Research on integration of visual and motion cues for flight simulation and ride quality investigation

Vestibular perception and integration of several sensory inputs in simulation were studied. The relationship between tilt sensation induced by moving fields and those produced by actual body tilt is discussed. Linearvection studies were included and the application of the vestibular model for perception of orientation based on motion cues is presented. Other areas of examination includes visual cues in approach to landing, and a comparison of linear and nonlinear wash out filters using a model of the human vestibular system is given

TPS design for aerobraking at Earth and Mars

An investigation was made to determine the feasibility of using an aerobrake system for manned and unmanned missions to Mars, and to Earth from Mars and lunar orbits. A preliminary thermal protection system (TPS) was examined for five unmanned small nose radius, straight bi-conic vehicles and a scaled up Aeroassist Flight Experiment (AFE) vehicle aerocapturing at Mars. Analyses were also conducted for the scaled up AFE and an unmanned Sample Return Cannister (SRC) returning from Mars and aerocapturing into Earth orbit. Also analyzed were three different classes of lunar transfer vehicles (LTV's): an expendable scaled up modified Apollo Command Module (CM), a raked cone (modified AFT), and three large nose radius domed cylinders. The LTV's would be used to transport personnel and supplies between Earth and the moon in order to establish a manned base on the lunar surface. The TPS for all vehicles analyzed is shown to have an advantage over an all-propulsive velocity reduction for orbit insertion. Results indicate that TPS weight penalties of less than 28 percent can be achieved using current material technology, and slightly less than the most favorable LTV using advanced material technology

Development of the CHARIOT Research Register for the Prevention of Alzheimer’s Dementia and Other Late Onset Neurodegenerative Diseases

Identifying cognitively healthy people at high risk of developing dementia is an ever-increasing focus. These individuals are essential for inclusion in observational studies into the natural history of the prodromal and early disease stages and for interventional studies aimed at prevention or disease modification. The success of this research is dependent on having access to a well characterised, representative and sufficiently large population of individuals. Access to such a population remains challenging as clinical research has, historically, focussed on patients with dementia referred to secondary and tertiary services. The primary care system in the United Kingdom allows access to a true prodromal population prior to symptoms emerging and specialist referral. We report the development and recruitment rates of the CHARIOT register, a primary care-based recruitment register for research into the prevention of dementia. The CHARIOT register was designed specifically to support recruitment into observational natural history studies of pre-symptomatic or prodromal dementia stages, and primary or secondary prevention pharmaceutical trials or other prevention strategies for dementia and other cognitive problems associated with ageing.Participants were recruited through searches of general practice lists across the west and central London regions. Invitations were posted to individuals aged between 60 and 85 years, without a diagnosis of dementia. Upon consent, a minimum data set of demographic and contact details was extracted from the patient's electronic health record.To date, 123 surgeries participated in the register, recruiting a total of 24,509 participants-a response rate of 22.3%. The age, gender and ethnicity profiles of participants closely match that of the overall eligible population. Higher response rates tended to be associated with larger practices (r = 0.34), practices with a larger older population (r = 0.27), less socioeconomically disadvantaged practices (r = 0.68), and practices with a higher proportion of White patients (r = 0.82).Response rates are comparable to other registers reported in the literature, and indicate good interest and support for a research register and for participation in research for the prevention of age-related neurodegenerative diseases and dementia. We consider that the simplicity of the approach means that this system is easily scalable and replicable across the UK and internationally

Display/control requirements for VTOL aircraft

Quantative metrics were determined for system control performance, workload for control, monitoring performance, and workload for monitoring. Pilot tasks were allocated for navigation and guidance of automated commercial V/STOL aircraft in all weather conditions using an optimal control model of the human operator to determine display elements and design

Study of an advanced General Aviation Turbine Engine (GATE)

The best technology program for a small, economically viable gas turbine engine applicable to the general aviation helicopter and aircraft market for 1985-1990 was studied. Turboshaft and turboprop engines in the 112 to 746 kW (150 to 1000 hp) range and turbofan engines up to 6672 N (1500 lbf) thrust were considered. A good market for new turbine engines was predicted for 1988 providing aircraft are designed to capitalize on the advantages of the turbine engine. Parametric engine families were defined in terms of design and off-design performance, mass, and cost. These were evaluated in aircraft design missions selected to represent important market segments for fixed and rotary-wing applications. Payoff parameters influenced by engine cycle and configuration changes were aircraft gross mass, acquisition cost, total cost of ownership, and cash flow. Significant advantage over a current technology, small gas turbine engines was found especially in cost of ownership and fuel economy for airframes incorporating an air-cooled high-pressure ratio engine. A power class of 373 kW (500 hp) was recommended as the next frontier for technology advance where large improvements in fuel economy and engine mass appear possible through component research and development

Single-machine scheduling with stepwise tardiness costs and release times

We study a scheduling problem that belongs to the yard operations component of the railroad planning problems, namely the hump sequencing problem. The scheduling problem is characterized as a single-machine problem with stepwise tardiness cost objectives. This is a new scheduling criterion which is also relevant in the context of traditional machine scheduling problems. We produce complexity results that characterize some cases of the problem as pseudo-polynomially solvable. For the difficult-to-solve cases of the problem, we develop mathematical programming formulations, and propose heuristic algorithms. We test the formulations and heuristic algorithms on randomly generated single-machine scheduling problems and real-life datasets for the hump sequencing problem. Our experiments show promising results for both sets of problems

Shapes of Molecular Cloud Cores and the Filamentary Mode of Star Formation

Using recent dust continuum data, we generate the intrinsic ellipticity distribution of dense, starless molecular cloud cores. Under the hypothesis that the cores are all either oblate or prolate randomly-oriented spheroids, we show that a satisfactory fit to observations can be obtained with a gaussian prolate distribution having a mean intrinsic axis ratio of 0.54. Further, we show that correlations exist between the apparent axis ratio and both the peak intensity and total flux density of emission from the cores, the sign of which again favours the prolate hypothesis. The latter result shows that the mass of a given core depends on its intrinsic ellipticity. Monte Carlo simulations are performed to find the best-fit power law of this dependence. Finally, we show how these results are consistent with an evolutionary scenario leading from filamentary parent clouds to increasingly massive, condensed, and roughly spherical embedded cores.Comment: 16 pages, incl. 11 Postscript figures. Accepted by Ap

THE EFFECTS OF A NOVEL EXERCISE TRAINING SUIT ON CARDIORESPIRATORY FITNESS, BODY COMPOSITION AND LEG STRENGTH

ABSTRACT The Effects of a Novel Exercise Training Suit on Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Body Composition and Leg Strength Trevor Michael Curry The physiological responses to physical activity or exercise using external load carriage systems (LCS) in the form of weighted personal protective equipment, backpacks, or vests have biomechanical and human performance implications. It remains unclear whether a new unique LCS in the form of a weighted (5.45 kg) full-bodied exercise suit can induce greater improvements in performance and body composition. Twenty-one healthy males (20±3 years; 24.9±3.6 body mass index (BMI); 25.1±6.4% total percentage body fat ( % fat); 120.1±17.3 kg lean mass; 146.2±35.4 kg leg press 1-repetition max; 1.25±0.14 g·cm-2 bone mineral density; 49.5±8.53 mLO2·kg-1·min-1 maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max)) were matched for VO2max and physical characteristics before being randomly allocated into an aerobic exercise intervention with or without the exercise suit using a treadmill at the Cal Poly Recreation Center. Participants jogged at 60%-70% of their maximum heart rate for 30 min three times a week on nonconsecutive days for six weeks. Weight was recorded before and after each session while heart rates, blood pressures, and tympanic membrane temperatures were recorded incrementally during each session. Thereafter, VO2max and the same physical characteristics were measured and used to analyze the changes before and after the 6-week program. The results indicate that there was no difference for the change in any of the variables measured during and between the exercise intervention. Future studies examining the effect of the exercise suit on these variables should strongly consider larger sample sizes and other subpopulations to gain the statistical power to measure the effects of the exercise suit