Method of and apparatus for double-exposure holographic interferometry

Double-exposure holographic interferometry is carried out using first and second lasers responsive to respective applied firing signals for producing respective pulsed output beams. An optical system is provided oriented such that the output beams of the lasers produce coinciding scene and reference beams. An initiator circuit generates and applies a firing signal to the first laser; and a timer/firing device responsive to the generation of a firing signal by the initiator circuit, generates and applies a firing signal to the second laser a predetermined period of time later

Technology update: Tethered aerostat structural design and material developments

Requirements exist for an extremely stable, high performance, all-weather tethered aerostat system. This requirement has been satisfied by a 250,000 cubic foot captive buoyant vehicle as demonstrated by over a year of successful field operations. This achievement required significant advancements in several technology areas including composite materials design, aerostatics and aerodynamics, structural design, electro-mechanical design, vehicle fabrication and mooring operations. This paper specifically addresses the materials and structural design aspects of pressurized buoyant vehicles as related to the general class of Lighter Than Air vehicles

A reference standard for bidirectional reflection distribution function and bidirectional transmission distribution function measurement

A Lambertian reference standard for uniformly scattering a beam of light is constructed of a plate having a planar surface with a layer of glue disposed on the surface. An evenly packed layer of monodisperse spheres is set in the layer, and when the standard is used for bi-directional (BRDF) measurements, the spheres are coated with a layer of highly relective substance, such as gold or silver. When the standard is used for bi-directional transmittance distribution function (BTDF) measurements, the spheres are of a transparent material and are provided with a roughened surface, as by acid etching. In this case, the layer of glue is an optical cement, and the plate is of glass, with the spheres, the layer, and the plate all possessing a similar refractive index

Dual laser optical system and method for studying fluid flow

A dual laser optical system and method is disclosed for visualization of phenomena in transport substances which induce refractive index gradients such as fluid flow and pressure and temperature gradients in fluids and gases. Two images representing mutually perpendicular components of refractive index gradients may be viewed simultaneously on screen. Two lasers having wave lengths in the visible range but separated by about 1000 angstroms are utilized to provide beams which are collimated into a beam containing components of the different wave lengths. The collimated beam is passed through a test volume of the transparent substance. The collimated beam is then separated into components of the different wave lengths and focused onto a pair of knife edges arranged mutually perpendicular to produce and project images onto the screen

Non-contact temperature measurement requirements

The Marshall Space Flight Center is involved with levitation experiments for Spacelab, Space Station, and drop tube/tower operations. These experiments have temperature measurement requirements, that of course must be non-contact in nature. The experiment modules involved are the Acoustic Levitator Furnace (ALF), and the Modular Electromagnetic Levitator (MEL). User requirements of the ALF and drop tube are presented. The center also has temperature measurement needs that are not microgravity experiment oriented, but rather are related to the propulsion system for the STS. This requirement will also be discussed

Bradykinin: vasomotor tone and endogenous fibrinolysis in man

Bradykinin is a nonapetide released into plasma during the contact phase of blood coagulation. It has a wide variety of physiological effects including vasodilatation, tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) release, inflammatory mediator, ischaemic preconditioning and vasculogenesis. It is inactivated in plasma by angiotensinconverting enzyme (ACE). Inhibition of this enzyme has been shown to be beneficial in a variety of cardiovascular disorders including heart failure and hypertension, and it is clear that this benefit is not due entirely to reduction in the bioavailability of angiotensin II. We hypothesised that• bradykinin is a vasodilator and stimulates endothelial t-PA release via a specific receptor and that this effect is augmented by ACE inhibition• in patients with heart failure, bradykinin contributes to peripheral and systemic vascular tone during treatment with ACE inhibition.Forearm blood flow was measured using bilateral forearm plethysmography during intrabrachial drug infusion. Bilateral venous cannulae were inserted to perform blood sampling for estimation of plasma t-PA and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI1) concentrations. Cardiac output was measured with pulmonary artery catheterisation. The novel peptide bradykinin receptor antagonist, B9340, was used to oppose the effects of bradykinin.Studies were performed in healthy volunteers• to demonstrate the pharmacodynamics of B9340 and to demonstrate the selectivity of B9340 in opposing bradykinin-induced t-PA release.• to demonstrate the safety and tolerability of systemic intravenous B9340 administration.Studies were performed in patients with heart failure• to demonstrate the effect of ACE inhibition on endothelial t-PA release.• to demonstrate the effect of bradykinin antagonism on peripheral and systemic vascular tone in patients treated with ACE inhibition and angiotensin receptor blockade.RESULTS In healthy volunteers• Bradykinin and substance P caused dose-dependent vasodilatation in the infused forearm (p<0.001). B9340 caused a dose-dependent inhibition of bradykinin-induced forearm vasodilatation and t-PA release (p<0.001) without affecting substance P-induced vasodilatation or t-PA release (p=NS). B9340 caused a reversible inhibition of bradykinin-induced vasodilatation (p<0.001) with a rapid onset and offset of action. Intravenous systemic B9340 administration inhibited the local bradykinin-induced forearm vasodilatation in a dose-dependent mannerIn patients with heart failure• bradykinin and substance P caused dose-dependent vasodilatation and release of t-PA from the infused forearm (p<0.05). Long-term ACE inhibitor therapy caused an increase in forearm vasodilatation (p<0.05) and t-PA release (p<0.001) during bradykinin, but not substance P, infusion.• incremental doses of B9340 caused a dose-dependent reduction in forearm blood flow (p<0.01). After withdrawal of ACE inhibitor therapy, B9340 produced no significant change in forearm blood flow.• systemic intravenous B9340 administration resulted in greater mean arterial pressure, systemic vascular resistance, pulmonary arterial wedge pressure, and mean pulmonary arterial pressure during ACE inhibitor therapy compared with losartan therapy (p<0.005, p<0.07, p<0.0001, and p<0.05 respectively) or placebo infusion (p<0.005 for all).We have shown that bradykinin is a potent vasodilator that stimulates endogenous t-PA release and that these effects are receptor specific and can be blocked by a bradykinin receptor antagonist. We have also shown that bradykinin does not contribute to peripheral or systemic vascular tone in health but does contribute to peripheral and systemic vascular tone in patients with heart failure treated with chronic ACE inhibition. We believe this suggests that many of the beneficial actions of ACE inhibition are mediated through bradykinin

Management Of A Patient With Bronchiectasis Using Pulmonary Rehabilitation And Balance Training: A Case Report

Bronchiectasis is a chronic lung disease defined by permanent abnormal dilation of the bronchi. Bronchiectasis often includes airway infection and inflammation. Pulmonary rehabilitation including progressive gait training, stair climbing, and cycling is a standard guideline for the treatment of bronchiectasis symptoms and for symptoms of other chronic lung diseases. Little research has been conducted on the effectiveness of pulmonary rehabilitation for patients with bronchiectasis. The purpose of this case report is to examine physical therapy (PT) management, utilizing pulmonary rehabilitation with incorporated balance training, for a geriatric patient with bronchiectasis.https://dune.une.edu/pt_studcrposter/1106/thumbnail.jp

The enigmatic founder : liberalism, republicanism and the thought of James Madison

In the twentieth century the debate over the ideological origins of the founding period and early republic has resulted in a polarization of historical interpretations. Recently, the conflict has centered on historians who use either the liberal or classical republican paradigms to explain these eras. Scholars of the founding period have argued for the dominance of one political ideology or the other in the thought of important figures of this time. Unfortunately, this struggle has led to a narrow interpretation of arguably the greatest thinker in American History, James Madison. To the contrary, I hold Madison\u27s thought was influenced by both liberal and classical republican ideas, and in this thesis I explore that interpretation

Who We Are and How We Vote: Individual Difference Factors in Politics

The current research focuses on the relationships between individual differences and political preferences, particularly conservatism as measured by the Social and Economic Conservatism Scale (Everett, 2013). I conducted a survey using the crowdsourcing platform Mechanical Turk that assessed individuals in terms of demographics, the Big Five Aspect Scales, Moral Foundations, Social Dominance Orientation, Right Wing Authoritarianism, and opinions about the 2016 presidential candidates (Hillary Clinton & Donald Trump). Through hierarchical multiple regression, I was able to find correlations among openness to experience (-) and conscientiousness (+) with conservatism in terms of the Big Five. I found that binding moral foundations (authority/respect, ingroup/loyalty, purity/sanctity) predicted conservatism, while individualizing moral foundations (harm/care, fairness/reciprocity) were negatively correlated. RWA and SDO were among the strongest predictors of conservatism. Finally, positive perceptions of Donald Trump predicted conservatism at the end of the HMR. Overall, a detailed profile of conservative individuals emerged, allowing a glimpse into the fundamental differences between conservatives and liberals

Kate Chopin\u27s Contribution to Realism and Naturalism: Reconsiderations of W. D. Howells, Maupassant, and Flaubert.

No one has previously undertaken a detailed examination of Kate Chopin\u27s documented intertextuality with writers such as W. D. Howells, Hamlin Garland, Maupassant, and Flaubert. My purpose is to examine Chopin\u27s works in the context of writers with whom she interacts and so to reveal her impact on the development of literary realism and naturalism. My study reveals that, though her mature writing eliminates sentimentalism, she never abandons romance elements residual from her youth. Her typically subjective narrator removes narrative authority, intensifies our involvement with characters, and validates the marginalized voice. Darwin and the philosophers temper her Catholicism, yet she maintains a sense of the divine and perennial nature of the force of love. Her acknowledgement of the influence of other writers reveals her sense of continuity as a means of understanding our selves. In Chopin\u27s first novel, At Fault, she borrows a subplot of Howells\u27s A Modern Instance to respond to the idealism Howells inveighs against even as his novel upholds it. From Howells\u27s perspective, love as the basis for action is illusory and ideal. Chopin, understanding love as inherently human rather than as an ideal or abstract concept, critiques Howells\u27s notion that, lacking love, the ideal of marriage should be upheld. Appreciating Maupassant\u27s freedom of expression, Chopin departed from American models and responded instead to his stories. Richard Fusco reveals in detail how Chopin emulated Maupassant\u27s structures. Within those structures, she more efficiently expresses the force of love in her stories. We can use Fusco\u27s schema to examine Chopin\u27s conscious dialogic engagement as she focuses not on Maupassant\u27s larger concerns with an uncaring bourgeoisie, but on narrower concerns, typically within the female consciousness. Chopin finally returns to the novel form with The Awakening, a reconsideration of Flaubert\u27s Madame Bovary. Emma Bovary experiences no awakening, retaining romantic misconceptions. Edna awakens to the need to escape temporal limitations. Chopin pleads for the romantic vision and the necessity of understanding one\u27s inner reality. Under the influence of these writers, Chopin demonstrates continuity, forms a link between French and American realism and naturalism, and contributes to the movement toward soft naturalism