Comparative study of different nonconserving time integrators for wave propagation in hyperelastic waveguides

This paper addresses the formulation and numerical efficiency of various numerical models of different nonconserving time integrators for studying wave propagation in nonlinear hyperelastic waveguides. The study includes different nonlinear finite element formulations based on standard Galerkin finite element model, time domain spectral finite element model, Taylor-Galerkin finite element model, generalized Galerkin finite element model and frequency domain spectral finite element model. A comparative study on the computational efficiency of these different models is made using a hyperelastic rod model, and the optimal computational scheme is identified. The identified scheme is then used to study the propagation of transverse and longitudinal waves in a Timoshenko beam with Murnaghan material nonlinearity.

Efficient Adaptive Mesh Refinement for MoM-based Package-Board 3D Full-wave Extraction

The accurate solution of 3D full-wave Method of Moments (MoM) on an arbitrary mesh of a package-board structure does not guarantee accuracy, since the discretizations may not be fine enough to capture rapid spatial changes in the solution variable. At the same time, uniform over-meshing on the entire structure generates large number of solution variables and therefore requires an unnecessarily large matrix solution. In this work, a suitable refinement criterion for MoM based electromagnetic package-board extraction is proposed and the advantages of the adaptive strategy are demonstrated from both accuracy and speed perspectives.

Spiral-wave dynamics in ionically realistic mathematical models for human ventricular tissue: the effects of periodic deformation

We carry out an extensive numerical study of the dynamics of spiral waves of electrical activation, in the presence of periodic deformation (PD) in two-dimensional simulation domains, in the biophysically realistic mathematical models of human ventricular tissue due to (a) ten-Tusscher and Panfilov (the TP06 model) and (b) ten-Tusscher, Noble, Noble, and Panfilov (the TNNPO4 model). We first consider simulations in cable-type domains, in which we calculate the conduction velocity theta and the wavelength lambda of a plane wave; we show that PD leads to a periodic, spatial modulation of theta and a temporally periodic modulation of lambda; both these modulations depend on the amplitude and frequency of the PD. We then examine three types of initial conditions for both TP06 and TNNPO4 models and show that the imposition of PD leads to a rich variety of spatiotemporal patterns in the transmembrane potential including states with a single rotating spiral (RS) wave, a spiral-turbulence (ST) state with a single meandering spiral, an ST state with multiple broken spirals, and a state SA in which all spirals are absorbed at the boundaries of our simulation domain. We find, for both TP06 and TNNPO4 models, that spiral-wave dynamics depends sensitively on the amplitude and frequency of PD and the initial condition. We examine how these different types of spiral-wave states can be eliminated in the presence of PD by the application of low-amplitude pulses by square- and rectangular-mesh suppression techniques. We suggest specific experiments that can test the results of our simulations.

Response of shock wave deformation in AA5086 aluminum alloy

The AA5086 aluminum alloy sheets with different starting textures were subjected to shock wave deformation with an input impulse of similar to 0.2 Ns. Microstructural examination indicate no significant change in grain size; however, the evolution of substructure manifesting intra-granular misorientation was evident. The improvement in hardness indicates the absence of recovery and strain hardening during shock deformation. Shock deformed samples show characteristic texture evolution with high Brass {110}< 112 > component. The study demonstrates the viability of high velocity forming of AA5086 aluminum alloy sheet using shock wave. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Wave propagation analysis in adhesively bonded composite joints using the wavelet spectral finite element method

A wavelet spectral finite element (WSFE) model is developed for studying transient dynamics and wave propagation in adhesively bonded composite joints. The adherands are formulated as shear deformable beams using the first order shear deformation theory (FSDT) to obtain accurate results for high frequency wave propagation. Equations of motion governing wave motion in the bonded beams are derived using Hamilton's principle. The adhesive layer is modeled as a line of continuously distributed tension/compression and shear springs. Daubechies compactly supported wavelet scaling functions are used to transform the governing partial differential equations from time domain to frequency domain. The dynamic stiffness matrix is derived under the spectral finite element framework relating the nodal forces and displacements in the transformed frequency domain. Time domain results for wave propagation in a lap joint are validated with conventional finite element simulations using Abaqus. Frequency domain spectrum and dispersion relation results are presented and discussed. The developed WSFE model yields efficient and accurate analysis of wave propagation in adhesively-bonded composite joints. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Remotely triggered micro-shock wave responsive drug delivery system for resolving diabetic wound infection and controlling blood sugar levels

A novel, micro-shock wave responsive spermidine and dextran sulfate microparticle was developed. Almost 90% of the drug release was observed when the particles were exposed to micro-shock waves 5 times. Micro-shock waves served two purposes; of releasing the antibiotic from the system and perhaps disrupting the S. aureus biofilm in the skin infection model. A combination of shock waves with ciprofloxacin loaded microparticles could completely cure the S. aureus infection lesion in a diabetic mouse model. As a proof of concept insulin release was triggered using micro-shock waves in diabetic mice to reduce the blood glucose level. Insulin release could be triggered for at least 3 days by exposing subcutaneously injected insulin loaded particles.

Wave propagation of phonon and phason displacement modes in quasicrystals: Determination of wave parameters

The paper presents the study of wave propagation in quasicrystals. Our interest is in the computation of the wavenumber (k(n)) and group speed (c(g)) of the phonon and phason displacement modes of one, two, and three dimensional quasicrystals. These wave parameter expressions are derived and computed using the elasto-hydrodynamic equations for quasicrystals. For the computation of the wavenumber and group speeds, we use Fourier transform approximation of the phonon and the phason displacement modes. The characteristic equations obtained are a polynomial equation of the wavenumber (k(n)), with frequency as a parameter. The corresponding group speeds (c(g)) for different frequencies are then computed from the wavenumber k(n). The variation of wavenumber and group speeds with frequency is plotted for the 1-D quasicrystal, 2-D decagonal Al-Ni-Co quasicrystals, and 3-D icosahedral Al-Pd-Mn and Zn-Mg-Sc quasicrystals. From the wavenumber and group speeds plots, we obtain the cut-off frequencies for different spatial wavenumber eta(m). The results show that for 1-D, 2-D, and 3-D quasicrystals, the phonon displacement modes are non-dispersive for low values of eta(m) and becomes dispersive for increasing values of eta(m). The cut-off frequencies are not observed for very low values of eta(m), whereas the cut-off frequency starts to appear with increasing eta(m). The group speeds of the phason displacement modes are orders of magnitude lower than that of the phonon displacement modes, showing that the phason modes do not propagate, and they are essentially the diffusive modes. The group speeds of the phason modes are also not influenced by eta(m). The group speeds for the 2-D quasicrystal at 35 kHz is also simulated numerically using Galerkin spectral finite element methods in frequency domain and is compared with the results obtained using wave propagation analysis. The effect of the phonon and phason elastic constants on the group speeds is studied using 3-D icosahedral Al-Pd-Mn and Zn-Mg-Sc quasicrystals. It is also shown that the phason elastic constants and the coupling coefficient do not affect the group speeds of the phonon displacement modes. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.

Optimal Pulse Width Modulation of Voltage-Source Inverter fed Motor Drives with Relaxation of Quarter Wave Symmetry Condition

Optimal switching angles for minimization of total harmonic distortion of line current (I-THD) in a voltage source inverter are determined traditionally by imposing half-wave symmetry (HWS) and quarter-wave symmetry (QWS) conditions on the pulse width modulated waveform. This paper investigates optimal switching angles with QWS relaxed. Relaxing QWS expands the solution space and presents the possibility of improved solutions. The optimal solutions without QWS are shown here to outperform the optimal solutions with QWS over a range of modulation index (M) between 0.82 and 0.94 for a switching frequency to fundamental frequency ratio of 5. Theoretical and experimental results are presented on a 2.3kW induction motor drive.

L-p estimates for the wave equation associated to the Grushin operator

We prove that the solution of the wave equation associated to the Grushin operator G = -Delta -vertical bar x vertical bar(2)partial derivative(2)(t) is bounded on L-P (Rn+1), with 1 < p < infinity, when vertical bar 1/p - 1/2 vertical bar < 1/n+2.

A spectral element for wave propagation in honeycomb sandwich construction considering core flexibility

Spectral elements are found to be extremely resourceful to study the wave propagation characteristics of structures at high frequencies. Most of the aerospace structures use honeycomb sandwich constructions. The existing spectral elements use single layer theories for a sandwich construction wherein the two face sheets vibrate together and this model is sufficient for low frequency excitations. At high frequencies, the two face sheets vibrate independently. The Extended Higher order SAndwich Plate theory (EHSaPT) is suitable for representing the independent motion of the face sheets. A 1D spectral element based on EHSaPT is developed in this work. The wave number and the wave speed characteristics are obtained using the developed spectral element. It is shown that the developed spectral element is capable of representing independent wave motions of the face sheets. The propagation speeds of a high frequency modulated pulse in the face sheets and the core of a honeycomb sandwich are demonstrated. Responses of a typical honeycomb sandwich beam to high frequency shock loads are obtained using the developed spectral element and the response match very well with the finite element results. It is shown that the developed spectral element is able to represent the flexibility of the core resulting into independent wave motions in the face sheets, for which a finite element method needs huge degrees of freedom. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pulse transit time differential measurement by fiber Bragg grating pulse recorder

The present study reports a noninvasive technique for the measurement of the pulse transit time differential (PTTD) from the pulse pressure waveforms obtained at the carotid artery and radial artery using fiber Bragg grating pulse recorders (FBGPR). PTTD is defined as the time difference between the arrivals of a pulse pressure waveform at the carotid and radial arterial sites. The PTTD is investigated as an indicator of variation in the systolic blood pressure. The results are validated against blood pressure variation obtained from a Mindray Patient Monitor. Furthermore, the pulse wave velocity computed from the obtained PTTD is compared with the pulse wave velocity obtained from the color Doppler ultrasound system and is found to be in good agreement. The major advantage of the PTTD measurement via FBGPRs is that the data acquisition system employed can simultaneously acquire pulse pressure waveforms from both FBGPRs placed at carotid and radial arterial sites with a single time scale, which eliminates time synchronization complexity. (C) 2015 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)

Hemagglutinin sequence conservation guided stem immunogen design from influenza A H3 subtype

Seasonal epidemics caused by influenza A (H1 and H3 subtypes) and B viruses are a major global health threat. The traditional, trivalent influenza vaccines have limited efficacy because of rapid antigenic evolution of the circulating viruses. This antigenic variability mediates viral escape from the host immune responses, necessitating annual vaccine updates. Influenza vaccines elicit a protective antibody response, primarily targeting the viral surface glycoprotein hemagglutinin (HA). However, the predominant humoral response is against the hypervariable head domain of HA, thereby restricting the breadth of protection. In contrast, the conserved, subdominant stem domain of HA is a potential ``universal'' vaccine candidate. We designed an HA stem-fragment immunogen from the 1968 pandemic H3N2 strain (A/Hong Kong/1/68) guided by a comprehensive H3 HA sequence conservation analysis. The biophysical properties of the designed immunogen were further improved by C-terminal fusion of a trimerization motif, ``isoleucine-zipper'', or ``foldon''. These immunogens elicited cross-reactive, antiviral antibodies and conferred partial protection against a lethal, homologous HK68 virus challenge in vivo. Furthermore, bacterial expression of these immunogens is economical and facilitates rapid scale-up.

A model supersonic buried-nozzle jet: instability and acoustic wave scattering and the far-field sound

We consider sound source mechanisms involving the acoustic and instability modes of dual-stream isothermal supersonic jets with the inner nozzle buried within an outer shroud-like nozzle. A particular focus is scattering into radiating sound waves at the shroud lip. For such jets, several families of acoustically coupled instability waves exist, beyond the regular vortical Kelvin-Helmholtz mode, with different shapes and propagation characteristics, which can therefore affect the character of the radiated sound. In our model, the coaxial shear layers are vortex sheets while the incident acoustic disturbances are the propagating shroud modes. The Wiener-Hopf method is used to compute their scattering at the sharp shroud edge to obtain the far-field radiation. The resulting far-field directivity quantifies the acoustic efficiency of different mechanisms, which is particularly important in the upstream direction, where the results show that the scattered sound is more intense than that radiated directly by the shear-layer modes.

Effects of site stiffness and source to receiver distance on surface wave tests' results

By using six 4.5 Hz geophones, surface wave tests were performed on four different sites by dropping freely a 65 kg mass from a height of 5 m. The receivers were kept far away from the source to eliminate the arrival of body waves. Three different sources to nearest receiver distances (S), namely, 46 m, 56 m and 66 m, were chosen. Dispersion curves were drawn for all the sites. The maximum wavelength (lambda(max)), the maximum depth (d(max)) up to which exploration can be made and the frequency content of the signals depends on the site stiffness and the value of S. A stiffer site yields greater values of lambda(max) and d(max). For stiffer sites, an increase in S leads to an increase in lambda(max). The predominant time durations of the signals increase from stiffer to softer sites. An inverse analysis was also performed based on the stiffness matrix approach in conjunction with the maximum vertical flexibility coefficient of ground surface to establish the governing mode of excitation. For the Site 2, the results from the surface wave tests were found to compare reasonably well with that determined on the basis of cross boreholes seismic tests. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Towards an exact factorization of the molecular wave function

An exact single-product factorisation of the molecular wave function for the timedependent Schrodinger equation is investigated by using an ansatz involving a phasefactor. By using the Frenkel variational method, we obtain the Schrodinger equations for the electronic and nuclear wave functions. The concept of a potential energy surface (PES) is retained by introducing a modified Hamiltonian as suggested earlier by Cederbaum. The parameter in the phase factor is chosen such that the equations of motion retain the physically appealing Born- Oppenheimer-like form, and is therefore unique.