An ERTS-1 investigation for Lake Ontario and its basin

The author has identified the following significant results. Methods of manual, semi-automatic, and automatic (computer) data processing were evaluated, as were the requirements for spatial physiographic and limnological information. The coupling of specially processed ERTS data with simulation models of the watershed precipitation/runoff process provides potential for water resources management. Optimal and full use of the data requires a mix of data processing and analysis techniques, including single band editing, two band ratios, and multiband combinations. A combination of maximum likelihood ratio and near-IR/red band ratio processing was found to be particularly useful

A Skylab program for the International Hydrological Decade (IHD)

There are no author-identified significant results in this report

Use of LANDSAT data to assess waterfowl habitat quality

The author has identified the following significant results. The capability of mapping ponds over a very large area was demonstrated, with multidate, multiframe LANDSAT imagery. A small double sample of aircraft data made it possible to adjust a LANDSAT large area census. Terrain classification was improved by using multitemporal LANDSAT data. Waterfowl production was estimated, using remotely determined pond data, in conjunction with FWS estimates of breeding population. Relative waterfowl habitat quality was characterized on a section by section basis

Cultivating Textbook Alternatives From the Ground Up: One Public University’s Sustainable Model for Open and Alternative Educational Resource Proliferation

This note from the field reviews the sustainability of an institution-wide program for adopting and adapting open and alternative educational resources (OAER) at Kansas State University (K-State). Developed in consult of open textbook initiatives at other institutions and modified around the needs and expectations of K-State students and faculty, this initiative proposes a sustainable means of incentivizing faculty participation via institutional support, encouraging the creation and maintenance of OAER through recurring funding, promoting innovative realizations of “educational resources” beyond traditional textbooks, and rallying faculty participation in adopting increasingly open textbook alternatives. The history and resulting structure of the initiative raise certain recommendations for how public universities may sustainably offset student textbook costs while also empowering the pedagogies of educators via a more methodical approach to adopting open materials

Gaia 17bpi: An FU Ori Type Outburst

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from IOP Publishing via the DOI in this recordWe report on the source Gaia 17bpi and identify it as a new, ongoing FU Ori type outburst, associated with a young stellar object. The optical lightcurve from Gaia exhibited a 3.5 mag rise with the source appearing to plateau in mid/late 2018. Mid-infrared observations from NEOWISE also show a >3 mag rise that occurred in two stages, with the second one coincident with the optical brightening, and the first one preceding the optical brightening by ∼1.5 years. We model the outburst as having started between October and December of 2014. This wavelength-dependent aspect of young star accretion-driven outbursts has never been documented before. Both the mid-infrared and the optical colors of the object become bluer as the outburst proceeds. Optical spectroscopic characteristics in the outburst phase include: a GK-type absorption spectrum, strong wind/outflow in e.g. Mgb, NaD, Hα, K I, O I, and Ca II profiles, and detection of Li I 6707 ˚A. The infrared spectrum in the outburst phase is similar to that of an M-type spectrum, notably exhibiting prominent H2O and 12CO (2-0) bandhead absorption in the K-band, and likely He I wind in the Y-band. The new FU Ori source Gaia 17bpi is associated with a little-studied dark cloud in the galactic plane, located at a distance of 1.27 kpc.Leverhulme TrustScience and Technology Facilities Counci

Lightweight ropes for lifting applications

Summary The level of wire rope technology used in lifting or hoisting applications has a significant effect on the overall efficiency of the system. This paper presents various examples which show the different benefits which may be accrued from the use of lightweight ropes. Most hoisting operations by their very nature involve long lengths of rope in the system. In the deep mining application, these lengths may easily be 3000 m or more. At this length the rope self weight becomes a significant component of the total payload which it has to support. A 20% reduction in the rope mass per metre for a typical hoist rope (of the same strength) will allow an increase in the skip payload of 30% at 3000 m. In the case of a crane, the weight of the rope can form a large part of the whole machine. Here, reduction in rope weight can allow benefits in terms of stability and in the case of mobile cranes, significant savings in axle loads. Another area where composite ropes may provide advantages is in the offshore environment where the lightweight benefits of fibre may be combined with the ruggedness of steel wire. The paper closes by making a brief discussion of the issues of NDT inspection of such ropes