Use of the Long Duration Exposure Facility's thermal measurement system for the verification of thermal models

The Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) postflight thermal model predicted temperatures were matched to flight temperature data recorded by the Thermal Measurement System (THERM), LDEF experiment P0003. Flight temperatures, recorded at intervals of approximately 112 minutes for the first 390 days of LDEF's 2105 day mission were compared with predictions using the thermal mathematical model (TMM). This model was unverified prior to flight. The postflight analysis has reduced the thermal model uncertainty at the temperature sensor locations from +/- 40 F to +/- 18 F. The improved temperature predictions will be used by the LDEF's principal investigators to calculate improved flight temperatures experienced by 57 experiments located on 86 trays of the facility

Long duration exposure facility solar illumination data package

A post flight solar illumination data package was created by the LDEF thermal analysis data group in support of the LDEF science office data group. The data presented was prepared with the Thermal Radiation Analysis System (TRASYS) program. Ground tracking data was used to calculate daily orbital beta angles for the calculation of resultant fluxes. This data package will be useful in calculation of solar illumination fluent for a variety of beta angle orbital conditions encountered during the LDEF mission

On Readout of Vibrational Qubits Using Quantum Beats

Readout of the final states of qubits is a crucial step towards implementing quantum computation in experiment. Although not scalable to large numbers of qubits per molecule, computational studies show that molecular vibrations could provide a significant (factor 2–5 in the literature) increase in the number of qubits compared to two-level systems. In this theoretical work, we explore the process of readout from vibrational qubits in thiophosgene molecule, SCCl2, using quantum beat oscillations. The quantum beats are measured by first exciting the superposition of the qubit-encoding vibrational states to the electronically excited readout state with variable time-delay pulses. The resulting oscillation of population of the readout state is then detected as a function of time delay. In principle, fitting the quantum beat signal by an analytical expression should allow extracting the values of probability amplitudes and the relative phases of the vibrational qubit states. However, we found that if this procedure is implemented using the standard analytic expression for quantum beats, a non-negligible phase error is obtained. We discuss the origin and properties of this phase error, and propose a new analytical expression to correct the phase error. The corrected expression fits the quantum beat signal very accurately, which may permit reading out the final state of vibrational qubits in experiments by combining the analytic fitting expression with numerical modelling of the readout process. The new expression is also useful as a simple model for fitting any quantum beat experiments where more accurate phase information is desired

Using a Simulation to Teach the Informed Consent Process

A capstone submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the College of Education at Morehead State University by Jasmin Berrios on April 24, 2018

The Role of Cues and Kinematics on Social Event Perception

The belief that intentions are hidden away in the minds of individuals has been circulating for many years. Theories of indirect perception, such as the Theory of Mind, have since been developed to help explain this phenomenon. Conversely, research in the field of human kinematics and event perception have also given rise to theories of direct perception. The purpose of the study was to determine if intentionality can be directly perceived rather than requiring inferential processes. Prior research regarding kinematics of cooperative and competitive movements have pointed toward direct perception, demonstrating participants can accurately judge a movement as cooperative or competitive by simply observing point-light displays of the isolated arm movements. Considering competitive movements are often performed faster than cooperative movements, speed was perturbed for the purpose of this study to determine if participants are relying on cues or if they can indeed perceive a unique kinematic pattern that corresponds to intentionality. Judging the clips correctly despite perturbation would suggest perception is direct. Additionally, we hypothesized judgments accuracy would be higher in the presence of two actors pointing to the use of interpersonal affordances. Twenty-eight participants from the University of Central Florida were asked to judge 40 clips presented in random order including: normal or perturbed competitive actions with one or two actors; normal or perturbed cooperative actions with one or two actors. Percent correct and reaction time data were analyzed on SPSS using a repeated measures ANOVA. Results rejected the hypothesis that social perception is direct and supported indirect perception, indicating participants relied on cues to make judgments, and provided potential support for the interpersonal affordance hypothesis

The Computerized integrated smart home

The emergence of multiple home computers and the need to network them together are dramatically increasing in our society. At the same time, more and more methods of networking home computers are being developed. As our society becomes more reliant on using digital devices in our everyday lives, the possibility of a smart home can actually become a reality. My thesis will research currently available home automation products, and will propose a complete smart home system using current and possible future technologies. It will also include the various services that can be offered via home networking and automation. There are several component areas that must be considered and combined to create the complete system. Some of these areas include communications, device control, temperature, security, and most important, the user interface. One of the main components of the system will be the concept of a console , which will be the primary interface. My thesis will explore different kinds of consoles using existing and proposed technology, how they can be internetworked together to form a complete communications system, and how they can be connected to the outside world. The feasibility of offering home automation services using these consoles is another area that will be explored. For instance, can a home be considered secure if doors and locks are automated and integrated into the smart home? With the smart home, a user should be able to enter the house without a key, solely by communicating with the system. It could even be possible to lock a door from any console within the house, in case the user forgot. I believe the smart home is becoming a reality, and can propel our society into a new way of life as an advanced civilization. My thesis will attempt to provide various ways of making it a reality using current and possible future technologies. Although it will not provide a concrete example of a complete smart home system, that area of expansion exists for future research. Perhaps one day it will become a standard in new home development, and will change how we perform everyday tasks at home