8,089 research outputs found
Algorithms for On-line Order Batching in an Order-Picking Warehouse
No full textIn manual order picking systems, order pickers walk or ride through a distribution warehouse in order to collect items required by (internal or external) customers. Order batching consists of combining these – indivisible – customer orders into picking orders. With respect to order batching, two problem types can be distinguished: In off-line (static) batching all customer orders are known in advance. In on-line (dynamic) batching customer orders become available dynamically over time. This report considers an on-line order batching problem in which the total completion time of all customer orders arriving within a certain time period has to be minimized. The author shows how heuristic approaches for the off-line order batching can be modified in order to deal with the on-line situation. A competitive analysis shows that every on-line algorithm for this problem is at least 2-competitive. Moreover, this bound is tight if an optimal batching algorithm is used. The proposed algorithms are evaluated in a series of extensive numerical experiments. It is demonstrated that the choice of an appropriate batching method can lead to a substantial reduction of the completion time of a set of customer orders.Warehouse Management, Order Picking, Order Batching, On-line Optimization
Effects of crp deletion in Salmonella enterica serotype Gallinarum
No full textBackground.
Salmonella enterica serotype Gallinarum (S. Gallinarum) remains an important pathogen of poultry, especially in developing countries. There is a need to develop effective and safe vaccines. In the current study, the effect of crp deletion was investigated with respect to virulence and biochemical properties and the possible use of a deletion mutant as vaccine candidate was preliminarily tested.
Methods.
Mutants were constructed in S. Gallinarum by P22 transduction from Salmonella Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) with deletion of the crp gene. The effect was characterized by measuring biochemical properties and by testing of invasion in a chicken loop model and by challenge of six-day-old chickens. Further, birds were immunized with the deleted strain and challenged with the wild type isolate.
Results.
The crp deletions caused complete attenuation of S. Gallinarum. This was shown by ileal loop experiments not to be due to significantly reduced invasion. Strains with such deletions may have vaccine potential, since oral inoculatoin with S. Gallinarum Δcrp completely protected against challenge with the same dose of wild type S. Gallinarum ten days post immunization. Interestingly, the mutations did not cause the same biochemical and growth changes to the two biotypes of S. Gallinarum. All biochemical effects but not virulence could be complemented by providing an intact crp-gene from S. Typhimurium on the plasmid pSD110.
Conclusion.
Transduction of a Tn10 disrupted crp gene from S. Typhimurium caused attenuation in S. Gallinarum and mutated strains are possible candidates for live vaccines against fowl typhoid
Effect of oxygen tension on the amino acid utilisation of human embryonic stem cells
No full textBackground/aims: human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are a potential source of cells for treatment of many degenerative diseases, but in culture have a propensity to spontaneously differentiate, possibly due to suboptimal conditions. Culture at low oxygen tensions improves hESC maintenance and regulates carbohydrate metabolism. Hence, a greater understanding of the nutrient requirements of hESCs will allow production of more appropriate culture media. This study aims to investigate the effect of environmental oxygen tension on the amino acid metabolism of hESCs. Methods: the production or depletion of amino acids by hESCs cultured at 5% or 20% oxygen in the presence or absence of FGF2 was measured by reversephase HPLC. Results: atmospheric oxygen, or removal of FGF2 from hESCs cultured at 5% oxygen, perturbed the uptake or release of individual amino acids and the total amino acid turnover compared to hESCs cultured at 5% oxygen. In particular, serine uptake was reduced at 20% oxygen and by removal of FGF2. Conclusions: highly pluripotent hESCs, cultured at 5% oxygen, demonstrate a greater amino acid turnover than hESCs cultured at 20% oxygen, or without FGF2. These data suggest that amino acid turnover could be used as a measure of the self-renewal capacity of hESC
Logistic regression for simulating damage occurrence on a fruit grading line
No full textMany factors influence the incidence of mechanical damage in fruit handled on a grading line. This makes it difficult to address damage estimation from an analytical point of view. During fruit transfer from one element of a grading line to another, damage occurs as a combined effect of machinery roughness and the intrinsic susceptibility of fruit. This paper describes a method to estimate bruise probability by means of logistic regression, using data yielded by specific laboratory tests. Model accuracy was measured via the statistical significance of its parameters and its classification ability. The prediction model was then linked to a simulation model through which impacts and load levels, similar to those of real grading lines, could be generated. The simulation output sample size was determined to yield reliable estimations. The process makes it possible to derive a suitable line design and the type of fruit that should be handled to maintain bruise levels within European Union (EU) Standards. A real example with peaches was carried out with the aid of the software implementation SIMLIN®, developed by the authors and registered by Madrid Technical University. This kind of tool has been demanded by inter-professional associations and grading lines designers in recent year
Droplet motion with contact-line friction: long-time asymptotics in complete wetting
No full textWe consider the thin-film equation for a class of free boundary conditions modelling friction at the contact line, as introduced by E and Ren. Our analysis focuses on formal long-time asymptotics of solutions in the perfect wetting regime. In particular, through the analysis of quasi-self-similar solutions, we characterize the profile and the spreading rate of solutions depending on the strength of friction at the contact line, as well as their (global or local) corrections, which are due to the dynamical nature of the free boundary conditions. These results are complemented with full transient numerical solutions of the free boundary problem. Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Mathematical Physic
A rational approximation to the evolution of a free surface during fluid withdrawal through a point sink
No full textThe time varying flow in which fluid is withdrawn from a reservoir through a point sink of variable strength beneath a free surface is considered. Asymptotic techniques are used to derive an approximate solution to the flow that is valid at intermediate times, giving a simple rational approximation to track changes in the free surface for any temporal variations in the sink strength. Comparisons with numerical simulations are given, showing that the approximation has wide applicability
Vibration of Bundled Conductors Following Ice Shedding
No full textThe dynamic behavior of bundled conductors following ice shedding from one subconductor is examined numerically using the finite-element method. An existing model of ice shedding from a single conductor is improved by developing a model of spacers which connect subconductors in the span. The resulting system makes it possible to simulate vibrations following ice shedding from one span of an overhead transmission line with twin, triple, or quad bundles. Vibration characteristics are evaluated as the following parameters are varied: thickness of shed ice, distance between adjacent spacers, and number of subconductors in the bundle. Simulation results will provide information on how the amplitude of vibration and the transient dynamic forces change with the application of spacers. The maximum jump height of the ice-shedding cable, the maximum drop of the loaded cable, and the maximum cable tension are approximated as power functions of ice thickness and the distance between adjacent spacers
Dynamic transmission line rating sensor system
No full textAs more renewable energy resources, such as wind and solar, are added to the existing grid, there is an increased need for more electrical capacity, and many companies are looking to increase the capacity of the existing transmission system in inexpensive and innovative ways due to the high expense associated with constructing new lines. In many cases, companies lack the ability to track line conditions, such as conductor sag and weather, in real time. Line capacity is also limited by a static line rating that is often based on unlikely worst case weather conditions. We are designing a two module system that will give system operators the ability to track conductor sag and weather conditions in real time. A line mounted device will make use of an IMU, infrared temperature sensor, and a LiDAR to collect data. This data will then be reported via radio transceiver to the ground module, which will communicate with system controllers. Software systems will be programmed and integrated that can report the conditions recorded by the line mounted module and track those conditions over time to create statistical models that can predict line conditions depending on the usual weather conditions at that time of the year. We will then investigate using the conductor temperature data to adjust the line rating to allow higher loads on the line in favorable weather conditions. We hope to see the ability to increase the capacity of the lines where this. device is used and thus reduce transmission system bottlenecking
A single van der pol wake oscillator model for coupled cross-flow and in-line vortex-induced vibrations
No full textIn this study a new wake oscillator model is proposed to describe the coupled cross-flow and in-line vortex-induced vibrations of an elastically supported rigid cylinder. Different from many other studies where two wake oscillators have been applied, the current model uses only one wake oscillator coupled to both cross-flow and in-line motions. The new model is based on the van der Pol oscillator with the classic acceleration coupling between the wake and cross-flow motion, while the in-line motion is coupled with the wake variable in a nonlinear manner. The predictions of this new model are compared with the existing experimental data and shown to be in good agreement. In addition to the conventional lock-in range that corresponds to reduced velocities between 5 and 8, another lock-in is predicted around reduced velocity of 2.5 due to the in-line vibration. Most importantly, the new model is proved to be able to predict the appearance of the ‘super-upper’ branch at small mass ratios without changing the tuning parameters. The limitations of the model associated with unrealistic predictions of free vibrations with very small mass ratios and those of forced in-line vibrations at high frequencies are also discussed along with a possible remedy.Accepted Author ManuscriptOffshore EngineeringEngineering Structure
Dissipation of Quasiclassical Turbulence in Superfluid 4He
No full textWe compare the decay of turbulence in superfluid 4He produced by a moving grid to the decay of turbulence in the same channel created by either an impulsive spin-down to rest or by intensive ion injection. In all cases the vortex line density L at late time t decays as L ~ t^-3/2. Below 0.8 K, the spin-down turbulence maintains initial rotation and decays slower than grid turbulence and ion-jet turbulence. This is presumably due to the decoupling of the superfluid component from the normal one at large length scales at low temperatures, thus changing its effective boundary condition from no-slip to slip
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