Drag amplification of long flexible riser models undergoing multi-mode VIV in uniform currents

Measurement data of long flexible riser models are used to study the drag amplification due to multi-mode vortex induced vibration (VIV). The riser model was towed in a towing tank, and vibration along its length was measured indirectly at a set of discrete points using accelerometers, along with the total drag and lift forces on the model. These data were used to fit expressions for the drag amplification taking into account the spatial variation of the vibration amplitude along the riser length. The results were compared with the existing empirical expression used in the VIV analysis tool SHEAR7 as well as other test data. It was found that the expression in SHEAR7 agrees well with the test data. However, for larger vibration amplitudes, it appears to under-predict the drag amplification.     

The magnetic part of the Weyl tensor,and the expansion of discrete universes

We examine the effect that the magnetic part of the Weyl tensor has on the large-scale expansion of space. This is done within the context of a class of cosmological models that contain regularly arranged discrete masses, rather than a continuous perfect fluid. The natural set of geodesic curves that one should use to consider the cosmological expansion of these models requires the existence of a non-zero magnetic part of the Weyl tensor. We include this object in the evolution equations of these models by performing a Taylor series expansion about a hypersurface where it initially vanishes. At the same cosmological time, measured as a fraction of the age of the universe, we find that the influence of the magnetic part of the Weyl tensor increases as the number of masses in the universe is increased. We also find that the influence of the magnetic part of the Weyl tensor increases with time, relative to the leading-order electric part, so that its contribution to the scale of the universe can reach values of \(\sim \)1%, before the Taylor series approximation starts to break down.     

Submicron gold structures formed by atomic force microscopy lithography on thin films of poly(methyl methacrylate)

Thin films of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) (25 nm) deposited on gold coated glass substrates have been locally modified by exposure to biased atomic force microscopy (AFM) tips. Constant exposure currents in the range of 0.5–0.65 nA leads to removal of PMMA both by direct ablation and enhanced solubility in a developer solution. Possible mechanisms causing such modifications have been discussed. Submicron Au structures were formed by combining AFM lithography, involving localized removal of PMMA, with sputter deposition of gold and a lift-off process.     

Large-Eddy Simulation of the Flow Over a Circular Cylinder at Reynolds Number 3900 Using the OpenFOAM Toolbox

The flow over a circular cylinder at Reynolds number 3900 and Mach number 0.2 was predicted numerically using the technique of large-eddy simulation. The computations were carried out with an O-type curvilinear grid of size of 300 × 300 × 64. The numerical simulations were performed using a second-order finite-volume method with central-difference schemes for the approximation of convective terms. A conventional Smagorinsky and a dynamic k-equation eddy viscosity sub-grid scale models were applied. The integration time interval for data sampling was extended up to 150 vortex shedding periods for the purpose of obtaining a fully converged mean flow field. The present numerical results were found to be in good agreement with existing experimental data and previously obtained large-eddy simulation results. This gives an indication on the adequacy and accuracy of the selected large-eddy simulation technique implemented in the OpenFOAM toolbox.     

Practical algorithms for transposition-invariant string-matching

We consider the problems of (1) longest common subsequence (LCS) of two given strings in the case where the first may be shifted by some constant (that is, transposed) to match the second, and (2) transposition-invariant text searching using indel distance. These problems have applications in music comparison and retrieval. We introduce two novel techniques to solve these problems efficiently. The first is based on the branch and bound method, the second on bit-parallelism. Our branch and bound algorithm computes the longest common transposition-invariant subsequence (LCTS) in time O((m²+loglogσ)logσ) in the best case and O((m²+logσ)σ) in the worst case, where m and σ, respectively, are the length of the strings and the size of the alphabet. On the other hand, we show that the same problem can be solved by using bit-parallelism and thus obtain a speedup of O(w/logm) over the classical algorithms, where the computer word has w bits. The advantage of this latter algorithm over the present bit-parallel ones is that it allows the use of more complex distances, including general integer weights. Since our branch and bound method is very flexible, it can be further improved by combining it with other efficient algorithms such as our novel bit-parallel algorithm. We experiment on several combination possibilities and discuss which are the best settings for each of those combinations. Our algorithms are easily extended to other musically relevant cases, such as δ-matching and polyphony (where there are several parallel texts to be considered). We also show how our bit-parallel algorithm is adapted to text searching and illustrate its effectiveness in complex cases where the only known competing method is the use of brute force.     

Amine functionalised metal organic frameworks (MOFs) as adsorbents for carbon dioxide

Three different porous metal organic framework (MOF) materials have been prepared with and without uncoordinated amine functionalities inside the pores. The materials have been characterized and tested as adsorbents for carbon dioxide. At 298 K the materials adsorb significant amount of carbon dioxide, the amine functionalised adsorbents having the highest CO₂ adsorption capacities, the best adsorbing around 14 wt% CO₂ at 1.0 atm CO₂ pressure. At 25 atm CO₂ pressure, up to 60 wt% CO₂ can be adsorbed. At high pressures the CO₂ uptake is mostly dependent on the available surface area and pore volume of the material in question. For one of the iso-structural MOF pairs the introduction of amine functionality increases the differential adsorption enthalpy (from isosteric method) from 30 to around 50 kJ/mole at low CO₂ pressures, while the adsorption enthalpies reach the same level at increase pressures. The high pressure experimental results indicate that MOF based solid adsorbents can have a potential for use in pressure swing adsorption of carbon dioxide at elevated pressures.     

Mass spectrometry of onium compounds—X: on the evaporation of pyridinium-3-oxides ionization potential measurements

Ionization potentials of a number of substituted pyridines have been measured. The ionization potential is dependent on the substituent properties. Derivatives of pyridinium-3-oxide are unusual in that they have considerably lower IP values than isomeric covalent structures.     

The surface tension of concentrated aqueous solutions of 1.1-electrolytes measured by means of Wilhelmy and laser light scattering methods

Surface tension measurements were made on concentrated (<4 moles/kg) aqueous solutions of the following 1.1-electrolytes: KF, KCl, KI, HCl, and HNO₃. Two different measurement techniques were used: the Wilhelmy slide method and a method based on the scattering of laser light by small amplitude liquid surface waves. The surface tension determined by the two methods agrees within ±0.5% and for each solution it is found to vary almost linearly with concentration. The shear viscosity was also measured for these solutions by means of the laser method and a standard flow viscosimeter. The measured values were found to agree within ±5%.     

Mass spectrometry of tropylium halides

The base peak and highest mass number in the spectra of tropylium iodide and bromide corresponds to the mass of the cation. Both appearance potential (AP) measurements and the fragmentation pattern strongly indicate that the gaseous species present is the tropylium radical. Rediction to the corresponding volatile free radical thus takes place prior to evaporation.