3,086 research outputs found
Effect of temperature and pressure on the sparking voltage
This report presents the results of an investigation which was to determine how the voltage necessary to produce the proper spark discharge varies with the pressure and temperature of the gas in which the discharge takes place
Moving boundary approximation for curved streamer ionization fronts: Solvability analysis
The minimal density model for negative streamer ionization fronts is
investigated. An earlier moving boundary approximation for this model consisted
of a "kinetic undercooling" type boundary condition in a Laplacian growth
problem of Hele-Shaw type. Here we derive a curvature correction to the moving
boundary approximation that resembles surface tension. The calculation is based
on solvability analysis with unconventional features, namely, there are three
relevant zero modes of the adjoint operator, one of them diverging;
furthermore, the inner/outer matching ahead of the front has to be performed on
a line rather than on an extended region; and the whole calculation can be
performed analytically. The analysis reveals a relation between the fields
ahead and behind a slowly evolving curved front, the curvature and the
generated conductivity. This relation forces us to give up the ideal
conductivity approximation, and we suggest to replace it by a constant
conductivity approximation. This implies that the electric potential in the
streamer interior is no longer constant but solves a Laplace equation; this
leads to a Muskat-type problem.Comment: 22 pages, 6 figure
Heat energy of various ignition sparks
This report describes a method developed at the Bureau of Standards for measuring the total energy liberated as heat in a spark gap by an ignition system. Since this heat energy is obtained from the electromagnetic energy stored in the windings of the magneto or coil, it is a measure of the effectiveness of the device as an electric generator. Part 2 gives the results of measurements in absolute units of the total heat supplied to a spark gap by ignition systems of different types operating at various speeds, under conditions substantially equivalent to those in the cylinder of a high-compression aviation engine
Computer Components and Systems
Contains reports on two research projects.United States Navy Bureau of Ships (Contract NObsr 77603
The Electric Double Layer Structure Around Charged Spherical Interfaces
We derive a formally simple approximate analytical solution to the
Poisson-Boltzmann equation for the spherical system via a geometric mapping.
Its regime of applicability in the parameter space of the spherical radius and
the surface potential is determined, and its superiority over the linearized
solution is demonstrated.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure
Giant slip lengths of a simple fluid at vibrating solid interfaces
It has been shown recently [PRL 102, 254503 (2009)] that in the plane-plane
configuration a mechanical resonator vibrating close to a rigid wall in a
simple fluid can be overdamped to a frozen regime. Here, by solving
analytically the Navier Stokes equations with partial slip boundary conditions
at the solid fluid interface, we develop a theoretical approach justifying and
extending these earlier findings. We show in particular that in the perfect
slip regime the above mentioned results are, in the plane-plane configuration,
very general and robust with respect to lever geometry considerations. We
compare the results with those obtained previously for the sphere moving
perpendicularly and close to a plane in a simple fluid and discuss in more
details the differences concerning the dependence of the friction forces with
the gap distance separating the moving object (i.e., plane or sphere) from the
fixed plane. Finally, we show that the submicron fluidic effect reported in the
reference above, and discussed further in the present work, can have dramatic
implications in the design of nano-electromechanical systems (NEMS).Comment: submitted to PRE (see also PRL 102, 254503 (2009)
On the Detectability of the Hydrogen 3-cm Fine Structure Line from the EoR
A soft ultraviolet radiation field, 10.2 eV < E <13.6 eV, that permeates
neutral intergalactic gas during the Epoch of Reionization (EoR) excites the 2p
(directly) and 2s (indirectly) states of atomic hydrogen. Because the 2s state
is metastable, the lifetime of atoms in this level is relatively long, which
may cause the 2s state to be overpopulated relative to the 2p state. It has
recently been proposed that for this reason, neutral intergalactic atomic
hydrogen gas may be detected in absorption in its 3-cm fine-structure line
(2s_1/2 -> 2p_3/2) against the Cosmic Microwave Background out to very high
redshifts. In particular, the optical depth in the fine-structure line through
neutral intergalactic gas surrounding bright quasars during the EoR may reach
tau~1e-5. The resulting surface brightness temperature of tens of micro K (in
absorption) may be detectable with existing radio telescopes. Motivated by this
exciting proposal, we perform a detailed analysis of the transfer of Lyman
beta,gamma,delta,... radiation, and re-analyze the detectability of the
fine-structure line in neutral intergalactic gas surrounding high-redshift
quasars. We find that proper radiative transfer modeling causes the
fine-structure absorption signature to be reduced tremendously to tau< 1e-10.
We therefore conclude that neutral intergalactic gas during the EoR cannot
reveal its presence in the 3-cm fine-structure line to existing radio
telescopes.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, MNRAS in press; v2. some typos fixe
Spark Plug Defects and Tests
The successful operation of the spark plug depends to a large extent on the gas tightness of the plug. Part 1 of this report describes the method used for measuring the gas tightness of aviation spark plugs. Part 2 describes the methods used in testing the electrical conductivity of the insulation material when hot. Part 3 describes the testing of the cold dielectric strength of the insulation material, the resistance to mechanical shock, and the final engine test
DO IT Trial: vitamin D Outcomes and Interventions in Toddlers - a TARGet Kids! randomized controlled trial.
BackgroundVitamin D levels are alarmingly low (<75 nmol/L) in 65-70% of North American children older than 1 year. An increased risk of viral upper respiratory tract infections (URTI), asthma-related hospitalizations and use of anti-inflammatory medication have all been linked with low vitamin D. No study has determined whether wintertime vitamin D supplementation can reduce the risk of URTI and asthma exacerbations, two of the most common and costly illnesses of early childhood. The objectives of this study are: 1) to compare the effect of 'high dose' (2000 IU/day) vs. 'standard dose' (400 IU/day) vitamin D supplementation in achieving reductions in laboratory confirmed URTI and asthma exacerbations during the winter in preschool-aged Canadian children; and 2) to assess the effect of 'high dose' vitamin D supplementation on vitamin D serum levels and specific viruses that cause URTI.Methods/designThis study is a pragmatic randomized controlled trial. Over 4 successive winters we will recruit 750 healthy children 1-5 years of age. Participating physicians are part of a primary healthcare research network called TARGet Kids!. Children will be randomized to the 'standard dose' or 'high dose' oral supplemental vitamin D for a minimum of 4 months (200 children per group). Parents will obtain a nasal swab from their child with each URTI, report the number of asthma exacerbations and complete symptom checklists. Unscheduled physician visits for URTIs and asthma exacerbations will be recorded. By May, a blood sample will be drawn to determine vitamin D serum levels. The primary analysis will be a comparison of URTI rate between study groups using a Poisson regression model. Secondary analyses will compare vitamin D serum levels, asthma exacerbations and the frequency of specific viral agents between groups.DiscussionIdentifying whether vitamin D supplementation of preschoolers can reduce wintertime viral URTIs and asthma exacerbations and what dose is optimal may reduce population wide morbidity and associated health care and societal costs. This information will assist in determining practice and health policy recommendations related to vitamin D supplementation in healthy Canadian preschoolers
Is a Classical Language Adequate in Assessing the Detectability of the Redshifted 21cm Signal from the Early Universe?
The classical radiometer equation is commonly used to calculate the
detectability of the 21cm emission by diffuse cosmic hydrogen at high
redshifts. However, the classical description is only valid in the regime where
the occupation number of the photons in phase space is much larger than unity
and they collectively behave as a classical electromagnetic field. At redshifts
z<20, the spin temperature of the intergalactic gas is dictated by the
radiation from galaxies and the brightness temperature of the emitting gas is
in the range of mK, independently from the existence of the cosmic microwave
background. In regions where the observed brightness temperature of the 21cm
signal is smaller than the observed photon energy, of 68/(1+z) mK, the
occupation number of the signal photons is smaller than unity. Neverethless,
the radiometer equation can still be used in this regime because the weak
signal is accompanied by a flood of foreground photons with a high occupation
number (involving the synchrotron Galactic emission and the cosmic microwave
background). As the signal photons are not individually distinguishable, the
combined signal+foreground population of photons has a high occupation number,
thus justifying the use of the radiometer equation.Comment: 4 pages, Accepted for publication in JCA
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