1,236 research outputs found
Sunfall Monitor calibration plan
The initial on-site, and subsequent periodic calibration and adjustments are described for the pyrheliometer, pyranometer, equatorial mount, and the data management system
Automating a spacecraft electrical power system using expert systems
Since Skylab, Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has recognized the need for large electrical power systems (EPS's) in upcoming Spacecraft. The operation of the spacecraft depends on the EPS. Therefore, it must be efficient, safe, and reliable. In 1978, as a consequence of having to supply a large number of EPS personnel to monitor and control Skylab, the Electrical power Branch of MSFC began the autonomously managed power system (AMPS) project. This project resulted in the assembly of a 25-kW high-voltage dc test facility and provided the means of getting man out of the loop as much as possible. AMPS includes several embedded controllers which allow a significant level of autonomous operation. More recently, the Electrical Division at MSFC has developed the space station module power management and distribution (SSM/PMAD) breadboard to investigate managing and distributing power in the Space Station Freedom habitation and laboratory modules. Again, the requirement for a high level of autonomy for the efficient operation over the lifetime of the station and for the benefits of enhanced safety has been demonstrated. This paper describes the two breadboards and the hierarchical approach to automation which was developed through these projects
Remote sunfall monitor: A concept
Monitor is proposed as spectral monitor system designed to record digital data simultaneously from two types of sensors, mounted on both stationary assembly and tracking assembly. Both direct and total values of solar radiation are recorded. System may measure solar energy collector efficiencies for three main conversion technologies
Automation in the Space Station module power management and distribution Breadboard
The Space Station Module Power Management and Distribution (SSM/PMAD) Breadboard, located at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama, models the power distribution within a Space Station Freedom Habitation or Laboratory module. Originally designed for 20 kHz ac power, the system is now being converted to high voltage dc power with power levels on a par with those expected for a space station module. In addition to the power distribution hardware, the system includes computer control through a hierarchy of processes. The lowest level process consists of fast, simple (from a computing standpoint) switchgear, capable of quickly safing the system. The next level consists of local load center processors called Lowest Level Processors (LLP's). These LLP's execute load scheduling, perform redundant switching, and shed loads which use more than scheduled power. The level above the LLP's contains a Communication and Algorithmic Controller (CAC) which coordinates communications with the highest level. Finally, at this highest level, three cooperating Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems manage load prioritization, load scheduling, load shedding, and fault recovery and management. The system provides an excellent venue for developing and examining advanced automation techniques. The current system and the plans for its future are examined
Dialogic Ethics: Leadership and the Face of the Other
Foundational to a relational ethic is the belief that healthy human existence requires respect for others, respect that does not work to reduce their otherness to the sameness that is familiar. It is not enough that the face of another person arouses awareness. What pragmatic action does it require? This article explores the application of a Levinasian ethic on day-to-day practice in the academy. Weaving together short vignettes from daily work practice with principles of ethics from Emmanuel Levinas (1969, 1997), the author concludes with a vision of the possibility of creating a dwelling place based on dialogic ethics as a remedy to the dialogic tension between the face of the other and the needs of the organization
Invoking Criminal Equity\u27s Roots
Equitable remedies have begun to play a critical role in addressing
some of the systemic issues in criminal cases. Invoked when other
solutions are inadequate to the fair and just resolution of the case,
equitable remedies, such as injunctions and specific performance,
operate as an unappreciated and underutilized safety valve that
protects against the procedural strictures and dehumanization that are
hallmarks of our criminal legal system. Less familiar equitable-like
legal remedies, such as writs of mandamus, writs of coram nobis, and
writs of audita querela, likewise serve to alleviate fundamental errors
in the criminal process. Several barriers contribute to the limited use
and efficacy of these longstanding remedies. Despite the vast numbers
of people caught up in the criminal system, society\u27s aversion to
recognizing errors in the system or to acknowledging the humanity of
those charged prohibits greater invocation of these remedies. When
taken in conjunction with the historically-based fear of judicial
arbitrariness and unchecked discretion associated with equity courts,
these barriers can seem insurmountable. This Article highlights the
pervasiveness of equitable remedies in the criminal system and
advocates for an expanded use of equitable and equitable-like legal
remedies in criminal cases. In an era with the odds so overwhelmingly
stacked against criminal defendants, equity provides a much-needed
check on our criminal system, allowing for the exercise of mercy and
justice, not just punitiveness and retribution
In-Situ Condition Monitoring of Components in Small Modular Reactors Using Process and Electrical Signature Analysis
Components in small modular reactors (SMRs) are located in a hazardous environment and must be monitored remotely. Electrical signature analysis (ESA) is a viable option for component monitoring as it can be implemented on-line away from the actual equipment. This research attempts to use both electrical signatures from a pump motor and process variables such as flow and pressure to effectively monitor reactor components. An experimental flow loop with pump health monitoring equipment and a data acquisition system was used for experiments. Process variables analyzed include pressure, flow rate, water level, and motor vibrations. The electrical signatures monitored were the motor current and voltage drawn. It was observed that the pressure in the loop, vibration, flow and motor current signals show similar behavior in the transient region (start-up and shut-down) as well as during steady-state operation. It was demonstrated that a strong relationship exists between motor current and process variables such as flow, pressure, and motor vibrations. These relationships will be used to prove that the pump’s electrical signatures can be used to monitor the pump, flow, and pressure without direct measurement of the process variables
Reviving Criminal Equity
Recent scholarship has begun to take note of a resurgence of equity in civil cases. Due to a long-accepted premise that equity does not apply in criminal cases, no one has examined whether this quiet revival is occurring in criminal jurisprudence as well. After undertaking such an investigation, this Article uncovers the remarkable discovery that equitable remedies, including injunctions and specific performance, are experiencing a resurgence in both federal and state criminal jurisprudence. Courts have granted equitable relief in a range of scenarios, providing reprieve from unconstitutional bail and probation practices and allowing for an appropriate remedy to ineffective assistance of counsel during the plea-bargaining process. In this regard, equity operates as moral philosophers and early legal scholars envisioned it might: as a corrective to law. Moral philosophers contemplated equity as a complement to the rule of law and legal justice. Equity was to step in when a strict application of the law rendered an unjust result. After the supposed merger of law and equity in the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, scholars and jurists believed equity had been subsumed under legal processes and structures. This assumption of fusion remained the dominant narrative until recently, when scholars began to note equity’s resurgence in civil cases. This Article contributes to the literature challenging this presumption of equity’s demise. Shifting the lens toward criminal cases, this Article illuminates that equitable remedies are experiencing a similar resurgence in the criminal sphere. A review of the case law confirms that parties in criminal cases are seeking equitable relief with increasing regularity, and courts are often granting such relief. This Article sets the stage for a more robust conversation about what the balance between equity and law is—and what it should be—in the context of our deeply troubled criminal legal system
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