Analysis of the Impact of Relative Humidity and Mineral Nuclei Mode Aerosols Particle Concentration on the Visibility of Desert Aerosols

This paper presents the results of the Analysis of the Impact of relative humidity and water-soluble aerosol particle concentrations on the visibility and particle size distribution of desert aerosols based on microphysical properties of desert aerosols. The microphysical properties (the extinction coefficients, volume mix ratios, dry mode radii and wet mode radii) were extracted from Optical Properties of Aerosols and Clouds (OPAC 4.0) at eight relative humidities (00 to 99%RH) and at the spectral range of 0.4-0.8 mm. the concentrations of mineral nuclie component (MINN) were varied to obtain five different models. The angstrom exponent (a), the turbidity (b), the curvature (a2), humidification factor (g), the mean exponent of aerosol growth curve (µ) and the mean exponent of aerosol size distributions (n) were determined from the regression analysis of some standard equations. It was observed that the values of (a) are less than 1 throughout the 5 models which signifies the dominance of coarse mode particles over fine mode particles. It was observed that the curvature (a2) has both monomodal and bimodal types of distributions all through the 5 models and this signifies the dominance of coarse mode particles with some traces of fine mode particles. The visibility was observed to decrease with the increase in RH and increased with wavelength. The analysis further found that there is an inverse power law relationship between humidification factor, the mean exponent of the aerosol size distribution with the mean exponent of the aerosol growth curve (as the magnitude of (µ) decreases across the five models, the magnitudes of (g) and (n) increase, but the magnitude of both (g) and (n) increases for a given (µ) across the individual models). The mean exponent of aerosol size distribution (µ) being less than 3 indicate hazy condition of the desert atmosphere

Shielding properties of the cellular structures with carbon-containing materials and foiled foam polyethylene

Предложен способ создания экранов электромагнитного излучения с применением нетканого иглопробивного полотна, содержащего углеродные добавки, и вспененного полиэтилена, покрытого алюминиевой фольгой. Для повышения коэффициентов отражения и поглощения предлагается создание ячеистой структуры, содержащей фрагменты обоих видов материалов с длиной от 20 до 40 мм и шириной от 5 до 8 мм. Измерение экранирующих характеристик проводилось на автоматизированном измерителе модуля коэффициентов передачи и отражения SNA 0.01–18 в диапазоне частот 0,7…17,0 ГГц. Показано, что значения коэффициентов отражения в диапазоне частот составили –0,5…–4,5 дБ при значениях коэффициента передачи ЭМИ –4,0…–25,0 дБ. The method to produce electromagnetic radiation shields using a non-woven needle-punched fabric containing carbon additives and foamed polyethylene coated with aluminum foil is proposed. To increase the reflection and absorption coefficients, it is proposed to create a cellular structure containing fragments of both types of materials with length from 20 to 40 mm and width from 5 to 8 mm. The measurement of the shielding characteristics was carried out on the automated meter of the transmission and reflection coefficient SNA 0.01–18 in the frequency range 0.7…17.0 GHz. It is shown that the values of the reflection coefficients in the frequency range 0.7…17.0 GHz were –0.5…–4.5 dB and the values of the transmission coefficient of electromagnetic radiation were –4.0…–25.0 dB

Assessment of Coriolis meters as instrumentation for gas void fraction measurement in air–liquid multiphase flow in a pipeline riser system

Measurement of void fraction in gas-liquid flow systems is important in determining pumping requirements, designing downstream facilities and in detecting off-design problems such as cavitation and flashing during operation. Hence, it is key that this parameter is known in real time during oil & gas production and other process operation. As a result, the use of clamp-on flow meters which operate on the Coriolis principle are useful for such purposes as they instantaneously measure the flow’s density which can change depending on the gas fraction in the flowing mixture. In this study, we demonstrate the use of Coriolis mass flow meters in instantaneously measuring the void fraction in a multiphase mixture flowing in a 2-inch pipeline riser system at Cranfield University, UK. A Coriolis meter was installed on the vertical section of the facility. A set of experiments were conducted at fixed liquid superficial velocities of 0.25 and 1 m/s and air flow rates of 6-100 Sm3/h (corresponding to 0.39–3 m/s). The instantaneous densities of the mixtures were recorded at 100 Hz acquisition frequency. These were then used to estimate the gas void fraction at the vertical section using the homogenous model for the mixture density. Also, a well-calibrated 16 by 16 wire mesh sensor (WMS) fitted at the same vertical location to validate the gas void fraction measurements of the Coriolis flow meter. It was found that the Coriolis flow meter presented excellent agreement with the WMS for void fraction measurement at high gas flow rates. We observed that the agreement coincided with conditions that exhibit core-peaking void fraction distributions, i.e., at conditions that are not bubbly flow. Hence, it may be concluded that the Coriolis flow meter can be used with some confidence in industrial application at these condition

Comparative analysis of riser base and flowline gas injection on vertical gas-liquid two-phase flow

Gas injection is a frequently used method for artificial lift and flow regime rectification in offshore production and transportation flowlines. The flow behaviour in such flowlines is complex and a better understanding of flow characteristics, such as flow patterns, void fraction/hold up distributions and pressure gradient is always required for efficient and optimal design of downstream handling facilities. Injection method and location have been shown to strongly affect downstream fluid behaviour that can have important implications for pumping and downstream facility design, especially if the development length between pipeline and downstream facility is less than L/D = 50 as reported by many investigators. In this article, we provide the results of an experimental investigation into the effects of the gas injection position on the characteristics of the downstream upwards vertical gas flow using a vertical riser with an internal diameter of 52 mm and a length of 10.5 m. A horizontal 40-m-long section connected at the bottom provides options for riser base or horizontal flow line injection of gas. The flowline gas injection is performed 40 m upstream of the riser base. A 16 by 16 capacitance wire mesh sensor and a gamma densitometer were used to measure the gas-liquid phase cross-sectional distribution at the riser top. A detailed analysis of the flow characteristics is carried out based on the measurements. These include flow regimes, cross-sectional liquid holdup distributions and peaking patterns as well as analysis of the time series data. Our findings show that flow behaviours differences due to different gas injection locations were persisting after a development length of 180D in the riser. More specifically, core-peaking liquid holdup occurred at the lower gas injection rates through the flowline, while wall-peaking holdup profiles were established at the same flow conditions for riser base injection. Wall peaking was associated with dispersed bubbly flows and hence non-pulsating as against core-peaking was associated with Taylor bubbles and slug flows. Furthermore, it was found that the riser base injection generally produced lower holdups. It was noted that the circumferential injector used at the riser base promoted high void fraction and hence low liquid holdups. Due to the bubbly flow structure, the slip velocity is smaller than for larger cap bubbles and hence the void fraction is higher. The measurements and observations presented in the paper provides valuable knowledge on riser base/flowline gas introduction that can directly feed into the design of downstream facilities such as storage tanks, slug catchers and separators

Optical character recognition on heterogeneous SoC for HD automatic number plate recognition system

Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) systems are becoming vital for safety and security purposes. Typical ANPR systems are based on three stages: number plate localization (NPL), character segmentation (CS), and optical character recognition (OCR). Recently, high definition (HD) cameras have been used to improve their recognition rates. In this paper, four algorithms are proposed for the OCR stage of a real-time HD ANPR system. The proposed algorithms are based on feature extraction (vector crossing, zoning, combined zoning, and vector crossing) and template matching techniques. All proposed algorithms have been implemented using MATLAB as a proof of concept and the best one has been selected for hardware implementation using a heterogeneous system on chip (SoC) platform. The selected platform is the Xilinx Zynq-7000 All Programmable SoC, which consists of an ARM processor and programmable logic. Obtained hardware implementation results have shown that the proposed system can recognize one character in 0.63 ms, with an accuracy of 99.5% while utilizing around 6% of the programmable logic resources. In addition, the use of the heterogenous SoC consumes 36 W which is equivalent to saving around 80% of the energy consumed by the PC used in this work, whereas it is smaller in size by 95%

Механические и электромагнитные свойства экранов на основе иглопробивного материала с проводящими и диэлектрическими покрытиями

The results of the development of electromagnetic radiation shields with flexibility and minor weight and size parameters are presented. Needle-punched material was chosen as the basis for the shields of electromagnetic radiation, which was coated with conductive or dielectric coatings. It has been proved that when applied to a needle-punched material of thin (up to 5 mm) conductive or dielectric coatings, the ultimate strength increases to 5–10 kgf/mm2 and the surface resistance decreases to 0.05 MOhm/sq, while the weight and size parameters of the shields do not change significantly. It was shown that the frequency dependencies of the reflection and transmission coefficients correlate for coatings of various types. A sample of an electromagnetic radiation shields based on a needle-punched coated material consisting of powdered shungite has a reflection coefficient measured in the short circuit mode is about –22.8 dB in the 2–4 GHz frequency range, which allows to use this material to ensure electromagnetic compatibility, information security and personnel protection from electromagnetic radiation.Представлены результаты разработки экранов электромагнитного излучения, обладающих гибкостью и незначительными массогабаритными параметрами. В качестве основы экранов электромагнитного излучения был выбран иглопробивной материал, на который наносились проводящие или диэлектрические покрытия. Установлено, что при нанесении на иглопробивной материал проводящих или диэлектрических покрытий (до 5 мм) увеличивается предел прочности до 5–10 кгс/мм2 и уменьшается поверхностное электрическое сопротивление до 0,05 МОм/квадрат, при этом массогабаритные параметры экранов существенно не изменяются. Показано, что частотные зависимости коэффициентов отражения и передачи коррелируют для покрытий различных видов. Образец экрана электромагнитного излучения на основе иглопробивного материала с покрытием, содержащего порошкообразный шунгит, обладает коэффициентом отражения, измеренным в режиме короткого замыкания порядка –22,8 дБ в диапазоне частот 2–4 ГГц, что позволяет использовать данный материал для обеспечения электромагнитной совместимости, защищенности информации и защиты персонала от электромагнитного излучения

Novel De Novo Mutation in Sulfonylurea Receptor 1 Presenting as Hyperinsulinism in Infancy Followed by Overt Diabetes in Early Adolescence

OBJECTIVE—Congenital hyperinsulinism, usually associated with severe neonatal hypoglycemia, may progress to diabetes, typically during the 4th decade of life in nonpancreatectomized patients. We aimed to genotype the ATP-sensitive K+ channel in a 10.5-year-old girl presenting with overt diabetes following hyperinsulinism in infancy

Factors affecting the motivation of healthcare professionals providing care to Emiratis with type 2 diabetes

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to identify facilitators of and barriers to healthcare professionals' motivation in a diabetes centre in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). DESIGN: A qualitative research approach was employed using semistructured interviews to assess perception of and attitudes regarding healthcare professionals' motivation in providing good quality diabetes care. SETTING: A diabetes centre located in Abu-Dhabi, UAE. PARTICIPANTS: Healthcare professionals including specialist physicians, dieticians, podiatrists, health educators and nurses were recruited through purposive sampling. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: After data collection, the audiotaped interviews were transcribed verbatim and subjected to content analysis. RESULTS: Nine semistructured interviews were conducted with healthcare professionals of various professional backgrounds. Important facilitators and barriers related to patient, professional, organization and cultural factors were identified. Barriers that related to heavy workload, disjointed care, lack of patient compliance and awareness, and cultural beliefs and attitudes about diabetes were common. Key facilitators included the patient's role in achieving therapeutic outcomes as well as compliance, cooperation and communication. CONCLUSION: This qualitative study provides some unique insights about factors affecting healthcare professionals' motivation in providing good quality care. To improve the motivation of healthcare professionals in the management of diabetes and therefore the quality of diabetes care, several steps are needed. Importantly, the role of primary care should be reinforced and strengthened regarding the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus, privacy of the consultation time should be highly protected and regulated, and awareness of the Emirate culture and its impact on health should be disseminated to the healthcare professionals providing care to Emirates with diabetes. Also, greater emphasis should be placed on educating Emiratis with diabetes on, and involving them in, the management of their condition

ЭЛЕКТРОМАГНИТНЫЕ ХАРАКТЕРИСТИКИ УГЛЕРОДСОДЕРЖАЩЕГО НЕТКАНОГО МАТЕРИАЛА С ГЕОМЕТРИЧЕСКИМИ НЕОДНОРОДНОСТЯМИ

The results of the study of electromagnetic characteristics of the carbon-containing non-woven fabric with geometric irregularities in the frequency range 0.7…17 GHz are presented.Представлены результаты исследования электромагнитных характеристик углеродсодержащих нетканых материалов с геометрическими неоднородностями в диапазоне частот 0,7…17 ГГц