The AMSC network control system

The American Mobile Satellite Corporation (AMSC) is going to construct, launch, and operate a satellite system in order to provide mobile satellite services to the United States. AMSC is going to build, own, and operate a Network Control System (NCS) for managing the communications usage of the satellites, and to control circuit switched access between mobile earth terminals and feeder-link earth stations. An overview of the major NCS functional and performance requirements, the control system physical architecture, and the logical architecture is provided

Survey of man-made electrical noise affecting radio broadcasting

Survey, consisting of limited noise measurements, was made to augment and verify existing data at HF and VHF and to obtain basic data at UHF. Exact frequencies were determined by the absence of intentionally generated signals around three selected frequencies

Qualitative nitrate detection for toxicity potential (1993)

Reviewed October 1993

Effects of mimic artificial oyster reefs on the ecology of juvenile fishes in marsh ponds: a before-after-control-impact analysis

I sought to assess the enhancement potential of mimic artificial oyster reefs (MAORs) on trophic dynamics of juvenile estuarine fishes in marsh ponds. Tropic dynamics were investigated by determining the impacts of MAOR addition on meiofauna and macrofauna and then comparing these results to the gut contents and condition of four abundant estuarine fishes: Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus), bay whiff (Citharichthys spilopterus), sand seatrout (Cynoscion arenarius), and pinfish (Lagodon rhomboides). Samples were collected every other month for two years (March 2009 – 11) employing a Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) design. Halfway through the experiment (March 2010), two mud sites in two marsh ponds were converted to MAORs and samples were collected for the remaining period of study. Meiofuanal communities were numerically dominated by infaunal nematodes and harpacticoid copepods, which showed order of magnitude declines in response to MAOR addition. Shannon-Weaver diversity indices (H´) increased significantly at MAOR sites from six to 13 taxa with SIMPER analyses indicating that nematodes, copepods, tanaids, gastropods, and ostracods contributed to ≥ 95% of the cumulative dissimilarity between periods and habitats. Macrofauna communities were numerically dominated by grass shrimp (Palaemonetes pugio), blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus), and white shrimp (Litopenaeus setiferus), all of which decreased in density in response to MAOR addition. Shannon-Weaver diversity indices for macrofauna decreased at MAOR sites declining from 21 to eight species. Of the eight species present at MAOR sites only blue crabs, estuarine mud crabs (Rithropanopeus harrisii), naked gobies (Gobiosoma bosc), pinfish (Lagodon rhomboides), gulf toadfish (Opsanus beta), and sheepshead (Archosargus probatocephalus) showed increased mean densities, lengths or weights at MAOR sites. Based upon percent IRI, fish diets were dominated by insect larvae, calanoid copepods, amphipods, mysids, and polychaetes, but the relative proportions of each prey item differed among species. Statistical analyses of gut contents from each of the four fishes showed no significant effects associated with MAOR addition, but energy density analyses showed a significant effect of MAOR addition for pinfish. Energy densities were similar or higher at MAOR sites after addition and when compared between habitats. These data suggest little community level enhancement attributable to MAORs in marsh ponds. However, some specially adapted, reef-associated fishes may be able to effectively utilize MAOR-associated resources to enhance feeding or condition

A Qualitative Exploration of the Current State of Observation and Feedback in the Seminaries and Institutes of Religion of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

While the Seminaries and Institutes of Religion (S&I) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints expect supervisors of teachers to observe teachers regularly and provide feedback, they have not provided those supervisors with adequate training materials, or explained how these supervisors are expected to accomplish this. For this study, three administrators and three teachers were interviewed about their experiences with observation and feedback in S&I. Their responses provided clarification on the purposes of observation and feedback, revealed that a lack of supervisor training has resulted in teachers’ experiences with observation and feedback being different from administrator’s expectations in key ways, and identified some elements of observation and feedback that teachers and administrators agree are effective. Those elements include teachers’ autonomy, collaboration between supervisors, frequent observations designed to help teachers improve (rather than to judge teachers’ abilities), and providing feedback in a kind and constructive way, limiting suggestions for improve to one or two things that are based on principles for teaching that are widely-accepted throughout S&I. This study also reports how teachers and administrators might feel about the use of a standard observation form for teacher observation and feedback

Heat pipes for wing leading edges of hypersonic vehicles

Wing leading edge heat pipes were conceptually designed for three types of vehicle: an entry research vehicle, aero-space plane, and advanced shuttle. A full scale, internally instrumented sodium/Hastelloy X heat pipe was successfully designed and fabricated for the advanced shuttle application. The 69.4 inch long heat pipe reduces peak leading edge temperatures from 3500 F to 1800 F. It is internally instrumented with thermocouples and pressure transducers to measure sodium vapor qualities. Large thermal gradients and consequently large thermal stresses, which have the potential of limiting heat pipe life, were predicted to occur during startup. A test stand and test plan were developed for subsequent testing of this heat pipe. Heat pipe manufacturing technology was advanced during this program, including the development of an innovative technique for wick installation

The Evolving Relationships Between Hospital, Physician and Patient in Modern American Healthcare

This article explores the ways in which health care has evolved over the past few years for patients, doctors and hospitals in the United States, and the impact these changes have made on modern American health care. As the amount of money the nation spends on health care continues to increase at alarming rates, patients, doctors, and hospitals all appear to have greater struggles than before.This inherent disconnection between the changes in American health care system and the satisfaction of patients and providers leaves much to be desired and considered. Before a solution can be found, however, we must first understand the problem