Basic avionics module design for general aviation aircraft

The design of an advanced digital avionics system (basic avionics module) for general aviation aircraft operated with a single pilot under IFR conditions is described. The microprocessor based system provided all avionic functions, including flight management, navigation, and lateral flight control. The mode selection was interactive with the pilot. The system used a navigation map data base to provide operation in the current and planned air traffic control environment. The system design included software design listings for some of the required modules. The distributed microcomputer uses the IEEE 488 bus for interconnecting the microcomputer and sensors

Academic professional development for effective e-learning: a possible framework for Brazil

Distance education at a tertiary level in Brazil represents a very new educational approach compared with countries such as Australia and the United Kingdom. However, higher educational institutions in these and other countries share similar concerns surrounding this issue. One concern relates to preparing academics for delivery of quality online education. This paper will explore a PhD investigation concerning academic professional development for online learning in Brazil, as well as discuss the current available literature regarding this topic

Extended atmospheres of outer planet satellites and comets

In the third year of this 3-year project, research accomplishments are discussed and related to the overall objective. In the area of the distribution of hydrogen in the Saturn system, new Voyager UVS data have been discovered and are discussed. The data suggest that both Titan's hydrogen torus and Saturn's hydrogen corona play a major role in the circumplanetary gas source. Modeling analysis of this new data establishes a strong basis for continuing studies to be undertaken in a new NASA-sponsored project. In the area of the cometary atmospheres, observational data for H, O, C, and OH acquired with the Pioneer Venus Orbiter are evaluated and preliminary modeling analysis for some of the hydrogen Lyman-alpha data is presented. In addition, the importance of collisional thermalization in spatial properties and structure of the inner and extended comae of comets has been demonstrated using the recently developed particle trajectory model. The successful simulation by this model of the hydrogen Lyman-alpha image for Comet Kohoutec near perihelion, an extreme case for collisional thermalization, is particularly noteworthy

Extended atmospheres of outer planet satellites and comets

The new cometary hydrogen particle-trajectory model, completed last year, has been used successfully to analyze observations of Comet P/Giacobini-Zinner. The Pioneer Venus Orbiter Ultraviolet Spectrometer observed the comet at 1216 A (hydrogen Lyman-a) on 11 September 1985 when the comet was 1.03 AU from the Sun and 1.09 AU from Venus. The analysis implies a production rate at 1.03 AU 2.3 x 10 to the 28th power/sec of the water molecules which photodissociate to produce the observed hydrogen. An upper limit for the H2O production rate of Comet P/Halley of 5 x 10 to the 28th power/sec at 2.60 AU was also obtained from the Pioneer Venus instrument

Outer satellite atmospheres: Their extended nature and planetary interactions

Significant progress in model analysis of data for the directional features of the Io sodium cloud is reported and appears to provide some support for a satellite emission mechanism that is driven by a magnetospheric wind. A number of model calculations for the two dimensional intensity morphology of the Io sodium (region B) cloud are compared with six observations. Results of this comparison support tentative conclusions regarding the satellite emission conditions, the role of the plasma torus and the sodium atom escape flux. Progress in updating the Titan hydrogen torus model is also discussed

Inverse-opal conducting polymer monoliths in microfluidic channels

Inverse opal monolithic flow-through structures of polyaniline (PANI) were achieved in microfluidic channels for lab-on-a-chip (LOC) applications. In order to achieve the uniformly porous monolith, polystyrene (PS) colloidal crystal (CC) templates were fabricated in channel. An inverse opal PANI structure was achieved on-chip, through a two-step process involving the electrochemical growth of PANI and subsequent removal of the template. The effect of electropolymerisation on these structures is discussed. It was found that growth time is critical in achieving an ordered structure with well-defined flow-through pores. This is significant in order to fabricate optimal porous PANI structures that maximise surface area of the monolith and also provide well-defined flow profiles through the micro-channel

Preliminary Candidate Advanced Avionics System (PCAAS)

Specifications which define the system functional requirements, the subsystem and interface needs, and other requirements such as maintainability, modularity, and reliability are summarized. A design definition of all required avionics functions and a system risk analysis are presented

Nickel(II)-catalysed oxidative guanine and DNA damage beyond 8-oxoguanine

Oxidative DNA damage is one of the most important and most studied mechanisms of disease. It has been associated with a range of terminal diseases such as cancer, heart disease, hepatitis, and HIV, as well as with a variety of everyday ailments. There are various mechanisms by which this type of DNA damage can be initiated, through radiation and chemical oxidation, among others; however, these mechanisms have yet to be fully elucidated. A HPLC-UV-EC study of the oxidation of DNA mediated by nickel(II) obtained results that show an erratic, almost oscillatory formation of 8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG) from free guanine and from guanine in DNA. Sporadic 8-oxoG concentrations were also observed when 8-oxoG alone was subjected to these conditions. A HPLC-MS/MS study showed the formation of oxidised-guanidinohydantoin (oxGH) from free guanine at pH 11, and the formation of guanidinohydantoin (GH) from DNA at pH 5.5

Solitary waves and their stability in colloidal media: semi-analytical solutions

Spatial solitary waves in colloidal suspensions of spherical dielectric nanoparticles are considered. The interaction of the nanoparticles is modelled as a hard-sphere gas, with the Carnahan-Starling formula used for the gas compressibility. Semi-analytical solutions, for both one and two spatial dimensions, are derived using an averaged Lagrangian and suitable trial functions for the solitary waves. Power versus propagation constant curves and neutral stability curves are obtained for both cases, which illustrate that multiple solution branches occur for both the one and two dimensional geometries. For the one-dimensional case it is found that three solution branches (with a bistable regime) occur, while for the two-dimensional case two solution branches (with a single stable branch) occur in the limit of low background packing fractions. For high background packing fractions the power versus propagation constant curves are monotonic and the solitary waves stable for all parameter values. Comparisons are made between the semi-analytical and numerical solutions, with excellent comparison obtained.Comment: Paper to appear in Dynamics of Continuous, Discrete and Impulsive Systems, Series