4,607 research outputs found
Electromagnetic properties of ice coated surfaces
The electromagnetic scattering from ice coated structures is examined. The influence of ice is shown from a measurement standpoint and related to a simple analytical model. A hardware system for the realistic measurement of ice coated structures is also being developed to use in an existing NASA Lewis icing tunnel. Presently, initial measurements have been performed with a simulated tunnel to aid in the development
A THEORETICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECTS OF THE CONFIGURATIVE DESIGN OF A SPACE VEHICLE ON ITS STRUCTURAL BENDING FREQUENCIES AND AERODYNAMIC STABILITY
Space vehicle configuration effects on structural bending frequencies and aerodynamic stabilit
Drought Influences Annual Survival of Painted Turtles in Western Nebraska
Aquatic habitats in the Great Plains of North America have increased risk of droughts under climate forecasts. Droughts have the potential to influence the population dynamics of pond turtles, and long-term studies are useful to assess the impact of climatic variation on turtles. We compiled twelve years of mark-recapture data for painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) captured in a pond in Keith County, Nebraska during 2005–2016 that included two periods of drought. We used a robust design analysis to investigate influences on population size, annual survival, temporary immigration, and capture probability. Estimates of the annual population size ranged from 92 (CI: 90–94) to 180 (CI: 175–186) but did not vary with drought conditions. Despite a relatively stable depth of water in our study pond, the probability of annual survival was reduced by 0.07 in females and 0.10 in males during drought years. Approximately one-fifth (temporary emigration probability: 0.19, CI = 0.16–0.23) of the population was outside the study pond at any given time. Our long-term research provides insights into the potential challenges to turtles in aquatic habitats undergoing prolonged changes in long-term climate conditions
Electromagnetic properties of material coated surfaces
The electromagnetic properties of material coated conducting surfaces were investigated. The coating geometries consist of uniform layers over a planar surface, irregularly shaped formations near edges and randomly positioned, electrically small, irregularly shaped formations over a surface. Techniques to measure the scattered field and constitutive parameters from these geometries were studied. The significance of the scattered field from these geometries warrants further study
Muon spin rotation studies of niobium for superconducting RF applications
In this work we investigate superconducting properties of niobium samples via
application of the muon spin rotation/relaxation (muSR) technique. We employ
for the first time the muSR technique to study samples that are cutout from
large and small grain 1.5 GHz radio frequency (RF) single cell niobium
cavities. The RF test of these cavities was accompanied by full temperature
mapping to characterize the RF losses in each of the samples. Results of the
muSR measurements show that standard cavity surface treatments like mild baking
and buffered chemical polishing (BCP) performed on the studied samples affect
their surface pinning strength. We find an interesting correlation between high
field RF losses and field dependence of the sample magnetic volume fraction
measured via muSR. The muSR line width observed in ZF-muSR measurements matches
the behavior of Nb samples doped with minute amounts of Ta or N impurities. An
upper bound for the upper critical field Hc2 of these cutouts is found.Comment: 20 pages, 14 figure
Quantum Monte Carlo Study on Magnetization Processes
A quantum Monte Carlo method combining update of the loop algorithm with the
global flip of the world line is proposed as an efficient method to study the
magnetization process in an external field, which has been difficult because of
inefficiency of the update of the total magnetization. The method is
demonstrated in the one dimensional antiferromagnetic Heisenberg model and the
trimer model. We attempted various other Monte Carlo algorithms to study
systems in the external field and compared their efficiency.Comment: 5 pages, 9 figures; added references for section 1, corrected typo
The Two-Dimensional S=1 Quantum Heisenberg Antiferromagnet at Finite Temperatures
The temperature dependence of the correlation length, susceptibilities and
the magnetic structure factor of the two-dimensional spin-1 square lattice
quantum Heisenberg antiferromagnet are computed by the quantum Monte Carlo loop
algorithm (QMC). In the experimentally relevant temperature regime the
theoretically predicted asymptotic low temperature behavior is found to be not
valid. The QMC results however, agree reasonably well with the experimental
measurements of La2NiO4 even without considering anisotropies in the exchange
interactions.Comment: 4 Pages, 1 table, 4 figure
Limitations of the Pilot in Applying Forces to Airplane Controls
Measurements were made to determine the relative maximum forces a pilot can exert on the controls of an airplane with the view of obtaining systematic data upon which to base the location of controls within the cockpit and the design of the control surfaces. A cockpit model of generous proportions, capable of being rotated to any attitude, was built with the location of the control stick and rudder pedals adjustable over a wide range of positions with respect to the seat. Besides measurements of maximum forces obtainable with various control locations and with the pilot in several attitudes, estimates of forces within the range normally encountered in flight were made to gain an indication of the accuracy of estimating control forces. The maximum aileron forces measured were of the order of 90 pounds, maximum elevator 200 pounds, and maximum rudder 450 pounds. The average forces applied with the controls in the neutral position for the various cockpit attitudes were of the order of 35, 95, and 400 pounds, respectively, for the ailerons, elevators, and rudder
Perceptual learning in parafoveal vision
AbstractThe present study tests the effects of practice on parafoveal vernier and resolution acuity. By measuring task specificity, transfer of training to other retinal locations in the trained eye and transfer of training to the untrained eye, we directly address whether improvement on these tasks is the result of changes in the underlying physiological processes or simply the development of new cognitive strategies. We found that: (1) significant learning can occur for both vernier and resolution acuity in many (but not all) individuals; (2) there were significant individual differences in the degree and time-course of learning: (3) learning transfers to the untrained task; and (4) learning transfers to the other eye particularly when the visual pathway leads to the trained hemisphere. These results suggest that both physiological and cognitive processes contribute to the improvement seen after repetitive practice on these visual tasks
A pH-Dependent Kinetic Model of Dihydrolipoamide Dehydrogenase from Multiple Organisms
AbstractDihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase is a flavoenzyme that reversibly catalyzes the oxidation of reduced lipoyl substrates with the reduction of NAD+ to NADH. In vivo, the dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase component (E3) is associated with the pyruvate, α-ketoglutarate, and glycine dehydrogenase complexes. The pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) complex connects the glycolytic flux to the tricarboxylic acid cycle and is central to the regulation of primary metabolism. Regulation of PDH via regulation of the E3 component by the NAD+/NADH ratio represents one of the important physiological control mechanisms of PDH activity. Furthermore, previous experiments with the isolated E3 component have demonstrated the importance of pH in dictating NAD+/NADH ratio effects on enzymatic activity. Here, we show that a three-state mechanism that represents the major redox states of the enzyme and includes a detailed representation of the active-site chemistry constrained by both equilibrium and thermodynamic loop constraints can be used to model regulatory NAD+/NADH ratio and pH effects demonstrated in progress-curve and initial-velocity data sets from rat, human, Escherichia coli, and spinach enzymes. Global fitting of the model provides stable predictions to the steady-state distributions of enzyme redox states as a function of lipoamide/dihydrolipoamide, NAD+/NADH, and pH. These distributions were calculated using physiological NAD+/NADH ratios representative of the diverse organismal sources of E3 analyzed in this study. This mechanistically detailed, thermodynamically constrained, pH-dependent model of E3 provides a stable platform on which to accurately model multicomponent enzyme complexes that implement E3 from a variety of organisms
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