6,721 research outputs found
A Rectangular Area Filling Display System Architecture
A display system architecture which has rectangular area filling as its primitive operation is presented. It is shown that lines can be drawn significantly faster while rendition of filled boxes shows an O(n^2) speed improvement. Furthermore filled polygons can be rendered with an O(n) speed improvement.
Implementation of this rectangular area filling architecture is discussed and refined. A custom
VLSI integrated circuit is currently being designed to implement this rectangular area filling architecture
and at the same time reduce the display memory system video refresh bandwidth requirements
Compatibility of grain-stabilized platinum with candidate propellants for resistojets
Resistojets are candidates for space station auxiliary propulsion, and should be characterized by both long life and multipropellant operations, requirements limited by available materials. Grain stabilized platinum is examined for use as a resistojet thruster material. Use of platinum in other applications indicates it can be used at moderately high temperatures for extended periods of time. Past results indicate that grain-stabilized platinum should be sufficiently inert in candidate propellant environments. Therefore, compatibility of platinum-yttria (P/Y2O3) and platinum-zirconia (Pt/ZrO2) with carbon dioxide, methane, hydrogen and ammonia is examined. A series of 1000 hr tests in CO2, H2, and NH3 is conducted at 1400 C and a series of 1000 hr tests in CH4 is conducted at about 500 C. Scanning electron microscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy and depth profiling analysis are then used to determine the effects of propellants on the material surface, to evaluate possible material contamination and to evaluate grain growth. The results indicate that there is carbon deposition on the surface of the Pt/Y2O3 and Pt/ZrO2 in both the CO2 and CH4 environments. In the H2 environment, the Pt/Y2O3 and Pt/ZrO2 specimen surfaces are roughened. After exposure to the NH3 environment, the Pt/Y2O3 and Pt/ZrO2 are roughened and pitted over the entire heated area with some pitted areas along the grain boundaries. SEM photos show grain growth in cross-sectional views of all the Pt/Y2O3 samples and the Pt/ZrO2 samples, except that tested in methane. Mass loss measurements indicate that Pt/Y2O3 and Pt/ZrO2 would last in excess of 200,000 hr in each propellant environment. However, in NH3 both Pt/Y2O3 and Pt/ZrO2 are severely pitted, with voids up to 50 percent into the material. Pt/Y2O3 and Pt/ZrO2 are not recommended for high temperature service in NH3
Communication satellite systems for Alaska
Technical and cost factors for implementation of Alaskan communication satellite syste
Gas Dynamics of the Nickel-56 Decay Heating in Pair-Instability Supernovae
Very massive 140-260 Msun stars can die as highly-energetic pair-instability
supernovae (PI SNe) with energies of up to 100 times those of core-collapse SNe
that can completely destroy the star, leaving no compact remnant behind. These
explosions can synthesize Msun of radioactive Ni56, which can cause
them to rebrighten at later times when photons due to Ni56 decay diffuse out of
the ejecta. However, heat from the decay of such large masses of Ni56 could
also drive important dynamical effects deep in the ejecta that are capable of
mixing elements and affecting the observational signatures of these events. We
have now investigated the dynamical effect of Ni56 heating on PI SN ejecta with
high-resolution two-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations performed with the
CASTRO code. We find that expansion of the hot Ni56 bubble forms a shell at the
base of the silicon layer of the ejecta about 200 days after the explosion but
that no hydrodynamical instabilities develop that would mix Ni56 with the
Si/O-rich ejecta. However, while the dynamical effects of Ni56 heating may be
weak they could affect the observational signatures of some PI SNe by diverting
decay energy into internal expansion of the ejecta at the expense of
rebrightening at later times.Comment: Accepted to ApJ, 14 page
Compatibility experiments of facilities, materials, and propellants for electrothermal thrusters
Experiments were performed to determine the compatibility of materials and propellants for electro-thermal thrusters. Candidate propellants for resistojet propulsion include carbon dioxide, methane, hydrogen, ammonia, and hydrazine. The materials being examined are grain stabilized platinum for resistojets for Space station and rhenium for high performance resistojets for satellites. Heater mass loss and deterioration of materials were evaluated. A coiled tube of platinum, with yttria dispersed throughout the base material to inhibit grain growth, was tested in carbon dioxide at 1300 C for 2000 hr. Post-test examination indicated the platinum-yttria heater would last over 100 000 hr with less than 10 percent mass loss. Short-term compatibility tests were conducted to test the integrity of the platinum-yttria in hydrogen, methane, carbon dioxide/methane mixtures and ammonia environments. In each of these 100 hr tests, the platinum-yttria mass change indicated a minimum coil life of 100 000 hr. Facility related effects were investigated in materials tests using rhenium heated to high tempertures. Vacuum facility water reduction was monitored using a mass spectrometer. In vacuum environments obtained using only diffusion pumping and those obtained with the assistance of cryogenic equipment there were mass gains in the rhenium heaters. These mass gains were the result of the high amount of oxygen and water contained in the gas. Propellant purity and preferred test facility environments are discussed
Is the Reception Better on a Different Channel? Interpersonal Communication Satisfaction of Introverts and Extraverts During Face-to-Face Versus Instant Messenger Conversations
Satisfying communication is sometimes hard to come by. Due to differences in social expression and reception, individuals tend to express and receive communication in dissimilar ways, especially within different social contexts. In the present study, the effects of personality and channel of communication on individual and mutual satisfaction after a conversation will be tested. Participants will take a personality test to determine introversion or extraversion. They will then be randomly assigned to conversation pairs which will communicate either through an instant messaging (IM) program or face-to-face (FtF). Satisfaction will be determined using a modified version of the Interpersonal Communication Satisfaction Inventory (ICSI). It is hypothesized that individual satisfaction will be significantly higher for introverts in the IM condition and extraverts in the FtF condition. With regards to mutual satisfaction, it is hypothesized that pairs with dissimilar personalities in the FtF condition will be significantly lower than all other pairings. Finally, it is expected that individuals with high ratings of satisfaction will also report feeling as though they were able to express themselves more authentically. The results of this study will contribute to our view of interpersonal relationships in the modern digital age, as well as present possibilities for creating more mutually beneficial communication between differing personality types
Radiation Transport Simulations of Pulsational Pair-Instability Supernovae
Massive stars of helium cores of 35-65 Msun eventually encounter the
electron/positron creation instability, and it triggers explosive carbon or
oxygen burning that produces several thermonuclear eruptions. The resulting
catastrophe collisions of eruptive shells sometimes produce luminous transients
with peak luminosity of erg/sec, known as pulsational
pair-instability supernovae (PPISNe). Previous 2D simulations of colliding
shells show the development of Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) instabilities and mixing.
Here we present radiation hydrodynamic PPISNe simulations of a 110 Msun
solar-metallicity star that was promising to produce a superluminous transit in
the early work. Our comprehensive study contains a suite of one-, two-, and
three-dimensional models. We discuss the impact of dimensionality and fluid
instabilities on the resulting light curves. The results show the RT mixing
found in previous multidimensional hydro studies transforms into a thin and
distorted shell due to radiative cooling. Radiation from the wiggly shell peaks
at its bolometric light curve of erg/sec, lasting about
150 days and following with a plateau of erg/sec for
another two hundred days before it fades away. The total radiation energy
emitted from colliding shells is erg, which is of the kinetic energy of the major eruption. The dimensional effects also
manifest on the physical properties, such as irregularity and thickness of the
shell. Our study suggests PPISNe is a promising candidate of luminous SNe, the
radiation of which originates from colliding shells with a homogeneous mixing
of ejecta.Comment: Submitted to ApJ, 16 pages, comments are welcom
The Issuer-Pays Model: “Big Four” Auditors and Credit Rating Agencies Share a Common Conflict
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