Characteristics of Control Laws Tested on the Semi-Span Super-Sonic Transport (S4T) Wind-Tunnel Model

The Semi-Span Supersonic Transport (S4T) is an aeroelastically scaled wind-tunnel model built to test active controls concepts for large flexible supersonic aircraft in the transonic flight regime. It is one of several models constructed in the 1990's as part of the High Speed Research (HSR) Program. Control laws were developed for the S4T by M4 Engineering, Inc. and by Zona Technologies, Inc. under NASA Research Announcement (NRA) contracts. The model was tested in the NASA-Langley Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT) four times from 2007 to 2010. The first two tests were primarily for plant identification. The third entry was used for testing control laws for Ride Quality Enhancement, Gust Load Alleviation, and Flutter Suppression. Whereas the third entry only tested FS subcritically, the fourth test demonstrated closed-loop operation above the open-loop flutter boundary. The results of the third entry are reported elsewhere. This paper reports on flutter suppression results from the fourth wind-tunnel test. Flutter suppression is seen as a way to provide stability margins while flying at transonic flight conditions without penalizing the primary supersonic cruise design condition. An account is given for how Controller Performance Evaluation (CPE) singular value plots were interpreted with regard to progressing open- or closed-loop to higher dynamic pressures during testing

Molecular mechanisms of cell death: recommendations of the Nomenclature Committee on Cell Death 2018.

Over the past decade, the Nomenclature Committee on Cell Death (NCCD) has formulated guidelines for the definition and interpretation of cell death from morphological, biochemical, and functional perspectives. Since the field continues to expand and novel mechanisms that orchestrate multiple cell death pathways are unveiled, we propose an updated classification of cell death subroutines focusing on mechanistic and essential (as opposed to correlative and dispensable) aspects of the process. As we provide molecularly oriented definitions of terms including intrinsic apoptosis, extrinsic apoptosis, mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT)-driven necrosis, necroptosis, ferroptosis, pyroptosis, parthanatos, entotic cell death, NETotic cell death, lysosome-dependent cell death, autophagy-dependent cell death, immunogenic cell death, cellular senescence, and mitotic catastrophe, we discuss the utility of neologisms that refer to highly specialized instances of these processes. The mission of the NCCD is to provide a widely accepted nomenclature on cell death in support of the continued development of the field

Broadband Multi-wavelength Properties of M87 during the 2017 Event Horizon Telescope Campaign

Abstract: In 2017, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Collaboration succeeded in capturing the first direct image of the center of the M87 galaxy. The asymmetric ring morphology and size are consistent with theoretical expectations for a weakly accreting supermassive black hole of mass ∼6.5 × 109 M ⊙. The EHTC also partnered with several international facilities in space and on the ground, to arrange an extensive, quasi-simultaneous multi-wavelength campaign. This Letter presents the results and analysis of this campaign, as well as the multi-wavelength data as a legacy data repository. We captured M87 in a historically low state, and the core flux dominates over HST-1 at high energies, making it possible to combine core flux constraints with the more spatially precise very long baseline interferometry data. We present the most complete simultaneous multi-wavelength spectrum of the active nucleus to date, and discuss the complexity and caveats of combining data from different spatial scales into one broadband spectrum. We apply two heuristic, isotropic leptonic single-zone models to provide insight into the basic source properties, but conclude that a structured jet is necessary to explain M87’s spectrum. We can exclude that the simultaneous γ-ray emission is produced via inverse Compton emission in the same region producing the EHT mm-band emission, and further conclude that the γ-rays can only be produced in the inner jets (inward of HST-1) if there are strongly particle-dominated regions. Direct synchrotron emission from accelerated protons and secondaries cannot yet be excluded

Aeroservoelastic optimisation of an aerofoil with active compliant flap via reparametrisation and variable selection

To aid in the investigation of new simultaneous optimisation strategies for exible vehicles and their control systems, a two-dimensional aerofoil optimisation which demands minimal computational effort is studied. The aeroservoelastic system consists of a two-dimensional, potential flow over a deforming aerofoil; an actively controlled, but saturated compliant trailing edge; a dynamic observer that uses a series of pressure sensors on the aerofoil; and a heave/pitch linear spring model. Although computationally simple, the design allows for optimisation over multiple disciplines: the structure can be designed by varying the stiffness of the springs; the control architecture through weightings in a LQR controller; the observer by means of the placement of pressure sensors; and the aerodynamics via the shaping of the compliant trailing edge. Optimising the weight and a metric of performance over all these fields simultaneously is compared to a sequential methodology of optimising the open-loop characteristics first and subsequently adding a closed-loop con-troller. Parametrisation of the design vector and variable selection often require user input and are fixed during optimisation. Our research aims to automate this process. Further-more, we investigate whether varying the parametrisation and number of design variables during the optimisation can lead to improvements in the final design. To accomplish this, a new basis for the design vector is created via Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) using the trajectories of initial optimisation paths as a “training set". This parametrisation is shown to make the optimisation more robust with respect to the initial design, and facilitate an automated variable selection methodology. This variable selection allows for the dimension of the problem to be reduced temporarily and it is shown that this makes the optimisation more robust

Some Clarifications on the Duration of Inflation in Loop Quantum Cosmology

International audienceThe prediction of a phase of inflation whose number of e-folds is constrained is an important feature of loop quantum cosmology. This work aims at giving some elementary clarifications on the role of the different hypotheses leading to this conclusion. We show that the duration of inflation does not depend significantly on the modified background dynamics in the quantum regime

Structural Optimization with Stress and Aeroelastic Constraints Using Expandable Modal Basis (Extended Abstract)

) Mordechay Karpel 1 and Boris Moulin 2 Faculty of Aerospace Engineering Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel 32000 and Michael H. Love 3 Lockheed Martin Corporation, Fort Worth, Texas 76101 Introduction The desire for efficient procedures for optimal design of complex structures motivated the development of reduced-size optimization schemes where calculations of stability and response parameters, and their sensitivity to changes in the design variables, are based on a set of low-frequency vibration modes of a baseline structure. The modal approach is especially attractive in multidisciplinary cases where the excitation loads are affected by the structural response, such as in aeroelastic and control augmented systems. The Automated Structural Optimization System (ASTROS) 1 was developed to provide a multidisciplinary analysis and design capability for aerospace structures. The considered disciplines include structural analysis, aeroelastic analysis and som..