Smoke generator

Generator is simple in construction, efficient, and extremely easy to start and regulate. It can be of such small size and weight that it can be installed easily inside a model. Size can be changed to suit needs, as long as operating temperatures can be attained and identified controls are utilized

Investigating Full-Waveform Lidar Data for Detection and Recognition of Vertical Objects

A recent innovation in commercially-available topographic lidar systems is the ability to record return waveforms at high sampling frequencies. These “full-waveform” systems provide up to two orders of magnitude more data than “discrete-return” systems. However, due to the relatively limited capabilities of current processing and analysis software, more data does not always translate into more or better information for object extraction applications. In this paper, we describe a new approach for exploiting full waveform data to improve detection and recognition of vertical objects, such as trees, poles, buildings, towers, and antennas. Each waveform is first deconvolved using an expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm to obtain a train of spikes in time, where each spike corresponds to an individual laser reflection. The output is then georeferenced to create extremely dense, detailed X,Y,Z,I point clouds, where I denotes intensity. A tunable parameter is used to control the number of spikes in the deconvolved waveform, and, hence, the point density of the output point cloud. Preliminary results indicate that the average number of points on vertical objects using this method is several times higher than using discrete-return lidar data. The next steps in this ongoing research will involve voxelizing the lidar point cloud to obtain a high-resolution volume of intensity values and computing a 3D wavelet representation. The final step will entail performing vertical object detection/recognition in the wavelet domain using a multiresolution template matching approach

Knowledge-based Autonomous Test Engineer (KATE)

Mathematical models of system components have long been used to allow simulators to predict system behavior to various stimuli. Recent efforts to monitor, diagnose, and control real-time systems using component models have experienced similar success. NASA Kennedy is continuing the development of a tool for implementing real-time knowledge-based diagnostic and control systems called KATE (Knowledge based Autonomous Test Engineer). KATE is a model-based reasoning shell designed to provide autonomous control, monitoring, fault detection, and diagnostics for complex engineering systems by applying its reasoning techniques to an exchangeable quantitative model describing the structure and function of the various system components and their systemic behavior

Nonpoint Source Pollution Control in the City of Austin

This report mentions the presence of rooted aquatic plants in the deltas of Waller Creek.Waller Creek Working Grou

Motion/visual cueing requirements for vortex encounters during simulated transport visual approach and landing

This paper addresses the issues of motion/visual cueing fidelity requirements for vortex encounters during simulated transport visual approaches and landings. Four simulator configurations were utilized to provide objective performance measures during simulated vortex penetrations, and subjective comments from pilots were collected. The configurations used were as follows: fixed base with visual degradation (delay), fixed base with no visual degradation, moving base with visual degradation (delay), and moving base with no visual degradation. The statistical comparisons of the objective measures and the subjective pilot opinions indicated that although both minimum visual delay and motion cueing are recommended for the vortex penetration task, the visual-scene delay characteristics were not as significant a fidelity factor as was the presence of motion cues. However, this indication was applicable to a restricted task, and to transport aircraft. Although they were statistically significant, the effects of visual delay and motion cueing on the touchdown-related measures were considered to be of no practical consequence

Commencement calls for review of annual milestones

This weekend is a time of celebration in Bloomington, as we welcome friends and family of the Class of 2019 for our annual commencement ceremony. It’s an important milestone in our students’ lives. Commencement is also a time for looking back. The past year saw several significant milestones for the IU Maurer School of Law. I’d like to touch on just a few of them in this month’s column

Mixed Blessings: The Great Lakes Compact and Agreement, the IJC, and International Dispute Resolution

For scholars of international law and international dispute resolution, the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact and Agreement may seem a mixed blessing. On the one hand, they promise environmental cooperation and management of the Great Lakes at an unprecedented scale. The agreements have been heralded as a tremendous advancement in state-provincial relations. On the other hand, international scholars should be nervous for what the agreements signify for international law and dispute resolution. The Compact and Agreement are remarkable for replacing an already functioning regulatory regime: the 1909 Boundary Waters Treaty, administered by the International Joint Commission. This Article does not criticize the agreements, but it does lament the reluctance of the two countries to more readily embrace the International Joint Commission, and the powers granted to it under the Boundary Waters Treaty. The Compact and Agreement move transboundary environmental management and dispute resolution from the international to the subnational level. By doing so, they likely will further curtail the two countries\u27 use of the IJC. At the very least, the agreements reflect a missed opportunity to reinvigorate, rather than undermine, the IJC. If the IJC has been only marginally effective recently, its shortcomings are a result of U.S. and Canadian national policy. The federal governments have been reluctant to embrace the IJC as an effective bilateral institution. It did not have to be this way. The result, this Article concludes, is unfortunate

Dean\u27s Desk: Students find clerkships in smaller counties rewarding

The students at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law come to Bloomington from all over the nation. During their summers, the temptation is for them to work in the country’s largest cities, often with the majority working in Indianapolis, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and New York. Many others work in our innovative Stewart Fellows global internship program, where students are placed in countries throughout the world. Fewer students, however, choose to work in Indiana’s smaller towns, and the hundreds of trial court judges working there often need help. Many trial courts have crowded dockets and limited staffing, particularly those in rural, smaller towns that have been affected most by the opioid crisis. To address this need, the law school launched a pilot program last summer, the Rural Justice Initiative. The initiative sought to expose students who are committed to public service to different facets of rural and smaller-city practice while helping trial court judges with their heavy workloads in counties where that help is needed most. The goal was to underscore to students the benefits of clerking after graduation, to help improve access to courts and expand legal services, and to inspire some students to consider pursuing careers in rural Indiana. The program is part of the law school’s broader commitment to the state as one of the largest providers of pro bono legal services to low-income individuals in south central Indiana