7,131 research outputs found
An alternate method for achieving temperature control in the -130 C to 75 C range
Thermal vacuum testing often requires temperature control of chamber shrouds and heat exchangers within the -130 C to 75 C range. There are two conventional methods which are normally employed to achieve control through this intermediate temperature range: (1) single-pass flow where control is achieved by alternately pulsing hot gaseous nitrogen (GN2) and cold LN2 into the feed line to yield the setpoint temperature; and (2) closed-loop circulation where control is achieved by either electrically heating or LN2 cooling the circulating GN2 to yield the setpoint temperature. A third method, using a mass flow ratio controller along with modulating control valves on GN2 and LN2 lines, provides excellent control but equipment for this method is expensive and cost-prohibitive for all but long-term continuous processes. The single-pass method provides marginal control and can result in unexpected overcooling of the test article from even a short pulse of LN2. The closed-loop circulation method provides excellent control but requires an expensive blower capable of operating at elevated pressures and cryogenic temperatures. Where precise control is needed (plus or minus 2 C), single-pass flow systems typically have not provided the precision required, primarily because of overcooling temperature excursions. Where several individual circuits are to be controlled at different temperatures, the use of expensive cryogenic blowers for each circuit is also cost-prohibitive, especially for short duration of one-of-a-kind tests. At JPL, a variant of the single-pass method was developed that was shown to provide precise temperature control in the -130 C to 75 C range while exhibiting minimal setpoint overshoot during temperature transitions. This alternate method uses a commercially available temperature controller along with a GN2/LN2 mixer to dampen the amplitude of cold temperature spikes caused by LN2 pulsing. The design of the GN2/LN2 mixer, the overall control system configuration, the operational procedure, and the prototype system test results are described
Sabbatical Information Session
Join Provost Mark Anderson and Associate Provost Nancy Matchett for a review of the sabbatical application process and expectations for applications as well as a Q&A session
Local interaction Strategies and Capacity for Better Care in Nursing Homes: A Multiple Case Study
To describe relationship patterns and management practices in nursing homes (NHs) that facilitate or pose barriers to better outcomes for residents and staff. Methods: We conducted comparative, multiple-case studies in selected NHs (N = 4). Data were collected over six months from managers and staff (N = 406), using direct observations, interviews, and document reviews. Manifest content analysis was used to identify and explore patterns within and between cases. Results: Participants described interaction strategies that they explained could either degrade or enhance their capacity to achieve better outcomes for residents; people in all job categories used these 'local interaction strategies'. We categorized these two sets of local interaction strategies as the 'common pattern' and the 'positive pattern' and summarize the results in two models of local interaction. Conclusions: The findings suggest the hypothesis that when staff members in NHs use the set of positive local interaction strategies, they promote inter-connections, information exchange, and diversity of cognitive schema in problem solving that, in turn, create the capacity for delivering better resident care. We propose that these positive local interaction strategies are a critical driver of care quality in NHs. Our hypothesis implies that, while staffing levels and skill mix are important factors for care quality, improvement would be difficult to achieve if staff members are not engaged with each other in these ways.National Institutes of Health 2 R01NR003178-04A2Claude A. Pepper Older American's Independence Center AG-11268Paul A. Beeson Award NIA AG024787VA Health Services Research and Development EDU 08-417John A. Hartford Building Academic Geriatric Nursing Claire M. Fagin FellowshipBusiness Administratio
Variable-Structure Control of a Model Glider Airplane
A variable-structure control system designed to enable a fuselage-heavy airplane to recover from spin has been demonstrated in a hand-launched, instrumented model glider airplane. Variable-structure control is a high-speed switching feedback control technique that has been developed for control of nonlinear dynamic systems
The Arches Cluster: Extended Structure and Tidal Radius
At a projected distance of ~26 pc from Sgr A*, the Arches cluster provides
insight to star formation in the extreme Galactic Center (GC) environment.
Despite its importance, many key properties such as the cluster's internal
structure and orbital history are not well known. We present an astrometric and
photometric study of the outer region of the Arches cluster (R > 6.25") using
HST WFC3IR. Using proper motions we calculate membership probabilities for
stars down to F153M = 20 mag (~2.5 M_sun) over a 120" x 120" field of view, an
area 144 times larger than previous astrometric studies of the cluster. We
construct the radial profile of the Arches to a radius of 75" (~3 pc at 8 kpc),
which can be well described by a single power law. From this profile we place a
3-sigma lower limit of 2.8 pc on the observed tidal radius, which is larger
than the predicted tidal radius (1 - 2.5 pc). Evidence of mass segregation is
observed throughout the cluster and no tidal tail structures are apparent along
the orbital path. The absence of breaks in the profile suggests that the Arches
has not likely experienced its closest approach to the GC between ~0.2 - 1 Myr
ago. If accurate, this constraint indicates that the cluster is on a prograde
orbit and is located front of the sky plane that intersects Sgr A*. However,
further simulations of clusters in the GC potential are required to interpret
the observed profile with more confidence.Comment: 24 pages (17-page main text, 7-page appendix), 24 figures, accepted
to Ap
A new approach for performing contamination control bakeouts in JPL thermal vacuum test chambers
Contamination control requirements for the Wide Field/Planetary Camera II (WF/PC II) are necessarily stringent to protect against post-launch contamination of the sensitive optical surfaces, particularly the cold charge coupled device (CCD) imaging surfaces. Typically, thermal vacuum test chambers have employed a liquid nitrogen (LN2) cold trap to collect outgassed contaminants. This approach has the disadvantage of risking recontamination of the test article from shroud offgassing during post-test warmup of the chamber or from any shroud warming of even a few degrees during the bakeout process. By using an enclave, essentially a chamber within a chamber, configured concentrically and internally within an LN2 shroud, a method was developed, based on a design concept by Taylor, for preventing recontamination of test articles during bakeouts and subsequent post-test warmup of the vacuum chamber. Enclaves for testing WF/PC II components were designed and fabricated, then installed in three of JPL's Environmental Test Lab chambers. The design concepts, operating procedures, and test results of this development are discussed
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