Summary results of the DOE flywheel development effort

The technology and applications evaluation task focuses on defining performance and cost requirements for flywheels in the various areas of application. To date the DOE program has focused on automotive applications. The composite materials effort entails the testing of new commercial composites to determine their engineering properties. The rotor and containment development work uses data from these program elements to design and fabricate flywheels. The flywheels are then tested at the Oak Ridge Flywheel Evaluation Laboratory and their performance is evaluated to indicate possible areas for improvement. Once a rotor has been fully developed it is transferred to the private sector

Insights into the behaviour of systems biology models from dynamic sensitivity and identifiability analysis: a case study of an NF-kB signaling pathway

Mathematical modelling offers a variety of useful techniques to help in understanding the intrinsic behaviour of complex signal transduction networks. From the system engineering point of view, the dynamics of metabolic and signal transduction models can always be described by nonlinear ordinary differential equations (ODEs) following mass balance principles. Based on the state-space formulation, many methods from the area of automatic control can conveniently be applied to the modelling, analysis and design of cell networks. In the present study, dynamic sensitivity analysis is performed on a model of the IB-NF-B signal pathway system. Univariate analysis of the Euclidean-form overall sensitivities shows that only 8 out of the 64 parameters in the model have major influence on the nuclear NF-B oscillations. The sensitivity matrix is then used to address correlation analysis, identifiability assessment and measurement set selection within the framework of least squares estimation and multivariate analysis. It is shown that certain pairs of parameters are exactly or highly correlated to each other in terms of their effects on the measured variables. The experimental design strategy provides guidance on which proteins should best be considered for measurement such that the unknown parameters can be estimated with the best statistical precision. The whole analysis scheme we describe provides efficient parameter estimation techniques for complex cell networks

Emergent properties of the G1/S network

Tato práce se zabývá buněčným cyklem kvasinky Saccgaromyces cerevisiae. Oblastí našeho zájmu je přechod mezi G1 a S fází, kde je naším cílem identifikovat velikosti buňky v době počátku DNA replikace. Nejprve se věnujeme nedávno publikovanému matematickému modelu, který popisuje mechanismy vedoucí k S fázi. Práce poskytuje detailní popis tohoto modelu, stejně jako časový průběh některých důležitých proteinů či jejich sloučenin. Dále se zabýváme pravděpodobnostním modelem aktivace replikačních počátků DNA. Nově uvažujeme vliv šíření DNA replikace mezi sousedícími počátky a analyzujeme jeho důsledky. Poskytujeme také senzitivní analýzu kritické velikosti buňky vzhledem ke konstantám popisujícím dynamiku reakcí v modelu G1/S přechodu.In this thesis we deal with the cell cycle of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We are interested in its G1 to S transition, and our main goal is to determine the cell size at the onset of its DNA replication. At first, we study a recent mathematical model describing the mechanisms leading to the S phase, we provide its detailed description and present the dynamics of some significant protein and protein complexes. Further, we take a closer look at the probabilistic model for firing of DNA replication origins. We newly consider the influence of DNA replication spreading among neighboring origins, and we analyze its consequences. We also provide a sensitivity analysis of the critical cell size with respect to rate constants of G1 to S transition model.

Development of advanced composite structures

Composite structure programs: the L-1011 Advanced Composite Vertical Fin (ACVF), the L-1011 Advanced Composite Aileron, and a wing study program were reviewed. These programs were structured to provide the technology and confidence for the use of advanced composite materials for primary and secondary structures of future transport aircraft. The current status of the programs is discussed. The results of coupon tests for both material systems are presented as well as the ACVF environmental (moisture and temperature) requirements. The effect of moisture and temperature on the mechanical properties of advanced composite materials is shown. The requirements set forth in the FAA Certification Guidelines for Civil Composite Aircraft Structures are discussed as they relate to the ACVF

O-THREE: A high altitude, remotely piloted vehicle

A conceptual design for a remotely piloted vehicle to be used for ozone research above 80,000 feet was developed as part of the one-semester NASA/Universities Space Research Association Aerospace Design course at Case Western Reserve University in Fall 1989. The O-Three design team chose as its mission requirements a cruise altitude of 100,000 ft, a range of 1000 n.m., an endurance of 6 hrs., a 1000 lb payload, and a power to payload of 2 kW. These are based on the Boeing requirements for an ozone research vehicle. In addition, the vehicle should not be restricted to operation over any particular global location. Efforts were made to minimize atmospheric contamination that might increase the rate of ozone depletion and cause discrepancies in data accuracy. Design was not limited to today's level of technology. The design team was divided into four groups: aerodynamics, structures, stability, and control. The specifications and performance estimates for cruise at altitude are given in tabular form

South Korea's automotive labour regime, Hyundai Motors’ global production network and trade‐based integration with the European Union

This article explores the interrelationship between global production networks(GPNs) and free trade agreements (FTAs) in the South Korean auto industry and its employment relations. It focuses on the production network of the Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) — the third biggest automobile manufacturer in the world — and the FTA between the EU and South Korea. This was the first of the EU’s ‘new generation’ FTAs, which among other things contained provisions designed to protect and promote labour standards. The article’s argument is twofold. First, that HMG’s production network and Korea’s political economy (of which HMG is a crucial part) limited the possibilities for the FTA’s labour provisions to take effect. Second, that the commercial provisions in this same FTA simultaneously eroded HMG’s domestic market and corporate profitability, leading to adverse consequences for auto workers in the more insecure and low-paid jobs. In making this argument, the article advances a multiscalar conceptualization of the labour regime as an analytical intermediary between GPNs and FTAs. It also provides one of the first empirical studies of the EU–South Korea FTA in terms of employment relations, drawing on 105 interviews with trade unions, employer associations, automobile companies and state officials across both parties