Preliminary Orbit Determination System (PODS) for Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS)-tracked target Spacecraft using the homotopy continuation method

The Preliminary Orbit Determination System (PODS) provides early orbit determination capability in the Trajectory Computation and Orbital Products System (TCOPS) for a Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS)-tracked spacecraft. PODS computes a set of orbit states from an a priori estimate and six tracking measurements, consisting of any combination of TDRSS range and Doppler tracking measurements. PODS uses the homotopy continuation method to solve a set of nonlinear equations, and it is particularly effective for the case when the a priori estimate is not well known. Since range and Doppler measurements produce multiple states in PODS, a screening technique selects the desired state. PODS is executed in the TCOPS environment and can directly access all operational data sets. At the completion of the preliminary orbit determination, the PODS-generated state, along with additional tracking measurements, can be directly input to the differential correction (DC) process to generate an improved state. To validate the computational and operational capabilities of PODS, tests were performed using simulated TDRSS tracking measurements for the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite and using real TDRSS measurements for the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS) and the Solar Mesosphere Explorer (SME) spacecraft. The effects of various measurement combinations, varying arc lengths, and levels of degradation of the a priori state vector on the PODS solutions were considered

Effective Action for High-Energy Scattering in Gravity

The multi-Regge effective action is derived directly from the linearized gravity action. After excluding the redundant field components we separate the fields into momentum modes and integrate over modes which correspond neither to the kinematics of scattering nor to the one of exchanged particles. The effective vertices of scattering and of particle production are obtained as sums of the contributions from the triple and quartic interaction terms and the fields in the effective action are defined in terms of the two physical components of the metric fluctuation.Comment: 15 pages, LATE

Magnetic Monopole Noise

Magnetic monopoles are hypothetical elementary particles exhibiting quantized magnetic charge $m_0=\pm(h/\mu_0e)$ and quantized magnetic flux $\Phi_0=\pm h/e$. A classic proposal for detecting such magnetic charges is to measure the quantized jump in magnetic flux $\Phi$ threading the loop of a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) when a monopole passes through it. Naturally, with the theoretical discovery that a plasma of emergent magnetic charges should exist in several lanthanide-pyrochlore magnetic insulators, including Dy$_2$Ti$_2$O$_7$, this SQUID technique was proposed for their direct detection. Experimentally, this has proven extremely challenging because of the high number density, and the generation-recombination (GR) fluctuations, of the monopole plasma. Recently, however, theoretical advances have allowed the spectral density of magnetic-flux noise $S_{\Phi}(\omega,T)$ due to GR fluctuations of $\pm m_*$ magnetic charge pairs to be determined. These theories present a sequence of strikingly clear predictions for the magnetic-flux noise signature of emergent magnetic monopoles. Here we report development of a high-sensitivity, SQUID based flux-noise spectrometer, and consequent measurements of the frequency and temperature dependence of $S_{\Phi}(\omega,T)$ for Dy$_2$Ti$_2$O$_7$ samples. Virtually all the elements of $S_{\Phi}(\omega,T)$ predicted for a magnetic monopole plasma, including the existence of intense magnetization noise and its characteristic frequency and temperature dependence, are detected directly. Moreover, comparisons of simulated and measured correlation functions $C_{\Phi}(t)$ of the magnetic-flux noise $\Phi(t)$ imply that the motion of magnetic charges is strongly correlated because traversal of the same trajectory by two magnetic charges of same sign is forbidden

Collaboration in the Semantic Grid: a Basis for e-Learning

The CoAKTinG project aims to advance the state of the art in collaborative mediated spaces for the Semantic Grid. This paper presents an overview of the hypertext and knowledge based tools which have been deployed to augment existing collaborative environments, and the ontology which is used to exchange structure, promote enhanced process tracking, and aid navigation of resources before, after, and while a collaboration occurs. While the primary focus of the project has been supporting e-Science, this paper also explores the similarities and application of CoAKTinG technologies as part of a human-centred design approach to e-Learning

A Cross-cultural Qualitative Examination of Social-networking Sites and Academic Performance

AbstractSocial-networking site (SNS) use, specifically Facebook®, has remained a controversial subject for many educators and media. Recent studies discuss the negative and positive impacts of SNSs on students’ academic performance. This qualitative study examines the impact of SNSs on students’ academic performance via open-ended survey responses in the United States (US) and Europe. Responses were examined using the Qualitative Content Analysis (QCA). Findings from this study indicate the differences in perceptions between students in the US and Europe. Overall, common themes indicated that the majority of students claimed they feel SNSs do not impact their grades. Many European students (32.0%) indicated that they use SNSs for their school work, whereas 31.7% of US students mentioned being a responsible student

Formative peer assessment in a CSCL environment

In this case study our aim was to gain more insight in the possibilities of qualitative formative peer assessment in a computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environment. An approach was chosen in which peer assessment was operationalised in assessment assignments and assessment tools that were embedded in the course material. The course concerned a higher education case-based virtual seminar, in which students were asked to conduct research and write a report in small multidisciplinary teams. The assessment assignments contained the discussion of assessment criteria, the assessment of a group report of a fellow group, and writing an assessment report. A list of feedback rules was one of the assessment tools. A qualitative oriented study was conducted, focussing on the attitude of students towards peer assessment and practical use of peer assessment assignments and tools. Results showed that students’ attitude towards peer assessment was positive and that assessment assignments had added value. However, not all students fulfilled all assessment assignments. Recommendations for implementation of peer assessment in CSCL environments as well as suggestions for future research are discussed

Stress and structure of Ni monolayers on W(110): The importance of lattice mismatch

The combination of in situ stress measurements, low-energy electron diffraction, and scanning tunneling microscopy reveals the intimate relation between film structure and film stress for epitaxial growth of Ni on W(110) in the monolayer range. In contradiction to lattice mismatch considerations, we measure tremendous compressive stress in the pseudomorphic Ni film, where tensile film stress is expected from strain arguments. Surface stress of the film-substrate composite is proposed to be much more relevant for the description of film stress in the submonolayer range than lattice mismatch arguments are

t-channel Approach to Reggeon Interactions in QCD

Starting from the multi-Regge effective action for high-energy scattering in QCD a $t$-channel approach can be developed which is similar to the approach by White based on general Regge arguments. The BFKL kernel of reggeized gluon interaction, contributions to the $2 \rightarrow 4$ reggeized gluon vertex function and the one-loop correction to the BFKL kernel are considered. The conditions are discussed under which this approach can provide a simple estimante of the next-to-leading logarithmic corrections to the BFKL perturbative pomeron intercept.Comment: latex , 17 figures appended as compressed uuencoded eps file