Advanced microwave soil moisture studies

Comparisons of low level L-band brightness temperature (TB) and thermal infrared (TIR) data as well as the following data sets: soil map and land cover data; direct soil moisture measurement; and a computer generated contour map were statistically evaluated using regression analysis and linear discriminant analysis. Regression analysis of footprint data shows that statistical groupings of ground variables (soil features and land cover) hold promise for qualitative assessment of soil moisture and for reducing variance within the sampling space. Dry conditions appear to be more conductive to producing meaningful statistics than wet conditions. Regression analysis using field averaged TB and TIR data did not approach the higher sq R values obtained using within-field variations. The linear discriminant analysis indicates some capacity to distinguish categories with the results being somewhat better on a field basis than a footprint basis

Magnetospheric influence on the Moon\u27s exosphere

[1] Atoms in the thin lunar exosphere are liberated from the Moon\u27s regolith by some combination of sunlight, plasma, and meteorite impact. We have observed exospheric sodium, a useful tracer species, on five nights of full Moon in order to test the effect of shielding the lunar surface from the solar wind plasma by the Earth\u27s magnetosphere. These observations, conducted under the dark sky conditions of lunar eclipses, have turned out to be tests of the differential effects of energetic particle populations that strike the Moon\u27s surface when it is in the magnetotail. We find that the brightness of the lunar sodium exosphere at full Moon is correlated with the Moon\u27s passage through the Earth\u27s magnetotail plasma sheet. This suggests that omnipresent exospheric sources (sunlight or micrometeors) are augmented by variable plasma impact sources in the solar wind and Earth\u27s magnetotail

Boundary layer measurements using hot-film sensors

Measurements in the aerodynamic boundary layer using heat transfer, hot-film sensors are receiving a significant amount of effort at the Langley Research Center. A description of the basic sensor, the signal conditioning employed, and several manifestations of the sensor are given. Results of a flow reversal sensor development are presented, and future work areas are outlined

Circumferential pressure probe

A probe for measuring circumferential pressure inside a body cavity is disclosed. In the preferred embodiment, a urodynamic pressure measurement probe for evaluating human urinary sphincter function is disclosed. Along the length of the probe are disposed a multiplicity of deformable wall sensors which typically comprise support tube sections with flexible side wall areas. These are arranged along the length of the probe in two areas, one just proximal to the tip for the sensing of fluid pressure inside the bladder, and five in the sensing section which is positioned within the urethra at the point at which the urinary sphincter constricts to control the flow of urine. The remainder of the length of the probe comprises multiple rigid support tube sections interspersed with flexible support tube sections in the form of bellows to provide flexibility

High temperature strain gage apparent strain compensation

Once an installed strain gage is connected to a strain indicating device and the instrument is balanced, a subsequent change in temperature of the gage installation will generally produce a resistance change in the gage. This purely temperature-induced resistance will be registered by the indicating device as a strain and is referred to as 'apparent strain' to distinguish it from strain due to applied stress. One desirable technique for apparent strain compensation is to employ two identical gages with identical mounting procedures which are connected with a 'half bridge' configuration where gages see the same thermal environment but only one experiences a mechanical strain input. Their connection in adjacent arms of the bridge will then balance the thermally induced apparent strains and, in principle, only the mechanical strain remains. Two approaches that implement this technique are discussed

Description and Genesis of selected Glacial Deposits, Walsh County, North Dakota

Glacial deposits and features in central Walsh County, North Dakota were investigated during the summer of 1965 to determine both their origin and their relationship to the history of glacial Lake Agassiz. The deposits included till and lake sediments exposed in cuts along the Park River, while the features included two end moraines and an esker. The field study consisted of mapping the deposits, studying their morphology and composition, constructing cross-sections, and collecting selected samples. Laboratory studies of these samples included particle size analyses, feldspar staining, magnetic separation, and mineralogical analyses by X-ray diffraction. The glacial feature located on the Grand Forks-Walsh County border is a steep-sided, branching, sinuous ridge. It is 4½ miles long, averages 250 feet in width and it varies in height from 15 feet in the northwest to 75 feet in the east. It is concluded to be a combination esker and an interblock or crevasse filling on the basis of: (1) the sinuous and reticulate form, (2) the composition, which is chiefly gravel and stratified drift, and (3) the size and shape of the feature. The stream that deposited the esker apparently flowed to the southwest and was diverted to the northwest when its path was probably blocked by sediment or blocks of ice. Evidence for this is: (1) a gradual decrease in height from east to northwest, (2) a gradual decrease in particle size in the same direction, and (3) the truncation of one ridge by another. The end moraines located immediately north of the esker are only slightly younger than the esker, and represent brief stands of the glacier prior to the formation of the Edinburg moraine, which lies about 4 miles to the northeast. The southernmost moraine is a small branching, northwestwardly trending ridge which is 6½ miles long and averages 15 feet in height, and 250 feet in width. The northernmost moraine, parallel to the one south of it, is a broad, low, ridge, 6½ miles long, averaging 800 feet in width and 25 feet in height. Both moraines have abundant boulders scattered on their surface and are quite variable in composition; they are composed largely of till and fine to medium sands. Sediments at the Park River site, on the western margin of the Edinburg moraine, indicate that this area was once covered by a proglacial lake. Distorted till and lake sediments indicate subsequent modification by solifluction and frost action. Homme Reservoir sediments one mile east of the Edinburg moraine, reveal evidence of deposition in close association with ice. Furthermore, it is concluded that the processes of glacial, fluviatile, and lacustrine deposition were all occurring at essentially the same time at this site, adding to the complexity of the geologic history. Additional investigations should support the conclusion that these features were deposited approximately 11,740 years ago, the age of the Upper Herman beach

The upper Red River Formation (Ordovician) in western North Dakota

The upper Red River Formation in Western North Dakota consists of cyclic sedimentary rocks having four main porosity zones which contain most of the oil and gas found in the formation. It was divided into three distinct units that were traced throughout western North Dakota on mechanical logs. In ascending order these are the P, R, and F intervals which consist of alternating sequences of dolomites, limestones, and anhydrites. Facies changes, occur within the P interval both on a regional and a local scale, typically from dense limestones to porous dolomites. The Kesson anticline and the basin hinge JJ.ne 1-1ere the most active structural area affecting the deposition of upper Red River sediments. A knob or high relief on the anticline had a localized effect on sedimentation. Rapid thinning in all intervals of the Red River near the central part of the state indicate the effect of II the hinge line. Other structural features defined on isopachous maps include the Mercer High, Divide Low, Ward High, and Billings Nose. X-ray and microscopic analysis of selected samples of cores from the upper Red River Formation indicate that the main porosity zones consist primarily of secondary dolomite. Oil accumulations in the Red River Formation are primarily in structural traps, but local changes in lithology and grain size

It Happens in the Dark: Examining Current Obstacles to Identifying and Rehabilitating Child Sex- Trafficking Victims in India and the United States

The governments of India and the United States have been struggling for years to eradicate child sex trafficking within their borders. Nevertheless, many Indian and American child sex-trafficking victims have yet to be identified as victims or provided with rehabilitation services. Both countries need to make additional legal and policy reforms to ensure their legal systems correctly identify child sextrafficking victims and provide them with meaningful opportunities for rehabilitation. This Note identifies police corruption in India and the disparate treatment of foreign and domestic victims in the United States as the major obstacles to correctly identifying child sex-trafficking victims, and argues that each country can learn from the other\u27s successes to improve identification efforts in both countries. In addition, the governments of India and the United States should provide for the rehabilitation of child sex-trafficking victims by incorporating specialized safe homes for the victims within the existing juvenile legal systems of both countrie

The Cuban Missle Crisis and Soviet Naval Developemant: Myths and Realities

To many Western analysts, one of the most significant and long, term effects of the United States-Soviet confrontation in the Caribbean during the October 1962 Cuban missile crisis was on the Soviet Navy and its subsequent expansion in terms of capability and in scope of operations. According to this argument. the Soviet leadership, seeing its policies outflanked and overrun because of its maritime inferiority vis-a-vis the United States, embarked on a deliberate plan to develop and to procure a naval force capable of both supporting foreign policy objectives and protecting state interests almost anywhere on the world\u27s oceans