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Studies in astronomical time series analysis. II - Statistical aspects of spectral analysis of unevenly spaced data

Detection of a periodic signal hidden in noise is frequently a goal in astronomical data analysis. This paper does not introduce a new detection technique, but instead studies the reliability and efficiency of detection with the most commonly used technique, the periodogram, in the case where the observation times are unevenly spaced. This choice was made because, of the methods in current use, it appears to have the simplest statistical behavior. A modification of the classical definition of the periodogram is necessary in order to retain the simple statistical behavior of the evenly spaced case. With this modification, periodogram analysis and least-squares fitting of sine waves to the data are exactly equivalent. Certain difficulties with the use of the periodogram are less important than commonly believed in the case of detection of strictly periodic signals. In addition, the standard method for mitigating these difficulties (tapering) can be used just as well if the sampling is uneven. An analysis of the statistical significance of signal detections is presented, with examples

Scargle, J. D.↗

Mechanics aspects of NDE by sound and ultrasound

Nondestructive evaluation (NDE) is considered as a means to detect the energy release mechanism of defects and the interaction of microstructures within materials with sound waves and/or ultrasonic waves. Ultrasonic inspection involves the frequency range 20 kHz-1 GHz with amplitudes depending on the sensitivity of the test instrumentation. Pulse echo systems are most frequently used in NDE. Information is extracted from the signals through measurements of the signal velocity, attenuation, the acoustic emission when stress is applied, and calculation of the acoustoelastic coefficients. Fracture properties, tensile and shear strengths, the interlaminar shear strength, the cohesive strength, yield and impact strengths, the hardness, and the residual stress can be assayed by ultrasonic methods. Finally, attention is given to analytical treatment of the derived data, with mention given to transition matrix, integral equation, and eigenstrain approaches.

Fu, L. S.↗

Radioactive nuclear waste stabilization - Aspects of solid-state molecular engineering and applied geochemistry

Stabilization techniques for the storage of radioactive wastes are surveyed, with emphasis on immobilization in a primary barrier of synthetic rock. The composition, half-life, and thermal-emission characteristics of the wastes are shown to require thermally stable immobilization enduring at least 100,000 years. Glass materials are determined to be incapable of withstanding the expected conditions, average temperatures of 100-500 C for the first 100 years. The geological-time stability of crystalline materials, ceramics or synthetic rocks, is examined in detail by comparing their components with similar naturally occurring minerals, especially those containing the same radioactive elements. The high-temperature environment over the first 100 years is seen as stabilizing, since it can recrystallize radiation-induced metamicts. The synthetic-rock stabilization technique is found to be essentially feasible, and improvements are suggested, including the substitution of nepheline with freudenbergite and priderite for alkaline-waste stabilization, the maintenance of low oxygen fugacity, and the dilution of the synthetic-rock pellets into an inert medium.

Haggerty, S. E.↗

Economic aspects of advanced coal-fired gas turbine locomotives

Increases in the price of such conventional fuels as Diesel No. 2, as well as advancements in turbine technology, have prompted the present economic assessment of coal-fired gas turbine locomotive engines. A regenerative open cycle internal combustion gas turbine engine may be used, given the development of ceramic hot section components. Otherwise, an external combustion gas turbine engine appears attractive, since although its thermal efficiency is lower than that of a Diesel engine, its fuel is far less expensive. Attention is given to such a powerplant which will use a fluidized bed coal combustor. A life cycle cost analysis yields figures that are approximately half those typical of present locomotive engines.

Liddle, S. G.↗

Assessment of the environmental aspects of the DOE phosphoric acid fuel cell program

The likely facets of a nationwide phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC) power plant commercial system are described. The beneficial and adverse environmental impacts produced by the system are assessed. Eleven specific system activities are characterized and evaluated. Also included is a review of fuel cell technology and a description of DOE's National Fuel Cell Program. Based on current and reasonably foreseeable PAFC characteristics, no environmental or energy impact factor was identified that would significantly inhibit the commercialization of PAFC power plant technology.

Lundblad, H. L.↗

Performance and materials aspects of Ge:Be photoconductors

Ge:Be photoconductors were developed for low photon background applications in the 30 to 50 MM wavelength region. These detectors provide higher responsivity and lower noise equivalent power (NEP) than the Ge:Ga detectors currently operating in this wavelength range. Beryllium doped single crystals were grown by the Czochralski method from a carbon susceptor under a vacuum of approx. one million torr. An optimum detective quantum efficiency of 46% at a background flux of 1.5 x 10 to the 8th power photons/second (7 x 10 to the 13th power W) was reported. Ge:Be detector performance is strongly influenced by the absolute concentrations and the concentration ratio of residual shallow donors and shallow acceptors.

Haegel, N. M.↗

Simulation Aspects in the Study of Rectification of Satellite Scanner Data

Complete sensor/platform modelling is derived and used for the generation of synthetic data and for rectification studies of satellite scanner data. All satellite position and sensor attitude parameters are recovered. Rectification accuracy improves marginally when using more than 25 control points, and is highly sensitive to errors in image point identification.

Mikhail, E. M.↗

Linear and Nonlinear Aspects of Rotordynamics

Excessive vibrations of the liquid oxygen pump in the Space Shuttle's Main Engine have been recorded during hot firing ground testing. In order to determine mathematical explanations of this possibility, destructive phenomenon differential equations have been examined which describe the rotordynamics of the pump. Modeling the rotor as a random eigenvalue problem was considered. Analytical expressions were derived for the solution in the case of symmetric damping and stiffness. This enables one to determine accuracy estimates when testing numerical techniques to solve both asymmetric and nonlinear problems. Finally, the rotor model has had nonlinear elements incorporated to improve its simulation of the pump and to expand the corresponding mathematical theory.

Day, W. B.↗

Some aspects of mathematical and chemical modeling of complex chemical processes

Some theoretical questions involved in the mathematical modeling of the kinetics of complex chemical process are discussed. The analysis is carried out for the homogeneous oxidation of ethylbenzene in the liquid phase. Particular attention is given to the determination of the general characteristics of chemical systems from an analysis of mathematical models developed on the basis of linear algebra.

Nemes, I.↗

Investigation of several aspects of LANDSAT-4 data quality

Preliminary analysis of band-to-band registration in a TM scene of San Francisco, California by flickering different band pairs on the display showed no major problems. The power spectra of individual lines in each band on the A-tape of a Washington, D.C. scene, which represented data from individual detectors, was calculated. The power spectra for each detector were averaged and the peak-to-peak amplitudes were calculated as a function of frequency. Estimated system modulation transfer functions were calculated for bands 3 and 4 for a 128 x 128 pixel area of the San Francisco Bay containing the San Matteo Bridge. The shape and width of the modulation transfer functions appear reasonable, but further study is required to establish confidence in the results which yield an effective-instantaneous field of view of 33.6 meters and 40.8 meters in bands 3 and 4, respectively.

Wrigley, R. C.↗

Simulating certain aspects of hypogravity: Effects on the mandibular incisors of suspended rats (PULEH model)

The effect of a hypogravity simulating model on the rate of mandibular incisor formation, dentinogenesis and, amelogenesis in laboratory rats was studied. The model is the partial unloading by elevating the hindquarters. In this system, rat hindquarters are elevated 30 to 40 deg from the cage floors to completely unload the hindlimbs, but the animals are free to move about using their forelimbs. This model replicates the fluid sift changes which occur during the weightlessness of spaceflight and produces an osteopenia in the weight bearing skeletons. The histogenesis and/or mineralization rates of the mandibular incisor during the first 19d of PULEH in young growing rats are recorded.

Simmons, D. J.↗

Fluid mechanical aspects of cell culture

The influence of shear rate on cell cultures was determined. Cells were cultured on a flat substrate in a specially designed flow chamber in which shear rate is known and controlled.

Hellums, J. D.↗

Practical aspects of modeling aircraft dynamics from flight data

The purpose of parameter estimation, a subset of system identification, is to estimate the coefficients (such as stability and control derivatives) of the aircraft differential equations of motion from sampled measured dynamic responses. In the past, the primary reason for estimating stability and control derivatives from flight tests was to make comparisons with wind tunnel estimates. As aircraft became more complex, and as flight envelopes were expanded to include flight regimes that were not well understood, new requirements for the derivative estimates evolved. For many years, the flight determined derivatives were used in simulations to aid in flight planning and in pilot training. The simulations were particularly important in research flight test programs in which an envelope expansion into new flight regimes was required. Parameter estimation techniques for estimating stability and control derivatives from flight data became more sophisticated to support the flight test programs. As knowledge of these new flight regimes increased, more complex aircraft were flown. Much of this increased complexity was in sophisticated flight control systems. The design and refinement of the control system required higher fidelity simulations than were previously required.

Iliff, K. W.↗

Computational aspects of the nonlinear normal mode initialization of the GLAS 4th order GCM

Using the normal modes of the GLAS 4th Order Model, a Machenhauer nonlinear normal mode initialization (NLNMI) was carried out for the external vertical mode using the GLAS 4th Order shallow water equations model for an equivalent depth corresponding to that associated with the external vertical mode. A simple procedure was devised which was directed at identifying computational modes by following the rate of increase of BAL sub M, the partial (with respect to the zonal wavenumber m) sum of squares of the time change of the normal mode coefficients (for fixed vertical mode index) varying over the latitude index L of symmetric or antisymmetric gravity waves. A working algorithm is presented which speeds up the convergence of the iterative Machenhauer NLNMI. A 24 h integration using the NLNMI state was carried out using both Matsuno and leap-frog time-integration schemes; these runs were then compared to a 24 h integration starting from a non-initialized state. The maximal impact of the nonlinear normal mode initialization was found to occur 6-10 hours after the initial time.

Navon, I. M.↗

Theoretical aspects of photoclinometric terrain profiling on the Galilean satellites

For large parts of the surfaces of the Galilean satellites there is no stereoscopic high resolution imagery, and so for shadow-free regions far from the terminator, the only method of obtaining topograpic information is photoclinometry, the technique of converting brightness variations into local surface tilts and hence into topographic profiles and contour maps. The conversion from brightness changes to slopes require knowledge of the angular photometric function for the type of planetary surface terrain being analyzed, i.e., the relationship describing the brightness of the surface as a function of the angles of incidence (I) and emergence (E) of light at a surface element. In order to investigate the effects of these changes on the shapes of topographic profiles deduced from the functions, an area of grooved terrain (lines 500-505, samples 550-650 on frame 20640.27 0060J2) using wide ranges of values of all the adjustable parameters in Hapke's new photometric function were analyzed.

Wilson, L.↗

Investigation of several aspects of LANDSAT-4 data quality

The Thematic Mapper scene of Sacramento, CA acquired during the TDRSS test was received in TIPS format. Quadrants for both scenes were tested for band-to-band registration using reimplemented block correlation techniques. Summary statistics for band-to-band registrations of TM band combinations for Quadrant 4 of the NE Arkansas scene in TIPS format are tabulated as well as those for Quadrant 1 of the Sacramento scene. The system MTF analysis for the San Francisco scene is completed. The thermal band did not have sufficient contrast for the targets used and was not analyzed.

Wrigley, R. C.↗

Performance of a high-work low aspect ration turbine tested with a realistic inlet radial temperature profile

Experimental results are presented for a 0.767 scale model of the first stage of a two-stage turbine designed for a high by-pass ratio engine. The turbine was tested with both uniform inlet conditions and with an inlet radial temperature profile simulating engine conditions. The inlet temperature profile was essentially mixed-out in the rotor. There was also substantial underturning of the exit flow at the mean diameter. Both of these effects were attributed to strong secondary flows in the rotor blading. There were no significant differences in the stage performance with either inlet condition when differences in tip clearance were considered. Performance was very close to design intent in both cases.

Stabe, R. G.↗

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