Experimental study of non-Newtonian fluid flow in microchannels

This paper was presented at the 3rd Micro and Nano Flows Conference (MNF2011), which was held at the Makedonia Palace Hotel, Thessaloniki in Greece. The conference was organised by Brunel University and supported by the Italian Union of Thermofluiddynamics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University of Thessaly, IPEM, the Process Intensification Network, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the Heat Transfer Society, HEXAG - the Heat Exchange Action Group, and the Energy Institute.Non-Newtonian fluid flow in microchannels has significant applications in science and engineering. The effects of temperature and PAM solution concentrations on rheological parameters are analyzed by measuring them with rotating cylinder viscometer. Flow characteristics for deionized water and PAM solutions in fused silica microtubes with diameters ranging from 50 to 320μm, fused silica square microchannels with diameters 75 and 100μm, and stainless steel microtubes with diameters from 120 to 362μm, are studied experimentally. The test results for deionized water in microchannels are in good agreement with theoretical predictions for conventional-size channels. Friction factors of PAM solutions are much higher than theoretical predictions. With the PAM concentration reduced, the deviation is more, which is possibly caused by the significant electroviscous effect on PAM solutions flow in microchannels

Legislative Developments in Cybersecurity in the EU

Cyber-attacks have become a very serious issue in Europe, targeting essential services such as national health systems, banks, electoral campaigns or mobile services. There is certainly no one single solution to the need to improve cybersecurity, but a wide range of collective and far-reaching technical and legal measures may make it as hard as is possible for those who want to attack the security of infrastructures, services and products. This article aims to aid our understanding of cybersecurity, cyber threats, cyber-attacks and cyber defence from both legal and technological perspectives. It discusses the most recent EU cybersecurity legislative movements and considers whether current legal and technical measures, including the newly adopted EU Cybersecurity Act 2019, have provided efficient solutions to respond to radically changed cyber threats and attacks, in particular in critical services in the EU. It offers insights into the scope and limitations of technical measures in achieving the highest possible level of cybersecurity due to the unpredictable nature of certain cyber-attacks

AI Ethics of Online Commercial Arbitration in Comparative Perspective

In modern commercial practice, a number of flexible processes can be used to assist resolving disputes online, largely as a result of ever-changing technology. This paper evaluates from an ethical perspective the principles of ‘accountability’, ‘fairness and impartiality’, ‘transparency’, ‘competency’ and ‘confidentiality’ of online arbitration in the age of artificial intelligence (AI)..

Online Dispute Resolution Simulation

Online dispute resolution (ODR) simulation workshops are designed to provide students with a virtual learning environment that empowers our students to gain legal and digital skills for their readiness in future employment. Students are invited to act as complainants, opponents and arbitrators/mediators to resolve a real-life case in a team-based, student-centred and research-informed teaching and learning environment. The ODR simulation workshops have been conducted by the author among both undergraduate and postgraduate law students since 2007 at Brunel University and other places. This ongoing project was initially funded by the Nominet Trust in 2010. Throughout these years, ODR simulation workshops have been well-received by students from different cultures, particularly where English is not their first language. Students were asked to conduct online arbitration or mediation hearings and submit arbitral awards and mediation settlements, as well as delivering technical observation notes and group presentations after the process. This article promotes the use of ODR simulation to effectively enhance students’ learning experience, legal skills (i.e. critical thinking, legal reasoning, problem-solving skills) and digital skills. It puts ODR simulation into the context of the shift in teaching approaches in the digital age and explains how modern legal education can be shaped to prepare for digital lawyering

Big data regulatory debates in the EU

In the phenomenon of big data intertwined with cloud services, the traditional way of collecting, processing and storing data has been changing. This new phenomenon challenges traditional legal principles and increases legal uncertainty of various rights protection in the information society. Such challenges have become greater and greater in response to the emerging technologies embedded with machine intelligence. This paper seeks to remove legal obstacles in the era of big data by defining big data from a legal perspective and finding solutions to the key legal challenges of big data such as data privacy and security; intellectual property protection and jurisdictional issues. It proposes a feasible interpretation and application of the traditional concepts to the new big data phenomenon. Overall, it intends to contribute to the review and reform of the current regulatory framework of the data-driven society in the EU and promote legal certainty and a healthy economic and societal growth across the globe

Multi-agent coalition formation in power transmission planning

Deregulation and restructuring have become unavoidable trends to the power industry recently in order to increase its efficiency, to reduce operation costs, or to provide customers better services. The once centralized system planning and management must be remodeled to reflect the changes in the market environment. We have proposed and developed a multi-agent based system to assist players, such as, owners of power generation stations, owners of transmission lines, and groups of consumers, in the same market to select partners to form coalitions. The system provides users with a cooperation plan and its associated cost allocation plan for the users to support their decision making process. Bilateral Shapley Value (BSV) was selected as the theoretical foundation to develop the system. The multi-agent system was developed by the combination of IDEAS and Tcl/Tk.published_or_final_versio

Decentralized power system voltage stability proximity indicator based on local bus information

In this paper, a decentralized power system voltage stability proximity indicator is presented. This indicator can consider the occurrence of not only the saddle node bifurcation but also the Hopf bifurcation, while only local bus information is needed for the decentralized voltage stability monitoring. The results of two power system examples discover the possibility of on-line decentralized voltage instability / collapse assessment.published_or_final_versio

Self-Organized Ni Nanocrystal Embedded in BaTiO3 Epitaxial Film

Ni nanocrystals (NCs) were embedded in BaTiO3 epitaxial films using the laser molecular beam epitaxy. The processes involving the self-organization of Ni NCs and the epitaxial growth of BaTiO3 were discussed. With the in situ monitoring of reflection high-energy electron diffraction, the nanocomposite films were engineered controllably by the fine alternation of the self-organization of Ni NCs and the epitaxial growth of BaTiO3. The transmission electron microscopy and the X-ray diffraction characterization confirmed that the composite film consists of the Ni NCs layers alternating with the (001)/(100)-oriented epitaxial BaTiO3 separation layers

Atherosclerosis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Both Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and atherosclerosis are complex polygenic diseases. Previous studies have demonstrated that patients with RA are associated with up to 60% increased risk of cardiovascular disease related death. Nonetheless, the increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in patients with RA cannot be entirely explained by traditional risk factors, and likely to be multifactorial. The present article reviews the data supporting the association of RA with cardiovascular risk factors, possible mechanism for developing atherosclerosis and evaluates the potential strategies that may prevent premature atherosclerosis in these patients.published_or_final_versio

The Future of Human-Food Interaction

There is an increasing interest in food within the HCI discipline, with many interactive prototypes emerging that augment, extend and challenge the various ways people engage with food, ranging from growing plants, cooking ingredients, serving dishes and eating together. Grounding theory is also emerging that in particular draws from embodied interactions, highlighting the need to consider not only instrumental, but also experiential factors specific to human-food interactions. Considering this, we are provided with an opportunity to extend human-food interactions through knowledge gained from designing novel systems emerging through technical advances. This workshop aims to explore the possibility of bringing practitioners, researchers and theorists together to discuss the future of human-food interaction with a particular highlight on the design of experiential aspects of human-food interactions beyond the instrumental. This workshop extends prior community building efforts in this area and hence explicitly invites submissions concerning the empirically-informed knowledge of how technologies can enrich eating experiences. In doing so, people will benefit not only from new technologies around food, but also incorporate the many rich benefits that are associated with eating, especially when eating with others