A nineteen-channel filter bank spectrum analyzer for a speech recognition system

Low pass filter, bandpass filter, and design of input system for speech recognition compute

Report on the flight performance of the Z-93 white paint used in the SERT 2 thermal control system

Evaluating flight performance of Z-93 white paint in SERT 2 spacecraft thermal control system by changes in paint absorptanc

Environmentally-induced discharge transient coupling to spacecraft

The Hughes SCREENS (Space Craft Response to Environments of Space) technique was applied to generic spin and 3-axis stabilized spacecraft models. It involved the NASCAP modeling for surface charging and lumped element modeling for transients coupling into a spacecraft. A differential voltage between antenna and spun shelf of approx. 400 V and current of 12 A resulted from discharge at antenna for the spinner and approx. 3 kv and 0.3 A from a discharge at solar panels for the 3-axis stabilized Spacecraft. A typical interface circuit response was analyzed to show that the transients would couple into the Spacecraft System through ground points, which are most vulnerable. A compilation and review was performed on 15 years of available data from electron and ion current collection phenomena. Empirical models were developed to match data and compared with flight data of Pix-1 and Pix-2 mission. It was found that large space power systems would float negative and discharge if operated at or above 300 V. Several recommendations are given to improve the models and to apply them to large space systems

Rural environmental concern: Effects of position, partisanship and place

The social bases of environmental concern in rural America resemble those for the nation as a whole, but also reflect the influence of place. Some general place characteristics, such as rates of population growth or resource-industry employment, predict responses across a number of environmental issues. Other unique or distinctive aspects of local society and environment matter as well. We extend earlier work on both kinds of place effects, first by analyzing survey data from northeast Oregon. Results emphasize that “environmental concern” has several dimensions. Second, we contextualize the Oregon results using surveys from other regions. Analysis of an integrated dataset (up to 12,000 interviews in 38 U.S. counties) shows effects from respondent characteristics and political views, and from county rates of population growth and resource-based employment. There also are significant place-to-place variations that are not explained by variables in the models. To understand some of these we return to the local scale. In northeast Oregon, residents describe how perceptions of fire danger from unmanaged forest lands shape their response to the word conservation. Their local interpretation contrasts with more general and urban connotations of this term, underlining the importance of place for understanding rural environmental concern

Electrometer system measures nanoamps at high voltage

Floating electrometer eliminates major source of error since any leakage from electrometer case, which is at high voltage, appears only as load on high voltage supply and not as part of current being measured. Commands to and data from floating electrometer are transferred across high voltage interface by means of optical channels

Speech Communication

Contains reports on four research projects.United States Department of the Air Force (Contract AF19(604)-2061

A GaAs-based self-aligned stripe distributed feedback laser

We demonstrate operation of a GaAs-based self-aligned stripe (SAS) distributed feedback (DFB) laser. In this structure, a first order GaInP/GaAs index-coupled DFB grating is built within the p-doped AlGaAs layer between the active region and the n-doped GaInP opto-electronic confinement layer of a SAS laser structure. In this process no Al-containing layers are exposed to atmosphere prior to overgrowth. The use of AlGaAs cladding affords the luxury of full flexibility in upper cladding design, which proved necessary due to limitations imposed by the grating infill and overgrowth with the GaInP current block layer. Resultant devices exhibit single-mode lasing with high side-mode-suppression of >40 dB over the temperature range 20 °C–70 °C. The experimentally determined optical profile and grating confinement correlate well with those simulated using Fimmwave

Reflections on a coaching pilot project in healthcare settings

This paper draws on personal reflection of coaching experiences and learning as a coach to consider the relevance of these approaches in a management context with a group of four healthcare staff who participated in a pilot coaching project. It explores their understanding of coaching techniques applied in management settings via their reflections on using coaching approaches and coaching applications as healthcare managers. Coaching approaches can enhance a manager’s skill portfolio and offer the potential benefits in terms of successful goal achievement, growth, mutual learning and development for both themselves and staff they work with in task focused scenarios

Modeling associations between public understanding, engagement and forest conditions in theInland Northwest, USA

Opinions about public lands and the actions of private non-industrial forest owners in the western United States play important roles in forested landscape management as both public and private forests face increasing risks from large wildfires, pests and disease. This work presents the responses from two surveys, a random-sample telephone survey of more than 1500 residents and a mail survey targeting owners of parcels with 10 or more acres of forest. These surveys were conducted in three counties (Wallowa, Union, and Baker) in northeast Oregon, USA. We analyze these survey data using structural equation models in order to assess how individual characteristics and understanding of forest management issues affect perceptions about forest conditions and risks associated with declining forest health on public lands. We test whether forest understanding is informed by background, beliefs, and experiences, and whether as an intervening variable it is associated with views about forest conditions on publicly managed forests. Individual background characteristics such as age, gender and county of residence have significant direct or indirect effects on our measurement of understanding. Controlling for background factors, we found that forest owners with higher self-assessed understanding, and more education about forest management, tend to hold more pessimistic views about forest conditions. Based on our results we argue that self-assessed understanding, interest in learning, and willingness to engage in extension activities together have leverage to affect perceptions about the risks posed by declining forest conditions on public lands, influence land owner actions, and affect support for public policies. These results also have broader implications for management of forested landscapes on public and private lands amidst changing demographics in rural communities across the Inland Northwest where migration may significantly alter the composition of forest owner goals, understanding, and support for various management actions