Operational and safety assessment of joint and conventional lane merge configurations for freeway work zones

Inefficient operation of traffic at work zone areas typically leads to increase in travel time delays, queue length, fuel consumption, number of forced merges, and roadway accidents. In order to improve the operational efficiency of work zones, research on freeway work zones constantly seeks to develop different lane merge control strategies, in addition to the conventional lane merge configuration, recommended by the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. This study evaluates the operational efficiency and safety benefits of a newly proposed configuration, joint lane merge (JLM), and compare its performance with the conventional lane merge (CLM) configuration. A simulation model (VISSIM) was calibrated with real-world data from an existing work zone on I-55 and used to simulate a work zone area with both configurations. A total of 25 different scenarios were generated from five different levels of demand and five truck percentages. Performance measures in terms of total throughput, average delay time, uncomfortable decelerations, speed variance and speed differential were compared for both configurations. Statistical analysis was conducted to determine the differences in operational and safety performance between both configurations. The results showed that the joint lane merge outperformed the conventional lane merge by a maximum of 12.6% improvement in throughput and 94.83% reduction in average delay time at high levels of demand. The results also indicate that the conventional lane merge configurations are more suitable for sites with relatively high percentage of trucks, while joint lane merge configurations are more suitable for sites with low percentage of trucks. The safety performance measures indicate that joint lane merge is safer as compared to conventional lane merge for volumes lower than or equal to 1500 vph

Applications of Functional Analysis to a Class of Elliptic PDES

In this report we discuss about the eigensolutions of an eigenvalue problem for the $p-$Laplace operator by investigating the underlying variational problem. Mostly the discussion is restricted to $p=1$ case however it can be extended to other values of $p$ also. When we have constrained minimizers subject to $L^1-$ norm, it is considered as the eigenvalue problem of $1-$Laplace operator. Several theorems are stated in the report which strongly support the existence of solutions to the variational problem, hence eigensolutions and also the sequence of eigensolutions. Solutions are treated as critical points (for the variational problem) in the sense of weak slope. Finally an additional necessary condition is introduced which is derived using inner variations to filter the non-eigensolutions of the problem. Basic concepts of functional analysis and necessary prerequisites to understand the variational problem and minimizers are also included

Molecular Cloning and Antibacterial Activity of a Lebocin-like Protein from Manduca Sexta

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a critical component of the natural defense system in various organisms. Over 200 AMPs have been identified in arthropods. Most of them are less than 10 kDa, hydrophobic, membrane active, and have net positive charges. At least five different types of AMPs are identified in tobacco hornworm, M. sexta which include attacins, cecropins, moricin, gloverin and lebocin. Here we report screening and isolation of Manduca lebocin cDNA and Genomic clones and also the antibacterial activity of Manduca lebocin derived peptides.Department of Entomology and Plant Patholog

Sensitivity Analysis of the Turning Motion of an Underwater Glider on the Viscous Hydrodynamic Coefficients

Autonomous underwater gliders (AUG) are a class of underwater vehicles that move using a buoyancy engine and forces from wings. Gliders execute turning motion with the help of a rudder or an internal roll control mechanism and the trajectory of the turn is a spiral. This paper analyses the sensitivity of the characteristics of spiral manoeuvre on the hydrodynamic coefficients of the glider. Based on the dynamics model of a gliding fish whose turn is enabled by a rudder, the effect of hydrodynamic coefficients of the hull and the rudder on the spiral motion are quantified. Local sensitivity analysis is undertaken using the indirect method. The order of importance of hydrodynamic coefficients is evaluated. It is observed that the spiral path parameters are most sensitive to the side force created by the rudder and the effect of the drag coefficient is predominant to that of the lift coefficients. This study will aid in quantifying the effect of change of geometry on the manoeuvrability of AUGs

A quantitative phase-field model for void evolution in defect supersaturated environments: a novel introduction of defect reaction asymmetry

Voids develop in crystalline materials under energetic particle irradiation, as in nuclear reactors. Understanding the underlying mechanisms of void nucleation and growth is of utmost importance as it leads to dimensional instability of the metallic materials. In the past two decades, researchers have adopted the phase-field approach to study the phenomena of void evolution under irradiation. The approach involves modeling the boundary between the void and matrix with a diffused interface. However, none of the existing models are quantitative in nature. This work introduces a thermodynamically consistent, quantitative diffuse interface model based on KKS formalism to describe the void evolution under irradiation. The model concurrently considers both vacancies and self-interstitials in the description of void evolution. Unique to our model is the presence of two mobility parameters in the equation of motion of the phase-field variable. The two mobility parameters relate the driving force for vacancy and self-interstitial interaction to the interface motion, analogous to dislocation motion through climb and glide processes. The asymptotic matching of the phase-field model with the sharp-interface theory fixes the two mobility parameters in terms of the material parameters in the sharp-interface model. The Landau coefficient, which controls the height of the double-well function in the phase field variable, and the gradient coefficient of the phase field variable are fixed based on the interfacial energy and interface width of the boundary. With all the parameters in the model determined in terms of the material parameters, we thus have a new phase field model for void evolution. Simple test cases will show the void evolution under various defect supersaturation to validate our new phase-field model

Nutrient contents, color, texture, and sensory evaluation of 12 Arkansas grown soybean cultivars in canned products

Soybean was introduced in the U.S. in the 1800s, and it has been proven to have several health benefits. New cultivars of soybeans with varying hull colors have been developed using plantbreeding technology. Canning is one of the effective processing methods to extend the shelf life of products. However, very little information is available on canned soybeans. This research studied the composition of 12 soybean cultivars including two cultivars with brown seed coat (R08-4014 and R09-349), three cultivars with black seed coat (R07-1927, R07-10396, and R09-345), and seven regular cultivars with yellow seed coat (R05-1772, R05-4969, R07-2001, R08-4005, R08- 4006, UA Kirksey, and JYC-2) grown in Arkansas and investigated the effect of the canning process on the color, texture, and sensory properties. The data showed that the 12 soybean cultivars had lower moisture content values ranging from 6.7% to 9.1% in comparison to higher levels of moisture (13%) present in commercial lines. The protein content ranged from 40.2% to 51.0% which was higher than the expected approximate content of commercial soy (30-40%). The canning process increased the redness (+a values) of the beans but neither off-flavor nor bitterness was observed in the canned products. Among the soybean cultivars with yellow seed, the canned products of JYC-2 were the most preferred according to sensory panelists. In conclusion, canned products of soybeans can be prepared under optimized conditions to produce a product that is acceptable to consumers

Textural and sensory qualities of muffins prepared with fermented rice bran

Rice is one of the most popular cereal grains in the world. Rice bran, a by-product of the rice milling process, contains an abundance of nutrients including protein, fiber, vitamin B complex, vitamin E, and other nutraceuticals. However, rice bran is underutilized in the food industry. In this project muffins were prepared with varying concentrations (2.5%, 5.0%, 7.5%, 10.0%, 15.0%, 20.0%, and 25.0%) of 60 mesh (250 µm) fermented rice bran (60 mFRB) and 80 mesh (180 µm) fermented rice bran (80 mFRB). A cappuccino muffin formulation was used as flavor for all the samples. The control sample was prepared without the fermented rice bran for comparison. Initial taste evaluations using student panelists demonstrated muffins incorporated with 80 mFRB were too dense, unacceptable, and discontinued for further study while the muffins prepared with 60 mFRB were found to be acceptable. The sensory qualities (texture, color, mouthfeel, aroma) and overall consumer acceptability of the muffins with 2.5%, 5.0%, 7.5%, and 10.0% 60 mFRB have lower firmness values in comparison to the control representing a softer texture. Three out of five sensory panelists considered muffins with 20.0% and 25.0% 60 mFRB to be acceptable in terms of color, texture, mouthfeel, and aroma. Hence, this project demonstrates that fermented rice bran products can be used in the preparation of breakfast food products like muffins. This innovative ingredient formulation concept can be useful in creating successful commercial bakery products that will provide protein, fiber and other nutrients