The effect of grana and inter-grana components of chloroplasts on green light transmission: A preliminary study

In this paper we simulate for the first time the propagation of green light through grana and inter-grana components of chloroplasts. Those components are nano-metric structures and thus regular estimation of the propagation of light cannot be exact without taking into account diffraction effects. The numerical investigation presented in this paper solves Maxwell wave equation using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) numerical approach to analyze the propagation of light through a chloroplast model.     

Noise-induced collective regimes of complex system in contact with a random reservoir

Based on a system-reservoir model, where the reservoir is driven by an external white Gaussian noise, we study the behavior of system components in Weiss mean-field approach and Gaussian approximation for moments. Crossover from individual to cooperative dynamics of the system components is due to noise. The system displays a transition similar to diversity-induced phase transition. The analytical results are compared with the numerical simulations.     

The status of VEPP-4

The VEPP-4 accelerator-accumulator complex is designed for carrying out experiments with colliding electron-positron beams with the energy in the range of from 1 to 5 GeV using a VEPP-4M collider equipped with the KEDR magnetic detector. Experiments in the field of high-energy physics (HEP) using the complex in its present state have been being carried out since 2002. Science programs other than HEP programs are carried out in the VEPP-4, including experiments with synchrotron-radiation (SR) beams and studies on nuclear physics with an internal gas target, on verification of the CPT invariance, on accelerator physics, etc. The status of the complex, main results, methods used, new approaches, and long-term plans have been described.     

水性丙烯酸聚氨酯涂料中反应性缓蚀剂掺入及其耐蚀性能

利用磷酸和双酚A环氧树脂反应得到功能性缓蚀剂羟基环氧磷酸酯(HEP). 将其添加到水性羟基丙烯酸树脂中,再与水性异氰酸酯固化剂交联,制备了水性羟基环氧磷酸酯/丙烯酸聚氨酯复合涂层(HEP-APU). 由于磷酸酯基团可以与金属基体发生反应,在金属表面形成一层磷化膜,极大的提升了金属的抗闪蚀能力. 利用电化学阻抗谱和极化曲线研究HEP-APU复合涂层对Q235碳钢在3.5wt% NaCl溶液中耐蚀性能. 结果表明,HEP-APU涂料对Q235碳钢具有优越的钝化和耐腐性能,且当HEP在水性丙烯酸聚氨酯涂料中质量分数为0.5%时,所得到的复合涂层的防腐性能最佳.     

Analysis of optical characteristics of holey photonic crystal devices with the extended coupled-mode formalism

Presented here is a new approach for analysis of the so-called holey photonic crystals—a class of electro-optical components, in which periodicity of air holes in dielectric media is used for confinement of light. This class includes several kinds of microstructured fibers, semiconductor lasers etc. Accurate evaluation of optical characteristics of those devices is usually a complicated problem due to the large dimensions and the fine structure of their refractive index distribution. Furthermore, usually, only numerical solutions for this class of optical components are available. The overwhelming majority of the physical models, suitable for analysis of holey photonic devices, proceed from the “natural” assumption: the devices are considered as arrays of air holes, surrounded by dielectric material. In this work we propose another model. Namely, we treat them as arrays of dielectric spots (waveguides), embedded in the air (cladding material). This model allows utilization of the extended coupled-mode theory (a relatively new approach designed for analysis of infinite arrays of coupled waveguides and previously considered inapplicable to holey optical components) for calculations of the latter. In this sense, we present a new method for analysis of holey photonic crystals. On the one hand, our method allows analytical evaluation of some optical characteristics of holey optical components (such as the number of photonic bands and bandwidth). On the other hand, accurate numerical computation of the photonic band structure of the holey photonic devices, incorporating a large number of holes, can be done with this technique on a timescale of several minutes.     

A numerical method to predict the effects of frequency-dependent attenuation and dispersion on speed of sound estimates in cancellous bone

Many studies have demonstrated that time-domain speed-of-sound (SOS) measurements in calcaneus are predictive of osteoporotic fracture risk. However, there is a lack of standardization for this measurement. Consequently, different investigators using different measurement systems and analysis algorithms obtain disparate quantitative values for calcaneal SOS, impairing and often precluding meaningful comparison and/or pooling of measurements. A numerical method has been developed to model the effects of frequency-dependent attenuation and dispersion on transit-time-based SOS estimates. The numerical technique is based on a previously developed linear system analytic model for Gaussian pulses propagating through linearly attenuating, weakly dispersive media. The numerical approach is somewhat more general in that it can be used to predict the effects of arbitrary pulse shapes and dispersion relationships. The numerical technique, however, utilizes several additional assumptions (compared with the analytic model) which would be required for the practical task of correcting existing clinical databases. These include a single dispersion relationship for all calcaneus samples, a simple linear model relating phase velocity to broadband ultrasonic attenuation, and a constant calcaneal thickness. Measurements on a polycarbonate plate and 30 human calcaneus samples were in good quantitative agreement with numerical predictions. In addition, the numerical approach predicts that in cancellous bone, frequency-dependent attenuation tends to be a greater contributor to variations in transit-time-based SOS estimates than dispersion. This approach may be used to adjust previously acquired individual measurements so that SOS data recorded with different devices using different algorithms may be compared in a meaningful fashion.     

Experimental demonstration and stochastic modeling of autonomous formation of nanophotonic droplets

We have previously demonstrated a novel technique for autonomously forming a nanophotonic droplet, which is micro-scale spherical polymer structure that contains paired heterogeneous nanometric components. The sort-selectivity and alignment accuracy of the nanometric components in each nanophotonic droplet, and the related homogeneity of the optical function, are due to a characteristic pairing process based on a phonon-assisted photo-curing method. The proposed method requires irradiating a mixture of components with light to induce optical near-field interactions between each component, and subsequent processes based on these interactions. The pairing yield of components via the interactions is considered to mainly depend on the frequency of their encounters and the size-resonance effect between encountered components. In this paper, we model these two factors by individual stochastic procedures and construct a numerical model to describe the pairing process. Agreement between the results of numerical and experimental demonstrations shows the validity of our stochastic modeling.     

Experimental and numerical study on the propagation of impulsive sound around buildings

Propagation of impulsive sound around buildings and induced structural loading are investigated experimentally and numerically. Experiments were conducted on a rectangular building at Virginia Tech using sonic booms generated by shaped charges with an explosive weight of 0.78 kg, constructed from detonation cord. These experiments were simulated with a three-dimensional numerical model, in the context of geometrical acoustics (GA), by combining the image source method for the reflected field (specular reflections) with an extension of the Biot–Tolstoy–Medwin (BTM) method for the diffracted field. In this model, it is assumed that the acoustic propagation is linear and that all surfaces are acoustically rigid. This numerical model is validated against a boundary element (BE) solution and experimental data, showing a good overall agreement. The key advantages of this GA modeling approach for this application include the ability to model large three-dimensional domains over a wide frequency range and also to decompose the sound field into direct, reflected, and diffracted components, thus providing a better understanding of the sound-propagation mechanisms. Finally, this validated numerical model is used to investigate sound propagation around a cluster of six rectangular buildings, for a range of elevated source positions simulating sonic booms from aircraft.     

Flattop operation of the ILC accelerating cryomodule

A 500 GeV center-of-mass International Linear Collider (ILC), currently under R&D development, is foreseen as the next-generation high-energy physics (HEP) instrument [1]. The achievement of a 31.5 MV/m average operational accelerating gradient in a single cryomodule is a proof of principle for the ILC project. However, individual cavity performance may have a large spread in operating gradients, up to 20% of the nominal value [2, 3]. In case of cavities performing below the average, the design parameters could be achieved by tweaking the RF distribution accordingly. We present a simple theoretical analysis of the ILC cryomodule operation with a gradient spread. The difference in the gradients breaks the synchronism of a transient processes in each cavity and causes nonuniform acceleration along the bunch train. A proper solution was found to maintain flattop operation of the accelerating module. Finally, we perform numerical efficiency estimations for the proposed RF distribution scheme based on real data of the gradient spread of actual cavities. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Keynote address: High energy physics in 2014 and its future

After a brief history, we focus on the present status of HEP and its possible future. Ideas to ensure a healthy growth of HEP in India are discussed. This involves a few major experimental projects in fundamental physics. None of these projects can succeed unless the crucial problem of manpower is solved. A few suggestions are offered towards this aim.     

中子裂变链统计涨落问题的数值计算方法

研究了弱中子源驱动下,裂变系统中子裂变链统计涨落问题的数值计算方法。进行了数值计算建模、数值方法分析、数值计算检验、一类问题概率分布函数的统计涨落特征量的数值计算示范。特例数值检验表明:只要数值解方程组阶数(截断) N足够大,数值解满足归一(守恒) 律、指数增长律,并与精确解析解一致。对于非定常裂变系统中子裂变链统计涨落问题提出了一维等效模型下数值模拟的方法。     

Mode shape expansion using perturbed force approach

A new approach for expanding incomplete experimental mode shapes is presented which considers the modelling errors in the analytical model and the uncertainties in the vibration modal data measurements. The proposed approach adopts the perturbed force vector that includes the effect of the discrepancy in mass and stiffness between the finite element model and the actual tested dynamic system. From the developed formulations, the perturbed force vector can be obtained from measured modal data and is then used for predicting the unmeasured components of the expanded experimental mode shapes. A special case that does not require the experimental natural frequency in the mode shape expansion process is also discussed. A regularization algorithm based on the Tikhonov solution incorporating the generalized cross-validation method is employed to filter out the influence of noise in measured modal data on the predictions of unmeasured mode components. The accuracy and robustness of the proposed approach is verified with respect to the size of measured data set, sensor location, model deficiency and measurement uncertainty. The results from two numerical examples, a plane frame structure and a thin plate structure, show that the proposed approach has the best performance compared with the commonly used existing expansion methods, and can reliably produce the predictions of mode shape expansion, even in the cases with limited modal data measurements, large modelling errors and severe measurement noise.     

Inverting chaos: Extracting system parameters from experimental data

Given a set of experimental or numerical chaotic data and a set of model differential equations with several parameters, is it possible to determine the numerical values for these parameters using a least-squares approach, and thereby to test the model against the data? We explore this question (a) with simulated data from model equations for the Rossler, Lorenz, and pendulum attractors, and (b) with experimental data produced by a physical chaotic pendulum. For the systems considered in this paper, the least-squares approach provides values of model parameters that agree well with values obtained in other ways, even in the presence of modest amounts of added noise. For experimental data, the "fitted" and experimental attractors are found to have the same correlation dimension and the same positive Lyapunov exponent. (c) 1996 American Institute of Physics.     

Design and Analysis of Planar Photonic Band Gap Devices

The need for a highly efficient numerical simulation platform for designing photonic band gap (PBG) structures is outlined in the context of various functional device topologies. In this paper we therefore introduce the Method of Auxiliary Sources (MAS) as a semi-analytical, frequency-domain method for computational optics, which has already proven its accuracy and efficiency in various other fields of electrodynamics. The proposed software package provides an easy-to-handle approach to full-wave analysis of two-dimensional (2D) PBG circuits, PBG-based antennas as well as to dense-integrated optics components that contain optical waveguides, scatterers, resonators and other functional elements. Experimental verifications of the numerical results have been conducted along large-scale prototypes in the microwave frequency range for several device topologies.     

Simulation of the vector wave field of a low-frequency sound source in the ocean: Some important features

An approach to the simulation of low frequency vector wave fields in stratified media (mainly in the ocean) is considered. The approach is characterized by an improved stability with respect to dividing the medium into many layers of arbitrary thickness. The model for the sound field of a point source is based on an integral representation of two-dimensional, cylindrically symmetric vector wave fields in inhomogeneous media, so that the contributions of all types of waves are included automatically. The model medium is subdivided into N horizontally homogeneous layers for which 4(N?1) equations are formulated to satisfy the boundary conditions between adjacent layers. The method of the generalized Schmidt matrix is used to obtain the coefficients of the equations; these coefficients are substituted into the expressions (of the Fourier-Bessel integral type) for the local parameters of the field. The latter are calculated according to the numerical procedure, and the results are used to model the distributions of the acoustic pressure and the horizontal and vertical components of the particle velocity in liquid and elastic media. The instability of the calculation procedure may result in a disagreement between the model and the exact solution. However, the disagreement is shown to occur mainly in models containing excessively thick layers. A way for improving the stability of the numerical model is suggested. The simulation results are compared with the exact analytical solution for the simplest example and with the results obtained according to the commonly used generalized matrix procedure (the benchmark problem). The examples of the practical application of the model for investigating more complex seismoacoustic wave fields in the ocean are presented.     

通过流作用下穿孔板的声阻抗

穿孔元件在进排气消声器中广泛使用,气体流动对穿孔元件声阻抗具有较大的影响。为了获得更加精确的穿孔声阻抗模型,使用三维时域CFD方法计算通过流作用下穿孔的声阻抗。探究了通过流作用下穿孔声阻抗的获取方法,并且将无量纲小孔声阻抗的预测值与已发表的实验测量值进行了对比,两者吻合较好。分析了小孔中的通过流马赫数M_o (0.05~0.20)、穿孔的分布形式、小孔的直径d_h (2~5 mm),穿孔板的厚度t (0.8~2 mm)和穿孔率φ(4.51%~24.93%)对无量纲声阻抗的影响规律,并且通过不同参数的非线性回归分析得到了通过流作用下声阻抗的模型。作为工程计算的应用,利用Jing&Sun的声阻抗模型和本文声阻抗模型计算了横流式穿孔管消声器的传递损失,与实验测量结果比较表明,本文模型具有较高的准确性。      

Numerical solution of an extended White–Metzner model for eccentric Taylor–Couette flow

In this study, we have developed a new numerical approach to solve differential-type viscoelastic fluid models for a commonly used benchmark problem, namely, the steady Taylor—Couette flow between eccentric cylinders. The proposed numerical approach is special in that the nonlinear system of discretized algebraic flow equations is solved iteratively using a Newton–Krylov method along with an inverse-based incomplete lower-upper preconditioner. The numerical approach has been validated by solving the benchmark problem for the upper-convected Maxwell model at a large Deborah number. Excellent agreement with the numerical data reported in the literature has been found. In addition, a parameter study was performed for an extended White–Metzner model. A large eccentricity ratio was chosen for the cylinder system in order to allow flow recirculation to occur. We detected several interesting phenomena caused by the large eccentricity ratio of the cylinder system and by the viscoelastic nature of the fluid. Encouraged by the results of this study, we intend to investigate other polymeric fluids having a more complex microstructure in an eccentric annular flow field.     

随机过程动态自适应小波独立网格多尺度模拟

在随机过程数值仿真中,由多项式混沌展开谱方法得到求解展开系数的确定性偶合方程组。该方程组比相应的确定性仿真时增大许多。并且当多项式展开阶数和随机空间维数提高时,方程维数急剧增加。由于待求未知分量为表征不同尺度波动的混沌展开模,形成节点意义下的的多尺度问题,传统的网格细分自适应逼近不再适用。为此我们采用了小波的多尺度离散,并建立基于空间细化的动态自适应系统,让每个求解点上的多个未知分量有各自独立的小波网格。本文以随机对流扩散方程为例,进行了二个算例的数值实验,论证了此方法的优点。     

An investigation into the noise generation of CPAP devices: Experimental and numerical study

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices are popularly used for obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) treatment. However, the noise level emission from these devices has been identified as a potential factor for patient’s discomfort and rejection. There is a need to obtain information on the noise characteristics and source locations in order to tackle the most serious noise source within these devices. A typical CPAP device was used for the investigation and its sound characteristics and sound power levels were determined. The noise generated from a centrifugal fan was also independently investigated to address its contribution to the overall noise of the device. Frequency analysis suggested that the noise generated from both the CPAP device and the fan is broadband in nature with discrete peaks containing rotational and non-rotational components. The broadband components were then studied in detail using numerical simulation approach. Computational aeroacoustics (CAA) method with hybrid approach was used to a three-dimensional (3-D) CPAP fluid model to predict the aerodynamic and aeroacoustics behaviours of the device. This showed a complicated flow structure involving flow separation, rotation, and vortices in several locations which resulted in high level of flow turbulence inside the device. The turbulent components were used to estimate the broadband noise level at source using the broadband noise source (BNS) models. It shows the most critical location is at the fan region and at the fan inlet.     

Diode laser welding of ABS: Experiments and process modeling

The laser beam weldability of acrylonitrile/butadiene/styrene (ABS) plates is determined by combining both experimental and theoretical aspects. In modeling the process, an optical model is used to determine how the laser beam is attenuated by the first material and to obtain the laser beam profile at the interface. Using this information as the input data to a thermal model, the evolution of the temperature field within the two components can be estimated. The thermal model is based on the first principles of heat transfer and utilizes the temperature variation laws of material properties. Corroborating the numerical results with the experimental results, some important insights concerning the fundamental phenomena that govern the process could be extracted. This approach proved to be an efficient tool in determining the weldability of polimeric materials and assures a significant reduction of time and costs with the experimental exploration.