6,307 research outputs found
Markov and Neural Network Models for Prediction of Structural Deterioration of Stormwater Pipe Assets
Storm-water pipe networks in Australia are designed to convey water from rainfall and surface runoff. They do not transport sewerage. Their structural deterioration is progressive with aging and will eventually cause pipe collapse with consequences of service interruption. Predicting structural condition of pipes provides vital information for asset management to prevent unexpected failures and to extend service life. This study focused on predicting the structural condition of storm-water pipes with two objectives. The first objective is the prediction of structural condition changes of the whole network of storm-water pipes by a Markov model at different times during their service life. This information can be used for planning annual budget and estimating the useful life of pipe assets. The second objective is the prediction of structural condition of any particular pipe by a neural network model. This knowledge is valuable in identifying pipes that are in poor condition for repair actions. A case study with closed circuit television inspection snapshot data was used to demonstrate the applicability of these two models
DNA adducts in human urinary bladder and other tissues.
Tobacco smoking is associated with an increased risk of cancer in a number of organs, including bladder and lung. Tobacco smoke contains at least 50 known chemical carcinogens that exert their biological effects through their covalent binding to cellular DNA. Examining human DNA for the presence of altered nucleotides is a means of monitoring exposure to genotoxic chemicals. DNA isolated from 73 human bladder biopsies has been analyzed by 32P-postlabeling for the presence of aromatic/hydrophobic adducts. Butanol extraction of DNA digests resulted in up to a 3-fold greater recovery of adducts than nuclease P1 digestion. Among 16 nonsmokers, adduct levels were in the range 3.2-20.8/10(8) nucleotides (mean 9.7). Eight ex-smokers had values in the range 2.6-12.3 (mean 7.1). Thirteen smokers had adduct levels between 1.3 and 26.7 adducts/10(8) nucleotides (mean 9.5, not different from nonsmokers). Six cigar smokers had higher levels of adducts (mean 12.1, range 7.3-15.0), but pipe smokers did not (five samples, mean 8.6, range 2.9-12.7). A further 8 samples from nonsmokers and 17 from smokers were examined in more detail. Although most of the DNA binding appears not to be smoking related, the levels of one adduct were found to be on average 2-fold higher in smokers (p < 0.005, one-tailed t test). Studies on tissues of the respiratory tract demonstrate a correlation between DNA adduct levels and exposure to tobacco smoke. Evidence to date on the influence of smoking on adducts in peripheral blood cells is equivocal; some studies demonstrate a significant effect, whereas others do not.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS
Dynamic criticality in glass-forming liquids
We propose that the dynamics of supercooled liquids and the formation of
glasses can be understood from the existence of a zero temperature dynamical
critical point. To support our proposal, we derive from simple physical
assumptions a dynamic field theory for supercooled liquids, which we study
using the renormalization group (RG). Its long time behaviour is dominated by a
zero temperature critical point, which for dimensions d > 2 belongs to the
directed percolation universality class. Molecular dynamics simulations confirm
the existence of dynamic scaling behaviour consistent with the RG predictions.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
An Improved Approach to Line Balancing for Garment Manufacturing
Production managers in the apparel industry frequently face the issue of being unable to complete the orders at the scheduled time. One of the reasons for this issue is the unavailability of a Line Balancing procedure that could encompass the stochastic nature of the sewing process, which is manifested through the likes of variability of sewing times, machine breakdowns, correcting defective products, and operator breakings such as for changing bobbins and drinking water. The objective of this research is to introduce a diverse approach to Line Balancing through giving due consideration to the stochastic nature of the process. The improved approach was developed through case study approach. Having selected a sewing line in an apparel factory, the process times of operations, major random events and the times elapsed between random events were recorded. Then the whole production cycle was simulated using ARENA software. By attempting and analysing different scenarios, a different approach for line balancing was introduced. The initial steps of the algorithm developed includes: collecting processing times and necessary information on manufacturing process, fitting standard probability distributions to both value added and non-value added activities, developing the precedence diagram, developing an initial algorithm for balancing a production line and finally, making necessary adjustments to the algorithm analyzing different scenarios. In order to check the validity of the algorithm, a production line was balanced for two different daily production targets. Thus, the application of proposed algorithm to balance the production line reduces the gap between the expected production target and the real achievement
Kinetic Heterogeneities in a Highly Supercooled Liquid
We study a highly supercooled two-dimensional fluid mixture via molecular
dynamics simulation. We follow bond breakage events among particle pairs, which
occur on the scale of the relaxation time . Large scale
heterogeneities analogous to the critical fluctuations in Ising systems are
found in the spatial distribution of bonds which are broken in a time interval
with a width of order . The structure factor of the broken
bond density is well approximated by the Ornstein-Zernike form. The correlation
length is of order at the lowest temperature studied,
being the particle size. The weakly bonded regions thus identified evolve in
time with strong spatial correlations.Comment: 3 pages, 6 figure
Deep 1.1 mm-wavelength imaging of the GOODS-South field by AzTEC/ASTE -- II. Redshift distribution and nature of the submillimetre galaxy population
We report the results of the counterpart identification and a detailed
analysis of the physical properties of the 48 sources discovered in our deep
1.1mm wavelength imaging survey of the GOODS-South field using the AzTEC
instrument on the Atacama Submillimeter Telescope Experiment (ASTE). One or
more robust or tentative counterpart candidate is found for 27 and 14 AzTEC
sources, respectively, by employing deep radio continuum, Spitzer MIPS & IRAC,
and LABOCA 870 micron data. Five of the sources (10%) have two robust
counterparts each, supporting the idea that these galaxies are strongly
clustered and/or heavily confused. Photometric redshifts and star formation
rates (SFRs) are derived by analyzing UV-to-optical and IR-to-radio SEDs. The
median redshift of z~2.6 is similar to other earlier estimates, but we show
that 80% of the AzTEC-GOODS sources are at z>2, with a significant high
redshift tail (20% at z>3.3). Rest-frame UV and optical properties of AzTEC
sources are extremely diverse, spanning 10 magnitude in the i- and K-band
photometry with median values of i=25.3 and K=22.6 and a broad range of red
colour (i-K=0-6). These AzTEC sources are some of the most luminous galaxies in
the rest-frame optical bands at z>2, with inferred stellar masses of (1-30) x
10^{10} solar masses and UV-derived star formation rates of SFR(UV) > 10-1000
solar masses per year. The IR-derived SFR, 200-2000 solar masses per year, is
independent of redshift or stellar mass. The resulting specific star formation
rates, SSFR = 1-100 per Gyr, are 10-100 times higher than similar mass galaxies
at z=0, and they extend the previously observed rapid rise in the SSFR with
redshift to z=2-5. These galaxies have a SFR high enough to have built up their
entire stellar mass within their Hubble time. We find only marginal evidence
for an AGN contribution to the near-IR and mid-IR SEDs. (abridged)Comment: 31 pages including 14 figures, accepted for publication in the MNRAS.
A higher quality Figure 1 is also included as Figure1.jp
Organization of atomic bond tensions in model glasses
In order to understand whether internal stresses in glasses are correlated or
randomly distributed, we study the organization of atomic bond tensions (normal
forces between pairs of atoms). Measurements of the invariants of the atomic
bond tension tensor in simulated 2D and 3D binary Lennard-Jones glasses, reveal
new and unexpected correlations and provide support for Alexander's conjecture
about the non-random character of internal stresses in amorphous solids
Growing spatial correlations of particle displacements in a simulated liquid on cooling toward the glass transition
We define a correlation function that quantifies the spatial correlation of
single-particle displacements in liquids and amorphous materials. We show for
an equilibrium liquid that this function is related to fluctuations in a bulk
dynamical variable. We evaluate this function using computer simulations of an
equilibrium glass-forming liquid, and show that long range spatial correlations
of displacements emerge and grow on cooling toward the mode coupling critical
temperature
Breakdown of the Independent Particle Approximation in High-Energy Photoionization
The independent particle approximation is shown to break down for the photoionization of both inner and outer nℓ (ℓ\u3e0) electrons of all atoms, at high enough energy, owing to interchannel interactions with the nearby ns photoionization channels. The effect is illustrated for Ne 2p in the 1 keV photon energy range through a comparison of theory and experiment. The implications for x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of molecules and condensed matter are discussed
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