Air flow over a mountain and the convective boundary-layer

In this paper, the analytical model coupling the convective boundary layer (CBL) with the free atmosphere developed by Qi and Fu (1992) is improved. And by this improved model, the interaction between airflow over a mountain and the CBL is further discussed. The conclusions demonstrate: (1) The perturbation potential temperatures in the free atmosphere can counteract the effect of orographic thermal forcing through entraining and mixing in the CBL. If u(M)BAR > u(F)BAR, the feedback of the perturbation potential temperatures in the free atmosphere is more important than orographic thermal forcing, which promotes the effect of interfacial waves. If u(M)BAR < u(F)BAR, orographic thermal forcing is more important, which makes the interfacial height and the topographic height identical in phase, and the horizontal speeds are a maximum at the top of the mountain. (2) The internal gravity waves propagating vertically in the free atmosphere cause a strong downslope wind to become established above the lee slope in the CBL and result in the hydraulic jump at the top of the CBL. (3) With the CBL deepening, the interfacial gravity waves induced by the potential temperature jump at the top of the CBL cause the airflow in the CBL to be subcritical.

Statistical description of pattern evolution in damage-fracture

A model of dynamical process and stochastic jump has been put forward to study the pattern evolution in damage-fracture. According to the final states of evolution processes, the evolution modes can be classified as globally stable modes (GS modes) and evolution induced catastrophic modes (ElC modes); the latter are responsible for fracture. A statistical description is introduced to clarify the pattern evolution in this paper. It is indicated that the appearance of fracture in disordered materials should be depicted by probability distribution function.

The effect of strain softening in the matrix material during void growth

Furthermore, the compressed flow driven by the piston is discussed. The consistent solution of gasdynamical equations including solar gravity is obtained for the unsteady and two-dimensional configuration, which is applied to the region between the piston and shock wave. This solution may satisfy the jump conditions of shock wave, which separates the region of compressed flow and quiet corona.

An empirical comparison of the performance of alternative option pricing models

Published as an article in: Investigaciones Economicas, 2005, vol. 29, issue 3, pages 483-523.

El salto a los tres años en psicomotricidad : observación del comportamiento psicomotor infantil

[ES] El objetivo de esta investigación es evaluar la actividad de saltar de un grupo escolar natural de 15 criaturas entre los dos y los cuatro años en el contexto de la Práctica Psicomotriz Aucouturier. La perspectiva teórica adoptada ha sido la teoría psicogenética y dialéctica de Henri Wallon. Según ésta, saltar es un automatismo natural regulado por el aparato funcional del equilibrio que se aprende en la primera infancia. La metodología utilizada ha sido la observacional. El diseño es nomotético, de seguimiento y multidimensional, y el instrumento de observación es el formato de campo "el salto en psicomotricidad durante el tercer año de vida". Los resultados, obtenidos mediante la aplicación prospectiva del análisis secuencial de retardos, informan sobre la adquisición del automatismo o proceso de aprendizaje, sobre el contenido del mismo o manejo del vértigo y sobre su resultante conjunta o tipos básicos de salto en psicomotricidad, sus características y su evolución.

Experimental Study on Flow Induced Vibration of a Cylinder with Two Degrees of Freedom Near a Rigid Wall

The flow-induced vibration of a cylinder with two degrees of freedom near a rigid wall under the action of steady flow is investigated experimentally. The vibration amplitude and frequency of the cylinder and the vortex shedding frequency at the wake flow region of the cylinder are measured. The influence of gap-to-diameter ratio upon the amplitude response is analyzed. The experimental results indicate that when the reduced velocity (Vr) is in the range of 1.2 < Vr < 2.6, only streamwise vibration with small amplitude occurs, whose frequency is quite close to its natural frequency in the still water. When the reduced velocity Vr > 3.4, both the streamwise and transverse vibrations of the cylinder occur. In this range, the amplitudes of transverse vibration are much larger than those of streamwise vibrations, and the amplitudes of the streamwise vibration also get larger than those at the range of 1.2 < Vr < 2.6. At the range of Vr > 3.4, the frequency of streamwise vibration undergoes a jump at certain values of Vr, at which the streamwise vibrating frequency is twice as much as the transverse one. However, when the streamwise vibration does not experience a jump, its frequency is the same as that of the transverse vibration. The maximum values of second streamwise and transverse vibration amplitudes increase with increasing gap-to-diameter ratios.

Discontinuous growth mechanisms of mode II crack under high-speed impact conditions

A recoverable plate impact testing technology has been used for studying the growth mechanisms of mode II crack. The results show that interactions of microcracks ahead of a crack tip cause the crack growth unsteadily. Failure mode transitions of materials were observed. Based on the observations, a discontinuous crack growth model was established. Analysis shows that the shear crack grows unsteady as the growth speed is between the Rayleigh wave speed c(R) and the shear wave speed c(s); however, when the growth speed approaches root 2c(s), the crack grows steadily. The transient microcrack growth makes the main crack speed to jump from subsonic to intersonic and the steady growth of all the sub-cracks leads the main crack to grow stably at an intersonic speed.

Aprender a saltar. Un estudio de caso

[Es]El objetivo de esta investigación es evaluar la actividad de saltar de una criatura entre los dos y los cuatro años en el contexto de la Práctica Psicomotriz Aucouturier. La perspectiva teórica adoptada ha sido la teoría psicogenética y dialéctica de Henri Wallon (1879-1962). Según ésta, saltar es un automatismo natural regulado por el aparato funcional del equilibrio que se aprende en la primera infancia. La metodología utilizada ha sido la observacional. El diseño es idiográfico, de seguimiento y multidimensional, y el instrumento de observación es el formato de campo «el salto en psicomotricidad durante el tercer año de vida». De los resultados, obtenidos mediante la aplicación prospectiva del análisis secuencial de retardos, nos detenemos en los de una participante cuyo salto es especialmente errático y puntualmente intenso. Progresa de semivertical a vertical y de heterónomo a autónomo, pero a su propia «altura de seguridad».

Running Pace Decrease during a Marathon Is Positively Related to Blood Markers of Muscle Damage

Background: Completing a marathon is one of the most challenging sports activities, yet the source of running fatigue during this event is not completely understood. The aim of this investigation was to determine the cause(s) of running fatigue during a marathon in warm weather. Methodology/Principal Findings: We recruited 40 amateur runners (34 men and 6 women) for the study. Before the race, body core temperature, body mass, leg muscle power output during a countermovement jump, and blood samples were obtained. During the marathon (27 uC; 27% relative humidity) running fatigue was measured as the pace reduction from the first 5-km to the end of the race. Within 3 min after the marathon, the same pre-exercise variables were obtained. Results: Marathoners reduced their running pace from 3.5 6 0.4 m/s after 5-km to 2.9 6 0.6 m/s at the end of the race (P,0.05), although the running fatigue experienced by the marathoners was uneven. Marathoners with greater running fatigue (. 15% pace reduction) had elevated post-race myoglobin (1318 6 1411 v 623 6 391 mg L21; P,0.05), lactate dehydrogenase (687 6 151 v 583 6 117 U L21; P,0.05), and creatine kinase (564 6 469 v 363 6 158 U L21; P = 0.07) in comparison with marathoners that preserved their running pace reasonably well throughout the race. However, they did not differ in their body mass change (23.1 6 1.0 v 23.0 6 1.0%; P = 0.60) or post-race body temperature (38.7 6 0.7 v 38.9 6 0.9 uC; P = 0.35). Conclusions/Significance: Running pace decline during a marathon was positively related with muscle breakdown blood markers. To elucidate if muscle damage during a marathon is related to mechanistic or metabolic factors requires further investigation.

Preparation of acetate peels of valves from the ocean quahog, Arctica islandica, for age determinations

Techniques are described for preparing acetate peels of sectioned valves of ocean quahogs, Arctica islandica, for age determinations. The respective sequence of preparation begins by sectioning left valves oriented to include a single hinge tooth, bleaching to remove the heavy periostracum, embedding the valves in an epoxy resin, grinding and polishing the embedments to a high luster, etching the exposed cut valve surfaces, and applying sheet acetate with acetone. Annuli are clearly defined relative to growth increments in the peel preparations for all sizes and ages of ocean quahogs. (PDF file contains12 pages.)

Domain walls collision in Fe-rich and Co-rich glass covered microwires

JEMS 2012 - Joint European Magnetic Symposia edited by Tiberto, P; Affronte, M; Casoli, F; Fernandez, CD; Gubbiotti, G; Marquina, C; Pratt, F; Solzi, M; Tacchi, S; Vavassori, P. 6th Joint European Magnetic Symposia (JEMS) Parma, ITALY SEP 09-14, 2012

High-Strength Composite Fibers: Realizing True Potential of Carbon Nanotubes in Polymer Matrix through Continuous Reticulate Architecture and Molecular Level Couplings

Carbon nanotubes have unprecedented mechanical properties as defect-free nanoscale building blocks, but their potential has not been fully realized in composite materials due to weakness at the interfaces. Here we demonstrate that through load-transfer-favored three-dimensional architecture and molecular level couplings with polymer chains, true potential of CNTs can be realized in composites as Initially envisioned. Composite fibers with reticulate nanotube architectures show order of magnitude improvement in strength compared to randomly dispersed short CNT reinforced composites reported before. The molecular level couplings between nanotubes and polymer chains results in drastic differences in the properties of thermoset and thermoplastic composite fibers, which indicate that conventional macroscopic composite theory falls to explain the overall hybrid behavior at nanoscale.

液气相变界面间断关系浅议

对池沸腾传热现象局部传递过程的细致分析(例如微重力池沸腾传热研究文献中关于热毛细效应作用及其成因的各种相互冲突的观点),涉及汽液相变界面两侧的间断关系.相变(蒸发或凝结)过程的非平衡性导致相界面两侧物理量对经典平衡态热力学中的相界面关系的偏离,分子动理论比拟模型、统计率模型和非平衡热力学模型均给出了相关描述,本文对此进行了详细评述,指出了各模型的优缺点,并对进一步的研究方向进行了讨论.

Experimental Study on the Combined Evaporation Effect and Thermocapillary Convection in a Thin Liquid Layer

The coupling mechanisms and flow characteristics of thermocapillary convection in a thin liquid layer with evaporating interface were studied. The planar liquid layer, with the upper surface open to air, was imposed externally horizontal temperature differences. The measured average evaporating rates and interfacial temperature profiles indicated the relative importance of evaporation effect and thermocapillary convection under different temperature gradients. A temperature jump was found at the interface, which was thought to be related to the influence of evaporation effect. All above mentioned results were repeated in a rarely evaporating liquid to compare the influence of evaporation effect.

Physical Modeling And Parametric Study On Two-Degree-Of-Freedom Viv Of A Cylinder Near Rigid Wall

Unlike most previous studies on the transverse vortex-induced vibration(VIV) of a cylinder mainly under the wallfree condition (Williamson & Govardhan,2004),this paper experimentally investigates the vortex-induced vibration of a cylinder with two degrees of freedom near a rigid wall exposed to steady flow.The amplitude and frequency responses of the cylinder are discussed.The lee wake flow patterns of the cylinder undergoing VIV were visualized by employing the hydrogen bubble technique.The effects of the gap-to-diameter ratio (e0/D) and the mass ratio on the vibration amplitude and frequency are analyzed.Comparisons of VIV response of the cylinder are made between one degree (only transverse) and two degrees of freedom (streamwise and transverse) and those between the present study and previous ones.The experimental observation indicates that there are two types of streamwise vibration,i.e.the first streamwise vibration (FSV) with small amplitude and the second streamwise vibration (SSV) which coexists with transverse vibration.The vortex shedding pattem for the FSV is approximately symmetric and that for the SSV is alternate.The first streamwise vibration tends to disappear with the decrease of e0/D.For the case of large gap-to-diameter ratios (e.g.e0/D = 0.54～1.58),the maximum amplitudes of the second streamwise vibration and transverse one increase with the increasing gapto-diameter ratio.But for the case of small gap-to-diameter ratios (e.g.e0/D = 0.16,0.23),the vibration amplitude of the cylinder increases slowly at the initial stage (i.e.at small reduced velocity V,),and across the maximum amplitude it decreases quickly at the last stage (i.e.at large Vr).Within the range ofthe examined small mass ratio (m＜4),both streamwise and transverse vibration amplitude of the cylinder decrease with the increase of mass ratio for the fixed value of V,.The vibration range (in terms of Vr ) tends to widen with the decrease of the mass ratio.In the second streamwise vibration region,the vibration frequency of the cylinder with a small mass ratio (e.g.mx = 1.44) undergoes a jump at a certain Vr,.The maximum amplitudes of the transverse vibration for two-degree-of-freedom case is larger than that for one-degree-of-freedom case,but the transverse vibration frequency of the cylinder with two degrees of freedom is lower than that with one degree of freedom (transverse).