Geophysical parameters from the analysis of laser ranging to starlette

Starlette Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) data were used, along with several other satellite data sets, for the solution of a preliminary gravity field model for TOPEX, PTGF1. A further improvement in the earth gravity model was accomplished using data collected by 12 satellites to solve another preliminary gravity model for TOPEX, designated PTGF2. The solution for the Earth Rotation Parameter (ERP) was derived from the analysis of SLR data to Starlette during the MERIT Campaign. Starlette orbits in 1976 and 1983 were analyzed for the mapping of the tidal response of the earth. Publications and conference presentations pertinent to research are listed

Altimeter measurements for the determination of the Earth's gravity field

Progress in the following areas is described: refining altimeter and altimeter crossover measurement models for precise orbit determination and for the solution of the earth's gravity field; performing experiments using altimeter data for the improvement of precise satellite ephemerides; and analyzing an optimal relative data weighting algorithm to combine various data types in the solution of the gravity field

Geophysical parameters from the analysis of laser ranging to Starlette

The results of geodynamic research from the analysis of satellite laser ranging data to Starlette are summarized. The time period of the investigation was from 15 Mar. 1986 to 31 Dec. 1991. As a result of the Starlette research, a comprehensive 16-year Starlette data set spanning the time period from 17 Mar. 1975 through 31 Dec. 1990, was produced. This data set represents the longest geophysical time series from any geodetic satellite and is invaluable for research in long-term geodynamics. A low degree and order ocean tide solution determined from Starlette has good overall agreement with other satellite and oceanographic tide solutions. The observed lunar deceleration is -24.7 +/- 0.6 arcsecond/century(exp 2), which agrees well with other studies. The estimated value of J2 is (-2.5 +/- 0.3) x 10(exp -11) yr(exp -1), assuming there are no variations in higher degree zonals and that the 18.6-year tide is fixed at an equilibrium value. The yearly fluctuations in the values for S(sub a) and S(sub sa) tides determined by the 16-year Starlette data are found to be associated with changes in the Earth's second degree zonal harmonic caused primarily by meteorological excitation. The mean values for the amplitude of S(sub a) and S(sub sa) variations in J2 are 32.3 x 10(exp -11) and 19.5 x 10(exp -11), respectively; while the rms about the mean values are 4.1 x 10(exp -11) and 6.3(10)(exp -11), respectively. The annual delta(J2) is in good agreement with the value obtained from the combined effects of air mass redistribution without the oceanic inverted-barometer effects and hydrological change. The annual delta(J3) values have much larger disagreements. Approximately 90 percent of the observed annual variation from Starlette is attributed to the meteorological mass redistribution occurring near the Earth's surface

Altimeter measurements for the determination of the Earth's gravity field

The ability of satellite-borne radar altimeter data to measure the global ocean surface with high precision and dense spatial coverage provides a unique tool for the mapping of the Earth's gravity field and its geoid. The altimeter crossover measurements, created by differencing direct altimeter measurements at the subsatellite points where the orbit ground tracks intersect, have the distinct advantage of eliminating geoid error and other nontemporal or long period oceanographic features. In the 1990's, the joint U.S./French TOPEX/POSEIDON mission and the European Space Agency's ERS-1 mission will carry radar altimeter instruments capable of global ocean mapping with high precision. This investigation aims at the development and application of dynamically consistent direct altimeter and altimeter crossover measurement models to the simultaneous mapping of the Earth's gravity field and its geoid, the ocean tides and the quasi-stationary component of the dynamic sea surface topography. Altimeter data collected by SEASAT, GEOS-3, and GEOSAT are used for the investigation

Engaging Citizens with Televised Election Debates through Online Interactive Replays

In this paper we tackle the crisis of political trust and public engagement with politics by investigating new methods and tools to watch and take part in televised political debates. The paper presents relevant research at the intersection of citizenship, technologies and government/democracy, and describes the motivation, requirements and design of Democratic Replay, an online interactive video replay platform that offers a persistent, customisable digital space for: (a) members of the public to express their views as they watch online videos of political events; and (b) enabling for a richer collective understanding of what goes on in these complex media events

An improved model for the Earth's gravity field

An improved model for the Earth's gravity field, TEG-1, was determined using data sets from fourteen satellites, spanning the inclination ranges from 15 to 115 deg, and global surface gravity anomaly data. The satellite measurements include laser ranging data, Doppler range-rate data, and satellite-to-ocean radar altimeter data measurements, which include the direct height measurement and the differenced measurements at ground track crossings (crossover measurements). Also determined was another gravity field model, TEG-1S, which included all the data sets in TEG-1 with the exception of direct altimeter data. The effort has included an intense scrutiny of the gravity field solution methodology. The estimated parameters included geopotential coefficients complete to degree and order 50 with selected higher order coefficients, ocean and solid Earth tide parameters, Doppler tracking station coordinates and the quasi-stationary sea surface topography. Extensive error analysis and calibration of the formal covariance matrix indicate that the gravity field model is a significant improvement over previous models and can be used for general applications in geodesy

Harnessing surface-bound enzymatic reactions to organize microcapsules in solution

By developing new computational models, we examine how enzymatic reactions on an underlying surface can be harnessed to direct the motion and organization of reagent-laden microcapsules in a fluid-filled microchannel. In the presence of appropriate reagents, surface-bound enzymes can act as pumps, which drive large-scale fluid flows. When the reagents diffuse through the capsules' porous shells, they can react with enzymatic sites on the bottom surface. The ensuing reaction generates fluid density variations, which result in fluid flows. These flows carry the suspended microcapsules and drive them to aggregate into "colonies" on and near the enzyme-covered sites. This aggregation continues until the reagent has been depleted and the convection stops. We show that the shape of the assembled colonies can be tailored by patterning the distribution of enzymes on the surface. This fundamental physicochemical mechanism could have played a role in the self-organization of early biological cells (protocells) and can be used to regulate the autonomous motion and targeted delivery of microcarriers in microfluidic devices.Charles E. Kaufman Foundation: ID0EWGBG5633Center for Bio-Inspired Energy Science: ID0EYLBG5634, DE-SC000098

ClaiMaker: weaving a semantic web of research papers

The usability of research papers on the Web would be enhanced by a system that explicitly modelled the rhetorical relations between claims in related papers. We describe ClaiMaker, a system for modelling readers’ interpretations of the core content of papers. ClaiMaker provides tools to build a Semantic Web representation of the claims in research papers using an ontology of relations. We demonstrate how the system can be used to make inter-document queries

Scaling down an insect-size microrobot, HAMR-VI into HAMR-Jr

Here we present HAMR-Jr, a \SI{22.5}{\milli\meter}, \SI{320}{\milli\gram} quadrupedal microrobot. With eight independently actuated degrees of freedom, HAMR-Jr is, to our knowledge, the most mechanically dexterous legged robot at its scale and is capable of high-speed locomotion (\SI{13.91}{bodylengths~\second^{-1}}) at a variety of stride frequencies (\SI{1}{}-\SI{200}{\hertz}) using multiple gaits. We achieved this using a design and fabrication process that is flexible, allowing scaling with minimum changes to our workflow. We further characterized HAMR-Jr's open-loop locomotion and compared it with the larger scale HAMR-VI microrobot to demonstrate the effectiveness of scaling laws in predicting running performance.Comment: IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation 2020 (accepted