Advances in Thrust-Based Emergency Control of an Airplane

Engineers at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center have received a patent on an emergency flight-control method implemented by a propulsion-controlled aircraft (PCA) system. Utilizing the preexisting auto-throttle and engine-pressure-ratio trim controls of the airplane, the PCA system provides pitch and roll control for landing an airplane safely without using aerodynamic control surfaces that have ceased to function because of a primary-flight-control-system failure. The installation of the PCA does not entail any changes in pre-existing engine hardware or software. [Aspects of the method and system at previous stages of development were reported in Thrust-Control System for Emergency Control of an Airplane (DRC-96-07), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 25, No. 3 (March 2001), page 68 and Emergency Landing Using Thrust Control and Shift of Weight (DRC-96-55), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 26, No. 5 (May 2002), page 58.]. Aircraft flight-control systems are designed with extensive redundancy to ensure low probabilities of failure. During recent years, however, several airplanes have exhibited major flight-control-system failures, leaving engine thrust as the last mode of flight control. In some of these emergency situations, engine thrusts were successfully modulated by the pilots to maintain flight paths or pitch angles, but in other situations, lateral control was also needed. In the majority of such control-system failures, crashes resulted and over 1,200 people died. The challenge lay in creating a means of sufficient degree of thrust-modulation control to safely fly and land a stricken airplane. A thrust-modulation control system designed for this purpose was flight-tested in a PCA an MD-11 airplane. The results of the flight test showed that without any operational control surfaces, a pilot can land a crippled airplane (U.S. Patent 5,330,131). The installation of the original PCA system entailed modifications not only of the flight-control computer (FCC) of the airplane but also of each engine-control computer. Inasmuch as engine-manufacturer warranties do not apply to modified engines, the challenge became one of creating a PCA system that does not entail modifications of the engine computers

Self-Directed Support: A Review of the Barriers and Facilitators

This is a report on the published literature on the barriers and facilitators of self- directed support. It was undertaken to inform a research study funded by the Scottish Government 2009-2011 that is evaluating initiatives in three local authorities. These initiatives aim to improve take up of self-directed support for people eligible for social care and other public funds. The three test site areas are working to reduce bureaucracy; to make the processes easy and 'light touch'; and to provide training and leadership to people working on these developments. Scottish Government has provided extra money to assist these three authorities and to help people in other areas learn from their experiences

The Grizzly, February 27, 2003

An Appetite for New Ideas: Hunger Activist Visits Ursinus • Blizzard 2003 • Night on the Town Ursinus Style • Black History Month Ends • Opinion: What is the Big Deal About Turning 21? • DanceBOOM: A Unique & Unforgettable Cultural Experience • Erfle, Luciano Reach 1,000 • UC Wrestling Captures Centennial Conference Championship • Good News: Women\u27s Gymnastic Teamhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1530/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, February 26, 2004

The Whites-Only Scholarship Spurs Nationwide Controversy • Harvard Strips Down and Bares all • UC Presents Vagina Monologues Next Week • Spotlight on Kerry and Edwards • In Memory of James C. Wilkes, Jr. • Opinions: Bush\u27s Big Bungle; Do Students Work?; Mel Gibson\u27s The Passion of the Christ: Worth the Controversy?; A Bearable V-Day at Fox and Hound • Men\u27s Basketball Fighting Their Way to the Playoffs • Wrestling Team Dominates the Conference • Grimmel Named ECAC Division III Gymnast of the Year • Letter to the Editors: Sports Coverage Concernshttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1555/thumbnail.jp

Relating agriculture, energy, and water decisions to farm incomes and climate projections using two freeware programs, FEWCalc and DSSAT

Context: The larger scale perspective of Integrated Assessment (IA) and smaller scale perspective of Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability (IAV) need to be bridged to design long-term solutions to agricultural problems that threaten agricultural production, rural economic viability, and global food supplies. FEWCalc (Food-Energy-Water Calculator) is a new freeware, agent-based model with the novel ability to project farm incomes based on crop selection, irrigation practices, groundwater availability, renewable energy investment, and historical and projected environmental conditions. FEWCalc is used to analyze the interrelated food, energy, water, and climate systems of Finney County, Kansas to evaluate consequences of choices currently available to farmers and resource managers. Objective: This article aims to evaluate local farmer choices of crops and renewable energy investment in the face of water resource limitations and global climate change. Metrics of the analysis include agricultural and renewable-energy production, farm income, and water availability and quality. The intended audience includes farmers, resource managers, and scientists focusing on food, energy, and water systems. Methods: Data derived from publicly available sources are used to support user-specified FEWCalc input values. DSSAT (Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer) with added arid-region dynamics is used to obtain simulated crop production and irrigation water demand for FEWCalc. Here, FEWCalc is used to simulate agricultural and energy production and farm income based on continuation of recent ranges of crop prices, farm expenses, and crop insurance; continuation of recent renewable-energy economics and government incentives; one of four climate scenarios, including General Circulation Model projections for Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5; and groundwater-supported irrigation and its limitations. Results and Conclusions: A 50-year (2018-2067) climate and groundwater availability projection process indicates possible trends of future crop yield, water utility, and farm income. The simulation during more wet years produces high crop production and slower depletion of groundwater, as expected. However, surprisingly, the simulations suggest that only the Drier Future scenario is commercially profitable, and this is because of reduced expenses for dryland farming. Although simulated income losses due to low crop production are ameliorated by the energy sector income and crop insurance, the simulation under climate change still produces the worst annual total income. Significance: FEWCalc addresses scientific, communication, and educational gaps between global- and local-scale FEW research communities and local stakeholders, affected by food, energy, water systems and their interactions by relating near-term choices to near- and long-term consequences. This analysis is needed to craft a more advantageous future