Modelling of coupled cross-flow/in-line vortex-induced vibrations using double Duffing and van der Pol oscillators

Many studies have typically applied a linear structural spring–mass–damper oscillator and a van der Pol wake oscillator to model a one-dimensional cross-flow vortex-induced vibration (VIV). In this study, an advanced model for predicting a two-dimensional coupled cross-flow/in-line VIV of a flexibly mounted circular cylinder in a uniform flow is proposed and validated. The ensuing dynamical system is based on double Duffing–van der Pol (structural-wake) oscillators with the two structural equations containing both cubic and quadratic nonlinear terms. The cubic nonlinearities capture the geometrical coupling of cross-flow/in-line displacements excited by hydrodynamic lift/drag forces whereas the quadratic nonlinearities allow the wake–cylinder interactions. Some empirical coefficients are calibrated against published experimental results to establish a new generic analytical function accounting for the dependence of VIV on a physical mass and/or damping parameter. By varying flow velocities in the numerical simulations, the derived low-order model captures several important VIV characteristics including a two-dimensional lock-in, hysteresis phenomenon and figure-of-eight trajectory tracing the periodically coupled in-line/cross-flow oscillations with their tuned two-to-one resonant frequencies. By making use of a newly derived empirical formula, the predicted maximum cross-flow/in-line VIV amplitudes and associated lock-in ranges compare well with several experimental results for cylinders with low/high mass or damping ratios. Moreover, the parametric studies highlight the important effect of geometrical nonlinearities through new displacement coupling terms and the ratio of in-line to cross-flow natural frequencies of the freely vibrating cylinder

Two-degree-of-freedom VIV of circular cylinder with variable natural frequency ratio : experimental and numerical investigations

Slender offshore structures possess multiple natural frequencies in different directions which can lead to different resonance conditions when undergoing vortex-induced vibration (VIV). This paper presents an experimental and numerical investigation of a two-degree-of-freedom VIV of a flexibly mounted circular cylinder with variable in-line-to-cross-flow natural frequency ratio. A mechanical spring-cylinder system, achieving a low equivalent mass ratio in both in-line and cross-flow directions, is tested in a water towing tank and subject to a uniform steady flow in a sub-critical Reynolds number range of about 2×103–5×104. A generalized numerical prediction model is based on the calibrated Duffing-van der Pol (structure-wake) oscillators which can capture the structural geometrical coupling and fluid-structure interaction effects through system cubic and quadratic nonlinearities. Experimental results for six measurement datasets are compared with numerical results in terms of response amplitudes, lock-in ranges, oscillation frequencies, time-varying trajectories and phase differences of cross-flow/in-line motions. Some good qualitative agreements are found which encourage the use of the implemented numerical model subject to calibration and the sensitivity analysis of empirical coefficients. Moreover, comparisons of the newly-obtained and published experimental results are carried out and discussed, highlighting a good correspondence in both amplitude and frequency responses. Various patterns of figure-of-eight orbital motions associated with dual two-to-one resonances are observed experimentally as well as numerically: the forms of trajectories are noticed to depend on the system mass ratio, damping ratio, reduced velocity parameter and natural frequency ratio of the two-dimensional oscillating cylinder

Different concentrations of cysteamine and ergothioneine improve microscopic and oxidative parameters in ram semen frozen with a soybean lecithin extender

P. 68-73The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of ergothioneine and cysteamine as antioxidant supplements in a soybean lecithin extender for freezing ram semen. Twenty-four ejaculates were collected from four rams and diluted with extenders (1.5% soybean lecithin, 7% glycerol) containing no supplements (control) and cysteamine or ergothioneine (2, 4, 6 or 8 mM). Motility by CASA, viability, plasma membrane functionality (HOS test), total abnormality, lipid peroxidation, glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity and capacitation status (CTC staining) were assessed after thawing. Using 6 mM of either antioxidant improved total motility. Cysteamine at 6 mM and ergothioneine at 4 and 6 mM improved viability and reduced lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde concentration). Both antioxidants improved membrane functionality significantly, except at 8 mM. Progressive motility, kinematic parameters, GPx activity, capacitation status and sperm abnormalities were not influenced by the antioxidant supplements. In conclusion, cysteamine at 6 mM and ergothioneine at 4 or 6 mM seem to improve the post-thawing quality of ram semen cryopreserved in a soybean lecithin extender.S

Modeling Pile Setup in Natural Clay Deposit Considering Soil Anisotropy, Structure, and Creep Effects: Case Study

In this paper the behaviour of a natural soft clay deposit under installation of a case study pile is numerically investigated. The case study problem includes installation of an instrumented closeended displacement pile in a soft marine clay, known as Bothkennar clay, in Scotland. The site was being used for a number of years as a geotechnical test bed site and the clay has been comprehensively characterised with both in-situ tests and laboratory experiments. The soft soil behaviour, both after pile installation and after subsequent consolidation, is reproduced via an advanced critical state-based constitutive model, namely S-CLAY1S, that accounts for the anisotropy of soil fabric and destructuration effects during plastic straining. Furthermore, a timedependent extension of S-CLAY1S model, namely CREEP-S-CLAY1S is used to study soft soil creep response and the significance of its consideration on examining the overall pile installation effects. The simulation results are compared against field measurements, and for comparison the pile installation is also analysed using the Modified Cam-Clay (MCC) model to highlight the importance of considering inherent features of natural soil behaviour in the simulation. Considerable sensitivity analysis is also performed to evaluate the influence of initial anisotropy and bonding values on simulations results and to check the reliability of the numerical analyses

Cryopreservation of Ram Semen in Extenders Containing Soybean Lecithin as Cryoprotectant and Hyaluronic Acid as Antioxidant

P. 934-940A soybean lecithin‐based extender supplemented with hyaluronic acid (HA) was assayed for effectiveness to improve the quality of frozen–thawed ram semen. HA has not been tested yet in an extender containing soybean lecithin for freezing ram semen. Thus, the aim of this study was to analyse the effects of soybean lecithin at 1% or 1.5% along with HA at 0, 0.5 and 1 mg ml‐1 in a Tris‐based extender on the motion characteristics, membrane integrity (HOST), viability, GSH peroxidase (GSH‐PX) activity, lipid peroxidation and acrosomal status after freezing–thawing. Semen was collected from four Mehraban rams during the breeding season and frozen in the six lecithin×HA extenders. The extender containing 1.5% lecithin supplemented with no HA yielded higher total motility (52.5%±1.6), viability (55.8%±1.6) and membrane integrity (44.5%±1.7), but the effects of the lecithin concentration did not reach signification. Linearity‐related parameters, ALH, BCF, lipid peroxidation, GSH‐PX activity, morphology and acrosomal status were not affected by the extender composition. In general, adding HA significantly decreased sperm velocity (1 mg ml‐1 HA), total motility (only with 1.5% lecithin), viability (1 mg ml‐1 HA for 1% lecithin; both concentrations for 1.5% lecithin) and membrane integrity. In conclusion, adding HA to the freezing extender supplemented with soybean lecithin failed to improve quality‐related variables in ram semen. Increasing the lecithin content could have a positive effect, but further studies are needed.S

Hydrogel nanocomposite based on alginate/zeolite for burn wound healing: In vitro and in vivo study

Objective(s): The main objective of the current assay was to evaluate the antibacterial and regenerative effects of hydrogel nanocomposite containing pure natural zeolite (clinoptilolite) integrated with alginate (Alg) as wound healing/dressing biomaterials.Materials and Methods: The zeolites were size excluded, characterized by SEM, DLS, XRD, FTIR, and XRF, and then integrated into Alg hydrogel followed by calcium chloride crosslinking. The Alg and alginate zeolite (Alg/Zeo) hydrogel was characterized by swelling and weight loss tests, also the antibacterial, hemocompatibility, and cell viability tests were performed. In animal studies, the burn wound was induced on the back of rats and treated with the following groups: control, Alg hydrogel, and Alg/Zeo hydrogel.Results: The results showed that the hydrodynamic diameter of zeolites was 367 ± 0.2 nm. Zeolites did not show any significant antibacterial effect, however, the hydrogel nanocomposite containing zeolite had proper swelling as well as hemocompatibility and no cytotoxicity was observed. Following the creation of a third-degree burn wound on the back of rats, the results indicated that the Alg hydrogel and Alg/Zeo nanocomposite accelerated the wound healing process compared with the control group. Re-epithelialization, granulation tissue thickness, collagenization, inflammatory cell recruitment, and angiogenesis level were not significantly different between Alg and Alg/Zeo nanocomposite.Conclusion: These findings revealed that although the incorporation of zeolites did not induce a significant beneficial effect in comparison with Alg hydrogel, using zeolite capacity in hydrogel for loading the antibiotics or other effective compounds can be considered a promising wound dressing

Mechanistic study to investigate the effects of different gas injection scenarios on the rate of asphaltene deposition: An experimental approach

Asphaltene deposition during enhanced oil recovery (EOR) processes is one of the most problematic challenges in the petroleum industry, potentially resulting in flow blockage. Our understanding of the deposition mechanism with emphasis on the rate of the asphaltene deposition is still in its infancy and must be developed through a range of experiments and modelling studies. This study aims to investigate the rate of asphaltene deposition through a visual study under different gas injection scenarios. To visualise the asphaltene deposition, a high-pressure setup was designed and constructed, which enables us to record high-quality images of the deposition process over time. Present research compares the effects of nitrogen (N2), carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) on the rate of asphaltene deposition at different pressures. The experimental results in the absence of gas injection revealed that the rate of asphaltene deposition increases at higher pressures. The results showed that the rate of asphaltene deposition in the case of CO2 injection is 1.2 times faster than CH4 injection at 100 bar pressure. However, N2 injection has less effect on the deposition rate. Finally, it has been concluded that the injection of CO2 leads to more asphaltene deposition in comparison with CH4 and N2. Moreover, the experimental results confirmed that gas injection affects the mechanism of asphaltene flocculation and leads to the formation of bigger flocculated asphaltene particles. The findings of this study can help for a better understanding of the mechanism of the asphaltene deposition during different gas-EOR processes

Prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension based on ACC/AHA versus JNC7 guidelines in the PERSIAN cohort study

In this cross-sectional population-based study, we used the baseline data of the Prospective Epidemiologic Research Studies in IrAN cohort study collected in Iran from 2014 to 2020. The main outcomes were the prevalence of hypertension and proportion of awareness, treatment, and control based on the 2017 ACC/AHA guideline compared to the seventh report of the Joint National Committee (JNC7). Of the total of 163,770 participants, aged 35–70 years, 55.2% were female. The sex-age standardized prevalence of hypertension was 22.3% (95% CI 20.6, 24.1) based on the JNC7 guideline and 36.5% (31.1, 41.8) based on the ACC/AHA guideline. A total of 24,312 participants [14.1% (10.1, 18.1)] were newly diagnosed based on the ACC/AHA guideline. Compared to adults diagnosed with hypertension based on the JNC7 guideline, the newly diagnosed participants were mainly young literate males who had low levels of risk factors and were free from conventional comorbidities of hypertension. About 30.7% (25.9, 35.4) of them (4.3% of the entire population) were eligible for pharmacologic intervention based on the ACC/AHA guideline. Implementation of the new guideline may impose additional burden on health systems. However, early detection and management of elevated blood pressure may reduce the ultimate burden of hypertension in Iran

Two-dimensional coupled vortex-induced vibration of circular cylinder : prediction and extraction of hydrodynamics properties

This paper discusses two-dimensional coupled vortex-induced vibration of circular cylinder

Corrigendum to “Modelling of coupled cross-flow/in-line vortex-induced vibrations using double Duffing and van der Pol oscillators” [Ocean Eng. 53 (2012) 83–97]

The authors regret that there is a small typological error of the empirical constant b1 in Eq. (19). The correct b1 value – which has been considered in numerical simulations – is equal to 0.00234 instead of 0.0045. The authors would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused