Low Temperature Physics

Contains a report on a research project

Low Temperature Physics

Contains reports on one research project

An estuarine box model of freshwater delivery to the coastal ocean for use in climate models

Present day climate models employ a coarse horizontal grid that is unable to fully resolve estuaries or continental shelves. The importation of fresh water from rivers is critical to the state of deep ocean stratification, but currently the processing of that fresh water as it passes from the river through the estuary and adjacent shelf is not represented in the coastal boundary conditions of climate models. An efficient way to represent this input of fresh water to the deep ocean would be to treat the estuary and shelf domains as two coupled box models with river water input to the estuarine box and mixed fresh water and coastal water output from the shelf box to the deep ocean.We develop and test the estuary box model here. The potential energy anomaly ϕ is found from the five competing rates of change induced by freshwater inflow, mixed water outflow to the shelf, tidal mixing, surface heat flux, and wind-induced mixing. When application of the box model is made to the Delaware estuary, the wind mixing term contributes little. A 15-year time series of ϕ compares surprisingly well with the calculations of a three-dimensional numerical model applied to the Delaware estuary. The results encourage the future development of a shelf box model as the next step in constructing needed boundary conditions for input of fresh water to the deep ocean component of coupled climate models

Cold-air investigation of a 4 1/2 stage turbine with stage-loading factor of 4.66 and high specific work output. 2: Stage group performance

The stage group performance of a 4 1/2 stage turbine with an average stage loading factor of 4.66 and high specific work output was determined in cold air at design equivalent speed. The four stage turbine configuration produced design equivalent work output with an efficiency of 0.856; a barely discernible difference from the 0.855 obtained for the complete 4 1/2 stage turbine in a previous investigation. The turbine was designed and the procedure embodied the following design features: (1) controlled vortex flow, (2) tailored radial work distribution, and (3) control of the location of the boundary-layer transition point on the airfoil suction surface. The efficiency forecast for the 4 1/2 stage turbine was 0.886, and the value predicted using a reference method was 0.862. The stage group performance results were used to determine the individual stage efficiencies for the condition at which design 4 1/2 stage work output was obtained. The efficiencies of stages one and four were about 0.020 lower than the predicted value, that of stage two was 0.014 lower, and that of stage three was about equal to the predicted value. Thus all the stages operated reasonably close to their expected performance levels, and the overall (4 1/2 stage) performance was not degraded by any particularly inefficient component

Design and cold-air test of single-stage uncooled turbine with high work output

A solid version of a 50.8 cm single stage core turbine designed for high temperature was tested in cold air over a range of speed and pressure ratio. Design equivalent specific work was 76.84 J/g at an engine turbine tip speed of 579.1 m/sec. At design speed and pressure ratio, the total efficiency of the turbine was 88.6 percent, which is 0.6 point lower than the design value of 89.2 percent. The corresponding mass flow was 4.0 percent greater than design

Cold air investigation of 4 1/2-stage turbine with stage loading factor of 4.66 and high specific work output. 1: Overall performance

The turbine developed design specific work output at design speed at a total pressure ratio of 6.745 with a corresponding efficiency of 0.855. The efficiency (0.855)was 3.1 points lower than the estimated efficiency quoted by the contractor in the design report and 0.7 of a point lower than that determined by a reference prediction method. The performance of the turbine, which was a forced vortex design, agreed with the performance determined by the prediction method to about the same extent as did the performance of three reference high stage loading factor turbines, which were free vortex designs

Low Temperature Physics

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Solid State Physics

Contains research objectives

Reference Standards for Body Fat Measure Using GE Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry in Caucasian Adults

Background Dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is an established technique for the measurement of body composition. Reference values for these variables, particularly those related to fat mass, are necessary for interpretation and accurate classification of those at risk for obesityrelated health complications and in need of lifestyle modifications (diet, physical activity, etc.). Currently, there are no reference values available for GE-Healthcare DXA systems and it is known that whole-body and regional fat mass measures differ by DXA manufacturer. Objective To develop reference values by age and sex for DXA-derived fat mass measurements with GE-Healthcare systems. Methods A de-identified sample of 3,327 participants (2,076 women, 1,251 men) was obtained from Ball State University\u27s Clinical Exercise Physiology Laboratory and University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee\u27s Physical Activity & Health Research Laboratory. All scans were completed using a GE Lunar Prodigy or iDXA and data reported included percent body fat (%BF), fat mass index (FMI), and ratios of android-to-gynoid (A/G), trunk/limb, and trunk/leg fat measurements. Percentiles were calculated and a factorial ANOVA was used to determine differences in the mean values for each variable between age and sex. Results Normative reference values for fat mass variables from DXA measurements obtained from GE-Healthcare DXA systems are presented as percentiles for both women and men in 10- year age groups. Women had higher (p\u3c0.01) mean %BF and FMI than men, whereas men had higher (p\u3c0.01) mean ratios of A/G, trunk/limb, and trunk/leg fat measurements than women

Near-Infrared Imaging Polarimetry of Young Stellar Objects in rho-Ophiuchi

The results of a near-infrared (J H K LP) imaging linear polarimetry survey of 20 young stellar objects (YSOs) in rho Ophiuchi are presented. The majority of the sources are unresolved, with K-band polarizations, P_K < 6 per cent. Several objects are associated with extended reflection nebulae. These objects have centrosymmetric vector patterns with polarization discs over their cores; maximum polarizations of P_K > 20 per cent are seen over their envelopes. Correlations are observed between the degree of core polarization and the evolutionary status inferred from the spectral energy distribution. K-band core polarizations >6 per cent are only observed in Class I YSOs. A 3D Monte Carlo model with oblate grains aligned with a magnetic field is used to investigate the flux distributions and polarization structures of three of the rho Oph YSOs with extended nebulae. A rho proportional to r^(-1.5) power law for the density is applied throughout the envelopes. The large-scale centrosymmetric polarization structures are due to scattering. However, the polarization structure in the bright core of the nebula appears to require dichroic extinction by aligned non-spherical dust grains. The position angle indicates a toroidal magnetic field in the inner part of the envelope. Since the measured polarizations attributed to dichroic extinction are usually <10 per cent, the grains must either be nearly spherical or very weakly aligned. The higher polarizations observed in the outer parts of the reflection nebulae require that the dust grains responsible for scattering have maximum grain sizes <=1.05 microns.Comment: 26 pages. Accepted by MNRAS. Available as online early versio