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At least 127 records · Page 7

X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy Study of Argon-Plasma-Treated Fluoropolymers

Films of poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) and of a tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether (approximately 49:1) copolymer (PFA) were exposed to a radio-frequency argon plasma and then examined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The use of fluoropolymer films nearly free of surface hydrocarbon contamination as well as the use of a monochromatized X-ray source for XPS removed two factors contributing to conflicting reports on the effect of exposure time on the fluorine-to-carbon (F/C) and oxygen-to-carbon (O/C) ratios for several Ar-plasma-treated fluoropolymers. Contrary to literature indications, a common pattern was found for PTFE and PFA: a moderate decrease in F/C ratio (from 1.99 to 1.40, and from 1.97 to 1.57, respectively), together with a moderate increase in O/C ratio (from negligible to about 0.10, and from 0.012 to about O.10, respectively) at very short exposures, after which the F/C ratios remained essentially constant on prolonged exposures, while the O/C ratios for PTFE and PFA leveled off at 0.11 and 0.15, respectively. The XPS C(sub 1s), spectra for these polymers exposed to the Ar plasma for 20 min were similar and presented, besides a prominent peak at 292.0 eV (CF2,) and a minor peak at 294.0 or 294.1 eV (CF3), a composite band of four curve-resolved peaks (approximately 285-290 eV) representing various CH, CC, CO, CN, and CF functionalities.

Golub, Morton A.↗

A Comparison of Cilostazol and Pentoxifylline for Treating Intermittent Claudication

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, phase III multicenter trial was performed to evaluate the relative efficacy and safety of cilostazol and pentoxifylline. The study included 54 outpatient vascular clinics, including sites at Air Force, Veterans Affairs, tertiary care, and university hospitals in the United States. Of 922 consenting patients, 698 met the inclusion criteria, were randomized, and received treatment with either cilostazol 100 mg P0 twice a day, pentoxifylline 400 mg PO 3 times a day, or placebo. Treatment was double-dummy to ensure study blindness. Efficacy was primarily established by maximal walking distance (MWD), measured with constant-speed, variable-grade treadmill testing, assessed at baseline and at 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 weeks. Mean MWD of cilostazol-treated patients (n=227) was significantly improved at every visit compared with patients who received pentoxifylline (n=232) or placebo (n=239). After 24 weeks of cilostazol, mean MWD increased 53.9% (107.3 m) from baseline, and the effect had not plateaued. This was better (P < 0.001) than the 30.4% (64.4 m) MWD improvement with pentoxifylline. MWD improvement with pentoxifylline was similar (P = 0.82) to that of placebo (64.7 m). Deaths and serious adverse event rates were similar in each group. Common side effects included headache (27.8% with cilostazol, 11.2% with pentoxifylline, 11.7% with placebo), palpitations (17.2% with cilostazol, 2.2% with pentoxifylllne, 1.3% with placebo), and abnormal stools. Cilostazol was significantly better than pentoxifylline or placebo for increasing walking distances; pentoxifylline was no better than placebo.

Dawson, David L.↗

Polyimide-Silica Hybrids Containing Novel Phenylethynyl Imide Silanes as Coupling Agents for Surface-Treated Titanium Alloy

Polyimide-silica hybrids composed of an organic precursor containing a novel phenylethynyl imide silane and an inorganic precursor were evaluated as an adhesion-promoting interphase between surface-treated titanium alloy and a phenylethynyl-containing imide adhesive. The phenylethynyl groups present in the organic precursor, either as a pendent or end group, can bond chemically with a phenylethynyl-containing imide adhesive during processing, while the silane groups of the organic precursor would react chemically with the inorganic precursor. In addition, the inorganic precursor is able to react with the titanium alloy to form a stable bond with the metal oxide. Bond strength and durability were evaluated by single lap shear tests at various conditions. Lap shear specimens exhibited predominantly cohesive failure after a 3-d water boil with 92% retention of the initial room temperature strength. Morphology and chemical composition of the hybrid interphase were investigated with scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Auger electron spectroscopy, which revealed development of a silicon-gradient, hybrid structure between the metal substrate and the adhesive.

Park, C.↗

Properties of M40J Carbon/PMR-II-50 Composites Fabricated with Desized and Surface Treated Fibers. Characterization of M40J Desized and Finished Fibers

To increase performance and durability of high temperature composites for potential rocket engine components, it is necessary to optimize wetting and interfacial bonding between high modulus carbon fibers and high temperature polyimide resins. It has been previously demonstrated that the electro-oxidative shear treatments used by fiber manufacturers are not effective on higher modulus fibers that have fewer edge and defect sites in the surface crystallites. In addition, sizings commercially supplied on most carbon fibers are not compatible with polyimides. This study was an extension of prior work characterizing the surface chemistry and energy of high modulus carbon fibers (M40J and M60J, Torray) with typical fluorinated polyimide resins, such as PMR-II-50. A continuous desizing system which utilizes environmentally friendly chemical- mechanical processes was developed for tow level fiber and the processes were optimized based on weight loss behavior, surface elemental composition (XPS) and morphology (FE-SEM) analyses, and residual tow strength of the fiber, and the similar approaches have been applied on carbon fabrics. Both desized and further treated with a reactive finish were investigated for the composite reinforcement. The effects of desizing and/or subsequent surface retreatment on carbon fiber on composite properties and performance including fiber-matrix interfacial mechanical properties, thermal properties and blistering onset behavior will be discussed in this presentation.

Allred, Ronald E.↗

Epstein-Barr virus and human immunodeficiency virus serological responses and viral burdens in HIV-infected patients treated with HAART

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) associated non-Hodgkin lymphoma is recognized as a complication of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Little is known regarding the influence of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) on the biology of EBV in this population. To characterize the EBV- and HIV-specific serological responses together with EBV DNA levels in a cohort of HIV-infected adults treated with HAART, a study was conducted to compare EBV and HIV serologies and EBV DNA copy number (DNAemia) over a 12-month period after the commencement of HAART. All patients were seropositive for EBV at baseline. Approximately 50% of patients had detectable EBV DNA at baseline, and 27/30 had detectable EBV DNA at some point over the follow-up period of 1 year. Changes in EBV DNA copy number over time for any individual were unpredictable. Significant increases in the levels of Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen (EBNA) and Epstein-Barr early antigen (EA) antibodies were demonstrated in the 17 patients who had a good response to HAART. Of 29 patients with paired samples tested, four-fold or greater increases in titers were detected for EA in 12/29 (41%), for EBNA in 7/29 (24%), for VCA-IgG in 4/29 (14%); four-fold decreases in titers were detected in 2/29 (7%) for EA and 12/29 (41%) for EBNA. A significant decline in the titer of anti-HIV antibodies was also demonstrated. It was concluded that patients with advanced HIV infection who respond to HAART have an increase in their EBV specific antibodies and a decrease in their HIV-specific antibodies. For the cohort overall, there was a transient increase in EBV DNA levels that had declined by 12 months. Copyright 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

NASA Discipline Regulatory Physiology↗

On the Development of an Efficient Parallel Hybrid Solver with Application to Acoustically Treated Aero-Engine Nacelles

A finite element solution to the convected Helmholtz equation in a nonuniform flow is used to model the noise field within 3-D acoustically treated aero-engine nacelles. Options to select linear or cubic Hermite polynomial basis functions and isoparametric elements are included. However, the key feature of the method is a domain decomposition procedure that is based upon the inter-mixing of an iterative and a direct solve strategy for solving the discrete finite element equations. This procedure is optimized to take full advantage of sparsity and exploit the increased memory and parallel processing capability of modern computer architectures. Example computations are presented for the Langley Flow Impedance Test facility and a rectangular mapping of a full scale, generic aero-engine nacelle. The accuracy and parallel performance of this new solver are tested on both model problems using a supercomputer that contains hundreds of central processing units. Results show that the method gives extremely accurate attenuation predictions, achieves super-linear speedup over hundreds of CPUs, and solves upward of 25 million complex equations in a quarter of an hour.

Watson, Willie R.↗

Methods for treating congestive heart failure

The invention features methods of treating or preventing congestive heart failure by administering a polypeptide containing an epidermal growth factor-like domain encoded by a neuregulin gene.

Marchionni, Mark↗

Heat Treated Carbon Fiber Material Selection Database

Carbon fibers are used in a variety high temperature applications and materials. However, one limiting factor in their transition into additional applications is an understanding of their functional properties during component processing and function. The requirements on the fibers are governed by the nature of the materials and the environments in which they will be used. The current carbon fiber vendor literature is geared toward the polymeric composite industry and not the ceramic composite industry. Thus, selection of carbon fibers is difficult, since their properties change as a function of heat treatment, processing or component operational temperature, which ever is greatest. To enable proper decisions to be made, a program was established wherein multiple fibers were selected and heat treated at different temperatures. The fibers were then examined for their physical and mechanical properties which are reported herein.

Effinger, M.↗

Medical Devices Assess, Treat Balance Disorders

You may have heard the phrase as difficult as walking and chewing gum as a joking way of referring to something that is not difficult at all. Just walking, however, is not all that simple physiologically speaking. Even standing upright is an undertaking requiring the complex cooperation of multiple motor and sensory systems including vision, the inner ear, somatosensation (sensation from the skin), and proprioception (the sense of the body s parts in relation to each other). The compromised performance of any of these elements can lead to a balance disorder, which in some form affects nearly half of Americans at least once in their lifetimes, from the elderly, to those with neurological or vestibular (inner ear) dysfunction, to athletes with musculoskeletal injuries, to astronauts returning from space. Readjusting to Earth s gravity has a significant impact on an astronaut s ability to balance, a result of the brain switching to a different "model" for interpreting sensory input in normal gravity versus weightlessness. While acclimating, astronauts can experience headaches, motion sickness, and problems with perception. To help ease the transition and study the effects of weightlessness on the body, NASA has conducted many investigations into post-flight balance control, realizing this research can help treat patients with balance disorders on Earth as well. In the 1960s, the NASA-sponsored Man Vehicle Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) studied the effects of prolonged space flight on astronauts. The lab s work intrigued MIT doctoral candidate Lewis Nashner, who began conducting NASA-funded research on human movement and balance under the supervision of Dr. Larry Young in the MIT Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. In 1982, Nashner s work resulted in a noninvasive clinical technique for assessing the cooperative systems that allow the body to balance, commonly referred to as computerized dynamic posturography (CDP). CDP employs a series of dynamic protocols to isolate and assess balance function deficiencies. The technology was based on Nashner s novel, engineering-inspired concept of balance as an adaptable collaboration between multiple sensory and motor systems. CDP proved useful not only for examining astronauts, but for anyone suffering from balance problems. Today, CDP is the standard medical tool for objectively evaluating balance control.

Source record↗

Methods for Treating Congestive Heart Failure

The invention features methods of treating or preventing congestive heart failure by administering a polypeptide containing an epidermal growth factor-like domain encoded by a neuregulin gene.

Marchionni, Mark↗

Treated Carbon Nanofibers for Storing Energy in Aqueous KOH

A surface treatment has been found to enhance the performances of carbon nanofibers as electrode materials for electrochemical capacitors in which aqueous solutions of potassium hydroxide are used as the electrolytes. In the treatment, sulfonic acid groups are attached to edge plane sites on carbon atoms. The treatment is applicable to a variety of carbon nanofibers, including fibrils and both single- and multiple-wall nanotubes. The reason for choosing nanofibers over powders and other forms of carbon is that nanofibers offer greater power features. In previous research, it was found that the surface treatment of carbon nanofibers increased energy-storage densities in the presence of acid electrolytes. Now, it has been found that the same treatment increases energy-storage densities of carbon nanofibers in the presence of alkaline electrolytes when the carbon is paired with a NiOOH electrode. This beneficial effect varies depending on the variety of carbon substrate to which it is applied. It has been conjectured that the sulfonic acid groups, which exist in a deprotonated state in aqueous KOH solutions, undergo reversible electro-chemical reactions that are responsible for the observed increases in energystorage capacities. The increases can be considerable: For example, in one case, nanofibers exhibited a specific capacitance of 34 Farads per gram before treatment and 172 Farads per gram (an increase of about 400 percent) after treatment. The most promising application of this development appears to lie in hybrid capacitors, which are devices designed primarily for storing energy. These devices are designed to be capable of (1) discharge at rates greater than those of batteries and (2) storing energy at densities approaching those of batteries. A hybrid capacitor includes one electrode like that of a battery and one electrode like that of an electrochemical capacitor. For example, a hybrid capacitor could contain a potassium hydroxide solution as the electrolyte, a carbon capacitor electrode, and a nickel hydroxide battery electrode. By making the capacitor electrode of treated carbon nanofibers instead of another carbon material, one could obtain greater energy-storage capacity.

Firsich, David W.↗

Methods for treating congestive heart failure

The invention features methods of treating or preventing congestive heart failure by administering a polypeptide containing an epidermal growth factor-like domain encoded by a neuregulin gene.

Marchionni, Mark↗

Methods for Treating Congestive Heart Failure

The invention features methods of treating or preventing congestive heart failure by administering a polypeptide containing an epidermal growth factor-like domain encoded by a neuregulin gene.

Marchionni, Mark↗

Yield Behavior of Solution Treated and Aged Ti-6Al-4V

Post yield uniaxial tension-compression tests were run on a solution treated and aged (STA), titanium 6-percent aluminum 4-percent vanadium (Ti-6Al-4V) alloy to determine the yield behavior on load reversal. The material exhibits plastic behavior almost immediately on load reversal implying a strong Bauschinger effect. The resultant stress-strain data was compared to a 1D mechanics model and a finite element model used to design a composite overwrapped pressure vessel (COPV). Although the models and experimental data compare well for the initial loading and unloading in the tensile regime, agreement is lost in the compressive regime due to the Bauschinger effect and the assumption of perfect plasticity. The test data presented here are being used to develop more accurate cyclic hardening constitutive models for future finite element design analysis of COPVs.

Strain↗

Method of Heat Treating Aluminum-Lithium Alloy to Improve Formability

A method is provided for heat treating aluminum-lithium alloys to improve their formability. The alloy is heated to a first temperature, maintained at the first temperature for a first time period, heated at the conclusion of the first time period to a second temperature, maintained at the second temperature for a second time period, actively cooled at the conclusion of the second time period to a third temperature, maintained at the third temperature for a third time period, and then passively cooled at the conclusion of the third time period to room temperature.

Chen, Po-Shou↗

Simulation of Sound Absorption by Scattering Bodies Treated with Acoustic Liners Using a Time-Domain Boundary Element Method

Reducing aircraft noise is a major objective in the field of computational aeroacoustics. When designing next generation quiet aircraft, it is important to be able to accurately and efficiently predict the acoustic scattering by an aircraft body from a given noise source. Acoustic liners are an effective tool for aircraft noise reduction, and are characterized by a complex valued frequency-dependent impedance, Z(w). Converted into the time-domain using Fourier transforms, an impedance boundary condition can be used to simulate the acoustic wave scattering of geometric bodies treated with acoustic liners. This work uses an admittance boundary condition where the admittance, Y(w), is defined to be the inverse of impedance, i.e., Y(w) = 1/Z(w). An admittance boundary condition will be derived and coupled with a time domain boundary integral equation. The solution will be obtained iteratively using spatial and temporal basis functions and will allow for acoustic scattering problems to be modeled with geometries consisting of both unlined and soft surfaces. Stability will be demonstrated through eigenvalue analysis.

Pizzo, Michelle E.↗

Derivation of Capabilities and Resources for Treating Medical Conditions in Deep Space

BACKGROUND: Medical care in spaceflight requires the adaptation of terrestrial standards to the constraints of the space environment. However, there is often conflict between the ideal resources required for treatment and diagnosis of a medical condition, and the constraints on their mass, volume, data needs, etc. This optimization of trades between medical risk and resources will be a significant challenge for deep space medical system design. METHODS: A team of physicians with a broad range of expertise reviewed the 120 medical conditions on the condition list for NASA’s Informing Mission Planning via analysis of Complex Tradespaces Medical Database (IMPACT-MD). Each team member was assigned a subset of conditions based on their experience and training. The assigned physician generated a proposed list of capabilities, definitions, and resources required to treat each condition based on terrestrial practice guidelines, medical literature, and subject matter expertise. Additional specialists were consulted for conditions where expertise was not present within the main group. The proposed list was then reviewed by the broader team and modified as needed to achieve consensus. Each capability and resource was then assigned parameters to define quantity required per medical event, necessity, training level required, and primacy order of any alternative resources. These capabilities and resources were placed into condition specific tables and delivered to a team of engineers who added mass and volume data for each specific resource and converted the table into a database for use as input to a computational model to simulate spaceflight (IMPACT) DISCUSSION: This process ensures that a minimum of three subject matter experts review and agree upon the scope of practice, medical diagnostic tools, and treatment modalities that would be necessary to address emergent and non-emergent conditions that may arise during spaceflight to inform requirements during the vehicle design phase. The method is scalable to any design reference mission and permits modification of the existing database as information, conditions or experience are added. By including specialists, generalists, and those with subject matter expertise in the spaceflight environment on the team, we ensure that the included capabilities represent a realistic and actionable foundation for planning deep space missions.

D R Levin↗

Comparative Study of Additively Manufactured Inconel 625 In the As-Built and Heat-Treated Condition

This study was conducted to characterize the microstructure and mechanical properties of Inconel 625 manufactured with laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF), electron beam melting (EBM), wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM), electron beam directed energy deposition (EB-DED), laser powder directed energy deposition (LP-DED), and laser wire directed energy deposition (LW-DED) in both the as built and heat-treated condition. The heat treatment in this study included stress relieving, hot isostatic pressure (HIP), and solution treatment. The effects of the heat treatment on the grain widths and hardness of the alloy will be observed across the technologies before and after heat-treatment. At the end of this study there will be a comparative analysis of the alloy Inconel 625 across the six technologies.

V Luna↗