Development and flight tests of a gyro-less wing leveler and directional autopilot

A gyro-less wing leveler and directional autopilot were developed and flight tested in a single-engine light airplane. The primary purpose of the project was to develop a simple, reliable, low-cost stability augmentation and autopilot system for light aircraft. The wing leveler used a fluidic inertial rate sensor, electronic signal processing circuitry, and vacuum operated servos. A strap-down magnetic heading reference of simple design provided the wing leveler with directional autopilot capability. Flight tests indicated that the performance of the gyro-less wing leveler was equal to that of a commercial wing leveler using a gyroscopic rate sensor. Drift-free, long-term, heading-hold capability of the magnetic heading reference was demonstrated

Dynamic precession damper for spin stabilized vehicles Patent

Dynamic precession damping of spin-stabilized vehicles by using rate gyroscope and angular acceleromete

Infusing social emotional learning into the teacher education curriculum

Research supports the importance of policies and interventions to infuse social emotional curricula in schools. The role of teachers in supporting young children’s social and emotional readiness for classroom learning has been recognized, but instruction in children’s well-being and social emotional competence is a low priority in teacher preparation programs. In this study we, used qualitative methods to examine whether we could successfully infuse an undergraduate curriculum and instructional course with social emotional learning content. The article reports on this effort, and considered the following questions: How can courses infused with SEL content impact prospective teachers’ views on the overall role of emotions in the classroom? What is the influence of the course on preservice teachers’ conceptions of SEL and its association with children’s classroom learning and behavior? How can teacher preparation programs encourage prospective teachers to consider children’s social emotional skills once they enter the classroom as teachers? At course end, the 15 enrolled students responded to predetermined questions as part of a self-reflection assignment. Using grounded theory methods, three themes were identified from participants’ reflections, including the connection between SEL and academic learning, shifting from teacher- to student-centered pedagogy, and the desire for continued learning related to SEL. An in-depth examination of these themes revealed that SEL concepts can be successfully infused in an undergraduate course on curriculum and instruction. Implications for teacher training are discussed and future avenues for research are presented.peer-reviewe

Attitude orientation of spin-stabilized space vehicles Patent

Attitude orientation control of spin stabilized final stage space vehicles, using horizon scanner

On heights in the Collatz 3n + 1 problem

In the Collate problem, certain runs of consecutive integers have the same height. This phenomenon is investigated using an algorithm for reconstructing the trajectory of a number from the parity vector of the number. It is found that pairs of consecutive integers of the same height occur infinitely often and in infinitely many different patterns

Understanding the pathways to women’s empowerment in Northern Ghana and the relationship with small-scale irrigation

Women’s empowerment is often an important goal of development interventions. This paper explores local perceptions of empowerment in the Upper East Region of Ghana and the pathways through which small-scale irrigation intervention targeted to men and women farmers contributes to women’s empowerment. Using qualitative data collected with 144 farmers and traders through 28 individual interviews and 16 focus group discussions, this paper innovates a framework to integrate the linkages between small-scale irrigation and three dimensions of women’s empowerment: resources, agency, and achievements. The relationship between the components of empowerment and small-scale irrigation are placed within a larger context of social change underlying these relationships. This shows that many women face serious constraints to participating in and benefitting from small-scale irrigation, including difficulties accessing land and water and gender norms that limit women’s ability to control farm assets. Despite these constraints, many women do benefit from participating in irrigated farming activities leading to an increase in their agency and well-being achievements. For some women, these benefits are indirect—these women allocate their time to more preferred activities when the household gains access to modern irrigation technology. The result is a new approach to understanding women’s empowerment in relation to irrigation technology

Urban hydrology and other environmental aspects of the Austin Area : Austin Geological Society fall field trip, December 8, 1979

UT Librarie

Geologic History, Depostional Envirnoment, Processes, and Hydology of Galveston Island, Texas

Galveston Island is a very young geologic feature compared to the Earth's age of approximately 4.5 billion years. Estimates suggest that Galveston Island and other Texas barrier islands began forming as submerged bars no more than 4,500 to 5,500 years ago, based on radiocarbon dating of shells (Fisk, 1959). The following descriptions of development history, present shoreline conditions, and processes and environments have been modified from various sources including LeBlanc and Hodgson (1959), Bernard and others (1970), Fisher and others (1972), Morton (1974), McGowen and others (1977), Weise and White (1980), and Paine and Barton (1989). The origin of barrier islands has been the subject of debate, with different processes or combinations of processes shaping and modifying them. These processes depend on variables such as sediment source, type, and supply, rate and direction of relative sea-level changes, basin shape, continental shelf slope, currents, waves, and tides. Three of the most discussed theories of barrier-island origin include development from an offshore shoal or submerged sandbar, development by spit accretion resulting from longshore drift, and development by drowning of the area landward of mainland beach sand ridges (Wanless, 1974). One possible explanation for the origin of Galveston Island is that it developed from offshore shoals, with later growth aided by spit accretion. The offshore shoals might have originally been mainland beach ridges submerged during a rise in sea level. All three processes may have played a role in the island's origin, with different segments of the island undergoing different processes at varying rates during their development.Bureau of Economic Geolog