Overview of HLLV effluents in stratosphere and above

The injection of large quantities of rocket exhaust effluent into the upper atmosphere by the heavy lift launch vehicle (HLLV) of the solar power satellite system is discussed. The exhaust products considered are CO, CO2, H2O, H2, and NO. The effects on the composition of the atmosphere at different altitudes are estimated

Ground cloud air quality effects

The effects of the ground cloud associated with launching of a large rocket on air quality are discussed. The ground cloud consists of the exhaust emitted by the rocket during the first 15 to 25 seconds following ignition and liftoff, together with a large quantity of entrained air, cooling water, dust and other debris. Immediately after formation, the ground cloud rises in the air due to the buoyant effect of its high thermal energy content. Eventually, at an altitude typically between 0.7 and 3 km, the cloud stabilizes and is carried along by the prevailing wind at that altitude. For the use of heavy lift launch vehicles small quantities of nitrogen oxides, primarily nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide, are expected to be produced from a molecular nitrogen impurity in the fuel or liquid oxygen, or from entrainment and heating of ambient air in the hot rocket exhaust. In addition, possible impurities such as sulfur in the fuel would give rise to a corresponding amount of oxidation products such as sulfur dioxide

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Alignment of cryo-EM movies of individual particles by optimization of image translations

Direct detector device (DDD) cameras have revolutionized single particle electron cryomicroscopy (cryo-EM). In addition to an improved camera detective quantum efficiency, acquisition of DDD movies allows for correction of movement of the specimen, due both to instabilities in the microscope specimen stage and electron beam-induced movement. Unlike specimen stage drift, beam-induced movement is not always homogeneous within an image. Local correlation in the trajectories of nearby particles suggests that beam-induced motion is due to deformation of the ice layer. Algorithms have already been described that can correct movement for large regions of frames and for > 1 MDa protein particles. Another algorithm allows individual < 1 MDa protein particle trajectories to be estimated, but requires rolling averages to be calculated from frames and fits linear trajectories for particles. Here we describe an algorithm that allows for individual < 1 MDa particle images to be aligned without frame averaging or linear trajectories. The algorithm maximizes the overall correlation of the shifted frames with the sum of the shifted frames. The optimum in this single objective function is found efficiently by making use of analytically calculated derivatives of the function. To smooth estimates of particle trajectories, rapid changes in particle positions between frames are penalized in the objective function and weighted averaging of nearby trajectories ensures local correlation in trajectories. This individual particle motion correction, in combination with weighting of Fourier components to account for increasing radiation damage in later frames, can be used to improve 3-D maps from single particle cryo-EM.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure

Atmospheric water vapor transport: Estimation of continental precipitation recycling and parameterization of a simple climate model

The advective transport of atmospheric water vapor and its role in global hydrology and the water balance of continental regions are discussed and explored. The data set consists of ten years of global wind and humidity observations interpolated onto a regular grid by objective analysis. Atmospheric water vapor fluxes across the boundaries of selected continental regions are displayed graphically. The water vapor flux data are used to investigate the sources of continental precipitation. The total amount of water that precipitates on large continental regions is supplied by two mechanisms: (1) advection from surrounding areas external to the region; and (2) evaporation and transpiration from the land surface recycling of precipitation over the continental area. The degree to which regional precipitation is supplied by recycled moisture is a potentially significant climate feedback mechanism and land surface-atmosphere interaction, which may contribute to the persistence and intensification of droughts. A simplified model of the atmospheric moisture over continents and simultaneous estimates of regional precipitation are employed to estimate, for several large continental regions, the fraction of precipitation that is locally derived. In a separate, but related, study estimates of ocean to land water vapor transport are used to parameterize an existing simple climate model, containing both land and ocean surfaces, that is intended to mimic the dynamics of continental climates

Dynamic Model of a Non-Linear Pneumatic Pressure Modulating Valve Using Bond Graphs

This research develops a mathematical model of the dynamic pressure response to a variable travel input of a pneumatic pressure modulating valve intended for use in a vehicle air brake system. Generically, the valve is a multi-domain system consisting of a mechanical portion and a pneumatic portion. Included in the mechanical portion of the model are compliance of the springs, inertia of the components, and resistance of the sliding components. The pneumatic portion of the model includes capacitance due to the compressibility of the gas, flow resistance through connected plumbing, and flow resistance through the valve control orifices. The development of the mathematical model is accomplished using bond graphs and is complicated by the existence of several sources of non-linearities in the valve being modeled. The non-linearities are the results of mixed modes of operation, fluid dynamics of the gas, use of non-linear springs, and Coulomb friction. First, a bond graph is presented that accurately represents a linear version of the valve. Next the linear state derivative equations are derived. Next, the non-linearities are individually introduced by replacing those linear assumptions with actual, analytically derived non-linear equations and parameters are measured for inclusion in the model. Finally, the model is used to simulate the dynamic response of the valve using a simulation software package.The simulated results are compared to experimental results and found to have good correlation. The model is suitable for use with simulation based design, or as a replacement for an actual valve in a Hardware In the Loop simulator of a vehicle braking syste

Systematics and domestication of Gossypium hirsutum L.

Gossypium hirsutum L., the most important species of cultivated cotton, is a diverse species whose variation patterns reflect both natural phenomena and human selection and trade. Analysis of molecular marker variation, in the context of historical data, assisted in resolving the confounding affects of human domestication that heretofore have obscured the taxonomic and phylogenetic relationship between G. lanceolatum and G. hirsutum, natural patterns of interspecific gene flow between G. barbadense and G. hirsutum, and the geographical origin of domesticated G. hirsutum. In addition to uncertainty about its taxonomic circumscription, Gossypium lanceolatum represents the focal point of an hypothesis that tetraploid Gossypium have a polyphyletic origin. Reevaluation of this hypothesis using historical and molecular markers demonstrates that G. lanceolatum is genetically embedded within and cladistically indistinguishable from G. hirsutum. Thus, G. lanceolatum is more properly recognized as G. hirsutum race \u27palmeri\u27 and both \u27G. hirsutum sensu lato and tetraploid Gossypium are inferred to be monophyletic. Analysis of diagnostic cpDNA restriction site data and nuclear markers in sympatric and allopatric populations of G. hirsutum and G. barbadense lead to several conclusions: (1) introgression between G. hirsutum and G. barbadense is bidirectional for both nuclear and cytoplasmic genes; (2) patterns of introgression between the two species are not symmetrical; (3) nuclear introgression is geographically more widespread and more frequently detected than cytoplasmic introgression. Complex genetic relationships among G. hirsutum populations obscure the geographical origin of domesticated G. hirsutum. Analyses of allelic variation at 205 RFLP loci implicate the Yucatan peninsula as the site for the earliest stages of domestication. Further development and subsequent dispersal of Yucatan cultigens in southern Mexico and Guatemala may be the cause of the southern Mexico/Guatemala center of diversity traditionally interpreted as the origin of domesticated G. hirsutum. The gene pool of modern Upland cultivars derives from Mexican highland populations that in turn trace their origins to southern Mexico and Guatemala. Despite the wide diversity of introductions involved in the development of the Upland cotton, the genetic base is extremely narrow. This suggests that the more recent Mexican highland gene pool supplanted much of the early germplasm

Dynamic Model of a Non-Linear Pneumatic Pressure Modulating Valve Using Bond Graphs

This research develops a mathematical model of the dynamic pressure response to a variable travel input of a pneumatic pressure modulating valve intended for use in a vehicle air brake system. Generically, the valve is a multi-domain system consisting of a mechanical portion and a pneumatic portion. Included in the mechanical portion of the model are compliance of the springs, inertia of the components, and resistance of the sliding components. The pneumatic portion of the model includes capacitance due to the compressibility of the gas, flow resistance through connected plumbing, and flow resistance through the valve control orifices. The development of the mathematical model is accomplished using bond graphs and is complicated by the existence of several sources of non-linearities in the valve being modeled. The non-linearities are the results of mixed modes of operation, fluid dynamics of the gas, use of non-linear springs, and Coulomb friction. First, a bond graph is presented that accurately represents a linear version of the valve. Next the linear state derivative equations are derived. Next, the non-linearities are individually introduced by replacing those linear assumptions with actual, analytically derived non-linear equations and parameters are measured for inclusion in the model. Finally, the model is used to simulate the dynamic response of the valve using a simulation software package.The simulated results are compared to experimental results and found to have good correlation. The model is suitable for use with simulation based design, or as a replacement for an actual valve in a Hardware In the Loop simulator of a vehicle braking syste

Evaluation of Nurses\u27 Knowledge of Period of PURPLE Crying Program: Shaken Baby Syndrome Prevention

Shaken baby syndrome (SBS) and pediatric abusive head trauma (PAHT) continue to be the leading cause of child abuse death and most common causes of mortality and morbidity due to the physical child abuse in the United States (Barr, 2014). According to the CDC of the nearly 2,000 children who die from abuse each year, PAHT and SBS are responsible for 10-12% of those fatalities (CDC, 2015). There are 1450-1700 cases of reported shaken injuries to infants and children reported in the United States each year (Barr, 2014). Shaken Baby Syndrome is 100% preventable through the proper education to our medical professionals, who then individually educate new parents about the risks, dangers, and needless consequences (Barr, 2014). Infant crying is the primary stimulus of a potential shaken injury, as it relates to the stress and coping mechanism of new parents and caregivers. Primary care providers must work to help educate our new parents and caregivers about these horrible needless injuries (Barr, 2014). To encourage injury prevention, a survey to evaluate the knowledge of staff nurses was developed and was distributed to the staff at St. Claire Regional Medical Center in Morehead Kentucky. The staff nurses in the emergency room, the obstetrics department and the medical-surgical floors, are the participants who individually completed the surveys. The survey is an evidence-based practice tool to evaluate what is needed to educate the “future educators” of our new parents. This survey was created to evaluate a nurse’s knowledge about an already developed educational tool to equip new parents with upon discharge from this hospital. The tool is used to educate a new mother and father as they are being discharged from a hospital setting with their new baby. The Period of PURPLE Crying program is about infant crying, when, how, why it happens and how to cope with it (Barr, 2014)