Development of a space qualified high reliability rotary actuator. Volume 1: Technical report

A space-qualified, high reliability, 150 ft-lb rated torque rotary acutator based on the Bendix Dynavector drive concept was developed. This drive is an integrated variable reluctance orbit motor-epicyclic transmission actuator. The performance goals were based on future control moment gyro torquer applications and represent a significant advancement in the torque-to-weight ratio, backlash, inertia and response characteristics of electric rotary drives. The program accomplishments have been in two areas: (1) the development of two high ratio (818:1) actuator configurations (breadboard and flightweight), and (2) the invention of a reliable proximity switch sensor system for self-commutation without use of optical or electrical brush techniques

Application of shock tubes to transonic airfoil testing at high Reynolds numbers

Performance analysis of a gas-driven shock tube shows that transonic airfoil flows with chord Reynolds numbers of the order of 100 million can be produced, with limitations being imposed by the structural integrity of the facility or the model. A study of flow development over a simple circular arc airfoil at zero angle of attack was carried out in a shock tube at low and intermediate Reynolds numbers to assess the testing technique. Results obtained from schlieren photography and airfoil pressure measurements show that steady transonic flows similar to those produced for the same airfoil in a wind tunnel can be generated within the available testing time in a shock tube with properly contoured test section walls

PRESERVATIVE TREATMENT OF TASMANIAN PLANTATION EUCALYPTUS NITENS USING SUPERCRITICAL FLUIDS

Short rotation plantation forests in Tasmania, Australia, are dominated by Eucalyptus nitens (common name: shining gum). These forests were primarily planted to provide material for pulp and paper production, but the timber is increasingly sought after for higher value and more enduring applications. Plantation E. nitens has a high proportion of low durability heartwood that resists penetration by conventional fluid preservatives. This limits its use to indoor applications. One approach to overcoming the refractory nature of E. nitens is to modify the treatment fluid. We investigated the use of supercritical carbon dioxide to deliver biocides deep into the wood. Timbers varying in thickness from 19 to 35 mm and 900 mm long were treated with a multicomponent biocide under supercritical conditions in a commercial facility in Denmark. The resulting timber was cut into zones inward from the surface. Wood from these zones was ground and extracted for HPLC analysis for tebuconazole and propiconazole. Preservative was detected in the inner portion of every sample examined, indicating that the process resulted in treatment throughout the boards, with concentrations meeting and on average exceeding the targeted amounts

Improving Yield Stability and Resiliency of Agronomic Production Systems in Southeast Kansas

Soil health is a critical determinant of crop performance. Soil physical, chemical, and biological properties can be modified through production practices such as tillage. Use of cover crops has been shown to benefit soil health and may improve productive capacity of soils. High rainfall and intense crop production practices limit the ability to implement cover crops in current production systems in southeast Kansas. This study explores potential management of cover crops and their contribution to soil health, crop productivity, and animal grazing

Elevated cardiovascular risk among adults with obstructive and restrictive airway functioning in the United States: a cross-sectional study of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2007-2010

BACKGROUND: Reasons for the excess risk for cardiovascular disease among people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease remain unclear. Our objective was to examine the cardiovascular risk profile for adults with obstructive and restrictive impairments of lung functioning in a representative sample of adults from the United States. METHODS: We used data from adults aged 20-79 years who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2007 to 2010 and had a pulmonary function test. The severity of obstructive impairment was defined by adapting the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease criteria. RESULTS: Among 7249 participants, 80.9% had a normal pulmonary function test, 5.7% had a restrictive impairment, 7.9% had mild obstructive impairment, and 5.5% had moderate or severe/very severe obstructive impairment. Participants with obstructive impairment had high rates of smoking and increased serum concentrations of cotinine. Compared to participants with normal pulmonary functioning, participants with at least moderate obstructive impairment had elevated concentrations of C-reactive protein but lower concentrations of total cholesterol and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Among participants aged 50-74 years, participants with at least a moderate obstructive impairment or a restrictive impairment had an elevated predicted 10-year risk for cardiovascular disease. CONCLUSIONS: The high rates of smoking among adults with impaired pulmonary functioning, particularly those with obstructive impairment, point to a need for aggressive efforts to promote smoking cessation in these adults. In addition, adults with restrictive impairment may require increased attention to and fine-tuning of their cardiovascular risk profile

A metaproteomic approach to study human-microbial ecosystems at the mucosal luminal interface

Aberrant interactions between the host and the intestinal bacteria are thought to contribute to the pathogenesis of many digestive diseases. However, studying the complex ecosystem at the human mucosal-luminal interface (MLI) is challenging and requires an integrative systems biology approach. Therefore, we developed a novel method integrating lavage sampling of the human mucosal surface, high-throughput proteomics, and a unique suite of bioinformatic and statistical analyses. Shotgun proteomic analysis of secreted proteins recovered from the MLI confirmed the presence of both human and bacterial components. To profile the MLI metaproteome, we collected 205 mucosal lavage samples from 38 healthy subjects, and subjected them to high-throughput proteomics. The spectral data were subjected to a rigorous data processing pipeline to optimize suitability for quantitation and analysis, and then were evaluated using a set of biostatistical tools. Compared to the mucosal transcriptome, the MLI metaproteome was enriched for extracellular proteins involved in response to stimulus and immune system processes. Analysis of the metaproteome revealed significant individual-related as well as anatomic region-related (biogeographic) features. Quantitative shotgun proteomics established the identity and confirmed the biogeographic association of 49 proteins (including 3 functional protein networks) demarcating the proximal and distal colon. This robust and integrated proteomic approach is thus effective for identifying functional features of the human mucosal ecosystem, and a fresh understanding of the basic biology and disease processes at the MLI. © 2011 Li et al

Trends in the Use, Sociodemographic Correlates, and Undertreatment of Prescription Medications for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease among Adults with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in the United States from 1999 to 2010

BACKGROUND: The extent to which patients with COPD are receiving indicated treatment with medications to improve lung function and recent trends in the use of these medications is not well documented in the United States. The objective of this study was to examine trends in prescription medications for COPD among adults in the United States from 1999 to 2010. METHODS: We performed a trend analysis using data from up to 1426 participants aged ≥20 years with self-reported COPD from six national surveys (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2010). RESULTS: During 2009-2010, the age-adjusted percentage of participants who used any kind of medication was 44.2%. Also during 2009-2010, the most commonly used medications were short-acting agents (36.0%), inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) (18.3%), and LABAs (16.7%). The use of long-acting beta-2 agonists (LABAs) (p for trend CONCLUSION: The percentages of adults with COPD who reported having various classes of prescription medications that improve airflow limitations changed markedly from 1999-2000 to 2009-2010. However, many adults with COPD did not report having recommended prescription medications

Growth, Forage Quality, and Economics of Cover Crop Mixes for Grazing

Cover crops offer many potential benefits to crop production. They diversify the plant system, increase soil organic matter, and reduce erosion. However, they can be expensive to plant. By grazing the cover crops, farmers can recover some of the expenses associated with growing cover crops. Grazing also increases the nutrients to the field, further enhancing the productive capacity of the soil. Many cover crop mixtures are currently available on the market. However, it is not clear how useful the multi-species cover crops mixtures are, or their potential impact on economics of production. Moreover, many of the cover crop mixes being sold contain species that are potentially harmful to either humans or cattle. For example, some cattle are sensitive to hairy vetch (Farney et al., 2016). Buckwheat, a valuable and frequently used cover crop, causes serious allergic reactions in some human populations, making it especially unsuitable for growing regions that also produce wheat. To avoid cross-contamination of buckwheat with wheat, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) requires an exclusion of buckwheat by 30 feet and two years from any commercial wheat production fields. NRCS has restricted the use of buckwheat in cover crop mixes for regions that grow wheat (NRCS, 2016). Many plants are good for planting as cover crops. There are three general categories of plants that are commonly used as cover crops, each with a unique growth habit and rooting structure. In this study, we chose common plants from each of these major groups: grasses, brassicas, and legumes. The soils in southeast Kansas were developed under the tallgrass prairie. Grasses have a dense, fibrous rooting system that is ideally suited for growth in the claypan soils of this region. Studies of soil microbial activity indicate that grasses may enhance microbial activity at lower soil layers, better using more of the soil profile for extracting nutrients and water (Hsiao et al., 2018). The grasses chosen for this study included winter barley, winter oats, cereal rye, and winter wheat. Brassicas have a taproot that creates large holes in the soil called macropores. These macropores break up the soil structure. As the large taproot decays, it supports microbial activity and further improves the soil structure. Brassicas also release unique compounds into the soil, such as glucosinolates, that have been shown to suppress disease organisms in the soil such as fungi and nematodes. The brassicas used in this study included tillage radish and purple-top turnip. Legumes improve the soil by increasing the soil nitrogen. Most legumes have a fibrous rooting system. The legumes used in this study included berseem clover and Austrian winter pea

Algebraic varieties in Birkhoff strata of the Grassmannian Gr(2)\mathrm{^{(2)}}: Harrison cohomology and integrable systems

Local properties of families of algebraic subsets $W_g$ in Birkhoff strata $\Sigma_{2g}$ of Gr$^{(2)}$ containing hyperelliptic curves of genus $g$ are studied. It is shown that the tangent spaces $T_g$ for $W_g$ are isomorphic to linear spaces of 2-coboundaries. Particular subsets in $W_g$ are described by the intergrable dispersionless coupled KdV systems of hydrodynamical type defining a special class of 2-cocycles and 2-coboundaries in $T_g$. It is demonstrated that the blows-ups of such 2-cocycles and 2-coboundaries and gradient catastrophes for associated integrable systems are interrelated.Comment: 28 pages, no figures. Generally improved version, in particular the Discussion section. Added references. Corrected typo

Soil Microbial Seasonal Community Dynamics in Response to Cover Crop and Phosphorus Fertilizer Usage in a No-Till Corn-Soybean System in 2018

This study examined microorganism community composition in plots managed with and without cover crops and three contrasting phosphorous (P) fertilizer manage­ment techniques in a no-till corn-soybean system. This work was performed in the spring and fall of 2018 at the Kansas Agricultural Watershed Field Laboratory (KAW), Manhattan, KS. The study design was a 2 × 3 complete block factorial design with three replications, with cover crop presence or absence and three levels of P fertilizer management (control, fall broadcast, and spring injected). To examine microorganism community composition, phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis was used. Only the main effect of cover crop was found to have a significant impact. Results show greater microbial biomass within plots that had a cover crop as compared to those that did not. The community structure between cover crop plots and non-cover crop plots was similar; however, their abundance was less in non-cover crop plots than in those that had a cover crop