Sample records for wick cells failed

  1. Effect of LEO cycling on 125 Ah advanced design IPV nickel-hydrogen flight cells. An update

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smithrick, John J.; Hall, Stephen W.

    1991-01-01

    Validation testing of the NASA Lewis 125 Ah advanced design individual pressure vessel (IPV) nickel-hydrogen flight cells was conducted. Work consisted of characterization, storage, and cycle life testing. There was no capacity degradation after 52 days of storage with the cells in the discharged state, an open circuit, 0 C, and a hydrogen pressure of 14.5 psia. The catalyzed wall wick cells were cycled for over 11,000 cycles with no cell failures in the continuing test. One of the noncatalyzed wall wick cells failed.

  2. Validation test of 125 Ah advanced design IPV nickel-hydrogen flight cells

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smithrick, John J.; Hall, Stephen W.

    1993-01-01

    An update of validation test results confirming the advanced design nickel-hydrogen cell is presented. An advanced 125 Ah individual pressure vessel Ni-H cell was designed. The primary function of the advanced cell is to store and deliver energy for long-term LEO spacecraft missions. The new features of this design are: (1) use of 26 percent rather than 31 percent KOH electrolyte; (2) use of a patented catalyzed wall wick; (3) use of serrated-edge separators to facilitate gaseous O and H flow within the cell, while maintaining physical contact with the wall wick for electrolyte management; and (4) use of a floating rather than a fixed stack to accommodate Ni electrode expansion due to charge/discharge cycling. The significant improvements resulting from these innovations are extended cycle life; enhanced thermal, electrolyte, and oxygen management; and accommodation of Ni electrode expansion. Six 125 Ah flight cells based on this design were fabricated; the catalyzed wall wick cells have been cycled for over 19,000 cycles with no cell failures in the continuing test. Two of the noncatalyzed wall wick cells failed (cycles 9588 and 13,900).

  3. Validation test of 125 Ah advanced design IPV nickel-hydrogen flight cells

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smithrick, John J.; Hall, Stephen W.

    1993-01-01

    An update of validation test results confirming the advanced design nickel-hydrogen cell is presented. An advanced 125 Ah individual pressure vessel (IPV) nickel-hydrogen cell was designed. The primary function of the advanced cell is to store and deliver energy for long-term, Low-Earth-Orbit (LEO) spacecraft missions. The new features of this design, which are not incorporated in state-of-the-art design cells, are: (1) use of 26 percent rather than 31 percent potassium hydroxide (KOH) electrolyte; (2) use of a patented catalyzed wall wick; (3) use of serrated-edge separators to facilitate gaseous oxygen and hydrogen flow within the cell, while still maintaining physical contact with the wall wick for electrolyte management; and (4) use of a floating rather than a fixed stack (state-of-the-art) to accommodate nickel electrode expansion due to charge/discharge cycling. The significant improvements resulting from these innovations are extended cycle life; enhanced thermal, electrolyte, and oxygen management; and accommodation of nickel electrode expansion. Six 125 Ah flight cells based on this design were fabricated by Eagle-Picher. Three of the cells contain all of the advanced features (test cells) and three are the same as the test cells except they do not have catalyst on the wall wick (control cells). All six cells are in the process of being evaluated in a LEO cycle life test at the Naval Weapons Support Center, Crane, IN, under a NASA Lewis Research Center contract. The catalyzed wall wick cells have been cycled for over 19000 cycles with no cell failures in the continuing test. Two of the noncatalyzed wall wick cells failed (cycles 9588 and 13,900).

  4. NASA Lewis advanced IPV nickel-hydrogen technology

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smithrick, John J.; Britton, Doris L.

    1993-01-01

    Individual pressure vessel (IPV) nickel-hydrogen technology was advanced at NASA Lewis and under Lewis contracts. Some of the advancements are as follows: to use 26 percent potassium hydroxide electrolyte to improve cycle life and performance, to modify the state of the art cell design to eliminate identified failure modes and further improve cycle life, and to develop a lightweight nickel electrode to reduce battery mass, hence reduce launch and/or increase satellite payload. A breakthrough in the LEO cycle life of individual pressure vessel nickel-hydrogen battery cells was reported. The cycle life of boiler plate cells containing 26 percent KOH electrolyte was about 40,000 accelerated LEO cycles at 80 percent DOD compared to 3,500 cycles for cells containing 31 percent KOH. Results of the boiler plate cell tests have been validated at NWSC, Crane, Indiana. Forty-eight ampere-hour flight cells containing 26 and 31 percent KOH have undergone real time LEO cycle life testing at an 80 percent DOD, 10 C. The three cells containing 26 percent KOH failed on the average at cycle 19,500. The three cells containing 31 percent KOH failed on the average at cycle 6,400. Validation testing of NASA Lewis 125 Ah advanced design IPV nickel-hydrogen flight cells is also being conducted at NWSC, Crane, Indiana under a NASA Lewis contract. This consists of characterization, storage, and cycle life testing. There was no capacity degradation after 52 days of storage with the cells in the discharged state, on open circuit, 0 C, and a hydrogen pressure of 14.5 psia. The catalyzed wall wick cells have been cycled for over 22,694 cycles with no cell failures in the continuing test. All three of the non-catalyzed wall wick cells failed (cycles 9,588; 13,900; and 20,575). Cycle life test results of the Fibrex nickel electrode has demonstrated the feasibility of an improved nickel electrode giving a higher specific energy nickel-hydrogen cell. A nickel-hydrogen boiler plate cell using an 80 mil thick, 90 percent porous Fibrex nickel electrode has been cycled for 10,000 cycles at 40 percent DOD.

  5. Paper diagnostic for instantaneous blood typing.

    PubMed

    Khan, Mohidus Samad; Thouas, George; Shen, Wei; Whyte, Gordon; Garnier, Gil

    2010-05-15

    Agglutinated blood transports differently onto paper than stable blood with well dispersed red cells. This difference was investigated to develop instantaneous blood typing tests using specific antibody-antigen interactions to trigger blood agglutination. Two series of experiments were performed. The first related the level of agglutination and the fluidic properties of blood on its transport in paper. Blood samples were mixed at different ratios with specific and nonspecific antibodies; a droplet of each mixture was deposited onto a filter paper strip, and the kinetics of wicking and red cell separation were measured. Agglutinated blood phase separated, with the red blood cells (RBC) forming a distinct spot upon contact with paper while the plasma wicked; in contrast, stable blood suspensions wicked uniformly. The second study analyzed the wicking and the chromatographic separation of droplets of blood deposited onto paper strips pretreated with specific and nonspecific antibodies. Drastic differences in transport occurred. Blood agglutinated by interaction with one of its specific antibodies phase separated, causing a chromatographic separation. The red cells wicked very little while the plasma wicked at a faster rate than the original blood sample. Blood agglutination and wicking in paper followed the concepts of colloids chemistry. The immunoglobin M antibodies agglutinated the red blood cells by polymer bridging, upon selective adsorption on the specific antigen at their surface. The transport kinetics was viscosity controlled, with the viscosity of red cells drastically increasing upon blood agglutination. Three arm prototypes were investigated for single-step blood typing.

  6. Wick-and-pool electrodes for electrochemical cell

    DOEpatents

    Roche, Michael F.; Faist, Suzan M.; Eberhart, James G.; Ross, Laurids E.

    1977-01-01

    An electrode system includes a reservoir of liquid-metal reactant, and a wick extending from a submersed location within the reservoir into the molten electrolyte of an electrochemical cell structure. The wick is flooded with the liquid metal and thereby serves as one electrode within the cell. This electrode system has application in high-temperature batteries employing molten alkali metals or their alloys as active material within an electrode submersed within a molten salt electrolyte. It also can be used in electrochemical cells where the purification, separation or electrowinning of liquid metals is accomplished.

  7. Wick-and-pool electrodes for electrochemical cell

    DOEpatents

    Roche, Michael F.; Faist, Suzan M.; Eberhart, James G.; Ross, Laurids E.

    1980-01-01

    An electrode system includes a reservoir of liquid-metal reactant, and a wick extending from a submersed location within the reservoir into the molten electrolyte of an electrochemical cell structure. The wick is flooded with the liquid metal and thereby serves as one electrode within the cell. This electrode system has application in high-temperature batteries employing molten alkali metals or their alloys as active material within an electrode submersed within a molten salt electrolyte. It also can be used in electrochemical cells where the purification, separation or electrowinning of liquid metals is accomplished.

  8. Effect of LEO cycling on 125 Ah advanced design IPV nickel-hydrogen battery cells

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smithrick, John J.; Hall, Stephen W.

    1990-01-01

    An advanced 125 Ah individual pressure vessel (IPV) nickel-hydrogen cell was designed. The primary function of the advanced cell, is to store and deliver energy for long term, low earth-orbit (LEO) spacecraft missions. The new features of this design are: (1) use of 26 percent rather than 31 percent potassium hydroxide (KOH) electrolyte, (2) use of a patented catalyzed wall wick, (3) use of serrated edge separators to facilitate gaseous oxygen and hydrogen flow within the cell, while still maintaining physical contact with the wall wick for electrolyte management, and (4) use of a floating rather than a fixed stack (state-of-the-art) to accommodate nickel electrode expansion. Six 125 Ah flight cells based on this design were fabricated by Eagle-Picher. Three of the cells contain all of the advanced features (test cells) and three are the same as the test cells except they don't have catalyst on the wall wick (control cells). All six cells are in the process of being evaluated in a LEO cycle life test. The cells have accumulated about 4700 LEO cycles (60 percent DOD 10 C). There have been no cell failures, the catalyzed wall wick cells however, are performing better.

  9. Effect of LEO cycling on 125 Ah advanced design IPV nickel-hydrogen battery cells

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smithrick, John J.; Hall, Stephen W.

    1990-01-01

    An advanced 125 Ah individual pressure vessel (IPV) nickel-hydrogen cell was designed. The primary function of the advanced cell is to store and deliver energy for long-term, low earth-orbit (LEO) spacecraft missions. The new features of this design are: (1) use of 26 percent rather than 31 percent potassium hydroxide (KOH) electrolyte, (2) use of a patented catalyzed wall wick, (3) use of serrated-edge separators to facilitate gaseous oxygen and hydrogen flow within the cell, while still maintaining physical contact with the wall wick for electrolyte management, and (4) use of a floating rather than a fixed stack (state-of-the-art) to accommodate nickel electrode expansion. Six 125-Ah flight cells based on this design were fabricated by Eagle-Picher. Three of the cells contain all of the advanced features (test cells) and three are the same as the test cells except they don't have catalyst on the wall wick (control cells). All six cells are in the process of being evaluated in a LEO cycle life test. The cells have accumulated about 4700 LEO cycles (60 percent DOD 10 C). There have been no cell failures; the catalyzed wall wick cells, however, are performing better.

  10. Wicked problems and a 'wicked' solution.

    PubMed

    Walls, Helen L

    2018-04-13

    'Wicked' is the term used to describe some of the most challenging and complex issues of our time, many of which threaten human health. Climate change, biodiversity loss, persisting poverty, the advancing obesity epidemic, and food insecurity are all examples of such wicked problems. However there is a strong body of evidence describing the solutions for addressing many of these problems. Given that much is known about how many of these problems could be addressed - and given the risks of not acting - what will it take to create the 'tipping point' needed for effective action? A recent (2015) court ruling in The Hague held that the Dutch government's stance on climate change was illegal, ordering them to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 25% within 5 years (by 2020), relative to 1990 levels. The case was filed on behalf of 886 Dutch citizens, suing the government for violating human rights and climate changes treaties by failing to take adequate action to prevent the harmful impacts of climate change. This judicial ruling has the potential to provide a way forward, inspiring other civil movements and creating a template from which to address other wicked problems. This judicial strategy to address the need to lower greenhouse gas emissions in the Netherlands is not a magic bullet, and requires a particular legal and institutional setting. However it has the potential to be a game-changer - providing an example of a strategy for achieving domestic regulatory change that is likely to be replicable in some countries elsewhere, and providing an example of a particularly 'wicked' (in the positive, street-slang sense of the word) strategy to address seemingly intractable and wicked problems.

  11. MOISTURE MOVEMENT (WICKING) WITHIN GYPSUM WALLBOARD

    EPA Science Inventory

    Gypsum wallboard with repeated or prolonged exposure to water or excess moisture can lose its structural integrity and provide a growth medium for biological contaminants. Poorly sealed buildings, leaking or failed plumbing systems, or improperly constructed HVAC systems can all ...

  12. Characterization and Separation of Cancer Cells with a Wicking Fiber Device.

    PubMed

    Tabbaa, Suzanne M; Sharp, Julia L; Burg, Karen J L

    2017-12-01

    Current cancer diagnostic methods lack the ability to quickly, simply, efficiently, and inexpensively screen cancer cells from a mixed population of cancer and normal cells. Methods based on biomarkers are unreliable due to complexity of cancer cells, plasticity of markers, and lack of common tumorigenic markers. Diagnostics are time intensive, require multiple tests, and provide limited information. In this study, we developed a novel wicking fiber device that separates cancer and normal cell types. To the best of our knowledge, no previous work has used vertical wicking of cells through fibers to identify and isolate cancer cells. The device separated mouse mammary tumor cells from a cellular mixture containing normal mouse mammary cells. Further investigation showed the device separated and isolated human cancer cells from a heterogeneous mixture of normal and cancerous human cells. We report a simple, inexpensive, and rapid technique that has potential to identify and isolate cancer cells from large volumes of liquid samples that can be translated to on-site clinic diagnosis.

  13. High efficiency vapor-fed AMTEC system for direct conversion. Final report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Anderson, W.G.; Bland, J.J.

    1997-05-23

    The Alkali Metal Thermal to Electric Converter (AMTEC) is a high temperature, high efficiency system for converting thermal to electrical energy, with no moving parts. It is based on the unique properties of {beta}{double_prime}-alumina solid electrolyte (BASE), which is an excellent conductor of sodium ions, but an extremely poor conductor of electrons. When the inside of the BASE is maintained at a higher temperature and pressure, a concentration gradient is created across the BASE. Electrons and sodium atoms cannot pass through the BASE. However, the sodium atoms are ionized, and the sodium ions move through the BASE to the lowermore » potential (temperature) region. The electrons travel externally to the AMTEC cell, providing power. There are a number of potential advantages to a wick-pumped, vapor-fed AMTEC system when compared with other designs. A wick-pumped system uses capillary forces to passively return liquid to the evaporator, and to distribute the liquid in the evaporator. Since the fluid return is self-regulating, multiple BASE tubes can use a single remote condenser, potentially improving efficiency in advanced AMTEC designs. Since the system is vapor-fed, sodium vapor is supplied at a uniform temperature and flux to the BASE tube, even with non-uniform heat fluxes and temperatures at the evaporator. The primary objective of the Phase 2 program was to develop wick-pumped AMTEC cells. During the program, procedures to fabricate wicks with smaller pore sizes were developed, to allow operation of an AMTEC cell at 800 C. A revised design was made for a High-Temperature, Wick-Fed AMTEC cell. In addition to the smaller wick pore size, several other changes were made to increase the cell efficiency: (1) internal artery return of condensate; (2) high temperature electrical feedthrough; and (3) separate heat pipe for providing heat to the BASE.« less

  14. Porous Foam Based Wick Structures for Loop Heat Pipes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Silk, Eric A.

    2012-01-01

    As part of an effort to identify cost efficient fabrication techniques for Loop Heat Pipe (LHP) construction, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Cryogenics and Fluids Branch collaborated with the U.S. Naval Academy s Aerospace Engineering Department in Spring 2012 to investigate the viability of carbon foam as a wick material within LHPs. The carbon foam was manufactured by ERG Aerospace and machined to geometric specifications at the U.S. Naval Academy s Materials, Mechanics and Structures Machine Shop. NASA GSFC s Fractal Loop Heat Pipe (developed under SBIR contract #NAS5-02112) was used as the validation LHP platform. In a horizontal orientation, the FLHP system demonstrated a heat flux of 75 Watts per square centimeter with deionized water as the working fluid. Also, no failed start-ups occurred during the 6 week performance testing period. The success of this study validated that foam can be used as a wick structure. Furthermore, given the COTS status of foam materials this study is one more step towards development of a low cost LHP.

  15. Polymeric heat pipe wick

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Seidenberg, Benjamin

    1988-01-01

    A wick for use in a capillary loop pump heat pipe is described. The wick material is an essentially uniformly porous, permeable, open-cell, polyethylene thermoplastic foam having an ultrahigh average molecular weight of from approximately 1 to 5 million, and an average pore size of about 10 to 12 microns. A representative material having these characteristics is POREX UF, which has an average molecular weight of about 3 million. This material is fully compatible with the FREONs and anhydrous ammonia and allows for the use of these very efficient working fluids in capillary loops.

  16. Fuel cell and system for supplying electrolyte thereto with wick feed

    DOEpatents

    Cohn, J. Gunther; Feigenbaum, Haim; Kaufman, Arthur

    1984-01-01

    An electrolyte distribution and supply system for use with a fuel cell having a means for drawing electrolyte therein is formed by a set of containers of electrolyte joined to respective fuel cells in a stack of such cells. The electrolyte is separately stored so as to provide for electrical isolation between electrolytes of the individual cells of the stack. Individual storage compartments are coupled by tubes containing wicking fibers, the ends of the respective tubes terminating on the means for drawing electrolyte in each of the respective fuel cells. Each tube is heat shrunk to tightly bind the fibers therein.

  17. Ceramic heat pipe wick

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Seidenberg, Benjamin (Inventor); Swanson, Theodore (Inventor)

    1989-01-01

    A wick for use in a capillary loop pump heat pipe is disclosed. The wick material is an essentially uniformly porous, permeable, open-cell, silicon dioxide/aluminum oxide inorganic ceramic foam having a silica fiber ratio, by weight, of about 78 to 22, respectively, a density of 6 lbs/cu ft, and an average pore size of less than 5 microns. A representative material having these characteristics is Lockheed Missile and Space Company, Inc.'s HTP 6-22. This material is fully compatible with the freons and anhydrous ammonia and allows for the use of these very efficient working fluids, and others, in capillary loops.

  18. Device for equalizing molten electrolyte content in a fuel cell stack

    DOEpatents

    Smith, J.L.

    1985-12-23

    A device for equalizing the molten electrolyte content throughout the height of a fuel cell stack is disclosed. The device includes a passageway for electrolyte return with electrolyte wettable wicking material in the opposite end portions of the passageway. One end portion is disposed near the upper, negative end of the stack where electrolyte flooding occurs. The second end portion is placed near the lower, positive end of the stack where electrolyte is depleted. Heating means are provided at the upper portion of the passageway to increase electrolyte vapor pressure in the upper wicking material. The vapor is condensed in the lower passageway portion and conducted as molten electrolyte in the lower wick to the positive end face of the stack. An inlet is provided to inject a modifying gas into the passageway and thereby control the rate of electrolyte return.

  19. Device for equalizing molten electrolyte content in a fuel cell stack

    DOEpatents

    Smith, James L.

    1987-01-01

    A device for equalizing the molten electrolyte content throughout the height of a fuel cell stack is disclosed. The device includes a passageway for electrolyte return with electrolyte wettable wicking material in the opposite end portions of the passageway. One end portion is disposed near the upper, negative end of the stack where electrolyte flooding occurs. The second end portion is placed near the lower, positive end of the stack where electrolyte is depleted. Heating means are provided at the upper portion of the passageway to increase electrolyte vapor pressure in the upper wicking material. The vapor is condensed in the lower passageway portion and conducted as molten electrolyte in the lower wick to the positive end face of the stack. An inlet is provided to inject a modifying gas into the passageway and thereby control the rate of electrolyte return.

  20. Fuel cell and system for supplying electrolyte thereto utilizing cascade feed

    DOEpatents

    Feigenbaum, Haim

    1984-01-01

    An electrolyte distribution supply system for use with a fuel cell having a wicking medium for drawing electrolyte therein is formed by a set of containers of electrolyte joined to respective fuel cells or groups thereof in a stack of such cells. The electrolyte is separately stored so as to provide for electrical isolation between electrolytes of the individual cells or groups of cells of the stack. Individual storage compartments are coupled by individual tubes, the ends of the respective tubes terminating on the wicking medium in each of the respective fuel cells. The individual compartments are filled with electrolyte by allowing the compartments to overflow such as in a cascading fashion thereby maintaining the requisite depth of electrolyte in each of the storage compartments. The individual compartments can also contain packed carbon fibers to provide a three stage electrolyte distribution system.

  1. Fuel cell elements with improved water handling capacity

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kindler, Andrew (Inventor); Lee, Albany (Inventor)

    2001-01-01

    New fuel cell components for use in liquid feed fuel cell systems are provided. The components include biplates and endplates, having a hydrophilic surface and allow high efficiency operation. Conductive elements and a wicking device also form a part of the fuel cell components of the invention.

  2. Poro-elasto-capillary wicking of cellulose sponges

    PubMed Central

    Kim, Do-Nyun

    2018-01-01

    We mundanely observe cellulose (kitchen) sponges swell while absorbing water. Fluid flows in deformable porous media, such as soils and hydrogels, are classically described on the basis of the theories of Darcy and poroelasticity, where the expansion of media arises due to increased pore pressure. However, the situation is qualitatively different in cellulosic porous materials like sponges because the pore expansion is driven by wetting of the surrounding cellulose walls rather than by increase of the internal pore pressure. We address a seemingly so simple but hitherto unanswered question of how fast water wicks into the swelling sponge. Our experiments uncover a power law of the wicking height versus time distinct from that for nonswelling materials. The observation using environmental scanning electron microscopy reveals the coalescence of microscale wall pores with wetting, which allows us to build a mathematical model for pore size evolution and the consequent wicking dynamics. Our study sheds light on the physics of water absorption in hygroscopically responsive multiscale porous materials, which have far more implications than everyday activities (for example, cleaning, writing, and painting) carried out with cellulosic materials (paper and sponge), including absorbent hygiene products, biomedical cell cultures, building safety, and cooking. PMID:29682606

  3. Mixing in wicking structures and the use of enhanced mixing within wicks in microchannel devices

    DOEpatents

    Stenkamp, Victoria S [Richland, WA; TeGrotenhuis, Ward E [Kennewick, WA; Wegeng, Robert S [Alexandria, VA

    2009-06-02

    Advanced wicking structures and methods utilizing these structures are described. The use of advanced wicking structures can promote rapid mass transfer while maintaining high capillary pressure through the use of small pores. Particularly improved results in fluid contacting processes can be achieved by enhanced mixing within a wicking layer within a microchannel.

  4. Mixing in wicking structures and the use of enhanced mixing within wicks in microchannel devices

    DOEpatents

    Stenkamp, Victoria S [Richland, WA; TeGrotenhuis, Ward E [Kennewick, WA; Wegeng, Robert S [Richland, WA

    2011-04-19

    Advanced wicking structures and methods utilizing these structures are described. The use of advanced wicking structures can promote rapid mass transfer while maintaining high capillary pressure through the use of small pores. Particularly improved results in fluid contacting processes can be achieved by enhanced mixing within a wicking layer within a microchannel.

  5. Corrosion free phosphoric acid fuel cell

    DOEpatents

    Wright, Maynard K.

    1990-01-01

    A phosphoric acid fuel cell with an electrolyte fuel system which supplies electrolyte via a wick disposed adjacent a cathode to an absorbent matrix which transports the electrolyte to portions of the cathode and an anode which overlaps the cathode on all sides to prevent corrosion within the cell.

  6. Fractal Loop Heat Pipe Performance Comparisons of a Soda Lime Glass and Compressed Carbon Foam Wick

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Myre, David; Silk, Eric A.

    2014-01-01

    This study compares heat flux performance of a Loop Heat Pipe (LHP) wick structure fabricated from compressed carbon foam with that of a wick structure fabricated from sintered soda lime glass. Each wick was used in an LHP containing a fractal based evaporator. The Fractal Loop Heat Pipe (FLHP) was designed and manufactured by Mikros Manufacturing Inc. The compressed carbon foam wick structure was manufactured by ERG Aerospace Inc., and machined to specifications comparable to that of the initial soda lime glass wick structure. Machining of the compressed foam as well as performance testing was conducted at the United States Naval Academy. Performance testing with the sintered soda lime glass wick structures was conducted at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Heat input for both wick structures was supplied via cartridge heaters mounted in a copper block. The copper heater block was placed in contact with the FLHP evaporator which had a circular cross-sectional area of 0.88 cm(sup 2). Twice distilled, deionized water was used as the working fluid in both sets of experiments. Thermal performance data was obtained for three different Condenser/Subcooler temperatures under degassed conditions. Both wicks demonstrated comparable heat flux performance with a maximum of 75 W/cm observed for the soda lime glass wick and 70 W /cm(sup 2) for the compressed carbon foam wick.

  7. Advanced radiator concepts utilizing honeycomb panel heat pipes (stainless steel)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fleischman, G. L.; Tanzer, H. J.

    1985-01-01

    The feasibility of fabricating and processing moderate temperature range heat pipes in a low mass honeycomb sandwich panel configuration for highly efficient radiator fins for the NASA space station was investigated. A variety of honeycomb panel facesheet and core-ribbon wick concepts were evaluated within constraints dictated by existing manufacturing technology and equipment. Concepts evaluated include: type of material, material and panel thicknesses, wick type and manufacturability, liquid and vapor communication among honeycomb cells, and liquid flow return from condenser to evaporator facesheet areas. In addition, the overall performance of the honeycomb panel heat pipe was evaluated analytically.

  8. High efficiency vapor-fed AMTEC system for direct conversion. Appendices for final report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Anderson, W.G.; Bland, J.J.

    1997-05-23

    This report consists of four appendices for the final report. They are: Appendix A: 700 C Vapor-Fed AMTEC Cell Calculations; Appendix B: 700 C Vapor-Fed AMTEC Cell Parts Drawings; Appendix C: 800 C Vapor-Fed AMTEC Cell Calculations; and Appendix D: 800 C Wick-Pumped AMTEC Cell System Design.

  9. Tensiometer with removable wick

    DOEpatents

    Gee, Glendon W.; Campbell, Melvin D.

    1992-01-01

    The present invention relates to improvements in tensiometers for measuring soil water tension comprising a rod shaped wick. the rod shaped wick is shoestring, rolled paper towel, rolled glass microfiber filter, or solid ceramic. The rod shaped wick is secured to the tensiometer by a cone washer and a threaded fitting.

  10. Improved Experimental Techniques for Analyzing Nucleic Acid Transport Through Protein Nanopores in Planar Lipid Bilayers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Costa, Justin A.

    The translocation of nucleic acid polymers across cell membranes is a fundamental requirement for complex life and has greatly contributed to genomic molecular evolution. The diversity of pathways that have evolved to transport DNA and RNA across membranes include protein receptors, active and passive transporters, endocytic and pinocytic processes, and various types of nucleic acid conducting channels known as nanopores. We have developed a series of experimental techniques, collectively known as "Wicking", that greatly improves the biophysical analysis of nucleic acid transport through protein nanopores in planar lipid bilayers. We have verified the Wicking method using numerous types of classical ion channels including the well-studied chloride selective channel, CLIC1. We used the Wicking technique to reconstitute α-hemolysin and found that DNA translocation events of types A and B could be routinely observed using this method. Furthermore, measurable differences were observed in the duration of blockade events as DNA length and composition was varied, consistent with previous reports. Finally, we tested the ability of the Wicking technology to reconstitute the dsRNA transporter Sid-1. Exposure to dsRNAs of increasing length and complexity showed measurable differences in the current transitions suggesting that the charge carrier was dsRNA. However, the translocation events occurred so infrequently that a meaningful electrophysiological analysis was not possible. Alterations in the lipid composition of the bilayer had a minor effect on the frequency of translocation events but not to such a degree as to permit rigorous statistical analysis. We conclude that in many instances the Wicking method is a significant improvement to the lipid bilayer technique, but is not an optimal method for analyzing transport through Sid-1. Further refinements to the Wicking method might have future applications in high throughput DNA sequencing, DNA computation, and molecular sensing for diagnostics.

  11. Parametric performance of circumferentially grooved heat pipes with homogeneous and graded-porosity slab wicks at cryogenic temperatures

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Groll, M.; Pittman, R. B.; Eninger, J. E.

    1975-01-01

    A recently developed, potentially high-performance nonarterial wick has been extensively tested. This slab wick has an axially varying porosity which can be tailored to match the local stress imposed on the wick. The purpose of the tests was to establish the usefulness of the graded-porosity slab wick at cryogenic temperatures between 110 K and 260 K, with methane and ethane as working fluids. For comparison, a homogeneous (i.e., uniform porosity) slab wick was also tested. The tests included: (1) maximum heat pipe performance as a function of fluid inventory, (2) maximum performance as a function of operating temperature, (3) maximum performance as a function of evaporator elevation, and (4) influence of slab wick orientation on performance. The experimental data was compared with theoretical predictions obtained with the computer program GRADE.

  12. Parametric performance of circumferentially grooved heat pipes with homogeneous and graded-porosity slab wicks at cryogenic temperatures. [methane and ethane working fluids

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Groll, M.; Pittman, R. B.; Eninger, J. E.

    1976-01-01

    A recently developed, potentially high-performance nonarterial wick was extensively tested. This slab wick has an axially varying porosity which can be tailored to match the local stress imposed on the wick. The purpose of the tests was to establish the usefulness of the graded-porosity slab wick at cryogenic temperatures between 110 and 260 K, with methane and ethane as working fluids. For comparison, a homogeneous (i.e., uniform porosity) slab wick was also tested. The tests included: maximum heat pipe performance as a function of fluid inventory, maximum performance as a function of operating temperature, maximum performance as a function of evaporator elevation, and influence of slab wick orientation on performance. The experimental data were compared with theoretical predictions obtained with the GRADE computer program.

  13. Tensiometer with removable wick

    DOEpatents

    Gee, G.W.; Campbell, M.D.

    1992-04-14

    The present invention relates to improvements in tensiometers for measuring soil water tension comprising a rod shaped wick. The rod shaped wick is a shoestring, rolled paper towel, rolled glass microfiber filter, or solid ceramic. The rod shaped wick is secured to the tensiometer by a cone washer and a threaded fitting. 2 figs.

  14. Wick for metal vapor laser

    DOEpatents

    Duncan, David B.

    1992-01-01

    An improved wick for a metal vapor laser is made of a refractory metal cylinder, preferably molybdenum or tungsten for a copper laser, which provides the wicking surface. Alternately, the inside surface of the ceramic laser tube can be metalized to form the wicking surface. Capillary action is enhanced by using wire screen, porous foam metal, or grooved surfaces. Graphite or carbon, in the form of chunks, strips, fibers or particles, is placed on the inside surface of the wick to reduce water, reduce metal oxides and form metal carbides.

  15. Method of manufacturing a heat pipe wick with structural enhancement

    DOEpatents

    Andraka, Charles E [Albuquerque, NM; Adkins, Douglas R [Albuquerque, NM; Moreno, James B [Albuquerque, NM; Rawlinson, K Scott [Albuquerque, NM; Showalter, Steven K [Albuquerque, NM; Moss, Timothy A [Albuquerque, NM

    2006-10-24

    Heat pipe wick structure wherein a stout sheet of perforated material overlays a high performance wick material such as stainless steel felt affixed to a substrate. The inventive structure provides a good flow path for working fluid while maintaining durability and structural stability independent of the structure (or lack of structure) associated with the wick material. In one described embodiment, a wick of randomly laid .about.8 micron thickness stainless steel fibers is sintered to a metal substrate and a perforated metal overlay.

  16. Heat pipe wick with structural enhancement

    DOEpatents

    Andraka, Charles E.; Adkins, Douglas R.; Moreno, James B.; Rawlinson, K. Scott; Showalter, Steven K.; Moss, Timothy A.

    2003-11-18

    Heat pipe wick structure wherein a stout sheet of perforated material overlays a high performance wick material such as stainless steel felt affixed to a substrate. The inventive structure provides a good flow path for working fluid while maintaining durability and structural stability independent of the structure (or lack of structure) associated with the wick material. In one described embodiment, a wick of randomly laid .about.8 micron thickness stainless steel fibers is sintered to a metal substrate and a perforated metal overlay.

  17. Machined Titanium Heat-Pipe Wick Structure

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rosenfeld, John H.; Minnerly, Kenneth G.; Gernert, Nelson J.

    2009-01-01

    Wick structures fabricated by machining of titanium porous material are essential components of lightweight titanium/ water heat pipes of a type now being developed for operation at temperatures up to 530 K in high-radiation environments. In the fabrication of some prior heat pipes, wicks have been made by extruding axial grooves into aluminum unfortunately, titanium cannot be extruded. In the fabrication of some other prior heat pipes, wicks have been made by in-situ sintering of metal powders shaped by the use of forming mandrels that are subsequently removed, but in the specific application that gave rise to the present fabrication method, the required dimensions and shapes of the heat-pipe structures would make it very difficult if not impossible to remove the mandrels due to the length and the small diameter. In the present method, a wick is made from one or more sections that are fabricated separately and assembled outside the tube that constitutes the outer heat pipe wall. The starting wick material is a slab of porous titanium material. This material is machined in its original flat configuration to form axial grooves. In addition, interlocking features are machined at the mating ends of short wick sections that are to be assembled to make a full-length continuous wick structure. Once the sections have been thus assembled, the resulting full-length flat wick structure is rolled into a cylindrical shape and inserted in the heatpipe tube (see figure). This wick-structure fabrication method is not limited to titanium/water heat pipes: It could be extended to other heat pipe materials and working fluids in which the wicks could be made from materials that could be pre-formed into porous slabs.

  18. Heat transfer device

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kalkbrenner, R. W. (Inventor)

    1974-01-01

    A heat transfer device is characterized by an hermetically sealed tubular housing including a tubular shell terminating in spaced end plates, and a tubular mesh wick concentrically arranged and operatively supported within said housing. The invention provides an improved wicking restraint formed as an elongated and radially expanded tubular helix concentrically related to the wick and adapted to be axially foreshortened and radially expanded into engagement with the wick in response to an axially applied compressive load. The wick is continuously supported in a contiguous relationship with the internal surfaces of the shell.

  19. Heat pipe design handbook, part 2. [digital computer code specifications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Skrabek, E. A.

    1972-01-01

    The utilization of a digital computer code for heat pipe analysis and design (HPAD) is described which calculates the steady state hydrodynamic heat transport capability of a heat pipe with a particular wick configuration, the working fluid being a function of wick cross-sectional area. Heat load, orientation, operating temperature, and heat pipe geometry are specified. Both one 'g' and zero 'g' environments are considered, and, at the user's option, the code will also perform a weight analysis and will calculate heat pipe temperature drops. The central porous slab, circumferential porous wick, arterial wick, annular wick, and axial rectangular grooves are the wick configurations which HPAD has the capability of analyzing. For Vol. 1, see N74-22569.

  20. Life Test Results for Water Heat Pipes Operating at 200 °C to 300 °C

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rosenfeld, John H.; Gernert, Nelson J.

    2008-01-01

    For lunar or planetary bases to be viable, a robust electric generating system will be required for powering the habitat. Water heat pipes offer an attractive solution for lunar base heat rejection, and would serve as a qualification for them on other long duration missions. Successful operation near the upper end of water operating range is a requirement for the application. Results are reported for life tests on water heat pipes that were operated at various temperatures between 200 °C and 300 °C. Tests were conducted on twenty three gravity-assisted water heat pipes. Eleven titanium/water heat pipes and ten Monel/water heat pipes were tested at temperatures above 200 °C. Two cupronickel heat pipes were also assembled and tested. Titanium alloys tested included CP-2 titanium, as well as two beta-titanium alloys, namely 15-3 and Nitinol alloys. Some of the titanium alloy life tests used wicks fabricated from CP-2 titanium screen or porous felt. Monel alloys tested included 400 and K-500 alloys. Some of the Monel heat pipes contained copper/nickel wicks that were fabricated by brazing nickel-plated copper felt metal wicks. Although most of the envelope/material combinations exhibit favorable results at 200 °C, some of the combinations failed at higher temperatures. Causes of failure included stress-creep of envelopes and corrosion at axial or end cap welds. This information represents a significant advance in selection of materials for 200 °C to 300 °C water heat pipes. Life testing work is being continued.

  1. Tissue fluid pressures - From basic research tools to clinical applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hargens, Alan R.; Akeson, Wayne H.; Mubarak, Scott J.; Owen, Charles A.; Gershuni, David H.

    1989-01-01

    This paper describes clinical applications of two basic research tools developed and refined in the past 20 years: the wick catheter (for measuring tissue fluid pressure) and the colloid osmometer (for measuring osmotic pressure). Applications of the osmometer include estimations of the reduced osmotic pressure of sickle-cell hemoglobin with deoxygenation, and of reduced swelling pressure of human nucleus pulposus with hydration or upon action of certain enzymes. Clinical uses of the wick-catheter technique include an improvement of diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic compartment syndromes, the elucidation of the tissue pressure thresholds for neuromuscular dysfunction, and the development of a better tourniquet for orthopedics.

  2. Experimental study on pore structure and performance of sintered porous wick

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    He, Da; Wang, Shufan; Liu, Rutie; Wang, Zhubo; Xiong, Xiang; Zou, Jianpeng

    2018-02-01

    Porous wicks were prepared via powder metallurgy using NH4HCO3 powders as pore-forming agent. The pore-forming agent particle size was varied to control the pore structure and equivalent pore size distribution feature of porous wick. The effect of pore-forming agent particle size on the porosity, pore structures, equivalent pore size distribution and capillary pumping performance were investigated. Results show that with the particle size of pore-forming agent decrease, the green density and the volume shrinkage of the porous wicks gradually increase and the porosity reduces slightly. There are two types of pores inside the porous wick, large-sized prefabricated pores and small-sized gap pores. With the particle size of pore-forming agent decrease, the size of the prefabricated pores becomes smaller and the distribution tends to be uniform. Gap pores and prefabricated pores inside the wick can make up different types of pore channels. The equivalent pore size of wick is closely related to the structure of pore channels. Furthermore, the equivalent pore size distribution of wick shows an obvious double-peak feature when the pore-forming agent particle size is large. With the particle size of pore-forming agent decrease, the two peaks of equivalent pore size distribution approach gradually to each other, resulting in a single-peak feature. Porous wick with single-peak feature equivalent pore size distribution possesses the better capillary pumping performances.

  3. Sampling silica and ferrihydrite colloids with fiberglass wicks under unsaturated conditions.

    PubMed

    Shira, Jason M; Williams, Barbara C; Flury, Markus; Czigány, Szabolcs; Tuller, Markus

    2006-01-01

    The suitability of passive capillary samplers (PCAPS) for collection of representative colloid samples under partially saturated conditions was evaluated by investigating the transport of negatively and positively charged colloids in fiberglass wicks. A synthetic pore water solution was used to suspend silica microspheres (330 nm in diameter) and ferrihydrite (172 nm in diameter) for transport experiments on fiberglass wicks. Breakthrough curves were collected for three unsaturated flow rates with silica microspheres and one unsaturated flow rate with ferrihydrite colloids. A moisture characteristic curve, relating tensiometer measurements of matric potential to moisture content, was developed for the fiberglass wick. Results indicate that retention of the silica and the ferrihydrite on the wick occurred; that is, the wicks did not facilitate quantitative sampling of the colloids. For silica microspheres, 90% of the colloids were transmitted through the wicks. For ferrihydrite, 80 to 90% of the colloids were transmitted. The mechanisms responsible for the retention of the colloids on the fiberglass wicks appeared to be physicochemical attachment and not thin-film, triple-phase entrapment, or mechanical straining. Visualization of pathways by iron staining indicates that flow is preferential at the center of twisted bundles of filaments. Although axial preferential flow in PCAPS may enhance their hydraulic suitability for sampling mobile colloids, we conclude that without specific preparation to reduce attachment or retention, fiberglass wicks should only be used for qualitative sampling of pore water colloids.

  4. Police Self-Deployment at Critical Incidents: A Wicked Problem or a Part of the Solution

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2017-09-01

    bombings , this thesis explored police self-deployment through the lens of wicked problems. A better understanding of the definition resulted in...police, ICS, wicked problems, Boston Marathon bombings , edge of chaos, apperception, phronesis, self-initiated, Cynefin framework, after-action...manhunt and 2013 Boston Marathon bombings , this thesis explored police self-deployment through the lens of wicked problems. A better understanding of

  5. Wicking of liquids in screens

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Symons, E. P.

    1974-01-01

    An investigation was conducted to determine the magnitude of the wicking rates of liquids in various screens. Evaluation of the parameters characterizing the wicking process resulted in the development of an expression which defined the wicking velocity in terms of screen and system geometry, liquid properties, and gravitational effects. Experiment data obtained both in normal gravity and in weightlessness demonstrated that the model successfully predicted the functional relation of the liquid properties and the distance from the liquid source to the wicking velocity. Because the pore geometry in the screens was complex, several screen geometric parameters were lumped into a single constant which was determined experimentally for each screen.

  6. Cooling technique

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Salamon, Todd R; Vyas, Brijesh; Kota, Krishna

    An apparatus and a method are provided. Use is made of a wick structure configured to receive a liquid and generate vapor in when such wick structure is heated by heat transferred from heat sources to be cooled off. A vapor channel is provided configured to receive the vapor generated and direct said vapor away from the wick structure. In some embodiments, heat conductors are used to transfer the heat from the heat sources to the liquid in the wick structure.

  7. Active water management at the cathode of a planar air-breathing polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell using an electroosmotic pump

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fabian, T.; O'Hayre, R.; Litster, S.; Prinz, F. B.; Santiago, J. G.

    In a typical air-breathing fuel cell design, ambient air is supplied to the cathode by natural convection and dry hydrogen is supplied to a dead-ended anode. While this design is simple and attractive for portable low-power applications, the difficulty in implementing effective and robust water management presents disadvantages. In particular, excessive flooding of the open-cathode during long-term operation can lead to a dramatic reduction of fuel cell power. To overcome this limitation, we report here on a novel air-breathing fuel cell water management design based on a hydrophilic and electrically conductive wick in conjunction with an electroosmotic (EO) pump that actively pumps water out of the wick. Transient experiments demonstrate the ability of the EO-pump to "resuscitate" the fuel cell from catastrophic flooding events, while longer term galvanostatic measurements suggest that the design can completely eliminate cathode flooding using less than 2% of fuel cell power, and lead to stable operation with higher net power performance than a control design without EO-pump. This demonstrates that active EO-pump water management, which has previously only been demonstrated in forced-convection fuel cell systems, can also be applied effectively to miniaturized (<5 W) air-breathing fuel cell systems.

  8. Intersectoral action for health equity as it relates to climate change in Canada: contributions from critical systems heuristics.

    PubMed

    Buse, Chris

    2013-12-01

    Intersectoral action (ISA) has been at the forefront of public health policy discussions since the 1970s. ISA incorporates a broader perspective of public health issues and coordinates efforts to address the social, political, economic and environmental contexts from which health determinants operate and are created. Despite being forwarded as a useful way to address and treat complex or 'wicked' problems, such policy issues are still often addressed within, rather than across, disciplinary silos and ISA has been documented to fail more often than it succeeds. This paper contributes to an understanding of ISA by outlining and applying critical systems heuristics (CSH) theory and methods. CSH theory and methods are described and discussed before applying them to the example of addressing climate change and health equity through public health practice. CSH thinking provides useful tools to engage stakeholders, question relations of power that may exist between collaborating partners, and move beyond power inequalities that guide ISA initiatives. CSH is a compelling framing that can improve an understanding of the collaborative relationships that are a prerequisite for engaging in ISA to address complex or 'wicked' policy problems such as climate change. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  9. Experimental Investigations, Modeling, and Analyses of High-Temperature Devices for Space Applications. Part 2

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1999-01-01

    AMTEC cell during operation is essential to maximize the thermal -to- electric conversion efficiency of the device. The cell efficiency , rQ, is defined...the cell current is relatively high (usually above 2 A), and we found that the former thermal model of the conical evaporator wick underpredicted... high temperature, sodium vapor environment in a typical multi-tube AMTEC cell , where thermal radiation exchange is significant, an

  10. Vantage point - A 'wicked' problem.

    PubMed

    Naish, Jane

    2015-10-01

    SENIOR NURSES everywhere are facing a 'wicked' problem, wicked in the sense that it seems to defy resolution. The problem is this: the national shortage of nurses, particularly of those at band 5, is forcing us to use agency nurses so that we have enough staff to provide patient care safely.

  11. Wicked Problems in Special and Inclusive Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Armstrong, David

    2017-01-01

    This special paper provides a critical overview of wicked problems in special and inclusive education. Practically, this paper provides a strategic framework for future special issues in the "Journal of Special Educational Needs". Critical attention is also given to the concept of a wicked problem when applied to research in special and…

  12. A method for installing zero-tension pan and wick lysimeters in soil

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Zero-tension pan lysimeters and passive capillary fiberglass wick lysimeters are useful in determining water quality and volumetric aspects of subsurface water flow. Installation of pan and wick lysimeters beneath undisturbed soil may be complicated by the tendency for the soil to cave-in as the lys...

  13. Constraints on the Lee-Wick Higgs sector

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Carone, Christopher D.; Primulando, Reinard

    2009-09-01

    Lee-Wick partners to the standard model Higgs doublet may appear at a mass scale that is significantly lower than that of the remaining Lee-Wick partner states. The relevant effective theory is a two-Higgs doublet model in which one doublet has wrong-sign kinetic and mass terms. We determine bounds on this effective theory, including those from neutral B-meson mixing, b{yields}X{sub s}{gamma}, and Z{yields}bb. The results differ from those of conventional two-Higgs doublet models and lead to meaningful constraints on the Lee-Wick Higgs sector.

  14. Community Ecology and Capacity: Keys to Progressing the Environmental Communication of Wicked Problems

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Caron, Rosemary M.; Serrell, Nancy

    2009-01-01

    Wicked problems are multifactorial in nature and possess no clear resolution due to numerous community stakeholder involvement. We demonstrate childhood lead poisoning as a wicked problem and illustrate how understanding a community's ecology can build community capacity to affect local environmental management by (1) forming an academic-community…

  15. Heat pipe with embedded wick structure

    DOEpatents

    Adkins, Douglas Ray; Shen, David S.; Tuck, Melanie R.; Palmer, David W.; Grafe, V. Gerald

    1998-01-01

    A heat pipe has an embedded wick structure that maximizes capillary pumping capability. Heat from attached devices such as integrated circuits evaporates working fluid in the heat pipe. The vapor cools and condenses on a heat dissipation surface. The condensate collects in the wick structure, where capillary pumping returns the fluid to high heat areas.

  16. Heat pipe with embedded wick structure

    DOEpatents

    Adkins, D.R.; Shen, D.S.; Tuck, M.R.; Palmer, D.W.; Grafe, V.G.

    1998-06-23

    A heat pipe has an embedded wick structure that maximizes capillary pumping capability. Heat from attached devices such as integrated circuits evaporates working fluid in the heat pipe. The vapor cools and condenses on a heat dissipation surface. The condensate collects in the wick structure, where capillary pumping returns the fluid to high heat areas. 7 figs.

  17. Heat pipe with embedded wick structure

    DOEpatents

    Adkins, Douglas Ray; Shen, David S.; Tuck, Melanie R.; Palmer, David W.; Grafe, V. Gerald

    1999-01-01

    A heat pipe has an embedded wick structure that maximizes capillary pumping capability. Heat from attached devices such as integrated circuits evaporates working fluid in the heat pipe. The vapor cools and condenses on a heat dissipation surface. The condensate collects in the wick structure, where capillary pumping returns the fluid to high heat areas.

  18. Assessing a novel polymer-wick based electrode for EEG neurophysiological research.

    PubMed

    Pasion, Rita; Paiva, Tiago O; Pedrosa, Paulo; Gaspar, Hugo; Vasconcelos, Beatriz; Martins, Ana C; Amaral, Maria H; Nóbrega, João M; Páscoa, Ricardo; Fonseca, Carlos; Barbosa, Fernando

    2016-07-15

    The EEG technique has decades of valid applications in clinical and experimental neurophysiology. EEG equipment and data analysis methods have been characterized by remarkable developments, but the skin-to-electrode signal transfer remains a challenge for EEG recording. A novel quasi-dry system - the polymer wick-based electrode - was developed to overcome the limitations of conventional dry and wet silver/silver-chloride (Ag/AgCl) electrodes for EEG recording. Nine participants completed an auditory oddball protocol with simultaneous EEG acquisition using both the conventional Ag/AgCl and the wick electrodes. Wick system successfully recorded the expected P300 modulation. Standard ERP analysis, residual random noise analysis, and single-trial analysis of the P300 wave were performed in order to compare signal acquired by both electrodes. It was found that the novel wick electrode performed similarly to the conventional Ag/AgCl electrodes. The developed wick electrode appears to be a reliable alternative for EEG research, representing a promising halfway alternative between wet and dry electrodes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Investigation of VEGGIE Root Mat

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Subbiah, Arun M.

    2013-01-01

    VEGGIE is a plant growth facility that utilizes the phenomenon of capillary action as its primary watering system. A cloth made of Meta Aramid fiber, known as Nomex is used to wick water up from a reservoir to the bottom of the plants roots. This root mat system is intended to be low maintenance with no moving parts and requires minimal crew interface time. Unfortunately, the water wicking rates are inconsistent throughout the plant life cycle, thus causing plants to die. Over-wicking of water occurs toward the beginning of the cycle, while under-wicking occurs toward the middle. This inconsistency of wicking has become a major issue, drastically inhibiting plant growth. The primary objective is to determine the root cause of the inconsistent wicking through experimental testing. Suspect causes for the capillary water column to break include: a vacuum effect due to a negative pressure gradient in the water reservoir, contamination of material due to minerals in water and back wash from plant fertilizer, induced air bubbles while using syringe refill method, and material limitations of Nomex's ability to absorb and retain water. Experimental testing will be conducted to systematically determine the cause of under and over-wicking. Pressure gages will be used to determine pressure drop during the course of the plant life cycle and during the water refill process. A debubbler device will be connected to a root mat in order to equalize pressure inside the reservoir. Moisture and evaporation tests will simultaneously be implemented to observe moisture content and wicking rates over the course of a plant cycle. Water retention tests will be performed using strips of Nomex to determine materials wicking rates, porosity, and absorptivity. Through these experimental tests, we will have a better understanding of material properties of Nomex, as well as determine the root cause of water column breakage. With consistent test results, a forward plan can be achieved to resolve the issue and give valuable insight for the next generation of VEGGIE.

  20. Absorbent product and articles made therefrom

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dawn, F. S.; Correale, J. V. (Inventor)

    1982-01-01

    A multilayer absorbent product for use in contact with the skin to absorb fluids is described. The product has a water pervious facing layer for contacting the skin, and a first fibrous wicking layer overlaying the water pervious layer. A first container section is defined by inner and outer layers of a water pervious wicking material in between a first absorbent mass and a second container section defined by inner and outer layers of a water pervious wicking material between what is disposed a second absorbent mass, and a liquid impermeable/gas permeable layer overlaying the second fibrous wicking layer.

  1. Cryogenic Autogenous Pressurization Testing for Robotic Refueling Mission 3

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Boyle, R.; DiPirro, M.; Tuttle, J.; Francis, J.; Mustafi, S.; Li, X.; Barfknecht, P.; DeLee, C. H.; McGuire, J.

    2015-01-01

    A wick-heater system has been selected for use to pressurize the Source Dewar of the Robotic Refueling Mission Phase 3 on-orbit cryogen transfer experiment payload for the International Space Station. Experimental results of autogenous pressurization of liquid argon and liquid nitrogen using a prototype wick-heater system are presented. The wick-heater generates gas to increase the pressure in the tank while maintaining a low bulk fluid temperature. Pressurization experiments were performed in 2013 to characterize the performance of the wick heater. This paper describes the experimental setup, pressurization results, and analytical model correlations.

  2. Micro-Textured Black Silicon Wick for Silicon Heat Pipe Array

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yee, Karl Y.; Sunada, Eric T.; Ganapathi, Gani B.; Manohara, Harish; Homyk, Andrew; Prina, Mauro

    2013-01-01

    Planar, semiconductor heat arrays have been previously proposed and developed; however, this design makes use of a novel, microscale black silicon wick structure that provides increased capillary pumping pressure of the internal working fluid, resulting in increased effective thermal conductivity of the device, and also enables operation of the device in any orientation with respect to the gravity vector. In a heat pipe, the efficiency of thermal transfer from the case to the working fluid is directly proportional to the surface area of the wick in contact with the fluid. Also, the primary failure mechanism for heat pipes operating within the temperature range of interest is inadequate capillary pressure for the return of fluid from the condenser to the wick. This is also what makes the operation of heat pipes orientation-sensitive. Thus, the two primary requirements for a good wick design are a large surface area and high capillary pressure. Surface area can be maximized through nanomachined surface roughening. Capillary pressure is largely driven by the working fluid and wick structure. The proposed nanostructure wick has characteristic dimensions on the order of tens of microns, which promotes menisci of very small radii. This results in the possibility of enormous pumping potential due to the inverse proportionality with radius. Wetting, which also enhances capillary pumping, can be maximized through growth of an oxide layer or material deposition (e.g. TiO2) to create a superhydrophilic surface.

  3. Effect of Bamboo Viscose on the Wicking and Moisture Management Properties of Gauze

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Akbar, Abdul R.; Su, Siwei; Amjad, Bilal; Cai, Yingjie; Lin, Lina

    2017-12-01

    Bamboo viscose or regenerated cellulose fibers were used to check their absorbency properties effect on the wicking and moisture management in gauzes. Bamboo viscose and cotton fibers were spun into five different yarn samples with different fiber proportion by ring spinning. Fifteen different gauze samples were made of these yarn samples. The gauze samples were subjected to wicking test to check the wicking ability. Water vapor transmission test was applied to check the vapor transmission rate. These tests were applied to measure the effectiveness of bamboo viscose, cotton and blended gauze samples in wound healing. Pure bamboo gauzes and gauzes with high content of bamboo fiber, i.e. 75B:25C and 50B:50C, shows better wicking and vapor transmission properties. It makes gauzes with high bamboo viscose suitable for wound care applications because of moisture absorbency.

  4. One-loop renormalization of Lee-Wick gauge theory

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Grinstein, Benjamin; O'Connell, Donal

    2008-11-15

    We examine the renormalization of Lee-Wick gauge theory to one-loop order. We show that only knowledge of the wave function renormalization is necessary to determine the running couplings, anomalous dimensions, and vector boson masses. In particular, the logarithmic running of the Lee-Wick vector boson mass is exactly related to the running of the coupling. In the case of an asymptotically free theory, the vector boson mass runs to infinity in the ultraviolet. Thus, the UV fixed point of the pure gauge theory is an ordinary quantum field theory. We find that the coupling runs more quickly in Lee-Wick gauge theorymore » than in ordinary gauge theory, so the Lee-Wick standard model does not naturally unify at any scale. Finally, we present results on the beta function of more general theories containing dimension six operators which differ from previous results in the literature.« less

  5. High performance felt-metal-wick heat pipe for solar receivers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Andraka, Charles E.; Moss, Timothy A.; Baturkin, Volodymyr; Zaripov, Vladlen; Nishchyk, Oleksandr

    2016-05-01

    Sodium heat pipes have been identified as a potentially effective heat transport approach for CSP systems that require near-isothermal input to power cycles or storage, such as dish Stirling and highly recuperated reheat-cycle supercritical CO2 turbines. Heat pipes offer high heat flux capabilities, leading to small receivers, as well as low exergetic losses through isothermal coupling with the engine. Sandia developed a felt metal wick approach in the 1990's, and demonstrated very high performance1. However, multiple durability issues arose, primarily the structural collapse of the wick at temperature over short time periods. NTUU developed several methods of improving robustness of the wick2, but the resulting wick had limited performance capabilities. For application to CSP systems, the wick structures must retain high heat pipe performance with robustness for long term operation. In this paper we present our findings in developing an optimal balance between performance and ruggedness, including operation of a laboratory-scale heat pipe for over 5500 hours so far. Application of heat pipes to dish-Stirling systems has been shown to increase performance as much as 20%3, and application to supercritical CO2 systems has been proposed.

  6. Optimized Structures for Low-Profile Phase Change Thermal Spreaders

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sharratt, Stephen Andrew

    Thin, low-profile phase change thermal spreaders can provide cooling solutions for some of today's most pressing heat flux dissipation issues. These thermal issues are only expected to increase as future electronic circuitry requirements lead to denser and potentially 3D chip packaging. Phase change based heat spreaders, such as heat pipes or vapor chambers, can provide a practical solution for effectively dissipating large heat fluxes. This thesis reports a comprehensive study of state-of-the-art capillary pumped wick structures using computational modeling, micro wick fabrication, and experimental analysis. Modeling efforts focus on predicting the shape of the liquid meniscus inside a complicated 3D wick structure. It is shown that this liquid shape can drastically affect the wick's thermal resistance. In addition, knowledge of the liquid meniscus shape allows for the computation of key parameters such as permeability and capillary pressure which are necessary for predicting the maximum heat flux. After the model is validated by comparison to experimental results, the wick structure is optimized so as to decrease overall wick thermal resistance and increase the maximum capillary limited heat flux before dryout. The optimized structures are then fabricated out of both silicon and copper using both traditional and novel micro-fabrication techniques. The wicks are made super-hydrophilic using chemical and thermal oxidation schemes. A sintered monolayer of Cu particles is fabricated and analyzed as well. The fabricated wick structures are experimentally tested for their heat transfer performance inside a well controlled copper vacuum chamber. Heat fluxes as high as 170 W/cm2 are realized for Cu wicks with structure heights of 100 μm. The structures optimized for both minimized thermal resistance and high liquid supply ability perform much better than their non-optimized counterparts. The super-hydrophilic oxidation scheme is found to drastically increase the maximum heat flux and decrease thermal resistance. This research provides key insights as to how to optimize heat pipe structures to minimize thermal resistance and increase maximum heat flux. These thin wick structures can also be combined with a thicker liquid supply layer so that thin, low-resistance evaporator layers can be constructed and higher heat fluxes realized. The work presented in this thesis can be used to aid in the development of high-performance phase change thermal spreaders, allowing for temperature control of a variety of powerful electronic components.

  7. Wick wetting for water condensation systems

    DOEpatents

    Hering, Susanne Vera; Spielman, Steven Russel; Lewis, Gregory Stephen; Kreisberg, Nathan Michael

    2017-04-04

    A system and method for particle enlargement with continuously wetted wicks includes a container into which a flow of particle-laden air is introduced in a laminar manner through an inlet and to an outlet. The container has a first section, a second section and a third section though which the particle-laden air flows between the inlet and the outlet. The temperature of the second section is warmer than that of the first section at the inlet and the third section at the outlet. In one embodiment, a continuous wick spanning an interior wall of the first second, second section and third section, said wick being capable of internally transporting liquid water along its length is provided.

  8. Radiation bounce from the Lee-Wick construction?

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Karouby, Johanna; Brandenberger, Robert

    2010-09-15

    It was recently realized that matter modeled by the scalar field sector of the Lee-Wick standard model yields, in the context of a homogeneous and isotropic cosmological background, a bouncing cosmology. However, bouncing cosmologies induced by pressureless matter are in general unstable to the addition of relativistic matter (i.e. radiation). Here we study the possibility of obtaining a bouncing cosmology if we add not only radiation, but also its Lee-Wick partner, to the matter sector. We find that, in general, no bounce occurs. The only way to obtain a bounce is to choose initial conditions with very special phases ofmore » the radiation field and its Lee-Wick partner.« less

  9. Modelling of wicking and moisture interactions of flax and viscose fibres.

    PubMed

    Stuart, T; McCall, R D; Sharma, H S S; Lyons, G

    2015-06-05

    Methods for assessing the wicking properties of individual fibre bundles have been developed from models based on the original Washburn equation (WE) and the modified Washburn equation (MWE), which also accounts for swelling. Both models gave indication of differences in wicking properties of flax and the viscose fibres, though MWE gave additional information that could be interpreted in terms of the physical model. Wicking of the viscose fibres is mainly via inter-fibre capillaries while that of flax is a combination of inter-fibre capillaries and lumen present in some elementary fibres. The degree of swelling and associated rotation of flax fibre in a vapour pressure range of 1-6torr were monitored using an environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM). Viscose fibre exhibited swelling under the same conditions but did not rotate. The two techniques highlighted different mechanisms of wicking which can be used for monitoring moisture uptake/swelling of treated fibres for fabrication of composites. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Geoscience Laser Altimetry System (GLAS) Loop Heat Pipe Anomaly and On Orbit Testing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Baker, Charles; Butler, Dan; Grob, Eric; Jester, Peggy

    2011-01-01

    The Geoscience Laser Altimetry System (GLAS) is the sole instrument on the ICESat Satellite. On day 230 of 2003, the GLAS Component Loop Heat Pipe (CLHP) entered a slow circulation mode that resulted in the main electronics box reaching its hot safing temperature, after which the entire instrument was turned off. The CLHP had a propylene working fluid and was actively temperature controlled via a heater on the compensation chamber. The slow circulation mode happened right after a planned propulsive yaw maneuver with the spacecraft. It took several days to recover the CLHP and ensure that it was still operational. The recovery occurred after the entire instrument was cooled to survival temperatures and the CLHP compensation chamber cycled on a survival heater. There are several theories as to why this slow circulation mode exhibited itself, including: accumulation of Non-Condensible Gas (NCG), the secondary wick being under designed or improperly implemented, or an expanded (post-launch) leak across the primary wick. Each of these is discussed in turn, and the secondary wick performance is identified as the most likely source of the anomalous behavior. After the anomaly, the CLHP was controlled to colder temperatures to improve its performance (as the surface tension increases with lower temperature, as does the volume of liquid in the compensation chamber) and only precursor pulses occurred later in the mission. After GLAS s last laser failed, in late 2009, a decision was made to conduct engineering tests of both LHPs to try and duplicate this flight anomaly. The engineering tests consisted of control setpoint changes, sink changes, and one similar propulsive Yaw maneuver. The only test that showed any similar anomaly precursors on the CLHP was the propulsive maneuver followed by a setpoint increase. The ICESat Satellite was placed in a decaying orbit and ended its mission on August 30, 2010 in Barents Sea.

  11. Aircraft Thermal Management Using Loop Heat Pipes

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-03-01

    flexible copper-water arterial wick heat pipe subjected to transverse acceleration using a centrifuge table. Evaporator heat loads up to Qin = 150 W and...acceleration. Yerkes and Beam (1992) examined the same flexible copper-water arterial wick heat pipe as Ponnappan et al. under transient transverse...examined the same flexible copper-water arterial wick heat pipe as Ponnappan et al. with evaporator heat loads from Qin = 75 to 150 W, condenser

  12. Reduced size fuel cell for portable applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Narayanan, Sekharipuram R. (Inventor); Valdez, Thomas I. (Inventor); Clara, Filiberto (Inventor); Frank, Harvey A. (Inventor)

    2004-01-01

    A flat pack type fuel cell includes a plurality of membrane electrode assemblies. Each membrane electrode assembly is formed of an anode, an electrolyte, and an cathode with appropriate catalysts thereon. The anode is directly into contact with fuel via a wicking element. The fuel reservoir may extend along the same axis as the membrane electrode assemblies, so that fuel can be applied to each of the anodes. Each of the fuel cell elements is interconnected together to provide the voltage outputs in series.

  13. Unique features of a new nickel-hydrogen 2-cell CPV

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wheeler, James R.

    1995-01-01

    Two-cell nickel-hydrogen common pressure vessel (CPV) units with some unusual design features have been successfully built and tested. The features of interest are half-normal platinum loading for the negative electrodes, the use of rabbit-ear terminals for a CPV unit, and the incorporation of a wall wick. The units have a nominal capacity of 20 Ah and are 3.5 inches in diameter. Electric performance data are provided. The data support the growing viability of the two-cell CPV design concept.

  14. Tackling wicked problems: how theories of agency can provide new insights.

    PubMed

    Varpio, Lara; Aschenbrener, Carol; Bates, Joanna

    2017-04-01

    This paper reviews why and how theories of agency can be used as analytical lenses to help health professions education (HPE) scholars address our community's wicked problems. Wicked problems are those that resist clear problem statements, defy traditional analysis approaches, and refuse definitive resolution (e.g. student remediation, assessments of professionalism, etc.). We illustrate how theories of agency can provide new insights into such challenges by examining the application of these theories to one particular wicked problem in HPE: interprofessional education (IPE). After searching the HPE literature and finding that theories of agency had received little attention, we borrowed techniques from narrative literature reviews to search databases indexing a broad scope of disciplines (i.e. ERIC, Web of Science, Scopus, MEDLINE and PubMed) for publications (1994-2014) that: (i) examined agency, or (ii) incorporated an agency-informed analytical perspective. The lead author identified the theories of agency used in these articles, and reviewed the texts on agency cited therein and the original sources of each theory. We identified 10 theories of agency that we considered to be applicable to HPE's wicked problems. To select a subset of theories for presentation in this paper, we discussed each theory in relation to some of HPE's wicked problems. Through debate and reflection, we unanimously agreed on the applicability of a subset of theories for illuminating HPE's wicked problems. This subset is described in this paper. We present four theories of agency: Butler's post-structural formulation; Giddens' sociological formulation; cultural historical activity theory's formulation, and Bandura's social cognitive psychology formulation. We introduce each theory and apply each to the challenges of engaging in IPE. Theories of agency can inform HPE scholarship in novel and generative ways. Each theory offers new insights into the roots of wicked problems and means for contending with them. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and The Association for the Study of Medical Education.

  15. Initial clinical assessment of a novel wound management system: a case series.

    PubMed

    Reyzelman, Alexander M; Vayser, Dean; Tam, S William; Dove, Cyaandi

    2011-06-01

    The importance of exudate management for maintaining local moisture balance and avoiding maceration in the chronic wound environment is well established. The authors performed the initial clinical testing of a novel wound management system, Sepaderm (Aalnex, Inc, Irvine, California), designed to vertically wick and sequester excess exudate away from wound/periwound tissues to promote a healthy wound environment. In this series of 14 patients with lower-extremity chronic venous leg and diabetic foot ulcers, the 3-component system was well tolerated and demonstrated the ability to prevent exudate leakage onto periwound tissue and reduce existing pain and itching. All ulcers lasting 1.2 to 360 months were previously treated with standard therapies, including human cell-derived skin substitutes in some of the patients. After treatment with the new system for 7 to 174 days, 8 patients had various degrees of wound closure, ranging from 44% to 100%. The 6 patients who failed to show wound closure were treated with the new system for an average of 5.7 days, but demonstrated other clinical benefits. Future studies in larger patient populations with quantitative wound closure assessments, as well as measurements of exudate, periwound maceration, and pain management, are needed.

  16. Process gg{yields}h{sub 0}{yields}{gamma}{gamma} in the Lee-Wick standard model

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Krauss, F.; Underwood, T. E. J.; Zwicky, R.

    2008-01-01

    The process gg{yields}h{sub 0}{yields}{gamma}{gamma} is studied in the Lee-Wick extension of the standard model (LWSM) proposed by Grinstein, O'Connell, and Wise. In this model, negative norm partners for each SM field are introduced with the aim to cancel quadratic divergences in the Higgs mass. All sectors of the model relevant to gg{yields}h{sub 0}{yields}{gamma}{gamma} are diagonalized and results are commented on from the perspective of both the Lee-Wick and higher-derivative formalisms. Deviations from the SM rate for gg{yields}h{sub 0} are found to be of the order of 15%-5% for Lee-Wick masses in the range 500-1000 GeV. Effects on the rate formore » h{sub 0}{yields}{gamma}{gamma} are smaller, of the order of 5%-1% for Lee-Wick masses in the same range. These comparatively small changes may well provide a means of distinguishing the LWSM from other models such as universal extra dimensions where same-spin partners to standard model fields also appear. Corrections to determinations of Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) elements |V{sub t(b,s,d)}| are also considered and are shown to be positive, allowing the possibility of measuring a CKM element larger than unity, a characteristic signature of the ghostlike nature of the Lee-Wick fields.« less

  17. Insoluble Coatings for Stirling Engine Heat Pipe Condenser Surfaces

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dussinger, Peter M.; Lindemuth, James E.

    1997-01-01

    The principal objective of this Phase 2 SBIR program was to develop and demonstrate a practically insoluble coating for nickel-based superalloys for Stirling engine heat pipe applications. Specific technical objectives of the program were: (1) Determine the solubility corrosion rates for Nickel 200, Inconel 718, and Udimet 72OLI in a simulated Stirling engine heat pipe environment, (2) Develop coating processes and techniques for capillary groove and screen wick structures, (3) Evaluate the durability and solubility corrosion rates for capillary groove and screen wick structures coated with an insoluble coating in cylindrical heat pipes operating under Stirling engine conditions, and (4) Design and fabricate a coated full-scale, partial segment of the current Stirling engine heat pipe for the Stirling Space Power Convertor program. The work effort successfully demonstrated a two-step nickel aluminide coating process for groove wick structures and interior wall surfaces in contact with liquid metals; demonstrated a one-step nickel aluminide coating process for nickel screen wick structures; and developed and demonstrated a two-step aluminum-to-nickel aluminide coating process for nickel screen wick structures. In addition, the full-scale, partial segment was fabricated and the interior surfaces and wick structures were coated. The heat pipe was charged with sodium, processed, and scheduled to be life tested for up to ten years as a Phase 3 effort.

  18. No Solutions: Resisting Certainty in Water Supply Management

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cockerill, K.; Armstrong, M.; Richter, J.; Okie, J. G.

    2017-12-01

    Although most scholars and water managers implicitly understand that managing water resources is an ongoing need, both popular and academic literature routinely use the words `solution' and `solve' in discussing water management concerns. The word `solution' reflects a quest for certainty, stability, permanence. A focus on `solving' creates a simplistic expectation that some person or institution is responsible for implementing a solution and that once `solved' the issue no longer requires attention. The reality, however, is water management is a wicked problem, meaning it is amorphous, involves multiple definitions, is embedded in complex systems, and hence is intractable. By definition, wicked problems defy solution. Our interdisciplinary project integrates research from across a broad spectrum of biological, physical, and social sciences. We find that framing a problem in terms of `solving' affects how people think, feel, behave toward the problem. Further, our work suggests that the prevalence of solution- based language has simultaneously generated expectations that science / scientists can predict and control biophysical systems and that science is not to be trusted because it has failed to deliver on previous promises to permanently `solve' events like floods or droughts. Hydrologic systems, are, of course highly uncertain. Hence, reiterating a simplistic insistence on `solving' water management concerns may result in decreased public attention to or support for more complex policy discussions that could provide long-term management strategies. Using the language of `solutions' with expectations of certainty sets hydrologic researchers and water managers up to fail. Managing water is a social responsibility and it will require consistent attention in the future, just as it has throughout human history. Scientists have a key role to play in explaining how various hydrologic systems function, but they should not be expected to `solve' pressing water management needs. Rather, reconsidering the language used to frame water management concerns can help us recognize our own culpability in creating water problems and our responsibility in continuously managing this most essential resource.

  19. Fluid leak indicator

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Anderson, G. E.; Loo, S. (Inventor)

    1985-01-01

    A fluid leak indicator for detecting and indicating leaks in visually inaccessible fluid tubing joints, such as those obstructed by insulation includes a bag system and a wicking system surrounding or wrapping the joints under the visual obstructing material. Leaking fluid is collected in the bag or on the wicking material where it is conducted along the wicking material to a visily accessible capturing transparent indicator bulb for providing a visual indication of the leak without requiring a chemical change in the capturing indicator bulb.

  20. An auto-Bäcklund transformation and exact solutions for Wick-type stochastic generalized KdV equations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xie, Yingchao

    2004-05-01

    Wick-type stochastic generalized KdV equations are researched. By using the homogeneous balance, an auto-Bäcklund transformation to the Wick-type stochastic generalized KdV equations is derived. And stochastic single soliton and stochastic multi-soliton solutions are shown by using the Hermite transform. Research supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (19971072) and the Natural Science Foundation of Education Committee of Jiangsu Province of China (03KJB110135).

  1. Tackling wicked problems in infection prevention and control: a guideline for co-creation with stakeholders.

    PubMed

    van Woezik, Anne F G; Braakman-Jansen, Louise M A; Kulyk, Olga; Siemons, Liseth; van Gemert-Pijnen, Julia E W C

    2016-01-01

    Infection prevention and control can be seen as a wicked public health problem as there is no consensus regarding problem definition and solution, multiple stakeholders with different needs and values are involved, and there is no clear end-point of the problem-solving process. Co-creation with stakeholders has been proposed as a suitable strategy to tackle wicked problems, yet little information and no clear step-by-step guide exist on how to do this. The objectives of this study were to develop a guideline to assist developers in tackling wicked problems using co-creation with stakeholders, and to apply this guideline to practice with an example case in the field of infection prevention and control. A mixed-method approach consisting of the integration of both quantitative and qualitative research was used. Relevant stakeholders from the veterinary, human health, and public health sectors were identified using a literature scan, expert recommendations, and snowball sampling. The stakeholder salience approach was used to select key stakeholders based on 3 attributes: power, legitimacy, and urgency. Key values of stakeholders (N = 20) were derived by qualitative semi-structured interviews and quantitatively weighted and prioritized using an online survey. Our method showed that stakeholder identification and analysis are prerequisites for understanding the complex stakeholder network that characterizes wicked problems. A total of 73 stakeholders were identified of which 36 were selected as potential key stakeholders, and only one was seen as a definite stakeholder. In addition, deriving key stakeholder values is a necessity to gain insights into different problem definitions, solutions and needs stakeholders have regarding the wicked problem. Based on the methods used, we developed a step-by-step guideline for co-creation with stakeholders when tackling wicked problems. The mixed-methods guideline presented here provides a systematic, transparent method to identify, analyze, and co-create with stakeholders, and to recognize and prioritize their values, problem definitions, and solutions in the context of wicked problems. This guideline consists of a general framework and although it was applied in an eHealth context, may be relevant outside of eHealth as well.

  2. Phenomenology of the N = 3 Lee-Wick Standard Model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    TerBeek, Russell Henry

    With the discovery of the Higgs Boson in 2012, particle physics has decidedly moved beyond the Standard Model into a new epoch. Though the Standard Model particle content is now completely accounted for, there remain many theoretical issues about the structure of the theory in need of resolution. Among these is the hierarchy problem: since the renormalized Higgs mass receives quadratic corrections from a higher cutoff scale, what keeps the Higgs boson light? Many possible solutions to this problem have been advanced, such as supersymmetry, Randall-Sundrum models, or sub-millimeter corrections to gravity. One such solution has been advanced by the Lee-Wick Standard Model. In this theory, higher-derivative operators are added to the Lagrangian for each Standard Model field, which result in propagators that possess two physical poles and fall off more rapidly in the ultraviolet regime. It can be shown by an auxiliary field transformation that the higher-derivative theory is identical to positing a second, manifestly renormalizable theory in which new fields with opposite-sign kinetic and mass terms are found. These so-called Lee-Wick fields have opposite-sign propagators, and famously cancel off the quadratic divergences that plague the renormalized Higgs mass. The states in the Hilbert space corresponding to Lee-Wick particles have negative norm, and implications for causality and unitarity are examined. This dissertation explores a variant of the theory called the N = 3 Lee-Wick Standard Model. The Lagrangian of this theory features a yet-higher derivative operator, which produces a propagator with three physical poles and possesses even better high-energy behavior than the minimal Lee-Wick theory. An analogous auxiliary field transformation takes this higher-derivative theory into a renormalizable theory with states of alternating positive, negative, and positive norm. The phenomenology of this theory is examined in detail, with particular emphasis on the collider signatures of Lee-Wick particles, electroweak precision constraints on the masses that the new particles can take on, and scenarios in early-universe cosmology in which Lee-Wick particles can play a significant role.

  3. Validation test of advanced technology for IPV nickel-hydrogen flight cells - Update

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smithrick, John J.; Hall, Stephen W.

    1992-01-01

    Individual pressure vessel (IPV) nickel-hydrogen technology was advanced at NASA Lewis and under Lewis contracts with the intention of improving cycle life and performance. One advancement was to use 26 percent potassium hydroxide (KOH) electrolyte to improve cycle life. Another advancement was to modify the state-of-the-art cell design to eliminate identified failure modes. The modified design is referred to as the advanced design. A breakthrough in the LEO cycle life of IPV nickel-hydrogen cells has been previously reported. The cycle life of boiler plate cells containing 26 percent KOH electrolyte was about 40,000 LEO cycles compared to 3,500 cycles for cells containing 31 percent KOH. The boiler plate test results are in the process of being validated using flight hardware and real time LEO testing. The primary function of the advanced cell is to store and deliver energy for long-term, LEO spacecraft missions. The new features of this design are: (1) use of 26 percent rather than 31 percent KOH electrolyte; (2) use of a patented catalyzed wall wick; (3) use of serrated-edge separators to facilitate gaseous oxygen and hydrogen flow within the cell, while still maintaining physical contact with the wall wick for electrolyte management; and (4) use of a floating rather than a fixed stack (state-of-the-art) to accommodate nickel electrode expansion due to charge/discharge cycling. The significant improvements resulting from these innovations are: extended cycle life; enhanced thermal, electrolyte, and oxygen management; and accommodation of nickel electrode expansion.

  4. Titanium based flat heat pipes for computer chip cooling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Soni, Gaurav; Ding, Changsong; Sigurdson, Marin; Bozorgi, Payam; Piorek, Brian; MacDonald, Noel; Meinhart, Carl

    2008-11-01

    We are developing a highly conductive flat heat pipe (called Thermal Ground Plane or TGP) for cooling computer chips. Conventional heat pipes have circular cross sections and thus can't make good contact with chip surface. The flatness of our TGP will enable conformal contact with the chip surface and thus enhance cooling efficiency. Another limiting factor in conventional heat pipes is the capillary flow of the working fluid through a wick structure. In order to overcome this limitation we have created a highly porous wick structure on a flat titanium substrate by using micro fabrication technology. We first etch titanium to create very tall micro pillars with a diameter of 5 μm, a height of 40 μm and a pitch of 10 μm. We then grow a very fine nano structured titania (NST) hairs on all surfaces of the pillars by oxidation in H202. In this way we achieve a wick structure which utilizes multiple length scales to yield high performance wicking of water. It's capable of wicking water at an average velocity of 1 cm/s over a distance of several cm. A titanium cavity is laser-welded onto the wicking substrate and a small quantity of water is hermetically sealed inside the cavity to achieve a TGP. The thermal conductivity of our preliminary TGP was measured to be 350 W/m-K, but has the potential to be several orders of magnitude higher.

  5. Fluid leak indicator

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Anderson, George E. (Inventor); Loo, Shu (Inventor)

    1989-01-01

    A fluid leak indicator (30) for detecting and indicating leaks in visually inaccessible fluid tubing joints (20, 21), such as those obstructed by insulation (24), includes a bag system (25) and a wicking system (30) surrounding or wrapping the joints (20, 21) under the visual obstructing material (24). Leaking fluid is collected in the bag (25) or on the wicking material (34) where it is conducted along the wicking material (34) to a visibly accessible capturing transparent indicator bulb (35) for providing a visual indication of the leak without requiring a chemical change in the capturing indicator bulb (35).

  6. Causality as an emergent macroscopic phenomenon: The Lee-Wick O(N) model

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Grinstein, Benjamin; O'Connell, Donal; Wise, Mark B.

    2009-05-15

    In quantum mechanics the deterministic property of classical physics is an emergent phenomenon appropriate only on macroscopic scales. Lee and Wick introduced Lorentz invariant quantum theories where causality is an emergent phenomenon appropriate for macroscopic time scales. In this paper we analyze a Lee-Wick version of the O(N) model. We argue that in the large-N limit this theory has a unitary and Lorentz invariant S matrix and is therefore free of paradoxes in scattering experiments. We discuss some of its acausal properties.

  7. An Overview of Long Duration Sodium Heat Pipe Tests

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rosenfeld, John H.; Ernst, Donald M.; Lindemuth, James E.; Sanzi, James L.; Geng, Steven M.; Zuo, Jon

    2004-02-01

    High temperature heat pipes are being evaluated for use in energy conversion applications such as fuel cells, gas turbine re-combustors, and Stirling cycle heat sources; with the resurgence of space nuclear power, additional applications include reactor heat removal elements and radiator elements. Long operating life and reliable performance are critical requirements for these applications. Accordingly long-term materials compatibility is being evaluated through the use of high temperature life test heat pipes. Thermacore, Inc. has carried out several sodium heat pipe life tests to establish long term operating reliability. Four sodium heat pipes have recently demonstrated favorable materials compatibility and heat transport characteristics at high operating temperatures in air over long time periods. A 316L stainless steel heat pipe with a sintered porous nickel wick structure and an integral brazed cartridge heater has successfully operated at 650C to 700C for over 115,000 hours without signs of failure. A second 316L stainless steel heat pipe with a specially-designed Inconel 601 rupture disk and a sintered nickel powder wick has demonstrated over 83,000 hours at 600C to 650C with similar success. A representative one-tenth segment Stirling Space Power Converter heat pipe with an Inconel 718 envelope and a stainless steel screen wick has operated for over 41,000 hours at nearly 700C. A hybrid (i.e. gas-fired and solar) heat pipe with a Haynes 230 envelope and a sintered porous nickel wick structure was operated for about 20,000 hours at nearly 700C without signs of degradation. These life test results collectively have demonstrated the potential for high temperature heat pipes to serve as reliable energy conversion system components for power applications that require long operating lifetime with high reliability. Detailed design specifications, operating history, and test results are described for each of these sodium heat pipes. Lessons learned and future life test plans are also discussed.

  8. An Overview of Long Duration Sodium Heat Pipe Tests

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rosenfeld, John H.; Ernst, Donald M.; Lindemuth, James E.; Sanzi, James L.; Geng, Steven M.; Zuo, Jon

    2004-01-01

    High temperature heat pipes are being evaluated for use in energy conversion applications such as fuel cells, gas turbine re-combustors, and Stirling cycle heat sources; with the resurgence of space nuclear power, additional applications include reactor heat removal elements and radiator elements. Long operating life and reliable performance are critical requirements for these applications. Accordingly long-term materials compatibility is being evaluated through the use of high temperature life test heat pipes. Thermacore International, Inc., has carried out several sodium heat pipe life tests to establish long term operating reliability. Four sodium heat pipes have recently demonstrated favorable materials compatibility and heat transport characteristics at high operating temperatures in air over long time periods. A 3l6L stainless steel heat pipe with a sintered porous nickel wick structure and an integral brazed cartridge heater has successfully operated at 650 to 700 C for over 115,000 hours without signs of failure. A second 3l6L stainless steel heat pipe with a specially-designed Inconel 60 I rupture disk and a sintered nickel powder wick has demonstrated over 83,000 hours at 600 to 650 C with similar success. A representative one-tenth segment Stirling Space Power Converter heat pipe with an Inconel 718 envelope and a stainless steel screen wick has operated for over 41 ,000 hours at nearly 700 0c. A hybrid (i.e. gas-fired and solar) heat pipe with a Haynes 230 envelope and a sintered porous nickel wick structure was operated for about 20,000 hours at nearly 700 C without signs of degradation. These life test results collectively have demonstrated the potential for high temperature heat pipes to serve as reliable energy conversion system components for power applications that require long operating lifetime with high reliability, Detailed design specifications, operating hi story, and test results are described for each of these sodium heat pipes. Lessons learned and future life test plans are also discussed.

  9. No Lee-Wick fields out of gravity

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Rodigast, Andreas; Schuster, Theodor

    2009-06-15

    We investigate the gravitational one-loop divergences of the standard model in large extra dimensions, with gravitons propagating in the (4+{delta})-dimensional bulk and gauge fields as well as scalar and fermionic multiplets confined to a three-brane. To determine the divergences we establish a cutoff regularization which allows us to extract gauge-invariant counterterms. In contrast to the claim of a recent paper [F. Wu and M. Zhong, Phys. Rev. D 78, 085010 (2008).], we show that the fermionic and scalar higher derivative counterterms do not coincide with the higher derivative terms in the Lee-Wick standard model. We argue that even if themore » exact Lee-Wick higher derivative terms were found, as in the case of the pure gauge sector, this would not allow to conclude the existence of the massive ghost fields corresponding to these higher derivative terms in the Lee-Wick standard model.« less

  10. Hybrid Heat Pipes for Lunar and Martian Surface and High Heat Flux Space Applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ababneh, Mohammed T.; Tarau, Calin; Anderson, William G.; Farmer, Jeffery T.; Alvarez-Hernandez, Angel R.

    2016-01-01

    Novel hybrid wick heat pipes are developed to operate against gravity on planetary surfaces, operate in space carrying power over long distances and act as thermosyphons on the planetary surface for Lunar and Martian landers and rovers. These hybrid heat pipes will be capable of operating at the higher heat flux requirements expected in NASA's future spacecraft and on the next generation of polar rovers and equatorial landers. In addition, the sintered evaporator wicks mitigate the start-up problems in vertical gravity aided heat pipes because of large number of nucleation sites in wicks which will allow easy boiling initiation. ACT, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, and NASA Johnson Space Center, are working together on the Advanced Passive Thermal experiment (APTx) to test and validate the operation of a hybrid wick VCHP with warm reservoir and HiK"TM" plates in microgravity environment on the ISS.

  11. Heat pipe development

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bienart, W. B.

    1973-01-01

    The objective of this program was to investigate analytically and experimentally the performance of heat pipes with composite wicks--specifically, those having pedestal arteries and screwthread circumferential grooves. An analytical model was developed to describe the effects of screwthreads and screen secondary wicks on the transport capability of the artery. The model describes the hydrodynamics of the circumferential flow in triangular grooves with azimuthally varying capillary menisci and liquid cross-sections. Normalized results were obtained which give the influence of evaporator heat flux on the axial heat transport capability of the arterial wick. In order to evaluate the priming behavior of composite wicks under actual load conditions, an 'inverted' glass heat pipe was designed and constructed. The results obtained from the analysis and from the tests with the glass heat pipe were applied to the OAO-C Level 5 heat pipe, and an improved correlation between predicted and measured evaporator and transport performance were obtained.

  12. Four-man rated dual catalyst system for the recovery of water from urine

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Budininkas, P.

    1978-01-01

    The catalytic system was integrated with a 4-man rated urine wick evaporator. During operation, urine vapor produced by the wick-evaporator was treated in the catalytic system to remove ammonia and volatile hydrocarbons, and water was recovered by condensation in a water cooled condenser. The system operated completely automatically and required no manual adjustments, except periodic supply of urine and removal of the recovered water. Although the system was designed for treating 0.325 kg urine per hour, this rate could be achieved only with a fresh wick, then gradually decreased as the wick became saturated with urine solids. The average urine treatment rates achieved during each of the three endurance tests were 0.137, 0.217, and 0.235 kg/hr. The quality of the recovered water meets drinking water standards, with the exception of a generally low pH.

  13. Evaluation of wick drain performance in Virginia soils.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2003-01-01

    Prefabricated vertical drains (PVD), also known as wick drains, are commonly used to accelerate the consolidation of fine-grained soils in order to reduce future settlements and increase shear strength. Various drain designs are currently on the mark...

  14. Partially Acetylated Sugarcane Bagasse For Wicking Oil From Contaminated Wetlands

    EPA Science Inventory

    Sugarcane bagasse was partially acetylated to enhance its oil-wicking ability in saturated environments while holding moisture for hydrocarbon biodegradation. The water sorption capacity of raw bagasse was reduced fourfold after treatment, which indicated considerably increased ...

  15. Synthetic biology and conservation of nature: wicked problems and wicked solutions.

    PubMed

    Redford, Kent H; Adams, William; Mace, Georgina M

    2013-01-01

    So far, conservation scientists have paid little attention to synthetic biology; this is unfortunate as the technology is likely to transform the operating space within which conservation functions, and therefore the prospects for maintaining biodiversity into the future.

  16. Heat pipe with improved wick structures

    DOEpatents

    Benson, David A.; Robino, Charles V.; Palmer, David W.; Kravitz, Stanley H.

    2000-01-01

    An improved planar heat pipe wick structure having projections formed by micromachining processes. The projections form arrays of interlocking, semi-closed structures with multiple flow paths on the substrate. The projections also include overhanging caps at their tops to increase the capillary pumping action of the wick structure. The capped projections can be formed in stacked layers. Another layer of smaller, more closely spaced projections without caps can also be formed on the substrate in between the capped projections. Inexpensive materials such as Kovar can be used as substrates, and the projections can be formed by electrodepositing nickel through photoresist masks.

  17. Two-ply channels for faster wicking in paper-based microfluidic devices.

    PubMed

    Camplisson, Conor K; Schilling, Kevin M; Pedrotti, William L; Stone, Howard A; Martinez, Andres W

    2015-12-07

    This article describes the development of porous two-ply channels for paper-based microfluidic devices that wick fluids significantly faster than conventional, porous, single-ply channels. The two-ply channels were made by stacking two single-ply channels on top of each other and were fabricated entirely out of paper, wax and toner using two commercially available printers, a convection oven and a thermal laminator. The wicking in paper-based channels was studied and modeled using a modified Lucas-Washburn equation to account for the effect of evaporation, and a paper-based titration device incorporating two-ply channels was demonstrated.

  18. HPTAM, a two-dimensional Heat Pipe Transient Analysis Model, including the startup from a frozen state

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tournier, Jean-Michel; El-Genk, Mohamed S.

    1995-01-01

    A two-dimensional Heat Pipe Transient Analysis Model, 'HPTAM,' was developed to simulate the transient operation of fully-thawed heat pipes and the startup of heat pipes from a frozen state. The model incorporates: (a) sublimation and resolidification of working fluid; (b) melting and freezing of the working fluid in the porous wick; (c) evaporation of thawed working fluid and condensation as a thin liquid film on a frozen substrate; (d) free-molecule, transition, and continuum vapor flow regimes, using the Dusty Gas Model; (e) liquid flow and heat transfer in the porous wick; and (f) thermal and hydrodynamic couplings of phases at their respective interfaces. HPTAM predicts the radius of curvature of the liquid meniscus at the liquid-vapor interface and the radial location of the working fluid level (liquid or solid) in the wick. It also includes the transverse momentum jump condition (capillary relationship of Pascal) at the liquid-vapor interface and geometrically relates the radius of curvature of the liquid meniscus to the volume fraction of vapor in the wick. The present model predicts the capillary limit and partial liquid recess (dryout) in the evaporator wick, and incorporates a liquid pooling submodel, which simulates accumulation of the excess liquid in the vapor core at the condenser end.

  19. Wicking Tests for Unidirectional Fabrics: Measurements of Capillary Parameters to Evaluate Capillary Pressure in Liquid Composite Molding Processes.

    PubMed

    Pucci, Monica Francesca; Liotier, Pierre-Jacques; Drapier, Sylvain

    2017-01-27

    During impregnation of a fibrous reinforcement in liquid composite molding (LCM) processes, capillary effects have to be understood in order to identify their influence on void formation in composite parts. Wicking in a fibrous medium described by the Washburn equation was considered equivalent to a flow under the effect of capillary pressure according to the Darcy law. Experimental tests for the characterization of wicking were conducted with both carbon and flax fiber reinforcement. Quasi-unidirectional fabrics were then tested by means of a tensiometer to determine the morphological and wetting parameters along the fiber direction. The procedure was shown to be promising when the morphology of the fabric is unchanged during capillary wicking. In the case of carbon fabrics, the capillary pressure can be calculated. Flax fibers are sensitive to moisture sorption and swell in water. This phenomenon has to be taken into account to assess the wetting parameters. In order to make fibers less sensitive to water sorption, a thermal treatment was carried out on flax reinforcements. This treatment enhances fiber morphological stability and prevents swelling in water. It was shown that treated fabrics have a linear wicking trend similar to those found in carbon fabrics, allowing for the determination of capillary pressure.

  20. Electrochemical sensor for monitoring electrochemical potentials of fuel cell components

    DOEpatents

    Kunz, Harold R.; Breault, Richard D.

    1993-01-01

    An electrochemical sensor comprised of wires, a sheath, and a conduit can be utilized to monitor fuel cell component electric potentials during fuel cell shut down or steady state. The electrochemical sensor contacts an electrolyte reservoir plate such that the conduit wicks electrolyte through capillary action to the wires to provide water necessary for the electrolysis reaction which occurs thereon. A voltage is applied across the wires of the electrochemical sensor until hydrogen evolution occurs at the surface of one of the wires, thereby forming a hydrogen reference electrode. The voltage of the fuel cell component is then determined with relation to the hydrogen reference electrode.

  1. The Design and Testing of a Dual Fiber Textile Matrix for Accelerating Surface Hemostasis

    PubMed Central

    Fischer, Thomas H.; Vournakis, John N.; Manning, James E.; McCurdy, Shane L.; Rich, Preston B.; Nichols, Timothy C.; Scull, Christopher M.; McCord, Marian G.; Decorta, Joseph A.; Johnson, Peter C.; Smith, Carr J.

    2011-01-01

    The standard treatment for severe traumatic injury is frequently compression and application of gauze dressing to the site of hemorrhage. However, while able to rapidly absorb pools of shed blood, gauze fails to provide strong surface (topical) hemostasis. The result can be excess hemorrhage-related morbidity and mortality. We hypothesized that cost-effective materials (based on widespread availability of bulk fibers for other commercial uses) could be designed based on fundamental hemostatic principles to partially emulate the wicking properties of gauze while concurrently stimulating superior hemostasis. A panel of readily available textile fibers was screened for the ability to activate platelets and the intrinsic coagulation cascade in vitro. Type E continuous filament glass and a specialty rayon fiber were identified from the material panel as accelerators of hemostatic reactions and were custom woven to produce a dual fiber textile bandage. The glass component strongly activated platelets while the specialty rayon agglutinated red blood cells. In comparison with gauze in vitro, the dual fiber textile significantly enhanced the rate of thrombin generation, clot generation as measured by thromboelastography, adhesive protein adsorption and cellular attachment and activation. These results indicate that hemostatic textiles can be designed that mimic gauze in form but surpass gauze in ability to accelerate hemostatic reactions. PMID:19489008

  2. Preparing for Complexity and Wicked Problems through Transformational Learning Approaches

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yukawa, Joyce

    2015-01-01

    As the information environment becomes increasingly complex and challenging, Library and Information Studies (LIS) education is called upon to nurture innovative leaders capable of managing complex situations and "wicked problems." While disciplinary expertise remains essential, higher levels of mental complexity and adaptive…

  3. MOOCs, Wicked Problems, and the Spirit of the Liberal Arts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McClure, Maureen W.

    2014-01-01

    Higher education institutions today are increasingly considered to be "means," serving as suppliers for employers, not "ends" that address "wicked" problems. This disregards their role in the generational succession of civil societies. Massive open online courses can strengthen higher education institutions by working…

  4. Advanced designs for IPV nickel-hydrogen cells

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smithrick, J. J.; Manzo, M. A.; Gonzalez-Sanabria, O. D.

    1984-01-01

    Advanced designs for individual pressure vessel nickel-hydrogen cells have been concieved which should improve the cycle life at deep depths-of-discharge. Features of the designs which are new and not incorporated in either of the contemporary cells (Air Force/Hughes, Comsat) are: (1) use of alternate methods of oxygen recombination, (2) use of serrated edge separators to facilitate movement of gas within the cell while still maintaining required physical contact with the wall wick, and (3) use of an expandable stack to accommodate some of the nickel electrode expansion. The designs also consider electrolyte volume requirements over the life of the cells, and are fully compatible with the Air Force/Hughes design.

  5. Principles for Framing a Healthy Food System.

    PubMed

    Hamm, Michael W

    2009-07-01

    Wicked problems are most simply defined as ones that are impossible to solve. In other words, the range of complex interacting influences and effects; the influence of human values in all their range; and the constantly changing conditions in which the problem exists guarantee that what we strive to do is improve the situation rather than solve the wicked problem. This does not mean that we cannot move a long way toward resolving the problem but simply that there is no clean endpoint. This commentary outlines principles that could be used in moving us toward a healthy food system within the framework of it presenting as a wicked problem.

  6. Metal vapor laser including hot electrodes and integral wick

    DOEpatents

    Ault, Earl R.; Alger, Terry W.

    1995-01-01

    A metal vapor laser, specifically one utilizing copper vapor, is disclosed herein. This laser utilizes a plasma tube assembly including a thermally insulated plasma tube containing a specific metal, e.g., copper, and a buffer gas therein. The laser also utilizes means including hot electrodes located at opposite ends of the plasma tube for electrically exciting the metal vapor and heating its interior to a sufficiently high temperature to cause the metal contained therein to vaporize and for subjecting the vapor to an electrical discharge excitation in order to lase. The laser also utilizes external wicking arrangements, that is, wicking arrangements located outside the plasma tube.

  7. Metal vapor laser including hot electrodes and integral wick

    DOEpatents

    Ault, E.R.; Alger, T.W.

    1995-03-07

    A metal vapor laser, specifically one utilizing copper vapor, is disclosed herein. This laser utilizes a plasma tube assembly including a thermally insulated plasma tube containing a specific metal, e.g., copper, and a buffer gas therein. The laser also utilizes means including hot electrodes located at opposite ends of the plasma tube for electrically exciting the metal vapor and heating its interior to a sufficiently high temperature to cause the metal contained therein to vaporize and for subjecting the vapor to an electrical discharge excitation in order to lase. The laser also utilizes external wicking arrangements, that is, wicking arrangements located outside the plasma tube. 5 figs.

  8. Multilead, Vaporization-Cooled Soldering Heat Sink

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rice, John

    1995-01-01

    Vaporization-cooled heat sink proposed for use during soldering of multiple electrical leads of packaged electronic devices to circuit boards. Heat sink includes compliant wicks held in grooves on edges of metal fixture. Wicks saturated with water. Prevents excessive increases in temperature at entrances of leads into package.

  9. Analyses of Nb-1Zr/C-103, vapor anode, multi-tube AMTEC cells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    King, Jeffrey C.; El-Genk, Mohamed S.

    2000-01-01

    A high performance, Nb-1Zr/C-103, vapor anode, multi-tube AMTEC cell design is presented. The cell measures 41.27 mm in diameter, is 125.3 mm high, and has eight BASE tubes connected electrically in series. The hot structure of the cell (hot plate, BASE tubes support plate, hot plenum wall, evaporator standoff, evaporator wick, and side wall facing the BASE tubes) is made of Nb-1Zr. The cold structure of the cell (condenser, interior cylindrical thermal radiation shield, the casing and the wick of the liquid sodium return artery, and side wall above the BASE tubes) is made of the stronger, lower thermal conductivity niobium alloy C-103. This cell, which weighs 163.4 g, could deliver 7.0 We at 17% efficiency and load voltage of 3.3 V, when using TiN BASE electrodes characterized by B=75 A.K1/2/m2.Pa and G=50 and assuming BASE/electrode contact resistance of 0.06 Ω-cm2 and leakage resistance of the BASE braze structure of 3 Ω. For these performance parameters and when the interior cylindrical C-103 thermal radiation shield is covered with low emissivity rhodium, the projected specific mass of the cell is 23.4 g/We. The BASE brazes and the evaporator temperatures were below the recommended limits of 1123 K and 1023 K, respectively. In addition, the temperature margin in the cell was at least + 20 K. When electrodes characterized by B=120 A.K1/2/m2.Pa and G=10 were used, the cell power increased to 8.38 We at 3.5 V and efficiency of 18.8%, for a cell specific mass of 19.7 g/We. Issues related to structure strength of the cell and the performance degradation of the BASE and electrodes are not addressed in this paper. .

  10. Unlearning, Critical Action Learning and Wicked Problems

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pedler, Mike; Hsu, Shih-wei

    2014-01-01

    This paper explores the idea of unlearning in Critical Action Learning (CAL) as applied to the wicked problems of organisations and societies. It draws on data and ideas developed during a research project conducted for "Skills for Care" by Pedler, Abbott, Brook and Burgoyne ("Skills for Care" 2014) and from experiences on…

  11. A Relational Cultural Approach to the Broadway Musical "Wicked"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lane, Ileana

    2009-01-01

    Relational-Cultural Theory (Miller, 1976, 1986) is based on the tenet that people grow through and toward relationships with others, rather than through separation and individuation. In this article, the characters and song lyrics of the Broadway musical, "Wicked" (Schwartz, Holzman, Mantello, & Platt, 2003), are viewed through the lens of…

  12. Australian NAPLAN Testing: In What Ways Is This a "Wicked" Problem?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnston, Jenny

    2017-01-01

    This article employs Rittel and Webber's "wicked" problem as a heuristic device for enhancing understanding about National Assessment Program--Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) testing in the Australian education context. Using a research project with seven independent schools in New South Wales, Australia, which analysed NAPLAN data from…

  13. Designing for Quality: The Understanding Dementia MOOC

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    King, Carolyn; Kelder, Jo-Anne; Doherty, Kathleen; Phillips, Rob; McInerney, Fran; Walls, Justin; Robinson, Andrew; Vickers, James

    2014-01-01

    The introduction of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) as a vehicle for education delivery presents opportunities and challenges. In the context of the Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre (Wicking Centre), the driver to develop a MOOC was the promise of addressing the international deficit in evidence-based dementia education, as well…

  14. The Wicked Problem of the Intersection between Supervision and Evaluation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mette, Ian M.; Anderson, Jason; Nieuwenhuizen, Lisa; Range, Bret G.; Hvidston, David J.; Doty, Jon

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this research was to explore how principals in eight high-functioning elementary schools in one American school district balanced teacher supervision and evaluation in their role as an instructional leader. Using the theoretical framework of "wicked problems," to unpack the circular used to problematize teacher supervision…

  15. Wicked Waste: Helping Numeracy in the Primary Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yoxon, Mark

    2002-01-01

    "Wicked Waste" is a powerful teaching resource and four tools in one: (1) It complements literacy and numeracy teaching for KS2/attainment levels D & E using 20 minute interactive teaching modules; (2) It manages time and, with its intelligent programming, complexity of questions; (3) It provides diagnostic information for the…

  16. Deliberative Democracy and Adult Civic Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carcasson, Martin; Sprain, Leah

    2012-01-01

    Adult education programs should turn to the deliberative democracy movement in order to help their communities better address the "wicked problems" they face. The authors contend that due to the "wicked" nature of problems in the diverse democracies, communities must develop and sustain their capacity for deliberative democracy and collaborative…

  17. LEAD IN CANDLE EMISSIONS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The candle-using public should be made aware that the core of candle wicks may contain lead. Used as a stiffening agent to keep the wick out of the molten wax, lead can be emitted as particulate to the air and then deposited on indoor surfaces. To define the problem, 100 sets of ...

  18. Electrochemical cell with high conductivity glass electrolyte

    DOEpatents

    Nelson, P.A.; Bloom, I.D.; Roche, M.F.

    1986-04-17

    A secondary electrochemical cell with sodium-sulfur or other molten reactants is provided with an ionically conductive glass electrolyte. The cell is contained within an electrically conductive housing with a first portion at negative potential and a second portion insulated therefrom at positive electrode potential. The glass electrolyte is formed into a plurality of elongated tubes and placed lengthwise within the housing. The positive electrode material, for instance sulfur, is sealed into the glass electrolyte tubes and is provided with an elongated axial current collector. The glass electrolyte tubes are protected by shield tubes or sheets that also define narrow annuli for wicking of the molten negative electrode material.

  19. Electrochemical cell with high conductivity glass electrolyte

    DOEpatents

    Nelson, P.A.; Bloom, I.D.; Roche, M.F.

    1987-04-21

    A secondary electrochemical cell with sodium-sulfur or other molten reactants is provided with a ionically conductive glass electrolyte. The cell is contained within an electrically conductive housing with a first portion at negative potential and a second portion insulated therefrom at positive electrode potential. The glass electrolyte is formed into a plurality of elongated tubes and placed lengthwise within the housing. The positive electrode material, for instance sulfur, is sealed into the glass electrolyte tubes and is provided with an elongated axial current collector. The glass electrolyte tubes are protected by shield tubes or sheets that also define narrow annuli for wicking of the molten negative electrode material. 6 figs.

  20. Electrochemical cell with high conductivity glass electrolyte

    DOEpatents

    Nelson, Paul A.; Bloom, Ira D.; Roche, Michael F.

    1987-01-01

    A secondary electrochemical cell with sodium-sulfur or other molten reactants is provided with a ionically conductive glass electrolyte. The cell is contained within an electrically conductive housing with a first portion at negative potential and a second portion insulated therefrom at positive electrode potential. The glass electrolyte is formed into a plurality of elongated tubes and placed lengthwise within the housing. The positive electrode material, for instance sulfur, is sealed into the glass electrolyte tubes and is provided with an elongated axial current collector. The glass electrolyte tubes are protected by shield tubes or sheets that also define narrow annuli for wicking of the molten negative electrode material.

  1. Computer program grade 2 for the design and analysis of heat-pipe wicks

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Eninger, J. E.; Edwards, D. K.

    1976-01-01

    This user's manual describes the revised version of the computer program GRADE(1), which designs and analyzes heat pipes with graded porosity fibrous slab wicks. The revisions are: (1) automatic calculation of the minimum condenser-end stress that will not result in an excess-liquid puddle or a liquid slug in the vapor space; (2) numerical solution of the equations describing flow in the circumferential grooves to assess the burnout criterion; (3) calculation of the contribution of excess liquid in fillets and puddles to the heat-transport; (4) calculation of the effect of partial saturation on the wick performance; and (5) calculation of the effect of vapor flow, which includes viscousinertial interactions.

  2. Absorbent product to absorb fluids. [for collection of human wastes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dawn, F. S.; Correale, J. V. (Inventor)

    1982-01-01

    A multi-layer absorbent product for use in contact with the skin to absorb fluids is discussed. The product utilizes a water pervious facing layer for contacting the skin, overlayed by a first fibrous wicking layer, the wicking layer preferably being of the one-way variety in which fluid or liquid is moved away from the facing layer. The product further includes a first container section defined by inner and outer layer of a water pervious wicking material between which is disposed a first absorbent mass. A second container section defined by inner and outer layers between which is disposed a second absorbent mass and a liquid impermeable/gas permeable layer. Spacesuit applications are discussed.

  3. Validation test of advanced technology for IPV nickel-hydrogen flight cells: Update

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smithrick, John J.; Hall, Stephen W.

    1992-01-01

    Individual pressure vessel (IPV) nickel-hydrogen technology was advanced at NASA Lewis and under Lewis contracts with the intention of improving cycle life and performance. One advancement was to use 26 percent potassium hydroxide (KOH) electrolyte to improve cycle life. Another advancement was to modify the state-of-the-art cell design to eliminate identified failure modes. The modified design is referred to as the advanced design. A breakthrough in the low-earth-orbit (LEO) cycle life of IPV nickel-hydrogen cells has been previously reported. The cycle life of boiler plate cells containing 26 percent KOH electrolyte was about 40,000 LEO cycles compared to 3,500 cycles for cells containing 31 percent KOH. The boiler plate test results are in the process of being validated using flight hardware and real time LEO testing at the Naval Weapons Support Center (NWSC), Crane, Indiana under a NASA Lewis Contract. An advanced 125 Ah IPV nickel-hydrogen cell was designed. The primary function of the advanced cell is to store and deliver energy for long-term, LEO spacecraft missions. The new features of this design are: (1) use of 26 percent rather than 31 percent KOH electrolyte; (2) use of a patented catalyzed wall wick; (3) use of serrated-edge separators to facilitate gaseous oxygen and hydrogen flow within the cell, while still maintaining physical contact with the wall wick for electrolyte management; and (4) use of a floating rather than a fixed stack (state-of-the-art) to accommodate nickel electrode expansion due to charge/discharge cycling. The significant improvements resulting from these innovations are: extended cycle life; enhanced thermal, electrolyte, and oxygen management; and accommodation of nickel electrode expansion. The advanced cell design is in the process of being validated using real time LEO cycle life testing of NWSC, Crane, Indiana. An update of validation test results confirming this technology is presented.

  4. Leadership Development in Governments of the United Arab Emirates: Re-Framing a Wicked Problem

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mathias, Megan

    2017-01-01

    Developing the next generation of leaders in government is seen as a strategic challenge of national importance in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This article examines the wicked nature of the UAE's leadership development challenge, identifying patterns of complexity, uncertainty, and divergence in the strategic intentions underlying current…

  5. Wicked Learning: Reflecting on "Learning to Be Drier"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Golding, Barry; Brown, Mike; Foley, Annette; Smith, Erica; Campbell, Coral; Schulz, Christine; Angwin, Jennifer; Grace, Lauri

    2009-01-01

    In this final, collaborative paper in the "Learning to be drier" edition, we reflect on and draw together some of the key threads from the diverse narratives in our four site papers from across the southern Murray-Darling Basin. Our paper title, "Wicked learning", draws on a recent body literature (Rittel & Webber 1973)…

  6. Training Interdisciplinary "Wicked Problem" Solvers: Applying Lessons from HERO in Community-Based Research Experiences for Undergraduates

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cantor, Alida; DeLauer, Verna; Martin, Deborah; Rogan, John

    2015-01-01

    Management of "wicked problems", messy real-world problems that defy resolution, requires thinkers who can transcend disciplinary boundaries, work collaboratively, and handle complexity and obstacles. This paper explores how educators can train undergraduates in these skills through applied community-based research, using the example of…

  7. Women, Leadership, and Power Revisiting the Wicked Witch of the West

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kruse, Sharon D.; Prettyman, Sandra Spickard

    2008-01-01

    By examining the cultural images present in the popular musical "Wicked", cultural norms and biases toward women in leadership and women's leadership practices are explored. The discussion rests on conceptions of male and female leadership "styles", how power is obtained and utilised within organisational settings and how resistance and…

  8. Inequality--"Wicked Problems", Labour Market Outcomes and the Search for Silver Bullets

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Keep, Ewart; Mayhew, Ken

    2014-01-01

    In recent years concerns about inequality have been growing in prominence within UK policy debates. The many causes of inequality of earnings and income are complex in their interactions and their tendency to reinforce one another. This makes inequality an intractable or "wicked" policy problem, particularly within a contemporary context…

  9. Tangled Narratives and Wicked Problems: A Complex Case of Positioning and Politics in a Diverse School Community

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nguyen, Thu Suong Thi; Scribner, Samantha M. Paredes; Crow, Gary M.

    2012-01-01

    The case of Allen Elementary School presents tangled narratives and wicked problems describing the multidimensionality of school community work. Using multiple converging and diverging vignettes, the case points to the distinctiveness of individual experience in schools; the ways institutionalized organizational narratives become cultural…

  10. Understanding Wicked Problems: A Key to Advancing Environmental Health Promotion

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kreuter, Marshall W.; De Rosa, Christopher; Howze, Elizabeth H.; Baldwin, Grant T.

    2004-01-01

    Complex environmental health problems--like air and water pollution, hazardous waste sites, and lead poisoning--are in reality a constellation of linked problems embedded in the fabric of the communities in which they occur. These kinds of complex problems have been characterized by some as "wicked problems" wherein stakeholders may have…

  11. Exploring Essential Conditions: A Commentary on Bull et al. (2008)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Borthwick, Arlene; Hansen, Randall; Gray, Lucy; Ziemann, Irina

    2008-01-01

    The editorial by Bull et al. (2008) on connections between informal and formal learning made explicit one element of solving what Koehler and Mishra (2008) termed a "wicked problem." This wicked (complex, ill-structured) problem involves working with teachers for effective integration of technology in support of student learning. The…

  12. Household light makes global heat: high black carbon emissions from kerosene wick lamps.

    PubMed

    Lam, Nicholas L; Chen, Yanju; Weyant, Cheryl; Venkataraman, Chandra; Sadavarte, Pankaj; Johnson, Michael A; Smith, Kirk R; Brem, Benjamin T; Arineitwe, Joseph; Ellis, Justin E; Bond, Tami C

    2012-12-18

    Kerosene-fueled wick lamps used in millions of developing-country households are a significant but overlooked source of black carbon (BC) emissions. We present new laboratory and field measurements showing that 7-9% of kerosene consumed by widely used simple wick lamps is converted to carbonaceous particulate matter that is nearly pure BC. These high emission factors increase previous BC emission estimates from kerosene by 20-fold, to 270 Gg/year (90% uncertainty bounds: 110, 590 Gg/year). Aerosol climate forcing on atmosphere and snow from this source is estimated at 22 mW/m² (8, 48 mW/m²), or 7% of BC forcing by all other energy-related sources. Kerosene lamps have affordable alternatives that pose few clear adoption barriers and would provide immediate benefit to user welfare. The net effect on climate is definitively positive forcing as coemitted organic carbon is low. No other major BC source has such readily available alternatives, definitive climate forcing effects, and cobenefits. Replacement of kerosene-fueled wick lamps deserves strong consideration for programs that target short-lived climate forcers.

  13. Household Light Makes Global Heat: High Black Carbon Emissions From Kerosene Wick Lamps

    PubMed Central

    Lam, Nicholas L.; Chen, Yanju; Weyant, Cheryl; Venkataraman, Chandra; Sadavarte, Pankaj; Johnson, Michael A.; Smith, Kirk R.; Brem, Benjamin T.; Arineitwe, Joseph; Ellis, Justin E.; Bond, Tami C.

    2012-01-01

    Kerosene-fueled wick lamps used in millions of developing-country households are a significant but overlooked source of black carbon (BC) emissions. We present new laboratory and field measurements showing that 7–9% of kerosene consumed by widely used simple wick lamps is converted to carbonaceous particulate matter that is nearly pure BC. These high emission factors increase previous BC emission estimates from kerosene by 20-fold, to 270 Gg/year (90% uncertainty bounds: 110, 590 Gg/year). Aerosol climate forcing on atmosphere and snow from this source is estimated at 22 mW/m2 (8, 48 mW/m2), or 7% of BC forcing by all other energy-related sources. Kerosene lamps have affordable alternatives that pose few clear adoption barriers and would provide immediate benefit to user welfare. The net effect on climate is definitively positive forcing as co-emitted organic carbon is low. No other major BC source has such readily available alternatives, definitive climate forcing effects, and co-benefits. Replacement of kerosene-fueled wick lamps deserves strong consideration for programs that target short-lived climate forcers. PMID:23163320

  14. Initial performance of advanced designs for IPV nickel-hydrogen cells

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smithrick, John J.

    1986-01-01

    Advanced designs for individual pressure vessel nickel-hydrogen cells have been conceived which should improve the cycle life at deep depths-of-discharge and improve thermal management. Features of the designs which are new and not incorporated in either of the contemporary cells (Air Force/Hughes, Comsat) are: (1) use of alternate methods of oxygen recombination, (2) use of serrated edge separators to facilitate movement of gas within the cell while still maintaining required physical contact with the wall wick, and (3) use of an expandable stack to accommodate some of the nickel electrode expansion. The designs also consider electrolyte volume requirements over the life of the cells, and are fully compatible with the Air Force/Hughes design.

  15. Initial performance of advanced designs for IPV nickel-hydrogen cells

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smithrick, J. J.

    1985-01-01

    Advanced designs for individual pressure vessel nickel hydrogen cells were conceived which should improve the life cycle at deep depths of discharge and improve thermal management. Features of the designs which are new and not incorporated in either of the contemporary cells (Air Force/Hughes, Comsat) are: (1) the use of alternate methods of oxygen recombination, (2) use of serrated edge separators to facilitate movement of gas within the cell while still maintaining required physical contact with the wall wick, and (3) use of an expandable stack to accommodate some of the nickel electrode expansion. The designs also consider electrolyte volume requirements over the life of the cells, and are fully compatible with the Air Force/Hughes design.

  16. Recent reflux receiver developments under the US DOE program

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Andraka, C. E.; Diver, R. B.; Moreno, J. B.; Moss, T. A.; Adkins, D. R.

    The United States Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Thermal Program, through Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), is cooperating with industry to commercialize dish-Stirling technology. Sandia and the DOE have actively encouraged the use of liquid metal reflux receivers in these systems to improve efficiency and lower the levelized cost of electricity. The reflux receiver uses two-phase heat transfer as a 'thermal transformer' to transfer heat from a parabolic tracking-concentrator to the heater heads of the Stirling engine. The two-phase system leads to a higher available input temperature, lower thermal stresses, longer life, and independent design of the absorber and engine sections. Two embodiments of reflux receivers have been investigated: Pool boilers and heat pipes. Several pool-boiler reflux receivers have been successfully demonstrated on sun at up to 64 kWt throughput at SNL. In addition, a bench-scale device was operated for 7500 hours to investigate materials compatibility and boiling stability. Significant progress has also been made on heat pipe receiver technology. Sintered metal wick heat pipes have been investigated extensively for application to 7.5 kWe and 25 kWe systems. One test article has amassed over 1800 hours of on-sun operation. Another was limit tested at Sandia to 65 kWt throughput. These devices incorporate a nickel-powder thick wick structure with condensate return directly to the wick surface. Circumferential tubular arteries are optionally employed to improve the operating margin. In addition, DOE has begun a development program for advanced wick structures capable of supporting the Utility Scale Joint Venture Program, requiring up to 100 kWt throughput. Promising technologies include a brazed stainless steel powdered metal wick and a stainless steel metal felt wick. Bench-scale testing has been encouraging, and on-sun testing is expected this fall. Prototype gas-fired hybrid solar receivers have also been demonstrated.

  17. Recent reflux receiver developments under the US DOE program

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Andraka, C.E.; Diver, R.B.; Moreno, J.B.

    1994-10-01

    The United States Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Thermal Program, through Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), is cooperating with industry to commercialize dish-Stirling technology. Sandia and the DOE have actively encouraged the use of liquid metal reflux receivers in these systems to improve efficiency and lower the levelized cost of electricity. The reflux receiver uses two-phase heat transfer as a {open_quotes}thermal transformer{close_quotes} to transfer heat from a parabolic tracking-concentrator to the heater heads of the Stirling engine. The two-phase system leads to a higher available input temperature, lower thermal stresses, longer life, and independent design of the absorber and engine sections.more » Two embodiments of reflux receivers have been investigated: Pool boilers and heat pipes. Several pool-boiler reflux receivers have been successfully demonstrated on sun at up to 64 kWt throughput at SNL. In addition, a bench-scale device was operated for 7500 hours to investigate materials compatibility and boiling stability. Significant progress has also been made on heat pipe receiver technology. Sintered metal wick heat pipes have been investigated extensively for application to 7.5 kWe and 25 kWe systems. One test article has a massed over 1800 hours of on-sun operation. Another was limit tested at Sandia to 65 kWt throughput. These devices incorporate a nickel-powder thick wick structure with condensate return directly to the wick surface. Circumferential tubular arteries are optionally employed to improve the operating margin. In addition, DOE has begun a development program for advanced wick structures capable of supporting the Utility Scale Joint Venture Program, requiring up to 100 kWt throughput. Promising technologies include a brazed stainless steel powdered metal wick and a stainless steel metal felt wick. Bench-scale testing has been encouraging, and on-sun testing is expected this fall. Prototype gas-fired hybrid solar receivers have also been.« less

  18. Addressing the Wicked Problem of Quality in Higher Education: Theoretical Approaches and Implications

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Krause, Kerri-Lee

    2012-01-01

    This article explores the wicked problem of quality in higher education, arguing for a more robust theorising of the subject at national, institutional and local department level. The focus of the discussion rests on principles for theorising in more rigorous ways about the multidimensional issue of quality. Quality in higher education is proposed…

  19. Virtuous Mess and Wicked Clarity: Struggle in Higher Education Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McArthur, Jan

    2012-01-01

    This article considers the value of clarity--of theory, method and purposes--in educational research. It draws upon the work of early critical theorist, Theodor Adorno, and particularly his notion of negative dialectics and his challenge to the traditional dichotomy of theory and practice. Using the notions of virtuous mess and wicked clarity, I…

  20. Solving Wicked Problems through Action Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Crul, Liselore

    2014-01-01

    This account of practice outlines the Oxyme Action Learning Program which was conducted as part of the Management Challenge in my final year of the MSc in Coaching and Behavioral Change at Henley Business School. The central research questions were: (1) how action learning can help to solve wicked problems and (2) what the effect of an action…

  1. Laboratory performance of wicking fabric H2Ri in silty gravel, sand and organic silt.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2016-05-01

    The use of wicking fabric, H2Ri, is growing in its use to remove water from roadway and airport embankments. Past research has shown H2Ri to be effective in sands : and fine grained materials in roadways up to 32 feet in width. However, there is a de...

  2. Hydrophilic structures for condensation management in appliances

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kuehl, Steven John; Vonderhaar, John J.; Wu, Guolian

    2016-02-02

    An appliance that includes a cabinet having an exterior surface; a refrigeration compartment located within the cabinet; and a hydrophilic structure disposed on the exterior surface. The hydrophilic structure is configured to spread condensation. The appliance further includes a wicking structure located in proximity to the hydrophilic structure, and the wicking structure is configured to receive the condensation.

  3. Small Schools in a Big World: Thinking about a Wicked Problem

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Corbett, Michael; Tinkham, Jennifer

    2014-01-01

    The position of small rural schools is precarious in much of rural Canada today. What is to be done about small schools in rural communities which are often experiencing population decline and aging, economic restructuring, and the loss of employment and services? We argue this issue is a classic "wicked" policy problem. Small schools…

  4. Avoid, Control, Succumb, or Balance: Engineering Students' Approaches to a Wicked Sustainability Problem

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lönngren, Johanna; Ingerman, Åke; Svanström, Magdalena

    2017-01-01

    Wicked sustainability problems (WSPs) are an important and particularly challenging type of problem. Science and engineering education can play an important role in preparing students to deal with such problems, but current educational practice may not adequately prepare students to do so. We address this gap by providing insights related to…

  5. Two Steps Forward, One Step Backward: Must This Be the Future of Diversity?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Butler, Johnnella E.

    2013-01-01

    Johnnella Butler writes here that the title of this article "Two Steps Forward, One Step Backward," expresses the "wicked problem" of diversity as a concrete goal in higher education. The concept of the "wicked problem," is a term coined in the late 1960s by social planners. Consulting Wikipedia, as so many of our…

  6. Embracing Wicked Problems: The Turn to Design in Composition Studies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marback, Richard

    2009-01-01

    Recent appeal to the concept of design in composition studies benefits teaching writing in digital media. Yet the concept of design has not been developed enough to fully benefit composition instruction. This article develops an understanding of design as a matter of resolving wicked problems and makes a case for the advantages of this…

  7. Advanced radiator concepts utilizing honeycomb panel heat pipes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fleischman, G. L.; Peck, S. J.; Tanzer, H. J.

    1987-01-01

    The feasibility of fabricating and processing moderate temperature range vapor chamber type heat pipes in a low mass honeycomb panel configuration for highly efficient radiator fins for potential use on the space station was investigated. A variety of honeycomb panel facesheet and core-ribbon wick concepts were evaluated within constraints dictated by existing manufacturing technology and equipment. Concepts evaluated include type of material, material and panel thickness, wick type and manufacturability, liquid and vapor communication among honeycomb cells, and liquid flow return from condenser to evaporator facesheet areas. A thin-wall all-welded stainless steel design with methanol as the working fluid was the initial prototype unit. It was found that an aluminum panel could not be fabricated in the same manner as a stainless steel panel due to diffusion bonding and resistance welding considerations. Therefore, a formed and welded design was developed. The prototype consists of ten panels welded together into a large panel 122 by 24 by 0.15 in., with a heat rejection capability of 1000 watts and a fin efficiency of essentially 1.0.

  8. Measurement of Capillary Radius and Contact Angle within Porous Media.

    PubMed

    Ravi, Saitej; Dharmarajan, Ramanathan; Moghaddam, Saeed

    2015-12-01

    The pore radius (i.e., capillary radius) and contact angle determine the capillary pressure generated in a porous medium. The most common method to determine these two parameters is through measurement of the capillary pressure generated by a reference liquid (i.e., a liquid with near-zero contact angle) and a test liquid. The rate of rise technique, commonly used to determine the capillary pressure, results in significant uncertainties. In this study, we utilize a recently developed technique for independently measuring the capillary pressure and permeability to determine the equivalent minimum capillary radii and contact angle of water within micropillar wick structures. In this method, the experimentally measured dryout threshold of a wick structure at different wicking lengths is fit to Darcy's law to extract the maximum capillary pressure generated by the test liquid. The equivalent minimum capillary radii of different wick geometries are determined by measuring the maximum capillary pressures generated using n-hexane as the working fluid. It is found that the equivalent minimum capillary radius is dependent on the diameter of pillars and the spacing between pillars. The equivalent capillary radii of micropillar wicks determined using the new method are found to be up to 7 times greater than the current geometry-based first-order estimates. The contact angle subtended by water at the walls of the micropillars is determined by measuring the capillary pressure generated by water within the arrays and the measured capillary radii for the different geometries. This mean contact angle of water is determined to be 54.7°.

  9. Molecular Identification of Human Fungal Pathogens

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-03-01

    reported this period: Drees M, Wickes BL, Gupta M, Hadley S. Lecythophora mutabilis prosthetic valve endocarditis in a diabetic patient. Med Mycol. (2007...Wickes BL, Gupta M, Hadley S. 2007. Lecythophora mutabilis prosthetic valve endocarditis in a diabetic patient. Med Mycol. 45:463-467. 9...information: http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~content=t713694156 Lecythophora mutabilis prosthetic valve endocarditis in a diabetic patient Marci

  10. Yes, and … : Continuing the Scholarly Conversation about Mental Health Stigma in Higher Education. Wicked Problems Forum: Mental Health Stigma

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rudick, C. Kyle; Dannels, Deanna P.

    2018-01-01

    The issues surrounding mental health stigma in higher education are complex and multipronged; perfectly classifying the topic as a "wicked problem" Approximately 55% of students stated they have been diagnosed or treated by a professional for some form of mental illness while in college (American College Health Association, 2017a). The…

  11. Sintered Lining for Heat-Pipe Evaporator

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ernst, D. M.; Eastman, G. Y.

    1985-01-01

    Hotspots eliminated by lining inner wall. Distribution of heat transfer liquid in heat-pipe evaporator improved by lining inner wall with layer of sintered metal. Sintered layer takes place of layer of screen wick formerly sintered or bonded to wall. Since sintered layer always full of liquid, no hotspot of type that previously arose where former screen wick did not fit properly against wall.

  12. Comparison of clinical outcomes of three different packing materials in the treatment of severe acute otitis externa.

    PubMed

    Demir, D; Yılmaz, M S; Güven, M; Kara, A; Elden, H; Erkorkmaz, Ü

    2018-06-13

    To analyse the clinical outcomes of biodegradable synthetic polyurethane foam versus ribbon gauze and ear wick in the treatment of severe acute otitis externa. Ninety-two adults with severe acute otitis externa were randomly assigned to groups receiving ear wick (n = 28), ribbon gauze (n = 34) or biodegradable synthetic polyurethane foam (n = 30). Clinical efficacy, in terms of otalgia, oedema, erythema and tenderness of the external auditory canal, was assessed before packing was applied and at follow up on the 3rd and 7th days of presentation. All packing materials were associated with improved otalgia and oedema on the 3rd day; however, there were significant differences between biodegradable synthetic polyurethane foam and the other packing materials, and there was no significant reduction in tenderness in the biodegradable synthetic polyurethane foam group on the 3rd day. In the ribbon gauze and ear wick groups, improvements in all clinical efficacy scores were statistically significant for all pairwise comparisons. The three packing materials were all quite effective in treating severe acute otitis externa, but ear wick and ribbon gauze were superior to biodegradable synthetic polyurethane foam for relieving signs and symptoms, especially on the 3rd day.

  13. Micro-Columnated Loop Heat Pipe: The Future of Electronic Substrates

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dhillon, Navdeep Singh

    The modern world is run by semiconductor-based electronic systems. Due to continuous improvements in semiconductor device fabrication, there is a clear trend in the market towards the development of electronic devices and components that not only deliver enhanced computing power, but are also more compact. Thermal management has emerged as the primary challenge in this scenario where heat flux dissipation of electronic chips is increasing exponentially, but conventional cooling solutions such as conduction and convection are no longer feasible. To keep device junction temperatures within the safe operating limit, there is an urgent requirement for ultra-high-conductivity thermal substrates that not only absorb and transport large heat fluxes, but can also provide localized cooling to thermal hotspots. This dissertation describes the design, modeling, and fabrication of a phase change-based, planar, ultra-thin, passive thermal transport system that is inspired by the concept of loop heat pipes and capillary pumped loops. Fabricated on silicon and Pyrex wafers using microfabrication techniques, the micro-columnated loop heat pipe (muCLHP) can be integrated directly with densely packed or multiply-stacked electronic substrates, to provide localized high-heat-flux thermal management. The muCLHP employs a dual-scale coherent porous silicon(CPS)-based micro-columnated wicking structure, where the primary CPS wick provides large capillary forces for fluid transport, while a secondary surface-wick maximizes the rate of thin-film evaporation. To overcome the wick thickness limitation encountered in conventional loop heat pipes, strategies based on MEMS surface micromachining techniques were developed to reduce parasitic heat flow from the evaporator to the compensation chamber of the device. Finite element analysis was used to confirm this reduction in a planar evaporator design, thus enabling the generation of a large motive temperature head for continuous device operation. To predict the overall heat carrying capacity of the muCLHP in the capillary pumping limit, an analytical model was developed to account for a steady state pressure balance in the device flow loop. Based on this model, a design optimization study, employing monotonicity analysis and numerical optimization techniques, was undertaken. It was found that an optimized muCLHP device can absorb heat fluxes as large as 1293 W/cm2 when water is used as a working fluid. A finite volume method-based numerical model was also developed to compute the rates of thin-film evaporation from the patterned surface of the secondary wick. The numerical results indicated that, by properly optimizing the dual-scale wick topology, allowable evaporative heat fluxes can be made commensurate with the heat flux performance predicted by the capillary pumping limit. The latter part of the dissertation deals with the fabrication, packaging, and experimental testing of several in-plane-wicking micro loop heat pipe (muLHP) prototypes. These devices were fabricated on silicon and Pyrex substrates and closely resemble the muCLHP design philosophy, with the exception that the CPS wick is substituted with an easier to fabricate in-plane wick. A novel thermal-flux method was developed for the degassing and fluid charging of the muLHP prototypes. Experiments were conducted to study the process of evaporation and dynamics of the liquid and vapor phases in the device flow loop. Using these results, the overall device and individual component topologies critical to the operation of the two-phase flow loop were identified. A continuous two-phase device flow loop was demonstrated for applied evaporator heat fluxes as high as 41 W/cm2. The performance of these devices, currently found to be limited by the motive temperature head requirement, can be significantly improved by implementing the parasitic heat flow-reduction strategies developed in this work. The 3-D thin-film evaporation model, when integrated into the overall device modeling framework, will enable a design optimization of the micro-columnated wick for further device performance enhancements.

  14. An Alternative View of the Thirties: The Industrial Photographs of Lewis Wickes Hine and Margaret Bourke-White.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, C. Zoe

    The photographs of Margaret Bourke-White and Lewis Wickes Hine are graphic accounts of the urban industrial United States during the Depression of the 1930s. Hine was a sociologist who initially used his camera to promote social reform and is best remembered for his photographs of immigrants at Ellis Island, New York, and of children laboring in…

  15. If All You Have Is a Hammer, Everything Begins to Look Like a Nail--How Wicked Is the Problem of Measuring Productivity in Higher Education?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Drengenberg, Nicholas; Bain, Alan

    2017-01-01

    This paper addresses the wicked problem of measuring the productivity of learning and teaching in higher education. We show how fundamental validity issues and difficulties identified in educational productivity research point to the need for a qualitatively different framework when considering the entire question. We describe the work that needs…

  16. A Communications Strategy for Disaster Relief

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-03-01

    there were “ pockets ” of cellular coverage in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, thus enabling some critical life-saving SMS traffic.105 4...Accessed 30 October 2014. http://www.oxfam.org/en/haiti-earthquake-our-response. Oxford Learners Dictionary . “Definition of Wicked.” Oxford University...Press. Assessed 02 September 2014. http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/ definition/ english /wicked_1. Pacific Disaster Center. “Disaster Response

  17. PEM Fuel Cells Redesign Using Biomimetic and TRIZ Design Methodologies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fung, Keith Kin Kei

    Two formal design methodologies, biomimetic design and the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving, TRIZ, were applied to the redesign of a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell. Proof of concept prototyping was performed on two of the concepts for water management. The liquid water collection with strategically placed wicks concept demonstrated the potential benefits for a fuel cell. Conversely, the periodic flow direction reversal concepts might cause a potential reduction water removal from a fuel cell. The causes of this water removal reduction remain unclear. In additional, three of the concepts generated with biomimetic design were further studied and demonstrated to stimulate more creative ideas in the thermal and water management of fuel cells. The biomimetic design and the TRIZ methodologies were successfully applied to fuel cells and provided different perspectives to the redesign of fuel cells. The methodologies should continue to be used to improve fuel cells.

  18. Refractory metals for ARPS AMTEC cells

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Svedberg, R.C.; Sievers, R.C.

    1998-07-01

    Alkali Metal Thermal-to-Electric Converter (AMTEC) cells for the Advanced Radioisotope Power Systems (ARPS) program are being developed with refractory metals and alloys as the basic structural materials. AMTEC cell efficiency increases with cell operating temperature. For space applications, long term reliability and high efficiency are essential and refractory metals were selected because of their high temperature strength, low vapor pressure, and compatibility with sodium. However, refractory metals are sensitive to oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen contamination and refractory metal cells cannot be processed in air. Because of this sensitivity, new manufacturing and processing techniques are being developed. In addition to structuralmore » elements, development of other refractory metal components for the AMTEC cells, such as the artery and evaporator wicks, pinchoff tubes and feedthroughs are required. Changes in cell fabrication techniques and processing procedures being implemented to manufacture refractory metal cells are discussed.« less

  19. Gas-Liquid Processing in Microchannels

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    TeGrotenhuis, Ward E.; Stenkamp, Victoria S.; Twitchell, Alvin

    Processing gases and liquids together in microchannels having at least one dimension <1 mm has unique advantages for rapid heat and mass transfer. One approach for managing the two phases is to use porous structures as wicks within microchannels to segregate the liquid phase from the gas phase. Gas-liquid processing is accomplished by providing a gas flow path and inducing flow of the liquid phase through or along the wick under an induced pressure gradient. A variety of unit operations are enabled, including phase separation, partial condensation, absorption, desorption, and distillation. Results are reported of an investigation of microchannel phasemore » separation in a transparent, single-channel device. Next, heat exchange is integrated with the microchannel wick approach to create a partial condenser that also separates the condensate. Finally, the scale-up to a multi-channel phase separator is described.« less

  20. Investigation of an inverted meniscus heat pipe wick concept

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Saaski, E. W.

    1975-01-01

    A wicking concept is described for efficient evaporation of heat pipe working fluids under diverse conditions. It embodies the high heat transfer coefficient of the circumferential groove while retaining the circumferential fluid transport capability of a thick porous wick or screen. Experimental tests are described which substantiate the efficacy of the evaporation technique for a circumferentially-grooved heat pipe charged alternately with ammonia and R-ll (CCl3F). With ammonia, heat transfer coefficients in the range of 2 to 2.7 W/sq cm K were measured at heat flux densities up to 20 W/sq cm while, with R-ll, a heat transfer coefficient of l.0 W/sq cm K was measured with flux densities up to 5 W/sq cm. Heat transfer coefficients and flux densities were unusually high compared to literature data for other nonboiling evaporative surfaces.

  1. Measurement of Coolant in a Flat Heat Pipe Using Neutron Radiography

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mizuta, Kei; Saito, Yasushi; Goshima, Takashi; Tsutsui, Toshio

    A newly developed flat heat pipe FGHPTM (Morex Kiire Co.) was experimentally investigated by using neutron radiography. The test sample of the FGHP heat spreader was 65 × 65 × 2 mm3 composed of several etched copper plates and pure water was used as the coolant. Neutron radiography was performed at the E-2 port of the Kyoto University Research Reactor (KUR). The coolant distributions in the wick area of the FGHP and its heat transfer characteristics were measured at heating conditions. Experimental results show that the coolant distributions depend slightly on its installation posture and that the liquid thickness in the wick region remains constant with increasing heat input to the FGHP. In addition, it is found that the wick surface does not dry out even in the vertical posture at present experimental conditions.

  2. Lateral flow strip assay

    DOEpatents

    Miles, Robin R [Danville, CA; Benett, William J [Livermore, CA; Coleman, Matthew A [Oakland, CA; Pearson, Francesca S [Livermore, CA; Nasarabadi, Shanavaz L [Livermore, CA

    2011-03-08

    A lateral flow strip assay apparatus comprising a housing; a lateral flow strip in the housing, the lateral flow strip having a receiving portion; a sample collection unit; and a reagent reservoir. Saliva and/or buccal cells are collected from an individual using the sample collection unit. The sample collection unit is immersed in the reagent reservoir. The tip of the lateral flow strip is immersed in the reservoir and the reagent/sample mixture wicks up into the lateral flow strip to perform the assay.

  3. Alternate high capacity heat pipe

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Voss, F. E.

    1986-01-01

    The performance predictions for a fifty foot heat pipe (4 foot evaporator - 46 foot condensor) are discussed. These performance predictions are supported by experimental data for a four foot heat pipe. Both heat pipes have evaporators with axial groove wick structures and condensers with powder metal external artery wick structures. The predicted performance of a rectangular axial groove/external artery heat pipe operating in space is given. Heat transport versus groove width is plotted for 100, 200 and 300 grooves in the evaporator. The curves show that maximum power is achieved for groove widths from 0.040 to 0.053 as the number of grooves varies from 300 to 100. The corresponding range of maximum power is 3150 to 2400 watts. The relationships between groove width and heat pipe evaporate diameter for 100, 200 and 300 grooves in the evaporator are given. A four foot heat pipe having a three foot condenser and one foot evaporator was built and tested. The evaporator wick structure used axial grooves with rectangular cross sections, and the condenser wick structure used powder metal with an external artery configuration. Fabrication drawings are enclosed. The predicted and measured performance for this heat pipe is shown. The agreement between predicted and measured performance is good and therefore substantiates the predicted performance for a fifty foot heat pipe.

  4. Transport of europium colloids in vadose zone lysimeters at the semiarid Hanford site.

    PubMed

    Liu, Ziru; Flury, Markus; Zhang, Z Fred; Harsh, James B; Gee, Glendon W; Strickland, Chris E; Clayton, Ray E

    2013-03-05

    The objective of this study was to quantify transport of Eu colloids in the vadose zone at the semiarid Hanford site. Eu-hydroxy-carbonate colloids, Eu(OH)(CO3), were applied to the surface of field lysimeters, and migration of the colloids through the sediments was monitored using wick samplers. The lysimeters were exposed to natural precipitation (145-231 mm/year) or artificial irrigation (124-348 mm/year). Wick outflow was analyzed for Eu concentrations, supplemented by electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis. Small amounts of Eu colloids (<1%) were detected in the deepest wick sampler (2.14 m depth) 2.5 months after application and cumulative precipitation of only 20 mm. We observed rapid transport of Eu colloids under both natural precipitation and artificial irrigation; that is, the leading edge of the Eu colloids moved at a velocity of 3 cm/day within the first 2 months after application. Episodic infiltration (e.g., Chinook snowmelt events) caused peaks of Eu in the wick outflow. While a fraction of Eu moved consistent with long-term recharge estimates at the site, the main mass of Eu remained in the top 30 cm of the sediments. This study illustrates that, under field conditions, near-surface colloid mobilization and transport occurred in Hanford sediments.

  5. Hanging drop crystal growth apparatus and method

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Carter, Daniel C. (Inventor); Smith, Robbie E. (Inventor)

    1989-01-01

    An apparatus (10) is constructed having a cylindrical enclosure (16) within which a disc-shaped wicking element (18) is positioned. A well or recess (22) is cut into an upper side (24) of this wicking element, and a glass cover plate or slip (28) having a protein drop disposed thereon is sealably positioned on the wicking element (18), with drop (12) being positioned over well or recess (22). A flow of control fluid is generated by a programmable gradient former (16), with this control fluid having a vapor pressure that is selectively variable. This flow of control fluid is coupled to the wicking element (18) where control fluid vapor diffusing from walls (26) of the recess (22) is exposed to the drop (12), forming a vapor pressure gradient between the drop (12) and the control fluid vapor. Initially, this gradient is adjusted to draw solvent from the drop (12) at a relatively high rate, and as the critical supersaturation point is approached (the point at which crystal nucleation occurs), the gradient is reduced to more slowly draw solvent from the drop (12). This allows discrete protein molecules more time to orient themselves into an ordered crystalline lattice, producing protein crystals which, when processed by X-ray crystallography, possess a high degree of resolution.

  6. Co-electrospun poly(ɛ-caprolactone)/cellulose nanofibers-fabrication and characterization.

    PubMed

    Ahmed, Farooq; Saleemi, Sidra; Khatri, Zeeshan; Abro, Muhammad Ishaque; Kim, Ick-Soo

    2015-01-22

    We report fabrication of poly (ɛ-caprolactone) (PCL)/cellulose (CEL) nanofiber blends via co-electrospinning for the possible use as biofilters and biosensor strips. Five different ratios of PCL to CEL were fabricated to investigate the wicking behavior. The cellulose acetate (CA) was taken as precursor to make cellulose nanofibers. Double nozzles were employed for jetting constituent polymers toward collector drum independently and resultant nanofibers webs were deacetylated in aqueous alkaline solution to convert CA into CEL as confirmed by FTIR spectra. FTIR further revealed that there is no effect of deacetylation on PCL nanofiber. The morphology of each blend webs under SEM showed uniform and bead-free nanofibers. Wicking behavior for five different ratios of PCL/CEL suggested that increasing CEL ratio in the blend enhanced the wicking front height; however, X-ray diffraction patterns of PCL/CEL showed a slight decrease in crystallinity. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. A relation between deformed superspace and Lee-Wick higher-derivative theories

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dias, M.; Ferrari, A. F.; Palechor, C. A.; Senise, C. R., Jr.

    2015-07-01

    We propose a non-anticommutative superspace that relates to the Lee-Wick type of higher-derivative theories, which are known for their interesting properties and have led to proposals of phenomenologically viable higher-derivative extensions of the Standard Model. The deformation of superspace we consider does not preserve supersymmetry or associativity in general, but, we show that a non-anticommutative version of the Wess-Zumino model can be properly defined. In fact, the definition of chiral and antichiral superfields turns out to be simpler in our case than in the well known N=1/2 supersymmetric case. We show that when the theory is truncated at the first nontrivial order in the deformation parameter, supersymmetry is restored, and we end up with a well-known Lee-Wick type of higher-derivative extension of the Wess-Zumino model. Thus, we show how non-anticommutativity could provide an alternative mechanism for generating these higher-derivative theories.

  8. Catalyzing Transdisciplinarity: A Systems Ethnography of Cancer-Obesity Comorbidity and Risk Coincidence.

    PubMed

    Graham, S Scott; Harley, Amy; Kessler, Molly M; Roberts, Laura; DeVasto, Dannielle; Card, Daniel J; Neuner, Joan M; Kim, Sang-Yeon

    2017-05-01

    Effectively addressing wicked health problems, that is, those arising from complex multifactorial biological and socio-economic causes, requires transdisciplinary action. However, a significant body of research points toward substantial difficulties in cultivating transdisciplinary collaboration. Accordingly, this article presents the results of a study that adapts Systems Ethnography and Qualitative Modeling (SEQM) in response to wicked health problems. SEQM protocols were designed to catalyze transdisciplinary responses to national defense concerns. We adapted these protocols to address cancer-obesity comorbidity and risk coincidence. In so doing, we conducted participant-observations and interviews with a diverse range of health care providers, community health educators, and health advocacy professionals who target either cancer or obesity. We then convened a transdisciplinary conference designed to catalyze a coordinated response. The findings offer productive insights into effective ways of catalyzing transdisciplinarity in addressing wicked health problems action and demonstrate the promise of SEQM for continued use in health care contexts.

  9. Comparative Investigation and Operational Performance Characteristics of a Wick Assisted and Axially Square Grooved Heat Pipe

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Naik, Rudra, Dr.; Rama Narasihma, K., Dr.; Anikivi, Atmanand

    2018-04-01

    The present work reported here involves the experimental investigation and performance evaluation of wick assisted and axially square grooved heat pipes of outer diameter 8mm, inner diameter 4mm with a length of 150mm.The objective of this work is to design, fabricate and test the heat pipes with and without an axial square groove for horizontal and gravity assisted conditions. The performance of the heat pipes was measured in terms of thermal resistance and heat transfer coefficients. In the present investigation four different working fluids were chosen namely acetone, ethanol, methanol and distilled water. Experiments were conducted by varying the heat load from 2 W to 10 W for different fill charge ratios in the range of 25% to 75% of evaporator volume for wick assisted heat pipe and 8 W to 18 W for axially square grooved heat pipe. From the experiments, it was found that there is a steady increase in temperature with the increase in heat input. The overall heat transfer coefficient was found to increase with the increase heat load for wick assisted heat pipe. In case of axially square grooved heat pipe, an attempt was made to experiment the heat pipe in different orientations. The maximum heat transfer coefficient of 7000 W/m2 °C is found for Acetone at 180° orientation.

  10. Wicking Performance of Profiled Fibre Part B: Assessment of Fabric

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Datta Roy, M.; Chattopadhyay, R.; Sinha, S. K.

    2018-06-01

    For moisture regulation, careful selection of fibre, fibre packing in yarns and fabric structure are necessary. Introducing selective porosity in yarn can significantly influence moisture transport properties in fabrics made out of profiled fibre yarn. The arrangement of fibres in the yarn and that of yarn in fabric provide wide variability in the size and shape of the passage of liquid to flow. A change in the cross sectional diameter of the capillary leads to a change in interfacial speed for liquid. The mechanism of liquid transmission in fabric is expected to be different from that in yarn in isolated state. Generally, openness in fabric offers least resistance to flow. However, at each cross over points of threads the pressure exerted by one set of yarn on another can influence the capillary geometry affecting flow of liquid. The present work reports on the investigation made to study the wicking performance of five sets of fabrics made out of five homogeneous profiled fibre yarns as weft and respective double yarns as warp. It was observed that the wicking time and height in the weft direction were different than that in the corresponding yarns. Interestingly, wicking height attained in warp direction and individual yarn in isolation does not show any significant difference. It was observed that the points of interlacements between warps and wefts were constantly splitting the fluid flow both in horizontal and vertical directions.

  11. Pump, and earth-testable spacecraft capillary heat transport loop using augmentation pump and check valves

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Baker, David (Inventor)

    1998-01-01

    A spacecraft includes heat-generating payload equipment, and a heat transport system with a cold plate thermally coupled to the equipment and a capillary-wick evaporator, for evaporating coolant liquid to cool the equipment. The coolant vapor is coupled to a condenser and in a loop back to the evaporator. A heated coolant reservoir is coupled to the loop for pressure control. If the wick is not wetted, heat transfer will not begin or continue. A pair of check valves are coupled in the loop, and the heater is cycled for augmentation pumping of coolant to and from the reservoir. This augmentation pumping, in conjunction with the check valves, wets the wick. The wick liquid storage capacity allows the augmentation pump to provide continuous pulsed liquid flow to assure continuous vapor transport and a continuously operating heat transport system. The check valves are of the ball type to assure maximum reliability. However, any type of check valve can be used, including designs which are preloaded in the closed position. The check valve may use any ball or poppet material which resists corrosion. For optimum performance during testing on Earth, the ball or poppet would have neutral buoyancy or be configured in a closed position when the heat transport system is not operating. The ball may be porous to allow passage of coolant vapor.

  12. Investigating the Wicked Problems of (Un)sustainability Through Three Case Studies Around the Water-Energy-Food Nexus

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Metzger, E. P.; Curren, R. R.

    2016-12-01

    Effective engagement with the problems of sustainability begins with an understanding of the nature of the challenges. The entanglement of interacting human and Earth systems produces solution-resistant dilemmas that are often portrayed as wicked problems. As introduced by urban planners Rittel and Webber (1973), wicked problems are "dynamically complex, ill-structured, public problems" arising from complexity in both biophysical and socio-economic systems. The wicked problem construct is still in wide use across diverse contexts, disciplines, and sectors. Discourse about wicked problems as related to sustainability is often connected to discussion of complexity or complex systems. In preparation for life and work in an uncertain, dynamic and hyperconnected world, students need opportunities to investigate real problems that cross social, political and disciplinary divides. They need to grapple with diverse perspectives and values, and collaborate with others to devise potential solutions. Such problems are typically multi-casual and so intertangled with other problems that they cannot be resolved using the expertise and analytical tools of any single discipline, individual, or organization. We have developed a trio of illustrative case studies that focus on energy, water and food, because these resources are foundational, interacting, and causally connected in a variety of ways with climate destabilization. The three interrelated case studies progress in scale from the local and regional, to the national and international and include: 1) the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill with examination of the multiple immediate and root causes of the disaster, its ecological, social, and economic impacts, and the increasing risk and declining energy return on investment associated with the relentless quest for fossil fuels; 2) development of Australia's innovative National Water Management System; and 3) changing patterns of food production and the intertwined challenge of managing transnational water resources in the rapidly growing Mekong Region of Southeast Asia. .

  13. Emission factors of gaseous pollutants from recent kerosene space heaters and fuels available in France in 2010.

    PubMed

    Carteret, M; Pauwels, J-F; Hanoune, B

    2012-08-01

    Laboratory measurements of the gaseous emission factors (EF) from two recent kerosene space heaters (wick and injector) with five different fuels have been conducted in an 8-m(3) environmental chamber. The two heaters tested were found to emit mainly CO(2), CO, NO, NO(2), and some volatile organic compounds (VOCs). NO(2) is continuously emitted during use, with an EF of 100-450 μg per g of consumed fuel. CO is normally emitted mainly during the first minutes of use (up to 3 mg/g). Formaldehyde and benzene EFs were quantified at 15 and 16 μg/g, respectively, for the wick heater. Some other VOCs, such as 1,3-butadiene, were detected with lower EFs. We demonstrated the unsuitability of a 'biofuel' containing fatty acid methyl esters for use with the wick heater, and that the accumulation of soot on the same heater, whatever the fuel, leads to a dramatic increase in the CO EF, up to 16 mg/g, which could be responsible for chronic and acute CO intoxications. Our results show that in spite of new technologies and emission standards for unvented kerosene space heaters, as well as for the fuels, the use of these heaters in indoor environments still leads to NO(x) levels in excess of current health recommendations. Whereas injection heaters generate more nitrogen oxides than wick heaters, prolonged use of the latter leads to a soot buildup, concomitant with high CO emissions, which could be responsible for acute and chronic intoxications. The use of a biofuel in a wick heater is also of concern. Maintenance of the heaters and adequate ventilation of the room during use of kerosene space heaters are therefore of prime importance to reduce personal exposure. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

  14. Lysimeter study to investigate the effect of rainfall patterns on leaching of isoproturon.

    PubMed

    Beulke, Sabine; Brown, Colin D; Fryer, Christopher J; Walker, Allan

    2002-01-01

    The influence of five rainfall treatments on water and solute leaching through two contrasting soil types was investigated. Undisturbed lysimeters (diameter 0.25 m, length 0.5 m) from a sandy loam (Wick series) and a moderately structured clay loam (Hodnet series) received autumn applications of the radio-labelled pesticide isoproturon and bromide tracer. Target rainfall plus irrigation from the end of November 1997 to May 1998 ranged from drier to wetter than average (235 to 414 mm); monthly rainfall was varied according to a pre-selected pattern or kept constant (triplicate lysimeters per regime). Leachate was collected at intervals and concentrations of the solutes were determined. Total flow (0.27-0.94 pore volumes) and losses of bromide (3-80% of applied) increased with increasing inputs of water and were larger from the Wick sandy loam than from the Hodnet clay loam soil. Matrix flow appeared to be the main mechanism for transport of isoproturon through the Wick soil whereas there was a greater influence of preferential flow for the Hodnet lysimeters. The total leached load of isoproturon from the Wick lysimeters was 0.02-0.26% of that applied. There was no clear variation in transport processes between the rainfall treatments investigated for this soil and there was an approximately linear relationship (r2 = 0.81) between leached load and total flow. Losses of isoproturon from the Hodnet soil were 0.03-0.39% of applied and there was evidence of enhanced preferential flow in the driest and wettest treatments. Leaching of isoproturon was best described by an exponential relationship between load and total flow (r2 = 0.62). A 45% increase in flow between the two wettest treatments gave a 100% increase in leaching of isoproturon from the Wick soil. For the Hodnet lysimeters, a 35% increase in flow between the same treatments increased herbicide loss by 325%.

  15. Definition and use of Solution-focused Sustainability Assessment: A novel approach to generate, explore and decide on sustainable solutions for wicked problems.

    PubMed

    Zijp, Michiel C; Posthuma, Leo; Wintersen, Arjen; Devilee, Jeroen; Swartjes, Frank A

    2016-05-01

    This paper introduces Solution-focused Sustainability Assessment (SfSA), provides practical guidance formatted as a versatile process framework, and illustrates its utility for solving a wicked environmental management problem. Society faces complex and increasingly wicked environmental problems for which sustainable solutions are sought. Wicked problems are multi-faceted, and deriving of a management solution requires an approach that is participative, iterative, innovative, and transparent in its definition of sustainability and translation to sustainability metrics. We suggest to add the use of a solution-focused approach. The SfSA framework is collated from elements from risk assessment, risk governance, adaptive management and sustainability assessment frameworks, expanded with the 'solution-focused' paradigm as recently proposed in the context of risk assessment. The main innovation of this approach is the broad exploration of solutions upfront in assessment projects. The case study concerns the sustainable management of slightly contaminated sediments continuously formed in ditches in rural, agricultural areas. This problem is wicked, as disposal of contaminated sediment on adjacent land is potentially hazardous to humans, ecosystems and agricultural products. Non-removal would however reduce drainage capacity followed by increased risks of flooding, while contaminated sediment removal followed by offsite treatment implies high budget costs and soil subsidence. Application of the steps in the SfSA-framework served in solving this problem. Important elements were early exploration of a wide 'solution-space', stakeholder involvement from the onset of the assessment, clear agreements on the risk and sustainability metrics of the problem and on the interpretation and decision procedures, and adaptive management. Application of the key elements of the SfSA approach eventually resulted in adoption of a novel sediment management policy. The stakeholder participation and the intensive communication throughout the project resulted in broad support for both the scientific approaches and results, as well as for policy implementation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Development & experimental validation of a SINDA/FLUINT thermal/fluid/electrical model of a multi-tube AMTEC cell

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hendricks, T.J.; Borkowski, C.A.; Huang, C.

    1998-01-01

    AMTEC (Alkali Metal Thermal-to-Electric Conversion) cell development has received increased attention and funding in the space power community because of several desirable performance characteristics compared to current radioisotope thermoelectric generation and solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation. AMTEC cell development is critically dependent upon the ability to predict thermal, fluid dynamic and electrical performance of an AMTEC cell which has many complex thermal, fluid dynamic and electrical processes and interactions occurring simultaneously. Development of predictive capability is critical to understanding the complex processes and interactions within the AMTEC cell, and thereby creating the ability to design high-performance, cost-effective AMTEC cells. Amore » flexible, sophisticated thermal/fluid/electrical model of an operating AMTEC cell has been developed using the SINDA/FLUINT analysis software. This model can accurately simulate AMTEC cell performance at any hot side and cold side temperature combination desired, for any voltage and current conditions, and for a broad range of cell design parameters involving the cell dimensions, current collector and electrode design, electrode performance parameters, and cell wall and thermal shield emissivity. The model simulates the thermal radiation network within the AMTEC cell using RadCAD thermal radiation analysis; hot side, cold side and cell wall conductive and radiative coupling; BASE (Beta Alumina Solid Electrode) tube electrochemistry, including electrode over-potentials; the fluid dynamics of the low-pressure sodium vapor flow to the condenser and liquid sodium flow in the wick; sodium condensation at the condenser; and high-temperature sodium evaporation in the wick. The model predicts the temperature profiles within the AMTEC cell walls, the BASE tube temperature profiles, the sodium temperature profile in the artery return, temperature profiles in the evaporator, thermal energy flows throughout the AMTEC cell, all sodium pressure drops from hot BASE tubes to the condenser, the current, voltage, and power output from the cell, and the cell efficiency. This AMTEC cell model is so powerful and flexible that it is used in radioisotope AMTEC power system design, solar AMTEC power system design, and combustion-driven power system design on several projects at Advanced Modular Power Systems, Inc. (AMPS). The model has been successfully validated against actual cell experimental data and its performance predictions agree very well with experimental data on PX-5B cells and other test cells at AMPS. {copyright} {ital 1998 American Institute of Physics.}« less

  17. Electrolyte matrix in a molten carbonate fuel cell stack

    DOEpatents

    Reiser, C.A.; Maricle, D.L.

    1987-04-21

    A fuel cell stack is disclosed with modified electrolyte matrices for limiting the electrolytic pumping and electrolyte migration along the stack external surfaces. Each of the matrices includes marginal portions at the stack face of substantially greater pore size than that of the central body of the matrix. Consequently, these marginal portions have insufficient electrolyte fill to support pumping or wicking of electrolyte from the center of the stack of the face surfaces in contact with the vertical seals. Various configurations of the marginal portions include a complete perimeter, opposite edge portions corresponding to the air plenums and tab size portions corresponding to the manifold seal locations. These margins will substantially limit the migration of electrolyte to and along the porous manifold seals during operation of the electrochemical cell stack. 6 figs.

  18. Electrolyte matrix in a molten carbonate fuel cell stack

    DOEpatents

    Reiser, Carl A.; Maricle, Donald L.

    1987-04-21

    A fuel cell stack is disclosed with modified electrolyte matrices for limiting the electrolytic pumping and electrolyte migration along the stack external surfaces. Each of the matrices includes marginal portions at the stack face of substantially greater pore size than that of the central body of the matrix. Consequently, these marginal portions have insufficient electrolyte fill to support pumping or wicking of electrolyte from the center of the stack of the face surfaces in contact with the vertical seals. Various configurations of the marginal portions include a complete perimeter, opposite edge portions corresponding to the air plenums and tab size portions corresponding to the manifold seal locations. These margins will substantially limit the migration of electrolyte to and along the porous manifold seals during operation of the electrochemical cell stack.

  19. Thermal Performance of Surface Wick Structures.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Yongkang; Tavan, Noel; Baker, John; Melvin, Lawrence; Weislogel, Mark

    2010-03-01

    Microscale surface wick structures that exploit capillary driven flow in interior corners have been designed. In this study we examine the interplay between capillary flow and evaporative heat transfer that effectively reduces the surface temperature. The tests are performed by raising the surface temperature to various levels before the flow is introduced to the surfaces. Certainly heat transfer weakens the capillary driven flow. It is observed, however, the surface temperature can be reduced significantly. The effects of geometric parameters and interconnectivity are to be characterized to identify optimal configurations.

  20. Scalar perturbation in symmetric Lee-Wick bouncing universe

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Cho, Inyong; Kwon, O-Kab, E-mail: iycho@seoultech.ac.kr, E-mail: okab@skku.edu

    2011-11-01

    We investigate the scalar perturbation in the Lee-Wick bouncing universe driven by an ordinary scalar field plus a ghost field. We consider only a symmetric evolution of the universe and the scalar fields about the bouncing point. The gauge invariant Sasaki-Mukhanov variable is numerically solved in the spatially flat gauge. We find a new form of the initial perturbation growing during the contracting phase. After the bouncing, this growing mode stabilizes to a constant mode which is responsible for the late-time power spectrum.

  1. Command and Control in a Complex World

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-05-22

    definition of command and control does not adequately address changes introduced through technology trends, our understanding of the global operating...processes. The current joint definition of command and control does not adequately address changes introduced through technology trends, our...the problem is actually solved.  There are no  definitive ,  objective solutions to wicked problems.  For a complete  definition  of wicked problems, see

  2. Multileg Heat-Pipe Evaporator

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Alario, J. P.; Haslett, R. A.

    1986-01-01

    Parallel pipes provide high heat flow from small heat exchanger. Six parallel heat pipes extract heat from overlying heat exchanger, forming evaporator. Vapor channel in pipe contains wick that extends into screen tube in liquid channel. Rods in each channel hold wick and screen tube in place. Evaporator compact rather than extended and more compatible with existing heat-exchanger geometries. Prototype six-pipe evaporator only 0.3 m wide and 0.71 m long. With ammonia as working fluid, transports heat to finned condenser at rate of 1,200 W.

  3. Neutrino masses in the Lee-Wick standard model

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Espinosa, Jose Ramon; Grinstein, Benjamin; O'Connell, Donal

    2008-04-15

    Recently, an extension of the standard model based on ideas of Lee and Wick has been discussed. This theory is free of quadratic divergences and hence has a Higgs mass that is stable against radiative corrections. Here, we address the question of whether or not it is possible to couple very heavy particles, with masses much greater than the weak scale, to the Lee-Wick standard model degrees of freedom and still preserve the stability of the weak scale. We show that in the LW-standard model the familiar seesaw mechanism for generating neutrino masses preserves the solution to the hierarchy puzzlemore » provided by the higher derivative terms. The very heavy right-handed neutrinos do not destabilize the Higgs mass. We give an example of new heavy degrees of freedom that would destabilize the hierarchy, and discuss a general mechanism for coupling other heavy degrees of freedom to the Higgs doublet while preserving the hierarchy.« less

  4. Heat removal from bipolar transistor by loop heat pipe with nickel and copper porous structures.

    PubMed

    Nemec, Patrik; Smitka, Martin; Malcho, Milan

    2014-01-01

    Loop heat pipes (LHPs) are used in many branches of industry, mainly for cooling of electrical elements and systems. The loop heat pipe is a vapour-liquid phase-change device that transfers heat from evaporator to condenser. One of the most important parts of the LHP is the porous wick structure. The wick structure provides capillary force to circulate the working fluid. To achieve good thermal performance of LHP, capillary wicks with high permeability and porosity and fine pore radius are expected. The aim of this work was to develop porous structures from copper and nickel powder with different grain sizes. For experiment copper powder with grain size of 50 and 100 μm and nickel powder with grain size of 10 and 25 μm were used. Analysis of these porous structures and LHP design are described in the paper. And the measurements' influences of porous structures in LHP on heat removal from the insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) have been made.

  5. Photo-Attachment of Biomolecules for Miniaturization on Wicking Si-Nanowire Platform

    PubMed Central

    Cheng, He; Zheng, Han; Wu, Jia Xin; Xu, Wei; Zhou, Lihan; Leong, Kam Chew; Fitzgerald, Eugene; Rajagopalan, Raj; Too, Heng Phon; Choi, Wee Kiong

    2015-01-01

    We demonstrated the surface functionalization of a highly three-dimensional, superhydrophilic wicking substrate using light to immobilize functional biomolecules for sensor or microarray applications. We showed here that the three-dimensional substrate was compatible with photo-attachment and the performance of functionalization was greatly improved due to both increased surface capacity and reduced substrate reflectivity. In addition, photo-attachment circumvents the problems induced by wicking effect that was typically encountered on superhydrophilic three-dimensional substrates, thus reducing the difficulty of producing miniaturized sites on such substrate. We have investigated various aspects of photo-attachment process on the nanowire substrate, including the role of different buffers, the effect of wavelength as well as how changing probe structure may affect the functionalization process. We demonstrated that substrate fabrication and functionalization can be achieved with processes compatible with microelectronics processes, hence reducing the cost of array fabrication. Such functionalization method coupled with the high capacity surface makes the substrate an ideal candidate for sensor or microarray for sensitive detection of target analytes. PMID:25689680

  6. Heat Removal from Bipolar Transistor by Loop Heat Pipe with Nickel and Copper Porous Structures

    PubMed Central

    Smitka, Martin; Malcho, Milan

    2014-01-01

    Loop heat pipes (LHPs) are used in many branches of industry, mainly for cooling of electrical elements and systems. The loop heat pipe is a vapour-liquid phase-change device that transfers heat from evaporator to condenser. One of the most important parts of the LHP is the porous wick structure. The wick structure provides capillary force to circulate the working fluid. To achieve good thermal performance of LHP, capillary wicks with high permeability and porosity and fine pore radius are expected. The aim of this work was to develop porous structures from copper and nickel powder with different grain sizes. For experiment copper powder with grain size of 50 and 100 μm and nickel powder with grain size of 10 and 25 μm were used. Analysis of these porous structures and LHP design are described in the paper. And the measurements' influences of porous structures in LHP on heat removal from the insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) have been made. PMID:24959622

  7. Effects of Surface Wettability on the Porosity and Wickability of Frost

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Witt, Katherine; Ahmadi, Farzad; Boreyko, Jonathan

    2017-11-01

    The wicking of liquids through porous media has been studied for many materials, but never for frost, despite its implications for arctic oil spills and oil-infused surfaces. Here, we characterize silicone oils wicking up frost sheets. A layer of frost was grown on aluminum plates of varying surface wettability: superhydrophilic, hydrophilic, hydrophobic, and superhydrophobic. Once the desired frost thickness was grown, a humidity chamber was used to maintain the frost at the dew point and the bottom of the plate was dipped in a reservoir of fluorescent silicone oil. For all surfaces, the wicking rate of the oil increased with increasing wettability. For the wetting surfaces, this is manifested in the length vs. time data following the classical Washburn equation, exhibiting a power slope of about 1/2 and resulting in a larger effective pore radius with increasing wettability. However, we observed that on the non-wetting surfaces, the discrete distribution of the frosted dew droplets resulted in a new scaling law with a slope much less than 1/2, especially for the superhydrophobic surface which promoted jumping-droplet condensation. This research shows that the wicking of oil up a layer of frost can give insight into the morphology of frost. Conversely, if the underlying wettability of a frost sheet can be controlled, the spread of oil can be widely tuned. This work was supported by a Virginia Space Grant Consortium Undergraduate Research Scholarship (PMPTX7EP).

  8. A Novel Silicon Micromachined Integrated MCM Thermal Management System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kazmierczak, M. J.; Henderson, H. T.; Gerner, F. M.

    1999-01-01

    This research concerned the development of a novel porous wick, fabricated totally out of silicon, using state-of-the-art MEMS technology. A comprehensive summary of results, as well as additional fabrication details, can be found in the following three documents located in the attached Appendices: A) Selected pages and excerpts from Year 2 progress report of the principal NASA Grant awarded from NASA Lewis Research Center, Grant Number NAG3-1706 entitled "A Novel Silicon Nficromachined Integrated MCM Thermal Management System" submitted to NASA LRC on 4/4/98. B) Selected viewgraphs from the joint NASA, TEES, and UC meeting held at the University of Cincinnati on April 24, 1998. C) Pre-print of the paper entitled "Coherent Macro Porous Silicon as a Wick Structure in an Integrated Nficrofluidic Two-Phase Cooling System" to be presented September 20-25, 1998 at the SPIE conference held in Santa Clara, Ca. To summarize,. nearly all of the proposed work was successfully accomplished (albeit a 3-month time extension was required), proving that micromachining can indeed be used to fabricate porous silicon wick structures with precise hole sizes and patterning control, thus permitting a substantial improvement in future wick designs. In addition, the appropriate range of thermal conductivities of the porous samples were theoretically predicted (see Appendix A). Although not part of the scope of work, the permeability of the test samples were measured (see results sections of Appendices B and C).

  9. Kerosene lighting contributes to household air pollution in rural Uganda.

    PubMed

    Muyanja, D; Allen, J G; Vallarino, J; Valeri, L; Kakuhikire, B; Bangsberg, D R; Christiani, D C; Tsai, A C; Lai, P S

    2017-09-01

    The literature on the contribution of kerosene lighting to indoor air particulate concentrations is sparse. In rural Uganda, kitchens are almost universally located outside the main home, and kerosene is often used for lighting. In this study, we obtained longitudinal measures of particulate matter 2.5 microns or smaller in size (PM 2.5 ) from living rooms and kitchens of 88 households in rural Uganda. Linear mixed-effects models with a random intercept for household were used to test the hypotheses that primary reported lighting source and kitchen location (indoor vs outdoor) are associated with PM 2.5 levels. During initial testing, households reported using the following sources of lighting: open-wick kerosene (19.3%), hurricane kerosene (45.5%), battery-powered (33.0%), and solar (1.1%) lamps. During follow-up testing, these proportions changed to 29.5%, 35.2%, 18.2%, and 9.1%, respectively. Average ambient, living room, and kitchen PM 2.5 levels were 20.2, 35.2, and 270.0 μg/m 3 . Living rooms using open-wick kerosene lamps had the highest PM 2.5 levels (55.3 μg/m 3 ) compared to those using solar lighting (19.4 μg/m 3 ; open wick vs solar, P=.01); 27.6% of homes using open-wick kerosene lamps met World Health Organization indoor air quality standards compared to 75.0% in homes using solar lighting. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  10. Improving Satellite Compatible Microdevices to Study Biology in Space

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kalkus, Trevor; Snyder, Jessica; Paulino-Lima, Ivan; Rothschild, Lynn

    2017-01-01

    The technology for biology in space lags far behind the gold standard for biological experiments on Earth. To remedy this disparity, the Rothschild lab works on proof of concept, prototyping, and developing of new sensors and devices to further the capabilities of biology research on satellites. One such device is the PowerCell Payload System. One goal for synthetic biology in aiding space travel and colonization is to genetically engineer living cells to produce biochemicals in space. However, such farming in space presupposes bacteria retain their functionality post-launch, bombarded by radiation, and without the 1G of Earth. Our questions is, does a co-culture of cyanobacteria and protein-synthesizing bacteria produce Earth-like yields of target proteins? Is the yield sensitive to variable gravitational forces? To answer these questions, a PowerCell Payload System will spend 1 year aboard the German Aerospace Center's Euglena and Combined Regenerative Organic-food Production In Space (Eu:CROPIS) mission satellite. The PowerCell system is a pair of two 48-well microfluidic cards, each well seeded with bacteria. The system integrates fluidic, thermal, optical, electronic, and control systems to germinate bacteria spores, then measure the protein synthesized for comparison to parallel experiments conducted on the Earth. In developing the PowerCell Payload, we gained insight into the shortcomings of biology experiments on satellites. To address these issues, we have started three new prototyping projects: 1) The development of an extremely stable and radiation resistant cell-free system, allowing for the construction of proteins utilizing only cell components instead of living cells. This can be lyophilized on a substrate, like paper. (2) Using paper as a microfluidic platform that is flexible, stable, cheap, and wicking. The capillary action eliminates the need for pumps, reducing volume, mass, and potential failing points. Electrodes can be printed on the paper to sense for biochemicals. (3) Developing a modular, semi-autonomous microfluidic device that can be easily adapted for a variety of common biological experiments. This versatility will allow for quicker and cheaper experimentation. These improvements to satellite experiment platforms have the potential to radically increase the return from NASA's biological and field studies with reduced development time, mass, and cost with increased robustness data and interpretation.

  11. The Advantages of Non-Flow-Through Fuel Cell Power Systems for Aerospace Applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hoberecht, Mark; Burke, Kenneth; Jakupca, Ian

    2011-01-01

    NASA has been developing proton-exchange-membrane (PEM) fuel cell power systems for the past decade, as an upgraded technology to the alkaline fuel cells which presently provide power for the Shuttle Orbiter. All fuel cell power systems consist of one or more fuel cell stacks in combination with appropriate balance-of-plant hardware. Traditional PEM fuel cells are characterized as flow-through, in which recirculating reactant streams remove product water from the fuel cell stack. NASA recently embarked on the development of non-flow-through fuel cell systems, in which reactants are dead-ended into the fuel cell stack and product water is removed by internal wicks. This simplifies the fuel cell power system by eliminating the need for pumps to provide reactant circulation, and mechanical water separators to remove the product water from the recirculating reactant streams. By eliminating these mechanical components, the resulting fuel cell power system has lower mass, volume, and parasitic power requirements, along with higher reliability and longer life. These improved non-flow-through fuel cell power systems therefore offer significant advantages for many aerospace applications.

  12. A Reactive-Heat-Pipe for Combined Heat Generation and Transport

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1977-12-01

    The Lennard - Jones potential parameters a and F-1 can be found in Ar Ar Table 2.3 of Reference [26]. They are a Ar =3.542 A ~Ar -=93.3 K The above...Specific Heat Ratio Wire Spacing of Screen S Volume Fraction of Solid Phase in Wick or Lennard Jones Force Constant e’ Wick Void Fraction 1Viscusity p...Density a Surface Tension G Condensation Coefficient c e Evaporation Coefficient*e U Lennard - Jones Force Constant Subscripts A Position A in Figure 13 Ar

  13. Nanowicks

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Noca, Flavio; Bronikowski, Michael; Sansom, Elijah; Zhou, Jijie; Gharib, Morteza

    2007-01-01

    Nanowicks are dense mats of nanoscale fibers that are expected to enable the development of a variety of novel capillary pumps, filters, and fluidic control devices. Nanowicks make it possible obtain a variety of novel effects, including capillary pressures orders of magnitude greater than those afforded by microscale and conventional macroscale wicks. While wicking serves the key purpose of transporting fluid, the nanofiber geometry of a nanowick makes it possible to exploit additional effects -- most notably, efficient nanoscale mixing, fluidic effects for logic or control, and ultrafiltration (in which mats of nanofibers act as biomolecular sieves).

  14. Potable water recovery for spacecraft application by electrolytic pretreatment/air evaporation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wells, G. W.

    1975-01-01

    A process for the recovery of potable water from urine using electrolytic pretreatment followed by distillation in a closed-cycle air evaporator has been developed and tested. Both the electrolytic pretreatment unit and the air evaporation unit are six-person, flight-concept prototype, automated units. Significantly extended wick lifetimes have been achieved in the air evaporation unit using electrolytically pretreated, as opposed to chemically pretreated, urine feed. Parametric test data are presented on product water quality, wick life, process power, maintenance requirements, and expendable requirements.

  15. Modeling Candle Flame Behavior In Variable Gravity

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Alsairafi, A.; Tien, J. S.; Lee, S. T.; Dietrich, D. L.; Ross, H. D.

    2003-01-01

    The burning of a candle, as typical non-propagating diffusion flame, has been used by a number of researchers to study the effects of electric fields on flame, spontaneous flame oscillation and flickering phenomena, and flame extinction. In normal gravity, the heat released from combustion creates buoyant convection that draws oxygen into the flame. The strength of the buoyant flow depends on the gravitational level and it is expected that the flame shape, size and candle burning rate will vary with gravity. Experimentally, there exist studies of candle burning in enhanced gravity (i.e. higher than normal earth gravity, g(sub e)), and in microgravity in drop towers and space-based facilities. There are, however, no reported experimental data on candle burning in partial gravity (g < g(sub e)). In a previous numerical model of the candle flame, buoyant forces were neglected. The treatment of momentum equation was simplified using a potential flow approximation. Although the predicted flame characteristics agreed well with the experimental results, the model cannot be extended to cases with buoyant flows. In addition, because of the use of potential flow, no-slip boundary condition is not satisfied on the wick surface. So there is some uncertainty on the accuracy of the predicted flow field. In the present modeling effort, the full Navier-Stokes momentum equations with body force term is included. This enables us to study the effect of gravity on candle flames (with zero gravity as the limiting case). In addition, we consider radiation effects in more detail by solving the radiation transfer equation. In the previous study, flame radiation is treated as a simple loss term in the energy equation. Emphasis of the present model is on the gas-phase processes. Therefore, the detailed heat and mass transfer phenomena inside the porous wick are not treated. Instead, it is assumed that a thin layer of liquid fuel coated the entire wick surface during the burning process. This is the limiting case that the mass transfer process in the wick is much faster than the evaporation process at the wick surface.

  16. Passive wick fluxmeters: Design considerations and field applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gee, G. W.; Newman, B. D.; Green, S. R.; Meissner, R.; Rupp, H.; Zhang, Z. F.; Keller, J. M.; Waugh, W. J.; van der Velde, M.; Salazar, J.

    2009-04-01

    Optimization of water use in agriculture and quantification of percolation from landfills and watersheds require reliable estimates of vadose zone water fluxes. Current technology is limited primarily to lysimeters, which directly measure water flux but are expensive and may in some way disrupt flow, causing errors in the measured drainage. We report on design considerations and field tests of an alternative approach, passive wick fluxmeters, which use a control tube to minimize convergent or divergent flow. Design calculations with a quasi-three-dimensional model illustrate how convergence and divergence can be minimized for a range of soil and climatic conditions under steady state and transient fluxes using control tubes of varying heights. There exists a critical recharge rate for a given wick length, where the fluxmeter collection efficiency is 100% regardless of the height of the control tube. Otherwise, convergent or divergent flow will occur, especially when the control tube height is small. While divergence is eliminated in coarse soils using control tubes, it is reduced but not eliminated in finer soils, particularly for fluxes <100 mm/a. Passive wick fluxmeters were tested in soils ranging from nonvegetated semiarid settings in the United States to grasslands in Germany and rain-fed crops in New Zealand and the South Pacific. Where side-by-side comparisons of drainage were made between passive wick fluxmeters and conventional lysimeters in the United States and Germany, agreement was very good. In semiarid settings, drainage was found to depend upon precipitation distribution, surface soil, topographic relief, and the type and amount of vegetation. In Washington State, United States, soil texture dominated all factors controlling drainage from test landfill covers. As expected, drainage was greatest (>60% annual precipitation) from gravel surfaces and least (no drainage) from silt loam soils. In Oregon and New Mexico, United States, and in New Zealand, drainage showed substantial spatial variability. The New Mexico tests were located in semiarid canyon bottom terraces, with flash flood prone locations having extremely high drainage/precipitation ratios. In the wettest environments, drainage was found to be closely linked to the rate and duration of precipitation events.

  17. Wetting in color: colorimetric differentiation of organic liquids with high selectivity.

    PubMed

    Burgess, Ian B; Koay, Natalie; Raymond, Kevin P; Kolle, Mathias; Lončar, Marko; Aizenberg, Joanna

    2012-02-28

    Colorimetric litmus tests such as pH paper have enjoyed wide commercial success due to their inexpensive production and exceptional ease of use. Expansion of colorimetry to new sensing paradigms is challenging because macroscopic color changes are seldom coupled to arbitrary differences in the physical/chemical properties of a system. Here we present in detail the design of a "Wetting In Color Kit" (WICK), an inexpensive and highly selective colorimetric indicator for organic liquids that exploits chemically encoded inverse-opal photonic crystals to project minute differences in liquids' wettability to macroscopically distinct, easy-to-visualize structural color patterns. We show experimentally and corroborate with theoretical modeling using percolation theory that the highly symmetric structure of our large-area, defect-free SiO(2) inverse-opal films leads to sharply defined threshold wettability for liquid infiltration, occurring at intrinsic contact angles near 20° with an estimated resolution smaller than 5°. The regular structure also produces a bright iridescent color, which disappears when infiltrated with liquid, naturally coupling the optical and fluidic responses. To deterministically design a WICK that differentiates a broad range of liquids, we introduced a nondestructive quality control procedure to regulate the pore structure and developed two new surface modification protocols, both requiring only silanization and selective oxidation. The resulting tunable, built-in horizontal and vertical chemistry gradients let us tailor the wettability threshold to specific liquids across a continuous range. With patterned oxidation as a final step, we control the shape of the liquid-specific patterns displayed, making WICK easier to read. Using these techniques, we demonstrate the applicability of WICKs in several exemplary systems that colorimetrically distinguish (i) ethanol-water mixtures varying by only 2.5% in concentration; (ii) methanol, ethanol, and isopropyl alcohol; (iii) hexane, heptane, octane, nonane, and decane; and (iv) samples of gasoline (regular unleaded) and diesel. As wetting is a generic fluidic phenomenon, we envision that WICK could be suitable for applications in authentication or identification of unknown liquids across a broad range of industries.

  18. Transforming Conflict into Effective Action: A Case Study on the Effects of Anthropogenic Sound on Marine Mammals

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lewandowski, Jill K.

    Like many wicked environmental problems of our time, marine sound and its potential effects on marine mammals is characterized by high levels of scientific uncertainty, diversified values across many stakeholder groups, political and regulatory complexities, and a continually evolving ecological and social environment. Further, the history of conflict and the relationships between major actors has rooted the issue firmly in identity conflict where prejudices lead to avoidance of working together. What results is continuing controversy, failed management decisions, litigation and an increasing frustration by all parties on why a better solution cannot be found. Ultimately, the intractability of the issue is not about the science, nor will the science ever tame the issue on its own. Rather, the issue is intractable because of the conflict between people about the most appropriate path forward. It is then imperative to understand, address, and transform this conflict in order to move off the decision carousel toward improved conservation outcomes and sustainable decisions for all. This research used an explanatory case study approach to quantitatively and qualitatively investigate the context and reasoning underlying conflict on this issue. Three methods were used in order to triangulate the data, and thus add rigor, including: (1) a document review of 230 publications: (2) exploratory interviews with 10 collaborative action experts and semi-structured interviews with 58 marine mammals and sound stakeholders; and (3) participant review of selected analyses. Data elucidate how different stakeholder groups define the problem and potential solutions, how they see their role and view the role of other stakeholders, specific experiences that increased or decrease conflict, and design preferences for a collaborative effort. These data are combined with conflict transformation principles to provide recommendations for a collaborative, transformative framework designed to help build capacity for groups to work together and ultimately tame this wicked issue.

  19. Understanding enabling capacities for managing the 'wicked problem' of nonpoint source water pollution in catchments: a conceptual framework.

    PubMed

    Patterson, James J; Smith, Carl; Bellamy, Jennifer

    2013-10-15

    Nonpoint source (NPS) water pollution in catchments is a 'wicked' problem that threatens water quality, water security, ecosystem health and biodiversity, and thus the provision of ecosystem services that support human livelihoods and wellbeing from local to global scales. However, it is a difficult problem to manage because water catchments are linked human and natural systems that are complex, dynamic, multi-actor, and multi-scalar in nature. This in turn raises questions about understanding and influencing change across multiple levels of planning, decision-making and action. A key challenge in practice is enabling implementation of local management action, which can be influenced by a range of factors across multiple levels. This paper reviews and synthesises important 'enabling' capacities that can influence implementation of local management action, and develops a conceptual framework for understanding and analysing these in practice. Important enabling capacities identified include: history and contingency; institutional arrangements; collaboration; engagement; vision and strategy; knowledge building and brokerage; resourcing; entrepreneurship and leadership; and reflection and adaptation. Furthermore, local action is embedded within multi-scalar contexts and therefore, is highly contextual. The findings highlight the need for: (1) a systemic and integrative perspective for understanding and influencing change for managing the wicked problem of NPS water pollution; and (2) 'enabling' social and institutional arenas that support emergent and adaptive management structures, processes and innovations for addressing NPS water pollution in practice. These findings also have wider relevance to other 'wicked' natural resource management issues facing similar implementation challenges. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. How books are wet by water

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Jungchul; Kim, Ho-Young

    2013-11-01

    It is well known that a sheet of paper, a hydrophilic porous medium, imbibes water via capillary action. The wicking on two-dimensional sheets has no preferred direction, in general. However, when water is spilled on a book, a number of pieces of paper fastened together on one side, we notice that corners are wet first compared to the rest of the area. This is because the wicking along the sharp corner experiences weaker resistance than that into pores within paper. We study a simple model of this wicking dynamics in the context of the surface-tension-driven vertical rise of a liquid along a corner of folded paper. We find that the liquid height at the corner follows a power law different from that at the corner formed by impermeable walls (A. Ponomarenko, D. Quere, and C. Clanet, J. Fluid Mech. 666, 146-154, 2011). The difference is caused by the fact that the Laplace pressure that drives the vertical rise is independent of the liquid height on permeable walls (paper) while it increases with height at the corner of impermeable walls. The experiments are shown to be consistent with our theory.

  1. Active and Healthy Ageing as a Wicked Problem: The Contribution of a Multidisciplinary Research University.

    PubMed

    Riva, Giuseppe; Graffigna, Guendalina; Baitieri, Maddalena; Amato, Alessandra; Bonanomi, Maria Grazia; Valentini, Paolo; Castelli, Guido

    2014-01-01

    The quest for an active and healthy ageing can be considered a "wicked problem." It is a social and cultural problem, which is difficult to solve because of incomplete, changing, and contradictory requirements. These problems are tough to manage because of their social complexity. They are a group of linked problems embedded in the structure of the communities in which they occur. First, they require the knowledge of the social and cultural context in which they occur. They can be solved only by understanding of what people do and why they do it. Second, they require a multidisciplinary approach. Wicked problems can have different solutions, so it is critical to capture the full range of possibilities and interpretations. Thus, we suggest that Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (UCSC) is well suited for accepting and managing this challenge because of its applied research orientation, multidisciplinary approach, and integrated vision. After presenting the research activity of UCSC, we describe a possible "systems thinking" strategy to consider the complexity and interdependence of active ageing and healthy living.

  2. Nonsingular cosmology with a scale-invariant spectrum of cosmological perturbations from Lee-Wick theory

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Cai Yifu; Qiu Taotao; Brandenberger, Robert

    2009-07-15

    We study the cosmology of a Lee-Wick type scalar field theory. First, we consider homogeneous and isotropic background solutions and find that they are nonsingular, leading to cosmological bounces. Next, we analyze the spectrum of cosmological perturbations which result from this model. Unless either the potential of the Lee-Wick theory or the initial conditions are finely tuned, it is impossible to obtain background solutions which have a sufficiently long period of inflation after the bounce. More interestingly, however, we find that in the generic noninflationary bouncing cosmology, perturbations created from quantum vacuum fluctuations in the contracting phase have the correctmore » form to lead to a scale-invariant spectrum of metric inhomogeneities in the expanding phase. Since the background is nonsingular, the evolution of the fluctuations is defined unambiguously through the bounce. We also analyze the evolution of fluctuations which emerge from thermal initial conditions in the contracting phase. The spectrum of gravitational waves stemming from quantum vacuum fluctuations in the contracting phase is also scale-invariant, and the tensor to scalar ratio is not suppressed.« less

  3. Unique Identification of Lee-Wick Gauge Bosons at Linear Colliders

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Rizzo, Thomas G.

    2007-12-14

    Grinstein, O'Connell and Wise have recently presented an extension of the Standard Model (SM), based on the ideas of Lee and Wick (LW), which demonstrates an interesting way to remove the quadratically divergent contributions to the Higgs mass induced by radiative corrections. This model predicts the existence of negative-norm copies of the usual SM fields at the TeV scale with ghost-like propagators and negative decay widths, but with otherwise SM-like couplings. In earlier work, it was demonstrated that the LW states in the gauge boson sector of these models, though easy to observe, cannot be uniquely identified as such atmore » the LHC. In this paper, we address the issue of whether or not this problem can be resolved at an e{sup +}e{sup -} collider with a suitable center of mass energy range. We find that measurements of the cross section and the left-right polarization asymmetry associated with Bhabha scattering can lead to a unique identification of the neutral electroweak gauge bosons of the Lee-Wick type.« less

  4. Small farms, cash crops, agrarian ideals, and international development.

    PubMed

    Effland, Anne

    2010-01-01

    This address is an exploration of a lifetime of disparate and often conflicting observations about how different people view what is right and good for agriculture, food, and farmers around the world. The exploration utilizes the concept of wicked problems to focus on the issue of differing historical interpretations of global agricultural development. Sandra Batie defines wicked problems as "dynamically complex, ill-structured, public problems" for which "there can be radically different views and understanding of the problem by different stakeholders, with no unique 'correct' view." The wicked problem construct is applied to four core ideas in the history of agricultural development -- small farms, cash crops, agrarian ideals, and international development -- to demonstrate the potential for using this concept to approach complex problems of historical interpretation and contribute to solutions to the challenges of global agricultural development. The author suggests historians should acknowledge contradictory interpretations adn work toward reconciliation and synthesis, where it is possible and, where not, toward a clear explication of the basis for remaining differences. The author also encourages historians to seek multidisciplinary research opportunities that will help bring insights about historical context to policy deliberations.

  5. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bandhauer, Todd; Deri, Robert J.; Elmer, John W.

    A laser diode package includes a heat pipe having a fluid chamber enclosed in part by a heat exchange wall for containing a fluid. Wicking channels in the fluid chamber is adapted to wick a liquid phase of the fluid from a condensing section of the heat pipe to an evaporating section of the heat exchanger, and a laser diode is connected to the heat exchange wall at the evaporating section of the heat exchanger so that heat produced by the laser diode is removed isothermally from the evaporating section to the condensing section by a liquid-to-vapor phase change ofmore » the fluid.« less

  6. Innovative self-drying concept for thermal insulation of cold piping

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Korsgaard, V.

    1997-11-01

    In the paper an innovative Self-Drying concept, the Hygro-Wick concept, for thermal insulation of cold piping is described. The concept is based on the wicking action of certain fabrics to remove by capillary suction condensed water vapor from the pipe surface to the outer surface of the insulation/jacket, from whence it will evaporate/diffuse into the ambient air. Hence the concept will prevent long term accumulation of moisture in the insulation material. Theoretical and experimental results for two different embodiments of the concept is given: The Self-Drying system and the Self-Sealing system.

  7. Fuel cell cooler-humidifier plate

    DOEpatents

    Vitale, Nicholas G.; Jones, Daniel O.

    2000-01-01

    A cooler-humidifier plate for use in a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell stack assembly is provided. The cooler-humidifier plate combines functions of cooling and humidification within the fuel cell stack assembly, thereby providing a more compact structure, simpler manifolding, and reduced reject heat from the fuel cell. Coolant on the cooler side of the plate removes heat generated within the fuel cell assembly. Heat is also removed by the humidifier side of the plate for use in evaporating the humidification water. On the humidifier side of the plate, evaporating water humidifies reactant gas flowing over a moistened wick. After exiting the humidifier side of the plate, humidified reactant gas provides needed moisture to the proton exchange membranes used in the fuel cell stack assembly. The invention also provides a fuel cell plate that maximizes structural support within the fuel cell by ensuring that the ribs that form the boundaries of channels on one side of the plate have ends at locations that substantially correspond to the locations of ribs on the opposite side of the plate.

  8. Wicked problems in space technology development at NASA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Balint, Tibor S.; Stevens, John

    2016-01-01

    Technological innovation is key to enable future space exploration missions at NASA. Technology development, however, is not only driven by performance and resource considerations, but also by a broad range of directly or loosely interconnected factors. These include, among others, strategy, policy and politics at various levels, tactics and programmatics, interactions between stakeholders, resource requirements, performance goals from component to system level, mission infusion targets, portfolio execution and tracking, and technology push or mission pull. Furthermore, at NASA, these influences occur on varying timescales and at diverse geographic locations. Such a complex and interconnected system could impede space technology innovation in this examined segment of the government environment. Hence, understanding the process through NASA's Planning, Programming, Budget and Execution cycle could benefit strategic thinking, planning and execution. Insights could be gained through suitable models, for example assessing the key drivers against the framework of Wicked Problems. This paper discusses NASA specific space technology innovation and innovation barriers in the government environment through the characteristics of Wicked Problems; that is, they do not have right or wrong solutions, only improved outcomes that can be reached through authoritative, competitive, or collaborative means. We will also augment the Wicked Problems model to account for the temporally and spatially coupled, and cyclical nature of this NASA specific case, and propose how appropriate models could improve understanding of the key influencing factors. In turn, such understanding may subsequently lead to reducing innovation barriers, and stimulating technology innovation at NASA. Furthermore, our approach can be adopted for other government-directed environments to gain insights into their structures, hierarchies, operational flow, and interconnections to facilitate circular dialogs towards preferred outcomes.

  9. High heat flux loop heat pipes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    North, Mark T.; Sarraf, David B.; Rosenfeld, John H.; Maidanik, Yuri F.; Vershinin, Sergey

    1997-01-01

    Loop Heat Pipes (LHPs) can transport very large thermal power loads, over long distances, through flexible, small diameter tubes and against high gravitational heads. While recent LHPs have transported as much as 1500 W, the peak heat flux through a LHP's evaporator has been limited to about 0.07 MW/m2. This limitation is due to the arrangement of vapor passages next to the heat load which is one of the conditions necessary to ensure self priming of the device. This paper describes work aimed at raising this limit by threefold to tenfold. Two approaches were pursued. One optimized the vapor passage geometry for the high heat flux conditions. The geometry improved the heat flow into the wick and working fluid. This approach also employed a finer pored wick to support higher vapor flow losses. The second approach used a bidisperse wick material within the circumferential vapor passages. The bidisperse material increased the thermal conductivity and the evaporative surface area in the region of highest heat flux, while providing a flow path for the vapor. Proof-of-concept devices were fabricated and tested for each approach. Both devices operated as designed and both demonstrated operation at a heat flux of 0.70 MW/m2. This performance exceeded the known state of the art by a factor of more than six for both conventional heat pipes and for loop heat pipes using ammonia. In addition, the bidisperse-wick device demonstrated boiling heat transfer coefficients up to 100,000 W/m2.K, and the fine pored device demonstrated an orientation independence with its performance essentially unaffected by whether its evaporator was positioned above, below or level with the condenser.

  10. The rebuilding imperative in fisheries: Clumsy solutions for a wicked problem?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Khan, Ahmed S.; Neis, Barb

    2010-10-01

    There is mounting evidence that global fisheries are in crisis and about 25-30% of fish stocks are over exploited, depleted or recovering. Fish landings are increasingly coming from fully-exploited and over-exploited fisheries, and from intensive aquaculture that often relies indirectly on reduction fisheries. This poses severe challenges for marine ecosystems as well as food security and the livelihoods of resource-dependent coastal communities. Growing awareness of these social, economic and ecological consequences of overfishing is reflected in an expanding literature which shows that reducing fishing effort to allow fish stocks to recover has been the main focus of management efforts, but successful examples of stock recovery are few. An alternative, less explored social-ecological approach focuses on rebuilding entire ‘fish chains’ from oceans to plate. This paper supports this alternative approach. A review and synthesis of stock rebuilding initiatives worldwide suggests effective governance is central to rebuilding, and fisheries governance is a wicked problem. Wicked problems are complex, persistent or reoccurring and hard to fix because they are linked to broader social, economic and policy issues. This review and analysis implies that, due to socioeconomic and sociopolitical concerns, fisheries governance challenges are particularly wicked when dealing with collapsed fisheries and rebuilding efforts. The paper concludes that rebuilding might benefit from experimenting with clumsy solutions. Clumsy solutions are exploratory, include inputs from a broad range of stakeholders along the fish chain, and require information sharing, knowledge synthesis, and trust building. Moreover, clumsy solutions that address power relations, collective action dilemmas, and the fundamental question of ‘rebuilding for whom’ are essential for stewardship, equity and long-term resource sustainability.

  11. Electrolyte-Sensing Transistor Decals Enabled by Ultrathin Microbial Nanocellulose

    PubMed Central

    Yuen, Jonathan D.; Walper, Scott A.; Melde, Brian J.; Daniele, Michael A.; Stenger, David A.

    2017-01-01

    We report an ultra-thin electronic decal that can simultaneously collect, transmit and interrogate a bio-fluid. The described technology effectively integrates a thin-film organic electrochemical transistor (sensing component) with an ultrathin microbial nanocellulose wicking membrane (sample handling component). As far as we are aware, OECTs have not been integrated in thin, permeable membrane substrates for epidermal electronics. The design of the biocompatible decal allows for the physical isolation of the electronics from the human body while enabling efficient bio-fluid delivery to the transistor via vertical wicking. High currents and ON-OFF ratios were achieved, with sensitivity as low as 1 mg·L−1. PMID:28102316

  12. Heat transfer device

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Eaton, L. R. (Inventor)

    1976-01-01

    An improved heat transfer device particularly suited for use as an evaporator plate in a diffusion cloud chamber. The device is characterized by a pair of mutually spaced heat transfer plates, each being of a planar configuration, having a pair of opposed surfaces defining therebetween a heat pipe chamber. Within the heat pipe chamber, in contiguous relation with the pair of opposed surfaces, there is disposed a pair of heat pipe wicks supported in a mutually spaced relationship by a foraminous spacer of a planar configuration. A wick including a foraminous layer is contiguously related to the external surfaces of the heat transfer plates for uniformly wetting these surfaces.

  13. An analysis of the vapor flow and the heat conduction through the liquid-wick and pipe wall in a heat pipe with single or multiple heat sources

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chen, Ming-Ming; Faghri, Amir

    1990-01-01

    A numerical analysis is presented for the overall performance of heat pipes with single or multiple heat sources. The analysis includes the heat conduction in the wall and liquid-wick regions as well as the compressibility effect of the vapor inside the heat pipe. The two-dimensional elliptic governing equations in conjunction with the thermodynamic equilibrium relation and appropriate boundary conditions are solved numerically. The solutions are in agreement with existing experimental data for the vapor and wall temperatures at both low and high operating temperatures.

  14. A fluidic diode, valves, and a sequential-loading circuit fabricated on layered paper.

    PubMed

    Chen, Hong; Cogswell, Jeremy; Anagnostopoulos, Constantine; Faghri, Mohammad

    2012-08-21

    Current microfluidic paper-based devices lack crucial components for fluid manipulation. We created a fluidic diode fabricated entirely on a single layer of paper to control the wicking of fluids. The fluidic diode is a two-terminal component that promotes or stops wicking along a paper channel. We further constructed a trigger and a delay valve based on the fluidic diode. Furthermore, we demonstrated a high-level functional circuit, consisting of a diode and a delay valve, to manipulate two fluids in a sequential manner. Our study provides new, transformative tools to manipulate fluid in microfluidic paper-based devices.

  15. Electrolyte-Sensing Transistor Decals Enabled by Ultrathin Microbial Nanocellulose

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yuen, Jonathan D.; Walper, Scott A.; Melde, Brian J.; Daniele, Michael A.; Stenger, David A.

    2017-01-01

    We report an ultra-thin electronic decal that can simultaneously collect, transmit and interrogate a bio-fluid. The described technology effectively integrates a thin-film organic electrochemical transistor (sensing component) with an ultrathin microbial nanocellulose wicking membrane (sample handling component). As far as we are aware, OECTs have not been integrated in thin, permeable membrane substrates for epidermal electronics. The design of the biocompatible decal allows for the physical isolation of the electronics from the human body while enabling efficient bio-fluid delivery to the transistor via vertical wicking. High currents and ON-OFF ratios were achieved, with sensitivity as low as 1 mg·L-1.

  16. Instantons re-examined: dynamical tunneling and resonant tunneling.

    PubMed

    Le Deunff, Jérémy; Mouchet, Amaury

    2010-04-01

    Starting from trace formulas for the tunneling splittings (or decay rates) analytically continued in the complex time domain, we obtain explicit semiclassical expansions in terms of complex trajectories that are selected with appropriate complex-time paths. We show how this instantonlike approach, which takes advantage of an incomplete Wick rotation, accurately reproduces tunneling effects not only in the usual double-well potential but also in situations where a pure Wick rotation is insufficient, for instance dynamical tunneling or resonant tunneling. Even though only one-dimensional autonomous Hamiltonian systems are quantitatively studied, we discuss the relevance of our method for multidimensional and/or chaotic tunneling.

  17. A comparison of field-line resonances observed at the Goose Bay and Wick radars

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Provan, G.; Yeoman, T. K.

    1997-02-01

    Previous observations with the Goose Bay HF coherent-scatter radar have revealed structured spectral peaks at ultra-low frequencies. The frequencies of these spectral peaks have been demonstrated to be extremely consistent from day to day. The stability of these spectral peaks can be seen as evidence for the existence of global magnetospheric cavity modes whose resonant frequencies are independent of latitude. Field-line resonances occur when successive harmonics of the eigenfrequency of the magnetospheric cavity or waveguide match either the first harmonic eigenfrequency of the geomagnetic field lines or higher harmonics of this frequency. Power spectra observed at the SABRE VHF coherent-scatter radar at Wick, Scotland, during night and early morning are revealed to show similarly clearly structured spectral peaks. These spectral peaks are the result of local field-line resonances due to Alfvén waves standing on magnetospheric field lines. A comparison of the spectra observed by the Goose Bay and Wick radars demonstrate that the frequencies of the field-line resonances are, on average, almost identical, despite the different latitudinal ranges covered by the two radars. Possible explanations for the similarity of the signatures on the two radar systems are discussed.

  18. Candle Flames in Microgravity

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dietrich, D. L.; Ross, H. D.; Chang, P.; T'ien, J. S.

    2001-01-01

    The goal of this work is to study both experimentally and numerically the behavior of a candle flame burning in a microgravity environment. Two space experiments (Shuttle and Mir) have shown the candle flame in microgravity to be small (approximately 1.5 cm diameter), dim blue, and hemispherical. Near steady flames with very long flame lifetimes (up to 45 minutes in some tests) existed for many of the tests. Most of the flames spontaneously oscillated with a period of approximately 1 Hz just prior to extinction). In a previous model of candle flame in microgravity, a porous sphere wetted with liquid fuel simulated the evaporating wick. The sphere, with a temperature equal to the boiling temperature of the fuel, was at the end of an inert cone that had a prescribed temperature. This inert cone produces the quenching effect of the candle wax in the real configuration. Although the computed flame shape resembled that observed in the microgravity experiment, the model was not able to differentiate the effect of wick geometry, e.g., a long vs. a short wick. This paper presents recent developments in the numerical model of the candle flame. The primary focus has been to more realistically account for the actual shape of the candle.

  19. Wicked Problems in Natural Hazard Assessment and Mitigation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stein, S.; Steckler, M. S.; Rundle, J. B.; Dixon, T. H.

    2017-12-01

    Social scientists have defined "wicked" problems that are "messy, ill-defined, more complex than we fully grasp, and open to multiple interpretations based on one's point of view... No solution to a wicked problem is permanent or wholly satisfying, which leaves every solution open to easy polemical attack." These contrast with "tame" problems in which necessary information is available and solutions - even if difficult and expensive - are straightforward to identify and execute. Updating the U.S.'s aging infrastructure is a tame problem, because what is wrong and how to fix it are clear. In contrast, addressing climate change is a wicked problem because its effects are uncertain and the best strategies to address them are unclear. An analogous approach can be taken to natural hazard problems. In tame problems, we have a good model of the process, good information about past events, and data implying that the model should predict future events. In such cases, we can make a reasonable assessment of the hazard that can be used to develop mitigation strategies. Earthquake hazard mitigation for San Francisco is a relatively tame problem. We understand how the earthquakes result from known plate motions, have information about past earthquakes, and have geodetic data implying that future similar earthquakes will occur. As a result, it is straightforward to develop and implement mitigation strategies. However, in many cases, hazard assessment and mitigation is a wicked problem. How should we prepare for a great earthquake on plate boundaries where tectonics favor such events but we have no evidence that they have occurred and hence how large they may be or how often to expect them? How should we assess the hazard within plates, for example in the New Madrid seismic zone, where large earthquakes have occurred but we do not understand their causes and geodetic data show no strain accumulating? How can we assess the hazard and make sensible policy when the recurrence of earthquakes, floods, or hurricanes seems to be changing with time or is expected to do so due to human activity? A starting approach might be to assess what we know, what we don't know, what we think, and what can be done that might improve this situation. We should draw on what is known in other areas of risk assessment including social science, meteorology, engineering, and economics.

  20. Sodium-sulfur battery flight experiment definition study

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chang, Rebecca; Minck, Robert

    1990-01-01

    Sodium-sulfur batteries are considered to be one of the most likely battery systems for space applications. Compared with the Ni-H2 or Ni-Co battery systems, Na-S batteries offer a mass reduction by a factor of 2 to 4, representing significant launch cost savings or increased payload mass capabilities. The Na-S battery operates at between 300 and 400 C, using liquid sodium and sulfur/polysulfide electrodes and solid ceramic electrolyte; the transport of the electrode materials to the surface of the electrolyte is through wicking/capillary forces. This paper describes five tests identified for the Na-S battery flight experiment definition study, which include the cell characterization test, the reactant distribution test, the current/temperature distribution test, the freeze/thaw test, and the multicell LEO test. A schematic diagram of Na-S cell is included.

  1. Internal electrolyte supply system for reliable transport throughout fuel cell stacks

    DOEpatents

    Wright, Maynard K.; Downs, Robert E.; King, Robert B.

    1988-01-01

    An improved internal electrolyte supply system in a fuel cell stack employs a variety of arrangements of grooves and passages in bipolar plates of the multiplicity of repeating fuel cells to route gravity-assisted flowing electrolyte throughout the stack. The grooves route electrolyte flow along series of first paths which extend horizontally through the cells between the plates thereof. The passages route electrolyte flow along series of second paths which extend vertically through the stack so as to supply electrolyte to the first paths in order to expose the electrolyte to the matrices of the cells. Five different embodiments of the supply system are disclosed. Some embodiments employ wicks in the grooves for facilitating transfer of the electrolyte to the matrices as well as providing support for the matrices. Additionally, the passages of some embodiments by-pass certain of the grooves and supply electrolyte directly to other of the grooves. Some embodiments employ single grooves and others have dual grooves. Finally, in some embodiments the passages are connected to the grooves by a step which produces a cascading electrolyte flow.

  2. Wick Product for Commutation Relations Connected with Yang-Baxter Operators and New Constructions of Factors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Krsolarlak, Ilona

    We analyze a certain class of von Neumann algebras generated by selfadjoint elements , for satisfying the general commutation relations: Such algebras can be continuously embedded into some closure of the set of finite linear combinations of vectors , where is an orthonormal basis of a Hilbert space . The operator which represents the vector is denoted by and called the ``Wick product'' of the operators . We describe explicitly the form of this product. Also, we estimate the operator norm of for . Finally we apply these two results and prove that under the assumption all the von Neumann algebras considered are II1 factors.

  3. Wicked problems: policy contradictions in publicly financed dental care.

    PubMed

    Quiñonez, Carlos

    2012-01-01

    To review two policy issues that define publicly financed dental care as a "wicked policy problem." Historical review. By demonstrating how governments have shifted their funding focus from direct delivery care, to public third-party financing arrangements in private dental offices, and by their willingness to fund composite restorations in public fee schedules, it is clear that the logic and sustainability of public programming needs reconsideration. The current contradictions in public dental care programs speak to the need for policy makers to reassess their goals, and ask whether decisions are based more on political necessity than on a logical evidence-informed approach to the delivery of publicly financed dental care. © 2012 American Association of Public Health Dentistry.

  4. Method for harvesting rare earth barium copper oxide single crystals

    DOEpatents

    Todt, V.R.; Sengupta, S.; Shi, D.

    1996-04-02

    A method of preparing high temperature superconductor single crystals is disclosed. The method of preparation involves preparing precursor materials of a particular composition, heating the precursor material to achieve a peritectic mixture of peritectic liquid and crystals of the high temperature superconductor, cooling the peritectic mixture to quench directly the mixture on a porous, wettable inert substrate to wick off the peritectic liquid, leaving single crystals of the high temperature superconductor on the porous substrate. Alternatively, the peritectic mixture can be cooled to a solid mass and reheated on a porous, inert substrate to melt the matrix of peritectic fluid while leaving the crystals melted, allowing the wicking away of the peritectic liquid. 2 figs.

  5. Method for harvesting rare earth barium copper oxide single crystals

    DOEpatents

    Todt, Volker R.; Sengupta, Suvankar; Shi, Donglu

    1996-01-01

    A method of preparing high temperature superconductor single crystals. The method of preparation involves preparing precursor materials of a particular composition, heating the precursor material to achieve a peritectic mixture of peritectic liquid and crystals of the high temperature superconductor, cooling the peritectic mixture to quench directly the mixture on a porous, wettable inert substrate to wick off the peritectic liquid, leaving single crystals of the high temperature superconductor on the porous substrate. Alternatively, the peritectic mixture can be cooled to a solid mass and reheated on a porous, inert substrate to melt the matrix of peritectic fluid while leaving the crystals melted, allowing the wicking away of the peritectic liquid.

  6. Cycle life test and failure model of nickel-hydrogen cells

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smithrick, J. J.

    1983-01-01

    Six ampere hour individual pressure vessel nickel hydrogen cells were charge/discharge cycled to failure. Failure as used here is defined to occur when the end of discharge voltage degraded to 0.9 volts. They were cycled under a low earth orbit cycle regime to a deep depth of discharge (80 percent of rated ampere hour capacity). Both cell designs were fabricated by the same manufacturer and represent current state of the art. A failure model was advanced which suggests both cell designs have inadequate volume tolerance characteristics. The limited existing data base at a deep depth of discharge (DOD) was expanded. Two cells of each design were cycled. One COMSAT cell failed at cycle 1712 and the other failed at cycle 1875. For the Air Force/Hughes cells, one cell failed at cycle 2250 and the other failed at cycle 2638. All cells, of both designs, failed due to low end of discharge voltage (0.9 volts). No cell failed due to electrical shorts. After cell failure, three different reconditioning tests (deep discharge, physical reorientation, and open circuit voltage stand) were conducted on all cells of each design. A fourth reconditioning test (electrolyte addition) was conducted on one cell of each design. In addition post cycle cell teardown and failure analysis were performed on the one cell of each design which did not have electrolyte added after failure.

  7. Deconstructing three-dimensional (3D) structure of absorptive glass mat (AGM) separator to tailor pore dimensions and amplify electrolyte uptake

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rawal, Amit; Rao, P. V. Kameswara; Kumar, Vijay

    2018-04-01

    Absorptive glass mat (AGM) separator is a vital technical component in valve regulated lead acid (VRLA) batteries that can be tailored for a desired application. To selectively design and tailor the AGM separator, the intricate three-dimensional (3D) structure needs to be unraveled. Herein, a toolkit of 3D analytical models of pore size distribution and electrolyte uptake expressed via wicking characteristics of AGM separators under unconfined and confined states is presented. 3D data of fiber orientation distributions obtained previously through X-ray micro-computed tomography (microCT) analysis are used as key set of input parameters. The predictive ability of pore size distribution model is assessed through the commonly used experimental set-up that usually apply high level of compressive stresses. Further, the existing analytical model of wicking characteristics of AGM separators has been extended to account for 3D characteristics, and subsequently, compared with the experimental results. A good agreement between the theory and experiments pave the way to simulate the realistic charge-discharge modes of the battery by applying cyclic loading condition. A threshold criterion describing the invariant behavior of pore size and wicking characteristics in terms of maximum permissible limit of key structural parameters during charge-discharge mode of the battery has also been proposed.

  8. Modeling of the capillary wicking of flax fibers by considering the effects of fiber swelling and liquid absorption.

    PubMed

    Testoni, Guilherme Apolinario; Kim, Sihwan; Pisupati, Anurag; Park, Chung Hae

    2018-09-01

    We propose a new model for the capillary rise of liquid in flax fibers whose diameter is changed by liquid absorption. Liquid absorption into the flax fibers is taken into account in a new modified Washburn equation by considering the mass of the liquid absorbed inside the fibers as well as that imbibed between the fibers. The change of permeability and hydraulic radius of pores in a fibrous medium due to the fiber swelling is modeled by a statistical approach considering a non-uniform distribution of flax fiber diameter. By comparisons between capillary rise test results and modeling results, we prove the validity of the proposed modified Washburn model to take into account the effects from fiber swelling and liquid absorption on the decrease of capillary rise velocity. The experimental observation of long-term capillary rise tests show that the swelling behavior of the fibers highly packed in a closed volume and its influence on the capillary wicking are different from those of an individual single fiber in a free space. The current approach was useful to characterize the swelling of fibers highly packed in a closed volume and its influence of the long-term behavior of capillary wicking. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Performance of methyl eugenol + matrix + toxicant combinations under field conditions in Hawaii and California for trapping Bactrocera dorsalis (Diptera: Tephritidae).

    PubMed

    Jang, Eric B; Ramsey, Amanda; Carvalho, Lori A

    2013-04-01

    The oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) is a major pest of many fruit crops worldwide. Current detection programs by federal and state agencies in the United States use a grid of traps consisting of liquid methyl eugenol (lure) and naled (toxicant) applied to cotton wicks and hung inside the trap. In recent years efforts have been made to incorporate these chemicals into various solid-type matrices that could be individually packaged to reduce human exposure to the chemicals and improve handling. New solid formulations containing methyl eugenol and either naled or dichlorovinyl dimethyl phosphate toxicants were compared with the standard formulations on cotton wicks in large scale field evaluation in Hawaii. Two reduced risk toxicants (spinosad and Rynaxypyr) were also evaluated. In one test the solid lure-toxicant-matrix combinations were sent to California to be weathered under California climate conditions and then sent back to Hawaii for evaluation. The polymer matrices with lure and toxicant were found to be as attractive as baited wicks and have the same longevity of attraction regardless of being weathered in Hawaii or in California. The new ingestible toxicants were also effective, although further testing of these ingestible lure + toxicant + matrix products is necessary.

  10. Tackling 'wicked' health promotion problems: a New Zealand case study.

    PubMed

    Signal, Louise N; Walton, Mat D; Ni Mhurchu, Cliona; Maddison, Ralph; Bowers, Sharron G; Carter, Kristie N; Gorton, Delvina; Heta, Craig; Lanumata, Tolotea S; McKerchar, Christina W; O'Dea, Des; Pearce, Jamie

    2013-03-01

    This paper reports on a complex environmental approach to addressing 'wicked' health promotion problems devised to inform policy for enhancing food security and physical activity among Māori, Pacific and low-income people in New Zealand. This multi-phase research utilized literature reviews, focus groups, stakeholder workshops and key informant interviews. Participants included members of affected communities, policy-makers and academics. Results suggest that food security and physical activity 'emerge' from complex systems. Key areas for intervention include availability of money within households; the cost of food; improvements in urban design and culturally specific physical activity programmes. Seventeen prioritized intervention areas were explored in-depth and recommendations for action identified. These include healthy food subsidies, increasing the statutory minimum wage rate and enhancing open space and connectivity in communities. This approach has moved away from seeking individual solutions to complex social problems. In doing so, it has enabled the mapping of the relevant systems and the identification of a range of interventions while taking account of the views of affected communities and the concerns of policy-makers. The complex environmental approach used in this research provides a method to identify how to intervene in complex systems that may be relevant to other 'wicked' health promotion problems.

  11. Innovative Surfaces for Controlled Flow of Liquid Metal

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Fortini, Arthur J.

    2016-03-22

    The potential economic, environmental, and strategic benefits associated with the development of fusion energy are numerous. However, application of fusion technology cannot be realized until advanced materials are developed that allow operation under the high heat flux conditions necessary for cost-competitive electric energy generation. Bathing the wall of a fusion reactor plasma-facing component in a liquid metal such as lithium, gallium, or tin is a viable approach for accommodating continuous heat flux levels exceeding 10 MW/m2, and it is also the preferred approach for removing hydrogen isotopes. Stabilizing the liquid film is the key challenge, which can be addressed throughmore » the use of a microtextured surface. In previous work, Ultramet developed high temperature microtextured tungsten and rhenium coatings consisting of thousands of high aspect ratio pyramids per square millimeter that are compatible with lithium, gallium, and tin, and whose effectiveness in wicking molten lithium has been demonstrated even in the presence of strong body forces. Heat transfer and fluid flow characteristics were also modeled. Because of the safety issues surrounding lithium, the current project focused on adapting and optimizing this wicking technology for use with gallium and tin. The coatings were deposited by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and the height, population density, and morphology of the pyramids was varied to optimize the wetting properties, which were measured and quantified by exposing the coatings to molten gallium or tin. Micron-thick films of other materials were also applied to the textured surfaces to vary the wetting characteristics. Wicking tests were performed with both gallium and tin on a variety of coatings with different textures and surface chemistries, and both metals showed excellent wicking and wettability on virtually all of the textured coatings. Extensive modeling of the interaction between the dendrites and the liquid metal, as well as additional wetting testing, was performed by Digital Materials Solutions (DMS, Carlsbad, CA).« less

  12. An evaluation of potentially useful separator materials for nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd] satellite batteries

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Baker, H. A.; Toner, S. D.; Cuthrell, W. F.

    1974-01-01

    An evaluation intended to determine the potential suitability and probable efficacy of a group of separator materials for use in nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd) satellite batteries was carried out. These results were obtained using test procedures established in an earlier evaluation of other separator materials, some of which were used in experimental battery cells subjected to simulated use conditions. The properties that appear to be most important are: high electrolyte absorptivity, good electrolyte retention, low specific resistivity, rapid wettability and low resistance to air permeation. Wicking characteristics and wet-out time seem to be more important with respect to the initial filling of the battery with the electrolyte.

  13. Long life 80Ah standard IPV NiH2 battery cell

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Armantrout, Jon D.; Waller, J. S.

    1995-01-01

    A standard Nickel-Hydrogen (NiH2) Individual Pressure Vessel (IPV) battery cell is needed to meet future low cost, high performance mission requirements for NASA, military, and civil space programs. A common or standard cell design has evolved from the heritage of HST, Milstar, and other Air Force Mantech cell designs with substantial flight experience, while incorporating some of the historical COMSAT cell design features described in a previous NASA publication. Key features include slurry process nickel electrodes having high strength, long life and high yield (lower cost), and dual layer zircar separators for improved KOH retention, uniformality, and longer life. The cell design will have a zirconium oxide wall wick inside the pressure vessel to redistribute electrolyte and extend life. The slurry electrode will be 35 mils thick to take advantage of qualified cell mechanical configurations and proven assembly and activation techniques developed by Eagle Picher Industries (EPI) for the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) RNH-90-3 and 'Generic HST' RNH-90-5 cell designs with back-to-back nickel electrodes produced by the dry sinter process. The 80Ah common cell design can be scaled to meet capacity requirements from 60Ah to 100Ah. Producibility, commonality, and long life performance will be enhanced with the robust cell design described herein.

  14. Glass heat pipe evacuated tube solar collector

    DOEpatents

    McConnell, Robert D.; Vansant, James H.

    1984-01-01

    A glass heat pipe is adapted for use as a solar energy absorber in an evacuated tube solar collector and for transferring the absorbed solar energy to a working fluid medium or heat sink for storage or practical use. A capillary wick is formed of granular glass particles fused together by heat on the inside surface of the heat pipe with a water glass binder solution to enhance capillary drive distribution of the thermal transfer fluid in the heat pipe throughout the entire inside surface of the evaporator portion of the heat pipe. Selective coatings are used on the heat pipe surface to maximize solar absorption and minimize energy radiation, and the glass wick can alternatively be fabricated with granular particles of black glass or obsidian.

  15. A vadose zone water fluxmeter with divergence control

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gee, G. W.; Ward, A. L.; Caldwell, T. G.; Ritter, J. C.

    2002-08-01

    Unsaturated water flux densities are needed to quantify water and contaminant transfer within the vadose zone. However, water flux densities are seldom measured directly and often are predicted with uncertainties of an order or magnitude or more. A water fluxmeter was designed, constructed, and tested to directly measure drainage fluxes in field soils. The fluxmeter was designed to minimize divergence. It concentrates flow into a narrow sensing region filled with a fiberglass wick. The wick applies suction, proportional to its length, and passively drains the meter. The meter can be installed in an augured borehole at almost any depth below the root zone. Water flux through the meter is measured with a self-calibrating tipping bucket, with a sensitivity of ~4 mL tip-1. For our meter this is equivalent to detection limit of ~0.1 mm. Passive-wick devices previously have not properly corrected for flow divergence. Laboratory measurements supported predictions of a two-dimensional (2-D) numerical model, which showed that control of the collector height H and knowledge of soil hydraulic properties are required for improving divergence control, particularly at fluxes below 1000 mm yr-1. The water fluxmeter is simple in concept, is inexpensive, and has the capability of providing continuous and reliable monitoring of unsaturated water fluxes ranging from less than 1 mm yr-1 to more than 1000 mm yr-1.

  16. A vadose zone water fluxmeter with divergence control

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Gee, G.W.; Ward, A.L.; Caldwell, T.G.; Ritter, J.C.

    2002-01-01

    Unsaturated water flux densities are needed to quantify water and contaminant transfer within the vadose zone. However, water flux densities are seldom measured directly and often are predicted with uncertainties of an order or magnitude or more. A water fluxmeter was designed, constructed, and tested to directly measure drainage fluxes in field soils. The fluxmeter was designed to minimize divergence. It concentrates flow into a narrow sensing region filled with a fiberglass wick. The wick applies suction, proportional to its length, and passively drains the meter. The meter can be installed in an augured borehole at almost any depth below the root zone. Water flux through the meter is measured with a self‐calibrating tipping bucket, with a sensitivity of ∼4 mL tip−1. For our meter this is equivalent to detection limit of ∼0.1 mm. Passive‐wick devices previously have not properly corrected for flow divergence. Laboratory measurements supported predictions of a two‐dimensional (2‐D) numerical model, which showed that control of the collector height H and knowledge of soil hydraulic properties are required for improving divergence control, particularly at fluxes below 1000 mm yr−1. The water fluxmeter is simple in concept, is inexpensive, and has the capability of providing continuous and reliable monitoring of unsaturated water fluxes ranging from less than 1 mm yr−1 to more than 1000 mm yr−1.

  17. Physics of microstructures enhancement of thin film evaporation heat transfer in microchannels flow boiling

    PubMed Central

    Bigham, Sajjad; Fazeli, Abdolreza; Moghaddam, Saeed

    2017-01-01

    Performance enhancement of the two-phase flow boiling heat transfer process in microchannels through implementation of surface micro- and nanostructures has gained substantial interest in recent years. However, the reported results range widely from a decline to improvements in performance depending on the test conditions and fluid properties, without a consensus on the physical mechanisms responsible for the observed behavior. This gap in knowledge stems from a lack of understanding of the physics of surface structures interactions with microscale heat and mass transfer events involved in the microchannel flow boiling process. Here, using a novel measurement technique, the heat and mass transfer process is analyzed within surface structures with unprecedented detail. The local heat flux and dryout time scale are measured as the liquid wicks through surface structures and evaporates. The physics governing heat transfer enhancement on textured surfaces is explained by a deterministic model that involves three key parameters: the drying time scale of the liquid film wicking into the surface structures (τd), the heating length scale of the liquid film (δH) and the area fraction of the evaporating liquid film (Ar). It is shown that the model accurately predicts the optimum spacing between surface structures (i.e. pillars fabricated on the microchannel wall) in boiling of two fluids FC-72 and water with fundamentally different wicking characteristics. PMID:28303952

  18. Highly Absorbent Antibacterial Hemostatic Dressing for Healing Severe Hemorrhagic Wounds

    PubMed Central

    Li, Ting-Ting; Lou, Ching-Wen; Chen, An-Pang; Lee, Mong-Chuan; Ho, Tsing-Fen; Chen, Yueh-Sheng; Lin, Jia-Horng

    2016-01-01

    To accelerate healing of severe hemorrhagic wounds, a novel highly absorbent hemostatic dressing composed of a Tencel®/absorbent-cotton/polylactic acid nonwoven base and chitosan/nanosilver antibacterial agent was fabricated by using a nonwoven processing technique and a freeze-drying technique. This study is the first to investigate the wicking and water-absorbing properties of a nonwoven base by measuring the vertical wicking height and water absorption ratio. Moreover, blood agglutination and hemostatic second tests were conducted to evaluate the hemostatic performance of the resultant wound dressing. The blending ratio of fibers, areal weight, punching density, and fiber orientation, all significantly influenced the vertical moisture wicking property. However, only the first two parameters markedly affected the water absorption ratio. After the nonwoven base absorbed blood, scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation showed that erythrocytes were trapped between the fibrin/clot network and nonwoven fibers when coagulation pathways were activated. Prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) blood agglutination of the resultant dressing decreased to 14.34 and 50.94 s, respectively. In the femoral artery of the rate bleeding model, hemostatic time was saved by 87.2% compared with that of cotton cloth. Therefore, the resultant antibacterial wound dressing demonstrated greater water and blood absorption, as well as hemostatic performance, than the commercially available cotton cloth, especially for healing severe hemorrhagic wounds. PMID:28773912

  19. Frostbite

    MedlinePlus

    ... trapped between the layers of clothing acts as insulation against the cold. Wear windproof and waterproof outer ... liners that fit well, wick moisture and provide insulation. You might also try hand and foot warmers. ...

  20. NASA PEMFC Development Background and History

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hoberecht, Mark

    2011-01-01

    NASA has been developing proton-exchange-membrane (PEM) fuel cell power systems for the past decade, as an upgraded technology to the alkaline fuel cells which presently provide power for the Shuttle Orbiter. All fuel cell power systems consist of one or more fuel cell stacks in combination with appropriate balance-of-plant hardware. Traditional PEM fuel cells are characterized as flow-through, in which recirculating reactant streams remove product water from the fuel cell stack. NASA recently embarked on the development of non-flow-through fuel cell systems, in which reactants are dead-ended into the fuel cell stack and product water is removed by internal wicks. This simplifies the fuel cell power system by eliminating the need for pumps to provide reactant circulation, and mechanical water separators to remove the product water from the recirculating reactant streams. By eliminating these mechanical components, the resulting fuel cell power system has lower mass, volume, and parasitic power requirements, along with higher reliability and longer life. Four vendors have designed and fabricated non-flow-through fuel cell stacks under NASA funding. One of these vendors is considered the "baseline" vendor, and the remaining three vendors are competing for the "alternate" role. Each has undergone testing of their stack hardware integrated with a NASA balance-of-plant. Future Exploration applications for this hardware include primary fuel cells for a Lunar Lander and regenerative fuel cells for Surface Systems.

  1. Wicked Problem Solvers.

    PubMed

    Edmondson, Amy C

    2016-06-01

    Companies today increasingly rely on teams that span many industries for radical innovation, especially to solve "wicked problems." So leaders have to understand how to promote collaboration when roles are uncertain, goals are shifting, expertise and organizational cultures are varied, and participants have clashing or even antagonistic perspectives. HBS professor Amy Edmondson has studied more than a dozen cross-industry innovation projects, among them the creation of a new city, a mango supply-chain transformation, and the design and construction of leading-edge buildings. She has identified the leadership practices that make successful cross-industry teams work: fostering an adaptable vision, promoting psychological safety, enabling knowledge sharing, and encouraging collaborative innovation. Though these practices are broadly familiar, their application within cross-industry teams calls for unique leadership approaches that combine flexibility, open-mindedness, humility, and fierce resolve.

  2. User's Manual for HPTAM: a Two-Dimensional Heat Pipe Transient Analysis Model, Including the Startup from a Frozen State

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tournier, Jean-Michel; El-Genk, Mohamed S.

    1995-01-01

    This report describes the user's manual for 'HPTAM,' a two-dimensional Heat Pipe Transient Analysis Model. HPTAM is described in detail in the UNM-ISNPS-3-1995 report which accompanies the present manual. The model offers a menu that lists a number of working fluids and wall and wick materials from which the user can choose. HPTAM is capable of simulating the startup of heat pipes from either a fully-thawed or frozen condition of the working fluid in the wick structure. The manual includes instructions for installing and running HPTAM on either a UNIX, MS-DOS or VMS operating system. Samples for input and output files are also provided to help the user with the code.

  3. A Wicked Problem: Early Childhood Safety in the Dynamic, Interactive Environment of Home

    PubMed Central

    Simpson, Jean; Fougere, Geoff; McGee, Rob

    2013-01-01

    Young children being injured at home is a perennial problem. When parents of young children and family workers discussed what influenced parents’ perceptions and responses to child injury risk at home, both “upstream” and “downstream” causal factors were identified. Among the former, complex and interactive facets of society and contemporary living emerged as potentially critical features. The “wicked problems” model arose from the need to find resolutions for complex problems in multidimensional environments and it proved a useful analogy for child injury. Designing dynamic strategies to provide resolutions to childhood injury, may address our over-dependence on ‘tame solutions’ that only deal with physical cause-and-effect relationships and which cannot address the complex interactive contexts in which young children are often injured. PMID:23615453

  4. A dynamic wicking technique for determining the effective pore radius of pregelatinized starch sheets.

    PubMed

    Kalogianni, E P; Savopoulos, T; Karapantsios, T D; Raphaelides, S N

    2004-06-01

    A dynamic wicking technique is employed for the first time for the determination of the effective mean pore radius of a thin-layer porous food: drum dried pregelatinized starch sheets. The technique consists of measuring the penetration rate of various n-alkanes in the porous matrix of the starch sheets and using this data to calculate the effective pore radius via the Washburn equation. Pore sizes in the order of a few nanometers have been determined in the starch sheets depending on the drum dryer's operating variables (drum rotation speed, steam pressure and starch feed concentration). The conditions for the application of the technique in porous foods are discussed as compared to the conditions for single capillaries and inorganic porous material measured in other studies.

  5. Asymmetric finite size of ions and orientational ordering of water in electric double layer theory within lattice model.

    PubMed

    Gongadze, Ekaterina; Kralj-Iglic, Veronika; Iglic, Ales

    2018-06-25

    In the present short communication, a brief historical survey of the mean-field theoretical description of electric double layer (EDL) is presented. A special attention is devoted to asymmetric finite size of ions and orientational ordering of water dipoles. A model of Wicke and Eigen, who were first to explicitly derive the ion distribution functions for finite size of ions, is discussed. Arguments are given in favour of changing the recently adopted name of the mean-field EDL model for finite size of ions from Bikerman model to Bikerman-Wicke-Eigen model. Theoretically predicted asymmetric and symmetric camel-like shape of the voltage dependence of the differential capacitance is also discussed. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  6. Validation of paper-based assay for rapid blood typing.

    PubMed

    Al-Tamimi, Mohammad; Shen, Wei; Zeineddine, Rania; Tran, Huy; Garnier, Gil

    2012-02-07

    We developed and validated a new paper-based assay for the detection of human blood type. Our method involves spotting a 3 μL blood sample on a paper surface where grouping antibodies have already been introduced. A thin film chromatograph tank was used to chromatographically elute the blood spot with 0.9% NaCl buffer for 10 min by capillary absorption. Agglutinated red blood cells (RBCs) were fixed on the paper substrate, resulting in a high optical density of the spot, with no visual trace in the buffer wicking path. Conversely, nonagglutinated RBCs could easily be eluted by the buffer and had low optical density of the spot and clearly visible trace of RBCs in the buffer wicking path. Different paper substrates had comparable ability to fix agglutinated blood, while a more porous substrate like Kleenex paper had enhanced ability to elute nonagglutinated blood. Using optimized conditions, a rapid assay for detection of blood groups was developed by spotting blood to antibodies absorbed to paper and eluted with 200 μL of 0.9% NaCl buffer directly by pipetting. RBCs fixation on paper accurately detected blood groups (ABO and RhD) using ascending buffer for 10 min or using a rapid elution step in 100/100 blood samples including 4 weak AB and 4 weak RhD samples. The assay has excellent reproducibility where the same blood group was obtained in 26 samples assessed in 2 different days. Agglutinated blood fixation on porous paper substrate provides a new, simple, and sensitive assay for rapid detection of blood group for point-of-care applications. © 2011 American Chemical Society

  7. Detergent-Fearing Milk.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hill, Diane

    1997-01-01

    Describes an activity that demonstrates among the following: diffusion; cohesion and adhesion; properties of surface tension which include wicking, hydrophilic, and hydrophobic molecular behaviors; and break up of fat clusters by liquid dishwashing detergent. (DDR)

  8. Contributions to the initial development of a microelectromechanical loop heat pipe, which is based on coherent porous silicon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cytrynowicz, Debra G.

    The research project itself was the initiation of the development of a planar miniature loop heat pipe based on a capillary wick structure made of coherent porous silicon. Work on this project fell into four main categories, which were component fabrication, test system construction, characterization testing and test data collection, performance analysis and thermal modeling. Component fabrication involved the production of various components for the evaporator. When applicable, these components were to be produced by microelectronic and MEMS or microelectromechanical fabrication techniques. Required work involved analyses and, where necessary, modifications to the wafer processing sequence, the photo-electrochemical etching process, system and controlling computer program to make it more reliable, flexible and efficient. The development of more than one wick production process was also extremely necessary in the event of equipment failure. Work on developing this alternative also involved investigations into various details of the photo-electrochemical etching process itself. Test system construction involved the actual assembly of open and closed loop test systems. Characterization involved developing and administering a series of tests to evaluate the performance of the wicks and test systems. Although there were some indications that the devices were operating according to loop heat pipe theory, they were transient and unstable. Performance analysis involved the construction of a transparent evaporator, which enabled the visual observation of the phenomena, which occurred in the evaporator during operation. It also involved investigating the effect of the quartz wool secondary wick on the operation of the device. Observations made during the visualization study indicated that the capillary and boiling limits were being reached at extremely low values of input power. The work was performed in a collaborative effort between the Biomedical Nanotechnology Research Laboratory at the University of Toledo, the Center for Microelectronics and Sensors and MEMS at the University of Cincinnati and the Thermo-Mechanical Systems Branch of the Power and On-Board Propulsion Division at the John H. Glenn Research Center of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in Cleveland, Ohio. Work on the project produced six publications, which presented various details on component fabrication, tests system construction and characterization and thermal modeling.

  9. Space Station Freedom NiH2 cell testing program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Moore, Bruce; Frate, Dave

    1994-01-01

    Testing for the Space Station Freedom Nickel Hydrogen Cell Test Program began in 1990 at Crave Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center. The program has included receipt inspection, random vibration, acceptance, characterization, and life cycle testing of Ni-H2 cells in accordance with the NASA LeRC Interagency Order C-31001-J. A total of 400 Ni-H2 cells have been received at NAVSURFWARCENDIV Crane from three separate manufacturers; Yardney Technical Products (Yardney), Eagle Picher Industries (Eagle Picher), and Gates Energy Products (Gates). Of those, 308 cells distributed among 39 packs have undergone life cycle testing under a test regime simulating low earth orbit conditions. As of 30 September 1993, there are 252 cells assembled into 32 packs still on life cycle test. Since the beginning of the program, failed cells have been detected in all phases of testing. The failures include the following; seven 65 AmpHr and 81 AmpHr Yardney cells were found to be leaking KOH on receipt, one 65 AmpHr Eagle Picher cell failed the acceptance test, one 65 AmpHr Gates cell failed during the characterization test, and six 65 AmpHr Gates cells failed the random vibration test. Of the 39 life cycle packs, testing on seven packs, 56 cells, has been suspended because of low end of discharge voltages. All of the failed life cycle packs were cycled at 60% depth of discharge.

  10. Humidifiers: Air Moisture Eases Skin, Breathing Symptoms

    MedlinePlus

    ... fan to blow air through a wet wick, filter or belt. Steam vaporizers use electricity to create ... help dry out damp basements. Dirty reservoirs and filters in humidifiers can quickly breed bacteria and mold. ...

  11. Testing of a high capacity research heat pipe

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1982-01-01

    Tests were performed on a high-capacity channel-wick heat pipe to assess the transport limitations of v-grooves and the effects of boiling. The results showed that transport can vary significantly (less than 50 W) under similar conditions and the continuous boiling was observed at power levels as low as 40 W. In addition, some evidence was found to support the predictions using a groove transport model which shows that transport increases with lower groove densities and longer evaporators. However, due to transport variations, these results were not consistent throughout the program. When a glass fiber wick was installed over the grooves, a relatively low transport level was achieved (80 to 140 W). Based on these results and the identification of some potential causes for them, several design suggestions were recommended for reducing the possibility of boiling and improving groove transport.

  12. Evaporation effect on two-dimensional wicking in porous media.

    PubMed

    Benner, Eric M; Petsev, Dimiter N

    2018-03-15

    We analyze the effect of evaporation on expanding capillary flow for losses normal to the plane of a two-dimensional porous medium using the potential flow theory formulation of the Lucas-Washburn method. Evaporation induces a finite steady state liquid flux on capillary flows into fan-shaped domains which is significantly greater than the flux into media of constant cross section. We introduce the evaporation-capillary number, a new dimensionless quantity, which governs the frontal motion when multiplied by the scaled time. This governing product divides the wicking behavior into simple regimes of capillary dominated flow and evaporative steady state, as well as the intermediate regime of evaporation influenced capillary driven motion. We also show flow dimensionality and evaporation reduce the propagation rate of the wet front relative to the Lucas-Washburn law. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Optimizing "self-wicking" nanowire grids.

    PubMed

    Wei, Hui; Dandey, Venkata P; Zhang, Zhening; Raczkowski, Ashleigh; Rice, Willam J; Carragher, Bridget; Potter, Clinton S

    2018-05-01

    We have developed a self-blotting TEM grid for use with a novel instrument for vitrifying samples for cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM). Nanowires are grown on the copper surface of the grid using a simple chemical reaction and the opposite smooth side is used to adhere to a holey sample substrate support, for example carbon or gold. When small volumes of sample are applied to the nanowire grids the wires effectively act as blotting paper to rapidly wick away the liquid, leaving behind a thin film. In this technical note, we present a detailed description of how we make these grids using a variety of substrates fenestrated with either lacey or regularly spaced holes. We explain how we characterize the quality of the grids and we describe their behavior under a variety of conditions. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. New technique for installing screen wicking into Inconel 718 heat pipe

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Giriunas, Julius A.; Watson, Gordon K.; Tower, Leonard K.

    1993-01-01

    The creep behavior of superalloys, including Inconel 718, in the presence of liquid sodium is not yet known. To study this problem, the NASA Lewis Research Center has initiated a program with the Energy Technology Engineering Center (ETEC) of Rockwell International Corporation to fill with sodium and creep-test three small cylindrical heat pipes of Inconel 718 for a period of 1000 hours each. This report documents the design and the construction methods that were used at NASA Lewis to fabricate these heat pipes. Of particular importance in the heat pipe construction was the installation of the screen wicking by using an expandable mandrel and differential thermal expansion. This installation technique differs from anything known to have been reported in the heat pipe literature and may be of interest to other workers in the heat pipe field.

  15. Global symmetries and renormalizability of Lee-Wick theories

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Chivukula, R. Sekhar; Farzinnia, Arsham; Foadi, Roshan

    2010-08-01

    In this paper we discuss the global symmetries and the renormalizability of Lee-Wick (LW) scalar QED. In particular, in the ''auxiliary-field'' formalism we identify softly broken SO(1,1) global symmetries of the theory. We introduce SO(1,1) invariant gauge-fixing conditions that allow us to show in the auxiliary-field formalism directly that the number of superficially divergent amplitudes in a LW Abelian gauge theory is finite. To illustrate the renormalizability of the theory, we explicitly carry out the one-loop renormalization program in LW scalar QED and demonstrate how the counterterms required are constrained by the joint conditions of gauge and SO(1,1) invariance. Wemore » also compute the one-loop beta functions in LW scalar QED and contrast them with those of ordinary scalar QED.« less

  16. Lee-Wick black holes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bambi, Cosimo; Modesto, Leonardo; Wang, Yixu

    2017-01-01

    We derive and study an approximate static vacuum solution generated by a point-like source in a higher derivative gravitational theory with a pair of complex conjugate ghosts. The gravitational theory is local and characterized by a high derivative operator compatible with Lee-Wick unitarity. In particular, the tree-level two-point function only shows a pair of complex conjugate poles besides the massless spin two graviton. We show that singularity-free black holes exist when the mass of the source M exceeds a critical value Mcrit. For M >Mcrit the spacetime structure is characterized by an outer event horizon and an inner Cauchy horizon, while for M =Mcrit we have an extremal black hole with vanishing Hawking temperature. The evaporation process leads to a remnant that approaches the zero-temperature extremal black hole state in an infinite amount of time.

  17. Characterization of a high performance ultra-thin heat pipe cooling module for mobile hand held electronic devices

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ahamed, Mohammad Shahed; Saito, Yuji; Mashiko, Koichi; Mochizuki, Masataka

    2017-11-01

    In recent years, heat pipes have been widely used in various hand held mobile electronic devices such as smart phones, tablet PCs, digital cameras. With the development of technology these devices have different user friendly features and applications; which require very high clock speeds of the processor. In general, a high clock speed generates a lot of heat, which needs to be spreaded or removed to eliminate the hot spot on the processor surface. However, it is a challenging task to achieve proper cooling of such electronic devices mentioned above because of their confined spaces and concentrated heat sources. Regarding this challenge, we introduced an ultra-thin heat pipe; this heat pipe consists of a special fiber wick structure named as "Center Fiber Wick" which can provide sufficient vapor space on the both sides of the wick structure. We also developed a cooling module that uses this kind of ultra-thin heat pipe to eliminate the hot spot issue. This cooling module consists of an ultra-thin heat pipe and a metal plate. By changing the width, the flattened thickness and the effective length of the ultra-thin heat pipe, several experiments have been conducted to characterize the thermal properties of the developed cooling module. In addition, other experiments were also conducted to determine the effects of changes in the number of heat pipes in a single module. Characterization and comparison of the module have also been conducted both experimentally and theoretically.

  18. Micro/Nano-Scale Phase Change Systems for Thermal Management and Solar Energy Conversion Applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Coso, Dusan

    The first part of the dissertation presents a study that implements micro and nano scale engineered surfaces for enhancement of evaporation and boiling phase change heat transfer in both capillary wick structures and pool boiling systems. Capillary wicking surfaces are integral components of heat pipes and vapor chamber thermal spreaders often used for thermal management of microelectronic devices. In addition, pool boiling systems can be encountered in immersion cooling systems which are becoming more commonly investigated for thermal management applications of microelectronic devices and even data centers. The latent heat associated with the change of state from liquid to vapor, and the small temperature differences required to drive this process yield great heat transfer characteristics. Additionally, since no external energy is required to drive the phase change process, these systems are great for portable devices and favorable for reduction of cost and energy consumption over alternate thermal management technologies. Most state of the art capillary wicks used in these devices are typically constructed from sintered copper media. These porous structures yield high surface areas of thin liquid film where evaporation occurs, thus promoting phase change heat transfer. However, thermal interfaces at particle point contacts formed during the sintering process and complex liquid/vapor flow within these wick structures yield high thermal and liquid flow resistances and limit the maximum heat flux they can dissipate. In capillary wicks the maximum heat flux is typically governed by the capillary or boiling limits and engineering surfaces that delay these limitations and yield structures with large surface areas of thin liquid film where phase change heat transfer is promoted is highly desired. In this study, biporous media consisting of microscale pin fins separated by microchannels are examined as candidate structures for the evaporator wick of a vapor chamber heat pipe. Smaller pores are used to generate high capillary suction, while larger microchannels are used to alleviate flow resistance. The heat transfer coefficient is found to depend on the area coverage of a liquid film with thickness on the order of a few microns near the meniscus of the triple phase contact line. We manipulate the area coverage and film thickness by varying the surface area-to-volume ratio through the use of microstructuring. In some samples, a transition from evaporative heat transfer to nucleate boiling is observed. While it is difficult to identify when the transition occurs, one can identify regimes where evaporation dominates over nucleate boiling and vice versa. Heat fluxes of 277.0 (+/- 9.7) W/cm2 can be dissipated by wicks with heaters of area 1 cm2, while heat fluxes up to 733.1 (+/- 103.4) W/cm2 can be dissipated by wicks with smaller heaters intended to simulate local hot-spots. In pool boiling systems that are encountered in immersion cooling applications, the heat transfer coefficient (HTC) is governed by the bubble nucleation site density and the agitation in the liquid/vapor flow these bubbles produce when they detach from the surface. The nucleation site density and release rate is usually determined by the surface morphology. Another important parameter in pool boiling systems is the maximum heat flux (CHF) that can safely be dissipated. In practice, this quantity is about two orders of magnitude smaller than limitations suggested by kinetic theory. For essentially infinite, smooth, well wetted surfaces, hydrodynamic instability theories capturing liquid/vapor interactions away from the heated surface have been successful in predicting CHF. On finite micro and nano structured surfaces where applying the hydrodynamic theory formulation is not easily justified, other effects may contribute to phase change heat transfer characteristics. Here, we also present a pool boiling study on biporous microstructured surfaces used in capillary wick experiments. Structures are manipulated by reduction of pore size to determine if increased capillary pressure can enhance rewetting from heater edges and delay CHF. A comparative study between the two experimental systems indicates that while the capillary limitation is significant in capillary wick experiments, for these well wetted microstructured surfaces used in pool boiling systems the hydrodynamic limitation defined based on heater size causes the occurrence of CHF. Other hierarchical nanowire surfaces containing periodic microscale cavities are investigated as well and are seen to yield a ˜2.4 fold increase in heat transfer coefficient characteristics while not compromising CHF compared to surfaces where cavities are not present. These studies indicate pathways for enhancement of heat transfer coefficient via implementing hierarchical structures, while no clear method in increasing CHF is determined for finite size surfaces of various morphologies. In the second part of this dissertation, solar energy storage is sought in 'phase change' of photochromic molecular systems: the storage of solar energy in the chemical bonds of photosensitive molecules (a photochemical reaction) and subsequent recovery of the energy in a back reaction in the form of heat, reversibly. These molecular systems are interesting alternatives to photovoltaic and solar thermal technologies which cannot satisfy the needs of load leveling, or for portable municipal heating applications. Typically made of organic compounds, these molecules have become known for rapid decomposition, short energy storage time scales and poor energy storing efficiencies. Thus, they have been abandoned as practical solar energy storage systems in the past several decades. On the other hand, organometallic molecular systems have not been extensively probed for these applications. Recent research has indicated that organometallic (fulvalene)diruthenium FvRu2 has demonstrated excellent energy storage characteristic and durability. Here, we report on a full cycle molecular solar thermal (MOST) microfluidic system based on a bis(1,1-dimethyltridecyl) substituted derivative of FvRu2 that allows for long term solar energy storage (110 J/g), and "on demand" energy release upon exposure to a catalyst. The microfluidic systems developed here are excellent for photoconversion characterization and scrutinizing potential catalysts and can be extended to studying many other molecular systems. The objective of the work presented here is to demonstrate that "on demand" solar energy storage and release in MOST systems is viable and motivate future research on other photochromic organometallic systems.

  19. Understanding thread properties for red blood cell antigen assays: weak ABO blood typing.

    PubMed

    Nilghaz, Azadeh; Zhang, Liyuan; Li, Miaosi; Ballerini, David R; Shen, Wei

    2014-12-24

    "Thread-based microfluidics" research has so far focused on utilizing and manipulating the wicking properties of threads to form controllable microfluidic channels. In this study we aim to understand the separation properties of threads, which are important to their microfluidic detection applications for blood analysis. Confocal microscopy was utilized to investigate the effect of the microscale surface morphologies of fibers on the thread's separation efficiency of red blood cells. We demonstrated the remarkably different separation properties of threads made using silk and cotton fibers. Thread separation properties dominate the clarity of blood typing assays of the ABO groups and some of their weak subgroups (Ax and A3). The microfluidic thread-based analytical devices (μTADs) designed in this work were used to accurately type different blood samples, including 89 normal ABO and 6 weak A subgroups. By selecting thread with the right surface morphology, we were able to build μTADs capable of providing rapid and accurate typing of the weak blood groups with high clarity.

  20. Capillarity-induced folds fuel extreme shape changes in thin wicked membranes.

    PubMed

    Grandgeorge, Paul; Krins, Natacha; Hourlier-Fargette, Aurélie; Laberty-Robert, Christel; Neukirch, Sébastien; Antkowiak, Arnaud

    2018-04-20

    Soft deformable materials are needed for applications such as stretchable electronics, smart textiles, or soft biomedical devices. However, the design of a durable, cost-effective, or biologically compatible version of such a material remains challenging. Living animal cells routinely cope with extreme deformations by unfolding preformed membrane reservoirs available in the form of microvilli or membrane folds. We synthetically mimicked this behavior by creating nanofibrous liquid-infused tissues that spontaneously form similar reservoirs through capillarity-induced folding. By understanding the physics of membrane buckling within the liquid film, we developed proof-of-concept conformable chemical surface treatments and stretchable basic electronic circuits. Copyright © 2018 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.

  1. Changes in HIV-1 subtypes B and C genital tract RNA in women and men after initiation of antiretroviral therapy.

    PubMed

    Fiscus, Susan A; Cu-Uvin, Susan; Eshete, Abel Tilahun; Hughes, Michael D; Bao, Yajing; Hosseinipour, Mina; Grinsztejn, Beatriz; Badal-Faesen, Sharlaa; Dragavon, Joan; Coombs, Robert W; Braun, Ken; Moran, Laura; Hakim, James; Flanigan, Timothy; Kumarasamy, N; Campbell, Thomas B

    2013-07-01

    Combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) reduces genital tract human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) load and reduces the risk of sexual transmission, but little is known about the efficacy of cART for decreasing genital tract viral load (GTVL) and differences in sex or HIV-1 subtype. HIV-1 RNA from blood plasma, seminal plasma, or cervical wicks was quantified at baseline and at weeks 48 and 96 after entry in a randomized clinical trial of 3 cART regimens. One hundred fifty-eight men and 170 women from 7 countries were studied (men: 55% subtype B and 45% subtype C; women: 24% subtype B and 76% subtype C). Despite similar baseline CD4(+) cell counts and blood plasma viral loads, women with subtype C had the highest GTVL (median, 5.1 log10 copies/mL) compared to women with subtype B and men with subtype C or B (4.0, 4.0, and 3.8 log10 copies/mL, respectively; P < .001). The proportion of participants with a GTVL below the lower limit of quantification (LLQ) at week 48 (90%) and week 96 (90%) was increased compared to baseline (16%; P < .001 at both times). Women were significantly less likely to have GTVL below the LLQ compared to men (84% vs 94% at week 48, P = .006; 84% vs 97% at week 96, P = .002), despite a more sensitive assay for seminal plasma than for cervical wicks. No difference in GTVL response across the 3 cART regimens was detected. The female genital tract may serve as a reservoir of persistent HIV-1 replication during cART and affect the use of cART to prevent sexual and perinatal transmission of HIV-1.

  2. Using Structured e-Forum to Support the Legislation Formation Process

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xenakis, Alexandros; Loukis, Euripides

    Many public policy problems are 'wicked', being characterised by high complexity, many heterogeneous views and conflicts among various stakeholders, and also lack of mathematically 'optimal' solutions and predefined algorithms for calculating them. The best approach for addressing such problems is through consultation and argumentation among stakeholders. The e-participation research has investigated and suggested several ICT tools for this purpose, such as e-forum, e-petition and e-community tools. This paper investigates the use of an advanced ICT tool, the structured e-forum, for addressing such wicked problems associated with the legislation formation. For this purpose we designed, implemented and evaluated two pilot e-consultations on legislation under formation in the Parliaments of Austria and Greece using a structured e-forum tool based on the Issue Based Information Systems (IBIS) framework. The conclusions drawn reveal the advantages offered by the structured e-forum, but also its difficulties as well.

  3. Wicked problems: a value chain approach from Vietnam's dairy product.

    PubMed

    Khoi, Nguyen Viet

    2013-12-01

    In the past few years, dairy industry has become one of the fastest growing sectors in the packaged food industry of Vietnam. However, the value-added creation among different activities in the value chain of Vietnam dairy sector is distributed unequally. In the production activities, the dairy farmers gain low value-added rate due to high input cost. Whereas the processing activities, which managed by big companies, generates high profitability and Vietnamese consumers seem to have few choices due to the lack of dairy companies in the market. These wicked problems caused an unsustainable development to the dairy value chain of Vietnam. This paper, therefore, will map and analyze the value chain of the dairy industry in Vietnam. It will also assess the value created in each activity in order to imply solutions for a sustainable development of Vietnam's dairy industry. M10, M11.

  4. NASA Lewis Steady-State Heat Pipe Code Architecture

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mi, Ye; Tower, Leonard K.

    2013-01-01

    NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) has developed the LERCHP code. The PC-based LERCHP code can be used to predict the steady-state performance of heat pipes, including the determination of operating temperature and operating limits which might be encountered under specified conditions. The code contains a vapor flow algorithm which incorporates vapor compressibility and axially varying heat input. For the liquid flow in the wick, Darcy s formula is employed. Thermal boundary conditions and geometric structures can be defined through an interactive input interface. A variety of fluid and material options as well as user defined options can be chosen for the working fluid, wick, and pipe materials. This report documents the current effort at GRC to update the LERCHP code for operating in a Microsoft Windows (Microsoft Corporation) environment. A detailed analysis of the model is presented. The programming architecture for the numerical calculations is explained and flowcharts of the key subroutines are given

  5. Centaur Propellant Thermal Conditioning Study

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Blatt, M. H.; Pleasant, R. L.; Erickson, R. C.

    1976-01-01

    A wicking investigation revealed that passive thermal conditioning was feasible and provided considerable weight advantage over active systems using throttled vent fluid in a Centaur D-1s launch vehicle. Experimental wicking correlations were obtained using empirical revisions to the analytical flow model. Thermal subcoolers were evaluated parametrically as a function of tank pressure and NPSP. Results showed that the RL10 category I engine was the best candidate for boost pump replacement and the option showing the lowest weight penalty employed passively cooled acquisition devices, thermal subcoolers, dry ducts between burns and pumping of subcooler coolant back into the tank. A mixing correlation was identified for sizing the thermodynamic vent system mixer. Worst case mixing requirements were determined by surveying Centaur D-1T, D-1S, IUS, and space tug vehicles. Vent system sizing was based upon worst case requirements. Thermodynamic vent system/mixer weights were determined for each vehicle.

  6. Drop Impingement on Highly Wetting Micro/Nano Porous Surfaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Buie, Cullen; Joung, Youngsoo

    2011-11-01

    Recently, we developed a novel fabrication method using a combination of electrophoretic deposition (EPD) and break down anodization (BDA) to achieve highly wetting nanoporous surfaces with microscale features. In this study we investigate droplet impingement behavior on these surfaces as a function of impact velocity, droplet size, and liquid properties. We observe impingement modes we denote as ``necking'' (droplet breaks before full penetration in the porous surface), ``spreading'' (continuous wicking into the porous surface), and ``jetting'' (jets of liquid emanate from the edges of the wicking liquid). To predict the droplet impingement modes, we've developed a non-dimensional parameter that is a function of droplet velocity, dynamic viscosity, effective pore radius and contact angle. The novel dimensionless parameter successfully predicts drop impingement modes across multiple fluids. Results of this study will inform the design of spray impingement cooling systems for electronics applications where the ``spreading'' mode is preferred.

  7. Heat pipe heat rejection system and demonstration model for the nuclear electric propulsion (NEP) spacecraft

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ernst, D. M.

    1981-01-01

    The critical evaluation and subsequent redesign of the power conversion subsystem of the spacecraft are covered. As part of that evaluation and redesign, prototype heat pipe components for the heat rejection system were designed fabricated and tested. Based on the results of these tests in conjunction with changing mission requirements and changing energy conversion devices, new system designs were investigated. The initial evaluation and redesign was based on state-of-the-art fabrication and assembly techniques for high temperature liquid metal heat pipes and energy conversion devices. The hardware evaluation demonstrated the validity of several complicated heat pipe geometries and wick structures, including an annular-to-circular transition, bends in the heat pipe, long heat pipe condensers and arterial wicks. Additionally, a heat pipe computer model was developed which describes the end point temperature profile of long radiator heat pipes to within several degrees celsius.

  8. Carbon Nanotube Bonding Strength Enhancement Using Metal "Wicking" Process

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lamb, James L.; Dickie, Matthew R.; Kowalczyk, Robert S.; Liao, Anna; Bronikowski, Michael J.

    2012-01-01

    Carbon nanotubes grown from a surface typically have poor bonding strength at the interface. A process has been developed for adding a metal coat to the surface of carbon nano tubes (CNTs) through a wicking process, which could lead to an enhanced bonding strength at the interface. This process involves merging CNTs with indium as a bump-bonding enhancement. Classical capillary theory would not normally allow materials that do not wet carbon or graphite to be drawn into the spacings by capillary action because the contact angle is greater than 90 degrees. However, capillary action can be induced through JPL's ability to fabricate oriented CNT bundles to desired spacings, and through the use of deposition techniques and temperature to control the size and mobility of the liquid metal streams and associated reservoirs. A reflow and plasma cleaning process has also been developed and demonstrated to remove indium oxide, and to obtain smooth coatings on the CNT bundles.

  9. Assessing and managing stressors in a changing marine environment.

    PubMed

    Chapman, Peter M

    2017-11-30

    We are facing a dynamic future in the face of multiple stressors acting individually and in combination: climate change; habitat change/loss; overfishing; invasive species; harmful algal blooms/eutrophication; and, chemical contaminants. Historic assessment and management approaches will be inadequate for addressing risks from climate change and other stressors. Wicked problems (non-linear, complex, competing risks and benefits, not easily solvable), will become increasingly common. We are facing irreversible changes to our planetary living conditions. Agreed protection goals and considering both the negatives (risks) and the positives (benefits) of all any and all actions are required, as is judicious and appropriate use of the Precautionary Principle. Researchers and managers need to focus on: determining tipping points (alternative stable points); maintaining ecosystem services; and, managing competing ecosystem services. Marine (and other) scientists are urged to focus their research on wicked problems to allow for informed decision-making on a planetary basis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. A continuous perfusion microplate for cell culture.

    PubMed

    Goral, Vasiliy N; Zhou, Chunfeng; Lai, Fang; Yuen, Po Ki

    2013-03-21

    We describe a 96-well microplate with fluidically connected wells that enables the continuous fluid perfusion between wells without the need for external pumping. A single unit in such a perfusion microplate consists of three wells: a source well, a sample (cell culture) well in the middle and a waste well. Fluid perfusion is achieved using a combination of the hydrostatic pressure generated by different liquid levels in the wells and the fluid wicking through narrow strips of a cellulose membrane connecting the wells. There is an excellent correspondence between the observed perfusion flow dynamics and the flow simulations based on Darcy's Law. Hepatocytes (C3A cells) cultured for 4 days in the perfusion microplate with no media exchange in the cell culture well had the same viability as hepatocytes exposed to a daily exchange of media. EOC 20 cells that require media conditioned by LADMAC cells were shown to be equally viable in the adjacent cell culture well of the perfusion microplate with LADMAC cells cultured in the source well. Tegafur, a prodrug, when added to primary human hepatocytes in the source well, was metabolized into a cytotoxic metabolite that kills colon cancer cells (HCT 116) cultured in the adjacent cell culture well; no toxicity was observed when only medium was in the source well. These results suggest that the perfusion microplate is a useful tool for a variety of cell culture applications with benefits ranging from labor savings to enabling in vivo-like toxicity studies.

  11. Does it always feel good to get what you want? Young children differentiate between material and wicked desires.

    PubMed

    Smith, Craig E; Warneken, Felix

    2014-03-01

    One line of research on children's attributions of guilt suggests that 3-year-olds attribute negative emotion to self-serving victimizers, slightly older children attribute happiness, and with increasing age, attributions become negative again (i.e., a three-step model; Yuill et al., 1996, Br. J. Dev. Psychol., 14, 457). Another line of research provides reason to expect that 3-year-olds may be predisposed to view self-serving moral transgression as leading to positive emotion; this is a linear developmental model in which emotion attributions to transgressors become increasingly negative over the course of childhood (e.g., Nunner-Winkler & Sodian, 1988, Child Dev., 59, 1323). However, key differences in methodology make it difficult to compare across these findings. The present study was designed to address this problem. We asked how 3- to 9-year-old children (n = 111) reason about transgression scenarios that involve satisfying wicked desires (wanting to cause harm and doing so successfully) versus material desires (wanting an object and getting it successfully via harmful behaviour). Three-year-old children reasoned differently about desire and emotion across these two types of transgressions, attributing negative emotion in the case of wicked desires and positive emotion in the case of material desires. This pattern of emotion attribution by young children provides new information about how young children process information about desires and emotions in the moral domain, and it bridges a gap in the existing literature on this topic. © 2013 The British Psychological Society.

  12. Gravitationally Driven Wicking for Enhanced Condensation Heat Transfer.

    PubMed

    Preston, Daniel J; Wilke, Kyle L; Lu, Zhengmao; Cruz, Samuel S; Zhao, Yajing; Becerra, Laura L; Wang, Evelyn N

    2018-04-17

    Vapor condensation is routinely used as an effective means of transferring heat or separating fluids. Filmwise condensation is prevalent in typical industrial-scale systems, where the condensed fluid forms a thin liquid film due to the high surface energy associated with many industrial materials. Conversely, dropwise condensation, where the condensate forms discrete liquid droplets which grow, coalesce, and shed, results in an improvement in heat transfer performance of an order of magnitude compared to filmwise condensation. However, current state-of-the-art dropwise technology relies on functional hydrophobic coatings, for example, long chain fatty acids or polymers, which are often not robust and therefore undesirable in industrial conditions. In addition, low surface tension fluid condensates, such as hydrocarbons, pose a unique challenge because common hydrophobic condenser coatings used to shed water (with a surface tension of 73 mN/m) often do not repel fluids with lower surface tensions (<25 mN/m). We demonstrate a method to enhance condensation heat transfer using gravitationally driven flow through a porous metal wick, which takes advantage of the condensate's affinity to wet the surface and also eliminates the need for condensate-phobic coatings. The condensate-filled wick has a lower thermal resistance than the fluid film observed during filmwise condensation, resulting in an improved heat transfer coefficient of up to an order of magnitude and comparable to that observed during dropwise condensation. The improved heat transfer realized by this design presents the opportunity for significant energy savings in natural gas processing, thermal management, heating and cooling, and power generation.

  13. Enabling and enacting 'practical action' in catchments: responding to the 'wicked problem' of nonpoint source pollution in coastal subtropical Australia.

    PubMed

    Patterson, James J; Smith, Carl; Bellamy, Jennifer

    2015-02-01

    Enabling and enacting 'practical action' (i.e., purposeful and concerted collective action) in catchments is a key challenge in responding to a wide range of pressing catchment and natural resource management (NRM) issues. It is particularly a challenge in responding to 'wicked problems,' where generating action is not straightforward and cannot be brought about solely by any single actor, policy or intervention. This paper responds to the critical need to better understand how practical action can be generated in catchments, by conducting an in-depth empirical case study of efforts to manage nonpoint source (NPS) pollution in South East Queensland (SEQ), Australia. SEQ has seen substantial concerted efforts to manage waterway and catchment issues over two decades, yet NPS pollution remains a major problem for waterway health. A novel framework was applied to empirically analyze practical action in three local catchment cases embedded within the broader SEQ region. The analysis focuses on 'enabling capacities' underpinning practical action in catchments. Findings reveal that capacities manifested in different ways in different cases, yet many commonalities also occurred across cases. Interplay between capacities was critical to the emergence of adaptive and contextual forms of practical action in all cases. These findings imply that in order to enable and enact practical action in catchments, it is vital to recognize and support a diversity of enabling capacities across both local and regional levels of decision making and action. This is likely to have relevance for other 'wicked' catchment and NRM problems requiring local responses within broader multiscalar regional problem situations.

  14. Heat pipe dynamic behavior

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Issacci, F.; Roche, G. L.; Klein, D. B.; Catton, I.

    1988-01-01

    The vapor flow in a heat pipe was mathematically modeled and the equations governing the transient behavior of the core were solved numerically. The modeled vapor flow is transient, axisymmetric (or two-dimensional) compressible viscous flow in a closed chamber. The two methods of solution are described. The more promising method failed (a mixed Galerkin finite difference method) whereas a more common finite difference method was successful. Preliminary results are presented showing that multi-dimensional flows need to be treated. A model of the liquid phase of a high temperature heat pipe was developed. The model is intended to be coupled to a vapor phase model for the complete solution of the heat pipe problem. The mathematical equations are formulated consistent with physical processes while allowing a computationally efficient solution. The model simulates time dependent characteristics of concern to the liquid phase including input phase change, output heat fluxes, liquid temperatures, container temperatures, liquid velocities, and liquid pressure. Preliminary results were obtained for two heat pipe startup cases. The heat pipe studied used lithium as the working fluid and an annular wick configuration. Recommendations for implementation based on the results obtained are presented. Experimental studies were initiated using a rectangular heat pipe. Both twin beam laser holography and laser Doppler anemometry were investigated. Preliminary experiments were completed and results are reported.

  15. Measurement of heating coil temperature for e-cigarettes with a "top-coil" clearomizer.

    PubMed

    Chen, Wenhao; Wang, Ping; Ito, Kazuhide; Fowles, Jeff; Shusterman, Dennis; Jaques, Peter A; Kumagai, Kazukiyo

    2018-01-01

    To determine the effect of applied power settings, coil wetness conditions, and e-liquid compositions on the coil heating temperature for e-cigarettes with a "top-coil" clearomizer, and to make associations of coil conditions with emission of toxic carbonyl compounds by combining results herein with the literature. The coil temperature of a second generation e-cigarette was measured at various applied power levels, coil conditions, and e-liquid compositions, including (1) measurements by thermocouple at three e-liquid fill levels (dry, wet-through-wick, and full-wet), three coil resistances (low, standard, and high), and four voltage settings (3-6 V) for multiple coils using propylene glycol (PG) as a test liquid; (2) measurements by thermocouple at additional degrees of coil wetness for a high resistance coil using PG; and (3) measurements by both thermocouple and infrared (IR) camera for high resistance coils using PG alone and a 1:1 (wt/wt) mixture of PG and glycerol (PG/GL). For single point thermocouple measurements with PG, coil temperatures ranged from 322 ‒ 1008°C, 145 ‒ 334°C, and 110 ‒ 185°C under dry, wet-through-wick, and full-wet conditions, respectively, for the total of 13 replaceable coil heads. For conditions measured with both a thermocouple and an IR camera, all thermocouple measurements were between the minimum and maximum across-coil IR camera measurements and equal to 74% ‒ 115% of the across-coil mean, depending on test conditions. The IR camera showed details of the non-uniform temperature distribution across heating coils. The large temperature variations under wet-through-wick conditions may explain the large variations in formaldehyde formation rate reported in the literature for such "top-coil" clearomizers. This study established a simple and straight-forward protocol to systematically measure e-cigarette coil heating temperature under dry, wet-through-wick, and full-wet conditions. In addition to applied power, the composition of e-liquid, and the devices' ability to efficiently deliver e-liquid to the heating coil are important product design factors effecting coil operating temperature. Precautionary temperature checks on e-cigarettes under manufacturer-recommended normal use conditions may help to reduce the health risks from exposure to toxic carbonyl emissions associated with coil overheating.

  16. Measurement of heating coil temperature for e-cigarettes with a “top-coil” clearomizer

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Ping; Ito, Kazuhide; Fowles, Jeff; Shusterman, Dennis; Jaques, Peter A.; Kumagai, Kazukiyo

    2018-01-01

    Objectives To determine the effect of applied power settings, coil wetness conditions, and e-liquid compositions on the coil heating temperature for e-cigarettes with a “top-coil” clearomizer, and to make associations of coil conditions with emission of toxic carbonyl compounds by combining results herein with the literature. Methods The coil temperature of a second generation e-cigarette was measured at various applied power levels, coil conditions, and e-liquid compositions, including (1) measurements by thermocouple at three e-liquid fill levels (dry, wet-through-wick, and full-wet), three coil resistances (low, standard, and high), and four voltage settings (3–6 V) for multiple coils using propylene glycol (PG) as a test liquid; (2) measurements by thermocouple at additional degrees of coil wetness for a high resistance coil using PG; and (3) measurements by both thermocouple and infrared (IR) camera for high resistance coils using PG alone and a 1:1 (wt/wt) mixture of PG and glycerol (PG/GL). Results For single point thermocouple measurements with PG, coil temperatures ranged from 322 ‒ 1008°C, 145 ‒ 334°C, and 110 ‒ 185°C under dry, wet-through-wick, and full-wet conditions, respectively, for the total of 13 replaceable coil heads. For conditions measured with both a thermocouple and an IR camera, all thermocouple measurements were between the minimum and maximum across-coil IR camera measurements and equal to 74% ‒ 115% of the across-coil mean, depending on test conditions. The IR camera showed details of the non-uniform temperature distribution across heating coils. The large temperature variations under wet-through-wick conditions may explain the large variations in formaldehyde formation rate reported in the literature for such “top-coil” clearomizers. Conclusions This study established a simple and straight-forward protocol to systematically measure e-cigarette coil heating temperature under dry, wet-through-wick, and full-wet conditions. In addition to applied power, the composition of e-liquid, and the devices’ ability to efficiently deliver e-liquid to the heating coil are important product design factors effecting coil operating temperature. Precautionary temperature checks on e-cigarettes under manufacturer-recommended normal use conditions may help to reduce the health risks from exposure to toxic carbonyl emissions associated with coil overheating. PMID:29672571

  17. Reduction in wick drain effectiveness with spacing for Utah silts and clays.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2012-04-01

    Although decreasing the spacing of vertical drains usually decreases the time for consolidation, previous field tests have shown that there is a critical drain spacing for which tighter spacing does not decrease the time for consolidation. This...

  18. A bio-wicking system to mitigate capillary water in base course : final project report.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2016-11-01

    Water within pavement layers is the major cause of pavement deteriorations. High water content results in significant reduction in soils resilient behavior and increase in permanent deformation. Conventional drainage systems can only drain gravity...

  19. Operational Evaluation of the Root Modules of the Advanced Plant Habitat

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Monje, O.

    2014-01-01

    Photosynthetic and growth data were collected on APH Root Module. Described Stand pipe system for active moisture control. Tested germination in wicks. Evaluated EC-5 moisture sensors. Demonstrated that Wheat plants can grow in the APH Root Module.

  20. Failed CTL/NK cell killing and cytokine hypersecretion are directly linked through prolonged synapse time

    PubMed Central

    Rudd-Schmidt, Jesse A.; Lopez, Jamie A.; Ramsbottom, Kelly M.; Mannering, Stuart I.; Andrews, Daniel M.; Voskoboinik, Ilia

    2015-01-01

    Failure of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) or natural killer (NK) cells to kill target cells by perforin (Prf)/granzyme (Gzm)-induced apoptosis causes severe immune dysregulation. In familial hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, Prf-deficient infants suffer a fatal “cytokine storm” resulting from macrophage overactivation, but the link to failed target cell death is not understood. We show that prolonged target cell survival greatly amplifies the quanta of inflammatory cytokines secreted by CTLs/NK cells and that interferon-γ (IFN-γ) directly invokes the activation and secondary overproduction of proinflammatory IL-6 from naive macrophages. Furthermore, using live cell microscopy to visualize hundreds of synapses formed between wild-type, Prf-null, or GzmA/B-null CTLs/NK cells and their targets in real time, we show that hypersecretion of IL-2, TNF, IFN-γ, and various chemokines is linked to failed disengagement of Prf- or Gzm-deficient lymphocytes from their targets, with mean synapse time increased fivefold, from ∼8 to >40 min. Surprisingly, the signal for detachment arose from the dying target cell and was caspase dependent, as delaying target cell death with various forms of caspase blockade also prevented their disengagement from fully competent CTLs/NK cells and caused cytokine hypersecretion. Our findings provide the cellular mechanism through which failed killing by lymphocytes causes systemic inflammation involving recruitment and activation of myeloid cells. PMID:25732304

  1. Research highlights: increasing paper possibilities.

    PubMed

    Wu, Chueh-Yu; Adeyiga, Oladunni; Lin, Jonathan; Di Carlo, Dino

    2014-09-07

    In this issue we highlight three recent papers that demonstrate new strategies to extend the capabilities of paper microfluidics. Paper (a mesh of porous fibers) has a long history as a substrate to perform biomolecular assays. Traditional lateral flow immunoassays (LFAs) are widely used for rapid diagnostic tests, and perform well when a yes or no answer is required and the analyte of interest is at relatively high concentrations. High concentrations are required because usually only a small volume of analyte-containing fluid flows past the detection region, leading to a limited signal. Further, the small pores within paper matrices prevent the use of paper to control the flow of larger particles and cells, limiting the use of paper microfluidics for cell-based diagnostics. The work we highlight addresses these important unmet challenges in paper microfluidics: enriching low concentration analytes to a higher concentration in a smaller volume that can be processed effectively, and using paper to pump flows in larger channels amenable to cells. Applying these new approaches may allow diagnosis of disease states currently technically unachievable using current LFA systems, while maintaining many of the "un-instrumented" advantages of an assay on self-wicking paper.

  2. Reinforced-soil embankment on soft foundation.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2001-01-01

    A section of I-670 in Columbus, OH, constructed during 1997-1998, includes a 33 ft. (l0 m) high embankment over a deposit of very soft sludge. The design used geosynthetics for reinforcement of the embankment and wick drains to accelerate the consoli...

  3. Software for Scientists Facing Wicked Problems: Lessons from the VISTAS Project

    EPA Science Inventory

    The Visualization for Terrestrial and Aquatic Systems project (VISTAS) aims to help scientists produce effective environmental science visualizations for their own use and for use in presenting their work to a wide range of stakeholders (including other scientists, decision maker...

  4. Tungsten-yttria carbide coating for conveying copper

    DOEpatents

    Rothman, Albert J.

    1993-01-01

    A method is provided for providing a carbided-tungsten-yttria coating on the interior surface of a copper vapor laser. The surface serves as a wick for the condensation of liquid copper to return the condensate to the interior of the laser for revolatilization.

  5. Teaching "with" Rather than "about" Geographic Information Systems

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hammond, Thomas C.; Bodzin, Alec M.

    2009-01-01

    Both "teaching" and "teaching" with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are "wicked problems," in the sense that they involve multiple variables that interact with one another. Effective teaching calls for both learning with understanding and transfer. The authors' own experience implementing a geography and…

  6. Solving the 10 Most Common Carpet Problems.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hilton, Michael

    1998-01-01

    Identifies the 10 most common carpet problems in school facilities and offers solutions. These include: transition areas, moisture, spot removal, recurring spots, cleaning agents, allergens, wicking, biological contamination, equipment selection, and cleaning methods. Ensuring a successful maintenance program results in satisfactory appearance,…

  7. 4. EXTERIOR VIEW LOOKING EAST. WATER IN THE AQUEDUCT CAN ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    4. EXTERIOR VIEW LOOKING EAST. WATER IN THE AQUEDUCT CAN CAN BE DIVERTED AT THE WASTE WEIR TO BE DISCHARGED INTO THE CULVERT IN FOREGROUND. - Old Croton Aqueduct, Northern Waste Weir, Snowden Avenue & Van Wick Street, Ossining, Westchester County, NY

  8. Glioblastoma Stem Cells Respond to Differentiation Cues but Fail to Undergo Commitment and Terminal Cell-Cycle Arrest

    PubMed Central

    Carén, Helena; Stricker, Stefan H.; Bulstrode, Harry; Gagrica, Sladjana; Johnstone, Ewan; Bartlett, Thomas E.; Feber, Andrew; Wilson, Gareth; Teschendorff, Andrew E.; Bertone, Paul; Beck, Stephan; Pollard, Steven M.

    2015-01-01

    Summary Glioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive brain tumor whose growth is driven by stem cell-like cells. BMP signaling triggers cell-cycle exit and differentiation of GBM stem cells (GSCs) and, therefore, might have therapeutic value. However, the epigenetic mechanisms that accompany differentiation remain poorly defined. It is also unclear whether cell-cycle arrest is terminal. Here we find only a subset of GSC cultures exhibit astrocyte differentiation in response to BMP. Although overtly differentiated non-cycling astrocytes are generated, they remain vulnerable to cell-cycle re-entry and fail to appropriately reconfigure DNA methylation patterns. Chromatin accessibility mapping identified loci that failed to alter in response to BMP and these were enriched in SOX transcription factor-binding motifs. SOX transcription factors, therefore, may limit differentiation commitment. A similar propensity for cell-cycle re-entry and de-differentiation was observed in GSC-derived oligodendrocyte-like cells. These findings highlight significant obstacles to BMP-induced differentiation as therapy for GBM. PMID:26607953

  9. Colon targeted delivery systems of metronidazole based on osmotic technology: development and evaluation.

    PubMed

    Kumar, Pramod; Singh, Sanjay; Mishra, Brahmeshwar

    2008-09-01

    Colon targeted delivery systems of metronidazole (MTZ) based on osmotic technology were developed. The developed systems consisted of osmotic core (drug, osmotic agent and wicking agent), coated with semipermeable membrane (SPM) containing guar gum as pore former, coated core were then further coated with enteric coating to protect the system from acidic environment of stomach. The effect of various formulation variables namely the level of wicking agent (sodium lauryl sulphate), osmotic agent in the osmotic core, the level of pore former (guar gum) in SPM, and the thickness of SPM, were studied on physical parameters and drug release characteristics of developed formulations. MTZ release was inversely proportional to SPM thickness, but directly related to the level of pore former, wicking agent and osmotic agent. On the other hand burst strength of the exhausted shells was decreased with the increase in level of pore former in the membrane but increased with the increase in the thickness of SPM. The drug release from the developed formulations was independent of pH, and agitation intensity, but dependent on the osmotic pressure of the release media. The thickness of enteric coating could prevent formation of delivery pores before contact with simulated colonic fluid, but had no effect on drug release. Result of SEM studies showed the formation of in-situ delivery pores in the membrane from where the drug release occurred, and the number of pores formed were directly related to the initial level of pore former (guar gum) in SPM. The manufacturing procedure was found to be reproducible and formulations were found to be stable during 3 months of accelerated stability studies.

  10. Computer Supported Argument Visualisation: Modelling in Consultative Democracy Around Wicked Problems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ohl, Ricky

    In this case study, computer supported argument visualisation has been applied to the analysis and representation of the draft South East Queensland Regional Plan Consultation discourse, demonstrating how argument mapping can help deliver the transparency and accountability required in participatory democracy. Consultative democracy for regional planning falls into a category of problems known as “wicked problems”. Inherent in this environment is heterogeneous viewpoints, agendas and voices, built on disparate and often contradictory logic. An argument ontology and notation that was designed specifically to deal with consultative urban planning around wicked problems is the Issue Based Information System (IBIS) and IBIS notation (Rittel & Webber, 1984). The software used for argument visualisation in this case was Compendium, a derivative of IBIS. The high volume of stakeholders and discourse heterogeneity in this environment calls for a unique approach to argument mapping. The map design model developed from this research has been titled a “Consultation Map”. The design incorporates the IBIS ontology within a hybrid of mapping approaches, amalgamating elements from concept, dialogue, argument, debate, thematic and tree-mapping. The consultation maps developed from the draft South East Queensland Regional Plan Consultation provide a transparent visual record to give evidence of the themes of citizen issues within the consultation discourse. The consultation maps also link the elicited discourse themes to related policies from the SEQ Regional Plan providing explicit evidence of SEQ Regional Plan policy-decisions matching citizen concerns. The final consultation map in the series provides explicit links between SEQ Regional Plan policy items and monitoring activities reporting on the ongoing implementation of the SEQ Regional Plan. This map provides updatable evidence of and accountability for SEQ Regional Plan policy implementation and developments.

  11. Characterization of particulate matter size distributions and indoor concentrations from kerosene and diesel lamps.

    PubMed

    Apple, J; Vicente, R; Yarberry, A; Lohse, N; Mills, E; Jacobson, A; Poppendieck, D

    2010-10-01

    Over one-quarter of the world's population relies on fuel-based lighting. Kerosene lamps are often located in close proximity to users, potentially increasing the risk for respiratory illnesses and lung cancer. Particulate matter concentrations resulting from cook stoves have been extensively studied in the literature. However, characterization of particulate concentrations from fuel-based lighting has received minimal attention. This research demonstrates that vendors who use a single simple wick lamp in high-air-exchange market kiosks will likely be exposed to PM(2.5) concentrations that are an order of magnitude greater than ambient health guidelines. Using a hurricane lamp will reduce exposure to PM(2.5) and PM(10) concentrations by an order of magnitude compared to using a simple wick lamp. Vendors using a single hurricane or pressure lamp may not exceed health standards or guidelines for PM(2.5) and PM(10), but will be exposed to elevated 0.02-0.3 μm particle concentrations. Vendors who change from fuel-based lighting to electric lighting technology for enhanced illumination will likely gain the ancillary health benefit of reduced particulate matter exposure. Vendors exposed only to ambient and fuel-based lighting particulate matter would see over an 80% reduction in inhaled PM(2.5) mass if they switched from a simple wick lamp to an electric lighting technology. Changing lighting technologies to achieve increased efficiency and energy service levels can provide ancillary health benefits. The cheapest, crudest kerosene lamps emit the largest amounts of PM(2.5). Improving affordability and access to better lighting options (hurricane or pressure lamps and lighting using grid or off-grid electricity) can deliver health benefits for a large fraction of the world's population, while reducing the economic and environmental burden of the current fuel-based lighting technologies.

  12. From overload to failure: what happens inside the myocyte.

    PubMed

    Harding, S E; Davia, K; Davies, C H; del Monte, F; Money-Kyrle, A R; Poole-Wilson, P A

    1998-08-01

    To determine whether there is a defect in the surviving muscle cells of the failing human heart, studies have been performed on individual myocytes isolated from normal and failing human myocardium. Myocytes from the failing ventricle contract and relax more slowly, and have a reduced contraction amplitude at physiological (but not low) stimulation frequencies. Slow relaxation is seen irrespective of the aetiology of the heart disease studied, and is more pronounced in myocytes from hypertrophied ventricles. Myocytes from hypertrophied ventricles are larger than normal, but the relaxation deficit is independent of cell size. Beta-adrenoceptor desensitization is evident in myocytes and it varies according to the severity of disease and with the age of the patient. Action potentials are longer in myocytes from failing human heart, probably because of an alteration in K+ current density. Many of the functional changes identified in failing human myocardium are seen at the level of the single cardiac myocyte, which implies that pharmacological or genetic manipulation of surviving cells is a logical therapeutic strategy.

  13. Reinforced-soil embankment on soft foundation : executive summary.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2000-01-01

    A section of I-670 in Columbus, OH, constructed during 1997-1998, includes a 33 ft. (l0 m) high embankment over a deposit of very soft sludge. The design used geosynthetics for reinforcement of the embankment and wick drains to accelerate the consoli...

  14. Sequentially Simulated Outcomes: Kind Experience versus Nontransparent Description

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hogarth, Robin M.; Soyer, Emre

    2011-01-01

    Recently, researchers have investigated differences in decision making based on description and experience. We address the issue of when experience-based judgments of probability are more accurate than are those based on description. If description is well understood ("transparent") and experience is misleading ("wicked"), it…

  15. Heat pipe technology for advanced rocket thrust chambers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rousar, D. C.

    1971-01-01

    The application of heat pipe technology to the design of rocket engine thrust chambers is discussed. Subjects presented are: (1) evaporator wick development, (2) specific heat pipe designs and test results, (3) injector design, fabrication, and cold flow testing, and (4) preliminary thrust chamber design.

  16. "In Honor of Excellence."

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hughes, Anna May

    1983-01-01

    Spotlights seven outstanding secondary school theatre programs and their directors: Frank Bluestein, Germantown, TN; John Steele, Plano, TX; Joe Juliano, Hamden, CT; Jack Parkhurst, Ralston, NE; Robert Geuder (Thomas Jefferson High School) Cedar Rapids, IA; Judith Rethwisch (Affton High School) St. Louis, MO; and Henry Wicke (Packer Collegiate…

  17. Boundary Spanning: Engagement across Disciplines, Communities, and Geography

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Paton, Valerie O.; Reith Charles C.; Harden, Karon K.; Abaurre, Rogério; Tremblay, Crystal

    2014-01-01

    Narratives from 3 presenters at the closing session of the 2013 Engagement Scholarship Consortium Conference demonstrate that higher education institutions and communities can forge deep and sustainable relationships to address the "wicked problems" in their countries and communities. University leaders in Nigeria described how students…

  18. Heat driven pulse pump

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Benner, Steve M (Inventor); Martins, Mario S. (Inventor)

    2000-01-01

    A heat driven pulse pump includes a chamber having an inlet port, an outlet port, two check valves, a wick, and a heater. The chamber may include a plurality of grooves inside wall of the chamber. When heated within the chamber, a liquid to be pumped vaporizes and creates pressure head that expels the liquid through the outlet port. As liquid separating means, the wick, disposed within the chamber, is to allow, when saturated with the liquid, the passage of only liquid being forced by the pressure head in the chamber, preventing the vapor from exiting from the chamber through the outlet port. A plurality of grooves along the inside surface wall of the chamber can sustain the liquid, which is amount enough to produce vapor for the pressure head in the chamber. With only two simple moving parts, two check valves, the heat driven pulse pump can effectively function over the long lifetimes without maintenance or replacement. For continuous flow of the liquid to be pumped a plurality of pumps may be connected in parallel.

  19. Black Carbon and Kerosene Lighting: An Opportunity for Rapid Action on Climate Change and Clean Energy for Development

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Jacobson, Arne; Bond, Tami C.; Lam, Nicholoas L.

    2013-04-15

    Replacing inefficient kerosene lighting with electric lighting or other clean alternatives can rapidly achieve development and energy access goals, save money and reduce climate warming. Many of the 250 million households that lack reliable access to electricity rely on inefficient and dangerous simple wick lamps and other kerosene-fueled light sources, using 4 to 25 billion liters of kerosene annually to meet basic lighting needs. Kerosene costs can be a significant household expense and subsidies are expensive. New information on kerosene lamp emissions reveals that their climate impacts are substantial. Eliminating current annual black carbon emissions would provide a climate benefitmore » equivalent to 5 gigatons of carbon dioxide reductions over the next 20 years. Robust and low-cost technologies for supplanting simple wick and other kerosene-fueled lamps exist and are easily distributed and scalable. Improving household lighting offers a low-cost opportunity to improve development, cool the climate and reduce costs.« less

  20. Advanced thermal energy management: A thermal test bed and heat pipe simulation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Barile, Ronald G.

    1986-01-01

    Work initiated on a common-module thermal test simulation was continued, and a second project on heat pipe simulation was begun. The test bed, constructed from surplus Skylab equipment, was modeled and solved for various thermal load and flow conditions. Low thermal load caused the radiator fluid, Coolanol 25, to thicken due to its temperature avoided by using a regenerator-heat-exchanger. Other possible solutions modeled include a radiator heater and shunting heat from the central thermal bus to the radiator. Also, module air temperature can become excessive with high avionics load. A second preoject concerning advanced heat pipe concepts was initiated. A program was written which calculates fluid physical properties, liquid and vapor pressure in the evaporator and condenser, fluid flow rates, and thermal flux. The program is directed to evaluating newer heat pipe wicks and geometries, especially water in an artery surrounded by six vapor channels. Effects of temperature, groove and slot dimensions, and wick properties are reported.

  1. Ultrasonic-assisted deacetylation of cellulose acetate nanofibers: A rapid method to produce cellulose nanofibers.

    PubMed

    Ahmed, Farooq; Ayoub Arbab, Alvira; Jatoi, Abdul Wahab; Khatri, Muzamil; Memon, Najma; Khatri, Zeeshan; Kim, Ick Soo

    2017-05-01

    Herein we report a rapid method for deacetylation of cellulose acetate (CA) nanofibers in order to produce cellulose nanofibers using ultrasonic energy. The CA nanofibers were fabricated via electrospinning thereby treated with NaOH and NaOH/EtOH solutions at various pH levels for 30, 60 and 90min assisted by ultrasonic energy. The nanofiber webs were optimized by degree of deacetylation (DD%) and wicking behavior. The resultant nanofibers were further characterized by FTIR, SEM, WAXD, DSC analysis. The DD% and FTIR results confirmed a complete conversion of CA nanofibers to cellulose nanofibers within 1h with substantial increase of wicking height. Nanofibers morphology under SEM showed slightly swelling and no damage of nanofibers observed by use of ultrasonic energy. The results of ultrasonic-assisted deacetylation are comparable with the conventional deacetylation. Our rapid method offers substantially reduced deacetylation time from 30h to just 1h, thanks to the ultrasonic energy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Wetting in Color: Designing a colorometric indicator for wettability

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Raymond, Kevin; Burgess, Ian B.; Koay, Natalie; Kolle, Mathias; Loncar, Marko; Aizenberg, Joanna

    2012-02-01

    Colorimetric litmus tests such as pH paper have enjoyed wide commercial success due to their inexpensive production and exceptional ease of use. While such indicators commonly rely on a specific photochemical response to an analyte, we exploit structural color, derived from coherent scattering from wavelength-scale porosity rather than molecular absorption or luminescence, to create a Wetting-in-Color-Kit (WICK). This inexpensive and highly selective colorimetric indicator for organic liquids employs chemically encoded inverse-opal photonic crystals to translate minute differences in liquids' wettability to macroscopically distinct, easy-to-visualize color patterns. The highly symmetric re-entrant inter-pore geometry imparts a highly specific wetting threshold for liquids. We developed surface modification techniques to generate built-in chemistry gradients within the porous network. These let us tailor the wettability threshold to specific liquids across a continuous range. As wetting is a generic fluidic phenomenon, we envision that WICK could be suitable for applications in authentication or identification of unknown liquids across a broad range of industries.

  3. Heat pipe fatigue test specimen: Metallurgical evaluation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Walak, Steven E.; Cronin, Michael J.; Grobstein, Toni

    1992-01-01

    An innovative creep/fatigue test was run to simulate the temperature, mechanical load, and sodium corrosion conditions expected in a heat pipe designed to supply thermal energy to a Stirling cycle power converter. A sodium-charged Inconel 718 heat pipe with a Nickel 200 screen wick was operated for 1090 hr at temperatures between 950 K (1250 F) and 1050 K (1430 F) while being subjected to creep and fatigue loads in a servo-hydraulic testing machine. After testing, the heat pipe was sectioned and examined using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and electron microprobe analysis with wavelength dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. The analysis concentrated on evaluating topographic, microstructural, and chemical changes in the sodium exposed surfaces of the heat pipe wall and wick. Surface changes in the evaporator, condenser, and adiabatic sections of the heat pipe were examined in an effort to correlate the changes with the expected sodium environment in the heat pipe. This report describes the setup, operating conditions, and analytical results of the sodium heat pipe fatigue test.

  4. Filtration Isolation of Nucleic Acids: A Simple and Rapid DNA Extraction Method.

    PubMed

    McFall, Sally M; Neto, Mário F; Reed, Jennifer L; Wagner, Robin L

    2016-08-06

    FINA, filtration isolation of nucleic acids, is a novel extraction method which utilizes vertical filtration via a separation membrane and absorbent pad to extract cellular DNA from whole blood in less than 2 min. The blood specimen is treated with detergent, mixed briefly and applied by pipet to the separation membrane. The lysate wicks into the blotting pad due to capillary action, capturing the genomic DNA on the surface of the separation membrane. The extracted DNA is retained on the membrane during a simple wash step wherein PCR inhibitors are wicked into the absorbent blotting pad. The membrane containing the entrapped DNA is then added to the PCR reaction without further purification. This simple method does not require laboratory equipment and can be easily implemented with inexpensive laboratory supplies. Here we describe a protocol for highly sensitive detection and quantitation of HIV-1 proviral DNA from 100 µl whole blood as a model for early infant diagnosis of HIV that could readily be adapted to other genetic targets.

  5. Advanced Stirling receiver development program, phase 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lurio, Charles A.

    1990-01-01

    Critical technology experiments were designed and developed to evaluate the Stirling cavity heat pipe receiver for a space solar power system. Theoretical criteria were applied to the design of a module for containing energy storage phase change material while avoiding thermal ratcheting. Zero-g drop tower tests, without phase change, were conducted to affirm that the bubble location required to avoid ratcheting could be achieved without the use of container materials that are wetted by the phase change material. A full scale module was fabricated, but not tested. A fabrication method was successfully developed for the sodium evaporator dome, with a sintered screen wick, to be used as the focal point for the receiver. Crushing of the screen during hydroforming was substantially reduced over the results of other researchers by using wax impregnation. Superheating of the sodium in the wick under average flux conditions is expected to be under 10K. A 2000K furnace which will simulate solar flux conditions for testing the evaporator dome was successfully built and tested.

  6. A fully integrated new paradigm for lithium's mode of action - lithium utilizes latent cellular fail-safe mechanisms.

    PubMed

    van Woerkom, Arthur Ernst

    2017-01-01

    It is proposed that lithium's therapeutic effects occur indirectly by augmenting a cascade of protective "fail-safe" pathways pre-configured to activate in response to a dangerous low cell [Mg ++ ] situation, eg, posttraumatic brain injury, alongside relative cell adenosine triphosphate depletion. Lithium activates cell protection, as it neatly mimics a lowered intracellular [Mg ++ ] level.

  7. The Role of Notch Signaling Pathway in Breast Cancer Pathogenesis

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2005-07-01

    breast cancer cells, I tested whether ErbB2 overexpression will cooperate with Notch in HMLE cells. While overexpression of activated Notch1 failed to...tyrosine kinase upstream of Ras normally found overexpressed in many breast cancers , also failed to transform HMLE cells. These observations suggested...cooperation between Notch1IC and ErbB2 signaling in transforming HMLE cells. Breast cancers typically do not harbor oncogenic Ras mutations; nevertheless

  8. Safety hazards associated with the charging of lithium/sulfur dioxide cells

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Frank, H.; Halpert, G.; Lawson, D. D.; Barnes, J. A.; Bis, R. F.

    1986-01-01

    A continuing research program to assess the responses of spirally wound, lithium/sulfur dioxide cells to charging as functions of charging current, temperature, and cell condition prior to charging is described. Partially discharged cells that are charged at currents greater than one ampere explode with the time to explosion inversely proportional to the charging current. Cells charged at currents of less than one ampere may fail in one of several modes. The data allows an empirical prediction of when certain cells will fail given a constant charging current.

  9. Second quantization techniques in the scattering of nonidentical composite bodies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Norbury, J. W.; Townsend, L. W.; Deutchman, P. A.

    1986-01-01

    Second quantization techniques for describing elastic and inelastic interactions between nonidentical composite bodies are presented and are applied to nucleus-nucleus collisions involving ground-state and one-particle-one-hole excitations. Evaluations of the resultant collision matrix elements are made through use of Wick's theorem.

  10. (Un)Earthing a Vocabulary of Values: A Discourse Analysis for Ecocomposition

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Walker, Paul

    2010-01-01

    In this article, the author aims to propose an analytic method through which composition students and others might discover and understand the ecological complexities of prevailing environmental terminology that create "wicked problems." Through this method, students engage in "discursive ecology" by exploring the connections…

  11. Method of Manufacturing Micro-Disperse Particles of Sodium Borohydride

    DOEpatents

    Kravitz, Stanley H.; Hecht, Andrew M.; Sylwester. Alan P.; Bell, Nelson S.

    2008-09-23

    A compact solid source of hydrogen gas, where the gas is generated by contacting water with micro-disperse particles of sodium borohydride in the presence of a catalyst, such as cobalt or ruthenium. The micro-disperse particles can have a substantially uniform diameter of 1-10 microns, and preferably about 3-5 microns. Ruthenium or cobalt catalytic nanoparticles can be incorporated in the micro-disperse particles of sodium borohydride, which allows a rapid and complete reaction to occur without the problems associated with caking and scaling of the surface by the reactant product sodium metaborate. A closed loop water management system can be used to recycle wastewater from a PEM fuel cell to supply water for reacting with the micro-disperse particles of sodium borohydride in a compact hydrogen gas generator. Capillary forces can wick water from a water reservoir into a packed bed of micro-disperse fuel particles, eliminating the need for using an active pump.

  12. Method of generating hydrogen gas from sodium borohydride

    DOEpatents

    Kravitz, Stanley H.; Hecht, Andrew M.; Sylwester, Alan P.; Bell, Nelson S.

    2007-12-11

    A compact solid source of hydrogen gas, where the gas is generated by contacting water with micro-disperse particles of sodium borohydride in the presence of a catalyst, such as cobalt or ruthenium. The micro-disperse particles can have a substantially uniform diameter of 1-10 microns, and preferably about 3-5 microns. Ruthenium or cobalt catalytic nanoparticles can be incorporated in the micro-disperse particles of sodium borohydride, which allows a rapid and complete reaction to occur without the problems associated with caking and scaling of the surface by the reactant product sodium metaborate. A closed loop water management system can be used to recycle wastewater from a PEM fuel cell to supply water for reacting with the micro-disperse particles of sodium borohydride in a compact hydrogen gas generator. Capillary forces can wick water from a water reservoir into a packed bed of micro-disperse fuel particles, eliminating the need for using an active pump.

  13. Compact solid source of hydrogen gas

    DOEpatents

    Kravitz, Stanley H.; Hecht, Andrew M.; Sylwester, Alan P.; Bell, Nelson S.

    2004-06-08

    A compact solid source of hydrogen gas, where the gas is generated by contacting water with micro-disperse particles of sodium borohydride in the presence of a catalyst, such as cobalt or ruthenium. The micro-disperse particles can have a substantially uniform diameter of 1-10 microns, and preferably about 3-5 microns. Ruthenium or cobalt catalytic nanoparticles can be incorporated in the micro-disperse particles of sodium borohydride, which allows a rapid and complete reaction to occur without the problems associated with caking and scaling of the surface by the reactant product sodium metaborate. A closed loop water management system can be used to recycle wastewater from a PEM fuel cell to supply water for reacting with the micro-disperse particles of sodium borohydride in a compact hydrogen gas generator. Capillary forces can wick water from a water reservoir into a packed bed of micro-disperse fuel particles, eliminating the need for using an active pump.

  14. Fail-safe designs for large capacity battery systems

    DOEpatents

    Kim, Gi-Heon; Smith, Kandler; Ireland, John; Pesaran, Ahmad A.; Neubauer, Jeremy

    2016-05-17

    Fail-safe systems and design methodologies for large capacity battery systems are disclosed. The disclosed systems and methodologies serve to locate a faulty cell in a large capacity battery, such as a cell having an internal short circuit, determine whether the fault is evolving, and electrically isolate the faulty cell from the rest of the battery, preventing further electrical energy from feeding into the fault.

  15. Performance evaluation and accuracy of passive capillary samplers (PCAPs) for estimating real-time drainage water fluxes

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Successful monitoring of pollutant transport through the soil profile requires accurate, reliable, and appropriate instrumentation to measure amount of drainage water or flux within the vadose layer. We evaluated the performance and accuracy of automated passive capillary wick samplers (PCAPs) for ...

  16. Operationalizing Counter Threat Finance Strategies

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-12-01

    paying with cash, check, or credit cards, a consumer can use a mobile phone to pay for a wide range of services, as well as for digital or hard...archive/publications-archive/tackling-wicked- problems, accessed on March 3, 2014. 3. Huns were a nomadic horse people migrating from Cen- tral Asia

  17. Literacy Geography and Pedagogy: Imagining Translocal Research Alliances for Educational Justice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Comber, Barbara

    2017-01-01

    This article explores the possible relationships between geography, literacy, pedagogy, and poverty. It characterizes poverty as a wicked problem, which sees economic inequality escalating in a number of neoliberal democracies. Key insights from theorists of economic inequality are summarized. The enduring nature of poverty in particular places is…

  18. Wireless lysimeters for real-time online soil water monitoring

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Identification of nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) in drainage water allows accessing the effectiveness of water quality management. A passive capillary wick-type lysimeter (PCAPs) was used to monitor water flux and NO3-N leached below the root zone under an irrigated cropping system. Wireless lysimeters we...

  19. Streamlining the Discovery, Evaluation, and Integration of Data, Models, and Decision Support Systems: a Big Picture View

    EPA Science Inventory

    21st century environmental problems are wicked and require holistic systems thinking and solutions that integrate social and economic knowledge with knowledge of the environment. Computer-based technologies are fundamental to our ability to research and understand the relevant sy...

  20. Applying Collective Impact to Wicked Problems in Aboriginal Health

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gwynne, Kylie; Cairnduff, Annette

    2017-01-01

    Aboriginal people fare worse than other Australians in every measure of health, including in a ten-year gap in life expectancy, infant mortality, cardiovascular disease, dental disease, mental health, chronic disease and maternal health. Despite sustained government effort, progress to improve Aboriginal health has been very slow. The collective…

  1. Teaching Strategy: Reflections on Professional Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ruth, Damian

    2014-01-01

    This paper explores how strategic management concepts, especially the notion of 'wicked problems', can be useful in analysing the professional practice of teachers in higher education. The keeping of a dialogical journal with a colleague helped illuminate that strategic management and education have much in common. Both are situated in…

  2. Extension Agents and Conflict Narratives: A Case of Laikipia County, Kenya

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bond, Jennifer

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: This work investigated the narratives of development extensionists in relation to natural resource conflict, in order to understand the competing discourses surrounding the wicked problems of natural resource management in Laikipia County, Kenya. Methodology: Q methodology was used to elicit the conflict narratives present among extension…

  3. Methods for separating a fluid, and devices capable of separating a fluid

    DOEpatents

    TeGrotenhuis, Ward E; Humble, Paul H; Caldwell, Dustin D

    2013-05-14

    Methods and apparatus for separating fluids are disclosed. We have discovered that, surprisingly, providing an open pore structure between a wick and an open flow channel resulted in superior separation performance. A novel and compact integrated device components for conducting separations are also described.

  4. Military Leadership Preparedness to Meet Counterinsurgency Requirements

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-03-19

    describes by Brian Holden Reid in a wicked spoof as a 6 “diminutive, blinking, bespectacled swot whose muscles compare with peas and who grows exhausted...Schoomaker “A Campaign Quality Army with Joint and Expeditionary Capabilities,” Parameters 34 (Summer 2004). 8 Lacquement, 212. 9 Steven M. Jones

  5. Perspiration Thresholds and Secure Suspension for Lower Limb Amputees in Demanding Environments

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-10-01

    VAPSHCS) site, fabricating custom, moisture-wicking textile sock with a proximal elastomeric seal, fabricating prosthetic sockets, fabricating electronic...Aims: This research has two specific aims: (1) determine if lower limb amputees are willing to use smart activity monitors as part of their daily life

  6. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Fine Particulate Matter Emitted from Burning Kerosene, Liquid Petroleum Gas, and Wood Fuels in Household Cookstoves

    EPA Science Inventory

    This study measured polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) composition in particulate matter emissions from residential cookstoves. A variety of fuel and cookstove combinations were examined, including: (i) liquid petroleum gas (LPG), (ii) kerosene in a wick stove, (iii) wood (10%...

  7. ANALYSIS OF LEAD IN CANDLE PARTICULATE EMISSIONS BY XRF USING UNIQUANT 4

    EPA Science Inventory

    As part of an extensive program to study the small combustion sources of indoor fine particulate matter (PM), candles with lead-core wicks were burned in a 46-L glass flow- through chamber. The particulate emissions with aerodynamic diameters <10 micrometers (PM10) were captured ...

  8. The oncolytic peptide LTX-315 triggers necrotic cell death

    PubMed Central

    Forveille, Sabrina; Zhou, Heng; Sauvat, Allan; Bezu, Lucillia; Müller, Kevin; Liu, Peng; Zitvogel, Laurence; Pierron, Gérard; Rekdal, Øystein; Kepp, Oliver; Kroemer, Guido

    2015-01-01

    The oncolytic peptide LTX-315 has been designed for killing human cancer cells and turned out to stimulate anti-cancer immune responses when locally injected into tumors established in immunocompetent mice. Here, we investigated the question whether LTX-315 induces apoptosis or necrosis. Transmission electron microscopy or morphometric analysis of chromatin-stained tumor cells revealed that LTX-315 failed to induce apoptotic nuclear condensation and rather induced a necrotic phenotype. Accordingly, LTX-315 failed to stimulate the activation of caspase-3, and inhibition of caspases by means of Z-VAD-fmk was unable to reduce cell killing by LTX-315. In addition, 2 prominent inhibitors of regulated necrosis (necroptosis), namely, necrostatin-1 and cycosporin A, failed to reduce LTX-315-induced cell death. In conclusion, it appears that LTX-315 triggers unregulated necrosis, which may contribute to its pro-inflammatory and pro-immune effects. PMID:26566869

  9. Human embryonic stem cells fail to activate CHK1 and commit to apoptosis in response to DNA replication stress.

    PubMed

    Desmarais, Joëlle A; Hoffmann, Michele J; Bingham, Gregg; Gagou, Mary E; Meuth, Mark; Andrews, Peter W

    2012-07-01

    Pluripotent cells of the early embryo, to which embryonic stem cells (ESCs) correspond, give rise to all the somatic cells of the developing fetus. Any defects that occur in their genome or epigenome would have devastating consequences. Genetic and epigenetic change in human ESCs appear to be an inevitable consequence of long-term culture, driven by selection of variant cells that have a higher propensity for self-renewal rather than either differentiation or death. Mechanisms underlying the potentially separate events of mutation and subsequent selection of variants are poorly understood. Here, we show that human ESCs and their malignant counterpart, embryonal carcinoma (EC) cells, both fail to activate critical S-phase checkpoints when exposed to DNA replication inhibitors and commit to apoptosis instead. Human ESCs and EC cells also fail to form replication protein A, γH2AX, or RAD51 foci or load topoisomerase (DNA) II binding protein 1 onto chromatin in response to replication inhibitors. Furthermore, direct measurements of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) show that these cells fail to generate the ssDNA regions in response to replication stress that are necessary for the activation of checkpoints and the initiation of homologous recombination repair to protect replication fork integrity and restart DNA replication. Taken together, our data suggest that pluripotent cells control genome integrity by the elimination of damaged cells through apoptosis rather than DNA repair, and therefore, mutations or epigenetic modifications resulting in an imbalance in cell death control could lead to genetic instability. Copyright © 2012 AlphaMed Press.

  10. A fully integrated new paradigm for lithium’s mode of action – lithium utilizes latent cellular fail-safe mechanisms

    PubMed Central

    van Woerkom, Arthur Ernst

    2017-01-01

    It is proposed that lithium’s therapeutic effects occur indirectly by augmenting a cascade of protective “fail-safe” pathways pre-configured to activate in response to a dangerous low cell [Mg++] situation, eg, posttraumatic brain injury, alongside relative cell adenosine triphosphate depletion. Lithium activates cell protection, as it neatly mimics a lowered intracellular [Mg++] level. PMID:28203080

  11. Do patients with a failed metal-on-metal hip implant with a pseudotumor present differences in their peripheral blood lymphocyte subpopulations?

    PubMed

    Catelas, Isabelle; Lehoux, Eric A; Hurda, Ian; Baskey, Stephen J; Gala, Luca; Foster, Ryan; Kim, Paul R; Beaulé, Paul E

    2015-12-01

    Early adverse tissue reactions around metal-on-metal (MoM) hip replacements, especially pseudotumors, are a major concern. Because the causes and pathomechanisms of these pseudotumors remain largely unknown, clinical monitoring of patients with MoM bearings is challenging. The purpose of this study was to compare the lymphocyte subpopulations in peripheral blood from patients with a failed MoM hip implant with and without a pseudotumor and patients with a well-functioning MoM hip implant without a pseudotumor. Potential differences in the systemic immune response are expected to reflect local differences in the periprosthetic tissues. Consenting patients who underwent a revision of a failed MoM hip implant at The Ottawa Hospital (TOH) from 2011 to 2014, or presented with a well-functioning MoM hip implant for a postoperative clinical followup at TOH from 2012 to 2013, were recruited for this study, unless they met any of the exclusion criteria (including diagnosed conditions that can affect peripheral blood lymphocyte subpopulations). Patients with a failed implant were divided into two groups: those with a pseudotumor (two hip resurfacings and five total hip arthroplasties [THAs]) and those without a pseudotumor (10 hip resurfacings and two THAs). Patients with a well-functioning MoM hip implant (nine resurfacings and three THAs) at 5 or more years postimplantation and who did not have a pseudotumor as demonstrated sonographically served as the control group. Peripheral blood subpopulations of T cells (specifically T helper [Th] and cytotoxic T [Tc]), B cells, natural killer (NK) cells, memory T and B cells as well as type 1 (expressing interferon-γ) and type 2 (expressing interleukin-4) Th and Tc cells were analyzed by flow cytometry after immunostaining. Serum concentrations of cobalt and chromium were measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. The mean percentages of total memory T cells and, specifically, memory Th and memory Tc cells were lower in patients with a failed MoM hip implant with a pseudotumor than in both patients with a failed implant without a pseudotumor and patients with a well-functioning implant without a pseudotumor (memory Th cells: 29% ± 5% [means ± SD] versus 55% ± 17%, d = 1.8, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.2, 2.5] and versus 48% ± 14%, d = 1.6, 95% CI [1.0, 2.2], respectively; memory Tc cells: 18% ± 5% versus 45% ± 14%, d = 2.3, 95% CI [1.5, 3.1] and versus 41% ± 12%, d = 2.3, 95% CI [1.5, 3.1], respectively; p < 0.001 in all cases). The mean percentage of memory B cells was also lower in patients with a failed MoM hip implant with a pseudotumor than in patients with a well-functioning implant without a pseudotumor (12% ± 8% versus 29% ± 16%, d = 1.3, 95% CI [0.7, 1.8], p = 0.025). In addition, patients with a failed MoM hip implant with a pseudotumor had overall lower percentages of type 1 Th cells than both patients with a failed implant without a pseudotumor and patients with a well-functioning implant without a pseudotumor (5.5% [4.9%-5.8%] [median with interquartile range] versus 8.7% [6.5%-10.2%], d = 1.4, 95% CI [0.8, 2.0] and versus 9.6% [6.4%-11.1%], d = 1.6, 95% CI [1.0, 2.2], respectively; p ≤ 0.010 in both cases). Finally, serum cobalt concentrations in patients with a failed MoM hip implant with a pseudotumor were overall higher than those in patients with a well-functioning implant without a pseudotumor (5.8 µg/L [2.9-17.0 µg/L] versus 0.9 µg/L [0.6-1.3 µg/L], d = 2.2, 95% CI [1.4, 2.9], p < 0.001). Overall, results suggest the presence of a type IV hypersensitivity reaction, with a predominance of type 1 Th cells, in patients with a failed MoM hip implant with a pseudotumor. The lower percentages of memory T cells (specifically Th and Tc) as well as type 1 Th cells in peripheral blood of patients with a failed MoM hip implant with a pseudotumor could potentially become diagnostic biomarkers for the detection of pseudotumors. Although implant design (hip resurfacing or THA) did not seem to affect the results, as suggested by the scatter of the data with respect to this parameter, future studies with additional patients could include the analysis of implant design in addition to correlations with histological analyses of specific Th subsets in periprosthetic tissues.

  12. Use of H2Ri wicking fabric to prevent frost boils in the Dalton Highway Beaver Slide area, Alaska final report.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2012-08-01

    Many roads in Alaska, such as the Dalton Highway, experience degradation during spring thaw due to the downslope running of shallow groundwater. The water flow : down the slope and pools up in the road embankments, where it freezes, causing frost boi...

  13. Evaluating Action Learning: A Critical Realist Complex Network Theory Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burgoyne, John G.

    2010-01-01

    This largely theoretical paper will argue the case for the usefulness of applying network and complex adaptive systems theory to an understanding of action learning and the challenge it is evaluating. This approach, it will be argued, is particularly helpful in the context of improving capability in dealing with wicked problems spread around…

  14. Amino Acids in Nectar Enhance Longevity of Female Culex quinquefasciatus

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-01-01

    via a piece of a saturated cotton dental wick (1 cm 4.5 cm) (Richmond Dental , Charlotte, NC). This assay was conducted separately from the...Ding, J., Wang, J.-L., Brakefield, P.M., Carey , J.R., Zwann, B.J., 2008. Amino acid sources in the adult diet do not affect lifespan and fecundity

  15. The Guardians Initiative: A Student-Centered Approach to Bullying

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Toledo, Gregory

    2008-01-01

    Something wicked is being chased out of the classrooms and hallways at a high school in Massachusetts, something prevalent in schools across the globe: bullying. For generations, victims have carried invisible scars or nursed open wounds. Concerns related to bullying have been confirmed by extensive research over the past decade, including…

  16. What Does "Wicked Good" Really Mean? Students Talk about Their ESL Problems.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Celona, Jennie M.

    1983-01-01

    A survey of 25 international students studying in Massachusetts colleges gathered information on 4 specific aspects of their American college experience (recruitment, orientation, adaptation, and acculturation) as well as about their experiences with English. In interviews, nine students said they had had no problems with the English language;…

  17. Prolonged Treadmill Load Carriage: Acute Injuries and Changes in Foot Anthropometry

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1990-06-01

    keep the feet dry by wicking away foot moisture (15,16). Reynolds, et al (17) reported that antiperspirants may be a helpful measure in reducing the...Sports Medicine Digest. Vol. 11 No. 12:7, 1989. 17. Reynolds KL, Darrigrand A, Jackson R, Roberts D, Hamlet M. Effects of pedal antiperspirants on sweat

  18. 78 FR 62676 - Anthony E. Wicks, M.D. Decision and Order

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-10-22

    ... registration BW7987184, while listing his address as Pain Management of Winter Springs, 165 W. SR 434, Winter... practice address. Id. at 2, ] 5. \\2\\ Documentary evidence, which the Government acquired through... prescriptions for oxycodone,\\4\\ diazepam, and lorazepam.\\5\\ GX 15, at 2, ] 7; GX 13. \\3\\ The documentary...

  19. 46 CFR 160.151-15 - Design and performance of inflatable liferafts.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... deterioration from sunlight and salt spray, and resistant to absorption and wicking of water. (l) Inflation..., buckling, galvanic corrosion, or other incompatibilities. (e) Color (IMO LSA Code, as amended by Resolution... may not exceed 185 kg (407.8 lb), unless the liferaft is intended for launching into the water...

  20. 46 CFR 160.151-15 - Design and performance of inflatable liferafts.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... deterioration from sunlight and salt spray, and resistant to absorption and wicking of water. (l) Inflation..., buckling, galvanic corrosion, or other incompatibilities. (e) Color (IMO LSA Code, as amended by Resolution... may not exceed 185 kg (407.8 lb), unless the liferaft is intended for launching into the water...

  1. 46 CFR 160.151-15 - Design and performance of inflatable liferafts.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... deterioration from sunlight and salt spray, and resistant to absorption and wicking of water. (l) Inflation..., buckling, galvanic corrosion, or other incompatibilities. (e) Color (IMO LSA Code, as amended by Resolution... may not exceed 185 kg (407.8 lb), unless the liferaft is intended for launching into the water...

  2. El Paso/Yslete schools Get-Away Special Space Shuttle student projects

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Azar, S. S.

    1984-01-01

    Student projects for the Get Away Special (GAS) space shuttle program were summarized. Experimental topics included: seed germination, shrimp growth, liquid lasers, planaria regeneration, fluid dynamics (wicking), soil molds, antibiotics, crystallization, the symbiosis of yeast and fungi, and the performance of electronic chips. A brief experimental design is included for each project.

  3. Nanoscale wicking methods and devices

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zhou, Jijie (Inventor); Bronikowski, Michael (Inventor); Noca, Flavio (Inventor); Sansom, Elijah B. (Inventor)

    2011-01-01

    A fluid transport method and fluid transport device are disclosed. Nanoscale fibers disposed in a patterned configuration allow transport of a fluid in absence of an external power source. The device may include two or more fluid transport components having different fluid transport efficiencies. The components may be separated by additional fluid transport components, to control fluid flow.

  4. Optimists' Creed: Brave New Cyberlearning, Evolving Utopias (Circa 2041)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burleson, Winslow; Lewis, Armanda

    2016-01-01

    This essay imagines the role that artificial intelligence innovations play in the integrated living, learning and research environments of 2041. Here, in 2041, in the context of increasingly complex wicked challenges, whose solutions by their very nature continue to evade even the most capable experts, society and technology have co-evolved to…

  5. Common Ground for Action Software and Professional Development to Support Online Deliberation in Classrooms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Christelle, Andrea; Dillard, Kara N.; Lindaman, Kara

    2018-01-01

    The Common Ground for Action (CGA) online deliberation platform is a dynamic tool designed to encourage diverse group members to identify collective responses to deeply controversial or "wicked" public problems that have no simple solution. The program promotes authentic deliberation, while minimizing the tactics of horse-trading and…

  6. The Wicked Problem of Information Sharing in Homeland Security - A Leadership Perspective

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-06-01

    filled environment. One such coping strategy termed emotion work, describes how analysts manage their feelings to display a public face or bodily ...in many aspects of Western culture but 56 Jeff Conklin, Dialogue Mapping : Building Shared...effective, whether modifications should be 60 Conklin, Dialogue Mapping : Building Shared Understanding

  7. NASA Lewis steady-state heat pipe code users manual

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tower, Leonard K.; Baker, Karl W.; Marks, Timothy S.

    1992-01-01

    The NASA Lewis heat pipe code was developed to predict the performance of heat pipes in the steady state. The code can be used as a design tool on a personal computer or with a suitable calling routine, as a subroutine for a mainframe radiator code. A variety of wick structures, including a user input option, can be used. Heat pipes with multiple evaporators, condensers, and adiabatic sections in series and with wick structures that differ among sections can be modeled. Several working fluids can be chosen, including potassium, sodium, and lithium, for which monomer-dimer equilibrium is considered. The code incorporates a vapor flow algorithm that treats compressibility and axially varying heat input. This code facilitates the determination of heat pipe operating temperatures and heat pipe limits that may be encountered at the specified heat input and environment temperature. Data are input to the computer through a user-interactive input subroutine. Output, such as liquid and vapor pressures and temperatures, is printed at equally spaced axial positions along the pipe as determined by the user.

  8. A sampling method to determine insecticide residues on surfaces and its application to food-handling establishments.

    PubMed

    Leidy, R B; Wright, C G; Dupree, H E

    1987-07-01

    Known amounts of acephate, chlorpyrifos, and diazinon were applied to Formica, unfinished plywood, stainless steel, and vinyl tile. Cotton-ball and dental wick materials were dipped in 2-propanol and "swiped" over the treated surface area two time. More acephate was found on the second swipe compared to the first from vinyl tile, similar amounts on both swipes from plywood, and less on the second swipe from formica and stainless steel. The ratio of chlorpyrifos on Swipe 1 compared to Swipe 2 found with cotton-ball on both formica and stainless steel surfaces was equivalent (6:1), but a considerable difference was seen when two dental wick swipes were used. Residues of diazinon removed from formica and stainless steel were equivalent, regardless of the swiping material used. Residues of chlorpyrifos were detected by taking swipes of surfaces in two restaurants and a supermarket up to 6 mo after a prescribed application by a commercial pest control firm. The data show that measurable amounts of chloropyrifos can be detected on surfaces not treated with the insecticide for at least 6 mo.

  9. NASA Lewis steady-state heat pipe code users manual

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tower, Leonard K.; Baker, Karl W.; Marks, Timothy S.

    1992-06-01

    The NASA Lewis heat pipe code was developed to predict the performance of heat pipes in the steady state. The code can be used as a design tool on a personal computer or with a suitable calling routine, as a subroutine for a mainframe radiator code. A variety of wick structures, including a user input option, can be used. Heat pipes with multiple evaporators, condensers, and adiabatic sections in series and with wick structures that differ among sections can be modeled. Several working fluids can be chosen, including potassium, sodium, and lithium, for which monomer-dimer equilibrium is considered. The code incorporates a vapor flow algorithm that treats compressibility and axially varying heat input. This code facilitates the determination of heat pipe operating temperatures and heat pipe limits that may be encountered at the specified heat input and environment temperature. Data are input to the computer through a user-interactive input subroutine. Output, such as liquid and vapor pressures and temperatures, is printed at equally spaced axial positions along the pipe as determined by the user.

  10. Nonorthogonal orbital based N-body reduced density matrices and their applications to valence bond theory. I. Hamiltonian matrix elements between internally contracted excited valence bond wave functions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Zhenhua; Chen, Xun; Wu, Wei

    2013-04-01

    In this series, the n-body reduced density matrix (n-RDM) approach for nonorthogonal orbitals and their applications to ab initio valence bond (VB) methods are presented. As the first paper of this series, Hamiltonian matrix elements between internally contracted VB wave functions are explicitly provided by means of nonorthogonal orbital based RDM approach. To this end, a more generalized Wick's theorem, called enhanced Wick's theorem, is presented both in arithmetical and in graphical forms, by which the deduction of expressions for the matrix elements between internally contracted VB wave functions is dramatically simplified, and the matrix elements are finally expressed in terms of tensor contractions of electronic integrals and n-RDMs of the reference VB self-consistent field wave function. A string-based algorithm is developed for the purpose of evaluating n-RDMs in an efficient way. Using the techniques presented in this paper, one is able to develop new methods and efficient algorithms for nonorthogonal orbital based many-electron theory much easier than by use of the first quantized formulism.

  11. Identification of Fungal Colonies on Ground Control and Flight Veggie Plant Pillows

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Scotten, Jessica E.; Hummerick, Mary E.; Khodadad, Christina L.; Spencer, Lashelle E.; Massa, Gioia D.

    2017-01-01

    The Veggie system focuses on growing fresh produce that can be harvested and consumed by astronauts. The microbial colonies in each Veggie experiment are evaluated to determine the safety level of the produce and then differences between flight and ground samples. The identifications of the microbial species can detail risks or benefits to astronaut and plant health. Each Veggie ground or flight experiment includes six plants grown from seeds that are glued into wicks in Teflon pillows filled with clay arcillite and fertilizer. Fungal colonies were isolated from seed wicks, growth media, and lettuce (cv. 'Outredgeous') roots grown in VEG-01B pillows on ISS and in corresponding ground control pillows grown in controlled growth chambers. The colonies were sorted by morphology and identified using MicroSeq(TM) 500 16s rDNA Bacterial Identification System and BIOLOG GEN III MicroPlate(TM). Health risks for each fungal identification were then assessed using literature sources. The goal was to identify all the colonies isolated from flight and ground control VEG-01B plants, roots, and rooting medium and compare the resulting identifications.

  12. Fluid balance within the canine anterolateral compartment and its relationship to compartment syndromes.

    PubMed

    Hargens, A R; Akeson, W H; Mubarak, S J; Owen, C A; Evans, K L; Garetto, L P; Gonsalves, M R; Schmidt, D A

    1978-06-01

    Fluid homeostasis within muscle compartments is maintained by four pressures: capillary blood pressure, capillary blood oncotic pressure, tissue-fluid pressure, and tissue fluid oncotic pressure. As determined in the canine anterolateral compartment, capillary blood pressure is 25 +/- 3 millimeters of mercury; capillary blood oncotic pressure, 26 +/- 3 millimeters of mercury, tissue-pbessure, -2 +/- 2 millimeters of mercury; and tissue-fluid oncotic pressure, 11 +/- 1 millimeters of mercury. The wick technique allows direct measurement of tissue-fluid pressure in skeletal muscle and, with minor modifications, is adapted to collect microsamples of interstitial fluid for determinations of tissue-fluid oncotic pressure. The wick technique detects very slight fluctuations in intracompartmental pressure such as light finger compression, injection of small volumes of fluid, and even pulsation due to adjacent arterial pressure. Adjacent muscle compartments may contain different tissue-fluid pressure due to impermeable osseofascial barriers. Our results obtained in canine muscle compartments pressurized by infusion of autologous plasma suggest that risks of muscle damage are significant at intracompartmental pressures greater than thirty millimeters of mercury.

  13. Study of vapor flow into a capillary acquisition device. [for cryogenic rocket propellants

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dodge, F. T.; Bowles, E. B.

    1982-01-01

    An analytical model was developed that prescribes the conditions for vapor flow through the window screen of a start basket. Several original submodels were developed as part of this model. The submodels interrelate such phenomena as the effect of internal evaporation of the liquid, the bubble point change of a screen in the presence of wicking, the conditions for drying out of a screen through a combination of evaporation and pressure difference, the vapor inflow rate across a wet screen as a function of pressure difference, and the effect on wicking of a difference between the static pressure of the liquid reservoir and the surrounding vapor. Most of these interrelations were verified by a series of separate effects tests, which were also used to determine certain empirical constants in the models. The equations of the model were solved numerically for typical start basket designs, and a simplified start basket was constructed to verify the predictions, using both volatile and nonvolatile test liquids. The test results verified the trends predicted by the model.

  14. Flexible Cryogenic Heat Pipe Development Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1976-01-01

    A heat pipe was designed for operation in the 100 - 200 K temperature range with maximum heat transport as a primary design goal; another designed for operation in the 15 - 100 K temperature range with maximum flexibility as a design goal. Optimum geometry and materials for the container and wicking systems were determined. The high power (100 - 200 K) heat pipe was tested with methane at 100 - 140 K, and test data indicated only partial priming with a performance limit of less than 50 percent of theoretical. A series of tests were conducted with ammonia at approximately 280 K to determine the performance under varying fluid charge and test conditions. The low temperature heat pipe was tested with oxygen at 85 - 95 K and with methanol at 295 - 315 K. Performance of the low temperature heat pipe was below theoretical predictions. Results of the completed testing are presented and possible performance limitation mechanisms are discussed. The lower-than-expected performance was felt to be due to small traces of non-condensible gases which prevented the composite wick from priming.

  15. The effects of a moisture-wicking fabric shirt on the physiological and perceptual responses during acute exercise in the heat.

    PubMed

    De Sousa, Justin; Cheatham, Christopher; Wittbrodt, Matthew

    2014-11-01

    This study investigated the effects that a form fitted, moisture-wicking fabric shirt, promoted to have improved evaporative and ventilation properties, has on the physiological and perceptual responses during exercise in the heat. Ten healthy male participants completed two heat stress tests consisting of 45 min of exercise (50% VO2peak) in a hot environment (33 °C, 60% RH). One heat stress test was conducted with the participant wearing a 100% cotton short sleeved t-shirt and the other heat stress test was conducted with the participant wearing a short sleeved synthetic shirt (81% polyester and 19% elastane). Rectal temperature was significantly lower (P < 0.05) in the synthetic condition during the last 15 min of exercise. Furthermore, the synthetic polyester shirt retained less sweat (P < 0.05). As exercise duration increases, the ventilation and evaporation properties of the synthetic garment may prove beneficial in the preservation of body temperature during exercise in the heat. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

  16. Observations and model predictions of water skin temperatures at MTI core site lakes and reservoirs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Garrett, Alfred J.; Kurzeja, Robert J.; O'Steen, Byron L.; Parker, Matthew J.; Pendergast, Malcolm M.; Villa-Aleman, Eliel; Pagnutti, Mary A.

    2001-08-01

    The Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC) measured water skin temperatures at four of the Multi-spectral Thermal Imager (MTI) core sites. The depression of the skin temperature relative to the bulk water temperature ((Delta) T) a few centimeters below the surface is a complex function of the weather conditions, turbulent mixing in the water and the bulk water temperature. Observed skin temperature depressions range from near zero to more than 1.0 degree(s)C. Skin temperature depressions tend to be larger when the bulk water temperature is high, but large depressions were also observed in cool bodies of water in calm conditions at night. We compared (Delta) T predictions from three models (SRTC, Schlussel and Wick) against measured (Delta) T's from 15 data sets taken at the MTI core sites. The SRTC and Wick models performed somewhat better than the Schlussel model, with RMSE and average absolute errors of about 0.2 degree(s)C, relative to 0.4 degree(s)C for the Schlussel model. The average observed (Delta) T for all 15 databases was -0.7 degree(s)C.

  17. Rapid Generation of Superheated Steam Using a Water-containing Porous Material

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mori, Shoji; Okuyama, Kunito

    Heat treatment by superheated steam has been utilized in several industrial fields including sterilization, desiccation, and cooking. In particular, cooking by superheated steam is receiving increased attention because it has advantages of reducing the salt and fat contents in foods as well as suppressing the oxidation of vitamin C and fat. In this application, quick startup and cut-off responses are required. Most electrically energized steam generators require a relatively long time to generate superheated steam due to the large heat capacities of the water in container and of the heater. Zhao and Liao (2002) introduced a novel process for rapid vaporization of subcooled liquid, in which a low-thermal-conductivity porous wick containing water is heated by a downward-facing grooved heating block in contact with the upper surface of the wick structure. They showed that saturated steam is generated within approximately 30 seconds from room-temperature water at a heat flux 41.2 kW⁄m2. In order to quickly generate superheated steam of approximately 300°C, which is required for cooking, the heat capacity of the heater should be as small as possible and the imposed heat flux should be so high enough that the porous wick is able to dry out in the vicinity of the contact with the heater and that the resulting heater temperature becomes much higher than the saturation temperature. The present paper proposes a simple structured generator to quickly produce superheated steam. Only a fine wire heater is contacted spirally on the inside wall in a hollow porous material. The start-up, cut-off responses and the rate of energy conversion for input power are investigated experimentally. Superheated steam of 300°C is produced in approximately 19 seconds from room-temperature water for an input power of 300 W. The maximum rate of energy conversion in the steady state is approximately 0.9.

  18. Electroweak precision data and the Lee-Wick standard model

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Underwood, Thomas E. J.; Zwicky, Roman

    2009-02-01

    We investigate the electroweak precision constraints on the recently proposed Lee-Wick standard model at tree level. We analyze low-energy, Z-pole (LEP1/SLC) and LEP2 data separately. We derive the exact tree-level low-energy and Z-pole effective Lagrangians from both the auxiliary field and higher derivative formulation of the theory. For the LEP2 data we use the fact that the Lee-Wick standard model belongs to the class of models that assumes a so-called 'universal' form which can be described by seven oblique parameters at leading order in m{sub W}{sup 2}/M{sub 1,2}{sup 2}. At tree level we find that Y=-m{sub W}{sup 2}/M{sub 1}{sup 2}more » and W=-m{sub W}{sup 2}/M{sub 2}{sup 2}, where the negative sign is due to the presence of the negative norm states. All other oblique parameters (S,X) and (T,U,V) are found to be zero. In the addendum we show how our results differ from previous investigations, where contact terms, which are found to be of leading order, have been neglected. The LEP1/SLC constraints are slightly stronger than LEP2 and much stronger than the low-energy ones. The LEP1/SLC results exclude gauge boson masses of M{sub 1}{approx_equal}M{sub 2}{approx}3 TeV at the 99% confidence level. Somewhat lower masses are possible when one of the masses assumes a large value. Loop corrections to the electroweak observables are suppressed by the standard {approx}1/(4{pi}){sup 2} factor and are therefore not expected to change the constraints on M1 and M{sub 2}. This assertion is most transparent from the higher derivative formulation of the theory.« less

  19. Normal order and extended Wick theorem for a multiconfiguration reference wave function

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kutzelnigg, Werner; Mukherjee, Debashis

    1997-07-01

    A generalization of normal ordering and of Wick's theorem with respect to an arbitrary reference function Φ as some generalized "physical vacuum" is formulated in a different (but essentially equivalent) way than that suggested previously by one of the present authors. Guiding principles are that normal order operators with respect to any reference state must be expressible as linear combinations of those with respect to the genuine vacuum, that the vacuum expectation value of a normal order operator must vanish (with respect to the vacuum to which it is in normal order), and that the well-known formalism for a single Slater determinant as physical vacuum must be contained as a special case. The derivation is largely based on the concepts of "Quantum Chemistry in Fock space," which means that particle-number-conserving operators (excitation operators) play a central role. Nevertheless, the contraction rules in the frame of a generalized Wick theorem are derived, that hold for non-particle-number-conserving operators as well. The contraction rules are formulated and illustrated in terms of diagrams. The contractions involve the "residual n-particle density matrices" λ, which are the irreducible (non-factorizable) parts of the conventional n-particle density matrices γ, in the sense of a cumulant expansion for the density. A spinfree formulation is presented as well. The expression of the Hamiltonian in normal order with respect to a multiconfiguration reference function leads to a natural definition of a generalized Fock operator. MC-SCF-theory is easily worked out in this context. The paper concludes with a discussion of the excited configurations and the first-order interacting space, that underlies a perturbative coupled cluster type correction to the MCSCF function for an arbitrary reference function, and with general implications of the new formalism, that is related to "internally contracted multireference configuration interaction." The present generalization of normal ordering is not only valid for arbitrary reference functions, but also if the reference state is an ensemble state.

  20. 77 FR 4650 - Airworthiness Directives; General Electric Company Turbofan Engines

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-01-31

    ... blade borescope inspection (BSI) or a failed engine core vibration survey, establishes a new lower life... LPT rotor stage 3 disk removal after a failed HPT blade BSI or a failed engine core vibration survey... engine test cell as part of an engine manual performance run fulfill the vibration survey requirements of...

  1. Stomatal responses to flooding of the intercellular air spaces suggest a vapor-phase signal between the mesophyll and the guard cells.

    PubMed

    Sibbernsen, Erik; Mott, Keith A

    2010-07-01

    Flooding the intercellular air spaces of leaves with water was shown to cause rapid closure of stomata in Tradescantia pallida, Lactuca serriola, Helianthus annuus, and Oenothera caespitosa. The response occurred when water was injected into the intercellular spaces, vacuum infiltrated into the intercellular spaces, or forced into the intercellular spaces by pressurizing the xylem. Injecting 50 mm KCl or silicone oil into the intercellular spaces also caused stomata to close, but the response was slower than with distilled water. Epidermis-mesophyll grafts for T. pallida were created by placing the epidermis of one leaf onto the exposed mesophyll of another leaf. Stomata in these grafts opened under light but closed rapidly when water was allowed to wick between epidermis and the mesophyll. When epidermis-mesophyll grafts were constructed with a thin hydrophobic filter between the mesophyll and epidermis stomata responded normally to light and CO(2). These data, when taken together, suggest that the effect of water on stomata is caused partly by dilution of K(+) in the guard cell and partly by the existence of a vapor-phase signal that originates in the mesophyll and causes stomata to open in the light.

  2. Immunocytochemistry of cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycan in mouse tissues. A light and electron microscopic study.

    PubMed

    Hayashi, K; Hayashi, M; Jalkanen, M; Firestone, J H; Trelstad, R L; Bernfield, M

    1987-10-01

    The core protein of the proteoglycan at the cell surface of NMuMG mouse mammary epithelial cells bears both heparan and chondroitin sulfate chains and is recognized by the monoclonal antibody 281-2. Using this antibody and the peroxidase-antiperoxidase staining technique in adult mouse tissues, we found that the antibody recognizes the antigen in a highly restricted distribution, staining a variety of epithelial cells but no cells derived from embryonic mesoderm or neural crest. The antibody fails to stain any stromal (mesenchymal) or neuronal cells, with the exception of plasma cells and Leydig cells. Squamous and transitional epithelia stain intensely over their entire surfaces, whereas cuboidal and columnar epithelia stain moderately and only at the lateral surface of the basal cells. Within squamous and transitional epithelial tissues that undergo physiological regeneration (e.g., epidermis), the most superficial and differentiated cell types fail to stain. Within glandular and branched epithelia (e.g., pancreas), the secretory alveolar cells fail to stain. When evaluated by electron microscopy, granular deposits of stain are seen on the plasma membrane, especially on lateral surfaces, but none are noted within the cells or the basement membrane. These results indicate that in adult tissues the core protein of this heparan sulfate-rich proteoglycan is expressed almost exclusively at epithelial cell surfaces. Expression appears to be lost as the cells become either mature or highly differentiated.

  3. Soybean agglutinin binding to corneal endothelial cell surfaces disrupts in situ monolayer integrity and actin organization and interferes with wound repair.

    PubMed

    Gordon, Sheldon R; Wood, Meredith

    2009-03-01

    Rat corneal endothelium demonstrates cell-surface soybean agglutinin (SBA) binding during organ-culture or injury. When organ-cultured in medium containing SBA, the endothelial monolayer is disrupted because of cell-cell and cell-matrix alterations. SBA binding disorganizes the circumferential microfilament bundles (CMBs), an effect that is partially prevented by phallacidin preincubation. This disruption is reversible if tissues are returned to standard culture medium. Serum heightens SBA binding, whereas puromycin prevents it. Neither actinomycin D nor alpha-amanitin inhibits SBA binding, suggesting that SBA-binding protein(s) may be post-transcriptionally regulated. During injury-induced cell migration in the presence of SBA, cellular processes are blunted and fail to extend significantly outward. By 72 h post-injury, cells of SBA-treated tissues repopulate the wound but demonstrate little association with neighboring cells. Cells migrating in the presence of N-acetylgalactosamine appear normal but also fail to reassociate with other cells in the jury zone. Immunofluorescent staining for ZO-1 reveals punctuate patterns in cells of control tissues, whereas neither SBA- nor N-acetylgalactosamine-treated tissues exhibit ZO-1 staining. Terminal N-acetylgalactosamine removal fails to affect cell morphology, actin organization, or migration but prevents lectin binding. Our results suggest that SBA binding reflects the synthesis of a stress-induced protein(s) that may play a role in reestablishing cell-cell relationships during monolayer reorganization following injury.

  4. Interdisciplinarity in an Era of New Public Management: A Case Study of Graduate Business Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ryan, Suzanne; Neumann, Ruth

    2013-01-01

    In an era of rapid knowledge transmission and creation spurred on by advances in technology and globalisation, calls for interdisciplinarity to solve "wicked" problems are common. In the same era, universities are increasingly adopting new public management practices. The extent to which these practices affect knowledge production is an…

  5. Reconsidering Social Science Theories in Natural Resource Management Continuing Professional Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stummann, C. B.; Gamborg, C.

    2014-01-01

    Over 25 years ago, the "wicked problems" concept was introduced into forestry to describe the increasingly complex work situations faced by many natural resource management (NRM) professionals and at the same time the demand and frequency of public involvement in NRM issues also grew. Research on the impact of these changes for NRM…

  6. Aboriginal Identity in Education Settings: Privileging Our Stories as a Way of Deconstructing the Past and Re-Imagining the Future

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shay, Marnee; Wickes, Judi

    2017-01-01

    From Aboriginal Australian perspectives and experiences, Aunty Judi Wickes and Marnee Shay bring a cross-generational, critical race analysis of Aboriginal identities and how they are implicated in the schooling experiences of Aboriginal young people. Using autoethnography, Aunty Judi and Marnee discuss their educational experiences in the…

  7. Mental Health Stigma and Communication and Their Intersections with Education. Wicked Problems Forum: Mental Health Stigma

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Rachel A.; Applegate, Amanda

    2018-01-01

    Roughly one in four Americans will experience a mental health issue during his or her lifetime (National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2016). The consequences of mental disorders can be profound: people with mental disorders experience higher rates of disability and mortality. People with depression and schizophrenia have a…

  8. Automated Speech Intelligibility System for Head-Borne Personal Protective Equipment: Proof of Concept

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-04-01

    selected as the listener headform for this effort. The HATS has binaural sound quality microphones inserted into the ear canals and rubber pinnae that...Blank 16 APPENDIX - WORD LISTS AND SUBJECT RESPONSES MRT Set 1 (spoken word is in bold type) kick, lick, sick, tick, wick, pick neat, beat , seat, meat

  9. Action Learning for Organizational and Systemic Development: Towards a "Both-and" Understanding of "I" and "We"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rigg, Clare

    2008-01-01

    In public services delivery, action learning is increasingly employed in the hope of improving capacity to address complex, multi-casual and "wicked" social issues to improve the lives of citizens. Yet the understanding of how and why action learning might have potential for enhancing organizational or systemic capability rarely goes…

  10. The Flipped Classroom, Disruptive Pedagogies, Enabling Technologies and Wicked Problems: Responding to "The Bomb in the Basement"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hutchings, Maggie; Quinney, Anne

    2015-01-01

    The adoption of enabling technologies by universities provides unprecedented opportunities for flipping the classroom to achieve student-centred learning. While higher education policies focus on placing students at the heart of the education process, the propensity for student identities to shift from partners in learning to consumers of…

  11. Fostering Organizational Change through Deliberations: The Deliberative Jury in a University Setting

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lindell, Juha

    2014-01-01

    Universities in Europe face a variety of reform initiatives, and university reform can be seen as a wicked problem that should be resolved through collaborative efforts. In Finland, there has been considerable resistance to proposed reforms, with university personnel complaining that they have not been heard. Students, on the other hand, seem…

  12. Wicked Problems Forum: Immigration and Higher Education: From Me to We: Embracing Coperformative Witnessing and Critical Love in the Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Calafell, Bernadette Marie; Chuang, Andy Kai-chun

    2018-01-01

    Omar Swartz and Ware McGuffey's essay, "Migrating Pedagogy in American Universities: Cultivating Moral Imagination and Social Justice," available in this issue of "Communication Education," offers an overview of the current landscape in higher education and, in particular, the challenges immigrant students face, historically…

  13. Foreign Television Programmes on New Zealand Television: Windows on the World or Wicked Imperialism?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lealand, Geoff

    Focusing on the experience of New Zealand, this paper is a response to a 1978 essay which suggested that a study be done to compare the programming patterns of television in the developed countries of Australia and New Zealand. Significant differences between the two nations are presented, including conspicuous discrepancies in television…

  14. Wicked Problems Forum: Immigration and Higher Education. Contours of a Storied Decolonial Pedagogy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chawla, Devika

    2018-01-01

    The author recounts her experiences as a South Asian-immigrant teaching public-speaking classes at an American higher education institution. In this paper, she illustrates how she puts to use her immigrant experience by accessing a storytelling mode of teaching and learning rooted in a postcolonial ethos. She humanizes, demystifies, and strives to…

  15. Conditions for fluid separations in microchannels, capillary-driven fluid separations, and laminated devices capable of separating fluids

    DOEpatents

    TeGrotenhuis, Ward E [Kennewick, WA; Stenkamp, Victoria S [Richland, WA

    2005-04-05

    Methods of separating fluids using capillary forces and/or improved conditions for are disclosed. The improved methods may include control of the ratio of gas and liquid Reynolds numbers relative to the Suratman number. Also disclosed are wick-containing, laminated devices that are capable of separating fluids.

  16. Conditions for fluid separations in microchannels, capillary-driven fluid separations, and laminated devices capable of separating fluids

    DOEpatents

    TeGrotenhuis, Ward E [Kennewick, WA; Stenkamp, Victoria S [Richland, WA

    2008-03-18

    Methods of separating fluids using capillary forces and/or improved conditions for are disclosed. The improved methods may include control of the ratio of gas and liquid Reynolds numbers relative to the Suratman number. Also disclosed are wick-containing, laminated devices that are capable of separating fluids.

  17. "Mullin' the Yarndi" and Other Wicked Problems at a Multiracial Early Childhood Education Site in Regional Australia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kameniar, Barbara Maria; Imtoual, Alia; Bradley, Debra

    2010-01-01

    In this article, Grint's model of leadership is used to shape discussions of how "problems" are responded to in the context of a preschool in an Australian regional town. Authority styles are described as command, management, or leadership. These authority styles result in approaching problems as "crises," "tame…

  18. On the Nature of Problems in Action Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Edmonstone, John

    2014-01-01

    The article aims to explore the nature of problems in action learning. Beginning with Revans' distinction between problems and puzzles, it draws parallels with the notion of wicked and tame problems. It offers four means of considering problems in action learning--in terms of the locus of a set's work; from the viewpoint of an…

  19. Development of a cryogenic rotating heat pipe joint

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1978-01-01

    The performance of two critical technology components required for a continuously rotatable heat pipe: (1) a low-leakage rotatable coupling for the heat pipe pressure vessel, and (2) a rotatable internal wick, is reported. Performance and leakage requirements were established based on 12 months operation of a cryogenic rotatable heat pipe on a satellite in earth orbit.

  20. Demographic trends, the wildland-urban interface, and wildfire management

    Treesearch

    Roger B. Hammer; Susan I. Stewart; Volker C. Radeloff

    2009-01-01

    In this article, we provide an overview of the demographic trends that have impacted and will continue to impact the "wicked" wildfire management problem in the United States, with particular attention to the emergence of the wildland-urban interface (WUI). Although population growth has had an impact on the emergence of the WUI, the deconcentration of...

  1. Design and fabrication of a four-man capacity urine wick evaporator system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1979-01-01

    The integrated system was tested to determine the performance characteristics and limitations of the dual catalyst concept. The primary objective of the dual catalyst concept is to remove ammonia and other noxious substances in the gas phase and thereby eliminate the need for and current practice of chemically or electrochemically pretreating urine prior to distillation.

  2. Promises Kept or Opportunities Lost: A Wicked Problem in Educational Leadership

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Beard, Karen Stansberry

    2017-01-01

    A novice principal's decision not to intervene on an ill-conceived policy prompts a parent to pursue a line of questioning administrators are not prepared for. In this case, a young man working through a high school transition while preparing for college is met with unexpected challenges in motivation. What the principal initially perceives as…

  3. Understanding the wicked nature of "unmanaged recreation" in Colorado's Front Range

    Treesearch

    Jeffrey J. Brooks; Patricia A. Champ

    2006-01-01

    Unmanaged recreation presents a challenge to both researchers and managers of outdoor recreation in the United States because it is shrouded in uncertainty resulting from disagreement over the definition of the problem, the strategies for resolving the problem, and the outcomes of management. Incomplete knowledge about recreation visitors’ values and relationships with...

  4. Responding to Mental Health Issues in the College Classroom. Wicked Problems Forum: Mental Health Stigma

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goldman, Zachary W.

    2018-01-01

    Concerns about the mental health of students have been documented at every level of formal education (cf., Castillo & Schwartz, 2013; Durlak & Wells, 1997; Soet & Sevig, 2006). Addressing the entirety of these concerns is beyond the scope of this forum, thus the author's comments are geared primarily toward higher education; however,…

  5. Mitigating Thermal Runaway Risk in Lithium Ion Batteries

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Darcy, Eric; Jeevarajan, Judy; Russell, Samuel

    2014-01-01

    The JSC/NESC team has successfully demonstrated Thermal Runaway (TR) risk reduction in a lithium ion battery for human space flight by developing and implementing verifiable design features which interrupt energy transfer between adjacent electrochemical cells. Conventional lithium ion (li-Ion) batteries can fail catastrophically as a result of a single cell going into thermal runaway. Thermal runaway results when an internal component fails to separate electrode materials leading to localized heating and complete combustion of the lithium ion cell. Previously, the greatest control to minimize the probability of cell failure was individual cell screening. Combining thermal runaway propagation mitigation design features with a comprehensive screening program reduces both the probability, and the severity, of a single cell failure.

  6. A 'new' Cromer-related high frequency antigen probably antithetical to WES.

    PubMed

    Daniels, G L; Green, C A; Darr, F W; Anderson, H; Sistonen, P

    1987-01-01

    An antibody to a high frequency antigen, made in a WES+ Black antenatal patient (Wash.), failed to react with the red cells of a presumed WES+ homozygote and is, therefore, probably antithetical to anti-WES. Like anti-WES, it reacted with papain, ficin, trypsin or neuraminidase treated cells but not with alpha-chymotrypsin or pronase treated cells and was specifically inhibited by concentrated serum. It also reacted more strongly in titration with WES- cells than with WES+ cells. The antibody is Cromer-related as it failed to react with Inab phenotype (IFC-) cells and reacted only weakly with Dr(a-) cells. Wash. cells and those of the other possible WES+ homozygote are Cr(a+) Tc(a+b-c-) Dr(a+) IFC+ but reacted only very weakly with anti-Esa.

  7. PD1 blockade with pembrolizumab is highly effective in relapsed or refractory NK/T-cell lymphoma failing l-asparaginase.

    PubMed

    Kwong, Yok-Lam; Chan, Thomas S Y; Tan, Daryl; Kim, Seok Jin; Poon, Li-Mei; Mow, Benjamin; Khong, Pek-Lan; Loong, Florence; Au-Yeung, Rex; Iqbal, Jabed; Phipps, Colin; Tse, Eric

    2017-04-27

    Natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphomas failing L-asparaginse regimens have no known salvage and are almost invariably fatal. Seven male patients with NK/T-cell lymphoma (median age, 49 years; range, 31-68 years) for whom a median of 2 (range, 1-5) regimens (including l-asparaginase regimens and allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation [HSCT] in 2 cases) failed were treated with the anti-programmed death 1 (PD1) antibody pembrolizumab. All patients responded, according to various clinical, radiologic (positron emission tomography), morphologic, and molecular (circulating Epstein-Barr virus [EBV] DNA) criteria. Two patients achieved complete response (CR) in all parameters. Three patients achieved clinical and radiologic CRs, with two having molecular remission (undetectable EBV DNA) but minimal EBV-encoded RNA-positive cells in lesions comprising predominantly CD3 + CD4 + and CD3 + CD8 + T cells (which ultimately disappeared, suggesting they represented pseudoprogression) and one having detectable EBV DNA despite morphologic CR. Two patients achieved partial response (PR). After a median of 7 (range, 2-13) cycles of pembrolizumab and a follow-up of a median of 6 (range, 2-10) months, all five CR patients were still in remission. The only adverse event was grade 2 skin graft-versus-host disease in one patient with previous allogeneic HSCT. Expression of the PD1 ligand was strong in 4 patients (3 achieving CR) and weak in 1 (achieving PR). PD1 blockade with pembrolizumab was a potent strategy for NK/T-cell lymphomas failing l-asparaginase regimens. © 2017 by The American Society of Hematology.

  8. Comparison of Genome-Wide Binding of MyoD in Normal Human Myogenic Cells and Rhabdomyosarcomas Identifies Regional and Local Suppression of Promyogenic Transcription Factors

    PubMed Central

    MacQuarrie, Kyle L.; Yao, Zizhen; Fong, Abraham P.; Diede, Scott J.; Rudzinski, Erin R.; Hawkins, Douglas S.

    2013-01-01

    Rhabdomyosarcoma is a pediatric tumor of skeletal muscle that expresses the myogenic basic helix-loop-helix protein MyoD but fails to undergo terminal differentiation. Prior work has determined that DNA binding by MyoD occurs in the tumor cells, but myogenic targets fail to activate. Using MyoD chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled to high-throughput sequencing and gene expression analysis in both primary human muscle cells and RD rhabdomyosarcoma cells, we demonstrate that MyoD binds in a similar genome-wide pattern in both tumor and normal cells but binds poorly at a subset of myogenic genes that fail to activate in the tumor cells. Binding differences are found both across genomic regions and locally at specific sites that are associated with binding motifs for RUNX1, MEF2C, JDP2, and NFIC. These factors are expressed at lower levels in RD cells than muscle cells and rescue myogenesis when expressed in RD cells. MEF2C is located in a genomic region that exhibits poor MyoD binding in RD cells, whereas JDP2 exhibits local DNA hypermethylation in its promoter in both RD cells and primary tumor samples. These results demonstrate that regional and local silencing of differentiation factors contributes to the differentiation defect in rhabdomyosarcomas. PMID:23230269

  9. Grace DAKASEP alkaline battery separator

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Giovannoni, R. T.; Lundquist, J. T.; Choi, W. M.

    1987-01-01

    The Grace DAKASEP separator was originally developed as a wicking layer for nickel-zinc alkaline batteries. The DAKASEP is a filled non-woven separator which is flexible and heat sealable. Through modification of formulation and processing variables, products with a variety of properties can be produced. Variations of DAKASEP were tested in Ni-H2, Ni-Zn, Ni-Cd, and primary alkaline batteries with good results. The properties of DAKASEP which are optimized for Hg-Zn primary batteries are shown in tabular form. This separator has high tensile strength, 12 micron average pore size, relatively low porosity at 46-48 percent, and consequently moderately high resistivity. Versions were produced with greater than 70 percent porosity and resistivities in 33 wt percent KOH as low as 3 ohm cm. Performance data for Hg-Zn E-1 size cells containing DAKASEP with the properties shown in tabular form, are more reproducible than data obtained with a competitive polypropylene non-woven separator. In addition, utilization of active material is in general considerably improved.

  10. Real Fantasies in Mathematics Education: Numeracy, Quantitative Reasoners, and Transdisciplinary Wicked Problems

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Craig, Jeffrey Carl

    2017-01-01

    This dissertation has seven chapters. In chapter one, I discuss through why I am doing this dissertation, my positionality, and how I learned from and with all of my committee members. Chapter two is where I situate my dissertation study through developing a social theory of quantitative literacy by translating a social theory of literacy (Barton…

  11. Thermal Materials Drive Professional Apparel Line

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2014-01-01

    Johnson Space Center investigated phase change materials (PCMs) to use in spacesuit gloves to help maintain comfortable temperatures. Years later, Boston-based Ministry of Supply developed a dress shirt that incorporated the NASA-derived PCMs, could wick away moisture, and also control odors and bacterial growth. Deemed Apollo, the shirt performs like active wear and is available in white and oxford blue.

  12. Deschool? Try Using Schools for Education First: The Educational Impasse in the Developing World. IDS Discussion Paper No. 6. Revised.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dore, Ronald

    Schooling itself is not wicked, but schooling that seeks not to educate but merely to qualify is productive of many deplorable consequences (including "schooled" unemployment, irrelevance, ritualism, and cramping of the human spirit). The device of allocating occupational roles on the bases of certificates has only gradually replaced…

  13. The Wicked Problem of Embedding Academic Literacies: Exploring Rhizomatic Ways of Working through an Adaptive Leadership Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Benzie, Helen Joy; Pryce, Alison; Smith, Keith

    2017-01-01

    Embedding academic literacies in higher education courses has been a major focus of the work of learning advisers. A number of studies present the results of embedding in specific courses without discussing the processes of negotiation or the different people involved. This paper is about embedding academic literacies in the Business faculty as…

  14. Analyzing genetic diversity in conifers...isozyme resolution by starch gel electrophoresis

    Treesearch

    M. Thompson Conkle

    1972-01-01

    Enzymes in forest tree materials can be resolved by starch gel electrophoresis. A gel slab is prepared in a mold assembled from glass and plastic. Wicks containing an aqueous extract of macerated plant material are inserted in the gel and processed. The gel is sliced, stained, examined, and photographed. Isozyme bands produced by differential migration of enzymes...

  15. Euro-Philiacs, Euro-Sceptics and Europhobics: Higher Education Policy, Values and Institutional Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Neave, Guy

    2005-01-01

    The European higher education landscape is inhabited by three clans: the Euro-philiac, his wicked twin, the Euro-phobic and most interesting of all, the Euro-sceptic. This unholy trinity has long been with us. Though the recent Euro electoral fiasco has in all probability served to bolster the ranks of the second and third tribes.

  16. Teachers, Students, and Ideological Bias in the College Classroom. Wicked Problems Forum: Freedom of Speech at Colleges and Universities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mazer, Joseph P.

    2018-01-01

    Discussions surrounding ideology and free speech on college and university campuses continually occur in the popular press. In this forum, Herbeck (see EJ1171161) chronicles several heated clashes over free speech that have recently erupted on campuses across the country, fueling news stories reported through traditional and social media. Issues…

  17. Technological Innovation of Higher Education in New Zealand: A Wicked Problem?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marshall, Stephen

    2016-01-01

    New Zealand, like many countries, faces the challenge of building and sustaining an educated population. Particular challenges are posed by the need to educate an increasing proportion of the population to higher levels in order to support the growth of a modern skills and knowledge economy, as opposed to an economy built on low-cost labour and…

  18. Analysis of amino acids in nectar from pitchers of Sarracenia purpurea (Sarraceniaceae).

    PubMed

    Dress, W; Newell, S; Nastase, A; Ford, J

    1997-12-01

    Sarracenia purpurea L. (northern pitcher plant) is an insectivorous plant with extrafloral nectar that attracts insects to a water-filled pitfall trap. We identified and quantified the amino acids in extrafloral nectar produced by pitchers of S. purpurea. Nectar samples were collected from 32 pitchers using a wick-sampling technique. Samples were analyzed for amino acids with reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with phenylisothiocyanate derivatization. Detectable amounts of amino acids were found in each of the 32 nectar samples tested. Mean number of amino acids in a nectar sample was 9 (SD = 2.2). No amino acid was detected in all 32 samples. Mean amount of amino acids in a nectar sample (i.e., amount per wick) was 351.4 ng (SD = 113.2). Nine amino acids occurred in 20 of the 32 samples (aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamic acid, glycine, histidine, hydroxyproline, methionine, serine, valine) averaging 263.4 ng (SD = 94.9), and accounting for ~75% of the total amino acid content. Nectar production may constitute a significant cost of carnivory since the nectar contains amino acids. However, some insects prefer nectar with amino acids and presence of amino acids may increase visitation and capture of insect prey.

  19. Biological control of invasive plant species: a reassessment for the Anthropocene.

    PubMed

    Seastedt, Timothy R

    2015-01-01

    The science of finding, testing and releasing herbivores and pathogens to control invasive plant species has achieved a level of maturity and success that argues for continued and expanded use of this program. The practice, however, remains unpopular with some conservationists, invasion biologists, and stakeholders. The ecological and economic benefits of controlling densities of problematic plant species using biological control agents can be quantified, but the risks and net benefits of biological control programs are often derived from social or cultural rather than scientific criteria. Management of invasive plants is a 'wicked problem', and local outcomes to wicked problems have both positive and negative consequences differentially affecting various groups of stakeholders. The program has inherent uncertainties; inserting species into communities that are experiencing directional or even transformational changes can produce multiple outcomes due to context-specific factors that are further confounded by environmental change drivers. Despite these uncertainties, biological control could play a larger role in mitigation and adaptation strategies used to maintain biological diversity as well as contribute to human well-being by protecting food and fiber resources. © 2014 The Author New Phytologist © 2014 New Phytologist Trust.

  20. Oil-Impregnated Polyethylene Films

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mukherjee, Ranit; Habibi, Mohammad; Rashed, Ziad; Berbert, Otacilio; Shi, Shawn; Boreyko, Jonathan

    2017-11-01

    Slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces (SLIPS) minimize the contact angle hysteresis of a wide range of liquids and aqueous food products. Although hydrophobic polymers are often used as the porous substrate for SLIPS, the choice of polymer has been limited to silicone-based or fluorine-based materials. Hydrocarbon-based polymers, such as polyethylene, are cost effective and widely used in food packaging applications where SLIPS would be highly desirable. However, to date there have been no reports on using polyethylene as a SLIPS substrate, as it is considered highly impermeable. Here, we show that thin films of low-density polyethylene can be stably impregnated with carbon-based oils without requiring any surface modification. Wicking tests reveal that oils with sufficient chemical compatibility follow Washburn's equation. The nanometric effective pore size of the polyethylene does result in a very low wicking speed, but by using micro-thin films and a drawdown coater, impregnation can still be completed in under one second. The oil-impregnated polyethylene films promoted ultra-slippery behavior for water, ketchup, and yogurt while remaining durable even after being submerged in ketchup for over one month. This work was supported by Bemis North America (AT-23981).

  1. Ultraviolet properties of the Higgs sector in the Lee-Wick standard model

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Espinosa, Jose R.; Grinstein, Benjamin

    2011-04-01

    The Lee-Wick (LW) standard model (SM) offers a new solution to the hierarchy problem. We discuss, using effective potential techniques, its peculiar UV behavior. We show how quadratic divergences in the Higgs mass M{sub h} cancel as a result of the unusual dependence of LW fields on the Higgs background (in a manner reminiscent of little Higgses). We then extract from the effective potential the renormalization group evolution of the Higgs quartic coupling {lambda} above the LW scale. After clarifying an apparent discrepancy with previous results for the LW Abelian Higgs model, we focus on the LWSM. In contrast withmore » the SM case, for any M{sub h}, {lambda} grows monotonically and hits a Landau pole at a fixed trans-Planckian scale (never turning negative in the UV). Then, the perturbativity and stability bounds on M{sub h} disappear. We identify a cutoff {approx}10{sup 16} GeV for the LWSM due to the hypercharge gauge coupling hitting a Landau pole. Finally, we also discuss briefly the possible impact of the UV properties of the LW models on their behavior at finite temperature, in particular, regarding symmetry nonrestoration.« less

  2. Generalized Lee-Wick formulation from higher derivative field theories

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Cho, Inyong; Kwon, O-Kab; Department of Physics, BK21 Physics Research Division, Institute of Basic Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 440-746

    2010-07-15

    We study a higher derivative (HD) field theory with an arbitrary order of derivative for a real scalar field. The degree of freedom for the HD field can be converted to multiple fields with canonical kinetic terms up to the overall sign. The Lagrangian describing the dynamics of the multiple fields is known as the Lee-Wick (LW) form. The first step to obtain the LW form for a given HD Lagrangian is to find an auxiliary field (AF) Lagrangian which is equivalent to the original HD Lagrangian up to the quantum level. Until now, the AF Lagrangian has been studiedmore » only for N=2 and 3 cases, where N is the number of poles of the two-point function of the HD scalar field. We construct the AF Lagrangian for arbitrary N. By the linear combinations of AF fields, we also obtain the corresponding LW form. We find the explicit mapping matrices among the HD fields, the AF fields, and the LW fields. As an exercise of our construction, we calculate the relations among parameters and mapping matrices for N=2, 3, and 4 cases.« less

  3. Design, fabrication and test of a hydrogen heat pipe. [extruding and grooving 6063-T6 aluminum tubes for cryogenic heat pipes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Alario, J.

    1979-01-01

    Re-entrant groove technology was extended to hydrogen heat pipes. Parametric analyses are presented which optimize the theoretical design while considering the limitations of state-of-the-art extrusion technology. The 6063-T6 aluminum extrusion is 14.6 mm OD with a wall thickness of 1.66 mm and contains 20 axial grooves which surround a central 9.3 mm diameter vapor core. Each axial groove is 0.775 mm diameter with a 0.33 mm opening. An excess vapor reservoir is provided at the evaporator to minimize the pressure containment hazard during ambient storage. Modifications to the basic re-entrant groove profile resulted in improved overall performance. While the maximum heat transport capacity decreased slightly to 103 w-m the static wicking height increased markedly to 4.5 cm. The heat pipe became operational between 20 and 30 K after a cooldown from 77 K without any difficulty. Steady state performance data taken over a 19 to 23 K temperature range indicated: (1) maximum heat transport capacity of 5.4 w-m; (2) static wicking height of 1.42 cm; and (3) overall heat pipe conductance of 1.7 watts/deg C.

  4. Properties of natural and synthetic hydroxyapatite and their surface free energy determined by the thin-layer wicking method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Szcześ, Aleksandra; Yan, Yingdi; Chibowski, Emil; Hołysz, Lucyna; Banach, Marcin

    2018-03-01

    Surface free energy is one of the parameters accompanying interfacial phenomena, occurring also in the biological systems. In this study the thin layer wicking method was used to determine surface free energy and its components for synthetic hydroxyapatite (HA) and natural one obtained from pig bones. The Raman, FTIR and X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction techniques and thermal analysis showed that both samples consist of carbonated hydroxyapatite without any organic components. Surface free energy and its apolar and polar components were found to be similar for both investigated samples and equalled γSTOT = 52.4 mJ/m2, γSLW = 40.2 mJ/m2 and γSAB = 12.3 mJ/m2 for the synthetic HA and γSTOT = 54.6 mJ/m2, γSLW = 40.3 mJ/m2 and γSAB = 14.3 mJ/m2 for the natural one. Both HA samples had different electron acceptor (γs+) and electron donor (γs-) parameters. The higher value of the electron acceptor was found for the natural HA whereas the electron donor one was higher for the synthetic HA

  5. The series product for gaussian quantum input processes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gough, John E.; James, Matthew R.

    2017-02-01

    We present a theory for connecting quantum Markov components into a network with quantum input processes in a Gaussian state (including thermal and squeezed). One would expect on physical grounds that the connection rules should be independent of the state of the input to the network. To compute statistical properties, we use a version of Wicks' theorem involving fictitious vacuum fields (Fock space based representation of the fields) and while this aids computation, and gives a rigorous formulation, the various representations need not be unitarily equivalent. In particular, a naive application of the connection rules would lead to the wrong answer. We establish the correct interconnection rules, and show that while the quantum stochastic differential equations of motion display explicitly the covariances (thermal and squeezing parameters) of the Gaussian input fields we introduce the Wick-Stratonovich form which leads to a way of writing these equations that does not depend on these covariances and so corresponds to the universal equations written in terms of formal quantum input processes. We show that a wholly consistent theory of quantum open systems in series can be developed in this way, and as required physically, is universal and in particular representation-free.

  6. Antigen-Specific CD8+ T Cells Fail To Respond to Shigella flexneri ▿

    PubMed Central

    Jehl, Stephanie P.; Doling, Amy M.; Giddings, Kara S.; Phalipon, Armelle; Sansonetti, Philippe J.; Goldberg, Marcia B.; Starnbach, Michael N.

    2011-01-01

    CD8+ T lymphocytes often play a primary role in adaptive immunity to cytosolic microbial pathogens. Surprisingly, CD8+ T cells are not required for protective immunity to the enteric pathogen Shigella flexneri, despite the ability of Shigella to actively secrete proteins into the host cytoplasm, a location from which antigenic peptides are processed for presentation to CD8+ T cells. To determine why CD8+ T cells fail to play a role in adaptive immunity to S. flexneri, we investigated whether antigen-specific CD8+ T cells are primed during infection but are unable to confer protection or, alternatively, whether T cells fail to be primed. To test whether Shigella is capable of stimulating an antigen-specific CD8+ T-cell response, we created an S. flexneri strain that constitutively secretes a viral CD8+ T-cell epitope via the Shigella type III secretion system and characterized the CD8+ T-cell response to this strain both in mice and in cultured cells. Surprisingly, no T cells specific for the viral epitope were stimulated in mice infected with this strain, and cells infected with the recombinant strain were not targeted by epitope-specific T cells. Additionally, we found that the usually robust T-cell response to antigens artificially introduced into the cytoplasm of cultured cells was significantly reduced when the antigen-presenting cell was infected with Shigella. Collectively, these results suggest that antigen-specific CD8+ T cells are not primed during S. flexneri infection and, as a result, afford little protection to the host during primary or subsequent infection. PMID:21357720

  7. Modeling of a heat sink and high heat flux vapor chamber

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vadnjal, Aleksander

    An increasing demand for a higher heat flux removal capability within a smaller volume for high power electronics led us to focus on a novel cold plate design. A high heat flux evaporator and micro channel heat sink are the main components of a cold plate which is capable of removing couple of 100 W/cm2. In order to describe performance of such porous media device a proper modeling has to be addressed. A universal approach based on the volume average theory (VAT) to transport phenomena in porous media is shown. An approach on how to treat the closure for momentum and energy equations is addressed and a proper definition for friction factors and heat transfer coefficients are discussed. A numerical scheme using a solution to Navier-Stokes equations over a representative elementary volume (REV) and the use of VAT is developed to show how to compute friction factors and heat transfer coefficients. The calculation show good agreement with the experimental data. For the heat transfer coefficient closure, a proper average for both fluid and solid is investigated. Different types of heating are also investigated in order to determine how it influences the heat transfer coefficient. A higher heat fluxes in small area condensers led us to the micro channels in contrast to the classical heat fin design. A micro channel can have various shapes to enhance heat transfer, but the shape that will lead to a higher heat flux removal with a moderate pumping power needs to be determined. The standard micro-channel terminology is usually used for channels with a simple cross section, e.g. square, round, triangle, etc., but here the micro channel cross section is going to be expanded to describe more complicated and interconnected micro scale channel cross sections. The micro channel geometries explored are pin fins (in-line and staggered) and sintered porous micro channels. The problem solved here is a conjugate problem involving two heat transfer mechanisms; (1) porous media conductivity and (2) internal heat transfer coefficient. Volume averaging theory (VAT) is used to rigorously cast the point wise conservation of energy, momentum and mass equations into a form that represents the thermal and hydraulic properties of the micro channel (porous media) morphology. Using the resulting VAT based field equations, optimization of a micro channel heated from one side is used to determine the optimum micro channel morphology. A small square of 1 cm2 is chosen as an example and the thermal resistance, 0C/W, and pressure drop are shown as a function of Reynolds number. The high heat flux removal on small surfaces at moderately small temperatures is achieved by bi-porous evaporator The device was analyzed with the possibility of heat flux magnitudes exceeding 1kW/cm2 by using advantages of a dual pore structure of a bi-porous wick. The heat transfer model of a thin bi-porous wick is developed and it incorporates thermo-physical properties of a bi-porous media. It is shown that physics of heat removal is characterized in three stages; conduction, big pore drying out and small pore drying out. The operating conditions of the wick have to be in a safe margin away from the total dry out. A complete dry out of the wick inevitably leads to the burn out, therefore more concern has been added to modeling of big pore dry out, since this will be a desired operational. The construction of the boiling/evaporation curves was successfully constructed by the model showing that the physic of heat removal on two different length scales is governed by thermo-physical properties for the appropriate scale. The model shows good prediction for various combinations of big and small pores size in the bi-porous wicks tested.

  8. Murine Aortic Smooth Muscle Cells Acquire, Though Fail to Present Exogenous Protein Antigens on Major Histocompatibility Complex Class II Molecules

    PubMed Central

    Maddaluno, Marcella; MacRitchie, Neil; Grassia, Gianluca; Ialenti, Armando; Butcher, John P.; Garside, Paul; Brewer, James M.; Maffia, Pasquale

    2014-01-01

    In the present study aortic murine smooth muscle cell (SMC) antigen presentation capacity was evaluated using the Eα-GFP/Y-Ae system to visualize antigen uptake through a GFP tag and tracking of Eα peptide/MHCII presentation using the Y-Ae Ab. Stimulation with IFN-γ (100 ng/mL) for 72 h caused a significant (P < 0.01) increase in the percentage of MHC class II positive SMCs, compared with unstimulated cells. Treatment with Eα-GFP (100 μg/mL) for 48 h induced a significant (P < 0.05) increase in the percentage of GFP positive SMCs while it did not affect the percentage of Y-Ae positive cells, being indicative of antigen uptake without its presentation in the context of MHC class II. After IFN-γ-stimulation, ovalbumin- (OVA, 1 mg/mL) or OVA323–339 peptide-(0.5 μg/mL) treated SMCs failed to induce OT-II CD4+ T cell activation/proliferation; this was also accompanied by a lack of expression of key costimulatory molecules (OX40L, CD40, CD70, and CD86) on SMCs. Finally, OVA-treated SMCs failed to induce DO11.10-GFP hybridoma activation, a process independent of costimulation. Our results demonstrate that while murine primary aortic SMCs express MHC class II and can acquire exogenous antigens, they fail to activate T cells through a failure in antigen presentation and a lack of costimulatory molecule expression. PMID:25136640

  9. t-Darpp overexpression in HER2-positive breast cancer confers a survival advantage in lapatinib.

    PubMed

    Christenson, Jessica L; Denny, Erin C; Kane, Susan E

    2015-10-20

    Drug resistance is a major barrier to successful cancer treatment. For patients with HER2-positive breast cancer who initially respond to therapy, the majority develop resistance within one year of treatment. Patient outcomes could improve significantly if we can find and exploit common mechanisms of acquired resistance to different targeted therapies. Overexpression of t-Darpp, a truncated form of the dual kinase/phosphatase inhibitor Darpp-32, has been linked to acquired resistance to trastuzumab, a front-line therapy for HER2-positive breast cancer. Darpp-32 reverses t-Darpp's effect on trastuzumab resistance. In this study, we examined whether t-Darpp could be involved in resistance to lapatinib, another HER2-targeted therapeutic. Lapatinib-resistant SKBR3 cells (SK/LapR) showed a marked change in the Darpp-32:t-Darpp ratio toward a predominance of t-Darpp. Overexpression of t-Darpp alone was not sufficient to confer lapatinib resistance, but cells that overexpress t-Darpp partially mimicked the molecular resistance phenotype observed in SK/LapR cells exposed to lapatinib. SK/LapR cells failed to down-regulate Survivin and failed to induce BIM accumulation in response to lapatinib; cells overexpressing t-Darpp exhibited only the failed BIM accumulation. t-Darpp knock-down reversed this phenotype. Using a fluorescence-based co-culture system, we found that cells overexpressing t-Darpp formed colonies in lapatinib within 3-4 weeks, whereas parental cells in the same co-culture did not. Overall, t-Darpp appears to mediate a survival advantage in lapatinib, possibly linked to failed lapatinib-induced BIM accumulation. t-Darpp might also be relevant to acquired resistance to other cancer drugs that rely on BIM accumulation to induce apoptosis.

  10. Mitochondrial Reactive Oxygen Species Trigger Hypoxia-Induced Transcription

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chandel, N. S.; Maltepe, E.; Goldwasser, E.; Mathieu, C. E.; Simon, M. C.; Schumacker, P. T.

    1998-09-01

    Transcriptional activation of erythropoietin, glycolytic enzymes, and vascular endothelial growth factor occurs during hypoxia or in response to cobalt chloride (CoCl2) in Hep3B cells. However, neither the mechanism of cellular O2 sensing nor that of cobalt is fully understood. We tested whether mitochondria act as O2 sensors during hypoxia and whether hypoxia and cobalt activate transcription by increasing generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Results show (i) wild-type Hep3B cells increase ROS generation during hypoxia (1.5% O2) or CoCl2 incubation, (ii) Hep3B cells depleted of mitochondrial DNA (ρ 0 cells) fail to respire, fail to activate mRNA for erythropoietin, glycolytic enzymes, or vascular endothelial growth factor during hypoxia, and fail to increase ROS generation during hypoxia; (iii) ρ 0 cells increase ROS generation in response to CoCl2 and retain the ability to induce expression of these genes; and (iv) the antioxidants pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate and ebselen abolish transcriptional activation of these genes during hypoxia or CoCl2 in wild-type cells, and abolish the response to CoCl2 in ρ 0 cells. Thus, hypoxia activates transcription via a mitochondria-dependent signaling process involving increased ROS, whereas CoCl2 activates transcription by stimulating ROS generation via a mitochondria-independent mechanism.

  11. Increased Cardiac Myocyte Progenitors in Failing Human Hearts

    PubMed Central

    Kubo, Hajime; Jaleel, Naser; Kumarapeli, Asangi; Berretta, Remus M.; Bratinov, George; Shan, Xiaoyin; Wang, Hongmei; Houser, Steven R.; Margulies, Kenneth B.

    2009-01-01

    Background Increasing evidence, derived mainly from animal models, supports the existence of endogenous cardiac renewal and repair mechanisms in adult mammalian hearts that could contribute to normal homeostasis and the responses to pathological insults. Methods and Results Translating these results, we isolated small c-kit+ cells from 36 of 37 human hearts using primary cell isolation techniques and magnetic cell sorting techniques. The abundance of these cardiac progenitor cells was increased nearly 4-fold in patients with heart failure requiring transplantation compared with nonfailing controls. Polychromatic flow cytometry of primary cell isolates (<30 μm) without antecedent c-kit enrichment confirmed the increased abundance of c-kit+ cells in failing hearts and demonstrated frequent coexpression of CD45 in these cells. Immunocytochemical characterization of freshly isolated, c-kit–enriched human cardiac progenitor cells confirmed frequent coexpression of c-kit and CD45. Primary cardiac progenitor cells formed new human cardiac myocytes at a relatively high frequency after coculture with neonatal rat ventricular myocytes. These contracting new cardiac myocytes exhibited an immature phenotype and frequent electric coupling with the rat myocytes that induced their myogenic differentiation. Conclusions Despite the increased abundance and cardiac myogenic capacity of cardiac progenitor cells in failing human hearts, the need to replace these organs via transplantation implies that adverse features of the local myocardial environment overwhelm endogenous cardiac repair capacity. Developing strategies to improve the success of endogenous cardiac regenerative processes may permit therapeutic myocardial repair without cell delivery per se. PMID:18645055

  12. Ultrastructure and post-floral secretion of the pericarpial nectaries of Erythrina speciosa (Fabaceae)

    PubMed Central

    Paiva, Elder Antônio Sousa

    2009-01-01

    Background and Aims The occurrence of nectaries in fruits is restricted to a minority of plant families and consistent reports of their occurrence are not found associated with Fabaceae, mainly showing cellular details. The present study aims to describe the anatomical organization and ultrastructure of the pericarpial nectaries (PNs) in Erythrina speciosa, a bird-pollinated species, discussing functional aspects of these unusual structures. Methods Samples of floral buds, ovaries of flowers at anthesis and fruits at several developmental stages were fixed and processed by the usual methods for studies using light, and scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Nectar samples collected by filter paper wicks were subjected to chemical analysis using thin-layer chromatography. Key Results The PNs are distributed in isolation on the exocarp. Each PN is represented by a single hyaline trichome that consists of a basal cell at epidermal level, stalk cell(s) and a small secretory multicellular head. The apical stalk cell shows inner periclinal and anticlinal walls impregnated by lipids and lignin and has dense cytoplasm with a prevalence of mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum. The secretory cells show voluminous nuclei and dense cytoplasm, which predominantly has dictyosomes, rough endoplasmic reticulum, plastids, mitochondria and free ribosomes. At the secretory stage the periplasmic space is prominent and contains secretion residues. Tests for sugar indicate the presence of non-reducing sugars in the secretory cells. Nectar samples from PNs contained sucrose, glucose and fructose. Conclusions The secretory stage of these PNs extends until fruit maturation and evidence suggests that the energetic source of nectar production is based on pericarp photosynthesis. Patrolling ants were seen foraging on fruits during all stages of fruit development, which suggests that the PNs mediate a symbiotic relationship between ants and plant, similar to the common role of many extrafloral nectaries. PMID:19617593

  13. Ultrastructure and post-floral secretion of the pericarpial nectaries of Erythrina speciosa (Fabaceae).

    PubMed

    Paiva, Elder Antônio Sousa

    2009-10-01

    The occurrence of nectaries in fruits is restricted to a minority of plant families and consistent reports of their occurrence are not found associated with Fabaceae, mainly showing cellular details. The present study aims to describe the anatomical organization and ultrastructure of the pericarpial nectaries (PNs) in Erythrina speciosa, a bird-pollinated species, discussing functional aspects of these unusual structures. Samples of floral buds, ovaries of flowers at anthesis and fruits at several developmental stages were fixed and processed by the usual methods for studies using light, and scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Nectar samples collected by filter paper wicks were subjected to chemical analysis using thin-layer chromatography. The PNs are distributed in isolation on the exocarp. Each PN is represented by a single hyaline trichome that consists of a basal cell at epidermal level, stalk cell(s) and a small secretory multicellular head. The apical stalk cell shows inner periclinal and anticlinal walls impregnated by lipids and lignin and has dense cytoplasm with a prevalence of mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum. The secretory cells show voluminous nuclei and dense cytoplasm, which predominantly has dictyosomes, rough endoplasmic reticulum, plastids, mitochondria and free ribosomes. At the secretory stage the periplasmic space is prominent and contains secretion residues. Tests for sugar indicate the presence of non-reducing sugars in the secretory cells. Nectar samples from PNs contained sucrose, glucose and fructose. The secretory stage of these PNs extends until fruit maturation and evidence suggests that the energetic source of nectar production is based on pericarp photosynthesis. Patrolling ants were seen foraging on fruits during all stages of fruit development, which suggests that the PNs mediate a symbiotic relationship between ants and plant, similar to the common role of many extrafloral nectaries.

  14. Concise Review: Pluripotent Stem Cell-Based Regenerative Applications for Failing β-Cell Function

    PubMed Central

    Holditch, Sara J.; Terzic, Andre

    2014-01-01

    Diabetes engenders the loss of pancreatic β-cell mass and/or function, resulting in insulin deficiency relative to the metabolic needs of the body. Diabetic care has traditionally relied on pharmacotherapy, exemplified by insulin replacement to target peripheral actions of the hormone. With growing understanding of the pathogenesis of diabetic disease, alternative approaches aiming at repair and restoration of failing β-cell function are increasingly considered as complements to current diabetes therapy regimens. To this end, emphasis is placed on transplantation of exogenous pancreas/islets or artificial islets, enhanced proliferation and maturation of endogenous β cells, prevention of β-cell loss, or fortified renewal of β-like-cell populations from stem cell pools and non-β-cell sources. In light of emerging clinical experiences with human embryonic stem cells and approval of the first in-human trial with induced pluripotent stem cells, in this study we highlight advances in β-cell regeneration strategies with a focus on pluripotent stem cell platforms in the context of translational applications. PMID:24646490

  15. The Phillips Laboratory capillary pumped loop test facility

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gluck, Donald F.; Kaylor, Marc C.

    1996-03-01

    An ammonia capillary pumped loop (CPL) test facility has been designed, fabricated, subject to acceptance tests, and assembled at Phillips Laboratory. Its intent is to support a wide range of Air Force programs, bringing CPL technology to flight readiness for operational systems. The facility provides a high degree of modularity and flexibility with several heating and cooling options, and capability for elevation (+/- 15 in.), tilt (+/-60°) and transport length variation. It has a 182 by 44 by 84 inch envelope, an expected heat load capability of 2500 W, and a temperature range of 0 to 50 °C. The evaporator section has two plates with four capillary pumps (CPs) each, with a starter pump on one plate. The CPs are 5/8 in., with TAG aluminum 6063-T6 casing and UHMW polyethylene wicks. The active lengths are 15 and 30 inch with both 10 and 15 micron wicks. The individual CPs have thermal and hydraulic isolation capability, and are removable. The transport section consists of stainless steel lines in a serpentine configuration, a 216 in3 free volume reservoir, and a mechanical pump. The vapor transport line contains a capillary device (which can be bypassed) for vapor blockage during startup. The condenser consists of two separately valved, parallel cold plates each with a downstream noncondensible gas trap. Cooling of up to 1500 W at -50 °C is provided by an FTS Systems chiller using Flourinert FC-72. An enclosure/exhaust system is provided for safety and emergency venting of ammonia. An ammonia charge station performs or supports the functions of proof pressure, flushing with ammonia, purging with gaseous nitrogen, evacuation of all or part of the CPL to 20 microns, and charging. Instrumentation consists of over 116 thermocouples, five of which are internal; one absolute and six differential pressure transducers; eleven watt transducers, and a reservoir load cell. The data acquisition system consists of a temperature scanner, Bernoulli drive, and two Macintosh computers using LabView software. Data scanning and storage as rapid as once every three seconds for thermocouples and once per 0.6 seconds for transducers is supported.

  16. Crack Growth Behavior of Alloy in-100 under Sustained Load at 732 C (1350 F).

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1981-04-01

    were not taken into account in this investigation. pi 63 63 AFWAL-TR-80-4131 REFERENCES 1. D. E. Macha , "Fatigue Crack Growth Retardation Behavior of...IN-1O0 at Elevated Temperature," Eng. Fract. Mech, Vol. 12, pp. 1-11, 1979. 2. D. E. Macha , A. F. Grandt, and B. J. Wicks, "Effects of Gas Turbine

  17. Explanation and the Theory of Expert Problem Solving

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1990-02-01

    specified output, Our work has aimed to identify the individual generic tasks, to analyze them properly, and to clarify their relationships to more...coverage of hypotheses must be tractable. that there cannot be many incompatibility relationships or cancellation effects between individual hypotheses. and...no necessary relationship between this justificatory argument and the actual reasoning that produced the solution. In Wick’s system the explanation

  18. "Should I Stay or Should I Go?": Unpacking Teacher Attrition/Retention as an Educational Issue

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kelchtermans, Geert

    2017-01-01

    The paper starts from the observation that teacher attrition/retention seems to be a wicked issue: it seems to have strong face validity and a commonsense meaning, but the literature doesn't provide a clear and distinctive definition. In the first section, the author analyzes the different ways in which the issue of teacher attrition and retention…

  19. Radio Frequency Tomography for Tunnel Detection

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-03-01

    F. Soldovieri is with the Istituto per il Rilevamento Elettromagnetico dell’Ambiente, Italian National Research Council (CNR), 80124 Naples, Italy ...both directions. ACKNOWLEDGMENT The authors would like to thank J. Parker and Dr. M. Ferrara , Air Force Research Laboratory, Prof. R. Ansari...Monte, D. Erricolo, and M. C. Wicks, “Propagation model, optimal geometry and receiver design for RF geotomography,” in Proc. IEEE RadarCon, Rome, Italy

  20. Systemic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials Comparing Primary vs Delayed Primary Skin Closure in Contaminated and Dirty Abdominal Incisions

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-06-26

    Chatwiriyacharoen14 Betadine gauze Unclear 5 Unclear Until suitable for suture Purulent dis- charge or mate- rial or surround- ing cellulitis Unclear Reopened and...Opened McGreal et al20 Povidone-io- dine (1%)- soaked wick Subcuticu- lar suture 4 Unclear Steri-Strips on day 4 Cellulitis , cul- ture-positive

  1. Heat Recovery at Army Materiel Command (AMC) Facilities

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1988-06-01

    industrial complexes and somewhat smaller commercial/ HVAC ** systems, a portion of this waste heat can be recovered, improving energy efficiency. Heat...devices are used in sequence. Other shell-and-tube applications include heat transfer from process liquids, condensates, and cooling water. Two...pipe consists of a sealed element involving an annular capillary wick con- tained inside the full length of the tube, with an appropriate entrained

  2. Design and Development of a Segmented Magnet Homopolar Torque Converter

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1975-07-01

    configuration Hydrostatically-positioned seal ( sealed drain) Hydrostatically-positioned seal Power- leakage relationship for a single annular seal lip... Seal 1. conducting wick - stationary/rotating, fiber, foam 2. hydrodynamic/hydrostatic 3. flooded (alternately) labyrinth C. Low-Speed Flooding...between collectors may be used to introduce oil droplets to lubricate the seals and to drain any NaK leakage that might occur Alternatively, they

  3. Confronting the implications of wicked problems: changes needed in Sierra Nevada National Forest planning and problem solving

    Treesearch

    Hal Salwasser

    2004-01-01

    Thirty years ago, the fate of migratory deer in the Sierra Nevada was thought to be the major forest wildlife issue. Ten years later, agencies were building the California Wildlife Habitat Relationships System to allow managers to integrate all terrestrial vertebrates with timber management in comprehensive National Forest planning. Another ten years after that, Tom...

  4. High-Capacity Heat-Pipe Evaporator

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Oren, J. A.; Duschatko, R. J.; Voss, F. E.; Sauer, L. W.

    1989-01-01

    Heat pipe with cylindrical heat-input surface has higher contact thermal conductance than one with usual flat surface. Cylindrical heat absorber promotes nearly uniform flow of heat into pipe at all places around periphery of pipe, helps eliminate hotspots on heat source. Lugs in aluminum pipe carry heat from outer surface to liquid oozing from capillaries of wick. Liquid absorbs heat, evaporates, and passes out of evaporator through interlug passages.

  5. The Normalizing of Hate Speech and How Communication Educators Should Respond. Wicked Problems Forum: Freedom of Speech at Colleges and Universities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Waltman, Michael S.

    2018-01-01

    Whereas hate is defined as extreme negative feelings for others because of some aspect of their identity (Perry, 2001; Waltman & Haas, 2011), hate speech is discourse devoted to the vilification of the other's identity (Waltman, 2015; Waltman & Mattheis, 2017). It is an attempt to vandalize the other's identity to such an extent that the…

  6. Transsexualism and Flight Safety

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1987-05-08

    Security Classification) Transsexualism and Flight Safety 12. PERSONAL AUTHOR(S) Clements, Thomas I. and Wicks, Roland E. 13a. TYPE OF REPORT 13b. TIME... transsexual pilot with questionable judgment affecting flight safety is reported. The definition, etiology, and presenting symptoms are discussed. Three...involve all the phases of therapy and can be significant. Though the transsexual tends to have more episodes of anxiety and depression than the norm

  7. Development and Testing of a Variable Conductance Thermal Acquisition, Transport, and Switching System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bugby, D. C.; Farmer, J. T.; Stouffer, C. J.

    2013-01-01

    This paper describes the development and testing of a scalable thermal control architecture for instruments, subsystems, or systems that must operate in severe space environments with wide variations in sink temperature. The architecture is comprised by linking one or more hot-side variable conductance heat pipes (VCHPs) in series with one or more cold-side loop heat pipes (LHPs). The VCHPs provide wide area heat acquisition, limited distance thermal transport, modest against gravity pumping, concentrated LHP startup heating, and high switching ratio variable conductance operation. The LHPs provide localized heat acquisition, long distance thermal transport, significant against gravity pumping, and high switching ratio variable conductance operation. Combining two variable conductance devices in series ensures very high switching ratio isolation from severe environments like the Earth's moon, where each lunar day spans 15 Earth days (270 K sink, with a surface-shielded/space viewing radiator) and each lunar night spans 15 Earth days (80-100 K radiative sink, depending on location). The single VCHP-single LHP system described herein was developed to maintain thermal control of International Lunar Network (ILN) anchor node lander electronics, but it is also applicable to other variable heat rejection space missions in severe environments. The LHPVCHP system utilizes a stainless steel wire mesh wick ammonia VCHP, a Teflon wick propylene LHP, a pair of one-third square meter high ? radiators (one capillary-pumped horizontal radiator and a second gravity-fed vertical radiator), a half-meter of transport distance, and a wick-bearing co-located flow regulator (CLFR) to allow operation with a hot (deactivated) radiator. The VCHP was designed with a small reservoir formed by extending the length of its stainless steel heat pipe tubing. The system was able to provide end-to-end switching ratios of 300-500 during thermal vacuum testing at ATK, including 3-5 W/K ON conductance and 0.01 W/K OFF conductance. The test results described herein also include an in-depth analysis of VCHP condenser performance to explain VCHP switching operation in detail. Future multi-VCHP/multi-LHP thermal management system concepts that provide scalability to higher powers/longer transport lengths are also discussed in the paper.

  8. Setting the Clock for Fail-Safe Early Embryogenesis.

    PubMed

    Fickentscher, Rolf; Struntz, Philipp; Weiss, Matthias

    2016-10-28

    The embryogenesis of the small nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a remarkably robust self-organization phenomenon. Cell migration trajectories in the early embryo, for example, are well explained by mechanical cues that push cells into positions where they experience the least repulsive forces. Yet, how this mechanically guided progress in development is properly timed has remained elusive so far. Here, we show that cell volumes and division times are strongly anticorrelated during the early embryogenesis of C. elegans with significant differences between somatic cells and precursors of the germline. Our experimental findings are explained by a simple model that in conjunction with mechanical guidance can account for the fail-safe early embryogenesis of C. elegans.

  9. A paper-based microbial fuel cell array for rapid and high-throughput screening of electricity-producing bacteria.

    PubMed

    Choi, Gihoon; Hassett, Daniel J; Choi, Seokheun

    2015-06-21

    There is a large global effort to improve microbial fuel cell (MFC) techniques and advance their translational potential toward practical, real-world applications. Significant boosts in MFC performance can be achieved with the development of new techniques in synthetic biology that can regulate microbial metabolic pathways or control their gene expression. For these new directions, a high-throughput and rapid screening tool for microbial biopower production is needed. In this work, a 48-well, paper-based sensing platform was developed for the high-throughput and rapid characterization of the electricity-producing capability of microbes. 48 spatially distinct wells of a sensor array were prepared by patterning 48 hydrophilic reservoirs on paper with hydrophobic wax boundaries. This paper-based platform exploited the ability of paper to quickly wick fluid and promoted bacterial attachment to the anode pads, resulting in instant current generation upon loading of the bacterial inoculum. We validated the utility of our MFC array by studying how strategic genetic modifications impacted the electrochemical activity of various Pseudomonas aeruginosa mutant strains. Within just 20 minutes, we successfully determined the electricity generation capacity of eight isogenic mutants of P. aeruginosa. These efforts demonstrate that our MFC array displays highly comparable performance characteristics and identifies genes in P. aeruginosa that can trigger a higher power density.

  10. Stomatal Responses to Flooding of the Intercellular Air Spaces Suggest a Vapor-Phase Signal Between the Mesophyll and the Guard Cells1[OA

    PubMed Central

    Sibbernsen, Erik; Mott, Keith A.

    2010-01-01

    Flooding the intercellular air spaces of leaves with water was shown to cause rapid closure of stomata in Tradescantia pallida, Lactuca serriola, Helianthus annuus, and Oenothera caespitosa. The response occurred when water was injected into the intercellular spaces, vacuum infiltrated into the intercellular spaces, or forced into the intercellular spaces by pressurizing the xylem. Injecting 50 mm KCl or silicone oil into the intercellular spaces also caused stomata to close, but the response was slower than with distilled water. Epidermis-mesophyll grafts for T. pallida were created by placing the epidermis of one leaf onto the exposed mesophyll of another leaf. Stomata in these grafts opened under light but closed rapidly when water was allowed to wick between epidermis and the mesophyll. When epidermis-mesophyll grafts were constructed with a thin hydrophobic filter between the mesophyll and epidermis stomata responded normally to light and CO2. These data, when taken together, suggest that the effect of water on stomata is caused partly by dilution of K+ in the guard cell and partly by the existence of a vapor-phase signal that originates in the mesophyll and causes stomata to open in the light. PMID:20472750

  11. Destructive physical analysis results of Ni/H2 cells cycled in LEO regime

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lim, Hong S.; Zelter, Gabriela R.; Smithrick, John J.; Hall, Stephen W.

    1991-01-01

    Six 48-Ah individual pressure vessel (IPV) Ni/H2 cells containing 26 and 31 percent KOH electrolyte were life cycle tested in low Earth orbit. All three cells containing 31 percent KOH failed (3729, 4165, and 11,355 cycles), while those with 26 percent KOH were cycled over 14,000 times in the continuing test. Destructive physical analysis (DPA) of the failed cells included visual inspections, measurements of electrode thickness, scanning electron microscopy, chemical analysis, and measurements of nickel electrode capacity in an electrolyte flooded cell. The cycling failure was due to a decrease of nickel electrode capacity. As possible causes of the capacity decrease, researchers observed electrode expansion, rupture, and corrosion of the nickel electrode substrate, active material redistribution, and accumulation of electrochemically undischargeable active material with cycling.

  12. A Designer Fluid For Aluminum Phase Change Devices. Performance Enhancement in Copper Heat Pipes Performance Enhancement in Copper Heat Pipes. Volume 3

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-11-17

    out dynamics of a designer fluid were investigated experimentally in a flat grooved heat pipe. Generated coatings were observed during heat pipe... experimental temperature distributions matched well. Uncertainties in the closure properties were the major source of error. 15. SUBJECT TERMS...72  Results and Discussion ( Experimental Results for IAS 2 in Grooved Wick #1

  13. Freedom of Speech and the Communication Discipline: Defending the Value of Low-Value Speech. Wicked Problems Forum: Freedom of Speech at Colleges and Universities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Herbeck, Dale A.

    2018-01-01

    Heated battles over free speech have erupted on college campuses across the United States in recent months. Some of the most prominent incidents involve efforts by students to prevent public appearances by speakers espousing controversial viewpoints. Efforts to silence offensive speakers on college campuses are not new; in these endeavors, one can…

  14. Irregular Conflict and the Wicked Problem Dilemma: Strategies of Imperfection

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-06-01

    behavioral concepts will enhance the pros- pects of achieving “good enough” resolutions. The elements of such an approach are set forth below. Goal...strategic communications.5 The manual assumes competency in, among other areas, the ability to collect useful intelligence, the ability to train host...including the difficulty of useful intelligence collection, the history of multiple ineffective training efforts, and the com- petition for what are

  15. Dynamic Testing of In-Situ Composite Floors and Evaluation of Vibration Serviceability Using the Finite Element Method

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2006-08-21

    Dynamic Testing of In-Situ Composite Floors and Evaluation of Vibration Serviceability Using the Finite Element Method By Anthony R. Barrett...Setareh Alfred L. Wicks 21 August 2006 Blacksburg, VA Keywords: vibration, floor, serviceability , walking, modal analysis, fundamental frequency...burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington Headquarters Services

  16. Comfortable with Chaos: Operational Design in the Naval Special Warfare Planning Process

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-05-08

    President Alvaro Uribe Velez took office, Colombia was enduring a multi- faceted and interactively complex strategic situation. Three major insurgent groups...President Uribe took office and designed a comprehensive strategy to tackle the "wicked" problem. President Uribe designed an operational approach that...government -unattainable by previous presidents. From 2002 to 2006, the Uribe administration reframed 19 their understanding of the problem and

  17. The Effects of Transverse Vibration on the Performance of an Axial Groove Wick Heat Pipe.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1994-12-01

    Kenneth A. Carpenter, Captain, USAIF 6ý AF1T/GA/ENY/94D -- ~~~~~ ----- - - -- - -- - - --- -- - --- Approved for public release; distribution...of Master of Science in Astronautical Engineering Kenneth A. Carpenter, B.S. Captain, USAF December, 1994 Approved for public release; distribution...discrepancies were determined by comparing DAS temperature readings to those achieved by connecting the same thermocouple to an Omega Omnical

  18. Collaborative Visual Analytics: A Health Analytics Approach to Injury Prevention

    PubMed Central

    Fisher, Brian; Smith, Jennifer; Pike, Ian

    2017-01-01

    Background: Accurate understanding of complex health data is critical in order to deal with wicked health problems and make timely decisions. Wicked problems refer to ill-structured and dynamic problems that combine multidimensional elements, which often preclude the conventional problem solving approach. This pilot study introduces visual analytics (VA) methods to multi-stakeholder decision-making sessions about child injury prevention; Methods: Inspired by the Delphi method, we introduced a novel methodology—group analytics (GA). GA was pilot-tested to evaluate the impact of collaborative visual analytics on facilitating problem solving and supporting decision-making. We conducted two GA sessions. Collected data included stakeholders’ observations, audio and video recordings, questionnaires, and follow up interviews. The GA sessions were analyzed using the Joint Activity Theory protocol analysis methods; Results: The GA methodology triggered the emergence of ‘common ground’ among stakeholders. This common ground evolved throughout the sessions to enhance stakeholders’ verbal and non-verbal communication, as well as coordination of joint activities and ultimately collaboration on problem solving and decision-making; Conclusions: Understanding complex health data is necessary for informed decisions. Equally important, in this case, is the use of the group analytics methodology to achieve ‘common ground’ among diverse stakeholders about health data and their implications. PMID:28895928

  19. Production cross sections for Lee-Wick massive electromagnetic bosons and for spin-zero and spin-one W bosons at high energies.

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Linsker, R.

    1972-01-01

    Production cross sections for three types of hypothetical particles are calculated in the presented paper. Several (Z, Z') cases were studied corresponding to elastic scattering off protons and neutrons (either free or embedded within a Fermi sea), coherent scattering off a nucleus, and inelastic scattering off a proton (in which case Z' denotes a nucleon resonance or hadronic system in the continuum). Detailed structure-function data are used to improve the accuracy of the inelastic scattering calculation. Results of calculations are given for beam energies between 50 and 10,000 GeV, and masses between 5 and 40 GeV for the massive Lee-Wick spin-1 boson. Cross sections were computed for resonant and semiweak processes. The production cross section of spin-zero weak intermediate bosons was found to be at least one order of magnitude smaller than for spin-1 weak bosons in nearly all regions of interest. The production cross section of spin-zero weak intermediate bosons for inelastic scattering off protons compares with that for elastic scattering in the regions of interest. In the case of massive spin-1 bosons and spin-1 weak intermediates, the main contribution to total production cross section off protons is elastic.

  20. Effect of electrolyte on surface free energy components of feldspar minerals using thin-layer wicking method.

    PubMed

    Karagüzel, C; Can, M F; Sönmez, E; Celik, M S

    2005-05-01

    Application of the thin-layer wicking (TLW) technique on powdered minerals is useful for characterizing their surfaces. Albite (Na-feldspar) and orthoclase (K-feldspar) are feldspar minerals which are frequently found in the same matrix. Despite similarities in their physicochemical properties, separation of these minerals from each other by flotation is generally possible in the presence of monovalent salts such as NaCl. Both albite and orthoclase exhibit the same microflotation properties and rather close electrokinetic profiles in the absence of salt. In this study, contact angles of albite and orthoclase determined by the TLW technique yielded close values in the absence and presence of amine collector. While the calculated surface energies and their components determined using contact angle data reveal that the energy terms remain farther apart in the absence of the collector, the differences narrow down at collector concentrations where full flotation recoveries are obtained. However, the effect of addition of NaCl on contact angles and surface free energy components at constant amine concentration indicates that albite is significantly affected by salt addition, whereas orthoclase remains marginally affected. This interesting finding is explained on the basis of ion-exchange properties, the stability of the interface, flotation data, and zeta potential data in the presence of NaCl.

  1. Contrasting liquid imbibition into uncoated versus pigment coated paper enables a description of imbibition into new-generation surface-filled paper.

    PubMed

    Liu, Guodong; Fu, Sijia; Lu, Zhaoqing; Zhang, Meiyun; Ridgway, Cathy; Gane, Patrick

    2017-12-18

    The transport of print fluids into paper is directly dependent on the imbibition characteristic of the paper including both the z-, x- and y-directions. As the measurement of free liquid imbibition into the paper thickness (z-direction) is difficult experimentally, due to the thin nature of paper, in this paper we resort to imbibition along the y-direction of paper to analyse and explore the possibility of understanding the mechanistic differences between wicking into uncoated unfilled paper versus that of controllable pigment-filled paper and paper coating. Considering the classical imbibition dynamic, the measured imbibition was characterised firstly with respect to [Formula: see text] and secondly with respect to linear t. It is shown that the wicking behaviour of uncoated unfilled paper follows neither the classical viscous drag balance model of Lucas-Washburn ([Formula: see text]) nor the more comprehensive inertia-included imbibition described by Bosanquet. However, by increasing the filler load into the surface layer of the paper, the imbibition dynamic is seen to revert to the Bosanquet model. Thus, when using highly filled papers, the imbibition dynamic for printing liquid shows a fast imbibition at the initial stages dominated by inertial plug flow, and then transits to the Lucas-Washburn viscosity-dominated imbibition component over longer time.

  2. Plant essential oils and potassium metabisulfite as repellents for Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae)

    PubMed Central

    Renkema, Justin M.; Wright, Derek; Buitenhuis, Rose; Hallett, Rebecca H.

    2016-01-01

    Spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii, is a globally invasive pest of soft-skinned fruit. Females oviposit into ripening fruit and larvae cause direct destruction of tissues. As many plant essential oils are permitted food additives, they may provide a safe means of protecting fruit from D. suzukii infestation in both conventional and organic production systems. Twelve oils and potassium metabisulfite (KMS) were screened in the laboratory as repellents for D. suzukii flies. Most essential oils deterred D. suzukii flies from cotton wicks containing attractive raspberry juice. Peppermint oil was particularly effective, preventing almost all flies from contacting treated wicks and remaining 100% repellent for 6 d post-application. Thyme oil was unique because it caused high male mortality and reduced the number of responding flies compared to other oils. KMS was not found to be repellent to D. suzukii, but may have fumigant properties, particularly at high concentrations. Peppermint oil appears to be the best candidate for field testing to determine the effectiveness and feasibility of using essential oils as part of a push-pull management strategy against D. suzukii. This is the first time that essential oils have been evaluated and proven effective in preventing fruit-infesting flies from contacting attractive stimuli. PMID:26893197

  3. Principles for fostering the transdisciplinary development of assistive technologies.

    PubMed

    Boger, Jennifer; Jackson, Piper; Mulvenna, Maurice; Sixsmith, Judith; Sixsmith, Andrew; Mihailidis, Alex; Kontos, Pia; Miller Polgar, Janice; Grigorovich, Alisa; Martin, Suzanne

    2017-07-01

    Developing useful and usable assistive technologies often presents complex (or "wicked") challenges that require input from multiple disciplines and sectors. Transdisciplinary collaboration can enable holistic understanding of challenges that may lead to innovative, impactful and transformative solutions. This paper presents generalised principles that are intended to foster transdisciplinary assistive technology development. The paper introduces the area of assistive technology design before discussing general aspects of transdisciplinary collaboration followed by an overview of relevant concepts, including approaches, methodologies and frameworks for conducting and evaluating transdisciplinary working and assistive technology design. The principles for transdisciplinary development of assistive technologies are presented and applied post hoc to the COACH project, an ambient-assisted living technology for guiding completion of activities of daily living by older adults with dementia as an illustrative example. Future work includes the refinement and validation of these principles through their application to real-world transdisciplinary assistive technology projects. Implications for rehabilitation Transdisciplinarity encourages a focus on real world 'wicked' problems. A transdisciplinary approach involves transcending disciplinary boundaries and collaborating with interprofessional and community partners (including the technology's intended users) on a shared problem. Transdisciplinarity fosters new ways of thinking about and doing research, development, and implementation, expanding the scope, applicability, and commercial viability of assistive technologies.

  4. Navigating systems ideas for health practice: Towards a common learning device.

    PubMed

    Reynolds, Martin; Sarriot, Eric; Swanson, Robert Chad; Rusoja, Evan

    2018-06-01

    Systems thinking and reference to complexity science have gained currency in health sector practice and research. The extent to which such ideas might represent a mere passing fad or might more usefully be mobilized to tackle wicked problems in health systems is a concern underpinning this paper. Developing the usefulness of the systems idea requires appreciating how systems ideas are used essentially as constructs conceptually bounded by practitioners. Systems are used for purposes of understanding and engaging the reality of health issues, with the intent of transforming the reality into one that is more manageable, equitable, and sustainable. We examine some manifestations of the systems idea in health practice and the traditions of systems practice that variously make use of them. This provides a platform for proposing a systems thinking in (health) practice heuristic: a learning device supporting how different tools and methods can address "wicked problems" in health praxis. The device is built on the use of "conversation" as a metaphor to help practitioners use systems ideas in tandem with existing disciplinary and professional skills and methods. We consider how the application of the heuristic requires, and helps to develop, human characteristics of humility, empathy, and recognition of fallibility. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  5. Thermal performance analysis of a flat heat pipe working with carbon nanotube-water nanofluid for cooling of a high heat flux heater

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Arya, A.; Sarafraz, M. M.; Shahmiri, S.; Madani, S. A. H.; Nikkhah, V.; Nakhjavani, S. M.

    2018-04-01

    Experimental investigation on the thermal performance of a flat heat pipe working with carbon nanotube nanofluid is conducted. It is used for cooling a heater working at high heat flux conditions up to 190 kW/m2. The heat pipe is fabricated from aluminium and is equipped with rectangular fin for efficient cooling of condenser section. Inside the heat pipe, a screen mesh was inserted as a wick structure to facilitate the capillary action of working fluid. Influence of different operating parameters such as heat flux, mass concentration of carbon nanotubes and filling ratio of working fluid on thermal performance of heat pipe and its thermal resistance are investigated. Results showed that with an increase in heat flux, the heat transfer coefficient in evaporator section of the heat pipe increases. For filling ratio, however, there is an optimum value, which was 0.8 for the test heat pipe. In addition, CNT/water enhanced the heat transfer coefficient up to 40% over the deionized water. Carbon nanotubes intensified the thermal performance of wick structure by creating a fouling layer on screen mesh structure, which changes the contact angle of liquid with the surface, intensifying the capillary forces.

  6. Effect of moisture transport on microclimate under T-shirts.

    PubMed

    Dai, Xiao-Qun; Imamura, Ritsuko; Liu, Guo-Lian; Zhou, Fu-Ping

    2008-09-01

    Water transport through garments has influence on the microclimate between the garments and the body beneath; thus the thermal comfort feeling for the wearer. Soybean protein fiber (SPF), a new type environmental fiber, which has been reported to be superior in water transfer, is often blended with cotton to improve the water transport property. In this paper, T-shirts made of this SPF/cotton blended fabric were focused in comparison with T-shirts made of cotton fabric. Wicking and immersion tests were carried out on the two types of fabrics to investigate the water transport and absorption properties, respectively; wear trials of T-shirts made of the fabrics were also conducted. Comparing with the cotton fabric which had better water absorptive property, it was found that the blended fabric with superior wicking ability could not only delay the increase of the vapor pressure under the T-shirt at the beginning of the exercise, but also help to keep it lower through the exercise significantly, and also kept the skin temperature under the T-shirt lower. It was made clear that it is the water transfer property rather than the water absorption property helps to take away sweat quickly and prevents the increase of the humidity and temperature at skin surface, thus maintaining a comfort microclimate under garments.

  7. Life Test Approach for Refractory Metal/Sodium Heat Pipes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Martin, James J.; Reid, Robert S.

    2006-01-01

    Heat pipe life tests described in the literature have seldom been conducted on a systematic basis. Typically one or more heat pipes are built and tested for an extended period at a single temperature with simple condenser loading. This paper describes an approach to generate carefully controlled data that can conclusively establish heat pipe operating life with material-fluid combinations capable of extended operation. Approximately 10 years of operational life might be compressed into 3 years of laboratory testing through a combination of increased temperature and mass fluence. Two specific test series have been identified and include: investigation of long term corrosion rates based on the guidelines contained in ASTM G-68-80 (using 7 heat pipes); and investigation of corrosion trends in a cross correlation sequence at various temperatures and mass fluences based on a central composite test design (using 9 heat pipes). The heat pipes selected for demonstration purposes are fabricated from a Mo-44.5%Re alloy with a length of 0.3 meters and a diameter of 1.59 cm(to conserve material) with a condenser to evaporator length ratio of approximately 3. The wick is a crescent annular design formed from 400-mesh Mo-Re alloy material hot isostatically pressed to produce a final wick core of 20 microns or less.

  8. Characterizing the transplanar and in-plane water transport of textiles with gravimetric and image analysis technique: Spontaneous Uptake Water Transport Tester

    PubMed Central

    Tang, K. P. M.; Wu, Y. S.; Chau, K. H.; Kan, C. W.; Fan, J. T.

    2015-01-01

    Water absorption and transport property of textiles is important since it affects wear comfort, efficiency of treatment and functionality of product. This paper introduces an accurate and reliable measurement tester, which is based on gravimetric and image analysis technique, for characterising the transplanar and in-plane wicking property of fabrics. The uniqueness of this instrument is that it is able to directly measure the water absorption amount in real-time, monitor the direction of water transport and estimate the amount of water left on skin when sweating. Throughout the experiment, water supply is continuous which simulates profuse sweating. Testing automation could even minimise variation caused by subjective manipulation, thus enhancing testing accuracy. This instrument is versatile in terms of the fabrics could be tested. A series of shirting fabrics made by different fabric structure and yarn were investigated and the results show that the proposed method has high sensitivity in differentiating fabrics with varying geometrical differences. Fabrics with known hydrophobicity were additionally tested to examine the sensitivity of the instrument. This instrument also demonstrates the flexibility to test on high performance moisture management fabrics and these fabrics were found to have excellent transplanar and in-plane wicking properties. PMID:25875329

  9. Collaborative Visual Analytics: A Health Analytics Approach to Injury Prevention.

    PubMed

    Al-Hajj, Samar; Fisher, Brian; Smith, Jennifer; Pike, Ian

    2017-09-12

    Background : Accurate understanding of complex health data is critical in order to deal with wicked health problems and make timely decisions. Wicked problems refer to ill-structured and dynamic problems that combine multidimensional elements, which often preclude the conventional problem solving approach. This pilot study introduces visual analytics (VA) methods to multi-stakeholder decision-making sessions about child injury prevention; Methods : Inspired by the Delphi method, we introduced a novel methodology-group analytics (GA). GA was pilot-tested to evaluate the impact of collaborative visual analytics on facilitating problem solving and supporting decision-making. We conducted two GA sessions. Collected data included stakeholders' observations, audio and video recordings, questionnaires, and follow up interviews. The GA sessions were analyzed using the Joint Activity Theory protocol analysis methods; Results : The GA methodology triggered the emergence of ' common g round ' among stakeholders. This common ground evolved throughout the sessions to enhance stakeholders' verbal and non-verbal communication, as well as coordination of joint activities and ultimately collaboration on problem solving and decision-making; Conclusion s : Understanding complex health data is necessary for informed decisions. Equally important, in this case, is the use of the group analytics methodology to achieve ' common ground' among diverse stakeholders about health data and their implications.

  10. In vivo levels of diadenosine tetraphosphate and adenosine tetraphospho-guanosine in Physarum polycephalum during the cell cycle and oxidative stress.

    PubMed Central

    Garrison, P N; Mathis, S A; Barnes, L D

    1986-01-01

    Cellular levels of diadenosine tetraphosphate (Ap4A) and adenosine tetraphospho-guanosine (Ap4G) were specifically measured during the cell cycle of Physarum polycephalum by a high-pressure liquid chromatographic method. Ap4A was also measured indirectly by a coupled phosphodiesterase-luciferase assay. No cell cycle-specific changes in either Ap4A or Ap4G were detected in experiments involving different methods of assay, different strains of P. polycephalum, or different methods of fixation of macroplasmodia. Our results on Ap4A are in contrast with those reported previously (C. Weinmann-Dorsch, G. Pierron, R. Wick, H. Sauer, and F. Grummt, Exp. Cell Res. 155:171-177, 1984). Weinmann-Dorsch et al. reported an 8- to 30-fold increase in Ap4A in early S phase in P. polycephalum, as measured by the phosphodiesterase-luciferase assay. We also measured levels of Ap4A, Ap4G, and ATP in macroplasmodia treated with 0.1 mM dinitrophenol. Ap4A and Ap4G transiently increased three- to sevenfold after 1 h and then decreased concomitantly with an 80% decrease in the level of ATP after 2 h in the presence of dinitrophenol. These results do not support the hypothesis that Ap4A is a positive pleiotypic activator that modulates DNA replication, but they are consistent with the hypothesis proposed for procaryotes that Ap4A and Ap4G are signal nucleotides or alarmones of oxidative stress (B.R. Bochner, P.C. Lee, S.W. Wilson, C.W. Cutler, and B.N. Ames, Cell 37:225-232, 1984). PMID:3785160

  11. The majority of ACTH receptor (MC2R) mutations found in Familial Glucocorticoid Deficiency type 1 lead to defective trafficking of the receptor to the cell surface

    PubMed Central

    TT, Chung; TR, Webb; LF, Chan; SN, Cooray; LA, Metherell; PJ, King; JP, Chapple; AJL, Clark

    2008-01-01

    Context: There are at least twenty-four missense, non-conservative mutations found in the ACTH receptor (Melanocortin 2 receptor, MC2R) which have been associated with the autosomal recessive disease Familial Glucocorticoid Deficiency (FGD) type 1. The characterization of these mutations has been hindered by difficulties in establishing a functional heterologous cell transfection system for MC2R. Recently the melanocortin 2 receptor accessory protein (MRAP) was identified as essential for trafficking of MC2R to the cell surface; therefore a functional characterization of MC2R mutations is now possible. Objective: To elucidate the molecular mechanisms responsible for defective MC2R function in FGD. Methods: Stable cell lines expressing human MRAPα were established and transiently transfected with wild-type or mutant MC2R. Functional characterization of mutant MC2R was performed using a cell surface expression assay, a cAMP reporter assay, confocal microscopy and co-immunoprecipitation of MRAPα. Results: Two thirds of all MC2R mutations had a significant reduction in cell surface trafficking even though MRAPα interacted with all mutants. Analysis of those mutant receptors that reached the cell surface indicated that 4/6 failed to signal, following stimulation with ACTH. Conclusion: The majority of MC2R mutations found in FGD fail to function because they fail to traffic to the cell surface. PMID:18840636

  12. E2 Proteins from High- and Low-Risk Human Papillomavirus Types Differ in Their Ability To Bind p53 and Induce Apoptotic Cell Death

    PubMed Central

    Parish, Joanna L.; Kowalczyk, Anna; Chen, Hsin-Tien; Roeder, Geraldine E.; Sessions, Richard; Buckle, Malcolm; Gaston, Kevin

    2006-01-01

    The E2 proteins from oncogenic (high-risk) human papillomaviruses (HPVs) can induce apoptotic cell death in both HPV-transformed and non-HPV-transformed cells. Here we show that the E2 proteins from HPV type 6 (HPV6) and HPV11, two nononcogenic (low-risk) HPV types, fail to induce apoptosis. Unlike the high-risk HPV16 E2 protein, these low-risk E2 proteins fail to bind p53 and fail to induce p53-dependent transcription activation. Interestingly, neither the ability of p53 to activate transcription nor the ability of p53 to bind DNA, are required for HPV16 E2-induced apoptosis in non-HPV-transformed cells. However, mutations that reduce the binding of the HPV16 E2 protein to p53 inhibit E2-induced apoptosis in non-HPV-transformed cells. In contrast, the interaction between HPV16 E2 and p53 is not required for this E2 protein to induce apoptosis in HPV-transformed cells. Thus, our data suggest that this high-risk HPV E2 protein induces apoptosis via two pathways. One pathway involves the binding of E2 to p53 and can operate in both HPV-transformed and non-HPV-transformed cells. The second pathway requires the binding of E2 to the viral genome and can only operate in HPV-transformed cells. PMID:16611918

  13. Lyt-2+ cells. Requirements for concanavalin A-induced proliferation and interleukin 2 production.

    PubMed

    Kern, D E; Lachmann, L B; Greenberg, P D

    1987-11-01

    The requirements for inducing Lyt-2+ T cell proliferation in response to concanavalin A (Con A) were examined. Purified Lyt-2+ or L3T4+ spleen cells of C57BL/6 origin were stimulated with Con A and syngeneic macrophages (MO) in the presence of monoclonal antibodies to T cell markers or to polymorphic determinants on major histocompatibility complex molecules, and assessed for the ability to proliferate and to produce interleukin (IL) 2. alpha I-Ab failed to inhibit the Con A response of Lyt-2+ cells at dilutions that significantly inhibited the response of L3T4+ cells. In contrast, alphaKb/Db or alpha Lyt-2.2 specifically inhibited the response of Lyt-2+ cells, but not L3T4+ cells. The ability of alpha Kb/Db and of alpha Lyt-2.2 to inhibit the response of Lyt-2+ cells was dependent upon the concentration of Con A. These data demonstrate that optimal triggering of T cell subsets to proliferate and to produce IL-2 in response to Con A requires interactions with the appropriate restricting major histocompatibility complex molecule. The role of accessory cells in Lyt-2+ Con A-induced proliferation and IL-2 production was also investigated. Purified Lyt-2+ cells and purified L3T4+ cells failed to respond to Con A in the absence of MO. IL-1 reconstituted the response when MO were limiting, but failed to restore the response of either Lyt-2+ or L3T4+ cells when T cells were rigorously purified to remove all MO. These results demonstrate that triggering Lyt-2+ T cells, like L3T4+ T cells, requires accessory cells, and that this does not merely reflect a requirement for IL-1 production. Thus, Con A-induced proliferation and IL-2 production by Lyt-2+ T cells requires intimate contact with accessory cells and interactions dependent upon the class I-restricting element.

  14. What is a grandmother cell? And how would you know if you found one?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bowers, Jeffrey S.

    2011-06-01

    The key claim associated with a grandmother cell theory is that single neurons selectively represent one complex 'thing' (e.g. object and face). However, this theory is often mischaracterised in the cognitive and neuroscience literatures. I summarise two common confusions here. First, critics of grandmother cells often fail to distinguish between the selectivity and sparseness of neural firing and, as a result, predict (incorrectly) that one and only one neuron should fire in response to a given input. Second, critics often fail to distinguish between what a neuron responds to and what it represents - as detailed below - and as a result, predict (incorrectly) that a grandmother cell should fire in response to one and only one thing. I argue that these two confusions often lead to the premature rejection of grandmother cell theories.

  15. Conditional deletion of SLP-76 in mature T cells abrogates peripheral immune responses1

    PubMed Central

    Wu, Gregory F.; Corbo, Evann; Schmidt, Michelle; Smith-Garvin, Jennifer E.; Riese, Matthew J.; Jordan, Martha S.; Laufer, Terri M.; Brown, Eric J.; Maltzman, Jonathan S.

    2011-01-01

    SUMMARY The adaptor protein Src homology 2 domain-containing leukocyte-specific protein of 76 kDa (SLP-76) is central to the organization of intracellular signaling downstream of the T cell receptor (TCR). Evaluation of its role in mature, primary T cells has been hampered by developmental defects that occur in the absence of wild-type SLP-76 protein in thymocytes. Following tamoxifen-regulated conditional deletion of SLP-76, mature, antigen-inexperienced T cells maintain normal TCR surface expression but fail to transduce TCR generated signals. Conditionally deficient T cells fail to proliferate in response to antigenic stimulation or a lymphopenic environment. Mice with induced deletion of SLP-76 are resistant to induction of the CD4+ T cell mediated autoimmune disease experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Our findings demonstrate the critical role of SLP-76-mediated signaling in initiating T cell-directed immune responses both in vitro and in vivo and highlight the ability to analyze signaling processes in mature T cells in the absence of developmental defects. PMID:21469089

  16. Existence of Normal Limbal Epithelium in Eyes with Clinical Signs of Total Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency

    PubMed Central

    Codriansky, Andres; Hong, Jiaxu; Xu, Jianjian; Deng, Sophie X.

    2016-01-01

    Purpose To report the presence of normal limbal epithelium detected by in vivo confocal laser scanning microscopy (IVCM) in three cases of clinically diagnosed total limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD). Methods This is a retrospective case report consists of three patients who were diagnosed with total LSCD based on clinical exam and/or impression cytology. Clinical data including ocular history, presentation, slit-lamp examination, IVCM and impression cytology were reviewed. Results The etiology was chemical burn in three cases. One patient has two failed penetrating keratoplasty. Another had allogeneic keratolimbal transplantation but the graft failed one year after surgery. The third patient had failed amniotic membrane transplantation. These three patients presented with signs of total LSCD including the absence of normal Vogt palisades, complete superficial vascularization of the peripheral cornea, non-healing epithelial defects, and corneal scarring. Impression cytology was performed in two cases to confirm the presence of goblet cells in two cases. Each patient however still had distinct areas of corneal and/or limbal epithelial cells detected by IVCM. Conclusions Residual normal limbal epithelial cells could be present in eyes with clinical features of total LSCD. IVCM appears to be a more accurate method to evaluate the degree of LSCD. PMID:27362882

  17. Endothelial cell density to predict endothelial graft failure after penetrating keratoplasty.

    PubMed

    Lass, Jonathan H; Sugar, Alan; Benetz, Beth Ann; Beck, Roy W; Dontchev, Mariya; Gal, Robin L; Kollman, Craig; Gross, Robert; Heck, Ellen; Holland, Edward J; Mannis, Mark J; Raber, Irving; Stark, Walter; Stulting, R Doyle

    2010-01-01

    To determine whether preoperative and/or postoperative central endothelial cell density (ECD) and its rate of decline postoperatively are predictive of graft failure caused by endothelial decompensation following penetrating keratoplasty to treat a moderate-risk condition, principally, Fuchs dystrophy or pseudophakic corneal edema. In a subset of Cornea Donor Study participants, a central reading center determined preoperative and postoperative ECD from available specular images for 17 grafts that failed because of endothelial decompensation and 483 grafts that did not fail. Preoperative ECD was not predictive of graft failure caused by endothelial decompensation (P = .91). However, the 6-month ECD was predictive of subsequent failure (P < .001). Among those that had not failed within the first 6 months, the 5-year cumulative incidence (+/-95% confidence interval) of failure was 13% (+/-12%) for the 33 participants with a 6-month ECD of less than 1700 cells/mm(2) vs 2% (+/-3%) for the 137 participants with a 6-month ECD of 2500 cells/mm(2) or higher. After 5 years' follow-up, 40 of 277 participants (14%) with a clear graft had an ECD below 500 cells/mm(2). Preoperative ECD is unrelated to graft failure from endothelial decompensation, whereas there is a strong correlation of ECD at 6 months with graft failure from endothelial decompensation. A graft can remain clear after 5 years even when the ECD is below 500 cells/mm(2).

  18. Topology Optimization for Reducing Additive Manufacturing Processing Distortions

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2017-12-01

    features that curl or warp under thermal load and are subsequently struck by the recoater blade /roller. Support structures act to wick heat away and...was run for 150 iterations. The material properties for all examples were Young’s modulus E = 1 GPa, Poisson’s ratio ν = 0.25, and thermal expansion...the element-birth model is significantly more computationally expensive for a full op- timization run . Consider, the computational complexity of a

  19. The Lord’s Resistance Army Wicked Problem

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-03-14

    alarming proportions after the failure of the Juba Peace Talks and “Operation Lightning Thunder” ( OLT ). Consequently between September 2008 and December...phase, followed with an assault by ground forces.60 The planners of OLT had assumed that the air strikes would have a decisive effect on the morale...different capabilities. 18 During OLT , dozens of LRA officers were killed or captured or simply surrendered and LRA’s core fighters were reduced to

  20. Enhancing Interoperability Among Enlisted Medical Personnel. A Case Study of Military Surgical Technologists

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-01-01

    Thomas Manacapilli, Daniel Gershwin, Andrew Baxter, Roland J. Yardley Prepared for the Office of the Secretary of Defense Approved for public release...particularly thank Pete Altman, LTC Kathleen McArthur, CAPT Leigh Wickes, HMCS Douglas Glascoe, HMCM James Menke, Jerral Behnke, LTC Katrina Glavan-Heise, and...TIO Transformation Integration Office TNCC Thomas Nelson Community College TRADOC Training and Doctrine Command TS-C Tech in Surgery—Certified USD

  1. Multi-Scale Fusion of Information for Uncertainty Quantification and Management in Large-Scale Simulations

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-12-02

    simplification of the equations but at the expense of introducing modeling errors. We have shown that the Wick solutions have accuracy comparable to...the system of equations for the coefficients of formal power series solutions . Moreover, the structure of this propagator is seemingly universal, i.e...the problem of computing the numerical solution to kinetic partial differential equa- tions involving many phase variables. These types of equations

  2. A specifically designed nanoconstruct associates, internalizes, traffics in cardiovascular cells, and accumulates in failing myocardium: a new strategy for heart failure diagnostics and therapeutics.

    PubMed

    Ruiz-Esparza, Guillermo U; Segura-Ibarra, Victor; Cordero-Reyes, Andrea M; Youker, Keith A; Serda, Rita E; Cruz-Solbes, Ana S; Amione-Guerra, Javier; Yokoi, Kenji; Kirui, Dickson K; Cara, Francisca E; Paez-Mayorga, Jesus; Flores-Arredondo, Jose H; Guerrero-Beltrán, Carlos E; Garcia-Rivas, Gerardo; Ferrari, Mauro; Blanco, Elvin; Torre-Amione, Guillermo

    2016-02-01

    Ongoing inflammation and endothelial dysfunction occurs within the local microenvironment of heart failure, creating an appropriate scenario for successful use and delivery of nanovectors. This study sought to investigate whether cardiovascular cells associate, internalize, and traffic a nanoplatform called mesoporous silicon vector (MSV), and determine its intravenous accumulation in cardiac tissue in a murine model of heart failure. In vitro cellular uptake and intracellular trafficking of MSVs was examined by scanning electron microscopy, confocal microscopy, time-lapse microscopy, and flow cytometry in cardiac myocytes, fibroblasts, smooth muscle cells, and endothelial cells. The MSVs were internalized within the first hours, and trafficked to perinuclear regions in all the cell lines. Cytotoxicity was investigated by annexin V and cell cycle assays. No significant evidence of toxicity was found. In vivo intravenous cardiac accumulation of MSVs was examined by high content fluorescence and confocal microscopy, with results showing increased accumulation of particles in failing hearts compared with normal hearts. Similar to observations in vitro, MSVs were able to associate, internalize, and traffic to the perinuclear region of cardiomyocytes in vivo. Results show that MSVs associate, internalize, and traffic in cardiovascular cells without any significant toxicity. Furthermore, MSVs accumulate in failing myocardium after intravenous administration, reaching intracellular regions of the cardiomyocytes. These findings represent a novel avenue to develop nanotechnology-based therapeutics and diagnostics in heart failure. © 2016 The Authors European Journal of Heart Failure © 2016 European Society of Cardiology.

  3. Evaluation program for secondary spacecraft cells: Acceptance tests of Eagle-Picher 12.0 ampere-hour nickel-cadmium cells with auxiliary electrodes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Christy, D. E.

    1971-01-01

    An acceptance test program was conducted on 24 cells to insure that all cells put into the life cycle program were of high quality by the removal of cells found to have electrolyte leakage, internal shorts, low capacity, or inability of any cell to recover its open circuit voltage above 1.150 volts after the cell short test. The cells were rated at 12.0 ampere-hours and equipped with auxiliary electrodes. Test results were: (1) The capacity of the 24 cells ranged from 14.6 to 16.8 ah. All the cells exceeded the rated capacity on all three capacity checks. (2) One cell failed to recover to 1.150 volts after the cell short test. (3) During the overcharge tests, all cells but one failed the test at the c/10 rate after the first minute. (4) A special resistance test was conducted on the auxiliary electrodes of these cells to establish the resistance value necessary which would provide maximum signal power across the auxiliary electrode. The resistance value established was 10 ohms. (5) No electrolyte leakage was observed.

  4. Split T-cell tolerance in herpes simplex virus-infected mice and its implication for anti-viral immunity.

    PubMed Central

    Nash, A A; Ashford, N P

    1982-01-01

    Mice simultaneously injected intravenously and subcutaneously with herpes simplex virus fail to adoptively transfer delayed hypersensitivity (DH) to syngeneic recipients. The transferred lymph node cells also failed to rapidly eliminate infectious herpes from the pinna, despite the presence of cytotoxic T cells in the transferred suspension. Both primary and secondary cytotoxic cell responses in the draining lymph node were unaffected by the inhibition of DH. The lymph nodes from DH tolerized mice also contain lymphocytes capable of undergoing a proliferative response in vitro to herpes antigens. In addition, a neutralizing antibody response with IgG antibodies against herpes are also present in DH tolerized mice. These data suggest a form of split T-cell tolerance in which only DH responses are directly compromised. The implication of these findings for the pathogenesis of herpes simplex virus is discussed. PMID:6279490

  5. How does the VPD response of isohydric and anisohydric plants depend on leaf surface particles?

    PubMed

    Burkhardt, J; Pariyar, S

    2016-01-01

    Atmospheric vapour pressure deficit (VPD) is the driving force for plant transpiration. Plants have different strategies to respond to this 'atmospheric drought'. Deposited aerosols on leaf surfaces can interact with plant water relations and may influence VPD response. We studied transpiration and water use efficiency of pine, beech and sunflower by measuring sap flow, gas exchange and carbon isotopes, thereby addressing different time scales of plant/atmosphere interaction. Plants were grown (i) outdoors under rainfall exclusion (OD) and in ventilated greenhouses with (ii) ambient air (AA) or (iii) filtered air (FA), the latter containing <1% ambient aerosol concentrations. In addition, some AA plants were sprayed once with 25 mM salt solution of (NH4 )2 SO4 or NaNO3 . Carbon isotope values (δ(13) C) became more negative in the presence of more particles; more negative for AA compared to FA sunflower and more negative for OD Scots pine compared to other growth environments. FA beech had less negative δ(13) C than AA, OD and NaNO3 -treated beech. Anisohydric beech showed linearly increasing sap flow with increasing VPD. The slopes doubled for (NH4 )2 SO4 - and tripled for NaNO3 -sprayed beech compared to control seedlings, indicating decreased ability to resist atmospheric demand. In contrast, isohydric pine showed constant transpiration rates with increasing VPD, independent of growth environment and spray, likely caused by decreasing gs with increasing VPD. Generally, NaNO3 spray had stronger effects on water relations than (NH4 )2 SO4 spray. The results strongly support the role of leaf surface particles as an environmental factor affecting plant water use. Hygroscopic and chaotropic properties of leaf surface particles determine their ability to form wicks across stomata. Such wicks enhance unproductive water loss of anisohydric plant species and decrease CO2 uptake of isohydric plants. They become more relevant with increasing number of fine particles and increasing VPD and are thus related to air pollution and climate change. Wicks cause a deviation from the analogy between CO2 and water pathways through stomata, bringing some principal assumptions of gas exchange theory into question. © 2015 German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

  6. Inability of spleen cells from chancre-immune rabbits to confer immunity to challenge with Treponema pallidum.

    PubMed Central

    Baughn, R E; Musher, D M; Simmons, C B

    1977-01-01

    Although several lines of evidence suggest that cellular immune mechanisms play a role in controlling infection due to Treponema pallidum, recent studies have shown that induction of acquired cellular resistance by antigenically unrelated organisms fails to protect rabbits against syphilitic infection, thereby casting doubt on this hypothesis. In the present paper we describe attempts to transfer immunity to syphilis by using spleen cells from chancre-immune rabbits. Intravenous infusion of 2 X 10(8) spleen lymphocytes was capable of transferring acquired cellular resistance to Listeria and delayed hypersensitivity to tuberculin. However, in eight separate experiments using outbred or inbred rabbits, 2 X 10(8) spleen cells from syphilis-immune animals failed to confer resistance to T. pallidum whether by intravenous or intradermal challenge. Mixing immune lymphocytes with treponemes immediately before intradermal inoculation also failed to confer resistance. Despite the fact that syphilitic infection stimulates cellular immune mechanisms and induces acquired cellular resistance to antigenically unrelated organisms, cellular immunity may not play an important role in immunity to syphilis. PMID:143456

  7. Development of synchronized, autonomous, and self-regulated oscillations in transpiration rate of a whole tomato plant under water stress.

    PubMed

    Wallach, Rony; Da-Costa, Noam; Raviv, Michael; Moshelion, Menachem

    2010-07-01

    Plants respond to many environmental changes by rapidly adjusting their hydraulic conductivity and transpiration rate, thereby optimizing water-use efficiency and preventing damage due to low water potential. A multiple-load-cell apparatus, time-series analysis of the measured data, and residual low-pass filtering methods were used to monitor continuously and analyse transpiration of potted tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum cv. Ailsa Craig) grown in a temperature-controlled greenhouse during well-irrigated and drought periods. A time derivative of the filtered residual time series yielded oscillatory behaviour of the whole plant's transpiration (WPT) rate. A subsequent cross-correlation analysis between the WPT oscillatory pattern and wet-wick evaporation rates (vertical cotton fabric, 0.14 m(2) partly submerged in water in a container placed on an adjacent load cell) revealed that autonomous oscillations in WPT rate develop under a continuous increase in water stress, whereas these oscillations correspond with the fluctuations in evaporation rate when water is fully available. The relative amplitude of these autonomous oscillations increased with water stress as transpiration rate decreased. These results support the recent finding that an increase in xylem tension triggers hydraulic signals that spread instantaneously via the plant vascular system and control leaf conductance. The regulatory role of synchronized oscillations in WPT rate in eliminating critical xylem tension points and preventing embolism is discussed.

  8. The Search for Peace in Mindanao: Resolving a Wicked Problem

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-03-22

    negotiating panel, still led by Mohagher Iqbal, but with new members such as Professor Abhoud Syed Linga and Datu Antonio Kinoc of B‘laan tribe...that the MILF received funds from charitable institutions operated by Mohammed Jamal Khalifa, Osama Bin Laden‘s brother-in-law.53 The MILF has...Crucible: A Reader (Quezon City: CenPeg Publications), 2008, p. 136. 19 7 Hermoso, p. 61. 8 Dato‘ Md Ismael bin Ahmad Khan, ―The International

  9. Study Unveils New Method for Universal Extraction and PCR Amplification of Fungal DNA

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-06-12

    Wickes noted that there are methods to extract fungi from soil , for example, and "once you get down to pure DNA, everything else is the same," he said...rare or hard to identify fungal infections. The new extraction and amplification method can be universally applied to fungi , according to the...best treatments. In addition, rare fungi , or species with phenotypic doppelgangers, can stump medical mycologists, so molecular methods are critical

  10. Solving Homeland Security’s Wicked Problems: A Design Thinking Approach

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-09-01

    spur solutions. This thesis provides a framework for how S&T can incorporate design- thinking principles that are working well in other domains to...to spur solutions. This thesis provides a framework for how S&T can incorporate design-thinking principles that are working well in other domains to...Galbraith’s Star Model was used to analyze how DHS S&T, MindLab, and DARPA apply design-thinking principles to inform the framework to apply and

  11. Transforming the U.S. Immigration System After 9/11: The Impact of Organizational Change and Collaboration in the Context of Homeland Security

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-12-01

    disqualifying criminal conviction from an application to become a Lawful Permanent Resident of the U.S.10 10...developing Collaborative Capacity Builders (CCBs) is another method to sustain and continue to build an effective USCIS and ICE network into the 21st...Weber and Anne M. Khademian, “Wicked Problems, Knowledge Challenges, and Collaborative Capacity Builders in Network Settings,” Public Administration

  12. Development of optimized, graded-permeability axial groove heat pipes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kapolnek, Michael R.; Holmes, H. Rolland

    1988-01-01

    Heat pipe performance can usually be improved by uniformly varying or grading wick permeability from end to end. A unique and cost effective method for grading the permeability of an axial groove heat pipe is described - selective chemical etching of the pipe casing. This method was developed and demonstrated on a proof-of-concept test article. The process improved the test article's performance by 50 percent. Further improvement is possible through the use of optimally etched grooves.

  13. Microgravity

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2001-01-24

    The Protein Crystallization for Microgravity (DCAM) was developed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. A droplet of solution with protein molecules dissolved in it is isolated in the center of a small well. In orbit, an elastomer seal is lifted so the solution can evaporate and be absorbed by a wick material. This raises the concentration of the solution, thus prompting protein molecules in the solution to form crystals. The principal investigator is Dr. Dan Carter of New Century Pharmaceuticals in Huntsville, AL.

  14. Heroes for a Wicked World: Enders Game as a Case for Fiction in PME

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-06-10

    Sengers, “Narrative Intelligence,” 3. 84. Blair, D. and Meyer, T. “Tools for an Interactive Virtual Cinema .” Creating Personalities for Synthetic Actors...Conflict . . . in Space. Historian Max Hastings writes, “It was the Japanese people’s ill-fortune that it became feasible to bomb them just when American...2012). Blair, D. and Meyer, T. “Tools for an Interactive Virtual Cinema .” Creating Personalities for Synthetic Actors: Towards Autonomous Personality

  15. An Experimental Study of Pressure Oscillation in a Capillary Pumped Loop with Multiple Evaporators and Condensers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ku, Jen-Tung; Hoang, Triem T.

    1998-01-01

    The heat transport capability of a capillary pumped loop (CPL) is limited by the pressure drop that its evaporator wick can sustain. The pressure drop in a CPL is not constant even under seemingly steady operation, but rather exhibits an oscillatory behavior. A hydrodynamic theory based on a mass-spring-dashpot model was previously developed to predict the pressure oscillation in a CPL with a single evaporator and a single condenser. The theory states that the pressure oscillation is a function of physical dimensions of the CPL components and operating conditions. Experimental data agreed very well with theoretical predictions. The hydrodynamic stability theory has recently been extended to predict the pressure oscillations in CPLs with multiple evaporators and multiple condensers. Concurrently, an experimental study was conducted to verify the theory and to investigate the effects of various parameters on the pressure oscillation. Four evaporators with different wick properties were tested using a test loop containing two condenser plates. The test loop allowed the four evaporators to be tested in a single-pump, two-pump or four-pump configuration, and the two condenser plates to be plumbed either in parallel or in series. Test conditions included varying the power input, the reservoir set point temperature, the condenser sink temperature, and the flow resistance between the reservoir and the loop. Experimental results agreed well with theoretical predictions.

  16. The other Higgses, at resonance, in the Lee-Wick extension of the Standard Model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Figy, Terrance; Zwicky, Roman

    2011-10-01

    Within the framework of the Lee-Wick Standard Model (LWSM) we investigate Higgs pair production gg → h 0 h 0, gg to {h_0}{tilde{p}_0} and top pair production gg to bar{t}t at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), where the neutral particles from the Higgs sector ( h 0, {tilde{h}_0} and {tilde{p}_0} ) appear as possible resonant intermediate states. Depending on whether the LW Higgs state is below or above the top pair threshold either the hh or tt-channel are dominant and therefore of main interest. We investigate the signal gg to {h_0}{h_0} to bar{b}bγ γ and we find that the LW Higgs, depending on its mass-range, can be seen not long after the LHC upgrade in 2012. In gg to bar{t}t the LW states, due to the wrong-sign propagator and negative width, lead to a dip-peak structure instead of the usual peak-dip structure which gives a characteristic signal especially for low-lying LW Higgs states. We comment on the LWSM and the forward-backward asymmetry in view of the measurement at the TeVatron. Furthermore, we present a technique which reduces the hyperbolic diagonalization to standard diagonalization methods. We clarify issues of spurious phases in the Yukawa sector.

  17. Durable Suit Bladder with Improved Water Permeability for Pressure and Environment Suits

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bue, Grant C.; Kuznetz, Larry; Orndoff, Evelyne; Tang, Henry; Aitchison, Lindsay; Ross, Amy

    2009-01-01

    Water vapor permeability is shown to be useful in rejecting heat and managing moisture accumulation in launch-and-entry pressure suits. Currently this is accomplished through a porous Gortex layer in the Advanced Crew and Escape Suit (ACES) and in the baseline design of the Constellation Suit System Element (CSSE) Suit 1. Non-porous dense monolithic membranes (DMM) that are available offer potential improvements for water vapor permeability with reduced gas leak. Accordingly, three different pressure bladder materials were investigated for water vapor permeability and oxygen leak: ElasthaneTM 80A (thermoplastic polyether urethane) provided from stock polymer material and two custom thermoplastic polyether urethanes. Water vapor, carbon dioxide and oxygen permeability of the DMM's was measured in a 0.13 mm thick stand-alone layer, a 0.08 mm and 0.05 mm thick layer each bonded to two different nylon and polyester woven reinforcing materials. Additional water vapor permeability and mechanical compression measurements were made with the reinforced 0.05 mm thick layers, further bonded with a polyester wicking and overlaid with moistened polyester fleece thermal underwear .This simulated the pressure from a supine crew person. The 0.05 mm thick nylon reinforced sample with polyester wicking layer was further mechanically tested for wear and abrasion. Concepts for incorporating these materials in launch/entry and Extravehicular Activity pressure suits are presented.

  18. Wicking of light hydrophobic liquid phase from water by pulverized rubber: Theoretical and experimental analyses.

    PubMed

    Boglaienko, Daria; Tansel, Berrin

    2017-03-05

    Pulverized rubber (PR) can be utilized for capturing floating oils to prevent spreading and volatilization of hydrocarbons. Experiments were conducted using PR with four different particle sizes (ranging from 0.075 to 0.600mm) and South Louisiana crude oil. The oil capture performance of the PR particles was compared with that of powdered activated carbon (AC). Oil-particle interactions were analyzed using capillary theories for lateral aggregation and wicking processes, as well as sorption capacity in relation to particle size. The sorption capacity (as oil to sorbent ratio) for PR with particle size 0.115mm (4.41g/g) was comparable to that of AC with particle size 0.187mm (5.00g/g). Sorption efficiency (oil:powder ratio, g/g) of the PR increased with decreasing particle size. Sorption of oil by PR occurred rapidly (in less than 10min) which indicated strong capillary action. No additional sorption occurred after 30min. For the PR sample with larger particle size (0.600-0.400mm), lateral aggregation was clearly noticeable. The PR-oil aggregates could be easily removed from the water surface without breaking. The cost, availability and recycling potential of PR make it a feasible alternative material for oil spill response and industrial applications which require removal of floating oils. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Possible treatment of the ghost states in the Lee-Wick standard model

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Shalaby, Abouzeid M.; Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Qassim University

    2009-07-15

    In this work, we employ the techniques used to cure the indefinite norm problem in pseudo-Hermitian Hamiltonians to show that the ghost states in a higher derivative scalar field theory are not real ghosts. For the model under investigation, an imaginary auxiliary field is introduced to have an equivalent non-Hermitian two-field scalar theory. We were able to calculate exactly the positive definite metric operator {eta} for the quantum mechanical as well as the quantum field versions of the theory. While the equivalent Hamiltonian is non-Hermitian in a Hilbert space characterized by the Dirac sense inner product, it is, however, amore » Hermitian in a Hilbert space endowed with the inner product . The main feature of the latter Hilbert space is that the propagator has the correct sign (no Lee-Wick fields). Moreover, the calculated metric operator diagonalizes the Hamiltonian in the two fields (no mixing). We found that the Hermiticity of the calculated metric operator to lead to the constrain M>2m for the two Higgs masses, in agreement with other calculations in the literature. Besides, our mass formulas coincide with those obtained in other works (obtained by a very different regime but with the existence of ghost states), which means that our positive normed Hamiltonian form preserves the mass spectra.« less

  20. Dish/stirling hybrid-receiver

    DOEpatents

    Mehos, Mark S.; Anselmo, Kenneth M.; Moreno, James B.; Andraka, Charles E.; Rawlinson, K. Scott; Corey, John; Bohn, Mark S.

    2002-01-01

    A hybrid high-temperature solar receiver is provided which comprises a solar heat-pipe-receiver including a front dome having a solar absorber surface for receiving concentrated solar energy, a heat pipe wick, a rear dome, a sidewall joining the front and the rear dome, and a vapor and a return liquid tube connecting to an engine, and a fossil fuel fired combustion system in radial integration with the sidewall for simultaneous operation with the solar heat pipe receiver, the combustion system comprising an air and fuel pre-mixer, an outer cooling jacket for tangentially introducing and cooling the mixture, a recuperator for preheating the mixture, a burner plenum having an inner and an outer wall, a porous cylindrical metal matrix burner firing radially inward facing a sodium vapor sink, the mixture ignited downstream of the matrix forming combustion products, an exhaust plenum, a fossil-fuel heat-input surface having an outer surface covered with a pin-fin array, the combustion products flowing through the array to give up additional heat to the receiver, and an inner surface covered with an extension of the heat-pipe wick, a pin-fin shroud sealed to the burner and exhaust plenums, an end seal, a flue-gas diversion tube and a flue-gas valve for use at off-design conditions to limit the temperature of the pre-heated air and fuel mixture, preventing pre-ignition.

  1. Prenuptial perfume: Alloanointing in the social rituals of the crested auklet ( Aethia cristatella) and the transfer of arthropod deterrents

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Douglas, Hector D.

    2008-01-01

    Alloanointing, the transfer of chemicals between conspecifics, is known among mammals, but hitherto, the behavior has not been documented for birds. The crested auklet ( Aethia cristatella), a colonial seabird of Alaskan and Siberian waters, alloanoints during courtship with fragrant aldehydes that are released from specialized wick-like feathers located in the interscapular region. Crested auklets solicit anointment at the colony, and prospective mates rub bill, breast, head, and neck over wick feathers of their partners. This distributes aldehydes over the head, neck, and face where the birds cannot self-preen. The resulting chemical concentrations are sufficient to deter ectoparasites. Auklets that emit more odorant can transfer more defensive chemicals to mates and are thus more sexually attractive. Behavioral studies showed that crested auklets are attracted to their scent. Wild birds searched for dispensers that emitted their scent and rubbed their bills on the dispensers and engaged in vigorous anointment behaviors. In captive experiments, naïve crested auklets responded more strongly to synthetic auklet scent than controls, and the greatest behavioral response occurred during early courtship. This study extends scientific knowledge regarding functions of alloanointing. Alloanointing had previously been attributed to scent marking and individual recognition in vertebrates. Alloanointing is described here in the context of an adaptive social cue — the transfer of arthropod deterrents between prospective mates.

  2. Comparisons of Gas-phase Temperature Measurements in a Flame Using Thin-Filament Pyrometry and Thermocouples

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Struk, Peter; Dietrich, Daniel; Valentine, Russell; Feier, Ioan

    2003-01-01

    Less-intrusive, fast-responding, and full-field temperature measurements have long been a desired tool for the research community. Recently, the emission of a silicon-carbide (SiC) fiber placed in a flowing hot (or reacting) gas has been used to measure the temperature profile along the length of the fiber. The relationship between the gas and fiber temperature comes from an energy balance on the fiber. In the present work, we compared single point flame temperature measurements using thin-filament pyrometry (TFP) and thermocouples. The data was from vertically traversing a thermocouple and a SiC fiber through a methanol/air diffusion flame of a porous-metal wick burner. The results showed that the gas temperature using the TFP technique agreed with the thermocouple measurements (25.4 m diameter wire) within 3.5% for temperatures above 1200 K. Additionally, we imaged the entire SiC fiber (with a spatial resolution of 0.14 mm) while it was in the flame using a high resolution CCD camera. The intensity level along the fiber length is a function of the temperature. This results in a one-dimensional temperature profiles at various heights above the burner wick. This temperature measurement technique, while having a precision of less than 1 K, showed data scatter as high as 38 K. Finally, we discuss the major sources of uncertainty in gas temperature measurement using TFP.

  3. Can Joined-Up Data Lead to Joined-Up Thinking? The Western Australian Developmental Pathways Project

    PubMed Central

    Stanley, Fiona; Glauert, Rebecca; McKenzie, Anne; O'Donnell, Melissa

    2011-01-01

    Modern societies are challenged by “wicked problems” – by definition, those that are difficult to define, multi-causal and hard to treat. Problems such as low birth weight, obesity, mental ill health, teenage pregnancy, educational difficulties and juvenile crime fit this category. Given the complex nature of these problems, they require the best data in order to measure them, guide policy frameworks and evaluate whether the steps taken to address them are actually making a difference. What such problems really require are joined-up approaches to enable effective solutions. In this paper, we describe a unique initiative to encourage a more preventive, whole-of-government approach to these problems – the Developmental Pathways Project, which has enabled the linkage of a large number of de-identified administrative databases in order to explore the pathways into and out of the negative outcomes affecting our children and youth. This project has not only enabled the linkage of agency data, but also of agency personnel, in order to improve and promote cross-agency research, policy and preventive solutions. Through the use of these linkages we are attempting to shift the paradigm to encourage agencies to appreciate that these “wicked problems” demand a preventive approach, as well as the provision of effective services for those already affected. PMID:24933374

  4. The wicked question answered: positive deviance delivers patient-centered care.

    PubMed

    Gary, Jodie C

    2014-01-01

    How nurses respond when faced with the dilemma of providing patient-centered care in the absence of patient-centered practice guidelines remains relatively unreported. Standards may not be available to guide nurses or may not be realistic for implementation at the point of care. Nurses may be forced to react creatively to meet the needs of their patients. The purpose was to understand nursing care when standard practice guidelines did not meet patient-specific care needs and to develop various viewpoints related to the use of positive deviance in providing patient-centered care. Complexity theory and the framework of a wicked question were used to guide a 3-round online national Delphi study from November 2011 to February 2012. The panel was accessed through the American Association of Critical Care Nurses to expose the care provided when standard practice guidelines were lacking. Findings support the presence of positive deviance and expose care provided by nurses when standard practice guidelines lacked the ability to provide patient-centered care. Dominant themes of positive deviance are recommended as priorities for future research. Better guidelines are needed that work for nurses, instead of against them, that would not force a nurse into actions that are not patient centered. Guidelines should guide practice and assist in allowing nurses to provide care that is centered on the best needs of the patient in the specific care situation.

  5. Sampling gaseous compounds from essential oils evaporation by solid phase microextraction devices

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cheng, Wen-Hsi; Lai, Chin-Hsing

    2014-12-01

    Needle trap samplers (NTS) are packed with 80-100 mesh divinylbenzene (DVB) particles to extract indoor volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This study compared extraction efficiency between an NTS and a commercially available 100 μm polydimethylsiloxane-solid phase microextration (PDMS-SPME) fiber sampler used to sample gaseous products in heated tea tree essential oil in different evaporation modes, which were evaporated respectively by free convection inside a glass evaporation dish at 27 °C, by evaporation diffuser at 60 °C, and by thermal ceramic wicks at 100 °C. The experimental results indicated that the NTS performed better than the SPME fiber samplers and that the NTS primarily adsorbed 5.7 ng ethylbenzene, 5.8 ng m/p-xylenes, 11.1 ng 1,2,3-trimethylbenzene, 12.4 ng 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene and 9.99 ng 1,4-diethylbenzene when thermal ceramic wicks were used to evaporate the tea tree essential oil during a 1-hr evaporation period. The experiment also indicated that the temperature used to heat the essential oils should be as low as possible to minimize irritant VOC by-products. If the evaporation temperature does not exceed 100 °C, the concentrations of main by-products trimethylbenzene and diethylbenzene are much lower than the threshold limit values recommended by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

  6. Transforming Lepidopteran Insect Cells for Improved Protein Processing and Expression

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The lepidopteran insect cells used with the baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS) are capable of synthesizing and accurately processing foreign proteins. However, proteins expressed in baculovirus-infected cells often fail to be completely processed, or are not processed in a manner that meet...

  7. Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals metallothionein heterogeneity during hESC differentiation to definitive endoderm.

    PubMed

    Lu, Junjie; Baccei, Anna; Lummertz da Rocha, Edroaldo; Guillermier, Christelle; McManus, Sean; Finney, Lydia A; Zhang, Cheng; Steinhauser, Matthew L; Li, Hu; Lerou, Paul H

    2018-04-01

    Differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells towards definitive endoderm (DE) is the critical first step for generating cells comprising organs such as the gut, liver, pancreas and lung. This in-vitro differentiation process generates a heterogeneous population with a proportion of cells failing to differentiate properly and maintaining expression of pluripotency factors such as Oct4. RNA sequencing of single cells collected at four time points during a 4-day DE differentiation identified high expression of metallothionein genes in the residual Oct4-positive cells that failed to differentiate to DE. Using X-ray fluorescence microscopy and multi-isotope mass spectrometry, we discovered that high intracellular zinc level corresponds with persistent Oct4 expression and failure to differentiate. This study improves our understanding of the cellular heterogeneity during in-vitro directed differentiation and provides a valuable resource to improve DE differentiation efficiency. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Sec61α is required for dorsal closure during Drosophila embryogenesis through its regulation of Dpp signaling

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Xiaochen; Ward, Robert E.

    2010-01-01

    During dorsal closure in Drosophila, signaling events in the dorsalmost row of epidermal cells (DME cells) direct the migration of lateral epidermal sheets towards the dorsal midline where they fuse to enclose the embryo. A Jun amino-terminal kinase (JNK) cascade in the DME cells induces the expression of Decapentaplegic (Dpp). Dpp signaling then regulates the cytoskeleton in the DME cells and amnioserosa to affect the cell shape changes necessary to complete dorsal closure. We identified a mutation in Sec61α that specifically perturbs dorsal closure. Sec61α encodes the main subunit of the translocon complex for co-translational import of proteins into the ER. JNK signaling is normal in Sec61α mutant embryos, but Dpp signaling is attenuated and the DME cells fail to maintain an actinomyosin cable as epithelial migration fails. Consistent with this model, dorsal closure is rescued in Sec61α mutant embryos by an activated form of the Dpp receptor Thick veins. PMID:20112345

  9. Bypassing An Open-Circuit Power Cell

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wannemacher, Harry E.

    1994-01-01

    Collection of bypass circuits enables battery consisting series string of cells to continue to function when one of its cells fails in open-circuit (high-resistance) condition. Basic idea simply to shunt current around defective cell to prevent open circuit from turning off battery altogether. Bypass circuits dissipate little power and are nearly immune to false activation.

  10. Atherosclerosis as a disease of failed endogenous repair

    PubMed Central

    Zenovich, Andrey G.; Taylor, Doris A.

    2009-01-01

    As coronary artery disease (CAD) continues to be the primary cause of mortality, a more in-depth understanding of pathophysiology and novel treatments are being sought. The past two decades have established inflammation as a driving force behind CAD – from endothelial dysfunction to heart failure. Recent advances in stem/progenitor cell biology have led to initial applications of progenitor cells in CAD continuum and have revealed that atherosclerosis is, at least in part, a disease of failed endogenous vascular repair. Several key progenitor cell populations including endothelial progenitor cells (AC133+/CD34+ population), vascular progenitors (CD31+/CD45low population), KDR+ cells and other bone marrow subtypes are mobilized for vascular repair. However, age and risk factors negatively impact these cells even prior to clinical CAD. Sex-based differences in progenitor cell capacity for repair have emerged as a new research focus that may offer mechanistic insights into clinical CAD discrepancies between men and women. Quantifying injury and cell-based repair and better defining their interactions should enable us to halt or even prevent CAD by enhancing the repair side of the repair/injury equation. PMID:18508460

  11. Conditional deletion of SLP-76 in mature T cells abrogates peripheral immune responses.

    PubMed

    Wu, Gregory F; Corbo, Evann; Schmidt, Michelle; Smith-Garvin, Jennifer E; Riese, Matthew J; Jordan, Martha S; Laufer, Terri M; Brown, Eric J; Maltzman, Jonathan S

    2011-07-01

    The adaptor protein Src homology 2 domain-containing leukocyte-specific protein of 76 kDa (SLP-76) is central to the organization of intracellular signaling downstream of the T-cell receptor (TCR). Evaluation of its role in mature, primary T cells has been hampered by developmental defects that occur in the absence of WT SLP-76 protein in thymocytes. Here, we show that following tamoxifen-regulated conditional deletion of SLP-76, mature, antigen-inexperienced T cells maintain normal TCR surface expression but fail to transduce TCR-generated signals. Conditionally deficient T cells fail to proliferate in response to antigenic stimulation or a lymphopenic environment. Mice with induced deletion of SLP-76 are resistant to induction of the CD4+ T-cell-mediated autoimmune disease experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Altogether, our findings demonstrate the critical role of SLP-76-mediated signaling in initiating T-cell-directed immune responses both in vitro and in vivo and highlight the ability to analyze signaling processes in mature T cells in the absence of developmental defects. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  12. Loss of MyoD and Myf5 in Skeletal Muscle Stem Cells Results in Altered Myogenic Programming and Failed Regeneration.

    PubMed

    Yamamoto, Masakazu; Legendre, Nicholas P; Biswas, Arpita A; Lawton, Alexander; Yamamoto, Shoko; Tajbakhsh, Shahragim; Kardon, Gabrielle; Goldhamer, David J

    2018-03-13

    MyoD and Myf5 are fundamental regulators of skeletal muscle lineage determination in the embryo, and their expression is induced in satellite cells following muscle injury. MyoD and Myf5 are also expressed by satellite cell precursors developmentally, although the relative contribution of historical and injury-induced expression to satellite cell function is unknown. We show that satellite cells lacking both MyoD and Myf5 (double knockout [dKO]) are maintained with aging in uninjured muscle. However, injured muscle fails to regenerate and dKO satellite cell progeny accumulate in damaged muscle but do not undergo muscle differentiation. dKO satellite cell progeny continue to express markers of myoblast identity, although their myogenic programming is labile, as demonstrated by dramatic morphological changes and increased propensity for non-myogenic differentiation. These data demonstrate an absolute requirement for either MyoD or Myf5 in muscle regeneration and indicate that their expression after injury stabilizes myogenic identity and confers the capacity for muscle differentiation. Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. The adapter protein SLP-76 mediates "outside-in" integrin signaling and function in T cells.

    PubMed

    Baker, R G; Hsu, C J; Lee, D; Jordan, M S; Maltzman, J S; Hammer, D A; Baumgart, T; Koretzky, G A

    2009-10-01

    The adapter protein SH2 domain-containing leukocyte protein of 76 kDa (SLP-76) is an essential mediator of signaling from the T-cell antigen receptor (TCR). We report here that SLP-76 also mediates signaling downstream of integrins in T cells and that SLP-76-deficient T cells fail to support adhesion to integrin ligands. In response to both TCR and integrin stimulation, SLP-76 relocalizes to surface microclusters that colocalize with phosphorylated signaling proteins. Disruption of SLP-76 recruitment to the protein named LAT (linker for activation of T cells) inhibits SLP-76 clustering downstream of the TCR but not downstream of integrins. Conversely, an SLP-76 mutant unable to bind ADAP (adhesion and degranulation-promoting adapter protein) forms clusters following TCR but not integrin engagement and fails to support T-cell adhesion to integrin ligands. These findings demonstrate that SLP-76 relocalizes to integrin-initiated signaling complexes by a mechanism different from that employed during TCR signaling and that SLP-76 relocalization corresponds to SLP-76-dependent integrin function in T cells.

  14. Epigenetic regulation leading to induced pluripotency drives cancer development in vivo

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ohnishi, Kotaro; Department of Medicine, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu 501-1194; Semi, Katsunori

    Highlights: • Epigenetic regulation of failed reprogramming-associated cancer cells is discussed. • Similarity between pediatric cancer and reprogramming-associated cancer is discussed. • Concept for epigenetic cancer is discussed. - Abstract: Somatic cells can be reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) by the transient expression of reprogramming factors. During the reprogramming process, somatic cells acquire the ability to undergo unlimited proliferation, which is also an important characteristic of cancer cells, while their underlying DNA sequence remains unchanged. Based on the characteristics shared between pluripotent stem cells and cancer cells, the potential involvement of the factors leading to reprogramming toward pluripotencymore » in cancer development has been discussed. Recent in vivo reprogramming studies provided some clues to understanding the role of reprogramming-related epigenetic regulation in cancer development. It was shown that premature termination of the in vivo reprogramming result in the development of tumors that resemble pediatric cancers. Given that epigenetic modifications play a central role during reprogramming, failed reprogramming-associated cancer development may have provided a proof of concept for epigenetics-driven cancer development in vivo.« less

  15. Necroptosis in cancer: An angel or a demon?

    PubMed

    Wang, Tianzhen; Jin, Yinji; Yang, Weiwei; Zhang, Lei; Jin, Xiaoming; Liu, Xi; He, Yan; Li, Xiaobo

    2017-06-01

    In the past few decades, apoptosis has been regarded as the only form of programmed cell death. However, the traditional view has been challenged by the identification of several forms of regulated necrosis, including necroptosis. Necroptosis is typified by a necrotic cell death morphology and is controlled by RIP1, RIP3, and mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein. The physiological role of necroptosis is to serve as a "fail-safe" form of cell death for cells that fail to undergo apoptosis during embryonic development and disease defense. Currently, established studies have indicated that necroptosis is involved in cancer initiation and progression. Although elevated necroptosis contributes to cancer cell death, extensive cell death also increases the risk of proliferation and metastasis of the surviving cells by inducing the generation reactive oxygen species, activation of inflammation, and suppression of the immune response. Thus, questions regarding the overall impact of necroptosis on cancer remain open. In this review, we introduce the basic knowledge regarding necroptosis, summarize its dual effects on cancer progression, and analyze its advantages and disadvantages in clinical applications.

  16. Low-Voltage Bypass Device

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wilson, J. P.

    1994-01-01

    Improved bypass device provides low-resistance current shunt around low-voltage power cell when cell fails in open-circuit condition during operation. In comparison with older bypass devices for same application, this one weighs less, generates less heat, and has lower voltage drop (less resistance). Bypass device connected in parallel with power cell. Draws very little current during normal operation of cell.

  17. Evaluation program for secondary spacecraft cells

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Harkness, J. D.

    1975-01-01

    The cycle life tests to determine the performance capabilities of packs of cells under different loads and temperature conditions are reported. Results are summarized, and the failure of 14 failed cells is analyzed. It was found that the main cause of failure was separator deterioration and migration of the negative plate material.

  18. Mutations in new cell cycle genes that fail to complement a multiply mutant third chromosome of Drosophila.

    PubMed

    White-Cooper, H; Carmena, M; Gonzalez, C; Glover, D M

    1996-11-01

    We have simultaneously screened for new alleles and second site mutations that fail to complement five cell cycle mutations of Drosphila carried on a single third chromosome (gnu, polo, mgr, asp, stg). Females that are either transheterozygous for scott of the antartic (scant) and polo, or homozygous for scant produce embryos that show mitotic defects. A maternal effect upon embryonic mitoses is also seen in embryos derived from females transheterozygous with helter skelter (hsk) and either mgr or asp. cleopatra (cleo), fails to complement asp but is not uncovered by a deficiency for asp. The mitotic phenotype of larvae heterozygous for cleo and the multiple mutant chromosome is similar to weak alleles of asp, but there are no defects in male meiosis. Mutations that failed to complement stg fell into two complementation groups corresponding to stg and a new gene noose. Three of the new stg alleles are early zygotic lethals, whereas the fourth is a pharate adult lethal allele that affects both mitosis and meiosis. Mutations in noose fully complement a small deficiency that removes stg, but when placed in trans to certain stg alleles, result in late lethality and mitotic abnormalities in larval brains.

  19. Most Influenza A Virions Fail To Express at Least One Essential Viral Protein

    PubMed Central

    Brooke, Christopher B.; Ince, William L.; Wrammert, Jens; Ahmed, Rafi; Wilson, Patrick C.; Bennink, Jack R.

    2013-01-01

    Segmentation of the influenza A virus (IAV) genome enables rapid gene reassortment at the cost of complicating the task of assembling the full viral genome. By simultaneously probing for the expression of multiple viral proteins in MDCK cells infected at a low multiplicity with IAV, we observe that the majority of infected cells lack detectable expression of one or more essential viral proteins. Consistent with this observation, up to 90% of IAV-infected cells fail to release infectious progeny, indicating that many IAV virions scored as noninfectious by traditional infectivity assays are capable of single-round infection. This fraction was not significantly affected by target or producer cell type but varied widely between different IAV strains. These data indicate that IAV exists primarily as a swarm of complementation-dependent semi-infectious virions, and thus traditional, propagation-dependent assays of infectivity may drastically misrepresent the true infectious potential of a virus population. PMID:23283949

  20. EM Transition Sum Rules Within the Framework of sdg Proton-Neutron Interacting Boson Model, Nuclear Pair Shell Model and Fermion Dynamical Symmetry Model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Yumin

    1997-07-01

    By the techniques of the Wick theorem for coupled clusters, the no-energy-weighted electromagnetic sum-rule calculations are presented in the sdg neutron-proton interacting boson model, the nuclear pair shell model and the fermion-dynamical symmetry model. The project supported by Development Project Foundation of China, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Doctoral Education Fund of National Education Committee, Fundamental Research Fund of Southeast University

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