Resilience: Accounting for the Noncomputable

Plans to solve complex environmental problems should always consider the role of surprise. Nevertheless, there is a tendency to emphasize known computable aspects of a problem while neglecting aspects that are unknown and failing to ask questions about them. The tendency to ignore the noncomputable can be countered by considering a wide range of perspectives, encouraging transparency with regard to conflicting viewpoints, stimulating a diversity of models, and managing for the emergence of new syntheses that reorganize fragmentary knowledg

Notes on the early-type components of W Cep, o Cet, CH Cyg, AR Mon, and BL Tel

Low resolution IUE spectra in both spectral regions are used to clarify the nature of the warmer components of several binary systems. The W Cep, the primary of which is a luminous K-type supergiant, shows an ultraviolet absorption spectrum of type B0 or B1; this system is heavily reddened. The hot companion of Mira (o Cet) is surprisingly faint in the short wavelength region, but it excites a rich emission spectrum from the surrounding gas. The ultraviolet active M7 giant CH Cyg is shown to be a binary with a hot companion. This system was also observed at high resolution and shows variable Fe II emission and well-separated circumstellar and interstellar absorptions within the broad Mg II emission profiles. The eclipsing binaries AR Mon and BL Tel are shown not to have hot companions

Near-Infrared Photometric Variability of Stars Toward the Orion A Molecular Cloud

We present an analysis of J, H, and K time series photometry obtained with the southern 2MASS telescope over a 0.84 x 6 deg^2 region centered near the Orion Nebula Cluster. These data are used to establish the near-infrared variability properties of pre-main-sequence stars in Orion on time scales of 1-36 days, 2 months, and 2 years. A total of 1235 variable stars are identified, ~93% of which are associated with the Orion A molecular cloud. The variable stars exhibit a diversity of photometric behavior with time, including cyclic fluctuations, aperiodic day-to-day fluctuations, eclipses, slow drifts in brightness over one month, colorless variability, stars that become redder as they fade, and stars that become bluer as they fade. We examine rotational modulation of cool and hot star spots, variable obscuration from an inner circumstellar disk, and changes in the mass accretion rate and other properties in a circumstellar disk as possible origins of the variability. Cool spots can explain the variability characteristics in 56-77% of the stars, while the properties of the photometric fluctuations are more consistent with hot spots or extinction changes in at least 23% of the stars, and with variations in the disk mass accretion rate or inner disk radius in 1% of our sample. However, differences between the details of the observations and the details of variability predicted these models suggest either that another variability mechanism not considered here may be operative, or that the observed variability represents the net results of several of these phenomena. Analysis of the star count data indicates that the ONC is part of a larger area of enhanced stellar surface density which extends over a 0.4 x 2.4 deg^2 (3.4 x 20 pc^2) region containing 2700 stars brighter than K=14. (abridged version)Comment: 75 pages with 27 figures; to appear in AJ; see also http://www.astro.caltech.edu/~jmc/variables/orio

Periodic Photometric Variability in the Becklin-Neugebauer Object

The Becklin-Neugebauer (BN) object in the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC) is a well-studied optically invisible, infrared-bright young stellar object, thought to be an intermediate-mass protostar. We report here that BN exhibited nearly-sinusoidal periodic variability at the near-infrared H- and Ks-bands during a one month observing campaign in 2000 March/April. The period was 8.28 days and the peak-to-peak amplitude ~0.2 mag. Plausible mechanisms for producing the observed variability characteristics are explored.Comment: Accepted by ApJ Letter

Fracture toughness testing data: A technology survey

Technical abstracts for about 90 significant documents relating to fracture toughness testing for various structural materials including information on plane strain and the developing areas of mixed mode and plane stress test conditions are presented. An overview of the state-of-the-art represented in the documents that have been abstracted is included. The abstracts in the report are mostly for publications in the period April 1962 through April 1974. The purpose of this report is to provide, in quick reference form, a dependable source for current information in the subject field

NDE: An effective approach to improved reliability and safety. A technology survey

Technical abstracts are presented for about 100 significant documents relating to nondestructive testing of aircraft structures or related structural testing and the reliability of the more commonly used evaluation methods. Particular attention is directed toward acoustic emission; liquid penetrant; magnetic particle; ultrasonics; eddy current; and radiography. The introduction of the report includes an overview of the state-of-the-art represented in the documents that have been abstracted

Register of experts for information on mechanics of structural failure

This register is comprised of a list of approximately 300 experts from approximately 90 organizations who have published results of theoretical and/or experimental research related to six problem areas in the mechanics of structural failure: (1) life prediction for structural materials, (2) fracture toughness testing, (3) fracture mechanics analysis; (4) hydrogen embrittlement; (5) protective coatings; and (6) composite materials. The criteria for the selection of names for the register are recent contributions to the literature, participation in or support of relevant research programs, and referral by peers. Each author included is listed by organizational affiliation, address, and principal field of expertise. The purpose of the register is to present, in easy reference form, sources for dependable information regarding failure modes and mechanisms of aerospace structures. The register includes two indexes; an alphabetical listing of the experts and an alphabetical listing of the organizations with whom they are affiliated

Life prediction of materials exposed to monotonic and cyclic loading: A new technology survey

Reviewed and evaluated technical abstracts for about 100 significant documents are reported relating primarily to life prediction for structural materials exposed to monotonic and cyclic loading, particularly in elevated temperature environments. The abstracts in the report are mostly for publications in the period April 1962 through April 1974. The purpose of this report is to provide, in quick reference form, a dependable source for current informatio

Grid Cells Form a Global Representation of Connected Environments.

The firing patterns of grid cells in medial entorhinal cortex (mEC) and associated brain areas form triangular arrays that tessellate the environment [1, 2] and maintain constant spatial offsets to each other between environments [3, 4]. These cells are thought to provide an efficient metric for navigation in large-scale space [5-8]. However, an accurate and universal metric requires grid cell firing patterns to uniformly cover the space to be navigated, in contrast to recent demonstrations that environmental features such as boundaries can distort [9-11] and fragment [12] grid patterns. To establish whether grid firing is determined by local environmental cues, or provides a coherent global representation, we recorded mEC grid cells in rats foraging in an environment containing two perceptually identical compartments connected via a corridor. During initial exposures to the multicompartment environment, grid firing patterns were dominated by local environmental cues, replicating between the two compartments. However, with prolonged experience, grid cell firing patterns formed a single, continuous representation that spanned both compartments. Thus, we provide the first evidence that in a complex environment, grid cell firing can form the coherent global pattern necessary for them to act as a metric capable of supporting large-scale spatial navigation