The effect of total knee arthroplasty on joint movement during functional activities and joint range of motion with particular regard to higher flexion users

Study aimed to evaluate active and functional knee excursion of patients before and after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and to determine whether TKA restores quality of life related to functional activities of daily living. Found that although TKA offers excellent pain relief and contributes to the overall well-being of the patient, these results suggest that it also leads to a reduced range of active and functional motion in the majority of patients. This is associated with a lower-than-normal physical quality of life. The design of implants and rehabilitation programmes should be reconsidered so that better range of motion and quality of life can be achieved for patients

Investigation of nonlinear interaction phenomena in the ionosphere

Ionospheric phenomena as thermal radiation noise, propagation of naturally occurring radio noise through ionosphere, and generation of very low frequency emission

Erosion/corrosion of turbine airfoil materials in the high-velocity effluent of a pressurized fluidized coal combustor

Four candidate turbine airfoil superalloys were exposed to the effluent of a pressurized fluidized bed with a solids loading of 2 to 4 g/scm for up to 100 hours at two gas velocities, 150 and 270 m/sec, and two temperatures, 730 deg and 795 C. Under these conditions, both erosion and corrosion occurred. The damaged specimens were examined by cross-section measurements, scanning electron and light microscopy, and X-ray analysis to evaluate the effects of temperature, velocity, particle loading, and alloy material. Results indicate that for a given solids loading the extent of erosion is primarily dependent on gas velocity. Corrosion occurred only at the higher temperature. There was little difference in the erosion/corrosion damage to the four alloys tested under these severe conditions

An exactly solvable model of a superconducting to rotational phase transition

We consider a many-fermion model which exhibits a transition from a superconducting to a rotational phase with variation of a parameter in its Hamiltonian. The model has analytical solutions in its two limits due to the presence of dynamical symmetries. However, the symmetries are basically incompatible with one another; no simple solution exists in intermediate situations. Exact (numerical) solutions are possible and enable one to study the behavior of competing but incompatible symmetries and the phase transitions that result in a semirealistic situation. The results are remarkably simple and shed light on the nature of phase transitions.Comment: 11 pages including 1 figur

Reduction of computer usage costs in predicting unsteady aerodynamic loadings caused by control surface motions: Computer program description

A digital computer program was developed to calculate unsteady loadings caused by motions of lifting surfaces with leading edge and trailing edge controls based on the subsonic kernel function approach. The pressure singularities at hinge line and side edges were extracted analytically as a preliminary step to solving the integral equation of collocation. The program calculates generalized aerodynamic forces for user supplied deflection modes. Optional intermediate output includes pressure at an array of points, and sectional generalized forces. From one to six controls on the half span can be accomodated

The erosion/corrosion of small superalloy turbine rotors operating in the effluent of a PFB coal combustor

Superalloy turbine rotors in a single stage turbine with 6 percent partial admittance were operated in the effluent of a pressurized fluidized bed coal combustor for up to 164 hours. Total mass flow was 300 kg/hr and average particulate loadings ranged from 600 to 2800 ppm for several coal/sorbent combinations. A 5.5 atm turbine inlet gas pressure and inlet gas temperatures from 700 to 800 C yielded absolute gas velocities at the stator exit of about 500 m/s. The angular rotation speed (40,000 rpm) of the six inch diameter rotors was equivalent to a tip speed of about 300 m/s, and average gas velocities relative to the rotating surface ranged from 260 to 330 m/s at mean radius. The rotor erosion pattern reflects heavy particle separation with severe (5 to 500 cm/yr) erosion at the leading edge, pressure side center, and suction side trailing edge at the tip. The erosion distribution pattern provides a spectrum of erosion/oxidation/deposition as a function of blade position. This spectrum includes enhanced oxidation (10 to 100 x air), mixed oxides in exposed depletion zones, sulfur rich oxides in deposition zones, and rugged areas of erosive oxide removal