Condition monitoring of an advanced gas-cooled nuclear reactor core

A critical component of an advanced gas-cooled reactor station is the graphite core. As a station ages, the graphite bricks that comprise the core can distort and may eventually crack. Since the core cannot be replaced, the core integrity ultimately determines the station life. Monitoring these distortions is usually restricted to the routine outages, which occur every few years, as this is the only time that the reactor core can be accessed by external sensing equipment. This paper presents a monitoring module based on model-based techniques using measurements obtained during the refuelling process. A fault detection and isolation filter based on unknown input observer techniques is developed. The role of this filter is to estimate the friction force produced by the interaction between the wall of the fuel channel and the fuel assembly supporting brushes. This allows an estimate to be made of the shape of the graphite bricks that comprise the core and, therefore, to monitor any distortion on them

The development and application of time resolved PIV at the University of Strathclyde

This paper describes the development of time resolved particle image velocimetry (PIV) within the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Strathclyde. The Department's first PIV systems were developed on a limited budget and used existing and second hand equipment. The original technique which, employed 16mm high speed cinematography, is described. The introduction and development of low cost systems employing high speed digital video (HSDV) is discussed and, finally, the Department's new time resolved PIV system, supplied by Dantec Dynamics, is introduced. For each of the PIV systems that have been developed a critical analysis of their functionality is given and samples of the data that they have been produced are shown. Data are presented from systems such as de-rotated centrifugal impellers, air bubbles growing in columns of water, pulsatile jets and vortex shedding

Reconfigurable implementation of recursive DCT kernels for reduced quantization noise

Time multiplexed implementations of the recursive DCT processors are widely used in many multimedia and compression applications. Recently proposed three Goertzel kernels offer significant improvement (up to 90 %) in the noise performance of the time-multiplexed architecture to allow word-length specifications get reduced. In this paper, a highly optimized reconfigurable DCT architecture is proposed that can perform the function of three different kemels (Type A, B and C) on Virtex FPG

Long I for Thee!

As yonder lone and lovely star Hangs o\u27er the western hills afar And pausing in it\u27s downward flight Longs lingering for the coming night Long I for thee! Long I for thee! The last fond flowers that loved to fling Their fragrance on the branch of Spring And pine beneath the skies of June Mourn not so for the waning Moon As I for thee! As I for thee! The wild bird fills the local groveWith wailings for his absent loveSo every passing breath of AirMust on its buoyant pinions bearSome sigh for thee! Some sigh for thee! That lovely star shall wax and waneThose flowers shall die and bloom againThe sweet bird sing his mate to restSo shall I yet to this fond breast Fold thee, love thee! Fold thee, love thee

Adjusting to life after esophagectomy: the experience of survivors and carers

Following surgery for esophageal cancer, patients can experience complex physical, social, and emotional changes. Investigation of these challenges, particularly from the perspective of the patient and his or her carer, has been limited. The current study explored the emotional and cognitive experiences of esophageal cancer survivors and those of their carers, using focus groups conducted with members of a patient support group. Analysis of the patients’ data yielded three themes: coping with a death sentence, adjusting to and accepting an altered self, and the unique benefits of peer support. Analysis of the carers’ data also yielded three themes: the carer as buffer, representations of recovery and recurrence, and normalizing experiences through peer support. Esophageal cancer patients and their carers require holistic support in their efforts to adjust to the social, emotional, and physical consequences of esophagectomy. Peers could be an effective channel for the support of patients and carers

Jeanie Morrison

I\u27ve wandered east, I\u27ve wandered west through many a weary wayBut never, never can forget the love o\u27 life\u27s young dayThe fire that\u27s blawn on Beltane\u27s e\u27enMay weel be black \u27gin YuleBut blacker fa\u27 awaits the heartBut blacker fa\u27 awaits the heart where first fonds love grows cool O dear, dear Jeanie Morrison the thoughts o\u27 bygone yearsstill fling their shadows o\u27er my path and blind my e\u27en with tearsThey blind my e\u27en with saut, saut tears and sair I sick and pineAs memory idly summons up As memory idly summons up the blithe blinks o\u27lang syne. \u27Twas then we lov\u27d ilk ither weel, twas then we twa did partSweet time sad time! twa bairns at schoolTwa bairns and but ae heart!\u27Twas then we sat on ae laigh bank to leir ilk ither learAnd tones, and looks and smiles were shedAnd tones, and looks and smiles were shed remembered ever mair My head rins round and round about my heart flows like a seaAs ane by ane the thoughts rush back o\u27 school time and o\u27 theeO morning life! O morning love! O lightsome days and langWhen hinnied hopes around our heartsWhen hinnied hopes around our hearts like simmer blossoms sprang! I wonder, Jeanie, after yet,When sitting on that bink,Cheek touching cheek, lood locked in loofWhat our wee heads could think?When baith bent down o\u27er ae braid pageWi\u27 ae book on our kneeThy lips were on thy lesson,butMy lesson was in thee. O\u27 mind ye how we hung our heads,Our cheeks brent red wi\u27 shame,Whene\u27er the school-weans, laughing saidWe cleek\u27d thegither hame?And mind ye o\u27 the Saturday(The school then skail\u27t at noon)When we ran aff to speel the braes-The broomy braes o\u27 June? O, mind ye, love, how aft we leftThe deavin\u27 dinsome townTo wander by the breen burnsideAnd hear its waters croon?The simmer leaves hung o\u27er our headsThe flowers burst round our feetAnd in the gloamin o\u27 the woodThe throssil whistled sweet. The throssil whistled in the woodThe burn sang to the treesAnd we, with Nature\u27s heart in tuneConcerted harmoniesAnd on the knowe abune the burnFor hours thegither satIn the silentness o\u27 joy till baithWi\u27 very gladness grat. Ay, ay dear Jeanie MorrisonTears trinkled down your cheekLike dew beads on a rose yet noneHad any power to speak!That was a time, a blessed timeWhen hearts were fresh and youngWhen freely gushed all feelings forthUnsyllabled - unsung! I marvel, Jeanie MorrisonGin I hae been to theeAs closely twined wi\u27 early thoughtsAs ye hae been to meO, tell me gin their music fillsThine ear as it does mineO, say gin e\u27er your heart grows gritWi\u27 dreamings o\u27 langsyne. I\u27ve wandered east, I\u27ve wandered west,I\u27ve borne a weary lotBut in my wanderings far or nearYe never were forgotThe fount that first burst frae this heartStill travels on its wayAnd channels deeper, as it rainsThe love o\u27 life\u27s young day. O, dear, dear Jeanie MorrisonSince we were sindered youngI\u27ve never seen your face, nor heardThe music o\u27 your tongueBut I could hug all wretchednessAnd happy could I dieDid I but ken your heart still dreamedO\u27 bygane days and me! This poem is written professedly in the Scottish dialect. In order to make it more generally understood, the words have been spelled in English, where it has not interfered with the sense; but it contains some expressions which cannot be rendered purely English and belong exclusively to the idiom of the Scottish tongue, a glossary is here appended, in order to make such explanation as it thought necessary to a general appreciation and the full enjoyment of this beautiful ballad. Glossary Beltane \u27en: a highland festival, held on the evening of the first of May, when fires are kindled for the occasionCroon: a continued low sound or murmurDeavin\u27: deafeningDinsome: noisyGin: if, by or againstGin Yule: by ChristmasGloamin: twilight Grat: wept, shed tearsGrit: full to overflowingHinnied: honeyedKnowe: a small, round hillockLeigh bink: low bankLeir ilk ither leer: teach each other learningLoof: palm of the handSaut: saltSindered: separatedSkail\u27t: scatteredSpeel: climbThrossil: thrush, or mavis, one of the sweetest singing birds that inhabit ScotlandYule: Christma

The Retail FX Trader: Random Trading and the Negative Sum Game

With the internet boom of early 2000 making access to trading the Foreign Exchange (FX) market far simpler for members of the general public, the growth of 'retail' FX trading continues, with daily transaction volumes as high as $200 billion. Potential new entrants to the retail FX trading world may come from the recent UK pension deregulations, further increasing the volumes. The attraction of FX trading is that it offers high returns and whilst it has been understood that it is high-risk in nature, the rewards are seen as being commensurately high for the 'skilled and knowledgeable' trader who has an edge over other market participants. This paper analyses a number of independent sources of data and previous research, to examine the profitability of the Retail FX trader and compares the results with that of a simulated random trading models. This paper finds evidence to suggest that whilst approximately 20% of traders can expect to end up with a profitable account, around 40% might expect their account to be subject to a margin call. This paper finds a strong correlation between the overall profitability of traders and impact of the cost of the bid-ask spread, whilst finding little if any evidence that retail FX traders, when viewed as a group, are achieving results better than that from random trading