9,576 research outputs found
Bioactive composites for bone tissue engineering
One of the major challenges of bone tissue engineering is the production of a suitable scaffold material. In this review the current composite materials options available are considered covering both the methods of both production and assessing the scaffolds. A range of production routes have been investigated ranging from the use of porogens to produce the porosity through to controlled deposition methods. The testing regimes have included mechanical testing of the materials produced through to in vivo testing of the scaffolds. While the ideal scaffold material has not yet been produced, progress is being made
Coronal Seismology and the Propagation of Acoustic Waves Along Coronal Loops
We use a combination of analytical theory, numerical simulation, and data
analysis to study the propagation of acoustic waves along coronal loops. We
show that the intensity perturbation of a wave depends on a number of factors,
including dissipation of the wave energy, pressure and temperature gradients in
the loop atmosphere, work action between the wave and a flow, and the
sensitivity properties of the observing instrument. In particular, the scale
length of the intensity perturbation varies directly with the dissipation scale
length (i.e., damping length) and the scale lengths of pressure, temperature,
and velocity. We simulate wave propagation in three different equilibrium loop
models and find that dissipation and pressure and temperature stratification
are the most important effects in the low corona where the waves are most
easily detected. Velocity effects are small, and cross-sectional area
variations play no direct role for lines-of-sight that are normal to the loop
axis. The intensity perturbation scale lengths in our simulations agree very
well with the scale lengths we measure in a sample of loops observed by TRACE.
The median observed value is 4.35x10^9 cm. In some cases the intensity
perturbation increases with height, which is likely an indication of a
temperature inversion in the loop (i.e., temperature that decreases with
height). Our most important conclusion is that thermal conduction, the primary
damping mechanism, is accurately described by classical transport theory. There
is no need to invoke anomalous processes to explain the observations.Comment: To appear in the Dec. 1, 2004 issue of the Astrophysical Journa
Behavior of aircraft antiskid braking systems on dry and wet runway surfaces. A slip-velocity-controlled, pressure-bias-modulated system
The braking and cornering response of a slip velocity controlled, pressure bias modulated aircraft antiskid braking system is investigated. The investigation, conducted on dry and wet runway surfaces, utilized one main gear wheel, brake, and tire assembly of a McDonnell Douglas DC 9 series 10 airplane. The landing gear strut was replaced by a dynamometer. The parameters, which were varied, included the carriage speed, tire loading, yaw angle, tire tread condition, brake system operating pressure, and runway wetness conditions. The effects of each of these parameters on the behavior of the skid control system is presented. Comparisons between data obtained with the skid control system and data obtained from single cycle braking tests without antiskid protection are examined
Behavior of aircraft antiskid braking systems on dry and wet runway surfaces: Hydromechanically controlled system
The investigation utilized one main gear wheel, brake, and tire assembly of a McDonnell Douglas DC-9 series 10 airplane. The landing-gear strut was replaced by a dynamometer. During maximum braking, average braking behavior indexes based upon brake pressure, brake torque, and drag-force friction coefficient developed by the antiskid system were generally higher on dry surfaces than on wet surfaces. The three braking behavior indexes gave similar results but should not be used interchangeably as a measure of the braking of this antiskid sytem. During the transition from a dry to a flooded surface under heavy braking, the wheel entered into a deep skid but the antiskid system reacted quickly by reducing brake pressure and performed normally during the remainder of the run on the flooded surface. The brake-pressure recovery following transition from a flooded to a dry surface was shown to be a function of the antiskid modulating orifice
Critical review of Ames Life Science participation in Spacelab Mission Development Test 3: The SMD 3 management study
A management study was conducted to specify activities and problems encountered during the development of procedures for documentation and crew training on experiments, as well as during the design, integration, and delivery of a life sciences experiment payload to Johnson Space Center for a 7 day simulation of a Spacelab mission. Conclusions and recommendations to project management for current and future Ames' life sciences projects are included. Broader issues relevant to the conduct of future scientific missions under the constraints imposed by the environment of space are also addressed
Effect of plyometric training on swimming block start performance in adolescents
This study aimed to identify the effect of plyometric training (PT), when added to habitual training (HT) regimes, on swim start performance. After the completion of a baseline competitive swim start, 22 adolescent swimmers were randomly assigned to either a PT (n = 11, age: 13.1 ± 1.4 yr, mass: 50.6 ± 12.3 kg, stature: 162.9 ± 11.9 cm) or an HT group (n = 11, age: 12.6 ± 1.9 yr, mass: 43.3 ± 11.6 kg, stature: 157.6 ± 11.9 cm). Over an 8-week preseason period, the HT group continued with their normal training program, whereas the PT group added 2 additional 1-hour plyometric-specific sessions, incorporating prescribed exercises relating to the swimming block start (SBS). After completion of the training intervention, post-training swim start performance was reassessed. For both baseline and post-trials, swim performance was recorded using videography (50Hz Canon MVX460) in the sagital plane of motion. Through the use of Silicon Coach Pro analysis package, data revealed significantly greater change between baseline and post-trials for PT when compared with the HT group for swim performance time to 5.5 m (−0.59 s vs. −0.21 s; p < 0.01) and velocity of take-off to contact (0.19 ms−1 vs. −0.07 ms−1; p < 0.01). Considering the practical importance of a successful swim start to overall performance outcome, the current study has found that inclusion of suitable and safely implemented PT to adolescent performers, in addition to HT routines, can have a positive impact on swim start performance
Bioactive ceramic-reinforced composites for bone augmentation
Biomaterials have been used to repair the human body for millennia, but it is only since the 1970s that man-made composites have been used. Hydroxyapatite (HA)-reinforced polyethylene (PE) is the first of the ‘second-generation’ biomaterials that have been developed to be bioactive rather than bioinert. The mechanical properties have been characterized using quasi-static, fatigue, creep and fracture toughness testing, and these studies have allowed optimization of the production method. The in vitro and in vivo biological properties have been investigated with a range of filler content and have shown that the presence of sufficient bioactive filler leads to a bioactive composite. Finally, the material has been applied clinically, initially in the orbital floor and later in the middle ear. From this initial combination of HA in PE other bioactive ceramic polymer composites have been developed
Electronic and structural properties of alkali doped SWNT
Comprehensive experiments on structural and transport properties of alkali intercalated
single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) are presented. The increasing electron density was
measured as a shift of the Drude-edge in optical reflectivity in-situ with progressive doping. In
saturation-doped samples the Drude-edge shifts into the visible (to 25,000 - 30,000 cm— 1 for potassium
and rubidium doped samples) and the samples have a golden-brown color, similar to stage I
graphite. X-ray diffraction reveals a crystalline rope structure with expanded lattice constant, similar
to results of Duclaux et al. The change in the low temperature divergence of the resistivity after
degassing at high temperature and high vacuum and after K-doping is studied in-situ
The unusual thickness dependence of superconductivity in -MoGe thin films
Thin films of -MoGe show progressively reduced 's as the
thickness is decreased below 30 nm and the sheet resistance exceeds 100
. We have performed far-infrared transmission and reflection
measurements for a set of -MoGe films to characterize this weakened
superconducting state. Our results show the presence of an energy gap with
ratio in all films studied, slightly higher
than the BCS value, even though the transition temperatures decrease
significantly as film thickness is reduced. The material properties follow
BCS-Eliashberg theory with a large residual scattering rate except that the
coherence peak seen in the optical scattering rate is found to be strongly
smeared out in the thinner superconducting samples. A peak in the optical mass
renormalization at is predicted and observed for the first time
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