Structural and hydrodynamic analysis of a gas-filled membrane structure submerged in water

In the last two decades there has been an increasing interest in the development of inflatable structures on account of their potential applications in the erection of space and under-water structures. The stability of inflatable structures for use in the fluid environment is founded on such advantages as light weight, ability to carry the environmental forces efficiently by direct tensile stress and abiIity to utiIize the water pressure to counterba lance the gas pressure. The extensive possible applications of inflatable structures in ocean technology have emphasized the demand for investigations aimed at better understanding of the structural and hydraulic behaviour of these structures. The present study is concerned with the structural and hydraulic analysis of a gas-inflated membrane structure fully submerged in water. The structural analysis of such a structure involves the determination of the profile shape and the tension in the membrane for given inflation and load conditions. This is carried out by the numerical solution of the differential equations of equilibrium of the membrane. The results have been confirmed by an experimental investigation. The incorporation of a two-way set of reinforcing cables has also been considered. The effect of the spacing of the reinforcing cables for various membrane geometries is studied. Also, the effect of partially drawing-off the internal gas of the inflated structure as a result of which, water enters the container, is examined. The hydraulic aspect of this study is mostly concentrated on the investigation of the effect of waves and currents on the proposed structure. Models of the proposed structure have been tested using wind tunnel and wave flume. The results show the effects of currents and waves on the pressure distributions around the models and on the inertia forces. The changes in the shape of the structure and the tension in the membrane due to the effect of a uniform current are assessed. The scouring action of the current has also been investigated experimentally and qualitative results have been obtained. A general computer program has been developed which can handle structures with up to 300 joints and can be used efficiently for the analysis of many types of cable and suspended structures under different loading conditions. Numerical results are generated for the proposed inflated cable-reinforced structure. Finally, the application of such structures for the storage of hydrogen produced from the electrolysis of water using surplus electricity and the storage of associated gas from offshore oil wells is considered. The work carried out in this thesis shows that the proposed structure is feasible and the results presented may be used as a gUidel ine in the design. However, more investigation is required before a final design can be attained

Moderating effect of gender and age on the relationship between emotional intelligence with social and academic adjustment among first year university students

This study examined whether emotional intelligence is significantly correlated with social adjustment and academic adjustment. It also explored the moderating effects of gender and age factors and their linked between emotional intelligence and social adjustment as well as academic adjustment among first year university students. 289 first year university students (148 males and 141 females) at the Irbid Govern Orate, North of Jordan, participate in the study and were categorized based on two age groups, younger students between the age of 18 – 25 and older students between the range of 26 and above. Two valid and reliable instruments were used to assess student’s emotional intelligence, social adjustment and academic adjustment. Correlation and multi-group analysis using structural equation model were used to analyse these data. The result shows no significant relationship between emotional intelligence and of both social adjustment and academic adjustment. In addition, the moderating effect of gender was not found. However, the moderating effect of age on the relationship between emotional intelligence with social adjustment and academic adjustment were established

Identifications and SEDs of the detected sources from the AKARI Deep Field South

In order to find counterparts of the detected objects in the AKARI Deep Field South (ADFS) in all available wavelengths, we searched public databases (NED, SIMBAD and others). Checking 500 sources brighter than 0.0482 Jy in the AKARI Wide-S band, we found 114 sources with possible counterparts, among which 78 were known galaxies. We present these sources as well as our first attempt to construct spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for the most secure and most interesting sources among them, taking into account all the known data together with the AKARI measurements in four bands.Comment: 4 pages, 10 figures, To appear in: the proceedings of the conference "AKARI, a light to illuminate the misty Universe", February 16-19 2009, Toky

Hydrogen reliquefiers for lunar storage systems

Reliquifier application to eliminate propellant boil off losses in space and lunar storage system

A report on the biology of Helisoma trivolvis.

http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/51816/1/243.pdfDescription of 243.pdf : Access restricted to on-site users at the U-M Biological Station

Dusty Universe viewed by AKARI far infrared detector

We present the results of the analysis of multiwavelength Spectral Energy Distributions (SEDs) of far-infrared galaxies detected in the AKARI Deep Field-South (ADF--S) Survey. The analysis uses a carefully selected sample of 186 sources detected at the 90 $\mu$m AKARI band, identified as galaxies with cross-identification in public catalogues. For sources without known spectroscopic redshifts, we estimate photometric redshifts after a test of two independent methods: one based on using mainly the optical -- mid infrared range, and one based on the whole range of ultraviolet -- far infrared data. We observe a vast improvement in the estimation of photometric redshifts when far infrared data are included, compared with an approach based mainly on the optical -- mid infrared range. We discuss the physical properties of our far-infrared-selected sample. We conclude that this sample consists mostly of rich in dust and young stars nearby galaxies, and, furthermore, that almost 25% of these sources are (Ultra)Luminous Infrared Galaxies. Average SEDs normalized at 90 $\mu$m for normal galaxies (138 sources), LIRGs (30 sources), and ULIRGs (18 galaxies) a the significant shift in the peak wavelength of the dust emission, and an increasing ratio between their bolometric and dust luminosities which varies from 0.39 to 0.73.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, published in Earth, Planets and Spac

Automatic Classifiers for Medical Data from Doppler Unit

Nowadays, hand-held ultrasonic Doppler units are often used for noninvasive screening of atherosclerosis in arteries of the lower limbs. The mean velocity of blood flow in time and blood pressures are measured on several positions on each lower limb. This project presents software that is able to analyze such data and classify it in real time into selected diagnostic classes. It is also capable of giving a notice of some errors encountered during measuring. At the Department of Functional Diagnostics in the Regional Hospital of Liberec a database of several hundreds signals was collected. In cooperation with the specialist, the signals were manually classified into four classes. Consequently selected signal features were extracted and used for training a distance and a Bayesian classifier. Another set of signals was used for evaluating and optimizing the parameters of the classifiers. This paper compares the results of the software with those provided by a human expert. They agreed in 89 % cases

Small Vessel Cerebrovascular Disease: The Past, Present, and Future

Brain infarction due to small vessel cerebrovascular disease (SVCD)—also known as small vessel infarct (SVI) or “lacunar” stroke—accounts for 20% to 25% of all ischemic strokes. Historically, SVIs have been associated with a favorable short-term prognosis. However, studies over the years have demonstrated that SVCD/SVI is perhaps a more complex and less benign phenomenon than generally presumed. The currently employed diagnostic and therapeutic strategies are based upon historical and contemporary perceptions of SVCD/SVI. What is discovered in the future will unmask the true countenance of SVCD/SVI and help furnish more accurate prognostication schemes and effective treatments for this condition. This paper is an overview of SVCD/SVI with respect to the discoveries of the past, what is known now, and what will the ongoing investigations evince in the future

A Quasi-Spherical Gravitational Wave Solution in Kaluza-Klein Theory

An exact solution of the source-free Kaluza-Klein field equations is presented. It is a 5D generalization of the Robinson-Trautman quasi-spherical gravitational wave with a cosmological constant. The properties of the 5D solution are briefly described.Comment: 10 pages Latex, Revtex, submitted to GR