Metop-A generator for single top production via FCNC interactions

We present a generator for single top-quark production via flavour-changing neutral currents. The MEtop event generator allows for Next-to-Leading-Order direct top production pp -> t and Leading-Order production of several other single top processes. A few packages with definite sets of dimension six operators are available. We discuss how to improve the bounds on the effective operators and how well new physics can be probed with each set of independent dimension six operators.

Single-lap joints of similar and dissimilar adherends bonded with an acrylic adhesive

In this study, the tensile strength of single-lap joints (SLJs) between similar and dissimilar adherends bonded with an acrylic adhesive was evaluated experimentally and numerically. The adherend materials included polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), carbon-epoxy (CFRP), and glass-polyester (GFRP) composites. The following adherend combinations were tested: PE/PE, PE/PP, PE/CFRP, PE/GFRP, PP/PP, CFRP/CFRP, and GFRP/GFRP. One of the objectives of this work was to assess the influence of the adherends stiffness on the strength of the joints since it significantly affects the peel stresses magnitude in the adhesive layer. The experimental results were also used to validate a new mixed-mode cohesive damage model developed to simulate the adhesive layer. Thus, the experimental results were compared with numerical simulations performed in ABAQUS®, including a developed mixed-mode (I+II) cohesive damage model, based on the indirect use of fracture mechanics and implemented within interface finite elements. The cohesive laws present a trapezoidal shape with an increasing stress plateau, to reproduce the behaviour of the ductile adhesive used. A good agreement was found between the experimental and numerical results.

Effect of temperature on the shear strength of aluminium single lap bonded joints for high temperature applications

An experimental and numerical investigation into the shear strength behaviour of adhesive single lap joints (SLJs) was carried out in order to understand the effect of temperature on the joint strength. The adherend material used for the experimental tests was an aluminium alloy in the form of thin sheets, and the adhesive used was a high-strength high temperature epoxy. Tensile tests as a function of temperature were performed and numerical predictions based on the use of a bilinear cohesive damage model were obtained. It is shown that at temperatures below Tg, the lap shear strength of SLJs increased, while at temperatures above Tg, a drastic drop in the lap shear strength was observed. Comparison between the experimental and numerical maximum loads representing the strength of the joints shows a reasonably good agreement.

The use of the boundary element method in the analysis of single lap joints

The most common techniques for stress analysis/strength prediction of adhesive joints involve analytical or numerical methods such as the Finite Element Method (FEM). However, the Boundary Element Method (BEM) is an alternative numerical technique that has been successfully applied for the solution of a wide variety of engineering problems. This work evaluates the applicability of the boundary elem ent code BEASY as a design tool to analyze adhesive joints. The linearity of peak shear and peel stresses with the applied displacement is studied and compared between BEASY and the analytical model of Frostig et al., considering a bonded single-lap joint under tensile loading. The BEM results are also compared with FEM in terms of stress distributions. To evaluate the mesh convergence of BEASY, the influence of the mesh refinement on peak shear and peel stress distributions is assessed. Joint stress predictions are carried out numerically in BEASY and ABAQUS®, and analytically by the models of Volkersen, Goland, and Reissner and Frostig et al. The failure loads for each model are compared with experimental results. The preparation, processing, and mesh creation times are compared for all models. BEASY results presented a good agreement with the conventional methods.

Numerical and Experimental Analysis of Balanced and Unbalanced Adhesive Single-Lap Joints between Aluminium Adherends

The single-lap joint is the most commonly used, although it endures significant bending due to the non-collinear load path, which negatively affects its load bearing capabilities. The use of material or geometric changes is widely documented in the literature to reduce this handicap, acting by reduction of peel and shear peak stresses or alterations of the failure mechanism emerging from local modifications. In this work, the effect of using different thickness adherends on the tensile strength of single-lap joints, bonded with a ductile and brittle adhesive, was numerically and experimentally evaluated. The joints were tested under tension for different combinations of adherend thickness. The effect of the adherends thickness mismatch on the stress distributions was also investigated by Finite Elements (FE), which explained the experimental results and the strength prediction of the joints. The numerical study was made by FE and Cohesive Zone Modelling (CZM), which allowed characterizing the entire fracture process. For this purpose, a FE analysis was performed in ABAQUS® considering geometric non-linearities. In the end, a detailed comparative evaluation of unbalanced joints, commonly used in engineering applications, is presented to give an understanding on how modifications in the bonded structures thickness can influence the joint performance.

Effect of Adherend Recessing on the Tensile Strength of Single Lap Joints

Bonded joints are gaining importance in many fields of manufacturing owing to a significant number of advantages to the traditional methods. The single lap joint (SLJ) is the most commonly used method. The use of material or geometric changes in SLJ reduces peel and shear peak stresses at the damage initiation sites. In this work, the effect of adherend recessing at the overlap edges on the tensile strength of SLJ, bonded with a brittle adhesive, was experimentally and numerically studied. The recess dimensions (length and depth) were optimized for different values of overlap length (LO), thus allowing the maximization of the joint’s strength by the reduction of peak stresses at the overlap edges. The effect of recessing was also investigated by a finite element (FE) analysis and cohesive zone modelling (CZM), which allowed characterizing the entire fracture process and provided joint strength predictions. For this purpose, a static FE analysis was performed in ABAQUS1 considering geometric nonlinearities. In the end, the experimental and FE results revealed the accuracy of the FE analysis in predicting the strength and also provided some design principles for the strength improvement of SLJ using a relatively simple and straightforward technique.

Adhesive selection for single lap bonded joints: Experimentation and advanced techniques for strength prediction

The integrity of multi-component structures is usually determined by their unions. Adhesive-bonding is often used over traditional methods because of the reduction of stress concentrations, reduced weight penalty, and easy manufacturing. Commercial adhesives range from strong and brittle (e.g., Araldite® AV138) to less strong and ductile (e.g., Araldite® 2015). A new family of polyurethane adhesives combines high strength and ductility (e.g., Sikaforce® 7888). In this work, the performance of the three above-mentioned adhesives was tested in single lap joints with varying values of overlap length (LO). The experimental work carried out is accompanied by a detailed numerical analysis by finite elements, either based on cohesive zone models (CZM) or the extended finite element method (XFEM). This procedure enabled detailing the performance of these predictive techniques applied to bonded joints. Moreover, it was possible to evaluate which family of adhesives is more suited for each joint geometry. CZM revealed to be highly accurate, except for largely ductile adhesives, although this could be circumvented with a different cohesive law. XFEM is not the most suited technique for mixed-mode damage growth, but a rough prediction was achieved.

New control algorithm for single-phase series active power filter

This paper presents a single-phase Series Active Power Filter (Series APF) for mitigation of the load voltage harmonic content, while maintaining the voltage on the DC side regulated without the support of a voltage source. The proposed series active power filter control algorithm eliminates the additional voltage source to regulate the DC voltage, and with the adopted topology it is not used a coupling transformer to interface the series active power filter with the electrical power grid. The paper describes the control strategy which encapsulates the grid synchronization scheme, the compensation voltage calculation, the damping algorithm and the dead-time compensation. The topology and control strategy of the series active power filter have been evaluated in simulation software and simulations results are presented. Experimental results, obtained with a developed laboratorial prototype, validate the theoretical assumptions, and are within the harmonic spectrum limits imposed by the international recommendations of the IEEE-519 Standard.

Anticoagulant resistance in Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus Berk.) in Kent - a VKORC1 single nucleotide polymorphism, tyrosine139phenylalanine, new to the UK

A sample of 10 Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) was taken for DNA resistance testing from an agricultural site in Kent where applications of the anticoagulant rodenticide bromadiolone had been unsuccessful. All animals tested were homozygous for the single nucleotide VKORC1 polymorphism tyrosine139phenylalanine, or Y139F. This is a common resistance mutation found extensively in France and Belgium but not previously in the UK. Y139F confers a significant level of resistance to first-generation anticoagulants, such as chlorophacinone, and to the second-generation compound bromadiolone. Another compound widely used in the UK, difenacoum, is also thought to be partially resisted by rats which carry Y139F. A silent VKORC1 mutation was also found in all rats tested. The presence of a third important VKORC1 mutation which confers resistance to anticoagulant rodenticides in widespread use in the UK, the others being Y139C and L120Q, further threatens the ability of pest control practitioners to deliver effective rodent control.

Synthesis, characterization, and single crystal X-ray structure of the 1-furoyl-3-cyclohexylthiourea cadmium chloride complex, Cd[C4H3OC(O)NHC(S)NHC6H11]4Cl2

Cadmium chloride complex of 1-furoyl-3-cyclohexylthiourea (CyTu) was prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, IR, and Raman spectroscopy. The structure of the complex was determined by single crystal X-ray methods (space group Bbab, a = 20.918(1), b = 23.532(1), c = 23.571(1) angstrom, = = , Z = 8). Each cadmium has distorted octahedral geometry, coordinated by two chlorides and the thiocarbonyl sulfurs from four CyTu molecules. All the spectroscopic data are consistent with coordination of CyTu by sulfur to cadmium.

Decreased Sperm Motility in Rats Orally Exposed to Single or Mixed Pesticides

The Brazilian Agency of Sanitary Vigilance (ANVISA) conducted a study that demonstrated the presence of residues of several pesticides in fresh fruits and vegetables that were available for purchase by the general populace. In order to evaluate potential adverse health effects of low-level exposure to agrochemicals, the reproductive toxicity of the pesticides dicofol, dichlorvos, permethrin, endosulfan, and dieldrin was evaluated in rats dosed with these chemicals individually or as mixtures. Sixty male Lewis rats (6 wk old, 200 x g) were randomly allocated to 8 groups: (1) control group, received basal diet; (2) 5 groups designated a to e received the diet containing each pesticide individually, at the respective effective doses: lowest-observed-adverse-effect level (LOAEL) for dieldrin and endosulfan, lowest-observed-effect level (LOEL) for dicofol, and lowest effect level (LEL) for dichlorvos and permethrin, respectively, depending on the published data; (3) effective dose group, which received a mixture of pesticides added to basal diet at the respective doses reported to produce adverse effects; and (4) low dose group, which received a pesticide mixture added to the basal diet, where each pesticide was at its no-observed-effect level (NOEL). After 8 wk of treatment, reproductive parameters were evaluated. Sperm morphology, daily sperm production (DSP), sperm transit time through the epididymis, hormonal levels, and histopathological evaluation of testis and epididymis did not differ significantly among the groups. However, sperm motility was significantly decreased in animals that received a mixture of dieldrin, endosulfan, dicofol, dichlorvos, and permethrin, as well as in the group receiving dicofol alone. Exposure to the individual pesticides endosulfan, dichlorvos, and permethrin did not markedly affect sperm motility. The impairment of sperm motility in the mixture of pesticides at the NOEL level indicates that reproductive effects not seen with individual pesticides may occur in presence of several pesticides due to an additive effect. However, the pesticide mixtures did not appear to affect DSP or spermatogenesis despite reduced sperm motility.

Search for production of single top quarks via tcg and tug flavor-changing-neutral-current couplings

We search for the production of single top quarks via flavor-changing-neutral-current couplings of a gluon to the top quark and a charm (c) or up (u) quark. We analyze 230 pb(-1) of lepton+jets data from p (p) over tilde collisions at a center of mass energy of 1.96 TeV collected by the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. We observe no significant deviation from standard model predictions, and hence set upper limits on the anomalous coupling parameters kappa(c)(g)/Lambda and kappa(u)(g)/Lambda, where kappa(g) define the strength of tcg and tug couplings, and Lambda defines the scale of new physics. The limits at 95% C.L. are kappa(c)(g)/Lambda < 0.15 TeV-1 and kappa(u)(g)/Lambda < 0.037 TeV-1.

Search for single top quark production in pp collisions at root s=1.96 TeV

We present a search for electroweak production of single top quarks in the s-channel and t-channel using neural networks for signal-background separation. We have analyzed 230 pb(-1) of data collected with the DO detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV and find no evidence for a single top quark signal. The resulting 95% confidence level upper limits on the single top quark production cross sections are 6.4 pb in the s-channel and 5.0 ph in the t-channel. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evidence for production of single top quarks and first direct measurement of vertical bar V-tb vertical bar

The D0 Collaboration presents first evidence for the production of single top quarks at the Fermilab Tevatron < p(p)over bar > collider. Using a 0.9 fb(-1) dataset, we apply a multivariate analysis to separate signal from background and measure sigma(< p(p)over bar >-> tb+X,tqb+X)=4.9 +/- 1.4 pb. The probability to measure a cross section at this value or higher in the absence of a signal is 0.035%, corresponding to a 3.4 standard deviation significance. We use the cross section measurement to directly determine the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element that describes the Wtb coupling and find 0.68

Search for single production of scalar leptoquarks in p(p)over-bar collisions decaying into muons and quarks with the D0 detector

lWe report on a search for second generation leptoquarks (LQ(2)) which decay into a muon plus quark in (p) over barp collisions at a center-of-mass energy of root s = 1.96 TeV in the DO detector using an integrated luminosity of about 300 pb(-1). No evidence for a leptoquark signal is observed and an upper bound on the product of the cross section for single leptoquark production times branching fraction into a quark and a muon was determined for second generation scalar leptoquaiks as a function of the leptoquark mass. This result has been combined with a previously published DO search for leptoquark pair production to obtain leptoquark mass limits as a function of the leptoquark-muon-quark coupling, lambda. Assuming lambda = 1, lower limits on the mass of a second generation scalar leptoquark coupling to a u quark and a muon are m(LQ2) > 274 GeV and m(LQ2) > 226 GeV for beta = 1 and beta = 1/2, respectively. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.