Towards topology-free optimization - An application to turbine internal cooling geometries

The application of automated design optimization to real-world, complex geometry problems is a significant challenge - especially if the topology is not known a priori like in turbine internal cooling. The long term goal of our work is to focus on an end-to-end integration of the whole CFD Process, from solid model through meshing, solving and post-processing to enable this type of design optimization to become viable & practical. In recent papers we have reported the integration of a Level Set based geometry kernel with an octree-based cut- Cartesian mesh generator, RANS flow solver, post-processing & geometry editing all within a single piece of software - and all implemented in parallel with commodity PC clusters as the target. The cut-cells which characterize the approach are eliminated by exporting a body-conformal mesh guided by the underpinning Level Set. This paper extends this work still further with a simple scoping study showing how the basic functionality can be scripted & automated and then used as the basis for automated optimization of a generic gas turbine cooling geometry. Copyright © 2008 by W.N.Dawes.

Maximin 9, a novel free thiol containing antimicrobial peptide with antimycoplasma activity from frog Bombina maxima

Amphibian skin is a rich resource of antimicrobial peptides, like maximins and maximin Hs from frog Bombina maxima. Novel cDNA clones encoding a precursor protein, which comprises a novel maximin peptide (maximin 9) and reported maximin H3, were isolated from two constructed skin cDNA libraries of B. maxima. The predicted primary structure of maximin 9 is GIGRKFLGGVKTTFRCGVKDFASKHLY-NH2. A surprising substitution is at position 16, with a free cysteine in maximin 9 rather than usual conserved glycine in other reported maximins. Maximin 9, the homodimer form and its Cys(16) to Gly(16) mutant were synthesized and their antimicrobial activities were evaluated. Unlike previously reported maximin 3, the tested bacterial and fungal strains were resistant to maximin 9, its homodimer and the Cys(16) to Gly(16) mutant (with MICs > 100 mu M). On the other hand, interestingly, while eight clinical Mollicutes strains were generally resistant to maximin 9 homodimer and its Cys(16) to Gly(16) mutant, most of them are sensitive to maximin 9 at a peptide concentration of 30 mu M, especially in the presence of dithiothreitol. These results indicate that the presence of a reactive Cys residue in maximin 9 is important for its antimycoplasma activity. The diversity of antimicrobial peptide cDNA structures encountered in B. maxima skin cDNA libraries and the antimicrobial specificity differences of the peptides may reflect well the species' adaptation to the unique microbial environments. (c) 2005 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Catalyst-free synthesis of zinc oxide nanostructures by microheaters in the ambient environment

This paper demonstrates a catalyst-free synthesis of ZnO nanostructures using platinum microheaters under ambient environmental conditions. Different morphologies of ZnO nanostructures are synthesized from the oxidization of Zn thin film by local heating. The synthesized ZnO structures are characterized by the SEM, EDX and Raman spectra. The characterization of two shapes of Pt microheaters is investigated and the relationship between the applied heating power and ZnO nanostructures synthesis is investigated under ambient conditions. We observe that the density and morphology of ZnO nanostructures can be controlled through applied heating voltages. Furthermore, a connected composite structural (Zn-ZnO-Zn) layer is synthesized using combinative microheaters. © 2011 IEEE.

Poor fish farmers' accessibility to credits: A review

Fisheries sector contributes about 5.3% to GDP and about 6% of the export earnings of Bangladesh. There are about 4.1 million ha of inland water bodies in Bangladesh. However, over last two decades the catch from inland capture fishery has decreased due to filling of wet lands and other anthropogenic reasons. Accordingly, the production of inland fish has decreased not only for the decrease of water bodies but also due to irrational catch of fish fries, brood fishes and use of current nets for fishing. Significant responses from the fisheries entrepreneurs have not been received for the small loan scheme of the Bangladesh Bank. The bank could not disburse more than Tk. 500 million under the scheme. The total revolving credit under the scheme was Tk. 1,000 million with the assistance from the World Bank. The business houses having fixed assets of value not more than Tk. 10 million will be eligible to borrow from this fund. About Tk. 0.2-5.0 million can be borrowed as term loan and working capital from Bangladesh Bank through commercial banks. The loan was given to the commercial banks at 5% interest (bank rate) and the commercial banks shall also bridge finance to the entrepreneurs at a lower rate of interest. Working capital time limit is for a maximum of 1 year with half yearly rest, mid-term loan maximum of 3 years in 5 installments and with 6 months grace period and long-term loan maximum of 5 years in 9 installments with 6 months grace period.

The free alpha amino acid nitrogen contents of some common food fishes of Kakinada region, Andhra Pradesh

The moisture and free alpha amino nitrogen contents of some important food fishes and shell fishes of Kakinada region have been studied. Crustaceans and molluscs contain free alpha amino acids in quantities several times higher than all other aquatic animals examined in this study. Their probable role in the physiological activities of these animals has been discussed.

Spring-to-Spring Balancing as Energy-Free Adjustment Method in Gravity Equilibrators

Generally, adjustment of gravity equilibrator to a new payload requires energy, e.g. to increase the pre-load of the balancing spring. A novel way of energy-free adjustment of gravity equilibrators is possible by introducing the concept of a storage spring. The storage spring supplies or stores the energy necessary to adjust the balancer spring of the gravity equilibrator. In essence the storage spring mechanism maintains a constant potential energy within the spring mechanism; energy is exchanged between the storage and balancer spring when needed. Various conceptual designs using both zero-free-length springs and regular extension springs are proposed. Two models were manufactured demonstrating the practical embodiments and functionality.

On the development of a mercury-free ternary aluminium anode for cathodic protection

The development of a new mercury-free ternary aluminum anode (CIFTAL) for cathodic protection of marine structures is described. The new anode demonstrated a current efficiency of 83.5% to 85.4% in a current density range of 5.6 to 166.7 mAdmˉ². The current efficiency remained practically stable at 1.4 mAdmˉ² over a test period of 300 days. The service trials of the anode on steel trawlers and aluminum (Indal M 57 S) sheathed wooden boats have shown satisfactory performance in terms of uniform dissolution, current efficiency and driving voltage. In the wake of legislations restricting the use of anodes containing mercury in an endeavor to control the mercury pollution of the near shore aquatic environment, the new anode (CIFTAL) with its stable current output and high current efficiency merits significance in marine cathodic protection.

Avoidant Learning Ability in Free Flying Housefly (Aldrichina grahami)by Electric Shock

下载PDF阅读器研究证实:蜜蜂和果蝇具有良好的学习记忆能力.利用自主改良的研究装置对另一种具有强大生存本能的双翅目昆虫--巨尾阿丽蝇(Aldrichina grahami)在自由状态下电击同避学习能力进行研究.结果表明,巨尾阿丽蝇具有良好的学习记忆能力,因为当刺激电压范围为5V到45V时,观察到巨尾阿丽蝇有显著的回避电刺激行为,而当电压达到60V时会受到明显伤害.由此推测,巨尾阿丽蝇适合作为神经系统研究的动物模型.该实验所采用的实验范例较以往有所改进,适合作为自由状态下研究昆虫的工具.

Development of zona-free hamster ova to blastocysts in vitro

The zona pellucida (ZP) enclosing the mammalian ovum is important for its protection and for initial stages of fertilization, but the role of the ZP during embryo development is less clear. This study was designed to investigate if the hamster ZP is needed for embryo development from 1-cell to blastocyst in vitro, and to compare methods for removing the ZP. A total of 395 hamster pronucleate ova were collected 10 h post activation from superovulated, mated female hamsters. The ZP was removed from some ova using either 0.05% pronase, 0.05% trypsin or acid Tyrode's solution. To prevent ZP-free ova from sticking together, they were cultured singly in 30-50 muL drops of HECM-6 culture medium together with ZP-intact ova as controls. There was no significant difference among treatment groups in embryo development to blastocyst: 36/87 (42%) in the ZP intact group; 35/75 (47%) in the pronase-treated ZP-free group; 37/74 (50%) in the trypsin-treated ZP-free group; and 37/71 (52%) in the acid-treated ZP-free group. These results indicate that 1) the ZP is unnecessary for hamster embryo development in vitro from the pronucleate ovum stage to blastocyst; 2) none of the three ZP-removal methods was detrimental to embryo development; 3) embryos do not need to be cultured in groups during in vitro development from 1-cell to blastocyst. (C) 2000 by Elsevier Science Inc.