2,935 research outputs found
Automated Retrieval of Non-Engineering Domain Solutions to Engineering Problems
Organised by: Cranfield UniversityBiological inspiration for engineering design has occurred through a variety of techniques such as creation
and use of databases, keyword searches of biological information in natural-language format, prior
knowledge of biology, and chance observations of nature. This research focuses on utilizing the reconciled
Functional Basis function and flow terms to identify suitable biological inspiration for function based design.
The organized search provides two levels of results: (1) associated with verb function only and (2) narrowed
results associated with verb-noun (function-flow). A set of heuristics has been complied to promote efficient
searching using this technique. An example for creating smart flooring is also presented and discussed.Mori Seiki – The Machine Tool Compan
Heat-transfer coefficients for air flowing in round tubes, in rectangular ducts, and around finned cylinders
Report reviews published data and presents some new data on heat transfer to air flowing in round tubes, in rectangular ducts, and around finned cylinders. The available data for heat transfer to air in straight ducts of rectangular and circular cross section have been correlated in plots of Stanton number versus Reynolds number to provide a background for the study of the data for finned cylinders. Equations are recommended for both the streamlined and turbulent regions, and data are presented for the transition region between turbulent and laminar flow. Use of hexagonal ends on round tubes causes the characteristics of laminar flow to extend to high Reynolds numbers. Average coefficients for the entire finned cylinder have been calculated from the average temperature at the base of the fins and an equation which was derived to allow for the effectiveness of the fins. The available results for each finned cylinder are correlated herein in terms of graphs of Stanton number versus Reynolds number. In general, for a given Reynolds number, the Stanton number increases with increases in both spacing and width of the fins, and is apparently independent of cylinder diameter and temperature difference. For a given coefficient of heat transfer improved baffles and rough or wavy surfaces give a substantial reduction in pumping power per unit of heat transfer surface and a somewhat smaller decrease in pressure drop. (author
The Role of Domain Satisfaction in Explaining the Paradoxical Association Between Life Satisfaction and Age
Although aging is associated with declines in many life circumstances, overall life satisfaction does not appear to sharply decline with age. One explanation for this paradoxical finding is that several life domains improve with age such that increases in certain domains balance the decreases in others. Life and domain satisfaction data from eight years of the British Household Panel Study were analyzed to evaluate this hypothesis. Results showed that although domain satisfaction scores demonstrate distinct trajectories, the aggregate of these distinct trajectories resembled the overall life satisfaction trajectory. These findings have implications for top-down and bottom-up models of life satisfaction
Non-linear Simulations of MHD Instabilities in Tokamaks Including Eddy Current Effects and Perspectives for the Extension to Halo Currents
The dynamics of large scale plasma instabilities can strongly be influenced
by the mutual interaction with currents flowing in conducting vessel
structures. Especially eddy currents caused by time-varying magnetic
perturbations and halo currents flowing directly from the plasma into the walls
are important. The relevance of a resistive wall model is directly evident for
Resistive Wall Modes (RWMs) or Vertical Displacement Events (VDEs). However,
also the linear and non-linear properties of most other large-scale
instabilities may be influenced significantly by the interaction with currents
in conducting structures near the plasma. The understanding of halo currents
arising during disruptions and VDEs, which are a serious concern for ITER as
they may lead to strong asymmetric forces on vessel structures, could also
benefit strongly from these non-linear modeling capabilities. Modeling the
plasma dynamics and its interaction with wall currents requires solving the
magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) equations in realistic toroidal X-point geometry
consistently coupled with a model for the vacuum region and the resistive
conducting structures. With this in mind, the non-linear finite element MHD
code JOREK has been coupled with the resistive wall code STARWALL, which allows
to include the effects of eddy currents in 3D conducting structures in
non-linear MHD simulations. This article summarizes the capabilities of the
coupled JOREK-STARWALL system and presents benchmark results as well as first
applications to non-linear simulations of RWMs, VDEs, disruptions triggered by
massive gas injection, and Quiescent H-Mode. As an outlook, the perspectives
for extending the model to halo currents are described.Comment: Proceeding paper for Theory of Fusion Plasmas (Joint Varenna-Lausanne
International Workshop), Varenna, Italy (September 1-5, 2014); accepted for
publication in: to Journal of Physics: Conference Serie
Interdisciplinary Teamwork: Student Differences and Teaching Implications
Teamwork with individuals from multiple disciplines is recognized as a significant skill necessary for professional employment. While a variety of teaching methods for students in health care professions have been investigated and found to be generally effective in improving interdisciplinary team skills, one field - health administration - has not been included in these studies. The research presented here used two standardized instruments (with seven distinct subscales) to compare perceptions of health care administration students and clinical students regarding interdisciplinary teamwork. Three attitudes toward interdisciplinary health care teams were similar among all students - shared leadership, perceived need for cooperation, and understanding others’ values. Significant differences between administration and clinical students were found in four areas. Health administration students exhibited lower scores for: 1) believing in the value of teamwork, 2) recognizing teamwork efficiency, 3) believing their profession was perceived as competent by other health care professionals, and 4) recognizing their own lack of cooperation in teamwork. These findings reveal the diverse cultures among health care professionals and invite educators to consider the diversity of their students when implementing interdisciplinary team-teaching techniques and methods
Rules for biological regulation based on error minimization
The control of gene expression involves complex mechanisms that show large
variation in design. For example, genes can be turned on either by the binding
of an activator (positive control) or the unbinding of a repressor (negative
control). What determines the choice of mode of control for each gene? This
study proposes rules for gene regulation based on the assumption that free
regulatory sites are exposed to nonspecific binding errors, whereas sites bound
to their cognate regulators are protected from errors. Hence, the selected
mechanisms keep the sites bound to their designated regulators for most of the
time, thus minimizing fitness-reducing errors. This offers an explanation of
the empirically demonstrated Savageau demand rule: Genes that are needed often
in the natural environment tend to be regulated by activators, and rarely
needed genes tend to be regulated by repressors; in both cases, sites are bound
for most of the time, and errors are minimized. The fitness advantage of error
minimization appears to be readily selectable. The present approach can also
generate rules for multi-regulator systems. The error-minimization framework
raises several experimentally testable hypotheses. It may also apply to other
biological regulation systems, such as those involving protein-protein
interactions.Comment: biological physics, complex networks, systems biology,
transcriptional regulation
http://www.weizmann.ac.il/complex/tlusty/papers/PNAS2006.pdf
http://www.pnas.org/content/103/11/3999.ful
The Occurrence of False Positive Tests for Gunshot Residue Based on Simulations of the Suspect\u27s Occupation
Samples collected from high-risk occupations, or simulations thereof, are analyzed for elemental composition using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LlBS) to determine the occurrence of false positive gunshot residue results generated in the work environment. Previous work involving the study of lifetime of detectable amounts of gunshot residue on the hands of a suspect shooter found that gunshot residue exists up to 5.27 days after a firearm discharge. However, certain environmental and/or occupational false positive tests for gunshot residue could result when sampling non-shooters. Samples collected from occupations or simulations thereof include welding, pyrotechnics, key cutting, mechanics, and paper products all of which produced significant false positive results for gunshot residue
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