Highlights of unsteady pressure tests on a 14 percent supercritical airfoil at high Reynolds number, transonic condition

Steady and unsteady pressures were measured on a 2-D supercritical airfoil in the Langley Research Center 0.3-m Transonic Cryogenic Tunnel at Reynolds numbers from 6 x 1,000,000 to 35 x 1,000,000. The airfoil was oscillated in pitch at amplitudes from plus or minus .25 degrees to plus or minus 1.0 degrees at frequencies from 5 Hz to 60 Hz. The special requirements of testing an unsteady pressure model in a pressurized cryogenic tunnel are discussed. Selected steady measured data are presented and are compared with GRUMFOIL calculations at Reynolds number of 6 x 1,000,000 and 30 x 1,000,000. Experimental unsteady results at Reynolds numbers of 6 x 1,000,000 and 30 x 1,000,000 are examined for Reynolds number effects. Measured unsteady results at two mean angles of attack at a Reynolds number of 30 x 1,000,000 are also examined

Escherichia Coli RecG Functionally Suppresses Human Bloom Syndrome Phenotypes

Defects in the human BLM gene cause Bloom syndrome, notable for early development of tumors in a broad variety of tissues. On the basis of sequence similarity, BLM has been identified as one of the five human homologs of RecQ from Escherichia coli. Nevertheless, biochemical characterization of the BLM protein indicates far greater functional similarity to the E. coli RecG protein and there is no known RecG homolog in human cells. To explore the possibility that the shared biochemistries of BLM and RecG may represent an example of convergent evolution of cellular function where in humans BLM has evolved to fulfill the genomic stabilization role of RecG, we determined whether expression of RecG in human BLM-deficient cells could suppress established functional cellular Bloom syndrome phenotypes. We found that RecG can indeed largely suppress both the definitive elevated sister chromatid exchange phenotype and the more recently demonstrated gene cluster instability phenotype of BLM-deficient cells. In contrast, expression of RecG has no impact on either of these phenotypes in human cells with functional BLM protein. These results suggest that the combination of biochemical activities shared by RecG and BLM fill the same evolutionary niche in preserving genomic integrity without requiring exactly identical molecular mechanisms

The Kinematics and Dynamics of the Globular Clusters and the Planetary Nebulae of NGC 5128

A new kinematic and dynamic study of the halo of the giant elliptical galaxy, NGC 5128, is presented. From a spectroscopically confirmed sample of 340 globular clusters and 780 planetary nebulae, the rotation amplitude, rotation axis, velocity dispersion, and the total dynamical mass are determined for the halo of NGC 5128. The globular cluster kinematics were searched for both radial dependence and metallicity dependence by subdividing the globular cluster sample into 158 metal-rich ([Fe/H] > -1.0) and 178 metal-poor ([Fe/H] < -1.0) globular clusters. Our results show the kinematics of the metal-rich and metal-poor subpopulations are quite similar. The kinematics are compared to the planetary nebula population where differences are apparent in the outer regions of the halo. The total mass of NGC 5128 is found using the Tracer Mass estimator (Evans et al. 2003), to determine the mass supported by internal random motions, and the spherical component of the Jeans equation to determine the mass supported by rotation. We find a total mass of (1.0+/-0.2) x 10^(12) Msun from the planetary nebulae data out to a projected radius of 90 kpc and (1.3+/-0.5) x 10^(12) Msun from the globular clusters out to a projected radius of 50 kpc. Lastly, we present a new and homogeneous catalog of known globular clusters in NGC 5128. This catalog combines all previous definitive cluster identifications from radial velocity studies and HST imaging studies, as well as 80 new globular clusters from a study of M.A. Beasley et al. (2007, in preparation).Comment: Accepted in the Astronomical Journal,52 pages, 13 figures, 6 tables - Changes made to Table 1 from originally submitted 0704.118

Efficiency of spinal anesthesia versus general anesthesia for lumbar spinal surgery: a retrospective analysis of 544 patients.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown varying results in selected outcomes when directly comparing spinal anesthesia to general in lumbar surgery. Some studies have shown reduced surgical time, postoperative pain, time in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU), incidence of urinary retention, postoperative nausea, and more favorable cost-effectiveness with spinal anesthesia. Despite these results, the current literature has also shown contradictory results in between-group comparisons. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed by querying the electronic medical record database for surgeries performed by a single surgeon between 2007 and 2011 using procedural codes 63030 for diskectomy and 63047 for laminectomy: 544 lumbar laminectomy and diskectomy surgeries were identified, with 183 undergoing general anesthesia and 361 undergoing spinal anesthesia (SA). Linear and multivariate regression analyses were performed to identify differences in blood loss, operative time, time from entering the operating room (OR) until incision, time from bandage placement to exiting the OR, total anesthesia time, PACU time, and total hospital stay. Secondary outcomes of interest included incidence of postoperative spinal hematoma and death, incidence of paraparesis, plegia, post-dural puncture headache, and paresthesia, among the SA patients. RESULTS: SA was associated with significantly lower operative time, blood loss, total anesthesia time, time from entering the OR until incision, time from bandage placement until exiting the OR, and total duration of hospital stay, but a longer stay in the PACU. The SA group experienced one spinal hematoma, which was evacuated without any long-term neurological deficits, and neither group experienced a death. The SA group had no episodes of paraparesis or plegia, post-dural puncture headaches, or episodes of persistent postoperative paresthesia or weakness. CONCLUSION: SA is effective for use in patients undergoing elective lumbar laminectomy and/or diskectomy spinal surgery, and was shown to be the more expedient anesthetic choice in the perioperative setting

A 2dF spectroscopic study of globular clusters in NGC 5128: Probing the formation history of the nearest giant Elliptical

We have performed a spectroscopic study of globular clusters (GCs) in the giant elliptical NGC 5128 using the 2dF facility at the Anglo-Australian telescope. We obtained integrated optical spectra for a total of 254 GCs, 79 of which are newly confirmed on the basis of their radial velocities and spectra. In addition, we obtained an integrated spectrum of the galaxy starlight along the southern major axis. We derive an empirical metallicity distribution function (MDF) for 207 GCs (~14 of the estimated total GC system) based upon Milky Way GCs. This MDF is multimodal at high statistical significance with peaks at [Z/H]~-1.3 and -0.5. A comparison between the GC MDF and that of the stellar halo at 20 kpc (~4 Reff) reveals close coincidence at the metal-rich ends of the distributions. However, an inner 8 kpc stellar MDF shows a clear excess of metal-rich stars when compared to the GCs. We compare a higher S/N subsample (147 GCs) with two stellar population models which include non-solar abundance ratio corrections. The vast majority of our sample (~90%) appears old, with ages similar to the Milky Way GC system. There is evidence for a population of intermediate-age (~4-8 Gy) GCs (<15% of the sample) which are on average more metal-rich than the old GCs. We also identify at least one younger cluster (~1-2 Gy) in the central regions of the galaxy. Our observations are consistent with a picture where NGC 5128 has undergone at least two mergers and/or interactions involving star formation and limited GC formation since z=1, however the effect of non-canonical hot stellar populations on the integrated spectra of GCs remains an outstanding uncertainty in our GC age estimates.Comment: 17 figures, some long table

2018 – 2019 Kentucky Agricultural Economic Situation and Outlook

This publication covers the situation and outlook for 2018-2019 in the following areas: U.S. Agricultural Economy; Kentucky’s Agricultural Economy; Selected Commodity Profiles - Cattle; Poultry; Hogs; Equine; Dairy; Corn; Soybeans; Wheat; Tobacco; Fruits, Vegetables and Greenhouse; and Forestry

The Hubble Constant from Observations of the Brightest Red Giant Stars in a Virgo-Cluster Galaxy

The Virgo and Fornax clusters of galaxies play central roles in determining the Hubble constant H_0. A powerful and direct way of establishing distances for elliptical galaxies is to use the luminosities of the brightest red-giant stars (the TRGB luminosity, at M_I = -4.2). Here we report the direct observation of the TRGB stars in a dwarf elliptical galaxy in the Virgo cluster. We find its distance to be 15.7 +- 1.5 Megaparsecs, from which we estimate a Hubble constant of H_0 = 77 +- 8 km/s/Mpc. Under the assumption of a low-density Universe with the simplest cosmology, the age of the Universe is no more than 12-13 billion years.Comment: 12 pages, LaTeX, with 2 postscript figures; in press for Nature, July 199