3,386 research outputs found
Analysis of the Two-Level NO PLIF Model for Low-Temperature High-Speed Flow Applications
The current work compares experimentally obtained nitric oxide (NO) laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) spectra with the equivalent spectra obtained analytically. The experimental spectra are computed from captured images of fluorescence in a gas cell and from a laser sheet passing through the fuel-air mixing flowfield produced by a high-speed fuel injector. The fuel injector is a slender strut that is currently being studied as a part of the Enhanced Injection and Mixing Project (EIMP) at the NASA Langley Research Center. This injector is placed downstream of a Mach 6 facility nozzle, which simulates the high Mach number airflow at the entrance of a scramjet combustor, and injects helium, which is used as an inert substitute for hydrogen fuel. Experimental planar (P) LIF is obtained by using a UV laser to excite fluorescence from the NO molecules that are present in either a gas cell or the facility air used for the EIMP experiments. The experimental data are obtained for several segments of the NO fluorescence spectrum. The selected segments encompass LIF lines with rotational quantum numbers appropriate for low-to-moderate temperature flows similar to those corresponding to the nominal experimental flow conditions. The experimental LIF spectra are then evaluated from the data and compared with those obtained from the theoretical models. The theoretical spectra are obtained from LIFBASE and LINUS software, and from a simplified version of the two-level fluorescence model. The equivalent analytic PLIF images are also obtained by applying only the simplified model to the results of the Reynolds-averaged simulations (RAS) of the mixing flowfield. Good agreement between the experimental and theoretical results provides increased confidence in both the simplified LIF modeling and CFD simulations for further investigations of high-speed injector performance using this approach
Dynamical Bonding Driving Mixed Valency in a Metal Boride
Samarium hexaboride is an anomaly, having many exotic and seemingly mutually
incompatible properties. It was proposed to be a mixed-valent semiconductor,
and later - a topological Kondo insulator, and yet has a Fermi surface despite
being an insulator. We propose a new and unified understanding of SmB
centered on the hitherto unrecognized dynamical bonding effect: the coexistence
of two Sm-B bonding modes within SmB, corresponding to different oxidation
states of the Sm. The mixed valency arises in SmB from thermal population
of these distinct minima enabled by motion of B. Our model simultaneously
explains the thermal valence fluctuations, appearance of magnetic Fermi
surface, excess entropy at low temperatures, pressure-induced phase
transitions, and related features in Raman spectra and their unexpected
dependence on temperature and boron isotope
Tubular overexpression of Angiopoietin-1 attenuates renal fibrosis
Emerging evidence has highlighted the pivotal role of microvasculature injury in the development and progression of renal fibrosis. Angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1) is a secreted vascular growth factor that binds to the endothelial-specific Tie2 receptor. Ang-1/Tie2 signaling is critical for regulating blood vessel development and modulating vascular response after injury, but is dispensable in mature, quiescent vessels. Although dysregulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling has been well studied in renal pathologies, much less is known about the role of the Ang-1/Tie2 pathway in renal interstitial fibrosis. Previous studies have shown contradicting effects of overexpressing Ang-1 systemically on renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis when different engineered forms of Ang-1 are used. Here, we investigated the impact of site-directed expression of native Ang-1 on the renal fibrogenic process and peritubular capillary network by exploiting a conditional transgenic mouse system [Pax8-rtTA/(TetO)7 Ang-1] that allows increased tubular Ang-1 production in adult mice. Using a murine unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) fibrosis model, we demonstrate that targeted Ang-1 overexpression attenuates myofibroblast activation and interstitial collagen I accumulation, inhibits the upregulation of transforming growth factor β1 and subsequent phosphorylation of Smad 2/3, dampens renal inflammation, and stimulates the growth of peritubular capillaries in the obstructed kidney. Our results suggest that Ang-1 is a potential therapeutic agent for targeting microvasculature injury in renal fibrosis without compromising the physiologically normal vasculature in humans
Self-Assembly of (111)-Oriented Tensile-Strained Quantum Dots by Molecular Beam Epitaxy
The authors report on a comprehensive study of the growth of coherently strained GaAs quantum dots (QDs) on (111) surfaces via the Stranski–Krastanov (SK) self-assembly mechanism. Recent reports indicate that the long-standing challenges, whereby the SK growth mechanism could not be used to synthesize QDs on (111) surfaces, or QDs under tensile strain, have been overcome. However, a systematic study of the SK growth of (111)-oriented, tensile-strained QDs (TSQDs) as a function of molecular beam epitaxy growth parameters is still needed. Here, the authors explore the effects of deposition amount, substrate temperature, growth rate, and V/III flux ratio on the SK-driven self-assembly of GaAs(111)A TSQDs. The authors highlight aspects of TSQD SK self-assembly on (111) surfaces that appear to differ from the SK growth of traditional compressively strained QDs on (100) surfaces. The unique properties of (111) QDs and tensile-strained QDs mean that they are of interest for various research areas. The results discussed here offer a practical guide for tailoring the size, shape, density, uniformity, and photon emission wavelength and intensity of (111) TSQDs for future applications
Comparisons Between NO PLIF Imaging and CFD Simulations of Mixing Flowfields for High-Speed Fuel Injectors
The current work compares experimentally and computationally obtained nitric oxide (NO) planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) images of the mixing flowfields for three types of high-speed fuel injectors: a strut, a ramp, and a rectangular flush-wall. These injection devices, which exhibited promising mixing performance at lower flight Mach numbers, are currently being studied as a part of the Enhanced Injection and Mixing Project (EIMP) at the NASA Langley Research Center. The EIMP aims to investigate scramjet fuel injection and mixing physics, and improve the understanding of underlying physical processes relevant to flight Mach numbers greater than eight. In the experiments, conducted in the NASA Langley Arc-Heated Scramjet Test Facility (AHSTF), the injectors are placed downstream of a Mach 6 facility nozzle, which simulates the high Mach number air flow at the entrance of a scramjet combustor. Helium is used as an inert substitute for hydrogen fuel. The PLIF is obtained by using a tunable laser to excite the NO, which is present in the AHSTF air as a direct result of arc-heating. Consequently, the absence of signal is an indication of pure helium (fuel). The PLIF images computed from the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations are obtained by combining a fluorescence model for NO with the Reynolds-Averaged Simulation results carried out using the VULCAN-CFD solver to obtain a computational equivalent of the experimentally measured PLIF signal. The measured NO PLIF signal is mainly a function of NO concentration allowing for semi-quantitative comparisons between the CFD and the experiments. The PLIF signal intensity is also sensitive to pressure and temperature variations in the flow, allowing additional flow features to be identified and compared with the CFD. Good agreement between the PLIF and the CFD results provides increased confidence in the CFD simulations for investigations of injector performance
Neutrino constraints on long-lived heavy dark sector particle decays in the Earth
Recent theoretical work has explored dark matter accumulation in the Earth
and its drift towards the center of the Earth that, for the current age of the
Earth, does not necessarily result in a concentration of dark matter ()
in the Earth's core. We consider a scenario of long-lived ( s), super heavy ( GeV) dark matter that decays
via or . We show that an IceCube-like
detector over 10 years can constrain a dark matter density that mirrors the
Earth's density or has a uniform density with density fraction
combined with the partial decay width in
the range of s. For , GeV and GeV, the range of constraints is
s.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figure
Physical activity and health related quality of life
Copyright @ 2012 Anokye et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.BACKGROUND: Research on the relationship between Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) and physical activity (PA), to date, have rarely investigated how this relationship differ across objective and subjective measures of PA. The aim of this paper is to explore the relationship between HRQoL and PA, and examine how this relationship differs across objective and subjective measures of PA, within the context of a large representative national survey from England. METHODS: Using a sample of 5,537 adults (40–60 years) from a representative national survey in England (Health Survey for England 2008), Tobit regressions with upper censoring was employed to model the association between HRQoL and objective, and subjective measures of PA controlling for potential confounders. We tested the robustness of this relationship across specific types of PA. HRQoL was assessed using the summary measure of health state utility value derived from the EuroQol-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D) whilst PA was assessed via subjective measure (questionnaire) and objective measure (accelerometer- actigraph model GT1M). The actigraph was worn (at the waist) for 7 days (during waking hours) by a randomly selected sub-sample of the HSE 2008 respondents (4,507 adults – 16 plus years), with a valid day constituting 10 hours. Analysis was conducted in 2010. RESULTS: Findings suggest that higher levels of PA are associated with better HRQoL (regression coefficient: 0.026 to 0.072). This relationship is consistent across different measures and types of PA although differences in the magnitude of HRQoL benefit associated with objective and subjective (regression coefficient: 0.047) measures of PA are noticeable, with the former measure being associated with a relatively better HRQoL (regression coefficient: 0.072). CONCLUSION: Higher levels of PA are associated with better HRQoL. Using an objective measure of PA compared with subjective shows a relatively better HRQoL.This project was funded by the NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme (project number 08/72/01)
Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array (HERA)
The Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array (HERA) is a staged experiment to
measure 21 cm emission from the primordial intergalactic medium (IGM)
throughout cosmic reionization (), and to explore earlier epochs of our
Cosmic Dawn (). During these epochs, early stars and black holes
heated and ionized the IGM, introducing fluctuations in 21 cm emission. HERA is
designed to characterize the evolution of the 21 cm power spectrum to constrain
the timing and morphology of reionization, the properties of the first
galaxies, the evolution of large-scale structure, and the early sources of
heating. The full HERA instrument will be a 350-element interferometer in South
Africa consisting of 14-m parabolic dishes observing from 50 to 250 MHz.
Currently, 19 dishes have been deployed on site and the next 18 are under
construction. HERA has been designated as an SKA Precursor instrument.
In this paper, we summarize HERA's scientific context and provide forecasts
for its key science results. After reviewing the current state of the art in
foreground mitigation, we use the delay-spectrum technique to motivate
high-level performance requirements for the HERA instrument. Next, we present
the HERA instrument design, along with the subsystem specifications that ensure
that HERA meets its performance requirements. Finally, we summarize the
schedule and status of the project. We conclude by suggesting that, given the
realities of foreground contamination, current-generation 21 cm instruments are
approaching their sensitivity limits. HERA is designed to bring both the
sensitivity and the precision to deliver its primary science on the basis of
proven foreground filtering techniques, while developing new subtraction
techniques to unlock new capabilities. The result will be a major step toward
realizing the widely recognized scientific potential of 21 cm cosmology.Comment: 26 pages, 24 figures, 2 table
Development of Photonic Crystal Fiber Based Gas/ Chemical Sensors
The development of highly-sensitive and miniaturized sensors that capable of
real-time analytes detection is highly desirable. Nowadays, toxic or colorless
gas detection, air pollution monitoring, harmful chemical, pressure, strain,
humidity, and temperature sensors based on photonic crystal fiber (PCF) are
increasing rapidly due to its compact structure, fast response and efficient
light controlling capabilities. The propagating light through the PCF can be
controlled by varying the structural parameters and core-cladding materials, as
a result, evanescent field can be enhanced significantly which is the main
component of the PCF based gas/chemical sensors. The aim of this chapter is to
(1) describe the principle operation of PCF based gas/ chemical sensors, (2)
discuss the important PCF properties for optical sensors, (3) extensively
discuss the different types of microstructured optical fiber based gas/
chemical sensors, (4) study the effects of different core-cladding shapes, and
fiber background materials on sensing performance, and (5) highlight the main
challenges of PCF based gas/ chemical sensors and possible solutions
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