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At least 325 records · Page 18

Digital second-order phase-locked loop

Actual tests with second-order digital phase-locked loop at simulated relative Doppler shift of 1x0.0001 produced phase lock with timing error of 6.5 deg and no appreciable Doppler bias. Loop thus appears to achieve subcarrier synchronization and to remove bias due to Doppler shift in range of interest.

Holmes, J. K.↗

Probing Galaxy Evolution in Massive Clusters Using ACT and DES: Splashback as a Cosmic Clock

We measure the projected number density profiles of galaxies and the splashback feature in clusters selected by the Sunyaev–Zel'dovich effect from the Advanced Atacama Cosmology Telescope (AdvACT) survey using galaxies observed by the Dark Energy Survey (DES). The splashback radius is consistent with CDM-only simulations and is located at-+-h2.4 Mpc0.40.31. We split the galaxies on color and find significant differences in their profile shapes. Red and green-valley galaxies show a splashback-like minimum in their slope profile consistent with theory, while the bluest galaxies show a weak feature at a smaller radius. We develop a mapping of galaxies to subhalos in simulations and assign colors based on infall time onto their hosts. We find that the shift in location of the steepest slope and different profile shapes can be mapped to the average time of infall of galaxies of different colors. The steepest slope traces a discontinuity in the phase space of dark matter halos. By relating spatial profiles to infall time, we can use splashback as a clock to understand galaxy quenching. We find that red galaxies have on average been in clusters over 3.2 Gyr, green galaxies about 2.2 Gyr, while blue galaxies have been accreted most recently and have not reached apocenter. Using the full radial profiles, we fit a simple quenching model and find that the onset of galaxy quenching occurs after a delay of about a gigayear and that galaxies quench rapidly thereafter with an exponential timescale of 0.6 Gyr.

Galaxy clusters↗

Doppler Imaging with FUSE: The Partially Eclipsing Binary VW Cep

This report covers the FUSE Guest Observer program. This project involves the study of emission line profiles for the partially eclipsing, rapidly rotating binary system VW Cep. Active regions on the surface of the star(s) produce observable line shifts as the stars move with respect to the observer. By studying the time-dependence of the line profile changes and centroid shifts, one can determine the location of the activity. FUSE spectra were obtained by the P.I. 27 Sept 2002 and data reduction is in progress. Since we are interested in line profile analysis, we are now investigating the wavelength scale calibration in some detail. We have also obtained and are analyzing Chandra data in order to compare the X-ray velocities with the FUV velocities. A complementary project comparing X-ray and Far UltraViolet (FUV) emission for the similar system 44i Boo is also underway. Postdoctoral fellow Ronnie Hoogerwerf has joined the investigation team and will perform the data analysis, once the calibration is optimized.

Sonneborn, George↗

Fluid shifts and muscle function in humans during acute simulated weightlessness

The acute effects of simulated weightlessness on transcapillary fluid balance, tissue fluid shifts, muscle function, and triceps surface reflex time were studied in eight supine human subjects who were placed in a 5 degrees head-down tilt position for 8 hr. Results show a cephalic fluid shift from the legs as indicated by facial edema, nasal congestion, increased urine flow, decreased creatinine excretion, reduced calf girth, and decreased lower leg volume. The interstitial fluid pressure in the tibialis anterior muscle and subcutaneous tissue of the lower leg was found to fall significantly, while other transcapillary pressures (capillary and interstitial fluid colloid osmotic pressures) were relatively unchanged. The total water content of the soleus muscle was unchanged during the head-down tilt. After head-down tilt, isometric strength and isokinetic strength of the plantar flexors were unchanged, while the triceps surae reflex time associated with plantar flexion movement slowed slightly. These results demonstrate a dehydration effect of head-down tilt on muscle and subcutaneous tissue of the lower leg that may affect muscle function.

Hargens, A. R.↗

Variations in Sleep and Performance by Duty Start Time in Short Haul Operations

Prior studies have confirmed that commercial airline pilots experience circadian phase shifts and short sleep duration following travel with layovers in different time zones. Few studies have examined the impact of early and late starts on the sleep and circadian phase of airline pilots who return to their domicile after each duty period. We recruited 44 pilots (4 female) from a short-haul commercial airline to participate in a study examining sleep and circadian phase over four duty schedules (baseline, early starts, mid-day starts, late starts). Each duty schedule was five days long, separated by three rest days. Participants completed the rosters in the same order. Sleep outcomes were estimated using wrist-borne actigraphy (Actiware Software, Respironics, Bend, OR) and daily sleep diaries. Thirteen participants volunteered to collect urine samples for the assessment of 6-sulfatoxymelatonin (aMT6s). Urine samples were collected in four-hourly bins during the day and eight-hourly bins during sleep episodes, for 24 hours immediately following each experimental duty schedule. The aMT6s results were fit to a cosine in order to obtain the acrophase to estimate circadian phase. Univariate statistics were calculated for acrophase changes, schedule start times and sleep times. All statistical analyses were computed using SAS software (Cary, IN).

fatigue↗

Four years of IUE research on clumpy irregular galaxies

During the first four years of IUE operations seven shifts were used to observe 4 clumpy irregular galaxies: Markarian 7, 8, 297, and 325. All spectra were obtained at low resolution in both short and long wavelength, with exposure time ranging from half to a full shift. The IUE spectra of clumpy irregular galaxies show that the clumps contain a very large number of early O and B type stars, with a large number of supergiants with respect to the main sequence stars. Possibly Wolf-Rayet stars and massive objects of the type of R 136a could also contribute to the clump luminosity. On the average, each clump radiates in the UV 100 times more than 30 Dor. On the other end the liner dimension of a clump is not much larger than the one of 30 Dor.

Benvenuti, P.↗

Acquisition Of Spread-Spectrum Code

Effects of Doppler shift and data modulation taken into account. Two advanced schemes for acquisition of direct-sequence spread-spectrum codes proposed. M1-Lag correlator in each strip of spread-spectrum-code detector operates at different offset code-chip time. Each offset represents assumed (tentative) Doppler shift. Schemes have highly parallel architecture implemented with currently available technology. Possible to use hybrid parallel/serial architecture in which acquisition time varies in inverse proportion to number of correlators and fast-Fourier-transform processors.

Cheng, Unjeng↗

Shiftwork in space - Bright light as a chronobiologic countermeasure

The potential of timed exposures to bright light as a countermeasure to the changes in the work/rest schedules during space missions was investigated. In the experiments, four human subjects were exposed to two sessions of eleven days of simulated weightlessness (6-deg head-down-tilt bedrest) with 6-hr extensions of the scheduled wake time on days 3 and 4 (a 12-hr phase delay). In a blind crossover design, subjects were exposed to bright light (greater than 3500 lux) for 5 hrs on each of the two shift days and on the following day, at times expected to accelerate adaptation to the phase delay (experimental group), or have no phase shifting effect (control group). Results indicate that bright light may accelerate the rate of adaptation to work/rest schedule delays under simulated weightlessness conditions. However, such effect was found to be largely independent of the timing of the light exposure.

Gander, Philippa H.↗

Time composite sounding

In the time composite sounding mode, the Vertical Atmospheric Sounder (VAS) data is collected in a series of images of one spin each rather than in the dwell sound mode where single lines are repeatedly scanned. A drawback of the time composite method is temporal smearing of the data, but to compensate this there is also the chance that shifting cloud patterns will permit better spatial coverage. Time composite sounding was performed for a single case study, June 14, 1984. Four, ten minute single spin swaths were processed. The principal conclusion was that the time composite results were at least equivalent to the conventional dwell sounding results, despite the fact that compositing was done in a less than optimum way because of software limitations.

Hayden, C.↗

Determining Locations by Use of Networks of Passive Beacons

Networks of passive radio beacons spanning moderate-sized terrain areas have been proposed to aid navigation of small robotic aircraft that would be used to explore Saturn s moon Titan. Such networks could also be used on Earth to aid navigation of robotic aircraft, land vehicles, or vessels engaged in exploration or reconnaissance in situations or locations (e.g., underwater locations) in which Global Positioning System (GPS) signals are unreliable or unavailable. Prior to use, it would be necessary to pre-position the beacons at known locations that would be determined by use of one or more precise independent global navigation system(s). Thereafter, while navigating over the area spanned by a given network of passive beacons, an exploratory robot would use the beacons to determine its position precisely relative to the known beacon positions (see figure). If it were necessary for the robot to explore multiple, separated terrain areas spanned by different networks of beacons, the robot could use a long-haul, relatively coarse global navigation system for the lower-precision position determination needed during transit between such areas. The proposed method of precise determination of position of an exploratory robot relative to the positions of passive radio beacons is based partly on the principles of radar and partly on the principles of radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags. The robot would transmit radar-like signals that would be modified and reflected by the passive beacons. The distance to each beacon would be determined from the roundtrip propagation time and/or round-trip phase shift of the signal returning from that beacon. Signals returned from different beacons could be distinguished by means of their RFID characteristics. Alternatively or in addition, the antenna of each beacon could be designed to radiate in a unique pattern that could be identified by the navigation system. Also, alternatively or in addition, sets of identical beacons could be deployed in unique configurations such that the navigation system could identify their unique combinations of radio-frequency reflections as an alternative to leveraging the uniqueness of the RFID tags. The degree of dimensional accuracy would depend not only on the locations of the beacons but also on the number of beacon signals received, the number of samples of each signal, the motion of the robot, and the time intervals between samples. At one extreme, a single sample of the return signal from a single beacon could be used to determine the distance from that beacon and hence to determine that the robot is located somewhere on a sphere, the radius of which equals that distance and the center of which lies at the beacon. In a less extreme example, the three-dimensional position of the robot could be determined with fair precision from a single sample of the signal from each of three beacons. In intermediate cases, position estimates could be refined and/or position ambiguities could be resolved by use of supplementary readings of an altimeter and other instruments aboard the robot.

Okino, Clayton↗

A season of heat, water vapor, total hydrocarbon, and ozone fluxes at a subarctic fen

High-latitude environments are thought to play several critical roles in the global balance of radiatively active trace gases. Adequate documentation of the source and sink strengths for trace gases requires long time series of detailed measurements, including heat and moisture budgets. A fen near Schefferville, Quebec, was instrumented during the summer of 1990 for the measurement of the surface energy, radiation, and moisture balances as well as for eddy correlation estimates of ozone and methane flux. Despite the limited fetch at this site, analysis of the tower flux 'footprint' indicates that at least 80% of the flux observed originates from sources within the fen. Sensible heat fluxes averaged 25% of the daytime net radiation at the site, while the latent heat flux, determined from the energy balance, was 63%; the Bowen ratio varied from 0.2 to 0.8 from day to day, without a seasonal trend to the variation. The competing effects of rooted macrophyte development (with concomitant effects on roughness and transpiration) and the normal shift in synoptic pattern around day 200 to warm, dry conditions results in a lack of net seasonal effect on the energy partitioning. Over the period from days 170 to 230, the evaporation (167 mm) was double the rainfall, while the decline in water level was 107 mm, leaving a net runoff of 0.44 mm/d. The total hydrocarbon flux was 75-120 mg m(exp -2)/d, following a diurnal pattern similar to heat or moisture flux, while the daytime ozone flux was about -1.11 x 10(exp 11) molecules cm(exp -2)/s. A period near the end of the experiment, during week 30, produced the strongest total hydrocarbon flux, associated with warmer deep (1 m) soil temperatures, lower fen water levels, and the late summer shift in wind direction at that time. An early summer 'flush' of total hydrocarbon was not observed.

Moore, Kathleen E.↗

The timing of the human circadian clock is accurately represented by the core body temperature rhythm following phase shifts to a three-cycle light stimulus near the critical zone

A double-stimulus experiment was conducted to evaluate the phase of the underlying circadian clock following light-induced phase shifts of the human circadian system. Circadian phase was assayed by constant routine from the rhythm in core body temperature before and after a three-cycle bright-light stimulus applied near the estimated minimum of the core body temperature rhythm. An identical, consecutive three-cycle light stimulus was then applied, and phase was reassessed. Phase shifts to these consecutive stimuli were no different from those obtained in a previous study following light stimuli applied under steady-state conditions over a range of circadian phases similar to those at which the consecutive stimuli were applied. These data suggest that circadian phase shifts of the core body temperature rhythm in response to a three-cycle stimulus occur within 24 h following the end of the 3-day light stimulus and that this poststimulus temperature rhythm accurately reflects the timing of the underlying circadian clock.

Non-NASA Center↗

Dawn- Dusk Auroral Oval Oscillations Associated with High- Speed Solar Wind

We report evidence of global-scale auroral oval oscillations in the millihertz range, using global auroral images acquired from the Ultraviolet Imager on board the decommissioned Polar satellite and concurrent solar wind measurements. On the basis of two events (15 January 1999 and 6 January 2000) studied, it is found that (1) quasi-periodic auroral oval oscillations (approximately 3 megahertz) can occur when solar wind speeds are high at northward or southward interplanetary magnetic field turning, (2) the oscillation amplitudes range from a few to more than 10 degrees in latitudes, (3) the oscillation frequency is the same for each event irrespective of local time and without any azimuthal phase shift (i.e., propagation), (4) the auroral oscillations occur in phase within both the dawn and dusk sectors but 180 degrees out of phase between the dawn and dusk sectors, and (5) no micropulsations on the ground match the auroral oscillation periods. While solar wind conditions favor the growth of the Kelvin-Helmholtz (K-H) instability on the magnetopause as often suggested, the observed wave characteristics are not consistent with predictions for K-H waves. The in-phase and out-of-phase features found in the dawn-dusk auroral oval oscillations suggest that wiggling motions of the magnetotail associated with fast solar winds might be the direct cause of the global-scale millihertz auroral oval oscillations. Plain Language Summary: We utilize global auroral image data to infer the motion of the magnetosphere and show, for the first time, the entire magnetospheric tail can move east-west in harmony like a windsock flapping in wind. The characteristic period of the flapping motion may be a major source of global long-period ULF (Ultra Low Frequency) waves, adding an extra source of the global mode ULF waves.

Liou, Kan↗

Did LMC X-3 Undergo a 'Her X-1-like' Anomalous Low State?

The black hole X-ray binary LMC X-3 has been monitored by the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) from its launch to the present by the All-Sky Monitor (ASM). This well-sampled light curve is supplemented by frequent pointed observations with the PCA and HEXTE instruments which provide improved sensitivity, time resolution and spectral information. The long-term X-ray luminosity of the system is strongly modulated on timescales of hundreds of days. The mean 2-10 kev X-ray flux varies by a factor of more than 100 during this long-term cycle. This variability has been attributed to the precession of a bright, tilted, and warped accretion disk---the mechanism also invoked to explain the 35-day super-orbital period in the X-ray binary pulsar system Her X-1. The ASM light curve displays a unique episode, starting in December 2003, during which LMC X-3 displayed a very low, nearly constant flux, for about 80 days. This is markedly different from the typical low-flux excursions in LMC X-3, which smoothly evolve toward and then away from a minimum flux on about a 10-day time scale. The character of the long-term variability, as measured by amplitude and characteristic time scale, is not the same after this long low state as it was before. Similar shifts in long-term period and amplitude are seen after the so-called "anomalous low states" in Her X-1, when the 35-day X-ray modulation ceases for an unpredictable length of time. These similar shifts in the long-term amplitude and timescale in the two systems suggests they share a similar mechanism which gives rise to the anomalous low states

Boyd, Patricia t.↗

Performance of DPSK with convolutional encoding on time-varying fading channels

The bit error probability performance of a differentially-coherent phase-shift keyed (DPSK) modem with convolutional encoding and Viterbi decoding on time-varying fading channels is examined. Both the Rician and the lognormal channels are considered. Bit error probability upper bounds on fully-interleaved (zero-memory) fading channels are derived and substantiated by computer simulation. It is shown that the resulting coded system performance is a relatively insensitive function of the choice of channel model provided that the channel parameters are related according to the correspondence developed as part of this paper. Finally, a comparison of DPSK with a number of other modulation strategies is provided.

Mui, S. Y.↗

Theoretical studies of the ignition and combustion of silane-hydrogen-air mixtures

A chemical kinetic mechanism is proposed for the combustion of silane-hydrogen-oxygen-nitrogen mixtures in the initial temperature range from 800K to 1250K and pressure range from 0.5 to 1.35 atm. The mechanism yields results which are in agreement with published ignition delay times obtained from shock tube experiments. Comparisons between the results obtained using the proposed mechanism and that of an alternative mechanism reveal that the former predicts appreciably shorter ignition delay times, but a flame blowout envelope which is shifted so as to decrease the stable flame region. Over much of the thermodynamic range examined, the mechanism predicts long reaction times. A three step global mechanism is proposed which closely models the ignition phase of SiH4 - H2 - air combustion; however, the reaction phase is less well reproduced by the global model. The necessity for additional experimental data to further assess the proposed models is stressed.

Chinitz, W.↗

Nondestructive Strain Measurement System Used to Determine Surface Strain on Fibers

Small-diameter structural fibers are being considered as reinforcements for high temperature ceramic matrix composite materials, and thus they require characterization. At the NASA Lewis Research Center, a nondestructive optical technique was used to determine surface strain on a structural fiber, in real time, as it was pulled in a tensile test machine. With this technique, interference or speckle patterns from the laser illuminated fiber test specimen are recorded. As the fiber is pulled, its speckle pattern shifts in proportion to the strain, translation, and rotation components of the sample deformation. Shifting speckle patterns are detected in real time by two linear charge-coupled discharge (CCD) camera arrays, and the images are processed by a hardware correlator. Surface strain is selectively detected on fibers with diameters on the order of 100 mm and can be resolved to 19 microstrain. This system was designed to be robust and compact and generally does not require surface preparation of the structural fibers. For strain detection, two laser beams are positioned incident on the structural fiber being tested, as shown in the photograph, where the test specimen is mounted in a tensile test machine via two coupons. As the fiber is pulled, the speckle pattern produced from each laser beam is detected by one of two CCD arrays located inside the tube on the right side of the photograph.

Tuma, Margaret L.↗

Shifting the closed-loop spectrum in the optimal linear quadratic regulator problem for hereditary systems

In the optimal linear quadratic regulator problem for finite dimensional systems, the method known as an alpha-shift can be used to produce a closed-loop system whose spectrum lies to the left of some specified vertical line; that is, a closed-loop system with a prescribed degree of stability. This paper treats the extension of the alpha-shift to hereditary systems. As infinite dimensions, the shift can be accomplished by adding alpha times the identity to the open-loop semigroup generator and then solving an optimal regulator problem. However, this approach does not work with a new approximation scheme for hereditary control problems recently developed by Kappel and Salamon. Since this scheme is among the best to date for the numerical solution of the linear regulator problem for hereditary systems, an alternative method for shifting the closed-loop spectrum is needed. An alpha-shift technique that can be used with the Kappel-Salamon approximation scheme is developed. Both the continuous-time and discrete-time problems are considered. A numerical example which demonstrates the feasibility of the method is included.

Gibson, J. S.↗