A study of jet flow and reattachment in control valves

The work continues investigations into the characteristics of piston control valves; in particular it examines fluid flow through constrictions similar to the valve port. The various flow phenomena associated with piston valves are reviewed, then a closer study is made of reports examining more specific aspects of the flow including separation, jet flow reattachment and turbulent entrainment. From these reports a mathematical model of the entrainment process inside valves is constructed for incompressible flow, and predictions of reattachment bubble lengths obtained for various port geometries. Experimental results obtained using a two-dimensional model of the valve port show that the measured bubble lengths hear the same relationship to the predictions as is found in two other investigations of reattaching jet flow in similar configurations which are analysed on the same basis. A further study of reports on compressible jet flow yields three methods to predict the jet angle of compressible flow through the valve geometry, and one is used to obtain theoretical values of jet angle and thickness over a range of geometries and pressure ratios. Further experimental results, obtained from the same valve model, verify the predictions of jet angle and establish the characteristics of the compressible bubble throughout a wide range of pressure ratios and orifice dimensions During the tests several distinct patterns of supersonic flow were observed using a schlieren light system and recorded by photographing theme Prom consideration of the measurements and theoretical predictions some explanation is offered for the observed bubble behaviour and the various flow patterns. Finally the effect of these characteristics on the performance of piston valves is discussed and an attempt made' to describe previously reported valve behaviour in terms of the measured bubble flow patterns

Environmental Survival of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in Different Climatic Zones of Eastern Australia.

The duration of survival of both the S and C strains of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in feces was quantified in contrasting climatic zones of New South Wales, Australia, and detailed environmental temperature data were collected. Known concentrations of S and C strains in feces placed on soil in polystyrene boxes were exposed to the environment with or without the provision of shade (70%) at Bathurst, Armidale, Condobolin, and Broken Hill, and subsamples taken every 2 weeks were cultured for the presence of M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis. The duration of survival ranged from a minimum of 1 week to a maximum of 16 weeks, and the provision of 70% shade was the most important factor in extending the survival time. The hazard of death for exposed compared to shaded samples was 20 and 9 times higher for the S and C strains, respectively. Site did not affect the survival of the C strain, but for the S strain, the hazard of death was 2.3 times higher at the two arid zone sites (Broken Hill and Condobolin) than at the two temperate zone sites (Bathurst and Armidale). Temperature measurements revealed maximum temperatures exceeding 60°C and large daily temperature ranges at the soil surface, particularly in exposed boxes.This work was supported by the NSW sheep industry through the NSW Ovine Johne's Disease Industry Fund and the NSW Rural Assistance Authority

Linking Physical Education With Community Sport and Recreation: A Program for Adolescent Girls

The engagement of adolescent girls in physical activity (PA) is a persistent challenge. School-based PA programs have often met with little success because of the lack of linkages between school and community PA settings. The Triple G program aimed to improve PA levels of secondary school girls (12-15 years) in regional Victoria, Australia. The program included a school-based physical education (PE) component that uniquely incorporated student-centered teaching and behavioral skill development. The school component was conceptually and practically linked to a community component that emphasized appropriate structures for participation. The program was informed by ethnographic fieldwork to understand the contextual factors that affect girls’ participation in PA. A collaborative intervention design was undertaken to align with PE curriculum and coaching and instructional approaches in community PA settings. The theoretical framework for the intervention was the socioecological model that was underpinned by both individual-level (social cognitive theory) and organizational-level (building organizational/community capacity) strategies. The program model provides an innovative conceptual framework for linking school PE with community sport and recreation and may benefit other PA programs seeking to engage adolescent girls. The objective of this article is to describe program development and the unique theoretical framework and curriculum approaches

Biomechanics for inclusive urban design : effects of tactile paving on older adults’ gait when crossing the street

In light of our ageing population it is important that the urban environment is easily accessible and hence supports older adults’ independence. Tactile ‘blister’ paving was originally designed to provide guidance for visually impaired people at pedestrian crossings. However, as research links irregular surfaces to falls in older adults, such paving may have an adverse effect on older people. We investigated the effects of tactile paving on older adults’ gait in a scenario closely resembling “crossing the street”. Gait analysis of 32 healthy older adults showed that tactile, as compared to smooth, paving increases the variability in timing of foot placement by 20%, thereby indicating a disturbance of the rhythmic gait pattern. Moreover, toe-clearance during the swing phase increased by 7% on tactile paving, and the ability to stop upon cue from the traffic light was compromised. These results need to be viewed under consideration of the limitations associated with laboratory studies and real world analysis is needed to fully understand their implications for urban design

Plutonium stabilization in zircon: Effects of self-radiation

Zircon (ZrSiO4)(ZrSiO4) is the most thoroughly studied of all candidate ceramic phases for the stabilization of plutonium. Self-radiation damage from α-decay of the 239Pu,239Pu, which releases a 5.16 MeV α-particle and a 0.086 MeV 235U235U recoil nucleus, can significantly affect the structure and properties of zircon. Recent computer simulations using energy minimization techniques indicate that the lowest energy configuration occurs for a defect cluster composed of two near-neighbor Pu3+Pu3+ substitutions on Zr4+Zr4+ sites and a neighboring charge-compensating oxygen vacancy. © 2000 American Institute of Physics.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/87571/2/18_1.pd

Diet and bone mineral density study in postmenopausal women from the TwinsUK registry shows a negative association with a traditional English dietary pattern and a positive association with wine

Background: The effect of diet on bone mineral density (BMD) remains controversial, mainly because of difficulties in isolating dietary factors from the confounding influences of age, lifestyle, and genetic factors. Objective: The aim of this study was to use a novel method to examine the relation between BMD and diet. Design: A co-twin control study design with linear regression modeling was used to test for associations between BMD and habitual intakes of calcium, vitamin D, protein, and alcohol plus 5 previously identified dietary patterns in postmenopausal women from the TwinsUK registry. This approach exploited the unique matching of twins to provide an estimate of an association that was not confounded by age, genetic background, or shared lifestyle. Results: In >2000 postmenopausal women (BMD data on 1019, 1218, and 1232 twin pairs at the hip neck, hip, and spine, respectively), we observed a positive association between alcohol intake (from wine but not from beer or spirits) and spine BMD (P = 0.01) and a negative association with a traditional 20th-century English diet at the hip neck (P = 0.01). Both associations remained borderline significant after adjustment for mean twin-pair intakes (P = 0.04 and P = 0.055, respectively). Other dietary patterns and intakes of calcium, vitamin D, and protein were unrelated to BMD. Conclusion: Our results showed that diet has an independent but subtle effect on BMD; wine intake was positively associated with spine BMD, whereas a traditional (20th-century) English diet had a negative association with hip BMD

Solid Solubilities of Pu, U, Gd and Hf in Candidate Ceramic Nuclear Wasteforms

This goal of this research project was to determine the solid solubility of Pu, U, Gd, and Hf in candidate ceramics for immobilization of high-level nuclear waste. The experimental approach was to saturate each phase by adding more than the solid solubility limit of the given cation, using a nominated substitution scheme, and then analyzing the candidate phase that formed to evaluate the solid solubility limit under firing conditions. Confirmation that the solid solution limit had been reached insofar as other phases rich in the cation of interest was also required. The candidate phases were monazite, titanite, zirconolite, perovskite, apatite, pyrochlore, and brannerite. The valences of Pu and U were typically deduced from the firing atmosphere, and charge balancing in the candidate phase composition as evaluated from electron microscopy, although in some cases it was measured directly by x-ray absorption and diffuse reflectance spectroscopies (for U). Tetravalent Pu and U have restricted (< 0.1 formula units) solid solubility in apatite, titanite, and perovskite. Trivalent Pu has a larger solubility in apatite and perovskite than Pu4+. U3+ appears to be a credible species in reduced perovskite with a solubility of {approximately} 0.25 f.u. as opposed to {approximately} 0.05 f.u. for U4+. Pu4+ is a viable species in monazite and is promoted at lower firing temperatures ({approximately} 800 C) in an air atmosphere. Hf solubility is restricted in apatite, monazite (< 0.1 f.u.), but is {approximately} 0.2 and 0.5 f.u. in brannerite and titanite, respectively. Gd solubility is extended in all phases except for titanite ({approximately} 0.3 f.u.). U5+ was identified by DRS observations of absorption bands in the visible/near infrared photon energy ranges in brannerite and zirconolite, and U4+ in zirconolite was similarly identified

Reproducibility of measurements of potential doubling time of tumour cells in the multicentre National Cancer Institute protocol T92-0045

We compared the flow cytometric measurement and analysis of the potential doubling time (Tpot) between three centres involved in the National Cancer Institute (NCI) protocol T92-0045. The primary purpose was to understand and minimize the variation within the measurement. A total of 102 specimens were selected at random from patients entered into the trial. Samples were prepared, stained, run and analysed in each centre and a single set of data analysed by all three centres. Analysis of the disc data set revealed that the measurement of labelling index (LI) was robust and reproducible. The estimation of duration of S-phase (Ts) was subject to errors of profile interpretation, particularly DNA ploidy status, and analysis. The LI dominated the variation in Tpot such that the level of final agreement, after removal of outliers and ploidy agreement, reached correlation coefficients of 0.9. The sample data showed poor agreement within each of the components of the measurement. There was some improvement when ploidy was in agreement, but correlation coefficients failed to exceed values of 0.5 for Tpot. The data suggest that observer-associated analysis of Ts and tissue processing and tumour heterogeneity were the major causes of variability in the Tpot measurement. The first two aspects can be standardized and minimized, but heterogeneity will remain a problem with biopsy techniques. © 1999 Cancer Research Campaig