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At least 307 records · Page 17

Protecting sensitive systems and data in an open agency

This paper focuses on the policy and definitional issues associated with providing adequate and reasonable levels of protection for sensitive systems and data in an agency whose basic charter mandates the open sharing of information and transfer of technology into the market economy. An information model based on current Federal regulatory issuances is presented. A scheme for determining sensitivity levels, based on a categorization taxonomy,is provided.

Hunt, Douglas B.↗

Space medicine research publications: 1984-1986

A list is given of the publications of investigators supported by the Biomedical Research and Clinical Medicine Programs of the Space Medicine and Biology Branch, Life Sciences Division, Office of Space Science and Applications. It includes publications entered into the Life Sciences Bibliographic Database by the George Washington University as of December 31, 1986. Publications are organized into the following subject areas: Clinical Medicine, Space Human Factors, Musculoskeletal, Radiation and Environmental Health, Regulatory Physiology, Neuroscience, and Cardiopulmonary.

Wallace, Janice S.↗

Maladjustment of kidneys to microgravity: Design of measures to reduce the loss of calcium

Losses of skeletal calcium and body fluids occur during prolonged exposure to microgravity. The kidney plays a major role in regulating the physiological functions involved. Relative to this regulatory function, the kidney performs three operations: filtration of blood plasma through the glomeruli, reabsorption, and secretion of fluid and electrolytes so that needed components are retained and only waste is eliminated in the urine. Using data published in Biomedical Results from Skylab, researchers performed new calculations that reflect more directly the operations of the kidney in the handling of calcium, sodium, chloride, potassium and phosphate during space flight. These calculations revealed that the fraction of filtered calcium that was rejected by renal tubules and excreted in the urine increased by 71 percent, from 1.77 percent (preflight) to 3.02 percent (inflight) of the filtered load. This represents a large absolute increase because the total filtered amount is huge. Because the tubular rejection fraction of other ions increased relatively less than that of calcium, researchers postulate the inflight development of a specific renal defect that causes an excessive loss of calcium in urine and thereby contributes to the weakening of bones.

Nechay, Bohdan R.↗

An assessment model for atmospheric composition

Predicting future perturbations to global air quality and climate requires, as a prerequisite, prognostic models for the composition of the Earth's atmosphere. Such assessment models are needed to evaluate the impact on our environment of different social choices that affect emissions of the photochemically and radiatively important trace gases. Our presentation here of a prototype assessment model is intended to encourage public scientific discussions of the necessary components of the model and their interactions, with the recognition that models similar to this will likely be used by the Environmental Protection Agency and other regulatory agencies in order to assess the effect of changes in atmospheric composition on climate over the next century.

Prather, Michael J.↗

The AMSC mobile satellite system: Design summary and comparative analysis

Mobile satellite communications will be provided in the United States by the American Mobile Satellite Consortium (AMSC). Telesat Mobile, Inc. (TMI) and AMSC are jointly developing MSAT, the first regional Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) system. MSAT will provide diverse mobile communications services - including voice, data and position location - to mobiles on land, water, and in the air throughout North America. Described here are the institutional relationships between AMSC, TMI and other organizations participating in MSAT, including the Canadian Department of Communications and NASA. The regulatory status of MSAT in the United States and international allocations to MSS are reviewed. The baseline design is described.

Noreen, Gary K.↗

Energy and mass balance in the three-phase interstellar medium

Details of the energy and mass balances are considered in the context of a three-phase interstellar medium. The rates of mass exchange between the different phases are derived based on the pressure variations created by supernova remnant expansions. It is shown that the pressure-confined warm and cold gases have stable temperatures under a variety of interstellar conditions. The three-phase quasi-static configuration is found to be a natural outcome, and both warm and cold phases generally contribute about half of the total mass density to the diffuse interstellar gas. The model is also likely to be self-regulatory in the sense that variations of the input parameters do not strongly alter the general result, which is consistent with most current observations. The consequences of extreme conditions on this model are considered, and the possible implications for interstellar medium in other galaxies are briefly discussed.

Wang, Zhong↗

Stability boundaries for aircraft with unstable lateral-directional dynamics and control saturation

Aircraft that do not possess inherent (aerodynamic) stability must rely on closed-loop control systems for stable operation. Because there are limits on the deflections of an aircraft's control surfaces, the region of stable operation also is bounded. These boundaries are investigated for a lateral-directional example in which vertical fin size is inadequate to provide directional stability and where aileron and rudder deflections are subject to saturation. Fourth-order models are used in this study, with flight control logic based on minimum-control-energy linear-quadratic-regulatory theory. It is found that the stability boundaries can be described by unstable limit cycles surrounding stable equilibrium points. Variations in regions of stability with gain levels and command inputs are illustrated. Current results suggest guidelines for permissible limits on the open-loop instability of an aircraft's lateral-directional modes.

Shrivastava, Prakash C.↗

Transcriptional regulation of decreased protein synthesis during skeletal muscle unloading

The regulatory role of transcriptional alterations in unloaded skeletal muscles was investigated by determining levels of total muscle RNA and mRNA fractions in soleus, gastrocnemius, and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) of rats subjected to whole-body suspension for up to 7 days. After 7 days, total RNA and mRNA contents were lower in soleus and gastrocnemius, compared with controls, but the concentrations of both RNAs per g muscle were unaltered. Alpha-actin mRNA (assessed by dot hybridization) was significantly reduced in soleus after 1, 3, and 7 days of suspension and in gastrocnemius after 3 and 7 days, but was unchanged in EDL. Protein synthesis directed by RNA extracted from soleus and EDL indicated marked alteration in mRNAs coding for several small proteins. Results suggest that altered transcription and availability of specific mRNAs contribute significantly to the regulation of protein synthesis during skeletal muscle unloading.

Howard, G.↗

Proposed definition of the term en route in en route aircraft noise

The problem of en route aircraft noise was examined in a formal, dedicated, setting. Whereas the general meaning of the term en route might be intuitively understood, it is suggested that a precise formal definition of the term en route would be opportune from the outset, especially since the scientific and technical investigation of the problem of noise immissions on the ground from aircraft in flight away from the airspace of an airport may conceivably lead to administrative, regulatory, and legal consequences that would mandatorily require a precise definition of the term en route. Five flight segments, with their differing airframe configurations, engine thrusts, and airspeed management, should form the basis for the differential consideration of the noise immissions perceived on the ground underneath or near the defined segments of the flightpath in en route flight, from the end of the initial climb from an airport after takeoff until the final approach to an airport.

Garbell, Maurice A.↗

En route noise: NASA propfan test aircraft (calculated source noise

The second phase of a joint National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) program to study the high-altitude, low-frequency acoustic noise propagation characteristics of the Advanced Turboprop (propfan) Aircraft was conducted on April 3-13, 1989 at the White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), New Mexico. The first phase was conducted on October 26-31, 1987 in Huntsville, Alabama. NASA (Lewis) measured the source noise of the test aircraft during both phases while NASA (Langley) measured surface noise only during the second phase. FAA/NASA designed a program to obtain noise level data from the propfan test bed aircraft, both in the near field and at ground level, during simulated en route flights (35,000 and 20,000 feet ASL), and to test low frequency atmospheric absorption algorithms and prediction technology to provide insight into the necessity for regulatory measures. The curves of calculated source noise versus emission angle are based on a second order best-fit curve of the peak envelope of the adjusted ground data. Centerline and sideline derived source noise levels are shown to be in good agreement. A comparison of the Alabama chase plane source data and the calculated source noise at centerline for both the Alabama and New Mexico data shows good agreement for the 35,000 and the 20,000 feet (ASL) overflights. With the availability of the New Mexico in-flight data, further in depth comparisons will be made.

Rickley, E. J.↗

Social survey findings on en route noise annoyance issues

Most surveys of residents' reactions to aircraft noise were conducted in the vicinity of airports. The findings in those surveys have supported planning and regulatory actions for the airport noise environment. Now, however, aircraft noise planning and regulations are being considered for a new environment, the en route environment. As policy makers search for bases for public policy in these new noise environments, it is appropriate to ask whether the same scientific evidence which supports airport noise policy can also support en route noise policy. Several aspects of that question are considered. An introduction establishes the scope of the present study and examines alternative study methodologies. Next, the selected study methodology is described and important assumptions are listed. The body of the paper then consists of the findings on en route issues. The final section presents findings on relevant research methods and considers priorities for further research.

Fields, James M.↗

Space Propulsion Hazards Analysis Manual (SPHAM), volume 1

The Space Propulsion Hazards Analysis Manual (SPHAM) is a compilation of methods and data directed at hazards analysis and safety for space propulsion and associated vehicles, but broadly applicable to other environments and systems. Methods are described of compiling relevant regulatory documentation, deriving design requirements and specifications, modeling accident scenarios in formal risk assessments, and correlation real-time data to risk probability modeling. Also, SPHAM provides methods for predicting post-accident blast, fragmentation, thermal, and environmental damage. Included in the appendices are an exhaustive bibliography, hazardous properties information on selected space propulsion commodities, and system descriptions of various launch vehicles, upper stages, and spacecrafts.

Becker, Dorothy L.↗

Cosmos 1887 - Science overview

Twenty two groups of U.S. investigators participated in joint studies of ten male rats flown on the Cosmos 1887 biosatellite. A summary of these studies embracing skeletal muscle, bone, endocrine, neural, intestinal, metabolic, immunology, cardiac, and gonadal investigations is presented. Three general objectives of the rat experiments are outlined - verification of previous observations of the biological responses to microgravity; clarification of the effects of microgravity on both the tissues investigated and the measurements performed; and relation of biological responses to flight duration. It is concluded that the first objective is met fully and the second with a varying degree of success. The confounding effects of overshooting the designated landing site and delayed recovery of the animals largely precluded meeting the last objective. It is also noted that investigations were performed for the first time on brain and spinal cord enzymes, a neurotransmitter, transmitter receptors, hypothalamic regulatory factors, pineal metabolites, atrial granules, liver histology, and jejunal mitotic rate in spaceflight animals.

Grindeland, R. E.↗

Satellite sound broadcast propagation studies and measurements

Satellite Sound Broadcasting is an attractive satellite application. Before regulatory decisions can be made in 1992, the propagation effects encountered have to be characterized. The Electrical Engineering Research Laboratory has nearly completed a system which will allow amplitude measurements to be made over 10 MHz bandwidths in the 800 to 1800 MHz frequency range. The system uses transmission from a transportable tower, and reception inside buildings or in the shadow of trees or utility poles. The goal is to derive propagation models for use by systems engineers who are about to design satellite broadcast systems. The advance of fiber-optics technology has helped to focus future development of satellite services into areas where satellites are uniquely competitive. One of these preferred satellite applications is the broadcasting of high-quality sound for stationary or mobile reception by listeners using low-cost, consumer-grade receivers. Before such services can be provided, however, the political hurdles of spectrum allocation have to be surmounted and the technical questions of standardization for world-wide compatibility have to be resolved. In order to arrive at an optimal system design, efficient in the use of our scarce spectral resources, affordable both to the broadcaster and the listener, and providing predictable performance, the propagation effects to which the service is subjected have to be characterized. Consequently, the objective of the research project is to make basic propagation measurements for direct Satellite Sound Broadcasting Service (SSBS). The data obtained should allow the development of propagation models to be used by communications engineers designing the operational systems. Such models shall describe the effects of shadowing and multipath propagation on SSBS receivers operating in a specified environment, such as inside commercial or residential buildings of various construction and also in the shadow of trees or utility poles as might be encountered by transporting or mobile listeners.

Vogel, Wolfhard J.↗

Preliminary calculation of solar cosmic ray dose to the female breast in space mission

No regulatory dose limits are specifically assigned for the radiation exposure of female breasts during manned space flight. However, the relatively high radiosensitivity of the glandular tissue of the breasts and its potential exposure to solar flare protons on short- and long-term missions mandate a priori estimation of the associated risks. A model for estimating exposure within the breast is developed for use in future NASA missions. The female breast and torso geometry is represented by a simple interim model. A recently developed proton dose-buildup procedure is used for estimating doses. The model considers geomagnetic shielding, magnetic-storm conditions, spacecraft shielding, and body self-shielding. Inputs to the model include proton energy spectra, spacecraft orbital parameters, STS orbiter-shielding distribution at a given position, and a single parameter allowing for variation in breast size.

Shavers, Mark↗

Space medicine research publications: 1987-1988

A list of publications of investigators supported by the Biomedical Research and Clinical Programs of the Life Sciences Division, Office of Space Science and Applications is given. Included are publications entered into the Life Sciences Bibliographic Database by the George Washington University as of 31 December 1988. Principal Investigators whose research tasks resulted in publication are identified by asterisk. Publications are organized into the following subject areas: space physiology and countermeasures (cardiopulmonary, musculoskeletal, neuroscience, and regulatory physiology), space human factors, environmental health, radiation health, clinical medicine, and general space medicine.

Source record↗

Biological research on Space Station Freedom

The paper discusses laboratory capabilities of the SSF which permit long-term, systematic investigations into the effects of the space environment, particularly the effect of microgravity, on a range of biological specimens. The ability to manipulate gravity levels between 0 and 2.0 g makes it possible to examine gravitational effects along a continuum. Space centrifuge research is expected to lead to practical applications in areas such as aging, treating malfunctions of the body regulatory and defense mechanisms, improving agricultural production, and extending human performance.

Chambers, L. P.↗

Thermodynamic regulation of ocean warming by cirrus clouds deduced from observations of the 1987 El Nino

Observations made during the 1987 El Nino show that in the upper range of sea surface temperatures, the greenhouse effect increases with surface temperature at a rate which exceeds the rate at which radiation is being emitted from the surface. In response to this 'super greenhouse effect', highly reflective cirrus clouds are produced which act like a thermostat, shielding the ocean from solar radiation. The regulatory effect of these cirrus clouds may limit sea surface temperatures to less than 305 K.

Ramanathan, V.↗