Dynamic storage expansion in NASTRAN

Some functions of NASTRAN require a large block of working computer storage to execute. The method of meeting this requirement, because of insufficient data, was to specify in advance an excessive amount of data to avoid a fatal exit. A method was developed to calculate the amount of working space needed for the analysis and to inform the analyst of this data or, in the case of Univac computers, to acquire this extra storage and continue the analysis

The Radiation Environment near the Earth

Radiation environment of earth - particle radiatio

A geometry package for generation of input data for a three-dimensional potential-flow program

The preparation of geometric data for input to three-dimensional potential flow programs was automated and simplified by a geometry package incorporated into the NASA Langley version of the 3-D lifting potential flow program. Input to the computer program for the geometry package consists of a very sparse set of coordinate data, often with an order of magnitude of fewer points than required for the actual potential flow calculations. Isolated components, such as wings, fuselages, etc. are paneled automatically, using one of several possible element distribution algorithms. Curves of intersection between components are calculated, using a hybrid curve-fit/surface-fit approach. Intersecting components are repaneled so that adjacent elements on either side of the intersection curves line up in a satisfactory manner for the potential-flow calculations. Many cases may be run completely (from input, through the geometry package, and through the flow calculations) without interruption. Use of the package significantly reduces the time and expense involved in making three-dimensional potential flow calculations

Contour surveying system Patent

Describing device for surveying contour of surface using X-Y plotter and traveling transduce

Turbojet blade vibration data acquisition design and feasibility testing

A turbojet blade vibration data acquisition system was designed to allow the measurement of blade vibration. The data acquisition system utilizing 96 microprocessors to gather data from optical probes, store, sort and transmit to the central computer is described. Areas of high technical risk were identified and a two-microprocessor system was breadboarded and tested to investigate these areas. Results show that the system was feasible and that low technical risk would be involved in proceeding with the complete system fabrication

Cohabitation: Function and Dysfunction

Current research on cohabitation has focused on the negative aspects of the cohabiting experience. After examining the type of people drawn to cohabitation as well as the perceived disadvantages of the cohabiting experience, this study has focused on the reasons couples continue to choose cohabitation. The recent departure from marriage to cohabitation by adults in mainstream America is in part due to societal changes. Cohabitation is seen by many as a means to testing out a relationship before making the union official. Women today are continuing their education for many years and are thus postponing marriage. Cohabitation has presented itself as a viable option for those who desire intimacy without lifelong commitment. Cohabitation is attractive to others who desire to depart from the man \u27s authority that marriage places over the woman. Either way, cohabitation may serve as a way to limit the spread of HIV and STD \u27s by limiting individual\u27s sexual partners

A Digital Asset Management Philosophy

Librarian Adam Hess offers good advice for budding DAM managers: Forget what you see and form your own vision for digital asset management. Part of the “Librarian Tips for DAM Managers” article series from DAM Guru Program

Jupiter's radiation belts: Can Pioneer 10 survive?

Model calculations of Jupiter's electron and proton radiation belts indicate that the Galilean satellites can reduce particle fluxes in certain regions of the inner magnetosphere by as much as six orders of magnitude. Average fluxes should be reduced by a factor of 100 or more along the Pioneer 10 trajectory through the heart of Jupiter's radiation belts in early December. This may be enough to prevent serious radiation damage to the spacecraft

Combined Chondroitinase and KLF7 Expression Reduce Net Retraction of Sensory and CST Axons from Sites of Spinal Injury

Axon regeneration in the central nervous system is limited both by inhibitory extracellular cues and by an intrinsically low capacity for axon growth in some CNS populations. Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) are well-studied inhibitors of axon growth in the CNS, and degradation of CSPGs by chondroitinase has been shown to improve the extension of injured axons. Alternatively, axon growth can be improved by targeting the neuron-intrinsic growth capacity through forced expression of regeneration-associated transcription factors. For example, a transcriptionally active chimera of Krüppel-like Factor 7 (KLF7) and a VP16 domain improves axon growth when expressed in corticospinal tract neurons. Here we tested the hypothesis that combined expression of chondroitinase and VP16-KLF7 would lead to further improvements in axon growth after spinal injury. Chondroitinase was expressed by viral transduction of cells in the spinal cord, while VP16-KLF7 was virally expressed in sensory neurons of the dorsal root ganglia or corticospinal tract (CST) neurons. After transection of the dorsal columns, both chondroitinase and VP16-KLF7 increased the proximity of severed sensory axons to the injury site. Similarly, after complete crush injuries, VP16-KLF7 expression increased the approach of CST axons to the injury site. In neither paradigm however, did single or combined treatment with chondroitinase or VP16-KLF7 enable regenerative growth distal to the injury. These results substantiate a role for CSPG inhibition and low KLF7 activity in determining the net retraction of axons from sites of spinal injury, while suggesting that additional factors act to limit a full regenerative response

The Lower Ninth Ward, New Orleans: vestiges of a neighborhood

The Lower Ninth Ward, New Orleans: Vestiges of a Neighborhood is a photo-documentary of the remnants of one of America’s most unique and culturally distinct neighborhoods. Three years after Hurricane Katrina devastated this neighborhood, it lies in ruin, slowly returning to nature. All that remains of the community that once occupied the Lower Ninth are the dilapidated buildings, the crumbling homes, and the small possessions left behind. For the past three years I have explored the Lower Ninth Ward, discovering the remains of a community rich in tradition, family, and religion. Through the use of black and white photographs and the panoramic format, the tragic landscape and the broken architecture come together to give a greater perspective of the fragile state of the neighborhood. In this past year I have created a portrait of this neighborhood, to serve as a memorial to the loss of the Lower Ninth Ward community and as a means of preserving what is left