Space station mobile transporter

The first quarter of the next century will see an operational space station that will provide a permanently manned base for satellite servicing, multiple strategic scientific and commercial payload deployment, and Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle/Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OMV/OTV) retrieval replenishment and deployment. The space station, as conceived, is constructed in orbit and will be maintained in orbit. The construction, servicing, maintenance and deployment tasks, when coupled with the size of the station, dictate that some form of transportation and manipulation device be conceived. The Transporter described will work in conjunction with the Orbiter and an Assembly Work Platform (AWP) to construct the Work Station. The Transporter will also work in conjunction with the Mobile Remote Servicer to service and install payloads, retrieve, service and deploy satellites, and service and maintain the station itself. The Transporter involved in station construction when mounted on the AWP and later supporting a maintenance or inspection task with the Mobile Remote Servicer and the Flight Telerobotic Servicer is shown

IMPACTS OF PRICE VARIABILITY ON MARKETING MARGINS AND PRODUCER VIABILITY IN THE TEXAS WHEAT INDUSTRY

The effects on marketing margins and Texas what producers of shifting from a period with stable prices to a period without stable prices were investigated using both econometric and simulation techniques. Empirical evidence reveals wheat export firms are risk averse and that either futures markets were unable to absorb increased price risk or futures markets absorbed increased price risk at a cost of $0.054 per bushel. Increased variability in prices and reduced farm program benefits substantially reduced the probability of Texas wheat producers receiving a reasonable return on equity and a reasonable rate of asset accumulation.Crop Production/Industries, Marketing,

MARINE CORPS OFFICER ATTITUDES TOWARD THE REPEAL OF "DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL"

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) prohibited gays from serving openly in the military from December 1993 to September 2011. The present study, conducted over one year after DADTs repeal, utilized a survey of attitudes toward DADT that was previously administered to Marine Corps officers at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in 1999, 2004, and 2010. This survey, re-administered to NPS Marine officers in November 2012, addressed the following areas policy, cohesion, leadership, tolerance, unit effectiveness, and military readiness. A comparison of results from the four surveys shows a clear trend of increasing acceptance toward homosexuals in the military. Levels of acceptance tended to vary by Military Occupational Specialty and length of service. Additionally, many Marine officers continued to express concern about habitability and personal comfort. These and other issues were further explored with Marine officers in three focus-group sessions. Overall, study results indicated strong agreement that the current policy protects the rights of all Marines, regardless of sexual orientation. Finally, Marine officers expressed confidence that the training they received adequately prepared them to execute the repeal of DADT. The thesis includes appendices with survey trend data from 1999 to 2012 and response frequencies from a concurrent survey of Navy officers.http://archive.org/details/marinecorpsoffic1094532802Captain, United States Marine Corps;Lieutenant Commander, United States NavyApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Has the Nitrate-Nitrogen in Streams Draining Agricultural Watersheds in Kentucky Changed in the Last 18 Years?

In 1971 and 1972, we sampled streams across Kentucky for nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) during the high-water flow months of January through June. The results were variable and showed a dominant effect of geology and lesser effects of both time and land use on the results. Since that time, use of fertilizer nitrogen (N) has nearly doubled in Kentucky and, further, there is a high degree of concern among the public that NO3-N from fertilizer use may be contaminating streams. The US Environmental Protection Agency has set a maximum of 10 ppm NO3-N in water as being safe for human consumption

Business valuation in bankruptcy : a nonhauthoritative guide; Consulting services practice aid, 02-1

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/aicpa_news/1167/thumbnail.jp

Multisensor Observation and Simulation of Snowfall During the 2003 Wakasa Bay Field Experiment

This research seeks to assess and improve the accuracy of microphysical assumptions used in satellite passive microwave radiative transfer models and retrieval algorithms by exploiting complementary observations from satellite radiometers, such as TRMM/AMSR-E/GPM, and coincident aircraft instruments, such as the next generation precipitation radar (PR-2). We focus in particular on aircraft data obtained during the Wakasa Bay field experiment, Japan 2003, pertaining to surface snowfall events. The observations of vertical profiles of reflectivity and Doppler-derived fall speeds are used in conjunction with the radiometric measurements to identify 1-D profiles of precipitation particle types, sizes, and concentrations that are consistent with the observations

Robotic resection of recurrent pediatric lipoblastoma

This case demonstrates successful resection of a rare, recurrent presacral‐pelvic lipoblastoma in a 19‐year‐old female patient. Because of the anatomical location of the mass and its proximity to vital structures, the robotic approach allowed for both optimal visualization and effective debulking of the mass. Furthermore, with the use of an articulating laparoscopic camera, key visualization of the posterior lateral pelvis was possible. Using a wide breadth of technologies and resources is essential to broadening the surgical armamentarium and achieving resectability in otherwise challenging cases.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/147748/1/ases12493_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/147748/2/ases12493.pd

Economic Impacts of Farm Program Payment Limits

The high levels of government payments to farmers resulting from the 1985 farm bill have once again led the Congress to examine the payment limit issue. Payment limits were initially established in 1970 and have since been revised several times. In this report, policy and farm management economists analyze the consequences of alternative payment limits on economic efficiency, economic viability of family-size farms, international competitiveness, and consumer food costs. Effective payment limits encourage reduced farm size and in the presence of economies of size, tend to increase production costs for program crops. The Agricultural and Food Policy Center is charged with evaluating economic impacts of policy alternatives -- not recommending, advocating, or opposing particular policies. The Center's orientation is toward Texas agriculture -- evaluating policy impacts on its producers and consumers. Farm prices and income, however, are determined in world markets that are influenced by national economic policy and farm programs. Texas impacts, therefore, must be evaluated in a much broader national and international market and policy context.Agricultural and Food Policy,