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During immobilization, skeletal muscle undergoes decreases in size and strength with concomitant atrophic and degenerative changes in slow-twitch muscle fibers. Currently there are no objective data in slow-twitch muscle demonstrating recovery of biochemical or physiological indices following termination of immobilization. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the soleus, a slow-twitch muscle, could recover normal biochemical or physiological levels following termination of immobilization. Adenosine triphosphate, glycogen, and protein concentration (mg/g wet wt) all significantly decreased following 90 days of hindlimb immobilization, but these three values returned to control levels by the 60th recovery day. Similarly, soleus muscle wet weight and protein content (mg protein/muscle) returned to control levels by the 14th recovery day. In contrast, maximal isometric tension did not return to normal until the 120th day. These results indicate that following muscular atrophy, which was achieved through 90 days of hindlimb immobilization, several biochemical and physiological values in skeletal muscle are recovered at various times after the end of immobilization.
Cyclic furnace and cyclic natural gas-oxygen torch rig tests were conducted to (1) identify a thermal-barrier system for a nickel-aluminum-molybdenum alloy, (2) study the oxidation of the bond coating, and (3) study the effect of the substrate coefficient of thermal expansion on thermal barrier system life. It is found that the latter is affected by the composition of the bond coating, yttria concentration in zirconia, and the coefficient of thermal expansion of the substrate material. In addition, small compositional changes in the bond and thermal barrier coatings have greater effect on thermal barrier system life than the 40% increase in the coefficient of thermal expansion of the substrate material. No simple relation exists between the weight gain caused by bond-coating oxidation with increasing yttria concentration in zirconia and increasing bond coating thickness on the one hand, and thermal barrier system life on the other.
High-efficiency, monolithic, two-color, three-terminal solar cells were fabricated by a novel growth technique, vacuum metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. The technique uses the expensive metal alkyls efficiently and toxic gases sparingly. The fact that the outer chamber is constructed of nonbreakable stainless steel is an attractive safety feature associated with this deposition system.
The present investigation is concerned with the mutual influence of creep and fatigue in the case of Ti-6211, which represents a new weldable, stress-corrosion resistant alloy. Attention is given to the effect of creep on fatigue, the effect of fatigue on creep, and microstructural studies. It is found that prior creep in the amounts investigated, from 0.2 percent to 2.7 percent, is beneficial to low-cycle fatigue life. Hold time at peak strain is found to be beneficial to low-cycle fatigue life. Hold time at constant stress has no effect on low-cycle fatigue when specimens are cycled only once between hold times; but increasing fatigue loading for 50 or more cycles between hold times can prolong the fatigue life. There is an acceleration of creep by cyclic loading when comparison of cyclic and static creep is based on mean stress.
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The applicability of linear elastic fracture mechanics to characterize the fatigue behavior of high-strength steel weldments containing lack-of-penetration (LOP) and slag/lack-of-fusion (S/LOF) discontinuities is explored. Full penetration, double-V butt welds with reinforcements removed were tested under zero-to-tension axial loading. Various filler metals and welding techniques were used. Both sound welds and welds containing discontinuities were cycled to failure. Where possible, cycles to crack initiation were estimated by strain gage measurements. The fracture mechanics approach was successful in correlating the fatigue lifetimes of specimens containing single LOP discontinuities of varying size. However, the fatigue behavior of specimens containing multiple S/LOF discontinuities proved to be much more complex and difficult to analyze.
Guided ion-beam mass spectrometry is used to examined the reactions of vibrationally cold ground-state O2(+)(X 2Pi sub g) with H2, D2, and HD. The energy dependence of the absolute integral cross sections from thermal energy to over 4 eV are measured in the center-of-mass frame of reference. Results are also presented for internally excited O2(+) ions reacting with D2 and HD. The results are consistent with the dominant state being the a 4Pi sub u electronic state. The experimental excitation functions are analyzed in detail and interpreted by extending the molecular orbital correlation arguments of Mahan (1971) and by comparison with results of statistical phase space theory and with a theory that predicts a tight transition state.
The present study focuses on the investigation of the influence of hydrogen on the mechanical properties of three types of alloys at elevated temperatures. The reasons for the consideration of hydrogen effects are the potential use of hydrogen as a coolant in gas-cooled reactors and fuel in advanced hypersonic vehicles. The materials used in hydrogen atmosphere must not be embrittled by hydrogen at ambient temperature and should have good strength in hydrogen atmosphere at elevated temperature. The paucity of information concerning the mechanical performance in hydrogen atmosphere at elevated temperature has been a limiting factor in the selection and design of structural components for operation in hydrogen environment.
Refractory-composite/heat-pipe-cooled wing an tail leading edges are being considered for use on hypersonic vehicles to limit maximum temperatures to values below material reuse limits and to eliminate the need to actively cool the leading edges. The development of a refractory-composite/heat-pipe-cooled leading edge has evolved from the design stage to the fabrication and testing of heat pipes embedded in carbon/carbon (C/C). A three-foot-long, molybdenum-rhenium heat pipe with a lithium working fluid was fabricated and tested at an operating temperature of 2460 F to verify the individual heat-pipe design. Following the fabrication of this heat pipe, three additional heat pipes were fabricated and embedded in C/C. The C/C heat-pipe test article was successfully tested using quartz lamps in a vacuum chamber in both a horizontal and vertical orientation. Start up and steady state data are presented for the C/C heat-pipe test article. Radiography and eddy current evaluations were performed on the test article.
The results of recent efforts to develop directionally-solidified alloys based on the Ni-33Al-31Cr-3Mo eutectic composition are discussed. These developmental efforts included studying the effects of macroalloying and growth rates on microstructure formation as well as the elevated temperature compressive and tensile properties of these alloys. These observations revealed that contrary to conventional opinion, the cellular microstructure was stronger and tougher than the planar eutectic microstructure due to a microstructural refinement of the cell size and interlamellar spacing. The high temperature strengths of these alloys are compared with those of commercial superalloys and advanced NiAl single crystals. The implications of this research on airfoil manufacturing and applications are discussed.
Since approximately 1990 high pressure and temperature (PT) experiments on metal-silicate systems have showed that partition coefficients (D) for siderophile (iron-loving) elements are much different than those measured at low PT conditions. The high PT data have been used to argue for a magma ocean during growth of the early Earth. Initial conclusions were based on experiments and calculations for a small number of elements such as Ni and Co. However, for many elements only a limited number of experimental data were available then, and they only hinted at values of metal-silicate D's at high PT conditions. In the ensuing decades there have been hundreds of new experiments carried out and published on a wide range of siderophile elements. At the same time several different models have been advanced to explain the siderophile elements in the earth's mantle: a) intermediate depth magma ocean; 25-30 GPa, b) deep magma ocean; up to 50 GPa, and c) early reduced and later oxidized magma ocean. Some studies have drawn conclusions based on a small subset of siderophile elements, or a set of elements that provides little leverage on the big picture (like slightly siderophile elements), and no single study has attempted to quantitatively explain more than 5 elements at a time. The purpose of this abstract is to update the predictive expressions outlined by Righter et al. (1997) with new experimental data from the last decade, test the predictive ability of these expressions against independent datasets (there are more data now to do this properly), and to apply the resulting expressions to the siderophile element patterns in Earth's upper mantle. The predictive expressions have the form: lnD = alnfO2 + b/T + cP/T + d(1Xs) + e(1Xc) + SigmafiXi + g These expressions are guided by the thermodynamics of simple metal-oxide equilibria that control each element, include terms that mimic the activity coefficients of each element in the metal and silicate, and quantify the effect of variable oxygen fugacity. Preliminary results confirm that D(Ni) and D(Co) converge at pressures near 25-30 GPa and approximately 2200 K, and show that D(Pd) and D(Cu) become too low at the PT conditions of the deepest models. Furthermore, models which force fit V and Cr mantle concentrations by metal-silicate equilibrium overlook the fact that at early Earth mantle fO2, these elements will be more compatible in Mg-perovskite and (Fe,Mg)O than in metal. Thus an intermediate depth magma ocean, at 25-30 GPa, 2200 K, and at IW-2, can explain more mantle siderophile element concentrations than other models.
X-ray microcalorimeters using transition-edge sensors (TES) show great promise for use in astronomical x-ray spectroscopy. We have obtained very high energy resolution (2.8 electronvolts at 1.5 kiloelectronvolts and 3.7 electronvolts at 3.3 kiloelectronvolts) in a large, isolated TES pixel using a Mo/Au proximity-effect bilayer on a silicon nitride membrane. We will discuss the performance and our characterization of that device. In order to be truly suitable for use behind an x-ray telescope, however, such devices need to be arrayed with a pixel size and focal-plane coverage commensurate with the telescope focal length and spatial resolution. Since this requires fitting the TES and its thermal link, a critical component of each calorimeter pixel, into a far more compact geometry than has previously been investigated, we must study the fundamental scaling laws in pixel optimization. We have designed a photolithography mask that will allow us to probe the range in thermal conductance that can be obtained by perforating the nitride membrane in a narrow perimeter around the sensor. This mask will also show the effects of reducing the TES area. Though we have not yet tested devices of the compact designs, we will present our progress in several of the key processing steps and discuss the parameter space of our intended investigations.
For the spectral analysis of high-resolution and high signal-to-noise (SN) spectra of hot stars, state-of-the-art non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) model atmospheres are mandatory. These are strongly dependent on the reliability of the atomic data that is used for their calculation. Aims: To identify molybdenum lines in the ultraviolet (UV) spectra of the DA-type white dwarf G191B2B and the DO-type white dwarf RE 0503289 and, to determine their photospheric Mo abundances, reliable Mo iv-vii oscillator strengths are used. Methods: We newly calculated Mo iv-vii oscillator strengths to consider their radiative and collisional bound-bound transitions indetail in our NLTE stellar-atmosphere models for the analysis of Mo lines exhibited in high-resolution and high SN UV observations of RE 0503289.Results. We identified 12 Mo v and nine Mo vi lines in the UV spectrum of RE 0503289 and measured a photospheric Mo abundance of 1.2 3.0 104(mass fraction, 22 500 56 400 times the solar abundance). In addition, from the As v and Sn iv resonance lines,we measured mass fractions of arsenic (0.51.3 105, about 300 1200 times solar) and tin (1.33.2 104, about 14 300 35 200 times solar). For G191B2B, upper limits were determined for the abundances of Mo (5.3 107, 100 times solar) and, in addition, for Kr (1.1106, 10 times solar) and Xe (1.7107, 10 times solar). The arsenic abundance was determined (2.35.9 107, about 21 53 times solar). A new, registered German Astrophysical Virtual Observatory (GAVO) service, TOSS, has been constructed to provide weighted oscillator strengths and transition probabilities.Conclusions. Reliable measurements and calculations of atomic data are a prerequisite for stellar-atmosphere modeling. Observed Mo v-vi line profiles in the UV spectrum of the white dwarf RE 0503289 were well reproduced with our newly calculated oscillator strengths. For the first time, this allowed the photospheric Mo abundance in a white dwarf to be determined.
Mission Operations and Command Assurance (MO&CA), a recent addition to flight operations teams at JPL. provides a system level function to instill quality in mission operations. MO&CA's primary goal at JPL is to help improve the operational reliability for projects during flight. MO&CA tasks include early detection and correction of process design and procedural deficiencies within projects. Early detection and correction are essential during development of operational procedures and training of operational teams. MO&CA's effort focuses directly on reducing the probability of radiating incorrect commands to a spacecraft. Over the last seven years at JPL, MO&CA has become a valuable asset to JPL flight projects. JPL flight projects have benefited significantly from MO&CA's efforts to contain risk and prevent rather than rework errors. MO&CA's ability to provide direct transfer of knowledge allows new projects to benefit directly from previous and ongoing experience. Since MO&CA, like Total Quality Management (TQM), focuses on continuous improvement of processes and elimination of rework, we recommend that this effort be continued on NASA flight projects.
Observational evidence for a global quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) pattern is reviewed. In particular, the presence of an extratropical, as well as an equatorial, component of the QBO signal in column ozone is established. It is found that the ozone interannual variability is such that as one moves away from the Tropics, the frequency spectrum of the anomaly changes from one that is dominated by the equatorial QBO frequency of 1/30 mo to a two-peak spectrum around the two frequencies: 1/30 mo and 1/20 mo. Instead of treating the 1/20 mo frequency as a separate phenomenon to be filtered away in extracting the QBO in the extratropics, as was previously done, the authors argue that both peaks are integral parts of the extratropical QBO phenomenon. The 1/20 mo frequency happens to be the difference combination of the QBO frequency 1/30 mo and the annual frequency 1/12 mo. Therefore, it can represent the result of the QBO modulating an annual cycle. The authors suggest that previous methods of extracting the extratropical QBO signal severely underestimated the contribution of the QBO to the interannual variability of ozone when data are filtered to pass only the component with the period of equatorial QBO. Further, it is argued that the transport of equatorial QBO ozone anomaly by a non-QBO circulation can at most account for 6-8 Dobson units (DU) of the observed interannual variability of column ozone in the extratropics. The remaining variability (up to 20 DU) probably cannot be produced without an anomaly in the transporting circulation in the extratropics.
On the basis of the 12-mo moving average of monthly mean sunspot number (R) through November 2006, cycle 23 has persisted for 126 mo, having had a minimum of 8.0 in May 1996, a peak of 120.8 in April 2000, and an ascent duration of 47 mo. In November 2006, the 12-mo moving average of monthly mean sunspot number was 12.7, a value just outside the upper observed envelope of sunspot minimum values for the most recent cycles 16-23 (range 3.4-12.3), but within the 90-percent prediction interval (7.8 +/- 6.7). The first spotless day during the decline of cycle 23 occurred in January 2004, and the first occurrence of 10 or more and 20 or more spotless days was February 2006 and April 2007, respectively, inferring that sunspot minimum for cycle 24 is imminent. Through May 2007, 121 spotless days have accumulated. In terms of the weighted mean latitude (weighed by spot area) (LAT) and the highest observed latitude spot (HLS) in November 2006, 12-mo moving averages of these parameters measured 7.9 and 14.6 deg, respectively, these values being the lowest values yet observed during the decline of cycle 23 and being below corresponding mean values found for cycles 16-23. As yet, no high-latitude new-cycle spots have been seen nor has there been an upturn in LAT and HLS, these conditions having always preceded new cycle minimum by several months for past cycles. Together, these findings suggest that cycle 24 s minimum amplitude still lies well beyond November 2006. This implies that cycle 23 s period either will lie in the period "gap" (127-134 mo), a first for a sunspot cycle, or it will be longer than 134 mo, thus making cycle 23 a long-period cycle (like cycle 20) and indicating that cycle 24 s minimum will occur after July 2007. Should cycle 23 prove to be a cycle of longer period, a consequence might be that the maximum amplitude for cycle 24 may be smaller than previously predicted.