Unsteady Incompressible Two-Dimensional and Axisymmetric Turbulent Boundary Layer Flows

The unsteady turbulent incompressible boundary-layer flow over two-dimensional and axisymmetric bodies with pressure gradient has been studied. An eddy-viscosity model has been used to model the Reynolds shear stress. The unsteadiness is due to variations in the free stream velocity with time. The nonlinear partial differential equation with three independent variables governing the flow has been solved using Keller's Box method. The results indicate that the free stram velocity distribution exerts strong influence on the boundary-layer characteristics. The point of zero skin friction is found to move upstream as time increases.

An adaptive power-system stabiliser which cancels the negative damping torque of a synchronous generator

The paper presents a new criterion for designing a power-system stabiliser, which is that it should cancel the negative damping torque inherent in a synchronous generator and automatic voltage regulator. The method arises from analysis based on the properties of tensor invariance, but it is easily implemented, and leads to the design of an adaptive controller. Extensive computations and simulation have been performed, and laboratory tests have been conducted on a computer-controlled micromachine system. Results are presented illustrating the effectiveness of the adaptive stabiliser.

A Novel Operator-Splitting Technique for One-Dimensional Laminar Premixed Flames

This paper is concerned the calculation of flame structure of one-dimensional laminar premixed flames using the technique of operator-splitting. The technique utilizes an explicit method of solution with one step Euler for chemistry and a novel probabilistic scheme for diffusion. The relationship between diffusion phenomenon and Gauss-Markoff process is exploited to obtain an unconditionally stable explicit difference scheme for diffusion. The method has been applied to (a) a model problem, (b) hydrazine decomposition, (c) a hydrogen-oxygen system with 28 reactions with constant Dρ 2 approximation, and (d) a hydrogen-oxygen system (28 reactions) with trace diffusion approximation. Certain interesting aspects of behaviour of the solution with non-unity Lewis number are brought out in the case of hydrazine flame. The results of computation in the most complex case are shown to compare very favourably with those of Warnatz, both in terms of accuracy of results as well as computational time, thus showing that explicit methods can be effective in flame computations. Also computations using the Gear-Hindmarsh for chemistry and the present approach for diffusion have been carried out and comparison of the two methods is presented.

Coherence transfer via longitudinal spin order generalized pulse pair filtering for pure phase two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy

A generalized pulse pair has been suggested in which the longitudinal spin order is retained and the transverse components cancelled by random variation of the interval between pulses, in successive applications of the two-dimensional NMR algorithm. This method leads to pure phases and has been exploited to provide a simpler scheme for two-spin filtering and for pure phase spectroscopy in multiple-quantum-filtered two-dimensional NMR experiments.

Modelling predicts positive and negative interactions between three Australian tropical tree species in monoculture and binary mixture

Computer modelling promises to be an important tool for analysing and predicting interactions between trees within mixed species forest plantations. This study explored the use of an individual-based mechanistic model as a predictive tool for designing mixed species plantations of Australian tropical trees. The `spatially explicit individually based-forest simulator' (SeXI-FS) modelling system was used to describe the spatial interaction of individual tree crowns within a binary mixed-species experiment. The three-dimensional model was developed and verified with field data from three forest tree species grown in tropical Australia. The model predicted the interactions within monocultures and binary mixtures of Flindersia brayleyana, Eucalyptus pellita and Elaeocarpus grandis, accounting for an average of 42% of the growth variation exhibited by species in different treatments. The model requires only structural dimensions and shade tolerance as species parameters. By modelling interactions in existing tree mixtures, the model predicted both increases and reductions in the growth of mixtures (up to +/-50% of stem volume at 7 years) compared to monocultures. This modelling approach may be useful for designing mixed tree plantations.

Feature integration in human vision

The earliest stages of human cortical visual processing can be conceived as extraction of local stimulus features. However, more complex visual functions, such as object recognition, require integration of multiple features. Recently, neural processes underlying feature integration in the visual system have been under intensive study. A specialized mid-level stage preceding the object recognition stage has been proposed to account for the processing of contours, surfaces and shapes as well as configuration. This thesis consists of four experimental, psychophysical studies on human visual feature integration. In two studies, classification image a recently developed psychophysical reverse correlation method was used. In this method visual noise is added to near-threshold stimuli. By investigating the relationship between random features in the noise and observer s perceptual decision in each trial, it is possible to estimate what features of the stimuli are critical for the task. The method allows visualizing the critical features that are used in a psychophysical task directly as a spatial correlation map, yielding an effective "behavioral receptive field". Visual context is known to modulate the perception of stimulus features. Some of these interactions are quite complex, and it is not known whether they reflect early or late stages of perceptual processing. The first study investigated the mechanisms of collinear facilitation, where nearby collinear Gabor flankers increase the detectability of a central Gabor. The behavioral receptive field of the mechanism mediating the detection of the central Gabor stimulus was measured by the classification image method. The results show that collinear flankers increase the extent of the behavioral receptive field for the central Gabor, in the direction of the flankers. The increased sensitivity at the ends of the receptive field suggests a low-level explanation for the facilitation. The second study investigated how visual features are integrated into percepts of surface brightness. A novel variant of the classification image method with brightness matching task was used. Many theories assume that perceived brightness is based on the analysis of luminance border features. Here, for the first time this assumption was directly tested. The classification images show that the perceived brightness of both an illusory Craik-O Brien-Cornsweet stimulus and a real uniform step stimulus depends solely on the border. Moreover, the spatial tuning of the features remains almost constant when the stimulus size is changed, suggesting that brightness perception is based on the output of a single spatial frequency channel. The third and fourth studies investigated global form integration in random-dot Glass patterns. In these patterns, a global form can be immediately perceived, if even a small proportion of random dots are paired to dipoles according to a geometrical rule. In the third study the discrimination of orientation structure in highly coherent concentric and Cartesian (straight) Glass patterns was measured. The results showed that the global form was more efficiently discriminated in concentric patterns. The fourth study investigated how form detectability depends on the global regularity of the Glass pattern. The local structure was either Cartesian or curved. It was shown that randomizing the local orientation deteriorated the performance only with the curved pattern. The results give support for the idea that curved and Cartesian patterns are processed in at least partially separate neural systems.

Unsteady laminar compressible stagnation-point boundary-layer flow over a three-dimensional body: Higher order effects

The unsteady laminar compressible three-dimensional stagnation-point boundary-layer flow with variable properties has been studied when the velocity of the incident stream, mass transfer and wall temperature vary arbitrarily with time. The second-order unsteady boundary-layer equations for all the effects have been derived by using the method of matched asymptotic expansions. Both nodal and saddle point flows as well as cold and hot wall cases have been considered. The partial differential equations governing the flow have been solved numerically using an implicit finite-difference scheme. Computations have been carried out for an accelerating stream, a decelerating stream and a fluctuating stream. The results indicate that the unsteady free stream velocity distributions, the nature of the stagnation point, the mass transfer, the wall temperature and the variation of the density-viscosity product across the boundary significantly affect the skin friction and heat transfer. The variation of the wall temperature with time strongly affects the heat transfer whereas its effect is comparatively less on skin friction. Suction increases the skin friction and heat transfer but injection does the opposite. The skin friction in the x direction due to the combined effects of first- and second-order boundary layers is less than the skin-friction in the x direction due to the first-order boundary layers for all the parameters. The overall skin friction in the z direction and heat transfer are more or less than the first-order boundary layers depending upon the values of the various parameters.

Critical Evaluation of Determining Swelling Pressure by Swell-Load Method and Constant Volume Method

For any construction activity in expansive soils, determination of swelling pressure/heave is an essential step. Though many attempts have been made to develop laboratory procedures by using the laboratory one-dimensional oedometer to determine swelling pressure of expansive soils, they are reported to yield varying results. The main reason for these variations could be heterogeneous moisture distribution of the sample over its thickness. To overcome this variation the experimental procedure should be such that the soil gets fully saturated. Attempts were made to introduce vertical sand drains in addition to the top and bottom drains. In this study five and nine vertical sand drains were introduced to experimentally find out the variations in the swell and swelling pressure. The variations in the moisture content at middle, top, and bottom of the sample in the oedometer test are also reported. It is found that swell-load method is better as compared to zero-swell method. Further, five number of vertical sand drains are found to be sufficient to obtain uniform moisture content distribution.

Numerical modelling of deformation behaviour of red blood cells in microvessels using the coupled SPH-DEM method

This thesis developed an advanced computational model to investigate the motion and deformation properties of red blood cells in capillaries. The novel model is based on the meshfree particle methods and is capable of modelling the large deformation of red blood cells moving through blood vessels. The developed model was employed to simulate the deformation behaviour of healthy and malaria infected red blood cells as well as the motion of red blood cells in stenosed capillaries.

A Monte Carlo study of crystal structure transformations

The Metropolis algorithm has been generalized to allow for the variation of shape and size of the MC cell. A calculation using different potentials illustrates how the generalized method can be used for the study of crystal structure transformations. A restricted MC integration in the nine dimensional space of the cell components also leads to the stable structure for the Lennard-Jones potential.

Information theory and resistance fluctuations in one-dimensional disordered conductors

A novel method is proposed to treat the problem of the random resistance of a strictly one-dimensional conductor with static disorder. For the probability distribution of the transfer matrix R of the conductor we propose a distribution of maximum information entropy, constrained by the following physical requirements: (1) flux conservation, (2) time-reversal invariance, and (3) scaling with the length of the conductor of the two lowest cumulants of ω, where R=exp(iω→⋅Jbhat). The preliminary results discussed in the text are in qualitative agreement with those obtained by sophisticated microscopic theories.

Application of the method of initial functions for the analysis of composite laminated plates

The method of initial functions has been applied for deriving higher order theories for cross-ply laminated composite thick rectangular plates. The equations of three-dimensional elasticity have been used. No a priori assumptions regarding the distribution of stresses or displacements are needed. Numerical solutions of the governing equations have been presented for simply supported edges and the results are compared with available ones.

CSSI-PRO: a method for secondary structure type editing, assignment and estimation in proteins using linear combination of backbone chemical shifts

Estimation of secondary structure in polypeptides is important for studying their structure, folding and dynamics. In NMR spectroscopy, such information is generally obtained after sequence specific resonance assignments are completed. We present here a new methodology for assignment of secondary structure type to spin systems in proteins directly from NMR spectra, without prior knowledge of resonance assignments. The methodology, named Combination of Shifts for Secondary Structure Identification in Proteins (CSSI-PRO), involves detection of specific linear combination of backbone H-1(alpha) and C-13' chemical shifts in a two-dimensional (2D) NMR experiment based on G-matrix Fourier transform (GFT) NMR spectroscopy. Such linear combinations of shifts facilitate editing of residues belonging to alpha-helical/beta-strand regions into distinct spectral regions nearly independent of the amino acid type, thereby allowing the estimation of overall secondary structure content of the protein. Comparison of the predicted secondary structure content with those estimated based on their respective 3D structures and/or the method of Chemical Shift Index for 237 proteins gives a correlation of more than 90% and an overall rmsd of 7.0%, which is comparable to other biophysical techniques used for structural characterization of proteins. Taken together, this methodology has a wide range of applications in NMR spectroscopy such as rapid protein structure determination, monitoring conformational changes in protein-folding/ligand-binding studies and automated resonance assignment.

Three-dimensional corner reflector of arbitrary apex angle

A method of analysing a 3-dimensional corner reflector antenna of arbitrary apex angle is given. Expressions have been obtained for the far field of the 3-dimensional corner reflector fed by a dipole. The radiation resistance and the directive gain of the antenna have been calculated. The method described is applicable even when the feed dipole is arbitrarily oriented. It is found that the radiation along a prescribed direction can be circularly polarised (right or left) by suitably orienting the feed dipole.

Quasi-three-dimensional elastic stresses in rotating disks

A method is presented to obtain stresses and displacements in rotating disks by taking into account the effect of out-of-plane restraint conditions at the hub. The stresses and displacements are obtained in a non-dimensional form, presented in the form of graphs and compared with the generalized plane stress solution.