8,346 research outputs found
Combined 3D thinning and greedy algorithm to approximate realistic particles with corrected mechanical properties
The shape of irregular particles has significant influence on micro- and
macro-scopic behavior of granular systems. This paper presents a combined 3D
thinning and greedy set-covering algorithm to approximate realistic particles
with a clump of overlapping spheres for discrete element method (DEM)
simulations. First, the particle medial surface (or surface skeleton), from
which all candidate (maximal inscribed) spheres can be generated, is computed
by the topological 3D thinning. Then, the clump generation procedure is
converted into a greedy set-covering (SCP) problem.
To correct the mass distribution due to highly overlapped spheres inside the
clump, linear programming (LP) is used to adjust the density of each component
sphere, such that the aggregate properties mass, center of mass and inertia
tensor are identical or close enough to the prototypical particle. In order to
find the optimal approximation accuracy (volume coverage: ratio of clump's
volume to the original particle's volume), particle flow of 3 different shapes
in a rotating drum are conducted. It was observed that the dynamic angle of
repose starts to converge for all particle shapes at 85% volume coverage
(spheres per clump < 30), which implies the possible optimal resolution to
capture the mechanical behavior of the system.Comment: 34 pages, 13 figure
Infrastructure for sustainable development: the role of national development banks
This repository item contains a policy brief from the Boston University Global Economic Governance Initiative. The Global Economic Governance Initiative (GEGI) is a research program of the Center for Finance, Law & Policy, the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future, and the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies. It was founded in 2008 to advance policy-relevant knowledge about governance for financial stability, human development, and the environment.Development banks are increasingly becoming relied upon to help finance sustainable infrastructure in the 21st century. Much of the emphasis has been on the role of the existing multi-lateral development banks (MDBs), but lesser attention has been paid to the role of national development banks (NDBs). To help fill this gap, Boston University’s Global Economic Governance initiative (GEGI) and the Brookings Institution’s Global Economy and Development program convened a Task Force on Development Banks and Sustainable Development to examine the extent to which development banks are becoming catalysts for achieving a climate friendly and more socially inclusive world economy
Greening development finance in the Americas
This repository item contains a report from the Boston University Global Economic Governance Initiative. The Global Economic Governance Initiative (GEGI) is a research program of the Center for Finance, Law & Policy, the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future, and the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies. It was founded in 2008 to advance policy-relevant knowledge about governance for financial stability, human development, and the environment
Repositioning Chinese development finance in Latin America: opportunities for green finance
This repository item contains a policy brief from the Boston University Global Economic Governance Initiative. The Global Economic Governance Initiative (GEGI) is a research program of the Center for Finance, Law & Policy, the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future, and the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies. It was founded in 2008 to advance policy-relevant knowledge about governance for financial stability, human development, and the environment.China is one of the largest creditors of Latin American and the Caribbean and has loaned the region more than $125 billion since 2005. However, the composition of China’s financing in the region has been concentrated in commodity related sectors that are currently on the decline. This policy brief notes the extent to which Chinese finance is concentrated in new green economy sectors, and finds that China is not taking full opportunity of the potential in this sector. Moreover, as the global commodity boom has declined, much of China’s investments in the region have been exposed to significant risk, including prominent environmental and social risks. Despite great strides whereby the Chinese government has established a series of guidelines on greening overseas investment over the last few years, China’s development banks and companies are lacking the policies and staffing to identify and fully mitigate such risks. This policy brief reviews the green profile of Chinese development finance in LAC and analyzes environment related risks and policies for Chinese overseas investment. It also outlines the opportunities of green finance in LAC and how blending instruments can mobilize green financial flows that are beneficial for both China and LAC
Progenitor delay-time distribution of short gamma-ray bursts: Constraints from observations
Context. The progenitors of short gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs) have not yet been
well identified. The most popular model is the merger of compact object
binaries (NS-NS/NS-BH). However, other progenitor models cannot be ruled out.
The delay-time distribution of SGRB progenitors, which is an important property
to constrain progenitor models, is still poorly understood. Aims. We aim to
better constrain the luminosity function of SGRBs and the delay-time
distribution of their progenitors with newly discovered SGRBs. Methods. We
present a low-contamination sample of 16 Swift SGRBs that is better defined by
a duration shorter than 0.8 s. By using this robust sample and by combining a
self-consistent star formation model with various models for the distribution
of time delays, the redshift distribution of SGRBs is calculated and then
compared to the observational data. Results. We find that the power-law delay
distribution model is disfavored and that only the lognormal delay distribution
model with the typical delay tau >= 3 Gyr is consistent with the data.
Comparing Swift SGRBs with T90 > 0.8 s to our robust sample (T90 < 0.8 s), we
find a significant difference in the time delays between these two samples.
Conclusions. Our results show that the progenitors of SGRBs are dominated by
relatively long-lived systems (tau >= 3 Gyr), which contrasts the results found
for Type Ia supernovae. We therefore conclude that primordial NS-NS systems are
not favored as the dominant SGRB progenitors. Alternatively, dynamically formed
NS-NS/BH and primordial NS-BH systems with average delays longer than 5 Gyr may
contribute a significant fraction to the overall SGRB progenitors.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, Astron. Astrophys. in pres
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