Minimal dynamic characterization of tree-like multibody systems

The dynamic model of tree-like multibody systems is linear with respect to the parameters of mass distribution for instance when barycentric parameters are used. Thus, assuming that the parameters related to the kinematics are perfectly known, these quantities can be estimated through linear regression techniques. The necessary data are obtained by measuring the joint forces and/or torques and the resulting motion given in terms of positions, velocities and accelerations. An alternative method uses measurements of the reaction forces and torques applied to the bedplate.The linearity of the dynamic and reaction models with respect to the barycentric quantities does not however imply that the latter constitute the minimum set of parameters characterizing the mass distribution of the system. In other words, some barycentric parameters may disappear from the models or may be redundant in the sense that they appear only via linear combinations. In the first case they are not identifiable, while in the second case the linear regression technique leads to estimated values which are correct for the combinations but can be erroneous for the individual parameters.The various options taken to derive the dynamic and reaction models by use of the ROBOTRAN programme are briefly reviewed. Then the rules leading to the minimal parametrization are presented and illustrated by means of a practical example related to a robot calibration problem.     

Solubility prediction of deferiprone in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone + ethanol mixtures at various temperatures using a minimum number of experimental data

Experimental solubility of deferiprone (DFP) in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) + ethanol (EtOH) mixtures at 293.2, 298.2, 303.2 and 308.2 K was determined and mathematically represented using various models. The trained versions of the van’t Hoff equation, its combined version with log-linear model, Jouyban–Acree model and a combination of van’t Hoff + Jouyban–Acree model were reported to simulate DFP solubility in the binary mixture compositions at various temperatures. The mean percentage deviation (MPD) was used as an accuracy criterion. The obtained overall MPDs for back-calculated and predicted solubility of DFP in NMP + EtOH mixtures varied from 1.1% to 3.2% and 2.6% to 6.6%, respectively. Some of apparent thermodynamic quantities for the dissolution processes of DFP are also reported.     

A Multibody Loop Constraints Approach for Modelling Cam/Follower Devices

This paper proposes a formulation for modelling mechanisms witha cam/follower type of contact using a multibody approach in relativecoordinates. The proposed approach is inspired from the wheel/railcontact model developed by Fisette and Samin but, in the present case,possible intermittent contact between the cam and the follower isconsidered, for generality purposes.Loop kinematicconstraints are introduced to satisfy tangent and punctual contact aslong as the bodies lean against each other. The effective presence (ornot) of the contact is governed by the sign of the normal constraintforce which can be computed thanks to the Lagrange multiplierstechnique.The above-mentioned option to kinematicallyconstraint the bodies in their contact phase unavoidably leads to ashift from one model to another when a contact disappears (or,conversely, reappears). Indeed, this increases (or decreases) the numberof degrees of freedom of the current system. The control of the variablepartitioning is thus absolutely necessary and is all the more complex sothat practical applications can contain several pairs of bodies inintermittent contact.Illustrative examples are proposed: acomparison with another multibody formalism, an experimental validationand the modelling of universal wheels of mobile robots which representsa quite original application of the proposed formulation.     

Symbolic generation of large multibody system dynamic equations using a new semi-explicit Newton/Euler recursive scheme

Summary The aim of this paper is to show that multibody systems with a large number of degrees of freedom can be efficiently modelled, taking conjointly advantage of a recursive formulation of the equations of motion and of the symbolic generation capabilities.Recursive schemes are widely used in the field of multibody dynamics since they avoid the explosion of the number of arithmetical operations in case of large multibody models. Within the context of our field of applications (railway dynamics simulation), explicit integration schemes are still prefered and thus oblige us to compute the generalized accelerations at each time step. To achieve this, we propose a new formulation of the well-known Newton/Euler recursive method, whose efficiency will be compared with a so-called O(N) formulation.A regards the symbolic generation, often decried due to the size of the equations in case of large systems, we have recently implemented recursive multibody formalisms in the symbolic programme ROBOTRAN [1]. As we shall explain, the recursive nature of these formalisms is particularly well-suited to symbolic manipulation.All these developments have been successfully applied in the field of railway dynamics, and in particular allowed us to analyse the dynamic behaviour of several railway vehicles. Some typical results related to a completely non-conventional bogie will be presented before concluding.     

A new wheel/rail contact model for independent wheels

Summary The classical multibody approach in railway vehicle dynamics considers as rolling element a rigid wheelset, for which the geometrical problem associated with the wheel/rail contact and the formulation of the dynamic equations are well known at the present time. New designs of non-conventional bogies led us to develop a new model for independent wheels in which each wheel/rail contact must be treated separately due to the absence of an axle between left and right wheels. This model constitutes an additional feature of the multibody approach for this type of application. The classical multibody formalism is first briefly reviewed and the wheel/rail contact model is then developed in the case of a straight track. The way the model has been extended to curved track is also explained. Finally, numerical results related to classical and non-conventional bogies will be presented before concluding.

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Neues Modell des Rad-Gleiskontaktes für unabhängige Räder

Übersicht Die klassische Mehrkörper-Annäherung in der Dynamik der Eisenbahnfahrzeuge betrachtet als Rollelement das steife Achse-Räder-System, dessen geometrisches Problem des Kontaktes zwischen Rad und Gleis sowie dessen Formulierung der dynamischen Gleichungen heutzutage allbekannt sind. Neue Konzepte von unkonventionellen Drehgestellen führte die Autoren zur Entwicklung eines neuen Modells für unabhängige Räder, in welchem aufgrund des Fehlens einer gemeinsamen Achse zwischen linkem und rechtem Rad jeder Rad-Gleis-Kontakt getrennt betrachtet werden soll. Dieses Modell bildet einen zusätzlichen Gesichtspunkt der Mehrkörper-Methode für die Lösung solcher Probleme. Nach kurzer Betrachtung des klassischen Mehrkörper-Formalismus wird ein Modell des Rad-Gleis-Kontaktes für eine gerade Strecke entwickelt. Weiter folgt die Ausweitung des Modells auf ein gekrümmtes Gleis und schließlich werden die numerischen Ergebnisse für klassische und nicht-konventionelle Drehgestelle vorgelegt.

     

Phase-separation transition in liquid mixtures near curved charged objects

We study the thermodynamic behavior of nonpolar liquid mixtures in the vicinity of curved charged objects, such as electrodes or charged colloids. There is a critical value of charge (or potential), above which a phase-separation transition occurs, and the interface between high- and low-dielectric constant components becomes sharp. Analytical and numerical composition profiles are given, and the equilibrium front location as a function of charge or voltage is found. We further employ a simple Cahn-Hilliard type equation to study the dynamics of phase separation in spatially nonuniform electric fields. We find an exponential temporal relaxation of the demixing front location. We give the dependence of the steady-state location and characteristic time on the charge, mixture composition and ambient temperature.     

Agmatine protects retinal ganglion cells from hypoxia-induced apoptosis in transformed rat retinal ganglion cell line

Background  

Agmatine is an endogenous polyamine formed by the decarboxylation of L-arginine. We investigated the protective effects of agmatine against hypoxia-induced apoptosis of immortalized rat retinal ganglion cells (RGC-5). RGC-5 cells were cultured in a closed hypoxic chamber (5% O₂) with or without agmatine. Cell viability was determined by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay and apoptosis was examined by annexin V and caspase-3 assays. Expression and phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs; JNK, ERK p44/42, and p38) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) were investigated by Western immunoblot analysis. The effects of agmatine were compared to those of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a well-known protective neurotrophin for retinal ganglion cells.     

Protein foam application for enhanced oil recovery

Protein foam was explored as a foaming agent for enhanced oil recovery application in this study. The influence of salinity and oil presence on bulk stability and foamability of the egg white protein (EWP) foam was investigated. The results were compared with those of the classical surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) foam. The results showed that the EWP foam is more stable than the SDS foam in the presence of oil and different salts. Although, the SDS foam has more foamability than the EWP foam, however, at low to moderate salinities (1–3 wt% NaCl), both foam systems showed improvement in foamability. At a NaCl concentration of 4.0 wt% and above, foamability of the SDS foam started to decrease drastically while the foamability of the EWP foam remained the same. The presence of oil has a destabilizing effect on both foams but the EWP foam was less affected in comparison to the SDS foam. Moreover, increasing the aromatic hydrocarbon compound percentage in the added oil decreased the foamability and stability of the SDS foam more than EWP foams. This study suggests that the protein foam could be used as an alternative foaming agent for enhanced oil recovery application due to its high stability compared to the conventional foams.     

Liquid-phase microextraction of biomarkers: A review on current methods

The detection and quantification of biomarkers have gained more attention in the medical discipline to evaluating disease progression to manage medical treatment. Biomarkers range from gases to biological macromolecules. Because of the nanomolar range levels of typical biomarkers in plasma, blood, urine, exhalation samples, and other biological fluids as well as complex matrix of biological media, adequate sample preparation methods should be used for quantification of biomarkers. Biomarkers are discussed here generally classified mainly into two subgroups which arisen from disease or exposure compounds. The analytical method is critical for the validity/reliability of a biomarker. Accuracy, precision, reproducibility, recovery, sensitivity, and specificity all have high influence to the consistency with the limit and reference values concerned. In this paper, developments in well-established liquid-phase microextraction techniques for the clinical analysis of biological samples will be reviewed and discussed. This article presents an overview of microextraction methods for biological samples, focusing especially on biomarkers.     

Mixed hemimicelle magnetic dispersive solid‐phase extraction using carbon‐coated magnetic nanoparticles for the determination of tramadol in urine samples

Ionic liquid carbon‐coated magnetic nanoparticles were successfully applied as an adsorbent in a mixed hemimicelle magnetic dispersive solid‐phase extraction method for the determination of tramadol from urine samples coupled with high‐performance liquid chromatography with UV‐vis detection. The significant parameters affect the extraction efficiency including type and amount of adsorbent, sample volume, pH, ionic strength, type and amount of elution solvent, time of extraction and desorption, time of ionic liquid loading on the adsorbent and stirring rate were studied and optimized. The proposed method provided a fast, straightforward, environmentally friendly and adsorbent recyclable approach for tramadol analysis. The linear range for the tramadol determination was from 100 to 1500 ng/mL. Precisions and accuracies were within 6%. The applicability of the proposed method in clinical trial was tried successfully on determination of tramadol in addicted subjects under tramadol therapy. The mean percent recovery of the patient samples was 94%. The results proved that the proposed method could be applied in clinical and forensic laboratories for determination of tramadol from biological urine samples.