A cosmology based on conventional physical laws.
Cosmology models in light of transport equation assuming relativity and conventional physical laws, noting densities inconsistent with closure
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Cosmology models in light of transport equation assuming relativity and conventional physical laws, noting densities inconsistent with closure
A representative model of the human controller in single-axis compensatory tracking tasks that exhibits an internal feedback loop which is not evident in single-loop models now in common use is presented. This hypothetical inner-loop involves a neuromuscular command signal derived from the time rate of change of controlled element output which is due to control activity. It is not contended that the single-loop human controller models now in use are incorrect, but that they contain an implicit but important internal loop closure, which, if explicitly considered, can account for a good deal of the adaptive nature of the human controller in a systematic manner.
A technique was developed for the inclusion of large scale magnetospheric current systems in magnetic field models. The region 1 and 2 Birkeland current systems are included in the source surface model of the terrestrial magnetosphere. The region 1 and 2 Birkeland currents are placed in the model using a series of field aligned, infinitely thin wire segments. The normal component of the magnetic field from these currents is calculated on the surface of the magnetopause and shielded using image current carrying wires placed outside of the magnetosphere. It is found that the inclusion of the Birkeland currents in the model results in a northward magnetic field in the near-midnight tail, leading to the closure of previously open flux in the tail, and a southward magnetic field in the flanks. A sunward shift in the separatrix is observed.
Comprehensive polarimetric closure is demonstrated using observations from two in-situ polarimeters and Vector Radiative Transfer (VRT) modeling. During the Ship-Aircraft Bio-Optical Research (SABOR) campaign, the novel CCNY HyperSAS-POL polarimeter was mounted on the bow of the R/V Endeavor and acquired hyperspectral measurements from just above the surface of the ocean, while the NASA GISS Research Scanning Polarimeter was deployed onboard the NASA LaRC's King Air UC-12B aircraft. State-of-the-art, ancillary measurements were used to characterize the atmospheric and marine contributions in the VRT model, including those of the High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL), the AErosol RObotic NETwork for Ocean Color (AERONET-OC), a profiling WETLabs ac-9 spectrometer and the Multi-spectral Volume Scattering Meter (MVSM). An open-ocean and a coastal scene are analyzed, both affected by complex aerosol conditions. In each of the two cases, it is found that the model is able to accurately reproduce the Stokes components measured simultaneously by each polarimeter at different geometries and viewing altitudes. These results are mostly encouraging, considering the different deployment strategies of RSP and HyperSAS-POL, which imply very different sensitivities to the atmospheric and ocean contributions, and open new opportunities in above-water polarimetric measurements. Furthermore, the signal originating from each scene was propagated to the top of the atmosphere to explore the sensitivity of polarimetric spaceborne observations to changes in the water type. As expected, adding polarization as a measurement capability benefits the detection of such changes, reinforcing the merits of the full-Stokes treatment in modeling the impact of atmospheric and oceanic constituents on remote sensing observations.
A steady, three dimensional average-passage equation system was derived. The purpose was to simulate multistage turbomachinery flows. These equations describe a steady, viscous flow that is periodic from blade passage to blade passage. Moreover, these equations have a closure problem that is similar to that of the Reynolds-average Navier-Stokes equations. A scaled form of the average-passage equation system could provide an improved mathematical model for simulating the flow in the design and in the off-design conditions of a multistage machine.
A method is presented for analytically representing the magnetic field due to the cross-tail current and its closure on the magnetopause. It is an extension of a method used by Tsyganenko (1989b) to confine the dipole field inside an ellipsoidal magnetopause using a scalar potential. Given a model of the cross-tail current, the implied net magnetic field is obtained by adding to the cross-tail current field a potential field B = - del gamma, which makes all field lines divide into two disjoint groups, separated by the magnetopause (i.e., the combined field is made to have zero normal component with the magnetopause). The magnetopause is assumed to be an ellipsoid of revolution (a prolate spheroid) as an approximation to observations (Sibeck et al., 1991). This assumption permits the potential gamma to be expressed in spheroidal coordinates, expanded in spheroidal harmonics and its terms evaluated by performing inversion integrals. Finally, the field outside the magnetopause is replaced by zero, resulting in a consistent current closure along the magnetopause. This procedure can also be used to confine the modeled field of any other interior magnetic source, though the model current must always flow in closed circuits. The method is demonstrated on the T87 cross-tail current, examples illustrate the effect of changing the size and shape of the prescribed magnetopause and a comparison is made to an independent numerical scheme based on the Biot-Savart equation.
The bidirectional reflectance of oceanic waters is conveniently described in a normalized way by forming the ratio of the upwelling irradiance E(sub u) to any upwelling radiance L(sub u)(theta prime, phi). This ratio, Q (theta prime, theta(sub 0), (phi(sub 0) - phi), where theta prime, phi are the nadir and azimuth angles for the upward radiance and theta(sub 0), phi(sub 0) are the zenith and azimuth angles of the Sun, has been determined from measurements at sea and computed via Monte Carlo simulations using the inherent optical properties measured in the field and appropriate boundary conditions (clear sky, no wind, varying Sun angle). Experimental ad computed Q values are in excellent agreement. This successful comparison confirms the importance of the bidirectional character of ocean reflectance, already pointed out from a purely numerical approach without field validation, and corroborates the extended range of the Q variations. The later point is of importance when interpreting the marine signals detected by an ocean color satellite-borne sensor. The validation is extended by considering the historical data for the radiance distributions in Lake Pend Oreille determined at various depths. The closure issue in ocean optics is examined by solving the direct problem of radiative transfer and through a model-data comparison in terms of radiance field.
A detailed experiment on the separated flow field at a sharp trailing edge is described and documented. The separated flow is a result of sustained adverse pressure gradients. The experiment was conducted using an elongated airfoil-like model at a transonic Mach number and at a high Reynolds number of practical interest. Measurements made include surface pressures and detailed mean and turbulence flow quantities in the region just upstream of separation to downstream into the near-wake, following wake closure. The data obtained are presented mostly in tabular form. These data are of sufficient quality and detail to be useful as a test case for evaluating turbulence models and calculation methods.
Crack growth in Ti-8Al-1Mo-1V was measured and calculated for real-time and accelerated simulations of supersonic airplane loading and heating. Crack-growth rates calculated on the assumption that an entire flight could be represented by a single cycle predicted the experimental rates poorly. Calculated crack-growth rates were slower than the experimental rates for all tests with flight-by-flight loading. For room-temperature accelerated tests, the calculated rates agreed well with the experimental rates; but the calculations became progressively less accurate for progressively more complex test conditions (tests that included elevated temperature). Calculations of crack growth using the crack-closure concept can probably be improved through study of crack-opening stresses using finite-element models that account for variable-amplitude loading, residual stresses, and temperature effects. The calculations of crack growth could also be improved through detailed studies of material properties and interactions among stress, temperature, and time as appropriate for the real-time operating conditions of a supersonic transport airplane.
The current motions of the African, Eurasian, and North American plates are examined. The problems addressed include whether there is resolvable motion of a Spitsbergen microplate, the direction of motion between the African and North American plates, whether the Gloria fault is an active transform fault, and the implications of plate circuit closures for rates of intraplate deformation. Marine geophysical data and magnetic profiles are used to construct a model which predicts about 4 mm/yr slip across the Azores-Gibraltar Ridge, and west-northwest convergence near Gibraltar. The analyzed data are consistent with a rigid plate model with the Gloria fault being a transform fault.
The use of renormalization group methods in one-point closure problems is discussed. This material is directly relevant to the production of K-epsilon turbulence models.
The current progress is documented in the research and development of modeling techniques for turbulent shear flows. These include a two-scale model for compressible turbulent flows and a new energy transfer model. The former represents the status of the efforts to identify compressibility effects in turbulence. The energy transfer model refines a weakly nonlinear wave model developed earlier, which models directly the turbulent large structures. The objective of these activities is to develop second-order closures for compressible turbulent flows.
PURPOSE: Exploration space missions pose several challenges to providing a comprehensive medication formulary designed to accommodate the size and space limitations of the spacecraft; while addressing the individual medications needs and preferences of the Crew; the negative outcome of a degrading inventory over time, the inability to resupply before expiration dates; and the need to properly forecast the best possible medication candidates to treat conditions that will occur in the future. METHODS: The Pharmacotherapeutics Discipline has partnered with the Exploration Medical Capabilities (ExMC) Element to develop and propose a research pathway that is comprehensively focused on evidence-based models and theories, as well as on new diagnostic tools and treatments or preventive measures aimed at closure of the Med02 “Pharmacy” Gap; defined in the Human Research Program’s (HRP) risk-based research strategy. The Med02 Gap promotes the challenge to identify a strategy to ensure that medications used to treat medical conditions during exploration space missions are available, safe, and effective. It is abundantly clear that pharmaceutical intervention is an essential component of risk management planning for astronaut healthcare during exploration space. However, the quandary still remains of how to assemble a formulary that is comprehensive enough to prevent or treat anticipated medical events; and is also chemically stable, safe, and robust enough to have sufficient potency to last for the duration of an exploration space mission. In cases where that is not possible, addressing this Gap requires exploration of novel drug development techniques, dosage forms, and dosage delivery platforms that enhance chemical stability as well as therapeutic effectiveness. RESULTS: The proposed research pathway outlines the steps, processes, procedures, and a research portfolio aimed at identifying a capability that will provide a safe and effective pharmacy for any specific exploration Design Reference Mission (DRM). The proposed approach to building this research portfolio is to seek research projects that concentrate on four major focus areas; (1) Formulary selection, (2) Formulary potency and shelf life, (3) Formulary safety and toxicity, and (4) Novel technology and innovation such as portable real-time chemical analysis innovative drug therapies and dosage and delivery platforms. CONCLUSION: The research pathway has been completed and presented to the HRP. In spring 2017, it is scheduled to be reviewed by a panel of pharmaceutical and clinical experts that will evaluate the scientific merit and operational feasibility of the research pathway, as well as make suggestions for any warranted additions or improvements. Once finalized, the ExMC Element will proceed with the execution of this research pathway with the goal of gathering as much data, and learning as much as possible, to provide a safe and effective pharmaceutical formulary for use during exploration missions.
As part of the NASA Advanced Composites Project (ACP), a sub-element has been designed to provide validation data for progressive damage analysis models. The clamped tapered beam is a cross-ply laminated composite specimen designed to validate the simulation of the onset of matrix cracks and their interaction with delaminations, including delamination migration. A tapered geometry was used to localize the first damage occurrence in the tapered region, without prescribing an initial crack. The boundary and loading conditions were chosen to favor delamination growth and subsequent migration after the first damage occurrence. The typical sequence of events consists of a matrix crack located at the tapered region, leading to delamination onset, followed by delamination growth and subsequent delamination migration to a different interface via a dominant matrix crack. The Clamped Tapered Beam (CTB) was tested in both quasi-static and fatigue regimes. The results obtained are used in this study to assess and validate a methodology based on the Floating Node Method (FNM) implemented as an Extended Interface Element. In this methodology, quasi-static and fatigue damage formation and development are modeled by combining FNM to represent crack networks, with Directional Cohesive Zone Elements (DCZE) and Virtual Crack Closure Technique (VCCT), respectively. Qualitatively, the methodology is capable of predicting the sequence of events and overall failure morphology. Quantitatively, the simulation results generally bound the experimental data, based on the range of the characterization data used. In this paper, the results from quasi static and fatigue simulations are compared and correlated with experimental data.
A method for performing progressive damage modeling in composite materials and structures based on continuum level interfacial displacement discontinuities is presented. The proposed method enables the exponential evolution of the interfacial compliance, resulting in unloading of the tractions at the interface after delamination or failure occurs. In this paper, the proposed continuum displacement discontinuity model has been used to simulate failure within both isotropic and orthotropic materials efficiently and to explore the possibility of predicting the crack path, therein. Simulation results obtained from Mode-I and Mode-II fracture compare the proposed approach with the cohesive element approach and Virtual Crack Closure Techniques (VCCT) available within the ABAQUS (ABAQUS, Inc.) finite element software. Furthermore, an eccentrically loaded 3-point bend test has been simulated with the displacement discontinuity model, and the resulting crack path prediction has been compared with a prediction based on the extended finite element model (XFEM) approach.
In compressible turbulence models, it is assumed that the Favre-mean velocities are suitable approximations to the Reynolds-mean velocities in order to close unknown terms. This neglects, in the mean momentum and energy equations, the contribution to the stress and work terms by the mean of the fluctuating Favre velocity, a quantity proportional to the turbulent mass flux. As the stress and work terms do not introduce any new unknown correlations requiring closure in either k-epsilon or Reynolds stress closures and because the exact form of the terms can, with little additional work, be carried there is no need to make any modeling assumptions. In the Reynolds stress equations the viscous terms appear naturally in Reynolds variables while the problem is posed in Favre variables. In the process of splitting the viscous terms into the viscous transport terms, carried in Favre variables, and the dissipation terms, carried in Reynolds variables, important contributions from the mass flux appear. The accurate accounting of these terms is important for any consistent near wall modeling and the retention of the mass flux terms is important in complex compressible turbulent flows.
Aerosol refractive indices are fundamental parameters that are generally measured by spec-troscopists with specialized knowledge. We in the Earth science community frequently utilizethese refractive indices because they are essential for computing aerosol radiative effects andretrieving aerosol composition. Unfortunately, there are a wide variety of refractive indiceswith significant differences for some aerosol species (e.g., hematite) and a lack of refractiveindex choices for other aerosols (e.g., clay minerals, goethite), and this hinders our ability toaccurately compute the radiative effect of mineral dust. Additionally, the mineral refractiveindices used in atmospheric science are not necessarily linked to the mineral reflectancesused to identify surface mineralogy; this creates a disconnect between the atmosphere andthe surface that frustrates closure analyses.In this talk, we will present an overview of some refractive indices of radiative importancein aeolian dust (illite, kaolinite, montmorillonite, hematite, goethite). We will discuss howmineral refractive indices are used in aerosol retrievals, and how we can use remote sensingretrievals to narrow the range of viable choices. We will also discuss how we can use pub-lished spectroscopic measurements to extrapolate the refractive indices that are inferred ata handful of visible and near-infrared wavelengths to the longwave regime. Finally, we willdiscuss how working groups like MIRA (Models, In situ, and Remote sensing of Aerosols;https://science.larc.nasa.gov/mira-wg/) and community repositories like TAO (Tables ofAerosol Optics) can improve radiative closure by enhancing interactions between the threedisciplines.1
Models of photosynthetic production at ecosystem and global scales require multiple input parameters specifying physical and physiological surface features. While certain physical parameters (e.g., absorbed photosynthetically active radiation) can be derived from current satellite sensors, other physiologically relevant measures (e.g., vegetation type, water status, carboxylation capacity, or photosynthetic light-use efficiency), are not generally directly available from current satellite sensors at the appropriate geographic scale. Consequently, many model parameters must be assumed or derived from independent sources, often at an inappropriate scale. An abundance of ecophysiological studies at the leaf and canopy scales suggests strong physiological control of vegetation-atmosphere CO2 and water vapor fluxes, particularly in evergreen vegetation subjected to diurnal or seasonal stresses. For example hot, dry conditions can lead to stomatal closure, and associated "downregulation" of photosynthetic biochemical processes, a phenomenon often manifested as a "midday photosynthetic depression". A recent study with the revised simple biosphere (SiB2) model demonstrated that photosynthetic downregulation can significantly impact global climate. However, at the global scale, the exact significance of downregulation remains unclear, largely because appropriate physiological measures are generally unavailable at this scale. Clearly, there is a need to develop reliable ways of extracting physiologically relevant information from remote sensing. Narrow-band spectrometers offer many opportunities for deriving physiological parameters needed for ecosystem and global scale photosynthetic models. Experimental studies on the ground at the leaf- to stand-scale have indicated that several narrow-band features can be used to detect plant physiological status. One physiological signal is caused by xanthophyll cycle pigment activity, and is often expressed as the Photochemical Reflectance Index (PRI). Because the xanthophyll cycle pigments are photoregulatory pigments closely linked to photosynthetic function, this index can be used to derive relative photosynthetic rates. An additional signal with physiological significance is the 970 nm water absorption band, which provides a measure of liquid water content. This feature has been quantified both using a simple 2-band ratio (900/970 nm, here referred to as the "Water Band Index" or WBI;), and using the "continuum removal" method. Current atmospheric correction methods for AVIRIS imagery also obtain quantitative expressions of surface liquid water absorption based on the 970 nm water band and may be comparable to ground-based estimates of water content using this feature. However, physiological interpretations of both the PRI and the WBI are best understood at the leaf and canopy scales, where complications of atmospheric interference and complex stand and landscape features can be minimized, and where experimental manipulations can be readily applied. Currently it is not known whether these physiological indices can be used to derive meaningful physiological information from AVIRIS imagery. In addition to the problem of atmospheric interference, another challenge is that any simple physiological index can be confounded by multiple factors unrelated to physiology, and this problem can become more severe at progressively larger spatial scales. For example, previous work has suggested that both the PRI and the WBI, are strongly correlated with other optical measures of canopy structure (e.g., the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index or green vegetation fraction), indicating a confounding effect of structure on physiological signals at the larger, landscape scale. Furthermore, the normal operating mode of most imaging spectrometers does not allow simultaneous, ground truthing at a level of detail needed for physiological sampling. Additionally, manipulative experiments of physiology are difficult to apply at a geographic scale suitable for comparison with remote imagery, which often works at spatial scales that are several orders of magnitude larger than those typically used for physiological studies. These limitations require the consideration of alternative approaches to validating physiological information derived from AVIRIS data. In this report, we present a multi-scale sampling approach to detecting physiologically significant signals in narrow-band spectra. This approach explores the multi-dimensional data space provided by narrow-band spectrometry, and combines AVIRIS imagery at a large scale, with ground spectral sampling at an intermediate scale, and detailed ecophysiological measurements at a fine scale, to examine seasonally and spatially changing relationships between multiple structural and physiological variables. Examples of this approach are provided by simultaneous sampling of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), an index of fractional PAR interception and green vegetation cover, the Water Band Index (WBI, an index of liquid water absorption, and the Photochemical Reflectance Index (PRI, an index of xanthophyll cycle pigment activity and photosynthetic light-use efficiency. By directly linking changing optical properties sampled on the ground with measurable physiological states, we hope to develop a basis for interpreting similar signals in AVIRIS imagery.