Developing Experimental Models for NASA Missions with ASSL

NASA's new age of space exploration augurs great promise for deep space exploration missions whereby spacecraft should be independent, autonomous, and smart. Nowadays NASA increasingly relies on the concepts of autonomic computing, exploiting these to increase the survivability of remote missions, particularly when human tending is not feasible. Autonomic computing has been recognized as a promising approach to the development of self-managing spacecraft systems that employ onboard intelligence and rely less on control links. The Autonomic System Specification Language (ASSL) is a framework for formally specifying and generating autonomic systems. As part of long-term research targeted at the development of models for space exploration missions that rely on principles of autonomic computing, we have employed ASSL to develop formal models and generate functional prototypes for NASA missions. This helps to validate features and perform experiments through simulation. Here, we discuss our work on developing such missions with ASSL.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, Workshop on Formal Methods for Aerospace (FMA'09

Police Response to Domestic Violence

A graduate student completed research and facilitated discussion of police response to domestic violence. A review of literature covered a through definition of domestic violence and a historical perspective on the role of law enforcement in these types of cases. A survey was created, and administered to police officers to obtain their views, attitudes, knowledge, and perceptions on domestic violence. The topic of domestic violence and police response was explored through a feminist counseling perspective. A summary of the survey results was presented. Suggestions and recommendations for future research and practice were also discussed

Word mastery in oral reading, look on versus not look on, in the second grade.

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

Magnetic reordering in the vicinity of a ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic interface

The magnetic arrangement in the vicinity of the interface between a ferromagnet and an antiferromagnet is investigated, in particular its dependence on the exchange couplings and the temperature. Applying a Heisenberg model, both sc(001) and fcc(001) lattices are considered and solved by a mean field approximation. Depending on the parameter values a variety of different magnetic configurations emerge. Usually the subsystem with the larger ordering temperature induces a magnetic order into the other one (magnetic proximity effect). With increasing temperature a reorientation of the magnetic sublattices is obtained. For coupled sc(001) systems both FM and AFM films are disturbed from their collinear magnetic order, hence exhibit a similar behavior. This symmetry is absent for fcc(001) films which, under certain circumstances, may exhibit two different critical temperatures. Analytical results are derived for simple bilayer systems.Comment: accepted for publication in Eur. Phys. J.

Flash drive memory apparatus and method

A memory apparatus includes a non-volatile computer memory, a USB mass storage controller connected to the non-volatile computer memory, the USB mass storage controller including a daisy chain component, a male USB interface connected to the USB mass storage controller, and at least one other interface for a memory device, other than a USB interface, the at least one other interface being connected to the USB mass storage controller

Organism -sediment interactions: The role of seabed dynamics in structuring the mesohaline York River macrobenthic community

Estuaries are dynamic physical environments. The stability of the sediment-water interface is influenced by sources and rates of sediment delivery and physical reworking of sediments by currents, tides, waves and biology, but effects of disruption of this interface on benthic biology are poorly resolved. For this study, I investigated effects of prevalent gradients in seabed disturbance processes and associated seabed characteristics on estuarine benthic community structure and function in the mesohaline York River, a tributary of Chesapeake Bay, USA. I used a variety of approaches to characterize the seabed, including sediment grain size, sediment water content, maximum depth of 7Be, depth of the oxidized sediment layer, profiles of sediment Eh, physical structure of the sediment, sediment chlorophyll a, and sediment organic content. Differences in magnitude of deposition and subsequent reworking of sediments by physical processes were documented among the five benthic subenvironments sampled (south shoal, secondary channel, main channel flank, main channel, and north shoal). Temporal and spatial variations in spring recruitment were observed among subenvironments sampled weekly for recruits: the south shoal, secondary channel and main channel flank. Total recruitment was greatest in the main channel flank, which experienced the highest sediment deposition, and was limited in the secondary channel, which had the strongest tidal currents. The five benthic subenvironments sampled for patterns of community structure and estimates of secondary production were dominated by estuarine opportunist species. Total abundance was greatest in the north shoal, which experienced minimal deposition and physical reworking of sediment. Biomass and secondary production estimates were driven by presence of deep-dwelling bivalves, and were greatest in subenvironments that experienced deposition. These results suggest that variations in seabed characteristics across relatively small spatial scales can influence estuarine benthic community structure and function. Laboratory experiments were conducted to further elucidate the effect of sediment deposition on estuarine organism survival. Species representing both infaunal and epifaunal taxa ranged from highly susceptible to highly tolerant of burial by sediment. Survival was a function of organism motility, residence depth and perhaps physiological adaptations. Small, shallow-dwelling juveniles of some common estuarine species were highly tolerant of burial