The Effect of Diluent Gases In The Shock Tube and Rapid Compression Machine

Studying the details of hydrocarbon chemistry in an internal combustion engine is not straightforward. A number of factors, including varying conditions of temperature and pressure, complex fluid motions, as well as variation in the composition of gasoline, render a meaningful characterization of the combusting system difficult. Some simplified experimental laboratory devices offer an alternative to complex engine environments: they remove some of the complexities that exist in real engines but retain the ability to work under engine-relevant conditions. The choice of simplified experimental devices is limited by the range of temperature and pressure at which they can operate; only the shock tube and rapid compression machine (RCM) can reach engine-relevant temperatures and pressures quickly enough and yet withstand the high pressures that occur after the ignition event. Both devices, however, suffer a common drawback: the use of inert diluent gases has been shown to affect the measured ignition delay time under some experimental conditions. Interestingly, this effect appears to be opposite in the shock tube and RCM: in the comparative study of the carrier gases argon and nitrogen, argon decreases the ignition delay time in the shock tube, but increases it in the RCM. This observation is investigated in more detail in this study

Random planar graphs and the London street network

In this paper we analyse the street network of London both in its primary and dual representation. To understand its properties, we consider three idealised models based on a grid, a static random planar graph and a growing random planar graph. Comparing the models and the street network, we find that the streets of London form a self-organising system whose growth is characterised by a strict interaction between the metrical and informational space. In particular, a principle of least effort appears to create a balance between the physical and the mental effort required to navigate the city

Modeling and Experimental Investigation of Methylcyclohexane Ignition in a Rapid Compression Machine

A new mechanism for the oxidation of methylcyclohexane has been developed. The mechanism combined a newly-developed low temperature mechanism with a previously developed high temperature mechanism. Predictions from the chemical kinetic model have been compared to experimentally measured ignition delay times from a rapid compression machine. Predicted ignition delay times using the initial estimates of the methylcyclohexyl peroxy radical isomerization rate constants were much longer than those measured at low temperatures. The initial estimates of isomerization rate constants were modified based on the experimental findings of Gulati and Walker that indicate a much slower rate of isomerization. Predictions using the modified rate constants for isomerizations yielded faster ignition at lower temperatures that greatly improved the agreement between model predictions and the experimental data. These findings point to much slower isomerization rates for methylcyclohexyl peroxy radicals than previously expected

Looking backward, looking forward: the city region of the mid-21st century

Emerging as a serious tool of analysis in the United States around 1950, the city region concept was increasingly applied in a European context after 1980. Since 2000, it has evolved further with recognition of the polycentric mega-city region, first recognised in Eastern Asia but now seen as an emerging urban form both in Europe and the United States. The paper speculates on the main changes that may impact on the growth and development of such complex urban regions in the first half of the 21st century, concluding that achieving the goal of polycentric urban development may prove more complex than at first it may seem

Reflections on the innovative city : examining three innovative locations in a knowledge bases framework

Abstract This paper combines three location-based cases with literature background focusing on knowledge bases and cities. The paper considers the regional context of the city of Helsinki and its surrounding area (HMA). Analyzed cases include three specific locations highlighting urban form, connectivity and knowledge-intensive production. Conceptually innovative cities are experiencing extensive change as they transform and change in order to become competitive providers of first class living for highly skilled global work-force. The integration of spatial characteristics into analyses of knowledge intensiveness of cities brings forth new theoretical openings for urban analysis setting platforms for open innovation and economy. The paper focuses on extensive material resources collected in numerous projects. The data gives more reliable picture of the knowledge-intensive locations compared to single interviews or survey studies. The total data includes work and education statistics, stakeholder interviews and observation field work. Provided reflections are classified according to key issues presented in urban studies and economic geography

Kinetics of the hydrogen abstraction ·C2H5 + alkane → C2H6 + alkyl reaction class: an application of the reaction class transition state theory

This paper presents an application of the reaction class transition state theory (RC-TST) to predict thermal rate constants for hydrogen abstraction reactions at alkane by the C2H5 radical on-the-fly. The linear energy relationship (LER), developed for acyclic alkanes, was also proven to hold for cyclic alkanes. We have derived all RCTST parameters from rate constants of 19 representative reactions, coupling with LER and the barrier height grouping (BHG) approach. Both the RC-TST/LER, where only reaction energy is needed, and the RC-TST/BHG, where no other information is needed, can predict rate constants for any reaction in this reaction class with satisfactory accuracy for combustion modeling. Our analysis indicates that less than 50% systematic errors on the average exist in the predicted rate constants using either the RC-TST/LER or RC-TST/BHG method, while in comparison with explicit rate calculations, the differences are within a factor of 2 on the average. The results also show that the RC-TST method is not sensitive to the choice of density functional theory used

Silencing Nociceptor Neurons Reduces Allergic Airway Inflammation

Lung nociceptors initiate cough and bronchoconstriction. To elucidate if these fibers also contribute to allergic airway inflammation, we stimulated lung nociceptors with capsaicin and observed increased neuropeptide release and immune cell infiltration. In contrast, ablating Nav1.8(+) sensory neurons or silencing them with QX-314, a charged sodium channel inhibitor that enters via large-pore ion channels to specifically block nociceptors, substantially reduced ovalbumin- or house-dust-mite-induced airway inflammation and bronchial hyperresponsiveness. We also discovered that IL-5, a cytokine produced by activated immune cells, acts directly on nociceptors to induce the release of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP). VIP then stimulates CD4(+) and resident innate lymphoid type 2 cells, creating an inflammatory signaling loop that promotes allergic inflammation. Our results indicate that nociceptors amplify pathological adaptive immune responses and that silencing these neurons with QX-314 interrupts this neuro-immune interplay, revealing a potential new therapeutic strategy for asthma