133 research outputs found
Freshwater biology and water supply in Britain
This paper is designed to give a general account of freshwater biology as it bears on waterworks practice. Most water that is used for consumption will commonly go through a storage reservoir. Here special reference is given to the biological relations in standing waters, the biological control of water supplies, methods of plankton estimation, the biology of slow sand filtration and the use of algicides
Spring-block model for a single-lane highway traffic
A simple one-dimensional spring-block chain with asymmetric interactions is
considered to model an idealized single-lane highway traffic. The main elements
of the system are blocks (modeling cars), springs with unidirectional
interactions (modeling distance keeping interactions between neighbors), static
and kinetic friction (modeling inertia of drivers and cars) and spatiotemporal
disorder in the values of these friction forces (modeling differences in the
driving attitudes). The traveling chain of cars correspond to the dragged
spring-block system. Our statistical analysis for the spring-block chain
predicts a non-trivial and rich complex behavior. As a function of the disorder
level in the system a dynamic phase-transition is observed. For low disorder
levels uncorrelated slidings of blocks are revealed while for high disorder
levels correlated avalanches dominates.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figure
Numerical modeling and simulation of supersonic flows in propulsion systems by open-source solvers
Two open-source solvers, Eilmer and hyFoam, are here considered for their performance in simulating high-speed flows in different flow conditions and geometric configurations typical of propulsive systems at supersonic speeds. The goal is to identify the open-source platform providing the best compromise between accuracy, flexibility and computational cost to eventually simulate the flow fields inside ramjet and scramjet engines. The differences in terms of discretization and solution methods of the selected solvers are discussed in terms of their impact on solution accuracy and computational efficiency and in view of the aerothermodynamic analysis and design of future trans-atmospheric propulsive systems. In this work steady state problems are considered. Numerical results of two scramjet type engines demonstrated a similar predictive capability of both codes in non-reacting conditions. These results highlight their potential to be considered for further characterization of overall engine performance
Bridging the Gulf: Phytophthora and Downy Mildews Are Connected by Rare Grass Parasites
Downy mildews and root and foliar rots caused by Phytophthora are among the most destructive plant pathogens and therefore have attracted considerable attention during the past two decades. Although it has been realized that a close phylogenetic relationship exists, so far sharp distinction has been made between the obligate biotrophic downy mildews and the hemibiotrophic Phytophthora. In the study presented here, it is shown that a continuum of character states from hemibiotrophic Phytophthora species to obligate biotrophic downy mildews is present. Intermediate character states between downy mildews and Phytophthora species exist in several rare parasites of grasses, which are not embedded within the major clades of the downy mildews but are placed sister to these, with unresolved affinities to both these clades and to Phytophthora. They still have retained traits hitherto thought to be exclusive for Phytophthora. A careful review of previous research is presented and it is highlighted that uniquely for downy mildews, Poakatesthia may form an intracellular mycelium, growing through several host cells. In addition, scanning electron microscopy reveals that sporangiophore growth is not determinate in Viennotia and that outgrowth from sporangiophores is very similar to Phytophthora infestans. It is concluded that the sharp morphological distinction between downy mildews and Phytophthora species (that are often placed in separate families and even different orders), is rather artificial, since all features thought to be exclusive to Phytophthora or the downy mildews are united in the rare grass-parasitizing down mildew genera Viennotia and Poakatesthia and the enigmatic genus Sclerophthora. Therefore, several paradigms regarding the distinction between Phytophthora and the downy mildews need to be reconsidered
Gas-kinetic derivation of Navier-Stokes-like traffic equations
Macroscopic traffic models have recently been severely criticized to base on
lax analogies only and to have a number of deficiencies. Therefore, this paper
shows how to construct a logically consistent fluid-dynamic traffic model from
basic laws for the acceleration and interaction of vehicles. These
considerations lead to the gas-kinetic traffic equation of Paveri-Fontana. Its
stationary and spatially homogeneous solution implies equilibrium relations for
the `fundamental diagram', the variance-density relation, and other quantities
which are partly difficult to determine empirically.
Paveri-Fontana's traffic equation allows the derivation of macroscopic moment
equations which build a system of non-closed equations. This system can be
closed by the well proved method of Chapman and Enskog which leads to
Euler-like traffic equations in zeroth-order approximation and to
Navier-Stokes-like traffic equations in first-order approximation. The latter
are finally corrected for the finite space requirements of vehicles. It is
shown that the resulting model is able to withstand the above mentioned
criticism.Comment: For related work see
http://www.theo2.physik.uni-stuttgart.de/helbing.htm
Critical phenomena and universal dynamics in one-dimensional driven diffusive systems with two species of particles
Recent work on stochastic interacting particle systems with two particle
species (or single-species systems with kinematic constraints) has demonstrated
the existence of spontaneous symmetry breaking, long-range order and phase
coexistence in nonequilibrium steady states, even if translational invariance
is not broken by defects or open boundaries. If both particle species are
conserved, the temporal behaviour is largely unexplored, but first results of
current work on the transition from the microscopic to the macroscopic scale
yield exact coupled nonlinear hydrodynamic equations and indicate the emergence
of novel types of shock waves which are collective excitations stabilized by
the flow of microscopic fluctuations. We review the basic stationary and
dynamic properties of these systems, highlighting the role of conservation laws
and kinetic constraints for the hydrodynamic behaviour, the microscopic origin
of domain wall (shock) stability and the coarsening dynamics of domains during
phase separation.Comment: 72 pages, 6 figures, 201 references (topical review for J. Phys. A:
Math. Gen.
Applications of yeast flocculation in biotechnological processes
A review on the main aspects associated with yeast flocculation and its application
in biotechnological processes is presented. This subject is addressed following three
main aspects – the basics of yeast flocculation, the development of “new” flocculating yeast
strains and bioreactor development. In what concerns the basics of yeast flocculation, the
state of the art on the most relevant aspects of mechanism, physiology and genetics of yeast
flocculation is reported. The construction of flocculating yeast strains includes not only the
recombinant constitutive flocculent brewer’s yeast, but also recombinant flocculent yeast
for lactose metabolisation and ethanol production. Furthermore, recent work on the
heterologous β-galactosidase production using a recombinant flocculent Saccharomyces
cerevisiae is considered. As bioreactors using flocculating yeast cells have particular properties,
mainly associated with a high solid phase hold-up, a section dedicated to its operation is
presented. Aspects such as bioreactor productivity and culture stability as well as bioreactor
hydrodynamics and mass transfer properties of flocculating cell cultures are considered.
Finally, the paper concludes describing some of the applications of high cell density
flocculation bioreactors and discussing potential new uses of these systems.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) – PRAXIS XXI - BD11306/97
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