472 research outputs found
Review of Design Approaches Applicable to Dewatering Uranium Mill Tailings Disposal Pits
This report is a review of design approaches in the literature that may be applicable to uranium mill tailings drainage. Tailings dewatering is required in the deep mined-out pits used for wet tailings disposal. Agricultural drainage theory is reviewed because it is seen as the most applicable technology. It is concluded that the standard drain-pipe envelope design criteria should be easily adapted. The differences in dewatering objectives and physical characteristics between agricultural and tailings drainage systems prevent direct technology transfer with respect to drain spacing calculations. Recommendations for further research are based on the drainage features unique to uranium mill tailings. It is recommended that transient solutions be applied to describe liquid movement through saturated and partially saturated tailings. Modeling should be used to evaluate the benefits of drainage design approaches after careful consideration of potential construction problems
Microstructural characterization and simulation of damage for geared sheet components
The evolution of damage in geared components manufactured from steel sheets was investigated, to analyse the influence of damage caused by the sheet-bulk-metal forming. Due to the inhomogeneous and multi-axial deformation in the investigated parts, different aspects such as the location-dependent shape and size of voids are analysed by means of various microscopic methods. In particular, a method to characterize the state of damage evolution, i. e. void nucleation, growth and coalescence using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is applied. The investigations reveal a strong dependence of the void area fraction, shape of voids and thus damage evolution on the loading mode. The microstructural analysis is complemented with FEM simulations using material models which consider the characteristics of the void evolution. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd
Photonic Clusters
We show through rigorous calculations that dielectric microspheres can be
organized by an incident electromagnetic plane wave into stable cluster
configurations, which we call photonic molecules. The long-range optical
binding force arises from multiple scattering between the spheres. A photonic
molecule can exhibit a multiplicity of distinct geometries, including
quasicrystal-like configurations, with exotic dynamics. Linear stability
analysis and dynamical simulations show that the equilibrium configurations can
correspond with either stable or a type of quasi-stable states exhibiting
periodic particle motion in the presence of frictional dissipation.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Conformal Mapping on Rough Boundaries I: Applications to harmonic problems
The aim of this study is to analyze the properties of harmonic fields in the
vicinity of rough boundaries where either a constant potential or a zero flux
is imposed, while a constant field is prescribed at an infinite distance from
this boundary. We introduce a conformal mapping technique that is tailored to
this problem in two dimensions. An efficient algorithm is introduced to compute
the conformal map for arbitrarily chosen boundaries. Harmonic fields can then
simply be read from the conformal map. We discuss applications to "equivalent"
smooth interfaces. We study the correlations between the topography and the
field at the surface. Finally we apply the conformal map to the computation of
inhomogeneous harmonic fields such as the derivation of Green function for
localized flux on the surface of a rough boundary
A weakly stable algorithm for general Toeplitz systems
We show that a fast algorithm for the QR factorization of a Toeplitz or
Hankel matrix A is weakly stable in the sense that R^T.R is close to A^T.A.
Thus, when the algorithm is used to solve the semi-normal equations R^T.Rx =
A^Tb, we obtain a weakly stable method for the solution of a nonsingular
Toeplitz or Hankel linear system Ax = b. The algorithm also applies to the
solution of the full-rank Toeplitz or Hankel least squares problem.Comment: 17 pages. An old Technical Report with postscript added. For further
details, see http://wwwmaths.anu.edu.au/~brent/pub/pub143.htm
A bootstrap method for sum-of-poles approximations
A bootstrap method is presented for finding efficient sum-of-poles approximations of causal functions. The method is based on a recursive application of the nonlinear least squares optimization scheme developed in (Alpert et al. in SIAM J. Numer. Anal. 37:1138â1164, 2000), followed by the balanced truncation method for model reduction in computational control theory as a final optimization step. The method is expected to be useful for a fairly large class of causal functions encountered in engineering and applied physics. The performance of the method and its application to computational physics are illustrated via several numerical examples
Nitrogen transfers off Walvis Bay: a 3-D coupled physical/biogeochemical modeling approach in the Namibian upwelling system
Eastern boundary upwelling systems (EBUS) are regions of high primary production often associated with oxygen minimum zones (OMZs). They represent key regions for the oceanic nitrogen (N) cycle. By exporting organic matter (OM) and nutrients produced in the coastal region to the open ocean, EBUS can play an important role in sustaining primary production in subtropical gyres. However, losses of fixed inorganic N through denitrification and anammox processes take place in oxygen depleted environments such as EBUS, and can potentially mitigate the role of these regions as a source of N to the open ocean. EBUS can also represent a considerable source of nitrous oxide (N2O) to the atmosphere, affecting the atmospheric budget of N2O.
In this paper a 3-D coupled physical/biogeochemical model (ROMS/BioEBUS) is used to investigate the N budget in the Namibian upwelling system. The main processes linked to EBUS and associated OMZs are taken into account. The study focuses on the northern part of the Benguela upwelling system (BUS), especially the Walvis Bay area (between 22° S and 24° S) where the OMZ is well developed. Fluxes of N off the Walvis Bay area are estimated in order to understand and quantify (1) the total N offshore export from the upwelling area, representing a possible N source that sustains primary production in the South Atlantic subtropical gyre; (2) export production and subsequent losses of fixed N via denitrification and anammox under suboxic conditions (O2 < 25 mmol O2 mâ3); and (3) the N2O emission to the atmosphere in the upwelling area.
In the mixed layer, the total N offshore export is estimated as 8.5 ± 3.9 Ă 1010 mol N yrâ1 at 10° E off the Walvis Bay area, with a mesoscale contribution of 20%. Extrapolated to the whole BUS, the coastal N source for the subtropical gyre corresponds to 0.1 ± 0.04 mol N mâ2 yrâ1. This N flux represents a major source of N for the gyre compared with other N sources, and contributes 28% of the new primary production estimated for the South Atlantic subtropical gyre.
Export production (16.9 ± 1.3 Ă 1010 mol N yrâ1) helps to maintain an OMZ off Namibia in which coupled nitrification, denitrification and anammox processes lead to losses of fixed N and N2O production. However, neither N losses (0.04 ± 0.025 Ă 1010 mol N yrâ1) nor N2O emissions (0.03 ± 0.002 Ă 1010 mol N yrâ1) significantly impact the main N exports of the Walvis Bay area.
The studied area does not significantly contribute to N2O emissions (0.5 to 2.7%) compared to the global coastal upwelling emissions. Locally produced N2O is mostly advected southward by the poleward undercurrent
Microleakage of composite resin restorations in cervical cavities prepared by Er,Cr: YSGG laser radiation
Background: Evaluation of microleakage is important for assessing the success of new methods for surface preparation and new adhesive restorative materials. The aim of this laboratory study was to assess microleakage at the margins of composite restorations in Er,Cr:YSGG laser prepared cavities on the cervical aspects of teeth by means of dye penetration, and compare this with conventionally prepared and conditioned cavities. Methods: Class V cavities were produced on sound extracted human teeth, which had been assigned randomly to one of three groups (N = 10 each), as follows: Group 1 â prepared using a diamond cylindrical bur and then treated with 37% phosphoric acid; Group 2 â irradiated with an Er,Cr:YSGG laser (Biolase Waterlase) and then treated with 37% phosphoric acid; Group 3 â irradiated only with the laser. After application of bonding agent (Excite, Ivoclar Vivadent), all cavities were restored with composite resin (Heliomolar). After polishing the restorations, the teeth were thermocycled from 5â50°C for 500 cycles. Dye leakage was assessed after immersion in methylene blue, by examining longitudinal sections in a stereomicroscope at Ă30 magnification. Results: The extent of dye penetration was lowest in the laser only group (Group 3). Penetration of dye to dentine and axial walls occurred in 80 per cent of conventionally prepared (bur + acid) specimens, but in the laser group, dye penetration to the axial wall occurred in only 30 per cent of cases. There was a strong statistical association between treatment group and the distribution of microleakage scores (Chi-square, P = 0.0023). Conclusions: For Class V cavities, with the adhesive materials employed, higher microleakage occurs with phosphoric acid etching of bur- or laser-cut surfaces, than with the surface created by use of the laser alone without additional conditioning
The translation, validity and reliability of the German version of the Fremantle Back Awareness Questionnaire
Background: The Fremantle Back Awareness Questionnaire (FreBAQ) claims to assess disrupted self-perception of the back. The aim of this study was to develop a German version of the Fre-BAQ (FreBAQ-G) and assess its test-retest reliability, its known-groups validity and its convergent validity with another purported measure of back perception.
Methods: The FreBaQ-G was translated following international guidelines for the transcultural adaptation of questionnaires. Thirty-five patients with non-specific CLBP and 48 healthy participants were recruited. Assessor one administered the FreBAQ-G to each patient with CLBP on two separate days to quantify intra-observer reliability. Assessor two administered the FreBaQ-G to each patient on day 1. The scores were compared to those obtained by assessor one on day 1 to assess inter-observer reliability. Known-groups validity was quantified by comparing the FreBAQ-G score between patients and healthy controls. To assess convergent validity, patient\u27s FreBAQ-G scores were correlated to their two-point discrimination (TPD) scores.
Results: Intra- and Inter-observer reliability were both moderate with ICC3.1 = 0.88 (95%CI: 0.77 to 0.94) and 0.89 (95%CI: 0.79 to 0.94), respectively. Intra- and inter-observer limits of agreement (LoA) were 6.2 (95%CI: 5.0±8.1) and 6.0 (4.8±7.8), respectively. The adjusted mean difference between patients and controls was 5.4 (95%CI: 3.0 to 7.8, p\u3c0.01). Patient\u27s FreBAQ-G scores were not associated with TPD thresholds (Pearson\u27s r = -0.05, p = 0.79).
Conclusions: The FreBAQ-G demonstrated a degree of reliability and known-groups validity. Interpretation of patient level data should be performed with caution because the LoA were substantial. It did not demonstrate convergent validity against TPD. Floor effects of some items of the FreBAQ-G may have influenced the validity and reliability results. The clinimetric properties of the FreBAQ-G require further investigation as a simple measure of disrupted self-perception of the back before firm recommendations on its use can be made
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