Finite element analyses of three dimensional fully plastic solutions using quasi-nonsteady algorithm and tetrahedral elements

To estimate entire elastic-plastic behaviors of cracked bodies, fully plastic solutions are utilized with linear elastic solutions in the engineering approach. Some numerical algorithms such as the Selective Reduced Integration/Penalty Function (SRI/PF) method have been developed and utlized to calculate various two-dimensional fully plastic solutions. However, only a few three-dimensional solutions have been obtained because of their numerical instability caused by the interaction among crack-tip singularity, material nonlinearity and incompressibility. This paper describes a new finite element algorithm for three-dimensional fully plastic solutions. The algorithm is basically classified into the mixed formulations. By introducing an artificial viscosity term to the governing equations, static crack problems are converted into quasi-nonsteady ones, which are solved using the fractional step method. The conversion makes the algorithm stable even in the analyses of complex crack geometries though it would need a number of iterations. In the analyses, mixed interpolation tetrahedral elements are also employed from a viewpoint of high quality mesh generation for three-dimensional cracked geometries. Numerical accuracy of the present algorithm is clearly demonstrated through the analyses of the three-dimensional fully plastic solutions of center cracked plates.     

Trend of visibility impairment caused by smog phenomenon in Seoul

The characteristics of visual air quality in Seoul have been investigated from March to November 1993. Optical properties, meteorological parameters, and particle characteristics were measured and analyzed. On the average, light scattering by particles is the dominant process in light extinction. Fine particle mass concentration, and the fraction of sulfate, nitrate and ammonium ions in the particles were found to play a major role in influencing the occurrence of a smog episode in Seoul. The role of ambient relative humidity on Seoul visibility is discussed.     

Facile Nondestructive Assembly of Tyrosine‐Rich Peptide Nanofibers as a Biological Glue for Multicomponent‐Based Nanoelectrode Applications

Achieving the nondestructive assembly of carbon nanoelectrodes with multiple components in a scalable manner enables effective electrical interfaces among nanomaterials. Here, a facile nondestructive multiscale assembly of multicomponent nanomaterials using self‐assembled tyrosine‐rich peptide nanofibers (TPFs) as a biological glue is reported. The versatile functionalities of the rationally devised tyrosine‐rich short peptide allow for (1) self‐assembly of the peptide into nanofibers using noncovalent interactions, followed by (2) immobilization of spatially distributed metal nanoparticles on the nanofiber surface, and (3) subsequent assembly with graphitic nanomaterials into a percolated network‐structure. This percolated network‐structure of silver nanoparticle (AgNP)‐decorated peptide nanofibers with imbedded single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) proves to be a versatile nanoelectrode platform with excellent processability. The SWNT–TPF–AgNP assembly, when utilized as a flexible and transparent multicomponent electronic film, was quite effective for enhancing direct electron transfer (DET) as verified for a third‐generation glucose sensor composed of this film. The simple solution process used to produce the functional nanomaterials could provide a new platform for scalable manufacturing of novel nanoelectrode materials forming effective electrical contacts with molecules from diverse biological systems.     

Buckling Instability Control of 1D Nanowire Networks for a Large‐Area Stretchable and Transparent Electrode

A commonly used strategy to impose deformability on conductive materials is the prestrain method, in which conductive materials are placed on prestretched elastic substrates and relaxed to create wavy or wrinkled structures. However, 1D metallic nanowire (NW) networks typically result in out‐of‐plane buckling defects and NW fractures, due to their rigid and brittle nature and nonuniform load transfer to specific points of NW. To resolve these problems, an alternative method is proposed to control the elastic modulus of 1D NW networks through contact with various solvents during compressive strain. Through solvent contact, the interface interactions between the NWs and between the NW and substrate can be controlled, and it is shown that the surface instability of the 1D random network is formed differently from a uniform bilayer film, which also can vary with the modulus of the network. For modulus values lower than the critical point, slippage and rearrangement of NW strands mainly occur and individual strands in the network show an in‐plane wavy configuration, which is ideal for structural stretchability. Based on the solvent‐assisted prestrain method, letter‐sized, large‐area stretchable, and transparent electrodes with high transparency and conductivity are achieved, and stretchable and transparent alternating current electroluminescent devices for stretchable display applications are also realized.     

Blind digital watermarking of rational Bézier and B-spline curves and surfaces with robustness against affine transformations and Möbius reparameterization

We present a blind watermarking scheme for rational Bézier and B-spline curves and surfaces which is shape-preserving and robust against the affine transformations and Möbius reparameterization that are commonly used in geometric modeling operations in CAD systems. We construct a watermark polynomial with real coefficients of degree four which has the watermark as the cross-ratio of its complex roots. We then multiply the numerator and denominator of the original curve or surface by this polynomial, increasing its degree by four but preserving its shape. Subsequent affine transformations and Möbius reparameterization leave the cross-ratio of these roots unchanged. The watermark can be extracted by finding all the roots of the numerator and denominator of the curve or surface: the cross-ratio of the four common roots will be the watermark. Experimental results confirm both the shape-preserving property and its robustness against attacks by affine transformations and Möbius reparameterization.     

Direct analysis for the distribution of toxic glycoalkaloids in potato tuber tissue using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometric imaging

A simple and rapid analytical method for detection and spatial distribution of glycoalkaloids in potato tubers has been developed for the first time using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometric imaging (MALDI-MSI). For effective MALDI-MSI analysis, we have developed a uniform matrix coating method using 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (2,5-DHB) as the preferred matrix which results in better sensitivity than 2,4,6-trihydroxyacetophenone (2,4,6-THAP) using MALDI-TOF. The relative concentrations of two major and two minor glycoalkaloids, α-chaconine and α-solanine, dehydrochaconine and dehydrosolanine, were clearly detected and distinguished in various parts of potato tuber and their relative amounts were directly compared. We also successfully showed the relative concentrations of glycoalkaloids that were accumulated by light exposure during storage using MALDI-MSI. Therefore, MALDI-MSI has been shown to be a useful technique for screening toxic and bioactive metabolites in foods and medicinal plants.     

Design of a boil-off natural gas reliquefaction control system for LNG carriers

Onboard boil-off gas (BOG) reliquefaction is a new technology that liquefies BOG and returns it to the cargo tanks instead of burning it off during a voyage. For the commercial development of this technology, an object-oriented dynamic simulation is presented which facilitates the design of the plant and control system for the thermal process. A reliquefaction process based on the reverse Brayton cycle has been designed, and its static thermodynamic states at the design BOG load are presented. To make the cycle work for any BOG load, an idea was sought that would achieve a heat balance with the work extracted by the expander. Dynamic simulations were conducted for all operating modes, including start-up and idle. It was found that the expander exit temperature is the key process variable for control and that the process control works successfully when three actuators are activated in three different BOG load regimes. The study also shows that control of the separator pressure to keep the vapor fraction at the throttle valve exit as low as possible is an efficient method for purging nitrogen from BOG.     

Clausius Normalized Field‐Based Stereo Matching for Uncalibrated Image Sequences

We propose a homology between thermodynamic systems and images for the treatment of time‐varying imagery. A physical system colder than its surroundings absorbs heat from the surroundings. Furthermore, the absorbed heat increases the entropy of the system, which is closely related to its disorder as given by the definition of Clausius and Boltzmann. Because pixels of an image are viewed as a state of lattice‐like molecules in a thermodynamic system, the task of reckoning the entropy variations of pixels is similar to estimating their degrees of disorder. We apply this homology to the uncalibrated stereo matching problem. The absence of calibrations alleviates user efforts to install stereo cameras and enables users to freely modify the composition of the cameras. The proposed method is also robust to differences in brightness, white balancing, and even focusing between stereo image pairs. These peculiarities enable users to estimate the depths of interesting objects in practical applications without much effort in order to set and maintain a stereo vision setup. Users can consequently utilize two webcams as a stereo camera.     

Composites of low bandgap conducting polymer-wrapped MWNT and poly(methyl methacrylate) for low percolation and high transparency

The composites of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNT) wrapped with low bandgap conjugated polymer and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) were prepared for transparent conductive films. NIR-absorbing poly(ethyl thieno[3,4-b]thiophene-2-carboxylate) (PTTEt) with E_g of 1.0 eV was used in this study. Upon hybridization with MWNT, PTTEt in an insulating state became partially conductive due to electron transfer from PTTEt to MWNT, meaning that PTTEt can function as conductive glue interconnecting MWNT in a PMMA matrix. The electrical conduction of the composites (PTTEt-MWNT/PMMA), consisting of PTTEt-wrapped MWNT (PTTEt-MWNT/PMMA) and PMMA, showed the percolation at 0.10 wt% MWNT loading, which was ca. 0.18 wt% lower than the composites of MWNT and PMMA (MWNT/PMMA). The maximum conductivity of PTTEt-MWNT/PMMA, on the other hand, was one order of magnitude lower than that of MWNT/PMMA, suggesting that PTTEt incorporation onto MWNT for transparent conductive films is effective within a specific range of MWNT loadings (i.e., between percolation thresholds of MWNT/PMMA and PTTEt–MWNT/PMMA). The comparison of transmittance of PTTEt–MWNT/PMMA (0.18 wt% MWNT) with MWNT/PMMA (0.32 wt% MWNT), possessing the same conductivities (3 × 10^?3 S cm^?1), showed ca. 10% enhanced transmittance at 550 nm. These results imply that hybridization of low bandgap conjugated polymers with carbon nanotubes can be utilized for the reduction of percolation threshold and the increase of optical transparency without sacrificing conductivities at low MWNT loadings.