Trajectory module of the NASA Ames Research Center aircraft synthesis program ACSYNT

A program was developed to calculate trajectories for both military and commercial aircraft for use in the aircraft synthesis program, ACSYNT. The function of the trajectory module was to calculate the changes in the vehicle's flight conditions and weight, as fuel is consumed, during the flying of one or more missions. The trajectory calculations started with a takeoff, followed by up to 12 phases chosen from among the following: climb, cruise, acceleration, combat, loiter, descent, and paths. In addition, a balanced field length was computed. The emphasis was on relatively simple formulations and analytic expressions suitable for rapid computation since a prescribed trajectory had to be calculated many times in the process of converging an aircraft design, or finding an optimum configuration. The trajectory module consists of about 2500 cards and operational on a CDC 7600 computer

A Symbiotic View Of Life: We Have Never Been Individuals

The notion of the biological individual is crucial to studies of genetics, immunology, evolution, development, anatomy, and physiology. Each of these biological subdisciplines has a specific conception of individuality, which has historically provided conceptual contexts for integrating newly acquired data. During the past decade, nucleic acid analysis, especially genomic sequencing and high-throughput RNA techniques, has challenged each of these disciplinary definitions by finding significant interactions of animals and plants with symbiotic microorganisms that disrupt the boundaries that heretofore had characterized the biological individual. Animals cannot be considered individuals by anatomical or physiological criteria because a diversity of symbionts are both present and functional in completing metabolic pathways and serving other physiological functions. Similarly, these new studies have shown that animal development is incomplete without symbionts. Symbionts also constitute a second mode of genetic inheritance, providing selectable genetic variation for natural selection. The immune system also develops, in part, in dialogue with symbionts and thereby functions as a mechanism for integrating microbes into the animal-cell community. Recognizing the holobiont -the multicellular eukaryote plus its colonies of persistent symbionts-as a critically important unit of anatomy, development, physiology, immunology, and evolution opens up new investigative avenues and conceptually challenges the ways in which the biological subdisciplines have heretofore characterized living entities

A program for calculating turbofan-driven lift-fan propulsion system performance

The performance of a turbofan-powered lift fan propulsion system for vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft is calculated. The program formulation consists of taking bleed air from a turbofan engine, heating the bleed air in an interburner, and passing it through a tip turbine to drive a lift fan. Two options are available: bleed air from the engine exhaust, or bleed air that has passed through the engine fan only. This computer program will benefit persons unfamiliar with the thermodynamics of engine cycle analysis

Design concepts for a composite door frame system for general automotive applications

Conceptual design, manufacturing process, and costs are explored to determine the feasibility of replacing present steel parts in automotive door structures with various composite materials. The problems of conforming to present anti-intrusion specifications with advanced materials are examined and discussed. Modest weight reductions, at competitive costs, were identified for the utilization of specific composite materials in automotive door structures

The Strongest 100 Point Radio Sources in the LMC at 1.4 GHz

We present the 100 strongest 1.4 GHz point sources from a new mosaic image in the direction of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). The observations making up the mosaic were made over a ten year period and were combined with Parkes single dish data at 1.4 GHz to complete the image for short spacing. An initial list of co-identifications within 10" at 0.843, 4.8 and 8.6 GHz consisted of 2682 sources. Elimination of extended objects and artifact noise allowed the creation of a refined list containing 1988 point sources. Most of these are presumed to be background objects seen through the LMC; a small portion may represent compact H II regions, young SNRs and radio planetary nebulae. For the 1988 point sources we find a preliminary average spectral index of -0.53 and present a 1.4 GHz image showing source location in the direction of the LMC.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figure

The angular power spectrum of radio emission at 2.3 GHz

We have analysed the Rhodes/HartRAO survey at 2326 MHz and derived the global angular power spectrum of Galactic continuum emission. In order to measure the angular power spectrum of the diffuse component, point sources were removed from the map by median filtering. A least-square fit to the angular power spectrum of the entire survey with a power law spectrum C_l proportional to l^{-alpha}, gives alpha = 2.43 +/- 0.01 for l = 2-100. The angular power spectrum of radio emission appears to steepen at high Galactic latitudes and for observed regions with |b| > 20 deg, the fitted spectral index is alpha = 2.92 +/- 0.07. We have extrapolated this result to 30 GHz (the lowest frequency channel of Planck) and estimate that no significant contribution to the sky temperature fluctuation is likely to come from synchrotron at degree-angular scalesComment: 10 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication by Astronomy & Astrophysic

Moisture, a Vital but Neglected Factor in the Seasonal Ecology of Insects: Hypotheses and Tests of Mechanisms

Of the major physical factors that influence insect seasonal ecology, moisture is least understood and least appreciated. It is our premise that experimental probing of insects from diverse zones and various habitats would reveal general patterns of insect responses to moisture that are as striking as those for photoperiod and temperature. Using the paradigms of photoperiod and temperature as ecophysiological determinants of insect seasonality, we hypothesize that moisture influences insect life cycles via one or more of three mechanisms—as a token stimulus for diapause, modulator of developmental or reproductive rates, or behavioral cue for vital seasonal events. For heuristic purposes, we offer each of these hypotheses in close association with approaches for testing their validity in insects that undergo dry-season dormancy. The approaches appear appropriate for examining the role of moisture in the life histories of terrestrial invertebrates other than insects, as well as plants and microbes that have a seasonal resting stage. Elucidating moisture's role in insect seasonal cycles is critical to the development of comprehensive phenological models, improved insect management systems, and identification of novel evolutionary mechanisms for adaptation to wet-dry seasons, especially in tropical, subtropical, and Mediterranean region

CMB map derived from the WMAP data through Harmonic Internal Linear Combination

We are presenting an Internal Linear Combination (ILC) CMB map, in which the foreground is reduced through harmonic variance minimization. We have derived our method by converting a general form of pixel-space approach into spherical harmonic space, maintaining full correspondence. By working in spherical harmonic space, spatial variability of linear weights is incorporated in a self-contained manner and our linear weights are continuous functions of position over the entire sky. The full correspondence to pixel-space approach enables straightforward physical interpretation on our approach. In variance minimization of a linear combination map, the existence of a cross term between residual foregrounds and CMB makes the linear combination of minimum variance differ from that of minimum foreground. We have developed an iterative foreground reduction method, where perturbative correction is made for the cross term. Our CMB map derived from the WMAP data is in better agreement with the WMAP best-fit $\Lambda$CDM model than the WMAP team's Internal Linear Combination map. We find that our method's capacity to clean foreground is limited by the availability of enough spherical harmonic coefficients of good Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR).Comment: The whole sky CMB map, which is derived from the WMAP 5 year data through our method, is available in HEALPix FITS format at http://www.nbi.dk/~jkim/hilc The paper with higher resolution images also available at http://www.nbi.dk/~jkim/hil

Analysis of CMB foregrounds using a database for Planck

Within the scope of the Planck IDIS (Integrated Data Information System) project we have started to develop the data model for time-ordered data and full-sky maps. The data model is part of the Data Management Component (DMC), a software system designed according to a three-tier architecture which allows complete separation between data storage and processing. The DMC is already being used for simulation activities and the modeling of some foreground components. We have ingested several Galactic surveys into the database and used the science data-access interface to process the data. The data structure for full-sky maps utilises the HEALPix tessellation of the sphere. We have been able to obtain consistent measures of the angular power spectrum of the Galactic radio continuum emission between 408 MHz and 2417 MHz.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures. To appear in the Proceedings of the MPA/ESO/MPE Joint Astronomy Conference "Mining The Sky

Planck Observations of M33

We have performed a comprehensive investigation of the global integrated flux density of M33 from radio to ultraviolet wavelengths, finding that the data between $\sim$100 GHz and 3 THz are accurately described by a single modified blackbody curve with a dust temperature of $T_\mathrm{dust}$ = 21.67$\pm$0.30 K and an effective dust emissivity index of $\beta_\mathrm{eff}$ = 1.35$\pm$0.10, with no indication of an excess of emission at millimeter/sub-millimeter wavelengths. However, sub-dividing M33 into three radial annuli, we found that the global emission curve is highly degenerate with the constituent curves representing the sub-regions of M33. We also found gradients in $T_\mathrm{dust}$ and $\beta_\mathrm{eff}$ across the disk of M33, with both quantities decreasing with increasing radius. Comparing the M33 dust emissivity with that of other Local Group members, we find that M33 resembles the Magellanic Clouds rather than the larger galaxies, i.e., the Milky Way and M31. In the Local Group sample, we find a clear correlation between global dust emissivity and metallicity, with dust emissivity increasing with metallicity. A major aspect of this analysis is the investigation into the impact of fluctuations in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) on the integrated flux density spectrum of M33. We found that failing to account for these CMB fluctuations would result in a significant over-estimate of $T_\mathrm{dust}$ by $\sim$5 K and an under-estimate of $\beta_\mathrm{eff}$ by $\sim$0.4.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA