Bond graph based sensitivity and uncertainty analysis modelling for micro-scale multiphysics robust engineering design

Components within micro-scale engineering systems are often at the limits of commercial miniaturization and this can cause unexpected behavior and variation in performance. As such, modelling and analysis of system robustness plays an important role in product development. Here schematic bond graphs are used as a front end in a sensitivity analysis based strategy for modelling robustness in multiphysics micro-scale engineering systems. As an example, the analysis is applied to a behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aid. By using bond graphs to model power flow through components within different physical domains of the hearing aid, a set of differential equations to describe the system dynamics is collated. Based on these equations, sensitivity analysis calculations are used to approximately model the nature and the sources of output uncertainty during system operation. These calculations represent a robustness evaluation of the current hearing aid design and offer a means of identifying potential for improved designs of multiphysics systems by way of key parameter identification

User's guide: Programs for processing altimeter data over inland seas

The programs described were developed to process GEODYN-formatted satellite altimeter data, and to apply the processed results to predict geoid undulations and gravity anomalies of inland sea areas. These programs are written in standard FORTRAN 77 and are designed to run on the NSESCC IBM 3081(MVS) computer. Because of the experimental nature of these programs they are tailored to the geographical area analyzed. The attached program listings are customized for processing the altimeter data over the Black Sea. Users interested in the Caspian Sea data are expected to modify each program, although the required modifications are generally minor. Program control parameters are defined in the programs via PARAMETER statements and/or DATA statements. Other auxiliary parameters, such as labels, are hard-wired into the programs. Large data files are read in or written out through different input or output units. The program listings of these programs are accompanied by sample IBM job control language (JCL) images. Familiarity with IBM JCL and the TEMPLATE graphic package is assumed

L'agriculture brésilienne des fronts pionniers : I. La méthode de création-diffusion agricole. II. La gestion de la fertilité par le système de culture. III. Le semis direct, un mode de gestion agrobiologique des sols

Les fronts pionniers agricoles du Brésil ont atteint la zone tropicale humide de l'Ouest en bordure du bassin amazonien, en savanes (cerrados) : sols acides, sous une pluviométrie annuelle comprise entre 2 000 et 3000 millimètres. Les agriculteurs pionniers ont apporté leur pratique de travail du sol aux disques et la monoculture de soja, en mettant en valeur des exploitations fortement motorisées. Ce système conduit à une érosion catastrophique du sol. Une démarche agronomique participative, appelée création-diffusion, a été élaborée dans différentes régions brésiliennes, dont les cerrados de l'Ouest. Elle a pour but de proposer des systèmes de culture compatibles avec un développement régional durable, reproductibles à grande échelle et au moindre coût. Sur le plan de la diversification des cultures, ils s'appuient sur la production de grains ou de fourrages (soja, riz pluvial, maïs, sorgho, mil, légumineuses et graminées fourragères, plantes de couverture...). Les successions annuelles sont intégrées dans des rotations triennales ou quadriennales. Les systèmes les plus performants et novateurs utilisent systématiquement le semis direct : les cultures principales commerciales ¿ soja, riz pluvial, maïs ¿ sont implantées en semis direct sur d'importantes couvertures végétales fournies par des cultures de mil, de sorgho ou de Crotalaria. Celles-ci fournissent grains ou fourrages et surtout une grande quantité de biomasse nécessaire à l'entretien de la fertilité. Du point de vue de l'agriculteur, ces systèmes apparaissent productifs, lucratifs, stables et offrent une capacité accrue des équipements et une meilleure flexibilité d'utilisatio

Towards an Optimal Reconstruction of Baryon Oscillations

The Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO) in the large-scale structure of the universe leave a distinct peak in the two-point correlation function of the matter distribution. That acoustic peak is smeared and shifted by bulk flows and non-linear evolution. However, it has been shown that it is still possible to sharpen the peak and remove its shift by undoing the effects of the bulk flows. We propose an improvement to the standard acoustic peak reconstruction. Contrary to the standard approach, the new scheme has no free parameters, treats the large-scale modes consistently, and uses optimal filters to extract the BAO information. At redshift of zero, the reconstructed linear matter power spectrum leads to a markedly improved sharpening of the reconstructed acoustic peak compared to standard reconstruction.Comment: 20 pages, 5 figures; footnote adde

Nutrients and Acid in the Rain and Dry Fallout at Fayetteville, Arkansas (1980-1982)

Wet and dry fallout at Fayetteville, Arkansas have been collected separately and analyzed since April, 1980. The precipitation-weighted-average pH for two yearly periods of rainfall were 4.72 (6/80-5/81) and 4.75 (6/81-5/82). This corresponds to a concentration of the acid ion, H+, of about 18 parts per billion (ppb). Pure water in equilibrium with the CO2 of the air would have a pH of 5.65 (2.2 ppb of H+). The range of pH during this two year period was 3.86-7.74(140-0 ppb H+) for the rainfall. Aqueous extracts of the dry fallout were always in the 6.75-7.87 pH range, i.e., neutral to slightly alkaline. The slight amount of acidity in the Fayetteville rainfall should be easily neutralized by dry fallout and soil. Ammonium bisulfate, NH4HSO4, is the major acidic chemical in the rains. Sulfur tends to increase in winter months presumably due to the greater use of fossil fuels. Northern rains have the most acidity. Wet and dry fallout add significant amounts of nutrients to the local soils with 25-87% of the total flux being dry fallout. A. major contributor are dust storms which bring in soil from adjacent states. Iron and zinc were the most prevalent heavy metals in the wet fallout. Their concentrations were very low averaging less than 10 ppb for Fe and 15 ppb for Zn. Northernly and southernly rains had the most Fe and Zn and correspond to directions in which there are smelters

An assessment of twilight airglow inversion procedures using atmosphere explorer observations

The aim of this research project was to test and truth some recently developed methods for recovering thermospheric oxygen atom densities and thermospheric temperatures from ground-based observations of the 7320 A O(+)((sup 2)D - (sup 2)P) twilight air glow emission. The research plan was to use twilight observations made by the Visible Airglow Experiment (VAE) on the Atmosphere Explorer 'E' satellite as proxy ground based twilight observations. These observations were to be processed using the twilight inversion procedures, and the recovered oxygen atom densities and thermospheric temperatures were then to be examined to see how they compared with the densities and temperatures that were measured by the Open Source Mass Spectrometer and the Neutral Atmosphere Temperature Experiment on the satellite

The Small Module Fixed Mirror Distributed Focus (FMDF) Photothermal Concentrator Study

The development of a general ray trace evaluation program called ICARUS, the study of novel Fresnel concepts, and the review of a report draft on novel Fresnel concepts are covered. ICARUS is documented, reports on the novel Fresnel concepts were previously submitted