Preliminary estimates of operating costs for lighter than air transports

A preliminary set of operating cost relationships are presented for airship transports. The starting point for the development of the relationships is the direct operating cost formulae and the indirect operating cost categories commonly used for estimating costs of heavier than air commercial transports. Modifications are made to the relationships to account for the unique features of airships. To illustrate the cost estimating method, the operating costs of selected airship cargo transports are computed. Conventional fully buoyant and hybrid semi-buoyant systems are investigated for a variety of speeds, payloads, ranges, and altitudes. Comparisons are made with aircraft transports for a range of cargo densities

The horizontal and vertical semi-diameters of the Sun observed at the Cape of Good Hope (1834 - 1887) and Paris (1837 - 1906): A report on work in progress

Cape and Paris meridian observations of the solar limbs which permit an estimate to be made of the solar semi-diameter were surveyed, sampled, and compared with Greenwich and U.S. Naval Observatory observations. Significant systematic errors were found in the Paris work and have been correlated with changes of instruments and observers. Results from the Cape series indicate that work should continue on the compilation of data from Cape observations of the Sun

Evidence of a saturated gravity-wave spectrum throughout the atmosphere

The view adapted here is that the dominant mesoscale motions are due to internal gravity waves and show that previous and new vertical wave number spectra of horizontal winds are consistent with the notion of a saturation limit on wave amplitudes. It is also proposed that, at any height, only those vertical wave numbers m less than m sub asterisk are at saturation amplitudes, where m sub asterisk is the vertical wave number of the dominant energy-containing scale. Wave numbers m less than m sub asterisk are unsaturated, but experience growth with height due to the decrease of atmospheric density. The result is a saturated spectrum of gravity waves with both m sub asterisk decreasing and wave energy increasing with height. This saturation theory is consistent with a variety of atmospheric spectral observations and provides a basis for the notion of a universal spectrum of atmospheric gravity waves

Transport characteristics of L-point and Г-point electrons through GaAs-Ga_(1-x)Ai_xAs-GaAs(111} double heterojunctions

We present here a study on the transport characteristics of L‐point and Γ‐point derived electrons through abrupt GaAs–Ga_(1−x)Al_xAs–GaAs(111) double heterojunctions. The use of complex‐k band structures in the tight‐binding approximation and transfer matrices provide a reasonably accurate description of the wave function at the GaAs–Ga_(1−x)Al_xAs interface. A representation of the wave function in terms of bulk complex‐k Bloch states is used in the GaAs regions where the potential is bulklike. A representation of the wave function in terms of planar orbitals is used in the central Ga_(1−x)Al_xAs region where the potential deviates from its bulk value (i.e., interfacial region). Within this theoretical framework, realistic band structure effects are taken into account and no artificial rules regarding the connection of the wave function across the interface are introduced. The ten‐band tight‐binding model includes admixture in the total wave function of states derived from different extrema of the GaAs conduction band. States derived from the same extremum of the conduction band appear to couple strongly to each other, whereas states derived from different extrema are found to couple weakly. Transport characteristics of incoming L‐point and Γ‐point Bloch states are examined as a function of the energy of the incoming state, thickness of the Ga_(1−x)Al_xAs barrier, and alloy composition x. Transmission through the Ga_(1−x)Al_xAs barrier is either tunneling or propagating depending on the nature of the Bloch states available for strong coupling in the alloy. Since Bloch states derived from different extrema of the conduction band appear to couple weakly to each other, it seems possible to reflect the low velocity L‐point component of the current while transmitting the high velocity Γ‐point component

Carrier transport coefficients across GaAs-GaAIAs (100) interfaces

We present calculations of reflection and transmission coefficients for electrons and holes at (100) interfaces for the GaAs–Ga_(1–x)Al_xAs system. We consider semi‐infinite crystals of the two semiconductors joined at an abrupt or compositionally graded interface. The calculations are performed using the empirical tight binding approximation. The transport coefficients were computed as a function of the components of the incident carrier wavevector normal and parallel to the interface. We have investigated the transport coefficients for incident states near various band minima into different final state channels. The transmission into states with qualitatively similar character to the incident state is found to be much greater than transmission into states of different character. For example, an electron near the X minimum normal to the interface in Ga_(1–xAl_xAs transmits into the X valley of GaAs with much greater probability than it transmits into the Γ minimum of GaAs. We have investigated the dependence of the transport coefficients on alloy composition. The effect of compositional grading of the interface on the transport coefficients has also been investigated

Organocatalytic Lewis base functionalisation of carboxylic acids, esters and anhydrides via C1-ammonium or azolium enolates

This tutorial review highlights the organocatalytic Lewis base functionalisation of carboxylic acids, esters and anhydrides via C1-ammonium/azolium enolates. The generation and synthetic utility of these powerful intermediates is highlighted through their application in various methodologies including aldol-lactonisations, Michael-lactonisations/lactamisations and [2,3]-rearrangements.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Water velocity meter

Simple, inexpensive drag sphere velocity meter with a zero to 6 ft/sec range measures steady-state flow. When combined with appropriate data acquisition system, it is suited to applications where large numbers of simultaneous measurements are needed for current mapping or velocity profile determination