ALBERT

Description: Upper Cretaceous strata in the type area of the Maastrichtian Stage (SE Netherlands, NE Belgium) have yielded comparatively abundant and diverse raninid assemblages (Collins et al., 1995; Fraaye & van Bakel, 1998). To date, seven species are known: Eumorphocorystes sculptus, Pseudoraninella muelleri, Lyreidina pyriformis, Raninoides? quadrispinosus, Raniliformis chevrona, Raniliformis prebaltica and Raniliformis occlusa. These occur mainly from the upper portion of the Maastricht Formation [Emael, Nekum and Meerssen members, Belemnitella junior and Belemnella (Neobelemnella) kazimiroviensis biozones].

Description: Well-preserved material of Binkhorstia ubaghsii reveals some additional information that helps clarify the taxonomic affinities with the Torynommidae of this Late Cretaceous crab from the Maastricht area of Belgium and Netherland

Description: Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution November, 1975

Description: The effects of high hydrostatic pressure on excitatory neuromuscular transmission in shallow- and deep-living crustaceans were compared. Pressure caused depression of the amplitude of excitatory junctional potentials (e.j.p.s) at the neuromuscular junction in the shallow-living crab, Libinia emarginata. A pressure of 100 atm depressed the e.j.p. amplitude by about one-half. In the deep- sea crab, Geryon quinquedens, which ranges to a depth of 2000 m (or 200 atm pressure), adaptations to high pressure were observed in two different types of muscle fibers: 1) In fibers with e.j.p.s that showed high levels of facilitation, the magnitude of pressure-induced depression decreased with increasing frequency of nerve stimulation; i. e., there was a pressure-induced increase in facilitation. Also a pressure-induced increase in the duration of the falling phase of the e.j.p. was observed which served to increase the level of depolarization resulting from summation of the e.j.p.s at high frequencies of nerve stimulation. In these highly facilitating fibers the physiologically significant frequencies that cause appreciable contraction are probably high. At high frequencies the pressure-induced increases in facilitation and summation together served to completely counteract the depressive effect of pressure, and the net depolarization attained during a train of nerve stimulation was relatively unaffected by pressures up to at least 200 atm. 2) Fibers with e.j.p.s showing low levels of facilitation may undergo significant contraction at low frequencies of nerve impulses where neither facilitation nor summation play a significant role. The amplitude of e.j.p.s recorded from this fiber-type in the deep-sea crab were, on the average, unaffected by pressures to 200 atm. The e.j.p.s of some of these fibers showed depression, but others were amplified under pressure. The results of experiments with the lobster, Homarus americanus, which ranges to a depth intermediate between Libinia and Geryon were in many respects intermediate between the results obtained with the two species of crab. Studies of the effect of pressure on isometric tension developed by whole muscles in Homarus and Geryon were consistent with the results of the studies of the e.j.p.; pressure depressed the rate of rise of tension in Homarus and had little effect in Geryon. The results of this work provides a physiological basis for the observation that shallow-living animals are generally immobilized by pressures in excess of 200 atm. Experiments were performed in an attempt to elucidate the mechanism underlying the pressure-induced depression of e.j.p. amplitude. Results were suggestive that the depression of e.j.p. amplitude reflects a pressure-induced decrease in the number of quanta of transmitter substance released by the nerve endings.

Description: Well-preserved material of Binkhorstia ubaghsii reveals some additional information that helps clarify the taxonomic affinities with the Torynommidae of this Late Cretaceous crab from the Maastricht area of Belgium and Netherland

Description: Upper Cretaceous strata in the type area of the Maastrichtian Stage (SE Netherlands, NE Belgium) have yielded comparatively abundant and diverse raninid assemblages (Collins et al., 1995; Fraaye & van Bakel, 1998). To date, seven species are known: Eumorphocorystes sculptus, Pseudoraninella muelleri, Lyreidina pyriformis, Raninoides? quadrispinosus, Raniliformis chevrona, Raniliformis prebaltica and Raniliformis occlusa. These occur mainly from the upper portion of the Maastricht Formation [Emael, Nekum and Meerssen members, Belemnitella junior and Belemnella (Neobelemnella) kazimiroviensis biozones].

Description: Idealized numerical simulations are performed with a coupled atmosphere/land-surface model to identify the roles of initial soil moisture, coastline curvature, and land breeze circulations on sea breeze initiated precipitation. Data collected on 27 July 1991 during the Convection and Precipitation Electrification Experiment (CAPE) in central Florida are used. The 3D Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) cloud resolving model is coupled with the Goddard Parameterization for Land-Atmosphere-Cloud Exchange (PLACE) land surface model, thus providing a tool to simulate more realistically land-surface/atmosphere interaction and convective initiation. Eight simulations are conducted with either straight or curved coast-lines, initially homogeneous soil moisture or initially variable soil moisture, and initially homogeneous horizontal winds or initially variable horizontal winds (land breezes). All model simulations capture the diurnal evolution and general distribution of sea-breeze initiated precipitation over central Florida. The distribution of initial soil moisture influences the timing, intensity and location of subsequent precipitation. Soil moisture acts as a moisture source for the atmosphere, increases the connectively available potential energy, and thus preferentially focuses heavy precipitation over existing wet soil. Strong soil moisture-induced mesoscale circulations are not evident in these simulations. Coastline curvature has a major impact on the timing and location of precipitation. Earlier low-level convergence occurs inland of convex coastlines, and subsequent precipitation occurs earlier in simulations with curved coastlines. The presence of initial land breezes alone has little impact on subsequent precipitation. however, simulations with both coastline curvature and initial land breezes produce significantly larger peak rain rates due to nonlinear interactions.

Description: The performance of Air Traffic Management and flight deck decision support tools depends in large part on the accuracy of the supporting 4D trajectory predictions. This is particularly relevant to conflict prediction and active advisories for the resolution of conflicts and the conformance with of traffic-flow management flow-rate constraints (e.g., arrival metering / required time of arrival). Flight test results have indicated that wind prediction errors may represent the largest source of trajectory prediction error. The tests also discovered relatively large errors (e.g., greater than 20 knots), existing in pockets of space and time critical to ATM DST performance (one or more sectors, greater than 20 minutes), are inadequately represented by the classic RMS aggregate prediction-accuracy studies of the past. To facilitate the identification and reduction of DST-critical wind-prediction errors, NASA has lead a collaborative research and development activity with MIT Lincoln Laboratories and the Forecast Systems Lab of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This activity, begun in 1996, has focussed on the development of key metrics for ATM DST performance, assessment of wind-prediction skill for state of the art systems, and development/validation of system enhancements to improve skill. A 13 month study was conducted for the Denver Center airspace in 1997. Two complementary wind-prediction systems were analyzed and compared to the forecast performance of the then standard 60 km Rapid Update Cycle - version 1 (RUC-1). One system, developed by NOAA, was the prototype 40-km RUC-2 that became operational at NCEP in 1999. RUC-2 introduced a faster cycle (1 hr vs. 3 hr) and improved mesoscale physics. The second system, Augmented Winds (AW), is a prototype en route wind application developed by MITLL based on the Integrated Terminal Wind System (ITWS). AW is run at a local facility (Center) level, and updates RUC predictions based on an optimal interpolation of the latest ACARS reports since the RUC run. This paper presents an overview of the study's results including the identification and use of new large mor wind-prediction accuracy metrics that are key to ATM DST performance.

Description: Supported Return-to-Flight activities by providing surface climate data from Kennedy Space Center used primarily for ice and dew formation studies, and upper air wind analysis primarily used for ascent loads analyses. The MSFC Environments Group's Terrestrial and Planetary Environments Team documented Space Shuttle day-of-launch support activities by publishing a document in support of SSP Return-to-Flight activities entitled "Space Shuttle Program Flight Operations Support". The team also formalized the Shuttle Natural Environments Technical Panel and chaired the first special session of the SSP Natural Environments Panel meeting at KSC, November 4-7,2003.58 participants from NASA, DOD and other government agencies from across the country attended the meeting.

Description: Wind profile measurement and the simulation of aerodynamic loads on a launch vehicle play an important role in determining launch capability and post launch assessment of the vehicle's performance. To date, all United States range certified wind profile measurement systems have been based on balloon tracking. Since the 1960's, the standard used by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Air Force at the Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS) for detailed wind profile measurements has been the radar tracked, aerodynamically stabilized Jimsphere balloon system. Currently, the Air Force is nearing certification and operational implementation of the Automated Meteorological Profiling System (AMPS) at CCAS and Vandenburg Air Force Base (VAFB). AMPS uses the Global Positioning System for tracking the Jimsphere balloon. It is anticipated that the AMPS/Jimsphere, named the High Resolution Flight Element (HRFE), will have equivalent, or better resolution than the radar tracked Jimsphere, especially when the balloon is far downrange, at a low elevation angle. By the 1980's, the development of Doppler Wind Profilers (DWP) had become sufficiently advanced to justify an experimental measurement program at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). In 1989 a 50 MHz DWP was installed at KSC. In principal, the 50 MHz DWP has the capability to track the evolution of wind profile dynamics within 5 minutes of a launch. Because of fundamental differences in the measurement technique, there is a significant time and space differential between 50 MHz DWP and HRFE wind profiles. This paper describes a study to quantify these differences from a sample of 50 MHz DWP/HRFE pairs obtained during the AMPS certification test program.

Description: The GMI Spin Mechanism Assembly (SMA) is a precision bearing and power transfer drive assembly mechanism that supports and spins the Global Microwave Imager (GMI) instrument at a constant rate of 32 rpm continuously for the 3 year plus mission life. The GMI instrument will fly on the core Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) spacecraft and will be used to make calibrated radiometric measurements at multiple microwave frequencies and polarizations. The GPM mission is an international effort managed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to improve climate, weather, and hydro-meteorological predictions through more accurate and frequent precipitation measurements [1]. Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corporation (BATC) was selected by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) to design, build, and test the GMI instrument. The SMA design has to meet a challenging set of requirements and is based on BATC space mechanisms heritage and lessons learned design changes made to the WindSat BAPTA mechanism that is currently operating on-orbit and has recently surpassed 8 years of Flight operation.