746 research outputs found
Design of an instrumented smart cutting tool and its implementation and application perspectives
This paper presents an innovative design of a smart cutting tool, using two surface acoustic wave (SAW) strain sensors mounted onto the top and the side surface of the tool shank respectively, and its implementation and application perspectives. This surface acoustic wave-based smart cutting tool is capable of measuring the cutting force and the feed force in a real machining environment, after a calibration process under known cutting conditions. A hybrid dissimilar workpiece is then machined using the SAW-based smart cutting tool. The hybrid dissimilar material is made of two different materials, NiCu alloy (Monel) and steel, welded together to form a single bar; this can be used to simulate an abrupt change in material properties. The property transition zone is successfully detected by the tool; the sensor feedback can then be used to initiate a change in the machining parameters to compensate for the altered material properties.The UK Technology Strategy Board (TSB) for supporting this research (SEEM Project, contract No. BD266E
Interactions of alkali cations with glutamate transporters
The transport of glutamate is coupled to the co-transport of three Na+ ions and the countertransport of one K+ ion. In addition to this carrier-type exchange behaviour, glutamate transporters also behave as chloride channels. The chloride channel activity is strongly influenced by the cations that are involved in coupled flux, making glutamate transporters representative of the ambiguous interface between carriers and channels. In this paper, we review the interaction of alkali cations with glutamate transporters in terms of these diverse functions. We also present a model derived from electrostatic mapping of the predicted cation-binding sites in the X-ray crystal structure of the Pyrococcus horikoshii transporter GltPh and in its human glutamate transporter homologue EAAT3. Two predicted Na+-binding sites were found to overlap precisely with the Tl+ densities observed in the aspartate-bound complex. A novel third site predicted to favourably bind Na+ (but not Tl+) is formed by interaction with the substrate and the occluding HP2 loop. A fourth predicted site in the apo state exhibits selectivity for K+ over both Na+ and Tl+. Notably, this K+ site partially overlaps the glutamate-binding site, and their binding is mutually exclusive. These results are consistent with kinetic and structural data and suggest a plausible mechanism for the flux coupling of glutamate with Na+ and K+ ions
Topological Modes in Dual Lattice Models
Lattice gauge theory with gauge group is reconsidered in four
dimensions on a simplicial complex . One finds that the dual theory,
formulated on the dual block complex , contains topological modes
which are in correspondence with the cohomology group ,
in addition to the usual dynamical link variables. This is a general phenomenon
in all models with single plaquette based actions; the action of the dual
theory becomes twisted with a field representing the above cohomology class. A
similar observation is made about the dual version of the three dimensional
Ising model. The importance of distinct topological sectors is confirmed
numerically in the two dimensional Ising model where they are parameterized by
.Comment: 10 pages, DIAS 94-3
The Longitudinal Properties of a Solar Energetic Particle Event Investigated Using Modern Solar Imaging
We use combined high-cadence, high-resolution, and multi-point imaging by the Solar-Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) and the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory to investigate the hour-long eruption of a fast and wide coronal mass ejection (CME) on 2011 March 21 when the twin STEREO spacecraft were located beyond the solar limbs. We analyze the relation between the eruption of the CME, the evolution of an Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) wave, and the onset of a solar energetic particle (SEP) event measured in situ by the STEREO and near-Earth orbiting spacecraft. Combined ultraviolet and white-light images of the lower corona reveal that in an initial CME lateral "expansion phase," the EUV disturbance tracks the laterally expanding flanks of the CME, both moving parallel to the solar surface with speeds of ~450 km s^(–1). When the lateral expansion of the ejecta ceases, the EUV disturbance carries on propagating parallel to the solar surface but devolves rapidly into a less coherent structure. Multi-point tracking of the CME leading edge and the effects of the launched compression waves (e.g., pushed streamers) give anti-sunward speeds that initially exceed 900 km s^(–1) at all measured position angles. We combine our analysis of ultraviolet and white-light images with a comprehensive study of the velocity dispersion of energetic particles measured in situ by particle detectors located at STEREO-A (STA) and first Lagrange point (L1), to demonstrate that the delayed solar particle release times at STA and L1 are consistent with the time required (30-40 minutes) for the CME to perturb the corona over a wide range of longitudes. This study finds an association between the longitudinal extent of the perturbed corona (in EUV and white light) and the longitudinal extent of the SEP event in the heliosphere
Evaluation of a warfarin bait for controlling invasive wild pigs (\u3ci\u3eSus scrofa\u3c/i\u3e)
BACKGROUND: Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) cause widespread environmental and economic damage, and as a result are subjected to extensive control. Current management strategies have proven insufficient, and there is growing interest in use of toxicants to control invasive populations of this species. In 2017 a low-dose warfarin bait was federally approved for use in controlling wild pigs in the United States. However, no states have allowed use of this bait due to unanswered questions regarding welfare concerns, field efficacy, and non-target impacts.
RESULTS: All captive wild pigs fed 0.005% warfarin baits in no choice feeding trials succumbed in an average of 8 days from exposure. Behavioral symptoms of warfarin exposure included vomiting, external bleeding, abnormal breathing, incoordination, and limping. Postmortem examinations revealed hemorrhaging in organs and muscles, particularly the legs, gastrointestinal tract, and abdomen. Warfarin residues in tissues averaged 1.0mg kg-1 for muscle, 3.9mg kg-1 for liver, and 2.8mg kg-1 for small intestines. Field testing revealed wild pigs required extensive training to access bait within pig-specific bait stations, and once acclimated, exhibited reluctance to consume toxic baits, resulting in no mortalities across two separate field deployments of toxic bait.
CONCLUSION: Our results suggest wild pigs are susceptible to low-dose warfarin, and warfarin residues in pig tissues postmortem are generally low. However, although warfarin-based baits are currently approved for use by the US Environmental Protection Agency, further improvements to pig-specific bait delivery systems and bait palatability are needed, as well as additional research to quantify efficacy, cost, and non-target impacts prior to widespread implementation
Three Dimensional Structure and Energy Balance of a Coronal Mass Ejection
The Ultraviolet Coronagraph Spectrometer (UVCS) observed Doppler shifted
material of a partial Halo Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) on December 13 2001. The
observed ratio of [O V]/O V] is a reliable density diagnostic important for
assessing the state of the plasma. Earlier UVCS observations of CMEs found
evidence that the ejected plasma is heated long after the eruption. We have
investigated the heating rates, which represent a significant fraction of the
CME energy budget. The parameterized heating and radiative and adiabatic
cooling have been used to evaluate the temperature evolution of the CME
material with a time dependent ionization state model. The functional form of a
flux rope model for interplanetary magnetic clouds was also used to
parameterize the heating. We find that continuous heating is required to match
the UVCS observations. To match the O VI-bright knots, a higher heating rate is
required such that the heating energy is greater than the kinetic energy. The
temperatures for the knots bright in Ly and C III emission indicate
that smaller heating rates are required for those regions. In the context of
the flux rope model, about 75% of the magnetic energy must go into heat in
order to match the O VI observations. We derive tighter constraints on the
heating than earlier analyses, and we show that thermal conduction with the
Spitzer conductivity is not sufficient to account for the heating at large
heights.Comment: 40 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ For associated
mpeg file, please see https://www.cora.nwra.com/~jylee/mpg/f5.mp
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