2,565 research outputs found

    Planetary/DOD entry technology flight experiments. Volume 3: Planetary entry flight experiments handbook

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    The environments produced by entry into Jupiter and Saturn atmospheres are summarized. Worst case design environments are identified and the effect of entry angle, type of atmosphere and ballistic coefficient variations are presented. The range of environments experienced during earth entry is parametrically described as a function of initial entry conditions. The sensitivity of these environments to vehicle ballistic coefficient and nose radius is also shown. An elliptical deorbit maneuver strategy is defined in terms of the velocity increment required versus initial entry conditions and apoapsis altitude. Mission time, ground track, and out of plane velocity penalties are also presented. Performance capabilities of typical shuttle launched boosters are described including the initial entry conditions attainable as a function of paylaod mass and apoapsis altitude

    Planetary/DOD entry technology flight experiments. Volume 1: Executive summary

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    The feasibility of using the space shuttle to launch planetary and DoD entry flight experiments was examined. The results of the program are presented in two parts: (1) simulating outer planet environments during an earth entry test, the prediction of Jovian and earth radiative heating dominated environments, mission strategy, booster performance and entry vehicle design, and (2) the DoD entry test needs for the 1980's, the use of the space shuttle to meet these DoD test needs, modifications of test procedures as pertaining to the space shuttle, modifications to the space shuttle to accommodate DoD test missions and the unique capabilities of the space shuttle. The major findings of this program are summarized

    Water Use of Asiatic Wild Asses in the Mongolian Gobi

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    Water is a key resource for most large bodied mammals in the world’s arid areas. With the growing human population, access to water for wildlife often becomes compromised. Equids are typical inhabitants of semi-arid to arid rangelands and need regular access to fresh water. However, their water needs are difficult to study under free-ranging conditions. In this study we investigated Asiatic wild ass (Equus hemionus) use of permanent water points in the Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area (SPA) in south-western Mongolia. We combined observational data from one specific water point with high frequency GPS location data from one radio-collared Asiatic wild ass mare. Observations and GPS data revealed that wild asses come to drink during all 24-hours of the day without an apparent diurnal pattern. The majority of wild asses came to the water point alone or in small groups. Other ungulates were largely ignored by wild asses, but the arrival of humans and their transportation devices almost always resulted in flight behavior. The monthly drinking frequency varied from every 1.5 to 2.2 days during the hot and dry season in June and August to every 2.3 to 3.8 days in April, May and September. Longer intervals between successive visits to permanent water points may explain why Asiatic wild asses can make use of pastures further away from water than sympatric Przewalski’s horses (Equus ferus przewalskii). The lack of a clear diurnal pattern suggests that there is no specific time window in which wild ass are particularly vulnerable to disturbances at water points. However the high disturbance potential of humans and their transportation devices makes it desirable to restrict human impact at water points by re-routing transportation routes, or requiring a minimum distance from water for herder camps and wildlife viewing facilities

    Estimating Discharge in Low-Order Rivers With High-Resolution Aerial Imagery

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    Remote sensing of river discharge promises to augment in situ gauging stations, but the majority of research in this field focuses on large rivers (\u3e50 m wide). We present a method for estimating volumetric river discharge in low-order (wide) rivers from remotely sensed data by coupling high-resolution imagery with one-dimensional hydraulic modeling at so-called virtual gauging stations. These locations were identified as locations where the river contracted under low flows, exposing a substantial portion of the river bed. Topography of the exposed river bed was photogrammetrically extracted from high-resolution aerial imagery while the geometry of the remaining inundated portion of the channel was approximated based on adjacent bank topography and maximum depth assumptions. Full channel bathymetry was used to create hydraulic models that encompassed virtual gauging stations. Discharge for each aerial survey was estimated with the hydraulic model by matching modeled and remotely sensed wetted widths. Based on these results, synthetic width-discharge rating curves were produced for each virtual gauging station. In situ observations were used to determine the accuracy of wetted widths extracted from imagery (mean error 0.36 m), extracted bathymetry (mean vertical RMSE 0.23 m), and discharge (mean percent error 7% with a standard deviation of 6%). Sensitivity analyses were conducted to determine the influence of inundated channel bathymetry and roughness parameters on estimated discharge. Comparison of synthetic rating curves produced through sensitivity analyses show that reasonable ranges of parameter values result in mean percent errors in predicted discharges of 12%–27%

    Water Use of Asiatic Wild Asses in the Mongolian Gobi

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    Water is a key resource for most large bodied mammals in the world’s arid areas. With the growing human population, access to water for wildlife often becomes compromised. Equids are typical inhabitants of semi-arid to arid rangelands and need regular access to fresh water. However, their water needs are difficult to study under free-ranging conditions. In this study we investigated Asiatic wild ass (Equus hemionus) use of permanent water points in the Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area (SPA) in south-western Mongolia. We combined observational data from one specific water point with high frequency GPS location data from one radio-collared Asiatic wild ass mare. Observations and GPS data revealed that wild asses come to drink during all 24-hours of the day without an apparent diurnal pattern. The majority of wild asses came to the water point alone or in small groups. Other ungulates were largely ignored by wild asses, but the arrival of humans and their transportation devices almost always resulted in flight behavior. The monthly drinking frequency varied from every 1.5 to 2.2 days during the hot and dry season in June and August to every 2.3 to 3.8 days in April, May and September. Longer intervals between successive visits to permanent water points may explain why Asiatic wild asses can make use of pastures further away from water than sympatric Przewalski’s horses (Equus ferus przewalskii). The lack of a clear diurnal pattern suggests that there is no specific time window in which wild ass are particularly vulnerable to disturbances at water points. However the high disturbance potential of humans and their transportation devices makes it desirable to restrict human impact at water points by re-routing transportation routes, or requiring a minimum distance from water for herder camps and wildlife viewing facilities

    Abnormal Response of Tumor Vasculature to Vasoactive Drugs

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    The effects of the vasoconstrictor, phenylephrine, and the vasodilator, hydralazine, on blood flow to tumor were studied and compared to those on blood flow to normal tissues in vivo. Regional blood flow and cardiac output were measured with the use of radioactive microspheres in 150- to 250 g inbred Harlan F344 rats bearing subcutaneous nodules of two types of transplantable carcinoma ( hard and soft ) with microscopically different vascular patterns. Three groups of rats were treated with hydralazine, saline, or phenylephrine, and regional blood flow was determined at the time of maximum blood pressure response. Results were correlated with quantitative morphometric analysis of arteriolar and capillary wall thickness in tumor and normal tissue. Phenylephrine decreased, and hydralazine increased, normal tissue perfusion as indicated by cardiac output. Tumor blood flow remained low and was not significantly influenced by drug treatment, except for the phenylephrine effect on hard tumors. Histological study of tumor vessel walls revealed· an absence of smooth muscle capable of responding to the vasoactive drugs by constriction or dilation. Evidently, by their selective action on normal vessels, vasoactive drugs can change the ratio of tumor to normal tissue perfusion. In particular, the increase of normal tissue vs. tumor blood flow by vasodilator drugs may enhance the selectivity of local heat therapy

    Negative phase time for Scattering at Quantum Wells: A Microwave Analogy Experiment

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    If a quantum mechanical particle is scattered by a potential well, the wave function of the particle can propagate with negative phase time. Due to the analogy of the Schr\"odinger and the Helmholtz equation this phenomenon is expected to be observable for electromagnetic wave propagation. Experimental data of electromagnetic wells realized by wave guides filled with different dielectrics confirm this conjecture now.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure

    Sodium, renin, aldosterone, catecholamines, and blood pressure in diabetes mellitus

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    Sodium, renin, aldosterone, catecholamines, and blood pressure in diabetes mellitus. Interrelations among plasma renin activity (PRA), aldosterone and Cortisol levels, blood volume, exchangeable sodium, urinary catecholamines, and blood pressure were studied in 35 normal subjects and 60 age-matched non-azotemic patients with diabetes mellitus (60% with hypertension, 15% with orthostatic hypotension). Basal PRA, plasma aldosterone, cortisol, blood volume, plasma potassium, and urinary electrolytes were comparable in diabetic and normal subjects. Diabetic patients, however, had a 10% increase in body sodium (P < 0.01), and 8% of them showed normal postural PRA responses and subnormal aldosterone responses; 22% had subnormal PRA and normal aldosterone responses, and 17% had subnormal responses of PRA and aldosterone. Non-PRA-related aldosterone responses could not be explained by ACTH or electrolytes. Orthostatic decreases in blood pressure correlated (P < 0.01) with both catecholamine excretion and basal PRA. This suggests that in diabetes mellitus, body sodium is increased. Basal PRA and plasma aldosterone are usually normal, but their postural responses are frequently impaired. Absent aldosterone responses, despite normal PRA responsiveness, may reflect an adrenal abnormality or an ineffective form of renin. Marked postural aldosterone stimulation, unrelated to PRA, ACTH, or electrolytes, points to a potent unknown factor in aldosterone control. Low levels of free peripheral catecholamines and PRA may be complementary factors contributing to postural hypotension.Sodium, rénine, aldostérone, catécholamines et pression artérielle dans le diabèté sucré. Les inter-relations entre l'activité rénine plasmatique (PRA), les concentrations d'aldostérone et de cortisol, le volume sanguin, le sodium échangeable, les catécholamines urinaires et la pression artérielle ont été étudiées chez 35 sujets normaux et 60 malades atteints de diabété, sans insuffisance rénale et dont les âges étaient appariés (60% avaient une hypertension et 15% une hypotension orthostatique). La PRA de base, l'aldostérone et le Cortisol plasmatiques, le volume sanguin, le potassium plasmatique et les électrolytes urinaires étaient comparables chez les diabétiques et les sujets normaux. Les malades diabétiques, cependant, ont une augmentation de 10% de leur sodium corporel (P < 0,01). Huit pour cent d'entre eux ont une réponse posturale de PRA normale et une réponse de l'aldostérone inférieure à la normale, 22% ont une réponse de PRA inférieure à la normale et une reponse de l'aldosterone normale, et 17% ont des réponses de PRA et de l'aldostérone inférieures à la normale. Les réponses de l'aldostérone sans rapport avec PRA ne peuvent pas être expliquées par l'ACTH ou les électrolytes. Les diminutions de la pression artérielle liées à l'orthostatisme sont correlées (P < 0,01) à la fois avec l'excrétion de catécholamines et la PRA de base. Ceci suggére qu'au cours du diabéte le sodium corporel est augmenté. La PRA et l'aldosterone de base sont souvent normales mais leur réponse posturale est souvent modifiée. L'absence de réponse de l'aldosterone malgré une réponse normale de PRA peut traduire une anomalie surrénale ou une forme de rénine inefficace. Une stimulation posturale importante de l'aldostérone non expliquée par la PRA, l'ACTH ou les électrolytes oriente vers un facteur inconnu mais puissant du contrôle de la sécrétion d'aldostérone. Des concentrations basses de catécholamines libres et une PRA basse peuvent être des facteurs complémentaires qui participent à l'hypotension posturale

    Accuracy of prospective two-dimensional/Doppler echocardiography in the assessment of reparative surgery

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    Between January 1987 and January 1989, all 129 patients (aged 11 days to 25 years, median 39 months) undergoing both an echocardiographic examination and cardiac catheterization after reparative surgery were prospectively included in a study to assess the accuracy of combined two-dimensional and Doppler color flow imaging. The patient diagnoses were transposition of the great arteries (n = 20), tetralogy of Fallot (n = 38), coarctation of the aorta (n = 24), complete atrioventricular (AV) canal (n = 15), atrial septal defect (n = 8), ventricular septal defects (n = 3), pulmonary stenosis (n = 4), aortic stenosis (n = 8) and subaortic stenosis (n = 9).In arterial tract stenosis, there was high correlation between Doppler estimates and catheterization-derived measurements of residual right ventricular outflow tract obstruction in patients after the arterial switch operation for transposition of the great arteries (r = 0.95) as well as in patients after corrective repair of tetralogy of Fallot (r = 0.84).In semilunar/AV valve regurgitation, graded as none, mild, moderate or severe, echocardiographic estimates correlated exactly with angiographic grading in 84% and differed by one angiographic grade in the other 16%.In residual left to right shunting, no hemodynamically significant shunt was missed by echocardiography. For residual shunts at the ventricular level (n = 32), addition of Doppler color flow imaging improved the sensitivity (from 63% to 94%) and the negative predictive value (from 88% to 98%).In elevated right ventricular pressure, Doppler-derived right ventricular-right atrial pressure estimates in 24 patients correlated well with catheterization measurements (r = 0.93).Combined two-dimensional and Doppler color flow echocardiography was highly accurate in the prospective evaluation of these four types of postoperative residua
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