Shear Flows of Rapidly Flowing Granular Materials

Shear flows of granular materials are studied in an open channel. The wall shear is calculated from an open channel momentum equation which includes the density variations in the flow. An experimental technique was developed that allowed the measurement of the average density of the flow at different longitudinal locations in the channel. Two sizes of glass beads are examined and results show the variations in the wall shear as a function of various dimensionless parameters

Chemical process disturbance compensation as a fault tolerant control problem

In general, the control of chemical processes that involve unknown disturbances presents interesting challenges. Research issues have been focused on detailed modelling of the involved phenomena in order to use e.g. robust on-line disturbance compensation procedures or attempting to cancel out the disturbance effect in the feedback control of the chemical system. However, the chemical modelling problem can remain a very difficult challenge due to the unknown or partially-known dynamics occurring in the process under investigation. Therefore, this article proposes a new approach to the disturbance compensation, which is recasted into the theory of robust fault estimation. The disturbances acting in the system can be thus viewed as faults with time-varying characteristics to be estimated and compensated within an output feedback fault-tolerant control scheme. In this way, the limitations arising from the use of model-based approaches are obviated. The unknown input estimation problem is hence embedded inside a control system with required stability and performance robustness. This can be a significant advantage over model-based unknown input compensation methods, in which the detailed modelling of the disturbance term can be essential, and for which robustness with respect to its characteristics is difficult to achieve using purely nonlinear modelling strategies

Adding value to milk by increasing its protein and CLA contents

End of project reportThe mid-summer milk protein study was undertaken on 34 commercial dairy farms in 2005 to evaluate the influence of dietary and management variables on milk protein content in mid-season. Data on grass composition, genetic merit of the herds and milk protein content were collected and analysed by multiple regression. Both calving date and genetic merit for milk protein content were significantly associated with milk protein content and were used as adjustment factors when evaluating the association between measures of grass quality and milk protein content. Milk protein content was associated with grass OMD (P = 0.04) and NDF content (P = 0.02) but not with CP content (P = 0.80). It is concluded that herds calving earlier, with a greater genetic merit for milk protein content and consuming better quality pasture would have greater milk protein contents in mid-season

A Flight Evaluation of a VTOL Jet Transport Under Visual and Simulated Instrument Conditions

Transition, approach, and vertical landing tests for VTOL transport in terminal are

New Techniques for Relating Dynamically Close Galaxy Pairs to Merger and Accretion Rates : Application to the SSRS2 Redshift Survey

We introduce two new pair statistics, which relate close galaxy pairs to the merger and accretion rates. We demonstrate the importance of correcting these (and other) pair statistics for selection effects related to sample depth and completeness. In particular, we highlight the severe bias that can result from the use of a flux-limited survey. The first statistic, denoted N_c, gives the number of companions per galaxy, within a specified range in absolute magnitude. N_c is directly related to the galaxy merger rate. The second statistic, called L_c, gives the total luminosity in companions, per galaxy. This quantity can be used to investigate the mass accretion rate. Both N_c and L_c are related to the galaxy correlation function and luminosity function in a straightforward manner. We outline techniques which account for various selection effects, and demonstrate the success of this approach using Monte Carlo simulations. If one assumes that clustering is independent of luminosity (which is appropriate for reasonable ranges in luminosity), then these statistics may be applied to flux-limited surveys. These techniques are applied to a sample of 5426 galaxies in the SSRS2 redshift survey. Using close dynamical pairs, we find N_c(-21<M_B<-18) = 0.0226+/-0.0052 and L_c(-21<M_B<-18) = 0.0216+/-0.0055 10^{10} h^2 L_sun at z=0.015. These are the first secure estimates of low-z close pair statistics. If N_c remains fixed with redshift, simple assumptions imply that ~ 6.6% of present day galaxies with -21<M_B<-18 have undergone mergers since z=1. When applied to redshift surveys of more distant galaxies, these techniques will yield the first robust estimates of evolution in the galaxy merger and accretion rates. [Abridged]Comment: 26 pages (including 10 postscript figures) plus 3 gif figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ. Paper (including full resolution images) also available at http://www.astro.utoronto.ca/~patton/ssrs2, along with associated pair classification experiment (clickable version of Figure 5

Eyes wide shut? UK consumer perceptions on aviation climate impacts and travel decisions to New Zealand

The purview of climate change concern has implicated air travel, as evidenced in a growing body of academic literature concerned with aviation CO2 emissions. This article assesses the relevance of climate change to long haul air travel decisions to New Zealand for United Kingdom consumers. Based on 15 semi-structured open-ended interviews conducted in Bournemouth, UK during June 2009, it was found that participants were unlikely to forgo potential travel decisions to New Zealand because of concern over air travel emissions. Underpinning the interviewees’ understandings and responses to air travel’s climate impact was a spectrum of awareness and attitudes to air travel and climate change. This spectrum ranged from individuals who were unaware of air travel’s climate impact to those who were beginning to consume air travel with a ‘carbon conscience’. Within this spectrum were some who were aware of the impact but not willing to change their travel behaviours at all. Rather than implicating long haul air travel, the empirical evidence instead exemplifies changing perceptions towards frequent short haul air travel and voices calls for both government and media in the UK to deliver more concrete messages on air travel’s climate impact

Are infestations of Cymomelanodactylus killing Acropora cytherea in the Chagos archipelago?

Associations between branching corals and infaunal crabs are well known, mostly due to the beneficial effects of Trapezia and Tetralia crabs in protecting host corals from crown-of-thorns starfish (e.g., Pratchett et al. 2000) and/or sedimentation (Stewart et al. 2006). These crabs are obligate associates of live corals and highly prevalent across suitable coral hosts, with 1–2 individuals per colony (Patton 1994). Cymo melanodactylus (Fig. 1) are also prevalent in branching corals, mostly Acropora, and are known to feed on live coral tissue, but are generally found in low abundance (<3 per colony) and do not significantly affect their host corals (e.g., Patton 1994). In the Chagos archipelago, however, infestations of Cymo melanodactylus were found on recently dead and dying colonies of Acropora cytherea