Energy Conversion Alternatives Study (ECAS), phase 2. Integrated coal gasifier/molten carbonate fuel cell powerplant conceptual design and implementation assessment

For abstract, see N77-26631

An improved analytical model of the separation region on boattail nozzles at subsonic speeds

A practical engineering calculation was developed to model the viscous effects of a separated, reverse flow region on afterbody pressures and drag. This viscous calculation was iteratively coupled with an inviscid flow calculation by means of an aerodynamic interface. A standard boundary layer displacement thickness was used to modify the afterbody shape where the flow was attached. A discriminating streamline calculation was developed to account for displacement effects of the reverse flow in separated regions with and without a flowing jet. The viscous flow calculation was coupled with a potential flow calculation. The analysis accurately predicted afterbody pressures and drag with variations in Reynolds number, Mach number, and afterbody shape

Bino Dark Matter and Big Bang Nucleosynthesis in the Constrained E6SSM with Massless Inert Singlinos

We discuss a new variant of the E6 inspired supersymmetric standard model (E6SSM) in which the two inert singlinos are exactly massless and the dark matter candidate has a dominant bino component. A successful relic density is achieved via a novel mechanism in which the bino scatters inelastically into heavier inert Higgsinos during the time of thermal freeze-out. The two massless inert singlinos contribute to the effective number of neutrino species at the time of Big Bang Nucleosynthesis, where the precise contribution depends on the mass of the Z' which keeps them in equilibrium. For example for mZ' > 1300 GeV we find Neff \approx 3.2, where the smallness of the additional contribution is due to entropy dilution. We study a few benchmark points in the constrained E6SSM with massless inert singlinos to illustrate this new scenario.Comment: 24 pages, revised for publication in JHE

Nonflammable, antistatic, and heat-sealable film

Antistatic, heat-sealable, nonflammable films prepared from polyvinylidene fluoride and polyvinylidene chloride resin

Biochemical and metabolic effects of a six- month exposure of small animals to a helium- oxygen atmosphere

Biochemical and metabolic effects of exposure of mice to helium-oxygen atmospher

A perpetual switching system in pulmonary capillaries

Of the 300 billion capillaries in the human lung, a small fraction meet normal oxygen requirements at rest, with the remainder forming a large reserve. The maximum oxygen demands of the acute stress response require that the reserve capillaries are rapidly recruited. To remain primed for emergencies, the normal cardiac output must be parceled throughout the capillary bed to maintain low opening pressures. The flow-distributing system requires complex switching. Because the pulmonary microcirculation contains contractile machinery, one hypothesis posits an active switching system. The opposing hypothesis is based on passive switching that requires no regulation. Both hypotheses were tested ex vivo in canine lung lobes. The lobes were perfused first with autologous blood, and capillary switching patterns were recorded by videomicroscopy. Next, the vasculature of the lobes was saline flushed, fixed by glutaraldehyde perfusion, flushed again, and then reperfused with the original, unfixed blood. Flow patterns through the same capillaries were recorded again. The 16-min-long videos were divided into 4-s increments. Each capillary segment was recorded as being perfused if at least one red blood cell crossed the entire segment. Otherwise it was recorded as unperfused. These binary measurements were made manually for each segment during every 4 s throughout the 16-min recordings of the fresh and fixed capillaries (>60,000 measurements). Unexpectedly, the switching patterns did not change after fixation. We conclude that the pulmonary capillaries can remain primed for emergencies without requiring regulation: no detectors, no feedback loops, and no effectors-a rare system in biology. NEW & NOTEWORTHY The fluctuating flow patterns of red blood cells within the pulmonary capillary networks have been assumed to be actively controlled within the pulmonary microcirculation. Here we show that the capillary flow switching patterns in the same network are the same whether the lungs are fresh or fixed. This unexpected observation can be successfully explained by a new model of pulmonary capillary flow based on chaos theory and fractal mathematics

Coupled-barrier diffusion: the case of oxygen in silicon

Oxygen migration in silicon corresponds to an apparently simple jump between neighboring bridge sites. Yet, extensive theoretical calculations have so far produced conflicting results and have failed to provide a satisfactory account of the observed $2.5$ eV activation energy. We report a comprehensive set of first-principles calculations that demonstrate that the seemingly simple oxygen jump is actually a complex process involving coupled barriers and can be properly described quantitatively in terms of an energy hypersurface with a ``saddle ridge'' and an activation energy of $\sim 2.5$ eV. Earlier calculations correspond to different points or lines on this hypersurface.Comment: 4 Figures available upon request. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Let

Under-representation of males in the early years: the challenges leaders face

This article investigates why there appears to be an under-representation of males in comparison to their female colleagues in the Early Years (EY) sector, and the perception of male teachers progressing more quickly to leadership positions when they do enter this context. Using case studies of final year male students on an Initial Teacher Training (ITT) undergraduate degree course at one university, we attempt to analyse data on male under-representation in Early Years against contemporary theories of identity, power and leadership. Questionnaires and interviews were conducted with the male sample group and male senior leaders in primary schools to gain an overview as to the leadership support they needed and provided. Our tentative findings suggested that male trainees are happy to work in an Early Years context and take leadership positions, but the challenge for leaders is that male trainees require strong leadership mentoring processes to help overcome perceived contextual barriers

A Versatile Lifting Device for Lunar Surface Payload Handling, Inspection and Regolith Transport Operations

Devices for lifting and transporting payloads and material are critical for efficient Earth-based construction operations. Devices with similar functionality will be needed to support lunar-outpost construction, servicing, inspection, regolith excavation, grading and payload placement. Past studies have proposed that only a few carefully selected devices are required for a lunar outpost. One particular set of operations involves lifting and manipulating payloads in the 100 kg to 3,000 kg range, which are too large or massive to be handled by unassisted astronauts. This paper will review historical devices used for payload handling in space and on earth to derive a set of desirable features for a device that can be used on planetary surfaces. Next, an innovative concept for a lifting device is introduced, which includes many of the desirable features. The versatility of the device is discussed, including its application to lander unloading, servicing, inspection, regolith excavation and site preparation. Approximate rules, which can be used to size the device for specific payload mass and reach requirements, are provided. Finally, details of a test-bed implementation of the innovative concept, which will be used to validate the structural design and develop operational procedures, is provided

The characteristics of suicides within a week of discharge after psychiatric hospitalisation – a nationwide register study

BACKGROUND: The characteristics of victims of immediate post-discharge suicides are not well known. We explored these characteristics for the purposes of better recognition and preventive efforts of potential immediate post-discharge suicides. METHODS: Suicides from a Finnish nationwide register were linked with preceding periods of psychiatric inpatient treatment. Characteristics of suicides within a week of discharge were compared to those occurring later after discharge. RESULTS: Compared to other previously hospitalised suicide victims, those committing suicide within a week of discharge were more often female, unmarried, had a higher grade of education and a diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum or affective disorder, tended to use more drowning and jumping from heights as the methods for suicide and had gained a smaller improvement in psychological functioning during hospitalization. CONCLUSION: These characteristics indicate a more severe psychopathology, relatively poorer level of functioning, less global response to hospitalisation, and a more frequent choice of lethal and easily available method for suicide. Potentially suicidal psychiatric patients should be better recognized and an immediate follow-up arranged if it is decided they be discharged