Space shuttle orbiter auxiliary power unit development challenges

When the flying spacecraft was approved for development, a power unit for the hydraulic system had to be developed. Unlike other systems on the orbiter, there was no precedent in earlier spacecraft for a hydraulic system nor for the power unit to drive the hydraulic pumps. The only prototypes available were airplane auxiliary power units (APU), which were not required to operate in the severe environments of a spacecraft nor to have the longevity of an orbiter hydraulic power unit. The challenge was to build a hydraulic power unit which could operate in 0g or 3g, in a vacuum or at sea level pressure, and at -65 F or 225 F, which would be capable of restarting while hot, and which would be capable of sustaining the hydraulic loads for the life of the orbiter. The basic approach to providing hydraulic power for the orbiter was to use a small, high speed, monopropellant fueled turbine power unit to drive a conventional aircraft type hydraulic pump. The stringent requirements imposed on the orbiter APU quickly made this machine different from existing aircraft APUs

On Lower Bounds for ss-multiplicities

A recent continuous family of multiplicity functions on local rings was introduced by Taylor interpolating between Hilbert-Samuel and Hilbert-Kunz multiplicities. The obvious goal is to use this as a tool for deforming results from one to the other. The values in this family which do not match these classic variants however are not known yet to be well-behaved. This article explores lower bounds for these intermediate multiplicities as well as gives evidence for analogies of the Watanabe-Yoshida minimality conjectures for unmixed singular rings.Comment: 10 page

The s-multiplicity function of 2x2-determinantal rings

This article generalizes joint work of the first author and I. Swanson to the $s$-multiplicity recently introduced by the second author. For $k$ a field and $X = [ x_{i,j}]$ a $m \times n$-matrix of variables, we utilize Gr\"obner bases to give a closed form the length $\lambda( k[X] / (I_2(X) + \mathfrak{m}^{ \lceil sq \rceil} + \mathfrak{m}^{[q]} ))$ where $s \in \mathbf{Z}[p^{-1}]$, $q$ is a sufficiently large power of $p$, and $\mathfrak{m}$ is the homogeneous maximal ideal of $k[X]$. This shows this length is always eventually a {\it polynomial} function of $q$ for all $s$.Comment: 9 pages, Errors fixe

Social Networks and the Aggregation on Individual Decisions

This paper analyzes individual decisions to participate in an activity and the aggregation of those decisions when individuals gather information about the outcomes and choices of (a few) others in their social network. In this environment, aggregate participation rates are generally inefficient. Increasing the size of social networks does not necessarily increase efficiency and can lead to less efficient long-run outcomes. Both subsidies for participation and penalties for non-participation can increase participation rates, though not necessarily by the same amount. Punishing non-participation has much greater effects on participation rates than rewarding participation when current rates are very low. A program that provides youth with mentors who have participated themselves can increase participation rates, especially when those rates are low. Finally, communities plagued by the flight of successful participants will experience lower short- and long-run participation rates.

Pulp Polyp Associated with a Natal Tooth: Case Report

Natal teeth are an infrequent occurrence at birth. Often these teeth are extracted because they are very mobile and pose a risk of aspiration. This is a rare case in which a natal tooth was extracted by the pediatrician with his fingers. A root fragment remained and out of this developed a large pulp polyp. This relationship has not been previously reported

SUCCESSFUL ALLIANCE ESTABLISHMENT AND EVOLUTION IN A VOLATILE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT: THE CASE OF "CELLARS OF CANTERBURY"

Little attention has been given to the process of development that leads to alliance relationships flexible enough to withstand unforeseen environmental shifts and evolve while others fail. We believe that the problem stems from the contractual rigidity imposed by partners in the initial stages to the formation of an alliance. This paper analyzes a process to create self-enforcing agreements that lead to a flexible alliance architecture capable of reconfiguration to meet the demands of environmental change. Using an empirical case study of "Cellars of Canterbury" a New Zealand wine producing and marketing joint venture, we suggest that immediate value creation establishes private enforcement capital in a relationship which allows for critical relation-specific investment to take place without the need for written contractual safeguards. We also emphasize the advantage of external contract enforcement mechanisms and third party verification in reinforcing these relationships. We then argue that it is this lack of contractual rigidity that allows an alliance agreement to be reconfigured when environmental circumstances change.Agribusiness,

An examination of the damage tolerance enhancement of carbon/epoxy using an outer lamina of spectra (R)

Low velocity instrumented impact testing was utilized to examine the effects of an outer lamina of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (Spectra) on the damage tolerance of carbon epoxy composites. Four types of 16-ply quasi-isotropic panels (0, +45, 90, -45) were tested. Some panels contained no Spectra, while others had a lamina of Spectra bonded to the top (impacted side), bottom, or both sides of the composite plates. The specimens were impacted with energies up to 8.5 J. Force time plots and maximum force versus impact energy graphs were generated for comparison purposes. Specimens were also subjected to cross-sectional analysis and compression after impact tests. The results show that while the Spectra improved the maximum load that the panels could withstand before fiber breakage, the Spectra seemingly reduced the residual strength of the composites

A damage tolerance comparison of IM7/8551 and IM8G/8553 carbon/epoxy composites

A damage tolerance study of two new toughened carbon fiber/epoxy resin systems was undertaken as a continuation of ongoing work into screening new opposites for resistance to foreign object impact. This report is intended to be a supplement to NASA TP 3029 in which four new fiber/resin systems were tested for damage tolerance. Instrumented drop weight impact testing was used to inflict damage to 16-ply quasi-isotropic specimens. Instrumented output data and cross-sectional examinations of the damage zone were utilized to quantify the damage. It was found that the two fiber/resin systems tested in this study were much more impact resistant than an untoughened composite such as T300/934, but were not as impact resistant as other materials previously studied