A preliminary determination of normal accelerations on racing airplanes

Rules and methods for insuring safe structural strength of racing airplanes used in the major air meets in this country have recently been considered. Acceleration records made in racing airplanes during actual air races were therefore considered desirable, and the NACA undertook the measurement of acceleration of loads on airplanes during all conditions of flight. Accelerations were measured on four airplanes at the Miami All-American Races in January 1934 and January 1935. The airplanes were representative of the fastest limited and unlimited displacement racing airplanes in current use in this country. Records during two races, or flights, on the race course were obtained with each airplane. The maximum normal acceleration recorded was 6.2g and the minimum was -1.2g

Maneuverability Investigation of the F6C-3 Airplane with Special Flight Instruments

This investigation was made for the purpose of obtaining information on the maneuverability of the F6C-3 airplane. It is the first of a series of similar investigations to be conducted on a number of military airplanes for the purpose of comparing the abilities of these airplanes to maneuver, and also to establish a fund of quantitative data which may be used in formulating standards of comparison for rating the maneuverability of any airplane. A large part of this initial investigation was necessarily devoted to the development and trial of methods suitable for use in subsequent investigations of this nature. Air speed, angular velocity, linear acceleration, and position of the control surfaces were measured by instruments in the airplane during loops, push-downs, pull-outs from dives, pull-ups from level flight, barrel rolls, and spins. The coordinates of flight paths were deduced from the data whenever possible, and were checked in some cases by the use of a camera obscura. The results are given in curves showing the variation of the measured quantities with respect to time, and maximum values are tabulated

The drag characteristics of several airships determined by deceleration tests

This report presents the results of deceleration tests conducted for the purpose of determining the drag characteristics of six airships. The tests were made with airships of various shapes and sizes belonging to the Army, the Navy, and the Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation. Drag coefficients for the following airships are shown: Army TC-6, TC-10, and TE-2; Navy Los Angeles and ZMC-2; Goodyear Puritan. The coefficients vary from about 0.045 for the small blunt airships to 0.023 for the relatively large slender Los Angeles. This variation may be due to a combination of effects, but the most important of these is probably the effect of length-diameter ratio

Further measurements of normal accelerations on racing airplanes

The work of collecting acceleration data for racing airplanes during races, started in January 1934, has been continued by obtaining similar data in the airplanes winning first and second places in the 1935 Thompson Trophy Race. Records were taken in the Howard Racer "Mr. Mulligan" and in the Wittman D-12 Racer. The maximum positive accelerations were generally smaller than those recorded in other airplanes during earlier races; the maximum in the Howard Racer was 2.8 g, and one value of 4.25 g was obtained in the Wittman Racer. Minimum values were as low as -0.55 g in the Howard Racer and 0.3 g in the Wittman Racer

Maneuverability Investigation of an O3U-1 Observation Airplane

This report presents the results of maneuverability tests of an O3U-1 observation airplane. This investigation is the third in a series of similar investigations requested by the Bureau of Aeronautics (Navy) for the purpose of comparing the maneuverability of different airplane types and to provide quantitative data for use in establishing a criterion or method for rating the maneuverability of an airplane. The two former investigations were conducted with the fighter types designated F6C-3 and F6C-4 and have been reported previously. Measurement of the air speed, the angular velocity, the linear acceleration, and positions of the controls were made during abrupt single-control maneuvers with three stop positions for each control, during steady horizontal turns for the determination of minimum radius, and during 180 degree turns by various methods. Flight-path coordinates in two dimensions were determined for the 180 degree turns by means of a special camera obscura designed for the previous investigation of the F6C-4 airplane. All maneuvers were performed at an altitude of approximately 3,000 feet

Single electron-phonon interaction in a suspended quantum dot phonon cavity

An electron-phonon cavity consisting of a quantum dot embedded in a free-standing GaAs/AlGaAs membrane is characterized in Coulomb blockade measurements at low temperatures. We find a complete suppression of single electron tunneling around zero bias leading to the formation of an energy gap in the transport spectrum. The observed effect is induced by the excitation of a localized phonon mode confined in the cavity. This phonon blockade of transport is lifted at magnetic fields where higher electronic states with nonzero angular momentum are brought into resonance with the phonon energy.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Quasi-classical Molecular Dynamics Simulations of the Electron Gas: Dynamic properties

Results of quasi-classical molecular dynamics simulations of the quantum electron gas are reported. Quantum effects corresponding to the Pauli and the Heisenberg principle are modeled by an effective momentum-dependent Hamiltonian. The velocity autocorrelation functions and the dynamic structure factors have been computed. A comparison with theoretical predictions was performed.Comment: 8 figure

MODIS land cover and LAI Collection 4 product quality across nine sites in the western hemisphere

Global maps of land cover and leaf area index (LAI) derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) reflectance data are an important resource in studies of global change, but errors in these must be characterized and well understood. Product validation requires careful scaling from ground and related measurements to a grain commensurate with MODIS products. We present an updated BigFoot project protocol for developing 25-m validation data layers over 49-km2 study areas. Results from comparisons of MODIS and BigFoot land cover and LAI products at nine contrasting sites are reported. In terms of proportional coverage, MODIS and BigFoot land cover were in close agreement at six sites. The largest differences were at low tree cover evergreen needleleaf sites and at an Arctic tundra site where the MODIS product overestimated woody cover proportions. At low leaf biomass sites there was reasonable agreement between MODIS and BigFoot LAI products, but there was not a particular MODIS LAI algorithm pathway that consistently compared most favorably. At high leaf biomass sites, MODIS LAI was generally overpredicted by a significant amount. For evergreen needleleaf sites, LAI seasonality was exaggerated by MODIS. Our results suggest incremental improvement from Collection 3 to Collection 4 MODIS products, with some remaining problems that need to be addresse

Elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration ameliorates effects of NaCl salinity on photosynthesis and leaf structure of Aster tripolium L.

This study investigated the interaction of NaCl-salinity and elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration on gas exchange, leaf pigment composition, and leaf ultrastructure of the potential cash crop halophyte Aster tripolium. The plants were irrigated with five different salinity levels (0, 25, 50, 75, 100% seawater salinity) under ambient and elevated (520 ppm) CO2. Under saline conditions (ambient CO2) stomatal and mesophyll resistance increased, leading to a significant decrease in photosynthesis and water use efficiency (WUE) and to an increase in oxidative stress. The latter was indicated by dilations of the thylakoid membranes and an increase in superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. Oxidative stress could be counteracted by thicker epidermal cell walls of the leaves, a thicker cuticle, a reduced chlorophyll content, an increase in the chlorophyll a/b ratio and a transient decline of the photosynthetic efficiency. Elevated CO2 led to a significant increase in photosynthesis and WUE. The improved water and energy supply was used to increase the investment in mechanisms reducing water loss and oxidative stress (thicker cell walls and cuticles, a higher chlorophyll and carotenoid content, higher SOD activity), resulting in more intact thylakoids. As these mechanisms can improve survival under salinity, A. tripolium seems to be a promising cash crop halophyte which can help in desalinizing and reclaiming degraded land

Semi-Classical Description of Antiproton Capture on Atomic Helium

A semi-classical, many-body atomic model incorporating a momentum-dependent Heisenberg core to stabilize atomic electrons is used to study antiproton capture on Helium. Details of the antiproton collisions leading to eventual capture are presented, including the energy and angular momentum states of incident antiprotons which result in capture via single or double electron ionization, i.e. into [He$^{++}\,\bar p$ or He$^{+}\,\bar p$], and the distribution of energy and angular momentum states following the Auger cascade. These final states are discussed in light of recently reported, anomalously long-lived antiproton states observed in liquid He.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures may be obtained from authors, Revte