A literature review on fatigue and creep interaction

Life-time prediction methods, which are based on a number of empirical and phenomenological relationships, are presented. Three aspects are reviewed: effects of testing parameters on high temperature fatigue, life-time prediction, and high temperature fatigue crack growth

Arterial pulse wave pressure transducer

An arterial pulse wave pressure transducer is introduced. The transducer is comprised of a fluid filled cavity having a flexible membrane disposed over the cavity and adapted to be placed on the skin over an artery. An arterial pulse wave creates pressure pulses in the fluid which are transduced, by a pressure sensitive transistor in direct contact with the fluid, into an electric signal. The electrical signal is representative of the pulse waves and can be recorded so as to monitor changes in the elasticity of the arterial walls

An economical arterial-pulse-wave transducer

Transducer records arterial pulses externally. Device uses thin plastic membrane which is fluid coupled to pressure sensitive transistor. Transistor is connected to amplifier which, in turn, is connected to recorder. End section is threaded to accept suitable holder and contains pressure relief vent allowing transistor to sense only pressure levels greater than atmospheric

Length summation in noise

To investigate the effect of background noise on visual summation, we measured the contrast detection thresholds for targets with or without a white noise mask in luminance contrast. The targets were Gabor patterns placed at 3° eccentricity to either the left or right of the fixation and elongated along an arc of the same radius to ensure equidistance from fixation for every point along the long axis. The task was a spatial two-alternative forced-choice (2AFC) paradigm in which the observer had to indicate whether the target was on the left or the right of the fixation. The threshold was measured at 75% accuracy with a staircase procedure. The detection threshold decreased with target length with slope −1/2 on log-log coordinates for target lengths between 30′ and 300′ half-height full-width (HHFW), defining a range of ideal matched-filter summation extending up to about 200′ (or about 16× the center width of the Gabor targets). The summation curves for different noise contrasts were shifted copies of each other. For the threshold versus mask contrast (TvN) functions, the target threshold was constant for noise levels up to about −22 dB, then increased with noise contrast to a linear asymptote on log-log coordinates. Since the “elbow” of the target threshold versus noise function is an index of the level of the equivalent noise experienced by the visual system during target detection, our results suggest that the signal-to-noise ratio was invariant with target length. We further show that a linear-nonlinear-linear gain-control model can fully account for these results with far fewer parameters than a matched-filter model

Plasma Lens Backgrounds at a Future Linear Collider

A 'plasma lens' might be used to enhance the luminosity of future linear colliders. However, its utility for this purpose depends largely on the potential backgrounds that may be induced by the insertion of such a device in the interaction region of the detector. In this note we identify different sources of such backgrounds, calculate their event rates from the elementary interaction processes, and evaluate their effects on the major parts of a hypothetical Next Linear Collider (NLC) detector. For plasma lens parameters which give a factor of seven enhancement of the luminosity, and using the NLC design for beam parameters as a reference, we find that the background yields are fairly high, and require further study and improvements in detector technology to avoid their impact.Comment: 14 pages incl. 3 figures; contributed to the 4th International Workshop, Electron-Electron Interactions at TeV Energies, Santa Cruz, California, Dec. 7 - 9, 2001. To be published in Int.Journ. Mod. Phys.

Helium star evolutionary channel to super-Chandrasekhar mass type Ia supernovae

Recent discovery of several overluminous type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) indicates that the explosive masses of white dwarfs may significantly exceed the canonical Chandrasekhar mass limit. Rapid differential rotation may support these massive white dwarfs. Based on the single-degenerate scenario, and assuming that the white dwarfs would differentially rotate when the accretion rate $\dot{M}>3\times 10^{-7}M_{\odot}\rm yr^{-1}$, employing Eggleton's stellar evolution code we have performed the numerical calculations for $\sim$ 1000 binary systems consisting of a He star and a CO white dwarf (WD). We present the initial parameters in the orbital period - helium star mass plane (for WD masses of $1.0 M_{\odot}$ and $1.2 M_{\odot}$, respectively), which lead to super-Chandrasekhar mass SNe Ia. Our results indicate that, for an initial massive WD of $1.2 M_{\odot}$, a large number of SNe Ia may result from super-Chandrasekhar mass WDs, and the highest mass of the WD at the moment of SNe Ia explosion is 1.81 $M_\odot$, but very massive ($>1.85M_{\odot}$) WDs cannot be formed. However, when the initial mass of WDs is $1.0 M_{\odot}$, the explosive masses of SNe Ia are nearly uniform, which is consistent with the rareness of super-Chandrasekhar mass SNe Ia in observations.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Pair Interaction Potentials of Colloids by Extrapolation of Confocal Microscopy Measurements of Collective Structure

A method for measuring the pair interaction potential between colloidal particles by extrapolation measurement of collective structure to infinite dilution is presented and explored using simulation and experiment. The method is particularly well suited to systems in which the colloid is fluorescent and refractive index matched with the solvent. The method involves characterizing the potential of mean force between colloidal particles in suspension by measurement of the radial distribution function using 3D direct visualization. The potentials of mean force are extrapolated to infinite dilution to yield an estimate of the pair interaction potential, $U(r)$. We use Monte Carlo (MC) simulation to test and establish our methodology as well as to explore the effects of polydispersity on the accuracy. We use poly-12-hydroxystearic acid-stabilized poly(methyl methacrylate) (PHSA-PMMA) particles dispersed in the solvent dioctyl phthalate (DOP) to test the method and assess its accuracy for three different repulsive systems for which the range has been manipulated by addition of electrolyte.Comment: 35 pages, 14 figure