253 research outputs found
Properties of Generalized Forchheimer Flows in Porous Media
The nonlinear Forchheimer equations are used to describe the dynamics of
fluid flows in porous media when Darcy's law is not applicable. In this
article, we consider the generalized Forchheimer flows for slightly
compressible fluids and study the initial boundary value problem for the
resulting degenerate parabolic equation for pressure with the time-dependent
flux boundary condition. We estimate -norm for pressure and its time
derivative, as well as other Lebesgue norms for its gradient and second spatial
derivatives. The asymptotic estimates as time tends to infinity are emphasized.
We then show that the solution (in interior -norms) and its gradient
(in interior -norms) depend continuously on the initial and
boundary data, and coefficients of the Forchheimer polynomials. These are
proved for both finite time intervals and time infinity. The De Giorgi and
Ladyzhenskaya-Uraltseva iteration techniques are combined with uniform
Gronwall-type estimates, specific monotonicity properties, suitable parabolic
Sobolev embeddings and a new fast geometric convergence result.Comment: 63 page
The impact of COVID-19 on labor migration and the roles of small-scale farming in the pandemic in Vietnam
Drawing on in-depth interviews of migrant workers and their families in rural Vietnam, this study explores the
impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on transnational and rural-urban migration as well as the role of small-scale
farming in remittance-receiving households. Fieldwork was conducted in two provinces: the Son La province
where ethnic minority women and men work in urban construction sites, and the Ha Tinh province where young
men work in East Asia, such as Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. Research findings show that in Son La, the
pandemic exacerbated the already precarious lives and livelihoods of labor migrants, especially women and
children. On the other hand, in Ha Tinh non-market-oriented small-scale farming and livestock production
support remittance-receiving households, thereby limiting the impact of reduced remittances from
transnational migration in the short-term. In both study sites, the pandemic did not change respondents’
perceptions of livelihood strategies. Labor migration remains the only available option for Son La farmers from
the poor households to provide for their families and the best option for many young men in Ha Tinh to gain
financial autonomy. These individuals are deeply affected by structural injustice in the commodification of the
labor market, which is inherently unequal and exploitative. Current agricultural development must offer diverse
options to accommodate the various needs of marginalized households that depend on off-farm incomes as well
as small-scale farming
Women’s roles and opportunities in cassava value chains in Son La province in Vietnam: A technical report
Cassava is a major export-oriented cash crop in Vietnam. Unlike other cash crops, such as coffee, fruits, and
maize, cassava requires limited agricultural input and labour and can grow in nutrient-poor uplands. Research
on cassava breeding, seed systems and value chains in Southeast Asia is increasingly focused on market-oriented
aspects such as developing hybrid varieties favourable to the cassava starch industry, disease control on large scale farms, and seed systems driven by the private sector. However, in the northern mountainous areas of
Vietnam, ethnic minority farmers use cassava roots, leaves and sticks for numerous reasons, including starch
production, fish and animal feed, firewood, and home consumption. Women play significant roles in those non market-oriented activities (often collecting left-over small roots in the field, drying roots, and cutting leaves and
stems) but little is known about how this work influences women’s roles, decision-making and opportunities in
cassava value chains. Hence, this study provides that data with an eye to see how women may find more
opportunity for creating small business enterprises with cassava. Fieldwork was conducted in July 2021 in the
Chieng La commune (Thuan Chau district) and the Muong Bon Commune (Mai Son district). Findings show that
although women are less involved in decision making on cassava production and overall agricultural investment,
they play important roles in cassava production and post-harvest activities. Therefore, it is extremely important
to collect and analyze women’s preferences, concerns and constraints in cassava research and interventions. In
the conclusion, we highlight additional areas for research on this topic
Effect of Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction on Heisenberg antiferromagnetic spin chain in a longitudinal magnetic field
Using functional integral method for the Heisenberg antiferromagnetic spin chain with the added Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya Interaction in the presence of the longitudinal magnetic field, we find out expression for free energy of the spin chain via spin fluctuations, from which quantities characterize the antiferromagnetic order and phase transition such as staggered and total magnetizations derived. From that, we deduce the significant effect of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction on the reduction of the antiferromagnetic order and show that the total magnetization can be deviated from the initial one under the influence of canting of the spins due to a combination of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction and the magnetic field. Besides, the remarkable role of the transverse spin fluctuations due to the above factors on the antiferromagnetic behaviours of the spin chain is also indicated.  
Multi-response optimization of process parameters for powder mixed electro-discharge machining according to the surface roughness and surface micro-hardness using Taguchi-TOPSIS
In this study, the efficiency of integration between Taguchi and TOPSIS in multi-response optimi-zation of powder mixed electrical discharge machining (PMEDM) process was evaluated. The in-put parameters, such as workpiece and tool electrode material, polarity, pulse on time (ton), pulse off time (toff), Current (I) and powder concentration have been selected to optimize two responses; namely surface roughness (Ra) and surface hardness (HV). The results show that titanium powder mixed dielectric fluid improves multi-response optimization efficiency in PMEDM. In addition, machining conditions, such as tool electrode material, powder concentration, pulse on time, polarity, current density, A×G and B×G interactions play a very important role on S/N ratio of C* whereby powder concentration has the strongest influence. TOPSIS -Taguchi is a potential method for multi-response optimization in PMEDM. However, the optimal results using ANOVA analysis show that there is a necessity to have more studies in TOPSIS-Taguchi to improve the in-tegration efficiency between two methods for optimizing multiple responses in PMEDM
STABILIZATION OF NON ISOTHERMAL CHEMICAL REACTORS USING TWO THERMODYNAMIC LYAPUNOV FUNCTIONS
The main goal of this paper is to introduce a link between the thermodynamics and control systems theory. More precisely, the paper focuses on Lyapunov based control of process systems, specially the non isothermal Continuous Stirred Tank Reactors in a thermodynamic framework, using either the jacket temperature or the inlet molar flow rate as the only control input. As soon as the constraint on the total mass is considered and the reaction kinetics is a Lipschitz continuous function with respect to the temperature, it shows that the stabilization of thermal solicitations reciprocally entails the one of matter using La Salle’s invariance principle. As a consequence, these control problems can be solved if the closed loop Lyapunov functions are chosen to be proportional to the thermal part or material part of the so called thermodynamic availability function. Some numerical simulations for a first order chemical reaction with multiple steady states are given to validate our theoretical developments. The performance of the obtained nonlinear controllers with regard to the conversion rate is also discussed.The main goal of this paper is to introduce a link between the thermodynamics and control systems theory. More precisely, the paper focuses on Lyapunov based control of process systems, specially the non isothermal Continuous Stirred Tank Reactors in a thermodynamic framework, using either the jacket temperature or the inlet molar flow rate as the only control input. As soon as the constraint on the total mass is considered and the reaction kinetics is a Lipschitz continuous function with respect to the temperature, it shows that the stabilization of thermal solicitations reciprocally entails the one of matter using La Salle’s invariance principle. As a consequence, these control problems can be solved if the closed loop Lyapunov functions are chosen to be proportional to the thermal part or material part of the so called thermodynamic availability function. Some numerical simulations for a first order chemical reaction with multiple steady states are given to validate our theoretical developments. The performance of the obtained nonlinear controllers with regard to the conversion rate is also discussed
Universality in odd-even harmonic generation and application in terahertz waveform sampling
Odd-even harmonics emitted from a laser-target system imprint rich, subtle
information characterizing the system's dynamical asymmetry, which is desirable
to decipher. In this Letter, we discover a simple universal relation between
the odd-even harmonics and the asymmetry of the THz-assisted laser-atomic
system -- atoms in a fundamental mid-IR laser pulse combined with a THz laser.
First, we demonstrate numerically and then analytically formulize the harmonic
even-to-odd ratio as a function of the THz electric field, the source of the
system's asymmetry. Notably, we suggest a scaling that makes the obtained rule
universal, independent of the parameters of both the fundamental pulse and
atomic target. This universality facilitates us to propose a general pump-probe
scheme for THz waveform sampling from the even-to-odd ratio, measurable within
a conventional compact setup
Defect-engineered metal-organic frameworks (MOF-808) towards the improved adsorptive removal of organic dyes and chromium (vi) species from water
In this work, two defective zirconium-based metal-organic frameworks (Zr-MOFs), MOF-808-OH and MOF-808-NH2, were synthesized by partially replacing the 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylate building block with 5-hydroxyisophthalate and 5-aminoisophthalate, respectively. The structural features of the defective materials were analyzed by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), nitrogen physisorption at 77 K, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Importantly, the number of defect sites determined via proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) analysis of the digested materials was approximately 7 mol% for MOF-808-OH and 3 mol% for MOF-808-NH2. The presence of the defect sites increased the number of acidic centers on Zr-clusters originating from missing-linker nodes which accounted for a remarkable adsorption capacity towards various anionic organic dyes and chromium (vi) species. Compared to standard MOF-808, the defect-engineered ones showed significant increments by 30-60% in trapping capacity for anionic contaminants including sunset yellow, quinoline yellow, methyl orange, and potassium dichromate, while they exhibited modest improvements by 5-15% in the removal of cationic dyes, namely malachite green and methylene blue
Countering Eavesdroppers with Meta-learning-based Cooperative Ambient Backscatter Communications
This article introduces a novel lightweight framework using ambient
backscattering communications to counter eavesdroppers. In particular, our
framework divides an original message into two parts: (i) the active-transmit
message transmitted by the transmitter using conventional RF signals and (ii)
the backscatter message transmitted by an ambient backscatter tag that
backscatters upon the active signals emitted by the transmitter. Notably, the
backscatter tag does not generate its own signal, making it difficult for an
eavesdropper to detect the backscattered signals unless they have prior
knowledge of the system. Here, we assume that without decoding/knowing the
backscatter message, the eavesdropper is unable to decode the original message.
Even in scenarios where the eavesdropper can capture both messages,
reconstructing the original message is a complex task without understanding the
intricacies of the message-splitting mechanism. A challenge in our proposed
framework is to effectively decode the backscattered signals at the receiver,
often accomplished using the maximum likelihood (MLK) approach. However, such a
method may require a complex mathematical model together with perfect channel
state information (CSI). To address this issue, we develop a novel deep
meta-learning-based signal detector that can not only effectively decode the
weak backscattered signals without requiring perfect CSI but also quickly adapt
to a new wireless environment with very little knowledge. Simulation results
show that our proposed learning approach, without requiring perfect CSI and
complex mathematical model, can achieve a bit error ratio close to that of the
MLK-based approach. They also clearly show the efficiency of the proposed
approach in dealing with eavesdropping attacks and the lack of training data
for deep learning models in practical scenarios
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