Autoignition of fuel-oxidizer mixtures in microgravity

The paper examines the limitations of quasi-steady autoignition theory in providing information needed for the characterization of autoignition temperature fields. Time-dependent autoignition theory is then utilized to examine the autoignition behavior of a reactive system where both wall catalysis and gas phase kinetic rates are significant. It is found that a diverse range of space-time temperature-composition-pressure histories is possible, depending on the system's thermo-kinetic characteristics.     

Paxsat and progress in arms control : Canadian research focuses on remote sensing applications

Verification of arms control treaties is essential to provide adequate international confidence in treaty compliance. This Viewpoint underlines the responsibility of non-superpower countries to become more closely involved in space surveillance of treaties to which they are parties. In Canada, Paxsat research has focused on two potential applications of space-based remote sensing to multi-lateral arms control verification. The necessary technology is readily available in non-superpower countries for the Paxsat concept to be put into operation.     

Auxin polar transport in Arabidopsis under simulated microgravity conditions — Relevance to growth and development

Activity of auxin polar transport in inflorescence axes of Arabidopsis thaliana grown under simulated microgravity conditions was studied in relation to the growth and development. Seeds were germinated and allowed to grow on an agar medium in test tubes on a horizontal clinostat. Horizontal clinostat rotation substantially reduced the growth of inflorescence axes and the productivity of seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana (ecotypes Landsberg erecta and Columbia), although it little affected seed germination, development of rosette leaves and flowering. The activity of auxin polar transport in inflorescence axes decreased when Arabidopsis plants were grown on a horizontal clinostat from germination stage, being ca. 60% of 1 g control. On the other hand, the auxin polar transport in inflorescence axes of Arabidopsis grown in 1 g conditions was not affected when the segments were exposed to various gravistimuli, including 3-dimensional clinorotation, during transport experiments. Pin-formed mutant of Arabidopsis, having a unique structure of the inflorescence axis with no flower and extremely low levels of the activity of auxin polar transport in inflorescence axes and endogenous auxin, did not continue its vegetative growth under clinostat rotation. These facts suggest that the development of the system of auxin polar transport in Arabidopsis is affected by microgravity, resulting in the inhibition of growth and development, especially during reproductive growth.     

Spaceflight experiments with Arabidopsis starch-deficient mutants support a statolith-based model for graviperception.

In order to help resolve some of the controversy associated with ground-based research that has supported the starch-statolith theory of gravity perception in plants, we performed spaceflight experiments with Arabidopsis in Biorack during the January 1997 and May 1997 missions of the Space Shuttle. Seedlings of wild-type (WT) Arabidopsis, two reduced-starch strains, and a starchless mutant were grown in microgravity and then were given either a 30, 60, or 90 minute gravity stimulus on a centrifuge. By the 90 min 1-g stimulus, the WT exhibited the greatest magnitude of curvature and the starchless mutant exhibited the smallest curvature while the two reduced starch mutants had an intermediate magnitude of curvature. In addition, space-grown plants had two structural features that distinguished them from the controls: a greater number of root hairs and an anomalous hypocotyl hook structure. However, the morphological changes observed in the flight seedlings are likely to be due to the effects of ethylene present in the spacecraft. (Additional ground-based studies demonstrated that this level of ethylene did not significantly affect gravitropism nor did it affect the relative gravitropic sensitivity among the four strains.) Nevertheless, this experiment on gravitropism was performed the "right way" in that brief gravitational stimuli were provided, and the seedlings were allowed to express the response without further gravity stimuli. Our spaceflight results support previous ground-based studies of these and other mutants since increasing amounts of starch correlated positively with increasing sensitivity to gravity.     

Effects of microgravity on c-fos gene expression in osteoblast-like MC3T3-E1 cells.

The paper summarizes the data on proliferation and gravity-related gene expression of osteoblasts that were obtained from an experiment conducted under simulated and real microgravity conditions. Simulated microgravity conditions obtained in a clinostat depress proliferation of both osteoblast-like MC3T3-E1 and HeLa carcinoma cells. This depression of proliferation occurs in a collagen gel culture in which the flow of culture medium by rotation may be reduced. Interestingly, MC3T3-E1 cells which are probably one of target cells to microgravity are more sensitive than the HeLa cells. Simulated microgravity inhibited the epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced c-fos gene expression in the MC3T3-El cells. To examine in detail the effect of real microgravity on the EGF signal transduction cascade in osteoblasts, MC3T3-E1 cells were cultured in the Cell Culture Experiment Module of the sounding rocket TR-1A6. The EGF-induced c-fos expression in cells was depressed under short-term microgravity conditions in the sounding rocket, while the phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) was not affected compared with the controls grown on the ground. These results suggest that an action site of microgravity in the signal transduction pathway may be downstream of MAPK.     

基于磨粒分析方法的发动机磨损故障智能诊断技术

磨粒是研究磨损状态时最直接、最重要的信息元，通过对滑油中的磨粒进行监测与分析来判断机械设备的磨损情况，可以预防并监测机械设备的磨损故障。本文运用显微形态学方法建立了一套磨粒显微特征描述体系，以提取磨粒信息并进行磨损故障的模式识别；并结合摩擦学理论和人工智能方法，实现对发动机磨损故障的智能诊断和预测。     

含连续／离散变量结构优化中的神经网络与变尺度模拟退火方法

传统的优化方法难于有效地处理含有连续／离散混合变量优化问题，本文介绍了一种改进的变尺度模拟退火方法并与人工神经网络能量函数模型相结合，用于求解含连续／离散设计变量的工程结构优化问题，较好地解决了模拟退火技术用于工程结构优化时选取具有全局性的初始点困难及迭代次数较多的弱点。算例表明，该方法可以使模拟退火算法从局部最优的陷阱中跳出，最后求出整体最优解。     

一种新的射频仿真目标位置控制方法与软件研究

针对射频目标仿真系统中目标位置的控制，本文通过对国内外目标位置控制的常用方法进行研究，提出一种新的通用目标位置控制方法，该方法适用于任何天线分布的面阵。利用这种新的方法编写了基于三元阵天线阵面的射频仿真目标位置控制软件，实现对多目标在天线阵面上多种轨迹运动下的高速准确的定位，并能实时监视目标的运动状态和运动轨迹。     

惩罚函数法在发动机性能计算中的应用

按照涡喷发动机工作时遵守的气动热力学定律，建立了发动机的稳定数学模型，并针对双轴涡轮发动机性能计算的非线性数学模型，利用优化和最优控制理论中的惩罚函数法，对发动机性能进行了基于约束的最优求解程序设计，利用程序对某型发动机的稳定飞行特性进行了计算，计算结果表明，使用惩罚函数法求出的特性曲线变化规律正确，发动机平衡方程的解的精度更高，在此基础上得出的发动机飞行特性也更准确。另外惩罚函数法对初值的要求很低，迭代运算不易发散。     

SoftBase查询优化器的设计与实现

查询优化是数据库系统中一个必不可少的模块，本文在当前查询优化技术发展的基础上讨论了SoftBase数据库的查询优化器的设计和实现，给出了SAoftBase数据库查询优化处理的一般过程，并着重探讨了查询优化的两个主要模块，查询重写和基于代价评估的计划优化。在计划优化模块中，详细讨论了存取路径的选择和代价评估的计算方法，最后对测试结果进行了分析，结果表明优化后的SoftBase查询效率比原系统有了明显的提高。