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The investigation of free-stream turbulence induced transition by means of simple and effective numerical methods traditionally represents a major challenge in the aerodynamic field. In this work, a data-driven algorithm aimed at obtaining optimal forcing and response concerning free-stream turbulence induced boundary layer transition is introduced. The method, referred to as Data-driven Optimal Disturbance (DOD) in the following, relies on dynamic mode decomposition to compute the linear matrix responsible for disturbance evolution in the streamwise direction and opens the possibility for optimal disturbance analysis in an equation-free manner. The procedure has been applied to high-fidelity large-eddy simulation (LES) results concerning zero pressure gradient flows. Four different combinations of turbulence intensity Tu and integral length scale Lg have been adopted as boundary conditions to investigate the sensitivity of the transition route to the free-stream turbulence properties. Overall, DOD applied within the transitional region identifies highly energetic turbulent scales embedded in the free-stream as the optimal forcing inducing the formation of streaky structures within the boundary layer. Furthermore, streaky structures characterized by the same spanwise wavelength observed in the LES results are identified by DOD as the boundary layer response to the optimal forcing. Finally, the amplification of disturbances provided by DOD along the streamwise direction clearly resembles the well-established transient growth. Thus, DOD appears a useful tool to analyze the free-stream turbulence induced transition of boundary layers by a simple equation-free algorithm merely based on data analytics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The natural and bypass routes to boundary-layer transition to turbulence are traditionally investigated independently in fluid mechanics applications. Nevertheless, in certain flow regimes both mechanisms could coexist and interact. In this work, large-eddy simulations (LES) were performed for a zero-pressure gradient boundary layer developing over a flat plate to investigate the transition mechanism for variable free-stream turbulent properties. Four different combinations of turbulence intensity and integral length scale were analyzed, and two main transition mechanisms were observed. High free-stream turbulence intensity instigates pure bypass transition through the amplification of a continuous Orr–Sommerfeld (O–S) mode that breaks down after secondary instability. Instead, at low free-stream turbulence intensity, discrete and continuous O–S modes interact and are both involved in the transition process. Visual inspection of the LES snapshots provides a detailed insight in Tollmien–Schlichting (TS) waves–streaks mutual interaction and clearly identifies two main mechanisms involved in turbulence breakdown. On one hand, TS waves trigger varicose instability of streaky structures. On the other hand, streaks cause secondary instability of TS waves with emerging Λ-structure formation. Then, dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) is applied to extract the main stability properties for both types of transition route and to highlight coherent structure dynamics, which is hardly observable in the literature. Specifically, for low-medium free-stream turbulence levels, DMD extracts unstable modes clearly related to streaks–TS waves interaction and leading to the formation of Λ structures. Therefore, the streaks–TS waves interaction is proved to be destabilizing and to trigger secondary instability leading to turbulence breakdown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, the laminar-turbulent transition of the flow evolving around a low-pressure turbine blade has been investigated. Direct numerical simulations have been carried out for two different free stream turbulence intensity (FSTI) levels to investigate the role of free stream oscillations on the evolution of the blade boundary layer. Emphasis is placed on identifying the mechanisms driving the formation and breakup of coherent structures in the high FSTI case and how these processes are affected by the leading-edge receptivity and/or by the continuous forcing in the blade passage. Proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) has been adopted to provide a clear statistical representation of the shape of the structures. Extended POD projections provided temporal and spanwise correlations that allowed us to identify dominant temporal structures and spanwise wavelengths in the transition process. The extended POD analysis shows that the structures on the pressure side are not related to what happens at the leading edge. The results on the suction side show that the modes defining the leading edge and the passage bases correlate with coherent structures responsible for the transition. The most energetic mode of the passage basis is strongly related to the most amplified wavelength in the boundary layer and breakup events leading to transition. Modes with a smaller spanwise wavelength belong to the band predicted by optimal disturbance theory, they amplify with a smaller gain in the rear suction side, and they show the highest degree of correlation between the passage region and the rear suction side. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Boundary layer receptivity to free-stream disturbances plays a crucial role in forming coherent structures, whose breakup drives the laminar to turbulent flow transition. In the present work, an extended proper orthogonal decomposition (E-POD) procedure is applied to particle image velocimetry (PIV) data to identify correlating events between the free-stream velocity field and transitional boundary layers for flow configurations typical of low-pressure turbine blades. Data collected in two wall-parallel planes were ordered along the homogeneous spanwise coordinate so that the dominant POD coefficients provide the most energetic spanwise wavelengths in the free-stream and the near-wall regions. Then, the cross-correlation matrix of the POD spanwise coefficients computed independently in both measuring planes directly identifies the free-stream scales showing the highest degree of correlation with the boundary layer structures. Low-order reconstructions of the original PIV data show that the most correlating events are directly linked to the formation and the successive breakup process of streaky structures. Otherwise, larger-scale structures which are not involved in the transition process are filtered out. Interestingly, free-stream disturbances appear as organized wave packets with significant elongation in the streamwise direction when the velocity fields are reconstructed considering only the most correlating modes. The effect due to the Reynolds numbers, the pressure gradient, and the free-stream turbulence variation on the free-stream modes affecting the formation of coherent structures in the boundary layer is discussed in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) and Koopman spectral analysis are applied to flat plate particle image velocimetry experimental data. Experiments concerning separated-flow transition process were carried out in a test section allowing the variation of the Reynolds number (Re), the adverse pressure gradient (APG) and the free-stream turbulence intensity (Tu). The analysis accounts for two different Re numbers, two different Tu levels, and a fixed APG condition inducing flow separation, as it may occur in low pressure turbine-like conditions. For every flow condition, instantaneous velocity fields clearly show the formation of Kelvin–Helmholtz (KH) vortices induced by the KH instability. The most effective definition of the observable matrix for Koopman analysis able to characterize these vortices is addressed first for a reference Tu and Re number condition. Successively, the robustness of DMD and Koopman modal decomposition has been examined for different Tu levels and Re numbers. On a short time trace (10 KH periods), the Koopman analysis is shown to identify the proper KH vortex shedding frequency and wavelength for every condition tested, while DMD fails especially with low Tu and high Re. To validate the results on a longer time trace, a statistical analysis of the dominant unstable eigenvalues captured by the two procedures is successively performed considering several temporal blocks for different inflow conditions. Overall, the Koopman analysis always performs better than DMD since it finds a larger number of unstable eigenvalues at the KH instability frequency and wavelength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the free-stream turbulence (FST) induced transition of a flat plate boundary layer is studied using particle image velocimetry (PIV) under variable Reynolds number (Re), FST intensity, and adverse pressure gradient (APG). Overall, 10 different flow conditions were tested concerning the variation of these parameters. The streak spacing and the probability density function (PDF) of turbulent spot nucleation are computed for all cases. The streak spacing is shown to be constant in the transition region once scaled with the turbulent displacement and momentum thickness, with resulting values of around 3 and 5, respectively. Nucleation events are shown to occur near the position where the dimensionless streak spacing reaches such constant values. The streamwise position where most turbulent spots are formed is strongly influenced by the FST intensity level. Additionally, the PDF of spot nucleation becomes narrower with increase in the APG, while FST has the opposite effect. A common distribution of all the PDFs is provided as a function of a similarity variable accounting for the streak spacing, the shape factor of the boundary layer, and the FST intensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work reports the application of an extended proper orthogonal decomposition (E-POD) procedure to multi-plane particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements describing the evolution of laminar separation bubbles (LSBs). Measurements were performed over a flat plate installed between adjustable end-walls providing a prescribed adverse pressure gradient for two Reynolds numbers (Re = 70 000, 150 000) and free-stream turbulence intensity levels (Tu = 1.5%, 2.5%). A wall-normal and two wall-parallel measuring planes located at different distance from the wall were considered. POD was applied to the entire PIV planes as well as on their sub-domains, showing the main flow features occurring in the different regions of the LSB. Then, the application of E-POD on different plane partitions revealed the existing correlation between the main dynamics observed in the forward part of the bubble and the breakup events occurring in the reattachment region. The E-POD modes computed in the breakup region resemble streaky structures when PIV snapshots are projected onto the POD eigenvectors of the near wall plane. Otherwise, Kelvin–Helmholtz rolls dominate the E-POD modes obtained by projection of the snapshot matrices on the basis computed in the plane located far from the wall. The main scales of the coherent structures highlighted by the E-POD modes were also characterized by means of the streamwise and spanwise autocorrelation functions of E-POD filtered fields. Data in this work clearly highlight the similarity properties of the main flow features observed in LSBs once scaled with the momentum thickness of the boundary layer at the separation position. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transitional boundary layers undergoing separated flow transition for different free stream turbulence intensity levels and Reynolds numbers have been inspected by applying dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) to time-resolved particle image velocimetry data. The identification of the unstable modes responsible for transition suffers from nonlinear effects if the whole dataset is considered for the construction of the snapshot matrix underlying the flow evolution. To overcome this limit, piecewise linear models aimed at the identification of the different regimes in the entire transition process are proposed. In particular, the flow is initially laminar (i.e., stable), it becomes unstable due to transition, and once transition is completed, the fully turbulent condition leads the boundary layer to a stable regime. The norm of the residuals resulting from the application of DMD on a variable streamwise extension of the dataset shows a trend that is associated with the variation of regime. This trend is analyzed by means of the least squares method, which allows identifying the change in the regime with stable, unstable, and turbulent behaviors. The validity of this procedure is proved by comparing it with previously published results. Moreover, since the DMD is applied to limited temporal snapshots, it provides a temporal resolution of growth rate and positions of switch between the boundary layer states. Such information is used to extract from the big dataset under analysis the time sequences characterized by the largest growth rate, hence quickly highlighting the flow physics driving transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The paper analyzes losses and the loss generation mechanisms in a low-pressure turbine (LPT) cascade by proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) applied to measurements. Total pressure probes and time-resolved particle image velocimetry (TR-PIV) are used to determine the flow field and performance of the blade with steady and unsteady inflow conditions varying the flow incidence. The total pressure loss coefficient is computed by traversing two Kiel probes upstream and downstream of the cascade simultaneously. This procedure allows a very accurate estimation of the total pressure loss coefficient also in the potential flow region affected by incoming wake migration. The TR-PIV investigation concentrates on the aft portion of the suction side boundary layer downstream of peak suction. In this adverse pressure gradient region, the interaction between the wake and the boundary layer is the strongest, and it leads to the largest deviation from a steady loss mechanism. POD applied to this portion of the domain provides a statistical representation of the flow oscillations by splitting the effects induced by the different dynamics. The paper also describes how POD can dissect the loss generation mechanisms by separating the contributions to the Reynolds stress tensor from the different modes. The steady condition loss generation, driven by boundary layer streaks and separation, is augmented in the presence of incoming wakes by the wake-boundary layer interaction and by the wake dilation mechanism. Wake migration losses have been found to be almost insensitive to incidence variation between nominal and negative (up to -9 deg) while at positive incidence, the losses have a steep increase due to the alteration of the wake path induced by the different loading distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A time-resolved particle image velocimetry (TR-PIV) system has been employed to investigate a laminar separation bubble which is induced by a strong adverse pressure gradient typical of ultrahigh-lift low-pressure turbine (LPT) blades. Proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) and dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) are described and applied within this paper. These techniques allow reducing the degrees-of-freedom of complex systems producing a low-order model ranked by the energy content (POD) or by the modal contribution to the dynamics of the system itself (DMD), useful to highlight the dominant dynamics. The time-space evolution of the laminar separation bubble is characterized by rollup vortices shed in the surrounding of the bubble maximum displacement as a consequence of the Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) instability process as well as by a low-frequency motion of the separated shear layer. The decomposition techniques proposed allow the identification of these coherent structures and the characterization of their modal properties (e.g., temporal frequency, spatial wavelength, and growth rate). The POD separates the different dynamics that induce velocity fluctuations at different frequencies and wavelength looking at their contribution to the overall kinetic energy. The DMD provides complementary information: the unstable spatial frequencies are identified with their growth (or decay) rates. DMD modes associated with the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability and the corresponding vortex shedding phenomenon clearly dominate the unsteady behavior of the laminar separation bubble, being characterized by the highest growth rate. Modes with longer wavelength describe the low-frequency motion of the laminar separation bubble and are neutrally stable. Results reported in this paper prove the ability of the present methods in extracting the dominant dynamics from a large dataset, providing robust and rapid tools for the in depth analysis of transition and separation processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systematic condition and analytical surveys were carried out on Zoe Leonard’s (b. 1961) Mouth Open, Teeth Showing 2000, an installation artwork in Tate’s collection consisting of 162 children’s dolls. The dolls were manufactured at various points within the 20th century and encompass several potentially problematic synthetic polymers found in modern and contemporary museum collections. To explore the doll materials and conservation condition, a multi-analytical approach was used to identify key synthetic polymer types and additives present, including portable and bench analytical techniques. Challenging degradation phenomena associated with different types of doll have been discussed and related to their material composition, which has helped our understanding of the conservation challenges inherent to this contemporary artwork.

Colchicine site tubulin inhibitors are currently developed as vascular disrupting agents (VDAs). However, they were found to have cardiotoxicity in clinical trials. To overcome the problem, we developed a stilbene derivative, cis-3, 4', 5-trimethoxy-3'-aminostilbene (stilbene 5c), which is highly potent and has no bone marrow and cardiac toxicity in mice. Here we attempt to optimize stilbene 5c using computer-based drug design and synthesize derivatives with benzimidazole or indole group. Biological evaluation showed that they are weaker than stilbene 5c without better water solubility. Alternative approach was thus adopted to make prodrugs of stilbene 5c. A water-soluble prodrug PD7 was synthesized by addition of a morpholino group with carbamate linkage to the amino group of stilbene 5c. In vitro studies show that PD7 induces mitotic arrest and disrupts microtubule similar to stilbene 5c. The cell signaling events in Cdc2, p53, Akt, and aurora kinase are similar in cells treated with stilbene 5c, CA4 or PD7, suggesting that they share the same mechanism. Although PD7 is less effective than stilbene 5c in vitro, the biological activity of PD7 as a single agent is similar to that of stilbene 5c. Combination of PD7 with VEGF inhibitor bevacizumab significantly enhances the therapeutic efficacy of PD7 in mouse xenograft model. These data suggest that PD7 could be a good candidate for further pre-clinical and clinical development as a new VDA for cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The model repository (MREP) is a relational database management system (RDBMS) developed under the auspices of models of infectious disease agent study (MIDAS). The purpose of the MREP is to organize and catalog the models, results, and suggestions for using the MIDAS and to store them in a way to allow users to run models from an access-controlled disease MREP. The MREP contains source and object code of disease models developed by infectious disease modelers and tested in a production environment. Different versions of models used to describe various aspects of the same disease are housed in the repository. Models are linked to their developers and different versions of the codes are tied to Subversion, a version control tool. An additional element of the MREP will be to house, manage, and control access to a disease model results warehouse, which consists of output generated by the models contained in the MREP. The result tables and files are linked to the version of the model and the input parameters that collectively generated the results. The result tables are warehoused in a relational database that permits them to be easily identified, categorized, and downloaded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Although antidepressant drugs (ATD) are frequently prescribed to patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), their effect on cognitive status has been only rarely assessed. METHODS: The impact of depressive symptoms and ATD on cognitive status was retrospectively assessed in 72 older AD outpatients with mild-to-moderate cognitive impairment, treated with cholinesterase inhibitors, over a 9-month follow-up. RESULTS: Compared to subjects without baseline depressive symptoms, those with symptoms who were continuously treated with ATD had less cognitive decline; those never treated, or not continuously treated despite baseline symptoms, had an intermediate trend. Such a protective action of ATD was, at least in part, independent of their action on depressive symptoms. CONCLUSION: These observations suggest that ATD may reduce cognitive decline in depressed older AD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper reports the results of a detailed experimental study on low profile vortex generators (VGs) used to control boundary layer separation on a large-scale flat plate with prescribed adverse pressure gradients. This activity is part of a joint European research program on Aggressive Intermediate Duct Aerodynamics.The inlet turbulent boundary layer and the pressure gradient over the flat plate are representative of aggressive turbine intermediate ducts. By regulating the inclination of the wall opposite to the flat plate, different pressure gradients, typical of turbine intermediate ducts, can be obtained. To avoid separation on the movable wall, boundary layer suction is applied.Previous measurements showed the effectiveness of VGs in delaying separation and revealed their optimum configuration for the different prescribed pressure gradients. In the present work, laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) is applied to the most significant pressure gradient case, in order to obtain a more thorough knowledge of the near-wall flow field. Velocity and turbulence profiles are determined up to the near-wall region in order to provide an in-depth analysis of turbulent boundary layer at separation conditions, with and without application of control devices. LDV allowed high spatial resolution and accurate statistical analysis of the boundary layer velocities.The results show velocity and turbulence profiles typical of separated turbulent boundary layers for the baseline case, and non-conventional unseparated boundary layer profiles when VGs are installed on the flat plate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foram analisados 573 trabalhos de autores brasileiros ou publicados no Brasil que empregaram softwares sociométricos. O propósito foi descrever criticamente a trajetória do arranjo de sociometristas no país, que somou 1013 pesquisadores distribuídos em cinco componentes maiores, uma dezena de outros menores e uma maioria de inexpressivos. Como método, favoreceu-se uma abordagem objetivista, ancorada na teoria das redes e em postulados bibliométricos. “Leis” e hipóteses foram apresentadas, testadas e não refutadas: de Lotka, de Bradford, modelo de difusão, relevância dos Programas de Pós-Graduação, free-scale state, small world, homofilia e configuração centro-periferia. Os resultados levam à admissão que a produção sociométrica brasileira foi encontrada consoante às principais indicações teóricas, tanto bibliométricas quanto da análise de redes sociais. Contudo, registra-se que cada vez mais a sociometria se converte em uma ilustração da bibliometria, basicamente nas áreas de Administração, Ciências Contábeis, Turismo e de Ciência da Informação – declinante como novidade, e qualquer meta-análise mais aprofundada é inviabilizada pela parca caracterização estrutural dos arranjos estudados; a maioria em um corte transversal sobrepondo em um desenho único toda a dinâmica do arranjo. Dessas constatações, procurou-se dar conta de algumas alternativas à sociometria praticada no país e recomendar um modelo de pesquisa sociométrico mais rigoroso.

This article suggests a sequence of experiments on the preparation, analysis and some photochemical aspects of potassium tris (oxalato) ferrate(III) trihydrate. The sequence of experiments could be carried out in four or five 4-hour laboratory periods. The new part of this article is related to the kinetics studies involving the ambient illumination as well as the use of the cellophane paper of different colors as light filters. The aspects such as quantum yield, light absorption and photochemical reactions are explored in order to illustrate the relationships between the exposure time, light intensity and wavelength range on the photochemical reactions.

The relationship between left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and cognitive performance in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) without overt heart failure is still under debate. In the present study we combine behavioural measures and event-related potentials (ERPs) to verify whether electrophysiological correlates of recognition memory (Old/New effect) is modulated differently as a function of LVEF. Twenty-five male patients with CAD (13 without [LVEF > 55%] and 12 with [LVEF < 40%] left ventricular dysfunction), and a Mini Mental State Examination score > 25 were enrolled. ERPs were recorded while participants performed a visual word recognition task consisting of a test phase in which they were asked to judge whether visual stimuli were previously presented in a learning phase (‘old’) or not (‘new’). ERPs responses from the test phase were analyzed. A late positive ERP component between 300 and 500 ms was differentially modulated in the two groups: a clear old/new effect (enhanced mean amplitude for old respect to new items) was observed in patients without LVEF dysfunction; whereas patients with overt LVEF dysfunction did not show such old/new effect. These data suggest that ERPs may reveal possible functional brain abnormalities that might be not observed at behavioural levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]