Chinese eyes on British tanks: historical verification of a war heritage

This paper is about a British military tradition with a Chinese connection. It has taken the author several years of research to dispel the myth that has long shrouded the true origins of a regimental tradition of the 1st Royal Tank Regiment of the British Army. This tradition is of a pair of eyes, known as the “Chinese Eyes,” painted on the bows or turrets of British tanks from World War I to the present day. As such, the “Chinese Eyes” can be regarded as intangible heritage expressed on the tangible hardware of the British Army. Using the research methodology for architectural conservation, the author attempts to rediscover obscure historical evidence, using it to chronologically reconstruct the events leading to the creation of this tradition.postprin

Deficiency of Capicua disrupts bile acid homeostasis

Capicua (CIC) has been implicated in pathogenesis of spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 and cancer in mammals; however, the in vivo physiological functions of CIC remain largely unknown. Here we show that Cic hypomorphic (Cic-L-/-) mice have impaired bile acid (BA) homeostasis associated with induction of proinflammatory cytokines. We discovered that several drug metabolism and BA transporter genes were down-regulated in Cic-L-/- liver, and that BA was increased in the liver and serum whereas bile was decreased within the gallbladder of Cic-L-/- mice. We also found that levels of proinflammatory cytokine genes were up-regulated in Cic-L-/- liver. Consistent with this finding, levels of hepatic transcriptional regulators, such as hepatic nuclear factor 1 alpha (HNF1 alpha), CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein beta (C/EBP beta), forkhead box protein A2 (FOXA2), and retinoid X receptor alpha (RXR alpha), were markedly decreased in Cic-L-/- mice. Moreover, induction of tumor necrosis factor alpha (Tnf alpha) expression and decrease in the levels of FOXA2, C/EBP beta, and RXRa were found in Cic-L-/- liver before BA was accumulated, suggesting that inflammation might be the cause for the cholestasis in Cic-L-/- mice. Our findings indicate that CIC is a critical regulator of BA homeostasis, and that its dysfunction might be associated with chronic liver disease and metabolic disorders.open11810Ysciescopu

Collaboration interface in Smart Metering Scheme

Theme: Towards a safe, reliable, sustainable intelligent power systemPaper no. I9FP0475Smart meter provides intelligence to serve demand side management. The development of electrical-load-signature technology provides an effective base to enable condition-based monitoring and energy-collaboration management among stakeholders. In a smart metering scheme, the three direct contributors are supplier, estate manager and consumer. Affiliated members are appliance manufacturers and sustainability managers. It is perceived that when a platform can be developed to permit members sharing information, trading benefits, and recommending energy plans. The development of a collaboration interface is to assist the principal members in supporting each other as neighboring aide in these activities. This paper discusses on philosophies and models that shall develop the concepts; and shares the development of this interface.postprintThe 15th International Conference on Electrical Engineering (ICEE 2009), Shenyang, China, 5-9 July 2009

Hong Kong Style Urban Conservation

An invited conference paperConference Title: Heritage - driver of developmentTheme 1: Heritage and regional development, Session 1:Heritage but which one?This paper examines the evolution of the field of conservation in the city of Hong Kong. In particular, highlighting the ways in which conservation and urban development can be complementary forces instead of in opposition. The city of Hong Kong will be briefly introduced, along with the characteristics that define and influence its conservation, before moving on to the catalyst for Hong Kong’s conservation paradigm shift. The paper will proceed to highlight the various conservation initiatives embarked upon by the Hong Kong SAR’s Development Bureau, concluding with a discussion of the bureau’s accomplishments and challenges for the future.postprintThe 17th ICOMOS General Assembly and Scientific Symposium, Paris, France, 27 November-2 December 2011

A novel method to construct taxonomy electrical appliances based on load signatures

A load signature is an electrical expression that a load device or appliance distinctly possesses. Load signatures can be applied to produce many useful services and products, such as, determining the energy usage of individual appliances, monitoring the health of critical equipment, monitoring power quality, and developing facility management tools. Load signatures of typical yet extensive loads are needed to be collected before applying them to different services and products. As there are an enormous number of electrical appliances, it is beneficial to classify the appliances for building a well-organized load signature database. The objective of this study is to develop an effective method to classify the loads. A 2-dimensional form of load signatures, voltage-current (V-I) trajectory, is suggested for characterizing the typical household appliances. Hierarchical clustering method was employed to classify the appliances and construct the taxonomy of the appliances. The taxonomy based on V-I trajectory was compared to the taxonomies based on traditional power metrics and eigenvectors in the previous studies. It was found that the groups of appliances in the taxonomy based on V-I trajectory were well-separated and had engineering meanings. © 2007 IEEE.published_or_final_versio

Treatment of residual stress in failure assessment procedure

The effect of residual stress on component failure has been investigated using the distributions from current failure assessment procedures, and a residual stress profile simple to apply with less conservatism has been proposed for the weld geometries of T plate and tubular T joint. The stress intensity factors SIFs in the two weld geometries under various types of loads have been calculated using the Green s function method. The Green s functions were determined not only for the T plate but also for the tubular T joint with the built in ends. The use of a linear bending stress profile, derived from an analysis of measured residual stress distributions in T plate and tubular T joints, has been examined. The profile was validated with experimentally measured residual stress distributions in two materials, a high strength and medium strength ferritic steel and two geometries, a T plate joint and a tubular T joint for crack lengths up to half the plate or pipe thickness. Whereas the recommended residual stress distributions are geometry and material specific, it is shown that a simplified linear bending profile provides a possible guideline, applicable to a range of materials and geometries, where detailed information on weld procedures or residual stress profiles are unavailabl

Quantum-mechanical analysis of effect of alloying elements on ε-martensite start temperature of steels

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