exposure), decreased to 4.6±1.0 ml/g glucose exposure in the lactate peritoneal dialysis fluid group, whereas it increased to 5.1±1.7 ml/g glucose exposure in the bicarbonate content peritoneal dialysis fluid group (P=0.006 for interaction). Conclusions When using biocompatible peritoneal dialysis fluids, equally good acidosis control is achieved with lactate and bicarbonate buffers. Improved long-term preservation of peritoneal membrane function may, however, be achieved with bicarbonate-based peritoneal dialysis fluids. PMID:23124784

  11. Energy transfer, pressure tensor, and heating of kinetic plasma

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Yan; Matthaeus, William H.; Parashar, Tulasi N.; Haggerty, Colby C.; Roytershteyn, Vadim; Daughton, William; Wan, Minping; Shi, Yipeng; Chen, Shiyi

    2017-07-01

    Kinetic plasma turbulence cascade spans multiple scales ranging from macroscopic fluid flow to sub-electron scales. Mechanisms that dissipate large scale energy, terminate the inertial range cascade, and convert kinetic energy into heat are hotly debated. Here, we revisit these puzzles using fully kinetic simulation. By performing scale-dependent spatial filtering on the Vlasov equation, we extract information at prescribed scales and introduce several energy transfer functions. This approach allows highly inhomogeneous energy cascade to be quantified as it proceeds down to kinetic scales. The pressure work, - ( P . ∇ ) . u , can trigger a channel of the energy conversion between fluid flow and random motions, which contains a collision-free generalization of the viscous dissipation in collisional fluid. Both the energy transfer and the pressure work are strongly correlated with velocity gradients.

  12. Nanoscale simple-fluid behavior under steady shear.

    PubMed

    Yong, Xin; Zhang, Lucy T

    2012-05-01

    In this study, we use two nonequilibrium molecular dynamics algorithms, boundary-driven shear and homogeneous shear, to explore the rheology and flow properties of a simple fluid undergoing steady simple shear. The two distinct algorithms are designed to elucidate the influences of nanoscale confinement. The results of rheological material functions, i.e., viscosity and normal pressure differences, show consistent Newtonian behaviors at low shear rates from both systems. The comparison validates that confinements of the order of 10 nm are not strong enough to deviate the simple fluid behaviors from the continuum hydrodynamics. The non-Newtonian phenomena of the simple fluid are further investigated by the homogeneous shear simulations with much higher shear rates. We observe the "string phase" at high shear rates by applying both profile-biased and profile-unbiased thermostats. Contrary to other findings where the string phase is found to be an artifact of the thermostats, we perform a thorough analysis of the fluid microstructures formed due to shear, which shows that it is possible to have a string phase and second shear thinning for dense simple fluids.

  13. The role of higher-order terms in perturbation approaches to the monomer and\\xA0bonding contributions in a SAFT-type equation of state for square-well chain\\xA0fluids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Solana, J. R.; Akhouri, B. P.

    2018-07-01

    A perturbation theory for square-well chain fluids is developed within the scheme of the (generalised) Wertheim thermodynamic perturbation theory. The theory is based on the Pavlyukhin parametrisations [Y. T. Pavlyukhin, J. Struct. Chem. 53, 476 (2012)] of their simulation data for the first four perturbation terms in the high temperature expansion of the Helmholtz free energy of square-well monomer fluids combined with a second-order perturbation theory for the contact value of the radial distribution function of the square-well monomer fluid that enters into bonding contribution. To obtain the latter perturbation terms, we have performed computer simulations in the hard-sphere reference system. The importance of the perturbation terms beyond the second-order one for the monomer fluid and of the approximations of different orders in the bonding contribution for the chain fluids in the predicted equation of state, excess energy and liquid-vapour coexistence densities is analysed.

  14. The experimental study of the DC dielectric breakdown strength in magnetic fluids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kopčanský, P.; Tomčo, L.; Marton, K.; Koneracká, M.; Potočová, I.; Timko, M.

    2004-05-01

    Magnetic fluids have been studied for use as a high-voltage insulation. High-voltage measurements on magnetic fluids based on transformer oil, as a function of volume concentrations of magnetite particles and applied magnetic field, showed the increase of the DC dielectric breakdown strength opposite transformer oil, if the saturation magnetization of magnetic fluid is up to 4 mT approximately.

  15. Low power integrated pumping and valving arrays for microfluidic systems

    DOEpatents

    Krulevitch, Peter A [Pleasanton, CA; Benett, William J [Livermore, CA; Rose, Klint A [Livermore, CA; Hamilton, Julie [Tracy, CA; Maghribi, Mariam [Davis, CA

    2006-04-11

    Low power integrated pumping and valving arrays which provide a revolutionary approach for performing pumping and valving approach for performing pumping and valving operations in microfabricated fluidic systems for applications such as medical diagnostic microchips. Traditional methods rely on external, large pressure sources that defeat the advantages of miniaturization. Previously demonstrated microfabrication devices are power and voltage intensive, only function at sufficient pressure to be broadly applicable. This approach integrates a lower power, high-pressure source with a polymer, ceramic, or metal plug enclosed within a microchannel, analogous to a microsyringe. When the pressure source is activated, the polymer plug slides within the microchannel, pumping the fluid on the opposite side of the plug without allowing fluid to leak around the plug. The plugs also can serve as microvalves.

  16. A High Performance Computing Approach to the Simulation of Fluid Solid Interaction Problems with Rigid and Flexible Components (Open Access Publisher’s Version)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-08-01

    performance computing, smoothed particle hydrodynamics, rigid body dynamics, flexible body dynamics ARMAN PAZOUKI ∗, RADU SERBAN ∗, DAN NEGRUT ∗ A...HIGH PERFORMANCE COMPUTING APPROACH TO THE SIMULATION OF FLUID-SOLID INTERACTION PROBLEMS WITH RIGID AND FLEXIBLE COMPONENTS This work outlines a unified...are implemented to model rigid and flexible multibody dynamics. The two- way coupling of the fluid and solid phases is supported through use of

  17. Enhanced Multiobjective Optimization Technique for Comprehensive Aerospace Design. Part A

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chattopadhyay, Aditi; Rajadas, John N.

    1997-01-01

    A multidisciplinary design optimization procedure which couples formal multiobjectives based techniques and complex analysis procedures (such as computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes) developed. The procedure has been demonstrated on a specific high speed flow application involving aerodynamics and acoustics (sonic boom minimization). In order to account for multiple design objectives arising from complex performance requirements, multiobjective formulation techniques are used to formulate the optimization problem. Techniques to enhance the existing Kreisselmeier-Steinhauser (K-S) function multiobjective formulation approach have been developed. The K-S function procedure used in the proposed work transforms a constrained multiple objective functions problem into an unconstrained problem which then is solved using the Broyden-Fletcher-Goldfarb-Shanno (BFGS) algorithm. Weight factors are introduced during the transformation process to each objective function. This enhanced procedure will provide the designer the capability to emphasize specific design objectives during the optimization process. The demonstration of the procedure utilizes a computational Fluid dynamics (CFD) code which solves the three-dimensional parabolized Navier-Stokes (PNS) equations for the flow field along with an appropriate sonic boom evaluation procedure thus introducing both aerodynamic performance as well as sonic boom as the design objectives to be optimized simultaneously. Sensitivity analysis is performed using a discrete differentiation approach. An approximation technique has been used within the optimizer to improve the overall computational efficiency of the procedure in order to make it suitable for design applications in an industrial setting.

  18. Electrical conductivity of Icelandic deep geothermal reservoirs: insight from HT-HP laboratory experiments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nono, Franck; Gibert, Benoit; Loggia, Didier; Parat, Fleurice; Azais, Pierre; Cichy, Sarah

    2016-04-01

    Although the Icelandic geothermal system has been intensively investigated over the years, targeting increasingly deeper reservoirs (i.e. under supercritical conditions) requires a good knowledge of the behaviour of physical properties of the host rock in order to better interpret large scale geophysical observations. In particular, the interpretation of deep electrical soundings remains controversial as only few studies have investigated the influence of altered minerals and pore fluid properties on electrical properties of rocks at high temperature and pressure. In this study, we investigate the electrical conductivity of drilled samples from different Icelandic geothermal fields at elevated temperature, confining pressure and pore pressure conditions (100°C < T < 600°C, confining pressure up to 100 MPa and pore pressure up to 35 MPa). The investigated rocks are composed of hyaloclastites, dolerites and basalts taken from depths of about 800 m for the hyaloclastites, to almost 2500 m for the dolerites. They display different porosity structures, from vuggy and intra-granular to micro-cracked porosities, and have been hydrothermally alterated in the chlorite to amphibolite facies. Electrical conductivity measurements are first determined at ambient conditions as a function of pore fluid conductivity in order to establish their relationships with lithology and pore space topology, prior to the high pressure and temperature measurements. Cementation factor varies from 1.5 for the dolerites to 2.83 for the basalt, reflecting changes in the shape of the conductive channels. The surface conductivities, measured at very low fluid conductivity, increases with the porosity and is correlated with the cation exchange capacity. At high pressure and temperature, we used the two guard-ring electrodes system. Measurements have been performed in dry and saturated conditions as a function of temperature and pore pressure. The supercritical conditions have been investigated and temperature cycles have been performed systematically. Dry electrical conductivity measurements show for most of the samples irreversible changes when temperatures exceed 500°C. These changes are interpreted as destabilization/dehydration of alteration minerals that could lead to the presence of a conductive fluid phase in the samples. Very low and high salinity (NaCl) electrical conductivity measurements have been performed as a function of temperature. At supercritical conditions, electrical conductivity at low salinity is not pore pressure dependent and surface conduction is preponderant. At saturated conditions, the rock's electrical conductivity increases linearly (as a function of T-1) until 350°C. Above 350°C, the conductivity decreases. All rock types exhibit the same increasing rate. This work was funded by the of the EC project IMAGE (Integrated Methods for Advanced Geothermal Exploration, grant agreement No. 608553).

  19. Supercritical Fuel Measurements

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-09-01

    TERMS Fuels, supercritical fluids , stimulated scattering, Brillouin scattering, Rayleigh scattering, elastic properties, thermal properties 16...10 Supercritical Cell and Fluid Handling ....................................................................................... 11...motion in supercritical fluids . Thus, the method can perform diagnostics on the heat transfer of high-temperature and high-pressure fuels, measuring

  20. Analyses of ACPL thermal/fluid conditioning system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stephen, L. A.; Usher, L. H.

    1976-01-01

    Results of engineering analyses are reported. Initial computations were made using a modified control transfer function where the systems performance was characterized parametrically using an analytical model. The analytical model was revised to represent the latest expansion chamber fluid manifold design, and systems performance predictions were made. Parameters which were independently varied in these computations are listed. Systems predictions which were used to characterize performance are primarily transient computer plots comparing the deviation between average chamber temperature and the chamber temperature requirement. Additional computer plots were prepared. Results of parametric computations with the latest fluid manifold design are included.

  1. Molecular modeling the microstructure and phase behavior of bulk and inhomogeneous complex fluids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bymaster, Adam

    Accurate prediction of the thermodynamics and microstructure of complex fluids is contingent upon a model's ability to capture the molecular architecture and the specific intermolecular and intramolecular interactions that govern fluid behavior. This dissertation makes key contributions to improving the understanding and molecular modeling of complex bulk and inhomogeneous fluids, with an emphasis on associating and macromolecular molecules (water, hydrocarbons, polymers, surfactants, and colloids). Such developments apply broadly to fields ranging from biology and medicine, to high performance soft materials and energy. In the bulk, the perturbed-chain statistical associating fluid theory (PC-SAFT), an equation of state based on Wertheim's thermodynamic perturbation theory (TPT1), is extended to include a crossover correction that significantly improves the predicted phase behavior in the critical region. In addition, PC-SAFT is used to investigate the vapor-liquid equilibrium of sour gas mixtures, to improve the understanding of mercaptan/sulfide removal via gas treating. For inhomogeneous fluids, a density functional theory (DFT) based on TPT1 is extended to problems that exhibit radially symmetric inhomogeneities. First, the influence of model solutes on the structure and interfacial properties of water are investigated. The DFT successfully describes the hydrophobic phenomena on microscopic and macroscopic length scales, capturing structural changes as a function of solute size and temperature. The DFT is used to investigate the structure and effective forces in nonadsorbing polymer-colloid mixtures. A comprehensive study is conducted characterizing the role of polymer concentration and particle/polymer size ratio on the structure, polymer induced depletion forces, and tendency towards colloidal aggregation. The inhomogeneous form of the association functional is used, for the first time, to extend the DFT to associating polymer systems, applicable to any association scheme. Theoretical results elucidate how reversible bonding governs the structure of a fluid near a surface and in confined environments, the molecular connectivity (formation of supramolecules, star polymers, etc.) and the phase behavior of the system. Finally, the DFT is extended to predict the inter- and intramolecular correlation functions of polymeric fluids. A theory capable of providing such local structure is important to understanding how local chemistry, branching, and bond flexibility affect the thermodynamic properties of polymers.

  2. Prevalence and Determinants of Physical Activity and Fluid Intake in Kidney Transplant Recipients

    PubMed Central

    Gordon, Elisa J.; Prohaska, Thomas R.; Gallant, Mary P.; Sehgal, Ashwini R.; Strogatz, David; Conti, David; Siminoff, Laura A.

    2009-01-01

    Background and Significance Self-care for kidney transplantation is recommended to maintain kidney function. Little is known about levels of self-care practices, and demographic, psychosocial, and health-related correlates. Aim We investigated patients’ self-reported exercise and fluid intake, demographic and psychosocial factors associated with these self-care practices, and health-related quality of life. Methods Eighty-eight of 158 kidney recipients from two academic medical centers completed a semi-structured interview and surveys 2 months post-transplant. Results Most patients were sedentary (76%) with a quarter exercising either regularly (11%) or not at current recommendations (13%). One third (35%) reported drinking the recommended three liters of fluid daily. Multivariate analyses indicated that private insurance, high self-efficacy, and better physical functioning were significantly associated with engaging in physical activity (p<0.05); while male gender, private insurance, high self-efficacy, and not attributing oneself responsible for transplant success were significant predictors of adherence to fluid intake (p<0.05). Despite the significance of these predictors, models for physical activity and fluid intake explained 10–15% of the overall variance in these behaviors. Multivariate analyses indicated that younger age, high value of exercise, and higher social functioning significantly (p<0.05) predicted high self-efficacy for physical activity, while being married significantly (p<0.05) predicted high self-efficacy for fluid intake. Conclusion Identifying patients at risk of inadequate self-care practice is essential for educating patients about the importance of self-care. PMID:19925468

  3. Prevalence and determinants of physical activity and fluid intake in kidney transplant recipients.

    PubMed

    Gordon, Elisa J; Prohaska, Thomas R; Gallant, Mary P; Sehgal, Ashwini R; Strogatz, David; Conti, David; Siminoff, Laura A

    2010-01-01

    Self-care for kidney transplantation is recommended to maintain kidney function. Little is known about levels of self-care practices and demographic, psychosocial, and health-related correlates. To investigate patients' self-reported exercise and fluid intake, demographic and psychosocial factors associated with these self-care practices, and health-related quality of life. Eighty-eight of 158 kidney recipients from two academic medical centers completed a semi-structured interview and surveys 2 months post-transplant. Most patients were sedentary (76%) with a quarter exercising either regularly (11%) or not at current recommendations (13%). One-third (35%) reported drinking the recommended 3 L of fluid daily. Multivariate analyses indicated that private insurance, high self-efficacy, and better physical functioning were significantly associated with engaging in physical activity (p < 0.05); while male gender, private insurance, high self-efficacy, and not attributing oneself responsible for transplant success were significant predictors of adherence to fluid intake (p < 0.05). Despite the significance of these predictors, models for physical activity and fluid intake explained 10-15% of the overall variance in these behaviors. Multivariate analyses indicated that younger age, high value of exercise, and higher social functioning significantly (p < 0.05) predicted high self-efficacy for physical activity, while being married significantly (p < 0.05) predicted high self-efficacy for fluid intake. Identifying patients at risk of inadequate self-care practice is essential for educating patients about the importance of self-care.

  4. Experimental study on the inlet fogging system using two-fluid nozzles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Suryan, Abhilash; Kim, Dong Sun; Kim, Heuy Dong

    2010-04-01

    Large-capacity compressors in industrial plants and the compressors in gas turbine engines consume a considerable amount of power. The compression work is a strong function of the ambient air temperature. This increase in compression work presents a significant problem to utilities, generators and power producers when electric demands are high during the hot months. In many petrochemical process industries and gas turbine engines, the increase in compression work curtails plant output, demanding more electric power to drive the system. One way to counter this problem is to directly cool the inlet air. Inlet fogging is a popular means of cooling the inlet air to air compressors. In the present study, experiments have been performed to investigate the suitability of two-fluid nozzle for inlet fogging. Compressed air is used as the driving working gas for two-fluid nozzle and water at ambient conditions is dragged into the high-speed air jet, thus enabling the entrained water to be atomized in a very short distance from the exit of the two-fluid nozzle. The air supply pressure is varied between 2.0 and 5.0 bar and the water flow rate entrained is measured. The flow visualization and temperature and relative humidity measurements are carried out to specify the fogging characteristics of the two-fluid nozzle.

  5. High-Energy-Density Shear Flow and Instability Experiments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Doss, F. W.; Flippo, K. A.; Merritt, E. C.; di Stefano, C. A.; Devolder, B. G.; Kurien, S.; Kline, J. L.

    2017-10-01

    High-energy-density shear experiments have been performed by LANL at the OMEGA Laser Facility and National Ignition Facility (NIF). The experiments have been simulated using the LANL radiation-hydrocode RAGE and have been used to assess turbulence models ability to function in the high-energy-density, inertial- fusion-relevant regime. Beginning with the basic configuration of two counter-oriented shock-driven flows of >= 100 km/s, which initiate a strong shear instability across an initially solid-density, 20 μm thick Al plate, variations of the experiment to details of the initial conditions have been performed. These variations have included increasing the fluid densities (by modifying the plate material from Al to Ti and Cu), imposing sinusoidal seed perturbations on the plate, and directly modifying the plate's intrinsic surface roughness. Radiography of the unseeded layer has revealed the presence of emergent Kelvin-Helmholtz structures which may be analyzed to infer fluid-mechanical properties including turbulent energy density. This work is conducted by the US DOE by LANL under contract DE-0AC52-06NA25396. This abstract is LA-UR-16-24930.

  6. Performance Analysis of Scientific and Engineering Applications Using MPInside and TAU

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Saini, Subhash; Mehrotra, Piyush; Taylor, Kenichi Jun Haeng; Shende, Sameer Suresh; Biswas, Rupak

    2010-01-01

    In this paper, we present performance analysis of two NASA applications using performance tools like Tuning and Analysis Utilities (TAU) and SGI MPInside. MITgcmUV and OVERFLOW are two production-quality applications used extensively by scientists and engineers at NASA. MITgcmUV is a global ocean simulation model, developed by the Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean (ECCO) Consortium, for solving the fluid equations of motion using the hydrostatic approximation. OVERFLOW is a general-purpose Navier-Stokes solver for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) problems. Using these tools, we analyze the MPI functions (MPI_Sendrecv, MPI_Bcast, MPI_Reduce, MPI_Allreduce, MPI_Barrier, etc.) with respect to message size of each rank, time consumed by each function, and how ranks communicate. MPI communication is further analyzed by studying the performance of MPI functions used in these two applications as a function of message size and number of cores. Finally, we present the compute time, communication time, and I/O time as a function of the number of cores.

  7. High-resolution Fourier-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography and Microperimetric Findings After Macula-off Retinal Detachment Repair

    PubMed Central

    Smith, Allison J.; Telander, David G.; Zawadzki, Robert J.; Choi, Stacey S.; Morse, Lawrence S.; Werner, John S.; Park, Susanna S.

    2009-01-01

    Objective To evaluate the morphologic changes in the macula of subjects with repaired macula-off retinal detachment (RD) using high-resolution Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography (FD OCT) and to perform functional correlation in a subset of patients using microperimetry (MP-1). Design Prospective observational case series. Participants Seventeen eyes from 17 subjects who had undergone anatomically successful repair for macula-off, rhegmatogenous RD at least 3 months earlier and without visually significant maculopathy on funduscopy. Methods FD OCT with axial and transverse resolution of 4.5 μm and 10 to 15 μm, respectively, was used to obtain rapid serial B-scans of the macula, which were compared with that from Stratus OCT. The FD OCT B-scans were used to create a 3-dimensional volume, from which en face C-scans were created. Among 11 patients, MP-1 was performed to correlate morphologic changes with visual function. Main Outcome Measures Stratus OCT scans, FD OCT scans, and MP-1 data. Results Stratus OCT and FD OCT images of the macula were obtained 3 to 30 months (mean 7 months) postoperatively in all eyes. Although Stratus OCT revealed photoreceptor disruption in 2 eyes (12%), FD OCT showed photoreceptor disruption in 13 eyes (76%). This difference was statistically significant (P<0.001, χ2). Both imaging modalities revealed persistent subretinal fluid in 2 eyes (12%) and lamellar hole in 1 eye. Among 7 subjects who had reliable MP-1 data, areas of abnormal function corresponded to areas of photoreceptor layer disruptions or persistent subretinal fluid in 5 subjects (71%); one subject had normal FD OCT and MP-1. Conclusions Photoreceptor disruption after macula-off RD repair is a common abnormality in the macula that is detected better with FD OCT than Stratus OCT. A good correlation between MP-1 abnormality and presence of photoreceptor disruption or subretinal fluid on FD OCT demonstrates that these anatomic abnormalities contribute to decreased visual function after successful repair. PMID:18672289

  8. Inter-individual cognitive variability in children with Asperger's syndrome

    PubMed Central

    Gonzalez-Gadea, Maria Luz; Tripicchio, Paula; Rattazzi, Alexia; Baez, Sandra; Marino, Julian; Roca, Maria; Manes, Facundo; Ibanez, Agustin

    2014-01-01

    Multiple studies have tried to establish the distinctive profile of individuals with Asperger's syndrome (AS). However, recent reports suggest that adults with AS feature heterogeneous cognitive profiles. The present study explores inter-individual variability in children with AS through group comparison and multiple case series analysis. All participants completed an extended battery including measures of fluid and crystallized intelligence, executive functions, theory of mind, and classical neuropsychological tests. Significant group differences were found in theory of mind and other domains related to global information processing. However, the AS group showed high inter-individual variability (both sub- and supra-normal performance) on most cognitive tasks. Furthermore, high fluid intelligence correlated with less general cognitive impairment, high cognitive flexibility, and speed of motor processing. In light of these findings, we propose that children with AS are characterized by a distinct, uneven pattern of cognitive strengths and weaknesses. PMID:25132817

  9. The Zero Boil-Off Tank Experiment Ground Testing and Verification of Fluid and Thermal Performance

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chato, David J.; Kassemi, Mohammad; Kahwaji, Michel; Kieckhafer, Alexander

    2016-01-01

    The Zero Boil-Off Technology (ZBOT) Experiment involves performing a small scale International Space Station (ISS) experiment to study tank pressurization and pressure control in microgravity. The ZBOT experiment consists of a vacuum jacketed test tank filled with an inert fluorocarbon simulant liquid. Heaters and thermo-electric coolers are used in conjunction with an axial jet mixer flow loop to study a range of thermal conditions within the tank. The objective is to provide a high quality database of low gravity fluid motions and thermal transients which will be used to validate Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) modeling. This CFD can then be used in turn to predict behavior in larger systems with cryogens. This paper will discuss the work that has been done to demonstrate that the ZBOT experiment is capable of performing the functions required to produce a meaningful and accurate results, prior to its launch to the International Space Station. Main systems discussed are expected to include the thermal control system, the optical imaging system, and the tank filling system.This work is sponsored by NASAs Human Exploration Mission Directorates Physical Sciences Research program.

  10. Computational fluid modeling and performance analysis of a bidirectional rotating perfusion culture system.

    PubMed

    Kang, Chang-Wei; Wang, Yan; Tania, Marshella; Zhou, Huancheng; Gao, Yi; Ba, Te; Tan, Guo-Dong Sean; Kim, Sangho; Leo, Hwa Liang

    2013-01-01

    A myriad of bioreactor configurations have been investigated as extracorporeal medical support systems for temporary replacement of vital organ functions. In recent years, studies have demonstrated that the rotating bioreactors have the potential to be utilized as bioartificial liver assist devices (BLADs) owing to their advantage of ease of scalability of cell-culture volume. However, the fluid movement in the rotating chamber will expose the suspended cells to unwanted flow structures with abnormally high shear conditions that may result in poor cell stability and in turn lower the efficacy of the bioreactor system. In this study, we compared the hydrodynamic performance of our modified rotating bioreactor design with that of an existing rotating bioreactor design. Computational fluid dynamic analysis coupled with experimental results were employed in the optimization process for the development of the modified bioreactor design. Our simulation results showed that the modified bioreactor had lower fluid induced shear stresses and more uniform flow conditions within its rotating chamber than the conventional design. Experimental results revealed that the cells within the modified bioreactor also exhibited better cell-carrier attachment, higher metabolic activity, and cell viability compared to those in the conventional design. In conclusion, this study was able to provide important insights into the flow physics within the rotating bioreactors, and help enhanced the hydrodynamic performance of an existing rotating bioreactor for BLAD applications. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

  11. Mechanisms of aerobic performance impairment with heat stress and dehydration.

    PubMed

    Cheuvront, Samuel N; Kenefick, Robert W; Montain, Scott J; Sawka, Michael N

    2010-12-01

    Environmental heat stress can challenge the limits of human cardiovascular and temperature regulation, body fluid balance, and thus aerobic performance. This minireview proposes that the cardiovascular adjustments accompanying high skin temperatures (T(sk)), alone or in combination with high core body temperatures (T(c)), provide a primary explanation for impaired aerobic exercise performance in warm-hot environments. The independent (T(sk)) and combined (T(sk) + T(c)) effects of hyperthermia reduce maximal oxygen uptake (Vo(2max)), which leads to higher relative exercise intensity and an exponential decline in aerobic performance at any given exercise workload. Greater relative exercise intensity increases cardiovascular strain, which is a prominent mediator of rated perceived exertion. As a consequence, incremental or constant-rate exercise is more difficult to sustain (earlier fatigue) or requires a slowing of self-paced exercise to achieve a similar sensation of effort. It is proposed that high T(sk) and T(c) impair aerobic performance in tandem primarily through elevated cardiovascular strain, rather than a deterioration in central nervous system (CNS) function or skeletal muscle metabolism. Evaporative sweating is the principal means of heat loss in warm-hot environments where sweat losses frequently exceed fluid intakes. When dehydration exceeds 3% of total body water (2% of body mass) then aerobic performance is consistently impaired independent and additive to heat stress. Dehydration augments hyperthermia and plasma volume reductions, which combine to accentuate cardiovascular strain and reduce Vo(2max). Importantly, the negative performance consequences of dehydration worsen as T(sk) increases.

  12. Optimization of Mud Hammer Drilling Performance--A Program to Benchmark the Viability of Advanced Mud Hammer Drilling

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Arnis Judzis

    2006-03-01

    Operators continue to look for ways to improve hard rock drilling performance through emerging technologies. A consortium of Department of Energy, operator and industry participants put together an effort to test and optimize mud driven fluid hammers as one emerging technology that has shown promise to increase penetration rates in hard rock. The thrust of this program has been to test and record the performance of fluid hammers in full scale test conditions including, hard formations at simulated depth, high density/high solids drilling muds, and realistic fluid power levels. This paper details the testing and results of testing two 7more » 3/4 inch diameter mud hammers with 8 1/2 inch hammer bits. A Novatek MHN5 and an SDS Digger FH185 mud hammer were tested with several bit types, with performance being compared to a conventional (IADC Code 537) tricone bit. These tools functionally operated in all of the simulated downhole environments. The performance was in the range of the baseline ticone or better at lower borehole pressures, but at higher borehole pressures the performance was in the lower range or below that of the baseline tricone bit. A new drilling mode was observed, while operating the MHN5 mud hammer. This mode was noticed as the weight on bit (WOB) was in transition from low to high applied load. During this new ''transition drilling mode'', performance was substantially improved and in some cases outperformed the tricone bit. Improvements were noted for the SDS tool while drilling with a more aggressive bit design. Future work includes the optimization of these or the next generation tools for operating in higher density and higher borehole pressure conditions and improving bit design and technology based on the knowledge gained from this test program.« less

  13. Functional performance of pyrovalves

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bement, Laurence J.

    1996-01-01

    Following several flight and ground test failures of spacecraft systems using single-shot, 'normally closed' pyrotechnically actuated valves (pyrovalves), a Government/Industry cooperative program was initiated to assess the functional performance of five qualified designs. The goal of the program was to provide information on functional performance of pyrovalves to allow users the opportunity to improve procurement requirements. Specific objectives included the demonstration of performance test methods, the seating; these gases/particles entered the fluid path of measurement of 'blowby' (the passage of gases from the pyrotechnic energy source around the activating piston into the valve's fluid path), and the quantification of functional margins for each design. Experiments were conducted at NASA's Langley Research Center on several units for each of the five valve designs. The test methods used for this program measured the forces and energies required to actuate the valves, as well as the energies and the pressures (where possible) delivered by the pyrotechnic sources. Functional performance ranged widely among the designs. Blowby cannot be prevented by o-ring seals; metal-to-metal seals were effective. Functional margin was determined by dividing the energy delivered by the pyrotechnic sources in excess to that required to accomplish the function by the energy required for that function. Two of the five designs had inadequate functional margins with the pyrotechnic cartridges evaluated.

  14. Boom Minimization Framework for Supersonic Aircraft Using CFD Analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ordaz, Irian; Rallabhandi, Sriram K.

    2010-01-01

    A new framework is presented for shape optimization using analytical shape functions and high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD) via Cart3D. The focus of the paper is the system-level integration of several key enabling analysis tools and automation methods to perform shape optimization and reduce sonic boom footprint. A boom mitigation case study subject to performance, stability and geometrical requirements is presented to demonstrate a subset of the capabilities of the framework. Lastly, a design space exploration is carried out to assess the key parameters and constraints driving the design.

  15. Ongoing Analysis of Rocket Based Combined Cycle Engines by the Applied Fluid Dynamics Analysis Group at Marshall Space Flight Center

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ruf, Joseph; Holt, James B.; Canabal, Francisco

    1999-01-01

    This paper presents the status of analyses on three Rocket Based Combined Cycle configurations underway in the Applied Fluid Dynamics Analysis Group (TD64). TD64 is performing computational fluid dynamics analysis on a Penn State RBCC test rig, the proposed Draco axisymmetric RBCC engine and the Trailblazer engine. The intent of the analysis on the Penn State test rig is to benchmark the Finite Difference Navier Stokes code for ejector mode fluid dynamics. The Draco engine analysis is a trade study to determine the ejector mode performance as a function of three engine design variables. The Trailblazer analysis is to evaluate the nozzle performance in scramjet mode. Results to date of each analysis are presented.

  16. Ongoing Analyses of Rocket Based Combined Cycle Engines by the Applied Fluid Dynamics Analysis Group at Marshall Space Flight Center

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ruf, Joseph H.; Holt, James B.; Canabal, Francisco

    2001-01-01

    This paper presents the status of analyses on three Rocket Based Combined Cycle (RBCC) configurations underway in the Applied Fluid Dynamics Analysis Group (TD64). TD64 is performing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis on a Penn State RBCC test rig, the proposed Draco axisymmetric RBCC engine and the Trailblazer engine. The intent of the analysis on the Penn State test rig is to benchmark the Finite Difference Navier Stokes (FDNS) code for ejector mode fluid dynamics. The Draco analysis was a trade study to determine the ejector mode performance as a function of three engine design variables. The Trailblazer analysis is to evaluate the nozzle performance in scramjet mode. Results to date of each analysis are presented.

  17. Digital pressure transducer for use at high temperatures

    DOEpatents

    Karplus, Henry H. B.

    1981-01-01

    A digital pressure sensor for measuring fluid pressures at relatively high temperatures includes an electrically conducting fiber coupled to the fluid by a force disc that causes tension in the fiber to be a function of fluid pressure. The tension causes changes in the mechanical resonant frequency of the fiber, which is caused to vibrate in a magnetic field to produce an electrical signal from a positive-feedback amplifier at the resonant frequency. A count of this frequency provides a measure of the fluid pressure.

  18. Digital pressure transducer for use at high temperatures

    DOEpatents

    Karplus, H.H.B.

    A digital pressure sensor for measuring fluid pressures at relatively high temperatures includes an electrically conducting fiber coupled to the fluid by a force disc that causes tension in the fiber to be a function of fluid pressure. The tension causes changes in the mechanical resonant frequency of the fiber, which is caused to vibrate in a magnetic field to produce an electrical signal from a positive-feedback amplifier at the resonant frequency. A count of this frequency provides a measure of the fluid pressure.

  19. Computational fluid dynamics analysis of cyclist aerodynamics: performance of different turbulence-modelling and boundary-layer modelling approaches.

    PubMed

    Defraeye, Thijs; Blocken, Bert; Koninckx, Erwin; Hespel, Peter; Carmeliet, Jan

    2010-08-26

    This study aims at assessing the accuracy of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for applications in sports aerodynamics, for example for drag predictions of swimmers, cyclists or skiers, by evaluating the applied numerical modelling techniques by means of detailed validation experiments. In this study, a wind-tunnel experiment on a scale model of a cyclist (scale 1:2) is presented. Apart from three-component forces and moments, also high-resolution surface pressure measurements on the scale model's surface, i.e. at 115 locations, are performed to provide detailed information on the flow field. These data are used to compare the performance of different turbulence-modelling techniques, such as steady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS), with several k-epsilon and k-omega turbulence models, and unsteady large-eddy simulation (LES), and also boundary-layer modelling techniques, namely wall functions and low-Reynolds number modelling (LRNM). The commercial CFD code Fluent 6.3 is used for the simulations. The RANS shear-stress transport (SST) k-omega model shows the best overall performance, followed by the more computationally expensive LES. Furthermore, LRNM is clearly preferred over wall functions to model the boundary layer. This study showed that there are more accurate alternatives for evaluating flow around bluff bodies with CFD than the standard k-epsilon model combined with wall functions, which is often used in CFD studies in sports. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Direct observation of cerebrospinal fluid bulk flow in the brain

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mestre, Humberto; Tithof, Jeffrey; Thomas, John; Kelley, Douglas; Nedergaard, Maiken

    2017-11-01

    Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) serves a vital role in normal brain function. Its adequate flow and exchange with interstitial fluid through perivascular spaces (PVS) has been shown to be important in the clearance of toxic metabolites like amyloid- β, and its disturbance can cause severe neurological diseases. It has long been suspected that bulk flow may transport CSF, but limitations in imaging techniques have prevented direct observation of such flows in the PVS. In this talk, we describe a novel approach using high speed two photon laser scanning microscopy which has allowed for the first ever direct observation of CSF flow in the PVS of a mouse brain. By performing particle tracking velocimetry, we quantify the CSF bulk flow speeds and PVS geometry. This technique enables future studies of CSF flow disturbances on a new scale and will pave the way for evaluating the role of these fluxes in neurodegenerative disease. R01NS100366 (to M.N.).

  1. Modelling and prediction for chaotic fir laser attractor using rational function neural network.

    PubMed

    Cho, S

    2001-02-01

    Many real-world systems such as irregular ECG signal, volatility of currency exchange rate and heated fluid reaction exhibit highly complex nonlinear characteristic known as chaos. These chaotic systems cannot be retreated satisfactorily using linear system theory due to its high dimensionality and irregularity. This research focuses on prediction and modelling of chaotic FIR (Far InfraRed) laser system for which the underlying equations are not given. This paper proposed a method for prediction and modelling a chaotic FIR laser time series using rational function neural network. Three network architectures, TDNN (Time Delayed Neural Network), RBF (radial basis function) network and the RF (rational function) network, are also presented. Comparisons between these networks performance show the improvements introduced by the RF network in terms of a decrement in network complexity and better ability of predictability.

  2. Solventless, curable fluid oligomeric systems for high performance microwave, acoustical and mechanical applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lefave, G. M.; Stanton, Leo; Foreman, Jim

    1994-01-01

    While establishing the basis for a 'Technology 2000' product plan several years ago we plugged in the usual factors contributing toward product success: price/performance justifiable; profitable, warranting high quality maintenance, enhancement, and specific property improvement; narrow inventory requirements; and raw material integrable backwards with easily variable properties (molecular weight, functionality, and isomer control). We resolved this by selecting radical functional, low molecular weight polybutadiene liquid polymers. Encouraged by the need for solid rocket binders, several companies embarked on various perceptions of binder performance requirements over four decades ago. Initially dominated by progress of liquid polysulfides, soon a few settled primarily upon polybutadiene based binders. Such an approach in a few instances was exploited quite viably with a series of functional group terminated liquid polybutadienes: hydroxyl, mercaptan, carboxyl, vinyl, and amine. Good results are obtained for oligomers, liquid polymers, and their hybrids. The only significant limits on compounded products has been solvent resistance and oxidative sensitivity, unless sufficient proportion of sulfide or nitrile moiety is incorporated. For convenience, they have been grouped under the trademarks Nylane, Seamax, Oligomax, and Castomax.

  3. Trial-to-trial fluctuations in attentional state and their relation to intelligence.

    PubMed

    Unsworth, Nash; McMillan, Brittany D

    2014-05-01

    Trial-to-trial fluctuations in attentional state while performing measures of intelligence were examined in the current study. Participants performed various measures of fluid and crystallized intelligence while also providing attentional state ratings prior to each trial. It was found that pre-trial attentional state ratings strongly predicted subsequent trial performance on the fluid intelligence measures, such that when participants rated their current attentional state as highly focused on the current task, performance tended to be high compared to when participants reported their current attentional state as being low and unfocused on the current task. Furthermore, overall attentional state ratings and variability in attentional state ratings were moderately correlated with overall levels of performance on the fluid intelligence measures. However, attentional state ratings did not predict performance on the measure of crystallized intelligence. These results suggest a strong link between variation in attention state and variation in fluid intelligence as postulated by a number of recent theories. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

  4. LB3D: A parallel implementation of the Lattice-Boltzmann method for simulation of interacting amphiphilic fluids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schmieschek, S.; Shamardin, L.; Frijters, S.; Krüger, T.; Schiller, U. D.; Harting, J.; Coveney, P. V.

    2017-08-01

    We introduce the lattice-Boltzmann code LB3D, version 7.1. Building on a parallel program and supporting tools which have enabled research utilising high performance computing resources for nearly two decades, LB3D version 7 provides a subset of the research code functionality as an open source project. Here, we describe the theoretical basis of the algorithm as well as computational aspects of the implementation. The software package is validated against simulations of meso-phases resulting from self-assembly in ternary fluid mixtures comprising immiscible and amphiphilic components such as water-oil-surfactant systems. The impact of the surfactant species on the dynamics of spinodal decomposition are tested and quantitative measurement of the permeability of a body centred cubic (BCC) model porous medium for a simple binary mixture is described. Single-core performance and scaling behaviour of the code are reported for simulations on current supercomputer architectures.

  5. Use and practice of achiral and chiral supercritical fluid chromatography in pharmaceutical analysis and purification.

    PubMed

    Lemasson, Elise; Bertin, Sophie; West, Caroline

    2016-01-01

    The interest of pharmaceutical companies for complementary high-performance chromatographic tools to assess a product's purity or enhance this purity is on the rise. The high-throughput capability and economic benefits of supercritical fluid chromatography, but also the "green" aspect of CO2 as the principal solvent, render supercritical fluid chromatography very attractive for a wide range of pharmaceutical applications. The recent reintroduction of new robust instruments dedicated to supercritical fluid chromatography and the progress in stationary phase technology have also greatly benefited supercritical fluid chromatography. Additionally, it was shown several times that supercritical fluid chromatography could be orthogonal to reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and could efficiently compete with it. Supercritical fluid chromatography is an adequate tool for small molecules of pharmaceutical interest: synthetic intermediates, active pharmaceutical ingredients, impurities, or degradation products. In this review, we first discuss about general chromatographic conditions for supercritical fluid chromatography analysis to better suit compounds of pharmaceutical interest. We also discuss about the use of achiral and chiral supercritical fluid chromatography for analytical purposes and the recent applications in these areas. The use of preparative supercritical fluid chromatography by pharmaceutical companies is also covered. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  6. Contributions to modeling functionality of a high frequency damper system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sirbu, E. A.; Horga, S.; Vrabioiu, G.

    2016-08-01

    Due to the necessity of improving the handling performances of a motor vehicle, it is imperative to understand the suspensions properties that affects ride and directional respons.The construction of a fero-magnetic shock absorber is based on two bellows interconnected by a pipe-line. Through this pipe-line the fero-magnetic fluid is carried between the two bellows. The damping characteristic of the shock absorber is affected by the viscosity of the fero-magnetic fluid. The viscosity of the fluid, is controlled through a electric coil mounted on the bellows connecting pipe-line. Modifying the electrical field of the coil, the viscosity of the fluid will change, finally affecting the damping characteristic of the shock absorber. A recent system called „CCD Pothole Suspension” is implemented on Ford vehicles. By modifying the dampning characteristic of the shock absorbers, vehicle daynamics can be improved; also the risk of damaging the suspension will be decreased. The approach of this paper is to analyze the behaviour of the fero magnetic damper, thus determining how it will affect the performances of the vehicle suspensions. The experimental research will provide a better understanding of the behavior of the fero-magnetic shock absorber, and the possible advantages of using this system.

  7. On the Relationship between Fluid Intelligence, Gesture Production, and Brain Structure

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wartenburger, Isabell; Kuhn, Esther; Sassenberg, Uta; Foth, Manja; Franz, Elizabeth A.; van der Meer, Elke

    2010-01-01

    Individuals scoring high in fluid intelligence tasks generally perform very efficiently in problem solving tasks and analogical reasoning tasks presumably because they are able to select the task-relevant information very quickly and focus on a limited set of task-relevant cognitive operations. Moreover, individuals with high fluid intelligence…

  8. The force distribution probability function for simple fluids by density functional theory.

    PubMed

    Rickayzen, G; Heyes, D M

    2013-02-28

    Classical density functional theory (DFT) is used to derive a formula for the probability density distribution function, P(F), and probability distribution function, W(F), for simple fluids, where F is the net force on a particle. The final formula for P(F) ∝ exp(-AF(2)), where A depends on the fluid density, the temperature, and the Fourier transform of the pair potential. The form of the DFT theory used is only applicable to bounded potential fluids. When combined with the hypernetted chain closure of the Ornstein-Zernike equation, the DFT theory for W(F) agrees with molecular dynamics computer simulations for the Gaussian and bounded soft sphere at high density. The Gaussian form for P(F) is still accurate at lower densities (but not too low density) for the two potentials, but with a smaller value for the constant, A, than that predicted by the DFT theory.

  9. Progress in the development and integration of fluid flow control tools in paper microfluidics.

    PubMed

    Fu, Elain; Downs, Corey

    2017-02-14

    Paper microfluidics is a rapidly growing subfield of microfluidics in which paper-like porous materials are used to create analytical devices. There is a need for higher performance field-use tests for many application domains including human disease diagnosis, environmental monitoring, and veterinary medicine. A key factor in creating high performance paper-based devices is the ability to manipulate fluid flow within the devices. This critical review is focused on the progress that has been made in (i) the development of fluid flow control tools and (ii) the integration of those tools into paper microfluidic devices. Further, we strive to be comprehensive in our presentation and provide historical context through discussion and performance comparisons, when possible, of both relevant earlier work and recent work. Finally, we discuss the major areas of focus for fluid flow methods development to advance the potential of paper microfluidics for high-performance field applications.

  10. Effects of 30 day simulated microgravity and recovery on fluid homeostasis and renal function in the rat

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tucker, Bryan J.; Mendonca, Margarida M.

    1995-01-01

    Transition from a normal gravitational environment to that of microgravity eventually results in decreased plasma and blood volumes, increasing with duration of exposure to microgravity. This loss of vascular fluid is presumably due to negative fluid and electrolyte balance and most likely contributes to the orthostatic intolerance associated with the return to gravity. The decrease in plasma volume is presumed to be a reflection of a concurrent decrease in extracellular fluid volume with maintenance of normal plasma-interstitial fluid balance. In addition, the specific alterations in renal function contributing to these changes in fluid and electrolyte homeostasis are potentially responding to neuro-humoral signals that are not consistent with systemic fluid volume status. We have previously demonstrated an early increase in both glomerular filtration rate and extracellular fluid volume and that this decreases towards control values by 7 days of simulated microgravity. However, longer duration studies relating these changes to plasma volume alterations and the response to return to orthostasis have not been fully addressed. Male Wistar rats were chronically cannulated, submitted to 30 days heat-down tilt (HDT) and followed for 7 days after return to orthostasis from HDT. Measurements of renal function and extracellular and blood volumes were performed in the awake rat.

  11. High Impact Technology Compact Combustion (HITCC) Compact Core Technologies

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-01-01

    3 2.1 Studies on the Effects of Centrifugal Force on the Performance of a High-G...characterize the performance of combustion systems. Fundamental flame studies provide insights into fluid mechanic and chemistry effects within...which capture fluid mechanic effects . Parametric studies are used to explore new design space and improve experiments. The third aspect of meeting the

  12. Rotational viscometer for high-pressure high-temperature fluids

    DOEpatents

    Carr, Kenneth R.

    1985-01-01

    The invention is a novel rotational viscometer which is well adapted for use with fluids at high temperatures and/or pressures. In one embodiment, the viscometer includes a substantially non-magnetic tube having a closed end and having an open end in communication with a fluid whose viscosity is to be determined. An annular drive magnet is mounted for rotation about the tube. The tube encompasses and supports a rotatable shaft assembly which carries a rotor, or bob, for insertion in the fluid. Affixed to the shaft are (a) a second magnet which is magnetically coupled to the drive magnet and (b) a third magnet. In a typical operation, the drive magnet is rotated to turn the shaft assembly while the shaft rotor is immersed in the fluid. The viscous drag on the rotor causes the shaft assembly to lag the rotation of the drive magnet by an amount which is a function of the amount of viscous drag. A first magnetic pickup generates a waveform whose phase is a function of the angular position of the drive magnet. A second magnetic pickup generates a waveform whose phase is a function of the angular position of the third magnet. An output is generated indicative of the phase difference between the two waveforms.

  13. Fully-Implicit Reconstructed Discontinuous Galerkin Method for Stiff Multiphysics Problems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nourgaliev, Robert

    2015-11-01

    A new reconstructed Discontinuous Galerkin (rDG) method, based on orthogonal basis/test functions, is developed for fluid flows on unstructured meshes. Orthogonality of basis functions is essential for enabling robust and efficient fully-implicit Newton-Krylov based time integration. The method is designed for generic partial differential equations, including transient, hyperbolic, parabolic or elliptic operators, which are attributed to many multiphysics problems. We demonstrate the method's capabilities for solving compressible fluid-solid systems (in the low Mach number limit), with phase change (melting/solidification), as motivated by applications in Additive Manufacturing. We focus on the method's accuracy (in both space and time), as well as robustness and solvability of the system of linear equations involved in the linearization steps of Newton-based methods. The performance of the developed method is investigated for highly-stiff problems with melting/solidification, emphasizing the advantages from tight coupling of mass, momentum and energy conservation equations, as well as orthogonality of basis functions, which leads to better conditioning of the underlying (approximate) Jacobian matrices, and rapid convergence of the Krylov-based linear solver. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344, and funded by the LDRD at LLNL under project tracking code 13-SI-002.

  14. Fluid Dynamics of a High Aspect-Ratio Jet

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Munro, Scott E.; Ahuja, K. K.

    2003-01-01

    Circulation control wings are a type of pneumatic high-lift device that have been extensively researched as to their aerodynamic benefits. However, there has been little research into the possible airframe noise reduction benefits of a circulation control wing. The key element of noise is the jet noise associated with the jet sheet emitted from the blowing slot. High aspect-ratio jet acoustic results (aspect-ratios from 100 to 3,000) from a related study showed that the jet noise of this type of jet was proportional to the slot height to the 3/2 power and slot width to the 1/2 power. Fluid dynamic experiments were performed in the present study on the high aspect-ratio nozzle to gain understanding of the flow characteristics in an effort to relate the acoustic results to flow parameters. Single hot-wire experiments indicated that the jet exhaust from the high aspect-ratio nozzle was similar to a 2-d turbulent jet. Two-wire space-correlation measurements were performed to attempt to find a relationship between the slot height of the jet and the length-scale of the flow noise generating turbulence structure. The turbulent eddy convection velocity was also calculated, and was found to vary with the local centerline velocity, and also as a function of the frequency of the eddy.

  15. A novel left heart simulator for the multi-modality characterization of native mitral valve geometry and fluid mechanics.

    PubMed

    Rabbah, Jean-Pierre; Saikrishnan, Neelakantan; Yoganathan, Ajit P

    2013-02-01

    Numerical models of the mitral valve have been used to elucidate mitral valve function and mechanics. These models have evolved from simple two-dimensional approximations to complex three-dimensional fully coupled fluid structure interaction models. However, to date these models lack direct one-to-one experimental validation. As computational solvers vary considerably, experimental benchmark data are critically important to ensure model accuracy. In this study, a novel left heart simulator was designed specifically for the validation of numerical mitral valve models. Several distinct experimental techniques were collectively performed to resolve mitral valve geometry and hemodynamics. In particular, micro-computed tomography was used to obtain accurate and high-resolution (39 μm voxel) native valvular anatomy, which included the mitral leaflets, chordae tendinae, and papillary muscles. Three-dimensional echocardiography was used to obtain systolic leaflet geometry. Stereoscopic digital particle image velocimetry provided all three components of fluid velocity through the mitral valve, resolved every 25 ms in the cardiac cycle. A strong central filling jet (V ~ 0.6 m/s) was observed during peak systole with minimal out-of-plane velocities. In addition, physiologic hemodynamic boundary conditions were defined and all data were synchronously acquired through a central trigger. Finally, the simulator is a precisely controlled environment, in which flow conditions and geometry can be systematically prescribed and resultant valvular function and hemodynamics assessed. Thus, this work represents the first comprehensive database of high fidelity experimental data, critical for extensive validation of mitral valve fluid structure interaction simulations.

  16. A Novel Left Heart Simulator for the Multi-modality Characterization of Native Mitral Valve Geometry and Fluid Mechanics

    PubMed Central

    Rabbah, Jean-Pierre; Saikrishnan, Neelakantan; Yoganathan, Ajit P.

    2012-01-01

    Numerical models of the mitral valve have been used to elucidate mitral valve function and mechanics. These models have evolved from simple two-dimensional approximations to complex three-dimensional fully coupled fluid structure interaction models. However, to date these models lack direct one-to-one experimental validation. As computational solvers vary considerably, experimental benchmark data are critically important to ensure model accuracy. In this study, a novel left heart simulator was designed specifically for the validation of numerical mitral valve models. Several distinct experimental techniques were collectively performed to resolve mitral valve geometry and hemodynamics. In particular, micro-computed tomography was used to obtain accurate and high-resolution (39 µm voxel) native valvular anatomy, which included the mitral leaflets, chordae tendinae, and papillary muscles. Threedimensional echocardiography was used to obtain systolic leaflet geometry for direct comparison of resultant leaflet kinematics. Stereoscopic digital particle image velocimetry provided all three components of fluid velocity through the mitral valve, resolved every 25 ms in the cardiac cycle. A strong central filling jet was observed during peak systole, with minimal out-of-plane velocities (V~0.6m/s). In addition, physiologic hemodynamic boundary conditions were defined and all data were synchronously acquired through a central trigger. Finally, the simulator is a precisely controlled environment, in which flow conditions and geometry can be systematically prescribed and resultant valvular function and hemodynamics assessed. Thus, these data represent the first comprehensive database of high fidelity experimental data, critical for extensive validation of mitral valve fluid structure interaction simulations. PMID:22965640

  17. Oxygen Transfer Characteristics of Miniaturized Bioreactor Systems

    PubMed Central

    Kirk, Timothy V; Szita, Nicolas

    2013-01-01

    Since their introduction in 2001 miniaturized bioreactor systems have made great advances in function and performance. In this article the dissolved oxygen (DO) transfer performance of submilliliter microbioreactors, and 1–10 mL minibioreactors was examined. Microbioreactors have reached kLa values of 460 h-1, and are offering instrumentation and some functionality comparable to production systems, but at high throughput screening volumes. Minibioreactors, aside from one 1,440 h-1 kLa system, have not offered as high rates of DO transfer, but have demonstrated superior integration with automated fluid handling systems. Microbioreactors have been typically limited to studies with E. coli, while minibioreactors have offered greater versatility in this regard. Further, mathematical relationships confirming the applicability of kLa measurements across all scales have been derived, and alternatives to fluorescence lifetime DO sensors have been evaluated. Finally, the influence on reactor performance of oxygen uptake rate (OUR), and the possibility of its real-time measurement have been explored. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2013; 110: 1005–1019. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. PMID:23280578

  18. Analysis of new psychoactive substances in human urine by ultra-high performance supercritical fluid and liquid chromatography: Validation and comparison.

    PubMed

    Borovcová, Lucie; Pauk, Volodymyr; Lemr, Karel

    2018-05-01

    New psychoactive substances represent serious social and health problem as tens of new compounds are detected in Europe annually. They often show structural proximity or even isomerism, which complicates their analysis. Two methods based on ultra high performance supercritical fluid chromatography and ultra high performance liquid chromatography with mass spectrometric detection were validated and compared. A simple dilute-filter-and-shoot protocol utilizing propan-2-ol or methanol for supercritical fluid or liquid chromatography, respectively, was proposed to detect and quantify 15 cathinones and phenethylamines in human urine. Both methods offered fast separation (<3 min) and short total analysis time. Precision was well <15% with a few exceptions in liquid chromatography. Limits of detection in urine ranged from 0.01 to 2.3 ng/mL, except for cathinone (5 ng/mL) in supercritical fluid chromatography. Nevertheless, this technique distinguished all analytes including four pairs of isomers, while liquid chromatography was unable to resolve fluoromethcathinone regioisomers. Concerning matrix effects and recoveries, supercritical fluid chromatography produced more uniform results for different compounds and at different concentration levels. This work demonstrates the performance and reliability of supercritical fluid chromatography and corroborates its applicability as an alternative tool for analysis of new psychoactive substances in biological matrixes. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  19. Elastic Valve Using Induced-Charge Electro-Osmosis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sugioka, Hideyuki

    2015-06-01

    Biomimic devices using induced-charge electro-osmosis (ICEO) is interesting since they have the possibility to realize high-performance functions with simple structures and with low-energy consumption. Thus, inspired by a cilium, we propose a two-dimensional artificial elastic valve using hydrodynamic force due to ICEO with a thin elastic beam in a microfluidic channel and numerically examine the valving performance. By an implicit strongly coupled simulation technique between a fluid and an elastic structure based on the boundary-element method, along with the thin-double-layer approximation, we realize stable calculations and find that the elastic valve using ICEO functions effectively at high frequency with low applied voltages in a realistic pressure flow. Further, we also examine passive motion of the valve; i.e., it stops a reverse flow effectively and releases a forward flow in the channel. We believe that our device can be used in a wide range of microfluidic applications, such as mixers, pumps, etc.

  20. Citrus bergamia juice: phytochemical and technological studies.

    PubMed

    Picerno, Patrizia; Sansone, Francesca; Mencherini, Teresa; Prota, Lucia; Aquino, Rita Patrizia; Rastrelli, Luca; Lauro, Maria Rosaria

    2011-07-01

    Fresh juice from bergamot (Citrus bergamia Risso) has been studied to evaluate the polyphenolic composition by HPLC-DAD analysis and total polyphenols content by UV method. The main constituent, Naringin, has been selected as analytical and biological marker of the juice. Juice has been loaded onto maltodextrin matrix by spray-drying. The produced maltodextrin/juice powder (BMP) showed neither significant change in total polyphenols content nor decrease in antioxidant properties with respect to fresh juice. Moreover, BMP displayed high in vitro dissolution rate of the bioactive constituents in water and in simulated biological fluids. BMP appears as promising functional raw material for food, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical products. With this aim, a formulation study to develop tablets (BMT) for oral administration has been also performed. The produced solid oral dosage form preserved high polyphenols content, showed complete disaggregation in few minutes and satisfying dissolution rate of the bioactive constituents in simulated biological fluids.

  1. Activation pathways of synovial T lymphocytes. Expression and function of the UM4D4/CDw60 antigen.

    PubMed Central

    Fox, D A; Millard, J A; Kan, L; Zeldes, W S; Davis, W; Higgs, J; Emmrich, F; Kinne, R W

    1990-01-01

    Accumulating evidence implicates a central role for synovial T cells in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis, but the activation pathways that drive proliferation and effector function of these cells are not known. We have recently generated a novel monoclonal antibody against a rheumatoid synovial T cell line that recognizes an antigen termed UM4D4 (CDw60). This antigen is expressed on a minority of peripheral blood T cells, and represents the surface component of a distinct pathway of human T cell activation. The current studies were performed to examine the expression and function of UM4D4 on T cells obtained from synovial fluid and synovial membranes of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and other forms of inflammatory joint disease. The UM4D4 antigen is expressed at high surface density on about three-fourths of synovial fluid T cells and on a small subset of synovial fluid natural killer cells; in synovial tissue it is present on more than 90% of T cells in lymphoid aggregates, and on approximately 50% of T cells in stromal infiltrates In addition, UM4D4 is expressed in synovial tissue on a previously undescribed population of HLA-DR/DP-negative non-T cells with a dendritic morphology. Anti-UM4D4 was co-mitogenic for both RA and non-RA synovial fluid mononuclear cells, and induced IL-2 receptor expression. The UM4D4/CDw60 antigen may represent a functional activation pathway for synovial compartment T cells, which could play an important role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory arthritis. Images PMID:2212003

  2. HPHT reservoir evolution: a case study from Jade and Judy fields, Central Graben, UK North Sea

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    di Primio, Rolando; Neumann, Volkmar

    2008-09-01

    3D basin modelling of a study area in Quadrant 30, UK North Sea was performed in order to elucidate the burial, thermal, pressure and hydrocarbon generation, migration and accumulation history in the Jurassic and Triassic high pressure high temperature sequences. Calibration data, including reservoir temperatures, pressures, petroleum compositional data, vitrinite reflectance profiles and published fluid inclusion data were used to constrain model predictions. The comparison of different pressure generating processes indicated that only when gas generation is taken into account as a pressure generating mechanism, both the predicted present day as well as palaeo-pressure evolution matches the available calibration data. Compositional modelling of hydrocarbon generation, migration and accumulation also reproduced present and palaeo bulk fluid properties such as the reservoir fluid gas to oil ratios. The reconstruction of the filling histories of both reservoirs indicates that both were first charged around 100 Ma ago and contained initially a two-phase system in which gas dominated volumetrically. Upon burial reservoir fluid composition evolved to higher GORs and became undersaturated as a function of increasing pore pressure up to the present day situation. Our results indicate that gas compositions must be taken into account when calculating the volumetric effect of gas generation on overpressure.

  3. Evaluation of the performance during hard turning of OHNS steel with minimal cutting fluid application and its comparison with minimum quantity lubrication

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Raj, Anil; Wins, K. Leo Dev; Varadarajan, A. S.

    2016-09-01

    Cutting fluid application plays a significant role in the manufacturing industries that acts as a coolant as well as a lubricant. The conventional flood cooling application of cutting fluids not only increases the production cost on account of the expenses involved in procurement, storage and disposal but also creates serious environmental and health hazards. In order to overcome these negative effects, techniques like Minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) and Minimal Cutting fluid application (MCFA) have increasingly found their way into the area of metal cutting and have already been established as an alternative to conventional wet machining. This paper investigates the effect of minimal Cutting fluid application (MCFA) which involves application of high velocity pulsing jet of proprietary cutting fluids at the contact zones using a special fluid application system. During hard turning of oil hardened non shrinkable steel (OHNS) on cutting temperature and tool wear and to compare the performance with Minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) assisted hard turning in which cutting fluid is carried in a high velocity stream of air. An attempt was also made to compare the performance during Turning with MCFA and MQL application with conventional wet and dry turning by analysing the tool wear pattern using SEM images.

  4. Fluid therapy in critically ill patients: perspectives from the right heart.

    PubMed

    Elbers, Paul; Rodrigus, Tim; Nossent, Esther; Malbrain, Manu L N G; Vonk-Noordegraaf, Anton

    2015-01-01

    As right heart function can affect outcome in the critically ill patient, a thorough understanding of factors determining right heart performance in health and disease is pivotal for the critical care physician. This review focuses on fluid therapy, which remains controversial in the setting of impending or overt right heart failure. In this context, we will attempt to elucidate which patients are likely to benefit from fluid administration and for which patients fluid therapy would likely be harmful. Following a general discussion of right heart function and failure, we specifically focus on important causes of right heart failure in the critically ill, i.e. sepsis induced myocardial dysfunction, the acute respiratory distress syndrome, acute pulmonary embolism and the effects of positive pressure ventilation. It is argued that fluid therapy should always be cautiously administered with the right heart in mind, which calls for close multimodal monitoring.

  5. Water reclamation from shale gas drilling flow-back fluid using a novel forward osmosis-vacuum membrane distillation hybrid system.

    PubMed

    Li, Xue-Mei; Zhao, Baolong; Wang, Zhouwei; Xie, Ming; Song, Jianfeng; Nghiem, Long D; He, Tao; Yang, Chi; Li, Chunxia; Chen, Gang

    2014-01-01

    This study examined the performance of a novel hybrid system of forward osmosis (FO) combined with vacuum membrane distillation (VMD) for reclaiming water from shale gas drilling flow-back fluid (SGDF). In the hybrid FO-VMD system, water permeated through the FO membrane into a draw solution reservoir, and the VMD process was used for draw solute recovery and clean water production. Using a SGDF sample obtained from a drilling site in China, the hybrid system could achieve almost 90% water recovery. Quality of the reclaimed water was comparable to that of bottled water. In the hybrid FO-VMD system, FO functions as a pre-treatment step to remove most contaminants and constituents that may foul or scale the membrane distillation (MD) membrane, whereas MD produces high quality water. It is envisioned that the FO-VMD system can recover high quality water not only from SGDF but also other wastewaters with high salinity and complex compositions.

  6. Identification and function of proteolysis regulators in seminal fluid.

    PubMed

    Laflamme, Brooke A; Wolfner, Mariana F

    2013-02-01

    Proteins in the seminal fluid of animals with internal fertilization effect numerous responses in mated females that impact both male and female fertility. Among these proteins is the highly represented class of proteolysis regulators (proteases and their inhibitors). Though proteolysis regulators have now been identified in the seminal fluid of all animals in which proteomic studies of the seminal fluid have been conducted (as well as several other species in which they have not), a unified understanding of the importance of proteolysis to male fertilization success and other reproductive processes has not yet been achieved. In this review, we provide an overview of the identification of proteolysis regulators in the seminal fluid of humans and Drosophila melanogaster, the two species with the most comprehensively known seminal fluid proteomes. We also highlight reports demonstrating the functional significance of specific proteolysis regulators in reproductive and post-mating processes. Finally, we make broad suggestions for the direction of future research into the roles of both active seminal fluid proteolysis regulators and their inactive homologs, another significant class of seminal fluid proteins. We hope that this review aids researchers in pursuing a coordinated study of the functional significance of proteolysis regulators in semen. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  7. Rotational viscometer for high-pressure, high-temperature fluids

    DOEpatents

    Carr, K.R.

    1983-06-06

    The invention is a novel rotational viscometer which is well adapted for use with fluids at high temperatures and/or pressures. In one embodiment, the viscometer include a substantially non-magnetic tube having a closed end and having an open end in communication with a fluid whose viscosity is to be determined. An annular drive magnet is mounted for rotation about the tube. The tube encompasses and supports a rotatable shaft assembly which carries a rotor, or bob, for insertion in the fluid. Affixed to the shaft are (a) a second magnet which is magnetically coupled to the drive magnet and (b) a third magnet. In a typical operation, the drive magnet is rotated to turn the shaft assembly while the shaft rotor is immersed in the fluid. The viscous drag on the rotor causes the shaft assembly to lag the rotation of the drive magnet by an amount which is a function of the amount of viscous drag. A first magnetic pickup generates a waveform whose phase is a function of the angular position of the drive magnet. A second magnetic pickup generates a waveform whose phase is a function of the angular position of the third magnet. Means are provided to generate an output indicative of the phase difference between the two waveforms. The viscometer is comparatively simple, inexpensive, rugged, and does not require shaft seals.

  8. Amniotic fluid: the use of high-dimensional biology to understand fetal well-being.

    PubMed

    Kamath-Rayne, Beena D; Smith, Heather C; Muglia, Louis J; Morrow, Ardythe L

    2014-01-01

    Our aim was to review the use of high-dimensional biology techniques, specifically transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, in amniotic fluid to elucidate the mechanisms behind preterm birth or assessment of fetal development. We performed a comprehensive MEDLINE literature search on the use of transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic technologies for amniotic fluid analysis. All abstracts were reviewed for pertinence to preterm birth or fetal maturation in human subjects. Nineteen articles qualified for inclusion. Most articles described the discovery of biomarker candidates, but few larger, multicenter replication or validation studies have been done. We conclude that the use of high-dimensional systems biology techniques to analyze amniotic fluid has significant potential to elucidate the mechanisms of preterm birth and fetal maturation. However, further multicenter collaborative efforts are needed to replicate and validate candidate biomarkers before they can become useful tools for clinical practice. Ideally, amniotic fluid biomarkers should be translated to a noninvasive test performed in maternal serum or urine.

  9. Laminar Motion of the Incompressible Fluids in Self-Acting Thrust Bearings with Spiral Grooves

    PubMed Central

    Velescu, Cornel; Popa, Nicolae Calin

    2014-01-01

    We analyze the laminar motion of incompressible fluids in self-acting thrust bearings with spiral grooves with inner or external pumping. The purpose of the study is to find some mathematical relations useful to approach the theoretical functionality of these bearings having magnetic controllable fluids as incompressible fluids, in the presence of a controllable magnetic field. This theoretical study approaches the permanent motion regime. To validate the theoretical results, we compare them to some experimental results presented in previous papers. The laminar motion of incompressible fluids in bearings is described by the fundamental equations of fluid dynamics. We developed and particularized these equations by taking into consideration the geometrical and functional characteristics of these hydrodynamic bearings. Through the integration of the differential equation, we determined the pressure and speed distributions in bearings with length in the “pumping” direction. These pressure and speed distributions offer important information, both quantitative (concerning the bearing performances) and qualitative (evidence of the viscous-inertial effects, the fluid compressibility, etc.), for the laminar and permanent motion regime. PMID:24526896

  10. Laminar motion of the incompressible fluids in self-acting thrust bearings with spiral grooves.

    PubMed

    Velescu, Cornel; Popa, Nicolae Calin

    2014-01-01

    We analyze the laminar motion of incompressible fluids in self-acting thrust bearings with spiral grooves with inner or external pumping. The purpose of the study is to find some mathematical relations useful to approach the theoretical functionality of these bearings having magnetic controllable fluids as incompressible fluids, in the presence of a controllable magnetic field. This theoretical study approaches the permanent motion regime. To validate the theoretical results, we compare them to some experimental results presented in previous papers. The laminar motion of incompressible fluids in bearings is described by the fundamental equations of fluid dynamics. We developed and particularized these equations by taking into consideration the geometrical and functional characteristics of these hydrodynamic bearings. Through the integration of the differential equation, we determined the pressure and speed distributions in bearings with length in the "pumping" direction. These pressure and speed distributions offer important information, both quantitative (concerning the bearing performances) and qualitative (evidence of the viscous-inertial effects, the fluid compressibility, etc.), for the laminar and permanent motion regime.

  11. Validation of metabolomics analysis of human perilymph fluid using liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy.

    PubMed

    Mavel, Sylvie; Lefèvre, Antoine; Bakhos, David; Dufour-Rainfray, Diane; Blasco, Hélène; Emond, Patrick

    2018-05-22

    Although there is some data from animal studies, the metabolome of inner ear fluid in humans remains unknown. Characterization of the metabolome of the perilymph would allow for better understanding of its role in auditory function and for identification of biomarkers that might allow prediction of response to therapeutics. There is a major technical challenge due to the small sample of perilymph fluid available for analysis (sub-microliter). The objectives of this study were to develop and validate a methodology for analysis of perilymph metabolome using liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS). Due to the low availability of perilymph fluid; a methodological study was first performed using low volumes (0.8 μL) of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and optimized the LC-HRMS parameters using targeted and non-targeted metabolomics approaches. We obtained excellent parameters of reproducibility for about 100 metabolites. This methodology was then used to analyze perilymph fluid using two complementary chromatographic supports: reverse phase (RP-C18) and hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC). Both methods were highly robust and showed their complementarity, thus reinforcing the interest to combine these chromatographic supports. A fingerprinting was obtained from 98 robust metabolites (analytical variability <30%), where amino acids (e.g., asparagine, valine, glutamine, alanine, etc.), carboxylic acids and derivatives (e.g., lactate, carnitine, trigonelline, creatinine, etc.) were observed as first-order signals. This work lays the foundations of a robust analytical workflow for the exploration of the perilymph metabolome dedicated to the research of biomarkers for the diagnosis/prognosis of auditory pathologies. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Permeability of intact and fractured rocks in Krafla geothermal reservoir, Iceland

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Eggertsson, Gudjon; Lavallée, Yan; Markusson, Sigurdur

    2016-04-01

    The magmatic-hydrothermal system at Krafla Volcano, North-East Iceland, has been the source of an important geothermal fluids, exploited by Landsvirkjun National Power since 1977 to generate electricity (~60 MW). In the last decade, the energy was extracted from fluids of moderate temperature (200-300°C), but in order to satisfy the demand for sustainable, environmentally-safe energy, Landsvirkjun is aiming to source fluids in the super high-enthalpy hydrothermal system (400°-600°C and <220 bar). In relation to this, IDDP-1 was drilled in 2009. Drilling was terminated at a depth of 2100m when the drill string penetrated rhyolite magma. The rock around this rhyolite magma body shows great potential for production, as its temperatures are very high and it is located at shallow depth. Here, we present the results of mechanical and permeability tests carried out on the main lithologies forming the geothermal reservoir rock. During a field survey in fall 2015, and through information gathered from previous drilling exercises, five main rock types were identified and sampled to carry out this study: that is, basalts (10% to 60% porosity), hyaloclastites (35% to 45% porosity), obsidians (0,25% to 5% porosity), ignimbrites (13% to 18% porosity), and intrusive felsites and microgabbros (10% to 16% porosity). The only rock type not found in outcrops on the surface is the felsite and microgabbros which are thought to be directly above the rhyolite magma (~80m thick). The reason they can be found on the surface is that during the Mývatns-fires, an explosion creating the Víti crater and scattered these rocks around the area. For all these lithologies, the porosity was determined using helium pycnometry. On-going permeability measurements are made using a classic hydrostatic cell. To simulate the stress conditions extant in the hydrothermal field, we performed permeability measurements at a range of confining pressure (1 to 100 MPa), using a pore pressure differential of 0.5 - 1.5 MPa (at an average pore pressure of 1.25 MPa). We present the results of permeability-porosity relationships for each rock as a function of confining pressure and discuss the permeability of the fluid reservoir as a function of effective pressure (i.e., = confining pressure - pore pressure) to constrain fluid flow during different pressurisation events. Complementary Brazilian tests were also performed to induce a fracture in the samples and the permeability of these fractured rocks will be measured to describe the role of macrofractures in controlling fluid flow. Permeability measurements at high temperature (up to ~500 C) will be performed on selected rocks. The aim of these experiments will be to discover the relative role of the various lithologies on the permeability of the reservoir, which will inform us how to improve the geothermal productivity of the proposed deep well through thermo-mechanical stimulations.

  13. Aging and Strategic Retrieval in a Cued-Recall Test: The Role of Executive Functions and Fluid Intelligence

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Taconnat, Laurence; Clarys, David; Vanneste, Sandrine; Bouazzaoui, Badiaa; Isingrini, Michel

    2007-01-01

    Cued-recall in episodic memory was investigated in relation to low and high cognitive support at retrieval, executive function level and fluid intelligence level in 81 healthy adults divided first into two age groups (young and elderly adults). The first analyses showed that age-related differences were greater when a low cognitive support was…

  14. Finite-size corrections in simulation of dipolar fluids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Belloni, Luc; Puibasset, Joël

    2017-12-01

    Monte Carlo simulations of dipolar fluids are performed at different numbers of particles N = 100-4000. For each size of the cubic cell, the non-spherically symmetric pair distribution function g(r,Ω) is accumulated in terms of projections gmnl(r) onto rotational invariants. The observed N dependence is in very good agreement with the theoretical predictions for the finite-size corrections of different origins: the explicit corrections due to the absence of fluctuations in the number of particles within the canonical simulation and the implicit corrections due to the coupling between the environment around a given particle and that around its images in the neighboring cells. The latter dominates in fluids of strong dipolar coupling characterized by low compressibility and high dielectric constant. The ability to clean with great precision the simulation data from these corrections combined with the use of very powerful anisotropic integral equation techniques means that exact correlation functions both in real and Fourier spaces, Kirkwood-Buff integrals, and bridge functions can be derived from box sizes as small as N ≈ 100, even with existing long-range tails. In the presence of dielectric discontinuity with the external medium surrounding the central box and its replica within the Ewald treatment of the Coulombic interactions, the 1/N dependence of the gmnl(r) is shown to disagree with the, yet well-accepted, prediction of the literature.

  15. High-Performance Java Codes for Computational Fluid Dynamics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Riley, Christopher; Chatterjee, Siddhartha; Biswas, Rupak; Biegel, Bryan (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    The computational science community is reluctant to write large-scale computationally -intensive applications in Java due to concerns over Java's poor performance, despite the claimed software engineering advantages of its object-oriented features. Naive Java implementations of numerical algorithms can perform poorly compared to corresponding Fortran or C implementations. To achieve high performance, Java applications must be designed with good performance as a primary goal. This paper presents the object-oriented design and implementation of two real-world applications from the field of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD): a finite-volume fluid flow solver (LAURA, from NASA Langley Research Center), and an unstructured mesh adaptation algorithm (2D_TAG, from NASA Ames Research Center). This work builds on our previous experience with the design of high-performance numerical libraries in Java. We examine the performance of the applications using the currently available Java infrastructure and show that the Java version of the flow solver LAURA performs almost within a factor of 2 of the original procedural version. Our Java version of the mesh adaptation algorithm 2D_TAG performs within a factor of 1.5 of its original procedural version on certain platforms. Our results demonstrate that object-oriented software design principles are not necessarily inimical to high performance.

  16. Executive functioning in schizophrenia: Unique and shared variance with measures of fluid intelligence.

    PubMed

    Martin, A K; Mowry, B; Reutens, D; Robinson, G A

    2015-10-01

    Patients with schizophrenia often display deficits on tasks thought to measure "executive" processes. Recently, it has been suggested that reductions in fluid intelligence test performance entirely explain deficits reported for patients with focal frontal lesions on classical executive tasks. For patients with schizophrenia, it is unclear whether deficits on executive tasks are entirely accountable by fluid intelligence and representative of a common general process or best accounted for by distinct contributions to the cognitive profile of schizophrenia. In the current study, 50 patients with schizophrenia and 50 age, sex and premorbid intelligence matched controls were assessed using a broad neuropsychological battery, including tasks considered sensitive to executive abilities, namely the Hayling Sentence Completion Test (HSCT), word fluency, Stroop test, digit-span backwards, and spatial working memory. Fluid intelligence was measured using both the Matrix reasoning subtest from the Weschler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI) and a composite score derived from a number of cognitive tests. Patients with schizophrenia were impaired on all cognitive measures compared with controls, except smell identification and the optimal betting and risk-taking measures from the Cambridge Gambling Task. After introducing fluid intelligence as a covariate, significant differences remained for HSCT suppression errors, and classical executive function tests such as the Stroop test and semantic/phonemic word fluency, regardless of which fluid intelligence measure was included. Fluid intelligence does not entirely explain impaired performance on all tests considered as reflecting "executive" processes. For schizophrenia, these measures should remain part of a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment alongside a measure of fluid intelligence. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. High-performance multiprocessor architecture for a 3-D lattice gas model

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lee, F.; Flynn, M.; Morf, M.

    1991-01-01

    The lattice gas method has recently emerged as a promising discrete particle simulation method in areas such as fluid dynamics. We present a very high-performance scalable multiprocessor architecture, called ALGE, proposed for the simulation of a realistic 3-D lattice gas model, Henon's 24-bit FCHC isometric model. Each of these VLSI processors is as powerful as a CRAY-2 for this application. ALGE is scalable in the sense that it achieves linear speedup for both fixed and increasing problem sizes with more processors. The core computation of a lattice gas model consists of many repetitions of two alternating phases: particle collision and propagation. Functional decomposition by symmetry group and virtual move are the respective keys to efficient implementation of collision and propagation.

  18. Flocking particles in a non-Newtonian shear thickening fluid

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mucha, Piotr B.; Peszek, Jan; Pokorný, Milan

    2018-06-01

    We prove the existence of strong solutions to the Cucker–Smale flocking model coupled with an incompressible viscous non-Newtonian fluid with the stress tensor of a power–law structure for . The fluid part of the system admits strong solutions while the solutions to the CS part are weak. The coupling is performed through a drag force on a periodic spatial domain . Additionally, we construct a Lyapunov functional determining the large time behavior of solutions to the system.

  19. Speckle tracking and speckle content based composite strain imaging for solid and fluid filled lesions.

    PubMed

    Rabbi, Md Shifat-E; Hasan, Md Kamrul

    2017-02-01

    Strain imaging though for solid lesions provides an effective way for determining their pathologic condition by displaying the tissue stiffness contrast, for fluid filled lesions such an imaging is yet an open problem. In this paper, we propose a novel speckle content based strain imaging technique for visualization and classification of fluid filled lesions in elastography after automatic identification of the presence of fluid filled lesions. Speckle content based strain, defined as a function of speckle density based on the relationship between strain and speckle density, gives an indirect strain value for fluid filled lesions. To measure the speckle density of the fluid filled lesions, two new criteria based on oscillation count of the windowed radio frequency signal and local variance of the normalized B-mode image are used. An improved speckle tracking technique is also proposed for strain imaging of the solid lesions and background. A wavelet-based integration technique is then proposed for combining the strain images from these two techniques for visualizing both the solid and fluid filled lesions from a common framework. The final output of our algorithm is a high quality composite strain image which can effectively visualize both solid and fluid filled breast lesions in addition to the speckle content of the fluid filled lesions for their discrimination. The performance of our algorithm is evaluated using the in vivo patient data and compared with recently reported techniques. The results show that both the solid and fluid filled lesions can be better visualized using our technique and the fluid filled lesions can be classified with good accuracy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Manufacturing Solid Dosage Forms from Bulk Liquids Using the Fluid-bed Drying Technology.

    PubMed

    Qi, Jianping; Lu, Y I; Wu, Wei

    2015-01-01

    Solid dosage forms are better than liquid dosage forms in many ways, such as improved physical and chemical stability, ease of storage and transportation, improved handling properties, and patient compliance. Therefore, it is required to transform dosage forms of liquid origins into solid dosage forms. The functional approaches are to absorb the liquids by solid excipients or through drying. The conventional drying technologies for this purpose include drying by heating, vacuum-, freeze- and spray-drying, etc. Among these drying technologies, fluidbed drying emerges as a new technology that possesses unique advantages. Fluid-bed drying or coating is highly efficient in solvent removal, can be performed at relatively low temperatures, and is a one-step process to manufacture formulations in pellet forms. In this article, the status of the art of manufacturing solid dosage forms from bulk liquids by fluid-bed drying technology was reviewed emphasizing on its application in solid dispersion, inclusion complexes, self-microemulsifying systems, and various nanoscale drug delivery systems.

  1. Hotfire testing of a SSME HPOTP with an annular hydrostatic bearing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nolan, Steven A.; Hibbs, Robert I.; Genge, Gary G.

    1993-01-01

    A new fluid film bearing package has been tested in the SSME High Pressure Oxygen Turbopump (HPOTP). This fluid film element functions as both the pump end bearing and the preburner pump rear wear ring seal. Most important, it replaces a duplex ball bearing package which has been the primary life limiting component in the turbopump. The design and predicted performance of the turbopump are reviewed. Results are presented for measured pump and bearing performance. The most significant results were obtained from proximity probes located in the bearing bore which revealed large subsynchronous precession at 10 percent of shaft speed during engine start which subsided prior to mainstage power levels and reappeared during engine shutdown at equivalent power levels below 65 percent of nominal. This phenomenon has been attributed to rotating stall in the diffuser. The proximity probes also revealed the location of the bearing in the bore for different operating speeds. Pump vibration characteristics were improved as compared to pumps tested with ball bearings. After seven starts and more than 700 seconds of testing, the pump showed no signs of performance degradation.

  2. Study on the effect of polymeric rheology modifier on the rheological properties of oil-based drilling fluids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ma, C.; Li, L.; Yang, Y. P.; Hao, W. W.; Zhang, Q.; Lv, J.

    2018-01-01

    A new type of polymeric rheology modifier was synthesized by suspension polymerization, and the effect of rheology modifier on the rheological properties of oil-based drilling fluids was investigated. The results indicated that the obtained polymer had good capacity of improvement of shearing force of oil-based drilling fluids under high temperature and high pressure conditions. Moreover, the obtained polymer can improve the stability of oil-based drilling fluids greatly. As a result, the obtained polymer is a good rheology modifier for oil-based drilling fluids, and it can optimize oil-based drilling fluid system with good rheological properties, good static suspension ability for cuttings and environmental protection function. It can play an essential role in safe drilling jobs and improvement of drilling efficiency.

  3. Cyst fluid telomerase activity predicts the histologic grade of cystic neoplasms of the pancreas

    PubMed Central

    Hata, Tatsuo; Molin, Marco Dal; Suenaga, Masaya; Yu, Jun; Pittman, Meredith; Weiss, Matthew; Canto, Marcia I.; Wolfgang, Christopher; Lennon, Anne Marie; Hruban, Ralph H; Goggins, Michael

    2016-01-01

    Purpose Pancreatic cysts frequently pose clinical dilemmas. On one hand, cysts with high-grade dysplasia offer opportunities for cure, on the other hand, those with low-grade dysplasia are easily over treated. Cyst fluid markers have the potential to improve the evaluation of these cysts. Since telomerase activity is commonly activated in malignant cells, we evaluated the diagnostic performance of cyst fluid telomerase activity measurements for predicting histologic grade. Experimental design Telomerase activity was measured using telomerase repeat amplification with digital-droplet PCR in surgically-aspirated cyst fluid samples from 219 patients who underwent pancreatic resection for a cystic lesion (184, discovery, 35 validation) and 36 patients who underwent endoscopic ultrasound fine needle aspiration. Methodological and clinical factors associated with telomerase activity were examined. Results Telomerase activity was reduced in samples that had undergone prior thawing. Among 119 samples not previously thawed, surgical cyst fluids from cystic neoplasms with high-grade dysplasia +/− associated invasive cancer had higher telomerase activity (median [interquartile range], 1158 [295.9–13033] copies/μL of cyst fluid than those without (19.74 [2.58–233.6] copies/μL) (P < 0.001). Elevated cyst fluid telomerase activity had a diagnostic accuracy for invasive cancer/high-grade dysplasia of 88.1% (discovery), 88.6% (validation), and 88.2% (merged). Among cysts classified preoperatively as having “worrisome features”, cyst fluid telomerase activity had high diagnostic performance (sensitivity 73.7%, specificity 90.6%, accuracy, 86.1%). In multivariate analysis, telomerase activity independently predicted the presence of invasive cancer/high-grade dysplasia. Conclusion Cyst fluid telomerase activity can be a useful predictor of the neoplastic grade of pancreatic cysts. PMID:27230749

  4. Modeling high-frequency electromotility of cochlear outer hair cell in microchamber experiment.

    PubMed

    Liao, Zhijie; Popel, Aleksander S; Brownell, William E; Spector, Alexander A

    2005-04-01

    Cochlear outer hair cells (OHC) are critically important for the amplification and sharp frequency selectivity of the mammalian ear. The microchamber experiment has been an effective tool to analyze the OHC high-frequency performance. In this study, the OHC electrical stimulation in the microchamber is simulated. The model takes into account the inertial and viscous properties of fluids inside and outside the cell as well as the viscoelastic and piezoelectric properties of the cell composite membrane (wall). The closed ends of the cylindrical cell were considered as oscillatory rigid plates. The final solution was obtained in terms of Fourier series, and it was checked against the available results of the microchamber experiment. The conditions of the interaction between the cell and pipette was analyzed, and it was found that the amount of slip along the contact surface has a significant effect on the cell electromotile response. The cell's length changes were computed as a function of frequency, and their dependence on the viscosities of both fluids and the cell wall was analyzed. The distribution of the viscous losses inside the fluids was also estimated. The proposed approach can help in a better understanding of the high-frequency OHC electromotility under experimental and physiological conditions.

  5. Nutritional status and cognitive function in community-living rural Bangladeshi older adults: data from the poverty and health in ageing project.

    PubMed

    Ferdous, Tamanna; Cederholm, Tommy; Kabir, Zarina Nahar; Hamadani, Jena Derakhshani; Wahlin, Ake

    2010-05-01

    To investigate the association between nutritional status and general and specific (fluid and crystallized) cognitive functioning in a group of older people living in a rural area in Bangladesh. Cross-sectional study. Matlab, Bangladesh. Four hundred fifty-seven randomly selected persons aged 60 and older (mean age 69.5 +/- 6.8), 55% female. Nutritional status was evaluated using a modified form of the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA). General cognitive function was assessed using the Bangla Adaptation of the Mini-Mental State Examination, and a word synonym test was used to test semantic memory function (a crystallized ability). To assess cognitive processing speed (a fluid ability), "cross balls" and "complete boxes" tests (scores/time unit) were used. Clinical diagnoses were registered. Structured questionnaires were used to assess demographic and socioeconomic status of the participants. Twenty-six percent of the participants were undernourished, and 62% were at risk of malnutrition according to the MNA. The MNA scores were significantly lower in women than in men (P=.01). Women performed worse than men in all three cognitive tasks (P<.001). Poorer cognitive performance was independently associated with older age, female sex, illiteracy, visual impairment, severity of disease, and depressive symptoms. There were significant associations between better nutritional status and better cognitive performance tests of general ability and processing speed, whereas semantic memory appeared to be less affected. The association between nutritional status and cognitive function involves general and specific cognitive abilities, with fluid ability seeming to be affected but crystalized functions being relatively spared.

  6. High-throughput analysis of sulfatides in cerebrospinal fluid using automated extraction and UPLC-MS/MS.

    PubMed

    Blomqvist, Maria; Borén, Jan; Zetterberg, Henrik; Blennow, Kaj; Månsson, Jan-Eric; Ståhlman, Marcus

    2017-07-01

    Sulfatides (STs) are a group of glycosphingolipids that are highly expressed in brain. Due to their importance for normal brain function and their potential involvement in neurological diseases, development of accurate and sensitive methods for their determination is needed. Here we describe a high-throughput oriented and quantitative method for the determination of STs in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The STs were extracted using a fully automated liquid/liquid extraction method and quantified using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. With the high sensitivity of the developed method, quantification of 20 ST species from only 100 μl of CSF was performed. Validation of the method showed that the STs were extracted with high recovery (90%) and could be determined with low inter- and intra-day variation. Our method was applied to a patient cohort of subjects with an Alzheimer's disease biomarker profile. Although the total ST levels were unaltered compared with an age-matched control group, we show that the ratio of hydroxylated/nonhydroxylated STs was increased in the patient cohort. In conclusion, we believe that the fast, sensitive, and accurate method described in this study is a powerful new tool for the determination of STs in clinical as well as preclinical settings. Copyright © 2017 by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  7. Fluid-Solid Interaction and Multiscale Dynamic Processes: Experimental Approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Arciniega-Ceballos, Alejandra; Spina, Laura; Mendo-Pérez, Gerardo M.; Guzmán-Vázquez, Enrique; Scheu, Bettina; Sánchez-Sesma, Francisco J.; Dingwell, Donald B.

    2017-04-01

    The speed and the style of a pressure drop in fluid-filled conduits determines the dynamics of multiscale processes and the elastic interaction between the fluid and the confining solid. To observe this dynamics we performed experiments using fluid-filled transparent tubes (15-50 cm long, 2-4 cm diameter and 0.3-1 cm thickness) instrumented with high-dynamic piezoelectric sensors and filmed the evolution of these processes with a high speed camera. We analyzed the response of Newtonian fluids to slow and sudden pressure drops from 3 bar-10 MPa to ambient pressure. We used fluids with viscosities of mafic to intermediate silicate melts of 1 to 1000 Pa s and water. The processes observed are fluid mass expansion, fluid flow, jets, bubbles nucleation, growth, coalescence and collapse, degassing, foam building at the surface and vertical wagging. All these processes (in fine and coarse scales) are triggered by the pressure drop and are sequentially coupled in time while interacting with the solid. During slow decompression, the multiscale processes are recognized occurring within specific pressure intervals, and exhibit a localized distribution along the conduit. In this, degassing predominates near the surface and may present piston-like oscillations. In contrast, during sudden decompression the fluid-flow reaches higher velocities, the dynamics is dominated by a sequence of gas-packet pulses driving jets of the gas-fluid mixture. The evolution of this multiscale phenomenon generates complex non-stationary microseismic signals recorded along the conduit. We discuss distinctive characteristics of these signals depending on the decompression style and compare them with synthetics. These synthetics are obtained numerically under an averaging modeling scheme, that accounted for the stress-strain of the cyclic dynamic interaction between the fluid and the solid wall, assuming an incompressible and viscous fluid that flows while the elastic solid responds oscillating. Analysis of time series, both experimental and synthetics, synchronized with high-speed imaging enables the explanation and interpretation of distinct phases of the dynamics of these fluids and the extraction of time and frequency characteristics of the individual processes. We observed that the effects of both, pressure drop triggering function and viscosity, control the characteristics of the micro-signals in time and frequency. This suggests the great potential that experimental and numerical approaches provide to untangle from field volcanic seismograms the multiscale processes of the stress field, driving forces and fluid-rock interaction that determine the volcanic conduit dynamics.

  8. Update on the Mechanisms of Pulmonary Inflammation and Oxidative Imbalance Induced by Exercise.

    PubMed

    Araneda, O F; Carbonell, T; Tuesta, M

    2016-01-01

    The mechanisms involved in the generation of oxidative damage and lung inflammation induced by physical exercise are described. Changes in lung function induced by exercise involve cooling of the airways, fluid evaporation of the epithelial surface, increased contact with polluting substances, and activation of the local and systemic inflammatory response. The present work includes evidence obtained from the different types of exercise in terms of duration and intensity, the effect of both acute performance and chronic performance, and the influence of special conditions such as cold weather, high altitude, and polluted environments. Levels of prooxidants, antioxidants, oxidative damage to biomolecules, and cellularity, as well as levels of soluble mediators of the inflammatory response and its effects on tissues, are described in samples of lung origin. These samples include tissue homogenates, induced sputum, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, biopsies, and exhaled breath condensate obtained in experimental protocols conducted on animal and human models. Finally, the need to simultaneously explore the oxidative/inflammatory parameters to establish the interrelation between them is highlighted.

  9. Update on the Mechanisms of Pulmonary Inflammation and Oxidative Imbalance Induced by Exercise

    PubMed Central

    Araneda, O. F.; Carbonell, T.; Tuesta, M.

    2016-01-01

    The mechanisms involved in the generation of oxidative damage and lung inflammation induced by physical exercise are described. Changes in lung function induced by exercise involve cooling of the airways, fluid evaporation of the epithelial surface, increased contact with polluting substances, and activation of the local and systemic inflammatory response. The present work includes evidence obtained from the different types of exercise in terms of duration and intensity, the effect of both acute performance and chronic performance, and the influence of special conditions such as cold weather, high altitude, and polluted environments. Levels of prooxidants, antioxidants, oxidative damage to biomolecules, and cellularity, as well as levels of soluble mediators of the inflammatory response and its effects on tissues, are described in samples of lung origin. These samples include tissue homogenates, induced sputum, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, biopsies, and exhaled breath condensate obtained in experimental protocols conducted on animal and human models. Finally, the need to simultaneously explore the oxidative/inflammatory parameters to establish the interrelation between them is highlighted. PMID:26881028

  10. Lattice Boltzmann Methods for Fluid Structure Interaction

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-09-01

    MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA DISSERTATION LATTICE BOLTZMANN METHODS FOR FLUID STRUCTURE INTERACTION by Stuart R. Blair September 2012 Dissertation Supervisor...200 words) The use of lattice Boltzmann methods (LBM) for fluid flow and its coupling with finite element method (FEM) structural models for fluid... structure interaction (FSI) is investigated. A body of high performance LBM software that exploits graphic processing unit (GPU) and multiprocessor

  11. Surfactant protein-A nanobody-conjugated liposomes loaded with methylprednisolone increase lung-targeting specificity and therapeutic effect for acute lung injury.

    PubMed

    Li, Nan; Weng, Dong; Wang, Shan-Mei; Zhang, Yuan; Chen, Shan-Shan; Yin, Zhao-Fang; Zhai, Jiali; Scoble, Judy; Williams, Charlotte C; Chen, Tao; Qiu, Hui; Wu, Qin; Zhao, Meng-Meng; Lu, Li-Qin; Mulet, Xavier; Li, Hui-Ping

    2017-11-01

    The advent of nanomedicine requires novel delivery vehicles to actively target their site of action. Here, we demonstrate the development of lung-targeting drug-loaded liposomes and their efficacy, specificity and safety. Our study focuses on glucocorticoids methylprednisolone (MPS), a commonly used drug to treat lung injuries. The steroidal molecule was loaded into functionalized nano-sterically stabilized unilamellar liposomes (NSSLs). Targeting functionality was performed through conjugation of surfactant protein A (SPANb) nanobodies to form MPS-NSSLs-SPANb. MPS-NSSLs-SPANb exhibited good size distribution, morphology, and encapsulation efficiency. Animal experiments demonstrated the high specificity of MPS-NSSLs-SPANb to the lung. Treatment with MPS-NSSLs-SPANb reduced the levels of TNF-α, IL-8, and TGF-β1 in rat bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and the expression of NK-κB in the lung tissues, thereby alleviating lung injuries and increasing rat survival. The nanobody functionalized nanoparticles demonstrate superior performance to treat lung injury when compared to that of antibody functionalized systems.

  12. A multi-objective optimization approach for the selection of working fluids of geothermal facilities: Economic, environmental and social aspects.

    PubMed

    Martínez-Gomez, Juan; Peña-Lamas, Javier; Martín, Mariano; Ponce-Ortega, José María

    2017-12-01

    The selection of the working fluid for Organic Rankine Cycles has traditionally been addressed from systematic heuristic methods, which perform a characterization and prior selection considering mainly one objective, thus avoiding a selection considering simultaneously the objectives related to sustainability and safety. The objective of this work is to propose a methodology for the optimal selection of the working fluid for Organic Rankine Cycles. The model is presented as a multi-objective approach, which simultaneously considers the economic, environmental and safety aspects. The economic objective function considers the profit obtained by selling the energy produced. Safety was evaluated in terms of individual risk for each of the components of the Organic Rankine Cycles and it was formulated as a function of the operating conditions and hazardous properties of each working fluid. The environmental function is based on carbon dioxide emissions, considering carbon dioxide mitigation, emission due to the use of cooling water as well emissions due material release. The methodology was applied to the case of geothermal facilities to select the optimal working fluid although it can be extended to waste heat recovery. The results show that the hydrocarbons represent better solutions, thus among a list of 24 working fluids, toluene is selected as the best fluid. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Incubation relative humidity induces renal morphological and physiological remodeling in the embryo of the chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus).

    PubMed

    Bolin, Greta; Dubansky, Benjamin; Burggren, Warren W

    2017-02-01

    The metanephric kidneys of the chicken embryo, along with the chorioallantoic membrane, process water and ions to maintain osmoregulatory homeostasis. We hypothesized that changes in relative humidity (RH) and thus osmotic conditions during embryogenesis would alter the developmental trajectory of embryonic kidney function. White leghorn chicken eggs were incubated at one of 25-30% relative humidity, 55-60% relative humidity, and 85-90% relative humidity. Embryos were sampled at days 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18 to examine embryo and kidney mass, glomerular characteristics, body fluid osmolalities, hematological properties, and whole embryo oxygen consumption. Low and especially high RH elevated mortality, which was reflected in a 10-20% lower embryo mass on D18. Low RH altered several glomerular characteristics by day 18, including increased numbers of glomeruli per kidney, increased glomerular perfusion, and increased total glomerular volume, all indicating potentially increased functional kidney capacity. Hematological variables and plasma and amniotic fluid osmolalities remained within normal physiological values. However, the allantoic, amniotic and cloacal fluids had a significant increase in osmolality at most developmental points sampled. Embryonic oxygen consumption increased relative to control at both low and high relative humidities on Day 18, reflecting the increased metabolic costs of osmotic stress. Major differences in both renal structure and performance associated with changes in incubation humidity occurred after establishment of the metanephric kidney and persisted into late development, and likely into the postnatal period. These data indicate that the avian embryo deserves to be further investigated as a promising model for fetal programming of osmoregulatory function, and renal remodeling during osmotic stress. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. An Industry/DOE Program to Develop and Benchmark Advanced Diamond Product Drill Bits and HP/HT Drilling Fluids to Significantly Improve Rates of Penetration

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    TerraTek

    2007-06-30

    A deep drilling research program titled 'An Industry/DOE Program to Develop and Benchmark Advanced Diamond Product Drill Bits and HP/HT Drilling Fluids to Significantly Improve Rates of Penetration' was conducted at TerraTek's Drilling and Completions Laboratory. Drilling tests were run to simulate deep drilling by using high bore pressures and high confining and overburden stresses. The purpose of this testing was to gain insight into practices that would improve rates of penetration and mechanical specific energy while drilling under high pressure conditions. Thirty-seven test series were run utilizing a variety of drilling parameters which allowed analysis of the performance ofmore » drill bits and drilling fluids. Five different drill bit types or styles were tested: four-bladed polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC), 7-bladed PDC in regular and long profile, roller-cone, and impregnated. There were three different rock types used to simulate deep formations: Mancos shale, Carthage marble, and Crab Orchard sandstone. The testing also analyzed various drilling fluids and the extent to which they improved drilling. The PDC drill bits provided the best performance overall. The impregnated and tungsten carbide insert roller-cone drill bits performed poorly under the conditions chosen. The cesium formate drilling fluid outperformed all other drilling muds when drilling in the Carthage marble and Mancos shale with PDC drill bits. The oil base drilling fluid with manganese tetroxide weighting material provided the best performance when drilling the Crab Orchard sandstone.« less

  15. Unstable density distribution associated with equatorial plasma bubble

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kherani, E. A., E-mail: esfhan.kherani@inpe.br; Meneses, F. Carlos de; Bharuthram, R.

    2016-04-15

    In this work, we present a simulation study of equatorial plasma bubble (EPB) in the evening time ionosphere. The fluid simulation is performed with a high grid resolution, enabling us to probe the steepened updrafting density structures inside EPB. Inside the density depletion that eventually evolves as EPB, both density and updraft are functions of space from which the density as implicit function of updraft velocity or the density distribution function is constructed. In the present study, this distribution function and the corresponding probability distribution function are found to evolve from Maxwellian to non-Maxwellian as the initial small depletion growsmore » to EPB. This non-Maxwellian distribution is of a gentle-bump type, in confirmation with the recently reported distribution within EPB from space-borne measurements that offer favorable condition for small scale kinetic instabilities.« less

  16. Low-leakage and low-instability labyrinth seal

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rhode, David L. (Inventor)

    1997-01-01

    Improved labyrinth seal designs are disclosed. The present invention relates to labyrinth seal systems with selected sealing surfaces and seal geometry to optimize flow deflection and produce maximum turbulent action. Optimum seal performance is generally accomplished by providing sealing surfaces and fluid cavities formed to dissipate fluid energy as a function of the geometry of the sealing surfaces along with the position and size of the fluid cavities formed between members of the labyrinth seal system. Improved convex surfaces, annular flow reversal grooves, flow deflection blocks and rough, machined surfaces cooperate to enhance the performance of the labyrinth seal systems. For some labyrinth seal systems a mid-cavity throttle and either rigid teeth or flexible spring teeth may be included.

  17. A Microfluidics Study to Quantify the Impact of Microfracture Properties on Two-Phase Flow in Tight Rocks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mehmani, A.; Kelly, S. A.; Torres-Verdin, C.; Balhoff, M.

    2017-12-01

    Microfluidics provides the opportunity for controlled experiments of immiscible fluid dynamics in quasi two-dimensional permeable media and allows their direct observation. We leverage microfluidics to investigate the impact of microfracture properties on water imbibition and drainage in a porous matrix. In the context of this work, microfractures are defined as apertures or preferential flow paths formed along planes of weakness, such as between two different rock fabrics. Patterns of pseudo-microfractures with orientations from parallel and perpendicular to fluid flow as well as variations in their connectivity were fabricated in glass micromodels; surface roughness of the micromodels was also varied utilizing a new method. Light microscopy and image analysis were used to quantify transient front advancement and trapped non-wetting phase saturation during imbibition as well as residual wetting phase saturation and its spatial distribution following drainage. Our experiments enable the assessment of quantitative relationships between fluid invasion rate and residual phase distributions as functions of microfracture network properties. Ultimately, the wide variety of microfluidic experiments performed in this study provide valuable insight into two-phase fluid dynamics in microfracture/matrix networks, the extent of fracture fluid invasion, and the saturation of trapped phases. In reservoir description, the geometries of subsurface fractures are often difficult to ascertain, but the distribution of rock types in a zone, from highly laminated to homogenous, can be reliably assessed with core data and well logs. Assuming that microcracks are functions of lamination planes (thin beds), then a priori predictions of the effect of microcracks on two-phase fluid flow across various geological conditions can possibly be upscaled via effective lamination properties. Such upscaling can significantly reduce the uncertainties associated with subsurface operations, including reservoir production, carbon storage and sequestration, and hazardous waste sequestration. A reliable prediction of capillary trapping, for instance, can determine the fracture fluid saturation subsequent to hydraulic fracturing of unconventional formations or the efficacy of water flooding in fractured reservoirs.

  18. High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of histamine in biological samples: the cerebrospinal fluid challenge--a review.

    PubMed

    Wang, Zhaopin; Wu, Juanli; Wu, Shihua; Bao, Aimin

    2013-04-24

    Histamine, a neurotransmitter crucially involved in a number of basic physiological functions, undergoes changes in neuropsychiatric disorders. Detection of histamine in biological samples such as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is thus of clinical importance. The most commonly used method for measuring histamine levels is high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). However, factors such as very low levels of histamine, the even lower CSF-histamine and CSF-histamine metabolite levels, especially in certain neuropsychiatric diseases, rapid formation of histamine metabolites, and other confounding elements during sample collection, make analysis of CSF-histamine and CSF-histamine metabolites a challenging task. Nonetheless, this challenge can be met, not only with respect to HPLC separation column, derivative reagent, and detector, but also in terms of optimizing the CSF sample collection. This review aims to provide a general insight into the quantitative analyses of histamine in biological samples, with an emphasis on HPLC instruments, methods, and hyphenated techniques, with the aim of promoting the development of an optimal and practical protocol for the determination of CSF-histamine and/or CSF-histamine metabolites. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. High infusion pressure in conjunction with vitreous surgery alters the morphology and function of the retina of rabbits.

    PubMed

    Minami, Masahiro; Oku, Hidehiro; Okuno, Takashi; Fukuhara, Masayuki; Ikeda, Tsunehiko

    2007-09-01

    To investigate the effects of high infusion pressure in conjunction with pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) on retinal morphology and function in rabbits. Pars plana vitrectomy was performed under urethane (0.8 mg/kg) anaesthesia in the right eye of albino rabbits following phacoemulsification and aspiration (PEA). The left eyes were not touched. After PEA, the animals were divided into two groups. In six eyes, intraocular pressure (IOP) was increased to 80 mmHg for 30 mins (high-pressure group) and in five eyes IOP was maintained at 40 mmHg for 30 mins (low-pressure group). The IOPs were regulated by the height of the bottle of balanced salt solution (BSS) and monitored with a pressure transducer. After the pressure elevation, vitreous fluid was collected to measure the glutamate concentration. Then, PPV was performed for 15 mins in both groups under an infusion pressure of 40 mmHg. In five additional rabbits, PEA alone was performed in the right eye, and vitreous fluid was collected (PEA group). Functional alterations were assessed by recording visual evoked potentials (VEPs) and electroretinograms (ERGs). Ten days after the IOP changes, the animals were killed with intravenous pentobarbital sodium and the eyes were prepared for histological analysis. Damage to retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) was quantified by counting the number of cells in the ganglion cell layer (GCL). The contralateral eyes in the high-pressure group served as controls (n = 6). The mean implicit time (IT) of the VEPs in the high-pressure group was significantly longer than that before the IOP elevation, by 114-124% (p < 0.05, paired t-test), and also than that of control eyes (p < 0.05, anova followed by t-test). No significant changes in the VEPs were detected in either the low-pressure group or the PEA group. There were significantly fewer cells in the GCL in the high-pressure group (24.7/mm) than in the control animals (41.4/mm; p < 0.05, Dunnett's test). The number of cells in the GCL in the low-pressure and PEA groups did not significantly differ to that in the controls. The amplitudes of the ERG a- and b-waves were not significantly changed (p > 0.05, paired t-test). These results suggest that high infusion pressure in conjunction with PPV leads to morphological and functional changes in the retina. The absence of ERG changes and presence of VEP changes suggest that these changes were due to damage to RGCs, which supports the morphological observations.

  20. Evaluation of Working Fluids for Organic Rankine Cycle Based on Exergy Analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Setiawan, D.; Subrata, I. D. M.; Purwanto, Y. A.; Tambunan, A. H.

    2018-05-01

    One of the crucial aspects to determine the performance of Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) is the selection of appropriate working fluids. This paper describes the simulative performance of several organic fluid and water as working fluid of an ORC based on exergy analysis with a heat source from waste heat recovery. The simulation was conducted by using Engineering Equation Solver (EES). The effect of several parameters and thermodynamic properties of working fluid was analyzed, and part of them was used as variables for the simulation in order to determine their sensitivity to the exergy efficiency changes. The results of this study showed that water is not appropriate to be used as working fluid at temperature lower than 130 °C, because the expansion process falls in saturated area. It was also found that Benzene had the highest exergy efficiency, i.e. about 10.49%, among the dry type working fluid. The increasing turbine inlet temperature did not lead to the increase of exergy efficiency when using organic working fluids with critical temperature near heat source temperature. Meanwhile, exergy efficiency decreasing linearly with the increasing condenser inlet temperature. In addition, it was found that working fluid with high latent heat of vaporization and specific heat exert in high exergy efficiency.

  1. Mononuclear leucocyte function tests in the assessment of the biocompatibility of peritoneal dialysis fluids.

    PubMed

    Brulez, H F; ter Wee, P M; Snijders, S V; Donker, A J; Verbrugh, H A

    1999-12-01

    Previous studies showed that the currently used dextrose based peritoneal dialysis fluids impair several leucocyte functions. To determine which in vitro mononuclear leucocyte (monocyte) function tests most clearly reflect the biocompatibility of peritoneal dialysis fluid. Monocytes were tested for phagocytic capacity, bactericidal activity, Fc and C3 receptor expression, and chemiluminescence response, and by analysis of the release of interleukin 8 (IL-8) and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) in the presence of test fluids. Cytokine release was studied in an alternative dynamic in vitro peritoneal dialysis model in which monocytes were exposed to test fluid that was continuously equilibrated with an interstitial fluid-like medium through a microporous membrane. The chemiluminescence response by stressed monocytes was also tested after an 18 h recovery period. All tests were performed during or after exposure to different degrees of glycerol induced osmotic stress and after exposure to a 1% milk-whey derived, polypeptide enriched test fluid. Cells incubated in 0.1% gel Hanks buffer (GH) served as control. Osmotic stress induced impairment of leucocyte function was found by the chemiluminescence assay (mean (SEM): 179 (20)% v 138 (23)% after 30 minutes in 0.5% and 1.5% glycerol, respectively) and by the analysis of IL-8 released by monocytes (44 (9) ng in 0.7% glycerol v 40 (7) ng in 2.0% glycerol). Only the chemiluminescence assay showed a protective effect of polypeptides on leucocyte function (after > or = 60 minutes). If monocytes were allowed to recover in culture medium after exposure to test fluids, the changes in chemiluminescence response appeared to be reversible after a 30 minute exposure, but became more pronounced after 60 and 120 minutes. The phagocytosis and bacterial killing assays were less sensitive. The observations carried out with the phagocytosis assay did not correspond with the Fc or C3 receptor density data. The release of IL-8 by peripheral blood monocytes in a two compartment model and their chemiluminescence response are appropriate assays for the assessment of changes in leucocyte function in response to different peritoneal dialysis fluids.

  2. Brief report: Adherence to fluid recommendations in children receiving treatment for retentive encopresis.

    PubMed

    Kuhl, Elizabeth S; Felt, Barbara T; Patton, Susana R

    2009-01-01

    Limited data are available regarding whether children being treated for retentive encopresis are adherent to recommendations to increase their daily fluid intake. The purpose of this study was to examine fluid adherence in children who received treatment for retentive encopresis. A retrospective chart review was performed using diet diary data for 26 children (ages 3-12) who completed a group behavioral intervention for retentive encopresis. Mean daily intake of clear fluid increased significantly during treatment and children relied primarily on water and juice to make this dietary change. However, adherence rates to clear fluid goals were <50%. Children's increased clear fluid intake did not equate to high fluid adherence. Children's high juice consumption is concerning as it could place them at risk for other negative health consequences. Future research should examine whether enhanced fluid education and use of behavior change strategies yield higher fluid adherence.

  3. Visualization of various working fluids flow regimes in gravity heat pipe

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nemec, Patrik

    Heat pipe is device working with phase changes of working fluid inside hermetically closed pipe at specific pressure. The phase changes of working fluid from fluid to vapour and vice versa help heat pipe to transport high heat flux. Amount of heat flux transferred by heat pipe, of course depends on kind of working fluid. The article deal about visualization of various working fluids flow regimes in glass gravity heat pipe by high speed camera and processes casing inside during heat pipe operation. Experiment working fluid flow visualization is performed with two glass heat pipes with different inner diameter (13 mm and 22 mm) filled with water, ethanol and fluorinert FC 72. The working fluid flow visualization explains the phenomena as a working fluid boiling, nucleation of bubbles, and vapour condensation on the wall, vapour and condensate flow interaction, flow down condensate film thickness on the wall occurred during the heat pipe operation.

  4. Molecular mechanics and structure of the fluid-solid interface in simple fluids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Gerald J.; Hadjiconstantinou, Nicolas G.

    2017-09-01

    Near a fluid-solid interface, the fluid spatial density profile is highly nonuniform at the molecular scale. This nonuniformity can have profound effects on the dynamical behavior of the fluid and has been shown to play an especially important role when modeling a wide variety of nanoscale heat and momentum transfer phenomena. We use molecular-mechanics arguments and molecular-dynamics (MD) simulations to develop a better understanding of the structure of the first fluid layer directly adjacent to the solid in the layering regime, as delineated by a nondimensional number that compares the effects of wall-fluid interaction to thermal energy. Using asymptotic analysis of the Nernst-Planck equation, we show that features of the fluid density profile close to the wall, such as the areal density of the first layer ΣFL (defined as the number of atoms in this layer per unit of fluid-solid interfacial area), can be expressed as polynomial functions of the fluid average density ρave. This is found to be in agreement with MD simulations, which also show that the width of the first layer hFL is a linear function of the average density and only a weak function of the temperature T . These results can be combined to show that, for system average densities corresponding to a dense fluid (ρave≥0.7 ), the ratio C ≡ΣFLρavehFL, representing a density enhancement with respect to the bulk fluid, depends only weakly on temperature and is essentially independent of density. Further MD simulations suggest that the above results, nominally valid for large systems (solid in contact with semi-infinite fluid), also describe fluid-solid interfaces under considerable nanoconfinement, provided ρave is appropriately defined.

  5. Molecular Mechanism of Pancreatic and Salivary Glands Fluid and HCO3− Secretion

    PubMed Central

    Lee, Min Goo; Ohana, Ehud; Park, Hyun Woo; Yang, Dongki; Muallem, Shmuel

    2013-01-01

    Fluid and HCO3− secretion is a vital function of all epithelia and is required for the survival of the tissue. Aberrant fluid and HCO3− secretion is associated with many epithelial diseases, such as cystic fibrosis, pancreatitis, Sjögren’s syndrome and other epithelial inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Significant progress has been made over the last 20 years in our understanding of epithelial fluid and HCO3− secretion, in particular by secretory glands. Fluid and HCO3− secretion by secretory glands is a two step process. Acinar cells secrete isotonic fluid in which the major salt is NaCl. Subsequently, the duct modifies the volume and electrolyte composition of the fluid to absorb the Cl− and secrete HCO3−. The relative volume secreted by acinar and duct cells and modification of electrolyte composition of the secreted fluids varies among secretory glands to meet their physiological functions. In the pancreas, acinar cells secrete small amount of NaCl-rich fluid, while the duct absorbs the Cl− and secretes HCO3− and the bulk of the fluid in the pancreatic juice. Fluid secretion appears to be driven by active HCO3− secretion. In the salivary glands, acinar cells secrete the bulk of the fluid in the saliva that contains high concentrations of Na+ and Cl− and fluid secretion is mediated by active Cl− secretion. The salivary glands duct absorbs both the Na+ and Cl− and secretes K+ and HCO3−. In this review, we focus on the molecular mechanism of fluid and HCO3− secretion by the pancreas and salivary glands, to highlight the similarities of the fundamental mechanisms of acinar and duct cell functions, and point the differences to meet glands specific secretions. PMID:22298651

  6. Halide and Oxy-Halide Eutectic Systems for High-Performance, High-Temperature Heat Transfer Fluids (Fact Sheet)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    2012-12-01

    The University of Arizona, Arizona Statue University (ASU), and Georgia Institute of Technology is one of the 2012 SunShot CSP R&D awardees for their Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI): High Operating Temperature (HOT) Fluids. This fact sheet explains the motivation, description, and impact of the project.

  7. Magnetic fluid control for viscous loss reduction of high-speed MRF brakes and clutches with well-defined fail-safe behavior

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Güth, Dirk; Schamoni, Markus; Maas, Jürgen

    2013-09-01

    No-load losses within brakes and clutches based on magnetorheological fluids are unavoidable and represent a major barrier towards their wide-spread commercial adoption. Completely torque free rotation is not yet possible due to persistent fluid contact within the shear gap. In this paper, a novel concept is presented that facilitates the controlled movement of the magnetorheological fluid from an active, torque-transmitting region into an inactive region of the shear gap. This concept enables complete decoupling of the fluid engaging surfaces such that viscous drag torque can be eliminated. In order to achieve the desired effect, motion in the magnetorheological fluid is induced by magnetic forces acting on the fluid, which requires an appropriate magnetic circuit design. In this investigation, we propose a methodology to determine suitable magnetic circuit designs with well-defined fail-safe behavior. The magnetically induced motion of magnetorheological fluids is modeled by the use of the Kelvin body force, and a multi-physics domain simulation is performed to elucidate various transitions between an engaged and disengaged operating mode. The modeling approach is validated by captured high-speed video frames which show the induced motion of the magnetorheological fluid due to the magnetic field. Finally, measurements performed with a prototype actuator prove that the induced viscous drag torque can be reduced significantly by the proposed magnetic fluid control methodology.

  8. High-Flux, High Performance H2O2 Catalyst Bed for ISTAR

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ponzo, J.

    2005-01-01

    On NASA's ISTAR RBCC program packaging and performance requirements exceeded traditional H2O2 catalyst bed capabilities. Aerojet refined a high performance, monolithic 90% H202 catalyst bed previously developed and demonstrated. This approach to catalyst bed design and fabrication was an enabling technology to the ISTAR tri-fluid engine. The catalyst bed demonstrated 55 starts at throughputs greater than 0.60 lbm/s/sq in for a duration of over 900 seconds in a physical envelope approximately 114 of traditional designs. The catalyst bed uses photoetched plates of metal bonded into a single piece monolithic structure. The precise control of the geometry and complete mixing results in repeatable, quick starting, high performing catalyst bed. Three different beds were designed and tested, with the best performing bed used for tri-fluid engine testing.

  9. Membrane Transport Phenomena (MTP)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mason, Larry W.

    1996-01-01

    The development of the seal between the membrane and the Fluid Optical Cells (FOC) has been a high priority activity. This seal occurs at an interface in the instrument where three key functions must be realized: (1) physical membrane support, (2) fluid sealing, and (3) unobscured optical transmission.

  10. CLEANING UP PESTICIDE CONTAMINATED SOILS: COMPARING EFFECTIVENESS OF SUPERCRITICAL FLUID EXTRACTION WITH SOLVENT EXTRACTION AND LOW TEMPERATURE THERMAL DESORPTION

    EPA Science Inventory

    Bench-scale supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) studies were performed on soil samples obtained from a Superfund site that is contaminated with high levels of p,p,-DDT, p,p,-DDD, p,p,-DDE, toxaphene and hexachlorocyclohexane. The effectiveness of supercritical fluid extraction ...

  11. Simulations of the origin of fluid pressure, fracture gen­ eration, and the movement of fluids in the Uinta Basin, Utah

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Bredehoeft, J.D.; Wesley, J.B.; Fouch, T.D.

    1994-01-01

    The Altamont oil field in the deep Uinta basin is known to have reservoir fluid pressures that approach lithostatic. One explanation for this high pore-fluid pressure is the generation of oil from kerogen in the Green River oil shale at depth. A three-dimensional simulation of flow in the basin was done to test this hypothesis.In the flow simulation, oil generation is included as a fluid source. The kinetics of oil generation from oil shale is a function of temperature. The temperature is controlled by (1) the depth of sediment burial and (2) the geothermal gradient.Using this conceptual model, the pressure buildup results from the trade-off between the rate of oil generation and the flow away from the source volume. The pressure increase depends primarily on (1) the rate of the oil-generation reaction and (2) the permeability of the reservoir rocks. A sensitivity analysis was performed in which both of these parameters were systematically varied. The reservoir permeability must be lower than most of the observed data for the pressure to build up to near lithostatic.The results of the simulations indicated that once oil generation was initiated, the pore pressure built up rapidly to near lithostatic. We simulated hydrofractures in that part of the system in which the pressures approach lithostatic by increasing both the horizontal and the vertical permeability by an order of magnitude. Because the simulated hydrofractures were produced by the high pore pressure, they were restricted to the Altamont field. A new flow system was established in the vicinity of the reservoir; the maximum pore pressure was limited by the least principal stress. Fluids moved vertically up and down and laterally outward away from the source of oil generation. The analysis indicated that, assuming that one is willing to accept the low values of permeability, oil generati n can account for the observed high pressures at Altamont field.

  12. Aeroelasticity of wing and wing-body configurations on parallel computers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Byun, Chansup

    1995-01-01

    The objective of this research is to develop computationally efficient methods for solving aeroelasticity problems on parallel computers. Both uncoupled and coupled methods are studied in this research. For the uncoupled approach, the conventional U-g method is used to determine the flutter boundary. The generalized aerodynamic forces required are obtained by the pulse transfer-function analysis method. For the coupled approach, the fluid-structure interaction is obtained by directly coupling finite difference Euler/Navier-Stokes equations for fluids and finite element dynamics equations for structures. This capability will significantly impact many aerospace projects of national importance such as Advanced Subsonic Civil Transport (ASCT), where the structural stability margin becomes very critical at the transonic region. This research effort will have direct impact on the High Performance Computing and Communication (HPCC) Program of NASA in the area of parallel computing.

  13. Parabolic dish collectors - A solar option

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Truscello, V. C.

    1981-05-01

    A description is given of several parabolic-dish high temperature solar thermal systems currently undergoing performance trials. A single parabolic dish has the potential for generating 20 to 30 kW of electricity with fluid temperatures from 300 to 1650 C. Each dish is a complete power-producing unit, and may function either independently or as part of a group of linked modules. The two dish designs under consideration are of 11 and 12 meter diameters, yielding receiver operating temperatures of 925 and 815 C, respectively. The receiver designs described include (1) an organic working fluid (toluene) Rankine cycle engine; (2) a Brayton open cycle unit incorporating a hybrid combustion chamber and nozzle and a shaft-coupled permanent magnet alternator; and (3) a modified Stirling cycle device originally designed for automotive use. Also considered are thermal buffer energy storage and thermochemical transport and storage.

  14. Artificial heart for humanoid robot

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Potnuru, Akshay; Wu, Lianjun; Tadesse, Yonas

    2014-03-01

    A soft robotic device inspired by the pumping action of a biological heart is presented in this study. Developing artificial heart to a humanoid robot enables us to make a better biomedical device for ultimate use in humans. As technology continues to become more advanced, the methods in which we implement high performance and biomimetic artificial organs is getting nearer each day. In this paper, we present the design and development of a soft artificial heart that can be used in a humanoid robot and simulate the functions of a human heart using shape memory alloy technology. The robotic heart is designed to pump a blood-like fluid to parts of the robot such as the face to simulate someone blushing or when someone is angry by the use of elastomeric substrates and certain features for the transport of fluids.

  15. Cryogenic Fluid Management Technologies for Advanced Green Propulsion Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Motil, Susan M.; Meyer, Michael L.; Tucker, Stephen P.

    2007-01-01

    In support of the Exploration Vision for returning to the Moon and beyond, NASA and its partners are developing and testing critical cryogenic fluid propellant technologies that will meet the need for high performance propellants on long-term missions. Reliable knowledge of low-gravity cryogenic fluid management behavior is lacking and yet is critical in the areas of tank thermal and pressure control, fluid acquisition, mass gauging, and fluid transfer. Such knowledge can significantly reduce or even eliminate tank fluid boil-off losses for long term missions, reduce propellant launch mass and required on-orbit margins, and simplify vehicle operations. The Propulsion and Cryogenic Advanced Development (PCAD) Project is performing experimental and analytical evaluation of several areas within Cryogenic Fluid Management (CFM) to enable NASA's Exploration Vision. This paper discusses the status of the PCAD CFM technology focus areas relative to the anticipated CFM requirements to enable execution of the Vision for Space Exploration.

  16. Impact of late fluid balance on clinical outcomes in the critically ill surgical and trauma population.

    PubMed

    Elofson, Kathryn A; Eiferman, Daniel S; Porter, Kyle; Murphy, Claire V

    2015-12-01

    Management of fluid status in critically ill patients poses a significant challenge due to limited literature. This study aimed to determine the impact of late fluid balance management after initial adequate fluid resuscitation on in-hospital mortality for critically ill surgical and trauma patients. This single-center retrospective cohort study included 197 patients who underwent surgical procedure within 24 hours of surgical intensive care unit admission. Patients with high fluid balance on postoperative day 7 (>5 L) were compared with those with a low fluid balance (≤5 L) with a primary end point of in-hospital mortality. Subgroup analyses were performed based on diuretic administration, diuretic response, and type of surgery. High fluid balance was associated with significantly higher in-hospital mortality (30.2 vs 3%, P<.001) compared with low fluid balance; this relationship remained after multivariable regression analysis. High fluid balance was associated with increased mortality, independent of diuretic administration, diuretic response, and type of surgery. Consistent with previous literature, high fluid balance on postoperative day 7 was associated with increased in-hospital mortality. Patients who received and responded to diuretic therapy did not demonstrate improved clinical outcomes, which questions their use in the postoperative period. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Ultra-high-performance supercritical fluid chromatography with quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPSFC/QTOF-MS) for analysis of lignin-derived monomeric compounds in processed lignin samples.

    PubMed

    Prothmann, Jens; Sun, Mingzhe; Spégel, Peter; Sandahl, Margareta; Turner, Charlotta

    2017-12-01

    The conversion of lignin to potentially high-value low molecular weight compounds often results in complex mixtures of monomeric and oligomeric compounds. In this study, a method for the quantitative and qualitative analysis of 40 lignin-derived compounds using ultra-high-performance supercritical fluid chromatography coupled to quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPSFC/QTOF-MS) has been developed. Seven different columns were explored for maximum selectivity. Makeup solvent composition and ion source settings were optimised using a D-optimal design of experiment (DoE). Differently processed lignin samples were analysed and used for the method validation. The new UHPSFC/QTOF-MS method showed good separation of the 40 compounds within only 6-min retention time, and out of these, 36 showed high ionisation efficiency in negative electrospray ionisation mode. Graphical abstract A rapid and selective method for the quantitative and qualitative analysis of 40 lignin-derived compounds using ultra-high-performance supercritical fluid chromatography coupled to quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPSFC/QTOF-MS).

  18. Preliminary analysis of compound systems based on high temperature fuel cell, gas turbine and Organic Rankine Cycle

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sánchez, D.; Muñoz de Escalona, J. M.; Monje, B.; Chacartegui, R.; Sánchez, T.

    This article presents a novel proposal for complex hybrid systems comprising high temperature fuel cells and thermal engines. In this case, the system is composed by a molten carbonate fuel cell with cascaded hot air turbine and Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC), a layout that is based on subsequent waste heat recovery for additional power production. The work will credit that it is possible to achieve 60% efficiency even if the fuel cell operates at atmospheric pressure. The first part of the analysis focuses on selecting the working fluid of the Organic Rankine Cycle. After a thermodynamic optimisation, toluene turns out to be the most efficient fluid in terms of cycle performance. However, it is also detected that the performance of the heat recovery vapour generator is equally important, what makes R245fa be the most interesting fluid due to its balanced thermal and HRVG efficiencies that yield the highest global bottoming cycle efficiency. When this fluid is employed in the compound system, conservative operating conditions permit achieving 60% global system efficiency, therefore accomplishing the initial objective set up in the work. A simultaneous optimisation of gas turbine (pressure ratio) and ORC (live vapour pressure) is then presented, to check if the previous results are improved or if the fluid of choice must be replaced. Eventually, even if system performance improves for some fluids, it is concluded that (i) R245fa is the most efficient fluid and (ii) the operating conditions considered in the previous analysis are still valid. The work concludes with an assessment about safety-related aspects of using hydrocarbons in the system. Flammability is studied, showing that R245fa is the most interesting fluid also in this regard due to its inert behaviour, as opposed to the other fluids under consideration all of which are highly flammable.

  19. Does the biocompatibility of the peritoneal dialysis solution matter in assessment of peritoneal function?

    PubMed

    Parikova, Alena; Struijk, Dirk G; Zweers, Machteld M; Langedijk, Monique; Schouten, Natalie; van den Berg, Nicole; Duis, Saskia; Krediet, Raymond T

    2007-01-01

    Peritoneal function tests are performed in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients to characterize peritoneal membrane status. A low pH/high glucose degradation product (GDP) dialysis solution is used as the test solution. The objective of the present study was to compare a 3.86% glucose, low pH/high GDP dialysis solution (pH 5.5) with a 3.86% glucose, normal pH/low GDP dialysis solution (pH 7.4) in assessments of peritoneal membrane function. Two standard peritoneal permeability analyses (SPA) were performed in 10 stable PD patients within 2 weeks. One SPA was done with the 3.86% low pH/high GDP solution, and the other with the 3.86% normal pH/low GDP solution. The sequence of the two tests was randomized. Fluid transport parameters and glucose absorption were not different between the two groups. No differences were found for the mass transfer area coefficients (MTACs) of low molecular weight solutes calculated over the whole dwell. However, MTAC urea in the first hour of the dwell was higher in the test done with low pH/high GDP dialysate, suggesting more peritoneal vasodilation. No difference was found in protein clearances. Sodium sieving at multiple time points during the dwell was similar with the two solutions. The results obtained with the glucose-containing normal pH/low GDP dialysis solution were similar to those obtained with the glucose-containing low pH/high GDP dialysate in assessments of peritoneal membrane function.

  20. Environmental solid particle effects on compressor cascade performance

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tabakoff, W.; Balan, C.

    1982-01-01

    The effect of suspended solid particles on the performance of the compressor cascade was investigated experimentally in a specially built cascade tunnel, using quartz sand particles. The cascades were made of NACA 65(10)10 airfoils. Three cascades were tested, one accelerating cascade and two diffusing cascades. The theoretical analysis assumes inviscid and incompressible two dimensional flow. The momentum exchange between the fluid and the particle is accounted for by the interphase force terms in the fluid momentum equation. The modified fluid phase momentum equations and the continuity equation are reduced to the conventional stream function vorticity formulation. The method treats the fluid phase in the Eulerian system and the particle phase in Lagrangian system. The experimental results indicate a small increase in the blade surface static pressures, while the theoretical results indicate a small decrease. The theoretical analysis, also predicts the loss in total pressure associated with the particulate flow through the cascade.

  1. Lymphatic System Flows

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moore, James E., Jr.; Bertram, Christopher D.

    2018-01-01

    The supply of oxygen and nutrients to tissues is performed by the blood system and involves a net leakage of fluid outward at the capillary level. One of the principal functions of the lymphatic system is to gather this fluid and return it to the blood system to maintain overall fluid balance. Fluid in the interstitial spaces is often at subatmospheric pressure, and the return points into the venous system are at pressures of approximately 20 cmH2O. This adverse pressure difference is overcome by the active pumping of collecting lymphatic vessels, which feature closely spaced one-way valves and contractile muscle cells in their walls. Passive vessel squeezing causes further pumping. The dynamics of lymphatic pumping have been investigated experimentally and mathematically, revealing complex behaviors that indicate that the system performance is robust against minor perturbations in pressure and flow. More serious disruptions can lead to incurable swelling of tissues called lymphedema.

  2. Fundamental Degradation Mechanisms of Multi-Functional Nanoengineered Surfaces

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2018-04-08

    surface tension fluids with widely used lubricants for designing LIS. We considered a wide range of low surface tension fluids (12 to 48 mN/m) and...selection in designing stable LIS for the low surface tension fluids. Lastly, using steady state condensation experiments, we show that polymeric...polymeric coating to the high surface energy substrate and mechanical delamination of the coating. This finding will be key to future design

  3. Contributions Regarding the Aircraft Nuclear Propulsion

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Mitrica, Bogdan; Petre, Marian; Dima, Mihai Octavian

    2010-01-21

    The possibility to use a nuclear reactor for airplanes propulsion was investigated taking in to account 2 possible solutions: the direct cycle (where the fluid pass through the reactor's core) and the indirect cycle (where the fluid is passing through a heat exchanger). Taking in to account the radioprotection problems, the only realistic solution seems to be the indirect cycle, where the energy transfer should be performed by a heat exchanger that must work at very high speed of the fluid. The heat exchanger will replace the classical burning room. We had performed a more precise theoretical study for themore » nuclear jet engine regarding the performances of the nuclear reactor, of the heat exchanger and of the jet engine. It was taken in to account that in the moment when the burning room is replaced by a heat exchanger, a new model for gasodynamic process from the engine must be performed. Studies regarding the high flow speed heat transfer were performed.« less

  4. Ultra‐high performance supercritical fluid chromatography of lignin‐derived phenols from alkaline cupric oxide oxidation

    PubMed Central

    Sun, Mingzhe; Lidén, Gunnar; Sandahl, Margareta

    2016-01-01

    Traditional chromatographic methods for the analysis of lignin‐derived phenolic compounds in environmental samples are generally time consuming. In this work, an ultra‐high performance supercritical fluid chromatography method with a diode array detector for the analysis of major lignin‐derived phenolic compounds produced by alkaline cupric oxide oxidation was developed. In an analysis of a collection of 11 representative monomeric lignin phenolic compounds, all compounds were clearly separated within 6 min with excellent peak shapes, with a limit of detection of 0.5–2.5 μM, a limit of quantification of 2.5–5.0 μM, and a dynamic range of 5.0–2.0 mM (R 2 > 0.997). The new ultra‐high performance supercritical fluid chromatography method was also applied for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of lignin‐derived phenolic compounds obtained upon alkaline cupric oxide oxidation of a commercial humic acid. Ten out of the previous eleven model compounds could be quantified in the oxidized humic acid sample. The high separation power and short analysis time obtained demonstrate for the first time that supercritical fluid chromatography is a fast and reliable technique for the analysis of lignin‐derived phenols in complex environmental samples. PMID:27452148

  5. Thermoelectric Generation Using Counter-Flows of Ideal Fluids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Meng, Xiangning; Lu, Baiyi; Zhu, Miaoyong; Suzuki, Ryosuke O.

    2017-08-01

    Thermoelectric (TE) performance of a three-dimensional (3-D) TE module is examined by exposing it between a pair of counter-flows of ideal fluids. The ideal fluids are thermal sources of TE module flow in the opposite direction at the same flow rate and generate temperature differences on the hot and cold surfaces due to their different temperatures at the channel inlet. TE performance caused by different inlet temperatures of thermal fluids are numerically analyzed by using the finite-volume method on 3-D meshed physical models and then compared with those using a constant boundary temperature. The results show that voltage and current of the TE module increase gradually from a beginning moment to a steady flow and reach a stable value. The stable values increase with inlet temperature of the hot fluid when the inlet temperature of cold fluid is fixed. However, the time to get to the stable values is almost consistent for all the temperature differences. Moreover, the trend of TE performance using a fluid flow boundary is similar to that of using a constant boundary temperature. Furthermore, 3-D contours of fluid pressure, temperature, enthalpy, electromotive force, current density and heat flux are exhibited in order to clarify the influence of counter-flows of ideal fluids on TE generation. The current density and heat flux homogeneously distribute on an entire TE module, thus indicating that the counter-flows of thermal fluids have high potential to bring about fine performance for TE modules.

  6. Neuronal damage and shortening of lifespan in C. elegans by peritoneal dialysis fluid: Protection by glyoxalase-1

    PubMed Central

    Schlotterer, Andrea; Pfisterer, Friederike; Kukudov, Georgi; Heckmann, Britta; Henriquez, Daniel; Morath, Christian; Krämer, Bernhard K.; Hammes, Hans-Peter; Schwenger, Vedat; Morcos, Michael

    2018-01-01

    Glucose and glucose degradation products (GDPs), contained in peritoneal dialysis (PD) fluids, contribute to the formation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). Local damaging effects, resulting in functional impairment of the peritoneal membrane, are well studied. It is also supposed that detoxification of AGE precursors by glyoxalase-1 (GLO1) has beneficial effects on GDP-mediated toxicity. The aim of the current study was to analyze systemic detrimental effects of PD fluids and their prevention by glyoxlase-1. Wild-type and GLO1-overexpressing Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) were cultivated in the presence of low- and high-GDP PD fluids containing 1.5 or 4% glucose. Lifespan, neuronal integrity and neuronal functions were subsequently studied. The higher concentrations of glucose and GDP content resulted in a decrease of maximum lifespan by 2 (P<0.01) and 9 days (P<0.001), respectively. Exposure to low- and high-GDP fluids caused reduction of neuronal integrity by 34 (P<0.05) and 41% (P<0.05). Cultivation of animals in the presence of low-GDP fluid containing 4% glucose caused significant impairment of neuronal function, reducing relative and absolute head motility by 58.5 (P<0.01) and 56.7% (P<0.01), respectively; and relative and absolute tail motility by 55.1 (P<0.05) and 55.0% (P<0.05), respectively. Taken together, GLO1 overexpression protected from glucose-induced lifespan reduction, neurostructural damage and neurofunctional damage under low-GDP-conditions. In conclusion, both glucose and GDP content in PD fluids have systemic impact on the lifespan and neuronal integrity of C. elegans. Detoxification of reactive metabolites by GLO1 overexpression was sufficient to protect lifespan, neuronal integrity and neuronal function in a low-GDP environment. These data emphasize the relevance of the GLO1 detoxifying pathway as a potential therapeutic target in the treatment of reactive metabolite-mediated pathologies.

  7. Understanding Lymphatic Valve Function via Computational Modeling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wolf, Ki; Nepiyushchikh, Zhanna; Razavi, Mohammad; Dixon, Brandon; Alexeev, Alexander

    2017-11-01

    The lymphatic system is a crucial part to the circulatory system with many important functions, such as transport of interstitial fluid, fatty acid, and immune cells. Lymphatic vessels' contractile walls and valves allow lymph flow against adverse pressure gradients and prevent back flow. Yet, the effect of lymphatic valves' geometric and mechanical properties to pumping performance and lymphatic dysfunctions like lymphedema is not well understood. Our coupled fluid-solid computational model based on lattice Boltzmann model and lattice spring model investigates the dynamics and effectiveness of lymphatic valves in resistance minimization, backflow prevention, and viscoelastic response under different geometric and mechanical properties, suggesting the range of lymphatic valve parameters with effective pumping performance. Our model also provides more physiologically relevant relations of the valve response under varied conditions to a lumped parameter model of the lymphatic system giving an integrative insight into lymphatic system performance, including its failure due to diseases. NSF CMMI-1635133.

  8. Performance prediction of high Tc superconducting small antennas using a two-fluid-moment method model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cook, G. G.; Khamas, S. K.; Kingsley, S. P.; Woods, R. C.

    1992-01-01

    The radar cross section and Q factors of electrically small dipole and loop antennas made with a YBCO high Tc superconductor are predicted using a two-fluid-moment method model, in order to determine the effects of finite conductivity on the performances of such antennas. The results compare the useful operating bandwidths of YBCO antennas exhibiting varying degrees of impurity with their copper counterparts at 77 K, showing a linear relationship between bandwidth and impurity level.

  9. 21 CFR 886.4275 - Intraocular fluid.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... performance of surgery, such as to maintain anterior chamber depth, preserve tissue integrity, protect tissue from surgical trauma, or function as a tamponade during retinal reattachment. (b) Classification. Class...

  10. 21 CFR 886.4275 - Intraocular fluid.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... performance of surgery, such as to maintain anterior chamber depth, preserve tissue integrity, protect tissue from surgical trauma, or function as a tamponade during retinal reattachment. (b) Classification. Class...

  11. The role of fluid intelligence and learning in analogical reasoning: How to become neurally efficient?

    PubMed

    Dix, Annika; Wartenburger, Isabell; van der Meer, Elke

    2016-10-01

    This study on analogical reasoning evaluates the impact of fluid intelligence on adaptive changes in neural efficiency over the course of an experiment and specifies the underlying cognitive processes. Grade 10 students (N=80) solved unfamiliar geometric analogy tasks of varying difficulty. Neural efficiency was measured by the event-related desynchronization (ERD) in the alpha band, an indicator of cortical activity. Neural efficiency was defined as a low amount of cortical activity accompanying high performance during problem-solving. Students solved the tasks faster and more accurately the higher their FI was. Moreover, while high FI led to greater cortical activity in the first half of the experiment, high FI was associated with a neurally more efficient processing (i.e., better performance but same amount of cortical activity) in the second half of the experiment. Performance in difficult tasks improved over the course of the experiment for all students while neural efficiency increased for students with higher but decreased for students with lower fluid intelligence. Based on analyses of the alpha sub-bands, we argue that high fluid intelligence was associated with a stronger investment of attentional resource in the integration of information and the encoding of relations in this unfamiliar task in the first half of the experiment (lower-2 alpha band). Students with lower fluid intelligence seem to adapt their applied strategies over the course of the experiment (i.e., focusing on task-relevant information; lower-1 alpha band). Thus, the initially lower cortical activity and its increase in students with lower fluid intelligence might reflect the overcoming of mental overload that was present in the first half of the experiment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Selective evaporation of focusing fluid in two-fluid hydrodynamic print head.

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Keicher, David M.; Cook, Adam W.

    The work performed in this project has demonstrated the feasibility to use hydrodynamic focusing of two fluid steams to create a novel micro printing technology for electronics and other high performance applications. Initial efforts focused solely on selective evaporation of the sheath fluid from print stream provided insight in developing a unique print head geometry allowing excess sheath fluid to be separated from the print flow stream for recycling/reuse. Fluid flow models suggest that more than 81 percent of the sheath fluid can be removed without affecting the print stream. Further development and optimization is required to demonstrate this capabilitymore » in operation. Print results using two-fluid hydrodynamic focusing yielded a 30 micrometers wide by 0.5 micrometers tall line that suggests that the cross-section of the printed feature from the print head was approximately 2 micrometers in diameter. Printing results also demonstrated that complete removal of the sheath fluid is not necessary for all material systems. The two-fluid printing technology could enable printing of insulated conductors and clad optical interconnects. Further development of this concept should be pursued.« less

  13. Validity of Molecular Tagging Velocimetry in a Cavitating Flow for Turbopump Analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kuzmich, Kayla; Bohl, Doug

    2012-11-01

    This research establishes multi-phase molecular tagging velocimetry (MTV) use and explores its limitations. The flow conditions and geometry in the inducer of an upper stage liquid Oxygen (LOX)/LH2 engine frequently cause cavitation which decreases turbopump performance. Complications arise in performing experiments in liquid hydrogen and oxygen due to high costs, high pressures, extremely low fluid temperatures, the presence of cavitation, and associated safety risks. Due to the complex geometry and hazardous nature of the fluids, a simplified throat geometry with water as a simulant fluid is used. Flow characteristics are measured using MTV, a noninvasive flow diagnostic technique. MTV is found to be an applicable tool in cases of low cavitation. Highly cavitating flows reflect and scatter most of the laser beam disallowing penetration into the cavitation cloud. However, data can be obtained in high cavitation cases near the cloud boundary layer. Distribution A: Public Release, Public Affairs Clearance Number: 12654

  14. Rotordynamic Instability Problems in High-Performance Turbomachinery

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1982-01-01

    Rotor dynamic instability problems in high performance turbomachinery are reviewed. Mechanical instability mechanisms are discussed. Seal forces and working fluid forces in turbomachinery are discussed. Control of rotor instability is also investigated.

  15. High temperature superconductors applications in telecommunications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kumar, A. Anil; Li, Jiang; Zhang, Ming Fang

    1995-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is twofold: (1) to discuss high temperature superconductors with specific reference to their employment in telecommunications applications; and (2) to discuss a few of the limitations of the normally employed two-fluid model. While the debate on the actual usage of high temperature superconductors in the design of electronic and telecommunications devices - obvious advantages versus practical difficulties - needs to be settled in the near future, it is of great interest to investigate the parameters and the assumptions that will be employed in such designs. This paper deals with the issue of providing the microwave design engineer with performance data for such superconducting waveguides. The values of conductivity and surface resistance, which are the primary determining factors of a waveguide performance, are computed based on the two-fluid model. A comparison between two models - a theoretical one in terms of microscopic parameters (termed Model A) and an experimental fit in terms of macroscopic parameters (termed Model B) - shows the limitations and the resulting ambiguities of the two-fluid model at high frequencies and at temperatures close to the transition temperature. The validity of the two-fluid model is then discussed. Our preliminary results show that the electrical transport description in the normal and superconducting phases as they are formulated in the two-fluid model needs to be modified to incorporate the new and special features of high temperature superconductors. Parameters describing the waveguide performance - conductivity, surface resistance and attenuation constant - will be computed. Potential applications in communications networks and large scale integrated circuits will be discussed. Some of the ongoing work will be reported. In particular, a brief proposal is made to investigate of the effects of electromagnetic interference and the concomitant notion of electromagnetic compatibility (EMI/EMC) of high T(sub c) superconductors.

  16. High temperature superconductors applications in telecommunications

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kumar, A.A.; Li, J.; Zhang, M.F.

    1994-12-31

    The purpose of this paper is twofold: to discuss high temperature superconductors with specific reference to their employment in telecommunications applications; and to discuss a few of the limitations of the normally employed two-fluid model. While the debate on the actual usage of high temperature superconductors in the design of electronic and telecommunications devices-obvious advantages versus practical difficulties-needs to be settled in the near future, it is of great interest to investigate the parameters and the assumptions that will be employed in such designs. This paper deals with the issue of providing the microwave design engineer with performance data formore » such superconducting waveguides. The values of conductivity and surface resistance, which are the primary determining factors of a waveguide performance, are computed based on the two-fluid model. A comparison between two models-a theoretical one in terms of microscopic parameters (termed Model A) and an experimental fit in terms of macroscopic parameters (termed Model B)-shows the limitations and the resulting ambiguities of the two-fluid model at high frequencies and at temperatures close to the transition temperature. The validity of the two-fluid model is then discussed. Our preliminary results show that the electrical transport description in the normal and superconducting phases as they are formulated in the two-fluid model needs to be modified to incorporate the new and special features of high temperature superconductors. Parameters describing the waveguide performance-conductivity, surface resistance and attenuation constant-will be computed. Potential applications in communications networks and large scale integrated circuits will be discussed. Some of the ongoing work will be reported. In particular, a brief proposal is made to investigate of the effects of electromagnetic interference and the concomitant notion of electromagnetic compatibility (EMI/EMC) of high T{sub c} superconductors.« less

  17. Data center coolant switch

    DOEpatents

    Iyengar, Madhusudan K.; Parida, Pritish R.; Schultz, Mark D.

    2015-10-06

    A data center cooling system is operated in a first mode; it has an indoor portion wherein heat is absorbed from components in the data center, and an outdoor heat exchanger portion wherein outside air is used to cool a first heat transfer fluid (e.g., water) present in at least the outdoor heat exchanger portion of the cooling system during the first mode. The first heat transfer fluid is a relatively high performance heat transfer fluid (as compared to the second fluid), and has a first heat transfer fluid freezing point. A determination is made that an appropriate time has been reached to switch from the first mode to a second mode. Based on this determination, the outdoor heat exchanger portion of the data cooling system is switched to a second heat transfer fluid, which is a relatively low performance heat transfer fluid, as compared to the first heat transfer fluid. It has a second heat transfer fluid freezing point lower than the first heat transfer fluid freezing point, and the second heat transfer fluid freezing point is sufficiently low to operate without freezing when the outdoor air temperature drops below a first predetermined relationship with the first heat transfer fluid freezing point.

  18. Connection between two statistical approaches for the modelling of particle velocity and concentration distributions in turbulent flow: The mesoscopic Eulerian formalism and the two-point probability density function method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Simonin, Olivier; Zaichik, Leonid I.; Alipchenkov, Vladimir M.; Février, Pierre

    2006-12-01

    The objective of the paper is to elucidate a connection between two approaches that have been separately proposed for modelling the statistical spatial properties of inertial particles in turbulent fluid flows. One of the approaches proposed recently by Février, Simonin, and Squires [J. Fluid Mech. 533, 1 (2005)] is based on the partitioning of particle turbulent velocity field into spatially correlated (mesoscopic Eulerian) and random-uncorrelated (quasi-Brownian) components. The other approach stems from a kinetic equation for the two-point probability density function of the velocity distributions of two particles [Zaichik and Alipchenkov, Phys. Fluids 15, 1776 (2003)]. Comparisons between these approaches are performed for isotropic homogeneous turbulence and demonstrate encouraging agreement.

  19. Coupling-parameter expansion in thermodynamic perturbation theory.

    PubMed

    Ramana, A Sai Venkata; Menon, S V G

    2013-02-01

    An approach to the coupling-parameter expansion in the liquid state theory of simple fluids is presented by combining the ideas of thermodynamic perturbation theory and integral equation theories. This hybrid scheme avoids the problems of the latter in the two phase region. A method to compute the perturbation series to any arbitrary order is developed and applied to square well fluids. Apart from the Helmholtz free energy, the method also gives the radial distribution function and the direct correlation function of the perturbed system. The theory is applied for square well fluids of variable ranges and compared with simulation data. While the convergence of perturbation series and the overall performance of the theory is good, improvements are needed for potentials with shorter ranges. Possible directions for further developments in the coupling-parameter expansion are indicated.

  20. In-flight demonstration of the Space Station Freedom Health Maintenance Facility fluid therapy system (E300/E05)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lloyd, Charles W.

    1993-01-01

    The Space Station Freedom (SSF) Health Maintenance Facility (HMF) will provide medical care for crew members for up to 10 days. An integral part of the required medical care consists of providing intravenous infusion of fluids, electrolyte solutions, and nutrients to sustain an ill or injured crew member. In terrestrial health care facilities, intravenous solutions are normally stored in large quantities. However, due to the station's weight and volume constraints, an adequate supply of the required solutions cannot be carried onboard SSF. By formulating medical fluids onboard from concentrates and station water as needed, the Fluid Therapy System (FTS) eliminates weight and volume concerns regarding intravenous fluids. The first full-system demonstration of FTS is continuous microgravity will be conducted in Spacelab-Japan (SL-J). The FTS evaluation consists of two functional objectives and an in-flight demonstration of intravenous administration of fluids. The first is to make and store sterile water and IV solutions onboard the spacecraft. If intravenous fluids are to be produced in SSF, successful sterilization of water and reconstituting of IV solutions must be achieved. The second objective is to repeat the verification of the FTS infusion pump, which had been performed in Spacelab Life Sciences - 1 (SLS-1). during SLS-1, the FTS IV pump was operated in continuous microgravity for the first time. The pump functioned successfully, and valuable knowledge on its performance in continuous microgravity was obtained. Finally, the technique of starting an IF in microgravity will be demonstrated. The IV technique requires modifications in microgravity, such as use of restraints for equipment and crew members involved.

  1. Executive functioning and general cognitive ability in pregnant women and matched controls.

    PubMed

    Onyper, Serge V; Searleman, Alan; Thacher, Pamela V; Maine, Emily E; Johnson, Alicia G

    2010-11-01

    The current study compared the performances of pregnant women with education- and age-matched controls on a variety of measures that assessed perceptual speed, short-term and working memory capacity, subjective memory complaints, sleep quality, level of fatigue, executive functioning, episodic and prospective memory, and crystallized and fluid intelligence. A primary purpose was to test the hypothesis of Henry and Rendell (2007) that pregnancy-related declines in cognitive functioning would be especially evident in tasks that place a high demand on executive processes. We also investigated a parallel hypothesis: that the pregnant women would experience a broad-based reduction in cognitive capability. Very limited support was found for the executive functioning hypothesis. Pregnant women scored lower only on the measure of verbal fluency (Controlled Oral Word Association Test, COWAT) but not on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task or on any working memory measures. Furthermore, group differences in COWAT performance disappeared after controlling for verbal IQ (Shipley vocabulary). In addition, there was no support for the general decline hypothesis. We conclude that pregnancy-associated differences in performance observed in the current study were relatively mild and rarely reached either clinical or practical significance.

  2. Simulation of a pulsatile total artificial heart: Development of a partitioned Fluid Structure Interaction model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sonntag, Simon J.; Kaufmann, Tim A. S.; Büsen, Martin R.; Laumen, Marco; Linde, Torsten; Schmitz-Rode, Thomas; Steinseifer, Ulrich

    2013-04-01

    Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in the world. Due to a shortage in donor organs artificial hearts can be a bridge to transplantation or even serve as a destination therapy for patients with terminal heart insufficiency. A pusher plate driven pulsatile membrane pump, the Total Artificial Heart (TAH) ReinHeart, is currently under development at the Institute of Applied Medical Engineering of RWTH Aachen University.This paper presents the methodology of a fully coupled three-dimensional time-dependent Fluid Structure Interaction (FSI) simulation of the TAH using a commercial partitioned block-Gauss-Seidel coupling package. Partitioned coupling of the incompressible fluid with the slender flexible membrane as well as a high fluid/structure density ratio of about unity led inherently to a deterioration of the stability (‘artificial added mass instability’). The objective was to conduct a stable simulation with high accuracy of the pumping process. In order to achieve stability, a combined resistance and pressure outlet boundary condition as well as the interface artificial compressibility method was applied. An analysis of the contact algorithm and turbulence condition is presented. Independence tests are performed for the structural and the fluid mesh, the time step size and the number of pulse cycles. Because of the large deformation of the fluid domain, a variable mesh stiffness depending on certain mesh properties was specified for the fluid elements. Adaptive remeshing was avoided. Different approaches for the mesh stiffness function are compared with respect to convergence, preservation of mesh topology and mesh quality. The resulting mesh aspect ratios, mesh expansion factors and mesh orthogonalities are evaluated in detail. The membrane motion and flow distribution of the coupled simulations are compared with a top-view recording and stereo Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) measurements, respectively, of the actual pump.

  3. High Temperature, Long Service Life Fuel Cell Bladder Materials

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2004-03-01

    50 Table 19. Inner Liner Rubber , D471 Results – Fluid Aging in JP8+100 @ 225°F............................. 52 Table 20. Inner Liner Rubber ...Tensile Properties – Fluid Aging in JP8+100 @ 225°F ..................... 52 Table 21. Inner Liner Rubber , Tear Properties – Fluid Aging in JP8+100...samples in accordance with ASTM D 471: Test Method for Rubber Property - Effects of Liquids. Fluid aging experiments were performed in friction

  4. A novel investigation of a micropolar fluid characterized by nonlinear constitutive diffusion model in boundary layer flow and heat transfer.

    PubMed

    Sui, Jize; Zhao, Peng; Cheng, Zhengdong; Zheng, Liancun; Zhang, Xinxin

    2017-02-01

    The rheological and heat-conduction constitutive models of micropolar fluids (MFs), which are important non-Newtonian fluids, have been, until now, characterized by simple linear expressions, and as a consequence, the non-Newtonian performance of such fluids could not be effectively captured. Here, we establish the novel nonlinear constitutive models of a micropolar fluid and apply them to boundary layer flow and heat transfer problems. The nonlinear power law function of angular velocity is represented in the new models by employing generalized " n -diffusion theory," which has successfully described the characteristics of non-Newtonian fluids, such as shear-thinning and shear-thickening fluids. These novel models may offer a new approach to the theoretical understanding of shear-thinning behavior and anomalous heat transfer caused by the collective micro-rotation effects in a MF with shear flow according to recent experiments. The nonlinear similarity equations with a power law form are derived and the approximate analytical solutions are obtained by the homotopy analysis method, which is in good agreement with the numerical solutions. The results indicate that non-Newtonian behaviors involving a MF depend substantially on the power exponent n and the modified material parameter [Formula: see text] introduced by us. Furthermore, the relations of the engineering interest parameters, including local boundary layer thickness, local skin friction, and Nusselt number are found to be fitted by a quadratic polynomial to n with high precision, which enables the extraction of the rapid predictions from a complex nonlinear boundary-layer transport system.

  5. A novel investigation of a micropolar fluid characterized by nonlinear constitutive diffusion model in boundary layer flow and heat transfer

    PubMed Central

    Zhao, Peng; Cheng, Zhengdong; Zheng, Liancun; Zhang, Xinxin

    2017-01-01

    The rheological and heat-conduction constitutive models of micropolar fluids (MFs), which are important non-Newtonian fluids, have been, until now, characterized by simple linear expressions, and as a consequence, the non-Newtonian performance of such fluids could not be effectively captured. Here, we establish the novel nonlinear constitutive models of a micropolar fluid and apply them to boundary layer flow and heat transfer problems. The nonlinear power law function of angular velocity is represented in the new models by employing generalized “n-diffusion theory,” which has successfully described the characteristics of non-Newtonian fluids, such as shear-thinning and shear-thickening fluids. These novel models may offer a new approach to the theoretical understanding of shear-thinning behavior and anomalous heat transfer caused by the collective micro-rotation effects in a MF with shear flow according to recent experiments. The nonlinear similarity equations with a power law form are derived and the approximate analytical solutions are obtained by the homotopy analysis method, which is in good agreement with the numerical solutions. The results indicate that non-Newtonian behaviors involving a MF depend substantially on the power exponent n and the modified material parameter K0 introduced by us. Furthermore, the relations of the engineering interest parameters, including local boundary layer thickness, local skin friction, and Nusselt number are found to be fitted by a quadratic polynomial to n with high precision, which enables the extraction of the rapid predictions from a complex nonlinear boundary-layer transport system. PMID:28344433

  6. The Cooling and Lubrication Performance of Graphene Platelets in Micro-Machining Environments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chu, Bryan

    The research presented in this thesis is aimed at investigating the use of graphene platelets (GPL) to address the challenges of excessive tool wear, reduced part quality, and high specific power consumption encountered in micro-machining processes. There are two viable methods of introducing GPL into micro-machining environments, viz., the embedded delivery method, where the platelets are embedded into the part being machined, and the external delivery method, where graphene is carried into the cutting zone by jetting or atomizing a carrier fluid. The study involving the embedded delivery method is focused on the micro-machining performance of hierarchical graphene composites. The results of this study show that the presence of graphene in the epoxy matrix improves the machinability of the composite. In general, the tool wear, cutting forces, surface roughness, and extent of delamination are all seen to be lower for the hierarchical composite when compared to the conventional two-phase glass fiber composite. These improvements are attributed to the fact that graphene platelets improve the thermal conductivity of the matrix, provide lubrication at the tool-chip interface and also improve the interface strength between the glass fibers and the matrix. The benefits of graphene are seen to also carry over to the external delivery method. The platelets provide improved cooling and lubrication performance to both environmentally-benign cutting fluids as well as to semi-synthetic cutting fluids used in micro-machining. The cutting performance is seen to be a function of the geometry (i.e., lateral size and thickness) and extent of oxygen-functionalization of the platelet. Ultrasonically exfoliated platelets (with 2--3 graphene layers and lowest in-solution characteristic lateral length of 120 nm) appear to be the most favorable for micro-machining applications. Even at the lowest concentration of 0.1 wt%, they are capable of providing a 51% reduction in the cutting temperature and a 25% reduction in the surface roughness value over that of the baseline semi-synthetic cutting fluid. For the thermally-reduced platelets (with 4--8 graphene layers and in-solution characteristic lateral length of 562--2780 nm), a concentration of 0.2 wt% appears to be optimal. An investigation into the impingement dynamics of the graphene-laden colloidal solutions on a heated substrate reveals that the most important criterion dictating their machining performance is their ability to form uniform, submicron thick films of the platelets upon evaporation of the carrier fluid. As such, the characterization of the residual platelet film left behind on a heated substrate may be an effective technique for evaluating different graphene colloidal solutions for cutting fluids applications in micromachining. Graphene platelets have also recently been shown to reduce the aggressive chemical wear of diamond tools during the machining of transition metal alloys. However, the specific mechanisms responsible for this improvement are currently unknown. The modeling work presented in this thesis uses molecular dynamics techniques to shed light on the wear mitigation mechanisms that are active during the diamond cutting of steel when in the presence of graphene platelets. The dual mechanisms responsible for graphene-induced chemical wear mitigation are: 1) The formation of a physical barrier between the metal and tool atoms, preventing graphitization; and 2) The preferential transfer of carbon from the graphene platelet rather than from the diamond tool. The results of the simulations also provide new insight into the behavior of the 2D graphene platelets in the cutting zone, specifically illustrating the mechanisms of cleaving and interlayer sliding in graphene platelets under the high pressures in cutting zones.

  7. Brief Report: Adherence to Fluid Recommendations in Children Receiving Treatment for Retentive Encopresis

    PubMed Central

    Felt, Barbara T.; Patton, Susana R.

    2009-01-01

    Objective Limited data are available regarding whether children being treated for retentive encopresis are adherent to recommendations to increase their daily fluid intake. The purpose of this study was to examine fluid adherence in children who received treatment for retentive encopresis. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed using diet diary data for 26 children (ages 3–12) who completed a group behavioral intervention for retentive encopresis. Results Mean daily intake of clear fluid increased significantly during treatment and children relied primarily on water and juice to make this dietary change. However, adherence rates to clear fluid goals were <50%. Conclusions Children's increased clear fluid intake did not equate to high fluid adherence. Children's high juice consumption is concerning as it could place them at risk for other negative health consequences. Future research should examine whether enhanced fluid education and use of behavior change strategies yield higher fluid adherence. PMID:19304779

  8. Hotfire testing of a SSME HPOTP with an annular hydrostatic bearing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nolan, Steven A.; Hibbs, Robert I.; Genge, Gary G.

    1994-01-01

    A new fluid film bearing package has been tested in the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) High Pressure Oxygen Turbopump (HPOTP). This fluid film element functions as both the pump end bearing and the preburner pump rear wear ring seal. Most importantly, it replaces a duplex ball bearing package which has been the primary life limiting component in the turbopump. The design and predicted performance of the turbopump are reviewed. Results are presented for measured pump and bearing performance during testing on the NASA Technology Test Bed (TTB) Engine located at MSFC. The most significant results were obtained from proximity probes located in the bearing bore which revealed large subsynchronous precession at ten percent of shaft speed during engine start which subsided prior to mainstage power levels and reappeared during engine shutdown at equivalent power levels below 65% of nominal. This phenomenon has been attributed to rotating stall in the diffuser. The proximity probes also revealed the location of the bearing in the bore for different operating speeds. Pump vibration characteristics were improved as compared to pumps tested with ball bearings. After seven starts and more than 700 seconds of testing, the pump showed no signs of performance degradation.

  9. Nasal conchae function as aerodynamic baffles: Experimental computational fluid dynamic analysis in a turkey nose (Aves: Galliformes).

    PubMed

    Bourke, Jason M; Witmer, Lawrence M

    2016-12-01

    We tested the aerodynamic function of nasal conchae in birds using CT data from an adult male wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) to construct 3D models of its nasal passage. A series of digital "turbinectomies" were performed on these models and computational fluid dynamic analyses were performed to simulate resting inspiration. Models with turbinates removed were compared to the original, unmodified control airway. Results revealed that the four conchae found in turkeys, along with the crista nasalis, alter the flow of inspired air in ways that can be considered baffle-like. However, these baffle-like functions were remarkably limited in their areal extent, indicating that avian conchae are more functionally independent than originally hypothesized. Our analysis revealed that the conchae of birds are efficient baffles that-along with potential heat and moisture transfer-serve to efficiently move air to specific regions of the nasal passage. This alternate function of conchae has implications for their evolution in birds and other amniotes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Effect of seven different additives on the properties of MR fluids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, J. Q.; Zhang, J.; Jing, Q.

    2009-02-01

    Magnetorheological (MR) fluids have been developed for application in semi-active magnetorheological fluid dampers and other magnetorheological fluid devices. In order to prepare special MR fluids to satisfy the demands of tracked vehicle, two different carrier fluids were chose to prepare MR fluids. Preparation of MR fluids, which are based on carriers such as special shock absorption fluid and 45# transformer oil, was finished. And characteristics of these samples were tested and analyzed. Results indicate, Tween-80 and Span-80 can improve sedimentary stability. Using 45# transformer oil instead of special shock absorption fluid as a carrier, the shear yield stress remains nearly invariable but the viscosity and the sedimentary stability are reduced. MR fluids with diameter of 2.73μm show better sedimentary stability than that of the MR fluids with diameter of 2.3μm, or 4.02μm. Stearic acid obviously improves sedimentary stability and off-state viscosity, but don't perform an obvious function on shear yield stress. In magnetic field of 237KA/m, the shear yield stress of MR fluid based on special shock absorption fluid and 45# transformer oil is 18.34KPa, 14.26KPa, respectively.

  11. The effect of in-service aerospace contaminants on X-band dielectric properties of a bismaleimide/quartz composite

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rodriguez, Luis A.; García, Carla; Grace, Landon R.

    2015-05-01

    The impact of three common aerospace in-service liquid contaminants on the X-band dielectric properties of a polymer composite radar protecting structure (radome) is investigated and quantified. The dielectric properties of the composite laminate are critical to radar transparency, and thus performance, of the radome structure. Further, polymer composites are highly susceptible to absorption of liquids. As such, the effect of common aerospace contaminants on the dielectric properties of composite laminates is crucial. Measurement of relative permittivity and loss tangent via a split-post dielectric resonant technique at 10 GHz is used to determine the effect of water, deicing fluid, and propylene glycol absorption in a three-ply quartz-reinforced bismaleimide laminate. Additionally, fluid uptake kinetics are investigated as a function of liquid type. An approximately linear relationship between fluid content and relative permittivity is observed for all three contaminant types. A 1% increase in contaminant content by weight results in a 7.8%, 4.5%, and 2.5% increase in relative permittivity of the material due to water, deicing fluid, and propylene glycol, respectively. A more significant impact is seen in material loss tangent, where a 1% increase in contaminant content by weight is responsible for a 378.5%, 593.0%, and 441.5% increase in loss tangent due to the aforementioned fluids, respectively. A fluid uptake weight content of 1.31%, 3.41%, and 4.28% is achieved for water, deicing fluid, and propylene glycol respectively, at approximately 1300 hours exposure. Based on the reported observations, the dielectric property degradation of composite laminates due to these commonly used fluids is of significant concern for in-service aircraft radar systems routinely exposed to these contaminants.

  12. Intellectual differences of adult men related to age and physical fitness before and after an exercise program.

    PubMed

    Elsayed, M; Ismail, A H; Young, R J

    1980-05-01

    Fluid and crystalized intelligence differences among high-fit, young; high-fit, old; low-fit, young, and low-fit, old groups were investigated before and after an exercise program. The high-fit group had higher fluid intelligence than the low-fit group. Likewise, the young group scored higher than the old group. The four groups scored higher at the posttest on two of the fluid intelligence subtests of the Cattell Culture. Fair Intelligence Test. No differences were observed on crystallized intelligence. It is uncertain how biological factors and psychological changes, either individually or in combination, produce differences in cognitive functioning due to physical fitness.

  13. The effect of group-based exercise on cognitive performance and mood in seniors residing in intermediate care and self-care retirement facilities: a randomised controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Brown, A K; Liu-Ambrose, T; Tate, R; Lord, S R

    2009-08-01

    To determine the effect of a general group-based exercise programme on cognitive performance and mood among seniors without dementia living in retirement villages. Randomised controlled trial. Four intermediate care and four self-care retirement village sites in Sydney, Australia. 154 seniors (19 men, 135 women; age range 62 to 95 years), who were residents of intermediate care and self-care retirement facilities. Participants were randomised to one of three experimental groups: (1) a general group-based exercise (GE) programme composed of resistance training and balance training exercises; (2) a flexibility exercise and relaxation technique (FR) programme; or (3) no-exercise control (NEC). The intervention groups (GE and FR) participated in 1-hour exercise classes twice a week for a total period of 6 months. Using standard neuropsychological tests, we assessed cognitive performance at baseline and at 6-month re-test in three domains: (1) fluid intelligence; (2) visual, verbal and working memory; and (3) executive functioning. We also assessed mood using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). The GE programme significantly improved cognitive performance of fluid intelligence compared with FR or NEC. There were also significant improvements in the positive PANAS scale within both the GE and FR groups and an indication that the two exercise programmes reduced depression in those with initially high GDS scores. Our GE programme significantly improved cognitive performance of fluid intelligence in seniors residing in retirement villages compared with our FR programme and the NEC group. Furthermore, both group-based exercise programmes were beneficial for certain aspects of mood within the 6-month intervention period.

  14. Overview of liquid lubricants for advanced aircraft

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Loomis, W. R.

    1982-01-01

    An overall status report on liquid lubricants for use in high-performance turbojet engines is presented. Emphasis is placed on the oxidation and thermal stability requirements imposed upon the lubrication system. A brief history is iven of the development of turbine engine lubricants which led to synthetic oils with their inherent modification advantages. The status and state of development of some nine candidate classes of fluids for use in advanced turbine engines are discussed. Published examples of fundamental studies to obtain a better understanding of the chemistry involved in fluid degradation are reviewed. Also, alternatives to high temperature fluid development are described. The importance of of continuing work on improving high temperature lubricant candidates and encouraging development of fluid base stocks is discussed.

  15. The use of preferred social stimuli as rewards for rhesus macaques in behavioural neuroscience

    PubMed Central

    Pearce, Bradley; Thiele, Alexander; Rowe, Candy

    2017-01-01

    Macaques are often motivated to perform in neuroscientific experiments by implementing fluid restriction protocols. Daily access to water is controlled and the monkeys are rewarded with droplets of fluid for performing correct trials in the laboratory. Although these protocols are widely used and highly effective, it is important from a 3Rs perspective to investigate refinements that may help to lessen the severity of the fluid restriction applied. We assessed the use of social stimuli (images of conspecifics) as rewards for four rhesus macaques performing simple cognitive tasks. We found that individual preferences for images of male faces, female perinea and control stimuli could be identified in each monkey. However, using preferred images did not translate into effective motivators on a trial-by-trial basis: animals preferred fluid rewards, even when fluid restriction was relaxed. There was no difference in the monkeys’ performance of a task when using greyscale versus colour images. Based on our findings, we cannot recommend the use of social stimuli, in this form, as a refinement to current fluid restriction protocols. We discuss the potential alternatives and possibilities for future research. PMID:28542356

  16. Preliminary kinetic evaluation of an immobilized polysaccharide sub-2μm column using a low dispersion supercritical fluid chromatograph.

    PubMed

    Berger, Terry A

    2017-08-11

    The performance of a 3×50mm, 1.6μm d p column with an immobilized polysaccharide stationary phase (ChiralPak IA-U) was evaluated for efficiency, and pressure drop, with respect to flow rate and modifier concentration using supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC). This appears to be the first such report using such a column in SFC. A unique low dispersion (ultra-high performance) SFC was used for the evaluation. The minimum reduced plate height of 2.78, indicates that the maximum efficiency was similar to or better than coated polysaccharide columns. Selectivity was different from ChiralPak AD, with the same chiral selector, as reported by many others. At high flows and high methanol concentrations, pump pressures sometimes approached 600bar. With 5% methanol, pressure vs. flow rate was non-linear suggesting turbulent flow in the connector tubing. The optimum flow rate (F opt ) at 40% methanol was ≈0.8mL/min, where the column efficiency was highest. At 5% methanol, F opt increased to ≈1.6mL/min, but efficiency degraded noticeably. The differences in F opt suggests that the solute diffusion coefficients are a strong function of modifier concentration. Several sub-1min separations, including a 7.5s separation, are presented. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Measurement of viscosity and elasticity of lubricants at high pressures

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rein, R. G., Jr.; Charng, T. T.; Sliepcevich, C. M.; Ewbank, W. J.

    1975-01-01

    The oscillating quartz crystal viscometer has been used to investigate possible viscoelastic behavior in synthetic lubricating fluids and to obtain viscosity-pressure-temperature data for these fluids at temperatures to 300 F and pressures to 40,000 psig. The effect of pressure and temperature on the density of the test fluids was measured concurrently with the viscosity measurements. Viscoelastic behavior of one fluid, di-(2-ethylhexyl) sebacate, was observed over a range of pressures. These data were used to compute the reduced shear elastic (storage) modulus and reduced loss modulus for this fluid at atmospheric pressure and 100 F as functions of reduced frequency.

  18. Seismic structure beneath Mt Vesuvius from receiver function analysis and local earthquakes tomography: evidences for location and geometry of the magma chamber

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Agostinetti, N. Piana; Chiarabba, C.

    2008-12-01

    The recognition and localization of magmatic fluids are pre-requisites for evaluating the volcano hazard of the highly urbanized area of Mt Vesuvius. Here we show evidence and constraints for the volumetric estimation of magmatic fluids underneath this sleeping volcano. We use Receiver Functions for teleseismic data recorded at a temporary broad-band station installed on the volcano to constrain the S-wave velocity structure in the crust. Receiver Functions are analysed and inverted using the Neighbourhood Algorithm approach. The 1-D S-velocity profile is jointly interpreted and discussed with a new Vp and Vp/Vs image obtained by applying double difference tomographic techniques to local earthquakes. Seismologic data define the geometry of an axial, cylindrical high Vp, high Vs body consisting of a shallow solidified materials, probably the remnants of the caldera, and ultramafic rocks paving the crustal magma chamber. Between these two anomalies, we find a small region where the shear wave velocity drops, revealing the presence of magma at relatively shallow depths. The volume of fluids (30 km3) is sufficient to contribute future explosive eruptions.

  19. Effect of different hardness nanoparticles on friction properties of magnetorheological fluids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Mingmei; Zhang, Jinqiu; Yao, Jun

    2017-10-01

    Magnetorheological fluids (MRFs) exhibit different wear performance when nanoparticles with different hardness are added. In this study, three solid particles with different hardness are considered to study the variation in MRF performance. The friction and wear properties of the MRF are measured by using a four-ball friction and wear tester, and the surface of the steel ball was observed using a three-dimensional white light interferometer. Also, the rheological properties of MRF are tested by using an Anton-Paar rheometer. The results show that the addition of graphite yields a stable friction process and does not degrade the rheological properties of MRF. Nano-diamond increases the shear yield strength and reduces the wall slip to a greater extent. However, the wear is more serious in this case. Copper particles are unstable, and their surface activity is too high to get adsorbed on the surface of iron powder aggravating the settlement rate. The above three MRFs with different kinds of nano-particles present a more regular grinding spot, and the nano-particles have a certain repair function to the surface.

  20. Numerical Modelling of Three-Fluid Flow Using The Level-set Method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Hongying; Lou, Jing; Shang, Zhi

    2014-11-01

    This work presents a numerical model for simulation of three-fluid flow involving two different moving interfaces. These interfaces are captured using the level-set method via two different level-set functions. A combined formulation with only one set of conservation equations for the whole physical domain, consisting of the three different immiscible fluids, is employed. Numerical solution is performed on a fixed mesh using the finite volume method. Surface tension effect is incorporated using the Continuum Surface Force model. Validation of the present model is made against available results for stratified flow and rising bubble in a container with a free surface. Applications of the present model are demonstrated by a variety of three-fluid flow systems including (1) three-fluid stratified flow, (2) two-fluid stratified flow carrying the third fluid in the form of drops and (3) simultaneous rising and settling of two drops in a stationary third fluid. The work is supported by a Thematic and Strategic Research from A*STAR, Singapore (Ref. #: 1021640075).

  1. Stability of carotid artery under steady-state and pulsatile blood flow: a fluid-structure interaction study.

    PubMed

    Saeid Khalafvand, Seyed; Han, Hai-Chao

    2015-06-01

    It has been shown that arteries may buckle into tortuous shapes under lumen pressure, which in turn could alter blood flow. However, the mechanisms of artery instability under pulsatile flow have not been fully understood. The objective of this study was to simulate the buckling and post-buckling behaviors of the carotid artery under pulsatile flow using a fully coupled fluid-structure interaction (FSI) method. The artery wall was modeled as a nonlinear material with a two-fiber strain-energy function. FSI simulations were performed under steady-state flow and pulsatile flow conditions with a prescribed flow velocity profile at the inlet and different pressures at the outlet to determine the critical buckling pressure. Simulations were performed for normal (160 ml/min) and high (350 ml/min) flow rates and normal (1.5) and reduced (1.3) axial stretch ratios to determine the effects of flow rate and axial tension on stability. The results showed that an artery buckled when the lumen pressure exceeded a critical value. The critical mean buckling pressure at pulsatile flow was 17-23% smaller than at steady-state flow. For both steady-state and pulsatile flow, the high flow rate had very little effect (<5%) on the critical buckling pressure. The fluid and wall stresses were drastically altered at the location with maximum deflection. The maximum lumen shear stress occurred at the inner side of the bend and maximum tensile wall stresses occurred at the outer side. These findings improve our understanding of artery instability in vivo.

  2. Effect of Eccentricity on the Static and Dynamic Performance of a Turbulent Hybrid Bearing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sanandres, Luis A.

    1991-01-01

    The effect of journal eccentricity on the static and dynamic performance of a water lubricated, 5-recess hybrid bearing is presented in detail. The hydrostatic bearing has been designed to operate at a high speed and with a large level of external pressurization. The operating conditions determine the flow in the bearing to be highly turbulent and strongly dominated by fluid inertia effects. The analysis covers the spectrum of journal center displacements directed towards the middle of a recess and towards the mid-land portion between two consecutive recesses. Predicted dynamic force coefficients are uniform for small to moderate eccentricities. For large journal center displacements, fluid cavitation and recess position determine large changes in the bearing dynamic performance. The effect of fluid inertia force coefficients on the threshold speed of instability and whirl ratio of a single mass flexible rotor is discussed.

  3. A recipe for free-energy functionals of polarizable molecular fluids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sundararaman, Ravishankar; Letchworth-Weaver, Kendra; Arias, T. A.

    2014-04-01

    Classical density-functional theory is the most direct approach to equilibrium structures and free energies of inhomogeneous liquids, but requires the construction of an approximate free-energy functional for each liquid of interest. We present a general recipe for constructing functionals for small-molecular liquids based only on bulk experimental properties and ab initio calculations of a single solvent molecule. This recipe combines the exact free energy of the non-interacting system with fundamental measure theory for the repulsive contribution and a weighted density functional for the short-ranged attractive interactions. We add to these ingredients a weighted polarization functional for the long-range correlations in both the rotational and molecular-polarizability contributions to the dielectric response. We also perform molecular dynamics calculations for the free energy of cavity formation and the high-field dielectric response, and show that our free-energy functional adequately describes these properties (which are key for accurate solvation calculations) for all three solvents in our study: water, chloroform, and carbon tetrachloride.

  4. How similar are fluid cognition and general intelligence? A developmental neuroscience perspective on fluid cognition as an aspect of human cognitive ability.

    PubMed

    Blair, Clancy

    2006-04-01

    This target article considers the relation of fluid cognitive functioning to general intelligence. A neurobiological model differentiating working memory/executive function cognitive processes of the prefrontal cortex from aspects of psychometrically defined general intelligence is presented. Work examining the rise in mean intelligence-test performance between normative cohorts, the neuropsychology and neuroscience of cognitive function in typically and atypically developing human populations, and stress, brain development, and corticolimbic connectivity in human and nonhuman animal models is reviewed and found to provide evidence of mechanisms through which early experience affects the development of an aspect of cognition closely related to, but distinct from, general intelligence. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of emotion in fluid cognition and on research indicating fluid cognitive deficits associated with early hippocampal pathology and with dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis stress-response system. Findings are seen to be consistent with the idea of an independent fluid cognitive construct and to assist with the interpretation of findings from the study of early compensatory education for children facing psychosocial adversity and from behavior genetic research on intelligence. It is concluded that ongoing development of neurobiologically grounded measures of fluid cognitive skills appropriate for young children will play a key role in understanding early mental development and the adaptive success to which it is related, particularly for young children facing social and economic disadvantage. Specifically, in the evaluation of the efficacy of compensatory education efforts such as Head Start and the readiness for school of children from diverse backgrounds, it is important to distinguish fluid cognition from psychometrically defined general intelligence.

  5. Mechanism study and numerical simulation of Uranium nitriding induced by high energy laser

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhu, Yuan; Xu, Jingjing; Qi, Yanwen; Li, Shengpeng; Zhao, Hui

    2018-06-01

    The gradients of interfacial tension induced by local heating led to Marangoni convection, which had a significant effect on surface formation and the process of mass transport in the laser nitriding of uranium. An experimental observation of the underlying processes was very difficult. In present study, the Marangoni convection was considered and the computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analysis technique of FLUENT program was performed to determine the physical processes such as heat transfer and mass transport. The progress of gas-liquid falling film desorption was presented by combining phase-change model with fluid volume function (VOF) model. The time-dependent distribution of the temperature had been derived. Moreover, the concentration and distribution of nitrogen across the laser spot are calculated. The simulation results matched with the experimental data. The numerical resolution method provided a better approach to know the physical processes and dependencies of the coating formation.

  6. Coaxial gas-liquid jet: Dispersion and dynamics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Poplavski, S. V.; Boiko, V. M.; Lotov, V. V.; Nesterov, A. Yu.

    2018-03-01

    The aim of the work was to study the pneumatic spraying of liquids in a gas jet with reference to the creation of high-flow nozzles. A complex experimental study of a coaxial jet was performed with a central supply of liquid beyond the cutoff of the confusor nozzle at subsonic and supersonic flow conditions. A set of optical methods for flows diagnostics that can function in dense gas-liquid jets provides new data on the structure of the spray: the gas velocity field without liquid, shadow visualization of the geometry and wave structure of the jet with and without fluid, the velocity profiles of the liquid phase, size distribution of the droplets. The key parameters of the liquid breakup processes for the We numbers are obtained. A dynamic approach to the determination of average droplet sizes is considered. A physical model of a coaxial gas-liquid jet with a central fluid supply is proposed.

  7. Purinergic and cholinergic components of bladder contractility and flow.

    PubMed

    Theobald, R J

    1995-01-01

    The role of ATP as a neurotransmitter/neuromodulator in the urinary tract has been the subject of much study, particularly whether ATP has a functional role in producing urine flow. Recent studies suggested significant species variation, specifically a variation between cat and other species. This study was performed to determine the in vivo response of cat urinary bladder to pelvic nerve stimulation (PNS) and to the exogenous administration of cholinergic and purinergic agents. In anesthetized cats, bladder contractions and fluid expulsion was measured in response to PNS and to the exogenous administration of cholinergic and purinergic agents. Fluid was instilled into the bladder and any fluid expelled by bladder contractions induced by PNS or exogenous agents was collected in a beaker. The volume was measured in a graduated cylinder and recorded. PNS, carbachol and APPCP produced sustained contractions with significant expulsion of fluid. ATP, ACh and hypogastric nerve stimulation did not produce any significant expulsion of fluid. Atropine, a cholinergic antagonist, inhibited PNS contractions and fluid expulsion with no effect on purinergic actions. There was a significant relationship between the magnitude of the contraction, duration of the contractions and volume of fluid expelled. The data and information from other studies, strongly suggests a functional role for ATP as a cotransmitter in the lower urinary tract different from ACh's role. ATP stimulation of a specific purinergic receptor plays a role in initiation of bladder contractions and perhaps in the initiation of urine flow from the bladder. ACh's role is functionally different and appears to be more involved in maintenance of contractile activity and flow.

  8. Time-dependent dynamical behavior of surface tension on rotating fluids under microgravity environment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hung, R. J.; Tsao, Y. D.; Hong, B. B.; Leslie, F. W.

    1988-01-01

    Time dependent evolutions of the profile of free surface (bubble shapes) for a cylindrical container partially filled with a Newtonian fluid of constant density, rotating about its axis of symmetry, have been studied. Numerical computations of the dynamics of bubble shapes have been carried out with the following situations: (1) linear functions of spin-up and spin-down in low and microgravity environments, (2) step functions of spin-up and spin-down in a low gravity environment, and (3) sinusoidal function oscillation of gravity environment in high and low rotating cylinder speeds.

  9. Group contribution methodology based on the statistical associating fluid theory for heteronuclear molecules formed from Mie segments.

    PubMed

    Papaioannou, Vasileios; Lafitte, Thomas; Avendaño, Carlos; Adjiman, Claire S; Jackson, George; Müller, Erich A; Galindo, Amparo

    2014-02-07

    A generalization of the recent version of the statistical associating fluid theory for variable range Mie potentials [Lafitte et al., J. Chem. Phys. 139, 154504 (2013)] is formulated within the framework of a group contribution approach (SAFT-γ Mie). Molecules are represented as comprising distinct functional (chemical) groups based on a fused heteronuclear molecular model, where the interactions between segments are described with the Mie (generalized Lennard-Jonesium) potential of variable attractive and repulsive range. A key feature of the new theory is the accurate description of the monomeric group-group interactions by application of a high-temperature perturbation expansion up to third order. The capabilities of the SAFT-γ Mie approach are exemplified by studying the thermodynamic properties of two chemical families, the n-alkanes and the n-alkyl esters, by developing parameters for the methyl, methylene, and carboxylate functional groups (CH3, CH2, and COO). The approach is shown to describe accurately the fluid-phase behavior of the compounds considered with absolute average deviations of 1.20% and 0.42% for the vapor pressure and saturated liquid density, respectively, which represents a clear improvement over other existing SAFT-based group contribution approaches. The use of Mie potentials to describe the group-group interaction is shown to allow accurate simultaneous descriptions of the fluid-phase behavior and second-order thermodynamic derivative properties of the pure fluids based on a single set of group parameters. Furthermore, the application of the perturbation expansion to third order for the description of the reference monomeric fluid improves the predictions of the theory for the fluid-phase behavior of pure components in the near-critical region. The predictive capabilities of the approach stem from its formulation within a group-contribution formalism: predictions of the fluid-phase behavior and thermodynamic derivative properties of compounds not included in the development of group parameters are demonstrated. The performance of the theory is also critically assessed with predictions of the fluid-phase behavior (vapor-liquid and liquid-liquid equilibria) and excess thermodynamic properties of a variety of binary mixtures, including polymer solutions, where very good agreement with the experimental data is seen, without the need for adjustable mixture parameters.

  10. Triticonazole enantiomers: Separation by supercritical fluid chromatography and the effect of the chromatographic conditions.

    PubMed

    He, Jianfeng; Fan, Jun; Yan, Yilun; Chen, Xiaodong; Wang, Tai; Zhang, Yaomou; Zhang, Weiguang

    2016-11-01

    Enantiomeric pairs of triticonazole have been successfully separated by supercritical fluid chromatography coupled with a tris(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamoyl) cellulose-coated chiral stationary phase in this work. The effects of co-solvent, dissolution solvent, flow rate, backpressure, and column temperature have been studied in detail with respect to retention, selectivity, and resolution of triticonazole. As indicated, the co-solvents mostly affected the retention factors and resolution, due to the different molecular structure and polarity. In addition, the dissolution solvents, namely, chloromethanes and alcohols, have been also important for enantioseparation because of the different interaction with stationary phase. Higher flow rate and backpressure led to faster elution of the triticonazole molecules, and the change of column temperature showed slight effect on the resolution of triticonazole racemate. Moreover, a comparative separation experiment between supercritical fluid chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography revealed that chiral supercritical fluid chromatography gave the 3.5 times value of R s /t R2 than high performance liquid chromatography, which demonstrated that supercritical fluid chromatography had much higher separation efficiency. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  11. Ultra-high performance supercritical fluid chromatography of lignin-derived phenols from alkaline cupric oxide oxidation.

    PubMed

    Sun, Mingzhe; Lidén, Gunnar; Sandahl, Margareta; Turner, Charlotta

    2016-08-01

    Traditional chromatographic methods for the analysis of lignin-derived phenolic compounds in environmental samples are generally time consuming. In this work, an ultra-high performance supercritical fluid chromatography method with a diode array detector for the analysis of major lignin-derived phenolic compounds produced by alkaline cupric oxide oxidation was developed. In an analysis of a collection of 11 representative monomeric lignin phenolic compounds, all compounds were clearly separated within 6 min with excellent peak shapes, with a limit of detection of 0.5-2.5 μM, a limit of quantification of 2.5-5.0 μM, and a dynamic range of 5.0-2.0 mM (R(2) > 0.997). The new ultra-high performance supercritical fluid chromatography method was also applied for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of lignin-derived phenolic compounds obtained upon alkaline cupric oxide oxidation of a commercial humic acid. Ten out of the previous eleven model compounds could be quantified in the oxidized humic acid sample. The high separation power and short analysis time obtained demonstrate for the first time that supercritical fluid chromatography is a fast and reliable technique for the analysis of lignin-derived phenols in complex environmental samples. © 2016 The Authors, Journal of Separation Science Published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  12. Design of Complex Systems to Achieve Passive Safety: Natural Circulation Cooling of Liquid Salt Pebble Bed Reactors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Scarlat, Raluca Olga

    This dissertation treats system design, modeling of transient system response, and characterization of individual phenomena and demonstrates a framework for integration of these three activities early in the design process of a complex engineered system. A system analysis framework for prioritization of experiments, modeling, and development of detailed design is proposed. Two fundamental topics in thermal-hydraulics are discussed, which illustrate the integration of modeling and experimentation with nuclear reactor design and safety analysis: thermal-hydraulic modeling of heat generating pebble bed cores, and scaled experiments for natural circulation heat removal with Boussinesq liquids. The case studies used in this dissertation are derived from the design and safety analysis of a pebble bed fluoride salt cooled high temperature nuclear reactor (PB-FHR), currently under development in the United States at the university and national laboratories level. In the context of the phenomena identification and ranking table (PIRT) methodology, new tools and approaches are proposed and demonstrated here, which are specifically relevant to technology in the early stages of development, and to analysis of passive safety features. A system decomposition approach is proposed. Definition of system functional requirements complements identification and compilation of the current knowledge base for the behavior of the system. Two new graphical tools are developed for ranking of phenomena importance: a phenomena ranking map, and a phenomena identification and ranking matrix (PIRM). The functional requirements established through this methodology were used for the design and optimization of the reactor core, and for the transient analysis and design of the passive natural circulation driven decay heat removal system for the PB-FHR. A numerical modeling approach for heat-generating porous media, with multi-dimensional fluid flow is presented. The application of this modeling approach to the PB-FHR annular pebble bed core cooled by fluoride salt mixtures generated a model that is called Pod. Pod. was used to show the resilience of the PB-FHR core to generation of hot spots or cold spots, due to the effect of buoyancy on the flow and temperature distribution in the packed bed. Pod. was used to investigate the PB-FHR response to ATWS transients. Based on the functional requirements for the core, Pod. was used to generate an optimized design of the flow distribution in the core. An analysis of natural circulation loops cooled by single-phase Boussinesq fluids is presented here, in the context of reactor design that relies on natural circulation decay heat removal, and design of scaled experiments. The scaling arguments are established for a transient natural circulation loop, for loops that have long fluid residence time, and negligible contribution of fluid inertia to the momentum equation. The design of integral effects tests for the loss of forced circulation (LOFC) for PB-FHR is discussed. The special case of natural circulation decay heat removal from a pebble bed reactor was analyzed. A way to define the Reynolds number in a multi-dimensional pebble bed was identified. The scaling methodology for replicating pebble bed friction losses using an electrically resistance heated annular pipe and a needle valve was developed. The thermophysical properties of liquid fluoride salts lead to design of systems with low flow velocities, and hence long fluid residence times. A comparison among liquid coolants for the performance of steady state natural circulation heat removal from a pebble bed was performed. Transient natural circulation experimental data with simulant fluids for fluoride salts is given here. The low flow velocity and the relatively high viscosity of the fluoride salts lead to low Reynolds number flows, and a low Reynolds number in conjunction with a sufficiently high coefficient of thermal expansion makes the system susceptible to local buoyancy effects Experiments indicate that slow exchange of stagnant fluid in static legs can play a significant role in the transient response of natural circulation loops. The effect of non-linear temperature profiles on the hot or cold legs or other segments of the flow loop, which may develop during transient scenarios, should be considered when modeling the performance of natural circulation loops. The data provided here can be used for validation of the application of thermal-hydraulic systems codes to the modeling of heat removal by natural circulation with liquid fluoride salts and its simulant fluids.

  13. Long-term classroom functioning and its association with neuropsychological and academic performance following traumatic brain injury during early childhood.

    PubMed

    Treble-Barna, Amery; Schultz, Hanna; Minich, Nori; Taylor, H Gerry; Yeates, Keith Owen; Stancin, Terry; Wade, Shari L

    2017-07-01

    The present study utilized ecobehavioral assessment to examine classroom functioning several years following early childhood traumatic brain injury (TBI) or orthopedic injury (OI) and its association with injury factors, neuropsychological abilities, and academic performance. Participants included 39 children with moderate to severe TBI and 51 children with OI sustained between ages 3 and 7 years. At 7.2 (± 1.3) years post injury, ecobehavioral assessment was used to examine classroom functioning. Additional outcomes included neuropsychological tests, parent and teacher ratings of dysexecutive behavior, and teacher ratings of academic performance. Groups were compared on measures controlling for demographic characteristics, and associations among outcomes were examined using linear regression. Children with TBI showed lower academic engagement relative to children with OI, as well as more frequent individual teacher attention for children with more severe injuries. For children with TBI, difficulties in classroom functioning were associated with lower cognitive flexibility and higher parent and teacher ratings of dysexecutive behavior. Lower scores on a test of fluid reasoning and a greater frequency of individual teacher attention were also associated with lower academic performance in children with TBI. Difficulties in classroom functioning are evident several years after early childhood TBI and were associated with greater injury severity, neuropsychological weaknesses, and poorer academic performance. Children with impaired cognitive flexibility and fluid reasoning skills were at greatest risk for these difficulties and associated weaknesses in academic performance. Instructional interactions may be a potential target for intervention to promote academic progress in at-risk children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

  14. Convection measurement package for space processing sounding rocket flights. [low gravity manufacturing - fluid dynamics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Spradley, L. W.

    1975-01-01

    The effects on heated fluids of nonconstant accelerations, rocket vibrations, and spin rates, was studied. A system is discussed which can determine the influence of the convective effects on fluid experiments. The general suitability of sounding rockets for performing these experiments is treated. An analytical investigation of convection in an enclosure which is heated in low gravity is examined. The gravitational body force was taken as a time-varying function using anticipated sounding rocket accelerations, since accelerometer flight data were not available. A computer program was used to calculate the flow rates and heat transfer in fluids with geometries and boundary conditions typical of space processing configurations. Results of the analytical investigation identify the configurations, fluids and boundary values which are most suitable for measuring the convective environment of sounding rockets. A short description of fabricated fluid cells and the convection measurement package is given. Photographs are included.

  15. Optimization of Deep Drilling Performance--Development and Benchmark Testing of Advanced Diamond Product Drill Bits & HP/HT Fluids to Significantly Improve Rates of Penetration

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Alan Black; Arnis Judzis

    2003-10-01

    This document details the progress to date on the OPTIMIZATION OF DEEP DRILLING PERFORMANCE--DEVELOPMENT AND BENCHMARK TESTING OF ADVANCED DIAMOND PRODUCT DRILL BITS AND HP/HT FLUIDS TO SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE RATES OF PENETRATION contract for the year starting October 2002 through September 2002. The industry cost shared program aims to benchmark drilling rates of penetration in selected simulated deep formations and to significantly improve ROP through a team development of aggressive diamond product drill bit--fluid system technologies. Overall the objectives are as follows: Phase 1--Benchmark ''best in class'' diamond and other product drilling bits and fluids and develop concepts for amore » next level of deep drilling performance; Phase 2--Develop advanced smart bit--fluid prototypes and test at large scale; and Phase 3--Field trial smart bit--fluid concepts, modify as necessary and commercialize products. Accomplishments to date include the following: 4Q 2002--Project started; Industry Team was assembled; Kick-off meeting was held at DOE Morgantown; 1Q 2003--Engineering meeting was held at Hughes Christensen, The Woodlands Texas to prepare preliminary plans for development and testing and review equipment needs; Operators started sending information regarding their needs for deep drilling challenges and priorities for large-scale testing experimental matrix; Aramco joined the Industry Team as DEA 148 objectives paralleled the DOE project; 2Q 2003--Engineering and planning for high pressure drilling at TerraTek commenced; 3Q 2003--Continuation of engineering and design work for high pressure drilling at TerraTek; Baker Hughes INTEQ drilling Fluids and Hughes Christensen commence planning for Phase 1 testing--recommendations for bits and fluids.« less

  16. The Effects of Aging on Motor Performance.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kleinman, Matthew

    A review of research on the effects of aging on motor performance provided evidence that age-induced changes within the central nervous system, particularly in the functioning of the non-dominant cortical hemisphere, result in diminished fluid abilities. The loss was most clearly manifested behaviorally as a decreased capacity to perform…

  17. Physiological Indicators of Stress and Intellectual Performance among Anxious Older Adults.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kelly, Kimberly S.; And Others

    1997-01-01

    Older adults (n=27) concerned about declining cognitive functioning performed cognitive tasks, completed questionnaires, and were given measures of anxiety and physiological change. Negative correlations appeared between level of cortisol, a stress-related hormone, and self-efficacy on measures of fluid intelligence. Epstein-Barr virus levels were…

  18. Anesthesia and perioperative management of colorectal surgical patients - A clinical review (Part 1).

    PubMed

    Patel, Santosh; Lutz, Jan M; Panchagnula, Umakanth; Bansal, Sujesh

    2012-04-01

    Colorectal surgery is commonly performed for colorectal cancer and other pathology such as diverticular and inflammatory bowel disease. Despite significant advances, such as laparoscopic techniques and multidisciplinary recovery programs, morbidity and mortality remain high and vary among surgical centers. The use of scoring systems and assessment of functional capacity may help in identifying high-risk patients and predicting complications. An understanding of perioperative factors affecting colon blood flow and oxygenation, suppression of stress response, optimal fluid therapy, and multimodal pain management are essential. These fundamental principles are more important than any specific choice of anesthetic agents. Anesthesiologists can significantly contribute to enhance recovery and improve the quality of perioperative care.

  19. Computational fluid dynamics research

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chandra, Suresh; Jones, Kenneth; Hassan, Hassan; Mcrae, David Scott

    1992-01-01

    The focus of research in the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) area is two fold: (1) to develop new approaches for turbulence modeling so that high speed compressible flows can be studied for applications to entry and re-entry flows; and (2) to perform research to improve CFD algorithm accuracy and efficiency for high speed flows. Research activities, faculty and student participation, publications, and financial information are outlined.

  20. {lambda} elements for singular problems in CFD: Viscoelastic fluids

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wong, K.K.; Surana, K.S.

    1996-10-01

    This paper presents two dimensional {lambda} element formulation for viscoelastic fluid flow containing point singularities in the flow field. The flow of viscoelastic fluid even without singularities are a difficult class of problems for increasing Deborah number or Weissenburg number due to increased dominance of convective terms and thus increased hyperbolicity. In the present work the equations of fluid motion and the constitutive laws are recast in the form of a first order system of coupled equations with the use of auxiliary variables. The velocity, pressure and stresses are interpolated using equal order C{sup 0} {lambda} element approximations. The Leastmore » Squares Finite Element Method (LSFEM) is used to construct the integral form (error functional I) corresponding to these equations. The error functional is constructed by taking the integrated sum of the squares of the errors or residuals (over the whole discretization) resulting when the element approximation is substituted into these equations. The conditions resulting from the minimization of the error functional are satisfied by using Newton`s method with line search. LSFEM has much superior performance when dealing with non-linear and convection dominated problems.« less

  1. The pressure is all in your head: A cilia-driven high-pressure pump in the head of a deep-sea animal

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nawroth, Janna; Katija, Kakani; Shelley, Michael; Kanso, Eva

    2017-11-01

    Motile cilia are microscopic, hair-like structures on the cell surface that can sense and propel the extracellular fluid environment. In many ciliated systems found in nature, such as the mammalian airways and marine sponges, the organization and collective behavior of the cilia favors the pumping of fluids at low pressures and high volumes. We recently discovered an alternate design located in the head of a deep-sea animal called Larvacean. Here, cilia morphology, kinematics and flow indicate a role in maintaining the hydrostatic skeleton of the animal by generating a high-pressure flow. We describe our empirical and computational approaches toward understanding the design principles and dynamic range of this newly discovered pumping mechanism. In ongoing work, we further explore the fluid dynamic constraints on the morphological diversity of cilia and the resulting categories of fluid transport functions.

  2. Falkner-Skan Boundary Layer Flow of a Sisko Fluid

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Khan, Masood; Shahzad, Azeem

    2012-09-01

    In this paper, we investigate the steady boundary layer flow of a non-Newtonian fluid, represented by a Sisko fluid, over a wedge in a moving fluid. The equations of motion are derived for boundary layer flow of an incompressible Sisko fluid using appropriate similarity variables. The governing equations are reduced to a single third-order highly nonlinear ordinary differential equation in the dimensionless stream function, which is then solved analytically using the homotopy analysis method. Some important parameters have been discussed by this study, which include the power law index n, the material parameter A, the wedge shape factor b, and the skin friction coefficient Cf. A comprehensive study is made between the results of the Sisko and the power-law fluids.

  3. A strong and flexible electronic vessel for real-time monitoring of temperature, motions and flow.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Wei; Hou, Chengyi; Li, Yaogang; Zhang, Qinghong; Wang, Hongzhi

    2017-11-23

    Flexible and multifunctional sensors that continuously detect physical information are urgently required to fabricate wearable materials for health monitoring. This study describes the fabrication and performance of a strong and flexible vessel-like sensor. This electronic vessel consists of a self-supported braided cotton hose substrate, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs)/ZnO@polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) function arrays and a flexible PVDF function fibrous membrane, and it possesses high mechanical property and accurate physical sensing. The rationally designed tubular structure facilities the detection of the applied temperature and strain and the frequency, pressure, and temperature of pulsed fluids. Therefore, the flexible electronic vessel holds promising potential for applications in wearable or implantable materials for the monitoring of health.

  4. Inhibition processes are dissociable and lateralized in human prefrontal cortex.

    PubMed

    Cipolotti, Lisa; Spanò, Barbara; Healy, Colm; Tudor-Sfetea, Carina; Chan, Edgar; White, Mark; Biondo, Francesca; Duncan, John; Shallice, Tim; Bozzali, Marco

    2016-12-01

    The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is known to make fundamental contributions to executive functions. However, the precise nature of these contributions is incompletely understood. We focused on a specific executive function, inhibition, the ability to suppress a pre-potent response. Functional imaging and animal studies have studied inhibition. However, there are only few lesion studies, typically reporting discrepant findings. For the first time, we conducted cognitive and neuroimaging investigations on patients with focal unilateral PFC lesions across two widely used inhibitory tasks requiring a verbal response: The Hayling Part 2 and Stroop Colour-Word Tests. We systematically explored the relationship between inhibition, fluid intelligence and lesion location using voxel-based lesion symptom mapping (VLSM). We found that PFC patients were significantly impaired compared with healthy comparison group (HC) on both suppression measures of the Hayling and on the Stroop, even when performance on a fluid intelligence test was covaried. No significant relationship was found between patients' performance on each Hayling suppression measure and the Stroop, once fluid intelligence was partialled out, suggesting that the two tests may involve different kinds of inhibition. After accounting for fluid intelligence, we found a significant interaction between tests, Hayling or Stroop, and site, left or right, of PFC damage. This finding suggesting lateralized functional organization was complemented and extended by our VLSM results. We found that performance on both Hayling suppression measures significantly relied on the integrity of a similar and relatively circumscribed region within the right lateral PFC, in the right lateral superior and middle frontal gyri. In stark contrast, performance on the Stroop relies on the integrity of left lateral superior and middle frontal gyri. Thus, lesion location, right or left PFC, is critical in producing impairments on two inhibitory tasks loading similarly on verbal control. This suggests that the two suppression measures of the Hayling and the Stroop are likely to assess dissociable components of executive functions, related to anatomically defined and lateralized PFC circuits. Our findings also suggest that inhibition may actually comprise qualitatively different forms with different neural substrates. This has clinical implications for the diagnosis and treatment of disinhibition impairments, a common behavioural problem caused by PFC lesions. Our results highlight the need to assess inhibition using a variety of tasks and to develop different types of treatments. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Computational modeling of unsteady third-grade fluid flow over a vertical cylinder: A study of heat transfer visualization

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reddy, G. Janardhana; Hiremath, Ashwini; Kumar, Mahesh

    2018-03-01

    The present paper aims to investigate the effect of Prandtl number for unsteady third-grade fluid flow over a uniformly heated vertical cylinder using Bejan's heat function concept. The mathematical model of this problem is given by highly time-dependent non-linear coupled equations and are resolved by an efficient unconditionally stable implicit scheme. The time histories of average values of momentum and heat transport coefficients as well as the steady-state flow variables are displayed graphically for distinct values of non-dimensional control parameters arising in the system. As the non-dimensional parameter value gets amplified, the time taken for the fluid flow variables to attain the time-independent state is decreasing. The dimensionless heat function values are closely associated with an overall rate of heat transfer. Thermal energy transfer visualization implies that the heat function contours are compact in the neighborhood of the leading edge of the hot cylindrical wall. It is noticed that the deviations of flow-field variables from the hot wall for a non-Newtonian third-grade fluid flow are significant compared to the usual Newtonian fluid flow.

  6. Remote just-in-time telementored trauma ultrasound: a double-factorial randomized controlled trial examining fluid detection and remote knobology control through an ultrasound graphic user interface display.

    PubMed

    Kirkpatrick, Andrew W; McKee, Ian; McKee, Jessica L; Ma, Irene; McBeth, Paul B; Roberts, Derek J; Wurster, Charles L; Parfitt, Robbie; Ball, Chad G; Oberg, Scott; Sevcik, William; Hamilton, Douglas R

    2016-05-01

    Remote-telementored ultrasound involves novice examiners being remotely guided by experts using informatic-technologies. However, requiring a novice to perform ultrasound is a cognitively demanding task exacerbated by unfamiliarity with ultrasound-machine controls. We incorporated a randomized evaluation of using remote control of the ultrasound functionality (knobology) within a study in which the images generated by distant naive examiners were viewed on an ultrasound graphic user interface (GUI) display viewed on laptop computers by mentors in different cities. Fire-fighters in Edmonton (101) were remotely mentored from Calgary (n = 65), Nanaimo (n = 19), and Memphis (n = 17) to examine an ultrasound phantom randomized to contain free fluid or not. Remote mentors (2 surgeons, 1 internist, and 1 ED physician) were randomly assigned to use GUI knobology control during mentoring (GUIK+/GUIK-). Remote-telementored ultrasound was feasible in all cases. Overall accuracy for fluid detection was 97% (confidence interval = 91 to 99%) with 3 false negatives (FNs). Positive/negative likelihood ratios were infinity/0.0625. One FN occurred with the GUIK+ and 2 without (GUIK-). There were no statistical test performance differences in either group (GUIK+ and GUIK-). Ultrasound-naive 1st responders can be remotely mentored with high accuracy, although providing basic remote control of the knobology did not affect outcomes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. A FRAMEWORK FOR FINE-SCALE COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS AIR QUALITY MODELING AND ANALYSIS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Fine-scale Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation of pollutant concentrations within roadway and building microenvironments is feasible using high performance computing. Unlike currently used regulatory air quality models, fine-scale CFD simulations are able to account rig...

  8. Computational fluid mechanics utilizing the variational principle of modeling damping seals

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Abernathy, J. M.

    1986-01-01

    A computational fluid dynamics code for application to traditional incompressible flow problems has been developed. The method is actually a slight compressibility approach which takes advantage of the bulk modulus and finite sound speed of all real fluids. The finite element numerical analog uses a dynamic differencing scheme based, in part, on a variational principle for computational fluid dynamics. The code was developed in order to study the feasibility of damping seals for high speed turbomachinery. Preliminary seal analyses have been performed.

  9. Multi-Physics MRI-Based Two-Layer Fluid-Structure Interaction Anisotropic Models of Human Right and Left Ventricles with Different Patch Materials: Cardiac Function Assessment and Mechanical Stress Analysis

    PubMed Central

    Tang, Dalin; Yang, Chun; Geva, Tal; Gaudette, Glenn; del Nido, Pedro J.

    2011-01-01

    Multi-physics right and left ventricle (RV/LV) fluid-structure interaction (FSI) models were introduced to perform mechanical stress analysis and evaluate the effect of patch materials on RV function. The FSI models included three different patch materials (Dacron scaffold, treated pericardium, and contracting myocardium), two-layer construction, fiber orientation, and active anisotropic material properties. The models were constructed based on cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) images acquired from a patient with severe RV dilatation and solved by ADINA. Our results indicate that the patch model with contracting myocardium leads to decreased stress level in the patch area, improved RV function and patch area contractility. PMID:21765559

  10. The van Hove distribution function for Brownian hard spheres: Dynamical test particle theory and computer simulations for bulk dynamics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hopkins, Paul; Fortini, Andrea; Archer, Andrew J.; Schmidt, Matthias

    2010-12-01

    We describe a test particle approach based on dynamical density functional theory (DDFT) for studying the correlated time evolution of the particles that constitute a fluid. Our theory provides a means of calculating the van Hove distribution function by treating its self and distinct parts as the two components of a binary fluid mixture, with the "self " component having only one particle, the "distinct" component consisting of all the other particles, and using DDFT to calculate the time evolution of the density profiles for the two components. We apply this approach to a bulk fluid of Brownian hard spheres and compare to results for the van Hove function and the intermediate scattering function from Brownian dynamics computer simulations. We find good agreement at low and intermediate densities using the very simple Ramakrishnan-Yussouff [Phys. Rev. B 19, 2775 (1979)] approximation for the excess free energy functional. Since the DDFT is based on the equilibrium Helmholtz free energy functional, we can probe a free energy landscape that underlies the dynamics. Within the mean-field approximation we find that as the particle density increases, this landscape develops a minimum, while an exact treatment of a model confined situation shows that for an ergodic fluid this landscape should be monotonic. We discuss possible implications for slow, glassy, and arrested dynamics at high densities.

  11. Liquid lubricants for advanced aircraft engines

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Loomis, William R.; Fusaro, Robert L.

    1993-01-01

    An overview of liquid lubricants for use in current and projected high performance turbojet engines is discussed. Chemical and physical properties are reviewed with special emphasis placed on the oxidation and thermal stability requirements imposed upon the lubrication system. A brief history is given of the development of turbine engine lubricants which led to the present day synthetic oils with their inherent modification advantages. The status and state of development of some eleven candidate classes of fluids for use in advanced turbine engines are discussed. Published examples of fundamental studies to obtain a better understanding of the chemistry involved in fluid degradation are reviewed. Alternatives to high temperature fluid development are described. The importance of continuing work on improving current high temperature lubricant candidates and encouraging development of new and improved fluid base stocks are discussed.

  12. Fluid Compressibility Effects on the Dynamic Response of Hydrostatic Journal Bearings

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sanandres, Luis A.

    1991-01-01

    A theoretical analysis for the dynamic performance characteristics of laminar flow, capillar/orifice compensated hydrostatic journal bearings is presented. The analysis considers in detail the effect of fluid compressibility in the bearing recesses. At high frequency excitations beyond a break frequency, the bearing hydrostatic stiffness increases sharply and it is accompanied by a rapid decrease in direct damping. Also, the potential of pneumatic hammer instability (negative damping) at low frequencies is likely to occur in hydrostatic bearing applications handling highly compressible fluids. Useful design criteria to avoid undesirable dynamic operating conditions at low and high frequencies are determined. The effect of fluid recess compressibility is brought into perspective, and found to be of utmost importance on the entire frequency spectrum response and stability characteristics of hydrostatic/hybrid journal bearings.

  13. Liquid lubricants for advanced aircraft engines

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Loomis, William R.; Fusaro, Robert L.

    1992-01-01

    An overview of liquid lubricants for use in current and projected high performance turbojet engines is discussed. Chemical and physical properties are reviewed with special emphasis placed on the oxidation and thermal stability requirements imposed upon the lubrication system. A brief history is given of the development of turbine engine lubricants which led to the present day synthetic oils with their inherent modification advantages. The status and state of development of some eleven candidate classes of fluids for use in advanced turbine engines are discussed. Published examples of fundamental studies to obtain a better understanding of the chemistry involved in fluid degradation are reviewed. Alternatives to high temperature fluid development are described. The importance of continuing work on improving current high temperature lubricant candidates and encouraging development of new and improved fluid base stocks are discussed.

  14. In situ study at high pressure and temperature of the environment of water in hydrous Na and Ca aluminosilicate melts and coexisting aqueous fluids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Le Losq, Charles; Dalou, Célia; Mysen, Bjorn O.

    2017-07-01

    The bonding and speciation of water dissolved in Na silicate and Na and Ca aluminosilicate melts were inferred from in situ Raman spectroscopy of the samples, in hydrothermal diamond anvil cells, while at crustal temperature and pressure conditions. Raman data were also acquired on Na silicate and Na and Ca aluminosilicate glasses, quenched from hydrous melts equilibrated at high temperature and pressure in a piston cylinder apparatus. In the hydrous melts, temperature strongly influences O-H stretching ν(O-H) signals, reflecting its control on the bonding of protons between different molecular complexes. Pressure and melt composition effects are much smaller and difficult to discriminate with the present data. However, the chemical composition of the melt + fluid system influences the differences between the ν(O-H) signals from the melts and the fluids and, hence, between their hydrogen partition functions. Quenching modifies the O-H stretching signals: strong hydrogen bonds form in the glasses below the glass transition temperature Tg, and this phenomenon depends on glass composition. Therefore, glasses do not necessarily record the O-H stretching signal shape in melts near Tg. The melt hydrogen partition function thus cannot be assessed with certainty using O-H stretching vibration data from glasses. From the present results, the ratio of the hydrogen partition functions of hydrous silicate melts and aqueous fluids mostly depends on temperature and the bulk melt + fluid system chemical composition. This implies that the fractionation of hydrogen isotopes between magmas and aqueous fluids in water-saturated magmatic systems with differences in temperature and bulk chemical composition will be different.

  15. Effect of surface tension on the dynamical behavior of bubble in rotating fluids under low gravity environment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hung, R. J.; Tsao, Y. D.; Leslie, Fred W.; Hong, B. B.

    1988-01-01

    Time dependent evolutions of the profile of free surface (bubble shapes) for a cylindrical container partially filled with a Newtonian fluid of constant density, rotating about its axis of symmetry, have been studied. Numerical computations of the dynamics of bubble shapes have been carried out with the following situations: (1) linear functions of spin-up and spin-down in low and microgravity environments, (2) linear functions of increasing and decreasing gravity enviroment in high and low rotating cylidner speeds, (3) step functions of spin-up and spin-down in a low gravity environment, and (4) sinusoidal function oscillation of gravity environment in high and low rotating cylinder speeds. The initial condition of bubble profiles was adopted from the steady-state formulations in which the computer algorithms have been developed by Hung and Leslie (1988), and Hung et al. (1988).

  16. Dynamical behavior of surface tension on rotating fluids in low and microgravity environments

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hung, R. J.; Tsao, Y. D.; Hong, B. B.; Leslie, F. W.

    1989-01-01

    Consideration is given to the time-dependent evolutions of the free surface profile (bubble shapes) of a cylindrical container, partially filled with a Newtonian fluid of constant density, rotating about its axis of symmetry in low and microgravity environments. The dynamics of the bubble shapes are calculated for four cases: linear time-dependent functions of spin-up and spin-down in low and microgravity, linear time-dependent functions of increasing and decreasing gravity at high and low rotating cylinder speeds, time-dependent step functions of spin-up and spin-down in low gravity, and sinusoidal function oscillation of the gravity environment in high and low rotating cylinder speeds. It is shown that the computer algorithms developed by Hung et al. (1988) may be used to simulate the profile of time-dependent bubble shapes under variations of centrifugal, capillary, and gravity forces.

  17. Performance of Oil Pumping Rings: An Analytical and Experimental Study

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Eusepi, M. W.; Walowit, J. A.; Pinkus, O.; Holmes, P.

    1986-01-01

    A steady-state design computer program was developed to predict the performance of pumping rings as functions of geometry, applied loading, speed, ring modulus, and fluid viscosity. Additional analyses were developed to predict transient behavior of the ring and the effects of temperature rises occurring in the hydrodynamic film between the ring and shaft. The analysis was initially compared with previous experimental data and then used to design additional rings for further testing. Tests were performed with Rulon, carbon-graphite, and babbit rings. The design analysis was used to size all of the rings and to select the ranges of clearances, thickness, and loading. Although full quantitative agreement was lacking, relative agreement existed in that rings that were predicted to perform well theoretically, generally performed well experimentally. Some causes for discrepanices between theory and experiment are believed to be due to starvation, leakage past the secondary seal at high pressures, and uncertainties in the small clearances and local inlet temperatures to the pumping ring. A separate preliminary analysis was performed for a pumping Leningrader seal. This anlaysis can be used to predict the film thickness and flow rate thr ough the seal as a function of pressure, speed, loading, and geometry.

  18. Using Mason number to predict MR damper performance from limited test data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Becnel, Andrew C.; Wereley, Norman M.

    2017-05-01

    The Mason number can be used to produce a single master curve which relates MR fluid stress versus strain rate behavior across a wide range of shear rates, temperatures, and applied magnetic fields. As applications of MR fluid energy absorbers expand to a variety of industries and operating environments, Mason number analysis offers a path to designing devices with desired performance from a minimal set of preliminary test data. Temperature strongly affects the off-state viscosity of the fluid, as the passive viscous force drops considerably at higher temperatures. Yield stress is not similarly affected, and stays relatively constant with changing temperature. In this study, a small model-scale MR fluid rotary energy absorber is used to measure the temperature correction factor of a commercially-available MR fluid from LORD Corporation. This temperature correction factor is identified from shear stress vs. shear rate data collected at four different temperatures. Measurements of the MR fluid yield stress are also obtained and related to a standard empirical formula. From these two MR fluid properties - temperature-dependent viscosity and yield stress - the temperature-corrected Mason number is shown to predict the force vs. velocity performance of a full-scale rotary MR fluid energy absorber. This analysis technique expands the design space of MR devices to high shear rates and allows for comprehensive predictions of overall performance across a wide range of operating conditions from knowledge only of the yield stress vs. applied magnetic field and a temperature-dependent viscosity correction factor.

  19. Synovial fluid multiplex PCR is superior to culture for detection of low-virulent pathogens causing periprosthetic joint infection.

    PubMed

    Morgenstern, Christian; Cabric, Sabrina; Perka, Carsten; Trampuz, Andrej; Renz, Nora

    2018-02-01

    Analysis of joint aspirate is the standard preoperative investigation for diagnosis of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI). We compared the diagnostic performance of culture and multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of synovial fluid for diagnosis of PJI. Patients in whom aspiration of the prosthetic hip or knee joint was performed before revision arthroplasty were prospectively included. The performance of synovial fluid culture and multiplex PCR was compared by McNemar's chi-squared test. A total of 142 patients were included, 82 with knee and 60 with hip prosthesis. PJI was diagnosed in 77 patients (54%) and aseptic failure in 65 patients (46%). The sensitivity of synovial fluid culture and PCR was 52% and 60%, respectively, showing concordant results in 116 patients (82%). In patients with PJI, PCR missed 6 high-virulent pathogens (S. aureus, streptococci, E. faecalis, E. coli) which grew in synovial fluid culture, whereas synovial fluid culture missed 12 pathogens detected by multiplex PCR, predominantly low-virulent pathogens (Cutibacterium acnes and coagulase-negative staphylococci). In patients with aseptic failure, PCR detected 6 low-virulent organisms (predominantly C. acnes). While the overall performance of synovial fluid PCR was comparable to culture, PCR was superior for detection of low-virulent bacteria such as Cutibacterium spp. and coagulase-negative staphylococci. In addition, synovial fluid culture required several days for growth, whereas multiplex PCR provided results within 5hours in an automated manner. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Friction of marble under seismic deformation conditions in the presence of fluids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Violay, M. E.; Nielsen, S. B.; Cinti, D.; Spagnuolo, E.; Di Toro, G.; Smith, S.

    2011-12-01

    Physical and chemical fluid/rock interactions control seismic rupture nucleation, propagation, arrest and recurrence. Several experimental studies explored the effects of pore fluid pressure (Pp) on the sliding behavior of faults. Most of them were performed with bi and tri-axial apparatus at high temperature and high confining pressure. However, due to the experimental configuration, laboratory measurements were limited in terms of slip rate (< 1 mm/s) and displacement (< 1 cm) compared to natural earthquakes (e.g., average slip rate about 1 m/s). Insight on the physical and chemical role of fluids during earthquakes can be gained using a rotary shear configuration which allows large displacements (nominally infinite) and seismic slip rates. Here we present results from the tests performed with SHIVA (Slow to HIgh Velocity Apparatus) equipped with a pore fluid vessel designed to reach 15 MPa of pore pressure on Carrara (98% calcite) marble. This rock was selected because most seismic ruptures in Italy propagate in fluid-rich (usually H2O and CO2), calcite-bearing fault zones (e.g. L'Aquila Mw 6.3, 2009 earthquake). Tests were conducted on hollow cylinders (50/30 mm ext/int diameter) at velocities of 1- 6.5 m/s, normal stresses up to 40 MPa and fluid (H2O in chemical equilibrium with the marble) pressure comprised between 0 (room-humidity conditions) and 15 MPa (fluid-saturated conditions). Fluid chemistry (Mg2+, Ca2+, HCO3-, pH, etc.) was determined before and after the experiments. Under these deformation conditions, the friction coefficient decays exponentially from a peak (= static) μp~ 0.8 at the initiation of sliding towards a steady-state μss~ 0.1. Once sliding stops, the friction coefficient recovers almost instantaneously a coefficient of friction μf = 0.2-0.6 (fault healing). The experimental data suggest that: 1) μp and μss are independent of the presence of fluids for a given imposed effective stress (σneff = σn- Pp = 10 MPa); 2) though μp and μss are similar for experiments performed under the same effective normal stress under room-humidity (σneff = σn= 10 MPa) and fluid-saturated conditions (σneff = σn- Pp =10 MPa), a comparison of the friction coefficient vs. slip curves shows that the decay is more abrupt in the case of room-humidity experiments: the presence of H2O slightly buffers dynamic weakening during seismic slip; 3) sample shortens in the presence of fluids and under room-humidity conditions; 4) fault healing is smaller in the case of experiments performed in the presence of fluids; 5) the fluid (H2O) after the experiment is enriched in Mg2+ and HCO3-: this chemical evolution suggest breakdown reactions (decarbonation of calcite) in the presence of H2O as observed in springs after some large earthquakes in carbonate rocks.

  1. Infections with the Sexually Transmitted Pathogen Nosema apis Trigger an Immune Response in the Seminal Fluid of Honey Bees (Apis mellifera).

    PubMed

    Grassl, Julia; Peng, Yan; Baer-Imhoof, Barbara; Welch, Mat; Millar, A Harvey; Baer, Boris

    2017-01-06

    Honey bee (Apis mellifera) males are highly susceptible to infections with the sexually transmitted fungal pathogen Nosema apis. However, they are able to suppress this parasite in the ejaculate using immune molecules in the seminal fluid. We predicted that males respond to infections by altering the seminal fluid proteome to minimize the risk to sexually transmit the parasite to the queen and her colony. We used iTRAQ isotopic labeling to compare seminal fluid proteins from infected and noninfected males and found that N. apis infections resulted in significant abundance changes in 111 of the 260 seminal fluid proteins quantitated. The largest group of proteins with significantly changed abundances consisted of 15 proteins with well-known immune-related functions, which included two significantly more abundant chitinases in the seminal fluid of infected males. Chitinases were previously hypothesized to be involved in honey bee antifungal activity against N. apis. Here we show that infection with N. apis triggers a highly specific immune response in the seminal fluid of honey bee males.

  2. Direct measurement of the ballistic motion of a freely floating colloid in Newtonian and viscoelastic fluids.

    PubMed

    Hammond, Andrew P; Corwin, Eric I

    2017-10-01

    A thermal colloid suspended in a liquid will transition from a short-time ballistic motion to a long-time diffusive motion. However, the transition between ballistic and diffusive motion is highly dependent on the properties and structure of the particular liquid. We directly observe a free floating tracer particle's ballistic motion and its transition to the long-time regime in both a Newtonian fluid and a viscoelastic Maxwell fluid. We examine the motion of the free particle in a Newtonian fluid and demonstrate a high degree of agreement with the accepted Clercx-Schram model for motion in a dense fluid. Measurements of the functional form of the ballistic-to-diffusive transition provide direct measurements of the temperature, viscosity, and tracer radius. We likewise measure the motion in a viscoelastic Maxwell fluid and find a significant disagreement between the theoretical asymptotic behavior and our measured values of the microscopic properties of the fluid. We observe a greatly increased effective mass for a freely moving particle and a decreased plateau modulus.

  3. Generalized Boussinesq-Scriven surface fluid model with curvature dissipation for liquid surfaces and membranes.

    PubMed

    Aguilar Gutierrez, Oscar F; Herrera Valencia, Edtson E; Rey, Alejandro D

    2017-10-01

    Curvature dissipation is relevant in synthetic and biological processes, from fluctuations in semi-flexible polymer solutions, to buckling of liquid columns, tomembrane cell wall functioning. We present a micromechanical model of curvature dissipation relevant to fluid membranes and liquid surfaces based on a parallel surface parameterization and a stress constitutive equation appropriate for anisotropic fluids and fluid membranes.The derived model, aimed at high curvature and high rate of change of curvature in liquid surfaces and membranes, introduces additional viscous modes not included in the widely used 2D Boussinesq-Scriven rheological constitutive equation for surface fluids.The kinematic tensors that emerge from theparallel surface parameterization are the interfacial rate of deformation and the surface co-rotational Zaremba-Jaumann derivative of the curvature, which are used to classify all possibledissipative planar and non-planar modes. The curvature dissipation function that accounts for bending, torsion and twist rates is derived and analyzed under several constraints, including the important inextensional bending mode.A representative application of the curvature dissipation model to the periodic oscillation in nano-wrinkled outer hair cells show how and why curvature dissipation decreases with frequency, and why the 100kHz frequency range is selected. These results contribute to characterize curvature dissipation in membranes and liquid surfaces. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. The tribological behaviour of different clearance MOM hip joints with lubricants of physiological viscosities.

    PubMed

    Hu, X Q; Wood, R J K; Taylor, A; Tuke, M A

    2011-11-01

    Clearance is one of the most influential parameters on the tribological performance of metal-on-metal (MOM) hip joints and its selection is a subject of considerable debate. The objective of this paper is to study the lubrication behaviour of different clearances for MOM hip joints within the range of human physiological and pathological fluid viscosities. The frictional torques developed by MOM hip joints with a 50 mm diameter were measured for both virgin surfaces and during a wear simulator test. Joints were manufactured with three different diametral clearances: 20, 100, and 200 microm. The fluid used for the friction measurements which contained different ratios of 25 percent newborn calf serum and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) with the obtained viscosities values ranging from 0.001 to 0.71 Pa s. The obtained results indicate that the frictional torque for the 20 microm clearance joint remains high over the whole range of the viscosity values. The frictional torque of the 100 microm clearance joint was low for the very low viscosity (0.001 Pa s) lubricant, but increased with increasing viscosity value. The frictional torque of the 200 microm clearance joint was high at very low viscosity levels, however, it reduced with increasing viscosity. It is concluded that a smaller clearance level can enhance the formation of an elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) film, but this is at the cost of preventing fluid recovery between the bearing surfaces during the unloaded phase of walking. Larger clearance bearings allow a better recovery of lubricant during the unloaded phase, which is necessary for higher viscosity lubricants. The selection of the clearance value should therefore consider both the formation of the EHL film and the fluid recovery as a function of the physiological viscosity in order to get an optimal tribological performance for MOM hip joints. The application of either 25 per cent bovine serum or water in existing in vitro tribological study should also be revised to consider the relevance of clinic synovial fluid viscosities and to avoid possible misleading results.

  5. Treatment effect, adherence, and safety of high fluid intake for the prevention of incident and recurrent kidney stones: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

    PubMed

    Cheungpasitporn, Wisit; Rossetti, Sandro; Friend, Keith; Erickson, Stephen B; Lieske, John C

    2016-04-01

    The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis were to evaluate the effectiveness of high fluid intake for the prevention of incident and recurrent kidney stones, as well as its adherence and safety. A literature search was performed encompassing 1980 through July 2014. Studies that reported relative risks, odds ratios, or hazard ratios comparing the risk of kidney stone events in patients with high vs inadequate fluid intake were included. Pooled risk ratios (RRs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a random-effect, generic inverse variance method. Nine studies [2 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with 269 patients; 7 observational studies with 273,685 individuals] were included in the meta-analysis. Pooled RRs of kidney stones in individuals with high-fluid intake were 0.40 (95 % CI 0.20-0.79) and 0.49 (0.34-0.71) in RCTs and observational studies, respectively. High fluid intake was significantly associated with reduced risk of recurrent kidney stones: RRs 0.40 (95 % CI 0.20-0.79) and 0.20 (0.09-0.44) in RCTs and observational studies, respectively. Adherence and safety data on high fluid intake treatment were limited; 1 RCT reported no withdrawals due to adverse events. This analysis demonstrated a significantly reduced risk of incident kidney stones among individuals with high fluid consumption. High fluid consumption also reduced the risk of recurrent kidney stones. Furthermore, the magnitude of risk reduction was high. Although increased water intake appears to be safe, future studies on its safety in patients with high risk of volume overload or hyponatremia may be indicated.

  6. Generalized fluid theory including non-Maxwellian kinetic effects

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Izacard, Olivier

    The results obtained by the plasma physics community for the validation and the prediction of turbulence and transport in magnetized plasmas come mainly from the use of very central processing unit (CPU)-consuming particle-in-cell or (gyro)kinetic codes which naturally include non-Maxwellian kinetic effects. To date, fluid codes are not considered to be relevant for the description of these kinetic effects. Here, after revisiting the limitations of the current fluid theory developed in the 19th century, we generalize the fluid theory including kinetic effects such as non-Maxwellian super-thermal tails with as few fluid equations as possible. The collisionless and collisional fluid closuresmore » from the nonlinear Landau Fokker–Planck collision operator are shown for an arbitrary collisionality. Indeed, the first fluid models associated with two examples of collisionless fluid closures are obtained by assuming an analytic non-Maxwellian distribution function. One of the main differences with the literature is our analytic representation of the distribution function in the velocity phase space with as few hidden variables as possible thanks to the use of non-orthogonal basis sets. These new non-Maxwellian fluid equations could initiate the next generation of fluid codes including kinetic effects and can be expanded to other scientific disciplines such as astrophysics, condensed matter or hydrodynamics. As a validation test, we perform a numerical simulation based on a minimal reduced INMDF fluid model. The result of this test is the discovery of the origin of particle and heat diffusion. The diffusion is due to the competition between a growing INMDF on short time scales due to spatial gradients and the thermalization on longer time scales. Here, the results shown here could provide the insights to break some of the unsolved puzzles of turbulence.« less

  7. Generalized fluid theory including non-Maxwellian kinetic effects

    DOE PAGES

    Izacard, Olivier

    2017-03-29

    The results obtained by the plasma physics community for the validation and the prediction of turbulence and transport in magnetized plasmas come mainly from the use of very central processing unit (CPU)-consuming particle-in-cell or (gyro)kinetic codes which naturally include non-Maxwellian kinetic effects. To date, fluid codes are not considered to be relevant for the description of these kinetic effects. Here, after revisiting the limitations of the current fluid theory developed in the 19th century, we generalize the fluid theory including kinetic effects such as non-Maxwellian super-thermal tails with as few fluid equations as possible. The collisionless and collisional fluid closuresmore » from the nonlinear Landau Fokker–Planck collision operator are shown for an arbitrary collisionality. Indeed, the first fluid models associated with two examples of collisionless fluid closures are obtained by assuming an analytic non-Maxwellian distribution function. One of the main differences with the literature is our analytic representation of the distribution function in the velocity phase space with as few hidden variables as possible thanks to the use of non-orthogonal basis sets. These new non-Maxwellian fluid equations could initiate the next generation of fluid codes including kinetic effects and can be expanded to other scientific disciplines such as astrophysics, condensed matter or hydrodynamics. As a validation test, we perform a numerical simulation based on a minimal reduced INMDF fluid model. The result of this test is the discovery of the origin of particle and heat diffusion. The diffusion is due to the competition between a growing INMDF on short time scales due to spatial gradients and the thermalization on longer time scales. Here, the results shown here could provide the insights to break some of the unsolved puzzles of turbulence.« less

  8. Measuring air core characteristics of a pressure-swirl atomizer via a transparent acrylic nozzle at various Reynolds numbers

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lee, Eun J.; Oh, Sang Youp; Kim, Ho Y.

    2010-11-15

    Because of thermal fluid-property dependence, atomization stability (or flow regime) can change even at fixed operating conditions when subject to temperature change. Particularly at low temperatures, fuel's high viscosity can prevent a pressure-swirl (or simplex) atomizer from sustaining a centrifugal-driven air core within the fuel injector. During disruption of the air core inside an injector, spray characteristics outside the nozzle reflect a highly unstable, nonlinear mode where air core length, Sauter mean diameter (SMD), cone angle, and discharge coefficient variability. To better understand injector performance, these characteristics of the pressure-swirl atomizer were experimentally investigated and data were correlated to Reynoldsmore » numbers (Re). Using a transparent acrylic nozzle, the air core length, SMD, cone angle, and discharge coefficient are observed as a function of Re. The critical Reynolds numbers that distinguish the transition from unstable mode to transitional mode and eventually to a stable mode are reported. The working fluids are diesel and a kerosene-based fuel, referred to as bunker-A. (author)« less

  9. Bed-rest studies: Fluid and electrolyte responses

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Greenleaf, J. E.

    1983-01-01

    Confinement in the horizontal position for 2 to 3 weeks results in a chronic decrease in plasma volume, increased interstitial fluid volume, and unchanged or slightly increased extracellular fluid volume. Concentrations of blood electrolytes, glucose, and nitrogenous constituents remain within normal limits of variability when maintenance levels of isometric or isotonic exercise are performed for 1 hr/day. Hematocrit and plasma osmolality can be elevated significantly throughout bed rest (BR). Significant diuresis occurs on the first day, and increases in urine Na and Ca continue throughout BR, although voluntary fluid intake is unchanged. Urine Na and K are evaluated during the second week of BR in spite of stabilization of PV and extracellular volume. The initial diuresis probably arises from the extracellular fluid while subsequent urine loss above control levels must come from the intracellular fluid. Preservation of the extracellular volume takes precedance over maintenance of the intracellular fluid volume. The functioning of a natriuretic factor (hormone) to account for the continued increased loss of Na in the urine is suggested.

  10. A Rapid Capillary-Pressure Driven Micro-Channel to Demonstrate Newtonian Fluid Behavior of Zebrafish Blood at High Shear Rates.

    PubMed

    Lee, Juhyun; Chou, Tzu-Chieh; Kang, Dongyang; Kang, Hanul; Chen, Junjie; Baek, Kyung In; Wang, Wei; Ding, Yichen; Carlo, Dino Di; Tai, Yu-Chong; Hsiai, Tzung K

    2017-05-16

    Blood viscosity provides the rheological basis to elucidate shear stress underlying developmental cardiac mechanics and physiology. Zebrafish is a high throughput model for developmental biology, forward-genetics, and drug discovery. The micro-scale posed an experimental challenge to measure blood viscosity. To address this challenge, a microfluidic viscometer driven by surface tension was developed to reduce the sample volume required (3μL) for rapid (<2 min) and continuous viscosity measurement. By fitting the power-law fluid model to the travel distance of blood through the micro-channel as a function of time and channel configuration, the experimentally acquired blood viscosity was compared with a vacuum-driven capillary viscometer at high shear rates (>500 s -1 ), at which the power law exponent (n) of zebrafish blood was nearly 1 behaving as a Newtonian fluid. The measured values of whole blood from the micro-channel (4.17cP) and the vacuum method (4.22cP) at 500 s -1 were closely correlated at 27 °C. A calibration curve was established for viscosity as a function of hematocrits to predict a rise and fall in viscosity during embryonic development. Thus, our rapid capillary pressure-driven micro-channel revealed the Newtonian fluid behavior of zebrafish blood at high shear rates and the dynamic viscosity during development.

  11. Design review of fluid film bearing testers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Scharrer, Joseph K.

    1993-01-01

    The designs of three existing testers (Hybrid Bearing Tester, OTV Bearing Tester, and Long Life Bearing Tester) owned by NASA were reviewed for their capability to serve as a multi-purpose cryogenic fluid film bearing tester. The primary tester function is the validation of analytical predictions for fluid film bearing steady state and dynamic performance. Evaluation criteria were established for test bearing configurations, test fluids, instrumentation, and test objectives. Each tester was evaluated with respect to these criteria. A determination was made of design improvements which would allow the testers to meet the stated criteria. The cost and time required to make the design changes were estimated. A recommendation based on the results of this study was made to proceed with the Hybrid Bearing Tester.

  12. Fluid density and concentration measurement using noninvasive in situ ultrasonic resonance interferometry

    DOEpatents

    Pope, Noah G.; Veirs, Douglas K.; Claytor, Thomas N.

    1994-01-01

    The specific gravity or solute concentration of a process fluid solution located in a selected structure is determined by obtaining a resonance response spectrum of the fluid/structure over a range of frequencies that are outside the response of the structure itself. A fast fourier transform (FFT) of the resonance response spectrum is performed to form a set of FFT values. A peak value for the FFT values is determined, e.g., by curve fitting, to output a process parameter that is functionally related to the specific gravity and solute concentration of the process fluid solution. Calibration curves are required to correlate the peak FFT value over the range of expected specific gravities and solute concentrations in the selected structure.

  13. Fluid density and concentration measurement using noninvasive in situ ultrasonic resonance interferometry

    DOEpatents

    Pope, N.G.; Veirs, D.K.; Claytor, T.N.

    1994-10-25

    The specific gravity or solute concentration of a process fluid solution located in a selected structure is determined by obtaining a resonance response spectrum of the fluid/structure over a range of frequencies that are outside the response of the structure itself. A fast Fourier transform (FFT) of the resonance response spectrum is performed to form a set of FFT values. A peak value for the FFT values is determined, e.g., by curve fitting, to output a process parameter that is functionally related to the specific gravity and solute concentration of the process fluid solution. Calibration curves are required to correlate the peak FFT value over the range of expected specific gravities and solute concentrations in the selected structure. 7 figs.

  14. Fluid-fluid interfacial mobility from random walks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barclay, Paul L.; Lukes, Jennifer R.

    2017-12-01

    Dual control volume grand canonical molecular dynamics is used to perform the first calculation of fluid-fluid interfacial mobilities. The mobility is calculated from one-dimensional random walks of the interface by relating the diffusion coefficient to the interfacial mobility. Three different calculation methods are employed: one using the interfacial position variance as a function of time, one using the mean-squared interfacial displacement, and one using the time-autocorrelation of the interfacial velocity. The mobility is calculated for two liquid-liquid interfaces and one liquid-vapor interface to examine the robustness of the methods. Excellent agreement between the three calculation methods is shown for all the three interfaces, indicating that any of them could be used to calculate the interfacial mobility.

  15. Complexity and compositionality in fluid intelligence.

    PubMed

    Duncan, John; Chylinski, Daphne; Mitchell, Daniel J; Bhandari, Apoorva

    2017-05-16

    Compositionality, or the ability to build complex cognitive structures from simple parts, is fundamental to the power of the human mind. Here we relate this principle to the psychometric concept of fluid intelligence, traditionally measured with tests of complex reasoning. Following the principle of compositionality, we propose that the critical function in fluid intelligence is splitting a complex whole into simple, separately attended parts. To test this proposal, we modify traditional matrix reasoning problems to minimize requirements on information integration, working memory, and processing speed, creating problems that are trivial once effectively divided into parts. Performance remains poor in participants with low fluid intelligence, but is radically improved by problem layout that aids cognitive segmentation. In line with the principle of compositionality, we suggest that effective cognitive segmentation is important in all organized behavior, explaining the broad role of fluid intelligence in successful cognition.

  16. Calcium isotope systematics at hydrothermal conditions: Mid-ocean ridge vent fluids and experiments in the CaSO4-NaCl-H2O system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Scheuermann, Peter P.; Syverson, Drew D.; Higgins, John A.; Pester, Nicholas J.; Seyfried, William E.

    2018-04-01

    Two sets of hydrothermal experiments were performed to explore Ca isotope fractionation and exchange rates at hydrothermal conditions (410-450 °C, 31.0-50.0 MPa). The first set of experiments determined the magnitude of vapor-liquid Ca isotope fractionation and anhydrite solubility in the CaSO4-NaCl-H2O system. The data indicate no statistical difference between the Ca isotopic composition of coexisting vapor and liquid. The second set of experiments utilized an anomalous 43Ca spike to determine the rate of Ca exchange between fluid and anhydrite as a function of total dissolved Ca concentration. Results show that the rate of exchange increases with dissolved Ca concentrations (12-23 mM/kg), but no change in exchange rate is observed when the Ca concentration increases from 23 to 44 mM/kg Ca. 74-142 days are required to achieve 90% anhydrite-fluid Ca isotope exchange at the conditions investigated, while only several hours are necessary for vapor-liquid isotopic equilibrium. The lack of vapor-liquid Ca isotope fractionation in our experiments is consistent with δ44Ca of mid-ocean ridge hydrothermal vent fluids that remain constant, regardless of chlorinity. Moreover, the narrow range of end member fluid δ44Ca, -0.98 to -1.13‰ (SW), is largely indistinguishable from MORB δ44Ca, suggesting that neither phase separation nor fluid-rock interactions at depth significantly fractionate Ca isotopes in modern high-temperature mid-ocean ridge hydrothermal systems.

  17. Study of UltraHigh Performance Supercritical Fluid Chromatography to measure free fatty acids with out fatty acid ester preparation.

    PubMed

    Ashraf-Khorassani, M; Isaac, G; Rainville, P; Fountain, K; Taylor, L T

    2015-08-01

    Most lipids are best characterized by their fatty acids which may differ in (a) chain length, (b) degree of unsaturation, (c) configuration and position of the double bonds, and (d) the presence of other functionalities. Thus, a fast, simple, and quantitative analytical technique to determine naturally occurring free fatty acids (FFA) in different samples is very important. Just as for saponified acylglycerols, the determination of FFA's has generally been carried out by high resolution gas chromatography (HRGC). The use of an open tubular capillary column coupled with a flame ionization or mass spectrometric detector provides for both high resolution and quantification of FFA's but only after conversion of all free fatty acids to fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) or pentafluorobenzyl esters. Unfortunately, volatilization of labile ester derivatives of mono- and poly-unsaturated FFA's can cause both thermal degradation and isomerization of the fatty acid during HRGC. The employment of a second generation instrument (here referred to as UltraHigh Performance Supercritical Fluid Chromatograph, UHPSFC) with high precision for modified flow and repeated back pressure adjustment in conjunction with sub-2μm various bonded silica particles (coupled with evaporative light scattering, ELSD, and mass spectrometric, MS, detection) for separation and detection of the following mixtures is described: (a) 31 free fatty acids, (b) isomeric FFA's, and (c) lipophilic materials in two real world fish oil samples. Limits of detection for FFA's via UHPSFC/MS and UHPSFC/ELSD versus detection of FAME's via HRGC/MS are quantitatively compared. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Linear stability analysis of the Vlasov-Poisson equations in high density plasmas in the presence of crossed fields and density gradients

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kaup, D. J.; Hansen, P. J.; Choudhury, S. Roy; Thomas, Gary E.

    1986-01-01

    The equations for the single-particle orbits in a nonneutral high density plasma in the presence of inhomogeneous crossed fields are obtained. Using these orbits, the linearized Vlasov equation is solved as an expansion in the orbital radii in the presence of inhomogeneities and density gradients. A model distribution function is introduced whose cold-fluid limit is exactly the same as that used in many previous studies of the cold-fluid equations. This model function is used to reduce the linearized Vlasov-Poisson equations to a second-order ordinary differential equation for the linearized electrostatic potential whose eigenvalue is the perturbation frequency.

  19. Third-space fluid distribution of pemetrexed in non-small cell lung cancer patients.

    PubMed

    Honoré, Per Hartvig; Joensen, Sigrid Jóhansdóttir; Olsen, Michelle; Hansen, Steen Honoré; Mellemgaard, Anders

    2014-08-01

    Hydrophilic drugs particularly those with low plasma protein binding may accumulate in third-space fluid in the body. Cytotoxic drugs like methotrexate (MTX) cause damage in the tissue, and evacuation of the third-space fluid in pleura is strongly recommended before new dosing. Pemetrexed (PEM) is a multi-targeted antifolate similar to MTX approved for the treatment for malignant pleural mesothelioma and non-small cell lung cancer. Current recommendations for patients receiving treatment with PEM prescribe draining of the pleural fluid. This is based upon the recommendations for MTX and not directly to any specific findings relating to PEM. The recommendations are the same because PEM is an analogue of MTX; the molecular structures and pharmacokinetic parameters are similar. However, since draining the pleural fluid is painful and cancer patient are particularly susceptible to infection subsequently, it is relevant to examine the recommendations for PEM explicitly. Eight patients treated with a 500 mg/m(2) PEM combined with platinum salt were examined. Plasma samples were first collected in relation to the start of PEM infusion. Thereafter, plasma and pleura samples were taken at various times after drug infusion from each patient; in two patients, sampling was done twice but on different occasions. The quantitative determination of PEM was performed with reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, and sample preparation was performed using protein precipitation with perchloric acid. Pharmacokinetic analysis was performed using a non-compartment method as well a two-compartment model. The results were calculated from 10 samples taken from eight patients, where data from one patient point were excluded as the patient had impaired renal function, and three samples were reported as below limit of quantification. The plasma PEM pharmacokinetics calculated showed an elimination half-life (t ½ elimination) of 3.2 h and distribution half-life (t ½-distribution) of 6 min. Clearance (CL) was 5.1 L/h, central volume of distribution (V(central)) 23.2 L and peripheral volume distribution (V(peripheral)) 10.6 L, and the area under the curve was 186 μg h/mL. Using non-compartment methods, an elimination half-life of 3.1 h and an apparent CL of 3.2 L/h were measured, whereas an apparent steady-state volume became 14.2 L. The pleura concentrations were only half of simultaneous plasma concentrations, and elimination half-life was 3.15 h. Pemetrexed is not likely to accumulate in the pleural fluid, and evacuation of fluid might not be necessary. Further investigation is needed to recommend no drainage of the fluid, i.e., in patients with renal impairment.

  20. Enzyme Biosensors for Biomedical Applications: Strategies for Safeguarding Analytical Performances in Biological Fluids

    PubMed Central

    Rocchitta, Gaia; Spanu, Angela; Babudieri, Sergio; Latte, Gavinella; Madeddu, Giordano; Galleri, Grazia; Nuvoli, Susanna; Bagella, Paola; Demartis, Maria Ilaria; Fiore, Vito; Manetti, Roberto; Serra, Pier Andrea

    2016-01-01

    Enzyme-based chemical biosensors are based on biological recognition. In order to operate, the enzymes must be available to catalyze a specific biochemical reaction and be stable under the normal operating conditions of the biosensor. Design of biosensors is based on knowledge about the target analyte, as well as the complexity of the matrix in which the analyte has to be quantified. This article reviews the problems resulting from the interaction of enzyme-based amperometric biosensors with complex biological matrices containing the target analyte(s). One of the most challenging disadvantages of amperometric enzyme-based biosensor detection is signal reduction from fouling agents and interference from chemicals present in the sample matrix. This article, therefore, investigates the principles of functioning of enzymatic biosensors, their analytical performance over time and the strategies used to optimize their performance. Moreover, the composition of biological fluids as a function of their interaction with biosensing will be presented. PMID:27249001

  1. Flight data analysis and further development of variable-conductance heat pipes. [for aircraft control

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Enginer, J. E.; Luedke, E. E.; Wanous, D. J.

    1976-01-01

    Continuing efforts in large gains in heat-pipe performance are reported. It was found that gas-controlled variable-conductance heat pipes can perform reliably for long periods in space and effectively provide temperature stabilization for spacecraft electronics. A solution was formulated that allows the control gas to vent through arterial heat-pipe walls, thus eliminating the problem of arterial failure under load, due to trace impurities of noncondensable gas trapped in an arterial bubble during priming. This solution functions well in zero gravity. Another solution was found that allows priming at a much lower fluid charge. A heat pipe with high capacity, with close temperature control of the heat source and independent of large variations in sink temperature was fabricated.

  2. The new agreement of the international RIGA consensus conference on nasal airway function tests.

    PubMed

    Vogt, K; Bachmann-Harildstad, G; Lintermann, A; Nechyporenko, A; Peters, F; Wernecke, K D

    2018-01-21

    The report reflects an agreement based on the consensus conference of the International Standardization Committee on the Objective Assessment of the Nasal Airway in Riga, 2nd Nov. 2016. The aim of the conference was to address the existing nasal airway function tests and to take into account physical, mathematical and technical correctness as a base of international standardization as well as the requirements of the Council Directive 93/42/EEC of 14 June 1993 concerning medical devices. Rhinomanometry, acoustic rhinometry, peak nasal inspiratory flow, Odiosoft-Rhino, optical rhinometry, 24-h measurements, computational fluid dynamics, nasometry and the mirrow test were evaluated for important diagnostic criteria, which are the precision of the equipment including calibration and the software applied; validity with sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, reliability with intra-individual and inter-individual reproducibility and responsiveness in clinical studies. For rhinomanometry, the logarithmic effective resistance was set as the parameter of high diagnostic relevance. In acoustic rhinometry, the area of interest for the minimal cross-sectional area will need further standardization. Peak nasal inspiratory flow is a reproducible and fast test, which showed a high range of mean values in different studies. The state of the art with computational fluid dynamics for the simulation of the airway still depends on high performance computing hardware and will, after standardization of the software and both the software and hardware for imaging protocols, certainly deliver a better understanding of the nasal airway flux.

  3. Individual Differences in the Temporal Profile of Cardiovascular Responses to Head Down Tilt and Orthostatic Stress with and Without Fluid Loading

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cowings, Patricia; Toscano, William; Kanis, Dionisios; Gebreyesus, Fiyore

    2013-01-01

    Susceptibility of healthy astronauts to orthostatic hypotension and presyncope is exacerbated upon return from spaceflight. Hypo-volemia is suspected to play an important role in cardiovascular deconditioning following exposure to spaceflight, which may lead to increased peripheral resistance, attenuated arterial baroreflex, and changes in cardiac function. The effect of altered gravity during space flight and planetary transition on human cardiovascular function is of critical importance to maintenance of astronaut health and safety. A promising countermeasure for post-flight orthostatic intolerance is fluid loading used to restore loss fluid volume by giving crew salt tablets and water prior to re-entry. Eight men and eight women will be tested during two, 6-hour exposures to 6o HDT: 1) fluid loading, 2) no fluid loading. Before and immediately after each HDT, subjects will perform a stand test to assess their orthostatic tolerance. Physiological measures (e.g., ECG, blood pressure, peripheral blood volume) will be continuously monitored while echocardiography measures are recorded at 30-minute intervals during HDT and stand tests. Preliminary results (N=4) clearly show individual differences in responses to this countermeasure and the time course of physiological changes induced by HDT.

  4. Cardiopulmonary, blood and peritoneal fluid alterations associated with abdominal insufflation of carbon dioxide in standing horses.

    PubMed

    Latimer, F G; Eades, S C; Pettifer, G; Tetens, J; Hosgood, G; Moore, R M

    2003-05-01

    Abdominal insufflation is performed routinely during laparoscopy in horses to improve visualisation and facilitate instrument and visceral manipulations during surgery. It has been shown that high-pressure pneumoperitoneum with carbon dioxide (CO2) has deleterious cardiopulmonary effects in dorsally recumbent, mechanically ventilated, halothane-anaesthetised horses. There is no information on the effects of CO2 pneumoperitoneum on cardiopulmonary function and haematology, plasma chemistry and peritoneal fluid (PF) variables in standing sedated horses during laparoscopic surgery. To determine the effects of high pressure CO2 pneumoperitoneum in standing sedated horses on cardiopulmonary function, blood gas, haematology, plasma chemistry and PF variables. Six healthy, mature horses were sedated with an i.v. bolus of detomidine (0.02 mg/kg bwt) and butorphanol (0.02 mg/kg bwt) and instrumented to determine the changes in cardiopulmonary function, haematology, serum chemistry and PF values during and after pneumoperitoneum with CO2 to 15 mmHg pressure for standing laparoscopy. Each horse was assigned at random to either a standing left flank exploratory laparoscopy (LFL) with CO2 pneumoperitoneum or sham procedure (SLFL) without insufflation, and instrumented for measurement of cardiopulmonary variables. Each horse underwent a second procedure in crossover fashion one month later so that all 6 horses had both an LFL and SLFL performed. Cardiopulmonary variables and blood gas analyses were obtained 5 mins after sedation and every 15 mins during 60 mins baseline (BL), insufflation (15 mmHg) and desufflation. Haematology, serum chemistry analysis and PF analysis were performed at BL, insufflation and desufflation, and 24 h after the conclusion of each procedure. Significant decreases in heart rate, cardiac output and cardiac index and significant increases in mean right atrial pressure, systemic vascular resistance and pulmonary vascular resistance were recorded immediately after and during sedation in both groups of horses. Pneumoperitoneum with CO2 at 15 mmHg had no significant effect on cardiopulmonary function during surgery. There were no significant differences in blood gas, haematology or plasma chemistry values within or between groups at any time interval during the study. There was a significant increase in the PF total nucleated cell count 24 h following LFL compared to baseline values for LFL or SLFL at 24 h. There were no differences in PF protein concentrations within or between groups at any time interval. Pneumoperitoneum with CO2 during standing laparoscopy in healthy horses does not cause adverse alterations in cardiopulmonary, haematology or plasma chemistry variables, but does induce a mild inflammatory response within the peritoneal cavity. High pressure (15 mmHg) pneumoperitoneum in standing sedated mature horses for laparoscopic surgery can be performed safely without any short-term or cumulative adverse effects on haemodynamic or cardiopulmonary function.

  5. A numerical investigation of the boundary layer flow of an Eyring-Powell fluid over a stretching sheet via rational Chebyshev functions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Parand, Kourosh; Mahdi Moayeri, Mohammad; Latifi, Sobhan; Delkhosh, Mehdi

    2017-07-01

    In this paper, a spectral method based on the four kinds of rational Chebyshev functions is proposed to approximate the solution of the boundary layer flow of an Eyring-Powell fluid over a stretching sheet. First, by using the quasilinearization method (QLM), the model which is a nonlinear ordinary differential equation is converted to a sequence of linear ordinary differential equations (ODEs). By applying the proposed method on the ODEs in each iteration, the equations are converted to a system of linear algebraic equations. The results indicate the high accuracy and convergence of our method. Moreover, the effects of the Eyring-Powell fluid material parameters are discussed.

  6. Heat transfer performance of a pulsating heat pipe charged with acetone-based mixtures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Wenqing; Cui, Xiaoyu; Zhu, Yue

    2017-06-01

    Pulsating heat pipes (PHPs) are used as high efficiency heat exchangers, and the selection of working fluids in PHPs has a great impact on the heat transfer performance. This study investigates the thermal resistance characteristics of the PHP charged with acetone-based binary mixtures, where deionized water, methanol and ethanol were added to and mixed with acetone, respectively. The volume mixing ratios were 2:1, 4:1 and 7:1, and the heating power ranged from 10 to 100 W with filling ratios of 45, 55, 62 and 70%. At a low filling ratio (45%), the zeotropic characteristics of the binary mixtures have an influence on the heat transfer performance of the PHP. Adding water, which has a substantially different boiling point compared with that of acetone, can significantly improve the anti-dry-out ability inside the PHP. At a medium filling ratio (55%), the heat transfer performance of the PHP is affected by both phase transition characteristics and physical properties of working fluids. At high heating power, the thermal resistance of the PHP with acetone-water mixture is between that with pure acetone and pure water, whereas the thermal resistance of the PHP with acetone-methanol and acetone-ethanol mixtures at mixing ratios of 2:1 and 4:1 is less than that with the corresponding pure fluids. At high filling ratios (62 and 70%), the heat transfer performance of the PHP is mainly determined by the properties of working fluids that affects the flow resistance. Thus, the PHP with acetone-methanol and acetone-ethanol mixtures that have a lower flow resistance shows better heat transfer performance than that with acetone-water mixture.

  7. PetIGA: A framework for high-performance isogeometric analysis

    DOE PAGES

    Dalcin, Lisandro; Collier, Nathaniel; Vignal, Philippe; ...

    2016-05-25

    We present PetIGA, a code framework to approximate the solution of partial differential equations using isogeometric analysis. PetIGA can be used to assemble matrices and vectors which come from a Galerkin weak form, discretized with Non-Uniform Rational B-spline basis functions. We base our framework on PETSc, a high-performance library for the scalable solution of partial differential equations, which simplifies the development of large-scale scientific codes, provides a rich environment for prototyping, and separates parallelism from algorithm choice. We describe the implementation of PetIGA, and exemplify its use by solving a model nonlinear problem. To illustrate the robustness and flexibility ofmore » PetIGA, we solve some challenging nonlinear partial differential equations that include problems in both solid and fluid mechanics. Lastly, we show strong scaling results on up to 4096 cores, which confirm the suitability of PetIGA for large scale simulations.« less

  8. High visual working memory capacity in trait social anxiety.

    PubMed

    Moriya, Jun; Sugiura, Yoshinori

    2012-01-01

    Working memory capacity is one of the most important cognitive functions influencing individual traits, such as attentional control, fluid intelligence, and also psychopathological traits. Previous research suggests that anxiety is associated with impaired cognitive function, and studies have shown low verbal working memory capacity in individuals with high trait anxiety. However, the relationship between trait anxiety and visual working memory capacity is still unclear. Considering that people allocate visual attention more widely to detect danger under threat, visual working memory capacity might be higher in anxious people. In the present study, we show that visual working memory capacity increases as trait social anxiety increases by using a change detection task. When the demand to inhibit distractors increased, however, high visual working memory capacity diminished in individuals with social anxiety, and instead, impaired filtering of distractors was predicted by trait social anxiety. State anxiety was not correlated with visual working memory capacity. These results indicate that socially anxious people could potentially hold a large amount of information in working memory. However, because of an impaired cognitive function, they could not inhibit goal-irrelevant distractors and their performance decreased under highly demanding conditions.

  9. The perception of sexuality in older adults and its relationship with cognitive functioning.

    PubMed

    Hartmans, Carien; Comijs, Hannie; Jonker, Cees

    2015-03-01

    Investigating whether cognitive functioning is associated with the perception of one's sexuality in old age. Cross-sectional analysis, using observation cycle 2005/2006 of the population-based prospective cohort of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam. Municipal registries in three Dutch regions. 1,908 older adults (mean [standard deviation] age: 71 [8.87] years; 54% women). Sexuality and intimacy were assessed using four questions. Four cognitive domains were assessed: general cognitive functioning (Mini-Mental State Examination), memory performance (Auditory Verbal Learning Test), processing speed (Coding Task), and fluid intelligence (Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices). Multinomial regression analysis was used, with sexuality as outcome. The interaction effect between gender and sexuality was also tested. Lower fluid intelligence was associated with perceiving sexuality as unimportant; lower general cognitive functioning was associated with perceiving sexuality as unimportant; and lower immediate memory recall was associated with evaluating sexual life as unpleasant. Associations were also found between lower fluid intelligence, processing speed, and general cognitive functioning, and agreeing with sexuality no longer being important. Lower processing speed, general cognitive functioning, and delayed memory recall were associated with disagreeing with a remaining need for intimacy when getting older. Finally, the association between fluid intelligence and perceiving sexuality as important, and the association between immediate memory recall score and evaluating sexual life as pleasant, was only significant in women. The association between lower general cognitive functioning and perceiving sexuality as unimportant seemed stronger in women compared with men. Higher cognitive functioning was associated with the way in which older people perceive their current sexuality. Copyright © 2015 American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Speciation of High-Pressure Carbon-Saturated COH Fluids at Buffered fO2 Conditions: An Experimental Approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tumiati, S.; Tiraboschi, C.; Recchia, S.; Poli, S.

    2014-12-01

    The quantitative assessment of species in COH fluids is crucial in modelling mantle processes. For instance, H2O/CO2 ratio in the fluid phase influences the location of the solidus and of carbonation/decarbonation reactions in peridotitic systems . In the scientific literature, the speciation of COH fluids has been generally assumed on the basis of thermodynamic calculations using equations of state of simple H2O-non-polar gas systems (e.g., H2O-CO2-CH4). Only few authors dealt with the experimental determination of high-pressure COH fluid species at different conditions, using diverse experimental and analytical approaches (e.g., piston cylinder+capsule-piercing+gas-chromatography/mass-spectrometry; cold-seal+silica glass capsules+Raman). We performed experiments on COH fluids using a capsule-piercing device coupled with a quadrupole mass spectrometry. This type of analyzer ensures superior performances in terms of selectivity of molecules to be detected, high acquisition rates and extended linear response range. Experiments were carried out in a rocking piston cylinder apparatus at pressure of 1 GPa and temperatures from 800 to 900°C. Carbon-saturated fluids were generated through the addition of oxalic acid dihydrate and graphite. Single/double capsules and different packing materials (BN and MgO) were used to evaluate the divergence from the thermodynamic speciation model. Moreover, to assess the effect of solutes on COH fluid speciation we also performed a set of experiments adding synthetic forsterite to the charge. To determine the speciation we assembled a capsule-piercing device that allows to puncture the capsule in a gas-tight vessel at 80°C. The extraction Teflon vessel is composed of a base part, where the capsule is allocated on a steel support, and a top part where a steel drill is mounted. To release the quenched fluids from the capsule, the base part of vessel is hand-tighten to the top part, allowing the steel pointer to pierce the capsule. The evolved gases are then convoyed to a quadrupole mass spectrometer through a heated line to avoid the condensation of water. Our results suggest that fluid speciation can diverge considerably compared to the thermodynamic model depending on the experimental strategies adopted and on the presence of solutes in complex COH systems.

  11. DSS 13 antenna monitor system. [Deep Space Network

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Siev, B.; Bayergo, D.

    1979-01-01

    The development of a monitor system for the DSS 13 antenna is presented. The system checks for accumulator pressures, differential pressures, wind velocity, power supplies, fluid temperatures, and fluid levels. It was concluded that the system performed properly in high winds and correctly reported all malfunctions.

  12. Biocompatibility of peritoneal dialysis fluids: long-term exposure of nonuremic rats.

    PubMed

    Musi, Barbara; Braide, Magnus; Carlsson, Ola; Wieslander, Anders; Albrektsson, Ann; Ketteler, Markus; Westenfeld, Ralf; Floege, Jürgen; Rippe, Bengt

    2004-01-01

    Long-term peritoneal dialysis (PD) leads to structural and functional changes in the peritoneum. The aim of the present study was to investigate the long-term effects of PD fluid components, glucose and glucose degradation products (GDP), and lactate-buffered solution on morphology and transport characteristics in a nonuremic rat model. Rats were subjected to two daily intraperitoneal injections (20 mL/day) during 12 weeks of one of the following: commercial PD fluid (Gambrosol, 4%; Gambro AB, Lund, Sweden), commercial PD fluid with low GDP levels (Gambrosol trio, 4%; Gambro AB), sterile-filtered PD fluid (4%) without GDP, or a glucose-free lactate-buffered PD fluid. Punctured and untreated controls were used. Following exposure, the rats underwent a single 4-hour PD dwell (30 mL, 4% glucose) to determine peritoneal function. Additionally, submesothelial tissue thickness, percentage of high mesothelial cells (perpendicular diameter > 2 microm), vascular density, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and transforming growth factor (TGF) beta1 mRNA expression were determined. Submesothelial collagen concentration was estimated by van Gieson staining. Submesothelial tissue thickness and vascular density, mediated by VEGF and TGFbeta production, in the diaphragmatic peritoneum increased significantly in rats exposed to any PD fluid. Gambrosol induced a marked increased fibrosis of the hepatic peritoneum. A significant increase in high mesothelial cells was observed in the Gambrosol group only. Net ultrafiltration was reduced in the Gambrosol and in the glucose-free groups compared to untreated controls. Small solute transport was unchanged, but all groups exposed to fluids showed significantly increased lymph flow. Our results show that long-term exposure to different components of PD fluids leads to mesothelial cell damage, submesothelial fibrosis, and neoangiogenesis. Mesothelial cell damage could be connected to the presence of GDP; the other changes were similar for all fluids. Peritoneal transport characteristics did not change in any consistent way and the neoangiogenesis observed was not paralleled by increased solute transport.

  13. Effect of thermal aging on stability of transformer oil based temperature sensitive magnetic fluids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kaur, Navjot; Chudasama, Bhupendra

    2018-04-01

    Synthesizing stable temperature sensitive magnetic fluids with tunable magnetic properties that can be used as coolant in transformers is of great interest, however not exploited commercially due to the lack of its stability at elevated temperatures in bulk quantities. The task is quite challenging as the performance parameters of magnetic fluids are strongly influenced by thermal aging. In this article, we report the effect of thermal aging on colloidal stability and magnetic properties of Mn1-xZnxFe2O4 magnetic fluids prepared in industrial grade transformer oil. As-synthesized magnetic fluids possess good dispersion stability and tunable magnetic properties. Effect of accelerated thermal aging on the dispersion stability and magnetic properties have been evaluated by photon correlation spectroscopy and vibration sample magnetometry, respectively. Magnetic fluids are stable under accelerated aging at elevated temperatures (from 50 °C to 125 °C), which is critical for their efficient performance in high power transformers.

  14. Zirconia coated carbonyl iron particle-based magnetorheological fluid for polishing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shafrir, Shai N.; Romanofsky, Henry J.; Skarlinski, Michael; Wang, Mimi; Miao, Chunlin; Salzman, Sivan; Chartier, Taylor; Mici, Joni; Lambropoulos, John C.; Shen, Rui; Yang, Hong; Jacobs, Stephen D.

    2009-08-01

    Aqueous magnetorheological (MR) polishing fluids used in magnetorheological finishing (MRF) have a high solids concentration consisting of magnetic carbonyl iron particles and nonmagnetic polishing abrasives. The properties of MR polishing fluids are affected over time by corrosion of CI particles. Here we report on MRF spotting experiments performed on optical glasses using a zirconia coated carbonyl iron (CI) particle-based MR fluid. The zirconia coated magnetic CI particles were prepared via sol-gel synthesis in kg quantities. The coating layer was ~50-100 nm thick, faceted in surface structure, and well adhered. Coated particles showed long term stability against aqueous corrosion. "Free" nano-crystalline zirconia polishing abrasives were co-generated in the coating process, resulting in an abrasivecharged powder for MRF. A viable MR fluid was prepared simply by adding water. Spot polishing tests were performed on a variety of optical glasses over a period of 3 weeks with no signs of MR fluid degradation or corrosion. Stable material removal rates and smooth surfaces inside spots were obtained.

  15. Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer Spirally Fluted Tubing,

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1981-08-01

    Condensation of Helically Fluted Tubes in a Vertical Configuration 7 2. EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM 2.1 Water Flow Facility 13 2.2 Test Section Construction...transfer on the outside of the tube is achieved. In a vertical orientation with fluid condensing on the outside of the helically fluted tube, the...transfer performance on the inside of helically fluted tubes as indicated by the Nusselt modulus, Nu/Pr0 .4 . as a function of the Reynolds number is

  16. Vanadium oxide-carbon nanotube composite electrodes for energy storage by supercritical fluid deposition: experiment design and device performance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Do, Quyet H.; Fielitz, Thomas R.; Zeng, Changchun; Arda Vanli, O.; Zhang, Chuck; Zheng, Jim P.

    2013-08-01

    Vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) deposited on porous multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) buckypaper using supercritical fluid CO2(scCO2) deposition shows excellent performance for electrochemical capacitors. However, the low weight loading of V2O5 is one of the main problems. In this paper, design of experiments and response surface methods were employed to explore strategies for improving the active material loading by increasing the organo-vanadium precursor adsorption. A second-order response surface model was fitted to the designed experiments to predict the loading of the vanadium precursors onto carbon nanotube buckypaper as a function of time, temperature and pressure of CO2, buckypaper functionalization, precursor type, initial precursor mass and stir speed. Operation conditions were identified by employing a model that led to a precursor loading of 19.33%, an increase of 72.28% over the initial screening design. CNTs-V2O5 composite electrodes fabricated from deposited samples using the optimized conditions demonstrated outstanding electrochemical performance (947.1 F g-1 of V2O5 at a high scan rate 100 mV s-1). The model also predicted operation conditions under which light precursor aggregation took place. The V2O5 from aggregated precursor still possessed considerable specific capacitance (311 F g-1 of V2O5 at a scan rate 100 mV s-1), and the significantly higher V2O5 loading (˜81%) contributed to an increase in overall electrode capacitance.

  17. A new approach to simulating collisionless dark matter fluids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hahn, Oliver; Abel, Tom; Kaehler, Ralf

    2013-09-01

    Recently, we have shown how current cosmological N-body codes already follow the fine grained phase-space information of the dark matter fluid. Using a tetrahedral tessellation of the three-dimensional manifold that describes perfectly cold fluids in six-dimensional phase space, the phase-space distribution function can be followed throughout the simulation. This allows one to project the distribution function into configuration space to obtain highly accurate densities, velocities and velocity dispersions. Here, we exploit this technique to show first steps on how to devise an improved particle-mesh technique. At its heart, the new method thus relies on a piecewise linear approximation of the phase-space distribution function rather than the usual particle discretization. We use pseudo-particles that approximate the masses of the tetrahedral cells up to quadrupolar order as the locations for cloud-in-cell (CIC) deposit instead of the particle locations themselves as in standard CIC deposit. We demonstrate that this modification already gives much improved stability and more accurate dynamics of the collisionless dark matter fluid at high force and low mass resolution. We demonstrate the validity and advantages of this method with various test problems as well as hot/warm dark matter simulations which have been known to exhibit artificial fragmentation. This completely unphysical behaviour is much reduced in the new approach. The current limitations of our approach are discussed in detail and future improvements are outlined.

  18. Directed liquid phase assembly of highly ordered metallic nanoparticle arrays

    DOE PAGES

    Wu, Yueying; Dong, Nanyi; Fu, Shaofang; ...

    2014-04-01

    Directed assembly of nanomaterials is a promising route for the synthesis of advanced materials and devices. We demonstrate the directed-assembly of highly ordered two-dimensional arrays of hierarchical nanostructures with tunable size, spacing and composition. The directed assembly is achieved on lithographically patterned metal films that are subsequently pulse-laser melted; during the brief liquid lifetime, the pattened nanostructures assemble into highly ordered primary and secondary nanoparticles, with sizes below that which was originally patterned. Complementary fluid-dynamics simulations emulate the resultant patterns and show how the competition of capillary forces and liquid metal–solid substrate interaction potential drives the directed assembly. Lastly, asmore » an example of the enhanced functionality, a full-wave electromagnetic analysis has been performed to identify the nature of the supported plasmonic resonances.« less

  19. Aeroelastic Analysis Of Joined Wing Of High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Aircraft Based On The Sensor-Craft Configuration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marisarla, Soujanya; Ghia, Urmila; "Karman" Ghia, Kirti

    2002-11-01

    Towards a comprehensive aeroelastic analysis of a joined wing, fluid dynamics and structural analyses are initially performed separately. Steady flow calculations are currently performed using 3-D compressible Navier-Stokes equations. Flow analysis of M6-Onera wing served to validate the software for the fluid dynamics analysis. The complex flow field of the joined wing is analyzed and the prevailing fluid dynamic forces are computed using COBALT software. Currently, these forces are being transferred as fluid loads on the structure. For the structural analysis, several test cases were run considering the wing as a cantilever beam; these served as validation cases. A nonlinear structural analysis of the wing is being performed using ANSYS software to predict the deflections and stresses on the joined wing. Issues related to modeling, and selecting appropriate mesh for the structure were addressed by first performing a linear analysis. The frequencies and mode shapes of the deformed wing are obtained from modal analysis. Both static and dynamic analyses are carried out, and the results obtained are carefully analyzed. Loose coupling between the fluid and structural analyses is currently being examined.

  20. The influence of pressure on petroleum generation and maturation as suggested by aqueous pyrolysis

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Price, L.C.; Wenger, L.M.

    1992-01-01

    Because fluid pressures are transient in sedimentary basins over geologic time, the effect of increasing fluid pressure on organic-matter metamorphism is difficult to determine, and conflicting opinions exist concerning its influence. Properly-performed aqueous-pyrolysis experiments can closely simulate hydrocarbon generation and maturation in nature, and thus offer an excellent way to study the influence of pressure. Such experiments, carried out on the Retort Phosphatic Shale Member of the Lower Permian Phosphoria Formation (type II-S organic matter) at different constant temperatures, demonstrated that increasing pressure significantly retards all aspects of organic matter metamorphism, including hydrocarbon generation, maturation and thermal destruction. This conclusion results from detailed quantitative and qualitative analyses of all products from hydrocarbon generation, from the C1 to C4 hydrocarbon gases to the asphaltenes, and also from analyses of the reacted rocks. We have documented that our aqueous-pyrolysis experiments closely simulated natural hydrocarbon generation and maturation. Thus the data taken as a function of pressure have relevance to the influence of normal and abnormal fluid pressures as related to: 1) depths and temperatures of mainstage hydrocarbon generation; 2) the thermal destruction of deposits of gas or light oil, or their preservation to unexpectedly high maturation ranks; and 3) the persistence of measurable to moderate concentrations of C15+ hydrocarbons in fine-grained rocks even to ultra-high maturation ranks. ?? 1992.

  1. Continuous variable transmission and regenerative braking devices in bicycles utilizing magnetorheological fluids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cheung, Wai Ming; Liao, Wei-Hsin

    2013-04-01

    The use of magnetorheological (MR) fluids in vehicles has been gaining popular recently due to its controllable nature, which gives automotive designers more dimensions of freedom in functional designs. However, not much attention has been paid to apply it to bicycles. This paper is aimed to study the feasibility of applying MR fluids in different dynamic parts of a bicycle such as the transmission and braking systems. MR continuous variable transmission (CVT) and power generator assisted in braking systems were designed and analyzed. Both prototypes were fabricated and tested to evaluate their performances. Experimental results showed that the proposed designs are promising to be used in bicycles.

  2. [Changes in the peritoneum of the small intestine and diaphragm in experimental portal hypertension].

    PubMed

    Khoroshaev, V A; Vorozheĭkin, V M; Baĭbekov, I M

    1991-04-01

    Diaphragm and small intestine peritoneum morphology was studied in experimental portal hypertension in rats with the help of luminescent, transmission and scanning electron microscopy techniques. Structural organizations of these peritoneum portions and performance function were different: fluid transudation realized through the small intestine peritoneum and resorption occurred via diaphragm peritoneum. Morphological signs allowed to judge about the increasing of fluid transudation in abdominal cavity and diaphragmatic resorption in early period of portal hypertension. Morphological alterations appeared in peritoneum resorption sites (pumping diaphragmatic hatchs) according to progress of portal hypertension that indicated decompensation process of peritoneal fluid absorption and led to ascites.

  3. Fluid design studies of integrated modular engine system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Frankenfield, Bruce; Carek, Jerry

    1993-01-01

    A study was performed to develop a fluid system design and show the feasibility of constructing an integrated modular engine (IME) configuration, using an expander cycle engine. The primary design goal of the IME configuration was to improve the propulsion system reliability. The IME fluid system was designed as a single fault tolerant system, while minimizing the required fluid components. This study addresses the design of the high pressure manifolds, turbopumps and thrust chambers for the IME configuration. A physical layout drawing was made, which located each of the fluid system components, manifolds and thrust chambers. Finally, a comparison was made between the fluid system designs of an IME system and a non-network (clustered) engine system.

  4. Key parameters controlling the performance of catalytic motors.

    PubMed

    Esplandiu, Maria J; Afshar Farniya, Ali; Reguera, David

    2016-03-28

    The development of autonomous micro/nanomotors driven by self-generated chemical gradients is a topic of high interest given their potential impact in medicine and environmental remediation. Although impressive functionalities of these devices have been demonstrated, a detailed understanding of the propulsion mechanism is still lacking. In this work, we perform a comprehensive numerical analysis of the key parameters governing the actuation of bimetallic catalytic micropumps. We show that the fluid motion is driven by self-generated electro-osmosis where the electric field originates by a proton current rather than by a lateral charge asymmetry inside the double layer. Hence, the surface potential and the electric field are the key parameters for setting the pumping strength and directionality. The proton flux that generates the electric field stems from the proton gradient induced by the electrochemical reactions taken place at the pump. Surprisingly the electric field and consequently the fluid flow are mainly controlled by the ionic strength and not by the conductivity of the solution, as one could have expected. We have also analyzed the influence of the chemical fuel concentration, electrochemical reaction rates, and size of the metallic structures for an optimized pump performance. Our findings cast light on the complex chemomechanical actuation of catalytic motors and provide important clues for the search, design, and optimization of novel catalytic actuators.

  5. Elastic response of binary hard-sphere fluids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rickman, J. M.; Ou-Yang, H. Daniel

    2011-07-01

    We derive expressions for the high-frequency, wave-number-dependent elastic constants of a binary hard-sphere fluid and employ Monte Carlo computer simulation to evaluate these constants in order to highlight the impact of composition and relative sphere diameter on the elastic response of this system. It is found that the elastic constant c11(k) exhibits oscillatory behavior as a function of k whereas the high-frequency shear modulus, for example, does not. This behavior is shown to be dictated by the angular dependence (in k⃗ space) of derivatives of the interatomic force at contact. The results are related to recent measurements of the compressibility of colloidal fluids in laser trapping experiments.

  6. Materials for microfluidic chip fabrication.

    PubMed

    Ren, Kangning; Zhou, Jianhua; Wu, Hongkai

    2013-11-19

    Through manipulating fluids using microfabricated channel and chamber structures, microfluidics is a powerful tool to realize high sensitive, high speed, high throughput, and low cost analysis. In addition, the method can establish a well-controlled microenivroment for manipulating fluids and particles. It also has rapid growing implementations in both sophisticated chemical/biological analysis and low-cost point-of-care assays. Some unique phenomena emerge at the micrometer scale. For example, reactions are completed in a shorter amount of time as the travel distances of mass and heat are relatively small; the flows are usually laminar; and the capillary effect becomes dominant owing to large surface-to-volume ratios. In the meantime, the surface properties of the device material are greatly amplified, which can lead to either unique functions or problems that we would not encounter at the macroscale. Also, each material inherently corresponds with specific microfabrication strategies and certain native properties of the device. Therefore, the material for making the device plays a dominating role in microfluidic technologies. In this Account, we address the evolution of materials used for fabricating microfluidic chips, and discuss the application-oriented pros and cons of different materials. This Account generally follows the order of the materials introduced to microfluidics. Glass and silicon, the first generation microfluidic device materials, are perfect for capillary electrophoresis and solvent-involved applications but expensive for microfabriaction. Elastomers enable low-cost rapid prototyping and high density integration of valves on chip, allowing complicated and parallel fluid manipulation and in-channel cell culture. Plastics, as competitive alternatives to elastomers, are also rapid and inexpensive to microfabricate. Their broad variety provides flexible choices for different needs. For example, some thermosets support in-situ fabrication of arbitrary 3D structures, while some perfluoropolymers are extremely inert and antifouling. Chemists can use hydrogels as highly permeable structural material, which allows diffusion of molecules without bulk fluid flows. They are used to support 3D cell culture, to form diffusion gradient, and to serve as actuators. Researchers have recently introduced paper-based devices, which are extremely low-cost to prepare and easy to use, thereby promising in commercial point-of-care assays. In general, the evolution of chip materials reflects the two major trends of microfluidic technology: powerful microscale research platforms and low-cost portable analyses. For laboratory research, chemists choosing materials generally need to compromise the ease in prototyping and the performance of the device. However, in commercialization, the major concerns are the cost of production and the ease and reliability in use. There may be new growth in the combination of surface engineering, functional materials, and microfluidics, which is possibly accomplished by the utilization of composite materials or hybrids for advanced device functions. Also, significant expanding of commercial applications can be predicted.

  7. Role of Vascular and Lymphatic Endothelial Cells in Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome Suggests Targeted Therapeutic Approaches

    PubMed Central

    Gorbunova, Elena E.; Dalrymple, Nadine A.; Gavrilovskaya, Irina N.

    2013-01-01

    Abstract Background Hantaviruses in the Americas cause a highly lethal acute pulmonary edema termed hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). Hantaviruses nonlytically infect microvascular and lymphatic endothelial cells and cause dramatic changes in barrier functions without disrupting the endothelium. Hantaviruses cause changes in the function of infected endothelial cells that normally regulate fluid barrier functions. The endothelium of arteries, veins, and lymphatic vessels are unique and central to the function of vast pulmonary capillary beds that regulate pulmonary fluid accumulation. Results We have found that HPS-causing hantaviruses alter vascular barrier functions of microvascular and lymphatic endothelial cells by altering receptor and signaling pathway responses that serve to permit fluid tissue influx and clear tissue edema. Infection of the endothelium provides several mechanisms for hantaviruses to cause acute pulmonary edema, as well as potential therapeutic targets for reducing the severity of HPS disease. Conclusions Here we discuss interactions of HPS-causing hantaviruses with the endothelium, roles for unique lymphatic endothelial responses in HPS, and therapeutic targeting of the endothelium as a means of reducing the severity of HPS disease. PMID:24024573

  8. Role of vascular and lymphatic endothelial cells in hantavirus pulmonary syndrome suggests targeted therapeutic approaches.

    PubMed

    Mackow, Erich R; Gorbunova, Elena E; Dalrymple, Nadine A; Gavrilovskaya, Irina N

    2013-09-01

    Hantaviruses in the Americas cause a highly lethal acute pulmonary edema termed hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). Hantaviruses nonlytically infect microvascular and lymphatic endothelial cells and cause dramatic changes in barrier functions without disrupting the endothelium. Hantaviruses cause changes in the function of infected endothelial cells that normally regulate fluid barrier functions. The endothelium of arteries, veins, and lymphatic vessels are unique and central to the function of vast pulmonary capillary beds that regulate pulmonary fluid accumulation. We have found that HPS-causing hantaviruses alter vascular barrier functions of microvascular and lymphatic endothelial cells by altering receptor and signaling pathway responses that serve to permit fluid tissue influx and clear tissue edema. Infection of the endothelium provides several mechanisms for hantaviruses to cause acute pulmonary edema, as well as potential therapeutic targets for reducing the severity of HPS disease. Here we discuss interactions of HPS-causing hantaviruses with the endothelium, roles for unique lymphatic endothelial responses in HPS, and therapeutic targeting of the endothelium as a means of reducing the severity of HPS disease.

  9. Effects of enteral immunonutrition on the maintenance of gut barrier function and immune function in pigs with severe acute pancreatitis.

    PubMed

    Zou, Xiao-Ping; Chen, Min; Wei, Wei; Cao, Jun; Chen, Lei; Tian, Mi

    2010-01-01

    This study evaluated the effects of enteral immunonutrition (EIN) supplemented with glutamine, arginine, and probiotics on gut barrier function and immune function in pigs with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). The model was induced by retrograde injection of 5% sodium taurocholate and trypsin via the pancreatic duct. After induction of SAP, 18 pigs were randomly divided into 3 groups, in which either parenteral nutrition (PN), control enteral nutrition (CEN), or EIN was applied for 8 days. Serum and pancreatic fluid amylase concentration was determined. Intestinal permeability (lactulose to mannitol ratio) was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography, and plasma endotoxin was quantified by the chromogenic limulus amebocyte lysate technique. Samples of venous blood and organs were cultured using standard techniques. Pancreatitis severity and villi of ileum were scored according to histopathologic grading. Plasma T-lymphocyte subsets were measured by flow cytometry, and immunoglobulins (Igs) were determined via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. There were no significant differences in serum and pancreatic fluid amylases concentrations or in pancreatitis severity between any 2 of the 3 groups. Compared with PN and CEN, EIN significantly decreased intestinal permeability, plasma endotoxin concentration, and the incidence and magnitudes of bacterial translocation, but increased ileal mucosal thickness, villous height, crypt depth, and percentage of normal intestinal villi. Significant differences were found in CD3+, CD4+ lymphocyte subsets, the ratio of CD4+: CD8+ lymphocyte subsets, and serum IgA and IgG, but not IgM, between any 2 of the 3 groups. EIN maintained gut barrier function and immune function in pigs with SAP.

  10. A fluidic diode, valves, and a sequential-loading circuit fabricated on layered paper.

    PubMed

    Chen, Hong; Cogswell, Jeremy; Anagnostopoulos, Constantine; Faghri, Mohammad

    2012-08-21

    Current microfluidic paper-based devices lack crucial components for fluid manipulation. We created a fluidic diode fabricated entirely on a single layer of paper to control the wicking of fluids. The fluidic diode is a two-terminal component that promotes or stops wicking along a paper channel. We further constructed a trigger and a delay valve based on the fluidic diode. Furthermore, we demonstrated a high-level functional circuit, consisting of a diode and a delay valve, to manipulate two fluids in a sequential manner. Our study provides new, transformative tools to manipulate fluid in microfluidic paper-based devices.

  11. Pulsatile Fluid Shear in Bone Remodeling

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Frangos, John A.

    1997-01-01

    The objective of this investigation was to elucidate the sensitivity to transients in fluid shear stress in bone remodeling. Bone remodeling is clearly a function of the local mechanical environment which includes interstitial fluid flow. Traditionally, load-induced remodeling has been associated with low frequency (1-2 Hz) signals attributed to normal locomotion. McLeod and Rubin, however, demonstrated in vivo remodeling events associated with high frequency (15-30 Hz) loading. Likewise, other in vivo studies demonstrated that slowly applied strains did not trigger remodeling events. We therefore hypothesized that the mechanosensitive pathways which control bone maintenance and remodeling are differentially sensitive to varying rates of applied fluid shear stress.

  12. Fluid surface compensation in digital holographic microscopy for topography measurement

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lin, Li-Chien; Tu, Han-Yen; Lai, Xin-Ji; Wang, Sheng-Shiun; Cheng, Chau-Jern

    2012-06-01

    A novel technique is presented for surface compensation and topography measurement of a specimen in fluid medium by digital holographic microscopy (DHM). In the measurement, the specimen is preserved in a culture dish full of liquid culture medium and an environmental vibration induces a series of ripples to create a non-uniform background on the reconstructed phase image. A background surface compensation algorithm is proposed to account for this problem. First, we distinguish the cell image from the non-uniform background and a morphological image operation is used to reduce the noise effect on the background surface areas. Then, an adaptive sampling from the background surface is employed, taking dense samples from the high-variation area while leaving the smooth region mostly untouched. A surface fitting algorithm based on the optimal bi-cubic functional approximation is used to establish a whole background surface for the phase image. Once the background surface is found, the background compensated phase can be obtained by subtracting the estimated background from the original phase image. From the experimental results, the proposed algorithm performs effectively in removing the non-uniform background of the phase image and has the ability to obtain the specimen topography inside fluid medium under environmental vibrations.

  13. Sedimentation from Particle-Laden Plumes in Stratified Fluid

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sutherland, Bruce; Hong, Youn Sub

    2015-11-01

    Laboratory experiments are performed in which a mixture of particles, water and a small amount of dye is continuously injected upwards from a localized source into a uniformly stratified ambient. The particle-fluid mixture initially rises as a forced plume (which in most cases is buoyant, though in some cases due to high particle concentration is negative-buoyant at the source), reaches a maximum height, collapses upon itself and then spreads as a radial intrusion. The particles are observed to rain out of the descending intrusion and settle upon the floor of the tank. Using light attenuation, the depth of the particle mound is measured after the experiment has run for a fixed amount of time. In most experiments the distribution of particles is found to be approximately axisymmetric about the source with a near Gaussian structure for height as a function of radius. The results are compared with a code that combines classical plume theory with an adaptation to stratified fluids of the theory of Carey, Sigurdsson and Sparks (JGR, 1988) for the spread and fall of particles from a particle-laden plume impacting a rigid ceiling. Re-entrainment of particles into the plume is also taken into account.

  14. The Geophysical Fluid Flow Cell Experiment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hart, J. E.; Ohlsen, D.; Kittleman, S.; Borhani, N.; Leslie, F.; Miller, T.

    1999-01-01

    The Geophysical Fluid Flow Cell (GFFC) experiment performed visualizations of thermal convection in a rotating differentially heated spherical shell of fluid. In these experiments dielectric polarization forces are used to generate a radially directed buoyancy force. This enables the laboratory simulation of a number of geophysically and astrophysically important situations in which sphericity and rotation both impose strong constraints on global scale fluid motions. During USML-2 a large set of experiments with spherically symmetric heating were carried out. These enabled the determination of critical points for the transition to various forms of nonaxisymmetric convection and, for highly turbulent flows, the transition latitudes separating the different modes of motion. This paper presents a first analysis of these experiments as well as data on the general performance of the instrument during the USML-2 flight.

  15. Methods of performing downhole operations using orbital vibrator energy sources

    DOEpatents

    Cole, Jack H.; Weinberg, David M.; Wilson, Dennis R.

    2004-02-17

    Methods of performing down hole operations in a wellbore. A vibrational source is positioned within a tubular member such that an annulus is formed between the vibrational source and an interior surface of the tubular member. A fluid medium, such as high bulk modulus drilling mud, is disposed within the annulus. The vibrational source forms a fluid coupling with the tubular member through the fluid medium to transfer vibrational energy to the tubular member. The vibrational energy may be used, for example, to free a stuck tubular, consolidate a cement slurry and/or detect voids within a cement slurry prior to the curing thereof.

  16. High Performance Parallel Processing (HPPP) Finite Element Simulation of Fluid Structure Interactions Final Report CRADA No. TC-0824-94-A

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Couch, R.; Ziegler, D. P.

    This project was a muki-partner CRADA. This was a partnership between Alcoa and LLNL. AIcoa developed a system of numerical simulation modules that provided accurate and efficient threedimensional modeling of combined fluid dynamics and structural response.

  17. Oil Based Drilling Fluid Waste: An Overview on Environmentally Persistent Pollutants

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Siddique, Shohel; Kwoffie, Lorraine; Addae-Afoakwa, Kofi; Yates, Kyari; Njuguna, James

    2017-05-01

    Operational discharges of spent drilling fluid, produced water, and accumulated drill cuttings from oil and gas industry are a continuous point source of environmental pollution. To meet the strict environmental standard for waste disposal, oil and gas industry is facing a numerous challenges in technological development to ensure a clean and safe environment. Oil and gas industry generates a large amount of spent drilling fluid, produced water, and drill cuttings, which are very different in every drilling operation in terms of composition and characterisation. This review article highlights the knowledge gap in identifying the different sources of waste streams in combined drilling waste. This paper also emphasises how different chemicals turn into environmentally significant pollutants after serving great performance in oil and gas drilling operations. For instance, oil based drilling fluid performs excellent in deeper drilling and drilling in the harsh geological conditions, but ended with (produces) a significant amount of persistent toxic pollutants in the environment. This review paper provides an overview on the basic concepts of drilling fluids and their functions, sources and characterisation of drilling wastes, and highlights some environmentally significant elements including different minerals present in drilling waste stream.

  18. Monodisperse microbeads of hypercrosslinked polystyrene for liquid and supercritical fluid chromatography

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tsyurupa, M. P.; Blinnikova, Z. K.; Il'in, M. M.; Davankov, V. A.; Parenago, O. O.; Pokrovskii, O. I.; Usovich, O. I.

    2015-11-01

    Monodisperse styrene-divinylbenzene (1 wt %) copolymer microbeads are obtained via the elaborate method of high-productivity precipitation polymerization. The crosslinking of this copolymer with chloromethyl methyl ether in the presence of Friedel-Crafts catalyst yields porous hypercrosslinked polymers with degrees of crosslinking that range from 200 to 500%. Microbead sorbents are shown to be suited for selective stationary phases for high-performance liquid chromatography and supercritical fluid chromatography.

  19. Visualization of fluid dynamics at NASA Ames

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Watson, Val

    1989-01-01

    The hardware and software currently used for visualization of fluid dynamics at NASA Ames is described. The software includes programs to create scenes (for example particle traces representing the flow over an aircraft), programs to interactively view the scenes, and programs to control the creation of video tapes and 16mm movies. The hardware includes high performance graphics workstations, a high speed network, digital video equipment, and film recorders.

  20. The structure and mechanical properties of articular cartilage are highly resilient towards transient dehydration.

    PubMed

    Boettcher, K; Kienle, S; Nachtsheim, J; Burgkart, R; Hugel, T; Lieleg, O

    2016-01-01

    Articular cartilage is a mechanically highly challenged material with very limited regenerative ability. In contrast to elastic cartilage, articular cartilage is exposed to recurring partial dehydration owing to ongoing compression but maintains its functionality over decades. To extend our current understanding of the material properties of articular cartilage, specifically the interaction between the fluid and solid phase, we here analyze the reversibility of tissue dehydration. We perform an artificial dehydration that extends beyond naturally occurring levels and quantify material recovery as a function of the ionic strength of the rehydration buffer. Mechanical (indentation, compression, shear, and friction) measurements are used to evaluate the influence of de- and rehydration on the viscoelastic properties of cartilage. The structure and composition of native and de/rehydrated cartilage are analyzed using histology, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy along with a 1,9-dimethylmethylene blue (DMMB) assay. A broad range of mechanical and structural properties of cartilage can be restored after de- and rehydration provided that a physiological salt solution is used for rehydration. We detect only minor alterations in the microarchitecture of rehydrated cartilage in the superficial zone and find that these alterations do not interfere with the viscoelastic and tribological properties of the tissue. We here demonstrate the sturdiness of articular cartilage towards changes in fluid content and show that articular cartilage recovers a broad range of its material properties after dehydration. We analyze the reversibility of tissue dehydration to extend our current understanding of how the material properties of cartilage are established, focusing on the interaction between the fluid and solid phase. Our findings suggest that the high resilience of the tissue minimizes the risk of irreversible material failure and thus compensates, at least in part, its poor regenerative abilities. Tissue engineering approaches should thus not only reproduce the correct tissue mechanics but also its pronounced sturdiness to guarantee a similar longevity. Copyright © 2015 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Fluid Balance in Team Sport Athletes and the Effect of Hypohydration on Cognitive, Technical, and Physical Performance.

    PubMed

    Nuccio, Ryan P; Barnes, Kelly A; Carter, James M; Baker, Lindsay B

    2017-10-01

    Sweat losses in team sports can be significant due to repeated bursts of high-intensity activity, as well as the large body size of athletes, equipment and uniform requirements, and environmental heat stress often present during training and competition. In this paper we aimed to: (1) describe sweat losses and fluid balance changes reported in team sport athletes, (2) review the literature assessing the impact of hypohydration on cognitive, technical, and physical performance in sports-specific studies, (3) briefly review the potential mechanisms by which hypohydration may impact team sport performance, and (4) discuss considerations for future directions. Significant hypohydration (mean body mass loss (BML) >2%) has been reported most consistently in soccer. Although American Football, rugby, basketball, tennis, and ice hockey have reported high sweating rates, fluid balance disturbances have generally been mild (mean BML <2%), suggesting that drinking opportunities were sufficient for most athletes to offset significant fluid losses. The effect of hydration status on team sport performance has been studied mostly in soccer, basketball, cricket, and baseball, with mixed results. Hypohydration typically impaired performance at higher levels of BML (3-4%) and when the method of dehydration involved heat stress. Increased subjective ratings of fatigue and perceived exertion consistently accompanied hypohydration and could explain, in part, the performance impairments reported in some studies. More research is needed to develop valid, reliable, and sensitive sport-specific protocols and should be used in future studies to determine the effects of hypohydration and modifying factors (e.g., age, sex, athlete caliber) on team sport performance.

  2. FLUIDS, LUBRICANTS, FUELS AND RELATED MATERIALS

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Klaus, E.E.; Fenske, M.R.; Tewksbury, E.J.

    1961-01-01

    Work was carried out on a continuing program to characterize the capabilities of hydraulic fluids, lubricants, and functional fluids for aeronautic and astronautic applications under extreme environmental conditions. The effects of solvent type and solvent to oil ratio on the deep dewaxing process are shown. The yield and viscosity-temperature properties of the deep dewaxed oil are related to the type and degree of refining of the mineral oil fraction. The preparation of large volumes of super-refined mineral oil formulations for ""mock-up'' testing is reponted. Extensive technical liaison on processing, properties, and application is discussed. Physical and chemical stability of basemore » stocks, additives, and finished hydraulic fluid and lubricant formulations after 5 to 17 years in storage is described. A sample of hydraulic fluid taken from the "Lady Be Good" B-25 Bomber after 16 years in the North African desert is discussed. The design, construction, and preliminary testing of a versatile capillary pressure viscometer is reported. The use of this viscometer to measure the effect of gas solubility on viscosity and the analysis of flow profile in a capillary viscometer are discussed. The use of the pressure unit with a modified Lipkin pycnometer for the measure of bulk modulus is suggested. The thermal stability of esters is contrasted and compared as a function of chemical structure. Quantitative evaluations of the gas produced and the liquid phase are used to illustrate the effect of metal catalysts. The effects of fluid type, viscosity, vapor pressure, oxidation mechanism, oxidation inhibitor, and gaseous environment on evaporation are presented. The use of evaporation tests in studying the mechanism of oxidation is suggested. The relative lubricity properties of a series of high-temperature-bearing materials are reported. The relative effects of fluid volatility on lubricity are discussed. The similarities between high-temperature and the lowtemperatare lubricity properties of the residual fluids after high-temperature oxidation and thermal tests are pointed out. The wear properties of mineral oils and esters with and without lubricity additives are compared and contrasted with silicons and silicate fluids at 167 to 700 deg F. A simple, versatile, quantitative oxidation test is described for use with a variety of high-temperature oxidation tests. (auth)« less

  3. Complexity and compositionality in fluid intelligence

    PubMed Central

    Duncan, John; Chylinski, Daphne

    2017-01-01

    Compositionality, or the ability to build complex cognitive structures from simple parts, is fundamental to the power of the human mind. Here we relate this principle to the psychometric concept of fluid intelligence, traditionally measured with tests of complex reasoning. Following the principle of compositionality, we propose that the critical function in fluid intelligence is splitting a complex whole into simple, separately attended parts. To test this proposal, we modify traditional matrix reasoning problems to minimize requirements on information integration, working memory, and processing speed, creating problems that are trivial once effectively divided into parts. Performance remains poor in participants with low fluid intelligence, but is radically improved by problem layout that aids cognitive segmentation. In line with the principle of compositionality, we suggest that effective cognitive segmentation is important in all organized behavior, explaining the broad role of fluid intelligence in successful cognition. PMID:28461462

  4. Self-contained hybrid electro-hydraulic actuators using magnetostrictive and electrostrictive materials

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chaudhuri, Anirban

    Hybrid electro-hydraulic actuators using smart materials along with flow rectification have been widely reported in recent years. The basic operation of these actuators involves high frequency bidirectional operation of an active material that is converted into unidirectional fluid motion by a set of valves. While theoretically attractive, practical constraints limit the efficacy of the solid-fluid hybrid actuation approach. In particular, inertial loads, fluid viscosity and compressibility combine with loss mechanisms inherent in the active material to limit the effective bandwidth of the driving actuator and the total output power. A hybrid actuator was developed by using magnetostrictive TerFeNOL-D as the active driving element and hydraulic oil as the working fluid. Tests, both with and without an external load, were carried out to measure the unidirectional performance of the actuator at different pumping frequencies and operating conditions. The maximum no-load output velocity was 84 mm/s with a 51 mm long rod and 88 mm/s with a 102 mm long rod, both noted around 325 Hz pumping frequency, while the blocked force was close to 89 N. Dynamic tests were performed to analyze the axial vibration characteristics of the Terfenol-D rods and frequency responses of the magnetic circuits. A second prototype actuator employing the same actuation principle was then designed by using the electrostrictive material PMN-32%PT as the driving element. Tests were conducted to measure the actuator performance for varying electrical input conditions and fluid bias pressures. The peak output velocity obtained was 330 mm/s while the blocked force was 63 N. The maximum volume flow rate obtained with the PMN-based actuator was more than double that obtained from the Terfenol-D--based actuator. Theoretical modeling of the dynamics of the coupled structural-hydraulic system is extremely complex and several models have been proposed earlier. At high pumping frequencies, the fluid inertia dominates the viscous effects and the problem becomes unsteady in nature. Due to high pressures inside the actuator and the presence of entrained air, compressibility of the hydraulic fluid is important. A new mathematical model of the hydraulic hybrid actuator was formulated in time-domain to show the basic operational principle under varying operating conditions and to capture the phenomena affecting system performance. Linear induced strain behavior was assumed to model the active material. Governing equations for the moving parts were obtained from force equilibrium considerations, while the coupled inertiacompliance of the fluid passages was represented by a lumped parameter approach to the transmission line model, giving rise to strongly coupled ordinary differential equations. Compressibility of the working fluid was incorporated by using the bulk modulus. The model was then validated using the measured performance of both the magnetostrictive and electrostrictive-based hybrid actuators.

  5. Computational Particle Dynamic Simulations on Multicore Processors (CPDMu) Final Report Phase I

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Schmalz, Mark S

    2011-07-24

    Statement of Problem - Department of Energy has many legacy codes for simulation of computational particle dynamics and computational fluid dynamics applications that are designed to run on sequential processors and are not easily parallelized. Emerging high-performance computing architectures employ massively parallel multicore architectures (e.g., graphics processing units) to increase throughput. Parallelization of legacy simulation codes is a high priority, to achieve compatibility, efficiency, accuracy, and extensibility. General Statement of Solution - A legacy simulation application designed for implementation on mainly-sequential processors has been represented as a graph G. Mathematical transformations, applied to G, produce a graph representation {und G}more » for a high-performance architecture. Key computational and data movement kernels of the application were analyzed/optimized for parallel execution using the mapping G {yields} {und G}, which can be performed semi-automatically. This approach is widely applicable to many types of high-performance computing systems, such as graphics processing units or clusters comprised of nodes that contain one or more such units. Phase I Accomplishments - Phase I research decomposed/profiled computational particle dynamics simulation code for rocket fuel combustion into low and high computational cost regions (respectively, mainly sequential and mainly parallel kernels), with analysis of space and time complexity. Using the research team's expertise in algorithm-to-architecture mappings, the high-cost kernels were transformed, parallelized, and implemented on Nvidia Fermi GPUs. Measured speedups (GPU with respect to single-core CPU) were approximately 20-32X for realistic model parameters, without final optimization. Error analysis showed no loss of computational accuracy. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits - The proposed research will constitute a breakthrough in solution of problems related to efficient parallel computation of particle and fluid dynamics simulations. These problems occur throughout DOE, military and commercial sectors: the potential payoff is high. We plan to license or sell the solution to contractors for military and domestic applications such as disaster simulation (aerodynamic and hydrodynamic), Government agencies (hydrological and environmental simulations), and medical applications (e.g., in tomographic image reconstruction). Keywords - High-performance Computing, Graphic Processing Unit, Fluid/Particle Simulation. Summary for Members of Congress - Department of Energy has many simulation codes that must compute faster, to be effective. The Phase I research parallelized particle/fluid simulations for rocket combustion, for high-performance computing systems.« less

  6. Smart Fluid System Dually Responsive to Light and Electric Fields: An Electrophotorheological Fluid.

    PubMed

    Yoon, Chang-Min; Jang, Yoonsun; Noh, Jungchul; Kim, Jungwon; Jang, Jyongsik

    2017-10-24

    Electrophotorheological (EPR) fluids, whose rheological activity is dually responsive to light and electric fields (E fields), is formulated by mixing photosensitive spiropyran-decorated silica (SP-sSiO 2 ) nanoparticles with zwitterionic lecithin and mineral oil. A reversible photorheological (PR) activity of the EPR fluid is developed via the binding and releasing mechanism of lecithin and merocyanine (MC, a photoisomerized form of SP) under ultraviolet (UV) and visible (VIS) light applications. Moreover, the EPR fluid exhibits an 8-fold higher electrorheological (ER) performance compared to the SP-sSiO 2 nanoparticle-based ER fluid (without lecithin) under an E field, which is attributed to the enhanced dielectric properties facilitated by the binding of the lecithin and SP molecules. Upon dual application of UV light and an E field, the EPR fluid exhibits high EPR performance (ca. 115.3 Pa) that far exceeds its separate PR (ca. 0.8 Pa) and ER (ca. 57.5 Pa) activities, because of the synergistic contributions of the PR and ER effects through rigid and fully connected fibril-like structures. Consequently, this study offers a strategy on formulation of dual-stimuli responsive smart fluid systems.

  7. Thermal noise in confined fluids.

    PubMed

    Sanghi, T; Aluru, N R

    2014-11-07

    In this work, we discuss a combined memory function equation (MFE) and generalized Langevin equation (GLE) approach (referred to as MFE/GLE formulation) to characterize thermal noise in confined fluids. Our study reveals that for fluids confined inside nanoscale geometries, the correlation time and the time decay of the autocorrelation function of the thermal noise are not significantly different across the confinement. We show that it is the strong cross-correlation of the mean force with the molecular velocity that gives rise to the spatial anisotropy in the velocity-autocorrelation function of the confined fluids. Further, we use the MFE/GLE formulation to extract the thermal force a fluid molecule experiences in a MD simulation. Noise extraction from MD simulation suggests that the frequency distribution of the thermal force is non-Gaussian. Also, the frequency distribution of the thermal force near the confining surface is found to be different in the direction parallel and perpendicular to the confinement. We also use the formulation to compute the noise correlation time of water confined inside a (6,6) carbon-nanotube (CNT). It is observed that inside the (6,6) CNT, in which water arranges itself in a highly concerted single-file arrangement, the correlation time of thermal noise is about an order of magnitude higher than that of bulk water.

  8. Thermal noise in confined fluids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sanghi, T.; Aluru, N. R.

    2014-11-01

    In this work, we discuss a combined memory function equation (MFE) and generalized Langevin equation (GLE) approach (referred to as MFE/GLE formulation) to characterize thermal noise in confined fluids. Our study reveals that for fluids confined inside nanoscale geometries, the correlation time and the time decay of the autocorrelation function of the thermal noise are not significantly different across the confinement. We show that it is the strong cross-correlation of the mean force with the molecular velocity that gives rise to the spatial anisotropy in the velocity-autocorrelation function of the confined fluids. Further, we use the MFE/GLE formulation to extract the thermal force a fluid molecule experiences in a MD simulation. Noise extraction from MD simulation suggests that the frequency distribution of the thermal force is non-Gaussian. Also, the frequency distribution of the thermal force near the confining surface is found to be different in the direction parallel and perpendicular to the confinement. We also use the formulation to compute the noise correlation time of water confined inside a (6,6) carbon-nanotube (CNT). It is observed that inside the (6,6) CNT, in which water arranges itself in a highly concerted single-file arrangement, the correlation time of thermal noise is about an order of magnitude higher than that of bulk water.

  9. Implementation of Interaction Algorithm to Non-Matching Discrete Interfaces Between Structure and Fluid Mesh

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chen, Shu-Po

    1999-01-01

    This paper presents software for solving the non-conforming fluid structure interfaces in aeroelastic simulation. It reviews the algorithm of interpolation and integration, highlights the flexibility and the user-friendly feature that allows the user to select the existing structure and fluid package, like NASTRAN and CLF3D, to perform the simulation. The presented software is validated by computing the High Speed Civil Transport model.

  10. Experimental Testing and Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulation of Maple Seeds and Performance Analysis as a Wind Turbine

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Holden, Jacob R.

    Descending maple seeds generate lift to slow their fall and remain aloft in a blowing wind; have the wings of these seeds evolved to descend as slowly as possible? A unique energy balance equation, experimental data, and computational fluid dynamics simulations have all been developed to explore this question from a turbomachinery perspective. The computational fluid dynamics in this work is the first to be performed in the relative reference frame. Maple seed performance has been analyzed for the first time based on principles of wind turbine analysis. Application of the Betz Limit and one-dimensional momentum theory allowed for empirical and computational power and thrust coefficients to be computed for maple seeds. It has been determined that the investigated species of maple seeds perform near the Betz limit for power conversion and thrust coefficient. The power coefficient for a maple seed is found to be in the range of 48-54% and the thrust coefficient in the range of 66-84%. From Betz theory, the stream tube area expansion of the maple seed is necessary for power extraction. Further investigation of computational solutions and mechanical analysis find three key reasons for high maple seed performance. First, the area expansion is driven by maple seed lift generation changing the fluid momentum and requiring area to increase. Second, radial flow along the seed surface is promoted by a sustained leading edge vortex that centrifuges low momentum fluid outward. Finally, the area expansion is also driven by the spanwise area variation of the maple seed imparting a radial force on the flow. These mechanisms result in a highly effective device for the purpose of seed dispersal. However, the maple seed also provides insight into fundamental questions about how turbines can most effectively change the momentum of moving fluids in order to extract useful power or dissipate kinetic energy.

  11. Dissipative closures for statistical moments, fluid moments, and subgrid scales in plasma turbulence

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Smith, Stephen Andrew

    1997-11-01

    Closures are necessary in the study physical systems with large numbers of degrees of freedom when it is only possible to compute a small number of modes. The modes that are to be computed, the resolved modes, are coupled to unresolved modes that must be estimated. This thesis focuses on dissipative closures models for two problems that arises in the study of plasma turbulence: the fluid moment closure problem and the subgrid scale closure problem. The fluid moment closures of Hammett and Perkins (1990) were originally applied to a one-dimensional kinetic equation, the Vlasov equation. These closures are generalized in this thesis and applied to the stochastic oscillator problem, a standard paradigm problem for statistical closures. The linear theory of the Hammett- Perkins closures is shown to converge with increasing numbers of moments. A novel parameterized hyperviscosity is proposed for two- dimensional drift-wave turbulence. The magnitude and exponent of the hyperviscosity are expressed as functions of the large scale advection velocity. Traditionally hyperviscosities are applied to simulations with a fixed exponent that must be arbitrarily chosen. Expressing the exponent as a function of the simulation parameters eliminates this ambiguity. These functions are parameterized by comparing the hyperviscous dissipation to the subgrid dissipation calculated from direct numerical simulations. Tests of the parameterization demonstrate that it performs better than using no additional damping term or than using a standard hyperviscosity. Heuristic arguments are presented to extend this hyperviscosity model to three-dimensional (3D) drift-wave turbulence where eddies are highly elongated along the field line. Preliminary results indicate that this generalized 3D hyperviscosity is capable of reducing the resolution requirements for 3D gyrofluid turbulence simulations.

  12. Nonlinear finite amplitude vibrations of sharp-edged beams in viscous fluids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aureli, M.; Basaran, M. E.; Porfiri, M.

    2012-03-01

    In this paper, we study flexural vibrations of a cantilever beam with thin rectangular cross section submerged in a quiescent viscous fluid and undergoing oscillations whose amplitude is comparable with its width. The structure is modeled using Euler-Bernoulli beam theory and the distributed hydrodynamic loading is described by a single complex-valued hydrodynamic function which accounts for added mass and fluid damping experienced by the structure. We perform a parametric 2D computational fluid dynamics analysis of an oscillating rigid lamina, representative of a generic beam cross section, to understand the dependence of the hydrodynamic function on the governing flow parameters. We find that increasing the frequency and amplitude of the vibration elicits vortex shedding and convection phenomena which are, in turn, responsible for nonlinear hydrodynamic damping. We establish a manageable nonlinear correction to the classical hydrodynamic function developed for small amplitude vibration and we derive a computationally efficient reduced order modal model for the beam nonlinear oscillations. Numerical and theoretical results are validated by comparison with ad hoc designed experiments on tapered beams and multimodal vibrations and with data available in the literature. Findings from this work are expected to find applications in the design of slender structures of interest in marine applications, such as biomimetic propulsion systems and energy harvesting devices.

  13. Multi-Dimensional High Order Essentially Non-Oscillatory Finite Difference Methods in Generalized Coordinates

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shu, Chi-Wang

    1998-01-01

    This project is about the development of high order, non-oscillatory type schemes for computational fluid dynamics. Algorithm analysis, implementation, and applications are performed. Collaborations with NASA scientists have been carried out to ensure that the research is relevant to NASA objectives. The combination of ENO finite difference method with spectral method in two space dimension is considered, jointly with Cai [3]. The resulting scheme behaves nicely for the two dimensional test problems with or without shocks. Jointly with Cai and Gottlieb, we have also considered one-sided filters for spectral approximations to discontinuous functions [2]. We proved theoretically the existence of filters to recover spectral accuracy up to the discontinuity. We also constructed such filters for practical calculations.

  14. Chloride toxicity in critically ill patients: What's the evidence?

    PubMed

    Soussi, Sabri; Ferry, Axelle; Chaussard, Maité; Legrand, Matthieu

    2017-04-01

    Crystalloids have become the fluid of choice in critically ill patients and in the operating room both for fluid resuscitation and fluid maintenance. Among crystalloids, NaCl 0.9% has been the most widely used fluid. However, emerging evidence suggests that administration of 0.9% saline could be harmful mainly through high chloride content and that the use of fluid with low chloride content may be preferable in major surgery and intensive care patients. Administration of NaCl 0.9% is the leading cause of metabolic hyperchloraemic acidosis in critically ill patients and side effects might target coagulation, renal function, and ultimately increase mortality. More balanced solutions therefore may be used especially when large amount of fluids are administered in high-risk patients. In this review, we discuss physiological background favouring the use of balanced solutions as well as the most recent clinical data regarding the use of crystalloid solutions in critically ill patients and patients undergoing major surgery. Copyright © 2016 Société française d'anesthésie et de réanimation (Sfar). Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  15. Impact of subgrid fluid turbulence on inertial particles subject to gravity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rosa, Bogdan; Pozorski, Jacek

    2017-07-01

    Two-phase turbulent flows with the dispersed phase in the form of small, spherical particles are increasingly often computed with the large-eddy simulation (LES) of the carrier fluid phase, coupled to the Lagrangian tracking of particles. To enable further model development for LES with inertial particles subject to gravity, we consider direct numerical simulations of homogeneous isotropic turbulence with a large-scale forcing. Simulation results, both without filtering and in the a priori LES setting, are reported and discussed. A full (i.e. a posteriori) LES is also performed with the spectral eddy viscosity. Effects of gravity on the dispersed phase include changes in the average settling velocity due to preferential sweeping, impact on the radial distribution function and radial relative velocity, as well as direction-dependent modification of the particle velocity variance. The filtering of the fluid velocity, performed in spectral space, is shown to have a non-trivial impact on these quantities.

  16. Prospects of Supercritical Fluids in Realizing Graphene-Based Functional Materials.

    PubMed

    Padmajan Sasikala, Suchithra; Poulin, Philippe; Aymonier, Cyril

    2016-04-13

    Supercritical-fluids science and technology predate all the approaches that are currently established for graphene production by several decades in advanced materials design. However, it has only recently been proposed as a plausible approach for graphene processing. Since then, supercritical fluids have emerged into contention as an alternative to existing technologies because of their scalability and versatility in processing graphene materials, which include composites, aerogels, and foams. Here, an overview is presented of such materials prepared through supercritical fluids from an advanced materials science standpoint, with a discussion on their fundamental properties and technological applications. The benefits of supercritical-fluid processing over conventional liquid-phase processing are presented. The benefits include not only better performances for advanced applications but also environmental issues associated with the synthesis process. Nevertheless, the limitations of supercritical-fluid processing are also stressed, along with challenges that are still faced toward the achievement of the great expectations from graphene materials. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  17. Evaluating Heat Pipe Performance in 1/6 g Acceleration: Problems and Prospects

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jaworske, Donald A.; McCollum, Timothy A.; Gibson, Marc A.; Sanzi, James L.; Sechkar, Edward A.

    2011-01-01

    Heat pipes composed of titanium and water are being considered for use in the heat rejection system of a fission power system option for lunar exploration. Placed vertically on the lunar surface, the heat pipes would operate as thermosyphons in the 1/6 g environment. The design of thermosyphons for such an application is determined, in part, by the flooding limit. Flooding is composed of two components, the thickness of the fluid film on the walls of the thermosyphon and the interaction of the fluid flow with the concurrent vapor counter flow. Both the fluid thickness contribution and interfacial shear contribution are inversely proportional to gravity. Hence, evaluating the performance of a thermosyphon in a 1 g environment on Earth may inadvertently lead to overestimating the performance of the same thermosyphon as experienced in the 1/6 g environment on the moon. Several concepts of varying complexity have been proposed for evaluating thermosyphon performance in reduced gravity, ranging from tilting the thermosyphons on Earth based on a cosine function, to flying heat pipes on a low-g aircraft. This paper summarizes the problems and prospects for evaluating thermosyphon performance in 1/6 g.

  18. High Order Semi-Lagrangian Advection Scheme

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Malaga, Carlos; Mandujano, Francisco; Becerra, Julian

    2014-11-01

    In most fluid phenomena, advection plays an important roll. A numerical scheme capable of making quantitative predictions and simulations must compute correctly the advection terms appearing in the equations governing fluid flow. Here we present a high order forward semi-Lagrangian numerical scheme specifically tailored to compute material derivatives. The scheme relies on the geometrical interpretation of material derivatives to compute the time evolution of fields on grids that deform with the material fluid domain, an interpolating procedure of arbitrary order that preserves the moments of the interpolated distributions, and a nonlinear mapping strategy to perform interpolations between undeformed and deformed grids. Additionally, a discontinuity criterion was implemented to deal with discontinuous fields and shocks. Tests of pure advection, shock formation and nonlinear phenomena are presented to show performance and convergence of the scheme. The high computational cost is considerably reduced when implemented on massively parallel architectures found in graphic cards. The authors acknowledge funding from Fondo Sectorial CONACYT-SENER Grant Number 42536 (DGAJ-SPI-34-170412-217).

  19. Process viscometry in flows of non-Newtonian fluids using an anchor agitator

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jo, Hae Jin; Jang, Hye Kyeong; Kim, Young Ju; Hwang, Wook Ryol

    2017-11-01

    In this work, we present a viscosity measurement technique for inelastic non-Newtonian fluids directly in flows of anchor agitators that are commonly used in highly viscous fluid mixing particularly with yield stress. A two-blade anchor impeller is chosen as a model flow system and Carbopol 940 solutions and Xanthan gum solutions with various concentrations are investigated as test materials. Following the Metzner-Otto correlation, the effective shear rate constant and the energy dissipation rate constant have been estimated experimentally by establishing (i) the relationship between the power number and the Reynolds number using a reference Newtonian fluid and (ii) the proportionality between the effective shear rate and the impeller speed with a reference non-Newtonian fluid. The effective viscosity that reproduces the same amount of the energy dissipation rate, corresponding to that of Newtonian fluid, has been obtained by measuring torques for various impeller speeds and the accuracy in the viscosity prediction as a function of the shear rate has been compared with the rheological measurement. We report that the process viscometry with the anchor impeller yields viscosity estimation within the relative error of 20% with highly shear-thinning fluids.

  20. Fluid rare earth element anlayses from geothermal wells located on the Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland and Middle Valley seafloor hydrothermal system on the Juan de Fuca Ridge.

    DOE Data Explorer

    Andrew Fowler

    2015-05-01

    Results for fluid rare earth element analyses from four Reykjanes peninsula high-temperature geothermal fields. Data for fluids from hydrothermal vents located 2400 m below sea level from Middle Valley on the Juan de Fuca Ridge are also included. Data have been corrected for flashing. Samples preconcentrated using a chelating resin with IDA functional group (InertSep ME-1). Analyzed using an Element magnetic sector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).

  1. High resolution printing of charge

    DOEpatents

    Rogers, John; Park, Jang-Ung

    2015-06-16

    Provided are methods of printing a pattern of charge on a substrate surface, such as by electrohydrodynamic (e-jet) printing. The methods relate to providing a nozzle containing a printable fluid, providing a substrate having a substrate surface and generating from the nozzle an ejected printable fluid containing net charge. The ejected printable fluid containing net charge is directed to the substrate surface, wherein the net charge does not substantially degrade and the net charge retained on the substrate surface. Also provided are functional devices made by any of the disclosed methods.

  2. Transitional Flow in an Arteriovenous Fistula: Effect of Wall Distensibility

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McGah, Patrick; Leotta, Daniel; Beach, Kirk; Aliseda, Alberto

    2012-11-01

    Arteriovenous fistulae are created surgically to provide adequate access for dialysis in patients with end-stage renal disease. Transitional flow and the subsequent pressure and shear stress fluctuations are thought to be causative in the fistula failure. Since 50% of fistulae require surgical intervention before year one, understanding the altered hemodynamic stresses is an important step toward improving clinical outcomes. We perform numerical simulations of a patient-specific model of a functioning fistula reconstructed from 3D ultrasound scans. Rigid wall simulations and fluid-structure interaction simulations using an in-house finite element solver for the wall deformations were performed and compared. In both the rigid and distensible wall cases, transitional flow is computed in fistula as evidenced by aperiodic high frequency velocity and pressure fluctuations. The spectrum of the fluctuations is much more narrow-banded in the distensible case, however, suggesting a partial stabilizing effect by the vessel elasticity. As a result, the distensible wall simulations predict shear stresses that are systematically 10-30% lower than the rigid cases. We propose a possible mechanism for stabilization involving the phase lag in the fluid work needed to deform the vessel wall. Support from an NIDDK R21 - DK08-1823.

  3. System for slicing wafers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1982-01-01

    A newly patented process for slicing silicon wafers that has distinct advantages over methods now widely used is described. The primary advantage of the new system is that it allows the efficient slicing of a number of ingots simultaneously at high speed. The cutting action is performed mechanically, most often with diamond particles that are transported to the cutting zone by a fluid vehicle or have been made an integral part of the blade by plating or impregnation. The new system uses a multiple or ganged band saw, arranged and spaced so that each side, or length, segment of a blade element, or loop, provides a cutting function. Each blade is maintained precisely in position by guides as it enters and leaves each ingot. The cutting action is performed with a conventional abrasive slurry composed of diamond grit suspended in an oil- or water-based vehicle. The distribution system draws the slurry from the supply reservoir and pumps it to the injection tubes to supply it to each side of each ingot. A flush system is provided at the outer end of the work-station zone. In order to reduce potential damage, a pneumatically driven flushing fluid is provided.

  4. Seminal fluid enhances competitiveness of territorial males' sperm in a fish with alternative male reproductive tactics.

    PubMed

    Poli, Federica; Locatello, Lisa; Rasotto, Maria B

    2018-05-29

    The most common adaptation to sperm competition in males is represented by an increase in the sperm number and/or quality released at mating, to raise their probability of egg fertilization. However, rapidly mounting evidence highlights that seminal fluid may directly influence the competitive fertilization success of a male by affecting either own and/or rival sperm performances. In the black goby, Gobius niger , an external fertilizer with guard-sneaker mating tactics and high sperm competition level, sneaker males' ejaculates contain less seminal fluid and more sperm, that are also of better quality, than those of territorial males. However, territorial males, gain a higher paternity success inside natural nests. Here, we ask whether the seminal fluid can contribute to territorial males' reproductive success by enhancing their sperm performances and/or by decreasing those of sneaker males. Using sperm and seminal fluid manipulation and in vitro fertilization tests, we found that own seminal fluid influences the velocity and fertilization ability of sperm only in territorial males, making them as faster as those of sneakers and with similar fertilization rate. Moreover, both sneaker and territorial males' sperm remain unaffected by the seminal fluid of rival males. Thus, black goby males respond to the different level of sperm competition faced by differently allocating in sperm and non-sperm components of the ejaculate, with sneakers primarily investing in sperm of intrinsic high quality and territorial males relying on the effect of seminal fluid to increase the lower intrinsic quality of their sperm. © 2018. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  5. Effect of using ethanol and methanol on thermal performance of a closed loop pulsating heat pipe (CLPHP) with different filling ratios

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rahman, Md. Lutfor; Salsabil, Zaimaa; Yasmin, Nusrat; Nourin, Farah Nazifa; Ali, Mohammad

    2016-07-01

    This paper presents an experimental study of a closed loop Pulsating Heat Pipe (CLPHP) as the demand of smaller and effective heat transfer devices is increasing day by day. PHP is a two phase heat transfer device suited for heat transfer applications, especially suited for handling moderate to high heat fluxes in different applications. A copper made Pulsating Heat Pipe (PHP) of 250 mm length is used in this experimental work with 2 mm ID and 3 mm OD, closed end-to-end in 8 looped, evacuated and then partially filled with working fluids. The evaporation section is 50 mm, adiabatic section is 120 mm and condensation section is 80 mm. The performance characterization is done for two working fluids at Vertical (0°) orientations. The working fluids are Methanol and Ethanol and the filling ratios are 40%, 50%, 60% & 70% based on total volume, respectively. The results show that the influence of various parameters, the heat input flux, and different filling ratios on a heat transfer performance of CLPHP. Methanol shows better performance as working fluid in PHP than ethanol at present orientation for a wide range of heat inputs and can be used at high heat input conditions. Ethanol is better choice to be used in low heat input conditions.

  6. Quantitation of sperm bindable IgA and IgG in seminal fluid.

    PubMed

    Howe, S E; Lynch, D M

    1986-05-01

    Seminal fluid and serum from 95 infertile males were assayed for sperm bindable immunoglobulins using an indirect ELISA with whole target sperm. The ELISA method was compared to seminal fluid and serum immobilization and agglutination assays (functional assays). In this infertile group, the ELISA assay was positive in 22% of seminal fluids (greater than 1.2 fg IgA/sperm and greater than 0.3 fg IgG/sperm). The seminal fluid antibodies were IgA and had an accompanying elevated IgG component in 78% of patients. There was a 96% correlation between negative seminal fluid functional assays and negative ELISA, and a 95% correlation between positive seminal fluid functional assays and positive ELISA. Positive serum sperm antibody tests were found in 71% of the infertile males with positive seminal fluid sperm antibodies, but 29% of the infertile males with strongly positive IgA seminal fluid sperm antibodies showed normal levels of serum sperm antibodies by either ELISA or functional assays. The ELISA method gives reproducible quantitation of sperm antibodies in seminal fluid and correlates well with accepted functional assays. Comparisons with serum sperm antibody assays suggests that seminal fluid sperm antibody analysis complements the serum analysis of sperm antibodies.

  7. Aerodynamic Characterization of a Thin, High-Performance Airfoil for Use in Ground Fluids Testing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Broeren, Andy P.; Lee, Sam; Clark, Catherine

    2013-01-01

    The FAA has worked with Transport Canada and others to develop allowance times for aircraft operating in ice-pellet precipitation. Wind-tunnel testing has been carried out to better understand the flowoff characteristics and resulting aerodynamic effects of anti-icing fluids contaminated with ice pellets using a thin, high-performance wing section at the National Research Council of Canada Propulsion and Icing Wind Tunnel. The objective of this paper is to characterize the aerodynamic behavior of this wing section in order to better understand the adverse aerodynamic effects of anti-icing fluids and ice-pellet contamination. Aerodynamic performance data, boundary-layer surveys and flow visualization were conducted at a Reynolds number of approximately 6.0 x 10(exp 6) and a Mach number of 0.12. The clean, baseline model exhibited leading-edge stall characteristics including a leading-edge laminar separation bubble and minimal or no separation on the trailing edge of the main element or flap. These results were consistent with expected 2-D aerodynamics and showed no anomalies that could adversely affect the evaluation of anti-icing fluids and ice-pellet contamination on the wing. Tests conducted with roughness and leading-edge flow disturbances helped to explain the aerodynamic impact of the anti-icing fluids and contamination. The stalling characteristics of the wing section with fluid and contamination appear to be driven at least partially by the effects of a secondary wave of fluid that forms near the leading edge as the wing is rotated in the simulated takeoff profile. These results have provided a much more complete understanding of the adverse aerodynamic effects of anti-icing fluids and ice-pellet contamination on this wing section. This is important since these results are used, in part, to develop the ice-pellet allowance times that are applicable to many different airplanes.

  8. Aerodynamic Characterization of a Thin, High-Performance Airfoil for Use in Ground Fluids Testing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Broeren, Andy P.; Lee, Sam; Clark, Catherine

    2013-01-01

    The FAA has worked with Transport Canada and others to develop allowance times for aircraft operating in ice-pellet precipitation. Wind-tunnel testing has been carried out to better understand the flowoff characteristics and resulting aerodynamic effects of anti-icing fluids contaminated with ice pellets using a thin, high-performance wing section at the National Research Council of Canada Propulsion and Icing Wind Tunnel. The objective of this paper is to characterize the aerodynamic behavior of this wing section in order to better understand the adverse aerodynamic effects of anti-icing fluids and ice-pellet contamination. Aerodynamic performance data, boundary-layer surveys and flow visualization were conducted at a Reynolds number of approximately 6.0×10(exp 6) and a Mach number of 0.12. The clean, baseline model exhibited leading-edge stall characteristics including a leading-edge laminar separation bubble and minimal or no separation on the trailing edge of the main element or flap. These results were consistent with expected 2-D aerodynamics and showed no anomalies that could adversely affect the evaluation of anti-icing fluids and ice-pellet contamination on the wing. Tests conducted with roughness and leading-edge flow disturbances helped to explain the aerodynamic impact of the anti-icing fluids and contamination. The stalling characteristics of the wing section with fluid and contamination appear to be driven at least partially by the effects of a secondary wave of fluid that forms near the leading edge as the wing is rotated in the simulated takeoff profile. These results have provided a much more complete understanding of the adverse aerodynamic effects of anti-icing fluids and ice-pellet contamination on this wing section. This is important since these results are used, in part, to develop the ice-pellet allowance times that are applicable to many different airplanes.

  9. Silicon Field Effect Transistors as Dual-Use Sensor-Heater Hybrids

    PubMed Central

    Reddy, Bobby; Elibol, Oguz H.; Nair, Pradeep R.; Dorvel, Brian R.; Butler, Felice; Ahsan, Zahab; Bergstrom, Donald E.; Alam, Muhammad A.; Bashir, Rashid

    2011-01-01

    We demonstrate the temperature mediated applications of a previously proposed novel localized dielectric heating method on the surface of dual purpose silicon field effect transistor (FET) sensor-heaters and perform modeling and characterization of the underlying mechanisms. The FETs are first shown to operate as electrical sensors via sensitivity to changes in pH in ionic fluids. The same devices are then demonstrated as highly localized heaters via investigation of experimental heating profiles and comparison to simulation results. These results offer further insight into the heating mechanism and help determine the spatial resolution of the technique. Two important biosensor platform applications spanning different temperature ranges are then demonstrated: a localized heat-mediated DNA exchange reaction and a method for dense selective functionalization of probe molecules via the heat catalyzed complete desorption and reattachment of chemical functionalization to the transistor surfaces. Our results show that the use of silicon transistors can be extended beyond electrical switching and field-effect sensing to performing localized temperature controlled chemical reactions on the transistor itself. PMID:21214189

  10. Calculation of flow about posts and powerhead model. [space shuttle main engine

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Anderson, P. G.; Farmer, R. C.

    1985-01-01

    A three dimensional analysis of the non-uniform flow around the liquid oxygen (LOX) posts in the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) powerhead was performed to determine possible factors contributing to the failure of the posts. Also performed was three dimensional numerical fluid flow analysis of the high pressure fuel turbopump (HPFTP) exhaust system, consisting of the turnaround duct (TAD), two-duct hot gas manifold (HGM), and the Version B transfer ducts. The analysis was conducted in the following manner: (1) modeling the flow around a single and small clusters (2 to 10) of posts; (2) modeling the velocity field in the cross plane; and (3) modeling the entire flow region with a three dimensional network type model. Shear stress functions which will permit viscous analysis without requiring excessive numbers of computational grid points were developed. These wall functions, laminar and turbulent, have been compared to standard Blasius solutions and are directly applicable to the cylinder in cross flow class of problems to which the LOX post problem belongs.

  11. [Cognitive capacity in advanced age: initial results of the Berlin Aging Study].

    PubMed

    Lindenberger, U; Baltes, P B

    1995-01-01

    This study reports data on intellectual functioning in old and very old age from the Berlin Aging Study (N = 516; age range = 70-103 years; mean age = 85 years). A psychometric battery of 14 tests was used to assess five cognitive abilities: reasoning, memory, and perceptual speed from the broad fluid-mechanical as well as knowledge and fluency from the broad crystallized-pragmatic domains. Cognitive abilities had a negative linear relationship with age, with more pronounced age-based reductions in fluid-mechanical than crystallized-pragmatic abilities. At the same time, ability intercorrelations formed a highly positive manifold, and did not follow the fluid-crystallized distinction. Interindividual variability was of about equal magnitude across the entire age range studied. There was, however, no evidence for substantial sex differences. As to origins of individual differences, indicators of sensory and sensorimotor functioning were more powerful predictors of intellectual functioning than cultural-biographical variables, and the two sets of predictors were, consistent with theoretical expectations, differentially related to measures of fluid-mechanical (perceptual speed) and crystallized pragmatic (knowledge) functioning. Results, in general indicative of sizeable and general losses with age, are consistent with the view that aging-induced biological influences are a prominent source of individual differences in intellectual functioning in old and very old age. Longitudinal follow-ups are underway to examine the role of cohort effects, selective mortality, and interindividual differences in change trajectories.

  12. Critical parameters, thermodynamic functions, and shock Hugoniot of aluminum fluid at high energy density

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zaghloul, Mofreh R.

    2018-03-01

    We present estimates of the critical properties, thermodynamic functions, and principal shock Hugoniot of hot dense aluminum fluid as predicted from a chemical model for the equation-of-state of hot dense, partially ionized and partially degenerate plasma. The essential features of strongly coupled plasma of metal vapors, such as multiple ionization, Coulomb interactions among charged particles, partial degeneracy, and intensive short range hard core repulsion are taken into consideration. Internal partition functions of neutral, excited, and multiply ionized species are carefully evaluated in a statistical-mechanically consistent way. Results predicted from the present model are presented, analyzed and compared with available experimental measurements and other theoretical predictions in the literature.

  13. Overview of nanofluid application through minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) in metal cutting process

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sharif, Safian; Sadiq, Ibrahim Ogu; Suhaimi, Mohd Azlan; Rahim, Shayfull Zamree Abd

    2017-09-01

    Pollution related activities in addition to handling cost of conventional cutting fluid application in metal cutting industry has generated a lot of concern over time. The desire for a green machining environment which will preserve the environment through reduction or elimination of machining related pollution, reduction in oil consumption and safety of the machine operators without compromising an efficient machining process led to search for alternatives to conventional cutting fluid. Amongst the alternatives of dry machining, cryogenic cooling, high pressure cooling, near dry or minimum quantity lubrication (MQL), MQL have shown remarkable performance in terms of cost, machining output, safety of environment and machine operators. However, the MQL under aggressive machining or very high speed machining pose certain restriction as the lubrication media cannot perform efficiently at elevated temperature. In compensating for the shortcomings of MQL technique, high thermal conductivity nanoparticles are introduced in cutting fluids for use in the MQL lubrication process. They have indicated enhanced performance of machining process and significant reduction of loads on the environment. The present work is aimed at evaluating the application and performance of nanofluid in metal cutting process through MQL lubrication technique highlighting their impacts and prospects as lubrication strategy in metal cutting process for sustainable green manufacturing. Enhanced performance of vegetable oil based nanofluids over mineral oil-based nanofluids have been reported and thus highlighted.

  14. Mathematical modeling and simulation analysis of hydraulic fracture propagation in three-layered poro-elastic media

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Moon, H.Y.; Advani, S.H.; Lee, T.S.

    1992-11-01

    Hydraulic fracturing plays a pivotal role in the enhancement of oil and gas production recovery from low permeability reservoirs. The process of hydraulic fracturing entails the generation of a fracture by pumping fluids blended with special chemicals and proppants into the payzone at high injection rates and pressures to extend and wedge fractures. The mathematical modeling of hydraulically induced fractures generally incorporates coupling between the formation elasticity, fracture fluid flow, and fracture mechanics equations governing the formation structural responses, fluid pressure profile, and fracture growth. Two allied unsymmetric elliptic fracture models are developed for fracture configuration evolutions in three-layered rockmore » formations. The first approach is based on a Lagrangian formulation incorporating pertinent energy components associated with the formation structural responses and fracture fluid flow. The second model is based on a generalized variational principle, introducing an energy rate related functional. These models initially simulate a penny-shaped fracture, which becomes elliptic if the crack tips encounters (upper and/or lower) barriers with differential reservoir properties (in situ stresses, 16 elastic moduli, and fracture toughness-contrasts and fluid leak-off characteristics). The energy rate component magnitudes are determined to interpret the governing hydraulic fracture mechanisms during fracture evolution. The variational principle is extended to study the phenomenon and consequences of fluid lag in fractures. Finally, parametric sensitivity and energy rate investigations to evaluate the roles of controllable hydraulic treatment variables and uncontrollable reservoir property characterization parameters are performed. The presented field applications demonstrate the overall capabilities of the developed models. These studies provide stimulation treatment guidelines for fracture configuration design, control, and optimization.« less

  15. Mobility of power-law and Carreau fluids through fibrous media.

    PubMed

    Shahsavari, Setareh; McKinley, Gareth H

    2015-12-01

    The flow of generalized Newtonian fluids with a rate-dependent viscosity through fibrous media is studied, with a focus on developing relationships for evaluating the effective fluid mobility. Three methods are used here: (i) a numerical solution of the Cauchy momentum equation with the Carreau or power-law constitutive equations for pressure-driven flow in a fiber bed consisting of a periodic array of cylindrical fibers, (ii) an analytical solution for a unit cell model representing the flow characteristics of a periodic fibrous medium, and (iii) a scaling analysis of characteristic bulk parameters such as the effective shear rate, the effective viscosity, geometrical parameters of the system, and the fluid rheology. Our scaling analysis yields simple expressions for evaluating the transverse mobility functions for each model, which can be used for a wide range of medium porosity and fluid rheological parameters. While the dimensionless mobility is, in general, a function of the Carreau number and the medium porosity, our results show that for porosities less than ɛ≃0.65, the dimensionless mobility becomes independent of the Carreau number and the mobility function exhibits power-law characteristics as a result of the high shear rates at the pore scale. We derive a suitable criterion for determining the flow regime and the transition from a constant viscosity Newtonian response to a power-law regime in terms of a new Carreau number rescaled with a dimensionless function which incorporates the medium porosity and the arrangement of fibers.

  16. Bed-rest studies - Fluid and electrolyte responses

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Greenleaf, J. E.

    1983-01-01

    Confinement in the horizontal position for 2 to 3 weeks results in a chronic decrease in plasma volume, increased interstitial fluid volume, and unchanged or slightly increased extracellular fluid volume. Concentrations of blood electrolytes, glucose, and nitrogenous constituents remain within normal limits of variability when maintenance levels of isometric or isotonic exercise are performed for 1 hr/day. Hematocrit and plasma osmolality can be elevated significantly throughout bed rest (BR). Significant diuresis occurs on the first day, and increases in urine Na and Ca continue throughout BR, although voluntary fluid intake is unchanged. Urine Na and K are evaluated during the second week of BR in spite of stabilization of PV and extracellular volume. The initial diuresis probably arises from extracellular fluid while subsequent urine loss above control levels must come from the intracellular fluid. Preservation of the extracellular volume takes precedance over maintenance of the intracellular fluid volume. The functioning of a natriuretic factor (hormone) to account for the continued increased loss of Na in the urine is suggested. Previously announced in STAR as N83-24160

  17. Negative-tone development of photoresists in environmentally friendly silicone fluids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ouyang, Christine Y.; Lee, Jin-Kyun; Ober, Christopher K.

    2012-03-01

    The large amount of organic solvents and chemicals that are used in today's microelectronic fabrication process can lead to environmental, health and safety hazards. It is therefore necessary to design new materials and new processes to reduce the environmental impact of the lithographic process. In addition, as the feature sizes decrease, other issues such as pattern collapse, which is related to the undesirable high surface tension of the developers and rinse liquids, can occur and limit the resolution. In order to solve these issues, silicone fluids are chosen as alternative developing solvents in this paper. Silicone fluids, also known as linear methyl siloxanes, are a class of mild, non-polar solvents that are non-toxic, not ozone-depleting, and contribute little to global warming. They are considered as promising developers because of their environmental-friendliness and their unique physical properties such as low viscosity and low surface tension. Recently, there have been emerging interests in negative-tone development (NTD) due to its better ability in printing contact holes and trenches. It is also found that the performance of negative-tone development is closely related to the developing solvents. Silicone fluids are thus promising developers for NTD because of their non-polar nature and high contrast negative-tone images are expected with chemical amplification photoresists due to the high chemical contrast of chemical amplification. We have previously shown some successful NTD with conventional photoresists such as ESCAP in silicone fluids. In this paper, another commercially available TOK resist was utilized to study the NTD process in silicone fluids. Because small and non-polar molecules are intrinsically soluble in silicone fluids, we have designed a molecular glass resist for silicone fluids. Due to the low surface tension of silicone fluids, we are able achieve high aspect-ratio, high-resolution patterns without pattern collapse.

  18. General, crystallized and fluid intelligence are not associated with functional global network efficiency: A replication study with the human connectome project 1200 data set.

    PubMed

    Kruschwitz, J D; Waller, L; Daedelow, L S; Walter, H; Veer, I M

    2018-05-01

    One hallmark example of a link between global topological network properties of complex functional brain connectivity and cognitive performance is the finding that general intelligence may depend on the efficiency of the brain's intrinsic functional network architecture. However, although this association has been featured prominently over the course of the last decade, the empirical basis for this broad association of general intelligence and global functional network efficiency is quite limited. In the current study, we set out to replicate the previously reported association between general intelligence and global functional network efficiency using the large sample size and high quality data of the Human Connectome Project, and extended the original study by testing for separate association of crystallized and fluid intelligence with global efficiency, characteristic path length, and global clustering coefficient. We were unable to provide evidence for the proposed association between general intelligence and functional brain network efficiency, as was demonstrated by van den Heuvel et al. (2009), or for any other association with the global network measures employed. More specifically, across multiple network definition schemes, ranging from voxel-level networks to networks of only 100 nodes, no robust associations and only very weak non-significant effects with a maximal R 2 of 0.01 could be observed. Notably, the strongest (non-significant) effects were observed in voxel-level networks. We discuss the possibility that the low power of previous studies and publication bias may have led to false positive results fostering the widely accepted notion of general intelligence being associated to functional global network efficiency. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Fluid-Structure Model of Lymphatic Valve and Vessel

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wolf, Ki; Ballard, Matthew; Nepiyushchikh, Zhanna; Razavi, Mohammad; Dixon, Brandon; Alexeev, Alexander

    The lymphatic system is a part of the circulatory system that performs a range of important functions such as transportation of interstitial fluid, fatty acid, and immune cells. The lymphatic vessels are composed of contractile walls to pump lymph against adverse pressure gradient and lymphatic valves that prevent back flow. Despite the importance of lymphatic system, the contribution of mechanical and geometric changes of lymphatic valves and vessels in pathologies of lymphatic dysfunction, such as lymphedema, is not well understood. We developed a coupled fluid-solid computational model to simultaneously simulate a lymphatic vessel, valve, and flow. A lattice Boltzmann model is used to represent the fluid component, while lattice spring model is used for the solid component of the lymphatic vessel, whose mechanical properties are derived experimentally. Behaviors such as lymph flow pattern and lymphatic valve performance against backflow and adverse pressure gradient under varied parameters of lymphatic valve and vessel geometry and mechanical properties are investigated to provide a better insight into the dynamics of lymphatic vessels, valves, and system and give insight into how they might fail in disease. NSF CMMI-1635133.

  20. Decomposing the relationship between cognitive functioning and self-referent memory beliefs in older adulthood: What’s memory got to do with it?

    PubMed Central

    Payne, Brennan R.; Gross, Alden L.; Hill, Patrick L.; Parisi, Jeanine M.; Rebok, George W.; Stine-Morrow, Elizabeth A. L.

    2018-01-01

    With advancing age, episodic memory performance shows marked declines along with concurrent reports of lower subjective memory beliefs. Given that normative age-related declines in episodic memory co-occur with declines in other cognitive domains, we examined the relationship between memory beliefs and multiple domains of cognitive functioning. Confirmatory bi-factor structural equation models were used to parse the shared and independent variance among factors representing episodic memory, psychomotor speed, and executive reasoning in one large cohort study (Senior Odyssey, N = 462), and replicated using another large cohort of healthy older adults (ACTIVE, N = 2,802). Accounting for a general fluid cognitive functioning factor (comprised of the shared variance among measures of episodic memory, speed, and reasoning) attenuated the relationship between objective memory performance and subjective memory beliefs in both samples. Moreover, the general cognitive functioning factor was the strongest predictor of memory beliefs in both samples. These findings are consistent with the notion that dispositional memory beliefs may reflect perceptions of cognition more broadly. This may be one reason why memory beliefs have broad predictive validity for interventions that target fluid cognitive ability. PMID:27685541

  1. Decomposing the relationship between cognitive functioning and self-referent memory beliefs in older adulthood: what's memory got to do with it?

    PubMed

    Payne, Brennan R; Gross, Alden L; Hill, Patrick L; Parisi, Jeanine M; Rebok, George W; Stine-Morrow, Elizabeth A L

    2017-07-01

    With advancing age, episodic memory performance shows marked declines along with concurrent reports of lower subjective memory beliefs. Given that normative age-related declines in episodic memory co-occur with declines in other cognitive domains, we examined the relationship between memory beliefs and multiple domains of cognitive functioning. Confirmatory bi-factor structural equation models were used to parse the shared and independent variance among factors representing episodic memory, psychomotor speed, and executive reasoning in one large cohort study (Senior Odyssey, N = 462), and replicated using another large cohort of healthy older adults (ACTIVE, N = 2802). Accounting for a general fluid cognitive functioning factor (comprised of the shared variance among measures of episodic memory, speed, and reasoning) attenuated the relationship between objective memory performance and subjective memory beliefs in both samples. Moreover, the general cognitive functioning factor was the strongest predictor of memory beliefs in both samples. These findings are consistent with the notion that dispositional memory beliefs may reflect perceptions of cognition more broadly. This may be one reason why memory beliefs have broad predictive validity for interventions that target fluid cognitive ability.

  2. High-performance parallel analysis of coupled problems for aircraft propulsion

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Felippa, C. A.; Farhat, C.; Lanteri, S.; Maman, N.; Piperno, S.; Gumaste, U.

    1994-01-01

    This research program deals with the application of high-performance computing methods for the analysis of complete jet engines. We have entitled this program by applying the two dimensional parallel aeroelastic codes to the interior gas flow problem of a bypass jet engine. The fluid mesh generation, domain decomposition, and solution capabilities were successfully tested. We then focused attention on methodology for the partitioned analysis of the interaction of the gas flow with a flexible structure and with the fluid mesh motion that results from these structural displacements. This is treated by a new arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) technique that models the fluid mesh motion as that of a fictitious mass-spring network. New partitioned analysis procedures to treat this coupled three-component problem are developed. These procedures involved delayed corrections and subcycling. Preliminary results on the stability, accuracy, and MPP computational efficiency are reported.

  3. An Investigation Into: I) Active Flow Control for Cold-Start Performance Enhancement of a Pump-Assisted, Capillary-Driven, Two-Phase Cooling Loop II) Surface Tension of n-Pentanol + Water, a Self-Rewetting Working Fluid, From 25 °C to 85 °C

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bejarano, Roberto Villa

    Cold-start performance enhancement of a pump-assisted, capillary-driven, two-phase cooling loop was attained using proportional integral and fuzzy logic controls to manage the boiling condition inside the evaporator. The surface tension of aqueous solutions of n-Pentanol, a self-rewetting fluid, was also investigated for enhancing heat transfer performance of capillary driven (passive) thermal devices was also studied. A proportional-integral control algorithm was used to regulate the boiling condition (from pool boiling to thin-film boiling) and backpressure in the evaporator during cold-start and low heat input conditions. Active flow control improved the thermal resistance at low heat inputs by 50% compared to the baseline (constant flow rate) case, while realizing a total pumping power savings of 56%. Temperature overshoot at start-up was mitigated combining fuzzy-logic with a proportional-integral controller. A constant evaporator surface temperature of 60°C with a variation of +/-8°C during start-up was attained with evaporator thermal resistances as low as 0.10 cm2--K/W. The surface tension of aqueous solutions of n-Pentanol, a self-rewetting working fluid, as a function of concentration and temperature were also investigated. Self-rewetting working fluids are promising in two-phase heat transfer applications because they have the ability to passively drive additional working fluid towards the heated surface; thereby increasing the dryout limitations of the thermal device. Very little data is available in literature regarding the surface tension of these fluids due to the complexity involved in fluid handling, heating, and experimentation. Careful experiments were performed to investigate the surface tension of n-Pentanol + water. The concentration and temperature range investigated were from 0.25%wt. to1.8%wt and 25°C to 85°C, respectively.

  4. Detonation product EOS studies: Using ISLS to refine CHEETAH

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zaug, Joseph; Fried, Larry; Hansen, Donald

    2001-06-01

    Knowledge of an effective interatomic potential function underlies any effort to predict or rationalize the properties of solids and liquids. The experiments we undertake are directed towards determination of equilibrium and dynamic properties of simple fluids at densities sufficiently high that traditional computational methods and semi-empirical forms successful at ambient conditions may require reconsideration. In this paper we present high-pressure and temperature experimental sound speed data on a suite of non-ideal simple fluids and fluid mixtures. Impulsive Stimulated Light Scattering conducted in the diamond-anvil cell offers an experimental approach to determine cross-pair potential interactions through equation of state determinations. In addition the kinetics of structural relaxation in fluids can be studied. We compare our experimental results with our thermochemical computational model CHEETAH. Computational models are systematically improved with each addition of experimental data. Experimentally grounded computational models provide a good basis to confidently understand the chemical nature of reactions at extreme conditions.

  5. Note: Calibration of atomic force microscope cantilevers using only their resonant frequency and quality factor

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sader, John E., E-mail: jsader@unimelb.edu.au; Friend, James R.; Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, California 92122

    2014-11-15

    A simplified method for calibrating atomic force microscope cantilevers was recently proposed by Sader et al. [Rev. Sci. Instrum. 83, 103705 (2012); Sec. III D] that relies solely on the resonant frequency and quality factor of the cantilever in fluid (typically air). This method eliminates the need to measure the hydrodynamic function of the cantilever, which can be time consuming given the wide range of cantilevers now available. Using laser Doppler vibrometry, we rigorously assess the accuracy of this method for a series of commercially available cantilevers and explore its performance under non-ideal conditions. This shows that the simplified methodmore » is highly accurate and can be easily implemented to perform fast, robust, and non-invasive spring constant calibration.« less

  6. Flow of Dense Granular Suspensions on an Inclined Plane

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bonnoit, C.; Lanuza, J.; Lindner, A.; Clément, E.

    2008-07-01

    We investigate the flow behavior of dense granular suspensions, by the use of an inclined plane. The suspensions are prepared at high packing fractions and consist of spherical non-Brownian particles density matched with the suspending fluid. On the inclined plane, we perform a systematic study of the surface velocity as a function of the layer thickness for various flow rates and tilt angles. We perform measurements on a classical rheometer (parallel-plate rheometer) that is shown to be in good agreement with existing models, up to a volume fraction of 50%. Comparing these results, we show that the flow on an inclined plane can, up to a volume fraction of 50%, indeed be described by a purely viscous model in agreement with the results from classical rheometry.

  7. Evaluation of aerosolized medications during parabolic flight maneuvers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lloyd, Charles W.; Martin, William J.; Gosbee, John

    1991-01-01

    The goal was to visually evaluate the effect gravity has on delivery of medications by the use of various aerosol devices. During parabolic flight the same four aerosols were retested as performed in studio ground tests. It appears that the Cetacaine spray and the Ventolin inhaler function without failure during all test. The pump spray (Nostril) appeared to function normally when the container was full, however it appeared to begin to fail to deliver a full mist with larger droplet size when the container was nearly empty. The simple hand spray bottle appeared to work when the container was full and performed progressively worse as the container was emptied. During Apollo flights, it was reported that standard spray bottles did not work well, however, they did not indicate why. It appears that we would also conclude that standard spray bottles do not function as well in zero gravity by failing to produce a normal mist spray. The standard spray bottle allowed the fluid to come out in a narrow fluid stream when held with the nozzle either level or slightly tilted upward.

  8. Numerical Temperature And Fluid-Flow Modelling For The Topographic Effects On Hydrothermal Circulation; A case study in Lucy Strike Vent Field

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Erçetin, Engin; Düşünür Doǧan, Doǧa

    2017-04-01

    The aim of the study is to present a numerical temperature and fluid-flow modelling for the topographic effects on hydrothermal circulation. Bathymetry can create a major disturbance on fluid flow pattern. ANSYS Fluent Computational fluid dynamics software is used for simulations. Coupled fluid flow and temperature quations are solved using a 2-Dimensional control volume finite difference approach. Darcy's law is assumed to hold, the fluid is considered to be anormal Boussinesq incompressible fluid neglecting inertial effects. Several topographic models were simulated and both temperature and fluid flow calculations obtained for this study. The preliminary simulations examine the effect of a ingle bathymetric high on a single plume and the secondary study of simulations investigates the effect of multiple bathymetric highs on multiple plume. The simulations were also performed for the slow spreading Lucky Strike segment along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR), one of the best studied regions along the MAR, where a 3.4 km deep magma chamber extending 6 km along-axis is found at its center. The Lucky Strike segment displays a transitional morphology between that of the FAMOUS - North FAMOUS segments, which are characterized by well-developed axial valleys typical of slow-spreading segments, and that of the Menez Gwen segment, characterized by an axial high at the segment center. Lucky Strike Segment hosts a central volcano and active vent field located at the segment center and thus constitutes an excellent case study to simulate the effects of bathymetry on fluid flow. Results demonstrate that bathymetric relief has an important influence on hydrothermal flow. Subsurface pressure alterations can be formed by bathymetric highs, for this reason, bathymetric relief ought to be considered while simulating hydrothermal circulation systems. Results of this study suggest the dominant effect of bathymetric highs on fluid flow pattern and Darcy velocities will be presented. Keywords: Hydrothermal Circulation, Lucky Strike, Bathymetry - Topography, Vent Location, Fluid Flow, Numerical Modelling

  9. Micromixer utilizing electrokinetic instability-induced shedding effect.

    PubMed

    Tai, Chang-Hsien; Yang, Ruey-Jen; Huang, Min-Zhong; Liu, Chia-Wei; Tsai, Chien-Hsiung; Fu, Lung-Ming

    2006-12-01

    This paper presents a T-shaped micromixer featuring 45 degrees parallelogram barriers (PBs) within the mixing channel. The presented device obtains a rapid mixing of two sample fluids with conductivity ratio of 10:1 (sample concentration:running buffer concentration) by means of the electrokinetic instability-induced shedding effects which are produced when a direct current (DC) electric field of an appropriate intensity is applied. The presented device uses a single high-voltage power source to simultaneously drive and mix the sample fluids. The effectiveness of the mixer is characterized experimentally as a function of the applied electrical field intensity and the extent to which the PBs obstruct the mixing channel. The experimental results indicate that the mixing performance reaches 91% at a cross-section located 2.3 mm downstream of the T-junction when the barriers obstruct 4/5 of the channel width and an electrical field of 300 V/cm is applied. The micromixing method presented in this study provides a simple low-cost solution to mixing problems in lab-on-a-chip systems.

  10. Fluid mechanics and heat transfer spirally fluted tubing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yampolsky, J. S.; Libby, P. A.; Launder, B. E.; Larue, J. C.

    1984-12-01

    The objective of this program is to develop an understanding of the fluid mechanics and heat transfer mechanisms that result in the demonstrated performance of the spiral fluted tubing under development at GA Technologies Inc. Particularly emphasized are the processes that result in the augmentation of the heat transfer coefficient without an increase in friction coefficient in the single-phase flow. Quantitative delineation of these processes would allow for their application to the optimal solution of heat transfer problems in general was well as to tubular heat exchanges using spiral fluted tubes. The experimental phase of the program consisted of the following: (1) Flow visualization studies using high-speed photography of dye injected into water flowing in a cast acrylic spiral fluted tube. (2) Time-resolved axial velocity measurements as a function of radius at the exit plane of a spiral fluted tube with water flowing through the tube. (3) Simultaneous time-resolved measurements of the axial and radial velocity components and temperature with heated air flowing through the tube cooled by a water jacket.

  11. Simulation of ultrasonic wave propagation in anisotropic poroelastic bone plate using hybrid spectral/finite element method.

    PubMed

    Nguyen, Vu-Hieu; Naili, Salah

    2012-08-01

    This paper deals with the modeling of guided waves propagation in in vivo cortical long bone, which is known to be anisotropic medium with functionally graded porosity. The bone is modeled as an anisotropic poroelastic material by using Biot's theory formulated in high frequency domain. A hybrid spectral/finite element formulation has been developed to find the time-domain solution of ultrasonic waves propagating in a poroelastic plate immersed in two fluid halfspaces. The numerical technique is based on a combined Laplace-Fourier transform, which allows to obtain a reduced dimension problem in the frequency-wavenumber domain. In the spectral domain, as radiation conditions representing infinite fluid halfspaces may be exactly introduced, only the heterogeneous solid layer needs to be analyzed by using finite element method. Several numerical tests are presented showing very good performance of the proposed procedure. A preliminary study on the first arrived signal velocities computed by using equivalent elastic and poroelastic models will be presented. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  12. Development of a high-resolution automatic digital (urine/electrolytes) flow volume and rate measurement system of miniature size

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Liu, F. F.

    1975-01-01

    To aid in the quantitative analysis of man's physiological rhythms, a flowmeter to measure circadian patterns of electrolyte excretion during various environmental stresses was developed. One initial flowmeter was designed and fabricated, the sensor of which is the approximate size of a wristwatch. The detector section includes a special type of dielectric integrating type sensor which automatically controls, activates, and deactivates the flow sensor data output by determining the presence or absence of fluid flow in the system, including operation under zero-G conditions. The detector also provides qualitative data on the composition of the fluid. A compact electronic system was developed to indicate flow rate as well as total volume per release or the cumulative volume of several releases in digital/analog forms suitable for readout or telemetry. A suitable data readout instrument is also provided. Calibration and statistical analyses of the performance functions required of the flowmeter were also conducted.

  13. Performance of Kobryn-Gusarov-Kovalenko closure from a thermodynamic viewpoint for one-component Lennard-Jones fluids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Miyata, Tatsuhiko; Tange, Kentaro

    2018-05-01

    The performance of Kobryn-Gusarov-Kovalenko (KGK) closure was examined in terms of the thermodynamics for one-component Lennard-Jones fluids. The result was compared to molecular dynamics simulation as well as to hypernetted chain, Kovalenko-Hirata (KH), Percus-Yevick and Verlet-modified closures. As the density increases, the error of KGK closure shows a turnover, regarding the excess internal energy, pressure and isothermal compressibility. On the other hand, it was numerically confirmed that the energy and the virial equations are consistent under both KH and KGK closures. The accuracies of density-derivative and temperature-derivative of the radial distribution function are also discussed.

  14. Servicer system demonstration plan and capability development

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1987-01-01

    An orbital maneuvering vehicle (OMV) front end kit is defined which is capable of performing in-situ fluid resupply and modular maintenance of free flying spacecraft based on the integrated orbital servicing system (IOSS) concept. The compatibility of the IOSS to perform gas and fluid umbilical connect and disconnect functions utilizing connect systems currently available or in development is addressed. A series of tasks involving on-orbit servicing and the engineering test unit (ETU) of the on-orbit service were studied. The objective is the advancement of orbital servicing by expanding the Spacecraft Servicing Demonstration Plan (SSDP) to include detail demonstration planning using the Multimission Modular Spacecraft (MMS) and upgrading the ETU control.

  15. Fluid Registration of Diffusion Tensor Images Using Information Theory

    PubMed Central

    Chiang, Ming-Chang; Leow, Alex D.; Klunder, Andrea D.; Dutton, Rebecca A.; Barysheva, Marina; Rose, Stephen E.; McMahon, Katie L.; de Zubicaray, Greig I.; Toga, Arthur W.; Thompson, Paul M.

    2008-01-01

    We apply an information-theoretic cost metric, the symmetrized Kullback-Leibler (sKL) divergence, or J-divergence, to fluid registration of diffusion tensor images. The difference between diffusion tensors is quantified based on the sKL-divergence of their associated probability density functions (PDFs). Three-dimensional DTI data from 34 subjects were fluidly registered to an optimized target image. To allow large image deformations but preserve image topology, we regularized the flow with a large-deformation diffeomorphic mapping based on the kinematics of a Navier-Stokes fluid. A driving force was developed to minimize the J-divergence between the deforming source and target diffusion functions, while reorienting the flowing tensors to preserve fiber topography. In initial experiments, we showed that the sKL-divergence based on full diffusion PDFs is adaptable to higher-order diffusion models, such as high angular resolution diffusion imaging (HARDI). The sKL-divergence was sensitive to subtle differences between two diffusivity profiles, showing promise for nonlinear registration applications and multisubject statistical analysis of HARDI data. PMID:18390342

  16. Many-Body Effects on the Thermodynamics of Fluids, Mixtures, and Nanoconfined Fluids.

    PubMed

    Desgranges, Caroline; Delhommelle, Jerome

    2015-11-10

    Using expanded Wang-Landau simulations, we show that taking into account the many-body interactions results in sharp changes in the grand-canonical partition functions of single-component systems, binary mixtures, and nanoconfined fluids. The many-body contribution, modeled with a 3-body Axilrod-Teller-Muto term, results in shifts toward higher chemical potentials of the phase transitions from low-density phases to high-density phases and accounts for deviations of more than, e.g., 20% of the value of the partition function for a single-component liquid. Using the statistical mechanics formalism, we analyze how this contribution has a strong impact on some properties (e.g., pressure, coexisting densities, and enthalpy) and a moderate impact on others (e.g., Gibbs or Helmholtz free energies). We also characterize the effect of the 3-body terms on adsorption isotherms and adsorption thermodynamic properties, thereby providing a full picture of the effect of the 3-body contribution on the thermodynamics of nanoconfined fluids.

  17. Development of mRNA-based body fluid identification using reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification.

    PubMed

    Satoh, Tetsuya; Kouroki, Seiya; Ogawa, Keita; Tanaka, Yorika; Matsumura, Kazutoshi; Iwase, Susumu

    2018-04-25

    Identifying body fluids from forensic samples can provide valuable evidence for criminal investigations. Messenger RNA (mRNA)-based body fluid identification was recently developed, and highly sensitive parallel identification using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) has been described. In this study, we developed reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) as a simple, rapid assay for identifying three common forensic body fluids, namely blood, semen, and saliva, and evaluated its specificity and sensitivity. Hemoglobin beta (HBB), transglutaminase 4 (TGM4), and statherin (STATH) were selected as marker genes for blood, semen, and saliva, respectively. RT-LAMP could be performed in a single step including both reverse transcription and DNA amplification under an isothermal condition within 60 min, and detection could be conveniently performed via visual fluorescence. Marker-specific amplification was performed in each assay, and no cross-reaction was observed among five representative forensically relevant body fluids. The detection limits of the assays were 0.3 nL, 30 nL, and 0.3 μL for blood, semen, and saliva, respectively, and their sensitivities were comparable with those of RT-PCR. Furthermore, RT-LAMP assays were applicable to forensic casework samples. It is considered that RT-LAMP is useful for body fluid identification.

  18. Hyphenation of ultra high performance supercritical fluid chromatography with atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation high resolution mass spectrometry: Part 1. Study of the coupling parameters for the analysis of natural non-polar compounds.

    PubMed

    Duval, Johanna; Colas, Cyril; Pecher, Virginie; Poujol, Marion; Tranchant, Jean-François; Lesellier, Eric

    2017-08-04

    An analytical method based on Ultra-High-Performance Supercritical Fluid Chromatography (UHPSFC) coupled with Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionization - High-resolution mass spectrometry (APCI-Q-TOF-HRMS) was developed for compounds screening from oily samples. The hyphenation was made using a commercial UHPLC device coupled to a CO 2 pump in order to perform the chromatographic analysis. An adaptation of the injection system for compressible fluids was accomplished for this coupling: this modification of the injection sequence was achieved to prevent unusual variations of the injected volume related to the use of a compressible fluid. UHPSFC-HRMS hyphenation was optimized to enhance the response of the varied compounds from a seed extract (anthraquinones, free fatty acids, diacylglycerols, hydroxylated triacylglycerols and triacylglycerols). No split was used prior to the APCI ionization source, allowing introducing all the compounds in the spectrometer, ensuring a better sensitivity for minor compounds. The effects of a mechanical make-up (T-piece) added before this ionization source was discussed in terms of standard deviation of response, response intensity and fragmentation percentage. The location of the T-piece with regards to the backpressure regulator (BPR), the flow rate and the nature of the make-up solvent were studied. Results show that the effects of the studied parameters depend on the nature of the compounds, whereas the make-up addition favours the robustness of the mass response (quantitative aspect). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Hypervolemia from Drinking Hyperhydration Solutions at Rest and Exercise

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Greenleaf, John E.; Looft-Wilson, Robin; Jackson, Catherine G. R.; Geelen, Ghislaine; Barnes, Paul R.; Jensen, Christopher D.; Whittam, James H.

    1995-01-01

    The mechanism of muscular fatigue from physical work and exercise (high metabolism) is not clear, but involves disturbances of muscle surface membrane excitation-contraction coupling from changes in sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ release, cell H+ and Pi responses, and carbohydrate metabolism. Fatigue in people at rest (low metabolism) involves both psychological and physiological factors, probably in different proportions. One common factor appears to be the level and distribution of water and electrolytes within muscle cells and other vascular, interstitial, body fluid compartments. The vascular fluid volume, composed of plasma and red blood cells, is a primary regulatory factor for cardiovascular function; reduction of vascular volume (hypovolemia) and total body water (hypohydration) adversely affect exercise performance. Plasma volume and plasma ionic-osmotic constituent concentrations are also regulatory factors for body thermoregulation, which is often compromised from exercise induced hypovolemia and hypohydration. Rehydration of dehydrated people on earth is relatively easy with appropriate food (osmols), fluid, and a restful environment. But ad libitum drinking under stressful conditions; e.g., heat, exercise, or prior dehydration, results in involuntary dehydration defined as the delay in full fluid replacement (euhydration) during and following loss of body fluid. Astronauts, with their reduced total body water are euhydrated while in weightlessness, but become "dehydrated" during reentry and landing. Thus, people subjected to acute or chronic stress are probably somewhat "dehydrated" as well as fatigued. Many rehydration drinks are more concentrated (hypertonic-hyperosmotic) with respect to the normal plasma osmolality of 285 mOsm/kg H2O and more of the drink osmols are contributed by carbohydrates than by ionized substances. There have been few studies on the efficacy of various drink formulations for increasing body fluid compartment volumes, especially plasma volume, in rested hydrated subjects. Recent findings from our laboratory have indicated that drinks containing greater concentrations of ionized substances (Performance 1 and AstroAde) up to 157 mEq/L Na+ induced greater levels of hypervolemia in resting, moderately dehydrated men, and were also better than water for attenuating the characteristic hypovolemia during supine, submaximal, leg ergometer exercise.

  20. DES Prediction of Cavitation Erosion and Its Validation for a Ship Scale Propeller

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ponkratov, Dmitriy, Dr

    2015-12-01

    Lloyd's Register Technical Investigation Department (LR TID) have developed numerical functions for the prediction of cavitation erosion aggressiveness within Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. These functions were previously validated for a model scale hydrofoil and ship scale rudder [1]. For the current study the functions were applied to a cargo ship's full scale propeller, on which the severe cavitation erosion was reported. The performed Detach Eddy Simulation (DES) required a fine computational mesh (approximately 22 million cells), together with a very small time step (2.0E-4 s). As the cavitation for this type of vessel is primarily caused by a highly non-uniform wake, the hull was also included in the simulation. The applied method under predicted the cavitation extent and did not fully resolve the tip vortex; however, the areas of cavitation collapse were captured successfully. Consequently, the developed functions showed a very good prediction of erosion areas, as confirmed by comparison with underwater propeller inspection results.

  1. Systematic Mapping and Functional Analysis of a Family of Human Epididymal Secretory Sperm-Located Proteins*

    PubMed Central

    Li, JianYuan; Liu, FuJun; Wang, HaiYan; Liu, Xin; Liu, Juan; Li, Ning; Wan, FengChun; Wang, WenTing; Zhang, ChengLin; Jin, ShaoHua; Liu, Jie; Zhu, Peng; Liu, YunXiang

    2010-01-01

    The mammalian spermatozoon has many cellular compartments, such as head and tail, permitting it to interact with the female reproductive tract and fertilize the egg. It acquires this fertilizing potential during transit through the epididymis, which secretes proteins that coat different sperm domains. Optimal levels of these proteins provide the spermatozoon with its ability to move to, bind to, fuse with, and penetrate the egg; otherwise male infertility results. As few human epididymal proteins have been characterized, this work was performed to generate a database of human epididymal sperm-located proteins involved in maturation. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of epididymal tissue and luminal fluid proteins, followed by identification using MALDI-TOF/MS or MALDI-TOF/TOF, revealed over a thousand spots in gels comprising 745 abundant nonstructural proteins, 408 in luminal fluids, of which 207 were present on spermatozoa. Antibodies raised to 619 recombinant or synthetic peptides, used in Western blots, histological sections, and washed sperm preparations to confirm antibody quality and protein expression, indicated their regional location in the epididymal epithelium and highly specific locations on washed functional spermatozoa. Sperm function tests suggested the role of some proteins in motility and protection against oxidative attack. A large database of these proteins, characterized by size, pI, chromosomal location, and function, was given a unified terminology reflecting their sperm domain location. These novel, secreted human epididymal proteins are potential targets for a posttesticular contraceptive acting to provide rapid, reversible, functional sterility in men and they are also biomarkers that could be used in noninvasive assessments of male fertility. PMID:20736409

  2. Development And Characterization Of A Liner-On-Target Injector For Staged Z-Pinch Experiments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Valenzuela, J. C.; Conti, F.; Krasheninnikov, I.; Narkis, J.; Beg, F.; Wessel, F. J.; Rahman, H. U.

    2016-10-01

    We present the design and optimization of a liner-on-target injector for Staged Z-pinch experiments. The injector is composed of an annular high atomic number (e.g. Ar, Kr) gas-puff and an on-axis plasma gun that delivers the ionized deuterium target. The liner nozzle injector has been carefully studied using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations to produce a highly collimated 1 cm radius gas profile that satisfies the theoretical requirement for best performance on the 1 MA Zebra current driver. The CFD simulations produce density profiles as a function of the nozzle shape and gas. These profiles are initialized in the MHD MACH2 code to find the optimal liner density for a stable, uniform implosion. We use a simple Snowplow model to study the plasma sheath acceleration in a coaxial plasma gun to help us properly design the target injector. We have performed line-integrated density measurements using a CW He-Ne laser to characterize the liner gas and the plasma gun density as a function of time. The measurements are compared with models and calculations and benchmarked accordingly. Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy, DE-AR0000569.

  3. Hydrodynamic correlation functions of hard-sphere fluids at short times

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Leegwater, Jan A.; van Beijeren, Henk

    1989-11-01

    The short-time behavior of the coherent intermediate scattering function for a fluid of hard-sphere particles is calculated exactly through order t 4, and the other hydrodynamic correlation functions are calculated exactly through order t 2. It is shown that for all of the correlation functions considered the Enskog theory gives a fair approximation. Also, the initial time behavior of various Green-Kubo integrands is studied. For the shear-viscosity integrand it is found that at density nσ3=0.837 the prediction of the Enskog theory is 32% too low. The initial value of the bulk viscosity integrand is nonzero, in contrast to the Enskog result. The initial value of the thermal conductivity integrand at high densities is predicted well by Enskog theory.

  4. A reaction limited in vivo dissolution model for the study of drug absorption: Towards a new paradigm for the biopharmaceutic classification of drugs.

    PubMed

    Macheras, Panos; Iliadis, Athanassios; Melagraki, Georgia

    2018-05-30

    The aim of this work is to develop a gastrointestinal (GI) drug absorption model based on a reaction limited model of dissolution and consider its impact on the biopharmaceutic classification of drugs. Estimates for the fraction of dose absorbed as a function of dose, solubility, reaction/dissolution rate constant and the stoichiometry of drug-GI fluids reaction/dissolution were derived by numerical solution of the model equations. The undissolved drug dose and the reaction/dissolution rate constant drive the dissolution rate and determine the extent of absorption when high-constant drug permeability throughout the gastrointestinal tract is assumed. Dose is an important element of drug-GI fluids reaction/dissolution while solubility exclusively acts as an upper limit for drug concentrations in the lumen. The 3D plots of fraction of dose absorbed as a function of dose and reaction/dissolution rate constant for highly soluble and low soluble drugs for different "stoichiometries" (0.7, 1.0, 2.0) of the drug-reaction/dissolution with the GI fluids revealed that high extent of absorption was found assuming high drug- reaction/dissolution rate constant and high drug solubility. The model equations were used to simulate in vivo supersaturation and precipitation phenomena. The model developed provides the theoretical basis for the interpretation of the extent of drug's absorption on the basis of the parameters associated with the drug-GI fluids reaction/dissolution. A new paradigm emerges for the biopharmaceutic classification of drugs, namely, a model independent biopharmaceutic classification scheme of four drug categories based on either the fulfillment or not of the current dissolution criteria and the high or low % drug metabolism. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  5. Gravitationally Driven Wicking for Enhanced Condensation Heat Transfer.

    PubMed

    Preston, Daniel J; Wilke, Kyle L; Lu, Zhengmao; Cruz, Samuel S; Zhao, Yajing; Becerra, Laura L; Wang, Evelyn N

    2018-04-17

    Vapor condensation is routinely used as an effective means of transferring heat or separating fluids. Filmwise condensation is prevalent in typical industrial-scale systems, where the condensed fluid forms a thin liquid film due to the high surface energy associated with many industrial materials. Conversely, dropwise condensation, where the condensate forms discrete liquid droplets which grow, coalesce, and shed, results in an improvement in heat transfer performance of an order of magnitude compared to filmwise condensation. However, current state-of-the-art dropwise technology relies on functional hydrophobic coatings, for example, long chain fatty acids or polymers, which are often not robust and therefore undesirable in industrial conditions. In addition, low surface tension fluid condensates, such as hydrocarbons, pose a unique challenge because common hydrophobic condenser coatings used to shed water (with a surface tension of 73 mN/m) often do not repel fluids with lower surface tensions (<25 mN/m). We demonstrate a method to enhance condensation heat transfer using gravitationally driven flow through a porous metal wick, which takes advantage of the condensate's affinity to wet the surface and also eliminates the need for condensate-phobic coatings. The condensate-filled wick has a lower thermal resistance than the fluid film observed during filmwise condensation, resulting in an improved heat transfer coefficient of up to an order of magnitude and comparable to that observed during dropwise condensation. The improved heat transfer realized by this design presents the opportunity for significant energy savings in natural gas processing, thermal management, heating and cooling, and power generation.

  6. Optical silicones for use in harsh operating environments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Riegler, Bill; Bruner, Stephen J.; Elgin, Randall

    2004-12-01

    The optics industry widely uses silcones for various fiber optic cable potting applications and light emitting diode protection. Optics manufacturers know traditional silicone elastomers, gels, thixotropic gels, and fluids not only perform extremely well in high temperature applications, but also offer refractive index matching so that silicones can transmit light with admirable efficiency. However, because environmental conditions may affect a material's performance over time, one must also consider the conditions the device operates in to ensure long-term reliability. External environments may include exposure to a combination of UV light and temperature, while other environments may expose devices to hydrocarbon based fuels. This paper will delve into the chemistry of silicones and functional groups that lend themselves to properties such as temperature, fuel, and radiation resistance to show shy silicone is the material of choice for optic applications under normally harmful forms of exposure. Data will be presented to examine silicone's performance in these environment.

  7. Large area and low power dielectrowetting optical shutter with local deterministic fluid film breakup

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, R.; Cumby, B.; Russell, A.; Heikenfeld, J.

    2013-11-01

    A large area (>10 cm2) and low-power (0.1-10 Hz AC voltage, ˜10's μW/cm2) dielectrowetting optical shutter requiring no pixelation is demonstrated. The device consists of 40 μm interdigitated electrodes covered by fluid splitting features and a hydrophobic fluoropolymer. When voltage is removed, the fluid splitting features initiate breakup of the fluid film into small droplets resulting in ˜80% transmission. Both the dielectrowetting and fluid splitting follow theory, allowing prediction of alternate designs and further improved performance. Advantages include scalability, optical polarization independence, high contrast ratio, fast response, and simple construction, which could be of use in switchable windows or transparent digital signage.

  8. Virial Coefficients and Equations of State for Hard Polyhedron Fluids.

    PubMed

    Irrgang, M Eric; Engel, Michael; Schultz, Andrew J; Kofke, David A; Glotzer, Sharon C

    2017-10-24

    Hard polyhedra are a natural extension of the hard sphere model for simple fluids, but there is no general scheme for predicting the effect of shape on thermodynamic properties, even in moderate-density fluids. Only the second virial coefficient is known analytically for general convex shapes, so higher-order equations of state have been elusive. Here we investigate high-precision state functions in the fluid phase of 14 representative polyhedra with different assembly behaviors. We discuss historic efforts in analytically approximating virial coefficients up to B 4 and numerically evaluating them to B 8 . Using virial coefficients as inputs, we show the convergence properties for four equations of state for hard convex bodies. In particular, the exponential approximant of Barlow et al. (J. Chem. Phys. 2012, 137, 204102) is found to be useful up to the first ordering transition for most polyhedra. The convergence behavior we explore can guide choices in expending additional resources for improved estimates. Fluids of arbitrary hard convex bodies are too complicated to be described in a general way at high densities, so the high-precision state data we provide can serve as a reference for future work in calculating state data or as a basis for thermodynamic integration.

  9. 3D Fluid-Structure Interaction Simulation of Aortic Valves Using a Unified Continuum ALE FEM Model.

    PubMed

    Spühler, Jeannette H; Jansson, Johan; Jansson, Niclas; Hoffman, Johan

    2018-01-01

    Due to advances in medical imaging, computational fluid dynamics algorithms and high performance computing, computer simulation is developing into an important tool for understanding the relationship between cardiovascular diseases and intraventricular blood flow. The field of cardiac flow simulation is challenging and highly interdisciplinary. We apply a computational framework for automated solutions of partial differential equations using Finite Element Methods where any mathematical description directly can be translated to code. This allows us to develop a cardiac model where specific properties of the heart such as fluid-structure interaction of the aortic valve can be added in a modular way without extensive efforts. In previous work, we simulated the blood flow in the left ventricle of the heart. In this paper, we extend this model by placing prototypes of both a native and a mechanical aortic valve in the outflow region of the left ventricle. Numerical simulation of the blood flow in the vicinity of the valve offers the possibility to improve the treatment of aortic valve diseases as aortic stenosis (narrowing of the valve opening) or regurgitation (leaking) and to optimize the design of prosthetic heart valves in a controlled and specific way. The fluid-structure interaction and contact problem are formulated in a unified continuum model using the conservation laws for mass and momentum and a phase function. The discretization is based on an Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian space-time finite element method with streamline diffusion stabilization, and it is implemented in the open source software Unicorn which shows near optimal scaling up to thousands of cores. Computational results are presented to demonstrate the capability of our framework.

  10. 3D Fluid-Structure Interaction Simulation of Aortic Valves Using a Unified Continuum ALE FEM Model

    PubMed Central

    Spühler, Jeannette H.; Jansson, Johan; Jansson, Niclas; Hoffman, Johan

    2018-01-01

    Due to advances in medical imaging, computational fluid dynamics algorithms and high performance computing, computer simulation is developing into an important tool for understanding the relationship between cardiovascular diseases and intraventricular blood flow. The field of cardiac flow simulation is challenging and highly interdisciplinary. We apply a computational framework for automated solutions of partial differential equations using Finite Element Methods where any mathematical description directly can be translated to code. This allows us to develop a cardiac model where specific properties of the heart such as fluid-structure interaction of the aortic valve can be added in a modular way without extensive efforts. In previous work, we simulated the blood flow in the left ventricle of the heart. In this paper, we extend this model by placing prototypes of both a native and a mechanical aortic valve in the outflow region of the left ventricle. Numerical simulation of the blood flow in the vicinity of the valve offers the possibility to improve the treatment of aortic valve diseases as aortic stenosis (narrowing of the valve opening) or regurgitation (leaking) and to optimize the design of prosthetic heart valves in a controlled and specific way. The fluid-structure interaction and contact problem are formulated in a unified continuum model using the conservation laws for mass and momentum and a phase function. The discretization is based on an Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian space-time finite element method with streamline diffusion stabilization, and it is implemented in the open source software Unicorn which shows near optimal scaling up to thousands of cores. Computational results are presented to demonstrate the capability of our framework. PMID:29713288

  11. Experimental constraints on the monazite-fluorapatite-allanite and xenotime-(Y,HREE)-rich fluorapatite-(Y,HREE)-rich epidote phase relations as a function of pressure, temperature, and Ca vs. Na activity in the fluid

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Budzyń, Bartosz; Harlov, Daniel E.; Majka, Jarosław; Kozub, Gabriela A.

    2014-05-01

    Stability relations of monazite-fluorapatite-allanite and xenotime-(Y,HREE)-rich fluorapatite-(Y,HREE)-rich epidote are strongly dependent on pressure, temperature and fluid composition. The increased Ca bulk content expands stability field of allanite relative to monazite towards higher temperatures (Spear, 2010, Chem Geol 279, 55-62). It was also reported from amphibolite facies Alpine metapelites, that both temperature and bulk CaO/Na2O ratio control relative stabilities of allanite, monazite and xenotime (Janots et al., 2008, J Metam Geol 26, 5, 509-526). This study experimentally defines influence of pressure, temperature, high activity of Ca vs. Na in the fluid, and high vs. moderate bulk CaO/Na2O ratio on the relative stabilities of monazite-fluorapatite-allanite/REE-rich epidote and xenotime-(Y,HREE)-rich fluorapatite-(Y,HREE)-rich epidote. This work expands previous experimental study on monazite (Budzyń et al., 2011, Am Min 96, 1547-1567) to wide pressure-temperature range of 2-10 kbar and 450-750°C, utilizing most reactive fluids used in previous experiments. Experiments were performed using cold-seal autoclaves on a hydrothermal line (2-4 kbar runs) and piston-cylinder apparatus (6-10 kbar runs) over 4-16 days. Four sets of experiments, two for monazite and two for xenotime, were performed with 2M Ca(OH)2 and Na2Si2O5 + H2O fluids. The starting materials included inclusion-free crystals of monazite (pegmatite, Burnet County, TX, USA) or xenotime (pegmatite, Northwest Frontier Province, Pakistan) mixed with (1) labradorite (Ab37An60Kfs3) + K-feldspar + biotite + muscovite ± garnet + SiO2 + CaF2 + 2M Ca(OH)2 or (2) albite (Ab100) + K-feldspar + biotite + muscovite ± garnet + SiO2 + CaF2 + Na2Si2O5 + H2O. 20-35 mg of solids and 5 mg of fluid were loaded into 3x15 mm Au capsules and arc welded shut. The monazite alteration is observed in all runs. Newly formed REE-rich fluorapatite and/or britholite are stable in all experimental P-T range in the presence of both fluids. Alteration of monazite and subsequent formation of REE-rich epidote or allanite, REE-rich fluorapatite and britholite was promoted by high activity of Ca in the fluid, with high bulk CaO/Na2O ratio of ca. 11.5 in the system. In contrast, neither REE-rich epidote nor allanite does form in the presence of Na2Si2O5 + H2O fluid, with bulk CaO/Na2O ratio of ca. 1.0. Results indicating that stability field of allanite relative to monazite expands towards higher temperatures along with increased Ca bulk content are consistent with recent thermodynamic modeling of phase equilibria (Spear, 2010). Experiments also support natural observations from the amphibolite-facies Alpine metapelites regarding the influence of CaO/Na2O ratio in bulk content on the relative stabilities of monazite and REE-rich epidote (Janots et al., 2008). Alteration of xenotime is observed in all runs. (Y,HREE)-rich britholite or (Y,HREE)-rich fluorapatite always formed. In contrast to monazite experiments, (Y,HREE)-rich epidote formed only at 650°C and 8-10 kbar, in the presence of 2M Ca(OH)2. Results are partially consistent with natural observations showing that stability of (Y,HREE)-rich epidote is promoted by high Ca bulk content with high CaO/Na2O ratio (Janots et al., 2008). However, experimental results indicate that the relative stabilities of xenotime and (Y,HREE)-rich epidote are strongly controlled by pressure. Acknowledgements. The project was funded by the National Science Center of Poland, grant no. 2011/01/D/ST10/04588.

  12. Goal-Directed Fluid Therapy Based on Stroke Volume Variation in Patients Undergoing Major Spine Surgery in the Prone Position: A Cohort Study.

    PubMed

    Bacchin, Maria Renata; Ceria, Chiara Marta; Giannone, Sandra; Ghisi, Daniela; Stagni, Gaetano; Greggi, Tiziana; Bonarelli, Stefano

    2016-09-15

    A retrospective observational study. The aim of this study was to test whether a goal-directed fluid therapy (GDFT) protocol, based on stroke volume variation (SVV), applied in major spine surgery performed in the prone position, would be effective in reducing peri-operative red blood cells transfusions. Recent literature shows that optimizing perioperative fluid therapy is associated with lower complication rates and faster recovery. Data from 23 patients who underwent posterior spine arthrodesis surgery and whose intraoperative fluid administration were managed with the GDFT protocol were retrospectively collected and compared with data from 23 matched controls who underwent the same surgical procedure in the same timeframe, and who received a liberal intraoperative fluid therapy. Patients in the GDFT group received less units of transfused red blood cells (primary endpoint) in the intra (0 vs. 2.0, P = 0.0 4) and postoperative period (2.0 vs. 4.0, P = 0.003). They also received a lower amount of intraoperative crystalloids, had fewer blood losses, and lower intraoperative peak lactate. In the postoperative period, patients in the GDFT group had fewer pulmonary complications and blood losses from surgical drains, needed less blood product transfusions, had a shorter intensive care unit stay, and a faster return of bowel function. We found no difference in the total length of stay among the two groups. Our study shows that application of a GDFT based on SVV in major spine surgery is feasible and can lead to reduced blood losses and transfusions, better postoperative respiratory performance, shorter ICU stay, and faster return of bowel function. 3.

  13. Exergoeconomic analysis and optimization of an evaporator for a binary mixture of fluids in an organic Rankine cycle

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, You-Rong; Du, Mei-Tang; Wang, Jian-Ning

    2012-12-01

    This paper focuses on the research of an evaporator with a binary mixture of organic working fluids in the organic Rankine cycle. Exergoeconomic analysis and performance optimization were performed based on the first and second laws of thermodynamics, and the exergoeconomic theory. The annual total cost per unit heat transfer rate was introduced as the objective function. In this model, the exergy loss cost caused by the heat transfer irreversibility and the capital cost were taken into account; however, the exergy loss due to the frictional pressure drops, heat dissipation to surroundings, and the flow imbalance were neglected. The variation laws of the annual total cost with respect to the number of transfer units and the temperature ratios were presented. Optimal design parameters that minimize the objective function had been obtained, and the effects of some important dimensionless parameters on the optimal performances had also been discussed for three types of evaporator flow arrangements. In addition, optimal design parameters of evaporators were compared with those of condensers.

  14. OPTIMIZATION OF DEEP DRILLING PERFORMANCE--DEVELOPMENT AND BENCHMARK TESTING OF ADVANCED DIAMOND PRODUCT DRILL BITS & HP/HT FLUIDS TO SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE RATES OF PENETRATION

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Alan Black; Arnis Judzis

    2004-10-01

    The industry cost shared program aims to benchmark drilling rates of penetration in selected simulated deep formations and to significantly improve ROP through a team development of aggressive diamond product drill bit--fluid system technologies. Overall the objectives are as follows: Phase 1--Benchmark ''best in class'' diamond and other product drilling bits and fluids and develop concepts for a next level of deep drilling performance; Phase 2--Develop advanced smart bit-fluid prototypes and test at large scale; and Phase 3--Field trial smart bit-fluid concepts, modify as necessary and commercialize products. As of report date, TerraTek has concluded all major preparations for themore » high pressure drilling campaign. Baker Hughes encountered difficulties in providing additional pumping capacity before TerraTek's scheduled relocation to another facility, thus the program was delayed further to accommodate the full testing program.« less

  15. Solutal and thermal buoyancy effects in self-powered phosphatase micropumps.

    PubMed

    Valdez, Lyanne; Shum, Henry; Ortiz-Rivera, Isamar; Balazs, Anna C; Sen, Ayusman

    2017-04-12

    Immobilized enzymes generate net fluid flow when exposed to specific reagents in solution. Thus, they function as self-powered platforms that combine sensing and on-demand fluid pumping. To uncover the mechanism of pumping, we examine the effects of solutal and thermal buoyancy on the behavior of phosphatase-based micropumps, using a series of reactants with known thermodynamic and kinetic parameters. By combining modeling and experiments, we perform the first quantitative comparison of thermal and solutal effects in an enzyme micropump system. Despite the significant exothermicity of the catalyzed reactions, we find that thermal effects play a minimal role in the observed fluid flow. Instead, fluid transport in phosphatase micropumps is governed by the density difference between the reactants and the products of the reaction. This surprising conclusion suggests new design principles for catalytic pumps.

  16. Universal Features of the Fluid to Solid Transition for Attractive Colloidal Particles

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cipelletti, L.; Prasad, V.; Dinsmore, A.; Segre, P. N.; Weitz, D. A.; Trappe, V.

    2002-01-01

    Attractive colloidal particles can exhibit a fluid to solid phase transition if the magnitude of the attractive interaction is sufficiently large, if the volume fraction is sufficiently high, and if the applied stress is sufficiently small. The nature of this fluid to solid transition is similar for many different colloid systems, and for many different forms of interaction. The jamming phase transition captures the common features of these fluid to solid translations, by unifying the behavior as a function of the particle volume fraction, the energy of interparticle attractions, and the applied stress. This paper describes the applicability of the jamming state diagram, and highlights those regions where the fluid to solid transition is still poorly understood. It also presents new data for gelation of colloidal particles with an attractive depletion interaction, providing more insight into the origin of the fluid to solid transition.

  17. Computational Investigation on the performance of thermo-acoustically driven pulse tube refrigerator

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Skaria, Mathew; Rasheed, K. K. Abdul; Shafi, K. A.; Kasthurirengan, S.; Behera, Upendra

    2017-02-01

    A Thermoacoustic Pulse Tube Refrigeration (TAPTR) system employs a thermo acoustic engine as the pressure wave generator instead of mechanical compressor. Such refrigeration systems are highly reliable due to the absence of moving components, structural simplicity and the use of environmental friendly working fluids. In the present work, a traveling wave thermoacoustic primmover (TWTAPM) has been developed and it is coupled to a pulse tube cryocooler. The performance of TAPTR depends on the operating and working fluid parameters. Simulation studies of the system has been performed using ANSYS Fluent and compared with experimental results.

  18. The Hungry Fly: Hydrodynamics of feeding in the common house fly

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Prakash, Manu; Steele, Miles

    2010-11-01

    A large number of insect species feed primarily on a fluid diet. To do so, they must overcome the numerous challenges that arise in the design of high-efficiency, miniature pumps. Although the morphology of insect feeding structures has been described for decades, their dynamics remain largely unknown even in the most well studied species (e.g. fruit fly). Here, we use invivo imaging and microsurgery to elucidate the design principles of feeding structures of the common house fly. Using high-resolution X-ray microscopy, we record invivo flow of sucrose solutions through the body over many hours during fly feeding. Borrowing from microsurgery techniques common in neurophysiology, we are able to perturb the pump to a stall position and thus evaluate function under load conditions. Furthermore, fluid viscosity-dependent feedback is observed for optimal pump performance. As the gut of the fly starts to fill up, feedback from the stretch receptors in the cuticle dictates the effective flow rate. Finally, via comparative analysis between the house fly, blow fly, fruit fly and bumble bees, we highlight the common design principles and the role of interfacial phenomena in feeding.

  19. Relation between fluid intelligence and frontal lobe functioning in older adults.

    PubMed

    Isingrini, M; Vazou, F

    1997-01-01

    This study reports the relations among normal aging, intelligence, and frontal lobe functioning. Intelligence tasks and frontal lobe functioning tasks were administered to 107 adults from two age groups (25 to 46 years and 70 to 99 years). Intelligence measures were assessed with two crystallized tests (WAIS Vocabulary and Information subtests), one fluid intelligence test (Cattell's Matrices), and one mixed, crystallized and fluid test (WAIS Similarities subtest). Frontal functioning was assessed using the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and two tests of verbal fluency. Significant age differences in favor of the young were found on the two intelligence tests with a fluid component and on all measures of frontal lobe functioning. Correlational analyses examining the relationship of intelligence measures to frontal variables indicated that these last measures were significantly correlated with only fluid intelligence tests in the elderly group. The implications for the relations among aging, fluid intelligence, and frontal lobe functioning are discussed.

  20. Disintegration performance of renal multivitamin supplements.

    PubMed

    Stamatakis, M K; Meyer-Stout, P J

    1999-04-01

    Vitamins have traditionally been regulated as dietary supplements and have not been required to meet the same rigorous product quality performance standards as drug products. Impaired product performance, such as failure to disintegrate and/or dissolve in the gastrointestinal tract, could limit the absorption of vitamins. Furthermore, patients with renal disease have been reported to experience a wide range in gastrointestinal pH, which could influence a product's performance. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of pH on the in vitro disintegration of renal multivitamin supplements. Products were studied using the United States Pharmacopeial Convention standard disintegration apparatus. Products were tested in simulated gastric fluid, neutral fluid, and intestinal fluid. Product failure was defined as two or more individual tablets or capsules failing to disintegrate completely within compendial limits. Of 11 products tested, 4 products failed the disintegration study test in all pH conditions. Sixty-four percent of the products showed statistically significant differences in disintegration time (DT) based on pH. As pH increased, time to disintegration increased. The DT of commercially available renal multivitamin supplements was highly variable. Poorest product performance was shown in simulated intestinal fluid. The pH significantly affected in vitro disintegration in greater than half the products tested. How this affects dissolution and in vivo performance has yet to be studied.

  1. Renal function alterations during skeletal muscle disuse in simulated microgravity

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tucker, Bryan J.

    1992-01-01

    This project was to examine the alterations in renal functions during skeletal muscle disuse in simulated microgravity. Although this area could cover a wide range of investigative efforts, the limited funding resulted in the selection of two projects. These projects would result in data contributing to an area of research deemed high priority by NASA and would address issues of the alterations in renal response to vasoactive stimuli during conditions of skeletal muscle disuse as well as investigate the contribution of skeletal muscle disuse, conditions normally found in long term human exposure to microgravity, to the balance of fluid and macromolecules within the vasculature versus the interstitium. These two projects selected are as follows: investigate the role of angiotensin 2 on renal function during periods of simulated microgravity and skeletal muscle disuse to determine if the renal response is altered to changes in circulating concentrations of angiotensin 2 compared to appropriate controls; and determine if the shift of fluid balance from vasculature to the interstitium, the two components of extracellular fluid volume, that occur during prolonged exposure to microgravity and skeletal muscle disuse is a result, in part, to alterations in the fluid and macromolecular balance in the peripheral capillary beds, of which the skeletal muscle contains the majority of recruitment capillaries. A recruitment capillary bed would be most sensitive to alterations in Starling forces and fluid and macromolecular permeability.

  2. Elastic contact mechanics: percolation of the contact area and fluid squeeze-out.

    PubMed

    Persson, B N J; Prodanov, N; Krick, B A; Rodriguez, N; Mulakaluri, N; Sawyer, W G; Mangiagalli, P

    2012-01-01

    The dynamics of fluid flow at the interface between elastic solids with rough surfaces depends sensitively on the area of real contact, in particular close to the percolation threshold, where an irregular network of narrow flow channels prevails. In this paper, numerical simulation and experimental results for the contact between elastic solids with isotropic and anisotropic surface roughness are compared with the predictions of a theory based on the Persson contact mechanics theory and the Bruggeman effective medium theory. The theory predictions are in good agreement with the experimental and numerical simulation results and the (small) deviation can be understood as a finite-size effect. The fluid squeeze-out at the interface between elastic solids with randomly rough surfaces is studied. We present results for such high contact pressures that the area of real contact percolates, giving rise to sealed-off domains with pressurized fluid at the interface. The theoretical predictions are compared to experimental data for a simple model system (a rubber block squeezed against a flat glass plate), and for prefilled syringes, where the rubber plunger stopper is lubricated by a high-viscosity silicon oil to ensure functionality of the delivery device. For the latter system we compare the breakloose (or static) friction, as a function of the time of stationary contact, to the theory prediction.

  3. Subseafloor microbial communities in hydrogen‐rich vent fluids from hydrothermal systems along the Mid‐Cayman Rise

    PubMed Central

    Reveillaud, Julie; Reddington, Emily; McDermott, Jill; Algar, Christopher; Meyer, Julie L.; Sylva, Sean; Seewald, Jeffrey; German, Christopher R.

    2016-01-01

    Summary Warm fluids emanating from hydrothermal vents can be used as windows into the rocky subseafloor habitat and its resident microbial community. Two new vent systems on the Mid‐Cayman Rise each exhibits novel geologic settings and distinctively hydrogen‐rich vent fluid compositions. We have determined and compared the chemistry, potential energy yielding reactions, abundance, community composition, diversity, and function of microbes in venting fluids from both sites: Piccard, the world's deepest vent site, hosted in mafic rocks; and Von Damm, an adjacent, ultramafic‐influenced system. Von Damm hosted a wider diversity of lineages and metabolisms in comparison to Piccard, consistent with thermodynamic models that predict more numerous energy sources at ultramafic systems. There was little overlap in the phylotypes found at each site, although similar and dominant hydrogen‐utilizing genera were present at both. Despite the differences in community structure, depth, geology, and fluid chemistry, energetic modelling and metagenomic analysis indicate near functional equivalence between Von Damm and Piccard, likely driven by the high hydrogen concentrations and elevated temperatures at both sites. Results are compared with hydrothermal sites worldwide to provide a global perspective on the distinctiveness of these newly discovered sites and the interplay among rocks, fluid composition and life in the subseafloor. PMID:26663423

  4. Stability of fault submitted to fluid injections

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brantut, N.; Passelegue, F. X.; Mitchell, T. M.

    2017-12-01

    Elevated pore pressure can lead to slip reactivation on pre-existing fractures and faults when the coulomb failure point is reached. From a static point of view, the reactivation of fault submitted to a background stress (τ0) is a function of the peak strength of the fault, i.e. the quasi-static effective friction coefficient (µeff). However, this theory is valid only when the entire fault is affected by fluid pressure, which is not the case in nature, and during human induced-seismicity. In this study, we present new results about the influence of the injection rate on the stability of faults. Experiments were conducted on a saw-cut sample of westerly granite. The experimental fault was 8 cm length. Injections were conducted through a 2 mm diameter hole reaching the fault surface. Experiments were conducted at four different order magnitudes fluid pressure injection rates (from 1 MPa/minute to 1 GPa/minute), in a fault system submitted to 50 and 100 MPa confining pressure. Our results show that the peak fluid pressure leading to slip depends on injection rate. The faster the injection rate, the larger the peak fluid pressure leading to instability. Wave velocity surveys across the fault highlighted that decreasing the injection-rate leads to an increase of size of the fluid pressure perturbation. Our result demonstrate that the stability of the fault is not only a function of the fluid pressure requires to reach the failure criterion, but is mainly a function of the ratio between the length of the fault affected by fluid pressure and the total fault length. In addition, we show that the slip rate increases with the background effective stress and with the intensity of the fluid pressure pertubation, i.e. with the excess shear stress acting on the part of the fault pertubated by fluid injection. Our results suggest that crustal fault can be reactivated by local high fluid overpressures. These results could explain the "large" magnitude human-induced earthquakes recently observed in Oklahoma (Mw 5.6, 2016).

  5. Investigations on high speed machining of EN-353 steel alloy under different machining environments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Venkata Vishnu, A.; Jamaleswara Kumar, P.

    2018-03-01

    The addition of Nano Particles into conventional cutting fluids enhances its cooling capabilities; in the present paper an attempt is made by adding nano sized particles into conventional cutting fluids. Taguchi Robust Design Methodology is employed in order to study the performance characteristics of different turning parameters i.e. cutting speed, feed rate, depth of cut and type of tool under different machining environments i.e. dry machining, machining with lubricant - SAE 40 and machining with mixture of nano sized particles of Boric acid and base fluid SAE 40. A series of turning operations were performed using L27 (3)13 orthogonal array, considering high cutting speeds and the other machining parameters to measure hardness. The results are compared among the different machining environments, and it is concluded that there is considerable improvement in the machining performance using lubricant SAE 40 and mixture of SAE 40 + boric acid compared with dry machining. The ANOVA suggests that the selected parameters and the interactions are significant and cutting speed has most significant effect on hardness.

  6. ERPs evidence for the relationship between fluid intelligence and cognitive control.

    PubMed

    Lu, Di; Zhang, Haoyun; Kang, Chunyan; Guo, Taomei

    2016-04-13

    The relationship between two components of cognitive control, that is, proactive control and reactive control, and fluid intelligence was investigated by measuring 75 participants' event-related potentials in the AX version of the continuous performance test. The results showed that the mean amplitudes of N2 associated with the two components of cognitive control are highly correlated with fluid intelligence. Specifically, a larger N2 was shown in participants with higher fluid intelligence scores. No significant correlation was found in the peak latencies of the N2 and fluid intelligence. These results enrich our understanding of the relationship between cognitive control and fluid intelligence by using the N2 component as an index and also indicate that cognitive control may be a component of intelligence.

  7. Review of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) researches on nano fluid flow through micro channel

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dewangan, Satish Kumar

    2018-05-01

    Nanofluid is becoming a promising heat transfer fluids due to its improved thermo-physical properties and heat transfer performance. Micro channel heat transfer has potential application in the cooling high power density microchips in CPU system, micro power systems and many such miniature thermal systems which need advanced cooling capacity. Use of nanofluids enhances the effectiveness of t=scu systems. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is a very powerful tool in computational analysis of the various physical processes. It application to the situations of flow and heat transfer analysis of the nano fluids is catching up very fast. Present research paper gives a brief account of the methodology of the CFD and also summarizes its application on nano fluid and heat transfer for microchannel cases.

  8. Simulations of turbulent rotating flows using a subfilter scale stress model derived from the partially integrated transport modeling method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chaouat, Bruno

    2012-04-01

    The partially integrated transport modeling (PITM) method [B. Chaouat and R. Schiestel, "A new partially integrated transport model for subgrid-scale stresses and dissipation rate for turbulent developing flows," Phys. Fluids 17, 065106 (2005), 10.1063/1.1928607; R. Schiestel and A. Dejoan, "Towards a new partially integrated transport model for coarse grid and unsteady turbulent flow simulations," Theor. Comput. Fluid Dyn. 18, 443 (2005), 10.1007/s00162-004-0155-z; B. Chaouat and R. Schiestel, "From single-scale turbulence models to multiple-scale and subgridscale models by Fourier transform," Theor. Comput. Fluid Dyn. 21, 201 (2007), 10.1007/s00162-007-0044-3; B. Chaouat and R. Schiestel, "Progress in subgrid-scale transport modelling for continuous hybrid non-zonal RANS/LES simulations," Int. J. Heat Fluid Flow 30, 602 (2009), 10.1016/j.ijheatfluidflow.2009.02.021] viewed as a continuous approach for hybrid RANS/LES (Reynolds averaged Navier-Stoke equations/large eddy simulations) simulations with seamless coupling between RANS and LES regions is used to derive a subfilter scale stress model in the framework of second-moment closure applicable in a rotating frame of reference. This present subfilter scale model is based on the transport equations for the subfilter stresses and the dissipation rate and appears well appropriate for simulating unsteady flows on relatively coarse grids or flows with strong departure from spectral equilibrium because the cutoff wave number can be located almost anywhere inside the spectrum energy. According to the spectral theory developed in the wave number space [B. Chaouat and R. Schiestel, "From single-scale turbulence models to multiple-scale and subgrid-scale models by Fourier transform," Theor. Comput. Fluid Dyn. 21, 201 (2007), 10.1007/s00162-007-0044-3], the coefficients used in this model are no longer constants but they are some analytical functions of a dimensionless parameter controlling the spectral distribution of turbulence. The pressure-strain correlation term encompassed in this model is inspired from the nonlinear SSG model [C. G. Speziale, S. Sarkar, and T. B. Gatski, "Modelling the pressure-strain correlation of turbulence: an invariant dynamical systems approach," J. Fluid Mech. 227, 245 (1991), 10.1017/S0022112091000101] developed initially for homogeneous rotating flows in RANS methodology. It is modeled in system rotation using the principle of objectivity. Its modeling is especially extended in a low Reynolds number version for handling non-homogeneous wall flows. The present subfilter scale stress model is then used for simulating large scales of rotating turbulent flows on coarse and medium grids at moderate, medium, and high rotation rates. It is also applied to perform a simulation on a refined grid at the highest rotation rate. As a result, it is found that the PITM simulations reproduce fairly well the mean features of rotating channel flows allowing a drastic reduction of the computational cost in comparison with the one required for performing highly resolved LES. Overall, the mean velocities and turbulent stresses are found to be in good agreement with the data of highly resolved LES [E. Lamballais, O. Metais, and M. Lesieur, "Spectral-dynamic model for large-eddy simulations of turbulent rotating flow," Theor. Comput. Fluid Dyn. 12, 149 (1998)]. The anisotropy character of the flow resulting from the rotation effects is also well reproduced in accordance with the reference data. Moreover, the PITM2 simulations performed on the medium grid predict qualitatively well the three-dimensional flow structures as well as the longitudinal roll cells which appear in the anticyclonic wall-region of the rotating flows. As expected, the PITM3 simulation performed on the refined grid reverts to highly resolved LES. The present model based on a rational formulation appears to be an interesting candidate for tackling a large variety of engineering flows subjected to rotation.

  9. Exercise Effects on the Course of Gray Matter Changes Over 70 Days of Bed Rest

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Koppelmans, V.; Ploutz-Snyder, L.; DeDios, Y. E.; Wood, S. J.; Reuter-Lorenz, P. A.; Kofman, I.; Bloomberg, J. J.; Mulavara, A. P.; Seidler, R. D.

    2014-01-01

    Long duration spaceflight affects posture control, locomotion, and manual control. The microgravity environment is an important causal factor for spaceflight induced sensorimotor changes through direct effects on peripheral changes that result from reduced vestibular stimulation and body unloading. Effects of microgravity on sensorimotor function have been investigated on earth using bed rest studies. Long duration bed rest serves as a space-flight analogue because it mimics microgravity in body unloading and bodily fluid shifts. It has been hypothesized that the cephalad fluid shift that has been observed in microgravity could potentially affect central nervous system function and structure, and thereby indirectly affect sensorimotor or cognitive functioning. Preliminary results of one of our ongoing studies indeed showed that 70 days of long duration head down-tilt bed rest results in focal changes in gray matter volume from pre-bed rest to various time points during bed rest. These gray matter changes that could reflect fluid shifts as well as neuroplasticity were related to decrements in motor skills such as maintenance of equilibrium. In consideration of the health and performance of crewmembers both inand post-flight we are currently conducting a study that investigates the potential preventive effects of exercise on gray matter and motor performance changes that we observed over the course of bed rest. Numerous studies have shown beneficial effects of aerobic exercise on brain structure and cognitive performance in healthy and demented subjects over a large age range. We therefore hypothesized that an exercise intervention in bed rest could potentially mitigate or prevent the effects of bed rest on the central nervous system. Here we present preliminary outcomes of our study.

  10. Fluid equations with nonlinear wave-particle resonances^

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mattor, Nathan

    1997-11-01

    We have derived fluid equations that include linear and nonlinear wave-particle resonance effects. This greatly extends previous ``Landau-fluid'' closures, which include linear Landau damping. (G.W. Hammett and F.W. Perkins, Phys. Rev. Lett. 64,) 3019 (1990).^, (Z. Chang and J. D. Callen, Phys. Fluids B 4,) 1167 (1992). The new fluid equations are derived with no approximation regarding nonlinear kinetic interaction, and so additionally include numerous nonlinear kinetic effects. The derivation starts with the electrostatic drift kinetic equation for simplicity, with a Maxwellian distribution function. Fluid closure is accomplished through a simple integration trick applied to the drift kinetic equation, using the property that the nth moment of Maxwellian distribution is related to the nth derivative. The result is a compact closure term appearing in the highest moment equation, a term which involves a plasma dispersion function of the electrostatic field and its derivatives. The new term reduces to the linear closures in appropriate limits, so both approaches retain linear Landau damping. But the nonlinearly closed equations have additional desirable properties. Unlike linear closures, the nonlinear closure retains the time-reversibility of the original kinetic equation. We have shown directly that the nonlinear closure retains at least two nonlinear resonance effects: wave-particle trapping and Compton scattering. Other nonlinear kinetic effects are currently under investigation. The new equations correct two previous discrepancies between kinetic and Landau-fluid predictions, including a propagator discrepancy (N. Mattor, Phys. Fluids B 4,) 3952 (1992). and a numerical discrepancy for the 3-mode shearless bounded slab ITG problem. (S. E. Parker et al.), Phys. Plasmas 1, 1461 (1994). ^* In collaboration with S. E. Parker, Department of Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder. ^ Work performed at LLNL under DoE contract No. W7405-ENG-48.

  11. Nasal airflow simulations suggest convergent adaptation in Neanderthals and modern humans.

    PubMed

    de Azevedo, S; González, M F; Cintas, C; Ramallo, V; Quinto-Sánchez, M; Márquez, F; Hünemeier, T; Paschetta, C; Ruderman, A; Navarro, P; Pazos, B A; Silva de Cerqueira, C C; Velan, O; Ramírez-Rozzi, F; Calvo, N; Castro, H G; Paz, R R; González-José, R

    2017-11-21

    Both modern humans (MHs) and Neanderthals successfully settled across western Eurasian cold-climate landscapes. Among the many adaptations considered as essential to survival in such landscapes, changes in the nasal morphology and/or function aimed to humidify and warm the air before it reaches the lungs are of key importance. Unfortunately, the lack of soft-tissue evidence in the fossil record turns difficult any comparative study of respiratory performance. Here, we reconstruct the internal nasal cavity of a Neanderthal plus two representatives of climatically divergent MH populations (southwestern Europeans and northeastern Asians). The reconstruction includes mucosa distribution enabling a realistic simulation of the breathing cycle in different climatic conditions via computational fluid dynamics. Striking across-specimens differences in fluid residence times affecting humidification and warming performance at the anterior tract were found under cold/dry climate simulations. Specifically, the Asian model achieves a rapid air conditioning, followed by the Neanderthals, whereas the European model attains a proper conditioning only around the medium-posterior tract. In addition, quantitative-genetic evolutionary analyses of nasal morphology provided signals of stabilizing selection for MH populations, with the removal of Arctic populations turning covariation patterns compatible with evolution by genetic drift. Both results indicate that, departing from important craniofacial differences existing among Neanderthals and MHs, an advantageous species-specific respiratory performance in cold climates may have occurred in both species. Fluid dynamics and evolutionary biology independently provided evidence of nasal evolution, suggesting that adaptive explanations regarding complex functional phenotypes require interdisciplinary approaches aimed to quantify both performance and evolutionary signals on covariation patterns.

  12. A comparison of integral equations and density functional theory versus Monte Carlo for hard dumbbells near a hard wall

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Henderson, Douglas; Quintana, Jacqueline; Sokołowski, Stefan

    1995-03-01

    A comparison of Percus-Yevick-Pynn-Lado model theory and a density functional (DF) theory of nonuniform fluids of nonspherical particles is performed. The DF used is a new generalization of Tarazona's theory. The conclusion is that DF theory provides a preferable route to describe the system under consideration. Its accuracy can be improved with better approximation for the direct correlation function (DCF) for bulk system.

  13. Numerical analysis of radiation propagation in innovative volumetric receivers based on selective laser melting techniques

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alberti, Fabrizio; Santiago, Sergio; Roccabruna, Mattia; Luque, Salvador; Gonzalez-Aguilar, Jose; Crema, Luigi; Romero, Manuel

    2016-05-01

    Volumetric absorbers constitute one of the key elements in order to achieve high thermal conversion efficiencies in concentrating solar power plants. Regardless of the working fluid or thermodynamic cycle employed, design trends towards higher absorber output temperatures are widespread, which lead to the general need of components of high solar absorptance, high conduction within the receiver material, high internal convection, low radiative and convective heat losses and high mechanical durability. In this context, the use of advanced manufacturing techniques, such as selective laser melting, has allowed for the fabrication of intricate geometries that are capable of fulfilling the previous requirements. This paper presents a parametric design and analysis of the optical performance of volumetric absorbers of variable porosity conducted by means of detailed numerical ray tracing simulations. Sections of variable macroscopic porosity along the absorber depth were constructed by the fractal growth of single-cell structures. Measures of performance analyzed include optical reflection losses from the absorber front and rear faces, penetration of radiation inside the absorber volume, and radiation absorption as a function of absorber depth. The effects of engineering design parameters such as absorber length and wall thickness, material reflectance and porosity distribution on the optical performance of absorbers are discussed, and general design guidelines are given.

  14. A Fluid-driven Earthquake Cycle, Omori's Law, and Fluid-driven Aftershocks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Miller, S. A.

    2015-12-01

    Few models exist that predict the Omori's Law of aftershock rate decay, with rate-state friction the only physically-based model. ETAS is a probabilistic model of cascading failures, and is sometimes used to infer rate-state frictional properties. However, the (perhaps dominant) role of fluids in the earthquake process is being increasingly realised, so a fluid-based physical model for Omori's Law should be available. In this talk, I present an hypothesis for a fluid-driven earthquake cycle where dehydration and decarbonization at depth provides continuous sources of buoyant high pressure fluids that must eventually make their way back to the surface. The natural pathway for fluid escape is along plate boundaries, where in the ductile regime high pressure fluids likely play an integral role in episodic tremor and slow slip earthquakes. At shallower levels, high pressure fluids pool at the base of seismogenic zones, with the reservoir expanding in scale through the earthquake cycle. Late in the cycle, these fluids can invade and degrade the strength of the brittle crust and contribute to earthquake nucleation. The mainshock opens permeable networks that provide escape pathways for high pressure fluids and generate aftershocks along these flow paths, while creating new pathways by the aftershocks themselves. Thermally activated precipitation then seals up these pathways, returning the system to a low-permeability environment and effective seal during the subsequent tectonic stress buildup. I find that the multiplicative effect of an exponential dependence of permeability on the effective normal stress coupled with an Arrhenius-type, thermally activated exponential reduction in permeability results in Omori's Law. I simulate this scenario using a very simple model that combines non-linear diffusion and a step-wise increase in permeability when a Mohr Coulomb failure condition is met, and allow permeability to decrease as an exponential function in time. I show very strong spatial correlations of the simulated evolved permeability and fluid pressure field with aftershock hypocenters from this 1992 Landers and 1994 Northridge aftershock sequences, and reproduce the observed aftershock decay rates. Controls on the decay rates (p-value) will also be discussed.

  15. 7 CFR 3201.41 - Metalworking fluids.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... feedstock during grinding and machining operations involving unusually high temperatures or corrosion... prevention when applied to metal feedstock during normal grinding and machining operations. (iii) High... percent. (3) High performance soluble, semi-synthetic, and synthetic oils—40 percent. (c) Preference...

  16. 7 CFR 3201.41 - Metalworking fluids.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... feedstock during grinding and machining operations involving unusually high temperatures or corrosion... prevention when applied to metal feedstock during normal grinding and machining operations. (iii) High... percent. (3) High performance soluble, semi-synthetic, and synthetic oils—40 percent. (c) Preference...

  17. 7 CFR 3201.41 - Metalworking fluids.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... feedstock during grinding and machining operations involving unusually high temperatures or corrosion... prevention when applied to metal feedstock during normal grinding and machining operations. (iii) High... percent. (3) High performance soluble, semi-synthetic, and synthetic oils—40 percent. (c) Preference...

  18. Traction contact performance evaluation at high speeds

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tevaarwerk, J. L.

    1981-01-01

    The results of traction tests performed on two fluids are presented. These tests covered a pressure range of 1.0 to 2.5 GPa, an inlet temperature range of 30 'C to 70 'C, a speed range of 10 to 80 m/sec, aspect ratios of .5 to 5 and spin from 0 to 2.1 percent. The test results are presented in the form of two dimensionless parameters, the initial traction slope and the maximum traction peak. With the use of a suitable rheological fluid model the actual traction curves measured can now be reconstituted from the two fluid parameters. More importantly, the knowledge of these parameters together with the fluid rheological model, allow the prediction of traction under conditions of spin, slip and any combination thereof. Comparison between theoretically predicted traction under these conditions and those measured in actual traction tests shows that this method gives good results.

  19. Experimental investigation of nonlinear characteristics of a smart fluid damper

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rahman, Mahmudur; Ong, Zhi Chao; Chong, Wen Tong; Julai, Sabariah; Ahamed, Raju

    2018-05-01

    Smart fluids, known as smart material, are used to form controllable dampers in vibration control applications. Magnetorheological(MR) fluid damper is a well-known smart fluid damper which has a reputation to provide high damping force with low-power input. However, the force/velocity of the MR damper is significantly nonlinear and proper characteristic analysis are required to be studied for optimal implementation in structural vibration control. In this study, an experimental investigation is carried out to test the damping characteristics of MR damper. Dynamic testing is performed with a long-stroke MR damper model no RD-80410-1 from Lord corporation on a universal testing machine(UTM). The force responses of MR damper are measured under different stroke lengths, velocities and current inputs and their performances are analyzed. This study will play a key role to implement MR damper in many structural vibration control applications.

  20. Magneto-rheological fluid shock absorbers for HMMWV

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gordaninejad, Faramarz; Kelso, Shawn P.

    2000-04-01

    This paper presents the development and evaluation of a controllable, semi-active magneto-rheological fluid (MRF) shock absorber for a High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV). The University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) MRF damper is tailored for structures and ground vehicles that undergo a wide range of dynamic loading. It also has the capability for unique rebound and compression characteristics. The new MRF shock absorber emulates the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) shock absorber behavior in passive mode, and provides a wide controllable damping force range. A theoretical study is performed to evaluate the UNR MRF shock absorber. The Bingham plastic theory is employed to model the nonlinear behavior of the MR fluid. A fluid-mechanics-based theoretical model along with a three-dimensional finite element electromagnetic analysis is utilized to predict the MRF damper performance. The theoretical results are compared with experimental data and are demonstrated to be in excellent agreement.

  1. Self-contained high-pressure cell, apparatus, and procedure for the preparation of encapsulated proteins dissolved in low viscosity fluids for nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peterson, Ronald W.; Wand, A. Joshua

    2005-09-01

    The design of a sample cell for high-performance nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) at elevated pressure is described. The cell has been optimized for the study of encapsulated proteins dissolved in low viscosity fluids but is suitable for more general nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy of biomolecules at elevated pressure. The NMR cell is comprised of an alumina-toughened zirconia tube mounted on a self-sealing nonmagnetic metallic valve. The cell has several advantages, including relatively low cost, excellent NMR performance, high-pressure tolerance, chemical inertness, and a relatively large active volume. Also described is a low volume sample preparation device that allows for the preparation of samples under high hydrostatic pressure and their subsequent transfer to the NMR cell.

  2. High CO2 levels impair alveolar epithelial function independently of pH.

    PubMed

    Briva, Arturo; Vadász, István; Lecuona, Emilia; Welch, Lynn C; Chen, Jiwang; Dada, Laura A; Trejo, Humberto E; Dumasius, Vidas; Azzam, Zaher S; Myrianthefs, Pavlos M; Batlle, Daniel; Gruenbaum, Yosef; Sznajder, Jacob I

    2007-11-28

    In patients with acute respiratory failure, gas exchange is impaired due to the accumulation of fluid in the lung airspaces. This life-threatening syndrome is treated with mechanical ventilation, which is adjusted to maintain gas exchange, but can be associated with the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the lung. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a by-product of cellular energy utilization and its elimination is affected via alveolar epithelial cells. Signaling pathways sensitive to changes in CO2 levels were described in plants and neuronal mammalian cells. However, it has not been fully elucidated whether non-neuronal cells sense and respond to CO2. The Na,K-ATPase consumes approximately 40% of the cellular metabolism to maintain cell homeostasis. Our study examines the effects of increased pCO2 on the epithelial Na,K-ATPase a major contributor to alveolar fluid reabsorption which is a marker of alveolar epithelial function. We found that short-term increases in pCO2 impaired alveolar fluid reabsorption in rats. Also, we provide evidence that non-excitable, alveolar epithelial cells sense and respond to high levels of CO2, independently of extracellular and intracellular pH, by inhibiting Na,K-ATPase function, via activation of PKCzeta which phosphorylates the Na,K-ATPase, causing it to endocytose from the plasma membrane into intracellular pools. Our data suggest that alveolar epithelial cells, through which CO2 is eliminated in mammals, are highly sensitive to hypercapnia. Elevated CO2 levels impair alveolar epithelial function, independently of pH, which is relevant in patients with lung diseases and altered alveolar gas exchange.

  3. Working Memory and Reasoning Benefit from Different Modes of Large-scale Brain Dynamics in Healthy Older Adults.

    PubMed

    Lebedev, Alexander V; Nilsson, Jonna; Lövdén, Martin

    2018-07-01

    Researchers have proposed that solving complex reasoning problems, a key indicator of fluid intelligence, involves the same cognitive processes as solving working memory tasks. This proposal is supported by an overlap of the functional brain activations associated with the two types of tasks and by high correlations between interindividual differences in performance. We replicated these findings in 53 older participants but also showed that solving reasoning and working memory problems benefits from different configurations of the functional connectome and that this dissimilarity increases with a higher difficulty load. Specifically, superior performance in a typical working memory paradigm ( n-back) was associated with upregulation of modularity (increased between-network segregation), whereas performance in the reasoning task was associated with effective downregulation of modularity. We also showed that working memory training promotes task-invariant increases in modularity. Because superior reasoning performance is associated with downregulation of modular dynamics, training may thus have fostered an inefficient way of solving the reasoning tasks. This could help explain why working memory training does little to promote complex reasoning performance. The study concludes that complex reasoning abilities cannot be reduced to working memory and suggests the need to reconsider the feasibility of using working memory training interventions to attempt to achieve effects that transfer to broader cognition.

  4. Characterization of stratification for an opaque highly stable magnetorheological fluid using vertical axis inductance monitoring system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xie, Lei; Choi, Young-Tai; Liao, Chang-Rong; Wereley, Norman M.

    2015-05-01

    A key requirement for the commercialization of various magnetorheological fluid (MRF)-based applications is sedimentation stability. In this study, a high viscosity linear polysiloxane (HVLP), which has been used for shock absorbers in heavy equipment, is proposed as a new carrier fluid in highly stable MRFs. The HVLP is known to be a thixotropic (i.e., shear thinning) fluid that shows very high viscosity at very low shear rate and low viscosity at higher shear rate. In this study, using the shear rheometer, the significant thixotropic behavior of the HVLP was experimentally confirmed. In addition, a HVLP carrier fluid-based MRF (HVLP MRF) with 26 vol. % was synthesized and its sedimentation characteristics were experimentally investigated. But, because of the opacity of the HVLP MRF, no mudline can be visually observed. Hence, a vertical axis inductance monitoring system (VAIMS) applied to a circular column of fluid was used to evaluate sedimentation behavior by correlating measured inductance with the volume fraction of dispersed particles (i.e., Fe). Using the VAIMS, Fe concentration (i.e., volume fraction) was monitored for 28 days with a measurement taken every four days, as well as one measurement after 96 days to characterize long-term sedimentation stability. Finally, the concentration of the HVLP MRF as a function of the depth in the column and time, as well as the concentration change versus the depth in the column, are presented and compared with those of a commercially available MRF (i.e., Lord MRF-126CD).

  5. Wetting of heterogeneous substrates. A classical density-functional-theory approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yatsyshin, Peter; Parry, Andrew O.; Rascón, Carlos; Duran-Olivencia, Miguel A.; Kalliadasis, Serafim

    2017-11-01

    Wetting is a nucleation of a third phase (liquid) on the interface between two different phases (solid and gas). In many experimentally accessible cases of wetting, the interplay between the substrate structure, and the fluid-fluid and fluid-substrate intermolecular interactions leads to the appearance of a whole ``zoo'' of exciting interface phase transitions, associated with the formation of nano-droplets/bubbles, and thin films. Practical applications of wetting at small scales are numerous and include the design of lab-on-a-chip devices and superhydrophobic surfaces. In this talk, we will use a fully microscopic approach to explore the phase space of a planar wall, decorated with patches of different hydrophobicity, and demonstrate the highly non-trivial behaviour of the liquid-gas interface near the substrate. We will present fluid density profiles, adsorption isotherms and wetting phase diagrams. Our analysis is based on a formulation of statistical mechanics, commonly known as classical density-functional theory. It provides a computationally-friendly and rigorous framework, suitable for probing small-scale physics of classical fluids and other soft-matter systems. EPSRC Grants No. EP/L027186,EP/K503733;ERC Advanced Grant No. 247031.

  6. Key parameters controlling the performance of catalytic motors

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Esplandiu, Maria J.; Afshar Farniya, Ali; Reguera, David, E-mail: dreguera@ub.edu

    2016-03-28

    The development of autonomous micro/nanomotors driven by self-generated chemical gradients is a topic of high interest given their potential impact in medicine and environmental remediation. Although impressive functionalities of these devices have been demonstrated, a detailed understanding of the propulsion mechanism is still lacking. In this work, we perform a comprehensive numerical analysis of the key parameters governing the actuation of bimetallic catalytic micropumps. We show that the fluid motion is driven by self-generated electro-osmosis where the electric field originates by a proton current rather than by a lateral charge asymmetry inside the double layer. Hence, the surface potential andmore » the electric field are the key parameters for setting the pumping strength and directionality. The proton flux that generates the electric field stems from the proton gradient induced by the electrochemical reactions taken place at the pump. Surprisingly the electric field and consequently the fluid flow are mainly controlled by the ionic strength and not by the conductivity of the solution, as one could have expected. We have also analyzed the influence of the chemical fuel concentration, electrochemical reaction rates, and size of the metallic structures for an optimized pump performance. Our findings cast light on the complex chemomechanical actuation of catalytic motors and provide important clues for the search, design, and optimization of novel catalytic actuators.« less

  7. Tissue Specificity of Human Angiotensin I-Converting Enzyme

    PubMed Central

    Kryukova, Olga V.; Tikhomirova, Victoria E.; Golukhova, Elena Z.; Evdokimov, Valery V.; Kalantarov, Gavreel F.; Trakht, Ilya N.; Schwartz, David E.; Dull, Randal O.; Gusakov, Alexander V.; Uporov, Igor V.; Kost, Olga A.; Danilov, Sergei M.

    2015-01-01

    Background Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), which metabolizes many peptides and plays a key role in blood pressure regulation and vascular remodeling, as well as in reproductive functions, is expressed as a type-1 membrane glycoprotein on the surface of endothelial and epithelial cells. ACE also presents as a soluble form in biological fluids, among which seminal fluid being the richest in ACE content - 50-fold more than that in blood. Methods/Principal Findings We performed conformational fingerprinting of lung and seminal fluid ACEs using a set of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to 17 epitopes of human ACE and determined the effects of potential ACE-binding partners on mAbs binding to these two different ACEs. Patterns of mAbs binding to ACEs from lung and from seminal fluid dramatically differed, which reflects difference in the local conformations of these ACEs, likely due to different patterns of ACE glycosylation in the lung endothelial cells and epithelial cells of epididymis/prostate (source of seminal fluid ACE), confirmed by mass-spectrometry of ACEs tryptic digests. Conclusions Dramatic differences in the local conformations of seminal fluid and lung ACEs, as well as the effects of ACE-binding partners on mAbs binding to these ACEs, suggest different regulation of ACE functions and shedding from epithelial cells in epididymis and prostate and endothelial cells of lung capillaries. The differences in local conformation of ACE could be the base for the generation of mAbs distingushing tissue-specific ACEs. PMID:26600189

  8. Analog model for quantum gravity effects: phonons in random fluids.

    PubMed

    Krein, G; Menezes, G; Svaiter, N F

    2010-09-24

    We describe an analog model for quantum gravity effects in condensed matter physics. The situation discussed is that of phonons propagating in a fluid with a random velocity wave equation. We consider that there are random fluctuations in the reciprocal of the bulk modulus of the system and study free phonons in the presence of Gaussian colored noise with zero mean. We show that, in this model, after performing the random averages over the noise function a free conventional scalar quantum field theory describing free phonons becomes a self-interacting model.

  9. Space processing applications payload equipment study. Volume 2A: Experiment requirements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smith, A. G.; Anderson, W. T., Jr.

    1974-01-01

    An analysis of the space processing applications payload equipment was conducted. The primary objective was to perform a review and an update of the space processing activity research equipment requirements and specifications that were derived in the first study. The analysis is based on the six major experimental classes of: (1) biological applications, (2) chemical processes in fluids, (3) crystal growth, (4) glass technology, (5) metallurgical processes, and (6) physical processes in fluids. Tables of data are prepared to show the functional requirements for the areas of investigation.

  10. Ceramides: a potential therapeutic target in pulmonary emphysema.

    PubMed

    Tibboel, Jeroen; Reiss, Irwin; de Jongste, Johan C; Post, Martin

    2013-10-01

    The aim of this manuscript was to characterize airway ceramide profiles in a rodent model of elastase-induced emphysema and to examine the effect of pharmacological intervention directed towards ceramide metabolism. Adult mice were anesthetized and treated with an intratracheal instillation of elastase. Lung function was measured, broncho-alveolar lavage fluid collected and histological and morphometrical analysis of lung tissue performed within 3 weeks after elastase injection, with and without sphingomyelinase inhibitors or serine palmitoyltransferase inhibitor. Ceramides in broncho-alveolar lavage (BAL) fluid were quantified by tandem mass spectrometry. BAL fluid showed a transient increase in total protein and IgM, and activated macrophages and neutrophils. Ceramides were transiently upregulated at day 2 after elastase treatment. Histology showed persistent patchy alveolar destruction at day 2 after elastase installation. Acid and neutral sphingomyelinase inhibitors had no effect on BAL ceramide levels, lung function or histology. Addition of a serine palmitoyltransferase inhibitor ameliorated lung function changes and reduced ceramides in BAL. Ceramides were increased during the acute inflammatory phase of elastase-induced lung injury. Since addition of a serine palmitoyltransferase inhibitor diminished the rise in ceramides and ameliorated lung function, ceramides likely contributed to the early phase of alveolar destruction and are a potential therapeutic target in the elastase model of lung emphysema.

  11. Mechanical and Physical Properties of Both Unaged and Aged Coflon and Tefzel. Revised 18 Mar. 1997

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Samulak, M.; Campion, R. P.

    1996-01-01

    This report deals with all recent mechanical testing performed on variously aged samples of Coflon and TefzeL to complete the work for Phase 1. Earlier results were reported in CAPP/M.7. Fluids A, F, G, and I have all been used for ageing in the last 12 month period, with particular attention concentrated on the effects of Fluid F as a result of discussions at the December 1995 steering committee meeting in Austin. Dramatic mechanical and physical changes occurred to Coflon in our initial studies after 4 weeks at 120 C in this sour gas mixture and so a detailed matrix was drawn up to investigate the effects of time and temperature of exposure. Subsequent tensile tests and compact tension (CT) fatigue tests were performed. Fatigue testing has been limited during this period to Coflon only; however, Tefzel CT samples have been exposed to the same conditions as the Coflon allowing the possibility for fatigue tests to be performed at a later date. Fluid A exposures during the last 6 months have been long-term at 65 C, 100 C and 120 C only. These exposures have been a continuation of earlier work and will complete the investigation of this fluid. Other chemical ageings have involved Fluid G at 120 C to confirm and investigate the hostile nature of this fluid on Coflon. Again, this fluid will not be used in Phase 2. Finally, long-term exposures in Fluid 1, a high aromatic oil mixture, were carried out to investigate the effects on the polymers of aromaticity in a simulated service fluid.

  12. Meconium concentration and amniotic fluid index influence the outcome of amnioinfusion.

    PubMed

    Puertas, A; Carrillo, M P; çlvarez, M; Cañizares, J M; Miño, M; Malde, J

    2001-10-01

    To determine the usefulness of amnioinfusion as a function of meconium concentration and amniotic fluid index. This was a prospective study of 206 pregnant women in whom amniotic fluid was moderately or heavily stained with meconium, according to subjective evaluation. The women were assigned randomly to receive amnioinfusion (n=103) or no amnioinfusion (control group, n=103). The results were compared in women with =/<15 % or >15 % meconium in the amniotic fluid (measured by centrifugation), and in women in whom the amniotic fluid index calculated 60 min after insertion of the amnioinfusion catheter was <10 or =/>10. In women with >15% meconium, amnioinfusion decreased the rate of cesarian sections motivated by fetal distress (2.5% vs 22.2%), and in women with =/<15% meconium, amnioinfusion decreased the presence of meconium below the vocal cords (6.4% vs 25.9%). Greater benefits after amnioinfusion were seen in women with an amniotic fluid index =/>10: the rate of cesarian sections was lower (1.3% vs 13.3%), as was the frequency of meconium below the vocal cords (10.1% vs 33.3%). Beneficial effects of amnioinfusion were seen in women with high and low concentrations of meconium, and with high and low amniotic fluid indexes. These criteria should therefore not be used to decide whether amnioinfusion is indicated when the amniotic fluid is moderately or heavily stained with meconium.

  13. Homogenization of one-dimensional draining through heterogeneous porous media including higher-order approximations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Anderson, Daniel M.; McLaughlin, Richard M.; Miller, Cass T.

    2018-02-01

    We examine a mathematical model of one-dimensional draining of a fluid through a periodically-layered porous medium. A porous medium, initially saturated with a fluid of a high density is assumed to drain out the bottom of the porous medium with a second lighter fluid replacing the draining fluid. We assume that the draining layer is sufficiently dense that the dynamics of the lighter fluid can be neglected with respect to the dynamics of the heavier draining fluid and that the height of the draining fluid, represented as a free boundary in the model, evolves in time. In this context, we neglect interfacial tension effects at the boundary between the two fluids. We show that this problem admits an exact solution. Our primary objective is to develop a homogenization theory in which we find not only leading-order, or effective, trends but also capture higher-order corrections to these effective draining rates. The approximate solution obtained by this homogenization theory is compared to the exact solution for two cases: (1) the permeability of the porous medium varies smoothly but rapidly and (2) the permeability varies as a piecewise constant function representing discrete layers of alternating high/low permeability. In both cases we are able to show that the corrections in the homogenization theory accurately predict the position of the free boundary moving through the porous medium.

  14. Standard on microbiological management of fluids for hemodialysis and related therapies by the Japanese Society for Dialysis Therapy 2008.

    PubMed

    Kawanishi, Hideki; Akiba, Takashi; Masakane, Ikuto; Tomo, Tadashi; Mineshima, Michio; Kawasaki, Tadayuki; Hirakata, Hideki; Akizawa, Tadao

    2009-04-01

    The Committee of Scientific Academy of the Japanese Society for Dialysis Therapy (JSDT) proposes a new standard on microbiological management of fluids for hemodialysis and related therapies. This standard is within the scope of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), which is currently under revision. This standard is to be applied to the central dialysis fluid delivery systems (CDDS), which are widely used in Japan. In this standard, microbiological qualities for dialysis water and dialysis fluids are clearly defined by endotoxin level and bacterial count. The qualities of dialysis fluids were classified into three levels: standard, ultrapure, and online prepared substitution fluid. In addition, the therapeutic application of each dialysis fluid is clarified. Since high-performance dialyzers are frequently used in Japan, the standard recommends that ultrapure dialysis fluid be used for all dialysis modalities at all dialysis facilities. It also recommends that the dialysis equipment safety management committee at each facility should validate the microbiological qualities of online prepared substitution fluid.

  15. Numerical simulation of stress distribution in Inconel 718 components realized by metal injection molding during supercritical debinding

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Agne, Aboubakry; Barrière, Thierry

    2018-05-01

    Metal injection molding (MIM) is a process combining advantages of thermoplastic injection molding and powder metallurgy process in order to manufacture components with complex and near net-shape geometries. The debinding of a green component can be performed in two steps, first by using solvent debinding in order to extract the organic part of the binder and then by thermal degradation of the rest of the binder. A shorter and innovative method for extracting an organic binder involves the use of supercritical fluid instead of a regular solvent. The debinding via a supercritical fluid was recently investigated to extract organic binders contained in components obtained by Metal Injection Molding. It consists to put the component in an enclosure subjected to high pressure and temperature. The supercritical fluid has various properties depending on these two conditions, e.g., density and viscosity. The high-pressure combined with the high temperature during the process affect the component structure. Three mechanisms contributing to the deformation of the component can been differentiated: thermal expansion, binder extraction and supercritical fluid effect on the outer surfaces of the component. If one supposes that, the deformation due to binder extraction is negligible, thermal expansion and the fluid effect are probably the main mechanisms that can produce several stress. A finite-element model, which couples fluid-structures interaction and structural mechanics, has been developed and performed on the Comsol Multiphysics® finite-element software platform allowed to estimate the stress distribution during the supercritical debinding of MIM component composed of Inconel 718 powders, polypropylene, polyethylene glycol and stearic acid as binder. The proposed numerical simulations allow the estimation of the stress distribution with respect to the processing parameters for MIM components during the supercritical debinding process using a stationary solver.

  16. High-performance colorimeter with an electronic bubble gate for use in miniaturized continuous-flow analyzers.

    PubMed

    Neeley, W E; Wardlaw, S C; Yates, T; Hollingsworth, W G; Swinnen, M E

    1976-02-01

    We describe a high-performance colorimeter with an electronic bubble gate for use with miniaturized continuous-flow analyzers. The colorimeter has a flow-through cuvette with optically flat quartz windows that allows a bubbled stream to pass freely without any breakup or retention of bubbles. The fluid volume in the light path is only 1.8 mul. The electronic bubble gate selectively removes that portion of the photodector signal produced by the air bubbles passing through the flow cell and allows that portion of the signal attributable to the fluid segment to pass to the recorder. The colorimeter is easy to use, rugged, inexpensive, and requires minimal adjustments.

  17. Characterization of ion-assisted induced absorption in A-Si thin-films used for multivariate optical computing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nayak, Aditya B.; Price, James M.; Dai, Bin; Perkins, David; Chen, Ding Ding; Jones, Christopher M.

    2015-06-01

    Multivariate optical computing (MOC), an optical sensing technique for analog calculation, allows direct and robust measurement of chemical and physical properties of complex fluid samples in high-pressure/high-temperature (HP/HT) downhole environments. The core of this MOC technology is the integrated computational element (ICE), an optical element with a wavelength-dependent transmission spectrum designed to allow the detector to respond sensitively and specifically to the analytes of interest. A key differentiator of this technology is it uses all of the information present in the broadband optical spectrum to determine the proportion of the analyte present in a complex fluid mixture. The detection methodology is photometric in nature; therefore, this technology does not require a spectrometer to measure and record a spectrum or a computer to perform calculations on the recorded optical spectrum. The integrated computational element is a thin-film optical element with a specific optical response function designed for each analyte. The optical response function is achieved by fabricating alternating layers of high-index (a-Si) and low-index (SiO2) thin films onto a transparent substrate (BK7 glass) using traditional thin-film manufacturing processes (e.g., ion-assisted e-beam vacuum deposition). A proprietary software and process are used to control the thickness and material properties, including the optical constants of the materials during deposition to achieve the desired optical response function. The ion-assisted deposition is useful for controlling the densification of the film, stoichiometry, and material optical constants as well as to achieve high deposition growth rates and moisture-stable films. However, the ion-source can induce undesirable absorption in the film; and subsequently, modify the optical constants of the material during the ramp-up and stabilization period of the e-gun and ion-source, respectively. This paper characterizes the unwanted absorption in the a-Si thin-film using advanced thin-film metrology methods, including spectroscopic ellipsometry and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The resulting analysis identifies a fundamental mechanism contributing to this absorption and a method for minimizing and accounting for the unwanted absorption in the thin-film such that the exact optical response function can be achieved.

  18. Metabolomic profiling in inner ear fluid by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry in guinea pig cochlea.

    PubMed

    Fujita, Takeshi; Yamashita, Daisuke; Irino, Yasuhiro; Kitamoto, Junko; Fukuda, Yuriko; Inokuchi, Go; Hasegawa, Shingo; Otsuki, Naoki; Yoshida, Masaru; Nibu, Ken-ichi

    2015-10-08

    The composition and homeostasis of inner ear fluids are important in hearing function. The purpose of this study was to perform metabolomic analysis of the inner ear fluid in guinea pig cochlea, which has not been previously reported in literature, using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Seventy-seven kinds of metabolites were detected in the inner ear fluid. Six metabolites, ascorbic acid, fructose, galactosamine, inositol, pyruvate+oxaloacetic acid, and meso-erythritol, were significantly more abundant, and nine metabolites, phosphate, valine, glycine, glycerol, ornithine, glucose, citric acid+isocitric acid, mannose, and trans-4-hydroxy-L-proline, were less abundant in the inner ear fluid than in plasma. The levels of ten metabolites, 3-hydroxy-butyrate, glycerol, fumaric acid, galactosamine, pyruvate+oxaloacetic acid, phosphate, meso-erythritol, citric acid+isocitric acid, mannose, and inositol, in the inner ear fluid significantly changed after loud noise exposure. These observations may help to elucidate various clinical conditions of sensorineural hearing loss, including noise-induced hearing loss. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Monte Carlo simulations of dipolar and quadrupolar linear Kihara fluids. A test of thermodynamic perturbation theory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Garzon, B.

    Several simulations of dipolar and quadrupolar linear Kihara fluids using the Monte Carlo method in the canonical ensemble have been performed. Pressure and internal energy have been directly determined from simulations and Helmholtz free energy using thermodynamic integration. Simulations were carried out for fluids of fixed elongation at two different densities and several values of temperature and dipolar or quadrupolar moment for each density. Results are compared with the perturbation theory developed by Boublik for this same type of fluid and good agreement between simulated and theoretical values was obtained especially for quadrupole fluids. Simulations are also used to obtain the liquid structure giving the first few coefficients of the expansion of pair correlation functions in terms of spherical harmonics. Estimations of the triple point temperature to critical temperature ratio are given for some dipole and quadrupole linear fluids. The stability range of the liquid phase of these substances is shortly discussed and an analysis about the opposite roles of the dipole moment and the molecular elongation on this stability is also given.

  20. Variable mixture ratio performance through nitrogen augmentation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Beichel, R.; Obrien, C. J.; Bair, E. K.

    1988-01-01

    High/variable mixture ratio O2/H2 candidate engine cycles are examined for earth-to-orbit vehicle application. Engine performance and power balance information are presented for the candidate cycles relative to chamber pressure, bulk density, and mixture ratio. Included in the cycle screening are concepts where a third fluid (liquid nitrogen) is used to achieve a variable mixture ratio over the trajectory from liftoff to earth orbit. The third fluid cycles offer a very low risk, fully reusable, low operation cost alternative to high/variable mixture ratio bipropellant cycles. Variable mixture ratio engines with extendible nozzle are slightly lower performing than a single mixture ratio engine (MR = 7:1) with extendible nozzle. Dual expander engines (MR = 7:1) have slightly better performance than the single mixture ratio engine. Dual fuel dual expander engines offer a 16 percent improvement over the single mixture ratio engine.

  1. Unsteady Analyses of Valve Systems in Rocket Engine Testing Environments

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shipman, Jeremy; Hosangadi, Ashvin; Ahuja, Vineet

    2004-01-01

    This paper discusses simulation technology used to support the testing of rocket propulsion systems by performing high fidelity analyses of feed system components. A generalized multi-element framework has been used to perform simulations of control valve systems. This framework provides the flexibility to resolve the structural and functional complexities typically associated with valve-based high pressure feed systems that are difficult to deal with using traditional Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) methods. In order to validate this framework for control valve systems, results are presented for simulations of a cryogenic control valve at various plug settings and compared to both experimental data and simulation results obtained at NASA Stennis Space Center. A detailed unsteady analysis has also been performed for a pressure regulator type control valve used to support rocket engine and component testing at Stennis Space Center. The transient simulation captures the onset of a modal instability that has been observed in the operation of the valve. A discussion of the flow physics responsible for the instability and a prediction of the dominant modes associated with the fluctuations is presented.

  2. A Catalog of Proteins Expressed in the AG Secreted Fluid during the Mature Phase of the Chinese Mitten Crabs (Eriocheir sinensis)

    PubMed Central

    He, Lin; Li, Qing; Liu, Lihua; Wang, Yuanli; Xie, Jing; Yang, Hongdan; Wang, Qun

    2015-01-01

    The accessory gland (AG) is an important component of the male reproductive system of arthropods, its secretions enhance fertility, some AG proteins bind to the spermatozoa and affect its function and properties. Here we report the first comprehensive catalog of the AG secreted fluid during the mature phase of the Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis). AG proteins were separated by one-dimensional gel electrophoresis and analyzed by reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). Altogether, the mass spectra of 1173 peptides were detected (1067 without decoy and contaminants) which allowed for the identification of 486 different proteins annotated upon the NCBI database (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/) and our transcritptome dataset. The mass spectrometry proteomics data have been deposited at the ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD000700. An extensive description of the AG proteome will help provide the basis for a better understanding of a number of reproductive mechanisms, including potentially spermatophore breakdown, dynamic functional and morphological changes in sperm cells and sperm acrosin enzyme vitality. Thus, the comprehensive catalog of proteins presented here can serve as a valuable reference for future studies of sperm maturation and regulatory mechanisms involved in crustacean reproduction. PMID:26305468

  3. Molecular hydrodynamics: Vortex formation and sound wave propagation

    DOE PAGES

    Han, Kyeong Hwan; Kim, Changho; Talkner, Peter; ...

    2018-01-14

    In the present study, quantitative feasibility tests of the hydrodynamic description of a two-dimensional fluid at the molecular level are performed, both with respect to length and time scales. Using high-resolution fluid velocity data obtained from extensive molecular dynamics simulations, we computed the transverse and longitudinal components of the velocity field by the Helmholtz decomposition and compared them with those obtained from the linearized Navier-Stokes (LNS) equations with time-dependent transport coefficients. By investigating the vortex dynamics and the sound wave propagation in terms of these field components, we confirm the validity of the LNS description for times comparable to ormore » larger than several mean collision times. The LNS description still reproduces the transverse velocity field accurately at smaller times, but it fails to predict characteristic patterns of molecular origin visible in the longitudinal velocity field. Based on these observations, we validate the main assumptions of the mode-coupling approach. The assumption that the velocity autocorrelation function can be expressed in terms of the fluid velocity field and the tagged particle distribution is found to be remarkably accurate even for times comparable to or smaller than the mean collision time. This suggests that the hydrodynamic-mode description remains valid down to the molecular scale.« less

  4. Numerical investigation of saturated upward flow boiling of water in a vertical tube using VOF model: effect of different boundary conditions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hasanpour, B.; Irandoost, M. S.; Hassani, M.; Kouhikamali, R.

    2018-01-01

    In this paper a numerical simulation of upward two-phase flow evaporation in a vertical tube has been studied by considering water as working fluid. To this end, the computational fluid dynamic simulations of this system are performed with heat and mass transfer mechanisms due to energy transfer during the phase change interaction near the heat transfer surface. The volume of fluid model in an available Eulerian-Eulerian approach based on finite volume method is utilized and the mass source term in conservation of mass equation is implemented using a user defined function. The characteristics of water flow boiling such as void fraction and heat transfer coefficient distribution are investigated. The main cause of fluctuations on heat transfer coefficient and volume fraction is velocity increment in the vapor phase rather than the liquid phase. The case study of this research including convective heat transfer coefficient and tube diameter are considered as a parametric study. The operating conditions are considered at high pressure in saturation temperature and the physical properties of water are determined by considering system's inlet temperature and pressure in saturation conditions. Good agreement is achieved between the numerical and the experimental values of heat transfer coefficients.

  5. Numerical investigation of saturated upward flow boiling of water in a vertical tube using VOF model: effect of different boundary conditions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hasanpour, B.; Irandoost, M. S.; Hassani, M.; Kouhikamali, R.

    2018-07-01

    In this paper a numerical simulation of upward two-phase flow evaporation in a vertical tube has been studied by considering water as working fluid. To this end, the computational fluid dynamic simulations of this system are performed with heat and mass transfer mechanisms due to energy transfer during the phase change interaction near the heat transfer surface. The volume of fluid model in an available Eulerian-Eulerian approach based on finite volume method is utilized and the mass source term in conservation of mass equation is implemented using a user defined function. The characteristics of water flow boiling such as void fraction and heat transfer coefficient distribution are investigated. The main cause of fluctuations on heat transfer coefficient and volume fraction is velocity increment in the vapor phase rather than the liquid phase. The case study of this research including convective heat transfer coefficient and tube diameter are considered as a parametric study. The operating conditions are considered at high pressure in saturation temperature and the physical properties of water are determined by considering system's inlet temperature and pressure in saturation conditions. Good agreement is achieved between the numerical and the experimental values of heat transfer coefficients.

  6. Molecular hydrodynamics: Vortex formation and sound wave propagation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Han, Kyeong Hwan; Kim, Changho; Talkner, Peter

    In the present study, quantitative feasibility tests of the hydrodynamic description of a two-dimensional fluid at the molecular level are performed, both with respect to length and time scales. Using high-resolution fluid velocity data obtained from extensive molecular dynamics simulations, we computed the transverse and longitudinal components of the velocity field by the Helmholtz decomposition and compared them with those obtained from the linearized Navier-Stokes (LNS) equations with time-dependent transport coefficients. By investigating the vortex dynamics and the sound wave propagation in terms of these field components, we confirm the validity of the LNS description for times comparable to ormore » larger than several mean collision times. The LNS description still reproduces the transverse velocity field accurately at smaller times, but it fails to predict characteristic patterns of molecular origin visible in the longitudinal velocity field. Based on these observations, we validate the main assumptions of the mode-coupling approach. The assumption that the velocity autocorrelation function can be expressed in terms of the fluid velocity field and the tagged particle distribution is found to be remarkably accurate even for times comparable to or smaller than the mean collision time. This suggests that the hydrodynamic-mode description remains valid down to the molecular scale.« less

  7. ANL/RBC: A computer code for the analysis of Rankine bottoming cycles, including system cost evaluation and off-design performance

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mclennan, G. A.

    1986-01-01

    This report describes, and is a User's Manual for, a computer code (ANL/RBC) which calculates cycle performance for Rankine bottoming cycles extracting heat from a specified source gas stream. The code calculates cycle power and efficiency and the sizes for the heat exchangers, using tabular input of the properties of the cycle working fluid. An option is provided to calculate the costs of system components from user defined input cost functions. These cost functions may be defined in equation form or by numerical tabular data. A variety of functional forms have been included for these functions and they may be combined to create very general cost functions. An optional calculation mode can be used to determine the off-design performance of a system when operated away from the design-point, using the heat exchanger areas calculated for the design-point.

  8. Optimization of Magneto-Rheological Damper for Maximizing Magnetic Flux Density in the Fluid Flow Gap Through FEA and GA Approaches

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Krishna, Hemanth; Kumar, Hemantha; Gangadharan, Kalluvalappil

    2017-08-01

    A magneto rheological (MR) fluid damper offers cost effective solution for semiactive vibration control in an automobile suspension. The performance of MR damper is significantly depends on the electromagnetic circuit incorporated into it. The force developed by MR fluid damper is highly influenced by the magnetic flux density induced in the fluid flow gap. In the present work, optimization of electromagnetic circuit of an MR damper is discussed in order to maximize the magnetic flux density. The optimization procedure was proposed by genetic algorithm and design of experiments techniques. The result shows that the fluid flow gap size less than 1.12 mm cause significant increase of magnetic flux density.

  9. Parallel Three-Dimensional Computation of Fluid Dynamics and Fluid-Structure Interactions of Ram-Air Parachutes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tezduyar, Tayfun E.

    1998-01-01

    This is a final report as far as our work at University of Minnesota is concerned. The report describes our research progress and accomplishments in development of high performance computing methods and tools for 3D finite element computation of aerodynamic characteristics and fluid-structure interactions (FSI) arising in airdrop systems, namely ram-air parachutes and round parachutes. This class of simulations involves complex geometries, flexible structural components, deforming fluid domains, and unsteady flow patterns. The key components of our simulation toolkit are a stabilized finite element flow solver, a nonlinear structural dynamics solver, an automatic mesh moving scheme, and an interface between the fluid and structural solvers; all of these have been developed within a parallel message-passing paradigm.

  10. Zero Boil-Off Tank (ZBOT) Experiment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mcquillen, John

    2016-01-01

    The Zero-Boil-Off Tank (ZBOT) experiment has been developed as a small scale ISS experiment aimed at delineating important fluid flow, heat and mass transport, and phase change phenomena that affect cryogenic storage tank pressurization and pressure control in microgravity. The experiments use a simulant transparent low boiling point fluid (PnP) in a sealed transparent Dewar to study and quantify: (a) fluid flow and thermal stratification during pressurization; (b) mixing, thermal destratification, depressurization, and jet-ullage penetration during pressure control by jet mixing. The experiment will provide valuable microgravity empirical two-phase data associated with the above-mentioned physical phenomena through highly accurate local wall and fluid temperature and pressure measurements, full-field phase-distribution and flow visualization. Moreover, the experiments are performed under tightly controlled and definable heat transfer boundary conditions to provide reliable high-fidelity data and precise input as required for validation verification of state-of-the-art two-phase CFD models developed as part of this research and by other groups in the international scientific and cryogenic fluid management communities.

  11. Numerical simulation of the cavitation characteristics of a mixed-flow pump

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, T.; Li, S. R.; Li, W. Z.; Liu, Y. L.; Wu, D. Z.; Wang, L. Q.

    2013-12-01

    As a kind of general equipment for fluid transportation, pumps were widely used in industry which includes many applications of high pressure, temperature and toxic fluids transportations. Performances of pumps affect the safety and reliability of the whole special equipment system. Cavitation in pumps cause the loss of performance and erosion of the blade, which could affect the running stability and reliability of the pump system. In this paper, a kind of numerical method for cavitaion performance prediction was presented. In order to investigate the accuracy of the method, CFD flow analysis and cavitation performance predictions of a mixed-flow pump were carried out. The numerical results were compared with the test results.

  12. Injector design for liner-on-target gas-puff experiments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Valenzuela, J. C.; Krasheninnikov, I.; Conti, F.; Wessel, F.; Fadeev, V.; Narkis, J.; Ross, M. P.; Rahman, H. U.; Ruskov, E.; Beg, F. N.

    2017-11-01

    We present the design of a gas-puff injector for liner-on-target experiments. The injector is composed of an annular high atomic number (e.g., Ar and Kr) gas and an on-axis plasma gun that delivers an ionized deuterium target. The annular supersonic nozzle injector has been studied using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations to produce a highly collimated (M > 5), ˜1 cm radius gas profile that satisfies the theoretical requirement for best performance on ˜1-MA current generators. The CFD simulations allowed us to study output density profiles as a function of the nozzle shape, gas pressure, and gas composition. We have performed line-integrated density measurements using a continuous wave (CW) He-Ne laser to characterize the liner gas density. The measurements agree well with the CFD values. We have used a simple snowplow model to study the plasma sheath acceleration in a coaxial plasma gun to help us properly design the target injector.

  13. Injector design for liner-on-target gas-puff experiments.

    PubMed

    Valenzuela, J C; Krasheninnikov, I; Conti, F; Wessel, F; Fadeev, V; Narkis, J; Ross, M P; Rahman, H U; Ruskov, E; Beg, F N

    2017-11-01

    We present the design of a gas-puff injector for liner-on-target experiments. The injector is composed of an annular high atomic number (e.g., Ar and Kr) gas and an on-axis plasma gun that delivers an ionized deuterium target. The annular supersonic nozzle injector has been studied using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations to produce a highly collimated (M > 5), ∼1 cm radius gas profile that satisfies the theoretical requirement for best performance on ∼1-MA current generators. The CFD simulations allowed us to study output density profiles as a function of the nozzle shape, gas pressure, and gas composition. We have performed line-integrated density measurements using a continuous wave (CW) He-Ne laser to characterize the liner gas density. The measurements agree well with the CFD values. We have used a simple snowplow model to study the plasma sheath acceleration in a coaxial plasma gun to help us properly design the target injector.

  14. Interaction of a shock with a longitudinal vortex

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Erlebacher, Gordon; Hussaini, M. Y.; Shu, Chi-Wang

    1996-01-01

    In this paper we study the shock/longitudinal vortex interaction problem in axisymmetric geometry. Linearized analysis for small vortex strength is performed, and compared with results from a high order axisymmetric shock-fitted Euler solution obtained for this purpose. It is confirmed that for weak vortices, predictions from linear theory agree well with results from nonlinear numerical simulations at the shock location. To handle very strong longitudinal vortices, which may ultimately break the shock, we use an axisymmetric high order essentially non-oscillatory (ENO) shock capturing scheme. Comparison of shock-captured and shock-fitted results are performed in their regions of common validity. We also study the vortex breakdown as a function of Mach number ranging from 1.3 to 10, thus extending the range of existing results. For vortex strengths above a critical value. a triple point forms on the shock and a secondary shock forms to provide the necessary deceleration so that the fluid velocity can adjust to downstream conditions at the shock.

  15. Slump Flows inside Pipes: Numerical Results and Comparison with Experiments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Malekmohammadi, S.; Naccache, M. F.; Frigaard, I. A.; Martinez, D. M.

    2008-07-01

    In this work an analysis of the buoyancy-driven slumping flow inside a pipe is presented. This flow usually occurs when an oil well is sealed by a plug cementing process, where a cement plug is placed inside the pipe filled with a lower density fluid, displacing it towards the upper cylinder wall. Both the cement and the surrounding fluids have a non Newtonian behavior. The cement is viscoplastic and the surrounding fluid presents a shear thinning behavior. A numerical analysis was performed to evaluate the effects of some governing parameters on the slump length development. The conservation equations of mass and momentum were solved via a finite volume technique, using Fluent software (Ansys Inc.). The Volume of Fluid surface-tracking method was used to obtain the interface between the fluids and the slump length as a function of time. The results were obtained for different values of fluids densities differences, fluids rheology and pipe inclinations. The effects of these parameters on the interface shape and on the slump length versus time curve were analyzed. Moreover, the numerical results were compared to experimental ones, but some differences are observed, possibly due to chemical effects at the interface.

  16. Numerical prediction of micro-channel LD heat sink operated with antifreeze based on CFD method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Gang; Liu, Yang; Wang, Chao; Wang, Wentao; Wang, Gang; Tang, Xiaojun

    2014-12-01

    To theoretically study the feasibility of antifreeze coolants applied as cooling fluids for high power LD heat sink, detailed Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis of liquid cooled micro-channels heat sinks is presented. The performance operated with antifreeze coolant (ethylene glycol aqueous solution) compared with pure water are numerical calculated for the heat sinks with the same micro-channels structures. The maximum thermal resistance, total pressure loss (flow resistance), thermal resistance vs. flow-rate, and pressure loss vs. flow-rate etc. characteristics are numerical calculated. The results indicate that the type and temperature of coolants plays an important role on the performance of heat sinks. The whole thermal resistance and pressure loss of heat sinks increase significantly with antifreeze coolants compared with pure water mainly due to its relatively lower thermal conductivity and higher fluid viscosity. The thermal resistance and pressure loss are functions of the flow rate and operation temperature. Increasing of the coolant flow rate can reduce the thermal resistance of heat sinks; meanwhile increase the pressure loss significantly. The thermal resistance tends to a limit with increasing flow rate, while the pressure loss tends to increase exponentially with increasing flow rate. Low operation temperature chiefly increases the pressure loss rather than thermal resistance due to the remarkable increasing of fluid viscosity. The actual working point of the cooling circulation system can be determined on the basis of the pressure drop vs. flow rate curve for the micro-channel heat sink and that for the circulation system. In the same system, if the type or/and temperature of the coolant is changed, the working point is accordingly influenced, that is, working flow rate and pressure is changed simultaneously, due to which the heat sink performance is influenced. According to the numerical simulation results, if ethylene glycol aqueous solution is applied instead of pure water as the coolant under the same or a higher working temperature, the available output of optical power will decrease due to the worse heat sink performance; if applied under a lower working temperature(0 °C, -20 °C), although the heat sink performance become worse, however the temperature difference of heat transfer rises more significantly, the available output of optical power will increase on the contrary.

  17. Roles of interstitial fluid pH in diabetes mellitus: Glycolysis and mitochondrial function

    PubMed Central

    Marunaka, Yoshinori

    2015-01-01

    The pH of body fluids is one the most important key factors regulating various cell function such as enzyme activity and protein-protein interaction via modification of its binding affinity. Therefore, to keep cell function normal, the pH of body fluids is maintained constant by various systems. Insulin resistance is one of the most important, serious factors making the body condition worse in diabetes mellitus. I have recently found that the pH of body (interstitial) fluids is lower in diabetes mellitus than that in non-diabetic control, and that the lowered pH is one of the causes producing insulin resistance. In this review article, I introduce importance of body (interstitial) fluid pH in regulation of body function, evidence on abnormal regulation of body fluid pH in diabetes mellitus, and relationship between the body fluid pH and insulin resistance. Further, this review proposes perspective therapies on the basis of regulation of body fluid pH including propolis (honeybee product) diet. PMID:25685283

  18. Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulation Study of Active Power Control in Wind Plants

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Fleming, Paul; Aho, Jake; Gebraad, Pieter

    2016-08-01

    This paper presents an analysis performed on a wind plant's ability to provide active power control services using a high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics-based wind plant simulator. This approach allows examination of the impact on wind turbine wake interactions within a wind plant on performance of the wind plant controller. The paper investigates several control methods for improving performance in waked conditions. One method uses wind plant wake controls, an active field of research in which wind turbine control systems are coordinated to account for their wakes, to improve the overall performance. Results demonstrate the challenge of providing active power controlmore » in waked conditions but also the potential methods for improving this performance.« less

  19. In-line monitoring of (MR) fluid properties

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kordonski, William; Gorodkin, Sergei; Behlok, Ray

    2015-05-01

    Proper functionality of devices and processes based on (MR) fluids greatly depends, along with other factors, on stability of fluid characteristics such as concentration of magnetic particles and magnetic properties of the particles. The concentration of magnetic particles may change due to evaporation or leakage of carrier fluid, as well as particle sedimentation. Magnetic properties may change due to temperature, corrosion of particles or irreversible aggregation. In-line noninvasive monitoring of particle concentration and magnetic properties allows, in one way or another, compensation for the impact of destabilizing factors and provides system stable output. Two novel methods of in-line measurement of MR fluid magnetic permeability or magnetic particle concentration are considered in this presentation. The first one is based on the principle of mutual inductance and is intended for monitoring MR fluid flowing in pipes or channels. In the second one, permeability is measured by a flash-mount sensor which reacts on changes in the reluctance of the MR fluid layer adjacent to the wall. The use of the methods for stabilization of the material removal rate in high precision finishing process employing aqueous MR fluid is discussed.

  20. Plasmofluidics: Merging Light and Fluids at the Micro-/Nano-Scale

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Mingsong; Zhao, Chenglong; Miao, Xiaoyu; Zhao, Yanhui; Rufo, Joseph

    2016-01-01

    Plasmofluidics is the synergistic integration of plasmonics and micro/nano fluidics in devices and applications in order to enhance performance. There has been significant progress in the emerging field of plasmofluidics in recent years. By utilizing the capability of plasmonics to manipulate light at the nanoscale, combined with the unique optical properties of fluids, and precise manipulation via micro/nano fluidics, plasmofluidic technologies enable innovations in lab-on-a-chip systems, reconfigurable photonic devices, optical sensing, imaging, and spectroscopy. In this review article, we examine and categorize the most recent advances in plasmofluidics into plasmon-enhanced functionalities in microfluidics and microfluidics-enhanced plasmonic devices. The former focuses on plasmonic manipulations of fluids, bubbles, particles, biological cells, and molecules at the micro-/nano-scale. The latter includes technological advances that apply microfluidic principles to enable reconfigurable plasmonic devices and performance-enhanced plasmonic sensors. We conclude with our perspectives on the upcoming challenges, opportunities, and the possible future directions of the emerging field of plasmofluidics. PMID:26140612

  1. Plasmofluidics: Merging Light and Fluids at the Micro-/Nanoscale.

    PubMed

    Wang, Mingsong; Zhao, Chenglong; Miao, Xiaoyu; Zhao, Yanhui; Rufo, Joseph; Liu, Yan Jun; Huang, Tony Jun; Zheng, Yuebing

    2015-09-16

    Plasmofluidics is the synergistic integration of plasmonics and micro/nanofluidics in devices and applications in order to enhance performance. There has been significant progress in the emerging field of plasmofluidics in recent years. By utilizing the capability of plasmonics to manipulate light at the nanoscale, combined with the unique optical properties of fluids and precise manipulation via micro/nanofluidics, plasmofluidic technologies enable innovations in lab-on-a-chip systems, reconfigurable photonic devices, optical sensing, imaging, and spectroscopy. In this review article, the most recent advances in plasmofluidics are examined and categorized into plasmon-enhanced functionalities in microfluidics and microfluidics-enhanced plasmonic devices. The former focuses on plasmonic manipulations of fluids, bubbles, particles, biological cells, and molecules at the micro/nanoscale. The latter includes technological advances that apply microfluidic principles to enable reconfigurable plasmonic devices and performance-enhanced plasmonic sensors. The article is concluded with perspectives on the upcoming challenges, opportunities, and possible future directions of the emerging field of plasmofluidics. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  2. Role of fluids in experimental calcite-bearing faults at seismic deformation conditions.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Violay, M.; Nielsen, S.; Cinti, D.; Spagnuolo, E.; Di Toro, G.; Smith, S.

    2012-04-01

    Fluids play a fundamental physical (fluid pressure, temperature buffering, etc.) and chemical (dissolution, hydrolytic weakening, etc.) role in controlling fault strength and earthquake nucleation, propagation and arrest. However, due to technical challenges, the influence of water at deformation conditions typical of earthquakes (i.e., slip rates of 1 m/s, displacements of 0.1-5 m, normal stress of tens of MPa) remains poorly constrained experimentally. Here we present results from high velocity friction experiments performed with a rotary shear apparatus (SHIVA: Slow to HIgh Velocity (friction) Apparatus) on Carrara marble. SHIVA is equipped with (1) an environmental/vacuum chamber to perform experiments in the absence of room-humidity, (2) a pressure vessel to perform experiments with fluids (up to 15 MPa confining pressure), including devices to determine fluid composition (Ca2+, Mg2+, HCO3-, etc). Experiments were conducted on hollow cylinders (50/30 mm ext/int diameter) of Carrara (98% calcite) marble at velocities of 1-6.5 m/s, displacements up to a few meters, normal stresses up to 40 MPa and fluid pressures between 0 (under vacuum) and 15 MPa (fluid-saturated conditions, with H2O in chemical equilibrium with the marble). Rock and fluid samples were recovered for post-run analysis to determine deformation mechanisms and changes in fluid composition. Under these deformation conditions: 1) the friction coefficient decays rapidly from a peak (= static) μp ~ 0.8 at the initiation of sliding towards a steady-state μss ~ 0.1. The absolute values of both peak and steady-state friction are not significantly influenced by the presence of fluids; 2) the decay from peak to steady-state friction is more abrupt in presence of fluids; 3) during deceleration of the friction apparatus, the friction coefficient recovers almost instantaneously to a value, μr, of 0.2-0.6 ( strength recovery) resulting in a small static stress drop. Strength recovery is smaller in the presence of fluids. 4) the fluid (H2O) after the experiment is enriched in Ca2+, Mg2+ and HCO3-. This chemical evolution suggests breakdown reactions (decarbonation of calcite) promoted by frictional heating and controlled by the presence of H2O. We conclude that the large decrease in friction and abrupt weakening, especially in the presence of fluids, indicates that calcite-bearing rocks are prone to earthquake nucleation and seismic rupture propagation (see the L'Aquila 2009 earthquake sequence). The chemical changes observed in water springs after large earthquakes in carbonatic rocks is similar to those found in these experiments, suggesting that the weakening mechanisms triggered in the experiments might occur in nature.

  3. Microcontroller-driven fluid-injection system for atomic force microscopy.

    PubMed

    Kasas, S; Alonso, L; Jacquet, P; Adamcik, J; Haeberli, C; Dietler, G

    2010-01-01

    We present a programmable microcontroller-driven injection system for the exchange of imaging medium during atomic force microscopy. Using this low-noise system, high-resolution imaging can be performed during this process of injection without disturbance. This latter circumstance was exemplified by the online imaging of conformational changes in DNA molecules during the injection of anticancer drug into the fluid chamber.

  4. Divergence-Free SPH for Incompressible and Viscous Fluids.

    PubMed

    Bender, Jan; Koschier, Dan

    2017-03-01

    In this paper we present a novel Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method for the efficient and stable simulation of incompressible fluids. The most efficient SPH-based approaches enforce incompressibility either on position or velocity level. However, the continuity equation for incompressible flow demands to maintain a constant density and a divergence-free velocity field. We propose a combination of two novel implicit pressure solvers enforcing both a low volume compression as well as a divergence-free velocity field. While a compression-free fluid is essential for realistic physical behavior, a divergence-free velocity field drastically reduces the number of required solver iterations and increases the stability of the simulation significantly. Thanks to the improved stability, our method can handle larger time steps than previous approaches. This results in a substantial performance gain since the computationally expensive neighborhood search has to be performed less frequently. Moreover, we introduce a third optional implicit solver to simulate highly viscous fluids which seamlessly integrates into our solver framework. Our implicit viscosity solver produces realistic results while introducing almost no numerical damping. We demonstrate the efficiency, robustness and scalability of our method in a variety of complex simulations including scenarios with millions of turbulent particles or highly viscous materials.

  5. Preliminary design of an auxiliary power unit for the space shuttle. Volume 5: Selected system cycle performance data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hamilton, M. L.; Burriss, W. L.

    1972-01-01

    Detailed cycle steady-state performance data are presented for the final auxiliary power unit (APU) system configuration. The selection configuration is a hydrogen-oxygen APU incorporating a recuperator to utilize the exhaust energy and using the cycle hydrogen flow as a means of cooling the component heat loads. The data are given in the form of computer printouts and provide the following: (1) verification of the adequacy of the design to meet the problem statement for steady-state performance; (2) overall system performance data for the vehicle system analyst to determine propellant consumption and hydraulic fluid temperature as a function for varying mission profiles, propellant inlet conditions, etc.; and (3) detailed component performance and cycle state point data to show what is happening in the cycle as a function of the external forcing functions.

  6. Functional Performance of Pyrovalves

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bement, Laurence J.

    1996-01-01

    Following several flight and ground test failures of spacecraft systems using single-shot, 'normally closed' pyrotechnically actuated valves (pyrovalves), a government/industry cooperative program was initiated to assess the functional performance of five qualified designs. The goal of the program was to improve performance-based requirements for the procurement of pyrovalves. Specific objectives included the demonstration of performance test methods, the measurement of 'blowby' (the passage of gases from the pyrotechnic energy source around the activating piston into the valve's fluid path), and the quantification of functional margins for each design. Experiments were conducted in-house at NASA on several units each of the five valve designs. The test methods used for this program measured the forces and energies required to actuate the valves, as well as the energies and the pressures (where possible) delivered by the pyrotechnic sources. Functional performance ranged widely among the designs. Blowby cannot be prevented by o-ring seals; metal-to-metal seals were effective. Functional margin was determined by dividing the energy delivered by the pyrotechnic sources in excess to that required to accomplish the function by the energy required for that function. All but two designs had adequate functional margins with the pyrotechnic cartridges evaluated.

  7. Rumen fluid metabolomics analysis associated with feed efficiency on crossbred steers

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The rumen plays a central role in the efficiency of digestion in ruminants. To identify potential differences in rumen function that lead to differences in feed efficiency, rumen metabolomic analysis by ultra-performance liquid chromatography/ time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MS) and multivariate/u...

  8. Correlating contact line capillarity and dynamic contact angle hysteresis in surfactant-nanoparticle based complex fluids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Harikrishnan, A. R.; Dhar, Purbarun; Agnihotri, Prabhat K.; Gedupudi, Sateesh; Das, Sarit K.

    2018-04-01

    Dynamic wettability and contact angle hysteresis can be correlated to shed insight onto any solid-liquid interaction. Complex fluids are capable of altering the expected hysteresis and dynamic wetting behavior due to interfacial interactions. We report the effect of capillary number on the dynamic advancing and receding contact angles of surfactant-based nanocolloidal solutions on hydrophilic, near hydrophobic, and superhydrophobic surfaces by performing forced wetting and de-wetting experiments by employing the embedded needle method. A segregated study is performed to infer the contributing effects of the constituents and effects of particle morphology. The static contact angle hysteresis is found to be a function of particle and surfactant concentrations and greatly depends on the nature of the morphology of the particles. An order of estimate of line energy and a dynamic flow parameter called spreading factor and the transient variations of these parameters are explored which sheds light on the dynamics of contact line movement and response to perturbation of three-phase contact. The Cox-Voinov-Tanner law was found to hold for hydrophilic and a weak dependency on superhydrophobic surfaces with capillary number, and even for the complex fluids, with a varying degree of dependency for different fluids.

  9. A Solar Volumetric Receiver: Influence of Absorbing Cells Configuration on Device Thermal Performance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yilbas, B. S.; Shuja, S. Z.

    2017-01-01

    Thermal performance of a solar volumetric receiver incorporating the different cell geometric configurations is investigated. Triangular, hexagonal, and rectangular absorbing cells are incorporated in the analysis. The fluid volume fraction, which is the ratio of the volume of the working fluid over the total volume of solar volumetric receiver, is introduced to assess the effect of cell size on the heat transfer rates in the receiver. In this case, reducing the fluid volume fraction corresponds to increasing cell size in the receiver. SiC is considered as the cell material, and air is used as the working fluid in the receiver. The Lambert's Beer law is incorporated to account for the solar absorption in the receiver. A finite element method is used to solve the governing equation of flow and heat transfer. It is found that the fluid volume fraction has significant effect on the flow field in the solar volumetric receiver, which also modifies thermal field in the working fluid. The triangular absorbing cell gives rise to improved effectiveness of the receiver and then follows the hexagonal and rectangular cells. The second law efficiency of the receiver remains high when hexagonal cells are used. This occurs for the fluid volume fraction ratio of 0.5.

  10. Cryogenic Fluid Technologies for Long Duration In-Space Operations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Motil, Susan M.; Tramel, Terri L.

    2008-01-01

    Reliable knowledge of low-gravity cryogenic fluid management behavior is lacking and yet is critical in the areas of storage, distribution, and low-gravity propellant management. The Vision for Space Exploration mission objectives will require the use of high performance cryogenic propellants (hydrogen, oxygen, and methane). Additionally, lunar missions will require success in storing and transferring liquid and gas commodities on the surface. The fundamental challenges associated with the in-space use of cryogens are their susceptibility to environmental heat, their complex thermodynamic and fluid dynamic behavior in low gravity and the uncertainty of the position of the liquid-vapor interface if the propellants are not settled. The Cryogenic Fluid Management (CFM) project is addressing these issues through ground testing and analytical model development, and has crosscutting applications and benefits to virtually all missions requiring in-space operations with cryogens. Such knowledge can significantly reduce or even eliminate tank fluid boil-off losses for long term missions, reduce propellant launch mass and on-orbit margins, and simplify vehicle operations. The Cryogenic Fluid Management (CFM) Project is conducting testing and performing analytical evaluation of several areas to enable NASA s Exploration Vision. This paper discusses the content and progress of the technology focus areas within CFM.

  11. Differences in surfactant lipids collected from pleural and pulmonary lining fluids.

    PubMed

    Mills, Paul C; Chen, Yi; Hills, Yvette C; Hills, Brian A

    2005-11-01

    The type and relative importance of saturated and unsaturated phospholipid components of surfactant within the epithelial lining fluid (ELF) of the inner and outer surfaces of the lung is not known. Seven healthy dogs were anesthetized and a bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was performed, immediately followed by a pleural lavage (PL). Lipid was extracted from lavage fluid and then analyzed for saturated, primarily dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC), and unsaturated phosphatidylcholine (PC) species using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with combined fluorescence and ultraviolet detection. Dilution of ELF in lavage fluids was corrected for using the urea method. DPPC (494.7 +/- 213.9 microg/mL) was the predominant PC present in ELF collected from the alveolar surface. In contrast, significantly higher (p = 0.028) proportions of unsaturated PC species were measured in PL fluid (approximately 105 microg/mL), particularly stearoyl-linoleoyl-phosphatidylcholine (SLPC), which could not be measured in fluid collected from the alveoli, compared to DPPC (2.6 +/- 2.0 microg/mL). This study indicates that unsaturated PC species seem to be more important than saturated species, particularly DPPC, in the pleural cavity, which has implications for surfactant replenishment following pleural disease or thoracic surgery.

  12. A cyber-physical approach to experimental fluid mechanics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mackowski, Andrew Williams

    This Thesis documents the design, implementation, and use of a novel type of experimental apparatus, termed Cyber-Physical Fluid Dynamics (CPFD). Unlike traditional fluid mechanics experiments, CPFD is a general-purpose technique that allows one to impose arbitrary forces on an object submerged in a fluid. By combining fluid mechanics with robotics, we can perform experiments that would otherwise be incredibly difficult or time-consuming. More generally, CPFD allows a high degree of automation and control of the experimental process, allowing for much more efficient use of experimental facilities. Examples of CPFD's capabilites include imposing a gravitational force in the horizontal direction (allowing a test object to "fall" sideways in a water channel), simulating nonlinear springs for a vibrating fluid-structure system, or allowing a self-propelled body to move forward under its own force. Because experimental parameters (including forces and even the mass of the test object) are defined in software, one can define entire ensembles of experiments to run autonomously. CPFD additionally integrates related systems such as water channel speed control, LDV flow speed measurements, and PIV flowfield measurements. The end result is a general-purpose experimental system that opens the door to a vast array of fluid-structure interaction problems. We begin by describing the design and implementation of CPFD, the heart of which is a high-performance force-feedback control system. Precise measurement of time-varying forces (including removing effects of the test object's inertia) is more critical here than in typical robotic force-feedback applications. CPFD is based on an integration of ideas from control theory, fluid dynamics, computer science, electrical engineering, and solid mechanics. We also describe experiments using the CPFD experimental apparatus to study vortex-induced vibration (VIV) and oscillating-airfoil propulsion. We show how CPFD can be used to simulate a hypothetical VIV energy harvesting device. By replacing standard linear springs with nonlinear ones, we can broaden the system's frequency response. Next, we transition from bluff bodies to unsteady airfoils, where we begin by measuring the thrust and efficiency of an airfoil pitching about its quarter-chord point. Finally, we examine how the propulsive performance of an oscillating airfoil is improved by the addition of passive dynamics.

  13. Mixing high-viscosity fluids via acoustically driven bubbles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Orbay, Sinem; Ozcelik, Adem; Lata, James; Kaynak, Murat; Wu, Mengxi; Huang, Tony Jun

    2017-01-01

    We present an acoustofluidic micromixer which can perform rapid and homogeneous mixing of highly viscous fluids in the presence of an acoustic field. In this device, two high-viscosity polyethylene glycol (PEG) solutions were co-injected into a three-inlet PDMS microchannel with the center inlet containing a constant stream of nitrogen flow which forms bubbles in the device. When these bubbles were excited by an acoustic field generated via a piezoelectric transducer, the two solutions mixed homogenously due to the combination of acoustic streaming, droplet ejection, and bubble eruption effects. The mixing efficiency of this acoustofluidic device was evaluated using PEG-700 solutions which are ~106 times more viscous than deionized (DI) water. Our results indicate homogenous mixing of the PEG-700 solutions with a ~0.93 mixing index. The acoustofluidic micromixer is compact, inexpensive, easy to operate, and has the capacity to mix highly viscous fluids within 50 ms.

  14. Determination of MDMA, MDA, MDEA and MBDB in oral fluid using high performance liquid chromatography with native fluorescence detection.

    PubMed

    Concheiro, Marta; de Castro, Ana; Quintela, Oscar; López-Rivadulla, Manuel; Cruz, Angelines

    2005-06-10

    This paper describes the analytical methodology for the determination of MDMA, MDA, MDEA and MBDB in oral fluid. After a liquid-liquid extraction, the analysis was carried out by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), with fluorescence detection. The detector wavelength was fixed at 285 nm for excitation and 320 nm for emission. The mobile phase, a mixture of phosphate buffer (pH=5) and acetonitrile (75:25), and the column, Kromasil 100 C8 5 microm 250 mm x 4.6mm, allowed good separation of the compounds in an isocratic mode in only 10 min. The method was validated and showed good limits of detection (2 ng/mL) and quantitation (10 ng/mL) for all the amphetamine derivatives. No interfering substances were detected. A stability study of these compounds in oral fluid stored at three different temperatures (-18, 4 and 20 degrees C) over 10 weeks was conducted, showing a time-dependent degradation of the four compounds.

  15. Three-step labyrinth seal for high-performance turbomachines

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hendricks, Robert C.

    1987-01-01

    A three-step labyrinth seal with 12, 11, and 10 labyrinth teeth per step, respectively, was tested under static (nonrotating) conditions. The configuration represented the seal for a high-performance turbopump (e.g., the space shuttle main engine fuel pump). The test data included critical mass flux and pressure profiles over a wide range of fluid conditions at concentric, partially eccentric, and fully eccentric seal positions. The seal mass fluxes (leakage rates) were lower over the entire range of fluid conditions tested than those for data collected for similar straight and three-step cylindrical seals, and this conformed somewhat to expectations. However, the pressure profiles for the eccentric positions indicated little, if any, direct stiffness for this configuration in contrast to significant direct stiffness reported for the straight and three-step cylindrical seals over the range of test conditions. Seal dynamics depend on geometric configuration, inlet and exit parameters, fluid phase, and rotation. The method of corresponding states was applied to the mass flux data, which were found to have a pressure dependency for helium.

  16. Postmortem detection of 25I-NBOMe [2-(4-iodo-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-N-[(2-methoxyphenyl)methyl]ethanamine] in fluids and tissues determined by high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry from a traumatic death

    PubMed Central

    Poklis, Justin L.; Devers, Kelly G.; Arbefeville, Elise F.; Pearson, Julia M.; Houston, Eric; Poklis, Alphonse

    2014-01-01

    We present a traumatic fatality of a 19-year-old man who had ingested blotter paper containing 25INBOMe [2-(4-iodo-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-N-[(2-methoxyphenyl)methyl]ethanamine]. Postmortem specimens were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS/MS). Toxicology findings for fluids based upon blood or urine calibrators were as follows: peripheral blood, 405 pg/mL; heart blood, 410 pg/mL; urine, 2.86 ng/mL; and vitreous humor, 99 pg/mL. While findings based upon the method of standard additions were: gastric contents, 7.1 μg total; bile, 10.9 ng/g; brain, 2.54 ng/g and liver, 7.2 ng/g. To our knowledge the presented case is the first postmortem case of 25I-NBOMe intoxication documented by toxicological analysis of tissues and body fluids. PMID:24215811

  17. Fluid mechanics based classification of the respiratory efficiency of several nasal cavities.

    PubMed

    Lintermann, Andreas; Meinke, Matthias; Schröder, Wolfgang

    2013-11-01

    The flow in the human nasal cavity is of great importance to understand rhinologic pathologies like impaired respiration or heating capabilities, a diminished sense of taste and smell, and the presence of dry mucous membranes. To numerically analyze this flow problem a highly efficient and scalable Thermal Lattice-BGK (TLBGK) solver is used, which is very well suited for flows in intricate geometries. The generation of the computational mesh is completely automatic and highly parallelized such that it can be executed efficiently on High Performance Computers (HPCs). An evaluation of the functionality of nasal cavities is based on an analysis of pressure drop, secondary flow structures, wall-shear stress distributions, and temperature variations from the nostrils to the pharynx. The results of the flow fields of three completely different nasal cavities allow their classification into ability groups and support the a priori decision process on surgical interventions. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Hypothyroidism and acute kidney injury: an unusual association.

    PubMed

    Neves, Precil Diego Miranda de Menezes; Bridi, Ramaiane Aparecida; Balbi, André Luis; Ponce, Daniela

    2013-08-09

    Association between severe hypothyroidism and acute kidney injury (AKI) is rare. A 40-year-old woman presented with 15 days history of generalised muscle pain, weakness, weight gain and oedema. hypertension and hypothyroidism. dry skin, peripheral/periorbital oedema, slow thought and speaking, thyroid increased. Laboratory examinations: high levels of creatine kinase , creatinine, uric acid and lactate dehydrogenase. Free T4 was very low (<0.3 ng/dL) and thyroid-stimulating hormone was high (21.7 µIU/mL). Urinalysis showed haem pigment without haematuria. We performed the diagnosis of AKI secondary to hypothyroidism-induced rhabdomyolysis. Intravenous fluids were started, urinary alkalisation and increased l-thyroxine dose replacement. On the day after admission, forced diuresis with furosemide was introduced leading to a progressive improvement of symptoms. Although hypothyroidism and AKI is unusual, it should be suspected in patients presenting decrease of renal function and high creatine kinase in the absence of other causes of rhabdomyolysis.

  19. Optical sensors based on photonic crystal: a new route

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Romano, S.; Torino, S.; Coppola, G.; Cabrini, S.; Mocella, V.

    2017-05-01

    The realization of miniaturized devices able to accumulate a higher number of information in a smallest volume is a challenge of the technological development. This trend increases the request of high sensitivity and selectivity sensors which can be integrated in microsystems. In this landscape, optical sensors based on photonic crystal technology can be an appealing solution. Here, a new refractive index sensor device, based on the bound states in the continuum (BIC) resonance shift excited in a photonic crystal membrane, is presented. A microfluidic cell was used to control the injection of fluids with different refractive indices over the photonic crystal surface. The shift of very high Q-factor resonances excited into the photonic crystal open cavity was monitored as a function of the refractive index n of the test liquid. The excellent stability we found and the minimal, loss-free optical equipment requirement, provide a new route for achieving high performance in sensing applications.

  20. Experimental and Computational Study of Trapped Vortex Combustor Sector Rig With Tri-Pass Diffuser

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hendricks, R. C.; Shouse, D. T.; Roquernore, W. M.; Burrus, D. L.; Duncan, B. S.; Ryder, R. C.; Brankovic, A.; Liu, N.-S.; Gallagher, J. R.; Hendricks, J. A.

    2004-01-01

    The Trapped Vortex Combustor (TVC) potentially offers numerous operational advantages over current production gas turbine engine combustors. These include lower weight, lower pollutant emissions, effective flame stabilization, high combustion efficiency, excellent high altitude relight capability, and operation in the lean burn or RQL modes of combustion. The present work describes the operational principles of the TVC, and extends diffuser velocities toward choked flow and provides system performance data. Performance data include EINOx results for various fuel-air ratios and combustor residence times, combustion efficiency as a function of combustor residence time, and combustor lean blow-out (LBO) performance. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations using liquid spray droplet evaporation and combustion modeling are performed and related to flow structures observed in photographs of the combustor. The CFD results are used to understand the aerodynamics and combustion features under different fueling conditions. Performance data acquired to date are favorable compared to conventional gas turbine combustors. Further testing over a wider range of fuel-air ratios, fuel flow splits, and pressure ratios is in progress to explore the TVC performance. In addition, alternate configurations for the upstream pressure feed, including bi-pass diffusion schemes, as well as variations on the fuel injection patterns, are currently in test and evaluation phases.

  1. Harmonic oscillations of laminae in non-Newtonian fluids: A lattice Boltzmann-Immersed Boundary approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    De Rosis, Alessandro

    2014-11-01

    In this paper, the fluid dynamics induced by a rigid lamina undergoing harmonic oscillations in a non-Newtonian calm fluid is investigated. The fluid is modelled through the lattice Boltzmann method and the flow is assumed to be nearly incompressible. An iterative viscosity-correction based procedure is proposed to properly account for the non-Newtonian fluid feature and its accuracy is evaluated. In order to handle the mutual interaction between the lamina and the encompassing fluid, the Immersed Boundary method is adopted. A numerical campaign is performed. In particular, the effect of the non-Newtonian feature is highlighted by investigating the fluid forces acting on a harmonically oscillating lamina for different values of the Reynolds number. The findings prove that the non-Newtonian feature can drastically influence the behaviour of the fluid and, as a consequence, the forces acting upon the lamina. Several considerations are carried out on the time history of the drag coefficient and the results are used to compute the added mass through the hydrodynamic function. Moreover, the computational cost involved in the numerical simulations is discussed. Finally, two applications concerning water resources are investigated: the flow through an obstructed channel and the particle sedimentation. Present findings highlight a strong coupling between the body shape, the Reynolds number, and the flow behaviour index.

  2. Biogeochemical characteristics of Kuan-Tzu-Ling, Chung-Lun and Bao-Lai hot springs in southern Taiwan.

    PubMed

    Maity, Jyoti Prakash; Liu, Chia-Chuan; Nath, Bibhash; Bundschuh, Jochen; Kar, Sandeep; Jean, Jiin-Shuh; Bhattacharya, Prosun; Liu, Jiann-Hong; Atla, Shashi B; Chen, Chien-Yen

    2011-01-01

    Hot springs are the important natural sources of geothermally heated groundwater from the Earth's crust. Kuan-Tzu-Ling (KTL), Chung-Lun (CL) and Bao-Lai (BL) are well-known hot springs in southern Taiwan. Fluid and mud (sediments) samples were collected from the eruption points of three hot springs for detailed biogeochemical characterization. The fluid sample displays relatively high concentrations of Na(+) and Cl(-) compared with K(+), Mg(2+), Ca(2+), NO(2) (-), and SO(4) (2-), suggesting a possible marine origin. The concentrations of Fe, Cr, Mn, Ni, V and Zn were significantly higher in the mud sediments compared with fluids, whereas high concentrations of As, Ba, Cu, Se, Sr and Rb were observed in the fluids. This suggests that electronegative elements were released during sediment-water interactions. High As concentration in the fluids was observed to be associated with low redox (Eh) conditions. The FTIR spectra of the humic acid fractions of the sediments showed the presence of possible functional groups of secondary amines, ureas, urethanesm (amide), and silicon. The sulfate-reducing deltaproteobacterium 99% similar to Desulfovibrio psychrotolerans (GU329907) were rich in the CL hot spring while mesophilic, proteolytic, thiosulfate- and sulfur-reducing bacterium that 99% similar to Clostridium sulfidigenes (GU329908) were rich in the BL hot spring.

  3. Predicting Fluid Responsiveness by Passive Leg Raising: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 23 Clinical Trials.

    PubMed

    Cherpanath, Thomas G V; Hirsch, Alexander; Geerts, Bart F; Lagrand, Wim K; Leeflang, Mariska M; Schultz, Marcus J; Groeneveld, A B Johan

    2016-05-01

    Passive leg raising creates a reversible increase in venous return allowing for the prediction of fluid responsiveness. However, the amount of venous return may vary in various clinical settings potentially affecting the diagnostic performance of passive leg raising. Therefore we performed a systematic meta-analysis determining the diagnostic performance of passive leg raising in different clinical settings with exploration of patient characteristics, measurement techniques, and outcome variables. PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and citation tracking of relevant articles. Clinical trials were selected when passive leg raising was performed in combination with a fluid challenge as gold standard to define fluid responders and non-responders. Trials were included if data were reported allowing the extraction of sensitivity, specificity, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. Twenty-three studies with a total of 1,013 patients and 1,034 fluid challenges were included. The analysis demonstrated a pooled sensitivity of 86% (95% CI, 79-92), pooled specificity of 92% (95% CI, 88-96), and a summary area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.95 (95% CI, 0.92-0.98). Mode of ventilation, type of fluid used, passive leg raising starting position, and measurement technique did not affect the diagnostic performance of passive leg raising. The use of changes in pulse pressure on passive leg raising showed a lower diagnostic performance when compared with passive leg raising-induced changes in flow variables, such as cardiac output or its direct derivatives (sensitivity of 58% [95% CI, 44-70] and specificity of 83% [95% CI, 68-92] vs sensitivity of 85% [95% CI, 78-90] and specificity of 92% [95% CI, 87-94], respectively; p < 0.001). Passive leg raising retains a high diagnostic performance in various clinical settings and patient groups. The predictive value of a change in pulse pressure on passive leg raising is inferior to a passive leg raising-induced change in a flow variable.

  4. Molecularly imprinted polymer cartridges coupled on-line with high performance liquid chromatography for simple and rapid analysis of dextromethorphan in human plasma samples.

    PubMed

    Moein, Mohammad Mahdi; Javanbakht, Mehran; Akbari-Adergani, Behrouz

    2011-04-01

    In this paper, a novel method is described for automated determination of dextromethorphan in biological fluids using molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) as a sample clean-up technique combined with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The water-compatible molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) were prepared using methacrylic acid as functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as cross-linker, chloroform as porogen and dextromethorphan as template molecule. These imprinted polymers were used as solid-phase extraction sorbent for the extraction of dextromethorphan from human plasma samples. Various parameters affecting the extraction efficiency of the MIP cartridges were evaluated. The high selectivity of the sorbent coupled to the high performance liquid chromatographic system permitted a simple and rapid analysis of this drug in plasma samples with limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) of 0.12 ng/mL and 0.35 ng/mL, respectively. The MIP selectivity was evaluated by analyzing of the dextromethorphan in presence of several substances with similar molecular structures and properties. Results from the HPLC analyses showed that the recoveries of dextromethorphan using MIP cartridges from human plasma samples in the range of 1-50 ng/mL were higher than 87%. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Performance and limitations of p-version finite element method for problems containing singularities

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wong, K.K.; Surana, K.S.

    1996-10-01

    In this paper, the authors investigate the performance of p-version Least Squares Finite Element Formulation (LSFEF) for a hyperbolic system of equations describing a one-dimensional radial flow of an upper-convected Maxwell fluid. This problem has r{sup 2} singularity in stress and r{sup {minus}1} singularity in velocity at r = 0. By carefully controlling the inner radius r{sub j}, Deborah number DE and Reynolds number Re, this problem can be used to simulate the following four classes of problems: (a) smooth linear problems, (b) smooth non-linear problems, (c) singular linear problems and (d) singular non-linear problems. They demonstrate that in casesmore » (a) and (b) the p-version method, in particular p-version LSFEF is meritorious. However, for cases (c) and (d) p-version LSFEF, even with extreme mesh refinement and very high p-levels, either produces wrong solutions, or results in the failure of the iterative solution procedure. Even though in the numerical studies they have considered p-version LSFEF for the radial flow of the upper-convected Maxwell fluid, the findings and conclusions are equally valid for other smooth and singular problems as well, regardless of the formulation strategy chosen and element approximation functions employed.« less

  6. Rotordynamic Instability Problems in High-Performance Turbomachinery

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1980-01-01

    Diagnostic and remedial methods concerning rotordynamic instability problems in high performance turbomachinery are discussed. Instabilities due to seal forces and work-fluid forces are identified along with those induced by rotor bearing systems. Several methods of rotordynamic control are described including active feedback methods, the use of elastometric elements, and the use of hydrodynamic journal bearings and supports.

  7. [Perioperative fluid therapy in perforated ulcers].

    PubMed

    Bjerre, Catherine Collin; Holte, Kathrine

    2009-04-27

    Surgery for perforated ulcers is one of the most common emergency surgical procedures. Approximately 400 procedures are performed each year in Denmark and mortality is high, reaching close to 30% at 30 days postoperatively. The importance of perioperative fluid administration during the perioperative course remains unclear. The purpose of this study is to describe the perioperative fluid management in these patients in order to identify problem areas (if any) and to create a basis on which future trials on fluid management in this patient group may be designed. Retrospective survey of 45 consecutive patients operated for perforated ulcers over a 3-year period between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2005 in the surgical department of a university hospital. Data that would permit rational fluid therapy are not being collected on a regular basis. Fluid balance charts were kept for 42 patients on the day of operation (89%), for 29 patients on the first post-operative day (61%), for 17 patients on the second post-operative day (36%) and for 12 patients (25%) on the third post-operative day. No patients were weighed for assessment of fluid status. Perioperative fluid administration varied extensively, with fluid balance on the day of surgery ranging from -45 to 8,030 ml (median 2688 ml) and a cumulated fluid balance of 7,2 litres (1,875-14,565 ml) three days postoperatively. Generally, patients had no fluid administered prior to surgery (median 0 ml, applying to 41 patients (87%) range 0-4,500 ml). Both the preoperative fluid management and the postoperative monitoring of the fluid balance are suboptimal and should be optimized. Individualized (goal-directed) fluid administration aiming at optimizing the oxygen supply to the peripheral tissues is warranted and is recommended to high-risk emergency surgery patients.

  8. [Management of acute and subacute clinical situations by interventional radiology: non-vascular interventions and treatment for hemoptysis].

    PubMed

    Nemes, Balázs; Doros, Attila

    2015-04-26

    Interventional radiology provides fast, straightforward and tolerable solutions for many medical problems including acute and subacute situations. Aspiration and drainage of fluid collections, biliary and endourologic interventions and gastrointestinal interventions are parts of non-vascular interventions. In addition, the authors discuss in detail interventional radiological treatment options in patients with hemoptysis. In acute cases interventions must be performed within 12-24 hours. For background, an everyday 24 hours service should be provided with well-trained personnel, high quality equipment and devices, and a reasonable financial reimbursement should be included, too. Multidisciplinary teamwork, consultations, consensus in indications and structured education should make these centers function most effectively.

  9. Spectral-Element Seismic Wave Propagation Codes for both Forward Modeling in Complex Media and Adjoint Tomography

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Smith, J. A.; Peter, D. B.; Tromp, J.; Komatitsch, D.; Lefebvre, M. P.

    2015-12-01

    We present both SPECFEM3D_Cartesian and SPECFEM3D_GLOBE open-source codes, representing high-performance numerical wave solvers simulating seismic wave propagation for local-, regional-, and global-scale application. These codes are suitable for both forward propagation in complex media and tomographic imaging. Both solvers compute highly accurate seismic wave fields using the continuous Galerkin spectral-element method on unstructured meshes. Lateral variations in compressional- and shear-wave speeds, density, as well as 3D attenuation Q models, topography and fluid-solid coupling are all readily included in both codes. For global simulations, effects due to rotation, ellipticity, the oceans, 3D crustal models, and self-gravitation are additionally included. Both packages provide forward and adjoint functionality suitable for adjoint tomography on high-performance computing architectures. We highlight the most recent release of the global version which includes improved performance, simultaneous MPI runs, OpenCL and CUDA support via an automatic source-to-source transformation library (BOAST), parallel I/O readers and writers for databases using ADIOS and seismograms using the recently developed Adaptable Seismic Data Format (ASDF) with built-in provenance. This makes our spectral-element solvers current state-of-the-art, open-source community codes for high-performance seismic wave propagation on arbitrarily complex 3D models. Together with these solvers, we provide full-waveform inversion tools to image the Earth's interior at unprecedented resolution.

  10. An exploration of viscosity models in the realm of kinetic theory of liquids originated fluids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hussain, Azad; Ghafoor, Saadia; Malik, M. Y.; Jamal, Sarmad

    The preeminent perspective of this article is to study flow of an Eyring Powell fluid model past a penetrable plate. To find the effects of variable viscosity on fluid model, continuity, momentum and energy equations are elaborated. Here, viscosity is taken as function of temperature. To understand the phenomenon, Reynold and Vogel models of variable viscosity are incorporated. The highly non-linear partial differential equations are transfigured into ordinary differential equations with the help of suitable similarity transformations. The numerical solution of the problem is presented. Graphs are plotted to visualize the behavior of pertinent parameters on the velocity and temperature profiles.

  11. Relativistic fluid dynamics with spin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Florkowski, Wojciech; Friman, Bengt; Jaiswal, Amaresh; Speranza, Enrico

    2018-04-01

    Using the conservation laws for charge, energy, momentum, and angular momentum, we derive hydrodynamic equations for the charge density, local temperature, and fluid velocity, as well as for the polarization tensor, starting from local equilibrium distribution functions for particles and antiparticles with spin 1/2. The resulting set of differential equations extends the standard picture of perfect-fluid hydrodynamics with a conserved entropy current in a minimal way. This framework can be used in space-time analyses of the evolution of spin and polarization in various physical systems including high-energy nuclear collisions. We demonstrate that a stationary vortex, which exhibits vorticity-spin alignment, corresponds to a special solution of the spin-hydrodynamical equations.

  12. Subseafloor microbial communities in hydrogen-rich vent fluids from hydrothermal systems along the Mid-Cayman Rise.

    PubMed

    Reveillaud, Julie; Reddington, Emily; McDermott, Jill; Algar, Christopher; Meyer, Julie L; Sylva, Sean; Seewald, Jeffrey; German, Christopher R; Huber, Julie A

    2016-06-01

    Warm fluids emanating from hydrothermal vents can be used as windows into the rocky subseafloor habitat and its resident microbial community. Two new vent systems on the Mid-Cayman Rise each exhibits novel geologic settings and distinctively hydrogen-rich vent fluid compositions. We have determined and compared the chemistry, potential energy yielding reactions, abundance, community composition, diversity, and function of microbes in venting fluids from both sites: Piccard, the world's deepest vent site, hosted in mafic rocks; and Von Damm, an adjacent, ultramafic-influenced system. Von Damm hosted a wider diversity of lineages and metabolisms in comparison to Piccard, consistent with thermodynamic models that predict more numerous energy sources at ultramafic systems. There was little overlap in the phylotypes found at each site, although similar and dominant hydrogen-utilizing genera were present at both. Despite the differences in community structure, depth, geology, and fluid chemistry, energetic modelling and metagenomic analysis indicate near functional equivalence between Von Damm and Piccard, likely driven by the high hydrogen concentrations and elevated temperatures at both sites. Results are compared with hydrothermal sites worldwide to provide a global perspective on the distinctiveness of these newly discovered sites and the interplay among rocks, fluid composition and life in the subseafloor. © 2015 The Authors. Environmental Microbiology published by Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  13. Consequences of transition from liquid chromatography to supercritical fluid chromatography on the overall performance of a chiral zwitterionic ion-exchanger.

    PubMed

    Wolrab, Denise; Frühauf, Peter; Gerner, Christopher; Kohout, Michal; Lindner, Wolfgang

    2017-09-29

    Major differences in the chromatographic performance of a zwitterion ion-exchange type (ZWIX) chiral stationary phase (CSP) in supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) have been observed. To explain these differences, transition from HPLC to SFC conditions has been performed. The amount of a protic organic modifier in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO 2 ) was stepwise increased and the effect of this change studied using acidic, basic and ampholytic analytes. At the same time, the effect of various basic additives to the mobile phase and transient acidic buffer species, formed by the reaction of scCO 2 with the organic modifier and additives, was assessed. Evidence is provided that a transient acid together with the intrinsic counter-ions present in the ZWIX selector structure drive the elution of analytes even when no buffer is employed. We show that the tested analytes can be enantioseparated under both SFC and HPLC conditions; the best conditions for the resolution of ampholytes are in the so-called enhanced-fluidity mobile phase region. As a consequence, subcritical fluid and enhanced-fluidity mobile phase regions seem to be chromatographic modes with a high potential for operating ZWIX CSPs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Fluid-filled porosity of magmatic underplates from joint inversion of P and S receiver functions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vinnik, Lev; Oreshin, Sergey; Makeyeva, Larissa; Dündar, Süleyman

    2017-05-01

    Vp/Vs ratio where Vp and Vs are P- and S-wave velocities is an indicator of rock composition, but estimates of Vp/Vs for the lower continental crust remain sparse. We present estimates of Vs, Vp and Vp/Vs in the crust of the Archean-Paleoproterozoic Siberian craton that are obtained by simultaneous inversion of P and S receiver functions from GSN seismograph stations NRIL, YAK and TIXI. These stations are located in the region of the Siberian traps (NRIL), close to the Laptev Sea Rift (TIXI) and the Viluy rift system (YAK). The most conspicuous result of our analysis is a high Vp/Vs ratio (≥2.0) at depths from 20-30 to 40 km. A very high Vp in this layer (from 7 to 8 km s-1) is indicative of magmatic underplating. We find broadly similar data in the western Mediterranean and in India. In a dry lower crust the Vp/Vs ratio is ∼1.8, which is hard to reconcile with the estimates >2.0. A coincidence in depths of zones of high electric conductivity and of anomalously high Vp/Vs in Siberia suggests that both may have the same origin: fluid-filled porosity. The porosity which is required by our seismic observations is on the order of 1 per cent. Origins of the fluids may be linked with processes of magmatic underplating.

  15. Fluid-filled porosity of magmatic underplates from joint inversion of P and S receiver functions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vinnik, Lev; Oreshin, Sergey; Makeyeva, Larissa; Dündar, Süleyman

    2017-04-01

    Vp/Vs ratio where Vp and Vs are P- and S-wave velocities is an indicator of rock composition, but estimates of Vp/Vs for the lower continental crust remain sparse. We present estimates of Vs, Vp and Vp/Vs in the crust of the Archean-Paleoproterozoic Siberian craton that are obtained by simultaneous inversion of P and S receiver functions from GSN seismograph stations NRIL, YAK and TIXI. These stations are located in the region of the Siberian traps (NRIL), close to the Laptev Sea Rift (TIXI) and the Viluy rift system (YAK). The most conspicuous result of our analysis is a high Vp/Vs ratio (≥2.0) at depths from 20-30 km to 40 km. A very high Vp in this layer (from 7 to 8 km/s) is indicative of magmatic underplating. We find broadly similar data in the western Mediterranean and in India. In a dry lower crust the Vp/Vs ratio is 1.8, which is hard to reconcile with the estimates > 2.0. A coincidence in depths of zones of high electric conductivity and of anomalously high Vp/Vs in Siberia suggests that both may have the same origin: fluid-filled porosity. The porosity which is required by our seismic observations is on the order of 1%. Origins of the fluids may be linked with processes of magmatic underplating.

  16. Fluid Mechanics of Blood Clot Formation.

    PubMed

    Fogelson, Aaron L; Neeves, Keith B

    2015-01-01

    Intravascular blood clots form in an environment in which hydrodynamic forces dominate and in which fluid-mediated transport is the primary means of moving material. The clotting system has evolved to exploit fluid dynamic mechanisms and to overcome fluid dynamic challenges to ensure that clots that preserve vascular integrity can form over the wide range of flow conditions found in the circulation. Fluid-mediated interactions between the many large deformable red blood cells and the few small rigid platelets lead to high platelet concentrations near vessel walls where platelets contribute to clotting. Receptor-ligand pairs with diverse kinetic and mechanical characteristics work synergistically to arrest rapidly flowing cells on an injured vessel. Variations in hydrodynamic stresses switch on and off the function of key clotting polymers. Protein transport to, from, and within a developing clot determines whether and how fast it grows. We review ongoing experimental and modeling research to understand these and related phenomena.

  17. Fluid Mechanics of Blood Clot Formation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fogelson, Aaron L.; Neeves, Keith B.

    2015-01-01

    Intravascular blood clots form in an environment in which hydrodynamic forces dominate and in which fluid-mediated transport is the primary means of moving material. The clotting system has evolved to exploit fluid dynamic mechanisms and to overcome fluid dynamic challenges to ensure that clots that preserve vascular integrity can form over the wide range of flow conditions found in the circulation. Fluid-mediated interactions between the many large deformable red blood cells and the few small rigid platelets lead to high platelet concentrations near vessel walls where platelets contribute to clotting. Receptor-ligand pairs with diverse kinetic and mechanical characteristics work synergistically to arrest rapidly flowing cells on an injured vessel. Variations in hydrodynamic stresses switch on and off the function of key clotting polymers. Protein transport to, from, and within a developing clot determines whether and how fast it grows. We review ongoing experimental and modeling research to understand these and related phenomena.

  18. Effects of solid/liquid phase fractionation on pH and aqueous species molality in subduction zone fluids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhong, X.; Galvez, M. E.

    2017-12-01

    Metamorphic fluids are a crucial ingredient of geodynamic evolution, i.e. heat transfer, rock mechanics and metamorphic/metasomatic reactions. During crustal evolution at elevated P and T, rock forming components can be effectively fractionated from the reactive rock system by at least two processes: 1. extraction from porous rocks by liquid phases such as solute-bearing (e.g. Na+, Mg2+) aqueous fluids or partial melts. 2. isolation from effective bulk rock composition due to slow intragranular diffusion in high-P refractory phases such as garnet. The effect of phase fractionation (garnet, partial melt and aqueous species) on fluid - rock composition and properties remain unclear, mainly due to a high demand in quantitative computations of the thermodynamic interactions between rocks and fluids over a wide P-T range. To investigate this problem, we build our work on an approach initially introduced by Galvez et al., (2015) with new functionalities added in a MATLAB code (Rubisco). The fluxes of fractionated components in fluid, melt and garnet are monitored along a typical prograde P-T path for a model crustal pelite. Some preliminary results suggest a marginal effect of fractionated aqueous species on fluid and rock properties (e.g. pH, composition), but the corresponding fluxes are significant in the context of mantle wedge metasomatism. Our work provides insight into the role of high-P phase fractionation on mass redistribution between the surface and deep Earth in subduction zones. Existing limitations relevant to our liquid/mineral speciation/fractionation model will be discussed as well. ReferencesGalvez, M.E., Manning, C.E., Connolly, J.A.D., Rumble, D., 2015. The solubility of rocks in metamorphic fluids: A model for rock-dominated conditions to upper mantle pressure and temperature. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 430, 486-498.

  19. Characterisation of protein families in spider digestive fluids and their role in extra-oral digestion.

    PubMed

    Walter, André; Bechsgaard, Jesper; Scavenius, Carsten; Dyrlund, Thomas S; Sanggaard, Kristian W; Enghild, Jan J; Bilde, Trine

    2017-08-10

    Spiders are predaceous arthropods that are capable of subduing and consuming relatively large prey items compared to their own body size. For this purpose, spiders have evolved potent venoms to immobilise prey and digestive fluids that break down nutrients inside the prey's body by means of extra-oral digestion (EOD). Both secretions contain an array of active proteins, and an overlap of some components has been anecdotally reported, but not quantified. We systematically investigated the extent of such protein overlap. As venom injection and EOD succeed each other, we further infer functional explanations, and, by comparing two spider species belonging to different clades, assess its adaptive significance for spider EOD in general. We describe the protein composition of the digestive fluids of the mygalomorph Acanthoscurria geniculata and the araneomorph Stegodyphus mimosarum, in comparison with previously published data on a third spider species. We found a number of similar hydrolases being highly abundant in all three species. Among them, members of the family of astacin-like metalloproteases were particularly abundant. While the importance of these proteases in spider venom and digestive fluid was previously noted, we now highlight their widespread use across different spider taxa. Finally, we found species specific differences in the protein overlap between venom and digestive fluid, with the difference being significantly greater in S. mimosarum compared to A. geniculata. The injection of venom precedes the injection with digestive fluid, and the overlap of proteins between venom and digestive fluid suggests an early involvement in EOD. Species specific differences in the overlap may reflect differences in ecology between our two study species. The protein composition of the digestive fluid of all the three species we compared is highly similar, suggesting that the cocktail of enzymes is highly conserved and adapted to spider EOD.

  20. Human Cardiomyocytes Prior to Birth by Integration-Free Reprogramming of Amniotic Fluid Cells

    PubMed Central

    Jiang, Guihua; Herron, Todd J.; Di Bernardo, Julie; Walker, Kendal A.; O’Shea, K. Sue

    2016-01-01

    The establishment of an abundant source of autologous cardiac progenitor cells would represent a major advance toward eventual clinical translation of regenerative medicine strategies in children with prenatally diagnosed congenital heart disease. In support of this concept, we sought to examine whether functional, transgene-free human cardiomyocytes (CMs) with potential for patient-specific and autologous applications could be reliably generated following routine amniocentesis. Under institutional review board approval, amniotic fluid specimens (8–10 ml) at 20 weeks gestation were expanded and reprogrammed toward pluripotency using nonintegrating Sendai virus (SeV) expressing OCT4, SOX2, cMYC, and KLF4. Following exposure of these induced pluripotent stem cells to cardiogenic differentiation conditions, spontaneously beating amniotic fluid-derived cardiomyocytes (AF-CMs) were successfully generated with high efficiency. After 6 weeks, quantitative gene expression revealed a mixed population of differentiated atrial, ventricular, and nodal AF-CMs, as demonstrated by upregulation of multiple cardiac markers, including MYH6, MYL7, TNNT2, TTN, and HCN4, which were comparable to levels expressed by neonatal dermal fibroblast-derived CM controls. AF-CMs had a normal karyotype and demonstrated loss of NANOG, OCT4, and the SeV transgene. Functional characterization of SIRPA+ AF-CMs showed a higher spontaneous beat frequency in comparison with dermal fibroblast controls but revealed normal calcium transients and appropriate chronotropic responses after β-adrenergic agonist stimulation. Taken together, these data suggest that somatic cells present within human amniotic fluid can be used to generate a highly scalable source of functional, transgene-free, autologous CMs before a child is born. This approach may be ideally suited for patients with prenatally diagnosed cardiac anomalies. Significance This study presents transgene-free human amniotic fluid-derived cardiomyocytes (AF-CMs) for potential therapy in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications. Using 8–10 ml of amniotic fluid harvested at 20 weeks gestation from normal pregnancies, a mixed population of atrial, ventricular, and nodal AF-CMs were reliably generated after Sendai virus reprogramming toward pluripotency. Functional characterization of purified populations of beating AF-CMs revealed normal calcium transients and appropriate chronotropic responses after β-adrenergic agonist stimulation in comparison with dermal fibroblast controls. Because AF-CMs can be generated in fewer than 16 weeks, this approach may be ideally suited for eventual clinical translation at birth in children with prenatally diagnosed cardiac anomalies. PMID:27465073

  1. Revisiting the Landau fluid closure.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hunana, P.; Zank, G. P.; Webb, G. M.; Adhikari, L.

    2017-12-01

    Advanced fluid models that are much closer to the full kinetic description than the usual magnetohydrodynamic description are a very useful tool for studying astrophysical plasmas and for interpreting solar wind observational data. The development of advanced fluid models that contain certain kinetic effects is complicated and has attracted much attention over the past years. Here we focus on fluid models that incorporate the simplest possible forms of Landau damping, derived from linear kinetic theory expanded about a leading-order (gyrotropic) bi-Maxwellian distribution function f_0, under the approximation that the perturbed distribution function f_1 is gyrotropic as well. Specifically, we focus on various Pade approximants to the usual plasma response function (and to the plasma dispersion function) and examine possibilities that lead to a closure of the linear kinetic hierarchy of fluid moments. We present re-examination of the simplest Landau fluid closures.

  2. Gas Diffusion in Fluids Containing Bubbles

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zak, M.; Weinberg, M. C.

    1982-01-01

    Mathematical model describes movement of gases in fluid containing many bubbles. Model makes it possible to predict growth and shrink age of bubbles as function of time. New model overcomes complexities involved in analysis of varying conditions by making two simplifying assumptions. It treats bubbles as point sources, and it employs approximate expression for gas concentration gradient at liquid/bubble interface. In particular, it is expected to help in developing processes for production of high-quality optical glasses in space.

  3. Synthesis of high-temperature viscosity stabilizer used in drilling fluid

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Yanna; Luo, Huaidong; Shi, Libao; Huang, Hongjun

    2018-02-01

    Abstract For a well performance drilling fluid, when it operates in deep wells under high temperature, the most important property required is the thermal stability. The drilling fluid properties under high temperature can be controlled by proper selection of viscosity stabilizer, which can capture oxygen to protect polymer agent in the drilling fluid. In this paper a viscosity stabilizer PB-854 is described, which was synthesized by 4-phenoxybutyl bromide, paraformaldehyde, and phloroglucinol using etherification method and condensation reaction. We studied the effect of catalyst dosage, temperature, time, and stirring rate on the synthetic yield. Under this condition: molar ratio of 2-tert-Butylphenol, paraformaldehyde and phloroglucinol of 2:1:2.5, reacting temperature of 100 °C, stirring rate of 100 r min-1, and mass content of catalyst of 15 %, char yield of 5-bromine-3-tert-butyl salicylaldehyde reached 86 %. Under this condition: molar ratio of 5-bromine-3-tert-butyl salicylaldehyde and phloroglucinol of 4, reacting temperature of 60 °C, reacting time of 30 min, volume content of sulphuric acid of 80 %, char yield of the target product viscosity stabilizer PB-854 is 86%. Finally, in this paper, infrared spectroscopy is adopted to analyse the structure of the synthetic product PB-854.The improvement in the stability of drilling fluid was further shown after adding the viscosity stabilizer in the common polymer drilling fluid under high temperature conditions of 120 °C ˜ 180 °C. The results show significant change in terms of fluid stability in the presence of this new stabilizer as it provides better stability.

  4. Detonation Product EOS Studies: Using ISLS to Refine Cheetah

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zaug, J M; Howard, W M; Fried, L E

    2001-08-08

    Knowledge of an effective interatomic potential function underlies any effort to predict or rationalize the properties of solids and liquids. The experiments we undertake are directed towards determination of equilibrium and dynamic properties of simple fluids at densities sufficiently high that traditional computational methods and semi-empirical forms successful at ambient conditions may require reconsideration. In this paper we present high-pressure and temperature experimental sound speed data on a simple fluid, methanol. Impulsive Stimulated Light Scattering (ISLS) conducted on diamond-anvil cell (DAC) encapsulated samples offers an experimental approach to determine cross-pair potential interactions through equation of state determinations. In addition themore » kinetics of structural relaxation in fluids can be studied. We compare our experimental results with our thermochemical computational model Cheetah. Computational models are systematically improved with each addition of experimental data.« less

  5. Determination of pharmacological levels of harmane, harmine and harmaline in mammalian brain tissue, cerebrospinal fluid and plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorimetric detection.

    PubMed

    Moncrieff, J

    1989-11-24

    Increased blood aldehyde levels, as occur in alcohol intoxication, could lead to the formation of beta-carbolines such as harmane by condensation with indoleamines. Endogenous beta-carbolines, therefore, should occur in specific brain areas where indoleamine concentrations are high, whilst exogenous beta-carbolines should exhibit an even distribution. The author presents direct and sensitive methods for assaying the beta-carbolines harmane, harmine and harmaline in brain tissue, cerebrospinal fluid and plasma at picogram sample concentrations using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorimetric detection and minimal sample preparation. Using these assay methods, it was found that the distribution of beta-carbolines from a source exogenous to the brain results in a relatively even distribution within the brain tissue.

  6. Microfluidic viscometers for shear rheology of complex fluids and biofluids

    PubMed Central

    Wang, William S.; Vanapalli, Siva A.

    2016-01-01

    The rich diversity of man-made complex fluids and naturally occurring biofluids is opening up new opportunities for investigating their flow behavior and characterizing their rheological properties. Steady shear viscosity is undoubtedly the most widely characterized material property of these fluids. Although widely adopted, macroscale rheometers are limited by sample volumes, access to high shear rates, hydrodynamic instabilities, and interfacial artifacts. Currently, microfluidic devices are capable of handling low sample volumes, providing precision control of flow and channel geometry, enabling a high degree of multiplexing and automation, and integrating flow visualization and optical techniques. These intrinsic advantages of microfluidics have made it especially suitable for the steady shear rheology of complex fluids. In this paper, we review the use of microfluidics for conducting shear viscometry of complex fluids and biofluids with a focus on viscosity curves as a function of shear rate. We discuss the physical principles underlying different microfluidic viscometers, their unique features and limits of operation. This compilation of technological options will potentially serve in promoting the benefits of microfluidic viscometry along with evincing further interest and research in this area. We intend that this review will aid researchers handling and studying complex fluids in selecting and adopting microfluidic viscometers based on their needs. We conclude with challenges and future directions in microfluidic rheometry of complex fluids and biofluids. PMID:27478521

  7. A non-oscillatory energy-splitting method for the computation of compressible multi-fluid flows

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lei, Xin; Li, Jiequan

    2018-04-01

    This paper proposes a new non-oscillatory energy-splitting conservative algorithm for computing multi-fluid flows in the Eulerian framework. In comparison with existing multi-fluid algorithms in the literature, it is shown that the mass fraction model with isobaric hypothesis is a plausible choice for designing numerical methods for multi-fluid flows. Then we construct a conservative Godunov-based scheme with the high order accurate extension by using the generalized Riemann problem solver, through the detailed analysis of kinetic energy exchange when fluids are mixed under the hypothesis of isobaric equilibrium. Numerical experiments are carried out for the shock-interface interaction and shock-bubble interaction problems, which display the excellent performance of this type of schemes and demonstrate that nonphysical oscillations are suppressed around material interfaces substantially.

  8. Brain tissue pulsatility mediates cognitive and electrophysiological changes in normal aging: Evidence from ultrasound tissue pulsatility imaging (TPI).

    PubMed

    Angel, Lucie; Bouazzaoui, Badiâa; Isingrini, Michel; Fay, Séverine; Taconnat, Laurence; Vanneste, Sandrine; Ledoux, Moïse; Gissot, Valérie; Hommet, Caroline; Andersson, Fréderic; Barantin, Laurent; Cottier, Jean-Philippe; Pasco, Jérémy; Desmidt, Thomas; Patat, Frédéric; Camus, Vincent; Remenieras, Jean-Pierre

    2018-06-01

    Aging is characterized by a cognitive decline of fluid abilities and is also associated with electrophysiological changes. The vascular hypothesis proposes that brain is sensitive to vascular dysfunction which may accelerate age-related brain modifications and thus explain age-related neurocognitive decline. To test this hypothesis, cognitive performance was measured in 39 healthy participants from 20 to 80 years, using tests assessing inhibition, fluid intelligence, attention and crystallized abilities. Brain functioning associated with attentional abilities was assessed by measuring the P3b ERP component elicited through an auditory oddball paradigm. To assess vascular health, we used an innovative measure of the pulsatility of deep brain tissue, due to variations in cerebral blood flow over the cardiac cycle. Results showed (1) a classical effect of age on fluid neurocognitive measures (inhibition, fluid intelligence, magnitude and latency of the P3b) but not on crystallized measures, (2) that brain pulsatility decreases with advancing age, (3) that brain pulsatility is positively correlated with fluid neurocognitive measures and (4) that brain pulsatility strongly mediated the age-related variance in cognitive performance and the magnitude of the P3b component. The mediating role of the brain pulsatility in age-related effect on neurocognitive measures supports the vascular hypothesis of cognitive aging. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Density distribution function of a self-gravitating isothermal compressible turbulent fluid in the context of molecular clouds ensembles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Donkov, Sava; Stefanov, Ivan Z.

    2018-03-01

    We have set ourselves the task of obtaining the probability distribution function of the mass density of a self-gravitating isothermal compressible turbulent fluid from its physics. We have done this in the context of a new notion: the molecular clouds ensemble. We have applied a new approach that takes into account the fractal nature of the fluid. Using the medium equations, under the assumption of steady state, we show that the total energy per unit mass is an invariant with respect to the fractal scales. As a next step we obtain a non-linear integral equation for the dimensionless scale Q which is the third root of the integral of the probability distribution function. It is solved approximately up to the leading-order term in the series expansion. We obtain two solutions. They are power-law distributions with different slopes: the first one is -1.5 at low densities, corresponding to an equilibrium between all energies at a given scale, and the second one is -2 at high densities, corresponding to a free fall at small scales.

  10. Dielectrophoresis-based particle sensor using nanoelectrode arrays

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Arumugam, Prabhu U. (Inventor); Li, Jun (Inventor); Cassell, Alan M. (Inventor)

    2009-01-01

    A method for concentrating or partly separating particles of a selected species from a liquid or fluid containing these particles and flowing in a channel, and for determining if the selected species particle is present in the liquid or fluid. A time varying electrical field E, having a root-mean-square intensity E.sup.2.sub.rms with a non-zero gradient in a direction transverse to the liquid or fluid flow direction, is produced by a nanostructure electrode array, with a very high magnitude gradient near exposed electrode tips. A dielectrophoresis force causes the selected particles to accumulate near the electrode tips, if the medium and selected particles have substantially different dielectric constants. An insulating material surrounds most of each of the nanostructure electrodes, and a region of the insulating material surface is functionalized to promote attachment of the selected species particles to the surface. An electrical property value Z(meas) is measured at the functionalized surface and is compared with a reference value Z(ref) to determine if the selected species particles are attached to the functionalized surface.

  11. Studies on the psychosomatic functioning of ill-health according to eastern and Western medicine. 2. Anxiety-affinitive constitution associated with qi, blood, and body fluid--diagnostic and therapeutic methods.

    PubMed

    Takeichi, M; Sato, T; Takefu, M

    1999-01-01

    The objective of this investigation was to identify characteristics of psychosomatic function in medical students (N = 62, mean age, 23.3, SD, 1.7 years) whose ill-health was related to unbalanced qi, blood, and body fluid, and to develop a diagnosis and treatment method for these conditions. Our study revealed complicated characteristics. At the psychological level, these characteristics are stress-related emotional disturbances, including anxiety, insomnia and anergy, and the lowering of social function. At the physiological level, these characteristics are associated with high complexity of fractal dimension of eye (horizontal) and respiratory (thoracic) movements correlated to STA1-trait anxiety. Thus, the three psychosomatic characteristics related to unbalanced qi, blood, and body fluid suggest the concept of an anxiety-affinitive constitution, also described as the equivalent of ill-health. This indicates that diagnosis and treatment of this type of constitution has the potential to be useful for both the prevention of stress-related and life-style disease, and the treatment of current disease.

  12. Microscopic aspects of wetting using classical density functional theory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yatsyshin, P.; Durán-Olivencia, M.-A.; Kalliadasis, S.

    2018-07-01

    Wetting is a rather efficient mechanism for nucleation of a phase (typically liquid) on the interface between two other phases (typically solid and gas). In many experimentally accessible cases of wetting, the interplay between the substrate structure, and the fluid–fluid and fluid–substrate intermolecular interactions brings about an entire ‘zoo’ of possible fluid configurations, such as liquid films with a thickness of a few nanometers, liquid nanodrops and liquid bridges. These fluid configurations are often associated with phase transitions occurring at the solid–gas interface and at lengths of just several molecular diameters away from the substrate. In this special issue article, we demonstrate how a fully microscopic classical density-functional framework can be applied to the efficient, rational and systematic exploration of the rich phase space of wetting phenomena. We consider a number of model prototype systems such as wetting on a planar wall, a chemically patterned wall and a wedge. Through density-functional computations we demonstrate that for these simply structured substrates the behaviour of the solid–gas interface is already highly complex and non-trivial.

  13. Studies of turbulence models in a computational fluid dynamics model of a blood pump.

    PubMed

    Song, Xinwei; Wood, Houston G; Day, Steven W; Olsen, Don B

    2003-10-01

    Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is used widely in design of rotary blood pumps. The choice of turbulence model is not obvious and plays an important role on the accuracy of CFD predictions. TASCflow (ANSYS Inc., Canonsburg, PA, U.S.A.) has been used to perform CFD simulations of blood flow in a centrifugal left ventricular assist device; a k-epsilon model with near-wall functions was used in the initial numerical calculation. To improve the simulation, local grids with special distribution to ensure the k-omega model were used. Iterations have been performed to optimize the grid distribution and turbulence modeling and to predict flow performance more accurately comparing to experimental data. A comparison of k-omega model and experimental measurements of the flow field obtained by particle image velocimetry shows better agreement than k-epsilon model does, especially in the near-wall regions.

  14. The Molecular Design of High-Performance Carbon Materials

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-06-30

    Thies MC. Control of mesophase pitch properties by supercritical fluid extraction. Carbon 1998; 36(7-8):953-61. 7] Zhuang M, Gast K, Thies MC...pitch with supercritical toluene. J Supercrit Fluids 1991; 4(1):7-14. 16] Herod AA, Bartle KD, Kandiyoti R. Characterization of heavy...MALDI, mass spectrometry, mesophase, extraction, supercritical , fractionation. 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: a. REPORT u b. ABSTRACT u c. THIS

  15. Development of a passive micromixer based on repeated fluid twisting and flattening, and its application to DNA purification.

    PubMed

    Lee, Nae Yoon; Yamada, Masumi; Seki, Minoru

    2005-11-01

    We have developed a three-dimensional passive micromixer based on new mixing principles, fluid twisting and flattening. This micromixer is constructed by repeating two microchannel segments, a "main channel" and a "flattened channel", which are very different in size and are arranged perpendicularly. At the intersection of these segments the fluid inside the micromixer is twisted and then, in the flattened channel, the diffusion length is greatly reduced, achieving high mixing efficiency. Several types of micromixer were fabricated and the effect of microchannel geometry on mixing performance was evaluated. We also integrated this micromixer with a miniaturized DNA purification device, in which the concentration of the buffer solution could be rapidly changed, to perform DNA purification based on solid-phase extraction.

  16. Formulation and Validation of an Efficient Computational Model for a Dilute, Settling Suspension Undergoing Rotational Mixing

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sprague, Michael A.; Stickel, Jonathan J.; Sitaraman, Hariswaran

    Designing processing equipment for the mixing of settling suspensions is a challenging problem. Achieving low-cost mixing is especially difficult for the application of slowly reacting suspended solids because the cost of impeller power consumption becomes quite high due to the long reaction times (batch mode) or due to large-volume reactors (continuous mode). Further, the usual scale-up metrics for mixing, e.g., constant tip speed and constant power per volume, do not apply well for mixing of suspensions. As an alternative, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) can be useful for analyzing mixing at multiple scales and determining appropriate mixer designs and operating parameters.more » We developed a mixture model to describe the hydrodynamics of a settling cellulose suspension. The suspension motion is represented as a single velocity field in a computationally efficient Eulerian framework. The solids are represented by a scalar volume-fraction field that undergoes transport due to particle diffusion, settling, fluid advection, and shear stress. A settling model and a viscosity model, both functions of volume fraction, were selected to fit experimental settling and viscosity data, respectively. Simulations were performed with the open-source Nek5000 CFD program, which is based on the high-order spectral-finite-element method. Simulations were performed for the cellulose suspension undergoing mixing in a laboratory-scale vane mixer. The settled-bed heights predicted by the simulations were in semi-quantitative agreement with experimental observations. Further, the simulation results were in quantitative agreement with experimentally obtained torque and mixing-rate data, including a characteristic torque bifurcation. In future work, we plan to couple this CFD model with a reaction-kinetics model for the enzymatic digestion of cellulose, allowing us to predict enzymatic digestion performance for various mixing intensities and novel reactor designs.« less

  17. Development of advanced blade pitching kinematics for cycloturbines and cyclorotors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Adams, Zachary Howard

    Cycloturbines and cyclorotors are established concepts for extracting freesteam fluid energy and producing thrust which promise to exceed the performance of traditional horizontal axis turbines and rotors while maintaining unique operational advantages. However, their potential is not yet realized in widespread applications. A central barrier to their proliferation is the lack of fundamental understanding of the aerodynamic interaction between the turbine and the freestream flow. In particular, blade pitch must be precisely actuated throughout the revolution to achieve the proper blade angle of attack and maximize performance. So far, there is no adequate method for determining or implementing the optimal blade pitching kinematics for cyclorotors or cycloturbines. This dissertation bridges the pitching deficiency by introducing a novel low order model to predict improved pitch kinematics, experimentally demonstrating improved performance, and evaluating flow physics with a high order Navier-Stokes computational code. The foundation for developing advanced blade pitch motions is a low order model named Fluxline Theory. Fluid calculations are performed in a coordinate system fixed to streamlines whose spatial locations are not pre-described in order to capture the flow expansion/contraction and bending through the turbine. A transformation then determines the spatial location of streamlines through the rotor disk and finally blade element method integrations determine the power and forces produced. Validation against three sets of extant cycloturbine experimental data demonstrates improvement over other existing streamtube models. Fluxline Theory was extended by removing dependence on a blade element model to better understand how turbine-fluid interaction impacts thrust and power production. This pure momentum variation establishes a cycloturbine performance limit similar to the Betz Limit for horizontal axis wind turbines, as well as the fluid deceleration required to achieve optimum performance. A novel inverse method was developed implementing a new semi-empirical curvilinear flow blade aerodynamic coefficient model to predict optimum cycloturbine blade pitch waveforms from the ideal fluid deceleration. These improved blade pitch waveforms were evaluated on a 1.37m diameter by 1.37m span cycloturbine to definitively characterize their improvement over existing blade pitch motions and demonstrate the practicality of a variable blade pitch system. The Fluxline Optimal pitching kinematics outperformed sinusoidal and fixed pitching kinematics. The turbine achieved a mean gross aerodynamic power coefficient of 0.44 (95% confidence interval: [0.388,0.490]) and 0.52 (95% confidence interval: [0.426,0.614]) at tip speed ratios (TSRs) of 1.5 and 2.25 respectively which exceeds all other low TSR vertical axis wind turbines. Two-dimensional incompressible Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes computational fluid dynamic simulations were used to characterize higher order effects of the blade interaction with the fluid. These simulations suggest Fluxline Optimal pitch kinematics achieve high power coefficients by evenly extracting energy from the flow without blade stall or detached turbine wakes. Fluxline Theory was adapted to inform the design of high efficiency cyclorotors by incorporating the concept of rotor angle of attack as well as a power and drag loss model for blade support structure. A blade element version of this theory predicts rotor performance. For hovering, a simplified variation of the theory instructs that cyclorotors will achieve the greatest power loading at low disk loadings with high solidity blades pitched to maximum lift coefficient. Increasing lift coefficients in the upstream portion of the rotor disproportionately increases performance compared to magnifying lift in the downstream portion. This suggests airfoil sections that counter curvilinear flow effects could improve hovering efficiency. Additionally, the simplified hovering theory explains the cyclorotor side force which was observed experimentally, but never adequately explained. In contrast, a separate simplified version of the theory for high speed forward flight points to better rotor performance with a low solidity, high disk loading rotor operated at high advance ratios. High rotor aspect ratios will improve performance in both hover and forward flight. A new mechanical blade pitch mechanism was designed to actuate the high efficiency blade pitch motions predicted by Fluxline Theory for both cyclorotors and cycloturbines. The mechanism optimizes blade pitch at all operating conditions via different cross sections of a three dimensionally contoured cam. Varying the position of the cam accounts for changing wind direction and velocity on a cycloturbine, or for pilot-controlled thrust vectoring, forward speed, and aircraft angle of attack as a cyclorotor. A simplified variation of the mechanism, which implemented fully aerodynamically-shrouded blade pitch links, performed flawlessly on the cycloturbine experiment.

  18. Design optimization of electric vehicle battery cooling plates for thermal performance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jarrett, Anthony; Kim, Il Yong

    The performance of high-energy battery cells utilized in electric vehicles (EVs) is greatly improved by adequate temperature control. An efficient thermal management system is also desirable to avoid diverting excessive power from the primary vehicle functions. In a battery cell stack, cooling can be provided by including cooling plates: thin metal fabrications which include one or more internal channels through which a coolant is pumped. Heat is conducted from the battery cells into the cooling plate, and transported away by the coolant. The operating characteristics of the cooling plate are determined in part by the geometry of the channel; its route, width, length, etc. In this study, a serpentine-channel cooling plate is modeled parametrically and its characteristics assessed using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Objective functions of pressure drop, average temperature, and temperature uniformity are defined and numerical optimization is carried out by allowing the channel width and position to vary. The optimization results indicate that a single design can satisfy both pressure and average temperature objectives, but at the expense of temperature uniformity.

  19. Rolling-element fatigue life with two synthetic cycloaliphatic traction fluids

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Loewenthal, S. H.; Parker, R. J.

    1976-01-01

    The life potential of two synthetic cycloaliphatic hydrocarbon traction fluids in rolling element fatigue was evaluated in a five ball fatigue tester. Life comparisons with a MIL-L-23699 qualified tetraester oil showed that the traction test oils had good fatigue life performance, comparable to that of the tetraester oil. No statistically significant life differences between the traction fluids and the tetraester oil were exhibited under the accelerated fatigue test conditions. Erratic operating behavior was occasionally encountered during tests with the antiwear additive containing traction fluid for reasons thought to be related to excessive chemical activity under high contact pressure. This behavior occasionally resulted in premature test termination due to excessive surface distress and overheating.

  20. The effects of pleural fluid drainage on respiratory function in mechanically ventilated patients after cardiac surgery

    PubMed Central

    Brims, Fraser J H; Davies, Michael G; Elia, Andy; Griffiths, Mark J D

    2015-01-01

    Background Pleural effusions occur commonly after cardiac surgery and the effects of drainage on gas exchange in this population are not well established. We examined pulmonary function indices following drainage of pleural effusions in cardiac surgery patients. Methods We performed a retrospective study examining the effects of pleural fluid drainage on the lung function indices of patients recovering from cardiac surgery requiring mechanical ventilation for more than 7 days. We specifically analysed patients who had pleural fluid removed via an intercostal tube (ICT: drain group) compared with those of a control group (no effusion, no ICT). Results In the drain group, 52 ICTs were sited in 45 patients. The mean (SD) volume of fluid drained was 1180 (634) mL. Indices of oxygenation were significantly worse in the drain group compared with controls prior to drainage. The arterial oxygen tension (PaO2)/fractional inspired oxygen (FiO2) (P/F) ratio improved on day 1 after ICT placement (mean (SD), day 0: 31.01 (8.92) vs 37.18 (10.7); p<0.05) and both the P/F ratio and oxygenation index (OI: kPa/cm H2O=PaO2/mean airway pressure×FiO2) demonstrated sustained improvement to day 5 (P/F day 5: 39.85 (12.8); OI day 0: 2.88 (1.10) vs day 5: 4.06 (1.73); both p<0.01). The drain group patients were more likely to have an improved mode of ventilation on day 1 compared with controls (p=0.028). Conclusions Pleural effusion after cardiac surgery may impair oxygenation. Drainage of pleural fluid is associated with a rapid and sustained improvement in oxygenation. PMID:26339492

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