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Engineering Concepts (engineering + concept)
Selected AbstractsThe harmonic adjoint approach to unsteady turbomachinery designINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 3-4 2002M. C. Duta Abstract In recent years, there has been rapid progress in aerodynamic optimization methods which use adjoint flow analysis to efficiently calculate the sensitivity of steady-state objective functions to changes in the underlying design variables. This paper shows that the same adjoint approach can be used in turbomachinery applications in which the primary concern is blade vibration due to harmonic flow unsteadiness. The paper introduces the key engineering concepts and discusses the derivation of the adjoint analysis at the algebraic level. The emphasis is on the algorithmic aspects of the analysis, on the iterative solution method and on the role played by the strong solid wall boundary condition, in particular. The novel ideas are exploited to reveal the potential of the approach in the minimization of the unsteady vibration of turbomachinery blades due to incident wakes. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Spatial and temporal patterns of bone formation in ectopically pre-fabricated, autologous cell-based engineered bone flaps in rabbitsJOURNAL OF CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR MEDICINE, Issue 4 2008Oliver Scheufler Abstract Biological substitutes for autologous bone flaps could be generated by combining flap pre-fabrication and bone tissue engineering concepts. Here, we investigated the pattern of neotissue formation within large pre-fabricated engineered bone flaps in rabbits. Bone marrow stromal cells from 12 New Zealand White rabbits were expanded and uniformly seeded in porous hydroxyapatite scaffolds (tapered cylinders, 10,20 mm diameter, 30 mm height) using a perfusion bioreactor. Autologous cell-scaffold constructs were wrapped in a panniculus carnosus flap, covered by a semipermeable membrane and ectopically implanted. Histological analysis, substantiated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and micro-computerized tomography scans, indicated three distinct zones: an outer one, including bone tissue; a middle zone, formed by fibrous connective tissue; and a central zone, essentially necrotic. The depths of connective tissue and of bone ingrowth were consistent at different construct diameters and significantly increased from respectively 3.1 ± 0.7 mm and 1.0 ± 0.4 mm at 8 weeks to 3.7± 0.6 mm and 1.4 ± 0.6 mm at 12 weeks. Bone formation was found at a maximum depth of 1.8 mm after 12 weeks. Our findings indicate the feasibility of ectopic pre-fabrication of large cell-based engineered bone flaps and prompt for the implementation of strategies to improve construct vascularization, in order to possibly accelerate bone formation towards the core of the grafts. [source] PERMEABILITY ANISOTROPY DISTRIBUTIONS IN AN UPPER JURASSIC CARBONATE RESERVOIR, EASTERN SAUDI ARABIAJOURNAL OF PETROLEUM GEOLOGY, Issue 2 2007A. Sahin Most classical reservoir engineering concepts are based on homogeneous reservoirs despite the fact that homogeneous reservoirs are the exception rather than the rule. This is especially true of carbonate reservoirs in the Middle East which are known to be highly heterogeneous. The realistic petrophysical characterization of these kinds of reservoirs is not an easy task and must include the study of directional variations of permeability. Such variation can be incorporated into engineering calculations as the square root of the ratio of horizontal to vertical permeability, a parameter known as the anisotropy ratio. This paper addresses the distribution of anisotropy ratio values in an Upper Jurassic carbonate reservoir in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Based on whole core data from a number of vertical wells, statistical distributions of horizontal and vertical permeability measurements as well as anisotropy ratios were determined. The distributions of both permeability measurements and anisotropy ratios have similar patterns characterized by considerable positive skewness. The coefficients of variation for these distributions are relatively high, indicating their very heterogeneous nature. Comparison of plots of anisotropy ratios against depth for the wells and the corresponding core permeability values indicate that reservoir intervals with lower vertical permeability yield consistently higher ratios with considerable fluctuations. These intervals are represented by lower porosity mud-rich and/or mud-rich/granular facies. Granular facies, on the other hand, yielded considerably lower ratios without significant fluctuations. [source] Using memes and memetic processes to explain social and conceptual influences on student understanding about complex socio-scientific issuesJOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, Issue 8 2008Susan Yoon Abstract This study investigated seventh grade learners' decision making about genetic engineering concepts and applications. A social network analyses supported by technology tracked changes in student understanding with a focus on social and conceptual influences. Results indicated that several social and conceptual mechanisms potentially affected how and why ideas were taken up in the learning system of the classroom. Mechanisms included copying or memetic processes such as "do as the smart students do" and friendship selection. Study outcomes are compared with the broader literature on memes and memetic processes to reveal general evolutionary ideas such as the development of prestige, identity versus problem-solving strategies, extended phenotypes, and memeplexes. Educational implications for this research are also addressed. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 45: 900,921, 2008 [source] Signalling molecules and growth factors for tissue engineering of cartilage,what can we learn from the growth plate?,JOURNAL OF TISSUE ENGINEERING AND REGENERATIVE MEDICINE, Issue 6 2009Christoph Brochhausen Abstract Modern tissue engineering concepts integrate cells, scaffolds, signalling molecules and growth factors. For the purposes of regenerative medicine, fetal development is of great interest because it is widely accepted that regeneration recapitulates in part developmental processes. In tissue engineering of cartilage the growth plate of the long bone represents an interesting, well-organized developmental structure with a spatial distribution of chondrocytes in different proliferation and differentiation stages, embedded in a scaffold of extracellular matrix components. The proliferation and differentiation of these chondrocytes is regulated by various hormonal and paracrine factors. Thus, members of the TGF, superfamily, the parathyroid hormone-related peptide,Indian hedgehog loop and a number of transcription factors, such as Sox and Runx, are involved in the regulation of chondrocyte proliferation and differentiation. Furthermore, adhesion molecules, homeobox genes, metalloproteinases and prostaglandins play a role in the complex regulation mechanisms. The present paper summarizes the morphological organization of the growth plate and provides a short but not exhaustive overview of the regulation of growth plate development, giving interesting insights for tissue engineering of cartilage. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | ||||||||||