Tree Amplitudes and Linearized SUSY Invariants in D=11 Supergravity

We exploit the tree level bosonic 4-particle scattering amplitudes in D=11 supergravity to construct the bosonic part of a linearized supersymmetry-, coordinate- and gauge-invariant. By differentiation, this invariant can be promoted to be the natural lowest (two-loop) order counterterm. Its existence implies that the perturbative supersymmetry does not protect this ultimate supergravity from infinities, given also the recently demonstrated divergence of its 4-graviton amplitude.Comment: 9 pages, LaTeX, Contribution to "Constrained Dynamics and Quantum Gravity", Villasimius, Sept.13-17 199

A stochastic marked point process model for earthquakes

International audienceA simplified stochastic model for earthquake occurrence focusing on the spatio-temporal interactions between earthquakes is presented. The model is a marked point process model in which each earthquake is represented by its magnitude and coordinates in space and time. The model incorporates the occurrence of aftershocks as well as the build-up and subsequent release of strain. The parameters of the model are estimated from a maximum likelihood calculation

A CFD Study of the Fluid Flow through Air Distribution Hoses in a Greenhouse

The indoor climate of a greenhouse provides the plants with favorable growing conditions that can result in faster growth and higher yields. Important parameters to control in a greenhouse are the temperature, the humidity, and the level of CO2 concentrations. In southern Europe, both heating and cooling are required to control the greenhouse temperatures throughout the year. In this study, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations is employed to study the fluid flow through air distribution hoses (ADHs) in a research greenhouse in Bucharest, Romania. The ADHs are part of a novel, energy-efficient concept at the greenhouse, comprised of an integrated heat pump system, air handling units (AHUs), a dry cooler, and borehole thermal energy storage. The heat pump system provides both heating and cooling, while the greenhouse humidity is controlled by the AHUs. CO2-enrichment to the greenhouse is provided from installed CO2 tanks. The CO2-enriched air is circulated from the AHUs to the ADHs, which have a series of perforated holes along their lengths. In these preliminary simulations, different configurations of the perforated holes are simulated to optimize the mixing of the climate-controlled air with the greenhouse air. Both the diameters of the holes and the opening of the ADH outlet are varied to study the mass flow rates out of the holes. The CFD simulations provide suitable design criteria for the installation of ADHs in a greenhouse environment and for optimizing the efficiency of ADHs. Copyright © 2023, AIDIC Servizi S.r.l.A CFD Study of the Fluid Flow through Air Distribution Hoses in a GreenhousepublishedVersio

Sediment Transport and Metals Modeling in an Urban Stream - The Don River, Toronto

The Don River watershed has been subjected to rapid urbanization over the last few decades. As a result, vast area of built-up land has shifted the watershed’s hydrologic cycle towards lower infiltration and higher runoff rates. Such a drastic hydrologic change has resulted in frequent flooding, channel widening and erosion, and poor water quality in the region. Metals sourced from roads, landfills, industrial effluents, and wastewater treatment plant are a particularly damaging component to the system and need to be quantified and addressed. A research study was conducted by (Louie, 2014) to quantify the trace metals distribution in the Don River system and study the spatial and temporal trends of copper, lead, and zinc concentrations. It recognized the limitations in quantifying such information on a watershed scale. Efforts have been made to restore the natural water cycle of the watershed by the local authorities such as the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA). Regional Watershed Monitoring Program (RWMP) was launched by TRCA in 2002 to monitor the surface water quality in the region. Moreover, Wet Weather Flow Management Guidelines (WWFMG) (City of Toronto, 2006) is a document currently used to design stormwater management solutions and restoration plans to control the surface water quantity and quality in the region. Challenges related to quantification of sediments and associated metals flushing through the system can be addressed through implementing appropriate modeling tools. Hydrologic models are commonly used, but they lack the capability to model instream processes that are important in case of metals. Metals can bind to the sediments and can remain in the system for years creating ‘hot spots’ of deposition with possibly elevated local levels of other pollutants. Incorporating the simulation of instream processes can enable understanding of temporal and spatial distribution of sediments and metals in detail, which is required for advanced infrastructure planning and informed decision making to restore the river network where possible and mitigate the damage where it is not. The research aims to advance this understanding through the help of a 1-dimensional (1D) numerical model of the lower Don River extending from Taylor Creek South to the mouth of the river at Keating Channel. Total length of this reach is 9.81Km and it is confluent with two primary tributaries of the Don River, the East Don and the West Don. The metals which are focused in this study are copper, lead, and zinc as they are primarily sourced from urban centers. Hydrologic model and a hydraulic model are used in this thesis. A program is developed as a secondary objective of this thesis to link the urban hydrologic model of the river to the hydraulic model to efficiently set up the latter for detailed modeling of instream processes. Two commercially available modeling packages are linked in this thesis. The first model is an urban watershed modeling tool called PCSWMM. TRCA has developed a hydrologic model of the entire Don River watershed using this program. Their calibrated model currently simulates the hydrology for a time span of 40 days from June 20 to July 30, 2008. The model provided by the TRCA is extended to a longer period in this thesis, and the modules for sediment and metals buildup and wash-off are activated and parameterized to simulate input loads to the channel. A second model called the Environmental Fluid Dynamics Code (EFDC) is used for advanced hydrodynamic, sediment transport, and metals fate and transport modeling of the lower Don River. The EFDC model is necessary because PCSWMM does not have the capability to simulate instream physical processes related to sediment and metals transport. Examples of processes that can be simulated in EFDC that are not possible in PCSWMM include erosion, deposition, and resuspension of sediments along with diffusion and sorption of metals to sediments. PCSWMM cannot simulate sediment bed dynamics and its pollutant composition. It only has the capability to estimate pollutant loads from subcatchments using buildup and wash-off models and land use information. It routs these loads through the hydraulic network using a completely mixed or plug flow assumption. Therefore, a dedicated model that can simulate the governing physical processes in an integrated manner is required. EFDC Explorer is used to develop a representative 1D hydrodynamic, sediment transport, and metals transport model in a coupled approach. EFDC Explorer is the commercially available user interface for pre and post processing of the EFDC model. The existing PCSWMM model of the Don River was upgraded and verified to provide pollutant loads from subcatchments spanning the time period of interest from May to August 2010. The linking of the PCSWMM and EFDC model is achieved through development of a program written in MATLAB® R2014b. This program, called the SWMM to EFDC Model Setup tool (STEMS), creates the grid and boundary condition files in a format compatible with EFDC and reports other information for efficient setup of the EFDC model. It can be applied to any river network modelled in PCSWMM for further analysis in EFDC. The comparison between the results of EFDC and PCSWMM model showed that the EFDC model better predicted measured suspended sediment and metals loads in comparison to the PCSWMM model alone. The hydraulic results of the two models were similar and showed high correlation. This suggested high sensitivity of EFDC hydraulic results to the boundary conditions provided by PCSWMM. However, the sediment and metal results were clearly different for the two models. The superior performance of the EFDC model further highlighted the importance of instream physical processes in sediment and contaminant transport rather than adopting simplifying assumptions. The relation of suspended sediment and total metal concentrations with river discharge suggested good agreement with the observed data set at the Todmorden monitoring station provided by TRCA and Environment Canada. Baseflow levels suggested that metals are deposited during low flow periods along with sediments and this material is resuspended during high flow events. Moreover, resulting sediment bed metal concentrations at the mouth of the river also agreed with the suggested trend provided by TRCA for the dredged sediment in the Keating Channel. These results verified that the model is representative of the actual conditions. It can be used as a predictive tool to estimate the total metal loads flushed from the river associated with the deposited sediments

Forensic Facial Reconstruction from Skeletal Remains

The identity of a skull in forensic is of critical importance. Forensic facial reconstruction is the reproduction of the lost or unknown facial features of an individual. In this paper, we propose the automation of the reconstruction process. For a given skull, a data-driven 3D generative model of the face is constructed using a database of CT head scans. The reconstruction can be constrained based on prior knowledge of parameters such as bone thickness measurements, cranial landmark distance measurements and demographics (age, weight, height, and BMI). The CT scan slices are segmented and a 3D model skull of 2D slices is generated with the help of Marching Cubes Algorithm. The 66 Landmark points are then calculated using Active Shape Models and PCA algorithm and placed on the skull. These Landmark points act as references for tissue generation. The facial soft tissue thickness is measured and estimated at the 66 craniometric landmarks used in forensic facial reconstruction. The skin mesh is generated using Delaunay automatic triangulation method. The performance of this model is then measured using RSME technique. The aim of this study is to develop a combination of techniques and algorithms to give the most accurate and efficient results

Relationship of the Celebrity Endorsement in the T.V Advertisements and Buying Behavior of Youth

The usage of star validation has grown to be a good ever-present characteristic throughout current advertising and marketing. Celebs just like film famous actors, TV set personalities, and renowned players usually are widely used throughout TV set advertising to help have an effect on consumer manufacturer choice behavior. Companies attempt to set up a URL concerning their particular brands along with an appealing photograph or maybe life-style of the star. Such as other regions on the globe, star endorsements are becoming the common strategy of promotion throughout Pakistan. This specific review experimented with examining the perceptions connected with youngsters in the direction of the usage of celebrities throughout advertising throughout Pakistan to have a good understanding about it is useful. Information can be proposed to get gathered by way of a customer survey of 500 youngsters residing in Multan. It'll show off, which how star validation has the likely of being recognized and loved by the viewers and have an effect on the buy selection? The particular buy selection may be observed to get inspired through some other elements just like top quality and price tag on the product or service and this can be additionally contemplating with the review

Flotation Behavior of Complex Sulfide Ores in the Presence of Biodegradable Polymeric Depressants

In this study, chitosan polymer was tested as a potential selective green depressant of pyrite in the bulk flotation of galena (PbS) and chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) from sphalerite (ZnS) and pyrite (FeS2) using sodium isopropyl xanthate as a collector and 4-methyl-2-pentanol (MIBC) as a frother. Flotation tests were carried out in a D12-Denver flotation laboratory cell in the presence and absence of chitosan and/or sodium cyanide depressant which is commercially used as pyrite depressant in sulfide mineral flotation process. Flotation recoveries and concentrate grades (assay) were studied as a function of polymer concentration and flotation time. It was found that at 50 g/ton, chitosan depressed 5.6% more pyrite as compared to conventional depressant NaCN at its optimum dosage. Furthermore, the measured assay values of pyrite in concentrates dropped by ∼1.2% when NaCN depressant was replaced with chitosan polymer. Zeta potential measurements of galena, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, and pyrite suspensions before and after chitosan\u27s addition revealed that the polymer has preferential adsorption on pyrite minerals as compared to other sulfide minerals specially galena. Results obtained from this work show that chitosan polymer has a promising future as a biodegradable alternative to sodium cyanide for the purpose of depressing pyrite in sulfide minerals flotation

Assessment of heating and cooling demands of a glass greenhouse in Bucharest, Romania

In southern parts of Europe, a balanced use of both heating and cooling is required to control the greenhouse temperatures throughout the year. Especially, with climate change and increasingly hot summers, the need for efficient greenhouse cooling and humidity control has become more and more important. In this work, we investigate the heating and cooling demands of a glass greenhouse located in Bucharest, Romania (latitude 44 N, longitude 26 E). The IDA Indoor Climate and Energy (IDA ICE) software is applied for the assessment of the energy demands, with weather data supplied using the integrated International Weather for Energy Calculations (IWEC) file for Bucharest. With a 2-degree wide deadband, the temperatures of the greenhouse compartments are set to 25°C and 19°C for day and night, respectively. The simulation gives an annual heating demand of 1,715 MWh for the greenhouse, corresponding to 638 kWh/m . The annual cooling demand is 1739 MWh, corresponding to 647 kWh/m . The maximum daily cooling load averages about 730 kW during the hottest summer months, while the maximum heat load averages about 590 kW for the coldest winter months. A novel, energy-efficient concept to be installed at the greenhouse, comprising an integrated heat pump system, air handling units, dry coolers, and the utilization of borehole thermal energy storage (BTES), is discussed in terms of the main principles and the required capacities of the system.Assessment of heating and cooling demands of a glass greenhouse in Bucharest, RomaniapublishedVersio

High Temperature Co-Sintering for Metal Supported-Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Fabrication

Metal supported-solid oxide fuel cells (MS-SOFC) are third generation solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC). In these cells the primary support is a porous metal upon which the active cell layers (anode, electrolyte, and cathode) are deposited. MS-SOFCs are known for their better mechanical stability, tolerance to redox cycles, and are also cheaper than all-ceramic cells since the conventional support material (one of the active components) is almost entirely replaced by a cheaper metal. Several MS-SOFC fabrication methods have been reported in the literature, including thermal spray deposition on pre-fabricated porous metal support, and tape casting and co-sintering of half-cell layers (metal support and electrolyte). In this thesis a study is done on MS-SOFC’s fabrication using tape casting and high temperature co-sintering in non-oxidizing atmosphere to protect the metal support. The MS-SOFCs studied had SS-430L as metal support, and samarium doped ceria (SDC) or yittrium stabilized zirconia (YSZ) as electrolyte. To use SDC as electrolyte, the co-sintering temperature should be lowered to mitigate the reduction of cerium (IV) to cerium (III) in ceria when exposed to reducing atmosphere at high temperatures. To lower the sintering temperature varying amounts of copper (0 - 5.0 mol%) were used as sintering aid with SDC. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive x-ray (EDX), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used to characterize SDC with and without copper. Upon doping, copper goes in the SDC crystal structure and starts forming an additional copper oxide phase for copper content above 0.1 mol%. The SDC crystal lattice constant decreased from 0.5446 to 0.5427 nm when the copper content was increased from 0 to 5.0 mol%. SEM of sintered samples showed similar grain size (1-2 microns) and shape, and minimum visible surface porosity for samples containing 0.5 mol% and more copper. Even though as copper content is increased, the sintering temperature decreases, the ionic conductivity also decreases. 0.5 mol% copper shows the best compromise, with sintering temperature lowered to 1180℃ compared to 1350℃ for plain SDC, and total conductivity of 0.065 S.cm-1 compared to 0.077 S.cm-1 for plain SDC at 800℃. The amount of additional copper oxide phase is lowest for 0.5 mol% copper co-doped SDC, limiting the effect on SDC’s grain boundary conduction. To use tape casting and co-sintering for MS-SOFC half-cell fabrication, shrinkage analysis of cell components (metal support and electrolyte) were carried out using dilatometry. The shrinkage analysis includes the effect of sintering profile (temperature profile, and sintering atmosphere) on the shrinkage dynamics of cell components. YSZ shows similar shrinkage behavior in inert and reducing atmospheres, however increasing the ramping rate between 1000℃ and 1350℃ shifts the maximum shrinkage rate peak to a higher temperature. Dilatometry analysis showed that reducing atmosphere is more suitable for co-sintering than inert atmosphere, as co-sintering in inert atmosphere leads to formation of silica and alumina in the metal support. In addition to being non-conductive, silica and alumina act as sintering aids that enhance the shrinkage of SS-430L. Hence, upon reaching the co-sintering temperature (1350℃) in inert atmosphere, SS-430L is close to its final shrinkage (⁓ 1% shrinkage left) and is rigid. However, upon reaching the co-sintering temperature in inert atmosphere, YSZ is not as close to its maximum shrinkage (⁓3-5% shrinkage left). Therefore, continued shrinkage of thin YSZ layer on rigid SS-430L surface will lead to cracks and delamination. By increasing the ramping rate during co-sintering in reducing atmosphere the shrinkage of SS-430L can be increased to an extent that it is similar to YSZ shrinkage upon reaching sintering temperature. At a ramping rate of 5.0℃/min, the shrinkage of SS-430L layer and YSZ were 17.1% and 18.1%, respectively as opposed to 8.8% and 17.1% at 2.5℃/min ramping. Since increasing ramping rate shifts the maximum shrinkage rate to a higher temperature for YSZ, upon reaching sintering temperature YSZ is not as close to its maximum shrinkage. For 5℃/min ramping rate upon reaching sintering temperature YSZ has to shrink 2.4% more to get to maximum shrinkage whereas sample with 7.5℃/min ramping rate has to shrink 3.1% to get to maximum shrinkage. This means that the thin YSZ layer is softer upon reaching the sintering temperature at higher ramping rate and will not crack upon continued shrinking. In this study, 7.5℃/min ramping rate gives the best co-sintered half-cells without physical defects. The anode catalyst (NiO/SDC) was infiltrated as a solution in the porous metal support, and the cathode catalyst (LSCF/GDC) was printed on YSZ. Initial cell performance testing showed open circuit voltage of 0.989 V at 700℃ and maximum power density of only 0.5 mW.cm-2 at 700℃. For MS-SOFCs with copper co-doped SDC, 0.5 mol% copper co-doped SDC was used. There is a difference in shrinkage set off temperature for copper co-doped SDC and SS-430L, where shrinkage of copper co-doped SDC starts around 700℃ compared to 1100℃ for SS-430L. This means that during co-sintering, the copper co-doped SDC layer will be close to its maximum shrinkage when the sample reaches 1100℃, which is only when SS-430L starts shrinking. Due to such a difference in shrinkage behaviors, MS-SOFC with copper co-doped SDC were not successfully fabricated. Contrary to the initial hypothesis to lower the sintering temperature, because of shrinkage dynamics of SS-430L, higher co-sintering temperatures may be more suitable