Ground Simulator Studies of the Effects of Valve Friction, Stick Friction, Flexibility, and Backwash on Power Control System Quality

Report presents results of tests made on a power control system by means of a ground simulator to determine the effects of various combinations of valve friction and stick friction on the ability of the pilot to control the system. Various friction conditions were simulated with a rigid control system, a flexible system, and a rigid system having some backlash. For the tests, the period and damping of the simulated airplane were held constant

Flight Investigation of a Mechanical Feel Device in an Irreversible Elevator Control System of a Large Airplane

Report presents the results of measurements of the longitudinal stability and control characteristics of a large airplane using a mechanical feel device in combination with a booster incorporated in the elevator-control system. Tests were made to investigate the feasibility of eliminating the aerodynamic control forces through use of a booster and of providing control-feel forces mechanically. The feel device consisted of a centering spring which restrained the control stick through a linkage which was changed as a function of the dynamic pressure. Provisions were made for trimming and for manual adjustment of the force gradient. The system was designed to approximate the control-force characteristics that would result with a conventional elevator control with linear hinge-moment characteristics

Recent climate-driven ecological change across a continent as perceived through local ecological knowledge

Documenting effects of climate change is an important step towards designing mitigation and adaptation responses. Impacts of climate change on terrestrial biodiversity and ecosystems have been well-documented in the Northern Hemisphere, but long-term data to detect change in the Southern Hemisphere are limited, and some types of change are generally difficult to measure. Here we present a novel approach using local ecological knowledge to facilitate a continent-scale view of climate change impacts on terrestrial biodiversity and ecosystems that people have perceived in Australia. We sought local knowledge using a national web-based survey, targeting respondents with close links to the environment (e.g. farmers, ecologists), and using a custom-built mapping tool to ask respondents to describe and attribute recent changes they had observed within an area they knew well. Results drawn from 326 respondents showed that people are already perceiving simple and complex climate change impacts on hundreds of species and ecosystems across Australia, significantly extending the detail previously reported for the continent. While most perceived trends and attributions remain unsubstantiated, \u3e35 reported anecdotes concurred with examples in the literature, and \u3e20 were reported more than once. More generally, anecdotes were compatible with expectations from global climate change impact frameworks, including examples across the spectrum from organisms (e.g. increased mortality in \u3e75 species), populations (e.g. changes in recruitment or abundance in \u3e100 species, phenological change in \u3e50 species), and species (e.g. \u3e80 species newly arriving or disappearing), to communities and landscapes (e.g. \u3e50 examples of altered ecological interactions). The overarching pattern indicated by the anecdotes suggests that people are more often noticing climate change losers (typically native species) than winners in their local areas, but with observations of potential ‘adaptation in action’ via compositional and phenological change and through arrivals and range shifts (particularly for native birds and exotic plants). A high proportion of climate change-related anecdotes also involved cumulative or interactive effects of land use. We conclude that targeted elicitation of local ecological knowledge about climate change impacts can provide a valuable complement to data-derived knowledge, substantially extending the volume of explicit examples and offering a foundation for further investigation

Pecos River Watershed Protection Plan Update

Implementation of the Pecos River Watershed Protection Plan (WPP) began in November 2009 upon acceptance of the WPP by EPA. The primary goals of implementing the plan are to improve the health of the Pecos River watershed and instream water quality in the river and its tributaries. Considerable implementation progress has been made across the watershed; however, the need for continued implementation remains. The Pecos River WPP Update is a document that is developed and approved to be published. This report will contain updates on tracking the progress of implementation, saltcedar eradication efforts, education and outreach activities, and water quality monitoring in the watershed. This report will document and provide updates and any issues or adaptive management decisions on all of the measures within the WPP and any modifications to the goals and strategies identified in the WPP