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At least 325 records · Page 18
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1926

Description and Laboratory Tests of a Roots Type Aircraft Engine Supercharger

This report describes a roots type aircraft engine supercharger and presents the results of some tests made with it at the Langley Field Laboratories of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. The supercharger used in these tests was constructed largely of aluminum, weighed 88 pounds and was arranged to be operated from the rear of a standard aircraft engine at a speed of 1 1/2 engine crankshaft speed. The rotors of the supercharger were cycloidal in form and were 11 inches long and 9 1/2 inches in diameter. The displacement of the supercharger was 0.51 cubic feet of air per revolution of the rotors. The supercharger was tested in the laboratory, independently and in combination with a Liberty-12 aircraft engine, under simulated altitude pressure conditions in order to obtain information on its operation and performance. From these tests it seems evident that the Roots blower compares favorably with other compressor types used as aircraft engine superchargers and that it has several features that make it particularly attractive for such use.

Ware, Marsden↗
NASA NTRS1928

Preliminary Flight Tests of the N.A.C.A. Roots Type Aircraft Engine Supercharger

An investigation of the suitability of the N.A.C.A. Roots type aircraft engine supercharger to flight-operating conditions, as determined the effects of the use of the supercharger upon engine operation and airplane performance, is described in this report. Attention was concentrated on the operation of the engine-supercharger unit and on the improvement of climbing ability; some information concerning high speeds at altitude was obtained. The supercharger was found to be satisfactory under flight-operating conditions. Although two failures occurred during the tests, the causes of both were minor and have been eliminated. Careful examination of the engines revealed no detrimental effects which could be attributed to supercharging. Marked improvements in climbing ability and high speeds at altitude were effected. It was also found that the load which could be carried to a given moderate or high altitude in a fixed time was considerably augmented. A slight sacrifice of low-altitude performance was necessitated, however, by the use of a fixed-pitch propeller. From a consideration of the very satisfactory flight performance of the Roots supercharger and of its inherent advantages, it is concluded that this type is particularly attractive for use in certain classes of commercial airplanes and in a number of military types.

Gardiner, Arthur W↗
NASA NTRS1945

Bending and Shear Stresses Developed by the Instantaneous Arrest of the Root of a Moving Cantilever Beam

A theoretical and experimental investigation has been made of the behavior of a cantilever beam in transverse motion when its root is suddenly brought to rest. Equations are given for determining the stresses, the deflections, and the accelerations that arise in the beam as a result of the impact. The theoretical equations, which have been confirmed experimentally, reveal that, at a given percentage of the distance from root to tip, the bending stresses for a particular mode are independent of the length of the beam, whereas the shear stresses vary inversely with the length.

Stowell, Elbridge, Z↗
NASA NTRS1942

The design of propeller blade roots

Predicated on the assumption of certain normal conditions for engine and propeller, simple expressions for the static and dynamic stresses of propeller blade roots are evolved. They, in combination with the fatigue strength diagram of the employed material, afford for each engine power one certain operating point by which the state of stress serving as a basis for the design of the root is defined. Different stress cases must be analyzed, depending on the vibration tendency of engine and use of propeller. The solution affords an insight into the possible introduction of different size classes of propeller.

Cordes, G↗
NASA NTRS1993

A theorem regarding roots of the zero-order Bessel function of the first kind

This paper investigates a problem on the steady-state, conduction-convection heat transfer process in cylindrical porous heat exchangers. The governing partial differential equations for the system are obtained using the energy conservation law. Solution of these equations and the concept of enthalpy lead to a new approach to prove a theorem that the sum of inverse squares of all the positive roots of the zero order Bessel function of the first kind equals to one-forth. As a corollary, it is shown that the sum of one over pth power (p greater than or equal to 2) of the roots converges to some constant.

Lin, X.-A.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Nonchamber, Root-Side, Inert-Gas Purging During Welding

Improved apparatus distributes inert gas to protect against oxidation on root side of weld during welding and after welding while joint remains hot. Simple and lightweight; readily moved along weld path in synchronism with torch. Because it concentrates inert gas where needed, consumes gas at relatively low rate, and not necessary to monitor oxygen content of protective atmosphere. Apparatus does not obscure view of root side of weld. Used for full-penetration plasma-arc welding of such reactive metals as aluminum/lithium alloys and titanium.

Mcgee, William F.↗
NASA NTRS1996

In Situ Analyses of Methane Oxidation Associated with the Roots and Rhizomes of a Bur Reed, Sparganium Eurycarpum, in a Maine Wetland

Methane oxidation associated with the belowground tissues of a common aquatic macrophyte, the burweed Sparganium euryearpum, was assayed in situ by a chamber technique with acetylene or methyl fluoride as a methanotrophic inhibitor at a headspace concentration of 3 to 4%. Acetylene and methyl fluoride inhibited both methane oxidation and peat methanogenesis. However, inhibition of methanogenesis resulted in no obvious short-term effect on methane fluxes. Since neither inhibitor adversely affected plant metabolism and both inhibited methanotrophy equally well, acetylene was employed for routine assays because of its low cost and ease of use. Root-associated methanotrophy consumed a variable but significant fraction of the total potential methane flux; values varied between 1 and 58% (mean +/- standard deviation, 27.0% +/- 6.0%), with no consistent temporal or spatial pattern during late summer. The absolute amount of methane oxidized was not correlated with the total potential methane flux; this suggested that parameters other than methane availability (e.g., oxygen availability) controlled the rates of methane oxidation. Estimates of diffusive methane flux and oxidation at the peat surface indicated that methane emission occurred primarily through aboveground plant tissues; the absolute magnitude of methane oxidation was also greater in association with roots than at the peat surface. However, the relative extent of oxidation was greater at the latter locus.

King, Gary M.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Gravitropism and Autotropism in Cress Roots

The overall purpose of this experiment was to study how cress roots respond to a withdrawal of a gravity stimulus i.e. when and how much the roots straighten (autotropism) after curving (gravitropism). This question was studied both in extensive ground-based research and in microgravity on BioRack.

Sack, Fred D.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Root-Associated Methane Oxidation and Methanogenesis: Key Determinants of Wetland Methane Emissions

During the award period, we have assessed the extent and controls of methane oxidation in north temperate wetlands. It is evident that wetlands have been a major global source of atmospheric methane in the past, and are so at present. It is also evident that microbial methane oxidation consumes a variable fraction of total wetland methane production, perhaps 10%-90%. Methane oxidation is thus a potentially important control of wetland methane emission. Our efforts have been designed to determine the extent of the process, its controls, and possible relationships to changes that might be expected in wetlands as a consequence of anthropogenic or climate-related disturbances. Current work, has emphasized controls of methane oxidation associated with rooted aquatic plants. As for the sediment-water interface, we have observed that oxygen availability is a primary limiting factor. Our conclusion is based on several different lines of evidence obtained from in vitro and in situ analyses. First, we have measured the kinetics of methane oxidation by intact plant roots harboring methane-oxidizing bacteria, as well as the kinetics of the methanotrophs themselves. Values for the half-saturation constant (apparent K(sub m)) are approximately 5 microns. These values are roughly equivalent to, or much less than porewater methane concentrations, indicating that uptake is likely saturated with respect to methane, and that some other parameter must limit activity. Methane concentrations in the lacunar spaces at the base of plant stems are also comparable to the half-saturation constants (when expressed as equivalent dissolved concentrations), providing further support for limitation of uptake by parameters other than methane.

King, G. M.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Three-Dimensional Analysis of Nuclear Size, Shape and Displacement in Clover Root Cap Statocytes from Space and a Clinostat

Under normal (l-g) conditions the statocytes of root caps have a characteristic polarity with the nucleus in tight association with the proximal cell wall; but, in altered gravity environments including microgravity (mu-g) and the clinostat (c-g) movement of the nucleus away from the proximal cell wall is not uncommon. To further understand the cause of gravity-dependent nuclear displacement in statocytes, three-dimensional cell reconstruction techniques were used to precisely measure the volumes, shapes, and positions of nuclei in white clover (Trifolium repens) flown in space and rotated on a clinostat. Seeds were germinated and grown for 72 hours aboard the Space Shuttle (STS-63) in the Fluid Processing Apparatus (BioServe Space Technologies, Univ. of Colorado, Boulder). Clinorotation experiments were performed on a two-axis clinostat (BioServe). Computer reconstruction of selected groups of statocytes were made from serial sections (0.5 microns thick) using the ROSS (Reconstruction Of Serial Sections) software package (Biocomputation Center, NASA Ames Research Center). Nuclei were significantly displaced from the tops of cells in mu-g (4.2 +/- 1.0 microns) and c-g (4.9 +/- 1.4 microns) when compared to l-g controls (3.4 +/- 0.8 gm); but, nuclear volume (113 +/- 36 cu microns, 127 +/- 32 cu microns and 125 +/- 28 cu microns for l-g, mu-g and c-g respectively) and the ratio of nuclear volume to cell volume (4.310.7%, 4.211.0% and 4.911.4% respectively) were not significantly dependent on gravity treatment (ANOVA; alpha = 0.05). Three-dimensional analysis of nuclear shape and proximity to the cell wall, however, showed that nuclei from l-g controls appeared ellipsoidal while those from space and the clinostat were more spherically shaped. This change in nuclear shape may be responsible for its displacement under altered gravity conditions. Since the cytoskeleton is known to affect nuclear polarity in root cap statocytes, those same cytoskeletal elements could also control nuclear shape. This alteration in nuclear shape and position in mu-g and c-g when compared to l-g may lead to functional differences in the gravity signaling systems of plants subjected to altered gravity environments.

Smith, J.D.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Flexible Microsensor Array for the Root Zone Monitoring of Porous Tube Plant Growth System

Control of oxygen and water in the root zone is vital to support plant growth in the microgravity environment. The ability to control these sometimes opposing parameters in the root zone is dependent upon the availability of sensors to detect these elements and provide feedback for control systems. In the present study we demonstrate the feasibility of using microsensor arrays on a flexible substrate for dissolved oxygen detection, and a 4-point impedance microprobe for surface wetness detection on the surface of a porous tube (PT) nutrient delivery system. The oxygen microsensor reported surface oxygen concentrations that correlated with the oxygen concentrations of the solution inside the PT when operated at positive pressures. At negative pressures the microsensor shows convergence to zero saturation (2.2 micro mol/L) values due to inadequate water film formation on porous tube surface. The 4-point microprobe is useful as a wetness detector as it provides a clear differentiation between dry and wet surfaces. The unique features of the dissolved oxygen microsensor array and 4-point microprobe include small and simple design, flexibility and multipoint sensing. The demonstrated technology is anticipated to provide low cost, and highly reliable sensor feedback monitoring plant growth nutrient delivery system in both terrestrial and microgravity environments.

Sathyan, Sandeep↗
NASA NTRS2002

[The evaluation of the error of the thermal pulse technique used to measure moisture content of root substrates in space greenhouse]

Point thermopulse probes were used to monitor moisture level in the root substrates during cultivation of higher plants in a space greenhouse. Investigated were performance data of the thermopulse moisture probe in integration with the space greenhouse. It was shown that within the substrate moisture range from 20 up to 100% of the full saturation the technique error does not exceed 1.5%. The thermopulse technique bears much promise for metrologic monitoring of the root substrate moisture content in space greenhouses no matter water and air supply technology.

Flight Experiment↗
NASA NTRS1988

Rapid changes in protein phosphorylation associated with light-induced gravity perception in corn roots

The effect of light and calcium depletion on in vivo protein phosphorylation was tested using dark-grown roots of Merit corn. Light caused rapid and specific promotion of phosphorylation of three polypeptides. Pretreatment of roots with ethylene glycol bis N,N,N',N' tetraacetic acid and A23187 prevented light-induced changes in protein phosphorylation. We postulate that these changes in protein phosphorylation are involved in the light-induced gravity response.

NASA Program Space Biology↗
NASA NTRS1990

A dynamic growth model of vegetative soya bean plants: model structure and behaviour under varying root temperature and nitrogen concentration

A differential equation model of vegetative growth of the soya bean plant (Glycine max (L.) Merrill cv. Ransom') was developed to account for plant growth in a phytotron system under variation of root temperature and nitrogen concentration in nutrient solution. The model was tested by comparing model outputs with data from four different experiments. Model predictions agreed fairly well with measured plant performance over a wide range of root temperatures and over a range of nitrogen concentrations in nutrient solution between 0.5 and 10.0 mmol NO3- in the phytotron environment. Sensitivity analyses revealed that the model was most sensitive to changes in parameters relating to carbohydrate concentration in the plant and nitrogen uptake rate.

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRS1989

Effects of NaCl on metabolic heat evolution rates by barley roots

The effect of salinity stress on metabolic heat output of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) root tips was measured by isothermal microcalorimetry. Several varieties differing in tolerance to salinity were compared and differences quantified. Two levels of inhibition by increasing salt were found. Following the transition from the initial rate of the first level, inhibition remained at about 50% with further increases in salt concentration up to 150 millimolar. The concentration of salt required to inhibit to this level was cultivar dependent. At highter concentrations (>150 millimolar) of salt, metabolism was further decreased. This decrease was not cultivar dependent. The decreased rate of metabolic heat output at the first transition could be correlated with decreases in uptake of NO3-, NH4+, and Pi that occurred as the salt concentration was increased. The high degree of dependence of the inhibition of metabolic heat output on NaCl concentration points to a highly cooperative reaction responsible for the general inhibition of metabolism and nutrient uptake. The time required to attain the first level of salt inhibition is less than 20 minutes. Inhibition of root tips was not reversible by washing with salt free solutions. In addition to revealing these features of salt inhibition, isothermal microcalorimetry is a promising method for convenient and rapid determination of varietal differences in response to increasing salinity.

NASA Discipline Life Support Systems↗
NASA NTRS2001

Nodal endoplasmic reticulum, a specialized form of endoplasmic reticulum found in gravity-sensing root tip columella cells

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of columella root cap cells has been postulated to play a role in gravity sensing. We have re-examined the ultrastructure of columella cells in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) root tips preserved by high-pressure freezing/freeze-substitution techniques to gain more precise information about the organization of the ER in such cells. The most notable findings are: the identification of a specialized form of ER, termed "nodal ER," which is found exclusively in columella cells; the demonstration that the bulk of the ER is organized in the form of a tubular network that is confined to a peripheral layer under the plasma membrane; and the discovery that this ER-rich peripheral region excludes Golgi stacks, vacuoles, and amyloplasts but not mitochondria. Nodal ER domains consist of an approximately 100-nm-diameter central rod composed of oblong subunits to which usually seven sheets of rough ER are attached along their margins. These domains form patches at the interface between the peripheral ER network and the ER-free central region of the cells, and they occupy defined positions within central and flanking columella cells. Over one-half of the nodal ER domains are located along the outer tangential walls of the flanking cells. Cytochalasin D and latrunculin A cause an increase in size and a decrease in numbers of nodal ER domains. We postulate that the nodal ER membranes locally modulate the gravisensing signals produced by the sedimenting amyloplasts, and that the confinement of all ER membranes to the cell periphery serves to enhance the sedimentability of the amyloplasts in the central region of columella cells.

NASA Discipline Cell Biology↗
NASA NTRS1990

Chemical restrictions of roots in Ultisol subsoils lessened by long-term management

Exchangeable Al in subsoils of Ultisols in the southeastern USA can restrict rooting depth. Downward movement of basic cations (Ca, Mg, and K), applied as lime and fertilizer, may diminish that restriction over time. Materials from the argillic horizon were collected from three paired sites, having managed (long-term cropping) and nonmanaged topsoils (Typic Paleudults and Hapludults). One managed site was cropped continuously for 15 yr while the others were cultivated for more than 30 yr. Concentrations of extractable cations and other nutrients from the paired sites were compared to determine the magnitude of change due to management. The ability of the subsoils to support plant growth was evaluated in a missing-nutrient greenhouse experiment with sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench]. Subsoils of managed sites had greater effective cation-exchange capacity (CEC) and base saturation than those of non-managed sites. While availabilities of Ca, Mg, and K in subsoils of nonmanaged sites were inadequate to support maximal plant growth, they were adequate in subsoils of managed sites. Compared with nonmanaged sites, KCl-exchangeable Al in subsoils of managed sites was 23% lower at the 15-yr location and 65 and 100% lower at the two other locations. In the absence of lime, sorghum growth was almost totally inhibited on nonmanaged subsoils amended with optimum nutrients. On the managed subsoils, where 100, 65, and 23% of the nonmanaged exchangeable Al had been neutralized by topsoil fertilization and liming, growth reductions under the same conditions were 0, 50, and 100%, respectively. Thus, relatively long-term management had improved these Ultisol subsoils for root growth and development.

NASA Discipline Life Support Systems↗
NASA NTRS1999

Plastid sedimentation kinetics in roots of wild-type and starch-deficient mutants of Arabidopsis

Sedimentation and movement of plastids in columella cells of the root cap were measured in seedlings of wild-type, a reduced starch mutant, and a starchless mutant of Arabidopsis. To assay for sedimentation, we used both linear measurements and the change of angle from the cell center as indices in vertical and reoriented plants with the aid of computer-assisted image analysis. Seedlings were fixed at short periods after reorientation, and plastid sedimentation correlated with starch content in the three strains of Arabidopsis. Amyloplasts of wild-type seedlings showed the greatest sedimentation, whereas plastids of the starchless mutant showed no significant sedimentation in the vertically grown and reoriented seedlings. Because previous research has shown that a full complement of starch is needed for full gravitropic sensitivity, this study correlates increased sensitivity with plastid sedimentation. However, although plastid sedimentation contributed to gravisensitivity, it was not required, because the gravitropic starchless mutant had plastids that did not sediment. This is the first study, to our knowledge, to measure plastid sedimentation in Arabidopsis roots after reorientation of seedlings. Taken together, the results of this study are consistent with the classic plastid-based and protoplast-based models of graviperception and suggest that multiple systems of perception exist in plant cells.

NASA Discipline Plant Biology↗