An experimental investigation of drop deformation and breakup in steady, two-dimensional linear flows

We consider the deformation and burst of small fluid droplets in steady linear, two-dimensional motions of a second immiscible fluid. Experiments using a computer-controlled, four-roll mill to investigate the effect of flow type are described, and the results compared with predictions of several available asymptotic deformation and burst theories, as well as numerical calculations. The comparison clarifies the range of validity of the theories, and demonstrates that they provide quite adequate predictions over a wide range of viscosity ratio, capillary number, and flow type

A computer-controlled four-roll mill for investigations of particle and drop dynamics in two-dimensional linear shear flows

In this paper we describe the design and operating characteristics of a computer-controlled four-roll mill for investigations of particle and drop dynamics in two-dimensional linear flows. The control system is based upon the use of: a video camera to visualize the instantaneous position of the drop or particle; a PDP 11/23 computer, with a pipeline processor acting as an interface between the camera and computer, to calculate the position and implement a control strategy, and d.c. stepping motors to convert an electronic signal to angular velocities of the four rollers. The control objective is to keep the centre of mass of the drop/particle at the centre of the region between the rollers where there is a stagnation point in the undisturbed flow, while maintaining the shear-rate and the ratio of vorticity to strain rate in the flow at fixed values. The resulting system is suitable for studies of: the rotational motions of single solid particles; the deformation and burst of single droplets; or the hydrodynamic interactions of two particles or drops, one of which is held with its centre-of-mass fixed at the stagnation point of the undisturbed flow. In all cases, the flow can be varied from pure rotation to pure strain, and the shear rate can be either steady or changing as a prescribed function of time

Avaliação da raça Brangus no Brasil.

Alguns dados técnicos de produção; Desenvolvimento da raça; Recomendações.bitstream/item/64198/1/DT97.pd

Avaliação da raça Braford no Brasil.

Alguns dados técnicos de produção; Programas de avaliação genética; Recomendações.bitstream/item/63691/1/DT96.pd

Evolutionary Patterns in Coiled-Coils

Models of protein evolution are used to describe evolutionary processes, for phylogenetic analyses and homology detection. Widely used general models of protein evolution are biased toward globular domains and lack resolution to describe evolutionary processes for other protein types. As three-dimensional structure is a major constraint to protein evolution, specific models have been proposed for other types of proteins. Here, we consider evolutionary patterns in coiled-coil forming proteins. Coiled-coils are widespread structural domains, formed by a repeated motif of seven amino acids (heptad repeat). Coiled-coil forming proteins are frequently rods and spacers, structuring both the intracellular and the extracellular spaces that often form protein interaction interfaces. We tested the hypothesis that due to their specific structure the associated evolutionary constraints differ from those of globular proteins. We showed that substitution patterns in coiled-coil regions are different than those observed in globular regions, beyond the simple heptad repeat. Based on these substitution patterns we developed a coiled-coil specific (CC) model that in the context of phylogenetic reconstruction outperforms general models in tree likelihood, often leading to different topologies. For multidomain proteins containing both a coiled-coil region and a globular domain, we showed that a combination of the CC model and a general one gives higher likelihoods than a single model. Finally, we showed that the model can be used for homology detection to increase search sensitivity for coiled-coil proteins. The CC model, software, and other supplementary materials are available at http://www.evocell.org/cgl/resources (last accessed January 29, 2015).FCT fellowship: (SFRH/BD/51880/2012)

Ferida da moda: epidemiologia, diagnóstico, tratamento e experiência com eqüinos infectados no Pantanal.

A pitiose é uma doença granulomatosa que atinge eqüinos, caninos, bovinos, felinos e humanos e ocorre em áreas tropicais, subtropicais ou temperadas (Meireles et al., 1993; Mendoza et al., 1996), causada pelo omiceto Pythium insidiosum (De Cock et al., 1987). A espécie eqüina é a mais atingida, principalmente nas formas cutânea e subcutânea, seguida dos caninos (Mendoza et al., 1996). A enfermidade em eqüinos caracteriza-se pela formação de granulomas eosinofílicos, com a presença de massas necróticas chamadas de kunkers (Mendoza e Alfaro, 1986; Meireles et al., 1993). Em humanos, a doença é mais comum no sudeste asiático, caracterizando-se por formas sistêmicas com arterites e também formas oftálmicas e subcutâneas, sendo as duas últimas associadas a a e b-talassemias (Imwidthaya, 1994; Imwidthaya, 1995). Vários tratamentos têm sido utilizados, principalmente em eqüinos, incluindo tratamento químico (antifúngicos), cirúrgico e imunoterápico. A imunoterapia, proposta inicialmente por Miller (1981), surgiu como uma alternativa concreta para o controle da doença e tem apresentado resultados promissores (Monteiro, 1999). Pythium insidiosum; Epidemiologia; Pitiose nos eqüinos; Imunoterapia; Diagnóstico; Tratamento; Experiência no Pantanal; Pitiose em bovinos; Pitiose experimental; Perspecivas para o controle da pitiose.bitstream/item/79509/1/COT34.pd

The scenario of two-dimensional instabilities of the cylinder wake under EHD forcing: A linear stability analysis

We propose to study the stability properties of an air flow wake forced by a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) actuator, which is a type of electrohydrodynamic (EHD) actuator. These actuators add momentum to the flow around a cylinder in regions close to the wall and, in our case, are symmetrically disposed near the boundary layer separation point. Since the forcing frequencies, typical of DBD, are much higher than the natural shedding frequency of the flow, we will be considering the forcing actuation as stationary. In the first part, the flow around a circular cylinder modified by EHD actuators will be experimentally studied by means of particle image velocimetry (PIV). In the second part, the EHD actuators have been numerically implemented as a boundary condition on the cylinder surface. Using this boundary condition, the computationally obtained base flow is then compared with the experimental one in order to relate the control parameters from both methodologies. After validating the obtained agreement, we study the Hopf bifurcation that appears once the flow starts the vortex shedding through experimental and computational approaches. For the base flow derived from experimentally obtained snapshots, we monitor the evolution of the velocity amplitude oscillations. As to the computationally obtained base flow, its stability is analyzed by solving a global eigenvalue problem obtained from the linearized Navier–Stokes equations. Finally, the critical parameters obtained from both approaches are compared

Downscaling and improving the wind forecasts from NWP for wind energy applications using support vector regression

acceptedVersio

Power production forecast for distributed wind energy systems using support vector regression

Due to the inherent intermittency in wind power production, reliable short-term wind power production forecasting has become essential for the efficient grid and market integration of wind energy. The current wind power production forecasting schemes are predominantly developed for wind farms. With the rapid growth in the microgrid sector and the increasing number of wind turbines integrated with these local grids, power production forecasting schemes are becoming essential for distributed wind energy systems as well. This paper proposes a power production forecasting scheme developed explicitly for distributed wind energy projects. The proposed system integrates two submodels based on support vector regression: one for downscaling the wind speed predictions to the hub coordinates of the turbine and the other for predicting the site-specific performance of the turbine under this wind condition. The forecasting horizons considered are the hour ahead (t + 1) and the day ahead (t + 36), which align with the Nord pool's energy market requirements. For the day-ahead scheme, a multistep recursive approach is adopted. The accuracy and adaptability of the proposed forecasting scheme are demonstrated in the case of a distributed wind turbine.publishedVersio