Mooring Analysis of Very Large Floating Structures in Malaysian South China Sea Waters

Very large floating structures (VLFS) are any structure of which the largest dimension is greater than its characteristic length. This technology has been studied over a long period of time in Japan, though not much interest has been shown in the rest of the world. As evident by the varied applications of VLFS in Japan, there are potentially limitless opportunities for the implementation of such technology in Malaysia. Having said that, little work has been done with respect to the implementation of this technology in Malaysian waters. This paper will be focusing on establish the relationship between vessel size, water depth and operating sea states (wave height and period, current speed, and wind speed) on fender forces. The scope of study for this paper has been limited to the region of Malaysian South China Sea waters which covers the East coast of Malaysia, stretching to the West coast of Sabah and Sarawak. Hence, the operating conditions which were considered, namely, wave height, wind speed and current speed will be in accordance with the conditions found in the aforementioned region only. In order to identify the correlation between the mooring requirements, vessel dimension and operating depth, a hydro dynamic analysis was first conducted, followed by a hydrodynamic time response analysis on ANSYS Aqwa

An ε -Uniform Numerical Method for a System of Convection-Diffusion Equations with Discontinuous Convection Coefficients and Source Terms

In this paper, a parameter-uniform numerical method is suggested to solve a system of singularly perturbed convection-diffusion equations with discontinuous convection coefficients and source terms subject to the Dirichlet boundary condition. The second derivative of each equation is multiplied by a distinctly small parameter, which leads to an overlap and interacting interior layer. A numerical method based on a piecewise uniform Shishkin mesh is constructed. Numerical results are presented to support the theoretical results

Functional and radiological analysis of posterior lumbar interbody fusion in spondylolisthesis

Background:Spondylolisthesis is present in 5% of the adult population with clinical evidence of low back pain. These patients are treated initially by conservative measures, failing of which surgical intervention is mandatory. Majority of patients with varying degree of slip and disability ultimately require surgical intervention. In this study we are trying to analyse the functional outcome following posterior lumbar interbody fusion in spondylolisthesis.Methods: Posterior lumbar interbody fusion using pedicle screw and rods with cage was performed on 25 patients. 6 months follow-up was completed in 25 patients who were then reviewed at regular intervals. Out of the 25 patients, 17(68%) were females and 8(32%) were males. The mean age of the patients was 40.64 years. Out of 25 patients, 14 patients had listhesis at L4 – L5 level and another 11 at L5 – S1 level. 21(84%) were Isthmic variant and 4 (16%) were Degenerative spondylolisthesis.Results:The mean follow up period in this study of 25 patients is 19 months. Out of 25 patients, there was mean improvement of 18.96 in the Oswestry scoring index. The Visual analogue scale score showed a mean improvement of 6.48. Radiologically, the percentage of slip was decreased by a mean of 8.40%. One patient had a cage extrusion with no neurological deficit.Conclusions:The pedicle screw with rod and cage system is easy to use and provides the anatomic restoration of the isthmus in isthmic spondylolisthesis or restoring the stability after laminectomy/discectomy in degenerative spondylolisthesis. From our study, we strongly believe that this technique is very useful in low grade degenerative and isthmic spondylolisthesis

RESISTIVITY STEPS AS A PRECURSOR AND IMPENDING EARTHQUAKES OF AFTERSHOCKS OF GREAT EARTHQUAKE OF 26 TH DECEMBER 2004 RECORDED AT IDUKKI OBSERVATARY, KERALA, INDIA

ABSTARCT The study of resistivity relaxation before the impending earthquake events occurred during January-February 2005 in the Andaman-Sumatra subduction zone have proven the existence of the long range effects of strain related precursors, fortuitously recorded by the Variometer designed to reflect the premonitory rupture in Kottayam, Kerala, India at epicentral distances greater than 2000km. The swarms of the aftershock of Great earthquake of 2004 supplied sources of seismic waves that have been subsequently scattered, polarized and lead to the process of birefringence through the anisotropic rocks. The average values of earthquake magnitudes (M5.3), epicentral distances (1941km), radius of preparation zones (281km) and focal depths (23km) are calculated from the regression equations evolved from the bivariate plots. The abnormal increase of crustal strain even for a lower earthquake of M5.3 which has definitive radius of the preparation zone of 240km to an ultimate radius of more than 5400km from epicenters to observatory is discussed. Keyword: earthquake, precursor, resistivity, magnitude, Idukki. INTRODUCTION The rock deformation allows the accumulation of stress energy, before the large earthquake and continued until stress energy was released by faulting at the time of earthquake The stress energy accumulated is released within the short span of time before the main shocks could be useful as precursor signals of an impending earthquak

Mooring Analysis of Very Large Floating Structures in Malaysian South China Sea Waters

Very large floating structures (VLFS) are any structure of which the largest dimension is greater than its characteristic length. This technology has been studied over a long period of time in Japan, though not much interest has been shown in the rest of the world. As evident by the varied applications of VLFS in Japan, there are potentially limitless opportunities for the implementation of such technology in Malaysia. Having said that, little work has been done with respect to the implementation of this technology in Malaysian waters. This paper will be focusing on establish the relationship between vessel size, water depth and operating sea states (wave height and period, current speed, and wind speed) on fender forces. The scope of study for this paper has been limited to the region of Malaysian South China Sea waters which covers the East coast of Malaysia, stretching to the West coast of Sabah and Sarawak. Hence, the operating conditions which were considered, namely, wave height, wind speed and current speed will be in accordance with the conditions found in the aforementioned region only. In order to identify the correlation between the mooring requirements, vessel dimension and operating depth, a hydro dynamic analysis was first conducted, followed by a hydrodynamic time response analysis on ANSYS Aqwa

Gratings and waveguides

Our immediate objective is to understand the limitations of guided-wave and grating coupler devices in their application to optical data storage. Our long-range goal is to develop and validate design codes for integrated optic devices. The principal research activity was in the development of numerical models for the design of a blue wavelength integrated optical source for data storage applications

Metavinculin modulates force transduction in cell adhesion sites

Vinculin is a ubiquitously expressed protein, crucial for the regulation of force transduction in cells. Muscle cells express a vinculin splice-isoform called metavinculin, which has been associated with cardiomyopathies. However, the molecular function of metavinculin has remained unclear and its role for heart muscle disorders undefined. Here, we have employed a set of piconewton-sensitive tension sensors to probe metavinculin mechanics in cells. Our experiments reveal that metavinculin bears higher molecular forces but is less frequently engaged as compared to vinculin, leading to altered force propagation in cell adhesions. In addition, we have generated knockout mice to investigate the consequences of metavinculin loss in vivo. Unexpectedly, these animals display an unaltered tissue response in a cardiac hypertrophy model. Together, the data reveal that the transduction of cell adhesion forces is modulated by expression of metavinculin, yet its role for heart muscle function seems more subtle than previously thought. Muscle cells express an adhesion molecule called metavinculin, which has been associated with cardiomyopathies. Here, the authors employed molecular tension sensors to reveal that metavinculin expression modulates cell adhesion mechanics and they develop a mouse model to demonstrate that the presence of metavinculin is not as critical for heart muscle function as previously thought