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At least 847 records · Page 47

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NASA NTRS1987

Semi-2-interpenetrating networks of high temperature systems

A semi-2-interpenetrating network of improved qualities which is prepared by combining a linear polymer and a cross-linkable oligomer having identical repeating units is developed. Polymers have been combined in the past into interpenetrating networks in order to gain useful properties from the combination of materials. However, previous semi-interpenetrating networks have only been formed using polymers having different repeating units. This method provides a semi-2-interpenetrating network of improved strength, adhesion, and processability.

Egli, Annmarie O.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Precision of vertical position estimates from very long baseline interferometry

It is found that the precision of VLBI measurements of vertical crustal motions is limited by errors in the modeling of the propagation delay through the earth's neutral atmosphere, and by errors in finding the orientation of a fixed crust coordinate system in the VLBI reference frame. The repeatability of baseline length measurements study indicates a vertical position precision of about 8 cm, averaged over 13 sites and 4.5 years of data, while the repeatability of vertical position estimates for a Richmond, FL site is found to yield a precision of about 7 cm for 42 observations made over an 11-month period. An overall precision of 8 cm for a 24-hour VLBI observing session is obtained, and the effects of earth orientation parameter errors is contingent on the distances between the VLBI sites.

Herring, T. A.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Stability, reliability and cross-mode correlations of tests in a recommended 8-minute performance assessment battery

A need exists for an automated performance test system to study drugs, agents, treatments, and stresses of interest to the aviation, space, and environmental medical community. The purpose of this present study is to evaluate tests for inclusion in the NASA-sponsored Automated Performance Test System (APTS). Twenty-one subjects were tested over 10 replications with tests previously identified as good candidates for repeated-measure research. The tests were concurrently administered in paper-and-pencil and microcomputer modes. Performance scores for the two modes were compared. Data from trials 1 to 10 were examined for indications of test stability and reliability. Nine of the ten APT system tests achieved stability. Reliabilities were generally high. Cross-correlation of microbased tests with traditional paper-and-pencil versions revealed similarity of content within tests in the different modes, and implied at least three cognition and two motor factors. This protable, inexpensive, rugged, computerized battery of tests is recommended for use in repeated-measures studies of environmental and drug effects on performance. Identification of other tests compatible with microcomputer testing and potentially capable of tapping previously unidentified factors is recommended. Documentation of APTS sensitivity to environmental agents is available for more than a dozen facilities and is reported briefly. Continuation of such validation remains critical in establishing the efficacy of APTS tests.

Wilkes, R. L.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Nimbus 7 Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (SBUV) spectral scan solar irradiance and Earth radiance product user's guide

The archived tape products from the spectral scan mode measurements of solar irradiance (SUNC tapes) and Earth radiance (EARTH tapes) by the Solar Backscatter UV (SBUV) instrument aboard Nimbus 7 are described. Incoming radiation from 160 to 400 nm is measured at intervals of 0.2 nm. The scan-to-scan repeatability of the solar irradiance measurements ranges from approximately 0.5 to 1 percent longward of 280 nm, to 2 percent around 210 nm and 4 percent near 175 nm. The repeatability of the Earth radiance values ranges from 2 to 3 percent at longer wavelengths and low zenith angles to 10 percent at shorter wavelengths and high zenith angles. The tape formats are described in detail, including file structure and contents of each type of record. Catalogs of the tapes and the time period covered are provided, along with lists of the days lacking solar irradiance measurements and the days dedicated to Earth radiance measurements. The method for production of the tapes is outlined and quality control measures are described. How radiances and irradiances are derived from the raw counts, the corrections for changes in instrument sensitivity, and related uncertainties are discussed.

Schlesinger, Barry M.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Burst vortex/boundary layer interaction

Several configurations of delta wing vortex generator and boundary layer test plate were tested, and two final ones selected. Sample measurements and flow visualizations in the candidate configurations, together with more detailed measurements in one of the two final arrangements, which were selected so that a pure vortex bursts repeatably and then interacts, in as simple fashion as possible, with a simple turbulent boundary layer, are included. It is concluded that different intensities of bursting or breakdown, like different strengths of shock wave or hydraulic jump, can be produced by minor changes of configuration. The weaker breakdowns do not produce flow reversal. The initial measurements were done with a fairly weak, but repeatable, breakdown. Basic measurements on the second final arrangement, with a stronger breakdown, are in progress.

Bradshaw, P.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Model-scale sound propagation experiment

The results of a scale model propagation experiment to investigate grazing propagation above a finite impedance boundary are reported. In the experiment, a 20 x 25 ft ground plane was installed in an anechoic chamber. Propagation tests were performed over the plywood surface of the ground plane and with the ground plane covered with felt, styrofoam, and fiberboard. Tests were performed with discrete tones in the frequency range of 10 to 15 kHz. The acoustic source and microphones varied in height above the test surface from flush to 6 in. Microphones were located in a linear array up to 18 ft from the source. A preliminary experiment using the same ground plane, but only testing the plywood and felt surfaces was performed. The results of this first experiment were encouraging, but data variability and repeatability were poor, particularly, for the felt surface, making comparisons with theoretical predictions difficult. In the main experiment the sound source, microphones, microphone positioning, data acquisition, quality of the anechoic chamber, and environmental control of the anechoic chamber were improved. High-quality, repeatable acoustic data were measured in the main experiment for all four test surfaces. Comparisons with predictions are good, but limited by uncertainties of the impedance values of the test surfaces.

Willshire, William L., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Measurements of propeller noise in a light turboprop airplane

In-flight acoustic measurements have been made on the exterior and interior of a twin-engined turboprop airplane under controlled conditions to study data repeatability. It is found that the variability of the harmonic sound pressure levels in the cabin is greater than that for the exterior sound pressure levels, typical values for the standard deviation being +2.0 dB and -4.2 dB for the interior, versus +1.4 dB and -2.3 dB for the exterior. When insertion losses are determined for acoustic treatments in the cabin, the standard deviations of the data are typically + or - 6.5 dB. It is concluded that additional factors, such as accurate and repeatable selection of relative phase between propellers, controlled cabin-air-temperatures, installation of baseline acoustic absorption, and measurement of aircraft attitude, should be considered in order to reduce uncertainty in the measured data.

Wilby, J. F.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Brain cholinergic involvement during the rapid development of tolerance to morphine

The effect of repeated administration of morphine on the activities of the cholinergic enzymes, choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE), in specific brain regions were studied in rats treated with 10 mg/kg morphine for one or two days. Repeated administration of morphine was associated with a decline in the degree of analgesia produced and with a significant increase of AChE activity of the medulla oblongata. A single injection of morphine resulted in a significant decline in ChAT activity in the hypothalamus, cerebellum, and medulla oblongata regions. After two consecutive injections, no decline in ChAT was observed in these regions, while in the cerebral cortex the second administration elicited a significant decline. The results suggest that the development of tolerance to morphine may be mediated through changes in ChAT activity and lend support to the involvement of the central cholinergic system in narcotic tolerance.

Wahba, Z. Z.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Dispersion, damping and confinement of propagating pulses in large space structures

Pulse propagations in large space structures caused by repeated pulse excitations are studied analytically (by using the Z-transforms) and numerically. It is found that resonance regimes can be generated not only by periodical, but also by non-periodical repeated pulses; the conditions for such regimes are derived. Special attention is paid to the dispersion of propagating pulses due to structural irregularities, to damping of pulses due to appropriate combination of elastic and viscous properties of joints between structural members, and to the protection of certain areas of Large Space Structures (LSS) from impacts provided by a pulse trapping effect.

Zak, Michail↗

NASA NTRS1987

Performance analysis of an optimal file transfer protocol for integrated mobile satellite services

A file-transfer protocol based on the selective-repeat automatic-retransmission-request (ARQ) scheme has been developed for the Mobile Satellite Experiment (MSAT-X). In this protocol, each file is divided into packets, which are error-detected and acknowledge individually. A file can be transferred in either the open- or closed-end connection. In the open-end connection, the file is transmitted continuously according to the selective-repeat scheme until all packets are positively acknowledged; in the closed-end connection, each retransmission will initiate its own connection request. The relationship between the packet size and the average end-to-end delay in the mobile fading environment is investigated. The communications channel uses trellis-coded modulation with symbol interleaving, packet replication, and error detection. The packet error performance in such a channel is evaluated by simulation, and the optimal packet size for various operating conditions is derived, using the simulated results. It is shown that for a symbol-energy-to-noise ratio of 12 dB, each file should be divided into packets of length between 256 bits and 512 bits (excluding the overhead) to minimize the average end-to-end delay.

Wang, Charles C.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Recent developments in structural sensitivity analysis

Recent developments are reviewed in two major areas of structural sensitivity analysis: sensitivity of static and transient response; and sensitivity of vibration and buckling eigenproblems. Recent developments from the standpoint of computational cost, accuracy, and ease of implementation are presented. In the area of static response, current interest is focused on sensitivity to shape variation and sensitivity of nonlinear response. Two general approaches are used for computing sensitivities: differentiation of the continuum equations followed by discretization, and the reverse approach of discretization followed by differentiation. It is shown that the choice of methods has important accuracy and implementation implications. In the area of eigenproblem sensitivity, there is a great deal of interest and significant progress in sensitivity of problems with repeated eigenvalues. In addition to reviewing recent contributions in this area, the paper raises the issue of differentiability and continuity associated with the occurrence of repeated eigenvalues.

Haftka, Raphael T.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Determination of longitudinal aerodynamic derivatives using flight data from an icing research aircraft

A flight test was performed with the NASA Lewis Research Center's DH-6 icing research aircraft. The purpose was to employ a flight test procedure and data analysis method, to determine the accuracy with which the effects of ice on aircraft stability and control could be measured. For simplicity, flight testing was restricted to the short period longitudinal mode. Two flights were flown in a clean (baseline) configuration, and two flights were flown with simulated horizontal tail ice. Forty-five repeat doublet maneuvers were performed in each of four test configurations, at a given trim speed, to determine the ensemble variation of the estimated stability and control derivatives. Additional maneuvers were also performed in each configuration, to determine the variation in the longitudinal derivative estimates over a wide range of trim speeds. Stability and control derivatives were estimated by a Modified Stepwise Regression (MSR) technique. A measure of the confidence in the derivative estimates was obtained by comparing the standard error for the ensemble of repeat maneuvers, to the average of the estimated standard errors predicted by the MSR program. A multiplicative relationship was determined between the ensemble standard error, and the averaged program standard errors. In addition, a 95 percent confidence interval analysis was performed for the elevator effectiveness estimates, C sub m sub delta e. This analysis identified the speed range where changes in C sub m sub delta e could be attributed to icing effects. The magnitude of icing effects on the derivative estimates were strongly dependent on flight speed and aircraft wing flap configuration. With wing flaps up, the estimated derivatives were degraded most at lower speeds corresponding to that configuration. With wing flaps extended to 10 degrees, the estimated derivatives were degraded most at the higher corresponding speeds. The effects of icing on the changes in longitudinal stability and control derivatives were adequately determined by the flight test procedure and the MSR analysis method discussed herein.

Ranaudo, R. J.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Universal test fixture for monolithic mm-wave integrated circuits calibrated with an augmented TRD algorithm

The design and evaluation of a novel fixturing technique for characterizing millimeter wave solid state devices is presented. The technique utilizes a cosine-tapered ridge guide fixture and a one-tier de-embedding procedure to produce accurate and repeatable device level data. Advanced features of this technique include nondestructive testing, full waveguide bandwidth operation, universality of application, and rapid, yet repeatable, chip-level characterization. In addition, only one set of calibration standards is required regardless of the device geometry.

Romanofsky, Robert R.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Precision GPS orbit determination strategies for an earth orbiter and geodetic tracking system

Data from two 1985 GPS field tests were processed and precise GPS orbits were determined. With a combined carrier phase and pseudorange, the 1314-km repeatability improves substantially to 5 parts in 10 to the 9th (0.6 cm) in the north and 2 parts in 10 to the 8th (2-3 cm) in the other components. To achieve these levels of repeatability and accuracy, it is necessary to fine-tune the GPS solar radiation coefficients and ground station zenith tropospheric delays.

Lichten, Stephen M.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Determination of longitudinal aerodynamic derivatives using flight data from an icing research aircraft

Ranaudo, R. J.↗

NASA NTRS1989

GPS-based system for satellite tracking and geodesy

High-performance receivers and data processing systems developed for GPS are reviewed. The GPS Inferred Positioning System (GIPSY) and the Orbiter Analysis and Simulation Software (OASIS) are described. The OASIS software is used to assess GPS system performance using GIPSY for data processing. Consideration is given to parameter estimation for multiday arcs, orbit repeatability, orbit prediction, daily baseline repeatability, agreement with VLBI, and ambiguity resolution. Also, the dual-frequency Rogue receiver, which can track up to eight GPS satellites simultaneously, is discussed.

Bertiger, Willy I.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Adaptation to vection-induced symptoms of motion sickness

The effects of repeated exposures to a rotating circular vection drum on the symptoms of motion sickness and tachygastria in humans were investigated. Subjects were sitting in a drum and were exposed to 15 min baseline (no rotation), followed by 15 min drum rotation at 60 deg/s, and, then, by 15 min recovery. Gastric myoelectric activity was continuously recorded with the electrogastrogram. Subjects who were exposed to the drum three times with intervals of 4-24 days all showed symptoms of tachygastria and failed to show an amelioration of motion sickness symptoms. On the other hand subjects who had only 48 h between the three sessions of drum exposure, experienced a reduction in motion-sickness symptoms and in tachygastsria upon repeated exposure to the drum, indicating that training effected a symptomatic and physiological adaptation. It is suggested that preflight adaptation to visual-vestibular sensory mismatch may reduce motion sickness in astronauts.

Stern, Robert M.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Experiments and other methods for developing expertise with design of experiments in a classroom setting

The only way to gain genuine expertise in Statistical Process Control (SPC) and the design of experiments (DOX) is with repeated practice, but not on canned problems with dead data sets. Rather, one must negotiate a wide variety of problems each with its own peculiarities and its own constantly changing data. The problems should not be of the type for which there is a single, well-defined answer that can be looked up in a fraternity file or in some text. The problems should match as closely as possible the open-ended types for which there is always an abundance of uncertainty. These are the only kinds that arise in real research, whether that be basic research in academe or engineering research in industry. To gain this kind of experience, either as a professional consultant or as an industrial employee, takes years. Vast amounts of money, not to mention careers, must be put at risk. The purpose here is to outline some realistic simulation-type lab exercises that are so simple and inexpensive to run that the students can repeat them as often as desired at virtually no cost. Simulations also allow the instructor to design problems whose outcomes are as noisy as desired but still predictable within limits. Also the instructor and the students can learn a great deal more from the postmortum conducted after the exercise is completed. One never knows for sure what the true data should have been when dealing only with real life experiments. To add a bit more realism to the exercises, it is sometimes desirable to make the students pay for each experimental result from a make-believe budget allocation for the problem.

Patterson, John W.↗