Two-phase flow in a porous medium modeling

This research is devoted to the multiphase modeling in substances containing pores. The experimental setup is built in Comsol Multiphysics package and constitutes a soil column that deals with two substances when one of them goes from above of the column while the other one goes from below. Throughout the experiment air represents the 'upper' substance while the second one varies. The varying matter allows checking the model for its accuracy. After the check the transition to the air/oil system is done. The result of simulation is distribution of substance pressure in the laboratory column at the final time

Precracked RC T-beams Repaired in Shear with Externally Bonded CFRP Sheets

This is the accepted version of the original publication available here: http://www.concrete.org/PUBS/JOURNALS/OLJDetails.asp?Home=SJ&ID=51683632.This study investigates the structural behavior of precracked reinforced concrete (RC) T-beams strengthened in shear with externally bonded carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets. It reports on seven tests on unstrengthened and strengthened RC T-beams, identifying the influence of load history, beam depth, and percentage of longitudinal steel reinforcement on the structural behavior. The experimental results indicate that the contributions of the external CFRP sheets to the shear force capacity can be significant and depend on most of the investigated variables. This study also investigates the accuracy of the prediction of the fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) contribution in ACI 440.2R-08, UK Concrete Society TR55, and fib Bulletin 14 design guidelines for shear strengthening. A comparison of predicted values with experimental results indicates that the guidelines can overestimate the shear contribution of the externally bonded FRP system.This work was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council [grant number GR/S55101/01]

Pybel: a Python wrapper for the OpenBabel cheminformatics toolkit.

BACKGROUND: Scripting languages such as Python are ideally suited to common programming tasks in cheminformatics such as data analysis and parsing information from files. However, for reasons of efficiency, cheminformatics toolkits such as the OpenBabel toolkit are often implemented in compiled languages such as C++. We describe Pybel, a Python module that provides access to the OpenBabel toolkit. RESULTS: Pybel wraps the direct toolkit bindings to simplify common tasks such as reading and writing molecular files and calculating fingerprints. Extensive use is made of Python iterators to simplify loops such as that over all the molecules in a file. A Pybel Molecule can be easily interconverted to an OpenBabel OBMol to access those methods or attributes not wrapped by Pybel. CONCLUSION: Pybel allows cheminformaticians to rapidly develop Python scripts that manipulate chemical information. It is open source, available cross-platform, and offers the power of the OpenBabel toolkit to Python programmers

Shear Capacity of Reinforced Concrete T-Beams Retrofit with Externally Bonded CFRP Fabric: A New Perspective

Unanchored U-wrapped externally bonded carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) fabrics are widely used to increase the design shear strength of existing reinforced concrete slab-on-beam structures, but current design models do not accurately predict the degree of enhancement. Experimental investigations further indicate that some T-beams retrofit with externally bonded CFRP fabric fail at lower shear loads than nominally identical nonretrofit reference counterparts, suggesting a negative experimental CFRP contribution. This work finds a new application for the upper-bound theorem of plasticity in analyzing the problem of U-wrapped externally bonded CFRP-retrofit beam behavior. The study provides insight into the poor historical prediction of the CFRP contribution, and demonstrates the limitations of a widely used experimental approach to determining this contribution. The analysis suggests a new way of thinking about the behavior of slab-on-beam structures retrofit with unanchored U-wrapped externally bonded CFRP. The upper-bound plastic analysis provides better predictions of retrofit shear capacity than some widely used design models, indicating that this approach can lead to better design of retrofit interventions in future. This work proposes a new design limit on enhancement that can reduce the likelihood of unsafe design in practice

Framework for better living with HIV in England

1 Introduction and overview 1.1 The goal, purpose and scope of the framework This framework is the first of its kind in the UK. It describes the shared aspirations of a group of agencies for the lives of people diagnosed with HIV in England. The overarching goal of the framework is: All people with HIV are enabled to have the maximum level of health, well-being, quality of life and social integration. This is no less than the majority of people in the country expect for themselves. However, numerous obstacles prevent people with HIV from achieving this goal. These obstacles are not about having the virus but about how people with the virus are treated. This overarching goal is the situation we want to bring about. We detail this goal in seventeen subsidiary goals (what we want to happen). Each of these has a number of related aims and target groups (what we want individuals and groups to do to bring about the goal). The framework starts with the individual and seeks to bring about the conditions most favourable to individual self-determination and self-empowerment. The purpose of the framework is to: • Promote and protect the rights and well-being of all people with HIV in England. • Maximise the capacity of individuals and groups of people with HIV to care for, advocate and represent themselves effectively. • Improve and protect access to appropriate, effective and sufficient information, social support and social care services. • Minimise social, economic, governmental and judicial change detrimental to the rights and well-being of people with HIV. • Build consensus among those with a responsibility for promoting the well-being and rights of people with HIV. • Provide benchmarks against which the activities of a range of key stakeholders can be assessed, critiqued and coordinated. The framework does not describe all the activities of the organisations represented in the Framework Development Group (see section 1.4). Nor can these organisations undertake all the interventions necessary within the framework. Rather, the framework seeks to mobilise and coordinate the actions of a broad range of individuals and groups, from people with HIV themselves to government ministers. The framework primarily seeks to benefit people with diagnosed HIV infection. It is concerned with the health and well-being of those diagnosed with HIV and not those with undiagnosed HIV or those who might become infected (HIV prevention).As we are concerned with the lives of people with HIV after diagnosis, this framework is not focused on increasing HIV testing or HIV diagnosis nor does it attend to the needs of the broader population affected by HIV except where they relate to people with diagnosed HIV

Inspection of RC half-joint bridges in England: Analysis of current practice

The strategic road network (SRN) in England carries 33% of traffic in England and Highways England's bridge management systems plays a crucial role in the maintenance of infrastructure assets along the SRN. Reinforced concrete half-joint structures are susceptible to deterioration and hard to inspect, hence they require special attention. Inspection data relating to half-joint structures on the SRN was gathered. Within this portfolio, 252 structures with half-joint-related defects were interrogated to classify the most common defects and identify any potential shortcomings in current inspection practice. Clear correlations were shown to exist between defect classes, emphasising the need for quality control and proper workmanship. A revised inspection methodology for half-joint structures that provides more comprehensive information about crack details, and a greater alignment between defect information and indicators of structural measures, is proposed. Concurrently, knowledge of the zonal crack location, crack orientation and crack severity helps inform decision making about the structural condition. There is scope for use of the methodology in conjunction with automated processing procedures to identify half-joint structures with particular defect characteristics and profiles. In this way, asset managers will be better able to allocate resources to structures with an increased risk of failure.The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (UK) (EPSRC) through the EPSRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) Knowledge Transfer Fellowship ‘Impact Acceleration Account – Strategic Roads Network Infrastructure Alliance’

Linking surface and subsurface volcanic stratigraphy in the Turkana Depression of the East African Rift System

Acknowledgments The Kenyan JV (Tullow Oil, Africa Oil and Total) are thanked for allowing publication of this paper. Views expressed within this paper by authors are not necessarily the views of the Kenyan JV. Seismic and Well Interpretation was undertaken using Schlumberger Petrel and Techlog Software. ALS Petrophysics is acknowledged for thin section petrography of Epir-1 in Figure 7. Stuart Archer is thanked for discussions with regard to rift stratigraphy. We would like to thank Simon Holford and Craig Feibel for reviews which considerably helped improve this paper. Tyrone O. Rooney is thanked for editorial guidance. Dennis Wairimu and Francis Karanja are thanked for accompanying in the field. The Kapese Camp and Drivers are thanked for accommodating the fieldwork in a very professional manner. Mark Goodchild is thanked for facilitating fieldwork and research funding. Funding: The Kenyan JV are thanked for providing research funding for the project.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Electro-kinetic technology as a low-cost method for dewatering food by-product

Increasing volumes of food waste, intense environmental awareness, and stringent legislation have imposed increased demands upon conventional food waste management. Food byproducts that were once considered to be without value are now being utilized as reusable materials, fuels, and energy in order to reduce waste. One major barrier to the valorization of food by-products is their high moisture content. This has brought about the necessity of dewatering food waste for any potential re-use for certain disposal options. A laboratory system for experimentally characterizing electro-kinetic dewatering of food by-products was evaluated. The bench scale system, which is an augmented filter press, was used to investigate the dewatering at constant voltage. Five food by-products (brewer’s spent grain, cauliflower trimmings, mango peel, orange peel, and melon peel) were studied. The results indicated that electro-kinetic dewatering combined with mechanical dewatering can reduce the percentage of moisture from 78% to 71% for brewer’s spent grain, from 77% to 68% for orange peel, from 80% to 73% for mango peel, from 91% to 74% for melon peel, and from 92% to 80% for cauliflower trimmings. The total moisture reduction showed a correlation with electrical conductivity (R2¼0.89). The energy consumption of every sample was evaluated and was found to be up to 60 times more economical compared to thermal processing