Hex

The game hex has simple rules but complex game play. A computer program was used to analyze different boards. This yielded an interesting insight in making the optimal Hex program

Features and technologies of ERS-1 (ESA) and X-SAR antennas

Features and technologies of planar waveguide array antennas developed for spaceborne microwave sensors are described. Such antennas are made from carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) employing special manufacturing and metallization techniques to achieve satisfactory electrical properties. Mechanical design enables deployable antenna structures necessary for satellite applications (e.g., ESA ERS-1). The slotted waveguide concept provides high aperture efficiency, good beamshaping capabilities, and low losses. These CFRP waveguide antennas feature low mass, high accuracy and stiffness, and can be operated within wide temperature ranges

Helicopter noise regulations: An industry perspective

A review of helicopter noise measurement programs and noise reduction/economic studies of FAA is given along with a critique of a study which addresses the economic impact of noise reduction on helicopter noise. Modification of several helicopters to reduce noise and demonstrate the economic impact of the application of the current state-of-the-art technology is discussed. Specific helicopters described include Boeing Vertol 347 Helicopter, Hughes OH-6 Helicopter, and Hughes 269C Helicopter. Other topics covered include: (1) noise trends and possible noise limits; (2) accuracy of helicopter noise prediction techniques; (3) limited change possibilities of derivatives; and (4) rotor impulsive noise. The unique operational capabilities of helicopters and the implications relative to noise regulations and certification are discussed

Magnets position X-ray film for weld inspection

Film-positioning device uses magnets to hold X ray film for weld inspection in nonferrous structures, such as tanks, where access to interior points is difficult

The pupillary response of cephalopods

This paper provides the first detailed description of the time courses of light-evoked pupillary constriction for two species of cephalopods, Sepia officinalis (a cuttlefish) and Eledone cirrhosa (an octopus). The responses are much faster than hitherto reported, full contraction in Sepia taking less than 1 s, indicating it is among the most rapid pupillary responses in the animal kingdom. We also describe the dependence of the degree of pupil constriction on the level of ambient illumination and show considerable variability between animals. Furthermore, both Sepia and Eledone lack a consensual light-evoked pupil response. Pupil dilation following darkness in Sepia is shown to be very variable, often occurring within a second but at other times taking considerably longer. This may be the result of extensive light-independent variations in pupil diameter in low levels of illumination

High dynamic range perception with spatially variant exposure

In this paper we present a method capable of perceiving high dynamic range scene. The special feature of the method is that it changes the integration time of the imager on the pixel level. Using CNN-UM we can calculate the integration time for the pixels, and hence low dynamic range integration type CMOS sensors will be able to perceive high dynamic range scenes. The method yields high contrast without introducing non-existing edges

Thermostating by Deterministic Scattering: Heat and Shear Flow

We apply a recently proposed novel thermostating mechanism to an interacting many-particle system where the bulk particles are moving according to Hamiltonian dynamics. At the boundaries the system is thermalized by deterministic and time-reversible scattering. We show how this scattering mechanism can be related to stochastic boundary conditions. We subsequently simulate nonequilibrium steady states associated to thermal conduction and shear flow for a hard disk fluid. The bulk behavior of the model is studied by comparing the transport coefficients obtained from computer simulations to theoretical results. Furthermore, thermodynamic entropy production and exponential phase-space contraction rates in the stationary nonequilibrium states are calculated showing that in general these quantities do not agree.Comment: 16 pages (revtex) with 9 figures (postscript

Pararhabdodon Isonensis and Tsintaosaurus Spinorhinus: A New Clade of Lambeosaurine Hadrosaurids from Eurasia

We present new anatomical information showing that Koutalisaurus kohlerorum, from the Maastrichtian of Lleida Province, northeastern Spain, is most probably the junior synonym of Pararhabdodon isonensis from the same region. Dentary and maxillary characters previously considered as autapomorphies of K. kohlerorum and P isonensis, respectively, are shown to be synapomorphies uniting the latter with Tsintaosaurus spinorhinus from the Campanian of the Wangshi Group, Shandong Province, China. This study provided conclusive evidence of the presence of the Lambeosaurinae in Europe. Tsintaosaurus spinorhinus and Pararhabdodon isonensis were inferred to form a clade of basal lambeosaurines characterized by a maxilla with an elevated articular facet for the jugal (continuous with the ectopterygoid ridge) and an extremely medially projected symphyseal region of the dentary. This clade originated in Asia during the middle or late Campanian. Pararhabdodon isonensis or its ancestors migrated from Asia to the Iberian island of the European archipelago. Reconstruction of ancestral areas by Fitch parsimony attributes the European occurrence of P isonensis to a single dispersal event from Asia no later than middle to late Campanian. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Charlotte and Walter Kohler Charitable TrustFlorida State UniversityNational Science Foundation EAR 0207744, DBI 0446224Field Museum of Natural HistoryDepartments of Geosciences and Civil EngineeringGraduate School at Texas Tech UniversityScience Department at South Plains CollegeSigma Xi National Scientific HonoraryUniversity of Texas at AustinNSF IGERTMinistry of Education and Science of Spain CGL2005-07878-C02-01Geological Science

Measurements of wall-shear stress fields on the piston crown in an IC engine flow using fluorescent labelled micro-pillar imaging

The measurement of wall shear-stress along the crown of a moving piston is accomplished with an array of hair-like, flexible micro-pillar sensors (MPS) in an internal combustion (IC) engine during intake flow conditions. The MPS are wall-clamped flexible micro-cylinders of 20micron diameter made of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) positioned on the surface of a transparent planar piston crown and protruding into the boundary layer flow above the piston at a height of 390micron. Their tips are labelled with fluorophores and are illuminated with a scanning laser-sheet system that follows the piston motion in synchronous manner. The flow-induced deflection is recorded through the transparent piston crown from below with a compact shaft-mounted high-speed camera recording the fluorescent re-emitted light from the pillar tips and using the fact of optical wave-guide features of the transparent micro-pillars. The experiments were performed in a transparent 4-valve engine setup (1.6 liter Prince 2, N13B16) during the intake phase. In order to improve the temporal resolution, the running speed of the engine was scaled down using water as working liquid. A static and dynamic sensor-calibration enabled the precise measurements of the wall-shear stress distribution with the sensor array. Due to spatial resolution limits of current available compact high-speed camera the recorded region along the piston was limited to 4x2 mm2 with 8x4 pillars in full view. The recordings at 300fps show the WSS fluctuations induced by the valve-jet / piston-wall interaction in the beginning of the intake with strong wall-normal motion forming critical points in the WSS field such as saddles, nodes and foci. Over the intake cycle > CA 80° these fluctuations die out and flow is transformed into wall-parallel coherent motion prescribed by the formation of the tumble