Transient State (transient + state)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Explicit calculation of smoothed sensitivity coefficients for linear problems

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 2 2003
R. A. Bia, ecki
Abstract A technique of explicit calculation of sensitivity coefficients based on the approximation of the retrieved function by a linear combination of trial functions of compact support is presented. The method is applicable to steady state and transient linear inverse problems where unknown distributions of boundary fluxes, temperatures, initial conditions or source terms are retrieved. The sensitivity coefficients are obtained by solving a sequence of boundary value problems with boundary conditions and source term being homogeneous except for one term. This inhomogeneous term is taken as subsequent trial functions. Depending on the type of the retrieved function, it may appear on boundary conditions (Dirichlet or Neumann), initial conditions or the source term. Commercial software and analytic techniques can be used to solve this sequence of boundary value problems producing the required sensitivity coefficients. The choice of the approximating functions guarantees a filtration of the high frequency errors. Several numerical examples are included where the sensitivity coefficients are used to retrieve the unknown values of boundary fluxes in transient state and volumetric sources. Analytic, boundary-element and finite-element techniques are employed in the study. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Heat Transfer in Gas Phase Olefin Polymerisation

MACROMOLECULAR SYMPOSIA, Issue 1 2009
Estevan Tioni
Abstract A fixed bed microreactor has been used to study heat transfer during the initial transient state of gas phase olefin polymerization on a supported catalyst. It has been shown that heat transfer during this stage of the polymerisation is critical, and under conditions found commercially problems can arise with hot spots and polymer melting. It is proven how the thermal properties of the gas mixture flowing on the catalytic bed exert great influence on heat dissipation reducing the sudden increase in temperature by as much as a factor of 5. Flow rate and especially the process gas composition are the key factors in controlling the bed temperature. [source]


Modeling dynamic cerebral blood volume changes during brain activation on the basis of the blood-nulled functional MRI signal

NMR IN BIOMEDICINE, Issue 7 2007
Changwei W. Wu
Abstract Recently, vascular space occupancy (VASO) based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was proposed to detect dynamic cerebral blood volume (CBV) changes using the blood-nulled non-selective inversion recovery (NSIR) sequence. However, directly mapping the dynamic CBV change by the NSIR signal change is based on the assumption of slow water exchange (SWE) around the capillary regime without cerebral blood flow (CBF) effects. In the present study, a fast water exchange (FWE) model incorporating with flow effects was derived from the Bloch equations and implemented for the quantification of dynamic CBV changes using VASO-fMRI during brain activation. Simulated results showed that only subtle differences in CBV changes estimated by these two models were observed on the basis of previously published VASO results. The influence of related physiological and biophysical factors within typical ranges was evaluated in steady-state simulations. It was revealed that in the transient state the CBV curves could be delayed in comparison with measured NSIR curves owing to the imbalance between the inflowing and outflowing blood signals. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Modification of upwind finite difference fractional step methods by the transient state of the semiconductor device

NUMERICAL METHODS FOR PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS, Issue 2 2008
Yirang Yuan
Abstract The mathematical model of the three-dimensional semiconductor devices of heat conduction is described by a system of four quasi-linear partial differential equations for initial boundary value problem. One equation of elliptic form is for the electric potential; two equations of convection-dominated diffusion type are for the electron and hole concentration; and one heat conduction equation is for temperature. Upwind finite difference fractional step methods are put forward. Some techniques, such as calculus of variations, energy method multiplicative commutation rule of difference operators, decomposition of high order difference operators, and the theory of prior estimates and techniques are adopted. Optimal order estimates in L2 norm are derived to determine the error in the approximate solution.© 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 2008 [source]


Stage, age and individual stochasticity in demography

OIKOS, Issue 12 2009
Hal Caswell
Demography is the study of the population consequences of the fates of individuals. Individuals are differentiated on the basis of age or, in general, life cycle stages. The movement of an individual through its life cycle is a random process, and although the eventual destination (death) is certain, the pathways taken to that destination are stochastic and will differ even between identical individuals; this is individual stochasticity. A stage-classified demographic model contains implicit age-specific information, which can be analyzed using Markov chain methods. The living stages in the life cycles are transient states in an absorbing Markov chain; death is an absorbing state. This paper presents Markov chain methods for computing the mean and variance of the lifetime number of visits to any transient state, the mean and variance of longevity, the net reproductive rate R0, and the cohort generation time. It presents the matrix calculus methods needed to calculate the sensitivity and elasticity of all these indices to any life history parameters. These sensitivities have many uses, including calculation of selection gradients. It is shown that the use of R0 as a measure of fitness or an invasion exponent gives erroneous results except when R0=,=1. The Markov chain approach is then generalized to variable environments (deterministic environmental sequences, periodic environments, iid random environments, Markovian environments). Variable environments are analyzed using the vec-permutation method to create a model that classifies individuals jointly by the stage and environmental condition. Throughout, examples are presented using the North Atlantic right whale (Eubaleana glacialis) and an endangered prairie plant (Lomatium bradshawii) in a stochastic fire environment. [source]


Toward Understanding the Mechanism of Chromophore-assisted Laser Inactivation,Evidence for the Primary Photochemical Steps,

PHOTOCHEMISTRY & PHOTOBIOLOGY, Issue 2 2005
Elke Horstkotte
ABSTRACT Chromophore-assisted laser inactivation (CALI) is a lightmediated technique used to selectively inactivate proteins of interest to elucidate their biological function. CALI has potential applications to a wide array of biological questions, and its efficiency allows for high-throughput application. A solid understanding of its underlying photochemical mechanism is still missing. In this study, we address the CALI mechanism using a simplified model system consisting of the enzyme ,-galactosidase as target protein and the common dye fluorescein. We demonstrate that protein photoinactivation is independent from dye photobleaching and provide evidence that the first singlet state of the chromophore is the relevant transient state for the initiation of CALI. Furthermore, the inactivation process was shown to be dependent on oxygen and likely to be based on photooxidation of the target protein via singlet oxygen. The simple model system used in this study may be further applied to identify and optimize other CALI chromophores. [source]


Preparation of extruded melt-mixed polypropylene/montmorillonite nanocomposites with inline monitoring

POLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 3 2010
Marcelo K. Bertolino
This article advances the use of an inline optical detector to monitor the disaggregation of the montmorillonite (MMT) clay tactoids during the preparation of polypropylene (PP)/MMT nanocomposites via polymer melt compounding. During the exfoliation of the tactoids their size are reduced below the minimum particle size to produce light extinction and so, the signal of the inline detector reduces as the nanosize composite is formed. The measurement is done at the transient state with the MMT clay added as a pulse with constant weight into the PP extrusion melt flow and followed by the optical detector. The data comes out as the common residence time distribution curves having its maximum intensity related to the tactoids average particle size, keeping all other variables constants. The light extinction was measured for composites with different clays (Cloisite® 15A, 30B, Na+, and Sintered 20A) using the same PP grafted with maleic anhydride compatibilizer. The dissaglomeration/exfoliation efficiency increases as: ,,Sintered 20A'' < ,,Na+ clay'' < ,,organo-modified clay'' < ,,organo-modified clay + compatibilizer''. The best result is obtained using Cloisite® 15A and Cloisite® 20A following the expected reduction of the particle size obtained during a nanocomposite melt processing. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2010. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers [source]


In-line optical detection in the transient state of extrusion polymer blending and reactive processing,,

POLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 1 2005
Tomás Jeferson A. Mélo
Using an opticaldetector we followed the transient state of blends and composites, including a reactive blending during extrusion. The detection system is composed of a slit-die with transparent windows fixed at the extruder exit, an optical arrangement with a W incandescent light microbulb with fixed luminescence, and a CdS photocell. As the tracer passes though the light path, it absorbs and backscatters part of the light, reducing the total transmitted light intensity. This is followed by changes in the voltage induced by the photocell to an electric circuit. We calibrated the response of the photocell at room temperature using a set of various films with a second phase dispersed, and obtained a logarithmic relationship. The tracers were particulate (phthalocyanine, TiO2) and polymeric (PS, PA6) phases that absorb and scatter light, producing a residence time distribution (RTD) curvelike trace. Measurements were taken from a twin-screw extruder Werner-Pfleiderer ZSK 30 equipped with K-Tron gravimetric feeders operating at various screw configurations and speeds, and feeding rates. The transient state of PP/PA6 blends can be easily detected optically and recorded using one of the components (either PP or PA6) added as a pulse in a steady-state flow of the other component. With the simultaneous addition of a compatibilizer (polypropylene grafted with acrylic acid (PP-g-AA)) with the PA6, the intensity of the detector signal is substantially increased as a result of the PA6/PP-g-AA reaction. Quantitative off-line infrared spectroscopy of the total amide group corroborated the in-line measurements. These observations suggest that an in-line optical detector may be a fast and simple way to study the flow behavior of blends and composites, including reactive processing. POLYM. ENG. SCI. 45:11,19, 2005. © 2004 Society of Plastics Engineers. [source]


SUMOylation and cell signalling

BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL, Issue 12 2009
Artemisia M. Andreou
Abstract SUMOylation is a highly transient post-translational protein modification. Attachment of SUMO to target proteins occurs via a number of specific activating and ligating enzymes that form the SUMO-substrate complex, and other SUMO-specific proteases that cleave the covalent bond, thus leaving both SUMO and target protein free for the next round of modification. SUMO modification has major effects on numerous aspects of substrate function, including subcellular localisation, regulation of their target genes, and interactions with other molecules. The modified SUMO-protein complex is a very transient state, and it thus facilitates rapid response and actions by the cell, when needed. Like phosphorylation, acetylation and ubiquitination, SUMOylation has been associated with a number of cellular processes. In addition to its nuclear role, important sides of mitochondrial activity, stress response signalling and the decision of cells to undergo senescence or apoptosis, have now been shown to involve the SUMO pathway. With ever increasing numbers of reports linking SUMO to human disease, like neurodegeneration and cancer metastasis, it is highly likely that novel and equally important functions of components of the SUMOylation process in cell signalling pathways will be elucidated in the near future. [source]