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At least 577 records · Page 32

Scaling, elasticity, and CLPT

The first few viewgraphs describe the general solution properties of linear elasticity theory which are given by the following two statements: (1) for stress B.C. on S(sub sigma) and zero displacement B.C. on S(sub u) the altered displacements u(sub i)(*) and the actual stresses tau(sub ij) are elastically dependent on Poisson's ratio nu alone: thus the actual displacements are given by u(sub i) = mu(exp -1)u(sub i)(*); and (2) for zero stress B.C. on S(sub sigma) and displacement B.C. on S(sub u) the actual displacements u(sub i) and the altered stresses tau(sub ij)(*) are elastically dependent on Poisson's ratio nu alone: thus the actual stresses are given by tau(sub ij) = E tau(sub ij)(*). The remaining viewgraphs describe the minimum parameter formulation of the general classical laminate theory plate problem as follows: The general CLT plate problem is expressed as a 3 x 3 system of differential equations in the displacements u, v, and w. The eighteen (six each) A(sub ij), B(sub ij), and D(sub ij) system coefficients are ply-weighted sums of the transformed reduced stiffnesses (bar-Q(sub ij))(sub k); the (bar-Q(sub ij))(sub k) in turn depend on six reduced stiffnesses (Q(sub ij))(sub k) and the material and geometry properties of the k(sup th) layer. This paper develops a method for redefining the system coefficients, the displacement components (u,v,w), and the position components (x,y) such that a minimum parameter formulation is possible. The pivotal steps in this method are (1) the reduction of (bar-Q(sub ij))(sub k) dependencies to just two constants Q(*) = (Q(12) + 2Q(66))/(Q(11)Q(22))(exp 1/2) and F(*) - (Q(22)/Q(11))(exp 1/2) in terms of ply-independent reference values Q(sub ij); (2) the reduction of the remaining portions of the A, B, and D coefficients to nondimensional ply-weighted sums (with 0 to 1 ranges) that are independent of Q(*) and F(*); and (3) the introduction of simple coordinate stretchings for u, v, w and x,y such that the process is neatly completed.

Brunelle, Eugene J.↗

Differential timing of gene expression and recruitment in independent origins of CAM in the Agavoideae (Asparagaceae)

Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) photosynthesis has evolved repeatedly across the plant tree of life, however our understanding of the genetic convergence across independent origins remains hampered by the lack of comparative studies. Here, we explore gene expression profiles in eight species from the Agavoideae (Asparagaceae) encompassing three independent origins of CAM. Using comparative physiology and transcriptomics, we examined the variable modes of CAM in this subfamily and the changes in gene expression across time of day and between well watered and drought-stressed treatments. We further assessed gene expression and the molecular evolution of genes encoding phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PPC), an enzyme required for primary carbon fixation in CAM. Most time-of-day expression profiles are largely conserved across all eight species and suggest that large perturbations to the central clock are not required for CAM evolution. By contrast, transcriptional response to drought is highly lineage specific. Yucca and Beschorneria have CAM-like expression of PPC2 , a copy of PPC that has never been shown to be recruited for CAM in angiosperms. Together the physiological and transcriptomic comparison of closely related C 3 and CAM species reveals similar gene expression profiles, with the notable exception of differential recruitment of carboxylase enzymes for CAM function.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

The effects of stress on the enzymes of peripheral leukocytes

Previous work showed an early response of rabbit and human leukocyte enzymes to the stress of bacterial infection. Since these represented a mixed population of leukocytes and since polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) increased in these preparations, it was necessary to establish whether the observed increase in lactate dehydrenase (LDH) and protein was the result of an increase in any one particular cell type or in all cells. The need for the development of a simple reproducible method for the differential separation of peripheral leukocytes for the furtherance of our own studies was apparent. It was also becoming increasingly apparent that morphologically similar cells, such as small lymphocytes (L) and macrophages, were capable of different biological functions. A dextran gradient centrifugation method was developed which has provided an easily reproducible technique for separating L from PMN. During the course of this work, in which over 250 rabbits were examined, the pattern of daily leukocyte protein and enzyme variation became increasingly more apparent. This information could have some impact on future work with leukocyte enzymes, by our group and by other workers. The differences in normal protein and enzyme levels maintained by some individuals, and some inbred strains, were evaluated and reported separately. It has been shown that one type of leukocyte may react more to a given stress than other leukocytes.

Leise, E. M.↗

The relationship between reliability and bonding techniques in hybrid systems

Differential thermal expansion has been shown to be responsible for many observed failures in ceramic chip capacitors mounted on alumina substrates. The present work has shown that the mounting techniques used in bonding the capacitors have a marked effect upon the thermally induced mechanical stress and thus the failure rate. A mathematical analysis of a composite model of the capacitor-substrate system to predict the magnitude of thermally induced stresses have been conducted. It has been experimentally observed that the stresses in more compliant bonding systems such as soft lead/tin and indium solders are significantly lower than those in hard solder and epoxy systems. From the data obtained, several recommendations are made concerning the optimum bonding system for the achievement of maximum reliability.

Kinser, D. L.↗

The relationship between reliability and bonding techniques in hybrid systems

Differential thermal expansion has been shown to be responsible for many observed failures in ceramic chip capacitors mounted on alumina substrates. The present work has shown that the mounting techniques used in bonding the capacitors have a marked effect upon the thermally induced mechanical stress and thus the failure rate. A mathematical analysis of a composite model of the capacitor-substrate system to predict the magnitude of thermally induced stresses has been conducted. It has been observed that the stresses in more compliant bonding systems such as soft lead/tin and indium solders are significantly lower than those in hard solder and epoxy systems. The marked dependence upon heating and cooling rate has proven to be a determining factor in the prediction of failure in both the indium and tin/lead solder systems. This study has shown that the harder or higher melting solders are less susceptible to thermal cycling effects but that they are more likely to fail during initial processing operations. Recommendations are made concerning the optimum bonding system for the achievement of maximum reliability.

Kinser, D. L.↗

The tectonics of Ganymede

Evidence of tectonic activity has been found on the Jupiter moon Ganymede, which is the largest solar system icy object known. The transition of dense ice polymorphs in the deep interior of large icy bodies to either less dense polymorphs or liquid water at shallow depths, as internal differentiation and formation of a silicate core occurs, could increase Ganymede's surface area by as much as 7%. If the tectonic evolution of Ganymede is to be described by a progressive fragmentation of an initially uniform lithosphere in response to planetary expansion, the stress transmitted across different areas of bright terrain must differ significantly. Alternatively, lithospheric thickness variations or such other mechanisms as tidal distortion or convection stresses beneath the lithosphere may have been important.

Parmentier, E. M.↗

Physical effects at the cellular level under altered gravity conditions

Several modifications of differentiated functions of animal cells cultivated in vitro have been reported when cultures have been exposed to increased or decreased inertial acceleration fields by centrifugation, clinorotation, and orbital space flight. Variables modified by clinorotation conditions include inertial acceleration, convection, hydrostatic pressure, sedimentation, and shear stress, which also affect transport processes in the extracellular chemical environment. Autocrine, paracrine and endocrine substances, to which cells are responsive via specific receptors, are usually transported in vitro (and possibly in certain embryos) by convection and in vivo by a circulatory system or ciliary action. Increased inertial acceleration increases convective flow, while microgravity nearly abolishes it. In the latter case the extracellular transport of macromolecules is governed by diffusion. By making certain assumptions it is possible to calculate the Peclet number, the ratio of convective transport to diffusive transport. Some, but not all, responses of cells in vitro to modified inertial environments could be manifestations of modified extracellular convective flow.

Todd, Paul↗

Stress Measurement System

Under the Aircraft Structural Integrity program, Langley Research Center and Stress Photonics developed an infrared-based stress measurement system for use in nondestructive evaluation of materials and structures. Stress Photonics commercialized the technology in the DeltaTherm 1000 system, used to compare designs and detect cracks in structures, especially for aging aircraft and bridges. The system combines digital signal processing technology with a special infrared camera to provide instantaneous thermal images and live differential images.

Source record↗

Desert truffle genomes reveal their reproductive modes and new insights into plant–fungal interaction and ectendomycorrhizal lifestyle

Desert truffles are edible hypogeous fungi forming ectendomycorrhizal symbiosis with plants of Cistaceae family. Knowledge about the reproductive modes of these fungi and the molecular mechanisms driving the ectendomycorrhizal interaction is lacking. Genomes of the highly appreciated edible desert truffles Terfezia claveryi Chatin and Tirmania nivea Trappe have been sequenced and compared with other Pezizomycetes. Transcriptomes of T. claveryi × Helianthemum almeriense mycorrhiza from well-watered and drought-stressed plants, when intracellular colonizations is promoted, were investigated. We have identified the fungal genes related to sexual reproduction in desert truffles and desert-truffles-specific genomic and secretomic features with respect to other Pezizomycetes, such as the expansion of a large set of gene families with unknown Pfam domains and a number of species or desert-truffle-specific small secreted proteins differentially regulated in symbiosis. A core set of plant genes, including carbohydrate, lipid-metabolism, and defence-related genes, differentially expressed in mycorrhiza under both conditions was found. Our results highlight the singularities of desert truffles with respect to other mycorrhizal fungi while providing a first glimpse on plant and fungal determinants involved in ecto to endo symbiotic switch that occurs in desert truffle under dry conditions.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Basaltic Magmatism: The Dominant Factor in the Petrologic and Tectonic Evolution of the Earth

Silicate bodies such as the Moon, Mars, probably Mercury, and possibly Venus, appear to have evolved in three main stages: a first (felsic) differentiation, a late heavy bombardment, and a second (basaltic) differentiation. It has been proposed that the Earth underwent a similar sequence. This paper argues that the second differentiation, basaltic magmatism, has dominated the petrologic and tectonic evolution of the Earth for four billion years. A global andesitic crust, formed during and after accretion of the planet, was disrupted by major impacts that triggered mantle upwelling and sea-floor spreading about 4 billion years ago. The oceanic crust collectively has since been formed by basaltic volcanism, from spreading centers and mantle plumes. However, the continental crust has also been greatly affected. Basaltic underplating has promoted anatexis and diapiric intrusion of granitoids in granite-greenstone terrains, as well as providing heat for regional metamorphism. Basaltic intrusions, such as the Nipissing diabase of the Sudbury area, have added to the thickness of continental crust. Satellite magnetic surveys suggest that there are more such basaltic intrusions than previously realized; examples include the Bangui anomaly of central Africa and the Kentucky anomaly. Basaltic overplating from mafic dike swarms has repeatedly flooded continents; had it not been for erosion, they would be covered with basalt as Venus is today. The tectonic effects of basaltic volcanism on continents have only recently been realized. The World Stress Map project has discovered that continents are under horizontal compressive stress, caused by push from mid-ocean ridges, i.e., by basaltic volcanism. The stress fields are generally uniform over large intraplate areas, and could contribute to intraplate tectonism. Seafloor spreading has demonstrably been effective for at least 200 million years, and ridge push thus a contributor to tectonic activity for that long. Collectively, the petrologic and tectonic evolution of the Earth has been dominated for about 4 billion years by the 'second differentiation,' i.e., by basaltic magmatism.

Lowman, Paul D., Jr.↗

Pathophysiology of immobilization osteoporosis

The reduction of gravity-related forces on the skeleton creates a type of osteoporosis that is unique because its severity is dependent on the mechanical stress bearing function of the skeleton as well as the length of time that the forces are absent or reduced. Bones that bear weight under normal conditions are more affected than bones that normally do not bear weight. The cytokine environment and the cells in the affected bones are altered in time so that stem cells produce fewer new cells and the differentiated cells tend to be less active. These alterations in the local environment of the affected parts appear to resemble those of age- and disease-associated systemic forms of osteoporosis. The osteoporosis produced as a result of the loss of normal activity however, appears to be at least partially reversible through remobilization, strenuous exercise, and--possibly in the future--cytokine therapy.

Non-NASA Center↗

Structural Manipulation of Phase Transitions by Self‐Induced Strain in Geometrically Confined Thin Films

Strain engineering is a well-known method often used to tune material properties in thin films. The most studied sources of strain are lattice mismatch and differential thermal contraction between the substrate and film. However, in materials which undergo a structural phase transition (SPT), a third and often overlooked source of strain may play a very significant role. If the substrate confines the area of the film, the SPT may induce stress which changes the evolution of the transition. This is a 2D analog of the isochoric phase transition between water and ice, where the freezing point drops below 0 °C. To illustrate this, the prototypical Mott insulator V 2 O 3 which has an SPT coupled to a metal–insulator transition is used to show how self-induced strain can drastically alter structural and electronic properties. This effect provides an elegant approach for mapping the phase diagram of the SPT and the transitions coupled to it. Moreover, the magnitude of self-straining is tunable by modifying the substrate morphology. Furthermore, this effect may be important for numerous materials which exhibit an SPT and are subjected to geometrical constraints.

Kalcheim, Yoav↗

TV requirements for manipulation in space

Four tasks (docking, coupling, manipulation, and transportation), stressing work volume and element relationships, are outlined to test a video system for remote manipulation in space. A 4 degree of freedom motion frame was used to evaluate operating parameters, which grouped the visual dimensions into major areas of influence, e.g., depth precision, object differentiation, reference, dynamics, and resolution. Four video systems were included in the simulation testing: a black and white and a color monoscopic system, a stereoscopic system, and a black and white two-view system. The two-view system was found best suited for the operations described.

Freedman, L. A.↗

Mixed finite-difference scheme for analysis of simply supported thick plates.

A mixed finite-difference scheme is presented for the stress and free vibration analysis of simply supported nonhomogeneous and layered orthotropic thick plates. The analytical formulation is based on the linear, three-dimensional theory of orthotropic elasticity and a Fourier approach is used to reduce the governing equations to six first-order ordinary differential equations in the thickness coordinate. The governing equations possess a symmetric coefficient matrix and are free of derivatives of the elastic characteristics of the plate. In the finite difference discretization two interlacing grids are used for the different fundamental unknowns in such a way as to reduce both the local discretization error and the bandwidth of the resulting finite-difference field equations. Numerical studies are presented for the effects of reducing the interior and boundary discretization errors and of mesh refinement on the accuracy and convergence of solutions. It is shown that the proposed scheme, in addition to a number of other advantages, leads to highly accurate results, even when a small number of finite difference intervals is used.

Noor, A. K.↗

Quantitative analysis in megageomorphology

Megageomorphology is the study of regional topographic features and their relations to independent geomorphic variables that operate at the regional scale. These independent variables can be classified as either tectonic or climatic in nature. Quantitative megageomorphology stresses the causal relations between plate tectonic factors and landscape features or correlations between climatic factors and geomorphic processes. In addition, the cumulative effects of tectonics and climate on landscape evolution that simultaneously operate in a complex system of energy transfer is of interst. Regional topographic differentiation, say between continents and ocean floors, is largely the result of the different densities and density contrasts within the oceanic and continental lithosphere and their isostatic consequences. Regional tectonic processes that alter these lithospheric characteristics include rifting, collision, subduction, transpression and transtension.

Mayer, L.↗

Integrated modeling and analysis of a space-truss article

MSC/NASTRAN is being used in the Controls-Structures Interaction (CSI) program at NASA Langley Research Center as a key analytical tool for structural analysis as well as the basis for control law development, closed-loop performance evaluation, and system safety checks. Guest investigators from academia and industry are performing dynamics and control experiments on a flight-like deployable space truss called Mini-Mast to determine the effectiveness of various active-vibration control laws. MSC/NASTRAN was used to calculate natural frequencies and mode shapes below 100 Hz to describe the dynamics of the 20-meter-long lightweight Mini-Mast structure. Gravitational effects contribute significantly to structural stiffness and are accounted for through a two-phase solution in which the differential stiffness matrix is calculated and then used in the eigensolution. Reduced modal models are extracted for control law design and evaluation of closed-loop system performance. Predicted actuator forces from controls simulations are then applied to the extended model to predict member loads and stresses. These pre-test analyses reduce risks associated with the structural integrity of the test article, which is a major concern in closed-loop control experiments due to potential instabilities.

Alan E Stockwell↗

Life Finds A Way, the Dynamics of E. Coli Evolution in Microgravity

Investigating the evolutionary dynamics of Escherichia coli in microgravity offers a unique opportunity to understand microbial adaptation to extreme environments. Here, we explored the effects of simulated microgravity (SµG) on gene expression and genome evolution of Escherichia coli REL606, a strain continuously evolved and documented terrestrially for 35 years. We used transcriptomic profiling over a 24-hour growth cycle to examine how short-term exposure to SµG under glucose-limiting and glucose-replete conditions may influence the genetic adaptations in microbial populations. Pathway analyses of differentially expressed genes suggest that SµG may alter cell membrane structure and function across all conditions, while changes to protein synthesis machinery were uniquely observed in glucose-replete samples. Furthermore, altered expression of several prophage genes across conditions in SµG samples and upregulation of general stress response factors hints at the potential for stress-induced mutagenesis in response to microgravity. We further investigated the impact of long-term exposure to SµG on genome evolution and observed a more rapid accumulation of base substitutions and deletions in SµG sample genomes across time. Specifically, mutations in the mraZ and elyC genes suggest a mechanism for increased production of peptidoglycan in the cell membrane. These findings offer insights into bacterial adaptations in long-term microgravity environments and pave the way for further detailed investigations.

Brittney Lozzi↗