Radiation effects on bacterial cells

Study reveals the physicochemical and biochemical mechanisms which alter or modify the effects of high-energy radiation on living cells. An in-depth discussion is presented emphasizing the importance of optimizing bacterial treatment with glycerol

Feasibility study of LITVC for shuttle SRB

A liquid injection thrust vector control (LITVC) system for the shuttle solid rocket booster (SRB) was analyzed. The LITVC was compared with the SRB baseline flexible seal. A table of LITVC advantages and disadvantages is presented. It is concluded that the LITVC performs well at low to moderate duty cycles, but not for high duty cycle requirements

Take-off mechanics in hummingbirds (Trochilidae)

Initiating flight is challenging, and considerable effort has focused on understanding the energetics and aerodynamics of take-off for both machines and animals. For animal flight, the available evidence suggests that birds maximize their initial flight velocity using leg thrust rather than wing flapping. The smallest birds, hummingbirds (Order Apodiformes), are unique in their ability to perform sustained hovering but have proportionally small hindlimbs that could hinder generation of high leg thrust. Understanding the take-off flight of hummingbirds can provide novel insight into the take-off mechanics that will be required for micro-air vehicles. During take-off by hummingbirds, we measured hindlimb forces on a perch mounted with strain gauges and filmed wingbeat kinematics with high-speed video. Whereas other birds obtain 80–90% of their initial flight velocity using leg thrust, the leg contribution in hummingbirds was 59% during autonomous take-off. Unlike other species, hummingbirds beat their wings several times as they thrust using their hindlimbs. In a phylogenetic context, our results show that reduced body and hindlimb size in hummingbirds limits their peak acceleration during leg thrust and, ultimately, their take-off velocity. Previously, the influence of motivational state on take-off flight performance has not been investigated for any one organism. We studied the full range of motivational states by testing performance as the birds took off: (1) to initiate flight autonomously, (2) to escape a startling stimulus or (3) to aggressively chase a conspecific away from a feeder. Motivation affected performance. Escape and aggressive take-off featured decreased hindlimb contribution (46% and 47%, respectively) and increased flight velocity. When escaping, hummingbirds foreshortened their body movement prior to onset of leg thrust and began beating their wings earlier and at higher frequency. Thus, hummingbirds are capable of modulating their leg and wingbeat kinetics to increase take-off velocity

The Effects of X-rays and Beta Rays (Tritium) on the Growth of \u3cem\u3eRickettsia mooseri\u3c/em\u3e and \u3cem\u3eRickettsia akari\u3c/em\u3e in Embryonate Eggs

The growth of Rickettsia mooseri was accelerated and quantitatively increased in embryonate eggs containing tritium oxide at levels of 180, 90, and 45 mc./egg during the growth period. The eggs of a group containing 22.5 mc./egg showed only a slight increase in the rate of growth of organisms; the infections in the eggs of a group given 11.2 mc./egg did not differ significantly from those of the control group. On the other hand, growth of R. akari was inhibited in embryonate eggs containing tritium oxide at levels of 180, 90, and 45 mc./egg, and partially inhibited in groups containing 22.5 and 11.2 mc./egg. The patterns of growth of R. mooseri and of R. akari exposed to tritium oxide for 6 hours prior to inoculation into embryonate eggs did not differ significantly from that of the control group

Component test program for variable-cycle engines

Variable cycle engine (VCE) concepts for a supersonic cruise aircraft were studied. These VCE concepts incorporate unique critical components and flow path arrangements that provide good performance at both supersonic and subsonic cruise and appear to be economically and environmentally viable. Certain technologies were identified as critical to the successful development of these engine concepts and require considerable development and testing. The feasibility and readiness of the most critical VCE technologies, was assessed, a VCE component test program was initiated. The variable stream control engine (VSCE) component test program, tested and evaluated an efficient low emission duct burner and a quiet coannular ejector nozzle at the rear of a rematched F100 engine

The Good Sport: Physical Literacy and a Moral Self

Physical literacy is a theoretical concept defined by Margaret Whitehead as an individual’s competence, knowledge and understanding, and motivation to participate in lifelong physical activity. This concept emerged out of concern for the seeming disregard of human embodiment, particularly in the education sector, and is firmly rooted in the philosophical concepts of monism, existentialism, and phenomenology. In accordance with existential philosophers such as Merleau-Ponty and Sartre, who argue human beings are fundamentally beings-in-the-world, physical literacy purports physically literate individuals should have a well-established embodied sense of self. They are to develop as proficient movers capable of exemplary self-expression, self-presentation, and interactions with others. But this conception of ‘self’ is incomplete absent the recognition that we are not only beings-in-the-world, but rather socially situated embodied beings whose interactions demand more than a sharp sense of kinesthetic awareness. Herein lies my motivation for this thesis. Specifically, the current philosophical foundations of physical literacy are inadequate to account for a conception of self which recognizes humans as both, embodied movers, and moral beings. As such, this thesis critiques the concept of sense of self foundational to physical literacy and its failure to account for a moral self. In response to this gap in the extant literature, the remainder of this thesis is dedicated to expanding the philosophical foundation of physical literacy to include the development of a moral sense of self by drawing upon the concepts of sport-as-play and sportsmanship

Public Involvement And Admiralty Island, Alaska: Effects Of Interest Groups On Natural Resource Allocations

Thesis (M.P.A.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 197

The Anatomy Of EEOs Level Playing Field

The election of President Barack Obama, and the candidacies of Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin raise the issue of whether we continue to need equal employment opportunity and/or affirmative action. The concept of a level playing field is carefully developed, and provides a basis for a more thorough analysis of the future of equal employment opportunity and affirmative action