438 research outputs found
Near-field radiative heat transfer between macroscopic planar surfaces
Near-field radiative heat transfer allows heat to propagate across a small
vacuum gap in quantities that are several orders of magnitude greater then the
heat transfer by far-field, blackbody radiation. Although heat transfer via
near-field effects has been discussed for many years, experimental verification
of this theory has been very limited. We have measured the heat transfer
between two macroscopic sapphire plates, finding an increase in agreement with
expectations from theory. These experiments, conducted near 300 K, have
measured the heat transfer as a function of separation over mm to m and as
a function of temperature differences between 2.5 and 30 K. The experiments
demonstrate that evanescence can be put to work to transfer heat from an object
without actually touching it
Multi-Objective and Multidisciplinary Design Optimisation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Systems using Hierarchical Asynchronous Parallel Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithms
The overall objective of this research was to realise the practical application of Hierarchical Asynchronous Parallel Evolutionary Algorithms for Multi-objective and Multidisciplinary Design Optimisation (MDO) of UAV Systems using high fidelity analysis tools. The research looked at the assumed aerodynamics and structures of two production UAV wings and attempted to optimise these wings in isolation to the rest of the vehicle. The project was sponsored by the Asian Office of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research under contract number AOARD-044078. The two vehicles wings which were optimised were based upon assumptions made on the Northrop Grumman Global Hawk (GH), a High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) vehicle, and the General Atomics Altair (Altair), Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) vehicle. The optimisations for both vehicles were performed at cruise altitude with MTOW minus 5% fuel and a 2.5g load case. The GH was assumed to use NASA LRN 1015 aerofoil at the root, crank and tip locations with five spars and ten ribs. The Altair was assumed to use the NACA4415 aerofoil at all three locations with two internal spars and ten ribs. Both models used a parabolic variation of spar, rib and wing skin thickness as a function of span, and in the case of the wing skin thickness, also chord. The work was carried out by integrating the current University of Sydney designed Evolutionary Optimiser (HAPMOEA) with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) tools. The variable values computed by HAPMOEA were subjected to structural and aerodynamic analysis. The aerodynamic analysis computed the pressure loads using a Boeing developed Morino class panel method code named PANAIR. These aerodynamic results were coupled to a FEA code, MSC.Nastran® and the strain and displacement of the wings computed. The fitness of each wing was computed from the outputs of each program. In total, 48 design variables were defined to describe both the structural and aerodynamic properties of the wings subject to several constraints. These variables allowed for the alteration of the three aerofoil sections describing the root, crank and tip sections. They also described the internal structure of the wings allowing for variable flexibility within the wing box structure. These design variables were manipulated by the optimiser such that two fitness functions were minimised. The fitness functions were the overall mass of the simulated wing box structure and the inverse of the lift to drag ratio. Furthermore, six penalty functions were added to further penalise genetically inferior wings and force the optimiser to not pass on their genetic material. The results indicate that given the initial assumptions made on all the aerodynamic and structural properties of the HALE and MALE wings, a reduction in mass and drag is possible through the use of the HAPMOEA code. The code was terminated after 300 evaluations of each hierarchical level due to plateau effects. These evolutionary optimisation results could be further refined through a gradient based optimiser if required. Even though a reduced number of evaluations were performed, weight and drag reductions of between 10 and 20 percent were easy to achieve and indicate that the wings of both vehicles can be optimised
Understanding Urban Growth: a Conceptual Model
Understanding the urban growth system is a prerequisite for modelling and forecasting future trends of urban land use/cover change and its ecological impacts. As urban growth involves various actors with different patterns of behaviour, we argue that scientific understanding must be based on elaborated complexity theory and a multidisciplinary framework. The theoretical analysis can provide a guideline for selecting modelling methods currently available in complexity modelling and in remote sensing and GIS environments. This paper first proposes a conceptual model for defining urban growth and its complexity, in which spatial, temporal and decision-making complexity are distinguished as separate domains. Second, this paper links the conceptual model with the major current methods of modem urban modelling, such as cellular automata, fractals, neural networks, multi-agent, spatial statistics etc. This confrontation enables the possibilities of various modelling methods to understand urban growth complexity to be indicated. Third, this paper evaluates the operational implementation of representative methods based on criteria such as interpretability, data need and GIS embedded ness. Finally, two case studies are used to test the conceptual model
Effects of breeding habitat and field margins on the reproductive performance of Skylarks (Alauda arvensis) on intensive farmland
Field margin management is a common measure employed in Europe to support farmland bird populations. In this study we found and analysed 237 nests of the Skylark Alauda arvensis in the Netherlands over a period of 6 years to determine the effects of arable field margins and breeding crop on nest-level reproductive success. Additionally, the effect of field margins on predation was investigated and food availability in crops and field margins was compared. Neither clutch size, nest survival nor nestling body weight were improved by field margin availability, irrespective of the breeding crop used. However, the choice of breeding crop had important effects. Nestling weight was significantly lower in cereals than in grassland and lucerne, corresponding with the low prey densities present in cereals. Nest survival was lowest in grassland due to frequent silage cutting. Predation rates were highest in cereals but were not affected by field margin proximity. The highest reproductive success was achieved in lucerne, which was mown twice a year and retained a suitable height for breeding throughout the breeding season. We conclude that field margins are not sufficient to maintain a Skylark population in this intensively farmed area. The presumably more subtle effects of increased food availability cannot compensate for the high nest failure rates resulting from agricultural operations and predation. In this and similar areas, the provisioning of safe nesting habitat throughout the breeding season is essential to improve breeding performance. Our research suggests that this can be achieved by reducing the frequency of silage cutting on grassland and by increasing the surface area of lucerne.Conservation Biolog
Proteomics: in pursuit of effective traumatic brain injury therapeutics
Effective traumatic brain injury (TBI) therapeutics remain stubbornly elusive. Efforts in the field have been challenged by the heterogeneity of clinical TBI, with greater complexity among underlying molecular phenotypes than initially conceived. Future research must confront the multitude of factors comprising this heterogeneity, representing a big data challenge befitting the coming informatics age. Proteomics is poised to serve a central role in prescriptive therapeutic development, as it offers an efficient endpoint within which to assess post-TBI biochemistry. We examine rationale for multifactor TBI proteomic studies and the particular importance of temporal profiling in defining biochemical sequences and guiding therapeutic development. Lastly, we offer perspective on repurposing biofluid proteomics to develop theragnostic assays with which to prescribe, monitor and assess pharmaceutics for improved translation and outcome for TBI patients
Search for 70 \mu eV Dark Photon Dark Matter with a Dielectrically-Loaded Multi-Wavelength Microwave Cavity
Microwave cavities have been deployed to search for bosonic dark matter
candidates with masses of a few eV. However, the sensitivity of these
cavity detectors is limited by their volume, and the traditionally-employed
half-wavelength cavities suffer from a significant volume reduction at higher
masses. ADMX-Orpheus mitigates this issue by operating a tunable,
dielectrically-loaded cavity at a higher-order mode, which allows the detection
volume to remain large. The ADMX-Orpheus inaugural run excludes dark photon
dark matter with kinetic mixing angle between 65.5 eV
(15.8 GHz) and 69.3 eV (16.8GHz), marking the highest-frequency tunable
microwave cavity dark matter search to date.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure, to be submitted to PR
Metformin Preconditioning and Postconditioning to Reduce Ischemia Reperfusion Injury in an IsolatedEx VivoRat and Porcine Kidney Normothermic Machine Perfusion Model
Metformin may act renoprotective prior to kidney transplantation by reducing ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). This study examined whether metformin preconditioning and postconditioning duringex vivonormothermic machine perfusion (NMP) of rat and porcine kidneys affect IRI. In the rat study, saline or 300 mg/kg metformin was administered orally twice on the day before nephrectomy. After 15 minutes of warm ischemia, kidneys were preserved with static cold storage for 24 hours. Thereafter, 90 minutes of NMP was performed with the addition of saline or metformin (30 or 300 mg/L). In the porcine study, after 30 minutes of warm ischemia, kidneys were preserved for 3 hours with oxygenated hypothermic machine perfusion. Subsequently, increasing doses of metformin were added during 4 hours of NMP. Metformin preconditioning of rat kidneys led to decreased injury perfusate biomarkers and reduced proteinuria. Postconditioning of rat kidneys resulted, dose-dependently, in less tubular cell necrosis and vacuolation. Heat shock protein 70 expression was increased in metformin-treated porcine kidneys. In all studies, creatinine clearance was not affected. In conclusion, both metformin preconditioning and postconditioning can be done safely and improved rat and porcine kidney quality. Because the effects are minor, it is unknown which strategy might result in improved organ quality after transplantation
Complement Is Activated During Normothermic Machine Perfusion of Porcine and Human Discarded Kidneys
Background: The gap between demand and supply of kidneys for transplantation
necessitates the use of kidneys from extended criteria donors. Transplantation of these
donor kidneys is associated with inferior results, reflected by an increased risk of delayed
graft function. Inferior results might be explained by the higher immunogenicity of
extended criteria donor kidneys. Normothermic machine perfusion (NMP) could be
used as a platform to assess the quality and function of donor kidneys. In addition, it
could be useful to evaluate and possibly alter the immunological response of donor
kidneys. In this study, we first evaluated whether complement was activated during NMP
of porcine and human discarded kidneys. Second, we examined the relationship between
complement activation and pro-inflammatory cytokines during NMP. Third, we assessed
the effect of complement activation on renal function and injury during NMP of porcine
kidneys. Lastly, we examined local complement C3d deposition in human renal biopsies
after NMP.
Methods: NMP with a blood-based perfusion was performed with both porcine and
discarded human kidneys for 4 and 6 h, respectively. Perfusate samples were taken every
hour to assess complement activation, pro-inflammatory cytokines and renal function.
Biopsies were taken to assess histological injury and complement deposition.
Results: Complement activation products C3a, C3d, and soluble C5b-9 (sC5b-9) were
found in perfusate samples taken during NMP of both porcine and human kidneys. In
addition, complement perfusate levels positively correlated with the cytokine perfusate
levels of IL-6, IL-8, and TNF during NMP of porcine kidneys. Porcine kidneys with high
sC5b-9 perfusate levels had significantly lower creatinine clearance after 4 h of NMP. In line with these findings, high complement perfusate levels were seen during NMP of
human discarded kidneys. In addition, kidneys retrieved from brain-dead donors had
significantly higher complement perfusate levels during NMP than kidneys retrieved from
donors after circulatory death.
Conclusion: Normothermic kidney machine perfusion induces complement activation in
porcine and human kidneys, which is associated with the release of pro-inflammatory
cytokines and in porcine kidneys with lower creatinine clearance. Complement inhibition
during NMP might be a promising strategy to reduce renal graft injury and improve graft
function prior to transplantation
Graphene-based photovoltaic cells for near-field thermal energy conversion
Thermophotovoltaic devices are energy-conversion systems generating an
electric current from the thermal photons radiated by a hot body. In far field,
the efficiency of these systems is limited by the thermodynamic
Schockley-Queisser limit corresponding to the case where the source is a black
body. On the other hand, in near field, the heat flux which can be transferred
to a photovoltaic cell can be several orders of magnitude larger because of the
contribution of evanescent photons. This is particularly true when the source
supports surface polaritons. Unfortunately, in the infrared where these systems
operate, the mismatch between the surface-mode frequency and the semiconductor
gap reduces drastically the potential of this technology. Here we show that
graphene-based hybrid photovoltaic cells can significantly enhance the
generated power paving the way to a promising technology for an intensive
production of electricity from waste heat.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
ADMX-Orpheus First Search for 70 eV Dark Photon Dark Matter: Detailed Design, Operations, and Analysis
Dark matter makes up 85% of the matter in the universe and 27% of its energy
density, but we don't know what comprises dark matter. It is possible that dark
matter may be composed of either axions or dark photons, both of which can be
detected using an ultra-sensitive microwave cavity known as a haloscope. The
haloscope employed by ADMX consists of a cylindrical cavity operating at the
TM mode and is sensitive to the QCD axion with masses of few eV.
However, this haloscope design becomes challenging to implement for higher
masses. This is because higher masses require smaller-diameter cavities,
consequently reducing the detection volume which diminishes the detected signal
power. ADMX-Orpheus mitigates this issue by operating a tunable,
dielectrically-loaded cavity at a higher-order mode, allowing the detection
volume to remain large. This paper describes the design, operation, analysis,
and results of the inaugural ADMX-Orpheus dark photon search between 65.5
eV (15.8 GHz) and 69.3 eV (16.8 GHz), as well as future directions
for axion searches and for exploring more parameter space.Comment: 21 pages, 29 figures. To be submitted to Physical Review D. arXiv
admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:2112.0454
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