bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Thermomechanical Advances for Small Gas Turbine Engines: Present Capabilities and Future Direction in Gas Generator Designs
Authors: Propen M. , Vogel H. , Aksoy S. 
Published: March 2015

Performance requirements of tomorrow’s gas turbines demand major improvements in specific fuel consumption and thrust to weight ratio. These stringent requirements, in turn, drive the need for higher operating temperatures and lighter weight engines.
Such technical improvements impose severe thermal, structural, and metallurgical demands upon turbine components. A broad spectrum of technology programs is underway at Textron Lycoming to address these challenging requirements. This paper outlines the thermal, structural, and materials research needed for achieving the goals of the small gas turbines of tomorrow.
Technical Approach for a MultiPurpose Small Power Unit
Authors: Thompson Robert G. , Parker Sidney D. 
Published: March 2015

This paper describes the technical approach used to select the engine configuration and performance cycle for a small gas turbine engine. The work was done during the preparation of a proposal to the U.S. Army for an advanced gas-turbine-based MultiPurpose Small Power Unit (MPSPU) in the 50–75 SHP class. Uprating to 100 hp (74.6 kw) with the fewest possible component changes was also desired and will be demonstrated. The proposal was successful, and the resultant engine offering, the T-100 MPSPU, is currently under development.
The performance analyses used to quantify the T-100 MPSPU cycle were unique in that component efficiency correlations were used interactively when estimating performance at high levels of work (or pressure ratio per stage) with relatively small size components.
The MPSPU program goal is to verify gas turbine technology advancements in small engine components, materials and design techniques that will lead to significant reductions in fuel consumption for this size class engine. Successful incorporation of these technologies will lead to significant savings in fuel usage and logistic requirements.
Thermal Barrier Coatings for Jet Engines
Authors: Toriz F. C. , Thakker A. B. , Gupta S. K. 
Published: March 2015

Thermal barrier coatings (TBC) have been used in jet engine combustors for over 15 years. However, it is only recently that they have been actively used in the harsh turbine environment on nozzle guide vane platforms. It is intended to use TBCs on vane airfoils, and on rotating turbine blades where the maximum payoff will be realized. Much work has been done in the last five years towards this goal. Problem areas that need to be addressed are as follows:
1. Prevent coating failure due to:
a. thermal cycling of the ceramic layer.
b. oxidation of the bond coat.
c. erosion due to gas stream solid particles.
d. deposition of gas stream molten debris.
e. acid leaching of coating phase stabilizers.
2. Minimize performance losses due to rough coatings.
3. Insure consistent high quality coatings.
This report will review some of the work done by Rolls-Royce that would hopefully allow an increased use of TBCs on turbine components in the future.
Management of Marine Gasturbines Within the Royal Netherlands Navy
Authors: Crommelin G. A. K. , Kool J. C. 
Published: March 2015

This paper will present the latest developments of the marine gasturbine propulsion within the Royal Netherlands Navy. At present the fleet consists of 14 frigates using 2 Olympus and 2 Tynes in a COGOG configuration, and a further 1 minehunters equipped with 3 Astazou 4M gasturbines used as prime movers for alternators.
From the beginning of 1990 the RNLN will start to operate the Spey in the first of the “M” class frigates.
All these ships were designed and built by our own industry. In particular the outcome of trends, that were indicated 4 years ago in the article “Ten years of gasturbine prolulsion in ships of the Royal Netherlands Navy”, ASME paper 84-GT-266, will be highlighted.
The Effects of Gas Velocity and of Temperature on the Oxidative Response of Selected Sheet Superalloys
Authors: Wright J. V. , Leader J. R. 
Published: March 2015

The ability of a range of sheet alloys to withstand oxidation has been assesed under static furnace conditions and under dynamic conditions.
It was established that alloys showing considerable promise in the static environment degraded more rapidly during the dynamic burner rig test so that rankings were changed dramatically.
Chromium depletion as a result of volatilisation of oxide species was believed to be responsible. A testing programme was instituted to study the effects of gas velocity and of temperature on oxide stability in Nimonic alloy 86, Haynes alloy 188 and Hastelloy X.
Although the compositions of the alloys and hence of the oxides were complex, reduction in the Cr2O3 content of the oxide layer was observed following high velocity gas stream exposure when temperatures were as low as 750°C. A theory is proposed relating the response of the three alloys to the composition of each of the principal spinels.
Gas Turbine Driven Reciprocating Compressors for a Natural Gas Storage Plant
Authors: Urban Martin , Andrée Hubert 
Published: March 2015

A major expansion phase is underway at the Ruhrgas natural gas storage plant at Epe on the border between West Germany and the Netherlands. The plant already has 8 caverns with a total working capacity of approx. 350 × 106 m3 (n). 28 caverns are to be added, to bring the total to approx. 1.0 × 109 m3 (n). In view of the increase in capacity, it was necessary to raise the power installed for driving gas compressors from the existing figure of approx. 3,000 kW to a total of 12,000 kW in phase II. A minimum of 2 units were required for this figure of 9,000 kW.
Epe is already the second largest natural gas storage facility in West Germany and is designed to store both low BTU and high BTU natural gas. The facilities are operated at a wide range of pressures and flow rates. The new compressor units will be used only for gas injection at well head pressures of up to 200 bar.
Steam Injection of Frame 5 Gas Turbines for Power Augmentation in Cogeneration Service
Authors: Little David A. , Rives J. P. 
Published: March 2015

A large chemical plant in France generates both electricity and steam using a fleet of Frame 5 gas turbines. During the winter months when maximum generation capacity is utilized, excess steam may be produced. Instead of venting to atmosphere, the excess steam will now be injected into two gas turbines through a steam injection system. Power increases of up to 29.6% were achieved during testing with a corresponding increase in cogeneration fuel conversion efficiency of up to 4.8%.
This paper describes the preliminary engineering, design, fabrication, installation, test and operation of the steam injection system for the two Frame 5 gas turbines.
Flow in Single and Twin Entry Radial Turbine Volutes
Authors: Lymberopoulos N. , Baines N. C. , Watson N. 
Published: March 2015

This paper presents a numerical analysis and experimental measurements of flows in the vaneless volute of a radial–inflow turbine. Cases of single and twin entry to the volute were studied, and in particular the case of unequal flows, or partial admission, to the two entries. The distance between the rotor tip and the limit of the internal wall separating the two flows was varied in order to study the effects of interaction of the two streams.
The computational model is based on a quasi–three–dimensional solution of the Euler equations, in which the radial and tangential components of velocity are fully solved, but the axial component is only treated to simulate the mixing of the two streams. The results of the model were compared with published results for a single entry, and extensive new results for a single or twin entry, casing. Even in the single and equal flow twin–entry cases, significant variations in flow properties around the exit circumference of the volutes were observed, most particularly in the region of re–entry near the tongue. For unequal flows the interaction of the two streams was strong and increased with increasing separating wall diameter, and with increasing inequality of flow rates. In extreme cases the flow reverses.
A Compact, High Efficiency, Self-Cleaning Air Filtration System for a Vehicular Gas Turbine Engine
Authors: Murphy Joseph P. , Camplin Harry 
Published: March 2015

This paper describes the design and development of a innovative filtration system for a vehicular gas turbine engine that contains a high efficiency self-cleaning element and is integrated with the propulsion system for a tenfold increase in filter service interval, a 1/3 reduction in overall pressure loss and a 40 percent reduction in package size.
The system consists of self-cleaning, rotating drum barrier filter surrounded by curved vortex tube precleaner panels and mounted directly to the engine inlet. A water tight external housing is provided to give the system the necessary deep water fording capability.
The conceptual design is described as well as the detailed design of both precleaner element and the self-cleaning barrier filter.
The full size prototype fabrication and testing is described to demonstrate operational integrity and cleanability.
The maximum weight spanning star forest problem on cactus graphs
Authors: Nguyen Viet Hung 
Published: March 2015

A star is a graph in which some node is incident with every edge of the graph, i.e., a graph of diameter at most 2. A star forest is a graph in which each connected component is a star. Given a connected graph G in which the edges may be weighted positively. A spanning star forest of G is a subgraph of G which is a star forest spanning the nodes of G. The size of a spanning star forest F of G is defined to be the number of edges of F if G is unweighted and the total weight of all edges of F if G is weighted. We are interested in the problem of finding a Maximum Weight spanning Star Forest (MWSFP) in G. In [C. T. Nguyen, J. Shen, M. Hou, L. Sheng, W. Miller and L. Zhang, Approximating the spanning star forest problem and its applications to genomic sequence alignment, SIAM J. Comput. 38(3) (2008) 946–962], the authors introduced the MWSFP and proved its NP-hardness. They also gave a polynomial time algorithm for the MWSF problem when G is a tree. In this paper, we present a linear time algorithm that solves the MSWF problem when G is a cactus.
Age affects escape behavior by the zebra-tailed lizard (Callisaurus draconoides) more strongly than in other lizards
Authors: Cooper William 
Published: March 2015

Prey of different ages may exhibit differences in escape behavior, including flight initiation distance (FID – predator-prey distance when escape begins) and distance fled before stopping (DF). Escape theory predicts FID and, in some circumstance, DF, based on trade-offs between conflicting cost of not fleeing (predation risk) and cost of fleeing (primarily opportunities to enhance fitness lost by fleeing). The prey’s expected lifetime fitness when an encounter begins also affects escape decisions. Because hatchling and adult lizards may differ in ways that affect all three of these factors, a priori prediction of age differences is not possible without measurements of all three. In a field study I found that hatchling zebra-tailed lizards (Callisaurs draconoides) had much shorter FID and DF than adults. These relationships were not affected by distance to refuge, which did not differ between ages, and refuge use was infrequent. The findings agree with those of all but one previous study of age differences, suggesting that hatchling lizards typically have shorter FID and DF than adults because they 1) assess risk as being lower due to lower attractiveness to or detectability by predators, lack of experience or greater maneuverability, 2) have greater opportunity cost due to the need for rapid growth and good body condition before winter, and possibly 3) have lower residual reproductive value due to higher mortality rate than adults. Effects of age and size are confounded, and smaller size may be the major reason for the shorter FID and distance fled of hatchlings.
Recognition of familiarity on the basis of howls: a playback experiment in a captive group of wolves
Authors: Palacios V. , Font E. , Márquez R. , Carazo P. 
Published: March 2015

Playback experiments were conducted with a pack of captive Iberian wolves. We used a habituation–discrimination paradigm to test wolves’ ability to discriminate howls based on: (1) artificial manipulation of acoustic parameters of howls and (2) the identity of howling individuals. Manipulations in fundamental frequency and frequency modulation within the natural range of intra-individual howl variation did not elicit dishabituation, while manipulation of modulation pattern did produce dishabituation. With respect to identity, across trials wolves habituated to unfamiliar howls by a familiar wolf (i.e., no direct contact, but previous exposure to howls by this wolf), but not to unfamiliar howls from unfamiliar wolves (i.e., no direct contact and no previous exposure to howls by these wolves). Modulation pattern seems to be an important bioacoustic feature for individual recognition. Overall, our results provide the first experimental evidence that wolves can discriminate individuals based on the acoustic structure of their howls.
Cosmosycanus perelegans (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Harpactorinae), a new record from China, with report of its female genitalia
Authors: ZHAO PING , REN SHUZHI , WANG BAOHAI , CAI WANZHI 
Published: March 2015

The oriental genus Cosmosycanus Ishikawa & Tomokuni, 2004 and the species Cosmosycanus perelegans (Breddin, 1903) are newly recorded from China. Cosmosycanus perelegans is redescribed and illustrated. The female genitalia is reported for the first time. The variations of colour patterns and male genital structures among Chinese and Vietnamese individuals are briefly noted.
A Hybrid Dynamical–Statistical Downscaling Technique. Part I: Development and Validation of the Technique
Authors: Walton Daniel B. , Sun Fengpeng , Hall Alex , Capps Scott 
Published: March 2015

Abstract
In this study (Part I), the mid-twenty-first-century surface air temperature increase in the entire CMIP5 ensemble is downscaled to very high resolution (2 km) over the Los Angeles region, using a new hybrid dynamical–statistical technique. This technique combines the ability of dynamical downscaling to capture finescale dynamics with the computational savings of a statistical model to downscale multiple GCMs. First, dynamical downscaling is applied to five GCMs. Guided by an understanding of the underlying local dynamics, a simple statistical model is built relating the GCM input and the dynamically downscaled output. This statistical model is used to approximate the warming patterns of the remaining GCMs, as if they had been dynamically downscaled. The full 32-member ensemble allows for robust estimates of the most likely warming and uncertainty resulting from intermodel differences. The warming averaged over the region has an ensemble mean of 2.3°C, with a 95% confidence interval ranging from 1.0° to 3.6°C. Inland and high elevation areas warm more than coastal areas year round, and by as much as 60% in the summer months. A comparison to other common statistical downscaling techniques shows that the hybrid method produces similar regional-mean warming outcomes but demonstrates considerable improvement in capturing the spatial details. Additionally, this hybrid technique incorporates an understanding of the physical mechanisms shaping the region’s warming patterns, enhancing the credibility of the final results.
A 24-month prospective study on the efficacy and safety of two different monthly regimens of vitamin D supplementation in pre-menopausal women with systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Andreoli L , Dall’Ara F , Piantoni S , Zanola A , Piva N , Cutolo M , Tincani A 
Published: March 2015

Background Low vitamin D (vit.D) serum levels are common in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and seem to correlate with higher disease activity. We investigated the effects of different regimens of vit.D supplementation in SLE patients with inactive disease. Methods This 24-month prospective study included 34 SLE women who were randomized to receive, together with their ongoing treatment, a standard regimen (SR) of cholecalcipherol (25,000 UI monthly) or an intensive regimen (IR) (300,000 UI initial bolus followed by 50,000 UI monthly) for one year and then were switched to the other regimen in the second year. Patients were seen quarterly for assessment of 25-OH vit.D levels, disease activity, SLE serology and bone metabolism markers. Results By intra-patient comparison, only the IR was found able to significantly raise vit.D serum levels. After 12 months, values above 30 ng/ml were found in 75% of patients in IR while in only 28% in SR. No significant differences in disease activity and SLE serology were found at any time point between SR and IR. No changes in the mineral metabolism were observed. Conclusions The IR was safe and effective in obtaining sufficient levels of vit.D in most SLE patients. However, both regimens of supplementation did not differently affect disease activity nor SLE serology.
Phenotype modifications of T-cells and their shift toward a Th2 response in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus supplemented with different monthly regimens of vitamin D
Authors: Piantoni S , Andreoli L , Scarsi M , Zanola A , Dall’Ara F , Pizzorni C , Cutolo M , Airò P , Tincani A 
Published: March 2015

Background Vitamin D receptor is constitutively expressed on the lymphocyte surface. Recent studies highlight that vitamin D may exert actions on T-cells, inhibiting Th1 and Th17 response and enhancing Th2 and T-regulatory (T-reg) function. Methods Thirty-four patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were randomly enrolled in a two-year prospective study. In the first year, 16 patients were supplemented with an intensive regimen of cholecalciferol (IR) (300.000 UI of cholecalciferol at baseline and 50.000 UI/monthly as maintenance, 850.000 UI annually), whereas 18 with a standard regimen (SR) (25.000 UI of cholecalciferol monthly, 300.000 UI annually). During the second year, patients were switched to the other arm of treatment. Phenotypic analysis of peripheral T lymphocyte and the quantification of cytokine production from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were evaluated by flow cytometry. Results At baseline, no significant difference between the two groups emerged among main T-cell subtypes. Over two years of treatment, we saw an increase in the number of T-reg cells, in the total amount of CD4+CD45RA+CCR7− T-cells, whereas a significant reduction of CD8+CD28− T-cells was observed. In addition, the analysis of PBMCs from eight patients following the IR showed the reduction of the IFN-γ/IL-4 ratio ( p = 0.01) among CD8+ T-cells after 12 months. Conclusions After a long-term of monthly treatment with vitamin D in SLE patients, an enhancement of T-reg cells and the production of Th2 cytokines should be expected.
The Balance Scorecard Implementation in the Italian Health Care System
Authors: Broccardo Laura 
Published: March 2015

In the last few years, in the healthcare organizations, it has become crucial not only to manage the costs, but also to understand the relationship between quality and cost. Indeed, a variety of stakeholder groups are putting increasing pressure on providers for measured performance; they are demanding data on quality and patient satisfaction, although simultaneously pressing for lower costs (Griffith and King 2000). It is clear how the balanced scorecard is (BSC) important to manage, strategically, the quality and the costs in the health care system, but it is also important to underline that this tool has to be adapted to these kinds of organizations among its classical use. Consequently, the main goals of this article are: (a) to make a complete literature review of the papers with case studies published on the topic of BSC in Italian health care system during the period 1992–2012, using international databases to understand the use of this strategic management tool; and (b) to conduct an empirical analysis based on an Italian hospital case study, with particular attention to the BSC adoption, to understand the connected issues of the use of this tool. By this analysis, it emerges that there is a gap in the literature of empirical case studies, so the case study analyzed contributes to fill this gap. Further research can include the comparison of the Italian situation with other foreign countries.
Homosexuality and Scientific Evidence: On Suspect Anecdotes, Antiquated Data, and Broad Generalizations
Authors: Kinney Robert L. 
Published: March 2015

The American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association have suggested for many years now that there is significant empirical evidence supporting the claim that homosexuality is a normal variant of human sexual orientation as opposed to a mental disorder. This paper summarizes and analyzes that purported scientific evidence and explains that much (if not all) of the evidence is irrelevant and does not support the homosexuality-is-not-a-mental-disorder claim. As a result of their deficiencies and arbitrariness, the credibility those two groups that are typically deemed authoritative and trustworthy is called into question. Lay summary At one time, homosexuality was considered to be mentally disordered. Since the 1970s, however, major medical associations in the U.S. have labeled homosexuality as a normal counterpart of heterosexuality. Those medical associations have proposed that their homosexuality-is-normal claim is based on “scientific evidence.” This article critically reviews that “scientific evidence” and finds that much of their literature does not support the claim that homosexuality is normal. This article suggests that instead of supporting their claim with scientific evidence, those major medical associations arbitrarily label homosexuality as normal.
Platelet-delivered ADAMTS13 inhibits arterial thrombosis and prevents thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura in murine models
Authors: Pickens Brandy , Mao Yingying , Li Dengju , Siegel Don L. , Poncz Mortimer , Cines Douglas B. , Zheng X. Long 
Published: March 2015

Key Points
Platelet-delivered ADAMTS13 inhibits arterial thrombosis after vascular injury. Platelet-delivered ADAMTS13 also prevents thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura.
Impact of allogeneic stem cell transplantation on survival of patients less than 65 years of age with primary myelofibrosis
Authors: Kröger Nicolaus , Giorgino Toni , Scott Bart L. , Ditschkowski Markus , Alchalby Haefaa , Cervantes Francisco , Vannucchi Alessandro , Cazzola Mario , Morra Enrica , Zabelina Tatjana , Maffioli Margherita , Pereira Arturo , Beelen Dietrich , Deeg H. Joachim , Passamonti Francesco 
Published: March 2015

Key Points
Transplant vs nontransplant approaches were compared in PMF patients grouped by DIPSS status. The net benefit of transplant vs nontransplant is marked in higher-risk patients.