bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Vibration Control of a String Using Zero-Displacement Constraint at a Point Near One Boundary: Theory and Experiment
Authors: AlSahlani Assaad , Mathis Frank B. , Mukherjee Ranjan
Published: September 2013

A new method for vibration control of a string is proposed in which a zero displacement constraint is sequentially applied and released at a point near one boundary. When the constraint is applied, the string is partitioned into two vibrating strings, one of them is much shorter in length than the other. The vibration in the shorter segment of the string decays out much faster than the longer segment due to higher frequency. After the vibration in the shorter segment has decayed, the constraint is removed and the string is allowed to vibrate in its full length. The total energy is now redistributed over the full length, and this provides the scope for application of the constraint again for further reduction of energy. Vibration suppression is achieved through sequential application and removal of the constraint and this is simulated using a linear damped model of the string. Experiments were conducted and the experimental results were found to match well with simulation results.
Web-Enabled Real-Time Quality Feedback for Factory Systems Using MTConnect
Authors: Michaloski John , Lee Byeong Eon , Proctor Frederick , Venkatesh Sid
Published: September 2013

Quality is a key element to success for any manufacturer, and the fundamental prerequisite for quality is measurement. In the discrete parts industry, quality is attained through inspection of parts but typically there is a long latency between machining, quality measurement and part/process assessment. Since manufacturing systems are by their nature imperfect, it is imperative to indentify and rectify out-of-tolerance processes as soon as possible. Rapid quality feedback into the factory operation is not a complex concept, however, the collection and dissemination of the necessary measurement data in a timely and tightly integrated manner is challenging. This paper discusses Web-enabled, real-time quality data based on the integration of MTConnect and quality measurement reporting data. MTConnect is an open factory communication standard that leverages the Internet and uses XML for data representation. The quality data is represented in MTConnect as XML to represent Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) output results. A pilot implementation to produce Web-enabled, real-time quality results in a standard MT-Connect XML representation from Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM) inspections will be discussed.
On the Numerical Solution of Many-Body Contact Dynamics Problems Formulated as Complementarity Problems
Authors: Heyn Toby , Negrut Dan , Anitescu Mihai , Tasora Alessandro , Lamb David
Published: September 2013

This contribution is concerned with the modeling and simulation of many-body dynamics problems. In such problems, the solution method has to routinely handle millions of unknowns when, for instance, investigating granular dynamics related phenomena. Given the size of these problems, the scope of tractable applications may be limited by computational efficiency and/or computational accuracy. This scenario has been found to be the case when the equations of motion embed a differential variational inequality (DVI) problem that captures frictional/contact interactions between rigid and/or flexible bodies. As the size of the system increases, the speed and quality of the numerical solution may decrease. This contribution describes an alternative numerical method, called the Gradient Projected Minimum Residual or GPMINRES method, which demonstrates better scalability and performance (in terms of solution speed and accuracy) than methods commonly used to solve problems posed in this manner.
Does Access to Expert Knowledge Allow Students to Better Assess Risk?
Authors: Hutcheson Ryan S. , Grantham Katie
Published: September 2013

The Risk in Early Design (RED) tool is a knowledge base containing numerous engineering failure modes associated with the functionality of failed components along with measures of their occurrence and severity. This knowledge base is queried by function (represented using the functional basis lexicon) and historical risk information is presented to the user. To investigate the effectiveness of such a knowledge base in a classroom setting, a formal experiment was constructed and implemented within a large freshman engineering design course involving the identification of a failure mode of a power drill. The control group used a traditional failure analysis technique utilizing a failure mode effects and criticality assessment (FMECA) template. The experimental group utilized a similar technique but was given access to the RED tool. The results of the experiment were blocked by lab section. The experiment showed that RED provided a statistically significant improvement in teams’ ability to identify an exact failure (a 15.6% improvement with a p-value of 0.047). Other observations and measures studied that did not have statistically significant outcomes are reported as well.
Identifying Dilemmas Embodied in 21st Century Engineering
Authors: Bertus Christon , Khosrojerdi Amirhossein , Panchal Jitesh H. , Allen Janet K. , Mistree Farrokh
Published: September 2013

The pedagogy and outcomes of a course Designing for Open Innovation designed to empower 21st century engineering students to develop competencies associated with innovating in an inter-connected technologically flat world are described in four parts:

1. Competencies for Innovating in the 21st Century, [1].

2. Developing Competencies in the 21st Century Engineer, [2].

3. Identifying Dilemmas Embodied in 21st Century Engineering - this paper.

4. Managing Dilemmas Embodied in 21st Century Engineering, [3].

In the first paper we describe the core characteristics of the engineering in an interconnected world and identify the key competencies and meta-competencies that 21st century engineers will need to innovate and negotiate solutions to issues associated with the realization of systems.

In the second paper, we describe our approach to fostering learning and the development of competencies by an individual in a group setting. We focus on empowering the students to learn how to learn as individuals in a geographically distanced, collaborative group setting.

We assert that two of the core competencies required for success in the dynamically changing workplace are the competencies to first identify and then to manage dilemmas. In this paper, we illustrate how students have gone about identifying dilemmas and in the fourth paper how they have attempted to manage dilemmas. In papers three and four students briefly describe the challenges that they faced and their takeaways in the form of team learning and individual learning.

We suggest that dilemmas associated with innovation cannot be solved they can only be managed. We assert that 20th century problem solving paradigms are ineffective for addressing 21st century dilemmas in which there are multiple and diverse stakeholders who are called on to find an acceptable solution to the competing interests such as profit, environment and socio-cultural. In this paper, we focus on how the students learned to identify dilemmas associated with the realization of complex, sustainable, socio-techno-eco systems, namely, energy policy design. The principal outcome is clearly not the result attained but a student’s ability to learn how to learn as illustrated through the development of personal competencies of two students (Bertus and Khosrojerdi) in a collaborative learning framework and environment.
Interval Analysis-Based Flutter Analysis of Airplane Wings
Authors: Rao Singiresu S. , Majumder Luna
Published: September 2013

Modern aircrafts require improved performance and maneuverability while they conduct the missions. The flutter, an aeroelastic phenomenon is one of the important situations that limit the aircraft speed. Furthermore, for aircraft operated at high speed, many uncertainties may exist in its structural and aerodynamics characteristics. Especially, a slight change in the wing structural mode may induce a variation in its aerodynamic force distribution. In this work, an interval-based approach is used to handle the uncertainties associated with the flutter analysis. The set-theoretic representation of uncertainty is motivated by a possible lack of detailed probabilistic information on the distributions of the parameters. The analysis procedure is performed on an aircraft wing structure using finite element idealization and the results have shown the effectiveness and feasibility of the interval method. The order of the aerodynamic, mass and stiffness matrices of the assembled structures is reduced by introducing the first few natural modes of the structure as generalized coordinates. System equivalent reduction expansion process is used for model reduction which uses the generalized inverse and carries information pertaining to the selected modes at the selected set of degrees of freedoms. The system equivalent reduction formulation allows the reduction process to preserve the dynamics of the full system in a reduced set of matrices. Thus the order of the eigenvalue problem in the flutter analysis is reduced to one-third of the corresponding statics problem.
Sliding Mode Control of Flexible Rotor Using Magneto Rheological Squeeze Film Damper
Authors: Hemmatian Masoud , Ohadi Abdolreza
Published: September 2013

This study aims to control the vibration of a flexible rotor system using magneto rheological squeeze film damper (MR-SFD). To evaluate the performance of damper, Bingham plastic model is used for MR fluid and the hydrodynamic equation of MR-SFD is presented. The remarkable point about this equation is the necessity of using numerical methods to solve it. These methods are too costly and impossible especially in the simulation of complex rotors and implementation of model base controllers. To fix this issue, an estimated equation is used in this paper for pressure distribution throughout the damper. By integration of this expression, hydrodynamic forces of MR-SFD are calculated as an algebraic equation. Furthermore, sliding mode controller is chosen as robust control method by considering the structural and parametric uncertainties of the system. Study time and frequency responses of flexible rotor in presence of these controllers show a good performance in reducing vibration of shafts midpoint. The results for the open loop system also indicate that changing the stiffness coefficient of elastic foundation and the temperature of MR fluid (as two uncertainties of system) strongly affects the outputs while using sliding mode controllers well increases the robustness of the system.
Instruction Generation for Assembly Operations Performed by Humans
Authors: Kaipa Krishnanand , Morato Carlos , Zhao Boxuan , Gupta Satyandra K.
Published: September 2013

This paper presents the design of an instruction generation system that can be used to automatically generate instructions for complex assembly operations performed by humans on factory shop floors. Multimodal information—text, graphical annotations, and 3D animations—is used to create easy-to-follow instructions. This thereby reduces learning time and eliminates the possibility of assembly errors. An automated motion planning subsystem computes a collision-free path for each part from its initial posture in a crowded scene onto its final posture in the current subassembly. Visualization of this computed motion results in generation of 3D animations. The system also consists of an automated part identification module that enables the human to identify, and pick, the correct part from a set of similar looking parts. The system’s ability to automatically translate assembly plans into instructions enables a significant reduction in the time taken to generate instructions and update them in response to design changes.
Analysis of the Aeroelastic Dynamics of Wind-Turbine Blades
Authors: Lago Lucas I. , Ponta Fernando L. , Otero Alejandro D.
Published: September 2013

Reducing the uncertainties related to blade dynamics by the improvement of the quality of numerical simulations of the fluid structure interaction process is a key for a breakthrough in windturbine technology. A fundamental step in that direction is the implementation of aeroelastic models capable of capturing the complex features of innovative prototype blades, so they can be tested at realistic full-scale conditions with a reasonable computational cost. We make use of a code based on a combination of two advanced numerical models implemented in a parallel HPC supercomputer platform: First, a model of the structural response of heterogeneous composite blades, based on a variation of the dimensional reduction technique proposed by Hodges and Yu. This technique has the capacity of reducing the geometrical complexity of the blade section into a stiffness matrix for an equivalent beam. The reduced 1-D strain energy is equivalent to the actual 3-D strain energy in an asymptotic sense, allowing accurate modeling of the blade structure as a1-D finite-element problem. This substantially reduces the computational effort required to model the structural dynamics at each time step. Second, a novel aerodynamic model based on an advanced implementation of the BEM (Blade Element Momentum) Theory; where all velocities and forces are re-projected through orthogonal matrices into the instantaneous deformed configuration to fully include the effects of large displacements and rotation of the airfoil sections into the computation of aerodynamic forces. This allows the aerodynamic model to take into account the effects of the complex flexo-torsional deformation that can be captured by the more sophisticated structural model mentioned above. In this presentation, we report some recent results we have obtained applying our code to full-scale composite laminate wind-turbine blades, analyzing the fundamental vibrational modes and the stress load in normal operational conditions.
Visual Imagery Classification Using Shapelets of EEG Signals
Authors: Contreras Stewart , Sundararajan V.
Published: September 2013

The goal of this paper is to reconstruct three primitive shapes — rectangular cube, cone and cylinder — by analyzing electrical signals which are emitted by the brain. Three participants are asked to visualize these shapes. During visualization, a 14-channel neuroheadset is used to record electroencephalogram (EEG) signals along the scalp. The EEG recordings are then averaged to increase the signal to noise ratio which is referred to as an event related potential (ERP). Every possible subsequence of each ERP signal is analyzed in an attempt to determine a time series which is maximally representative of a particular class. These time series are referred to as shapelets and form the basis of our classification scheme. After implementing a voting technique for classification, an average classification accuracy of 60% is achieved. Compared to naive classification rate of 33%, we determine that the shapelets are in fact capturing features that are unique in the ERP representation of a unique class.
Exploring the Collective Categorization of Biological Information for Biomimetic Design
Authors: Son Jungik (Jay) , Raulf Christian , Cheong Hyunmin , Shu L. H.
Published: September 2013

Categorizing biological information can be subjective and ambiguous, which poses challenges for indexing potentially useful biological information for design. Therefore, we explored collective categorization to study the categorization task. After gathering 163 examples of biological transformation, we asked four participants to independently categorize the examples using self-selected approaches. A computational algorithm was used to quantify the relatedness between the groups that each participant created. The results confirmed that participants had different perspectives in interpreting and categorizing biological information. However, the collective categorization method could reveal meaningful semantics in biological information such as hierarchical, synonymous, or causal relations. The relations discovered could lead to developing formal representations or learning unique patterns in biological phenomena.
Prediction of Occurrence of Periventricular Leukomalacia in Neonates After Heart Surgery Using a Decision Tree Algorithm
Authors: Jalali Ali , Nataraj C.
Published: September 2013

This paper is concerned with the prediction of the occurrence of Periventricular Leukomalacia (PVL), a form of white-matter brain injury, in neonates after heart surgery. The data which is collected over a period of 12 hours after the cardiac surgery contains measurements with different resolutions. The fact that data is collected at different time scales makes the modeling approach impractical, if not impossible. Hence, the decision tree classification technique has been selected for its capacity for discovering rules and novel associations in the data. It classifies groups based on reducing uncertainty in the classified data. From a physiological point of view we know that there are several regulatory mechanisms responsible for fluctuation of the hemodynamic variables at different time scales. To discover the most important active physiological components which might lead to the occurrence of PVL, we focus on the variation in the data in 1 min, 20 min and 2 hour periods. We calculate the energy of continuous wavelet transform coefficients of vital data at these time scales as a measure of variation in the different time frames. Results obtained from developing decision tree classifiers show that among all variations in all the variables, 2 hour and 20 minute variations in the heart rate and also 1 minute and 20 minute variation in Oxygen saturation are the most important parameters to predict PVL occurrence.
Direct and Indirect Water Consumption in Vehicle Manufacturing
Authors: Tejada Francisco , Bras Bert , Guldberg Tina
Published: September 2013

There is a growing need to include the availability of water sources as a design criterion because future forecasts suggest that water demands will increase significantly while freshwater resources are being depleted. In this paper, we focus on the amounts of water that are consumed in automotive vehicle manufacturing and life-cycle processes. Although water use is typically metered at the factory level, water consumption (i.e., water lost through evaporation and/or incorporation into a material, part, and/or product) is much harder to quantify. In this paper, we will discuss the amount of water consumed directly in vehicle manufacturing and the vehicle life cycle processes. This “direct” water consumption can be directly traced to the vehicle manufacturing analogously to direct labor. It will also be shown that indirect processes, specifically, electricity production and consumption also counts for a significant amount of water consumption. Reduction of electricity consumption, in particular from thermo-electric power plants, can lead to substantial water consumption reductions, and thus win-win situations. The impact of water consumption varies by region and locality, and the impact of water saving technologies in production may be negated by increased use of electricity in water scarce regions.
A GPU Parallelization of the Absolute Nodal Coordinate Formulation for Applications in Flexible Multibody Dynamics
Authors: Melanz Daniel , Khude Naresh , Jayakumar Paramsothy , Leatherwood Mike , Negrut Dan
Published: September 2013

The Absolute Nodal Coordinate Formulation (ANCF) has been widely used to carry out the dynamics analysis of flexible bodies that undergo large rotation and large deformation. This formulation is consistent with the nonlinear theory of continuum mechanics and is computationally more efficient compared to other nonlinear finite element formulations. Kinematic constraints that represent mechanical joints and specified motion trajectories can be introduced to make complex flexible mechanisms. As the complexity of a mechanism increases, the system of differential algebraic equations becomes very large and results in a computational bottleneck. This contribution helps alleviate this bottleneck using three tools: (1) an implicit time-stepping algorithm, (2) fine-grained parallel processing on the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), and (3) enabling parallelism through a novel Constraint-Based Mesh (CBM) approach. The combination of these tools results in a fast solution process that scales linearly for large numbers of elements, allowing meaningful engineering problems to be solved.
Visualization and Collaborative Editing of Simulation Models With Heterogeneous Clients: Implemented Into the Simulator D3FACT
Authors: Renken Hendrik , Brandt Sascha , Eichert Felix A. , Klaas Alexander
Published: September 2013

Today’s simulation software normally has fixed, built-in editing and visualization views adapted to a specific problem domain. Often this monolithic concept prevents collaborative editing altogether. Even with more flexible concepts, editing simulation models with a heterogeneous set of clients is not possible. In this article we describe a flexible concept for collaborative editing of simulation models with heterogeneous clients, such as web-based, desktop and mobile clients. The clients may even show different editing views adapted to the user’s role. The concept we describe in this paper overcomes several problems: First we need to be able to connect and manage a set of heterogeneous clients in the simulation software. The very different user inputs from the connected clients then need to be processed, interpreted and combined to allow editing in a collaborative way for all users. At last we show a prototypical integration of the presented concept into our research platform d3fact.
Towards Automated Evaluation of Vehicle Dynamics in System-Level Designs
Authors: Lattmann Zsolt , Nagel Adam , Scott Jason , Smyth Kevin , vanBuskirk Chris , Porter Joseph , Neema Sandeep , Bapty Ted , Sztipanovits Janos , Ceisel Johanna , Mavris Dimitri
Published: September 2013

We describe the use of the Cyber-Physical Modeling Language (CyPhyML) to support trade studies and integration activities in system-level vehicle designs. CyPhyML captures parameterized component behavior using acausal models (i.e. hybrid bond graphs and Modelica) to enable automatic composition and synthesis of simulation models for significant vehicle subsystems. Generated simulations allow us to compare performance between different design alternatives. System behavior and evaluation are specified independently from specifications for design-space alternatives. Test bench models in CyPhyML are given in terms of generic assemblies over the entire design space, so performance can be evaluated for any selected design instance once automated design space exploration is complete. Generated Simulink models are also integrated into a mobility model for interactive 3-D simulation.
Mechanical Motion Rectifier Based Energy-Harvesting Shock Absorber
Authors: Li Zhongjie , Zuo Lei , Kuang Jian , Luhrs George
Published: September 2013

Energy-harvesting shock absorber is able to recover the energy otherwise dissipated in the suspension vibration while simultaneously suppress the vibration induced by road roughness. It can work as a controllable damper as well as an energy generator. An innovative design of regenerative shock absorbers is proposed in this paper, with the advantage of significantly improving energy harvesting efficiency and reducing the impact forces caused by oscillation. The key component is a unique motion mechanism, which we called “mechanical motion rectifier (MMR)”, to convert the suspension’s oscillatory vibration into unidirectional rotation of the generator. An implementation of motion rectifier based harvester with high compactness is introduced and prototyped. A dynamic model is created to analyze the general properties of the motion rectifier by making analogy between mechanical systems and electrical circuits. The model is capable of analyzing electrical and mechanical components at the same time. Both simulation and experiments are carried out to verify the modeling and the advantages. The prototype achieved over 60% efficiency at high frequency, much better than the conventional regenerative shock absorbers in oscillatory motion. Furthermore, road tests are done to verify the feasibility of the MMR shock absorber, in which more than 15 Watts’ electricity is harvested while driving at 15 mph. The motion rectifier based design can also be used for other applications of electromagnetic vibration energy harvesting.
Performance of a Randomly-Excited Nonlinear Energy Harvester in Mono- and Bi-Stable Potentials: An Experimental Investigation
Authors: Masana Ravindra , Daqaq Mohammed F.
Published: September 2013

This paper aims to experimentally investigate the influence of stiffness-type nonlinearities on the transduction of vibratory energy harvesters (VEHs) under random white and colored excitations. For the purpose of the study, an energy harvester consisting of a clamped-clamped piezoelectric beam bi-morph is considered. The shape of the harvester’s potential function is altered by applying a static compressive axial load at one end of the beam. The axial load permits the harvester to operate with different potential energy characteristics; namely, the mono-stable (pre-buckling) and bi-stable (post-buckling) configurations. The performance of the harvester in both configurations is investigated and compared by tuning the harvester’s oscillation frequencies around the static equilibria such that they have equal values in both scenarios. The harvester is then subjected to random base excitations of different levels, bandwidths, and center frequencies. The variance of the output voltage is measured across an arbitrary, purely resistive load and used for the purpose of performance comparison. Critical conclusions pertinent to the influence of the nonlinearity and relative performance in both configurations are presented and discussed.
Dual Functional Energy Harvesting and Vibration Control: Electromagnetic Resonant Shunt Series Tuned Mass Dampers
Authors: Zuo Lei , Cui Wen
Published: September 2013

This paper proposes a novel approach for dual-functional energy harvesting and vibration control by integrating the tuned mass damper (TMD) and electromagnetic shunted resonant damping. The viscous dissipative element between the TMD and primary system is replaced by an electromagnetic transducer shunted with a resonant RLC circuit. An efficient gradient based method is presented for the parameter optimization in the control framework for vibration suppression and energy harvesting. A case study is performed based on the Taipei 101 TMD. It is founded that by tuning the TMD resonance and circuit resonance close to that of the primary structure, the electromagnetic resonant shunt TMD achieves the enhanced effectiveness and robustness of double-mass series TMDs, without suffering from the significantly amplified motion stroke. It is also observed that the parameters and performance optimized for vibration suppression are close to those optimized for energy harvesting, and the performances are not sensitive to the resistance of the charging circuit or electrical load.
Wind Farm Layout Optimization Considering Energy Generation and Noise Propagation
Authors: Kwong Wing Yin , Zhang Peter Y. , Romero David , Moran Joaquin , Morgenroth Michael , Amon Cristina
Published: September 2013

Wind farm design deals with the optimal placement of turbines in a wind farm. Past studies have focused on energy-maximization, cost-minimization or revenue-maximization objectives. As land is more extensively exploited for onshore wind farms, wind farms are more likely to be in close proximity with human dwellings. Therefore governments, developers, and landowners have to be aware of wind farms’ environmental impacts. After considering land constraints due to environmental features, noise generation remains the main environmental/health concern for wind farm design. Therefore, noise generation is sometimes included in optimization models as a constraint. Here we present continuous-location models for layout optimization that take noise and energy as objective functions, in order to fully characterize the design and performance spaces of the optimal wind farm layout problem. Based on Jensen’s wake model and ISO-9613-2 noise calculations, we used single- and multi-objective genetic algorithms (NSGA-II) to solve the optimization problem. Preliminary results from the bi-objective optimization model illustrate the trade-off between energy generation and noise production by identifying several key parts of Pareto frontiers. In addition, comparison of single-objective noise and energy optimization models show that the turbine layouts and the inter-turbine distance distributions are different when considering these objectives individually. The relevance of these results for wind farm layout designers is explored.
Dynamic Behaviour and Stability Analysis of Multibody Haptic Systems
Authors: Shayan-Amin Sara , Kovács László L. , Kövecses József
Published: September 2013

To investigate the effects of mechanical design parameters on the performance of force feedback haptic devices, a representative dynamic model of the system is required. In this paper, the experimental investigations conducted on a 2DoF haptic device revealed that flexibility associated with the joints reduced the stable domain of operation considerably. Therefore, dynamic model of the investigated mechanism including the joint flexibility and physical damping is considered. The stability boundaries achieved by using the proposed flexible joint model is in good agreement with experimental results. A simplified model of the system is then developed employing a decomposition proposed in [1]. It is shown that the stability limits obtained by this simplified model give a slightly conservative but close estimate to the stability boundaries of the higher DoF flexible joint model. Such a simplified and experimentally validated model can be used for impedance-type haptic devices. The developed model makes it possible to investigate the effect of different mechanical parameters on the performance of multibody haptic systems.
Modeling Geometric Non-Linearities in the Free Vibration of a Planar Beam Flexure With a Tip Mass
Authors: Moeenfard Hamid , Awtar Shorya
Published: September 2013

The objective of this work is to create an analytical framework to study the non-linear dynamics of beam flexures with a tip mass undergoing large deflections. Hamilton’s principal is utilized to derive the equations governing the non-linear vibrations of the cantilever beam and the associated boundary conditions. Then, using a single mode approximation, these non-linear partial differential equations are reduced to two coupled non-linear ordinary differential equations. These equations are solved analytically using combination of the method of multiple time scales and homotopy perturbation analysis. Closed-form, parametric analytical expressions are presented for the time domain response of the beam around and far from its internal resonance state. These analytical results are compared with numerical ones to validate the accuracy of the proposed closed-form model. We expect that the qualitative and quantitative knowledge resulting from this effort will ultimately allow the analysis, optimization, and synthesis of flexure mechanisms for improved dynamic performance.
Homogenized FEA of Composite Sheet Materials for Improved Thermoforming Process
Authors: Narasimhan Sathya , Rodriguez Jorge
Published: September 2013

Absence of reliable analytical tools to model thermoforming of automobile headliners leads to lack of understanding of critical relationships between design, material and process, resulting in large proportions of scraps and in some cases, over engineering. Thus, a Finite Element Analysis (FEA) of thermoforming of a composite sheet material has been formulated and implemented. An homogenization approach is suggested, in which the layered composite is treated to behave as a single material. By mapping key process variables into analysis, a simulation has been successfully carried out on a headliner prototype development tool. Results obtained with such development tool show good correlation to key headliner defects such as wrinkles and failures.
A simple viscoelastic model for soft tissues in the frequency range 5–15 MHz
Authors: Yang Xinmai , Church Charles
Published: September 2013

Measurements of the shear properties of soft tissues have been performed using a simple pulse–echo reflection technique. Briefly, a shear wave, generated by a shear wave transducer, propagates through a quartz rod, is reflected at the quartz–tissue interface, backpropagates through the rod, and is received by the transducer. The phase shift and the change in the magnitude of the wave with and without a tissue sample in place are measured, and the shear mechanical impedances are calculated and the complex modulus is determined. A negative shear modulus is often obtained in this frequency range, and none of the traditional linear models can explain this result. We propose a simple extension to the Voigt model for viscoelasticity to account for the effects of mass. In this model, a negative storage modulus is possible under the conditions of high frequency and long relaxation time. When the frequency is low and relaxation time is small, the new model reduces to the classic Voigt model. Based on this model, we will present the results of measurements of shear modulus, shear viscosity, and the constant term related to mass for several soft tissues. [Work supported by the US Army.]
Analysis of acoustic intensity fluctuations measured after one-way transmission and bistatic target scattering on the New Jersey continental shelf during MAE 2003
Authors: Chen Tianrun , Lee Sunwoong , Lai Yisan , Ratilal Purnima , Makris Nicholas C.
Published: September 2013

Acoustic intensity was observed to fluctuate in time and space after both one-way transmission and bistatic scattering from moored targets in the New Jersey continental shelf during the Main Acoustic Clutter Experiment (MAE) 2003 [Lai et al., 114, 2312 (2003)]. Oceanographic measurements made during the experiment also showed significant temporal and spatial variability in sound speed structure, indicating the presence of oceanic instabilities such as internal waves. Here the theoretical approach of Ratilal and Makris [114, 2428 (2003)] is applied to estimate the expected acoustic intensity given the measured statistics of the oceanographic field data. The resulting estimates span a wide range of possible values due to undersampling of the oceanographic data but are still useful in helping to understand the fundamental mechanisms responsible for the observed fluctuations.
Multiple effects of consonant manner of articulation and intonation type on F0 in English
Authors: Xu Yi , Wallace Andrew
Published: September 2013

In this study we examine how consonant manner of articulation interacts with intonation type in shaping the F0 contours in English. Native speakers of American English read aloud words differing in vowel length, consonant manner of articulation and consonant position in word. They produced each word in either a statement or question carrier. F0 contours of their speech were extracted by measuring every complete vocal period. Preliminary results based on graphic analysis of three speakers’ data suggest that there are three distinct consonantal effects: F0 interruption due to devoicing, a large but brief (10–40 ms) F0 raising at the onset of voicing, and a smaller but longer-lasting F0 raising throughout a large proportion of the preceding and following vowels. These effects appear to be imposed on a continuously changing F0 curve that is either rising-falling or falling-rising, depending on whether the carrier sentence is a statement or a question. Further analysis will test the hypothesis that these continuous curves result from local pitch targets that are assigned to individual syllables and implemented with them in synchrony regardless of their segmental composition. [Work supported by NIDCD Grant No. R01 DC03902.]
Complete Genome Sequence of Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia Virus Isolated from an Olive Flounder in South Korea
Authors: Kim Jong-Oh , Kim Wi-Sik , Nishizawa Toyohiko , Oh Myung-Joo
Published: September 2013

Viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) is a seriously problematic pathogen in olive flounder (
Paralichthys olivaceus
) aquaculture farms in South Korea. Here, we report the complete genome sequence of VHSV which was isolated from spleen and kidney tissues of dead fish at an aquaculture farm in 2005. This genome sequence will be useful for virus diagnostics and in comparative analyses with other virus genotypes.
Draft Genome Sequence of Streptomyces albulus Strain CCRC 11814, an ε-Poly-
l
-Lysine-Producing Actinomycete
Authors: Dodd Amanda , Swanevelder Dirk , Featherston Jonathan , Rumbold Karl
Published: September 2013

Here, we report the draft genome sequence of
Streptomyces albulus
strain CCRC 11814, a soil-dwelling, Gram-positive bacterium.
S. albulus
produces ε-poly-
l
-lysine, which has diverse antimicrobial activity. The genome is 9.43 Mb in size, with a G+C content of 72.2%, and contains 9,177 protein-coding sequences.
Heat Sensitisation in Suspended Moxibustion: Features and Clinical Relevance
Authors: Xie Dingyi , Liu Zhongyong , Hou Xiaoqin , Zhang Bo , Xiong Jun , Yi Ming , Chen Rixin
Published: September 2013

We have observed a ‘heat-sensitisation’ phenomenon in a large proportion of patients receiving suspended moxibustion treatment. Patients become thermally sensitised to moxibustion stimulation at certain locations on the body, indicated by sensations of strong warmth or heat penetrating into the body (heat penetration), warmth spreading around the stimulation site (heat expansion), warmth conducting in certain directions and reaching some body regions or even internal organs remote from stimulation sites (heat transmission), or other non-thermal sensations such as aching, heaviness, pressure etc. These heat-sensitised locations are not fixed, but may, during the progression of disease, dynamically change within a certain range centred on acupuncture points. Each condition seems to have its specific set of such sensitised acupuncture points and such phenomena are not commonly observed in other body regions or in healthy subjects. A number of clinical trials have shown that the appearance of heat sensitisation is correlated with better therapeutic effects in various diseases, indicating the clinical significance of such responses. Further investigation is required to elucidate the epidemiological characteristics and biological mechanisms of the heat sensitisation in suspended moxibustion.
Self-Administered Electroacupuncture Provides Symptomatic Relief in a Patient with Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction: A Patient's Report
Authors: Walter Wolfgang Andreas , Curtis Hazel Clare
Published: September 2013

A 46-year-old woman with differentially diagnosed sphincter of Oddi dysfunction (SOD) type III is described. After two and a half years of managing the condition with a conventional medical/pharmacological approach, the patient's symptoms worsened and she sought complementary approaches, starting traditional acupuncture treatment before receiving training from a practitioner of Western medical acupuncture to self-administer electroacupuncture. The frequency and intensity of severe night-time pain attacks reduced and, additionally, self-administered manual acupuncture during pain attacks resulted in quick, lasting, complete symptomatic pain resolution. This is the first published case report using electroacupuncture in the clinical management of this condition. It shows patient-administered electroacupuncture as a low-risk well-tolerated procedure which provided effective pain relief and reduced the frequency and severity of pain attacks. Self-administered acupuncture could be considered as a potential complementary medical approach for patients with SOD type III before resorting to endoscopic SO manometry and sphincterotomy which carry significant associated risks of pancreatitis.
Atypical features in a patient with acute promyelocytic leukaemia: a potential diagnostic pitfall
Authors: Mohamed Muhajir , Dun Karen , Grabek Julian
Published: September 2013

Acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APML) is a malignancy with a high cure rate; however, delay in diagnosis or treatment can result in morbidity and mortality. APML has characteristic clinical, morphological, immunophenotypic and molecular features. In patients with acute leukaemia, a high index of suspicion is required to exclude APML. Very rarely APML patients at diagnosis can demonstrate atypical features. We reported a patient whose bone marrow features resembled acute myeloid leukaemia with predominantly agranular blasts, devoid of Auer rods and expressing CD34 and HLA-DR on flow cytometry. APML was not suspected initially but after cytogenetic and molecular genetic studies demonstrated t(15;17), appropriate therapy with ATRA+ chemotherapy was instituted and the patient showed remarkable and sustained response to treatment. This case highlights the fact that morphology and immunophenotyping are useful but not infallible indicators for these malignancies and, ultimate diagnoses will require detection of the characteristic molecular markers.
Fahr's disease: bilateral symmetrical striopallidodentate calcification in two brothers with two distinct presentations
Authors: Bowirrat Abdalla , Yassin Mustafa , Artoul Faozi , Artul Suheil
Published: September 2013

Bilateral striopallidodentate calcinosis, commonly known as Fahr's disease is a rare clinical entity present mainly with extrapyramidal signs and accompanied with metabolic, biochemical, neuroradiological and neuropsychiatric situations. It is characterised by the symmetrical and bilateral intracranial deposition of calcium associated with cell loss in the basal ganglia, cerebral cortex and cerebellum.In this study, we discussed two brothers’ cases of Fahr's diseases who presented with different symptomatology. The first presented with walking difficulty, cramps and dysarthria and moderate memory impairment whereas the second with vertigo, ataxia, forgetfulness and headache. CT scans of both patients revealed intracranial diffuse bilateral calcifications in the basal ganglia and the cerebellum. The second patient revealed progressive cerebral atrophy but reduction in the calcification.Fahr's disease, although encountered rarely, should also be taken into account in the differential diagnosis of cases with abnormal intracranial calcifications along with other familial, congenital and metabolic diseases and syndromes.
Toxic shock syndrome related toStreptococcus equisubspzooepidemicus
Authors: Saleh Mohamed , Vialette Véronique
Published: September 2013

We describe a documented streptococcal toxic shock syndrome linked to horse-to-man transmission ofStreptococcus equisubspzooepidemicus. The patient was treated successfully with respiratory and haemodynamic support in conjunction with antibiotic treatment associated with polyvalent human immunoglobulin and high-volume venovenous haemofiltration.
Developmental stem anatomy and tissue redifferentiation induced by a galling Lepidoptera on Marcetia taxifolia (Melastomataceae)
Authors: Ferreira Bruno G. , Isaias Rosy M.S.
Published: September 2013

The developmental anatomy of the stems of Marcetia taxifolia (A. St.-Hil.) DC. fits the patterns described for other Melastomataceae. The galling effect of the Lepidoptera caused discrete structural alterations and conspicuous histochemical profiles. Epidermis and cortical parenchyma were hyperplasic with hypertrophied cells. The vascular system showed smaller changes. Tracheal elements did not change in width, refuting the constriction hypothesis, i.e., no improvement in water supply occurs in this gall system. Fiber lignification increased, providing additional support for the gall structure. A true nutritive tissue was redifferentiated from pith cells and accumulated two groups of metabolites. The first, consisting of starch, reducing sugars, and polyphenols, was detected in the outer cell layers, and the second, consisting of lipids and terpenoids, was detected in the inner ones. Histochemical analysis revealed that the distribution of these compounds formed gradients, with the first group being more concentrated outwards, and the second being more concentrated inwards. These gradients differ from those described for other insect galls and seem to be specific for lepidopteran galls. This is the first description of such a gradient in Lepidoptera-induced galls and shows that the current view that these galls are simple and nonnutritive should be changed.
Lifetimes for singly ionized nitrogen
Authors: Yıldız Murat , Gökçe Yasin
Published: September 2013

The lifetimes of some excited levels for singly ionized nitrogen are calculated by using the weakest bound electron potential model theory and quantum defect orbital theory. We determined expectation values of radii using numerical nonrelativistic Hartree–Fock wave functions. The necessary energy values have been taken from NIST. The present results have been compared with previous calculations and experiments. Most of the lifetime results are presented for the first time in the present work. For N II, because there are few lifetime results available in the literature, the present study compared to existing investigations, provides detailed results for the lifetimes of several of the excited 2s22pns, 2s22pnp, and 2s22pd → 2s22p2 where, n = 3–6 for the ns series, n = 3–5 for the nd series and n = 3–4 for the np series.
Asymptotically Lifshitz black hole solutions in F(R) gravity
Authors: Hendi S.H. , Panah B. Eslam , Corda C.
Published: September 2013

We consider a class of spherically symmetric space–time to obtain some interesting solutions in F(R) gravity without matter field (pure gravity). We investigate the geometry of the solutions and find that there is an essential singularity at the origin. In addition, we show that there is an analogy between obtained solutions with the black holes of Einstein-Λ-power Maxwell invariant theory. Furthermore, we find that these solutions are equivalent to the asymptotically Lifshitz black holes. Also, we calculate d2F/dR2 to examine the Dolgov–Kawasaki stability criterion.
LOOP VARIABLES AND GAUGE INVARIANT EXACT RENORMALIZATION GROUP EQUATIONS FOR CLOSED STRING THEORY
Authors: SATHIAPALAN B.
Published: September 2013

We formulate the Exact Renormalization Group on the string worldsheet for closed string backgrounds. The same techniques that were used for open strings are used here. There are some subtleties. One is that holomorphic factorization of the closed string vertex operators does not hold in the presence of a cutoff on the Euclidean worldsheet. This introduces extra terms in the Lagrangian at the cutoff scale and they turn out to be crucial for implementing gauge invariance. This naive generalization from open string to closed string requires a massive graviton and the gauge symmetry is Abelian, just as in open string theory. Interestingly, it turns out that if one introduces a nondynamical background metric (as in background field formalism) and combines a gauge transformation on the field with a transformation on the coordinates and background metric, the graviton can be massless. Some examples of background coordinate covariant equations are worked out explicitly. A preliminary discussion of massive modes, massive gauge transformations and the role of worldsheet regulator terms is given. Some of the gauge transformations can be given a geometric meaning if space–time is assumed to be complex at some level.