Atmospheric effects on voice command intelligibility from acoustic hail and warning devices

Voice command sound pressure levels (SPLs) were recorded at distances up to 1500 m. Received SPLs were related to the meteorological condition during sound propagation and compared with the outdoor sound propagation standard ISO 9613-2. Intelligibility of received signals was calculated using ANSI S3.5. Intelligibility results for the present voice command indicate that meteorological condition imposes little to no effect on intelligibility when the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is low (<-9 dB) or high (>0 dB). In these two cases the signal is firmly unintelligible or intelligible, respectively. However, at moderate SNRs, variations in received SPL can cause a fully intelligible voice command to become unintelligible, depending on the meteorological condition along the sound propagation path. These changes in voice command intelligibility often occur on time scales as short as minutes during upward refracting conditions, typically found above ground during the day or upwind of a sound source. Reliably predicting the intelligibility of a voice command in a moderate SNR environment can be challenging due to the inherent variability imposed by sound propagation through the atmosphere.     

Airframe structural damage detection: a non-linear structural surface intensity based technique

The non-linear structural surface intensity (NSSI) based damage detection technique is extended to airframe applications. The selected test structure is an upper cabin airframe section from a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter (Sikorsky Aircraft, Stratford, CT). Structural damage is simulated through an impact resonator device, designed to simulate the induced vibration effects typical of non-linear behaving damage. An experimental study is conducted to prove the applicability of NSSI on complex mechanical systems as well as to evaluate the minimum sensor and actuator requirements. The NSSI technique is shown to have high damage detection sensitivity, covering an extended substructure with a single sensing location.     

From nanodiamond to diamond nanowires: structural properties affected by dimension

Although production of nanowires from various materials is proving very successful, the development of diamond nanowires has been slow. However, a significant amount of successful research has been conducted regarding zero-dimensional nanodiamond crystals, which may offer a basis for the development of one-dimensional diamond nanostructures. Observations of the structural transitions between nanodiamonds into carbon onions inevitably lead to questions as to whether a similar transformation occurs in one dimension and, if so, how it may be avoided. Presented here are ab initio investigations of dehydrogenated nanodiamond crystals and analogous diamond nanowires, to examine how the additional dimension effects structural properties.     

Phase stability of nanocarbon in one dimension: nanotubes versus diamond nanowires

Since their discovery in 1990, the study of sp2 bonded carbon nanotubes has grown into a field of research in it's own right; however the development of the sp3 analog, diamond nanowires, has been slow. A number of theoretical models have been proposed to compare the relative stability of diamond and graphite at the nanoscale; and more recently, to compare nanodiamonds and fullerenes. Presented here is a study of the phase stability of nanocarbon in one-dimension. The structural energies of carbon nanotubes and diamond nanowires have been calculated using density functional theory within the generalized gradient approximation, and used to determine the atomic heat of formation as a function of size.     

The Broadening of He I lines including ion dynamic corrections,with application to λ4471Å

A theory is developed for the broadening of He I lines with forbidden components which is valid at low densities (where the forbidden line is reasonably well isolated). This theory takes into account the effects of dynamic ion broadening. Application to λ4471Å gives good agreement with experiment and with a recent calculation of Lee; reasons for agreement with Lee are discussed in detail. Comprehensive tables for 4471Å are presented. These have been extended further into the line wings than previous tabulations. Static ion theory is found to be adequate for densities greater than ～ 5 × 10¹⁵ cm^?3. A simple numerical profile for allowed lines, taking into account dynamic ion effects, is also presented.