Feasibility study of the solar scientific instruments for Spacelab/Orbiter

The feasibility and economics of mounting and operating a set of solar scientific instruments in the backup Skylab Apollo Telescope Mount (ATM) hardware was evaluated. The instruments used as the study test payload and integrated into the ATM were: the Solar EUV Telescope/Spectrometer; the Solar Active Region Observing Telescope; and the Lyman Alpha White Light Coronagraph. The backup ATM hardware consists of a central cruciform structure, called the "SPAR', a "Sun End Canister' and a "Multiple Docking Adapter End Canister'. Basically, the ATM hardware and software provides a structural interface for the instruments; a closely controlled thermal environment; and a very accurate attitude and pointing control capability. The hardware is an identical set to the hardware that flow on Skylab

Determining the Effectiveness of Graphic-aided Dynamic Message Signs in Work Zone

Portable changeable message signs (PCMSs) have been employed in highway work zones as an innovative temporary traffic control (TTC) device in the United Stated for many years. The traditional message format on a PCMS is text-based, which has been found to have several limitations in recent studies, such as confusing drivers and delaying their responses during driving, being difficult to read for older drivers and non-English-speaking drivers, and having a short range of legibility. The use of graphic-aided messages on PCMSs has many advantages over text-based PCMSs based on a number of previous laboratory simulation experiments. This research project used field experiments and driver surveys to determine the effectiveness of a graphic-aided PCMS on reducing vehicle speed and drivers' acceptance of utilizing a graphic-aided PCMS in the upstream of a one-lane two-way rural highway work zone. Field experiment were conducted to compare the effectiveness of text PCMS, graphic-aided PCMS, and graphic PCMS on reducing vehicle speed in a highway work zone in Kansas , and to develop regression models of the relationship between mean vehicle speed and distance under three PCMS conditions. Driver surveys were conducted to evaluate drivers’ opinions on the implementation of a graphicaided PCMS in the highway work zone. The findings showed that 1) using a text, a graphic-aided, and a graphic PCMS resulted in a mean vehicle speed reduction of 13%, 10%, and 17%, respectively; 2) using a graphic-aided PCMS reduced mean vehicle speed more effectively than using a text PCMS from 1,475 ft to 1,000 ft in the upstream of a work zone; using a graphic PCMS reduced mean vehicle speed more effectively than using a text PCMS from 1,475 ft in the upstream of the work zone to the location of the second TTC sign (W20-4 sign); 3) the majority of drivers understood the work zone and flagger graphics and believed the graphics drew their attention more to the work zone traffic conditions; and 4) more drivers preferred the information to be presented in the graphic-aided and graphic formats if the graphic-aided and graphic PCMSs were available

Using Cone Index Data to Explain Yield Variation Within a Field

Rosana G. Moreira, Editor-in-Chief; Texas A&M UniversityThis is a Technical Paper from International Commission of Agricultural Engineering (CIGR, Commission Internationale du Genie Rural) E-Journal Volume 4 (2002): N. Isaac, R. Taylor, S. Staggenborg, M. Schrock, and D. Leikam. Using Cone Index Data to Explain Yield Variation Within a Field. Vol. IV. December 2002

Modeling Truck Speed in the Upstream of One-lane Two-way Highway Work Zones: Implications on Reducing Truck-Related Crashes in Work Zones

Truck-related crashes constitute a major safety concern for government agencies, the construction industry, and the traveling public. Due to the rising needs in highway maintenance and construction, the number of work zones is increasing throughout the United States, while at the same time freight movement using trucks is also increasing nationwide. Developing effective safety countermeasures to reduce the truck-related crashes is a major challenge in front of the government agencies and the construction industry. The main objectives of this research project are to discover truck-related crash characteristics and to model the truck speeds in the upstream of one-lane two-way rural highway work zones. Work zones on two-lane highway are particularly hazardous for trucks due to the disruption of regular traffic flow and restrictive geometry. The developed models can be utilized to discover possible associations between work zone design variables and truck speeds with the purpose of reducing truck-related crash risks. As a result, government agencies and the construction industry can apply the findings of this project to improve work zone design and mitigate the crash risks in work zones

The College Station Residential Energy Compliance Code

The City of College Station, Texas adopted a new residential Energy Compliance Code in January, 1988. The code, which strengthens compliance requirements in several areas, has received broadly based support and acceptance from all major constituent groups. It is less than one-fourth the length of the code it replaced, and compliance is greatly simplified through use of a check-list compliance path supplemented by point system and energy analysis paths. Results of air leakage measurements used to justify the stronger infiltration requirements of the code are reported. The process used to develop consensus support and key features of the code are described

Developing a Sustainable Freight Transportation Framework with the Consideration of Improving Safety and Minimizing Carbon Emissions

Despite the difficulties of the American economy in recent years the transportation sector continues to expand. Freight transportation alone has been projected to increase enormously even if the economy as a whole only manages a very moderate growth. Not only does freight transportation use a large percentage of resources but it contributes significantly to America’s share of carbon emissions and affects the safety of the transportation system and all its users. These problems are only expected to increase as the volume of freight transportation is already reaching the limit of the American transportation infrastructure’s capacity and demand continues to increase. The primary objective of this research was to compile a list of technologies and practices that should be included in the sustainable freight transportation frameworks of government agencies and commercial fleets to reduce their carbon footprint and increase their safety by providing recommendations on promising legislation, research, technologies, and practices. Data was gathered through a literature review of available materials and a survey of the state Departments of Transportation. The success of this research project provides the needed knowledge for the development of a sustainable freight transportation framework

A mosaic maternal splice donor mutation in the EHMT1 gene leads to aberrant transcripts and to Kleefstra syndrome in the offspring

The euchromatic histone-lysine N-methyltransferase 1 (EHMT1) gene was examined in a 3-year-old boy with characteristic clinical features of Kleefstra syndrome. Sequencing of all 27 EHMT1 exons revealed a novel mutation, NM_024757.4:c.2712+1G>A, which affects the splice donor of intron 18. Whereas the index patient is heterozygous for that mutation, his phenotypically normal mother shows tissue-specific mosaicism. Sequencing of EHMT1 RT-PCR products revealed two aberrant transcript variants: in one variant, exon 18 was skipped; in the other, a near-by GT motif was used as splice donor and intronic sequence was inserted between exons 18 and 19. Both transcript variants were found in the patient and his mother. The latter had lower amounts of these transcripts consistent with mosaic status. This is the first description of an EHMT1 point mutation being inherited from a parent with verified mosaicism. The constitutive c.2712+1G>A splice site mutation in EHMT1 is fully pathogenic, and the transcript variants produced do not attenuate the severity of the disease.European Journal of Human Genetics advance online publication, 12 December 2012; doi:10.1038/ejhg.2012.267