During and after earthquakes, occupants inside a damaged building should be evacuated rapidly and safely whereas related units outside the buildings (e.g. first responders) should know the current condition of the building. Obviously, this information should be as accurate as possible and accessed timely in order to speed up the evacuation. Unfortunately, absence of such information during evacuation and emergency response operations results in increased number of casualties. Hence, there arises a need for an approach to make rapid damage and blockage assessment in buildings possible. This study focuses on sensor-based, real-time blockage assessment of buildings during earthquakes and it is based on the idea that / the blocked units of a building (e.g. corridors) can be assessed with the help of different types of sensors. The number and locations of these sensors are arranged in such a way that it becomes possible to picture the current condition of the building. Sensors utilized in this study can be listed as accelerometer, ultrasonic range finder, gyro sensor, closed cable circuit and video camera. The research steps of this thesis include (1) examination of the damage indicators which can cause blockage, (2) assessment of the monitoring devices, (3) expression of the conducted experimental studies in order to assess blokage condition of a corridor unit, (4) proposing an sensor fusion approach, and (5) presentation of the performed case study as an implementation of the blockage assessment. The findings of this research can be made use of in future studies on sensor-based blockage assessment.

A renovation of an adaptive-wall wind tunnel was completed to improve flow quality, automate data acquisition, integrate a three-axis traversing mechanism, and regain functionality of an adaptive-wall test section. Redesign of the settling chamber significantly improved flow quality, with the resulting turbulence intensity of 0.3% and flow uniformity of ±0.6% matching characteristics of research-grade wind tunnels. The functionality of the adaptive-wall test section was tested by analyzing the effect of wall adaptation on flow development over a circular cylinder. Experiments were carried out for a Reynolds number (Red) of 57,000 for three blockage ratios: 5%, 8%, and 17%. Measurements were made in three wall configurations: geometrically straight walls (GSW), aerodynamically straight walls (ASW), and streamlined walls (SLW). Solid blockage effects were clearly evident in cylinder surface pressure distributions for the GSW and ASW configurations, manifested by an increased peak suction and base suction. Upon streamlining the walls, pressure distributions for each blockage ratio matched distributions expected for low blockage ratios. Wake blockage limited wake growth in the GSW configuration at 7.75 and 15 diameters downstream of the cylinder for blockages of 17% and 8%, respectively. This adverse effect was rectified by streamlining the walls with the resulting wake width development matching that expected for low blockage ratios. Wake vortex shedding frequency and shear layer instability frequency increased in the GSW and ASW configurations with increasing blockage ratio. Invariance of the near wake width with wall configuration suggests that frequency increase is caused by the increased velocity due to solid blockage effects. For all the blockage ratios investigated, the increased wake vortex shedding frequency observed in the ASW and GSW configurations was corrected in the SLW configuration, with the resulting Strouhal numbers of about 0.19, matching that expected for low blockage ratios at the investigated Red.

A renovation of an adaptive-wall wind tunnel was completed to improve flow quality, automate data acquisition, integrate a three-axis traversing mechanism, and regain functionality of an adaptive-wall test section. Redesign of the settling chamber significantly improved flow quality, with the resulting turbulence intensity of 0.3% and flow uniformity of ±0.6% matching characteristics of research-grade wind tunnels. The functionality of the adaptive-wall test section was tested by analyzing the effect of wall adaptation on flow development over a circular cylinder. Experiments were carried out for a Reynolds number (Red) of 57,000 for three blockage ratios: 5%, 8%, and 17%. Measurements were made in three wall configurations: geometrically straight walls (GSW), aerodynamically straight walls (ASW), and streamlined walls (SLW). Solid blockage effects were clearly evident in cylinder surface pressure distributions for the GSW and ASW configurations, manifested by an increased peak suction and base suction. Upon streamlining the walls, pressure distributions for each blockage ratio matched distributions expected for low blockage ratios. Wake blockage limited wake growth in the GSW configuration at 7.75 and 15 diameters downstream of the cylinder for blockages of 17% and 8%, respectively. This adverse effect was rectified by streamlining the walls with the resulting wake width development matching that expected for low blockage ratios. Wake vortex shedding frequency and shear layer instability frequency increased in the GSW and ASW configurations with increasing blockage ratio. Invariance of the near wake width with wall configuration suggests that frequency increase is caused by the increased velocity due to solid blockage effects. For all the blockage ratios investigated, the increased wake vortex shedding frequency observed in the ASW and GSW configurations was corrected in the SLW configuration, with the resulting Strouhal numbers of about 0.19, matching that expected for low blockage ratios at the investigated Red.

<p>5-azacytidine and its derivatives are cytidine analogs used for leukemia chemotherapy. The primary effect of 5-azacytidine is the prohibition of cytosine methylation, which results in covalent DNA-methyltransferase crosslinks at cytosine methylation sites. These DNA-protein crosslinks have been suggested to cause chromosomal rearrangements and contribute to cytotoxicity, but the detailed mechanisms of DNA damage and the repair pathways of DNA-protein crosslinks have not been elucidated. </p><p>We used 2-dimensional agarose gel electrophoresis and electron microscopy to analyze plasmid pBR322 replication dynamics in Escherichia coli cells grown in the presence of 5-azacytidine. 2-dimensional gel analysis revealed the accumulation of specific bubble- and Y-molecules, dependent on overproduction of the cytosine methyltransferase EcoRII and treatment with 5-azacytidine. Furthermore, a point mutation that eliminates a particular EcoRII methylation site resulted in disappearance of the corresponding bubble- and Y-molecules. These results imply that 5-azacytidine-induced DNA-protein crosslinks block DNA replication in vivo. RecA-dependent X-structures were also observed after 5-azacytidine treatment. These molecules may be generated from blocked forks by recombinational repair and/or replication fork regression. In addition, electron microscopy analysis revealed both bubbles and rolling circles after 5-azacytidine treatment. These results suggest that replication can switch from theta to rolling circle mode after a replication fork is stalled by a DNA-methyltransferase crosslink. The simplest model for the conversion of theta to rolling-circle mode is that the blocked replication fork is cleaved by a branch-specific endonuclease. Such replication-dependent DNA breaks may represent an important pathway that contributes to genome rearrangement and/or cytotoxicity. </p><p>In addition, we performed a transposon mutagenesis screen and found that mutants defective in the tmRNA translational quality control system are hypersensitive to 5-azacytidine. The hypersensitivity of these mutants requires expression of active methyltransferase, indicating that hypersensitivity is dependent on DNA-methyltransferase crosslink formation. Furthermore, the tmRNA pathway is activated upon 5-azacytidine treatment in cells expressing methyltransferase, resulting in increased SsrA tagging of cellular proteins. These results support a "chain-reaction" model, in which transcription complexes blocked by 5-azacytidine-induced DNA-protein crosslinks result in ribosomes stalling on the attached nascent transcripts, and the tmRNA pathway is invoked for cleaning up the resulting pile-ups. In support of this model, an ssrA mutant is also hypersensitive to antibiotic streptolydigin, which blocks RNA polymerase elongation. These results reveal a novel role for the tmRNA system in clearance of coupled transcription/translation complexes in which RNA polymerase has become blocked.</p> / Dissertation

This research presents more realistic models for left-turn and through volume capacity by taking into account the probabilistic nature of the left-turn bay blockages and spillbacks at a signalized intersection under the leading phasing scheme with a short left-turn bay. Generally, the left-turn bay spillback situation has been overlooked in the leading left-turn signal because much attention has been given to the more common problem of left-turn blockage under the leading left signal. The left-turn spillback situation, however, might happen because the ratio of left-turning vehicle tends to be relatively high in the traffic after the occurrence of left-turn bay blockage. That is, left-turn bay blockage, spillback situations, left-turn capacity, and through capacity are closely connected with one another. Hence, this research estimates more precisely the capacity for through and left-turn movement by considering the left-turn bay blockage and spillback situations associated with left-turn bay under leading left-turn signal operations. In order to find general agreement between the results from this proposed model and a real-world situation, the developed capacity model is validated with the results from CORSIM simulations of a real-world signalized intersection. The binomial distribution is applied as the arrival distribution for through movement considering the characteristics of expected arrivals under heavy flow conditions. Finally, since left-turn bay blockage and spillback situation seem to have adverse impacts on each other, this research investigates if there are any dependent relationships between left-turn bay blockage and spillback. Here, this study confirmed that close relationships between left-turn bay blockage and spillback situations obviously exists.

A computer model of a blow-down free-jet hypersonic propulsion test facility exists to validate facility control systems as well as predict problems with facility operation. One weakness in this computer model is the modeling of an air ejector diffuser system. Two examples of facilities that could use this ejector diffuser model are NASA Langley Research Center's 8-ft High Temp. Tunnel (HTT) and the Aero-Propulsion Test Unit (APTU) located at Arnold Engineering Development Center. Modeling an air ejector diffuser system for a hypersonic propulsion test facility includes modeling three coupled systems. These are the ejector system, the primary free-jet nozzle that entrains secondary airflow from the test cell, and the test article. Both of these facilities are capable of testing scramjets/ramjets at high Mach numbers. Compared with computer simulation data, experimental test cell pressure data do not agree due to the current modeling technique used.An improved computer model was derived that incorporates new techniques for modeling the ejector diffuser. This includes real gas effects at the ejector nozzles, flow constriction due to free-jet nozzle and ejector plumes, test article effects, and a correction factor of the normal shock pressure ratio in a supersonic diffuser. A method was developed to account for the drag and thrust terms of the test article by assuming a blockage factor and using a drag coefficient*Area term for both the test article and thrust stand derived from experimental data. An ideal ramjet model was also incorporated to account for the gross thrust of the test article on the system.The new ejector diffuser model developed improved the accuracy and fidelity of the facility model as compared with experimental test data while only negligibly affecting computational speed. Comparisons of the model data with experimental test data showed a close match for test cell pressure (within 1 percent for final test cell pressure). The model accurately simulated both the unstarted and started modes of ejector flow, in which test cell pressure increases with nozzle total pressure once in started mode.

Large-scale blockages like buildings affect the performance of urban cellular networks, especially in the millimeter-wave frequency band. Unfortunately, such blockage effects are either neglected or characterized by oversimplified models in the analysis of cellular networks. Leveraging concepts from random shape theory, this paper proposes a mathematical framework to model random blockages, and quantifies their effects on the performance of cellular networks. Specifically, random buildings are modeled as a process of rectangles with random sizes and orientations whose centers form a Poisson point process on the plane, which is called a Boolean scheme. The distribution of the number of blockages in a link is proven to be Poisson with parameter dependent on the length of the link, which leads to the distribution of penetration losses of a single link. A path loss model that incorporates the blockage effects is proposed, which matches experimental trends observed in prior work. The blockage model is applied to analyze blockage effects on cellular networks assuming blockages are impenetrable, in terms of connectivity, coverage probability, and average rate. Analytic results show while buildings may block the desired signal, they may still have a positive impact on network performance since they also block more interference. / text

In gas-condensate reservoirs, gas productivity declines due to the increasing accumulation of liquids in the near wellbore region as the bottom-hole pressure declines below the dew point pressure. This phenomenon occurs even in reservoirs containing lean gas-condensate fluid. Various methods were addressed to remediate the productivity decline, for example, fracturing, gas injection, solvent injection and chemical treatment. Among them, gas injection techniques have been used as options to prevent retrograde condensation by vaporizing condensate and/or by enhancing condensate recovery in gas-condensate reservoirs. It is of utmost importance that the behavior of liquid accumulation near the wellbore should be described properly as that provides a better understanding of the productivity decline due to the originated from impaired relative mobility of gas. In this research, several gas injection techniques were assessed by using compositional simulators. The feasibility of different methods such as periodic hot gas injection and gas reinjection using horizontal wells were assessed using different reservoir fluid and injection conditions. It is shown that both the temperature and composition of the injection fluids play a key role in the remediation of productivity and condensate recovery. The combined effect of these parameters were investigated and the resulting impact on gas and condensate production was calculated by numerical simulations in this study. Design parameters pertaining to field development and operations including well configuration and injection/production scheme were also investigated in this study along with the above parameters. Based on the results, guidelines on design issues relating gas injection parameters were suggested. The various simulation cases with different parameters helped with gaining insight into the strategy of gas injection techniques to remediate the gas productivity and condensate recovery. / text

The continuous effort to understand the complicated behavior of gas hydrates in multiphase flow has led to the evolution of a new paradigm of hydrate blockage. The hydrate community continues to debate the impact of kinetics, agglomeration, and oil chemistry effects on hydrate blockage formation in pipelines and wellbores. However, today’s industry for the most part still continues to rely on thermodynamic means to develop strategies to prevent hydrates altogether in its production systems. These strategies such as thermal insulation of equipment, electric heating, dead oil displacement, and methanol injection add CAPEX, OPEX, and operational complexities to system design. In spite of high oil prices, adopting such strategies to mitigate perceived hydrate blockage risk can end up taxing economics of marginal fields. Developing a comprehensive multiphase flow simulator capable of handling the transient aspects of production operations - shut-in, restart, blowdown and blockage prediction - continues to drive the research in Flow Assurance. New operating strategies based on risk management approach seem to be evolving from the model predictions. A shift in paradigm that allows for operations inside the hydrate region based on sound risk assessment and management principles could be a factor enabling future developments of marginal fields. This paper discusses the challenges and opportunities that have led to the change in focus from prevention of hydrates to prevention of blockage, and describes some initial successes in the development of a first generation empirical tool for the prediction of hydrate blockages in flow lines. Also presented in this article are new experimental data that shed some light on different ways that hydrate blockages can manifest in the field.

Frazil ice is a phenomenon that takes place in cold regions when the water of rivers, lakes or oceans is cooled under 0ºC. Several times during winter, frazil ice can appear at river Ätran, where Träbena hydropower plant is held by the company Wetterstad Consulting AB. Frazil ice particles contained in the flowing water are extremely sticky and adhere to any object placed in the water. Trash racks are used by the power plant at the water intakes to prevent any strange object to go into the turbines. However, frazil ice particles stick to the trash racks creating an ice blockage that interrupts the water inflow. In this situation, the power plant has to stop the production even for several months, due to the lack of water that reaches the turbines. In order to solve this problem, the company has installed a heating system on the trash racks that prevent the adhesion of frazil ice particles. This system is manually operated, and it is turned on or off based on the experience and predictions of the company. This heating system is very power consuming and every time it is turned on unnecessarily the company loses money. An automatic frazil ice detection system that turns on the heating system when needed is to be created. For that, several options have been analysed, and finally a capacitor-based sensor has been developed as a solution. The sensor consist of two steel plates coated with semi-transparent polycarbonate submerged underwater parallel placed in the space between the trash racks’ bars, forming this way a parallel plate capacitor. The capacitance of a capacitor depends exclusively on its geometry and the dielectric material between the plates. Hence when the water temperature is low enough, frazil ice particles stick to the plates of the capacitor and its capacitance will vary indicating that the accretion of frazil ice may block the water inflow. This variation is registered and a signal is send to the heating system to start operating. This way, the heating system is completely automated; no human intervention is needed at all. / <p>Developed for Wettestad Consulting AB.</p>