Rotational and vibrational nonequilibrium effects in rarefied, hypersonic flow

Results are reported for an investigation into the methods by which energy transfer is calculated in the Direct Simulation Monte Carlo method. Description is made of a recently developed energy exchange model that deals with the translational and rotational modes. A new model for simulating the transfer of energy between the translational and vibrational modes is also explained. This model allows the vibrational relaxation time to follow the temperature dependence predicted by the Landau-Teller theory at moderate temperatures. For temperatures in excess of about 8000K the vibrational model is extended to include an empirical result for the relaxation time. The effect of introducing these temperature dependent collision numbers into the DSMC technique is assessed by making calculations representative of the stagnation streamline of a hypersonic space vehicle. Both thermal and chemical nonequilibrium effects are included while the flow conditions have been chosen such that ionization and radiation may be neglected. The introduction of these new models is found to significantly affect the degree of thermal nonequilibrium observed in the flowfield. Larger, and more widely ranging, differences in the results obtained with the different energy exchange probabilities are found when a significant amount of internal energy is included in the calculation of chemical nonequilibrium

Flow boiling with enhancement devices for cold plate coolant channel design

A research program to study the effect of enhancement devices on flow boiling heat transfer in coolant channels, which are heated either from the top side or uniformly, is discussed. Freon 11 is the working fluid involved. The specific objectives are: (1) examine the variations in both the mean and local (axial and circumferential) heat transfer coefficients for a circular coolant channel with either smooth walls or with both a twisted tape and spiral finned walls, (2) examine the effect channel diameter (and the length-to-diameter aspect ratio) variations for the smooth wall channel, and (3) develop an improved data reduction analysis

Home Garden Hotbeds

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Critical cultural history and quasi-ethnography of British professional wrestling

There has been a wide array of contributions to the study of professional wrestling within historical and contemporary academic discourse. Studies have mostly examined the stylistic, spectatorship and aesthetical qualities of American productions, as well as some level of exploration into varied cultural approaches to the sport such as the offerings of Mexican Lucha Libré. However, despite academic writing existing in the exploration of wrestling fandom and the subcultures that exist from a generalised, collective perspective, little academic discussion has been dedicated to the realm of British professional wrestling,its fandom and the rich historical and cultural significance that has and continues to be exhibited. This study aims to provide such a contribution, providing the reader with an insight into the unique social qualities present within the United Kingdom professional wrestling scene via the critical exploration and discussion of its history of style and presentation as well as its traditional audiences. This research also seeks to showcase how subcultural identities and practices have evolved over time, including the ways the sport is promoted, fannish factors of enjoyment - both emotionally and linguistically - via use of chants and social rituals at live events within a uniquely British cultural perspective. Furthermore, these processes will be argued as a way of providing collaborative meaning-making and cultural exchange with the international wrestling community as a whole. Furthermore, a deeper understanding of identity factors such as ideology will be sought via the use of the ethnographic method and its various facets, using personal experience and directly engaging with the national wrestling community. This will uncover where passions lie, what the sport means to contemporary audiences, the issues which exist in terms of those continued from previous eras, and new issues as a result of cultural shifts and industry changes. Lastly, this study will be supplemented with the use of a combination of historical analysis and quasi-ethnographic methods to explore past eras of the sport and its reception, providing a means of contrast to uncover any potential ties that bind or factors which separate both eras and give a comprehensive overview of the sport from a national, British perspective

Finding hope within hopelessness: an exploration of critical dystopiaand its use in modern video games

Since the term ‘critical dystopia’ was first conceptualised and explored by academics in utopianism studies, including Tom Moylan and Rafaella Baccolini, there has been little research undertaken to exemplify how the form has been utilised in modern screen culture; mostly involving studies based on analysis of literature and cinematic texts rather than all facets of visual art and media. This dissertation aims to not only showcase the theoretical framework surrounding critical dystopia in comparison to its classical form, but to provide insight in to how its use in modern video gaming has proliferated whilst inheriting narrative and aesthetical traits traditionally associated with its literary and cinematic counterparts. This essay also argues that the integration of gameplay dynamics alongside narrative aspects further contributes to them being defined as such and provides a unique way to engage with discussions of world issues; including the integration of morality-based choice making, interactive narratives and a deep level of player immersion through use of realistic physics, sound, graphics and mechanics such as in-game construction. These elements aid in creating a personalised and multi-faceted approach to understanding the implied dystopia, and any utopian impulse or hope for positive progression beyond it

Fitting Jump Models

We describe a new framework for fitting jump models to a sequence of data. The key idea is to alternate between minimizing a loss function to fit multiple model parameters, and minimizing a discrete loss function to determine which set of model parameters is active at each data point. The framework is quite general and encompasses popular classes of models, such as hidden Markov models and piecewise affine models. The shape of the chosen loss functions to minimize determine the shape of the resulting jump model.Comment: Accepted for publication in Automatic