Shuttle Performance Augmentationwith the Titan Liquid Boost Module

The projected 24000 pound payload lift capability for the baseline Space Shuttle, with anticipated arbiter and external tank weight savings programs implemented, will not meet the 32000 pound payload requirements for the DOD Mission 4 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, NASA has selected the Titan Liquid Boost Module (LBM) to provide thrust augmentation during the boost phase sufficient to meet and provide margin for the defined Mission 4 requirements. The LBM will use Titan 34D Stage I engines and a cluster of four Titan derived 10 foot diameter tanks. The module will be attached to the aft end of the ET. This paper will provide a description of the LBM and discuss some of its advantages and capabilities

Extensive Conservation of Linkage Relationships Between Pea and Lentil Genetic Maps

A 560-cM linkage map consisting of 64 morphological, isozyme, and DNA markers, has been developed from an interspecific cross (Lens ervoides × L. Culinaris). In addition, nine markers were scored that assorted independently of any of the multilocus linkage groups. Comparison of this map with that established previously for Pisum sativum reveals eight regions in which linkages among marker loci appear to have been conserved since the divergence of the two genera. These conserved linkage groups constitute at least 250 cM, or approximately 40% of the known linkage map for Lens. The two genera represent disparate lineages within the legume tribe Vicease, indicating that all members of this tribe may possess linkage groups similar to those identified in Lens and Pisum. Instances where the Pisum and Lens maps differed included the regions surrounding the 45S ribosomal tandem repeats and the position and distribution of the genes encoding the small subunit of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase. We also found a highly repeated sequence unique to Lens that maps within a linkage group shared between the two genera and a cDNA sequence that displays significant variation in copy number within the genus Len

Turboprop cargo aircraft systems study

The effects of using advanced turboprop propulsion systems to reduce the fuel consumption and direct operating costs of cargo aircraft were studied, and the impact of these systems on aircraft noise and noise prints around a terminal area was determined. Parametric variations of aircraft and propeller characteristics were investigated to determine their effects on noiseprint areas, fuel consumption, and direct operating costs. From these results, three aircraft designs were selected and subjected to design refinements and sensitivity analyses. Three competitive turbofan aircraft were also defined from parametric studies to provide a basis for comparing the two types of propulsion

Technical and Economic Assessment of Span-Distributed Loading Cargo Aircraft Concepts

A 700,000 kg (1,540,000-lb) aircraft with a cruise Mach number of 0.75 was found to be optimum for the specified mission parameters of a 272 155-kg (600,000-lb) payload, a 5560-km (3000-n.mi.) range, and an annual productivity of 113 billion revenue-ton km (67 billion revenue-ton n. mi.). The optimum 1990 technology level spanloader aircraft exhibited the minimum 15-year life-cycle costs, direct operating costs, and fuel consumption of all candidate versions. Parametric variations of wing sweep angle, thickness ratio, rows of cargo, and cargo density were investigated. The optimum aircraft had two parallel rows of 2.44 x 2.44-m (8 x 8-ft) containerized cargo with a density of 160 kg/cu m (10 lb/ft 3) carried throughout the entire 101-m (331-ft) span of the constant chord, 22-percent thick, supercritical wing. Additional containers or outsized equipment were carried in the 24.4-m (80-ft) long fuselage compartment preceding the wing. Six 284,000-N (64,000-lb) thrust engines were mounted beneath the 0.7-rad (40-deg) swept wing. Flight control was provided by a 36.6-m (120-ft) span canard surface mounted atop the forward fuselage, by rudders on the wingtip verticals and by outboard wing flaperons

Turboprop Cargo Aircraft Systems study, phase 1

The effects of advanced propellers (propfan) on aircraft direct operating costs, fuel consumption, and noiseprints were determined. A comparison of three aircraft selected from the results with competitive turbofan aircraft shows that advanced turboprop aircraft offer these potential benefits, relative to advanced turbofan aircraft: 21 percent fuel saving, 26 percent higher fuel efficiency, 15 percent lower DOCs, and 25 percent shorter field lengths. Fuel consumption for the turboprop is nearly 40 percent less than for current commercial turbofan aircraft. Aircraft with both types of propulsion satisfy current federal noise regulations. Advanced turboprop aircraft have smaller noiseprints at 90 EPNdB than advanced turbofan aircraft, but large noiseprints at 70 and 80 EPNdB levels, which are usually suggested as quietness goals. Accelerated development of advanced turboprops is strongly recommended to permit early attainment of the potential fuel saving. Several areas of work are identified which may produce quieter turboprop aircraft

Transcriptomic characterization of two major Fusarium resistance quantitative trait loci (QTLs), Fhb1 and Qfhs.ifa-5A, identifies novel candidate genes

Fusarium head blight, caused by Fusarium graminearum, is a devastating disease of wheat. We developed near-isogenic lines (NILs) differing in the two strongest known F. graminearum resistance quantitative trait loci (QTLs), Qfhs.ndsu-3BS (also known as resistance gene Fhb1) and Qfhs.ifa-5A, which are located on the short arm of chromosome 3B and on chromosome 5A, respectively. These NILs showing different levels of resistance were used to identify transcripts that are changed significantly in a QTL-specific manner in response to the pathogen and between mock-inoculated samples. After inoculation with F. graminearum spores, 16 transcripts showed a significantly different response for Fhb1 and 352 for Qfhs.ifa-5A. Notably, we identified a lipid transfer protein which is constitutively at least 50-fold more abundant in plants carrying the resistant allele of Qfhs.ifa-5A. In addition to this candidate gene associated with Qfhs.ifa-5A, we identified a uridine diphosphate (UDP)-glycosyltransferase gene, designated TaUGT12887, exhibiting a positive difference in response to the pathogen in lines harbouring both QTLs relative to lines carrying only the Qfhs.ifa-5A resistance allele, suggesting Fhb1 dependence of this transcript. Yet, this dependence was observed only in the NIL with already higher basal resistance. The complete cDNA of TaUGT12887 was reconstituted from available wheat genomic sequences, and a synthetic recoded gene was expressed in a toxin-sensitive strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This gene conferred deoxynivalenol resistance, albeit much weaker than that observed with the previously characterized barley HvUGT13248

Genetic control of maize shoot apical meristem architecture

The shoot apical meristem contains a pool of undifferentiated stem cells and generates all above-ground organs of the plant. During vegetative growth, cells differentiate from the meristem to initiate leaves while the pool of meristematic cells is preserved; this balance is determined in part by genetic regulatory mechanisms. To assess vegetative meristem growth and genetic control in Zea mays, we investigated its morphology at multiple time points and identified three stages of growth. We measured meristem height, width, plastochron internode length, and associated traits from 86 individuals of the intermated B73 · Mo17 recombinant inbred line population. For meristem height-related traits, the parents exhibited markedly different phenotypes, with B73 being very tall, Mo17 short, and the population distributed between. In the outer cell layer, differences appeared to be related to number of cells rather than cell size. In contrast, B73 and Mo17 were similar in meristem width traits and plastochron internode length, with transgressive segregation in the population. Multiple loci (629 for each trait) were mapped, indicating meristem architecture is controlled by many regions; none of these coincided with previously described mutants impacting meristem development. Major loci for height and width explaining 16% and 19% of the variation were identified on chromosomes 5 and 8, respectively. Significant loci for related traits frequently coincided, whereas those for unrelated traits did not overlap. With the use of three near-isogenic lines, a locus explaining 16% of the parental variation in meristem height was validated. Published expression data were leveraged to identify candidate genes in significant regions. © 2014 Thompson et al

A Precision Measurement of Nuclear Muon Capture on 3He

The muon capture rate in the reaction mu- 3He -> nu + 3H has been measured at PSI using a modular high pressure ionization chamber. The rate corresponding to statistical hyperfine population of the mu-3He atom is (1496.0 +- 4.0) s^-1. This result confirms the PCAC prediction for the pseudoscalar form factors of the 3He-3H system and the nucleon.Comment: 13 pages, 6 PostScript figure