Walking the Walk/Talking the Talk: Mission Planning with Speech-Interactive Agents

The application of simulation technology to mission planning and rehearsal has enabled realistic overhead 2-D and immersive 3-D "fly-through" capabilities that can help better prepare tactical teams for conducting missions in unfamiliar locales. For aircrews, detailed terrain data can offer a preview of the relevant landmarks and hazards, and threat models can provide a comprehensive glimpse of potential hot zones and safety corridors. A further extension of the utility of such planning and rehearsal techniques would allow users to perform the radio communications planned for a mission; that is, the air-ground coordination that is critical to the success of missions such as close air support (CAS). Such practice opportunities, while valuable, are limited by the inescapable scarcity of complete mission teams to gather in space and time during planning and rehearsal cycles. Moreoever, using simulated comms with synthetic entities, despite the substantial training and cost benefits, remains an elusive objective. In this paper we report on a solution to this gap that incorporates "synthetic teammates" - intelligent software agents that can role-play entities in a mission scenario and that can communicate in spoken language with users. We employ a fielded mission planning and rehearsal tool so that our focus remains on the experimental objectives of the research rather than on developing a testbed from scratch. Use of this planning tool also helps to validate the approach in an operational system. The result is a demonstration of a mission rehearsal tool that allows aircrew users to not only fly the mission but also practice the verbal communications with air control agencies and tactical controllers on the ground. This work will be presented in a CAS mission planning example but has broad applicability across weapons systems, missions and tactical force compositions

Restoration of Oyster (Crassostrea virginica) Habitat for Multiple Estuarine Species Benefits

Increase in nitrogen concentration and declining eelgrass beds in Great Bay Estuary have been observed in the last decades. These two parameters are clear indicators of the impending problems for NH’s estuaries. The NH Department of Environmental Services (DES) in collaboration with the New Hampshire Estuaries Project (NHEP) adopted the assumption that eelgrass survival can be used as the water quality target for nutrient criteria development for NH’s estuaries. One of the hypotheses put forward regarding eelgrass decline is that a possible eutrophication response to nutrient increases in the Great Bay Estuary has been the proliferation of nuisance macroalgae, which has reduced eelgrass area in Great Bay Estuary. To test this hypothesis, mapping of eelgrass and nuisance macroalgae beds using hyperspectral imagery was suggested. A hyperspectral imagery was conducted by SpecTIR in August 2007 using an AISA Eagle sensor. The collected dataset was used to map eelgrass and nuisance macroalgae throughout the Great Bay Estuary. This report outlines the configured procedure for mapping the macroalgae and eelgrass beds using hyperspectral imagery. No ground truth measurements of eelgrass or macroalgae were collected as part of this project, although eelgrass ground truth data was collected as part of a separate project. Guidance from eelgrass and macroalgae experts was used for identifying training sets and evaluating the classification results. The results produced a comprehensive eelgrass and macroalgae map of the estuary. Three recommendations are suggested following the experience gained in this study: conducting ground truth measurements at the time of the HS survey, acquiring the current DEM model of Great Bay Estuary, and examining additional HS datasets with expert eelgrass and macroalgae guidance. These three issues can improve the classification results and allow more advanced applications, such as identification of macroalgae types

Macroalgae and eelgrass mapping in Great Bay Estuary using AISA hyperspectral imagery

Increase in nitrogen concentration and declining eelgrass beds in Great Bay Estuary have been observed in the last decades. These two parameters are clear indicators of the impending problems for NH’s estuaries. The NH Department of Environmental Services (DES) in collaboration with the New Hampshire Estuaries Project (NHEP) adopted the assumption that eelgrass survival can be used as the water quality target for nutrient criteria development for NH’s estuaries. One of the hypotheses put forward regarding eelgrass decline is that a possible eutrophication response to nutrient increases in the Great Bay Estuary has been the proliferation of nuisance macroalgae, which has reduced eelgrass area in Great Bay Estuary. To test this hypothesis, mapping of eelgrass and nuisance macroalgae beds using hyperspectral imagery was suggested. A hyperspectral imagery was conducted by SpecTIR in August 2007 using an AISA Eagle sensor. The collected dataset was used to map eelgrass and nuisance macroalgae throughout the Great Bay Estuary. This report outlines the configured procedure for mapping the macroalgae and eelgrass beds using hyperspectral imagery. No ground truth measurements of eelgrass or macroalgae were collected as part of this project, although eelgrass ground truth data was collected as part of a separate project. Guidance from eelgrass and macroalgae experts was used for identifying training sets and evaluating the classification results. The results produced a comprehensive eelgrass and macroalgae map of the estuary. Three recommendations are suggested following the experience gained in this study: conducting ground truth measurements at the time of the HS survey, acquiring the current DEM model of Great Bay Estuary, and examining additional HS datasets with expert eelgrass and macroalgae guidance. These three issues can improve the classification results and allow more advanced applications, such as identification of macroalgae types

Spectral Type and Radial Velocity Variations in Three SRC Variables

SRC variables are M supergiants, precursors to Type II supernovae, that vary in brightness with moderately regular periods of order 100-1000 days. Although identified as pulsating stars that obey their own period-luminosity relation, few have been examined in enough detail to follow the temperature and spectral changes that they undergo during their long cycles. The present study examines such changes for several SRC variables revealed by CCD spectra obtained at the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory (DAO) during 2005-2009, as well as by archival spectra from the DAO (and elsewhere) for some stars from the 1960s to 1980s, and Cambridge radial velocity spectrometer measures for Betelgeuse. Described here is our classification procedure and information on the spectral type and radial velocity changes in three of the stars. The results provide insights into the pulsation mechanism in M supergiants.Comment: To appear in the Odessa Variable Stars 2010 conference proceedings (see http://uavso.org.ua/?page=vs2010), edited by I. Andronov and V. Kovtyuk

The design of a functionally graded composite for service in high temperature lead and lead-bismuth cooled nuclear reactors

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Nuclear Science and Engineering, 2010.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 275-291).A material that resists lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) attack and retains its strength at 700°C would be an enabling technology for LBE-cooled reactors. No single alloy currently exists that can economically meet the required performance criteria of high strength and corrosion resistance. A Functionally Graded Composite (FGC) was created with layers engineered to perform these functions. F91 was chosen as the structural layer of the composite for its strength and radiation resistance. Fe-12Cr- 2Si, an alloy developed from previous work in the Fe-Cr-Si system, was chosen as the corrosion-resistant cladding layer because of its chemical similarity to F91 and its superior corrosion resistance in both oxidizing and reducing environments. Fe-12Cr-2Si experienced minimal corrosion due to its self-passivation in oxidizing and reducing environments. Extrapolated corrosion rates are below one micron per year at 700°C. Corrosion of F91 was faster, but predictable and manageable. Diffusion studies showed that 17 microns of the cladding layer will be diffusionally diluted during the three year life of fuel cladding. 33 microns must be accounted for during the sixty year life of coolant piping. 5 cm coolant piping and 6.35 mm fuel cladding were produced on a commercial scale by weld-overlaying Fe-12Cr-2Si onto F91 billets and co-extruding them, followed by pilgering. An ASME certified weld was performed followed by the prescribed quench-and-tempering heat treatment for F91. A minimal heat affected zone was observed, demonstrating field weldability. Finally, corrosion tests were performed on the fabricated FGC at 700°C after completely breaching the cladding in a small area to induce galvanic corrosion at the interface. None was observed. This FGC has significant impacts on LBE reactor design. The increases in outlet temperature and coolant velocity allow a large increase in power density, leading to either a smaller core for the same power rating or more power output for the same size core. This FGC represents an enabling technology for LBE cooled fast reactors.by Michael Philip Short.Ph.D

Re-evaluating the sensitivity of habitats to climate change

This report presents the results of an expert led assessment that refines our understanding of the sensitivity of habitats to climate change. Using the Delphi technique and a panel of academic and practitioner experts, an externally validated 5-point scale of sensitivity was developed for habitats in good and degraded condition. The assessment will guide the prioritisation of interventions to those habitats most sensitive to climate change and thus support efforts to reduce climate risk and support nature recovery

The Utility of Functional Movement Assessment on NBA Players

Professional basketball related injuries have not declined over the last decade despite improvements in training and conditioning or medical advancements in diagnostics, surgery, or rehabilitation. A descriptive epidemiological study of 80% of the National Basketball Association (NBA) teams over 17 years reported an injury incidence of 19.1 per 1000 athlete exposures, and 59,179 games missed due to injury. Starkey found that the there has been a 12.4% increase in game-related injuries in the NBA in a 10-year period from the 1988 - 1997 seasons. It is suspected that increased contact within the NBA along with improved player athleticism, size, power, and speed have contribute to the rise in injuries. The most commonly reported injuries in the NBA as reported via the greatest number of days missed include ankle sprains, patellofemoral inflammation, knee sprains, and lumbar strains. Recent trends involve less focus on specific physical or clinical measures and increased attention on the assessment of functional movement patterns for the purpose of predicting the likelihood of injury. The Functional Movement Screen (FMSTM) was introduced as a pre-participation examination intended to evaluate the quality of seven basic movement patterns that require a balance of both mobility and stability. The functional movements tested include: deep squat, hurdle step, in-line lunge, shoulder mobility, active straight leg raise, trunk stability push-up, and rotary stability. It is designed to assess the extremes of specific movements and positions for the purpose of identifying potential limitation, compensation, and asymmetry in individuals without obvious pathology. Recent literature has linked this screen to injury prediction in numerous populations that may be predisposed to injury, including professional football players, firefighters, collegiate female athletes, elite track and field athletes, military personnel. The majority of reliability studies conclude that the FMSTM has good intra-rater reliability. While some researchers conclude that reliability increases with additional training and clinical experience, others claim that the FMS intra-rater reliability was not improved with FMS certification. Inter- rater reliability was reported in recent studies to range from moderate and good to high. The Y-balance Test (YBT) is pre-participation assessment used to screen individuals who may have potential for lower extremity injury. This test involves the examination of dynamic balance and postural control. While research is still lacking regarding the validity and utility of the YBT-LQ, the SEBT has been reported to have a moderate to strong effect size and that this test was reliable and valid as a dynamic predictor to lower extremity injuries. No studies have investigated the outcomes of YBT as an injury predictor in professional basketball athletes or the relationship of these factors with functional movement screens.https://ecommons.udayton.edu/dpt_symposium/1011/thumbnail.jp