Experimental Investigation of the NASA Common Research Model with a Natural Laminar Flow Wing in the NASA Langley National Transonic Facility

A test of the new NASA Common Research Model with a Natural Laminar Flow (CRMNLF) semispan wing in the NASA Langley National Transonic Facility (NTF) was completed in October 2018. The main focus of this test was the evaluation of the extent of laminar flow on the CRM-NLF wing at various Reynolds numbers and test conditions. During this test, data were acquired at chord Reynolds numbers from 10 to 30 million and at Mach numbers ranging from 0.84 to 0.86. This investigation provided valuable insight into the necessary procedures for laminar flow testing in the NTF. It also significantly advanced the new carbonbased heating layer technique to improve the quality of transition visualization data from temperature sensitive paint (TSP) in a cryogenic wind tunnel

II Rosso e le stampe

Injectable, in situ-gelling magnetic composite materials have been fabricated by using aldehyde-functionalized dextran to cross-link superparamagnetic nanoparticles surface-functionalized with hydrazide-functionalized poly­(<i>N</i>-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAM). The resulting composites exhibit high water contents (82–88 wt.%) while also displaying significantly higher elasticities (G′ >60 kPa) than other injectable hydrogels previously reported. The composites hydrolytically degrade via slow hydrolysis of the hydrazone cross-link at physiological temperature and pH into degradation products that show no significant cytotoxicity. Subcutaneous injections indicate only minor chronic inflammation associated with material degradation, with no fibrous capsule formation evident. Drug release experiments indicate the potential of these materials to facilitate pulsatile, “on-demand” changes in drug release upon the application of an external oscillating magnetic field. The injectable but high-strength and externally triggerable nature of these materials, coupled with their biological degradability and inertness, suggest potential biological applications in tissue engineering and drug delivery

Permutation of Two-Term Local Quadrat Variance Analysis: General Concepts for Interpretation of Peaks

Many ecological studies use Two-Term Local Quadrat Variance Analysis (TTLQV) and its derivatives for spatial pattern analysis. Currently, rules for determining variance peak significance are arbitrary. Variance peaks found at block size 1 and at \u3e 50 % of the transect length are the only peaks whose use is explicitly prohibited. Although the use of variance peaks found at block sizes \u3e 10 % of the transect length have also been warned against, many researchers interpret them regardless. We show in this paper that variance peaks derived from TTLQV are subject to additional ‘rules of thumb’. Through the use of randomization and permutation analyses on real and simulated data of species abundance in contiguous plots along a single transect, we show that variance peaks found at block sizes 1, 2 and 3 occur frequently by chance and thus likely do not indicate biologically meaningful patterns. The use of multiple replicate transects decreases the probability of Type II error

Preliminary Results from an Experimental Assessment of a Natural Laminar Flow Design Method

A 5.2% scale semispan model of the new Common Research Model with Natural Laminar Flow (CRM-NLF) was tested in the National Transonic Facility (NTF) at the NASA Langley Research Center. The model was tested at transonic cruise flight conditions with Reynolds numbers based on mean aerodynamic chord ranging from 10 to 30 million. The goal of the test was to experimentally validate a new design method, referred to as Crossflow Attenuated NLF (CATNLF), which shapes airfoils to have pressure distributions that delay transition on wings with high sweep and Reynolds numbers. Additionally, the test aimed to characterize the NTF laminar flow testing capabilities, as well as establish best practices for laminar flow wind tunnel testing. Preliminary results regarding the first goal of validating the new design method are presented in this paper. Experimental data analyzed in this assessment include surface pressure data and transition images. The surface pressure data acquired during the test agree well with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) results. Transition images at a variety of Reynolds numbers and angles of attack are presented and compared to computational transition predictions. The experimental data are used to assess transition due to a turbulent attachment line, as well as crossflow and Tollmien-Schlichting modal instabilities. Preliminary results suggest the CATNLF design method is successful at delaying transition on wings with high sweep. Initial analysis of the transition front images showed transition Reynolds numbers that exceed historic experimental values at similar sweep angles. , section lif

Identification of QTL Controlling Thermal Properties of Maize Starch

Starch has many uses and some of these uses would be facilitated by altering its thermal properties. Genetic manipulation of starch thermal properties will be facilitated by a better understanding of the genetic control of starch gelatinization. We used differential scanning calorimetry to characterize the gelatinization parameters of maize (Zea mays L.) kernel starch prepared from two populations of recombinant inbred lines, an intermated B73xMo17 population (IBM) and an F6:7 Mo17xH99 population. The traits examined were the onset and peak temperatures of gelatinization and the enthalpy of gelatinization. These traits were measured for both native starch and for gelatinized starch allowed to recrystallize, a process called retrogradation. Substantial variation in these traits was found in spite of the narrow genetic base of the populations. We identified several quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling traits of interest in each population. In the IBM population, a significant QTL for the peak temperature of gelatinization of retrograded starch co-localized to a molecular marker in the Wx1 gene, which encodes a granule bound starch synthase. The major QTL identified in this study explain, on average, ≈15% of the variation for a given trait, underscoring the complexity of the genetic control of starch functional properties

The Bioinformatics Links Directory: a Compilation of Molecular Biology Web Servers

The Bioinformatics Links Directory is an online community resource that contains a directory of freely available tools, databases, and resources for bioinformatics and molecular biology research. The listing of the servers published in this and previous issues of Nucleic Acids Research together with other useful tools and websites represents a rich repository of resources that are openly provided to the research community using internet technologies. The 166 servers highlighted in the 2005 Web Server Issue are included in the more than 700 links to useful online resources that are currently contained within the descriptive biological categories of the Bioinformatics Links Directory. This curated listing of bioinformatics resources is available online at the Bioinformatics Links Directory web site, . A complete listing of the 2005 Nucleic Acids Research Web Server Issue servers is available online at the Nucleic Acids web site, , and on the Bioinformatics Links Directory web site,

Spatial patterns of soil nitrification and nitrate export from forested headwaters in the northeastern United States

Nitrogen export from small forested watersheds is known to be affected by N deposition but with high regional variability. We studied 10 headwater catchments in the northeastern United States across a gradient of N deposition (5.4 - 9.4 kg ha-1 yr-1) to determine if soil nitrification rates could explain differences in stream water NO 3- export. Average annual export of two years (October 2002 through September 2004) varied from 0.1 kg NO3--N ha-1 yr-1 at Cone Pond watershed in New Hampshire to 5.1 kg ha-1 yr-1 at Buck Creek South in the western Adirondack Mountains of New York. Potential net nitrification rates and relative nitrification (fraction of inorganic N as NO3-) were measured in Oa or A soil horizons at 21-130 sampling points throughout each watershed. Stream NO3- export was positively related to nitrification rates (r2 = 0.34, p = 0.04) and the relative nitrification (r2 = 0.37, p = 0.04). These relationships were much improved by restricting consideration to the 6 watersheds with a higher number of rate measurements (59-130) taken in transects parallel to the streams (r 2 of 0.84 and 0.70 for the nitrification rate and relative nitrification, respectively). Potential nitrification rates were also a better predictor of NO3- export when data were limited to either the 6 sampling points closest to the watershed outlet (r2 = 0.75) or sampling points \u3c250 m from the watershed outlet (r2 = 0.68). The basal area of conifer species at the sampling plots was negatively related to NO3- export. These spatial relationships found here suggest a strong influence of near-stream and near-watershed-outlet soils on measured stream NO3- export. Copyright 2012 by the American Geophysical Union

Adiponectin is associated with cardiovascular disease in male renal transplant recipients: baseline results from the LANDMARK 2 study

BACKGROUND: Adiponectin is a major adipocyte-derived protein with insulin-sensitizing, anti-inflammatory and anti-atherogenic properties. Adiponectin levels correlate inversely with renal function and higher levels are predictive of lower cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with normal renal function and chronic kidney disease. No data exists on the association between adiponectin and CVD in renal transplant recipients (RTR). METHODS: Standard biochemistry, clinical data and adiponectin were collected from 137 RTR recruited to the LANDMARK 2 study at baseline. The LANDMARK 2 study is an ongoing randomized controlled study that compares the outcome of aggressive risk factor modification for cardiovascular disease versus standard post-transplant care in renal transplant recipients with impaired glucose tolerance or diabetes mellitus. RESULTS: Mean patient age was 53.4 +/- 12 years and the median post-transplantation period was 5 (0.5-31.9) years. Mean serum adiponectin level was 12.3 +/- 7.1 microg/mL. On univariate analysis, adiponectin was positively associated with female gender (P = 0.01) and serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) concentration (P < 0.001), and inversely with body mass index (P = 0.009), metabolic syndrome (P = 0.047), abnormal glucose tolerance (P = 0.01), C-reactive protein (P = 0.001) and serum triglyceride (P < 0.001). On stepwise multivariate analysis, adiponectin in males was negatively correlated with combined baseline CVD (P = 0.03), waist-hip ratio (P = 0.003) and glomerular filtration rate (P = 0.046), and positively with HDL (P < 0.001). In contrast, in females adiponectin was inversely associated with C-reactive protein (P = 0.001) and serum triglyceride. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, adiponectin is positively correlated with inflammation, dyslipidemia and abnormal glucose tolerance in RTR. Furthermore, hypoadiponectinemia correlated with increased baseline CVD in male RTR

Resistant Starch and Starch Thermal Characteristics in Exotic Corn Lines Grown in Temperate and Tropical Environments

Corn as a food that is heated and cooled to allow starch retrogradation has higher levels of resistant starch (RS). Increasing the amount of RS can make corn an even healthier food and may be accomplished by breeding and selection, especially by using exotic germplasm. Sixty breeding lines of introgressed exotic germplasm backgrounds, selected for high yield, were grown in three tropical and temperate locations and analyzed for starch thermal characteristics and RS levels. Although actual values for all starch characteristics were within normal levels, most characteristics had significant genotypic effects, and all had significant location effects. Thermal properties of retrograded starch were more influenced by the environment than the thermal properties of raw starch, making retrograded starch traits more heritable than raw starch traits. This suggests that a breeding strategy based on retrograded starch traits will have a better chance of success than a breeding strategy based on raw starch traits. A significant genotype effect for RS levels indicates that genotypic selection to raise the level of RS and increase the healthful aspects of corn food should be successful. Significant location effects indicate that breeders using winter nurseries to accelerate their breeding progress need to be careful when making selections using RS data collected on seed grown in the tropics. A small but highly significant correlation between RS and some thermal characteristics, especially percentage of retrogradation, indicates that we may be able to select promising genotypes for RS selection based on our extensive database of thermal characteristics collected on a wide number of diverse corn lines