The cockpit is an environment in which many important tasks simultaneously compete for pilot attention. Cockpit Task Management (CTM) is the process by which pilots selectively attend to flight tasks in such a way as to safely and effectively complete a flight. CTM has been categorized as a mental function that is inherently well understood by pilots and almost always performed satisfactorily (for example, through the trained Aviate, Navigate, Communicate, Manage Systems hierarchy). However, there are documented instances, such as incident and accident reports, where tasks were not managed properly, resulting in an aircraft mishap. CTM involves the prioritization of flight tasks based on their importance to flight safety, urgency, and how well the tasks are actually being performed. Task prioritization errors occur when pilots do not give attention to a higher priority task (i.e., one more important to flight safety, one that is more urgent, or one that is currently not being performed satisfactorily) by attending to a lower priority task (i.e., one less critical to flight safety, one less urgent, or one that is already being performed well and is not in need of immediate attention). The goal of this thesis was to develop a CTM training program to aid pilots' task prioritization performance. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 with yoke, throttle, and rudder pedals, was used to assess pilot task prioritization performance before and after training. Three experimental groups were used: a control group (no training), descriptive group (CTM lecture training), and prescriptive group (CTM lecture training plus mnemonic procedure) to test the effectiveness of CTM training on task prioritization in simulated flight. Results showed that the prescriptive group improved in task prioritization performance in the post-training flight. Additionally, results showed that the descriptive and prescriptive groups both improved in memory recall (a second dependent measure). It was concluded that CTM training is effective on task prioritization performance. / Graduation date: 2002

In spite of their importance in many systems, liquid surfaces have been explored at the microscopic level to a much lesser extent than solids. Most surface analysis must take place in vacuum, a major drawback for liquids. The technique of time-of-flight scattering and recoil spectrometry (TOF-SARS) has been applied to molecular liquid surfaces for the first time. The apparatus borrows key elements from previous TOF-SARS experiments on solids and from molecular beam scattering (MBS) and features excellent surface specificity and the ability to detect all elements. A high-vacuum time-of-flight spectrometer was developed for the purpose of measuring the surface atomic concentration of atoms in low-vapor pressure liquid samples, and hence to infer preferred surface orientations. The TOF-SARS experiment involves surface bombardment with inert gas ions in the 1-3 keV energy range. During the interaction surface atoms may either (a) induce scattering of primary ions or (b) recoil from the surface. A binary collision model describes the kinematics and dynamics of the interactions well, allowing prediction of velocities and probabilities of particles leaving the surface. Particles that reach a detector along a ~1.1 m flight path are separated by velocity, and signals are collected as a histogram, revealing relative measured intensities that are converted to ratios of accessible surface atoms. Comparing the measured atomic ratios with computer-simulated accessible atomic ratios for various possible orientations gives insight into preferred surface orientation. A number of systems were explored m this work: liquids including a complementary pair of molecules having distinct 'head-tails' structures; glycerol as a highly H-bonded system, and a room-temperature molten salt. Preliminary results reveal that surface molecules appear in most cases to adopt some preferred orientation at the interface. The TOF-SARS technique was able to distinguish 'head' from 'tail' in molecules exhibiting that structure, suggesting only part of the head was accessible. In glycerol, all but two possible orientations were ruled out but the symmetrical nature of the molecule prohibits definitive assignment. The ionic liquid was found to have the cation and anion sharing the surface population roughly equally, and a preferred orientation for the substituted aromatic anion was discovered. / Graduation date: 2000

We present a three-dimensional, forward model of blood droplets in ight. The proposed model is based on a set of ordinary di erential equations (ODEs) incorporating viscous drag and gravitational forces. We validate the model against laboratory experiments in which a mock crime scene is constructed. The experiments consist of a ballistics gel containing transfer blood or porcine blood shot by a riot ball from a paintball gun constituting a simulated bloodletting event. The experiments are captured using highspeed stereo camera pair from which three-dimensional trajectories can be extracted using tracking software. The long-term goal is to develop an accurate framework for forensic Bloodstain Pattern Analysis (BPA). / UOIT

We present a three-dimensional, forward model of blood droplets in ight. The proposed model is based on a set of ordinary di erential equations (ODEs) incorporating viscous drag and gravitational forces. We validate the model against laboratory experiments in which a mock crime scene is constructed. The experiments consist of a ballistics gel containing transfer blood or porcine blood shot by a riot ball from a paintball gun constituting a simulated bloodletting event. The experiments are captured using highspeed stereo camera pair from which three-dimensional trajectories can be extracted using tracking software. The long-term goal is to develop an accurate framework for forensic Bloodstain Pattern Analysis (BPA). / UOIT

Abstract To control an un-swept flying wing is problematic in some ways. One of the problems is that when the wing experiences a disturbance in yaw, it does not, since it has no tail, generate any torque in the opposite direction as a plane with a vertical stabilizer does. This thesis is foremost aimed at exploring one particular solution to this problem. One approach to this problem is to place the motors out on the wing and differentiate the thrust, to achieve the same torque as splitted elevons or a vertical stabilizer does. This is what NASA used on the flying unmanned wing HELIOS. Reducing the thrust on the right set of engines, and increasing the thrust on the left side can mean that the combined thrust is unchanged. And thus more fuel efficient, and increases endurance. This project’s main goal has been to construct a half scale model of the school project flying wing Solaris, and to configure a control system for the differentiated thrust as used on Helios. Thereafter conduct flight testing and evaluate the controllability of the wing in a number of flight conditions, this to get a sense of the wings characteristics and which parameters one should adjust to get the best controllability as possible. After numerous adjustments and test flights it was concluded that it is possible to construct and fly a wing in this configuration, with relatively simple means, with satisfactory results. That the torsional rigidity has great influence on the controllability were evident after the test flights. After redistribution of the components on the wing the conclusion could be made that the dihedral could be held within the structural limit of the wing. The results of this thesis will contribute to the project Solaris at Mälardalens University in Västerås, Sweden. The project was carried out at Mälardalens University. The test flights were conducted at the former Air Force base F-15 Flygstaden and Mohed in Söderhamn, Hälsingland. / Solaris

Application of recently developed neural network based adaptive output feedback controllers to a diverse range of problems both in simulations and experiments is investigated in this thesis. The purpose is to evaluate the theory behind the development of these controllers numerically and experimentally, identify the needs for further development in practical applications, and to conduct further research in directions that are identified to ultimately enhance applicability of adaptive controllers to real world problems. We mainly focus our attention on adaptive controllers that augment existing fixed gain controllers. A recently developed approach holds great potential for successful implementations on real world applications due to its applicability to systems with minimal information concerning the plant model and the existing controller. In this thesis the formulation is extended to the multi-input multi-output case for distributed control of interconnected systems and successfully tested on a formation flight wind tunnel experiment. The command hedging method is formulated for the approach to further broaden the class of systems it can address by including systems with input nonlinearities. Also a formulation is adopted that allows the approach to be applied to non-minimum phase systems for which non-minimum phase characteristics are modeled with sufficient accuracy and treated properly in the design of the existing controller. It is shown that the approach can also be applied to augment nonlinear controllers under certain conditions and an example is presented where the nonlinear guidance law of a spinning projectile is augmented. Simulation results on a high fidelity 6 degrees-of-freedom nonlinear simulation code are presented. The thesis also presents a preliminary adaptive controller design for closed loop flight control with active flow actuators. Behavior of such actuators in dynamic flight conditions is not known. To test the adaptive controller design in simulation, a fictitious actuator model is developed that fits experimentally observed characteristics of flow control actuators in static flight conditions as well as possible coupling effects between actuation, the dynamics of flow field, and the rigid body dynamics of the vehicle.

No description available.

The study of satellite relative motion has been of great historic interest, primarily due to its application to rendezvous, intercept, and docking maneuvers, between spacecraft in orbit about gravitational bodies, such as the Earth. Recent interest in the problem of satellite formation flight has also led to renewed effort in understanding the dynamics of relative motion. Satellite formations have been proposed for various tasks, such as deep-space interferometry, and terrestrial observation, among others. Oftentimes, the rich natural dynamics of the relative motion problem near a gravitational body are exploited to design formations of a specific geometry. Traditional analysis models relative motion under the assumptions of a circular reference orbit, linearized differential gravity field (small relative distance), and without environmental perturbations such as oblateness effects of the attracting body, and atmospheric drag. In this dissertation, the dynamics of the relative motion problem are studied when these assumptions are relaxed collectively. Consequently, the combined effects of nonlinearity, eccentricity, and Earth oblateness effects on relative motion, are studied. To this end, coupling effects between the various environmental perturbations are also accounted for. Five key problems are addressed - the development of a state transition matrix that accounts for eccentricity, nonlinearity, and oblateness effects; oblateness effects on averaged relative motion; eccentricity effects on formation design and planning; new analytical expressions for periodic relative motion that account for nonlinearity and eccentricity effects; and a solution to the optimal rendezvous problem near an eccentric orbit. The most notable feature of this dissertation, is that the solutions to the stated problems are completely analytical, and closed-form in nature. Use has been made of a generalized reversion of vector series, and several integral forms of Kepler’s equations, without any assumptions on the magnitude of the eccentricity of the reference orbit.

The purpose of this research is through building a System Dynamics model to show hospital operating structure as a whole and to find out the interactions between variables. And through the Management Flight Simulator to simulate three policy¡X¡§retrenchment personnel policy¡¨, ¡§retrenchment personnel policy and ¡§raising salary¡¨, ¡§abundant personnel policy¡¨¡X to find out the best manage policy. The case in this research is a Regional Teaching Hospital in southern Taiwan. The model is built according to the information which got by many times interview. The model has four sub-systems; they are ¡§market sub-system¡¨, ¡§human resource sub-system¡¨, ¡§equipment sub-system¡¨ and ¡§finance sub-system¡¨. After the simulation and the evaluation, we find that ¡§abundant personnel policy¡¨ can save more cost than ¡§retrenchment personnel policy¡¨. That is because ¡§abundant personnel policy¡¨ not only can save the physical cost like recruiting cost and training cost, but also can save the invisible cost like the experience of employee can¡¦t be accumulated. Besides, raising salary although can slacken off the decreasing employee satisfaction due to the overloading, but it is cure the symptoms, not the disease. In long-term, it will lead to the increasing cost, decreasing the competitiveness.

Thesis (M.S. in Human Systems Integration)--Naval Postgraduate School, June 2006. / "June 2009." Thesis advisor: Paul E. O'Connor. Performed by the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, Calif. "Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Human Systems Integration from the Naval Postgraduate School, June 2009."--P. iii. Includes bibliographical references. Also available online from the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), Dudley Knox Library Web site and the DTIC Online Web site.