Studies on Stone Age Housepits in Fennoscandia (4000 - 2000 cal BC) : Changes in ground plan, site location and degree of sedentism

Housepits have a remarkably short research history as compared to Fennoscandian archaeological research on the Stone Age in general. The current understanding of the numbers and the distribution of Stone Age housepits in the Nordic countries has, for the most part, been shaped by archaeological studies carried out over the last twenty to thirty years. The main subjects of this research are Neolithic housepits, which are archaeological remains of semi-subterranean pithouses. This dissertation consists of five peer-reviewed articles and a synthesis paper. The articles deal with the development of housepits as seen in the data gathered from Finland (the Lake Saimaa area and south-eastern Finland) and Russia (the Karelian Isthmus). This synthesis expands the discussion of the changes observed in the Papers to include Fennoscandian housepit research as a whole. Certain changes in the size, shape, environmental location, and clustering of housepits extended into various cultures and ecological zones in northern Fennoscandia. Previously, the evolution of housepits has been interpreted to have been caused by the adaptation of Neolithic societies to prevailing environmental circumstances or to re-organization following contacts with the agrarian Corded Ware/Battle Axe Cultures spreading to North. This dissertation argues for two waves of change in the pithouse building tradition. Both waves brought with them certain changes in the pithouses themselves and in the practices of locating the dwellings in the environment/landscape. The changes in housepits do not go hand in hand with other changes in material culture, nor are the changes restricted to certain ecological environments. Based on current information, it appears that the changes relate primarily to the spread of new concepts of housing and possibly to new technology, as opposed to representing merely a local response to environmental factors. This development commenced already before the birth of the Corded Ware/Battle Axe Cultures. Therefore, the changes are argued to have resulted from the spreading of new ideas through the same networks that actively distributed commodities, exotic goods, and raw materials over vast areas between the southern Baltic Sea, the north-west Russian forest zone, and Fennoscandia.

A method for Estimating the Degree of Uncertainty With Respect to Life Cycle Assessment During Design

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is used to estimate a product's environmental impact. Using LCA during the earlier stages of design may produce erroneous results since information available on the product's lifecycle is typically incomplete at these stages. The resulting uncertainty must be accounted for in the decision-making process. This paper proposes a method for estimating the environmental impact of a product's life cycle and the associated degree of uncertainty of that impact using information generated during the design process. Total impact is estimated based on aggregation of individual product life cycle processes impacts. Uncertainty estimation is based on assessing the mismatch between the information required and the information available about the product life cycle in each uncertainty category, as well as their integration. The method is evaluated using pre-defined scenarios with varying uncertainty. DOI: 10.1115/1.4002163]

Effect of Substitution of Ca on Thermal Expansion of Cordierite (Mg2Al4Si5O18)

The effect of substitution of calcium on the anisotropic axial thermal expansion of cordierite was investigated by using a high-temperature X-ray diffraction technique. The compositions were prepared by the sol–gel route. In the Mg2-xCax-Al4Si5O18 system, single-phase cordierite can be prepared for x up to 0.5. Thermal expansion anisotropy (αa–αc) of cordierites reduces progressively by the substitution of increasing amounts of Ca for Mg.

Effect of substitution of Y on the structural, magnetic, and thermal properties of hexagonal DyMnO3 single crystals

We investigate the structural, magnetic, and specific heat behavior of the hexagonal manganite Dy0.5Y0.5MnO3 in order to understand the effect of dilution of Dy magnetism with nonmagnetic yttrium. In this compound, the triangular Mn lattice orders antiferromagnetic at T-N(Mn) approximate to 68 K observed experimentally in the derivative of magnetic susceptibility as well as in specific heat. In addition, a low-temperature peak at T-N(Dy) similar to 3 K is observed in specific heat which is attributed to rare earth order. The T-N(Mn) increases by 9 K compared to that of hexagonal (h) DyMnO3 while T-N(Dy) is unchanged. A change in slope of thermal evolution of lattice parameters is observed to occur at temperature close to T-N(Mn). This hints at strong magnetoelastic coupling in this geometric multiferroic. In magnetization measurements, steplike features are observed when the magnetic field is applied along the c axis which shift to higher fields with temperature and vanish completely above 40 K. The presence of different magnetic phases at low temperature and strong magnetoelastic effects can lead to such field-induced transitions which resemble metamagnetic transitions. This indicates the possibility of strong field-induced effects in dielectric properties of this material, which is unexplored to date.

Nonlinear dynamics and chaotic motions in feedback-controlled two- and three-degree-of-freedom robots

The dynamics of a feedback-controlled rigid robot is most commonly described by a set of nonlinear ordinary differential equations. In this paper we analyze these equations, representing the feedback-controlled motion of two- and three-degrees-of-freedom rigid robots with revolute (R) and prismatic (P) joints in the absence of compliance, friction, and potential energy, for the possibility of chaotic motions. We first study the unforced or inertial motions of the robots, and show that when the Gaussian or Riemannian curvature of the configuration space of a robot is negative, the robot equations can exhibit chaos. If the curvature is zero or positive, then the robot equations cannot exhibit chaos. We show that among the two-degrees-of-freedom robots, the PP and the PR robot have zero Gaussian curvature while the RP and RR robots have negative Gaussian curvatures. For the three-degrees-of-freedom robots, we analyze the two well-known RRP and RRR configurations of the Stanford arm and the PUMA manipulator respectively, and derive the conditions for negative curvature and possible chaotic motions. The criteria of negative curvature cannot be used for the forced or feedback-controlled motions. For the forced motion, we resort to the well-known numerical techniques and compute chaos maps, Poincare maps, and bifurcation diagrams. Numerical results are presented for the two-degrees-of-freedom RP and RR robots, and we show that these robot equations can exhibit chaos for low controller gains and for large underestimated models. From the bifurcation diagrams, the route to chaos appears to be through period doubling.

A differential geometric method for kinematic analysis of two- and three-degree-of-freedom rigid body motions

In this paper, we present a novel differential geometric characterization of two- and three-degree-of-freedom rigid body kinematics, using a metric defined on dual vectors. The instantaneous angular and linear velocities of a rigid body are expressed as a dual velocity vector, and dual inner product is defined on this dual vector, resulting in a positive semi-definite and symmetric dual matrix. We show that the maximum and minimum magnitude of the dual velocity vector, for a unit speed motion, can be obtained as eigenvalues of this dual matrix. Furthermore, we show that the tip of the dual velocity vector lies on a dual ellipse for a two-degree-of-freedom motion and on a dual ellipsoid for a three-degree-of-freedom motion. In this manner, the velocity distribution of a rigid body can be studied algebraically in terms of the eigenvalues of a dual matrix or geometrically with the dual ellipse and ellipsoid. The second-order properties of the two- and three-degree-of-freedom motions of a rigid body are also obtained from the derivatives of the elements of the dual matrix. This results in a definition of the geodesic motion of a rigid body. The theoretical results are illustrated with the help of a spatial 2R and a parallel three-degree-of-freedom manipulator.

Assessing Degree of Novelty of Products to Ascertain Innovative Products

Substantial increase in competition compels design firms to develop new products at an increasingly rapid pace. This situation pressurizes engineering teams to develop better products and at the same time develop products faster [1]. Continuous innovation is a key factor to enable a company to generate profit on a continued basis, through the introduction of new products in the market – a prime intention for Product Lifecycle Management. Creativity, affecting a wide spectrum of business portfolios, is regarded as the crucial factor for designing products. A central goal of product development is to create products that are sufficiently novel and useful. This research focuses on the determination of novelty of engineering products. Determination of novelty is important for ascertaining the newness of a product, to decide on the patentability of the design, to compare designers' capability of solving problems and to ascertain the potential market of a product. Few attempts at measuring novelty is available in literature [2, 3, 4], but more in-depth research is required for assessing degree of novelty of products. This research aims to determine the novelty of a product by enabling a person to determine the degree of novelty in a product. A measure of novelty has been developed by which the degree of ''novelty'' of products can be ascertained. An empirical study has been conducted to determine the validity of this method for determining the 'novelty' of the products.

Comparison of the degree of creativity in the design outcomes using different design methods

This work analyses the influence of several design methods on the degree of creativity of the design outcome. A design experiment has been carried out in which the participants were divided into four teams of three members, and each team was asked to work applying different design methods. The selected methods were Brainstorming, Functional Analysis, and SCAMPER method. The `degree of creativity' of each design outcome is assessed by means of a questionnaire offered to a number of experts and by means of three different metrics: the metric of Moss, the metric of Sarkar and Chakrabarti, and the evaluation of innovative potential. The three metrics share the property of measuring the creativity as a combination of the degree of novelty and the degree of usefulness. The results show that Brainstorming provides more creative outcomes than when no method is applied, while this is not proved for SCAMPER and Functional Analysis.

An analysis of substitution, deletion and insertion mutations in cancer genes

Cancer-associated mutations in cancer genes constitute a diverse set of mutations associated with the disease. To gain insight into features of the set, substitution, deletion and insertion mutations were analysed at the nucleotide level, from the COSMIC database. The most frequent substitutions were c -> t, g -> a, g -> t, and the most frequent codon changes were to termination codons. Deletions more than insertions, FS (frameshift) indels more than I-F (in-frame) ones, and single-nucleotide indels, were frequent. FS indels cause loss of significant fractions of proteins. The 5'-cut in FS deletions, and 5'-ligation in FS insertions, often occur between pairs of identical bases. Interestingly, the cut-site and 3'-ligation in insertions, and 3'-cut and join-pair in deletions, were each found to be the same significantly often (p < 0.001). It is suggested that these features aid the incorporation of indel mutations. Tumor suppressors undergo larger numbers of mutations, especially disruptive ones, over the entire protein length, to inactivate two alleles. Proto-oncogenes undergo fewer, less-disruptive mutations, in selected protein regions, to activate a single allele. Finally, catalogues, in ranked order, of genes mutated in each cancer, and cancers in which each gene is mutated, were created. The study highlights the nucleotide level preferences and disruptive nature of cancer mutations.

Optimization of degree of sphericity of primary phase during cooling slope casting of A356 Al alloy: Taguchi method and regression analysis

The present work presents the results of experimental investigation of semi-solid rheocasting of A356 Al alloy using a cooling slope. The experiments have been carried out following Taguchi method of parameter design (orthogonal array of L-9 experiments). Four key process variables (slope angle, pouring temperature, wall temperature, and length of travel of the melt) at three different levels have been considered for the present experimentation. Regression analysis and analysis of variance (ANOVA) has also been performed to develop a mathematical model for degree of sphericity evolution of primary alpha-Al phase and to find the significance and percentage contribution of each process variable towards the final outcome of degree of sphericity, respectively. The best processing condition has been identified for optimum degree of sphericity (0.83) as A(3), B-3, C-2, D-1 i.e., slope angle of 60 degrees, pouring temperature of 650 degrees C, wall temperature 60 degrees C, and 500 mm length of travel of the melt, based on mean response and signal to noise ratio (SNR). ANOVA results shows that the length of travel has maximum impact on degree of sphericity evolution. The predicted sphericity obtained from the developed regression model and the values obtained experimentally are found to be in good agreement with each other. The sphericity values obtained from confirmation experiment, performed at 95% confidence level, ensures that the optimum result is correct and also the confirmation experiment values are within permissible limits. (c) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Role of degree of saturation in denitrification of unsaturated sand specimens

Nitrate contamination of groundwater arises from anthropogenic activities, such as, fertilizer and animal manure applications and infiltration of wastewater/leachates. During migration of wastewater and leachates, the vadose zone (zone residing above the groundwater table), is considered to facilitate microbial denitrification. Particle voids in vadose zone are deficient in dissolved oxygen as the voids are partially filled by water and the remainder by air. Discontinuities in liquid phase would also restrict oxygen diffusion and therefore facilitate denitrification in the vadose/unsaturated soil zone. The degree of saturation of soil specimen (S (r)) quantifies the relative volume of voids filled with air and water. Unsaturated specimens have S (r) values ranging between 0 and 100 %. Earlier studies from naturally occurring nitrate losses in groundwater aquifers in Mulbagal town, Kolar District, Karnataka, showed that the sub-surface soils composed of residually derived sandy soil; hence, natural sand was chosen in the laboratory denitrification experiments. With a view to understand the role of vadose zone in denitrification process, experiments are performed with unsaturated sand specimens (S (r) = 73-90 %) whose pore water was spiked with nitrate and ethanol solutions. Experimental results revealed 73 % S (r) specimen facilitates nitrate reduction to 45 mg/L in relatively short durations of 5.5-7.5 h using the available natural organic matter (0.41 % on mass basis of sand); consequently, ethanol addition did not impact rate of denitrification. However, at higher S (r) values of 81 and 90 %, extraneous ethanol addition (C/N = 0.5-3) was needed to accelerate the denitrification rates.

Influence of initial degree of saturation on swell pressures of compacted Barmer bentonite specimens

Densely compacted bentonite or bentonite-sand mixture has been identified as suitable buffer in deep geological repositories as its exceptionally high swelling capacity enables tight contact between the waste canister and surrounding rock. The degree of saturation of the compacted bentonite buffer can increase upon ingress of groundwater from the surrounding rock mass or decrease from evaporation due to high temperature (50-210 degrees C) derived from the waste canister. Available studies indicate that the influence of initial moisture content or degree of saturation on the swell pressure or swell potential of compacted bentonites is unclear. Some studies suggest that initial degree of saturation has an influence, while others suggest that it does not have bearing on the swell pressure of compacted bentonites. This paper examines the influence of initial degree of saturation in montmorillonite voids (termed,S-r,S-MF) on swell pressure of compacted Barmer bentonite-sand mixtures (dry density range: 1.4-2 Mg/m(3)) from micro-structural considerations. The experimental results bring out that, constant dry density specimens that developed similar number of hydration layers upon wetting developed comparable swell pressures and were unaffected by variations in initial S-r,S-MF values. Comparatively, constant dry density specimens that developed dis-similar number of hydration layers upon wetting established different swell pressures and were responsive to variations in initial S-r,S-MF. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

MODELING AND SIMULATION OF A THREE-WHEELED MOBILE ROBOT ON UNEVEN TERRAINS WITH TWO-DEGREE-OF-FREEDOM SUSPENSION MECHANISMS

A wheeled mobile robot (WMR) will move on an uneven terrain without slip if its torus-shaped wheels tilt in a lateral direction. An independent two degree-of-freedom (DOF) suspension is required to maintain contact with uneven terrain and for lateral tilting. This article deals with the modeling and simulation of a three-wheeled mobile robot with torus-shaped wheels and four novel two-DOF suspension mechanism concepts. Simulations are performed on an uneven terrain for three representative pathsa straight line, a circular, and an S'-shaped path. Simulations show that a novel concept using double four-bar mechanism performs better than the other three concepts.

Three-degree-of-freedom Parallel Manipulator to Track the Sun for Concentrated Solar Power Systems

In concentrated solar power(CSP) generating stations, incident solar energy is reflected from a large number of mirrors or heliostats to a faraway receiver. In typical CSP installations, the mirror needs to be moved about two axes independently using two actuators in series with the mirror effectively mounted at a single point. A three degree-of-freedom parallel manipulator, namely the 3-RPS parallel manipulator, is proposed to track the sun. The proposed 3-RPS parallel manipulator supports the load of the mirror, structure and wind loading at three points resulting in less deflection, and thus a much larger mirror can be moved with the required tracking accuracy and without increasing the weight of the support structure. The kinematics equations to determine motion of the actuated prismatic joints in the 3-RPS parallel manipulator such that the sun's rays are reflected on to a stationary receiver are developed. Using finite element analysis, it is shown that for same sized mirror, wind loading and maximum deflection requirement, the weight of the support structure is between 15% and 60% less with the 3-RPS parallel manipulator when compared to azimuth-elevation or the target-aligned configurations.