Simulation results of an inductively-coupled rf plasma torch in two and three dimensions for producing a metal matrix composite for nuclear fuel cladding

I propose to develop a new method for the synthesis of metal matrix composites (MMC) using aerosol reactants in a radio frequency (RF) plasma torch. An inductivelycoupled RF plasma torch (ICPT) may potentially be designed to maintain laminar flow and a radial temperature distribution. These two properties provide a method by which a succession of metal layers can be applied to the surface of SiC fibers. In particular, the envisaged method provides a means to fully bond any desired metal to the surface of the SiC fibers, opening the possibility for MMCs in which the matrix metal is a highstrength steel. A crucial first step in creating the MMC is to test the feasibility of constructing an ICPT with completely laminar flow in the plasma region. In this work, a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model is used along with a computational fluid dynamic (CFD) software package called FLUENT© to simulate an ICPT. To solve the electromagnetic equations and incorporate forces and resistive heating, several userdefined functions (UDF) were written to add to the functionality of FLUENT©. Initially, an azimuthally-symmetric, two-dimensional model was created to set a test baseline for operating in FLUENT© and to verify the UDF. To incorporate coil angle and current leads, a fully three dimensional model UDF was written. Preliminary results confirm the functionality of the code. Additionally, the results reveal a non-mixing, laminar flow outer region for an axis-symmetric ICPT

A Flexible, Low-Power, Programmable Unsupervised Neural Network Based on Microcontrollers for Medical Applications

We present an implementation and laboratory tests of a winner takes all (WTA) artificial neural network (NN) on two microcontrollers (μC) with the ARM Cortex M3 and the AVR cores. The prospective application of this device is in wireless body sensor network (WBSN) in an on-line analysis of electrocardiograph (ECG) and electromyograph (EMG) biomedical signals. The proposed device will be used as a base station in the WBSN, acquiring and analysing the signals from the sensors placed on the human body. The proposed system is equiped with an analog-todigital converter (ADC), and allows for multi-channel acquisition of analog signals, preprocessing (filtering) and further analysis

SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATION, AND KINETIC EVALUATION OF PLANAR AND SUPPORTED HETEROGENEOUS CATALYSTS

An integrated approach for biomass upgrading to fuels requires catalyst synthesis, characterization, and kinetic evaluation. The work was divided in three areas, 1-preparation and characterization of model catalysts containing metal oxide overcoats and metal nanoparticles synthesized by atomic layer deposition (ALD), a gas-phase material deposition technique, 2-the study of structure sensitivity for formic acid decomposition on planar Pt catalysts, and 3-characterization of bimetallic Pt-M (M = Re, Mo) catalysts using surface sensitive techniques and theory

ESSE 2017. Proceedings of the International Conference on Environmental Science and Sustainable Energy

Environmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical-, biological-, and information sciences to study and solve environmental problems. ESSE - The International Conference on Environmental Science and Sustainable Energy provides a platform for experts, professionals, and researchers to share updated information and stimulate the communication with each other. In 2017 it was held in Suzhou, China June 23-25, 2017

Applications of Antenna Technology in Sensors

During the past few decades, information technologies have been evolving at a tremendous rate, causing profound changes to our world and to our ways of living. Emerging applications have opened u[ new routes and set new trends for antenna sensors. With the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT), the adaptation of antenna technologies for sensor and sensing applications has become more important. Now, the antennas must be reconfigurable, flexible, low profile, and low-cost, for applications from airborne and vehicles, to machine-to-machine, IoT, 5G, etc. This reprint aims to introduce and treat a series of advanced and emerging topics in the field of antenna sensors

Radiative neutron capture cross section on 238U at the n_TOF CERN facility: a high precision measurement

The aim of this work is to provide a precise and accurate measurement of the 238U(n,gamma) reaction cross-section. This reaction is of fundamental importance for the design calculations of nuclear reactors, governing the behaviour of the reactor core. In particular, fast neutron reactors, which are experiencing a growing interest for their ability to burn radioactive waste, operate in the high energy region of the neutron spectrum. In this energy region inconsistencies between the existing measurements are present up to 15%, and the most recent evaluations disagree each other. In addition, the assessment of nuclear data uncertainty performed for innovative reactor systems shows that the uncertainty in the radiative capture cross-section of 238U should be further reduced to 1-3% in the energy region from 20 eV to 25 keV. To this purpose, addressed by the Nuclear Energy Agency as a priority nuclear data need, complementary experiments, one at the GELINA and two at the n_TOF facility, were scheduled within the ANDES project within the 7th Framework Project of the European Commission. The results of one of the 238U(n,gamma) measurement performed at the n_TOF CERN facility are presented in this work, carried out with a detection system constituted of two liquid scintillators. The very accurate cross section from this work is compared with the results obtained from the other measurement performed at the n_TOF facility, which exploit a different and complementary detection technique. The excellent agreement between the two data-sets points out that they can contribute to the reduction of the cross section uncertainty down to the required 1-3%

On Mothers with Schizophrenia: Assessment of Early Infant Caregiving Capacity & the Contribution of Cognitive Deficits

An Australian national research priority is a healthy start to life, requiring a good-enough nurturing environment in infancy. Mothers with schizophrenia are a group who struggle to provide this early foundation, with up to 50% of their infants removed from their care. There are major limitations to our service provision and the state of our knowledge regarding the impact of schizophrenia upon early parenting. Regarding service provision, there is currently no instrument to validly assess the parenting of mothers with schizophrenia. Treatment approaches and decisions regarding custody are presently guided by parenting assessments that are not appropriate nor specific to this cohort. Regarding the state of our knowledge, it is still not known what it is about schizophrenia that interferes with the ability to parent. The current literature demonstrates that symptomatology and psychosocial variables do not adequately explain the extent of dysfunction that is seen in this parenting group. In an attempt to address the above limitations, the following study aimed to develop and validate a measure of infant parenting that is appropriate for use in schizophrenia. The second aim of the study was to compare the infant caregiving of mothers with schizophrenia to that of clinical and healthy postpartum controls. It was hypothesised that schizophrenia-associated cognitive deficits would account for a significant proportion of the difficulty experienced by mothers with schizophrenia. Fifty one postpartum mothers participated in the study. The sample comprised a schizophrenia group (n=13), a clinical control group (mothers with a mood disorder; n=13), and a healthy control group (n=25). The psychometric properties of the Infant Caregiving Assessment Scales (INCAS) were examined using a 12-month prospective longitudinal design. A cross-sectional design was concurrently used to determine the extent to which schizophrenia-associated cognitive deficits affect the capacity to care for a new infant, relative to symptoms and psychosocial variables. Early findings suggest that the INCAS is reliable and valid for use in the postpartum schizophrenia population. Compared to the clinical and healthy control groups, mothers with schizophrenia exhibited specific impairments to their infant caregiving in the dimensions of empathy, adaptability, protection and provision. A significant relationship between caregiving capacity and schizophrenia-associated cognitive deficits was found in the study at hand. Through regression analyses, it was shown that the total neurocognition and processing speed variables were significant predictors of caregiving capacity (as measured by the INCAS). When clinical and psychosocial variables were included in the model however, these relationships were no longer significant. These findings suggest that there is not a direct relationship between neurocognition and infant caregiving, or alternatively, that the relationship is only slight. Regarding social cognitions, facial affect recognition and attributional style retained significance as predictors of infant caregiving capacity when other variables were added to the model. Using path analyses, it was clarified that although the neurocognitive deficits did not directly impair the maternal role functioning of women with schizophrenia, they impaired it indirectly through their negative impact upon social cognition. A major limitation was the very small sample size. Within the context of only 51 participants, the findings should be viewed as preliminary. Further studies that replicate these findings in larger samples are required. This important and innovative research project has introduced an evidence-based caregiving assessment for mothers with schizophrenia. The INCAS has the potential to help this group provide a healthy start to life to their infants by assisting in the careful examination and identification of problems early in the caregiving relationship. While still only in the early stages of validating this scale, the INCAS has helped to provide an early indication of the caregiving dimensions affected by schizophrenia, together with the cognitive aspects of the illness that may be responsible for this specific area of functional impairment. With the feasibility of this research established in the current thesis, the way is paved for future research to go forth

Analysis and design considerations of resonator arrays for inductive power transfer systems

In the frame of inductive power transfer (IPT) systems, arrays of magnetically coupled resonators have received increasing attention as they are cheap and versatile due to their simple structure. They consist of magnetically coupled coils, which resonate with their self-capacitance or lumped capacitive networks. Of great industrial interest are planar resonator arrays used to power a receiver that can be placed at any position above the array. A thorough circuit analysis has been carried out, first starting from traditional two-coil IPT devices. Then, resonator arrays have been introduced, with particular attention to the case of arrays with a receiver. To evaluate the system performance, a circuit model based on original analytical formulas has been developed and experimentally validated. The results of the analysis also led to the definition of a new doubly-fed array configuration with a receiver that can be placed above it at any position. A suitable control strategy aimed at maximising the transmitted power and the efficiency has been also proposed. The study of the array currents has been carried out resorting to the theory of magneto-inductive waves, allowing useful insight to be highlighted. The analysis has been completed with a numerical and experimental study on the magnetic field distribution originating from the array. Furthermore, an application of the resonator array as a position sensor has been investigated. The position of the receiver is estimated through the measurement of the array input impedance, for which an original analytical expression has been also obtained. The application of this sensing technique in an automotive dynamic IPT system has been discussed. The thesis concludes with an evaluation of the possible applications of two-dimensional resonator arrays in IPT systems. These devices can be used to improve system efficiency and transmitted power, as well as for magnetic field shielding

Design and optimization of a three phase inductive power transfer system

193 p.El concepto de transporte sostenible dentro de las ciudades debe ser reconsiderado para poder así tener áreas urbanas más saludables. Es un hecho bien conocido que en las grandes ciudades sufren de grandes problemas de contaminación. Principalmente, debido los vehículos de combustión interna, con grandes emisiones de CO2. Estos representan más del 50% de los vehículos utilizados diariamente. Es por ello que el transporte público debe ser estimulado. Particularmente hablando, el transporte ferroviario es muy atractivo, ya que no se producen emisiones directas.Los sistemas de transporte ferroviario, como los tranvías y los metros, son muy ventajosos en términos de eficiencia, precio del usuario, seguridad y comodidad. Sin embargo, en comparación con un vehículo de combustión interna, los costos iniciales y de mantenimiento son muy altos. El alto costo inicial se debe principalmente al alto precio de las baterías. Por otro lado, el mantenimiento se ve enormemente afectado por la corrosión y la exposición ambiental que sufre parte del sistema de alimentación, el pantógrafo y las catenarias, siendo estos los componentes más críticos. Además, en las grandes ciudades, con muchas líneas de tranvía, las catenarias tienen un gran impacto visual. Para solucionar estos problemas, una de las opciones más prometedoras es dotar al vehículo ferroviario de un sistema de transferencia inductiva (IPT). De esta forma, la catenaria podría eliminarse y la carga se realizará de forma inalámbrica con las bobinas del transmisor enterradas en el suelo.Entre los diferentes sistemas posibles de IPT, este trabajo se centra en los sistemas de transferencia de energía inductiva dinámica (DIPT), es decir, cuando se está cargando mientras el vehículo se está moviendo. En concreto, esta tesis se adentra en el diseño de bobinas tipo meandro. El objetivo de este trabajo es proponer un método para diseñar sistemas de carga inductiva trifásicos. Para ello, los principios fundamentales de funcionamiento del sistema IPT se introducen en la primera parte de esta tesis. Las ecuaciones se presentan y se calcula el límite de división de polos. Validándolos en un prototipo de 3.3kW.Posteriormente, se describen los principios de trabajo de la bobina del tipo meandro. Se muestran las ecuaciones que modelan estas bobinas y se resalta la posibilidad de lograr un acoplamiento constante con múltiples fases. Además, con las modificaciones presentadas, el sistema multifásico se puede modelar mediante un sistema monofásico equivalente. Gracias a esto, el límite de división de polos se puede calcular fácilmente. Utilizando este límite, se describe un procedimiento de diseño y se valida experimentalmente en un prototipo de 50W. Este prototipo muestra el potencial de este tipo de bobinas, logrando una transmisión de potencia constante con una eficiencia del 70%.Sobre la base de este procedimiento de diseño, se propone una metodología de optimización para mejorar el tamaño, el peso y el costo del DIPT. Se resaltan los compromisos existentes entre estos indicadores. Finalmente, esta optimización se aplica para un sistema de 9kWy se valida en un banco de prueba real, con una eficiencia medida del 90%, para cualquier posición y potencia de salida con una separación de bobina de 100m