The gas flow rate increase obtained by an oscillating piezoelectric actuator on a micronozzle

Micronozzles with piezoelectric actuator were fabricated and investigated. The micronozzles were fabricated in glass substrates using a powder-blasting technique, and the actuator is a bimorph structure made from a piezoelectric polymer. The actuator was located at the nozzle outlet, and was driven in an oscillating mode by applying an alternating voltage across the actuator electrodes. With a pressure difference between inlet and outlet, the gas flow rate through the device was increased. This effect was quantified, and compared to a similar micronozzle with no actuator. The increase in the flow rate was defined as the gas flow through the micronozzle with actuator oscillating minus the gas flow without actuator, was found to depend on the inlet pressure, the pressure ratio, and the nozzle throat diameter. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The gas flow rate increase obtained by an oscillating piezoelectric actuator on a micronozzle

Micronozzles with piezoelectric actuator were fabricated and investigated. The micronozzles were fabricated in glass substrates using a powder-blasting technique, and the actuator is a bimorph structure made from a piezoelectric polymer. The actuator was located at the nozzle outlet, and was driven in an oscillating mode by applying an alternating voltage across the actuator electrodes. With a pressure difference between inlet and outlet, the gas flow rate through the device was increased. This effect was quantified, and compared to a similar micronozzle with no actuator. The increase in the flow rate was defined as the gas flow through the micronozzle with actuator oscillating minus the gas flow without actuator, was found to depend on the inlet pressure, the pressure ratio, and the nozzle throat diameter. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

New Rate Schedules - 1927

A notification from the Canadian Niagara Power Co. detailing a rate increase for domestic customers. Two schedules are listed, one for customers under 1,000 watts and the other for customers over 1,000 watts.

Effect of hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide-based microemulsions on the rate of decomposition of the beta-lactam antibiotic cephaclor

Microemulsions of hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HTAB)/n-butanol/hexadecane/water catalyze the intramolecular degradation of cephaclor. The rate increase is a sensitive function of the microemulsion volume fraction and salt concentration. The effects of microemulsions, analyzed quantitatively using a pseudophase ion-exchange model, assumed that the extent of ion dissociation from the microemulsions varies with volume fraction. Comparison of micellar and microemulsion effects on the same reaction shows that microemulsions are less effective catalysts. Acceleration decreased significantly by increasing the relative proportion of n-butanol ratio in microemulsions and by addition of n-butanol in HTAB micelles. Comparison of the activation parameters of the reaction in aqueous solution, microemulsions, and micelles suggests that catalysis by both aggregates is driven mainly by entropic contributions.

The high spontaneous mutation rate: Is it a health risk?*

The human mutation rate for base substitutions is much higher in males than in females and increases with paternal age. This effect is mainly, if not entirely, due to the large number of cell divisions in the male germ line. The mutation-rate increase is considerably greater than expected if the mutation rate were simply proportional to the number of cell divisions. In contrast, those mutations that are small deletions or rearrangements do not show the paternal age effect. The observed increase with the age of the father in the incidence of children with different dominant mutations is variable, presumably the result of different mixtures of base substitutions and deletions. In Drosophila, the rate of mutations causing minor deleterious effects is estimated to be about one new mutation per zygote. Because of a larger number of genes and a much larger amount of DNA, the human rate is presumably higher. Recently, the Drosophila data have been reanalyzed and the mutation-rate estimate questioned, but I believe that the totality of evidence supports the original conclusion. The most reasonable way in which a species can cope with a high mutation rate is by quasi-truncation selection, whereby a number of mutant genes are eliminated by one “genetic death.”

Exchange rate overvaluation under hyperinflation: The case of Peru

This dissertation examines the behavior of the exchange rate under two different scenarios. The first one is characterized by, relatively, low inflation or a situation where prices adjust sluggishly. The second is a high inflation economy where prices respond very rapidly even to unanticipated shocks. In the first one, following a monetary expansion, the exchange rate overshoots, i.e. the nominal exchange rate depreciates at a faster pace than the price level. Under high levels of inflation, prices change faster than the exchange rate so the exchange rate undershoots its long run equilibrium value.^ The standard work in this area, Dornbusch (1976), explains the overshooting process in the context of perfect capital mobility and sluggish adjustment in the goods market. A monetary expansion will make the exchange rate increase beyond its long run equilibrium value. This dissertation expands on Dornbusch's model and provides an analysis of the exchange rate under conditions of currency substitution and price flexibility, characteristics of the Peruvian economy during the hyper inflation process that took place at the end of the 1980's. The results of the modified Dornbusch model reveal that, given a monetary expansion, the change in the price level will be larger than the change in the exchange rate if prices react more than proportionally to the monetary shock.^ We will expect this over-reaction in circumstances of high inflation when the velocity of money is increasing very rapidly. Increasing velocity of money, gives rise to a higher relative price variability which in turn contributes to the appearance of new financial (and also non-financial) instruments that report a higher return than the exchange rate, causing people to switch their demand for foreign exchange to this new assets. In the context of currency substitution, economic agents hoard and use foreign exchange as a store of value. The big decline in output originated by hyper inflation induces people to sell this hoarded money to finance current expenses, increasing the supply of foreign exchange in the market. Both, the decrease in demand and the increase in supply reduce the price of foreign exchange i.e. the real exchange rate. The findings mentioned above are tested using Peruvian data for the period January 1985-July 1990, the results of the econometric estimation confirm our findings in the theoretical model. ^

A new online secondary path modelling method for feedforward active noise control systems

An online secondary path modelling method using a white noise as a training signal is required in many applications of active noise control (ANC) to ensure convergence of the system. Not continually injection of white noise during system operation makes the system more desirable. The purposes of the proposed method are two folds: controlling white noise by preventing continually injection, and benefiting white noise with a larger variance. The modelling accuracy and the convergence rate increase when a white noise with larger variance is used, however larger the variance increases the residual noise, which decreases performance of the system. This paper proposes a new approach for online secondary path modelling in feedfoward ANC systems. The proposed algorithm uses the advantages of the white noise with larger variance to model the secondary path, but the injection is stopped at the optimum point to increase performance of the system. Comparative simulation results shown in this paper indicate effectiveness of the proposed approach in controlling active noise.

Benefiting white noise in developing feedforward active noise control systems

In many applications of active noise control (ANC), an online secondary path modelling method using a white noise as a training signal is required to ensure convergence of the system. The modelling accuracy and the convergence rate increase when a white noise with larger variance is used, however larger the variance increases the residual noise, which decreases performance of the system. The proposed algorithm uses the advantages of the white noise with larger variance to model the secondary path, but the injection is stopped at the optimum point to increase performance of the system. In this approach, instead of continuous injection of the white noise, a sudden change in secondary path during the operation makes the algorithm to reactivate injection of the white noise to adjust the secondary path estimation. Comparative simulation results shown in this paper indicate effectiveness of the proposed method.

Emergency Handling in MICS based Body Area Network

Body Area Network, a new wireless networking paradigm, promises to revolutionize the healthcare applications. A number of tiny sensor nodes are strategically placed in and around the human body to obtain physiological information. The sensor nodes are connected to a coordinator or a data collector to form a Body Area Network. The tiny devices may sense physiological parameters of emergency in nature (e.g. abnormality in heart bit rate, increase of glucose level above the threshold etc.) that needs immediate attention of a physician. Due to ultra low power requirement of wireless body area network, most of the time, the coordinator and devices are expected to be in the dormant mode, categorically when network is not operational. This leads to an open question, how to handle and meet the QoS requirement of emergency data when network is not operational? Emergency handling becomes more challenging at the MAC layer, if the channel access related information is unknown to the device with emergency message. The aforementioned scenarios are very likely scenarios in a MICS (Medical Implant Communication Service, 402-405 MHz) based healthcare systems. This paper proposes a mechanism for timely and reliable transfer of emergency data in a MICS based Body Area Network. We validate our protocol design with simulation in a C++ framework. Our simulation results show that more than 99 p ercentage of the time emergency messages are reached at the coordinator with a delay of 400ms.

Fundamental Studies of Carbon Oxygen Bond Activation in Nickel Diphosphine Ether Complexes. And, Metallomacrocycles as Ligands: Synthesis and Characterization of Aluminum-Bridged Bisglyoximato Complexes of Iron and Cobalt

In order to develop better catalysts for the cleavage of aryl-X bonds fundamental studies of the mechanism and individual steps of the mechanism have been investigated in detail. As the described studies are difficult at best in catalytic systems, model systems are frequently used. To study aryl-oxygen bond activation, a terphenyl diphosphine scaffold containing an ether moiety in the central arene was designed. The first three chapters of this dissertation focus on the studies of the nickel complexes supported by this diphosphine backbone and the research efforts in regards to aryl-oxygen bond activation.

Chapter 2 outlines the synthesis of a variety of diphosphine terphenyl ether ligand scaffolds. The metallation of these scaffolds with nickel is described. The reactivity of these nickel(0) systems is also outlined. The systems were found to typically undergo a reductive cleavage of the aryl oxygen bond. The mechanism was found to be a subsequent oxidative addition, β-H elimination, reductive elimination and (or) decarbonylation.

Chapter 3 presents kinetic studies of the aryl oxygen bond in the systems outlined in Chapter 2. Using a series of nickel(0) diphosphine terphenyl ether complexes the kinetics of aryl oxygen bond activation was studied. The activation parameters of oxidative addition for the model systems were determined. Little variation was observed in the rate and activation parameters of oxidative addition with varying electronics in the model system. The cause of the lack of variation is due to the ground state and oxidative addition transition state being affected similarly. Attempts were made to extend this study to catalytic systems.

Chapter 4 investigates aryl oxygen bond activation in the presence of additives. It was found that the addition of certain metal alkyls to the nickel(0) model system lead to an increase in the rate of aryl oxygen bond activation. The addition of excess Grignard reagent led to an order of magnitude increase in the rate of aryl oxygen bond activation. Similarly the addition of AlMe3 led to a three order of magnitude rate increase. Addition of AlMe₃ at -80 °C led to the formation of an intermediate which was identified by NOESY correlations as a system in which the AlMe3 is coordinated to the ether moiety of the backbone. The rates and activation parameters of aryl oxygen bond activation in the presence of AlMe3 were investigated.

The last two chapters involve the study of metalla-macrocycles as ligands. Chapter 5 details the synthesis of a variety of glyoxime backbones and diphenol precursors and their metallation with aluminum. The coordination chemistry of iron on the aluminum scaffolds was investigated. Varying the electronics of the aluminum macrocycle was found to affect the observed electrochemistry of the iron center.

Chapter 6 extends the studies of chapter 5 to cobalt complexes. The synthesis of cobalt dialuminum glyoxime metal complexes is described. The electrochemistry of the cobalt complexes was investigated. The electrochemistry was compared to the observed electrochemistry of a zinc analog to identify the redox activity of the ligand. In the presence of acid the cobalt complexes were found to electrochemically reduce protons to dihydrogen. The electronics of the ancillary aluminum ligands were found to affect the potential of proton reduction in the cobalt complexes. These potentials were compared to other diglyoximate complexes.

Special carbon requirement of Spirulina platensis culture. [Translation from: Materialy VII Vsesoyuznogo Rabochego Soveshchanii po Voprosu Krugovorota Veshchestv v Zamknutoi Sisteme na Osnove Zhiznedeyatel'nosti Nizshikh Organizmov p55-57. Kiev, Naukova Dumka, 1972.]

By the industrial cultivation of blue-green algae, there very much appears the important question about their carbon nutrition. Spirulina grows within the range of pH value of medium of 8.5 - 11.0. In this range of pH value in the culture medium CO2 is present in the form of bicarbonate and carbonate, which serves as principal source of carbon for the present type of algae. There is little information yet about the influence of the pH of the medium, and the form of carbon components of the medium, on the rate-increase of Spirulina. Investigations were conducted into the influence of some pH values of medium on the rate-increase of the alga Spirulina platensis.

Ecologia e paleoecologia de foraminíferos do holoceno na Baia de Guanabara, RJ

Este estudo teve como objetivo contribuir com as informações ecológicas e paleoecológicas geradas para a Baía de Guanabara com base na distribuição das assembléias de foraminíferos bentônicos. Para tal foram coletadas 30 amostras de sedimento superficial, ao longo de três perfis distribuídos pela baía e um testemunho (BG28) de 6 m de comprimento retirado próximo a Ilha do Governador. Nas amostras superficiais foram identificados 30 gêneros e 52 espécies das quais as espécies mais constantes foram Amonia tepida e Bolivina translucens que apresentaram a maior constância. Espécies de habitat de plataforma foram identificadas em diversas estações indicando uma boa eficiência no transporte das correntes de fundo para dentro da baía. Das estações superficiais analisadas, 10 localizadas ao redor da Ilha do Governador não continham testas de foraminíferos, possivelmente como resultado da acidificação do sedimento causado pelo derrame de óleo ocorrido em 2000. O índice de confinamento associado às análises de agrupamento e ao DCA indicaram a presença de três setores ambientais influenciadas por COT e granulometria. O primeiro setor entre Copacabana-Itatipú e Aeroporto Santos Dumont Ilha de Boa Viagem foi o ambiente marinho, o segundo setor entre o Aeroporto Santos Dumont - Ilha de Boa Viagem e Ilha do Governador Ilha de Paquetá Litoral de São Gonçalo pode se classificado como um ambiente de estuário inferior ou baía com grande influência marinha e o terceiro setor entre a Ilha do Governador Ilha de Paquetá Litoral de São Gonçalo e fundo da baía como o ambiente mais confinado. No testemunho foram feitas 7 datações indicando uma idade de aproximadamente 5180 40 anos BP. As datações também mostraram que nos últimos anos a taxa de sedimentação aumentou muito podendo estar relacionada com o período de colonização européia. Foram encontradas 18 gêneros e 30 espécies de foraminíferos das quais a espécie mais constante foi a Ammonia tepida seguida pela Buliminella elegantissima. O padrão de distribuição dessas espécies ocorreu com a maior abundância de B. elegantissima nas porções mais inferiores do testemunho e uma abundância maior de A. tepida nas porções mais superiores. Os índices de confinamento junto com as análises de agrupamento e com as curvas de isótopos mostraram que houve poucas oscilações no aporte de água marinha naquela região. As análises dos isótopos de C13 e C14 e O16 e O18 não seguiram um padrão inverso comum em outros estudos, possivelmente influenciado pela proximidade da costa. As análises de agrupamentos indicaram que nos últimos 5180 anos BP a baía não sofreu grandes variações ambientais, ou seja, a região oeste da baía mesmo apresentando alterações ao longo dos anos não foi suficiente para modificar as características de confinamento. As análises nos padrões de distribuição das assembléias de foraminíferos demonstraram ser eficientes ferramentas na caracterização ambiental e paleoambiental da Baía de Guanabara.

Influence of mean water depth and a subsurface sandbar on the onset and strength of wave breaking

Wave breaking in the open ocean and coastal zones remains an intriguing yet incompletely understood process, with a strong observed association with wave groups. Recent numerical study of the evolution of fully nonlinear, two-dimensional deep water wave groups identified a robust threshold of a diagnostic growth-rate parameter that separated nonlinear wave groups that evolved to breaking from those that evolved with recurrence. This paper investigates whether these deep water wave-breaking results apply more generally, particularly in finite-water-depth conditions. For unforced nonlinear wave groups in intermediate water depths over a flat bottom, it was found that the upper bound of the diagnostic growth-rate threshold parameter established for deep water wave groups is also applicable in intermediate water depths, given by k(0) h greater than or equal to 2, where k(0) is the mean carrier wavenumber and h is the mean depth. For breaking onset over an idealized circular arc sandbar located on an otherwise flat, intermediate-depth (k(0) h greater than or equal to 2) environment, the deep water breaking diagnostic growth rate was found to be applicable provided that the height of the sandbar is less than one-quarter of the ambient mean water depth. Thus, for this range of intermediate-depth conditions, these two classes of bottom topography modify only marginally the diagnostic growth rate found for deep water waves. However, when intermediate-depth wave groups ( k(0) h greater than or equal to 2) shoal over a sandbar whose height exceeds one-half of the ambient water depth, the waves can steepen significantly without breaking. In such cases, the breaking threshold level and the maximum of the diagnostic growth rate increase systematically with the height of the sandbar. Also, the dimensions and position of the sandbar influenced the evolution and breaking threshold of wave groups. For sufficiently high sandbars, the effects of bottom topography can induce additional nonlinearity into the wave field geometry and associated dynamics that modifies the otherwise robust deep water breaking-threshold results.

急倾斜金属矿体开采岩体移动规律与变形趋势预测研究

Rockmass movement due to mining steep metallic ore body is a considerable question in the surface movement and deformation issue caused by underground mining. Research on coal mining induced rockmass movement and its prediction problem have been performed for a long-term, and have achieved great progress at home and abroad. However, the rockmass movement caused by mining steep metal mine is distinctivly different from coal seam mining.. Existing surface movement laws and deformation prediction methods are not applicable to the rockmass movement caused by mining steep metal mine. So far the home and abroad research to this theory is presently at an early stage, and there isn’t mature theory or practical prediction method, which made a great impact on production. In this paper, the research object—Jinchuan nickel mine, which is typical steep metal mine, characterized by complex geological conditions, developed faults, cracked rockmass, high geostress, and prominent engineering stability problems. In addition, backfill mining method is used in the mine, the features of rockmass movement caused by this mining method are also different from other mining methods. In this paper, the laws of rock mass movement, deformation and destroy mechanism, and its prediction were analyzed based on the collection of data, detailed in-sit engineering geology survey, ground movement monitoring by GPS, theoretical analysis and numerical simulation. According to the GPS monitoring of ground surface movement, ground subsidence basin with apparent asymmetry is developing, the influence scope is larger in the upper faulted block than in the lower faulted block, and the center of ground movement is moving along the upper faulted block direction with increasing depth of mining. During the past half and seven years, the largest settlement has amounted to 1287.5mm, and corresponding horizontal displacement has amounted to 664.6mm. On the ground surface, two fissure belts show a fast-growing trend of closure. To sum up, mining steep metal mine with backfill method also exist the same serious problem of rockmass movement hazards. Fault, as a low intensity zone in rockmass, when it located within the region of mining influence, the change of potential energy mainly consumed in fault deformation associated with rockmass structure surface friction, which is the essence of displacement and stress barrier effects characterized by fault rupture zone. when steep fault located in the tensile deformation region incurred by underground excavation, no matter excavation in hangingwall or in footwall of the fault, there will be additional tensile stress on the vertical fault plane and decrease in the shear strength, and always showing characteristics of normal fault slip, which is the main reason of fault escarpment appeared on the ground surface. The No.14 shaft deformation and failure is triggered by fault activation, which showed with sidewall move, rupture, and break down features as the main form of a concentrated expression of fault effects. The size and orientation of principal stress in surrounding rock changed regularly with mining; therefore, roadway deformation and damage at different stages have different characteristics and distribution models. During the process of mining, low-intensity weak structures surface always showed the most obvious reaction, accompany with surface normal stress decrease and shear strength bring down, to some extent, occurred with relative slide and deformation. Meanwhile, the impact of mining is a relatively long process, making the structure surface effect of roadway deformation and damage more prominent than others under the influence of mining. Roadway surrounding rockmass deformation caused by the change of strain energy density field after excavation mainly belongs to elastic deformation, and the correspondented damage mainly belongs to brittle rupture, in this circumstance, surrounding rockmass will not appear large deformation. The large deformation of surrounding rockmass can only be the deformation associated with structure surface friction or the plastic deformation of itself, which mainly caused by the permanent self-weigh volume force，and long-term effect of mining led to the durability of this deformation Good pitting fill effect and supporting effect of backfill, as well as the friction of rockmass structure surface lead to obvious macro-rockmass movement with long-lag characteristics. In addition, the loss of original intensity and new structure surface arisen increased flexibility in rockmass and fill deformation in structure surface, which made the time required for rockmass potential energy translate into deformation work associated with plastic deformation and structure surface friction consumed much, and to a large extent, eliminated the time needed to do those plastic work during repeated mining, all of which are the fundamental reason of rockmass movement aftereffect more significant than before. Mining steep deposits in high tectonic stress area and in gravity stress area have different movement laws and deformation mechanism. The steep deposit, when the vertical size of the mining areas is smaller than the horizontal size of the orebody, no matter mining in gravity stress area or in high tectonic stress area, they have similar features of ground movement with mining horizontal orebody; contrarily, there will appear double settlement centers on the ground surface under the condition of mining in high tectonic stress area, while there will always be a single center under the other condition. Meanwhile the ground movement lever, scale of mining influence area and macro features of ground movement, deformation and fracture are also different from mining in gravity stress area, and the fundamental reason lies in the impact of orientation of the maximum principal stress on rock movement features in in-site rock stress field. When mining thick and steep deposit, the ground surface movement and deformation characteristic curves are significantly different from excavating the horizontal ore bed and thin steep deposit. According to the features of rockmass movement rate, the development process of mining-induced rockmass movement is divided into three stages: raising stage, steadily stage and gradually decay stage. Considering the actual exploitation situation, GPS monitoring results and macro-characteristics of surface movement, the current subsidence pattern of Jinchuan No.2 mine is in the early stage of development. Based on analysis of surface movement rate, surface subsidence rate increase rapidly when mining in double lever at the same time, and reach its peak until the exploitation model ended. When double lever mining translate into single, production decreased, surface subsidence rate suddenly start to reduce and maintain a relatively low value, and the largest subsidence center will slowly move along with the hangingwall ore body direction with increasing depth of mining, at the same time, the scope and extent of subsidence in footwall ore body will begin magnify, and a sub-settlement center will appear on ground surface, accompanied with the development and closure trend of ground fissure, the surrounding rockmass of shaft and roadway will be confronted to more frequent and severe deformation and failure, and which will have a negative impact on the overall stability of No.2 mine mining. On the premise of continuity of rockmass movement, gray system model can be used in ground rockmass movement prediction for good results. Under the condition of backfill mining step by step, the loose effect of compact status of the hard, broken rockmass led to lower energy release rate, although surrounding rockmass has high elastic energy, loose and damage occurred in the horizontal ore body, which made the mining process safety without any large geological hazards. During the period of mining the horizontal ore body to end, in view of its special “residual support role”, there will be no large scale rockmass movement hazards. Since ground surface movement mainly related to the intensity of mining speed and backfill effect, on the premise of constant mining speed, during the period of mining the horizontal ore body to end, the rate of ground surface rockmass movement and deformation won’t have sudden change.