Computerized structural mechanics for 1990's: Advanced aircraft needs

The needs for computerized structural mechanics (CSM) as seen from the standpoint of the aircraft industry are discussed. These needs are projected into the 1990's with special focus on the new advanced materials. Preliminary design/analysis, research, and detail design/analysis are identified as major areas. The role of local/global analyses in these different areas is discussed. The lessons learned in the past are used as a basis for the design of a CSM framework that could modify and consolidate existing technology and include future developments in a rational and useful way. A philosophy is stated, and a set of analyses needs driven by the emerging advanced composites is enumerated. The roles of NASA, the universities, and the industry are identified. Finally, a set of rational research targets is recommended based on both the new types of computers and the increased complexity the industry faces. Computerized structural mechanics should be more than new methods in structural mechanics and numerical analyses. It should be a set of engineering applications software products that combines innovations in structural mechanics, numerical analysis, data processing, search and display features, and recent hardware advances and is organized in a framework that directly supports the design process

When Dad Told Him about the Award, Goffman Replied, Make Sure the Presentation Is in a Small Room So It Will Look Like a Lot of People Are There

Dr. Carl Backman, professor of sociology at Auburn University, wrote these memoir and gave his permission to post it in the Erving Goffman Archives

Mid-infrared Imaging of a Circumstellar Disk Around HR 4796: Mapping the Debris of Planetary Formation

We report the discovery of a circumstellar disk around the young A0 star, HR 4796, in thermal infrared imaging carried out at the W.M. Keck Observatory. By fitting a model of the emission from a flat dusty disk to an image at lambda=20.8 microns, we derive a disk inclination, i = 72 +6/-9 deg from face on, with the long axis of emission at PA 28 +/-6 deg. The intensity of emission does not decrease with radius as expected for circumstellar disks but increases outward from the star, peaking near both ends of the elongated structure. We simulate this appearance by varying the inner radius in our model and find an inner hole in the disk with radius R_in = 55+/-15 AU. This value corresponds to the radial distance of our own Kuiper belt and may suggest a source of dust in the collision of cometesimals. By contrast with the appearance at 20.8 microns, excess emission at lambda = 12.5 microns is faint and concentrated at the stellar position. Similar emission is also detected at 20.8 microns in residual subtraction of the best-fit model from the image. The intensity and ratio of flux densities at the two wavelengths could be accounted for by a tenuous dust component that is confined within a few AU of the star with mean temperature of a few hundred degrees K, similar to that of zodiacal dust in our own solar system. The morphology of dust emission from HR 4796 (age 10 Myr) suggests that its disk is in a transitional planet-forming stage, between that of massive gaseous proto-stellar disks and more tenuous debris disks such as the one detected around Vega.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures as LaTex manuscript and postscript files in gzipped tar file. Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal Letters. http://upenn5.hep.upenn.edu/~davidk/hr4796.htm

Alveolar lavage fluid (ALF) of normal volunteer subjects: cytologic, immunocytochemical, and biochemical reference values

AbstractObjective: Pooled bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), the return of lavage, contains both bronchial and alveolar material which differ from each other. Artifacts may be created by filtering, centrifuging and washing cells before cytopreparation. This study presents reference values of healthy volunteers for the alveolar sample, ALF, cytopreparation being performed without filtration or centrifugation.Methods: Eighteen healthy, non-smoking volunteers underwent a standard bronchoalveolar lavage using 10 aliquots of 20 ml of saline. Excluding the return of the first and second aliquots, the rest were pooled and examined cytologically, immunocytochemically and biochemically. The mean, standard deviation, and 95% confidence limits were calculated for the following variables: amount of return, estimated content of epithelial lining fluid (ELF), total and differential cell counts on filter and cytocentrifuge (CCF) preparations, computed cell counts per unit volume of ALF, distribution of lymphocyte subgroups CD3 + CD2, CD4, CD8, CD19, CD25 and CD57, and the ratio of CD4 to CD8, the amounts of lymphocytes in the same subgroups per volume of ALF, and the concentrations of total protein, albumin, immunoglobulins A, G and M, hyaluronic acid, eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP), procollagen III aminoterminal propeptide (PCP) and β2-microglobulin in ALF and in ELF, as well as the ratios of the concentrations of the solutes in ALF to the same in serum.Results: The 95% confidence limits of means for the most important variables were as follows: estimated ELF content 0·42–0·74%; total cells in ALF 76·6–143·0 × 1061−1; distribution of inflammatory cells on filter and CCF slides: macrophages 74·9–83·6 and 81·4–90·1%, lymphocytes 13·1–22·5 and 8·1–16·4%, and neutrophils 1·0–4·1 and 0·7–2·7%, respectively; distribution of lymphocyte subsets: CD3 + CD2 85·6–90·6%, CD4 44·3–53·1%, CD8 26·9–35·8%; concentration of solutes in ALF: total protein 44·8–61·3 mg l−1, albumin 15·4–22·2 mg l−1, IgA 1·8–3.4 mg l−1, IgG 3·1–6·1 mg l−1, IgM 0·05–0·26 mg l−1, hyaluronic acid 8·8–11·1 μg l−1, ECP 0·19–0·77 μg l−1, PCP 0·005–0·058 μg l−1, β2-microglobulin 62·2–81·5 μg l−1.Conclusions: Our results show that excluding the bronchial sample from ALF of volunteer subjects and omitting filtering and washing before cytopreparation produces cytologic, immunocytochemical and biochemical reference values with reasonable 95% confidence limits to be used in clinical settings

Air-to-Water Heat Pumps With Radiant Delivery in Low-Load Homes

Space conditioning represents nearly 50% of average residential household energy consumption, highlighting the need to identify alternative cost-effective, energy-efficient cooling and heating strategies. As homes are better built, there is an increasing need for strategies that are particularly well suited for high performance, low load homes. ARBI researchers worked with two test homes in hot-dry climates to evaluate the in-situ performance of air-to-water heat pump (AWHP) systems, an energy efficient space conditioning solution designed to cost-effectively provide comfort in homes with efficient, safe, and durable operation. Two monitoring projects of test houses in hot-dry climates were initiated in 2010 to test this system. Both systems were fully instrumented and have been monitored over one year to capture complete performance data over the cooling and heating seasons. Results are used to quantify energy savings, cost-effectiveness, and system performance using different operating modes and strategies. A calibrated TRNSYS model was developed and used to evaluate performance in various climate regions. This strategy is most effective in tight, insulated homes with high levels of thermal mass (i.e. exposed slab floors)

A Spitzer/IRAC Search for Substellar Companions of the Debris Disk Star epsilon Eridani

We have used the InfraRed Array Camera (IRAC) onboard the Spitzer Space telescope to search for low mass companions of the nearby debris disk star epsilon Eridani. The star was observed in two epochs 39 days apart, with different focal plane rotation to allow the subtraction of the instrumental Point Spread Function, achieving a maximum sensitivity of 0.01 MJy/sr at 3.6 and 4.5 um, and 0.05 MJy/sr at 5.8 and 8.0 um. This sensitivity is not sufficient to directly detect scattered or thermal radiation from the epsilon Eridani debris disk. It is however sufficient to allow the detection of Jovian planets with mass as low as 1 MJ in the IRAC 4.5 um band. In this band, we detected over 460 sources within the 5.70 arcmin field of view of our images. To test if any of these sources could be a low mass companion to epsilon Eridani, we have compared their colors and magnitudes with models and photometry of low mass objects. Of the sources detected in at least two IRAC bands, none fall into the range of mid-IR color and luminosity expected for cool, 1 Gyr substellar and planetary mass companions of epsilon Eridani, as determined by both models and observations of field M, L and T dwarf. We identify three new sources which have detections at 4.5 um only, the lower limit placed on their [3.6]-[4.5] color consistent with models of planetary mass objects. Their nature cannot be established with the currently available data and a new observation at a later epoch will be needed to measure their proper motion, in order to determine if they are physically associated to epsilon Eridani.Comment: 36 pages, to be published on The Astrophysical Journal, vol. 647, August 200

Feasibility Study: Ductless Hydronic Distribution Systems with Fan Coil Delivery

The primary objectives of this study are to estimate potential energy savings relative to conventional ducted air distribution, and to identify equipment requirements, costs, and barriers with a focus on ductless hydronic delivery systems that utilize water-to-air terminal units in each zone. Results indicate that annual heating and cooling energy use can be reduced by up to 27% assuming replacement of the conventional 13 SEER heat pump and coil with a similarly rated air-to-water heat pump

New Rotation Periods in the Pleiades: Interpreting Activity Indicators

We present results of photometric monitoring campaigns of G, K and M dwarfs in the Pleiades carried out in 1994, 1995 and 1996. We have determined rotation periods for 18 stars in this cluster. In this paper, we examine the validity of using observables such as X-ray activity and amplitude of photometric variations as indicators of angular momentum loss. We report the discovery of cool, slow rotators with high amplitudes of variation. This contradicts previous conclusions about the use of amplitudes as an alternate diagnostic of the saturation of angular momentum loss. We show that the X-ray data can be used as observational indicators of mass-dependent saturation in the angular momentum loss proposed on theoretical grounds

Magnetostrictive energy harvesting: materials and design study

In recent years, vibrational energy harvesting has established itself as a promising alternative to the use of batteries for powering microelectromechanical systems for large wireless sensor networks used in aerospace and building infrastructures. This paper has focused on the design and materials used in magnetostrictive cantilever energy harvesters. The study involved using both finite-element modeling to predict the resonance frequencies for different cantilever designs and magnetostrictive materials, followed by experimental measurements for validation. Two different magnetostrictive ribbons were investigated, Fe₁₋ₓGaₓ with four different compositions (x = 17.5; 19.5; 21; 28 at.%) and amorphous metallic glass Metglas 2605SC (Fe81B13.5Si3.5C2). From the modeling, it was determined that the resonance frequency was strongly dependent on the cantilever length, thickness, and density. Changing the cantilever design to a ``T'' shape was found to decrease the resonance frequency. The experimental results found that the output voltage measured depended on the cantilever dimensions, especially the thickness, the Ga concentration, and the cantilever design. The output voltages for Fe80.5Ga19.5 cantilevers were comparable with the same dimension Metglas cantilevers. The results of the finite-element modeling were validated by good agreement between the computational and experimental resonance frequencies measured