Small Engine Flash Vapor JP-8 Fuel Injector Testing, Simulation and Development

Following U.S. Army’s single fuel initiative, Wankel rotary engines used in U.S. Army’s shadow unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) need to be retrofitted from running on aviation gasoline (AVGAS) to JP-8. The feasibility of retrofitting the engine with a flash vapor direct fuel injector was investigated. A commercial off-the-shelf direct fuel injector was used in the study. A photo detector measurement tool was developed to measure high frequency (>100 Hz) injection event. A coupled electrical-electomagnetics-fluid-mechanical system was simulated to understand the pintle dynamics during an injection event. Optimal injector power drive was revealed to be a multi-stage current profile. A flash heater was designed and tested to be capable of heating up JP-8 from room temperature to its vaporization temperature (>310F) under one tenth of a second at the required flow rate. An ignition test rig was built to compare ignition behavior between AVGAS and heated JP-8. Test result showed that the 550F pre-heated JP-8 had equal or superior ignition pressure rise / ignition delay time than AVGAS

The impacts of CAFTA on trade and FDI in China

The China and ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA) was established on 4th November 2002. Since then, trade flows, trade structure, trade complementarities，trade competition and FDI between China and ASEAN have grown rapidly. Nevertheless, the basic issue remains - whether these growth are due to CAFTA. Thus, this study examines the effects of CAFTA on China’s trade flow, trade structure, trade complementarities and competition and, the flow of FDI. A gravity model is used to estimate these effects, while the qualitative method is used to analyze the economic integration. Data for the analysis is obtained from UN database, WTO database, World Bank database and China Statistical Yearbook. This study employed five models to examine the effects of CAFTA on trade structure, trade complementarities and competition, the FDI flow and the effects on different regions in China. The overall results indicate that CAFTA produces trade creation effect and greatly improves the trade structure of China. CAFTA has caused an expansion of inter-industry trade of the main products (crude materials and manufactured goods) between China and ASEAN countries. It has strengthened the trade complementarities between China and Cambodia, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. However, there are tendencies of weakening trade complementarities between China, the Philippines and Vietnam. On the other hand, trade competition for some products between two sides indicated a different trend. Several ASEAN countries have experienced increasing export comparative advantages in agriculture products, food, fuels and mining products. Meanwhile, China has obvious export comparative advantages in manufactured products and machinery and transport equipment. In addition, the domestic analysis revealed a very promising effect. CAFTA has promoted trade growth for 17 provinces and 7 regions, with positive effect on the geographically advantaged provinces and regions in China. Surprisingly, CAFTA caused a reduction of FDI outflow and inflow in China. In conclusion, CAFTA has improved the trade growth and trade structure in China, while promoting the expansion of trade between China and ASEAN. However, FDI reduced due to CAFTA

Interfacial Mechanical Behaviors in Carbon Nanotube Assemblies

Interface widely exists in carbon nanotube (CNT) assembly materials, taking place at different length scales. It determines severely the mechanical properties of these assembly materials. In this chapter, I assess the mechanical properties of individual CNTs and CNT bundles, the interlayer or intershell mechanics in multiwalled CNTs, the shear properties between adjacent CNTs, and the assembly-dependent mechanical and multifunctional properties of macroscopic CNT fibers and films

Genome-wide screens for effective siRNAs through assessing the size of siRNA effects

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>RNA interference (RNAi) has been seen as a revolution in functional genomics and system biology. Genome-wide RNAi research relies on the development of RNAi high-throughput screening (HTS) assays. One of the most fundamental challenges in RNAi HTS is to glean biological significance from mounds of data, which relies on the development of effective analytic methods for selecting effective small interfering RNAs (siRNAs).</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>Based on a recently proposed parameter, strictly standardized mean difference (SSMD), I propose an analytic method for genome-wide screens of effective siRNAs through assessing and testing the size of siRNA effects. Central to this method is the capability of SSMD in quantifying siRNA effects. This method has relied on normal approximation, which works only in the primary screens but not in the confirmatory screens. In this paper, I explore the non-central <it>t</it>-distribution property of SSMD estimates and use this property to extend the SSMD-based method so that it works effectively in either primary or confirmatory screens as well as in any HTS screens with or without replicates. The SSMD-based method maintains a balanced control of false positives and false negatives.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The central interest in genome-wide RNAi research is the selection of effective siRNAs which relies on the development of analytic methods to measure the size of siRNA effects. The new analytic method for hit selection provided in this paper offers a good analytic tool for selecting effective siRNAs, better than current analytic methods, and thus may have broad utility in genome-wide RNAi research.</p

Operation efficiency optimisation modelling and application of model predictive control

The efficiency of any energy system can be characterised by the relevant efficiency components in terms of performance, operation, equipment and technology (POET). The overall energy efficiency of the system can be optimised by studying the POET energy efficiency components. For an existing energy system, the improvement of operation efficiency will usually be a quick win for energy efficiency. Therefore, operation efficiency improvement will be the main purpose of this paper. General procedures to establish operation efficiency optimisation models are presented. Model predictive control, a popular technique in modern control theory, is applied to solve the obtained energy models. From the case studies in water pumping systems, model predictive control will have a prosperous application in more energy efficiency problems