A focus on shape coexistence in nuclei

The present collection of articles focuses on new directions and developments under the title of shape coexistence in nuclei, following our 2011 Reviews of Modern Physics article (K Heyde and J L Wood)

Space environment robot vision system

A prototype twin-camera stereo vision system for autonomous robots has been developed at Goddard Space Flight Center. Standard charge coupled device (CCD) imagers are interfaced with commercial frame buffers and direct memory access to a computer. The overlapping portions of the images are analyzed using photogrammetric techniques to obtain information about the position and orientation of objects in the scene. The camera head consists of two 510 x 492 x 8-bit CCD cameras mounted on individually adjustable mounts. The 16 mm efl lenses are designed for minimum geometric distortion. The cameras can be rotated in the pitch, roll, and yaw (pan angle) directions with respect to their optical axes. Calibration routines have been developed which automatically determine the lens focal lengths and pan angle between the two cameras. The calibration utilizes observations of a calibration structure with known geometry. Test results show the precision attainable is plus or minus 0.8 mm in range at 2 m distance using a camera separation of 171 mm. To demonstrate a task needed on Space Station Freedom, a target structure with a movable I beam was built. The camera head can autonomously direct actuators to dock the I-beam to another one so that they could be bolted together

Nuclear structure from radioactive decay

Issued as Annual progress report, Project no. G-41-620 (continuation of G-41-609; continued by G-41-630

Status of MSX in Chesapeake Bay

Oystermen in lower Chesapeake Bay survived the ravages of Dermocystidium during some hot summers in the past decade only to be scourged by a new disease which appeared in 1969. We had learned to live with Dermocystidium by avoiding infected seed and limiting the number of hot summers oysters were held in infested areas. Now we have the more difficult problem of adjusting to MSX which is a devastating killer of oysters

Status of diseases of oysters in Chesapeake Bay

Oysters in lower Chesapeake Bay survived the ravages of Dermocystidium during some hot summers in the past decade only to be scourged by a new disease (MSX) which appeared in 1959. We had learned to live with Dermocystidium by avoiding infected seed and limiting the number of hot summers oysters were held in infested areas. Now we are faced with the more difficult problem of adjusting to MSX, which is a devastating killer of oysters. The beginning of a new season of planting seed is an appropriate time to review our knowledge of teh various diseases of oysters

Occurrence of MSX in live oysters in Rappahannock River

Sampling data

Space biology initiative program definition review. Trade study 2: Prototype utilization in the development of space biology hardware

The objective was to define the factors which space flight hardware developers and planners should consider when determining: (1) the number of hardware units required to support program; (2) design level of the units; and (3) most efficient means of utilization of the units. The analysis considered technology risk, maintainability, reliability, and safety design requirements for achieving the delivery of highest quality flight hardware. Relative cost impacts of the utilization of prototyping were identified. The development of Space Biology Initiative research hardware will involve intertwined hardware/software activities. Experience has shown that software development can be an expensive portion of a system design program. While software prototyping could imply the development of a significantly different end item, an operational system prototype must be considered to be a combination of software and hardware. Hundreds of factors were identified that could be considered in determining the quantity and types of prototypes that should be constructed. In developing the decision models, these factors were combined and reduced by approximately ten-to-one in order to develop a manageable structure based on the major determining factors. The Baseline SBI hardware list of Appendix D was examined and reviewed in detail; however, from the facts available it was impossible to identify the exact types and quantities of prototypes required for each of these items. Although the factors that must be considered could be enumerated for each of these pieces of equipment, the exact status and state of development of the equipment is variable and uncertain at this time

New Developments at NASA's Instrument Synthesis and Analysis Laboratory

NASA's Instrument Synthesis and Analysis Laboratory (ISAL) has developed new methods to provide an instrument study in one week's engineering time. The final product is recorded in oral presentations, models and the analyses which underlie the models

Hare Today… Gone Tomorrow: A Methodology for Mapping White-Tailed Jackrabbit Distribution in Edmonton

The White-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus townsendii), is native to the open grasslands throughout the interior of North America, yet it has become a common sight in urban settings. Assessed every other year since 1992, data on the approximate locations of White-tailed Jackrabbits (WTJs) in the City of Edmonton have been collected and analysed by various students of The King’s University. This data was used to estimate population densities and study the synurbization of this species as the city expands into former agricultural lands. These data were collected in five land use categories: established residential neighbourhoods, parks, industrial, recent residential developments, and rural areas. A transect-based methodology developed for bird census has been tested to determine whether the distribution of WTJs are clustered or randomly distributed. This poster highlights the challenges associated with synthesising this valuable data set, and proposes a methodology utilizing ArcGIS to map the distribution of WTJs in the City of Edmonton. It provides a digital basis for adding future data and extending the ongoing spatial analysis. *Indicates faculty mentor