Linguistic methodology for the analysis of aviation accidents

A linguistic method for the analysis of small group discourse, was developed and the use of this method on transcripts of commercial air transpot accidents is demonstrated. The method identifies the discourse types that occur and determine their linguistic structure; it identifies significant linguistic variables based upon these structures or other linguistic concepts such as speech act and topic; it tests hypotheses that support significance and reliability of these variables; and it indicates the implications of the validated hypotheses. These implications fall into three categories: (1) to train crews to use more nearly optimal communication patterns; (2) to use linguistic variables as indices for aspects of crew performance such as attention; and (3) to provide guidelines for the design of aviation procedures and equipment, especially those that involve speech

Crew Communication as a Factor in Aviation Accidents

The crew communication process is analyzed. Planning and explanation are shown to be well-structured discourse types, described by formal rules. These formal rules are integrated with those describing the other most important discourse type within the cockpit: the command-and-control speech act chain. The latter is described as a sequence of speech acts for making requests (including orders and suggestions), for making reports, for supporting or challenging statements, and for acknowledging previous speech acts. Mitigation level, a linguistic indication of indirectness and tentativeness in speech, was an important variable in several hypotheses, i.e., the speech of subordinates is more mitigated than the speech of superiors, the speech of all crewmembers is less mitigated when they know that they are in either a problem or emergency situation, and mitigation is a factor in failures of crewmembers to initiate discussion of new topics or have suggestions ratified by the captain. Test results also show that planning and explanation are more frequently performed by captains, are done more during crew- recognized problems, and are done less during crew-recognized emergencies. The test results also indicated that planning and explanation are more frequently performed by captains than by other crewmembers, are done more during crew-recognized problems, and are done less during-recognized emergencies

Phobos: Photometry and origin of dark markings on crater floors

High resolution photographs of Phobos taken during close flybys of Viking Orbiter 1 reveal many dark patches on the floors of several craters. The apparently dark material is only prominent at large phase angles. Analysis of the photometric properties indicates that the dark patches represent areas of unusually rough textures whose reflectance near zero phase is similar to that of the mean surface (approximately 6 percent in the visible), but whose phase curve is much steeper. The contrast of such areas is less than 10 percent zero phase but approaches 100 percent near phase angles of 90 degrees. It is proposed that these intricately textured deposits represent patches of vesticular impact melt

A test of the applicability of independent scattering to high albedo planetary regoliths

We show that 'independent scattering' is a useful approximation for high albedo particles whose size and packing density are similar to typical particles in the lunar regolith. Laboratory measurements of the intensity and linear polarization of light scattered from a laboratory sample of glass spheres of know size and composition are compared to radiative transfer calculations of the same observable quantities. Mie scattering is integrated over the size distribution of the particles to determine the mean phase and polarization functions, or phase matrix, of the particle. Assuming that the particles scatter independently, the 'doubling method' is used to rigorously calculate multiple scattering in an optically thick layer of these anisotropically scattering particles. All of the major features 'predicted' in the calculated intensity (double peaks at small phase angles) and polarization (negative branch at small phase angles, large positive peak near 20 degrees phase, and small polarization elsewhere) are observed in the laboratory measurements, with good quantitative agreement indicated at phase angles less than 90 degrees. Even though the particles are supported by physical contact with each other in the sample, as are the particles in planetary regoliths, the independent scattering calculation yields a good approximation to both the intensity and polarization. The physical parameters input to the calculation are only the size distribution of the particles and their complex index of refraction (composition). Significant advantages of this approach are that the phase matrix is calculated from basic physical principles and both the intensity and polarization are determined simultaneously. This model may have broad applications to the interpretation of photometry, spectroscopy, and polarimetry of the icy regoliths of high albedo satellites. The intent of this effort is to perform a controlled experiment that tests the utility of the independent scattering assumptio

329 Buckshot Infantry Regiment: a history

This history is taken from the official records of the 329th Infantry. It covers the battle actions of the regiment from the dogged yard by yard bloody and uninspiring slugging match of the hedgerows of Normandy, to our spectacular dash from the Rhine to the Elbe. The record of accomplishments of the 329th is one of which any member may justifiably be proud. This record of battles won and of ground gained and held is the composite picture of many smaller fights where the decisive action was the marching fire of the rifleman, the steadfastness of the machine gunner under attack or the bravery of the bazooka man stalking p, tank. The spirit and determination of the individual made possible the winning of important battles. These successes have not been won cheaply. Beneath the soil of Europe lie the bodies of over 850 of our comrades. To the hospitals have gone nearly 4000 others wounded in action. Most of these were killed or wounded because when the time came for them to decide between safety and duty they chose the latter. Our debt to them cannot be paid. Colonel Edwin B. Crabillhttps://digicom.bpl.lib.me.us/ww_reg_his/1028/thumbnail.jp

Triton's global heat budget

Internal heat flow from radioactive decay in Triton's interior along with absorbed thermal energy from Neptune total 5 to 20 percent of the insolation absorbed by Triton, thus comprising a significant fraction of Triton's surface energy balance. These additional energy inputs can raise Triton's surface temperature between approx. 0.5 to 1.5 K above that possible with absorbed sunlight alone, resulting in a factor of approx. 1.5 to 2.5 increase in Triton's basal atmospheric pressure. If Triton's internal heatflow is concentrated in some areas, as is likely, local effects such as enhanced sublimation with subsequent modification of albedo could be quite large. Furthermore, indications of recent albedo change on Triton suggest that Triton's surface temperature and pressure may not now be in steady state, further suggesting that atmospheric pressure on Triton was as much as 10 times higher in the recent past

Use of Logical Models for Proving Operational Termination in General Logics

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-44802-2_2[EN] A declarative programming language is based on some logic L and its operational semantics is given by a proof calculus which is often presented in a natural deduction style by means of inference rules. Declarative programs are theories S of L and executing a program is proving goals ϕ in the inference system I(S) associated to S as a particulariza-tion of the inference system of the logic. The usual soundness assumption for L implies that every model A of S also satisfies ϕ. In this setting, the operational termination of a declarative program is quite naturally defined as the absence of infinite proof trees in the inference system I(S). Proving operational termination of declarative programs often involves two main ingredients: (i) the generation of logical models A to abstract the program execution (i.e., the provability of specific goals in I(S)), and (ii) the use of well-founded relations to guarantee the absence of infinite branches in proof trees and hence of infinite proof trees, possibly taking into account the information about provability encoded by A. In this paper we show how to deal with (i) and (ii) in a uniform way. The main point is the synthesis of logical models where well-foundedness is a side requirement for some specific predicate symbols.Partially supported by the EU (FEDER), Spanish MINECO TIN 2013-45732-C4-1-P and TIN2015-69175-C4-1-R, and GV PROMETEOII/2015/013.Lucas Alba, S. (2016). Use of Logical Models for Proving Operational Termination in General Logics. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. 9942:26-46. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-44802-2S2646994