Low-speed aerodynamic characteristics of a 42 deg swept high-wing model having a double-slotted flap system and a supercritical airfoil

A low-speed investigation was conducted over an angle-of-attack range from about -4 deg to 20 deg in the Langley V/STOL tunnel to determine the effects of a double-slotted flap, high-lift system on the aerodynamic characteristics of a 42 deg swept high-wing model having a supercritical airfoil. The wing had an aspect ratio of 6.78 and a taper ratio of 0.36; the double-slotted flap consisted of a 35-percent-chord flap with a 15-percent-chord vane. The model was tested with a 15-percent-chord leading-edge slat

Invariance of the correlation energy at high density and large dimension in two-electron systems

We prove that, in the large-dimension limit, the high-density correlation energy \Ec of two opposite-spin electrons confined in a $D$-dimensional space and interacting {\em via} a Coulomb potential is given by \Ec \sim -1/(8D^2) for any radial confining potential $V(r)$. This result explains the observed similarity of \Ec in a variety of two-electron systems in three-dimensional space.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, to appear in Phys. Rev. Let

Metabolic substrates exhibit differential effects on functional parameters of mouse sperm capacitation

Sperm are capable of fertilization only after undergoing physiological changes in the female reproductive tract. These changes, known as capacitation, include the onset of a form of sperm motility called hyperactivation. Capacitation requires glycolysis, and sperm deficient in glycolytic enzymes are infertile due to defects in ATP levels and motility. Despite evidence of the importance of glycolysis in fertilization, several substrates not metabolized by this pathway have been shown to support sperm motility. To investigate the effects of substrate utilization on sperm functional changes required for fertilization, we first developed a method to evaluate patterns of mouse sperm motility. This tool, called CASAnova, is based on a multiclass support vector machines (SVM) model incorporating kinematic parameters of sperm motion generated by computerassisted sperm analysis (CASA). Over 2,000 tracks were visually classified into five patterns of motility, and CASA parameters associated with these tracks were incorporated into established SVM algorithms to generate four equations. These equations, integrated into a decision tree, sequentially sort tracks into progressive, intermediate, hyperactivated, slow, or weakly motile groups. CASAnova incorporates these equations into a program for the automatic classification of sperm motility profiles. Comparisons of motility profiles of capacitating versus non-capacitating sperm confirmed the ability of CASAnova to distinguish hyperactivated motility. Furthermore, CASAnova accurately classified sperm with severe motility defects and revealed differences in motility profiles of sperm from genetically diverse inbred strains. Our analyses indicate that CASAnova provides rapid and reproducible measurements of sperm motility. We utilized CASAnova in conjunction with other measurements of sperm function to investigate the metabolic requirements of mouse sperm during in vitro capacitation. Our results demonstrate that mouse sperm maintained comparable ATP levels and percent motility when metabolizing either glycolytic or nonglycolytic substrates. However, only glucose and mannose supported the full spectrum of events associated with capacitation. Analyses of sperm incubated with metabolic inhibitors indicate that sperm utilizing fructose are capable of hyperactivation if oxidative phosphorylation is uncoupled. Metabolomic analyses of sperm incubated with glucose or fructose revealed alterations in antioxidant metabolites, suggesting that changes in redox state may contribute to the differential abilities of these substrates to support hyperactivation.Doctor of Philosoph

The Mid-Infrared Instrument for the James Webb Space Telescope, VIII: The MIRI Focal Plane System

We describe the layout and unique features of the focal plane system for MIRI. We begin with the detector array and its readout integrated circuit (combining the amplifier unit cells and the multiplexer), the electronics, and the steps by which the data collection is controlled and the output signals are digitized and delivered to the JWST spacecraft electronics system. We then discuss the operation of this MIRI data system, including detector readout patterns, operation of subarrays, and data formats. Finally, we summarize the performance of the system, including remaining anomalies that need to be corrected in the data pipeline

Furthering alternative cultures of valuation in higher education research

The value of higher education is often implicit or assumed in educational research. The underlying and antecedent premises that shape and influence debates about value remain unchallenged which perpetuates the dominant, but limiting, terms of the debate and fosters reductionism. I proceed on the premise that analyses of value are not self–supporting or self-referential but are embedded within prevailing cultures of valuation. I contend that challenging, and providing alternatives to, dominant narratives of higher education requires an appreciation of those cultures. I therefore highlight some of the existing cultures of valuation and their influence. I then propose Sayer’s concept of lay normativity as a culture of valuation and discuss how it translates into the practices of research into higher education, specifically the practice of analysis. I animate the discussion by detecting the presence of lay normativity in the evaluative space of the capability approach

Ultrafast time-resolved photoluminescence from novel metal–dendrimer nanocomposites

We report the first results of ultra-fast enhanced light emission from gold– and silver–dendrimer nanocomposites. There is a fast (70 fs) fluorescence decay component associated with the metal nanocomposites. Anisotropy measurements show that this fast component is depolarized. The enhanced emission is suggestively due to local field enhancement in the elongated metal–dendrimer nanoparticles. © 2001 American Institute of Physics.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/71043/2/JCPSA6-114-5-1962-1.pd

Graduate Students as Academic Writers: Writing Anxiety, Self-Efficacy, and Emotional Intelligence

Researchers interested in psychological factors affecting writers in higher-education institutions, or academic writers, are concerned with internal variables affecting writing productivity; however few empirical studies explore these factors with samples of students who are in the process of earning master’s or doctoral degrees (i.e., graduate students). In this study, we examined writing anxiety, self-efficacy, and emotional intelligence in a sample of graduate students at a large, research-intensive university in the United States. Using a survey, we collected measures on these variables in addition to demographic information from the participants. We then used the measures to descriptively compare groups of students with similar characteristics and to run three regression models to identify which variables best predicted writing anxiety. Our findings indicate self-efficacy is a statistically significant and large predictor of writing anxiety while emotional intelligence (EI) is not, though descriptive data showed moderate effects between EI and first language (i.e., whether or not a student reported English as a first language). In the presence of self-efficacy, gender remained a significant predictor of writing anxiety, while first language did not. We discuss implications for future research and practice focused on helping graduate student academic writers succeed

Ultrafast Optical Study of Small Gold Monolayer Protected Clusters: A Closer Look at Emission

Monolayer-protected metal nanoclusters (MPCs) were investigated to probe their fundamental excitation and emission properties. In particular, gold MPCs were probed by steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic measurements; the results were used to examine the mechanism of emission in relation to the excited states in these systems. In steady-state measurements, the photoluminescence of gold clusters in the range of 25 to 140 atoms was considerably stronger relative to larger particle analogues. The increase in emission efficiency (for Au25, Au55, and Au140 on the order of 10-5) over bulk gold may arise from a different mechanism of photoluminescence, as suggested by measurements on larger gold spheres and rods. Results of fluorescence upconversion found considerably longer lifetimes for smaller gold particles than for larger particles. Measurements of the femtosecond transient absorption of the smaller clusters suggested dramatically different behavior than what was observed for larger particles. These results, combined with the result of a new bleach band in the transient absorption signal (which is presumably due to an unforeseen ground state absorption), suggest that quantum size effects and associated discrete molecular-like state structure play a key role in enhanced visible fluorescence of small clusters