Analysis of the thermomechanical inconsistency of some extended hydrodynamic models at high Knudsen number

There are some hydrodynamic equations that, while their parent kinetic equation satisfies fundamental mechanical properties, appear themselves to violate mechanical or thermodynamic properties. This article aims to shed some light on the source of this problem. Starting with diffusive volume hydrodynamic models, the microscopic temporal and spatial scales are first separated at the kinetic level from the macroscopic scales at the hydrodynamic level. Then we consider Klimontovich’s spatial stochastic version of the Boltzmann kinetic equation, and show that, for small local Knudsen numbers, the stochastic term vanishes and the kinetic equation becomes the Boltzmann equation. The collision integral dominates in the small local Knudsen number regime, which is associated with the exact traditional continuum limit. We find a sub-domain of the continuum range which the conventional Knudsen number classification does not account for appropriately. In this sub-domain, it is possible to obtain a fully mechanically-consistent volume (or mass) diffusion model that satisfies the second law of thermodynamics on the grounds of extended non-local-equilibrium thermodynamics

Reinterpreting Shock Wave Structure Predictions using the Navier-Stokes Equations

Classical Navier-Stokes equations fail to predict shock wave profiles accurately. In this paper, the Navier-Stokes system is fully transformed using a velocity variable transformation. The transformed equations termed the re-casted Navier-Stokes equations display physics not initially included. We then analyse the stationary shock structure problem in a monatomic gas by solving both the classical and the re-casted Navier-Stokes equations numerically using a finite difference global solution (FDGS) scheme. The numerical results are presented for different upstream Mach numbers ranging from supersonic to hypersonic flows. We found that the re-casted Navier-Stokes equations show better agreements with the experimentally measured density and reciprocal shock thickness profiles

Interface tactile pour la saisie guidée de connaissances

International audienceIn recent years, artificial intelligence tools have democratized and are increasingly used by people who are not experts in the field. These artificial intelligence tools, like rule-based or constraint-based systems require the input of human expertise to replicate the desired reasoning. Despite the explosion of new devices and new input paradigms, such as tablets and other touch interfaces, it seems that the usability of these tools have not taken advantage of these recent advances. In this article, we illustrate our concept with the rule edition in a fuzzy expert system. The special feature of fuzzy logic is that these rules look closer to natural language than classical logic. We present our work that involves the use of new touch interfaces to edit a fuzzy rule base with one finger. We end this section by the evaluation of the interface with a user panel.Au cours de ces dernières années, les outils d'intelligence artificielle se sont démocratisés et sont de plus en plus sou-vent utilisés par des personnes qui ne sont pas expertes du domaine. Parmi ces outils d'intelligence artificielle, les systèmes à base de règles ou de contraintes nécessitent la saisie de l'expertise humaine afin de reproduire le comporte-ment souhaité. Malgré l'explosion des nouveaux périphé-riques et de nouveaux paradigmes de saisie, comme les tablettes et autres interfaces tactiles, l'ergonomie de ces outils semble ne pas avoir profité de toutes ces avancées récentes. Dans cet article, nous prenons l'exemple d'un système expert flou pour lequel il faut rédiger des règles. La particu-larité de la logique floue est que ces règles sont construites d'une manière plus proche du langage naturel qu'en lo-gique classique. Nous présentons notre travail qui consiste en l'exploitation des nouvelles interfaces tactiles afin de rédiger une base de règles floues avec un seul doigt. Nous terminons cet article par l'évaluation de l'interface auprès d'un panel d'utilisateurs

Assessing the presence of Wuchereria bancrofti in vector and human populations from urban communities in Conakry, Guinea

The Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis was launched in 2000 with the goal of interrupting transmission of lymphatic filariasis (LF) through multiple rounds of mass drug administration (MDA). In Guinea, there is evidence of ongoing LF transmission, but little is known about the most densely populated parts of the country, including the capital Conakry. In order to guide the LF control and elimination efforts, serological and entomological surveys were carried out to determine whether or not LF transmission occurs in Conakry.; The prevalence of circulating filarial antigen (CFA) of Wuchereria bancrofti was assessed by an immuno-chromatography test (ICT) in people recruited from all five districts of Conakry. Mosquitoes were collected over a 1-year period, in 195 households in 15 communities. A proportion of mosquitoes were analysed for W. bancrofti, using dissection, loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay and conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR).; CFA test revealed no infection in the 611 individuals examined. A total of 14,334 mosquitoes were collected; 14,135 Culex (98.6 %), 161 Anopheles (1.1 %) and a few other species. Out of 1,312 Culex spp. (9.3 %) and 51 An. gambiae (31.7 %) dissected, none was infected with any stage of the W. bancrofti parasite. However, the LAMP assay revealed that 1.8 % of An. gambiae and 0.31 % of Culex spp. were positive, while PCR determined respective prevalences of 0 % and 0.19 %.; This study revealed the presence of W. bancrofti DNA in mosquitoes, despite the apparent absence of infection in the human population. Although MDA interventions are not recommended where the prevalence of ICT is below 1 %, the entomological results are suggestive of the circulation of the parasite in the population of Conakry. Therefore, rigorous surveillance is still warranted so that LF transmission in Conakry would be identified rapidly and adequate responses being implemented

An Evaluation of Sustainability and Subsidy Dependence of Microfinance Institutions in Ghana

The research aims to explore the understanding of the relationship between sustainability of microfinance institutions (MFIs), subsidy dependence index (SDI) and operational self-sufficiency (OSS).The research study is based on initial exploratory study by analyzing data on 14 executive directors in qualitative interviews and 116 relationship executives in research questionnaires. The microfinance institutions identified were the Financial Non-Governmental Organizations (FNGOs), the Savings and Loans Companies (S&L), the Credit Unions (CUs), the Rural Banks (RBs) and the SUSU Companies. Multiple Regressions which allows for the testing of theories or models established a significant relationship between the Operational Self Sufficiency (OSS) and the predictors, especially the drop-out rate of clients and average loans. The Subsidy Dependence Index (SDI) was calculated for the various types of MFIs and the result was a high dependency ratio especially among the FNGOs. Though the dependency is on the decline, it is very slow indicating that most MFIs will depend on subsidies for a very long time to come. Key words: Subsidy dependence; Sustainability; Operational self-sufficiency; Viability; Microfinanc

Success of Microfinance Institutions: The Ghanaian Experience

Success in microfinance refers to measures which when adopted will significantly improve the life and operations of the institutions though many authors have different views on what constitute success. The following imperatives have been used to scan success of microfinance institutions (MFIs): acquiring more clients, effective and efficient loan processing, effective record keeping, increased savings, external and internal audits, level of staff remuneration and staff turnover rate. The research was based on both qualitative and quantitative approaches. First, interviews were held with selected CEOs from all the categories of MFIs in Ghana. This was followed by self-administered survey involving 130 microfinance institutions. The results indicated that all the perceived factors were significant in determining the success of MFIs. Key words: Success; Microfinance; Sustainability; Remuneratio

Goal-Based Selection of Visual Representations for Big Data Analytics

The H2020 TOREADOR Project adopts a model-driven architecture to streamline big data analytics and make it widely available to companies as a service. Our work in this context focuses on visualization, in particular on how to automate the translation of the visualization objectives declared by the user into a suitable visualization type. To this end we first define a visualization context based on seven prioritizable coordinates for assessing the user's objectives and describing the data to be visualized; then we propose a skyline-based technique for automatically translating a visualization context into a set of suitable visualization types. Finally, we evaluate our approach on a real use case excerpted from the pilot applications of TOREADOR

Learning through social spaces: migrant women and lifelong learning in post-colonial London

This article shows how migrant women engage in learning through social spaces. It argues that such spaces are little recognised, and that there are multiple ways in which migrant women construct and negotiate their informal learning through socialising with other women in different informal modes. Additionally, the article shows how learning is shaped by the socio-political, geographical and multicultural context of living in London, outlining ways in which gendered and racialised identities shape, construct and constrain participation in lifelong learning. The article shows that one way in which migrant women resist (post)colonial constructions of difference is by engaging in informal and non-formal lifelong learning, arguing that the benefits are (at least) two-fold. The women develop skills (including language skills) but also use their informal learning to develop what is referred to in this article as 'relational capital'. The article concludes that informal lifelong learning developed through social spaces can enhance a sense of belonging for migrant women

Onchocerciasis: The Pre-control Association between Prevalence of Palpable Nodules and Skin Microfilariae

*Background*: The prospect of eliminating onchocerciasis from Africa by mass treatment with ivermectin has been rejuvenated following recent successes in foci in Mali, Nigeria and Senegal. Elimination prospects depend strongly on local transmission conditions and therefore on pre-control infection levels. Pre-control infection levels in Africa have been mapped largely by means of nodule palpation of adult males, a relatively crude method for detecting infection. We investigated how informative pre-control nodule prevalence data are for estimating the pre-control prevalence of

A Dynamic Knowledge Management Framework for the High Value Manufacturing Industry

Dynamic Knowledge Management (KM) is a combination of cultural and technological factors, including the cultural factors of people and their motivations, technological factors of content and infrastructure and, where these both come together, interface factors. In this paper a Dynamic KM framework is described in the context of employees being motivated to create profit for their company through product development in high value manufacturing. It is reported how the framework was discussed during a meeting of the collaborating company’s (BAE Systems) project stakeholders. Participants agreed the framework would have most benefit at the start of the product lifecycle before key decisions were made. The framework has been designed to support organisational learning and to reward employees that improve the position of the company in the market place