Ablation
Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a method of removing aberrant tissue from within the body via minimally invasive procedures, it is used to cure a variety of cardiac arrhythmia such as supraventricular tachycardia, Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome (WPW), ventricular tachycardia, and more recently as management of atrial fibrillation.
Researchers at Columbia University report of reconstituted caspases combined from C. elegans and humans, which maintain a high degree of target specificity.
The debris-covered parts of a glacier that is experiencing ablation are sectioned into three categories which include ice cliffs, ponds, and debris.
[8] Moraine (glacial debris) is moved by natural processes that allow for down-slope movement of materials on the glacier body.
The sizes and locations of glaciers vary around the world, so depending on the climate and physical geography the varieties of debris can differ.
The size and magnitude of the debris is dependent on the area of glacier and can vary from dust-size fragments to blocks as large as a house.
[10] This science is significant due to the importance of long-term availability of water resources and assess glacier response to climate change.
[11] Natural resource availability is a major drive behind research conducted in regards to the ablation process and overall study of glaciers.
[12] Antifouling paints and other related coatings are routinely used to prevent the buildup of microorganisms and other animals, such as barnacles for the bottom hull surfaces of recreational, commercial and military sea vessels.
Engineering the antifouling agents and the ablation rate can produce long-lived protection from the deleterious effects of biofouling.
Ablative materials usually have a large concentration of organic matter[citation needed] that is reduced by fire to ashes.
When the organic rubber is exposed to fire, it burns to ash and leaves behind the silica dust with which the product started.
In spacecraft design, ablation is used to both cool and protect mechanical parts and/or payloads that would otherwise be damaged by extremely high temperatures.
Two principal applications are heat shields for spacecraft entering a planetary atmosphere from space and cooling of rocket engine nozzles.
The outer surface chars and burns away – but quite slowly, only gradually exposing new fresh protective material beneath.
The heat is carried away from the spacecraft by the gases generated by the ablative process, and never penetrates the surface material, so the metallic and other sensitive structures they protect, remain at a safe temperature.
As the surface burns and disperses into space, the remaining solid material continues to insulate the craft from ongoing heat and superheated gases.
There is an entire branch of spaceflight research involving the search for new fireproofing materials to achieve the best ablative performance; this function is critical to protect the spacecraft occupants and payload from otherwise excessive heat loading.
