Boolean Chaos

We observe deterministic chaos in a simple network of electronic logic gates that are not regulated by a clocking signal. The resulting power spectrum is ultra-wide-band, extending from dc to beyond 2 GHz. The observed behavior is reproduced qualitatively using an autonomously updating Boolean model with signal propagation times that depend on the recent history of the gates and filtering of pulses of short duration, whose presence is confirmed experimentally. Electronic Boolean chaos may find application as an ultra-wide-band source of radio wavesComment: 10 pages and 4 figur

Unmanned Multiple Exploratory Probe System (MEPS) for Mars observation. Volume 2: Calculations and derivations

This volume of the final report on the unmanned Multiple Exploratory Probe System (MEPS) details all calculations, derivations, and computer programs that support the information presented in the first volume

Unmanned Multiple Exploratory Probe System (MEPS) for Mars observation. Volume 1: Trade analysis and design

This report presents the unmanned Multiple Exploratory Probe Systems (MEPS), a space vehicle designed to observe the planet Mars in preparation for manned missions. The options considered for each major element are presented as a trade analysis, and the final vehicle design is defined

Manufacturing waste disposal practices of the chemical propulsion industry

The waste production, mitigation and disposal practices of the United States chemical propulsion industry have been investigated, delineated, and comparatively assessed to the U.S. industrial base. Special emphasis has been placed on examination of ozone depleting chemicals (ODC's). The research examines present and anticipated future practices and problems encountered in the manufacture of solid and liquid propulsion systems. Information collected includes current environmental laws and regulations that guide the industry practices, processes in which ODC's are or have been used, quantities of waste produced, funding required to maintain environmentally compliant practices, and preventive efforts

Panel 7 Target Journals for Information Systems Research: Current Practices and Controversies

This panel examines the practice of identifying target journals for IS research. As participants in a scholarly community, individual researchers and their institutions may benefit from guidance on the choice of journals for submission of scholarly work. Official “target journal” lists have begun to appear within departments, where they play a role in evaluating the contributions of individual faculty. The panel examines this practice from three distinct angles. First, research that evaluates the relative standing of scholarly journals in the IS field will be described. The results of a 1998 survey and two earlier surveys (Hardgrave and Walstrom 1997; Walstrom Hardgrave, and Wilson 1995) will be presented. Second, the current practices of two leading IS departments in North American business schools will be described. The actual lists, the controversies surrounding their development and maintenance, and their use and consequences will be described. Third, the practice of identifying target journals will be challenged, and the controversies surrounding the use of such lists will be examined

Method and system for entering data within a flight plan entry field

The present invention provides systems, apparatus and methods for entering data into a flight plan entry field which facilitates the display and editing of aircraft flight-plan data. In one embodiment, the present invention provides a method for entering multiple waypoint and procedure identifiers at once within a single a flight plan entry field. In another embodiment, the present invention provides for the partial entry of any waypoint or procedure identifiers, and thereafter relating the identifiers with an aircraft's flight management system to anticipate the complete text entry for display. In yet another embodiment, the present invention discloses a method to automatically provide the aircraft operator with selectable prioritized arrival and approach routing identifiers by a single manual selection. In another embodiment, the present invention is a method for providing the aircraft operator with selectable alternate patterns to a new runway

Simulations to Evaluate HIV Vaccine Trial Designs

Many HIV vaccine trials have been proposed to evaluate susceptibility of individuals. However, vac cines may also affect an epidemic's course at the population level by altering the infectiousness of vaccinated individuals who become infected. A vac cine trial design that does not estimate both suscep tibility and infectiousness might reject a proposed vaccine that is capable of halting the HIV epidemic. We describe a vaccine trial design called the Retro spective Partner Trial (RPT), which can quantify vaccine effects on both susceptibility and infectious ness. We describe HIVSIM, a simulation environ ment that generates simulated populations and al lows for empirical evaluation of the statistical power of the RPT. HIVSIM explicitly models a number of factors which influence transmission and preva lence, and which have proven difficult to model us ing standard models. These factors include the infec tion stage of infected individuals, partnership selec tion, the duration of partnerships and concurrence, and transmission of HIV. The simulation analysis indicates that the RPT design has substantially greater statistical power for identifying vaccines which, in spite of exhibiting poor protection against infection, are nonetheless capable of halting the HIV epidemic by substantially reducing the infectious ness of vaccinated individuals who become infected.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68501/2/10.1177_003754979807100403.pd

Methods and apparatus for graphical display and editing of flight plans

Systems and methods are provided for an integrated graphical user interface which facilitates the display and editing of aircraft flight-plan data. A user (e.g., a pilot) located within the aircraft provides input to a processor through a cursor control device and receives visual feedback via a display produced by a monitor. The display includes various graphical elements associated with the lateral position, vertical position, flight-plan and/or other indicia of the aircraft's operational state as determined from avionics data and/or various data sources. Through use of the cursor control device, the user may modify the flight-plan and/or other such indicia graphically in accordance with feedback provided by the display. In one embodiment, the display includes a lateral view, a vertical profile view, and a hot-map view configured to simplify the display and editing of the aircraft's flight-plan data