A history of the development of our knowledge regarding the circulatory system

In writing an essay on the Circulatory System as seen from a historical standpoint, one is tempted to "begin "by endeavouring to point out the supreme value to the medical profession of a thorough and accurate knowledge of the system which involves the blood-supply. However, as the essay promises to be a long one, we shall not burden its pages with an excess of extraneous matter, and shall at once proceed to carry out its purpose as expressed by the title, "A HISTORY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR KNOWLEDGE regarding the CIRCULATORY SYSTEM"

Negotiating space, place and power in the postmodern and contemporary encyclopedic novel

2018 Spring.Includes bibliographical references.This project examines the shifts of global and cartographical power in the late 20th and early 21st centuries through the lens of the encyclopedic novel. I argue that cartographies of power have become increasingly global, decentralized, and polysystemic during the postwar era. I have selected six novels spanning from 1955 through 2014 to demonstrate how the encyclopedic genre lends itself to the relationships of power with geographical space, as well as the organization of narrative space through the encyclopedic structure. My research points towards the cartelization of both space and power – as global networks emerge, institutional means of control become irreducibly complex and cannot be isolated to traditional centers of authority. The hegemonic apparatus of control that I examine extends from the cultural and aesthetic value systems to the constraints of global mobility and the creation of abject spaces to which subaltern groups are limited. I argue that a rhizomatic approach to mapping, which includes a multicultural and multinational reevaluation of cartographical space, is the only means in which the cartelization of space can be resisted. This project will provide both a genealogy of hegemonic power in the postwar encyclopedic novel and contend with contemporary issues such as global mobility and the systems of violence that disproportionally target subaltern groups

Development of a Hardware-in-the-loop Simulation Platform for Safety Critical Control System Evaluation

During the lifetime of a nuclear power plant (NPP) safety electronic control system components become obsolete [7]. It is difficult to find replacement components qualified for nuclear applications [50]. Due to strict regulations, replacement components undergo extensive verification and operational analysis [70]. Therefore, the need for a platform to evaluate replacement safety control systems in a non-intrusive manner is evident. Verifying the operation or functionality of potential replacement electronic control systems is often performed through simulation [71]. To enable simulation, a physical interface between potential control systems and computer based simulators is developed. System connectivity is establish using Ethernet and standard industrial electrical signals. The interface includes a National Instruments (NI) virtual instrument (VI) and data acquisition system (DAQ) hardware. The interface supports simulator controlled transmission and receipt of variables. The transmission of simulated process variables to and from an external control system is enabled. This is known as hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation [49]. Next, HIL interface performance is verified and the following are identified; a measure of availability; the effect of varied configurations; and limitations. Further, an HIL simulation platform is created by connecting a NPP simulator and a programmable logic controller (PLC) to the interface, Canadian Deuterium Uranium (CANDU) reactor training simulator and Invensys Tricon version nine (v9) safety PLC respectively. The PLC is programmed to operate as shutdown system no. 1 (SDSl) of a CANDU reactor. Platform availability is verified and the response of the PLC as SDSl and is monitored during reactor shutdown. Proper execution of the steam generator level low (SGLL) logic on the PLC and variable transmission are observed. Thus, a platform and procedure for the evaluation of replacements for obsolete electronic control system components is demonstrated

Defining the ATC Controller Interface for Data Link Clearances

The Controller Interface (CI) is the primary method for Air Traffic Controllers to communicate with aircraft via Controller-Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC). The controller, wearing a microphone/headset, aurally gives instructions to aircraft as he/she would with today's voice radio systems. The CI's voice recognition system converts the instructions to digitized messages that are formatted according to the RTCA DO-219 Operational Performance Standards for ATC Two-Way Data Link Communications. The DO-219 messages are transferred via RS-232 to the ATIDS system for uplink using a Mode-S datalink. Pilot acknowledgments of controller messages are downlinked to the ATIDS system and transferred to the Cl. A computer monitor is used to convey information to the controller. Aircraft data from the ARTS database are displayed on flight strips. The flight strips are electronic versions of the strips currently used in the ATC system. Outgoing controller messages cause the respective strip to change color to indicate an unacknowledged transmission. The message text is shown on the flight strips for reference. When the pilot acknowledges the message, the strip returns to its normal color. A map of the airport can also be displayed on the monitor. In addition to voice recognition, the controller can enter messages using the monitor's touch screen or by mouse/keyboard

Studies in Organic Geochemistry

Organic geochemistry is the study of organic matter in geological situations, including contemporary environments. One facet of the subject is the isolation and identification of organic compounds from fossils and sediments. Correlations are then sought between such compounds and the biological compounds present in contemporary organisms, bearing in mind the chemical changes which could have taken place. in this thesis an attempt has been made to relate chemically a living alga, Botryococcus braunii , a derived rubbery deposit called Cocrengite and Torbanite which is a sediment 300 million years in age. The thesis can be divided into six parts, five of which are concerned with organic geochemistry. The Introduction reviews the more significant contributions to organic geochemistry and describes the types of compounds found in sediments, with special reference to alkanes. Some of the various facets of the subject and the possible derivations of geological isoprenoid alkanes ere also discussed. Section I is concerned with the alkanes present in two samples of a young sediment (ca. 30 x 10e6 yrs.) from N. W. Bohemia, Czechoslovakia. The distributions of the normal alkanes are reminiscent of those of the normal alkanes of the surface waxes of most contemporary plants. Furthermore the predominance of triterpene hydrocarbons in the branched-cyclic aIkam fraction is in accordance with the fact that the plant species identified in the sediment are mainly angiosperms. The diterpene hydrocarbon fichtelite was identified in one of the samples. Section II deals with the alkanes of a number of samples from the Scottish Carboniferous Formation (ca. 300 x 10e6 yrs.). The normal alkanes of these samples have smooth distributions in contrast to those found for the young sediment examined (Section I). A number of acyclic isoprenoid hydrocarbons were identified, indicating that the samples have a biological origin. Triterpene hydrocarbons were isolated from one of the samples, viz. the Westwood Shale and their occurrence reflects the difference in source material between this and a closely related sediment called Torbanite. The Westwood Shale is the oldest geological sample from which triterpanes have been isolated in a pure state. Section III describes the hydrocarbons of a rubbery deposit called Coorongite (ca. 40 yrs.) which is the presumed precursor of Torbanite. The unusual hydrocarbon distributions found in Coorongite are thought by the author to be the result of bacterial activity. Three acyclic isopronoid hydrocarbons were identified in the sample examined. Section IV deals with the hydrocarbons of a living alga, Botryococcus braunii, which gives rise to Coorongite. No saturated hydrocarbons were detected in the alga and the hydrocarbon fraction was found to consist almost entirely of two novel hydrocarbons. Approaches to the structural elucidation of these hydrocarbons are described. The Appendix is concerned with the interactions which can take place between a nitro-group and a side chain in orthosubstituted nitrobenzenes . The types of interaction which have been observed are reviewed and two new examples are descried. A mass spectral method for the identification of the N-oxide function in aromatic N-oxides is discussed

A simulation of GPS and differential GPS sensors

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a revolutionary advance in navigation. Users can determine latitude, longitude, and altitude by receiving range information from at least four satellites. The statistical accuracy of the user's position is directly proportional to the statistical accuracy of the range measurement. Range errors are caused by clock errors, ephemeris errors, atmospheric delays, multipath errors, and receiver noise. Selective Availability, which the military uses to intentionally degrade accuracy for non-authorized users, is a major error source. The proportionality constant relating position errors to range errors is the Dilution of Precision (DOP) which is a function of the satellite geometry. Receivers separated by relatively short distances have the same satellite and atmospheric errors. Differential GPS (DGPS) removes these errors by transmitting pseudorange corrections from a fixed receiver to a mobile receiver. The corrected pseudorange at the moving receiver is now corrupted only by errors from the receiver clock, multipath, and measurement noise. This paper describes a software package that models position errors for various GPS and DGPS systems. The error model is used in the Real-Time Simulator and Cockpit Technology workstation simulations at NASA-LaRC. The GPS/DGPS sensor can simulate enroute navigation, instrument approaches, or on-airport navigation

Differential GPS and system integration of the Low Visibility Landing and Surface Operations (LVLASO) demonstration

The LVLASO Flight Demonstration of ASTA concepts (FDAC) integrates NASA-Langley's electronic moving map display and Transport Systems Research Vehicle (TSRV) (a modified Boeing 737 aircraft); ARINC's VHF data link, GPS ground station, and automated controller workstation; and Norden's surface radar/airport movement safety system. Aircraft location is shown on the electronic map display in the cockpit. An approved taxi route as well as other aircraft and surface traffic are also displayed. An Ashtech Z12 Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver on the TSRV estimates the aircraft's position. In Differential mode (DSPS), the Ashtech receiver accepts differential C/A code pseudorange corrections from a GPS ground station. The GPS ground station provides corrections up to ten satellites. The corrections are transmitted on a VHF data link at a 1 Hz. rate using the RTCM-104 format. DGPS position estimates will be within 5 meters of actual aircraft position. DGPS position estimates are blended with position, velocity, acceleration, and heading data from the TSRV Air Data/Inertial Reference System (ADIRS). The ADIRS data is accurate in the short-term, but drifts over time. The DGPS data is used to keep the ADIRS position accurate. Ownship position, velocity, heading, and turn rate are sent at a 20 Hz. rate to the electronic map display. Airport traffic is detected by the airport surface radar system. Aircraft and vehicles such as fuel trucks and baggage carts are detected. The traffic's location, velocity, and heading are sent to the TSRV. To prevent traffic symbology from jumping each second when a location update arrives, velocity and heading are used to predict a new traffic location for each display update. Possible runway incursions and collisions can be shown on the electronic map. Integrating the different systems used in the FDAC requires attention to the underlying coordinate systems. The airport diagram displayed on the electronic map is obtained from published navigational charts. The charts reference the North American Datum of 1927 (NAD27) or a local state-plane coordinate system. GPS uses the World Geodetic Standard of 1984 (WGS84). Both NAD27 and WGS84 model the Earth as an ellipsoid, however, they use a different origin and different size ellipsoids. Latitudes and longitudes given in these systems can be converted to a Cartesian system with the origin at the Earth's center. The surface radar detects traffic in a locally-level, rho-theta coordiante system. The electronic airport diagram is stored using a flat XY coordinate system. The map origin is at the tower and is referenced as True North up. All ownship and other traffic positions must be converted to the electronic map's frame of reference for display