Archive data base and handling system for the Orbiter flying qualities experiment program

The OFQ archives data base and handling system assembled as part of the Orbiter Flying Qualities (OFQ) research of the Orbiter Experiments Program (EOX) are described. The purpose of the OFQ archives is to preserve and document shuttle flight data relevant to vehicle dynamics, flight control, and flying qualities in a form that permits maximum use for qualified users. In their complete form, the OFQ archives contain descriptive text (general information about the flight, signal descriptions and units) as well as numerical time history data. Since the shuttle program is so complex, the official data base contains thousands of signals and very complex entries are required to obtain data. The OFQ archives are intended to provide flight phase oriented data subsets with relevant signals which are easily identified for flying qualities research

The Moment Guided Monte Carlo method for the Boltzmann equation

In this work we propose a generalization of the Moment Guided Monte Carlo method developed in [11]. This approach permits to reduce the variance of the particle methods through a matching with a set of suitable macroscopic moment equations. In order to guarantee that the moment equations provide the correct solutions, they are coupled to the kinetic equation through a non equilibrium term. Here, at the contrary to the previous work in which we considered the simplified BGK operator, we deal with the full Boltzmann operator. Moreover, we introduce an hybrid setting which permits to entirely remove the resolution of the kinetic equation in the limit of infinite number of collisions and to consider only the solution of the compressible Euler equation. This modification additionally reduce the statistical error with respect to our previous work and permits to perform simulations of non equilibrium gases using only a few number of particles. We show at the end of the paper several numerical tests which prove the efficiency and the low level of numerical noise of the method.Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:0908.026

Psychological assessment in pathological gamblers treated with escitalopram

Pathological Gambling (PG) is classified as a "Disorder of Impulse Control", but due to similarities with drug addiction is frequently described as a drug-free addiction (Potenza et al., 2012). PG is conceptualized as a behavioural addiction because of its neurobiologic, neurophysiologic and psychological features. Current therapeutical approaches seem unsatisfactory as they do not achieve definitive positive outcomes. Considering the well known psycopathological comorbidities, PG represents both a social (impact on relatives money/life) and a sanitary cost, in terms of pharmacological and psychological support. The compulsive behaviour detectable in PG, is a disease with neurophysiopathological basis now fairly well-defined which affects particularly vulnerable people. PG is linked to important changes in brain systems such as the prefrontal cortex, the nucleus accumbens, the endogenous opioid system and the extended amygdale. Recent fMRI studies associate PG with blunted mesolimbic activation to non-specific rewards, whereas increased prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate and ventral striatum activation is observed during gambling-related cue-exposure paradigms. Several neuropsychological studies show higher impulsivity in PG (Odlaug BL. et al., 2013) that, together with specific psychopathological symptoms, such as anxiety and depressed mood, characterize different PG subtypes (Blaszczynski A, Nower L. 2002). Impulsivity transcends multiple psychiatric disorders and is thought to be central to impulse control disorders such as PG. Furthermore, many PGs suffers from depression and decreased mood

PATHOLOGICAL GAMBLING: AN ASSOCIATION WITH ALEXITHYMIA, PERSONALITY DISORDERS AND CLINICAL SYNDROMES

Pathological gambling (PG) is a disorder recently conceptualized as a behavioural addiction, because of its neurobiological, neurophysiological and psychological features (American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders - 5th ed., 2013; Potenza et al., 2012). PG represents both a social and a sanitary cost, in terms of pharmacological and psychological therapies. The aim of this study was to examine the correlation between personality disorders, clinical syndromes and alexithymia levels in a group of pathological gamblers. Furthermore this study aimed at highlighting a relationship between PG and alexithymia, over and above the relationship between personality disorders, clinical syndromes and PG. Sixty treatment- seeking pathological gamblers and 60 healthy controls were included in the study. Psychological assessment included the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS), the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI-III) and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). Pathological gamblers displayed Axis I disorders, such as anxiety, somatoform symptoms, bipolar symptoms, dysthymia, thought disorders and major depression, as well as Axis II disorders such as depressive, antisocial, sadistic, passive-aggressive, self-defeating and paranoid disorders, and greater alexithymia levels. Alexithymia was detected in PG independently from the presence of other psychiatric disorders. Our data show that comorbid psychiatric disorders have been evidentiated in PG. Interestingly alexithymia is related to PG indipendently from other psychopathological disorders, representing a relevant feature, helpful for assessing PG diagnosis and for orienting to the correct therapeutical strategy. REFERENCES American Psychiatric Association. 2013. American Psychiatric Publishing Potenza et al.,2012Psychoph219(2):469-49

Rapid Quantification of Dynamic and Spall Strength of Metals Across Strain Rates

The response of metals and their microstructures under extreme dynamic conditions can be markedly different from that under quasistatic conditions. Traditionally, high strain rates and shock stresses are measured using cumbersome and expensive methods such as the Kolsky bar or large spall experiments. These methods are low throughput and do not facilitate high-fidelity microstructure-property linkages. In this work, we combine two powerful small-scale testing methods, custom nanoindentation, and laser-driven micro-flyer shock, to measure the dynamic and spall strength of metals. The nanoindentation system is configured to test samples from quasistatic to dynamic strain rate regimes (10$^{-3}$ s$^{-1}$ to 10$^{+4}$ s$^{-1}$). The laser-driven micro-flyer shock system can test samples through impact loading between 10$^{+5}$ s$^{-1}$ to 10$^{+7}$ s$^{-1}$ strain rates, triggering spall failure. The model material used for testing is Magnesium alloys, which are lightweight, possess high-specific strengths and have historically been challenging to design and strengthen due to their mechanical anisotropy. Here, we modulate their microstructure by adding or removing precipitates to demonstrate interesting upticks in strain rate sensitivity and evolution of dynamic strength. At high shock loading rates, we unravel an interesting paradigm where the spall strength of these materials converges, but the failure mechanisms are markedly different. Peak aging, considered to be a standard method to strengthen metallic alloys, causes catastrophic failure, faring much worse than solutionized alloys. Our high throughput testing framework not only quantifies strength but also teases out unexplored failure mechanisms at extreme strain rates, providing valuable insights for the rapid design and improvement of metals for extreme environments

Uncertainty quantification for kinetic models in socio-economic and life sciences

Kinetic equations play a major rule in modeling large systems of interacting particles. Recently the legacy of classical kinetic theory found novel applications in socio-economic and life sciences, where processes characterized by large groups of agents exhibit spontaneous emergence of social structures. Well-known examples are the formation of clusters in opinion dynamics, the appearance of inequalities in wealth distributions, flocking and milling behaviors in swarming models, synchronization phenomena in biological systems and lane formation in pedestrian traffic. The construction of kinetic models describing the above processes, however, has to face the difficulty of the lack of fundamental principles since physical forces are replaced by empirical social forces. These empirical forces are typically constructed with the aim to reproduce qualitatively the observed system behaviors, like the emergence of social structures, and are at best known in terms of statistical information of the modeling parameters. For this reason the presence of random inputs characterizing the parameters uncertainty should be considered as an essential feature in the modeling process. In this survey we introduce several examples of such kinetic models, that are mathematically described by nonlinear Vlasov and Fokker--Planck equations, and present different numerical approaches for uncertainty quantification which preserve the main features of the kinetic solution.Comment: To appear in "Uncertainty Quantification for Hyperbolic and Kinetic Equations

HINS Superconducting Lens and Cryostat Performance

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory is involved in the development of a 60 MeV superconducting linac. This linac is part of the High Intensity Neutrino Source (HINS) R&D Program. The initial beam acceleration in the front end section of the linac is achieved using room temperature spoke cavities, each of which is combined with a superconducting focusing solenoid. These solenoid magnets are cooled with liquid helium at 4.5K, operate at 250 A and have a maximum magnetic field strength of 7.5 T. A prototype solenoid cryostat was built and tested at the Fermilab Magnet Test Facility. This paper discusses the test results of the prototype and compares the measured and estimated performance of the cryostat. We also present the methods and results for measuring and fiducializing the axis of the solenoid lens

Independent measurement of the total active B8 solar neutrino flux using an array of He3 proportional counters at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory

The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) used an array of 3He proportional counters to measure the rate of neutral-current interactions in heavy water and precisely determined the total active (νx) 8B solar neutrino flux. This technique is independent of previous methods employed by SNO. The total flux is found to be 5.54-0.31+0.33(stat)-0.34+0.36(syst)×106  cm-2 s-1, in agreement with previous measurements and standard solar models. A global analysis of solar and reactor neutrino results yields Δm2=7.59-0.21+0.19×10-5  eV2 and θ=34.4-1.2+1.3 degrees. The uncertainty on the mixing angle has been reduced from SNO’s previous results