4,659 research outputs found
Development of high performance composite bend-twist coupled blades for a horizontal axis tidal turbine
Development of a design methodology for a composite, bend-twist coupled, tidal turbine blade has been undertaken. Numerical modelling was used to predict the response of the main structural member for the adaptive blade. An experimental method for validation is described. The analysis indicates a non-linear blade twist response
Use of cryogenic buoyancy systems for controlled removal of heavy objects from the seabed
The concept design of a lightweight cryogenic marine heavy lift buoyancy system has been investigated. The approach makes use of a novel cryogenic system for provision of buoyancy within the ocean environment. The objective is to be able to lift or lower large displacement objects under full remote control. The nature of subsea lifting and lowering operations requires a high degree of precise control for operational safety, reasons and to preserve the structural integrity of the load. The lift operation occurs in two phases: Development of lift to overcome seabed suction, and then rapid reduction of buoyancy to maintain a controlled ascent. Descent involves controlled release of the buoyancy. The proposed buoyancy system consists of a buoyancy chamber and an integral cryogenic gas generation unit. The application of an on-board gas generation unit allows the removal of the engineering challenges associated with use of compressors and the concomitant complex manifold of connecting umbilical pipe work. It provides for a fully remote system completely eliminating all risk associated with extensive physical surface to subsea connection throughout the entire lift operation.
The opening stages of the project work include the development of a system that will operate efficiently and effectively to a depth of 350m. An initial general arrangement for the buoyancy system has been developed. A number of these systems involve considerable design and development, these include: structural design of the buoyancy chamber, mechanical systems to control and connection to the lift device, the cryogenic system itself and overall process control systems. As part of the design process for such an arrangement, numerical simulation of the complete system has been undertaken in order to develop mechanical, cryogenic and process control systems efficiently and effectively. This system simulation has been developed using Matlab Simulink. This paper considers the overall design concept and associated system development issues. These are illustrated through use of the time accurate simulation of alternative design configurations that confirm the viability of the concept. A main conclusion is that minimisation of the dry weight of the system is critical to cost-effective operation of the project
Nucleons Properties at Finite Lattice Spacing in Chiral Perturbation Theory
Properties of the proton and neutron are studied in partially-quenched chiral
perturbation theory at finite lattice spacing. Masses, magnetic moments, the
matrix elements of isovector twist-2 operators and axial-vector currents are
examined at the one-loop level in a double expansion in the light-quark masses
and the lattice spacing. This work will be useful in extrapolating the results
of simulations using Wilson valence and sea quarks, as well as simulations
using Wilson sea quarks and Ginsparg-Wilson valence quarks, to the continuum.Comment: 16 pages LaTe
Hadronic Electromagnetic Properties at Finite Lattice Spacing
Electromagnetic properties of the octet mesons as well as the octet and
decuplet baryons are augmented in quenched and partially quenched chiral
perturbation theory to include O(a) corrections due to lattice discretization.
We present the results for the SU(3) flavor group in the isospin limit as well
as the results for SU(2) flavor with non-degenerate quarks. These corrections
will be useful for extrapolation of lattice calculations using Wilson valence
and sea quarks, as well as calculations using Wilson sea quarks and
Ginsparg-Wilson valence quarks.Comment: 19 pages, 0 figures, RevTeX
Development of a floating tidal energy system suitable for use in shallow water
A proposal is made for the use of a traditional streamwaterwheel suspended between two floating catamaranNPL series demi-hulls as means of generating electricalpower. Two prototype devices, of lengths 1.6m and 4.5m,have been developed, constructed and tested. It was foundthat the concept is sound although greater investment isrequired with regards to the materials and bothhydrodynamic and aerodynamic design of the waterwheelto ensure an economically viable system. The workpresented concentrates on practical aspects associated withdesign, construction and trial testing in Southampton waterof the 4.5m prototype. The relatively low cost, ease ofdeployment, and the fact that conventional boat mooringsystems are effective, combine to make this an attractivealternative energy solution for remote communities
Simulations with different lattice Dirac operators for valence and sea quarks
We discuss simulations with different lattice Dirac operators for sea and
valence quarks. A goal of such a "mixed" action approach is to probe deeper the
chiral regime of QCD by enabling simulations with light valence quarks. This is
achieved by using chiral fermions as valence quarks while computationally
inexpensive fermions are used in the sea sector. Specifically, we consider
Wilson sea quarks and Ginsparg-Wilson valence quarks. The local Symanzik action
for this mixed theory is derived to O(a), and the appropriate low energy chiral
effective Lagrangian is constructed, including the leading O(a) contributions.
Using this Lagrangian one can calculate expressions for physical observables
and determine the Gasser-Leutwyler coefficients by fitting them to the lattice
data.Comment: 17 pages, 1 ps figure (2 clarification paragraphs added
How quantum bound states bounce and the structure it reveals
We investigate how quantum bound states bounce from a hard surface. Our
analysis has applications to ab initio calculations of nuclear structure and
elastic deformation, energy levels of excitons in semiconductor quantum dots
and wells, and cold atomic few-body systems on optical lattices with sharp
boundaries. We develop the general theory of elastic reflection for a composite
body from a hard wall. On the numerical side we present ab initio calculations
for the compression of alpha particles and universal results for two-body
states. On the analytical side we derive a universal effective potential that
gives the reflection scattering length for shallow two-body states.Comment: final publication version, new lattice results on alpha particle
compression, 5 pages, 2 figure
Decoupling of Degenerate Positive-norm States in Witten's String Field Theory
We show that the degenerate positive-norm physical propagating fields of the
open bosonic string can be gauged to the higher rank fields at the same mass
level. As a result, their scattering amplitudes can be determined from those of
the higher spin fields. This phenomenon arises from the existence of two types
of zero-norm states with the same Young representations as those of the
degenerate positive-norm states in the old covariant first quantized (OCFQ)
spectrum. This is demonstrated by using the lowest order gauge transformation
of Witten's string field theory (WSFT) up to the fourth massive level
(spin-five), and is found to be consistent with conformal field theory
calculation based on the first quantized generalized sigma-model approach. In
particular, on-shell conditions of zero-norm states in OCFQ stringy gauge
transformation are found to correspond, in a one-to-one manner, to the
background ghost fields in off-shell gauge transformation of WSFT. The
implication of decoupling of scalar modes on Sen's conjectures was also briefly
discussed.Comment: 18 pages, use Latex with revtex
Resource variation in colorectal surgery; a national centre-level analysis.
BACKGROUND: Delivery of quality colorectal surgery requires adequate resources. We set out to assess the relationship between resources and outcomes in English colorectal units. METHODS: Data was extracted from the ACPGBI resource questionnaire to profile resources. This was correlated with Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) outcome data including 90-day mortality and readmissions. Patient satisfaction measures were extracted from the Cancer Experience Patient Survey (CEPS) and compared at unit level. Centres were divided by workload into low, middle, and top tertile. RESULTS: Completed questionnaires were received from 75 centres in England. Service resources were similar between low and top tertiles in access to CEPOD theatre, level 2 or 3 beds per 250,000 population or likelihood of having a dedicated colorectal ward. There was no difference in staffing levels per 250,000 unit of population. Each 10% increase in the proportion of cases attempted laparoscopically, was associated with reduced 90-day unplanned readmission (RR 0.94, 95% CI 0.91 to 0.97, p<0.001). The presence of a dedicated colorectal ward (RR 0.85, 95% CI 0.73 to 0.99, p =0.040) was also associated with a significant reduction in unplanned readmissions. There was no association between staffing or service factors and patient satisfaction. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Resource levels do not vary based on unit of population. There is benefit associated with increased use of laparoscopy and a dedicated surgical ward. Alternative measures to assess the relationship between resources and outcome, such as failure to rescue, should be explored in UK practice. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
Chiral Dynamics of Low-Energy Kaon-Baryon Interactions with Explicit Resonance
The processes involving low energy and interactions (where
or ) are studied in the framework of heavy baryon chiral
perturbation theory with the (1405) resonance appearing as an
independent field.
The leading and next-to-leading terms in the chiral expansion are taken into
account. We show that an approach which explicitly includes the (1405)
resonance as an elementary quantum field gives reasonable descriptions of both
the threshold branching ratios and the energy dependence of total cross
sections.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figure
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