3,076 research outputs found
Study of Packaging and Installation of FBG Sensors for Monitoring of Aircraft Systems
Next generation aircraft systems will feature an ever increasing complexity. In this context, advanced health monitoring strategies will be required to ensure a high level of operations safety as well as a good reliability. Hence, Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) is emerging as an enabling discipline for future advanced aircraft design and operations, with a particular application to Flight Control System (FCS) monitoring. One of the most critical issues for real-time Fault Detection and Identification (FDI) of aircraft FCS is the availability of actuator load measurements. The aerodynamic load on flight control actuators has a significant influence on their dynamic response, and can easily hide the effect of incipient failure precursors. For this reason, real-time monitoring FDI algorithms relying on the comparison between the actual system response and that of a digital twin require either a measure or an estimation of aerodynamic loads. Usually, this quantity is not monitored by a dedicated sensor, since it is not required as a feedback signal by most control logics. A dedicated load sensor for PHM with traditional technologies is not easily feasible: for example, a load cell would be mechanically connected in series with the actuator, adding a potential single failure point and affecting the overall system safety; the use of strain gages on the structure is less accurate, and requires several sensors with individual wiring and complex signal conditioning circuitry. Optical strain sensors based on Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBG) allow indirect load measurement combined with real-time structural monitoring, combining an acceptable increase in complexity and costs with a high robustness. In this preliminary study, we installed an FBG monitoring system on a UAV to assess the feasibility of such technology. Measures of structure deflection were correlated to actuator position and IMU data, to estimate aerodynamic loads
A New Giant Branch Clump Structure In the Large Magellanic Cloud
We present Washington C, T1 CCD photometry of 21 fields located in the
northern part of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), and spread over a region of
more than 2.52 degrees approximately 6 degrees from the bar. The surveyed areas
were chosen on the basis of their proximity to SL 388 and SL 509, whose fields
showed the presence of a secondary giant clump, observationally detected by
Bica et al. (1998, AJ, 116, 723). From the collected data we found that most of
the observed field CMDs do not show a separate secondary clump, but rather a
continuous vertical structure (VS), which is clearly seen for the first time.
Its position and size are nearly the same throughout the surveyed regions: it
lies below the Red Giant Clump (RGC) and extends from the bottom of the RGC to
approximately 0.45 mag fainter, spanning the bluest color range of the RGC. The
more numerous the VS stars in a field, the larger the number of LMC giants in
the same zone. Our analysis demonstrate that VS stars belong to the LMC and are
most likely the consequence of some kind of evolutionary process in the LMC,
particularly in those LMC regions with a noticeable large giant population. Our
results suggest that in order to trigger the formation of VS stars, there
should be other conditions besides the appropriate age, metallicity, and the
necessary red giant star density. Indeed, stars satisfying the requisites
mentioned above are commonly found throughout the LMC, but the VS phenomenon is
only clearly seen in some isolated regions. Finally, the fact that clump stars
have an intrinsic luminosity dispersion further constrains the use of the clump
magnitude as a reliable distance indicator.Comment: 25 pages, 9 figures, 3 tables; to be published in AJ, Dec. issu
Star Counts in the Globular Cluster Omega Centauri. I. Bright Stellar Components
We present an extensive photometry on HB, RGB, and MSTO stars in Omega Cen.
The central regions of the cluster were covered with a mosaic of F435W, F625W,
and F658N-band data collected with ACS/HST. The outer reaches were covered with
a large set of U,B,V,I-band data collected with the [email protected] ESO/MPI telescope.
The final catalogue includes ~1.7 million stars. We identified ~3,200 likely HB
stars and ~12,500 stars brighter than the subgiant branch and fainter than the
RGB bumps. The HB morphology changes with the radial distance. The relative
number of extreme HB stars decreases from ~30% to ~21% when moving from the
center toward the outer regions of the cluster, while the fraction of less hot
HB stars increases from ~62% to ~72%. We performed a detailed comparison
between observed ratios of different stellar tracers and predictions based on
canonical evolutionary models with a primordial helium (Y=0.23) content and
metal abundances (Z=0.0002,0.001) that bracket the observed spread in
metallicity of Omega Cen stars. We found that the empirical star counts of HB
stars are on average larger (30%-40%) than predicted. Moreover, the rate of HB
stars is 43% larger than the MSTO rate. The discrepancy between the rate of HB
compared with the rate of RG and MSTO stars supports the evidence that we are
facing a true excess of HB stars. The same comparison was performed by assuming
a mix of stellar populations made with 70% of canonical stars and 30% of
He-enhanced stars. The discrepancy between theory and observations decreases by
a factor of two when compared with rates predicted by canonical He content
models, but still 15%-25% (Y=0.42) and 15%-20% (Y=0.33) higher than observed.
Furthermore, the ratio between HB and MSTO star counts are ~24% (Y=0.42) and
30% (Y=0.33) larger than predicted lifetime ratios.Comment: 54 pages, 17 figures,to be published in ApJ, see link at
http://stellari.wiki.zoho.co
An integrated care pathway for cancer patients with diabetes: A proposal from the Italian experience
Diabetes and cancer frequently coexist in the same subject, often with relevant clinical effects on the management and prognosis of the comorbid patient. The existing guidelines, however, do not appropriately address many clinical issues in this setting. Although collaboration between diabetologists and oncologists should play an important role in achieving appropriate levels of care, close coordination or agreement between these specialists is seldom offered. There is an urgent need for greater interdisciplinary integration between all specialists involved in this setting, for a shared approach ensuring that organisational silos are overcome. To this end, the Italian Associations of Medical Diabetologists (AMD) and the Italian Association of Medical Oncology (AIOM) recently established a dedicated Working Group on 'Diabetes and Cancer'. The working group outlined a diagnostic and therapeutic clinical pathway dedicated to hospitalised patients with diabetes and cancer. In this article, we describe the Italian proposal including some suggested measures to assess, monitor and improve blood glucose control in the hospital setting, to integrate different specialists from both areas, as well as to ensure discharge planning and continuity of care from the hospital to the territory
A multi-wavelength investigation of the radio-loud supernova PTF11qcj and its circumstellar environment
We present the discovery, classification, and extensive panchromatic (from
radio to X-ray) follow-up observations of PTF11qcj, a supernova discovered by
the Palomar Transient Factory. PTF11qcj is located at a distance of dL ~ 124
Mpc. Our observations with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array show that this
event is radio-loud: PTF11qcj reached a radio peak luminosity comparable to
that of the famous gamma-ray-burst-associated supernova 1998bw (L_{5GHz} ~
10^{29} erg/s/Hz). PTF11qcj is also detected in X-rays with the Chandra
observatory, and in the infrared band with Spitzer. Our multi-wavelength
analysis probes the supernova interaction with circumstellar material. The
radio observations suggest a progenitor mass-loss rate of ~10^{-4} Msun/yr x
(v_w/1000 km/s), and a velocity of ~(0.3-0.5)c for the fastest moving ejecta
(at ~10d after explosion). However, these estimates are derived assuming the
simplest model of supernova ejecta interacting with a smooth circumstellar
material characterized by radial power-law density profile, and do not account
for possible inhomogeneities in the medium and asphericity of the explosion.
The radio light curve shows deviations from such a simple model, as well as a
re-brightening at late times. The X-ray flux from PTF11qcj is compatible with
the high-frequency extrapolation of the radio synchrotron emission (within the
large uncertainties). An IR light echo from pre-existing dust is in agreement
with our infrared data. Our analysis of pre-explosion data from the Palomar
Transient Factory suggests that a precursor eruption of absolute magnitude M_r
~ -13 mag may have occurred ~ 2.5 yr prior to the supernova explosion. Based on
our panchromatic follow-up campaign, we conclude that PTF11qcj fits the
expectations from the explosion of a Wolf-Rayet star. Precursor eruptions may
be a feature characterizing the final pre-explosion evolution of such stars.Comment: 43 pages, 15 figures; this version matches the one published in ApJ
(includes minor changes that address the Referee's comments.
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