INTEGRATED AIR POLLUTION CONTROL SYSTEM, VERSION 4.0 - VOLUME 3: PROGRAMMER'S MAINTENACE MANUAL

EPA Science Inventory

The Integrated Air Pollution Control System (IAPCS) was developed for the U.S. EPA's Air and Energy Engineering Research Laboratory to estimate costs and performance for emission control systems applied to coal-fired utility boilers. The model can project a material balance, and ...

INTEGRATED AIR POLLUTION CONTROL SYSTEM, VERSION 4.0 - VOLUME 2: TECHNICAL DOCUMENTATION MANUAL

EPA Science Inventory

The Integrated Air Pollution Control System (IAPCS) was developed for the U.S. EPA's Air and Energy Engineering Research Laboratory to estimate costs and performance for emission control systems applied to coal-fired utility boilers. The model can project a material balance, and ...

SITHON: A Wireless Network of in Situ Optical Cameras Applied to the Early Detection-Notification-Monitoring of Forest Fires

PubMed Central

Tsiourlis, Georgios; Andreadakis, Stamatis; Konstantinidis, Pavlos

2009-01-01

The SITHON system, a fully wireless optical imaging system, integrating a network of in-situ optical cameras linking to a multi-layer GIS database operated by Control Operating Centres, has been developed in response to the need for early detection, notification and monitoring of forest fires. This article presents in detail the architecture and the components of SITHON, and demonstrates the first encouraging results of an experimental test with small controlled fires over Sithonia Peninsula in Northern Greece. The system has already been scheduled to be installed in some fire prone areas of Greece. PMID:22408536

Summaries of BFRL fire research in-house projects and grants, 1993

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jason, Nora H.

1993-09-01

The report describes the fire research projects performed in the Building and Fire Research Laboratory (BFRL) and under its extramural grants program during fiscal year 1993. The BFRL Fire Research Program has directed its efforts under three program thrusts. The in-house priority projects, grants, and externally-funded efforts thus form an integrated, focussed ensemble. The publication is organized along those lines: fire risk and hazard prediction - carbon monoxide prediction, turbulent combustion, soot, engineering analysis, fire hazard assessment, and large fires; fire safety of products and materials - materials combustion, furniture flammability, and wall and ceiling fires; and advanced technologies for fire sensing and control - fire detection and fire suppression. For the convenience of the reader, an alphabetical listing of all grants is contained in Part 2.0.

Intrinsic modulation of pulse-coupled integrate-and-fire neurons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coombes, S.; Lord, G. J.

1997-11-01

Intrinsic neuromodulation is observed in sensory and neuromuscular circuits and in biological central pattern generators. We model a simple neuronal circuit with a system of two pulse-coupled integrate-and-fire neurons and explore the parameter regimes for periodic firing behavior. The inclusion of biologically realistic features shows that the speed and onset of neuronal response plays a crucial role in determining the firing phase for periodic rhythms. We explore the neurophysiological function of distributed delays arising from both the synaptic transmission process and dendritic structure as well as discrete delays associated with axonal communication delays. Bifurcation and stability diagrams are constructed with a mixture of simple analysis, numerical continuation and the Kuramoto phase-reduction technique. Moreover, we show that, for asynchronous behavior, the strength of electrical synapses can control the firing rate of the system.

Combinational logic for generating gate drive signals for phase control rectifiers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dolland, C. R.; Trimble, D. W. (Inventor)

1982-01-01

Control signals for phase-delay rectifiers, which require a variable firing angle that ranges from 0 deg to 180 deg, are derived from line-to-line 3-phase signals and both positive and negative firing angle control signals which are generated by comparing current command and actual current. Line-to-line phases are transformed into line-to-neutral phases and integrated to produce 90 deg phase delayed signals that are inverted to produce three cosine signals, such that for each its maximum occurs at the intersection of positive half cycles of the other two phases which are inputs to other inverters. At the same time, both positive and negative (inverted) phase sync signals are generated for each phase by comparing each with the next and producing a square wave when it is greater. Ramp, sync and firing angle controls signals are than used in combinational logic to generate the gate firing control signals SCR gate drives which fire SCR devices in a bridge circuit.

A Review of the Integration of Classical Biological Control with other Management Techniques to Manage Invasive Weeds in Natural Areas and Rangelands

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Integrating classical biological control with other management techniques such as herbicide, fire, mechanical control, grazing, or plant competition, can be the most effective way to manage invasive weeds in natural areas and rangelands. Biological control agents can be protected from potential nega...

Integrated Performance Criteria for Housing and Building Hazard Mitigation.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-07-01

PAGES . Washington, D.C. 20472 15 14. MONITORING AGENCY NAME A ADORESS(If dil fnt from Controlling Ofice) IS. SECURITY CLASS. (of this report...not harm their neighbors In doing so. I As another example, In the case of fire, It would seem that initial attention was given to controlling flame...Francisco Earthquake. From there, efforts moved toward avoiding and controlling fires at the level of Individual structures, and more recently, of spaces

Spatial controls of occurrence and spread of wildfires in the Missouri Ozark Highlands.

PubMed

Yang, Jian; He, Hong S; Shifley, Stephen R

2008-07-01

Understanding spatial controls on wildfires is important when designing adaptive fire management plans and optimizing fuel treatment locations on a forest landscape. Previous research about this topic focused primarily on spatial controls for fire origin locations alone. Fire spread and behavior were largely overlooked. This paper contrasts the relative importance of biotic, abiotic, and anthropogenic constraints on the spatial pattern of fire occurrence with that on burn probability (i.e., the probability that fire will spread to a particular location). Spatial point pattern analysis and landscape succession fire model (LANDIS) were used to create maps to show the contrast. We quantified spatial controls on both fire occurrence and fire spread in the Midwest Ozark Highlands region, USA. This area exhibits a typical anthropogenic surface fire regime. We found that (1) human accessibility and land ownership were primary limiting factors in shaping clustered fire origin locations; (2) vegetation and topography had a negligible influence on fire occurrence in this anthropogenic regime; (3) burn probability was higher in grassland and open woodland than in closed-canopy forest, even though fire occurrence density was less in these vegetation types; and (4) biotic and abiotic factors were secondary descriptive ingredients for determining the spatial patterns of burn probability. This study demonstrates how fire occurrence and spread interact with landscape patterns to affect the spatial distribution of wildfire risk. The application of spatial point pattern data analysis would also be valuable to researchers working on landscape forest fire models to integrate historical ignition location patterns in fire simulation.

Capability Portfolio Analysis Tool (CPAT) Verification and Validation Report

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-01

BFSB Battlefield Surveillance Brigade BFV Bradley Fighting Vehicle BMOD Bradley Modernization C2 (H) Command and Control (HBCT) C2 (S...Fire Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV); Fire Integrated Support Team (FIST); Engineer (Eng); Cavalry (CAV) BFV FOV CDD Block II - 16 Apr 2010 GCV FOV

Fort Collins Science Center: Ecosystem Dynamics

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bowen, Zack

2004-01-01

Current studies fall into five general areas. Herbivore-Ecosystem Interactions examines the efficacy of multiple controls on selected herbivore populations and cascading effects through predator-herbivore-plant-soil linkages. Riparian Ecology is concerned with interactions among streamflow, fluvial geomorphology, and riparian vegetation. Integrated Fire Science focuses on the effects of fire on plant and animal communities at multiple scales, and on the interactions between post-fire plant, runoff, and erosion processes. Reference Ecosystems comprises long-term, place-based studies of ecosystem biogeochemistry. Finally, Integrated Assessments is investigating how to synthesize multiple ecosystem stressors and responses over complex landscapes in ways that are useful for management and planning.

SITHON: An Airborne Fire Detection System Compliant with Operational Tactical Requirements

PubMed Central

Kontoes, Charalabos; Keramitsoglou, Iphigenia; Sifakis, Nicolaos; Konstantinidis, Pavlos

2009-01-01

In response to the urging need of fire managers for timely information on fire location and extent, the SITHON system was developed. SITHON is a fully digital thermal imaging system, integrating INS/GPS and a digital camera, designed to provide timely positioned and projected thermal images and video data streams rapidly integrated in the GIS operated by Crisis Control Centres. This article presents in detail the hardware and software components of SITHON, and demonstrates the first encouraging results of test flights over the Sithonia Peninsula in Northern Greece. It is envisaged that the SITHON system will be soon operated onboard various airborne platforms including fire brigade airplanes and helicopters as well as on UAV platforms owned and operated by the Greek Air Forces. PMID:22399963

Control effects of stimulus paradigms on characteristic firings of parkinsonism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Honghui; Wang, Qingyun; Chen, Guanrong

2014-09-01

Experimental studies have shown that neuron population located in the basal ganglia of parkinsonian primates can exhibit characteristic firings with certain firing rates differing from normal brain activities. Motivated by recent experimental findings, we investigate the effects of various stimulation paradigms on the firing rates of parkinsonism based on the proposed dynamical models. Our results show that the closed-loop deep brain stimulation is superior in ameliorating the firing behaviors of the parkinsonism, and other control strategies have similar effects according to the observation of electrophysiological experiments. In addition, in conformity to physiological experiments, we found that there exists optimal delay of input in the closed-loop GPtrain|M1 paradigm, where more normal behaviors can be obtained. More interestingly, we observed that W-shaped curves of the firing rates always appear as stimulus delay varies. We furthermore verify the robustness of the obtained results by studying three pallidal discharge rates of the parkinsonism based on the conductance-based model, as well as the integrate-and-fire-or-burst model. Finally, we show that short-term plasticity can improve the firing rates and optimize the control effects on parkinsonism. Our conclusions may give more theoretical insight into Parkinson's disease studies.

2. VIEW EAST, East Control Area, west radar tower in ...

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

2. VIEW EAST, East Control Area, west radar tower in foreground, east radar lower in background - Newport NIKE Missile Battery D-57/58, Integrated Fire Control Area, Newport Road, Carleton, Monroe County, MI

Predicting fire impact from plant traits?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stoof, Cathelijne; Ottink, Roos; Zylstra, Philip; Cornelissen, Hans; Fernandes, Paulo

2017-04-01

Fire can considerably increase the landscape's vulnerability to flooding and erosion, which is in part caused by fire-induced soil heating, vegetation removal and resulting hydrological changes. While the magnitude of these fire effects and ecosystem responses is frequently studied, there is still little attention for the fundamental mechanisms that drive these changes. One example is on the effect of plants: while it is known that plants can alter the fire environment, there is a major knowledge gap regarding the fundamental mechanisms by which vegetation mediates fire impact on soil and hydrology. Essential to identifying these mechanisms is consideration of the effects of vegetation on flammability and fire behaviour, which are studied both in ecology and traditional fire science. Here we discuss the challenges of integrating these very distinct fields and the potential benefits of this integration for improved understanding of fire effects on soil and hydrology. We furthermore present results of a study in which we assessed the spatial drivers controlling the proportion of live and dead fuel in a natural park in northern Portugal, and evaluated the impacts on the spatial variability of fire behaviour and potential soil heating using BehavePlus modeling. Better understanding of the role of (spatial variability in) plant traits on fire impact can facilitate the development of risk maps to ultimately help predict and mitigate fire risk and impact across landscapes.

Implementation of Wireless Input Methods (Game Controllers and Accelerometers) for Simulated Weapon Trigger Fire in the Computer Assisted Rehabilitation Environment (CAREN)

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-08-22

software. Using this weapon, two ways of sending trigger fire response to the D-Flow software were proposed. One was to integrate a wireless game...Logitech International, S.A., Romanel-sur- Morges, Switzerland) and the Xbox 360 wireless controller for Windows (Microsoft, Redmond, WA). The circuit board...power on and off the game controller so that the batteries do not drain (though these devices will time out after approximately 10 minutes of

Event-driven simulations of nonlinear integrate-and-fire neurons.

PubMed

Tonnelier, Arnaud; Belmabrouk, Hana; Martinez, Dominique

2007-12-01

Event-driven strategies have been used to simulate spiking neural networks exactly. Previous work is limited to linear integrate-and-fire neurons. In this note, we extend event-driven schemes to a class of nonlinear integrate-and-fire models. Results are presented for the quadratic integrate-and-fire model with instantaneous or exponential synaptic currents. Extensions to conductance-based currents and exponential integrate-and-fire neurons are discussed.

Network-Based Real-time Integrated Fire Detection and Alarm (FDA) System with Building Automation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anwar, F.; Boby, R. I.; Rashid, M. M.; Alam, M. M.; Shaikh, Z.

2017-11-01

Fire alarm systems have become increasingly an important lifesaving technology in many aspects, such as applications to detect, monitor and control any fire hazard. A large sum of money is being spent annually to install and maintain the fire alarm systems in buildings to protect property and lives from the unexpected spread of fire. Several methods are already developed and it is improving on a daily basis to reduce the cost as well as increase quality. An integrated Fire Detection and Alarm (FDA) systems with building automation was studied, to reduce cost and improve their reliability by preventing false alarm. This work proposes an improved framework for FDA system to ensure a robust intelligent network of FDA control panels in real-time. A shortest path algorithmic was chosen for series of buildings connected by fiber optic network. The framework shares information and communicates with each fire alarm panels connected in peer to peer configuration and declare the network state using network address declaration from any building connected in network. The fiber-optic connection was proposed to reduce signal noises, thus increasing large area coverage, real-time communication and long-term safety. Based on this proposed method an experimental setup was designed and a prototype system was developed to validate the performance in practice. Also, the distributed network system was proposed to connect with an optional remote monitoring terminal panel to validate proposed network performance and ensure fire survivability where the information is sequentially transmitted. The proposed FDA system is different from traditional fire alarm and detection system in terms of topology as it manages group of buildings in an optimal and efficient manner.Introduction

Adaptive control system for line-commutated inverters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dolland, C. R.; Bailey, D. A. (Inventor)

1983-01-01

A control system for a permanent magnet motor driven by a multiphase line commutated inverter is provided with integration for integrating the back EMF of each phase of the motor. This is used in generating system control signals for an inverter gate logic using a sync and firing angle (alpha) control generator connected to the outputs of the integrators. A precision full wave rectifier provides a speed control feedback signal to a phase delay rectifier via a gain and loop compensation circuit and to the integrators for adaptive control of the attenuation of low frequencies by the integrators as a function of motor speed. As the motor speed increases, the attenuation of low frequency components by the integrators is increased to offset the gain of the integrators to spurious low frequencies.

Master Console System Monitoring and Control Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brooks, Russell A.

2013-01-01

The Master Console internship during the spring of 2013 involved the development of firing room displays at the John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC). This position was with the Master Console Product Group (MCPG) on the Launch Control System (LCS) project. This project is responsible for the System Monitoring and Control (SMC) and Record and Retrieval (R&R) of launch operations data. The Master Console is responsible for: loading the correct software into each of the remaining consoles in the firing room, connecting the proper data paths to and from the launch vehicle and all ground support equipment, and initializing the entire firing room system to begin processing. During my internship, I developed a system health and status display for use by Master Console Operators (MCO) to monitor and verify the integrity of the servers, gateways, network switches, and firewalls used in the firing room.

Volume Sensor Development Test. Series 5 - Multi-Compartment System

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-12-30

while concurrently rejecting nuisance sources. The VSP system was also successfully integrated with the DD(X) Autonomic Fire Suppression System ( AFSS ...represents a functional prototype of the device-level layer of the envisioned DD(X) Flight I AFSS control system [24]. The system’s automated response to...present in the DD(X) Flight I design [24]. The VSP system was incorporated into the AFSS control system , replacing the fire and smoke detectors that were

Integral Color Anodizing of Aluminum Alloy 7075-T6 Upper Receivers of the M16A1 Rifle

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-06-01

and control upper receivers were carried, fired, and maintained by soldiers in the field undergoing basic and advanced Infantry training and by other...soldiers undergoing Ranger training . The test and control items were subjected to typical field usage conditions involving rough handhng, firing...ICA hardcoat treatment will provide a longer inservice life for the M16A1 rifle receivers than will the low- temperature hardcoat process. 12

Gas-fired duplex free-piston Stirling refrigerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urieli, L.

1984-03-01

The duplex free-piston Stirling refrigerator is a potentially high efficiency, high reliability device which is ideally suited to the home appliance field, in particular as a gas-fired refrigerator. It has significant advantages over other equivalent devices including freedom from halogenated hydrocarbons, extremely low temperatures available at a high efficiency, integrated water heating, and simple burner system control. The design and development of a portable working demonstration gas-fired duplex Stirling refrigeration unit is described. A unique combination of computer aided development and experimental development was used, enabling a continued interaction between the theoretical analysis and practical testing and evaluation. A universal test rig was developed in order to separately test and evaluate major subunits, enabling a smooth system integration phase.

A bio-inspired auditory perception model for amplitude-frequency clustering (keynote Paper)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arena, Paolo; Fortuna, Luigi; Frasca, Mattia; Ganci, Gaetana; Patane, Luca

2005-06-01

In this paper a model for auditory perception is introduced. This model is based on a network of integrate-and-fire and resonate-and-fire neurons and is aimed to control the phonotaxis behavior of a roving robot. The starting point is the model of phonotaxis in Gryllus Bimaculatus: the model consists of four integrate-and-fire neurons and is able of discriminating the calling song of male cricket and orienting the robot towards the sound source. This paper aims to extend the model to include an amplitude-frequency clustering. The proposed spiking network shows different behaviors associated with different characteristics of the input signals (amplitude and frequency). The behavior implemented on the robot is similar to the cricket behavior, where some frequencies are associated with the calling song of male crickets, while other ones indicate the presence of predators. Therefore, the whole model for auditory perception is devoted to control different responses (attractive or repulsive) depending on the input characteristics. The performance of the control system has been evaluated with several experiments carried out on a roving robot.

Far-infrared tangential interferometer/polarimeter design and installation for NSTX-U

DOE PAGES

Scott, E. R.; Barchfeld, R.; Riemenschneider, P.; ...

2016-08-09

Here, the Far-infrared Tangential Interferometer/Polarimeter (FIReTIP) system has been refurbished and is being reinstalled on the National Spherical Torus Experiment—Upgrade (NSTX-U) to supply real-time line-integrated core electron density measurements for use in the NSTX-U plasma control system (PCS) to facilitate real-time density feedback control of the NSTX-U plasma. Inclusion of a visible light heterodyne interferometer in the FIReTIP system allows for real-time vibration compensation due to movement of an internally mounted retroreflector and the FIReTIP front-end optics. Real-time signal correction is achieved through use of a National Instruments CompactRIO field-programmable gate array.

KSC-06pd1204

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-06-23

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - An overview of the new Firing Room 4 shows the expanse of computer stations and the various operations the facility will be able to manage. FR4 is now designated the primary firing room for all remaining shuttle launches, and will also be used daily to manage operations in the Orbiter Processing Facilities and for integrated processing for the shuttle. The firing room now includes sound-suppressing walls and floors, new humidity control, fire-suppression systems and consoles, support tables with computer stations, communication systems and laptop computer ports. FR 4 also has power and computer network connections and a newly improved Checkout, Control and Monitor Subsystem. The renovation is part of the Launch Processing System Extended Survivability Project that began in 2003. United Space Alliance's Launch Processing System directorate managed the FR 4 project for NASA. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-06pd1203

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-06-23

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA Test Director Ted Mosteller (center) briefs the media about Firing Room 4 (FR4), which has been undergoing renovations for two years. FR4 is now designated the primary firing room for all remaining shuttle launches, and will also be used daily to manage operations in the Orbiter Processing Facilities and for integrated processing for the shuttle. The firing room now includes sound-suppressing walls and floors, new humidity control, fire-suppression systems and consoles, support tables with computer stations, communication systems and laptop computer ports. FR 4 also has power and computer network connections and a newly improved Checkout, Control and Monitor Subsystem. The renovation is part of the Launch Processing System Extended Survivability Project that began in 2003. United Space Alliance's Launch Processing System directorate managed the FR 4 project for NASA. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-06pd1202

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-06-23

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA Test Director Ted Mosteller (right) briefs the media about Firing Room 4 (FR4), which has been undergoing renovations for two years. FR4 is now designated the primary firing room for all remaining shuttle launches, and will also be used daily to manage operations in the Orbiter Processing Facilities and for integrated processing for the shuttle. The firing room now includes sound-suppressing walls and floors, new humidity control, fire-suppression systems and consoles, support tables with computer stations, communication systems and laptop computer ports. FR 4 also has power and computer network connections and a newly improved Checkout, Control and Monitor Subsystem. The renovation is part of the Launch Processing System Extended Survivability Project that began in 2003. United Space Alliance's Launch Processing System directorate managed the FR 4 project for NASA. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-06pd1201

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-06-23

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Ted Mosteller (right), NASA test director, briefs the media about Firing Room 4 (FR4), which has been undergoing renovations for two years. FR4 is now designated the primary firing room for all remaining shuttle launches, and will also be used daily to manage operations in the Orbiter Processing Facilities and for integrated processing for the shuttle. The firing room now includes sound-suppressing walls and floors, new humidity control, fire-suppression systems and consoles, support tables with computer stations, communication systems and laptop computer ports. FR 4 also has power and computer network connections and a newly improved Checkout, Control and Monitor Subsystem. The renovation is part of the Launch Processing System Extended Survivability Project that began in 2003. United Space Alliance's Launch Processing System directorate managed the FR 4 project for NASA. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

Optogenetic Modulation and Multi-Electrode Analysis of Cerebellar Networks In Vivo

PubMed Central

Kruse, Wolfgang; Krause, Martin; Aarse, Janna; Mark, Melanie D.; Manahan-Vaughan, Denise; Herlitze, Stefan

2014-01-01

The firing patterns of cerebellar Purkinje cells (PCs), as the sole output of the cerebellar cortex, determine and tune motor behavior. PC firing is modulated by various inputs from different brain regions and by cell-types including granule cells (GCs), climbing fibers and inhibitory interneurons. To understand how signal integration in PCs occurs and how subtle changes in the modulation of PC firing lead to adjustment of motor behaviors, it is important to precisely record PC firing in vivo and to control modulatory pathways in a spatio-temporal manner. Combining optogenetic and multi-electrode approaches, we established a new method to integrate light-guides into a multi-electrode system. With this method we are able to variably position the light-guide in defined regions relative to the recording electrode with micrometer precision. We show that PC firing can be precisely monitored and modulated by light-activation of channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) expressed in PCs, GCs and interneurons. Thus, this method is ideally suited to investigate the spatio/temporal modulation of PCs in anesthetized and in behaving mice. PMID:25144735

Strengthening community participation in reducing GHG emission from forest and peatland fire

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thoha, A. S.; Saharjo, B. H.; Boer, R.; Ardiansyah, M.

2018-02-01

Strengthening community participation is needed to find solutions to encourage community more participate in reducing Green House Gas (GHG) from forest and peatland fire. This research aimed to identify stakeholders that have the role in forest and peatland fire control and to formulate strengthening model of community participation through community-based early warning fire. Stakeholder mapping and action research were used to determine stakeholders that had potential influence and interest and to formulate strengthening model of community participation in reducing GHG from forest and peatland fire. There was found that position of key players in the mapping of stakeholders came from the government institution. The existence of community-based fire control group can strengthen government institution through collaborating with stakeholders having strong interest and influence. Moreover, it was found several local knowledge in Kapuas District about how communities predict drought that have potential value for developing the community-based early warning fire system. Formulated institutional model in this research also can be further developed as a model institution in the preservation of natural resources based on local knowledge. In conclusion, local knowledge and community-based fire groups can be integrated within strengthening model of community participation in reducing GHG from forest and peatland fire.

Master Console System Monitoring and Control Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brooks, Russell A.

2013-01-01

The Master Console internship during the summer of 2013 involved the development of firing room displays and support applications at the John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC). This position was with the Master Console Product Group (MCPG) on the Launch Control System (LCS) project. This project is responsible for the System Monitoring and Control (SMC) and Record and Retrieval (R&R) of launch operations data. The Master Console is responsible for: loading the correct software into each of the remaining consoles in the firing room, connecting the proper data paths to and from the launch vehicle and all ground support equipment, and initializing the entire firing room system to begin processing. During my internship, I created control scripts using the Application Control Language (ACL) to analyze the health and status of Kennedy Ground Control System (KGCS) programmable logic controllers (PLCs). This application provides a system health and status display I created with summarized data for use by Master Console Operators (MCO) to monitor and verify the integrity of KGCS subsystems.

Integrating fire management analysis into land management planning

Treesearch

Thomas J. Mills

1983-01-01

The analysis of alternative fire management programs should be integrated into the land and resource management planning process, but a single fire management analysis model cannot meet all planning needs. Therefore, a set of simulation models that are analytically separate from integrated land management planning models are required. The design of four levels of fire...

The carbon debt from Amazon forest degradation: integrating airborne lidar, field measurements, and an ecosystem demography model.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Longo, M.; Keller, M. M.; dos-Santos, M. N.; Scaranello, M. A., Sr.; Pinagé, E. R.; Leitold, V.; Morton, D. C.

2016-12-01

Amazon deforestation has declined over the last decade, yet forest degradation from logging, fire, and fragmentation continue to impact forest carbon stocks and fluxes. The magnitude of this impact remains uncertain, and observation-based studies are often limited by short time intervals or small study areas. To better understand the long-term impact of forest degradation and recovery, we have been developing a framework that integrates field plot measurements and airborne lidar surveys into an individual- and process-based model (Ecosystem Demography model, ED). We modeled forest dynamics for three forest landscapes in the Amazon with diverse degradation histories: conventional and reduced-impact logging, logging and burning, and multiple burns. Based on the initialization with contemporary forest structure and composition, model results suggest that degraded forests rapidly recover (30 years) water and energy fluxes compared with old-growth, even at sites that were affected by multiple fires. However, degraded forests maintained different carbon stocks and fluxes even after 100 years without further disturbances, because of persistent differences in forest structure and composition. Recurrent disturbances may hinder the recovery of degraded forests. Simulations using a simple fire model entirely dependent on environmental controls indicate that the most degraded forests would take much longer to reach biomass typical of old-growth forests, because drier conditions near the ground make subsequent fires more intense and more recurrent. Fires in tropical forests are also closely related to nearby human activities; while results suggest an important feedback between fires and the microenvironment, additional work is needed to improve how the model represents the human impact on current and future fire regimes. Our study highlights that recovery of degraded forests may act as an important carbon sink, but efficient recovery depends on controlling future disturbances.

Video File - NASA on a Roll Testing Space Launch System Flight Engines

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-08-09

Just two weeks after conducting another in a series of tests on new RS-25 rocket engine flight controllers for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, engineers at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi completed one more hot-fire test of a flight controller on August 9, 2017. With the hot fire, NASA has moved a step closer in completing testing on the four RS-25 engines which will power the first integrated flight of the SLS rocket and Orion capsule known as Exploration Mission 1.

Noise adaptation in integrate-and fire neurons.

PubMed

Rudd, M E; Brown, L G

1997-07-01

The statistical spiking response of an ensemble of identically prepared stochastic integrate-and-fire neurons to a rectangular input current plus gaussian white noise is analyzed. It is shown that, on average, integrate-and-fire neurons adapt to the root-mean-square noise level of their input. This phenomenon is referred to as noise adaptation. Noise adaptation is characterized by a decrease in the average neural firing rate and an accompanying decrease in the average value of the generator potential, both of which can be attributed to noise-induced resets of the generator potential mediated by the integrate-and-fire mechanism. A quantitative theory of noise adaptation in stochastic integrate-and-fire neurons is developed. It is shown that integrate-and-fire neurons, on average, produce transient spiking activity whenever there is an increase in the level of their input noise. This transient noise response is either reduced or eliminated over time, depending on the parameters of the model neuron. Analytical methods are used to prove that nonleaky integrate-and-fire neurons totally adapt to any constant input noise level, in the sense that their asymptotic spiking rates are independent of the magnitude of their input noise. For leaky integrate-and-fire neurons, the long-run noise adaptation is not total, but the response to noise is partially eliminated. Expressions for the probability density function of the generator potential and the first two moments of the potential distribution are derived for the particular case of a nonleaky neuron driven by gaussian white noise of mean zero and constant variance. The functional significance of noise adaptation for the performance of networks comprising integrate-and-fire neurons is discussed.

A reduction for spiking integrate-and-fire network dynamics ranging from homogeneity to synchrony.

PubMed

Zhang, J W; Rangan, A V

2015-04-01

In this paper we provide a general methodology for systematically reducing the dynamics of a class of integrate-and-fire networks down to an augmented 4-dimensional system of ordinary-differential-equations. The class of integrate-and-fire networks we focus on are homogeneously-structured, strongly coupled, and fluctuation-driven. Our reduction succeeds where most current firing-rate and population-dynamics models fail because we account for the emergence of 'multiple-firing-events' involving the semi-synchronous firing of many neurons. These multiple-firing-events are largely responsible for the fluctuations generated by the network and, as a result, our reduction faithfully describes many dynamic regimes ranging from homogeneous to synchronous. Our reduction is based on first principles, and provides an analyzable link between the integrate-and-fire network parameters and the relatively low-dimensional dynamics underlying the 4-dimensional augmented ODE.

Effects of repeated prescribed fires on the structure, composition, and regeneration of mixed-oak forests in Ohio

Treesearch

Todd F. Hutchinson; Elaine Kennedy Sutherland; Daniel A. Yaussy

2005-01-01

This study quantifies prescribed fire effects at four sites in southern Ohio, from 1995 to 2002. Each site had three treatment units: an unburned control, a unit burned 2x (1996 and 1999), and a unit burned 4 x (1996-1999). Vegetation plots were stratified by an integrated moisture index (IMI) into xeric, intermediate, and mesic classes. Prior to treatments, oak (...

USSR Report, Military Affairs Foreign Military Review No 6, June 1986

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-11-20

computers used for an objective accounting of the difference in current firing conditions from standard hold an important place in integrated fire...control systems of modern tanks of capitalist countries. Mechanical ballistic computers gave way in the early 1970’s to electronic computers , initially...made with analog components. Then digital ballistic computers were created, installed in particular in the Ml Abrams and Leopard-2 tanks. The basic

Demonstrating Acquisition of Real-Time Thermal Data Over Fires Utilizing UAVs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ambrosia, Vincent G.; Wegener, Steven S.; Brass, James A.; Buechel, Sally W.; Peterson, David L. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

A disaster mitigation demonstration, designed to integrate remote-piloted aerial platforms, a thermal infrared imaging payload, over-the-horizon (OTH) data telemetry and advanced image geo-rectification technologies was initiated in 2001. Project FiRE incorporates the use of a remotely piloted Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV), thermal imagery, and over-the-horizon satellite data telemetry to provide geo-corrected data over a controlled burn, to a fire management community in near real-time. The experiment demonstrated the use of a thermal multi-spectral scanner, integrated on a large payload capacity UAV, distributing data over-the-horizon via satellite communication telemetry equipment, and precision geo-rectification of the resultant data on the ground for data distribution to the Internet. The use of the UAV allowed remote-piloted flight (thereby reducing the potential for loss of human life during hazardous missions), and the ability to "finger and stare" over the fire for extended periods of time (beyond the capabilities of human-pilot endurance). Improved bit-rate capacity telemetry capabilities increased the amount, structure, and information content of the image data relayed to the ground. The integration of precision navigation instrumentation allowed improved accuracies in geo-rectification of the resultant imagery, easing data ingestion and overlay in a GIS framework. We focus on these technological advances and demonstrate how these emerging technologies can be readily integrated to support disaster mitigation and monitoring strategies regionally and nationally.

Final RS-25 Engine Test of the Summer

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-08-30

On Aug. 30, engineers at our Stennis Space Center wrapped up a summer of hot fire testing for flight controllers on RS-25 engines that will help power the new Space Launch System rocket being built to carry astronauts to deep-space destinations, including Mars. The 500-second hot fire of a flight controller or “brain” of the engine marked another step toward the nation’s return to human deep-space exploration missions. Four RS-25 engines, equipped with flight-worthy controllers will help power the first integrated flight of our Space Launch System rocket with our Orion spacecraft, known as Exploration Mission One.

Silicon Carbide Integrated Circuit Chip

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-02-17

A multilevel interconnect silicon carbide integrated circuit chip with co-fired ceramic package and circuit board recently developed at the NASA GRC Smart Sensors and Electronics Systems Branch for high temperature applications. High temperature silicon carbide electronics and compatible packaging technologies are elements of instrumentation for aerospace engine control and long term inner-solar planet explorations.

A data-driven approach to identify controls on global fire activity from satellite and climate observations (SOFIA V1)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forkel, Matthias; Dorigo, Wouter; Lasslop, Gitta; Teubner, Irene; Chuvieco, Emilio; Thonicke, Kirsten

2017-12-01

Vegetation fires affect human infrastructures, ecosystems, global vegetation distribution, and atmospheric composition. However, the climatic, environmental, and socioeconomic factors that control global fire activity in vegetation are only poorly understood, and in various complexities and formulations are represented in global process-oriented vegetation-fire models. Data-driven model approaches such as machine learning algorithms have successfully been used to identify and better understand controlling factors for fire activity. However, such machine learning models cannot be easily adapted or even implemented within process-oriented global vegetation-fire models. To overcome this gap between machine learning-based approaches and process-oriented global fire models, we introduce a new flexible data-driven fire modelling approach here (Satellite Observations to predict FIre Activity, SOFIA approach version 1). SOFIA models can use several predictor variables and functional relationships to estimate burned area that can be easily adapted with more complex process-oriented vegetation-fire models. We created an ensemble of SOFIA models to test the importance of several predictor variables. SOFIA models result in the highest performance in predicting burned area if they account for a direct restriction of fire activity under wet conditions and if they include a land cover-dependent restriction or allowance of fire activity by vegetation density and biomass. The use of vegetation optical depth data from microwave satellite observations, a proxy for vegetation biomass and water content, reaches higher model performance than commonly used vegetation variables from optical sensors. We further analyse spatial patterns of the sensitivity between anthropogenic, climate, and vegetation predictor variables and burned area. We finally discuss how multiple observational datasets on climate, hydrological, vegetation, and socioeconomic variables together with data-driven modelling and model-data integration approaches can guide the future development of global process-oriented vegetation-fire models.

Firing rate of noisy integrate-and-fire neurons with synaptic current dynamics

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

Andrieux, David; Monnai, Takaaki; Department of Applied Physics, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Okubo, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-8555

2009-08-15

We derive analytical formulas for the firing rate of integrate-and-fire neurons endowed with realistic synaptic dynamics. In particular, we include the possibility of multiple synaptic inputs as well as the effect of an absolute refractory period into the description. The latter affects the firing rate through its interaction with the synaptic dynamics.

Variable synaptic strengths controls the firing rate distribution in feedforward neural networks.

PubMed

Ly, Cheng; Marsat, Gary

2018-02-01

Heterogeneity of firing rate statistics is known to have severe consequences on neural coding. Recent experimental recordings in weakly electric fish indicate that the distribution-width of superficial pyramidal cell firing rates (trial- and time-averaged) in the electrosensory lateral line lobe (ELL) depends on the stimulus, and also that network inputs can mediate changes in the firing rate distribution across the population. We previously developed theoretical methods to understand how two attributes (synaptic and intrinsic heterogeneity) interact and alter the firing rate distribution in a population of integrate-and-fire neurons with random recurrent coupling. Inspired by our experimental data, we extend these theoretical results to a delayed feedforward spiking network that qualitatively capture the changes of firing rate heterogeneity observed in in-vivo recordings. We demonstrate how heterogeneous neural attributes alter firing rate heterogeneity, accounting for the effect with various sensory stimuli. The model predicts how the strength of the effective network connectivity is related to intrinsic heterogeneity in such delayed feedforward networks: the strength of the feedforward input is positively correlated with excitability (threshold value for spiking) when firing rate heterogeneity is low and is negatively correlated with excitability with high firing rate heterogeneity. We also show how our theory can be used to predict effective neural architecture. We demonstrate that neural attributes do not interact in a simple manner but rather in a complex stimulus-dependent fashion to control neural heterogeneity and discuss how it can ultimately shape population codes.

Fast global oscillations in networks of integrate-and-fire neurons with low firing rates.

PubMed

Brunel, N; Hakim, V

1999-10-01

We study analytically the dynamics of a network of sparsely connected inhibitory integrate-and-fire neurons in a regime where individual neurons emit spikes irregularly and at a low rate. In the limit when the number of neurons --> infinity, the network exhibits a sharp transition between a stationary and an oscillatory global activity regime where neurons are weakly synchronized. The activity becomes oscillatory when the inhibitory feedback is strong enough. The period of the global oscillation is found to be mainly controlled by synaptic times but depends also on the characteristics of the external input. In large but finite networks, the analysis shows that global oscillations of finite coherence time generically exist both above and below the critical inhibition threshold. Their characteristics are determined as functions of systems parameters in these two different regions. The results are found to be in good agreement with numerical simulations.

Automatic forest-fire measuring using ground stations and Unmanned Aerial Systems.

PubMed

Martínez-de Dios, José Ramiro; Merino, Luis; Caballero, Fernando; Ollero, Anibal

2011-01-01

This paper presents a novel system for automatic forest-fire measurement using cameras distributed at ground stations and mounted on Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). It can obtain geometrical measurements of forest fires in real-time such as the location and shape of the fire front, flame height and rate of spread, among others. Measurement of forest fires is a challenging problem that is affected by numerous potential sources of error. The proposed system addresses them by exploiting the complementarities between infrared and visual cameras located at different ground locations together with others onboard Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). The system applies image processing and geo-location techniques to obtain forest-fire measurements individually from each camera and then integrates the results from all the cameras using statistical data fusion techniques. The proposed system has been extensively tested and validated in close-to-operational conditions in field fire experiments with controlled safety conditions carried out in Portugal and Spain from 2001 to 2006.

Automatic Forest-Fire Measuring Using Ground Stations and Unmanned Aerial Systems

PubMed Central

Martínez-de Dios, José Ramiro; Merino, Luis; Caballero, Fernando; Ollero, Anibal

2011-01-01

This paper presents a novel system for automatic forest-fire measurement using cameras distributed at ground stations and mounted on Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). It can obtain geometrical measurements of forest fires in real-time such as the location and shape of the fire front, flame height and rate of spread, among others. Measurement of forest fires is a challenging problem that is affected by numerous potential sources of error. The proposed system addresses them by exploiting the complementarities between infrared and visual cameras located at different ground locations together with others onboard Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). The system applies image processing and geo-location techniques to obtain forest-fire measurements individually from each camera and then integrates the results from all the cameras using statistical data fusion techniques. The proposed system has been extensively tested and validated in close-to-operational conditions in field fire experiments with controlled safety conditions carried out in Portugal and Spain from 2001 to 2006. PMID:22163958

Space Shuttle third flight /STS-3/ entry RCS analysis. [Reaction Control System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scallion, W. I.; Compton, H. R.; Suit, W. T.; Powell, R. W.; Blackstock, T. A.; Bates, B. L.

1983-01-01

Flight data obtained from three Space Transportation System orbiter entries (STS-1, 2, and 3) are processed and analyzed to determine the roll interactions caused by the firing of the entry reaction control system (RCS). Comparisons between the flight-derived parameters and the predicted derivatives without interaction effects are made. The flight-derived RCS Plume flow-field interaction effects are independently deduced by direct integration of the incremental changes in the wing upper surface pressures induced by RCS side thruster firings. The separately obtained interaction effects are compared to the predicted values and the differences are discussed.

Residual susceptibility of the red imported fire ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) to four agricultural insecticides.

PubMed

Seagraves, Michael P; McPherson, Robert M

2003-06-01

The red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, is an abundant predator in cropping systems throughout its range. It has been documented to be an important predator of numerous crop pests, as well as being an agricultural pest itself. Information on the impact of insecticides on natural enemies such as fire ants is necessary for the integration of biological and chemical control tactics in an effective pest management program. Therefore, a residual vial bioassay was developed to determine the concentration-mortality responses of S. invicta workers to four commonly used insecticides: acephate, chlorpyrifos, methomyl and lambda-cyhalothrin. Fire ant workers showed a mortality response to serial dilutions to all four chemicals. Methomyl (LC50 0.04 microg/vial, fiducial limits 0.03-0.06) was the most toxic, followed by chlorpyrifos (LC50 0.11 microg/vial, fiducial limits 0.07-0.17) and acephate (LC50 0.76 microg/vial, fiducial limits 0.50-1.04). Of the chemicals assayed, it took a much higher concentration of lambda-cyhalothrin (LC50 2.30 microg/vial, fiducial limits 1.57-3.59) to kill 50% of the workers compared with the other three chemicals. The results of this study demonstrate the wide range in responses of fire ants to four insecticides that are labeled and commonly used on numerous agricultural crops throughout the United States. These results further suggest the possibility of using a discriminating dose of lambda-cyhalothrin to control the target pest species while conserving fire ants in the agricultural systems in which their predatory behavior is beneficial to the integrated pest management program.

Szendro - type Integrated Vegetation Fire Management--Wildfire Management Program from Hungary

Treesearch

Ágoston Restás

2006-01-01

Szendrő Fire Department is located in the northeastern part of Hungary. The main task is to fight against wildfire and mitigate the impact of fire at the Aggtelek National Park -- which belongs to the UNESCO World Heritage list. Because of greater effectiveness, in 2004 the Fire Department started a project named Integrated Vegetation Fire Management (IVFM)....

Integrated services to support detection, prevention and planning of the agricultural-forest-rural land against fires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scipioni, A.; Tagliaferri, F.

2009-04-01

Objective of the document is to define lines of development and distribution of the services to support detection, prevention and planning of the agricultural-forest-rural land against fire. The services will be a valid support on hand of the Regional and National Administrations involved in the agricultural-forest-rural activities (Ministry of Agricultural and Forestry Policies, National Forest Police, ecc..), through the employment of the SIAN "National Agricultural Informative System", that is the integrated national information system for the entire agriculture, forestry and fisheries Administration. The services proposals would be distributed through the GIS (Geographic Information Systems) of the SIAN: the GIS database is a single nation-wide digital graphic database consisting of: - Ortophotos: Aerial images of approz. 45 km2 each with ground resolution of 50 cm; - Cadastral maps: Land maps; - Thematic layers: Land use and crops identification The GIS services can take full advantage of the benefits of SIAN architectural model designed for best integration and interoperability with other Central and Local P.A. bodies whose main items are: - Integration of information from different sources; - Maintainance of the internal coeherence of any integrated information; - Flexibility with respect to technical or organizational changes The "innovative "services described below could be useful to support the development of institutional tasks of public Agencies and Administrations (es. Regions or Civil Protection agencies) according to than previewed from the D.Lgs. 173/98. Services of support to the management of the phenomenon of wildland fires The activities outlined in below figure, don't have a linear and defined temporal sequence, but a dynamic and time integration. It guarantees not only the integrated use of the various information, but also the value of every product, for level of accuracy, coherence and timeliness of the information. Description of four main services proposed. • rapid alert: individuation and fast location of fires, also eventually in their starting phase (fire start), carried out through use of satellite data to high and most very high cycle (every 15 minute) to concur and organize a more effective fighti to spread fire; • perimeter of the area burned by the fire, with generation of polygons (compatible scale with the cadastre maps and data) through photo interpretation of spectral images, colours and infrared, at highest resolution (50 cm), and through fine aerial missions purposely planned during summery season, in substitution or in integrate way of the relief in field for: big fires, zones difficult to reach, isolated uneven area (reference scale from 200 to 400 kmq) • validation activity: services for quality control and validation of the activities of covered detail and relief perimeter of the area burned by the fire carried out through the employment end integration of the acquired data from land/aerial/satellite reliefs in application of law 353/2000. Data supplied to the municipalities, the regions and the prefecture for institutional adoptions. • damage statistics: Services of support to the generation of statistics through analysis of the damage and the vegetation resumption in relation to the type of forest with the use of different platform: satellite, aerial and land observation, for a temporal analysis.

Assessment of fire effects based on Forest Inventory and Analysis data and a long-term fire mapping data set

Treesearch

John D. Shaw; Sara A. Goeking; James Menlove; Charles E. Werstak

2017-01-01

Integration of Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) plot data with Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (MTBS) data can provide new information about fire effects on forests. This integration allowed broad-scale assessment of the cover types burned in large fires, the relationship between prefire stand conditions and fire severity, and postfire stand conditions. Of the 42...

Marine Tactical Command and Control System (MTACCS) Field Development System-1 (FDS-1) assessment: Final report

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

Avery, L.W.; Hunt, S.T.; Savage, S.F.

1992-04-01

The United State Marine Corps (USMC) is continuing the development and fielding of the Marine Corps Tactical Command and Control System (MTACCS), a system which exists in varying states of development, fielding, or modernization. MTACCS is currently composed of the following components: Tactical Combat Operations System (TCO) for ground command and control (C2), Intelligence Analysis System (IAS) with a Genser terminal connected to a TCO workstation for intelligence C2, Marine Integrated Personnel System (MIPS) and a TCO workstation using the Marine Combat Personnel System (MCPERS) software for personnel C2, Marine Integrated Logistics System (MILOGS) which is composed of the Landingmore » Force Asset Distribution System (LFADS), the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) II, and a TCO terminal using the Marine Combat Logistics System (MCLOG) for logistics C2, Marine Corps Fire Support System (MCFSS) for fire support C2, and Advanced Tactical Air Command Central (ATACC) and the Improved Direct Air Support Central for aviation C2.« less

Automation of closed environments in space for human comfort and safety

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

The development of Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) for Space Station Freedom, future colonization of the Moon, and Mars missions presents new challenges for present technologies. ECLSS that operate during long-duration missions must be semi-autonomous to allow crew members environmental control without constant supervision. A control system for the ECLSS must address these issues as well as being reliable. The Kansas State University Advanced Design Team is in the process of researching and designing controls for the automation of the ECLSS for Space Station Freedom and beyond. The ECLSS for Freedom is composed of six subsystems. The temperature and humidity control (THC) subsystem maintains the cabin temperature and humidity at a comfortable level. The atmosphere control and supply (ACS) subsystem insures proper cabin pressure and partial pressures of oxygen and nitrogen. To protect the space station from fire damage, the fire detection and suppression (FDS) subsystem provides fire-sensing alarms and extinguishers. The waste management (WM) subsystem compacts solid wastes for return to Earth, and collects urine for water recovery. The atmosphere revitalization (AR) subsystem removes CO2 and other dangerous contaminants from the air. The water recovery and management (WRM) subsystem collects and filters condensate from the cabin to replenish potable water supplies, and processes urine and other waste waters to replenish hygiene water supplies. These subsystems are not fully automated at this time. Furthermore, the control of these subsystems is not presently integrated; they are largely independent of one another. A fully integrated and automated ECLSS would increase astronauts' productivity and contribute to their safety and comfort.

AEGIS: a wildfire prevention and management information system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalabokidis, Kostas; Ager, Alan; Finney, Mark; Athanasis, Nikos; Palaiologou, Palaiologos; Vasilakos, Christos

2016-03-01

We describe a Web-GIS wildfire prevention and management platform (AEGIS) developed as an integrated and easy-to-use decision support tool to manage wildland fire hazards in Greece (http://aegis.aegean.gr). The AEGIS platform assists with early fire warning, fire planning, fire control and coordination of firefighting forces by providing online access to information that is essential for wildfire management. The system uses a number of spatial and non-spatial data sources to support key system functionalities. Land use/land cover maps were produced by combining field inventory data with high-resolution multispectral satellite images (RapidEye). These data support wildfire simulation tools that allow the users to examine potential fire behavior and hazard with the Minimum Travel Time fire spread algorithm. End-users provide a minimum number of inputs such as fire duration, ignition point and weather information to conduct a fire simulation. AEGIS offers three types of simulations, i.e., single-fire propagation, point-scale calculation of potential fire behavior, and burn probability analysis, similar to the FlamMap fire behavior modeling software. Artificial neural networks (ANNs) were utilized for wildfire ignition risk assessment based on various parameters, training methods, activation functions, pre-processing methods and network structures. The combination of ANNs and expected burned area maps are used to generate integrated output map of fire hazard prediction. The system also incorporates weather information obtained from remote automatic weather stations and weather forecast maps. The system and associated computation algorithms leverage parallel processing techniques (i.e., High Performance Computing and Cloud Computing) that ensure computational power required for real-time application. All AEGIS functionalities are accessible to authorized end-users through a web-based graphical user interface. An innovative smartphone application, AEGIS App, also provides mobile access to the web-based version of the system.

AEGIS: a wildfire prevention and management information system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalabokidis, K.; Ager, A.; Finney, M.; Athanasis, N.; Palaiologou, P.; Vasilakos, C.

2015-10-01

A Web-GIS wildfire prevention and management platform (AEGIS) was developed as an integrated and easy-to-use decision support tool (http://aegis.aegean.gr). The AEGIS platform assists with early fire warning, fire planning, fire control and coordination of firefighting forces by providing access to information that is essential for wildfire management. Databases were created with spatial and non-spatial data to support key system functionalities. Updated land use/land cover maps were produced by combining field inventory data with high resolution multispectral satellite images (RapidEye) to be used as inputs in fire propagation modeling with the Minimum Travel Time algorithm. End users provide a minimum number of inputs such as fire duration, ignition point and weather information to conduct a fire simulation. AEGIS offers three types of simulations; i.e. single-fire propagations, conditional burn probabilities and at the landscape-level, similar to the FlamMap fire behavior modeling software. Artificial neural networks (ANN) were utilized for wildfire ignition risk assessment based on various parameters, training methods, activation functions, pre-processing methods and network structures. The combination of ANNs and expected burned area maps produced an integrated output map for fire danger prediction. The system also incorporates weather measurements from remote automatic weather stations and weather forecast maps. The structure of the algorithms relies on parallel processing techniques (i.e. High Performance Computing and Cloud Computing) that ensure computational power and speed. All AEGIS functionalities are accessible to authorized end users through a web-based graphical user interface. An innovative mobile application, AEGIS App, acts as a complementary tool to the web-based version of the system.

Advanced fighter technology integration (AFTI)/F-16 Automated Maneuvering Attack System final flight test results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dowden, Donald J.; Bessette, Denis E.

1987-01-01

The AFTI F-16 Automated Maneuvering Attack System has undergone developmental and demonstration flight testing over a total of 347.3 flying hours in 237 sorties. The emphasis of this phase of the flight test program was on the development of automated guidance and control systems for air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons delivery, using a digital flight control system, dual avionics multiplex buses, an advanced FLIR sensor with laser ranger, integrated flight/fire-control software, advanced cockpit display and controls, and modified core Multinational Stage Improvement Program avionics.

Integrating research on wildland fires and air quality: needs and recommendations

Treesearch

Andrzej Bytnerowicz; Michael J. Arbaugh; Christian Andersen; Allen R. Riebau

2009-01-01

A summary is presented that integrates general information on the causes and effects of wildland fires and emissions with various ecological impacts of forest fires and air pollution in forests and other ecosystems. We also...

The effect of leaf beetle herbivory on the fire behaviour of tamarisk (Tamarix ramosissima Lebed.)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Drus, Gail M.; Dudley, Tom L.; Brooks, Matthew L.; Matchett, John R.

2012-01-01

The non-native tree, Tamarix spp. has invaded desert riparian ecosystems in the south-western United States. Fire hazard has increased, as typically fire-resistant native vegetation is replaced by Tamarix. The tamarisk leaf beetle, Diorhabda carinulata Desbrochers, introduced for biological control, may affect fire behaviour by converting hydrated live Tamarix leaves and twigs into desiccated and dead fuels. This potentially increases fire hazard in the short term before native vegetation can be re-established. This study investigates how fire behaviour is altered in Tamarix fuels desiccated by Diorhabda herbivory at a Great Basin site, and by herbivory simulated by foliar herbicide at a Mojave Desert site. It also evaluates the influence of litter depth on fire intensity. Fire behaviour was measured with a fire intensity index that integrates temperature and duration (degree-minutes above 70°C), and with maximum temperature, duration, flame lengths, rates of spread and vegetation removal. Maximum temperature, flame length and rate of spread were enhanced by foliar desiccation of Tamarix at both sites. At only the Mojave site, there was a trend for desiccated trees to burn with greater fire intensity. At both sites, fire behaviour parameters were influenced to a greater degree by litter depth, vegetation density and drier and windier conditions than by foliar desiccation.

Biomass and fire dynamics in a temperate forest-grassland mosaic: Integrating multi-species herbivory, climate, and fire with the FireBGCv2/GrazeBGC system

Treesearch

Robert A. Riggs; Robert E. Keane; Norm Cimon; Rachel Cook; Lisa Holsinger; John Cook; Timothy DelCurto; L.Scott Baggett; Donald Justice; David Powell; Martin Vavra; Bridgett Naylor

2015-01-01

Landscape fire succession models (LFSMs) predict spatially-explicit interactions between vegetation succession and disturbance, but these models have yet to fully integrate ungulate herbivory as a driver of their processes. We modified a complex LFSM, FireBGCv2, to include a multi-species herbivory module, GrazeBGC. The system is novel in that it explicitly...

The KSC Simulation Team practices for contingencies in Firing Room 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

In Firing Room 1 at KSC, Shuttle launch team members put the Shuttle system through an integrated simulation. The control room is set up with software used to simulate flight and ground systems in the launch configuration. A Simulation Team, comprised of KSC engineers, introduce 12 or more major problems to prepare the launch team for worst-case scenarios. Such tests and simulations keep the Shuttle launch team sharp and ready for liftoff. The next liftoff is targeted for Oct. 29.

The Redesigned Hazard Mapping System (HMS) for Fire and Smoke Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruminski, M.; Cheng, Z.; Salemi, T.

2017-12-01

The HMS thru November 2016 incorporated a wide variety of satellite data for use in fire and smoke detection, including 30 minute interval GOES-East and GOES-West, five AVHRR satellites (NOAA and METOP) and MODIS Aqua/Terra. NESDIS' Satellite Analysis Branch (SAB) analysts utilize the HMS to analyze and quality control the automated fire detections from each of the sensors and create the fire/smoke products to enable the users to mitigate disasters and environmental hazards. The new HMS design eliminates the inefficiencies and increases the accuracy of the fire/smoke analysis. The new system has the capability to display higher resolution data available from VIIRS and other future sensors while maintaining individual pixel integrity which improves the representation of fire size. This benefits the input to smoke forecast models and may possibly be useful as input for fire spread models. The new system also provides greater analysis control of layers and display properties and allows for the display of all GOES images, even when in Rapid Scan Operations (RSO) mode. To enhance the efficiency and improve the accuracy of the fire and smoke product, the new HMS eliminates the sector boundaries that the old HMS used as part of the GUI and now displays the full analysis domain (North and Central America, Caribbean and Hawaii). There is also now the functionality to edit smoke plumes on a finer scale. In the presentation we will highlight the new features of the updated HMS.

VISUAL-SEVEIF, a tool for integrating fire behavior simulation and economic evaluation of the impact of Wildfires

Treesearch

Francisco Rodríguez y Silva; Juan Ramón Molina Martínez; Miguel Ángel Herrera Machuca; Jesús Mª Rodríguez Leal

2013-01-01

Progress made in recent years in fire science, particularly as applied to forest fire protection, coupled with the increased power offered by mathematical processors integrated into computers, has led to important developments in the field of dynamic and static simulation of forest fires. Furthermore, and similarly, econometric models applied to economic...

Integration of vegetation community spatial data into a prescribed fire planning process at Shenandoah National Park, Virginia (USA)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Young, John A.; Mahan, Carolyn G.; Forder, Melissa

2017-01-01

Many eastern forest communities depend on fire for regeneration or are enhanced by fire as a restoration practice. However, the use of prescribed fire in the mesic forested environments and the densely populated regions of the eastern United States has been limited. The objective of our research was to develop a science-based approach to prioritizing the use of prescribed fire in appropriate forest types in the eastern United States based on a set of desired management outcomes. Through a process of expert elicitation and data analysis, we assessed and integrated recent vegetation community mapping results along with other available spatial data layers into a spatial prioritization tool for prescribed fire planning at Shenandoah National Park (Virginia, USA). The integration of vegetation spatial data allowed for development of per-pixel priority rankings and exclusion areas enabling precise targeting of fire management activities on the ground, as well as a park-wide ranking of fire planning compartments. We demonstrate the use and evaluation of this approach through implementation and monitoring of a prescribed burn and show that progress is being made toward desired conditions. Integration of spatial data into the fire planning process has served as a collaborative tool for the implementation of prescribed fire projects, which assures projects will be planned in the most appropriate areas to meet objectives that are supported by current science.

An Integrated Circuit for Simultaneous Extracellular Electrophysiology Recording and Optogenetic Neural Manipulation.

PubMed

Chen, Chang Hao; McCullagh, Elizabeth A; Pun, Sio Hang; Mak, Peng Un; Vai, Mang I; Mak, Pui In; Klug, Achim; Lei, Tim C

2017-03-01

The ability to record and to control action potential firing in neuronal circuits is critical to understand how the brain functions. The objective of this study is to develop a monolithic integrated circuit (IC) to record action potentials and simultaneously control action potential firing using optogenetics. A low-noise and high input impedance (or low input capacitance) neural recording amplifier is combined with a high current laser/light-emitting diode (LED) driver in a single IC. The low input capacitance of the amplifier (9.7 pF) was achieved by adding a dedicated unity gain stage optimized for high impedance metal electrodes. The input referred noise of the amplifier is [Formula: see text], which is lower than the estimated thermal noise of the metal electrode. Thus, the action potentials originating from a single neuron can be recorded with a signal-to-noise ratio of at least 6.6. The LED/laser current driver delivers a maximum current of 330 mA, which is adequate for optogenetic control. The functionality of the IC was tested with an anesthetized Mongolian gerbil and auditory stimulated action potentials were recorded from the inferior colliculus. Spontaneous firings of fifth (trigeminal) nerve fibers were also inhibited using the optogenetic protein Halorhodopsin. Moreover, a noise model of the system was derived to guide the design. A single IC to measure and control action potentials using optogenetic proteins is realized so that more complicated behavioral neuroscience research and the translational neural disorder treatments become possible in the future.

13. Site D57 & 58C, Layout and Utility Plan, U.S. ...

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

13. Site D-57 & 58-C, Layout and Utility Plan, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1 March 1957. - Newport NIKE Missile Battery D-57/58, Integrated Fire Control Area, Newport Road, Carleton, Monroe County, MI

Using Space Technologies for a timely detection of forest fires: the experience of end-users in 3 Italian Regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Filizzola, Carolina; Belloni, Antonella; Benigno, Giuseppe; Biancardi, Alberto; Corrado, Rosita; Coviello, Irina; De Costanzo, Giovanni; Genzano, Nicola; Lacava, Teodosio; Lisi, Mariano; Marchese, Francesco; Mazzeo, Giuseppe; Merzagora, Cinzio; Paciello, Rossana; Pergola, Nicola; Sannazzaro, Filomena; Serio, Salvatore; Tramutoli, Valerio

2013-04-01

Every year, hundreds of thousands of hectares of European forests are destroyed by fires. Due to the particular topography, landscape and demographic distribution in Europe (very different from typical scenarios of China, USA, Canada and Australia), rapidity in fire sighting is still the determining factor in limiting damages to people and goods. Moreover, the possibility of early fire detection means also potentially to reduce the size of the event to be faced, the necessary fire fighting resources and, therefore, even the reaction times. In such a context, integration of satellite technologies (mainly high temporal resolution data) and traditional surveillance systems within the fire fighting procedures seems to positively impact on the effectiveness of active fire fighting as demonstrated by recent experiences over Italian territory jointly performed by University of Basilicata, IMAA-CNR and Local Authorities. Real time implementation was performed since 2007, during fire seasons, over several Italian regions with different fire regimes and features, in order to assess the actual potential of different satellite-based fire detection products to support regional and local authorities in efficiently fighting fires and better mitigating their negative effects. Real-time campaigns were carried out in strict collaboration with end-users within the framework of specific projects (i.e. the AVVISA, AVVISTA and AVVISA-Basilicata projects) funded by Civil Protection offices of Regione Lombardia, Provincia Regionale di Palermo and Regione Basilicata in charge of fire risk management and mitigation. A tailored training program was dedicated to the personnel of Regional Civil Protection offices in order to ensure the full understanding and the better integration of satellite based products and tools within the existing fire fighting protocols. In this work, outcomes of these practices are shown and discussed, especially highlighting the impact that a real time satellite system may have in assisting and complementing traditional surveillance systems to mitigate damages due to fires. In particular, the usefulness of satellite technology in an operational context was demonstrated mainly in reference to: i) the possibility of identifying fires at an early stage (so avoiding that small hotbeds could extend and become dangerous for citizens and destructive for environmental protected areas) as well as ii) the possibility to have an effective territorial control (e.g. discovering illegal burning fires such as unauthorized cleaning fires, and permitting local authorities to rapidly intervene and catch red-handed pyromaniacs).

Inhibitory neurons promote robust critical firing dynamics in networks of integrate-and-fire neurons.

PubMed

Lu, Zhixin; Squires, Shane; Ott, Edward; Girvan, Michelle

2016-12-01

We study the firing dynamics of a discrete-state and discrete-time version of an integrate-and-fire neuronal network model with both excitatory and inhibitory neurons. When the integer-valued state of a neuron exceeds a threshold value, the neuron fires, sends out state-changing signals to its connected neurons, and returns to the resting state. In this model, a continuous phase transition from non-ceaseless firing to ceaseless firing is observed. At criticality, power-law distributions of avalanche size and duration with the previously derived exponents, -3/2 and -2, respectively, are observed. Using a mean-field approach, we show analytically how the critical point depends on model parameters. Our main result is that the combined presence of both inhibitory neurons and integrate-and-fire dynamics greatly enhances the robustness of critical power-law behavior (i.e., there is an increased range of parameters, including both sub- and supercritical values, for which several decades of power-law behavior occurs).

Multi-Level Wild Land Fire Fighting Management Support System for an Optimized Guidance of Ground and Air Forces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Almer, Alexander; Schnabel, Thomas; Perko, Roland; Raggam, Johann; Köfler, Armin; Feischl, Richard

2016-04-01

Climate change will lead to a dramatic increase in damage from forest fires in Europe by the end of this century. In the Mediterranean region, the average annual area affected by forest fires has quadrupled since the 1960s (WWF, 2012). The number of forest fires is also on the increase in Central and Northern Europe. The Austrian forest fire database shows a total of 584 fires for the period 2012 to 2014, while even large areas of Sweden were hit by forest fires in August 2014, which were brought under control only after two weeks of intense fire-fighting efforts supported by European civil protection modules. Based on these facts, the improvements in forest fire control are a major international issue in the quest to protect human lives and resources as well as to reduce the negative environmental impact of these fires to a minimum. Within this paper the development of a multi-functional airborne management support system within the frame of the Austrian national safety and security research programme (KIRAS) is described. The main goal of the developments is to assist crisis management tasks of civil emergency teams and armed forces in disaster management by providing multi spectral, near real-time airborne image data products. As time, flexibility and reliability as well as objective information are crucial aspects in emergency management, the used components are tailored to meet these requirements. An airborne multi-functional management support system was developed as part of the national funded project AIRWATCH, which enables real-time monitoring of natural disasters based on optical and thermal images. Airborne image acquisition, a broadband line of sight downlink and near real-time processing solutions allow the generation of an up-to-date geo-referenced situation map. Furthermore, this paper presents ongoing developments for innovative extensions and research activities designed to optimize command operations in national and international fire-fighting missions. The ongoing development focuses on the following topics: (1) Development of a multi-level management solution to coordinate and guide different airborne and terrestrial deployed firefighting modules as well as related data processing and data distribution activities. (2) Further, a targeted control of the thermal sensor based on a rotating mirror system to extend the "area performance" (covered area per hour) in time critical situations for the monitoring requirements during forest fire events. (3) Novel computer vision methods for analysis of thermal sensor signatures, which allow an automatic classification of different forest fire types and situations. (4) A module for simulation-based decision support for planning and evaluation of resource usage and the effectiveness of performed fire-fighting measures. (5) Integration of wearable systems to assist ground teams in rescue operations as well as a mobile information system into innovative command and fire-fighting vehicles. In addition, the paper gives an outlook on future perspectives including a first concept for the integration of the near real-time multilevel forest fire fighting management system into an "EU Civil Protection Team" to support the EU civil protection modules and the Emergency Response Coordination Centre in Brussels. Keywords: Airborne sensing, multi sensor imaging, near real-time fire monitoring, simulation-based decision support, forest firefighting management, firefighting impact analysis.

Joint Fire Support

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-06-30

intelligence application package for theater battle management core system ( TBMCS ) functionality at wing and squadron levels. The automated four... TBMCS , Joint Surveillance and Target Attack Radar System (Ground Control Station), and Global Command and Control System, as well as with Allied FA...The TBMCS is a force level integrated air C2 system. TBMCS provides hardware, software, and communications interfaces to support the preparation

The Redesigned Hazard Mapping System (HMS) for Fire and Smoke Analysis and the Impact of Including Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruminski, M.; Cheng, Z.; Salemi, T.

2016-12-01

The HMS incorporates a wide variety of satellite data for use in fire and smoke detection, including 30 minute interval GOES-East and GOES-West, five AVHRR satellites (NOAA and METOP) and MODIS Aqua/Terra. NESDIS' Satellite Analysis Branch (SAB) analysts utilize the HMS to analyze and quality control the automated fire detections from each of the sensors and create the fire/smoke products to enable the users to mitigate disasters and environmental hazards. The new HMS design eliminates the inefficiencies and increases the accuracy of the fire/smoke analysis. The new system has the capability to display higher resolution data available from VIIRS while maintaining individual pixel integrity which improves the representation of fire size. This will benefit the input to smoke forecast models and may possibly be useful as input for fire spread models. An analysis of all VIIRS Active Fire (AF) locations compared to the operational HMS fire analysis for all of 2015 over North America will be presented that will provide an estimate of the impact of this new data set. Results will be presented for regional and seasonal impact. The new system also provides greater analysis control of layers and display properties and will allow for the display of all GOES images, even when in Rapid Scan Operations (RSO) mode. To enhance the efficiency and improve the accuracy of the fire and smoke product, the display of the new HMS eliminates the sector boundaries to display full analysis domain (North and Central America, Caribbean and Hawaii) and has functionality to edit plumes on a finer scale. In the presentation we will highlight the new features of the updated HMS.

An evaluation of the discriminating power of an Integrated Ballistics Identification System® Heritage™system with the NIST standard cartridge case (Standard Reference Material 2461).

PubMed

Morris, Keith B; Law, Eric F; Jefferys, Roger L; Dearth, Elizabeth C; Fabyanic, Emily B

2017-11-01

Through analysis and comparison of firing pin, breech face, and ejector impressions, where appropriate, firearm examiners may connect a cartridge case to a suspect firearm with a certain likelihood in a criminal investigation. When a firearm is not present, an examiner may use the Integrated Ballistics Identification System (IBIS ® ), an automated search and retrieval system coupled with the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN), a database of images showing the markings on fired cartridge cases and bullets from crime scenes along with test fired firearms. For the purpose of measurement quality control of these IBIS ® systems the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) initiated the Standard Reference Material (SRM) 2460/2461 standard bullets and cartridge cases project. The aim of this study was to evaluate the overall performance of the IBIS ® system by using NIST standard cartridge cases. By evaluating the resulting correlation scores, error rates, and percent recovery, both the variability between and within examiners when using IBIS ® , in addition to any inter- and intra-variability between SRM cartridge cases was observed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Propulsion controls

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harkney, R. D.

1980-01-01

Increased system requirements and functional integration with the aircraft have placed an increased demand on control system capability and reliability. To provide these at an affordable cost and weight and because of the rapid advances in electronic technology, hydromechanical systems are being phased out in favor of digital electronic systems. The transition is expected to be orderly from electronic trimming of hydromechanical controls to full authority digital electronic control. Future propulsion system controls will be highly reliable full authority digital electronic with selected component and circuit redundancy to provide the required safety and reliability. Redundancy may include a complete backup control of a different technology for single engine applications. The propulsion control will be required to communicate rapidly with the various flight and fire control avionics as part of an integrated control concept.

Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy: A vision for an innovative and integrated approach to managing the risks

Treesearch

Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy Project Management Team

2006-01-01

The Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy (CWFS) provides a vision for a new, innovative, and integrated approach to wildland fire management in Canada. It was developed under the auspices of the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers and seeks to balance the social, ecological, and economic aspects of wildland fire through a risk management framework that emphasizes hazard...

Integrating research on wildland fires and air quality: needs and recommendations

EPA Science Inventory

A summary is presented that integrates general information on the causes and effects of wildland fires and emissions with various ecological impacts of forest fires and air pollution in forests and other ecosystems. We also synthesize information on the regional effects of wildl...

Integrative properties and transfer function of cortical neurons initiating absence seizures in a rat genetic model

PubMed Central

Williams, Mark S.; Altwegg‐Boussac, Tristan; Chavez, Mario; Lecas, Sarah; Mahon, Séverine

2016-01-01

Key points Absence seizures are accompanied by spike‐and‐wave discharges in cortical electroencephalograms. These complex paroxysmal activities, affecting the thalamocortical networks, profoundly alter cognitive performances and preclude conscious perception.Here, using a well‐recognized genetic model of absence epilepsy, we investigated in vivo how information processing was impaired in the ictogenic neurons, i.e. the population of cortical neurons responsible for seizure initiation.In between seizures, ictogenic neurons were more prone to generate bursting activity and their firing response to weak depolarizing events was considerably facilitated compared to control neurons.In the course of seizures, information processing became unstable in ictogenic cells, alternating between an increased and a decreased responsiveness to excitatory inputs, depending on the spike and wave patterns.The state‐dependent modulation in the excitability of ictogenic neurons affects their inter‐seizure transfer function and their time‐to‐time responsiveness to incoming inputs during absences. Abstract Epileptic seizures result from aberrant cellular and/or synaptic properties that can alter the capacity of neurons to integrate and relay information. During absence seizures, spike‐and‐wave discharges (SWDs) interfere with incoming sensory inputs and preclude conscious experience. The Genetic Absence Epilepsy Rats from Strasbourg (GAERS), a well‐established animal model of absence epilepsy, allows exploration of the cellular basis of this impaired information processing. Here, by combining in vivo electrocorticographic and intracellular recordings from GAERS and control animals, we investigated how the pro‐ictogenic properties of seizure‐initiating cortical neurons modify their integrative properties and input–output operation during inter‐ictal periods and during the spike (S‐) and wave (W‐) cortical patterns alternating during seizures. In addition to a sustained depolarization and an excessive firing rate in between seizures, ictogenic neurons exhibited a pronounced hyperpolarization‐activated depolarization compared to homotypic control neurons. Firing frequency versus injected current relations indicated an increased sensitivity of GAERS cells to weak excitatory inputs, without modifications in the trial‐to‐trial variability of current‐induced firing. During SWDs, the W‐component resulted in paradoxical effects in ictogenic neurons, associating an increased membrane input resistance with a reduction in the current‐evoked firing responses. Conversely, the collapse of cell membrane resistance during the S‐component was accompanied by an elevated current‐evoked firing relative to W‐sequences, which remained, however, lower compared to inter‐ictal periods. These findings show a dynamic modulation of ictogenic neurons’ intrinsic properties that may alter inter‐seizure cortical function and participate in compromising information processing in cortical networks during absences. PMID:27311433

14. Site D57C, Improved NIKEHercules System, Grading Plan, U.S. Army ...

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

14. Site D-57-C, Improved NIKE-Hercules System, Grading Plan, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 18 January 1962. - Newport NIKE Missile Battery D-57/58, Integrated Fire Control Area, Newport Road, Carleton, Monroe County, MI

Coordinated Scheduling for Interdependent Electric Power and Natural Gas Infrastructures

DOE PAGES

Zlotnik, Anatoly; Roald, Line; Backhaus, Scott; ...

2016-03-24

The extensive installation of gas-fired power plants in many parts of the world has led electric systems to depend heavily on reliable gas supplies. The use of gas-fired generators for peak load and reserve provision causes high intraday variability in withdrawals from high-pressure gas transmission systems. Such variability can lead to gas price fluctuations and supply disruptions that affect electric generator dispatch, electricity prices, and threaten the security of power systems and gas pipelines. These infrastructures function on vastly different spatio-temporal scales, which prevents current practices for separate operations and market clearing from being coordinated. Here in this article, wemore » apply new techniques for control of dynamic gas flows on pipeline networks to examine day-ahead scheduling of electric generator dispatch and gas compressor operation for different levels of integration, spanning from separate forecasting, and simulation to combined optimal control. We formulate multiple coordination scenarios and develop tractable physically accurate computational implementations. These scenarios are compared using an integrated model of test networks for power and gas systems with 24 nodes and 24 pipes, respectively, which are coupled through gas-fired generators. The analysis quantifies the economic efficiency and security benefits of gas-electric coordination and dynamic gas system operation.« less

Coil-On-Plug Ignition for Oxygen/Methane Liquid Rocket Engines in Thermal-Vacuum Environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Melcher, John C.; Atwell, Matthew J.; Morehead, Robert L.; Hurlbert, Eric A.; Bugarin, Luz; Chaidez, Mariana

2017-01-01

A coil-on-plug ignition system has been developed and tested for Liquid Oxygen (LOX)/liquid methane (LCH4) rocket engines operating in thermal vacuum conditions. The igniters were developed and tested as part of the Integrated Cryogenic Propulsion Test Article (ICPTA), previously tested as part of the Project Morpheus test vehicle. The ICPTA uses an integrated, pressure-fed, cryogenic LOX/LCH4 propulsion system including a reaction control system (RCS) and a main engine. The ICPTA was tested at NASA Glenn Research Center's Plum Brook Station in the Spacecraft Propulsion Research Facility (B-2) under vacuum and thermal vacuum conditions. A coil-on-plug ignition system has been developed to successfully demonstrate ignition reliability at these conditions while preventing corona discharge issues. The ICPTA uses spark plug ignition for both the main engine igniter and the RCS. The coil-on-plug configuration eliminates the conventional high-voltage spark plug cable by combining the coil and the spark plug into a single component. Prior to ICPTA testing at Plum Brook, component-level reaction control engine (RCE) and main engine igniter testing was conducted at NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC), which demonstrated successful hot-fire ignition using the coil-on-plug from sea-level ambient conditions down to 10(exp -2) torr. Integrated vehicle hot-fire testing at JSC demonstrated electrical and command/data system performance. Lastly, hot-fire testing at Plum Brook demonstrated successful ignitions at simulated altitude conditions at 30 torr and cold thermal-vacuum conditions at 6 torr. The test campaign successfully proved that coil-on-plug technology will enable integrated LOX/LCH4 propulsion systems in future spacecraft.

A study of the durability of beryllium rocket engines. [space shuttle reaction control system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Paster, R. D.; French, G. C.

1974-01-01

An experimental test program was performed to demonstrate the durability of a beryllium INTEREGEN rocket engine when operating under conditions simulating the space shuttle reaction control system. A vibration simulator was exposed to the equivalent of 100 missions of X, Y, and Z axes random vibration to demonstrate the integrity of the recently developed injector-to-chamber braze joint. An off-limits engine was hot fired under extreme conditions of mixture ratio, chamber pressure, and orifice plugging. A durability engine was exposed to six environmental cycles interspersed with hot-fire tests without intermediate cleaning, service, or maintenance. Results from this program indicate the ability of the beryllium INTEREGEN engine concept to meet the operational requirements of the space shuttle reaction control system.

Acetylcholine contributes to the integration of self-movement cues in head direction cells.

PubMed

Yoder, Ryan M; Chan, Jeremy H M; Taube, Jeffrey S

2017-08-01

Acetylcholine contributes to accurate performance on some navigational tasks, but details of its contribution to the underlying brain signals are not fully understood. The medial septal area provides widespread cholinergic input to various brain regions, but selective damage to medial septal cholinergic neurons generally has little effect on landmark-based navigation, or the underlying neural representations of location and directional heading in visual environments. In contrast, the loss of medial septal cholinergic neurons disrupts navigation based on path integration, but no studies have tested whether these path integration deficits are associated with disrupted head direction (HD) cell activity. Therefore, we evaluated HD cell responses to visual cue rotations in a familiar arena, and during navigation between familiar and novel arenas, after muscarinic receptor blockade with systemic atropine. Atropine treatment reduced the peak firing rate of HD cells, but failed to significantly affect other HD cell firing properties. Atropine also failed to significantly disrupt the dominant landmark control of the HD signal, even though we used a procedure that challenged this landmark control. In contrast, atropine disrupted HD cell stability during navigation between familiar and novel arenas, where path integration normally maintains a consistent HD cell signal across arenas. These results suggest that acetylcholine contributes to path integration, in part, by facilitating the use of idiothetic cues to maintain a consistent representation of directional heading. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Effects of wildland fire smoke on a tree-roosting bat: integrating a plume model, field measurements, and mammalian dose-response relationships

Treesearch

M.B. Dickinson; J.C. Norris; A.S. Bova; R.L. Kremens; V. Young; M.J. Lacki

2010-01-01

Faunal injury and mortality in wildland fires is a concern for wildlife and fire management although little work has been done on the mechanisms by which exposures cause their effects. In this paper, we use an integral plume model, field measurements, and models of carbon monoxide and heat effects to explore risk to tree-roosting bats during prescribed fires in mixed-...

Firing patterns in the adaptive exponential integrate-and-fire model.

PubMed

Naud, Richard; Marcille, Nicolas; Clopath, Claudia; Gerstner, Wulfram

2008-11-01

For simulations of large spiking neuron networks, an accurate, simple and versatile single-neuron modeling framework is required. Here we explore the versatility of a simple two-equation model: the adaptive exponential integrate-and-fire neuron. We show that this model generates multiple firing patterns depending on the choice of parameter values, and present a phase diagram describing the transition from one firing type to another. We give an analytical criterion to distinguish between continuous adaption, initial bursting, regular bursting and two types of tonic spiking. Also, we report that the deterministic model is capable of producing irregular spiking when stimulated with constant current, indicating low-dimensional chaos. Lastly, the simple model is fitted to real experiments of cortical neurons under step current stimulation. The results provide support for the suitability of simple models such as the adaptive exponential integrate-and-fire neuron for large network simulations.

Bifurcations of large networks of two-dimensional integrate and fire neurons.

PubMed

Nicola, Wilten; Campbell, Sue Ann

2013-08-01

Recently, a class of two-dimensional integrate and fire models has been used to faithfully model spiking neurons. This class includes the Izhikevich model, the adaptive exponential integrate and fire model, and the quartic integrate and fire model. The bifurcation types for the individual neurons have been thoroughly analyzed by Touboul (SIAM J Appl Math 68(4):1045-1079, 2008). However, when the models are coupled together to form networks, the networks can display bifurcations that an uncoupled oscillator cannot. For example, the networks can transition from firing with a constant rate to burst firing. This paper introduces a technique to reduce a full network of this class of neurons to a mean field model, in the form of a system of switching ordinary differential equations. The reduction uses population density methods and a quasi-steady state approximation to arrive at the mean field system. Reduced models are derived for networks with different topologies and different model neurons with biologically derived parameters. The mean field equations are able to qualitatively and quantitatively describe the bifurcations that the full networks display. Extensions and higher order approximations are discussed.

Integrated Launch Operations Applications Remote Display Developer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Flemming, Cedric M., II

2014-01-01

This internship provides the opportunity to support the creation and use of Firing Room Displays and Firing Room Applications that use an abstraction layer called the Application Control Language (ACL). Required training included video watching, reading assignments, face-to-face instruction and job shadowing other Firing Room software developers as they completed their daily duties. During the training period various computer and access rights needed for creating the applications were obtained. The specific ground subsystems supported are the Cryogenics Subsystems, Liquid Hydrogen (LH2) and Liquid Oxygen (LO2). The cryogenics team is given the task of finding the best way to handle these very volatile liquids that are used to fuel the Space Launch System (SLS) and the Orion flight vehicles safely.

Integration of Fire Control, Flight Control and Propulsion Control Systems.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-08-01

process of preparation to a degree imocmpatible with fast moving technology. Undoubtedly something can be done to see that US authors produce papers...PDU provide a true "Up Front" system controller. Fast selection of Air to Air Mode is provided by 2 pushbuttons on the throttle. Pushing one or both...nature of the load snd its effect on the generation system. This calculation will include Load Power, Reactance, Nature - continuous or intermittent

78 FR 55765 - Compensatory and Alternative Regulatory Measures for Nuclear Power Plant Fire Protection (CARMEN...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-11

... Nuclear Power Plant Fire Protection (CARMEN-FIRE) AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Draft..., ``Compensatory and Alternative Regulatory Measures for Nuclear Power Plant Fire Protection (CARMEN-FIRE).'' In... integral part of NRC-approved fire protection programs. However, compensatory measures are not expected to...

Predicting Fire Season Severity in the Pacific Northwest

Treesearch

Paul Werth

2006-01-01

Projections of fire season severity that integrate historical weather and fire information can be used by fire managers when making decisions about allocating and prioritizing firefighting resources. They enable fire managers to anticipate fire activity and pre-position resources to maximize public and firefighter safety, reduce environmental impacts, and lower...

A New Approach for Determining Phase Response Curves Reveals that Purkinje Cells Can Act as Perfect Integrators

PubMed Central

Roth, Arnd; Häusser, Michael

2010-01-01

Cerebellar Purkinje cells display complex intrinsic dynamics. They fire spontaneously, exhibit bistability, and via mutual network interactions are involved in the generation of high frequency oscillations and travelling waves of activity. To probe the dynamical properties of Purkinje cells we measured their phase response curves (PRCs). PRCs quantify the change in spike phase caused by a stimulus as a function of its temporal position within the interspike interval, and are widely used to predict neuronal responses to more complex stimulus patterns. Significant variability in the interspike interval during spontaneous firing can lead to PRCs with a low signal-to-noise ratio, requiring averaging over thousands of trials. We show using electrophysiological experiments and simulations that the PRC calculated in the traditional way by sampling the interspike interval with brief current pulses is biased. We introduce a corrected approach for calculating PRCs which eliminates this bias. Using our new approach, we show that Purkinje cell PRCs change qualitatively depending on the firing frequency of the cell. At high firing rates, Purkinje cells exhibit single-peaked, or monophasic PRCs. Surprisingly, at low firing rates, Purkinje cell PRCs are largely independent of phase, resembling PRCs of ideal non-leaky integrate-and-fire neurons. These results indicate that Purkinje cells can act as perfect integrators at low firing rates, and that the integration mode of Purkinje cells depends on their firing rate. PMID:20442875

An Integrated Circuit for Simultaneous Extracellular Electrophysiology Recording and Optogenetic Neural Manipulation

PubMed Central

Chen, Chang Hao; McCullagh, Elizabeth A.; Pun, Sio Hang; Mak, Peng Un; Vai, Mang I; Mak, Pui In; Klug, Achim; Lei, Tim C.

2017-01-01

The ability to record and to control action potential firing in neuronal circuits of the brain is critical to understand how the brain functions on the cellular and network levels. Recent development of optogenetic proteins allows direct stimulation or inhibition of action potential firing of neurons upon optical illumination. In this paper, we combined a low-noise and high input impedance (or low input capacitance) neural recording amplifier, and a high current laser/LED driver in a monolithic integrated circuit (IC) for simultaneous neural recording and optogenetic neural control. The low input capacitance of the amplifier (9.7 pF) was achieved through adding a dedicated unity gain input stage optimized for high impedance metal electrodes. The input referred noise of the amplifier was measured to be 4.57 µVrms, which is lower than the estimated thermal noise of the metal electrode. Thus, action potentials originating from a single neuron can be recorded with a signal-to-noise ratio of ~6.6. The LED/laser current driver delivers a maximum current of 330 mA to generate adequate light for optogenetic control. We experimentally tested the functionality of the IC with an anesthetized Mongolian gerbil and recorded auditory stimulated action potentials from the inferior colliculus. Furthermore, we showed that spontaneous firing of 5th (trigeminal) nerve fibers was inhibited using the optogenetic protein Halorhodopsin. A noise model was also derived including the equivalent electronic components of the metal electrode and the high current driver to guide the design. PMID:28221990

Managing wildland fires: integrating weather models into fire projections

Treesearch

Anne M. Rosenthal; Francis Fujioka

2004-01-01

Flames from the Old Fire sweep through lands north of San Bernardino during late fall of 2003. Like many Southern California fires, the Old Fire consumed susceptible forests at the urban-wildland interface and spread to nearby city neighborhoods. By incorporating weather models into fire perimeter projections, scientist Francis Fujioka is improving fire modeling as a...

Integrating models to predict regional haze from wildland fire.

Treesearch

D. McKenzie; S.M. O' Neill; N. Larkin; R.A. Norheim

2006-01-01

Visibility impairment from regional haze is a significant problem throughout the continental United States. A substantial portion of regional haze is produced by smoke from prescribed and wildland fires. Here we describe the integration of four simulation models, an array of GIS raster layers, and a set of algorithms for fire-danger calculations into a modeling...

Integrating fire management into land management planning for west-side forests

Treesearch

Peter D. Teensma

1996-01-01

Fire management's integration into land management planning is critical to the successful management of nearly all wildland ecosystems, including westside forests, which lie west of the Cascade crest in Oregon and the northern coastal ranges in California. Restoration and maintenance of fire as an ecosystem process is critical to retention of biological diversity...

A review on the mechanism, risk evaluation, and prevention of coal spontaneous combustion in China.

PubMed

Kong, Biao; Li, Zenghua; Yang, Yongliang; Liu, Zhen; Yan, Daocheng

2017-10-01

In recent years, the ecology, security, and sustainable development of modern mines have become the theme of coal mine development worldwide. However, spontaneous combustion of coal under conditions of oxygen supply and automatic exothermic heating during coal mining lead to coalfield fires. Coal spontaneous combustion (CSC) causes huge economic losses and casualties, with the toxic and harmful gases produced during coal combustion not only polluting the working environment, but also causing great damage to the ecological environment. China is the world's largest coal producer and consumer; however, coal production in Chinese mines is seriously threatened by the CSC risk. Because deep underground mining methods are commonly adopted in Chinese coal mines, coupling disasters are frequent in these mines with the coalfield fires becoming increasingly serious. Therefore, in this study, we analyzed the development mechanism of CSC. The CSC risk assessment was performed from the aspects of prediction, detection, and determination of the "dangerous area" in a coal mine (i.e., the area most susceptible to fire hazards). A new geophysical method for CSC determination is proposed and analyzed. Furthermore, the main methods for CSC fire prevention and control and their advantages and disadvantages are analyzed. To eventually construct CSC prevention and control integration system, future developmental direction of CSC was given from five aspects. Our results can present a reference for the development of CSC fire prevention and control technology and promote the protection of ecological environment in China.

Plant toxins and trophic cascades alter fire regime and succession on a boral forest landscape

USGS Publications Warehouse

Feng, Zhilan; Alfaro-Murillo, Jorge A.; DeAngelis, Donald L.; Schmidt, Jennifer; Barga, Matthew; Zheng, Yiqiang; Ahmad Tamrin, Muhammad Hanis B.; Olson, Mark; Glaser, Tim; Kielland, Knut; Chapin, F. Stuart; Bryant, John

2012-01-01

Two models were integrated in order to study the effect of plant toxicity and a trophic cascade on forest succession and fire patterns across a boreal landscape in central Alaska. One of the models, ALFRESCO, is a cellular automata model that stochastically simulates transitions from spruce dominated 1 km2 spatial cells to deciduous woody vegetation based on stochastic fires, and from deciduous woody vegetation to spruce based on age of the cell with some stochastic variation. The other model, the ‘toxin-dependent functional response’ model (TDFRM) simulates woody vegetation types with different levels of toxicity, an herbivore browser (moose) that can forage selectively on these types, and a carnivore (wolf) that preys on the herbivore. Here we replace the simple succession rules in each ALFRESCO cell by plant–herbivore–carnivore dynamics from TDFRM. The central hypothesis tested in the integrated model is that the herbivore, by feeding selectively on low-toxicity deciduous woody vegetation, speeds succession towards high-toxicity evergreens, like spruce. Wolves, by keeping moose populations down, can help slow the succession. Our results confirmed this hypothesis for the model calibrated to the Tanana floodplain of Alaska. We used the model to estimate the effects of different levels of wolf control. Simulations indicated that management reductions in wolf densities could reduce the mean time to transition from deciduous to spruce by more than 15 years, thereby increasing landscape flammability. The integrated model can be useful in estimating ecosystem impacts of wolf control and moose harvesting in central Alaska.

The Wildland Fire Decision Support System: Integrating science, technology, and fire management

Treesearch

Morgan Pence; Tom Zimmerman

2011-01-01

Federal agency policy requires documentation and analysis of all wildland fire response decisions. In the past, planning and decision documentation for fires were completed using multiple unconnected processes, yielding many limitations. In response, interagency fire management executives chartered the development of the Wildland Fire Decision Support System (WFDSS)....

Fire Behavior System for the Full Range of Fire Management Needs

Treesearch

Richard C. Rothermel; Patricia L. Andrews

1987-01-01

An "integrated fire behavior/fire danger rating system" should be "seamless" to avoid requiring choices among alternate, independent systems. Descriptions of fuel moisture, fuels, and fire behavior should be standardized, permitting information to flow easily through the spectrum of fire management needs. The level of resolution depends on the...

The role of prescribed burn associations in the application of prescribed fires in rangeland ecosystems.

PubMed

Toledo, David; Kreuter, Urs P; Sorice, Michael G; Taylor, Charles A

2014-01-01

Risk and liability concerns regarding fire affect people's attitudes toward fire and have led to human-induced alterations of fire regimes. This has, in turn, contributed to brush encroachment and degradation of many grasslands and savannas. Efforts to successfully restore such degraded ecosystems at the landscape scale in regions of the United States with high proportions of private lands require the reintroduction of fire. Prescribed Burn Associations (PBA) provide training, equipment, and labor to apply fire safely, facilitating the application of this rangeland management tool and thereby reducing the associated risk. PBAs help build networks and social capital among landowners who are interested in using fire. They can also change attitudes toward fire and enhance the social acceptability of using prescribed fire as a management practice. PBAs are an effective mechanism for promoting the widespread use of prescribed fire to restore and maintain the biophysical integrity of grasslands and savannas at the landscape scale. We report findings of a project aimed at determining the human dimensions of using prescribed fire to control woody plant encroachment in three different eco-regions of Texas. Specifically, we examine membership in PBAs as it relates to land manager decisions regarding the use of prescribed fire. Perceived risk has previously been identified as a key factor inhibiting the use of prescribed fire by landowners. Our results show that perceived constraints, due to lack of skill, knowledge, and access to equipment and membership in a PBAs are more important factors than risk perceptions in affecting landowner decisions about the use of fire. This emphasizes the potential for PBAs to reduce risk perceptions regarding the application of prescribed fire and, therefore, their importance for restoring brush-encroached grasslands and savannas. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

A model-based approach to wildland fire reconstruction using sediment charcoal records

USGS Publications Warehouse

Itter, Malcolm S.; Finley, Andrew O.; Hooten, Mevin B.; Higuera, Philip E.; Marlon, Jennifer R.; Kelly, Ryan; McLachlan, Jason S.

2017-01-01

Lake sediment charcoal records are used in paleoecological analyses to reconstruct fire history, including the identification of past wildland fires. One challenge of applying sediment charcoal records to infer fire history is the separation of charcoal associated with local fire occurrence and charcoal originating from regional fire activity. Despite a variety of methods to identify local fires from sediment charcoal records, an integrated statistical framework for fire reconstruction is lacking. We develop a Bayesian point process model to estimate the probability of fire associated with charcoal counts from individual-lake sediments and estimate mean fire return intervals. A multivariate extension of the model combines records from multiple lakes to reduce uncertainty in local fire identification and estimate a regional mean fire return interval. The univariate and multivariate models are applied to 13 lakes in the Yukon Flats region of Alaska. Both models resulted in similar mean fire return intervals (100–350 years) with reduced uncertainty under the multivariate model due to improved estimation of regional charcoal deposition. The point process model offers an integrated statistical framework for paleofire reconstruction and extends existing methods to infer regional fire history from multiple lake records with uncertainty following directly from posterior distributions.

Building capacity for awareness and risk factor identification in the community: the blood pressure assessment program of the Calgary Fire Department.

PubMed

Campbell, N R; Jeffrey, P; Kiss, K; Jones, C; Anton, A R

2001-12-01

In 1995, the Calgary Fire Department developed a program to assess blood pressure in community fire stations, selected businesses and public venues. The program has gradually expanded. Currently, all 30 fire stations across Calgary, Alberta assess blood pressures for the public seven days per week throughout the year. Since 1995, there have been 10,883 measurements in 3477 people. Most people (2106) assessed had hypertensive readings, and 72 had readings greater than 220 mmHg systolic or greater than 120 mmHg diastolic, and were referred for immediate medical assessment. The program has been recently integrated into a more global vision for the prevention and control of cardiovascular disease in Calgary. Future plans include offering lipid assessments, assisting other communities to adopt the program and using the program to provide physical measures (of blood pressure, glucose, total and high density lipoprotein cholesterol, height and weight) to an ongoing questionnaire that surveys the health of Calgarians. The history of the program, its training methods, quality control, preliminary results and future plans are presented in detail to provide an example of a community-based program that could aid in the detection, monitoring and awareness of hypertension.

Forwardly-placed firearm fire control assembly

DOEpatents

Frickey, Steven J.

2001-12-22

A firearm fire control assembly for disposition in a forwardly placed support-hand operative relationship within a firearm having a combination of a firing pin and a firearm hammer adapted to engage and fire a cartridge, a sear assembly to alternately engage and disengage the combination of the firearm hammer and firing pin, and a trigger assembly including a movable trigger mechanism that is operable to engage the sear assembly to cause the firearm hammer firing pin combination to fire the firearm, a fire control assembly including a fire control depression member and a fire control rod operably connected to the depression member, and being positioned in a forward disposition disposed within a forestock of the firearm, and the depression member adapted to be operably engaged and depressed by the user's conventional forwardly placed support hand to maneuver the fire control rod to provide firing control of the firing of the firearm.

Fire Control Agent Effectiveness for Hazardous Chemical Fires: Carbon Disulfide.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-01-01

Fires..................................... 46 12. AFFF Fire Control Data for Carbon Disulfide Fires............................. 47 13. Extinguishment...Disulfide and Hexane Fires ....... 67 22. Comparison of AFFF Fire Control Times for Carbon Disulfide and Hexane Fires ................... 68 23. Comparison of...Data .............. 27 2. Summary of Fluoroprotein Foam Fire Test Data ....... 28 3. Summary of AFFF Fire Test Data ..................... 29 4. Summary

Advanced Micro Grid Energy Management Coupled with Integrated Volt/VAR Control for Improved Energy Efficiency, Energy Security, and Power Quality at DoD Installations

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-10-28

constraints and wire routing issues. • Outside sites have more space, but require outdoor rated equipment (NEMA outdoor rated.. ) and more maintenance...sustainable power, in many different types, sizes and capacities, as follows: • Cogen Plant #1 B1579: 7.2MW gas-fired turbine at Substation “AA...Cogen Plant #2 B1991: (2) 4.6MW gas-fired turbines at “Gillespie” Substation • 300kW fuel cell at Substation “AA” • PPA: 1.015MW solar photovoltaic

Firing Room Remote Application Software Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, Kan

2014-01-01

The Engineering and Technology Directorate (NE) at National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is designing a new command and control system for the checkout and launch of Space Launch System (SLS) and future rockets. The purposes of the semester long internship as a remote application software developer include the design, development, integration, and verification of the software and hardware in the firing rooms, in particular with the Mobile Launcher (ML) Launch Accessories subsystem. In addition, a Conversion Fusion project was created to show specific approved checkout and launch engineering data for public-friendly display purposes.

Firing Room Remote Application Software Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, Kan

2015-01-01

The Engineering and Technology Directorate (NE) at National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is designing a new command and control system for the checkout and launch of Space Launch System (SLS) and future rockets. The purposes of the semester long internship as a remote application software developer include the design, development, integration, and verification of the software and hardware in the firing rooms, in particular with the Mobile Launcher (ML) Launch Accessories (LACC) subsystem. In addition, a software test verification procedure document was created to verify and checkout LACC software for Launch Equipment Test Facility (LETF) testing.

Fire, humans and landscape. Is there a connection?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valese, Eva; Ascoli, Davide; Conedera, Marco; Held, Alex

2013-04-01

Fire evolved on the earth under the direct influence of climate and the accumulation of burnable biomass at various times and spatial scales. As a result, fire regimes depend not only on climatic and biological factors, but also greatly reflect the cultural background of how people do manage ecosystems and fire. A new awareness among scientists and managers has been rising about the ecological role of fire and the necessity to understand its past natural and cultural dynamics in different ecosystems, in order to preserve present ecosystem functionality and minimize management costs and negative impacts. As a consequence we assisted in the last decades to a general shift from the fire control to the fire management approach, where fire prevention, fire danger rating, fire ecology, fire pre-suppression and suppression strategies are fully integrated in the landscape management. Nowadays, a large number of authors recognize that a total suppression strategy, as the one adopted during last decades, leads to a fire paradox: the more we fight for putting out all fires, the more extreme events occur and cause long term damages. The aim of this review is to provide a state of art about the connection between fire, humans and landscape, along time and space. Negative and positive impacts on ecosystem services and values are put in evidence, as well as their incidence on human aptitude to fire use as to fire suppression. In order to capture a consistent fragment of fire history, palaeofires and related palynological studies are considered. They enable a valuable, even if partial, look at the millenary fire regime. Actual strategies and future directions are described in order to show what are the alternatives for living with fire, since removing completely this disturbance from earth is not a option, nor feasible neither advisable. Examples from the world, in particular from the Alps and the Mediterranean basin, are shown for better illustrating the signature of anthropogenic fire on landscapes.

Electronic firing systems and methods for firing a device

DOEpatents

Frickey, Steven J [Boise, ID; Svoboda, John M [Idaho Falls, ID

2012-04-24

An electronic firing system comprising a control system, a charging system, an electrical energy storage device, a shock tube firing circuit, a shock tube connector, a blasting cap firing circuit, and a blasting cap connector. The control system controls the charging system, which charges the electrical energy storage device. The control system also controls the shock tube firing circuit and the blasting cap firing circuit. When desired, the control system signals the shock tube firing circuit or blasting cap firing circuit to electrically connect the electrical energy storage device to the shock tube connector or the blasting cap connector respectively.

Fuels planning: science synthesis and integration; forest structure and fire hazard fact sheet 02: fire hazard

Treesearch

Rocky Mountain Research Station USDA Forest Service

2004-01-01

Fire hazard reflects the potential fire behavior and magnitude of effects as a function of fuel conditions. This fact sheet discusses crown fuels, surface fuels, and ground fuels and their contribution and involvement in wildland fire.Other publications in this series...

WRF-Fire: coupled weather-wildland fire modeling with the weather research and forecasting model

Treesearch

Janice L. Coen; Marques Cameron; John Michalakes; Edward G. Patton; Philip J. Riggan; Kara M. Yedinak

2012-01-01

A wildland fire behavior module (WRF-Fire) was integrated into the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) public domain numerical weather prediction model. The fire module is a surface fire behavior model that is two-way coupled with the atmospheric model. Near-surface winds from the atmospheric model are interpolated to a finer fire grid and used, with fuel properties...

CO2 and fire influence tropical ecosystem stability in response to climate change.

PubMed

Shanahan, Timothy M; Hughen, Konrad A; McKay, Nicholas P; Overpeck, Jonathan T; Scholz, Christopher A; Gosling, William D; Miller, Charlotte S; Peck, John A; King, John W; Heil, Clifford W

2016-07-18

Interactions between climate, fire and CO2 are believed to play a crucial role in controlling the distributions of tropical woodlands and savannas, but our understanding of these processes is limited by the paucity of data from undisturbed tropical ecosystems. Here we use a 28,000-year integrated record of vegetation, climate and fire from West Africa to examine the role of these interactions on tropical ecosystem stability. We find that increased aridity between 28-15 kyr B.P. led to the widespread expansion of tropical grasslands, but that frequent fires and low CO2 played a crucial role in stabilizing these ecosystems, even as humidity changed. This resulted in an unstable ecosystem state, which transitioned abruptly from grassland to woodlands as gradual changes in CO2 and fire shifted the balance in favor of woody plants. Since then, high atmospheric CO2 has stabilized tropical forests by promoting woody plant growth, despite increased aridity. Our results indicate that the interactions between climate, CO2 and fire can make tropical ecosystems more resilient to change, but that these systems are dynamically unstable and potentially susceptible to abrupt shifts between woodland and grassland dominated states in the future.

Temperature and heat flux datasets of a complex object in a fire plume for the validation of fire and thermal response codes.

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

Jernigan, Dann A.; Blanchat, Thomas K.

It is necessary to improve understanding and develop temporally- and spatially-resolved integral scale validation data of the heat flux incident to a complex object in addition to measuring the thermal response of said object located within the fire plume for the validation of the SIERRA/FUEGO/SYRINX fire and SIERRA/CALORE codes. To meet this objective, a complex calorimeter with sufficient instrumentation to allow validation of the coupling between FUEGO/SYRINX/CALORE has been designed, fabricated, and tested in the Fire Laboratory for Accreditation of Models and Experiments (FLAME) facility. Validation experiments are specifically designed for direct comparison with the computational predictions. Making meaningful comparisonmore » between the computational and experimental results requires careful characterization and control of the experimental features or parameters used as inputs into the computational model. Validation experiments must be designed to capture the essential physical phenomena, including all relevant initial and boundary conditions. This report presents the data validation steps and processes, the results of the penlight radiant heat experiments (for the purpose of validating the CALORE heat transfer modeling of the complex calorimeter), and the results of the fire tests in FLAME.« less

CO2 and fire influence tropical ecosystem stability in response to climate change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shanahan, Timothy M.; Hughen, Konrad A.; McKay, Nicholas P.; Overpeck, Jonathan T.; Scholz, Christopher A.; Gosling, William D.; Miller, Charlotte S.; Peck, John A.; King, John W.; Heil, Clifford W.

2016-07-01

Interactions between climate, fire and CO2 are believed to play a crucial role in controlling the distributions of tropical woodlands and savannas, but our understanding of these processes is limited by the paucity of data from undisturbed tropical ecosystems. Here we use a 28,000-year integrated record of vegetation, climate and fire from West Africa to examine the role of these interactions on tropical ecosystem stability. We find that increased aridity between 28-15 kyr B.P. led to the widespread expansion of tropical grasslands, but that frequent fires and low CO2 played a crucial role in stabilizing these ecosystems, even as humidity changed. This resulted in an unstable ecosystem state, which transitioned abruptly from grassland to woodlands as gradual changes in CO2 and fire shifted the balance in favor of woody plants. Since then, high atmospheric CO2 has stabilized tropical forests by promoting woody plant growth, despite increased aridity. Our results indicate that the interactions between climate, CO2 and fire can make tropical ecosystems more resilient to change, but that these systems are dynamically unstable and potentially susceptible to abrupt shifts between woodland and grassland dominated states in the future.

Integrated active fire retrievals and biomass burning emissions using complementary near-coincident ground, airborne and spaceborne sensor data

Treesearch

Wilfrid Schroeder; Evan Ellicott; Charles Ichoku; Luke Ellison; Matthew B. Dickinson; Roger D. Ottmar; Craig Clements; Dianne Hall; Vincent Ambrosia; Robert Kremens

2013-01-01

Ground, airborne and spaceborne data were collected for a 450 ha prescribed fire implemented on 18 October 2011 at the Henry W. Coe State Park in California. The integration of various data elements allowed near-coincident active fire retrievals to be estimated. The Autonomous Modular Sensor-Wildfire (AMS) airborne multispectral imaging system was used as a bridge...

Intrinsic and integrative properties of substantia nigra pars reticulata neurons

PubMed Central

Zhou, Fu-Ming; Lee, Christian R.

2011-01-01

The GABA projection neurons of the substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr) are output neurons for the basal ganglia and thus critical for movement control. Their most striking neurophysiological feature is sustained, spontaneous high frequency spike firing. A fundamental question is: what are the key ion channels supporting the remarkable firing capability in these neurons? Recent studies indicate that these neurons express tonically active TRPC3 channels that conduct a Na-dependent inward current even at hyperpolarized membrane potentials. When the membrane potential reaches −60 mV, a voltage-gated persistent sodium current (INaP) starts to activate, further depolarizing the membrane potential. At or slightly below −50 mV, the large transient voltage-activated sodium current (INaT) starts to activate and eventually triggers the rapid rising phase of action potentials. SNr GABA neurons have a higher density of (INaT), contributing to the faster rise and larger amplitude of action potentials, compared with the slow-spiking dopamine neurons. INaT also recovers from inactivation more quickly in SNr GABA neurons than in nigral dopamine neurons. In SNr GABA neurons, the rising phase of the action potential triggers the activation of high-threshold, inactivation-resistant Kv3-like channels that can rapidly repolarize the membrane. These intrinsic ion channels provide SNr GABA neurons with the ability to fire spontaneous and sustained high frequency spikes. Additionally, robust GABA inputs from direct pathway medium spiny neurons in the striatum and GABA neurons in the globus pallidus may inhibit and silence SNr GABA neurons, whereas glutamate synaptic input from the subthalamic nucleus may induce burst firing in SNr GABA neurons. Thus, afferent GABA and glutamate synaptic inputs sculpt the tonic high frequency firing of SNr GABA neurons and the consequent inhibition of their targets into an integrated motor control signal that is further fine-tuned by neuromodulators including dopamine, serotonin, endocannabinoids, and H2O2. PMID:21839148

Systems integration for the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Robotics Applications Development Laboratory (RADL)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, V. Leon; Nordeen, Ross

1988-01-01

A laboratory for developing robotics technology for hazardous and repetitive Shuttle and payload processing activities is discussed. An overview of the computer hardware and software responsible for integrating the laboratory systems is given. The center's anthropomorphic robot is placed on a track allowing it to be moved to different stations. Various aspects of the laboratory equipment are described, including industrial robot arm control, smart systems integration, the supervisory computer, programmable process controller, real-time tracking controller, image processing hardware, and control display graphics. Topics of research include: automated loading and unloading of hypergolics for space vehicles and payloads; the use of mobile robotics for security, fire fighting, and hazardous spill operations; nondestructive testing for SRB joint and seal verification; Shuttle Orbiter radiator damage inspection; and Orbiter contour measurements. The possibility of expanding the laboratory in the future is examined.

Forest Fire Advanced System Technology (FFAST): A Conceptual Design for Detection and Mapping

Treesearch

J. David Nichols; John R. Warren

1987-01-01

The Forest Fire Advanced System Technology (FFAST) project is developing a data system to provide near-real-time forest fire information to fire management at the fire Incident Command Post (ICP). The completed conceptual design defined an integrated forest fire detection and mapping system that is based upon technology available in the 1990's. System component...

Temporal trends and spatial variation characteristics of primary air pollutants emissions from coal-fired industrial boilers in Beijing, China.

PubMed

Xue, Yifeng; Tian, Hezhong; Yan, Jing; Zhou, Zhen; Wang, Junling; Nie, Lei; Pan, Tao; Zhou, Junrui; Hua, Shenbing; Wang, Yong; Wu, Xiaoqing

2016-06-01

Coal-fired combustion is recognized as a significant anthropogenic source of atmospheric compounds in Beijing, causing heavy air pollution events and associated deterioration in visibility. Obtaining an accurate understanding of the temporal trends and spatial variation characteristics of emissions from coal-fired industrial combustion is essential for predicting air quality changes and evaluating the effectiveness of current control measures. In this study, an integrated emission inventory of primary air pollutants emitted from coal-fired industrial boilers in Beijing is developed for the period of 2007-2013 using a technology-based approach. Future emission trends are projected through 2030 based on current energy-related and emission control policies. Our analysis shows that there is a general downward trend in primary air pollutants emissions because of the implementation of stricter local emission standards and the promotion by the Beijing municipal government of converting from coal-fired industrial boilers to gas-fired boilers. However, the ratio of coal consumed by industrial boilers to total coal consumption has been increasing, raising concerns about the further improvement of air quality in Beijing. Our estimates indicate that the total emissions of PM10, PM2.5, SO2, NOx, CO and VOCs from coal-fired industrial boilers in Beijing in 2013 are approximately 19,242 t, 13,345 t, 26,615 t, 22,965 t, 63,779 t and 1406 t, respectively. Under the current environmental policies and relevant energy savings and emission control plans, it may be possible to reduce NOx and other air pollutant emissions by 94% and 90% by 2030, respectively, if advanced flue gas purification technologies are implemented and coal is replaced with natural gas in the majority of existing boilers. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Integrated research to improve fire management decisionmaking.

Treesearch

Donald G. MacGregor; Richard W. Haynes

2005-01-01

The emergence of large fires of long duration (also known as siege fires) with their inherently high costs has raised numerous questions about the opportunities for cost containment. Cost reviews from the 2003 fire season have revealed how additional knowledge created through research can lead to better management and lower costs of fire incidents.

Fuel Management-An Integral Part of Fire Management: Trans-Tasman Perspective

Treesearch

Jim Gould

2006-01-01

Although Australia and New Zealand have quite different fire climates and fuels, the common understanding of fire behaviour underlies many facets of fire management in both countries. Fire management is the legal responsibility of various government land management agencies that manage public lands and individuals, local governments or corporations that manage private...

Assessing predictive services' 7-day fire potential outlook

Treesearch

Karin Riley; Crystal Stonesifer; Dave Calkin; Haiganoush Preisler

2015-01-01

The Predictive Services program was created under the National Wildfire Coordinating Group in 2001 to address the need for long- and short-term decision support information for fire managers and operations personnel. The primary mission of Predictive Services is to integrate fire weather, fire danger, and resource availability to enable strategic fire suppression...

Ecosystem processes at the watershed scale: mapping and modeling ecohydrological controls

Treesearch

Lawrence E. Band; T. Hwang; T.C. Hales; James Vose; Chelcy Ford

2012-01-01

Mountain watersheds are sources of a set of valuable ecosystem services as well as potential hazards. The former include high quality freshwater, carbon sequestration, nutrient retention, and biodiversity, whereas the latter include flash floods, landslides and forest fires. Each of these ecosystem services and hazards represents different elements of the integrated...

Selection of the thermal imaging approach for the XM29 combat rifle fire control system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brindley, Eric; Lillie, Jack; Plocki, Peter; Volz, Robert T.

2003-09-01

The paper briefly describes the XM29 (formerly OICW) weapon, its fire control system and the requirements for thermal imaging. System level constraints on the in-hand weight dictate the need for a high degree of integration with other elements of the system such as the laser rangefinder, direct view optics and daylight video, all operating at different wavelengths. The available Focal Plane Array technology choices are outlined and the evaluation process is described, including characterization at the US Army Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD) and recent field-testing at Quantico USMC base, Virginia. This paper addresses the trade study, technology assessment and test-bed effort. The relationship between field and lab testing performance is compared and path forward recommended.

The climate space of fire regimes in north-western North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Whitman, Ellen; Batllori, Enric; Parisien, Marc-André; Miller, Carol; Coop, Jonathan D.; Krawchuk, Meg A.; Chong, Geneva W.; Haire, Sandra L.

2015-01-01

Aim. Studies of fire activity along environmental gradients have been undertaken, but the results of such studies have yet to be integrated with fire-regime analysis. We characterize fire-regime components along climate gradients and a gradient of human influence. Location. We focus on a climatically diverse region of north-western North America extending from northern British Columbia, Canada, to northern Utah and Colorado, USA.Methods. We used a multivariate framework to collapse 12 climatic variables into two major climate gradients and binned them into 73 discrete climate domains. We examined variation in fire-regime components (frequency, size, severity, seasonality and cause) across climate domains. Fire-regime attributes were compiled from existing databases and Landsat imagery for 1897 large fires. Relationships among the fire-regime components, climate gradients and human influence were examined through bivariate regressions. The unique contribution of human influence was also assessed.Results. A primary climate gradient of temperature and summer precipitation and a secondary gradient of continentality and winter precipitation in the study area were identified. Fire occupied a distinct central region of such climate space, within which fire-regime components varied considerably. We identified significant interrelations between fire-regime components of fire size, frequency, burn severity and cause. The influence of humans was apparent in patterns of burn severity and ignition cause.Main conclusions. Wildfire activity is highest where thermal and moisture gradients converge to promote fuel production, flammability and ignitions. Having linked fire-regime components to large-scale climate gradients, we show that fire regimes – like the climate that controls them – are a part of a continuum, expanding on models of varying constraints on fire activity. The observed relationships between fire-regime components, together with the distinct role of climatic and human influences, generate variation in biotic communities. Thus, future changes to climate may lead to ecological changes through altered fire regimes.

Simplicity and efficiency of integrate-and-fire neuron models.

PubMed

Plesser, Hans E; Diesmann, Markus

2009-02-01

Lovelace and Cios (2008) recently proposed a very simple spiking neuron (VSSN) model for simulations of large neuronal networks as an efficient replacement for the integrate-and-fire neuron model. We argue that the VSSN model falls behind key advances in neuronal network modeling over the past 20 years, in particular, techniques that permit simulators to compute the state of the neuron without repeated summation over the history of input spikes and to integrate the subthreshold dynamics exactly. State-of-the-art solvers for networks of integrate-and-fire model neurons are substantially more efficient than the VSSN simulator and allow routine simulations of networks of some 10(5) neurons and 10(9) connections on moderate computer clusters.

A riddled basin escaping crisis and the universality in an integrate-and-fire circuit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dai, Jun; He, Da-Ren; Xu, Xiu-Lian; Hu, Chin-Kun

2018-06-01

We investigate an integrate-and-fire model of an electronic relaxation oscillator, which can be described by the discontinuous and non-invertible composition of two mapping functions f1 and f2, with f1 being dissipative. Depending on a control parameter d, f2 can be conservative (for d =dc = 1) or dissipative (for d >dc). We find a kind of crisis, which is induced by the escape from a riddled-like attraction basin sea in the phase space. The averaged crisis transient lifetime (〈 τ 〉), the relative measure of the fat fractal forbidden network (η), and the measure of the escaping hole (Δ) show clear scaling behaviors: 〈 τ 〉 ∝(d -dc) - γ, η ∝(d -dc) σ, and Δ ∝(d -dc) α. Extending an argument by Jiang et al. (2004), we derive γ = σ + α, which agrees well with numerical simulation data.

Heuristics for the Hodgkin-Huxley system.

PubMed

Hoppensteadt, Frank

2013-09-01

Hodgkin and Huxley (HH) discovered that voltages control ionic currents in nerve membranes. This led them to describe electrical activity in a neuronal membrane patch in terms of an electronic circuit whose characteristics were determined using empirical data. Due to the complexity of this model, a variety of heuristics, including relaxation oscillator circuits and integrate-and-fire models, have been used to investigate activity in neurons, and these simpler models have been successful in suggesting experiments and explaining observations. Connections between most of the simpler models had not been made clear until recently. Shown here are connections between these heuristics and the full HH model. In particular, we study a new model (Type III circuit): It includes the van der Pol-based models; it can be approximated by a simple integrate-and-fire model; and it creates voltages and currents that correspond, respectively, to the h and V components of the HH system. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Selective deficiencies in descending inhibitory modulation in neuropathic rats: implications for enhancing noradrenergic tone.

PubMed

Patel, Ryan; Qu, Chaoling; Xie, Jennifer Y; Porreca, Frank; Dickenson, Anthony H

2018-06-22

Pontine noradrenergic neurones form part of a descending inhibitory system that influences spinal nociceptive processing. Weak or absent descending inhibition is a common feature of chronic pain patients. We examined the extent to which the descending noradrenergic system is tonically active, how control of spinal neuronal excitability is integrated into thalamic relays within sensory-discriminative projection pathways, and how this inhibitory control is altered after nerve injury. In vivo electrophysiology was performed in anaesthetised spinal nerve-ligated (SNL) and sham-operated rats to record from wide dynamic range neurones in the ventral posterolateral thalamus (VPL). In sham rats, spinal block of α2-adrenoceptors with atipamezole resulted in enhanced stimulus-evoked and spontaneous firing in the VPL, and produced conditioned place avoidance. However, in SNL rats, these conditioned avoidance behaviours were absent. Furthermore, inhibitory control of evoked neuronal responses was lost, but spinal atipamezole markedly increased spontaneous firing. Augmenting spinal noradrenergic tone in neuropathic rats with reboxetine, a selective noradrenergic reuptake inhibitor, modestly reinstated inhibitory control of evoked responses in the VPL but had no effect on spontaneous firing. By contrast, clonidine, an α2 agonist, inhibited both evoked and spontaneous firing, and exhibited increased potency in SNL rats compared with sham controls. These data suggest descending noradrenergic inhibitory pathways are tonically active in sham rats. Moreover, in neuropathic states, descending inhibitory control is diminished, but not completely absent, and distinguishes between spontaneous and evoked neuronal activity. These observations may have implications for how analgesics targeting the noradrenergic system provide relief.This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (CCBY), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Techno-Economic Analysis of Integration of Low-Temperature Geothermal Resources for Coal-Fired Power Plants

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

Bearden, Mark D.; Davidson, Casie L.; Horner, Jacob A.

Presented here are the results of a techno-economic (TEA) study of the potential for coupling low-grade geothermal resources to boost the electrical output from coal-fired power plants. This study includes identification of candidate 500 MW subcritical coal-fired power plants in the continental United States, followed by down-selection and characterization of the North Valmy generating station, a Nevada coal-fired plant. Based on site and plant characteristics, ASPEN Plus models were designed to evaluate options to integrate geothermal resources directly into existing processes at North Valmy. Energy outputs and capital costing are presented for numerous hybrid strategies, including integration with Organic Rankinemore » Cycles (ORCs), which currently represent the primary technology for baseload geothermal power generation.« less

Evaluating the ecological benefits of wildfire by integrating fire and ecosystem simulation models

Treesearch

Robert E. Keane; Eva Karau

2010-01-01

Fire managers are now realizing that wildfires can be beneficial because they can reduce hazardous fuels and restore fire-dominated ecosystems. A software tool that assesses potential beneficial and detrimental ecological effects from wildfire would be helpful to fire management. This paper presents a simulation platform called FLEAT (Fire and Landscape Ecology...

Making fire and fire surrogate science available: a summary of regional workshops with clients

Treesearch

Andrew Youngblood; Heidi Bigler-Cole; Christopher J. Fettig; Carl Fiedler; Eric E. Knapp; John F. Lehmkuhl; Kenneth W. Outcalt; Carl N. Skinner; Scott L. Stephens; Thomas A. Waldrop

2007-01-01

Operational-scale experiments that evaluate the consequences of fire and mechanical "surrogates" for natural disturbance events are essential to better understand strategies for reducing the incidence and severity of wildfire. The national Fire and Fire Surrogate (FFS) study was initiated in 1999 to establish an integrated network of long-term studies...

Fire and aquatic ecosystems of the Western USA: current knowledge and key questions.

Treesearch

P.A. Bisson; B.E. Rieman; C. Luce; P.F. Hessburg; D.C. Lee; J.L. Kershner; G.H. Reeves; R.E. Gresswell

2003-01-01

Understanding of the effects of wildland fire and fire management on aquatic and riparian ecosystems is an evolving field, with many questions still to be resolved. Limitations of current knowledge, and the certainty that fire management will continue, underscore the need to summarize available information. Integrating fire and fuels management with aquatic ecosystem...

Chapter 6: Fire damage of wood structures

Treesearch

B. Kukay; R.H. White; F. Woeste

2012-01-01

Depending on the severity, fire damage can compromise the structural integrity of wood structures such as buildings or residences. Fire damage of wood structures can incorporate several models that address (1) the type, cause, and spread of the fire, (2) the thermal gradients and fire-resistance ratings, and (3) the residual load capacity (Figure 6.1). If there is a...

Production and efficiency of large wildland fire suppression effort: A stochastic frontier analysis.

PubMed

Katuwal, Hari; Calkin, David E; Hand, Michael S

2016-01-15

This study examines the production and efficiency of wildland fire suppression effort. We estimate the effectiveness of suppression resource inputs to produce controlled fire lines that contain large wildland fires using stochastic frontier analysis. Determinants of inefficiency are identified and the effects of these determinants on the daily production of controlled fire line are examined. Results indicate that the use of bulldozers and fire engines increase the production of controlled fire line, while firefighter crews do not tend to contribute to controlled fire line production. Production of controlled fire line is more efficient if it occurs along natural or built breaks, such as rivers and roads, and within areas previously burned by wildfires. However, results also indicate that productivity and efficiency of the controlled fire line are sensitive to weather, landscape and fire characteristics. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fire and Smoke Monitoring at NOAA' Satellite Service; Applications to Smoke Forecasting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stephens, G.; Ruminski, M.

2005-12-01

The Hazard Mapping System (HMS), developed and run operationally by NOAA's Satellite Services Division (SSD), is a multiplatform remote sensing approach to detecting fires and smoke over the US and adjacent areas of Canada and Mexico. The system utilizes sensors on 7 different NOAA and NASA satellites. Automated detection algorithms are employed for each of the satellites for the fire detects while smoke is delineated by an image analyst. Analyses are quality control by an analyst who inspects all available imagery and automated fire detects, deleting suspected false detects and adding fires that the automated routines miss. Graphical, text, and GIS compatible analyses are posted to a web site as soon as updates are performed, and a final product for a given day is posted early the following morning. All products are archived at NOAA's National Geophysical Data Center. Areal extent of detectable smoke is outlined using animated visible imagery, for input to a dispersion and transport model, the HYbrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT), developed by NOAA's Air Resources Laboratory (ARL). Resulting smoke forecasts will soon be used as input to NOAA's Air Quality forecasts. The GOES Aerosol and Smoke Product (GASP) is an experimental GOES imagery based aerosol optical depth (AOD) product developed by the NESDIS Office of Research and Applications, being implemented for evaluation by the NESDIS Satellite Analysis Branch for use in smoke and volcanic ash monitoring. Currently, research is underway in NESDIS' Office of Research and Applications to objectivize smoke delineation using GASP and MODIS AOD retrievals. NOAA's Operational Significant Event Imagery (OSEI) program processes satellite imagery of environmentally significant events, including fire, smoke and volcanic ash, visible in operational satellite data. This imagery is often referred to by fire managers and air quality agencies. Future plans include the integration of high resolution global data from the European Space Agency's MetOp satellite and global geostationary satellites.

Firing-rate response of linear and nonlinear integrate-and-fire neurons to modulated current-based and conductance-based synaptic drive.

PubMed

Richardson, Magnus J E

2007-08-01

Integrate-and-fire models are mainstays of the study of single-neuron response properties and emergent states of recurrent networks of spiking neurons. They also provide an analytical base for perturbative approaches that treat important biological details, such as synaptic filtering, synaptic conductance increase, and voltage-activated currents. Steady-state firing rates of both linear and nonlinear integrate-and-fire models, receiving fluctuating synaptic drive, can be calculated from the time-independent Fokker-Planck equation. The dynamic firing-rate response is less easy to extract, even at the first-order level of a weak modulation of the model parameters, but is an important determinant of neuronal response and network stability. For the linear integrate-and-fire model the response to modulations of current-based synaptic drive can be written in terms of hypergeometric functions. For the nonlinear exponential and quadratic models no such analytical forms for the response are available. Here it is demonstrated that a rather simple numerical method can be used to obtain the steady-state and dynamic response for both linear and nonlinear models to parameter modulation in the presence of current-based or conductance-based synaptic fluctuations. To complement the full numerical solution, generalized analytical forms for the high-frequency response are provided. A special case is also identified--time-constant modulation--for which the response to an arbitrarily strong modulation can be calculated exactly.

Joint Center for Operational Analysis Journal. Volume 12, Issue 2, Summer 2010

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-01

Peixoto. In 19X7. then-Major Keen attended Bra- zil’s Command and General Staff Course in Rio de Janeiro . Bra- zil. In 1988, then Captain Floriano...controlling DoD office). • DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT E . Distribution authorized to DoD Components only (fill in reason) (date of determination). Other... basic joint functions that integrate, synchronize, and direct joint operations, which arc: command and control, intelligence, fires, movement and

Incipient I Fire Brigade Training & Certification.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anoka-Hennepin Technical Coll., Minneapolis, MN.

This document contains course materials for the minimum general and Koch-specific requirements for the fire suppression training and education portion of the integrated industrial emergency response team training program. The various levels of performance were developed with the National Fire standard 600, Private Fire Brigades. The training is…

Statistical modeling of an integrated boiler for coal fired thermal power plant.

PubMed

Chandrasekharan, Sreepradha; Panda, Rames Chandra; Swaminathan, Bhuvaneswari Natrajan

2017-06-01

The coal fired thermal power plants plays major role in the power production in the world as they are available in abundance. Many of the existing power plants are based on the subcritical technology which can produce power with the efficiency of around 33%. But the newer plants are built on either supercritical or ultra-supercritical technology whose efficiency can be up to 50%. Main objective of the work is to enhance the efficiency of the existing subcritical power plants to compensate for the increasing demand. For achieving the objective, the statistical modeling of the boiler units such as economizer, drum and the superheater are initially carried out. The effectiveness of the developed models is tested using analysis methods like R 2 analysis and ANOVA (Analysis of Variance). The dependability of the process variable (temperature) on different manipulated variables is analyzed in the paper. Validations of the model are provided with their error analysis. Response surface methodology (RSM) supported by DOE (design of experiments) are implemented to optimize the operating parameters. Individual models along with the integrated model are used to study and design the predictive control of the coal-fired thermal power plant.

Estimating vegetation dryness to optimize fire risk assessment with spot vegetation satellite data in savanna ecosystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verbesselt, J.; Somers, B.; Lhermitte, S.; van Aardt, J.; Jonckheere, I.; Coppin, P.

2005-10-01

The lack of information on vegetation dryness prior to the use of fire as a management tool often leads to a significant deterioration of the savanna ecosystem. This paper therefore evaluated the capacity of SPOT VEGETATION time-series to monitor the vegetation dryness (i.e., vegetation moisture content per vegetation amount) in order to optimize fire risk assessment in the savanna ecosystem of Kruger National Park in South Africa. The integrated Relative Vegetation Index approach (iRVI) to quantify the amount of herbaceous biomass at the end of the rain season and the Accumulated Relative Normalized Difference vegetation index decrement (ARND) related to vegetation moisture content were selected. The iRVI and ARND related to vegetation amount and moisture content, respectively, were combined in order to monitor vegetation dryness and optimize fire risk assessment in the savanna ecosystems. In situ fire activity data was used to evaluate the significance of the iRVI and ARND to monitor vegetation dryness for fire risk assessment. Results from the binary logistic regression analysis confirmed that the assessment of fire risk was optimized by integration of both the vegetation quantity (iRVI) and vegetation moisture content (ARND) as statistically significant explanatory variables. Consequently, the integrated use of both iRVI and ARND to monitor vegetation dryness provides a more suitable tool for fire management and suppression compared to other traditional satellite-based fire risk assessment methods, only related to vegetation moisture content.

Integrated Sampling Strategy (ISS) Guide

Treesearch

Robert E. Keane; Duncan C. Lutes

2006-01-01

What is an Integrated Sampling Strategy? Simply put, it is the strategy that guides how plots are put on the landscape. FIREMON’s Integrated Sampling Strategy assists fire managers as they design their fire monitoring project by answering questions such as: What statistical approach is appropriate for my sample design? How many plots can I afford? How many plots do I...

Surface fire effects on conifer and hardwood crowns--applications of an integral plume model

Treesearch

Matthew Dickinson; Anthony Bova; Kathleen Kavanagh; Antoine Randolph; Lawrence Band

2009-01-01

An integral plume model was applied to the problems of tree death from canopy injury in dormant-season hardwoods and branch embolism in Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) crowns. Our purpose was to generate testable hypotheses. We used the integral plume models to relate crown injury to bole injury and to explore the effects of variation in fire...

Integrate-and-fire models with an almost periodic input function

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kasprzak, Piotr; Nawrocki, Adam; Signerska-Rynkowska, Justyna

2018-02-01

We investigate leaky integrate-and-fire models (LIF models for short) driven by Stepanov and μ-almost periodic functions. Special attention is paid to the properties of the firing map and its displacement, which give information about the spiking behavior of the considered system. We provide conditions under which such maps are well-defined and are uniformly continuous. We show that the LIF models with Stepanov almost periodic inputs have uniformly almost periodic displacements. We also show that in the case of μ-almost periodic drives it may happen that the displacement map is uniformly continuous, but is not μ-almost periodic (and thus cannot be Stepanov or uniformly almost periodic). By allowing discontinuous inputs, we extend some previous results, showing, for example, that the firing rate for the LIF models with Stepanov almost periodic input exists and is unique. This is a starting point for the investigation of the dynamics of almost-periodically driven integrate-and-fire systems.

Auto- and Crosscorrelograms for the Spike Response of Leaky Integrate-and-Fire Neurons with Slow Synapses

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

Moreno-Bote, Ruben; Parga, Nestor; Center for Theoretical Neuroscience, Center for Neurobiology and Behavior, Columbia University, New York 10032-2695

2006-01-20

An analytical description of the response properties of simple but realistic neuron models in the presence of noise is still lacking. We determine completely up to the second order the firing statistics of a single and a pair of leaky integrate-and-fire neurons receiving some common slowly filtered white noise. In particular, the auto- and cross-correlation functions of the output spike trains of pairs of cells are obtained from an improvement of the adiabatic approximation introduced previously by Moreno-Bote and Parga [Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 028102 (2004)]. These two functions define the firing variability and firing synchronization between neurons, and aremore » of much importance for understanding neuron communication.« less

48 CFR 452.236-78 - Fire Suppression and Liability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... Fire Suppression and Liability. As prescribed in § 436.578, the following clause may be inserted in contracts awarded for Integrated Resource Service Contracts (IRSC) awarded for the Forest Service. Fire... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Fire Suppression and...

Integrating climatic and fuels information into National Fire Risk Decision Support Tools

Treesearch

W. Cooke; V. Anantharaj; C. Wax; J. Choi; K. Grala; M. Jolly; G.P. Dixon; J. Dyer; D.L. Evans; G.B. Goodrich

2007-01-01

The Wildland Fire Assessment System (WFAS) is a component of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service Decision Support Systems (DSS) that support fire potential modeling. Fire potential models for Mississippi and for Eastern fire environments have been developed as part of a National Aeronautic and Space Agency-funded study aimed at demonstrating the utility...

Towards improving wildland firefighter situational awareness through daily fire behaviour risk assessments in the US Northern Rockies and Northern Great Basin

Treesearch

W. Matt Jolly; Patrick H. Freeborn

2017-01-01

Wildland firefighters must assess potential fire behaviour in order to develop appropriate strategies and tactics that will safely meet objectives. Fire danger indices integrate surface weather conditions to quantify potential variations in fire spread rates and intensities and therefore should closely relate to observed fire behaviour. These indices could better...

Absence of Visual Input Results in the Disruption of Grid Cell Firing in the Mouse.

PubMed

Chen, Guifen; Manson, Daniel; Cacucci, Francesca; Wills, Thomas Joseph

2016-09-12

Grid cells are spatially modulated neurons within the medial entorhinal cortex whose firing fields are arranged at the vertices of tessellating equilateral triangles [1]. The exquisite periodicity of their firing has led to the suggestion that they represent a path integration signal, tracking the organism's position by integrating speed and direction of movement [2-10]. External sensory inputs are required to reset any errors that the path integrator would inevitably accumulate. Here we probe the nature of the external sensory inputs required to sustain grid firing, by recording grid cells as mice explore familiar environments in complete darkness. The absence of visual cues results in a significant disruption of grid cell firing patterns, even when the quality of the directional information provided by head direction cells is largely preserved. Darkness alters the expression of velocity signaling within the entorhinal cortex, with changes evident in grid cell firing rate and the local field potential theta frequency. Short-term (<1.5 s) spike timing relationships between grid cell pairs are preserved in the dark, indicating that network patterns of excitatory and inhibitory coupling between grid cells exist independently of visual input and of spatially periodic firing. However, we find no evidence of preserved hexagonal symmetry in the spatial firing of single grid cells at comparable short timescales. Taken together, these results demonstrate that visual input is required to sustain grid cell periodicity and stability in mice and suggest that grid cells in mice cannot perform accurate path integration in the absence of reliable visual cues. Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Collective behavior of networks with linear (VLSI) integrate-and-fire neurons.

PubMed

Fusi, S; Mattia, M

1999-04-01

We analyze in detail the statistical properties of the spike emission process of a canonical integrate-and-fire neuron, with a linear integrator and a lower bound for the depolarization, as often used in VLSI implementations (Mead, 1989). The spike statistics of such neurons appear to be qualitatively similar to conventional (exponential) integrate-and-fire neurons, which exhibit a wide variety of characteristics observed in cortical recordings. We also show that, contrary to current opinion, the dynamics of a network composed of such neurons has two stable fixed points, even in the purely excitatory network, corresponding to two different states of reverberating activity. The analytical results are compared with numerical simulations and are found to be in good agreement.

Spatial gradients and multidimensional dynamics in a neural integrator circuit

PubMed Central

Miri, Andrew; Daie, Kayvon; Arrenberg, Aristides B.; Baier, Herwig; Aksay, Emre; Tank, David W.

2011-01-01

In a neural integrator, the variability and topographical organization of neuronal firing rate persistence can provide information about the circuit’s functional architecture. Here we use optical recording to measure the time constant of decay of persistent firing (“persistence time”) across a population of neurons comprising the larval zebrafish oculomotor velocity-to-position neural integrator. We find extensive persistence time variation (10-fold; coefficients of variation 0.58–1.20) across cells within individual larvae. We also find that the similarity in firing between two neurons decreased as the distance between them increased and that a gradient in persistence time was mapped along the rostrocaudal and dorsoventral axes. This topography is consistent with the emergence of persistence time heterogeneity from a circuit architecture in which nearby neurons are more strongly interconnected than distant ones. Collectively, our results can be accounted for by integrator circuit models characterized by multiple dimensions of slow firing rate dynamics. PMID:21857656

The challenges to gender integration in the career fire services: a comparative case study of men in nursing

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-03-01

GENDER INTEGRATION IN THE CAREER FIRE SERVICES: A COMPARATIVE CASE STUDY OF MEN IN NURSING by Anna L. Schermerhorn-Collins March 2017...IN THE CAREER FIRE SERVICES: A COMPARATIVE CASE STUDY OF MEN IN NURSING 5. FUNDING NUMBERS 6. AUTHOR(S) Anna L. Schermerhorn-Collins 7... comparative case study of men in nursing. Research is based in academic and historical accounts, in addition to the use of participant-observation

A Complex Network Theory Approach for the Spatial Distribution of Fire Breaks in Heterogeneous Forest Landscapes for the Control of Wildland Fires

PubMed Central

Russo, Lucia; Russo, Paola; Siettos, Constantinos I.

2016-01-01

Based on complex network theory, we propose a computational methodology which addresses the spatial distribution of fuel breaks for the inhibition of the spread of wildland fires on heterogeneous landscapes. This is a two-level approach where the dynamics of fire spread are modeled as a random Markov field process on a directed network whose edge weights are determined by a Cellular Automata model that integrates detailed GIS, landscape and meteorological data. Within this framework, the spatial distribution of fuel breaks is reduced to the problem of finding network nodes (small land patches) which favour fire propagation. Here, this is accomplished by exploiting network centrality statistics. We illustrate the proposed approach through (a) an artificial forest of randomly distributed density of vegetation, and (b) a real-world case concerning the island of Rhodes in Greece whose major part of its forest was burned in 2008. Simulation results show that the proposed methodology outperforms the benchmark/conventional policy of fuel reduction as this can be realized by selective harvesting and/or prescribed burning based on the density and flammability of vegetation. Interestingly, our approach reveals that patches with sparse density of vegetation may act as hubs for the spread of the fire. PMID:27780249

A Complex Network Theory Approach for the Spatial Distribution of Fire Breaks in Heterogeneous Forest Landscapes for the Control of Wildland Fires.

PubMed

Russo, Lucia; Russo, Paola; Siettos, Constantinos I

2016-01-01

Based on complex network theory, we propose a computational methodology which addresses the spatial distribution of fuel breaks for the inhibition of the spread of wildland fires on heterogeneous landscapes. This is a two-level approach where the dynamics of fire spread are modeled as a random Markov field process on a directed network whose edge weights are determined by a Cellular Automata model that integrates detailed GIS, landscape and meteorological data. Within this framework, the spatial distribution of fuel breaks is reduced to the problem of finding network nodes (small land patches) which favour fire propagation. Here, this is accomplished by exploiting network centrality statistics. We illustrate the proposed approach through (a) an artificial forest of randomly distributed density of vegetation, and (b) a real-world case concerning the island of Rhodes in Greece whose major part of its forest was burned in 2008. Simulation results show that the proposed methodology outperforms the benchmark/conventional policy of fuel reduction as this can be realized by selective harvesting and/or prescribed burning based on the density and flammability of vegetation. Interestingly, our approach reveals that patches with sparse density of vegetation may act as hubs for the spread of the fire.

Activation state of the hyperpolarization-activated current modulates temperature-sensitivity of firing in locus coeruleus neurons from bullfrogs.

PubMed

Santin, Joseph M; Hartzler, Lynn K

2015-06-15

Locus coeruleus neurons of anuran amphibians contribute to breathing control and have spontaneous firing frequencies that, paradoxically, increase with cooling. We previously showed that cooling inhibits a depolarizing membrane current, the hyperpolarization-activated current (I h) in locus coeruleus neurons from bullfrogs, Lithobates catesbeianus (Santin JM, Watters KC, Putnam RW, Hartzler LK. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 305: R1451-R1464, 2013). This suggests an unlikely role for I h in generating cold activation, but led us to hypothesize that inhibition of I h by cooling functions as a physiological brake to limit the cold-activated response. Using whole cell electrophysiology in brain slices, we employed 2 mM Cs(+) (an I h antagonist) to isolate the role of I h in spontaneous firing and cold activation in neurons recorded with either control or I h agonist (cyclic AMP)-containing artificial intracellular fluid. I h did not contribute to the membrane potential (V m) and spontaneous firing at 20°C. Although voltage-clamp analysis confirmed that cooling inhibits I h, its lack of involvement in setting baseline firing and V m precluded its ability to regulate cold activation as hypothesized. In contrast, neurons dialyzed with cAMP exhibited greater baseline firing frequencies at 20°C due to I h activation. Our hypothesis was supported when the starting level of I h was enhanced by elevating cAMP because cold activation was converted to more ordinary cold inhibition. These findings indicate that situations leading to enhancement of I h facilitate firing at 20°C, yet the hyperpolarization associated with inhibiting a depolarizing cation current by cooling blunts the net V m response to cooling to oppose normal cold-depolarizing factors. This suggests that the influence of I h activation state on neuronal firing varies in the poikilothermic neuronal environment. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

Integrating remote sensing and terrain data in forest fire modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Medler, Michael Johns

Forest fire policies are changing. Managers now face conflicting imperatives to re-establish pre-suppression fire regimes, while simultaneously preventing resource destruction. They must, therefore, understand the spatial patterns of fires. Geographers can facilitate this understanding by developing new techniques for mapping fire behavior. This dissertation develops such techniques for mapping recent fires and using these maps to calibrate models of potential fire hazards. In so doing, it features techniques that strive to address the inherent complexity of modeling the combinations of variables found in most ecological systems. Image processing techniques were used to stratify the elements of terrain, slope, elevation, and aspect. These stratification images were used to assure sample placement considered the role of terrain in fire behavior. Examination of multiple stratification images indicated samples were placed representatively across a controlled range of scales. The incorporation of terrain data also improved preliminary fire hazard classification accuracy by 40%, compared with remotely sensed data alone. A Kauth-Thomas transformation (KT) of pre-fire and post-fire Thematic Mapper (TM) remotely sensed data produced brightness, greenness, and wetness images. Image subtraction indicated fire induced change in brightness, greenness, and wetness. Field data guided a fuzzy classification of these change images. Because fuzzy classification can characterize a continuum of a phenomena where discrete classification may produce artificial borders, fuzzy classification was found to offer a range of fire severity information unavailable with discrete classification. These mapped fire patterns were used to calibrate a model of fire hazards for the entire mountain range. Pre-fire TM, and a digital elevation model produced a set of co-registered images. Training statistics were developed from 30 polygons associated with the previously mapped fire severity. Fuzzy classifications of potential burn patterns were produced from these images. Observed field data values were displayed over the hazard imagery to indicate the effectiveness of the model. Areas that burned without suppression during maximum fire severity are predicted best. Areas with widely spaced trees and grassy understory appear to be misrepresented, perhaps as a consequence of inaccuracies in the initial fire mapping.

46 CFR 78.47-17 - Fire extinguishing system controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Fire extinguishing system controls. 78.47-17 Section 78... Markings for Fire and Emergency Equipment, Etc. § 78.47-17 Fire extinguishing system controls. (a) The control cabinets or spaces containing valves or manifolds for the various fire extinguishing systems shall...

46 CFR 78.47-17 - Fire extinguishing system controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 3 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Fire extinguishing system controls. 78.47-17 Section 78... Markings for Fire and Emergency Equipment, Etc. § 78.47-17 Fire extinguishing system controls. (a) The control cabinets or spaces containing valves or manifolds for the various fire extinguishing systems shall...

A generalized linear integrate-and-fire neural model produces diverse spiking behaviors.

PubMed

Mihalaş, Stefan; Niebur, Ernst

2009-03-01

For simulations of neural networks, there is a trade-off between the size of the network that can be simulated and the complexity of the model used for individual neurons. In this study, we describe a generalization of the leaky integrate-and-fire model that produces a wide variety of spiking behaviors while still being analytically solvable between firings. For different parameter values, the model produces spiking or bursting, tonic, phasic or adapting responses, depolarizing or hyperpolarizing after potentials and so forth. The model consists of a diagonalizable set of linear differential equations describing the time evolution of membrane potential, a variable threshold, and an arbitrary number of firing-induced currents. Each of these variables is modified by an update rule when the potential reaches threshold. The variables used are intuitive and have biological significance. The model's rich behavior does not come from the differential equations, which are linear, but rather from complex update rules. This single-neuron model can be implemented using algorithms similar to the standard integrate-and-fire model. It is a natural match with event-driven algorithms for which the firing times are obtained as a solution of a polynomial equation.

A Generalized Linear Integrate-and-Fire Neural Model Produces Diverse Spiking Behaviors

PubMed Central

Mihalaş, Ştefan; Niebur, Ernst

2010-01-01

For simulations of neural networks, there is a trade-off between the size of the network that can be simulated and the complexity of the model used for individual neurons. In this study, we describe a generalization of the leaky integrate-and-fire model that produces a wide variety of spiking behaviors while still being analytically solvable between firings. For different parameter values, the model produces spiking or bursting, tonic, phasic or adapting responses, depolarizing or hyperpolarizing after potentials and so forth. The model consists of a diagonalizable set of linear differential equations describing the time evolution of membrane potential, a variable threshold, and an arbitrary number of firing-induced currents. Each of these variables is modified by an update rule when the potential reaches threshold. The variables used are intuitive and have biological significance. The model’s rich behavior does not come from the differential equations, which are linear, but rather from complex update rules. This single-neuron model can be implemented using algorithms similar to the standard integrate-and-fire model. It is a natural match with event-driven algorithms for which the firing times are obtained as a solution of a polynomial equation. PMID:18928368

Projecting climate-driven increases in North American fire activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, D.; Morton, D. C.; Collatz, G. J.

2013-12-01

Climate regulates fire activity through controls on vegetation productivity (fuels), lightning ignitions, and conditions governing fire spread. In many regions of the world, human management also influences the timing, duration, and extent of fire activity. These coupled interactions between human and natural systems make fire a complex component of the Earth system. Satellite data provide valuable information on the spatial and temporal dynamics of recent fire activity, as active fires, burned area, and land cover information can be combined to separate wildfires from intentional burning for agriculture and forestry. Here, we combined satellite-derived burned area data with land cover and climate data to assess fire-climate relationships in North America between 2000-2012. We used the latest versions of the Global Fire Emissions Database (GFED) burned area product and Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) climate data to develop regional relationships between burned area and potential evaporation (PE), an integrated dryness metric. Logistic regression models were developed to link burned area with PE and individual climate variables during and preceding the fire season, and optimal models were selected based on Akaike Information Criterion (AIC). Overall, our model explained 85% of the variance in burned area since 2000 across North America. Fire-climate relationships from the era of satellite observations provide a blueprint for potential changes in fire activity under scenarios of climate change. We used that blueprint to evaluate potential changes in fire activity over the next 50 years based on twenty models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5). All models suggest an increase of PE under low and high emissions scenarios (Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) 4.5 and 8.5, respectively), with largest increases in projected burned area across the western US and central Canada. Overall, near-term climate projections point to pronounced changes in fire season length, total burned area, and the frequency of extreme events across North America by 2050.

Production of Jet Fuels from Coal Derived Liquids. Volume 10. Jet Fuels Production By-Products, Utility and Sulfur Emissions Control Integration Study

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-06-01

FLUE GAS DESULFURIZATION EVALUATION A-1/A-2 3-1. 3 BOILER STACK EMISSION CONTROL WITH...Appendices A - BACT Flue Gas Desulfurization Evaluation B - BACT Off- Gas Refrigeration Evaluation v LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Material Balance for...2. Desulfurize the flue gases from the Riley boilers when firing with high sulfur oils or lignite. Options in this category include commercial wet

Command and Control: Does Current U.S. Army Tactical Command and Control Doctrine Meet the Requirement for Today’s High Intensity Battlefield?

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-12-02

units, organized to fully integrate the effects of combined arms, merging individual capabilities of mobility, protection, and fire power to provide a... capability to meet a wide range of operational requirements with minimal reorganization. Organizations which provide this inherent flexibility...5 LA - .- f increasingly proficient and capable massed Soviet armies attacking on broad frontages, and finally the surprising German t-actica; and

Real-time control of walking using recordings from dorsal root ganglia.

PubMed

Holinski, B J; Everaert, D G; Mushahwar, V K; Stein, R B

2013-10-01

The goal of this study was to decode sensory information from the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) in real time, and to use this information to adapt the control of unilateral stepping with a state-based control algorithm consisting of both feed-forward and feedback components. In five anesthetized cats, hind limb stepping on a walkway or treadmill was produced by patterned electrical stimulation of the spinal cord through implanted microwire arrays, while neuronal activity was recorded from the DRG. Different parameters, including distance and tilt of the vector between hip and limb endpoint, integrated gyroscope and ground reaction force were modelled from recorded neural firing rates. These models were then used for closed-loop feedback. Overall, firing-rate-based predictions of kinematic sensors (limb endpoint, integrated gyroscope) were the most accurate with variance accounted for >60% on average. Force prediction had the lowest prediction accuracy (48 ± 13%) but produced the greatest percentage of successful rule activations (96.3%) for stepping under closed-loop feedback control. The prediction of all sensor modalities degraded over time, with the exception of tilt. Sensory feedback from moving limbs would be a desirable component of any neuroprosthetic device designed to restore walking in people after a spinal cord injury. This study provides a proof-of-principle that real-time feedback from the DRG is possible and could form part of a fully implantable neuroprosthetic device with further development.

Fire for restoration of communities and ecosystems

Treesearch

Donald I. Dickmann; Jeanette L. Rollinger

1998-01-01

The exclusion of fire from ecosystems to which it was a frequent visitor has produced profound alterations in historic ecological conditions; therefore, fire must be an integral component of ecosystem management. That was the overwhelming message conveyed by speakers at the symposium, Fire for Restoration of Communities and Ecosystems. Speakers from land management...

Chapter 1: Fire and nonnative invasive plants-introduction

Treesearch

Jane Kapler Smith; Kristin Zouhar; Steve Sutherland; Matthew L. Brooks

2008-01-01

Fire is a process integral to the functioning of most temperate wildland ecosystems. Lightning-caused and anthropogenic fires have influenced the vegetation of North America profoundly for millennia (Brown and Smith 2000; Pyne 1982b). In some cases, fire has been used to manipulate the species composition and structure of ecosystems to meet management objectives,...

Optimized scheme in coal-fired boiler combustion based on information entropy and modified K-prototypes algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, Hui; Zhu, Hongxia; Cui, Yanfeng; Si, Fengqi; Xue, Rui; Xi, Han; Zhang, Jiayu

2018-06-01

An integrated combustion optimization scheme is proposed for the combined considering the restriction in coal-fired boiler combustion efficiency and outlet NOx emissions. Continuous attribute discretization and reduction techniques are handled as optimization preparation by E-Cluster and C_RED methods, in which the segmentation numbers don't need to be provided in advance and can be continuously adapted with data characters. In order to obtain results of multi-objections with clustering method for mixed data, a modified K-prototypes algorithm is then proposed. This algorithm can be divided into two stages as K-prototypes algorithm for clustering number self-adaptation and clustering for multi-objective optimization, respectively. Field tests were carried out at a 660 MW coal-fired boiler to provide real data as a case study for controllable attribute discretization and reduction in boiler system and obtaining optimization parameters considering [ maxηb, minyNOx ] multi-objective rule.

Impact of fire on global land surface air temperature and energy budget for the 20th century due to changes within ecosystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Fang; Lawrence, David M.; Bond-Lamberty, Ben

2017-04-01

Fire is a global phenomenon and tightly interacts with the biosphere and climate. This study provides the first quantitative assessment and understanding of fire’s influence on the global annual land surface air temperature and energy budget through its impact on terrestrial ecosystems. Fire impacts are quantified by comparing fire-on and fire-off simulations with the Community Earth System Model (CESM). Results show that, for the 20th century average, fire-induced changes in terrestrial ecosystems significantly increase global land annual mean surface air temperature by 0.18 °C, decrease surface net radiation and latent heat flux by 1.08 W m-2 and 0.99 W m-2, respectively, and have limited influence on sensible heat flux (-0.11 W m-2) and ground heat flux (+0.02 W m-2). Fire impacts are most clearly seen in the tropical savannas. Our analyses suggest that fire increases surface air temperature predominantly by reducing latent heat flux, mainly due to fire-induced damage to the vegetation canopy, and decreases net radiation primarily because fire-induced surface warming significantly increases upward surface longwave radiation. This study provides an integrated estimate of fire and induced changes in ecosystems, climate, and energy budget at a global scale, and emphasizes the importance of a consistent and integrated understanding of fire effects.

46 CFR 164.006-4 - Inspection and testing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... attachments shall be incorporated in the samples. Each sample shall be heated in a furnace whose temperature... minutes—60 percent light transmission. 60 minutes—50 percent light transmission. (c) Fire resistance and integrity tests. (1) A sample of each thickness submitted shall be tested for fire resistance and integrity...

46 CFR 164.006-4 - Inspection and testing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... attachments shall be incorporated in the samples. Each sample shall be heated in a furnace whose temperature... minutes—60 percent light transmission. 60 minutes—50 percent light transmission. (c) Fire resistance and integrity tests. (1) A sample of each thickness submitted shall be tested for fire resistance and integrity...

46 CFR 164.006-4 - Inspection and testing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... attachments shall be incorporated in the samples. Each sample shall be heated in a furnace whose temperature... minutes—60 percent light transmission. 60 minutes—50 percent light transmission. (c) Fire resistance and integrity tests. (1) A sample of each thickness submitted shall be tested for fire resistance and integrity...

46 CFR 164.006-4 - Inspection and testing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... attachments shall be incorporated in the samples. Each sample shall be heated in a furnace whose temperature... minutes—60 percent light transmission. 60 minutes—50 percent light transmission. (c) Fire resistance and integrity tests. (1) A sample of each thickness submitted shall be tested for fire resistance and integrity...

Satellite, climatological, and theoretical inputs for modeling of the diurnal cycle of fire emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hyer, E. J.; Reid, J. S.; Schmidt, C. C.; Giglio, L.; Prins, E.

2009-12-01

The diurnal cycle of fire activity is crucial for accurate simulation of atmospheric effects of fire emissions, especially at finer spatial and temporal scales. Estimating diurnal variability in emissions is also a critical problem for construction of emissions estimates from multiple sensors with variable coverage patterns. An optimal diurnal emissions estimate will use as much information as possible from satellite fire observations, compensate known biases in those observations, and use detailed theoretical models of the diurnal cycle to fill in missing information. As part of ongoing improvements to the Fire Location and Monitoring of Burning Emissions (FLAMBE) fire monitoring system, we evaluated several different methods of integrating observations with different temporal sampling. We used geostationary fire detections from WF_ABBA, fire detection data from MODIS, empirical diurnal cycles from TRMM, and simple theoretical diurnal curves based on surface heating. Our experiments integrated these data in different combinations to estimate the diurnal cycles of emissions for each location and time. Hourly emissions estimates derived using these methods were tested using an aerosol transport model. We present results of this comparison, and discuss the implications of our results for the broader problem of multi-sensor data fusion in fire emissions modeling.

A decision support system for managing forest fire casualties.

PubMed

Bonazountas, Marc; Kallidromitou, Despina; Kassomenos, Pavlos; Passas, Nikos

2007-09-01

Southern Europe is exposed to anthropogenic and natural forest fires. These result in loss of lives, goods and infrastructure, but also deteriorate the natural environment and degrade ecosystems. The early detection and combating of such catastrophes requires the use of a decision support system (DSS) for emergency management. The current literature reports on a series of efforts aimed to deliver DSSs for the management of the forest fires by utilising technologies like remote sensing and geographical information systems (GIS), yet no integrated system exists. This manuscript presents the results of scientific research aiming to the development of a DSS for managing forest fires. The system provides a series of software tools for the assessment of the propagation and combating of forest fires based on Arc/Info, ArcView, Arc Spatial Analyst, Arc Avenue, and Visual C++ technologies. The system integrates GIS technologies under the same data environment and utilises a common user interface to produce an integrated computer system based on semi-automatic satellite image processing (fuel maps), socio-economic risk modelling and probabilistic models that would serve as a useful tool for forest fire prevention, planning and management. Its performance has been demonstrated via real time up-to-date accurate information on the position and evolution of the fire. The system can assist emergency assessment, management and combating of the incident. A site demonstration and validation has been accomplished for the island of Evoia, Greece, an area particularly vulnerable to forest fires due to its ecological characteristics and prevailing wind patterns.

Preliminary Guidelines For Using Suppression Fires to Control Wildfires in the Southeast

Treesearch

Robert W. Cooper

1969-01-01

Suppression firing is defied as the application of fire to speed or strengthen control action on free-burning wildfires. The key to successful suppression firing is availability of personnel knowledgeable in specific application plus an adequate supply of manpower and equipment to contain the set fire. Preliminary guidelines for the use of this fire-control tool are...

Fuels planning: science synthesis and integration; environmental consequences fact sheet 06: wildland fire use: the "other" treatment option

Treesearch

Anne Black

2004-01-01

Fire suppression has reduced acres burned to an average of 2 million acres a year. An unfortunate result of this has been the accumulation of even more above-normal fuel loads in many areas. This paper discusses (1) the important ecological role of fire, (2) using fire as a fuels treatment, and (2) the benefits and risks of fire.

Use of ordinary kriging and Gaussian conditional simulation to interpolate airborne fire radiative energy density estimates

Treesearch

C. Klauberg; A. T. Hudak; B. C. Bright; L. Boschetti; M. B. Dickinson; R. L. Kremens; C. A. Silva

2018-01-01

Fire radiative energy density (FRED, J m-2) integrated from fire radiative power density (FRPD, W m-2) observations of landscape-level fires can present an undersampling problem when collected from fixed-wing aircraft. In the present study, the aircraft made multiple passes over the fire at ~3 min intervals, thus failing to observe most of the FRPD emitted as the flame...

Air To Air Helicopter Fire Control Equations and Software Generation.

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-11-01

A A A A v D1. Bin), velocity (VTs, VTI. VTm). and acceleration (ATs, ATI. ATm) using the measured values of range. Rm. angular rate of the LOS W s...10 second time constant. Note that the input to each integrator also has cross channel coupling terms which are cross products of the LOS angular rate...ownship’s velocity (Vs. V1. Vm). This is subtracted from the estimated target velocity ( VsT . 01T. VmT) before the inal integration so that the

Fuels planning: science synthesis and integration; environmental consequences fact sheet 07: fire and weeds

Treesearch

Steve Sutherland

2004-01-01

Weed infestations cause an economic loss of $13 billion per year even though $9.5 billion per year is spent on weed control measures. In addition to these economic costs, weeds are replacing native species, altering native plant and animal communities, affecting ecosystem health and function, threatening biodiversity and Threatened, Endangered, and Sensitive (TES)...

Computational properties of networks of synchronous groups of spiking neurons.

PubMed

Dayhoff, Judith E

2007-09-01

We demonstrate a model in which synchronously firing ensembles of neurons are networked to produce computational results. Each ensemble is a group of biological integrate-and-fire spiking neurons, with probabilistic interconnections between groups. An analogy is drawn in which each individual processing unit of an artificial neural network corresponds to a neuronal group in a biological model. The activation value of a unit in the artificial neural network corresponds to the fraction of active neurons, synchronously firing, in a biological neuronal group. Weights of the artificial neural network correspond to the product of the interconnection density between groups, the group size of the presynaptic group, and the postsynaptic potential heights in the synchronous group model. All three of these parameters can modulate connection strengths between neuronal groups in the synchronous group models. We give an example of nonlinear classification (XOR) and a function approximation example in which the capability of the artificial neural network can be captured by a neural network model with biological integrate-and-fire neurons configured as a network of synchronously firing ensembles of such neurons. We point out that the general function approximation capability proven for feedforward artificial neural networks appears to be approximated by networks of neuronal groups that fire in synchrony, where the groups comprise integrate-and-fire neurons. We discuss the advantages of this type of model for biological systems, its possible learning mechanisms, and the associated timing relationships.

Siberian and North American Biomass Burning Contributions to the Processes that Influenced the 2008 Arctic Aircraft and Satellite Field Campaigns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soja, A. J.; Stocks, B. J.; Carr, R.; Pierce, R. B.; Natarajan, M.; Fromm, M.

2009-05-01

Current climate change scenarios predict increases in biomass burning in terms of increases in fire frequency, area burned, fire season length and fire season severity, particularly in boreal regions. Climate and weather control fire danger, which strongly influences the severity of fire events, and these in turn, feed back to the climate system through direct and indirect emissions, modifying cloud condensation nuclei and altering albedo (affecting the energy balance) through vegetative land cover change and deposition. Additionally, fire emissions adversely influence air quality and human health downwind of burning. The boreal zone is significant because this region stores the largest reservoir of terrestrial carbon, globally, and will experience climate change impacts earliest. Boreal biomass burning is an integral component to several of the primary goals of the ARCTAS (Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites) and ARCPAC (Aerosol, Radiation, and Cloud Processes affecting Arctic Climate) 2008 field campaigns, which include its implication for atmospheric composition and climate, aerosol radiative forcing, and chemical processes with a focus on ozone and aerosols. Both the spring and summer phases of ARCTAS and ARCPAC offered substantial opportunities for sampling fresh and aged biomass burning emissions. However, the extent to which spring biomass burning influenced arctic haze was unexpected, which could inform our knowledge of the formation of arctic haze and the early deposition of black carbon on the icy arctic surface. There is already evidence of increased extreme fire seasons that correlate with warming across the circumboreal zone. In this presentation, we discuss seasonal and annual fire activity and anomalies that relate to the ARCTAS and ARCPAC spring (April 1 - 20) and summer (June 18 - July 13) periods across Siberia and North America, with particular emphasis on fire danger and fire behavior as they relate to smoke emissions. Fire severity and subsequent emission levels are directly related to fire danger conditions, which reflect and incorporate both antecedent and current weather. In this century, it is predicted that fire regime increases will be the catalyst for ecosystem change, which will force ecosystems to move more rapidly towards a new equilibrium with climate. However, the reasons for ecosystem change are often accompanied by social and political drivers of land cover change, which complicate the relationship between fire and weather. For instance, since the collapse of the former Soviet Union, financial support for fire fighting is minimal, communal agricultural lands have been abandoned and a number of species are no longer protected (e.g. Saiga in Kalmykia), and each of these factors strongly influences vegetation cover and fire regimes, leading to a complicated interaction of processes that control fire and its affect on the larger environment.

Fuels planning: science synthesis and integration; forest structure and fire hazard fact sheet 04: role of silviculture in fuel treatments

Treesearch

Rocky Mountain Research Station USDA Forest Service

2004-01-01

The principal goals of fuel treatments are to reduce fireline intensities, reduce the potential for crown fires, improve opportunities for successful fire suppression, and improve forest resilience to forest fires. This fact sheet discusses thinning, and surface fuel treatments, as well as challenges associated with those treatments.

The integrated rangeland fire management strategy actionable science plan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Aldridge, Cameron L.; Berg, Ken; Boyd, Chad S.; Boyte, Stephen P.; Bradford, John B.; Brunson, Ed; Cissel, John H.; Conway, Courtney J.; Chalfoun, Anna D.; Chambers, Jeanne C.; Clark, Patrick; Coates, Peter S.; Crist, Michele R.; Davis, Dawn M.; DeCrappeo, Nicole; Deibert, Patricia A.; Doherty, Kevin E.; Evers, Louisa B.; Finch, Deborah M.; Finn, Sean P.; Germino, Matthew J.; Glenn, Nancy F.; Gucker, Corey; Hall, John A.; Hanser, Steven E.; Havlina, Douglas W.; Heinrichs, Julie; Heller, Matt; Homer, Collin G.; Hunter, Molly E.; Jacobs, Ruth W.; Karl, Jason W.; Kearney, Richard; Kemp, Susan K; Kilkenny, Francis F.; Knick, Steven T.; Launchbaugh, Karen; Manier, Daniel J.; Mayer, Kenneth E.; Meyer, Susan E.; Monroe, Adrian; MontBlanc, Eugénie; Newingham, Beth A.; Pellant, Michael L.; Phillips, Susan L.; Pilliod, David S.; Ricca, Mark A.; Richardson, Bryce A.; Rose, Jeffrey A.; Shaw, Nancy; Sheley, Roger L.; Shinneman, Douglas J.; Wiechman , Lief A.; Wylie, Bruce K.

2016-01-01

The Integrated Rangeland Fire Management Strategy (hereafter Strategy, DOI 2015) outlined the need for coordinated, science-based adaptive management to achieve long-term protection, conservation, and restoration of the sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystem. A key component of this management approach is the identification of knowledge gaps that limit implementation of effective strategies to meet current management challenges. The tasks and actions identified in the Strategy address several broad topics related to management of the sagebrush ecosystem. This science plan is organized around these topics and specifically focuses on fire, invasive plant species and their effects on altering fire regimes, restoration, sagebrush and greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), and climate and weather.

Safety in the Chemical Laboratory: Fire Safety and Fire Control in the Chemistry Laboratory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilbraham, A. C.

1979-01-01

Discusses fire safety and fire control in the chemistry laboratory. The combustion process, extinguishing equipment, extinguisher maintenance and location, and fire safety and practices are included. (HM)

FFI: A software tool for ecological monitoring

Treesearch

Duncan C. Lutes; Nathan C. Benson; MaryBeth Keifer; John F. Caratti; S. Austin Streetman

2009-01-01

A new monitoring tool called FFI (FEAT/FIREMON Integrated) has been developed to assist managers with collection, storage and analysis of ecological information. The tool was developed through the complementary integration of two fire effects monitoring systems commonly used in the United States: FIREMON and the Fire Ecology Assessment Tool. FFI provides software...

Spike-train spectra and network response functions for non-linear integrate-and-fire neurons.

PubMed

Richardson, Magnus J E

2008-11-01

Reduced models have long been used as a tool for the analysis of the complex activity taking place in neurons and their coupled networks. Recent advances in experimental and theoretical techniques have further demonstrated the usefulness of this approach. Despite the often gross simplification of the underlying biophysical properties, reduced models can still present significant difficulties in their analysis, with the majority of exact and perturbative results available only for the leaky integrate-and-fire model. Here an elementary numerical scheme is demonstrated which can be used to calculate a number of biologically important properties of the general class of non-linear integrate-and-fire models. Exact results for the first-passage-time density and spike-train spectrum are derived, as well as the linear response properties and emergent states of recurrent networks. Given that the exponential integrate-fire model has recently been shown to agree closely with the experimentally measured response of pyramidal cells, the methodology presented here promises to provide a convenient tool to facilitate the analysis of cortical-network dynamics.

On the performance of voltage stepping for the simulation of adaptive, nonlinear integrate-and-fire neuronal networks.

PubMed

Kaabi, Mohamed Ghaith; Tonnelier, Arnaud; Martinez, Dominique

2011-05-01

In traditional event-driven strategies, spike timings are analytically given or calculated with arbitrary precision (up to machine precision). Exact computation is possible only for simplified neuron models, mainly the leaky integrate-and-fire model. In a recent paper, Zheng, Tonnelier, and Martinez (2009) introduced an approximate event-driven strategy, named voltage stepping, that allows the generic simulation of nonlinear spiking neurons. Promising results were achieved in the simulation of single quadratic integrate-and-fire neurons. Here, we assess the performance of voltage stepping in network simulations by considering more complex neurons (quadratic integrate-and-fire neurons with adaptation) coupled with multiple synapses. To handle the discrete nature of synaptic interactions, we recast voltage stepping in a general framework, the discrete event system specification. The efficiency of the method is assessed through simulations and comparisons with a modified time-stepping scheme of the Runge-Kutta type. We demonstrated numerically that the original order of voltage stepping is preserved when simulating connected spiking neurons, independent of the network activity and connectivity.

Environmental Assessment for the NASA First Response Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kennedy, Carolyn

2003-01-01

NASA intends to construct a First Response Facility for integrated emergency response and health management. This facility will consolidate the Stennis Space Center fire department, medical clinic, security operations, emergency operations and the energy management and control center. The alternative considered is the "No Action Alternative". The proposed action will correct existing operational weaknesses and enhance capabilities to respond to medical emergencies and mitigate any other possible threats. Environmental impacts include are emissions, wetlands disturbance, solid waste generation, and storm water control.

Field validation of a free-agent cellular automata model of fire spread with fire–atmosphere coupling

Treesearch

Gary Achtemeier

2012-01-01

A cellular automata fire model represents ‘elements’ of fire by autonomous agents. A few simple algebraic expressions substituted for complex physical and meteorological processes and solved iteratively yield simulations for ‘super-diffusive’ fire spread and coupled surface-layer (2-m) fire–atmosphere processes. Pressure anomalies, which are integrals of the thermal...

Activity-Dependent Changes in the Firing Properties of Neocortical Fast-Spiking Interneurons in the Absence of Large Changes in Gene Expression

PubMed Central

Miller, Mark N.; Okaty, Benjamin W.; Kato, Saori; Nelson, Sacha B.

2010-01-01

The diverse cell types that comprise neocortical circuits each have characteristic integrative and firing properties that are specialized to perform specific functions within the network. Parvalbumin-positive fast-spiking (FS) interneurons are a particularly specialized cortical cell-type that controls the dynamics of ongoing activity and prevents runaway excitation by virtue of remarkably high firing rates, a feature that is permitted by narrow action potentials and the absence of spike-frequency adaptation. Although several neuronal intrinsic membrane properties undergo activity-dependent plasticity, the role of network activity in shaping and maintaining specialized, cell-type-specific firing properties is unknown. We tested whether the specialized firing properties of mature FS interneurons are sensitive to activity perturbations by inactivating a portion of motor cortex in vivo for 48 hours and measuring resulting plasticity of FS intrinsic and firing properties with whole-cell recording in acute slices. Many of the characteristic properties of FS interneurons, including non-adapting high-frequency spiking and narrow action potentials, were profoundly affected by activity deprivation both at an age just after maturation of FS firing properties and also a week after their maturation. Using microarray screening, we determined that although normal maturation of FS electrophysiological specializations is accompanied by large-scale transcriptional changes, the effects of deprivation on the same specializations involve more modest transcriptional changes, and may instead be primarily mediated by post-transcriptional mechanisms. PMID:21154910

PYRONES: pyro-modeling and evacuation simulation system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kanellos, Tassos; Doulgerakis, Adam; Georgiou, Eftichia; Kountouriotis, Vassilios I.; Paterakis, Manolis; Thomopoulos, Stelios C. A.; Pappou, Theodora; Vrahliotis, Socrates I.; Rekouniotis, Thrasos; Protopsaltis, Byron; Rozenberg, Ofir; Livneh, Ofer

2016-05-01

Structural fires continue to pose a great threat towards human life and property. Due to the complexity and non-deterministic characteristics of a building fire disaster, it is not a straightforward task to assess the effectiveness of fire protection measures embedded in the building design, planned evacuation strategies and potential modes of response for mitigating the fire's consequences. Additionally, there is a lack of means that realistically and accurately recreate the conditions of building fire disasters for the purpose of training personnel in order to be sufficiently prepared when vis-a-vis with such an environment. The propagation of fire within a building, the diffusion of its volatile products, the behavior of the occupants and the sustained injuries not only exhibit non-linear behaviors as individual phenomena, but are also intertwined in a web of co-dependencies. The PYRONES system has been developed to address all these aspects through a comprehensive approach that relies on accurate and realistic computer simulations of the individual phenomena and their interactions. PYRONES offers innovative tools and services to strategically targeted niches in two market domains. In the domain of building design and engineering, PYRONES is seamlessly integrated within existing engineering Building Information Modelling (BIM) workflows and serves as a building performance assessment platform, able to evaluate fire protection systems. On another front, PYRONES penetrates the building security management market, serving as a holistic training platform for specialists in evacuation strategy planning, firefighters and first responders, both at a Command and Control and at an individual trainee level.

Female Fire-Setters: Gender-Associated Psychological and Psychopathological Features.

PubMed

Alleyne, Emma; Gannon, Theresa A; Mozova, Katarina; Page, Thomas E; Ó Ciardha, Caoilte

2016-01-01

Female fire-setters are reported to commit nearly one-third of deliberately set fires, yet there are limited studies examining the characteristics that distinguish them from suitable comparison groups. The aim of this study is to compare incarcerated female fire-setters with incarcerated male fire-setters and female offender controls on psychopathological and psychological features that could be targeted via therapeutic interventions. We recruited 65 female fire-setters, 128 male fire-setters, and 63 female offenders from the prison estate. Participants completed a battery of validated tools assessing psychiatric traits and psychological characteristics (i.e., inappropriate fire interest, emotion/self-regulation, social competence, self-concept, offense-supportive attitudes, and boredom proneness) highlighted in the existing literature. Major depression and an internal locus of control distinguished female fire-setters from male fire-setters. Alcohol dependence, serious/problematic fire interest, and more effective anger regulation distinguished female fire-setters from the female offender control group. This is the first study to examine differences between female fire-setters, male fire-setters, and female control offenders on both psychopathological features and psychological traits. These findings highlight the gender-specific and offense-specific needs of female fire-setters that clinicians need to consider when implementing programs that ensure client responsivity.

Generalization of the event-based Carnevale-Hines integration scheme for integrate-and-fire models.

PubMed

van Elburg, Ronald A J; van Ooyen, Arjen

2009-07-01

An event-based integration scheme for an integrate-and-fire neuron model with exponentially decaying excitatory synaptic currents and double exponential inhibitory synaptic currents has been introduced by Carnevale and Hines. However, the integration scheme imposes nonphysiological constraints on the time constants of the synaptic currents, which hamper its general applicability. This letter addresses this problem in two ways. First, we provide physical arguments demonstrating why these constraints on the time constants can be relaxed. Second, we give a formal proof showing which constraints can be abolished. As part of our formal proof, we introduce the generalized Carnevale-Hines lemma, a new tool for comparing double exponentials as they naturally occur in many cascaded decay systems, including receptor-neurotransmitter dissociation followed by channel closing. Through repeated application of the generalized lemma, we lift most of the original constraints on the time constants. Thus, we show that the Carnevale-Hines integration scheme for the integrate-and-fire model can be employed for simulating a much wider range of neuron and synapse types than was previously thought.

Prescribed fire effects on the herbaceous layer of mixed-oak forests

Treesearch

Todd F. Hutchinson; Ralph E.J. Boerner; Steve Sutherland; Elaine Kennedy Sutherland; Marilyn Ortt; Louis R. Iverson; Louis R. Iverson

2005-01-01

In 1994, a multidisciplinary project was established to study the effects of prescribed fire on oak forests in southern Ohio. Here we describe the herbaceous layer response to fires over a 5-year period. In four study sites, treatments imposed were unburned, periodic (1996 and 1999), and annual (1996-1999) fires. Sample plots (n = 108) were stratified by an integrated...

Reintroducing fire into the Blacks Mountain Research Natural Area: effects on fire hazard

Treesearch

Carl N. Skinner

2005-01-01

Frequent, low-intensity, surface fires were an integral ecological process in the Blacks Mountain Experimental Forest (BMEF) prior to the 20th Century. With rare exception, fires have been successfully excluded from BMEF since the early 1900s. The Blacks Mountain Research Natural Area (BMRNA) covers approximately 521 acres of BMEF in 5 compartments of approximately 100...

Low temperature co-fired ceramic packaging of CMOS capacitive sensor chip towards cell viability monitoring.

PubMed

Halonen, Niina; Kilpijärvi, Joni; Sobocinski, Maciej; Datta-Chaudhuri, Timir; Hassinen, Antti; Prakash, Someshekar B; Möller, Peter; Abshire, Pamela; Kellokumpu, Sakari; Lloyd Spetz, Anita

2016-01-01

Cell viability monitoring is an important part of biosafety evaluation for the detection of toxic effects on cells caused by nanomaterials, preferably by label-free, noninvasive, fast, and cost effective methods. These requirements can be met by monitoring cell viability with a capacitance-sensing integrated circuit (IC) microchip. The capacitance provides a measurement of the surface attachment of adherent cells as an indication of their health status. However, the moist, warm, and corrosive biological environment requires reliable packaging of the sensor chip. In this work, a second generation of low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) technology was combined with flip-chip bonding to provide a durable package compatible with cell culture. The LTCC-packaged sensor chip was integrated with a printed circuit board, data acquisition device, and measurement-controlling software. The packaged sensor chip functioned well in the presence of cell medium and cells, with output voltages depending on the medium above the capacitors. Moreover, the manufacturing of microfluidic channels in the LTCC package was demonstrated.

WILDLAND FIRE EMISSION MODELING: INTEGRATING BLUESKY AND SMOKE

EPA Science Inventory

This presentation is a summary of an improved method to estimate emissions from wildland fires. An interagency agreement between the US Forest Service and the US EPA has made it possible for these two agencies to collaborate in the study of wildland fires.

Fighting Fire with Fire.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spoor, Dana L.

1996-01-01

School districts are integrating security and life-safety systems into school buildings to protect students and property. This proactive approach includes sprinkler systems, fire alarms, and security systems that monitor door movement. Some school districts that are incorporating the latest life-safety technology are in Missouri, Ohio, California,…

Multistability, local pattern formation, and global collective firing in a small-world network of nonleaky integrate-and-fire neurons.

PubMed

Rothkegel, Alexander; Lehnertz, Klaus

2009-03-01

We investigate numerically the collective dynamical behavior of pulse-coupled nonleaky integrate-and-fire neurons that are arranged on a two-dimensional small-world network. To ensure ongoing activity, we impose a probability for spontaneous firing for each neuron. We study network dynamics evolving from different sets of initial conditions in dependence on coupling strength and rewiring probability. Besides a homogeneous equilibrium state for low coupling strength, we observe different local patterns including cyclic waves, spiral waves, and turbulentlike patterns, which-depending on network parameters-interfere with the global collective firing of the neurons. We attribute the various network dynamics to distinct regimes in the parameter space. For the same network parameters different network dynamics can be observed depending on the set of initial conditions only. Such a multistable behavior and the interplay between local pattern formation and global collective firing may be attributable to the spatiotemporal dynamics of biological networks.

Microbial community recovery post-fire in a high elevation mixed conifer catchment in response to varied precipitation regime.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fairbanks, D.; Cook, C.; Chorover, J.; Gallery, R. E.; Rich, V. I.

2016-12-01

Fire frequency and severity are increasing across the western United States with enormous impacts on regional carbon and nutrient cycling. Central to the understanding of ecosystem recovery are the microbial communities that transform nutrients in the environment. Temporal changes in precipitation patterns influence the stress response of resident microbiota, in combination with abiotic controls, and in part, controls ecosystem level CO2 and greenhouse gas flux. We explored the relationship between timing of precipitation, terrestrial nutrient cycles on microbial ecology post- fire by sampling across a topographic gradient from two adjacent mountain catchments (north and south-facing) in a high elevation mixed conifer forest three years following a high severity fire disturbance. To best understand microbial community response and recovery to a) a major fire disturbance and b) pulsed precipitation dynamics we analyzed the 16S ribosomal rRNA community metrics, seven hydrolytic enzyme activities, biomass carbon and nitrogen and geochemical parameters following snowmelt, pre and post-monsoon. Six sites were sampled from each catchment across a topographic transect from surface (0-10 cm) and deep (30-40 cm) soil profiles. Samples taken from the south facing catchment were co-located with CO2, O2, redox (platinum electrode) and temperature probes. Results show greater greenhouse gas flux in the convergent zones of the landscape occurring at deeper depths with simultaneous oxygen consumption. These results can be used to integrate our understanding of `hot spots' as a function of landscape position and the pulse coupling of precipitation dynamics influencing the stress response of microbes and the co-occurring nutrient cycling.

14 CFR 25.865 - Fire protection of flight controls, engine mounts, and other flight structure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Design and Construction Fire Protection § 25.865 Fire protection of flight controls, engine mounts, and other flight structure. Essential flight controls, engine mounts, and other flight structures located in... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Fire protection of flight controls, engine...

14 CFR 25.865 - Fire protection of flight controls, engine mounts, and other flight structure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... Design and Construction Fire Protection § 25.865 Fire protection of flight controls, engine mounts, and other flight structure. Essential flight controls, engine mounts, and other flight structures located in... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Fire protection of flight controls, engine...

14 CFR 25.865 - Fire protection of flight controls, engine mounts, and other flight structure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Design and Construction Fire Protection § 25.865 Fire protection of flight controls, engine mounts, and other flight structure. Essential flight controls, engine mounts, and other flight structures located in... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Fire protection of flight controls, engine...

14 CFR 25.865 - Fire protection of flight controls, engine mounts, and other flight structure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... Design and Construction Fire Protection § 25.865 Fire protection of flight controls, engine mounts, and other flight structure. Essential flight controls, engine mounts, and other flight structures located in... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Fire protection of flight controls, engine...

14 CFR 25.865 - Fire protection of flight controls, engine mounts, and other flight structure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... Design and Construction Fire Protection § 25.865 Fire protection of flight controls, engine mounts, and other flight structure. Essential flight controls, engine mounts, and other flight structures located in... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Fire protection of flight controls, engine...

46 CFR 116.530 - Fire control plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Fire control plan. 116.530 Section 116.530 Shipping... and Embarkation Station Requirements § 116.530 Fire control plan. A fire control plan must be posted on the vessel in a location that is accessible and visible to all passengers. The plan must show...

46 CFR 116.530 - Fire control plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Fire control plan. 116.530 Section 116.530 Shipping... and Embarkation Station Requirements § 116.530 Fire control plan. A fire control plan must be posted on the vessel in a location that is accessible and visible to all passengers. The plan must show...

46 CFR 116.530 - Fire control plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Fire control plan. 116.530 Section 116.530 Shipping... and Embarkation Station Requirements § 116.530 Fire control plan. A fire control plan must be posted on the vessel in a location that is accessible and visible to all passengers. The plan must show...

46 CFR 116.530 - Fire control plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Fire control plan. 116.530 Section 116.530 Shipping... and Embarkation Station Requirements § 116.530 Fire control plan. A fire control plan must be posted on the vessel in a location that is accessible and visible to all passengers. The plan must show...

46 CFR 116.530 - Fire control plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Fire control plan. 116.530 Section 116.530 Shipping... and Embarkation Station Requirements § 116.530 Fire control plan. A fire control plan must be posted on the vessel in a location that is accessible and visible to all passengers. The plan must show...

Advances in integrated fire management in central Mexico

Treesearch

Dante Arturo Rodríguez Trejo; Arturo Cruz Reyes

2013-01-01

This paper reports on the research and operational results of efforts made by some rural communities, the National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR), the Universidad Autónoma Chapingo (UACH) and other organizations to achieve integrated fire management in central Mexico. The research includes the latest results obtained by UACH's Ajusco Project on the subject, in both...

FFI: What it is and what it can do for you

Treesearch

Duncan C. Lutes; MaryBeth Keifer; Nathan C. Benson; John F. Caratti

2009-01-01

A new monitoring tool called FFI (FEAT/FIREMON Integrated) has been developed to assist managers with collection, storage and analysis of ecological information. The tool was developed through the complementary integration of two fire effects monitoring systems commonly used in the United States: FIREMON and the Fire Ecology Assessment Tool (FEAT). FFI provides...

The Integrated Rangeland Fire Management Strategy Actionable Science Plan: U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington D.C.

Treesearch

Integrated Rangeland Fire Management Strategy Actionable Science Plan Team

2016-01-01

The Integrated Rangeland Fire Management Strategy (hereafter Strategy, DOI 2015) outlined the need for coordinated, science-based adaptive management to achieve long-term protection, conservation, and restoration of the sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystem. A key component of this management approach is the identification of knowledge gaps that limit...

Automation of closed environments in space for human comfort and safety

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

The Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) for the Space Station Freedom and future colonization of the Moon and Mars presents new challenges for present technologies. Current plans call for a crew of 8 to live in a safe, shirt-sleeve environment for 90 days without ground support. Because of these requirements, all life support systems must be self-sufficient and reliable. The ECLSS is composed of six subsystems. The temperature and humidity control (THC) subsystem maintains the cabin temperature and humidity at a comfortable level. The atmosphere control and supply (ACS) subsystem insures proper cabin pressure and partial pressures of oxygen and nitrogen. To protect the space station from fire damage, the fire detection and suppression (FDS) subsystem provides fire sensing alarms and extinguishers. The waste management (WM) subsystem compacts solid wastes for return to Earth, and collects urine for water recovery. Because it is impractical, if not impossible, to supply the station with enough fresh air and water for the duration of the space station's extended mission, these elements are recycled. The atmosphere revitalization (AR) subsystem removes CO2 and other dangerous contaminants from the air. The water recovery and management (WRM) subsystem collects and filters condensate from the cabin to replenish potable water supplies, and processes urine and other waste waters to replenish hygiene water supplies. These subsystems are not fully automated at this time. Furthermore, the control of these subsystems is not presently integrated; they are largely independent of one another. A fully integrated and automated ECLSS would increase astronauts' productivity and contribute to their safety and comfort. The Kansas State University Advanced Design Team is in the process of researching and designing controls for the automation of the ECLSS for Space Station Freedom and beyond. The approach chosen to solve this problem is to divide the design into three phases. The first phase is to research the ECLSS as a whole system and then concentrate efforts on the automation of a single subsystem. The AR subsystem was chosen for our focus. During the second phase, the system control process will then be applied to the AR subsystem.

Fire safety: A case study of technology transfer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heins, C. F.

1975-01-01

Two basic ways in which NASA-generated technology is being used by the fire safety community are described. First, improved products and systems that embody NASA technical advances are entering the marketplace. Second, NASA test data and technical information related to fire safety are being used by persons concerned with reducing the hazards of fire through improved design information and standards. The development of commercial fire safety products and systems typically requires adaptation and integration of aerospace technologies that may not have been originated for NASA fire safety applications.

Quantifying chaotic dynamics from integrate-and-fire processes

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

Pavlov, A. N.; Saratov State Technical University, Politehnicheskaya Str. 77, 410054 Saratov; Pavlova, O. N.

2015-01-15

Characterizing chaotic dynamics from integrate-and-fire (IF) interspike intervals (ISIs) is relatively easy performed at high firing rates. When the firing rate is low, a correct estimation of Lyapunov exponents (LEs) describing dynamical features of complex oscillations reflected in the IF ISI sequences becomes more complicated. In this work we discuss peculiarities and limitations of quantifying chaotic dynamics from IF point processes. We consider main factors leading to underestimated LEs and demonstrate a way of improving numerical determining of LEs from IF ISI sequences. We show that estimations of the two largest LEs can be performed using around 400 mean periodsmore » of chaotic oscillations in the regime of phase-coherent chaos. Application to real data is discussed.« less

Hot-Fire Test Results of Liquid Oxygen/RP-2 Multi-Element Oxidizer-Rich Preburners

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Protz, C. S.; Garcia, C. P.; Casiano, M. J.; Parton, J. A.; Hulka, J. R.

2016-01-01

As part of the Combustion Stability Tool Development project funded by the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center was contracted to assemble and hot-fire test a multi-element integrated test article demonstrating combustion characteristics of an oxygen/hydrocarbon propellant oxidizer-rich staged-combustion engine thrust chamber. Such a test article simulates flow through the main injectors of oxygen/kerosene oxidizer-rich staged combustion engines such as the Russian RD-180 or NK-33 engines, or future U.S.-built engine systems such as the Aerojet-Rocketdyne AR-1 engine or the Hydrocarbon Boost program demonstration engine. To supply the oxidizer-rich combustion products to the main injector of the integrated test article, existing subscale preburner injectors from a previous NASA-funded oxidizer-rich staged combustion engine development program were utilized. For the integrated test article, existing and newly designed and fabricated inter-connecting hot gas duct hardware were used to supply the oxidizer-rich combustion products to the oxidizer circuit of the main injector of the thrust chamber. However, before one of the preburners was used in the integrated test article, it was first hot-fire tested at length to prove it could provide the hot exhaust gas mean temperature, thermal uniformity and combustion stability necessary to perform in the integrated test article experiment. This paper presents results from hot-fire testing of several preburner injectors in a representative combustion chamber with a sonic throat. Hydraulic, combustion performance, exhaust gas thermal uniformity, and combustion stability data are presented. Results from combustion stability modeling of these test results are described in a companion paper at this JANNAF conference, while hot-fire test results of the preburner injector in the integrated test article are described in another companion paper.

Physiological gain leads to high ISI variability in a simple model of a cortical regular spiking cell.

PubMed

Troyer, T W; Miller, K D

1997-07-01

To understand the interspike interval (ISI) variability displayed by visual cortical neurons (Softky & Koch, 1993), it is critical to examine the dynamics of their neuronal integration, as well as the variability in their synaptic input current. Most previous models have focused on the latter factor. We match a simple integrate-and-fire model to the experimentally measured integrative properties of cortical regular spiking cells (McCormick, Connors, Lighthall, & Prince, 1985). After setting RC parameters, the post-spike voltage reset is set to match experimental measurements of neuronal gain (obtained from in vitro plots of firing frequency versus injected current). Examination of the resulting model leads to an intuitive picture of neuronal integration that unifies the seemingly contradictory 1/square root of N and random walk pictures that have previously been proposed. When ISIs are dominated by postspike recovery, 1/square root of N arguments hold and spiking is regular; after the "memory" of the last spike becomes negligible, spike threshold crossing is caused by input variance around a steady state and spiking is Poisson. In integrate-and-fire neurons matched to cortical cell physiology, steady-state behavior is predominant, and ISIs are highly variable at all physiological firing rates and for a wide range of inhibitory and excitatory inputs.

Enhanced Sensitivity to Rapid Input Fluctuations by Nonlinear Threshold Dynamics in Neocortical Pyramidal Neurons.

PubMed

Mensi, Skander; Hagens, Olivier; Gerstner, Wulfram; Pozzorini, Christian

2016-02-01

The way in which single neurons transform input into output spike trains has fundamental consequences for network coding. Theories and modeling studies based on standard Integrate-and-Fire models implicitly assume that, in response to increasingly strong inputs, neurons modify their coding strategy by progressively reducing their selective sensitivity to rapid input fluctuations. Combining mathematical modeling with in vitro experiments, we demonstrate that, in L5 pyramidal neurons, the firing threshold dynamics adaptively adjust the effective timescale of somatic integration in order to preserve sensitivity to rapid signals over a broad range of input statistics. For that, a new Generalized Integrate-and-Fire model featuring nonlinear firing threshold dynamics and conductance-based adaptation is introduced that outperforms state-of-the-art neuron models in predicting the spiking activity of neurons responding to a variety of in vivo-like fluctuating currents. Our model allows for efficient parameter extraction and can be analytically mapped to a Generalized Linear Model in which both the input filter--describing somatic integration--and the spike-history filter--accounting for spike-frequency adaptation--dynamically adapt to the input statistics, as experimentally observed. Overall, our results provide new insights on the computational role of different biophysical processes known to underlie adaptive coding in single neurons and support previous theoretical findings indicating that the nonlinear dynamics of the firing threshold due to Na+-channel inactivation regulate the sensitivity to rapid input fluctuations.

Examining the relationship between fire history and sudden oak death patterns: a case study in Sonoma County

Treesearch

Max A. Moritz; Dennis C. Odion

2006-01-01

Fire is often integral to forest ecology and can affect forest disease dynamics. Sudden oak death has spread across a large, fire-prone portion of California, killing large numbers of oaks and tanoaks and infecting most associated woody plants. Building on our earlier study of fire-disease dynamics, we examined spatial patterns of confirmed infections in relation to...

Integrating fire behavior models and geospatial analysis for wildland fire risk assessment and fuel management planning

Treesearch

Alan A. Ager; Nicole M. Vaillant; Mark A. Finney

2011-01-01

Wildland fire risk assessment and fuel management planning on federal lands in the US are complex problems that require state-of-the-art fire behavior modeling and intensive geospatial analyses. Fuel management is a particularly complicated process where the benefits and potential impacts of fuel treatments must be demonstrated in the context of land management goals...

Fuels planning: science synthesis and integration: social issues fact sheet 19: Impacts of wildland fire on communities

Treesearch

Rocky Mountain Research Station USDA Forest Service

2007-01-01

Large fires can result in a series of disasters for individuals and communities in the wildland-urban interface. They create significant disruptions to ongoing social processes, result in large financial losses, and lead to expensive restoration activities. By being aware of the impacts of wildland fire on local residents, fire managers can bring added value to them...

Real-time control of walking using recordings from dorsal root ganglia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holinski, B. J.; Everaert, D. G.; Mushahwar, V. K.; Stein, R. B.

2013-10-01

Objective. The goal of this study was to decode sensory information from the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) in real time, and to use this information to adapt the control of unilateral stepping with a state-based control algorithm consisting of both feed-forward and feedback components. Approach. In five anesthetized cats, hind limb stepping on a walkway or treadmill was produced by patterned electrical stimulation of the spinal cord through implanted microwire arrays, while neuronal activity was recorded from the DRG. Different parameters, including distance and tilt of the vector between hip and limb endpoint, integrated gyroscope and ground reaction force were modelled from recorded neural firing rates. These models were then used for closed-loop feedback. Main results. Overall, firing-rate-based predictions of kinematic sensors (limb endpoint, integrated gyroscope) were the most accurate with variance accounted for >60% on average. Force prediction had the lowest prediction accuracy (48 ± 13%) but produced the greatest percentage of successful rule activations (96.3%) for stepping under closed-loop feedback control. The prediction of all sensor modalities degraded over time, with the exception of tilt. Significance. Sensory feedback from moving limbs would be a desirable component of any neuroprosthetic device designed to restore walking in people after a spinal cord injury. This study provides a proof-of-principle that real-time feedback from the DRG is possible and could form part of a fully implantable neuroprosthetic device with further development.

Real-time control of walking using recordings from dorsal root ganglia

PubMed Central

Holinski, B J; Everaert, D G; Mushahwar, V K; Stein, R B

2013-01-01

Objective The goal of this study was to decode sensory information from the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) in real time, and to use this information to adapt the control of unilateral stepping with a state-based control algorithm consisting of both feed-forward and feedback components. Approach In five anesthetized cats, hind limb stepping on a walkway or treadmill was produced by patterned electrical stimulation of the spinal cord through implanted microwire arrays, while neuronal activity was recorded from the dorsal root ganglia. Different parameters, including distance and tilt of the vector between hip and limb endpoint, integrated gyroscope and ground reaction force were modeled from recorded neural firing rates. These models were then used for closed-loop feedback. Main Results Overall, firing-rate based predictions of kinematic sensors (limb endpoint, integrated gyroscope) were the most accurate with variance accounted for >60% on average. Force prediction had the lowest prediction accuracy (48±13%) but produced the greatest percentage of successful rule activations (96.3%) for stepping under closed-loop feedback control. The prediction of all sensor modalities degraded over time, with the exception of tilt. Significance Sensory feedback from moving limbs would be a desirable component of any neuroprosthetic device designed to restore walking in people after a spinal cord injury. This study provides a proof-of-principle that real-time feedback from the DRG is possible and could form part of a fully implantable neuroprosthetic device with further development. PMID:23928579

Fire risk and adaptation strategies in Northern Eurasian forests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shvidenko, Anatoly; Schepaschenko, Dmitry

2013-04-01

On-going climatic changes substantially accelerate current fire regimes in Northern Eurasian ecosystems, particularly in forests. During 1998-2012, wildfires enveloped on average ~10.5 M ha year-1 in Russia with a large annual variation (between 3 and 30 M ha) and average direct carbon emissions at ~150 Tg C year-1. Catastrophic fires, which envelope large areas, spread in usually incombustible wetlands, escape from control and provide extraordinary negative impacts on ecosystems, biodiversity, economics, infrastructure, environment, and health of population, become a typical feature of the current fire regimes. There are new evidences of correlation between catastrophic fires and large-scale climatic anomalies at a continental scale. While current climatic predictions suggest the dramatic warming (at the average at 6-7 °C for the country and up to 10-12°C in some northern continental regions), any substantial increase of summer precipitation does not expected. Increase of dryness and instability of climate will impact fire risk and severity of consequences. Current models suggest a 2-3 fold increase of the number of fires by the end of this century in the boreal zone. They predict increases of the number of catastrophic fires; a significant increase in the intensity of fire and amount of consumed fuel; synergies between different types of disturbances (outbreaks of insects, unregulated anthropogenic impacts); acceleration of composition of the gas emissions due to enhanced soil burning. If boreal forests would become a typing element, the mass mortality of trees would increase fire risk and severity. Permafrost melting and subsequent change of hydrological regimes very likely will lead to the degradation and destruction of boreal forests, as well as to the widespread irreversible replacement of forests by other underproductive vegetation types. A significant feedback between warming and escalating fire regimes is very probable in Russia and particularly in the permafrost areas. Overall, Russia should expect a disproportionate escalation of fire regimes compared to increasing climatic fire danger. Thus, development and implementation of an efficient adaptation strategy is a pressing problem of current forest management of the country. An appropriate system of forest fire protection which would be able to meet challenges of future climates is a corner stone of such a strategy. We consider possible systems solutions of this complex problem including (1) integrated ecological and socio-economic analysis of current and future fire regimes; (2) regional requirements to and specific features of a new paradigm of forest fire protection in the boreal zone of Northern Eurasia; (3) anticipatory strategy of the prevention of large-scale disturbances in forests, including adaptation of forest landscapes to the future climates (regulation of tree composition; setup of relevant spatial structure of forest landscapes; etc.); (4) implementation of an effective system of forest monitoring as part of integrated observing systems; (5) transition to ecologically-friendly systems of industrial development of northern territories; (6) development of new/ improvement of existing legislation and institutional frameworks of forest management which would be satisfactory to react on challenges of climate change; and (6) international cooperation.

Ride through SaFIRES : lessons learned from SaFIRES - an APTS operational test in Prince William County, Virginia.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2002-06-01

This interim report documents the lessons learned to date from the Smart Flex-route Integrated Real-time Enhancement System (SaFIRES) operational test in Prince William County, Virginia. This route deviation service has proven to be popular with Coun...

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

McMeeking, Gavin R.; Kreidenweis, Sonia M.; Baker, Stephen

We characterized the gas- and speciated aerosol-phase emissions from the open combustion of 33 different plant species during a series of 255 controlled laboratory burns during the Fire Laboratory at Missoula Experiments (FLAME). The plant species we tested were chosen to improve the existing database for U.S. domestic fuels: laboratory-based emission factors have not previously been reported for many commonly-burned species that are frequently consumed by fires near populated regions and protected scenic areas. The plants we tested included the chaparral species chamise, manzanita, and ceanothus, and species common to the southeastern US (common reed, hickory, kudzu, needlegrass rush, rhododendron,more » cord grass, sawgrass, titi, and wax myrtle). Fire-integrated emission factors for gas-phase CO{sub 2}, CO, CH{sub 4}, C{sub 2-4} hydrocarbons, NH{sub 3}, SO{sub 2}, NO, NO{sub 2}, HNO{sub 3} and particle-phase organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), SO{sub 4}{sup 2-}, NO{sub 3}{sup -}, Cl{sup -}, Na{sup +}, K{sup +}, and NH{sub 4}{sup +} generally varied with both fuel type and with the fire-integrated modified combustion efficiency (MCE), a measure of the relative importance of flaming- and smoldering-phase combustion to the total emissions during the burn. Chaparral fuels tended to emit less particulate OC per unit mass of dry fuel than did other fuel types, whereas southeastern species had some of the largest observed EF for total fine particulate matter. Our measurements often spanned a larger range of MCE than prior studies, and thus help to improve estimates for individual fuels of the variation of emissions with combustion conditions.« less

Factors controlling seedling germination after fire in Mediterranean gorse shrublands. Implications for fire prescription.

PubMed

De Luis, M; Raventós, J; González-Hidalgo, J C

2005-07-01

In Western Mediterranean areas, fires are frequent in forests established on old croplands where woody resprouting species are scarce and post-fire regeneration is limited to obligate-seeder species, such as Mediterranean gorse (Ulex parviflorus), that accumulate a great deal of fine dry fuel, increasing the risk of other severe fires. Under these conditions, fuel control techniques are required in order to prevent fires of high intensity and severity and the subsequent economic and ecological damage. Prescribed fires present an alternative to fuel control, and recent studies demonstrate that, under optimum climatic conditions, fire-line intensity values fall within the limits of those recommended for fire prescription. However, a better understanding of the consequences of fire on the regeneration of vegetation is needed in order to evaluate the suitability of prescribed fires as a technique for fuel reduction in Mediterranean gorse ecosystems. This paper analyses the factors controlling seedling germination after fire to make an evaluation from an ecological perspective of whether fire prescription is a suitable technique for fuel control in mature Mediterranean gorse shrublands. The results show that small differences in the composition of vegetation play a decisive role in fire behaviour, and have a decisive influence on the system's capacity for regeneration. Fire severity is low in mixed Mediterranean gorse communities with a low continuity of dead fine fuel (including Cistus sp., Rosmarinus sp., etc.) and fire creates a wide range of microhabitats where seedling emergence is high. In contrast, where U. parviflorus is more dominant, fire severity is higher and the regeneration of vegetation could be hindered. Our conclusions suggest that detailed studies of the composition of plant communities are required in order to decide whether prescribed burning should be applied.

Multi-scale controls of historical forest-fire regimes: new insights from fire-scar networks

Treesearch

Donald A. Falk; Emily K. Heyerdahl; Peter M. Brown; Calvin Farris; Peter Z. Fule; Donald McKenzie; Thomas W. Swetnam; Alan H. Taylor; Megan L. Van Horne

2011-01-01

Anticipating future forest-fire regimes under changing climate requires that scientists and natural resource managers understand the factors that control fire across space and time. Fire scars—proxy records of fires, formed in the growth rings of long-lived trees—provide an annually accurate window into past low-severity fire regimes. In western North America, networks...

Economic considerations in coverting from oil/gas firing to coal

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rau, J. G.

1978-01-01

Economic considerations involved in fuel conversion such as from oil and/or gas firing to coal are discussed including investments costs for new facilities and equipment (including air pollution control equipment), operation and maintenance costs, and purchased fuel costs. An analytical approach to assessing the cost effectiveness of fuel conversion in terms of the annual net cost of conversion, the equivalent annual number of barrels of oil saved, and the integral rate of return of the conversion investment is presented. Illustrative numerical examples are presented for typical utility boilers and industrial boiler facilities. A further consideration addressed deals with the impacts of these costs on the overall financial structure of the firm and the ability of the firm to raise the necessary investment captial.

Integrated Spatial Models of Non Native Plant Invasion, Fire Risk, and Wildlife Habitat to Support Conservation of Military and Adjacent Lands in the Arid Southwest

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-01

FINAL REPORT Integrated spatial models of non-native plant invasion, fire risk, and wildlife habitat to support conservation of military and...as reflecting the official policy or position of the Department of Defense. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service...2. REPORT TYPE Final 3. DATES COVERED (From - To) 26/4/2010 – 25/10/2015 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Integrated Spatial Models of Non-Native Plant

How well do mean field theories of spiking quadratic-integrate-and-fire networks work in realistic parameter regimes?

PubMed

Grabska-Barwińska, Agnieszka; Latham, Peter E

2014-06-01

We use mean field techniques to compute the distribution of excitatory and inhibitory firing rates in large networks of randomly connected spiking quadratic integrate and fire neurons. These techniques are based on the assumption that activity is asynchronous and Poisson. For most parameter settings these assumptions are strongly violated; nevertheless, so long as the networks are not too synchronous, we find good agreement between mean field prediction and network simulations. Thus, much of the intuition developed for randomly connected networks in the asynchronous regime applies to mildly synchronous networks.

Synchronised firing patterns in a random network of adaptive exponential integrate-and-fire neuron model.

PubMed

Borges, F S; Protachevicz, P R; Lameu, E L; Bonetti, R C; Iarosz, K C; Caldas, I L; Baptista, M S; Batista, A M

2017-06-01

We have studied neuronal synchronisation in a random network of adaptive exponential integrate-and-fire neurons. We study how spiking or bursting synchronous behaviour appears as a function of the coupling strength and the probability of connections, by constructing parameter spaces that identify these synchronous behaviours from measurements of the inter-spike interval and the calculation of the order parameter. Moreover, we verify the robustness of synchronisation by applying an external perturbation to each neuron. The simulations show that bursting synchronisation is more robust than spike synchronisation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reducing Manpower for a Technologically Advanced Ship

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-27

Watchstations by 84% (119 to 34) “ Autonomic ” Fire Suppression System AFSS is designed to automatically: (1) Isolate damage to firemain piping... System (IPS) Advanced VLS Autonomic Fire Suppression Hull Form Scale Models Total Ship Computing Environment (TSCE) Integrated Undersea...Warfare (IUSW) System ( AFSS ) 8 Total Ship Organization Ship C3I Engage Support Technical Director TSCEI Sense Integrated Product Teams TSSE Director

Fuels planning: science synthesis and integration; environmental consequences fact sheet 05: prescriptions and fire effects

Treesearch

Melanie Miller

2004-01-01

Fuels planning: science synthesis and integration; environmental consequences fact sheet 5: prescriptions and fire effects. Miller, Melanie. 2004. Res. Note RMRS-RN-23-5-WWW. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 2 p. While our understanding of the causes for variation in postfire effects is increasing, burn...

Integrating satellite imagery with simulation modeling to improve burn severity mapping

Treesearch

Eva C. Karau; Pamela G. Sikkink; Robert E. Keane; Gregory K. Dillon

2014-01-01

Both satellite imagery and spatial fire effects models are valuable tools for generating burn severity maps that are useful to fire scientists and resource managers. The purpose of this study was to test a new mapping approach that integrates imagery and modeling to create more accurate burn severity maps. We developed and assessed a statistical model that combines the...

Department of the Army Justification of Estimates for Fiscal Year 1983 Submitted to Congress February 1982. Part 3 (Weapons & Tracked Combat Vehicles).

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-02-01

of 130 kits for the Fire Support Teem Vehicle, an integrated system platform which will provide under - armor protection for the ground laser locator...procureuent of 495 kits for the Fire Support Team Vehicles, an integrated system platform which will provide under - armor protection for the Ground Laser

A review of the integrate-and-fire neuron model: II. Inhomogeneous synaptic input and network properties.

PubMed

Burkitt, A N

2006-08-01

The integrate-and-fire neuron model describes the state of a neuron in terms of its membrane potential, which is determined by the synaptic inputs and the injected current that the neuron receives. When the membrane potential reaches a threshold, an action potential (spike) is generated. This review considers the model in which the synaptic input varies periodically and is described by an inhomogeneous Poisson process, with both current and conductance synapses. The focus is on the mathematical methods that allow the output spike distribution to be analyzed, including first passage time methods and the Fokker-Planck equation. Recent interest in the response of neurons to periodic input has in part arisen from the study of stochastic resonance, which is the noise-induced enhancement of the signal-to-noise ratio. Networks of integrate-and-fire neurons behave in a wide variety of ways and have been used to model a variety of neural, physiological, and psychological phenomena. The properties of the integrate-and-fire neuron model with synaptic input described as a temporally homogeneous Poisson process are reviewed in an accompanying paper (Burkitt in Biol Cybern, 2006).

Intrinsic electrophysiological properties of entorhinal cortex stellate cells and their contribution to grid cell firing fields

PubMed Central

Pastoll, Hugh; Ramsden, Helen L.; Nolan, Matthew F.

2012-01-01

The medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) is an increasingly important focus for investigation of mechanisms for spatial representation. Grid cells found in layer II of the MEC are likely to be stellate cells, which form a major projection to the dentate gyrus. Entorhinal stellate cells are distinguished by distinct intrinsic electrophysiological properties, but how these properties contribute to representation of space is not yet clear. Here, we review the ionic conductances, synaptic, and excitable properties of stellate cells, and examine their implications for models of grid firing fields. We discuss why existing data are inconsistent with models of grid fields that require stellate cells to generate periodic oscillations. An alternative possibility is that the intrinsic electrophysiological properties of stellate cells are tuned specifically to control integration of synaptic input. We highlight recent evidence that the dorsal-ventral organization of synaptic integration by stellate cells, through differences in currents mediated by HCN and leak potassium channels, influences the corresponding organization of grid fields. Because accurate cellular data will be important for distinguishing mechanisms for generation of grid fields, we introduce new data comparing properties measured with whole-cell and perforated patch-clamp recordings. We find that clustered patterns of action potential firing and the action potential after-hyperpolarization (AHP) are particularly sensitive to recording condition. Nevertheless, with both methods, these properties, resting membrane properties and resonance follow a dorsal-ventral organization. Further investigation of the molecular basis for synaptic integration by stellate cells will be important for understanding mechanisms for generation of grid fields. PMID:22536175

Gis-Based Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis for Forest Fire Risk Mapping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akay, A. E.; Erdoğan, A.

2017-11-01

The forested areas along the coastal zone of the Mediterranean region in Turkey are classified as first-degree fire sensitive areas. Forest fires are major environmental disaster that affects the sustainability of forest ecosystems. Besides, forest fires result in important economic losses and even threaten human lives. Thus, it is critical to determine the forested areas with fire risks and thereby minimize the damages on forest resources by taking necessary precaution measures in these areas. The risk of forest fire can be assessed based on various factors such as forest vegetation structures (tree species, crown closure, tree stage), topographic features (slope and aspect), and climatic parameters (temperature, wind). In this study, GIS-based Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) method was used to generate forest fire risk map. The study was implemented in the forested areas within Yayla Forest Enterprise Chiefs at Dursunbey Forest Enterprise Directorate which is classified as first degree fire sensitive area. In the solution process, "extAhp 2.0" plug-in running Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method in ArcGIS 10.4.1 was used to categorize study area under five fire risk classes: extreme risk, high risk, moderate risk, and low risk. The results indicated that 23.81 % of the area was of extreme risk, while 25.81 % was of high risk. The result indicated that the most effective criterion was tree species, followed by tree stages. The aspect had the least effective criterion on forest fire risk. It was revealed that GIS techniques integrated with MCDA methods are effective tools to quickly estimate forest fire risk at low cost. The integration of these factors into GIS can be very useful to determine forested areas with high fire risk and also to plan forestry management after fire.

Analysis of the Large Urban Fire Environment. Part 1. Theory

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-07-01

the fire. It is the buoyancy-generated pressure forces, and not diffusive entrainment, that control the low-level induction of ambient air into the...18-- IV. RESULTS FLAMBEAU FIRES The multiple-fuel-bed Flambeau fires (Countryman, 1969; Palmer, 1981] were large, controlled burns conducted to...Station Northern Forest Fire Laboratory Alexandria, VA 22314 (12) Missoula, MT 59801 (1) Department of Defense 2. Mr. Clay F. Butler Command and Control

Fuels planning: science synthesis and integration; environmental consequences fact sheet 09: Fire and Fuels Extension to the Forest Vegetation Simulator (FFE-FVS)

Treesearch

Elizabeth Reinhardt

2005-01-01

FFE-FVS is a model linking stand development, fuel dynamics, fire behavior and fire effects. It allows comparison of mid- to long-term effects of management alternatives including harvest, mechanical fuel treatment, prescribed fire, salvage, and no action. This fact sheet identifies the intended users and uses, required inputs, what the model does, and tells the user...

Fuels planning: science synthesis and integration; forest structure and fire hazard fact sheet 01: forest structure and fire hazard overview

Treesearch

Rocky Mountain Research Station USDA Forest Service

2004-01-01

Many managers and policymakers guided by the National Environmental Policy Act process want to understand the scientific principles on which they can base fuel treatments for reducing the size and severity of wildfires. These Forest Structure and Fire Hazard fact sheets discuss how to estimate fire hazard, how to visualize fuel treatments, and how the role of...

Validation of BlueSky Smoke Prediction System using surface and satellite observations during major wildland fire events in Northern California

Treesearch

Lesley Fusina; Sharon Zhong; Julide Koracin; Tim Brown; Annie Esperanza; Leland Tarney; Haiganoush Preisler

2007-01-01

The BlueSky Smoke Prediction System developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, AirFire Team under the National Fire Plan is a modeling framework that integrates tools, knowledge of fuels, moisture, combustion, emissions, plume dynamics, and weather to produce real-time predictions of the cumulative impacts of smoke from wildfires, prescribed fires...

Economic susceptibility of fire-prone landscapes in natural protected areas of the southern Andean Range.

PubMed

Molina, Juan Ramón; Moreno, Roberto; Castillo, Miguel; Rodríguez Y Silva, Francisco

2018-04-01

Large fires are the most important disturbances at landscape-level due to their ecological and socioeconomic impacts. This study aimed to develop an approach for the assessment of the socio-economic landscape susceptibility to fire. Our methodology focuses on the integration of economic components of landscape management based on contingent valuation method (CVM) and net-value change (NVC). This former component has been estimated using depreciation rates or changes on the number of arrivals to different natural protected areas after a large fire occurrence. Landscape susceptibility concept has been motivated by the need to assist fire prevention programs and environmental management. There was a remarkable variation in annual economic value attributed to each protected area based on the CVM scenario, ranging from 40,189-46,887$/year ("Tolhuaca National Park") to 241,000-341,953$/year ("Conguillio National Park"). We added landscape susceptibility using depreciation rates or tourist arrival decrease which varied from 2.04% (low fire intensity in "Tolhuaca National Park") to 76.67% (high fire intensity in "Conguillio National Park"). The integration of this approach and future studies about vegetation resilience should seek management strategies to increase economic efficiency in the fire prevention activities. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Digitally controlled twelve-pulse firing generator

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

Berde, D.; Ferrara, A.A.

1981-01-01

Control System Studies for the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) indicate that accurate thyristor firing in the AC-to-DC conversion system is required in order to achieve good regulation of the various field currents. Rapid update and exact firing angle control are required to avoid instabilities, large eddy currents, or parasitic oscillations. The Prototype Firing Generator was designed to satisfy these requirements. To achieve the required /plus or minus/0.77/degree/firing accuracy, a three-phase-locked loop reference was designed; otherwise, the Firing Generator employs digital circuitry. The unit, housed in a standard CAMAC crate, operates under microcomputer control. Functions are performed under program control,more » which resides in nonvolatile read-only memory. Communication with CICADA control system is provided via an 11-bit parallel interface.« less

Cost-effectively automating fire door release.

PubMed

Pearce, Chris

2004-04-01

UK care home fire statistics are the worst for 40 years. After catastrophic fires in Scotland and Wales this year the death toll in care homes rose to 18 fatalities over a single month. No larger loss of life in a fire at a care home in Britain has been recorded since regulations covering these homes were introduced in the 1960s. It is against this background of heightened national vigilance that Fireco's Chris Pearce explains, in a timely overview, how the very latest "add-on" automatic fire door release technology can revolutionize integrated fire alarm systems by easing access in the care setting.

Identifying the Threshold of Dominant Controls on Fire Spread in a Boreal Forest Landscape of Northeast China

PubMed Central

Liu, Zhihua; Yang, Jian; He, Hong S.

2013-01-01

The relative importance of fuel, topography, and weather on fire spread varies at different spatial scales, but how the relative importance of these controls respond to changing spatial scales is poorly understood. We designed a “moving window” resampling technique that allowed us to quantify the relative importance of controls on fire spread at continuous spatial scales using boosted regression trees methods. This quantification allowed us to identify the threshold value for fire size at which the dominant control switches from fuel at small sizes to weather at large sizes. Topography had a fluctuating effect on fire spread across the spatial scales, explaining 20–30% of relative importance. With increasing fire size, the dominant control switched from bottom-up controls (fuel and topography) to top-down controls (weather). Our analysis suggested that there is a threshold for fire size, above which fires are driven primarily by weather and more likely lead to larger fire size. We suggest that this threshold, which may be ecosystem-specific, can be identified using our “moving window” resampling technique. Although the threshold derived from this analytical method may rely heavily on the sampling technique, our study introduced an easily implemented approach to identify scale thresholds in wildfire regimes. PMID:23383247

Fires in refugee and displaced persons settlements: the current situation and opportunities to improve fire prevention and control

PubMed Central

Kazerooni, Yasaman; Gyedu, Adam; Burnham, Gilbert; Nwomeh, Benedict; Charles, Anthony; Mishra, Brijesh; Kuah, Solomon S; Kushner, Adam L; Stewart, Barclay T

2015-01-01

Introduction We aimed to describe the burden of fires in displaced persons settlements and identify interventions/innovations that might address gaps in current humanitarian guidelines. Methods We performed a systematic review of: i) academic and non-academic literature databases; and ii) guidelines from leading humanitarian agencies/initiatives regarding fire prevention/control. Results Of the 1,521 records retrieved, 131 reports described settlement fires in 31 hosting countries since 1990. These incidents resulted in 487 deaths, 790 burn injuries, displacement of 382,486 individuals and destruction of 50,509 shelters. There was a 25-fold increase in the rate of settlement fires from 1990 to 2015 (0.002 to 0.051 per 100,000 refugees, respectively). Only 4 of the 15 leading humanitarian agencies provided recommendations about fire prevention/control strategies. Potentially useful interventions/innovations included safer stoves (e.g. solar cookers) and fire retardant shelter materials. Conclusion The large and increasing number of fires in displaced persons settlements highlights the need to redress gaps in humanitarian fire prevention/control guidelines. The way forward includes: i) developing consensus among aid agencies regarding fire prevention/control strategies; ii) evaluating the impact of interventions/innovations on the burden of fires; and iii) engaging agencies in a broader discussion about protecting camp residents from armed groups. PMID:26818955

Fires in refugee and displaced persons settlements: The current situation and opportunities to improve fire prevention and control.

PubMed

Kazerooni, Yasaman; Gyedu, Adam; Burnham, Gilbert; Nwomeh, Benedict; Charles, Anthony; Mishra, Brijesh; Kuah, Solomon S; Kushner, Adam L; Stewart, Barclay T

2016-08-01

We aimed to describe the burden of fires in displaced persons settlements and identify interventions/innovations that might address gaps in current humanitarian guidelines. We performed a systematic review of: (i) academic and non-academic literature databases; and (ii) guidelines from leading humanitarian agencies/initiatives regarding fire prevention/control. Of the 1521 records retrieved, 131 reports described settlement fires in 31 hosting countries since 1990. These incidents resulted in 487 deaths, 790 burn injuries, displacement of 382,486 individuals and destruction of 50,509 shelters. There was a 25-fold increase in the rate of settlement fires from 1990 to 2015 (0.002-0.051 per 100,000 refugees, respectively). Only 4 of the 15 leading humanitarian agencies provided recommendations about fire prevention/control strategies. Potentially useful interventions/innovations included safer stoves (e.g. solar cookers) and fire retardant shelter materials. The large and increasing number of fires in displaced persons settlements highlights the need to redress gaps in humanitarian fire prevention/control guidelines. The way forward includes: (i) developing consensus among aid agencies regarding fire prevention/control strategies; (ii) evaluating the impact of interventions/innovations on the burden of fires; and (iii) engaging agencies in a broader discussion about protecting camp residents from armed groups. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

43 CFR 6304.22 - What special provisions apply to control of fire, insects, and diseases?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... of fire, insects, and diseases? 6304.22 Section 6304.22 Public Lands: Interior Regulations Relating... apply to control of fire, insects, and diseases? BLM may prescribe measures to control fire, noxious weeds, non-native invasive plants, insects, and diseases. BLM may require restoration concurrent with or...

43 CFR 6304.22 - What special provisions apply to control of fire, insects, and diseases?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... of fire, insects, and diseases? 6304.22 Section 6304.22 Public Lands: Interior Regulations Relating... apply to control of fire, insects, and diseases? BLM may prescribe measures to control fire, noxious weeds, non-native invasive plants, insects, and diseases. BLM may require restoration concurrent with or...

43 CFR 6304.22 - What special provisions apply to control of fire, insects, and diseases?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... of fire, insects, and diseases? 6304.22 Section 6304.22 Public Lands: Interior Regulations Relating... apply to control of fire, insects, and diseases? BLM may prescribe measures to control fire, noxious weeds, non-native invasive plants, insects, and diseases. BLM may require restoration concurrent with or...

43 CFR 6304.22 - What special provisions apply to control of fire, insects, and diseases?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... of fire, insects, and diseases? 6304.22 Section 6304.22 Public Lands: Interior Regulations Relating... apply to control of fire, insects, and diseases? BLM may prescribe measures to control fire, noxious weeds, non-native invasive plants, insects, and diseases. BLM may require restoration concurrent with or...

PEO Ammunition Systems Portfolio Book 2012-2013

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-02-02

assembly. Aluminum ogive contains firing pin, a rubber anti-creep spring and M550 fuze escapement assembly and is threaded to projectile body...51 The Mortar Weapons and Fire Control Family M95/M96 Mortar Fire Control System (MFCS) – Mounted...52 M150/M151 Mortar Fire Control System Dismounted (MFCS-D

The Science of Prescribed Fire: to Enable a Different Kind of Control

Treesearch

Timothy E. Paysen; Marcia G. Narog; Jack D. Cohen

1998-01-01

A paradigm shift from fire suppression to fire suppression and prescription requires a shift in emphasis from simply controlling wildfire occurrence and spread to one that includes controlling characteristics of prescribed fire. Suppression focuses on preventing unwanted effects that might result from wildfire occurrence. Prescription promotes desired effects by...

7 CFR 301.81-11 - Imported fire ant detection, control, exclusion, and enforcement program for nurseries producing...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 5 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Imported fire ant detection, control, exclusion, and..., DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE DOMESTIC QUARANTINE NOTICES Imported Fire Ant Quarantine and Regulations § 301.81-11 Imported fire ant detection, control, exclusion, and enforcement program for nurseries producing...

7 CFR 301.81-11 - Imported fire ant detection, control, exclusion, and enforcement program for nurseries producing...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 5 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Imported fire ant detection, control, exclusion, and..., DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE DOMESTIC QUARANTINE NOTICES Imported Fire Ant Quarantine and Regulations § 301.81-11 Imported fire ant detection, control, exclusion, and enforcement program for nurseries producing...

7 CFR 301.81-11 - Imported fire ant detection, control, exclusion, and enforcement program for nurseries producing...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 5 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Imported fire ant detection, control, exclusion, and..., DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE DOMESTIC QUARANTINE NOTICES Imported Fire Ant Quarantine and Regulations § 301.81-11 Imported fire ant detection, control, exclusion, and enforcement program for nurseries producing...

7 CFR 301.81-11 - Imported fire ant detection, control, exclusion, and enforcement program for nurseries producing...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 5 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Imported fire ant detection, control, exclusion, and..., DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE DOMESTIC QUARANTINE NOTICES Imported Fire Ant Quarantine and Regulations § 301.81-11 Imported fire ant detection, control, exclusion, and enforcement program for nurseries producing...

Reduced frequency and severity of residential fires following delivery of fire prevention education by on-duty fire fighters: cluster randomized controlled study.

PubMed

Clare, Joseph; Garis, Len; Plecas, Darryl; Jennings, Charles

2012-04-01

In 2008, Surrey Fire Services, British Columbia, commenced a firefighter-delivered, door-to-door fire-prevention education and smoke alarm examination/installation initiative with the intention of reducing the frequency and severity of residential structure fires in the City of Surrey. High-risk zones within the city were identified and 18,473 home visits were undertaken across seven temporal delivery cohorts (13.8% of non-apartment dwellings in the city). The frequency and severity of fires pre- and post- the home visit intervention was examined in comparison to randomized high-risk cluster controls. Overall, the frequency of fires was found to have reduced in the city overall, however, the reduction in the intervention cohorts was significantly larger than for controls. Furthermore, when fires did occur within the intervention cohorts, smoke detectors were activated more frequently and the fires were confined to the object of origin more often post-home visits. No equivalent pattern was observed for the cluster control. On-duty fire fighters can reduce the frequency and severity of residential fires through targeted, door-to-door distribution of fire prevention education in high-risk areas. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A mixed integer program to model spatial wildfire behavior and suppression placement decisions

Treesearch

Erin J. Belval; Yu Wei; Michael Bevers

2015-01-01

Wildfire suppression combines multiple objectives and dynamic fire behavior to form a complex problem for decision makers. This paper presents a mixed integer program designed to explore integrating spatial fire behavior and suppression placement decisions into a mathematical programming framework. Fire behavior and suppression placement decisions are modeled using...

Distribution of correlated spiking events in a population-based approach for Integrate-and-Fire networks.

PubMed

Zhang, Jiwei; Newhall, Katherine; Zhou, Douglas; Rangan, Aaditya

2014-04-01

Randomly connected populations of spiking neurons display a rich variety of dynamics. However, much of the current modeling and theoretical work has focused on two dynamical extremes: on one hand homogeneous dynamics characterized by weak correlations between neurons, and on the other hand total synchrony characterized by large populations firing in unison. In this paper we address the conceptual issue of how to mathematically characterize the partially synchronous "multiple firing events" (MFEs) which manifest in between these two dynamical extremes. We further develop a geometric method for obtaining the distribution of magnitudes of these MFEs by recasting the cascading firing event process as a first-passage time problem, and deriving an analytical approximation of the first passage time density valid for large neuron populations. Thus, we establish a direct link between the voltage distributions of excitatory and inhibitory neurons and the number of neurons firing in an MFE that can be easily integrated into population-based computational methods, thereby bridging the gap between homogeneous firing regimes and total synchrony.

Suprathreshold stochastic resonance in neural processing tuned by correlation.

PubMed

Durrant, Simon; Kang, Yanmei; Stocks, Nigel; Feng, Jianfeng

2011-07-01

Suprathreshold stochastic resonance (SSR) is examined in the context of integrate-and-fire neurons, with an emphasis on the role of correlation in the neuronal firing. We employed a model based on a network of spiking neurons which received synaptic inputs modeled by Poisson processes stimulated by a stepped input signal. The smoothed ensemble firing rate provided an output signal, and the mutual information between this signal and the input was calculated for networks with different noise levels and different numbers of neurons. It was found that an SSR effect was present in this context. We then examined a more biophysically plausible scenario where the noise was not controlled directly, but instead was tuned by the correlation between the inputs. The SSR effect remained present in this scenario with nonzero noise providing improved information transmission, and it was found that negative correlation between the inputs was optimal. Finally, an examination of SSR in the context of this model revealed its connection with more traditional stochastic resonance and showed a trade-off between supratheshold and subthreshold components. We discuss these results in the context of existing empirical evidence concerning correlations in neuronal firing.

Suprathreshold stochastic resonance in neural processing tuned by correlation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Durrant, Simon; Kang, Yanmei; Stocks, Nigel; Feng, Jianfeng

2011-07-01

Suprathreshold stochastic resonance (SSR) is examined in the context of integrate-and-fire neurons, with an emphasis on the role of correlation in the neuronal firing. We employed a model based on a network of spiking neurons which received synaptic inputs modeled by Poisson processes stimulated by a stepped input signal. The smoothed ensemble firing rate provided an output signal, and the mutual information between this signal and the input was calculated for networks with different noise levels and different numbers of neurons. It was found that an SSR effect was present in this context. We then examined a more biophysically plausible scenario where the noise was not controlled directly, but instead was tuned by the correlation between the inputs. The SSR effect remained present in this scenario with nonzero noise providing improved information transmission, and it was found that negative correlation between the inputs was optimal. Finally, an examination of SSR in the context of this model revealed its connection with more traditional stochastic resonance and showed a trade-off between supratheshold and subthreshold components. We discuss these results in the context of existing empirical evidence concerning correlations in neuronal firing.

Long range thermal weapon sights for the German future infantryman program IdZ

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Breiter, Rainer; Ihle, Tobias; Mauk, Karl-Heinz; Münzberg, Mario; Rode, Werner

2007-04-01

In December 2004 AIM started the series production of the HuntIR long range thermal weapon sight. The sight is fielded in the Germany Future Infantryman (IdZ) basic system and since that time in continuous service in various out of area missions with German participation. For very long identification ranges >1500m cooled technology still outperforms uncooled sights, even with respect to smaller size and lower weight because the typical F/1 design of uncooled systems overcompensates cooler weight for focal length >175mm. The HuntIR sight is therefore based on a cooled MWIR detection module for long range battlefield surveillance and target engagement. The device specifically is a perfect match to state of the art small arms like 0.50 cal sniper rifles or crew served weapons like the 40mm high velocity grenade machine gun (GMG) which provide engagement ranges >1500m and need an adequate sight performance beyond that. A recent modification of HuntIR was done to provide a wider field of view for improved situation awareness in urban operations and specifically to allow the engagement of the 40mm GMG in ranges between 250-1200m. The qualification tests of the sight by the German infantry were successfully completed mid 2006. To match the demand of the follow-up program IdZ-ES additional components have to be integrated. Most important are a laser range finder (LRF), 3 axis digital magnetic compass (DMC) and a wireless data link. LRF and DMC together with a highly sophisticated fire control computer provide improved first round hit probability, the DMC additionally improves the fire control in any case of steep trajectories or for pronounced ballistic trajectories to avoid any need to precisely level the GMG. This new sight is done under the brand name RangIR. An important additional feature is the interface for air burst ammunition (ABM). The optical distance is measured by the LRF, the fire control computer accurately evaluates the trajectory under the given angle, muzzle velocity, temperature and range conditions to define the time-of-flight. This fully integrated IR fire control system is available mid 2007. The development phase of the IdZES program is under contract, series deliveries expected in 2009. The RangIR will see some specific modifications for the link and a man machine interface to control the whole IdZ-ES system components ergonomically from the weapon with optimized power supply concepts to minimize the number of batteries, chargers etc.

Using a stochastic model and cross-scale analysis to evaluate controls on historical low-severity fire regimes

Treesearch

Maureen C. Kennedy; Donald McKenzie

2010-01-01

Fire-scarred trees provide a deep temporal record of historical fire activity, but identifying the mechanisms therein that controlled landscape fire patterns is not straightforward. We use a spatially correlated metric for fire co-occurrence between pairs of trees (the Sørensen distance variogram), with output from a neutral model for fire history, to infer the...

Land cover, more than monthly fire weather, drives fire-size distribution in Southern Québec forests: Implications for fire risk management.

PubMed

Marchal, Jean; Cumming, Steve G; McIntire, Eliot J B

2017-01-01

Fire activity in North American forests is expected to increase substantially with climate change. This would represent a growing risk to human settlements and industrial infrastructure proximal to forests, and to the forest products industry. We modelled fire size distributions in southern Québec as functions of fire weather and land cover, thus explicitly integrating some of the biotic interactions and feedbacks in a forest-wildfire system. We found that, contrary to expectations, land-cover and not fire weather was the primary driver of fire size in our study region. Fires were highly selective on fuel-type under a wide range of fire weather conditions: specifically, deciduous forest, lakes and to a lesser extent recently burned areas decreased the expected fire size in their vicinity compared to conifer forest. This has large implications for fire risk management in that fuels management could reduce fire risk over the long term. Our results imply, for example, that if 30% of a conifer-dominated landscape were converted to hardwoods, the probability of a given fire, occurring in that landscape under mean fire weather conditions, exceeding 100,000 ha would be reduced by a factor of 21. A similarly marked but slightly smaller effect size would be expected under extreme fire weather conditions. We attribute the decrease in expected fire size that occurs in recently burned areas to fuel availability limitations on fires spread. Because regenerating burned conifer stands often pass through a deciduous stage, this would also act as a negative biotic feedback whereby the occurrence of fires limits the size of nearby future for some period of time. Our parameter estimates imply that changes in vegetation flammability or fuel availability after fires would tend to counteract shifts in the fire size distribution favoring larger fires that are expected under climate warming. Ecological forecasts from models neglecting these feedbacks may markedly overestimate the consequences of climate warming on fire activity, and could be misleading. Assessments of vulnerability to climate change, and subsequent adaptation strategies, are directly dependent on integrated ecological forecasts. Thus, we stress the need to explicitly incorporate land-cover's direct effects and feedbacks in simulation models of coupled climate-fire-fuels systems.

Fokker-Planck description of conductance-based integrate-and-fire neuronal networks

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

Kovacic, Gregor; Tao, Louis; Rangan, Aaditya V.

2009-08-15

Steady dynamics of coupled conductance-based integrate-and-fire neuronal networks in the limit of small fluctuations is studied via the equilibrium states of a Fokker-Planck equation. An asymptotic approximation for the membrane-potential probability density function is derived and the corresponding gain curves are found. Validity conditions are discussed for the Fokker-Planck description and verified via direct numerical simulations.

Trail pheromone disruption of red imported fire ant.

PubMed

Suckling, David M; Stringer, Lloyd D; Bunn, Barry; El-Sayed, Ashraf M; Vander Meer, Robert K

2010-07-01

The fire ant, Solenopsis invicta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), is considered one of the most aggressive and invasive species in the world. Toxic bait systems are used widely for control, but they also affect non-target ant species and cannot be used in sensitive ecosystems such as organic farms and national parks. The fire ant uses recruitment pheromones to organize the retrieval of large food resources back to the colony, with Z,E-alpha-farnesene responsible for the orientation of workers along trails. We prepared Z,E-alpha-farnesene, (91% purity) from extracted E,E-alpha-farnesene and demonstrated disruption of worker trail orientation after presentation of an oversupply of this compound from filter paper point sources (30 microg). Trails were established between queen-right colony cells and food sources in plastic tubs. Trail-following behavior was recorded by overhead webcam, and ants were digitized before and after presentation of the treatment, using two software approaches. The linear regression statistic, r(2) was calculated. Ants initially showed high linear trail integrity (r(2) = 0.75). Within seconds of presentation of the Z,E-alpha-farnesene treatment, the trailing ants showed little or no further evidence of trail following behavior in the vicinity of the pheromone source. These results show that trailing fire ants become disorientated in the presence of large amounts of Z,E-alpha-farnesene. Disrupting fire ant recruitment to resources may have a negative effect on colony size or other effects yet to be determined. This phenomenon was demonstrated recently for the Argentine ant, where trails were disrupted for two weeks by using their formulated trail pheromone, Z-9-hexadecenal. Further research is needed to establish the long term effects and control potential for trail disruption in S. invicta.

Wildland Fire Management Plan

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

Schwager, K.

The Wildland Fire Management Plan (FMP) for Brookhaven National Lab (BNL) is written to comply with Department of Energy (DOE) Integrated Safety Management Policy; Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy and Program Review; and Wildland and Prescribed Fire Management Policy and Implementation Procedures Reference Guide. This current plan incorporates changes resulting from new policies on the national level as well as significant changes to available resources and other emerging issues, and replaces BNL's Wildland FMP dated 2014.

Systems Engineering Approach To Ground Combat Vehicle Survivability In Urban Operations

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

extinguishing system (AFES), which uses fire wires to detect the presence of fires. The detection of fire automatically triggers the activation of the fire...corresponding wires and connection points also means that it can be more difficult for engineers to integrate distributed architecture systems onto...command signals to the missile via wires trailing behind the missile or via RF signals. See Figure 29 for an illustration of CLOS guidance. Since CLOS

Forecasting, Forecasting

Treesearch

Michael A. Fosberg

1987-01-01

Future improvements in the meteorological forecasts used in fire management will come from improvements in three areas: observational systems, forecast techniques, and postprocessing of forecasts and better integration of this information into the fire management process.

Valuing fire planning alternatives in forest restoration: using derived demand to integrate economics with ecological restoration.

PubMed

Rideout, Douglas B; Ziesler, Pamela S; Kernohan, Nicole J

2014-08-01

Assessing the value of fire planning alternatives is challenging because fire affects a wide array of ecosystem, market, and social values. Wildland fire management is increasingly used to address forest restoration while pragmatic approaches to assessing the value of fire management have yet to be developed. Earlier approaches to assessing the value of forest management relied on connecting site valuation with management variables. While sound, such analysis is too narrow to account for a broad range of ecosystem services. The metric fire regime condition class (FRCC) was developed from ecosystem management philosophy, but it is entirely biophysical. Its lack of economic information cripples its utility to support decision-making. We present a means of defining and assessing the deviation of a landscape from its desired fire management condition by re-framing the fire management problem as one of derived demand. This valued deviation establishes a performance metric for wildland fire management. Using a case study, we display the deviation across a landscape and sum the deviations to produce a summary metric. This summary metric is used to assess the value of alternative fire management strategies on improving the fire management condition toward its desired state. It enables us to identify which sites are most valuable to restore, even when they are in the same fire regime condition class. The case study site exemplifies how a wide range of disparate values, such as watershed, wildlife, property and timber, can be incorporated into a single landscape assessment. The analysis presented here leverages previous research on environmental capital value and non-market valuation by integrating ecosystem management, restoration, and microeconomics. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Land cover, more than monthly fire weather, drives fire-size distribution in Southern Québec forests: Implications for fire risk management

PubMed Central

Marchal, Jean; Cumming, Steve G.; McIntire, Eliot J. B.

2017-01-01

Fire activity in North American forests is expected to increase substantially with climate change. This would represent a growing risk to human settlements and industrial infrastructure proximal to forests, and to the forest products industry. We modelled fire size distributions in southern Québec as functions of fire weather and land cover, thus explicitly integrating some of the biotic interactions and feedbacks in a forest-wildfire system. We found that, contrary to expectations, land-cover and not fire weather was the primary driver of fire size in our study region. Fires were highly selective on fuel-type under a wide range of fire weather conditions: specifically, deciduous forest, lakes and to a lesser extent recently burned areas decreased the expected fire size in their vicinity compared to conifer forest. This has large implications for fire risk management in that fuels management could reduce fire risk over the long term. Our results imply, for example, that if 30% of a conifer-dominated landscape were converted to hardwoods, the probability of a given fire, occurring in that landscape under mean fire weather conditions, exceeding 100,000 ha would be reduced by a factor of 21. A similarly marked but slightly smaller effect size would be expected under extreme fire weather conditions. We attribute the decrease in expected fire size that occurs in recently burned areas to fuel availability limitations on fires spread. Because regenerating burned conifer stands often pass through a deciduous stage, this would also act as a negative biotic feedback whereby the occurrence of fires limits the size of nearby future for some period of time. Our parameter estimates imply that changes in vegetation flammability or fuel availability after fires would tend to counteract shifts in the fire size distribution favoring larger fires that are expected under climate warming. Ecological forecasts from models neglecting these feedbacks may markedly overestimate the consequences of climate warming on fire activity, and could be misleading. Assessments of vulnerability to climate change, and subsequent adaptation strategies, are directly dependent on integrated ecological forecasts. Thus, we stress the need to explicitly incorporate land-cover’s direct effects and feedbacks in simulation models of coupled climate–fire–fuels systems. PMID:28609467

A feasibility study: California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection utilization of infrared technologies for wildland fire suppression and management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nichols, J. D.; Britten, R. A.; Parks, G. S.; Voss, J. M.

1990-01-01

NASA's JPL has completed a feasibility study using infrared technologies for wildland fire suppression and management. The study surveyed user needs, examined available technologies, matched the user needs with technologies, and defined an integrated infrared wildland fire mapping concept system configuration. System component trade-offs were presented for evaluation in the concept system configuration. The economic benefits of using infrared technologies in fire suppression and management were examined. Follow-on concept system configuration development and implementation were proposed.

Response Mechanism: Blast/Fire Interactions.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-11-01

A WORK UNIT NUMBERS University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN L FEMA WU No. 2564H ItI. CONTROLLING OFFICE NAME AND ADDRESS 12. REPORT DATE Fedqral...Fires 9 Class A Fires 10 Control by Physics or Chemistry? 11 Conments 14 EXTINCTION AND IGNITION 15 Pool Fire 15 Analysis 17 Charring Solid Fire 21...post-explosion time, although its magnitude may make the efforts to control appear futile in the wake of a nuclear attack. There is considerable

Coil-On-Plug Ignition for LOX/Methane Liquid Rocket Engines in Thermal Vacuum Environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Melcher, John C.; Atwell, Matthew J.; Morehead, Robert L.; Hurlbert, Eric A.; Bugarin, Luz; Chaidez, Mariana

2017-01-01

A coil-on-plug ignition system has been developed and tested for Liquid Oxygen (LOX) / liquid methane rocket engines operating in thermal vacuum conditions. The igniters were developed and tested as part of the Integrated Cryogenic Propulsion Test Article (ICPTA), previously tested as part of the Project Morpheus test vehicle. The ICPTA uses an integrated, pressure-fed, cryogenic LOX/methane propulsion system including a reaction control system (RCS) and a main engine. The ICPTA was tested at NASA Glenn Research Center's Plum Brook Station in the Spacecraft Propulsion Research Facility (B-2) under vacuum and thermal vacuum conditions. In order to successfully demonstrate ignition reliability in the vacuum conditions and eliminate corona discharge issues, a coil-on-plug ignition system has been developed. The ICPTA uses spark-plug ignition for both the main engine igniter and the RCS. The coil-on-plug configuration eliminates the conventional high-voltage spark plug cable by combining the coil and the spark-plug into a single component. Prior to ICPTA testing at Plum Brook, component-level reaction control engine (RCE) and main engine igniter testing was conducted at NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC), which demonstrated successful hot-fire ignition using the coil-on-plug from sea-level ambient conditions down to 10(exp.-2) torr. Integrated vehicle hot-fire testing at JSC demonstrated electrical and command/data system performance. Lastly, Plum Brook testing demonstrated successful ignitions at simulated altitude conditions at 30 torr and cold thermal-vacuum conditions at 6 torr. The test campaign successfully proved that coil-on-plug technology will enable integrated LOX/methane propulsion systems in future spacecraft.

Fluids and Combustion Facility: Combustion Integrated Rack Modal Model Correlation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McNelis, Mark E.; Suarez, Vicente J.; Sullivan, Timothy L.; Otten, Kim D.; Akers, James C.

2005-01-01

The Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF) is a modular, multi-user, two-rack facility dedicated to combustion and fluids science in the US Laboratory Destiny on the International Space Station. FCF is a permanent facility that is capable of accommodating up to ten combustion and fluid science investigations per year. FCF research in combustion and fluid science supports NASA's Exploration of Space Initiative for on-orbit fire suppression, fire safety, and space system fluids management. The Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR) is one of two racks in the FCF. The CIR major structural elements include the International Standard Payload Rack (ISPR), Experiment Assembly (optics bench and combustion chamber), Air Thermal Control Unit (ATCU), Rack Door, and Lower Structure Assembly (Input/Output Processor and Electrical Power Control Unit). The load path through the rack structure is outlined. The CIR modal survey was conducted to validate the load path predicted by the CIR finite element model (FEM). The modal survey is done by experimentally measuring the CIR frequencies and mode shapes. The CIR model was test correlated by updating the model to represent the test mode shapes. The correlated CIR model delivery is required by NASA JSC at Launch-10.5 months. The test correlated CIR flight FEM is analytically integrated into the Shuttle for a coupled loads analysis of the launch configuration. The analysis frequency range of interest is 0-50 Hz. A coupled loads analysis is the analytical integration of the Shuttle with its cargo element, the Mini Payload Logistics Module (MPLM), in the Shuttle cargo bay. For each Shuttle launch configuration, a verification coupled loads analysis is performed to determine the loads in the cargo bay as part of the structural certification process.

Investigating Aerosol Morphology Using Scattering Phase Functions Measured with a Laser Imaging Nephelometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manfred, K.; Adler, G. A.; Erdesz, F.; Franchin, A.; Lamb, K. D.; Schwarz, J. P.; Wagner, N.; Washenfelder, R. A.; Womack, C.; Murphy, D. M.

2017-12-01

Particle morphology has important implications for light scattering and radiative transfer, but can be difficult to measure. Biomass burning and other important aerosol sources can generate a mixture of both spherical and non-spherical particle morphologies, and it is necessary to represent these populations correctly in models. We describe a laser imaging nephelometer that measures the unpolarized scattering phase function of bulk aerosol at 375 and 405 nm using a wide-angle lens and CCD. We deployed this instrument to the Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory to measure biomass burning aerosol morphology from controlled fires during the recent FIREX intensive laboratory study. Total integrated scattering signal agreed with that determined by a cavity ring-down photoacoustic spectrometer system and a traditional integrating nephelometer within instrument uncertainties. We compared measured scattering phase functions at 405 nm to theoretical models for spherical (Mie) and fractal (Rayleigh-Debye-Gans) particle morphologies based on the size distribution reported by an optical particle counter. We show that particle morphology can vary dramatically for different fuel types, and present results for two representative fires (pine tree vs arid shrub). We find that Mie theory is inadequate to describe the actual behavior of realistic aerosols from biomass burning in some situations. This study demonstrates the capabilities of the laser imaging nephelometer instrument to provide real-time, in situ information about dominant particle morphology that is vital for accurate radiative transfer calculations.

Weak climatic control of stand-scale fire history during the late holocene.

PubMed

Gavin, Daniel G; Hu, Feng Sheng; Lertzman, Kenneth; Corbett, Peter

2006-07-01

Forest fire occurrence is affected by multiple controls that operate at local to regional scales. At the spatial scale of forest stands, regional climatic controls may be obscured by local controls (e.g., stochastic ignitions, topography, and fuel loads), but the long-term role of such local controls is poorly understood. We report here stand-scale (<100 ha) fire histories of the past 5000 years based on the analysis of sediment charcoal at two lakes 11 km apart in southeastern British Columbia. The two lakes are today located in similar subalpine forests, and they likely have experienced the same late-Holocene climatic changes because of their close proximity. We evaluated two independent properties of fire history: (1) fire-interval distribution, a measure of the overall incidence of fire, and (2) fire synchroneity, a measure of the co-occurrence of fire (here, assessed at centennial to millennial time scales due to the resolution of sediment records). Fire-interval distributions differed between the sites prior to, but not after, 2500 yr before present. When the entire 5000-yr period is considered, no statistical synchrony between fire-episode dates existed between the two sites at any temporal scale, but for the last 2500 yr marginal levels of synchrony occurred at centennial scales. Each individual fire record exhibited little coherency with regional climate changes. In contrast, variations in the composite record (average of both sites) matched variations in climate evidenced by late-Holocene glacial advances. This was probably due to the increased sample size and spatial extent represented by the composite record (up to 200 ha) plus increased regional climatic variability over the last several millennia, which may have partially overridden local, non-climatic controls. We conclude that (1) over past millennia, neighboring stands with similar modern conditions may have experienced different fire intervals and asynchronous patterns in fire episodes, likely because local controls outweighed the synchronizing effect of climate; (2) the influence of climate on fire occurrence is more strongly expressed when climatic variability is relatively great; and (3) multiple records from a region are essential if climate-fire relations are to be reliably described.

Grand challenges in developing a predictive understanding of global fire dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Randerson, J. T.; Chen, Y.; Wiggins, E. B.; Andela, N.; Morton, D. C.; Veraverbeke, S.; van der Werf, G.

2017-12-01

High quality satellite observations of burned area and fire thermal anomalies over the past two decades have transformed our understanding of climate, ecosystem, and human controls on the spatial and temporal distribution of landscape fires. The satellite observations provide evidence for a rapid and widespread loss of fire from grassland and savanna ecosystems worldwide. Continued expansion of industrial agriculture suggests that observed declines in global burned area are likely to continue in future decades, with profound consequences for ecosystem function and the habitat of many endangered species. Satellite time series also highlight the importance of El Niño-Southern Oscillation and other climate modes as drivers of interannual variability. In many regions, lead times between climate indices and fire activity are considerable, enabling the development of early warning prediction systems for fire season severity. With the recent availability of high-resolution observations from Suomi NPP, Landsat 8, and Sentinel 2, the field of global fire ecology is poised to make even more significant breakthroughs over the next decade. With these new observations, it may be possible to reduce uncertainties in the spatial pattern of burned area by several fold. It is difficult to overstate the importance of these new data constraints for improving our understanding of fire impacts on human health and radiative forcing of climate change. A key research challenge in this context is to understand how the loss of global burned area will affect magnitude of the terrestrial carbon sink and trends in atmospheric composition. Advances in prognostic fire modeling will require new approaches linking agriculture with landscape fire dynamics. A critical need in this context is the development of predictive models of road networks and other drivers of land fragmentation, and a closer integration of fragmentation information with algorithms predicting fire spread. Concurrently, a better representation of the influence of livestock on fuels and fire management is essential for modeling long-term trends. In northern ecosystems, climate-driven changes in lightning ignition may accelerate the northward migration of boreal forests into arctic tundra, increasing the vulnerability of permafrost carbon.

Modeling Fire Emissions across Central and Southern Italy: Implications for Land and Fire Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bacciu, V. M.; Salis, M.; Spano, D.

2015-12-01

Fires play a relevant role in the global and regional carbon cycle, representing a remarkable source of CO2 and other greenhouse gases (GHG) that influence atmosphere budgets and climate. In addition, the wildfire increase projected in Southern Europe due to climate change (CC) and concurrent exacerbation of extreme weather conditions could also lead to a significant rise in GHG. Recently, in the context of the Italian National Adaptation Strategy to Climate Change (SNAC), several approaches were identified as valuable tools to adapt and mitigate the impacts of CC on wildfires, in order to reduce landscape susceptibility and to contribute to the efforts of carbon emission mitigation proposed within the Kyoto protocol. Active forest and fuel management (such as prescribed burning, fuel reduction and removal, weed and flammable shrub control, creation of fuel discontinuity) is recognised to be a key element to adapt and mitigate the impacts of CC on wildfires. Despite this, overall there is a lack of studies about the effectiveness of fire emission mitigation strategies. The current work aims to analyse the potential of a combination of fuel management practices in mitigating emissions from forest fires and evaluate valuable and viable options across Central and Southern Italy. These objectives were achieved throughout a retrospective application of an integrated approach combining a fire emission model (FOFEM - First Order Fire Effect Model) with spatially explicit, comprehensive, and accurate fire, vegetation and weather data for the period 2004-2012. Furthermore, a number of silvicultural techniques were combined to develop several fuel management scenarios and then tested to evaluate their potential in mitigating fire emissions.The preliminary results showed the crucial role of appropriate fuel, fire behavior, and weather data to reduce bias in quantifying the source and the composition of fire emissions and to attain reasonable estimations. Also, the current study highlighted that balanced combination of fuel management techniques could not only be a viable mean to reduce fire emissions but at the same time prevent future wildfires and the related threat to human lives and activities.

Climatic and anthropogenic drivers of northern Amazon fires during the 2015-2016 El Niño event.

PubMed

Fonseca, Marisa G; Anderson, Liana O; Arai, Egidio; Shimabukuro, Yosio E; Xaud, Haron A M; Xaud, Maristela R; Madani, Nima; Wagner, Fabien H; Aragão, Luiz E O C

2017-12-01

The strong El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event that occurred in 2015-2016 caused extreme drought in the northern Brazilian Amazon, especially in the state of Roraima, increasing fire occurrence. Here we map the extent of precipitation and fire anomalies and quantify the effects of climatic and anthropogenic drivers on fire occurrence during the 2015-2016 dry season (from December 2015 to March 2016) in the state of Roraima. To achieve these objectives we first estimated the spatial pattern of precipitation anomalies, based on long-term data from the TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission), and the fire anomaly, based on MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) active fire detections during the referred period. Then, we integrated climatic and anthropogenic drivers in a Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) model to quantify fire probability, assessing (1) the model accuracy during the 2015-2016 and the 2016-2017 dry seasons; (2) the relative importance of each predictor variable on the model predictive performance; and (3) the response curves, showing how each environmental variable affects the fire probability. Approximately 59% (132,900 km 2 ) of the study area was exposed to precipitation anomalies ≤-1 standard deviation (SD) in January and ~48% (~106,800 km 2 ) in March. About 38% (86,200 km 2 ) of the study area experienced fire anomalies ≥1 SD in at least one month between December 2015 and March 2016. The distance to roads and the direct ENSO effect on fire occurrence were the two most influential variables on model predictive performance. Despite the improvement of governmental actions of fire prevention and firefighting in Roraima since the last intense ENSO event (1997-1998), we show that fire still gets out of control in the state during extreme drought events. Our results indicate that if no prevention actions are undertaken, future road network expansion and a climate-induced increase in water stress will amplify fire occurrence in the northern Amazon, even in its humid dense forests. As an additional outcome of our analysis, we conclude that the model and the data we used may help to guide on-the-ground fire-prevention actions and firefighting planning and therefore minimize fire-related ecosystems degradation, economic losses and carbon emissions in Roraima. © 2017 by the Ecological Society of America.

Responses of amphibians to fire disturbance in Pacific Northwest forests: a review

Treesearch

R. Bruce Bury; Donald J. Major; David Pilliod

2002-01-01

In western North America, major wildfires often now result in stand-replacement events and natural resources losses for many decades post-burn. Fire severity has been exacerbated by past fire suppression that has allowed large fuel load accumulations. To reduce woody debris and restore the ecological integrity of western forests, prescribed burning is increasingly used...

Florida's Revised Prescribed Fire Law: Protection For Responsible Burners

Treesearch

Jim Brenner; Dale Wade

2003-01-01

In Florida, natural communities require periodic fires for maintenance of their ecological integrity. Because of public concerns, wildfires can no longer be allowed to perform this mandatory function so prescribed burning is essential to manage these plant and animal communities. We discuss the importance of prescribed fire in Florida, outline a history of the state...

Integrated Personal Protective Equipment Standards Support Model

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-04-01

traditional SCBA showed that the distribution of the weight is important as well. Twelve firefighters performed simulated fire -fighting and rescue exercises...respiratory equipment standards and five National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) protective suit, clothing, and respirator standards. The...respirators. The clothing standards were for protective ensembles for urban search and rescue operations, open circuit SCBA for fire and emergency

Evaluating fire-damaged components of historic covered bridges

Treesearch

Brian Kukay; Charles Todd; Tyler Jahn; Jenson Sannon; Logan Dunlap; Robert White; Mark Dietenberger

2016-01-01

Arson continues to claim many historic covered bridges. Site-specific, post-fire evaluations of the structural integrity of a bridge are often necessary in a fire’s aftermath. Decisions on whether individual wood components can be rehabilitated, reconstructed, or replaced must be made. This report includes coverage of existing approaches and exploratory approaches that...

Exact simulation of integrate-and-fire models with exponential currents.

PubMed

Brette, Romain

2007-10-01

Neural networks can be simulated exactly using event-driven strategies, in which the algorithm advances directly from one spike to the next spike. It applies to neuron models for which we have (1) an explicit expression for the evolution of the state variables between spikes and (2) an explicit test on the state variables that predicts whether and when a spike will be emitted. In a previous work, we proposed a method that allows exact simulation of an integrate-and-fire model with exponential conductances, with the constraint of a single synaptic time constant. In this note, we propose a method, based on polynomial root finding, that applies to integrate-and-fire models with exponential currents, with possibly many different synaptic time constants. Models can include biexponential synaptic currents and spike-triggered adaptation currents.

On the evidence for human use and control of fire at Schöningen.

PubMed

Stahlschmidt, Mareike C; Miller, Christopher E; Ligouis, Bertrand; Hambach, Ulrich; Goldberg, Paul; Berna, Francesco; Richter, Daniel; Urban, Brigitte; Serangeli, Jordi; Conard, Nicholas J

2015-12-01

When and how humans began to control fire has been a central debate in Paleolithic archaeology for decades. Fire plays an important role in technology, social organization, subsistence, and manipulation of the environment and is widely seen as a necessary adaptation for the colonization of northern latitudes. Many researchers view purported hearths, burnt wooden implements, and heated flints from Schöningen as providing the best evidence for the control of fire in the Lower Paleolithic of Northern Europe. Here we present results of a multianalytical study of the purported hearths along with a critical examination of other possible evidence of human use or control of fire at Schöningen. We conclude that the analyzed features and artifacts present no convincing evidence for human use or control of fire. Our study also shows that a multianalytical, micro-contextual approach is the best methodology for evaluating claims of early evidence of human-controlled fire. We advise caution with macroscopic, qualitative identification of combustion features, burnt flint, and burnt wood without the application of such techniques as micromorphology, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, organic petrology, luminescence, and analysis of mineral magnetic parameters. The lack of evidence for the human control of fire at Schöningen raises the possibility that fire control was not a necessary adaptation for the human settlement of northern latitudes in the Lower Paleolithic. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Calculation of precise firing statistics in a neural network model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cho, Myoung Won

2017-08-01

A precise prediction of neural firing dynamics is requisite to understand the function of and the learning process in a biological neural network which works depending on exact spike timings. Basically, the prediction of firing statistics is a delicate manybody problem because the firing probability of a neuron at a time is determined by the summation over all effects from past firing states. A neural network model with the Feynman path integral formulation is recently introduced. In this paper, we present several methods to calculate firing statistics in the model. We apply the methods to some cases and compare the theoretical predictions with simulation results.

KSC-2012-6402

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-11-16

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Firing Room 1, also known as the Young-Crippen Firing Room, has been outfitted with computer, communications and networking systems to host rockets and spacecraft that are currently under development. The firing room is where the launch of rockets and spacecraft are controlled at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Flight controllers also monitor processing and preparations of launch vehicles from the firing room. There are four firing rooms inside the Launch Control Center at Kennedy. Photo credit: NASA/Dmitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2012-6401

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-11-16

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Firing Room 1, also known as the Young-Crippen Firing Room, has been outfitted with computer, communications and networking systems to host rockets and spacecraft that are currently under development. The firing room is where the launch of rockets and spacecraft are controlled at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Flight controllers also monitor processing and preparations of launch vehicles from the firing room. There are four firing rooms inside the Launch Control Center at Kennedy. Photo credit: NASA/Dmitri Gerondidakis

Hornby's principles of fire control planning

Treesearch

H. T. Gisborne

1939-01-01

On August 27, 1937, Lloyd G. Hornby died of heart failure on the Toboggan Creek forest fire in the Clearwater National Forest. Few if any men in or out of the U.S. Forest Service have made a greater contribution to fire control planning than did he. In the following article, H. T. Gisborne outlines the principles of fire control planning developed by Mr. Hornby,...

46 CFR 116.433 - Windows and air ports in fire control boundaries.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Windows and air ports in fire control boundaries. 116... CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT Fire Protection § 116.433 Windows and air ports in fire control boundaries. (a) Windows or air ports must be of tempered or laminated glass of at least 6.5 millimeters (0.25 inches) in...

14 CFR 27.861 - Fire protection of structure, controls, and other parts.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Fire protection of structure, controls, and... Protection § 27.861 Fire protection of structure, controls, and other parts. Each part of the structure, controls, rotor mechanism, and other parts essential to a controlled landing that would be affected by...

14 CFR 27.861 - Fire protection of structure, controls, and other parts.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Fire protection of structure, controls, and... Protection § 27.861 Fire protection of structure, controls, and other parts. Each part of the structure, controls, rotor mechanism, and other parts essential to a controlled landing that would be affected by...

14 CFR 29.861 - Fire protection of structure, controls, and other parts.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Fire protection of structure, controls, and... Protection § 29.861 Fire protection of structure, controls, and other parts. Each part of the structure, controls, and the rotor mechanism, and other parts essential to controlled landing and (for category A...

14 CFR 29.861 - Fire protection of structure, controls, and other parts.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Fire protection of structure, controls, and... Protection § 29.861 Fire protection of structure, controls, and other parts. Each part of the structure, controls, and the rotor mechanism, and other parts essential to controlled landing and (for category A...

Functional consistency across two behavioural modalities: fire-setting and self-harm in female special hospital patients.

PubMed

Miller, Sarah; Fritzon, Katarina

2007-01-01

Fire-setting and self-harm behaviours among women in high security special hospitals may be understood using Shye's Action System Theory (AST) in which four functional modes are recognized: 'adaptive', 'expressive', 'integrative', and 'conservative'. To test for relationships between different forms of fire-setting and self-harm behaviours and AST modes among women in special hospital, and for consistency within modes across the two behaviours. Clinical case files evidencing both fire-setting and self-harm behaviours (n = 50) were analysed for content, focusing on incident characteristics. A total of 29 fire-setting and 22 self-harm variables were analysed using Smallest Space Analysis (SSA). Chi-square and Spearman's rho (rho) analyses were used to determine functional consistency across behavioural modes. Most women showed one predominant AST mode in fire-setting (n = 39) and self-harm (n = 35). Significant positive correlations were found between integrative and adaptive modes of functioning. The lack of correlation between conservative and expressive modes reflects the differing behaviours used in each activity. Despite this, significant cross-tabulations revealed that each woman had parallel fire-setting and self-harm styles. Findings suggest that, for some women, setting fires and self harm fulfil a similar underlying function. Support is given to AST as a way of furthering understanding of damaging behaviours, whether self- or other-inflicted. Copyright 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Future Wildfire and Managed Fire Interactions in the Lake Tahoe Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scheller, R.; Kretchun, A.

2017-12-01

Managing large forested landscape in the context of a changing climate and altered disturbance regimes presents new challenges and require integrated assessments of forest disturbance, management, succession, and the carbon cycle. Successful management under these circumstances will require information about trade-offs among multiple objectives and opportunities for spatially optimized landscape-scale management. Improved information about the effects of climate on forest communities, disturbance feedbacks, and the effectiveness of mitigation strategies enables actionable options for landscape managers. We evaluated the effects of fire suppression, wildfires, and forest fuel (thinning) treatments on the long-term carbon storage potential for Lake Tahoe Basin (LTB) forests under various climate futures. We simulated management scenarios that encompass fuel treatments across the larger landscape, beyond the Wildland Urban Interface. We improved upon current fire modeling under climate change via an integrated fire modeling module that, a) explicitly captures the influence of climate, fuels, topography, active fire management (e.g., fire suppression), and fuel treatments, and b) can be parameterized from available data, e.g., remote sensing, field reporting, fire databases, expert opinion. These improvements increase geographic flexibility and decrease reliance on broad historical fire regime statistics - imperfect targets for a no analog future and require minimal parameterization and calibration. We assessed the interactions among fuel treatments, prescribe fire, fire suppression, and stochastically recurring wildfires. Predicted changes in climate and ignition patterns in response to future climatic conditions, vegetation dynamics, and fuel treatments indicate larger potential long-term effects on C emissions, forest structure, and forest composition than prior studies.

Efficient and accurate time-stepping schemes for integrate-and-fire neuronal networks.

PubMed

Shelley, M J; Tao, L

2001-01-01

To avoid the numerical errors associated with resetting the potential following a spike in simulations of integrate-and-fire neuronal networks, Hansel et al. and Shelley independently developed a modified time-stepping method. Their particular scheme consists of second-order Runge-Kutta time-stepping, a linear interpolant to find spike times, and a recalibration of postspike potential using the spike times. Here we show analytically that such a scheme is second order, discuss the conditions under which efficient, higher-order algorithms can be constructed to treat resets, and develop a modified fourth-order scheme. To support our analysis, we simulate a system of integrate-and-fire conductance-based point neurons with all-to-all coupling. For six-digit accuracy, our modified Runge-Kutta fourth-order scheme needs a time-step of Delta(t) = 0.5 x 10(-3) seconds, whereas to achieve comparable accuracy using a recalibrated second-order or a first-order algorithm requires time-steps of 10(-5) seconds or 10(-9) seconds, respectively. Furthermore, since the cortico-cortical conductances in standard integrate-and-fire neuronal networks do not depend on the value of the membrane potential, we can attain fourth-order accuracy with computational costs normally associated with second-order schemes.

Importance of the cutoff value in the quadratic adaptive integrate-and-fire model.

PubMed

Touboul, Jonathan

2009-08-01

The quadratic adaptive integrate-and-fire model (Izhikevich, 2003 , 2007 ) is able to reproduce various firing patterns of cortical neurons and is widely used in large-scale simulations of neural networks. This model describes the dynamics of the membrane potential by a differential equation that is quadratic in the voltage, coupled to a second equation for adaptation. Integration is stopped during the rise phase of a spike at a voltage cutoff value V(c) or when it blows up. Subsequently the membrane potential is reset, and the adaptation variable is increased by a fixed amount. We show in this note that in the absence of a cutoff value, not only the voltage but also the adaptation variable diverges in finite time during spike generation in the quadratic model. The divergence of the adaptation variable makes the system very sensitive to the cutoff: changing V(c) can dramatically alter the spike patterns. Furthermore, from a computational viewpoint, the divergence of the adaptation variable implies that the time steps for numerical simulation need to be small and adaptive. However, divergence of the adaptation variable does not occur for the quartic model (Touboul, 2008 ) and the adaptive exponential integrate-and-fire model (Brette & Gerstner, 2005 ). Hence, these models are robust to changes in the cutoff value.

Fire Detection Using tin Oxide Gas Sensors Installed in an Indoor Space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shibata, Shin-Ichi; Higashino, Tsubasa; Sawada, Ayako; Oyabu, Takashi; Takei, Yoshinori; Nanto, Hidehito; Toko, Kiyoshi

Many lives and facilities were lost by fire. Especially, there are many damages to elderly, toddlers and babies. In Japan, number of deaths over 65 years old reached to 53% in 2004. Number of over 81 years olds went to 20%. It takes for the elderly person more time to sense fire and also to evacuate to safe places. Although it is important to prevent the fire, it also needs to inform the fire breaking as early as possible. Human sense decreases with age and it is difficult to perceive the fire at an early stage. It is desired to develop a higher sensitive element for fire and its system which can detect fire at an early stage. In this experiment, tin oxide gas sensors were adopted to detect a smoldering fire at the early stage. Most common case of fire is the smoldering fire. The reliability of the sensor is higher and it is adopted in a gas alarm detector. The sensor can also detect slight amount of odor molecule. In our previous experiment, it became obvious that it was better to install the sensor to the ceiling to detect odor components generating from smoldering fire. Therefore, five sensors were installed in the ceiling away from each other and the method to detect the fire was examined. As a result, a characteristic was newly derived by adding the sensor outputs for one minute. The sensor output was input every 0.1s. The characteristic is called as the integrated characteristic. After that, the differential characteristic was derived using the integrated characteristic. The fire was determined using the differential characteristics. The materials causing a smoldering fire were woodchip, wallpaper and carpet as subjects. The system could detect the fire in several minutes for whole materials. The sensor is effective to detect the smoldering fire at an early stage. It is necessary to detect a cigarette smoke to distinguish as non fire. In this study, the discrimination was also examined using a quadratic function (ax2+b). The coefficients a and b were effective to identify smoldering fire and cigarette smoke. Principal component analysis for the arrival speed S which meant a kind of odor-speed was also useful to distinguish fire from non fire.

Waterfowl populations are resilient to immediate and lagged impacts of wildfires in the boreal forest

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lewis, Tyler; Schmutz, Joel A.; Amundson, Courtney L.; Lindberg, Mark S.

2016-01-01

Summary 1. Wildfires are the principal disturbance in the boreal forest, and their size and frequency are increasing as the climate warms. Impacts of fires on boreal wildlife are largely unknown, especially for the tens of millions of waterfowl that breed in the region. This knowledge gap creates significant barriers to the integrative management of fires and waterfowl, leading to fire policies that largely disregard waterfowl. 2. Waterfowl populations across the western boreal forest of North America have been monitored annually since 1955 by the Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey (BPOP), widely considered the most extensive wildlife survey in the world. Using these data, we examined impacts of forest fires on abundance of two waterfowl guilds – dabblers and divers. We modelled waterfowl abundance in relation to fire extent (i.e. amount of survey transect burned) and time since fire, examining both immediate and lagged fire impacts. 3. From 1955 to 2014, >1100 fires in the western boreal forest intersected BPOP survey transects, and many transects burned multiple times. Nonetheless, fires had no detectable impact on waterfowl abundance; annual transect counts of dabbler and diver pairs remained stable from the pre- to post-fire period. 4. The absence of fire impacts on waterfowl abundance extended from the years immediately following the fire to those more than a decade afterwards. Likewise, the amount of transect burned did not influence waterfowl abundance, with similar pair counts from the pre- to post-fire period for small (1–20% burned), medium (21–60%) and large (>60%) burns. 5. Policy implications. Waterfowl populations appear largely resilient to forest fires, providing initial evidence that current policies of limited fire suppression, which predominate throughout much of the boreal forest, have not been detrimental to waterfowl populations. Likewise, fire-related management actions, such as prescribed burning or targeted suppression, seem to have limited impacts on waterfowl abundance and productivity. For waterfowl managers, our results suggest that adaptive models of waterfowl harvest, which annually guide hunting quotas, do not need to emphasize fires when integrating climate change effects.

Atmospheric emission inventory of hazardous trace elements from China's coal-fired power plants--temporal trends and spatial variation characteristics.

PubMed

Tian, Hezhong; Liu, Kaiyun; Zhou, Junrui; Lu, Long; Hao, Jiming; Qiu, Peipei; Gao, Jiajia; Zhu, Chuanyong; Wang, Kun; Hua, Shenbing

2014-03-18

Coal-fired power plants are the important sources of anthropogenic atmospheric releases of various hazardous trace elements (HTE) because a large quantity of emissions can cause wide dispersion and possible long-distance transportation. To obtain the temporal trends and spatial variation characteristics of various HTE discharged from coal-fired power plants of China, a multiple-year comprehensive emission inventory of HTE including Hg, As, Se, Pb, Cd, Cr, Ni, and Sb has been established for the period 2000-2010. Thanks to the cobenefit removal effects of conventional particulate matter/sulfur dioxide/nitrogen oxides (PM/SO2/NOx) control devices, emissions of these 8 toxic elements have shown a gradual decline since the peak in 2006. The total emissions of Hg, As, Se, Pb, Cd, Cr, Ni, and Sb are substantial and are estimated at about 118.54, 335.45, 459.4, 705.45, 13.34, 505.03, 446.42, and 82.33 tons (t), respectively, in 2010. Shandong, Jiangsu, Shanxi, and Hebei always rank among the top ten provinces with the highest emissions. Further, future emissions for 2015 and 2020 are projected with scenario analysis. Advanced technologies and integrated management strategies to control HTE are in great need.

Fuelling the palaeoatmospheric oxygen debate: how much atmospheric oxygen is required for ignition and propagation of smouldering fires?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belcher, Claire M.; Hadden, Rory; McElwain, Jennifer C.; Rein, Guillermo

2010-05-01

Fire is a natural process integral to ecosystems at a wide range of temporal and spatial scales and is a key driver of change in the Earth system. Fire has been a major influence on Earth's systems since the Carboniferous. Whilst, climate is considered the ultimate control on global vegetation, fire is now known to play a key role in determining vegetation structure and composition, such that many of the world's ecosystems can be considered fire-dependant. Products of fire include chars, soots and aromatic hydrocarbon species all of which can be traced in ancient through to modern sediments. Atmospheric oxygen has played a key role in the development of life on Earth, with the rise of oxygen in the Precambrian being closely linked to biological evolution. Variations in the concentration of atmospheric oxygen throughout the Phanerozoic are predicted from models based on geochemical cycling of carbon and sulphur. Such models predict that low atmospheric oxygen concentrations prevailed in the Mesozoic (251-65ma) and have been hypothesised to be the primary driver of at least two of the ‘big five' mass extinction events in the Phanerozoic. Here we assess the levels of atmospheric oxygen required to ignite a fire and infer the likely levels of atmospheric oxygen to support smouldering combustion. Smouldering fire dynamics and its effects on ecosystems are very different from flaming fires. Smouldering fires propagate slowly, are usually low in temperature and represent a flameless form of combustion. These fires creep through organic layers of forest ground and peat lands and are responsible for a large fraction of the total biomass consumed in wildfires globally and are also a major contributor of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. Once ignited, they can persist for long periods of time (months, years) spreading over very extensive areas of forest and deep into soil. Smouldering fires are therefore, the oldest continuously burning fires on Earth. We have combined expertise from both the Earth science and fire engineering disciplines to develop realistic ignition mechanisms and measurements of fire propagation within different levels of atmospheric oxygen. We present data from experimental burns run in the fully controlled and realistic atmospheric environment of the UCD PÉAC facility. The burns are designed to develop our understanding of ignition of fires in the natural world. We have studied ignition and propagation of fire in peat, a natural and highly flammable substance. Peat samples of approximately 100mm by 100mm in cross section and 50mm in depth were exposed to an ignition source (~100W of electric power) for 30 minutes. Thermocouples were placed throughout the sample to measure temperature changes during the initial 30 minute ignition phase and in order to observe ignition of the peat, intensity of combustion and spread of the smouldering front within the different atmospheric oxygen settings. We show that ignition and propagation of smouldering in peat does not occur below 16% atmospheric oxygen and that smouldering combustion continues for long periods (~4 hours in the size sample used) at 18% atmospheric oxygen and above. This suggests that atmospheric levels above 16% atmospheric are required to allow ignition and propagation of smouldering fires and that frequent occurrences of wildfires might only be expected in the geological past when atmospheric levels were above 18% oxygen. Fires play an important role in Earth's biogeochemical cycles; this work suggests that fire feedbacks into the Earth system would likely have been suppressed during periods of low atmospheric oxygen.

Modeling Fire Occurrence at the City Scale: A Comparison between Geographically Weighted Regression and Global Linear Regression.

PubMed

Song, Chao; Kwan, Mei-Po; Zhu, Jiping

2017-04-08

An increasing number of fires are occurring with the rapid development of cities, resulting in increased risk for human beings and the environment. This study compares geographically weighted regression-based models, including geographically weighted regression (GWR) and geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR), which integrates spatial and temporal effects and global linear regression models (LM) for modeling fire risk at the city scale. The results show that the road density and the spatial distribution of enterprises have the strongest influences on fire risk, which implies that we should focus on areas where roads and enterprises are densely clustered. In addition, locations with a large number of enterprises have fewer fire ignition records, probably because of strict management and prevention measures. A changing number of significant variables across space indicate that heterogeneity mainly exists in the northern and eastern rural and suburban areas of Hefei city, where human-related facilities or road construction are only clustered in the city sub-centers. GTWR can capture small changes in the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of the variables while GWR and LM cannot. An approach that integrates space and time enables us to better understand the dynamic changes in fire risk. Thus governments can use the results to manage fire safety at the city scale.

Modeling Fire Occurrence at the City Scale: A Comparison between Geographically Weighted Regression and Global Linear Regression

PubMed Central

Song, Chao; Kwan, Mei-Po; Zhu, Jiping

2017-01-01

An increasing number of fires are occurring with the rapid development of cities, resulting in increased risk for human beings and the environment. This study compares geographically weighted regression-based models, including geographically weighted regression (GWR) and geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR), which integrates spatial and temporal effects and global linear regression models (LM) for modeling fire risk at the city scale. The results show that the road density and the spatial distribution of enterprises have the strongest influences on fire risk, which implies that we should focus on areas where roads and enterprises are densely clustered. In addition, locations with a large number of enterprises have fewer fire ignition records, probably because of strict management and prevention measures. A changing number of significant variables across space indicate that heterogeneity mainly exists in the northern and eastern rural and suburban areas of Hefei city, where human-related facilities or road construction are only clustered in the city sub-centers. GTWR can capture small changes in the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of the variables while GWR and LM cannot. An approach that integrates space and time enables us to better understand the dynamic changes in fire risk. Thus governments can use the results to manage fire safety at the city scale. PMID:28397745

A scale-up field experiment for the monitoring of a burning process using chemical, audio, and video sensors.

PubMed

Stavrakakis, P; Agapiou, A; Mikedi, K; Karma, S; Statheropoulos, M; Pallis, G C; Pappa, A

2014-01-01

Fires are becoming more violent and frequent resulting in major economic losses and long-lasting effects on communities and ecosystems; thus, efficient fire monitoring is becoming a necessity. A novel triple multi-sensor approach was developed for monitoring and studying the burning of dry forest fuel in an open field scheduled experiment; chemical, optical, and acoustical sensors were combined to record the fire spread. The results of this integrated field campaign for real-time monitoring of the fire event are presented and discussed. Chemical analysis, despite its limitations, corresponded to the burning process with a minor time delay. Nevertheless, the evolution profile of CO2, CO, NO, and O2 were detected and monitored. The chemical monitoring of smoke components enabled the observing of the different fire phases (flaming, smoldering) based on the emissions identified in each phase. The analysis of fire acoustical signals presented accurate and timely response to the fire event. In the same content, the use of a thermographic camera, for monitoring the biomass burning, was also considerable (both profiles of the intensities of average gray and red component greater than 230) and presented similar promising potentials to audio results. Further work is needed towards integrating sensors signals for automation purposes leading to potential applications in real situations.

Integrated Active Fire Retrievals and Biomass Burning Emissions Using Complementary Near-Coincident Ground, Airborne and Spaceborne Sensor Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schroeder, Wilfrid; Ellicott, Evan; Ichoku, Charles; Ellison, Luke; Dickinson, Matthew B.; Ottmar, Roger D.; Clements, Craig; Hall, Dianne; Ambrosia, Vincent; Kremens, Robert

2013-01-01

Ground, airborne and spaceborne data were collected for a 450 ha prescribed fire implemented on 18 October 2011 at the Henry W. Coe State Park in California. The integration of various data elements allowed near coincident active fire retrievals to be estimated. The Autonomous Modular Sensor-Wildfire (AMS) airborne multispectral imaging system was used as a bridge between ground and spaceborne data sets providing high quality reference information to support satellite fire retrieval error analyses and fire emissions estimates. We found excellent agreement between peak fire radiant heat flux data (less than 1% error) derived from near-coincident ground radiometers and AMS. Both MODIS and GOES imager active fire products were negatively influenced by the presence of thick smoke, which was misclassified as cloud by their algorithms, leading to the omission of fire pixels beneath the smoke, and resulting in the underestimation of their retrieved fire radiative power (FRP) values for the burn plot, compared to the reference airborne data. Agreement between airborne and spaceborne FRP data improved significantly after correction for omission errors and atmospheric attenuation, resulting in as low as 5 difference between AquaMODIS and AMS. Use of in situ fuel and fire energy estimates in combination with a collection of AMS, MODIS, and GOES FRP retrievals provided a fuel consumption factor of 0.261 kg per MJ, total energy release of 14.5 x 10(exp 6) MJ, and total fuel consumption of 3.8 x 10(exp 6) kg. Fire emissions were calculated using two separate techniques, resulting in as low as 15 difference for various species

46 CFR 193.10-5 - Fire pumps.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... pressures specified in § 193.10-5(i)(1)(i). (2) Remote control of fire pumps. (i) At least one fire pump must be capable of remote activation and control. (ii) If the fire pump is in a continuously manned... 46 Shipping 7 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Fire pumps. 193.10-5 Section 193.10-5 Shipping COAST...

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

Kang, D. I.; Han, S. H.

A PSA analyst has been manually determining fire-induced component failure modes and modeling them into the PSA logics. These can be difficult and time-consuming tasks as they need much information and many events are to be modeled. KAERI has been developing the IPRO-ZONE (interface program for constructing zone effect table) to facilitate fire PSA works for identifying and modeling fire-induced component failure modes, and to construct a one top fire event PSA model. With the output of the IPRO-ZONE, the AIMS-PSA, and internal event one top PSA model, one top fire events PSA model is automatically constructed. The outputs ofmore » the IPRO-ZONE include information on fire zones/fire scenarios, fire propagation areas, equipment failure modes affected by a fire, internal PSA basic events corresponding to fire-induced equipment failure modes, and fire events to be modeled. This paper introduces the IPRO-ZONE, and its application results to fire PSA of Ulchin Unit 3 and SMART(System-integrated Modular Advanced Reactor). (authors)« less

Control of the Air: The Enduring Requirement

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-09-08

Atoll [Soviet heat-seeking missile] fired anywhere in parameters would find itself in the position of the proverbial mosquito in the nudist colony. It...the MiG-17/19/21 families . The F-105 Thunderchief is another example. Although ostensibly a fighter, it was, in reality, a nuclear strike aircraft...by modern integrated air defense systems, many of which feature increasingly longer-range air defense systems such as the Russian S-300 family of

Development of a Method for Selecting Optimum Sites for the Automatic Mountain Meteorology Observation Station (AMOS) to Improve Predictability of Forest Fires in Inaccessible Area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoon, S.; Won, M.; Jang, K.; Lim, J.

2016-12-01

As there has been a recent increase in the case of forest fires in North Korea descending southward through the De-Militarized Zone (DMZ), ensuring proper response to such events has been a challenge. Therefore, in order to respond and manage these forest fires appropriately, an improvement in the forest fire predictability through integration of mountain weather information observed at the most optimal site is necessary. This study is a proactive case in which a spatial analysis and an on-site assessment method were developed for selecting an optimum site for a mountain weather observation in national forest. For spatial analysis, the class 1 and 2 forest fire danger areas for the past 10 years, accessibility maximum 100m, Automatic Weather Station (AWS) redundancy within 2.5km, and mountain terrains higher than 200m were analyzed. A final overlay analysis was performed to select the candidates for the field assessment. The sites selected through spatial analysis were quantitatively evaluated based on the optimal meteorological environment, forest and hiking trail accessibility, AWS redundancy, and supply of wireless communication and solar powered electricity. The sites with total score of 70 and higher were accepted as adequate. At the final selected sites, an AMOS was established, and integration of mountain and Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) weather data improved the forest fire predictability in South Korea by 10%. Given these study results, we expect that establishing an automatic mountain meteorology observation station at the optimal sites in inaccessible area and integrating mountain weather data will improve the predictability of forest fires.

Hydrogeological controls on post-fire moss recovery in peatlands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lukenbach, M. C.; Devito, K. J.; Kettridge, N.; Petrone, R. M.; Waddington, J. M.

2015-11-01

Wildfire is the largest disturbance affecting boreal peatlands, however, little is known about the controls on post-fire peatland vegetation recovery. While small-scale variation in burn severity can reduce post-fire moss water availability, high water table (WT) positions following wildfire are also critical to enable the re-establishment of keystone peatland mosses (i.e. Sphagnum). Thus, post-fire moss water availability is also likely a function of landscape-scale controls on peatland WT dynamics, specifically, connectivity to groundwater flow systems (i.e. hydrogeological setting). For this reason, we assessed the interacting controls of hydrogeological setting and burn severity on post-fire moss water availability in three burned, Sphagnum-dominated peatlands in Alberta's Boreal Plains. At all sites, variation in burn severity resulted in a dichotomy between post-fire surface covers that: (1) exhibited low water availability, regardless of WT position, and had minimal (<5%) moss re-establishment (i.e. lightly burned feather mosses and severely burned Sphagnum fuscum) or (2) exhibited high water availability, depending on WT position, and had substantial (>50%) moss re-establishment (i.e. lightly burned S. fuscum and where depth of burn was >0.05 m). Notably, hydrogeological setting influenced the spatial coverage of these post-fire surface covers by influencing pre-fire WTs and stand characteristics (e.g., shading). Because feather moss cover is controlled by tree shading, lightly burned feather mosses were ubiquitous (>25%) in drier peatlands (deeper pre-fire WTs) that were densely treed and had little connection to large groundwater flow systems. Moreover, hydrogeological setting also controlled post-fire WT positions, thereby affecting moss re-establishment in post-fire surface covers that were dependent on WT position (e.g., lightly burned S. fuscum). Accordingly, higher recolonization rates were observed in a peatland located in a groundwater flow through system that had a shallow post-fire WT. Therefore, we argue that hydrogeological setting influences post-fire recovery in two ways: (1) by influencing vegetation structure prior to wildfire, thereby controlling the coverage of post-fire surface covers and (2) by influencing post-fire WT positions. These results suggest that post-fire moss recovery in peatlands isolated from groundwater flow systems may be particularly susceptible to droughts and future climate change.

Forest Fire Ecology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zucca, Carol; And Others

1995-01-01

Presents a model that integrates high school science with the needs of the local scientific community. Describes how a high school ecology class conducted scientific research in fire ecology that benefited the students and a state park forest ecologist. (MKR)

Numerical study of propagation of forest fires in the presence of fire breaks using an averaged setting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marzaeva, S. I.; Galtseva, O. V.

2018-05-01

The forest fires spread in the pine forests have been numerically simulated using a three-dimensional mathematical model. The model was integrated with respect to the vertical coordinate because horizontal sizes of forest are much greater than the heights of trees. In this paper, the assignment and theoretical investigations of the problems of crown forest fires spread pass the firebreaks were carried out. In this context, a study ( mathematical modeling) of the conditions of forest fire spreading that would make it possible to obtain a detailed picture of the change in the temperature and component concentration fields with time, and determine as well as the limiting condition of fire propagation in forest with these fire breaks.

6. UNDERGROUND FIRING CONTROL ROOM, INTERIOR. Looking southeast to escape ...

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

6. UNDERGROUND FIRING CONTROL ROOM, INTERIOR. Looking southeast to escape tunnel. - Edwards Air Force Base, Air Force Rocket Propulsion Laboratory, Firing Control Building, Test Area 1-100, northeast end of Test Area 1-100 Road, Boron, Kern County, CA

Fire recurrence effects on aboveground plant and soil carbon stocks in Mediterranean shrublands with Aleppo pine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herman, J.; den Ouden, J.; Mohren, G. M. J.; Retana, J.; Serrasolses, I.

2009-04-01

Changes in fire regime due to intensification of human influence during the last decades led to changes in vegetation structure and composition, productivity and carbon sink strength of Mediterranean shrublands and forests. It is anticipated that further climate warming and lower precipitation will enhance fire frequency, having consequences for the carbon budget and carbon storage in Mediterranean ecosystems. The purpose of this study was to determine whether fire recurrence modifies aboveground plant and soil carbon stocks, soil organic carbon content and total soil nitrogen content in shrublands with Aleppo pine on the Garraf Massif in Catalonia (Spain). Stands differing in fire frequency (1, 2 and 3 fires since 1957) were examined 13 years after the stand-replacing fire of 1994 and compared with control stands which were free of fire since 1957. Recurrent fires led to a decrease in total ecosystem carbon stocks. Control sites stored 12203 g m-2C which was 3.5, 5.0 and 5.5 times more than sites that burned 1, 2 and 3 times respectively. Carbon stored in the aboveground biomass exceeded soil carbon stocks in control plots, while soils were the dominant carbon pool in burned plots. An increasing fire frequency from 1 to 2 fires decreased total soil carbon stock. Control soils stored 3551 g m-2C, of which 70 % was recovered over 13 years in once burned soils and approximately 50 % in soils that had 2 or 3 fires. The soil litter (LF) layer carbon stock decreased with increasing fire frequency from 1 to 2 fires, whereas humus (H) layer and upper mineral soil carbon stocks did not change consistently with fire frequency. Fire decreased the organic carbon content in LF and H horizons, however no significant effect of fire frequency was found. Increasing fire frequency from 1 to 2 fires caused a decrease in the organic carbon content in the upper mineral soil. Total soil N content and C/N ratios were not significantly impacted by fire frequency. Recurrent fires had the greatest impact on aboveground plant carbon stocks. Aboveground plants in control plots amounted to 8652 g m-2C, of which 93 % was stored in trees, while carbon storage in the most frequently burned sites was only 509 g m-2C. Shrub carbon varied barely between fire frequencies, corroborating the high resilience of resprouting shrub species to fire recurrence. The most striking result was the immense decrease in Aleppo pine carbon stock which varied between 7770 g m-2in control plots and 25.6 g m-2in 3-fires plots. Differences between control and burned plots are principally explained by the age of the plots. The decrease in Aleppo pine carbon stock within burned plots was not associated with a growth reduction, but was due to a decrease in stem density. The results indeed indicate that the recruitment of Aleppo pine on more frequently burned plots is obstructed due to cumulative effects of short fire return-intervals (

Detonation command and control

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

Mace, Jonathan Lee; Seitz, Gerald J.; Echave, John A.

The detonation of one or more explosive charges and propellant charges by a detonator in response to a fire control signal from a command and control system comprised of a command center and instrumentation center with a communications link therebetween. The fire control signal is selectively provided to the detonator from the instrumentation center if plural detonation control switches at the command center are in a fire authorization status, and instruments, and one or more interlocks, if included, are in a ready for firing status. The instrumentation and command centers are desirably mobile, such as being respective vehicles.

Detonation command and control

DOEpatents

Mace, Jonathan L.; Seitz, Gerald J.; Echave, John A.; Le Bas, Pierre-Yves

2015-11-10

The detonation of one or more explosive charges and propellant charges by a detonator in response to a fire control signal from a command and control system comprised of a command center and instrumentation center with a communications link therebetween. The fire control signal is selectively provided to the detonator from the instrumentation center if plural detonation control switches at the command center are in a fire authorization status, and instruments, and one or more interlocks, if included, are in a ready for firing status. The instrumentation and command centers are desirably mobile, such as being respective vehicles.

Detonation command and control

DOEpatents

Mace, Jonathan L.; Seitz, Gerald J.; Echave, John A.; Le Bas, Pierre-Yves

2016-05-31

The detonation of one or more explosive charges and propellant charges by a detonator in response to a fire control signal from a command and control system comprised of a command center and instrumentation center with a communications link there between. The fire control signal is selectively provided to the detonator from the instrumentation center if plural detonation control switches at the command center are in a fire authorization status, and instruments, and one or more interlocks, if included, are in a ready for firing status. The instrumentation and command centers are desirably mobile, such as being respective vehicles.

Historical and future emission of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) from gas-fired combustion in Beijing, China.

PubMed

Xue, Yifeng; Nie, Lei; Zhou, Zhen; Tian, Hezhong; Yan, Jing; Wu, Xiaoqing; Cheng, Linglong

2017-07-01

The consumption of natural gas in Beijing has increased in the past decade due to energy structure adjustments and air pollution abatement. In this study, an integrated emission inventory of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) emitted from gas-fired combustion in Beijing was developed for the period from 2000 to 2014 using a technology-based approach. Future emission trends were projected through 2030 based on current energy-related and emission control policies. We found that emissions of primary HAPs exhibited an increasing trend with the rapid increase in natural gas consumption. Our estimates indicated that the total emissions of NO X , particulate matter (PM) 10 , PM 2.5 , CO, VOCs, SO 2 , black carbon, Pb, Cd, Hg, As, Cr, Cu, Ni, Zn, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans, and benzo[a]pyrene from gas-fired combustion in Beijing were approximately 22,422 t, 1042 t, 781 t, 19,097 t, 653 t, 82 t, 19 t, 0.6 kg, 0.1 kg, 43 kg, 52 kg, 0.3 kg, 0.03 kg, 4.3 kg, 0.6 kg, 216 μg, and 242 g, respectively, in 2014. To mitigate the associated air pollution and health risks caused by gas-fired combustion, stricter emission standards must be established. Additionally, combustion optimization and flue gas purification system could be used for lowering NO X emissions from gas-fired combustion, and gas-fired facilities should be continuously monitored based on emission limits. Graphical abstract Spatial distribution and typical live photos of gas-fired boiler in Beijing.

First-order fire effects on herbs and Shrubs: present knowledge and process modeling needs

Treesearch

Kirsten Stephan; Melanie Miller; Matthew B. Dickinson

2010-01-01

Herbaceous plants and shrubs have received little attention in terms of fire effects modeling despite their critical role in ecosystem integrity and resilience after wildfires and prescribed burns. In this paper, we summarize current knowledge of direct effects of fire on herb and shrub (including cacti) vegetative tissues and seed banks, propose key components for...

Managing forest structure and fire hazard--a tool for planners.

Treesearch

M.C. Johnson; D.L. Peterson; C.L. Raymond

2006-01-01

Fire planners and other resource managers need to examine a range of potential fuel and vegetation treatments to select options that will lead to desired outcomes for fire hazard and natural resource conditions. A new approach to this issue integrates concepts and tools from silviculture and fuel science to quantify outcomes for a large number of treatment options in...

Prescribed fire applications in Forest and Woodlands: Integration of models and field studies to guide fire use

Treesearch

Kevin C. Ryan; Eric Rigolot; Francisco C. Rego; Herminio Botelho; Jose A. Vega; Paulo M. Fernandes; Tatiana M. Sofronova

2010-01-01

Globally prescribed burning is widely used for agro-forestry, restoration, and conservation to modify species composition and stand structure. Commonly stated goals of prescribed burns include to reduce hazardous fuels, improve species’ habitat, reduce the potential for severe fires in the wildland urban interface or protect municipal watersheds. Treatments may focus...

Participatory Geographic Information Systems as an organizational platform for the integration of traditional and scientific knowledge in contemporary fire and fuels management

Treesearch

Brooke Balauf McBride; Fernando Sanchez-Trigueros; Stephen J Carver; Alan E Watson; Linda Moon Stumpff; Roian Matt; William T. Borrie

2016-01-01

Traditional knowledge about fire and its effects held by indigenous people, who are connected to specific landscapes, holds promise for informing contemporary fire and fuels management strategies and augmenting knowledge and information derived from western science. In practice, however, inadequate means to organize and communicate this traditional knowledge with...

Measurements, datasets and preliminary results from the RxCADRE project-2008, 2011 and 2012

Treesearch

Roger D. Ottmar; J. Kevin Hiers; Bret W. Butler; Craig B. Clements; Matthew B. Dickinson; Andrew T. Hudak; Joseph O' Brien; Brian E. Potter; Eric M. Rowell; Tara M. Strand; Thomas J. Zajkowski

2016-01-01

The lack of independent, quality-assured field data prevents scientists from effectively evaluating and advancing wildland fire models. To rectify this, scientists and technicians convened in the southeastern United States in 2008, 2011 and 2012 to collect wildland fire data in six integrated core science disciplines defined by the fire modelling community. These were...

A history of fire, disturbance, and growth in Red oak Stand in the Bancroft District, Ontario

Treesearch

Richard P. Guyette; Daniel C. Dey

1995-01-01

Disturbance is integral to the regeneration and growth of northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.) in Ontario, and historically fire has favoured red oak regeneration (Lorimer 1985, 1989, 1993; Abrams 1992; Abrams and Nowacki 1992; Johnson 1993; Van Lear and Watt 1993). In the pre-suppression era, fire was an important disturbance event that affected...

Carbon tradeoffs of restoration and provision of endangered species habitat in a fire-maintained forest

Treesearch

Katherine L. Martin; Matthew D. Hurteau; Bruce A. Hungate; George W. Koch; Malcolm P. North

2015-01-01

Forests are a significant part of the global carbon cycle and are increasingly viewed as tools for mitigating climate change. Natural disturbances, such as fire, can reduce carbon storage. However, many forests and dependent species evolved with frequent fire as an integral ecosystem process. We used a landscape forest simulation model to evaluate the effects of...

Fuels planning: science synthesis and integration; economic uses fact sheet 08: prescribed fire costs

Treesearch

Rocky Mountain Research Station USDA Forest Service

2004-01-01

Although the use of prescribed fire as a management tool is widespread, there is great variability and uncertainty in the treatment costs. Given specific site variables and management objectives, how much will it cost to use prescribed fire? This paper describes the FASTRACS database, a tool that has been developed to aid managers in addressing this question.

Assessing three fuel classification systems and their maps using Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) surface fuel measurements

Treesearch

Robert E. Keane; Jason M. Herynk; Chris Toney; Shawn P. Urbanski; Duncan C. Lutes; Roger D. Ottmar

2015-01-01

Fuel classifications are integral tools in fire management and planning because they are used as inputs to fire behavior and effects simulation models. Fuel Loading Models (FLMs) and Fuel Characteristic Classification System (FCCSs) fuelbeds are the most popular classifications used throughout wildland fire science and management, but they have yet to be thoroughly...

Modeling relationships among 217 fires using remote sensing of burn severity in southern pine forests

Treesearch

Sparkle L. Malone; Leda N. Kobziar; Christina L. Staudhammer; Amr Abd-Elrahman

2011-01-01

Pine flatwoods forests in the southeastern US have experienced severe wildfires over the past few decades, often attributed to fuel load build-up. These forest communities are fire dependent and require regular burning for ecosystem maintenance and health. Although prescribed fire has been used to reduce wildfire risk and maintain ecosystem integrity, managers are...

The Lick Creek Demonstration - Forest Renewal Through Partial Harvest and Fire

Treesearch

Benjamin Zamora; Melinda Martin

2006-01-01

The Lick Creek Demonstration Site on the Pomeroy Ranger District, Umatilla National Forest, is a Joint Fire Science Program sponsored project to create a demonstration of the effects of fuels management on forest health. The project was initiated in 2001 and involved the integration of two levels of partial harvest with prescribed fire, a burn only treatment and an...

Electric ants: A cross-disciplinary approach to understanding insect behavior

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

Slowik, T.J.; Thorvilson, H.G.; Green, B.L.

1996-12-31

The response and attraction of the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, to electrical equipment was examined using an interdisciplinary approach. Entomologists specializing in fire ant behavior combined expertise with electrical engineers to investigate the economically damaging interaction of fire ants with electrical circuitry. Knowledge from the realms of physics, engineering, and biology were integrated in experimentation to test for a fire ant response to electric fields and magnetic fields associated with electrical equipment. It was determined that fire ants react to electrified conductive material and the alternating-current magnetic fields associated with electricity.

Bottlenecks in Geospatial Data-Driven Decision-Making for Natural Disaster Management: A Case Study of Forest Fire Prevention and Control in Guatemala's Maya Biosphere Reserve

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berenter, J. S.; Mueller, J. M.; Morrison, I.

2016-12-01

Annual forest fires are a source of great economic and environmental cost in the Maya Biosphere Reserve (MBR), a region of high ecological and historical value in Guatemala's department of Petén. Scarce institutional resources, limited local response capacity, and difficult terrain place a premium on the use of Earth observation data for forest fire management in the MBR, but also present significant institutional barriers to optimizing the value of this data. Drawing upon key informant interviews and a contingent valuation survey of national and local actors conducted during a three-year performance evaluation of the USAID/NASA Regional Visualization and Monitoring System (SERVIR), this paper traces the flow of SERVIR data from acquisition to decision in order to assess the institutional and contextual factors affecting the value of Earth observation data for forest fire management in the MBR. Findings indicate that the use of satellite data for forest fire management in the MBR is widespread and multi-dimensional: historical assessments of land use and land cover, fire scarring, and climate data help central-level fire management agencies identify and regulate fire-sensitive areas; regular monitoring and dissemination of climate data enables coordination between agricultural burning activities and fire early warning systems; and daily satellite detection of thermal anomalies in land surface temperature permits first responders to monitor and react to "hotspot" activity. Findings also suggest, however, that while the decentralized operations of Petén's fire management systems foster the use of Earth observation data, systemic bottlenecks, including budgetary constraints, inadequate data infrastructure and interpretation capacity, and obstacles to regulatory enforcement, impede the flow of information and use of technology and thus impact the value of that data, particularly in remote and under-resourced areas of the MBR. A geographic expansion and fortification of support systems for use of Earth observation data is thus required to maximize the value of data-driven forest fire management in the MBR. Findings further validate a need for continued cooperation between scientific and governance institutions to disseminate and integrate geospatial data into environmental decision-making.

Wildland fire limits subsequent fire occurrence

Treesearch

Sean A. Parks; Carol Miller; Lisa M. Holsinger; Scott Baggett; Benjamin J. Bird

2016-01-01

Several aspects of wildland fire are moderated by site- and landscape-level vegetation changes caused by previous fire, thereby creating a dynamic where one fire exerts a regulatory control on subsequent fire. For example, wildland fire has been shown to regulate the size and severity of subsequent fire. However, wildland fire has the potential to influence...

34 CFR 668.49 - Institutional fire safety policies and fire statistics.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... fire. Fire safety system: Any mechanism or system related to the detection of a fire, the warning resulting from a fire, or the control of a fire. This may include sprinkler systems or other fire extinguishing systems, fire detection devices, stand-alone smoke alarms, devices that alert one to the presence...

34 CFR 668.49 - Institutional fire safety policies and fire statistics.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... fire. Fire safety system: Any mechanism or system related to the detection of a fire, the warning resulting from a fire, or the control of a fire. This may include sprinkler systems or other fire extinguishing systems, fire detection devices, stand-alone smoke alarms, devices that alert one to the presence...

34 CFR 668.49 - Institutional fire safety policies and fire statistics.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... fire. Fire safety system: Any mechanism or system related to the detection of a fire, the warning resulting from a fire, or the control of a fire. This may include sprinkler systems or other fire extinguishing systems, fire detection devices, stand-alone smoke alarms, devices that alert one to the presence...

34 CFR 668.49 - Institutional fire safety policies and fire statistics.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... fire. Fire safety system: Any mechanism or system related to the detection of a fire, the warning resulting from a fire, or the control of a fire. This may include sprinkler systems or other fire extinguishing systems, fire detection devices, stand-alone smoke alarms, devices that alert one to the presence...

Software and Human-Machine Interface Development for Environmental Controls Subsystem Support

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dobson, Matthew

2018-01-01

The Space Launch System (SLS) is the next premier launch vehicle for NASA. It is the next stage of manned space exploration from American soil, and will be the platform in which we push further beyond Earth orbit. In preparation of the SLS maiden voyage on Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1), the existing ground support architecture at Kennedy Space Center required significant overhaul and updating. A comprehensive upgrade of controls systems was necessary, including programmable logic controller software, as well as Launch Control Center (LCC) firing room and local launch pad displays for technician use. Environmental control acts as an integral component in these systems, being the foremost system for conditioning the pad and extremely sensitive launch vehicle until T-0. The Environmental Controls Subsystem (ECS) required testing and modification to meet the requirements of the designed system, as well as the human factors requirements of NASA software for Validation and Verification (V&V). This term saw significant strides in the progress and functionality of the human-machine interfaces used at the launch pad, and improved integration with the controller code.

A Drought Index for Forest Fire Control

Treesearch

John J. Keetch; George M. Byram

1968-01-01

The moisture content of the upper soil, as well as that of the covering layer of duff, has an important effect on the fire suppression effort in forest and wildland areas. In certain forested areas of the United States, fires in deep duff fuels are of particular concern to the fire control manager. When these fuels are dry, fires burn deeply, dam-age is excessive, and...

36 CFR 211.4 - Cooperation for fire prevention and control.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Cooperation for fire... AGRICULTURE ADMINISTRATION Cooperation § 211.4 Cooperation for fire prevention and control. The Forest Service... will result in mutual benefit in the prevention and suppression of forest fires: Provided, That the...

36 CFR 211.4 - Cooperation for fire prevention and control.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Cooperation for fire... AGRICULTURE ADMINISTRATION Cooperation § 211.4 Cooperation for fire prevention and control. The Forest Service... will result in mutual benefit in the prevention and suppression of forest fires: Provided, That the...

Science framework for conservation and restoration of the sagebrush biome: Linking the Department of the Interior’s Integrated Rangeland Fire Management Strategy to long-term strategic conservation actions

Treesearch

J.C. Chambers; J.L. Beck; J.B. Bradford; J. Bybee; S. Campbell; J. Carlson; T.J. Christiansen; K.J. Clause; G. Collins; M.R. Crist; J.B. Dinkins; K.E. Doherty; F. Edwards; S. Espinosa; K.A. Griffin; P. Griffin; J.R. Haas; S.E. Hanser; D.W. Havlina; K.F. Henke; J.D. Hennig; L.A. Joyce; F.M. Kilkenny; S.M. Kulpa; L.L. Kurth; J.D. Maestas; M. Manning; K.E. Mayer; B.A. Mealor; C. McCarthy; M. Pellant; M.A. Perea; K.L. Prentice; D.A. Pyke; L.A. Wiechman; A. Wuenschel

2017-01-01

The Science Framework is intended to link the Department of the Interior’s Integrated Rangeland Fire Management Strategy with long-term strategic conservation actions in the sagebrush biome. The Science Framework provides a multiscale approach for prioritizing areas for management and determining effective management strategies within the sagebrush biome. The emphasis...

Cold Helium Pressurization for Liquid Oxygen/Liquid Methane Propulsion Systems: Fully-Integrated Hot-Fire Test Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morehead, R. L.; Atwell, M. J.; Melcher, J. C.; Hurlbert, E. A.

2016-01-01

Hot-fire test demonstrations were successfully conducted using a cold helium pressurization system fully integrated into a liquid oxygen (LOX) / liquid methane (LCH4) propulsion system (Figure 1). Cold helium pressurant storage at near liquid nitrogen (LN2) temperatures (-275 F and colder) and used as a heated tank pressurant provides a substantial density advantage compared to ambient temperature storage. The increased storage density reduces helium pressurant tank size and mass, creating payload increases of 35% for small lunar-lander sized applications. This degree of mass reduction also enables pressure-fed propulsion systems for human-rated Mars ascent vehicle designs. Hot-fire test results from the highly-instrumented test bed will be used to demonstrate system performance and validate integrated models of the helium and propulsion systems. A pressurization performance metric will also be developed as a means to compare different active pressurization schemes.

Post-fire soil functionality and microbial community structure in a Mediterranean shrubland subjected to experimental drought.

PubMed

Hinojosa, M Belén; Parra, Antonio; Laudicina, Vito Armando; Moreno, José M

2016-12-15

Fire may cause significant alterations in soil properties. Post-fire soil dynamics can vary depending, among other factors, on rainfall patterns. However, little is known regarding variations in response to post-fire drought. This is relevant in arid and semiarid areas with poor soils, like much of the western Mediterranean. Furthermore, climate change projections in such areas anticipate reduced precipitation and longer annual drought periods, together with an increase in fire severity and frequency. This research evaluates the effects of experimental drought after fire on soil dynamics of a Cistus-Erica shrubland (Central Spain). A replicated (n=4) field experiment was conducted in which the total rainfall and its patterns were manipulated by means of a rain-out shelters and irrigation system. The treatments were: environmental control (natural rainfall), historical control (average rainfall, 2months drought), moderate drought (25% reduction of historical control, 5months drought) and severe drought (45% reduction, 7months drought). After one growing season under these rainfall treatments, the plots were burned. One set of unburned plots under natural rainfall served as an additional control. Soils were collected seasonally. Fire increased soil P and N availability. Post-fire drought treatments reduced available soil P but increased N concentration (mainly nitrate). Fire reduced available K irrespective of drought treatments. Fire reduced enzyme activities and carbon mineralization rate, a reduction that was higher in post-fire drought-treated soils. Fire decreased soil microbial biomass and the proportion of fungi, while that of actinomycetes increased. Post-fire drought decreased soil total microbial biomass and fungi, with bacteria becoming more abundant. Our results support that increasing drought after fire could compromise the resilience of Mediterranean ecosystems to fire. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mercury emission trend influenced by stringent air pollutants regulation for coal-fired power plants in Korea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pudasainee, Deepak; Kim, Jeong-Hun; Seo, Yong-Chil

2009-12-01

Regulatory control of mercury emission from anthropogenic sources has become a global concern in the recent past. Coal-fired power plants are one of the largest sources of anthropogenic mercury emission into the atmosphere. This paper summarizes the current reducing trend of mercury emission as co-beneficial effect by more stringent regulation changes to control primary air pollutants with introducing test results from the commercial coal-fired facilities and suggesting a guideline for future regulatory development in Korea. On average, mercury emission concentrations ranged 16.3-2.7 μg Sm -3, 2.4-1.1 μg Sm -3, 3.1-0.7 μg Sm -3 from anthracite coal-fired power plants equipped with electrostatic precipitator (ESP), bituminous coal-fired power plants with ESP + flue gas desulphurization (FGD) and bituminous coal-fired power plants with selective catalytic reactor (SCR) + cold side (CS) - ESP + wet FGD, respectively. Among the existing air pollution control devices, the best configuration for mercury removal in coal-fired power plants was SCR + CS - ESP + wet FGD, which were installed due to the stringent regulation changes to control primary air pollutants emission such as SO 2, NOx and dust. It was estimated that uncontrolled and controlled mercury emission from coal-fired power plants as 10.3 ton yr -1 and 3.2 ton yr -1 respectively. After the installation of ESP, FGD and SCR system, following the enforcement of the stringent regulation, 7.1 ton yr -1 of mercury emission has been reduced (nearly 69%) from coal-fired power plants as a co-benefit control. Based on the overall study, a sample guideline including emission limits were suggested which will be applied to develop a countermeasure for controlling mercury emission from coal-fired power plants.

Direct energy balance based active disturbance rejection control for coal-fired power plant.

PubMed

Sun, Li; Hua, Qingsong; Li, Donghai; Pan, Lei; Xue, Yali; Lee, Kwang Y

2017-09-01

The conventional direct energy balance (DEB) based PI control can fulfill the fundamental tracking requirements of the coal-fired power plant. However, it is challenging to deal with the cases when the coal quality variation is present. To this end, this paper introduces the active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) to the DEB structure, where the coal quality variation is deemed as a kind of unknown disturbance that can be estimated and mitigated promptly. Firstly, the nonlinearity of a recent power plant model is analyzed based on the gap metric, which provides guidance on how to set the pressure set-point in line with the power demand. Secondly, the approximate decoupling effect of the DEB structure is analyzed based on the relative gain analysis in frequency domain. Finally, the synthesis of the DEB based ADRC control system is carried out based on multi-objective optimization. The optimized ADRC results show that the integrated absolute error (IAE) indices of the tracking performances in both loops can be simultaneously improved, in comparison with the DEB based PI control and H ∞ control system. The regulation performance in the presence of the coal quality variation is significantly improved under the ADRC control scheme. Moreover, the robustness of the proposed strategy is shown comparable with the H ∞ control. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Wildland fire as a self-regulating mechanism: the role of previous burns and weather in limiting fire progression.

PubMed

Parks, Sean A; Holsinger, Lisa M; Miller, Carol; Nelson, Cara R

2015-09-01

Theory suggests that natural fire regimes can result in landscapes that are both self-regulating and resilient to fire. For example, because fires consume fuel, they may create barriers to the spread of future fires, thereby regulating fire size. Top-down controls such as weather, however, can weaken this effect. While empirical examples demonstrating this pattern-process feedback between vegetation and fire exist, they have been geographically limited or did not consider the influence of time between fires and weather. The availability of remotely sensed data identifying fire activity over the last four decades provides an opportunity to explicitly quantify-the ability of wildland fire to limit the progression of subsequent fire. Furthermore, advances in fire progression mapping now allow an evaluation of how daily weather as a top-down control modifies this effect. In this study, we evaluated the ability of wildland fire to create barriers that limit the spread of subsequent fire along a gradient representing time between fires in four large study areas in the western United States. Using fire progression maps in conjunction with weather station data, we also evaluated the influence of daily weather. Results indicate that wildland fire does limit subsequent fire spread in all four study areas, but this effect decays over time; wildland fire no longer limits subsequent fire spread 6-18 years after fire, depending on the study area. We also found that the ability of fire to regulate, subsequent fire progression was substantially reduced under extreme conditions compared to moderate weather conditions in all four study areas. This study increases understanding of the spatial feedbacks that can lead to self-regulating landscapes as well as the effects of top-down controls, such as weather, on these feedbacks. Our results will be useful to managers who seek to restore natural fire regimes or to exploit recent burns when managing fire.

Evaluating Post-Fire Forest Resilience Using GIS and Multi-Criteria Analysis: An Example from Cape Sounion National Park, Greece

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arianoutsou, Margarita; Koukoulas, Sotirios; Kazanis, Dimitrios

2011-03-01

Forest fires are one of the major causes of ecological disturbance in the mediterranean climate ecosystems of the world. Despite the fact that a lot of resources have been invested in fire prevention and suppression, the number of fires occurring in the Mediterranean Basin in the recent decades has continued to markedly increase. The understanding of the relationship between landscape and fire lies, among others, in the identification of the system's post-fire resilience. In our study, ecological and landscape data are integrated with decision-support techniques in a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) framework to evaluate the risk of losing post-fire resilience in Pinus halepensis forests, using Cape Sounion National Park, Central Greece, as a pilot case. The multi-criteria decision support approach has been used to synthesize both bio-indicators (woody cover, pine density, legume cover and relative species richness and annual colonizers) and geo-indicators (fire history, parent material, and slope inclination) in order to rank the landscape components. Judgments related to the significance of each factor were incorporated within the weights coefficients and then integrated into the multicriteria rule to map the risk index. Sensitivity analysis was very critical for assessing the contribution of each factor and the sensitivity to subjective weight judgments to the final output. The results of this study include a final ranking map of the risk of losing resilience, which is very useful in identifying the "risk hotspots", where post-fire management measures should be applied in priority.

Evaluating post-fire forest resilience using GIS and multi-criteria analysis: an example from Cape Sounion National Park, Greece.

PubMed

Arianoutsou, Margarita; Koukoulas, Sotirios; Kazanis, Dimitrios

2011-03-01

Forest fires are one of the major causes of ecological disturbance in the mediterranean climate ecosystems of the world. Despite the fact that a lot of resources have been invested in fire prevention and suppression, the number of fires occurring in the Mediterranean Basin in the recent decades has continued to markedly increase. The understanding of the relationship between landscape and fire lies, among others, in the identification of the system's post-fire resilience. In our study, ecological and landscape data are integrated with decision-support techniques in a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) framework to evaluate the risk of losing post-fire resilience in Pinus halepensis forests, using Cape Sounion National Park, Central Greece, as a pilot case. The multi-criteria decision support approach has been used to synthesize both bio-indicators (woody cover, pine density, legume cover and relative species richness and annual colonizers) and geo-indicators (fire history, parent material, and slope inclination) in order to rank the landscape components. Judgments related to the significance of each factor were incorporated within the weights coefficients and then integrated into the multicriteria rule to map the risk index. Sensitivity analysis was very critical for assessing the contribution of each factor and the sensitivity to subjective weight judgments to the final output. The results of this study include a final ranking map of the risk of losing resilience, which is very useful in identifying the "risk hotspots", where post-fire management measures should be applied in priority.

Joint modeling of human dwellings and the natural ecosystem at the wildland-urban interface helps mitigation of forest-fire risk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghil, M.; Spyratos, V.; Bourgeron, P. S.

2007-12-01

The late summer of 2007 has seen again a large number of catastrophic forest fires in the Western United States and Southern Europe. These fires arose in or spread to human habitats at the so-called wildland-urban interface (WUI). Within the conterminous United States alone, the WUI occupies just under 10 percent of the surface and contains almost 40 percent of all housing units. Recent dry spells associated with climate variability and climate change make the impact of such catastrophic fires a matter of urgency for decision makers, scientists and the general public. In order to explore the qualitative influence of the presence of houses on fire spread, we considered only uniform landscapes and fire spread as a simple percolation process, with given house densities d and vegetation flammabilities p. Wind, topography, fuel heterogeneities, firebrands and weather affect actual fire spread. The present theoretical results would therefore, need to be integrated into more detailed fire models before practical, quantitative applications of the present results. Our simple fire-spread model, along with housing and vegetation data, shows that fire-size probability distributions can be strongly modified by the density d and flammability of houses. We highlight a sharp transition zone in the parameter space of vegetation flammability p and house density d. The sharpness of this transition is related to the critical thresholds that arise in percolation theory for an infinite domain; it is their translation into our model's finite-area domain, which is a more realistic representation of actual fire landscapes. Many actual fire landscapes in the United States appear to have spreading properties close to this transition zone. Hence, and despite having neglected additional complexities, our idealized model's results indicate that more detailed models used for assessing fire risk in the WUI should integrate the density and flammability of houses in these areas. Furthermore, our results imply that fire proofing houses and their immediate surroundings within the WUI would not only reduce the houses' flammability and increase the security of the inhabitants, but also reduce fire risk for the entire landscape.

Integrating pH, substrate, and plant regrowth effects on soil nitrogen cycling after fire

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanan, E. J.; Schimel, J.; Tague, C.; D'Antonio, C. M.

2014-12-01

Mediterranean-type ecosystems are structured by fire. In California chaparral, fires uncouple N production and consumption by enhancing nitrification and reducing plant uptake. NO3- that accumulates after fire is vulnerable to leaching. However, the extent to which fires decouple N fluxes can vary spatially and with timing of fire, and the specific mechanisms controlling N metabolism in recovering chaparral are not well understood. We combined empirical analysis and modeling in two chaparral watersheds to better understand how these systems recover from fire, and to explore their sensitivity to changing climate and fire regimes. To evaluate how pH, charcoal, and NH4+ supply influence N cycling, we measured mineralization and nitrification rates in chaparral soils that burned 1, 4, 20 and 40 years prior to sampling. We then experimentally adjusted pH, charcoal, and NH4+ concentrations for all soils in a factorial design, and incubated them for 8 weeks. Each week, we measured respiration, exchangeable NH4+ and NO3- content, nitrification potential, microbial biomass, and pH. Then to project the effects of altered precipitation patterns and fire timing on nitrogen dynamics and recovery, we used the hydro-biogeochemical model RHESSys. Fires were imposed at the beginning and end of the growing season under various climates. NO3- production was highest in soils collected from the most recently burned sites. Also, NO3- concentrations increased over the course of incubation in soils from all sites, especially at high pH, and with NH4+ addition. Charcoal slightly augmented the effects of elevated pH and NH4+ on NO3- production iduring the early stages of incubation in 1 and 4-year old sites, while it slightly dampened their effects by week 8. However, in 20 and 40-year old sites, charcoal had no effect. Overall, nitrification was most powerfully constrained by NH4+ supply. However, increases in pH that occur after fire may enhance nitrification rates when substrate is available. Also, charcoal might enhance N cycling immediately after fire, perhaps by supplying C to microbes, but impacts are short-lived. Modeling results suggest that soil acidity and rapid plant recovery reduce leaching. However, during drought and temperature extremes nutrients pools recover more slowly when fires occur prior to the hot, dry summer.

Closing the wildland fire heat budget - measurements in the field at intermediate and operational scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dickinson, M.; Kremens, R.; Bova, A. S.

2012-12-01

Closing the wildland fire heat budget involves characterizing the heat source and energy dissipation across the range of variability in fuels and fire behavior. Meeting this challenge will lay the foundation for predicting direct ecological effects of fires and fire-atmosphere coupling. Here, we focus on the relationships between the fire radiation field, as measured from the zenith, fuel consumption, and the behavior of spreading flame fronts. Experiments were conducted in 8 m x 8 m outdoor plots using pre-conditioned wildland fuels characteristic of mixed-oak forests of the eastern United States. Using dual-band radiometers with a field of view of about 18.5 m^2 at a height of 4.2 m, we found a near-linear increase in fire radiative energy density (FRED) over a range of fuel consumption between 0.15 kg m^-2 to 3.25 kg m^-2. Using an integrated heat budget, we estimate that the fraction of total theoretical combustion energy density radiated from the plot averaged 0.17, the fraction of latent energy transported in the plume averaged 0.08, and the fraction accounted for by the combination of fire convective energy transport and soil heating averaged 0.72. Future work will require, at minimum, instantaneous and time-integrated estimates of energy transported by radiation, convection, and soil heating across a range of fuels. We introduce the Rx-CADRE project through which such measurements are being made.

Measurements of forest fire danger

Treesearch

Leo Shames

1938-01-01

Although the annual destruction of life and property attributable to forest fires is enormous, scientific methods of forest fire control in the United States are of comparatively recent origin. In one important phase of control, that of determining how large a network of observers is necessary for the purpose of discovering forest fires in their infancy, accurate means...

Can Southern California Wildland Conflagrations be Stopped?

Treesearch

Clive M. Countryman

1974-01-01

In southern California, many fires start and burn under conditions that permit their control with little burned acreage and fire damage. In contrast, under other conditions of weather and topography, on a small group of fires, control effort is relatively ineffective; they become large and destructive. A major reason for these "conflagration fires" is the...

Spatiotemporal variability of wildland fuels in US Northern Rocky Mountain forests

Treesearch

Robert E. Keane

2016-01-01

Fire regimes are ultimately controlled by wildland fuel dynamics over space and time; spatial distributions of fuel influence the size, spread, and intensity of individual fires, while the temporal distribution of fuel deposition influences fire's frequency and controls fire size. These "shifting fuel mosaics" are both a cause and a consequence...

Fire and the Design of Educational Buildings. Building Bulletin 7. Sixth Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Department of Education and Science, London (England).

This bulletin offers guidance on English school premises regulations applying to safety protection against fires in the following general areas: means of escape in case of fire; precautionary measures to prevent fire; fire warning systems and fire fighting; fire spreading speed; structures and materials resistant to fires; and damage control. It…

Strategy for increasing the participation of masyarakat peduli api in forest fire control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ni’mah, N. L. K.; Herdiansyah, H.; Soesilo, T. E. B.; Mutia, E. F.

2018-03-01

Forest fires have negative impact on ecology, health, and damage economic activities. One of conservation areas facing the threat of forest fire is Gunung Ciremai National Park. This research aims to formulate a strategy to increase the participation of Masyarakat Peduli Api in the effort of forest fire control. This research use quantitative method with SWOT analysis. Expert consisting of representatives from the national park, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, and BPBD Kuningan Regency. An alternative strategy based on SWOT analysis is in quadrant 1 with coordinate point (0,39; 1,23). The position shows that sustainability of national park management through forest fire control can be done with an aggressive strategy. That is maximizing the strength that is owned with its potential as an ecotourism area to increase community motivation to engage in forest fire control activities. Provision of tourism management licenses will create employment opportunities and increase income for the community so it is expected to increase community participation to prevent the occurrence of forest fires rather than forest fire prevention.

Tactical Firefighter Teams: Pivoting Toward the Fire Service’s Evolving Homeland Security Mission

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

critical response command C-TECC Committee on Tactical Emergency Casualty Care EMS emergency medical services EMT emergency medical technician ESU...Interagency Tactical Response Model: Integrating Fire and EMS with Law Enforcement to Mitigate Mumbai-Style Terrorist Attacks (New York: FDNY Center...the assailants, several traditional fire and EMS activities must often occur simultaneously to successfully mitigate the threat. Although rare

Fuels planning: science synthesis and integration; environmental consequences fact sheet 01: Fire Effects Information System (FEIS)

Treesearch

Steve Sutherland

2004-01-01

The Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) provides accessible, up-to-date fire effects summaries, taken from current English-language literature, for almost 900 plant species, about 100 animal species, and 16 Kuchler plant communities found on the North American continent. This fact sheet discusses the development of FEIS and what is contained in the species summary....

Reconstruction of fire regimes through integrated paleoecological proxy data and ecological modeling.

PubMed

Iglesias, Virginia; Yospin, Gabriel I; Whitlock, Cathy

2014-01-01

Fire is a key ecological process affecting vegetation dynamics and land cover. The characteristic frequency, size, and intensity of fire are driven by interactions between top-down climate-driven and bottom-up fuel-related processes. Disentangling climatic from non-climatic drivers of past fire regimes is a grand challenge in Earth systems science, and a topic where both paleoecology and ecological modeling have made substantial contributions. In this manuscript, we (1) review the use of sedimentary charcoal as a fire proxy and the methods used in charcoal-based fire history reconstructions; (2) identify existing techniques for paleoecological modeling; and (3) evaluate opportunities for coupling of paleoecological and ecological modeling approaches to better understand the causes and consequences of past, present, and future fire activity.

Reconstruction of fire regimes through integrated paleoecological proxy data and ecological modeling

PubMed Central

Iglesias, Virginia; Yospin, Gabriel I.; Whitlock, Cathy

2015-01-01

Fire is a key ecological process affecting vegetation dynamics and land cover. The characteristic frequency, size, and intensity of fire are driven by interactions between top-down climate-driven and bottom-up fuel-related processes. Disentangling climatic from non-climatic drivers of past fire regimes is a grand challenge in Earth systems science, and a topic where both paleoecology and ecological modeling have made substantial contributions. In this manuscript, we (1) review the use of sedimentary charcoal as a fire proxy and the methods used in charcoal-based fire history reconstructions; (2) identify existing techniques for paleoecological modeling; and (3) evaluate opportunities for coupling of paleoecological and ecological modeling approaches to better understand the causes and consequences of past, present, and future fire activity. PMID:25657652

Integrate-and-fire neurons driven by asymmetric dichotomous noise.

PubMed

Droste, Felix; Lindner, Benjamin

2014-12-01

We consider a general integrate-and-fire (IF) neuron driven by asymmetric dichotomous noise. In contrast to the Gaussian white noise usually used in the so-called diffusion approximation, this noise is colored, i.e., it exhibits temporal correlations. We give an analytical expression for the stationary voltage distribution of a neuron receiving such noise and derive recursive relations for the moments of the first passage time density, which allow us to calculate the firing rate and the coefficient of variation of interspike intervals. We study how correlations in the input affect the rate and regularity of firing under variation of the model's parameters for leaky and quadratic IF neurons. Further, we consider the limit of small correlation times and find lowest order corrections to the first passage time moments to be proportional to the square root of the correlation time. We show analytically that to this lowest order, correlations always lead to a decrease in firing rate for a leaky IF neuron. All theoretical expressions are compared to simulations of leaky and quadratic IF neurons.

How vision and movement combine in the hippocampal place code.

PubMed

Chen, Guifen; King, John A; Burgess, Neil; O'Keefe, John

2013-01-02

How do external environmental and internal movement-related information combine to tell us where we are? We examined the neural representation of environmental location provided by hippocampal place cells while mice navigated a virtual reality environment in which both types of information could be manipulated. Extracellular recordings were made from region CA1 of head-fixed mice navigating a virtual linear track and running in a similar real environment. Despite the absence of vestibular motion signals, normal place cell firing and theta rhythmicity were found. Visual information alone was sufficient for localized firing in 25% of place cells and to maintain a local field potential theta rhythm (but with significantly reduced power). Additional movement-related information was required for normally localized firing by the remaining 75% of place cells. Trials in which movement and visual information were put into conflict showed that they combined nonlinearly to control firing location, and that the relative influence of movement versus visual information varied widely across place cells. However, within this heterogeneity, the behavior of fully half of the place cells conformed to a model of path integration in which the presence of visual cues at the start of each run together with subsequent movement-related updating of position was sufficient to maintain normal fields.

Operational Experience with Long Duration Wildfire Mapping: UAS Missions Over the Western United States

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, Philip; Cobleigh, Brent; Buoni, Greg; Howell, Kathleen

2008-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, United States Forest Service, and National Interagency Fire Center have developed a partnership to develop and demonstrate technology to improve airborne wildfire imaging and data dissemination. In the summer of 2007, a multi-spectral infrared scanner was integrated into NASA's Ikhana Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) (a General Atomics Predator-B) and launched on four long duration wildfire mapping demonstration missions covering eight western states. Extensive safety analysis, contingency planning, and mission coordination were key to securing an FAA certificate of authorization (COA) to operate in the national airspace. Infrared images were autonomously geo-rectified, transmitted to the ground station by satellite communications, and networked to fire incident commanders within 15 minutes of acquisition. Close coordination with air traffic control ensured a safe operation, and allowed real-time redirection around inclement weather and other minor changes to the flight plan. All objectives of the mission demonstrations were achieved. In late October, wind-driven wildfires erupted in five southern California counties. State and national emergency operations agencies requested Ikhana to help assess and manage the wildfires. Four additional missions were launched over a 5-day period, with near realtime images delivered to multiple emergency operations centers and fire incident commands managing 10 fires.

46 CFR 27.301 - What are the requirements for fire pumps, fire mains, and fire hoses on towing vessels?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... place where the remote fire pump control is located. (c) The fire main must have a sufficient number of... 46 Shipping 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false What are the requirements for fire pumps, fire mains... the requirements for fire pumps, fire mains, and fire hoses on towing vessels? By April 29, 2005, you...

KSC-98pc970

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-08-20

In Firing Room 1 at KSC, Shuttle launch team members put the Shuttle system through an integrated simulation. The control room is set up with software used to simulate flight and ground systems in the launch configuration. A Simulation Team, comprised of KSC engineers, introduce 12 or more major problems to prepare the launch team for worst-case scenarios. Such tests and simulations keep the Shuttle launch team sharp and ready for liftoff. The next liftoff is targeted for Oct. 29

Empirical evidence for multi-scaled controls on wildfire size distributions in California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Povak, N.; Hessburg, P. F., Sr.; Salter, R. B.

2014-12-01

Ecological theory asserts that regional wildfire size distributions are examples of self-organized critical (SOC) systems. Controls on SOC event-size distributions by virtue are purely endogenous to the system and include the (1) frequency and pattern of ignitions, (2) distribution and size of prior fires, and (3) lagged successional patterns after fires. However, recent work has shown that the largest wildfires often result from extreme climatic events, and that patterns of vegetation and topography may help constrain local fire spread, calling into question the SOC model's simplicity. Using an atlas of >12,000 California wildfires (1950-2012) and maximum likelihood estimation (MLE), we fit four different power-law models and broken-stick regressions to fire-size distributions across 16 Bailey's ecoregions. Comparisons among empirical fire size distributions across ecoregions indicated that most ecoregion's fire-size distributions were significantly different, suggesting that broad-scale top-down controls differed among ecoregions. One-parameter power-law models consistently fit a middle range of fire sizes (~100 to 10000 ha) across most ecoregions, but did not fit to larger and smaller fire sizes. We fit the same four power-law models to patch size distributions of aspect, slope, and curvature topographies and found that the power-law models fit to a similar middle range of topography patch sizes. These results suggested that empirical evidence may exist for topographic controls on fire sizes. To test this, we used neutral landscape modeling techniques to determine if observed fire edges corresponded with aspect breaks more often than expected by random. We found significant differences between the empirical and neutral models for some ecoregions, particularly within the middle range of fire sizes. Our results, combined with other recent work, suggest that controls on ecoregional fire size distributions are multi-scaled and likely are not purely SOC. California wildfire ecosystems appear to be adaptive, governed by stationary and non-stationary controls, which may be either exogenous or endogenous to the system.

2007 Ikhana Western States and Southern California Emergency UAS Fire Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cobleigh, Brent

2008-01-01

Four demonstration and four emergency fire imaging missions completed: a) Thermal infrared imagery delivered in near real-time (5 to 15 minutes) to: 1) SoCal Emergency: FEMA, NIFC, NorthCom, California EOC; 2) Demo Flights: NIFC, Individual Fire Incident Commands. Imagery used for tactical and strategic decision making. Air Traffic Control gave excellent support. Mission plans flown in reverse. Real time requests for revisits of active fires. Added new fire during mission. Moved fire loiter points as fires moved. Real-time reroute around thunderstorm activity. Pre & Post flight telecons with FAA were held to review mission and discuss operational improvements. No issues with air traffic control during the 8 fire missions flown.

Linear Aerospike SR-71 Experiment (LASRE): Aerospace Propulsion Hazard Mitigation Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mizukami, Masashi; Corpening, Griffin P.; Ray, Ronald J.; Hass, Neal; Ennix, Kimberly A.; Lazaroff, Scott M.

1998-01-01

A major hazard posed by the propulsion system of hypersonic and space vehicles is the possibility of fire or explosion in the vehicle environment. The hazard is mitigated by minimizing or detecting, in the vehicle environment, the three ingredients essential to producing fire: fuel, oxidizer, and an ignition source. The Linear Aerospike SR-71 Experiment (LASRE) consisted of a linear aerospike rocket engine integrated into one-half of an X-33-like lifting body shape, carried on top of an SR-71 aircraft. Gaseous hydrogen and liquid oxygen were used as propellants. Although LASRE is a one-of-a-kind experimental system, it must be rated for piloted flight, so this test presented a unique challenge. To help meet safety requirements, the following propulsion hazard mitigation systems were incorporated into the experiment: pod inert purge, oxygen sensors, a hydrogen leak detection algorithm, hydrogen sensors, fire detection and pod temperature thermocouples, water misting, and control room displays. These systems are described, and their development discussed. Analyses, ground test, and flight test results are presented, as are findings and lessons learned.

Climatic and human controls on the late Holocene fire history of northern Israel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quintana Krupinski, N. B.; Nishri, A.; Street, J. H.; Paytan, A.

2011-12-01

Long-term fire histories provide insight into the effects of climate, ecology and human influence on fire activity. Fire records can be expanded beyond the period of historical record using accumulation rates of large charcoal particles and soot black carbon (BC) in lacustrine sediments: charcoal accumulation peaks indicate local to regional fire events, while increased deposition of BC may document regional-scale burning. To determine which factors exert the greatest control over changes in fire frequency at different times, this study compares late Holocene fire records from Lake Kinneret (the Sea of Galilee), Israel to local and regional records of climate and human activity. We show that fire frequency decreased during the past 3010 years from 3-4 fire events per 400 years between 3010 - 2620 y.b.p. to 0-2 fire events per 400 years from 750 y.b.p. to present. Human modification of the landscape during periods of high population (e.g. forest clearing, agriculture, settlement expansion and industry) appears to have been the greatest contributor to increased fire activity in the semi-arid southern Levant region during the late Holocene, though aridity may also have contributed to higher fire activity. However, during much of the study period, climate and human activity were interrelated, so while human activity may have been the greater control on fire activity, the effect of climate may have been both direct and indirect (through climate-related changes in population), making it sometimes difficult to distinguish the two controls. Projections of increasing aridification of the region combined with a heavy impact on the landscape from a large modern population suggest that increased fire activity may occur in the region in the near future.

Phase-locked cluster oscillations in periodically forced integrate-and-fire-or-burst neuronal populations.

PubMed

Langdon, Angela J; Breakspear, Michael; Coombes, Stephen

2012-12-01

The minimal integrate-and-fire-or-burst neuron model succinctly describes both tonic firing and postinhibitory rebound bursting of thalamocortical cells in the sensory relay. Networks of integrate-and-fire-or-burst (IFB) neurons with slow inhibitory synaptic interactions have been shown to support stable rhythmic states, including globally synchronous and cluster oscillations, in which network-mediated inhibition cyclically generates bursting in coherent subgroups of neurons. In this paper, we introduce a reduced IFB neuronal population model to study synchronization of inhibition-mediated oscillatory bursting states to periodic excitatory input. Using numeric methods, we demonstrate the existence and stability of 1:1 phase-locked bursting oscillations in the sinusoidally forced IFB neuronal population model. Phase locking is shown to arise when periodic excitation is sufficient to pace the onset of bursting in an IFB cluster without counteracting the inhibitory interactions necessary for burst generation. Phase-locked bursting states are thus found to destabilize when periodic excitation increases in strength or frequency. Further study of the IFB neuronal population model with pulse-like periodic excitatory input illustrates that this synchronization mechanism generalizes to a broad range of n:m phase-locked bursting states across both globally synchronous and clustered oscillatory regimes.

36 CFR 228.11 - Prevention and control of fire.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Prevention and control of fire. 228.11 Section 228.11 Parks, Forests, and Public Property FOREST SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE MINERALS Locatable Minerals § 228.11 Prevention and control of fire. Operator shall comply with...

36 CFR 228.11 - Prevention and control of fire.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Prevention and control of fire. 228.11 Section 228.11 Parks, Forests, and Public Property FOREST SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE MINERALS Locatable Minerals § 228.11 Prevention and control of fire. Operator shall comply with...

Space-Based Sensorweb Monitoring of Wildfires in Thailand

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chien, Steve; Doubleday, Joshua; Mclaren, David; Davies, Ashley; Tran, Daniel; Tanpipat, Veerachai; Akaakara, Siri; Ratanasuwan, Anuchit; Mandl, Daniel

2011-01-01

We describe efforts to apply sensorweb technologies to the monitoring of forest fires in Thailand. In this approach, satellite data and ground reports are assimilated to assess the current state of the forest system in terms of forest fire risk, active fires, and likely progression of fires and smoke plumes. This current and projected assessment can then be used to actively direct sensors and assets to best acquire further information. This process operates continually with new data updating models of fire activity leading to further sensing and updating of models. As the fire activity is tracked, products such as active fire maps, burn scar severity maps, and alerts are automatically delivered to relevant parties.We describe the current state of the Thailand Fire Sensorweb which utilizes the MODIS-based FIRMS system to track active fires and trigger Earth Observing One / Advanced Land Imager to acquire imagery and produce active fire maps, burn scar severity maps, and alerts. We describe ongoing work to integrate additional sensor sources and generate additional products.

One thousand years of fires: Integrating proxy and model data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kehrwald, Natalie; Aleman, Julie C.; Coughlan, Michael; Courtney Mustaphi, Colin J.; Githumbi, Esther N.; Magi, Brian I.; Marlon, Jennifer R.; Power, Mitchell J.

2016-01-01

The expected increase in fire activity in the upcoming decades has led to a surge in research trying to understand their causes, the factors that may have influenced similar times of fire activity in the past, and the implications of such fire activity in the future. Multiple types of complementary data provide information on the impacts of current fires and the extent of past fires. The wide array of data encompasses different spatial and temporal resolutions (Figure 1) and includes fire proxy information such as charcoal and tree ring fire scars, observational records, satellite products, modern emissions data, fire models within global land cover and vegetation models, and sociodemographic data for modeling past human land use and ignition frequency. Any single data type is more powerful when combined with another source of information. Merging model and proxy data enables analyses of how fire activity modifies vegetation distribution, air and water quality, and proximity to cities; these analyses in turn support land management decisions relating to conservation and development.

Installation Restoration Program. Phase 1. Records Search, Kelly AFB, Texas

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-02-01

1000-1500 gallons per year based on two training sessions per year. The ultimate BOD of AFFF ( FC -780B, manufactured by 3M) is 370,000 mg/l in...Landfill 1917-1942 44 24 FC -i Fire Control Training Area ?-1950’s 42 25 FC -2 Fire Control Training Area 1950’s-1981 41 26 RD-i Radioactive Disposal Area...were buried had very short half-lifes. This site received a low score of 45. 6) Fire Control Training Areas a. The Fire Control Training Areas FC -I and

Fire protection review revisit no. 2, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dobson, P. H.; Earley, M. W.; Mattern, L. J.

1985-05-01

A fire protection survey was conducted at Argonne National Laboratory on April 1-5, 8-12, and April 29-May 2, 1985. The purpose was to review the facility fire protection program and to make recommendations or identify areas according to criteria established by the Department of Energy. There has been a substantial improvement in fire protection at this laboratory since the 1977 audit. Numerous areas which were previously provided with detection systems only have since been provided with automatic sprinkler protection. The following basic fire protection features are not properly controlled: (1) resealing wall and floor penetrations between fire areas after installation of services; (2) cutting and welding; and (3) housekeeping. The present Fire Department manpower level appears adequate to control a route fire. Their ability to adequately handle a high-challenge fire, or one involving injuries to personnel, or fire spread beyond the initial fire area is doubtful.

46 CFR 62.35-15 - Fire safety.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... Requirements for Specific Types of Automated Vital Systems § 62.35-15 Fire safety. (a) All required fire pump remote control locations must include the controls necessary to charge the firemain and— (1) A firemain...

46 CFR 62.35-15 - Fire safety.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... Requirements for Specific Types of Automated Vital Systems § 62.35-15 Fire safety. (a) All required fire pump remote control locations must include the controls necessary to charge the firemain and— (1) A firemain...

46 CFR 62.35-15 - Fire safety.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... Requirements for Specific Types of Automated Vital Systems § 62.35-15 Fire safety. (a) All required fire pump remote control locations must include the controls necessary to charge the firemain and— (1) A firemain...

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

Schwager, K.; Green, T. M.

The DOE policy for managing wildland fires requires that all areas managed by DOE and/or Its various contractors which can sustain fire must have a FMP that details fire management guidelines for operational procedures associated with wildland fire, operational, and prescribed fires. FMPs provide guidance on fire preparedness, fire prevention, wildfire suppression, and the use of controlled ''prescribed'' fires and mechanical means to control the amount of available combustible material. Values reflected in the BNL Wildland FMP include protecting life and public safety; Lab properties, structures and improvements; cultural and historical sites; neighboring private and public properties; and endangered, threatened,more » and species of concern. Other values supported by the plan include the enhancement of fire-dependent ecosystems at BNL. The plan will be reviewed periodically to ensure fire program advances and will evolve with the missions of DOE and BNL.« less

The impact of boreal forest fire on climate warming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Randerson, J.T.; Liu, H.; Flanner, M.G.; Chambers, S.D.; Jin, Y.; Hess, P.G.; Pfister, G.; Mack, M.C.; Treseder, K.K.; Welp, L.R.; Chapin, F.S.; Harden, J.W.; Goulden, M.L.; Lyons, E.; Neff, J.C.; Schuur, E.A.G.; Zender, C.S.

2006-01-01

We report measurements and analysis of a boreal forest fire, integrating the effects of greenhouse gases, aerosols, black carbon deposition on snow and sea ice, and postfire changes in surface albedo. The net effect of all agents was to increase radiative forcing during the first year (34 ?? 31 Watts per square meter of burned area), but to decrease radiative forcing when averaged over an 80-year fire cycle (-2.3 ?? 2.2 Watts per square meter) because multidecadal increases in surface albedo had a larger impact than fire-emitted greenhouse gases. This result implies that future increases in boreal fire may not accelerate climate warming.

The impact of boreal forest fire on climate warming.

PubMed

Randerson, J T; Liu, H; Flanner, M G; Chambers, S D; Jin, Y; Hess, P G; Pfister, G; Mack, M C; Treseder, K K; Welp, L R; Chapin, F S; Harden, J W; Goulden, M L; Lyons, E; Neff, J C; Schuur, E A G; Zender, C S

2006-11-17

We report measurements and analysis of a boreal forest fire, integrating the effects of greenhouse gases, aerosols, black carbon deposition on snow and sea ice, and postfire changes in surface albedo. The net effect of all agents was to increase radiative forcing during the first year (34 +/- 31 Watts per square meter of burned area), but to decrease radiative forcing when averaged over an 80-year fire cycle (-2.3 +/- 2.2 Watts per square meter) because multidecadal increases in surface albedo had a larger impact than fire-emitted greenhouse gases. This result implies that future increases in boreal fire may not accelerate climate warming.

46 CFR 108.421 - Location of fire pumps and associated equipment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... pumps and associated equipment. Each fire pump required by § 108.415, and the source of power, controls... installed to protect at least one of the fire pumps, its source of power, and controls. ... 46 Shipping 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Location of fire pumps and associated equipment. 108.421...

46 CFR 108.421 - Location of fire pumps and associated equipment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... pumps and associated equipment. Each fire pump required by § 108.415, and the source of power, controls... installed to protect at least one of the fire pumps, its source of power, and controls. ... 46 Shipping 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Location of fire pumps and associated equipment. 108.421...

46 CFR 108.421 - Location of fire pumps and associated equipment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... pumps and associated equipment. Each fire pump required by § 108.415, and the source of power, controls... installed to protect at least one of the fire pumps, its source of power, and controls. ... 46 Shipping 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Location of fire pumps and associated equipment. 108.421...

46 CFR 108.421 - Location of fire pumps and associated equipment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... pumps and associated equipment. Each fire pump required by § 108.415, and the source of power, controls... installed to protect at least one of the fire pumps, its source of power, and controls. ... 46 Shipping 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Location of fire pumps and associated equipment. 108.421...

Informap... a computerized information system for fire planning and fire control

Treesearch

Theodore G. Storey; Ross D. Carder; Ernest T. Tolin

1969-01-01

INFORMAP (Information Necessary for Optimum Resource Management and Protection) is a computerized system under development for storing, manipulating, retrieving, and displaying data for fire planning and fire control. A prototype for planning applications has been developed and tested. It is programed in Fortran IV for the IBM 7040 computer, and displays information in...

Wildland fire: Nature’s fuel treatment

Treesearch

Brian Cooke; Sean Parks; Carol Miller; Lisa Holsinger; Cara Nelson; Zack Holden; Scott Baggett; Benjamin Bird

2016-01-01

Every year wildland fires affect much more acreage in the United States compared to controlled burns. Like controlled burns, wildland fire can help promote biological diversity and healthy ecosystems. But despite these facts, wildland fire is not often considered as a fuel treatment in the United States. Scientists working with the U.S. Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain...

New Technology for the Fire Attire

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1982-01-01

Although little can be done to reduce the risks of firefighting, something can be done to curb the injuries and fatalities. This is the goal of Project FIRES, a program jointly sponsored by NASA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency's U.S. Fire Administration with technical management provided by Marshall Space Flight Center. Project FIRES (Firefighter's Integrated Response Equipment System) involves applications of advanced materials and design concepts, derived from Apollo to update existing gear which does not adequately protect against many of the hazards encountered in fire suppression activities. A major focus of the effort involves application to the FIRES ensemble of lightweight, fire-resistant, heat-protective materials originally developed for use in astronauts' space suits or in spacecraft components which require thermal protection. Data from the fourteen municipal fire departments participating in the field evaluation will form a basis for development of new nationwide protective ensemble students.

Impacts of fire management on aboveground tree carbon stocks in Yosemite and Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

USGS Publications Warehouse

Matchett, John R.; Lutz, James A.; Tarnay, Leland W.; Smith, Douglas G.; Becker, Kendall M.L.; Brooks, Matthew L.

2015-01-01

We compared our landscape carbon estimates in YOSE to remotely-sensed carbon estimates from the NASA–CASA project and found that the two methods roughly agree. Our analysis and comparisons suggest, however, that fire severity should be integrated into future carbon mapping efforts. We illustrate this with an example using the 2013 Rim Fire, which we estimate burned an area containing over 5 Tg of aboveground tree carbon, but likely left a large fraction of that carbon on the landscape if one accounts for fire severity.

Fires. July-September 08

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-07-01

4, we find the addition of C2 warfare (C2W) and nonlethal fires integration to the fires F ire Support is hard, especially if you are stupid.” A...he presented the “Status of the Field Artillery” and the “FA Campaign Plan” during the Fires Seminar a t F o r t Sill, Okla- homa , in June. Why...excellence, at Fort sill, Okla- homa . He served as the Battalion csM of 1st Battalion, 22nd Field Artillery (1-22 FA), 434th FA Brigade, Fort sill; csM of

Modeling the Afferent Dynamics of the Baroreflex Control System

PubMed Central

Mahdi, Adam; Sturdy, Jacob; Ottesen, Johnny T.; Olufsen, Mette S.

2013-01-01

In this study we develop a modeling framework for predicting baroreceptor firing rate as a function of blood pressure. We test models within this framework both quantitatively and qualitatively using data from rats. The models describe three components: arterial wall deformation, stimulation of mechanoreceptors located in the BR nerve-endings, and modulation of the action potential frequency. The three sub-systems are modeled individually following well-established biological principles. The first submodel, predicting arterial wall deformation, uses blood pressure as an input and outputs circumferential strain. The mechanoreceptor stimulation model, uses circumferential strain as an input, predicting receptor deformation as an output. Finally, the neural model takes receptor deformation as an input predicting the BR firing rate as an output. Our results show that nonlinear dependence of firing rate on pressure can be accounted for by taking into account the nonlinear elastic properties of the artery wall. This was observed when testing the models using multiple experiments with a single set of parameters. We find that to model the response to a square pressure stimulus, giving rise to post-excitatory depression, it is necessary to include an integrate-and-fire model, which allows the firing rate to cease when the stimulus falls below a given threshold. We show that our modeling framework in combination with sensitivity analysis and parameter estimation can be used to test and compare models. Finally, we demonstrate that our preferred model can exhibit all known dynamics and that it is advantageous to combine qualitative and quantitative analysis methods. PMID:24348231

Inaja Fire - 1956, Pine Hills Fire - 1967...similar, yet different

Treesearch

Mark J. Schroeder; Bernadine B. Taylor

1968-01-01

Two fires burned in the same area in southern California under nearly similar weather conditions, 11 years apart. Yet the Inaja fire of 1956 was much more disastrous than the Pine Hills fire of 1967. The earlier fire claimed 11 lives, and covered an area five times larger than the 1967 fire. Differences in fuels, topography, fire behavior, fire-control action, and...

ENSO controls interannual fire activity in southeast Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mariani, M.; Fletcher, M.-S.; Holz, A.; Nyman, P.

2016-10-01

El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the main mode controlling the variability in the ocean-atmosphere system in the South Pacific. While the ENSO influence on rainfall regimes in the South Pacific is well documented, its role in driving spatiotemporal trends in fire activity in this region has not been rigorously investigated. This is particularly the case for the highly flammable and densely populated southeast Australian sector, where ENSO is a major control over climatic variability. Here we conduct the first region-wide analysis of how ENSO controls fire activity in southeast Australia. We identify a significant relationship between ENSO and both fire frequency and area burnt. Critically, wavelet analyses reveal that despite substantial temporal variability in the ENSO system, ENSO exerts a persistent and significant influence on southeast Australian fire activity. Our analysis has direct application for developing robust predictive capacity for the increasingly important efforts at fire management.

Spectrum of Lyapunov exponents of non-smooth dynamical systems of integrate-and-fire type.

PubMed

Zhou, Douglas; Sun, Yi; Rangan, Aaditya V; Cai, David

2010-04-01

We discuss how to characterize long-time dynamics of non-smooth dynamical systems, such as integrate-and-fire (I&F) like neuronal network, using Lyapunov exponents and present a stable numerical method for the accurate evaluation of the spectrum of Lyapunov exponents for this large class of dynamics. These dynamics contain (i) jump conditions as in the firing-reset dynamics and (ii) degeneracy such as in the refractory period in which voltage-like variables of the network collapse to a single constant value. Using the networks of linear I&F neurons, exponential I&F neurons, and I&F neurons with adaptive threshold, we illustrate our method and discuss the rich dynamics of these networks.

Fuels planning: science synthesis and integration; environmental consequences fact sheet 03: structure fires in the wildland-urban interface

Treesearch

Steve Sutherland

2004-01-01

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) data indicate that wildfires destroyed approximately 9,000 homes between 1985 and 1994 in the United States. The loss of homes to wildfire has had a significant impact on Federal fire policy. This fact sheet discusses the causes of home ignitions in the wildland-urban interface, home ignition zones, how to reduce home...

Safety issues of high-concentrated hydrogen peroxide production used as rocket propellant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romantsova, O. V.; Ulybin, V. B.

2015-04-01

The article dwells on the possibility of production of high-concentrated hydrogen peroxide with the Russian technology of isopropyl alcohol autoxidation. Analysis of fire/explosion hazards and reasons of insufficient quality is conducted for the technology. Modified technology is shown. Non-standard fire/explosion characteristics required for integrated fire/explosion hazards rating for modified hydrogen peroxide production based on the autoxidation of isopropyl alcohol are defined.

Burning Down the Silos: Integrating new perspectives from the social sciences into human behavior in fire research.

PubMed

Kuligowski, Erica

2017-01-01

The traditional social science disciplines can provide many benefits to the field of human behavior in fire (HBiF). First, the social sciences delve further into insights only marginally examined by HBiF researchers, in turn, expanding the depth of HBiF research. In this paper, I present examples of studies from the fields of social psychology and sociology that would expand HBiF research into non-engineering or "unobservable" aspects of behavior during a fire event. Second, the social sciences can provide insight into new areas of research; in turn, expanding the scope of HBiF research. In this section, I introduce pre- and post-fire studies and explore potential research questions that fall outside of the response period of a fire, the phase upon which most focus is currently placed. Third, the social sciences elucidate the value of research methods available to study human behavior. Qualitative research methods are specifically highlighted. These three benefits will allow HBiF researchers to collect a wider range of data, further develop and expand current behavioral knowledge, and increase the impact of this research for both social and engineering applications. Finally, I end with a discussion on possible ways to better integrate the social sciences within human behavior in fire.

Forest fire risk assessment-an integrated approach based on multicriteria evaluation.

PubMed

Goleiji, Elham; Hosseini, Seyed Mohsen; Khorasani, Nematollah; Monavari, Seyed Masoud

2017-11-06

The present study deals with application of the weighted linear combination method for zoning of forest fire risk in Dohezar and Sehezar region of Mazandaran province in northern Iran. In this study, the effective criteria for fires were identified by the Delphi method, and these included ecological and socioeconomic parameters. In this regard, the first step comprised of digital layers; the required data were provided from databases, related centers, and field data collected in the region. Then, the map of criteria was digitized in a geographic information system, and all criteria and indexes were normalized by fuzzy logic. After that, the geographic information system (GIS 10.3) was integrated with the Weighted Linear Combination and the Analytical Network Process, to produce zonation of the forest fire risk map in the Dohezar and Sehezar region. In order to analyze accuracy of the evaluation, the results obtained from the study were compared to records of former fire incidents in the region. This was done using the Kappa coefficient test and a receiver operating characteristic curve. The model showing estimations for forest fire risk explained that the prepared map had accuracy of 90% determined by the Kappa coefficient test and the value of 0.924 by receiver operating characteristic. These results showed that the prepared map had high accuracy and efficacy.

A review of fire interactions and mass fires

Treesearch

Mark A. Finney; Sara S. McAllister

2011-01-01

The character of a wildland fire can change dramatically in the presence of another nearby fire. Understanding and predicting the changes in behavior due to fire-fire interactions cannot only be life-saving to those on the ground, but also be used to better control a prescribed fire to meet objectives. In discontinuous fuel types, such interactions may elicit fire...

The Science of Firescapes: Achieving Fire-Resilient Communities.

PubMed

Smith, Alistair M S; Kolden, Crystal A; Paveglio, Travis B; Cochrane, Mark A; Bowman, David Mjs; Moritz, Max A; Kliskey, Andrew D; Alessa, Lilian; Hudak, Andrew T; Hoffman, Chad M; Lutz, James A; Queen, Lloyd P; Goetz, Scott J; Higuera, Philip E; Boschetti, Luigi; Flannigan, Mike; Yedinak, Kara M; Watts, Adam C; Strand, Eva K; van Wagtendonk, Jan W; Anderson, John W; Stocks, Brian J; Abatzoglou, John T

2016-02-01

Wildland fire management has reached a crossroads. Current perspectives are not capable of answering interdisciplinary adaptation and mitigation challenges posed by increases in wildfire risk to human populations and the need to reintegrate fire as a vital landscape process. Fire science has been, and continues to be, performed in isolated "silos," including institutions (e.g., agencies versus universities), organizational structures (e.g., federal agency mandates versus local and state procedures for responding to fire), and research foci (e.g., physical science, natural science, and social science). These silos tend to promote research, management, and policy that focus only on targeted aspects of the "wicked" wildfire problem. In this article, we provide guiding principles to bridge diverse fire science efforts to advance an integrated agenda of wildfire research that can help overcome disciplinary silos and provide insight on how to build fire-resilient communities.

Vegetation fires and air pollution in Vietnam.

PubMed

Le, Thanh Ha; Thanh Nguyen, Thi Nhat; Lasko, Kristofer; Ilavajhala, Shriram; Vadrevu, Krishna Prasad; Justice, Chris

2014-12-01

Forest fires are a significant source of air pollution in Asia. In this study, we integrate satellite remote sensing data and ground-based measurements to infer fire-air pollution relationships in selected regions of Vietnam. We first characterized the active fires and burnt areas at a regional scale from MODIS satellite data. We then used satellite-derived active fire data to correlate the resulting atmospheric pollution. Further, we analyzed the relationship between satellite atmospheric variables and ground-based air pollutant parameters. Our results show peak fire activity during March in Vietnam, with hotspots in the Northwest and Central Highlands. Active fires were significantly correlated with UV Aerosol Index (UVAI), aerosol extinction absorption optical depth (AAOD), and Carbon Monoxide. The use of satellite aerosol optical thickness improved the prediction of Particulate Matter (PM) concentration significantly. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pulse propagation in discrete excitatory networks of integrate-and-fire neurons.

PubMed

Badel, Laurent; Tonnelier, Arnaud

2004-07-01

We study the propagation of solitary waves in a discrete excitatory network of integrate-and-fire neurons. We show the existence and the stability of a fast wave and a family of slow waves. Fast waves are similar to those already described in continuum networks. Stable slow waves have not been previously reported in purely excitatory networks and their propagation is particular to the discrete nature of the network. The robustness of our results is studied in the presence of noise.

(EDMUNDS, WA) WILDLAND FIRE EMISSIONS MODELING: INTEGRATING BLUESKY AND SMOKE

EPA Science Inventory

This presentation is a status update of the BlueSky emissions modeling system. BlueSky-EM has been coupled with the Sparse Matrix Operational Kernel Emissions (SMOKE) system, and is now available as a tool for estimating emissions from wildland fires

Assessing the potential health impacts of the 2003 and 2007 firestorms on bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops trucatus) in San Diego Bay.

PubMed

Venn-Watson, Stephanie; Smith, Cynthia R; Jensen, Eric D; Rowles, Teri

2013-08-01

Firestorms negatively affected air quality throughout San Diego County during 2003 and 2007, including the San Diego Bay, which houses the Navy's bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). To assess the potential impact of the 2003 and 2007 fires on dolphin health. Hematology and serum chemistry values were evaluated retrospectively among Navy dolphins the year and month before; during; and the month after the 2003 and 2007 fires. Both 2003 and 2007 fires were associated with lower calcium either during or the month post-fire compared to the control periods. During and the month following the 2003 fire, dolphins had higher serum carbon dioxide compared to the control periods. Dolphins during and the month following the 2007 fire had lower absolute or percent neutrophils and higher chloride. The 2007 fire was also associated with increased percent eosinophils during the fire and higher percent monocytes and bilirubin the month following the fire compared to the control periods. Consistent with what has been previously reported in humans and other animals, this study supports that fire smoke inhalation may have mild effects on dolphin physiology, including calcium homeostasis, lung function and immune response.

Combustion Processes in the Aerospace Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huggett, Clayton

1969-01-01

The aerospace environment introduces new and enhanced fire hazards because the special atmosphere employed may increase the frequency and intensity of fires, because the confinement associated with aerospace systems adversely affects the dynamics of fire development and control, and because the hostile external environments limit fire control and rescue operations. Oxygen enriched atmospheres contribute to the fire hazard in aerospace systems by extending the list of combustible fuels, increasing the probability of ignition, and increasing the rates of fire spread and energy release. A system for classifying atmospheres according to the degree of fire hazard, based on the heat capacity of the atmosphere per mole of oxygen, is suggested. A brief exploration of the dynamics of chamber fires shows that such fires will exhibit an exponential growth rate and may grow to dangerous size in a very short time. Relatively small quantities of fuel and oxygen can produce a catastrophic fire in a closed chamber.

The impact of wildland fires on calcareous Mediterranean pedosystems (Sardinia, Italy) - An integrated multiple approach.

PubMed

Capra, Gian Franco; Tidu, Simona; Lovreglio, Raffaella; Certini, Giacomo; Salis, Michele; Bacciu, Valentina; Ganga, Antonio; Filzmoser, Peter

2018-05-15

Sardinia (Italy), the second largest island of the Mediterranean Sea, is a fire-prone land. Most Sardinian environments over time were shaped by fire, but some of them are too intrinsically fragile to withstand the currently increasing fire frequency. Calcareous pedoenvironments represent a significant part of Mediterranean areas, and require important efforts to prevent long-lasting degradation from fire. The aim of this study was to assess through an integrated multiple approach the impact of a single and highly severe wildland fire on limestone-derived soils. For this purpose, we selected two recently burned sites, Sant'Antioco and Laconi. Soil was sampled from 80 points on a 100×100m grid - 40 in the burned area and 40 in unburned one - and analyzed for particle size fractions, pH, electrical conductivity, organic carbon, total N, total P, and water repellency (WR). Fire behavior (surface rate of spread (ROS), fireline intensity (FLI), flame length (FL)) was simulated by BehavePlus 5.0.5 software. Comparisons between burned and unburned areas were done through ANOVA as well as deterministic and stochastic interpolation techniques; multiple correlations among parameters were evaluated by principal factor analysis (PFA) and differences/similarities between areas by principal component analysis (PCA). In both sites, fires were characterized by high severity and determined significant changes to some soil properties. The PFA confirmed the key ecological role played by fire in both sites, with the variability of a four-modeled components mainly explained by fire parameters, although the induced changes on soils were mainly site-specific. The PCA revealed the presence of two main "driving factors": slope (in Sant'Antioco), which increased the magnitude of ROS and FLI; and soil properties (in Laconi), which mostly affected FL. In both sites, such factors played a direct role in differentiating fire behavior and sites, while they played an indirect role in determining some effects on soil. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Vegetation Fires in the Coupled Human-Earth System Under Future Environmental and Policy Perspectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

le page, Y.; Morton, D. C.; Hurtt, G. C.

2013-12-01

Fires play a major role in terrestrial ecosystems dynamics and the carbon cycle. Potential changes in fire regimes due to climate change, land use change, or human management could have substantial ecological, climatic and socio-economic impacts, and have recently been emphasized as a source of uncertainty for policy-makers and climate mitigation cost estimates. Anticipating these interactions thus entails interdisciplinary models. Here we describe the development of a new fire modeling framework, which features the essential integration of climatic, vegetation and anthropogenic drivers. The model is an attempt to realistically account for ignition, spread and termination processes, on a 12-hour time step and at 1 degree spatial resolution globally. Because the quantitative influence of fire drivers on these processes are often poorly constrained, the framework includes an optimization procedure whereby key parameters (e.g. influence of moisture on fire spread, probability of cloud-to-ground lightning flashes to actually ignite a fire, human ignition frequency as a function of land use density) are determined to maximize the agreement between modeled and observed burned area over the past decade. The model performs surprisingly well across all biomes, and shows good agreement on non-optimized features, such as seasonality and fire size, which suggests some potential for robust projections. We couple the model to an integrated assessment model and explore the consequences of mitigation policies, land use decisions and climate change on future fire regimes with a focus on the Amazon basin. The coupled model future projections show that business-as-usual land use expansion would increase the frequency of escaped fires in the remaining forest, especially when combined with models projecting a drier climate. Inversely, climate mitigation policies as projected in the IPCC RCP4.5 scenario achieve synergistic benefits, with increased forest extent, less fire ignitions, and higher moisture levels.

8. INTERIOR, FIRE ALARM CONTROL ROOM (NORTH OF MAIN GARAGE), ...

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

8. INTERIOR, FIRE ALARM CONTROL ROOM (NORTH OF MAIN GARAGE), FROM ENTRYWAY, LOOKING NORTH, SHOWING ADDITIONAL 'GAMEWELL' FIRE ALARM SYSTEMS. - Oakland Naval Supply Center, Firehouse, East of Fourth Street, between A & B Streets, Oakland, Alameda County, CA

Supplementary steam - A viable hydrogen power generation concept

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wright, D. E.; Lee, J. C.

1979-01-01

Technical and economic aspects of a supplementary steam generation for peaking power applications are discussed. Preliminary designs of the hydrogen/oxygen combustors to be used for such applications are described. The integration of the hydrogen/oxygen steam-generating equipment into a typical coal-fired steam station is studied. The basic steam generation system was designed as a 20 MW supplementary system to be added to the existing 160 MW system. An analysis of the operating and design requirements of the supplementary system is conducted. Estimates were made for additional steam and fuel supply lines and for additional control required to operate the combustors and to integrate the combustor system into the facility.

Soil nitrogen mineralization and enzymatic activities in fire and fire surrogate treatments in California

Treesearch

J. R. Miesel; R. E. J. Boerner; C. N. Skinner

2011-01-01

Forest thinning and prescribed fire are management strategies used to reduce hazardous fuel loads and catastrophic wildfires in western mixed-conifer forests. We evaluated effects of thinning (Thin) and prescribed fire (Burn), alone and in combination (Thin+Burn), on N transformations and microbial enzyme activities relative to an untreated control (Control) at 1 and 3...

Using simulated historical time series to prioritize fuel treatments on landscapes across the United States: The LANDFIRE prototype project

USGS Publications Warehouse

Keane, Robert E.; Rollins, Matthew; Zhu, Zhi-Liang

2007-01-01

Canopy and surface fuels in many fire-prone forests of the United States have increased over the last 70 years as a result of modern fire exclusion policies, grazing, and other land management activities. The Healthy Forest Restoration Act and National Fire Plan establish a national commitment to reduce fire hazard and restore fire-adapted ecosystems across the USA. The primary index used to prioritize treatment areas across the nation is Fire Regime Condition Class (FRCC) computed as departures of current conditions from the historical fire and landscape conditions. This paper describes a process that uses an extensive set of ecological models to map FRCC from a departure statistic computed from simulated time series of historical landscape composition. This mapping process uses a data-driven, biophysical approach where georeferenced field data, biogeochemical simulation models, and spatial data libraries are integrated using spatial statistical modeling to map environmental gradients that are then used to predict vegetation and fuels characteristics over space. These characteristics are then fed into a landscape fire and succession simulation model to simulate a time series of historical landscape compositions that are then compared to the composition of current landscapes to compute departure, and the FRCC values. Intermediate products from this process are then used to create ancillary vegetation, fuels, and fire regime layers that are useful in the eventual planning and implementation of fuel and restoration treatments at local scales. The complex integration of varied ecological models at different scales is described and problems encountered during the implementation of this process in the LANDFIRE prototype project are addressed.

A neural network simulation package in CLIPS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bhatnagar, Himanshu; Krolak, Patrick D.; Mcgee, Brenda J.; Coleman, John

1990-01-01

The intrinsic similarity between the firing of a rule and the firing of a neuron has been captured in this research to provide a neural network development system within an existing production system (CLIPS). A very important by-product of this research has been the emergence of an integrated technique of using rule based systems in conjunction with the neural networks to solve complex problems. The systems provides a tool kit for an integrated use of the two techniques and is also extendible to accommodate other AI techniques like the semantic networks, connectionist networks, and even the petri nets. This integrated technique can be very useful in solving complex AI problems.

Determinants of fire activity during the last 3500 yr at a wildland-urban interface, Alberta, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davis, Emma L.; Courtney Mustaphi, Colin J.; Gall, Amber; Pisaric, Michael F. J.; Vermaire, Jesse C.; Moser, Katrina A.

2016-11-01

Long-term records of wildfires and their controlling factors are important sources of information for informing land management practices. Here, dendrochronology and lake sediment analyses are used to develop a 3500-yr fire and vegetation history for a montane forest in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. The tree-ring record (AD 1771-2012) indicates that this region historically experienced a mixed-severity fire regime, and that effective fire suppression excluded widespread fire events from the study area during the 20th century. A sediment core collected from Little Trefoil Lake, located near the Jasper townsite, is analyzed for subfossil pollen and macroscopic charcoal (>150 μm). When comparing the tree-ring record to the 3500-yr record of sediment-derived fire events, only high-severity fires are represented in the charcoal record. Comparisons between the charcoal record and historical climate and pollen data indicate that climate and vegetation composition have been important controls on the fire regime for most of the last 3500 yr. Although fire frequency is presently within the historical range of variability, the fire return interval of the last 150 yr is longer than expected given modern climate and vegetation conditions, indicating that humans have become the main control on fire activity around Little Trefoil Lake.

Big data integration shows Australian bush-fire frequency is increasing significantly.

PubMed

Dutta, Ritaban; Das, Aruneema; Aryal, Jagannath

2016-02-01

Increasing Australian bush-fire frequencies over the last decade has indicated a major climatic change in coming future. Understanding such climatic change for Australian bush-fire is limited and there is an urgent need of scientific research, which is capable enough to contribute to Australian society. Frequency of bush-fire carries information on spatial, temporal and climatic aspects of bush-fire events and provides contextual information to model various climate data for accurately predicting future bush-fire hot spots. In this study, we develop an ensemble method based on a two-layered machine learning model to establish relationship between fire incidence and climatic data. In a 336 week data trial, we demonstrate that the model provides highly accurate bush-fire incidence hot-spot estimation (91% global accuracy) from the weekly climatic surfaces. Our analysis also indicates that Australian weekly bush-fire frequencies increased by 40% over the last 5 years, particularly during summer months, implicating a serious climatic shift.

Use of intumescent compounds in fire curtains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nedryshkin, Oleg; Gravit, Marina; Mukhamedzhanova, Olga

2017-10-01

Automatic fire curtains are designed to divide sections of premises and structures into fire compartments for the purpose of localizing a fire, as well as filling openings in fire barriers. If a fire occurs due to a signal from a fire alarm sensor or a signal from a fire station, the blind automatically falls and locates the source of ignition. The paper presents the results of testing nine samples of fire curtains with an applied intumescent composition. Tests were conducted for 60 minutes before loss of sample integrity. The average temperature from the heated side of the sample reached 800 ∼ 1000 ° C. Depending on the sample, the temperature from the unheated side ranged from 70 ° C to 294 ° C. The best result was shown by a sample from a layer of needle-punched heat-insulating material with a thermal conductivity of 0.036 W/(m×K) placed between layers of foil and treated with water-based intumescent composition of silica material.

Big data integration shows Australian bush-fire frequency is increasing significantly

PubMed Central

Dutta, Ritaban; Das, Aruneema; Aryal, Jagannath

2016-01-01

Increasing Australian bush-fire frequencies over the last decade has indicated a major climatic change in coming future. Understanding such climatic change for Australian bush-fire is limited and there is an urgent need of scientific research, which is capable enough to contribute to Australian society. Frequency of bush-fire carries information on spatial, temporal and climatic aspects of bush-fire events and provides contextual information to model various climate data for accurately predicting future bush-fire hot spots. In this study, we develop an ensemble method based on a two-layered machine learning model to establish relationship between fire incidence and climatic data. In a 336 week data trial, we demonstrate that the model provides highly accurate bush-fire incidence hot-spot estimation (91% global accuracy) from the weekly climatic surfaces. Our analysis also indicates that Australian weekly bush-fire frequencies increased by 40% over the last 5 years, particularly during summer months, implicating a serious climatic shift. PMID:26998312

A vicious circle of fire, deforestation and climate change: an integrative study for the Amazon region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thonicke, K.; Rammig, A.; Gumpenberger, M.; Vohland, K.; Poulter, B.; Cramer, W.

2009-04-01

The Amazon rainforest is threatened by deforestation due to wood extraction and agricultural production leading to increasing forest fragmentation and forest degradation. These changes in land surface characteristics and water fluxes are expected to further reduce convective precipitation. Under future climate change the stability of the Amazon rainforest is likely to decrease thus leading to forest dieback (savannization) or forest degradation (secondarization). This puts the Amazon rainforest at risk to reduce the generation of precipitation, to act as a carbon sink and biodiversity hotspot. Fires increased in the past during drought years and in open vegetation thereby further accelerating forest degradation. Deforestation as a result of socioeconomic development in the Amazon basin is projected to further increase in the 21st century and brings climate-induced changes forward. Combined effects of deforestation vs. climate change on the stability of the Amazon rainforest and the role of fire in this system need to be quantified in an integrated study. We present simulation results from future climate (AR4) and deforestation (SimAmazon) experiments using the LPJmL-SPITFIRE vegetation model. Land use change is the main driving factor of forest degradation before 2050, whereas extreme climate change scenarios lead to forest degradation by the end of 2100. Forest fires increase with increasing drought conditions during the 21st century. The resulting effects on vegetation secondarization and savannization and their feedbacks on fire spread and emissions will be presented. The effect of wildfires and intentional burning on forest degradation under future climate and socioeconomic change will be discussed, and recommendations for an integrated land use and fire management are given.

Loss of Military Performance due to Individual NBC Protection in a Tropic Environment (belasting en prestatieverlies door individuele nbc-beschermin gin de tropen)

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-08-01

SMP) 1 Trg Area 1330-1430 SMP 2 Trg Area 16 nov 0800-0900 SMP 3 Trg Area 0930-1200 Offensive Fire - LIVE FIRE Range 1 Range Complex 1300-1530 Command...Control Evaluation (C2) 1 Range Complex 1600-1700 SMP 4 Trg Area 17 nov 0930-1200 Defensive Fire - LIVE FIRE Range 2 Range Complex 1300-1530 Command...Control Evaluation (C2) 2 Range Complex 18 nov 0800-0900 SMP 5 Trg Area 0930-1200 Offensive Fire - LIVE FIRE Range 2 Range Complex 1300-1530

Building systems and smoke control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawagoe, K.; Wakamatsu, T.; Morishita, Y.; Yamana, T.

The cost effectiveness of different approaches to fire prevention - sprinklers and detectors, increased use of smoke control devices, increased flammability standards, increased public education, increase fire prevention efforts, increased public fire services, etc. - need to be studied further as a guide to determining the emphasis appropriate for each. It is clear that detectors and sprinklers are making a difference in the fight to reduce fire losses. With continued effort the detectors' and sprinklers' full potential for saving lives and property from fire can be realized.

Design strategies for dynamic closed-loop optogenetic neurocontrol in vivo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bolus, M. F.; Willats, A. A.; Whitmire, C. J.; Rozell, C. J.; Stanley, G. B.

2018-04-01

Objective. Controlling neural activity enables the possibility of manipulating sensory perception, cognitive processes, and body movement, in addition to providing a powerful framework for functionally disentangling the neural circuits that underlie these complex phenomena. Over the last decade, optogenetic stimulation has become an increasingly important and powerful tool for understanding neural circuit function, owing to the ability to target specific cell types and bidirectionally modulate neural activity. To date, most stimulation has been provided in open-loop or in an on/off closed-loop fashion, where previously-determined stimulation is triggered by an event. Here, we describe and demonstrate a design approach for precise optogenetic control of neuronal firing rate modulation using feedback to guide stimulation continuously. Approach. Using the rodent somatosensory thalamus as an experimental testbed for realizing desired time-varying patterns of firing rate modulation, we utilized a moving average exponential filter to estimate firing rate online from single-unit spiking measured extracellularly. This estimate of instantaneous rate served as feedback for a proportional integral (PI) controller, which was designed during the experiment based on a linear-nonlinear Poisson (LNP) model of the neuronal response to light. Main results. The LNP model fit during the experiment enabled robust closed-loop control, resulting in good tracking of sinusoidal and non-sinusoidal targets, and rejection of unmeasured disturbances. Closed-loop control also enabled manipulation of trial-to-trial variability. Significance. Because neuroscientists are faced with the challenge of dissecting the functions of circuit components, the ability to maintain control of a region of interest in spite of changes in ongoing neural activity will be important for disambiguating function within networks. Closed-loop stimulation strategies are ideal for control that is robust to such changes, and the employment of continuous feedback to adjust stimulation in real-time can improve the quality of data collected using optogenetic manipulation.

The dynamics of integrate-and-fire: mean versus variance modulations and dependence on baseline parameters.

PubMed

Pressley, Joanna; Troyer, Todd W

2011-05-01

The leaky integrate-and-fire (LIF) is the simplest neuron model that captures the essential properties of neuronal signaling. Yet common intuitions are inadequate to explain basic properties of LIF responses to sinusoidal modulations of the input. Here we examine responses to low and moderate frequency modulations of both the mean and variance of the input current and quantify how these responses depend on baseline parameters. Across parameters, responses to modulations in the mean current are low pass, approaching zero in the limit of high frequencies. For very low baseline firing rates, the response cutoff frequency matches that expected from membrane integration. However, the cutoff shows a rapid, supralinear increase with firing rate, with a steeper increase in the case of lower noise. For modulations of the input variance, the gain at high frequency remains finite. Here, we show that the low-frequency responses depend strongly on baseline parameters and derive an analytic condition specifying the parameters at which responses switch from being dominated by low versus high frequencies. Additionally, we show that the resonant responses for variance modulations have properties not expected for common oscillatory resonances: they peak at frequencies higher than the baseline firing rate and persist when oscillatory spiking is disrupted by high noise. Finally, the responses to mean and variance modulations are shown to have a complementary dependence on baseline parameters at higher frequencies, resulting in responses to modulations of Poisson input rates that are independent of baseline input statistics.

Pulse-coupled neural network sensor fusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, John L.; Schamschula, Marius P.; Inguva, Ramarao; Caulfield, H. John

1998-03-01

Perception is assisted by sensed impressions of the outside world but not determined by them. The primary organ of perception is the brain and, in particular, the cortex. With that in mind, we have sought to see how a computer-modeled cortex--the PCNN or Pulse Coupled Neural Network--performs as a sensor fusing element. In essence, the PCNN is comprised of an array of integrate-and-fire neurons with one neuron for each input pixel. In such a system, the neurons corresponding to bright pixels reach firing threshold faster than the neurons corresponding to duller pixels. Thus, firing rate is proportional to brightness. In PCNNs, when a neuron fires it sends some of the resulting signal to its neighbors. This linking can cause a near-threshold neuron to fire earlier than it would have otherwise. This leads to synchronization of the pulses across large regions of the image. We can simplify the 3D PCNN output by integrating out the time dimension. Over a long enough time interval, the resulting 2D (x,y) pattern IS the input image. The PCNN has taken it apart and put it back together again. The shorter- term time integrals are interesting in themselves and will be commented upon in the paper. The main thrust of this paper is the use of multiple PCNNs mutually coupled in various ways to assemble a single 2D pattern or fused image. Results of experiments on PCNN image fusion and an evaluation of its advantages are our primary objectives.

Enhanced Sensitivity to Rapid Input Fluctuations by Nonlinear Threshold Dynamics in Neocortical Pyramidal Neurons

PubMed Central

Mensi, Skander; Hagens, Olivier; Gerstner, Wulfram; Pozzorini, Christian

2016-01-01

The way in which single neurons transform input into output spike trains has fundamental consequences for network coding. Theories and modeling studies based on standard Integrate-and-Fire models implicitly assume that, in response to increasingly strong inputs, neurons modify their coding strategy by progressively reducing their selective sensitivity to rapid input fluctuations. Combining mathematical modeling with in vitro experiments, we demonstrate that, in L5 pyramidal neurons, the firing threshold dynamics adaptively adjust the effective timescale of somatic integration in order to preserve sensitivity to rapid signals over a broad range of input statistics. For that, a new Generalized Integrate-and-Fire model featuring nonlinear firing threshold dynamics and conductance-based adaptation is introduced that outperforms state-of-the-art neuron models in predicting the spiking activity of neurons responding to a variety of in vivo-like fluctuating currents. Our model allows for efficient parameter extraction and can be analytically mapped to a Generalized Linear Model in which both the input filter—describing somatic integration—and the spike-history filter—accounting for spike-frequency adaptation—dynamically adapt to the input statistics, as experimentally observed. Overall, our results provide new insights on the computational role of different biophysical processes known to underlie adaptive coding in single neurons and support previous theoretical findings indicating that the nonlinear dynamics of the firing threshold due to Na+-channel inactivation regulate the sensitivity to rapid input fluctuations. PMID:26907675

Fire safety concerns in space operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Friedman, Robert

1987-01-01

This paper reviews the state-of-the-art in fire control techniques and identifies important issues for continuing research, technology, and standards. For the future permanent orbiting facility, the space station, fire prevention and control calls for not only more stringent fire safety due to the long-term and complex missions, but also for simplified and flexible safety rules to accommodate the variety of users. Future research must address a better understanding of the microgravity space environment as it influences fire propagation and extinction and the application of the technology of fire detection, extinguishment, and material assessment. Spacecraft fire safety should also consider the adaptation of methods and concepts derived from aircraft and undersea experience.

KSC-98pc969

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-08-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In Firing Room 1 at KSC, Shuttle launch team members put the Shuttle system through an integrated simulation. The control room is set up with software used to simulate flight and ground systems in the launch configuration. A Simulation Team, comprisING KSC engineers, introduce 12 or more major problems to prepare the launch team for worst-case scenarios. Such tests and simulations keep the Shuttle launch team sharp and ready for liftoff. The next liftoff is targeted for Oct. 29.

KSC-98pc971

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-08-20

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In Firing Room 1 at KSC, Shuttle launch team members put the Shuttle system through an integrated simulation. The control room is set up with software used to simulate flight and ground systems in the launch configuration. A Simulation Team, comprising KSC engineers, introduce 12 or more major problems to prepare the launch team for worst-case scenarios. Such tests and simulations keep the Shuttle launch team sharp and ready for liftoff. The next liftoff is targeted for Oct. 29

Navy Information Dominance, the Battle of Midway, and the Joint Force Commander: It Worked Then, It Needs to Work Now

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-05-19

cyberspace, is putting increased emphasis on the need for the Joint Force Commander to employ his force to achieve Information Dominance . The information... Information Dominance is to assist in achieving Decision Superiority, Assured Command and Control, Battlespace Awareness, and Integrated Fires. Navy... Information Dominance aims to use information in cyberspace as a way and means in warfare -- as a battery in the Joint Force Commander’s arsenal. The

Engineer Company Force Structure Force Modularization in Support of Decisive Action. Does the Corps of Engineers Need to Re-Structure Engineer Construction Companies Again in order to Support Decisive Actions?

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-05-16

Regional Command RCP Route Clearance Platoon RSOI Reception, Staging, Onward Movement, Integration SBCT Stryker Brigade Combat Team TOE Table of...Point (ASPs), and field hospital platforms; prepare river crossing sites; and support port repair due to Hydraulic Excavator (HYEX), provides force...platforms, FARPS, supply routes, roads, control points, fire bases, tank ditches, ASPs, and field hospital platforms; prepare river crossing sites; and

Mixed Integer PDE Constrained Optimization for the Control of a Wildfire Hazard

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-01-01

are nodes suitable for extinguishing the fire. We introduce a discretization of the time horizon [0, T] by the set of time T := {0, At,..., ntZ\\t = T...of the constraints and objective with a discrete counterpart. The PDE is replaced by a linear system obtained from a convergent finite difference...method [5] and the integral is replaced by a quadrature formula. The domain is discretized by replacing 17 with an equidistant grid of length Ax

Fire management in central America

Treesearch

Andrea L. Koonce; Armando González-Cabán

1992-01-01

Information on fire management operations in Central America is scant. To evaluate the known level of fire occurrence in seven countries in that area, fire management officers were asked to provide information on their fire control organizations and on any available fire statistics. The seven countries surveyed were Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua,...

Spatial controls of occurrence and spread of wildfires in the Missouri Ozark Highlands

Treesearch

Jian Yang; Hong S. He; Stephen R. Shifley

2008-01-01

Understanding spatial controls on wildfires is important when designing adaptive fire management plans and optimizing fuel treatment locations on a forest landscape. Previous research about this topic focused primarily on spatial controls for fire origin locations alone. Fire spread and behavior were largely overlooked. This paper contrasts the relative importance of...

Wildland fire research: Future Search conference notes

Treesearch

Jim Saveland; Dave Thomas

1998-01-01

This conference provided an arena for identifying common key issues that are shaping wildland fire research. Commonly identified desired outcomes include: research, integrated across disciplines, and management form partnerships; communication between management and research is effective and continuous; responsive and proactive research balances long-term scientific...

Constructing a sustainable power sector in China: current and future emissions of coal-fired power plants from 2010 to 2030

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tong, D.; Zhang, Q.

2017-12-01

As the largest energy infrastructure in China, power sector consumed more coal than any other sector and threatened air quality and greenhouse gas (GHG) abatement target. In this work, we assessed the evolution of coal-fired power plants in China during 2010-2030 and the evolution of associated emissions for the same period by using a unit-based emission projection model which integrated the historical power plants information, turnover of the future power plant fleet, and the evolution of end-of-pipe control technologies. We found that, driven by the stringent environmental legislation, SO2, NOx, and PM2.5 emissions from China's coal-fired power plants decreased by 49%, 45%, and 24% respectively during 2010-2015, comparing to 14% increase of coal consumption and 15% increase in CO2 emissions. We estimated that under current national energy development planning, coal consumption and CO2 emissions from coal-fired power plants will continue to increase until 2030, in which against the China's Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) targets. Early retirement of old and low-efficient power plants will cumulatively reduce 2.2 Pg CO2 emissions from the baseline scenario during 2016-2030, but still could not curb CO2 emissions from the peak before 2030. Owing to the implementation of "near zero" emission control policy, we projected that emissions of air pollutants will significantly decrease during the same period under all scenarios, indicating the decoupling trends of air pollutants and CO2 emissions. Although with limited direct emission reduction benefits, increasing operating hours of power plants could avoid 236 GW of new power plants construction, which could indirectly reduce emissions embodied in the construction activity. Our results identified a more sustainable pathway for China's coal-fired power plants, which could reduce air pollutant emissions, improve the energy efficiency, and slow down the construction of new units. However, continuous construction of new coal-fired power plants driven by increased electricity demand would pose a potential threat to climate change mitigation and China's peak carbon pledge, and more aggressive CO2 emission reduction policy should be implemented in the future.

Economic vulnerability of timber resources to forest fires.

PubMed

y Silva, Francisco Rodríguez; Molina, Juan Ramón; González-Cabán, Armando; Machuca, Miguel Ángel Herrera

2012-06-15

The temporal-spatial planning of activities for a territorial fire management program requires knowing the value of forest ecosystems. In this paper we extend to and apply the economic valuation principle to the concept of economic vulnerability and present a methodology for the economic valuation of the forest production ecosystems. The forest vulnerability is analyzed from criteria intrinsically associated to the forest characterization, and to the potential behavior of surface fires. Integrating a mapping process of fire potential and analytical valuation algorithms facilitates the implementation of fire prevention planning. The availability of cartography of economic vulnerability of the forest ecosystems is fundamental for budget optimization, and to help in the decision making process. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Fuels planning: science synthesis and integration; forest structure and fire hazard fact sheet 06: Guide to fuel treatments in dry forests of the Western United States: assessing forest structure and fire hazard

Treesearch

Rocky Mountain Research Station USDA Forest Service

2005-01-01

The Guide to Fuel Treatments analyzes a range of potential silvicultural thinnings and surface fuel treatments for 25 representative dry-forest stands in the Western United States. The guide provides quantitative guidelines and visualization for treatment based on scientific principles identified for reducing potential crown fires. This fact sheet identifies the...

Integrating Fire, Climate, and Societal Factors into Decision Support for Strategic Planning in Wildland Fire Management

Treesearch

Barbara J. Morehouse; Gregg Garfin; Timothy Brown; Thomas W. Swetnam

2006-01-01

An El Niño winter in 1998-99, followed by a strong La Niña winter in 1999- 2000, set the stage for potentially large wildfires in the southwestern, southeastern, and northwestern forests of the United States. Researchers at the University of Arizona organized a three-day workshop to discuss the relationship between synoptic scale climate conditions and wildland fire...

New fire-fighting water bucket releases its water for a demonstration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

A NASA helicopter releases 324 gallons of water onto a building in a simulated fire control demonstration. The high-impact- resistant flexible plastic bucket will be used for fire protection on property and buildings at Kennedy Space Center. Known as the 'Bambi' bucket, it will also support the Fish and Wildlife Service for controlled burns plus any wild fires in the area.

Circadian and feeding cues integrate to drive rhythms of physiology in Drosophila insulin-producing cells.

PubMed

Barber, Annika F; Erion, Renske; Holmes, Todd C; Sehgal, Amita

2016-12-01

Circadian clocks regulate much of behavior and physiology, but the mechanisms by which they do so remain poorly understood. While cyclic gene expression is thought to underlie metabolic rhythms, little is known about cycles in cellular physiology. We found that Drosophila insulin-producing cells (IPCs), which are located in the pars intercerebralis and lack an autonomous circadian clock, are functionally connected to the central circadian clock circuit via DN1 neurons. Insulin mediates circadian output by regulating the rhythmic expression of a metabolic gene (sxe2) in the fat body. Patch clamp electrophysiology reveals that IPCs display circadian clock-regulated daily rhythms in firing event frequency and bursting proportion under light:dark conditions. The activity of IPCs and the rhythmic expression of sxe2 are additionally regulated by feeding, as demonstrated by night feeding-induced changes in IPC firing characteristics and sxe2 levels in the fat body. These findings indicate circuit-level regulation of metabolism by clock cells in Drosophila and support a role for the pars intercerebralis in integrating circadian control of behavior and physiology. © 2016 Barber et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

Comparing the role of fuel breaks across southern California national forests

USGS Publications Warehouse

Syphard, Alexandra D.; Keeley, Jon E.; Brennan, Teresa J.

2011-01-01

Fuel treatment of wildland vegetation is the primary approach advocated for mitigating fire risk at the wildland-urban interface (WUI), but little systematic research has been conducted to understand what role fuel treatments play in controlling large fires, which factors influence this role, or how the role of fuel treatments may vary over space and time. We assembled a spatial database of fuel breaks and fires from the last 30 years in four southern California national forests to better understand which factors are consistently important for fuel breaks in the control of large fires. We also explored which landscape features influence where fires and fuel breaks are most likely to intersect. The relative importance of significant factors explaining fuel break outcome and number of fire and fuel break intersections varied among the forests, which reflects high levels of regional landscape diversity. Nevertheless, several factors were consistently important across all the forests. In general, fuel breaks played an important role in controlling large fires only when they facilitated fire management, primarily by providing access for firefighting activities. Fire weather and fuel break maintenance were also consistently important. Models and maps predicting where fuel breaks and fires are most likely to intersect performed well in the regions where the models were developed, but these models did not extend well to other regions, reflecting how the environmental controls of fire regimes vary even within a single ecoregion. Nevertheless, similar mapping methods could be adopted in different landscapes to help with strategic location of fuel breaks. Strategic location of fuel breaks should also account for access points near communities, where fire protection is most important.

Techniques for Combined Arms for Air Defense

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-07-29

loss remain in effect until communications are regained. Changes to ROE and supplemental fire control measures scheduled to go into effect after...communications are lost will be implemented as scheduled . Fire Control Orders Fire control orders are commands used to control engagements on a case...or a sleep matt over windshields (Figure 3-2). Camouflage is one of the basic weapons of war. The importance, the principles, and the techniques of

Reusable Surface Insulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

Advanced Flexible Reusable Surface Insulation, developed by Ames Research Center, protects the Space Shuttle from the searing heat that engulfs it on reentry into the Earth's atmosphere. Initially integrated into the Space Shuttle by Rockwell International, production was transferred to Hi-Temp Insulation Inc. in 1974. Over the years, Hi-Temp has created many new technologies to meet the requirements of the Space Shuttle program. This expertise is also used commercially, including insulation blankets to cover aircrafts parts, fire barrier material to protect aircraft engine cowlings and aircraft rescue fire fighter suits. A Fire Protection Division has also been established, offering the first suit designed exclusively by and for aircraft rescue fire fighters. Hi-Temp is a supplier to the Los Angeles City Fire Department as well as other major U.S. civil and military fire departments.

Optimal firing rate estimation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Paulin, M. G.; Hoffman, L. F.

2001-01-01

We define a measure for evaluating the quality of a predictive model of the behavior of a spiking neuron. This measure, information gain per spike (Is), indicates how much more information is provided by the model than if the prediction were made by specifying the neuron's average firing rate over the same time period. We apply a maximum Is criterion to optimize the performance of Gaussian smoothing filters for estimating neural firing rates. With data from bullfrog vestibular semicircular canal neurons and data from simulated integrate-and-fire neurons, the optimal bandwidth for firing rate estimation is typically similar to the average firing rate. Precise timing and average rate models are limiting cases that perform poorly. We estimate that bullfrog semicircular canal sensory neurons transmit in the order of 1 bit of stimulus-related information per spike.

Uncertainties of wild-land fires emission in AQMEII phase 2 case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soares, J.; Sofiev, M.; Hakkarainen, J.

2015-08-01

The paper discusses the main uncertainties of wild-land fire emission estimates used in the AQMEII-II case study. The wild-land fire emission of particulate matter for the summer fire season of 2010 in Eurasia was generated by the Integrated System for wild-land Fires (IS4FIRES). The emission calculation procedure included two steps: bottom-up emission compilation from radiative energy of individual fires observed by MODIS instrument on-board of Terra and Aqua satellites; and top-down calibration of emission factors based on the comparison between observations and modelled results. The approach inherits various uncertainties originating from imperfect information on fires, inaccuracies of the inverse problem solution, and simplifications in the fire description. These are analysed in regard to the Eurasian fires in 2010. It is concluded that the total emission is likely to be over-estimated by up to 50% with individual-fire emission accuracy likely to vary in a wide range. The first results of the new IS4FIRESv2 products and fire-resolving modelling are discussed in application to the 2010 events. It is shown that the new emission estimates have similar patterns but are lower than the IS4FIRESv1 values.

Modelling Technology for Building Fire Scene with Virtual Geographic Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Y.; Zhao, L.; Wei, M.; Zhang, H.; Liu, W.

2017-09-01

Building fire is a risky activity that can lead to disaster and massive destruction. The management and disposal of building fire has always attracted much interest from researchers. Integrated Virtual Geographic Environment (VGE) is a good choice for building fire safety management and emergency decisions, in which a more real and rich fire process can be computed and obtained dynamically, and the results of fire simulations and analyses can be much more accurate as well. To modelling building fire scene with VGE, the application requirements and modelling objective of building fire scene were analysed in this paper. Then, the four core elements of modelling building fire scene (the building space environment, the fire event, the indoor Fire Extinguishing System (FES) and the indoor crowd) were implemented, and the relationship between the elements was discussed also. Finally, with the theory and framework of VGE, the technology of building fire scene system with VGE was designed within the data environment, the model environment, the expression environment, and the collaborative environment as well. The functions and key techniques in each environment are also analysed, which may provide a reference for further development and other research on VGE.

Uncertainty and risk in wildland fire management: a review.

PubMed

Thompson, Matthew P; Calkin, Dave E

2011-08-01

Wildland fire management is subject to manifold sources of uncertainty. Beyond the unpredictability of wildfire behavior, uncertainty stems from inaccurate/missing data, limited resource value measures to guide prioritization across fires and resources at risk, and an incomplete scientific understanding of ecological response to fire, of fire behavior response to treatments, and of spatiotemporal dynamics involving disturbance regimes and climate change. This work attempts to systematically align sources of uncertainty with the most appropriate decision support methodologies, in order to facilitate cost-effective, risk-based wildfire planning efforts. We review the state of wildfire risk assessment and management, with a specific focus on uncertainties challenging implementation of integrated risk assessments that consider a suite of human and ecological values. Recent advances in wildfire simulation and geospatial mapping of highly valued resources have enabled robust risk-based analyses to inform planning across a variety of scales, although improvements are needed in fire behavior and ignition occurrence models. A key remaining challenge is a better characterization of non-market resources at risk, both in terms of their response to fire and how society values those resources. Our findings echo earlier literature identifying wildfire effects analysis and value uncertainty as the primary challenges to integrated wildfire risk assessment and wildfire management. We stress the importance of identifying and characterizing uncertainties in order to better quantify and manage them. Leveraging the most appropriate decision support tools can facilitate wildfire risk assessment and ideally improve decision-making. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Impact of a low intensity controlled-fire in some chemical soil properties.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martínez-Murillo, Juan F.; Hueso-González, Paloma; Aranda-Gómez, Francisco; Damián Ruiz-Sinoga, José

2014-05-01

Some changes in chemical soil properties can be observed after fires of low intensities. pH and electric conductivity tend to increase, while C/N ratio decrease. In the case of organic matter, the content can increase due to the massive incorporation of necromass including, especially, plants and roots. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of low intensity and controlled fire in some soil properties in field conditions. El Pinarillo experimental area is located in South of Spain. Two set of closed plots were installed (24 m2: 12 m length x 2 m width). One of them was remained as control with the original vegetation cover (Mediterranean matorral: Rosmarinus officinalis, Cistus clusii, Lavandula stoechas, Chamaeropos humilis, Thymus baetica), and the other one was burnt in a controlled-fire in 2011. Weather conditions and water content of vegetation influenced in the intensity of fire (low). After the controlled-fire, soil surface sample (0-5 cm) were taken in both set of plots (B, burnt soil samples; C, control soil samples). Some soil chemical properties were analysed: organic matter content (OM), C/N ratio, pH and electrical conductivity (EC). Some changes were observed in B corroborating a controlled-fire of low intensity. pH remained equal after fire (B: pH=7.7±0.11; C: pH=7.7±0.04). An increment was obtained in the case of EC (B: EC=0.45 mScm-1±0.08 mScm-1; C: EC=0.35 mScm-1±0.07 mScm-1) and OM (B: OM=8.7%±3.8%; C: pH=7.3%±1.5%). Finally, C/N ratio decreased after fire respect to the control and initial conditions (B: C/N=39.0±14.6; C: C/N =46.5±10.2).

Beyond blow-up in excitatory integrate and fire neuronal networks: Refractory period and spontaneous activity.

PubMed

Cáceres, María J; Perthame, Benoît

2014-06-07

The Network Noisy Leaky Integrate and Fire equation is among the simplest model allowing for a self-consistent description of neural networks and gives a rule to determine the probability to find a neuron at the potential v. However, its mathematical structure is still poorly understood and, concerning its solutions, very few results are available. In the midst of them, a recent result shows blow-up in finite time for fully excitatory networks. The intuitive explanation is that each firing neuron induces a discharge of the others; thus increases the activity and consequently the discharge rate of the full network. In order to better understand the details of the phenomena and show that the equation is more complex and fruitful than expected, we analyze further the model. We extend the finite time blow-up result to the case when neurons, after firing, enter a refractory state for a given period of time. We also show that spontaneous activity may occur when, additionally, randomness is included on the firing potential VF in regimes where blow-up occurs for a fixed value of VF. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Research progress in post-fire debris flow].

PubMed

Di, Xue-ying; Tao, Yu-zhu

2013-08-01

The occurrence of the secondary disasters of forest fire has significant impacts on the environment quality and human health and safety. Post-fire debris flow is one of the most hazardous secondary disasters of forest fire. To understand the occurrence conditions of post-fire debris flow and to master its occurrence situation are the critical elements in post-fire hazard assessment. From the viewpoints of vegetation, precipitation threshold and debris flow material sources, this paper elaborated the impacts of forest fire on the debris flow, analyzed the geologic and geomorphic conditions, precipitation and slope condition that caused the post-fire debris flow as well as the primary mechanisms of debris-flow initiation caused by shallow landslide or surface runoff, and reviewed the research progress in the prediction and forecast of post-fire debris flow and the related control measures. In the future research, four aspects to be focused on were proposed, i. e., the quantification of the relationships between the fire behaviors and environmental factors and the post-fire debris flow, the quantitative research on the post-fire debris flow initiation and movement processes, the mechanistic model of post-fire debris flow, and the rapid and efficient control countermeasures of post-fire debris flow.

Towards Data-Driven Simulations of Wildfire Spread using Ensemble-based Data Assimilation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rochoux, M. C.; Bart, J.; Ricci, S. M.; Cuenot, B.; Trouvé, A.; Duchaine, F.; Morel, T.

2012-12-01

Real-time predictions of a propagating wildfire remain a challenging task because the problem involves both multi-physics and multi-scales. The propagation speed of wildfires, also called the rate of spread (ROS), is indeed determined by complex interactions between pyrolysis, combustion and flow dynamics, atmospheric dynamics occurring at vegetation, topographical and meteorological scales. Current operational fire spread models are mainly based on a semi-empirical parameterization of the ROS in terms of vegetation, topographical and meteorological properties. For the fire spread simulation to be predictive and compatible with operational applications, the uncertainty on the ROS model should be reduced. As recent progress made in remote sensing technology provides new ways to monitor the fire front position, a promising approach to overcome the difficulties found in wildfire spread simulations is to integrate fire modeling and fire sensing technologies using data assimilation (DA). For this purpose we have developed a prototype data-driven wildfire spread simulator in order to provide optimal estimates of poorly known model parameters [*]. The data-driven simulation capability is adapted for more realistic wildfire spread : it considers a regional-scale fire spread model that is informed by observations of the fire front location. An Ensemble Kalman Filter algorithm (EnKF) based on a parallel computing platform (OpenPALM) was implemented in order to perform a multi-parameter sequential estimation where wind magnitude and direction are in addition to vegetation properties (see attached figure). The EnKF algorithm shows its good ability to track a small-scale grassland fire experiment and ensures a good accounting for the sensitivity of the simulation outcomes to the control parameters. As a conclusion, it was shown that data assimilation is a promising approach to more accurately forecast time-varying wildfire spread conditions as new airborne-like observations of the fire front location get available. [*] Rochoux, M.C., Delmotte, B., Cuenot, B., Ricci, S., and Trouvé, A. (2012) "Regional-scale simulations of wildland fire spread informed by real-time flame front observations", Proc. Combust. Inst., 34, in press http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.proci.2012.06.090 EnKF-based tracking of small-scale grassland fire experiment, with estimation of wind and fuel parameters.

An Earth-Based Equivalent Low Stretch Apparatus to Assess Material Flammability for Microgravity & Extraterrestrial Fire-Safety Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Olson, S. L.; Beeson, H.; Haas, J.

2001-01-01

One of the performance goals for NASA's enterprise of Human Exploration and Development of Space (HEDS) is to develop methods, data bases, and validating tests for material flammability characterization, hazard reduction, and fire detection/suppression strategies for spacecraft and extraterrestrial habitats. This work addresses these needs by applying the fundamental knowledge gained from low stretch experiments to the development of a normal gravity low stretch material flammability test method. The concept of the apparatus being developed uses the low stretch geometry to simulate the conditions of the extraterrestrial environment through proper scaling of the sample dimensions to reduce the buoyant stretch in normal gravity. The apparatus uses controlled forced-air flow to augment the low stretch to levels which simulate Lunar or Martian gravity levels. In addition, the effect of imposed radiant heat flux on material flammability can be studied with the cone heater. After breadboard testing, the apparatus will be integrated into NASA's White Sands Test Facility's Atmosphere-Controlled Cone Calorimeter for evaluation as a new materials screening test method.

A low-cost particulate matter (PM2.5) monitor for wildland fire smoke

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kelleher, Scott; Quinn, Casey; Miller-Lionberg, Daniel; Volckens, John

2018-02-01

Wildfires and prescribed fires produce emissions that degrade visibility and are harmful to human health. Smoke emissions and exposure monitoring is critical for public and environmental health protection; however, ground-level measurements of smoke from wildfires and prescribed fires has proven difficult, as existing (validated) monitoring technologies are expensive, cumbersome, and generally require line power. Few ground-based measurements are made during fire events, which limits our ability to assess the environmental and human health impacts of wildland fire smoke. The objective of this work was to develop and validate an Outdoor Aerosol Sampler (OAS) - a filter-based air sampler that has been miniaturized, solar powered, and weatherproofed. This sampler was designed to overcome several of the technical challenges of wildland fire monitoring by being relatively inexpensive and solar powered. The sampler design objectives were achieved by leveraging low-cost electronic components, open-source programming platforms, and in-house fabrication methods. A direct-reading PM2.5 sensor was selected and integrated with the OAS to provide time-resolved concentration data. Cellular communications established via short message service (SMS) technology were utilized in transmitting online sensor readings and controlling the sampling device remotely. A Monte Carlo simulation aided in the selection of battery and solar power necessary to independently power the OAS, while keeping cost and size to a minimum. Thirteen OAS were deployed to monitor smoke concentrations downwind from a large prescribed fire. Aerosol mass concentrations were interpolated across the monitoring network to depict smoke concentration gradients in the vicinity of the fire. Strong concentration gradients were observed (spatially and temporally) and likely present due to a combination of changing fire location and intensity, topographical features (e.g., mountain ridges), and diurnal weather patterns. Gravimetric filter measurements made by the OAS (when corrected for filter collection efficiency) showed relatively good agreement with measurements from an EPA federal equivalent monitor. However, the real-time optical sensor (Sharp GP2Y1023AU0F, Sharp Electronic Co.) within the OAS suffered from temperature dependence, drift, and imprecision.

Integration of Nanostructures into Microsensor Devices on Whole Wafers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Biaggi-Labiosa, Azlin M.; Evans, Laura J.; Berger, Gordon M.; Hunter, Gary W.

2015-01-01

Chemical sensors are used in a wide variety of applications, such as environmental monitoring, fire detection, emission monitoring, and health monitoring. The fabrication of chemical sensors involving nanostructured materials holds the potential for the development of sensor systems with unique properties and improved performance. However, the fabrication and processing of nanostructures for sensor applications currently are limited in the ability to control their location on the sensor, which in turn hinders the progress for batch fabrication. This report discusses the advantages of using nanomaterials in sensor designs, some of the challenges encountered with the integration of nanostructures into microsensor / devices, and then briefly describes different methods attempted by other groups to address this issue. Finally, this report will describe how our approach for the controlled alignment of nanostructures onto a sensor platform was applied to demonstrate an approach for the mass production of sensors with nanostructures.

A Complex-Valued Firing-Rate Model That Approximates the Dynamics of Spiking Networks

PubMed Central

Schaffer, Evan S.; Ostojic, Srdjan; Abbott, L. F.

2013-01-01

Firing-rate models provide an attractive approach for studying large neural networks because they can be simulated rapidly and are amenable to mathematical analysis. Traditional firing-rate models assume a simple form in which the dynamics are governed by a single time constant. These models fail to replicate certain dynamic features of populations of spiking neurons, especially those involving synchronization. We present a complex-valued firing-rate model derived from an eigenfunction expansion of the Fokker-Planck equation and apply it to the linear, quadratic and exponential integrate-and-fire models. Despite being almost as simple as a traditional firing-rate description, this model can reproduce firing-rate dynamics due to partial synchronization of the action potentials in a spiking model, and it successfully predicts the transition to spike synchronization in networks of coupled excitatory and inhibitory neurons. PMID:24204236

The Science of Firescapes: Achieving Fire-Resilient Communities

PubMed Central

Smith, Alistair M.S.; Kolden, Crystal A.; Paveglio, Travis B.; Cochrane, Mark A.; Bowman, David MJS; Moritz, Max A.; Kliskey, Andrew D.; Alessa, Lilian; Hudak, Andrew T.; Hoffman, Chad M.; Lutz, James A.; Queen, Lloyd P.; Goetz, Scott J.; Higuera, Philip E.; Boschetti, Luigi; Flannigan, Mike; Yedinak, Kara M.; Watts, Adam C.; Strand, Eva K.; van Wagtendonk, Jan W.; Anderson, John W.; Stocks, Brian J.; Abatzoglou, John T.

2016-01-01

Abstract Wildland fire management has reached a crossroads. Current perspectives are not capable of answering interdisciplinary adaptation and mitigation challenges posed by increases in wildfire risk to human populations and the need to reintegrate fire as a vital landscape process. Fire science has been, and continues to be, performed in isolated “silos,” including institutions (e.g., agencies versus universities), organizational structures (e.g., federal agency mandates versus local and state procedures for responding to fire), and research foci (e.g., physical science, natural science, and social science). These silos tend to promote research, management, and policy that focus only on targeted aspects of the “wicked” wildfire problem. In this article, we provide guiding principles to bridge diverse fire science efforts to advance an integrated agenda of wildfire research that can help overcome disciplinary silos and provide insight on how to build fire-resilient communities. PMID:29593361

Evaluating implementation of a fire-prevention injury prevention briefing in children's centres: Cluster randomised controlled trial

PubMed Central

Deave, Toity; Hawkins, Adrian; Kumar, Arun; Hayes, Mike; Cooper, Nicola; Watson, Michael; Ablewhite, Joanne; Coupland, Carol; Sutton, Alex; Majsak-Newman, Gosia; McDaid, Lisa; Goodenough, Trudy; Beckett, Kate; McColl, Elaine; Reading, Richard; Kendrick, Denise

2017-01-01

Background Many developed countries have high mortality rates for fire-related deaths in children aged 0–14 years with steep social gradients. Evidence-based interventions to promote fire safety practices exist, but the impact of implementing a range of these interventions in children’s services has not been assessed. We developed an Injury Prevention Briefing (IPB), which brought together evidence about effective fire safety interventions and good practice in delivering interventions; plus training and facilitation to support its use and evaluated its implementation. Methods We conducted a cluster randomised controlled trial, with integrated qualitative and cost-effectiveness nested studies, across four study sites in England involving children’s centres in disadvantaged areas; participants were staff and families attending those centres. Centres were stratified by study site and randomised within strata to one of three arms: IPB plus facilitation (IPB+), IPB only, usual care. IPB+ centres received initial training and facilitation at months 1, 3, and 8. Baseline data from children’s centres were collected between August 2011 and January 2012 and follow-up data were collected between June 2012 and June 2013. Parent baseline data were collected between January 2012 and May 2012 and follow-up data between May 2013 and September 2013. Data comprised baseline and 12 month parent- and staff-completed questionnaires, facilitation contact data, activity logs and staff interviews. The primary outcome was whether families had a plan for escaping from a house fire. Treatment arms were compared using multilevel models to account for clustering by children’s centre. Results 1112 parents at 36 children’s centres participated. There was no significant effect of the intervention on families’ possession of plans for escaping from a house fire (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) IPB only vs. usual care: 0.93, 95%CI 0.58, 1.49; AOR IPB+ vs. usual care 1.41, 95%CI 0.91, 2.20). However, significantly more families in the intervention arms reported more behaviours for escaping from house fires (AOR IPB only vs. usual care: 2.56, 95%CI 01.38, 4.76; AOR IPB+ vs. usual care 1.78, 95%CI 1.01, 3.15). Conclusion Our study demonstrated that children’s centres can deliver an injury prevention intervention to families in disadvantaged communities and achieve changes in home safety behaviours. PMID:28339460

Evaluating implementation of a fire-prevention injury prevention briefing in children's centres: Cluster randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Deave, Toity; Hawkins, Adrian; Kumar, Arun; Hayes, Mike; Cooper, Nicola; Watson, Michael; Ablewhite, Joanne; Coupland, Carol; Sutton, Alex; Majsak-Newman, Gosia; McDaid, Lisa; Goodenough, Trudy; Beckett, Kate; McColl, Elaine; Reading, Richard; Kendrick, Denise

2017-01-01

Many developed countries have high mortality rates for fire-related deaths in children aged 0-14 years with steep social gradients. Evidence-based interventions to promote fire safety practices exist, but the impact of implementing a range of these interventions in children's services has not been assessed. We developed an Injury Prevention Briefing (IPB), which brought together evidence about effective fire safety interventions and good practice in delivering interventions; plus training and facilitation to support its use and evaluated its implementation. We conducted a cluster randomised controlled trial, with integrated qualitative and cost-effectiveness nested studies, across four study sites in England involving children's centres in disadvantaged areas; participants were staff and families attending those centres. Centres were stratified by study site and randomised within strata to one of three arms: IPB plus facilitation (IPB+), IPB only, usual care. IPB+ centres received initial training and facilitation at months 1, 3, and 8. Baseline data from children's centres were collected between August 2011 and January 2012 and follow-up data were collected between June 2012 and June 2013. Parent baseline data were collected between January 2012 and May 2012 and follow-up data between May 2013 and September 2013. Data comprised baseline and 12 month parent- and staff-completed questionnaires, facilitation contact data, activity logs and staff interviews. The primary outcome was whether families had a plan for escaping from a house fire. Treatment arms were compared using multilevel models to account for clustering by children's centre. 1112 parents at 36 children's centres participated. There was no significant effect of the intervention on families' possession of plans for escaping from a house fire (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) IPB only vs. usual care: 0.93, 95%CI 0.58, 1.49; AOR IPB+ vs. usual care 1.41, 95%CI 0.91, 2.20). However, significantly more families in the intervention arms reported more behaviours for escaping from house fires (AOR IPB only vs. usual care: 2.56, 95%CI 01.38, 4.76; AOR IPB+ vs. usual care 1.78, 95%CI 1.01, 3.15). Our study demonstrated that children's centres can deliver an injury prevention intervention to families in disadvantaged communities and achieve changes in home safety behaviours.

Chapter 5. Borderlands fire regimes

Treesearch

Margot Wilkinson-Kaye; Thomas Swetnam; Christopher R. Baisan

2006-01-01

Fire is a keystone process in most natural, terrestrial ecosystems. The vital role that fire plays in controlling the structure of an ecosystem underscores the need for us to increase our knowledge of past and current fire regimes (Morgan and others 1994). Dendrochronological reconstructions of fire histories provide descriptions of past fire regimes across a range of...

Cold Helium Pressurization for Liquid Oxygen / Liquid Methane Propulsion Systems: Fully-Integrated Initial Hot-Fire Test Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morehead, R. L.; Atwell, M. J.; Melcher, J. C.; Hurlbert, E. A.

2016-01-01

A prototype cold helium active pressurization system was incorporated into an existing liquid oxygen (LOX) / liquid methane (LCH4) prototype planetary lander and hot-fire tested to collect vehicle-level performance data. Results from this hot-fire test series were used to validate integrated models of the vehicle helium and propulsion systems and demonstrate system effectiveness for a throttling lander. Pressurization systems vary greatly in complexity and efficiency between vehicles, so a pressurization performance metric was also developed as a means to compare different active pressurization schemes. This implementation of an active repress system is an initial sizing draft. Refined implementations will be tested in the future, improving the general knowledge base for a cryogenic lander-based cold helium system.

Network-induced chaos in integrate-and-fire neuronal ensembles.

PubMed

Zhou, Douglas; Rangan, Aaditya V; Sun, Yi; Cai, David

2009-09-01

It has been shown that a single standard linear integrate-and-fire (IF) neuron under a general time-dependent stimulus cannot possess chaotic dynamics despite the firing-reset discontinuity. Here we address the issue of whether conductance-based, pulsed-coupled network interactions can induce chaos in an IF neuronal ensemble. Using numerical methods, we demonstrate that all-to-all, homogeneously pulse-coupled IF neuronal networks can indeed give rise to chaotic dynamics under an external periodic current drive. We also provide a precise characterization of the largest Lyapunov exponent for these high dimensional nonsmooth dynamical systems. In addition, we present a stable and accurate numerical algorithm for evaluating the largest Lyapunov exponent, which can overcome difficulties encountered by traditional methods for these nonsmooth dynamical systems with degeneracy induced by, e.g., refractoriness of neurons.

Irregular synchronous activity in stochastically-coupled networks of integrate-and-fire neurons.

PubMed

Lin, J K; Pawelzik, K; Ernst, U; Sejnowski, T J

1998-08-01

We investigate the spatial and temporal aspects of firing patterns in a network of integrate-and-fire neurons arranged in a one-dimensional ring topology. The coupling is stochastic and shaped like a Mexican hat with local excitation and lateral inhibition. With perfect precision in the couplings, the attractors of activity in the network occur at every position in the ring. Inhomogeneities in the coupling break the translational invariance of localized attractors and lead to synchronization within highly active as well as weakly active clusters. The interspike interval variability is high, consistent with recent observations of spike time distributions in visual cortex. The robustness of our results is demonstrated with more realistic simulations on a network of McGregor neurons which model conductance changes and after-hyperpolarization potassium currents.

Integration of multispectral and SAR data for monitoring forest ecosystems recovery after fire

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stankova, Nataliya; Nedkov, Roumen; Ivanova, Iva; Avetisyan, Daniela

2017-09-01

The aim of this study is assessing the impacts and monitoring the condition and recovery processes of forest ecosystems after fire based on remote aerospace methods and data. To achieve this goal, satellite imagery in microwave and optical range of the spectrum were used. A hybrid model for assessing the instantaneous condition of forest ecosystems after fire that uses parallel data from optical and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) was developed. Based on the three Tasseled Cap components (Brightness-BR, Greenness-GR and Wetness-W), a vector describing the current condition of the forest ecosystems was obtained and used as input data from the optical range. Results obtained by implementation of the proposed approach show that the integrated composite images of VIC and SAR represent the degree of recovery.

Fire resistant behaviour of cellulosic textile functionalized with wastage plant bio-molecules: A comparative scientific report.

PubMed

Basak, Santanu; Wazed Ali, S

2018-07-15

Three different wastage plant based bio-molecules named banana peel powder (Musa acuminata) (BPP), coconut shell (Cocos nucifera) extract (CSE) and pomegranate rind (Punica granatum) extract (PRE) have been explored as fire resistant material on the cellulosic polymer (cotton fabric). To this end, extracts have been applied to the cotton fabric in different concentration at elevated temperature for specific time period. Treated cotton fabric showed 6 (BPP), 8.5 (CSE) and 12 (PRE) times lower vertical burning rate compared to the control cotton fabric. Thermo-gravimetry (TG) curves and the limiting oxygen index (LOI) value revealed that the PRE extract (LOI: 32) treated fabric encompassed more thermal stability compared to the BPP (LOI:26) and the CSE (LOI: 27) treated fabric as it showed higher oxygen index and more weight retention (40%) at higher temperature 450°C. Moreover, the carbonaceous samples remained after the burning of the extracts and the treated fabrics showed structural integration and more carbon content [65.6 (PRE extract) and 76.3% (PRE treated cotton)] compared to the fragile, net like char of the control cotton fabric, having less carbon content (49.8%). Gas Chromatography Mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) of the different extracts (CSE, PRE, BPP) used for the study showed the presence of high molecular weight aromatic phenolic compounds, tannin based compound and the nitrogen containing alkaloids, responsible for fire resistant effect of the different extract treated fabric. Besides fire retardancy, all the treated fabric showed attractive natural colour (measured by colour strength values) and there has been no adverse effect on the tensile strength property of the fabric after the treatment. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An Analysis of Waves Underlying Grid Cell Firing in the Medial Enthorinal Cortex.

PubMed

Bonilla-Quintana, Mayte; Wedgwood, Kyle C A; O'Dea, Reuben D; Coombes, Stephen

2017-08-25

Layer II stellate cells in the medial enthorinal cortex (MEC) express hyperpolarisation-activated cyclic-nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels that allow for rebound spiking via an [Formula: see text] current in response to hyperpolarising synaptic input. A computational modelling study by Hasselmo (Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B, Biol. Sci. 369:20120523, 2013) showed that an inhibitory network of such cells can support periodic travelling waves with a period that is controlled by the dynamics of the [Formula: see text] current. Hasselmo has suggested that these waves can underlie the generation of grid cells, and that the known difference in [Formula: see text] resonance frequency along the dorsal to ventral axis can explain the observed size and spacing between grid cell firing fields. Here we develop a biophysical spiking model within a framework that allows for analytical tractability. We combine the simplicity of integrate-and-fire neurons with a piecewise linear caricature of the gating dynamics for HCN channels to develop a spiking neural field model of MEC. Using techniques primarily drawn from the field of nonsmooth dynamical systems we show how to construct periodic travelling waves, and in particular the dispersion curve that determines how wave speed varies as a function of period. This exhibits a wide range of long wavelength solutions, reinforcing the idea that rebound spiking is a candidate mechanism for generating grid cell firing patterns. Importantly we develop a wave stability analysis to show how the maximum allowed period is controlled by the dynamical properties of the [Formula: see text] current. Our theoretical work is validated by numerical simulations of the spiking model in both one and two dimensions.

Mean-field models for heterogeneous networks of two-dimensional integrate and fire neurons.

PubMed

Nicola, Wilten; Campbell, Sue Ann

2013-01-01

We analytically derive mean-field models for all-to-all coupled networks of heterogeneous, adapting, two-dimensional integrate and fire neurons. The class of models we consider includes the Izhikevich, adaptive exponential and quartic integrate and fire models. The heterogeneity in the parameters leads to different moment closure assumptions that can be made in the derivation of the mean-field model from the population density equation for the large network. Three different moment closure assumptions lead to three different mean-field systems. These systems can be used for distinct purposes such as bifurcation analysis of the large networks, prediction of steady state firing rate distributions, parameter estimation for actual neurons and faster exploration of the parameter space. We use the mean-field systems to analyze adaptation induced bursting under realistic sources of heterogeneity in multiple parameters. Our analysis demonstrates that the presence of heterogeneity causes the Hopf bifurcation associated with the emergence of bursting to change from sub-critical to super-critical. This is confirmed with numerical simulations of the full network for biologically reasonable parameter values. This change decreases the plausibility of adaptation being the cause of bursting in hippocampal area CA3, an area with a sizable population of heavily coupled, strongly adapting neurons.

Mean-field models for heterogeneous networks of two-dimensional integrate and fire neurons

PubMed Central

Nicola, Wilten; Campbell, Sue Ann

2013-01-01

We analytically derive mean-field models for all-to-all coupled networks of heterogeneous, adapting, two-dimensional integrate and fire neurons. The class of models we consider includes the Izhikevich, adaptive exponential and quartic integrate and fire models. The heterogeneity in the parameters leads to different moment closure assumptions that can be made in the derivation of the mean-field model from the population density equation for the large network. Three different moment closure assumptions lead to three different mean-field systems. These systems can be used for distinct purposes such as bifurcation analysis of the large networks, prediction of steady state firing rate distributions, parameter estimation for actual neurons and faster exploration of the parameter space. We use the mean-field systems to analyze adaptation induced bursting under realistic sources of heterogeneity in multiple parameters. Our analysis demonstrates that the presence of heterogeneity causes the Hopf bifurcation associated with the emergence of bursting to change from sub-critical to super-critical. This is confirmed with numerical simulations of the full network for biologically reasonable parameter values. This change decreases the plausibility of adaptation being the cause of bursting in hippocampal area CA3, an area with a sizable population of heavily coupled, strongly adapting neurons. PMID:24416013

Flower biology and biologically-based integrated fire blight management

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Fire blight infection is generally initiated in flowers, and thus, research has been directed to the biology and microbial ecology of flowers as related to this disease. In addition to investigations involving apple and pear flowers, Manchurian crab apple (Malus manchurica), closely related to appl...

Induction of antimicrobial 3-deoxyflavonoids in pome fruit trees controls fire blight.

PubMed

Halbwirth, Heidrun; Fischer, Thilo C; Roemmelt, Susanne; Spinelli, Francesco; Schlangen, Karin; Peterek, Silke; Sabatini, Emidio; Messina, Christian; Speakman, John-Bryan; Andreotti, Carlo; Rademacher, Wilhelm; Bazzi, Carlo; Costa, Guglielmo; Treutter, Dieter; Forkmann, Gert; Stich, Karl

2003-01-01

Fire blight, a devastating bacterial disease in pome fruits, causes severe economic losses worldwide. Hitherto, an effective control could only be achieved by using antibiotics, but this implies potential risks for human health, livestock and environment. A new approach allows transient inhibition of a step in the flavonoid pathway, thereby inducing the formation of a novel antimicrobial 3-deoxyflavonoid controlling fire blight in apple and pear leaves. This compound is closely related to natural phytoalexins in sorghum. The approach does not only provide a safe method to control fire blight: Resistance against different pathogens is also induced in other crop plants.

Enclosure fire hazard analysis using relative energy release criteria. [burning rate and combustion control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coulbert, C. D.

1978-01-01

A method for predicting the probable course of fire development in an enclosure is presented. This fire modeling approach uses a graphic plot of five fire development constraints, the relative energy release criteria (RERC), to bound the heat release rates in an enclosure as a function of time. The five RERC are flame spread rate, fuel surface area, ventilation, enclosure volume, and total fuel load. They may be calculated versus time based on the specified or empirical conditions describing the specific enclosure, the fuel type and load, and the ventilation. The calculation of these five criteria, using the common basis of energy release rates versus time, provides a unifying framework for the utilization of available experimental data from all phases of fire development. The plot of these criteria reveals the probable fire development envelope and indicates which fire constraint will be controlling during a criteria time period. Examples of RERC application to fire characterization and control and to hazard analysis are presented along with recommendations for the further development of the concept.

Does prescribed fire benefit wetland vegetation?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Flores, C.; Bounds, D.L.; Ruby, D.E.

2011-01-01

The effects of fire on wetland vegetation in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States are poorly known, despite the historical use of fire by federal, state, and private landowners in the Chesapeake Bay Region. Prescribed fire is widely used by land managers to promote vegetation that is beneficial to migratory waterfowl, muskrats, and other native wildlife and to reduce competition from less desirable plant species. We compared vegetative response to two fire rotations, annual burns and 3-year burns, and two control sites, Control 1 and Control 2. We tested the effects of fire within six tidal marsh wetlands at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge and Fishing Bay Wildlife Management Area in Maryland. We examined changes in total live biomass (all species), total stem density, litter, and changes in live biomass and stem density of four dominant wetland plant species (11 variables). Our results suggest that annual prescribed fires will decrease the accumulation of litter, increase the biomass and stem densities of some wetland plants generally considered less desirable for wildlife, and have little or no effect on other wetland plants previously thought to benefit from fire. ?? 2011 US Government.

Incorporating anthropogenic influences into fire probability models: Effects of development and climate change on fire activity in California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mann, M.; Moritz, M.; Batllori, E.; Waller, E.; Krawchuk, M.; Berck, P.

2014-12-01

The costly interactions between humans and natural fire regimes throughout California demonstrate the need to understand the uncertainties surrounding wildfire, especially in the face of a changing climate and expanding human communities. Although a number of statistical and process-based wildfire models exist for California, there is enormous uncertainty about the location and number of future fires. Models estimate an increase in fire occurrence between nine and fifty-three percent by the end of the century. Our goal is to assess the role of uncertainty in climate and anthropogenic influences on the state's fire regime from 2000-2050. We develop an empirical model that integrates novel information about the distribution and characteristics of future plant communities without assuming a particular distribution, and improve on previous efforts by integrating dynamic estimates of population density at each forecast time step. Historically, we find that anthropogenic influences account for up to fifty percent of the total fire count, and that further housing development will incite or suppress additional fires according to their intensity. We also find that the total area burned is likely to increase but at a slower than historical rate. Previous findings of substantially increased numbers of fires may be tied to the assumption of static fuel loadings, and the use of proxy variables not relevant to plant community distributions. We also find considerable agreement between GFDL and PCM model A2 runs, with decreasing fire counts expected only in areas of coastal influence below San Francisco and above Los Angeles. Due to potential shifts in rainfall patterns, substantial uncertainty remains for the semiarid deserts of the inland south. The broad shifts of wildfire between California's climatic regions forecast in this study point to dramatic shifts in the pressures plant and human communities will face by midcentury. The information provided by this study reduces the level of uncertainty surrounding the influence that natural and anthropogenic systems have on wildfire.

Fire and climate variation in western North America from fire-scar and tree-ring networks

Treesearch

Donald A. Falk; E. K. Heyerdahl; P. M. Brown; T. W. Swetnam; E. K. Sutherland; Z. Gedalof; L. Yocom; T. J. Brown

2010-01-01

Fire regimes (i.e., the pattern, frequency and intensity of fire in a region) reflect a complex interplay of bottom-up and top-down controls (Lertzman et al., 1998; Mc Kenzie et al., in press). Bottom-up controls include local variations in topographic, fuel and weather factors at the time of a burn (e.g., fuel moisture and continuity, ignition density and local wind...

77. Deputy commander's launch control console, fire control panel missing ...

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

77. Deputy commander's launch control console, fire control panel missing at right, south side - Ellsworth Air Force Base, Delta Flight, Launch Control Facility, County Road CS23A, North of Exit 127, Interior, Jackson County, SD

Flammability Configuration Analysis for Spacecraft Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pedley, Michael D.

2014-01-01

Fire is one of the many potentially catastrophic hazards associated with the operation of crewed spacecraft. A major lesson learned by NASA from the Apollo 204 fire in 1966 was that ignition sources in an electrically powered vehicle should and can be minimized, but can never be eliminated completely. For this reason, spacecraft fire control is based on minimizing potential ignition sources and eliminating materials that can propagate fire. Fire extinguishers are always provided on crewed spacecraft, but are not considered as part of the fire control process. "Eliminating materials that can propagate fire" does not mean eliminating all flammable materials - the cost of designing and building spacecraft using only nonflammable materials is extraordinary and unnecessary. It means controlling the quantity and configuration of such materials to eliminate potential fire propagation paths and thus ensure that any fire would be small, localized, and isolated, and would self-extinguish without harm to the crew. Over the years, NASA has developed many solutions for controlling the configuration of flammable materials (and potentially flammable materials in commercial "off-the-shelf" hardware) so that they can be used safely in air and oxygen-enriched environments in crewed spacecraft. This document describes and explains these design solutions so payload customers and other organizations can use them in designing safe and cost-effective flight hardware. Proper application of these guidelines will produce acceptable flammability configurations for hardware located in any compartment of the International Space Station or other program crewed vehicles and habitats. However, use of these guidelines does not exempt hardware organizations of the responsibility for safety of the hardware under their control.

Multilayered Microelectronic Device Package With An Integral Window

DOEpatents

Peterson, Kenneth A.; Watson, Robert D.

2004-10-26

A microelectronic package with an integral window mounted in a recessed lip for housing a microelectronic device. The device can be a semiconductor chip, a CCD chip, a CMOS chip, a VCSEL chip, a laser diode, a MEMS device, or a IMEMS device. The package can be formed of a low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) or high temperature cofired ceramic (HTCC) multilayered material, with the integral window being simultaneously joined (e.g. co-fired) to the package body during LTCC or HTCC processing. The microelectronic device can be flip-chip bonded and oriented so that a light-sensitive side is optically accessible through the window. The result is a compact, low profile package, having an integral window mounted in a recessed lip, that can be hermetically sealed.