Data Requirements for Oceanic Processes in the Open Ocean, Coastal Zone, and Cryosphere

The type of information system that is needed to meet the requirements of ocean, coastal, and polar region users was examined. The requisite qualities of the system are: (1) availability, (2) accessibility, (3) responsiveness, (4) utility, (5) continuity, and (6) NASA participation. The system would not displace existing capabilities, but would have to integrate and expand the capabilities of existing systems and resolve the deficiencies that currently exist in producer-to-user information delivery options

Ocean services user needs assessment. Volume 1: Survey results, conclusions and recommendations

An interpretation of environmental information needs of marine users, derived from a direct contact survey of eight important sectors of the marine user community is presented. Findings of the survey and results and recommendations are reported. The findings consist of specific and quantized measurement and derived product needs for each sector and comparisons of these needs with current and planned NOAA data and services. The following supportive and reference material are examined: direct contact interviews with industry members, analyses of current NOAA data gathering and derived product capabilities, evaluations of new and emerging domestic and foreign satellite data gathering capabilities, and a special commercial fishing survey conducted by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

Hypersonic characteristics of an advanced aerospace plane at Mach 20.3

Wind-tunnel studies have been performed in the Langley Hypersonic Helium Tunnel Facility to obtain static longitudinal and lateral-directional aerodynamic characteristics of an advanced aerospace plane concept. The nominal test conditions are a Mach number of 20.3 and a Reynolds number of 6.8 x 10 to the 6th power per foot at angles of attack from 0 to 25 deg and angles of sideslip of -3 and 0 deg. Stability and control characteristics are obtained for several deflections of the elevators, elevons, and rudder. In addition, a modified canopy is examined. The results indicate that this vehicle is longitudinally stable at angles of attack near the maximum lift-drag ratio. Also, the vehicle is shown to be directionally unstable with positive dihedral effect

Laserlight visual cueing device for freezing of gait in Parkinson's disease: a case study of the biomechanics involved

AbstractBackground: Freezing of gait (FOG) is a serious gait disorder affecting up to two-thirds of people with Parkinson's disease (PD). Cueing has been explored as a method of generating motor execution using visual transverse lines on the floor. However, the impact of a laser light visual cue remains unclear. Objective: To determine the biomechanical effect of a laser cane on FOG in a participant with PD compared to a healthy age- and gender-matched control. Methods: The participant with PD and healthy control were given a task of initiating gait from standing. Electromyography (EMG) data were collected from the tibialis anterior (TA) and the medial gastrocnemius (GS) muscles using an 8-channel system. A 10-camera system (Qualisys) recorded movement in 6 degrees of freedom and a calibrated anatomical system technique was used to construct a full body model. Center of mass (COM) and center of pressure (COP) were the main outcome measures. Results: The uncued condition showed that separation of COM and COP took longer and was of smaller magnitude than the cued condition. EMG activity revealed prolonged activation of GS, with little to no TA activity. The cued condition showed earlier COM and COP separation. There was reduced fluctuation in GS, with abnormal, early bursts of TA activity. Step length improved in the cued condition compared to the uncued condition. Conclusion: Laserlight visual cueing improved step length beyond a non-cued condition for this patient indicating improved posture and muscle control

Structural and Physical Properties of CaFe4As3 Single Crystals

We report the synthesis, and structural and physical properties of CaFe4As3 single crystals. Needle-like single crystals of CaFe4As3 were grown out of Sn flux and the compound adopts an orthorhombic structure as determined by X-ray diffraction measurements. Electrical, magnetic, and thermal properties indicate that the system undergoes two successive phase transitions occurring at TN1 ~ 90 K and TN2 ~ 26 K. At TN1, electrical resistivities (\rho(b) and \rho(ac)) are enhanced while magnetic susceptibilities (\chi(b) and \chi(ac)) are reduced in both directions parallel and perpendicular to the b-axis, consistent with the scenario of antiferromagnetic spin-density-wave formation. At TN2, specific heat reveals a slope change, and \chi(ac) decreases sharply but \chi(b) has a clear jump before it decreases again with decreasing temperature. Remarkably, both \rho(b) and \rho(ac) decrease sharply with thermal hysteresis, indicating the first-order nature of the phase transition at TN2. At low temperatures, \rho(b) and \rho(ac) can be described by {\rho} = {\rho}0 + AT^\alpha ({\rho}0, A, and {\alpha} are constants). Interestingly, these constants vary with applied magnetic field. The ground state of CaFe4As3 is discussed.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures, Submitted to Physical Review

Spin Density wave instability in a ferromagnet

Ferromagnetic (FM) and incommensurate spin-density wave (ISDW) states are an unusual set of competing magnetic orders that are seldom observed in the same material without application of a polarizing magnetic field. We report, for the first time, the discovery of an ISDW state that is derived from a FM ground state through a Fermi surface (FS) instability in Fe$_3$Ga$_4$. This was achieved by combining neutron scattering experiments with first principles simulations. Neutron diffraction demonstrates that Fe$_3$Ga$_4$ is in an ISDW state at intermediate temperatures and that there is a conspicuous re-emergence of ferromagnetism above 360 K. First principles calculations show that the ISDW ordering wavevector is in excellent agreement with a prominent nesting condition in the spin-majority FS demonstrating the discovery of a novel instability for FM metals; ISDW formation due to Fermi surface nesting in a spin-polarized Fermi surface.Comment: 6 pages with 4 figures. Supplemental Materials Include

Transnational Legal Practice 2008

This article reviews developments in transnational legal practice during 2006 and 2007, including international developments, U.S. developments and regional developments in Australia and Europe. The primary focus of the international developments section is the WTO\u27s General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). This article discusses GATS Track 1 Activities related to legal services, including the Legal Services Collective Requests and issues related to GATS Track 2 and the potential development of GATS disciplines. This section also surveys GATS-related initiatives of the American Bar Association and the International Bar Association and U.S. implementation of foreign lawyer multi-jurisdictional practice rules. In other areas, the international developments section addresses the development of a code of conduct for defense counsel practicing before the International Criminal Court and developments in the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). With respect to U.S. transnational legal practice developments, the article reviews U.S. bilateral free trade initiatives, lawyer discipline cooperation initiatives and significant litigation. The regional developments section documents the emergence in Australia of the first publicly-traded law firm and Australia\u27s efforts to promote greater multijurisdictional practice for Australian lawyers in the U.S. This section also reviews various European developments, including European competition law initiatives, the Akzo Nobel case currently pending before the European Court of Justice, and developments related to the free movement of lawyers, codes of conduct, money laundering and lawyer education

Design Concept for a Reusable/Propellantless MXER Tether Space Transportation System

The Momentum Exchange/Electrodynamic Reboost (MXER) tether facility is a transformational concept that significantly reduces the fuel requirements (and associated costs) in transferring payloads above low earth orbit (LEO). Facility reboost is accomplished without propellant by driving current against a voltage created by a conducting tether's interaction with the Earth's magnetic field (electrodynamic reboost). This system can be used for transferring a variety of payloads (scientific, cargo, and human space vehicles) to multiple destinations including geosynchronous transfer orbit, the Moon or Mars. MXER technology advancement requires development in two key areas: survivable, high tensile strength non-conducting tethers and reliable, lightweight payload catch/release mechanisms. Fundamental requirements associated with the MXER non-conducting strength tether and catch mechanism designs will be presented. Key requirements for the tether design include high specific-strength (tensile strength/material density), material survivability to the space environment (atomic oxygen and ultraviolet radiation), and structural survivability to micrometeoroid/orbital debris (MM/OD) impacts. The driving mechanism key,gequirements include low mass-to-capture-volume ratio, positional and velocity error tolerance, and operational reliability. Preliminary tether and catch mechanism design criteria are presented, which have been used as guidelines to "screen" and down-select initial concepts. Candidate tether materials and protective coatings are summarized along with their performance in simulated space environments (e.g., oxygen plasma, thermal cycling). A candidate catch mechanism design concept is presented along with examples of demonstration hardware