Aerospace Medicine and Biology: A continuing bibliography with indexes, supplement 182, July 1978

This bibliography lists 165 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system in June 1978

Quarterly literature review of the remote sensing of natural resources

The Technology Application Center reviewed abstracted literature sources, and selected document data and data gathering techniques which were performed or obtained remotely from space, aircraft or groundbased stations. All of the documentation was related to remote sensing sensors or the remote sensing of the natural resources. Sensors were primarily those operating within the 10 to the minus 8 power to 1 meter wavelength band. Included are NASA Tech Briefs, ARAC Industrial Applications Reports, U.S. Navy Technical Reports, U.S. Patent reports, and other technical articles and reports

A Stress-Detection System Based on Physiological Signals and Fuzzy Logic

A stress-detection system is proposed based on physiological signals. Concretely, galvanic skin response (GSR) and heart rate (HR) are proposed to provide information on the state of mind of an individual, due to their nonintrusiveness and noninvasiveness. Furthermore, specific psychological experiments were designed to induce properly stress on individuals in order to acquire a database for training, validating, and testing the proposed system. Such system is based on fuzzy logic, and it described the behavior of an individual under stressing stimuli in terms of HR and GSR. The stress-detection accuracy obtained is 99.5% by acquiring HR and GSR during a period of 10 s, and what is more, rates over 90% of success are achieved by decreasing that acquisition period to 3-5 s. Finally, this paper comes up with a proposal that an accurate stress detection only requires two physiological signals, namely, HR and GSR, and the fact that the proposed stress-detection system is suitable for real-time applications

Data bases and data base systems related to NASA's aerospace program. A bibliography with indexes

This bibliography lists 1778 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system, 1975 through 1980

Sensory Communication

Contains table of contents for Section 2, an introduction and reports on twelve research projects.National Institutes of Health Grant 5 R01 DC00117National Institutes of Health Contract 2 P01 DC00361National Institutes of Health Grant 5 R01 DC00126National Institutes of Health Grant R01-DC00270U.S. Air Force - Office of Scientific Research Contract AFOSR-90-0200National Institutes of Health Grant R29-DC00625U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Grant N00014-88-K-0604U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Grant N00014-91-J-1454U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Grant N00014-92-J-1814U.S. Navy - Naval Training Systems Center Contract N61339-93-M-1213U.S. Navy - Naval Training Systems Center Contract N61339-93-C-0055U.S. Navy - Naval Training Systems Center Contract N61339-93-C-0083U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Grant N00014-92-J-4005U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Grant N00014-93-1-119

Aeronautical engineering: A continuing bibliography with indexes (supplement 306)

This bibliography lists 181 reports, articles, and other documents recently introduced into the NASA STI Database. Subject coverage includes the following: design, construction and testing of aircraft and aircraft engines; aircraft components, equipment, and systems; ground support systems; and theoretical and applied aspects of aerodynamics and general fluid dynamics

Passive seismic investigations for landslide hazard study in rock masses

La valutazione della pericolosità da frana e la gestione del relativo rischio sono sempre stati temi ampiamente studiati nella comunità scientifica data la presenza di insediamenti popolati così come siti turistici e di interesse culturale minacciati da processi di frana. Nell’ultimo decennio, le tecniche geofisiche sono state integrate in approcci multidisciplinari per studiare processi di instabilità gravitativa e progettare sistemi di monitoraggio dedicati alla gestione di infrastrutture. Nella presente tesi di Dottorato di Ricerca, una metodologia sperimentale è stata testata in due casi di ammassi rocciosi coinvolti in fenomeni di frana per valutare quanto gli approcci di sismica passiva possano essere applicati a: i) studiare la suscettibilità da frana e produrre una zonazione della pericolosità da frana; ii) valutare la pericolosità da frana (in termini di probabilità di occorrenza); iii) gestire il rischio da frana. I processi di instabilità gravitativa avvengono a differente scala e in un diverso ambiente naturale nei due casi di studio scelti: i) una falesia rocciosa in ambiente costiero sull’isola di Malta (caso di studio Selmun); ii) un versante roccioso in area montuosa nel Centro Italia (caso di studio Peschiera). La metodologia sperimentale applicata in questa tesi di Dottorato di Ricerca impiega due differenti approcci di sismica passiva: i) analisi di rumore sismico ambientale effettuate con misure a stazione singola; ii) monitoraggio sismometrico operato attraverso sensori in configurazione di array/rete (permanente o temporanea). Il Promontorio di Selmun, situato nella costa Nord-Ovest di Malta (Mar Mediterraneo Centrale), è coinvolto in un processo di frana legato alla successione geologica dell’area: la sovrapposizione di un calcare (roccia rigida) su un’argilla plastica induce un lateral spreading associato a caduta, scivolamento e/o ribaltamento di blocchi rocciosi di varie dimensioni dal bordo della placca di calcare. L’analisi delle misure di rumore sismico ambientale ha permesso di ottenere notevoli risultati riguardo il livello di stabilità delle diverse zone instabili e, quindi, di valutare la loro differente suscettibilità da frana nel quadro di una zonazione di pericolosità da frana. In aggiunta, è stato ottenuto il principale moto proprio di un ampio blocco di roccia instabile ed è stato effettuato nel dominio del tempo uno studio preliminare di specifici parametri di misure di rumore sismico ambientale di lunga durata effettuate in zone stabili e instabili. D’altra parte, l’installazione di un array a geometria SNS ha permesso di individuare e localizzare alcuni eventi microsismici originati dal margine instabile della placca calcarea. Il Versante delle Sorgenti del Peschiera, localizzato nell’Appennino Centrale (Italia Centrale) a circa 70 km a Nord-Est di Roma, è coinvolto in un fenomeno di creep in ammasso roccioso associato ad una dissoluzione carsica profonda. Le misure di rumore sismico ambientale hanno evidenziato la diversa risposta sismica delle varie zone del versante interessato dal complesso processo di frana. Dato che il versante delle Sorgenti del Peschiera ospita un importante impianto di drenaggio di approvvigionamento di acqua per la città di Roma, una rete accelerometrica è stata installata nel 2008 ed un array SNS è stato aggiunto nel 2014. L’array SNS ha registrato centinaia di eventi microsismici originati nel versante e legati al suo processo di instabilità. Tali eventi sono stati distinti in due diversi tipi: i) rotture legate alla fratturazione dell’ammasso roccioso, con durata da 1 a qualche secondo; ii) collassi, con durata minore di 1 s e tipica forma d’onda da impatto. In questa tesi, 397 eventi (16 rotture e 381 collassi) sono stati caratterizzati con il software NanoseismicSuite in termini di magnitudo locale ML ed ipocentro. Mentre le rotture sono risultate distribuite nell’intero versante, i collassi si sono focalizzati in due diversi cluster spaziali sotto il livello di falda, ad una profondità in cui il carsismo produce cavità. I cluster sono stati trattati come due distinte sorgenti microsismogeniche ed una curva frequenza-magnitudo degli eventi è stata prodotta per ognuna, per descrivere l’attitudine a produrre eventi di diverso valore di magnitudo. È stata poi sviluppata una procedura automatizzata di analisi rapida degli eventi registrati della rete accelerometrica. Infine, una matrice di pericolosità da frana è stata implementata per entrambi i casi di studio in base alla frequenza statistica degli eventi occorsi (i valori delle misure di rumore sismico per il caso di studio di Selmun e i valori di ML dei collassi per il caso di studio del Peschiera) e la loro probabilità di eccedenza in un periodo fissato, fornendo un utile contributo nella gestione del relativo rischio da frana. In conclusione, la presente tesi di Dottorato di Ricerca evidenzia come la sismica passiva possa essere considerata un utile strumento per investigare e monitorare processi di instabilità gravitativa dato che ha consentito di raggiungere i diversi obiettivi iniziali: valutare la suscettibilità da frana, stimarne la pericolosità ed, infine, implementare uno strumento che possa contribuire alla gestione del rischio connesso.Assessment of landslide hazard and managing the related risk have always been widely studied topics in the scientific community due to the presence of populated settlements as well as tourist and cultural heritage sites threated by slope instability processes. In the last decade, geophysical techniques have been integrated in multidisciplinary approaches to study gravity-induced slope instability processes as well as to design monitoring systems devoted to infrastructure management. In the here-presented Ph.D. thesis, an experimental methodology was tested in two case studies of rock masses involved in landslide processes for evaluating as passive seismic approaches can be applied to: i) study the landslide susceptibility and produce a landslide hazard zonation; ii) assess the landslide hazard (in terms of probability of occurrence); iii) manage the landslide risk. For the two case studies, the gravity-induced slope instability processes occur at different scale and in a different natural environment: i) one rock cliff slope in coastal environment on the island of Malta (Selmun case study); ii) one rock slope in mountainous area in Central Italy (Peschiera case study). The experimental methodology applied in this work employed two passive seismic approaches: i) seismic ambient noise analysis carried out by single-station measurements; ii) seismic monitoring operated through seismic array/network (permanent or temporary) of sensors. The Selmun Promontory, located in the North Western coast of Malta (Central Mediterranean Sea), is involved in a landslide process due to the geological setting of the area: the over-position of a limestone (i.e. stiff rock) on a plastic clay induces a lateral spreading phenomenon associated to falls, slides and/or topples of different-size rock blocks from the limestone plateau edge. The seismic ambient noise measurement analysis allowed to obtain remarkable outputs in terms of stability level of the several unstable zones and, therefore, to evaluate their different landslide susceptibility in the framework of a landslide hazard zonation. In addition, the main eigenmode frequency of an unstable large rock block was obtained and a preliminary study of specific parameters was carried out in the time domain on long seismic noise measurements carried out in stable and unstable zones. On the other hand, the installation of an array having the SNS geometry allowed to detect and locate few microseismic events produced by the unstable limestone plateau edge. The Peschiera Spring Slope, located in Central Apennines (Central Italy) at about 70 km North East from Rome, is involved in a rock mass creep phenomenon associated to a deep karst dissolution. The seismic ambient noise measurements evidenced the different seismic response of the different zones of the slope involved in the complex landslide process. Since the Peschiera Spring Slope hosts an important drainage plant that provides water to the city of Rome, an accelerometric network was installed in 2008 and a nanoseismic SNS array was added in 2014. The SNS array recorded hundreds of microseismic events originated within the slope and related to its instability process. Such events were distinguished in two different types: i) failures related to rock mass fracturing, with a duration from 1 to few seconds; ii) collapses, with a duration less than 1 s and a typical waveform of impact. In this Ph.D. thesis, 397 events (i.e. 16 failures and 381 collapses) were characterised by NanoseismicSuite software in terms of local magnitude ML and hypocentre. While the failures resulted distributed into the whole slope, the collapses focused in two different spatial clusters below the groundwater level, at a depth in which karst processes produce cavities. The clusters were treated as two distinct microseismic sources and a frequency-magnitude curve of events was produced for each one, for describing the attitude to produce events having different values of magnitude. Then, an automated procedure for quickly analysing events recorded by the accelerometric network was developed. Finally, a landslide hazard matrix was implemented for the both case studies based on the statistic frequency of the occurred events (i.e. values of long seismic noise for the Selmun case study and ML values of collapses for the Peschiera case study) and their probability of exceedance in a fixed period, giving an useful contribution for managing the related landslide risk. In conclusion, the here-presented Ph.D. thesis evidences as passive seismic can be considered as a useful tool for investigating and monitoring gravity-induced slope instability processes since it allows to achieve the different initial objectives, i.e. evaluate the landslide susceptibility, assess its hazard and, finally, implement a tool for contributing to manage the related risk

Aeronautical engineering: A continuing bibliography with indexes (supplement 293)

This bibliography lists 476 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system in July, 1992. Subject coverage includes: design, construction and testing of aircraft and aircraft engines; aircraft components, equipment, and systems; ground support systems; and theoretical and applied aspects of aerodynamics and general fluid dynamics

Aeronautical engineering: A continuing bibliography with indexes (supplement 289)

This bibliography lists 792 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system in Mar. 1993. Subject coverage includes: design, construction and testing of aircraft and aircraft engines; aircraft components, equipment, and systems; ground support systems; and theoretical and applied aspects of aerodynamics and general fluid dynamics