Consideration for high accuracy radiation efficiency measurements for the Solar Power Satellite (SPS) subarrays

The transmit beam and radiation efficiency for 10 metersquare subarray panels were quantified. Measurement performance potential of far field elevated and ground reflection ranges and near field technique were evaluated. The state-of-the-art of critical components and/or unique facilities required was identified. Relative cost, complexity and performance tradeoffs were performed for techniques capable of achieving accuracy objectives. It is considered that because of the large electrical size of the SPS subarray panels and the requirement for high accuracy measurements, specialized measurement facilities are required. Most critical measurement error sources have been identified for both conventional far field and near field techniques. Although the adopted error budget requires advances in state-of-the-art of microwave instrumentation, the requirements appear feasible based on extrapolation from today's technology. Additional performance and cost tradeoffs need to be completed before the choice of the preferred measurement technique is finalized

A 94/183 GHz multichannel radiometer for Convair flights

A multichannel 94/183 GHz radiometer was designed, built, and installed on the NASA Convair 990 research aircraft to take data for hurricane penetration flights, SEASAT-A underflights for measuring rain and water vapor, and Nimbus-G underflights for new sea ice signatures and sea surface temperature data (94 GHz only). The radiometer utilized IF frequencies of 1, 5, and 8.75 GHz about the peak of the atmospheric water vapor absorption line, centered at 183.3 GHz, to gather data needed to determine the shape of the water molecule line. Another portion of the radiometer operated at 94 GHz and obtained data on the sea brightness temperature, sea ice signatures, and on areas of rain near the ocean surface. The radiometer used a multiple lens antenna/temperature calibration technique using 3 lenses and corrugated feed horns at 94 GHz and 183 GHz. Alignment of the feed beams at 94 GHz and 183 GHz was accomplished using a 45 deg oriented reflecting surface which permitted simultaneous viewing of the feeds on alternate cycles of the chopping intervals

A 94/183 GHz aircraft radiometer system for Project Storm Fury

A radiometer design suitable for use in NASA's WB-57F aircraft to collect data from severe storm regions was developed. The design recommended was a 94/183 GHz scanning radiometer with 3 IF channels on either side of the 183.3 GHz water vapor line and a single IF channel for a low loss atmospheric window channel at 94 GHz. The development and construction of the 94/183 GHz scanning radiometer known as the Advanced Microwave Moisture Sounder (AMMS) is presented. The radiometer scans the scene below the aircraft over an angle of + or - 45 degrees with the beamwidth of the scene viewed of approximately 2 degrees at 94 GHz and 1 degree at 183 GHz. The AMMS data collection system consists of a microcomputer used to store the radiometer data on the flight cartridge recorder, operate the stepper motor driven scanner, and collect housekeeping data such as thermistor temperature readings and aircraft time code

Copper Containing Silicates as Catalysts for Liquid Phase Cyclohexane Oxidation

Copper containing silicates have been prepared by an acid-catalyzed sol-gel process. The materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction and fluorescence, EPR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, N2-physisorption, thermogravimetry, differential scanning calorimetry, temperature-programmed reduction, FTIR and UV/VIS spectroscopy. The silicates were shown to be efficient catalysts for the oxidation of cyclohexane with tert-butyl hydroperoxide as oxidant. Cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone were obtained as the main products. The metal was shown to be weakly bound to the silicate matrix and metal leaching was observed. Leaching was quantified by X-ray fluorescence and leaching tests showed that the catalytic activity is due to supported copper species. Leached copper showed no activity in the homogeneous phase.Silicatos contendo cobre foram preparados pelo processo sol-gel catalisado por ácido. Os materiais foram caracterizados por difração e fluorescência de raios X, espectroscopia EPR, análise elementar, fisissorção de N2, termogravimetria, calorimetria diferencial de varredura, redução à temperatura programada, espectroscopia FTIR e UV/VIS. Os silicatos mostram-se catalisadores eficientes para a oxidação do cicloexano com hidroperóxido de tert-butila como oxidante e obtiveram-se cicloexanona e cicloexanol como produtos principais da reação. O metal mostrou-se fracamente ligado à matriz de sílica e foi observada lixiviação do metal para a fase líquida. A lixiviação foi quantificada por fluorescência de raios X. Testes de lixiviação mostraram que a atividade catalítica é devida às espécies de cobre suportadas. O cobre lixiviado não mostrou nenhuma atividade catalítica em fase homogênea.170176Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

Personal Finance: An Interdisciplinary Profession

This commentary recommends that financial counseling and planning research, education, and practice be framed as an interdisciplinary profession called personal finance. Authors summarize the history of the profession and key theories providing the conceptual foundation. In order for the emerging profession of personal finance to achieve significant visibility and gain maturity, professionals must reach consensus on definining collective scholarship. Readers are encouraged to engage in the dialogue and comment on the call to action by contacting the lead author

Engineering Art Galleries

The Art Gallery Problem is one of the most well-known problems in Computational Geometry, with a rich history in the study of algorithms, complexity, and variants. Recently there has been a surge in experimental work on the problem. In this survey, we describe this work, show the chronology of developments, and compare current algorithms, including two unpublished versions, in an exhaustive experiment. Furthermore, we show what core algorithmic ingredients have led to recent successes

Perspectives for sustainable aviation biofuels in Brazil

The aviation industry has set ambitious goals to reduce carbon emissions in coming decades. The strategy involves the use of sustainable biofuels, aiming to achieve benefits from environmental, social, and economic perspectives. In this context, Brazilian conditions are favorable, with a mature agroindustry that regularly produces automotive biofuel largely adopted by Brazilian road vehicles, while air transportation has been growing at an accelerating pace and a modern aircraft industry is in place. This paper presents the main conclusions and recommendations from a broad assessment of the technological, economic, and sustainability challenges and opportunities associated with the development of drop-in aviation biofuels in Brazil. It was written by a research team that prepared the initial reports and conducted eight workshops with the active participation of more than 30 stakeholders encompassing the private sector, government institutions, NGOs, and academia. The main outcome was a set of guidelines for establishing a new biofuels industry, including recommendations for (a) filling the identified research and development knowledge gaps in the production of sustainable feedstock; (b) overcoming the barriers in conversion technology, including scaling-up issues; (c) promoting greater involvement and interaction between private and government stakeholders; and (d) creating a national strategy to promote the development of aviation biofuels2015FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP2012/50009-