Computers, Statistics and Planning- Systems or Chaos? GEARY LECTURE, 1968

Ever since Professor Fogarty invited me to give this lecture, I have been wondering why he picked me when I reflect that Dr. Geary, in whose honour and name these lectures are being given, and Professor Sir Roy Alien, who gave the first Geary lecture last year, are both illustrious names in the world of statistics. They belong to the generation in which the foundations of the subject were, with immense labour, being laid, and indeed hacked up again and relaid several times. Dr. Geary’s work has such an international reputatioaa as to make any further description or comment on my part merely presumptuous: his early pioneering work as director of the Central Statistics Office here, his work at the United ~ations and later as first Director of the newly formed Economic Research Institute in Dublin. To have my name linked in this way today with Geary’s is an occasion of which I can well feel proud

Ground Beetles From a Remnant Oak-Maple-Beech Forest and Its Surroundings in Northeastern Ohio (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

We report 66 ground beetle species in 14 tribes from a natural preserve in northeastern Ohio (Stark County). Six species are new state records. Data from pitfall trap transects across adjoining habitats suggest narrow habitat preferences in some species and broad tolerances in others. Trends toward flightlessness in forest species and macroptery in the fauna of disturbed agricultural sites are apparent

Flight test pilot evaluation of a delayed flap approach procedure

Using NASA's CV-990 aircraft, a delayed flap approach procedure was demonstrated to nine guest pilots from the air transport industry. Four demonstration flights and 37 approaches were conducted under VFR weather conditions. A limited pilot evaluation of the delayed flap procedure was obtained from pilot comments and from questionaires they completed. Pilot acceptability, pilot workload, and ATC compatibility were quantitatively rated. The delayed flap procedure was shown to be feasible, and suggestions for further development work were obtained

Delayed flap approach procedures for noise abatement and fuel conservation

The NASA/Ames Research Center is currently investigating the delayed flap approach during which pilot actions are determined and prescribed by an onboard digital computer. The onboard digital computer determines the proper timing for the deployment of the landing gear and flaps based on the existing winds and airplane gross weight. Advisory commands are displayed to the pilot. The approach is flown along the conventional ILS glide slope but is initiated at a higher airspeed and in a clean aircraft configuration that allows for low thrust and results in reduced noise and fuel consumption. Topics discussed include operational procedures, pilot acceptability of these procedures, and fuel/noise benefits resulting from flight tests and simulation

Cygnus X-3 in outburst : quenched radio emission, radiation losses and variable local opacity

We present multiwavelength observations of Cygnus X-3 during an extended outburst in 1994 February - March. Intensive radio monitoring at 13.3, 3.6 & 2.0 cm is complemented by observations at (sub)millimetre and infrared wavelengths, which find Cyg X-3 to be unusually bright and variable, and include the first reported detection of the source at 0.45 mm. We report the first confirmation of quenched radio emission prior to radio flaring independent of observations at Green Bank. The observations reveal evidence for wavelength-dependent radiation losses and gradually decreasing opacity in the environment of the radio jet. We find that the radiation losses are likely to be predominantly inverse Compton losses experienced by the radio-emitting electrons in the strong radiation field of a luminous companion to the compact object. We interpret the decreasing opacity during the flare sequence as resulting from a decreasing proportion of thermal electrons entrained in the jet, reflecting a decreasing density in the region of jet formation. We present, drawing in part on the work of other authors, a model based upon mass-transfer rate instability predicting gamma-ray, X-ray, infrared and radio trends during a radio flaring sequence.Comment: LaTeX, 11 pages, 6 figures. Submitted to MNRA

Correlations of record events as a test for heavy-tailed distributions

A record is an entry in a time series that is larger or smaller than all previous entries. If the time series consists of independent, identically distributed random variables with a superimposed linear trend, record events are positively (negatively) correlated when the tail of the distribution is heavier (lighter) than exponential. Here we use these correlations to detect heavy-tailed behavior in small sets of independent random variables. The method consists of converting random subsets of the data into time series with a tunable linear drift and computing the resulting record correlations.Comment: Revised version, to appear in Physical Review Letter

Measurement of the photon structure function at <Q2><Q^{2}> of 279 GeV2GeV^{2}

Inclusive gamma gamma interactions to hadronic final states have been studied in the ALEPH data (taken from 1991 to 1995) where one scattered electron or positron is detected in the electromagnetic calorimeters. The event sample has been used to measure the hadronic photon structure function. at high Q**2

A study to explore the use of orbital remote sensing to determine native arid plant distribution

The author has identified the following significant results. It is possible to determine, from ERTS imagery, native arid plant distribution. Using techniques of multispectral masking and extensive fieldwork, three native vegetation communities were defined and mapped in the Avra Valley study area. A map was made of the Yuma area with the aid of ground truth correlations between areas of desert pavement visible on ERTS images and unique vegetation types. With the exception of the Yuma soil-vegetation correlation phenomena, only very gross differentiations of desert vegetation communities can be made from ERTS data. Vegetation communities with obvious vegetation density differences such as saguaro-paloverde, creosote bush, and riparian vegetation can be separated on the Avra Valley imagery while more similar communities such as creosote bush and saltbush could not be differentiated. It is suggested that large differences in vegetation density are needed before the signatures of two different vegetation types can be differentiated on ERTS imagery. This is due to the relatively insignificant contribution of vegetation to the total radiometric signature of a given desert scene. Where more detailed information concerning the vegetation of arid regions is required, large scale imagery is appropriate