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At least 235 records · Page 13

Analog enhancement of radiographic images

The paper shows how analog methods for edge sharpening, contrast enhancement, and expansion of the range of gray levels of particular interest are effective for easy on-line application to video viewing of X-ray roentgenograms or to fluoroscopy. The technique for analog enhancement of radiographic images is a modified version of the system designed by Fuchs et al. (1972), whereby an all directional second derivative signal called detail signal is used to produce both vertical and horizontal enhancement of the image. Particular attention is given to noise filtration and contrast enhancement. Numerous radiographs supplement the text.

Baily, N. A.↗

Isolation and identification of the conidial germination factor of Neurospora crassa

The germination-essential substance (germination factor /GF/) that is lost from conidia of Neurospora crassa on exposure to solutions of low water activity has been isolated and identified as a group of iron-transport compounds, or siderochromes. The principal siderochrome of conidia is ferricrocin, a cyclic hexapeptide. A closely related substance, ferrichrome C, is tentatively identified as a minor constituent. The same substances are also present in extracts of mycelium along with small amounts of a third siderochrome, which has not been identified. The GF activity of culture filtrates is due to coprogen, the only siderochrome previously identified with N. crassa.

Horowitz, N. H.↗

Hollow fiber membranes for advanced life support systems

This paper describes an investigation of the practicability of utilizing hollow fiber membranes in vehicular and portable life support system applications. A preliminary screening of potential advanced life support applications resulted in the selection of five applications for feasibility study and testing. As a result of the feasibility study and testing, three applications, heat rejection, deaeration, and bacteria filtration, were chosen for breadboard development testing. Breadboard hardware has been manufactured and tested, and the physical properties of the three hollow fiber membrane assemblies applicable to use aboard future spacecraft have been characterized.

Roebelen, G. J., Jr.↗

Wash water reclamation technology for advanced manned spacecraft

The results of an analytical study and assessment of state-of-the-art wash water reclamation technology for advanced manned spacecraft is presented. All non-phase-change unit operations, unit processes, and subsystems currently under development by NASA are considered. Included among these are: filtration, ultrafiltration, carbon adsorption, ion exchange, chemical pretreatment, reverse osmosis, hyperfiltration, and certain urea removal techniques. Performance data are given together with the projected weights and sizes of key components and subsystems. In the final assessment, a simple multifiltration approach consisting of surface-type cartridge filters, carbon adsorption and ion exchange resins receives the highest rating for six-man orbital missions of up to 10 years in duration.

Putnam, D. F.↗

Forming "dynamic" membranes on stainless steel

"Dynamic" zirconium polyacrylic membrane is formed directly on stainless steel substrate without excessive corrosion of steel. Membrane is potentially useful in removal of contaminated chemicals from solution through reversed osmosis. Application includes use in filtration and desalination equipment, and in textile industry for separation of dyes from aqueous solvents.

Brandon, C. A.↗

Water hyacinths for upgrading sewage lagoons to meet advanced wastewater treatment standards, part 2

Field tests using water hyacinths as biological filtration agents were conducted in the Mississippi gulf coast region. The plants were installed in one single cell and one multiple cell sewage lagoon systems. Water hyacinths demonstrated the ability to maintain BOD5 and total suspended solid (TSS) levels within the Environmental Protection Agency's prescribed limits of 30 mg/lBOD5 and 30 mg/l TSS. A multiple cell sewage lagoon system consisting of two aerated and one water hyacinth covered cell connected in series demonstrated the ability to maintain BOD5 and TSS levels below 30 mg/l year-round. A water hyacinth covered lagoon with a surface area of 0.28 hectare containing a total volume of 6.8 million liters demonstrated the capacity to treat 437,000 to 1,893,000 liters of sewage influent from 2.65 hectares of aerated lagoons daily and produce an effluent that met or exceeded standards year-round.

Wolverton, B. C.↗

Effluent characterization from a conical pressurized fluid bed

An important factor regarding the use of a pressurized coal burning fluidized bed (PFB) providing gases for driving a gas turbine is the turbine blade lifetime. However, very little data are currently available to predict erosion and corrosion rates produced by the effluent from a PFB. To assess the potential of alloys developed for aeronautical applications to resist this environment it was decided to build a coal burning fluidized bed that could be employed to measure erosion and corrosion rates. Tests were conducted with a conical fluidized bed to obtain some degree of filtration through the top of the bed. A description is presented of the data obtained in the first 138 hours of testing to characterize the effluent from the bed under different test conditions. The considered tests had been made to determine the best operating conditions prior to using the bed for a determination of the erosion and corrosion rates of typical turbine blade materials.

Priem, R. J.↗

Obtaining growth hormone from calf blood

The preparation of a growth hormone from human serum was used for the isolation of the hormone from calf serum. The preparation was biologically active - it increased the quantity of the free fatty acids released in rat plasma by 36.4 percent. Electrophoresis in Veronal buffer, ph 8.6, showed the presence of a single fraction having mobility intermediate between that of alpha and beta globulins. Gel filtration through Sephadex G 100 showed an elutriation curve identical to that obtained by the growth hormone prepared from pituitary glands.

Kalchev, L. A.↗

Diagnostics of wear in aeronautical systems

The use of appropriate diagnostic tools for aircraft oil wetted components is reviewed, noting that it can reduce direct operating costs through reduced unscheduled maintenance, particularly in helicopter engine and transmission systems where bearing failures are a significant cost factor. Engine and transmission wear modes are described, and diagnostic methods for oil and wet particle analysis, the spectrometric oil analysis program, chip detectors, ferrography, in-line oil monitor and radioactive isotope tagging are discussed, noting that they are effective over a limited range of particle sizes but compliment each other if used in parallel. Fine filtration can potentially increase time between overhauls, but reduces the effectiveness of conventional oil monitoring techniques so that alternative diagnostic techniques must be used. It is concluded that the development of a diagnostic system should be parallel and integral with the development of a mechanical system.

Wedeven, L. D.↗

Minute tubular forms in soil

Large numbers of long, straight, flattened structures were observed during an electron-microscope study of bacteriophage in aqueous extracts. These structures were called tubules and ranged in width from 10 to 50 nm. Materials and methods were discussed relative to extraction of tubules from soil, electron microscopy, quantitation of tubules in filtrate suspension, tests performed on tubules, plaque formation, and nutrient amendments. It is found that all of the tubules recovered from soil are broken at one or both ends. They are present in surface soils but not in a subsurface sample. Their numbers decrease during bacterial multiplication in soil or broth-containing soil. The tubules appear to be composed of protein that could be disintegrated to liberate nonprotein fibers. A possible clue to the nature of the tubules is their apparent relation to soil bacteria.

Casida, L. E., Jr.↗

Acoustic behavior of fibrous bulk materials

A semiempirical model of the acoustic behavior of fibrously constructed bulk materials of Hersh and Walker (1979) is generalized to take into account the filtration or removal of particles by fibrous mats and heat conduction between the material fibers and the surrounding fluid. Equations governing the propagation and attenuation of sound waves in a fibrous material are derived on the basis of a solution of the Navier Stokes equation for momentum conservation and a one-dimensional model of heat transfer between the sound field and the fibers. A comparison of the two propagation constants and material impedance specified by the model and experimental measurements for Kevlar 29 indicates the accuracy of the model over a wide range of sound frequencies, material porosities and specimen thickness. It is also found that heat transfer effects are relatively unimportant, while the attenuation constants and material characteristic impedance are a function of fiber orientation relative to sound field propagation direction.

Hersh, A. S.↗

Synthesis of polyformals

Formals of CH2OH(CHOH) sub n CH2OH polyols (n = 2 to 4) are prepared in less than 15 minutes by heating to about 125 C, a mixture of e.g. sorbitol and paraformaldehyde in slight excess (5 to 10%), in the presence of e.g. sulfuric acid in catalytic quantities. Elution with methanol and filtration yield the pure solid cyclic triformal. The process can be carried in stages, using almost stoichiometric quantities of paraformaldehyde, but without any change in overall heating time.

Poshkus, A. C.↗

An overview of the endocrine and metabolic changes in manned space flight

Analyses of endocrinological and metabolic data from humans during spaceflight, particularly the Skylab crews, are summarized to define the levels of knowledge of these processes and the techniques for studying them. The glomerular filtration rate was tested by urine and blood samples, yielding indications of a creatinine clearance increase. The mechanisms for an increase of free water clearance, implying an increase of antidiuretic hormone, are uncertain, and tests are also under way to evaluate the role of prostaglandins in-flight, to account for decreases in catecholamine excretion. Bone mineral losses of 7.9% were observed at the end of 84 days, and processes are suggested for the calcium metabolism. Finally, the observation of almost universal weight loss among space crewmembers is examined, and a loss of muscle tone due to decreased metabolic efficiency is cited as a feature of long duration spaceflight.

Leach, C. S.↗

A specific radioimmunoassay for osteocalcin with advantageous species crossreactivity

The specificities of immunoassays to rat and bovine osteocalcin are examined. Extracts of noncalcified tissues and tissue fractions are unreactive to the antibody, with the exception of the kidney, in which the reactive component appears to be identical with osteocalcin by gel filtration and dose dilution analysis. The assays, developed against protein isolated from bone, are also demonstrated to be reactive to the native protein (bone in situ) and to osteocalcin in serum. The assays are sensitive to less than 50 pg osteocalcin. Intra- and interassay coefficients of variation are less than 6.8%. The bovine antibody crossreacts with human, horse, monkey, baboon, and cat osteocalcin, while the rat antibody crossreacts with dog and mouse.

Patterson-Allen, P.↗

Autonomous oxygen production for a Mars return vehicle

The way in which a chemical processor that uses the Martian atmosphere as its only feedstock, thereby reducing the mass that must be launched from earth, can help to return a surface sample from Mars from a single Space Shuttle launch is described. Richter's (1981) study on both the theoretical and experimental aspects of oxygen separation using yttria-stabilized zirconia membranes is cited. Here, separation is accomplished by applying a voltage across the membrane which results in the selective conduction of oxygen ions from one side to the other. It is noted that by using thermal dissociation of the carbon dioxide in the Martian atmosphere to produce oxygen (and carbon monoxide), these zirconia electrolytic cells can be employed to separate oxygen from the atmospheric stream. Descriptions are also given of atmospheric filtration, atmospheric compression, and waste heat recovery, and of the oxygen precooler and oxygen compressor.

Ash, R. L.↗

Candidate Species Selection and Controlled Environment Injuries

Research was undertaken to attempt to identify the causal agents for intumescences that develop on many different species of plants in controlled environments. Concentration and filtration procedures were not successful in identifying any particular compounds. The injury was found to develop, even though the atmosphere for the plants is filtered through activated charcoal, potassium permanganate, or is subjected to catalytic combustion at 450 C. Thus, the causal agent is apparently either an oxidized compound or specific element, or the result of some unrecognized variation in physical conditions around the plants. The research has demonstrated that the injury is controlled to a significant extent by temperature. Growing temperatures of 20 degrees and 25 degrees C resulted in serious injury on plants, but temperatures of 30 C resulted in very little injury.

Tibbitts, T. W.↗

Prototype Wash Water Renovation System Integration with Government-Furnished Wash Fixture

A total renovation concept for removing objectionable materials from spacecraft wash water to make the water reusable was developed. This concept included ferric chloride pretreatment to coagulate suspended solids such as soap and lint, pressure filtration, and carbon adsorption and ion exchange to remove trace dissolved organics and inorganic salts. A breadboard model which was developed to demonstrate the design adequacy of the various system components and the limits on system capacities and efficiencies.

Source record↗

A Report on Superfluid Helium Flow Through Porous Plugs for Space Science Applications

As a background for the study of the nature of superfluid helium flow through porous plugs for other space science uses, preliminary tests on various plugs of a given material, diameter, height, and filtration grade have been performed. Two characteristics of the plugs, pore size and number of channels, have been determined by the bubble test and warm flow test of helium gas through the plugs, respectively. Tests on the flow of He II through the plugs have also been performed. An obvious feature of the results of these tests is that for isothermal measurements of pressure versus mass flow rate below approximately 2.10 K, the flow is separated into two different regimes, indicative of the occurrence of a critical phenomenon.

Mason, F. C.↗