MHD instability at the cathode spot as the origin of the vortex formation in high-intensity plasma arcs

Magnetohydrodynamic instability in a high-intensity arc, similar to typical arcs in DC electric arc furnaces, is simulated using an induction based model under 2D axisymmetric conditions. Time-averaged results show a good agreement with steady-state calculated results expected for a stable arc. The transient results declare that z-pinch close to the cathode, occurring due to the high electrical current density, is responsible for arc instability in this region. The unstable behavior of the arc can be evaluated in a periodic procedure. Moreover, correlations between the fluctuations in total voltage drop curve and the arc shape are investigated: when the arc is in form of column (or bell) the total voltage drop is on a minimum peak; if there is an irregular expansion of the arc in form of arms, the total voltage drop shows a maximum peak.

Identifying and correcting repeat-calling errors in nanopore sequencing of telomeres

Nanopore long-read genome sequencing is emerging as a potential approach for the study of genomes including long repetitive elements like telomeres. Here, we report extensive basecalling induced errors at telomere repeats across nanopore datasets, sequencing platforms, basecallers, and basecalling models. We found that telomeres which are represented by (TTAGGG)n and (CCCTAA)n repeats in many organisms were frequently miscalled (~40-50% of reads) as (TTAAAA)n, or as (CTTCTT)n and (CCCTGG)n repeats respectively in a strand-specific manner during nanopore sequencing. We showed that this miscalling is likely caused by the high similarity of current profiles between telomeric repeats and these repeat artefacts, leading to mis-assignment of electrical current profiles during basecalling. We further demonstrated that tuning of nanopore basecalling models, and selective application of the tuned models to telomeric reads led to improved recovery and analysis of telomeric regions, with little detected negative impact on basecalling of other genomic regions. Our study thus highlights the importance of verifying nanopore basecalls in long, repetitive, and poorly defined regions of the genome, and showcases how such artefacts in regions like telomeres can potentially be resolved by improvements in nanopore basecalling models.

‎‏FINDING PERCENTAGE OF BREAKDOWN STIMULATION OF ALUMINUM WIRES THAT OPERATES IN A CORROSIVE MEDIUM

The study of the duration of mechanical resistance to static tensile stress (withstand time) for an aluminum wire that being suffers from the corrosion effect stimulated by stray currents at different temperatures. Test device was designed and produced locally "in advance" in accordance with the specification (ASTM G103 - 97) to create static tensile stress of (1 N) on an aluminum wire of type ASTM (B231/B231M) with particular dimensions and utilized in the transmission of electrical energy, and when the wire is surrounded by a corrosive environment (NaCl solution) (3.5 % NaCl) at three different temperatures (25, 50, and 75 ° C) without any external electrical current causing corrosion; this symbolizes stray currents. Then compare the findings of that example to the results of the same wire's withstand time in the presence of an external electrical current generated by corrosion of type (D.C) by (5V & 3A). Following that, the resulting diagrams were analyzed, and it was discovered that the wire resistivity time (without the existence of stray currents and at a temperature of 25 ° C) completed (17 days), which is the longest duration of endure, and the lowest time of resistivity or resistance period (in the existence of an external electric current) is (18 hr.).Impact of (stray currents) at (75 ° C), and this is an indicator of the stray currents with corrosive environment temperatures on the resistance period (withstand duration) in the existence of static stress. The total stimulation increase is 1.9% between corrosion at 75°C and 25°C.

Practical Examples of Using Switch-Adapted and Battery-Powered Technology to Benefit Persons With Disabilities

Handmade switch-adapted toys and LED lights were created by a first grader student as part of a makerspace activity to aid a person with disabilities. Commercial toys and light strings were adapted for ease of use by interrupting the electrical current by use of a handmade battery interrupter and the addition of remote switches. In addition, an illuminated glove was created using conductive thread, LED lights, and an Arduino LilyTiny controller to enable the person with disabilities to signal turns on a disability scooter using hand signs. Basic information on the creation of these materials and their possible use are presented in this chapter.

Correlation between morphology and local mechanical and electrical properties of van der Waals heterostructures

Properties of van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures strongly depend on the quality of the interface between two dimensional (2D) layers. Instead of having atomically flat, clean, and chemically inert interfaces without dangling bonds, top-down vdW heterostructures are associated with bubbles and intercalated layers (ILs) which trap contaminations appeared during fabrication process. We investigate their influence on local electrical and mechanical properties of MoS2/WS2 heterostructures using atomic force microscopy (AFM) based methods. It is demonstrated that domains containing bubbles and ILs are locally softer, with increased friction and energy dissipation. Since they prevent sharp interfaces and efficient charge transfer between 2D layers, electrical current and contact potential difference are strongly decreased. In order to reestablish a close contact between MoS2 and WS 2 layers, vdW heterostructures were locally flattened by scanning with AFM tip in contact mode or just locally pressed with an increased normal load. Subsequent electrical measurements reveal that the contact potential difference between two layers strongly increases due to enabled charge transfer, while local I/V curves exhibit increased conductivity without undesired potential barriers.

Electro-thermo-mechanical modeling of shape memory polymers filled with nano-carbon powder

Generally, adding the electroconductive fillers into the polymer matrix is a popular approach to endow the shape memory polymers (SMPs) with electroconductivity. Therefore, the shape memory effects (SMEs) of thermally induced SMPs can also be triggered by the electrical current. In essence, both the thermally activated and electrically activated SMEs share the same driving mechanism without considering the effect of heat conduction. In the paper, the constitutive model for the thermally induced SMPs filled with nano-carbon powder is briefly introduced. Then, a modified model is developed to characterize the effects of filler, deformation, and moisture on the electrical conductivity for the first time. After developing the correlation of electric field with Joule heat, the simulation is executed to display the free recovery of the shape memory polymer composites (SMPCs) with different filler content. It is found that the recovery ratio decreases with the increase of carbon powders for the SMPCs with filler content above the percolation threshold. Besides, a good recovery ratio can also be achieved through the application of a lower voltage.

Coupling of External Electric Circuits with Computational Domains

Coupling of electrical circuits with 2D and 3D computational domains is very important for practical applications. To this aim, the notions of “electrical current” and “voltage” must be defined precisely and linked with local quantities (i.e., fields and potentials) in the computational domain. Apart from the static case, the definition of voltage is more complex than it may appear at a first glance, and it is usually tainted by unspoken and/or not justified assumptions. The purpose of this work is twofold: on one hand, to shed light on the definition and on the physical meaning of voltage in the case of time varying quasi-static fields and, on the other hand, to show how to establish coupling equations between lumped parameters circuit model and 2D/3D computational domains. It is demonstrated that a precise physical significance can be given to the voltage in terms of power balance only (the notion of potential is unnecessary). A couple of original operators which allow to express voltages and currents are introduced. Based on a critical analysis of the research literature, it is shown that existing coupling formulas can all be rewritten as particular cases of these two operators. The developed analysis is independent from any computational method and can be used to devise new coupling formulas.

Finite-Elements Modeling and Simulation of Electrically-Assisted Rotary-Draw Bending Process for 6063 Aluminum Alloy Micro-Tube

Bent micro-tubes have been frequently applied in electronics, medical devices and aerospace for heat transfer due to the increasing heat flux in high-density electric packages. Rotary-draw bending (RDB) is a commonly used process in forming tubes due to its versatility. However, the control of forming defects is the key problem in micro-tube bending in terms of wall thinning, cross-sectional deformation and wrinkling. In this paper, a three-dimensional (3D) finite-elements (FE) modeling of electrically-assisted (EA) RDB of 6063 aluminum alloy micro-tubes is developed with the implicit method in ABAQUS. The multi-field coupled behavior was simulated and analyzed during the EA RDB of micro-tubes. Several process parameters such as micro-tube diameter, bending radius, current density and electrical load path were selected to study their effects on the bending defects of the Al6063 micro-tubes. The simulated results showed that the cross-sectional distortion could be improved when electrical current mainly pass through the vicinity of the tangent point in the micro-tube RDB, and the cross-sectional distortion tended to decrease with the increases of current density and tube diameter, and the decreases of bending speed and radius. A trade-off should be made between the benefit and side effect due to electrical current since the risk of wall thinning and wrinkling may increase.

Effect of organic substrate type in electricity production from microbial fuel cell (MFC) inoculated by Staphylococcus saprophyticus ICBB 9554

Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) are bioelectrochemical devices that can directly transform the chemical energy from organic matter into electrical energy using microbial metabolic activity, so microbes play an essential role. This study explores some organic substrate alternative cost-effective for Staphylococcus saprophyticus ICBB 9554 as an exoelectrogen for electricity production in MFCs. The organic substrates that were chosen were sugar, molasses, and palm sugar. The best performance in electricity production was in molasses which showed output voltage, electrical current, and power density of 789 mV, 0.48 mA, and 68 mW/m2, respectively. The COD removal, Coulombic efficiency, and bacterial density in molasses also the highest that was about 68.18 ± 0.00%, 45.80 ± 2.17%, and 1.09×108 cfu/ml, respectively. Molasses is a potentially cost-effective alternative organic substrate for MFCs inoculated by Staphylococcus saprophyticus ICBB 9554.