Modelling of DPF regeneration using microwave energy

FEM based models in COMSOL multiphysics have been used to simulate regeneration of diesel particulate filter following the layout of an existing microwave cavity. The study utilized the physics packages in the software to model the electric field and thermal profiles of the microwave cavity and DPF. This was used to establish dimensions for microwave cavity and DPF. Further it was possible to integrate the heating properties of the Silicon Carbide used in the DPF substrate. The electric field and thermal profiles of the microwave cavity, as well as the DPF were investigated for the established dimensions and simulated results were compared with experiments. In the experiment, we deployed microwave power generated by a 2.45GHz magnetron into the existing microwave cavity to regenerate DPF. The results of the experiments showed the thermal profiles during DPF regeneration to be in agreement with the profiles from the simulated results. The scheme was further used to improve the design of the cavity for better energy utilization and DPF regeneration efficiency. Electric field and thermal profiles of the microwave cavity were established for various dimensions of microwave cavity for a given DPF size and the results were investigated. It was found that cylindrical cavity (diameter of 153mm and length of 533mm) gives the optimal dimensions for the regeneration of a commercial DPF (143mm (diameter) x 183mm (length) viewed in terms of near homogeneous electric field distribution.Authors wish to acknowledge InnovateUK for the financial support provided to the project ‘Marine Exhaust Gase Treatment System (MAGS) {grant reference number 42471-295209)’, in which, the presented work is part of

Sea anemone model has a single Toll-like receptor that can function in pathogen detection, NF-κB signal transduction, and development

In organisms from insects to vertebrates, Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are primary pathogen detectors that activate downstream pathways, specifically those that direct expression of innate immune effector genes. TLRs also have roles in development in many species. The sea anemone Nematostella vectensis is a useful cnidarian model to study the origins of TLR signaling because its genome encodes a single TLR and homologs of many downstream signaling components, including the NF-κB pathway. We have characterized the single N. vectensis TLR (Nv-TLR) and demonstrated that it can activate canonical NF-κB signaling in human cells. Furthermore, we show that the intracellular Toll/IL-1 receptor (TIR) domain of Nv-TLR can interact with the human TLR adapter proteins MAL and MYD88. We demonstrate that the coral pathogen Vibrio coralliilyticus causes a rapidly lethal disease in N. vectensis and that heat-inactivated V. coralliilyticus and bacterial flagellin can activate a reconstituted Nv-TLR–to–NF-κB pathway in human cells. By immunostaining of anemones, we show that Nv-TLR is expressed in a subset of cnidocytes and that many of these Nv-TLR–expressing cells also express Nv-NF-κB. Additionally, the nematosome, which is a Nematostella-specific multicellular structure, expresses Nv-TLR and many innate immune pathway homologs and can engulf V. coralliilyticus. Morpholino knockdown indicates that Nv-TLR also has an essential role during early embryonic development. Our characterization of this primitive TLR and identification of a bacterial pathogen for N. vectensis reveal ancient TLR functions and provide a model for studying the molecular basis of cnidarian disease and immunity.IOS-1354935 - National Science Foundation (NSF); GRFP - National Science Foundation (NSF); GRFP - National Science Foundation (NSF); 1262934 - National Science Foundation (NSF); 2014-BSP - Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundatio

In search of a future strategy for market research services: clients' views on market research suppliers

The market research environment is transforming rapidly and research suppliers may not be keeping up with changing research client needs. This paper examines research client perceptions of current research supplier performance and future competencies. The key findings are that research suppliers need to move their staffing profiles beyond technical expertise in conducting research (generating outputs) to functional expertise in understanding research outcomes within internal and external organizational contexts. The transition from data collector to expert advisor may involve anew business model and new pricing strategies based on intellectual expertise rather than margins on data collection services

The research buyers' perspective of market research effectiveness

This study examines the views of research buyers about the efficacy of market research used within their firms. A sample of research buyers from Australia's top 1000 companies was asked to evaluate the research outcomes of their most recent market research project in terms of their overall business strategy. Specialist market research buyers (insights managers) believed their commissioned research was very effective. This was in contrast to research buyers in generalist roles who did not believe in the effectiveness of the research outcomes to the same extent. The overarchlng strategic direction adopted by the buyer's firm did not make a difference to the type of research conducted (,action orientated' vs. 'knowledge enhancing'). However, entrepreneurial firms were more likely to rate their research as effective and to have dedicated research buyers generating insights into their markets. The results of this study are inconsistent with earlier studies and indicate that the market research function within Australian firms stili plays an ambiguous role

Drinking cultures in Vietnam and what it means for social marketing

This paper presents the early results of a study into social drinking behaviours in Vietnam with a view to gain an understanding how consumption norms are established and transferred within the cultural setting. Vietnam has an established culture of drinking for celebration, social networking and business relationship enhancement (Parker, 2010, Luu, Nguyen & Nguyen 2012). Consumption levels of alcoholic beverages such as beer and wine have been documented by organisations such as the local Health Strategy and Policy Institute (HSPI) and the World Health Organization (WHO). However, consumption of homemade alcohol beverages such as rice wine, snake wine and home-brewed beer, which are popular among the working class in Vietnam, has remained largely undocumented (HSPI 2006). This is principally because it is often difficult to record and analyse something that is produced and consumed outside formal governance processes. Data on alcohol consumption in Vietnam can be problematic. For example, the Vietnamese government official statistics indicate that alcohol consumption contributes to around seven per cent of road crashes (HSPI 2006). Luu, Nguyen and Nguyen (2012) questioned the reliability of these figures given that these data are collected by the police, who do not always have the proper equipment to confirm whether alcohol was involved in a crash. The most recent data from Forensic Medicine (2001, cited in World Health Organization 2009) listed alcohol as contributory to 34 per cent of road deaths

The taboo question: condom retailing in Vietnam and social marketing implications

Purpose: This paper aims to illustrate the need for both upstream and downstream social marketing in relation to condom merchandising in the Vietnamese context. Design/methodology/approach: A mystery shopper audit of condom merchandising practices and retail outlets was undertaken in a number of locations throughout Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. In addition to the audits, a series of depth interviews with retailers of condoms on barriers and facilitators for purchase was undertaken. Findings: The research highlighted some very interesting dynamics in relation to condom retailing in Vietnam. Condoms are not always made easy to purchase, through both the merchandising and other choices made by the retailers. While accessibility to condoms is no longer an issue in urban Vietnam considering the increase of condom retailing outlets, lack of easy access is highly problematic and may interfere with actual condom obtainment. As sex is still a taboo topic in Vietnam, this is a serious concern for social marketing in the sexual and reproductive health domain. Practical implications: Given the capacity to portray taboo topics in Vietnamese media context, social marketing will be challenging. The development of a social marketing strategy for macro-, meso and microlevels will be necessary for successful social marketing. Stigma associated with safe-sex practices and condom use may require a consideration of a social norms social marketing campaign. Originality/value: This research is the first of its kind in the Vietnamese context. While there are a large number of non-governmental organisations campaigning in the region, safe-sex practices and condom use within the general population remains a concern. This research demonstrates that access and availability are key components of the social marketing mi

Do (and say) as I say: Linguistic adaptation in human-computer dialogs

© Theodora Koulouri, Stanislao Lauria, and Robert D. Macredie. This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.There is strong research evidence showing that people naturally align to each other’s vocabulary, sentence structure, and acoustic features in dialog, yet little is known about how the alignment mechanism operates in the interaction between users and computer systems let alone how it may be exploited to improve the efficiency of the interaction. This article provides an account of lexical alignment in human–computer dialogs, based on empirical data collected in a simulated human–computer interaction scenario. The results indicate that alignment is present, resulting in the gradual reduction and stabilization of the vocabulary-in-use, and that it is also reciprocal. Further, the results suggest that when system and user errors occur, the development of alignment is temporarily disrupted and users tend to introduce novel words to the dialog. The results also indicate that alignment in human–computer interaction may have a strong strategic component and is used as a resource to compensate for less optimal (visually impoverished) interaction conditions. Moreover, lower alignment is associated with less successful interaction, as measured by user perceptions. The article distills the results of the study into design recommendations for human–computer dialog systems and uses them to outline a model of dialog management that supports and exploits alignment through mechanisms for in-use adaptation of the system’s grammar and lexicon

A new technique for elucidating β\beta-decay schemes which involve daughter nuclei with very low energy excited states

A new technique of elucidating $\beta$-decay schemes of isotopes with large density of states at low excitation energies has been developed, in which a Broad Energy Germanium (BEGe) detector is used in conjunction with coaxial hyper-pure germanium detectors. The power of this technique has been demonstrated on the example of 183Hg decay. Mass-separated samples of 183Hg were produced by a deposition of the low-energy radioactive-ion beam delivered by the ISOLDE facility at CERN. The excellent energy resolution of the BEGe detector allowed $\gamma$ rays energies to be determined with a precision of a few tens of electronvolts, which was sufficient for the analysis of the Rydberg-Ritz combinations in the level scheme. The timestamped structure of the data was used for unambiguous separation of $\gamma$ rays arising from the decay of 183Hg from those due to the daughter decays

Self expression versus the environment: Attitudes in conflict

Abstract Purpose - This paper aims to present the findings of a survey into attitudes towards the environment and the pro-environmental behaviours of young adults in Vietnam. Design/Methodology/Approach - An online survey was administered to university students in Vietnam's two most populous cities, Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City (N 391). Findings - The results suggest that environmental considerations are not taken into account in young Vietnamese adults' purchase intentions. This is more evident in expressive purchases, but also, to some degree, in utilitarian purchases. Practical implications - For the marketers of environmentally friendly products, this represents at least two key challenges: first, to try to shift the attitudes of young adult consumers towards thinking of environmental friendliness as an attractive characteristic and status-filled activity for potential expressive purchases. Second, making environmentally friendly alternatives of expressive goods more visible and more widely available in Vietnam. Social implications - Non-government organisations and governments seeking to protect the environment need to consider this unique dynamic in social marketing campaigns to increase the desirability of pro-environmental product choices and other pro-environmental behaviours. Originality/value - This paper examines pro-environmental behaviours and intentions of young adults in Vietnam for the first time. The paper establishes that self-expression is more important than the environment, and it is also evident that these young consumers are still vulnerable to perceived social pressure when it comes to expressing themselves

NIDIS Carolinas Drought Early Warning Pilot Program

2012 S.C. Water Resources Conference - Exploring Opportunities for Collaborative Water Research, Policy and Managemen