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At least 847 records · Page 47

Wind speed statistics for Goldstone, California, anemometer sites

An exploratory wind survey at an antenna complex was summarized statistically for application to future windmill designs. Data were collected at six locations from a total of 10 anemometers. Statistics include means, standard deviations, cubes, pattern factors, correlation coefficients, and exponents for power law profile of wind speed. Curves presented include: mean monthly wind speeds, moving averages, and diurnal variation patterns. It is concluded that three of the locations have sufficiently strong winds to justify consideration for windmill sites.

Berg, M.↗

The variability of the solar output

A review of solar constant determinations and measurements of its spectral distribution is presented. For the period from 1966 to 1980 a mean value of 1367 Wm-2 was determined. Within the corresponding uncertainty, no significant change of both the integral value and the spectral distribution can be detected. However, short term solar variations and their spectral dependence were deduced from measurements during four hours on June 20, 1980 from 34 km altitude with amplitudes of + or - 500 ppm at 368 nm, of 200 ppm at 500 nm and + or - 150 ppm at 778 nm. Comparison with simultaneous total irradiance data of the Solar Maximum Mission (SMM) shows a high correlation which indicates the solar origin. The power spectrum shows a weak peak at about 3.2 mHz, which corresponds to the frequency of the 5 minutes solar oscillation.

Froehlich, C.↗

Solid impingement erosion mechanisms and characterization of erosion resistance of ductile metals

Experimental results pertaining to spherical glass bead and angular crushed glass particle impingement are presented. A concept of energy adsorption to explain the failure of material is proposed. The erosion characteristics of several pure metals were correlated with the proposed energy parameters and with other properties. Correlations of erosion and material properties were also carried out with these materials to study the effect of the angle of impingement. Analyses of extensive erosion data indicate that surface energy, strain energy, melting point, bulk modulus, hardness, ultimate resilience, atomic volume and product of linear coefficient of thermal expansion, bulk modulus, and temperature rise required for melting, and ultimate resilience, and hardness exhibit the best correlations. It appears that both energy and thermal properties contribute to the total erosion.

Rao, V. P.↗

Correlating rainfall with remotely sensed microwave radiation using physically based models

This simulation study evaluates the response of a 21-cm radiometer, measuring the radiation emitted by a bare soil, to varying accumulations of rain. It is shown that correlations between the decrease in emissivity after a rain storm and the total accumulation depend strongly on the physical characteristics of the soil which affect its capacity to hold water. These are primarily soil texture and pre-rain soil moisture. A method is also discussed which would use the numerical models with remotely sensed microwave brightness and surface physical temperatures, along with conventional weather data, to estimate the total accumulation.

Camillo, P. J.↗

Analysis of AIS Data of the Recluse Oil Field, Recluse, Wyoming

Airborne Imaging Spectrometer (AIS) data were flown over the Recluse, Wyoming oil field on September 9, 1984. Processing software was developed at Earth Satellite Corporation (EarthSat) for interactive analysis of the AIS data. EarthSat's AIS processing capabilities include destriping, solar irradiance corrections, residual calculations, geometric resampling, equal energy normalization, interactive spectral classifications and a variety of compressive algorithms to reduce the data to 8-bit format with a minimum of information loss. The in-house photolab facilities of EarthSat can routinely produce high-quality color renditions of the enhanced AIS data. A total of 80 lithologic samples were collected under the AIS flight lines. Correlation (within the atmospheric windows) between the laboratory and the AIS spectra of sample sites was generally poor. Reasonable correlation was only possible in large, freshly plowed fields. Mixed pixels and contrast between the natural and sample's surfaces were believed responsible for the poor correlation. Finally, a drift of approximately three channels was observed in the diffraction grating position within the 1.8 to 2.1 micron quadrant.

Dykstra, J. D.↗

Centerline Mach number characteristics of highly heated free jets

This paper describes a detailed experimental study of Mach number centerline characteristics of highly heated free jets. The jet characteristics were obtained at a range of jet Mach numbers from 0.1 to 0.9 and jet total temperatures up to 900 K. The results show that a strong correlation exists between nozzle-exit boundary-layer conditions and free-jet development. It is clear from this investigation that experimental data on free-jet development cannot be meaningfully compared from one facility to another without specific knowledge of nozzle exit conditions. It was concluded that direct effect of the jet operating conditions (elevated flow temperature) on free jet development is much less important than the indirect effect of changed nozzle-exit boundary-layer characteristics.

Lepicovsky, Jan↗

Universal energy relations and metal/ceramic interfaces

Known general relationships between pertinent variables are applied to investigate metal-ceramic interfaces. The adhesive energy is determined. The electronic exchange-correlation energy is found to be the dominant attractive term in the total energy. Results for the adhesive energy are obtained for junctions of all combinations of the low index surfaces of Al,Na, Mg, and Zn. This leads to a variety of curves, all with a single minimum of separation and equilibrium binding energy. Scaling results for 10 contacts fall closely onto a single curve, a universal energy relation for adhesion. The scaled chemisorption curves fall accurately on the same universal form that was found for adhesion. For the case of cohesion, all-first principle results are scaled and again all scaled curves for a variety of metals fall accurately on the universal form for adhesion and chemisorption. An intimate relationship between the energetics of solids and molecules is inferred.

Smith, John R.↗

Spectroscopy of dwarf elliptical galaxies in the Fornax cluster

We present the results of spectroscopic observations of 10 nucleated dwarf elliptical galaxies (dE's) in the Fornax cluster. The blue spectra of Fornax dE galaxies indicate a wide range of metallicities at a given luminosity, similar to those of intermediate to metal-rich globular clusters. Metal abundances derived in this paper are well correlated with optical colors and agree with previous spectroscopic results. A discrepancy with metallicities inferred from infrared colors is evident; possible causes include an intermediate age population and dilution of spectral features by a blue light excess. Dwarf ellipticals exhibit a wide variation of hydrogen line strength which points to a complex star formation history. Prominent Balmer absorption lines are the signature of a young stellar population in the nuclei of some (but not all) dE's, while moderately strong Balmer lines in relatively metal-rich dE's are more consistent with an extended main sequence. In a few metal-poor dE galaxies, the hydrogen lines are consisent with, or perhaps weaker than, those found in Galactic globulars of similar metallicity. In the limited magnitude range of this sample, there is no apparent correlation of metallicity either with effective and central surface brightness, or with total and nuclear magnitudes. The velocity distribution of the Fornax dwarfs is flatter than that of brighter galaxies at the 75% confidence level, possibly indicating a difference in the kinematics of the two samples.

Held, Enrico V.↗

Evaluation of muscle injury using magnetic resonance imaging

The objective of this study was to investigate spin echo T2 relaxation time changes in thigh muscles after intense eccentric exercise in healthy men. Spin echo and calculated T2 relaxation time images of the thighs were obtained on several occasions after exercise of one limb; the contralateral limb served as control. Muscle damage was verified by elevated levels of serum creatine kinase (CK). Thirty percent of the time no exercise effect was discernible on the magnetic resonance (MR) images. In all positive MR images (70%) the semitendinosus muscle was positive, while the biceps femoris, short head, and gracilis muscles were also positive in 50% and 25% of the total cases, respectively. The peak T2 relaxation time and serum CK were correlated (r = 0.94, p<0.01); temporal changes in muscle T2 relaxation time and serum CK were similar, although T2 relaxation time remained positive after serum CK returned to background levels. We conclude that magnetic resonance imaging can serve as a useful tool in the evaluation of eccentric exercise muscle damage by providing a quantitative indicator of damage and its resolution as well as the specific areas and muscles.

NASA Discipline Number 26-10↗

OTD Observations of Continental US Ground Flashes Detected by NLDN

Lightning optical flash parameters (e.g., radiance, area, duration, number of optical groups, and number of optical events) derived from almost 5 yrs of Optical Transient Detector (OTD) data are compared with peak current and multiplicity observations derived from the US National Lightning Detection Networkm (NLDN). Despite the relatively low lightning geolocation accuracy afforded by OTD, a total of 48,870 NLDN cloud-to-ground (CG) flashes were correlated with OTD flashes, or about 10,000 CGs per year. The median values of the above OTD flash parameters for the 48,870 CGs were, respectively: 0.137 J/square meters/sr/micrometers, 313.7 square kilometers, 0.189 s, 4 optical groups per CG, and 8 optical events per CG. Invoking the multiplicity data, the median number of optical groups per stroke was 2.5, and the median number of optical events per stroke was 5.0. Median values of peak current for negative and positive CGs were -21.6 kA and 17.8 kA, respectively, and as expected, the negative CGs had a larger average multiplicity than the positive CGs. A statistical summary is provided for all CGs, for positive and negative CGs, and for CGs from different seasons. Standard two-distribution hypothesis tests were perfonned to intercompare the population means of the various lightning parameters. In particular, and to greater than the 99% confidence level, it was found that positive CGs are on average more radiant, of greater areal extent, and are longer lasting than negative CGs. Rankings from a complete set of hypothesis tests between CGs of different polarities and from different seasons are also provided. Most notably, wintertime positive CGs tend to be more radiant, of greater areal extent, and longer lasting than any other group of CGs (i.e., negative springtime CGs, positive summertime CGs, etc.).

Koshak, William J.↗

Distribution of Aboveground Live Biomass in the Amazon Basin

The amount and spatial distribution of forest biomass in the Amazon basin is a major source of uncertainty in estimating the flux of carbon released from land-cover and land-use change. Direct measurements of aboveground live biomass (AGLB) are limited to small areas of forest inventory plots and site-specific allometric equations that cannot be readily generalized for the entire basin. Furthermore, there is no spaceborne remote sensing instrument that can measure tropical forest biomass directly. To determine the spatial distribution of forest biomass of the Amazon basin, we report a method based on remote sensing metrics representing various forest structural parameters and environmental variables, and more than 500 plot measurements of forest biomass distributed over the basin. A decision tree approach was used to develop the spatial distribution of AGLB for seven distinct biomass classes of lowland old-growth forests with more than 80% accuracy. AGLB for other vegetation types, such as the woody and herbaceous savanna and secondary forests, was directly estimated with a regression based on satellite data. Results show that AGLB is highest in Central Amazonia and in regions to the east and north, including the Guyanas. Biomass is generally above 300Mgha(sup 1) here except in areas of intense logging or open floodplains. In Western Amazonia, from the lowlands of Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia to the Andean mountains, biomass ranges from 150 to 300Mgha(sup 1). Most transitional and seasonal forests at the southern and northwestern edges of the basin have biomass ranging from 100 to 200Mgha(sup 1). The AGLB distribution has a significant correlation with the length of the dry season. We estimate that the total carbon in forest biomass of the Amazon basin, including the dead and below ground biomass, is 86 PgC with +/- 20% uncertainty.

rainforest↗

Transition Experiments on Blunt Bodies with Isolated Roughness Elements in Hypersonic Free Flight

Smooth titanium hemispheres with isolated three-dimensional (3D) surface roughness elements were flown in the NASA Ames hypersonic ballistic range through quiescent CO2 and air environments. Global surface intensity (temperature) distributions were optically measured and thermal wakes behind individual roughness elements were analyzed to define tripping effectiveness. Real-gas Navier-Stokes calculations of model flowfields, including laminar boundary layer development in these flowfields, were conducted predict key dimensionless parameters used to correlate transition on blunt bodies in hypersonic flow. For isolated roughness elements totally immersed within the laminar boundary layer, critical roughness Reynolds numbers for flights in air were found to be higher than those measured for flights in CO2, i.e., it was easier to trip the CO2 boundary layer to turbulence. Tripping effectiveness was found to be dependent on trip location within the subsonic region of the blunt body flowfield, with effective tripping being most difficult to achieve for elements positioned closest to the stagnation point. Direct comparisons of critical roughness Reynolds numbers for 3D isolated versus 3D distributed roughness elements for flights in air showed that distributed roughness patterns were significantly more effective at tripping the blunt body laminar boundary layer to turbulence.

Reda, Daniel C.↗

Edaphic factors, successional status and functional traits drive habitat associations of trees in naturally regenerating tropical dry forests

Many past studies have examined individual environmental drivers of tropical tree species distributions, but edaphic and successional gradients have not been considered simultaneously. Furthermore, determining how functional traits influence species distributions along these gradients may help to elucidate mechanisms behind community assembly. To assess the influence of environmental filtering on tropical dry forest (TDF) tree species distributions, we used forest inventory data from sites with large edaphic and successional gradients in NW Costa Rica. Our goals were to determine (1) whether edaphic or successional factors are more important determinants of the abundance of individual tree species in regenerating TDF, (2) how species-level functional traits are related to edaphic and/or successional niche associations of tree species and (3) correlations between species-level edaphic and successional niche associations. The distributions of 82 focal tree species were strongly driven by both edaphic and successional gradients. Overall, 94% of species responded to soil chemistry, 89% to soil texture and 94% to stand age gradients. Some functional traits were correlated with the edaphic and successional niche associations of TDF tree species. Species that specialized on soils with high total nutrient concentrations had higher foliar nutrient concentrations (nitrogen and phosphorus) and lower leaf dry matter content (LDMC). Species with wider stand age niches had lower LDMC and wood density. There were no correlations between edaphic and successional niche optima of TDF tree species. Our results indicate that successional and edaphic gradients concurrently drive community assembly in regenerating TDF. Moreover, our work underscores the importance of considering how the functional characteristics of TDF trees dictate species distributions across environmental gradients.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

An Inverse Modeling Approach to Estimating Phytoplankton Pigment Concentrations from Phytoplankton Absorption Spectra

Phytoplankton absorption spectra and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) pigment observations from the Eastern U.S. and global observations from NASA's SeaBASS archive are used in a linear inverse calculation to extract pigment-specific absorption spectra. Using these pigment-specific absorption spectra to reconstruct the phytoplankton absorption spectra results in high correlations at all visible wavelengths (r(sup 2) from 0.83 to 0.98), and linear regressions (slopes ranging from 0.8 to 1.1). Higher correlations (r(sup 2) from 0.75 to 1.00) are obtained in the visible portion of the spectra when the total phytoplankton absorption spectra are unpackaged by multiplying the entire spectra by a factor that sets the total absorption at 675 nm to that expected from absorption spectra reconstruction using measured pigment concentrations and laboratory-derived pigment-specific absorption spectra. The derived pigment-specific absorption spectra were further used with the total phytoplankton absorption spectra in a second linear inverse calculation to estimate the various phytoplankton HPLC pigments. A comparison between the estimated and measured pigment concentrations for the 18 pigment fields showed good correlations (r(sup 2) greater than 0.5) for 7 pigments and very good correlations (r(sup 2) greater than 0.7) for chlorophyll a and fucoxanthin. Higher correlations result when the analysis is carried out at more local geographic scales. The ability to estimate phytoplankton pigments using pigment-specific absorption spectra is critical for using hyperspectral inverse models to retrieve phytoplankton pigment concentrations and other Inherent Optical Properties (IOPs) from passive remote sensing observations.

Moisan, John R.↗

Onset of condensation effects with a NACA 0012-64 airfoil tested in the Langley 0.3-meter cryogenic tunnel

A 0.137m airfoil was tested in a 0.3m transonic cryogenic tunnel at free stream Mach numbers of 0.75, 0.85, and 0.95 over a total pressure range from 1.2 to 5.0 atmospheres. The onset of condensation effects were found to correlate more with the amount of supercooling in the free stream than it did with the supercooling in the region of maximum local Mach number over the airfoil. Effects in the pressure distribution over the airfoil were generally seen to appear over its entire length at nearly the same total temperature. Both observations suggest the possibility of heterogeneous nucleation occurring in the free stream. The potential operational benefits of the supercooling realized are presented in terms of increased Reynolds number capability at a given tunnel total pressure, reduced drive fan power if Reynolds number is held constant, and reduced liquid nitrogen consumption if Reynolds number is again constant. Depending on total pressure and free stream Mach number, these three benefits are found to respectively vary from 7 to 19%, 11 to 25%, and 9 to 20%.

Hall, R. M.↗

Correlations Among Ice Measurements, Impingement Rates Icing Conditions, and Drag Coefficients for Unswept NACA 65A004 Airfoil

An empirical relation has been obtained by which the change in drag coefficient caused by ice formations on an unswept NACA 65AO04 airfoil section can be determined from the following icing and operating conditions: icing time, airspeed, air total temperature, liquid-water content, cloud droplet impingement efficiencies, airfoil chord length, and angles of attack. The correlation was obtained by use of measured ice heights and ice angles. These measurements were obtained from a variety of ice formations, which were carefully photographed, cross-sectioned, and weighed. Ice weights increased at a constant rate with icing time in a rime icing condition and at progressively increasing rates in glaze icing conditions. Initial rates of ice collection agreed reasonably well with values predicted from droplet impingement data. Experimental droplet impingement rates obtained on this airfoil section agreed with previous theoretical calculations for angles of attack of 40 or less. Disagreement at higher angles of attack was attributed to flow separation from the upper surface of the experimental airfoil model.

Gray, Vernon H.↗

Heat transfer, velocity-temperature correlation, and turbulent shear stress from Navier-Stokes computations of shock wave/turbulent boundary layer interaction flows

The properties of 2-D shock wave/turbulent boundary layer interaction flows were calculated by using a compressible turbulent Navier-Stokes numerical computational code. Interaction flows caused by oblique shock wave impingement on the turbulent boundary layer flow were considered. The oblique shock waves were induced with shock generators at angles of attack less than 10 degs in supersonic flows. The surface temperatures were kept at near-adiabatic (ratio of wall static temperature to free stream total temperature) and cold wall (ratio of wall static temperature to free stream total temperature) conditions. The computational results were studied for the surface heat transfer, velocity temperature correlation, and turbulent shear stress in the interaction flow fields. Comparisons of the computational results with existing measurements indicated that (1) the surface heat transfer rates and surface pressures could be correlated with Holden's relationship, (2) the mean flow streamwise velocity components and static temperatures could be correlated with Crocco's relationship if flow separation did not occur, and (3) the Baldwin-Lomax turbulence model should be modified for turbulent shear stress computations in the interaction flows.

Wang, C. R.↗

Drier Climatic Conditions Increase Withanolide Content of Withania coagulans Enhancing Its Inhibitory Potential Against Human Prostate Cancer Cells

Prostate cancer is one of the major causes of cancer-related deaths in men and there is a growing interest in identifying natural compounds for its management. We analyzed bioactive withanolides in Withania coagulans from 11 different sites in Pakistan and evaluated the antiprostate cancer activities of leaf extracts from two sites with the greatest amounts. Total withanolide concentration differed by ~ 17-fold between sites, ranging from 1.01 ± 0.01 mg/g dry weight (mean ± SE) at Jand to 16.83 ± 0.02 mg/g at Mohmand Agency. Different tissues varied in their total withanolide content with roots having the least (0.42 ± 0.07 mg/g dry weight) and leaves the most (2.45 ± 0.45 mg/g). We found strong inverse correlations between site annual precipitation versus withanolide amounts in fruits (r = − 0.84, P = 0.001), leaves (r = − 0.88, P < 0.001), roots (r = − 0.91, P < 0.001), and total (r = − 0.89, P < 0.001), but not stems (r = − 0.20, P = 0.556). Extracts made from Mianwali and Mohmand Agency leaves possessed high anticancer activity in terms of increased induction of apoptosis and decreased cell viability, cell proliferation, invasion, and migration of different prostate cancer cell lines. These results are useful for the selection of withanolide-rich germplasm with potent anticancer properties.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗