Extended flight evaluation of a near-term pitch active control system

Fuel savings can be achieved by moving the center of gravity of an aircraft aft which reduces the static stability margin and consequently the trim drag. However, flying qualities of an aircraft with relaxed static stability can be significantly degraded. The flying qualities can be restored by using a pitch active control system (PACS). This report documents the work accomplished during a follow-on program (see NASA CR-165951 for initial program report) to perform extended flight tests of a near-term PACS. The program included flying qualities analyses, piloted flight simulation tests, aircraft preparation and flight tests to demonstrate that the near-term PACS provided good flying qualities within the linear static stability envelope to a negative 3% static stability margin

Lantana: Current Management Status and Future Prospects

Crop Production/Industries,

Multiscale control of flooding and riparian‐forest composition in Lower Michigan, USA

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/117201/1/ecy2009901145.pd

Solving Classical Insight Problems Without Aha! Experience: 9 Dot, 8 Coin, and Matchstick Arithmetic Problems

Insightful problem solving is a vital part of human thinking, yet very difficult to grasp. Traditionally, insight has been investigated by using a set of established “insight tasks,” assuming that insight has taken place if these problems are solved. Instead of assuming that insight takes place during every solution of the 9 Dot, 8 Coin, and Matchstick Arithmetic Problems, this study explored the likelihood that solutions evoked the “Aha! experience,” which is often regarded as the defining characteristic of insight. It was predicted that the rates of self-reported Aha! experiences might vary based on the necessary degree of constraint relaxation. The main assumption was that the likelihood of experiencing an Aha! would decrease with increasing numbers of constraints that must be relaxed, because several steps are needed to achieve a representational change and solve the problem, and thus, the main feature of suddenness of a solution might be lacking. The results supported this prediction, and demonstrated that in many cases participants do solve these classical insight problems without any Aha! experience. These results show the importance of obtaining insight ratings from participants to determine whether any given problem is solved with insight or not

Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopy of Seven Nova-Like Variables

We present the results of a multi-component synthetic spectral analysis of the archival far ultraviolet spectra of several key nova-like variables including members of the SW Sex, RW Tri, UX UMa and VY Scl subclasses: KR Aur, RW Tri, V825 Her, V795 Her, BP Lyn, V425 Cas and HL Aqr. Accretion rates as well as the possible flux contribution of the accreting white dwarf are included in our analysis. Except for RW Tri which has a reliable trigonometric parallax, we computed the distances to the nova-like systems using the method of Knigge (2006). Our analysis of seven archival IUE spectra of RW Tri at its parallax distance of 341 pc consistently indicates a low mass (0.4Msun) white dwarf and an average accretion rate, 6.3 E-9Msun/yr. For KR Aur, we estimate that the white dwarf has Teff=29,000K, log g = 8.4 and contributes 18% of the FUV flux while an accretion disk with accretion rate of 3 E-10Msun/yr at an inclination of 41 degrees, contributes the remainder. We find that an accretion disk dominates the far UV spectrum of V425 Cas but a white dwarf contributes non-negligibly with approximately 18% of the FUV flux. For the two high state nova-likes, HL Aqr and V825 Her, their accretion disks totally dominate with 1 E-9Msun/yr and 3 E-9Msun/yr, respectively. For BP Lyn we find an accretion rate of 1 E-8Msun/yr while for V795 Her, we find an accretion rate of 1 E-10Msun/yr. We discuss the implications of our results for the evolutionary status of nova-like variables.Comment: ApJ, accepte

“Opening” a New Kind of High School: The Story of the Open High School of Utah

The use of online learning at the primary and secondary school level is growing exponentially in the United States. Much of this growth is with full-time online schools, most of which are operated by for-profit companies that use proprietary online course content. In this article we trace the development of, and philosophy behind, a full-time online school that uses open access software and open educational resources for course content. As more nations begin to put in place plans for primary and secondary education in the event of natural disasters (e.g., the Christchurch earthquakes) or pandemics (e.g., avian flu or H1N1), the availability of open online content is of critical importance

Stimulating a Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Seed Bank using Portable Cofferdams: Implications for Habitat Rehabilitation

Coastal wetland seed banks exposed by low lake levels or through management actions fuel the reestablishment of emergent plant assemblages (i.e., wetland habitat) critical to Great Lakes aquatic biota. This project explored the effectiveness of using portable, water-filled cofferdams as a management tool to promote the natural growth of emergent vegetation from the seed bank in a Lake Erie coastal wetland. A series of dams stretching approximately 450 m was installed temporarily to isolate hydrologically a 10-ha corner of the Crane Creek wetland complex from Lake Erie. The test area was dewatered in 2004 to mimic a low-water year, and vegetation sampling characterized the wetland seed bank response at low, middle, and high elevations in areas open to and protected from bird and mammal herbivory. The nearly two-month drawdown stimulated a rapid seed-bank-driven response by 45 plant taxa. Herbivory had little effect on plant species richness, regardless of the location along an elevation gradient. Inundation contributed to the replacement of immature emergent plant species with submersed aquatic species after the dams failed and were removed prematurely. This study revealed a number of important issues that must be considered for effective long-term implementation of portable cofferdam technology to stimulate wetland seed banks, including duration of dewatering, product size, source of clean water, replacement of damaged dams, and regular maintenance. This technology is a potentially important tool in the arsenal used by resource managers seeking to rehabilitate the functions and values of Great Lakes coastal wetland habitats

Classifying Regional Variation in Thermal Regime Based on Stream Fish Community Patterns

Although the importance of water temperature to the ecology of stream fishes is well documented, relatively little information is available on the extent of regional variation in thermal regime and its influence on stream fish distribution and abundance patterns. In streams draining the heterogeneous glacial landscape of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, regional variation in summer mean temperature and temperature fluctuation is among the highest reported in the literature. We developed a habitat classification to simplify the description of thermal regimes and to describe the relationships between available thermal regimes and distribution patterns of stream fishes. Changes in community composition, species richness, and standing stocks of key fish species occurred across gradients in mean temperature and temperature fluctuation. These changes were used to identify three mean temperature categories (cold, <19°C; cool, 19–<22°C; and warm, ≥22°C) and three temperature fluctuation categories (stable, <5°C; moderate, 5–<10°C; and extreme, ≥10°C). The combination of these categories resulted in a 3 × 3 matrix with nine discrete thermal regimes. The classification developed in this study provides a framework for descriptions of the realized thermal niche of stream fishes, and can be used as a baseline for measurement of changes in distribution patterns associated with future climate warming. Our results suggest that observed differences in community structure among sites are largely attributable to spatial variation in mean temperature and temperature fluctuation. Thus, accounting for the linkage between regional variation in thermal regime and fish community structure should improve our ability to effectively assess and manage stream resources.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141912/1/tafs0018.pd

Fish Assemblages, Connectivity, and Habitat Rehabilitation in a Diked Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Complex

Fish and plant assemblages in the highly modified Crane Creek coastal wetland complex of Lake Erie were sampled to characterize their spatial and seasonal patterns and to examine the implications of the hydrologic connection of diked wetland units to Lake Erie. Fyke netting captured 52 species and an abundance of fish in the Lake Erie–connected wetlands, but fewer than half of those species and much lower numbers and total masses of fish were captured in diked wetland units. Although all wetland units were immediately adjacent to Lake Erie, there were also pronounced differences in water quality and wetland vegetation between the hydrologically isolated and lake-connected wetlands. Large seasonal variations in fish assemblage composition and biomass were observed in connected wetland units but not in disconnected units. Reestablishment of hydrologic connectivity in diked wetland units would allow coastal Lake Erie fish to use these vegetated habitats seasonally, although connectivity does appear to pose some risks, such as the expansion of invasive plants and localized reductions in water quality. Periodic isolation and drawdown of the diked units could still be used to mimic intermediate levels of disturbance and manage invasive wetland vegetation