Nominal Impact Research Articles

Enhanced interfacial evaporation and desalination by solar heat localisation using nitrogenated graphitic carbon and Co3O4 nanorods

The problem of worldwide scarcity of clean water can be resolved efficiently by utilizing the significant heat localizing capability of the solar-driven interfacial evaporator with a nominal impact on the environment. A novel flexible, recyclable, hydrophilic photothermal composite membrane containing a blend of mesoporous Co3O4 nanorod and nanoporous nitrogen-doped graphitic carbon hollow spheres has been proposed. The composite membrane exhibits an enhanced broadband optical absorption which leads to a high interfacial evaporation rate (2.28 kg m−2 h−1) and a notable solar-to-steam generation efficiency (93%) under sunlight (900 W/m2) at 3.5 wt% NaCl salinity. The lower salt accumulation on the evaporation surface and the remarkable recyclability of the photothermal membrane under sunlight prove its practical usability in the desalination of seawater, water purification, salt production, and solar energy harvesting.

An analysis of the effect of fiscal expenditure on the income distribution of Chilean households

This study analyzes the effect of government spending on income distribution in Chile for 2016 using a multiplier model with the Social Accounting Matrix. The results indicate that increasing fiscal expenditure has a regressive effect on the income share of households in the richest quintile and widens the income gap between the two poorest quintiles and the third and fourth quintiles. When the effect of fiscal expenditure is measured by its nominal impact, households with the highest income receive approximately ten times more income than those with the lowest income. Thus, the regressivity of the income share of the richest households conceals an unequal distribution of the nominal income generated by the fiscal expenditure. Using counterfactual simulations, we suggested that fiscal expenditures could become more equalitarian through policies affecting the distribution of labor payments.

Integration of Bond Markets and Portfolio Diversification : Evidence from the 2008 Global Financial Crisis

Purpose : This study aimed to examine the integration between the bond markets of the MSCI Emerging Markets and the USA concerning the 2008 financial crisis. Methodology : Granger causality and correlation tests were used to assess the short-term integration of the bond markets. The long-term integration was examined using the Johansen co-integration test and VAR analysis. Findings : Post-crisis, bond markets became more correlated with each other. Due to a lack of market integration in both periods, different portfolio combinations offered the chance for portfolio diversity. The MSCI Emerging Asian markets and US market integration increased with the global financial crisis of 2008. The results of the VAR analysis and impulse response analysis found that innovations in the markets of the USA and China affected the Indian market the most; whereas, the rest of the market had a nominal impact. Practical Implications : The study has practical implications in the sense that based on the integration, investors might diversify their holdings to achieve a better risk-return balance. The investors can design their investment portfolio accordingly to have an optimal portfolio. Originality : This study focused on building portfolio diversification with fixed-income securities.

Spatial and temporal alterations due to vortex generators in a flare induced shock–boundary layer interaction

This paper describes the modifications instigated in a flare induced shock–boundary layer interaction flowfield by two vortex generators viz. Baseline Ramps (BRs) and Ramped Vanes (RVs). Experimental and computational investigations were conducted at Mach 2, on a cone–cylinder–flare model, with a flow turning angle of 24° at the cylinder–flare juncture. The vortex generators were placed 50 mm (10δ) upstream of the compression corner and their height was 50% of the local boundary layer thickness (h = 2.1 mm = 0.5δV G). The counter-rotating vortices emanated by Baseline Ramps (BRs), remained in close proximity to one another and interacted strongly along the upwash regions. Hence, they quickly dissipated and moved away from the model surface, causing only a nominal impact on the interaction region. Alternatively, the vortices produced by Ramped Vanes (RVs) were amply separated and therefore, largely retained their core strength and were not rapidly advected away from the near-wall region. As a result, the separation occurred a little prematurely in the upwash regions and was significantly delayed along the downwash regions. Additionally, tornado-like vortices were formed, due to the streamwise vortices interacting with the separation bubble. The delay in separation along the downwash regions, also brought the separation shock closer to the compression corner. This was accompanied by a suitable increase in the shock’s oscillating frequency, in such a way that the Strouhal number based on the interaction length (distance between the corner and the mean position of the separation shock foot) remained more or less the same.

Isoform specific knockdown of the ETS transcription factor Pointed in Drosophila S2 cells.

Alternate splicing of the pointed ( pnt ) gene locus produces two major isoforms, PntP1 and PntP2. Understanding their individual contributions to key developmental processes and identification of their genome-wide transcriptional targets has been hampered by a number of factors including their essential roles during embryonic development, and co-expression in several tissues. siRNAs were designed to target isoform-specific exons that code for the unique N-terminal region of either PntP1 or PntP2. The efficacy and specificity of the siRNAs were examined by co-transfection of isoform specific siRNAs with plasmids encoding epitope tagged PntP1 or PntP2 in Drosophila S2 cells. All P1-specific siRNAs were demonstrated to knockdown PntP1 protein level to greater than 95%, while having nominal impact on PntP2 level. Similarly, PntP2 siRNAs while ineffective at eliminating PntP1, were shown to reduce PntP2 protein level by 87-99%.

Uticaj makroekonomskih pokazatelja na profitabilnost odabranih preduzeća energetskog sektora

Macroeconomic variables and their changes have great impact on company's performance and they are inevitable when analysing business performance. Subject of this research is analysis of impact of inflation rate and nominal exchange rate on profitability of 4 companies in Serbia which are part of energy sector. Analysed companies are Public Enterprize EPS, NIS a.d. Novi Sad, Public Utility Company Beogradske elektrane and Public Utility Company Novosadska toplana, analysed period is from 2015 to 2020, and chosen profitability indicator is ROA (Return on Assets). Aim of this research is to determine whether macroenonomic variables inflation rate and nominal exchange rate have impact on profitability (ROA) of analysed companies and if they do, is the correlation positive or negative. Methodology of this research contains of descriptive statistical analysis, panel analysis and determination of corresponding model. Two macroeconomic variables are observed separately, so the aim of the first model is to determinate inflation rate impact on profitability of selected companies and of the second model is to determinate nominal exchange rate impact on profitability. Obtained results confirm statistically significant positive correlation between nominal exchange rate changes and ROA, whereas impact of inflation rate changes on ROA is positive, but not statistically significant.

Three-dimensional imaging of high-velocity-impact induced crack growth in carbonaceous meteorites

The material strength of meteorites provides useful information on the make-up and history of asteroids. However, the unique determination of the material strength of a meteorite is difficult because of the wide range of strengths many meteorites exhibit. Even within a single sample, complicated textures and mineral granular compositions make measurements difficult. Michikami et al. (2019) investigated the impact-induced crack growth in ordinary (L5) chondrites and indicated that crack growth is largely affected by the strength of individual mineral grains (and/or chondrules). In this study, we examine the strengths of mineral grains in carbonaceous meteorites qualitatively. To this end, we use X-ray microtomography to investigate how chondrules are affected by impact-induced crack growth in carbonaceous meteorites. Spherical alumina projectiles with a diameter of 1.0 mm were fired into the surfaces of seven Allende (CV) meteorite target samples with sizes of ∼1 to 2 cm at a nominal impact velocity of 2.0 km/s. In addition, spherical glass projectiles with a diameter 0.8 mm were fired into the target surfaces of two Murchison (CM) and two Aguas Zarcas (CM) meteorite target samples with sizes of ∼2 cm at a nominal impact velocity of 4.0 km/s. The results show that most cracks in CV chondrites tend to grow along the boundary surfaces of the chondrules, while most chondrule-related cracks in CM samples grow regardless of the boundary surfaces of the chondrules. This suggests that crack growth is largely affected by the chondrules' strength as indicated by Michikami et al. (2019). The weaker the strength of chondrules, the more likely crack growth tends to occur regardless of chondrule boundaries. We found that the mesostasis of chondrules in CM meteorite Murchison (and likely Aguas Zarcas) has experienced aqueous alteration and the chondrules have become structurally weak as a whole. This indicates that impact-induced crack propagation in CM chondrites differs from thermal-fatigue induced crack propagation inferred from previous studies. As the sample material to be returned from asteroid Bennu is considered to be related to CM chondrites, we propose that observation of the cracks in chondrules in Bennu samples might tell us whether those cracks are impact- or thermal-fatigue-induced.

Noise exposure impact zone hue modeling using LISA FEA V.8

This study aims to obtain data on the impact of noise pollution by conducting a noise test from the operation of the PLTD and modeling it to get the noise impact hue.
 Finite element software modeling the impact of noise generated from the operation of PLTD to determine the hue of the noise impact. LISA, a popular finite element analysis application, was used to estimate and complete this study using the finite element model.
 Noise data retrieval, some data is carried out according to the engine power load during production and the machine stops with a certain distance reference to the affected area, namely residential areas, with a zone radius of up to 100 m from the machine point.
 The condition of the impact of noise exposure that occurs, where in general the area that has a major impact on settlements is a linear area of openings at the noise source because noise waste is free to come out of building openings without any obstacles. , so that the nominal sound impact that occurs without these obstacles, the average noise value is above the 70 dB.A threshold with the category of very disturbing.

Development of a new magnetorheological impact damper with low velocity sensitivity

The velocity sensitive characteristic of the conventional linear magnetorheological (MR) damper is undesirable in the application of impact protection. It will induce large damping forces when the damper suffers high velocity impacts, whilst comprising the energy dissipation efficiency of the damper and posing a serious threat to occupants and mechanical structures. This work reports a new MR impact damper (NMRID) with low velocity sensitivity. Unlike the conventional MR impact damper (CMRID) in which MR fluids (MRFs) flow from one chamber to the other through a small annular gap between the piston and cylinder, the NMRID has a whole annular gap between the shaft and cylinder that is filled with MRFs, and the MRFs work in a pure shear mode without any liquid flow. In this work, a NMRID and a CMRID were prototyped. The velocity sensitivities of these two impact dampers were compared via numerical analysis and experimental impact tests. The analysis and test results indicate that NMRID possesses a much lower velocity sensitivity than the CMRID; the dynamic range of the NMRID decreases less than CMRID with the increase of nominal impact velocity. Then, to demonstrate the controllability of NMRID, impact tests with a bang–bang control were implemented, and the peak force of NMRID was successfully controlled around a target force under different levels of nominal impact velocity. This research proves that the designed NMRID is less sensitive to velocity than the CMRID and the NMRID has good controllability, demonstrating that the NMRID can serve as a better candidate than CMRID in applications with high impact velocity.

Controlling Shock-Induced Energy Release Characteristics of PTFE/Al by Adding Oxides.

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)/aluminum (Al)-based energetic material is a kind of energetic material with great application potential. In this research, the control of the shock-induced energy release characteristics of PTFE/Al-based energetic material by adding oxides (bismuth trioxide, copper oxide, molybdenum trioxide, and iron trioxide) was studied by experimentation and theoretical analysis. Ballistic impact experiments with impact velocity of 735~1290 m/s showed that the oxides controlled the energy release characteristics by the coupling of impact velocities and oxide characteristics. In these experiments, the overpressure characteristics, including the quasi-static overpressure peak, duration, and impulse, were used to characterize the energy release characteristics. It turned out that when the nominal impact velocity was 735 m/s, the quasi-static overpressure peak of PTFE/Al/MoO3 (0.1190 MPa) was 1.99 times higher than that of PTFE/Al (0.0598 MPa). Based on these experimental results, an analytical model was developed indicating that the apparent activation energy and impact shock pressure dominated the energy release characteristic of PTFE/Al/oxide. This controlling mechanism indicated that oxides enhanced the reaction after shock wave unloading, and the chemical and physical properties of the corresponding thermites also affected the energy release characteristics. These conclusions can guide the design of PTFE-based energetic materials, especially the application of oxides in PTFE-based reactive materials.

Influence of the projectile geometry on the momentum transfer from a kinetic impactor and implications for the DART mission

The DART spacecraft will impact Didymos’s secondary, Dimorphos, at the end of 2022 and cause a change in the orbital period of the secondary. For simplicity, most previous numerical simulations of the impact used a spherical projectile geometry to model the DART spacecraft. To investigate the effects of alternative, simple projectile geometries on the DART impact outcome we used the iSALE shock physics code in two and thee-dimensions to model vertical impacts of projectiles with a mass and speed equivalent to the nominal DART impact, into porous basalt targets. We found that the simple projectile geometries investigated here have minimal effects on the crater morphology and momentum enhancement. Projectile geometries modelled in two-dimensions that have similar surface areas at the point of impact, affect the crater radius and the crater volume by less than 5%. In the case of a more extreme projectile geometry (i.e., a rod, modelled in three-dimensions), the crater was elliptical and 50% shallower compared to the crater produced by a spherical projectile of the same momentum. The momentum enhancement factor in these test cases, commonly referred to as β, was within 7% for the 2D simulations and within 10% for the 3D simulations, of the value obtained for a uniform spherical projectile. The most prominent effects of projectile geometry are seen in the ejection velocity as a function of launch position and ejection angle of the fast ejecta that resides in the so-called ‘coupling zone’. These results will inform the LICIACube ejecta cone analysis.

Influence of the impactor mass on the dynamic behaviour of woven carbon/vinylester laminates

Fiber-reinforced laminar composite structures are widely used in several industrial sectors like aerospace and automotive due to their extraordinary peculiarities. This work deals with the influence of the impactor mass on the behaviour of carbon/vinylester woven laminates subjected to low velocity impact (LVI) events, very common in the cited fields.Samples with two different thicknesses were tested with a drop weigh machine using three nominal impact energy values and three different impactor masses. To highlight any influence of the impactor mass, the impact behaviour and the evolution of the damage suffered by the specimen examined were systematically analyzed through confocal microscope inspections and ultrasound investigations. Results also discussed in terms of strain rate sensitivity and mass of the specimen emphasized the prevalence of dissipative interlaminar phenomena and a more marked influence of the impactor mass on the thinnest laminates.

ATA2021ATA2021 Annual Conference & Expo(Virtual*)Tuesdays and Thursdays in June 2021(ABSTRACTS)

ATA2021ATA2021 Annual Conference & Expo(Virtual*)Tuesdays and Thursdays in June 2021(ABSTRACTS)

A deleterious interplay between endoplasmic reticulum stress and its functional linkage to mitochondria in nephrolithiasis

Hyperoxaluria is one of the leading causes of calcium oxalate stone formation in the kidney. Since hyperoxaluria produces Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) stress in the kidney, it is thus likely that the adaptive unfolded protein response might affect the mitochondrial population as ER and mitochondria share close physical and functional interactions mandatory for several biological processes. Thus this work was designed to study the putative effects of endoplasmic reticulum stress on the renal mitochondria during hyperoxaluria-induced nephrolithiasis. The results showed that hyperoxaluria induced an ER stress led to the unfolded protein response in the renal tissue of experimental rats. Hampered mitochondrion functioning was detected with decreased mitochondrial membrane potential and upsurged mitochondria calcium. These changes in the mitochondria function and ER stress are preceded by apoptosis. The expression of Sigma-1 receptor protein found in the Mitochondria associated ER membranes, the connecting link between ER and mitochondria was found to decrease in the hyperoxaluric rats. Inhibition of ER stress by 4-Phenylbutyric acid prevented the decrease in mitochondria membrane potential and increase in mitochondria calcium observed in hyperoxaluric rats. Also, it restored the protein expression of the sigma-1 receptor protein. On the other hand, N-acetyl cysteine had a nominal impact on the reduction of the ER stress-induced mitochondrial dysfunction. In conclusion, our data showed that hyperoxaluria induces renal ER stress which triggers mitochondria dysfunction, might be via alteration in the sigma-1 receptor protein in the mitochondria-associated ER membranes, which leads to apoptosis, renal injury, and calcium oxalate crystal deposition.

Hypervelocity Impacts on Honeycomb Core Sandwich Panels Filled with Shear Thickening Fluid

The use of honeycomb core sandwich panels filled with a shear thickening fluid (STF) as a component of spacecraft micrometeoroid/orbital debris (MMOD) shielding was investigated using hypervelocity impact (HVI) testing. Incorporating a STF into shielding has the potential to reduce damage to the core and the likelihood of back-side facesheet perforation in the event of a HVI. The sandwich panels tested consisted of 1.27 cm thick hexagonal aluminum honeycomb core bonded between 0.064 cm thick aluminum facesheets. The STF displayed a marked rise in viscosity with increasing shear rate above a critical shear rate. It was based on low molecular weight polyethylene glycol (PEG) and hydrophilic fumed silica. Sandwich panel target specimens filled with the STF were subjected to HVIs by 1 mm diameter stainless steel spheres at nominal temperatures of -80°C or 21°C with nominal impact velocities of 4.8 km/s or 6.8 km/s. Additional specimens filled with PEG only were also impacted for comparison.Visual inspections and X-ray computerized tomography were used to assess impact damage. All of the panels experienced perforation of the impacted facesheet, facesheet bulging, localized delamination, and the formation of a cavity in the damaged core. STF-filled panels sustained significantly less damage than PEG-filled panels. None of the STF-filled panels were completely perforated during impact. In contrast, one of the PEG-filled panels impacted at the peak velocity was perforated. The remaining PEG-filled panel sustained substantially more honeycomb core damage and facesheet-core delamination compared to an analogous STF-filled panel. Sandwich panels filled with the STF provide superior HVI mitigation in comparison to panels filled with a Newtonian fluid (i.e., PEG). These experiments show that incorporation of STFs into MMOD shielding components has the potential to dramatically improve the HVI penetration resistance over a broad range of impact velocities and temperatures.

Income Management of Government Payments on Welfare: The Australian Cashless Debit Card

ABSTRACT A new form of conditional welfare through income management is being trialled in Australia, dubbed the “Cashless Debit Card”. It aims to reduce gambling, alcohol and illegal drug use to address social pathologies related to crime and welfare. Routinely collected data from government were used to assess if the targeted reductions arose. Store sales data were also used to evaluate impact on food purchases. No substantive impact on measures of gambling (p = .175), and intoxicant abuse (p = .662) were found. An increased spend on healthy foods (95%CI: 12.0% to 150.0%) was observed, but decreased as a proportion of all foods (95%CI: −6.3% to −13.1%). Impacts on crime and Emergency Department presentations were not substantively found. We conclude that targeting individual choices may not be as effective as policies targeting the historical social structures that serve as antecedents to such social pathologies. IMPLICATIONS The Australian Cashless Debit Card is having nominal impact on the targeted behaviours of gambling and intoxicant abuse While there was an increase in shopping spend, the biggest increase was in spending on less healthy discretionary foods Policies that focus on addressing historical social structure may prove more impactful on welfare outcomes

Strength Prediction Sensitivity of Foamed Recycled Polymer Composite Structures due to the Localized Variability of the Cell Density Distribution

The need for novel methods for the reuse of post-industrial/post-consumer polymer solid wastes (PSW) is of increasing societal importance. Unfortunately, this objective is often limited due to material stream variability or insufficient load-carrying capacity of the fabricated goods. This study investigates a large format fiber-reinforced structural member that contains spatially varying material properties, specifically density. The application is focused on the unique features of closed-cell foamed composite structures made from recycled post-industrial/post-consumer PSW composed of High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and Glass Fiber Polypropylene (GFPP). The structures in this research are manufactured using a hybrid extrusion process, which involves foaming enabled by chemical blowing agents that form a fully consolidated solid outer shell and a closed-cell core. The cell distribution is inhomogeneous, in size distribution and spatial distribution, leading to significant spatial variations of the local effective stiffness. To understand the correlation between density variations and effective stiffness and strength, a low-cost method using digital imaging is introduced and integrated into a finite element subroutine. The imaging approach includes sectioning the structural member and analyzing the resulting image using various custom imaging processing techniques in the MATLAB environment. The accuracy of the imaging technique was experimentally verified using a Keyence digital microscope, and the error was found to be 3% in any given spatial feature. The processed image is then correlated to a localized density map of the cross-section using a weighted spatial averaging technique, and the local effective material properties of the foamed region are predicted using the presented micromechanical approach. The local stiffness is a function of void density, local fiber orientation, constitutive behavior of both the fiber and the matrix blend, and the non-linear response of the matrix blend. The spatially varying stiffness and nonlinear strength response at each spatial location are then integrated into a finite element subroutine within the COMSOL multiphysics environment, and results are presented for the deflection and internal stress state of the composite structure. Results indicate that the internal microstructural variations have a nominal impact on the bulk deflection profile. Conversely, results show the peak of the internal stress is increased by ∼11% as compared to the uniform core assumption, thus safe designs must consider core density spatial variations in the final product design.

Diversified fish farming for sustainable livelihood: A case-based study on small and marginal fish farmers in Cachar district of Assam, India

Freshwater aquaculture is one of the fastest-growing sectors in India and has the potential for large scale employment. However, this sector is dominated by small and marginal fish farmers adopting traditional technologies resulting in low productivity and nominal impact on their livelihood. The success of fish farming as a business depends mostly on its scientific culture practice and efficient farming strategy, which will assist not only in individual socio-economic development but also the economic growth of the country as a whole. Through a case-based research method an economic analysis has been made on species diversification strategy of fish farming. It is found that, by adopting an effective and most economical diversification strategy consisting of the culture of Gudusia chapra along with Carps in small-scale composite culture ponds will resulted in more than 100% return on investment. Therefore, the outcome of this research has propounded for a novel farming practice of small indigenous high valued species having negligible investment will enhance the income of fish farmers.

Synergistic effect and supernatant nitrogen reduction from anaerobic co-digestion of sewage sludge and pig manure

The degradation kinetics of anaerobic co-digestion of pig manure (PM) and sewage sludge (SS) were investigated for a utility that has concerns on nitrogen in the digestate return stream. In this study, batch-scale anaerobic reactors were set up with SS/PM volatile solids (VS) ratios at 7:1, 14:1, 21:1, and mono-digestions of SS and PM. PM (239 mL/g VSadded) produced more methane than SS (182 mL/g VSadded). As a result, increasing PM in co-digestion also increased methane yield. Kinetic models indicated synergistic effects by co-digestion with a faster degradation rate, an increased cumulative methane yield, and a shortened digestion time. Despite total nitrogen increased in digestate, the total nitrogen in co-digestion supernatant was lowered, which interprets to a nominal impact to the mainstream treatment with the additional PM loading. Nitrogen content in dewatered biosolids is expected to increase between 39.5%–53.5% thus benefiting land application.

Evaluation of Titanium di oxide Nano-fillers Incorporation on Mechanical Properties of Heat Cured Acrylic Resin

The persistence of this revision was to assess the outcome of adding of surface cured titanium dioxide Nano stuffing (TiO 2 ) on Impact strength, Transvers strength and tensile strength.Titanium oxide Nano fillers were merged into (PMMA) denture base by allowed essential majority. The nanoparticles were coated by a film of trimethoxysilypropylmethacrylate (TMSPM). A controlled group and three different percentages 3%, 5% and 7%, of TiO 2 dust was added to PMMA powder by weigh up and mixed by probe sonication appliance.120 samples were built and distributed into 3 clusters rendering to the test (40 specimens for each group) and each cluster was split into 4 sub-groups conferring to the ratio of auxiliary TiO 2 (10 specimens for each subgroup). The tests piloted were impact strength (charpy tester), transverse strength test and tensile strength test. Extremely significant rise in charpy tester and transverse strength was detected associated with the increase of the addition of TiO 2 powder to (PMMA) at the ratio of 3% and 5%; despite the fact a significant drophappened in both tests at the ratio of 7%.Alternatively, there were non-significant progresses in the tensile strength throw the enforcement of (TiO 2 ). Conclusion: the result of this revisionpresented that treated TiO 2 Nano-fillers is nominal inaltering impact strength and Transvers strength while it was non nominal in successful altering the tensile strength, the extremerise in impact strength andTransvers strength pragmatic in denture base containing 5% wt. of treated TiO 2 Nano-particles.