Low-Friction Coatings for Air Bearings in Fuel Cell Air Compressors

In an effort to reduce fuel consumption and emissions, hybrid vehicles incorporating fuel cell systems are being developed by automotive manufacturers, their suppliers, federal agencies (specifically, the US Department of Energy) and national laboratories. The fuel cell system will require an air management subsystem that includes a compressor/expander. Certain components in the compressor will require innovative lubrication technology in order to reduce parasitic energy losses and improve their reliability and durability. One such component is the air bearing for air turbocompressors designed and fabricated by Meruit, Inc. Argonne National Laboratory recently developed a carbon-based coating with low friction and wear attributes; this near-frictionless-carbon (NFC) coating is a potential candidate for use in turbocompressor air bearings. The authors present here an evaluation of the Argonne coating for air compressor thrust bearings. With two parallel 440C stainless steel discs in unidirectional sliding contact, the NFC reduced the frictional force four times and the wear rate by more than two orders of magnitude. Wear mechanism on the uncoated surface involved oxidation and production of iron oxide debris. Wear occurred on the coated surfaces primarily by a polishing mechanism

Handbook for Digital Projects: A Management Tool for Preservation and Access

The Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) has recently placed online the full text of its thorough and authoritative 183-page handbook for those in museums, libraries, and archives preparing to digitize collections. The handbook is available in both HTML and .pdf formats and covers topics such as considerations for project management, technical and copyright issues, vendor relations, selecting materials for scanning, and guidelines from case studies. A keyword search engine is also provided

Interview with Bernadine Sitts

An interview with Bernadine Sitts regarding her experiences in a one-room school house.https://scholars.fhsu.edu/ors/1051/thumbnail.jp

The effect of homeodomain genes Six3 and Six6 on GnRH neuronal migration and apoptosis

Infertility affects between 8-12% of couples worldwide and treatment can be very costly. One cause of infertility is Idiopathic Hypogonadotropic Hypogonadism (IHH), which can arise from the loss of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). Many of the genes associated with IHH are currently unknown. Six3 and Six6 are genes associated with infertility in mouse models. Disruption of either Six3 or Six6 causes a decrease in the number of GnRH neurons found in the hypothalamus. The Six3 heterozygous mouse loses GnRH neurons to mismigration, whereas the Six6 knockout mouse loses GnRH neurons to apoptosis. To provide further insight into the mechanisms for the loss of GnRH neurons, we studied cell migration and apoptosis factors present along the migratory pathway of GnRH neurons. Our hypothesis was that, without adequate levels of these factors, GnRH neurons may die, become lost, or halt migration. We found that haploinsufficiency of Six3 leads to a trend towards a reduction in Npn2 and Nelf mRNA expression within the hypothalamus, and both of these factors have been shown to have a significant effect on the guidance of GnRH neurons. We found that complete loss of Six6 leads to a trend toward reduction in apoptotic factor Dach1, which is a potential novel regulator of GnRH neurons. Overall our findings support the idea that Six3 and Six6 affect the migratory environment that supports GnRH neuron migration from the olfactory placode to the hypothalamus. Additionally, our findings implicate the genes, Npn2, Nelf and Dach1, in the regulation of GnRH neurons during Six3 and Six6 disruption

ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS ASSESSMENT PHOGHAM

Alach.!or and rnetolachlor have been found in ground water as the resul'., of leaching after application to crops in Gther states. A well sampling survey was conducted to determine the presence of residues of alachlor, metolachlor, atrazine and nitrate in well water sanples obtained from corn and dry bean production areas of California. The study was, in part, an extension 'of a previous survey, conducted in corn and dry bean cropped areas of the Sacramento Valley: similarly cropped areas were located in Merced County in the San Joaquin Valley and wells were sampled for the presence of herbicide residues. Analyses for atrazine and nitrate were included because atrazine has also been found in ground water as a result of use on corn and because nitrate has been proposed as an indicator for areas vulnerable to leaching. No confirmed residues of alachlor, metolachlor or atrazine were found. Nitrate was detected in 15 of 30 well samples: all 15 were above 10 ppm and 6 of the samples were above the 45 ppm EPA maximum contaminant level. Although dairies were located in 14 of the 19 sampled sections, residues were below th

National Issues Forum: Safety and Justice - How Should Communities Reduce Violence?

Demonstration of National Issues Forum discussion frameworks, based on a topic receiving national and campus focus