The objective of this study is to fully characterize the flow within the HeartQuest ventricular assist device (VAD), a magnetically levitated centrifugal VAD, using particle image velocimetry (PIV) to identify regions of potential high shear or stagnation and validate and refine computational models of the flow. An acrylic model of the pump was designed and constructed to allow optical access i...

• Across species, leaf lifespan (LL) tends to be correlated with leaf mass per area (LMA). Previously we found that Australian perennial species from low-rainfall sites had c . 40% shorter LL at a given LMA than high-rainfall species. • Here we relate indices of leaf strength (work to shear, W shear , and tissue toughness) to LL and LMA across the same suite of species. W shear is the work requ...

background: many types of single-use blades are manufactured with different designs and materials. there have been several reports of difficulties in obtaining a view of the glottis with single-use laryngoscopes. the purpose of this prospective study was to compare the quickness and the success rate of endotracheal intubations with two different laryngoscope blades: disposable laryngoscope blad...

Tidal turbine arrays are planed to be installed in areas with strong currents where the flow can often sheared throughout water column. To study shear effects on tidal turbine, four vertical velocity profiles generated a flume tank and imposed three-bladed horizontal axis model. Results show that do not impact average performance but responsible for an increase of blade root streamwise load var...

Wind velocity distribution and the vortex around the wind turbine present a significant challenge in the development of straight-bladed vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs). This paper is intended to investigate influence of tip vortex on wind turbine wake by Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. In this study, the number of blades is two and the airfoil is a NACA0021 with chord length...

We characterize the two-dimensionalization process in the turbulent flow produced by an impeller rotating at a rate ω in a fluid rotating at a rate Ω around the same axis for Rossby number Ro = ω/Ω down to 10 −2. The flow can be described as the superposition of a large-scale vertically invariant global rotation and small-scale shear layers detached from the impeller blades. As Ro decreases, th...

This paper presents an optimization method for the structural design of horizontal-axis wind turbine (HAWT) blades based on the particle swarm optimization algorithm (PSO) combined with the finite element method (FEM). The main goal is to create an optimization tool and to demonstrate the potential improvements that could be brought to the structural design of HAWT blades. A multi-criteria cons...

Experiments were conducted to develop an optimal protocol for measurement of slice shear force (SSF) and to evaluate SSF as an objective method of assessing beef longissimus tenderness. Whereas six cylindrical, 1.27-cm-diameter cores are typically removed from each steak for Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) determination, a single 1-cm-thick, 5-cm-long slice is removed from the lateral end of...

Top sirloin butts (n = 162) were used to investigate the influence of quality classification, aging period, blade tenderization passes, and endpoint cooking temperature on the tenderness of gluteus medius steaks. Top sirloin butts (gluteus medius) from Select (SEL), Choice (CHO), and Certified Angus Beef (CAB) carcasses were obtained, aged for 7, 14, or 21 d, and either not tenderized or blade ...