2,416 research outputs found
Computerized structural mechanics for 1990's: Advanced aircraft needs
The needs for computerized structural mechanics (CSM) as seen from the standpoint of the aircraft industry are discussed. These needs are projected into the 1990's with special focus on the new advanced materials. Preliminary design/analysis, research, and detail design/analysis are identified as major areas. The role of local/global analyses in these different areas is discussed. The lessons learned in the past are used as a basis for the design of a CSM framework that could modify and consolidate existing technology and include future developments in a rational and useful way. A philosophy is stated, and a set of analyses needs driven by the emerging advanced composites is enumerated. The roles of NASA, the universities, and the industry are identified. Finally, a set of rational research targets is recommended based on both the new types of computers and the increased complexity the industry faces. Computerized structural mechanics should be more than new methods in structural mechanics and numerical analyses. It should be a set of engineering applications software products that combines innovations in structural mechanics, numerical analysis, data processing, search and display features, and recent hardware advances and is organized in a framework that directly supports the design process
Solutions of the dispersion equation in the region of overlapping of zero-sound and particle-hole modes
In this paper the solutions of the zero-sound dispersion equation in the
random phase approximation (RPA) are considered. The calculation of the damped
zero-sound modes \omega_s(k) (complex frequency of excitation) in the nuclear
matter is presented. The method is based on the analytical structure of the
polarization operators \Pi(\omega,k). The solutions of two dispersion equations
with \Pi(\omega,k) and with Re(\Pi(\omega,k)) are compared. It is shown that in
the first case we obtain one-valued smooth solutions without "thumb-like"
forms. Considering the giant resonances in the nuclei as zero-sound excitations
we compare the experimental energy and escape width of the giant dipole
resonance (GDR) in the nucleus A with \omega_s(k) taken at a definite wave
vector k=k_A.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures; revised versio
Force balance and membrane shedding at the Red Blood Cell surface
During the aging of the red-blood cell, or under conditions of extreme
echinocytosis, membrane is shed from the cell plasma membrane in the form of
nano-vesicles. We propose that this process is the result of the
self-adaptation of the membrane surface area to the elastic stress imposed by
the spectrin cytoskeleton, via the local buckling of membrane under increasing
cytoskeleton stiffness. This model introduces the concept of force balance as a
regulatory process at the cell membrane, and quantitatively reproduces the rate
of area loss in aging red-blood cells.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
History of Plio-Pleistocene Climate in the Northeastern Atlantic, Deep Sea Drilling Project Hole 552A
DSDP Hole 552A, cored with the HPC on Hatton Drift, represents an almost complete and undisturbed sediment section spanning the late Neogene and Quaternary. Lithologic, faunal, isotopic, and paleomagnetic analyses indicate that the section represents the most complete deep sea record of climatic evolution hitherto recovered at high latitudes in the northern hemisphere. A glacial record of remarkable resolution for the late Pliocene and Pleistocene is provided by oxygen and carbon isotope ratios in benthic foraminifers. In the upper part of the section, the whole of the standard oxygen isotope record of the past million years is well preserved. The onset of ice-rafting and glacial-interglacial alternations occurs at about 2.4 m.y. ago
Simvastatin pre-treatment improves survival and mitochondrial function in a 3-day fluid-resuscitated rat model of sepsis
Statins may offer protective effects in sepsis through anti-inflammatory, mitochondrial protection and other actions. We thus evaluated the effects of simvastatin on survival, organ and mitochondrial function, tissue and plasma ubiquinone levels and liver transcriptomics in a 3-day rat model of sepsis. Comparisons of rat plasma simvastatin and ubiquinone levels were made against levels sampled in blood from patients with acute lung injury (ALI) enrolled into a trial of statin therapy. Animals received simvastatin by gavage either pre- or post-induction of faecal peritonitis. Control septic animals received vehicle alone. Seventy-two-hour survival was significantly greater in statin pre-treated animals (43.7%) compared with their statin post-treated (12.5%) and control septic (25%) counterparts (P<0.05). Sepsis-induced biochemical derangements in liver and kidney improved with statin therapy, particularly when given pre-insult. Both simvastatin pre- and post-treatment prevented the fall in mitochondrial oxygen consumption in muscle fibres taken from septic animals at 24 h. This beneficial effect was paralleled by recovery of genes related to fatty acid metabolism. Simvastatin pre-treatment resulted in a significant decrease in myocardial ubiquinone. Patients with ALI had a marked variation in plasma simvastatin acid levels; however, their ubiquinone/low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol ratio did not differ regardless of whether they were receiving statin or placebo. In summary, despite protective effects seen with statin treatment given both pre- and post-insult, survival benefit was only seen with pre-treatment, reflecting experiences in patient studies
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PSTD Simulations of Multiple Light Scattering in 3-D Macrocsopic Random Media
We report a full-vector, three-dimensional, numerical solution of Maxwell's equations for optical propagation within, and scattering by, a random medium of macroscopic dimensions. The total scattering cross-section is determined using the pseudospectral time-domain technique. Specific results reported in this Paper indicate that multiply scattered light also contains information that can be extracted by the proposed cross-correlation analysis. On a broader perspective, our results demonstrate the feasibility of accurately determining the optical characteristics of arbitrary, macroscopic random media, including geometries with continuous variations of refractive index. Specifically, our results point toward the new possibilities of tissue optics--by numerically solving Maxwell's equations, the optical properties of tissue structures can be determined unambiguously
Investigation of Zero-Sound Dispersion Equation in the Complex Plane of Frequency
The known solutions to the zero-sound dispersion equation are considered as
placed on the physical and unphysical sheets in the complex plane of frequency.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figure
Measuring light scattering and absorption in corals with Inverse Spectroscopic Optical Coherence Tomography (ISOCT): a new tool for non-invasive monitoring
Abstract: The success of reef-building corals for >200 million years has been dependent on the mutualistic interaction between the coral host and its photosynthetic endosymbiont dinoflagellates (family Symbiodiniaceae) that supply the coral host with nutrients and energy for growth and calcification. While multiple light scattering in coral tissue and skeleton significantly enhance the light microenvironment for Symbiodiniaceae, the mechanisms of light propagation in tissue and skeleton remain largely unknown due to a lack of technologies to measure the intrinsic optical properties of both compartments in live corals. Here we introduce ISOCT (inverse spectroscopic optical coherence tomography), a non-invasive approach to measure optical properties and three-dimensional morphology of living corals at micron- and nano-length scales, respectively, which are involved in the control of light propagation. ISOCT enables measurements of optical properties in the visible range and thus allows for characterization of the density of light harvesting pigments in coral. We used ISOCT to characterize the optical scattering coefficient (μs) of the coral skeleton and chlorophyll a concentration of live coral tissue. ISOCT further characterized the overall micro- and nano-morphology of live tissue by measuring differences in the sub-micron spatial mass density distribution (D) that vary throughout the tissue and skeleton and give rise to light scattering, and this enabled estimates of the spatial directionality of light scattering, i.e., the anisotropy coefficient, g. Thus, ISOCT enables imaging of coral nanoscale structures and allows for quantifying light scattering and pigment absorption in live corals. ISOCT could thus be developed into an important tool for rapid, non-invasive monitoring of coral health, growth and photophysiology with unprecedented spatial resolution
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Driving factors of aerosol properties over the foothills of central Himalayas based on 8.5 years continuous measurements
This study presents analysis of in situ measurements conducted over the period 2005–2014 in the Indian Himalayas to give a thorough overview of the factors and causes that drive aerosol properties. Aerosol extensive properties (namely, particle number concentration, scattering coefficient, equivalent black carbon, PM2.5, and PM10) have 1.5–2 times higher values in the early to late afternoon than during the night, and a strong seasonality. The interannual variability is ±20% for both PM2.5 and total particle number concentration. Analysis of the data shows statistically significant decreasing trends of −2.3 μg m−3 year−1 and −2.7 μg m−3 year−1 for PM2.5 and PM10, respectively, over the study period. The mountainous terrain site (Mukteshwar, MUK) is primarily under the influence of air from the plains. This is due to convective transport processes that are enhanced by local and mesoscale topography, leading to pronounced valley/mountain winds and consequently to atmospheric boundary layer air lifting from the plains below. The transport from plains is evident in seasonal‐diurnal patterns observed at MUK. The timing of the patterns corresponds with changes in turbulence and water vapor (q). According to our analysis, using these as proxies is a viable method for examining boundary layer influence in the absence of direct atmospheric boundary layer height measurements. Comparing the measurements with climate models shows that even regional climate models have problems capturing the orographic influence accurately at MUK, highlighting the importance of long‐term direct measurements at multiple points to understand aerosol behavior in mountainous areas
The cold origin of the warm dust around epsilon Eridani
Context: The K2V star eps Eri hosts one known inner planet, an outer Kuiper
belt analog, and an inner disk of warm dust. Spitzer/IRS measurements indicate
that the warm dust is present at distances as close as a few AU from the star.
Its origin is puzzling, since an "asteroid belt" that could produce this dust
would be unstable because of the known inner planet. Aims: Here we test the
hypothesis that the observed warm dust is generated by collisions in the outer
belt and is transported inward by Poynting-Robertson (P-R) drag and strong
stellar winds. Methods: We simulated a steady-state distribution of dust
particles outside 10AU with a collisional code and in the inner region (r<10AU)
with single-particle numerical integrations. By assuming homogeneous spherical
dust grains composed of water ice and silicate, we calculated the thermal
emission of the dust and compared it with observations. We investigated two
different orbital configurations for the inner planet inferred from RV
measurements, one with a highly eccentric orbit of e=0.7 and another one with a
moderate one of e=0.25. We also produced a simulation without a planet.
Results: Our models can reproduce the shape and magnitude of the observed SED
from mid-IR to sub-mm wavelengths, as well as the Spitzer/MIPS radial
brightness profiles. The best-fit dust composition includes both ice and
silicates. The results are similar for the two possible planetary orbits and
without a planet. Conclusions: The observed warm dust in the system can indeed
stem from the outer belt and be transported inward by P-R and stellar wind
drag. The inner planet has little effect on the distribution of dust, so that
the planetary orbit could not be constrained. Reasonable agreement between the
model and observations can only be achieved by relaxing the assumption of
purely silicate dust and assuming a mixture of silicate and ice in comparable
amounts.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures, abstract abridge
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