Momentum harvesting techniques for solar system travel

Astronomers are lately estimating there are 400,000 Earth visiting asteroids larger than 100 meters in diameter. These asteroids are accessible sources of building materials, propellants, oxygen, water, and minerals which also constitute a huge momentum reserve, potentially usable for travel throughout the solar system. To use this momentum, these stealthy objects must be tracked and the extraction of the momentum wanted must be learned. Momentum harvesting by momentum transfer from asteroid to spacecraft, and by using the momentum of the extraterrestrial material to help deliver itself to the destination are discussed. A net and tether concept is the suggested means of asteroid capture, the basic momentum exchange process. The energy damping characteristics of the tether will determine the velocity mismatch that can be tolerated, and hence the amount of momentum that can be harvested per capture. As it plays out of its reel, drag on the tether steadily accelerates the spacecraft. A variety of concepts for riding and using the asteroid after capture are discussed. The hitchhiker uses momentum transfer only. The beachcomber, the caveman, the swinger, the prospector, and the rock wrecker also take advantage of raw asteroidal materials. The chemist and the hijacker go further, they process the asteroid into propellant. Or, an 'asteroid railway system' could evolve with each hijacked asteroid becoming a scheduled train. Travelers could board the space railway system assured that water, oxygen, and propellants await them

An attentional control task reduces intrusive thoughts about smoking.

INTRODUCTION: Attentional control tasks such as body scanning and following isometric exercise instructions have been shown to reduce smoking cravings, apparently by reducing stress (Ussher, M., Cropley, M., Playle, S., Mohidin, R., & West, R. [2009]. Effect of isometric exercise and body scanning on cigarette cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Addiction, 104, 1251-1257. doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.2009.02605.x). Related work based upon elaborated intrusion theory (Kavanagh, D. J., Andrade, J., & May, J. [2005]. Imaginary relish and exquisite torture: The elaborated intrusion theory of desire. Psychological Review, 112, 446-467. doi:10.1037/0033-295X.112.2.446) has shown that similar tasks can reduce hungry participants' involuntary food-related thoughts (May, J., Andrade, J., Batey, H., Berry, L.-M., & Kavanagh, D. [2010]. Less food for thought: Impact of attentional instructions on intrusive thoughts about snack foods. Appetite, 55, 279-287. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2010.06.014). This study tests the effect of body scanning instructions upon smoking-related thoughts as well as craving. METHODS: Twenty-seven smokers took part in 2 counterbalanced sessions, on different days, having been asked to abstain from smoking for 2 hr. In each session, they followed audio instructions for three 10-min blocks during which their thoughts were probed 10 times. In the first and third blocks, they were instructed to let their mind wander; during the second block of the control session, they also let their mind wander, but in the experimental session, they followed body scanning instructions. "Smoking thought frequency" was assessed using thought probes; "Craving" was measured using Factor 1 of the Questionnaire on Smoking Urges (Tiffany, S. T., & Drobes, D. J. [1991]. The development and initial validation of a questionnaire on smoking urges. British Journal of Addiction, 86, 1467-1476. doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.1991.tb01732.x). RESULTS: Participants reported fewer smoking-related thoughts and lower smoking cravings in the body scanning block of the experimental session, whereas they rose in the comparable mind-wandering block of the control session. The reduction in thoughts during the body scanning correlated with the corresponding reduction in craving. CONCLUSIONS: Body scanning reduces cravings and reduces the frequency or shortens the duration of smoking thoughts. Attentional control strategies may form a useful part of smoking cessation practices

Management of reliability and maintainability; a disciplined approach to fleet readiness

Material acquisition fundamentals were reviewed and include: mission profile definition, stress analysis, derating criteria, circuit reliability, failure modes, and worst case analysis. Military system reliability was examined with emphasis on the sparing of equipment. The Navy's organizational strategy for 1980 is presented

Interventions by the Roman Republic in Illyria 230 – 167 BC

This thesis aims to determine how and why Rome undertook a series of interventions in Illyria during the period of 230 – 167 BC. The thesis is based on a detailed examination and consideration of the ancient written sources and the subsequent historiography on the subject. The Roman interventions in Illyria during this period have traditionally been treated as a component of wider studies of Roman expansion, although Rome’s involvement in Illyria has recently been examined by Dzino in his 2010 work Illyricum in Roman Politics 229BC-AD68. This work examined the development and integration of Illyricum in Roman political discourse, in which the Roman interventions were a smaller component in the broader study. A study of the Roman interventions in Illyria during the period of 230 – 167 BC has never previously been treated on this scale, nor effectively with a synthesis of the various approaches and pieces of evidence that are now available. Over the past decade, marine archaeology has been conducted in the Adriatic and the initial reports have recently been published which provide greater contextual insight on the geopolitical situation in Illyria. Additional new approaches to the subject from the faculty of international relations have emerged, although these have proven as problematic as they have been insightful. This thesis shall examine the new evidence and assess the latest approaches to provide the necessary context for considering the Roman interventions in Illyria. This context shall be initially considered to enable the thesis to progress to consider and analyse each Roman intervention in turn. By effectively grounding the thesis in the geopolitical context, the disparate nature of the communities that made up Illyria can be better understood. This thesis will use the material evidence available in conjunction with the written accounts of ancient historians to consider the implications of the Roman interventions and the underlying motivations for Rome in securing the Adriatic and developing their involvement in Illyria and the Greek East beyond

A new technology for manufacturing scheduling derived from space system operations

A new technology for producing finite capacity schedules has been developed in response to complex requirements for operating space systems such as the Space Shuttle, the Space Station, and the Deep Space Network for telecommunications. This technology has proven its effectiveness in manufacturing environments where popular scheduling techniques associated with Materials Resources Planning (MRPII) and with factory simulation are not adequate for shop-floor work planning and control. The technology has three components. The first is a set of data structures that accommodate an extremely general description of a factory's resources, its manufacturing activities, and the constraints imposed by the environment. The second component is a language and set of software utilities that enable a rapid synthesis of functional capabilities. The third component is an algorithmic architecture called the Five Ruleset Model which accommodates the unique needs of each factory. Using the new technology, systems can model activities that generate, consume, and/or obligate resources. This allows work-in-process (WIP) to be generated and used; it permits constraints to be imposed or intermediate as well as finished goods inventories. It is also possible to match as closely as possible both the current factory state and future conditions such as promise dates. Schedule revisions can be accommodated without impacting the entire production schedule. Applications have been successful in both discrete and process manufacturing environments. The availability of a high-quality finite capacity production planning capability enhances the data management capabilities of MRP II systems. These schedules can be integrated with shop-floor data collection systems and accounting systems. Using the new technology, semi-custom systems can be developed at costs that are comparable to products that do not have equivalent functional capabilities and/or extensibility

Some preliminary results of the fine structure profiles of radio refractivity near the surface at Ota, Southwest Nigeria

Some preliminary results are presented of the fine structure profiles of surface radio refractivity, Ns, over Ota, Southwest Nigeria (6° 42'N, 3° 14'E) computed from in-situ, one minute interval measurements of surface pressure, temperature and relative humidity. A wireless Davis Vantage Pro2 Weather Station instrument installed at the Department of Physics, Covenant University, Ota in April 2012, was used to obtain the measured variables. Hourly, daily and monthly average values of surface water vapour density, dry, wet and total radio refractivity were obtained for the months of April 2012 to March 2013. The distance to the radio horizon for a given transmitter height may be deduced from the observation that Ns is well correlated with the gradient of refractivity over the first kilometer above ground. Refractivity gradients utilized for the work were those obtained in a previous work for Oshodi, a meteorological weather station near the coast and close to Ota

Reliability by Design

Gentlemen, it is my privilege to spend a few minutes with you tonight. I\u27d like to thank ARPA, the Air Force, and the Rockwell Science Center for the invitation to share a little bit of what I call the new look in the Navy. I\u27m really here tonight on behalf of the Navy, and particularly on behalf of Admiral Michaelis who is the Chief of Naval Material. The story I have to tell you is one that I think you will find somewhat enlightening. I know you\u27ll find some of it amusing, but I hope that the overall message will be that the Navy has undertaken a program to improve its fleet readiness and has undertaken it as a very serious proposition

Eleanor of Aquitaine: The woman behind the character in James Goldman\u27s The Lion in Winter

This paper explores the development of the character Eleanor of Aquitaine in James Goldman’s The Lion in Winter. The first chapter provides a brief survey of the major changes and the trends of the twelfth century which might have had an impact on the life of the historical Eleanor. A brief sketch of the major events in her life which are referenced in Goldman’s script follow, including: her family history, her marriage to Louis VI of France, the Second Crusade, scandal, divorce, her second marriage to Henry II of England, the fruitfulness of their union, Henry’s infidelity with Rosamund Clifford, Eleanor’s revenge though insurrection, her subsequent imprisonment, the rebellion of Henry and Eleanor’s sons, the death of Henry’s heir, the subsequent contention for the throne, more rebellion and insurrection, Henry’s attempt at peace, and Eleanor’s eventual freedom. The second chapter analyzes Eleanor’s relationships with the other characters according to Goldman’s script. The previous chapter on the historical Eleanor helps to inform the textual analysis by referencing their relationships in history. The third chapter contains an in-depth, scene by scene analysis of her character motivations, and actions using the archetypes of Queen, Warrior, Magician, and Lover. Tracking the rapid changes in dominant archetypical traits provides for deeper understanding of her motivation and through-line. The final chapter contains analysis and reflection of the rehearsal process and performance. Personal observations comment on the internal work of creating the character, as well as the external manifestations (ie. The physical characterization and vocal choices)

Man-machine interface analysis of the flight design system

The objective of the current effort was to perform a broad analysis of the human factors issues involved in the design of the Flight Design System (FDS). The analysis was intended to include characteristics of the system itself, such as: (1) basic structure and functional capabilities of FDS; (2) user backgrounds, capabilities, and possible modes of use; (3) FDS interactive dialogue, problem solving aids; (4) system data management capabilities; and to include, as well, such system related matters as: (1) flight design team structure; (2) roles of technicians; (3) user training; and (4) methods of evaluating system performance. Wherever possible, specific recommendations are made. In other cases, the issues which seem most important are identified. In some cases, additional analyses or experiments which might provide resolution are suggested