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At least 559 records · Page 31

Evidence of Multiple Reconnection Lines at the Magnetopause from Cusp Observations

Recent global hybrid simulations investigated the formation of flux transfer events (FTEs) and their convection and interaction with the cusp. Based on these simulations, we have analyzed several Polar cusp crossings in the Northern Hemisphere to search for the signature of such FTEs in the energy distribution of downward precipitating ions: precipitating ion beams at different energies parallel to the ambient magnetic field and overlapping in time. Overlapping ion distributions in the cusp are usually attributed to a combination of variable ion acceleration during the magnetopause crossing together with the time-of-flight effect from the entry point to the observing satellite. Most "step up" ion cusp structures (steps in the ion energy dispersions) only overlap for the populations with large pitch angles and not for the parallel streaming populations. Such cusp structures are the signatures predicted by the pulsed reconnection model, where the reconnection rate at the magnetopause decreased to zero, physically separating convecting flux tubes and their parallel streaming ions. However, several Polar cusp events discussed in this study also show an energy overlap for parallel-streaming precipitating ions. This condition might be caused by reopening an already reconnected field line, forming a magnetic island (flux rope) at the magnetopause similar to that reported in global MHD and Hybrid simulations

flux transfer events↗

Optimal regulation in systems with stochastic time sampling

An optimal control theory that accounts for stochastic variable time sampling in a distributed microprocessor based flight control system is presented. The theory is developed by using a linear process model for the airplane dynamics and the information distribution process is modeled as a variable time increment process where, at the time that information is supplied to the control effectors, the control effectors know the time of the next information update only in a stochastic sense. An optimal control problem is formulated and solved for the control law that minimizes the expected value of a quadratic cost function. The optimal cost obtained with a variable time increment Markov information update process where the control effectors know only the past information update intervals and the Markov transition mechanism is almost identical to that obtained with a known and uniform information update interval.

Montgomery, R. C.↗

A systems analysis of the erythropoietic responses to weightlessness. Volume 2: Description of the model of erythropoiesis regulation. Part A: Model for regulation of erythropoiesis. Part B: Detailed description of the model for regulation of erythropoiesis

A mathematical model of the erythropoiesis on total red blood cell mass is presented. The loss of red cell mass has been a consistent finding during space flight. Computer simulation of this phenomenon required a model that could account for oxygen transport, red cell production, and red cell destruction. The elements incorporated into the feedback regulation loop of the model are based on the accepted concept that erythrocyte production is governed by the balance between oxygen supply and demand in the body. The mechanisms and pathways of the control circuit include oxygenation of hemoglobin and oxygenation of tissues by blood transport and diffusional processes. Other features of the model include a variable oxygen-hemoglobin affinity, and time delays which represent time for erythropoietin (erythrocyte-stimulating hormone) distribution in plasma, and time for maturation of the erythrocytes in bone marrow.

Leonard, J. I.↗

A Study of Quality of Service Communication for High-Speed Packet-Switching Computer Sub-Networks

With the development of high-speed networking technology, computer networks, including local-area networks (LANs), wide-area networks (WANs) and the Internet, are extending their traditional roles of carrying computer data. They are being used for Internet telephony, multimedia applications such as conferencing and video on demand, distributed simulations, and other real-time applications. LANs are even used for distributed real-time process control and computing as a cost-effective approach. Differing from traditional data transfer, these new classes of high-speed network applications (video, audio, real-time process control, and others) are delay sensitive. The usefulness of data depends not only on the correctness of received data, but also the time that data are received. In other words, these new classes of applications require networks to provide guaranteed services or quality of service (QoS). Quality of service can be defined by a set of parameters and reflects a user's expectation about the underlying network's behavior. Traditionally, distinct services are provided by different kinds of networks. Voice services are provided by telephone networks, video services are provided by cable networks, and data transfer services are provided by computer networks. A single network providing different services is called an integrated-services network.

Cui, Zhenqian↗

Prospects for future solar-wind missions

Possible activities and future goals for solar wind research in the post Soho era are discussed. Two major enterprises which will open up important fields in the future study of the Sun are addressed. The first deals with in situ study of the solar corona, a region that has not been accessible for direct study in the past. This exploratory work will include the coronal heating and the acceleration of the solar wind much closer to its origin and the determination of the charge states of a large number of ions as a diagnostic tool for fractionation processes in these regions. The second major goal will be the setting up of a baseline for the isotopic composition in the solar system by studying a sample from the Sun in detail. These studies will be complemented by a direct comparison with extra solar samples of interstellar pick up ions, which become accessible with the same instrumentation as is necessary for the detailed investigation of the solar wind's isotopic composition. In order to achieve these goals, advanced composition experiments are developed to investigate the solar wind with enhanced mass resolution, considerably increased geometrical factor, and improved time resolution. The placing of sophisticated mass/charge spectrometers, with the ability to investigate both charge and velocity distributions with enhanced time resolution, in the solar wind acceleration region, is also proposed.

Bochsler, P.↗

Performance comparison of token ring protocols for hard-real-time communication

The ability to guarantee the deadlines of synchronous messages while maintaining a good aggregate throughput is an important consideration in the design of distributed real-time systems. In this paper, we study two token ring protocols, the priority driven protocol and the timed token protocol, for their suitability for hard real-time systems. Both these protocols use a token to control access to the transmission medium. In a priority driven protocol, messages are assigned priorities and the protocol ensures that messages are transmitted in the order of their priorities. Timed token protocols do not provide for priority arbitration but ensure that the maximum access delay for a station is bounded. For both protocols, we first derive the schedulability conditions under which the transmission deadlines of a given set of synchronous messages can be guaranteed. Subsequently, we use these schedulability conditions to quantitatively compare the average case behavior of the protocols. This comparison demonstrates that each of the protocols has its domain of superior performance and neither dominates the other for the entire range of operating conditions.

Kamat, Sanjay↗

Diurnal and spatial variability of lightning activity in northeastern Colorado and central Florida during the summer

Lightning location data from northeastern Colorado and central Florida for the summer months of 1983 have been studied to ascertain the diurnal development of spatial distributions of flash frequencies. The data sources are discussed, and for both investigated regions, the regional geographic and climatic characteristics, the day-to-day variability of lightning activity, the diurnal cycle over the entire region, the spatial distribution of lightning activity, the diurnal changes of spatial distribution, and the diurnal variation of lightning at individual sites are described in detail. In both regions, the time and space distributions of lightning are modulated by the topographic features and the contrasts of the terrain. Lightning activity is a relatively rare and variable phenomenon in both regions when day-to-day frequencies are considered. There thus must be meteorological parameters that determine the extent and frequency of lightning occurrence.

Lopez, R. E.↗

Coupling of Coastal Zone Color Scanner data to a physical-biological model of the southeastern U.S. continental shelf ecosystem. I - CZCS data description and Lagrangian particle tracing experiments. II - An Eulerian model. III - Nutrient and phytoplankton fluxes and CZCS data assimilation

Surface phytoplankton biomass of the southeastern U.S. continental shelf area is discussed based on coastal zone color scanner (CZCS) images obtained in April 1980. Data of chlorophyll distributions are analyzed in conjunction with concurrent flow and temperature fields. Lagrangian particle tracing experiments show that the particles move consistently with the evolution of the chlorophyll patterns. A four-component physical-biological model for a horizontal plane at a nominal depth of 17 m is presented. Model simulations using various physical-biological dynamics and boundary conditions show that the variability of chlorophyll distributions is controlled by horizontal advection. Phytoplankton and nutrient fluxes, calculated using the model, show considerable variability with time. The chlorophyll distributions obtained from the CZCS images are assimilated into the model to improve the phytoplankton flux estimates.

Ishizaka, Joji↗

Modeling and measurement of error propagation in a multimodule computing system

An error propagation model has been developed for multimodule computing systems in which the main parameters are the distribution functions of error propagation times. A digraph model is used to represent a multimodule computing system, and error propagation in the system is modeled by general distributions of error propagation times between all pairs of modules. Two algorithms are developed to compute systematically and efficiently the distributions of error propagation times. Experiments are also conducted to measure the distributions of error propagation times with the fault-tolerant microprocessor (FTMP). Statistical analysis of experimental data shows that the error propagation times in FTMP do not follow a well-known distribution, thus justifying the use of general distributions in the present model.

Shin, Kang G.↗

Investigation of clouds spatial distribution using ground-based lidar

Certain investigations of spatial distribution of clouds by employing ground based lidar are presented. The great changeability is one of the main properties of the clouds in the boundary layer. As a result, their optical properties change rapidly which complicates the modeling of cloud evolution. Suitable equipped lidars are widely used for diagnostics of the clouds via a number of scattering and absorption processes. In particular, lidar can provide information on the distribution of meteorological parameters and of the other important cloud characteristics both in vertical and horizontal directions. Herein the time and spatial distribution of the aerosol backscattering coefficient of S sub t and S sub c type clouds are investigated by means of a correlation analysis of the lidar obtained data provided from several arbitrary directions and heights.

Kolev, I. N.↗

Creep Life of Ceramic Components Using a Finite-Element-Based Integrated Design Program (CARES/CREEP)

The desirable properties of ceramics at high temperatures have generated interest in their use for structural application such as in advanced turbine engine systems. Design lives for such systems can exceed 10,000 hours. The long life requirement necessitates subjecting the components to relatively low stresses. The combination of high temperatures and low stresses typically places failure for monolithic ceramics in the creep regime. The objective of this paper is to present a design methodology for predicting the lifetimes of structural components subjected to creep rupture conditions. This methodology utilizes commercially available finite element packages and takes into account the time-varying creep strain distributions (stress relaxation). The creep life, of a component is discretized into short time steps, during which the stress and strain distributions are assumed constant. The damage is calculated for each time step based on a modified Monkman-Grant creep rupture criterion. Failure is assumed to occur when the normalized accumulated damage at any point in the component is greater than or equal to unity. The corresponding time will be the creep rupture life for that component. Examples are chosen to demonstrate the Ceramics Analysis and Reliability Evaluation of Structures/CREEP (CARES/CREEP) integrated design program, which is written for the ANSYS finite element package. Depending on the component size and loading conditions, it was found that in real structures one of two competing failure modes (creep or slow crack growth) will dominate. Applications to benchmark problems and engine components are included.

Powers, L. M.↗

Creep Life of Ceramic Components Using a Finite-Element-Based Integrated Design Program (CARES/CREEP)

The desirable properties of ceramics at high temperatures have generated interest in their use for structural applications such as in advanced turbine systems. Design lives for such systems can exceed 10,000 hours. The long life requirement necessitates subjecting the components to relatively low stresses. The combination of high temperatures and low stresses typically places failure for monolithic ceramics in the creep regime. The objective of this paper is to present a design methodology for predicting the lifetimes of structural components subjected to creep rupture conditions. This methodology utilized commercially available finite element packages and takes into account the time-varying creep strain distributions (stress relaxation). The creep life of a component is discretized into short time steps, during which the stress and strain distributions are assumed constant. The damage is calculated for each time step based on a modified Monkman-Grant creep rupture criterion. Failure is assumed to occur when the normalized accumulated damage at any point in the component is greater than or equal to unity. The corresponding time will be the creep rupture life for that component. Examples are chosen to demonstrate the CARES/CREEP (Ceramics Analysis and Reliability Evaluation of Structures/CREEP) integrated design programs, which is written for the ANSYS finite element package. Depending on the component size and loading conditions, it was found that in real structures one of two competing failure modes (creep or slow crack growth) will dominate. Applications to benechmark problems and engine components are included.

Gyekenyesi, J. P.↗

Photoballistics of volcanic jet activity at Stromboli, Italy

Two night eruptions of the volcano Stromboli were studied through 70-mm photography. Single-camera techniques were used. Particle sphericity, constant velocity in the frame, and radial symmetry were assumed. Properties of the particulate phase found through analysis include: particle size, velocity, total number of particles ejected, angular dispersion and distribution in the jet, time variation of particle size and apparent velocity distribution, averaged volume flux, and kinetic energy carried by the condensed phase. The frequency distributions of particle size and apparent velocities are found to be approximately log normal. The properties of the gas phase were inferred from the fact that it was the transporting medium for the condensed phase. Gas velocity and time variation, volume flux of gas, dynamic pressure, mass erupted, and density were estimated. A CO2-H2O mixture is possible for the observed eruptions. The flow was subsonic. Velocity variations may be explained by an organ pipe resonance. Particle collimation may be produced by a Magnus effect.

Chouet, B.↗

Spatially-Resolved Freestream Velocity Measurements at the NASA Langley 31-Inch Mach 10 Air Tunnel Using FLEET

Freestream velocity measurements in the NASA Langley 31-inch Mach 10 wind tunnel are reported in this paper using Femtosecond Laser Electronic Excitation Tagging (FLEET). The freestream measurements acquired during the January 2023 test campaign were the first direct measurement of freestream velocity in this hypersonic wind tunnel facility. Spatial distributions of time-averaged and instantaneous velocity measurements were obtained at all three typical wind tunnel freestream unit Reynolds number conditions of Re∞/L = 1.8∙106 m-1, 3.6∙106 m-1, and 6.4∙106 m-1, though the current paper focuses on centerline measurements for the three Re∞/L and spatial distributions for one Re∞/L. Measured values for time-averaged velocity and mean of the instantaneous velocity at the wind tunnel centerline agree within 5 m/s or 0.4% of the calculated velocity from the facility data acquisition system. Measurements acquired at locations away from the wind tunnel centerline reveal the spatial extent of the core flow of the hypersonic facility.

FLEET↗

Spatially-Resolved Freestream Velocity Measurements at the NASA Langley 31-Inch Mach 10 Air Tunnel Using FLEET

Freestream velocity measurements in the NASA Langley 31-inch Mach 10 wind tunnel are reported in this paper using Femtosecond Laser Electronic Excitation Tagging (FLEET). The freestream measurements acquired during the January 2023 test campaign were the first direct measurement of freestream velocity in this hypersonic wind tunnel facility. Spatial distributions of time-averaged and instantaneous velocity measurements were obtained at all three typical wind tunnel freestream unit Reynolds number conditions of Re∞/L = 1.8∙106 m-1, 3.6∙106 m-1, and 6.4∙106 m-1, though the current paper focuses on centerline measurements for the three Re∞/L and spatial distributions for one Re∞/L. Measured values for time-averaged velocity and mean of the instantaneous velocity at the wind tunnel centerline agree within 5 m/s or 0.4% of the calculated velocity from the facility data acquisition system. Measurements acquired at locations away from the wind tunnel centerline reveal the spatial extent of the core flow of the hypersonic facility.

FLEET↗

Exospheric hydrogen above St-Santin /France/

The temperature and hydrogen concentration of the exosphere was determined using incoherent scatter measurements performed above St. Santin from 1969 to 1972. The hydrogen concentration was deduced from measurements of the number density of positive hydrogen and oxygen ions. A statistical analysis is given of the hydrogen concentration as a function of the exospheric temperature and the diurnal variation of the hydrogen concentration is investigated for a few selected days of good quality observation. The data averaged with respect to the exospheric temperature without consideration of the local time exhibits a distribution consistent with a constant effective Jeans escape flux of about 9 x 10 to the 7 cu cm/s. The local time variation exhibits a maximum to minimum concentration ratio of at least 3.5.

Derieux, A.↗