Vibration problem of a spherical tank containing jet propellant: numerical simulations

This document is the final report on the joint research project on vibration problem of a spherical tank containing jet propellant between IHI, Japan and SES, University of Southampton, UK. The background of the project is described. The fundamental principles and numerical method used in numerical simulations are presented. The detailed FEA models for each studied cases are given. The calculation results are presented using tables, curves, figures as well as the attached data files. The available experiment results are listed to compare with the numerical calculations. The calculation results show a fundamental agreement with the experiment results. The numerical analysis confirms that:1)Due to water – tank interaction, the natural frequencies of the water – tank system are decreased with the water level increase. For the 25% water level, the natural frequencies, especially heave mode frequency, shows a significant decrease compared with the empty case. However, with continuing increase the filed water more than 25% level, the decrease gradient of the natural frequencies gradually tends to zero. In the 100% water case, the natural frequency of heave mode is about 200 Hz which can not equal zero.2)Considering free surface wave effect produces a lot of sloshing modes of very low frequencies compared with the natural frequencies of the dry tank structure. Therefore, for dynamic response analysis with high frequency excitations, the free surface wave may be neglected. However, to assess loads caused by sloshing modes, the free surface waves have to be considered.3)There exist relative big deformations at the four tank support places in several vibration modes, which may produce a large local stress at support places to cause the product fail in vibration environment. A strengthen local design at the support places is needed.4)The dynamic response results are affected by damping coefficients of all modes used in the dynamic response analysis. The damping coefficients are approximately presented and therefore, the numerical results are good reference for practical designs.The report confirms that the original purpose of this joint research project has well completed by IHI and SES

Influence of Nb2O5 substitution on the structural and electrical properties of Bi3TaO7 ceramics

Herein we report the doping mechanism and impedance study of the Nb-substituted Bi3Ta1-xNbxO7 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.5) prepared via conventional solid-state method at 900 °C over 24 h. The substitutional solid solution crystallised in a cubic fluorite structure, space group Fm-3m and with lattice parameter, a = b = c, in the range 5.4477 (±0.0037)–5.4654 (±0.0011) Å. An insignificant unit cell expansion was observed with increasing Nb2O5 content and the linear correlation between lattice parameter and composition variable showed that the Vegard's Law was obeyed. Both TGA and DTA analyses confirmed that the Bi3Ta1-xNbxO7 solid solution was thermally stable as neither phase transition nor weight loss was observed within the studied temperature range, ∼28 °C–1000 °C. The electrical conductivities of these samples were found to increase with increasing Nb concentration; the Bi3Ta0.5Nb0.5O7 exhibited the highest conductivity, ∼1.2 × 10−2 S cm−1 at 700 °C with a low activation energy of 1.03 eV

Stem cankers on sunflower (Helianthus annuus) in Australia reveal a complex of pathogenic Diaporthe (Phomopsis) species

The identification of Diaporthe (anamorph Phomopsis) species associated with stem canker of sunflower (Helianthus annuus) in Australia was studied using morphology, DNA sequence analysis and pathology. Phylogenetic analysis revealed three clades that did not correspond with known taxa, and these are believed to represent novel species. Diaporthe gulyae sp. nov. is described for isolates that caused a severe stem canker, specifically pale brown to dark brown, irregularly shaped lesions centred at the stem nodes with pith deterioration and mid-stem lodging. This pathogenicity of D. gulyae was confirmed by satisfying Koch’s Postulates. These symptoms are almost identical to those of sunflower stem canker caused by D. helianthi that can cause yield reductions of up to 40 % in Europe and the USA, although it has not been found in Australia. We show that there has been broad misapplication of the name D. helianthi to many isolates of Diaporthe (Phomopsis) found causing, or associated with, stem cankers on sunflower. In GenBank, a number of isolates had been identified as D. helianthi, which were accommodated in several clades by molecular phylogenetic analysis. Two less damaging species, D. kochmanii sp. nov. and D. kongii sp. nov., are also described from cankers on sunflower in Australia

A joint sustainable order-packing vehicle routing optimisation for the cold chain e-fulfilment

Due to the new normal caused by the pandemic, consumer behaviour has now shifted to online shopping not only for general commodities but also for food and other perishable products. Therefore, e-commerce fulfilment is now integrated with cold chain capabilities to satisfy stringent requirements on time-criticality and product quality, leading to the concept of cold chain e-fulfilment. Aiming to achieve the desired insulation effect within a specific timeframe, use of thermal packaging materials could be excessive, which creates an adverse environmental impact on our ecosystem. Aligning with low-carbon business practices, this study proposes a novel joint optimization model, namely the Joint Optimization of Sustainable Order Packing and Multi-Temperature Delivery Problem (JOSOPMDP), for order packing and vehicle routing decisions, where the optimal packaging and distribution solution is achieved through the combinatorial optimisation of two complicated problems, rather than making two independent decisions. It promotes sustainable use of thermal packaging materials without negatively influencing product quality and customer satisfaction. To evaluate its viability and performance, three sets of computational experiments are subsequently conducted. It is found that the proposed model is feasible to strike a balance between order packing and vehicle routing decisions. Compared with the traditional strategy, the average total cost and satisfaction level are improved by 3.26% and 47.88%, respectively. Consequently, this research fosters sustainable thinking in the cold chain e-fulfilment process, minimizing environmental impact

A case for re-inventory of Australia’s plant pathogens

Australia has efficient and visible plant quarantine measures, which through various border controls and survey activities attempt to prevent the entry of unwanted pests and diseases. The ability to successfully perform this task relies heavily on determining what pathogens are present and established in Australia as well as those pathogens that are exotic and threatening. There are detailed checklists and databases of fungal plant pathogens in Australia, compiled, in part, from surveys over many years sponsored by Federal and State programmes. These checklists and databases are mostly specimen-based, which enables validation of records with reference herbarium specimens and sometimes associated cultures. Most of the identifications have been based on morphological examination. The use of molecular methods, particularly the analysis of DNA sequence data, has recently shown that several well-known and important plant pathogenic species are actually complexes of cryptic species. We provide examples of this in the important plant pathogenic genera Botryosphaeria and its anamorphs, Colletotrichum, Fusarium, Phomopsis / Diaporthe and Mycosphaerella and its anamorphs. The discovery of these cryptic species indicates that many of the fungal names in checklists need scrutiny. It is difficult, and often impossible, to extract DNA for sequence analysis from herbarium specimens in order to validate identifications that may now be considered suspect. This validation can only be done if specimens are recollected, re-isolated and subjected to DNA analysis. Where possible, herbarium specimens as well as living cultures are needed to support records. Accurate knowledge of the plant pathogens within Australia’s borders is an essential prerequisite for the effective discharge of plant quarantine activities that will prevent or delay the arrival of unwanted plant pathogens

Determination of oxygen stoichiometry in the mixed-valent manganites

The possible redox (oxidation reduction) chemical methods for precisely determining the oxygen content in the perovskite manganites including hole-doped La1-xCaxMnOy and electron-doped La1-xTexMnOy compounds are described. For manganites annealed at different temperatures, the oxygen content of the samples was determined by a redox back titration in which the powder samples taken in a quartz crucible were dissolved in (1+1) sulfuric acid containing an excess of sodium oxalate, and the excess sodium oxalate was titrated with permanganate standard solution. The results indicate that the method is effective and highly reproducible. Moreover, the variation of oxygen content is also reflected in significantly affecting the electrical transport property of the samples, which is mainly considered to be closely related to introduce oxygen vacancies in the Mn-O-Mn network.Comment: 13 pages, 1 figure. J. Magn. Magn .Mater (accepted

Reversed Drifting Quasi-periodic Pulsating Structure in an X1.3 Solar Flare on 2005 July 30

Based on the analysis of the microwave observations at frequency of 2.60 -- 3.80 GHz in a solar X1.3 flare event observed at Solar Broadband RadioSpectrometer in Huairou (SBRS/Huairou) on 2005 July 30, an interesting reversed drifting quasi-periodic pulsating structure (R-DPS) is confirmed. The R-DPS is mainly composed of two drifting pulsating components: one is a relatively slow very short-period pulsation (VSP) with period of about 130 -- 170 ms, the other is a relatively fast VSP with period of about 70 -- 80 ms. The R-DPS has a weak left-handed circular polarization. Based on the synthetic investigations of Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imaging (RHESSI) hard X-ray, Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) soft X-ray observation, and magnetic field extrapolation, we suggest the R-DPS possibly reflects flaring dynamic processes of the emission source regions

The effect of grain size on electrical transport and magnetic properties of La0.9Te0.1MnO3

The effect of grain size on structural, magnetic and transport properties in electron-doped manganites La0.9Te0.1MnO3 has been investigated. All samples show a rhombohedral structure with the space group at room temperature. It shows that the Mn-O-Mn bond angle decreases and the Mn-O bond length increases with the increase of grain size. All samples undergo paramagnetic (PM)-ferromagnetic (FM) phase transition and an interesting phenomenon that both magnetization and the Curie temperature decrease with increasing grain size is observed, which is suggested to mainly originate from the increase of the Mn-O bond length . Additionally, obviously increases with decreasing grain size due to the increase of both the height and width of tunneling barriers with decreasing the grain size. The results indicate that both the intrinsic colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) and the extrinsic the extrinsic interfacial magnetoresistance (IMR) can be effectively tuned in La0.9Te0.1MnO3 by changing grain size.Comment: 15 pages,4 figures. Solid state communications 132(2004)83-8

The Role of PPARβ/δ in Melanoma Metastasis.

Peroxisome proliferator⁻activated receptor (PPAR) β/δ, a ligand-activated transcription factor, is involved in diverse biological processes including cell proliferation, cell differentiation, inflammation and energy homeostasis. Besides its well-established roles in metabolic disorders, PPARβ/δ has been linked to carcinogenesis and was reported to inhibit melanoma cell proliferation, anchorage-dependent clonogenicity and ectopic xenograft tumorigenicity. However, PPARβ/δ's role in tumour progression and metastasis remains controversial. In the present studies, the consequence of PPARβ/δ inhibition either by global genetic deletion or by a specific PPARβ/δ antagonist, 10h, on malignant transformation of melanoma cells and melanoma metastasis was examined using both in vitro and in vivo models. Our study showed that 10h promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), migration, adhesion, invasion and trans-endothelial migration of mouse melanoma B16/F10 cells. We further demonstrated an increased tumour cell extravasation in the lungs of wild-type mice subjected to 10h treatment and in Pparβ/δ <sup>-/-</sup> mice in an experimental mouse model of blood-borne pulmonary metastasis by tail vein injection. This observation was further supported by an increased tumour burden in the lungs of Pparβ/δ <sup>-/-</sup> mice as demonstrated in the same animal model. These results indicated a protective role of PPARβ/δ in melanoma progression and metastasis

The Colletotrichum boninense species complex

Although only recently described, Colletotrichum boninense is well established in literature as an anthracnose pathogen or endophyte of a diverse range of host plants worldwide. It is especially prominent on members of Amaryllidaceae, Orchidaceae, Proteaceae and Solanaceae. Reports from literature and preliminary studies using ITS sequence data indicated that C. boninense represents a species complex. A multilocus molecular phylogenetic analysis (ITS, ACT, TUB2, CHS-1, GAPDH, HIS3, CAL) of 86 strains previously identified as C. boninense and other related strains revealed 18 clades. These clades are recognised here as separate species, including C. boninense s. str., C. hippeastri, C. karstii and 12 previously undescribed species, C. annellatum, C. beeveri, C. brassicicola, C. brasiliense, C. colombiense, C. constrictum, C. cymbidiicola, C. dacrycarpi, C. novae-zelandiae, C. oncidii, C. parsonsiae and C. torulosum. Seven of the new species are only known from New Zealand, perhaps reflecting a sampling bias. The new combination C. phyllanthi was made, and C. dracaenae Petch was epitypified and the name replaced with C. petchii. Typical for species of the C. boninense species complex are the conidiogenous cells with rather prominent periclinal thickening that also sometimes extend to form a new conidiogenous locus or annellations as well as conidia that have a prominent basal scar. Many species in the C. boninense complex form teleomorphs in culture