Development of high performance composite bend-twist coupled blades for a horizontal axis tidal turbine

Development of a design methodology for a composite, bend-twist coupled, tidal turbine blade has been undertaken. Numerical modelling was used to predict the response of the main structural member for the adaptive blade. An experimental method for validation is described. The analysis indicates a non-linear blade twist response

Use of cryogenic buoyancy systems for controlled removal of heavy objects from the seabed

The concept design of a lightweight cryogenic marine heavy lift buoyancy system has been investigated. The approach makes use of a novel cryogenic system for provision of buoyancy within the ocean environment. The objective is to be able to lift or lower large displacement objects under full remote control. The nature of subsea lifting and lowering operations requires a high degree of precise control for operational safety, reasons and to preserve the structural integrity of the load. The lift operation occurs in two phases: Development of lift to overcome seabed suction, and then rapid reduction of buoyancy to maintain a controlled ascent. Descent involves controlled release of the buoyancy. The proposed buoyancy system consists of a buoyancy chamber and an integral cryogenic gas generation unit. The application of an on-board gas generation unit allows the removal of the engineering challenges associated with use of compressors and the concomitant complex manifold of connecting umbilical pipe work. It provides for a fully remote system completely eliminating all risk associated with extensive physical surface to subsea connection throughout the entire lift operation. The opening stages of the project work include the development of a system that will operate efficiently and effectively to a depth of 350m. An initial general arrangement for the buoyancy system has been developed. A number of these systems involve considerable design and development, these include: structural design of the buoyancy chamber, mechanical systems to control and connection to the lift device, the cryogenic system itself and overall process control systems. As part of the design process for such an arrangement, numerical simulation of the complete system has been undertaken in order to develop mechanical, cryogenic and process control systems efficiently and effectively. This system simulation has been developed using Matlab Simulink. This paper considers the overall design concept and associated system development issues. These are illustrated through use of the time accurate simulation of alternative design configurations that confirm the viability of the concept. A main conclusion is that minimisation of the dry weight of the system is critical to cost-effective operation of the project

Nucleons Properties at Finite Lattice Spacing in Chiral Perturbation Theory

Properties of the proton and neutron are studied in partially-quenched chiral perturbation theory at finite lattice spacing. Masses, magnetic moments, the matrix elements of isovector twist-2 operators and axial-vector currents are examined at the one-loop level in a double expansion in the light-quark masses and the lattice spacing. This work will be useful in extrapolating the results of simulations using Wilson valence and sea quarks, as well as simulations using Wilson sea quarks and Ginsparg-Wilson valence quarks, to the continuum.Comment: 16 pages LaTe

Hadronic Electromagnetic Properties at Finite Lattice Spacing

Electromagnetic properties of the octet mesons as well as the octet and decuplet baryons are augmented in quenched and partially quenched chiral perturbation theory to include O(a) corrections due to lattice discretization. We present the results for the SU(3) flavor group in the isospin limit as well as the results for SU(2) flavor with non-degenerate quarks. These corrections will be useful for extrapolation of lattice calculations using Wilson valence and sea quarks, as well as calculations using Wilson sea quarks and Ginsparg-Wilson valence quarks.Comment: 19 pages, 0 figures, RevTeX

Development of a floating tidal energy system suitable for use in shallow water

A proposal is made for the use of a traditional streamwaterwheel suspended between two floating catamaranNPL series demi-hulls as means of generating electricalpower. Two prototype devices, of lengths 1.6m and 4.5m,have been developed, constructed and tested. It was foundthat the concept is sound although greater investment isrequired with regards to the materials and bothhydrodynamic and aerodynamic design of the waterwheelto ensure an economically viable system. The workpresented concentrates on practical aspects associated withdesign, construction and trial testing in Southampton waterof the 4.5m prototype. The relatively low cost, ease ofdeployment, and the fact that conventional boat mooringsystems are effective, combine to make this an attractivealternative energy solution for remote communities

Simulations with different lattice Dirac operators for valence and sea quarks

We discuss simulations with different lattice Dirac operators for sea and valence quarks. A goal of such a "mixed" action approach is to probe deeper the chiral regime of QCD by enabling simulations with light valence quarks. This is achieved by using chiral fermions as valence quarks while computationally inexpensive fermions are used in the sea sector. Specifically, we consider Wilson sea quarks and Ginsparg-Wilson valence quarks. The local Symanzik action for this mixed theory is derived to O(a), and the appropriate low energy chiral effective Lagrangian is constructed, including the leading O(a) contributions. Using this Lagrangian one can calculate expressions for physical observables and determine the Gasser-Leutwyler coefficients by fitting them to the lattice data.Comment: 17 pages, 1 ps figure (2 clarification paragraphs added

How quantum bound states bounce and the structure it reveals

We investigate how quantum bound states bounce from a hard surface. Our analysis has applications to ab initio calculations of nuclear structure and elastic deformation, energy levels of excitons in semiconductor quantum dots and wells, and cold atomic few-body systems on optical lattices with sharp boundaries. We develop the general theory of elastic reflection for a composite body from a hard wall. On the numerical side we present ab initio calculations for the compression of alpha particles and universal results for two-body states. On the analytical side we derive a universal effective potential that gives the reflection scattering length for shallow two-body states.Comment: final publication version, new lattice results on alpha particle compression, 5 pages, 2 figure

Decoupling of Degenerate Positive-norm States in Witten's String Field Theory

We show that the degenerate positive-norm physical propagating fields of the open bosonic string can be gauged to the higher rank fields at the same mass level. As a result, their scattering amplitudes can be determined from those of the higher spin fields. This phenomenon arises from the existence of two types of zero-norm states with the same Young representations as those of the degenerate positive-norm states in the old covariant first quantized (OCFQ) spectrum. This is demonstrated by using the lowest order gauge transformation of Witten's string field theory (WSFT) up to the fourth massive level (spin-five), and is found to be consistent with conformal field theory calculation based on the first quantized generalized sigma-model approach. In particular, on-shell conditions of zero-norm states in OCFQ stringy gauge transformation are found to correspond, in a one-to-one manner, to the background ghost fields in off-shell gauge transformation of WSFT. The implication of decoupling of scalar modes on Sen's conjectures was also briefly discussed.Comment: 18 pages, use Latex with revtex

Resource variation in colorectal surgery; a national centre-level analysis.

BACKGROUND: Delivery of quality colorectal surgery requires adequate resources. We set out to assess the relationship between resources and outcomes in English colorectal units. METHODS: Data was extracted from the ACPGBI resource questionnaire to profile resources. This was correlated with Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) outcome data including 90-day mortality and readmissions. Patient satisfaction measures were extracted from the Cancer Experience Patient Survey (CEPS) and compared at unit level. Centres were divided by workload into low, middle, and top tertile. RESULTS: Completed questionnaires were received from 75 centres in England. Service resources were similar between low and top tertiles in access to CEPOD theatre, level 2 or 3 beds per 250,000 population or likelihood of having a dedicated colorectal ward. There was no difference in staffing levels per 250,000 unit of population. Each 10% increase in the proportion of cases attempted laparoscopically, was associated with reduced 90-day unplanned readmission (RR 0.94, 95% CI 0.91 to 0.97, p<0.001). The presence of a dedicated colorectal ward (RR 0.85, 95% CI 0.73 to 0.99, p =0.040) was also associated with a significant reduction in unplanned readmissions. There was no association between staffing or service factors and patient satisfaction. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Resource levels do not vary based on unit of population. There is benefit associated with increased use of laparoscopy and a dedicated surgical ward. Alternative measures to assess the relationship between resources and outcome, such as failure to rescue, should be explored in UK practice. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Prognostic factors affecting outcomes in fistulating perianal Crohn's disease: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: One in three patients with Crohn's disease will develop a perianal fistulae, and one third of these will achieve long-term healing or closure. A barrier to conducting well-designed clinical trials for these patients is a lack of understanding of prognostic factors. This systematic review sets out to identify factors associated with prognosis of perianal Crohn's fistulae. METHODS: This review was registered on the PROSPERO database (CRD42016050316) and conducted in line with PRISMA guidelines along a predefined protocol. English-language studies assessing baseline factors related to outcomes of fistulae treatment in adult patients were included. Searches were performed on MEDLINE and Embase databases. Screening of abstracts and full texts for eligibility was performed prior to extraction of data into predesigned forms. Bias was assessed using the QUIPS tool. RESULTS: Searches identified 997 papers. Following removal of duplicates and secondary searches, 923 were screened for inclusion. Forty-seven papers were reviewed at full-text level and 13, 2 of which were randomised trials, were included in the final qualitative review. Two studies reported distribution of Crohn's disease as a prognostic factor for healing. Two studies found that CARD15 mutations decreased response of fistulae to antibiotics. Complexity of fistulae anatomy was implicated in prognosis by 4 studies. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review has identified potential prognostic markers, including genetic factors and disease behaviour. We cannot, however, draw robust conclusions from this heterogeneous group of studies; therefore, we recommend that a prospective cohort study of well-characterised patients with Crohn's perianal fistulae is undertaken