Three-dimentional reconstruction of the lentiform nucleus from serial sections in man

Three-dimensional (3-D) reconstruction of the lentiform nucleus was performed by using serial macroscopic anatomic sections, taken from a human cadaver. When the rendered form of this wire-frame reconstruction was examined, it was found that both the putamen and globus pallidus had upper and lower poles. The distances between the upper and lower poles were 2.23 cm in the putamen and 1.45 cm in the globus pallidus. The lower poles of the putamen and globus pallidus were about the same level but the upper pole of the putamen was 0.78 cm higher than in the globus pallidus. The vertical dimension of the lentiform nucleus was 22.9 mm. This is the first study reporting the three-dimensional reconstruction and the dimensions of the lentiform nucleus of the human brain. We believe that this study will be of help in future studies concerning the lentiform nucleus and its relations

DIVERSITY OF MICROFUNGI ON FAGACEAE IN ULUDAG FORESTS

WOS: 000363091600042Forests ecosystems are sources of oxygen and wood products, also they prevent soil erosion, improve water and air quality, serve as homes for wildlife; and therefore, they preserve and increase biodiversity. Forests can host a diverse community of fungal species with various effects on their host trees. In this research, trees of Fagaceae family of Uludag forests of Bursa province were investigated between the years of 2002 and 2008. By microscopic examination we identified 38 microfungi species in 27 genera belongs to Ascomycota and 1 microfungus species in 1 genus belongs to Basidiomycota. The taxa belong to 15 families: Botryosphaeriaceae, Diaporthaceae, Diatrypaceae, Dothioraceae, Erysiphaceae, Gnomoniaceae, Incertae sedis, Melanconidaceae, Microstromataceae, Nectriaceae, Pseudovalsaceae, Rhytismataceae, Trichosphaeriaceae, Valsaceae and Xylariaceae. The distribution of species by trophic groups revealed a dominance of xylotrophic species. With this study, fungal diversity of Fagaceae family in Uludag forests was identified and included in the mycobiota of Turkey

Assessment of material properties of gallium orthophosphate piezoelectric elements for development of phased array probes for continuous operation at 580 degrees C

In this paper, the thickness extension mode gallium orthophosphate single crystal elements were characterised using the impedance analyser. Impedance characteristics of piezoelectric elements were investigated at temperatures from 25°C up to 580°C at first and then at a constant temperature of 580°C for a period of 25 days. The resonant and anti-resonant frequencies extracted from the impedance characteristics, capacitance (measured at 1 kHz), density and dimensions of the gallium orthophosphate elements were used to calculate electromechanical, piezoelectric and elastic properties of these elements at high temperatures as a function of time. The tested gallium orthophosphate elements proved to possess very stable efficiency and sensing capability when subjected to high temperature. The results are very encouraging for proceeding with development of phased array probes using gallium orthophosphate, for inspection and condition monitoring of high temperature pipelines in power plants at a temperature up to 580°C

Application of artificial neural networks for short term wind speed forecasting in Mardin, Turkey

Artificial neural network models were used for short term wind speed forecasting in the Mardin area, located in the Southeast Anatolia region of Turkey. Using data that was obtained from the State Meteorological Service and that encompassed a ten year period, short term wind speed forecasting for the Mardin area was performed. A number of different ANN models were developed in this study. The model with 60 neurons is the most successful model for short term wind speed forecasting. The mean squared error and approximation values for training of this model were 0.378088 and 0.970490, respectively. The ANN models developed in the study have produced satisfactory results. The most successful among those models constitutes a model that can be used by the Mardin Electric Utility Control Centre

The Effect of Thermal Coefficients on Temperature Condition of the Blank in FE Analysis of Warm Hydro mechanical Deep Drawing Process

A challenge to conduct the most accurate FE simulations in Warm Hydromechanical Deep Drawing (WHDD) process is to predict temperature condition of the blank which was held between the heated dies and cooled punch. This is possible by knowing effects of thermal coefficients in the FE analysis of WHDD process and modeling of the heat transfer between the blank and tools accurately. In this study effects of thermal coefficients on the temperature condition of the blank in the FE analysis of WHDD to conduct accurate FE simulations of the process. So, it can be possible to predict deformation behavior of the materials accurately and determining the proper forming conditions in less time and shorting development time.&nbsp

An experimental study on the applicability of acoustic emission for wind turbine gearbox health diagnosis

Condition monitoring of wind turbine gearboxes has mainly relied upon vibration, oil analysis and temperature monitoring. However, these techniques are not well suited for detecting early stage damage. Acoustic emission is gaining ground as a complementary condition monitoring technique as it offers earlier fault detection capability compared with other more established techniques. The objective of early fault detection in wind turbine gearboxes is to avoid unexpected catastrophic breakdowns, thereby reducing maintenance costs and increase safety. The aim of this investigation is to present an experimental study the impact of operational conditions (load and torque) in the acoustic emission activity generated within the wind turbine gearbox. The acoustic emission signature for a healthy wind turbine gearbox was obtained as a function of torque and power output, for the full range of operational conditions. Envelope analysis was applied to the acoustic emission signals to investigate repetitive patterns and correlate them with specific gearbox components. The analysis methodology presented herewith can be used for the reliable assessment of wind turbine gearbox subcomponents using acoustic emission.The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: IntelWind Project is an FP7 project partly funded by the EC under the Research for the Benefit of SMEs programme, Grant Agreement Number 283277, coordinated and managed by Innovative Technology and Science Ltd

Portable automated radio-frequency scanner for non-destructive testing of carbon-fibre-reinforced polymer composites

A portable automated scanner for non-destructive testing of carbon-fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites has been developed. Measurement head has been equipped with an array of newly developed radio-frequency (RF) inductive sensors mounted on a flexible arm, which allows the measurement of curved CFRP samples. The scanner is also equipped with vacuum sucks providing mechanical stability. RF sensors operate in a frequency range spanning from 10 up to 300 MHz, where the largest sensitivity to defects buried below the front CFRP surface is expected. Unlike to ultrasonic testing, which will be used for reference, the proposed technique does not require additional couplants. Moreover, negligible cost and high repeatability of inductive sensors allows developing large scanning arrays, thus, substantially speeding up the measurements of large surfaces. The objective will be to present the results of an extensive measurement campaign undertaken for both planar and curved large CFRP samples, pointing out major achievements and potential challenges that still have to be addressed