Magnetic field effects on g-jitter induced flow and solute transport

Numerical modeling and analyses are presented of magnetic damping of g-jitter driven fluid flow and its effect on the solutal striation in a simplified Bridgman-Stockbarger crystal growth system under microgravity. The model development is based on the finite element solution of the momentum, energy and solute transport equations under g-jitter conditions in the presence of an external magnetic field. The numerical model is verified by comparison with analytical solutions obtained for a simple parallel plate channel flow driven by g-jitter in a transverse magnetic field. Simulations are carried out to study the behavior of convective flow and solutal transport induced by the combined g-jitter and magnetohydrodynamic forces. Both the idealized single frequency g-jitter force and the real g-jitter perturbation taken during space flight are considered. Results indicate that an applied magnetic field can effectively damp the velocity caused by g-jitter and help to reduce the time variation of solute redistribution. A stronger applied field is more effective in suppressing the convective flows and hence reducing concentration variation. It is found that g-jitter driven flows have the same oscillation period as the driving force with or without the applied field. However, an applied magnetic field shortens the transient period over which the flow field evolves into a quasi-steady state time harmonic oscillation after g-jitter sets in. The flow intensity increases with an increase in g-jitter magnitude but decreases with an increase in the applied field strength. The reduced convection in the liquid pool by the applied magnetic field results in a reduction of the concentration oscillation. The magnetic field is very useful in suppressing the spiking velocities that are induced by the spikes in the real g-jitter data. The damping effect is more pronounced if the magnetic field is switched on before the onset of g-jitter disturbances.     

Self-consistent calculation of the lasing eigenmode of thedielectrically apertured Fabry-Perot microcavity with idealized ordistributed Bragg reflectors

Optical confinement in the dielectrically apertured Fabry-Perot microcavity is investigated theoretically. The apertured region is first treated as embedded in an idealized planar waveguide to show that the confined eigenmode's resonant frequency can cut off parasitic waveguide modes existing outside the aperture, and lead to three-dimensional optical confinement. For more realistic cavities with nonunity mirror reflectivities, self-consistent calculations of the eigenmode characteristics are performed for the limit of an optically thin aperture to derive the lowest order confined eigenmode frequency, threshold susceptibility, and mode profile. The analysis is then extended to treat dielectric cavities based on Bragg reflectors     

Explicit robust schemes for implementation of a class of principal value-based constitutive models: Symbolic and numeric implementation

The issue of developing effective and robust schemes to implement a class of the Ogden-type hyperelastic constitutive models is addressed. To this end, special purpose functions (running under MACSYMA) are developed for the symbolic derivation, evaluation, and automatic FORTRAN code generation of explicit expressions for the corresponding stress function and material tangent stiffness tensors. These explicit forms are valid over the entire deformation range, since the singularities resulting from repeated principal-stretch values have been theorectically removed. The required computational algorithms are outlined, and the resulting FORTRAN computer code is presented.     

An error and sensitivity analysis of the atmospheric- andsoil-correcting variants of the NDVI for the MODIS-EOS

Several soil- and atmospheric-correcting variants of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) have been proposed to improve the accuracy in estimating biophysical plant parameters. In this study, a sensitivity analysis, utilizing simulated model data, was conducted on the NDVI and variants by analyzing the atmospheric- and soil-perturbed responses as a continuous function of leaf area index. Percent relative error and vegetation equivalent “noise” (VEN) were calculated for soil and atmospheric influences, separately and combined. The NDVI variants included the soil-adjusted vegetation index (SAVI), the atmospherically resistant vegetation index (ARVI), the soil-adjusted and atmospherically resistant vegetation index (SARVI), the modified SAVI (MSAVI), and modified SARVI (MSARVI). Soil and atmospheric error were of similar magnitudes, but varied with the vegetation index. All new variants outperformed the NDVI. The atmospherically resistant versions minimized atmospheric noise, but enhanced soil noise, while the soil adjusted variants minimized soil noise, but remained sensitive to the atmosphere. The SARVI, which had both a soil and atmosphere calibration term, performed the best with a relative error of 10 percent and VEN of ±0.33 LAI. By contrast, the NDM had a relative error of 20 percent and VEN of ±0.97 LAI     

The effects of growth factors on Tenon''s capsule fibroblasts in serum-free culture

Recent studies from our laboratory have shown that in the mouse and rat nephron Ca2+ and Mg2+ are not reabsorbed in the medullary part of the thick ascending limb (mTAL) of Henle's loop. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the absence of transepithelial Ca2+ and Mg2+ transport in the mouse mTAL is due to its relative low permeability to divalent cations. For this purpose, transepithelial ion net fluxes were measured by electron probe analysis in isolated perfused mouse mTAL segments, when the transepithelial potential difference (PDte.) was varied by chemical voltage clamp, during active NaCl transport inhibition by luminal furosemide. The results show that transepithelial Ca2+ and Mg2+ net fluxes in the mTAL are not driven by the transepithelial PDte. At zero voltage, a small but significant net secretion of Ca2+ into the tubular lumen was observed. With a high lumen-positive PDte generated by creating a transepithelial bath-to-lumen NaCl concentration gradient, no Ca2+ and Mg2+ reabsorption was noted; instead significant and sustained Ca2+ and Mg2+ net secretion occurred. When a lumen-positive PDte was generated in the absence of apical furosemide, but in the presence of a transepithelial bath-to-lumen NaCl concentration gradient, a huge Ca2+ net secretion and a lesser Mg2+ net secretion, not modified by ADH, were observed. Replacement of Na+ by K+ in the lumen perfusate induced, in the absence of PDte changes, important but reversible net secretions of Ca2+ and Mg2+. In conclusion, our results indicate that the passive permeability of the mouse mTAL to divalent cations is very low and not influenced by ADH. This nephron segment can secrete Ca2+ and Mg2+ into the luminal fluid under conditions which elicit large lumen-positive transepithelial potential differences. Given the impermeability of this epithelium to Ca2+ and Mg2+, the secretory processes would appear to be of cellular origin.     

Fabrication of low-loss IR-transmitting Ge30As10Se30Te30 glass fibers

Improved purification and processing techniques have been utilized to fabricate Ge₃₀As₁₀Se₃₀Te₃₀ glass fibers with a minimum loss of O.11 dB/m at 6.6 μm. This is the lowest loss reported for any telluride glass fiber in the infrared region. Furthermore, the fibers exhibit less than 1 dB/m loss between 5.25 and 9.5 μm     

Studies on thermal fatigue in 3Cr2W8V die steel by positron lifetime and hardness measurements

Studies on thermal fatigue in 3Cr2W8V die steel have been carried out by using positron lifetime and microhardness measurements. It is found that the mean positron lifetime and the microhardness exhibit periodic up-and-down variations with an increase in the number of fatigue cycles. The experiments indicate that in the process of thermal fatigue there are two opposing effects on variation of defects: microdeformation and dynamic recovery and recrystallization.