Bioregenerative life support

Bioregenerative life support systems utilize plant growth for food, water, and atmosphere revitalization. Simulation studies of a simplified model are presented that suggest survivability in the face of partial plant growth chamber failure. Simulation studies demonstrate the potential for a bioregenerative life support system on an extended mission. In addition to robustness and survivability in terms of the food supply, the plant growth chamber produces exactly the right amount of oxygen for the crew's metabolic needs. The amount of water taken up by the plants during food production is balanced by the crew's metabolic water production

Temperature distributions and thermal stresses in a graded zirconia/metal gas path seal system for aircraft gas turbine engines

A ceramic/metallic aircraft gas turbine outer gas path seal designed for improved engine performance was studied. Transient temperature and stress profiles in a test seal geometry were determined by numerical analysis. During a simulated engine deceleration cycle from sea-level takeoff to idle conditions, the maximum seal temperature occurred below the seal surface, therefore the top layer of the seal was probably subjected to tensile stresses exceeding the modulus of rupture. In the stress analysis both two- and three-dimensional finite element computer programs were used. Predicted trends of the simpler and more easily usable two-dimensional element programs were borne out by the three-dimensional finite element program results

AfroAM: A Virtual Film Production Group

Because of the gatekeeping practices of the Hollywood film industry, and the high cost of both filmmaking and distribution in general, Afro-American filmmakers have struggled to produce films with “global reach.” This study visits the possibility of Afro-American filmmakers using alternative technologies and infrastructures to produce high-quality films, thereby bypassing the high cost and exclusionary practices of Hollywood studios. Using new 21st-century digital technology, this study involved the creation of a small geographically dispersed virtual film production team. The study’s foundational framework was a constructivist qualitative research paradigm, using Action Research, and supported by 24 months of triangulated data from field notes and a Likert-type end-of-study survey, both of which were then addressed in an end-of- research online group discussion using the Zoom platform. The research question was, What are the most effective leadership and team-building practices/processes for creating a virtual geographically dispersed Afro-American film production team, with the intent of producing digital films, using new digital technology, social media, and the default global infrastructure of the Internet? The major conclusion of the study was that it is possible for a small virtual team to produce broadcast quality digital film using only consumer-level computers and cameras, audio and lighting equipment, and readily available software. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu)

APPLICATIONS IN UTILIZATION OF FORAGE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND PREDICTING EQUINE DIGESTIBILITY

Most forage quality models were developed for ruminant nutrition, and may not apply to the horse. This two-part study evaluated the relationship between forage chemical composition and dry matter digestibility (DMD) using an in vitro method with equine feces as the inoculums. The first experiment determined that compared to 48 h of incubation, 72 h of incubation resulted in higher DMD for some forages. As a result of experiment 1, incubations in experiment 2 were conducted using 48 and 72 h incubation periods at 38 degrees C. The second experiment evaluated the effect of chemical composition on DMD. Thirty-one hay samples were used that ranged from 33% to 71% for NDF, 21% to 44% for ADF and 6.7 to 25.6% for CP (all on DMB). There were inverse relationships between ADF and DMD ( r = -0.826 at 48 h; -0.841 at 72 h) and NDF and DMD (r = -0.779 at 48 h; 0.812 at 72 h). There was a positive relationship between CP and DMD (r =0.572 at 48 h; 0.615 at 72 h). Forage chemical composition, particularly ADF and NDF, has potential to predict digestibility of forages by horses

An Integrated Approach to Engineering Education in a Minority Community

Northeastern New Mexico epitomizes regions which are economically depressed, rural, and predominantly Hispanic. New Mexico Highlands University (NMHU), with a small student population of approximately 2800, offers a familiar environment attracting students who might otherwise not attend college. An outreach computer network of minority schools was created in northeastern New Mexico with NASA funding. Rural and urban minority schools gained electronic access to each other, to computer resources, to technical help at New Mexico Highlands University and gained access to the world via the Internet. This outreach program was initiated in the fall of 1992 in an effort to attract and to involve minority students in Engineering and the Mathematical Sciences. We installed 56 Kbs Internet connections to eight elementary schools, two middle schools, two high schools, a public library (servicing the home schooling community) and an International Baccalaureate school. For another fourteen rural schools, we provided computers and free dial-up service to servers on the New Mexico Highlands University campus

Nuclear Thermal Rocket - Arc Jet Integrated System Model

No abstract availabl