Application of a low order panel method to complex three-dimensional internal flow problems

An evaluation of the ability of a low order panel method to predict complex three-dimensional internal flow fields was made. The computer code VSAERO was used as a basis for the evaluation. Guidelines for modeling internal flow geometries were determined and the effects of varying the boundary conditions and the use of numerical approximations on the solutions accuracy were studied. Several test cases were run and the results were compared with theoretical or experimental results. Modeling an internal flow geometry as a closed box with normal velocities specified on an inlet and exit face provided accurate results and gave the user control over the boundary conditions. The values of the boundary conditions greatly influenced the amount of leakage an internal flow geometry suffered and could be adjusted to eliminate leakage. The use of the far-field approximation to reduce computation time influenced the accuracy of a solution and was coupled with the values of the boundary conditions needed to eliminate leakage. The error induced in the influence coefficients by using the far-field approximation was found to be dependent on the type of influence coefficient, the far-field radius, and the aspect ratio of the panels

Study of the integration of wind tunnel and computational methods for aerodynamic configurations

A study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of using a low-order panel code to estimate wind tunnel wall corrections. The corrections were found by two computations. The first computation included the test model and the surrounding wind tunnel walls, while in the second computation the wind tunnel walls were removed. The difference between the force and moment coefficients obtained by comparing these two cases allowed the determination of the wall corrections. The technique was verified by matching the test-section, wall-pressure signature from a wind tunnel test with the signature predicted by the panel code. To prove the viability of the technique, two cases were considered. The first was a two-dimensional high-lift wing with a flap that was tested in the 7- by 10-foot wind tunnel at NASA Ames Research Center. The second was a 1/32-scale model of the F/A-18 aircraft which was tested in the low-speed wind tunnel at San Diego State University. The panel code used was PMARC (Panel Method Ames Research Center). Results of this study indicate that the proposed wind tunnel wall correction method is comparable to other methods and that it also inherently includes the corrections due to model blockage and wing lift

Sovereign Wealth Funds: Form and Function in the 21st Century

As representatives of nation-states in global financial markets, sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) share a common form and many functions. Arguably their form and functions owe as much to a shared (global) moment of institutional formation as they owe their form and functions to the hegemony of Anglo-American finance over the late 20th and early 21st centuries. We distinguish between the immediate future for SWFs in the aftermath of the global financial crisis, and two possible long-term scenarios; one of which sees SWFs becoming financial goliaths dominating global markets, while the other sees SWFs morphing into nation-state development institutions that intermediate between financial markets and the long-term commitments of the nation-state sponsors. If the former scenario dominates, global financial integration will accelerate with attendant costs and benefits. If the latter scenario dominates, SWFs are likely to differentiate and evolve, returning, perhaps, to their national traditions and their respective places in a world of contested power and influence. Here, we clarify the assumptions underpinning the conception and formation of sovereign wealth funds over the past twenty years or so in the face of the ‘new’ realities of global finance.Sovereign Wealth Funds, Crisis, Market Performance, Long-term Investment

UK open source crime data: accuracy and possibilities for research

In the United Kingdom, since 2011 data regarding individual police recorded crimes have been made openly available to the public via the police.uk website. To protect the location privacy of victims these data are obfuscated using geomasking techniques to reduce their spatial accuracy. This paper examines the spatial accuracy of the police.uk data to determine at what level(s) of spatial resolution – if any – it is suitable for analysis in the context of theory testing and falsification, evaluation research, or crime analysis. Police.uk data are compared to police recorded data for one large metropolitan Police Force and spatial accuracy is quantified for four different levels of geography across five crime types. Hypotheses regarding systematic errors are tested using appropriate statistical approaches, including methods of maximum likelihood. Finally, a “best-fit” statistical model is presented to explain the error as well as to develop a model that can correct it. The implications of the findings for researchers using the police.uk data for spatial analysis are discussed

Development and validation of an advanced low-order panel method

A low-order potential-flow panel code, PMARC, for modeling complex three-dimensional geometries, is currently being developed at NASA Ames Research Center. The PMARC code was derived from a code named VSAERO that was developed for Ames Research Center by Analytical Methods, Inc. In addition to modeling potential flow over three-dimensional geometries, the present version of PMARC includes several advanced features such as an internal flow model, a simple jet wake model, and a time-stepping wake model. Data management within the code was optimized by the use of adjustable size arrays for rapidly changing the size capability of the code, reorganization of the output file and adopting a new plot file format. Preliminary versions of a geometry preprocessor and a geometry/aerodynamic data postprocessor are also available for use with PMARC. Several test cases are discussed to highlight the capabilities of the internal flow model, the jet wake model, and the time-stepping wake model

Impact of the Proposed I-69 Corridor on Bobcat (Felis rufus) Habitat in Southwestern Indiana

poster abstract“Habitat loss is known to be the main cause of the current global decline in biodiversity, and roads are thought to affect the persistence of many species by restricting movement between habitat patches” (Eigenbrod, Hecnar et al. 2008). This research looks at the impact of the I-69 corridor being built in Southwestern Indiana on Bobcat habitat (Felis rufus) identified through the use of remote sensing and GIS. Bobcats are solitary animals that require steep, forested areas with plenty of cover for both themselves and the small mammals they prey upon. Identifying where Bobcats are likely is the first step in knowing the impact on their diversity in Southwestern Indiana. In this research, we used the 2012 National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) imagery for each of the 47 counties in this study, along with the 2005 IndianaMap Elevation Model (DEM) data, both obtained from the Indiana Geospatial Portal (gis.iu.edu). These were combined with the cities and town, interstate, and highway shapefiles from the IndianaMap website (indianamap.org), and then classified and assigned suitability values to highlight high, medium, and low probability locations for Bobcats within the study area. The I-69 corridor shapefile was then added and the reduction in habitat calculated to show the impact the corridor will have on existing Bobcat habitat. The methods used in this research project can be used by State and other agencies to evaluate the impact on not only Bobcat habitat, but adapted to other species as well

Spatial Distribution of Children with an ASD Enrolled in Indiana Public Schools Compared to Quality-of-Life Indicators

poster abstractAutism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is currently the fastest-growing developmental disability in the United States with the current prevalence rate of 1 in 88 as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network. This increase has particularly impacted schools, since according to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act [IDEA], these students must be served in the least restrictive environments that may range from special to inclusive classrooms. As such, it is important to assess the situation across the state of Indiana to better understand the areas of need and the distribution of this special population. This poster will take a spatially descriptive and quantitative approach to where and how ASDs are distributed across the state of Indiana using tools similar to those used by epidemiologist, such as crude rates and Bayesian modeling. Data were provided by the Indiana Department of Education and included a list of all public school districts in the state and the number in each district diagnosed with an ASD. A set of ten U.S. Census variables were identified from the literature and used to create a quality-of-life indicator to compare with the results of the spatial analysis. Based on the analysis, we can conclude that while autism in Indiana schoolchildren appears to be evenly distributed across the state, the more rural areas are at risk for services and should be made a priority for resources provided by the state and those NGO’s that specialize in helping those parents and families with children with ASDs

Graduate Recital

The writer, in preparing for the recital , was concerned mainly with the following objectives: 1. To improve his own ability to perform well with the vocal instrument. 2. To find new avenues of approach to the problem of teaching correct vocal methods in the classroom. It is the belief of the writer that if one does not continue to study and learn of the many problems that arise in teaching the vocal art , he will not perform well as a teacher of that, or any, art. The writer is sure that if he had not continued his studies to improve his teaching method and understanding of the problems involved, the amount of improvement in his own work would not have been nearly so noticeable. The writer keeps thinking of his first few years in the classroom. He realized that his methods and experience at that point had not developed to a degree of adequate performance for classroom instruction. It was this need for more understanding that motivated him to obtain more information about the subject of which was trying to teach. It was this motivation that led to the election of a recital program

Biological and chemical control of target spot of float-grown dark fire-cured tobacco seddlings

Tobacco is an important crop in Tennessee and the Southeastern United States. Farmers received $34 million in revenue in 1991 from dark tobacco alone. Increasingly, tobacco seedlings are produced in float beds in the greenhouse. Float beds have several advantages over conventional seed beds; however, conditions in the greenhouse are often conducive to the spread of plant disease. Target spot (Rhizoctonia leaf spot) is a recently-described disease of float-grown tobacco and is caused by the soilborne fungus Thanatephorus cucumeris (anamorph Rhizoctonia solani). In Tennessee, significant losses in tobacco transplants grown in float systems have resulted from target spot. There also has been an increase in the number of reports of target spot on field plants, which may be related to the increase in production of transplants by the float system. Currently there are no control measures recommended for target spot on float plants except for proper sanitation and cultural practices. In this study the effect of four chemicals and four biological control agents for control of target spot on two dark-fire tobacco cultivars (DF485 and TR Madole), planted by direct-seeding or seeding-and-transfering, was evaluated. In 1993, one biological control agent, Bacillus sp. strain BA55, and two fungicides, fluazinam, and Dithane®, applied as foliar sprays, provided substantial control of target spot on cultivars DF485 and TR Madole, across both planting methods. In 1994, several biologicals and chemicals were tested for control of target spot on direct-seeded plants of cultivars DF485 and TR Madole. Three fungicides, two formulations of fluazinam, and Dithane® significantly reduced target spot severity on both cultivars. The fungicide dimethomorph and the biological Bacillus sp. BA55 provided control only on one cultivar, DF485. Another fungicide, Rovral, also provided control of target spot; however, phytotoxicity was observed also in both years. In 1993, direct-seeded plants of both dark-fire cultivars treated with BA55 and fluazinam, or receiving no treatment, were transplanted to the field and evaluated for further development of target spot, and the effect of disease control treatment on crop index, grade index, yield, and revenue. Environmental conditions were not conducive for further target spot development in 1993. In general, cultivar DF485 yielded more pounds per acre than TR Madole. Across both cultivars, there were no differences in crop index, grade index, yield, and revenue in plants treated with BA55 or fluazinam, or untreated. The effects of host age, cultivar, and BA55 on target spot severity was studied also. Across five age groups, ranging from 2 to 6 wk, BA55 significantly controlled target spot. The seedlings treated at two weeks had significantly less target spot than the other age groups. The effect of fluazinam concentration on target spot severity was studied also. Different concentrations of fluazinam, ranging from 200 to 1000 ppm, were applied weekly as foliar sprays to seed-and-transfer tobacco seedlings. Fluazinam concentration had no effect on percent diseased foliage due to low disease pressure. Based on the results from these experiments, fluazinam and Dithane® are potential candidates for control of target spot in float beds. The biological agent, BA55, has potential as for controlling target spot if the consistency of its performance can be improved. A leaf disk assay was designed to prescreen bacteria for biocontrol of target spot. One hundred forty-three bacterial isolates from long-term tobacco field soils were tested in this assay. Inoculum of Rhizoctonia solani was placed on sterile, moistened Terralite™ horticultural mix in multi-well tissue culture plates. Disks (12 mm) were cut with a cork borer from newly emerged tobacco leaves, surface-sterilized, dipped into bacterial suspensions, and placed in the tissue culture wells. The prescreening assay was optimized for several parameters including form and age of R. solani inoculum, and length of assay incubation time. Using Bacillus sp. BA55 as a test organism, growth medium and incubation time for the bacterial test strains were optimized also. The optimized assay consisted of oat inoculum of Rhizoctonia solani placed on the surface of the Terralite™, and incubated for 1 day. Bacillus sp. BA55 was grown for 2 days in Nutrient Broth Yeast Extract (NBY). The 143 bacteria isolated from tobacco field soils at Greeneville, TN, were evaluated for their ability to inhibit colonization of R. solani on tobacco leaf disks. Bacillus isolates BA22, BA27, BA93, BA122, and BA139 significantly reduced colonization of the leaf disks by R. solani compared to a sterile Tween-20 control. All isolates were tested also with in vitro antibiosis assays against Geotrichum candidum, a nonpathogenic soil fungus, and Rhizoctonia solani. Bacteria were spotted onto Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) and NBY plates, and oversprayed with G. candidum. Five isolates (BA27, BA29, BA57, BA83, and BA125) produced inhibition zones against G. candidum ≥ 5 mm on PDA while 12 isolates (BA8, BA27, BA28, BA29, BA40, BA44, BA91, BA95, BA96, BA118, BA120, BA121) produced similar results on NBY. In the inhibition assay against R. solani, each bacterium was streaked also across the center of three NBY plates, and two agar plugs of 2-wk-old R. solani were placed on either side of the streak. Eight isolates (BA4, BAB, BA19, BA27, BA29, BA58, BA96, BA111) substantially inhibited R. solani (inhibition zone ≥ 5 mm)