28,922 research outputs found
Metabolic analyzer
An apparatus is described for the measurement of metabolic rate and breathing dynamics in which inhaled and exhaled breath are sensed by sealed, piston-displacement type spirometers. These spirometers electrically measure the volume of inhaled and exhaled breath. A mass spectrometer analyzes simultaneously for oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen and water vapor. Computation circuits are responsive to the outputs of the spirometers, mass spectrometer, temperature, pressure and timing signals and compute oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production, minute volume and respiratory exchange ratio. A selective indicator provides for read-out of these data at predetermined cyclic intervals
ECONOMICS OF AGROFORESTRY PRODUCTION IN IRRIGATED AGRICULTURE
A dynamic optimization model for agroforestry management is developed where tree biomass and soil salinity evolve over time in response to harvests and irrigation water quantity and quality. The model is applied to agroforestry production in the San Joaquin Valley of California. Optimal water applications are at first increasing in soil salinity, then decreasing, while the harvest decision is relatively robust to changes in most of the underlying economic and physical parameters. Drainwater reuse for agroforestry production also appears promising: both net reuse volumes and the implied net returns to agroforestry are substantial.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,
Thermionic reactor power system: Effects of radiation on integration with Manned Space Station
The application of a thermionic reactor power system to the modular space station is described. The nominal net power is 40 kWe, with the power system designed to be applicable over the power range from 25 to 60 kWe. The power system is designed to be launched by the space shuttle. Radiation protection is provided by LiH neutron shielding and W gamma shielding in a shaped 4 pion configuration, i.e., the reactor is shielded on all sides but not to equal extent. Isodose contours are presented for the region around the modular space station. Levels and spectral distribution of radiation are given for later evaluation of effects on space station experiments. Parametric data on the effects of separation distance on power system mass are presented
’Eyes free’ in-car assistance: parent and child passenger collaboration during phone calls
This paper examines routine family car journeys, looking specifically at how passengers assist during a mobile telephone call while the drivers address the competing demands of handling the vehicle, interacting with various artefacts and controls in the cabin, and engage in co-located and remote conversations while navigating through busy city roads. Based on an analysis of video fragments, we see how drivers and child passengers form their conversations and requests around the call so as to be meaningful and paced to the demands, knowledge and abilities of their cooccupants, and how the conditions of the road and emergent traffic are oriented to and negotiated in the context of the social interaction that they exist alongside. The study provides implications for the design of car-based collaborative media and considers how hands- and eyesfree natural interfaces could be tailored to the complexity of activities in the car and on the road
New insights into the biomechanics of Legg-Calvé-Perthes’ disease: The role of epiphyseal skeletal immaturity in vascular obstruction
ObjectivesLegg–Calvé–Perthes’ disease (LCP) is an idiopathic osteonecrosis of the femoral head that is most common in children between four and eight years old. The factors that lead to the onset of LCP are still unclear; however, it is believed that interruption of the blood supply to the developing epiphysis is an important factor in the development of the condition.MethodsFinite element analysis modelling of the blood supply to the juvenile epiphysis was investigated to understand under which circumstances the blood vessels supplying the femoral epiphysis could become obstructed. The identification of these conditions is likely to be important in understanding the biomechanics of LCP.ResultsThe results support the hypothesis that vascular obstruction to the epiphysis may arise when there is delayed ossification and when articular cartilage has reduced stiffness under compression.ConclusionThe findings support the theory of vascular occlusion as being important in the pathophysiology of Perthes disease
In-Plane Magnetolumnescence of Modulation-Doped GaAs/AlGaAs Coupled Double Quantum Wells
In-plane magnetic field photoluminescence spectra from a series of
GaAs/AlGaAs coupled double quantum wells show distinctive doublet structures
related to the symmetric and antisymmetric states. The magnetic field behavior
of the upper transition from the antisymmetric state strongly depends on sample
mobility. In lower mobility samples, the transition energy shows an -type kink with fields (namely a maximum followed by a minimum), whereas
higher mobility samples have a linear dependence. The former is due to a
homogeneous broadening of electron and hole states and the results are in good
agreement with theoretical calculations.Comment: 3 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Appl. Phys. Let
A possible explanation for the inconsistency between the Giotto grain mass distribution and ground-based observations
Giotto measured the in situ Halley dust grain mass distribution with 2 instruments, Particle Impact Analyzer and Dust Impact Detection System (DIDSY), as well as the total intercepted mass from the deceleration of the spacecraft (Giotto Radio-Science Experiment, GRE). Ground based observations made shortly before encounter have fluxes much higher than would be predicted from Giotto data. It is concluded that Giotto DIDSY and GRE data represent observations of dust originating from a narrow track along the nucleus. They are consistent with ground based data, if assumptions are made about the level of activity along this track. The actual size distribution that should be used for modeling of the whole coma should not include the large mass excess actually observed by Giotto. Extrapolation of the small grain data should be used, since for these grains the velocity dispersion is low and temporal changes at the nucleus would not affect the shape of the mass distribution
Theoretical studies of a hydrogen abstraction tool for nanotechnology
In the design of a nanoscale, site-specific hydrogen abstraction tool, the authors suggest the use of an alkynyl radical tip. Using ab initio quantum-chemistry techniques including electron correlation they model the abstraction of hydrogen from dihydrogen, methane, acetylene, benzene and isobutane by the acetylene radical. By conservative estimates, the abstraction barrier is small (less than 7.7 kcal mol^-1) in all cases except for acetylene and zero in the case of isobutane. Thermal vibrations at room temperature should be sufficient to supply the small activation energy. Several methods of creating the radical in a controlled vacuum setting should be feasible. The authors show how nanofabrication processes can be accurately and inexpensively designed in a computational framework
The NMR of High Temperature Superconductors without Anti-Ferromagnetic Spin Fluctuations
A microscopic theory for the NMR anomalies of the planar Cu and O sites in
superconducting La_1.85Sr_0.15CuO_4 is presented that quantitatively explains
the observations without the need to invoke anit-ferromagnetic spin
fluctuations on the planar Cu sites and its significant discrepancy with the
observed incommensurate neutron spin fluctuations. The theory is derived from
the recently published ab-initio band structure calculations that correct LDA
computations tendency to overestimate the self-coulomb repulsion for the
half-filled Cu d_x2-y2 orbital for these ionic systems. The new band structure
leads to two bands at the Fermi level with holes in the Cu d_z2 and apical O
p_z orbitals in addition to the standard Cu d_x2-y2 and planar O p_sigma
orbitals. This band structure is part of a new theory for the cuprates that
explains a broad range of experiments and is based upon the formation of Cooper
pairs comprised of a k up spin electron from one band and a -k down spin
electron from another band (Interband Pairing Model).Comment: In Press, Journal of Physical Chemistry. See also
http://www.firstprinciples.com. Minor changes to references and figure
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