Strategies of learning from failure.

PubMed

Edmondson, Amy C

2011-04-01

Many executives believe that all failure is bad (although it usually provides Lessons) and that Learning from it is pretty straightforward. The author, a professor at Harvard Business School, thinks both beliefs are misguided. In organizational life, she says, some failures are inevitable and some are even good. And successful learning from failure is not simple: It requires context-specific strategies. But first leaders must understand how the blame game gets in the way and work to create an organizational culture in which employees feel safe admitting or reporting on failure. Failures fall into three categories: preventable ones in predictable operations, which usually involve deviations from spec; unavoidable ones in complex systems, which may arise from unique combinations of needs, people, and problems; and intelligent ones at the frontier, where "good" failures occur quickly and on a small scale, providing the most valuable information. Strong leadership can build a learning culture-one in which failures large and small are consistently reported and deeply analyzed, and opportunities to experiment are proactively sought. Executives commonly and understandably worry that taking a sympathetic stance toward failure will create an "anything goes" work environment. They should instead recognize that failure is inevitable in today's complex work organizations.

Once a physicist: David Florence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Florence, David

2009-03-01

I did mathematical physics because it was just what I was best at. I enjoyed it at school, so I applied to do it at Nottingham University. I fell into it, to be quite honest. Once at university, I struggled at first, partly because I found it quite difficult to combine studying with competing and training in sport, which is pretty much full time as well. But by the end of my university career, I had learned to be organized, and to manage my time pretty effectively, so I enjoyed it a lot more.

Better bounds on optimal measurement and entanglement recovery, with applications to uncertainty and monogamy relations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Renes, Joseph M.

2017-10-01

We extend the recent bounds of Sason and Verdú relating Rényi entropy and Bayesian hypothesis testing (arXiv:1701.01974.) to the quantum domain and show that they have a number of different applications. First, we obtain a sharper bound relating the optimal probability of correctly distinguishing elements of an ensemble of states to that of the pretty good measurement, and an analogous bound for optimal and pretty good entanglement recovery. Second, we obtain bounds relating optimal guessing and entanglement recovery to the fidelity of the state with a product state, which then leads to tight tripartite uncertainty and monogamy relations.

How Normal is Our Solar System?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2015-10-01

To date, weve discovered nearly 2000 confirmed exoplanets, as well as thousands of additional candidates. Amidst this vast sea of solar systems, how special is our own? A new study explores the answer to this question.Analyzing DistributionsKnowing whether our solar system is unique among exoplanetary systems can help us to better understand future observations of exoplanets. Furthermore, if our solar system is typical, this allows us to be optimistic about the possibility of life existing elsewhere in the universe.In a recent study, Rebecca Martin (University of Nevada, Las Vegas) and Mario Livio (Space Telescope Science Institute) examine how normal our solar system is, by comparing the properties of our planets to the averages obtained from known exoplanets.Comparing PropertiesSo how do we measure up?Densities of planets as a function of their mass. Exoplanets (N=287) are shown in blue, planets in our solar system are shown in red. [MartinLivio 2015]Planet masses and densitiesThose of the gas giants in our solar system are pretty typical. The terrestrial planets are on the low side for mass, but thats probably a selection effect: its very difficult to detect low-mass planets.Age of the solar systemRoughly half the stars in the disk of our galaxy are younger than the Sun, and half are older. Were definitely not special in age.Orbital locations of the planetsThis is actually a little strange: our solar system is lacking close-in planets. All of our planets, in fact, orbit at a distance that is larger than the mean distance observed in exoplanetary systems. Again, however, this might be a selection effect at work: its easier to detect large planets orbiting very close to their stars.Eccentricities of the planets orbitsOur planets are on very circular orbits and that actually makes us somewhat special too, compared to typical exoplanet systems. There is a possible explanation though: eccentricity of orbits tends to decrease with more planets in the system. Because weve got eight, it might be unsurprising that their eccentricities are so low.Super-EarthsWe dont have any planets in the range of 1-10 times the mass of Earth, which is pretty unusual super-Earths have a high occurrence rate among exoplanets.In summary, the authors find that for the most part, were a pretty typical solar system. Our most unusual features are the lack of a super-Earth, the lack of any close-in planets, and the low eccentricities of our planets. The fact that were fairly average means that, from a habitability standpoint, theres probably nothing special about our little corner of the galaxy. So perhaps life elsewhere is a possibility!CitationRebecca G. Martin and Mario Livio 2015 ApJ 810 105. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/810/2/105

National Security and the Accelerating Risks of Climate Change

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-05-01

future. A second “wild card” is the ability of the ocean to adapt to increased acidification . The oceans are the world’s largest carbon “sinks,” as they...support systems The projected impacts of climate change—heat waves, intense rainfall, floods and droughts, rising sea levels, more acidic oceans , and...and they had never seen this. That, to me, was pretty profound.” Titley and other scientists say overall ocean temperatures have responded more

Support for Implications of Compressive Sensing Concepts to Imaging Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-08-02

34pretty picture" is not only not needed, but is not ALLOWED due to privacy concerns. Remember the huge controversy caused by mmW imagers seeing people...in 2003, for experimental studies of quantum degenerate atomic gases. From 2004-2006 he was a postdoctoral researcher in the Electrical and...Computer Engineering at the University of Arizona. He was recently also a program manager at DARPA/DSO where he started programs on quantum information

Approximation methods for the stability analysis of complete synchronization on duplex networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Wenchen; Yang, Junzhong

2018-01-01

Recently, the synchronization on multi-layer networks has drawn a lot of attention. In this work, we study the stability of the complete synchronization on duplex networks. We investigate effects of coupling function on the complete synchronization on duplex networks. We propose two approximation methods to deal with the stability of the complete synchronization on duplex networks. In the first method, we introduce a modified master stability function and, in the second method, we only take into consideration the contributions of a few most unstable transverse modes to the stability of the complete synchronization. We find that both methods work well for predicting the stability of the complete synchronization for small networks. For large networks, the second method still works pretty well.

Proceedings of Four Symposia on Nondestructive Testing of Tires

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-05-25

an enormous oven, and rolled into the distribution system something like dough - nuts out of a doughnut machine. Nothing could be further from the...things has some kind of obligation to put a little into the pot, rather than always reach in and take something out. Pretty soon the cookie jar runs...some- thing out of the cookie jar and not put anything back in. Perhaps it is incorrect to think that we’re not doing any- thing new at Air Tread

Senior Resident Training on Educational Principles (STEP): A Proposed Innovative Step from a Developing Nation.

PubMed

Singh, Satendra

2010-12-01

Resident-as-teacher courses are pretty common in Western medical schools however they are a rarity in Asian and developing countries. The current report is a scholarly analysis of a three day orientation program for senior residents in order to improve their functioning by providing new template either for supplementing basic workshops for faculty or to advocate a change in system. The experience gained by Medical Education Unit of University College of Medical Sciences can be used to conduct training breeding grounds at national or regional levels. Resident as teachers educational interventions need to be designed taking into account their impact on education system.

Pretty Pleases: The Effects of Physical Attractiveness, Race, and Sex on Receiving Help

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benson, Peter L.; And Others

1976-01-01

Investigates whether favoritism for the physically attractive, a phenomenon demonstrated almost exclusively on the basis of rating scales, generalizes to nonreactive, behavioral helping responses. (Editor)

"Diabetes has instant consequences…"

MedlinePlus

... Javascript on. Feature: Diabetes Stories "Diabetes has instant consequences…" Past Issues / Fall 2009 Table of Contents Photo: ... to chuck it all. But Diabetes has instant consequences. You learn to be responsible pretty quickly, or ...

Using high hydraulic conductivity nodes to simulate seepage lakes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Anderson, Mary P.; Hunt, Randall J.; Krohelski, James T.; Chung, Kuopo

2002-01-01

In a typical ground water flow model, lakes are represented by specified head nodes requiring that lake levels be known a priori. To remove this limitation, previous researchers assigned high hydraulic conductivity (K) values to nodes that represent a lake, under the assumption that the simulated head at the nodes in the high-K zone accurately reflects lake level. The solution should also produce a constant water level across the lake. We developed a model of a simple hypothetical ground water/lake system to test whether solutions using high-K lake nodes are sensitive to the value of K selected to represent the lake. Results show that the larger the contrast between the K of the aquifer and the K of the lake nodes, the smaller the error tolerance required for the solution to converge. For our test problem, a contrast of three orders of magnitude produced a head difference across the lake of 0.005 m under a regional gradient of the order of 10−3 m/m, while a contrast of four orders of magnitude produced a head difference of 0.001 m. The high-K method was then used to simulate lake levels in Pretty Lake, Wisconsin. Results for both the hypothetical system and the application to Pretty Lake compared favorably with results using a lake package developed for MODFLOW (Merritt and Konikow 2000). While our results demonstrate that the high-K method accurately simulates lake levels, this method has more cumbersome postprocessing and longer run times than the same problem simulated using the lake package.

Global unity.

PubMed

Holleran

1993-02-24

the headquarters of the International Council of Nurses in Geneva, Switzerland, is part of a new building near the lake. There are 17 staff members and only four of us are nurses, yet we have a pretty productive team.

Graphene enhanced optical fiber SPR sensor for liquid concentration measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Xue; Li, Xuegang; Cheng, TongLei; Li, Shuguang; An, Guowen

2018-07-01

A high sensitivity optical fiber Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) sensor which based on coreless optical fiber, silver film and graphene, has been designed and implemented for liquid concentration detection. In this paper, Graphene is firstly verified that it can be used to enhance the evanescent field of traditional optical fiber and thus increasing sensitivity in experiment. The sensitivity of proposed sensor is 6.417 nm/%, which is higher than that of the traditional optical fiber SPR sensor according to the comparative experiments. In addition, the proposed sensor is extremely easy to make and the silver film could be protected from oxidation and damage due to the existence of graphene. Moreover, the sensor has pretty small size, immunity to electromagnetic interference, quick response speed and thus can suitable a variety of severe environments and real-time measurement.

A humming retrieval system based on music fingerprint

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Xingkai; Cao, Baiyu

2011-10-01

In this paper, we proposed an improved music information retrieval method utilizing the music fingerprint. The goal of this method is to represent the music with compressed musical information. Based on the selected MIDI files, which are generated automatically as our music target database, we evaluate the accuracy, effectiveness, and efficiency of this method. In this research we not only extract the feature sequence, which can represent the file effectively, from the query and melody database, but also make it possible for retrieving the results in an innovative way. We investigate on the influence of noise to the performance of our system. As experimental result shows, the retrieval accuracy arriving at up to91% without noise is pretty well

Teaching Astronomy at Columbus State University using Small Radio Telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Webster, Zodiac T.

2006-12-01

Astronomy is inherently fascinating to students but dark skies and good weather are not often scheduled during the school day. Radio telescopes provide an all-weather, all-day opportunity for astronomical observations. Columbus State University (CSU) has installed two “Small Radio Telescopes” for use by undergraduate students to pursue extra-curricular research in introductory astronomy. These telescopes are relatively affordable and are designed to be remotely operated through a Windows, Linux, or Macintosh environment. They are capable of diffraction-limited observations of the Sun and galactic Hydrogen in the ‘L-band’. A comprehensive website of projects suitable for high-school students and undergraduates is maintained by a group at MIT. This website ensures users are not left to explore the telescope’s abilities blindly. Students with varied interests learn about the nature of science by using an instrument that doesn’t lend itself to pretty pictures. Radio telescopes also provide a slight engineering flavor drawing in students who might not otherwise be interested in astronomy. This poster will provide a summary of installation, calibration, and future plans, and will share some observations by undergraduates at CSU.

JPL-20180401-WHATSUf-0001-What's Up April 2018

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-04-01

Monthly series for amateur astronomers. April 2018 features: The Moon, Mars and Saturn form a pretty triangle in early April. The Lyrid Meteors are visible in late April, peaking high overhead on the 22nd.

Emergency vehicle alert system (EVAS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reed, Bill; Crump, Roger; Harper, Warren; Myneni, Krishna

1995-01-01

The Emergency Vehicle Alert System (EVAS) program is sponsored by the NASA/MSFC Technology Utilization (TU) office. The program was conceived to support the needs of hearing impaired drivers. The objective of the program is to develop a low-cost, small device which can be located in a personal vehicle and warn the driver, via a visual means, of the approach of an emergency vehicle. Many different technologies might be developed for this purpose and each has its own advantages and drawbacks. The requirements for an acoustic detection system, appear to be pretty stringent and may not allow the development of a reliable, low-cost device in the near future. The problems include variations in the sirens between various types of emergency vehicles, distortions due to wind and surrounding objects, competing background noise, sophisticated signal processing requirements, and omni-directional coverage requirements. Another approach is to use a Radio Frequency (RF) signal between the Emergency Vehicle (EV) and the Personal Vehicle (PV). This approach requires a transmitter on each EV and a receiver in each PV, however it is virtually assured that a system can be developed which works. With this approach, the real technology issue is how to make a system work as inexpensively as possible. This report gives a brief summary of the EVAS program from its inception and concentrates on describing the activities that occurred during Phase 4. References 1-3 describe activities under Phases 1-3. In the fourth phase of the program, the major effort to be expended was in development of the microcontroller system for the PV, refinement of some system elements and packaging for demonstration purposes. An EVAS system was developed and demonstrated which used standard spread spectrum modems with minor modifications.

Things to Expect When Your Mom Is Pregnant

MedlinePlus

... few months. After about 3 or 4 months, your mother's breasts and belly will start to get bigger. ... the time the baby's ready to be born, your mother's belly will be pretty big. She also might ...

Life is pretty meaningful.

PubMed

Heintzelman, Samantha J; King, Laura A

2014-09-01

The human experience of meaning in life is widely viewed as a cornerstone of well-being and a central human motivation. Self-reports of meaning in life relate to a host of important functional outcomes. Psychologists have portrayed meaning in life as simultaneously chronically lacking in human life as well as playing an important role in survival. Examining the growing literature on meaning in life, we address the question "How meaningful is life, in general?" We review possible answers from various psychological sources, some of which anticipate that meaning in life should be low and others that it should be high. Summaries of epidemiological data and research using two self-report measures of meaning in life suggest that life is pretty meaningful. Diverse samples rate themselves significantly above the midpoint on self-reports of meaning in life. We suggest that if meaning in life plays a role in adaptation, it must be commonplace, as our analysis suggests. (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Taking a lot of Pictures of Real Things and Making them into a Single Picture you can Move on a Computer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luebke, J. P.; Gentry, D.

2016-12-01

This summer I spent my time in the largest state of all the states, with the people who take care of the most important parks, owned by all of us. My job was to take a lot of pictures of real things, small and large, and to make them into one piece on a computer, into pictures that can be moved and turned and can be easily shared across the world at any time. My job had three different classes: very small, pretty big, and very big. For the small things: Using a table that turns, I took many still pictures of old animals turned into rocks as well as things thrown away by people who are now dead. The pieces of rock and old things are important and exciting, but they can break quite easily, so only a few people are allowed to touch them. With the pictures you can move, many more people can learn about, "touch", and see them, but they use a computer instead of their hands. For a pretty big block of ice moving down a long area of land, I took many pictures of the end of it, while at the same time knowing just where I was on the face of the world. Using a computer, I again put all the pictures together into one picture that could be turned and moved. One person with a computer could look at any part of the piece of ice without having to actually visit it. Finally, for the very big things, I was part of a team that would fly slowly over the areas we were interested in, taking pictures about every half of a second. After taking tens of hundreds of pictures, the computer join all the pictures together into a single picture that showed each and every little up and down of the land that we had flown over, getting very few wrong. This way of making pictures you can move doesn't take as much money as other means, and it can be used on things of very different areas, from something as small as a finger to something as large as a huge field of ice moving slowly over time. The people who care for the parks that we all own don't have as much money as some, and in the biggest state, the parks are very far away from each other, but with this way of sharing real things through a computer, the biggest State gets a little smaller.

Taking a lot of Pictures of Real Things and Making them into a Single Picture you can Move on a Computer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Linneman, C.; Hults, C.

2017-12-01

This summer I spent my time in the largest state of all the states, with the people who take care of the most important parks, owned by all of us. My job was to take a lot of pictures of real things, small and large, and to make them into one piece on a computer, into pictures that can be moved and turned and can be easily shared across the world at any time. My job had three different classes: very small, pretty big, and very big. For the small things: Using a table that turns, I took many still pictures of old animals turned into rocks as well as things thrown away by people who are now dead. The pieces of rock and old things are important and exciting, but they can break quite easily, so only a few people are allowed to touch them. With the pictures you can move, many more people can learn about, "touch", and see them, but they use a computer instead of their hands. For a pretty big block of ice moving down a long area of land, I took many pictures of the end of it, while at the same time knowing just where I was on the face of the world. Using a computer, I again put all the pictures together into one picture that could be turned and moved. One person with a computer could look at any part of the piece of ice without having to actually visit it. Finally, for the very big things, I was part of a team that would fly slowly over the areas we were interested in, taking pictures about every half of a second. After taking tens of hundreds of pictures, the computer join all the pictures together into a single picture that showed each and every little up and down of the land that we had flown over, getting very few wrong. This way of making pictures you can move doesn't take as much money as other means, and it can be used on things of very different areas, from something as small as a finger to something as large as a huge field of ice moving slowly over time. The people who care for the parks that we all own don't have as much money as some, and in the biggest state, the parks are very far away from each other, but with this way of sharing real things through a computer, the biggest State gets a little smaller.

Spectral transmittance of UV-blocking soft contact lenses: a comparative study.

PubMed

Rahmani, Saeed; Mohammadi Nia, Mohadeseh; Akbarzadeh Baghban, Alireza; Nazari, Mohammad Reza; Ghassemi-Broumand, Mohammad

2014-12-01

Three major parts of sunlight consist of visible, ultraviolet and infrared radiation. Exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) can result in a spectrum of skin and ocular diseases. UV-blocking contact lenses help provide protection against harmful UV radiation. We studied the ultraviolet and visible light rays transmission in some soft UV-blocking contact lenses. Four available tinted soft lenses (Acuvue Moist, Zeiss CONTACT Day 30 Air spheric, Pretty Eyes and Sauflon 56 UV) have been evaluated for UV and visible transmission. One-way ANOVA testing was performed to establish is there a statistically significant difference between the UV regions and visible spectra means for the contact lenses (α=0.05). Pretty Eyes, Zeiss CONTACT, Acuvue Moist and Sauflon 56 UV showed UV-B transmittance value of 0.65%, 10.69%, 1.22%, and 5.78%, respectively. Pretty Eyes and Acuvue Moist had UV-A transmittance values of 32% and 34%, Sauflon 56 UV and Zeiss CONTACT had transmittance values of 48% and 43%, respectively. All of the studied lenses transmitted at least 94.6% on the visible spectrum. The results of the one-way ANOVA statistical analysis show that a statistically significant difference exists within the group of contact lenses tested for the visible (p<0.001), UV-B (p<0.001) and UV-A (p<0.001) portions of the spectrum (α=0.05). Acuvue Moist has the best UV-blocking property and also visible transmission between other tested contact lenses in this study. Copyright © 2014 British Contact Lens Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

6. Photocopy of postcard (from Crooks Mansion Partnership) Frank Stumm, ...

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

6. Photocopy of postcard (from Crooks Mansion Partnership) Frank Stumm, photographer ca. 1908-16 'A PRETTY RESIDENCE SPOT AT BENICIA, CAL.,' CROOKS HOUSE ON THE LEFT - Crooks House, 285 West G Street, Benicia, Solano County, CA

5 Ways to Avoid Filling Up on Empty Calories

Cancer.gov

It's easy to get overwhelmed by our busy lives and grab food on the go that doesn’t provide the nourishment our bodies need. Pretty much anything you would call “junk food” is an empty-calorie culprit.

Fainting

MedlinePlus

... pressure. Why Do People Faint? Fainting is pretty common in teens. The good news is that most of the time it's not a sign of something serious. When someone faints, it's usually because ... ventilated setting are common causes of fainting in teens. People can also ...

Doing Systems Engineering Without Thinking About It at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bohn-Meyer, Marta; Kilp, Stephen; Chun, Peggy; Mizukami, Masashi

2004-01-01

When asked about his processes in designing a new airplane, Burt Rutan responded: ...there is always a performance requirement. So I start with the basic physics of an airplane that can get those requirements, and that pretty much sizes an airplane... Then I look at the functionality... And then I try a lot of different configurations to meet that, and then justify one at a time, throwing them out... Typically I'll have several different configurations... But I like to experiment, certainly. I like to see if there are other ways to provide the utility. This kind of thinking engineering as a total systems engineering approach is what is being instilled in all engineers at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center.

Design of pulse waveform for waveform division multiple access UWB wireless communication system.

PubMed

Yin, Zhendong; Wang, Zhirui; Liu, Xiaohui; Wu, Zhilu

2014-01-01

A new multiple access scheme, Waveform Division Multiple Access (WDMA) based on the orthogonal wavelet function, is presented. After studying the correlation properties of different categories of single wavelet functions, the one with the best correlation property will be chosen as the foundation for combined waveform. In the communication system, each user is assigned to different combined orthogonal waveform. Demonstrated by simulation, combined waveform is more suitable than single wavelet function to be a communication medium in WDMA system. Due to the excellent orthogonality, the bit error rate (BER) of multiuser with combined waveforms is so close to that of single user in a synchronous system. That is to say, the multiple access interference (MAI) is almost eliminated. Furthermore, even in an asynchronous system without multiuser detection after matched filters, the result is still pretty ideal and satisfactory by using the third combination mode that will be mentioned in the study.

Gravitational resonance: Saturn's rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bell, Peter M.

Perhaps no one thought much more would need to be known about Saturn's rings 100 or so years ago, when Daniel Kirkwood explained the various features. The main rings, within the three so-called Cassini divisions, were due to gravitational resonance conditions between small orbiting particles and the satellite Mimas. Now, after several spacecraft—especially Voyager—have shown the rings' close-up characteristics, there has been a great deal of activity in the planetary geophysics community to try to explain the origin of the numerous features of the rings of solar system bodies that were far beyond the resolution of telescopes in Kirkwood s day. A pretty good sample of that activity was reported recently by R.A. Kerr (Science, Oct. 8, 1982), who stated ‘Resonance theory still stands after the onslaught of spacecraft observations, but its new applications have yielded a greater variety of ring features than Kirkwood ever dreamed.’ One has only to have an inkling of the levels of gravitational mechanics to appreciate the complexities of the theories that have yielded resonance variations such as spiral density waves and bending waves in the past few years. As theories unfold, however, and are tested against Voyager's results, it has become evident that most of the actually observed ring structure of the major planets remains unexplained.

Martian Sunsets More Than Just Pretty

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-01-10

This image shows the Sun as it appears on Mars throughout the day. Scientists monitor the dimming of the setting Sun to assess how much dust is in the martian atmosphere. The pictures were taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit panoramic camera.

Guy's Guide to Body Image

MedlinePlus

... and feelings about his or her body and physical appearance. Having a positive body image means feeling pretty ... not feeling too satisfied with their body or appearance to begin with. They may have ... Different physical attributes and body types are good for different ...

X-ray ‘ghost images’ could cut radiation doses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Sophia

2018-03-01

On its own, a single-pixel camera captures pictures that are pretty dull: squares that are completely black, completely white, or some shade of gray in between. All it does, after all, is detect brightness. Yet by connecting a single-pixel camera to a patterned light source, a team of physicists in China has made detailed x-ray images using a statistical technique called ghost imaging, first pioneered 20 years ago in infrared and visible light. Researchers in the field say future versions of this system could take clear x-ray photographs with cheap cameras—no need for lenses and multipixel detectors—and less cancer-causing radiation than conventional techniques.

Structural Limits on Organizational Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rice, George H., Jr.

1977-01-01

Organizational development practitioners tend to assume that all workplaces are pretty much alike, and that emotional health in all job situations can be described in approximately the same way. They have failed to recognize the sociological and structural/functional limitations of the workplace. (Author/JG)

Shakespeare's Cosmic World View

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Usher, Peter D.

1997-01-01

As readers of Mercury have surely observed, astronomy admits many an allusion to Shakespeare's plays, replete as they are with descriptions of heavenly events. But Shakespeare's astronomy is more than just pretty words. It is a window into the prevailing Aristotelian and Ptolemaic cosmology of Renaissance Europe.

The Aesthetic Values of Film.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

May, Jill P.

1982-01-01

Discusses the criteria for analysis of excellence in children's films and factors involved in the production of a good film, and offers an analysis of three children's films: "The Bridge of Adam Rush,""Angel and Big Joe," and "A Pretty Kettle of Fish." Three references are provided. (EJS)

Psoriasis Doesn't Slow Down Texan Brian LaFoy | NIH MedlinePlus the Magazine

MedlinePlus

... I pretty much tried every topical there was." Quality of life issue By the time he reached his mid- ... the lesions common in psoriasis. "It became a quality of life issue for me," LaFoy says. "I'd lost ...

Assiniboine Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allen, Minerva

This series of illustrated booklets presents 13 Indian stories in a bilingual format of English and Assiniboine, an Indian tribal language. Written on the first grade level, the stories have the following titles: (1) "Orange Tree in Lodgepole"; (2) "Pretty Flower"; (3) Inktomi and the Rock"; (4) "Inktomi and the…

More than a pretty place: assessing the impact of environmental education on children's knowledge and attitudes about outdoor play in nature.

PubMed

Beyer, Kirsten M M; Heller, Elizabeth F; Bizub, Jessica M; Kistner, Amy J; Szabo, Aniko; Shawgo, Erin E; Zetts, Corey J

2015-02-12

Our work assessed the influence of an urban environmental education program on children's attitudes toward outdoor play, as well as knowledge of neighborhood features that can facilitate this type of activity. The project team engaged 6 schools near the newest Urban Ecology Center location in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, through a community-academic partnership entitled More Than a Pretty Place. Intervention classrooms participated in programming over the 2012-2013 academic year and pre and post surveys were implemented in classrooms. Data were analyzed using multilevel regression models. The intervention group reported reduced fears of outdoor play in nature and increased frequency of visits to the Urban Ecology Center. The proportion of students who acknowledged knowing of a place to play outside in nature increased significantly in both groups. Our findings indicate an important role for environmental education in addressing fears that may dissuade children from engaging in outdoor play in natural areas.

More than a Pretty Place: Assessing the Impact of Environmental Education on Children’s Knowledge and Attitudes about Outdoor Play in Nature

PubMed Central

Beyer, Kirsten M. M.; Heller, Elizabeth F.; Bizub, Jessica M.; Kistner, Amy J.; Szabo, Aniko; Shawgo, Erin E.; Zetts, Corey J.

2015-01-01

Our work assessed the influence of an urban environmental education program on children’s attitudes toward outdoor play, as well as knowledge of neighborhood features that can facilitate this type of activity. The project team engaged 6 schools near the newest Urban Ecology Center location in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, through a community-academic partnership entitled More Than a Pretty Place. Intervention classrooms participated in programming over the 2012–2013 academic year and pre and post surveys were implemented in classrooms. Data were analyzed using multilevel regression models. The intervention group reported reduced fears of outdoor play in nature and increased frequency of visits to the Urban Ecology Center. The proportion of students who acknowledged knowing of a place to play outside in nature increased significantly in both groups. Our findings indicate an important role for environmental education in addressing fears that may dissuade children from engaging in outdoor play in natural areas. PMID:25685953

The splitting of Hygrocybe

Treesearch

D. Jean Lodge

2014-01-01

The genus Hygrocybe probably contains more pretty mushrooms than any other. They provide an unrivalled bright, crisp and colourful delight to the eye—hands down, a photographer's favourite, drawing amateur and professional alike with their beauty. To the inquisitive they also provide an interesting subject for investigation, because, as...

Satellite image-based maps: Scientific inference or pretty pictures?

Treesearch

Ronald E. McRoberts

2011-01-01

The scientific method has been characterized as having two distinct components, Discovery and Justification. Discovery emphasizes ideas and creativity, focuses on conceiving hypotheses and constructing models, and is generally regarded as lacking a formal logic. Justification begins with the hypotheses and models and ends with a...

Libraries and Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rainie, Lee

2016-01-01

The majority of Americans think local libraries serve the educational needs of their communities and families pretty well and library users often outpace others in learning activities. But many do not know about key education services libraries provide. This report provides statistics on library usage and presents key education services provided…

Educators Take Another Look at Substitutes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zubrzycki, Jaclyn

2012-01-01

The mythology surrounding the substitute teacher is not a pretty one: Paper airplanes, lost learning, bullying. But as schools collect more information about teacher absenteeism and its consequences, districts and schools are exploring ways to professionalize substitute teaching--or experiment with alternative ways of coping with teacher absences.…

Being Comfortable in Your Own Skin

Cancer.gov

Let’s be honest. As women, we can be pretty hard on ourselves, and we can be especially hard on how our bodies look. Having negative views of your body can take a toll on how you see yourself and how you interact with others in the world.

A Parameter-Free Semilocal Exchange Energy Functional for Two-Dimensional Quantum Systems.

PubMed

Patra, Abhilash; Jana, Subrata; Samal, Prasanjit

2018-04-05

The method of constructing semilocal density functional for exchange in two dimensions using one of the premier approaches, i.e., density matrix expansion, is revisited, and an accurate functional is constructed. The form of the functional is quite simple and includes no adjustable semiempirical parameters. In it, the kinetic energy dependent momentum is used to compensate nonlocal effects of the system. The functional is then examined by considering the very well-known semiconductor quantum dot systems. And despite its very simple form, the results obtained for quantum dots containing a higher number of electrons agrees pretty well with that of the standard exact exchange theory. Some of the desired properties relevant for the two-dimensional exchange functional and the lower bound associated with it are also discussed. It is observed that the above parameter-free semilocal exchange functional satisfies most of the discussed conditions.

Science Opportunity Analyzer (SOA): Not Just Another Pretty Face

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Polanskey, Carol A.; Streiiffert, Barbara; O'Reilly, Taifun

2004-01-01

This viewgraph presentation reviews the Science Opportunity Analyzer (SOA). For the first time at JPL, the Cassini mission to Saturn is using distributed science operations for sequence generation. This means that scientist at other institutions has more responsibility to build the spacecraft sequence. Tools are required to support the sequence development. JPL tools required a complete configuration behind a firewall, and the tools that the user community had developed did not interface with the JPL tools. Therefore the SOA was created to bridge the gap between the remote scientists and the JPL operations teams. The presentation reviews the development of the SOA, and what was required of the system. The presentation reviews the functions that the SOA performed.

The Case against Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kohn, Alfie

2012-01-01

Enough has been written about academic assessment to fill a library, but when one thinks about it, the whole enterprise really amounts to a straightforward two-step dance. Collect information about how students are doing, then share that information with the students and their parents. Gather and report--that's pretty much it. Collecting…

The Perfect Girl Syndrome: Perfectionism and Self-Esteem in Gifted Girls

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Worley, Cassie

2015-01-01

Considerable research has been published on society's expectations and attitudes toward females. Men think the most important qualities in the ideal woman are attractiveness, sexiness, and kindness. The media suggests females should value physical beauty and marriageability. Girls should be obedient, caring, pretty, and polite. These unreasonable…

Idioms: Wise as an Owl and Good as Gold.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McNeill, Joyce H.; Harper, Julia P.

1991-01-01

A technique is presented for teaching deaf students self-discipline along with useful idiomatic expressions. Idioms selected for study (such as "top dog,""in the doghouse,""sitting pretty," and "in hot water") are related to school rules, depicted on a bulletin board, and used to track classroom behavior.…

Intelligence and Creativity Are Pretty Similar After All

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Silvia, Paul J.

2015-01-01

This article reviews the history of thought on how intelligence and creativity, two individual differences important to teaching and learning, are connected. For decades, intelligence and creativity have been seen as essentially unrelated abilities. Recently, however, new theories, assessment methods, and statistical tools have caused a shift in…

Happiness Scale Interval Study. Methodological Considerations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kalmijn, W. M.; Arends, L. R.; Veenhoven, R.

2011-01-01

The Happiness Scale Interval Study deals with survey questions on happiness, using verbal response options, such as "very happy" and "pretty happy". The aim is to estimate what degrees of happiness are denoted by such terms in different questions and languages. These degrees are expressed in numerical values on a continuous…

The "Pretty Redhead" Who Changed Science Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Randy

2001-01-01

Discusses the historical marginalization of women with claims that they are neither fit for nor interested in careers in science. Describes two cases of the media depiction of a successful female scientist and a high school biology teacher who was involved in the challenge to Arkansas' antievolution laws. (MM)

Up & Strumming

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perlmutter, Adam

2011-01-01

At this point, it's pretty much indisputable: The guitar is a cool instrument. For many years, it's appealed to students because of its prominence in popular music. Lightweight, portable, and inexpensive, it makes a more immediate impact than most other instruments--players can begin to make satisfying music on guitar with just a few easy chord…

Not Just Pretty Pictures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Norman, Rebecca R.; Roberts, Kathryn L.

2013-01-01

Informational texts are filled with graphics that support and extend the written text. These graphics may provide an alternate way to access important information, and sometimes they are the only entry point to that information. However, just being able to see the graphics does not ensure that readers are paying attention to, let alone…

Not Just a Pretty Face

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lott, Debra

2010-01-01

Contemporary artist John Currin's artwork has been described as a moralistic portrait of contemporary society. Currin is convinced that most emotions people connect with religion, such as guilt, sin, and redemption, have been changed by modern life. His response is to paint various present-day ills in portraits sometimes evocative of highschool…

Scaling Down: A Modest Proposal for Practice-Based Policy Research in Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erickson, Frederick

2014-01-01

This proposal addresses the assumptions underlying the "Science Wars" about the purpose of educational research. The author proposes a more modest "Lake Woebegon" approach to school reform that supports long-term professional education, a shift away from "Best Practices" to "Pretty Good Practices," low…

The Panopticon of Physical Education: Pretty, Active and Ideally White

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Azzarito, Laura

2009-01-01

Background: Recently, a growing number of researchers have explored students' social construction of the body in school settings. Young peoples' construction of the body, inextricably linked to dominant cultural discourses of the mass media, bears upon their identity and physical activity participation choices. Purpose: This study employed a…

Wireless Takes Over

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Korzeniowski, Paul

2008-01-01

After starting off as a simple way to provide users with access to internet resources, WiFi networks have evolved to become an important communications cornerstone for a growing number of academic institutions. Not only have colleges been working to make these networks available across their entire campuses (or at least pretty close to 100 percent…

Volcanic Eruptions and Climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robock, A.

2012-12-01

Large volcanic eruptions inject sulfur gases into the stratosphere, which convert to sulfate aerosols with an e-folding residence time of about one year. The radiative and chemical effects of these aerosol clouds produce responses in the climate system. Observations and numerical models of the climate system show that volcanic eruptions produce global cooling and were the dominant natural cause of climate change for the past millennium, on timescales from annual to century. Major tropical eruptions produce winter warming of Northern Hemisphere continents for one or two years, while high latitude eruptions in the Northern Hemisphere weaken the Asian and African summer monsoon. The Toba supereruption 74,000 years ago caused very large climate changes, affecting human evolution. However, the effects did not last long enough to produce widespread glaciation. An episode of four large decadally-spaced eruptions at the end of the 13th century C.E. started the Little Ice Age. Since the Mt. Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines in 1991, there have been no large eruptions that affected climate, but the cumulative effects of small eruptions over the past decade had a small effect on global temperature trends. The June 13, 2011 Nabro eruption in Eritrea produced the largest stratospheric aerosol cloud since Pinatubo, and the most of the sulfur entered the stratosphere not by direct injection, but by slow lofting in the Asian summer monsoon circulation. Volcanic eruptions warn us that while stratospheric geoengineering could cool the surface, reducing ice melt and sea level rise, producing pretty sunsets, and increasing the CO2 sink, it could also reduce summer monsoon precipitation, destroy ozone, allowing more harmful UV at the surface, produce rapid warming when stopped, make the sky white, reduce solar power, perturb the ecology with more diffuse radiation, damage airplanes flying in the stratosphere, degrade astronomical observations, affect remote sensing, and affect stargazing.

A Search Engine That's Aware of Your Needs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

Internet research can be compared to trying to drink from a firehose. Such a wealth of information is available that even the simplest inquiry can sometimes generate tens of thousands of leads, more information than most people can handle, and more burdensome than most can endure. Like everyone else, NASA scientists rely on the Internet as a primary search tool. Unlike the average user, though, NASA scientists perform some pretty sophisticated, involved research. To help manage the Internet and to allow researchers at NASA to gain better, more efficient access to the wealth of information, the Agency needed a search tool that was more refined and intelligent than the typical search engine. Partnership NASA funded Stottler Henke, Inc., of San Mateo, California, a cutting-edge software company, with a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract to develop the Aware software for searching through the vast stores of knowledge quickly and efficiently. The partnership was through NASA s Ames Research Center.

The Award Winning Black Suns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holbrook, Jarita

2018-01-01

Black Suns: An Astrophysics Adventure is a documentary film focusing on the annular and total solar eclipses of 2012. We made a different kind of astronomy documentary showing the human aspects rather than just focusing on pretty astronomy pictures. The film combines personal stories with science. Our heroes are Hakeem Oluseyi and Alphonse Sterling, who valiantly travel to study the solar corona during total solar eclipses. The goals of the film included presenting three dimensional scientists, to show their paths to becoming astrophysicists, and to show them as they collect data and work as scientists. Drama and tension surround taking data during the small window of time during totality. The Black Suns was filmed in Tokyo, Cairns, Tucson, and Melbourne Florida. Uniquely, the film began through a Kickstarter campaign to fund travel and filming in Tokyo. Many American Astronomical Society members donated to the film! Black Suns won the Jury Prize at the 2017 Art of Brooklyn Film Festival. Black Suns will be screening in full on ???.

Creating Avenues for Parent Partnership (CAPP): an intervention for parents of children with epilepsy and learning problems.

PubMed

Buelow, Janice M; Johnson, Cynthia S; Perkins, Susan M; Austin, Joan K; Dunn, David W

2013-04-01

Caregivers of children with both epilepsy and learning problems need assistance to manage their child's complex medical and mental health problems. We tested the cognitive behavioral intervention "Creating Avenues for Parent Partnership" (CAPP) which was designed to help caregivers develop knowledge as well as the confidence and skills to manage their child's condition. The CAPP intervention consisted of a one-day cognitive behavioral program and three follow-up group sessions. The sample comprised 31 primary caregivers. Caregivers reported that the program was useful (mean = 3.66 on a 4-point scale), acceptable (mean = 4.28 on a 5-point scale), and "pretty easy" (mean = 1.97 on a 4-point scale). Effect sizes were small to medium in paired t tests (comparison of intervention to control) and paired analysis of key variables in the pre- and post-tests. The CAPP program shows promise in helping caregivers build skills to manage their child's condition. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fermilab Today

Science.gov Websites

swinging for a home run," said Run Coordinator Jim Morgan. "We knew we had a pretty good shot at . Every four to six stores we add them into the shot, that way we get more luminosity," Morgan said July 14 - July 16 - During this 48 hour period Operations established one store that combined with an

More than Just a Pretty (Inter) Face: The Role of the Graphical User Interface in Engaging Elearners.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Metros, Susan E.; Hedberg, John G.

2002-01-01

Examines the relationship between the graphical user interface (GUI) and the cognitive demands placed on the learner in eLearning (electronic learning) environments. Describes ways educators can design appropriate interfaces to facilitate meaningful interactions with educational content; and examines learner engagement and engagement theory using…

Accessibility: Assistive Tech Goes Mainstream

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schaffhauser, Dian

2013-01-01

The latest compilation from the US Department of Education (from 2010-2011) reports that about 13 percent of public school enrollment consists of students served by special education programs. That count has pretty much stayed the same for the past 13 years. What is different now is that, as technology pervades all aspects of the classroom,…

Designing Nature's Way

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fisher, Diane

2005-01-01

In the case of cars and other engineered objects, humans go about the design process in a very intentional way. They pretty much know what they are aiming for. The activity described in this article demonstrates how a computer can simulate biological evolution and the laws of natural selection. The article is divided into the following sections:…

Continuous Toxicological Dose-Response Relationships Are Pretty Homogeneous (Society for Risk Analysis Annual Meeting)

EPA Science Inventory

Dose-response relationships for a wide range of in vivo and in vitro continuous datasets are well-described by a four-parameter exponential or Hill model, based on a recent analysis of multiple historical dose-response datasets, mostly with more than five dose groups (Slob and Se...

Science 101: What Causes Severe Thunderstorms and Tornadoes?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robertson, Bill

2016-01-01

What causes severe thunderstorms and tornadoes? Tornadoes, often accompanied by severe thunderstorms and hail, form in pretty much the same way as severe thunderstorms. In the continental United States, tornadoes usually form in spring and summer, when warm, humid air from the Gulf of Mexico moves across the continent from southeast to northwest…

"Chaos Rules" Revisited

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, David

2011-01-01

About 20 years ago, while lost in the midst of his PhD research, the author mused over proposed titles for his thesis. He was pretty pleased with himself when he came up with "Chaos Rules" (the implied double meaning was deliberate), or more completely, "Chaos Rules: An Exploration of the Work of Instructional Designers in Distance Education." He…

Modified Cooper Harper Scales for Assessing Unmanned Vehicle Displays

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-12-01

Majesty accident in 1995. After about 35 hours in transit from Bermuda to Boston, the ship grounded on the Nantucket shoals (NTSB, 1995). Shortly after...see another robot – Which one is it? 28 18 Male Student 4 It was pretty simple to use but some symbols like the triangles seem unnecessary. It

Virtualize Me!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waters, John K.

2009-01-01

John Abdelmalak, director of technology for the School District of the Chathams, was pretty sure it was time to jump on the virtualization bandwagon last year when he invited Dell to conduct a readiness assessment of his district's servers. When he saw just how little of their capacity was being used, he lost all doubt. Abdelmalak is one of many…

Translations on Eastern Europe Political, Sociological, and Military Affairs, Number 1354

DTIC Science & Technology

1977-02-16

sheets, embroidery and uncomplicated items for en- terprises. The 8-year schools do not have production plans but they can boast about quite...well they handle the file and the chisel and how, from the skillful fingers of the girls, rich embroidery emerges; I look at the pretty little

Show Me the Green

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Norbury, Keith

2013-01-01

Gone are the days when green campus initiatives were a balm to the soul and a drain on the wallet. Today's environmental initiatives are all about saving lots of green--in every sense of the word. The environmental benefits of green campus projects--whether wind turbines or better insulation--are pretty clear. Unfortunately, in today's…

Web life: ComplexityBlog.com

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2010-02-01

The site's homepage calls it "a repository of ideas and perspectives regarding the science, engineering and philosophy of complexity", and it pretty much does what it says on the tin. Part blog, part links archive, part library of modelling tips and tricks, the site is chock full of information that comes under the general heading of "complexity".

"Angels & Demons" May Help Physicists Explain What Matters

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Basken, Paul

2009-01-01

It's not every day that scientific researchers need to defend themselves against charges of destroying humanity. And yet a group of several dozen physicists associated with the Large Hadron Collider may be getting pretty good at it--and, at the same time, actively engaging in public education and debate in ways that university scientists have…

"Hiding in Plain Sight": An Interview with Cara Hoffman

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hosey, Sara

2014-01-01

Cara Hoffman's work enacts George Orwell's imperative to "pay attention to the obvious" (an idea that several sympathetic characters repeat in her 2011 novel "So Much Pretty"), probing aspects of twenty-first century life in the United States that have become so accepted as to be unremarkable, such as epidemic levels of…

Japan's Monroe Doctrine?: Re-Framing the Story of Pearl Harbor

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murnane, John R.

2007-01-01

Ever since War Department propaganda films set the mold, historians have pretty much followed: the road to Pearl Harbor began in 1931 with Japanese aggression in Manchuria. Any "revision" regarding the War in the Pacific has its own set of problems--engendering controversy, often running up against patriotic sentiments and the tendency…

Body Image: It's Not Just About How You See Your Body

Cancer.gov

Let's be honest. As women, we can be pretty hard on ourselves, and we can be especially hard on how our bodies look. Having a negative body image can affect not only how you feel about yourself, but it can also keep you from living the life you want to have.

Exporting Acting Curricula from the Midwest to the Mideast: Seriously?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woodworth, Ann E.

2014-01-01

Qatar can afford to purchase pretty much anything--including top-quality American university education. However, given the vast differences in culture, dress, religion, and social mores, along with youth's global unemployment rates and their hankering for all things technological, does it make sense for Qatar to import a course in acting? Many…

Teaching Machines to Think Fuzzy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Technology Teacher, 2004

2004-01-01

Fuzzy logic programs for computers make them more human. Computers can then think through messy situations and make smart decisions. It makes computers able to control things the way people do. Fuzzy logic has been used to control subway trains, elevators, washing machines, microwave ovens, and cars. Pretty much all the human has to do is push one…

Multimedia human brain database system for surgical candidacy determination in temporal lobe epilepsy with content-based image retrieval

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siadat, Mohammad-Reza; Soltanian-Zadeh, Hamid; Fotouhi, Farshad A.; Elisevich, Kost

2003-01-01

This paper presents the development of a human brain multimedia database for surgical candidacy determination in temporal lobe epilepsy. The focus of the paper is on content-based image management, navigation and retrieval. Several medical image-processing methods including our newly developed segmentation method are utilized for information extraction/correlation and indexing. The input data includes T1-, T2-Weighted MRI and FLAIR MRI and ictal and interictal SPECT modalities with associated clinical data and EEG data analysis. The database can answer queries regarding issues such as the correlation between the attribute X of the entity Y and the outcome of a temporal lobe epilepsy surgery. The entity Y can be a brain anatomical structure such as the hippocampus. The attribute X can be either a functionality feature of the anatomical structure Y, calculated with SPECT modalities, such as signal average, or a volumetric/morphological feature of the entity Y such as volume or average curvature. The outcome of the surgery can be any surgery assessment such as memory quotient. A determination is made regarding surgical candidacy by analysis of both textual and image data. The current database system suggests a surgical determination for the cases with relatively small hippocampus and high signal intensity average on FLAIR images within the hippocampus. This indication pretty much fits with the surgeons" expectations/observations. Moreover, as the database gets more populated with patient profiles and individual surgical outcomes, using data mining methods one may discover partially invisible correlations between the contents of different modalities of data and the outcome of the surgery.

The Pleasures and Perils of Popularization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grinspoon, David H.

2006-09-01

Carl Sagan often reminded us that we are privileged to be space explorers, and we should never take public support for granted. As jobs go, planetary exploration sure beats flipping burgers. It can also seem like a bourgeois extravagance in a world with some serious mayhem and deprivation. We've all encountered the attitude epitomized by the recent Onion headline: "NASA Announces Plan to Launch $700 Million into Space". But planetary science is highly relevant to some burning societal issues. Indeed it is slightly strange to see concepts we labored over in grad school, like "albedo", "insolation” and "infrared opacity” now tossed about in Newsweek. Today, the man and woman in the street are quite aware that climate modeling and glaciology are relevant. It is up to us to explain that comparative planetology is also indispensable. In my career so far, I've tried to balance deep involvement in both research and public outreach. Sometimes this feels like too many jobs, but at least sometimes they are synergistic. Being an active researcher, you can speak to the public with an inside, authentic, behind-the-scenes voice. Interacting with the media on a regular basis helps you (indeed forces you) to stay current in a broad range of subject matter, and that can nurture your research. That all sounds pretty high minded, but public speaking, writing, and media interviews are great fun, and they get easier. Actually, writing is often as much fun as dental work. But usually worth it. These activities feed the soul (and the ego and even occasionally the bank account...). If they help spread the word about the wonders of the solar system, the mysteries of life in the universe and the experiences of working scientists, well that's pretty cool, too.

Public Intellectuals in the New-Media Landscape

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jenkins, Henry

2008-01-01

The author has what most people would agree is a pretty cool gig: he studies pop culture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which means he has written scholarly articles about "Star Trek" fans, video games, and pro wrestling, among other topics. He is also one of the directors of the institute's comparative-media-studies program, which…

Extra Dimensions of Space

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lincoln, Don

2013-01-01

They say that there is no such thing as a stupid question. In a pedagogically pure sense, that's probably true. But some questions do seem to flirt dangerously close to being really quite ridiculous. One such question might well be, "How many dimensions of space are there?" I mean, it's pretty obvious that there are three:…

Talking Sport and Fitness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dixon-Watmough, Rebecca; Keogh, Brenda; Naylor, Stuart

2012-01-01

For some time the Association for Science Education (ASE) has been aware that it would be useful to have some resources available to get children talking and thinking about issues related to health, sport and fitness. Some of the questions about pulse, breathing rate and so on are pretty obvious to everyone, and there is a risk of these being…

Are Pretty Interfaces Worth the Time? The Effects of User Interface Types on Web-Based Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheon, Jongpil; Grant, Michael M.

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of three different interface types on Web-based instruction: a text-based interface, a graphical interface and a metaphorical interface. In order to determine differences among three interface groups, we compared learning performance, cognitive load, usability, and appeal with various data…

In Defense of the Formula Essay

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haluska, Jan Charles

2007-01-01

In 1970, the author learned a simple step in making essays from his advisor. His advisor used a drawing of the Parthenon to illustrate the creation of a five-paragraph essay. It was obvious that his advisor was hesitant on teaching them a very simple concept of essay writing because it was pretty mechanical. Like his advisor, a lot of teachers…

Identity Crisis in Cormac McCarthy's "All the Pretty Horses"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gebreen, Hayder A. K.

2016-01-01

The issue of identity is one of the main issues that encounters man in each culture. Identity is a set of behaviors, emotions, and thought patterns which are unique to every individual that define him as a member of a certain group. Identity is shaped by race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, language, physical features, childhood experiences, sexual…

Clash! The World of Debate

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Azzam, Amy M.

2008-01-01

Debating has been around for a long time, with some pretty spectacular results. Look at Socrates, who was put to death in 399 BCE for corrupting the youth of Athens; his accusers could not forgive him for incessantly questioning their beliefs and making "the worse appear the better cause." More recently, debating has morphed into a sport for the…

Another year, another volume

Treesearch

Bill Block

2012-01-01

This issue represents the final one in volume 76 of Journal of Wildlife Management. As this one is pretty much in the books, one cannot help but wonder what the future holds for the journal. Lenny Brennan is putting together a piece for Wildlife Society Bulletin to examine how The Wildlife Society publications have changed through time. He solicited input from past and...

"Too Pretty to Do Math!" Young Women in Movement and Pedagogical Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graff, Ulrike

2013-01-01

The article points out some pedagogical challenges in supporting girls and young women in their emancipatory movements today. It spotlights a specific section in gender pedagogy by focusing on the aim of self-determination (rather than achievement) in the field of social-pedagogy and it refers to the concept of "girls work" in Germany. A…

The Potential and Promise of Latino Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gándara, Patricia

2017-01-01

By now, it is pretty much common knowledge that Latinos comprise the nation's largest minority group, both as a percentage of the population (17.6 percent) and as a percentage of school-age students (25 percent). That is, one in four K-12 students in the United States is Latino or Latina. While the related challenges are often overemphasized, the…

David Georgi's Cal Council Presidency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Georgi, David

2015-01-01

When the author was asked to write a mini-memoir about his time as Cal Council president, his first thought was "Now, when exactly was that?" He says that pretty much summarizes the quality of his memory these days. The author's first contact with the California Council on the Education of Teachers was back in the 1970s when the…

Practice Makes Pretty Good: Assessment of Primary Literature Reading Abilities across Multiple Large-Enrollment Biology Laboratory Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sato, Brian K.; Kadandale, Pavan; He, Wenliang; Murata, Paige M. N.; Latif, Yama; Warschauer, Mark

2014-01-01

Primary literature is essential for scientific communication and is commonly utilized in undergraduate biology education. Despite this, there is often little time spent "training" our students how to critically analyze a paper. To address this, we introduced a primary literature module in multiple upper-division laboratory courses. In…

In Search of the Next Value Proposition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huwe, Terence K.

2012-01-01

Although it is pretty easy to find colleagues who will express fatigue or frustration about the constant need for libraries to prove their value proposition, there is also an upside to the exercise of crafting a message that justifies librarians' mission. The catch is that however good their crafted message may be, they must forget about ever…

Best Practices: Pass the Poetry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bafumo, Mary Ellen

2005-01-01

Sharing poetry with your students will lead to a lifetime benefit of appreciating the written word If you're an early riser and listen to public radio, you've probably heard Garrison Keillor, the host of "Prairie Home Companion," sharing a reading from the latest edition of "Pretty Good Poems." Each poem invariably evokes a reaction; whether it's…

A Thai Tale: School Business Management beyond the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robinson, Ann

2012-01-01

The author is fairly familiar with the work dimensions of a business manager and has pretty much attended most of the professional development "how-to" sessions on everything from asset management to school budgets and beyond. When she thinks about what business managers do in schools and how much of what they do actually adds value, she…

When Pictures Aren't Pretty: Deconstructing Punitive Literacy Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fisher, Teresa R.; Albers, Peggy; Frederick, Temmy G.

2014-01-01

Young children frequently tell visual stories, drawing pictures to record and share their thoughts, feelings and understanding. How and what young children describe through art, especially when written language is not an option, is the focus of this interpretive analysis. A series of pictures by John, a 6-year-old boy, were drawn across the…

"Pretty Much Fear!!" Rationalizing Teacher (Dis)Engagement in Social Justice Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baily, Supriya; Katradis, Maria

2016-01-01

This article analyzes how teachers in U.S. classrooms navigate, dialogue, debate, and absorb the ideas of privilege, power, and the presence of various forms of injustices. Through their understanding of these topics, we explore how K-12 teachers engage, disengage, and rationalize issues of social justice in education, society, and their own…

Publications - GMC 277 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

Science.gov Websites

from the following: Shell Oil Company Kustatan Ridge #1, Shell Oil Company Middle River State #1 , Superior Oil Three Mile Creek State #1, Texas International Pet. Corp. Pretty Creek State #1 Authors reflectance analyses for Cook Inlet well cuttings from the following: Shell Oil Company Kustatan Ridge #1

Some Plain Thinking About Central America

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-01-01

iarger poi i,:y ,-,cjectiv’e. If. Low Intensity Conf] ict can be pretty intense. As in so many areas in I ire, ~here you stand deoenos in large Dart on...issue of Fqreign Service Journal, pp 22-28. 4. This conversation took place with COL Wes Ludwig in the locker room of the ist Brigade Gym , Ft Leonard

Correlation filtering in financial time series (Invited Paper)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aste, T.; Di Matteo, Tiziana; Tumminello, M.; Mantegna, R. N.

2005-05-01

We apply a method to filter relevant information from the correlation coefficient matrix by extracting a network of relevant interactions. This method succeeds to generate networks with the same hierarchical structure of the Minimum Spanning Tree but containing a larger amount of links resulting in a richer network topology allowing loops and cliques. In Tumminello et al.,1 we have shown that this method, applied to a financial portfolio of 100 stocks in the USA equity markets, is pretty efficient in filtering relevant information about the clustering of the system and its hierarchical structure both on the whole system and within each cluster. In particular, we have found that triangular loops and 4 element cliques have important and significant relations with the market structure and properties. Here we apply this filtering procedure to the analysis of correlation in two different kind of interest rate time series (16 Eurodollars and 34 US interest rates).

Number-theoretic nature of communication in quantum spin systems.

PubMed

Godsil, Chris; Kirkland, Stephen; Severini, Simone; Smith, Jamie

2012-08-03

The last decade has witnessed substantial interest in protocols for transferring information on networks of quantum mechanical objects. A variety of control methods and network topologies have been proposed, on the basis that transfer with perfect fidelity-i.e., deterministic and without information loss-is impossible through unmodulated spin chains with more than a few particles. Solving the original problem formulated by Bose [Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 207901 (2003)], we determine the exact number of qubits in unmodulated chains (with an XY Hamiltonian) that permit transfer with a fidelity arbitrarily close to 1, a phenomenon called pretty good state transfer. We prove that this happens if and only if the number of nodes is n = p - 1, 2p - 1, where p is a prime, or n = 2(m) - 1. The result highlights the potential of quantum spin system dynamics for reinterpreting questions about the arithmetic structure of integers and, in this case, primality.

Collecting and propagating the seeds of California wild plants

Treesearch

N.T. Mirov; C.J. Kraebel

1937-01-01

Not long ago the object of forestry was pretty generally considered to be the growing of timber, and forest planting was concerned almost exclusively with the planting of lumber producing trees. The text-books, it is true, have given increasing attention to the part played by ground-cover vegetation in forest ecology, but these discussions have rarely suggested the...

Science 101: How Do We Distinguish between Living and Nonliving Things?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robertson, Bill

2016-01-01

Since nearly every science curriculum in the country contains a section on living and non-living things, Bill Robertson believes that pretty much anyone who has taught the subject has run into difficulties. It seems as if no matter what criteria you use to distinguish between the two you can nearly always find exceptions. This article provides a…

"It's Pretty Cool to Be Clever": The Marginal Relevance of Gender to Educational Practices and Attainment at A/AS Level?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kettley, Nigel

2006-01-01

Gender differences in educational attainment have generated considerable debate. Unfortunately, this debate has been constructed in terms of either the measurement of change in the size of the gender gap over time or attempts to theorise such change. This scholarly divide reflects the commitment of researchers to particular methodological…

Colleges Should Reimagine Themselves in an Oil-Scarce World

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carlson, Scott

2008-01-01

Some years ago, bringing up peak oil--the concept that oil production will crest and then decline, leading to all sorts of trouble in society--might have made one seem like the kind of person who frequents Web sites that sell survival books and freeze-dried food. Today such discussion has pretty much hit the mainstream. Last month The Wall Street…

Dance and Literacy Hand in Hand: Using Uncommon Practices to Meet the Common Core

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams, Janet H.

2016-01-01

As a dance teacher in public elementary schools for the last 25 years, Janet Adams has always recognized the creative link between dance and writing, and offered her students structured opportunities to combine the two. She has also honed her management skills and kept a pretty tight ship. Creative expression, though, be it through dancing or…

"She Started to Get Pretty Concerned": Young Men's Relationships with Parents through Senior Schooling and Beyond

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nichols, Sue; Stahl, Garth

2017-01-01

The field of youth sociology has been challenged to reconsider the role of parenting in the lives of young adults. This paper presents a multiple-case study investigation into young men's transitions from school into further education in an Australian context. We will argue that relationships with parents are materially, socially and emotionally…

So That's Where We Came from! A Short History of Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gratto, Fred

2010-01-01

Working on a college campus is pretty special. There is always something fun going on, sporting events to watch, lots of interesting opportunities to help people, and the setting to do work that really matters. Colleges are complex organizations, so it is good to have a broad institutional perspective to better understand what people do and why…

Trial by Science: A Forensic Extravaganza

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hunt, Vanessa

2004-01-01

"His handwriting checks out and his prints look pretty good. Move him to the top of the list," orders the 13-year-old captain. His co-detective makes appropriate procedural notes. "Bring the next one up. Get a foot measurement and let Andre print him before we talk." In another corner of the room, two girls administer a solemn oath to one of six…

Economy on the Minds of For Profit CEOs: Annual Status Report on For Profit Care

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neugebauer, Roger

2010-01-01

Considering how bad the economy was in 2009, North America's 50 largest for profit child care chains fared pretty well. In fact, about half of these organizations actually expanded their capacity in 2009--although the expansion was not spectacular, averaging just under 3%. About one-fourth of the organizations maintained their capacity and a…

Does Expertise or Pretty Please? The Influence of Attractiveness, Gender and Expertise on Children's Evaluations of Models in Advertisements.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lerma, Sheila; Downs, A. Chris

The extent to which children evaluated non-television advertisements differentially on the basis of performers' gender, expertise, and attractiveness was assessed. Participating were 56 girls and 47 boys attending first-, third-, and fifth-grade classes in Galveston, Texas. A total of 24 pairs of specially prepared advertisements were used as…

Master of Disaster: Paolo Bacigalupi's Dystopian Tales Are Infuriating, Disturbing, and Impossible to Put down

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carter, Betty

2011-01-01

This article presents an interview with Paolo Bacigalupi, a rising sci-fi star who has walked away with the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, and, most recently, the Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature--the Young Adult Library Services Association's top prize for prose. That's pretty impressive for a guy who's published…

At Yale, an Unlikely Champion for "The Building that Won't Go Away"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Biemiller, Lawrence

2008-01-01

It is most surprising that Yale University is spending $126-million to renovate and add to a 1963 Modernist building that almost everyone has hated for decades. Aside from that, the project's champion is a high-society architect whose own career refutes pretty much the whole Modernist design theology. This article talks about the renovation of…

The Real Value of Teachers: If Good Teachers Matter, Why Don't We Act like It?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carey, Kevin

2009-01-01

Almost nobody, it seems, disputes the importance of effective teachers--including teachers themselves. However, principals actually do none of the things they do when they value something as highly as most people say they value good teachers. By looking at scores on year-end standardized tests by teachers, principals think they have a pretty good…

Turning Thinking on Its Head: How Bodies Make up Their Minds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Claxton, Guy

2012-01-01

The assumption that bodies have little to do with thinking--other than to be the vehicle that gets a mind to a classroom--deeply underpins the traditional model of schooling. Lessons and seminars are designed on the premise that thinking happens best when people are pretty still, their bodies are quiet and undemanding of attention, and they are…

"It May Not Be Pretty, but It's Honest": Examining Parental Grief on the Callapitter Blog

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeGroot, Jocelyn M.; Carmack, Heather J.

2013-01-01

Following the death of a child, parents are turning to alternative means of communication to express their grief. In this instrumental case study, the authors explore how 1 woman, Amy Ambrusko, communicates her grief experience on her blog, emotionally negotiating loss and parental grief. Guided by M. S. Miles's (1984) parental grief model, the…

Educating School Leaders to Think and Act Both Locally and Globally

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Townsend, Tony

2010-01-01

It is clear that school leaders recognize that there has been substantial change in the types of technology available to young people today, most of which adults feel less comfortable about than they do. However, when they are probed further, they come to recognize that it is not just technology that has changed, but pretty much everything else…

Horace Poolaw: Photographer, Mentor, Grandfather

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poolaw, Thomas

2011-01-01

There are at least 2,000 silver nitrate negatives in the Horace Poolaw collection, and as many stories to go along with them. If you begin to talk about one image, it leads from that story to the next, and the next, and pretty soon two or three hours have gone by. Rather than discussing in detail the images in the Horace Poolaw collection, the…

Maniac Talk - Paul Newman

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-02-25

Paul Newman Maniac Lecture, February 25, 2015 NASA climate scientist Dr. Paul Newman presented a Maniac Talk entitled "Some pretty good rules for a career: Newman's own lessons." Paul traced his journey from middle of Seattle, where he grew up, moved to rural Iowa for graduate school, and made his way to NASA/GSFC in 1984, and discussed lessons to be learned from the ozone depletion story.

Google Earth: A Virtual Globe for Elementary Geography

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Britt, Judy; LaFontaine, Gus

2009-01-01

Originally called Earth Viewer in 2004, Google Earth was the first virtual globe easily available to the ordinary user of the Internet. Google Earth, at earth.google.com, is a free, 3-dimensional computer model of Earth, but that means more than just a large collection of pretty pictures. It allows the viewer to "fly" anywhere on Earth "to view…

Leading into the Future: Perceptions of School Board Presidents on the Essential Knowledge and Skills for Superintendent Preparation Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tripses, Jenny; Hunt, John; Kim, JoHyun; Watkins, Sandra

2015-01-01

Reports in the media on American public schools are pretty dismal. Accountability measures enacted with the passing of the No Child Left Behind Law of 2002 include federal and state sanctions for school districts not making adequate yearly progress on state assessments. Typically these results are published locally, which only increases the…

American Academic: A National Survey of Part-time/Adjunct Faculty. Volume 2

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Federation of Teachers (NJ), 2010

2010-01-01

Plainly, part-time/adjunct faculty members now play a vital role in educating the nation's college students. Even so, the data and research on part-time/adjunct faculty members have tended to be pretty spotty. This survey, conducted by Hart Research Associates on behalf of the American Federation of Teachers, is one of the first nationwide…

"Boys Like Smart Girls More than Pretty Girls": Young Korean Immigrant Girls' Understanding of Romantic Love in American Popular Culture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Lena

2009-01-01

Despite the importance of understanding children's interpretations of popular culture in the United States, young children's voices have not been sufficiently explored in studies. Moreover, the perspectives of American immigrant children hardly have a presence in studies of popular culture. Thus, this paper explores how young immigrant children…

Society for College Science Teachers: Putting Inquiry Teaching to the Test--Enhancing Learning in College Botany

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lord, Thomas; Shelly, Chad; Zimmerman, Rachel

2007-01-01

Can you imagine a class where students cover the content with each other rather than simply listening to the professor's lecture? Can you envision students developing their own laboratory investigations and quizzing each other weekly to check for understanding? Well, that's pretty much how the major science organizations across the nation are…

Using Telescopic Observations to Explore the Science of AGN with High School Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McLin, K. M.; Cominsky, L. R.

2010-12-01

Over the past several years the NASA E/PO Group at Sonoma State University has operated a small robotic telescope in northern Sonoma County, California. The telescope is used by high school and college instructors and their students from around the United States. Observations have been used both in classroom settings and in after-school or extracurricular activities. It has also been central over the past two summers (2009/2010) as part of a summer science internship program for Sonoma County high school students. The program gave these students an in-depth experience collecting and analyzing astronomical data. This poster describes some of the ways that the telescope has been used to make scientific measurements (as opposed to “pretty pictures”) of astronomical phenomena in high school settings. Some of the obstacles to implementing a set of astronomical observations in the high school classroom will be described, as will the steps we have taken to overcome them. Information is provided on how instructors can become involved in using the telescope and what support is available to help them get started in their classes.

Fiber optic position sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, Glen E.

1993-02-01

About fifteen years ago, it became pretty clear that a combination of fiber optic and photonic technologies offered an opportunity to use light to perform almost any of the functions traditionally performed with wire and electronics--as well as to gain a number of unique advantages in the process. Sensors were quickly recognized as prime candidates for conversion to optics because the new technologies promised to eliminate noise susceptibility, a problem that has always plagued instrumentation engineers. As a bonus, the new technology also appeared to make the long-sought true digital sensors a practical reality. The benefits appeared so attractive that nearly all major suppliers and users of sensors began some kind of program to get on the bandwagon. The ensuing worldwide explosion of activity resulted in literally thousands of technical papers and patents, but a discouragingly small number of practical off- the-shelf devices. This paper will review the field of fiber optic position sensors, will categorize the various types, will discuss their relative advantages and disadvantages, and will outline the problem areas which still remain to be solved before the technology is likely to find the predicted widespread use.

Mimicking the Moon

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-11-03

When Galileo first observed Venus displaying a crescent phase, he excitedly wrote to Kepler (in anagram) of Venus mimicking the moon-goddess. He would have been delirious with joy to see Saturn and Titan, seen in this image, doing the same thing. More than just pretty pictures, high-phase observations -- taken looking generally toward the Sun, as in this image -- are very powerful scientifically since the way atmospheres and rings transmit sunlight is often diagnostic of compositions and physical states. In this example, Titan's crescent nearly encircles its disk due to the small haze particles high in its atmosphere refracting the incoming light of the distant Sun. This view looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from about 3 degrees above the ringplane. The image was taken in violet light with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Aug. 11, 2013. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.1 million miles (1.7 million kilometers) from Saturn and at a Sun-Saturn-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 154 degrees. Image scale is 64 miles (103 kilometers) per pixel. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA18291

A downstream voyage with mercury

USGS Publications Warehouse

Heinz, Gary

2016-01-01

Retrospective essay for the Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology.As I look back on my paper, “Effects of Low Dietary Levels of Methyl Mercury on Mallard Reproduction,” published in 1974 in the Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, a thought sticks in my mind. I realize just how much my mercury research was not unlike a leaf in a stream, carried this way and that, sometimes stalled in an eddy, restarted, and carried downstream at a pace and path that was not completely under my control. I was hired in 1969 by the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center to study the effects of environmental pollutants on the behavior of wildlife. A colleague was conducting a study on the reproductive effects of methylmercury on mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), and he offered to give me some of the ducklings. I conducted a pilot study, testing how readily ducklings approached a tape-recorded maternal call. Sample sizes were small, but the results suggested that ducklings from mercury-treated parents behaved differently than controls. That’s how I got into mercury research—pretty much by chance.

A Fault Recognition System for Gearboxes of Wind Turbines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Zhiling; Huang, Haiyue; Yin, Zidong

2017-12-01

Costs of maintenance and loss of power generation caused by the faults of wind turbines gearboxes are the main components of operation costs for a wind farm. Therefore, the technology of condition monitoring and fault recognition for wind turbines gearboxes is becoming a hot topic. A condition monitoring and fault recognition system (CMFRS) is presented for CBM of wind turbines gearboxes in this paper. The vibration signals from acceleration sensors at different locations of gearbox and the data from supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system are collected to CMFRS. Then the feature extraction and optimization algorithm is applied to these operational data. Furthermore, to recognize the fault of gearboxes, the GSO-LSSVR algorithm is proposed, combining the least squares support vector regression machine (LSSVR) with the Glowworm Swarm Optimization (GSO) algorithm. Finally, the results show that the fault recognition system used in this paper has a high rate for identifying three states of wind turbines’ gears; besides, the combination of date features can affect the identifying rate and the selection optimization algorithm presented in this paper can get a pretty good date feature subset for the fault recognition.

So Long Primary School Science, and Thanks for All the Fun

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stringer, John

2010-01-01

The author looks at the future of primary science, and is not encouraged. It's pretty much all over for science in primary schools. One only has to look at the poor showing on the stands at January's ASE Annual Conference to see that it is no longer a publishing priority. Eroded by falling status, undermined by national strategies, and finally put…

"I Guess It Was Pretty Fun": Using WebQuests in the Middle School Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lipscomb, George

2003-01-01

Notes that the WebQuest helps students harness the vast amount of on-line resources available. Presents a list of 10 suggestions that may help teachers unfamiliar with WebQuests, especially those in the history classroom, to use them more effectively. Concludes that students learned a great deal about the Civil War by doing the WebQuest, and the…

All about Plant Pollination: Fruit, Flowers & Seeds. Plant Life for Children[TM]. Schlessinger Science Library. [Videotape].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

2000

Flowers are not only pretty, they are also one of the key elements in the process of plant pollination and reproduction that goes from flowers to fruits to seeds! In All About Plant Pollination: Fruit, Flowers & Seeds, young scientists learn about the different parts of a flower through the use of microscopic photography and detailed diagrams.…

By the Numbers: Expedition 53

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-15

If there’s one thing we at NASA love more than acronyms, it’s numbers—we count pretty much everything. Now that the International Space Station’s Expedition 53 has concluded, we gathered up a few of the pertinent numbers to put this mission in perspective. _______________________________________ FOLLOW THE SPACE STATION! Twitter: https://twitter.com/Space_Station Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ISS Instagram: https://instagram.com/iss/

Journey to Library 2.0: One Library Trains Staff on the Social Tools Users Employ

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hastings, Robin

2007-01-01

In December 2006, the Missouri River Regional Library (MRRL) in Jefferson City, embarked on a journey. They had been watching the Public Library of Charlotte-Mecklenburg County (PLCMC), NC, on its adventure through the wilds of Web 2.0, and they decided to follow the trail it had blazed. What PLCMC had done was pretty revolutionary. The library…

ChipScope: Actually, That Funny Way of Looking at It Works Pretty Well

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leander, Kevin M.

2014-01-01

In this article, the author describes and reflects on a kind of vision that is unique to Bertram C. ("Chip") Bruce. This "funny way of looking at it" includes a way of seeing the world as it is made in myriad connections, a way of seeing the world imaginatively and metaphorically, and a way of seeing the world with optimism and…

Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (77th, Atlanta, Georgia, August 10-13, 1994). Part IX: Magazines.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

The Magazines section of this collection of conference presentations contains the following 15 papers: "'National Geographic Magazine' and the Vietnam War: Did We Just Get Pretty Pictures?" (John W. Williams); "Free Speech at All Costs: A Short History of 'The Masses'" (Chris Lamb); "Newspapers Locally Edited Magazines…

Reasoning from Incomplete Knowledge

DTIC Science & Technology

1975-03-01

control , and the copulation explosion. T Why didn’t that haonen in Siberia? S Yeah, there’s probably a pretty stronq interaction between the birth ...some parts are predominantly Hindu but most I think is Moslem. Neither of those sects are particularly strong on birth control . Climate differences...the West Coast, birth control from China, climate and food supplies from the difference between Siberia and China, soil and terrain (the latter was

Pretty as a Princess: Longitudinal Effects of Engagement with Disney Princesses on Gender Stereotypes, Body Esteem, and Prosocial Behavior in Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coyne, Sarah M.; Linder, Jennifer Ruh; Rasmussen, Eric E.; Nelson, David A.; Birkbeck, Victoria

2016-01-01

This study examined level of engagement with Disney Princess media/products as it relates to gender-stereotypical behavior, body esteem (i.e. body image), and prosocial behavior during early childhood. Participants consisted of 198 children (M[subscript age] = 58 months), who were tested at two time points (approximately 1 year apart). Data…

The Selling of "A Prairie Home Companion": Recasting Reality and Marketing a Myth? or, Recasting a Myth and Marketing Reality?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fine, Marlene G.

The mythical community of Lake Wobegon, created by Garrison Keillor and presented each week through the public radio show "A Prairie Home Companion," is the place to which everyone wants to return. A town devoid of newfangled technology, where life goes on pretty much as it always has, Lake Wobegon offers respite to listeners who daily…

Going beyond Google for Faster and Smarter Web Searching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vine, Rita

2004-01-01

With more than 4 billion web pages in its database, Google is suitable for many different kinds of searches. When you know what you are looking for, Google can be a pretty good first choice, as long as you want to search a word pattern that can be expected to appear on any results pages. The problem starts when you don't know exactly what you're…

Leadership for the next millennium: the physician executive.

PubMed

Klint, R A

1993-01-01

We continue to muddle through using tourniquets and bandaids on a health care system that is in dire straits. And the future is even less promising. There will be millions without basic health care, let alone basic health care coverage. Rural and inner-city hospitals will close, with progressive public apathy, as we focus on the marvels of expensive technologies that serve only the few. Costs will continue to rise at double digit rates, and our nation's employers will fall further behind in the global marketplace. Preventive care will be uncommonly provided and only more rarely reimbursed, while a couple more children die of measles in Mississippi. It's not a pretty picture, and it simply doesn't have to come to pass. "What we really need is leadership," the public cries. That leadership can and should come from medicine through physician executives.

More Than a Pretty Picture: Making WISE Data Accessible to the Public

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ali, Nancy; Mendez, B.; Fricke, K.; Wright, E. L.; Eisenhardt, P. R.; Cutri, R. M.; Hurt, R.; WISE Team

2011-01-01

NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) has surveyed the sky in four bands of infrared light, creating a treasure trove of data. This data is of interest not only to the professional astronomical community, but also to educators, students and the general public. The Education and Public Outreach (E/PO) program for WISE is creating opportunities to make WISE data accessible to these audiences through the Internet as well as through teacher professional development programs. Shortly after WISE took its first light image in January 2010, images have been featured weekly on the WISE website. These images serve to engage the general public through "pretty pictures” that are accompanied by educational captions. Social media such as Facebook and Twitter are used to further engage the public with the images. For a more comprehensive view of WISE images, we are creating a guided tour of the infrared sky on the WorldWide Telescope. The public will be able to use the free WorldWide Telescope software to interact with WISE images and listen to narration that describes features of the Universe as seen in infrared light. We are also developing resources for teachers and students to access WISE data when in becomes public in 2011 to learn about astronomical imaging and to conduct authentic scientific investigations.

[Learning and memory in Drosophila: physiologic and genetic bases].

PubMed

Zhuravlev, A V; Nikitina, E A; Savvateeva-Popova, E V

2015-01-01

Elucidation of molecular mechanisms of cognitive functions is one of the major achievements in neurobiology. At most, this is due to the studies on the simple nervous systems, such as the CNS in Drosophila melanogaster. Many of its functional characteristics are pretty similar to higher vertebrates. Among these are: 1) evolutionary conservation of genes and molecular systems involved in the regulation of learning acquisition and memory formation; 2) presence of highly specialized and differentiated sensory, associative and motor centers; 3) utilization of similar modes of informational coding and analysis; 4) availability of major learning forms including non-associative, as well as associative learning; 5) diversity of different memories, including short-term- and protein synthesis- dependent long-term memory; 6) presence of aminergic reinforcement systems in the brain; 7) feed-back loops of circadian clocks, current organism experience and individual organism characters affecting cognitive process per se. In this review the main attention is paid to the two mostly studied Drosophila learning forms, namely to olfactory Iearning and courtship suppression conditioning (CCS). A separate consideration is given to the impacts of kynurenins and metabolite of actin remodeling signal cascade.

Electronic and magnetic ordering induced by Mo- and Ru doping of the Mn site in CaMnO3 perovskite: EMR probing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shames, A. I.; Auslender, M.; Rozenberg, E.; Gorodetsky, G.; Martin, C.; Maignan, A.

2005-05-01

X-band electron magnetic-resonance (EMR) measurements of polycrystalline CaMn1-yMoyO3 (0⩽y ⩽0.14) samples were performed at 120K⩽T⩽540K. The data obtained are compared with those of another electron-doped manganite system, CaMn1-xRuxO3 (0⩽x ⩽0.40). The observed anomalies of the EMR parameters correlate pretty well with the temperatures of antiferro-, ferromagneticlike, and orbital/charge-ordering transitions in these systems. However, a strong difference is observed between the resonant properties of Mo- and Ru doped series at both paramagnetic (PM) and magnetically ordered states. To describe such a difference, the energy-band diagrams, which comprise the deep impurity t2g-like states +eg-like conductive band for CaMn1-xRuxO3 and shallow impurity states+conductive band, both having eg-like symmetry, for CaMn1-yMoyO3, are proposed. Specific electrons' contribution to the EMR linewidth at PM temperatures is introduced for the considered systems.

Photosynthetic Reaction Centers as Active Molecular Electronic Components. Phase I

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-08-13

lauryl dimethylarnine oxide (LDAO). This is followed by final purification by ion-exchange chromatography. Typical media are DEAE-Sephacel with an...should be less then 0.5 ml. Phenol extract two or three times and ethanol precipitate. Note: sulfates from the agarose inhibiting ligase reactions and...transformations was once a concern. Presently agarose from most sources is pretty sulfate free (BioRad is good in this respect and FMC claims that it is

Using Novels as Bases for Case Studies: Michael Crichton's State of Fear and Global Warming

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herreid, Clyde Freeman

2005-01-01

Every time an English professor assigns a novel, poem, or play for a class to analyze, he or she is using the case study method. Why shouldn't scientists do the same? They don't always have to write their own material. After all, there are some pretty good writers out there, and some of them actually slip a lot of science into the nooks and…

"I've Had a Pretty Tough Life but That's Not Why I Do This": Narratives of Autonomy and Control among Alcohol and Drug Service-Engaged Early Teenagers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacLean, Sarah J.; Bruun, Andrew; Mallett, Shelley

2013-01-01

The provision of alcohol and other drug (AOD) programmes in Australia targeting a broad age range of young people may inadvertently obscure the particular service needs of early teenagers. In this study, we describe four main accounts of substance use identified through interviews with 20 AOD service-engaged participants in Victoria, aged from 13…

[Knowledge of occupational risk in IRCCS of Neurosciences].

PubMed

Paladino, G; Giuliano, G; Monaco, S; Ottenga, F; Cristaudo, A; Guidi, M; Serretti, N; Talini, D

2002-01-01

A Professional Multicentric Audit, concerning Staff knowledge level about security on workplaces, was conducted by way of a standardized questionnaire given to 1022 (26.4%) IRCCS professional staff pertaining to Neurobiology. Four were the principal tasks of the questionnaire investigating the "sensibility" and "consciousness" concerning risk prevention on workplaces. It came out that there is a great variability in the knowledge level on this field, even if the "medium value" is "pretty good".

Phosphate enhance recovery from wastewater by mechanism analysis and optimization of struvite settleability in fluidized bed reactor

PubMed Central

Fang, Ci; Zhang, Tao; Jiang, Rongfeng; Ohtake, Hisao

2016-01-01

Since phosphorus, a non-renewable and non-substitutable resource, has become the principal contributor and limiting factor to water eutrophication, achieving phosphorus removal and recovery from wastewater is pretty essential. Even though struvite crystallization process has been widely used for phosphate (P) recovery in wastewater treatment, its application is hampered by difficulties controlling small particle size and crystal growth. This study was conducted to control the settleability of struvite by calculating and predicting the struvite-settling percentage (Ps), which is always affected by the initial concentration of P (CP), solution pH (pH), reaction time (t), reaction temperature (T), agitation rate (Ar), and inlet flow velocity (vf) of the fluidized bed reactor. The results showed that the settleability of struvite could be enhanced by increasing T and decreasing pH, Ar, or vf, and would perform worse with overlong t or excessive CP. The dynamic variation process of the solution supersaturated index (SI) combined with the phase equilibrium theory and Ostwald ripening mechanism explained the above results sufficiently. The logistic model was chosen to predict the Ps under multi-factors, but the accuracy needs to be improved. PMID:27573918

Phosphate enhance recovery from wastewater by mechanism analysis and optimization of struvite settleability in fluidized bed reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fang, Ci; Zhang, Tao; Jiang, Rongfeng; Ohtake, Hisao

2016-08-01

Since phosphorus, a non-renewable and non-substitutable resource, has become the principal contributor and limiting factor to water eutrophication, achieving phosphorus removal and recovery from wastewater is pretty essential. Even though struvite crystallization process has been widely used for phosphate (P) recovery in wastewater treatment, its application is hampered by difficulties controlling small particle size and crystal growth. This study was conducted to control the settleability of struvite by calculating and predicting the struvite-settling percentage (Ps), which is always affected by the initial concentration of P (CP), solution pH (pH), reaction time (t), reaction temperature (T), agitation rate (Ar), and inlet flow velocity (vf) of the fluidized bed reactor. The results showed that the settleability of struvite could be enhanced by increasing T and decreasing pH, Ar, or vf, and would perform worse with overlong t or excessive CP. The dynamic variation process of the solution supersaturated index (SI) combined with the phase equilibrium theory and Ostwald ripening mechanism explained the above results sufficiently. The logistic model was chosen to predict the Ps under multi-factors, but the accuracy needs to be improved.

Maybe Some Big Ground Shakes One Hundred Years Ago in a Big State Near the Ocean Were Caused by People

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hough, S. E.; Tsai, V. C.; Walker, R.; Page, M. T.; Aminzadeh, F.

2016-12-01

Sometimes people put water deep into the ground to make it go away and sometimes this causes the ground to shake. Sometimes people take other stuff out of the ground because a lot of people buy this stuff to power cars. Usually when people take this stuff out of the ground it does not cause ground shakes. At least this is what we used to believe. For our study, we looked at ground shakes that caused houses to fall down almost 100 years ago in a big state near the water. They were large ground shakes. One was close to a big city where people make movies and one was a really big shake in another city in the same state. We asked the question, is it possible that these ground shakes happened because people took stuff out of the ground? We considered the places where the ground shakes happened and the places where people took a lot of stuff out of the ground. We show there is a pretty good chance that taking stuff out of the ground caused some pretty big ground shakes. We explain how ground shakes can happen when people take stuff out of the ground. Ground shakes happen on things called faults. When you take stuff out of the ground, usually that makes it harder for the fault to move. This is a good thing. But when the stuff is still deep under the ground, sometimes it also pushes against faults that are close by and helps keep them from moving. So when you take stuff out, it does not push on faults as much, and so sometimes that close-by fault can move and cause ground shakes. We use a computer to show that our idea can explain some of what we see. The idea is not perfect but we think it is a pretty good idea. Our idea explains why it does not usually cause ground shakes when people take stuff out of the ground, but sometimes big ground shakes happen. Our idea suggests that ground shakes caused by people can sometimes be very large. So if people take stuff out of the ground or put stuff in the ground, they need to know if there are faults close by.

Earth radiation balance and climate: Why the Moon is the wrong place to observe the Earth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kandel, Robert S.

1994-06-01

Increasing 'greenhouse' gases in the Earth's atmosphere will perturb the Earth's radiation balance, forcing climate change over coming decades. Climate sensitivity depends critically on cloud-radiation feedback: its evaluation requires continual observation of changing patterns of Earth radiation balance and cloud cover. The Moon is the wrong place for such observations, with many disadvantages compared to an observation system combining platforms in low polar, intermediate-inclination and geostationary orbits. From the Moon, active observations are infeasible; thermal infrared observations require very large instruments to reach spatial resolutions obtained at much lower cost from geostationary or lower orbits. The Earth's polar zones are never well observed from the Moon; other zones are invisible more than half the time. The monthly illumination cycle leads to further bias in radiation budget determinations. The Earth will be a pretty sight from the Earth-side of the Moon, but serious Earth observations will be made elsewhere.

Exoplanets and Multiverses (Abstract)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trimble, V.

2016-12-01

(Abstract only) To the ancients, the Earth was the Universe, of a size to be crossed by a god in a day, by boat or chariot, and by humans in a lifetime. Thus an exoplanet would have been a multiverse. The ideas gradually separated over centuries, with gradual acceptance of a sun-centered solar system, the stars as suns likely to have their own planets, other galaxies beyond the Milky Way, and so forth. And whenever the community divided between "just one' of anything versus "many," the "manies" have won. Discoveries beginning in 1991 and 1995 have gradually led to a battalion or two of planets orbiting other stars, very few like our own little family, and to moderately serious consideration of even larger numbers of other universes, again very few like our own. I'm betting, however, on habitable (though not necessarily inhabited) exoplanets to be found, and habitable (though again not necessarily inhabited) universes. Only the former will yield pretty pictures.

FRED user's manual

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

Shilling, J.

1984-02-01

FRED, the friendly editor, is a screen-based structured editor. This manual is intended to serve the needs of a wide range of users of the FRED text editor. Most users will find it sufficient to read the introductory material in section 2, supplemented with the full command set description in section 3. Advanced users may wish to change the keystroke sequences which invoke editor commands. Section 4 describes how to change key bindings and how to define command macros. Some users may need to modify a language description or create an entirely new language description for use with FRED. Sectionmore » 5 describes the format of the language descriptions used by the editor, and describes how to construct a language grammar. Section 6 describes known portability problems of the FRED editor and should concern only system installation personnel. The editor points out syntax errors in the file being edited and does automatic pretty printing.« less

Teaching Particle Dynamics by Fulldome Animations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartolone, L. M.; Reiff, P.; Sumners, C.

2008-12-01

Plasma particle dynamics can be difficult to understand, even for a professional. Creating animations that can be understood and appreciated by the general public are even more challenging. Missions that have "pretty pictures" are much easier to show to the public, whereas creating animations that show how charged particles behave in certain situations is difficult at best. Intrinsically three-dimensional processes such as particle drifts, rotating tilted dipole magnetic fields, charge exchange, and magnetic reconnection can be put into a domed space to put the viewer "into the scene". This allows the viewer to experience, not just see, the process. Examples of animations from our fulldome planetarium shows "IBEX: Search for the Educage of the Solar System", "Force 5" and "Saturn the Ring World 2" will be shown. If space permits, we will bring a portable dome and show these animations in a fulldome theater format.

The comprehensive study and the reduction of contact resistivity on the n-InGaAs M-I-S contact system with different inserted insulators

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

Liao, M.-H., E-mail: mhliaoa@ntu.edu.tw; Lien, C.

2015-05-15

Five different kinds of insulators including BaTiO{sub 3}, TiO{sub 2}, Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, CdO and ZnO on the n-type InGaAs metal-insulator-semiconductor (M-I-S) ohmic contact structure are studied. The effect for the dielectric constant (ε) of inserted insulator and the conduction band offset (CBO) between an insulator and semiconductor substrate is analyzed by a unified M-I-S contact model. Based on the theoretical model and experimental data, we demonstrates that the inserted ZnO insulator with the high electron affinity and the low CBO (∼0.1 eV) to the InGaAs substrate results in ∼10 times contact resistivity reduction, even the ε of ZnO ismore » not pretty high (∼10)« less

NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP Satellite Captures Night-time Look at Cyclone Felleng

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite captured this false-colored night-time image of Cyclone Felleng during the night on Jan. 28, 2013. Felleng is located in the Southern Indian Ocean, and is northwest of Madagascar. The image revealed some pretty cold overshooting tops, topping at ~170K. The image shows some interesting gravity waves propagating out from the storm in both the thermal and visible imagery. For full storm history on NASA's Hurricane Web Page, visit: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hurricanes/archives/2013/h2013... Credit: William Straka, UWM/NASA/NOAA NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP Satellite Captures Night-time Look at Cyclone Felleng

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-01-31

NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite captured this false-colored night-time image of Cyclone Felleng during the night on Jan. 28, 2013. Felleng is located in the Southern Indian Ocean, and is northwest of Madagascar. The image revealed some pretty cold overshooting tops, topping at ~170K. The image shows some interesting gravity waves propagating out from the storm in both the thermal and visible imagery. For full storm history on NASA's Hurricane Web Page, visit: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hurricanes/archives/2013/h2013... Credit: William Straka, UWM/NASA/NOAA NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

The use of nanomodified concrete in construction of high-rise buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prokhorov, Sergei

2018-03-01

Construction is one of the leading economy sectors. Currently, concrete is the basis of most of the structural elements, without which it is impossible to imagine the construction of a single building or facility. Their strength, reinforcement and the period of concrete lifetime are determined at the design stage, taking into account long-term operation. However, in real life, the number of impacts that affects the structural strength is pretty high. In some cases, they are random and do not have standardized values. This is especially true in the construction and exploitation of high-rise buildings and structures. Unlike the multi-storey buildings, they experience significant loads already at the stage of erection, as they support load-lifting mechanisms, formwork systems, workers, etc. The purpose of the presented article is to develop a methodology for estimating the internal fatigue of concrete structures based on changes in their electrical conductivity.

Cracking Bank PINs by Playing Mastermind

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Focardi, Riccardo; Luccio, Flaminia L.

The bank director was pretty upset noticing Joe, the system administrator, spending his spare time playing Mastermind, an old useless game of the 70ies. He had fought the instinct of telling him how to better spend his life, just limiting to look at him in disgust long enough to be certain to be noticed. No wonder when the next day the director fell on his chair astonished while reading, on the newspaper, about a huge digital fraud on the ATMs of his bank, with millions of Euros stolen by a team of hackers all around the world. The article mentioned how the hackers had 'played with the bank computers just like playing Mastermind', being able to disclose thousands of user PINs during the one-hour lunch break. That precise moment, a second before falling senseless, he understood the subtle smile on Joe's face the day before, while training at his preferred game, Mastermind.

Navy LPD-17 Amphibious Ship Procurement: Background, Issues, and Options for Congress

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-06-04

and Options for Congress 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e . TASK NUMBER 5f...context of the best balance of the force overall. “While we agree on requirements—and the Navy and Marine Corps are pretty aligned on that—we have to...sequence and application of lessons learned for follow-on vessels in these programs

East Europe Report, Political, Sociological and Military Affairs

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-09-28

works it promoted (and when I write this I am thinking of the great Eminescu creations set to mu- sic, the pretty composition to the verses of Bacovia...about 141,345 per year; the vocational schools (including apprenticeship at the workplace), together with the technical schools , those for postsecondary...has been shown in order to counter any eventual criticism better. "At the same time I think it is necessary to state that the presentation of the

The Disorderly, Undisciplined State of the Good Order and Discipline Term

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-02-16

martial purpose for eons—trumpets did a pretty good job for Joshua and the Israelites at the battle of Jericho—so too has military justice served...and proposed military justice reforms. They observe that the military opposed the opening of military opportunities to racial minorities, women and... women , and troops could still be fired if they were discovered to be gay or lesbian. All of these changes in military policy took place against the

Sociopathic Knowledge Bases: Correct Knowledge Can Be Harmful Even Given Unlimited Computation

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-08-01

pobitive, as false positives generated by a medical program can often be caught by a physician upon further testing . False negatives, however, may be...improvement over the knowledge base tested is obtained. Although our work is pretty much theoretical research oriented one example of ex- periments is...knowledge base, improves the performance by about 10%. of tests . First, we divide the cases into a training set and a validation set with 70% vs. 30% each

Findings and Recommendations Based on Two Reports on Insights into the Role of Women in South Viet Nam

DTIC Science & Technology

1967-04-01

formerly called for training in fine embroidery , in music, in running a household efficiently yet maintaining a good deal of -6- personal charm. This...institutions ... ... 2 Sewing or embroidery ... ... ...... ... ... 2 Weaving cloth (cottage industry) ... ... ... ... 1 Agriculture (raising fish...8217.-oman, but she should have less education than my son. She should know how to sew, do pretty embroidery ; she should manage the house and know how to

7 Key Challenges for Visualization in Cyber Network Defense

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

Best, Daniel M.; Endert, Alexander; Kidwell, Dan

In this paper we present seven challenges, informed by two user studies, to be considered when developing a visualization for cyber security purposes. Cyber security visualizations must go beyond isolated solutions and “pretty picture” visualizations in order to make impact to users. We provide an example prototype that addresses the challenges with a description of how they are met. Our aim is to assist in increasing utility and adoption rates for visualization capabilities in cyber security.

Poly(2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate)-based, pH-responsive, copolymeric mixed micelles for targeting anticancer drug control release.

PubMed

Chen, Quan; Li, Siheng; Feng, Zixiong; Wang, Meng; Cai, Chengzhi; Wang, Jufang; Zhang, Lijuan

2017-01-01

We have demonstrated a novel drug delivery system to improve the selectivity of the current chemotherapy by pH-responsive, polymeric micelle carriers. The micelle carriers were prepared by the self-assembly of copolymers containing the polybasic poly(2-(diethylamino) ethyl methacrylate) (PDEAEMA) block. The mixed copolymers exhibited a comparatively low critical micelle concentration (CMC; 1.95-5.25 mg/L). The resultant mixed micelles were found to be <100 nm and were used to encapsulate the anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) with pretty good drug-loading content (24%) and entrapment efficiency (55%). Most importantly, the micelle carrier exhibited a pH-dependent conformational conversion and promoted the DOX release at the tumorous pH. Our in vitro studies demonstrated the comparable level of DOX-loaded mixed micelle delivery into tumor cells with the free DOX (80% of the tumor cells were killed after 48 h incubation). The DOX-loaded mixed micelles were effective to inhibit the proliferation of tumor cells after prolonged incubation. Overall, the pH-responsive mixed micelle system provided desirable potential in the controlled release of anticancer therapeutics.

Navy LPD-17 Amphibious Ship Procurement: Background, Issues, and Options for Congress

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-07-20

and Options for Congress 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e . TASK NUMBER 5f...overall. “While we agree on requirements—and the Navy and Marine Corps are pretty aligned on that—we have to balance the capability and the capacity...sequence and significant rework has been required, disrupting the optimal construction sequence and application of lessons learned for follow-on

Navy LPD-17 Amphibious Ship Procurement: Background, Issues, and Options for Congress

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-12-22

Issues, and Options for Congress 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e . TASK NUMBER 5f...balance of the force overall. “While we agree on requirements—and the Navy and Marine Corps are pretty aligned on that—we have to balance the...and significant rework has been required, disrupting the optimal construction sequence and application of lessons learned for follow-on vessels in

The Coast Artillery Journal. Volume 70, Number 1, January 1929

DTIC Science & Technology

1929-01-01

sovereign war-rights and liens on their future freedom of action. And for full measure, since measure you will have, let’s come nearer home. Have you...at their full value. Wait a bit, until the world gets used to a new idea. And remember that the League’s resolution of Septem- ber, 1927--to say...guns, planes, and ships, to block any possible blows until our full strength is developed, we will be a pretty dis. couraging proposition. Uncle Sam

Development of automated endoscopes for dimensional micro-measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hrebabetzky, Frank

2013-04-01

Increasing demands for product quality and outsourcing of production in the automobile industry lead to in­ creasingly tight tolerances for the components. In the area of metal-mechanics these are largely dimensional and require frequently uncertainties in the micron region. For optical instruments this means microscopical resolu­ tion. Dimensional measurement with uncertainties of some microns is nothing new, state of the art equipment in fact goes far below. The task becomes difficult if the measurements have to be carried out in an industrial production environment - and deep inside a bore hole. This paper describes the development of an automatic measurement system for internal dimensions of brake master cylinders, specifically the development of endoscopes, illuminations for edge detection, and integration with other sensors, actuators and controllers. The most demanding part was the endoscope development, because, surprisingly, no commercial product for microscopic view and precision measurements was found on the market. As the market for such measurement machines is very small, and as the requirements were different for each endoscope, the budget allowed only the development of prototypes, using readily available optical components. Borders between faces with different orientation of metallic structures can be difficult do detect. A satisfactory metrological performance can be achieved only with carefully shaped illumination, even if the source is a simple LED (light emitting diode). The automation was responsible for the largest part of the overall cost, coming from the desire for a high throughput of the measurement machine, even when operated by not highly qualified personnel. With the safety requirements satisfied, such a device ends up as a pretty complex equipment. Nevertheless, these aspects will be mentioned only for completeness, because standard components and methods were applied.

Make your values mean something.

PubMed

Lencioni, Patrick M

2002-07-01

Take a look at this list of corporate values: Communication. Respect. Integrity. Excellence. They sound pretty good, don't they? Maybe they even resemble your own company's values. If so, you should be nervous. These are the corporate values of Enron, as claimed in its 2000 annual report. And they're absolutely meaningless. Indeed, most values statements, says the author, are bland, toothless, or just plain dishonest. And far from being harmless, as some executives assume, they're often highly destructive. Empty values statements create cynical and dispirited employees and undermine managerial credibility. But coming up with strong values--and sticking to them--isn't easy. Organizations that want their values statements to really mean something should follow four imperatives. First, understand the different types of values: core, aspirational, permission-to-play, and accidental. Confusing them with one another can bewilder employees and make management seem out of touch. Second, be aggressively authentic. Too many companies view a values initiative in the same way they view a marketing launch: a onetime event measured by the initial attention it receives, not by its content. Third, own the process. Values initiatives are about imposing a set of fundamental, strategically sound beliefs on a broad group of people. That's why the best values efforts are driven by small teams. Finally, weave core values into everything. It's not enough to hang your values statement on the wall; it must be integrated into every employee-related process--hiring methods, performance management systems, even dismissal policies. Living by stated corporate values is difficult. But the benefits of doing so can be profound; so can the damage from adopting a hollow set of corporate values.

Anesthesia for Patients With Liver Disease

PubMed Central

Rahimzadeh, Poupak; Safari, Saeid; Faiz, Seyed Hamid Reza; Alavian, Seyed Moayed

2014-01-01

Context: Liver plays an important role in metabolism and physiological homeostasis in the body. This organ is unique in its structure and physiology. So it is necessary for an anesthesiologist to be familiar with various hepatic pathophysiologic conditions and consequences of liver dysfunction. Evidence Acquisition: We searched MEDLINE (Pub Med, OVID, MD Consult), SCOPUS and the Cochrane database for the following keywords: liver disease, anesthesia and liver disease, regional anesthesia in liver disease, epidural anesthesia in liver disease and spinal anesthesia in liver disease, for the period of 1966 to 2013. Results: Although different anesthetic regimens are available in modern anesthesia world, but anesthetizing the patients with liver disease is still really tough. Spinal or epidural anesthetic effects on hepatic blood flow and function is not clearly investigated, considering both the anesthetic drug-induced changes and outcomes. Regional anesthesia might be used in patients with advanced liver disease. In these cases lower drug dosages are used, considering the fact that locally administered drugs have less systemic effects. In case of general anesthesia it seems that using inhalation agents (Isoflurane, Desflurane or Sevoflurane), alone or in combination with small doses of fentanyl can be considered as a reasonable regimen. When administering drugs, anesthetist must realize and consider the substantially changed pharmacokinetics of some other anesthetic drugs. Conclusions: Despite the fact that anesthesia in chronic liver disease is a scary and pretty challenging condition for every anesthesiologist, this hazard could be diminished by meticulous attention on optimizing the patient’s condition preoperatively and choosing appropriate anesthetic regimen and drugs in this setting. Although there are paucity of statistics and investigations in this specific group of patients but these little data show that with careful monitoring and considering the above mentioned rules a safe anesthesia could be achievable in these patients. PMID:25031586

Pretty Good or Pretty Bad? The Ovary and Chemicals in Personal Care Products.

PubMed

Craig, Zelieann R; Ziv-Gal, Ayelet

2018-04-01

Personal care products (PCP) contain a myriad of chemicals generally formulated to provide a safe and beneficial use. Nonetheless, an increasing amount of laboratory animal and human studies indicate that some chemicals in PCP are associated with decreased hormone production, diminished ovarian reserve, ovarian cancer, and early pregnancy loss. The ovary is key to female fertility by providing the eggs and sex steroid hormones for fertilization and maintenance of reproductive function, respectively. Thus, understanding how chemicals in PCP affect the ovary will shed some light on their potential effects on female fertility. In this review, we provide an overview of: (1) ovarian function as a determinant of fertility in females, (2) the status of knowledge regarding the effects of seven common chemicals in PCP on the ovary, and (3) significant gaps in the literature along with opportunities to eliminate some of the gaps. Findings from the limited existing data suggest that chemicals in PCP such as dibutyl phthalate can reach the ovary in humans and impact its function in animal models. Unfortunately, it is still difficult to assess how relevant findings of experimental studies are to women because of lack of human exposure data for most of these chemicals and the lack of studies that mimic real-life exposures. In contrast to chemicals such as bisphenol A and dioxin, the investigation of the effects of chemicals in PCP on reproductive function is still limited and warrants further investigation to fill existing data gaps.

Abrupt current switching in graphene bilayer tunnel transistors enabled by van Hove singularities.

PubMed

Alymov, Georgy; Vyurkov, Vladimir; Ryzhii, Victor; Svintsov, Dmitry

2016-04-21

In a continuous search for the energy-efficient electronic switches, a great attention is focused on tunnel field-effect transistors (TFETs) demonstrating an abrupt dependence of the source-drain current on the gate voltage. Among all TFETs, those based on one-dimensional (1D) semiconductors exhibit the steepest current switching due to the singular density of states near the band edges, though the current in 1D structures is pretty low. In this paper, we propose a TFET based on 2D graphene bilayer which demonstrates a record steep subthreshold slope enabled by van Hove singularities in the density of states near the edges of conduction and valence bands. Our simulations show the accessibility of 3.5 × 10(4) ON/OFF current ratio with 150 mV gate voltage swing, and a maximum subthreshold slope of (20 μV/dec)(-1) just above the threshold. The high ON-state current of 0.8 mA/μm is enabled by a narrow (~0.3 eV) extrinsic band gap, while the smallness of the leakage current is due to an all-electrical doping of the source and drain contacts which suppresses the band tailing and trap-assisted tunneling.

Abrupt current switching in graphene bilayer tunnel transistors enabled by van Hove singularities

PubMed Central

Alymov, Georgy; Vyurkov, Vladimir; Ryzhii, Victor; Svintsov, Dmitry

2016-01-01

In a continuous search for the energy-efficient electronic switches, a great attention is focused on tunnel field-effect transistors (TFETs) demonstrating an abrupt dependence of the source-drain current on the gate voltage. Among all TFETs, those based on one-dimensional (1D) semiconductors exhibit the steepest current switching due to the singular density of states near the band edges, though the current in 1D structures is pretty low. In this paper, we propose a TFET based on 2D graphene bilayer which demonstrates a record steep subthreshold slope enabled by van Hove singularities in the density of states near the edges of conduction and valence bands. Our simulations show the accessibility of 3.5 × 104 ON/OFF current ratio with 150 mV gate voltage swing, and a maximum subthreshold slope of (20 μV/dec)−1 just above the threshold. The high ON-state current of 0.8 mA/μm is enabled by a narrow (~0.3 eV) extrinsic band gap, while the smallness of the leakage current is due to an all-electrical doping of the source and drain contacts which suppresses the band tailing and trap-assisted tunneling. PMID:27098051

2006 Defense Economics Conference: The Defense Department’s Future in a Changing Macroeconomic Environment. Held in Alexandria, Virginia on September 21, 2006

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-01

cost of defense and the value of insurance against threats purchased by those costs. But a large fraction of the public debate at this time was...happen. One extreme we could ask of people is basically to self- insure . Let them bear the cost of things to happen. Th at’s a pretty powerful incentive...instruments KEYNOTE ADDRESS 11 2006 DEFENSE ECONOMICS CONFERENCE that can be used to shift risk burdens, and the use of insurance and pricing of

The LRCM: (the Long-Range Strategic Cruise Missile) Asymmetries, Deterrence and SAL (Strategic Arms Limitation)

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-03-01

about the same pro- portion of the useful payload. The J-85-4A non- afterburning turbojet engines installed in the F5 aircraft occupy about 25% of the...about one kiloton TNT equivalent yield per 1 5 Pretty and Archer, op. cit. 32 pound of warhead weight. Thus, a 200 KT warhead will weigh about 200...explosion is equivalent to a conventional unit of energy release equal to one thousand short tons of TNT , or about 10 calories, 1.15 x 10 kilowatt

My Oar Keeps Breaking: How to Move Your Part of the Program Forward

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-02-01

53 Defense AT&L: January–February 2016 My Oar Keeps Breaking How to Move Your Part of the Program Forward Chad Millette Millette is a retired...the water to influence the program’s speed or direction. I would tell people that I felt like every time I stuck my oar in the water, it would break ...I would then go back and get another one and stick it in the water, only to have it break again. I was pretty proud of myself for coming up with

Magic User’s Manual 2006

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-12-01

K (M) M issioin Research MRC/WDC-R-556 MAGIC USER’S MANUAL 2006 Author(s): Larry Ludeking ATK Mission Research Contract No.: F49620-03-C-0030 L¾[iJiD... Magic Tool Suite for Windows. It uses the standard Windows Help so it is pretty self-explanatory. You can use the panel to the left to scan through... MAGIC Go to Part 2. MCL Commands Go to Part 3. Tirnc and Space Go to Part 4. Spatial Extensions Go to Part 5. Properties Go to Part 6. Algorithms Go

Terrorism: The Challenge to the Private Sector,

DTIC Science & Technology

private sector , security is a line management responsibility, particularly where goals and objectives, information protection, and protection of key assets are concerned. Each company in the corporate world has a different personality. The goals are pretty much the same, but once you get below that initial goal, then you go to beliefs. Some companies are very macho. Some companies won’t let a security man interview a suspect, some companies will. Companies are very hesitant to go th extremes. Companies are both image conscious and fundamentally ethical. They truly do

Towards a Computational Theory of Definite Anaphora Comprehension in English Discourse.

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-06-01

know what flowers are near others might behave differently. But even special audiences nust sometimes use general techniques. Such is the case in the...2 (The) one is a poodle; 3 the other is a cocker spaniel. 4 The poodle has some weird habits. 5 He eats plastic flowers and likes to sleep in a...paper bag. 6 It’s a real problem keeping him away from plastic flowers . 7 The cocker is pretty normal, 8 and he’s a good watch (log. ( I like having themi

The Antiaircraft Journal. Volume 94, Number 6, November-December 1951

DTIC Science & Technology

1951-12-01

authorized by the Visiting Forces Act. Getting their heads together, the Yanks and Tommies have discovered each other to be pretty regular fellows...Francis A., to 3Sth AAA Brig, Ft Meade, Md. McDaniel, Otto L., to Hq Fourth Army, Ft Sam Houston, Tex. Pape, Robin B., to SOth AAA Gp, Ft Totten , NY...to 71 Sth AAA Gun Bn, Ft Totten , NJ. Kee, Pat M., to 209th AAA Gp, Indiantown Gap, Pa. Kennaman, Jack R., to SOlst AAA Gun Bn, North Richland, Wash

[Apocryphal Freud: Sigmund Freud' most famous "quotations" and their actual sources].

PubMed

Elms, Alan C

2005-01-01

The article traces the sources of the three most widespread quotations attributed to Freud "What does Woman want?", "To love and to work" (summarizing what a psychological healthy person should be able to do well), and "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar". The first could have been spoken by Freud pretty much as we have it. The second was possibly said by Freud, in some form vaguely resembling the currently cited version. The third most probably did not come from him in any form.

Political Connections of the Boards of Directors and Defense Contractors’ Excessive Profits

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-04-01

found that “political firms borrow 45 percent more and have 50 percent higher default rates. Such preferential treatment occurs exclusively in...SOUP CO.  $88,645,010  367 CPB 2030  11 INTERMEC CORPORATION  $83,566,808  388 IN 3577  11 CAE  CORP  $83,563,697  389 CAE 3690  11 DEL MONTE FOODS...pretty much rule out the possibility of anybody simultaneously serving a high - rank public service role and a top executive role in a private-sector firm

Robust and Accurate Modeling Approaches for Migraine Per-Patient Prediction from Ambulatory Data

PubMed Central

Pagán, Josué; Irene De Orbe, M.; Gago, Ana; Sobrado, Mónica; Risco-Martín, José L.; Vivancos Mora, J.; Moya, José M.; Ayala, José L.

2015-01-01

Migraine is one of the most wide-spread neurological disorders, and its medical treatment represents a high percentage of the costs of health systems. In some patients, characteristic symptoms that precede the headache appear. However, they are nonspecific, and their prediction horizon is unknown and pretty variable; hence, these symptoms are almost useless for prediction, and they are not useful to advance the intake of drugs to be effective and neutralize the pain. To solve this problem, this paper sets up a realistic monitoring scenario where hemodynamic variables from real patients are monitored in ambulatory conditions with a wireless body sensor network (WBSN). The acquired data are used to evaluate the predictive capabilities and robustness against noise and failures in sensors of several modeling approaches. The obtained results encourage the development of per-patient models based on state-space models (N4SID) that are capable of providing average forecast windows of 47 min and a low rate of false positives. PMID:26134103

A neural network-based approach to noise identification of interferometric GW antennas: the case of the 40 m Caltech laser interferometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Acernese, F.; Barone, F.; de Rosa, M.; De Rosa, R.; Eleuteri, A.; Milano, L.; Tagliaferri, R.

2002-06-01

In this paper, a neural network-based approach is presented for the real time noise identification of a GW laser interferometric antenna. The 40 m Caltech laser interferometer output data provide a realistic test bed for noise identification algorithms because of the presence of many relevant effects: violin resonances in the suspensions, main power harmonics, ring-down noise from servo control systems, electronic noises, glitches and so on. These effects can be assumed to be present in all the first interferometric long baseline GW antennas such as VIRGO, LIGO, GEO and TAMA. For noise identification, we used the Caltech-40 m laser interferometer data. The results we obtained are pretty good notwithstanding the high initial computational cost. The algorithm we propose is general and robust, taking into account that it does not require a priori information on the data, nor a precise model, and it constitutes a powerful tool for time series data analysis.

Water Flow in Karst Aquifer Considering Dynamically Variable Saturation Conduit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Chaoqun; Hu, Bill X.

2017-04-01

The karst system is generally conceptualized as dual-porosity system, which is characterized by low conductivity and high storage continuum matrix and high conductivity and quick flow conduit networks. And so far, a common numerical model for simulating flow in karst aquifer is MODFLOW2005-CFP, which is released by USGS in 2008. However, the steady-state approach for conduit flow in CFP is physically impractical when simulating very dynamic hydraulics with variable saturation conduit. So, we adopt the method proposed by Reimann et al. (2011) to improve current model, in which Saint-Venant equations are used to model the flow in conduit. Considering the actual background that the conduit is very big and varies along flow path and the Dirichlet boundary varies with rainfall in our study area in Southwest China, we further investigate the influence of conduit diameter and outflow boundary on numerical model. And we also analyze the hydraulic process in multi-precipitation events. We find that the numerical model here corresponds well with CFP for saturated conduit, and it could depict the interaction between matrix and conduit during very dynamic hydraulics pretty well compare with CFP.

The Complicated Geologic History of Asteroid 4 Vesta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, G. J.

2009-06-01

Planetary scientists are pretty sure that almost all of the HED meteorites come from the fourth-largest asteroid, 4 Vesta. HED stands for the three types of rocks that make up the group. As cosmochemists have studied the meteorites over the years, their view of the geologic history of the asteroid has become progressively more complicated. Jean-Alix Barrat and Marcel Bohn (CNRS and University of Brest, France), Philippe Gillet (CNRS and Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, France), and Akira Yamaguchi (National Institute of Polar Research, Tokyo, Japan) have found that Vesta is even more complicated--and interesting--than we thought. Barrat and his colleagues analyzed impact-produced glass spherules and fragments in several howardites (mixtures of the two other main types, eucrites and diogenites). Not surprisingly, most of the glasses have compositions similar to eucrites, which are basalts, or mixtures of them with diogenites, but a few are surprisingly rich in silicon and potassium (expressed as the percentages of SiO2 and K2O, respectively). In fact, the concentrations of these oxides are similar to granites, compositionally far from basalt. Their manufacture requires extensive crystallization of magma. Combined with a more subtle variation among the basalts, the emerging picture is one that includes formation of a basaltic crust, partial melting of parts of the crust, mixing of those melts with some (not all) magmas as they migrated through the crust, and extensive crystallization of magma bodies to produce residual magma resembling granites. On top of that, Vestan rocks were thermally metamorphosed and battered and mixed by impacts. A pretty complicated little planetary body!

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

Womeldorff, Geoffrey Alan; Payne, Joshua Estes; Bergen, Benjamin Karl

These are slides for a presentation on PARTISN Research and FleCSI Updates. The following topics are covered: SNAP vs PARTISN, Background Research, Production Code (structural design and changes, kernel design and implementation, lessons learned), NuT IMC Proxy, FleCSI Update (design and lessons learned). It can all be summarized in the following manner: Kokkos was shown to be effective in FY15 in implementing a C++ version of SNAP's kernel. This same methodology was applied to a production IC code, PARTISN. This was a much more complex endeavour than in FY15 for many reasons; a C++ kernel embedded in Fortran, overloading Fortranmore » memory allocations, general language interoperability, and a fully fleshed out production code versus a simplified proxy code. Lessons learned are Legion. In no particular order: Interoperability between Fortran and C++ was really not that hard, and a useful engineering effort. Tracking down all necessary memory allocations for a kernel in a production code is pretty hard. Modifying a production code to work for more than a handful of use cases is also pretty hard. Figuring out the toolchain that will allow a successful implementation of design decisions is quite hard, if making use of "bleeding edge" design choices. In terms of performance, production code concurrency architecture can be a virtual showstopper; being too complex to easily rewrite and test in a short period of time, or depending on tool features which do not exist yet. Ultimately, while the tools used in this work were not successful in speeding up the production code, they helped to identify how work would be done, and provide requirements to tools.« less

The Best Lesbian Show Ever!: The Contemporary Evolution of Teen Coming-Out Narratives.

PubMed

Mitchell, Jennifer

2015-01-01

This article examines developing trends within adolescent lesbian coming-out narratives in contemporary literary fiction and television shows. I argue that these texts, including ABC Family's Pretty Little Liars (2010-present), Madeleine George's The Difference Between You and Me (2012), A.S. King's Ask the Passengers (2012), and MTV's Faking It (2014-present), all experiment with the coming-out process in ways that complicate traditional narratives of adolescent queerness. By positioning their respective queer protagonists within broader queer and allied communities, these works articulate new complexities facing the young lesbian and her developing sexuality.

Parsing brain activity with fMRI and mixed designs: what kind of a state is neuroimaging in?

PubMed

Donaldson, David I

2004-08-01

Neuroimaging is often pilloried for providing little more than pretty pictures that simply show where activity occurs in the brain. Strong critics (notably Uttal) have even argued that neuroimaging is nothing more than a modern day version of phrenology: destined to fail, and fundamentally uninformative. Here, I make the opposite case, arguing that neuroimaging is in a vibrant and healthy state of development. As recent investigations of memory illustrate, when used well, neuroimaging goes beyond asking 'where' activity is occurring, to ask questions concerned more with 'what' functional role the activity reflects.

The role of religion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edmond, Ian

2009-11-01

I cannot agree with Chris Jeynes's assertion (October pp15-16) that to equate religious belief with belief in the tooth fairy is to be unaware of our cultural history. It is true, ofcourse, that cathedrals are inspiring achievements of architecture, but that has no bearing whatsoever on the truth of the beliefs of their designers. There are similarly impressive Muslim holy buildings, motivated by similar beliefs, but, to take one example, Jesus was either the son of God or he was not, so the beliefs of at least one group must therefore be incorrect. Pretty buildings make for poor evidence of universal truths.

Echoes from the Past - Lessons for the Future: A Vietnam Oral History.

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-03-30

from the water station pretty regularly. Along about 7 or 8 o’clock you could find yourself with a head full of shampoo and no way to get it out. So...stateside hospital to help establish the 91st EVAC in 7 Vietnam. As a result, many ties had already been formed. As the head nurse of a medical surgical...shower consisted of a shower head hanging up there and you pulled this chain and the water came out of the tank on the top cf it. If the sun was

Finding faults with the data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Showstack, Randy

Rudolph Giuliani and Hillary Rodham Clinton are crisscrossing upstate New York looking for votes in the U.S. Senate race. Also cutting back and forth across upstate New York are hundreds of faults of a kind characterized by very sporadic seismic activity according to Robert Jacobi, professor of geology at the University of Buffalo (UB), who conducted research with fellow UB geology professor John Fountain."We have proof that upstate New York is crisscrossed by faults," Jacobi said. "In the past, the Appalachian Plateau—which stretches from Albany to Buffalo—was considered a pretty boring place structurally without many faults or folds of any significance."

When science meets capitalism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parker, Greg

2008-03-01

When I joined the University of Southampton's microelectronics group in 1987 after spending 10 years in industry, I shared some of my commercial ideas for advancing the group into the 21st century with my academic colleagues. To say that my personal vision of paradise was close to their vision of hell is probably a pretty accurate observation. Two decades on, I now understand why they felt that way. Science for Sale contains a lot of information that explains this vast difference in perception, and the book also does a good job of highlighting how academia and industry differ on practical and ethical levels.

Application of lightweight materials in structure concept design of large-scale solar energy unmanned aerial vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Wei; Lv, Shengli; Guan, XiQi

2017-09-01

Carbon fiber composites and film materials can be effectively used in light aircraft structures, especially for solar unmanned aerial vehicles. The use of light materials can reduce the weight of the aircraft, but also can effectively improve the aircraft's strength and stiffness. The structure of the large aspect ratio solar energy UAV was analyzed in detail, taking Solar-impulse solar aircraft as an example. The solar energy UAV has a wing aspect ratio greater than 20, and the detailed digital model of the wing structure including beam, ribs and skin was built, also the Finite Element Method was applied to analyze the static and dynamic performance of the structure. The upper skin of the wing is covered with silicon solar cells, while the lower skin is light and transparent film. The single beam truss form of carbon fiber lightweight material is used in the wing structure. The wing beam is a box beam with rectangular cross sections. The box beam connected the front parts and after parts of the ribs together. The fuselage of the aircraft was built by space truss structure. According to the static and dynamic analysis with Finite Element method, it was found that the aircraft has a small wingtip deflection relative to the wingspan in the level flight state. The first natural frequency of the wing structure is pretty low, which is closed to the gust load.

Risk factors for the prescription of potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) in the elderly : an analysis of sickness fund routine claims data from Germany.

PubMed

Stock, Stephanie; Redaelli, Marcus; Simic, Dusan; Siegel, Martin; Henschel, Frank

2014-10-01

Elderly people are especially prone to suffer adverse drug reactions (ADR). Main reasons for the higher vulnerability of the elderly to ADR are changes in metabolism as i.e. slower renal clearance and polypharmacie which often results from multimorbidity. To prevent ADR careful prescription with special consideration of these aspects is warranted. To help physicians avoid drugs which are especially likely to cause ADR lists have been developed following the consensus method process. For Germany this list is called the PRISCUS list. It was developed based on a literature review, review of international lists such as the American Beers list, and a consensus process based on a Delphi survey. It contains 83 drugs from 18 classes which are classified as potentially inapropriate medication (PIM). It also lists alternatives for each PIM. If a drug is registered with the PRISCUS list this does not mean automatically that it is contraindicated in the elderly but that special caution should be excercised in prescribing the drug, alternatives should be considered and the patient carefully monitored.Prescription rates for PIMs in Germany in the elderly is pretty much stable at around 23% with only a small decline in the past years. Also, more than 5% of all prescriptions in the elderly are PIM prescriptions. Physicians specially trained in geriatrics tend to prescribe less PIMs compared to other physicians.

How predictive could alchemical derivatives be?

PubMed

Muñoz, Macarena; Cárdenas, Carlos

2017-06-21

The chemical space contains all possible compounds that can be imagined. Its size easily equals the number of fundamental particles in the observable universe. Rational design of compounds aims to find those sectors of the chemical space where compounds optimize a set of desired properties. Then, rational design demands tools to efficiently navigate the chemical space. Ab initio alchemical derivatives offer the possibility to navigate, without empiricism, the energy landscape through alchemical transformations. An alchemical transformation is any process, physical or fictitious, that connects to points in the chemical space. In this work, those transformations are constructed as a perturbative expansion of the energy with respect to perturbations in the stoichiometry. The response functions of that expansion are what is called alchemical derivatives. In this work we assess how effective alchemical derivatives are in predicting energy changes associated to changes in the composition. We do this by including in the expansion, for the first time, electrostatic, polarization and electron-transfer effects. The system we chose is one that challenges alchemical derivatives because none of these effects dominates its behavior. The transmutations studied here correspond to substitutional doping of Al 13 with up to four atoms of Si, Al 13-n Si n . Two types of transformations are considered, those in which the number of electrons remains constant and those in which the number of electrons also changes. It is found that contrary to what has been reported before, polarization cannot be neglected. If polarization is not included, alchemical derivatives fail to predict the change of energy and the relative energy between isomers. For isoelectronic substitution of four or more atoms, the perturbative approach collapses because the strength of the perturbation becomes too strong to guarantee convergence of the series. It is shown, however, that if only one atom is mutated at a time, alchemical derivatives rank pretty well the isomers of Al 13-n Si n according to their energy. In the case of non-isoelectronic transformations, it is observed that the series rapidly diverges with increasing number of electrons. In this situation, it becomes more important to keep the degree of transmutation of the parent system small.

Perceptions regarding genetic testing in populations at risk for nephropathy.

PubMed

Freedman, Barry I; Fletcher, Alison J; Sanghani, Vivek R; Spainhour, Mitzie; Graham, Angelina W; Russell, Gregory B; Cooke Bailey, Jessica N; Iltis, Ana S; King, Nancy M P

2013-01-01

Population ancestry-based differences exist in genetic risk for many kidney diseases. Substantial debate remains regarding returning genetic test results to participants. African-Americans (AAs) and European-Americans (EAs) at risk for end-stage kidney disease were queried for views on the value and use of genetic testing in research. A standardized survey regarding attitudes toward genetic testing was administered to 130 individuals (64 AA, 66 EA) with first-degree relatives on dialysis. Fisher's exact test was used to assess differences in participant attitudes between population groups. Mean (SD) age of surveyed AAs and EAs was 45.5 (12.8) and 50.5 (14.4) years, respectively (p = 0.04), with similar familial relationships (p = 0.22). AAs and EAs wished to know their test results if risk could be: (1) reduced by diet or exercise (100 and 98%, p = 0.99); (2) reduced by medical treatment (100 and 98%, p = 0.99), or (3) if no treatments were available (90 and 82%, p = 0.21). If informed they lacked a disease susceptibility variant, 87% of AAs and 88% of EAs would be extremely or pretty likely to inform family members (p = 0.84). If informed they had a disease susceptibility variant, 92% of AAs and 89% of EAs would be extremely or pretty likely to inform their family (p = 0.43). Attitudes toward obtaining and using genetic test results for disease in research contexts were similar in AAs and EAs at risk for end-stage kidney disease. A substantial majority would want information regardless of available treatments and would share the information with the family. These results have important implications for patient care, study design and the informed consent process. © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Lessons from monitoring water quality in San Francisco Bay

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cloern, J.E.; Schraga, T.S.; Lopez, C.B.; Labiosa, R.

2003-01-01

Bay Area residents feel a sense of responsibility to protect San Francisco Bay and keep it healthy. Some even dream about the recovery of fish stocks so they can sustain commercial fishing once again inside the Bay. How is our Bay doing? Is it highly polluted or pretty clean? How does its health compare with other estuaries in the United States? Are things getting better or worse? Does costly wastewater treatment have benefits? What are the biggest threats to the Bay and how can we reduce or eliminate those threats? How will the Bay change in the future? These questions can only be answered with investments in study and monitoring, and they are the driving force behind the Regional Monitoring Program (RMP). We describe here some selected results from water quality surveillance conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) as one component of the RMP. We present results as lessons about how the Bay works as a complex dynamic system, and we show how these lessons are relevant to the broad RMP objectives supporting Bay protection and management.

A Mathematical Study on “Additive Technique” Versus “Branch and Bound Technique” for Solving Binary Programming Problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sufahani, Suliadi; Ghazali Kamardan, M.; Saifullah Rusiman, Mohd; Mohamad, Mahathir; Khalid, Kamil; Ali, Maselan; Khalid, Kamal; Nawawi, MKM; Ahmad, Asmala

2018-04-01

A solid body needs adequate supplements from nourishment that we eat each day. Eating pretty much than what our body needs will prompt lack of healthy sustenance (under-nourishment and over-nourishment). In Malaysia, a few reviews have been directed to examine the wholesome status of Malaysians, particularly among youngsters and youths. However there are different methods for taking care of the menu arranging issue and in this paper Binary Programming (BP) is executed. Separately, “Additive Technique (AT)” and “Branch and Bound Technique (BBT)” are utilized as a part of BP. Both methodologies utilize diverse systems and might yield distinctive ideal arrangements. Along these lines, this study expects to build up a scientific model for eating regimen arranging that meets the essential supplement admission and look at the outcomes yield through additive substance and branch and bound methodologies. The information was gathered from different all inclusive schools and furthermore from the Ministry of Education. The model was illuminated by utilizing the Balas Algorithm through AT and Binary Programming through BBT.

Update of GRASP/Ada reverse engineering tools for Ada

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cross, James H., II

1993-01-01

The GRASP/Ada project (Graphical Representations of Algorithms, Structures, and Processes for Ada) successfully created and prototyped a new algorithmic level graphical representation for Ada software, the Control Structure Diagram (CSD). The primary impetus for creation of the CSD was to improve the comprehension efficiency of Ada software and, as a result, improve reliability and reduce costs. The emphasis was on the automatic generation of the CSD from Ada PDL or source code to support reverse engineering and maintenance. The CSD has the potential to replace traditional pretty printed Ada source code. In Phase 1 of the GRASP/Ada project, the CSD graphical constructs were created and applied manually to several small Ada programs. A prototype CSD generator (Version 1) was designed and implemented using FLEX and BISON running under VMS on a VAX 11-780. In Phase 2, the prototype was improved and ported to the Sun 4 platform under UNIX. A user interface was designed and partially implemented using the HP widget toolkit and the X Windows System. In Phase 3, the user interface was extensively reworked using the Athena widget toolkit and X Windows. The prototype was applied successfully to numerous Ada programs ranging in size from several hundred to several thousand lines of source code. Following Phase 3,e two update phases were completed. Update'92 focused on the initial analysis of evaluation data collected from software engineering students at Auburn University and the addition of significant enhancements to the user interface. Update'93 (the current update) focused on the statistical analysis of the data collected in the previous update and preparation of Version 3.4 of the prototype for limited distribution to facilitate further evaluation. The current prototype provides the capability for the user to generate CSD's from Ada PDL or source code in a reverse engineering as well as forward engineering mode with a level of flexibility suitable for practical application. An overview of the GRASP/Ada project with an emphasis on the current update is provided.

'Sharks Teeth' -- Sand Dunes in Proctor Crater

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

Sometimes, pictures received from Mars Global Surveyor's Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) are 'just plain pretty.' This image, taken in early September 2000, shows a group of sand dunes at the edge of a much larger field of dark-toned dunes in Proctor Crater. Located at 47.9oS, 330.4oW, in the 170 km (106 mile) diameter crater named for 19th Century British astronomer Richard A. Proctor (1837-1888), the dunes shown here are created by winds blowing largely from the east/northeast. A plethora of smaller, brighter ripples covers the substrate between the dunes. Sunlight illuminates them from the upper left.

[Ejaculatory disorders except premature ejaculation, orgasmic disorders].

PubMed

Rigot, J-M; Marcelli, F; Giuliano, F

2013-07-01

Disorders of ejaculation and orgasm apart from premature ejaculation are pretty uncommon. Medical literature was reviewed and combined with expert opinion of the authors. The semiology of these disorders is essential: aspermia, hypospermia, retrograde ejaculation, delayed or absent ejaculation with or without orgasm. Whether this is a lifelong or acquired condition, it is essential to assess the side-effects of medications i.e. psychotropic drugs, including antidepressant, neuroleptics, tramadol, alphablockers: tamsulosin and silodosin must always be surveyed. The management is often difficult, especially with a parenthood perspective. The management of lifelong disorders must rely on psychosexual therapies. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Clouds near New Zealand photographed from Skylab space station

NASA Image and Video Library

1973-12-12

SL4-137-3566 (12 Dec. 1973) --- A group of clouds near New Zealand, as photographed from the Skylab space station in Earth orbit by one of the Skylab 4 crew members. The camera used was a hand-held 70mm Hasselblad with SO-368 medium speed Ektachrome. This picture shows vividly how low sun angles enhance relief, giving these clouds a three-dimensional appearance. In addition to being "pretty," this photograph can be used to study the line of storms seen here at sunset. Relative heights of individuals cells can be measured, as well as their relation to the surrounding clouds. Photo credit: NASA

Aerojet - Attitude Control Engines. Chapter 3, Appendix E

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pfeifer, Gerald R.

2009-01-01

All the engines were both qualification and acceptance tested at Marquardt s facilities. After we won the Apollo Program contract, we went off and built two vacuum test facilities, which simulated altitude continuous firing for as long as we wanted to run an engine. They would run days and days with the same capability we had on steam ejection. We did all of the testing in both for the qualification and the acceptance test. One of them was a large ball, which was an eighteen-foot diameter sphere, evacuated again with a big steam ejector system that could be used for system testing; that s where we did the Lunar Excursion Module testing. We put the whole cluster in there and tested the entire cluster at the simulated altitude conditions. The lowest altitude we tested at - typically an acceptance test - was 105,000 feet simulated altitude. The big ball - because people were interested in what they called goop formation, which is an unburned hydrazine product migrating to cold surfaces on different parts of spacecraft - was built to address those kinds of issues. We ran long-life tests in a simulated space environment with the entire inside of the test cell around the test article, liquid nitrogen cooled, so it could act as getter for any of the exhaust products. That particular facility could pull down to about 350,000 feet (atmosphere) equivalent altitude, which was pushing pretty close to the thermodynamic triple point of the MMH. It was a good test facility. Those facilities are no longer there. When the guys at Marquardt sold the company to what eventually became part of Aerojet, all those test facilities were cut off at the roots. I think they have a movie studio there at this point. That part of it is truly not recoverable, but it did some excellent high-altitude, space-equivalent testing at the time. Surprisingly, we had very few problems while testing in the San Fernando Valley. In the early 1960s, nobody had ever seen dinitrogen tetroxide (N2O4), so that wasn't too big a deal. We really did only make small, red clouds. In all the hundreds of thousands of tests and probably well over one million firings that I was around that place for, in all that thirty-something years, we had a total of one serious injury associated with rocket engine testing and propellants. Because we were trying to figure out what propellants would really be good, we tried all of the fun stuff like the carbon tetrafluoride, chlorine pentafluoride, and pure fluorine. The materials knowledge wasn't all that great at the time. On one test, the fluorine we had didn't react well with the copper they were using for tubing, and it managed to cause another unscheduled disassembly of the facility. It was very serious. It's like one of those Korean War stories. The technician happened to be walking past the test facility when it decided to blow itself up. A piece of copper tubing pierced one cheek and came out the other. That was the only serious accident in all of the engines handled in all those years. Now, we did have a problem with the EPA later because they figured out what the brown clouds were about. We built a whole bunch of exhaust mitigation scrubbers to take care of engine testing in the daytime. In general, we operated the big shuttle (RCS) engine, the 870- pounder at nominal conditions; they scrubbed the effluents pretty well. If you operated that same 870-pound force engine at a level where you get a lot of excess oxidizer, yeah, there s a brown cloud. But, you know, it doesn't show up well in the dark. They did do some of that. But, that s gone; it was addressed one way or another. RELEASED -

The beauty of simple adaptive control and new developments in nonlinear systems stability analysis

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

Barkana, Itzhak, E-mail: ibarkana@gmail.com

Although various adaptive control techniques have been around for a long time and in spite of successful proofs of stability and even successful demonstrations of performance, the eventual use of adaptive control methodologies in practical real world systems has met a rather strong resistance from practitioners and has remained limited. Apparently, it is difficult to guarantee or even understand the conditions that can guarantee stable operations of adaptive control systems under realistic operational environments. Besides, it is difficult to measure the robustness of adaptive control system stability and allow it to be compared with the common and widely used measuremore » of phase margin and gain margin that is utilized by present, mainly LTI, controllers. Furthermore, customary stability analysis methods seem to imply that the mere stability of adaptive systems may be adversely affected by any tiny deviation from the pretty idealistic and assumably required stability conditions. This paper first revisits the fundamental qualities of customary direct adaptive control methodologies, in particular the classical Model Reference Adaptive Control, and shows that some of their basic drawbacks have been addressed and eliminated within the so-called Simple Adaptive Control methodology. Moreover, recent developments in the stability analysis methods of nonlinear systems show that prior conditions that were customarily assumed to be needed for stability are only apparent and can be eliminated. As a result, sufficient conditions that guarantee stability are clearly stated and lead to similarly clear proofs of stability. As many real-world applications show, once robust stability of the adaptive systems can be guaranteed, the added value of using Add-On Adaptive Control along with classical Control design techniques is pushing the desired performance beyond any previous limits.« less

How to deal with the Poisson-gamma model to forecast patients' recruitment in clinical trials when there are pauses in recruitment dynamic?

PubMed

Minois, Nathan; Savy, Stéphanie; Lauwers-Cances, Valérie; Andrieu, Sandrine; Savy, Nicolas

2017-03-01

Recruiting patients is a crucial step of a clinical trial. Estimation of the trial duration is a question of paramount interest. Most techniques are based on deterministic models and various ad hoc methods neglecting the variability in the recruitment process. To overpass this difficulty the so-called Poisson-gamma model has been introduced involving, for each centre, a recruitment process modelled by a Poisson process whose rate is assumed constant in time and gamma-distributed. The relevancy of this model has been widely investigated. In practice, rates are rarely constant in time, there are breaks in recruitment (for instance week-ends or holidays). Such information can be collected and included in a model considering piecewise constant rate functions yielding to an inhomogeneous Cox model. The estimation of the trial duration is much more difficult. Three strategies of computation of the expected trial duration are proposed considering all the breaks, considering only large breaks and without considering breaks. The bias of these estimations procedure are assessed by means of simulation studies considering three scenarios of breaks simulation. These strategies yield to estimations with a very small bias. Moreover, the strategy with the best performances in terms of prediction and with the smallest bias is the one which does not take into account of breaks. This result is important as, in practice, collecting breaks data is pretty hard to manage.

Color us (or somebody) green

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

Hill, L.W.

1993-04-01

Customers are turning green with environmental awareness in the marketplace. This movement is quickly gaining momentum with increasing demand for natural ingredients, recyclable materials, and low pollution technology. Although foresters have practiced environmental awareness for a long time and have become pretty good at it, the green consumerism needs their attention. Products from the world's forests circulate in world trade. Consumer attitudes about what these products are, where they come from and how they are produced and transported affect our profession. The international Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) was formed in 1992 to set a worldwide standard for good forest managementmore » by promoting widely recognized and respected principles of good forest management. The ten principles are listed.« less

Modern Scientific Visualization is more than Just Pretty Pictures

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

Bethel, E Wes; Rubel, Oliver; Wu, Kesheng

2008-12-05

While the primary product of scientific visualization is images and movies, its primary objective is really scientific insight. Too often, the focus of visualization research is on the product, not the mission. This paper presents two case studies, both that appear in previous publications, that focus on using visualization technology to produce insight. The first applies"Query-Driven Visualization" concepts to laser wakefield simulation data to help identify and analyze the process of beam formation. The second uses topological analysis to provide a quantitative basis for (i) understanding the mixing process in hydrodynamic simulations, and (ii) performing comparative analysis of data frommore » two different types of simulations that model hydrodynamic instability.« less

"It was pretty scary": the theme of fear in young adult women's descriptions of a history of adolescent dating abuse.

PubMed

Burton, Candace W; Halpern-Felsher, Bonnie; Rehm, Roberta S; Rankin, Sally; Humphreys, Janice C

2013-11-01

The mental health impact of abusive adolescent dating relationships has not been well described, but fear related to abuse has been reported. We elaborate the theme of fear in women's descriptions of a history of adolescent dating abuse. A sample of community-based women, ages 19-34, who experienced an abusive dating relationship during adolescence (ages 11-20) was used. Data were analyzed via thematic analysis. Fear was a consistent and resonant theme. Three types of fear were identified: fear for self, fear for other relationships, and fearful expectation. These results offer important insights into the impact of abusive adolescent relationships on women's mental health.

"Just another pretty face": a multidimensional scaling approach to face attractiveness and variability.

PubMed

Potter, Timothy; Corneille, Olivier; Ruys, Kirsten I; Rhodes, Ginwan

2007-04-01

Findings on both attractiveness and memory for faces suggest that people should perceive more similarity among attractive than among unattractive faces. A multidimensional scaling approach was used to test this hypothesis in two studies. In Study 1, we derived a psychological face space from similarity ratings of attractive and unattractive Caucasian female faces. In Study 2, we derived a face space for attractive and unattractive male faces of Caucasians and non-Caucasians. Both studies confirm that attractive faces are indeed more tightly clustered than unattractive faces in people's psychological face spaces. These studies provide direct and original support for theoretical assumptions previously made in the face space and face memory literatures.

The Introduction of Appreciative Inquiry to the U.S. Navy Using Appreciative Inquiry Interviews and the Large Group Intervention with Applications to U.S. Marine Corps Logistics Strategic Management

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-03-01

was selected to go to a deployed squadron. It was pretty challenging for this old farm boy—strapped my sea bag to my back and flew over to West ...them. And I think that it wasn’t just me, but all the " shooters " [catapult and arresting officers] watched out for these guys. I think we were...side and I think they appreciated that. The guys that didn’t do that— and there were a couple of " shooters " that didn’t do that—they weren’t as

``A Desideratum in Spectrology'': an Editor's Lament in the Great Correlation Era

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeVorkin, David

2012-09-01

Of all the known observable characteristics of the stars in the late 19th Century, classification by the appearance of their spectra was by far the most problematic. In 1904, Edwin Frost lamented that some 23 distinct classification systems had been created, yet none were universally accepted. In 1908, the applied mathematician Karl Pearson and a student evaluated correlations between spectra and other characteristics of the stars, hoping to ``look upon the stellar universe as an orderly whole ... by which we pass from chaos to an organised and locally differentiated cosmos.'' None of the major spectral systems, however, allowed them to draw any conclusions, other than state a high correlation with color. Yet, by 1917, astronomers were making correlations, and applying them, to make some pretty strong statements about the nature and history of the sidereal system as well as the lives of the stars. One of the strongest was the technique of spectroscopic parallaxes. But even its discoverer, Walter Sydney Adams, worried about what it all meant. Writing to Eddington in 1917, Adams wished that ``we had more physical knowledge regarding the interpretations of stellar spectra.'' And as E. A. Milne observed some years later, in retrospect, ``[t]here was a gap in the logical argument.'' My talk will address some historiographical issues arising from this phase in the development of modern astrophysics that hopefully will illuminate why the gap was closed in the way it was closed, and the effect it had on the continuing process of spectral classification.

Error sources in the real-time NLDAS incident surface solar radiation and an evaluation against field observations and the NARR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, G.; Gao, X.; Sorooshian, S.

2005-12-01

The atmospheric model is sensitive to the land surface interactions and its coupling with Land surface Models (LSMs) leads to a better ability to forecast weather under extreme climate conditions, such as droughts and floods (Atlas et al. 1993; Beljaars et al. 1996). However, it is still questionable how accurately the surface exchanges can be simulated using LSMs, since terrestrial properties and processes have high variability and heterogeneity. Examinations with long-term and multi-site surface observations including both remotely sensed and ground observations are highly needed to make an objective evaluation on the effectiveness and uncertainty of LSMs at different circumstances. Among several atmospheric forcing required for the offline simulation of LSMs, incident surface solar radiation is one of the most significant components, since it plays a major role in total incoming energy into the land surface. The North American Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS) and North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) are two important data sources providing high-resolution surface solar radiation data for the use of research communities. In this study, these data are evaluated against field observations (AmeriFlux) to identify their advantages, deficiencies and sources of errors. The NLDAS incident solar radiation shows a pretty good agreement in monthly mean prior to the summer of 2001, while it overestimates after the summer of 2001 and its bias is pretty close to the EDAS. Two main error sources are identified: 1) GOES solar radiation was not used in the NLDAS for several months in 2001 and 2003, and 2) GOES incident solar radiation when available, was positively biased in year 2002. The known snow detection problem is sometimes identified in the NLDAS, since it is inherited from GOES incident solar radiation. The NARR consistently overestimates incident surface solar radiation, which might produce erroneous outputs if used in the LSMs. Further attention is given to the diurnal cycle of NLDAS. Because LSMs are designed to simulate radiation diurnal variation, they are always running at high temporal resolution (30-minutes to several hours). The NLDAS solar radiation data clearly show much smoothened diurnal cycles than observation in cloudy days, which is due to the lower spatial resolution of the NLDAS inherited from the GOES and the EDAS. Taking these problems discovered above into consideration, it is suggested that the NLDAS project work on reducing the systematic biases in the surface solar radiation estimates, so that the users could take full advantage from the data.

A novel body frame based approach to aerospacecraft attitude tracking.

PubMed

Ma, Carlos; Chen, Michael Z Q; Lam, James; Cheung, Kie Chung

2017-09-01

In the common practice of designing an attitude tracker for an aerospacecraft, one transforms the Newton-Euler rotation equations to obtain the dynamic equations of some chosen inertial frame based attitude metrics, such as Euler angles and unit quaternions. A Lyapunov approach is then used to design a controller which ensures asymptotic convergence of the attitude to the desired orientation. Although this design methodology is pretty standard, it usually involves singularity-prone coordinate transformations which complicates the analysis process and controller design. A new, singularity free error feedback method is proposed in the paper to provide simple and intuitive stability analysis and controller synthesis. This new body frame based method utilizes the concept of Euleraxis and angles to generate the smallest error angles from a body frame perspective, without coordinate transformations. Global tracking convergence is illustrated with the use of a feedback linearizing PD tracker, a sliding mode controller, and a model reference adaptive controller. Experimental results are also obtained on a quadrotor platform with unknown system parameters and disturbances, using a boundary layer approximated sliding mode controller, a PIDD controller, and a unit sliding mode controller. Significant tracking quality is attained. Copyright © 2017 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Application of Visual Attention in Seismic Attribute Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, M.; Gu, H.; Wang, F.

2016-12-01

It has been proved that seismic attributes can be used to predict reservoir. The joint of multi-attribute and geological statistics, data mining, artificial intelligence, further promote the development of the seismic attribute analysis. However, the existing methods tend to have multiple solutions and insufficient generalization ability, which is mainly due to the complex relationship between seismic data and geological information, and undoubtedly own partly to the methods applied. Visual attention is a mechanism model of the human visual system which can concentrate on a few significant visual objects rapidly, even in a mixed scene. Actually, the model qualify good ability of target detection and recognition. In our study, the targets to be predicted are treated as visual objects, and an object representation based on well data is made in the attribute dimensions. Then in the same attribute space, the representation is served as a criterion to search the potential targets outside the wells. This method need not predict properties by building up a complicated relation between attributes and reservoir properties, but with reference to the standard determined before. So it has pretty good generalization ability, and the problem of multiple solutions can be weakened by defining the threshold of similarity.

Automated diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease with multi-atlas based whole brain segmentations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Yuan; Tang, Xiaoying

2017-03-01

Voxel-based analysis is widely used in quantitative analysis of structural brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and automated disease detection, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, noise at the voxel level may cause low sensitivity to AD-induced structural abnormalities. This can be addressed with the use of a whole brain structural segmentation approach which greatly reduces the dimension of features (the number of voxels). In this paper, we propose an automatic AD diagnosis system that combines such whole brain segmen- tations with advanced machine learning methods. We used a multi-atlas segmentation technique to parcellate T1-weighted images into 54 distinct brain regions and extract their structural volumes to serve as the features for principal-component-analysis-based dimension reduction and support-vector-machine-based classification. The relationship between the number of retained principal components (PCs) and the diagnosis accuracy was systematically evaluated, in a leave-one-out fashion, based on 28 AD subjects and 23 age-matched healthy subjects. Our approach yielded pretty good classification results with 96.08% overall accuracy being achieved using the three foremost PCs. In addition, our approach yielded 96.43% specificity, 100% sensitivity, and 0.9891 area under the receiver operating characteristic curve.

Computer programing for geosciences: Teach your students how to make tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grapenthin, Ronni

2011-12-01

When I announced my intention to pursue a Ph.D. in geophysics, some people gave me confused looks, because I was working on a master's degree in computer science at the time. My friends, like many incoming geoscience graduate students, have trouble linking these two fields. From my perspective, it is pretty straightforward: Much of geoscience evolves around novel analyses of large data sets that require custom tools—computer programs—to minimize the drudgery of manual data handling; other disciplines share this characteristic. While most faculty adapted to the need for tool development quite naturally, as they grew up around computer terminal interfaces, incoming graduate students lack intuitive understanding of programing concepts such as generalization and automation. I believe the major cause is the intuitive graphical user interfaces of modern operating systems and applications, which isolate the user from all technical details. Generally, current curricula do not recognize this gap between user and machine. For students to operate effectively, they require specialized courses teaching them the skills they need to make tools that operate on particular data sets and solve their specific problems. Courses in computer science departments are aimed at a different audience and are of limited help.

Transition from order to chaos, and density limit, in magnetized plasmas.

PubMed

Carati, A; Zuin, M; Maiocchi, A; Marino, M; Martines, E; Galgani, L

2012-09-01

It is known that a plasma in a magnetic field, conceived microscopically as a system of point charges, can exist in a magnetized state, and thus remain confined, inasmuch as it is in an ordered state of motion, with the charged particles performing gyrational motions transverse to the field. Here, we give an estimate of a threshold, beyond which transverse motions become chaotic, the electrons being unable to perform even one gyration, so that a breakdown should occur, with complete loss of confinement. The estimate is obtained by the methods of perturbation theory, taking as perturbing force acting on each electron that due to the so-called microfield, i.e., the electric field produced by all the other charges. We first obtain a general relation for the threshold, which involves the fluctuations of the microfield. Then, taking for such fluctuations, the formula given by Iglesias, Lebowitz, and MacGowan for the model of a one component plasma with neutralizing background, we obtain a definite formula for the threshold, which corresponds to a density limit increasing as the square of the imposed magnetic field. Such a theoretical density limit is found to fit pretty well the empirical data for collapses of fusion machines.

Valuing information for sewer replacement decisions.

PubMed

van Riel, Wouter; Langeveld, Jeroen; Herder, Paulien; Clemens, François

Decision-making for sewer asset management is partially based on intuition and often lacks explicit argumentation, hampering decision transparency and reproducibility. This is not to be preferred in light of public accountability and cost-effectiveness. It is unknown to what extent each decision criterion is appreciated by decision-makers. Further insight into this relative importance improves understanding of decision-making of sewer system managers. As such, a digital questionnaire (response ratio 43%), containing pairwise comparisons between 10 relevant information sources, was sent to all 407 municipalities in the Netherlands to analyse the relative importance and assess whether a shared frame of reasoning is present. Thurstone's law of comparative judgment was used for analysis, combined with several consistency tests. Results show that camera inspections were valued highest, while pipe age was considered least important. The respondents were pretty consistent per individual and also showed consistency as a group. This indicated a common framework of reasoning among the group. The feedback of the group showed, however, the respondents found it difficult to make general comparisons without having a context. This indicates decision-making in practice is more likely to be steered by other mechanisms than purely combining information sources.

Micro-economic analysis of the physical constrained markets: game theory application to competitive electricity markets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bompard, E.; Ma, Y. C.; Ragazzi, E.

2006-03-01

Competition has been introduced in the electricity markets with the goal of reducing prices and improving efficiency. The basic idea which stays behind this choice is that, in competitive markets, a greater quantity of the good is exchanged at a lower price, leading to higher market efficiency. Electricity markets are pretty different from other commodities mainly due to the physical constraints related to the network structure that may impact the market performance. The network structure of the system on which the economic transactions need to be undertaken poses strict physical and operational constraints. Strategic interactions among producers that game the market with the objective of maximizing their producer surplus must be taken into account when modeling competitive electricity markets. The physical constraints, specific of the electricity markets, provide additional opportunity of gaming to the market players. Game theory provides a tool to model such a context. This paper discussed the application of game theory to physical constrained electricity markets with the goal of providing tools for assessing the market performance and pinpointing the critical network constraints that may impact the market efficiency. The basic models of game theory specifically designed to represent the electricity markets will be presented. IEEE30 bus test system of the constrained electricity market will be discussed to show the network impacts on the market performances in presence of strategic bidding behavior of the producers.

Making and Using Aesthetically Pleasing Images With HDI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buckner, Spencer L.

2017-01-01

The Half-Degree Imager (HDI) was installed as the primary imager on the 0.9-m WIYN telescope in October 2013. In the three plus years since then it has proven to be highly effective as a scientific instrument for the 0.9-m WIYN consortium. One thing that has been missing from the mix are aesthetically pleasing images for use in publicity and public outreach. The lack of “pretty pictures” is understandable since the HDI is designed for scientific use and observers are given limited telescope time. However, images which appeal to the general public can be an effective tool for public outreach, publicity and recruitment of students into astronomy programs. As a counter to the loss of limited telescope time an observer has, “pretty picture” images can be taken under less than desirable conditions when photometric studies would have limited usefulness. Astroimaging has become a popular pastime among both amateur and professional astronomers. At Austin Peay State University astrophotography is a popular course with non-science majors that wish to complete an astronomy minor as well as physics majors pursuing the astrophysics track. Images of a number of Messier objects have been taken with the HDI camera and are used to teach the basics of image calibration and processing for aesthetic value to students in the astrophotography class. Using HDI images with most image processing software commercially available to the public does present some problems, though. The extended FITS format of the images is not readable by most amateur image processing software and such software can also have problems recognizing the filter configurations of the HDI. Overcoming these issues and how the images are used in APSU courses, publicity and public outreach as well as finished pictures will be discussed in this presentation. A poster describing the processing techniques used will be displayed during the concurrent HDI poster session along with several poster-sized prints of images.

Recognizing the Operating Hand and the Hand-Changing Process for User Interface Adjustment on Smartphones †

PubMed Central

Guo, Hansong; Huang, He; Huang, Liusheng; Sun, Yu-E

2016-01-01

As the size of smartphone touchscreens has become larger and larger in recent years, operability with a single hand is getting worse, especially for female users. We envision that user experience can be significantly improved if smartphones are able to recognize the current operating hand, detect the hand-changing process and then adjust the user interfaces subsequently. In this paper, we proposed, implemented and evaluated two novel systems. The first one leverages the user-generated touchscreen traces to recognize the current operating hand, and the second one utilizes the accelerometer and gyroscope data of all kinds of activities in the user’s daily life to detect the hand-changing process. These two systems are based on two supervised classifiers constructed from a series of refined touchscreen trace, accelerometer and gyroscope features. As opposed to existing solutions that all require users to select the current operating hand or confirm the hand-changing process manually, our systems follow much more convenient and practical methods and allow users to change the operating hand frequently without any harm to the user experience. We conduct extensive experiments on Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphones, and the evaluation results demonstrate that our proposed systems can recognize the current operating hand and detect the hand-changing process with 94.1% and 93.9% precision and 94.1% and 93.7% True Positive Rates (TPR) respectively, when deciding with a single touchscreen trace or accelerometer-gyroscope data segment, and the False Positive Rates (FPR) are as low as 2.6% and 0.7% accordingly. These two systems can either work completely independently and achieve pretty high accuracies or work jointly to further improve the recognition accuracy. PMID:27556461

Recognizing the Operating Hand and the Hand-Changing Process for User Interface Adjustment on Smartphones.

PubMed

Guo, Hansong; Huang, He; Huang, Liusheng; Sun, Yu-E

2016-08-20

As the size of smartphone touchscreens has become larger and larger in recent years, operability with a single hand is getting worse, especially for female users. We envision that user experience can be significantly improved if smartphones are able to recognize the current operating hand, detect the hand-changing process and then adjust the user interfaces subsequently. In this paper, we proposed, implemented and evaluated two novel systems. The first one leverages the user-generated touchscreen traces to recognize the current operating hand, and the second one utilizes the accelerometer and gyroscope data of all kinds of activities in the user's daily life to detect the hand-changing process. These two systems are based on two supervised classifiers constructed from a series of refined touchscreen trace, accelerometer and gyroscope features. As opposed to existing solutions that all require users to select the current operating hand or confirm the hand-changing process manually, our systems follow much more convenient and practical methods and allow users to change the operating hand frequently without any harm to the user experience. We conduct extensive experiments on Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphones, and the evaluation results demonstrate that our proposed systems can recognize the current operating hand and detect the hand-changing process with 94.1% and 93.9% precision and 94.1% and 93.7% True Positive Rates (TPR) respectively, when deciding with a single touchscreen trace or accelerometer-gyroscope data segment, and the False Positive Rates (FPR) are as low as 2.6% and 0.7% accordingly. These two systems can either work completely independently and achieve pretty high accuracies or work jointly to further improve the recognition accuracy.

An analysis on half century morphological changes in the Changjiang Estuary: Spatial variability under natural processes and human intervention

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Jie; Guo, Leicheng; He, Qing; Wang, Zheng Bing; van Maren, D. S.; Wang, Xianye

2018-05-01

Examination of large scale, alluvial estuarine morphology and associated time evolution is of particular importance regarding management of channel navigability, ecosystem, etc. In this work, we analyze morphological evolution and changes of the channel-shoal system in the Changjiang Estuary, a river- and tide-controlled coastal plain estuary, based on bathymetric data between 1958 and 2016. We see that its channel-shoal pattern is featured by meandering and bifurcated channels persisting over decades. In the vertical direction, hypsometry curves show that the sand bars and shoals are continuously accreted while the deep channels are eroded, leading to narrower and deeper estuarine channels. Intensive human activities in terms of reclamation, embankment, and dredging play a profound role in controlling the decadal morphological evolution by stabilizing coastlines and narrowing channels. Even though, the present Changjiang Estuary is still a pretty wide and shallow system with channel width-to-depth ratios >1000, much larger than usual fluvial rivers and small estuaries. In-depth analysis suggests that the Changjiang Estuary as a whole exhibited an overall deposition trend over 59 years, i.e., a net deposition volume of 8.3 × 108 m3. Spatially, the pan-South Branch was net eroded by 9.7 × 108 m3 whereas the mouth bar zone was net deposited by 18 × 108 m3, suggesting that the mouth bar zone is a major sediment sink. Over time there is no directional deposition or erosion trend in the interval though riverine sediment supply has decreased by 2/3 since the mid-1980s. We infer that the pan-South Branch is more fluvial-controlled therefore its morphology responds to riverine sediment load reduction fast while the mouth bar zone is more controlled by both river and tides that its morphological response lags to riverine sediment supply changes at a time scale >10 years, which is an issue largely ignored in previous studies. We argue that the time lag effect needs particular consideration in projecting future estuarine morphological changes under a low sediment supply regime and sea-level rise. Overall, the findings in this work can have implications on management of estuarine ecosystem, navigation channel and coastal flooding in general.

Writing filter processes for the SAGA editor, appendix G

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kirslis, Peter A.

1985-01-01

The SAGA editor provides a mechanism by which separate processes can be invoked during an editing session to traverse portions of the parse tree being edited. These processes, termed filter processes, read, analyze, and possibly transform the parse tree, returning the result to the editor. By defining new commands with the editor's user defined command facility, which invoke filter processes, authors of filter can provide complex operations as simple commands. A tree plotter, pretty printer, and Pascal tree transformation program were already written using this facility. The filter processes are introduced, parse tree structure is described and the library interface made available to the programmer. Also discussed is how to compile and run filter processes. Examples are presented to illustrate aspect of each of these areas.

Energetic Neutral Atom Emissions From Venus: VEX Observations and Theoretical Modeling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fok, M.-C.; Galli, A.; Tanaka, T.; Moore, T. E.; Wurz, P.; Holmstrom, M.

2007-01-01

Venus has almost no intrinsic magnetic field to shield itself from its surrounding environment. The solar wind thus directly interacts with the planetary ionosphere and atmosphere. One of the by-products of this close encounter is the production of energetic neutral atom (ENA) emissions. Theoretical studies have shown that significant amount of ENAs are emanated from the planet. The launch of the Venus Express (VEX) in 2005 provided the first light ever of the Venus ENA emissions. The observed ENA flux level and structure are in pretty good agreement with the theoretical studies. In this paper, we present VEX ENA data and the comparison with numerical simulations. We seek to understand the solar wind interaction with the planet and the impacts on its atmospheres.

The Amazing Molecule Race: A WebQuest for 8th Grade Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soehl, Diana; Moats, S. J.; Langston, G. I.

2009-01-01

Did you ever wonder if life exists beyond Earth? The molecules that helped make up you and your friends are the same floating in outer space! The Race is ON to discover as many molecules in space as possible and to find the most important molecules for life: amino acids, DNA and RNA! As aspiring astronomers and astrobiologists, you will explore how these molecules are detected on Earth and in space. The `Search for Life’ is a pretty big task considering the size of the Universe. By learning how to find evidence of life forming molecules you will be able to provide conclusions that will shape policy regarding space missions, funding and technology development during your lifetime.

Johnson Space Center Flight Medicine Clinic Experience

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Landry, Trela

2006-01-01

Being a member of the Flight Medicine Clinic (FMC) Staff is a great experience. I joined the FMC staff 2 years ago when I became part of the Kelsey-Seybold team. The FMC staff consists of Flight Surgeons, Family Clinic Physician, Nursing staff, Wellness Coordinator and Support staff. We serve as the Primary Care Physicians for the astronauts and their families and provide annual physicals for the retired astronauts. We have approximately 800 patients in the FMC. As the Family Clinic Physician, I care for the astronaut spouses and children and provide annual physicals for the retired astronauts. Since we have a small patient population, we have the opportunity to spend increased personal time with our patients, which I enjoy. We have a pretty healthy patient population, who are very interested in their overall health and preventive care. In preparation for a shuttle launch, our nursing staff assists the flight surgeons with the astronaut physical exams, which occur 10 days prior to launch and again 3 days after their return. We also provide Primary Contact physicals for the families and guests, who will be in close contact with shuttle crew members. During these physicals, we provide education, emphasizing the importance of preventing the spread of communicable diseases to shuttle crew members. Being a part of the Space Medicine Program is an honor. To know that you contribute in some way to our nation s Space Program is very special. (This article was prepared by Dr. Trela Landry, M.D. for inclusion in a Kelsey-Seybold newsletter on 25 OCT 2006.)

A test for the fainthearted.

PubMed

Kuemmerle, Walter

2002-05-01

Just a few years ago, becoming an entrepreneur was pretty simple. All you needed was some idea--any idea--a little experience, and venture capital funds to get you going. Many young people started to believe that entrepreneurship was a viable, even safe, career choice. Older folks, too, underestimated the risks of financing start-ups, and, as a result, they ended up throwing millions of dollars into doomed ventures. The economic downturn has laid waste to those illusions. So now is a good time to ask potential entrepreneurs and their financial backers the hard questions unheeded in the days of the Internet boom: What makes an entrepreneur? What characteristics set successful entrepreneurs apart, enabling them to keep their company alive even when the going gets tough? This article addresses those questions, reminding us that becoming a successful entrepreneur is decidedly not a squeaky-clean affair; you may end up making powerful enemies, risking your own financial security, or even, in extreme cases, looking at jail time. Specifically, the article explores the key qualities that make someone a successful entrepreneur. Walter Kuemmerle has distilled these characteristics into a kind of litmus test of the following five straightforward, albeit disquieting, questions you should ask yourself if you are considering starting your own venture: Are you comfortable stretching the rules? Are you prepared to make powerful enemies? Do you have the patience to start small? Are you willing to shift strategies quickly? Are you a closer? Answering these questions honestly will help you decide if you have what it takes to become an entrepreneur.

Why women see differently from the way men see? A review of sex differences in cognition and sports

PubMed Central

Li, Rena

2014-01-01

The differences of learning and memory between males and females have been well documented and confirmed by both human and animal studies. The sex differences in cognition started from early stage of neuronal development and last through entire life span. The major biological basis of the gender-dependent cognitive activity includes two major components: sex hormone and sex-related characteristics, such as sex-determining region of the Y chromosome (SRY) protein. However, the knowledge of how much biology of sex contributes to normal cognitive function and elite athletes in various sports are still pretty limited. In this review, we will be focusing on sex differences in spatial learning and memory – especially the role of male- and female-type cognitive behaviors in sports. PMID:25520851

Monitoring a restless volcano: The 2004 eruption of Mount St. Helens

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gardner, C.

2005-01-01

Although the precise course of volcanic activity is difficult to predict, volcanologists are pretty adept at interpreting volcanic signals from well-monitored volcanoes in order to make short-term forecasts. Various monitoring tools record effects to give us warning before eruptions, changes in eruptive behavior during eruptions, or signals that an eruption is ending. Foremost among these tools is seismic monitoring. The character, size, depth and rate of earthquakes are all important to the interpretation of what is happening belowground. The first inkling of renewed activity at Mount St. Helens began in the early hours of Sept. 23, when a seismic swarm - tens to hundreds of earthquakes over days to a week - began beneath the volcano. This article details the obervations made during the eruptive sequence.

[Security aspects on the Internet].

PubMed

Seibel, R M; Kocher, K; Landsberg, P

2000-04-01

Is it possible to use the Internet as a secure media for transport of telemedicine? Which risks exist for routine use? In this article state of the art methods of security were analysed. Telemedicine in the Internet has severe risks, because patient data and hospital data of a secure Intranet can be manipulated by connecting it to the Web. Establishing of a firewall and the introduction of HPC (Health Professional Card) are minimizing the risk of un-authorized access to the hospital server. HPC allows good safety with digital signature and authentication of host and client of medical data. For secure e-mail PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) is easy to use as a standard protocol. Planning all activities exactly as well as following legal regulations are important requisites for reduction of safety risks in Internet.

No longer just a pretty face: fashion magazines' depictions of ideal female beauty from 1959 to 1999.

PubMed

Sypeck, Mia Foley; Gray, James J; Ahrens, Anthony H

2004-11-01

The print media's depiction of the ideal of feminine beauty as presented to American women was examined for the years 1959-1999. Trends were investigated through an analysis of cover models appearing on the four most popular American fashion magazines. Body size for fashion models decreased significantly during the 1980s and 1990s. There was also a dramatic increase in the frequency with which the media depicted the entire bodies of the models from the 1960s to the 1990s. Both the increasingly thin images and the striking increase in full-body portrayals suggest an increase in the value placed by American society on a thin ideal for women, a change that is concurrent with the increase in disturbed eating patterns among American women.

Adding a Bit More History to Science Courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeBuvitz, William

2011-05-01

The usual science course is not meant to be a history course and the usual science book is not meant to be a history book. However, most science books do include some historical information. Unfortunately, the history part is usually so brief that it is far from interesting and often so oversimplified that it is totally wrong. Introductory physics books often present the history of physics as a dull, cold, logical progression of discoveries and theories. As a result, the student might think that one day Sir Isaac Newton said to himself, "I think I'll produce a theory of gravitation." Then he sat down, wrote it all out, published it, received universal acclaim, and then was included in all physics textbooks. This view of science can look pretty dull and unappealing to students.

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

Miller, James A.

This is a pretty pretentious title, but I promised that I would write something autobiographical in this space, and I will do that. However, first I want to thank everyone who contributed to the Festschrift. When Stephen Klippenstein told me that he and Craig Taatjes had gotten approval for it (against my advice), I envisioned a situation where the issue had only two papers, both co-authored by Stephen. Luckily that turned out not to be the case. At the time of this writing there are forty-three manuscripts at various stages of review. I am extremely grateful to Craig and Stephen,more » to the editors of the journal, and to all the authors for the tribute. It is far and away the most flattering thing that anyone has ever done for me in my career.« less

Why women see differently from the way men see? A review of sex differences in cognition and sports.

PubMed

Li, Rena

2014-09-01

The differences of learning and memory between males and females have been well documented and confirmed by both human and animal studies. The sex differences in cognition started from early stage of neuronal development and last through entire life span. The major biological basis of the gender-dependent cognitive activity includes two major components: sex hormone and sex-related characteristics, such as sex-determining region of the Y chromosome (SRY) protein. However, the knowledge of how much biology of sex contributes to normal cognitive function and elite athletes in various sports are still pretty limited. In this review, we will be focusing on sex differences in spatial learning and memory - especially the role of male- and female-type cognitive behaviors in sports.

Muon Simulation at the Daya Bay SIte

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

Mengyun, Guan; Jun, Cao; Changgen, Yang

2006-05-23

With a pretty good-resolution mountain profile, we simulated the underground muon background at the Daya Bay site. To get the sea-level muon flux parameterization, a modification to the standard Gaisser's formula was introduced according to the world muon data. MUSIC code was used to transport muon through the mountain rock. To deploy the simulation, first we generate a statistic sample of sea-level muon events according to the sea-level muon flux distribution formula; then calculate the slant depth of muon passing through the mountain using an interpolation method based on the digitized data of the mountain; finally transport muons through rockmore » to get underground muon sample, from which we can get results of muon flux, mean energy, energy distribution and angular distribution.« less

A Compound Algorithm for Maximum Power Point Tracking Used in Laser Power Beaming

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Cheng; Liu, Qiang; Gao, Shan; Teng, Yun; Cheng, Lin; Yu, Chengtao; Peng, Kai

2018-03-01

With the high voltage intelligent substation developing in a pretty high speed, more and more artificial intelligent techniques have been incorporated into the power devices to meet the automation needs. For the sake of the line maintenance staff’s safety, the high voltage isolating switch draws great attention among the most important power devices because of its capability of connecting and disconnecting the high voltage circuit. However, due to the very high level voltage of the high voltage isolating switch’s working environment, the power supply system of the surveillance devices could suffer from great electromagnetic interference. Laser power beaming exhibits its merits in such situation because it can provide steady power from a distance despite the day or the night. Then the energy conversion efficiency arises as a new concern. To make as much use of the laser power as possible, our work mainly focuses on extracting maximum power from the photovoltaic (PV) panel. In this paper, we proposed a neural network based algorithm which relates both the intrinsic and the extrinsic features of the PV panel to the proportion of the voltage at the maximum power point (MPP) to the open circuit voltage of the PV panel. Simulations and experiments were carried out to verify the validness of our algorithm.

Self-rated health and standard risk factors for myocardial infarction: a cohort study.

PubMed

Waller, Göran; Janlert, Urban; Norberg, Margareta; Lundqvist, Robert; Forssén, Annika

2015-02-13

To investigate the relationship between self-rated health, adjusted for standard risk factors, and myocardial infarction. Population-based prospective cohort study. Enrolment took place between 1990 and 2004 in Västerbotten County, Sweden Every year, persons in the total population, aged 40, 50 or 60 were invited. Participation rate was 60%. The cohort consisted of 75 386 men and women. After exclusion for stroke or myocardial infarction before, or within 12 months after enrolment or death within 12 months after enrolment, 72 530 persons remained for analysis. Mean follow-up time was 13.2 years. Cox regression analysis was used to estimate HRs for the end point of first non-fatal or fatal myocardial infarction. HR were adjusted for age, sex, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, body mass index, education, physical activity and self-rated health in the categories very good; pretty good; somewhat good; pretty poor or poor. In the cohort, 2062 persons were diagnosed with fatal or non-fatal myocardial infarction. Poor self-rated health adjusted for sex and age was associated with the outcome with HR 2.03 (95% CI 1.45 to 2.84). All categories of self-rated health worse than very good were statistically significant and showed a dose-response relationship. In a multivariable analysis with standard risk factors (not including physical activity and education) HR was attenuated to 1.61 (95% CI 1.13 to 2.31) for poor self-rated health. All categories of self-rated health remained statistically significant. We found no interaction between self-rated health and standard risk factors except for poor self-rated health and diabetes. This study supports the use of self-rated health as a standard risk factor among others for myocardial infarction. It remains to demonstrate whether self-rated health adds predictive value for myocardial infarction in combined algorithms with standard risk factors. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Cloud Imagers Offer New Details on Earth's Health

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2009-01-01

A stunning red sunset or purple sunrise is an aesthetic treat with a scientific explanation: The colors are a direct result of the absorption or reflectance of solar radiation by atmospheric aerosols, minute particles (either solid or liquid) in the Earth s atmosphere that occur both naturally and because of human activity. At the beginning or end of the day, the Sun s rays travel farther through the atmosphere to reach an observer s eyes and more green and yellow light is scattered, making the Sun appear red. Sunset and sunrise are especially colorful when the concentration of atmospheric particles is high. This ability of aerosols to absorb and reflect sunlight is not just pretty; it also determines the amount of radiation and heat that reaches the Earth s surface, and can profoundly affect climate. In the atmosphere, aerosols are also important as nuclei for the condensation of water droplets and ice crystals. Clouds with fewer aerosols cannot form as many water droplets (called cloud particles), and consequently, do not scatter light well. In this case, more sunlight reaches the Earth s surface. When aerosol levels in clouds are high, however, more nucleation points can form small liquid water droplets. These smaller cloud particles can reflect up to 90 percent of visible radiation to space, keeping the heat from ever reaching Earth s surface. The tendency for these particles to absorb or reflect the Sun s energy - called extinction by astronomers - depends on a number of factors, including chemical composition and the humidity and temperature in the surrounding air; because cloud particles are so small, they are affected quickly by minute changes in the atmosphere. Because of this sensitivity, atmospheric scientists study cloud particles to anticipate patterns and shifts in climate. Until recently, NASA s study of atmospheric aerosols and cloud particles has been focused primarily on satellite images, which, while granting large-scale atmospheric analysis, limited scientists ability to acquire detailed information about individual particles. Now, experiments with specialized equipment can be flown on standard jets, making it possible for researchers to monitor and more accurately anticipate changes in Earth s atmosphere and weather patterns.

Claritas Fossae

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

(Released 20 June 2002) The Science The eastern rim of this unnamed crater in Claritas Fossae is very degraded. This indicates that this crater is very ancient and has been subjected to erosion and subsequent bombardment from other impactors such as asteroids and comets. One of these later (younger) craters is seen in the upper right of this image superimposed upon the older crater rim material. Note that this smaller younger crater rim is sharper and more intact than the older crater rim. This region is also mantled with a blanket of dust. This dust mantle causes the underlying topography to take on a more subdued appearance. The Story Not every crater on Mars has a name. The one in this image doesn't. What would you name it if you could? That's what planetary scientists ask themselves when they come across such features. If they think of a good name, they can submit it for approval to a group of world astronomers who are members of the International Astronomical Union. There are special rules, though, so not any name can be selected. The selection committee especially wants to make sure that all world cultures are represented. While this crater may not have a name, the region it lies in does. It is called Claritas Fossae. 'Claritas' is the Latin word for 'bright.' 'Fossae' are long, narrow, shallow depressions that mark the region. You can see these best in the context image to the right. You can tell just by looking at this crater that it is very ancient. Its rim is very degraded from erosion and bombardment from other impactors such as asteroids and comets. Compare its roughened rim to the smoother outline of the small crater on the rim's edge (upper right). The smoother rim of the small one means that it is considerably younger than its older, choppier neighbor. You know it was certainly created after the large crater because it lies on top of the rim. Other than the old and young generations of craters, the surface looks pretty uniform in hue and perhaps even a little dull. That's because a coating of dust lies over the area, masking some of the contrasts in terrain that might lie beneath.

[Over projected tip].

PubMed

Duron, J-B; Nguyen, P S; Levet, Y; Bardot, J; Aiach, G

2014-12-01

Overprojected tip is a pretty usual request not easy to manage. Preop analysis is crucial in order to evaluate tip support and skin thickness and ability to retract. For example, if the skin is very thick and has poor chance to retract, the surgeon should be very careful in the tip projection decreasing to avoid a skin pollybeak deformity. In such cases, he has to analyze the facial proportions, especially other areas projection (radix, dorsum and chin) and think about augmenting them to balance the profile rather than decreasing tip projection. Correction should always be conducted incrementally, starting with weakening the tip support mechanisms and, only if necessary, continue with alar cartilage interruption. This can be performed on many areas (lateral cruras, domes, medial cruras) and with several techniques (resection or interruption+overlapping). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Happiness and longevity in the United States.

PubMed

Lawrence, Elizabeth M; Rogers, Richard G; Wadsworth, Tim

2015-11-01

This is the first study to our knowledge to examine the relationship between happiness and longevity among a nationally representative sample of adults. We use the recently-released General Social Survey-National Death Index dataset and Cox proportional hazards models to reveal that overall happiness is related to longer lives among U.S. adults. Indeed, compared to very happy people, the risk of death over the follow-up period is 6% (95% CI 1.01-1.11) higher among individuals who are pretty happy and 14% (95% CI 1.06-1.22) higher among those who are not happy, net of marital status, socioeconomic status, census division, and religious attendance. This study provides support for happiness as a stand-alone indicator of well-being that should be used more widely in social science and health research. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Happiness and Longevity in the United States

PubMed Central

Lawrence, Elizabeth M.; Rogers, Richard G.; Wadsworth, Tim

2016-01-01

This is the first study to our knowledge to examine the relationship between happiness and longevity among a nationally representative sample of adults. We use the recently-released General Social Survey-National Death Index dataset and Cox proportional hazards models to reveal that overall happiness is related to longer lives among U.S. adults. Indeed, compared to very happy people, the risk of death over the follow-up period is 6% (95% CI 1.01 – 1.11) higher among individuals who are pretty happy and 14% (95% CI 1.06 – 1.22) higher among those who are not happy, net of marital status, socioeconomic status, census division, and religious attendance. This study provides support for happiness as a stand-alone indicator of well-being that should be used more widely in social science and health research. PMID:26421947

Two Bears Walk Into a Bar…. A Quest to Communicate Climate Change Ends in Puppets and Sketches and Songs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willis, J. K.; O'Brien, R.

2015-12-01

Like most colleagues, I struggle to connect with a broad audience about my research. And after years of falling short, I decided to do something about it. So I took a comedy class. And then another. And another. Pretty soon I met a talented director, writer and actor named Rani O'Brien and together we created the Lollygaggers—a sketch comedy musical about climate change for kids of all ages. For 16 weeks in 2014, The Lollygaggers ran in the Second City Studio Theater on Hollywood Blvd, brining laughs and lessons on climate change to a wide audience using puppets, characters and songs. This presentation will focus on how climate change and comedy can unite, how the Lollygaggers came to be, and will include a song from the show.

My Life and Career (So Far) in Combustion Chemistry

DOE PAGES

Miller, James A.

2007-05-10

This is a pretty pretentious title, but I promised that I would write something autobiographical in this space, and I will do that. However, first I want to thank everyone who contributed to the Festschrift. When Stephen Klippenstein told me that he and Craig Taatjes had gotten approval for it (against my advice), I envisioned a situation where the issue had only two papers, both co-authored by Stephen. Luckily that turned out not to be the case. At the time of this writing there are forty-three manuscripts at various stages of review. I am extremely grateful to Craig and Stephen,more » to the editors of the journal, and to all the authors for the tribute. It is far and away the most flattering thing that anyone has ever done for me in my career.« less

Status of women in two Bengals: evidence from large scale surveys.

PubMed

Chattopadhyay, Aparajita; Goswami, Baishali

2007-03-01

Greater female autonomy is mirrored through better performance in the major demographic and social indicators. This study attempts to capture the effect of religion on the status of women considering 'Greater Bengal'. There is much evidence suggesting that when cultural factors are constant, religion does not have a significant effect on any demographic issue. In this paper, the validity of this proposition is examined using two datasets, namely NFHS II (98-99) and BDHS 2000. It is clear from the analyses that not only region but also religion has a distinct effect on the status of women. In West Bengal, the religious gap for all the indicators considered is pretty high, whereas in Bangladesh the gap is not that wide. A state-level population policy is needed in West Bengal to act as a social leveller.

Fabrication and characterization of novel transparent conducting oxide N-CNT doped ZnO for photovoltaic applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benyounes, Anas; Abbas, Naseem; Hammi, Maryama; Ziat, Younes; Slassi, Amine; Zahra, Nida

2018-02-01

The present research reports on the electrical and optical properties of N-CNT doped with ZnO, which is considered as wurtzite transparent and conducting oxide semiconductor structure. The thin films of N-doped carbon nanotubes/ZnO were prepared using sol-gel method, then we carried out investigations in optical and electrical point of view to extract their usefulness in photovoltaic applications. For this purpose, ZnO films were doped by several ratios of carbon nanotubes and N-doped carbon nanotubes. The electrical studies were performed over these two kinds of doped ZnO films, the electrical conductivity has found to be more important for ZnO films filled with N-CNTs. This finding is pretty explained by the electronic conduction hold by nitrogen as charge carriers within carbon nanotubes.

Internal field distribution of a radially inhomogeneous droplet illuminated by an arbitrary shaped beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jia Jie; Wriedt, Thomas; Han, Yi Ping; Mädler, Lutz; Jiao, Yong Chang

2018-05-01

Light scattering of a radially inhomogeneous droplet, which is modeled by a multilayered sphere, is investigated within the framework of Generalized Lorenz-Mie Theory (GLMT), with particular efforts devoted to the analysis of the internal field distribution in the cases of shaped beam illumination. To circumvent numerical difficulties in the computation of internal field for an absorbing/non-absorbing droplet with pretty large size parameter, a recursive algorithm is proposed by reformulation of the equations for the expansion coefficients. Two approaches are proposed for the prediction of the internal field distribution, namely a rigorous method and an approximation method. The developed computer code is tested to be stable in a wide range of size parameters. Numerical computations are implemented to simulate the internal field distributions of a radially inhomogeneous droplet illuminated by a focused Gaussian beam.

Assessment of the water balance over France using regionalized Turc-Pike formula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Lay, Matthieu; Garçon, Rémy; Gailhard, Joël; Garavaglia, Federico

2016-04-01

With extensive use of hydrological models over a wide range of hydro-climatic contexts, bias in hydro-climatic data may lead to unreliable models and thus hydrological forecasts and projections. This issue is particularly pregnant when considering mountainous areas with great uncertainties on precipitations, or when considering complex unconservative catchments (e.g. karstic systems). The Turc-Pike water balance formula, analogous to the classical Budyko formula, is a simple and efficient mathematical formulation relating long-term average streamflow to long-term average precipitation and potential evaporation. In this study, we propose to apply this framework to assess and eventually adjust the water-balance before calibrating an operational hydrologic model (MORDOR model). Considering a large set of 350 french catchments, the Turc-Pike formula is regionalized based on ecohydrologic criterions to handle various hydro-climatic contexts. This interannual regional model is then applied to assess the water-balance over numerous catchments and various conditions, such as karstic, snow-driven or glaciarized and even anthropized catchments. Results show that it is possible to obtain pretty realistic corrections of meteorological inputs (precipitations, temperature or potential evaporation) or hydrologic surface (or runoff). These corrections can often be confirmed a posteriori by exogenous information. Positive impacts on hydrologic model's calibration are also demonstrated. This methodology is now operational for hydrologic applications at EDF (Electricité de France, French electric utility company), and therefore applied on hundreds of catchments.

Application of satellite-based rainfall and medium range meteorological forecast in real-time flood forecasting in the Mahanadi River basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nanda, Trushnamayee; Beria, Harsh; Sahoo, Bhabagrahi; Chatterjee, Chandranath

2016-04-01

Increasing frequency of hydrologic extremes in a warming climate call for the development of reliable flood forecasting systems. The unavailability of meteorological parameters in real-time, especially in the developing parts of the world, makes it a challenging task to accurately predict flood, even at short lead times. The satellite-based Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) provides an alternative to the real-time precipitation data scarcity. Moreover, rainfall forecasts by the numerical weather prediction models such as the medium term forecasts issued by the European Center for Medium range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) are promising for multistep-ahead flow forecasts. We systematically evaluate these rainfall products over a large catchment in Eastern India (Mahanadi River basin). We found spatially coherent trends, with both the real-time TRMM rainfall and ECMWF rainfall forecast products overestimating low rainfall events and underestimating high rainfall events. However, no significant bias was found for the medium rainfall events. Another key finding was that these rainfall products captured the phase of the storms pretty well, but suffered from consistent under-prediction. The utility of the real-time TRMM and ECMWF forecast products are evaluated by rainfall-runoff modeling using different artificial neural network (ANN)-based models up to 3-days ahead. Keywords: TRMM; ECMWF; forecast; ANN; rainfall-runoff modeling

Trust transitivity in social networks.

PubMed

Richters, Oliver; Peixoto, Tiago P

2011-04-05

Non-centralized recommendation-based decision making is a central feature of several social and technological processes, such as market dynamics, peer-to-peer file-sharing and the web of trust of digital certification. We investigate the properties of trust propagation on networks, based on a simple metric of trust transitivity. We investigate analytically the percolation properties of trust transitivity in random networks with arbitrary in/out-degree distributions, and compare with numerical realizations. We find that the existence of a non-zero fraction of absolute trust (i.e. entirely confident trust) is a requirement for the viability of global trust propagation in large systems: The average pair-wise trust is marked by a discontinuous transition at a specific fraction of absolute trust, below which it vanishes. Furthermore, we perform an extensive analysis of the Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) web of trust, in view of the concepts introduced. We compare different scenarios of trust distribution: community- and authority-centered. We find that these scenarios lead to sharply different patterns of trust propagation, due to the segregation of authority hubs and densely-connected communities. While the authority-centered scenario is more efficient, and leads to higher average trust values, it favours weakly-connected "fringe" nodes, which are directly trusted by authorities. The community-centered scheme, on the other hand, favours nodes with intermediate in/out-degrees, in detriment of the authorities and its "fringe" peers.

Trust Transitivity in Social Networks

PubMed Central

Richters, Oliver; Peixoto, Tiago P.

2011-01-01

Non-centralized recommendation-based decision making is a central feature of several social and technological processes, such as market dynamics, peer-to-peer file-sharing and the web of trust of digital certification. We investigate the properties of trust propagation on networks, based on a simple metric of trust transitivity. We investigate analytically the percolation properties of trust transitivity in random networks with arbitrary in/out-degree distributions, and compare with numerical realizations. We find that the existence of a non-zero fraction of absolute trust (i.e. entirely confident trust) is a requirement for the viability of global trust propagation in large systems: The average pair-wise trust is marked by a discontinuous transition at a specific fraction of absolute trust, below which it vanishes. Furthermore, we perform an extensive analysis of the Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) web of trust, in view of the concepts introduced. We compare different scenarios of trust distribution: community- and authority-centered. We find that these scenarios lead to sharply different patterns of trust propagation, due to the segregation of authority hubs and densely-connected communities. While the authority-centered scenario is more efficient, and leads to higher average trust values, it favours weakly-connected “fringe” nodes, which are directly trusted by authorities. The community-centered scheme, on the other hand, favours nodes with intermediate in/out-degrees, in detriment of the authorities and its “fringe” peers. PMID:21483683

Artists and collectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meulien-Ohlmann, Odile

1995-02-01

`Where can I buy holograms?' `Where can I exhibit, there is no more gallery to show me?' These are the two complaints I have heard these past two years, first from the collectors and museum curators, second from the artists, Trained as a psycho-sociologist, I have been the curator and research associate of the Museum of Holography in Washington, D.C. for 7 years, at a time when holography was coming out of the laboratory, creating a real 3-D novelty in people's minds. I saw the mass production growing and the applications multiplying. Meanwhile the artists appeared and started to deal with gallery managers. After the renting period of artworks for exhibits, price went up. The general recession affected the art and the dialogue between collectors and artists became harder. Having my husband as an artist, I know pretty well both sides. My paper tries to analyze the situation to facilitate the communication between artists and collectors.

Introduction to Trans Australia Airlines CRM training

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davidson, Jim

1987-01-01

Trans Australia believes that its excellent accident rate record is due to a number of factors. It has a good group of standard operating procedures, and its crews are pretty well self-disciplined and adhere to those procedures. But the other thing that it believes is a factor in its safety record is that perhaps it is also due to its preparedness to be innovative, to keep up with what is going on in the rest of the world and, if it looks to have value, then to be amongst the first to try it out. Trans Australia commenced a program similar to Line Oriented Flight Training (LOFT) fairly early in 1979--that being its first windshear program-- which leads to why they are doing a course of resource management training, which we have chosen to call Aircrew Team Management (ATM). This course is detailed in another presentation.

Gradient retention prediction of acid-base analytes in reversed phase liquid chromatography: a simplified approach for acetonitrile-water mobile phases.

PubMed

Andrés, Axel; Rosés, Martí; Bosch, Elisabeth

2014-11-28

In previous work, a two-parameter model to predict chromatographic retention of ionizable analytes in gradient mode was proposed. However, the procedure required some previous experimental work to get a suitable description of the pKa change with the mobile phase composition. In the present study this previous experimental work has been simplified. The analyte pKa values have been calculated through equations whose coefficients vary depending on their functional group. Forced by this new approach, other simplifications regarding the retention of the totally neutral and totally ionized species also had to be performed. After the simplifications were applied, new prediction values were obtained and compared with the previously acquired experimental data. The simplified model gave pretty good predictions while saving a significant amount of time and resources. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Using Games to Teach Astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Francis, Paul J.

We all know that astronomical research is a chaotic sociable deeply human enterprise full of baffling mysteries enigmatic clues and breathtakingly unexpected conclusions. Abundant evidence suggests that our students see astronomy very differently. They see it as a lonely activity: a collection of facts (and very pretty pictures) brought down from the mountain by antisocial ""experts"" for them to memorise. Can we change this false perception? I've been experimenting with using role-playing games in the classroom. I've tried these games out on a wide range of high-school and university students. Students play the roles of competing teams of astronomers battling to solve some perplexing astrophysical enigma. Do these games work? Sometimes! When they work well the really change student perceptions of science in a way that almost no other teaching technique can match. But there have been a fair number of embarrassing fiascos along the way... I will share my experiences and hard earned tips for avoiding disasters

Pretty and powerless: nurses in advertisements, 1930-1950.

PubMed

Lusk, B

2000-06-01

Images of nurses in pictorial advertisements from all issues of hospital administration journals published in 1930, 1940, and 1950 (N = 598) were examined. Content analysis of the data was based on Goffman's classic 1979 study on gender advertisements. Nurses also were compared with other figures in the advertisements and nursing activities were described. Nurses were predominantly portrayed as female, young, eager to please, and without the appearance of wisdom. In group scenes, nurses were placed as subordinate to physicians and hospital administrators. Nurses in 1940 performed more complex, autonomous activities than in 1930 and 1950. These findings support previous research focused on more recent portrayals of women and nurses in communication media. The overt and subtle subordinate representation of nurses in these advertisements, compared with physicians and administrators, reveals one facet of nursing's heritage as a woman's profession. Copyright 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Measuring progress toward the Millennium Development Goals and the missing millions.

PubMed

Carr-Hill, Roy A

2013-01-01

The 2015 target date for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is fast approaching, but there is very little discussion of the validity of the indicators used to measure progress. In particular, there has been little attention given to the problems that arise when assessments of progress are based on household surveys. These are inappropriate for obtaining information about the poorest of the poor. Typically, they omit by design those not in households because they are homeless; those who are in institutions; and mobile, nomadic or pastoralist populations; and, in practice, household surveys will typically under-represent those in fragile, disjointed or multiple occupancy households; and those in urban slums and insecure areas of a country. Those six subgroups constitute a pretty comprehensive ostensive definition of the "poorest of the poor." Between 300 and 500 million people--mainly in developing countries--will be missed worldwide from the sampling frames of household surveys.

Core-shell structured ceramic nonwoven separators by atomic layer deposition for safe lithium-ion batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Xiu; Li, Chao; Shi, Chuan; Yang, Chaochao; Deng, Lei; Zhang, Wei; Peng, Longqing; Dai, Jianhui; Wu, Dezhi; Zhang, Peng; Zhao, Jinbao

2018-05-01

Safety is one of the most factors for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). In this work, a novel kind of ceramic separator with high safety insurance is proposed. We fabricated the core-shell nanofiber separators for LIBs by atomic layer deposition (ALD) of 30 nm Al2O3 on the electrospinning nonwoven fiber of polyvinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene (PVDF-HFP). The separators show a pretty high heat resistance up to 200 °C without any shrinkage, an excellent fire-resistant property and a wide electrochemical window. Besides, with higher uptake and ionic conductivity, cells assembled with the novel separator shows better electrochemical performance. The ALD produced separators exhibit great potential in elaborate products like 3C communications and in energy field with harsh requirements for safety such as electric vehicles. The application of ALD on polymer fiber membranes brings a new strategy and opportunity for improving the safety of the advanced LIBs.

Tri-Cities research may help biofuels take flight

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

Madison, Alison L.

Monthly economic diversity column for the Tri-City Herald. Excerpt: If you stop and think about it, some pretty interesting stuff has roots in the Tri-Cities, but reaches far beyond. Many Tri-Citians have gone on to be professional athletes, entertainers, scientists and engineers, doctors, lawyers, and humanitarians to name just a few. And a lot of groundbreaking discoveries - many born of strategic collaborations resulting from purposeful economic development efforts - have emerged from work at our local national laboratory. Just recently, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory entered into a $2M collaboration with Seattle biofuel producer Imperium Renewables and other partners tomore » develop a new method to make renewable jet fuels. Successful development of the catalytic process, which converts biomass-based alcohols into renewable drop-in jet fuels, could lead to additional renewable jet fuel production facilities being built and operated in the Pacific Northwest.« less

Low-momentum ghost dressing function and the gluon mass

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

Boucaud, Ph.; Leroy, J. P.; Le Yaouanc, A.

2010-09-01

We study the low-momentum ghost propagator Dyson-Schwinger equation in the Landau gauge, assuming for the truncation a constant ghost-gluon vertex, as it is extensively done, and a simple model for a massive gluon propagator. Then, regular Dyson-Schwinger equation solutions (the zero-momentum ghost dressing function not diverging) appear to emerge, and we show the ghost propagator to be described by an asymptotic expression reliable up to the order O(q{sup 2}). That expression, depending on the gluon mass and the zero-momentum Taylor-scheme effective charge, is proven to fit pretty well some low-momentum ghost propagator data [I. L. Bogolubsky, E. M. Ilgenfritz, M.more » Muller-Preussker, and A. Sternbeck, Phys. Lett. B 676, 69 (2009); Proc. Sci., LAT2007 (2007) 290] from big-volume lattice simulations where the so-called ''simulated annealing algorithm'' is applied to fix the Landau gauge.« less

Unprincipled microgravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mattingly, James

2014-05-01

I argue that the key principle of microgravity is what I have called elsewhere the Lorentzian strategy. This strategy may be seen as either a reverse-engineering approach or a descent with modification approach, but however one sees if the method works neither by attempting to propound a theory that is the quantum version of either an extant or generalized gravitation theory nor by attempting to propound a theory that is the final version of quantum mechanics and finding gravity within it. Instead the method works by beginning with what we are pretty sure is a good approximation to the low-energy limit of whatever the real microprocesses are that generate what we experience as gravitation. This method is powerful, fruitful, and not committed to principles for which we have, as yet, only scant evidence; the method begins with what we do know and teases out what we can know next. The principle is methodological, not ontological.

Comments on L'vov - Holcombe collaboration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slavin, Walter

2015-03-01

This issue of Spectrochimica Acta Part B should become most interesting. I cannot recall a situation in the scientific literature where a scientist reviews the effort to develop an important theory with another distant scientist and discusses the difficulties in an informal and polite manner. I remember the situation very well because, as the L'vov article mentions [1], as the journal editor at that time, I served between these two scientists. In his paper L'vov commented "How strongly Jim Holcombe defends his opinion". In fact I had worked very closely with both men and had been in both their laboratories, especially L'vov's. I had never met anyone who defended their opinions as strongly as did these two men. Both were key contributors to the physical chemistry theory of graphite furnace technology. L'vov explains that I acted as Solomon to publish both their papers simultaneously in the same issue of this journal. It was a pretty obvious decision.

Pretty as a Princess: Longitudinal Effects of Engagement With Disney Princesses on Gender Stereotypes, Body Esteem, and Prosocial Behavior in Children.

PubMed

Coyne, Sarah M; Linder, Jennifer Ruh; Rasmussen, Eric E; Nelson, David A; Birkbeck, Victoria

2016-11-01

This study examined level of engagement with Disney Princess media/products as it relates to gender-stereotypical behavior, body esteem (i.e. body image), and prosocial behavior during early childhood. Participants consisted of 198 children (M age  = 58 months), who were tested at two time points (approximately 1 year apart). Data consisted of parent and teacher reports, and child observations in a toy preference task. Longitudinal results revealed that Disney Princess engagement was associated with more female gender-stereotypical behavior 1 year later, even after controlling for initial levels of gender-stereotypical behavior. Parental mediation strengthened associations between princess engagement and adherence to female gender-stereotypical behavior for both girls and boys, and for body esteem and prosocial behavior for boys only. © 2016 The Authors. Child Development © 2016 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

Development of Chengdu and sustainable utilization of the ancient Dujiangyan Water-Conservancy Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, X.; You, J.; Yang, P.; Chai, X.

2015-05-01

The Dujiangyan Water-Conservancy Project is a great water irrigation works in Chinese cultural history, which led the Min River water to the vast Chengdu Plain, and created fertile and pretty "land of abundance". Now Chengdu is facing increased water demand stress due mainly to rapid urbanization. This paper first analyses the available water resources of Chengdu based on historical hydrological data from 1964 to 2008. The results show that the average annual water resources were 8.9 billion m3 in 1986 and 7.9 billion m3 in 2008 under various environmental conditions. The future tendency of water demand in city development planning is predicted by the Policy Dialogue Model (PODIUM). Finally, the strategies for water resources exploitation accompanying the sustainable development pattern are studied. The result illustrates that rational and careful management are required to balance the gap between water supply and demand

White-collar workers' self-reported physical symptoms associated with using computers.

PubMed

Korpinen, Leena; Pääkkönen, Rauno; Gobba, Fabriziomaria

2012-01-01

The aim of our work was to study the physical symptoms of upper- and lower-level white-collar workers using a questionnaire. The study was cross-sectional with a questionnaire posted to 15 000 working-age persons. The responses (6121) included 970 upper- and 1150 lower-level white-collar workers. In the upper- and lower-level white-collar worker groups, 45.7 and 56.0%, respectively, had experienced pain, numbness and aches in the neck either pretty often or more frequently. When comparing daily computer users and nonusers, there were significant differences in pain, numbness and aches in the neck or in the shoulders. In addition, age and gender influenced some physical symptoms. In the future, it is essential to take into account that working with computers can be especially associated with physical symptoms in the neck and in the shoulders when workers use computers daily.

Re-Using of the Historical Buildings in the Context of Sustainablity: AN Architectural Design Studio Study on Old Girls Teacher Training School

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ulusoy, M.; Erdogan, E.; Erdogan, H. A.; Oral, M.

2013-07-01

Refunctioning is a widely used method for protecting historical structures. However, throughout architectural education, functioning historical structures and producing new designs in terms of historical pattern do not attract great attention within the framework of design studios. It is a fact that in such schools that abovementioned items are more popular, the connection between protection oriented studio and design studio is pretty weak. In this study refunctioning was discussed as a design studio topic in relation to the old girls' teacher training school and its immediate surroundings. The primary objective of this design studio is to increase architecture students' awareness in terms of visual and perceptual levels of project designs in historical patterns. Within the context of this manuscript, the experiences gained during design studio process were transferred and discussed.

Problem-based learning in optical engineering studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voznesenskaya, Anna

2016-09-01

Nowadays, the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is one of the most prospective educational technologies. PBL is based on evaluation of learning outcomes of a student, both professional and personal, instead of traditional evaluation of theoretical knowledge and selective practical skills. Such an approach requires changes in the curricula development. There should be introduced projects (cases) imitating real tasks from the professional life. These cases should include a problem summary with necessary theoretic description, charts, graphs, information sources etc, task to implement and evaluation indicators and criteria. Often these cases are evaluated with the assessment-center method. To motivate students for the given task they could be divided into groups and have a contest. Whilst it looks easy to implement in social, economic or teaching fields PBL is pretty complicated in engineering studies. Examples of cases in the first-cycle optical engineering studies are shown in this paper. Procedures of the PBL implementation and evaluation are described.

The expert explorer: a tool for hospital data visualization and adverse drug event rules validation.

PubMed

Băceanu, Adrian; Atasiei, Ionuţ; Chazard, Emmanuel; Leroy, Nicolas

2009-01-01

An important part of adverse drug events (ADEs) detection is the validation of the clinical cases and the assessment of the decision rules to detect ADEs. For that purpose, a software called "Expert Explorer" has been designed by Ideea Advertising. Anonymized datasets have been extracted from hospitals into a common repository. The tool has 3 main features. (1) It can display hospital stays in a visual and comprehensive way (diagnoses, drugs, lab results, etc.) using tables and pretty charts. (2) It allows designing and executing dashboards in order to generate knowledge about ADEs. (3) It finally allows uploading decision rules obtained from data mining. Experts can then review the rules, the hospital stays that match the rules, and finally give their advice thanks to specialized forms. Then the rules can be validated, invalidated, or improved (knowledge elicitation phase).

Why AGU is important in Eastern Europe and should increase its role even more?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mocanu, V.

2007-12-01

After the fall of the ex-communist system about twenty years ago, the East European countries faced a significant, multilateral challenge in all aspects of their economical, financial, military, scientific and especially educational and professional life. They had a pretty robust tradition in classic education and research, but had to prepare their young generation and specialists for a hard competition for grad-, post grad- and professional level competing with colleagues from other parts of the world. They had to restructure their systems and re-discovered the professional societies. AGU represented a certain model of efficiency on handling various aspects of geoscientific activities: integration of geophysics with other related disciplines like atmospheric sciences, hydrology and hydrogeology, volcanism, geochemistry etc., from deep Earth to the intergalactic space. Close cooperation with other boundary sciences, regular and very well organized meetings dedicated more to Solid earth (AGU Fall Meeting) or Near-Surface Geophysics (AGU Spring Meetings), its very close cooperation with the sister societies from Europe, other North, Central and South American countries as well as the Far East and Australia, permanent opening towards a strong international cooperation with all countries and societies world- wide, very active interest in education and career orientation, strong publication policy represented a certain attraction and a very tempting model for the East European countries. Their very quick development has to be joined by transformation of their higher education and research system in such a way that they become more and more competitive with other countries worldwide. They have to develop their own system so that it attracts more and more youngsters to remain/return home and contribute to the advance of their home countries and, in close partnerships with other developed and developing countries, with the guidance of the professional societies like AGU, to push the frontiers of science. This is why AGU is a certain model to follow and we expect even closer relationships with its sister societies from East Europe.

Multiphase composition changes and reactive oxygen species formation during limonene oxidation in the new Cambridge Atmospheric Simulation Chamber (CASC)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gallimore, Peter J.; Mahon, Brendan M.; Wragg, Francis P. H.; Fuller, Stephen J.; Giorio, Chiara; Kourtchev, Ivan; Kalberer, Markus

2017-08-01

The chemical composition of organic aerosols influences their impacts on human health and the climate system. Aerosol formation from gas-to-particle conversion and in-particle reaction was studied for the oxidation of limonene in a new facility, the Cambridge Atmospheric Simulation Chamber (CASC). Health-relevant oxidising organic species produced during secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation were quantified in real time using an Online Particle-bound Reactive Oxygen Species Instrument (OPROSI). Two categories of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were identified based on time series analysis: a short-lived component produced during precursor ozonolysis with a lifetime of the order of minutes, and a stable component that was long-lived on the experiment timescale (˜ 4 h). Individual organic species were monitored continuously over this time using Extractive Electrospray Ionisation (EESI) Mass Spectrometry (MS) for the particle phase and Proton Transfer Reaction (PTR) MS for the gas phase. Many first-generation oxidation products are unsaturated, and we observed multiphase aging via further ozonolysis reactions. Volatile products such as C9H14O (limonaketone) and C10H16O2 (limonaldehyde) were observed in the gas phase early in the experiment, before reacting again with ozone. Loss of C10H16O4 (7-hydroxy limononic acid) from the particle phase was surprisingly slow. A combination of reduced C = C reactivity and viscous particle formation (relative to other SOA systems) may explain this, and both scenarios were tested in the Pretty Good Aerosol Model (PG-AM). A range of characterisation measurements were also carried out to benchmark the chamber against existing facilities. This work demonstrates the utility of CASC, particularly for understanding the reactivity and health-relevant properties of organic aerosols using novel, highly time-resolved techniques.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: SDSS DR7 voids and superclusters (Nadathur+, 2014)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nadathur, S.; Hotchkiss, S.

2016-02-01

This is a public catalogue of voids and superclusters identified in the SDSS DR7 main galaxy and luminous red galaxy samples. This version is dated 04.11.2013. We make the catalogues available for general use. If you use them for your own work, we ask that you cite the original paper, Nadathur & Hotchkiss (2014MNRAS.440.1248N). The top-level directory cat_v11.11.13 contains an example python script called postproc.py, and two folders called comovcoords and redshiftcoords containing two versions of the catalogue in different coordinate systems. The comoving coordinate system is pretty self-explanatory, for a description of the other one please refer to the paper. Each of these directories is further divided into six folders containing the Type1 and Type2 void catalogues and the supercluster catalogue for each of the galaxy samples analysed here, and a folder called tools, which contains data useful for users wishing to apply their own selection criteria. The basic information provided includes the location of the barycentre of each structure, its volume, effective radius, average density and minimum or maximum density, its core galaxy and seed zone, the total number of galaxies in the seed zone, the number of zones merged to form the structure, the total number of particles in the structure, and its density ratio. These are split between two files for each structure type and each sample, named xxxinfo.txt and xxxlist.txt, where xxx refers to the structure type. It is also possible to extract lists of member galaxies of each structure and their magnitudes. An example python script, postproc.py, demonstrates how to access this information and how to build alternative catalogues using user-defined selection criteria. (27 data files).

Open source software and low cost sensors for teaching UAV science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kefauver, S. C.; Sanchez-Bragado, R.; El-Haddad, G.; Araus, J. L.

2016-12-01

Drones, also known as UASs (unmanned aerial systems), UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) or RPAS (Remotely piloted aircraft systems), are both useful advanced scientific platforms and recreational toys that are appealing to younger generations. As such, they can make for excellent education tools as well as low-cost scientific research project alternatives. However, the process of taking pretty pictures to remote sensing science can be daunting if one is presented with only expensive software and sensor options. There are a number of open-source tools and low cost platform and sensor options available that can provide excellent scientific research results, and, by often requiring more user-involvement than commercial software and sensors, provide even greater educational benefits. Scale-invariant feature transform (SIFT) algorithm implementations, such as the Microsoft Image Composite Editor (ICE), which can create quality 2D image mosaics with some motion and terrain adjustments and VisualSFM (Structure from Motion), which can provide full image mosaicking with movement and orthorectification capacities. RGB image quantification using alternate color space transforms, such as the BreedPix indices, can be calculated via plugins in the open-source software Fiji (http://fiji.sc/Fiji; http://github.com/george-haddad/CIMMYT). Recent analyses of aerial images from UAVs over different vegetation types and environments have shown RGB metrics can outperform more costly commercial sensors. Specifically, Hue-based pixel counts, the Triangle Greenness Index (TGI), and the Normalized Green Red Difference Index (NGRDI) consistently outperformed NDVI in estimating abiotic and biotic stress impacts on crop health. Also, simple kits are available for NDVI camera conversions. Furthermore, suggestions for multivariate analyses of the different RGB indices in the "R program for statistical computing", such as classification and regression trees can allow for a more approachable interpretation of results in the classroom.

Houston, We Have a Podcast. Episode 51: Airspace

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-06-29

Gary Jordan (Host): Houston We Have a Podcast. Welcome to the official podcast of the NASA Johnson Space Center, Episode 51: Airspace. I'm Gary Jordan, and I'll be your host today. On this podcast, we bring in the experts -- NASA scientists, engineers, astronauts -- many of whom work in human spaceflight. But there's another part of the NASA story that's often forgotten, and yet it's right in the name NASA itself, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. So today, we're talking about that first part, aeronautics. With me today is Harry Roberts, Flight Operation Supervisor for the Aircraft Operations Division out at Ellington Field Airport. That's kind of close to here at the Johnson Space Center. We talk about the operations out at Ellington Field and the aircraft itself that helped to make human spaceflight possible. So with no further delay, let's go light speed and jump right ahead to our talk with Mr. Harry Roberts. Enjoy. Harry Roberts, who is the Flight Operation Supervisor for the Aircraft Operations Division out at Ellington Field Airport, who talks to us about aeronautics at NASA; the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, as well as, the operations out at Ellington Field and the aircraft itself that helped to make human spaceflight possible. Harry Roberts, who is the Flight Operation Supervisor for the Aircraft Operations Division out at Ellington Field Airport, talks to us about aeronautics at NASA; the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, as well as, the operations out at Ellington Field and the aircraft itself that helped to make human spaceflight possible. [ Music ] Host: All right, Harry. Thanks for taking the time to come on the podcast today. This is an interesting episode because it's not something you would sort of think of, like, right off the bat. Like, you think NASA, you think space, but there's a whole story about aircraft, right? It's actually in the name -- National Aeronautics and Space Administration. So I appreciate you coming on. Harry Roberts: Absolutely. Thanks for having me. Host: All right, so let's first set the scene. We're talking about the Ellington Field Airport. Usually, I mean, we talked to a lot of people here at the Johnson Space Center, but Ellington's, like, part of Johnson, but it's not a Johnson property. So what's the story there with Ellington Field? Harry Roberts: Right, so Ellington Field is essentially an airfield where we're allowed to do all of our aircraft operations. Host: Okay. Harry Roberts: And the aircraft operations would extend from the T-38, which is basically for the astronaut space flight readiness training program. We have our Gulfstream aircrafts, so a G-3 and a G-5, out there. Our WB-57. And then, also, when the Guppy comes into town, that's where we're going to store it. Host: So it's kind of the house for-- Harry Roberts: Yeah. Host: All of these [inaudible]. That's where they're, you have them there. That's where they stay. That's where they're maintained. So it's kind of like a base of operations. You need the space because you need runways and stuff. So who else do you share Ellington Field with? Is it just NASA, or do you, is it for other things? Harry Roberts: No. Actually, so it's a joint reserve base. So you have Army National Guard out there. We have the Air Force National Guard, which operates a couple different aircraft to include the F-16's and some UAVs. And then, we also have just a regular fixed-base operations center, which is for civilian aircrafts. So they have a general aviation flight school there also. Host: So military. You got NASA planes. You got civilian planes. So it's not like your typical airport. Like, if you were going to take a flight, I don' know, if you were to book a flight and take it on like a 7, I don't know, 737, whatever, aircraft, this is totally different. This is just a smaller airport. What other kinds of cool aircraft do you see? I mean, I remember seeing helicopters there sometimes too. Harry Roberts: Yeah. So the Air National Guard will occasionally operate the-- Host: Yeah. Harry Roberts: Apache Longbow. And then, one of the other people I forgot to mention was the Coast Guard, so they'll operate their helicopters that are there in support of different operations. Host: Nice, okay. So aircraft operations, the, where this sort of fits into the story of NASA -- how does that work in relation to the Johnson Space Center? Harry Roberts: Right, so Aircraft Operations Division falls under the Flight Operations Directorate, and so we play our role in that we are there to support the astronauts in order to get them trained and ready for spaceflight readiness. Host: Trained how? What are you training them for? Harry Roberts: So all sorts of things. The great thing about the T-38 and the aircrafts that they primarily operate out of is that it facilitates them learning a bunch of different aspects, from crew coordination and communication inside and outside as well as, you know, just the ability the manipulate different things. One interesting fact right now: The astronaut or the astronaut candidates are actually there down in the maintenance area, and they're actually turning wrenches and working on the aircrafts that they go out and fly. So it's pretty neat, and they learn a lot in that aspect because not only do they fly the aircraft and learn about it from that aspect, but they also get to turn the wrenches because it's, when you're on the Space Station, you can't exactly have a, you know, a callout and say, hey, can you guys come up here and fix this? They have to facilitate all that on their own too. Host: So it's kind of immersing yourself in this world of -- that's 1 thing I always am just totally fascinated by with astronauts is you're absolutely right. You're not just spacewalking and flying around in space. No, you are there to do everything. You are the research, you're the researcher. You're the scientist. You're the plumber. [laughs] You're everything. You've maintained this spacecraft. I mean, you have plenty of support from the ground, but it's ultimately going to be you, like you said, turning the wrench. Harry Roberts: Absolutely, yeah. So they get to learn all those things here on Earth, right, before they get to go practice it in space. And it provides another opportunity that is a little bit different than a simulator. A simulator, you kind of know that there's not a whole lot of repercussions there to come out of it because it is a simulator. Host: Yeah. Harry Roberts: But when you're in a airplane and you're operating it out there, it's a fluid dynamic environment. Things are constantly changing, whether it's the weather, or your fuel state, or, you know, the, in the engine and how it's operating. You have to be able to adapt to those changes real time. And there's no better platform to provide that than, a lot of times, actually being in an aircraft. Host: Is it the sense of kind of accountability maybe, that ultimately it's your hands turning this aircraft, so you have to make sure you put the care into it because it's going to be you flying it? Harry Roberts: Absolutely. Accountability, and I also think kind of like an appreciation, right. You know, you take a lot of people who aren't used to that, and they've kind of spent a lot of time in the academic environment. And now, you get to put them in a different environment that they might not necessarily feel comfortable with. So they get to explore that before it's game time, if you will -- you know, being either on one of our vehicles or on the Space Station. Host: So let's just dive right into the aircraft. We're already hinting at one of them, the T-38, and this is the one that astronauts are, quote, unquote, "training" in and doing some of the maintenance, but then ultimately flying. So what is the T-38? What's the history there? Harry Roberts: So the T-38 originated as a Air Force training aircraft, right. So in order to go onto any of the follow-on jet aircrafts, they had to start off there. And we adopted it in the early '60's and have been using it ever since. Host: [laughs] Okay, so it's an older piece of equipment, then. Harry Roberts: It is, yeah. Some of the airframes that we have out there have been out there since the early capsule days. Host: You can actually, it's kind of impressive, actually, that they're still running. Props to the maintenance guys that actually keep the planes going, then. Harry Roberts: Absolutely. We have a fantastic maintenance department that's been countless hours kind of out there turning the wrenches, keeping the aircraft well maintained and ready to go for everyday flight requirements that we have. Host: So why was the T-38 the plane that was selected in the '60's? What's good about that, this particular plane you can train on? Harry Roberts: It's provided a lot of different things, one of which is redundancy, right. You have 2 engines, which is, if you talk to a lot of fighter aircraft pilots, they're going to tell you, you know, 2 is always better than 1, but it also provides you a very simple platform on which to operate from because, as you get into other more complex systems like the F-16 or the F-18, it can get very difficult when you're talking about even a simple system like the hydraulic system or the environmental control system. It gets really complicated. But here in the T-38, it's actually pretty simplistic. So it makes it, 1, easier to maintain, and then, 2, easy for the astronauts to kind of come in to learn and then go out and operate almost immediately. Host: So are the, are all astronauts flying these jets, or is it mainly the pilots that are really grabbing the stick? Or, I guess, I don't know. Harry Roberts: So right now, it is the pilots that are primarily responsible for safety of flight and aircraft control, but we do offer the RCQs, so the rear cockpit qualified individuals. So they're going to have the opportunity to kind of learn the aircraft. There's a stick in the back also, so if they had the opportunity, they could absolutely fly the aircraft from the back. So it's, I'm more than positive it's been done before. Host: So I'm trying to imagine the shape of this plane. I'm imagining sort of a tiny jet, right. It's a fairly small aircraft, right, compared to other jets that you would probably fly. And so the benefit of that is, what kind of environment is good for an astronaut to really immerse themself in for the T-38? Is it altitude, speed, acceleration? Harry Roberts: It's kind of all of those things-- Host: Okay. Harry Roberts: Because it provides that environment that is a little bit different, right. You're taking, again, people who might not be used to this, and you're putting the helmet on them. You're putting a mask on them. So it's a little bit restrictive. So then, they start to get used to those kinds of things. The speed at which it travels and, you know, manipulates. And then, additionally, you also have your gravitational forces that can be put upon the astronauts while they're operating inside the aircraft. And so that's something that can help them kind of get used to the environment that they're about to go into, right. The, I think it was one of the astronauts that I'd talked about in the past, how her experiences in the plane, and how she'd been exposed to those things, and how to operate in a very dynamic situation in which the aircraft was maneuvering, it helped facilitate her being able to perform well while she was, you know, on the shuttle as well as when they were going up into the Space Station, so. Host: Oh, so you sort of, I guess training your body to realize what's to come for a spaceflight. Oh, man. You know, I'm going to feel g-forces this way, and that's how it feels being really high, and I got to make sure I breathe this way. So you're sort of conditioning your body to really get ready for that next step, which is going to space. Harry Roberts: Right, conditioning your body as well as probably training your mind to start thinking outside the box and develop those problem-solving skills that you might not necessarily be adapt to utilizing. And, you know, really think ahead of what it is that you're about to do. So when the astronauts are on an EVA, for example, thinking about how much fuel that they have in the aircraft to kind of translate to how much oxygen they have in their suit while they're on that EVA. They have to manage that. They also have to think about, okay, this is how much I have left. This is when I need to start thinking about, you know, coming back inside and what I need to start doing to facilitate all those different things. Host: So what's like a typical flight? If you were to hop into the back of a T-38 and say, okay, now's your training? So where are you going? What are you doing? For how long? Harry Roberts: So we have various different phases that we put them through. Initially, when they come through, they get, essentially, it's called contacts. It's familiarization with the aircraft just to get the basic feel for it. And after that, they go to a navigation phase, which is going to be instruments. They learn how to navigate on the airways because it doesn't operate the same as an interstate system down here on Earth. And then, after that, they move into an air navigation phase, which is where they'll go to several different facilities or bases, fly out of there, and then come back. And then, finally, they do a formation phase. So they'll actually fly in close proximity to another aircraft. Host: Oh, okay. So there's several phases in a single flight, or is it like a step-by-step, like-- Harry Roberts: Step by step, usually. Host: Okay. Harry Roberts: So we work them up to those various phases, but-- Host: I see. Harry Roberts: In any given flight, it could be different. It just depends on where that particular individual is. So if some of the astronauts here complete, then they might go and use a T-38, say, to go to talk to someone for SpaceX, or that's what the commercial crew's doing, right. They'll go talk to someone out there at SpaceX, or they'll go use it to visit the facility at Kennedy and see what's going on over there. It just kind of helps us, 1, get them going where they need to go, but then, at the same time, they get to train while they're going up in that aircraft. Host: Oh, I see. Okay, so it's kind of like, instead of, you know, booking like a commercial flight and just going to visit the center, now you can get some training on the way to your destination. Harry Roberts: Right. Host: Oh, okay. And they, and several destinations, I guess, right? So Kennedy was one of them. You can go out to, is it Hawthorne in California where you're going to see SpaceX, or is it-- Harry Roberts: Yeah. Host: Also in Kennedy? Harry Roberts: Well, so it just depends on where they're at and what they're trying to do, right. So for example, we have, we're dropping off some of the components out to the Kennedy Space Station, or, sorry, the Kennedy Center. So that way, they can see what's going on out there. Then, they'll go out to Long Beach is actually where they land to go visit SpaceX out in California and stuff like that. Host: Yeah, I was just there a couple weeks ago, so I'm trying to familiarize myself with the area. Okay, so Long Beach Airport. That makes sense. So I guess astronauts are -- are they the primary users of the T-38, or are there other pilots that are using them? Harry Roberts: Those are the primary users for the T-38. We have instructor pilots that teach, but, primarily, it's going to be the astronauts who are utilizing the aircraft the most. Host: Okay. Do you really take them through the wringer at any given point? Because you said there was an element of problem-solving that goes into whenever you're an astronaut on these planes. Maybe, do you take them through a run where something's going wrong and you have to have some kind of snap judgment to say, this is the right call? Or any kind of, I don't know, contingency situations, something like that? Harry Roberts: Sure, so we have simulators. Host: Oh, okay. Harry Roberts: And then, what we'll utilize that simulator for is emergency procedures. So it gets them familiarized with a checklist, as well as how to operate it, and then start making those judgments and decisions on the ground. And we can kind of amp up the scenario. It's fully graphics as far as being able to see outside the cockpit and stuff like that. So it provides that realism that is kind of often absent in some of the simulations, but, at the same time, it allows us to kind of utilize it as a teaching environment as opposed to, this is going to be a catastrophic event if you don't absolutely get this right right now. Host: Yeah. Are the simulators out at Ellington Field too, then? Harry Roberts: They're actually here on site. Host: Oh, really? Oh, I want to -- where are they? I want to check them out. [laughter] I'd like to take a ride for them. I mean, not in sort of any kind of problem. I would probably freak out. But just to see what it's like to fly inside. It's always so cool going out to Ellington Field because you just hear the jets going by all the time, and it's really, it's kind of a cool environment. Harry Roberts: Absolutely, yeah. It's my favorite part of coming in to work every day. Host: [laughs] Yeah. Hearing jets, and helicopters, and all kinds of cool aircraft going by. You know, I'm kind of blown away by the fact that these planes are from the '60's. I'm sure there's been some upgrades over the past that really help you to maintain them, right? Harry Roberts: Sure. So the T-38's start out, obviously, they have a series, and so the A model was the very first one, and we've upgraded since then. We're actually the T-38 November, so N. We've done significant upgrades to the avionics with inside the aircraft. For the most part, a lot of it has remained the same. There were some modifications that were done to the air inlets. So we actually changed the way they were designed, and the Air Force actually adopted them because they still fly the T-38 for their jet training. And then, we made some other modifications along the way. As far as different systems, they obviously get upgraded, and we had to change with the times. We're still making more upgrades as far as different systems would have to operate with the FAA and stuff like that. Host: Really getting your use out of it, though, if it's a 1960's plane. That's not bad. Harry Roberts: Absolutely. Host: So if you're an astronaut training for the T-38, you're learning these new upgrades. How often are you coming back to sort of just maintain your familiarization with the aircraft? Harry Roberts: So each of the astronauts, whether they're the pilots or they're sitting in the back, have a quarterly requirement that they're required to maintain a certain number of hours each quarter. Host: I see. Harry Roberts: So they have to get those quarterly requirements and then also maintain a certain number of landings if you're actually the pilot. So they come back pretty often. Host: Yeah. [laughs] I wish I had a quarterly requirement to fly a plane. I would love flying so much, but, I don't know. I guess if you're answering media calls, it's not exactly the same as flying in space. Harry Roberts: Correct. Host: All right, so the T-38 is one of them that you -- actually, you have a couple of them, right? How many T-38's do you have? Harry Roberts: We have several. So it just-- Host: Oh, okay. Harry Roberts: However many are operational that day, it kind of depends due to the maintenance cycle, but we have quite a few T-38's out there. It's pretty impressive. Host: Yeah. And you have to maintain all of them. How about that? So you have this section of Ellington Airport that's dedicated to NASA. You got, you know, you're sharing the space, and you got the T-38's over here. Another aircraft you have are, is it 2 Gulfstream aircraft, right? Two-- Harry Roberts: Correct, yeah. Host: Gulfstream planes? Harry Roberts: Yeah, the G-5 and the G-3. Host: Awesome, okay. So what are they used for? Harry Roberts: So each of those are used for primarily science missions. The G-5 we recently acquired, and we were using that almost exclusively for the direct return mission. So each time the astronauts come back from the Station and they land in Kazakhstan, we actually go there, pick them up in the G-5, and, that way, we can return them within 24 hours. So that way, all the data collection can be quickly acquired as opposed to having them come, you know, say, via commercial or something like that. Plus, it just facilitates them being able to have an environment that's a little bit more comfortable for them on their return home because, as you know, it can be a pretty arduous adventure out there for 6 months to a year on the station and then coming back. Host: Yeah. Harry Roberts: And then, the G-3, we also use that in place of the G-5 to do the direct return mission, but we also have different missions that we do. They actually just got back from it's called OMG, so Oceans Melting Greenland. And they go out to the polar ice caps, and they do some kind of mapping with a, essentially, they have a pod that goes and, around. They have specific lines that they go back and forth over Greenland, and they map the differential between what the ice is now and what it's been in the past. I think it's been going on for about 2 years now, so it's pretty interesting. Host: Wow. I guess how often are they doing that, flying out to Greenland? Harry Roberts: So they do that particular mission at least once a year. It's typically, we actually just got back, so it's late February, early March, and then, after that, occasionally, it happens in the fall. But primarily, we've been supporting the one in the springtime. Host: Have you gone on any of those flights and seen-- Harry Roberts: I haven't myself, no. Host: Ah, that would be cool. Harry Roberts: Yeah. Host: So I know Gulfstreams are, it's actually a -- Gulfstream is a company. Gulfstream Aerospace, right? And they build private jets. Harry Roberts: Right. Host: So this, it sounds like this is not your typical private jet if it's being used for science and direct return missions. So if I'm imagining a G-5, I imagine a sort of, like, lounge area, right, [laughs] with a bar. This is not that, right? So what's the, what's inside the G-5? Harry Roberts: Yeah, it's not so much Mad Men 1965 [laughs] aircraft, but, so on the direct return mission, we'll actually modify each of the aircraft to kind of adapt to whatever mission it's going to support. So for the direct return mission, we can actually, when we had 2 astronauts coming back, we had 2 beds in there. So that way, they can lay down on the beds. Host: Oh, yeah. Harry Roberts: There's different medical things in there, so that way, they can be attended to while they're actually coming back if they have any kind of issues. Obviously, it has a laboratory on board and then some other things so that way they can have kind of, like, a kitchen, a galley, essentially. And then, if we're doing a science mission, we'll alter that, and then we'll take out those beds or we'll take out some of the chairs, and we'll roll on pallets of just basically computer equipment and say, okay, here we'll affix it to the floor inside the aircraft, and then the scientists essentially are sitting in a very comfortable chair while they operate their computer system that's sitting right in front of them to do whatever it is that they're, whatever data collection they're trying to achieve. Host: So it's kind of, it's not really customized on the inside at all. You're really just using the plane because I guess it's fast and it's, you can, easily modified, so you can switch it to whatever you want. And especially, you said the, for the direct return missions, now you have this plane that's dedicated to, from a scientific perspective, getting these astronauts back to do medical testing, to make sure they have enough rest. That makes a lot of sense. Harry Roberts: Yeah. Well, we do some other modifications. So the G-3 has a tube essentially on the back of it to drop sonobuoys out of it. So they would drop the sonobuoys on some of the Greenland missions to measure the water temperature and see, okay, how much is the temperature of the northern oceans actually rising? And then, identify that information. Additionally, we're going to put nadir windows inside the G-5. And so those windows will provide the scientists utilize optical measuring instruments, so that way, they can gather some other data for whatever missions that they might be doing. Host: Nadir windows. That's a very nautical way of saying like a window on the ground, a window on the floor, right. [laughs] Harry Roberts: Yeah, absolutely. Host: And the, I guess you can actually drop, you can drop stuff into the ocean too. Okay, that's cool. Do you need a public affairs officer for a science mission or a G-5 mission? Harry Roberts: I actually just saw a story last night on the news, and they were talking about one of the other research centers that sent out their aircraft, a P-3-- Host: Yeah. Harry Roberts: To go to this exact mission, so maybe there's a chance for you in the future. Host: [laughs] All right. Just keep me in mind. [laughs] So science. You got the direct return missions. Now, you're maintaining this aircraft too, right? So what are you doing to maintain and to sort of make sure it's going to be, it's going to work when you need it to work? Harry Roberts: Right. So there's different phases of inspection that it has to go through based on how many flight hours it's actually done and completed. So based on those different kind of requirements, we'll go ahead and initiate whatever maintenance requirements that we have to do. It's really nice that we're able to do a lot of that stuff in house, and we've kind of coordinated with manufacturers of the engine as well as, you know, just different components [inaudible] the aircraft. Inside of AOD, there's actually a lot of different people. So there's the maintenance team, the operations team, the engineering team. And so to get things changed, we really just have to kind of go down the hall and say, hey, this is something that we'd like to adjust or change inside the aircraft. Is that a possibility? And then, the team of engineers goes to work, and then start to figure it out. You know, hey, is this going to fit inside the aircraft? Are the engines capable of supporting this as far as electronic loads? Just different things like that. So it's actually really interesting to see how this all works and kind of comes together, and it's all organic in house as opposed to a lot of different corporations that would have to kind of outsource this to whoever actually manufactured those particular components. Host: Yeah. And you can justify it by saying that this is something that you're doing pretty often, right? So you got a couple flights per year for, that you got to go over to Kazakhstan. And for a crew return, you got [inaudible] science missions that you're doing too. So there's a use case for it. So those are 2 aircraft, T-38. I'm just going to go through the aircraft. I'm just going to-- Harry Roberts: Sure. Host: So we got the Gulfstream and, or 2 Gulfstreams and the T-38's. One that is always so cool to talk about is WB-57. And that one's the high-altitude plane. Very unique looking. It's got super big wings, and it's known because it can fly super high, right. Is it technically in space when it's flying? I don't know what, where's the threshold for space is? Is it 60,000? I don't know. Harry Roberts: Yeah. I think it's just underneath, but they do wear pressure suits because of the altitude at which they're operating at. And if you had a loss of cabin pressure and you're flying at that altitude, the air is just so thin, the usual time of consciousness is microseconds, probably, at that point. Host: Oh, wow. Harry Roberts: So you would need to be inside that pressure suit in order to function at that altitude. Yeah, no, that is probably one of the more interesting planes. The giant wings on it were not the original ones. They were actually a little bit different as far as shape, but they started to notice the amount of structural damage that was occurring in aircraft that all just probably [inaudible]. The engineers who built that probably did not anticipate it still flying well into the [laughs] 2010's into the 2020's. So-- Host: So it's another old aircraft, then? Harry Roberts: Absolutely, yeah. That, one of the aircraft, NASA 927, is actually, was in the boneyard, in Davis-Monthan, for 41 years before we brought it back to life after 2 years, and it is now one of the, one of our aircraft that is actually flying. So after, it's one of the longest stints inside the boneyard and to be brought back. Host: The WB-57? Harry Roberts: That particular one, NASA 927, yes. Host: Okay, that particular -- oh, because there's only a few of them, right? Harry Roberts: Right. We only have 3. Host: Okay. Are they the only 3 in the world, or-- Harry Roberts: They are the only 3 that are continuing to operate at this time for high-altitude research. Host: Wow. So 41 years in the boneyard. Does that mean it's just sitting somewhere completely unattended for 41 years? Harry Roberts: Yeah, they do some kind of essentially setting up so that way it can kind of go into this long-term storage, but they're, they probably don't anticipate that it's ever really going to get brought back. Host: Yeah. Harry Roberts: And if they do, it's in a much lesser capacity than what this one is actually operating at. It's definitely getting its work done. Host: Yeah, for sure. So you got new wings on it, like you said, but it's doing high-altitude flights. Is that the main purpose of it? Is it science? Is it training? Harry Roberts: So there's a lot of science. So they kind of, I think, originally, back in the early days of the WB, they were doing some research to identify whether or not this, the radiation levels up at that altitude, what they were like, and kind of, how do we get that information? How do we collect this data, right? And so you can actually go to the source, 60,000 feet, 65,000, and collect that information. Some of the cooler things that it's done is, during the solar eclipse, we had 2 of them that tracked right underneath the actual path of totality, and it was-- Host: Oh, that's awesome. Harry Roberts: To give the scientists back on Earth a little bit longer view, right, because in whatever particular spot you were on within that path, you had a very short window that you were actually able to observe the solar eclipse. But here-- Host: Right, in the totality, it was like 2 minutes, right? Harry Roberts: Right. Host: Yeah. Harry Roberts: Yeah. But here we were able to track it, and we had 1 aircraft essentially separated by a couple miles on side that, on that path, and as it traveled along that path, we're able to kind of monitor and capture all the data, so it was pretty interesting. Host: So how long were you able to extend your total amount of time in-- Harry Roberts: I think it was-- Host: Totality? Harry Roberts: About 8 minutes, which is-- Host: Eight minutes? Harry Roberts: Pretty good, yeah. Host: Yeah, quadruple. Harry Roberts: Yeah, and some of the other things. So after the shuttle accident with the Columbia, they were able to identify, hey, this was something that happened when the space shuttle was already on its way up during the ascent. So we couldn't actually see what fell off the space shuttle, and we couldn't see how it impacted. So what they came up with is they're like, hey, we're going to put some cameras on this aircraft, and we can fly it at such an altitude that we can actually observe the space shuttle as it goes through its ascent, and then gather that information, see if there's anything going on that we might not be able to identify initially. So we'd have that information right after launch as opposed to having to wait until, you know, during reentry. Host: So after return to flight after Columbia, you were flying WB-57's out at launch at Kennedy. Harry Roberts: Correct. Host: Oh, okay. And observing, oh, I guess you had a lot of time, right, because you were flying high-altitude planes, so you had some, you had a good view for quite some time until it passed 60,000, I guess. Harry Roberts: Yeah. Host: Or maybe even beyond that? Could it tilt up? I don't know where the camera was. Harry Roberts: Well, it can tilt up, but I'm, you're still not going to be able to look down at it once it passes you, but you can-- Host: Oh, yeah. Harry Roberts: Still see it's going to give you a much better view than, you know, because at that point, the atmosphere is so thin, so it gives you a much better, unobstructed view of kind of the space [inaudible] that point. Host: So it was pretty operational for a while after return to flight. It was used for shuttle missions, and you got some cool science opportunities there that you can do. What else can the, is the WB-57 used for? Is it a trainer aircraft at all where astronauts are getting suited up inside? Harry Roberts: So some of the astronauts have gotten suited up in it, and that's-- Host: Oh. Harry Roberts: Just to kind of, you know, see what the pressure suit environment is going to be like and see all that stuff as opposed to, again, it just gives you a different simulation, right. They can go to the NBL, but it's going to be a little bit different to put on that suit and be in a situation like that. So some of the astronauts have gotten in it and had the opportunity to kind of go and fly, so it's been pretty cool for them. Host: Wow, yeah. What are the, have you ridden in it? Harry Roberts: No. Host: Oh, man. [laughs] You should. You're-- Harry Roberts: Yeah. Host: Leading the charge. You go, oh, hey, I got to do this for research purposes, right? Harry Roberts: Absolutely, yeah. Research purposes. Host: Well, what do the astronauts say about it? What do they take away from it? Harry Roberts: It's just a unique opportunity and experience to kind of get that feeling ahead of time, right. There's always that opportunity where you're going to sit in the seat, and there's no time like game time, essentially. But this provides you the opportunity to kind of do it before you get there. So it provides them a little bit of a foundation to kind of build off of. Host: I see, okay. I've seen some suit-up activities. It's pretty cool what the pilots have to do to actually get prepared to go in a WB-57. They actually sit down, and you have some, I don't know, technicians or some experts who are there helping you to put the gloves on, and put the helmet on, and make sure everything is sealed, and then you get, like, this little, looks like a suitcase, I think, but it's, is it your oxygen, or the pressure itself, or-- Harry Roberts: Yeah, so it's circulating the oxygen with-- Host: Yeah. Harry Roberts: Inside the suit. So the aviation life support system guys are there helping them get suited, put it all on, make sure that the system checks out. They actually do a pressure check. So they inflate the suit to make sure that there's no leaks. And then, they actually take all the air out. So that way, they can say, hey, are you still able to breathe off of the oxygen that's being supplied to you at this point? And then, after they, they walk to the aircraft. That system that they're carrying with them is actually kind of 2 piece in that it allows them to have circulation while they're out there because, as you know, during the summertime here in Houston, it gets really warm. [laughs] So even though we'll take them in a truck, and drive them to the aircraft, and get them inside as quickly as possible, it can still get pretty hot in that suit. So they definitely want to keep that as cool as possible. Host: Oh, I can imagine. I've actually seen them, in order to take a drink in the pressure suit, they, it's different because it's not like you can just pull back your mask and start sucking away at the drink bag. They actually have a straw that they put through the helmet, right. And it's like that's how they get it through their pressure suit. Harry Roberts: Yep. Host: Yeah, that's interesting way to take a drink, but, yeah, I guess if you're cool and you need some, or you're hot and you need a way to cool off, that's a good way to do it. Another aircraft that is particularly interesting is one called the Super Guppy. So what's this one? Harry Roberts: So the Super Guppy is kind of an amalgamation of a bunch of different aircraft. So essentially, what they did is they had a problem, and we have to transport these various pieces of equipment, and it started back in the early capsule days. They're like, how do we get this stuff from where it is now kind of all over the country back to, you know, either Kennedy, or Houston, or something like that to do the science and the research on it and also put it all together? And so they kind of came up with this aircraft, and it's just various pieces of a bunch of different aircrafts that they assembled together, and they said, okay, this is, you know, what we're going to go with. And now, you have the Super Guppy, and it's [laughs] -- this is the last of I think 4 Super Guppies that they built. So it is, again, another old aircraft, but it's proven extremely useful, and it's been huge. I mean, it's already provided mission support for EM-1. Next week, it's going to deliver some components for EM-2. So yeah. That's one of the things I've had to learn here is the acronyms. So it moved the Multipurpose Crew Vehicle Stage Adapter last week for EM-1, and now it's going to move the heat shield skin for EM-2 next week. Host: Okay, so the purpose of this aircraft -- and you said it's like a amalgamation I think was the word you used -- of several different aircraft. And I'm imagining, if you were to imagine like the central tube of a -- and I'm not good with aircraft terms, so just, you know, stay with me [laughs] -- it's the central tube of a aircraft, it's like the front is just kind of blown up like a balloon almost, right. So it looks like a flying manatee. I don't know. [laughs] Harry Roberts: Yeah. Host: I don't know what's a good comparison. Harry Roberts: That's probably good, yeah, because it's -- the replacement aircraft for that is called the Super Beluga. Host: Super Beluga. [laughs] Harry Roberts: So I guess manatee would be pretty good. No, essentially-- Host: Oh, a beluga whale. Harry Roberts: What they did is, so the fuselage-- Host: Fuselage. There it is. Harry Roberts: Is, yeah, the fuselage is going to be the main tube portion, and then, essentially, what they did is the upper top portion of the fuselage, they kind of expanded it as well as elongated it. So that way, it would kind of fit whatever was going to be in there. I think it's about 25 feet in diameter inside. We can actually fit all sorts of different things. So they do more than just move various components of, like, Orion around. They actually move around T-38's that are broken and-- Host: Whoa. Harry Roberts: If it's broken beyond the point that it can actually fly, then we can actually load it up in the Super Guppy and then move it to wherever we're going to do our long-term maintenance on it. It's moved an MB-22 fuselage, which is the Marine Corps and Air Force's Osprey aircraft, the tiltrotor aircraft. Host: Yeah. Harry Roberts: So that fuselage, it's moved that. So it's done quite a few different things, but-- Host: Osprey's a cool aircraft, right. That's the one that sort of takes off like a helicopter, and then propellers move from the top sort of forward-- Harry Roberts: Right. Host: And you can turn it pretty much into a plane. It's like a hybrid helicopter plane. It's a pretty cool aircraft. So you pretty much, the benefit of the Super Guppy is it's got such this weird shape that you can put stuff inside and transport it that wouldn't fit inside of another aircraft. That's the benefit of it. Harry Roberts: Right. It's not going to fit inside of another aircraft or it would take too long or be too much of a pain or a hassle to kind of facilitate moving it on any kind of traditional rail or, you know, road, kind of logistical means. So-- Host: Yeah. Harry Roberts: Or it would just be too dangerous, or maybe they don't want to move it because it's too high value of an asset to have it be-- Host: Yeah. Harry Roberts: Out on the road, right. So they'll go ahead and put it in the Super Guppy and then move it that way. Host: Yeah. If you're taking about like a expensive space piece of equipment, one that's certified for flight, you don't want to start over from the beginning if it gets a couple scratches on the rail. You want to put it into this nice aircraft that's going -- you know that this thing is going to transport it efficiently and safely to its destination. That makes a lot of sense. Harry Roberts: Yep. Host: Yeah. Like you said, for high-value stuff. So I'm guessing -- a lot of these aircraft that we're talking about are relatively old, right? The T-38, the Super Guppy, the WB-57 -- all these older aircraft that you constantly have to maintain. So how do you make sure that they are ready to fly? Harry Roberts: So again, you know, it's just a brilliant maintenance team that does a lot of the heavy lifting on that aspect. So the Super Guppy resides out in El Paso typically when it's not here in Houston or out supporting other missions. And out there, they're doing the maintenance to kind of get it ready. And then, also, being out in El Paso, the dry desert climate kind of makes it a little bit easier on the aircraft. Older aircraft in particular like to, like that environment a lot better than they, the humidity of, say, Houston. Host: Yeah. So I'm imagining if you leave like a bicycle out here in Houston, you get like a matter of time before the chains rust. [laughs] So, okay, it's the same thing with aircraft. So you got all these old aircraft. Are those, is that the primary aircraft that you have here, or is there more that maybe you've had and have since gone? I know one of them was actually the C-9 I think was one of them. Harry Roberts: Right, so the C-9, which was utilized for zero-gravity training. Host: Yeah. Harry Roberts: And then, before that, we had a KC-135, and they utilized that to support the, they called that one the vomit comet, right, so that's where that name came from. And that was just to do various parabolas out over the water, and they would simulate zero-g, they would simulate lunar gravity. So they could do different things and essentially allow the astronauts opportunity to kind of get some exposure to that kind of environment as opposed to having to wait until they got in space to actually experience it. So it's pretty interesting. Host: Yeah, learned how to move around. I did have the pleasure of riding on -- I don't think it was the C-9 -- but it was when the education office was doing microgravity flights for students. That was the program that they had a while back. I think it was called Reduced Gravity Program. I actually was an intern there and got to ride with my mentor, who was in charge of the program because I had been helping along with it. Unbelievable experience, and it is so weird to try to get used to it. But what's interesting is, so the, it does this parabolic flight where it goes up, and it's at like the peak of that parabola that you experience zero gravity. And then, when you go down, you experience 2 g's. And it's, you're experiencing zero gravity for only like a couple seconds at a time. And we did I think 30, 32, I think it was 32 parabolas. I did not, it did not take long for me to sort of get adjusted. It's incredible how quickly the body can adjust to a completely new environment, something that is never experienced before. Harry Roberts: Yeah. Host: Pretty cool stuff. Harry Roberts: Yeah, so when I used to fly just experiencing, you know, different kinds of g levels at whatever time in the aircraft, it was always pretty astounding to me and how my body quickly adapted. Host: Yeah. Harry Roberts: And how there would be things that I'd be doing inside the aircraft that I was like, oh, wow, I can't believe we were just, you know, at 5 g's at that particular moment, and now my body was acting and reacting in a normal capacity as opposed to any other time, where you're just walking around on Earth in a 1-g environment. So it was pretty interesting. Host: So are you a pilot too, or did you just ride on the aircraft when you were experiencing this? Harry Roberts: So I was a, before coming to NASA, I was actually in the military for 11 years. I served in the United States Marine Corps as a naval flight officer. Host: All right. Harry Roberts: And so I was on the EA-6B Prowler, and I got to do that for a couple years. And then, after that, I taught at flight school down in Navy Pensacola, so it's been pretty interesting for me. Host: Okay, so you -- what's the Prowler? What's that aircraft? Harry Roberts: The EA-6B Prowler is an electronic attack aircraft. Host: Okay. Harry Roberts: So its essential and primary mission was to deny and delay the enemy's use of the electromagnetic spectrum. Host: What? [laughs] Harry Roberts: Yeah. Host: That's straight-up sci-fi, man. Harry Roberts: After that, it gets pretty complicated, so. Host: [laughs] Okay. We'll just stop there. Okay, pretty cool. So you experienced a lot of different forces on your body during some of those flights. Five g's -- that's got to feel pretty intense. Harry Roberts: Yeah. So when you're kind of experiencing it, you don't really notice it. Host: Really? Harry Roberts: There's this one time that we actually pulled more than 5 g's, and I had no idea. The adrenaline was rushing so much at that point that I didn't even really notice it. And then, there was another time that I remember I was kind of had my arms on the canopy rail, and I looked away for a second, and it was at that moment that the aircraft turned, we initiated a pretty strong pull, we pulled about 7 g's, and I was like, okay, no big problem. And later that day, my wife was asking me, she was like, "Hey, where's that bruise on your arm, where did that come from?" And I had to think about it for a second, and then I remembered where I had my arms, there was a little lever there, and so that level had actually put an indention into my arm and caused it to bruise after that 7 g's, so. Host: Oh, wow, because it was 7 g's of force being applied to your side right there. Harry Roberts: Yep. Host: And you didn't even know it. Harry Roberts: I had no idea. Host: [laughs] How does it sort of feel like? How would you describe the feeling of extra g's? For those who haven't ridden on a plane. I've felt 2 g's. I mean, you could probably compare it to like a roller coaster ride or something, but the feeling of having additional gravitational forces on your body. Harry Roberts: Probably say you don't notice it too, too much because you're typically sitting down, and you're not going to notice it a whole lot until you try and maneuver or move some kind of appendage on your body. Then, that's when you notice. You're like, oh, wow, my head feels very, very heavy right now. [laughs] Or, why does it feel like my arm is lifting a 60-pound weight so I can press this button? It's at that point that you actually start to recognize it, and you're like, oh, wow, this is kind of painful. And then, before you know it, it's over, usually, so. Host: I guess looking straight is probably a good method whenever you're flying and experiencing these g's. I imagine if you're turning your head just left to right or up and down and trying to look over -- I know, I mean, I, just doing like a roller coaster ride, one of the many reasons I probably couldn't be an astronaut/pilot is I get terrible motion sickness. So even like turning over to the side would be, I guess with those gravitation forces, would sort of induce nausea to a point. Harry Roberts: It can, but, again, you know, you're talking about how the body reacts and kind of adapts-- Host: Yeah. Harry Roberts: Pretty quickly. Once you get used to that environment, it becomes kind of second nature to you, and you get used to it pretty quickly. A lot of the training that we do is to kind of prepare your body for those kinds of things. So we incorporate that into the various training aspects. We do a centrifuge training, and they're used to, one of the sets in there is you actually turn your head to the left, and you are anticipating there's going to be some kind of gravitational force. And it goes basically from 0 to about 6 and a half, upwards of I want to say almost 9 g's. And then, at that point, you're supposed to be able to execute the Hick maneuver in order to maintain consciousness as well as keep the blood inside of your upper body as well as inside of your brain. And then, after that, you're like, oh, okay. You start to learn how to deal with all these different things and how to kind of operate within that environment as opposed to, you know, just being, having it slammed into you immediately on day 1. So we kind of baby step people through those processes. Host: What's that maneuver? You said the Hick maneuver? Is that what you said? Harry Roberts: Hick maneuver, yeah. So essentially, you're squeezing all your lower extremities in order to keep the blood from just pooling in your feet. And then, you're also kind of adjusting the way you breathe and essentially making a "hick" sound. And that's closing off your throat and kind of the, all the main arteries that run up to your brain. So that way, you can squeeze that blood back into your brain. Host: Wow, you're literally forcing, okay, you're forcing the blood up. How do you squeeze your legs? Are you doing it with your hands, or are you just, like, flexing? Harry Roberts: You're just flexing. So you're taught to kind, like, squeeze from the bottom up. So you'll squeeze your calf muscles and your thighs, your glutes, and then you'll just try and keep all that as tense as possible. And then, while you're doing that, you're doing the Hick maneuver. So in addition to kind of keeping that blood flow up inside of your brain, you're also keeping the air inside of your body because it's a huge exertion on behalf of whatever that individual is to kind of do all these things. So you have to hold all that air because it's real easy to kind of let it all out because we're just used to breathing in a 1-g environment, right? And now, [inaudible]. So you kind of have to monitor that, maintain it. Otherwise, it can be lights out real quick. Host: I can see how you would probably want to practice that maneuver and get pretty good at because in the event that you would need to pull a serious amount of g's -- I know in the future, one of the things they're looking at is, for example, talking about Orion, you already hinted at EM-1, EM-2, some of these Orion missions, for crew flights, they're going to have an abort system on top. And you're already on top of the largest rocket in the world, the Space Launch System. But then, if you want to escape the largest rocket in the world, you have to have a really, a lot of force in a very short amount of time that's going to pull you away, and you're going to experience some significant g's there. So I can see how if you, in an abort scenario particularly, you would really want to master that technique. I know while you were describing what you had to do, I almost passed out. So the fact that I'm talking right now is pretty amazing. [laughter] So we got aircraft operations at Ellington Field, and while we're on the top of just Ellington and Johnson Space Center, kind of to give the whole perspective of what's going on here in Houston because I don't think we've talked about it before on the podcast, I don't think. Yeah, so we got the Johnson Space Center, which is next Clear Lake, right. Then, we got a little bit more northish is Ellington Field. But we also have something called the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, right? Harry Roberts: Right. Host: Which is pretty close to Ellington Field. Harry Roberts: Yeah. I'd probably say it's kind of in between the both of us. So like from the flight line over to Ellington, you can kind of look over and see on site. It'd be a lot quicker if I could just walk across probably as opposed to driving over here. But, yeah, you can see the Neutral Buoyancy Lab, and then the rest of some of the buildings are kind of faint in the distance. But, yeah, you can definitely see it out there. Host: Yeah, and that's, the, I guess you can call it the giant pool. Harry Roberts: Yes. Harry Roberts: And that's where they simulate extravehicular activities, suiting up in a space suit, and going for a space walk. Full-scale markups in the pool. You can pretty much get a feeling. Just like you can get a feeling for g's and get a feeling for this flight simulation sort of feeling within the T-38, you can get a feeling for what it's going to be like to do a space walk in the pool. That's probably one of the best simulators we have for what the actual thing is going to be like. And I think White Sands Test Facility is also part of the story, right? Host: Yeah, but I would have to kind of do a little bit more research to kind of get the information on that one. Harry Roberts: Me too. Yeah, we'll have to bring someone on to talk about that, but that's sort of the, I think that's, that pretty much is Johnson Space Center. It's mainly those facilities and probably a couple other things here and there. But everyone working together for human spaceflight, pretty much. So you said you had a military background. What other sort of, I guess most of the [laughs] flight instructors and folks out at Ellington are going to have some sort of military or pilot background, right? Host: Right. So as far as the research pilots, we typically recruit those individuals who have had a experience, 1, in a jet aircraft, and then, 2, as an instructor because it's going to be their primary role and function. Every one of our research pilots goes on to eventually become some kind of other pilot in addition to that, whether it's on the WB, or the Gulfstream, or the Super Guppy. Harry Roberts: Yeah. Host: But, yeah, we typically recruit military pilots to be the research pilots out of there, so it's probably one of the few opportunities that you get to fly after the military in a jet aircraft and get to do a lot of the things that you did before, so. Harry Roberts: So is there elements of collaboration? Because we're not the only NASA center that has aircrafts. Like, there's actually I think Armstrong Spaceflight Center over at Edwards Air Face in, Edwards Air Base, there it is, in California. They have some aircrafts out there too. Is there elements of collaboration there? Host: Yeah, so, actually, the Glenn Research Center, they just came down with a T-34, which is a turboprop aircraft, and were able to get some of the astronauts in there, and simulate some spin training, and then get them the opportunity to kind of sit in the front seat and experience what it's like to fly from the front because it's a little bit easier to maneuver and fly in that particular aircraft. And then, we also have, we're going to interact with Armstrong. We're going to help support them. They're going to bring down some Hornets to do the quiet sonic boom technology. They're going to be part of that development, so we're going to be helping them and supporting in that role. Host: Quiet sonic boom, that's pretty cool. Harry Roberts: It's, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense when you say it out loud, but then-- Host: [laughs] Quiet sonic thump, maybe? Harry Roberts: Yeah, so that's the idea is-- Host: Yeah. Harry Roberts: Turning a sonic boom into a sonic thump, right. Host: Yeah. Harry Roberts: And then, 1, facilitate travel kind of across the United States commercially with that technology, but also, as far as spaceflight, right. If you got to see the audio from SpaceX when they landed those 2 rockets simultaneously-- Host: Oh, yeah. Harry Roberts: There was actually a pretty loud sonic boom whenever they came back. You could hear it in one of the videos that I saw. So, you know, developing all that stuff, it's going to be key for future exploration in flight like that, especially since you're going to bring it back to the United States. Host: That's right. Yeah, that'd be cool if supersonic flight can be just a little bit quieter. I mean, I would love to go to Europe in, like, 2 hours. That would be pretty cool. [laughs] Harry Roberts: Yeah, I'm sure everybody would love that. Host: Yeah. [laughs] That'd be pretty great. All right, well, Harry, thank you so much for coming on the podcast and sort of telling the story of this aeronautics element to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Appreciate you coming on. Harry Roberts: Thanks for having me. [ Music ] Host: Hey, thanks for sticking around. So today we talked about aircraft operations and the Ellington Field part. That is the whole story of the NASA Johnson Space Center. I don't think we've addressed this on a previous episode, but we just sort of label it as an episode because it kind of helps us keep track of how many we've done so we can brag about it later. But really, you don't really have to listen to them in order. So there's a lot of other topics that you can cover on Houston We Have a Podcast. We talk to a lot of different people -- astronauts, scientists, engineers, flight directors, flight controllers, pilots -- all these different, cool people with honestly amazingly stories, amazing stories. So you can go back and listen to any episode in any order. Otherwise, there's plenty of other NASA podcasts you can listen to. We got Gravity Assist out at headquarters hosted by Dr. Jim Green that's about planetary science and our friends over at Ames Research Center for the NASA in Silicon Valley Podcast. They talk about the some of the research that goes aboard the International Space Station. On social media, you can follow the NASA Johnson Space Center accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can use the hashtag #asknasa on one of those platforms to submit an idea or maybe a question for the podcast, and maybe we'll turn it into an entire episode or maybe even answer it in the beginning for a future episode. So this podcast was recorded on April 10th, 2018 thanks to Alex Perryman, Kelly Humphries, Lori Wheaton, Pat Ryan, Bill Stafford, and Brandi Dean. And thanks again to Mr. Harry Roberts for coming on the show. We'll be back next week.

Gaze-controlled, computer-assisted communication in Intensive Care Unit: "speaking through the eyes".

PubMed

Maringelli, F; Brienza, N; Scorrano, F; Grasso, F; Gregoretti, C

2013-02-01

The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that a gaze-controlled communication system (eye tracker, ET) can improve communication processes between completely dysarthric ICU patients and the hospital staff, in three main domains: 1) basic communication processes (i.e., fundamental needs, desire, and wishes); 2) the ability of the medical staff to understand the clinical condition of the patient; and 3) the level of frustration experienced by patient, nurses and physicians. Fifteen fully conscious medical and surgical patients, 8 physicians, and 15 nurses were included in the study. The experimental procedure was composed by three phases: in phase 1 all groups completed the preintervention questionnaire; in phase 2 the ET was introduced and tested as a communication device; in phase 3 all groups completed the postintervention questionnaire. Patients preintervention questionnaires showed remarkable communication deficits, without any group effect. Answers of physicians and nurses were pretty much similar to the one of patients. Postintervention questionnaires showed in all groups a remarkable and statistically significant improvement in different communication domains, as well as a remarkable decrease of anxiety and disphoric thought. Improvement was also reported by physicians and nurses in their ability to understand patient's clinical conditions. Our results show an improvement in the quality of the examined parameters. Better communication processes seem also to lead to improvements in several psychological parameters, namely anxiety and drop-out depression perceived by both patients and medical staff. Further controlled studies are needed to define the ET role in ICU.

Mapping the Structure and Dynamics of Genomics-Related MeSH Terms Complex Networks

PubMed Central

Siqueiros-García, Jesús M.; Hernández-Lemus, Enrique; García-Herrera, Rodrigo; Robina-Galatas, Andrea

2014-01-01

It has been proposed that the history and evolution of scientific ideas may reflect certain aspects of the underlying socio-cognitive frameworks in which science itself is developing. Systematic analyses of the development of scientific knowledge may help us to construct models of the collective dynamics of science. Aiming at scientific rigor, these models should be built upon solid empirical evidence, analyzed with formal tools leading to ever-improving results that support the related conclusions. Along these lines we studied the dynamics and structure of the development of research in genomics as represented by the entire collection of genomics-related scientific papers contained in the PubMed database. The analyzed corpus consisted in more than 49,000 articles published in the years 1987 (first appeareance of the term Genomics) to 2011, categorized by means of the Medical Subheadings (MeSH) content-descriptors. Complex networks were built where two MeSH terms were connected if they are descriptors of the same article(s). The analysis of such networks revealed a complex structure and dynamics that to certain extent resembled small-world networks. The evolution of such networks in time reflected interesting phenomena in the historical development of genomic research, including what seems to be a phase-transition in a period marked by the completion of the first draft of the Human Genome Project. We also found that different disciplinary areas have different dynamic evolution patterns in their MeSH connectivity networks. In the case of areas related to science, changes in topology were somewhat fast while retaining a certain core-stucture, whereas in the humanities, the evolution was pretty slow and the structure resulted highly redundant and in the case of technology related issues, the evolution was very fast and the structure remained tree-like with almost no overlapping terms. PMID:24699262

The comparison of species longevity and size evolution in fossilized dinosaurs vs. fossilized mammals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baeza, E.; Srinath, A.; Hernandez, A.; Heim, N.; Payne, J.

2016-12-01

For over 200 million years, two animal groups have been competing for dominance over Earth: the reptiles, (in this case, dinosaurs), and the mammals. At the beginning of the Triassic, mammals were small, rat-like creatures that were dwarfed by the dinosaurs. Dinosaurs progressively continued to grow larger throughout the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, thus outweighing and outliving the current mammals. But at the end of the Cretaceous, the K-T mass extinction occurred, and that wiped out the dinosaurs from the face of the Earth. After the disappearance of dinosaurs, mammals started to grow larger to fill the niches that the dinosaurs left open. With this evolution in mammals, would they be able to match or even beat the dinosaur's previous records? To judge that, we need to utilize two significant factors to help judge our answer. The two factors that set them apart were body mass and longevity. Documenting the body mass shows us how much the animal weighed compared to other species. The heaviest animal in our data set weighed 77 tons. The other factor is longevity, which indicates how long a certain species has existed on a geologic time scale. The longest living animal species in our data set lived for over 20 million years. With all the data we have analyzed, we have conducted research on this subject to find out how terrestrial mammals contrasted dinosaurs in the terms of body mass and species longevity. Our research brought us to the conclusion that mammals could not overtake the body mass and longevity of dinosaurs. Although mammals came pretty close to overlapping the dinosaurs' body masses, they were just below them marginally. We had a similar pattern in longevity, where we found out that heavier animals tended to have longer longevity, therefore the dinosaurs came out on top. Additionally, we did another contrast between Mesozoic and Cenozoic mammals, where Cenozoic mammals were larger, but both had similar longevities.

Transforming the patient experience in radiation therapy.

PubMed

Jarvis, J Andrew

2003-01-01

Healthcare providers are paying more attention to behavioral neuroscience research that confirms what patients intuitively know: physical environments deeply influence one's sense of well being. Recognizing the importance of comforting environments, healthcare providers have been working with architects to design new facilities around the patient's experience. This doesn't mean that functional and technical considerations are unimportant; it's just that the patient's experience comes first. The patient is the most important user of a healthcare facility, and yet is the only user not sitting at the table during design meetings. For this reason, some healthcare providers work with their architects to develop the conceptual design from the patient's standpoint before seeking detailed staff input. Many indignities experienced by patients may be unwittingly imposed by caring and dedicated professional staff. Medical clutter, waste containers, water coolers, coffee makers, personal displays and decorations add up to create a distressing level of visual chaos. Departments are required to eliminate clutter and maintain a calm, pleasing environment. Employees appreciate a well-designed physical environment, too. Facilities that reduce stress for patients have the same impact on staff, alleviating tension as they care for patients. Putting the patient's experience first need not add capital construction cost to a project. Rearranging spaces for the sake of the patient adds no more to floor area. Added windows, skylights and interior finishes can add cost, but the incremental cost of these amenities is small in proportion to the total project cost. Facilities project powerful visual dues about an institution's values. Providers who carefully plan for a positive patient experience traditionally enjoy strong reputations and exceptional customer loyalty. These providers know that good design is not simply wrapping a pretty facade around a building or decorating the lobby. Good design is the careful orchestration of uplifting and encouraging experiences for patients throughout their entire visit. For providers who achieve this, architecture becomes evidence that they put their patients first.

Turbulent Plume Dispersion over Two-dimensional Idealized Urban Street Canyons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wong, C. C. C.; Liu, C. H.

2012-04-01

Human activities are the primary pollutant sources which degrade the living quality in the current era of dense and compact cities. A simple and reasonably accurate pollutant dispersion model is helpful to reduce pollutant concentrations in city or neighborhood scales by refining architectural design or urban planning. The conventional method to estimate the pollutant concentration from point/line sources is the Gaussian plume model using empirical dispersion coefficients. Its accuracy is pretty well for applying to rural areas. However, the dispersion coefficients only account for the atmospheric stability and streamwise distance that often overlook the roughness of urban surfaces. Large-scale buildings erected in urban areas significantly modify the surface roughness that in turn affects the pollutant transport in the urban canopy layer (UCL). We hypothesize that the aerodynamic resistance is another factor governing the dispersion coefficient in the UCL. This study is thus conceived to study the effects of urban roughness on pollutant dispersion coefficients and the plume behaviors. Large-eddy simulations (LESs) are carried out to examine the plume dispersion from a ground-level pollutant source over idealized 2D street canyons in neutral stratification. Computations with a wide range of aspect ratios (ARs), including skimming flow to isolated flow regimes, are conducted. The vertical profiles of pollutant distribution for different values of friction factor are compared that all reach a self-similar Gaussian shape. Preliminary results show that the pollutant dispersion is closely related to the friction factor. For relatively small roughness, the factors of dispersion coefficient vary linearly with the friction factor until the roughness is over a certain level. When the friction factor is large, its effect on the dispersion coefficient is less significant. Since the linear region covers at least one-third of the full range of friction factor in our empirical analysis, urban roughness is a major factor for dispersion coefficient. The downstream air quality could then be a function of both atmospheric stability and urban roughness.

Effects on Calculated Half-Widths and Shifts from the Line Coupling for Asymmetric-Top Molecules

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ma, Q.; Boulet, C.; Tipping, R. H.

2014-01-01

The refinement of the Robert-Bonamy formalism by considering the line coupling for linear molecules developed in our previous studies [Q. Ma, C. Boulet, and R. H. Tipping, J. Chem. Phys. 139, 034305 (2013); 140, 104304 (2014)] have been extended to asymmetric-top molecules. For H2O immersed in N2 bath, the line coupling selection rules applicable for the pure rotational band to determine whether two specified lines are coupled or not are established. Meanwhile, because the coupling strengths are determined by relative importance of off-diagonal matrix elements versus diagonal elements of the operator -iS1 -S2, quantitative tools are developed with which one is able to remove weakly coupled lines from consideration. By applying these tools, we have found that within reasonable tolerances, most of the H2O lines in the pure rotational band are not coupled. This reflects the fact that differences of energy levels of the H2O states are pretty large. But, there are several dozen strongly coupled lines and they can be categorized into different groups such that the line couplings occur only within the same groups. In practice, to identify those strongly coupled lines and to confine them into sub-linespaces are crucial steps in considering the line coupling. We have calculated half-widths and shifts for some groups, including the line coupling. Based on these calculations, one can conclude that for most of the H2O lines, it is unnecessary to consider the line coupling. However, for several dozens of lines, effects on the calculated half-widths from the line coupling are small, but remain noticeable and reductions of calculated half-widths due to including the line coupling could reach to 5%. Meanwhile, effects on the calculated shifts are very significant and variations of calculated shifts could be as large as 25%.

Effects on calculated half-widths and shifts from the line coupling for asymmetric-top molecules

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

Ma, Q.; Boulet, C.; Tipping, R. H.

2014-06-28

The refinement of the Robert-Bonamy formalism by considering the line coupling for linear molecules developed in our previous studies [Q. Ma, C. Boulet, and R. H. Tipping, J. Chem. Phys. 139, 034305 (2013); 140, 104304 (2014)] have been extended to asymmetric-top molecules. For H{sub 2}O immersed in N{sub 2} bath, the line coupling selection rules applicable for the pure rotational band to determine whether two specified lines are coupled or not are established. Meanwhile, because the coupling strengths are determined by relative importance of off-diagonal matrix elements versus diagonal elements of the operator −iS{sub 1} − S{sub 2}, quantitative toolsmore » are developed with which one is able to remove weakly coupled lines from consideration. By applying these tools, we have found that within reasonable tolerances, most of the H{sub 2}O lines in the pure rotational band are not coupled. This reflects the fact that differences of energy levels of the H{sub 2}O states are pretty large. But, there are several dozen strongly coupled lines and they can be categorized into different groups such that the line couplings occur only within the same groups. In practice, to identify those strongly coupled lines and to confine them into sub-linespaces are crucial steps in considering the line coupling. We have calculated half-widths and shifts for some groups, including the line coupling. Based on these calculations, one can conclude that for most of the H{sub 2}O lines, it is unnecessary to consider the line coupling. However, for several dozens of lines, effects on the calculated half-widths from the line coupling are small, but remain noticeable and reductions of calculated half-widths due to including the line coupling could reach to 5%. Meanwhile, effects on the calculated shifts are very significant and variations of calculated shifts could be as large as 25%.« less

Licit and illicit drugs in a wastewater treatment plant in Verona, Italy.

PubMed

Repice, Carla; Dal Grande, Mario; Maggi, Roberto; Pedrazzani, Roberta

2013-10-01

The occurrence of 12 active substances among licit and illicit drugs was investigated over a 2 week period inflowing and outflowing in an activated sludge wastewater treatment plant in the city of Verona, Northern Italy. Chemical analyses were performed by means of on-line solid phase extraction coupled to high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in order to minimize sample pre-treatment. Quantifiable concentrations, up to hundreds of ng/L, were detected in influent and in effluent only for carbamazepine, codeine and benzoylecgonine. Such values are in accordance with literature data, so as removal efficiencies: it was observed that there was pretty much no abatement for carbamazepine, while average removal percentages of about 60% and 90% were calculated for codeine and benzoylecgonine, respectively. These results provide useful information (also concerning some active principles never or rarely detected, up to now, such as lormetazepam) for integrated water cycle managing, also taking into account the specific characteristics of the receiving water basin. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Efforts to Handle Waste through Science, Environment, Technology and Society (SETS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahmawati, D.; Rahman, T.; Amprasto, A.

2017-09-01

This research to identify the attempt to deal with the waste through a learning SETS to facilitate troubleshooting and environmentally conscious high school students. The research method is weak experiment, with the design of the study “The One-group pretest-Posttest Design”. The population used in this study is an entire senior high school class in Ciamis Regency of Indonesia many as 10 classes totaling 360 students. The sample used in this study were 1 class. Data collected through pretest and posttest to increase problem-solving skills and environmental awareness of students. Instruments used in this research is to test the ability to solve the problem on the concept of Pollution and Environmental Protection, in the form of essays by 15 matter, the attitude scale questionnaire of 28 statements. The analysis N-gain average showed that the SETS problem-solving skills and environmental awareness of students in the medium category. In addition, students’ creativity in finding out pretty good waste management by creating products that are aesthetically valuable and economic appropriately.

An Ada programming support environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tyrrill, AL; Chan, A. David

1986-01-01

The toolset of an Ada Programming Support Environment (APSE) being developed at North American Aircraft Operations (NAAO) of Rockwell International, is described. The APSE is resident on three different hosts and must support developments for the hosts and for embedded targets. Tools and developed software must be freely portable between the hosts. The toolset includes the usual editors, compilers, linkers, debuggers, configuration magnagers, and documentation tools. Generally, these are being supplied by the host computer vendors. Other tools, for example, pretty printer, cross referencer, compilation order tool, and management tools were obtained from public-domain sources, are implemented in Ada and are being ported to the hosts. Several tools being implemented in-house are of interest, these include an Ada Design Language processor based on compilable Ada. A Standalone Test Environment Generator facilitates test tool construction and partially automates unit level testing. A Code Auditor/Static Analyzer permits the Ada programs to be evaluated against measures of quality. An Ada Comment Box Generator partially automates generation of header comment boxes.

Security, privacy, and confidentiality issues on the Internet

PubMed Central

Kelly, Grant; McKenzie, Bruce

2002-01-01

We introduce the issues around protecting information about patients and related data sent via the Internet. We begin by reviewing three concepts necessary to any discussion about data security in a healthcare environment: privacy, confidentiality, and consent. We are giving some advice on how to protect local data. Authentication and privacy of e-mail via encryption is offered by Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) and Secure Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME). The de facto Internet standard for encrypting Web-based information interchanges is Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), more recently known as Transport Layer Security or TLS. There is a public key infrastructure process to `sign' a message whereby the private key of an individual can be used to `hash' the message. This can then be verified against the sender's public key. This ensures the data's authenticity and origin without conferring privacy, and is called a `digital signature'. The best protection against viruses is not opening e-mails from unknown sources or those containing unusual message headers. PMID:12554559

Schwannoma of the breast: an unexpected diagnosis by magnetic resonance.

PubMed

Solano Díaz, P; Hidalgo Martín, M T; Sánchez Cordero, M F; Soto Aguilar, M C

Schwannomas consist of benign tumors that arise from the nerves, however, they are not frequent in the breast. Our search criteria only found 28 cases described in Literature. We show the case about a 63 years old woman who underwent a breast magnetic resonance (MR) because of high risk for breast cancer, in which a lession on her left breast was found. Not only MR features seemed to be benign, but ultrasound and mamography features, too. The diagnosis of schwannoma was confirmed by ultrasound-guided biopsy. Findings in conventional radiology were correlated with those described in the reviewed literature. In our opinion, this case results valuable due to the inicial diagnosis by MR, which is not an imaging proof for bening tumors, innitially. According to the revised bibliography these features are pretty funny, as mamography and ultrasound, with histological findings, are the clues for the usual diagnosis. Copyright © 2017 SERAM. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

[Is there any deontology of accompanying people at the end of life?].

PubMed

Glorion, B

1999-01-01

The thought on ethics, enhances by accompanying patients or human-beings reaching end of life, belong to major themes which have for years been dealt with by philosophers and monks. The physicians, who by nature accompany and live with their patient this life period a sometimes close relationship, have conceived within deontology a wonderful expression of what ethics inspired them. Reading articles 37 and 38 of the Code of Ethics brings a clear, precise and qualified answer to the question raised by the title. We easily find out the main principles which would be the guideline to the doctor's behaviour coping with this situation: providing suitable and continue cares to maintain the quality of a life which comes to end, respecting dignity. Relieving suffers, morally assisting, comforting the family, knowing to limit the cares reasonably. The sensitive and human expression sums up pretty well the particularities essential to all (physicians, health professionals or volunteers) who have accepted this heavy task.

Preparation of antimicrobial fabric using magnesium-based PET masterbatch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Yimin; Wang, Ying; Sha, Lin; Zhao, Jiao

2017-12-01

The magnesium-based antimicrobial polyethylene terephthalate (PET) masterbatch (MAPM) was extruded from twin screw extruder by melting-and-mixing method, using magnesium-based antimicrobial agent (MAA) as the functional material for the first time. The magnesium-based antimicrobial fabric (MAPF) was prepared using MAPM and pure PET resin by high-speed melt-spinning technology and weaving technology for the first time. The materials used in this work were healthy to human body and friendly to environment. The characteristics of MAA, MAPM and MAPF were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). When the MAPM (MAA) content reached to 25 wt.% (5 wt.%) in MAPF, the MAA had excellent dispersion and compatibility in MAPF, and the MAPF had good physico-mechanical properties. Then the MAPF presented excellent spinnability and antimicrobial property against Escherichia coli (E. coli), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), Candida albicans (C. albicans) and Aspergillus niger (A. niger), with pretty good laundering durability.

Statistical analysis of NaOH pretreatment effects on sweet sorghum bagasse characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Putri, Ary Mauliva Hada; Wahyuni, Eka Tri; Sudiyani, Yanni

2017-01-01

We analyze the behavior of sweet sorghum bagasse characteristics before and after NaOH pretreatments by statistical analysis. These characteristics include the percentages of lignocellulosic materials and the degree of crystallinity. We use the chi-square method to get the values of fitted parameters, and then deploy student's t-test to check whether they are significantly different from zero at 99.73% confidence level (C.L.). We obtain, in the cases of hemicellulose and lignin, that their percentages after pretreatment decrease statistically. On the other hand, crystallinity does not possess similar behavior as the data proves that all fitted parameters in this case might be consistent with zero. Our statistical result is then cross examined with the observations from X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy, showing pretty good agreement. This result may indicate that the 10% NaOH pretreatment might not be sufficient in changing the crystallinity index of the sweet sorghum bagasse.

Raman and terahertz spectroscopical investigation of cocrystal formation process of piracetam and 3-hydroxybenzoic acid.

PubMed

Du, Yong; Zhang, Huili; Xue, Jiadan; Fang, Hongxia; Zhang, Qi; Xia, Yi; Li, Yafang; Hong, Zhi

2015-03-15

Cocrystallization can improve physical and chemical properties of active pharmaceutical ingredient, and this feature has great potential in pharmaceutical development. In this study, the cocrystal of piracetam and 3-hydroxybenzoic acid under grinding condition has been characterized by Raman and terahertz spectroscopical techniques. The major vibrational modes of individual starting components and cocrystal are obtained and assigned. Spectral results show that the vibrational modes of the cocrystal are different from those of the corresponding parent materials. The dynamic process of such pharmaceutical cocrystal formation has also been monitored directly with Raman and THz spectra. The formation rate is pretty fast in first several 20 min grinding time, and then it becomes slow. After ∼35 min, such process has been almost completed. These results offer us the unique means and benchmark for characterizing the cocrystal conformation from molecule-level and also provide us rich information about the reaction dynamic during cocrystal formation process in pharmaceutical fields. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Raman and terahertz spectroscopical investigation of cocrystal formation process of piracetam and 3-hydroxybenzoic acid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Yong; Zhang, Huili; Xue, Jiadan; Fang, Hongxia; Zhang, Qi; Xia, Yi; Li, Yafang; Hong, Zhi

2015-03-01

Cocrystallization can improve physical and chemical properties of active pharmaceutical ingredient, and this feature has great potential in pharmaceutical development. In this study, the cocrystal of piracetam and 3-hydroxybenzoic acid under grinding condition has been characterized by Raman and terahertz spectroscopical techniques. The major vibrational modes of individual starting components and cocrystal are obtained and assigned. Spectral results show that the vibrational modes of the cocrystal are different from those of the corresponding parent materials. The dynamic process of such pharmaceutical cocrystal formation has also been monitored directly with Raman and THz spectra. The formation rate is pretty fast in first several 20 min grinding time, and then it becomes slow. After ∼35 min, such process has been almost completed. These results offer us the unique means and benchmark for characterizing the cocrystal conformation from molecule-level and also provide us rich information about the reaction dynamic during cocrystal formation process in pharmaceutical fields.

The winding road to being a code monkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarahan, Michael

2017-09-01

I am now a software engineer at a company that provides data analytics services, and helps support the open source data science community. I have been a computer nerd for a very long time, but it was my CEU experience at Texas A&M with Sherry Yennello (2003-2005) that helped me put my nerd skills to productive use. My project then was simulation of pulse shape discrimination electronics, and it was an excellent introduction to core computational concerns, such as digitization: when you see a line on the screen, that's not really how the computer sees it. I wandered in graduate school through a chemistry program into using electron microscopes. My programming interest got me into image and signal processing, which led naturally to jobs in analyzing data, and also in acquiring data. Throughout, it was always difficult just to make software work. I got pretty good at making it work. That's what I do for a living now - package software so that it is easy for other people to do great science with.

On-the-Fly ab Initio Semiclassical Calculation of Glycine Vibrational Spectrum

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

We present an on-the-fly ab initio semiclassical study of vibrational energy levels of glycine, calculated by Fourier transform of the wavepacket correlation function. It is based on a multiple coherent states approach integrated with monodromy matrix regularization for chaotic dynamics. All four lowest-energy glycine conformers are investigated by means of single-trajectory semiclassical spectra obtained upon classical evolution of on-the-fly trajectories with harmonic zero-point energy. For the most stable conformer I, direct dynamics trajectories are also run for each vibrational mode with energy equal to the first harmonic excitation. An analysis of trajectories evolved up to 50 000 atomic time units demonstrates that, in this time span, conformers II and III can be considered as isolated species, while conformers I and IV show a pretty facile interconversion. Therefore, previous perturbative studies based on the assumption of isolated conformers are often reliable but might be not completely appropriate in the case of conformer IV and conformer I for which interconversion occurs promptly. PMID:28489368

Moriond QCD 2013 Experimental Summary

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

Denisov, Dmitri

2013-06-28

The article presents experimental highlights of Moriond 2013 QCD conference. This was fantastic conference and the first Moriond QCD since the discovery of the Higgs boson. Many new results about its properties have been presented at the conference with Higgs-like particle becoming a Higgs as it properties match expected for the Higgs boson pretty well. There were many new results presented in all experimental areas including QCD, elecroweak, studies of the top, bottom and charm quarks, searches for physics beyond Standard Model as well as studies of the heavy ion collisions. 56 experimental talks have been presented at the conferencemore » and it is impossible to cover each result in the summary, so highlights are limited to what I was able to present in my summary talk presented on March 16 2013. The proceedings of the conference cover in depth all talks presented and I urge you to get familiar with all of them. Theoretical Summary of the conference was given by Michelangelo Mangano, so theory talks are not covered in the article.« less

Blind Linguistic Steganalysis against Translation Based Steganography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Zhili; Huang, Liusheng; Meng, Peng; Yang, Wei; Miao, Haibo

Translation based steganography (TBS) is a kind of relatively new and secure linguistic steganography. It takes advantage of the "noise" created by automatic translation of natural language text to encode the secret information. Up to date, there is little research on the steganalysis against this kind of linguistic steganography. In this paper, a blind steganalytic method, which is named natural frequency zoned word distribution analysis (NFZ-WDA), is presented. This method has improved on a previously proposed linguistic steganalysis method based on word distribution which is targeted for the detection of linguistic steganography like nicetext and texto. The new method aims to detect the application of TBS and uses none of the related information about TBS, its only used resource is a word frequency dictionary obtained from a large corpus, or a so called natural frequency dictionary, so it is totally blind. To verify the effectiveness of NFZ-WDA, two experiments with two-class and multi-class SVM classifiers respectively are carried out. The experimental results show that the steganalytic method is pretty promising.

A deep convolutional neural network with new training methods for bearing fault diagnosis under noisy environment and different working load

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Wei; Li, Chuanhao; Peng, Gaoliang; Chen, Yuanhang; Zhang, Zhujun

2018-02-01

In recent years, intelligent fault diagnosis algorithms using machine learning technique have achieved much success. However, due to the fact that in real world industrial applications, the working load is changing all the time and noise from the working environment is inevitable, degradation of the performance of intelligent fault diagnosis methods is very serious. In this paper, a new model based on deep learning is proposed to address the problem. Our contributions of include: First, we proposed an end-to-end method that takes raw temporal signals as inputs and thus doesn't need any time consuming denoising preprocessing. The model can achieve pretty high accuracy under noisy environment. Second, the model does not rely on any domain adaptation algorithm or require information of the target domain. It can achieve high accuracy when working load is changed. To understand the proposed model, we will visualize the learned features, and try to analyze the reasons behind the high performance of the model.

Quantum mechanical design and structures of hexanuclear sandwich complex and its multidecker sandwich clusters (Li6)n([18]annulene)n+1 (n = 1-3).

PubMed

Wang, Shu-Jian; Li, Ying; Wu, Di; Wang, Yin-Feng; Li, Zhi-Ru

2012-09-13

By means of density functional theory, a hexanuclear sandwich complex [18]annulene-Li6-[18]annulene which consists of a central Li6 hexagon ring and large face-capping ligands, [18]annulene, is designed and investigated. The large interaction energy and HOMO-LUMO gap suggest that this novel charge-separated complex is highly stable and may be experimentally synthesized. In addition, the stability found in the [18]annulene-Li6-[18]annulene complex extends to multidecker sandwich clusters (Li6)n([18]annulene)n+1 (n = 2-3). The energy gain upon addition of a [18]annulene-Li6 unit to (Li6)n-1([18]annulene)n is pretty large (96.97-98.22 kcal/mol), indicating that even larger multideckers will also be very stable. Similar to ferrocene, such a hexanuclear sandwich complex could be considered as a versatile building block to find potential applications in different areas of chemistry, such as nanoscience and material science.

Insulator-semimetallic transition in quasi-1D charged impurity-infected armchair boron-nitride nanoribbons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dinh Hoi, Bui; Yarmohammadi, Mohsen

2018-04-01

We address control of electronic phase transition in charged impurity-infected armchair-edged boron-nitride nanoribbons (ABNNRs) with the local variation of Fermi energy. In particular, the density of states of disordered ribbons produces the main features in the context of pretty simple tight-binding model and Green's functions approach. To this end, the Born approximation has been implemented to find the effect of π-band electron-impurity interactions. A modulation of the π-band depending on the impurity concentrations and scattering potentials leads to the phase transition from insulator to semimetallic. We present here a detailed physical meaning of this transition by studying the treatment of massive Dirac fermions. From our findings, it is found that the ribbon width plays a crucial role in determining the electronic phase of disordered ABNNRs. The obtained results in controllable gap engineering are useful for future experiments. Also, the observations in this study have also fueled interest in the electronic properties of other 2D materials.

Constable Receives 2013 William Gilbert Award: Response

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Constable, Catherine

2014-07-01

Thank you for the generous citation. I am truly honored that the GP section considers me a worthy recipient of this award. As you might guess, I don't deserve exclusive credit for everything in Rick's citation, and if you look at the coauthors on all my publications, you can get a pretty good idea of who really did the work. I have been fortunate to work in a highly collegial environment at the University of California, San Diego, where my mentors, colleagues, postdocs, and students at Scripps Institution of Oceanography's Institute of Geophysics of Planetary Physics have been tremendously important to me. Additionally, this year (2013) marks 30 years since I first attended the AGU Fall Meeting, and the GP section has really been my scientific home within this organization, connecting me to a broader range of collaborators from all over the world. I owe thanks to a large number of people who have contributed to the fun of doing science and provided opportunities to discuss things in a highly collegial environment.

Application of hybrid supercapacitor using granule Li4Ti5O12/activated carbon with variation of current density

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Byung-Gwan; Lee, Seung-Hwan

2017-03-01

We report the electrochemical performance of asymmetric hybrid supercapacitors composed of granule Li4Ti5O12 as an anode and activated carbon as a cathode with different current densities. It is demonstrated that the hybrid supercapacitors show good initial discharge capacities were ranged from 39.8 to 46.4 F g-1 in the current densities range of 0.3-1 A g-1. The performance degradation is proportional to the current density due to quick gassing, resulting from H2O and HF formation. In particular, the hybrid supercapacitors show the pretty good cycling stability of 97.4%, even at the high current density of 0.8 A g-1, which are among most important performance in the real application for energy storage devices. Therefore, we believe that hybrid supercapacitors using granule Li4Ti5O12/activated carbon are eligible for the promising next generation energy devices.

Security, privacy, and confidentiality issues on the Internet.

PubMed

Kelly, Grant; McKenzie, Bruce

2002-01-01

We introduce the issues around protecting information about patients and related data sent via the Internet. We begin by reviewing three concepts necessary to any discussion about data security in a healthcare environment: privacy, confidentiality, and consent. We are giving some advice on how to protect local data. Authentication and privacy of e-mail via encryption is offered by Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) and Secure Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME). The de facto Internet standard for encrypting Web-based information interchanges is Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), more recently known as Transport Layer Security or TLS. There is a public key infrastructure process to 'sign' a message whereby the private key of an individual can be used to 'hash' the message. This can then be verified against the sender's public key. This ensures the data's authenticity and origin without conferring privacy, and is called a 'digital signature'. The best protection against viruses is not opening e-mails from unknown sources or those containing unusual message headers.

Representations of abstract grammatical feature agreement in young children.

PubMed

Melançon, Andréane; Shi, Rushen

2015-11-01

A fundamental question in language acquisition research is whether young children have abstract grammatical representations. We tested this question experimentally. French-learning 30-month-olds were first taught novel word-object pairs in the context of a gender-marked determiner (e.g., un MASC ravole 'a ravole'). Test trials presented the objects side-by-side while one of them was named in new phrases containing other determiners and an adjective (e.g., le MASC joli ravole MASC 'the pretty ravole'). The gender agreement between the new determiner and the non-adjacent noun was manipulated in different test trials (e.g., le MASC __ravole MASC; *la FEM __ravole MASC). We found that online comprehension of the named target was facilitated in gender-matched trials but impeded in gender-mismatched trials. That is, children assigned the determiner genders to the novel nouns during word learning. They then processed the non-adjacent gender agreement between the two categories (Det, Noun) during test. The results demonstrate abstract featural representation and grammatical productivity in young children.

Steno Google doodle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Showstack, Randy

2012-01-01

Nicolas Steno, a seventeenth-century Danish Catholic bishop and scientist, is considered a founder of modern stratigraphy and geology for his work on linking modern shark teeth to objects found in rock formations, among many other studies and writings. Steno, whose non-Latinized name was Niels Stensen, gained newfound fame as the inspiration for a Google doodle published on 11 January to mark his 374th birthday. The doodle of the Google logo is a rainbow-colored block letter formation that suggests karst stratigraphic layers chock with fossils and shells. How did Steno end up being honored in this way? “The criteria for selecting a doodle subject are pretty simple: We like to celebrate anything that is geeky, quirky, and artistic,” Google's Jennifer Hom, who drew the doodle, told Eos. “Nicholas Steno happened to be a really geeky and innovative thinker whose work on stratigraphy is also visually interesting. Not only does he relate to our Google culture in that he was a groundbreaking (no pun intended) scientist, his work is also very artistically inspiring.”

Comparison of the physico-chemical and phytochemical characteristics of the oil of two Plukenetia species.

PubMed

Chirinos, Rosana; Pedreschi, Romina; Domínguez, Gilberto; Campos, David

2015-04-15

A physico-chemical and phytochemical characterisation of the oil of two rich sources of polyunsaturated fatty acids, tocopherols and phytosterols is presented for two close species of Plukenetia, endemic to the Amazon Region of Peru. Plukenetia huayllabambana presented approximately 9% more oil yield than Plukenetia volubilis. Fatty acid profiles were pretty similar for both species but P. huayllabambana presented a significantly higher content of α-linolenic acid than P. volubilis (51.3 and 45.6 g/100 g oil, respectively). Important contents of γ- and δ-tocopherol were evidenced in both oils (127.6 and 84.0 and, 93.3 and 47.5 mg/100 g oil, for P. volubilis and P. huayllabambana, respectively). β-Sitosterol was the most important and representative phytosterol in both oils (∼127 mg/100 g oil). The results of this study indicate P. huayllabambana as an important dietary source of health promoting phytochemicals. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

X-ray Device Makes Scrubbing Rugs Clean a Spotless Effort

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2006-01-01

If "pulling the rug out from under" means suddenly withdrawing support and assistance, then NASA is pretty good at "putting the rug under" when it comes to offering technical support and assistance to private industry. In the case of a new X-ray fluorescence (XRF) sensor featuring enhancements compliments of NASA, the Space Agency not only provided the rug, but helped give private industry a means to ensure it keeps clean. This sensor, utilized by NASA to read chemical bar codes concealed by paint and other coatings, perform on-the-spot chemical analyses in field conditions, and detect difficult-to-identify contaminants, has found another use as a tool that can measure how much soil is removed from household and commercial carpets. The original technology was developed in 2002 to conduct quality control for critical aluminum alloy parts destined for the space shuttle. Evaluation of these parts is critical for the Space Agency, as any signs of contamination, corrosion, or material deviation could compromise a shuttle mission.

Fractal dimension analysis for robust ultrasonic non-destructive evaluation (NDE) of coarse grained materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Minghui; Hayward, Gordon

2018-04-01

Over the recent decades, there has been a growing demand on reliable and robust non-destructive evaluation (NDE) of structures and components made from coarse grained materials such as alloys, stainless steels, carbon-reinforced composites and concrete; however, when inspected using ultrasound, the flaw echoes are usually contaminated by high-level, time-invariant, and correlated grain noise originating from the microstructure and grain boundaries, leading to pretty low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and the flaw information being obscured or completely hidden by the grain noise. In this paper, the fractal dimension analysis of the A-scan echoes is investigated as a measure of complexity of the time series to distinguish the echoes originating from the real defects and the grain noise, and then the normalized fractal dimension coefficients are applied to the amplitudes as the weighting factor to enhance the SNR and defect detection. Experiments on industrial samples of the mild steel and the stainless steel are conducted and the results confirm the great benefits of the method.

Language -- the barrier and the bridge between science and public.

PubMed

Radford, T

2001-08-01

What does modern science tell people? That life is ultimately DNA, and DNA is genes, and genes are just so many bits of Lego, little building blocks manipulated by Nature for 3.8 thousand billion years, rather economically, so that much the same genes pop up in a nematode worm, a fruit fly, a lettuce, and a thriller writer. And that genes can be transferred from one species, or genus, or phylum, or even one kingdom to another. That is why there is unease, and newspapers reflect that unease, they do not create it. By helping people confront that unease, they probably help people come to terms with it. In the course of history, people have felt pretty uneasy about blood transfusion, heart transplants, test tube babies, and AIDS, and over the years, have calmed down considerably about each, to the advantage of both society and science. It will be the same for the human genome project, in a while.

Study on Factors of Favorable Wet Cotton Hand Towels “Oshibori”

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soeta, Yasuhiro; Kitamoto, Takuma; Hasegawa, Hiroshi; Kasuga, Masao

In the present study, we evaluated important factors of the feelings of comfort associated with wet cotton hand towels, or oshibori. First, the following adjectives were extracted as words used to evaluate the characteristics of the oshibori: “large,” “pretty,” “comfortable,” “high-grade,” “shapely,” “soft,” “favorite,” “thick,” “clean,” “moist,” “luxurious,” “heavy,” “strong,” “safe,” “good-touch,” and “rare.” We then conducted a subjective evaluation of 25 kinds of oshibori of various sizes and thicknesses. Forty males and twenty-four females, ranging in age from their twenties to fifties, participated in the experiment. Each subject evaluated the oshibori by grading them from one to five based on the extracted descriptive characteristics. Factor analysis was conducted on the experimental results and the following three factors were extracted; the first factor defined as “dignity factor,” the second factor defined as “preference factor,” and the third factor defined as “touch factor.” The score for dignity increased as the size of the oshibori increased. The score for preference was high when the size of the oshibori was between 25 cm × 25 cm and 30 cm × 30 cm. These results suggest that subjects felt high-class if the size of the oshibori was greater than 30 cm × 30 cm, but subjects most preferred oshibori that were between 25 cm × 25 cm and 30 cm × 30 cm. No notable trend was found between the thickness of oshibori and the three factors. We then analyzed the experimental data focusing on the following viewpoints; “gender” and “generation.” of the subjects, and discussed how these factors effected on the feelings of oshibori using the Mann-Whitney U test and the Kruskal-Wallis H test. The analyzed results show that the female subjects tended to evaluate more highly on the evaluation words of “thick,” “moist,” and “heavy,” that the evaluations of “large,” “pretty,” “comfortable,” “high-grade,” “shapely,” “soft,” “favorite,” “thick,” “moist,” “luxurious,” “heavy,” “strong,” “safe,” “good-touch,” and “rare” varied depending on generation.

Facial detection using deep learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Manik; Anuradha, J.; Manne, H. K.; Kashyap, G. S. C.

2017-11-01

In the recent past, we have observed that Facebook has developed an uncanny ability to recognize people in photographs. Previously, we had to tag people in photos by clicking on them and typing their name. Now as soon as we upload a photo, Facebook tags everyone on its own. Facebook can recognize faces with 98% accuracy which is pretty much as good as humans can do. This technology is called Face Detection. Face detection is a popular topic in biometrics. We have surveillance cameras in public places for video capture as well as security purposes. The main advantages of this algorithm over other are uniqueness and approval. We need speed and accuracy to identify. But face detection is really a series of several related problems: First, look at a picture and find all the faces in it. Second, focus on each face and understand that even if a face is turned in a weird direction or in bad lighting, it is still the same person. Third select features which can be used to identify each face uniquely like size of the eyes, face etc. Finally, compare these features to data we have to find the person name. As a human, your brain is wired to do all of this automatically and instantly. In fact, humans are too good at recognizing faces. Computers are not capable of this kind of high-level generalization, so we must teach them how to do each step in this process separately. The growth of face detection is largely driven by growing applications such as credit card verification, surveillance video images, authentication for banking and security system access.

Analysis of weather changes in the region of Surabaya in 2015 and 2016 using water vapor data from GPS and Terra MODIS satellite image

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cahyadi, M. N.; Audah, S.; Mutia, N.; Aliyan, S. A.

2017-07-01

Sea surface temperature conditions in the territorial waters of Indonesia can be used as one indicator of a lot or least the content of water vapor in the atmosphere. It is closely related to the process of cloud formation in the region of Indonesia. Surabaya is the capital of the Indonesia's second largest potential for the occurrence of global warming due to climate change around the region. Global warming has the consequence of occurrence of climate variability, with marked by changes in temperature, and rainfall, as well as runoff of water. Monitoring the space-based Global Positioning System (GPS) and remote sensing satellite data such as Terra MODIS can be used in the field of meteorology. That is to measured the level of water vapor globally, with the approach of the amount of precipitable water vapor (PWV) in the atmosphere layer. It can be seen humidity conditions and the potential occurrence of rainfall in an area. The PWV value obtained from GPS processing had range 25.13 mm - 32.87 mm; average value is 27.38 mm and standard deviation is 2.018 mm. Based on the diurnal variation of the PWV GPS indicates that the climatic conditions in the area of Surabaya in 2015 showed the dry season, this is because the average values of PWV pretty low that occurred in July-September. But in September 2015 the PWV value occurrence an increase in water vapor and can be estimated that in the next month will be approaching rainy season.

TRW - Lunar Descent Engine. Chapter 6, Appendix H

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elverum, Gerard W.

2009-01-01

As we went through the program, what we determined, and what we all agreed on, was that the thrust coefficient (Cf) of the nozzle, after you get past a certain point, is really an engineering parameter. It s not a fundamental parameter that is going to be highly variable. Once we knew what the contour of the nozzle was, and once we knew what its characteristic was out to 2:1, we could calculate what the 48:1 thrust coefficient was going to be. In every case that we made a test, the calculation was precise. We weren't looking for a problem out at 48:1. Once we crushed the nozzle and said, "Yeah, we can land on the boulder," and once we had the thermal profile of that columbium nozzle, we did not require a lot of effort there. The real characterization was done in throttling over the 10:1 with the injector and controlling the mixture ratio on that - the whole head-end assembly - out to 2:1. I think everybody at NASA and Grumman agreed that flying like you test is great, particularly if you are using an aircraft engine. But, in this case, the thrust coefficient of the nozzle was not an issue. We had the tandem configuration of the service module, the command module, and the LEM sitting out there, and we were to fire the LEM. On Apollo 5, we were firing the LEM to show how it would work. There was a problem. I can t remember where the problem was, but something caused a problem before that engine had finished its burn. It was not in the engine, but there was some other problem, and NASA made a controlled shutdown. Then, they came to us and asked, "Hey, we re up there. We want to finish this test program. Is it okay if we restart that engine again in space with this tandem configuration?" We said, "As long as it has been more than forty minutes since you shut down, our analysis says that you will be okay in terms of the thermal characteristics of the inside of that chamber." They restarted it and pushed that system around in orbit on Apollo 5. It turned out, that when it came to Apollo 13, we went back into the record, and said, "Hey, we have pushed this system around up there on Apollo 5, and we have also restarted this tandem configuration." The requirements on Apollo 13 were to put it back into play. The spacecraft was out of free return to the earth at the time of the accident. It would not have come back. NASA said, "Okay, we ll use the descent engine to put the spacecraft in a free trajectory; it will go around the moon and be on free trajectory back to Earth." Then, as it came around the far side of the moon, the guys found out that they had an oxygen problem. As you remember, things were getting pretty bad in there. They said, "We ve got to get it back as fast as we can. Is it okay if we re-fire the engine? Now, we re in a free trajectory, so we want to put as much delta-v (or change in velocity) in as we can. Can we re-fire right now?" We said, "Yes, the data says it has been this period of time." We could re-fire the engine, run the rest of the duty cycle up as far as we needed while preserving enough fluids to make the final correction as the spacecraft got near Earth, and restart the engine. It was pretty fortuitous that we could give them those answers.

THE METAL CARBONYLS.

PubMed

Blanchard, A A

1941-10-03

When the metal carbonyls were first discovered, their properties were startling because they seemed to violate nearly all the previously recognized generalizations of chemistry. Even to-day the existence of the carbonyls is not particularly emphasized in elementary courses of chemistry because it is rather hard to reconcile them with the first presentations of the generalizations of chemistry. Nevertheless, as the student progresses deeper into the knowledge of chemistry it becomes desirable to include the knowledge of the carbonyls both because they become more comprehensible when viewed in the light of Werner's system of coordination and because they themselves contribute to the comprehension of the Werner theory. As long ago as 1931, Reiff in his discussion of cobalt nitrosyl carbonyl recognized the correlation between the effective atomic number and the volatility of carbonyls. A more recent study of charged Werner coordination complexes, that is, of complex ions, has shown a similar role of the effective atomic number. We are standing on fairly firm ground when we point out the correlation between E.A.N. and the volatility of the carbonyl complexes and the existence of complex ions. Be it noted that we have made no postulates as to the arrangement of the electrons in quantum levels. In the inert gases the outer principal quantum group is supposed always to contain eight electrons. In the carbonyls and other Werner complexes there is no compelling reason to suppose that the electrons in the coordinating layer, be this layer of eight, ten, twelve or sixteen electrons, are not all at the same energy level. Although we have confined our discussion almost exclusively to the property of volatility, the carbonyls are very interesting from the standpoint of several other properties, for example, magnetic susceptibility and dielectric constant. Enthusiasts in the interpretation of such properties try to draw conclusions as to the condition of the electrons, sometimes they become so dogmatic as to seem really.to believe in the actual existence of the condition they postulate. As Professor Smith said, "Theories come and theories go, but facts live on forever." The facts of chemistry are so multitudinous that we would be utterly helpless to use them had we not means of correlating them. Any postulates which reach beneath the surface of the directly observable to give a mechanism to correlate the facts are helpful. But a scientist without a sense of humor is pretty hopeless. Who in his right mind can regard as other than absurd the idea that an electron pair can simultaneously occupy positions in two atom shells to make up the supposedly necessary number in each atom? In fact, is not the electron itself a pretty ridiculous figment of the imagination? To be sure, we recognize the electron as a discrete entity with certain very definite properties, but in the light of comparison with any mechanism within our comprehension is not the electron perfectly impossible? By all means let us use a postulate which allows us to make a useful classification of facts, but never let us lose the sense to see how utterly ridiculous the postulate will look to one who has not like ourselves grown attached to it. We do not expect ever to discover the ultimate reason for things, but we do expect ever to make progress in correlating and classifying the facts which we have already discovered and shall continue to discover. Dogmatic belief in ridiculous postulates retards this progress.

Water column imaging on hydrothermal vent in Central Indian Ridge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koh, J.; Park, Y.

2017-12-01

Water column imaging with Multibeam echosounder systems (MBES) is recently becoming of increasing interest for oceanographic studies. Especially gas bubbles and hot water exposed from hydrothermal vents make acoustic impedance anomalies in cold seawater, water column imaging is very useful for the researchers who want to detect some kinds of hydrothermal activity. We conducted a hydrothermal exploration program, called "INVENT17", using the MBES system, KONGBERG EM122 (12kHz, 1°×1°), mounted on R/V ISABU and we deployed other equipments including video guided hydraulic grab, tow-yo CTD and general CTD with MAPR (Miniature Autonomous Plume Recorder) in 2017. First, to evaluate its capabilities of detection of hydrothermal vent, the surveys using the MBES were conducted at the Solitaire Field, previously identified hydrothermal area of the Central Indian Ridge. The bathymetric data obtained from MBES provided information about detailed morphology of seafloor, but we were not able to achieve the information from the water column imaging data. But the clue of existence of active hydrothermal vent was detected through the values of ΔNTU, dEh/dt, and OPR gained from MAPR, the data means that the hydrothermal activity affects 100m from the seafloor. It could be the reason that we can't find the hydrothermal activity because the range resolution of water column imaging is pretty rough so that the size of 100m-scaled activity has low possibility to distinguish from seafloor. The other reason is there are no sufficient objects to cause strong scattering like as CO2 bubbles or droplets unlike in the mid-Okinawa Trough. And this suggests that can be a important standard to identify properties of hydrothermal vent sites depending on the presence of scattering objects in water mass. To justify this, we should perform more chemical analysis of hot water emanating from hydrothermal vent and collected several bottles of water sample to do that.

Enhanced operator interface for hand-held landmine detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herman, Herman; McMahill, Jeffrey D.; Kantor, George

2001-10-01

As landmines get harder to detect, the complexity of landmine detectors has also been increasing. To increase the probability of detection and decrease the false alarm rate of low metallic landmines, many detectors employ multiple sensing modalities, which include radar and metal detector. Unfortunately, the operator interface for these new detectors stays pretty much the same as for the older detectors. Although the amount of information that the new detectors acquire has increased significantly, the interface has been limited to a simple audio interface. We are currently developing a hybrid audiovisual interface for enhancing the overall performance of the detector. The hybrid audiovisual interface combines the simplicity of the audio output with the rich spatial content of the video display. It is designed to optimally present the output of the detector and also to give the proper feedback to the operator. Instead of presenting all the data to the operator simultaneously, the interface allows the operator to access the information as needed. This capability is critical to avoid information overload, which can significantly reduce the performance of the operator. The audio is used as the primary notification signal, while the video is used for further feedback, discrimination, localization and sensor fusion. The idea is to let the operator gets the feedback that he needs and enable him to look at the data in the most efficient way. We are also looking at a hybrid man-machine detection system which utilizes precise sweeping by the machine and powerful human cognitive ability. In such a hybrid system, the operator is free to concentrate on discriminant task, such as manually fusing the output of the different sensing modalities, instead of worrying about the proper sweep technique. In developing this concept, we have been using the virtual mien lane to validate some of these concepts. We obtained some very encouraging results form our preliminary test. It clearly shows that with the proper feedback, the performance of the operator can be improved significantly in a very short time.

40 CFR 142.307 - What terms and conditions must be included in a small system variance?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... improvements to comply with the small system variance technology, secure an alternative source of water, or... included in a small system variance? 142.307 Section 142.307 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL... IMPLEMENTATION Variances for Small System Review of Small System Variance Application § 142.307 What terms and...

40 CFR 142.307 - What terms and conditions must be included in a small system variance?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... improvements to comply with the small system variance technology, secure an alternative source of water, or... included in a small system variance? 142.307 Section 142.307 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL... IMPLEMENTATION Variances for Small System Review of Small System Variance Application § 142.307 What terms and...

40 CFR 142.307 - What terms and conditions must be included in a small system variance?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... improvements to comply with the small system variance technology, secure an alternative source of water, or... included in a small system variance? 142.307 Section 142.307 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL... IMPLEMENTATION Variances for Small System Review of Small System Variance Application § 142.307 What terms and...

40 CFR 142.307 - What terms and conditions must be included in a small system variance?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... improvements to comply with the small system variance technology, secure an alternative source of water, or... included in a small system variance? 142.307 Section 142.307 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL... IMPLEMENTATION Variances for Small System Review of Small System Variance Application § 142.307 What terms and...

Physical symptoms in young adults and their use of different computers and mobile phones.

PubMed

Korpinen, Leena; Pääkkönen, Rauno

2011-01-01

This paper presents the use of new technical equipment by young adults (30 years old or younger), and the physical symptoms they have. The paper then analyses how the symptoms are associated with the use of computers and mobile phones, taking into account the background information. The study is based on a survey of 15 000 working-age (18-65) Finns. The responses (1563) covering young adults' physical symptoms were analysed. Altogether 53.3% of all young adults had pretty often or more frequently pain, numbness or aches in the neck and 32.2% had aches in the hip and lower back. Women experienced more pain, numbness or aches in the neck (65.0%) than men (34.5%). The use of different computers at leisure quite often had an association with some symptoms in different parts of the body. In addition, exhaustion at work had associations with some physical symptoms. In the future, it is essential to note ergonomic reasons and exhaustion at work when young adults experience pain, numbness or aches.

Consumption, drugs and style: Constructing intra-ethnic boundaries in Asian American youth cultures

PubMed Central

Moloney, Molly; Hunt, Geoffrey P.

2013-01-01

Based on 250 qualitative interviews with Asian American young men and women in the dance/club scenes in the San Francisco area, we examine the interplay between consumption, style and taste cultures with issues of ethnic identity, gender and acculturation. We explore the ways that consumption and taste markers (e.g. fashion, cars, music and drugs) are used to establish or negotiate symbolic boundaries between groups in this youth culture. The picture they paint of the dance scene is one less about cohesiveness and unity and more about divisions and boundaries, not only between but also significantly within ethnic groupings. The choice of drugs and ways of exhibiting intoxication are among the types of consumption that the young people drew upon to mark symbolic boundaries and establish identities. The young men and women in this study discuss a number of key boundaries in the scene, e.g. between FOBs and twinkies, between pretty boys and thugs, as they attempt to establish the cultural legitimacy of their own styles of Asian American identities. PMID:24065869

Prediction of projectile ricochet behavior after water impact.

PubMed

Baillargeon, Yves; Bergeron, Guy

2012-11-01

Although not very common, forensic investigation related to projectile ricochet on water can be required when undesirable collateral damage occurs. Predicting the ricochet behavior of a projectile is challenging owing to numerous parameters involved: impact velocity, incident angle, projectile stability, angular velocity, etc. Ricochet characteristics of different projectiles (K50 BMG, 0.5-cal Ball M2, 0.5-cal AP-T C44, 7.62-mm Ball C21, and 5.56-mm Ball C77) were studied in a pool. The results are presented to assess projectile velocity after ricochet, ricochet angle, and projectile azimuth angle based on impact velocity or incident angle for each projectile type. The azimuth ranges show the highest variability at low postricochet velocity. The critical ricochet angles were ranging from 15 to 30°. The average ricochet angles for all projectiles were pretty close for all projectiles at 2.5 and 10° incident angles for the range of velocities studied. © 2012 Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada 2012. Reproduced with the permission of the Minister of the Department of National Defence.

Enzymes loaded chitosan/coconut fibre/zinc oxide nanoparticles strip for polyamine determination.

PubMed

Hooda, Vinita; Archita

2018-01-15

Most often, the immobilized enzyme based quantification is an attractive alternative to other chromatographic, electrochemical and mass spectrometry based methods due to its specificity and simplicity. In the present study, polyamine oxidase specific for spermine and spermidine and diamine oxidase specific for putrescine, were co-immobilized onto a novel chitosan/coconut fibre/zinc oxide nanoparticles (CS/CF/nZnO) hybrid support to yield a polyamine sensing strip. The strip worked optimally at pH 7.0, temperature 25°C and 6min of incubation time. Pretty good values for kinetic constants Km app (6.60mM), Vmax (17.69μmol/min mg protein) and kcat app (1987.64s -1 ) as well as for thermal (<50 % activity retained at 40°C), storage (half life-40days) and operational stabilities (<90 % activity retained after 20 reuses) were obtained. The strip was employed for polyamine determination in some of the locally grown fruit and vegetables and the results were found to be comparable, reliable and reproducible. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

"I don't need people to tell me I'm pretty on social media:" A qualitative study of social media and body image in early adolescent girls.

PubMed

Burnette, C Blair; Kwitowski, Melissa A; Mazzeo, Suzanne E

2017-12-01

Social media appear to contribute to body dissatisfaction in adolescents, although few empirical studies exist. This study used six focus groups (total N=38) to explore relations between social media use and body image in early adolescent girls (ages 12-14). Thematic analysis identified patterns in the data. In this sample, social media use was high. Girls endorsed some appearance concerns and social comparison, particularly with peers. However, they displayed high media literacy, appreciation of differences, and confidence, strategies that appeared helpful in mitigating the potential negative association between social media exposure and body image. Girls reported these characteristics were nurtured by positive parental influence and a supportive school environment. Results support an ecological approach to the prevention of body dissatisfaction. Although peer influence strengthens throughout adolescence, current findings suggest that parents and the school environment are associated with girls' attitudes and behaviors regarding social media and body image. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Construction of self-supported porous TiO2/NiO core/shell nanorod arrays for electrochemical capacitor application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, J. B.; Guo, R. Q.; Huang, X. H.; Lin, Y.

2013-12-01

High-quality metal oxides hetero-structured nanoarrays have been receiving great attention in electrochemical energy storage application. Self-supported TiO2/NiO core/shell nanorod arrays are prepared on carbon cloth via the combination of hydrothermal synthesis and electro-deposition methods. The obtained core/shell nanorods consist of nanorod core and interconnected nanoflake shell, as well as hierarchical porosity. As cathode materials for pseudo-capacitors, the TiO2/NiO core/shell nanorod arrays display impressive electrochemical performances with both high capacitance of 611 F g-1 at 2 A g-1, and pretty good cycling stability with a retention of 89% after 5000 cycles. Besides, as compared to the single NiO nanoflake arrays on carbon cloth, the TiO2/NiO core/shell nanorod arrays exhibit much better electrochemical properties with higher capacitance, better electrochemical activity and cycling life. This enhanced performance is mainly due to the core/shell nanorods architecture offering fast ion/electron transfer and sufficient contact between active materials and electrolyte.

[Spectral Analysis about the Pharmaceutical Cocrystal Formation of Piracetam and 3-Hydroxybenzoic Acid].

PubMed

Zhang, Hui-li; Xia, Yi; Hong, Zhi; Du, Yong

2015-07-01

Pharmaceutical cocrystal can improve physical and chemical properties of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), meanwhile this feature has shown great potential in improving the pharmaceutical's properties and characteristics. In this study, cocrystal formation between piracetam and 3-hydroxybenzoic acid (3HBA) using grinding method has been characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), Raman and terahertz (THz) spectroscopical techniques. The vibrational modes of different motions are obtained by the assignment of the peaks in the spectra of the starting materials and the cocrystal components. FTIR, Raman and THz spectroscopical results show that the vibrational modes of the cocrystal are different from those of the starting materials. In addition, the dynamic process of the above cocrystal formation is investigated in-depth with Raman and THz spec- tra. Piracetam-3HBA cocrystal is formed pretty fast in first several minutes, and then the formation rate becomes slow. After 35 minutes, such formation process has been completed. The results offer the theoretical benchmark and unique means for real-time monitoring pharmaceutical cocrystal formation and also the corresponding quantitative analysis in the pharmaceutical field.

[Comment on “Anonymous reviews: Self-serving, counterproductive, and unacceptable”] from D. J. Wesolowski: Preserving anonymity in the review process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wesolowski, David J.

To those scientists who haven't served as editors or associate editors of scientific journals, I can assure you that it's already too hard to find enough qualified reviewers willing to do the job without threatening them with exposure as well! So, if you want your papers to be published within a reasonable timeframe, you'll pretty much have to put up with anonymous reviews.I've been an associate editor of Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta for 11 years and an Editorial Board member of Chemical Geology for 4. I think anonymous reviews are perfectly acceptable, but that the editor evaluating the reviews should always be identified, both to the authors and in the published manuscript. Reviewers should be permitted to request anonymity, but authors should always be instructed to specifically acknowledge in their manuscripts the contributions of those reviewers who do not request anonymity. This, in fact, might encourage more reviewers to identify themselves. I don't know about you, but it tickles me pink when I see my name in print!

Fabrication, tribological and corrosion behaviors of ultra-fine grained Co-28Cr-6Mo alloy for biomedical applications.

PubMed

Ren, Fuzeng; Zhu, Weiwei; Chu, Kangjie

2016-07-01

Nickel and carbides free Co-28Cr-6Mo alloy was fabricated by combination of mechanical alloying and warm pressing. The microstructure, mechanical properties, pin-on-disk dry sliding wear and corrosion behavior in simulated physiological solution were investigated. The produced Co-28Cr-6Mo alloy has elongated ultra-fine grained (UFG) structure of ε-phase with average grain size of 600nm in length and 150nm in thickness. The hardness and modulus were determined to be 8.87±0.56GPa and 198.27±7.02GPa, respectively. The coefficient of friction upon dry sliding against alumina is pretty close to that of the forged Co-29Cr-6Mo alloy. The initial ε-phase and UFG microstructure contribute to reduce the depth of severe plastic deformation region during wear and enable the alloy with excellent wear resistance. The corrosion potential of such UFG Co-Cr-Mo alloy has more positive corrosion potential and much lower corrosion current density than those of ASTM alloy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analyzing the development of Indonesia shrimp industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wati, L. A.

2018-04-01

This research aimed to analyze the development of shrimp industry in Indonesia. Porter’s Diamond Theory was used for analysis. The Porter’s Diamond theory is one of framework for industry analysis and business strategy development. The Porter’s Diamond theory has five forces that determine the competitive intensity in an industry, namely (1) the threat of substitute products, (2) the threat of competition, (3) the threat of new entrants, (4) bargaining power of suppliers, and (5) bargaining power of consumers. The development of Indonesian shrimp industry pretty good, explained by Porter Diamond Theory analysis. Analysis of Porter Diamond Theory through four main components namely factor conditions; demand condition; related and supporting industries; and firm strategy, structure and rivalry coupled with a two-component supporting (regulatory the government and the factor of chance). Based on the result of this research show that two-component supporting (regulatory the government and the factor of chance) have positive. Related and supporting industries have negative, firm and structure strategy have negative, rivalry has positive, factor condition have positive (except science and technology resources).

Cat got your tongue? Using the tip-of-the-tongue state to investigate fixed expressions.

PubMed

Nordmann, Emily; Cleland, Alexandra A; Bull, Rebecca

2013-01-01

Despite the fact that they play a prominent role in everyday speech, the representation and processing of fixed expressions during language production is poorly understood. Here, we report a study investigating the processes underlying fixed expression production. "Tip-of-the-tongue" (TOT) states were elicited for well-known idioms (e.g., hit the nail on the head) and participants were asked to report any information they could regarding the content of the phrase. Participants were able to correctly report individual words for idioms that they could not produce. In addition, participants produced both figurative (e.g., pretty for easy on the eye) and literal errors (e.g., hammer for hit the nail on the head) when in a TOT state, suggesting that both figurative and literal meanings are active during production. There was no effect of semantic decomposability on overall TOT incidence; however, participants recalled a greater proportion of words for decomposable rather than non-decomposable idioms. This finding suggests there may be differences in how decomposable and non-decomposable idioms are retrieved during production. Copyright © 2013 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

The realistic dilemma of environmental interest subject of legal responsibility—Based on the perspective of law and economics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fa, L. N.

2017-11-01

As the important environmental interests subject, enterprises, public and government should assume the corresponding responsibility of pollution control and environmental protection. However, in the aspect of environment, there are failure existing in performing government responsibility, the financial expense and investment our government has participated in the aspects of pollution control and environmental protection are serious insufficient. In the meantime, in spite of the clear definition of the range and principles of enterprises’ environmental responsibility according to some corresponding law documents, in view of our country’s condition, enterprises always fail to assume their own environmental responsibility, and there are cases existing in pollution control and environmental protection that the investment is insufficient and the treatment effect is not obvious. In addition, it is especially outstanding in our country that the awareness of public environmental rights is pretty weak. The issues of ecological damage and environmental pollution get worse and worse and the total environmental interests get injured seriously because of the failure and vacancy of environmental responsibility of different subjects of right.

Are triggering rates of labquakes universal? Inferring triggering rates from incomplete information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baró, Jordi; Davidsen, Jörn

2017-12-01

The acoustic emission activity associated with recent rock fracture experiments under different conditions has indicated that some features of event-event triggering are independent of the details of the experiment and the materials used and are often even indistinguishable from tectonic earthquakes. While the event-event triggering rates or aftershock rates behave pretty much identical for all rock fracture experiments at short times, this is not the case for later times. Here, we discuss how these differences can be a consequence of the aftershock identification method used and show that the true aftershock rates might have two distinct regimes. Specifically, tests on a modified Epidemic-Type Aftershock Sequence model show that the model rates cannot be correctly inferred at late times based on temporal information only if the activity rates or the branching ratio are high. We also discuss both the effect of the two distinct regimes in the aftershock rates and the effect of the background rate on the inter-event time distribution. Our findings should be applicable for inferring event-event triggering rates for many other types of triggering and branching processes as well.

U.S. Geological Survey Would Fare Well in Proposed Federal Budget

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Showstack, Randy

2010-02-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is among the U.S. federal science agencies that would see significant funding increases if Congress approves the Obama administration's proposed budget for fiscal year (FY) 2011. The FY 2011 budget request would provide USGS with $1.13 billion, an increase of $21.6 million, or 1.9%, above the FY 2010 enacted level. “In a time of budget austerity, to have the budget for a science agency like the USGS actually be at a level above 2010—and 2010 was a pretty good budget year for the USGS—is indeed a very good sign,” USGS director Marcia McNutt said at a 1 February budget briefing. “What we are seeing in the USGS budget is the reflection from both the president and the secretary [of the Department of the Interior, of which USGS is part] of their commitment that the problems that the nation is facing right now are problems to which science can help us find an answer,” she said.

Monitoring Crop Productivity over the U.S. Corn Belt using an Improved Light Use Efficiency Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, X.; Xiao, X.; Zhang, Y.; Qin, Y.; Doughty, R.

2017-12-01

Large-scale monitoring of crop yield is of great significance for forecasting food production and prices and ensuring food security. Satellite data that provide temporally and spatially continuous information that by themselves or in combination with other data or models, raises possibilities to monitor and understand agricultural productivity regionally. In this study, we first used an improved light use efficiency model-Vegetation Photosynthesis Model (VPM) to simulate the gross primary production (GPP). Model evaluation showed that the simulated GPP (GPPVPM) could well captured the spatio-temporal variation of GPP derived from FLUXNET sites. Then we applied the GPPVPM to further monitor crop productivity for corn and soybean over the U.S. Corn Belt and benchmarked with county-level crop yield statistics. We found VPM-based approach provides pretty good estimates (R2 = 0.88, slope = 1.03). We further showed the impacts of climate extremes on the crop productivity and carbon use efficiency. The study indicates the great potential of VPM in estimating crop yield and in understanding of crop yield responses to climate variability and change.

Thermal behavior of an asphalt pavement in the laboratory and in the parking lot.

PubMed

Martinkauppi, J B; Mäkiranta, A; Kiijärvi, J; Hiltunen, E

2015-01-01

The urban, constructed areas are full of buildings and different kinds of pavements and have a noticeable lack of trees and flora. These areas are accumulating the heat from the Sun, people, vehicles, and constructions. One interesting heat collector is the asphalt pavement. How does the heat transfer to different layers under the pavement or does it? What are the temperatures under the pavement in Finland where the winter can be pretty hard? How can those temperatures be measured accurately? These are the main questions this paper gives the preliminary answers to. First the thermal behavior of asphalt and the layers beneath are researched in the laboratory and then the measurement field is bored and dug in the parking in the Western coast of Finland, 63°5'45'' N. Distributed temperature sensing method was found to be a good choice for temperature measurements. Thermal behavior of pavement has been monitored in different layers and the preliminary results have been published here. The goal of this research is to assess the applicability of asphalt pavements for heat energy collection.

Thermal Behavior of an Asphalt Pavement in the Laboratory and in the Parking Lot

PubMed Central

Martinkauppi, J. B.; Mäkiranta, A.; Kiijärvi, J.; Hiltunen, E.

2015-01-01

The urban, constructed areas are full of buildings and different kinds of pavements and have a noticeable lack of trees and flora. These areas are accumulating the heat from the Sun, people, vehicles, and constructions. One interesting heat collector is the asphalt pavement. How does the heat transfer to different layers under the pavement or does it? What are the temperatures under the pavement in Finland where the winter can be pretty hard? How can those temperatures be measured accurately? These are the main questions this paper gives the preliminary answers to. First the thermal behavior of asphalt and the layers beneath are researched in the laboratory and then the measurement field is bored and dug in the parking in the Western coast of Finland, 63°5′45′′ N. Distributed temperature sensing method was found to be a good choice for temperature measurements. Thermal behavior of pavement has been monitored in different layers and the preliminary results have been published here. The goal of this research is to assess the applicability of asphalt pavements for heat energy collection. PMID:25861679

Study of dispersed small wind systems interconnected with a utility distribution system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Curtice, D.; Patton, J.; Bohn, J.; Sechan, N.

1980-03-01

Operating problems for various penetrations of small wind systems connected to the distribution system on a utility are defined. Protection equipment, safety hazards, feeder voltage regulation, line losses, and voltage flicker problems are studied, assuming different small wind systems connected to an existing distribution system. To identify hardware deficiencies, possible solutions provided by off-the-shelf hardware and equipment are assessed. Results of the study indicate that existing techniques are inadequate for detecting isolated operation of a small wind system. Potential safety hazards posed by small wind systems are adequately handled by present work procedures although these procedures require a disconnect device at synchronous generator and self commutated inverter small wind systems.

BOKASUN: A fast and precise numerical program to calculate the Master Integrals of the two-loop sunrise diagrams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caffo, Michele; Czyż, Henryk; Gunia, Michał; Remiddi, Ettore

2009-03-01

We present the program BOKASUN for fast and precise evaluation of the Master Integrals of the two-loop self-mass sunrise diagram for arbitrary values of the internal masses and the external four-momentum. We use a combination of two methods: a Bernoulli accelerated series expansion and a Runge-Kutta numerical solution of a system of linear differential equations. Program summaryProgram title: BOKASUN Catalogue identifier: AECG_v1_0 Program summary URL:http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/AECG_v1_0.html Program obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen's University, Belfast, N. Ireland Licensing provisions: Standard CPC licence, http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/licence/licence.html No. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 9404 No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 104 123 Distribution format: tar.gz Programming language: FORTRAN77 Computer: Any computer with a Fortran compiler accepting FORTRAN77 standard. Tested on various PC's with LINUX Operating system: LINUX RAM: 120 kbytes Classification: 4.4 Nature of problem: Any integral arising in the evaluation of the two-loop sunrise Feynman diagram can be expressed in terms of a given set of Master Integrals, which should be calculated numerically. The program provides a fast and precise evaluation method of the Master Integrals for arbitrary (but not vanishing) masses and arbitrary value of the external momentum. Solution method: The integrals depend on three internal masses and the external momentum squared p. The method is a combination of an accelerated expansion in 1/p in its (pretty large!) region of fast convergence and of a Runge-Kutta numerical solution of a system of linear differential equations. Running time: To obtain 4 Master Integrals on PC with 2 GHz processor it takes 3 μs for series expansion with pre-calculated coefficients, 80 μs for series expansion without pre-calculated coefficients, from a few seconds up to a few minutes for Runge-Kutta method (depending on the required accuracy and the values of the physical parameters).

Design and Manufacturing of Extremely Low Mass Flight Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Michael R.

2002-01-01

Extremely small flight systems pose some unusual design and manufacturing challenges. The small size of the components that make up the system generally must be built with extremely tight tolerances to maintain the functionality of the assembled item. Additionally, the total mass of the system is extremely sensitive to what would be considered small perturbations in a larger flight system. The MUSES C mission, designed, built, and operated by Japan, has a small rover provided by NASA that falls into this small flight system category. This NASA-provided rover is used as a case study of an extremely small flight system design. The issues that were encountered with the rover portion of the MUSES C program are discussed and conclusions about the recommended mass margins at different stages of a small flight system project are presented.

40 CFR 141.81 - Applicability of corrosion control treatment steps to small, medium-size and large water systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... treatment steps to small, medium-size and large water systems. 141.81 Section 141.81 Protection of... to small, medium-size and large water systems. (a) Systems shall complete the applicable corrosion...) or (b)(3) of this section. (2) A small system (serving ≤3300 persons) and a medium-size system...

40 CFR 141.81 - Applicability of corrosion control treatment steps to small, medium-size and large water systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... treatment steps to small, medium-size and large water systems. 141.81 Section 141.81 Protection of... to small, medium-size and large water systems. (a) Systems shall complete the applicable corrosion...) or (b)(3) of this section. (2) A small system (serving ≤3300 persons) and a medium-size system...

40 CFR 141.81 - Applicability of corrosion control treatment steps to small, medium-size and large water systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... treatment steps to small, medium-size and large water systems. 141.81 Section 141.81 Protection of... to small, medium-size and large water systems. (a) Systems shall complete the applicable corrosion...) or (b)(3) of this section. (2) A small system (serving ≤3300 persons) and a medium-size system...

40 CFR 141.81 - Applicability of corrosion control treatment steps to small, medium-size and large water systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... treatment steps to small, medium-size and large water systems. 141.81 Section 141.81 Protection of... to small, medium-size and large water systems. (a) Systems shall complete the applicable corrosion...) or (b)(3) of this section. (2) A small system (serving ≤3300 persons) and a medium-size system...

Virtual reality pain control during burn wound debridement of combat-related burn injuries using robot-like arm mounted VR goggles.

PubMed

Maani, Christopher V; Hoffman, Hunter G; Morrow, Michelle; Maiers, Alan; Gaylord, Kathryn; McGhee, Laura L; DeSocio, Peter A

2011-07-01

This is the first controlled study to explore whether adjunctive immersive virtual reality (VR) can reduce excessive pain of soldiers with combat-related burn injuries during wound debridement. Patients were US soldiers burned in combat attacks involving explosive devices in Iraq or Afghanistan. During the same wound care session using a within-subject experimental design, 12 patients received half of their severe burn wound cleaning procedure (~6 minutes) with standard of care pharmacologies and half while in VR (treatment order randomized). Three 0 to 10 Graphic Rating Scale pain scores for each of the treatment conditions served as the primary variables. Patients reported significantly less pain when distracted with VR. "Worst pain" (pain intensity) dropped from 6.25 of 10 to 4.50 of 10. "Pain unpleasantness" ratings dropped from "moderate" (6.25 of 10) to "mild" (2.83 of 10). "Time spent thinking about pain" dropped from 76% during no VR to 22% during VR. Patients rated "no VR" as "no fun at all" (<1 of 10) and rated VR as "pretty fun" (7.5 of 10). Follow-up analyses showed VR was especially effective for the six patients who scored 7 of 10 or higher (severe to excruciating) on the "worst pain" (pain intensity) ratings. These preliminary results provide the first evidence from a controlled study that adjunctive immersive VR reduced pain of patients with combat-related burn injuries during severe burn wound debridement. Pain reduction during VR was greatest in patients with the highest pain during no VR. These patients were the first to use a unique custom robot-like arm mounted VR goggle system.

Business Education for Plastic Surgeons: A Systematic Review, Development, and Implementation of a Business Principles Curriculum in a Residency Program.

PubMed

Zarrabi, Bahar; Burce, Karen K; Seal, Stella M; Lifchez, Scott D; Redett, Richard J; Frick, Kevin D; Dorafshar, Amir H; Cooney, Carisa M

2017-05-01

Rising health care costs, decreasing reimbursement rates, and changes in American health care are forcing physicians to become increasingly business-minded. Both academic and private plastic surgeons can benefit from being educated in business principles. The authors conducted a systematic review to identify existing business curricula and integrated a business principles curriculum into residency training. The authors anonymously surveyed their department regarding perceived importance of business principles and performed a systematic literature review from 1993 to 2013 using PubMed and Embase to identify residency training programs that had designed/implemented business curricula. Subsequently, the authors implemented a formal, quarterly business curriculum. Thirty-two of 36 physicians (88.9 percent; 76.6 percent response rate) stated business principles are either "pretty important" or "very important" to being a doctor. Only 36 percent of faculty and 41 percent of trainees had previous business instruction. The authors identified 434 articles in the systematic review: 29 documented formal business curricula. Twelve topics were addressed, with practice management/administration (n = 22) and systems-based practice (n = 6) being the most common. Four articles were from surgical specialties: otolaryngology (n = 1), general surgery (n = 2), and combined general surgery/plastic surgery (n = 1). Teaching formats included lectures and self-directed learning modules; outcomes and participant satisfaction were reported inconsistently. From August of 2013 to June of 2015, the authors held eight business principles sessions. Postsession surveys demonstrated moderately to extremely satisfied responses in 75 percent or more of resident/fellow respondents (n = 13; response rate, 48.1 percent) and faculty (n = 9; response rate, 45.0 percent). Business principles can be integrated into residency training programs. Having speakers familiar with the physician audience and a session coordinator is vital to program success.

Disruption of the Globular Cluster Pal 5

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, R. H.; Smith, B. F.; Cuzzi, Jeffrey N. (Technical Monitor)

1995-01-01

Orbit calculations suggest that the sparse globular cluster, Pal 5, will pass within 7 kpc of the Galactic center the next time it crosses the plane, where it might be destroyed by tidal stresses. We study this problem, treating Pal 5 as a self-consistent dynamical system orbiting through an external potential that represents the Galaxy. The first part of the problem is to find suitable analytic approximations to the Galactic potential. They must be valid in all regions the cluster is likely to explore. Observed velocity and positional data for Pal 5 are used as initial conditions to determine the orbit. Methods we used for a different problem some 12 years ago have been adapted to this problem. Three experiments have been run, with M/L= 1, 3, and 10, for the cluster model. The cluster blew up shortly after passing through the Galactic plane (about 130 Myrs after the beginning of the run) with M/L=1. At M/L = 3 and 10 the cluster survived, although it got quite a kick in the fundamental mode on passing through the plane. But the fundamental mode oscillation died out in a couple of oscillation cycles at M/L=10. Pal 5 will probably be destroyed on its next crossing of the Galactic plane if M/L=1, but it can survive (albeit with fairly heavy damage) if NI/L=3. We haven't tried to trap the mass limits more closely than that. Pal 5 comes through pretty well unscathed at M/L=10. An interesting follow-up experiment would be to back the cluster up along its orbit to look at its previous passage through the Galactic plane, to see what kind of object it might have been at earlier times.

Virtual Reality Pain Control During Burn Wound Debridement of Combat-Related Burn Injuries Using Robot-Like Arm Mounted VR Goggles

PubMed Central

Maani, Christopher V.; Hoffman, Hunter G.; Morrow, Michelle; Maiers, Alan; Gaylord, Kathryn; McGhee, Laura L.; DeSocio, Peter A.

2015-01-01

Background This is the first controlled study to explore whether adjunctive immersive virtual reality (VR) can reduce excessive pain of soldiers with combat-related burn injuries during wound debridement. Methods Patients were US soldiers burned in combat attacks involving explosive devices in Iraq or Afghanistan. During the same wound care session using a within-subject experimental design, 12 patients received half of their severe burn wound cleaning procedure (∼6 minutes) with standard of care pharmacologies and half while in VR (treatment order randomized). Three 0 to 10 Graphic Rating Scale pain scores for each of the treatment conditions served as the primary variables. Results Patients reported significantly less pain when distracted with VR. “Worst pain” (pain intensity) dropped from 6.25 of 10 to 4.50 of 10. “Pain unpleasantness” ratings dropped from “moderate” (6.25 of 10) to “mild” (2.83 of 10). “Time spent thinking about pain” dropped from 76% during no VR to 22% during VR. Patients rated “no VR” as “no fun at all” (<1 of 10) and rated VR as “pretty fun” (7.5 of 10). Follow-up analyses showed VR was especially effective for the six patients who scored 7 of 10 or higher (severe to excruciating) on the “worst pain” (pain intensity) ratings. Conclusions These preliminary results provide the first evidence from a controlled study that adjunctive immersive VR reduced pain of patients with combat-related burn injuries during severe burn wound debridement. Pain reduction during VR was greatest in patients with the highest pain during no VR. These patients were the first to use a unique custom robot-like arm mounted VR goggle system. PMID:21795888

Carbon dioxide fluxes dynamics comparison in Moscow urban forest and adjacent urban areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yaroslavtsev, Alexis; Meshalkina, Joulia; Mazirov, Ilya; Vasenev, Ivan

2017-04-01

In the beginning of the 2014 in northern district of Moscow was installed eddy covariance tower on the edge of Timiryazevskiy urban forest and Timiryazevskiy district of Moscow. Tower 34m high was constructed inside the territory of LOD (Lesnaya Opytnaya Dacha) experimental station in the south-eastern part of the forest. Main tree species of urban forest and neighboring urban areas are Acer Plantanoides, Tilia cordata, Betula pendula, Quercus robur, Pinus sylvestris. Forest itself is mixed with some small plots dominated only by deciduous or coniferous species, whether trees in urban areas was mainly deciduous. Mean canopy height is about 30m. in both forest and urban areas. The soil cover of the studied sections is represented by sod-podzolic soils with different degree of development of the humus horizon. All soils have well-developed profile of sod-podzolic soil with low power litter (only in forest area) and developed humus-accumulative horizon with high humus content (3,24%) Carbon dioxide daily fluxes from investigated area was calculated for six months of 2014 (from April till October) utilizing eddy covariance method. Most (90%) of fluxes footprints was no longer than 500m for all wind directions during the time of monitoring. Forest in 500m radius around tower is a zone of active recreation with several roads and wide path network. On the other hand closest to tower urban area characterized by a low-rise buildings (in most cases no more than 5 floors) which are mainly administration ones and have wide green areas around them very few roads and low traffic. As a result difference in calculated fluxes was not so dramatic, as it was expected. Diurnal carbon dioxide fluxes dynamics was pretty the same for all months except August, due to long period without precipitation and higher soil moisture under the forest canopy. Estimated daily fluxes values was higher in forest areas for the whole period of investigation, except August, and ranged from -2 to 8 g C CO2 d-1 m-2 with mean about 2,5 g C CO2 d-1 m-2 .

Three-Dimensional Computed Tomography (3–D CT) for Evaluation and Management of Children with Complex Chest Wall Anomalies: Useful Information or Just Pretty Pictures?

PubMed Central

Calloway, E. Hollin; Chhotani, Ali N.; Lee, Yueh Z.; Phillips, J. Duncan

2013-01-01

Purpose Shaded Surface Display (SSD) technology, with 3-D CT reconstruction, has been reported in a few small series of patients with congenital or acquired chest wall deformities. SSD images are visually attractive and educational, but many institutions are hesitant to utilize these secondary to cost and image data storage concerns. This study was designed to assess the true value of SSD to the patient, family, and operating surgeon, in the evaluation and management of these children. Methods Following IRB approval, we performed a retrospective review of records of 82 patients with chest wall deformities, evaluated with SSD, from 2002 to 2009. SSD usefulness, when compared with routine 2-D CT, was graded on a strict numerical scale from 0 (added no value besides education for the patient/family) to 3 (critical for surgical planning and patient management). Results There were 56 males and 26 females. Median age was 15.3 years (range: 0.6–41.1). Deformities included 56 pectus excavatum, 19 pectus carinatum, and 8 other/mixed deformities. 6 patients also had acquired asphyxiating thoracic dystrophy (AATD). Eleven (13%) had previous chest wall reconstructive surgery. In 25 (30%) patients, SSD was useful or critical. Findings underappreciated on 2-D images included: sternal abnormalities (29), rib abnormalities (28), and heterotopic calcifications (7). SSD changed or influenced operation choice (4), clarified bone versus soft tissue (3), helped clarify AATD (3), and aided in rib graft evaluation (2). Point biserial correlation coefficient analysis (Rpb) displayed significance for SSD usefulness in patients with previous chest repair surgery (Rpb=0.48, p≤0.001), AATD (Rpb=0.34, p=0.001), pectus carinatum (Rpb=0.27, p=0.008), and females (Rpb=0.19, p=0.044). Conclusions Shaded Surface Display, when used to evaluate children and young adults with congenital or acquired chest wall deformities, provides useful or critical information for surgical planning and patient management in almost 1/3 of patients, especially those requiring a second operation, with acquired asphyxiating thoracic dystrophy, pectus carinatum, and females. PMID:21496531

State-of-the-Art for Small Satellite Propulsion Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parker, Khary I.

2016-01-01

SmallSats are a low cost access to space with an increasing need for propulsion systems. NASA, and other organizations, will be using SmallSats that require propulsion systems to: a) Conduct high quality near and far reaching on-orbit research and b) Perform technology demonstrations. Increasing call for high reliability and high performing for SmallSat components. Many SmallSat propulsion technologies are currently under development: a) Systems at various levels of maturity and b) Wide variety of systems for many mission applications.

40 CFR 142.302 - Who can issue a small system variance?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 22 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Who can issue a small system variance? 142.302 Section 142.302 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER... General Provisions § 142.302 Who can issue a small system variance? A small system variance under this...

77 FR 56253 - Ninth Meeting: RTCA Special Committee 225, Rechargeable Lithium Battery and Battery Systems-Small...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-12

... 225, Rechargeable Lithium Battery and Battery Systems--Small and Medium Size AGENCY: Federal Aviation... 225, Rechargeable Lithium Battery and Battery Systems--Small and Medium Size. SUMMARY: The FAA is..., Rechargeable Lithium Battery and Battery Systems--Small and Medium Size. DATES: The meeting will be held...

77 FR 66084 - Tenth Meeting: RTCA Special Committee 225, Rechargeable Lithium Battery and Battery Systems-Small...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-11-01

... 225, Rechargeable Lithium Battery and Battery Systems--Small and Medium Size AGENCY: Federal Aviation... 225, Rechargeable Lithium Battery and Battery Systems--Small and Medium Size. SUMMARY: The FAA is..., Rechargeable Lithium Battery and Battery Systems--Small and Medium Size. DATES: The meeting will be held...

Workshop in a Box: Sustainable Management of Rural and Small Water and Wastewater Systems Workshops

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

A resource to help rural and small systems and communities to conduct workshops, either for an individual system or for a group of systems, based on the Rural and Small Systems Guidebook to Sustainable Utility Management.

SMALL DRINKING WATER SYSTEMS: STATE OF THE INDUSTRY AND TREATMENT TECHNOLOGIES TO MEET THE SAFE DRINKING WATER ACT REQUIREMENTS

EPA Science Inventory

This report reviews current national data for small drinking water treatment systems, regulations pertaining to small systems, current treatment technologies, disposal of wastes, source water protection, security, and monitoring. The document serves as a roadmap for future small...

48 CFR 219.505 - Rejecting Small Business Administration recommendations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Rejecting Small Business... ACQUISITION REGULATIONS SYSTEM, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS Set-Asides for Small Business 219.505 Rejecting Small Business Administration recommendations. (b) The...

48 CFR 219.505 - Rejecting Small Business Administration recommendations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Rejecting Small Business... ACQUISITION REGULATIONS SYSTEM, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS Set-Asides for Small Business 219.505 Rejecting Small Business Administration recommendations. (b) The...

48 CFR 219.505 - Rejecting Small Business Administration recommendations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Rejecting Small Business... ACQUISITION REGULATIONS SYSTEM, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS Set-Asides for Small Business 219.505 Rejecting Small Business Administration recommendations. (b) The...

[RS estimation of inventory parameters and carbon storage of moso bamboo forest based on synergistic use of object-based image analysis and decision tree].

PubMed

Du, Hua Qiang; Sun, Xiao Yan; Han, Ning; Mao, Fang Jie

2017-10-01

By synergistically using the object-based image analysis (OBIA) and the classification and regression tree (CART) methods, the distribution information, the indexes (including diameter at breast, tree height, and crown closure), and the aboveground carbon storage (AGC) of moso bamboo forest in Shanchuan Town, Anji County, Zhejiang Province were investigated. The results showed that the moso bamboo forest could be accurately delineated by integrating the multi-scale ima ge segmentation in OBIA technique and CART, which connected the image objects at various scales, with a pretty good producer's accuracy of 89.1%. The investigation of indexes estimated by regression tree model that was constructed based on the features extracted from the image objects reached normal or better accuracy, in which the crown closure model archived the best estimating accuracy of 67.9%. The estimating accuracy of diameter at breast and tree height was relatively low, which was consistent with conclusion that estimating diameter at breast and tree height using optical remote sensing could not achieve satisfactory results. Estimation of AGC reached relatively high accuracy, and accuracy of the region of high value achieved above 80%.

Unexpected Anomaly of GHF (Gradient Heating Furnace) On-Board

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kobayashi, Ryoji

2013-09-01

GHF (Gradient Heating Furnace) is vacuum furnace that enables to raise temperature up to 1600 degree Celsius. GHF consumes large amount of power (about 4 kW), contains pressure vessel and has interface with vacuum line. Therefore, GHF has hazardous function in nature. JAXA performed safety analysis thoroughly, identified all causes and set appropriate safety controls to meet safety requirements. JAXA launched GHF in January of 2011 and operates in Kibo laboratory of ISS (International Space Station). JAXA encountered unexpected anomalies during operations on-board. They did not give safety degradation actually since safety devices inherent to GHF worked, but some of anomalies were unexpected.This paper presents one of the "unexpected" anomaly happened on-board, and how it relates with safety and how it is controlled not to lead to safety accident.It is pretty hard to find out "root cause" for some of anomalies due to limited telemetry information and crew resources. In addition, most of engineers designing GHF have gone. This paper also introduces agency level efforts to struggle to find out causes and to set appropriate countermeasure.Finally, this paper summaries lessons and learned from anomaly JAXA encountered.

[Psychosexual functioning of women after breast cancer therapy].

PubMed

Mroczek, Bozena; Kurpas, Donata; Grochans, Elzbieta; Kuszmar, Grazyna; Rotter, Iwona; Zułtak-Baczkowska, Katarzyna; Karakiewicz, Beata

2012-01-01

The study was to assess psychosexual functioning of women after breast cancer treatment, since this problem is very rarely discussed in Polish professional literature. Our study involved 103 women after breast cancer treatment. The questionnaire was based on the Likert scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the authors' own questions. Some 52% of respondents were operated in 2002-2008; 93% had a radical mastectomy or a breast-sparing operation without reconstruction. About 71% accepted themselves before falling ill, and 65% regarded themselves as pretty. After surgery 57% felt attractive as sexual partners, 48.5% found it difficult to look at themselves naked, and 37.9% were embarrassed in their partners' presence. Some 26.21% of the women had a very good and 42.71% had a satisfactory sexual life before the disease. Following surgery, 54% did not notice any changes in their partners' behaviour, 14% avoided intimate situations, and 11% have not had sexual intercourse since the operation. In the relationships where sex was important, the quality of sexual intercourse improved. A factor which contributes to successful sexual life of a woman is her acceptance of her body and her feeling of attractiveness.

An Adaptive Web-Based Support to e-Education in Robotics and Automation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

di Giamberardino, Paolo; Temperini, Marco

The paper presents the hardware and software architecture of a remote laboratory, with robotics and automation applications, devised to support e-teaching and e-learning activities, at an undergraduate level in computer engineering. The hardware is composed by modular structures, based on the Lego Mindstorms components: they are reasonably sophisticated in terms of functions, pretty easy to use, and sufficiently affordable in terms of cost. Moreover, being the robots intrinsically modular, wrt the number and distribution of sensors and actuators, they are easily and quickly reconfigurable. A web application makes the laboratory and its robots available via internet. The software framework allows the teacher to define, for the course under her/his responsibility, a learning path made of different and differently complex exercises, graduated in terms of the "difficulty" they require to meet and of the "competence" that the solver is supposed to have shown. The learning path of exercises is adapted to the individual learner's progressively growing competence: at any moment, only a subset of the exercises is available (depending on how close their levels of competence and difficulty are to those of the exercises already solved by the learner).

Fission fragment assisted reactor concept for space propulsion: Foil reactor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wright, Steven A.

1991-01-01

The concept is to fabricate a reactor using thin films or foils of uranium, uranium oxide and then to coat them on substrates. These coatings would be made so thin as to allow the escaping fission fragments to directly heat a hydrogen propellant. The idea was studied of direct gas heating and direct gas pumping in a nuclear pumped laser program. Fission fragments were used to pump lasers. In this concept two substrates are placed opposite each other. The internal faces are coated with thin foil of uranium oxide. A few of the advantages of this technology are listed. In general, however, it is felt that if one look at all solid core nuclear thermal rockets or nuclear thermal propulsion methods, one is going to find that they all pretty much look the same. It is felt that this reactor has higher potential reliability. It has low structural operating temperatures, very short burn times, with graceful failure modes, and it has reduced potential for energetic accidents. Going to a design like this would take the NTP community part way to some of the very advanced engine designs, such as the gas core reactor, but with reduced risk because of the much lower temperatures.

Water ice clouds observations with PFS on Mars Express

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moroz, V. I.; Zasova, L. V.; Formisano, V.; Grassi, D.; Ignatiev, N. I.; Giuranna, M.; Maturilli, A.; Pfs Team

The water ice cloud observation is one of the scientific goals of PFS. Presence and properties of the ice particles are identified from absorption features, observed in both spectral ranges of PFS. Being in the near perihelion condition, the temperature of the Martian atmosphere is pretty high and ice clouds exist only in some places, for example, related to topography or at north high latitudes et etc. The ice clouds are observed often above the tops of the volcanoes. We have found the ice clouds above Olympus (orbit 37) and Ascraeus Mons (orbit 68). Effective radius of particles according to the thermal IR is preliminary estimated of 1 μ m, which leads to the visual opacity of 0.2 -0.3 above Olympus and of maximum of 0.6 above Ascraeus Mons. In the case of Ascraeus Mons the ice clouds are observed on the south slope near the top of the volcano. The maximum surface temperature, observed there, results in the upward flux of warm air, which, cooling, provides the condensation of H2O. We will present a detailed analysis of the ice clouds, observed over the planet in the IR spectral range.

Anaerobic digestion of amine-oxide-based surfactants: biodegradation kinetics and inhibitory effects.

PubMed

Ríos, Francisco; Lechuga, Manuela; Fernández-Arteaga, Alejandro; Jurado, Encarnación; Fernández-Serrano, Mercedes

2017-08-01

Recently, anaerobic degradation has become a prevalent alternative for the treatment of wastewater and activated sludge. Consequently, the anaerobic biodegradability of recalcitrant compounds such as some surfactants require a thorough study to avoid their presence in the environment. In this work, the anaerobic biodegradation of amine-oxide-based surfactants, which are toxic to several organisms, was studied by measuring of the biogas production in digested sludge. Three amine-oxide-based surfactants with structural differences in their hydrophobic alkyl chain were tested: Lauramine oxide (AO-R 12 ), Myristamine oxide (AO-R 14 ) and Cocamidopropylamine oxide (AO-cocoamido). Results show that AO-R 12 and AO-R 14 inhibit biogas production, inhibition percentages were around 90%. AO-cocoamido did not cause inhibition and it was biodegraded until reaching a percentage of 60.8%. Otherwise, we fitted the production of biogas to two kinetic models, to a pseudo first-order model and to a logistic model. Production of biogas during the anaerobic biodegradation of AO-cocoamido was pretty good adjusted to the logistics model. Kinetic parameters were also determined. This modelling is useful to predict their behaviour in wastewater treatment plants and under anaerobic conditions in the environment.

Synthetic biology, metaphors and responsibility.

PubMed

McLeod, Carmen; Nerlich, Brigitte

2017-08-29

Metaphors are not just decorative rhetorical devices that make speech pretty. They are fundamental tools for thinking about the world and acting on the world. The language we use to make a better world matters; words matter; metaphors matter. Words have consequences - ethical, social and legal ones, as well as political and economic ones. They need to be used 'responsibly'. They also need to be studied carefully - this is what we want to do through this editorial and the related thematic collection. In the context of synthetic biology, natural and social scientists have become increasingly interested in metaphors, a wave of interest that we want to exploit and amplify. We want to build on emerging articles and books on synthetic biology, metaphors of life and the ethical and moral implications of such metaphors. This editorial provides a brief introduction to synthetic biology and responsible innovation, as well as a comprehensive review of literature on the social, cultural and ethical impacts of metaphor use in genomics and synthetic biology. Our aim is to stimulate an interdisciplinary and international discussion on the impact that metaphors can have on science, policy and publics in the context of synthetic biology.

Changing lamp type and position to improve lighting quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anizar; Syahputri, K.; Sari, RM; Rizkya, I.; Hardianti, DA

2018-03-01

This study investigates the lighting quality on the production floor in a cigarette paper industry by measuring illumination level and luminance. Cigarette paper inspection is performed manually by operators, and the criteria of defects are the cigarette paper has a hole, is rough and dirty. Operators complain that the room is pretty dark, which makes them unable to see clearly the cigarette paper defect. The government of Indonesia Health Ministerial Decree No 1405 The Year 2002 states that illumination level for continuous manual labor is 200 lux. Illumination level is measured for four days at 08.00, 10.00, 12.30, and 14.00 o’clock with 4 in 1 environmental meter. From the measurement result, it is found that using 7 LED lamps of 60 Watts can produce average illumination level of 70 lux. Low illuminance is caused by illumination level that does not meet the need 0f 569.759 lumen. Alternatives that can be used to increase lumen number are changing lamp type and position. One of the possibilities is using 24 LED of 138 Watts set 5.7 meters apart from one another can meet this demand. Another is using 5 LED of 150 Watts installed above the field of work.

Cloud Computing with Context Cameras

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pickles, A. J.; Rosing, W. E.

2016-05-01

We summarize methods and plans to monitor and calibrate photometric observations with our autonomous, robotic network of 2m, 1m and 40cm telescopes. These are sited globally to optimize our ability to observe time-variable sources. Wide field "context" cameras are aligned with our network telescopes and cycle every ˜2 minutes through BVr'i'z' filters, spanning our optical range. We measure instantaneous zero-point offsets and transparency (throughput) against calibrators in the 5-12m range from the all-sky Tycho2 catalog, and periodically against primary standards. Similar measurements are made for all our science images, with typical fields of view of ˜0.5 degrees. These are matched against Landolt, Stetson and Sloan standards, and against calibrators in the 10-17m range from the all-sky APASS catalog. Such measurements provide pretty good instantaneous flux calibration, often to better than 5%, even in cloudy conditions. Zero-point and transparency measurements can be used to characterize, monitor and inter-compare sites and equipment. When accurate calibrations of Target against Standard fields are required, monitoring measurements can be used to select truly photometric periods when accurate calibrations can be automatically scheduled and performed.

Kinetics of human immunodeficiency virus budding and assembly

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Rui; Nguyen, Toan

2009-03-01

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) belongs to a large family of RNA viruses, retroviruses. Unlike budding of regular enveloped viruses, retroviruses bud concurrently with the assembly of retroviral capsids on the cell membrane. The kinetics of HIV (and other retroviruses) budding and assembly is therefore strongly affected by the elastic energy of the membrane and fundamentally different from regular viruses. The main result of this work shows that the kinetics is tunable from a fast budding process to a slow and effectively trapped partial budding process, by varying the attractive energy of retroviral proteins (call Gags), relative to the membrane elastic energy. When the Gag-Gag attraction is relatively high, the membrane elastic energy provides a kinetic barrier for the two pieces of the partial capsids to merge. This energy barrier determines the slowest step in the kinetics and the budding time. In the opposite limit, the membrane elastic energy provides not only a kinetic energy barrier, but a free energy barrier. The budding and assembly is effectively trapped at local free energy minimum, corresponding to a partially budded state. The time scale to escape from this metastable state is exponentially large. In both cases, our result fit with experimental measurements pretty well.

Self-reports of meaning in life matter.

PubMed

Heintzelman, Samantha J; King, Laura A

2015-09-01

Replies to the comments made by Friedman (see record 2015-39598-012), Jeffery & Shackelford (see record 2015-39598-013), Brown & Wong (see record 2015-39598-014), Fowers & Lefevor (see record 2015-39598-015), Hill et al. (see record 2015-39598-016) on the current authors' original article, "Life is pretty meaningful," (see record 2014-03265-001). The current authors thank the comment authors for their efforts, and acknowledge their dedication to what is often a difficult and inscrutable construct, meaning in life. One lesson the current authors have learned from these reactions is that a review of self-report responses to items like "My life is purposeful and meaningful" cannot encompass the entirety of the meaning-in-life landscape. In this reply, the current authors reflect on aspects of the commentaries, highlighting what they can garner about meaning in life from the portion of it that is reflected in phenomenological experience and represented in self-reports: These are the data they have. The current authors first consider three methodological concerns that bear on whether these data are informative (at all) and then they consider more conceptual critiques. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Two-sided estimates of minimum-error distinguishability of mixed quantum states via generalized Holevo-Curlander bounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tyson, Jon

2009-03-01

We prove a concise factor-of-2 estimate for the failure rate of optimally distinguishing an arbitrary ensemble of mixed quantum states, generalizing work of Holevo [Theor. Probab. Appl. 23, 411 (1978)] and Curlander [Ph.D. Thesis, MIT, 1979]. A modification to the minimal principle of Cocha and Poor [Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Quantum Communication, Measurement, and Computing (Rinton, Princeton, NJ, 2003)] is used to derive a suboptimal measurement which has an error rate within a factor of 2 of the optimal by construction. This measurement is quadratically weighted and has appeared as the first iterate of a sequence of measurements proposed by Ježek et al. [Phys. Rev. A 65, 060301 (2002)]. Unlike the so-called pretty good measurement, it coincides with Holevo's asymptotically optimal measurement in the case of nonequiprobable pure states. A quadratically weighted version of the measurement bound by Barnum and Knill [J. Math. Phys. 43, 2097 (2002)] is proven. Bounds on the distinguishability of syndromes in the sense of Schumacher and Westmoreland [Phys. Rev. A 56, 131 (1997)] appear as a corollary. An appendix relates our bounds to the trace-Jensen inequality.

Dust Devil Tracks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

(Released 8 May 2002) The Science This image, centered near 50.0 S and 17.7 W displays dust devil tracks on the surface. Most of the lighter portions of the image likely have a thin veneer of dust settled on the surface. As a dust devil passes over the surface, it acts as a vacuum and picks up the dust, leaving the darker substrate exposed. In this image there is a general trend of many of the tracks running from east to west or west to east, indicating the general wind direction. There is often no general trend present in dust devil tracks seen in other images. The track patterns are quite ephemeral and can completely change or even disappear over the course of a few months. Dust devils are one of the mechanisms that Mars uses to constantly pump dust into the ubiquitously dusty atmosphere. This atmospheric dust is one of the main driving forces of the present Martian climate. The Story Vrrrrooooooooom. Think of a tornado, the cartoon Tasmanian devil, or any number of vacuum commercials that powerfully suck up swirls of dust and dirt. That's pretty much what it's like on the surface of Mars a lot of the time. Whirlpools of wind called

Investigation into structure and dehydration dynamic of gallic acid monohydrate: A Raman spectroscopic study.

PubMed

Cai, Qiang; Xue, Jiadan; Wang, Qiqi; Du, Yong

2018-05-02

The dehydration process of gallic acid monohydrate was carried out by heating method and characterized using Raman spectroscopic technique. Density functional theory calculation with B3LYP function is applied to simulate optimized structures and vibrational frequencies of anhydrous gallic acid and its corresponding monohydrated form. Different vibrational modes are assigned by comparison between experimental and theoretical Raman spectra of above two polymorphs. Raman spectra show that vibrational modes of the monohydrate are distinctively different from those of anhydrous one. Meanwhile, the dynamic information about dehydration process of gallic acid monohydrate could also be observed and monitored directly with the help of Raman spectral analysis. The decay rate of the characteristic band from gallic acid monohydrate and the growth rate of anhydrous one are pretty consistent with each other. It indicates that there is no intermediate present during the dehydration process of gallic acid monohydrate. The results could offer us benchmark works for identifying both anhydrous and hydrated pharmaceutical compounds, characterizing their corresponding molecular conformation within various crystalline forms, and also providing useful information about the process of dehydration dynamic at the microscopic molecular level. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

New insight into the 1556 M8 Huaxian earthquake in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, J.

2017-12-01

The disastrous 1556 M8 Huaxian earthquake in China took away 0.8Ma lives then as well as attracted scientists' attention. Although the Huashan front fault and Weinan plateform-front fault at the south margin of Weihe basin was responsible for this earthquake, we know less about the fault behaviors. There's evidence that the modern riverbank offset and older geomorphic scarps in Chishui river site on Weinan plateau-front fault from the Pleiades DEM. Here, we did a 3D trench excavation model using SfM work, drilling profiles and geomorphological measurement there to revive the site for multiearthquakes. It turns out two events occurred on the normal fault with pretty high offsets 9.4m and 7.8-8.0m respectively, the later one resulted from Huaxian earthquake. And we estimate that the fault slip rate approximately 1.48-1.75 mm/a. Thus, we find that the older earthquake also produced a similar fault offsets to the 1556 earthquake showing as characteristics earthquake. The paleoseismic study demonstrates that the Weinan pateform-front fault plays a role in boundary faults of Weihe basin, which can contribute to the basin evolution of regions of active faulting.

'A pretty piece of treachery': the strange case of Dr Stekel and Sigmund Freud.

PubMed

Kuhn, P

1998-12-01

Freud claimed he broke with Stekel not because of 'scientific differences' but because of 'exclusively ... personal qualities'. The author offers an alternative version of this significant fragment of psychoanalytic history by suggesting that Freud acted out of revenge for the humiliation that he believed Stekel and Adler inflicted upon him at the 1910 Nuremberg Congress. He suggests that casting the story of the break between Stekel and Freud in the narrative shadow of Robert Louis Stevenson's novella 'Jekyll and Hyde' highlights the extent to which Freud involved himself in the murkier aspects of the politics of the International Psychoanalytical Association and the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society. Ultimately, however, he argues, Freud was cynically prepared to use and then callously sacrifice Stekel, one of his oldest and most loyal followers, in his increasingly bitter struggles against Adler and Jung. He also touches upon the role of the 'Secret Committee' in the 'Stekel Affair' and the wider ramifications of Jung's unexpected return from America at the height of the 'Freud resignation crisis'. He further suggests that Jung's subsequent meeting with Bergmann may have been a significant factor in precipitating Jung's decision to break his personal relationship with Freud.

A full 3D model of fluid flow and heat transfer in an E.B. heated liquid metal bath

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matveichev, A.; Jardy, A.; Bellot, J. P.

2016-07-01

In order to study the dissolution of exogeneous inclusions in the liquid metal during processing of titanium alloys, a series of dipping experiments has been performed in an Electron Beam Melting laboratory furnace. Precise determination of the dissolution kinetics requires knowing and mastering the exact thermohydrodynamic behavior of the melt pool, which implies full 3D modeling of the process. To achieve this goal, one needs to describe momentum and heat transfer, phase change, as well as the development of flow turbulence in the liquid. EB power input, thermal radiation, heat loss through the cooling circuit, surface tension effects (i.e. Marangoni-induced flow) must also be addressed in the model. Therefore a new solver dealing with all these phenomena was implemented within OpenFOAM platform. Numerical results were compared with experimental data from actual Ti melting, showing a pretty good agreement. In the second stage, the immersion of a refractory sample rod in the liquid pool was simulated. Results of the simulations showed that the introduction of the sample slightly disturbs the flow field inside the bath. The amount of such disturbance depends on the exact location of the dipping.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: RSG and foreground candidates in M31 (Massey+, 2016)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Massey, P.; Evans, K. A.

2018-03-01

In selecting targets to observe, we used the 437 photometrically selected red supergiant (RSG) candidates given in Table 1 of Massey et al. (2009, J/ApJ/703/420). The observations were all made with Hectospec, a 300-fiber spectrometer on the 6.5 m MMT (Fabricant et al. 2005PASP..117.1411F). The 270 lines/mm grating was used, providing a reciprocal dispersion of 1.2 Å/pixel, and a spectral resolution of 4.5-5.2 Å from 3650-9200 Å in first order. Since no blocking filter is used, there is some contamination from second-order blue in the far red, but given the colors of these stars, this is pretty minimal; the grating is blazed at 5000 Å. The six "WR configurations" were observed for 90 minutes each (UT 2014 September 24, September 26, November 21, November 22, November 26, and November 28); the one "red star" configuration was observed for 60 minutes (UT 2014 October 1). The observations were made in a self-staffed queue; P. M. and collaborator Kathryn Neugent were present for the November observing. (2 data files).

Impacting Society through Astronomy Undergraduate Courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schleigh, Sharon

2015-04-01

A high percentage of non-science majors enroll in undergraduate, introductory astronomy courses across the country. The perception of the astronomy course as being easier than the ``hard sciences'' and the idea that the course will focus on ``pretty pictures'', influences the interests of the non-science majors. Often the students that enroll in these courses will not take other science courses, resulting in the only opportunity to teach college students about basic scientific concepts that impact their lives. Vast misconceptions about the nature of science, the role of science and scientists in society, and social issues embedded in scientific information, impact the decisions that individuals make about every day events. In turn, these decisions influence the policies that construct our society. This talk will provide an overview of the common misconceptions and discuss how they impact our society as a whole. The research presented provides evidence of the impact that introductory college astronomy courses have on changing these everyday misconceptions and influencing non-science majors' ideas about science in society. The research suggests that introductory courses designed for non-science majors are extremely important in impacting our society, and begs for a stronger understanding and implementation of best practices for teaching and learning in the college classroom environment.

Development of Educational Management System in Small Primary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alsammarry, Yupayao; Sirisuthi, Chaiyuth; Duangcharthom, Surat

2016-01-01

The purposes of the research were: (1) to study the factors of Educational Management System in Small Primary School; (2) to investigate current situations problems and guidelines of developing educational management in small primary school; (3) to develop Educational Management System in Small Primary School; and (4) to examine the results of…

47 CFR 95.139 - Adding a small base station or a small control station.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Adding a small base station or a small control... base station or a small control station. (a) Except for a GMRS system licensed to a non-individual, one or more small base stations or a small control station may be added to a GMRS system at any point...

Army PM UAS Spectrum Update

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-07-01

Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems vs. Air Combat Telemetry Systems SUAS - 2 Watts vs. ACTS 100 Watts... SUAS - 25 km normal radius vs. ACTS 200 km normal radius Primary Concerns: Operational Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems ...Std Z39-18 UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED Army Unmanned Aircraft Systems 2 Provides the small unit the

Small Drinking Water Systems Research and Development

EPA Science Inventory

In the United States, there are 152,002 public water systems (PWS) in operation. Of these, 97% are considered small systems under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)—meaning they serve 10,000 or fewer people. While many of these small systems consistently provide safe, relia...

Small Drinking Water System Variances

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Small system variances allow a small system to install and maintain technology that can remove a contaminant to the maximum extent that is affordable and protective of public health in lieu of technology that can achieve compliance with the regulation.

Small space station electrical power system design concepts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, G. M.; Mercer, L. N.

1976-01-01

A small manned facility, i.e., a small space station, placed in earth orbit by the Shuttle transportation system would be a viable, cost effective addition to the basic Shuttle system to provide many opportunities for R&D programs, particularly in the area of earth applications. The small space station would have many similarities with Skylab. This paper presents design concepts for an electrical power system (EPS) for the small space station based on Skylab experience, in-house work at Marshall Space Flight Center, SEPS (Solar Electric Propulsion Stage) solar array development studies, and other studies sponsored by MSFC. The proposed EPS would be a solar array/secondary battery system. Design concepts expressed are based on maximizing system efficiency and five year operational reliability. Cost, weight, volume, and complexity considerations are inherent in the concepts presented. A small space station EPS based on these concepts would be highly efficient, reliable, and relatively inexpensive.

Parametric distribution approach for flow availability in small hydro potential analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdullah, Samizee; Basri, Mohd Juhari Mat; Jamaluddin, Zahrul Zamri; Azrulhisham, Engku Ahmad; Othman, Jamel

2016-10-01

Small hydro system is one of the important sources of renewable energy and it has been recognized worldwide as clean energy sources. Small hydropower generation system uses the potential energy in flowing water to produce electricity is often questionable due to inconsistent and intermittent of power generated. Potential analysis of small hydro system which is mainly dependent on the availability of water requires the knowledge of water flow or stream flow distribution. This paper presented the possibility of applying Pearson system for stream flow availability distribution approximation in the small hydro system. By considering the stochastic nature of stream flow, the Pearson parametric distribution approximation was computed based on the significant characteristic of Pearson system applying direct correlation between the first four statistical moments of the distribution. The advantage of applying various statistical moments in small hydro potential analysis will have the ability to analyze the variation shapes of stream flow distribution.

40 CFR 142.303 - Which size public water systems can receive a small system variance?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 22 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Which size public water systems can receive a small system variance? 142.303 Section 142.303 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) NATIONAL PRIMARY DRINKING WATER REGULATIONS IMPLEMENTATION Variances for Small System General...

Development of Autonomous Optimal Cooperative Control in Relay Rover Configured Small Unmanned Aerial Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-01

Unmanned Aircraft Systems Flight Plan that identified small unmanned aerial systems ( SUAS ) as “a profound technological...advances in small unmanned aerial systems ( SUAS ) cooperative control. The end state objective of the research effort was to flight test an autonomous...requirements were captured in the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Flight Plan . The flight plan

40 CFR 142.303 - Which size public water systems can receive a small system variance?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 23 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Which size public water systems can receive a small system variance? 142.303 Section 142.303 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) NATIONAL PRIMARY DRINKING WATER REGULATIONS IMPLEMENTATION Variances for Small System General...

77 FR 39321 - Eighth Meeting: RTCA Special Committee 225, Rechargeable Lithium Battery and Battery Systems...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-02

... Committee 225, Rechargeable Lithium Battery and Battery Systems--Small and Medium Sizes AGENCY: Federal... Special Committee 225, Rechargeable Lithium Battery and Battery Systems--Small and Medium Sizes. SUMMARY... 225, Rechargeable Lithium Battery and Battery Systems--Small and Medium Sizes. DATES: The meeting will...

78 FR 6845 - Eleventh Meeting: RTCA Special Committee 225, Rechargeable Lithium Battery and Battery Systems...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-31

... Committee 225, Rechargeable Lithium Battery and Battery Systems--Small and Medium Size AGENCY: Federal... Special Committee 225, Rechargeable Lithium Battery and Battery Systems--Small and Medium Size. SUMMARY... Committee 225, Rechargeable Lithium Battery and Battery Systems--Small and Medium Size. DATES: The meeting...

78 FR 16031 - Twelfth Meeting: RTCA Special Committee 225, Rechargeable Lithium Battery and Battery Systems...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-13

... Committee 225, Rechargeable Lithium Battery and Battery Systems--Small and Medium Size AGENCY: Federal... Special Committee 225, Rechargeable Lithium Battery and Battery Systems--Small and Medium Size. SUMMARY... Committee 225, Rechargeable Lithium Battery and Battery Systems--Small and Medium Size. DATES: The meeting...

78 FR 20316 - Draft Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System NPDES General Permit-New Hampshire; Extension...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-04

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9799-1] Draft Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System NPDES General Permit--New Hampshire; Extension of Comment Period AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency... draft Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System...

78 FR 27964 - Draft Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System NPDES General Permit-New Hampshire; Extension...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-13

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9812-8] Draft Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System NPDES General Permit--New Hampshire; Extension of Comment Period AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency... draft Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System...

77 FR 8325 - Sixth Meeting: RTCA Special Committee 225, Rechargeable Lithium Batteries and Battery Systems...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-14

... 225, Rechargeable Lithium Batteries and Battery Systems, Small and Medium Size AGENCY: Federal... Committee 225, Rechargeable Lithium Batteries and Battery Systems, Small and Medium Size. SUMMARY: The FAA..., Rechargeable Lithium Batteries and Battery Systems, Small and Medium Size. DATES: The meeting will be held...

78 FR 55773 - Fourteenth Meeting: RTCA Special Committee 225, Rechargeable Lithium Battery and Battery Systems...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-11

... Committee 225, Rechargeable Lithium Battery and Battery Systems--Small and Medium Size AGENCY: Federal... Special Committee 225, Rechargeable Lithium Battery and Battery Systems--Small and Medium Size. SUMMARY... Committee 225, Rechargeable Lithium Battery and Battery Systems--Small and Medium Size DATES: The meeting...

78 FR 38093 - Thirteenth Meeting: RTCA Special Committee 225, Rechargeable Lithium Battery and Battery Systems...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-25

... Committee 225, Rechargeable Lithium Battery and Battery Systems--Small and Medium Size AGENCY: Federal... Special Committee 225, Rechargeable Lithium Battery and Battery Systems--Small and Medium Size. SUMMARY... Committee 225, Rechargeable Lithium Battery and Battery Systems--Small and Medium Size. DATES: The meeting...

48 CFR 919.502-2 - Total small business set-asides.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Total small business set-asides. 919.502-2 Section 919.502-2 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS Set-Asides for Small Business 919.502-2 Total small business set...

48 CFR 919.502-2 - Total small business set-asides.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Total small business set-asides. 919.502-2 Section 919.502-2 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS Set-Asides for Small Business 919.502-2 Total small business set...

48 CFR 919.502-2 - Total small business set-asides.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Total small business set-asides. 919.502-2 Section 919.502-2 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS Set-Asides for Small Business 919.502-2 Total small business set...

48 CFR 919.502-2 - Total small business set-asides.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Total small business set-asides. 919.502-2 Section 919.502-2 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS Set-Asides for Small Business 919.502-2 Total small business set...

48 CFR 219.505 - Rejecting Small Business Administration recommendations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Rejecting Small Business Administration recommendations. 219.505 Section 219.505 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEFENSE ACQUISITION REGULATIONS SYSTEM, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS Set...

77 FR 20688 - Seventh Meeting: RTCA Special Committee 225, Rechargeable Lithium Batteries and Battery Systems...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-05

... Committee 225, Rechargeable Lithium Batteries and Battery Systems, Small and Medium Size AGENCY: Federal... Committee 225, Rechargeable Lithium Batteries and Battery Systems, Small and Medium Size. SUMMARY: The FAA..., Rechargeable Lithium Batteries and Battery Systems, Small and Medium Size. DATES: The meeting will be held May...

40 CFR 142.312 - What EPA action is necessary when a State proposes to grant a small system variance to a public...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... State proposes to grant a small system variance to a public water system serving a population of more... water system serving a population of more than 3,300 and fewer than 10,000 persons? (a) At the time a State proposes to grant a small system variance to a public water system serving a population of more...

40 CFR 142.312 - What EPA action is necessary when a State proposes to grant a small system variance to a public...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... State proposes to grant a small system variance to a public water system serving a population of more... water system serving a population of more than 3,300 and fewer than 10,000 persons? (a) At the time a State proposes to grant a small system variance to a public water system serving a population of more...

40 CFR 142.312 - What EPA action is necessary when a State proposes to grant a small system variance to a public...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... State proposes to grant a small system variance to a public water system serving a population of more... water system serving a population of more than 3,300 and fewer than 10,000 persons? (a) At the time a State proposes to grant a small system variance to a public water system serving a population of more...

Fuel cell powered small unmanned aerial systems (UASs) for extended endurance flights

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, Deryn; Jiang, R.; Dunbar, Z.; Grew, Kyle; McClure, J.

2015-05-01

Small unmanned aerial systems (UASs) have been used for military applications and have additional potential for commercial applications [1-4]. For the military, these systems provide valuable intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and target acquisition (ISRTA) capabilities for units at the infantry, battalion, and company levels. The small UASs are light-weight, manportable, can be hand-launched, and are capable of carrying payloads. Currently, most small UASs are powered by lithium-ion or lithium polymer batteries; however, the flight endurance is usually limited less than two hours and requires frequent battery replacement. Long endurance small UAS flights have been demonstrated through the implementation of a fuel cell system. For instance, a propane fueled solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stack has been used to power a small UAS and shown to extend mission flight time. The research and development efforts presented here not only apply to small UASs, but also provide merit to the viability of extending mission operations for other unmanned systems applications.

SAFE DRINKING WATER FROM SMALL SYSTEMS: TREATMENT OPTIONS

EPA Science Inventory

Bringing small water systems into compliance with the ever-increasing number of regulations will require flexibility in terms of technology application and institional procedures. his article looks at the means by which small systems can provide safe drinking water, focusing on t...

Investigation of small solar system objects with the space telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morrison, D.

1979-01-01

The application of the space telescope (ST) to study small objects in the solar system in order to understand the birth and the early evolution of the solar system is discussed. The upper size limit of the small bodies is defined as approximately 5000 km and includes planetary satellites, planetary rings, asteroids, and comets.The use of the astronomical instruments aboard the ST, such as the faint object camera, ultraviolet and infrared spectrometers, and spectrophotometers, to study the small solar system objects is discussed.

Things for You to Know. Fuel System. Student Manual--Introduction. Small Engine Repair Series. First Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, Pamela

This student manual, part of a small-engine repair series on servicing fuel systems, is designed for use by special needs students in Texas. Information covered in this manual is considered to be the minimum that students need to know about fuel systems in order to get small-engine repair jobs. The manual introduces students to small-engine fuel…

Selections from 2017: Hostile Environment Around TRAPPIST-1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2017-12-01

Editors note:In these last two weeks of 2017, well be looking at a few selections that we havent yet discussed on AAS Nova from among the most-downloaded paperspublished in AAS journals this year. The usual posting schedule will resume in January.The Threatening Magnetic and Plasma Environment of the TRAPPIST-1 PlanetsPublished July2017Main takeaway:Modelsof the magnetic environment surrounding the seven planets of the TRAPPIST-1 system suggest that this isnot a pleasant place to be for life. In particular, the simulations run byCecilia Garraffo (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics) and collaborators indicate that all planets in the system are bombarded by a stellar wind with a pressure thats 1,000 to 100,000 times the pressureof what we experience on Earth.Why its interesting:Simulations of the magnetic environment around the planet TRAPPIST-1 f, for a variety of different assumed planetary magnetic fields. Red field lines are those that have connected between the star and the planet. [Garraffo et al. 2017]The discovery of seven Earth-sized planets in the nearby TRAPPIST-1 system particularly given many of the planets apparent location in the stars habitable zone gave us hope that these planets might be an interesting place to look for life. But the issue of habitability is more complicated than whether or not the planets can support liquid water. Garraffo and collaborators models suggest that these planets likely have their atmospheres eroded or completely stripped by the stellar wind, renderingprospects for life on these planets low.Why the TRAPPIST-1 systemis still awesome:We may be bummed that the magnetically active host star impedes chances for life on the TRAPPIST-1 planets, but theenvironment it produces isstill pretty awesome. According to the authors models, the planets pass through wildly changing wind pressure changes as they orbit. In the process, their magnetospheres are compressed, and their magnetic field lines connect with the stellar field lines over much of the planets surfaces, causing thestellar wind particles tofunnel directly onto the planets atmospheres. The result isan exciting and dynamic environment definitely worth studying further.CitationCecilia Garraffo et al 2017 ApJL 843 L33. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/aa79ed

48 CFR 219.505 - Rejecting Small Business Administration recommendations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Rejecting Small Business Administration recommendations. 219.505 Section 219.505 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEFENSE...-Asides for Small Business 219.505 Rejecting Small Business Administration recommendations. (b) The...

48 CFR 2919.505 - Rejecting Small Business Administration recommendations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Rejecting Small Business Administration recommendations. 2919.505 Section 2919.505 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF... Small Business 2919.505 Rejecting Small Business Administration recommendations. When the SBA...

Assessment of the potential of solar thermal small power systems in small utilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Steitz, P.; Mayo, L. G.; Perkins, S. P., Jr.

1978-01-01

The potential economic benefit of small solar thermal electric power systems to small municipal and rural electric utilities is assessed. Five different solar thermal small power system configurations were considered in three different solar thermal technologies. The configurations included: (1) 1 MW, 2 MW, and 10 MW parabolic dish concentrators with a 15 kW heat engine mounted at the focal point of each dish, these systems utilized advanced battery energy storage; (2) a 10 MW system with variable slat concentrators and central steam Rankine energy conversion, this system utilized sensible thermal energy storage; and (3) a 50 MW central receiver system consisting of a field of heliostats concentrating energy on a tower-mounted receiver and a central steam Rankine conversion system, this system also utilized sensible thermal storage. The results are summarized in terms of break-even capital costs. The break-even capital cost was defined as the solar thermal plant capital cost which would have to be achieved in order for the solar thermal plants to penetrate 10 percent of the reference small utility generation mix by the year 2000. The calculated break-even capital costs are presented.

Small tractors for harvesting fuelwood in low-volume small-diameter hardwood stands

Treesearch

Neil K. Huyler; Chris B. LeDoux

1989-01-01

Much of the nonindustrial, private forest land in the Northeast is characterized by small diameter trees with low volume. Conventional harvesting systems used in logging these stands generally results in submarginal economic returns. Often, small-scale harvesting systems have economic advantages in these areas. Time and motion studies were conducted for several small...

Small Water System Operations and Maintenance. A Field Study Training Program. Second Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kerri, Kenneth D.; And Others

Proper installation, inspection, operation, maintenance, repair and management of small water systems have a significant impact on the operation and maintenance cost and effectiveness of the systems. The objective of this manual is to provide small water system operators with the knowledge and skills required to operate and maintain these systems…

Stream protection with small cable yarding systems

Treesearch

Penn A. Peters; Chris B. LeDoux

1984-01-01

Small cable yarder systems that can be purchased and operated by independent logging contractors have less potential negative impact on water quality than ground-based systems operating on steep terrain because they do not require such an intense road system. Stream protection costs were estimated at $3.78 per lineal foot of stream when a typical small yarder (Koller K...

Small Power Systems Solar Electric Workshop Proceedings. Volume 1: Executive report. Volume 2: Invited papers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ferber, R. (Editor); Evans, D. (Editor)

1978-01-01

The background, objectives and methodology used for the Small Power Systems Solar Electric Workshop are described, and a summary of the results and conclusions developed at the workshop regarding small solar thermal electric power systems is presented.

System level airworthiness tool: A comprehensive approach to small unmanned aircraft system airworthiness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burke, David A.

One of the pillars of aviation safety is assuring sound engineering practices through airworthiness certification. As Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) grow in popularity, the need for airworthiness standards and verification methods tailored for UAS becomes critical. While airworthiness practices for large UAS may be similar to manned aircraft, it is clear that small UAS require a paradigm shift from the airworthiness practices of manned aircraft. Although small in comparison to manned aircraft these aircraft are not merely remote controlled toys. Small UAS may be complex aircraft flying in the National Airspace System (NAS) over populated areas for extended durations and beyond line of sight of the operators. A comprehensive systems engineering framework for certifying small UAS at the system level is needed. This work presents a point based tool that evaluates small UAS by rewarding good engineering practices in design, analysis, and testing. The airworthiness requirements scale with vehicle size and operational area, while allowing flexibility for new technologies and unique configurations.

NASA's Hydrogen Outpost: The Rocket Systems Area at Plum Brook Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arrighi, Robert S.

2016-01-01

"There was pretty much a general knowledge about hydrogen and its capabilities," recalled former researcher Robert Graham. "The question was, could you use it in a rocket engine? Do we have the technology to handle it? How will it cool? Will it produce so much heat release that we can't cool the engine? These were the questions that we had to address." The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Glenn Research Center, referred to historically as the Lewis Research Center, made a concerted effort to answer these and related questions in the 1950s and 1960s. The center played a critical role transforming hydrogen's theoretical potential into a flight-ready propellant. Since then NASA has utilized liquid hydrogen to send humans and robots to the Moon, propel dozens of spacecraft across the universe, orbit scores of satellite systems, and power 135 space shuttle flights. Rocket pioneers had recognized hydrogen's potential early on, but its extremely low boiling temperature and low density made it impracticable as a fuel. The Lewis laboratory first demonstrated that liquid hydrogen could be safely utilized in rocket and aircraft propulsion systems, then perfected techniques to store, pump, and cleanly burn the fuel, as well as use it to cool the engine. The Rocket Systems Area at Lewis's remote testing area, Plum Brook Station, played a little known, but important role in the center's hydrogen research efforts. This publication focuses on the activities at the Rocket Systems Area, but it also discusses hydrogen's role in NASA's space program and Lewis's overall hydrogen work. The Rocket Systems Area included nine physically modest test sites and three test stands dedicated to liquid-hydrogen-related research. In 1962 Cleveland Plain Dealer reporter Karl Abram claimed, "The rocket facility looks more like a petroleum refinery. Its test rigs sprout pipes, valves and tanks. During the night test runs, excess hydrogen is burned from special stacks in the best Oklahoma oil field tradition." Besides the Rocket Systems Area, Plum Brook Station also included a nuclear test reactor, a large vacuum tank, a hypersonic wind tunnel, and a full-scale upper-stage rocket stand. The Rocket Systems Area operated from 1961 until NASA shut down all of Plum Brook in 1974. The center reopened Plum Brook in the late 1980s and continues to use several test facilities. The Rocket Systems Area, however, was not restored. Today Plum Brook resembles a nature preserve more than an oil refinery. Lush fields and forests separate the large test facilities. Until recently, the abandoned Rocket Systems Area structures and equipment were visible amongst the greenery. These space-age ruins, particularly the three towers, stood as silent sentinels over the sparsely populated reservation. Few knew the story of these mysterious facilities when NASA removed them in the late 2000s.

State-of-the-Art for Small Satellite Propulsion Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parker, Khary I.

2016-01-01

The NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center (NASA/GSFC) is in the business of performing world-class, space-based, scientific research on various spacecraft platforms, which now include small satellites (SmallSats). In order to perform world class science on a SmallSat, NASA/GSFC requires that their components be highly reliable, high performing, have low power consumption, at the lowest cost possible. The Propulsion Branch (Code 597) at NASA/GSFC has conducted a SmallSat propulsion system survey to determine their availability and level of development. Based on publicly available information and unique features, this paper discusses some of the existing SmallSat propulsion systems.. The systems described in this paper do not indicate or imply any endorsement by NASA or NASA/GSFC over those not included.

Policy challenges and reforms in small EU member state health systems: a narrative literature review.

PubMed

Azzopardi-Muscat, Natasha; Funk, Tjede; Buttigieg, Sandra C; Grech, Kenneth E; Brand, Helmut

2016-12-01

The EU directive on patients' rights and cross-border care is of particular interest to small states as it reinforces the concept of health system cooperation. An analysis of the challenges faced by small states, as well as a deep evaluation of their health system reform characteristics is timely and justified. This paper identifies areas in which EU level cooperation may bring added value to these countries' health systems. Literature search is based primarily on PUBMED and is limited to English-language papers published between January 2000 and September 2014. Results of 76 original research papers appearing in peer-reviewed journals are summarised in a literature map and narrative review. Primary care, health workforce and medicines emerge as the salient themes in the review. Lack of capacity and small market size are found to be the frequently encountered challenges in governance and delivery of services. These constraints appear to also impinge on the ability of small states to effectively implement health system reforms. The EU appears to play a marginal role in supporting small state health systems, albeit the stimulus for reform associated with EU accession. Small states face common health system challenges which could potentially be addressed through enhanced health system cooperation at EU level. The lessons learned from research on small states may be of relevance to health systems organized at regional level in larger European states. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.

48 CFR 19.1405 - Service-disabled veteran-owned small business set-aside procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Service-disabled veteran... System FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Procurement Program 19.1405 Service-disabled veteran-owned small business set...

48 CFR 19.1405 - Service-disabled veteran-owned small business set-aside procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Service-disabled veteran... System FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Procurement Program 19.1405 Service-disabled veteran-owned small business set...

48 CFR 19.1405 - Service-disabled veteran-owned small business set-aside procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Service-disabled veteran... System FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Procurement Program 19.1405 Service-disabled veteran-owned small business set...

48 CFR 19.1405 - Service-disabled veteran-owned small business set-aside procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Service-disabled veteran... System FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Procurement Program 19.1405 Service-disabled veteran-owned small business set...

48 CFR 19.1405 - Service-disabled veteran-owned small business set-aside procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Service-disabled veteran... System FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Procurement Program 19.1405 Service-disabled veteran-owned small business set...

48 CFR 1353.219 - Small business programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Small business programs. 1353.219 Section 1353.219 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE CLAUSES AND FORMS FORMS Prescription of Forms 1353.219 Small business programs. Use Form CD-570, Small Business Set...

48 CFR 1353.219 - Small business programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Small business programs. 1353.219 Section 1353.219 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE CLAUSES AND FORMS FORMS Prescription of Forms 1353.219 Small business programs. Use Form CD-570, Small Business Set...

48 CFR 1353.219 - Small business programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Small business programs. 1353.219 Section 1353.219 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE CLAUSES AND FORMS FORMS Prescription of Forms 1353.219 Small business programs. Use Form CD-570, Small Business Set...

48 CFR 219.202-1 - Encouraging small business participation in acquisitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Encouraging small business... ACQUISITION REGULATIONS SYSTEM, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS Policies 219.202-1 Encouraging small business participation in acquisitions. See PGI 205.207(d)(ii) for...

48 CFR 1353.219 - Small business programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Small business programs. 1353.219 Section 1353.219 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE CLAUSES AND FORMS FORMS Prescription of Forms 1353.219 Small business programs. Use Form CD-570, Small Business Set...

48 CFR 1353.219 - Small business programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Small business programs. 1353.219 Section 1353.219 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE CLAUSES AND FORMS FORMS Prescription of Forms 1353.219 Small business programs. Use Form CD-570, Small Business Set...

48 CFR 219.202-1 - Encouraging small business participation in acquisitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Encouraging small business... ACQUISITION REGULATIONS SYSTEM, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS Policies 219.202-1 Encouraging small business participation in acquisitions. See PGI 205.207(d)(iii) for...

48 CFR 219.202-1 - Encouraging small business participation in acquisitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Encouraging small business... ACQUISITION REGULATIONS SYSTEM, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS Policies 219.202-1 Encouraging small business participation in acquisitions. See PGI 205.207(d)(ii) for...

Analysis of Hybrid-Electric Propulsion System Designs for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-03-01

34 5. Fundamental Aerodynamics... turbocharger , allowing the turbine and compressor to run at different speeds. The concept would simplify designing small diesel engines, which are...ICEs. Weight reductions in ancillary components like turbochargers and cooling systems must also be achieved for use in aviation. Since small

48 CFR 19.303 - Determining North American Industry Classification System codes and size standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... Industry Classification System codes and size standards. 19.303 Section 19.303 Federal Acquisition... of Small Business Status for Small Business Programs 19.303 Determining North American Industry... North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code and related small business size standard and...

Small-world behaviour in a system of mobile elements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manrubia, S. C.; Delgado, J.; Luque, B.

2001-03-01

We analyze the propagation of activity in a system of mobile automata. A number ρLd of elements move as random walkers on a lattice of dimension d, while with a small probability p they can jump to any empty site in the system. We show that this system behaves as a Dynamic Small World (DSW) and present analytic and numerical results for several quantities. Our analysis shows that the persistence time T* (equivalent to the persistence size L* of small-world networks) scales as T* ~ (ρp)-τ, with τ = 1/(d + 1).

Tailoring Systems Engineering Projects for Small Satellite Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horan, Stephen; Belvin, Keith

2013-01-01

NASA maintains excellence in its spaceflight systems by utilizing rigorous engineering processes based on over 50 years of experience. The NASA systems engineering process for flight projects described in NPR 7120.5E was initially developed for major flight projects. The design and development of low-cost small satellite systems does not entail the financial and risk consequences traditionally associated with spaceflight projects. Consequently, an approach is offered to tailoring of the processes such that the small satellite missions will benefit from the engineering rigor without overly burdensome overhead. In this paper we will outline the approaches to tailoring the standard processes for these small missions and describe how it will be applied in a proposed small satellite mission.

Thermal power systems small power systems applications project. Volume 2: Detailed report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marriott, A. T.

1979-01-01

Small power system technology as applied to power plants up to 10 MW in size was considered. Markets for small power systems were characterized and cost goals were established for the project. Candidate power plant system design concepts were selected for evaluation and preliminary performance and cost assessments were made. Breakeven capital costs were determined for leading contenders among the candidate systems. The potential use of small power systems in providing part of the demand for pumping power by the extensive aqueduct system of California, was studied. Criteria and methodologies were developed for the ranking of candidate power plant system design concepts. Experimental power plant concepts of 1 MW rating were studied to define a power plant configuration for subsequent detail design construction, testing and evaluation. Site selection criteria and ground rules were developed.

40 CFR 142.311 - What procedures allow the Administrator to object to a proposed small system variance or overturn...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 22 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What procedures allow the Administrator to object to a proposed small system variance or overturn a granted small system variance for a public water system serving 3,300 or fewer persons? 142.311 Section 142.311 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER...

40 CFR 142.311 - What procedures allow the Administrator to object to a proposed small system variance or overturn...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 23 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false What procedures allow the Administrator to object to a proposed small system variance or overturn a granted small system variance for a public water system serving 3,300 or fewer persons? 142.311 Section 142.311 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER...

76 FR 70531 - Fifth Meeting: RTCA Special Committee 225, Rechargeable Lithium Battery and Battery Systems-Small...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-14

... 225, Rechargeable Lithium Battery and Battery Systems--Small and Medium Size AGENCY: Federal Aviation..., Rechargeable Lithium Battery and Battery Systems--Small and Medium Size. SUMMARY: The FAA is issuing this notice to advise the public of a meeting of RTCA Special Committee 225, Rechargeable Lithium Battery and...

AN OVERVIEW OF U.S. EPA RESEARCH ON REMOTE MONITORING AND CONTROL TECHNOLOGIES FOR SMALL DRINKING WATER TREATMENT SYSTEMS

EPA Science Inventory

There are approximately 160,000 small community and non-community drinking water treatment systems in the United States. According to recent estimates, small systems contribute to 94% of the Safe Drinking Water Act violations annually. A majority of these are for microbiological ...

AN OVERVIEW OF U.S. EPA RESEARCH ON REMOTE MONITORING AND CONTROL TECHNOLOGIES FOR SMALL DRINKING WATER TREATMENT SYSTEMS

EPA Science Inventory

There are approximately 160,000 small community and non-community drinking water treatment systems in the United States. According to recent estimates, small systems contribute to 94% of the Safe Drinking Water Act violations annually. A majority of these are for microbiological...

Small Drinking Water Systems Communication and Outreach ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

As part of our small drinking water systems efforts, this poster highlights several communications and outreach highlights that EPA's Office of Research and Development and Office of Water have been undertaking in collaboration with states and the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators. To share information at EPA's annual small drinking water systems workshop

Application of Small-Scale Systems: Evaluation of Alternatives

Treesearch

John Wilhoit; Robert Rummer

1999-01-01

Large-scale mechanized systems are not well-suited for harvesting smaller tracts of privately owned forest land. New alternative small-scale harvesting systems are needed which utilize mechanized felling, have a low capital investment requirement, are small in physical size, and are based primarily on adaptations of current harvesting technology. This paper presents...

Robust Wave-front Correction in a Small Scale Adaptive Optics System Using a Membrane Deformable Mirror

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Y.; Park, S.; Baik, S.; Jung, J.; Lee, S.; Yoo, J.

A small scale laboratory adaptive optics system using a Shack-Hartmann wave-front sensor (WFS) and a membrane deformable mirror (DM) has been built for robust image acquisition. In this study, an adaptive limited control technique is adopted to maintain the long-term correction stability of an adaptive optics system. To prevent the waste of dynamic correction range for correcting small residual wave-front distortions which are inefficient to correct, the built system tries to limit wave-front correction when a similar small difference wave-front pattern is repeatedly generated. Also, the effect of mechanical distortion in an adaptive optics system is studied and a pre-recognition method for the distortion is devised to prevent low-performance system operation. A confirmation process for a balanced work assignment among deformable mirror (DM) actuators is adopted for the pre-recognition. The corrected experimental results obtained by using a built small scale adaptive optics system are described in this paper.

Small, Low Cost, Launch Capability Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, Thomas

2014-01-01

A recent explosion in nano-sat, small-sat, and university class payloads has been driven by low cost electronics and sensors, wide component availability, as well as low cost, miniature computational capability and open source code. Increasing numbers of these very small spacecraft are being launched as secondary payloads, dramatically decreasing costs, and allowing greater access to operations and experimentation using actual space flight systems. While manifesting as a secondary payload provides inexpensive rides to orbit, these arrangements also have certain limitations. Small, secondary payloads are typically included with very limited payload accommodations, supported on a non interference basis (to the prime payload), and are delivered to orbital conditions driven by the primary launch customer. Integration of propulsion systems or other hazardous capabilities will further complicate secondary launch arrangements, and accommodation requirements. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Marshall Space Flight Center has begun work on the development of small, low cost launch system concepts that could provide dedicated, affordable launch alternatives to small, high risk university type payloads and spacecraft. These efforts include development of small propulsion systems and highly optimized structural efficiency, utilizing modern advanced manufacturing techniques. This paper outlines the plans and accomplishments of these efforts and investigates opportunities for truly revolutionary reductions in launch and operations costs. Both evolution of existing sounding rocket systems to orbital delivery, and the development of clean sheet, optimized small launch systems are addressed.

Thermal power systems small power systems application project: Siting issues for solar thermal power plants with small community applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holbeck, H. J.; Ireland, S. J.

1979-01-01

The siting issues associated with small, dispersed solar thermal power plants for utility/small community applications of less than 10 MWe are reported. Some specific requirements are refered to the first engineering experiment for the Small Power Systems Applications (SPSA) Project. The background for the subsequent issue discussions is provided. The SPSA Project and the requirements for the first engineering experiment are described, and the objectives and scope for the report as a whole. A overview of solar thermal technologies and some technology options are discussed.

Ultrahigh-speed ultrahigh-resolution adaptive optics: optical coherence tomography system for in-vivo small animal retinal imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jian, Yifan; Xu, Jing; Zawadzki, Robert J.; Sarunic, Marinko V.

2013-03-01

Small animal models of human retinal diseases are a critical component of vision research. In this report, we present an ultrahigh-resolution ultrahigh-speed adaptive optics optical coherence tomography (AO-OCT) system for small animal retinal imaging (mouse, fish, etc.). We adapted our imaging system to different types of small animals in accordance with the optical properties of their eyes. Results of AO-OCT images of small animal retinas acquired with AO correction are presented. Cellular structures including nerve fiber bundles, capillary networks and detailed double-cone photoreceptors are visualized.

Small optical inter-satellite communication system for small and micro satellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iwamoto, Kyohei; Nakao, Takashi; Ito, Taiji; Sano, Takeshi; Ishii, Tamotsu; Shibata, Keiichi; Ueno, Mitsuhiro; Ohta, Shinji; Komatsu, Hiromitsu; Araki, Tomohiro; Kobayashi, Yuta; Sawada, Hirotaka

2017-02-01

Small optical inter-satellite communication system to be installed into small and micro satellites flying on LEO are designed and experimentally verified of its fundamental functions. Small, light weighted, power efficient as well as usable data transmission rate optical inter-satellite communication system is one of promising approach to provide realtime data handling and operation capabilities for micro and small satellite constellations which have limited conditions of payload. Proposed system is designed to connect satellites with 4500 (km) long maximum to be able to talk with ground station continuously by relaying LEO satellites even when they are in their own maneuvers. Connecting satellites with 4500 (km) long with keeping steady data rate, accurate pointing and tracking method will be one of a crucial issue. In this paper, we propose a precious pointing and tracking method and system with a miniature optics and experimentally verified almost 10 (μrad) of pointing accuracy with more than 500 (mrad) of angular coverage.

48 CFR 19.507 - Automatic dissolution of a small business set-aside.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Automatic dissolution of a small business set-aside. 19.507 Section 19.507 Federal Acquisition Regulations System FEDERAL... Automatic dissolution of a small business set-aside. (a) If a small business set-aside acquisition or...

48 CFR 19.507 - Automatic dissolution of a small business set-aside.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Automatic dissolution of a small business set-aside. 19.507 Section 19.507 Federal Acquisition Regulations System FEDERAL... Automatic dissolution of a small business set-aside. (a) If a small business set-aside acquisition or...

48 CFR 19.507 - Automatic dissolution of a small business set-aside.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Automatic dissolution of a small business set-aside. 19.507 Section 19.507 Federal Acquisition Regulations System FEDERAL... Automatic dissolution of a small business set-aside. (a) If a small business set-aside acquisition or...

48 CFR 19.507 - Automatic dissolution of a small business set-aside.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Automatic dissolution of a small business set-aside. 19.507 Section 19.507 Federal Acquisition Regulations System FEDERAL... Automatic dissolution of a small business set-aside. (a) If a small business set-aside acquisition or...

48 CFR 19.507 - Automatic dissolution of a small business set-aside.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Automatic dissolution of a small business set-aside. 19.507 Section 19.507 Federal Acquisition Regulations System FEDERAL... Automatic dissolution of a small business set-aside. (a) If a small business set-aside acquisition or...

Deployable Propulsion, Power and Communications Systems for Solar System Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, L.; Carr, J.; Boyd, D.

2017-01-01

NASA is developing thin-film based, deployable propulsion, power, and communication systems for small spacecraft that could provide a revolutionary new capability allowing small spacecraft exploration of the solar system. By leveraging recent advancements in thin films, photovoltaics, and miniaturized electronics, new mission-level capabilities will be enabled aboard lower-cost small spacecraft instead of their more expensive, traditional counterparts, enabling a new generation of frequent, inexpensive deep space missions. Specifically, thin-film technologies are allowing the development and use of solar sails for propulsion, small, lightweight photovoltaics for power, and omnidirectional antennas for communication.

Demonstration of Four Operating Capabilities to Enable a Small Aircraft Transportation System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Viken, Sally A.; Brooks, Frederick M.

2005-01-01

The Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) project has been a five-year effort fostering research and development that could lead to the transformation of our country s air transportation system. It has become evident that our commercial air transportation system is reaching its peak in terms of capacity, with numerous delays in the system and the demand keeps steadily increasing. The SATS vision is to increase mobility in our nation s transportation system by expanding access to more than 3400 small community airports that are currently under-utilized. The SATS project has focused its efforts on four key operating capabilities that have addressed new emerging technologies and procedures to pave the way for a new way of air travel. The four key operating capabilities are: Higher Volume Operations at Non-Towered/Non-Radar Airports, En Route Procedures and Systems for Integrated Fleet Operations, Lower Landing Minimums at Minimally Equipped Landing Facilities, and Increased Single Pilot Performance. These four capabilities are key to enabling low-cost, on-demand, point-to-point transportation of goods and passengers utilizing small aircraft operating from small airports. The focus of this paper is to discuss the technical and operational feasibility of the four operating capabilities and demonstrate how they can enable a small aircraft transportation system.

48 CFR 5119.1070 - Procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Procedures. 5119.1070 Section 5119.1070 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY ACQUISITION REGULATIONS SMALL BUSINESS AND SMALL DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS CONCERNS Small Business Competitiveness Demonstration...

Seasonal monitoring and estimation of regional aerosol distribution over Po valley, northern Italy, using a high-resolution MAIAC product

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arvani, Barbara; Pierce, R. Bradley; Lyapustin, Alexei I.; Wang, Yujie; Ghermandi, Grazia; Teggi, Sergio

2016-09-01

In this work, the new 1 km-resolved Multi-Angle Implementation of Atmospheric Correction (MAIAC) algorithm is employed to characterize seasonal PM10 - AOD correlations over northern Italy. The accuracy of the new dataset is assessed compared to the widely used Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Collection 5.1 Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) data, retrieved at 0.55 μm with spatial resolution of 10 km (MYD04_L2). We focused on evaluating the ability of these two products to characterize both temporal and spatial distributions of aerosols within urban and suburban areas. Ground PM10 measurements were obtained from 73 of the Italian Regional Agency for Environmental Protection (ARPA) monitoring stations, spread across northern Italy, during a three-year period from 2010 to 2012. The Po Valley area (northern Italy) was chosen as the study domain because of its severe urban air pollution, resulting from it having the highest population and industrial manufacturing density in the country, being located in a valley where two surrounding mountain chains favor the stagnation of pollutants. We found that the global correlations between the bin-averaged PM10 and AOD are R2 = 0.83 and R2 = 0.44 for MYD04_L2 and for MAIAC, respectively, suggesting a greater sensitivity of the high-resolution product to small-scale deviations. However, the introduction of Relative Humidity (RH) and Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) depth corrections allowed for a significant improvement to the bin-averaged PM - AOD correlation, which led to a similar performance: R2 = 0.96 for MODIS and R2 = 0.95 for MAIAC. Furthermore, the introduction of the PBL information in the corrected AOD values was found to be crucial in order to capture the clear seasonal cycle shown by measured PM10 values. The study allowed us to define four seasonal linear correlations that estimate PM10 concentrations satisfactorily from the remotely sensed MAIAC AOD retrieval. Overall, the results show that the high resolution provided by MAIAC retrieval data is much more relevant than the 10 km MODIS data to characterize PM10 in this region of Italy which has a pretty limited geographical domain but a broad variety of land usages and consequent particulate concentrations.

Seasonal Monitoring and Estimation of Regional Aerosol Distribution over Po Valley, Northern Italy, Using a High-Resolution MAIAC Product

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arvani, Barbara; Pierce, R. Bradley; Lyapustin, Alexei I.; Wang, Yujie; Ghermandi, Grazia; Teggi, Sergio

2016-01-01

In this work, the new 1-km-resolved Multi-Angle Implementation of Atmospheric Correction (MAIAC) algorithm is employed to characterize seasonal AOD-PM10 correlations over northern Italy. The accuracy of the new dataset is assessed versus the widely used Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Collection 5.1 Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) data, retrieved at 0.55 microns with spatial resolution of 10 km (MYD04). We focused on evaluating the ability of these two products to characterize both temporal and spatial distributions of aerosols within urban and suburban areas. Ground PM10 measurements were obtained from 73 of the Italian Regional Agency for Environmental Protection (ARPA) monitoring stations, spread across northern Italy, for a three-year period from 2010 to 2012. The Po Valley area (northern Italy) was chosen as the study domain because of severe urban air pollution, resulting from the highest population and industrial manufacturing density in the country, being located in a valley where two surrounding mountain chains favor the stagnation of pollutants. We found that the global correlations between PM10 and AOD are R(sup 2) = 0.83 and R(sup 2) = 0.44 for MYD04_L2 and for MAIAC, respectively, suggesting for a greater sensitiveness of the high-resolution product to small-scale deviations. However, the introduction of Relative Humidity (RH) and Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) depth corrections gave a significant improvement to the PM AOD correlation, which led to similar performance: R(sup 2) = 0.96 for MODIS and R(sup 2) = 0.95 for MAIAC. Furthermore, the introduction of the PBL information in the corrected AOD values was found to be crucial in order to capture the clear seasonal cycle shown by measured PM10 values. The study allowed us to define four seasonal linear correlations that estimate PM10 concentrations satisfactorily from the remotely sensed MAIAC AOD retrieval. Overall, the results show that the high resolution provided by MAIAC retrieval data is much more relevant than 10km MODIS data to characterize PM10 in this region of Italy which has a pretty limited geographical domain, but a broad variety of land usages and consequent particulate concentrations.

Radiochemistry Lab Decommissioning and Dismantlement. AECL, Chalk River Labs, Ontario, Canada

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

Kenny, Stephen

2008-01-15

Atomic Energy of Canada (AECL) was originally founded in the mid 1940's to perform research in radiation and nuclear areas under the Canadian Defense Department. In the mid 50's The Canadian government embarked on several research and development programs for the development of the Candu Reactor. AECL was initially built as a temporary site and is now faced with many redundant buildings. Prior to 2004 small amounts of Decommissioning work was in progress. Many reasons for deferring decommissioning activities were used with the predominant ones being: 1. Reduction in radiation doses to workers during the final dismantlement, 2. Development ofmore » a long-term solution for the management of radioactive wastes in Canada, 3. Financial constraints presented by the number of facilities shutdown that would require decommissioning funds and the absence of an approved funding strategy. This has led to the development of a comprehensive decommissioning plan that is all inclusive of AECL's current and legacy liabilities. Canada does not have a long-term disposal site; therefore waste minimization becomes the driving factor behind decontamination for decommissioning before and during dismantlement. This decommissioning job was a great learning experience for decommissioning and the associated contractors who worked on this project. Throughout the life of the project there was a constant focus on waste minimization. This focus was constantly in conflict with regulatory compliance primarily with respect to fire regulations and protecting the facility along with adjacent facilities during the decommissioning activities. Discrepancies in historical documents forced the project to treat every space as a contaminated space until proven differently. Decommissioning and dismantlement within an operating site adds to the complexity of the tasks especially when it is being conducted in the heart of the plant. This project was very successful with no lost time accidents in over one hundred thousand hours worked, on schedule and under budget despite some significant changes throughout the decommissioning phases. The actual cost to decommission this building will come in under 9 million dollars vs. an estimated 14.5 million dollars. This paper will cover some of the unique aspects of dismantling a radioactive building that has seen pretty much every element of the periodic table pass through it with the client requirement focused on minimization of radioactive waste volumes.« less

40 CFR 142.304 - For which of the regulatory requirements is a small system variance available?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 23 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false For which of the regulatory requirements is a small system variance available? 142.304 Section 142.304 Protection of Environment... REGULATIONS IMPLEMENTATION Variances for Small System General Provisions § 142.304 For which of the regulatory...

The development of internet based ship design support system for small and medium sized shipyards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shin, Sung-Chul; Lee, Soon-Sup; Kang, Dong-Hoon; Lee, Kyung-Ho

2012-03-01

In this paper, a prototype of ship basic planning system is implemented for the small and medium sized shipyards based on the internet technology and concurrent engineering concept. The system is designed from the user requirements. Consequently, standardized development environment and tools are selected. These tools are used for the system development to define and evaluate core application technologies. The system will contribute to increasing competitiveness of small and medium sized shipyards in the 21st century industrial en-vironment.

Work climate and work load measurement in production room of Batik Merak Manis Laweyan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suhardi, Bambang; Simanjutak, Sry Yohana; Laksono, Pringgo Widyo; Herjunowibowo, Dewanto

2017-11-01

The work environment is everything around the labours that can affect them in the exercise of duties and work that is charged. In a work environment, there are workplace climate and workload which affect the labour in force carrying out its work. The working climate is one of the physical factors that could potentially cause health problems towards labour at extreme conditions of hot and cold that exceed the threshold limit value allowed by the standards of health. The climate works closely related to the workload accepted by workers in the performance of their duties. The influence of workload is pretty dominant against the performance of human resources and may cause negative effects to the safety and health of the labours. This study aims to measure the effect of the work climate and the workload against workers productivity. Furthermore, some suggestions to increase the productivity also been recommended. The research conducted in production room of Batik Merak Manis Laweyan. The results showed that the workplace climate and the workload at eight stations in production room of Merak Manis does not agree to the threshold limit value that has been set. Therefore, it is recommended to add more opening windows to add air velocity inside the building thus the humidity and temperature might be reduced.

Bronze is beautiful but pale can be pretty: the effects of appearance standards and mortality salience on sun-tanning outcomes.

PubMed

Cox, Cathy R; Cooper, Douglas P; Vess, Matthew; Arndt, Jamie; Goldenberg, Jamie L; Routledge, Clay

2009-11-01

Using the terror management health model (J. L. Goldenberg & J. Arndt, 2008), the authors examined tanning outcomes as a function of priming tanning-relevant standards for attractiveness after reminders of death. Study 1 consisted of 101 female college students recruited from a midwestern university; Study 2 consisted of 53 female participants recruited from a beach in south Florida. In both experiments, participants answered questions about their mortality or a control topic, and were presented with a fashion article that highlighted either the attractiveness of tanned (just in Study 1), pale, or natural-looking skin. Self-reported suntan intentions (Study 1) and sunscreen intentions (Study 2). Study 2 also assessed participants' interest in various sun protection products. Study 1 demonstrated that mortality salience led to higher tanning intentions when the association between tanned skin and physical attractiveness was made salient and reduced intentions when the attractiveness of paler skin was highlighted. In Study 2, beachgoers, after reminders of death, reported greater preference for high sun protection sunscreen after reading an article about the attractiveness of paler skin tones. These findings contribute to an emerging understanding of how mortality concerns can influence health-related judgment and behavior. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved.

Hiring: take your time but not too much

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Usher, Linda

2010-08-01

People are any company's greatest asset. Without a great team no company would be able to conceive of a product or service. It would not be able to design or develop a product or service. It could not possibly market or sell that product or service. How a company goes about hiring its talent is one of the most critical components to developing a great team, to having low attrition, and to having a high level of employee faith in management. Far too often I have seen companies when tasked with filling requisitions not take the time to consider, or layout and execute their priorities in hiring. It's a pretty safe assumption that if one doesn't feel they have enough time to be careful and thorough in their hiring approach in order to get the right person the first time - they probably won't have enough time to replace someone they would not have hired had they done it right in the first place! The flip side of this is the problem of letting too much time pass in the process and therefore losing opportunities to hire great people. This paper will point out many mistakes I have seen made in hiring approaches so that hopefully, different strategies can be adopted to avoid those mistakes in the future.

[Diprosopus triophthalmus. From ancient terracotta sculptures to spiral computer tomographic reconstruction].

PubMed

Sokiranski, R; Pirsig, W; Nerlich, A

2005-03-01

A still-born male fetus from the 19th century, fixed in formalin and presenting as diprosopia triophthalmica, was analysed by helical computer tomography and virtually reconstructed without damage. This rare, incomplete, symmetrical duplication of the face on a single head with three eyes, two noses and two mouths develops in the first 3 weeks of gestation and is a subset of the category of conjoined twins with unknown underlying etiology. Spiral computer tomography of fixed tissue demonstrated in the more than 100 year old specimen that virtual reconstruction can be performed in nearly the same way as in patients (contrast medium application not possible). The radiological reconstruction of the Munich fetus, here confined to head and neck data, is the basis for comparison with a number of imaging procedures of the last 3000 years. Starting with some Neolithic Mesoamerican ceramics, the "Pretty Ladies of Tlatilco", diprosopia triophthalmica was also depicted on engravings of the 16th and 17th century A.D. by artists as well as by the anatomist Soemmering and his engraver Berndt in the 18th century. Our modern spiral computer tomography confirms the ability of our ancestors to depict diprosopia triophthalmica in paintings and sculptures with a high level of natural precision.

Electronic transfer of sensitive patient data.

PubMed

Detterbeck, A M W; Kaiser, J; Hirschfelder, U

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop decision-making aids and recommendations for dental practitioners regarding the utilization and sharing of sensitive digital patient data. In the current environment of growing digitization, healthcare professionals need detailed knowledge of secure data management to maximize confidentiality and minimize the risks involved in both archiving patient data and sharing it through electronic channels. Despite well-defined legal requirements, an all-inclusive technological solution does not currently exist. The need for a preliminary review and critical appraisal of common practices of data transfer prompted a search of the literature and the Web to identify viable methods of secure data exchange and to develop a flowchart. A strong focus was placed on the transmission of datasets both smaller than and larger than 10 MB, and on secure communication by smartphone. Although encryption of patient-related data should be routine, it is often difficult to implement. Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) and Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME) are viable standards for secure e-mail encryption. Sharing of high-volume data should be accomplished with the help of file encryption. Careful handling of sensitive patient data is mandatory, and it is the end-user's responsibility to meet any requirements for encryption, preferably by using free, open-source (and hence transparent) software.

Comprehensive modeling study of ozonolysis of oleic acid aerosol based on real-time, online measurements of aerosol composition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gallimore, P. J.; Griffiths, P. T.; Pope, F. D.; Reid, J. P.; Kalberer, M.

2017-04-01

The chemical composition of organic aerosols profoundly influences their atmospheric properties, but a detailed understanding of heterogeneous and in-particle reactivity is lacking. We present here a combined experimental and modeling study of the ozonolysis of oleic acid particles. An online mass spectrometry (MS) method, Extractive Electrospray Ionization (EESI), is used to follow the composition of the aerosol at a molecular level in real time; relative changes in the concentrations of both reactants and products are determined during aerosol aging. The results show evidence for multiple non-first-order reactions involving stabilized Criegee intermediates, including the formation of secondary ozonides and other oligomers. Offline liquid chromatography MS is used to confirm the online MS assignment of the monomeric and dimeric products. We explain the observed EESI-MS chemical composition changes, and chemical and physical data from previous studies, using a process-based aerosol chemistry simulation, the Pretty Good Aerosol Model (PG-AM). In particular, we extend previous studies of reactant loss by demonstrating success in reproducing the time dependence of product formation and the evolving particle size. This advance requires a comprehensive chemical scheme coupled to the partitioning of semivolatile products; relevant reaction and evaporation parameters have been refined using our new measurements in combination with PG-AM.

What is a species? Essences and generation.

PubMed

Wilkins, John S

2010-09-01

Arguments against essentialism in biology rely strongly on a claim that modern biology abandoned Aristotle's notion of a species as a class of necessary and sufficient properties. However, neither his theory of essentialism, nor his logical definition of species and genus (eidos and genos) play much of a role in biological research and taxonomy, including his own. The objections to natural kinds thinking by early twentieth century biologists wrestling with the new genetics overlooked the fact that species have typical developmental cycles and most have a large shared genetic component. These are the "what-it-is-to-be" members of that species. An intrinsic biological essentialism does not commit us to Aristotelian notions, nor even modern notions, of essence. There is a long-standing definition of "species" and its precursor notions that goes back to the Greeks, and which Darwin and pretty well all biologists since him share, that I call the Generative Conception of Species. It relies on there being a shared generative power that makes progeny resemble parents. The "what-it-is-to-be" a member of that species is that developmental type, mistakes in development notwithstanding. Moreover, such "essences" have always been understood to include deviations from the type. Finally, I shall examine some implications of the collapse of the narrative about essences in biology.

Modelling and characterization of primary settlers in view of whole plant and resource recovery modelling.

PubMed

Bachis, Giulia; Maruéjouls, Thibaud; Tik, Sovanna; Amerlinck, Youri; Melcer, Henryk; Nopens, Ingmar; Lessard, Paul; Vanrolleghem, Peter A

2015-01-01

Characterization and modelling of primary settlers have been neglected pretty much to date. However, whole plant and resource recovery modelling requires primary settler model development, as current models lack detail in describing the dynamics and the diversity of the removal process for different particulate fractions. This paper focuses on the improved modelling and experimental characterization of primary settlers. First, a new modelling concept based on particle settling velocity distribution is proposed which is then applied for the development of an improved primary settler model as well as for its characterization under addition of chemicals (chemically enhanced primary treatment, CEPT). This model is compared to two existing simple primary settler models (Otterpohl and Freund; Lessard and Beck), showing to be better than the first one and statistically comparable to the second one, but with easier calibration thanks to the ease with which wastewater characteristics can be translated into model parameters. Second, the changes in the activated sludge model (ASM)-based chemical oxygen demand fractionation between inlet and outlet induced by primary settling is investigated, showing that typical wastewater fractions are modified by primary treatment. As they clearly impact the downstream processes, both model improvements demonstrate the need for more detailed primary settler models in view of whole plant modelling.

Making Human Spaceflight as Safe as Possible

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gregory, Frederick D.

2005-01-01

We articulated the safety hierarchy a little over two years ago, as part of our quest to be the nation s leader in safety and occupational health, and in the safety of the products and services we provide. The safety hierarchy stresses that we are all accountable for assuring that our programs, projects, and operations do not impact safety or health for the public, astronauts and pilots, employees on the ground, and high-value equipment and property. When people are thinking about doing things safely, they re also thinking about doing things right. And for the past couple of years, we ve had some pretty good results. In the time since the failures of the Mars 98 missions that occurred in late 1999, every NASA spacecraft launch has met the success objectives, and every Space Shuttle mission has safely and successfully met all mission objectives. Now I can t say that NASA s safety program is solely responsible for these achievements, but, as we like to say, "mission success starts with safety." In the future, looking forward, we will continue to make spaceflight even safer. That is NASA s vision. That is NASA s duty to both those who will travel into space and the American people who will make the journey possible.

Sand dune ridge alignment effects on surface BRF over the Libya-4 CEOS calibration site.

PubMed

Govaerts, Yves M

2015-02-03

The Libya-4 desert area, located in the Great Sand Sea, is one of the most important bright desert CEOS pseudo-invariant calibration sites by its size and radiometric stability. This site is intensively used for radiometer drift monitoring, sensor intercalibration and as an absolute calibration reference based on simulated radiances traceable to the SI standard. The Libya-4 morphology is composed of oriented sand dunes shaped by dominant winds. The effects of sand dune spatial organization on the surface bidirectional reflectance factor is analyzed in this paper using Raytran, a 3D radiative transfer model. The topography is characterized with the 30 m resolution ASTER digital elevation model. Four different regions-of-interest sizes, ranging from 10 km up to 100 km, are analyzed. Results show that sand dunes generate more backscattering than forward scattering at the surface. The mean surface reflectance averaged over different viewing and illumination angles is pretty much independent of the size of the selected area, though the standard deviation differs. Sun azimuth position has an effect on the surface reflectance field, which is more pronounced for high Sun zenith angles. Such 3D azimuthal effects should be taken into account to decrease the simulated radiance uncertainty over Libya-4 below 3% for wavelengths larger than 600 nm.

The nucleation rate surfaces design over diagram of phase equilibria and their applications for computational chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anisimov, M. P.

2016-12-01

One can find in scientific literature a pretty fresh idea of the nucleation rate surfaces design over the diagrams of phase equilibria. That idea looks like profitable for the nucleation theory development and for various practical applications where predictions of theory have no high enough accuracy for today. The common thermodynamics has no real ability to predict parameters of the first order phase transition. Nucleation experiment can be provided in very local nucleation conditions even the nucleation takes place from the critical line (in two-component case) down to the absolute zero temperature limit and from zero nucleation rates at phase equilibria up to the spinodal conditions. Theory predictions have low reliability as a rule. The computational chemistry has chance to make solution of that problem easier when a set of the used axiomatic statements will adapt enough progressive assumptions [1]. Semiempirical design of the nucleation rate surfaces over diagrams of phase equilibria have a potential ability to provide a reasonable quality information on nucleation rate for each channel of nucleation. Consideration and using of the nucleation rate surface topologies to optimize synthesis of a given phase of the target material can be available when data base on nucleation rates over diagrams of phase equilibria will be created.