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At least 1,729 records · Page 96

Users guide for information retrieval using APL

A Programming Language (APL) is a precise, concise, and powerful computer programming language. Several features make APL useful to managers and other potential computer users. APL is interactive; therefore, the user can communicate with his program or data base in near real-time. This, coupled with the fact that APL has excellent debugging features, reduces program checkout time to minutes or hours rather than days or months. Of particular importance is the fact that APL can be utilized as a management science tool using such techniques as operations research, statistical analysis, and forecasting. The gap between the scientist and the manager could be narrowed by showing how APL can be used to do what the scientists and the manager each need to do, retrieve information. Sometimes, the information needs to be retrieved rapidly. In this case APL is ideally suited for this challenge.

Shapiro, A.↗

The 7.5- to 13.5-micron spectrum of Saturn

A medium-resolution spectrum of Saturn in the 7.5-13.5 micron range is presented. The observed low brightness temperature between 9 and 11 microns of about 100-105 K rules out gaseous NH3 as the dominant absorber in this spectral range. Absorption features due to PH3 may be present around 10 microns and cloud particles could be an important source of opacity in this wavelength range. There are strong indications of a temperature inversion in the upper atmosphere, including high brightness temperature in the 7.7-micron CH4 band, and possible emission from C2H6 around 12 microns.

Gillett, F. C.↗

Applications of radar imagery to arctic and subarctic problems

Radar imagery provides year around data acquisition of areas in the Arctic and the Subarctic. The foremost factor influencing the choice of radar imagery as the major data source was the demand for neotric data. The weather is so adverse in parts of Alaska that radar imagery was the only remote sensing technique which could meet the demand. The major map products derived from radar imagery are landform maps and lineament maps. These maps are used to make environmental assessments of areas and to reconstruct the geomorphic history of certain regions or features. Since radar imagery provides information about geologic structure and geomorphic features, it can be used to determine the relationship which exists between geologic structure and geomorphology. Important geologic information related to surface roughness can be obtained through a dry snow cover. Radar imagery is the only remote sensing technique which can provide information needed about sea ice through a cloud cover and dry snow, during strong wind conditions, and throughout the Arctic night.

Cannon, P. J.↗

The Influence of Sensor and Flight Parameters on Texture in Radar Images

Texture is known to be important in the analysis of radar images for geologic applications. It was previously shown that texture features derived from the grey-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) can be used to separate large scale texture in radar images. The influence of sensor parameters, specifically the spatial and radiometric resolution and flight parameters, i.e., the orientation of the surface structure relative to the sensor, on the ability to classify texture based on the GLCM features is investigated. It was found that changing these sensor and flight parameters greatly affects the usefulness of the GLCM for classifying texture on radar images.

Frost, V. S.↗

Numerical simulation of turbulent trailing edge flows

Numerical simulations of the time-dependent, Reynolds-averaged, Navier-Stokes equations, employing a two-equation turbulence model, are presented and compared with measurements from a series of trailing edge experiments at transonic Mach numbers. The test flows include an asymmetric flow with no separation, an asymmetric flow with a small region of separation and a symmetric flow with a large shock-wave induced separated zone. Comparisons are made for mean surface quantities as well as for mean and fluctuating flow-field quantities. For the trailing-edge flows with little or no separation, the solutions correctly predict all the major features of the flow field. Treatment of the viscous-inviscid interaction was found to be important for predicting these test cases. Two-equation eddy-viscosity turbulence models were found to be adequate for these flows. However, for the shock-wave induced separation case, these turbulence models were inadequate to predict this flow field. Modifications of the turbulence model to correct these deficiencies are discussed.

Horstman, C. C.↗

Power spectral ensity of markov texture fields

Texture is an important image characteristic. A variety of spatial domain techniques were proposed for extracting and utilizing textural features for segmenting and classifying images. for the most part, these spatial domain techniques are ad hos in nature. A markov random field model for image texture is discussed. A frequency domain description of image texture is derived in terms of the power spectral density. This model is used for designing optimum frequency domain filters for enhancing, restoring and segmenting images based on their textural properties.

Shanmugan, K. S.↗

UCMS - A new signal parameter measurement system using digital signal processing techniques

The User Constraint Measurement System (UCMS) is a hardware/software package developed by NASA Goddard to measure the signal parameter constraints of the user transponder in the TDRSS environment by means of an all-digital signal sampling technique. An account is presently given of the features of UCMS design and of its performance capabilities and applications; attention is given to such important aspects of the system as RF interface parameter definitions, hardware minimization, the emphasis on offline software signal processing, and end-to-end link performance. Applications to the measurement of other signal parameters are also discussed.

Choi, H. J.↗

Hot plasma and energetic particles in Neptune's magnetosphere

Voyager 2's low energy charged particle instrument employed an array of solid-state detectors in various configurations to measure energetic electrons and ions within the Neptune magnetosphere in several energy channels. Various features of the intensity, spectral, and anisotropic data obtained suggest that the Triton satellite exerts an important controlling influence over the outer regions of the Neptunian magnetosphere. Composition measurements have indicated the presence of H, H2, and He-4 at 1300:1:0.1 relative abundances, respectively, suggesting a Neptunian ionospheric source for the trapped particle population.

Krimigis, S. M.↗

A review of tilt rotor download research

Experimental and theoretical research on the forces on a wing immersed in the wake of a hovering rotor is reviewed, with emphasis on the tilt rotor download problem. The basic features of the rotor/wing flow field on a tilt rotor aircraft are described. The effect of important geometric and operational parameters on the wing download is assessed. The magnitude of the download for typical tilt rotor configurations is reviewed, and advanced concepts for download reduction are described. Recommendations are presented for the direction of future research efforts.

Felker, Fort F.↗

ICE System: Interruptible control expert system

The Interruptible Control Expert (ICE) System is based on an architecture designed to provide a strong foundation for real-time production rule expert systems. Three principles are adopted to guide the development of ICE. A practical delivery platform must be provided, no specialized hardware can be used to solve deficiencies in the software design. Knowledge of the environment and the rule-base is exploited to improve the performance of a delivered system. The third principle of ICE is to respond to the most critical event, at the expense of the more trivial tasks. Minimal time is spent on classifying the potential importance of environmental events with the majority of the time used for finding the responses. A feature of the system, derived from all three principles, is the lack of working memory. By using a priori information, a fixed amount of memory can be specified for the hardware platform. The absence of working memory removes the dangers of garbage collection during the continuous operation of the controller.

Vezina, James M.↗

Mapping photopolarimeter spectrometer instrument feasibility study for future planetary flight missions

Evaluations are summarized directed towards defining optimal instrumentation for performing planetary polarization measurements from a spacecraft platform. An overview of the science rationale for polarimetric measurements is given to point out the importance of such measurements for future studies and exploration of the outer planets. The key instrument features required to perform the needed measurements are discussed and applied to the requirements for the Cassini mission to Saturn. The resultant conceptual design of a spectro-polarimeter photometer for Cassini is described in detail.

Source record↗

Comments on the paper 'Does the subgrain size influence the rate of creep'?

A reply is given to a recent paper which questioned the validity of experimental observations and conclusions on the importance of cells in determining the creep behavior of materials. The reply clarifies experimental procedures and observations on NaCl single crystals and examines the importance of cells in determining creep behavior. It is concluded that cells are not spurious microstructural features and that they should be included along with subgrains and 'free' dislocations in developing creep models.

Raj, S. V.↗

Numerical simulations of drainage flows on Mars

Data collected by Viking Landers have shown that the meteorology of the near surface Martian environment is analogous to desertlike terrestrial conditions. Geological evidence such as dunes and frost streaks indicate that the surface wind is a potentially important factor in scouring of the martian landscape. In particular, the north polar basin shows erosional features that suggest katabatic wind convergence into broad valleys near the margin of the polar cap. The pattern of katabatic wind drainage off the north polar cap is similar to that observed on Earth over Antarctica or Greenland. The sensitivity is explored of Martian drainage flows to variations in terrain slope and diurnal heating using a numerical modeling approach. The model used is a 2-D sigma coordinate primitive equation system that has been used for simulations of Antarctic drainage flows. Prognostic equations include the flux forms of the horizontal scalar momentum equations, temperature, and continuity. Parameterization of both longwave (terrestrial) and shortwave (solar) radiation is included. Turbulent transfer of heat and momentum in the Martian atmosphere remains uncertain since relevant measurements are essentially nonexistent.

Parish, Thomas R.↗

Multispectral observations of the Jovian aurora

This paper presents and analyzes images of the Jovian aurora gathered by the Hubble Space Telescope Faint Object Camera (FOC) and the ROSAT Position Sensitive Proportional Counter (PSPC) to determine the function of energetic heavy ion precipitation in the inner magnetosphere and electron acceleration in the outer magnetosphere. Hubble data includes hydrogen auroral spectra and reduced images of Jupiter's north and south poles. One important result is that acceleration of electrons may be largely responsible for the discrete auroral emission features seen in the data set. ROSAT PSPC data presented includes a photon energy spectrum. A two line emission model is shown to produce the best fit to the data. The production of these emission lines occurs as a result of recombination lines that are produced from the slowing of the energetic ion beam as it enters the Jupiter upper atmosphere. It is noted that the observed energetic ion precipitation does not contain sufficient power to explain the observed ultraviolet aurora; it is therefore concluded that both electrons and ions play a role in the Jupiter auroral emissions, but that the bulk of the ultraviolet emissions comes from electron processes.

Source record↗

Performance of the GEOS-3/Terra Data Assimilation System in the Northern Stratospheric Winter 1999/2000

As part of NASA's support for the Terra satellite, which became operational in January 2000, the Data Assimilation Office introduced a new version of the GEOS data assimilation system (DAS) in November 1999. This system, GEOS-3/Terra, differs from its predecessor in several ways, notably through an increase in horizontal resolution (from 2-by-2.5 degrees to 1-by-1 degree), a slightly lower upper boundary (0.1 instead of 0.01hPa) with fewer levels (48 as opposed to 70), and substantial changes to the tropospheric physics package. This paper will address the performance of the GEOS-3/Terra DAS in the stratosphere. it focusses on the analyses (produced four times daily) and the five-day forecasts (produced twice daily). These were important for the meteorological support of the SAGE-3 Ozone Loss and Validation Experiment, based in Kiruna, Northern Sweden, in the winter of 1999/2000. It is shown that the analyses of basic meteorological fields (temperature, geopotential height, and horizontal wind) are in good agreement with those from other centers. The analyses captured the cold polar vortex which persisted through most of the winter. It is shown that forecasts (up to five days) tend to have a warm bias, which is important for the prediction of polar stratospheric clouds, which are triggered by temperatures of 195K (or lower). The importance of accurate upper tropospheric forecasts in predicting the stratospheric flow is highlighted in the context of the evolution of the shape of the stratospheric polar vortex. A prominent blocking high in the Atlantic region in January was an important factor determining the shape of the distorted lower stratospheric vortex; the predictive skill of these features was strongly coupled in the GEOS-3/Terra system.

Pawson, S.↗

Input Decimated Ensembles

Using an ensemble of classifiers instead of a single classifier has been shown to improve generalization performance in many pattern recognition problems. However, the extent of such improvement depends greatly on the amount of correlation among the errors of the base classifiers. Therefore, reducing those correlations while keeping the classifiers' performance levels high is an important area of research. In this article, we explore input decimation (ID), a method which selects feature subsets for their ability to discriminate among the classes and uses them to decouple the base classifiers. We provide a summary of the theoretical benefits of correlation reduction, along with results of our method on two underwater sonar data sets, three benchmarks from the Probenl/UCI repositories, and two synthetic data sets. The results indicate that input decimated ensembles (IDEs) outperform ensembles whose base classifiers use all the input features; randomly selected subsets of features; and features created using principal components analysis, on a wide range of domains.

Tumer, Kagan↗

An Impact Ejecta Behavior Model for Small, Irregular Bodies

In recent years, spacecraft observations of asteroids 951 Gaspra, 243 Ida, 253 Mathilde, and 433 Eros have shown the overriding dominance of impact processes with regard to the structure and surface morphology of these small, irregular bodies. In particular, impact ejecta play an important role in regolith formation, ranging from small particles to large blocks, as well as surface feature modification and obscuration. To investigate these processes, a numerical model has been developed based upon the impact ejecta scaling laws provided by Housen, Schmidt, and Holsapple, and modified to more properly simulate the late-stage ejection velocities and ejecta plume shape changes (ejection angle variations) shown in impact cratering experiments. A target strength parameter has also been added to allow the simulation of strength-dominated cratering events in addition to the more familiar gravity-dominated cratering events. The result is a dynamical simulation which models -- via tracer particles -- the ejecta plume behavior, ejecta blanket placement, and impact crater area resulting from a specified impact on an irregularly shaped target body, which is modeled in 3-dimensional polygon fashion. This target body can be placed in a simple rotation state about one of its principal axes, with the impact site and projectile/target parameters selected by the user. The gravitational force from the irregular target body (on each tracer particle) is determined using the polygonized surface (polyhedron) gravity technique developed by Werner.

Richardson, J. E.↗

Guide for Hydrogen Hazards Analysis on Components and Systems

The physical and combustion properties of hydrogen give rise to hazards that must be considered when designing and operating a hydrogen system. One of the major concerns in the use of hydrogen is that of fire or detonation because of hydrogen's wide flammability range, low ignition energy, and flame speed. Other concerns include the contact and interaction of hydrogen with materials, such as the hydrogen embrittlement of materials and the formation of hydrogen hydrides. The low temperature of liquid and slush hydrogen bring other concerns related to material compatibility and pressure control; this is especially important when dissimilar, adjoining materials are involved. The potential hazards arising from these properties and design features necessitate a proper hydrogen hazards analysis before introducing a material, component, or system into hydrogen service. The objective of this guide is to describe the NASA Johnson Space Center White Sands Test Facility hydrogen hazards analysis method that should be performed before hydrogen is used in components and/or systems. The method is consistent with standard practices for analyzing hazards. It is recommended that this analysis be made before implementing a hydrogen component qualification procedure. A hydrogen hazards analysis is a useful tool for hydrogen-system designers, system and safety engineers, and facility managers. A hydrogen hazards analysis can identify problem areas before hydrogen is introduced into a system-preventing damage to hardware, delay or loss of mission or objective, and possible injury or loss of life.

Beeson, Harold↗