48 CFR 223.7305 - Authorization and approval.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Minimizing the Use of Materials... apply to critical defense applications if no substitute can meet performance requirements. The DoD...

System analysis for technology transfer readiness assessment of horticultural postharvest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayuningtyas, M.; Djatna, T.

2018-04-01

Availability of postharvest technology is becoming abundant, but only a few technologies are applicable and useful to a wider community purposes. Based on this problem it requires a significant readiness level of transfer technology approach. This system is reliable to access readiness a technology with level, from 1-9 and to minimize time of transfer technology in every level, time required technology from the selection process can be minimum. Problem was solved by using Relief method to determine ranking by weighting feasible criteria on postharvest technology in each level and PERT (Program Evaluation Review Technique) to schedule. The results from ranking process of post-harvest technology in the field of horticulture is able to pass level 7. That, technology can be developed to increase into pilot scale and minimize time required for technological readiness on PERT with optimistic time of 7,9 years. Readiness level 9 shows that technology has been tested on the actual conditions also tied with estimated production price compared to competitors. This system can be used to determine readiness of technology innovation that is derived from agricultural raw materials and passes certain stages.

Analysis and Application of an Underwater Optical-Ranging System

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-09-01

sin 20 (3.2) 0 2 2 The direction in which this is maximized or minimized is found by differentiating with respect to 0 and setting to zero _ = 0 (3.3...H.O. Torsen , K. Thoresen, "Laser Imaging Technology for Subsea Inspection: Principles and Applications," IRMI/ROV90 Coiference, November 1990. [6...J.O. Klepsvik, H.O. Torsen , "Recent Advances in Accurate Underwater Mapping and Inspection Techniques," International Ocean Technology Congress, January

Theoretical Implementations of Various Mobile Applications Used in English Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Small, Melissa

2014-01-01

This review of the theoretical framework for Mastery Learning Theory and Sense of Community theories is provided in conjunction with a review of the literature for mobile technology in relation to language learning. Although empirical research is minimal for mobile phone technology as an aid for language learning, the empirical research that…

Fractal-based wideband invisibility cloak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cohen, Nathan; Okoro, Obinna; Earle, Dan; Salkind, Phil; Unger, Barry; Yen, Sean; McHugh, Daniel; Polterzycki, Stefan; Shelman-Cohen, A. J.

2015-03-01

A wideband invisibility cloak (IC) at microwave frequencies is described. Using fractal resonators in closely spaced (sub wavelength) arrays as a minimal number of cylindrical layers (rings), the IC demonstrates that it is physically possible to attain a `see through' cloaking device with: (a) wideband coverage; (b) simple and attainable fabrication; (c) high fidelity emulation of the free path; (d) minimal side scattering; (d) a near absence of shadowing in the scattering. Although not a practical device, this fractal-enabled technology demonstrator opens up new opportunities for diverted-image (DI) technology and use of fractals in wideband optical, infrared, and microwave applications.

Application of automatic image analysis in wood science

Treesearch

Charles W. McMillin

1982-01-01

In this paper I describe an image analysis system and illustrate with examples the application of automatic quantitative measurement to wood science. Automatic image analysis, a powerful and relatively new technology, uses optical, video, electronic, and computer components to rapidly derive information from images with minimal operator interaction. Such instruments...

Integrated photonics for fiber optic based temperature sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Evenblij, R. S.; van Leest, T.; Haverdings, M. B.

2017-09-01

One of the promising space applications areas for fibre sensing is high reliable thermal mapping of metrology structures for effects as thermal deformation, focal plane distortion, etc. Subsequently, multi-point temperature sensing capability for payload panels and instrumentation instead of, or in addition to conventional thermo-couple technology will drastically reduce electrical wiring and sensor materials to minimize weight and costs. Current fiber sensing technologies based on solid state ASPIC (Application Specific Photonic Integrated Circuits) technology, allow significant miniaturization of instrumentation and improved reliability. These imperative aspects make the technology candidate for applications in harsh environments such as space. One of the major aspects in order to mature ASPIC technology for space is assessment on radiation hardness. This paper describes the results of radiation hardness experiments on ASPIC including typical multipoint temperature sensing and thermal mapping capabilities.

75 FR 16868 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-02

... access authorization. Personal history information which is submitted on applicants for relevant jobs is... minimized, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology? A...

Transcranial MR-Guided Focused Ultrasound: A Review of the Technology and Neuro Applications

PubMed Central

Ghanouni, Pejman; Pauly, Kim Butts; Elias, W. Jeff; Henderson, Jaimie; Sheehan, Jason; Monteith, Stephen; Wintermark, Max

2015-01-01

MR guided focused ultrasound is a new, minimally invasive method of targeted tissue thermal ablation that may be of use to treat central neuropathic pain, essential tremor, Parkinson tremor, and brain tumors. The system has also been used to temporarily disrupt the blood-brain barrier to allow targeted drug delivery to brain tumors. This article reviews the physical principles of MR guided focused ultrasound and discusses current and potential applications of this exciting technology. PMID:26102394

Microfabricated Chemical Gas Sensors and Sensor Arrays for Aerospace Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hunter, Gary W.

2005-01-01

Aerospace applications require the development of chemical sensors with capabilities beyond those of commercially available sensors. In particular, factors such as minimal sensor size, weight, and power consumption are particularly important. Development areas which have potential aerospace applications include launch vehicle leak detection, engine health monitoring, and fire detection. Sensor development for these applications is based on progress in three types of technology: 1) Micromachining and microfabrication (Microsystem) technology to fabricate miniaturized sensors; 2) The use of nanocrystalline materials to develop sensors with improved stability combined with higher sensitivity; 3) The development of high temperature semiconductors, especially silicon carbide. This presentation discusses the needs of space applications as well as the point-contact sensor technology and sensor arrays being developed to address these needs. Sensors to measure hydrogen, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides (NO,), carbon monoxide, oxygen, and carbon dioxide are being developed as well as arrays for leak, fire, and emissions detection. Demonstrations of the technology will also be discussed. It is concluded that microfabricated sensor technology has significant potential for use in a range of aerospace applications.

Application of Digital Diagnosis and Treatment Technique in Benign Mandibular Diseases.

PubMed

Ju, Rui; Zeng, Wei; Lian, Xiaotian; Chen, Gang; Yin, Huaqiang; Tang, Wei

2018-05-01

To explore the feasibility of preoperative planning for treatment of benign mandibular lesions (BML) using digital technologies such as three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction, measurement, visualization as well as image contrast and design of neural positioning protection template (NPPT) in combination with 3D printing technology in the BML diagnosis and treatment. The 3D models of BML and inferior alveolar nerves (IAN) of 10 BML patients were reconstructed based on their digital imaging and communications in medicine (DICOM) data using MIMICS16.0 software. The models were used to visualize lesions and nerve contrast measurement and guide design of personalized NPPT and osteotomy after operation modality was determined in order to achieve accurate, minimally invasive operation with shortened intraoperative time. Intraoperative NPPT application could accurately locate lesions and their scope and assist osteotomy. The measurement results were consistent with those of preoperative reconstruction and measurement. The BML were curetted completely without damage IAN. The 10 BML patients had no numbness and other discomforts in the lower lip and mandibular teeth after operation. The digital diagnosis and treatment technology is an effective method for functional treatment of BML patients and its application could achieve personalized, minimally invasive and precise treatment and save intraoperation time.

Application countermeasures of non-incineration technologies for medical waste treatment in China.

PubMed

Chen, Yang; Ding, Qiong; Yang, Xiaoling; Peng, Zhengyou; Xu, Diandou; Feng, Qinzhong

2013-12-01

By the end of 2012, there were 272 modern, high-standard, centralized medical waste disposal facilities operating in various cities in China. Among these facilities nearly 50% are non-incineration treatment facilities, including the technologies of high temperature steam, chemical disinfection and microwave. Each of the non-incineration technologies has its advantages and disadvantages, and any single technology cannot offer a panacea because of the complexity of medical waste disposal. Although non-incineration treatment of medical waste can avoid the release of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/dibenzofurans, it is still necessary to decide how to best meet the local waste management needs while minimizing the impact on the environment and public health. There is still a long way to go to establish the sustainable application and management mode of non-incineration technologies. Based on the analysis of typical non-incineration process, pollutant release, and the current tendency for technology application and development at home and abroad, this article recommends the application countermeasures of non-incineration technologies as the best available techniques and best environmental practices in China.

In the palm of your hand.

PubMed

Monteverdi, B

2001-01-01

The explosive growth of handheld personal digital assistants (PDAs) in health care has been nothing short of amazing. What applications--business and clinical--do these devices have in medicine, and what is their potential? PDAs are simple and intuitive; their applications require minimal interaction time, so they have minimal impact on work flow: the investment is small; and the lightweight form is relatively nonintrusive during a patient encounter. The devices are being used to capture charges for medical services at the point of care. Encounter capture, online prescription writing and other applications will soon come on the scene. This article discusses current and possible future uses for PDAs in health care, interfaces with other technologies and security concerns.

Robotics in reproductive medicine.

PubMed

Sroga, Julie; Patel, Sejal Dharia; Falcone, Tommaso

2008-01-01

In the past decade, robotic technology has been increasingly incorporated into various industries, including surgery and medicine. This chapter will review the history, development, current applications, and future of robotic technology in reproductive medicine. A literature search was performed for all publications regarding robotic technology in medicine, surgery, reproductive endocrinology, and its role in both surgical education and telepresence surgery. As robotic assisted surgery has emerged, this technology provides a feasible option for minimally invasive surgery, impacts surgical education, and plays a role in telepresence surgery.

Camouflage Traffic: Minimizing Message Delay for Smart Grid Applications under Jamming

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-04-01

technologies. To facilitate efficient information exchange, wireless networks have been proposed to be widely used in the smart grid. However, the jamming...attack that constantly broadcasts radio interference is a primary security threat to prevent the deployment of wireless networks in the smart grid. Hence... wireless communications, while at the same time providing latency guarantee for control messages. An open question is how to minimize message delay for

Educational Uses of Virtual Reality Technology.

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-01-01

technology. It is affordable in that a basic level of technology can be achieved on most existing personal computers at either no cost or some minimal...actually present in a virtual environment is termed "presence" and is an artifact of being visually immersed in the computer -generated virtual world...Carolina University, VREL Teachers 1996 onward £ CO ■3 u VR in Education University of Illinois, National Center for Super- computing Applications

Polyphenol oxidase activity from three sicilian artichoke [ Cynara cardunculus L. Var. scolymus L. (Fiori)] cultivars: studies and technological application on minimally processed production.

PubMed

Todaro, Aldo; Peluso, Orazio; Catalano, Anna Eghle; Mauromicale, Giovanni; Spagna, Giovanni

2010-02-10

Several papers helped with the development of more methods to control browning, or study thermal polyphenol oxidase (PPO) inactivation, but did not provide any solutions to technological process problems and food process improvement. Artichokes [ Cynara cardunculus L. var. scolymus L. (Fiori)] are susceptible to browning; this alteration could affect and reduce the suitability for its use, fresh or processed. Within this study, the catecholase and cresolase activities of PPO from three different Sicilian artichokes cultivar were characterized with regard to substrate specificity and enzyme kinetics, optimum pH and temperature, temperature and pH stability, and inhibitor test; all of the results were used for technological purposes, particularly to optimize minimally processed productions (ready-to-eat and cook-chilled artichokes).

Applied breath analysis: an overview of the challenges and opportunities in developing and testing sensor technology for human health monitoring in aerospace and clinical applications

PubMed Central

Hunter, Gary W; Dweik, Raed A

2010-01-01

The aerospace industry requires the development of a range of chemical sensor technologies for such applications as leak detection, emission monitoring, fuel leak detection, environmental monitoring, and fire detection. A family of chemical sensors are being developed based on micromachining and microfabrication technology to fabricate microsensors with minimal size, weight, and power consumption, and the use of nanomaterials and structures to develop sensors with improved stability combined with higher sensitivity. However, individual sensors are limited in the amount of information that they can provide in environments that contain multiple chemical species. Thus, sensor arrays are being developed to address detection needs in such multi-species environments. These technologies and technical approaches have direct relevance to breath monitoring for clinical applications. This paper gives an overview of developing cutting-edge sensor technology and possible barriers to new technology implementation. This includes lessons learned from previous microsensor development, recent work in development of a breath monitoring system, and future directions in the implementation of cutting edge sensor technology. Clinical applications and the potential impact to the biomedical field of miniaturized smart gas sensor technology are discussed. PMID:20622933

Disruptive technology for vector control: the Innovative Vector Control Consortium and the US Military join forces to explore transformative insecticide application technology for mosquito control programmes.

PubMed

Knapp, Jennifer; Macdonald, Michael; Malone, David; Hamon, Nicholas; Richardson, Jason H

2015-09-26

Malaria vector control technology has remained largely static for decades and there is a pressing need for innovative control tools and methodology to radically improve the quality and efficiency of current vector control practices. This report summarizes a workshop jointly organized by the Innovative Vector Control Consortium (IVCC) and the Armed Forces Pest Management Board (AFPMB) focused on public health pesticide application technology. Three main topics were discussed: the limitations with current tools and techniques used for indoor residual spraying (IRS), technology innovation to improve efficacy of IRS programmes, and truly disruptive application technology beyond IRS. The group identified several opportunities to improve application technology to include: insuring all IRS programmes are using constant flow valves and erosion resistant tips; introducing compression sprayer improvements that help minimize pesticide waste and human error; and moving beyond IRS by embracing the potential for new larval source management techniques and next generation technology such as unmanned "smart" spray systems. The meeting served to lay the foundation for broader collaboration between the IVCC and AFPMB and partners in industry, the World Health Organization, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and others.

Cone beam computed tomography: basics and applications in dentistry.

PubMed

Venkatesh, Elluru; Elluru, Snehal Venkatesh

2017-01-01

The introduction of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) devices, changed the way oral and maxillofacial radiology is practiced. CBCT was embraced into the dental settings very rapidly due to its compact size, low cost, low ionizing radiation exposure when compared to medical computed tomography. Alike medical CT, 3 dimensional evaluation of the maxillofacial region with minimal distortion is offered by the CBCT. This article provides an overview of basics of CBCT technology and reviews the specific application of CBCT technology to oral and maxillofacial region with few illustrations.

Experimental demonstration of an OpenFlow based software-defined optical network employing packet, fixed and flexible DWDM grid technologies on an international multi-domain testbed.

PubMed

Channegowda, M; Nejabati, R; Rashidi Fard, M; Peng, S; Amaya, N; Zervas, G; Simeonidou, D; Vilalta, R; Casellas, R; Martínez, R; Muñoz, R; Liu, L; Tsuritani, T; Morita, I; Autenrieth, A; Elbers, J P; Kostecki, P; Kaczmarek, P

2013-03-11

Software defined networking (SDN) and flexible grid optical transport technology are two key technologies that allow network operators to customize their infrastructure based on application requirements and therefore minimizing the extra capital and operational costs required for hosting new applications. In this paper, for the first time we report on design, implementation & demonstration of a novel OpenFlow based SDN unified control plane allowing seamless operation across heterogeneous state-of-the-art optical and packet transport domains. We verify and experimentally evaluate OpenFlow protocol extensions for flexible DWDM grid transport technology along with its integration with fixed DWDM grid and layer-2 packet switching.

Clinical Assessment Applications of Ambulatory Biosensors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haynes, Stephen N.; Yoshioka, Dawn T.

2007-01-01

Ambulatory biosensor assessment includes a diverse set of rapidly developing and increasingly technologically sophisticated strategies to acquire minimally disruptive measures of physiological and motor variables of persons in their natural environments. Numerous studies have measured cardiovascular variables, physical activity, and biochemicals…

Development and Application of Microfabricated Chemical Gas Sensors For Aerospace Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hunter, G. W.; Neudeck, P. G.; Fralick, G.; Thomas, V.; Liu, C. C.; Wu, Q. H.; Sawayda, M. S.; Jin, A.; Hammond, J.; Makel, D.;

Light scattering techniques for the characterization of optical components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hauptvogel, M.; Schröder, S.; Herffurth, T.; Trost, M.; von Finck, A.; Duparré, A.; Weigel, T.

2017-11-01

The rapid developments in optical technologies generate increasingly higher and sometimes completely new demands on the quality of materials, surfaces, components, and systems. Examples for such driving applications are the steadily shrinking feature sizes in semiconductor lithography, nanostructured functional surfaces for consumer optics, and advanced optical systems for astronomy and space applications. The reduction of surface defects as well as the minimization of roughness and other scatter-relevant irregularities are essential factors in all these areas of application. Quality-monitoring for analysing and improving those properties must ensure that even minimal defects and roughness values can be detected reliably. Light scattering methods have a high potential for a non-contact, rapid, efficient, and sensitive determination of roughness, surface structures, and defects.

Self-management of diabetes in children and young adults using technology and smartphone applications.

PubMed

Sheehy, Siobhan; Cohen, Georgia; Owen, Katharine R

2014-01-01

Treatment compliance and adherence are often a challenge in patients with type 1 diabetes, particularly for adolescent and young adult patients. With the availability of the internet and smart phone applications (apps) there is a hope that such technology could provide a means to encourage treatment adherence in this group of patients. This review focuses on whether telemedicine and smartphone technology in diabetes can influence self-management in young people with diabetes. A large number of smartphone apps are targeted at people with diabetes, but a limited number of well designed evaluation studies have been performed. As our review shows, the evidence base for efficacy of most of these applications is minimal and improvement in hard outcomes such as HbA1c and complication development is largely lacking.

Single-Cell Microgels: Technology, Challenges, and Applications.

PubMed

Kamperman, Tom; Karperien, Marcel; Le Gac, Séverine; Leijten, Jeroen

2018-04-12

Single-cell-laden microgels effectively act as the engineered counterpart of the smallest living building block of life: a cell within its pericellular matrix. Recent breakthroughs have enabled the encapsulation of single cells in sub-100-μm microgels to provide physiologically relevant microniches with minimal mass transport limitations and favorable pharmacokinetic properties. Single-cell-laden microgels offer additional unprecedented advantages, including facile manipulation, culture, and analysis of individual cell within 3D microenvironments. Therefore, single-cell microgel technology is expected to be instrumental in many life science applications, including pharmacological screenings, regenerative medicine, and fundamental biological research. In this review, we discuss the latest trends, technical challenges, and breakthroughs, and present our vision of the future of single-cell microgel technology and its applications. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Low NO/x/ heavy fuel combustor program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lister, E.; Niedzwiecki, R. W.; Nichols, L.

1980-01-01

The paper deals with the 'Low NO/x/ Heavy Fuel Combustor Program'. Main program objectives are to generate and demonstrate the technology required to develop durable gas turbine combustors for utility and industrial applications, which are capable of sustained, environmentally acceptable operation with minimally processed petroleum residual fuels. The program will focus on 'dry' reductions of oxides of nitrogen (NO/x/), improved combustor durability and satisfactory combustion of minimally processed petroleum residual fuels. Other technology advancements sought include: fuel flexibility for operation with petroleum distillates, blends of petroleum distillates and residual fuels, and synfuels (fuel oils derived from coal or shale); acceptable exhaust emissions of carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbons, sulfur oxides and smoke; and retrofit capability to existing engines.

Energy conservation through sealing technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stair, W. K.; Ludwig, L. P.

1978-01-01

Improvements in fluid film sealing resulting from a proposed research program could lead to an annual energy saving, on a national basis, equivalent to about 37 million bbl of oil or 0.3% of the total U.S. energy consumption. Further, the application of known sealing technology can result in an annual saving of an additional 10 million bbl of oil. The energy saving would be accomplished by reduction in process heat energy loss, reduction of frictional energy generated, and minimization of energy required to operate ancillary equipment associated with the seal system. In addition to energy saving, cost effectiveness is further enhanced by reduction in maintenance and in minimization of equipment for collecting leakage and for meeting environmental pollution standards.

Low NO(x) heavy fuel combustor program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lister, E.; Niedzwiecki, R. W.; Nichols, L.

1979-01-01

The 'low nitrogen oxides heavy fuel combustor' program is described. Main program objectives are to generate and demonstrate the technology required to develop durable gas turbine combustors for utility and industrial applications, which are capable of sustained, environmentally acceptable operation with minimally processed petroleum residual fuels. The program will focus on 'dry' reductions of oxides of nitrogen, improved combustor durability, and satisfactory combustion of minimally processed petroleum residual fuels. Other technology advancements sought include: fuel flexibility for operation with petroleum distillates, blends of petroleum distillates and residual fuels, and synfuels (fuel oils derived from coal or shale); acceptable exhaust emissions of carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbons, sulfur oxides and smoke; and retrofit capability to existing engines.

The fate of mercury in coal utilization byproducts

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

William Aljoe; Thomas Feeley; James Murphy

2005-05-01

The US Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory's (DOE/NETL's) research has helped to further scientific understanding of the environmental characteristics of coal-utilization by-products (CUBs) in both disposal and beneficial utilization applications. The following general observations can be drawn from results of the research that has been carried out to date: There appears to be only minimal mercury release to the environment in typical disposal or utilization applications for CUBs generated using activated carbon injection (ACI) control technologies; There appears to be only minimal mercury release to the environment in typical disposal and utilization applications for CUBs generated using wetmore » FGD control technologies. The potential release of mercury from wet FGD gypsum during the manufacture of wallboard is still under evaluation; The amount of mercury leached from CUB samples tested by DOE/NETL is significantly lower than the federal drinking water standards and water quality criteria for the protection of aquatic life; in many cases, leachate concentrations were below the standard test method detection limits. DOE/NETL will continue to partner with industry and other key stakeholders in carrying out research to better understand the fate of mercury and other trace elements in the byproducts from coal combustion. 16 refs., 6 tabs.« less

Minimally invasive abdominal surgery: lux et veritas past, present, and future.

PubMed

Harrell, Andrew G; Heniford, B Todd

2005-08-01

Laparoscopic surgery has developed out of multiple technology innovations and the desire to see beyond the confines of the human body. As the instrumentation became more advanced, the application of this technique followed. By revisiting the historical developments that now define laparoscopic surgery, we can possibly foresee its future. A Medline search was performed of all the English-language literature. Further references were obtained through cross-referencing the bibliography cited in each work and using books from the authors' collection. Minimally invasive surgery is becoming important in almost every facet of abdominal surgery. Optical improvements, miniaturization, and robotic technology continue to define the frontier of minimally invasive surgery. Endoluminal resection surgery, image-guided surgical navigation, and remotely controlled robotics are not far from becoming reality. These and advances yet to be described will change laparoscopic surgery just as the electric light bulb did over 100 years ago.

The Applications of NASA Mission Technologies to the Greening of Human Impact

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sims, Michael H.

2009-01-01

I will give an overview talk about flight software systems, robotics technologies and modeling for energy minimization as applied to vehicles and buildings infrastructures. A dominant issue in both design and operations of robotic spacecraft is the minimization of energy use. In the design and building of spacecraft increased power is acquired only at the cost of additional mass and volumes and ultimately cost. Consequently, interplanetary spacecrafts are designed to have the minimum essential power and those designs often incorporate careful timing of all power use. Operationally, the availability of power is the most influential constraint for the use of planetary surface robots, such as the Mars Exploration Rovers. The amount of driving done, the amount of science accomplished and indeed the survivability of the spacecraft itself is determined by the power available for use. For the Mars Exploration Rovers there are four tools which are used: (1) models of the rover and it s thermal and power use (2) predictive environmental models of power input and thermal environment (3) fine grained manipulation of power use (4) optimization modeling and planning tools. In this talk I will discuss possible applications of this methodology to minimizing power use on Earth, especially in buildings.

The Use of ICP-MS and IC-ICP-MS in Environmental and Exposure Assesssment

EPA Science Inventory

OVERVIEW: Application of collision/reaction cell interference reduction technology for the minimization of polyatomic interferences in environmental matrices. Improved risk assessments through the use of arsenic speciation approaches that estimate the bio-accessibility asso...

Minimally Invasive Surgery in Gastrointestinal Cancer: Benefits, Challenges, and Solutions for Underutilization

PubMed Central

Gusani, Niraj J.; Kimchi, Eric T.; Kavic, Stephen M.

2014-01-01

Background and Objectives: After the widespread application of minimally invasive surgery for benign diseases and given its proven safety and efficacy, minimally invasive surgery for gastrointestinal cancer has gained substantial attention in the past several years. Despite the large number of publications on the topic and level I evidence to support its use in colon cancer, minimally invasive surgery for most gastrointestinal malignancies is still underused. Methods: We explore some of the challenges that face the fusion of minimally invasive surgery technology in the management of gastrointestinal malignancies and propose solutions that may help increase the utilization in the future. These solutions are based on extensive literature review, observation of current trends and practices in this field, and discussion made with experts in the field. Results: We propose 4 different solutions to increase the use of minimally invasive surgery in the treatment of gastrointestinal malignancies: collaboration between surgical oncologists/hepatopancreatobiliary surgeons and minimally invasive surgeons at the same institution; a single surgeon performing 2 fellowships in surgical oncology/hepatopancreatobiliary surgery and minimally invasive surgery; establishing centers of excellence in minimally invasive gastrointestinal cancer management; and finally, using robotic technology to help with complex laparoscopic skills. Conclusions: Multiple studies have confirmed the utility of minimally invasive surgery techniques in dealing with patients with gastrointestinal malignancies. However, training continues to be the most important challenge that faces the use of minimally invasive surgery in the management of gastrointestinal malignancy; implementation of our proposed solutions may help increase the rate of adoption in the future. PMID:25489209

Laser application in neurosurgery

PubMed Central

Belykh, Evgenii; Yagmurlu, Kaan; Martirosyan, Nikolay L.; Lei, Ting; Izadyyazdanabadi, Mohammadhassan; Malik, Kashif M.; Byvaltsev, Vadim A.; Nakaji, Peter; Preul, Mark C.

2017-01-01

Background: Technological innovations based on light amplification created by stimulated emission of radiation (LASER) have been used extensively in the field of neurosurgery. Methods: We reviewed the medical literature to identify current laser-based technological applications for surgical, diagnostic, and therapeutic uses in neurosurgery. Results: Surgical applications of laser technology reported in the literature include percutaneous laser ablation of brain tissue, the use of surgical lasers in open and endoscopic cranial surgeries, laser-assisted microanastomosis, and photodynamic therapy for brain tumors. Laser systems are also used for intervertebral disk degeneration treatment, therapeutic applications of laser energy for transcranial laser therapy and nerve regeneration, and novel diagnostic laser-based technologies (e.g., laser scanning endomicroscopy and Raman spectroscopy) that are used for interrogation of pathological tissue. Conclusion: Despite controversy over the use of lasers for treatment, the surgical application of lasers for minimally invasive procedures shows promising results and merits further investigation. Laser-based microscopy imaging devices have been developed and miniaturized to be used intraoperatively for rapid pathological diagnosis. The multitude of ways that lasers are used in neurosurgery and in related neuroclinical situations is a testament to the technological advancements and practicality of laser science. PMID:29204309

Photoelectric artefact from optogenetics and imaging on microelectrodes and bioelectronics: New Challenges and Opportunities

PubMed Central

Kozai, Takashi D.Y.; Vazquez, Alberto L.

2015-01-01

Bioelectronics, electronic technologies that interface with biological systems, are experiencing rapid growth in terms of technology development and applications, especially in neuroscience and neuroprosthetic research. The parallel growth with optogenetics and in vivo multi-photon microscopy has also begun to generate great enthusiasm for simultaneous applications with bioelectronic technologies. However, emerging research showing artefact contaminated data highlight the need for understanding the fundamental physical principles that critically impact experimental results and complicate their interpretation. This review covers four major topics: 1) material dependent properties of the photoelectric effect (conductor, semiconductor, organic, photoelectric work function (band gap)); 2) optic dependent properties of the photoelectric effect (single photon, multiphoton, entangled biphoton, intensity, wavelength, coherence); 3) strategies and limitations for avoiding/minimizing photoelectric effects; and 4) advantages of and applications for light-based bioelectronics (photo-bioelectronics). PMID:26167283

Minimally invasive surgery. Future developments.

PubMed

Wickham, J E

1994-01-15

The rapid development of minimally invasive surgery means that there will be fundamental changes in interventional treatment. Technological advances will allow new minimally invasive procedures to be developed. Application of robotics will allow some procedures to be done automatically, and coupling of slave robotic instruments with virtual reality images will allow surgeons to perform operations by remote control. Miniature motors and instruments designed by microengineering could be introduced into body cavities to perform operations that are currently impossible. New materials will allow changes in instrument construction, such as use of memory metals to make heat activated scissors or forceps. With the reduced trauma associated with minimally invasive surgery, fewer operations will require long hospital stays. Traditional surgical wards will become largely redundant, and hospitals will need to cope with increased through-put of patients. Operating theatres will have to be equipped with complex high technology equipment, and hospital staff will need to be trained to manage it. Conventional nursing care will be carried out more in the community. Many traditional specialties will be merged, and surgical training will need fundamental revision to ensure that surgeons are competent to carry out the new procedures.

XMM-Newton Mobile Web Application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ibarra, A.; Kennedy, M.; Rodríguez, P.; Hernández, C.; Saxton, R.; Gabriel, C.

2013-10-01

We present the first XMM-Newton web mobile application, coded using new web technologies such as HTML5, the Query mobile framework, and D3 JavaScript data-driven library. This new web mobile application focuses on re-formatted contents extracted directly from the XMM-Newton web, optimizing the contents for mobile devices. The main goals of this development were to reach all kind of handheld devices and operating systems, while minimizing software maintenance. The application therefore has been developed as a web mobile implementation rather than a more costly native application. New functionality will be added regularly.

Applications for the MATILDA robotic platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Munkeby, Steve H.; Jones, Don; Bugg, George; Smith, Kathryn

2002-07-01

Most robotic platforms have, up to this point, been designed with emphasis placed on improving mobility technologies. Minimal emphasis has been placed on payloads and mission execution. Using a top-down approach, Mesa Associates, Inc. identified specific UGV mission applications and structured its MATILDA platform using these applications for vehicle mobility and motion control requirements. Specific applications identified for the MATILDA platform include: Target surveillance, explosive device neutralization, material pickup and transport, weapon transport and firing, and law enforcement. Current performance results, lessons-learned, technical hurdles, and future applications are examined.

Current status of laser applications in urology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knipper, Ansgar; Thomas, Stephen; Durek, C.; Jocham, Dieter

1993-05-01

The overall development of laser use in urology is recessing. The reasons are the refinement of methods of radical surgery and the continuing development of alternative technologies involving electric current. Taking the cost factor into account, are lasers still opportune in medicine? The answer is definitely yes. Cost reduction in medical practice without quality loss is only possible with effective methods of minimally invasive surgery. Continuing investigation of cutting, welding, coagulating and ablating instruments is justified. Competition of lasers to other technologies can only be beneficial to the cause. But where are the highlights of laser applications? The unsurpassed utilization of optical properties of lasers lie in the concept of photodynamic therapies and in optical feedback mechanisms for laser applications. The combination of lasers with three dimensional visualization of the treatment area by ultrasound (TULIP-procedure for benign prostatic hyperplasia) is a novel approach in laser application. The further development of these treatment modalities will reveal the true benefit of laser technology in urological applications.

Bubble memory module for spacecraft application

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hayes, P. J.; Looney, K. T.; Nichols, C. D.

1985-01-01

Bubble domain technology offers an all-solid-state alternative for data storage in onboard data systems. A versatile modular bubble memory concept was developed. The key module is the bubble memory module which contains all of the storage devices and circuitry for accessing these devices. This report documents the bubble memory module design and preliminary hardware designs aimed at memory module functional demonstration with available commercial bubble devices. The system architecture provides simultaneous operation of bubble devices to attain high data rates. Banks of bubble devices are accessed by a given bubble controller to minimize controller parts. A power strobing technique is discussed which could minimize the average system power dissipation. A fast initialization method using EEPROM (electrically erasable, programmable read-only memory) devices promotes fast access. Noise and crosstalk problems and implementations to minimize these are discussed. Flight memory systems which incorporate the concepts and techniques of this work could now be developed for applications.

Open Source Radiation Hardened by Design Technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shuler, Robert

2016-01-01

The proposed technology allows use of the latest microcircuit technology with lowest power and fastest speed, with minimal delay and engineering costs, through new Radiation Hardened by Design (RHBD) techniques that do not require extensive process characterization, technique evaluation and re-design at each Moore's Law generation. The separation of critical node groups is explicitly parameterized so it can be increased as microcircuit technologies shrink. The technology will be open access to radiation tolerant circuit vendors. INNOVATION: This technology would enhance computation intensive applications such as autonomy, robotics, advanced sensor and tracking processes, as well as low power applications such as wireless sensor networks. OUTCOME / RESULTS: 1) Simulation analysis indicates feasibility. 2)Compact voting latch 65 nanometer test chip designed and submitted for fabrication -7/2016. INFUSION FOR SPACE / EARTH: This technology may be used in any digital integrated circuit in which a high level of resistance to Single Event Upsets is desired, and has the greatest benefit outside low earth orbit where cosmic rays are numerous.

A case study in technology utilization: Fracture mechanics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

This review of NASA contributions to the technology of fracture mechanics illustrates a fundamental role of the Space Agency in a single technical area. While primarily pursuing its goal of minimizing the weight of flight hardware, NASA engineers have generated innovations having broad impact in nonaerospace communities. A review is given of how these specific NASA innovations are communicated to the technical community outside the Space Agency, and current application areas are outlined.

Advanced Life Support Systems: Opportunities for Technology Transfer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fields, B.; Henninger, D.; Ming, D.; Verostko, C. E.

1994-01-01

NASA's future missions to explore the solar system will be of long-duration possibly lasting years at a time. Human life support systems will have to operate with very high reliability for these long periods with essentially no resupply from Earth. Such life support systems will make extensive use of higher plants, microorganisms, and physicochemical processes for recycling air and water, processing wastes, and producing food. Development of regenerative life support systems will be a pivotal capability for NASA's future human missions. A fully functional closed loop human life support system currently does not exist and thus represents a major technical challenge for space exploration. Technologies where all life support consumables are recycled have many potential terrestrial applications as well. Potential applications include providing human habitation in hostile environments such as the polar regions or the desert in such a way as to minimize energy expenditures and to minimize negative impacts on those often ecologically-sensitive areas. Other potential applications include production of food and ornamental crops without damaging the environment from fertilizers that contaminate water supplies; removal of trace gas contaminants from tightly sealed, energy-efficient buildings (the so-called sick building syndrome); and even the potential of gaining insight into the dynamics of the Earth's biosphere such that we can better manage our global environment. Two specific advanced life support technologies being developed by NASA, with potential terrestrial application, are the zeoponic plant growth system and the Hybrid Regenerative Water Recovery System (HRWRS). The potential applications for these candidate dual use technologies are quite different as are the mechanisms for transfer. In the case of zeoponics, a variety of commercial applications has been suggested which represent potentially lucrative markets. Also, the patented nature of this product offers opportunities for licensing to commercial entities. In the case of the HRWRS, commercial markets with broad applications have not been identified but some terrestrial applications are being explored where this approach has advantages over other methods of waste water processing. Although these potential applications do not appear to have the same broad attraction from the standpoint of rapid commercialization, they represent niches where commercialization possibilities as well as social benefits could be realized.

Novel technologies for decontamination of fresh and minimally processed fruits and vegetables

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The complex challenges facing producers and processors of fresh produce require creative applications of conventional treatments and innovative approaches to develop entirely novel treatments. The varied nature of fresh and fresh-cut produce demands solutions that are adapted and optimized for each ...

Data systems elements technology assessment and system specifications, issue no. 2. [nasa programs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1978-01-01

The ability to satisfy the objectives of future NASA Office of Applications programs is dependent on technology advances in a number of areas of data systems. The hardware and software technology of end-to-end systems (data processing elements through ground processing, dissemination, and presentation) are examined in terms of state of the art, trends, and projected developments in the 1980 to 1985 timeframe. Capability is considered in terms of elements that are either commercially available or that can be implemented from commercially available components with minimal development.

Data systems elements technology assessment and system specifications, issue no. 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1977-01-01

The ability to satisfy the objectives of future NASA Office of Applications Programs is dependent on technology advances in a number of areas of data systems. The technology of end-to-end data systems (space generator elements through ground processing, dissemination, and presentation, is examined in terms of state of the art, trends, and projected developments in the 1980 to 1985 timeframe. Capability is considered in terms of elements that are either commercially available or that can be implemented from commercially available components with minimal development.

Assessment of Sensor Technologies for Advanced Reactors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Korsah, Kofi; Kisner, R. A.; Britton Jr., C. L.

This paper provides an assessment of sensor technologies and a determination of measurement needs for advanced reactors (AdvRx). It is a summary of a study performed to provide the technical basis for identifying and prioritizing research targets within the instrumentation and control (I&C) Technology Area under the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Advanced Reactor Technology (ART) program. The study covered two broad reactor technology categories: High Temperature Reactors and Fast Reactors. The scope of “High temperature reactors” included Gen IV reactors whose coolant exit temperatures exceed ≈650 °C and are moderated (as opposed to fast reactors). To bound the scope formore » fast reactors, this report reviewed relevant operating experience from US-operated Sodium Fast Reactor (SFR) and relevant test experience from the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF). For high temperature reactors the study showed that in many cases instrumentation have performed reasonably well in research and demonstration reactors. However, even in cases where the technology is “mature” (such as thermocouples), HTGRs can benefit from improved technologies. Current HTGR instrumentation is generally based on decades-old technology and adapting newer technologies could provide significant advantages. For sodium fast reactors, the study found that several key research needs arise around (1) radiation-tolerant sensor design for in-vessel or in-core applications, where possible non-invasive sensing approaches for key parameters that minimize the need to deploy sensors in-vessel, (2) approaches to exfiltrating data from in-vessel sensors while minimizing penetrations, (3) calibration of sensors in-situ, and (4) optimizing sensor placements to maximize the information content while minimizing the number of sensors needed.« less

Simplifying applications software for vision guided robot implementation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duncheon, Charlie

1994-01-01

A simple approach to robot applications software is described. The idea is to use commercially available software and hardware wherever possible to minimize system costs, schedules and risks. The U.S. has been slow in the adaptation of robots and flexible automation compared to the fluorishing growth of robot implementation in Japan. The U.S. can benefit from this approach because of a more flexible array of vision guided robot technologies.

Reference Reactor Module for the Affordable Fission Surface Power System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poston, David I.; Kapernick, Richard J.; Dixon, David D.; Amiri, Benjamin W.; Marcille, Thomas F.

2008-01-01

Surface fission power systems on the Moon and Mars may provide the first US application of fission reactor technology in space since 1965. The requirements of many surface power applications allow the consideration of systems with much less development risk than most other space reactor applications, because of modest power (10s of kWe) and no driving need for minimal mass (allowing temperatures <1000 K). The Affordable Fission Surface Power System (AFSPS) study was completed by NASA/DOE to determine the cost of a modest performance, low-technical risk surface power system. This paper describes the reference AFSPS reactor module concept, which is designed to provide a net power of 40 kWe for 8 years on the lunar surface; note, the system has been designed with technologies that are fully compatible with a Martian surface application. The reactor concept uses stainless-steel based, UO2-fueled, liquid metal-cooled fission reactor coupled to free-piston Stirling converters. The reactor shielding approach utilizes both in-situ and launched shielding to keep the dose to astronauts much lower than the natural background radiation on the lunar surface. One of the important ``affordability'' attributes is that the concept has been designed to minimize both the technical and programmatic safety risk.

Advanced Silicon-on-Insulator: Crystalline Silicon on Atomic Layer Deposited Beryllium Oxide.

PubMed

Min Lee, Seung; Hwan Yum, Jung; Larsen, Eric S; Chul Lee, Woo; Keun Kim, Seong; Bielawski, Christopher W; Oh, Jungwoo

2017-10-16

Silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology improves the performance of devices by reducing parasitic capacitance. Devices based on SOI or silicon-on-sapphire technology are primarily used in high-performance radio frequency (RF) and radiation sensitive applications as well as for reducing the short channel effects in microelectronic devices. Despite their advantages, the high substrate cost and overheating problems associated with complexities in substrate fabrication as well as the low thermal conductivity of silicon oxide prevent broad applications of this technology. To overcome these challenges, we describe a new approach of using beryllium oxide (BeO). The use of atomic layer deposition (ALD) for producing this material results in lowering the SOI wafer production cost. Furthermore, the use of BeO exhibiting a high thermal conductivity might minimize the self-heating issues. We show that crystalline Si can be grown on ALD BeO and the resultant devices exhibit potential for use in advanced SOI technology applications.

Recent Advances in Food Processing Using High Hydrostatic Pressure Technology.

PubMed

Wang, Chung-Yi; Huang, Hsiao-Wen; Hsu, Chiao-Ping; Yang, Binghuei Barry

2016-01-01

High hydrostatic pressure is an emerging non-thermal technology that can achieve the same standards of food safety as those of heat pasteurization and meet consumer requirements for fresher tasting, minimally processed foods. Applying high-pressure processing can inactivate pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms and enzymes, as well as modify structures with little or no effects on the nutritional and sensory quality of foods. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have approved the use of high-pressure processing (HPP), which is a reliable technological alternative to conventional heat pasteurization in food-processing procedures. This paper presents the current applications of HPP in processing fruits, vegetables, meats, seafood, dairy, and egg products; such applications include the combination of pressure and biopreservation to generate specific characteristics in certain products. In addition, this paper describes recent findings on the microbiological, chemical, and molecular aspects of HPP technology used in commercial and research applications.

Application of multi-tone mask technology in photolithographic fabrication of color filter components in LCD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takada, Yoshihiro; Fukui, Matoko; Sai, Tsunehiro

2008-11-01

Recent progresses in the photoresists and photolithography for LCD industry applications have been primarily driven by the following two factors: advancement in the material performances (high resolution, high contrast ratio, low dielectric constant) for higher display quality, and cost reduction in the fabrication process. Along with crucial demand for cost competitiveness by improving production efficiency, environmental consciousness has been a major priority at fabrication process design to minimize the amount of waste produced. Having said the above, integration of two or more fabrication processes into a single process by using multi-tone mask technology has been the interest of research, due to its obvious advantage of reducing fabrication processes and cost. For example, multi-tone mask technology application has been widely employed on the TFT side to reduce the different types of photomasks being used. Similar trend has been employed on the CF side as well, where application of multi-tone mask technology is being investigated to integrate fabrication of multiple CF micro-components into a single process. In this presentation, we demonstrate a new approach of fabricating photospacer and peripheral CF components (MVA protrusion, sub-photospacers) in a single integrated process through multi-tone mask technology.

Potential Commercial Applications from Combustion and Fire Research in Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Friedman, Robert; Lyons, Valerie J.

1996-01-01

The near-zero (microgravity) environment of orbiting spacecraft minimizes buoyant flows, greatly simplifying combustion processes and isolating important phenomena ordinarily concealed by the overwhelming gravity-driven forces and flows. Fundamental combustion understanding - the focus to date of the NASA microgravity-combustion program - has greatly benefited from analyses and experiments conducted in the microgravity environment. Because of the economic and commercial importance of combustion in practice, there is strong motivation to seek wider applications for the microgravity-combustion findings. This paper reviews selected technology developments to illustrate some emerging applications. Topics cover improved fire-safety technology in spacecraft and terrestrial systems, innovative combustor designs for aerospace and ground propulsion, applied sensors and controls for combustion processes, and self-sustaining synthesis techniques for advanced materials.

Critical research and advanced technology (CRT) support project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Furman, E. R.; Anderson, D. N.; Hodge, P. E.; Lowell, C. E.; Nainiger, J. J.; Schultz, D. F.

1983-01-01

A critical technology base for utility and industrial gas turbines by planning the use of coal-derived fuels was studied. Development tasks were included in the following areas: (1) Combustion - investigate the combustion of coal-derived fuels and methods to minimize the conversion of fuel-bound nitrogen to NOx; (2) materials - understand and minimize hot corrosion; (3) system studies - integrate and focus the technological efforts. A literature survey of coal-derived fuels was completed and a NOx emissions model was developed. Flametube tests of a two-stage (rich-lean) combustor defined optimum equivalence ratios for minimizing NOx emissions. Sector combustor tests demonstrated variable air control to optimize equivalence ratios over a wide load range and steam cooling of the primary zone liner. The catalytic combustion of coal-derived fuels was demonstrated. The combustion of coal-derived gases is very promising. A hot-corrosion life prediction model was formulated and verified with laboratory testing of doped fuels. Fuel additives to control sulfur corrosion were studied. The intermittent application of barium proved effective. Advanced thermal barrier coatings were developed and tested. Coating failure modes were identified and new material formulations and fabrication parameters were specified. System studies in support of the thermal barrier coating development were accomplished.

Energy minimization strategies and renewable energy utilization for desalination: a review.

PubMed

Subramani, Arun; Badruzzaman, Mohammad; Oppenheimer, Joan; Jacangelo, Joseph G

2011-02-01

Energy is a significant cost in the economics of desalinating waters, but water scarcity is driving the rapid expansion in global installed capacity of desalination facilities. Conventional fossil fuels have been utilized as their main energy source, but recent concerns over greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have promoted global development and implementation of energy minimization strategies and cleaner energy supplies. In this paper, a comprehensive review of energy minimization strategies for membrane-based desalination processes and utilization of lower GHG emission renewable energy resources is presented. The review covers the utilization of energy efficient design, high efficiency pumping, energy recovery devices, advanced membrane materials (nanocomposite, nanotube, and biomimetic), innovative technologies (forward osmosis, ion concentration polarization, and capacitive deionization), and renewable energy resources (solar, wind, and geothermal). Utilization of energy efficient design combined with high efficiency pumping and energy recovery devices have proven effective in full-scale applications. Integration of advanced membrane materials and innovative technologies for desalination show promise but lack long-term operational data. Implementation of renewable energy resources depends upon geography-specific abundance, a feasible means of handling renewable energy power intermittency, and solving technological and economic scale-up and permitting issues. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cutting Edge Technologies Presentation: An Overview of Developing Sensor Technology Directions and Possible Barriers to New Technology Implementation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hunter, Gary W.

2007-01-01

The aerospace industry requires the development of a range of chemical sensor technologies for such applications as leak detection, emission monitoring, fuel leak detection, environmental monitoring, and fire detection. A range of chemical sensors are being developed based on micromachining and microfabrication technology to fabricate microsensors with minimal size, weight, and power consumption; and the use of nanomaterials and structures to develop sensors with improved stability combined with higher sensitivity, However, individual sensors are limited in the amount of information that they can provide in environments that contain multiple chemical species. Thus, sensor arrays are being developed to address detection needs in such multi-species environments. These technologies and technical approaches have direct relevance to breath monitoring for clinical applications. This presentation gives an overview of developing cutting-edge sensor technology and possible barriers to new technology implementation. This includes lessons learned from previous microsensor development, recent work in development of a breath monitoring system, and future directions in the implementation of cutting edge sensor technology.

Remote control spill reduction technology : a survey and analysis of applications for liquid pipeline systems

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1995-01-01

Given the 1988 directive, the OPS conducted a study on the potential for EFRDs : to minimize the volume of pipeline spills. They concluded that Remote Controlled Valves : (RCVs) and check valves are the only EFRDs that are effective on hazardous liqu...

The Potential of Grant Applications as Team Building Exercises: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Siemens, Lynne

2010-01-01

Faced with increasingly complex and technologically sophisticated research questions, academics are working with others through collaboration and research teams. To be effective, these research teams need to maximize the factors that contribute to success while minimizing the potentially negative impact of associated challenges. One particular…

[Manufacture method and clinical application of minimally invasive dental implant guide template based on registration technology].

PubMed

Lin, Zeming; He, Bingwei; Chen, Jiang; D u, Zhibin; Zheng, Jingyi; Li, Yanqin

2012-08-01

To guide doctors in precisely positioning surgical operation, a new production method of minimally invasive implant guide template was presented. The mandible of patient was scanned by CT scanner, and three-dimensional jaw bone model was constructed based on CT images data The professional dental implant software Simplant was used to simulate the plant based on the three-dimensional CT model to determine the location and depth of implants. In the same time, the dental plaster models were scanned by stereo vision system to build the oral mucosa model. Next, curvature registration technology was used to fuse the oral mucosa model and the CT model, then the designed position of implant in the oral mucosa could be determined. The minimally invasive implant guide template was designed in 3-Matic software according to the design position of implant and the oral mucosa model. Finally, the template was produced by rapid prototyping. The three-dimensional registration technology was useful to fuse the CT data and the dental plaster data, and the template was accurate that could provide the doctors a guidance in the actual planting without cut-off mucosa. The guide template which fabricated by comprehensive utilization of three-dimensional registration, Simplant simulation and rapid prototyping positioning are accurate and can achieve the minimally invasive and accuracy implant surgery, this technique is worthy of clinical use.

Plasma promoted manufacturing of hydrogen and vehicular applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bromberg, Leslie

2003-10-01

Plasmas can be used for promoting reformation of fuels. Plasma-based reformers developed at MIT use a low temperature, low power, low current electrical discharge to promote partial oxidation conversion of hydrocarbon fuels into hydrogen and CO. The very fuel rich mixture is hard to ignite, and the plasmatron provides a volume-ignition. To minimize erosion and to simplify the power supply, a low current high voltage discharge is used, with wide area electrodes. The plasmatron fuel reformer operates at or slightly above atmospheric pressure. The plasma-based reformer technology provides the advantages of rapid startup and transient response; efficient conversion of the fuel to hydrogen rich gas; compact size; relaxation or elimination of reformer catalyst requirements; and capability to process difficult to reform fuels. These advantages enable use of hydrogen-manufacturing reformation technology in cars using available fuels, such as gasoline and diesel. This plasma-based reformer technology can provide substantial throughputs even without the use of a catalyst. The electrical power consumption of the device is minimized by design and operational characteristics (less than 500 W peak and 200 W average). The product from these plasma reactors is a hydrogen rich mixture that can be used for combustion enhancement and emissions aftertreatment in vehicular applications. By converting a small fraction of the fuel to hydrogen rich gas, in-cylinder combustion can be improved. With minor modification of the engine, use of hydrogen rich gas results in increased fuel efficiency and decreased emissions of smog producing gases. The status of plasma based reformer technology and its application to vehicles will be described.

Iodine Propulsion Advantages for Low Cost Mission Applications and the Iodine Satellite (ISAT) Technology Demonstration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dankanich, John W.; Schumacher, Daniel M.

2015-01-01

The NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Science and Technology Office is continuously exploring technology options to increase performance or reduce cost and risk to future NASA missions including science and exploration. Electric propulsion is a prevalent technology known to reduce mission costs by reduction in launch costs and spacecraft mass through increased post launch propulsion performance. The exploration of alternative propellants for electric propulsion continues to be of interest to the community. Iodine testing has demonstrated comparable performance to xenon. However, iodine has a higher storage density resulting in higher ?V capability for volume constrained systems. Iodine's unique properties also allow for unpressurized storage yet sublimation with minimal power requirements to produce required gas flow rates. These characteristics make iodine an ideal propellant for secondary spacecraft. A range of mission have been evaluated with a focus on low-cost applications. Results highlight the potential for significant cost reduction over state of the art. Based on the potential, NASA has been developing the iodine Satellite for a near-term iodine Hall propulsion technology demonstration. Mission applications and progress of the iodine Satellite project are presented.

Eye Tracking and Head Movement Detection: A State-of-Art Survey

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Eye-gaze detection and tracking have been an active research field in the past years as it adds convenience to a variety of applications. It is considered a significant untraditional method of human computer interaction. Head movement detection has also received researchers' attention and interest as it has been found to be a simple and effective interaction method. Both technologies are considered the easiest alternative interface methods. They serve a wide range of severely disabled people who are left with minimal motor abilities. For both eye tracking and head movement detection, several different approaches have been proposed and used to implement different algorithms for these technologies. Despite the amount of research done on both technologies, researchers are still trying to find robust methods to use effectively in various applications. This paper presents a state-of-art survey for eye tracking and head movement detection methods proposed in the literature. Examples of different fields of applications for both technologies, such as human-computer interaction, driving assistance systems, and assistive technologies are also investigated. PMID:27170851

A review on the geoenvironmental and geoecological integrated technology for environmental remediation in Vietnam: approaches, contributions, challenges and perspectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trong Nhuan, Mai; Hoang Ha, Nguyen Thi; Hoai, Ta Thi; Dang Quy, Tran

2017-06-01

Geoenvironmental and geoecological integrated technology (GGIT) is a cost-effective and environment-friendly technology that encompasses the applications of earth science principles and functions of geological environment and ecosystems to assimilate and minimize the spread of pollutants, to enhance the sorption capacity and environmental remediation. On the basis of the integrated approaches such as system, anthropogenic activities - ecosystem - environment interaction, effectiveness and feasibility, GGIT has provided significant applications in Vietnam such as waste containment and remediation and environmental protection. The results of a pilot scale using iron mine drainage sludge and common reed (Phragmites australis) for wastewater treatment in a Pb-Zn mine in northern Vietnam indicated the effective and potential application of GGIT. However, GGIT has many challenges in limited funding conditions, constraints in the initial development of GGIT, incomplete transfer to users, and quantitative assessment of pollutant cleanup by natural environments and ecosystems. Environmental pollution quote, impacts to exposed organisms, increasing demands for application of low-cost technologies, the availability of potential sorbents, indigenous plants, and ecosystems for environmental remediation, and collaboration will promote development, contribution, and implementation of GGIT applications in Vietnam.

Pediatric oncologic endosurgery.

PubMed

Boo, Yoon Jung; Goedecke, Jan; Muensterer, Oliver J

2017-08-01

Despite increasing popularity of minimal-invasive techniques in the pediatric population, their use in diagnosis and management of pediatric malignancy is still debated. Moreover, there is limited evidence to clarify this controversy due to low incidence of each individual type of pediatric tumor, huge diversity of the disease entity, heterogeneity of surgical technique, and lack of well-designed studies on pediatric oncologic minimal-invasive surgery. However, a rapid development of medical instruments and technologies accelerated the current trend toward less invasive surgery, including oncologic endosurgery. The aim of this article is to review current literatures about the application of the minimal-invasive approach for pediatric tumors and to give an overview of the current status, indications, individual techniques, and future perspectives.

A Report on the Development of Rare Earth-Cobalt Permanent Magnet Technology - Japan.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-07-01

Implantable pumps and valves , head support harness in development). C. MICROWAVE AND ION BEAM TECHNOLOGY 1. Microwave Tubes: TWT PPM focusing, klystrons...III and IV were devoted to various medical applications that employ REPM. These included various dental prosthetic devices, tech- niques for measuring...minimize losses due to fracture in handling or heat treatment. Very little work has been done on this topic in the West or in Japan. The only two papers

Technology Thrust for Future Earth Science Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Habib, Shahid

2000-01-01

This paper presents NASA's recent direction to invest in the critical science instrument and platform technologies in order to realize more reliable, frequent and versatile missions for future Earth Science measurements. Traditionally, NASA's Earth Science Enterprise has developed and flown science missions that have been large in size, weight and volume. These missions have taken much longer implementation due to technology development time and have carried a large suite of instruments on a large-size spacecraft. NASA is also facing an era where the budget for the future years is more or less flat and the possibility for any major new start does not vividly appear on the horizon. Unfortunately, the scientific goals have not shrunk to commensurate with the budget constraints. In fact, the challenges and scientific appetite in search of answers to a score of outstanding questions have been gradually expanding. With these factors in mind, for the last three years NASA has been changing its focus to concentrate on how to take advantage of smaller missions by relying on industry, and minimizing the overall life cycle by infusing technologies that are being developed independently of any planned mission's implementation cycle. The major redirection of early investment in the critical technologies should have its rewards and significantly reduce the mission development period. Needless to say, in the long run this approach should save money, minimize risk, promote or encourage partnering, and allow for more frequent missions or earth science measurements to occur. This paper gives an overview of some of the identified crucial technologies and their intended applications for meeting the future Earth Science challenges.

Discontinuity minimization for omnidirectional video projections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alshina, Elena; Zakharchenko, Vladyslav

2017-09-01

Advances in display technologies both for head mounted devices and television panels demand resolution increase beyond 4K for source signal in virtual reality video streaming applications. This poses a problem of content delivery trough a bandwidth limited distribution networks. Considering a fact that source signal covers entire surrounding space investigation reviled that compression efficiency may fluctuate 40% in average depending on origin selection at the conversion stage from 3D space to 2D projection. Based on these knowledge the origin selection algorithm for video compression applications has been proposed. Using discontinuity entropy minimization function projection origin rotation may be defined to provide optimal compression results. Outcome of this research may be applied across various video compression solutions for omnidirectional content.

Present and Future of M2M

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ono, Satoru; Watanabe, Takashi

In recent years, the rapid progress in the development of hardware and software technologies enables tiny and low cost information devices hereinafter referred to as Machine to be widely available. M2M (Machine to Machine) has been of much attention where many tiny machines are connected to each other through networks with minimal human intervention to provide smooth and intelligent management. M2M is a promising core technology providing timely, flexible, efficient and comprehensive service at low cost. M2M has wide variety of applications including energy management system, environmental monitoring system, intelligent transport system, industrial automation system and other applications. M2M consists of terminals and networks that connect them. In this paper, we mainly focus on M2M networking and mention the future direction of the technology.

Soft, flexible micromanipulators comprising polypyrrole trilayer microactuators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khaldi, Alexandre; Maziz, Ali; Alici, Gursel; Spinks, Geoffrey M.; Jager, Edwin W. H.

2015-04-01

Within the areas of cell biology, biomedicine and minimal invasive surgery, there is a need for soft, flexible and dextrous biocompatible manipulators for handling biological objects, such as single cells and tissues. Present day technologies are based on simple suction using micropipettes for grasping objects. The micropipettes lack the possibility of accurate force control, nor are they soft and compliant and may thus cause damage to the cells or tissue. Other micromanipulators use conventional electric motors however the further miniaturization of electrical motors and their associated gear boxes and/or push/pull wires has reached its limits. Therefore there is an urgent need for new technologies for micromanipulation of soft biological matter. We are developing soft, flexible micromanipulators such as micro- tweezers for the handling and manipulation of biological species including cells and surgical tools for minimal invasive surgery. Our aim is to produce tools with minimal dimensions of 100 μm to 1 mm in size, which is 1-2 orders of magnitude smaller than existing technology. We present newly developed patterning and microfabrication methods for polymer microactuators as well as the latest results to integrate these microactuators into easy to use manipulation tools. The outcomes of this study contribute to the realisation of low-foot print devices articulated with electroactive polymer actuators for which the physical interface with the power source has been a significant challenge limiting their application. Here, we present a new bottom-up microfabrication process. We show for the first time that such a bottom-up fabricated actuator performs a movement in air. This is a significant step towards widening the application areas of the soft microactuators.

Development of Microfabricated Chemical Gas Sensors and Sensor Arrays for Aerospace Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hunter, G. W.; Neudeck, P. G.; Fralick, G.; Thomas, V.; Liu, C. C.; Wu, W. H.; Ward, B.; Makel, D.

2002-01-01

Aerospace applications require the development of chemical sensors with capabilities beyond those of commercially available sensors. In particular, factors such as minimal sensor size, weight, and power consumption are particularly important. Development areas which have potential aerospace applications include launch vehicle leak detection, engine health monitoring, fire detection, and environmental monitoring. Sensor development for these applications is based on progress in three types of technology: 1) Micromachining and microfabrication (Microsystem) technology to fabricate miniaturized sensors. 2) The use of nanocrystalline materials to develop sensors with improved stability combined with higher sensitivity. 3) The development of high temperature semiconductors, especially silicon carbide. However, due to issues of selectivity and cross-sensitivity, individual sensors are limited in the amount of information that they can provide in environments that contain multiple chemical species. Thus, sensor arrays are being developed to address detection needs in such multi-species environments. This paper discusses the needs of space applications as well as the point-contact sensor technology and sensor arrays being developed to address these needs. Sensors to measure hydrogen, hydrocarbons, hydrazine, nitrogen oxides (NO,), carbon monoxide, oxygen, and carbon dioxide are being developed as well as arrays for leak, fire, and emissions detection. Demonstrations of the technology will also be discussed. It is concluded that microfabricated sensor technology has significant potential for use in a range of aerospace applications.

Shape Sensing Techniques for Continuum Robots in Minimally Invasive Surgery: A Survey.

PubMed

Shi, Chaoyang; Luo, Xiongbiao; Qi, Peng; Li, Tianliang; Song, Shuang; Najdovski, Zoran; Fukuda, Toshio; Ren, Hongliang

2017-08-01

Continuum robots provide inherent structural compliance with high dexterity to access the surgical target sites along tortuous anatomical paths under constrained environments and enable to perform complex and delicate operations through small incisions in minimally invasive surgery. These advantages enable their broad applications with minimal trauma and make challenging clinical procedures possible with miniaturized instrumentation and high curvilinear access capabilities. However, their inherent deformable designs make it difficult to realize 3-D intraoperative real-time shape sensing to accurately model their shape. Solutions to this limitation can lead themselves to further develop closely associated techniques of closed-loop control, path planning, human-robot interaction, and surgical manipulation safety concerns in minimally invasive surgery. Although extensive model-based research that relies on kinematics and mechanics has been performed, accurate shape sensing of continuum robots remains challenging, particularly in cases of unknown and dynamic payloads. This survey investigates the recent advances in alternative emerging techniques for 3-D shape sensing in this field and focuses on the following categories: fiber-optic-sensor-based, electromagnetic-tracking-based, and intraoperative imaging modality-based shape-reconstruction methods. The limitations of existing technologies and prospects of new technologies are also discussed.

Minimally invasive surgery. Future developments.

PubMed Central

Wickham, J. E.

1994-01-01

The rapid development of minimally invasive surgery means that there will be fundamental changes in interventional treatment. Technological advances will allow new minimally invasive procedures to be developed. Application of robotics will allow some procedures to be done automatically, and coupling of slave robotic instruments with virtual reality images will allow surgeons to perform operations by remote control. Miniature motors and instruments designed by microengineering could be introduced into body cavities to perform operations that are currently impossible. New materials will allow changes in instrument construction, such as use of memory metals to make heat activated scissors or forceps. With the reduced trauma associated with minimally invasive surgery, fewer operations will require long hospital stays. Traditional surgical wards will become largely redundant, and hospitals will need to cope with increased through-put of patients. Operating theatres will have to be equipped with complex high technology equipment, and hospital staff will need to be trained to manage it. Conventional nursing care will be carried out more in the community. Many traditional specialties will be merged, and surgical training will need fundamental revision to ensure that surgeons are competent to carry out the new procedures. Images Fig 1 Fig 2 Fig 3 Fig 4 Fig 5 PMID:8312776

Recent technological updates and clinical applications of induced pluripotent stem cells.

PubMed

Diecke, Sebastian; Jung, Seung Min; Lee, Jaecheol; Ju, Ji Hyeon

2014-09-01

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) were first described in 2006 and have since emerged as a promising cell source for clinical applications. The rapid progression in iPSC technology is still ongoing and directed toward increasing the efficacy of iPSC production and reducing the immunogenic and tumorigenic potential of these cells. Enormous efforts have been made to apply iPSC-based technology in the clinic, for drug screening approaches and cell replacement therapy. Moreover, disease modeling using patient-specific iPSCs continues to expand our knowledge regarding the pathophysiology and prospective treatment of rare disorders. Furthermore, autologous stem cell therapy with patient-specific iPSCs shows great propensity for the minimization of immune reactions and the provision of a limitless supply of cells for transplantation. In this review, we discuss the recent updates in iPSC technology and the use of iPSCs in disease modeling and regenerative medicine.

Technological advances in caries diagnosis.

PubMed

Rochlen, Glenn K; Wolff, Mark S

2011-07-01

Understanding the nature of the caries lesion, disease activity, and the patient's caries risk are all used in determining the nature of dental care to be delivered. An examination should include a health and social history and clinical examination using appropriate technologies. This allows proper assessment and suggests a logical management intervention. Minimally invasive dentistry is a concept based on an assessment of a patient's caries risk and the application of the current therapies to prevent, control, and treat the disease. The history of the dental examination and the variety of current technologies are discussed. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The evolution of endovascular electroencephalography: historical perspective and future applications.

PubMed

Sefcik, Roberta K; Opie, Nicholas L; John, Sam E; Kellner, Christopher P; Mocco, J; Oxley, Thomas J

2016-05-01

Current standard practice requires an invasive approach to the recording of electroencephalography (EEG) for epilepsy surgery, deep brain stimulation (DBS), and brain-machine interfaces (BMIs). The development of endovascular techniques offers a minimally invasive route to recording EEG from deep brain structures. This historical perspective aims to describe the technical progress in endovascular EEG by reviewing the first endovascular recordings made using a wire electrode, which was followed by the development of nanowire and catheter recordings and, finally, the most recent progress in stent-electrode recordings. The technical progress in device technology over time and the development of the ability to record chronic intravenous EEG from electrode arrays is described. Future applications for the use of endovascular EEG in the preoperative and operative management of epilepsy surgery are then discussed, followed by the possibility of the technique's future application in minimally invasive operative approaches to DBS and BMI.

Linking Research, Extension and Farmers: The Case of Mangrove Swamp Rice Cultivation in Sierra Leone.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zinnah, Moses Moroe

1994-01-01

Interviews with 124 rice farmers in Sierra Leone revealed that farmers and extension staff have minimal participation and input in testing of new cultivation technologies. The top-down research approach has limited contact among researchers, extension staff, and farmers and affected the utility and application of research. (SK)

78 FR 26035 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-03

... technology to minimize the information collection burden. 1. Type of Information Collection Request: Revision..., such as Part B. The instructions have also been changed to guide plans on when to use this optional... with 45 CFR part 46 or equivalent federal regulations and applicable state or local law or regulations...

Ethanol from municipal cellulosic wastes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parker, A. J., Jr.; Timbario, T. J.; Mulloney, J. A., Jr.

This paper addresses the use of municipal cellulosic wastes as a feedstock for producing ethanol fuels, and describes the application of enzymatic hydrolysis technology for their production. The concept incorporates recent process technology developments within the framework of an existing industry familiar with large-scale ethanol fermentation (the brewing industry). Preliminary indications are that the cost of producing ethanol via enzymatic hydrolysis in an existing plant with minimal facility modifications (low capital investment) can be significantly less than that of ethanol from grain fermentation.

Hybrid emergency radiation detection: a wireless sensor network application for consequence management of a radiological release

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kyker, Ronald D.; Berry, Nina; Stark, Doug; Nachtigal, Noel; Kershaw, Chris

2004-08-01

The Hybrid Emergency Radiation Detection (HERD) system is a rapidly deployable ad-hoc wireless sensor network for monitoring the radiation hazard associated with a radiation release. The system is designed for low power, small size, low cost, and rapid deployment in order to provide early notification and minimize exposure. The many design tradeoffs, decisions, and challenges in the implementation of this wireless sensor network design will be presented and compared to the commercial systems available. Our research in a scaleable modular architectural highlights the need and implementation of a system level approach that provides flexibility and adaptability for a variety of applications. This approach seeks to minimize power, provide mission specific specialization, and provide the capability to upgrade the system with the most recent technology advancements by encapsulation and modularity. The implementation of a low power, widely available Real Time Operating System (RTOS) for multitasking with an improvement in code maintenance, portability, and reuse will be presented. Finally future design enhancements technology trends affecting wireless sensor networks will be presented.

Reduction of fuel consumption and exhaust pollutant using intelligent transport systems.

PubMed

Nasir, Mostofa Kamal; Md Noor, Rafidah; Kalam, M A; Masum, B M

2014-01-01

Greenhouse gas emitted by the transport sector around the world is a serious issue of concern. To minimize such emission the automobile engineers have been working relentlessly. Researchers have been trying hard to switch fossil fuel to alternative fuels and attempting to various driving strategies to make traffic flow smooth and to reduce traffic congestion and emission of greenhouse gas. Automobile emits a massive amount of pollutants such as Carbon Monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC), carbon dioxide (CO2), particulate matter (PM), and oxides of nitrogen (NO x ). Intelligent transport system (ITS) technologies can be implemented to lower pollutant emissions and reduction of fuel consumption. This paper investigates the ITS techniques and technologies for the reduction of fuel consumption and minimization of the exhaust pollutant. It highlights the environmental impact of the ITS application to provide the state-of-art green solution. A case study also advocates that ITS technology reduces fuel consumption and exhaust pollutant in the urban environment.

Induced mutation and epigenetics modification in plants for crop improvement by targeting CRISPR/Cas9 technology.

PubMed

Khan, Muhammad Hafeez Ullah; Khan, Shahid U; Muhammad, Ali; Hu, Limin; Yang, Yang; Fan, Chuchuan

2018-06-01

Clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats associated protein Cas9 (CRISPR-Cas9), originally an adaptive immunity system of prokaryotes, is revolutionizing genome editing technologies with minimal off-targets in the present era. The CRISPR/Cas9 is now highly emergent, advanced, and highly specific tool for genome engineering. The technology is widely used to animal and plant genomes to achieve desirable results. The present review will encompass how CRISPR-Cas9 is revealing its beneficial role in characterizing plant genetic functions, genomic rearrangement, how it advances the site-specific mutagenesis, and epigenetics modification in plants to improve the yield of field crops with minimal side-effects. The possible pitfalls of using and designing CRISPR-Cas9 for plant genome editing are also discussed for its more appropriate applications in plant biology. Therefore, CRISPR/Cas9 system has multiple benefits that mostly scientists select for genome editing in several biological systems. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Reduction of Fuel Consumption and Exhaust Pollutant Using Intelligent Transport Systems

PubMed Central

Nasir, Mostofa Kamal; Md Noor, Rafidah; Kalam, M. A.; Masum, B. M.

2014-01-01

Greenhouse gas emitted by the transport sector around the world is a serious issue of concern. To minimize such emission the automobile engineers have been working relentlessly. Researchers have been trying hard to switch fossil fuel to alternative fuels and attempting to various driving strategies to make traffic flow smooth and to reduce traffic congestion and emission of greenhouse gas. Automobile emits a massive amount of pollutants such as Carbon Monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC), carbon dioxide (CO2), particulate matter (PM), and oxides of nitrogen (NOx). Intelligent transport system (ITS) technologies can be implemented to lower pollutant emissions and reduction of fuel consumption. This paper investigates the ITS techniques and technologies for the reduction of fuel consumption and minimization of the exhaust pollutant. It highlights the environmental impact of the ITS application to provide the state-of-art green solution. A case study also advocates that ITS technology reduces fuel consumption and exhaust pollutant in the urban environment. PMID:25032239

Protective Coating

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1984-01-01

Inorganic Coatings, Inc.'s K-Zinc 531 protective coating is water-based non-toxic, non-flammable and has no organic emissions. High ratio silicate formula bonds to steel, and in 30 minutes, creates a very hard ceramic finish with superior adhesion and abrasion resistance. Improved technology allows application over a minimal commercial sandblast, fast drying in high humidity conditions and compatibility with both solvent and water-based topcoats. Coating is easy to apply and provides long term protection with a single application. Zinc rich coating with water-based potassium silicate binder offers cost advantages in materials, labor hours per application, and fewer applications over a given time span.

Management of arthropod pathogen vectors in North America: Minimizing adverse effects on pollinators

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ginsberg, Howard; Bargar, Timothy A.; Hladik, Michelle L.; Lubelczyk, Charles

2017-01-01

Tick and mosquito management is important to public health protection. At the same time, growing concerns about declines of pollinator species raise the question of whether vector control practices might affect pollinator populations. We report the results of a task force of the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC) that examined potential effects of vector management practices on pollinators, and how these programs could be adjusted to minimize negative effects on pollinating species. The main types of vector control practices that might affect pollinators are landscape manipulation, biocontrol, and pesticide applications. Some current practices already minimize effects of vector control on pollinators (e.g., short-lived pesticides and application-targeting technologies). Nontarget effects can be further diminished by taking pollinator protection into account in the planning stages of vector management programs. Effects of vector control on pollinator species often depend on specific local conditions (e.g., proximity of locations with abundant vectors to concentrations of floral resources), so planning is most effective when it includes collaborations of local vector management professionals with local experts on pollinators. Interventions can then be designed to avoid pollinators (e.g., targeting applications to avoid blooming times and pollinator nesting habitats), while still optimizing public health protection. Research on efficient targeting of interventions, and on effects on pollinators of emerging technologies, will help mitigate potential deleterious effects on pollinators in future management programs. In particular, models that can predict effects of integrated pest management on vector-borne pathogen transmission, along with effects on pollinator populations, would be useful for collaborative decision-making.

A compilation of technology spinoffs from the US Space Shuttle Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jackson, David Jeff

1993-01-01

As the successful transfer of NASA-developed technology is a stated mission of NASA, the documentation of such transfer is vital in support of the program. The purpose of this report is to document technology transfer, i.e. 'spinoffs', from the U.S. Space Shuttle Program to the commercial sector. These spinoffs have their origin in the many scientific and engineering fields associated with the shuttle program and, as such, span many diverse commercial applications. These applications include, but are not limited to, consumer products, medicine, industrial productivity, manufacturing technology, public safety, resources management, materials processing, transportation, energy, computer technology, construction, and environmental applications. To aide to the generation of this technology spinoff list, significant effort was made to establish numerous and complementary sources of information. The primary sources of information used in compiling this list include: the NASA 'Spinoff' publication, NASA Tech Briefs, the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Technology Utilization (TU) Office, the NASA Center for Aerospace Information (CASI), the NASA COSMIC Software Center, and MSFC laboratory and contractor personnel. A complete listing of resources may be found in the bibliography of this report. Additionally, effort was made to insure that the obtained information was placed in electronic database form to insure that the subsequent updating would be feasible with minimal effort.

Methods of fabricating applique circuits

DOEpatents

Dimos, Duane B.; Garino, Terry J.

1999-09-14

Applique circuits suitable for advanced packaging applications are introduced. These structures are particularly suited for the simple integration of large amounts (many nanoFarads) of capacitance into conventional integrated circuit and multichip packaging technology. In operation, applique circuits are bonded to the integrated circuit or other appropriate structure at the point where the capacitance is required, thereby minimizing the effects of parasitic coupling. An immediate application is to problems of noise reduction and control in modern high-frequency circuitry.

Permanent magnet design for magnetic heat pumps using total cost minimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teyber, R.; Trevizoli, P. V.; Christiaanse, T. V.; Govindappa, P.; Niknia, I.; Rowe, A.

2017-11-01

The active magnetic regenerator (AMR) is an attractive technology for efficient heat pumps and cooling systems. The costs associated with a permanent magnet for near room temperature applications are a central issue which must be solved for broad market implementation. To address this problem, we present a permanent magnet topology optimization to minimize the total cost of cooling using a thermoeconomic cost-rate balance coupled with an AMR model. A genetic algorithm identifies cost-minimizing magnet topologies. For a fixed temperature span of 15 K and 4.2 kg of gadolinium, the optimal magnet configuration provides 3.3 kW of cooling power with a second law efficiency (ηII) of 0.33 using 16.3 kg of permanent magnet material.

Freeze Technology for Nuclear Applications - 13590

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rostmark, Susanne C.; Knutsson, Sven; Lindberg, Maria

2013-07-01

Freezing of soil materials is a complicated process of a number of physical processes: - freezing of pore water in a thermal gradient, - cryogenic suction causing water migration and - ice formation expanding pores inducing frost heave. Structural changes due to increase of effective stress during freezing also take place. The over consolidation gives a powerful dewatering/drying effect and the freeze process causes separation of contaminates. Artificial ground freezing (AGF is a well established technique first practiced in south Wales, as early as 1862. AGF is mostly used to stabilize tunnels and excavations. During the last ten years underwatermore » applications of freeze technologies based on the AGF have been explored in Sweden. The technology can, and has been, used in many different steps in a remediation action. Freeze Sampling where undisturbed samples are removed in both soft and hard sediment/sludge, Freeze Dredging; retrieval of sediment with good precision and minimal redistribution, and Freeze Drying; volume reduction of contaminated sludge/sediment. The application of these technologies in a nuclear or radioactive environment provides several advantages. Sampling by freezing gives for example an advantage of an undisturbed sample taken at a specified depth, salvaging objects by freezing or removal of sludges is other applications of this, for the nuclear industry, novel technology. (authors)« less

Non-invasive biomedical research and diagnostics enabled by innovative compact lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Litvinova, Karina S.; Rafailov, Ilya E.; Dunaev, Andrey V.; Sokolovski, Sergei G.; Rafailov, Edik U.

2017-11-01

For over half a century, laser technology has undergone a technological revolution. These technologies, particularly semiconductor lasers, are employed in a myriad of fields. Optical medical diagnostics, one of the emerging areas of laser application, are on the forefront of application around the world. Optical methods of non- or minimally invasive bio-tissue investigation offer significant advantages over alternative methods, including rapid real-time measurement, non-invasiveness and high resolution (guaranteeing the safety of a patient). These advantages demonstrate the growing success of such techniques. In this review, we will outline the recent status of laser technology applied in the biomedical field, focusing on the various available approaches, particularly utilising compact semiconductor lasers. We will further consider the advancement and integration of several complimentary biophotonic techniques into single multimodal devices, the potential impact of such devices and their future applications. Based on our own studies, we will also cover the simultaneous collection of physiological data with the aid a multifunctional diagnostics system, concentrating on the optimisation of the new technology towards a clinical application. Such data is invaluable for developing algorithms capable of delivering consistent, reliable and meaningful diagnostic information, which can ultimately be employed for the early diagnosis of disease conditions in individuals from around the world.

Smart sensor systems for human health breath monitoring applications.

PubMed

Hunter, G W; Xu, J C; Biaggi-Labiosa, A M; Laskowski, D; Dutta, P K; Mondal, S P; Ward, B J; Makel, D B; Liu, C C; Chang, C W; Dweik, R A

2011-09-01

Breath analysis techniques offer a potential revolution in health care diagnostics, especially if these techniques can be brought into standard use in the clinic and at home. The advent of microsensors combined with smart sensor system technology enables a new generation of sensor systems with significantly enhanced capabilities and minimal size, weight and power consumption. This paper discusses the microsensor/smart sensor system approach and provides a summary of efforts to migrate this technology into human health breath monitoring applications. First, the basic capability of this approach to measure exhaled breath associated with exercise physiology is demonstrated. Building from this foundation, the development of a system for a portable asthma home health care system is described. A solid-state nitric oxide (NO) sensor for asthma monitoring has been identified, and efforts are underway to miniaturize this NO sensor technology and integrate it into a smart sensor system. It is concluded that base platform microsensor technology combined with smart sensor systems can address the needs of a range of breath monitoring applications and enable new capabilities for healthcare.

Innovative technologies to manage aflatoxins in foods and feeds and the profitability of application - A review.

PubMed

Udomkun, Patchimaporn; Wiredu, Alexander Nimo; Nagle, Marcus; Müller, Joachim; Vanlauwe, Bernard; Bandyopadhyay, Ranajit

2017-06-01

Aflatoxins are mainly produced by certain strains of Aspergillus flavus , which are found in diverse agricultural crops. In many lower-income countries, aflatoxins pose serious public health issues since the occurrence of these toxins can be considerably common and even extreme. Aflatoxins can negatively affect health of livestock and poultry due to contaminated feeds. Additionally, they significantly limit the development of international trade as a result of strict regulation in high-value markets. Due to their high stability, aflatoxins are not only a problem during cropping, but also during storage, transport, processing, and handling steps. Consequently, innovative evidence-based technologies are urgently required to minimize aflatoxin exposure. Thus far, biological control has been developed as the most innovative potential technology of controlling aflatoxin contamination in crops, which uses competitive exclusion of toxigenic strains by non-toxigenic ones. This technology is commercially applied in groundnuts maize, cottonseed, and pistachios during pre-harvest stages. Some other effective technologies such as irradiation, ozone fumigation, chemical and biological control agents, and improved packaging materials can also minimize post-harvest aflatoxins contamination in agricultural products. However, integrated adoption of these pre- and post-harvest technologies is still required for sustainable solutions to reduce aflatoxins contamination, which enhances food security, alleviates malnutrition, and strengthens economic sustainability.

Technology thrusts for future Earth science applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Habib, Shahid

2001-02-01

This paper presents NASA's recent direction to invest in the critical science instrument and platform technologies in order to realize more reliable, frequent and versatile missions for future Earth Science measurements. Historically, NASA's Earth Science Enterprise has developed and flown science missions that have been large in size, mass and volume. These missions have taken much longer to implement due to technology development time, and have carried a large suite of instruments on a large spacecraft. NASA is now facing an era where the budget for the future years is more or less flat and the possibility for any major new start does not vividly appear on the horizon. Unfortunately, the scientific measurement needs for remote sensing have not shrunk to commensurate with the budget constraints. In fact, the challenges and scientific appetite in search of answers to a score of outstanding questions have been gradually expanding. With these factors in mind, for the last three years NASA has been changing its focus to concentrate on how to take advantage of smaller missions by relying on industry, and minimizing the overall mission life cycle by developing technologies that are independent of the mission implementation cycle. The major redirection of early investment in the critical technologies should eventually have its rewards and significantly reduce the mission development period. Needless to say, in the long run this approach should save money, minimize risk, promote or encourage partnering, allow for a rapid response to measurement needs, and enable frequent missions making a wider variety of earth science measurements. This paper gives an overview of some of the identified crucial technologies and their intended applications for meeting the future Earth Science challenges.

Technology Thrusts for Future Earth Science Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Habib, Shahid

2001-01-01

This paper presents NASA's recent direction to invest in the critical science instrument and platform technologies in order to realize more reliable, frequent and versatile missions for future Earth Science measurements. Historically, NASA's Earth Science Enterprise has developed and flown science missions that have been large in size, mass and volume. These missions have taken much longer to implement due to technology development time, and have carried a large suite of instruments on a large spacecraft. NASA is now facing an era where the budget for the future years is more or less flat and the possibility for any major new start does not vividly appear on the horizon. Unfortunately, the scientific measurement needs for remote sensing have not shrunk to commensurate with the budget constraints. In fact, the challenges and scientific appetite in search of answers to a score of outstanding questions have been gradually expanding. With these factors in mind, for the last three years NASA has been changing its focus to concentrate on how to take advantage of smaller missions by relying on industry, and minimizing the overall mission life cycle by developing technologies that are independent of the mission implementation cycle. The major redirection of early investment in the critical technologies should eventually have its rewards and significantly reduce the mission development period. Needless to say, in the long run this approach should save money, minimize risk, promote or encourage partnering, allow for a rapid response to measurement needs, and enable frequent missions making a wider variety of earth science measurements. This paper gives an overview of some of the identified crucial technologies and their intended applications for meeting the future Earth Science challenges.

Production of minimally disturbed synchronous cultures of hematopoietic cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thornton, Maureen; Eward, Kathryn Leigh; Helmstetter, Charles E.; Edward, K. L. (Principal Investigator)

2002-01-01

A method is describedforproducing sizable quantities of synchronously dividing, minimally disturbed mammalian cells. Cultures were grown immobilized on surfaces such that cell division within the population resulted in the continuous release of synchronous newborn cells. As judged by the quality and duration of synchronous growth, cell size distributions, and DNA compositions, newborn mouse L1210 cells grew with a very high level of synchrony without overt evidence of growth disturbances. The technology should be applicable to a variety of hematopoietic cells, as evidenced by similar results with human MOLT-4 and U937 cell lines.

An international survey and recommendations for modern hydrokinetic systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valyrakis, Manousos; Basnet, Bipin; Dunsmore, Ian

2017-04-01

This study presents the results of a survey on some of the advantages of the novel and uniquehydrokinetic energy generation systems over other technologies available today. Recently, a comprehensive assessment study for the application of internationally leading hydrokinetic technologies in water engineering has been conducted. The study was carried with the collaboration of the School of Engineering, University of Glasgow and Scottish Water Horizons Ltd. The assessment involved the information collection, critical analysis of various features and financial viability analysis of various hydrokinetic systems available at this time. The outcomes of the study are summarized below: - The preliminary assessment of the hydrokinetic system and their application were carried out. The technologies were divided into different categories as per their core theory, scope of application as well as positive and negatives effects of their application. - A variety of criteria were used to assess the technical, economical and ecological potential from the application of hydrokinetic systems. - A number of companies representing a wide range of technologies available worldwide were ranked considering the performance of these against the above criteria. - Only a couple of the companies could satisfy the selection condition to be adopted into select sites of low flow and low pressure head. - A more detailed assessment for specific sites and further testing of these technologies is recommended to further assess the advantages and optimal performance of the selected technologies. A preliminary evaluation of the best performing systems demonstrates its effectiveness, particularly over other existing hydrokinetic technologies, when ecology of the open water surface system is considered. Specifically it will be of interest to use the selected technology in combination with a fish passage, as compared with other technologies this system has a minimal amount of fast moving components.

An investigation into the attitudes of nursing students toward technology.

PubMed

Tubaishat, Ahmad

2014-06-01

Attitudes toward technology may impact the levels of technology acceptance and training willingness among nursing students. Nurse acceptance and effective utilization of technology are critical to improving patient care and safety. The aims of this cross-sectional study were to measurethe attitude of nursing students toward technology and to determine if demographic characteristics affect their attitudinal measures. Furthermore, the amount of formal education provided on the use of technology applications is explored. A convenience sample of nursing students attending a public university in Jordan was recruited, and a technology attitude scale designed to measure the attitude of nursing students toward technology was used. Scales designed to gather data on participant demographics, self-reported technology skills, and level of formal technology education were also used. The results showed that participants held a positive attitude toward technology. Students who reported a high level of technology skill had the most positive attitude toward technology. The impact years of formal education on the use of technology applications were low, whereas academic level had a significant impact on technology attitudes. Senior student participants had the highest level of technology education, likely because of their exposure to relatively more educational opportunities, and the most positive attitude toward technology. Despite the positive attitude of nursing students toward technology, the problem of minimal technology education should be addressed in future nursing programs to further enhance positive attitudes toward technology.

Mickey Mouse Goes to Jurassic Park: The Challenge of Technology for Leisure.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freeman, William H.

This paper examines the family vacation as a common leisure experience, with emphasis on the rise of the theme park. Theme parks, designed to enable parents to entertain everyone in the family with minimal frustration in organization and application, provide a single-price, inside-the-gate, complete experience. In 1955, Disneyland opened in…

[Audiovisual telecommunication by multimedia technology in HNO medicine. ISDN--internet--ATM].

PubMed

Plinkert, P K; Plinkert, B; Kurek, R; Zenner, H P

2000-11-01

Telemedicine includes all medical activities in diagnosis, therapeutics, or social medicine undertaken by means of an electronic transfer medium, enabling the transmission of visual and acoustic information over long distances to doctors not personally present at the place of the requested consultation. Most experience with telemedicine applications has been gained in the field of diagnosis (teleconsultation, teleradiology, telepathology) and is expanding to quality control and quality assurance. Decisive for each form of application is its availability, practicability, cost, safety, and especially quality of audiovisual transmission. For telesurgical applications, particularly the use of minimally invasive techniques in otorhinolaryngology, head, and neck surgery, the high quality transmission of audiovisual data in real time is necessary. Rapid expansion and further developments in transmission technologies and networks in the last decade have created several technologies with increased quality and costs. In this paper, we tested different transmission media for audiovisual telecommunication--integrated services digital network (ISDN), Internet, and asynchronous transfer mode (ATM)--using real time video transmission of typical operations in otorhinolaryngology. Their applications, costs, and future perspectives are discussed.

Technical standards for micro sensors in surgery and minimally invasive therapy.

PubMed

Neuder; Dehm

2004-04-01

The development of medical applications is fuelled in the context of steadily growing needs and the requirement of lowering overall costs. Micro systems will have an extremely important impact on medical technology in the future. The great challenges for the wider use of micro structures in health applications are biocompatibility and mass production. Especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) need help to overcome these problems by free access to knowledge, the availability of standards and contacts to partners.

In Situ Surveying of Saturn's Rings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clark, P. E.; Curtis, S. A.; Rilee, M. L.; Cheung, C.

2004-01-01

The Saturn Autonomous Ring Array (SARA) mission concept is a new application for the Autonomous Nano-Technology Swarm (ANTS) architecture, a paradigm being developed for exploration of high surface area and/or multibody targets to minimize costs and maximize effectiveness of survey operations. Systems designed with ANTS architecture are built from potentially very large numbers of highly autonomous, yet socially interactive, specialists, in approximately ten specialist classes. Here, we analyze requirements for such a mission as well as specialized autonomous operations which would support this application.

Advances in phage display technology for drug discovery.

PubMed

Omidfar, Kobra; Daneshpour, Maryam

2015-06-01

Over the past decade, several library-based methods have been developed to discover ligands with strong binding affinities for their targets. These methods mimic the natural evolution for screening and identifying ligand-target interactions with specific functional properties. Phage display technology is a well-established method that has been applied to many technological challenges including novel drug discovery. This review describes the recent advances in the use of phage display technology for discovering novel bioactive compounds. Furthermore, it discusses the application of this technology to produce proteins and peptides as well as minimize the use of antibodies, such as antigen-binding fragment, single-chain fragment variable or single-domain antibody fragments like VHHs. Advances in screening, manufacturing and humanization technologies demonstrate that phage display derived products can play a significant role in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. The effects of this technology are inevitable in the development pipeline for bringing therapeutics into the market, and this number is expected to rise significantly in the future as new advances continue to take place in display methods. Furthermore, a widespread application of this methodology is predicted in different medical technological areas, including biosensing, monitoring, molecular imaging, gene therapy, vaccine development and nanotechnology.

Composite Development and Applications for RLV Tankage

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wright, Richard J.; Achary, David C.; McBain, Michael C.

2003-01-01

The development of polymer composite cryogenic tanks is a critical step in creating the next generation of launch vehicles. Future launch vehicles need to minimize the gross liftoff weight (GLOW), which is possible due to the 28%-41% reduction in weight that composite materials can provide over current aluminum technology. The development of composite cryogenic tanks, feedlines, and unpressurized structures are key enabling technologies for performance and cost enhancements for Reusable Launch Vehicles (RLVs). The technology development of composite tanks has provided direct and applicable data for feedlines, unpressurized structures, material compatibility, and cryogenic fluid containment for highly loaded complex structures and interfaces. All three types of structure have similar material systems, processing parameters, scaling issues, analysis methodologies, NDE development, damage tolerance, and repair scenarios. Composite cryogenic tankage is the most complex of the 3 areas and provides the largest breakthrough in technology. A building block approach has been employed to bring this family of difficult technologies to maturity. This approach has built up composite materials, processes, design, analysis and test methods technology through a series of composite test programs beginning with the NASP program to meet aggressive performance goals for reusable launch vehicles. In this paper, the development and application of advanced composites for RLV use is described.

Advanced telepresence surgery system development.

PubMed

Jensen, J F; Hill, J W

1996-01-01

SRI International is currently developing a prototype remote telepresence surgery system, for the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), that will bring life-saving surgical care to wounded soldiers in the zone of combat. Remote surgery also has potentially important applications in civilian medicine. In addition, telepresence will find wide medical use in local surgery, in endoscopic, laparoscopic, and microsurgery applications. Key elements of the telepresence technology now being developed for ARPA, including the telepresence surgeon's workstation (TSW) and associated servo control systems, will have direct application to these areas of minimally invasive surgery. The TSW technology will also find use in surgical training, where it will provide an immersive visual and haptic interface for interaction with computer-based anatomical models. In this paper, we discuss our ongoing development of the MEDFAST telesurgery system, focusing on the TSW man-machine interface and its associated servo control electronics.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Davida, G.I.; Frankel, Y.; Matt, B.J.

In developing secure applications and systems, the designers often must incorporate secure user identification in the design specification. In this paper, the authors study secure off line authenticated user identification schemes based on a biometric system that can measure a user`s biometric accurately (up to some Hamming distance). The schemes presented here enhance identification and authorization in secure applications by binding a biometric template with authorization information on a token such as a magnetic strip. Also developed here are schemes specifically designed to minimize the compromise of a user`s private biometrics data, encapsulated in the authorization information, without requiring securemore » hardware tokens. In this paper the authors furthermore study the feasibility of biometrics performing as an enabling technology for secure system and application design. The authors investigate a new technology which allows a user`s biometrics to facilitate cryptographic mechanisms.« less

A lightweight distributed framework for computational offloading in mobile cloud computing.

PubMed

Shiraz, Muhammad; Gani, Abdullah; Ahmad, Raja Wasim; Adeel Ali Shah, Syed; Karim, Ahmad; Rahman, Zulkanain Abdul

2014-01-01

The latest developments in mobile computing technology have enabled intensive applications on the modern Smartphones. However, such applications are still constrained by limitations in processing potentials, storage capacity and battery lifetime of the Smart Mobile Devices (SMDs). Therefore, Mobile Cloud Computing (MCC) leverages the application processing services of computational clouds for mitigating resources limitations in SMDs. Currently, a number of computational offloading frameworks are proposed for MCC wherein the intensive components of the application are outsourced to computational clouds. Nevertheless, such frameworks focus on runtime partitioning of the application for computational offloading, which is time consuming and resources intensive. The resource constraint nature of SMDs require lightweight procedures for leveraging computational clouds. Therefore, this paper presents a lightweight framework which focuses on minimizing additional resources utilization in computational offloading for MCC. The framework employs features of centralized monitoring, high availability and on demand access services of computational clouds for computational offloading. As a result, the turnaround time and execution cost of the application are reduced. The framework is evaluated by testing prototype application in the real MCC environment. The lightweight nature of the proposed framework is validated by employing computational offloading for the proposed framework and the latest existing frameworks. Analysis shows that by employing the proposed framework for computational offloading, the size of data transmission is reduced by 91%, energy consumption cost is minimized by 81% and turnaround time of the application is decreased by 83.5% as compared to the existing offloading frameworks. Hence, the proposed framework minimizes additional resources utilization and therefore offers lightweight solution for computational offloading in MCC.

A Lightweight Distributed Framework for Computational Offloading in Mobile Cloud Computing

PubMed Central

Shiraz, Muhammad; Gani, Abdullah; Ahmad, Raja Wasim; Adeel Ali Shah, Syed; Karim, Ahmad; Rahman, Zulkanain Abdul

2014-01-01

The latest developments in mobile computing technology have enabled intensive applications on the modern Smartphones. However, such applications are still constrained by limitations in processing potentials, storage capacity and battery lifetime of the Smart Mobile Devices (SMDs). Therefore, Mobile Cloud Computing (MCC) leverages the application processing services of computational clouds for mitigating resources limitations in SMDs. Currently, a number of computational offloading frameworks are proposed for MCC wherein the intensive components of the application are outsourced to computational clouds. Nevertheless, such frameworks focus on runtime partitioning of the application for computational offloading, which is time consuming and resources intensive. The resource constraint nature of SMDs require lightweight procedures for leveraging computational clouds. Therefore, this paper presents a lightweight framework which focuses on minimizing additional resources utilization in computational offloading for MCC. The framework employs features of centralized monitoring, high availability and on demand access services of computational clouds for computational offloading. As a result, the turnaround time and execution cost of the application are reduced. The framework is evaluated by testing prototype application in the real MCC environment. The lightweight nature of the proposed framework is validated by employing computational offloading for the proposed framework and the latest existing frameworks. Analysis shows that by employing the proposed framework for computational offloading, the size of data transmission is reduced by 91%, energy consumption cost is minimized by 81% and turnaround time of the application is decreased by 83.5% as compared to the existing offloading frameworks. Hence, the proposed framework minimizes additional resources utilization and therefore offers lightweight solution for computational offloading in MCC. PMID:25127245

Environmental, health and safety assessment of photovoltaics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rose, E. C.

1983-01-01

The environmental, health, and safety (E, H and S) concerns associated with the fabrication, deployment, and decommissioning of photovoltaic (PV) systems in terrestial applications are identified and assessed. Discussion is limited to crystalline silicon technologies. The primary E, H, and S concerns that arise during collector fabrication are associated with occupational exposure to materials of undetermined toxicity or to materials that are known to be hazardous, but for which process control technology may be inadequate. Stricter exposure standards are anticipated for some materials and may indicate a need for further control technology development. Minimizing electric shock hazards is a significant concern during system construction, operation and maintenance, and decommissioning.

Speeding Up Geophysical Research Using Docker Containers Within Multi-Cloud Environment.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Synytsky, R.; Henadiy, S.; Lobzakov, V.; Kolesnikov, L.; Starovoit, Y. O.

2016-12-01

How useful are the geophysical observations in a scope of minimizing losses from natural disasters today? Does it help to decrease number of human victims during tsunami and earthquake? Unfortunately it's still at early stage these days. It's a big goal and achievement to make such observations more useful by improving early warning and prediction systems with the help of cloud computing. Cloud computing technologies have proved the ability to speed up application development in many areas for 10 years already. Cloud unlocks new opportunities for geoscientists by providing access to modern data processing tools and algorithms including real-time high-performance computing, big data processing, artificial intelligence and others. Emerging lightweight cloud technologies, such as Docker containers, are gaining wide traction in IT due to the fact of faster and more efficient deployment of different applications in a cloud environment. It allows to deploy and manage geophysical applications and systems in minutes across multiple clouds and data centers that becomes of utmost importance for the next generation applications. In this session we'll demonstrate how Docker containers technology within multi-cloud can accelerate the development of applications specifically designed for geophysical researches.

A 65 nm CMOS LNA for Bolometer Application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Tom Nan; Boon, Chirn Chye; Zhu, Forest Xi; Yi, Xiang; He, Xiaofeng; Feng, Guangyin; Lim, Wei Meng; Liu, Bei

2016-04-01

Modern bolometers generally consist of large-scale arrays of detectors. Implemented in conventional technologies, such bolometer arrays suffer from integrability and productivity issues. Recently, the development of CMOS technologies has presented an opportunity for the massive production of high-performance and highly integrated bolometers. This paper presents a 65-nm CMOS LNA designed for a millimeter-wave bolometer's pre-amplification stage. By properly applying some positive feedback, the noise figure of the proposed LNA is minimized at under 6 dB and the bandwidth is extended to 30 GHz.

Applications of telemedicine in the United States space program.

PubMed

Doarn, C R; Nicogossian, A E; Merrell, R C

1998-01-01

Since the beginning of human space flight, NASA has been placing humans in extreme and remote environments. There are many challenges in maintaining humans in outer space, including the provision of life-support systems, radiation shielding, and countermeasures for minimizing the effect of microgravity. Because astronauts are selected for their health, among other factors, disease and illness are minimized. However, it is still of great importance to have appropriate medical care systems in place to address illness and injury should they occur. With the exception of the Apollo program, exploration of space has been limited to missions that are within several hundred miles of the surface of the Earth. At the drawn of the 21st century and the new millennium, human exploration will be focused on operation of the International Space Station (ISS) and preparation for human missions to Mars. These missions will present inherent risks to human health, and, therefore, appropriate plans must be established to address these challenges and risks. Crews of long-duration missions must become more independent from ground controllers. New systems, protocols, and procedures are currently being perfected. Application of emerging technologies in information systems and telecommunications will be critical to inflight medical care. Application of these technologies through telemedicine will provide crew members access to information, noninvasive procedures for assessing health status, and guidance through the integration of sensors, holography, decision-support systems, and virtual environments. These technologies will also serve as a basis to enhance training and medical education. The design of medical care for space flight should lead to a redesign of the practice of medicine on Earth.

Applications of telemedicine in the United States space program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Doarn, C. R.; Nicogossian, A. E.; Merrell, R. C.

1998-01-01

Since the beginning of human space flight, NASA has been placing humans in extreme and remote environments. There are many challenges in maintaining humans in outer space, including the provision of life-support systems, radiation shielding, and countermeasures for minimizing the effect of microgravity. Because astronauts are selected for their health, among other factors, disease and illness are minimized. However, it is still of great importance to have appropriate medical care systems in place to address illness and injury should they occur. With the exception of the Apollo program, exploration of space has been limited to missions that are within several hundred miles of the surface of the Earth. At the drawn of the 21st century and the new millennium, human exploration will be focused on operation of the International Space Station (ISS) and preparation for human missions to Mars. These missions will present inherent risks to human health, and, therefore, appropriate plans must be established to address these challenges and risks. Crews of long-duration missions must become more independent from ground controllers. New systems, protocols, and procedures are currently being perfected. Application of emerging technologies in information systems and telecommunications will be critical to inflight medical care. Application of these technologies through telemedicine will provide crew members access to information, noninvasive procedures for assessing health status, and guidance through the integration of sensors, holography, decision-support systems, and virtual environments. These technologies will also serve as a basis to enhance training and medical education. The design of medical care for space flight should lead to a redesign of the practice of medicine on Earth.

Overview of Microgravity Combustion Research at NASA Lewis Research Center and its Potential Commercial Impact

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lyons, Valerie; Friedman, Robert

1996-01-01

The near-zero (microgravity) environment of orbiting spacecraft minimizes buoyant flows, greatly simplifying combustion processes and isolating important phenomena ordinarily concealed by the overwhelming gravity-driven forces and flows. Fundamental combustion understanding has greatly benefited from analyses and experiments conducted in the microgravity environment. Because of the economic and commercial importance of combustion in practice, there is strong motivation to seek wider applications for the microgravity-combustion findings. This paper reviews selected technology developments to illustrate some emerging applications. Topics cover improved fire-safety technology in spacecraft and terrestrial systems, innovative combustor designs for aerospace and ground propulsion, applied sensors and controls for combustion processes, and self-sustaining synthesis techniques for advanced materials.

In situ fenestrations for the aortic arch and visceral segment: advances and challenges.

PubMed

Riga, Celia V; McWilliams, Richard G; Cheshire, Nicholas J W

2011-09-01

The management of complex aortic pathologies remains a major challenge particularly in the emergency setting. Bespoke fenestrated and branch stent graft technology has shown encouraging short- and mid-term results in selected patients. Despite tremendous technological advances in this field however, factors such as the inherent delay in device manufacturing, anatomical and technical challenges, high degree of planning, and cost hinder the wider applications of minimally invasive endovascular therapy. In situ fenestration of aortic stent grafts is an attractive alternative that eliminates the need for preoperative custom tailoring with the potential to widen the therapeutic options available and to offer a bailout option after inadvertent side branch occlusion. This article summarizes the principles of this technique and discusses its current applications.

Towards precision prevention: Technologies for identifying healthy individuals with high risk of disease.

PubMed

Nagel, Zachary D; Engelward, Bevin P; Brenner, David J; Begley, Thomas J; Sobol, Robert W; Bielas, Jason H; Stambrook, Peter J; Wei, Qingyi; Hu, Jennifer J; Terry, Mary Beth; Dilworth, Caroline; McAllister, Kimberly A; Reinlib, Les; Worth, Leroy; Shaughnessy, Daniel T

2017-08-01

The rise of advanced technologies for characterizing human populations at the molecular level, from sequence to function, is shifting disease prevention paradigms toward personalized strategies. Because minimization of adverse outcomes is a key driver for treatment decisions for diseased populations, developing personalized therapy strategies represent an important dimension of both precision medicine and personalized prevention. In this commentary, we highlight recently developed enabling technologies in the field of DNA damage, DNA repair, and mutagenesis. We propose that omics approaches and functional assays can be integrated into population studies that fuse basic, translational and clinical research with commercial expertise in order to accelerate personalized prevention and treatment of cancer and other diseases linked to aberrant responses to DNA damage. This collaborative approach is generally applicable to efforts to develop data-driven, individualized prevention and treatment strategies for other diseases. We also recommend strategies for maximizing the use of biological samples for epidemiological studies, and for applying emerging technologies to clinical applications. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Computer animation for minimally invasive surgery: computer system requirements and preferred implementations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pieper, Steven D.; McKenna, Michael; Chen, David; McDowall, Ian E.

1994-04-01

We are interested in the application of computer animation to surgery. Our current project, a navigation and visualization tool for knee arthroscopy, relies on real-time computer graphics and the human interface technologies associated with virtual reality. We believe that this new combination of techniques will lead to improved surgical outcomes and decreased health care costs. To meet these expectations in the medical field, the system must be safe, usable, and cost-effective. In this paper, we outline some of the most important hardware and software specifications in the areas of video input and output, spatial tracking, stereoscopic displays, computer graphics models and libraries, mass storage and network interfaces, and operating systems. Since this is a fairly new combination of technologies and a new application, our justification for our specifications are drawn from the current generation of surgical technology and by analogy to other fields where virtual reality technology has been more extensively applied and studied.

Towards precision prevention: Technologies for identifying healthy individuals with high risk of disease

PubMed Central

Nagel, Zachary D.; Engelward, Bevin P.; Brenner, David J.; Begley, Thomas J.; Sobol, Robert W.; Bielas, Jason H.; Stambrook, Peter J.; Wei, Qingyi; Hu, Jennifer J.; Terry, Mary Beth; Dilworth, Caroline; McAllister, Kimberly A.; Reinlib, Les; Worth, Leroy; Shaughnessy, Daniel T.

2018-01-01

The rise of advanced technologies for characterizing human populations at the molecular level, from sequence to function, is shifting disease prevention paradigms toward personalized strategies. Because minimization of adverse outcomes is a key driver for treatment decisions for diseased populations, developing personalized therapy strategies represent an important dimension of both precision medicine and personalized prevention. In this commentary, we highlight recently developed enabling technologies in the field of DNA damage, DNA repair, and mutagenesis. We propose that omics approaches and functional assays can be integrated into population studies that fuse basic, translational and clinical research with commercial expertise in order to accelerate personalized prevention and treatment of cancer and other diseases linked to aberrant responses to DNA damage. This collaborative approach is generally applicable to efforts to develop data-driven, individualized prevention and treatment strategies for other diseases. We also recommend strategies for maximizing the use of biological samples for epidemiological studies, and for applying emerging technologies to clinical applications. PMID:28458064

Emerging Non-Cancer Applications of Therapeutic Ultrasound

PubMed Central

O’Reilly, Meaghan A.; Hynynen, Kullervo

2015-01-01

Ultrasound therapy has been investigated for over half a century. Ultrasound can act on tissue through a variety of mechanisms, including thermal, shockwave and cavitation mechanisms, and through these can elicit different responses. Ultrasound therapy can provide a non-invasive or minimally invasive treatment option, and ultrasound technology has advanced to the point where devices can be developed to investigate a wide range of applications. This review focuses on non-cancer, clinical applications of therapeutic ultrasound, with an emphasis on treatments that have recently reached clinical investigations, and preclinical research programs that have great potential to impact patient care. PMID:25792225

Effective management of construction company in terms of linguistic communication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shirina, Elena; Gaybarian, Olga; Myasischev, Georg

2017-10-01

The research presented here has been made over the years in the field of increasing the effectiveness of management in a construction company in terms of applied linguistics. The aim of this work is to share with the scientific community some practical findings of applying the technology of process management of the company, in particular the methods of linguistic efficiency considering the factors of the linguistic personality of the employee. The study deals with the description of applied linguistic and managerial models, views, practical results of their application in the applied field in order to assess production sustainability and minimize losses. The authors applied the developed technology to practical use, and the article presents the results of this application. The authors continue the research in this direction aiming at improving the production effectiveness of the proposed technologies and eliminating some identified drawback.

Transaction-neutral implanted data collection interface as EMR driver: a model for emerging distributed medical technologies.

PubMed

Lorence, Daniel; Sivaramakrishnan, Anusha; Richards, Michael

2010-08-01

Electronic Medical Record (EMR) and Electronic Health Record (EHR) adoption continues to lag across the US. Cost, inconsistent formats, and concerns about control of patient information are among the most common reasons for non-adoption in physician practice settings. The emergence of wearable and implanted mobile technologies, employed in distributed environments, promises a fundamentally different information infrastructure, which could serve to minimize existing adoption resistance. Proposed here is one technology model for overcoming adoption inconsistency and high organization-specific implementation costs, using seamless, patient controlled data collection. While the conceptual applications employed in this technology set are provided by way of illustration, they may also serve as a transformative model for emerging EMR/EHR requirements.

Laser optical disk position encoder with active heads

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Osborne, Eric P.

1991-01-01

An angular position encoder that minimizes the effects of eccentricity and other misalignments between the disk and the read stations by employing heads with beam steering optics that actively track the disk in directions along the disk radius and normal to its surface is discussed. The device adapts features prevalent in optical disk technology to the application of angular position sensing.

Space and energy conservation housing prototype unit development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sunshine, D. R.

1975-01-01

Construction plans are discussed for a house which will demonstrate the application of advanced technology to minimize energy requirements and to help direct further development in home construction by defining the interaction of integrated energy and water systems with building configuration and construction materials. Housing unit designs are provided and procedures for the analysis of a variety of housing strategies are developed.

Use of real-time GNSS-RF data to characterize the swing movements of forestry equipment

Treesearch

Ryer M. Becker; Robert F. Keefe; Nathaniel M. Anderson

2017-01-01

The western United States faces significant forest management challenges after severe bark beetle infestations have led to substantial mortality. Minimizing costs is vital for increasing the feasibility of management operations in affected forests. Multi‐transmitter Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)‐radio frequencies (RF) technology has applications in the...

Advances in High Temperature Materials for Additive Manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nordin, Nurul Amira Binti; Johar, Muhammad Akmal Bin; Ibrahim, Mohd Halim Irwan Bin; Marwah, Omar Mohd Faizan bin

2017-08-01

In today’s technology, additive manufacturing has evolved over the year that commonly known as 3D printing. Currently, additive manufacturing have been applied for many industries such as for automotive, aerospace, medical and other commercial product. The technologies are supported by materials for the manufacturing process to produce high quality product. Plus, additive manufacturing technologies has been growth from the lowest to moderate and high technology to fulfil manufacturing industries obligation. Initially from simple 3D printing such as fused deposition modelling (FDM), poly-jet, inkjet printing, to selective laser sintering (SLS), and electron beam melting (EBM). However, the high technology of additive manufacturing nowadays really needs high investment to carry out the process for fine products. There are three foremost type of material which is polymer, metal and ceramic used for additive manufacturing application, and mostly they were in the form of wire feedstock or powder. In circumstance, it is crucial to recognize the characteristics of each type of materials used in order to understand the behaviours of the materials on high temperature application via additive manufacturing. Therefore, this review aims to provide excessive inquiry and gather the necessary information for further research on additive material materials for high temperature application. This paper also proposed a new material based on powder glass, which comes from recycled tempered glass from automotive industry, having a huge potential to be applied for high temperature application. The technique proposed for additive manufacturing will minimize some cost of modelling with same quality of products compare to the others advanced technology used for high temperature application.

NASA Smart Surgical Probe Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mah, Robert W.; Andrews, Russell J.; Jeffrey, Stefanie S.; Guerrero, Michael; Papasin, Richard; Koga, Dennis (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Information Technologies being developed by NASA to assist astronaut-physician in responding to medical emergencies during long space flights are being employed for the improvement of women's health in the form of "smart surgical probe". This technology, initially developed for neurosurgery applications, not only has enormous potential for the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, but broad applicability to a wide range of medical challenges. For the breast cancer application, the smart surgical probe is being designed to "see" a suspicious lump, determine by its features if it is cancerous, and ultimately predict how the disease may progress. A revolutionary early breast cancer detection tool based on this technology has been developed by a commercial company and is being tested in human clinical trials at the University of California at Davis, School of Medicine. The smart surgical probe technology makes use of adaptive intelligent software (hybrid neural networks/fuzzy logic algorithms) with the most advanced physiologic sensors to provide real-time in vivo tissue characterization for the detection, diagnosis and treatment of tumors, including determination of tumor microenvironment and evaluation of tumor margins. The software solutions and tools from these medical applications will lead to the development of better real-time minimally-invasive smart surgical probes for emergency medical care and treatment of astronauts on long space flights.

Ambient intelligence for monitoring and research in clinical neurophysiology and medicine: the MIMERICA* project and prototype.

PubMed

Pignolo, L; Riganello, F; Dolce, G; Sannita, W G

2013-04-01

Ambient Intelligence (AmI) provides extended but unobtrusive sensing and computing devices and ubiquitous networking for human/environment interaction. It is a new paradigm in information technology compliant with the international Integrating Healthcare Enterprise board (IHE) and eHealth HL7 technological standards in the functional integration of biomedical domotics and informatics in hospital and home care. AmI allows real-time automatic recording of biological/medical information and environmental data. It is extensively applicable to patient monitoring, medicine and neuroscience research, which require large biomedical data sets; for example, in the study of spontaneous or condition-dependent variability or chronobiology. In this respect, AML is equivalent to a traditional laboratory for data collection and processing, with minimal dedicated equipment, staff, and costs; it benefits from the integration of artificial intelligence technology with traditional/innovative sensors to monitor clinical or functional parameters. A prototype AmI platform (MIMERICA*) has been implemented and is operated in a semi-intensive unit for the vegetative and minimally conscious states, to investigate the spontaneous or environment-related fluctuations of physiological parameters in these conditions.

A program-management plan with critical-path definition for Combustion Augmentation with Thermionic Energy Conversion (CATEC)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morris, J. F.; Merrill, O. S.; Reddy, H. K.

1981-01-01

Thermionic energy conversion (TEC) is discussed. In recent TEC-topping analyses, overall plant efficiency (OPE) and cost of electricity (COE) improved slightly with current capabilities and substantially with fully matured technologies. Enhanced credibility derives from proven hot-corrosion protection for TEC by silicon-carbide clads in fossil fuel combustion products. Combustion augmentation with TEC (CATEC) affords minimal cost and plant perturbation, but with smaller OPE and COE improvements than more conventional topping applications. Risk minimization as well as comparative simplicity and convenience, favor CATEC for early market penetration. A program-management plan is proposed. Inputs, characteristics, outputs and capabilities are discussed.

A program-management plan with critical-path definition for Combustion Augmentation with Thermionic Energy Conversion (CATEC)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morris, J. F.; Merrill, O. S.; Reddy, H. K.

Thermionic energy conversion (TEC) is discussed. In recent TEC-topping analyses, overall plant efficiency (OPE) and cost of electricity (COE) improved slightly with current capabilities and substantially with fully matured technologies. Enhanced credibility derives from proven hot-corrosion protection for TEC by silicon-carbide clads in fossil fuel combustion products. Combustion augmentation with TEC (CATEC) affords minimal cost and plant perturbation, but with smaller OPE and COE improvements than more conventional topping applications. Risk minimization as well as comparative simplicity and convenience, favor CATEC for early market penetration. A program-management plan is proposed. Inputs, characteristics, outputs and capabilities are discussed.

Application of an Optimal Tuner Selection Approach for On-Board Self-Tuning Engine Models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simon, Donald L.; Armstrong, Jeffrey B.; Garg, Sanjay

2012-01-01

An enhanced design methodology for minimizing the error in on-line Kalman filter-based aircraft engine performance estimation applications is presented in this paper. It specific-ally addresses the under-determined estimation problem, in which there are more unknown parameters than available sensor measurements. This work builds upon an existing technique for systematically selecting a model tuning parameter vector of appropriate dimension to enable estimation by a Kalman filter, while minimizing the estimation error in the parameters of interest. While the existing technique was optimized for open-loop engine operation at a fixed design point, in this paper an alternative formulation is presented that enables the technique to be optimized for an engine operating under closed-loop control throughout the flight envelope. The theoretical Kalman filter mean squared estimation error at a steady-state closed-loop operating point is derived, and the tuner selection approach applied to minimize this error is discussed. A technique for constructing a globally optimal tuning parameter vector, which enables full-envelope application of the technology, is also presented, along with design steps for adjusting the dynamic response of the Kalman filter state estimates. Results from the application of the technique to linear and nonlinear aircraft engine simulations are presented and compared to the conventional approach of tuner selection. The new methodology is shown to yield a significant improvement in on-line Kalman filter estimation accuracy.

Integration of Antibody Array Technology into Drug Discovery and Development.

PubMed

Huang, Wei; Whittaker, Kelly; Zhang, Huihua; Wu, Jian; Zhu, Si-Wei; Huang, Ruo-Pan

Antibody arrays represent a high-throughput technique that enables the parallel detection of multiple proteins with minimal sample volume requirements. In recent years, antibody arrays have been widely used to identify new biomarkers for disease diagnosis or prognosis. Moreover, many academic research laboratories and commercial biotechnology companies are starting to apply antibody arrays in the field of drug discovery. In this review, some technical aspects of antibody array development and the various platforms currently available will be addressed; however, the main focus will be on the discussion of antibody array technologies and their applications in drug discovery. Aspects of the drug discovery process, including target identification, mechanisms of drug resistance, molecular mechanisms of drug action, drug side effects, and the application in clinical trials and in managing patient care, which have been investigated using antibody arrays in recent literature will be examined and the relevance of this technology in progressing this process will be discussed. Protein profiling with antibody array technology, in addition to other applications, has emerged as a successful, novel approach for drug discovery because of the well-known importance of proteins in cell events and disease development.

Lightweight High Efficiency Electric Motors for Space Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robertson, Glen A.; Tyler, Tony R.; Piper, P. J.

2011-01-01

Lightweight high efficiency electric motors are needed across a wide range of space applications from - thrust vector actuator control for launch and flight applications to - general vehicle, base camp habitat and experiment control for various mechanisms to - robotics for various stationary and mobile space exploration missions. QM Power?s Parallel Path Magnetic Technology Motors have slowly proven themselves to be a leading motor technology in this area; winning a NASA Phase II for "Lightweight High Efficiency Electric Motors and Actuators for Low Temperature Mobility and Robotics Applications" a US Army Phase II SBIR for "Improved Robot Actuator Motors for Medical Applications", an NSF Phase II SBIR for "Novel Low-Cost Electric Motors for Variable Speed Applications" and a DOE SBIR Phase I for "High Efficiency Commercial Refrigeration Motors" Parallel Path Magnetic Technology obtains the benefits of using permanent magnets while minimizing the historical trade-offs/limitations found in conventional permanent magnet designs. The resulting devices are smaller, lower weight, lower cost and have higher efficiency than competitive permanent magnet and non-permanent magnet designs. QM Power?s motors have been extensively tested and successfully validated by multiple commercial and aerospace customers and partners as Boeing Research and Technology. Prototypes have been made between 0.1 and 10 HP. They are also in the process of scaling motors to over 100kW with their development partners. In this paper, Parallel Path Magnetic Technology Motors will be discussed; specifically addressing their higher efficiency, higher power density, lighter weight, smaller physical size, higher low end torque, wider power zone, cooler temperatures, and greater reliability with lower cost and significant environment benefit for the same peak output power compared to typically motors. A further discussion on the inherent redundancy of these motors for space applications will be provided.

Cutting of optical materials by using femtosecond laser pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nolte, Stefan; Will, Matthias; Augustin, Markus; Triebel, Peter; Zoellner, Karsten; Tuennermann, Andreas

2001-11-01

In the past years, ultrashort pulse lasers have been established as precise and universal tools for the microstructuring of solid materials. Since thermal and mechanical influences are minimized, the application of this technology is also suitable for the structuring of optical materials and opens new possibilities. In this paper, the influence of pulse duration, pulse energy (fluence) and polarization on the cutting quality for glass and silicon will be discussed. As a concrete application, the cutting and micromarking of dielectric coated mirrors for high power fiber lasers will be highlighted.

Design and simulation of a fast-charging station for plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Leon, Nathalie Pulmones

2011-12-01

With the increasing interest in green technologies in transportation, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) have proven to be the best short-term solution to minimize greenhouse gas emissions. Despite such interest, conventional vehicle drivers are still reluctant in using such a new technology, mainly because of the long duration (4-8 hours) required to charge PHEV batteries with the currently existing Level I and II chargers. For this reason, Level III fast-charging stations capable of reducing the charging duration to 10-15 minutes are being considered. The present thesis focuses on the design of a fast-charging station that uses, in addition to the electrical grid, two stationary energy storage devices: a flywheel energy storage and a supercapacitor. The power electronic converters used for the interface of the energy sources with the charging station are designed. The design also focuses on the energy management that will minimize the PHEV battery charging duration as well as the duration required to recharge the energy storage devices. For this reason, an algorithm that minimizes durations along with its mathematical formulation is proposed, and its application in fast charging environment will be illustrated by means of two scenarios.

On mixed reality environments for minimally invasive therapy guidance: Systems architecture, successes and challenges in their implementation from laboratory to clinic

PubMed Central

Linte, Cristian A.; Davenport, Katherine P.; Cleary, Kevin; Peters, Craig; Vosburgh, Kirby G.; Navab, Nassir; Edwards, Philip “Eddie”; Jannin, Pierre; Peters, Terry M.; Holmes, David R.; Robb, Richard A.

2013-01-01

Mixed reality environments for medical applications have been explored and developed over the past three decades in an effort to enhance the clinician’s view of anatomy and facilitate the performance of minimally invasive procedures. These environments must faithfully represent the real surgical field and require seamless integration of pre- and intra-operative imaging, surgical instrument tracking, and display technology into a common framework centered around and registered to the patient. However, in spite of their reported benefits, few mixed reality environments have been successfully translated into clinical use. Several challenges that contribute to the difficulty in integrating such environments into clinical practice are presented here and discussed in terms of both technical and clinical limitations. This article should raise awareness among both developers and end-users toward facilitating a greater application of such environments in the surgical practice of the future. PMID:23632059

Microfabricated Tactile Sensors for Biomedical Applications: A Review

PubMed Central

Saccomandi, Paola; Schena, Emiliano; Oddo, Calogero Maria; Zollo, Loredana; Silvestri, Sergio; Guglielmelli, Eugenio

2014-01-01

During the last decades, tactile sensors based on different sensing principles have been developed due to the growing interest in robotics and, mainly, in medical applications. Several technological solutions have been employed to design tactile sensors; in particular, solutions based on microfabrication present several attractive features. Microfabrication technologies allow for developing miniaturized sensors with good performance in terms of metrological properties (e.g., accuracy, sensitivity, low power consumption, and frequency response). Small size and good metrological properties heighten the potential role of tactile sensors in medicine, making them especially attractive to be integrated in smart interfaces and microsurgical tools. This paper provides an overview of microfabricated tactile sensors, focusing on the mean principles of sensing, i.e., piezoresistive, piezoelectric and capacitive sensors. These sensors are employed for measuring contact properties, in particular force and pressure, in three main medical fields, i.e., prosthetics and artificial skin, minimal access surgery and smart interfaces for biomechanical analysis. The working principles and the metrological properties of the most promising tactile, microfabricated sensors are analyzed, together with their application in medicine. Finally, the new emerging technologies in these fields are briefly described. PMID:25587432

Microfabricated tactile sensors for biomedical applications: a review.

PubMed

Saccomandi, Paola; Schena, Emiliano; Oddo, Calogero Maria; Zollo, Loredana; Silvestri, Sergio; Guglielmelli, Eugenio

2014-12-01

During the last decades, tactile sensors based on different sensing principles have been developed due to the growing interest in robotics and, mainly, in medical applications. Several technological solutions have been employed to design tactile sensors; in particular, solutions based on microfabrication present several attractive features. Microfabrication technologies allow for developing miniaturized sensors with good performance in terms of metrological properties (e.g., accuracy, sensitivity, low power consumption, and frequency response). Small size and good metrological properties heighten the potential role of tactile sensors in medicine, making them especially attractive to be integrated in smart interfaces and microsurgical tools. This paper provides an overview of microfabricated tactile sensors, focusing on the mean principles of sensing, i.e., piezoresistive, piezoelectric and capacitive sensors. These sensors are employed for measuring contact properties, in particular force and pressure, in three main medical fields, i.e., prosthetics and artificial skin, minimal access surgery and smart interfaces for biomechanical analysis. The working principles and the metrological properties of the most promising tactile, microfabricated sensors are analyzed, together with their application in medicine. Finally, the new emerging technologies in these fields are briefly described.

Recent Progress in Technologies for Tactile Sensors

PubMed Central

Sun, Xuguang; Xue, Ning; Li, Tong; Liu, Chang

2018-01-01

Over the last two decades, considerable scientific and technological efforts have been devoted to developing tactile sensing based on a variety of transducing mechanisms, with prospective applications in many fields such as human–machine interaction, intelligent robot tactile control and feedback, and tactile sensorized minimally invasive surgery. This paper starts with an introduction of human tactile systems, followed by a presentation of the basic demands of tactile sensors. State-of-the-art tactile sensors are reviewed in terms of their diverse sensing mechanisms, design consideration, and material selection. Subsequently, typical performances of the sensors, along with their advantages and disadvantages, are compared and analyzed. Two major potential applications of tactile sensing systems are discussed in detail. Lastly, we propose prospective research directions and market trends of tactile sensing systems. PMID:29565835

Recent Progress in Technologies for Tactile Sensors.

PubMed

Chi, Cheng; Sun, Xuguang; Xue, Ning; Li, Tong; Liu, Chang

2018-03-22

Over the last two decades, considerable scientific and technological efforts have been devoted to developing tactile sensing based on a variety of transducing mechanisms, with prospective applications in many fields such as human-machine interaction, intelligent robot tactile control and feedback, and tactile sensorized minimally invasive surgery. This paper starts with an introduction of human tactile systems, followed by a presentation of the basic demands of tactile sensors. State-of-the-art tactile sensors are reviewed in terms of their diverse sensing mechanisms, design consideration, and material selection. Subsequently, typical performances of the sensors, along with their advantages and disadvantages, are compared and analyzed. Two major potential applications of tactile sensing systems are discussed in detail. Lastly, we propose prospective research directions and market trends of tactile sensing systems.

Radio frequency energy for non-invasive and minimally invasive skin tightening.

PubMed

Mulholland, R Stephen

2011-07-01

This article reviews the non-invasive and minimally invasive options for skin tightening, focusing on peer-reviewed articles and presentations and those technologies with the most proven or promising RF non-excisional skin-tightening results for excisional surgeons. RF has been the mainstay of non-invasive skin tightening and has emerged as the "cutting edge" technology in the minimally invasive skin-tightening field. Because these RF skin-tightening technologies are capital equipment purchases with a significant cost associated, this article also discusses some business issues and models that have proven to work in the plastic surgeon's office for non-invasive and minimally invasive skin-tightening technologies. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Soft materials in neuroengineering for hard problems in neuroscience.

PubMed

Jeong, Jae-Woong; Shin, Gunchul; Park, Sung Il; Yu, Ki Jun; Xu, Lizhi; Rogers, John A

2015-04-08

We describe recent advances in soft electronic interface technologies for neuroscience research. Here, low modulus materials and/or compliant mechanical structures enable modes of soft, conformal integration and minimally invasive operation that would be difficult or impossible to achieve using conventional approaches. We begin by summarizing progress in electrodes and associated electronics for signal amplification and multiplexed readout. Examples in large-area, surface conformal electrode arrays and flexible, multifunctional depth-penetrating probes illustrate the power of these concepts. A concluding section highlights areas of opportunity in the further development and application of these technologies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

On the Isolation of Science Payloads from Spacecraft Vibrations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sparks, Dean W.; Horta, Lucas G.; Elliott, Kenny B.; Belvin, W. Keith

1995-01-01

The remote sensing of the Earth's features from space requires precision pointing of scientific instruments. To this end, the NASA Langley Research Center has been involved in developing numerous controlled structures technologies. This paper describes one of the more promising technologies for minimizing pointing jitter, namely, payload isolation. The application of passive and active payload mounts for attenuation of pointing jitter of the EOS AM-1 spacecraft is discussed. In addition, analysis and ground tests to validate the performance of isolation mounts using a scaled dynamics model of the EOS AM-1 spacecraft are presented.

A 4-fJ/Spike Artificial Neuron in 65 nm CMOS Technology

PubMed Central

Sourikopoulos, Ilias; Hedayat, Sara; Loyez, Christophe; Danneville, François; Hoel, Virginie; Mercier, Eric; Cappy, Alain

2017-01-01

As Moore's law reaches its end, traditional computing technology based on the Von Neumann architecture is facing fundamental limits. Among them is poor energy efficiency. This situation motivates the investigation of different processing information paradigms, such as the use of spiking neural networks (SNNs), which also introduce cognitive characteristics. As applications at very high scale are addressed, the energy dissipation needs to be minimized. This effort starts from the neuron cell. In this context, this paper presents the design of an original artificial neuron, in standard 65 nm CMOS technology with optimized energy efficiency. The neuron circuit response is designed as an approximation of the Morris-Lecar theoretical model. In order to implement the non-linear gating variables, which control the ionic channel currents, transistors operating in deep subthreshold are employed. Two different circuit variants describing the neuron model equations have been developed. The first one features spike characteristics, which correlate well with a biological neuron model. The second one is a simplification of the first, designed to exhibit higher spiking frequencies, targeting large scale bio-inspired information processing applications. The most important feature of the fabricated circuits is the energy efficiency of a few femtojoules per spike, which improves prior state-of-the-art by two to three orders of magnitude. This performance is achieved by minimizing two key parameters: the supply voltage and the related membrane capacitance. Meanwhile, the obtained standby power at a resting output does not exceed tens of picowatts. The two variants were sized to 200 and 35 μm2 with the latter reaching a spiking output frequency of 26 kHz. This performance level could address various contexts, such as highly integrated neuro-processors for robotics, neuroscience or medical applications. PMID:28360831

Genetic screens and functional genomics using CRISPR/Cas9 technology.

PubMed

Hartenian, Ella; Doench, John G

2015-04-01

Functional genomics attempts to understand the genome by perturbing the flow of information from DNA to RNA to protein, in order to learn how gene dysfunction leads to disease. CRISPR/Cas9 technology is the newest tool in the geneticist's toolbox, allowing researchers to edit DNA with unprecedented ease, speed and accuracy, and representing a novel means to perform genome-wide genetic screens to discover gene function. In this review, we first summarize the discovery and characterization of CRISPR/Cas9, and then compare it to other genome engineering technologies. We discuss its initial use in screening applications, with a focus on optimizing on-target activity and minimizing off-target effects. Finally, we comment on future challenges and opportunities afforded by this technology. © 2015 FEBS.

Advanced secondary batteries: Their applications, technological status, market and opportunity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, M.

1989-03-01

Program planning for advanced battery energy storage technology is supported within the NEMO Program. Specifically this study had focused on the review of advanced battery applications; the development and demonstration status of leading battery technologies; and potential marketing opportunity. Advanced secondary (or rechargeable) batteries have been under development for the past two decades in the U.S., Japan, and parts of Europe for potential applications in electric utilities and for electric vehicles. In the electric utility applications, the primary aim of a battery energy storage plant is to facilitate peak power load leveling and/or dynamic operations to minimize the overall power generation cost. In the application for peak power load leveling, the battery stores the off-peak base load energy and is discharged during the period of peak power demand. This allows a more efficient use of the base load generation capacity and reduces the need for conventional oil-fired or gas-fire peak power generation equipment. Batteries can facilitate dynamic operations because of their basic characteristics as an electrochemical device capable of instantaneous response to the changing load. Dynamic operating benefits results in cost savings of the overall power plant operation. Battery-powered electric vehicles facilitate conservation of petroleum fuel in the transportation sector, but more importantly, they reduce air pollution in the congested inner cities.

An Overview of Magnetic Bearing Technology for Gas Turbine Engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clark, Daniel J.; Jansen, Mark J.; Montague, Gerald T.

2004-01-01

The idea of the magnetic bearing and its use in exotic applications has been conceptualized for many years, over a century, in fact. Patented, passive systems using permanent magnets date back over 150 years. More recently, scientists of the 1930s began investigating active systems using electromagnets for high-speed ultracentrifuges. However, passive magnetic bearings are physically unstable and active systems only provide proper stiffness and damping through sophisticated controllers and algorithms. This is precisely why, until the last decade, magnetic bearings did not become a practical alternative to rolling element bearings. Today, magnetic bearing technology has become viable because of advances in micro-processing controllers that allow for confident and robust active control. Further advances in the following areas: rotor and stator materials and designs which maximize flux, minimize energy losses, and minimize stress limitations; wire materials and coatings for high temperature operation; high-speed micro processing for advanced controller designs and extremely robust capabilities; back-up bearing technology for providing a viable touchdown surface; and precision sensor technology; have put magnetic bearings on the forefront of advanced, lubrication free support systems. This paper will discuss a specific joint program for the advancement of gas turbine engines and how it implies the vitality of magnetic bearings, a brief comparison between magnetic bearings and other bearing technologies in both their advantages and limitations, and an examination of foreseeable solutions to historically perceived limitations to magnetic bearing.

Typical Toddlers' Participation in “Just-in-Time” Programming of Vocabulary for Visual Scene Display Augmentative and Alternative Communication Apps on Mobile Technology: A Descriptive Study

PubMed Central

Drager, Kathryn; Light, Janice; Caron, Jessica Gosnell

2017-01-01

Purpose Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) promotes communicative participation and language development for young children with complex communication needs. However, the motor, linguistic, and cognitive demands of many AAC technologies restrict young children's operational use of and influence over these technologies. The purpose of the current study is to better understand young children's participation in programming vocabulary “just in time” on an AAC application with minimized demands. Method A descriptive study was implemented to highlight the participation of 10 typically developing toddlers (M age: 16 months, range: 10–22 months) in just-in-time vocabulary programming in an AAC app with visual scene displays. Results All 10 toddlers participated in some capacity in adding new visual scene displays and vocabulary to the app just in time. Differences in participation across steps were observed, suggesting variation in the developmental demands of controls involved in vocabulary programming. Conclusions Results from the current study provide clinical insights toward involving young children in AAC programming just in time and steps that may allow for more independent participation or require more scaffolding. Technology designed to minimize motor, cognitive, and linguistic demands may allow children to participate in programming devices at a younger age. PMID:28586825

Typical Toddlers' Participation in "Just-in-Time" Programming of Vocabulary for Visual Scene Display Augmentative and Alternative Communication Apps on Mobile Technology: A Descriptive Study.

PubMed

Holyfield, Christine; Drager, Kathryn; Light, Janice; Caron, Jessica Gosnell

2017-08-15

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) promotes communicative participation and language development for young children with complex communication needs. However, the motor, linguistic, and cognitive demands of many AAC technologies restrict young children's operational use of and influence over these technologies. The purpose of the current study is to better understand young children's participation in programming vocabulary "just in time" on an AAC application with minimized demands. A descriptive study was implemented to highlight the participation of 10 typically developing toddlers (M age: 16 months, range: 10-22 months) in just-in-time vocabulary programming in an AAC app with visual scene displays. All 10 toddlers participated in some capacity in adding new visual scene displays and vocabulary to the app just in time. Differences in participation across steps were observed, suggesting variation in the developmental demands of controls involved in vocabulary programming. Results from the current study provide clinical insights toward involving young children in AAC programming just in time and steps that may allow for more independent participation or require more scaffolding. Technology designed to minimize motor, cognitive, and linguistic demands may allow children to participate in programming devices at a younger age.

Monolithically interconnected GaAs solar cells: A new interconnection technology for high voltage solar cell output

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dinetta, L. C.; Hannon, M. H.

1995-10-01

Photovoltaic linear concentrator arrays can benefit from high performance solar cell technologies being developed at AstroPower. Specifically, these are the integration of thin GaAs solar cell and epitaxial lateral overgrowth technologies with the application of monolithically interconnected solar cell (MISC) techniques. This MISC array has several advantages which make it ideal for space concentrator systems. These are high system voltage, reliable low cost monolithically formed interconnections, design flexibility, costs that are independent of array voltage, and low power loss from shorts, opens, and impact damage. This concentrator solar cell will incorporate the benefits of light trapping by growing the device active layers over a low-cost, simple, PECVD deposited silicon/silicon dioxide Bragg reflector. The high voltage-low current output results in minimal 12R losses while properly designing the device allows for minimal shading and resistance losses. It is possible to obtain open circuit voltages as high as 67 volts/cm of solar cell length with existing technology. The projected power density for the high performance device is 5 kW/m for an AMO efficiency of 26% at 1 5X. Concentrator solar cell arrays are necessary to meet the power requirements of specific mission platforms and can supply high voltage power for electric propulsion systems. It is anticipated that the high efficiency, GaAs monolithically interconnected linear concentrator solar cell array will enjoy widespread application for space based solar power needs. Additional applications include remote man-portable or ultra-light unmanned air vehicle (UAV) power supplies where high power per area, high radiation hardness and a high bus voltage or low bus current are important. The monolithic approach has a number of inherent advantages, including reduced cost per interconnect and increased reliability of array connections. There is also a high potential for a large number of consumer products. Dual-use applications can include battery chargers and remote power supplies for consumer electronics products such as portable telephones/beepers, portable radios, CD players, dashboard radar detectors, remote walkway lighting, etc.

Monolithically interconnected GaAs solar cells: A new interconnection technology for high voltage solar cell output

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dinetta, L. C.; Hannon, M. H.

1995-01-01

Photovoltaic linear concentrator arrays can benefit from high performance solar cell technologies being developed at AstroPower. Specifically, these are the integration of thin GaAs solar cell and epitaxial lateral overgrowth technologies with the application of monolithically interconnected solar cell (MISC) techniques. This MISC array has several advantages which make it ideal for space concentrator systems. These are high system voltage, reliable low cost monolithically formed interconnections, design flexibility, costs that are independent of array voltage, and low power loss from shorts, opens, and impact damage. This concentrator solar cell will incorporate the benefits of light trapping by growing the device active layers over a low-cost, simple, PECVD deposited silicon/silicon dioxide Bragg reflector. The high voltage-low current output results in minimal 12R losses while properly designing the device allows for minimal shading and resistance losses. It is possible to obtain open circuit voltages as high as 67 volts/cm of solar cell length with existing technology. The projected power density for the high performance device is 5 kW/m for an AMO efficiency of 26% at 1 5X. Concentrator solar cell arrays are necessary to meet the power requirements of specific mission platforms and can supply high voltage power for electric propulsion systems. It is anticipated that the high efficiency, GaAs monolithically interconnected linear concentrator solar cell array will enjoy widespread application for space based solar power needs. Additional applications include remote man-portable or ultra-light unmanned air vehicle (UAV) power supplies where high power per area, high radiation hardness and a high bus voltage or low bus current are important. The monolithic approach has a number of inherent advantages, including reduced cost per interconnect and increased reliability of array connections. There is also a high potential for a large number of consumer products. Dual-use applications can include battery chargers and remote power supplies for consumer electronics products such as portable telephones/beepers, portable radios, CD players, dashboard radar detectors, remote walkway lighting, etc.

Critical design elements of e-health applications for users with severe mental illness: singular focus, simple architecture, prominent contents, explicit navigation, and inclusive hyperlinks.

PubMed

Rotondi, Armando J; Eack, Shaun M; Hanusa, Barbara H; Spring, Michael B; Haas, Gretchen L

2015-03-01

E-health applications are becoming integral components of general medical care delivery models and emerging for mental health care. Few exist for treatment of those with severe mental illness (SMI). In part, this is due to a lack of models to design such technologies for persons with cognitive impairments and lower technology experience. This study evaluated the effectiveness of an e-health design model for persons with SMI termed the Flat Explicit Design Model (FEDM). Persons with schizophrenia (n = 38) performed tasks to evaluate the effectiveness of 5 Web site designs: 4 were prominent public Web sites, and 1 was designed according to the FEDM. Linear mixed-effects regression models were used to examine differences in usability between the Web sites. Omnibus tests of between-site differences were conducted, followed by post hoc pairwise comparisons of means to examine specific Web site differences when omnibus tests reached statistical significance. The Web site designed using the FEDM required less time to find information, had a higher success rate, and was rated easier to use and less frustrating than the other Web sites. The home page design of one of the other Web sites provided the best indication to users about a Web site's contents. The results are consistent with and were used to expand the FEDM. The FEDM provides evidence-based guidelines to design e-health applications for person with SMI, including: minimize an application's layers or hierarchy, use explicit text, employ navigational memory aids, group hyperlinks in 1 area, and minimize the number of disparate subjects an application addresses. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Self-Cleaning Particulate Prefilter Media

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weber, Olivia; Lalwani, San-jiv; Sharma, Anjal

2012-01-01

A long-term space mission requires efficient air revitalization performance to sustain the crew. Prefilter and particulate air filter media are susceptible to rapid fouling that adversely affects their performance and can lead to catastrophic failure of the air revitalization system, which may result in mission failure. For a long-term voyage, it is impractical to carry replacement particulate prefilter and filter modules due to the usual limitations in size, volume, and weight. The only solution to this problem is to reagentlessly regenerate prefilter and filter media in place. A method was developed to modify the particulate prefilter media to allow them to regenerate reagentlessly, and in place, by the application of modest thermocycled transverse or reversed airflows. The innovation may allow NASA to close the breathing air loop more efficiently, thereby sustaining the vision for manned space exploration missions of the future. A novel, self-cleaning coatings technology was developed for air filter media surfaces that allows reagentless in-place regeneration of the surface. The technology grafts thermoresponsive and nonspecific adhesion minimizing polymer nanolayer brush coatings from the prefilter media. These polymer nanolayer brush architectures can be triggered to contract and expand to generate a "pushing-off" force by the simple application of modestly thermocycled (i.e. cycling from ambient cabin temperature to 40 C) air streams. The nonspecific adhesion-minimizing properties of the coatings do not allow the particulate foulants to adhere strongly to the filter media, and thermocycled air streams applied to the media allow easy detachment and in-place regeneration of the media with minimal impact in system downtime or astronaut involvement in overseeing the process.

Using information and communications technology in a national population-based survey: the Kenya AIDS Indicator Survey 2012.

PubMed

Ojwang', James K; Lee, Veronica C; Waruru, Anthony; Ssempijja, Victor; Ng'ang'a, John G; Wakhutu, Brian E; Kandege, Nicholas O; Koske, Danson K; Kamiru, Samuel M; Omondi, Kenneth O; Kakinyi, Mutua; Kim, Andrea A; Oluoch, Tom

2014-05-01

With improvements in technology, electronic data capture (EDC) for large surveys is feasible. EDC offers benefits over traditional paper-based data collection, including more accurate data, greater completeness of data, and decreased data cleaning burden. The second Kenya AIDS Indicator Survey (KAIS 2012) was a population-based survey of persons aged 18 months to 64 years. A software application was designed to capture the interview, specimen collection, and home-based testing and counseling data. The application included: interview translations for local languages; options for single, multiple, and fill-in responses; and automated participant eligibility determination. Data quality checks were programmed to automate skip patterns and prohibit outlier responses. A data sharing architecture was developed to transmit the data in real-time from the field to a central server over a virtual private network. KAIS 2012 was conducted between October 2012 and February 2013. Overall, 68,202 records for the interviews, specimen collection, and home-based testing and counseling were entered into the application. Challenges arose during implementation, including poor connectivity and a systems malfunction that created duplicate records, which prevented timely data transmission to the central server. Data cleaning was minimal given the data quality control measures. KAIS 2012 demonstrated the feasibility of using EDC in a population-based survey. The benefits of EDC were apparent in data quality and minimal time needed for data cleaning. Several important lessons were learned, such as the time and monetary investment required before survey implementation, the importance of continuous application testing, and contingency plans for data transmission due to connectivity challenges.

Integrated Building Energy Systems Design Considering Storage Technologies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stadler, Michael; Marnay, Chris; Siddiqui, Afzal

The addition of storage technologies such as flow batteries, conventional batteries, and heat storage can improve the economic, as well as environmental attraction of micro-generation systems (e.g., PV or fuel cells with or without CHP) and contribute to enhanced demand response. The interactions among PV, solar thermal, and storage systems can be complex, depending on the tariff structure, load profile, etc. In order to examine the impact of storage technologies on demand response and CO2 emissions, a microgrid's distributed energy resources (DER) adoption problem is formulated as a mixed-integer linear program that can pursue two strategies as its objective function.more » These two strategies are minimization of its annual energy costs or of its CO2 emissions. The problem is solved for a given test year at representative customer sites, e.g., nursing homes, to obtain not only the optimal investment portfolio, but also the optimal hourly operating schedules for the selected technologies. This paper focuses on analysis of storage technologies in micro-generation optimization on a building level, with example applications in New York State and California. It shows results from a two-year research projectperformed for the U.S. Department of Energy and ongoing work. Contrary to established expectations, our results indicate that PV and electric storage adoption compete rather than supplement each other considering the tariff structure and costs of electricity supply. The work shows that high electricity tariffs during on-peak hours are a significant driver for the adoption of electric storage technologies. To satisfy the site's objective of minimizing energy costs, the batteries have to be charged by grid power during off-peak hours instead of PV during on-peak hours. In contrast, we also show a CO2 minimization strategy where the common assumption that batteries can be charged by PV can be fulfilled at extraordinarily high energy costs for the site.« less

The latest developments and outlook for hydrogen liquefaction technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohlig, K.; Decker, L.

2014-01-01

Liquefied hydrogen is presently mainly used for space applications and the semiconductor industry. While clean energy applications, for e.g. the automotive sector, currently contribute to this demand with a small share only, their demand may see a significant boost in the next years with the need for large scale liquefaction plants exceeding the current plant sizes by far. Hydrogen liquefaction for small scale plants with a maximum capacity of 3 tons per day (tpd) is accomplished with a Brayton refrigeration cycle using helium as refrigerant. This technology is characterized by low investment costs but lower process efficiency and hence higher operating costs. For larger plants, a hydrogen Claude cycle is used, characterized by higher investment but lower operating costs. However, liquefaction plants meeting the potentially high demand in the clean energy sector will need further optimization with regard to energy efficiency and hence operating costs. The present paper gives an overview of the currently applied technologies, including their thermodynamic and technical background. Areas of improvement are identified to derive process concepts for future large scale hydrogen liquefaction plants meeting the needs of clean energy applications with optimized energy efficiency and hence minimized operating costs. Compared to studies in this field, this paper focuses on application of new technology and innovative concepts which are either readily available or will require short qualification procedures. They will hence allow implementation in plants in the close future.

Harvesting energy an sustainable power source, replace batteries for powering WSN and devices on the IoT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pop-Vadean, A.; Pop, P. P.; Latinovic, T.; Barz, C.; Lung, C.

2017-05-01

Harvesting energy from nonconventional sources in the environment has received increased attention over the past decade from researchers who study these alternative energy sources for low power applications. Although that energy harvested is small and in the order of milliwatt, it can provide enough power for wireless sensors and other low-power applications. In the environment there is a lot of wasted energy that can be converted into electricity to power the various circuits and represents a potentially cheap source of power. Energy harvesting is important because it offers an alternative power supply for electronic devices where is does not exist conventional energy sources. This technology applied in a wireless sensor network (WSN) and devices on the IoT, will eliminate the need for network-based energy and conventional batteries, will minimize maintenance costs, eliminate cables and batteries and is ecological. It has the same advantage in applications from remote locations, underwater, and other hard to reach places where conventional batteries and energy are not suitable. Energy harvesting will promote environmentally friendly technologies that will save energy, will reduce CO2 emissions, which makes this technology indispensable for achieving next-generation smart cities and sustainable society. In response to the challenges of energy, in this article we remind the basics of harvesting energy and we discuss the various applications of this technology where traditional batteries cannot be used.

MEASUREMENTS OF THE CONFINEMENT LEAKTIGHTNESS AT THE KOLA NUCLEAR POWER STATION (UNIT 2) IN RUSSIA

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

GREENE,G.A.; GUPPY,J.G.

1998-08-01

This is the final report on the INSP project entitled, ``Kola Confinement Leaktightness'' conducted by BNL under the authorization of Project Work Plan WBS 1.2.2.1. This project was initiated in February 1993 to assist the Russians to reduce risks associated with the continued operation of older Soviet-designed nuclear power plants, specifically the Kola VVER-440/230 Units 1 and 2, through upgrades in the confinement performance to reduce the uncontrolled leakage rate. The major technical objective of this-project was to improve the leaktightness of the Kola NPP VVER confinement boundaries, through the application of a variety of sealants to penetrations, doors andmore » hatches, seams and surfaces, to the extent that current technology permitted. A related objective was the transfer, through training of Russian staff, of the materials application procedures to the staff of the Kola NPP. This project was part of an overall approach to minimizing uncontrolled releases from the Kola NPP VVER440/230s in the event of a serious accident, and to thereby significantly mitigate the consequences of such an accident. The US provided materials, application technology, and applications equipment for application of sealant materials, surface coatings, potting materials and gaskets, to improve the confinement leaktightness of the Kola VVER-440/23Os. The US provided for training of Russian personnel in the applications technology.« less

Dynamic Generalizations of Systems Factorial Technology for Modeling Perception of Fused Information

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-01-11

2004). Nonetheless, in all of these applications the stimuli were highly controlled and presented in isolation with little or no ex - traneous...50 maximum compensation). Twenty members of the Wright State University community were recruited to participate, sixteen of whom completed all five ex ...aligned to minimize the need for registering the images from each sensor post collection, although further registration was done with software developed

The use of drug-coated balloons in the treatment of femoropopliteal and infrapopliteal disease.

PubMed

Li, Jun; Karim, Adham; Shishehbor, Mehdi

2018-05-25

While the field of endovascular interventions has evolved in the last decade, technological advancements have rendered drug-coated balloons (DCBs) to be the first line therapy for femoropopliteal artery disease. As the knowledge continues to advance, the application of DCB to the infrapopliteal segments and its role in the setting of plaque modification atherectomy to minimize stent utilization will be further elucidated.

Phytotechnologies – Preventing Exposures, Improving Public Health

PubMed Central

Henry, Heather F.; Burken, Joel G.; Maier, Raina M.; Newman, Lee A.; Rock, Steven; Schnoor, Jerald L.; Suk, William A.

2014-01-01

Phytotechnologies have the potential to reduce the amount and/or toxicity of deleterious chemicals/agents, and thereby, prevent human exposures to hazardous substances. As such, phytotechnologies are a tool for primary prevention within the context of public health. Research advances demonstrate that phytotechnologies can be uniquely tailored for effective exposure prevention for a variety of applications. In addition to exposure prevention, phytotechnologists have advanced the use of plants as sensors to delineate environmental contaminants and potential exposures. The applications presented in this paper are at various stages of development and are presented in a framework to reflect how phytotechnologies can help meet basic public health needs for access to clean water, air, and food resources. As plant-based technologies can often be integrated into communities at minimal cost and with low infrastructure needs, their use in improving environmental quality can be applied broadly to minimize potential contaminant exposure. These natural treatment systems concurrently provide ecosystem services of notable value to communities and society. In the future, integration and coordination of phytotechnology activities with public health research will allow technology development that focuses on prevention of environmental exposures. Such an approach will lead to an important role of phytotechnologies in providing sustainable solutions to environmental exposure challenges that improve public health and potentially reduce the burden of disease. PMID:23819283

A Minimally Invasive Method for Retrieving Single Adherent Cells of Different Types from Cultures

PubMed Central

Zeng, Jia; Mohammadreza, Aida; Gao, Weimin; Merza, Saeed; Smith, Dean; Kelbauskas, Laimonas; Meldrum, Deirdre R.

2014-01-01

The field of single-cell analysis has gained a significant momentum over the last decade. Separation and isolation of individual cells is an indispensable step in almost all currently available single-cell analysis technologies. However, stress levels introduced by such manipulations remain largely unstudied. We present a method for minimally invasive retrieval of selected individual adherent cells of different types from cell cultures. The method is based on a combination of mechanical (shear flow) force and biochemical (trypsin digestion) treatment. We quantified alterations in the transcription levels of stress response genes in individual cells exposed to varying levels of shear flow and trypsinization. We report optimal temperature, RNA preservation reagents, shear force and trypsinization conditions necessary to minimize changes in the stress-related gene expression levels. The method and experimental findings are broadly applicable and can be used by a broad research community working in the field of single cell analysis. PMID:24957932

Robotic surgery of the pancreas

PubMed Central

Joyce, Daniel; Morris-Stiff, Gareth; Falk, Gavin A; El-Hayek, Kevin; Chalikonda, Sricharan; Walsh, R Matthew

2014-01-01

Pancreatic surgery is one of the most challenging and complex fields in general surgery. While minimally invasive surgery has become the standard of care for many intra-abdominal pathologies the overwhelming majority of pancreatic surgery is performed in an open fashion. This is attributed to the retroperitoneal location of the pancreas, its intimate relationship to major vasculature and the complexity of reconstruction in the case of pancreatoduodenectomy. Herein, we describe the application of robotic technology to minimally invasive pancreatic surgery. The unique capabilities of the robotic platform have made the minimally invasive approach feasible and safe with equivalent if not better outcomes (e.g., decreased length of stay, less surgical site infections) to conventional open surgery. However, it is unclear whether the robotic approach is truly superior to traditional laparoscopy; this is a key point given the substantial costs associated with procuring and maintaining robotic capabilities. PMID:25356035

Use of ultrasounds in the food industry-Methods and effects on quality, safety, and organoleptic characteristics of foods: A review.

PubMed

Arvanitoyannis, Ioannis S; Kotsanopoulos, Konstantinos V; Savva, Amalia G

2017-01-02

The use of ultrasounds has recently gained significant interest in the food industry mainly due to the new trends of consumers toward functional foods. Offering several advantages, this form of energy can be applied for the improvement of qualitative characteristics of high-quality foods as well as for assuring safety of a vast variety of foodstuffs, and at the same time minimizing any negative effects of the sensory characteristics of foods. Furthermore, the non-destructive nature of this technology offers several opportunities for the compositional analysis of foods. However, further research is required for the improvement of related techniques and the reduction of application costs in order to render this technology efficient for industrial use. This review paper covers the main applications of ultrasounds as well as several advantages of the use of the technology in combination with conventional techniques. The effects of ultrasounds on the characteristics, microbial safety, and quality of several foods are also detailed.

Construction of a dual axis force reflection stick and test station

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Repperger, Daniel E.; Scarborough, Eric L.; Chelette, Tamara L.

1991-11-01

This report describes the construction of a dual axis force reflecting stick controller and test station which was constructed through the use of basic research funds (ILIR monies). The prototype described in this report is powered only by electric motors and used the latest technology in computers. This was an advancement over a previous prototype which involved pneumatic devices and was very large, bulky, and awkward to use. An experiment was conducted with 5 subjects as described herein to test the overall system for its use in experimental design. The motivation for developing such a small test station for the use of force reflection in stick controllers is because with this new compact and portable system, many new applications now appear for this technology. The system described herein minimizes both weight and electric power requirements to produce the same force reflection. By upgrading the technology in the components used in this test station, wider use of force reflection is now available for a host of new applications.

KrioBlast TM as a New Technology of Hyper-fast Cryopreservation of Cells and Tissues. Part I. Thermodynamic Aspects and Potential Applications in Reproductive and Regenerative Medicine.

PubMed

Katkov, I I; Bolyukh, V F; Sukhikh, G T

2018-03-01

Kinetic (dynamic) vitrification is a promising trend in cryopreservation of biological materials because it allows avoiding the formation of lethal intracellular ice and minimizes harmful effects of highly toxic penetrating cryoprotectants. A uniform cooling protocol and the same instruments can be used for practically all types of cells. In modern technologies, the rate of cooling is essentially limited by the Leidenfrost effect. We describe a novel platform for kinetic vitrification of biological materials KrioBlast TM that realizes hyper-fast cooling and allows overcoming the Leidenfrost effect. This opens prospects for creation of a novel technology of cell cryopreservation for reproductive and regenerative medicine.

Design of a piezoelectric inchworm actuator and compliant end effector for minimally invasive surgery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Canfield, Shawn; Edinger, Ben; Frecker, Mary I.; Koopmann, Gary H.

1999-06-01

Recent advances in robotics, tele-robotics, smart material actuators, and mechatronics raise new possibilities for innovative developments in millimeter-scale robotics capable of manipulating objects only fractions of a millimeter in size. These advances can have a wide range of applications in the biomedical community. A potential application of this technology is in minimally invasive surgery (MIS). The focus of this paper is the development of a single degree of freedom prototype to demonstrate the viability of smart materials, force feedback and compliant mechanisms for minimally invasive surgery. The prototype is a compliant gripper that is 7-mm by 17-mm, made from a single piece of titanium that is designed to function as a needle driver for small scale suturing. A custom designed piezoelectric `inchworm' actuator drives the gripper. The integrated system is computer controlled providing a user interface device capable of force feedback. The design methodology described draws from recent advances in three emerging fields in engineering: design of innovative tools for MIS, design of compliant mechanisms, and design of smart materials and actuators. The focus of this paper is on the design of a millimeter-scale inchworm actuator for use with a compliant end effector in MIS.

Rethinking risk assessment for emerging technology first-in-human trials.

PubMed

Genske, Anna; Engel-Glatter, Sabrina

2016-03-01

Recent progress in synthetic biology (SynBio) has enabled the development of novel therapeutic opportunities for the treatment of human disease. In the near future, first-in-human trials (FIH) will be indicated. FIH trials mark a key milestone in the translation of medical SynBio applications into clinical practice. Fostered by uncertainty of possible adverse events for trial participants, a variety of ethical concerns emerge with regards to SynBio FIH trials, including 'risk' minimization. These concerns are associated with any FIH trial, however, due to the novelty of the approach, they become more pronounced for medical applications of emerging technologies (emTech) like SynBio. To minimize potential harm for trial participants, scholars, guidelines, regulations and policy makers alike suggest using 'risk assessment' as evaluation tool for such trials. Conversely, in the context of emTech FIH trials, we believe it to be at least questionable to contextualize uncertainty of potential adverse events as 'risk' and apply traditional risk assessment methods. Hence, this issue needs to be discussed to enable alterations of the evaluation process before the translational phase of SynBio applications begins. In this paper, we will take the opportunity to start the debate and highlight how a misunderstanding of the concept of risk, and the possibilities and limitations of risk assessment, respectively, might impair decision-making by the relevant regulatory authorities and research ethics committees, and discuss possible solutions to tackle the issue.

Electron Beam Freeform Fabrication: A Fabrication Process that Revolutionizes Aircraft Structural Designs and Spacecraft Supportability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taminger, Karen M.

2008-01-01

The technological inception and challenges, as well as current applications of the electron beam freeform fabrication (EBF3) process are outlined. The process was motivated by the need for a new metals technology that would be cost-effective, enable the production of new alloys and that would could be used for efficient, lightweight structures. EBF3 is a rapid metal fabrication, layer-additive process that uses no molds or tools and which yields properties equivalent to wrought. The benefits of EBF3 include it near-net shape which minimizes scrap and reduces part count; efficiency in design which allows for lighter weight and enhanced performance; and, its "green" manufacturing process which yields minimal waste products. EBF3 also has a high tensile strength, while a structural test comparison found that EBF3 panels performed 5% lower than machined panels. Technical challenges in the EBF3 process include a need for process control monitoring and an improvement in localized heat response. Currently, the EBF3 process can be used to add details onto forgings and to construct and form complex shapes. However, it has potential uses in a variety of industries including aerospace, automotive, sporting goods and medical implant devices. The novel structural design capabilities of EBF3 have the ability to yield curved stiffeners which may be optimized for performance, low weight, low noise and damage tolerance applications. EBF3 has also demonstrated its usefulness in 0-gravity environments for supportability in space applications.

Bacterial cell-free expression technology to in vitro systems engineering and optimization.

PubMed

Caschera, Filippo

2017-06-01

Cell-free expression system is a technology for the synthesis of proteins in vitro . The system is a platform for several bioengineering projects, e.g. cell-free metabolic engineering, evolutionary design of experiments, and synthetic minimal cell construction. Bacterial cell-free protein synthesis system (CFPS) is a robust tool for synthetic biology. The bacteria lysate, the DNA, and the energy module, which are the three optimized sub-systems for in vitro protein synthesis, compose the integrated system. Currently, an optimized E. coli cell-free expression system can produce up to ∼2.3 mg/mL of a fluorescent reporter protein. Herein, I will describe the features of ATP-regeneration systems for in vitro protein synthesis, and I will present a machine-learning experiment for optimizing the protein yield of E. coli cell-free protein synthesis systems. Moreover, I will introduce experiments on the synthesis of a minimal cell using liposomes as dynamic containers, and E. coli cell-free expression system as biochemical platform for metabolism and gene expression. CFPS can be further integrated with other technologies for novel applications in environmental, medical and material science.

Combination of preservation factors applied to minimal processing of foods.

PubMed

Tapia de Daza, M S; Alzamora, S M; Chanes, J W

1996-07-01

Innovative technologies for producing minimally processed (MP) foods that apply the concept of combination of preservation factors are addressed in this article with special emphasis on a new combined approach that has been successfully applied in several Latin American countries for MP high-moisture fruit products (HMFP). HMFP can be regarded as a different approach to the commercially available and widely accepted MP concept for fruits and vegetables (even if developed for the same purpose of obtaining freshlike high-quality products with an extended shelf life) that is better adapted to Latin American countries in terms of independence of the chill chain and the use of simple and energy-efficient technologies. The continuous refrigeration hurdle associated with MP refrigerated fruits is not included in the preservation system of HMFP because a different combination of hurdles must be overcome to enhance the shelf stability of nonrespiring vegetable tissues while preserving freshlike character. Guidelines to obtain safe and high-quality MP fruit products are proposed. Other products preserved by combined factors technology are also discussed, as well as some other classical and new preservation factors whose application could enhance the quality of HMFP.

Preface to the special issue on "Integrated Microwave Photonic Signal Processing"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azaña, José; Yao, Jianping

2016-08-01

As Guest Editors, we are pleased to introduce this special issue on ;Integrated Microwave Photonic Signal Processing; published by the Elsevier journal Optics Communications. Microwave photonics is a field of growing importance from both scientific and practical application perspectives. The field of microwave photonics is devoted to the study, development and application of optics-based techniques and technologies aimed to the generation, processing, control, characterization and/or distribution of microwave signals, including signals well into the millimeter-wave frequency range. The use of photonic technologies for these microwave applications translates into a number of key advantages, such as the possibility of dealing with high-frequency, wide bandwidth signals with minimal losses and reduced electromagnetic interferences, and the potential for enhanced reconfigurability. The central purpose of this special issue is to provide an overview of the state of the art of generation, processing and characterization technologies for high-frequency microwave signals. It is now widely accepted that the practical success of microwave photonics at a large scale will essentially depend on the realization of high-performance microwave-photonic signal-processing engines in compact and integrated formats, preferably on a chip. Thus, the focus of the issue is on techniques implemented using integrated photonic technologies, with the goal of providing an update of the most recent advances toward realization of this vision.

Analytical Protein Microarrays: Advancements Towards Clinical Applications

PubMed Central

Sauer, Ursula

2017-01-01

Protein microarrays represent a powerful technology with the potential to serve as tools for the detection of a broad range of analytes in numerous applications such as diagnostics, drug development, food safety, and environmental monitoring. Key features of analytical protein microarrays include high throughput and relatively low costs due to minimal reagent consumption, multiplexing, fast kinetics and hence measurements, and the possibility of functional integration. So far, especially fundamental studies in molecular and cell biology have been conducted using protein microarrays, while the potential for clinical, notably point-of-care applications is not yet fully utilized. The question arises what features have to be implemented and what improvements have to be made in order to fully exploit the technology. In the past we have identified various obstacles that have to be overcome in order to promote protein microarray technology in the diagnostic field. Issues that need significant improvement to make the technology more attractive for the diagnostic market are for instance: too low sensitivity and deficiency in reproducibility, inadequate analysis time, lack of high-quality antibodies and validated reagents, lack of automation and portable instruments, and cost of instruments necessary for chip production and read-out. The scope of the paper at hand is to review approaches to solve these problems. PMID:28146048

Off-target Effects in CRISPR/Cas9-mediated Genome Engineering

PubMed Central

Zhang, Xiao-Hui; Tee, Louis Y; Wang, Xiao-Gang; Huang, Qun-Shan; Yang, Shi-Hua

2015-01-01

CRISPR/Cas9 is a versatile genome-editing technology that is widely used for studying the functionality of genetic elements, creating genetically modified organisms as well as preclinical research of genetic disorders. However, the high frequency of off-target activity (≥50%)—RGEN (RNA-guided endonuclease)-induced mutations at sites other than the intended on-target site—is one major concern, especially for therapeutic and clinical applications. Here, we review the basic mechanisms underlying off-target cutting in the CRISPR/Cas9 system, methods for detecting off-target mutations, and strategies for minimizing off-target cleavage. The improvement off-target specificity in the CRISPR/Cas9 system will provide solid genotype–phenotype correlations, and thus enable faithful interpretation of genome-editing data, which will certainly facilitate the basic and clinical application of this technology. PMID:26575098

Solar photovoltaic power system for a radio station

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nichols, B. E.

1980-12-01

Under sponsorship of the US Department of Energy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory has developed a concept for a small photovoltaic power system. Of simple construction, the system uses low-cost, prefabricated, transportable units for easy, fast installation and requires minimal site preparation. The first application of this experimental system began operation in August 1979 at daytime AM radio station WNBO in Bryan, Ohio. The project was jointly undertaken by the Laboratory and the radio station. The photovoltaic system described holds promise for a wide range of applications and economic feasibility by the mid- to late-1980s.

Laser Science and its Applications in Prosthetic Rehabilitation

PubMed Central

Gounder, Revathy; Gounder, Srinivasan

2016-01-01

The minimal invasive nature of lasers, with quick tissue response and healing has made them a very attractive technology in various fields of dentistry which serves as a tool to create a better result than ever before. The rapid development of lasers and their wavelengths with variety of applications on soft and hard tissues may continue to have major impact on the scope and practice in prosthetic dentistry. The purpose of this article is to make every clinician familiar with the fundamentals of lasers and different laser systems to incorporate into their clinical practices. PMID:28491254

Applications for a hybrid operating room in thoracic surgery: from multidisciplinary procedures to ­­image-guided video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery

PubMed Central

Terra, Ricardo Mingarini; Andrade, Juliano Ribeiro; Mariani, Alessandro Wasum; Garcia, Rodrigo Gobbo; Succi, Jose Ernesto; Soares, Andrey; Zimmer, Paulo Marcelo

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT The concept of a hybrid operating room represents the union of a high-complexity surgical apparatus with state-of-the-art radiological tools (ultrasound, CT, fluoroscopy, or magnetic resonance imaging), in order to perform highly effective, minimally invasive procedures. Although the use of a hybrid operating room is well established in specialties such as neurosurgery and cardiovascular surgery, it has rarely been explored in thoracic surgery. Our objective was to discuss the possible applications of this technology in thoracic surgery, through the reporting of three cases. PMID:27812640

Grid computing in large pharmaceutical molecular modeling.

PubMed

Claus, Brian L; Johnson, Stephen R

2008-07-01

Most major pharmaceutical companies have employed grid computing to expand their compute resources with the intention of minimizing additional financial expenditure. Historically, one of the issues restricting widespread utilization of the grid resources in molecular modeling is the limited set of suitable applications amenable to coarse-grained parallelization. Recent advances in grid infrastructure technology coupled with advances in application research and redesign will enable fine-grained parallel problems, such as quantum mechanics and molecular dynamics, which were previously inaccessible to the grid environment. This will enable new science as well as increase resource flexibility to load balance and schedule existing workloads.

DOE planning workshop advanced biomedical technology initiative

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1994-06-01

The Department of Energy has mad major contributions in the biomedical sciences with programs in medical applications and instrumentation development, molecular biology, human genome, and computational sciences. In an effort to help determine DOE`s role in applying these capabilities to the nation`s health care needs, a planning workshop was held on January 11--12, 1994. The workshop was co-sponsored by the Department`s Office of Energy Research and Defense Programs organizations. Participants represented industry, medical research institutions, national laboratories, and several government agencies. They attempted to define the needs of the health care industry. identify DOE laboratory capabilities that address these needs,more » and determine how DOE, in cooperation with other team members, could begin an initiative with the goals of reducing health care costs while improving the quality of health care delivery through the proper application of technology and computational systems. This document is a report of that workshop. Seven major technology development thrust areas were considered. Each involves development of various aspects of imaging, optical, sensor and data processing and storage technologies. The thrust areas as prioritized for DOE are: (1) Minimally Invasive Procedures; (2) Technologies for Individual Self Care; (3) Outcomes Research; (4) Telemedicine; (5) Decision Support Systems; (6) Assistive Technology; (7) Prevention and Education.« less

MEMS inertial sensors with integral rotation means.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kohler, Stewart M.

The state-of-the-art of inertial micro-sensors (gyroscopes and accelerometers) has advanced to the point where they are displacing the more traditional sensors in many size, power, and/or cost-sensitive applications. A factor limiting the range of application of inertial micro-sensors has been their relatively poor bias stability. The incorporation of an integral sensitive axis rotation capability would enable bias mitigation through proven techniques such as indexing, and foster the use of inertial micro-sensors in more accuracy-sensitive applications. Fabricating the integral rotation mechanism in MEMS technology would minimize the penalties associated with incorporation of this capability, and preserve the inherent advantages of inertialmore » micro-sensors.« less

Technological Minimalism: A Cost-Effective Alternative for Course Design and Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lorenzo, George

2001-01-01

Discusses the use of minimum levels of technology, or technological minimalism, for Web-based multimedia course content. Highlights include cost effectiveness; problems with video streaming, the use of XML for Web pages, and Flash and Java applets; listservs instead of proprietary software; and proper faculty training. (LRW)

High-throughput cell analysis and sorting technologies for clinical diagnostics and therapeutics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leary, James F.; Reece, Lisa M.; Szaniszlo, Peter; Prow, Tarl W.; Wang, Nan

2001-05-01

A number of theoretical and practical limits of high-speed flow cytometry/cell sorting are important for clinical diagnostics and therapeutics. Three applications include: (1) stem cell isolation with tumor purging for minimal residual disease monitoring and treatment, (2) identification and isolation of human fetal cells from maternal blood for prenatal diagnostics and in-vitro therapeutics, and (3) high-speed library screening for recombinant vaccine production against unknown pathogens.

Camouflage Traffic: Minimizing Message Delay for Smart Grid Applications Under Jamming

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-01-16

Conf. Wireless Netw. Security, 2011, pp. 47–52. [26] M. Strasser, B. Danev, and S. Capkun, “Detection of reactive jam- ming in sensor networks,” ACM...Evaluation of two anti-islanding schemes for a radial distribution system equipped with self-excited induction generator wind turbines ,” IEEE Trans...technologies. To facilitate efficient information exchange, wireless networks have been proposed to be widely used in the smart grid. However, the jamming

Airborne Power Ultrasonic Technologies for Intensification of Food and Environmental Processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riera, Enrique; Acosta, Víctor M.; Bon, José; Aleixandre, Manuel; Blanco, Alfonso; Andrés, Roque R.; Cardoni, Andrea; Martinez, Ignacio; Herranz, Luís E.; Delgado, Rosario; Gallego-Juárez, Juan A.

Airborne power ultrasound is a green technology with a great potential for food and environmental applications, among others. This technology aims at producing permanent changes in objects and substances by means of the propagation of high-intensity waves through air and multiphase media. Specifically, the nonlinear effects produced in such media are responsible for the beneficial repercussions of ultrasound in airborne applications. Processing enhancement is achieved through minimizing the impedance mismatch between the ultrasonic radiator source and the medium by the generation of large vibration displacements and the concentration of energy radiation thus overcoming the high acoustic absorption of fluids, and in particular of gases such as air. Within this work the enhancing effects of airborne power ultrasound in various solid/liquid/gas applications including drying of solid and semi-solid substances, and the agglomeration of tiny particles in air cleaning processes are presented. Moreover, the design of new ultrasonic devices capable of generating these effects are described along with practical methods aimed at maintaining a stable performance of the tuned systems at operational powers. Hence, design strategies based on finite element modelling (FEM) and experimental methods consolidated through the years for material and tuned assembly characterizations are highlighted.

Using Information and Communications Technology in a National Population-Based Survey: The Kenya AIDS Indicator Survey 2012

PubMed Central

Ojwang’, James K.; Lee, Veronica C.; Waruru, Anthony; Ssempijja, Victor; Ng’ang’a, John G.; Wakhutu, Brian E.; Kandege, Nicholas O.; Koske, Danson K.; Kamiru, Samuel M.; Omondi, Kenneth O.; Kakinyi, Mutua; Kim, Andrea A.; Oluoch, Tom

2016-01-01

Background With improvements in technology, electronic data capture (EDC) for large surveys is feasible. EDC offers benefits over traditional paper-based data collection, including more accurate data, greater completeness of data, and decreased data cleaning burden. Methods The second Kenya AIDS Indicator Survey (KAIS 2012) was a population-based survey of persons aged 18 months to 64 years. A software application was designed to capture the interview, specimen collection, and home-based testing and counseling data. The application included: interview translations for local languages; options for single, multiple, and fill-in responses; and automated participant eligibility determination. Data quality checks were programmed to automate skip patterns and prohibit outlier responses. A data sharing architecture was developed to transmit the data in realtime from the field to a central server over a virtual private network. Results KAIS 2012 was conducted between October 2012 and February 2013. Overall, 68,202 records for the interviews, specimen collection, and home-based testing and counseling were entered into the application. Challenges arose during implementation, including poor connectivity and a systems malfunction that created duplicate records, which prevented timely data transmission to the central server. Data cleaning was minimal given the data quality control measures. Conclusions KAIS 2012 demonstrated the feasibility of using EDC in a population-based survey. The benefits of EDC were apparent in data quality and minimal time needed for data cleaning. Several important lessons were learned, such as the time and monetary investment required before survey implementation, the importance of continuous application testing, and contingency plans for data transmission due to connectivity challenges. PMID:24732816

Electric Propulsion Requirements and Mission Analysis Under NASA's In-Space Propulsion Technology Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dudzinski, Leonard a.; Pencil, Eric J.; Dankanich, John W.

2007-01-01

The In-Space Propulsion Technology Project (ISPT) is currently NASA's sole investment in electric propulsion technologies. This project is managed at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) for the NASA Headquarters Science Mission Directorate (SMD). The objective of the electric propulsion project area is to develop near-term and midterm electric propulsion technologies to enhance or enable future NASA science missions while minimizing risk and cost to the end user. Systems analysis activities sponsored by ISPT seek to identify future mission applications in order to quantify mission requirements, as well as develop analytical capability in order to facilitate greater understanding and application of electric propulsion and other propulsion technologies in the ISPT portfolio. These analyses guide technology investments by informing decisions and defining metrics for technology development to meet identified mission requirements. This paper discusses the missions currently being studied for electric propulsion by the ISPT project, and presents the results of recent electric propulsion (EP) mission trades. Recent ISPT systems analysis activities include: an initiative to standardize life qualification methods for various electric propulsion systems in order to retire perceived risk to proposed EP missions; mission analysis to identify EP requirements from Discovery, New Frontiers, and Flagship classes of missions; and an evaluation of system requirements for radioisotope-powered electric propulsion. Progress and early results of these activities is discussed where available.

Multidetector CT of musculoskeletal disease in the pediatric patient: principles, techniques, and clinical applications.

PubMed

Fayad, Laura M; Johnson, Pamela; Fishman, Elliot K

2005-01-01

Computed tomography (CT) plays an important role in the evaluation of musculoskeletal disease in the pediatric patient. With the advent of high-performance 16-section multidetector CT, images can be produced with subsecond gantry rotation times and with submillimeter acquisition, which yields true isotropic high-resolution volume data sets; these features are not attainable with older spiral CT technology. Such capabilities are particularly helpful in the evaluation of pediatric patients by virtually eliminating the need for sedation and minimizing dependence on patient cooperation. The role of three-dimensional (3D) volume imaging in the evaluation of pediatric musculoskeletal disease continues to evolve, with this technique becoming increasingly important in detection and characterization of lesions as well as in decisions about patient care. Specific designs and protocols for multidetector CT studies can be selected to minimize radiation dose to the patient. Principal clinical applications of 3D CT in evaluation of the pediatric musculoskeletal system include developmental abnormalities, trauma, neoplasms, and postoperative imaging.

On mixed reality environments for minimally invasive therapy guidance: systems architecture, successes and challenges in their implementation from laboratory to clinic.

PubMed

Linte, Cristian A; Davenport, Katherine P; Cleary, Kevin; Peters, Craig; Vosburgh, Kirby G; Navab, Nassir; Edwards, Philip Eddie; Jannin, Pierre; Peters, Terry M; Holmes, David R; Robb, Richard A

2013-03-01

Mixed reality environments for medical applications have been explored and developed over the past three decades in an effort to enhance the clinician's view of anatomy and facilitate the performance of minimally invasive procedures. These environments must faithfully represent the real surgical field and require seamless integration of pre- and intra-operative imaging, surgical instrument tracking, and display technology into a common framework centered around and registered to the patient. However, in spite of their reported benefits, few mixed reality environments have been successfully translated into clinical use. Several challenges that contribute to the difficulty in integrating such environments into clinical practice are presented here and discussed in terms of both technical and clinical limitations. This article should raise awareness among both developers and end-users toward facilitating a greater application of such environments in the surgical practice of the future. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pledget Induced Cardiogenic Shock Following a Minimally Invasive Aortic Valve Replacement.

PubMed

Tedesco, Alexandra E; Tedesco, Victor E

2017-01-01

Within the last decade, minimally invasive valve replacements have become exceedingly popular, and as a result, so has the rise of technology aimed at refining and simplifying these techniques. With new technology, new complications are inevitable. We present a routine Minimally invasive aortic valve replacement through a right anterior minithoracotomy complicated by pledget impaction in a coronary artery.

SDR/STRS Flight Experiment and the Role of SDR-Based Communication and Navigation Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reinhart, Richard C.

2008-01-01

This presentation describes an open architecture SDR (software defined radio) infrastructure, suitable for space-based radios and operations, entitled Space Telecommunications Radio System (STRS). SDR technologies will endow space and planetary exploration systems with dramatically increased capability, reduced power consumption, and less mass than conventional systems, at costs reduced by vigorous competition, hardware commonality, dense integration, minimizing the impact of parts obsolescence, improved interoperability, and software re-use. To advance the SDR architecture technology and demonstrate its applicability in space, NASA is developing a space experiment of multiple SDRs each with various waveforms to communicate with NASA s TDRSS satellite and ground networks, and the GPS constellation. An experiments program will investigate S-band and Ka-band communications, navigation, and networking technologies and operations.

Earth: Earth Science and Health

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maynard, Nancy G.

2001-01-01

A major new NASA initiative on environmental change and health has been established to promote the application of Earth science remote sensing data, information, observations, and technologies to issues of human health. NASA's Earth Sciences suite of Earth observing instruments are now providing improved observations science, data, and advanced technologies about the Earth's land, atmosphere, and oceans. These new space-based resources are being combined with other agency and university resources, data integration and fusion technologies, geographic information systems (GIS), and the spectrum of tools available from the public health community, making it possible to better understand how the environment and climate are linked to specific diseases, to improve outbreak prediction, and to minimize disease risk. This presentation is an overview of NASA's tools, capabilities, and research advances in this initiative.

Surgical robotics in otolaryngology: expanding the technology envelope.

PubMed

Gourin, Christine G; Terris, David J

2004-06-01

Surgical robotics arose as an extension of virtual reality and robotic technology developed by the United States Department of Defense. Current surgical robotic systems have been used to perform a variety of minimally invasive surgical procedures. The Food and Drug Administration recently granted approval for the clinical use of two surgical robotic systems. Laboratory and clinical experience suggests that the use of surgical robotics is associated with some distinct advantages and disadvantages when compared with conventional open procedures. Robotic surgery has recently been described in the head and neck, and as a result the otolaryngologist should have a basic understanding of the potential applications of surgical robotics in head and neck surgery. Surgical robotic technology is evolving but appears to have a distinct place in the surgical armamentarium.

Development of nanostructured antireflection coatings for infrared technologies and applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pethuraja, Gopal G.; Zeller, John W.; Welser, Roger E.; Efstathiadis, Harry; Haldar, Pradeep; Wijewarnasuriya, Priyalal S.; Dhar, Nibir K.; Sood, Ashok K.

2017-09-01

Infrared (IR) sensing technologies and systems operating from the near-infrared (NIR) to long-wave infrared (LWIR) spectra are being developed for a variety of defense and commercial systems applications. Reflection losses affecting a significant portion of the incident signal limits the performance of IR sensing systems. One of the critical technologies that will overcome this limitation and enhance the performance of IR sensing systems is the development of advanced antireflection (AR) coatings. Magnolia is actively involved in the development and advancement of ultrahigh performance AR coatings for a wide variety of defense and commercial applications. Ultrahigh performance nanostructured AR coatings have been demonstrated for UV to LWIR spectral bands using various substrates. The AR coatings enhance the optical transmission through optical components and devices by significantly minimizing reflection losses, a substantial improvement over conventional thin-film AR coating technologies. Nanostructured AR coatings are fabricated using a tunable self-assembly process on substrates that are transparent for a given spectrum of interest ranging from UV to LWIR. The nanostructured multilayer structures have been designed, developed and optimized for various optoelectronic applications. The optical properties of the AR-coated optical components and sensor substrates have been measured and fine-tuned to achieve a predicted high level of performance of the coatings. In this paper, we review our latest work on high quality nanostructure-based AR coatings, including recent efforts towards the development of nanostructured AR coatings on IR-transparent substrates.

The latest developments and outlook for hydrogen liquefaction technology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ohlig, K.; Decker, L.

2014-01-29

Liquefied hydrogen is presently mainly used for space applications and the semiconductor industry. While clean energy applications, for e.g. the automotive sector, currently contribute to this demand with a small share only, their demand may see a significant boost in the next years with the need for large scale liquefaction plants exceeding the current plant sizes by far. Hydrogen liquefaction for small scale plants with a maximum capacity of 3 tons per day (tpd) is accomplished with a Brayton refrigeration cycle using helium as refrigerant. This technology is characterized by low investment costs but lower process efficiency and hence highermore » operating costs. For larger plants, a hydrogen Claude cycle is used, characterized by higher investment but lower operating costs. However, liquefaction plants meeting the potentially high demand in the clean energy sector will need further optimization with regard to energy efficiency and hence operating costs. The present paper gives an overview of the currently applied technologies, including their thermodynamic and technical background. Areas of improvement are identified to derive process concepts for future large scale hydrogen liquefaction plants meeting the needs of clean energy applications with optimized energy efficiency and hence minimized operating costs. Compared to studies in this field, this paper focuses on application of new technology and innovative concepts which are either readily available or will require short qualification procedures. They will hence allow implementation in plants in the close future.« less

Networking for large-scale science: infrastructure, provisioning, transport and application mapping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rao, Nageswara S.; Carter, Steven M.; Wu, Qishi; Wing, William R.; Zhu, Mengxia; Mezzacappa, Anthony; Veeraraghavan, Malathi; Blondin, John M.

2005-01-01

Large-scale science computations and experiments require unprecedented network capabilities in the form of large bandwidth and dynamically stable connections to support data transfers, interactive visualizations, and monitoring and steering operations. A number of component technologies dealing with the infrastructure, provisioning, transport and application mappings must be developed and/or optimized to achieve these capabilities. We present a brief account of the following technologies that contribute toward achieving these network capabilities: (a) DOE UltraScienceNet and NSF CHEETAH network testbeds that provide on-demand and scheduled dedicated network connections; (b) experimental results on transport protocols that achieve close to 100% utilization on dedicated 1Gbps wide-area channels; (c) a scheme for optimally mapping a visualization pipeline onto a network to minimize the end-to-end delays; and (d) interconnect configuration and protocols that provides multiple Gbps flows from Cray X1 to external hosts.

Bioresorbable silicon electronics for transient spatiotemporal mapping of electrical activity from the cerebral cortex.

PubMed

Yu, Ki Jun; Kuzum, Duygu; Hwang, Suk-Won; Kim, Bong Hoon; Juul, Halvor; Kim, Nam Heon; Won, Sang Min; Chiang, Ken; Trumpis, Michael; Richardson, Andrew G; Cheng, Huanyu; Fang, Hui; Thomson, Marissa; Bink, Hank; Talos, Delia; Seo, Kyung Jin; Lee, Hee Nam; Kang, Seung-Kyun; Kim, Jae-Hwan; Lee, Jung Yup; Huang, Younggang; Jensen, Frances E; Dichter, Marc A; Lucas, Timothy H; Viventi, Jonathan; Litt, Brian; Rogers, John A

2016-07-01

Bioresorbable silicon electronics technology offers unprecedented opportunities to deploy advanced implantable monitoring systems that eliminate risks, cost and discomfort associated with surgical extraction. Applications include postoperative monitoring and transient physiologic recording after percutaneous or minimally invasive placement of vascular, cardiac, orthopaedic, neural or other devices. We present an embodiment of these materials in both passive and actively addressed arrays of bioresorbable silicon electrodes with multiplexing capabilities, which record in vivo electrophysiological signals from the cortical surface and the subgaleal space. The devices detect normal physiologic and epileptiform activity, both in acute and chronic recordings. Comparative studies show sensor performance comparable to standard clinical systems and reduced tissue reactivity relative to conventional clinical electrocorticography (ECoG) electrodes. This technology offers general applicability in neural interfaces, with additional potential utility in treatment of disorders where transient monitoring and modulation of physiologic function, implant integrity and tissue recovery or regeneration are required.

Structures technology for a new generation of rotorcraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bartlett, Felton D., Jr.

1989-01-01

This paper presents an overview of structures research at the U. S. Army Aerostructures Directorate. The objectives of this research are to investigate, explore, and demonstrate emerging technologies that will provide lighter, safer, more survivable, and more cost-effective structures for rotorcraft in the 1990s and beyond. The emphasis of today's R&D is to contribute proven structures technology to the U. S. rotorcraft industry and Army aviation that directly impacts tomorrow's fleet readiness and mission capabilities. The primary contributor toward meeting these challenges is the development of high-strength and durable composites to minimize structural weight while maximizing cost effectiveness. Special aviation issues such as delamination of dynamic components, impact damage to thin skins, crashworthiness, and affordable manufacturing need to be resolved before the full potential of composites technology can be realized. To that end, this paper highlights research into composites structural integrity, crashworthiness, and materials applications which addresses these issues.

Smart DNA Fabrication Using Sound Waves

PubMed Central

Kanigowska, Paulina; Shen, Yue; Zheng, Yijing; Rosser, Susan; Cai, Yizhi

2016-01-01

Acoustic droplet ejection (ADE) technology uses focused acoustic energy to transfer nanoliter-scale liquid droplets with high precision and accuracy. This noncontact, tipless, low-volume dispensing technology minimizes the possibility of cross-contamination and potentially reduces the costs of reagents and consumables. To date, acoustic dispensers have mainly been used in screening libraries of compounds. In this paper, we describe the first application of this powerful technology to the rapidly developing field of synthetic biology, for DNA synthesis and assembly at the nanoliter scale using a Labcyte Echo 550 acoustic dispenser. We were able to successfully downscale PCRs and the popular one-pot DNA assembly methods, Golden Gate and Gibson assemblies, from the microliter to the nanoliter scale with high assembly efficiency, which effectively cut the reagent cost by 20- to 100-fold. We envision that acoustic dispensing will become an instrumental technology in synthetic biology, in particular in the era of DNA foundries. PMID:26163567

Chelation technology: a promising green approach for resource management and waste minimization.

PubMed

Chauhan, Garima; Pant, K K; Nigam, K D P

2015-01-01

Green chemical engineering recognises the concept of developing innovative environmentally benign technologies to protect human health and ecosystems. In order to explore this concept for minimizing industrial waste and for reducing the environmental impact of hazardous chemicals, new greener approaches need to be adopted for the extraction of heavy metals from industrial waste. In this review, a range of conventional processes and new green approaches employed for metal extraction are discussed in brief. Chelation technology, a modern research trend, has shown its potential to develop sustainable technology for metal extraction from various metal-contaminated sites. However, the interaction mechanism of ligands with metals and the ecotoxicological risk associated with the increased bioavailability of heavy metals due to the formation of metal-chelant complexes is still not sufficiently explicated in the literature. Therefore, a need was felt to provide a comprehensive state-of-the-art review of all aspects associated with chelation technology to promote this process as a green chemical engineering approach. This article elucidates the mechanism and thermodynamics associated with metal-ligand complexation in order to have a better understanding of the metal extraction process. The effects of various process parameters on the formation and stability of complexes have been elaborately discussed with respect to optimizing the chelation efficiency. The non-biodegradable attribute of ligands is another important aspect which is currently of concern. Therefore, biotechnological approaches and computational tools have been assessed in this review to illustrate the possibility of ligand degradation, which will help the readers to look for new environmentally safe mobilizing agents. In addition, emerging trends and opportunities in the field of chelation technology have been summarized and the diverse applicability of chelation technology in metal extraction from contaminated sites has also been reviewed.

Chemical energy storage: Part of a systemic solution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schlögl, Robert

2017-07-01

This paper is a primer into concepts and opportunities of chemical energy storage. Starting from the quest for decarbonisation we reveal the possibilities of chemical energy storage. We briefly discuss the critical role of catalysis as enabling technology. We concentrate on options of large-scale production of chemicals from CO2 and green hydrogen. We discuss one potential application of fueling future combustion engines that could run with minimal regulated emissions without exhaust purifications and legal tricks.

Design and fabrication of metallic thermal protection systems for aerospace vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Varisco, A.; Bell, P.; Wolter, W.

1978-01-01

A program was conducted to develop a lightweight, efficient metallic thermal protection system (TPS) for application to future shuttle-type reentry vehicles, advanced space transports, and hypersonic cruise vehicles. Technical requirements were generally derived from the space shuttle. A corrugation-stiffened beaded-skin TPS design was used as a baseline. The system was updated and modified to incorporate the latest technology developments and design criteria. The primary objective was to minimize mass for the total system.

Photovoltaic powered ultraviolet and visible light-emitting diodes for sustainable point-of-use disinfection of drinking waters.

PubMed

Lui, Gough Yumu; Roser, David; Corkish, Richard; Ashbolt, Nicholas; Jagals, Paul; Stuetz, Richard

2014-09-15

For many decades, populations in rural and remote developing regions will be unable to access centralised piped potable water supplies, and indeed, decentralised options may be more sustainable. Accordingly, improved household point-of-use (POU) disinfection technologies are urgently needed. Compared to alternatives, ultraviolet (UV) light disinfection is very attractive because of its efficacy against all pathogen groups and minimal operational consumables. Though mercury arc lamp technology is very efficient, it requires frequent lamp replacement, involves a toxic heavy metal, and their quartz envelopes and sleeves are expensive, fragile and require regular cleaning. An emerging alternative is semiconductor-based units where UV light emitting diodes (UV-LEDs) are powered by photovoltaics (PV). Our review charts the development of these two technologies, their current status, and challenges to their integration and POU application. It explores the themes of UV-C-LEDs, non-UV-C LED technology (e.g. UV-A, visible light, Advanced Oxidation), PV power supplies, PV/LED integration and POU suitability. While UV-C LED technology should mature in the next 10 years, research is also needed to address other unresolved barriers to in situ application as well as emerging research opportunities especially UV-A, photocatalyst/photosensitiser use and pulsed emission options. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry for quick detection of sulfur-oxidizing bacteria in environmental water samples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Chengjun; Jiang, Fenghua; Gao, Wei; Li, Xiaoyun; Yu, Yanzhen; Yin, Xiaofei; Wang, Yong; Ding, Haibing

2017-01-01

Detection of sulfur-oxidizing bacteria has largely been dependent on targeted gene sequencing technology or traditional cell cultivation, which usually takes from days to months to carry out. This clearly does not meet the requirements of analysis for time-sensitive samples and/or complicated environmental samples. Since energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS) can be used to simultaneously detect multiple elements in a sample, including sulfur, with minimal sample treatment, this technology was applied to detect sulfur-oxidizing bacteria using their high sulfur content within the cell. This article describes the application of scanning electron microscopy imaging coupled with EDS mapping for quick detection of sulfur oxidizers in contaminated environmental water samples, with minimal sample handling. Scanning electron microscopy imaging revealed the existence of dense granules within the bacterial cells, while EDS identified large amounts of sulfur within them. EDS mapping localized the sulfur to these granules. Subsequent 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed that the bacteria detected in our samples belonged to the genus Chromatium, which are sulfur oxidizers. Thus, EDS mapping made it possible to identify sulfur oxidizers in environmental samples based on localized sulfur within their cells, within a short time (within 24 h of sampling). This technique has wide ranging applications for detection of sulfur bacteria in environmental water samples.

Inline UV/Vis spectroscopy as PAT tool for hot-melt extrusion.

PubMed

Wesholowski, Jens; Prill, Sebastian; Berghaus, Andreas; Thommes, Markus

2018-01-11

Hot-melt extrusion on co-rotating twin screw extruders is a focused technology for the production of pharmaceuticals in the context of Quality by Design. Since it is a continuous process, the potential for minimizing product quality fluctuation is enhanced. A typical application of hot-melt extrusion is the production of solid dispersions, where an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) is distributed within a polymer matrix carrier. For this dosage form, the product quality is related amongst others to the drug content. This can be monitored on- or inline as critical quality attribute by a process analytical technology (PAT) in order to meet the specific requirements of Quality by Design. In this study, an inline UV/Vis spectrometer from ColVisTec was implemented in an early development twin screw extruder and the performance tested in accordance to the ICH Q2 guideline. Therefore, two API (carbamazepine and theophylline) and one polymer matrix (copovidone) were considered with the main focus on the quantification of the drug load. The obtained results revealed the suitability of the implemented PAT tool to quantify the drug load in a typical range for pharmaceutical applications. The effort for data evaluation was minimal due to univariate data analysis, and in combination with a measurement frequency of 1 Hz, the system is sufficient for real-time data acquisition.

Circulating Cell-Free Tumour DNA in the Management of Cancer

PubMed Central

Francis, Glenn; Stein, Sandra

2015-01-01

With the development of new sensitive molecular techniques, circulating cell-free tumour DNA containing mutations can be identified in the plasma of cancer patients. The applications of this technology may result in significant changes to the care and management of cancer patients. Whilst, currently, these “liquid biopsies” are used to supplement the histological diagnosis of cancer and metastatic disease, in the future these assays may replace the need for invasive procedures. Applications include the monitoring of tumour burden, the monitoring of minimal residual disease, monitoring of tumour heterogeneity, monitoring of molecular resistance and early diagnosis of tumours and metastatic disease. PMID:26101870

Psychophysical investigations of discomfort and disability glare from underground coal mine illumination systems. Open File Report, May 1980-July 1983

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Whitehead, K.L.; Lindahl, P.; Vincent, R.

1983-10-01

A literature search was conducted to identify current light-control technology and hardware that may be applicable on underground lighting systems to minimize disability and discomfort glare. No research dealing specifically with mine lighting was found, but abstracts on research considered potentially applicable are included in the report. Information on several commercial light-control products for use in controlling glare are also included. Vision tests conducted on 137 mine personnel to determine their discomfort and disability glare sensitivity indicate their sensitivity to disability glare is about the same as the general population.

Hydrogen Storage for Aircraft Applications Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Colozza, Anthony J.; Kohout, Lisa (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Advances in fuel cell technology have brought about their consideration as sources of power for aircraft. This power can be utilized to run aircraft systems or even provide propulsion power. One of the key obstacles to utilizing fuel cells on aircraft is the storage of hydrogen. An overview of the potential methods of hydrogen storage was compiled. This overview identifies various methods of hydrogen storage and points out their advantages and disadvantages relative to aircraft applications. Minimizing weight and volume are the key aspects to storing hydrogen within an aircraft. An analysis was performed to show how changes in certain parameters of a given storage system affect its mass and volume.

The Chameleon Effect: characterization challenges due to the variability of nanoparticles and their surfaces of nanoparticles and their surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baer, Donald R.

2018-05-01

Nanoparticles in a variety of forms are increasing important in fundamental research, technological and medical applications, and environmental or toxicology studies. Physical and chemical drivers that lead to multiple types of particle instabilities complicate both the ability to produce, appropriately characterize, and consistently deliver well-defined particles, frequently leading to inconsistencies and conflicts in the published literature. This perspective suggests that provenance information, beyond that often recorded or reported, and application of a set of core characterization methods, including a surface sensitive technique, consistently applied at critical times can serve as tools in the effort minimize reproducibility issues.

The present and future of nanotechnology in human health care.

PubMed

Sahoo, S K; Parveen, S; Panda, J J

2007-03-01

Nanotechnology is a multidisciplinary field that covers a vast and diverse array of devices derived from engineering, physics, chemistry, and biology. The burgeoning new field of nanotechnology, opened up by rapid advances in science and technology, creates myriad new opportunities for advancing medical science and disease treatment in human health care. Applications of nanotechnology to medicine and physiology imply materials and devices designed to interact with the body at subcellular (i.e., molecular) scales with a high degree of specificity. This can be potentially translated into targeted cellular and tissue-specific clinical applications designed to achieve maximal therapeutic efficacy with minimal side effects. In this review the chief scientific and technical aspects of nanotechnology are introduced, and some of its potential clinical applications are discussed.

Intervention strategies for control of foodborne pathogens

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juneja, Vijay K.

2004-03-01

The increasing numbers of illnesses associated with foodborne pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli O157:H7, has renewed concerns about food safety because of consumer preferences for minimally processed foods that offer convenience in availability and preparation. Accordingly, the need for better control of foodborne pathogens has been paramount in recent years. Mechanical removal of microorganisms from food can be accomplished by centrifugation, filtration, trimming and washing. Cleaning and sanitation strategies can be used for minimizing the access of microorganisms in foods from various sources. Other strategies for control of foodborne pathogens include established physical microbiocidal treatments such as ionizing radiation and heating. Research has continued to demonstrate that food irradiation is a suitable process to control and possibly eliminate foodborne pathogens, for example Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli O157:H7, from a number of raw and cooked meat and poultry products. Heat treatment is the most common method in use today for the inactivation of microorganisms. Microorganisms can also be destroyed by nonthermal treatments, such as application of high hydrostatic pressure, pulsed electric fields, oscillating magnetic fields or a combination of physical processes such as heat-irradiation, or heat-high hydrostatic pressure, etc. Each of the non-thermal technologies has specific applications in terms of the types of food that can be processed. Both conventional and newly developed physical treatments can be used in combination for controlling foodborne pathogens and enhancing the safety and shelf life of foods. Recent research has focused on combining traditional preservation factors with emerging intervention technologies. However, many key issues still need to be addressed for combination preservation factors or technologies to be useful in the food industry to meet public demands for foods with enhanced safety, freshness and appeal. As a result of systematic study in these areas together with detailed assessment of technological performance of available preservatives and preservation technologies in real food formulations, new intervention processes and products are likely to be developed. The ultimate goal is to identify potential new approaches for the safer production of foods. The purpose of this presentation is to discuss key developmental activities concerning microbial reduction by intervention technologies.

Smartphone-Based Food Diagnostic Technologies: A Review.

PubMed

Rateni, Giovanni; Dario, Paolo; Cavallo, Filippo

2017-06-20

A new generation of mobile sensing approaches offers significant advantages over traditional platforms in terms of test speed, control, low cost, ease-of-operation, and data management, and requires minimal equipment and user involvement. The marriage of novel sensing technologies with cellphones enables the development of powerful lab-on-smartphone platforms for many important applications including medical diagnosis, environmental monitoring, and food safety analysis. This paper reviews the recent advancements and developments in the field of smartphone-based food diagnostic technologies, with an emphasis on custom modules to enhance smartphone sensing capabilities. These devices typically comprise multiple components such as detectors, sample processors, disposable chips, batteries and software, which are integrated with a commercial smartphone. One of the most important aspects of developing these systems is the integration of these components onto a compact and lightweight platform that requires minimal power. To date, researchers have demonstrated several promising approaches employing various sensing techniques and device configurations. We aim to provide a systematic classification according to the detection strategy, providing a critical discussion of strengths and weaknesses. We have also extended the analysis to the food scanning devices that are increasingly populating the Internet of Things (IoT) market, demonstrating how this field is indeed promising, as the research outputs are quickly capitalized on new start-up companies.

Smartphone-Based Food Diagnostic Technologies: A Review

PubMed Central

Rateni, Giovanni; Dario, Paolo; Cavallo, Filippo

2017-01-01

A new generation of mobile sensing approaches offers significant advantages over traditional platforms in terms of test speed, control, low cost, ease-of-operation, and data management, and requires minimal equipment and user involvement. The marriage of novel sensing technologies with cellphones enables the development of powerful lab-on-smartphone platforms for many important applications including medical diagnosis, environmental monitoring, and food safety analysis. This paper reviews the recent advancements and developments in the field of smartphone-based food diagnostic technologies, with an emphasis on custom modules to enhance smartphone sensing capabilities. These devices typically comprise multiple components such as detectors, sample processors, disposable chips, batteries and software, which are integrated with a commercial smartphone. One of the most important aspects of developing these systems is the integration of these components onto a compact and lightweight platform that requires minimal power. To date, researchers have demonstrated several promising approaches employing various sensing techniques and device configurations. We aim to provide a systematic classification according to the detection strategy, providing a critical discussion of strengths and weaknesses. We have also extended the analysis to the food scanning devices that are increasingly populating the Internet of Things (IoT) market, demonstrating how this field is indeed promising, as the research outputs are quickly capitalized on new start-up companies. PMID:28632188

Smartphones for cell and biomolecular detection.

PubMed

Liu, Xiyuan; Lin, Tung-Yi; Lillehoj, Peter B

2014-11-01

Recent advances in biomedical science and technology have played a significant role in the development of new sensors and assays for cell and biomolecular detection. Generally, these efforts are aimed at reducing the complexity and costs associated with diagnostic testing so that it can be performed outside of a laboratory or hospital setting, requiring minimal equipment and user involvement. In particular, point-of-care (POC) testing offers immense potential for many important applications including medical diagnosis, environmental monitoring, food safety, and biosecurity. When coupled with smartphones, POC systems can offer portability, ease of use and enhanced functionality while maintaining performance. This review article focuses on recent advancements and developments in smartphone-based POC systems within the last 6 years with an emphasis on cell and biomolecular detection. These devices typically comprise multiple components, such as detectors, sample processors, disposable chips, batteries, and software, which are integrated with a commercial smartphone. One of the most important aspects of developing these systems is the integration of these components onto a compact and lightweight platform that requires minimal power. Researchers have demonstrated several promising approaches employing various detection schemes and device configurations, and it is expected that further developments in biosensors, battery technology and miniaturized electronics will enable smartphone-based POC technologies to become more mainstream tools in the scientific and biomedical communities.

Antimicrobial edible films and coatings for fresh and minimally processed fruits and vegetables: a review.

PubMed

Valencia-Chamorro, Silvia A; Palou, Lluís; Del Río, Miguel A; Pérez-Gago, María B

2011-01-01

The use of edible films and coatings is an environmentally friendly technology that offers substantial advantages for shelf-life increase of many food products including fruits and vegetables. The development of new natural edible films and coatings with the addition of antimicrobial compounds to preserve fresh and minimally processed fruits and vegetables is a technological challenge for the industry and a very active research field worldwide. Antimicrobial agents have been successfully added to edible composite films and coatings based on polysaccharides or proteins such as starch, cellulose derivatives, chitosan, alginate, fruit puree, whey protein isolated, soy protein, egg albumen, wheat gluten, or sodium caseinate. This paper reviews the development of edible films and coatings with antimicrobial activity, typically through the incorporation of antimicrobial food additives as ingredients, the effect of these edible films on the control of target microorganisms, the influence of antimicrobial agents on mechanical and barrier properties of stand-alone edible films, and the effect of the application of antimicrobial edible coatings on the quality of fresh and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables.

Robots for Aircraft Maintenance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

Marshall Space Flight Center charged USBI (now Pratt & Whitney) with the task of developing an advanced stripping system based on hydroblasting to strip paint and thermal protection material from Space Shuttle solid rocket boosters. A robot, mounted on a transportable platform, controls the waterjet angle, water pressure and flow rate. This technology, now known as ARMS, has found commercial applications in the removal of coatings from jet engine components. The system is significantly faster than manual procedures and uses only minimal labor. Because the amount of "substrate" lost is minimal, the life of the component is extended. The need for toxic chemicals is reduced, as is waste disposal and human protection equipment. Users of the ARMS work cell include Delta Air Lines and the Air Force, which later contracted with USBI for development of a Large Aircraft Paint Stripping system (LARPS). LARPS' advantages are similar to ARMS, and it has enormous potential in military and civil aircraft maintenance. The technology may also be adapted to aircraft painting, aircraft inspection techniques and paint stripping of large objects like ships and railcars.

Advances in Thin Film Sensor Technologies for Engine Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lei, Jih-Fen; Martin, Lisa C.; Will, Herbert A.

1997-01-01

Advanced thin film sensor techniques that can provide accurate surface strain and temperature measurements are being developed at NASA Lewis Research Center. These sensors are needed to provide minimally intrusive characterization of advanced materials (such as ceramics and composites) and structures (such as components for Space Shuttle Main Engine, High Speed Civil Transport, Advanced Subsonic Transports and General Aviation Aircraft) in hostile, high-temperature environments and for validation of design codes. This paper presents two advanced thin film sensor technologies: strain gauges and thermocouples. These sensors are sputter deposited directly onto the test articles and are only a few micrometers thick; the surface of the test article is not structurally altered and there is minimal disturbance of the gas flow over the surface. The strain gauges are palladium-13% chromium based and the thermocouples are platinum-13% rhodium vs. platinum. The fabrication techniques of these thin film sensors in a class 1000 cleanroom at the NASA Lewis Research Center are described. Their demonstration on a variety of engine materials, including superalloys, ceramics and advanced ceramic matrix composites, in several hostile, high-temperature test environments are discussed.

Application of remote thermal imaging and night vision technology to improve endangered wildlife resource management with minimal animal distress and hazard to humans

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lavers, C.; Franks, K.; Floyd, M.; Plowman, A.

2005-01-01

Advanced electromagnetic sensor systems more commonly associated with the hightech military battlefield may be applied to remote surveillance of wildlife. The first comprehensive study of a wide global variety of Near Infra Red (NIR) and thermal wildlife portraits are presented with this technology: for mammals, birds and other animals. The paper illustrates the safety aspects afforded to zoo staff and personnel in the wild during the day and night from potentially lethal and aggressive animals, and those difficult to approach normally. Such remote sensing systems are non-invasive and provide minimal disruption and distress to animals both in captivity and in the wild. We present some of the veterinarian advantages of such all weather day and night systems to identify sickness and injuries at an early diagnostic stage, as well as age related effects and mammalian cancer. Animals have very different textured surfaces, reflective and emissive properties in the NIR and thermal bands than when compared with the visible spectrum. Some surface features may offer biomimetic materials design advantages.

Technology Assessment for Future MILSATCOM Systems; An Update of the EHF Bands

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-10-01

converging these efforts, the MSO has prepared a "Technology Development Program Plan" ( TDPP ). The TOPP defines a coordinated approach to the R&D...required to insure the availability of the technology necessary to support future systems. Some of the objectives of the TDPP are: to minimize...and TDPP have illuminated the need for technology development efforts directed toward minimizing the cost- risk and schedule-risk, and insuring the

[Surgical treatment of anal fistula].

PubMed

Zeng, Xiandong; Zhang, Yong

2014-12-01

Anal fistula is a common disease. It is also quite difficult to be solved without recurrence or damage to the anal sphincter. Several techniques have been described for the management of anal fistula, but there is no final conclusion of their application in the treatment. This article summarizes the history of anal fistula management, the current techniques available, and describes new technologies. Internet online searches were performed from the CNKI and Wanfang databases to identify articles about anal fistula management including seton, fistulotomy, fistulectomy, LIFT operation, biomaterial treatment and new technology application. Every fistula surgery technique has its own place, so it is reasonable to give comprehensive individualized treatment to different patients, which may lead to reduced recurrence and avoidance of damage to the anal sphincter. New technologies provide promising alternatives to traditional methods of management. Surgeons still need to focus on the invention and improvement of the minimally invasive techniques. Besides, a new therapeutic idea is worth to explore that the focus of surgical treatment should be transferred to prevention of the formation of anal fistula after perianal abscess.

[Application of micro-power system in the surgery of tooth extraction].

PubMed

Kaijin, Hu; Yongfeng, Li

2015-02-01

Tooth extraction is a common operation in oral surgery. Traditional-extraction instruments, such as bone chisel, elevator, and bone hammer, lead to not only severe trauma but also unnecessary complications, and patients easily become nervous and apprehensive if tooth extraction is performed using these violent instruments. In recent years, with the develop- ment of minimally invasive concept and technology, various micro-power instruments have been used for tooth extraction. This innovative technology can reduce the iatrogenic trauma and complications of tooth extraction. Additionally, this technology can greatly decrease the patient's physical and mental pressure. The new equipment compensates for the deficiency of traditional tooth extraction equipment and facilitates the gradual replacement of the latter. Diverse micro-power systems have distinct strengths and weaknesses, so some auxiliary instruments are still needed during tooth extraction. This paper focuses on the various micro-power systems for tooth extraction and tries to compare the advantages and disadvantages of these systems. Selection and usage of auxiliary equipment are also introduced. Thus, this paper provides reference for the proper application of the micro-power systems in tooth extraction.

Transcriptomic Dose-Response Analysis for Mode of Action ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Microarray and RNA-seq technologies can play an important role in assessing the health risks associated with environmental exposures. The utility of gene expression data to predict hazard has been well documented. Early toxicogenomics studies used relatively high, single doses with minimal replication. Thus, they were not useful in understanding health risks at environmentally-relevant doses. Until the past decade, application of toxicogenomics in dose response assessment and determination of chemical mode of action has been limited. New transcriptomic biomarkers have evolved to detect chemical hazards in multiple tissues together with pathway methods to study biological effects across the full dose response range and critical time course. Comprehensive low dose datasets are now available and with the use of transcriptomic benchmark dose estimation techniques within a mode of action framework, the ability to incorporate informative genomic data into human health risk assessment has substantially improved. The key advantage to applying transcriptomic technology to risk assessment is both the sensitivity and comprehensive examination of direct and indirect molecular changes that lead to adverse outcomes. Book Chapter with topic on future application of toxicogenomics technologies for MoA and risk assessment

Inactivation of Microorganisms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alzamora, Stella Maris; Guerrero, Sandra N.; Schenk, Marcela; Raffellini, Silvia; López-Malo, Aurelio

Minimal processing techniques for food preservation allow better retention of product flavor, texture, color, and nutrient content than comparable conventional treatments. A wide range of novel alternative physical factors have been intensely investigated in the last two decades. These physical factors can cause inactivation of microorganisms at ambient or sublethal temperatures (e.g., high hydrostatic pressure, pulsed electric fields, ultrasound, pulsed light, and ultraviolet light). These technologies have been reported to reduce microorganism population in foods while avoiding the deleterious effects of severe heating on quality. Among technologies, high-energy ultrasound (i.e., intensities higher than 1 W/cm2, frequencies between 18 and 100 kHz) has attracted considerable interest for food preservation applications (Mason et al., 1996; Povey and Mason, 1998).

Technology advances in hospital practices: robotics in treatment of patients.

PubMed

Rosiek, Anna; Leksowski, Krzysztof

2015-06-01

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is widely considered as the treatment of choice for acute cholecystitis. The safety of the procedure and its minimal invasiveness made it a valid treatment option for a patient not responding to antibiotic therapy. Our research shows that patients positively assess this treatment method, but the world's tendency is to turn to a more sophisticated method utilizing robot-assisted surgery as a gold standard. Providing patient with minimally invasive surgical procedures that utilize the state-of-the-art equipment like the da Vinci Robotic Surgical System underscores the commitment to high-quality patient care while enhancing patient safety. The advantages include minimal invasive scarring, less pain and bleeding, faster recovery time, and shorter hospital stay. The move toward less invasive and less morbid procedures and a need to re-create the true open surgical experience have paved the way for the development and application of robotic and computer-assisted systems in surgery in Poland as well as the rest of the world. © The Author(s) 2014.

Review of the potential of optical technologies for cancer diagnosis in neurosurgery: a step toward intraoperative neurophotonics

PubMed Central

Vasefi, Fartash; MacKinnon, Nicholas; Farkas, Daniel L.; Kateb, Babak

2016-01-01

Abstract. Advances in image-guided therapy enable physicians to obtain real-time information on neurological disorders such as brain tumors to improve resection accuracy. Image guidance data include the location, size, shape, type, and extent of tumors. Recent technological advances in neurophotonic engineering have enabled the development of techniques for minimally invasive neurosurgery. Incorporation of these methods in intraoperative imaging decreases surgical procedure time and allows neurosurgeons to find remaining or hidden tumor or epileptic lesions. This facilitates more complete resection and improved topology information for postsurgical therapy (i.e., radiation). We review the clinical application of recent advances in neurophotonic technologies including Raman spectroscopy, thermal imaging, optical coherence tomography, and fluorescence spectroscopy, highlighting the importance of these technologies in live intraoperative tissue mapping during neurosurgery. While these technologies need further validation in larger clinical trials, they show remarkable promise in their ability to help surgeons to better visualize the areas of abnormality and enable safe and successful removal of malignancies. PMID:28042588

Smart DNA Fabrication Using Sound Waves: Applying Acoustic Dispensing Technologies to Synthetic Biology.

PubMed

Kanigowska, Paulina; Shen, Yue; Zheng, Yijing; Rosser, Susan; Cai, Yizhi

2016-02-01

Acoustic droplet ejection (ADE) technology uses focused acoustic energy to transfer nanoliter-scale liquid droplets with high precision and accuracy. This noncontact, tipless, low-volume dispensing technology minimizes the possibility of cross-contamination and potentially reduces the costs of reagents and consumables. To date, acoustic dispensers have mainly been used in screening libraries of compounds. In this paper, we describe the first application of this powerful technology to the rapidly developing field of synthetic biology, for DNA synthesis and assembly at the nanoliter scale using a Labcyte Echo 550 acoustic dispenser. We were able to successfully downscale PCRs and the popular one-pot DNA assembly methods, Golden Gate and Gibson assemblies, from the microliter to the nanoliter scale with high assembly efficiency, which effectively cut the reagent cost by 20- to 100-fold. We envision that acoustic dispensing will become an instrumental technology in synthetic biology, in particular in the era of DNA foundries. © 2015 Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening.

Solar Electric Propulsion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

LaPointe, Michael

2006-01-01

The Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) technology area is tasked to develop near and mid-term SEP technology to improve or enable science mission capture while minimizing risk and cost to the end user. The solar electric propulsion investments are primarily driven by SMD cost-capped mission needs. The technology needs are determined partially through systems analysis tasks including the recent "Re-focus Studies" and "Standard Architecture Study." These systems analysis tasks transitioned the technology development to address the near term propulsion needs suitable for cost-capped open solicited missions such as Discovery and New Frontiers Class missions. Major SEP activities include NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT), implementing a Standard Architecture for NSTAR and NEXT EP systems, and developing a long life High Voltage Hall Accelerator (HiVHAC). Lower level investments include advanced feed system development and xenon recovery testing. Future plans include completion of ongoing ISP development activities and evaluating potential use of commercial electric propulsion systems for SMD applications. Examples of enhanced mission capability and technology readiness dates shall be discussed.

Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge of Prospective Mathematics Teacher in Three Dimensional Material Based on Sex Differences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aqib, M. A.; Budiarto, M. T.; Wijayanti, P.

2018-01-01

The effectiveness of learning in this era can be seen from 3 factors such as: technology, content, and pedagogy that covered in Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK). This research was a qualitative research which aimed to describe each domain from TPCK include Content Knowledge, Pedagogical Knowledge, Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Technological Knowledge, Technological Content Knowledge, Technological Pedagogical Knowledge and Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge. The subjects of this research were male and female mathematics college students at least 5th semester who has almost the same ability for some course like innovative learning, innovative learning II, school mathematics I, school mathematics II, computer applications and instructional media. Research began by spreading the questionnaire of subject then continued with the assignment and interview. The obtained data was validated by time triangulation.This research has result that male and female prospective teacher was relatively same for Content Knowledge and Pedagogical Knowledge domain. While it was difference in the Technological Knowledge domain. The difference in this domain certainly has an impact on other domains that has technology components on it. Although it can be minimized by familiarizing the technology.

Applications of single kernel conventional and hyperspectral imaging near infrared spectroscopy in cereals.

PubMed

Fox, Glen; Manley, Marena

2014-01-30

Single kernel (SK) near infrared (NIR) reflectance and transmittance technologies have been developed during the last two decades for a range of cereal grain physical quality and chemical traits as well as detecting and predicting levels of toxins produced by fungi. Challenges during the development of single kernel near infrared (SK-NIR) spectroscopy applications are modifications of existing NIR technology to present single kernels for scanning as well as modifying reference methods for the trait of interest. Numerous applications have been developed, and cover almost all cereals although most have been for key traits including moisture, protein, starch and oil in the globally important food grains, i.e. maize, wheat, rice and barley. An additional benefit in developing SK-NIR applications has been to demonstrate the value in sorting grain infected with a fungus or mycotoxins such as deoxynivalenol, fumonisins and aflatoxins. However, there is still a need to develop cost-effective technologies for high-speed sorting which can be used for small grain samples such as those from breeding programmes or commercial sorting; capable of sorting tonnes per hour. Development of SK-NIR technologies also includes standardisation of SK reference methods to analyse single kernels. For protein content, the use of the Dumas method would require minimal standardisation; for starch or oil content, considerable development would be required. SK-NIR, including the use of hyperspectral imaging, will improve our understanding of grain quality and the inherent variation in the range of a trait. In the area of food safety, this technology will benefit farmers, industry and consumers if it enables contaminated grain to be removed from the human food chain. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry.

Current perspectives in robotic assisted surgery.

PubMed

Binet, Aurélien; Ballouhey, Quentin; Chaussy, Yann; de Lambert, Guénolée; Braïk, Karim; Villemagne, Thierry; Becmeur, François; Fourcade, Laurent; Lardy, Hubert

2018-02-23

From classical surgery to Robotic Assisted Surgery, there is a long way allowed by Minimal Invasive Surgery' improvements. The last three decades have witnessed a prodigious development of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) and especially in the field of laparoscopic pediatric surgery but there are several limitations in the use of conventional laparoscopic surgery and Robotic Assisted Surgery was developed to relieve these drawbacks. This new technology enables today the performance of a wide variety of procedures in children with a minimally invasive approach. As for all new technologies, an objective evaluation is essential with the need to respond to several questions: Is the technology feasible? Is the technology safe? Is the technology efficient? Does it bring about benefits compared with current technology? What are the procedures derived from most benefits of robotic assistance? How to assume the transition from open surgery to Minimal Invasive access for RAS? In the first part of this article, the authors give details about technical concerns and then describe the implementation process with its organization, pitfalls, successes, and issues from human resources and financial standpoints. The learning curve is then described and a special focus on small children weighing less than 15 Kg is developed. Finally, the concept of evaluation of this emerging technology is evocated and financial concerns are developed.

Marshall Space Flight Center's Virtual Reality Applications Program 1993

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hale, Joseph P., II

1993-01-01

A Virtual Reality (VR) applications program has been under development at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) since 1989. Other NASA Centers, most notably Ames Research Center (ARC), have contributed to the development of the VR enabling technologies and VR systems. This VR technology development has now reached a level of maturity where specific applications of VR as a tool can be considered. The objectives of the MSFC VR Applications Program are to develop, validate, and utilize VR as a Human Factors design and operations analysis tool and to assess and evaluate VR as a tool in other applications (e.g., training, operations development, mission support, teleoperations planning, etc.). The long-term goals of this technology program is to enable specialized Human Factors analyses earlier in the hardware and operations development process and develop more effective training and mission support systems. The capability to perform specialized Human Factors analyses earlier in the hardware and operations development process is required to better refine and validate requirements during the requirements definition phase. This leads to a more efficient design process where perturbations caused by late-occurring requirements changes are minimized. A validated set of VR analytical tools must be developed to enable a more efficient process for the design and development of space systems and operations. Similarly, training and mission support systems must exploit state-of-the-art computer-based technologies to maximize training effectiveness and enhance mission support. The approach of the VR Applications Program is to develop and validate appropriate virtual environments and associated object kinematic and behavior attributes for specific classes of applications. These application-specific environments and associated simulations will be validated, where possible, through empirical comparisons with existing, accepted tools and methodologies. These validated VR analytical tools will then be available for use in the design and development of space systems and operations and in training and mission support systems.

Best practices for minimally invasive procedures.

PubMed

Ulmer, Brenda C

2010-05-01

Techniques and instrumentation for minimally invasive surgical procedures originated in gynecologic surgery, but the benefits of surgery with small incisions or no incisions at all have prompted the expansion of these techniques into numerous specialties. Technologies such as robotic assistance, single-incision laparoscopic surgery, natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery, and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery have led to the continued expansion of minimally invasive surgery into new specialties. With this expansion, perioperative nurses and other members of the surgical team are required to continue to learn about new technology and instrumentation, as well as the techniques and challenges involved in using new technology, to help ensure the safety of their patients. This article explores the development of minimally invasive procedures and offers suggestions for increasing patient safety. Copyright 2010 AORN, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evolving technologies in robotic surgery for minimally invasive treatment of gynecologic cancers.

PubMed

Levinson, Kimberly L; Auer, Melinda; Escobar, Pedro F

2013-09-01

Since the introduction of robotic technology, there have been significant changes to the field of gynecologic oncology. The number of minimally invasive procedures has drastically increased, with robotic procedures rising remarkably. With recent evidence suggesting that minimally invasive techniques should be the standard of care for early endometrial and cervical cancers, the push for new technology and advancements has continued. Several emerging robotic technologies have significant potential in the field of gynecologic oncology. The single-site robotic platform enables robotic surgery through a single incision; the Firefly camera detects the fluorescent dye indocyanine green, which may improve sensitivity in sentinel lymph node biopsy; and a robotic vessel-sealing device and stapler will continue to improve efficiency of the robotic surgeon.

Battlefield Acoustic Sensing, Multimodal Sensing, and Networked Sensing for Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) Applications

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-01

seen in Fig. 9, were placed at the rear of the vehicle to minimize the noise and vibration from the engine and its intake and exhaust from the...Specific/unique algorithm approaches attempted and results 4) Observations related to wind noise rejection and/or effects 5) Limitations of technology 6...After a certain time, the muzzle blast is detected, which results from the exit of the munition at the muzzle. Figure 6 shows an example of a single

A Low Cost GPS System for Real-Time Tracking of Sounding Rockets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Markgraf, M.; Montenbruck, O.; Hassenpflug, F.; Turner, P.; Bull, B.; Bauer, Frank (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

In an effort to minimize the need for costly, complex, tracking radars, the German Space Operations Center has set up a research project for GPS based tracking of sounding rockets. As part of this project, a GPS receiver based on commercial technology for terrestrial applications has been modified to allow its use under the highly dynamical conditions of a sounding rocket flight. In addition, new antenna concepts are studied as an alternative to proven but costly wrap-around antennas.

Summary of Fuel Cell Programs at the NASA Glenn Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perez-Davis, Marla

2000-01-01

The objective of this program is to develop passive ancillary component technology to be teamed with a hydrogen-oxygen unitized regenerative fuel cell (URFC) stack to form a revolutionary new regenerative fuel cell energy (RFC) storage system for aerospace applications. Replacement of active RFC ancillary components with passive components minimizes parasitic power losses and allows the RFC to operate as a H2/O2 battery. The goal of this program is to demonstrate an integrated passive lkW URFC system.

Water Conditioner

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

The Aqualizer is designed to cleanse water with minimal use of chemicals by stabilizing the ions in the water. Its applications are both recreational and industrial. A non-electrical passive device, the Aqualizer operates on the principle of catalytic water conditioning. It consists of a stainless steel pipe length with a helical core and is offered in a variety of sizes depending on the quantity of water to be treated. The device is based on NASA silver ionization technology used to purify drinking water aboard the Apollo spacecraft.

Application of Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) Technology to Aircraft Dynamics Data Acquisition.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-04-01

and 27 is a summary of pro- jected contract awards. This plan is ordered to minimize develop- ment risks and costs in the evolution of a fully qualified...160 DOTS/INCH YES YES FORTRAN CALLABLE PLOT SOFTWARE YES YES ANALYSIS SOFTWARE YES YES 206 7. RECOMM0ENDATIONS The evaluation of the results of Phase...on metallic heat strips and specific heat sinks to provide a high degree of heat conduction from the component bodies through bonded joints to the

Robot-assisted vitreoretinal surgery: current perspectives

PubMed Central

Roizenblatt, Marina; Edwards, Thomas L; Gehlbach, Peter L

2018-01-01

Vitreoretinal microsurgery is among the most technically challenging of the minimally invasive surgical techniques. Exceptional precision is required to operate on micron scale targets presented by the retina while also maneuvering in a tightly constrained and fragile workspace. These challenges are compounded by inherent limitations of the unassisted human hand with regard to dexterity, tremor and precision in positioning instruments. The limited human ability to visually resolve targets on the single-digit micron scale is a further limitation. The inherent attributes of robotic approaches therefore, provide logical, strategic and promising solutions to the numerous challenges associated with retinal microsurgery. Robotic retinal surgery is a rapidly emerging technology that has witnessed an exponential growth in capabilities and applications over the last decade. There is now a worldwide movement toward evaluating robotic systems in an expanding number of clinical applications. Coincident with this expanding application is growth in the number of laboratories committed to “robotic medicine”. Recent technological advances in conventional retina surgery have also led to tremendous progress in the surgeon’s capabilities, enhanced outcomes, a reduction of patient discomfort, limited hospitalization and improved safety. The emergence of robotic technology into this rapidly advancing domain is expected to further enhance important aspects of the retinal surgery experience for the patients, surgeons and society. PMID:29527537

Robot-assisted vitreoretinal surgery: current perspectives.

PubMed

Roizenblatt, Marina; Edwards, Thomas L; Gehlbach, Peter L

2018-01-01

Vitreoretinal microsurgery is among the most technically challenging of the minimally invasive surgical techniques. Exceptional precision is required to operate on micron scale targets presented by the retina while also maneuvering in a tightly constrained and fragile workspace. These challenges are compounded by inherent limitations of the unassisted human hand with regard to dexterity, tremor and precision in positioning instruments. The limited human ability to visually resolve targets on the single-digit micron scale is a further limitation. The inherent attributes of robotic approaches therefore, provide logical, strategic and promising solutions to the numerous challenges associated with retinal microsurgery. Robotic retinal surgery is a rapidly emerging technology that has witnessed an exponential growth in capabilities and applications over the last decade. There is now a worldwide movement toward evaluating robotic systems in an expanding number of clinical applications. Coincident with this expanding application is growth in the number of laboratories committed to "robotic medicine". Recent technological advances in conventional retina surgery have also led to tremendous progress in the surgeon's capabilities, enhanced outcomes, a reduction of patient discomfort, limited hospitalization and improved safety. The emergence of robotic technology into this rapidly advancing domain is expected to further enhance important aspects of the retinal surgery experience for the patients, surgeons and society.

The Osseus platform: a prototype for advanced web-based distributed simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Franceschini, Derrick; Riecken, Mark

2016-05-01

Recent technological advances in web-based distributed computing and database technology have made possible a deeper and more transparent integration of some modeling and simulation applications. Despite these advances towards true integration of capabilities, disparate systems, architectures, and protocols will remain in the inventory for some time to come. These disparities present interoperability challenges for distributed modeling and simulation whether the application is training, experimentation, or analysis. Traditional approaches call for building gateways to bridge between disparate protocols and retaining interoperability specialists. Challenges in reconciling data models also persist. These challenges and their traditional mitigation approaches directly contribute to higher costs, schedule delays, and frustration for the end users. Osseus is a prototype software platform originally funded as a research project by the Defense Modeling & Simulation Coordination Office (DMSCO) to examine interoperability alternatives using modern, web-based technology and taking inspiration from the commercial sector. Osseus provides tools and services for nonexpert users to connect simulations, targeting the time and skillset needed to successfully connect disparate systems. The Osseus platform presents a web services interface to allow simulation applications to exchange data using modern techniques efficiently over Local or Wide Area Networks. Further, it provides Service Oriented Architecture capabilities such that finer granularity components such as individual models can contribute to simulation with minimal effort.

Low energy CMOS for space applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Panwar, Ramesh; Alkalaj, Leon

1992-01-01

The current focus of NASA's space flight programs reflects a new thrust towards smaller, less costly, and more frequent space missions, when compared to missions such as Galileo, Magellan, or Cassini. Recently, the concept of a microspacecraft was proposed. In this concept, a small, compact spacecraft that weighs tens of kilograms performs focused scientific objectives such as imaging. Similarly, a Mars Lander micro-rover project is under study that will allow miniature robots weighing less than seven kilograms to explore the Martian surface. To bring the microspacecraft and microrover ideas to fruition, one will have to leverage compact 3D multi-chip module-based multiprocessors (MCM) technologies. Low energy CMOS will become increasingly important because of the thermodynamic considerations in cooling compact 3D MCM implementations and also from considerations of the power budget for space applications. In this paper, we show how the operating voltage is related to the threshold voltage of the CMOS transistors for accomplishing a task in VLSI with minimal energy. We also derive expressions for the noise margins at the optimal operating point. We then look at a low voltage CMOS (LVCMOS) technology developed at Stanford University which improves the power consumption over conventional CMOS by a couple of orders of magnitude and consider the suitability of the technology for space applications by characterizing its SEU immunity.

Amine Swingbed Payload Project Management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hayley, Elizabeth; Curley, Su; Walsh, Mary

2011-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS) has been designed as a laboratory for demonstrating technologies in a microgravity environment, benefitting exploration programs by reducing the overall risk of implementing such technologies in new spacecraft. At the beginning of fiscal year 2010, the ISS program manager requested that the amine-based, pressure-swing carbon dioxide and humidity absorption technology (designed by Hamilton Sundstrand, baselined for the ORION Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, and tested at the Johnson Space Center in relevant environments, including with humans, since 2005) be developed into a payload for ISS Utilization. In addition to evaluating the amine technology in a flight environment before the first launch of the ORION vehicle, the ISS program wanted to determine the capability of the amine technology to remove carbon dioxide from the ISS cabin environment at the metabolic rate of the full 6-person crew. Because the amine technology vents the absorbed carbon dioxide and water vapor to space vacuum (open loop), additional hardware needed to be developed to minimize the amount of air and water resources lost overboard. Additionally, the payload system would be launched on two separate Space Shuttle flights, with the heart of the payload the swingbed unit itself launching a full year before the remainder of the payload. This paper discusses the project management and challenges of developing the amine swingbed payload in order to accomplish the technology objectives of both the open-loop ORION application as well as the closed-loop ISS application.

Amine Swingbed Payload Project Management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walsch, Mary; Curley, Su

2013-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS) has been designed as a laboratory for demonstrating technologies in a microgravity environment, benefitting exploration programs by reducing the overall risk of implementing such technologies in new spacecraft. At the beginning of fiscal year 2010, the ISS program manager requested that the amine-based, pressure-swing carbon dioxide and humidity absorption technology (designed by Hamilton Sundstrand, baselined for the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, and tested at the Johnson Space Center in relevant environments, including with humans, since 2005) be developed into a payload for ISS Utilization. In addition to evaluating the amine technology in a flight environment before the first launch of the Orion vehicle, the ISS program wanted to determine the capability of the amine technology to remove carbon dioxide from the ISS cabin environment at the metabolic rate of the full 6 ]person crew. Because the amine technology vents the absorbed carbon dioxide and water vapor to space vacuum (open loop), additional hardware needed to be developed to minimize the amount of air and water resources lost overboard. Additionally, the payload system would be launched on two separate Space Shuttle flights, with the heart of the payload-the swingbed unit itself-launching a full year before the remainder of the payload. This paper discusses the project management and challenges of developing the amine swingbed payload in order to accomplish the technology objectives of both the open -loop Orion application as well as the closed-loop ISS application.

A Vision of Quantitative Imaging Technology for Validation of Advanced Flight Technologies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horvath, Thomas J.; Kerns, Robert V.; Jones, Kenneth M.; Grinstead, Jay H.; Schwartz, Richard J.; Gibson, David M.; Taylor, Jeff C.; Tack, Steve; Dantowitz, Ronald F.

2011-01-01

Flight-testing is traditionally an expensive but critical element in the development and ultimate validation and certification of technologies destined for future operational capabilities. Measurements obtained in relevant flight environments also provide unique opportunities to observe flow phenomenon that are often beyond the capabilities of ground testing facilities and computational tools to simulate or duplicate. However, the challenges of minimizing vehicle weight and internal complexity as well as instrumentation bandwidth limitations often restrict the ability to make high-density, in-situ measurements with discrete sensors. Remote imaging offers a potential opportunity to noninvasively obtain such flight data in a complementary fashion. The NASA Hypersonic Thermodynamic Infrared Measurements Project has demonstrated such a capability to obtain calibrated thermal imagery on a hypersonic vehicle in flight. Through the application of existing and accessible technologies, the acreage surface temperature of the Shuttle lower surface was measured during reentry. Future hypersonic cruise vehicles, launcher configurations and reentry vehicles will, however, challenge current remote imaging capability. As NASA embarks on the design and deployment of a new Space Launch System architecture for access beyond earth orbit (and the commercial sector focused on low earth orbit), an opportunity exists to implement an imagery system and its supporting infrastructure that provides sufficient flexibility to incorporate changing technology to address the future needs of the flight test community. A long term vision is offered that supports the application of advanced multi-waveband sensing technology to aid in the development of future aerospace systems and critical technologies to enable highly responsive vehicle operations across the aerospace continuum, spanning launch, reusable space access and global reach. Motivations for development of an Agency level imagery-based measurement capability to support cross cutting applications that span the Agency mission directorates as well as meeting potential needs of the commercial sector and national interests of the Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance community are explored. A recommendation is made for an assessment study to baseline current imaging technology including the identification of future mission requirements. Development of requirements fostered by the applications suggested in this paper would be used to identify technology gaps and direct roadmapping for implementation of an affordable and sustainable next generation sensor/platform system.

MEMS for medical technology applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frisk, Thomas; Roxhed, Niclas; Stemme, Göran

2007-01-01

This paper gives an in-depth description of two recent projects at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) which utilize MEMS and microsystem technology for realization of components intended for specific applications in medical technology and diagnostic instrumentation. By novel use of the DRIE fabrication technology we have developed side-opened out-of-plane silicon microneedles intended for use in transdermal drug delivery applications. The side opening reduces clogging probability during penetration into the skin and increases the up-take area of the liquid in the tissue. These microneedles offer about 200µm deep and pain-free skin penetration. We have been able to combine the microneedle chip with an electrically and heat controlled liquid actuator device where expandable microspheres are used to push doses of drug liquids into the skin. The entire unit is made of low cost materials in the form of a square one cm-sized patch. Finally, the design, fabrication and evaluation of an integrated miniaturized Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM) based "electronic nose" microsystem for detection of narcotics is described. The work integrates a novel environment-to-chip sample interface with the sensor element. The choice of multifunctional materials and the geometric features of a four-component microsystem allow a functional integration of a QCM crystal, electrical contacts, fluidic contacts and a sample interface in a single system with minimal assembly effort, a potential for low-cost manufacturing, and a few orders of magnitude reduced in system size (12*12*4 mm 3) and weight compared to commercially available instruments. The sensor chip was successfully used it for the detection of 200 ng of narcotics sample.

Food irradiation: after 35 years, have we made progress. A government perspective.

PubMed

Young, Alvin L

2003-01-01

The use of irradiation to improve the safety, protect the nutritional benefits, and preserve the quality of fresh and processed foods is a well established and proven technology. Over the past 35 years, the United States Government has invested in the science to confirm safety and in the technology to show application. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration have approved sources of ionizing radiation for the treatment of foods, and their application to most meats, fruits, vegetables, and spices. Despite the value of this technology to the food industry and to the health and welfare of the public, only minimal application of this technology occurs. This underscores the importance of increasing the public's understanding of radiation risks relative to other hazards. Accordingly, in 1995, the Committee on Interagency Radiation Research and Policy Coordination of the Executive Office of the President made recommendations for the creation of a centralized National Radiation Information Center that would work closely with Federal departments and agencies in responding to public queries about radiation issues and Federal programs. This article updates a commentary published in 1996 (Young 1996). In the past six years, some progress has been made, including the establishment of a government operated Food Irradiation Information Center, and the completion of final rule making by USDA, thus permitting the safe treatment of meats and poultry. Despite these actions, little progress has been made on the public acceptance of this technology. The need for an informed public and for a better understanding of risks, i.e., risk communication, is noted.

Biocatalytic production of D-tagatose: A potential rare sugar with versatile applications.

PubMed

Jayamuthunagai, J; Gautam, P; Srisowmeya, G; Chakravarthy, M

2017-11-02

D-tagatose is a naturally existing rare monosaccharide having prebiotic properties. Minimal absorption, low metabolizing energy, and unique clinical properties are the characteristics of D-tagatose. D-tagatose gained international attention by matching the purpose of alternate sweeteners that is much needed for the control of diabetes among world population. Recent efforts in understanding tagatose bioconversion have generated essential information regarding its production and application. This article reviews the evolution of D-tagatose as an important rare sugar by appreciable improvements in production results and its significant applications resulted of its unique physical, chemical, biological, and clinical properties thus considering it an appropriate product for requisite improvements in technical viability. Based on current knowledge and technology projections, the commercialization of D-tagatose rare sugar as food additive is close to reality.

Lennie: a smartphone application with novel implications for the management of animal colonies.

PubMed

Allwood, M A; Griffith, D; Allen, C; Reed, J; Mahmoud, Q H; Brunt, K R; Simpson, J A

2015-07-01

Researchers rely on animals for their clinical applicability and ease of monitoring. However, careful management is required to ensure the animal and financial costs are minimized. The incorporation of 'smartphone' technology in research has increased exponentially, with a focus on the development of innovative research-based applications. We have developed a smartphone application designed to address the needs of modern researchers in the management of their colonies. 'Lennie' introduces a new method for the management of small to medium-sized animal colonies. Lennie allows users wireless access to their colonies with the ability to create and edit from virtually anywhere. Lennie also offers the ability to manage colonies based on experiments by assigning animals based on priority. Experimental time-points are also recorded with integrated scheduling options using the calendar function. Lennie represents an alternative to current large-scale software options, as the application design is simple, and requires no training or manuals. As the technological landscape is constantly evolving, we must continue to find ways to improve upon current practices to ensure that research is completed with efficiency and efficacy. With this new method of animal management, researchers are able to spend less time record keeping and can focus their efforts on continued innovation. © The Author(s) 2015.

The acceptance of green technology: A case study in Sabah Development Corridor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jainudin, Noor Azland; Jugah, Ivy; Ali, Awang Nasrizal Awang; Tawie, Rudy

2017-08-01

Green technology is the development and application of products, equipment and systems used to conserve the environment which minimizes the negative impact from human activities. The technology can be in the form of green buildings or renewable energy such as hydro, solar and biogas. Development in SDC is still at the early stage, hence there is a prospect to plan for proper green concept implementation. With the increasing number of construction projects particularly in the rapid developing city of Kota Kinabalu, green technology as a whole is becoming more significant as it helps to develop effective solutions to encounter global environmental issues. Although there has been lengthy discussion on the green technology, the visibility of the implementation is still yet to be seen widely in Kota Kinabalu. The implementation of green technology in construction will support dynamic growth of economic development activities, while improving the environment. Hence, it is important to develop a strategic plan to promote the use of green technology while the areas are still developing. The focus of this correlative-based approach study is to investigate the perception and implementation of green technology in Kota Kinabalu from the industrial perspectives.

Robotics in cardiac surgery.

PubMed

Vassiliades, Thomas A

2006-03-01

The current status of surgical telemanipulators in the field of cardiac surgery is best described as a device in search of applications, as its role has not been clearly defined. Basic robotic technological research and development needs to focus on two key areas: (a) developing methods for modeling patient and surgical procedures with the ability to employ that customized information in the successful completion of a minimally invasive operation; and (b) developing novel human machine interactions that can overcome the barriers we currently face in performing surgical tasks using telemanipulators. Significant breakthroughs in these areas will then facilitate the construction and employment of enabling robotic systems, each with its specific clinical application. Copyright 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Chameleon Effect: Characterization Challenges Due to the Variability of Nanoparticles and Their Surfaces

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Baer, Donald R.

Nanoparticles in a variety of forms are of increasing importance in fundamental research, technological and medical applications, and environmental or toxicology studies. Physical and chemical drivers that lead to multiple types of particle instabilities complicate both the ability to produce and consistently deliver well defined particles and their appropriate characterization, frequently leading to inconsistencies and conflicts in the published literature. This perspective suggests that provenance information, beyond that often recorded or reported, and application of a set of core characterization methods, including a surface sensitive technique, consistently applied at critical times can serve as tools in the effort minimize reproducibilitymore » issues.« less

Mobility experiments with microrobots for minimally invasive intraocular surgery.

PubMed

Ullrich, Franziska; Bergeles, Christos; Pokki, Juho; Ergeneman, Olgac; Erni, Sandro; Chatzipirpiridis, George; Pané, Salvador; Framme, Carsten; Nelson, Bradley J

2013-04-23

To investigate microrobots as an assistive tool for minimally invasive intraocular surgery and to demonstrate mobility and controllability inside the living rabbit eye. A system for wireless magnetic control of untethered microrobots was developed. Mobility and controllability of a microrobot are examined in different media, specifically vitreous, balanced salt solution (BSS), and silicone oil. This is demonstrated through ex vivo and in vivo animal experiments. The developed electromagnetic system enables precise control of magnetic microrobots over a workspace that covers the posterior eye segment. The system allows for rotation and translation of the microrobot in different media (vitreous, BSS, silicone oil) inside the eye. Intravitreal introduction of untethered mobile microrobots can enable sutureless and precise ophthalmic procedures. Ex vivo and in vivo experiments demonstrate that microrobots can be manipulated inside the eye. Potential applications are targeted drug delivery for maculopathies such as AMD, intravenous deployment of anticoagulation agents for retinal vein occlusion (RVO), and mechanical applications, such as manipulation of epiretinal membrane peeling (ERM). The technology has the potential to reduce the invasiveness of ophthalmic surgery and assist in the treatment of a variety of ophthalmic diseases.

Application of sperm sorting and associated reproductive technology for wildlife management and conservation.

PubMed

O'Brien, J K; Steinman, K J; Robeck, T R

2009-01-01

Efforts toward the conservation and captive breeding of wildlife can be enhanced by sperm sorting and associated reproductive technologies such as sperm cryopreservation and artificial insemination (AI). Sex ratio management is of particular significance to species which naturally exist in female-dominated social groups. A bias of the sex ratio towards females of these species will greatly assist in maintaining socially cohesive groups and minimizing male-male aggression. Another application of this technology potentially exists for endangered species, as the preferential production of females can enable propagation of those species at a faster rate. The particular assisted reproductive technology (ART) used in conjunction with sperm sorting for the production of offspring is largely determined by the quality and quantity of spermatozoa following sorting and preservation processes. Regardless of the ART selected, breeding decisions involving sex-sorted spermatozoa should be made in conjunction with appropriate genetic management. Zoological-based research on reproductive physiology and assisted reproduction, including sperm sorting, is being conducted on numerous terrestrial and marine mammals. The wildlife species for which the technology has undergone the most advance is the bottlenose dolphin. AI using sex-sorted fresh or frozen-thawed spermatozoa has become a valuable tool for the genetic and reproductive management of captive bottlenose dolphins with six pre-sexed calves, all of the predetermined sex born to date.

The application of imaging technologies in the detection of trace evidence in forensic medical investigation.

PubMed

Cocks, Jeannie; du Toit-Prinsloo, Lorraine; Steffens, Francois; Saayman, Gert

2015-04-01

In a country notorious for violent crime, it seems that South African medico-legal laboratories make minimal application of technology in the death investigation process and little attention is given to trace evidence. Non-destructive, non-invasive, portable and cost-effective tools are required. This study was conducted at the Pretoria Medico-Legal Laboratory. The surface area of the bodies and clothing of victims of fatal interpersonal violence were examined using a torch, magnifying lamp, portable digital microscope and alternate light source to gauge their potential for trace evidence detection. Most studies apply these and similar tools to inert surfaces, with few focusing on their application to human skin. There was a statistically significant difference in the detection of many of the evidence types between the naked-eye observation of the pathologists and the technologies. The different imaging technologies were compared as to their cost, evidence detection ability and ease of use. The most common evidence types discovered on the bodies and clothing of victims of fatal interpersonal violence, as well as the propensity of each tool to detect these, was evaluated in order to devise the best option for incorporation into the Pretoria Medico-Legal Laboratory routine. The digital microscope performed best overall followed by the magnifying lamp, torch and the Polilight(®). This study aimed to justify the investment of more time, effort and funding into trace evidence recovery in the South African mortuary environment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Application of image guidance in pituitary surgery

PubMed Central

de Lara, Danielle; Filho, Leo F. S. Ditzel; Prevedello, Daniel M.; Otto, Bradley A.; Carrau, Ricardo L.

2012-01-01

Background: Surgical treatment of pituitary pathologies has evolved along the years, adding safety and decreasing morbidity related to the procedure. Advances in the field of radiology, coupled with stereotactic technology and computer modeling, have culminated in the contemporary and widespread use of image guidance systems, as we know them today. Image guidance navigation has become a frequently used technology that provides continuous three-dimensional information for the accurate performance of neurosurgical procedures. We present a discussion about the application of image guidance in pituitary surgeries. Methods: Major indications for image guidance neuronavigation application in pituitary surgery are presented and demonstrated with illustrative cases. Limitations of this technology are also presented. Results: Patients presenting a history of previous transsphenoidal surgeries, anatomical variances of the sphenoid sinus, tumors with a close relation to the internal carotid arteries, and extrasellar tumors are the most important indications for image guidance in pituitary surgeries. The high cost of the equipment, increased time of surgery due to setup time, and registration and the need of specific training for the operating room personnel could be pointed as limitations of this technology. Conclusion: Intraoperative image guidance systems provide real-time images, increasing surgical accuracy and enabling safe, minimally invasive interventions. However, the use of intraoperative navigation is not a replacement for surgical experience and a systematic knowledge of regional anatomy. It must be recognized as a tool by which the neurosurgeon can reduce the risk associated with surgical approach and treatment of pituitary pathologies. PMID:22826819

Application of resist-profile-aware source optimization in 28 nm full chip optical proximity correction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Jun; Zhang, David Wei; Kuo, Chinte; Wang, Qing; Wei, Fang; Zhang, Chenming; Chen, Han; He, Daquan; Hsu, Stephen D.

2017-07-01

As technology node shrinks, aggressive design rules for contact and other back end of line (BEOL) layers continue to drive the need for more effective full chip patterning optimization. Resist top loss is one of the major challenges for 28 nm and below technology nodes, which can lead to post-etch hotspots that are difficult to predict and eventually degrade the process window significantly. To tackle this problem, we used an advanced programmable illuminator (FlexRay) and Tachyon SMO (Source Mask Optimization) platform to make resistaware source optimization possible, and it is proved to greatly improve the imaging contrast, enhance focus and exposure latitude, and minimize resist top loss thus improving the yield.

ADP and brucellosis indemnity systems development

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sanders, W.M.; Harlan, B.L.

1976-01-01

Our initial study of the USDA/TAHC Brucellosis Indemnity Program in Texas has shown that both the efficiency and rate of claim payments can be increased by the application of present day computer technologies. Two main factors contribute to these increases: the number of discrepancies that are caused by poor penmanship, transposition of numbers, and other human errors can be monitored and minimized; and the documented information can be indexed, sorted, and searched faster, more efficiently, and without human error. The overall flow of documentation that is used to control the movement of infected or exposed animals through commerce should bemore » studied. A new system should be designed that fully utilizes present day computer and electronic technologies.« less

Understanding public (mis)understanding of tDCS for enhancement

PubMed Central

Cabrera, Laura Y.; Reiner, Peter B.

2015-01-01

In order to gain insight into the public’s perspective on using the minimally invasive technique transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) as an enhancement tool, we analyzed and compared online comments in key popular press articles from two different periods (pre-commercialization and post-commercialization). The main conclusion drawn from this exploratory investigation is that public perception regarding tDCS has shifted from misunderstanding to cautionary realism. This change in attitude can be explained as moving from a focus on an emergent technology to a focus on its applications, benefits, and risks as the technology becomes more grounded within the public domain. Future governance of tDCS should include the concerns and enthusiasms of the public. PMID:25964748

A Novel Reflector/Reflectarray Antenna: An Enabling Technology for NASA's Dual-Frequency ACE Radar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Racette, Paul E.; Heymsfield, Gerald; Li, Lihua; Cooley, Michael E.; Park, Richard; Stenger, Peter

2011-01-01

This paper describes a novel dual-frequency shared aperture Ka/W-band antenna design that enables wide-swath Imaging via electronic scanning at Ka-band and Is specifically applicable to NASA's Aerosol, Cloud and Ecosystems (ACE) mission. The innovative antenna design minimizes size and weight via use of a shared aperture and builds upon NASA's investments in large-aperture reflectors and high technology-readiness-level (TRL) W-band radar architectures. The antenna is comprised of a primary cylindrical reflector/reflectarray surface illuminated by a fixed W-band feed and a Ka-band Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) line feed. The reflectarray surface provides beam focusing at W-band, but is transparent at Ka-band.

The PROPEL Electrodynamic Tether Demonstration Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bilen, Sven G.; Johnson, C. Les; Wiegmann, Bruce M.; Alexander, Leslie; Gilchrist, Brian E.; Hoyt, Robert P.; Elder, Craig H.; Fuhrhop, Keith P.; Scadera, Michael

2012-01-01

The PROPEL ("Propulsion using Electrodynamics") mission will demonstrate the operation of an electrodynamic tether propulsion system in low Earth orbit and advance its technology readiness level for multiple applications. The PROPEL mission has two primary objectives: first, to demonstrate the capability of electrodynamic tether technology to provide robust and safe, near-propellantless propulsion for orbit-raising, de-orbit, plane change, and station keeping, as well as to perform orbital power harvesting and formation flight; and, second, to fully characterize and validate the performance of an integrated electrodynamic tether propulsion system, qualifying it for infusion into future multiple satellite platforms and missions with minimal modification. This paper provides an overview of the PROPEL system and design reference missions; mission goals and required measurements; and ongoing PROPEL mission design efforts.

Role of laser myringotomy in a pediatric otolaryngology practice: initial experience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shah, Udayan K.

2001-05-01

A new technology (OtoLAM) to fenestrate the tympanic membrane with the carbon dioxide laser (CO2), in the office or the operating room, has been introduced over the last three years. While not new conceptually, this product offers the ability to easily create a precise window into the middle ear using a portable system. Controversy regarding the indications and benefits of this technique, amplified by the costs of the system and the marketing of the technology prior to extensive clinical testing, has plagued the clinical application of this technology. We report our experience over the past year with this system in a busy pediatric otolaryngology practice. Laser fenestration of the tympanic membrane has been useful for the insertion of tympanostomy tubes, and for the minimally invasive evaluation of the middle ear. Our small experience to date reveals that there is a limited role for laser tympanic membrane fenestration in a busy pediatric otolaryngology practice.

Mobile Devices: A Distraction, or a Useful Tool to Engage Nursing Students?

PubMed

Gallegos, Cara; Nakashima, Hannah

2018-03-01

Engaging nursing students in theoretical courses, such as research, can be challenging. Innovative instructional strategies are essential to engage nursing students in theoretical nursing courses. This article describes an educational innovation using technology as a tool in an undergraduate nursing research class. All students in the course received iPads for the semester. Lecture material was presented in class using Nearpod, an interactive presentation embedded with slides, multimedia components, and learning activities. Students reported that using the mobile technology helped them minimize off-task activities, interact more with each other and the instructor, solve problems in the class, and develop skills and confidence related to their career. Allowing device use in the classroom, such as iPads and interactive mobile applications, can be a useful learning tool. Intentional use of technology and pedagogy can increase engagement and interaction with students. [J Nurs Educ. 2018;57(3):170-173.]. Copyright 2018, SLACK Incorporated.

Dust Removal Technology Demonstration for a Lunar Habitat

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Calle, C. I.; Chen, A.; Immer, C. D.; Csonka, M.; Hogue, M. D.; Snyder, S. J.; Rogriquez, M.; Margiotta, D. V.

2010-01-01

We have developed an Electrodynamic Dust Shield (EDS), an active dust mitigation technology with applications to solar panels, thermal radiators, optical systems, visors, seals and connectors. This active technology is capable of removing dust and granular material with diameters as large as several hundred microns. In this paper, we report on the development of three types of EDS systems for NASA's Habitat Demonstration Unit (HDU). A transparent EDS 20 cm in diameter with indium tin oxide electrodes on a 0.1 mm-thick polyethylene terephtalate (PET) film was constructed for viewport dust protection. Two opaque EDS systems with copper electrodes on 0.1 mm-thick Kapton were also built to demonstrate dust removal on the doors of the HDU. A lotus coating that minimizes dust adhesion was added to one of the last two EDS systems to demonstrate the effectiveness of the combined systems.

Mission and status of the US Department of Energy's battery energy storage program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quinn, J. E.; Hurwitch, J. W.; Landgrebe, A. R.; Hauser, S. G.

1985-05-01

The mission of the US Department of Energy's battery research program has evolved to reflect the changing conditions of the world energy economy and the national energy policy. The battery energy storage program supports the goals of the National Energy Policy Plan (FY 1984). The goals are to provide an adequate supply of energy at reasonable costs, minimize federal control and involvement in the energy marketplace, promote a balanced and mixed energy resource system, and facilitate technology transfer from the public to the private sector. This paper describes the history of the battery energy storage program and its relevance to the national interest. Potential market applications for battery energy storage are reviewed, and each technology, its goals, and its current technical status are described. The paper concludes by describing the strategy developed to ensure effective technology transfer to the private sector and reviewing past significant accomplishments.

On-Orbit, Immuno-Based, Label-Free White Blood Cell Counting System with Microelectromechanical Sensor Technology (OILWBCS-MEMS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Edmonds, Jessica

2015-01-01

Aurora Flight Sciences, in partnership with Draper Laboratory, has developed a miniaturized system to count white blood cells in microgravity environments. The system uses MEMS technology to simultaneously count total white blood cells, the five white blood cell differential subgroups, and various lymphocyte subtypes. The OILWBCS-MEMS detection technology works by immobilizing an array of white blood cell-specific antibodies on small, gold-coated membranes. When blood flows across the membranes, specific cells' surface protein antigens bind to their corresponding antibodies. This binding can be measured and correlated to cell counts. In Phase I, the partners demonstrated surface chemistry sensitivity and specificity for total white blood cells and two lymphocyte subtypes. In Phase II, a functional prototype demonstrated end-to-end operation. This rugged, miniaturized device requires minimal blood sample preparation and will be useful for both space flight and terrestrial applications.

Trends in communicative access solutions for children with cerebral palsy.

PubMed

Myrden, Andrew; Schudlo, Larissa; Weyand, Sabine; Zeyl, Timothy; Chau, Tom

2014-08-01

Access solutions may facilitate communication in children with limited functional speech and motor control. This study reviews current trends in access solution development for children with cerebral palsy, with particular emphasis on the access technology that harnesses a control signal from the user (eg, movement or physiological change) and the output device (eg, augmentative and alternative communication system) whose behavior is modulated by the user's control signal. Access technologies have advanced from simple mechanical switches to machine vision (eg, eye-gaze trackers), inertial sensing, and emerging physiological interfaces that require minimal physical effort. Similarly, output devices have evolved from bulky, dedicated hardware with limited configurability, to platform-agnostic, highly personalized mobile applications. Emerging case studies encourage the consideration of access technology for all nonverbal children with cerebral palsy with at least nascent contingency awareness. However, establishing robust evidence of the effectiveness of the aforementioned advances will require more expansive studies. © The Author(s) 2014.

An elegant application of appropriate technology: the Sheep Creek Hatchery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, Lewis F.; Macaulay, Ladd; Coffey, Catherine M.

1986-01-01

Alaska's program for rebuilding salmon stock is called fishery enhancement. Hatchery technology can produce dramatic increases in numbers of fish homing to selected streams. The Sheep Creek Hatchery is unusually efficient— it increases a fish run by a factor of 3000 and produces salmon at 9 11c/kg by minimizing mechanical energy inputs and human labor. The design harnesses the force of gravity and capitalizes on instinctual behavior of the fish. Since migratory fish collect protein from ocean “pasturage,” the technology increases the share of this resource collected and concentrated for harvest in a specific country or region. While small seaside hatcheries can solve biological problems of depleted fish stocks, economic and political considerations may preclude efficient utilization of the protein produced. Further, the potential for one state or country to concentrate fish near its shores poses new dilemmas for international regulation of harvests.

Terahertz Schottky Multiplier Sources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schlecht, Erich T.

2007-01-01

This viewgraph presentation reviews the multiplier source technologies and the status/Performance of THz multiplier sources. An example of a THz application is imaging radar. The presentation reviews areas of requirements for THz sources: (1) Figures of merit, (i.e., Frequency Terahertz for high resolution Bandwidth of at least 15 GHz for high range resolution Efficiency (i.e., minimize power supply requirements) (2) Output power: (i.e., Milliwatts below 800 GHz, 10s of microwatts above 1 THz, 1-2 microwatts near 2 THz (3) Mechanical--stability, compact, low mass (4) Environmental -- radiation, vibration, thermal. Several sources for 0.3 - 2 THz are reviewed: FIR lasers, quantum cascade lasers (QCL), backward-wave oscillator (BWO), and Multiplier sources. The current state of the art (SoA) is shown as Substrateless Technology. It also shows where the SoA is for devices beyond 1 THz. The presentation concludes by reviewing the options for future development, and 2 technology roadmaps

Technological advances in perioperative monitoring: Current concepts and clinical perspectives

PubMed Central

Chilkoti, Geetanjali; Wadhwa, Rachna; Saxena, Ashok Kumar

2015-01-01

Minimal mandatory monitoring in the perioperative period recommended by Association of Anesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland and American Society of Anesthesiologists are universally acknowledged and has become an integral part of the anesthesia practice. The technologies in perioperative monitoring have advanced, and the availability and clinical applications have multiplied exponentially. Newer monitoring techniques include depth of anesthesia monitoring, goal-directed fluid therapy, transesophageal echocardiography, advanced neurological monitoring, improved alarm system and technological advancement in objective pain assessment. Various factors that need to be considered with the use of improved monitoring techniques are their validation data, patient outcome, safety profile, cost-effectiveness, awareness of the possible adverse events, knowledge of technical principle and ability of the convenient routine handling. In this review, we will discuss the new monitoring techniques in anesthesia, their advantages, deficiencies, limitations, their comparison to the conventional methods and their effect on patient outcome, if any. PMID:25788767

Technological advances in perioperative monitoring: Current concepts and clinical perspectives.

PubMed

Chilkoti, Geetanjali; Wadhwa, Rachna; Saxena, Ashok Kumar

2015-01-01

Minimal mandatory monitoring in the perioperative period recommended by Association of Anesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland and American Society of Anesthesiologists are universally acknowledged and has become an integral part of the anesthesia practice. The technologies in perioperative monitoring have advanced, and the availability and clinical applications have multiplied exponentially. Newer monitoring techniques include depth of anesthesia monitoring, goal-directed fluid therapy, transesophageal echocardiography, advanced neurological monitoring, improved alarm system and technological advancement in objective pain assessment. Various factors that need to be considered with the use of improved monitoring techniques are their validation data, patient outcome, safety profile, cost-effectiveness, awareness of the possible adverse events, knowledge of technical principle and ability of the convenient routine handling. In this review, we will discuss the new monitoring techniques in anesthesia, their advantages, deficiencies, limitations, their comparison to the conventional methods and their effect on patient outcome, if any.

Fiber Optic Experience with the Smart Actuation System on the F-18 Systems Research Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zavala, Eddie

1997-01-01

High bandwidth, immunity to electromagnetic interference, and potential weight savings have led to the development of fiber optic technology for future aerospace vehicle systems. This technology has been incorporated in a new smart actuator as the primary communication interface. The use of fiber optics simplified system integration and significantly reduced wire count. Flight test results showed that fiber optics could be used in aircraft systems and identified critical areas of development of fly-by-light technology. This paper documents the fiber optic experience gained as a result of this program, and identifies general design considerations that could be used in a variety of specific applications of fiber optic technology. Environmental sensitivities of fiber optic system components that significantly contribute to optical power variation are discussed. Although a calibration procedure successfully minimized the effect of fiber optic sensitivities, more standardized calibration methods are needed to ensure system operation and reliability in future aerospace vehicle systems.

Fundamental Aeronautics Program: Overview of Project Work in Supersonic Cruise Efficiency

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Castner, Raymond

2011-01-01

The Supersonics Project, part of NASA?s Fundamental Aeronautics Program, contains a number of technical challenge areas which include sonic boom community response, airport noise, high altitude emissions, cruise efficiency, light weight durable engines/airframes, and integrated multi-discipline system design. This presentation provides an overview of the current (2011) activities in the supersonic cruise efficiency technical challenge, and is focused specifically on propulsion technologies. The intent is to develop and validate high-performance supersonic inlet and nozzle technologies. Additional work is planned for design and analysis tools for highly-integrated low-noise, low-boom applications. If successful, the payoffs include improved technologies and tools for optimized propulsion systems, propulsion technologies for a minimized sonic boom signature, and a balanced approach to meeting efficiency and community noise goals. In this propulsion area, the work is divided into advanced supersonic inlet concepts, advanced supersonic nozzle concepts, low fidelity computational tool development, high fidelity computational tools, and improved sensors and measurement capability. The current work in each area is summarized.

Fundamental Aeronautics Program: Overview of Propulsion Work in the Supersonic Cruise Efficiency Technical Challenge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Castner, Ray

2012-01-01

The Supersonics Project, part of NASA's Fundamental Aeronautics Program, contains a number of technical challenge areas which include sonic boom community response, airport noise, high altitude emissions, cruise efficiency, light weight durable engines/airframes, and integrated multi-discipline system design. This presentation provides an overview of the current (2012) activities in the supersonic cruise efficiency technical challenge, and is focused specifically on propulsion technologies. The intent is to develop and validate high-performance supersonic inlet and nozzle technologies. Additional work is planned for design and analysis tools for highly-integrated low-noise, low-boom applications. If successful, the payoffs include improved technologies and tools for optimized propulsion systems, propulsion technologies for a minimized sonic boom signature, and a balanced approach to meeting efficiency and community noise goals. In this propulsion area, the work is divided into advanced supersonic inlet concepts, advanced supersonic nozzle concepts, low fidelity computational tool development, high fidelity computational tools, and improved sensors and measurement capability. The current work in each area is summarized.

Microfabricated Gas Sensors Demonstrated in Fire and Emission Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hunter, Gary W.

2003-01-01

A range of microfabricated chemical sensors are being developed to meet the needs of fire detection and emission monitoring in aerospace applications. These sensors have the advantages over traditional technology of minimal size, weight, and power consumption as well as the ability to be placed closer to where the measurements need to be made. Sensor arrays are being developed to address detection needs in environments where multiple species need to be measured. For example, the monitoring of chemical species such as carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrocarbons, and other species is important in the detection of fires on airplanes and spacecraft. In contrast, different sensors are necessary for characterizing some aircraft engine designs where the monitoring of nitrogen oxides (NO(x)) and CO is of high interest. Demonstration of both fire and emission microsensor technology was achieved this year in a collaborative effort undertaken by the NASA Glenn Research Center, Case Western Reserve University, and Makel Engineering, Inc.

Electro optical system to measure strains at high temperature

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sciammarella, Cesar A.

1991-01-01

The measurement of strains at temperatures of the order of 1000 C has become a very important field of research. Technological advances in areas such as the analysis of high speed aircraft structures and high efficiency thermal engines require operational temperatures of this order of magnitude. Current techniques for the measurement of strains, such as electrical strain gages, are at the limit of their useful range and new methods need to be developed. Optical techniques are very attractive in this type of application because of their noncontacting nature. Holography is of particular interest because a minimal preparation of the surfaces is required. Optoelectronics holography is specially suited for this type of application, from the point of view of industrial use. There are a number of technical problems that need to be overcome to measure strains using holographic interferometry at high temperatures. Some of these problems are discussed, and solutions are given. A specimen instrumented with high temperature strains gages is used to compare the results of both technologies.

Electro optical system to measure strains at high temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sciammarella, Cesar A.

1991-12-01

The measurement of strains at temperatures of the order of 1000 C has become a very important field of research. Technological advances in areas such as the analysis of high speed aircraft structures and high efficiency thermal engines require operational temperatures of this order of magnitude. Current techniques for the measurement of strains, such as electrical strain gages, are at the limit of their useful range and new methods need to be developed. Optical techniques are very attractive in this type of application because of their noncontacting nature. Holography is of particular interest because a minimal preparation of the surfaces is required. Optoelectronics holography is specially suited for this type of application, from the point of view of industrial use. There are a number of technical problems that need to be overcome to measure strains using holographic interferometry at high temperatures. Some of these problems are discussed, and solutions are given. A specimen instrumented with high temperature strains gages is used to compare the results of both technologies.

Launch Site Computer Simulation and its Application to Processes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sham, Michael D.

1995-01-01

This paper provides an overview of computer simulation, the Lockheed developed STS Processing Model, and the application of computer simulation to a wide range of processes. The STS Processing Model is an icon driven model that uses commercial off the shelf software and a Macintosh personal computer. While it usually takes one year to process and launch 8 space shuttles, with the STS Processing Model this process is computer simulated in about 5 minutes. Facilities, orbiters, or ground support equipment can be added or deleted and the impact on launch rate, facility utilization, or other factors measured as desired. This same computer simulation technology can be used to simulate manufacturing, engineering, commercial, or business processes. The technology does not require an 'army' of software engineers to develop and operate, but instead can be used by the layman with only a minimal amount of training. Instead of making changes to a process and realizing the results after the fact, with computer simulation, changes can be made and processes perfected before they are implemented.

Open-source platforms for navigated image-guided interventions.

PubMed

Ungi, Tamas; Lasso, Andras; Fichtinger, Gabor

2016-10-01

Navigation technology is changing the clinical standards in medical interventions by making existing procedures more accurate, and new procedures possible. Navigation is based on preoperative or intraoperative imaging combined with 3-dimensional position tracking of interventional tools registered to the images. Research of navigation technology in medical interventions requires significant engineering efforts. The difficulty of developing such complex systems has been limiting the clinical translation of new methods and ideas. A key to the future success of this field is to provide researchers with platforms that allow rapid implementation of applications with minimal resources spent on reimplementing existing system features. A number of platforms have been already developed that can share data in real time through standard interfaces. Complete navigation systems can be built using these platforms using a layered software architecture. In this paper, we review the most popular platforms, and show an effective way to take advantage of them through an example surgical navigation application. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

edgeR: a Bioconductor package for differential expression analysis of digital gene expression data.

PubMed

Robinson, Mark D; McCarthy, Davis J; Smyth, Gordon K

2010-01-01

It is expected that emerging digital gene expression (DGE) technologies will overtake microarray technologies in the near future for many functional genomics applications. One of the fundamental data analysis tasks, especially for gene expression studies, involves determining whether there is evidence that counts for a transcript or exon are significantly different across experimental conditions. edgeR is a Bioconductor software package for examining differential expression of replicated count data. An overdispersed Poisson model is used to account for both biological and technical variability. Empirical Bayes methods are used to moderate the degree of overdispersion across transcripts, improving the reliability of inference. The methodology can be used even with the most minimal levels of replication, provided at least one phenotype or experimental condition is replicated. The software may have other applications beyond sequencing data, such as proteome peptide count data. The package is freely available under the LGPL licence from the Bioconductor web site (http://bioconductor.org).

Plasma-mediated ablation for the management of obstructive sleep apnea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puchalski, Robert; Shah, Udayan K.

2000-05-01

Plasma-mediated ablation (PMA) removes tissue by developing an electrically induced plasma layer between the instrument and target tissue. Charged particles within the plasma field then accelerate toward the tissue, breaking the molecular bonds within the top layer of tissue. Thermal damage to collateral tissue is minimal, resulting in the moniker, 'cold' ablation, for this method. Recently, instrumentation has been developed to permit application for soft tissue resection in Otolaryngology. Presentation of the theory, as well as the benefits and disadvantages associated with CoblationTM technology will be followed by examples of its use. A brief videotape will demonstrate the application of PMA for UPPP, tonsillectomy and nasal turbinate reduction. Preliminary experience from our institution, including eighteen children treated with tonsillectomy and followed for at least one month post-operatively, has provided an initial cohort for comparing the risks and benefits of the approach. The advantage of CoblationTM technology identified thus far, that of less thermal damage, is balanced against a decreased level of hemostasis (compared to MES) and an increased cost.

Design and testing of a multi-sensor pedestrian location and navigation platform.

PubMed

Morrison, Aiden; Renaudin, Valérie; Bancroft, Jared B; Lachapelle, Gérard

2012-01-01

Navigation and location technologies are continually advancing, allowing ever higher accuracies and operation under ever more challenging conditions. The development of such technologies requires the rapid evaluation of a large number of sensors and related utilization strategies. The integration of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSSs) such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) with accelerometers, gyros, barometers, magnetometers and other sensors is allowing for novel applications, but is hindered by the difficulties to test and compare integrated solutions using multiple sensor sets. In order to achieve compatibility and flexibility in terms of multiple sensors, an advanced adaptable platform is required. This paper describes the design and testing of the NavCube, a multi-sensor navigation, location and timing platform. The system provides a research tool for pedestrian navigation, location and body motion analysis in an unobtrusive form factor that enables in situ data collections with minimal gait and posture impact. Testing and examples of applications of the NavCube are provided.

An Approach for the Distance Delivery of AFIT/LS Resident Degree Curricula

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-12-01

minimal (least complex) distance education technologies appropriate for each learning topic or task. This may be the most time-consuming step in the...34 represents the least complex distance education technology that could be used to deliver the educational material for a particular learning objective. Careful...minimal technology needed to accomplish the learning objective. Look at question Q2.1 (Figure 5.15). Since the lecture offers an essential educational

Chemical & Material Risk Management Initiatives: Reach & Cr6+ Strategies (Briefing Charts)

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-02-01

Definition Acquisition, Technology and Logistics 17 DoD Hexavalent Chromium Minimization Strategy Non‐ Chrome  Primer Acquisition, Technology and...Logistics 18 Hexavalent Chromium (Cr6+) - Some Facts • Cr6+ compounds are wonderful corrosion inhibitors • Cr6+ compounds are highly toxic – We’ve learned...and Logistics 21 DoD Hexavalent Chromium Minimization Policy Acquisition, Technology and Logistics 22 Myth-busters • The DoD policy does not ban the

Control of submersible vortex flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bushnell, D. M.; Donaldson, C. D.

1990-01-01

Vortex flows produced by submersibles typically unfavorably influence key figures of merit such as acoustic and nonacoustic stealth, control effectiveness/maneuverability, and propulsor efficiency/body drag. Sources of such organized, primarily longitudinal, vorticity include the basic body (nose and sides) and appendages (both base/intersection and tip regions) such as the fairwater, dive planes, rear control surfaces, and propulsor stators/tips. Two fundamentally different vortex control approaches are available: (1) deintensification of the amplitude and/or organization of the vortex during its initiation process; and (2) downstream vortex disablement. Vortex control techniques applicable to the initiation region (deintensification approach) include transverse pressure gradient minimization via altered body cross section, appendage dillets, fillets, and sweep, and various appendage tip and spanload treatment along with the use of active controls to minimize control surface size and motions. Vortex disablement can be accomplished either via use of control vortices (which can also be used to steer the vortices off-board), direct unwinding, inducement of vortex bursting, or segmentation/tailoring for enhanced dissipation. Submersible-applicable vortex control technology is also included derived from various aeronautical applications such as mitigation of the wing wake vortex hazard and flight aircraft maneuverability at high angle of attack as well as the status of vortex effects upon, and mitigation of, nonlinear control forces on submersibles. Specific suggestions for submersible-applicable vortex control techniques are presented.

Possible applications for municipal solid waste fly ash.

PubMed

Ferreira, C; Ribeiro, A; Ottosen, L

2003-01-31

The present study focuses on existing practices related to the reuse of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) fly ash and identifies new potential uses. Nine possible applications were identified and grouped into four main categories: construction materials (cement, concrete, ceramics, glass and glass-ceramics); geotechnical applications (road pavement, embankments); "agriculture" (soil amendment); and, miscellaneous (sorbent, sludge conditioning). Each application is analysed in detail, including final-product technical characteristics, with a special emphasis on environmental impacts. A comparative analysis of the different options is performed, stressing the advantages but also the weaknesses of each option. This information is systemized in order to provide a framework for the selection of best technology and final products. The results presented here show new possibilities for this waste reuse in a short-term, in a wide range of fields, resulting in great advantages in waste minimization as well as resources conservation.

Tanadgusix Foundation Hydrogen / Plug In Electric Vehicle Project

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Miller, Martin

2013-09-27

TDX Foundation undertook this project in an effort to evaluate alternative transportation options and their application in the community of Saint Paul, Alaska an isolated island community in the Bering Sea. Both hydrogen and electric vehicle technology was evaluated for technical and economic feasibility. Hydrogen technology was found to be cost prohibitive. TDX demonstrated the implementation of various types of electric vehicles on St. Paul Island, including side-by-side all terrain vehicles, a Chevrolet Volt (sedan), and a Ford Transit Connect (small van). Results show that electric vehicles are a promising solution for transportation needs on St. Paul Island. Limited batterymore » range and high charging time requirements result in decreased usability, even on a small, isolated island. These limitations were minimized by the installation of enhanced charging stations for the car and van. In collaboration with the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), TDX was able to identify suitable technologies and demonstrate their applicability in the rural Alaskan environment. TDX and UAF partnered to engage and educate the entire community of Saint Paul – fom school children to elders – through presentation of research, findings, demonstrations, first hand operation of alternative fuel vehicles.« less

Mathematical Methods of Managing Economic Sustainability of the Construction Company

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kostuchenko, Vasiliy; Zdanov, Andrej; Rodionov, Anatolij

2017-10-01

This article presents a long-term research in developing innovative mathematical techniques of managing the contractor’s economic sustainability proven by some experimental studies. The article aims at presenting some practical results of applying these techniques to the scientific community. This research presents a description of some applied mathematical models, views, and some results of their practical application in the applied field for the purposes of evaluating operational sustainability and minimizing losses in the process of managing the company. The authors have put the technology they have developed to practical use, and the article presents the results of such application. The authors have put the developed technology to practical use. Company management also means the management of power consumption, which is highly vital both for the construction and maintenance of buildings and structures. The articles also dwell on some possible improvements of managing energy consumption within the framework of the general management of company’s economic sustainability, because these phenomena have a tight organic interdependence. The authors continue researching this direction in order to improve the production efficiency of the proposed technologies as well as to eliminate some drawbacks they have spotted.

Microfluidic-integrated biosensors: prospects for point-of-care diagnostics.

PubMed

Kumar, Suveen; Kumar, Saurabh; Ali, Md Azahar; Anand, Pinki; Agrawal, Ved Varun; John, Renu; Maji, Sagar; Malhotra, Bansi D

2013-11-01

There is a growing demand to integrate biosensors with microfluidics to provide miniaturized platforms with many favorable properties, such as reduced sample volume, decreased processing time, low cost analysis and low reagent consumption. These microfluidics-integrated biosensors would also have numerous advantages such as laminar flow, minimal handling of hazardous materials, multiple sample detection in parallel, portability and versatility in design. Microfluidics involves the science and technology of manipulation of fluids at the micro- to nano-liter level. It is predicted that combining biosensors with microfluidic chips will yield enhanced analytical capability, and widen the possibilities for applications in clinical diagnostics. The recent developments in microfluidics have helped researchers working in industries and educational institutes to adopt some of these platforms for point-of-care (POC) diagnostics. This review focuses on the latest advancements in the fields of microfluidic biosensing technologies, and on the challenges and possible solutions for translation of this technology for POC diagnostic applications. We also discuss the fabrication techniques required for developing microfluidic-integrated biosensors, recently reported biomarkers, and the prospects of POC diagnostics in the medical industry. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Smart sensors development based on a distributed bus for microsystems applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferrer, Carles; Lorente, Bibiana

2003-04-01

Our main objective in this work has been to develop a comunication system applicable between sensors and actuators and the data processing circuitry inside the microsystem in order to develop a flexible and modular architecture. This communication system is based on the use of a dedicated sensor bus composed by only two wires (a bidirectional data line and a clock line for sincronization). The basic philosophy of this development has been to create an IP model with VHDL for the bus driver that can be added to the sensor or the actuator to create an smart device that could be easily plugged with the other componets of the microsystem architecture. This methodology can be applied to a high integrated microsystem based on an extensively use of microelectronics technologies (ASICs, SoCs & MCMs). The reduced number of wires is an extraordinary advatage because produce a minimal interconnection between all the components and as a consequence the size of the microinstrument becomes smaller. The second aspect that we have considered in this development has been to reach a communication protocol that permits to built-up a very simple but robust bus driver interface that minimize the circuit overhead. This interconnection system has been applied to biomedical and aerospatial microsystems applications.

Reagentless chemiluminescence-based fiber optic sensors for regenerative life support in space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atwater, James E.; Akse, James R.; DeHart, Jeffrey; Wheeler, Richard R., Jr.

1995-04-01

The initial feasibility demonstration of a reagentless chemiluminescence based fiber optic sensor technology for use in advanced regenerative life support applications in space and planetary outposts is described. The primary constraints for extraterrestrial deployment of any technology are compatibility with microgravity and hypogravity environments; minimal size, weight, and power consumption; and minimal use of expendables due to the great expense and difficulty inherent to resupply logistics. In the current research, we report the integration of solid state flow through modules for the production of aqueous phase reagents into an integrated system for the detection of important analytes by chemiluminescence, with fiber optic light transmission. By minimizing the need for resupply expendables, the use of solid phase modules makes complex chemical detection schemes practical. For the proof of concept, hydrogen peroxide and glucose were chosen as analytes. The reaction is catalyzed by glucose oxidase, an immobilized enzyme. The aqueous phase chemistry required for sensor operation is implemented using solid phase modules which adjust the pH of the influent stream, catalyze the oxidation of analyte, and provide the controlled addition of the luminophore to the flowing aqueous stream. Precise control of the pH has proven essential for the long-term sustained release of the luminophore. Electrocatalysis is achieved using a controlled potential across gold mesh and gold foil electrodes which undergo periodic polarity reversals. The development and initial characterization of performance of the reagentless fiber optic chemiluminescence sensors are presented in this paper.

The Internet information infrastructure: Terrorist tool or architecture for information defense?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kadner, S.; Turpen, E.; Rees, B.

The Internet is a culmination of information age technologies and an agent of change. As with any infrastructure, dependency upon the so-called global information infrastructure creates vulnerabilities. Moreover, unlike physical infrastructures, the Internet is a multi-use technology. While information technologies, such as the Internet, can be utilized as a tool of terror, these same technologies can facilitate the implementation of solutions to mitigate the threat. In this vein, this paper analyzes the multifaceted nature of the Internet information infrastructure and argues that policymakers should concentrate on the solutions it provides rather than the vulnerabilities it creates. Minimizing risks and realizingmore » possibilities in the information age will require institutional activities that translate, exploit and convert information technologies into positive solutions. What follows is a discussion of the Internet information infrastructure as it relates to increasing vulnerabilities and positive potential. The following four applications of the Internet will be addressed: as the infrastructure for information competence; as a terrorist tool; as the terrorist`s target; and as an architecture for rapid response.« less

Predehydration and Ice Seeding in the Presence of Trehalose Enable Cell Cryopreservation

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Conventional approaches for cell cryopreservation require the use of toxic membrane-penetrating cryoprotective agents (pCPA), which limits the clinical application of cryopreserved cells. Here, we show intentionally induced ice formation at a high subzero temperature (> −10 °C) during cryopreservation, which is often referred to as ice seeding, could result in significant cell injury in the absence of any pCPA. This issue can be mitigated by predehydrating cells using extracellular trehalose to their minimal volume with minimized osmotically active water before ice seeding. We further observe that ice seeding can minimize the interfacial free energy that drives the devastating ice recrystallization-induced cell injury during warming cryopreserved samples. Indeed, by combining predehydration using extracellular trehalose with ice seeding at high subzero temperatures, high cell viability or recovery is achieved for fibroblasts, adult stem cells, and red blood cells after cryopreservation without using any pCPA. The pCPA-free technology developed in this study may greatly facilitate the long-term storage and ready availability of living cells, tissues, and organs that are of high demand by modern cell-based medicine. PMID:28824959

Investigation of fast initialization of spacecraft bubble memory systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Looney, K. T.; Nichols, C. D.; Hayes, P. J.

1984-01-01

Bubble domain technology offers significant improvement in reliability and functionality for spacecraft onboard memory applications. In considering potential memory systems organizations, minimization of power in high capacity bubble memory systems necessitates the activation of only the desired portions of the memory. In power strobing arbitrary memory segments, a capability of fast turn on is required. Bubble device architectures, which provide redundant loop coding in the bubble devices, limit the initialization speed. Alternate initialization techniques are investigated to overcome this design limitation. An initialization technique using a small amount of external storage is demonstrated.

Guidance and control strategies for aerospace vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Naidu, Desineni S.; Hibey, Joseph L.

1988-01-01

The optimal control problem arising in coplanar, orbital transfer employing aeroassist technology is addressed. The maneuver involves the transfer from high Earth orbit to low Earth orbit. A performance index is chosen the minimize the fuel consumpltion for the transfer. Simulations are carried out for establishing a corridor of entry conditions which are suitable for flying the spacecraft through the atmosphere. A highlight of the paper is the application of an efficient multiple shooting method for taming the notorious nonlinear, two-point, boundary value problem resulting from optimization procedure.

Second Aerospace Environmental Technology Conference

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitaker, A. F. (Editor); Clark-Ingram, M. (Editor)

1997-01-01

The mandated elimination of CFC'S, Halons, TCA, and other ozone depleting chemicals and specific hazardous materials has required changes and new developments in aerospace materials and processes. The aerospace industry has been involved for several years in providing product substitutions, redesigning entire production processes, and developing new materials that minimize or eliminate damage to the environment. These activities emphasize replacement cleaning solvents and their application, verification, compliant coatings including corrosion protection system and removal techniques, chemical propulsion effects on the environment, and the initiation of modifications to relevant processing and manufacturing specifications and standards.

Natural hazards research and response; international decade for reducing loss from natural disasters

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hays, W.W.

1992-01-01

IDNDR offers an unprecedented opportunity to apply new knowledge and technology to minimize losses in regions at high risks. The program is very challenging because full implementation requires a multidisciplinary effort on a global scale, an undertaking never before attempted. In concert with the other signatory nations, the Untied States is carrying out a balanced and comprehensive program of research and applications as a contribution to the IDNDR. The U.S program is designed to reduce both loss of life and property damage from natural disasters.  

Second Aerospace Environmental Technology Conference

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitaker, A. F.; Clark-Ingram, M.; Hessler, S. L.

1997-01-01

The mandated elimination of CFC's, Halons, TCA, and other ozone depleting chemicals and specific hazardous materials has required changes and new developments in aerospace materials and processes. The aerospace industry has been involved for several years in providing product substitutions, redesigning entire production processes, and developing new materials that minimize or eliminate damage to the environment. These activities emphasize replacement cleaning solvents and their application verifications, compliant coatings including corrosion protection systems, and removal techniques, chemical propulsion effects on the environment, and the initiation of modifications to relevant processing and manufacturing specifications and standards.

Fastener Capture Plate Technology to Contain On-Orbit Debris

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eisenhower, Kevin

2010-01-01

The Fastener Capture Plate technology was developed to solve the problem of capturing loose hardware and small fasteners, items that were not originally intended to be disengaged in microgravity, thus preventing them from becoming space debris. This technology was incorporated into astronaut tools designed and successfully used on NASA s Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission #4. The technology s ultimate benefit is that it allows a very time-efficient method for disengaging fasteners and removing hardware while minimizing the chances of losing parts or generating debris. The technology aims to simplify the manual labor required of the operator. It does so by optimizing visibility and access to the work site and minimizing the operator's need to be concerned with debris while performing the operations. It has a range of unique features that were developed to minimize task time, as well as maximize the ease and confidence of the astronaut operator. This paper describes the technology and the astronaut tools developed specifically for a complicated on-orbit repair, and it includes photographs of the hardware being used in outer space.

The role of robotic surgical system in the management of vascular disease.

PubMed

Lin, Judith C

2013-10-01

The evolution of minimally invasive treatment for aneurysms and occlusive disease has led to the development of endovascular, laparoscopic, and robot-assisted techniques. This article reviews the current literature on the clinical use of robotic surgical systems in the treatment of patients with aneurysms and occlusive disease. A MEDLINE search was performed using the keywords "robotic, vascular, AND surgery." All pertinent articles concerning the use of the robotic surgical system on aneurysms and occlusive disease were reviewed. The author's personal experience consisted of a retrospective review of a prospectively maintained confidential database on all procedures performed with the da Vinci(®) surgical system. Several robot-assisted laparoscopic series on the treatment of aortic disease were identified, including review articles of potential clinical applications in hybrid, laparoscopic vascular, and endovascular treatments for vascular patients using robotic technology. The use of computer-enhanced or robotic technology as a sole modality for bypass of occlusive disease and repair of abdominal aortic, splenic, and renal aneurysms was described in case series with satisfactory patient outcomes. Current robotic endovascular technology was also described. Minimally invasive techniques using endovascular, laparoscopic, or robot-assisted technology have revolutionized the treatment of aortoiliac, splanchnic, and renal aneurysms and occlusive disease. However, robot-assisted techniques for aortic disease may involve a learning curve and increased operating times. Although endovascular therapy is preferred because of faster recovery, this preference for improved short-term outcomes will be balanced with the superiority and durability of robot-assisted endoscopic methods as comparable to open surgery. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Composite Cryotank Technologies and Development 2.4 and 5.5M out of Autoclave Tank Test Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jackson, Justin R.; Vickers, John; Fikes, John

2015-01-01

The Composite Cryotank Technologies and Demonstration (CCTD) project substantially matured composite, cryogenic propellant tank technology. The project involved the design, analysis, fabrication, and testing of large-scale (2.4-m-diameter precursor and 5.5-m-diameter) composite cryotanks. Design features included a one-piece wall design that minimized tank weight, a Y-joint that incorporated an engineered material to alleviate stress concentration under combined loading, and a fluted core cylindrical section that inherently allows for venting and purging. The tanks used out-of-autoclave (OoA) cured graphite/epoxy material and processes to enable large (up to 10-m-diameter) cryotank fabrication, and thin-ply prepreg to minimize hydrogen permeation through tank walls. Both tanks were fabricated at Boeing using automated fiber placement on breakdown tooling. A fluted core skirt that efficiently carried axial loads and enabled hydrogen purging was included on the 5.5-m-diameter tank. Ultrasonic inspection was performed, and a structural health monitoring system was installed to identify any impact damage during ground processing. The precursor and 5.5-m-diameter tanks were tested in custom test fixtures at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Marshall Space Flight Center. The testing, which consisted of a sequence of pressure and thermal cycles using liquid hydrogen, was successfully concluded and obtained valuable structural, thermal, and permeation performance data. This technology can be applied to a variety of aircraft and spacecraft applications that would benefit from 30 to 40% weight savings and substantial cost savings compared to aluminum lithium tanks.

Overview and fundamentals of urologic robot-integrated systems.

PubMed

Allaf, Mohamad; Patriciu, Alexandru; Mazilu, Dumitru; Kavoussi, Louis; Stoianovici, Dan

2004-11-01

Advances in technology have revolutionized urology. Minimally invasive tools now form the core of the urologist's armamentarium. Laparoscopic surgery has become the favored approach for treating many complicated urologic ailments. Surgical robots represent the next evolutionary step in the fruitful man-machine partnership. The introduction of robotic technology in urology changes how urologists learn, teach, plan, and operate. As technology evolves, robots not only will improve performance in minimally invasive procedures, but also enhance other procedures or enable new kinds of operations.

Injectable, cellular-scale optoelectronics with applications for wireless optogenetics.

PubMed

Kim, Tae-il; McCall, Jordan G; Jung, Yei Hwan; Huang, Xian; Siuda, Edward R; Li, Yuhang; Song, Jizhou; Song, Young Min; Pao, Hsuan An; Kim, Rak-Hwan; Lu, Chaofeng; Lee, Sung Dan; Song, Il-Sun; Shin, Gunchul; Al-Hasani, Ream; Kim, Stanley; Tan, Meng Peun; Huang, Yonggang; Omenetto, Fiorenzo G; Rogers, John A; Bruchas, Michael R

2013-04-12

Successful integration of advanced semiconductor devices with biological systems will accelerate basic scientific discoveries and their translation into clinical technologies. In neuroscience generally, and in optogenetics in particular, the ability to insert light sources, detectors, sensors, and other components into precise locations of the deep brain yields versatile and important capabilities. Here, we introduce an injectable class of cellular-scale optoelectronics that offers such features, with examples of unmatched operational modes in optogenetics, including completely wireless and programmed complex behavioral control over freely moving animals. The ability of these ultrathin, mechanically compliant, biocompatible devices to afford minimally invasive operation in the soft tissues of the mammalian brain foreshadow applications in other organ systems, with potential for broad utility in biomedical science and engineering.

MRI-guided focused ultrasound surgery in musculoskeletal diseases: the hot topics

PubMed Central

Napoli, Alessandro; Sacconi, Beatrice; Battista, Giuseppe; Guglielmi, Giuseppe; Catalano, Carlo; Albisinni, Ugo

2016-01-01

MRI-guided focused ultrasound surgery (MRgFUS) is a minimally invasive treatment guided by the most sophisticated imaging tool available in today's clinical practice. Both the imaging and therapeutic sides of the equipment are based on non-ionizing energy. This technique is a very promising option as potential treatment for several pathologies, including musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders. Apart from clinical applications, MRgFUS technology is the result of long, heavy and cumulative efforts exploring the effects of ultrasound on biological tissues and function, the generation of focused ultrasound and treatment monitoring by MRI. The aim of this article is to give an updated overview on a “new” interventional technique and on its applications for MSK and allied sciences. PMID:26607640

Energy Recovery Linacs for Light Source Applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

George Neil

2011-04-01

Energy Recovery Linacs are being considered for applications in present and future light sources. ERLs take advantage of the continuous operation of superconducting rf cavities to accelerate high average current beams with low losses. The electrons can be directed through bends, undulators, and wigglers for high brightness x ray production. They are then decelerated to low energy, recovering power so as to minimize the required rf drive and electrical draw. When this approach is coupled with advanced continuous wave injectors, very high power, ultra-short electron pulse trains of very high brightness can be achieved. This paper will review the statusmore » of worldwide programs and discuss the technology challenges to provide such beams for photon production.« less

Optimizing real-time Web-based user interfaces for observatories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gibson, J. Duane; Pickering, Timothy E.; Porter, Dallan; Schaller, Skip

2008-08-01

In using common HTML/Ajax approaches for web-based data presentation and telescope control user interfaces at the MMT Observatory (MMTO), we rapidly were confronted with web browser performance issues. Much of the operational data at the MMTO is highly dynamic and is constantly changing during normal operations. Status of telescope subsystems must be displayed with minimal latency to telescope operators and other users. A major motivation of migrating toward web-based applications at the MMTO is to provide easy access to current and past observatory subsystem data for a wide variety of users on their favorite operating system through a familiar interface, their web browser. Performance issues, especially for user interfaces that control telescope subsystems, led to investigations of more efficient use of HTML/Ajax and web server technologies as well as other web-based technologies, such as Java and Flash/Flex. The results presented here focus on techniques for optimizing HTML/Ajax web applications with near real-time data display. This study indicates that direct modification of the contents or "nodeValue" attribute of text nodes is the most efficient method of updating data values displayed on a web page. Other optimization techniques are discussed for web-based applications that display highly dynamic data.

Microwave Regenerable Air Purification Device

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Atwater, James E.; Holtsnider, John T.; Wheeler, Richard R., Jr.

1996-01-01

The feasibility of using microwave power to thermally regenerate sorbents loaded with water vapor, CO2, and organic contaminants has been rigorously demonstrated. Sorbents challenged with air containing 0.5% CO2, 300 ppm acetone, 50 ppm trichloroethylene, and saturated with water vapor have been regenerated, singly and in combination. Microwave transmission, reflection, and phase shift has also been determined for a variety of sorbents over the frequency range between 1.3-2.7 GHz. This innovative technology offers the potential for significant energy savings in comparison to current resistive heating methods because energy is absorbed directly by the material to be heated. Conductive, convective and radiative losses are minimized. Extremely rapid heating is also possible, i.e., 1400 C in less than 60 seconds. Microwave powered thermal desorption is directly applicable to the needs of Advance Life Support in general, and of EVA in particular. Additionally, the applicability of two specific commercial applications arising from this technology have been demonstrated: the recovery for re-use of acetone (and similar solvents) from industrial waste streams using a carbon based molecular sieve; and the separation and destruction of trichloroethylene using ZSM-5 synthetic zeolite catalyst, a predominant halocarbon environmental contaminant. Based upon these results, Phase II development is strongly recommended.

Current and future technological advances in transdermal gene delivery.

PubMed

Chen, Xianfeng

2017-12-19

Transdermal gene delivery holds significant advantages as it is able to minimize the problems of systemic administration such as enzymatic degradation, systemic toxicity, and poor delivery to target tissues. This technology has the potential to transform the treatment and prevention of a range of diseases. However, the skin poses a great barrier for gene delivery because of the "bricks-and-mortar" structure of the stratum corneum and the tight junctions between keratinocytes in the epidermis. This review systematically summarizes the typical physical and chemical approaches to overcome these barriers and facilitate gene delivery via skin for applications in vaccination, wound healing, skin cancers and skin diseases. Next, the advantages and disadvantages of different approaches are discussed and the insights for future development are provided. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fusion Imaging for Procedural Guidance.

PubMed

Wiley, Brandon M; Eleid, Mackram F; Thaden, Jeremy J

2018-05-01

The field of percutaneous structural heart interventions has grown tremendously in recent years. This growth has fueled the development of new imaging protocols and technologies in parallel to help facilitate these minimally-invasive procedures. Fusion imaging is an exciting new technology that combines the strength of 2 imaging modalities and has the potential to improve procedural planning and the safety of many commonly performed transcatheter procedures. In this review we discuss the basic concepts of fusion imaging along with the relative strengths and weaknesses of static vs dynamic fusion imaging modalities. This review will focus primarily on echocardiographic-fluoroscopic fusion imaging and its application in commonly performed transcatheter structural heart procedures. Copyright © 2017 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Application of active control landing gear technology to the A-10 aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ross, I.; Edson, R.

1983-01-01

Two concepts which reduce the A-10 aircraft's wing/gear interface forces as a result of applying active control technology to the main landing gear are described. In the first concept, referred to as the alternate concept a servovalve in a closed pressure control loop configuration effectively varies the size of the third stage spool valve orifice which is embedded in the strut. This action allows the internal energy in the strut to shunt hydraulic flow around the metering orifice. The command signal to the loop is reference strut pressure which is compared to the measured strut pressure, the difference being the loop error. Thus, the loop effectively varies the spool valve orifice size to maintain the strut pressure, and therefore minimizes the wing/gear interface force referenced.

Optimized flexible cover films for improved conversion efficiency in thin film flexible solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guterman, Sidney; Wen, Xin; Gudavalli, Ganesh; Rhajbhandari, Pravakar; Dhakal, Tara P.; Wilt, David; Klotzkin, David

2018-05-01

Thin film solar cell technologies are being developed for lower cost and flexible applications. For such technologies, it is desirable to have inexpensive, flexible cover strips. In this paper, we demonstrate that transparent silicone cover glass adhesive can be doped with TiO2 nanoparticles to achieve an optimal refractive index and maximize the performance of the cell. Cells covered with the film doped with nanoparticles at the optimal concentration demonstrated a ∼1% increase in photocurrent over the plain (undoped) film. In addition, fused silica beads can be incorporated into the flexible cover slip to realize a built-in pseudomorphic glass diffuser layer as well. This additional degree of freedom in engineering flexible solar cell covers allows maximal performance from a given cell for minimal increased cost.

[Difficulty influence factors of dental caries clinical treatment].

PubMed

Xuedong, Zhou; Junqi, Ling; Jingping, Liang; Jiyao, Li; Lei, Cheng; Qing, Yu; Yumei, Niu; Bin, Guo; Hui, Chen

2017-02-01

Dental caries is a major disease that threaten human's oral healthy severely with the characteristics of high incidence, low rate of treatment and high rate of retreatment. At present, restorative treatment remains the main method for caries treatment. With the development of the Minimally Invasive Cosmetic Dentistry (MICD), reasonable application of various treatment technologies, maximum preservation of tooth tissues and realizing the maximization of treatment effects become problems that call for immediate solution in dental clinics. In addition, there still exist a large number of old restorations that need standard retreatments. Here, some difficulty influence factors of dental caries clinical treatment such as systemic and oral factors, individual caries susceptibility, treatment technologies and materials, retreatment methods of old restorations and technique sensitivity are analyzed, and corresponding processing strategies are also put forward.

Skin Damage Assessment by Ultrasonic Waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

Effective treatment of serious burns is dependent on early recognition of the extent of dead tissue and its removal to minimize the risk of infection and hasten healing. To meet the need for precise determination of burn depth, two physicists from Langley's Nondestructive Measurement Science Branch in cooperation with the Medical College of Virginia, Richmond, the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, and the NASA Technology Application Team, Research Triangle Institute, developed a prototype system that used ultrasound technology (originally developed as a means of detecting microscopic flaws in materials) for immediate assessment of burn depth. The system was commercialized by Westminster Supra Scanner, Inc., Orangeburg, NY, is produced under a NASA license, and was granted Food and Drug Administration approval in December 1990. It can be applied to the diagnosis of lymphatic disorders.

4-mm-diameter three-dimensional imaging endoscope with steerable camera for minimally invasive surgery (3-D-MARVEL).

PubMed

Bae, Sam Y; Korniski, Ronald J; Shearn, Michael; Manohara, Harish M; Shahinian, Hrayr

2017-01-01

High-resolution three-dimensional (3-D) imaging (stereo imaging) by endoscopes in minimally invasive surgery, especially in space-constrained applications such as brain surgery, is one of the most desired capabilities. Such capability exists at larger than 4-mm overall diameters. We report the development of a stereo imaging endoscope of 4-mm maximum diameter, called Multiangle, Rear-Viewing Endoscopic Tool (MARVEL) that uses a single-lens system with complementary multibandpass filter (CMBF) technology to achieve 3-D imaging. In addition, the system is endowed with the capability to pan from side-to-side over an angle of [Formula: see text], which is another unique aspect of MARVEL for such a class of endoscopes. The design and construction of a single-lens, CMBF aperture camera with integrated illumination to generate 3-D images, and the actuation mechanism built into it is summarized.

Water Stress & Biomass Monitoring and SWAP Modeling of Irrigated Crops in Saratov Region of Russia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeyliger, Anatoly; Ermolaeva, Olga

2016-04-01

Development of modern irrigation technologies are balanced between the need to maximize production and the need to minimize water use which provides harmonious interaction of irrigated systems with closely-spaced environment. Thus requires an understanding of complex interrelationships between landscape and underground of irrigated and adjacent areas in present and future conditions aiming to minimize development of negative scenarios. In this way in each irrigated areas a combination of specific factors and drivers must be recognized and evaluated. Much can be obtained by improving the efficiency use of water applied for irrigation. Modern RS monitoring technologies offers the opportunity to develop and implement an effective irrigation control program permitting today to increase efficiency of irrigation water use. These technologies provide parameters with both high temporal and adequate spatial needed to monitor agrohydrological parameters of irrigated agricultural crops. Combination of these parameters with meteorological and biophysical parameters can be used to estimate crop water stress defined as ratio between actual (ETa) and potential (ETc) evapotranspiration. Aggregation of actual values of crop water stress with biomass (yield) data predicted by agrohydrological model based on weather forecasting and scenarios of irrigation water application may be used for indication of both rational timing and amount of irrigation water allocation. This type of analysis facilitating an efficient water management can be easily extended to irrigated areas by developing maps of water efficiency application serving as an irrigation advice system for farmers at his fields and as a decision support tool for the authorities on the large perimeter irrigation management. This contribution aims to communicate an illustrative explanation about the practical application of a data combination of agrohydrological modeling and ground & space based monitoring. For this aim some results of analyzing water stress during growing season of 2012 and yielded biomass of crops three types of crops alfalfa, corn and soya irrigated by sprinkling machines at left bank of Volga River at Saratov Region of Russia are presented and analyzed. For that a combination of data received from satellite, local meteorological station and farmers as well as SWAP model was used. Analyze of data sets of monitored water deficit of each crop averaged for irrigation period was done by linear regression with yielded biomass values. Following analyze of effectiveness of irrigation water application was done by SWAP agrohydrological model.

R744 ejector technology future perspectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hafner, Armin; Banasiak, Krzysztof

2016-09-01

Carbon Dioxide, CO2 (R744) was one of the first commonly applied working fluids in the infancy of refrigeration more than 100 years ago. In contrast to ammonia it mainly disappeared after the first generation of synthetic refrigerants have been introduced to the market after 1930. One reason was that the transition from low-rpm belt driven compressors towards the direct electrical motor driven compressors (50-60 Hz) was not performed for CO2 compressors before the revival introduced by Gustav Lorentzen in the 90is of last century. Since 1988 an enormous R & D effort has been made to further develop CO2 refrigeration technology in spite of the opposition from the chemical industry. Today CO2 refrigeration and heat pumping technologies are accepted as viable and sustainable alternatives for several applications like commercial refrigeration, transport refrigeration, vehicle air conditioning & heat pumping, domestic hot water heat pumps and industrial applications. For some applications, the current threshold to introduce R744 technology can be overcome when the system design takes into account the advantage of the thermo dynamical- and fluid properties of CO2. I.e. the system is designed for transcritical operation with all it pros and cons and takes into consideration how to minimize the losses, and to apply the normally lost expansion work. Shortcut-designs, i.e. drop in solutions, just replacing the H(C)FC refrigeration unit with an CO2 systems adapted for higher system pressures will not result in energy efficient products. CO2 systems do offer the advantage of enabling flooded evaporators supported with adapted ejector technology. These units offer high system performances at low temperature differences and show low temperature air mal-distributions across evaporators. This work gives an overview for the development possibilities for several applications during the next years. Resulting in a further market share increase of CO2 refrigeration and heat pump systems, as energy efficient alternatives to current systems not applying natural working fluids.

Hybrid Exploration Agent Platform and Sensor Web System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stoffel, A. William; VanSteenberg, Michael E.

2004-01-01

A sensor web to collect the scientific data needed to further exploration is a major and efficient asset to any exploration effort. This is true not only for lunar and planetary environments, but also for interplanetary and liquid environments. Such a system would also have myriad direct commercial spin-off applications. The Hybrid Exploration Agent Platform and Sensor Web or HEAP-SW like the ANTS concept is a Sensor Web concept. The HEAP-SW is conceptually and practically a very different system. HEAP-SW is applicable to any environment and a huge range of exploration tasks. It is a very robust, low cost, high return, solution to a complex problem. All of the technology for initial development and implementation is currently available. The HEAP Sensor Web or HEAP-SW consists of three major parts, The Hybrid Exploration Agent Platforms or HEAP, the Sensor Web or SW and the immobile Data collection and Uplink units or DU. The HEAP-SW as a whole will refer to any group of mobile agents or robots where each robot is a mobile data collection unit that spends most of its time acting in concert with all other robots, DUs in the web, and the HEAP-SWs overall Command and Control (CC) system. Each DU and robot is, however, capable of acting independently. The three parts of the HEAP-SW system are discussed in this paper. The Goals of the HEAP-SW system are: 1) To maximize the amount of exploration enhancing science data collected; 2) To minimize data loss due to system malfunctions; 3) To minimize or, possibly, eliminate the risk of total system failure; 4) To minimize the size, weight, and power requirements of each HEAP robot; 5) To minimize HEAP-SW system costs. The rest of this paper discusses how these goals are attained.

Field Test of Advanced Duct-Sealing Technologies Within the Weatherization Assistance Program

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ternes, MP

A field test of an aerosol-spray duct-sealing technology and a conventional, best-practice approach was performed in 80 homes to determine the efficacy and programmatic needs of the duct-sealing technologies as applied in the U.S. Department of Energy Weatherization Assistance Program. The field test was performed in five states: Iowa, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming. The study found that, compared with the best-practice approach, the aerosol-spray technology is 50% more effective at sealing duct leaks and can potentially reduce labor time and costs for duct sealing by 70%, or almost 4 crew-hours. Further study to encourage and promote use ofmore » the aerosol-spray technology within the Weatherization Assistance Program is recommended. A pilot test of full production weatherization programs using the aerosol-spray technology is recommended to develop approaches for integrating this technology with other energy conservation measures and minimizing impacts on weatherization agency logistics. In order to allow or improve adoption of the aerosol spray technology within the Weatherization Assistance Program, issues must be addressed concerning equipment costs, use of the technology under franchise arrangements with Aeroseal, Inc. (the holders of an exclusive license to use this technology), software used to control the equipment, safety, and training. Application testing of the aerosol-spray technology in mobile homes is also recommended.« less

Robotics and the spine: a review of current and ongoing applications.

PubMed

Shweikeh, Faris; Amadio, Jordan P; Arnell, Monica; Barnard, Zachary R; Kim, Terrence T; Johnson, J Patrick; Drazin, Doniel

2014-03-01

Robotics in the operating room has shown great use and versatility in multiple surgical fields. Robot-assisted spine surgery has gained significant favor over its relatively short existence, due to its intuitive promise of higher surgical accuracy and better outcomes with fewer complications. Here, the authors analyze the existing literature on this growing technology in the era of minimally invasive spine surgery. In an attempt to provide the most recent, up-to-date review of the current literature on robotic spine surgery, a search of the existing literature was conducted to obtain all relevant studies on robotics as it relates to its application in spine surgery and other interventions. In all, 45 articles were included in the analysis. The authors discuss the current status of this technology and its potential in multiple arenas of spinal interventions, mainly spine surgery and spine biomechanics testing. There are numerous potential advantages and limitations to robotic spine surgery, as suggested in published case reports and in retrospective and prospective studies. Randomized controlled trials are few in number and show conflicting results regarding accuracy. The present limitations may be surmountable with future technological improvements, greater surgeon experience, reduced cost, improved operating room dynamics, and more training of surgical team members. Given the promise of robotics for improvements in spine surgery and spine biomechanics testing, more studies are needed to further explore the applicability of this technology in the spinal operating room. Due to the significant cost of the robotic equipment, studies are needed to substantiate that the increased equipment costs will result in significant benefits that will justify the expense.

Ten factors to consider when developing usability scenarios and tasks for health information technology.

PubMed

Russ, Alissa L; Saleem, Jason J

2018-02-01

The quality of usability testing is highly dependent upon the associated usability scenarios. To promote usability testing as part of electronic health record (EHR) certification, the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology requires that vendors test specific capabilities of EHRs with clinical end-users and report their usability testing process - including the test scenarios used - along with the results. The ONC outlines basic expectations for usability testing, but there is little guidance in usability texts or scientific literature on how to develop usability scenarios for healthcare applications. The objective of this article is to outline key factors to consider when developing usability scenarios and tasks to evaluate computer-interface based health information technologies. To achieve this goal, we draw upon a decade of our experience conducting usability tests with a variety of healthcare applications and a wide range of end-users, to include healthcare professionals as well as patients. We discuss 10 key factors that influence scenario development: objectives of usability testing; roles of end-user(s); target performance goals; evaluation time constraints; clinical focus; fidelity; scenario-related bias and confounders; embedded probes; minimize risks to end-users; and healthcare related outcome measures. For each factor, we present an illustrative example. This article is intended to aid usability researchers and practitioners in their efforts to advance health information technologies. The article provides broad guidance on usability scenario development and can be applied to a wide range of clinical information systems and applications. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Breaking Barriers to Low-Cost Modular Inverter Production & Use

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bogdan Borowy; Leo Casey; Jerry Foshage

2005-05-31

The goal of this cost share contract is to advance key technologies to reduce size, weight and cost while enhancing performance and reliability of Modular Inverter Product for Distributed Energy Resources (DER). Efforts address technology development to meet technical needs of DER market protection, isolation, reliability, and quality. Program activities build on SatCon Technology Corporation inverter experience (e.g., AIPM, Starsine, PowerGate) for Photovoltaic, Fuel Cell, Energy Storage applications. Efforts focused four technical areas, Capacitors, Cooling, Voltage Sensing and Control of Parallel Inverters. Capacitor efforts developed a hybrid capacitor approach for conditioning SatCon's AIPM unit supply voltages by incorporating several typesmore » and sizes to store energy and filter at high, medium and low frequencies while minimizing parasitics (ESR and ESL). Cooling efforts converted the liquid cooled AIPM module to an air-cooled unit using augmented fin, impingement flow cooling. Voltage sensing efforts successfully modified the existing AIPM sensor board to allow several, application dependent configurations and enabling voltage sensor galvanic isolation. Parallel inverter control efforts realized a reliable technique to control individual inverters, connected in a parallel configuration, without a communication link. Individual inverter currents, AC and DC, were balanced in the paralleled modules by introducing a delay to the individual PWM gate pulses. The load current sharing is robust and independent of load types (i.e., linear and nonlinear, resistive and/or inductive). It is a simple yet powerful method for paralleling both individual devices dramatically improves reliability and fault tolerance of parallel inverter power systems. A patent application has been made based on this control technology.« less

Autonomous self-powered structural health monitoring system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qing, Xinlin P.; Anton, Steven R.; Zhang, David; Kumar, Amrita; Inman, Daniel J.; Ooi, Teng K.

2010-03-01

Structural health monitoring technology is perceived as a revolutionary method of determining the integrity of structures involving the use of multidisciplinary fields including sensors, materials, system integration, signal processing and interpretation. The core of the technology is the development of self-sufficient systems for the continuous monitoring, inspection and damage detection of structures with minimal labor involvement. A major drawback of the existing technology for real-time structural health monitoring is the requirement for external electrical power input. For some applications, such as missiles or combat vehicles in the field, this factor can drastically limit the use of the technology. Having an on-board electrical power source that is independent of the vehicle power system can greatly enhance the SHM system and make it a completely self-contained system. In this paper, using the SMART layer technology as a basis, an Autonomous Self-powered (ASP) Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) system has been developed to solve the major challenge facing the transition of SHM systems into field applications. The architecture of the self-powered SHM system was first designed. There are four major components included in the SHM system: SMART Layer with sensor network, low power consumption diagnostic hardware, rechargeable battery with energy harvesting device, and host computer with supporting software. A prototype of the integrated self-powered active SHM system was built for performance and functionality testing. Results from the evaluation tests demonstrated that a fully charged battery system is capable of powering the SHM system for active scanning up to 10 hours.

Some Case Studies on Metal-Microbe Interactions to Remediate Heavy Metals- Contaminated Soils in Korea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chon, Hyo-Taek

2015-04-01

Conventional physicochemical technologies to remediate heavy metals-contaminated soil have many problems such as low efficiency, high cost and occurrence of byproducts. Recently bioremediation technology is getting more and more attention. Bioremediation is defined as the use of biological methods to remediate and/or restore the contaminated land. The objectives of bioremediation are to degrade hazardous organic contaminants and to convert hazardous inorganic contaminants to less toxic compounds of safe levels. The use of bioremediation in the treatment of heavy metals in soils is a relatively new concept. Bioremediation using microbes has been developed to remove toxic heavy metals from contaminated soils in laboratory scale to the contaminated field sites. Recently the application of cost-effective and environment-friendly bioremediation technology to the heavy metals-contaminated sites has been gradually realized in Korea. The merits of bioremediation include low cost, natural process, minimal exposure to the contaminants, and minimum amount of equipment. The limitations of bioremediation are length of remediation, long monitoring time, and, sometimes, toxicity of byproducts for especially organic contaminants. From now on, it is necessary to prove applicability of the technologies to contaminated sites and to establish highly effective, low-cost and easy bioremediation technology. Four categories of metal-microbe interactions are generally biosorption, bioreduction, biomineralization and bioleaching. In this paper, some case studies of the above metal-microbe interactions in author's lab which were published recently in domestic and international journals will be introduced and summarized.

Telementoring in education of laparoscopic surgeons: An emerging technology

PubMed Central

Bogen, Etai M; Augestad, Knut M; Patel, Hiten RH; Lindsetmo, Rolv-Ole

2014-01-01

Laparoscopy, minimally invasive and minimal access surgery with more surgeons performing these advanced procedures. We highlight in the review several key emerging technologies such as the telementoring and virtual reality simulators, that provide a solid ground for delivering surgical education to rural area and allow young surgeons a safety net and confidence while operating on a newly learned technique. PMID:24944728

Aspects regarding manufacturing technologies of composite materials for brake pad application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Craciun, A. L.; Hepuţ, T.; Pinca-Bretotean, C.

2018-01-01

Current needs in road safety, requires the development of new technical solutions for automotive braking system. Their safe operation is subject to following factors: concept design, materials used and electronic control. Among the factors previously listed, choice of materials and manufacturing processes are difficult stage but very important for achieving technical performance and getting a relatively small cost of constituting parts of brake system. The choice is based on the promotion of organic composite material, popular in areas where the weight of materials plays an important role. The brake system is composed of many different parts including brake pads, a master cylinder, wheel cylinders and a hydraulic control system. The brake pads are an important component in the braking system of automotive. These are of different types, suitable for different types of automotive and engines. Brake pads are designed for friction stability, durability, minimization of noise and vibration. The typology of the brake pads depends on the material which they are made. The aim of this paper is to presents the manufacturing technologies for ten recipes of composite material used in brake pads applications. In this work will be done: choosing the constituents of the recipes, investigation of their basic characteristics, setting the proportions of components, obtaining the composite materials in laboratory, establishing the parameters of manufacturing technology and technological analysis.

Navigation and Robotics in Spinal Surgery: Where Are We Now?

PubMed

Overley, Samuel C; Cho, Samuel K; Mehta, Ankit I; Arnold, Paul M

2017-03-01

Spine surgery has experienced much technological innovation over the past several decades. The field has seen advancements in operative techniques, implants and biologics, and equipment such as computer-assisted navigation and surgical robotics. With the arrival of real-time image guidance and navigation capabilities along with the computing ability to process and reconstruct these data into an interactive three-dimensional spinal "map", so too have the applications of surgical robotic technology. While spinal robotics and navigation represent promising potential for improving modern spinal surgery, it remains paramount to demonstrate its superiority as compared to traditional techniques prior to assimilation of its use amongst surgeons.The applications for intraoperative navigation and image-guided robotics have expanded to surgical resection of spinal column and intradural tumors, revision procedures on arthrodesed spines, and deformity cases with distorted anatomy. Additionally, these platforms may mitigate much of the harmful radiation exposure in minimally invasive surgery to which the patient, surgeon, and ancillary operating room staff are subjected.Spine surgery relies upon meticulous fine motor skills to manipulate neural elements and a steady hand while doing so, often exploiting small working corridors utilizing exposures that minimize collateral damage. Additionally, the procedures may be long and arduous, predisposing the surgeon to both mental and physical fatigue. In light of these characteristics, spine surgery may actually be an ideal candidate for the integration of navigation and robotic-assisted procedures.With this paper, we aim to critically evaluate the current literature and explore the options available for intraoperative navigation and robotic-assisted spine surgery. Copyright © 2016 by the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

Aerospace Fuels From Nonpetroleum Raw Materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Palaszewski, Bryan A.; Hepp, Aloysius F.; Kulis, Michael J.; Jaworske, Donald A.

2013-01-01

Recycling human metabolic and plastic wastes minimizes cost and increases efficiency by reducing the need to transport consumables and return trash, respectively, from orbit to support a space station crew. If the much larger costs of transporting consumables to the Moon and beyond are taken into account, developing waste recycling technologies becomes imperative and possibly mission enabling. Reduction of terrestrial waste streams while producing energy and/or valuable raw materials is an opportunity being realized by a new generation of visionary entrepreneurs; several relevant technologies are briefly compared, contrasted and assessed for space applications. A two-step approach to nonpetroleum raw materials utilization is presented; the first step involves production of supply or producer gas. This is akin to synthesis gas containing carbon oxides, hydrogen, and simple hydrocarbons. The second step involves production of fuel via the Sabatier process, a methanation reaction, or another gas-to-liquid technology, typically Fischer-Tropsch processing. Optimization to enhance the fraction of product stream relevant to transportation fuels via catalytic (process) development at NASA Glenn Research Center is described. Energy utilization is a concern for production of fuels whether for operation on the lunar or Martian surface, or beyond. The term green relates to not only mitigating excess carbon release but also to the efficiency of energy usage. For space, energy usage can be an essential concern. Another issue of great concern is minimizing impurities in the product stream(s), especially those that are potential health risks and/or could degrade operations through catalyst poisoning or equipment damage; technologies being developed to remove heteroatom impurities are discussed. Alternative technologies to utilize waste fluids, such as a propulsion option called the resistojet, are discussed. The resistojet is an electric propulsion technology with a powered thruster to vaporize and heat a propellant to high temperature, hot gases are subsequently passed through a converging-diverging nozzle expanding gases to supersonic velocities. A resistojet can accommodate many different fluids, including various reaction chamber (by-)products.

Aerospace Fuels from Nonpetroleum Raw Materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Palaszewski, B. A.; Hepp, A. F.; Kulis, M. J.; Jaworske, D. A.

2013-01-01

Recycling human metabolic and plastic wastes minimizes cost and increases efficiency by reducing the need to transport consumables and return trash, respectively, from orbit to support a space station crew. If the much larger costs of transporting consumables to the Moon and beyond are taken into account, developing waste recycling technologies becomes imperative and possibly mission enabling. Reduction of terrestrial waste streams while producing energy and/or valuable raw materials is an opportunity being realized by a new generation of visionary entrepreneurs; several relevant technologies are briefly compared, contrasted and assessed for space applications. A two-step approach to nonpetroleum raw materials utilization is presented; the first step involves production of supply or producer gas. This is akin to synthesis gas containing carbon oxides, hydrogen, and simple hydrocarbons. The second step involves production of fuel via the Sabatier process, a methanation reaction, or another gas-to-liquid technology, typically Fischer- Tropsch processing. Optimization to enhance the fraction of product stream relevant to transportation fuels via catalytic (process) development at NASA GRC is described. Energy utilization is a concern for production of fuels whether for operation on the lunar or Martian surface, or beyond. The term "green" relates to not only mitigating excess carbon release but also to the efficiency of energy usage. For space, energy usage can be an essential concern. Other issues of great concern include minimizing impurities in the product stream(s), especially those that are potential health risks and/or could de-grade operations through catalyst poisoning or equipment damage; technologies being developed to remove heteroatom impurities are discussed. Alternative technologies to utilize waste fluids, such as a propulsion option called the resistojet, are discussed. The resistojet is an electric propulsion technology with a powered thruster to vaporize and heat a propellant to high temperature, hot gases are subsequently passed through a converging-diverging nozzle expanding gases to supersonic velocities. A resistojet can accommodate many different fluids, including various reaction chamber (by-)products.

Semiconductor Seeded Nanorods with Graded Composition Exhibiting High Quantum-Yield, High Polarization, and Minimal Blinking.

PubMed

Hadar, Ido; Philbin, John P; Panfil, Yossef E; Neyshtadt, Shany; Lieberman, Itai; Eshet, Hagai; Lazar, Sorin; Rabani, Eran; Banin, Uri

2017-04-12

Seeded semiconductor nanorods represent a unique family of quantum confined materials that manifest characteristics of mixed dimensionality. They show polarized emission with high quantum yield and fluorescence switching under an electric field, features that are desirable for use in display technologies and other optical applications. So far, their robust synthesis has been limited mainly to CdSe/CdS heterostructures, thereby constraining the spectral tunability to the red region of the visible spectrum. Herein we present a novel synthesis of CdSe/Cd 1-x Zn x S seeded nanorods with a radially graded composition that show bright and highly polarized green emission with minimal intermittency, as confirmed by ensemble and single nanorods optical measurements. Atomistic pseudopotential simulations elucidate the importance of the Zn atoms within the nanorod structure, in particular the effect of the graded composition. Thus, the controlled addition of Zn influences and improves the nanorods' optoelectronic performance by providing an additional handle to manipulate the degree confinement beyond the common size control approach. These nanorods may be utilized in applications that require the generation of a full, rich spectrum such as energy-efficient displays and lighting.

Application of ecological momentary assessment in workplace health evaluation.

PubMed

Engelen, Lina; Chau, Josephine Y; Burks-Young, Sarah; Bauman, Adrian

2016-02-01

Issue addressed Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) involves repeated sampling of current behaviours and experiences in real-time at random intervals. EMA is an innovative measurement method for program evaluation, using mobile technology (e.g. smartphones) to collect valid contextual health promotion data with good compliance. The present study examined the feasibility of using EMA for measuring workplace health outcomes. Methods Twenty-two office-based adults were prompted at four random times per work-day during a 5-day period to respond to a short survey via a smartphone application. The prompting stopped when participants had either responded 12 times or the 5-day period had ended. The questions pertained to posture, task currently being undertaken, social interactions, musculoskeletal issues, mood, and perceptions of engagement and creativity. Results In total 156 responses were collected. Nine participants completed all 12 surveys; the average completion rate was 58% (7/12). The average completion time was initially 50s and reduced to 24s during the later surveys. On average the participants were sitting and standing in 79% and 14% of survey instances, respectively. The participants reported they were working alone at their desks in 68% of instances. Reported productivity and stress were on average 6 and 3 out of 10, respectively, but varied up to 6-8 points within one person, hence the method appears sensitive to temporal variations in perceptions and mood. Conclusion Given the rich real-time data, minimal participant burden and use of readily available technology, EMA has substantial potential in workplace health promotion evaluation through the measurement of participants' well being, activities, and behaviour change. So what? An in-the-moment method using readily available mobile technology to assess participants' perceptions, mood and activity that provides rich information with minimal participant burden is a promising way to evaluate future health promotion programs.

Technology-Aided Leisure and Communication Opportunities for Two Post-Coma Persons Emerged from a Minimally Conscious State and Affected by Multiple Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lancioni, Giulio E.; O'Reilly, Mark F.; Singh, Nirbhay N.; Sigafoos, Jeff; Buonocunto, Francesca; Sacco, Valentina; Navarro, Jorge; Lanzilotti, Crocifissa; De Tommaso, Marina; Megna, Marisa; Oliva, Doretta

2013-01-01

This study assessed technology-aided programs for helping two post-coma persons, who had emerged from a minimally conscious state and were affected by multiple disabilities, to (a) engage with leisure stimuli and request caregiver's procedures, (b) send out and listen to text messages for communication with distant partners, and (c) combine…

Modeling of endoluminal and interstitial ultrasound hyperthermia and thermal ablation: applications to device design, feedback control, and treatment planning

PubMed Central

Prakash, Punit; Salgaonkar, Vasant A.; Diederich, Chris J.

2014-01-01

Endoluminal and catheter-based ultrasound applicators are currently under development and are in clinical use for minimally invasive hyperthermia and thermal ablation of various tissue targets. Computational models play a critical role in in device design and optimization, assessment of therapeutic feasibility and safety, devising treatment monitoring and feedback control strategies, and performing patient-specific treatment planning with this technology. The critical aspects of theoretical modeling, applied specifically to endoluminal and interstitial ultrasound thermotherapy, are reviewed. Principles and practical techniques for modeling acoustic energy deposition, bioheat transfer, thermal tissue damage, and dynamic changes in the physical and physiological state of tissue are reviewed. The integration of these models and applications of simulation techniques in identification of device design parameters, development of real time feedback-control platforms, assessing the quality and safety of treatment delivery strategies, and optimization of inverse treatment plans are presented. PMID:23738697

Applications of low-cost radio-controlled airplanes to environmental restoration at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nyquist, J.E.

1996-10-01

The US DOE is endeavoring to clean up contamination created by the disposal of chemical and nuclear waste on the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR), Tennessee, with an emphasis on minimizing off-site migration of contaminated surface and ground water. The task is complicated by inadequate disposal records and by the complexity of the local geology. Remote sensing data, including aerial photography and geophysics, have played an important role in the ORR site characterization. Are there advantages to collecting remote sensing data using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV`s)? In this paper, I will discuss the applications of UAV`s being explored at Oak Ridgemore » National Laboratory (ORNL) under the sponsorship of the Department of Energy`s Office of Science and technology. These applications are : aerial photography, magnetic mapping, and Very Low Frequency (VLF) electromagnetic mapping.« less

Improving mass transfer to soften tissues by pulsed electric fields: fundamentals and applications.

PubMed

Puértolas, E; Luengo, E; Álvarez, I; Raso, J

2012-01-01

The mass transfer phenomenon occurs in many operations of the food industry with the purpose of obtaining a given substance of interest, removing water from foods, or introducing a given substance into the food matrix. Pretreatments that modify the permeability of the cell membranes, such as grinding, heating, or enzymatic treatment, enhance the mass transfer. However, these techniques may require a significant amount of energy and can cause losses of valuable food compounds. Pulsed electric field (PEF) technology is a nonthermal processing method that causes permeabilization of cell membranes using low energy requirements and minimizing quality deterioration of the food compounds. Many practical applications of PEF for enhancing mass transfer in the food industry have been investigated. The purpose of this chapter is to give an overview of the state of the art of application of PEF for improving mass transfer in the food industry.

Optimal Tuner Selection for Kalman-Filter-Based Aircraft Engine Performance Estimation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simon, Donald L.; Garg, Sanjay

2011-01-01

An emerging approach in the field of aircraft engine controls and system health management is the inclusion of real-time, onboard models for the inflight estimation of engine performance variations. This technology, typically based on Kalman-filter concepts, enables the estimation of unmeasured engine performance parameters that can be directly utilized by controls, prognostics, and health-management applications. A challenge that complicates this practice is the fact that an aircraft engine s performance is affected by its level of degradation, generally described in terms of unmeasurable health parameters such as efficiencies and flow capacities related to each major engine module. Through Kalman-filter-based estimation techniques, the level of engine performance degradation can be estimated, given that there are at least as many sensors as health parameters to be estimated. However, in an aircraft engine, the number of sensors available is typically less than the number of health parameters, presenting an under-determined estimation problem. A common approach to address this shortcoming is to estimate a subset of the health parameters, referred to as model tuning parameters. The problem/objective is to optimally select the model tuning parameters to minimize Kalman-filterbased estimation error. A tuner selection technique has been developed that specifically addresses the under-determined estimation problem, where there are more unknown parameters than available sensor measurements. A systematic approach is applied to produce a model tuning parameter vector of appropriate dimension to enable estimation by a Kalman filter, while minimizing the estimation error in the parameters of interest. Tuning parameter selection is performed using a multi-variable iterative search routine that seeks to minimize the theoretical mean-squared estimation error of the Kalman filter. This approach can significantly reduce the error in onboard aircraft engine parameter estimation applications such as model-based diagnostic, controls, and life usage calculations. The advantage of the innovation is the significant reduction in estimation errors that it can provide relative to the conventional approach of selecting a subset of health parameters to serve as the model tuning parameter vector. Because this technique needs only to be performed during the system design process, it places no additional computation burden on the onboard Kalman filter implementation. The technique has been developed for aircraft engine onboard estimation applications, as this application typically presents an under-determined estimation problem. However, this generic technique could be applied to other industries using gas turbine engine technology.

A model for technology assessment as applied to closed loop infusion systems. Technology Assessment Task Force of the Society of Critical Care Medicine.

PubMed

Jastremski, M; Jastremski, C; Shepherd, M; Friedman, V; Porembka, D; Smith, R; Gonzales, E; Swedlow, D; Belzberg, H; Crass, R

1995-10-01

To test a model for the assessment of critical care technology on closed loop infusion control, a technology that is in its early stages of development and testing on human subjects. A computer-assisted search of the English language literature and reviews of the gathered data by experts in the field of closed loop infusion control systems. Studies relating to closed loop infusion control that addressed one or more of the questions contained in our technology assessment template were analyzed. Study design was not a factor in article selection. However, the lack of well-designed clinical outcome studies was an important factor in determining our conclusions. A focus person summarized the data from the selected studies that related to each of the assessment questions. The preliminary data summary developed by the focus person was further analyzed and refined by the task force. Experts in closed loop systems were then added to the group to review the summary provided by the task force. These experts' comments were considered by the task force and this final consensus report was developed. Closed loop system control is a technological concept that may be applicable to several aspects of critical care practice. This is a technology in the early stages of evolution and much more research and data are needed before its introduction into usual clinical practice. Furthermore, each specific application and each device for each application (e.g., nitroprusside infusion, ventilator adjustment), although based on the same technological concept, are sufficiently different in terms of hardware and computer algorithms to require independent validation studies. Closed loop infusion systems may have a role in critical care practice. However, for most applications, further development is required to move this technology from the innovation phase to the point where it can be evaluated so that its role in critical car practice can be defined. Each application of closed loop infusion systems must be independently validated by appropriately designed research studies. Users should be provided with the clinical parameters driving each closed loop system so that they can ensure that it agrees with their opinion of acceptable medical practice. Clinical researchers and leaders in industry should collaborate to perform the scientifically valid, outcome-based research that is necessary to evaluate the effect of this new technology. The original model we developed for technology assessment required the addition of several more questions to produce a complete analysis of an emerging technology. An emerging technology should be systematically assessed (using a model such as the model developed by the Society of Critical Care Medicine), before its introduction into clinical practice in order to provide a focus for human outcome validation trials and to minimize the possibility of widespread use of an unproven technology.

Getting rid of the unwanted: highlights of developments and challenges of biobeneficiation of iron ore minerals-a review.

PubMed

Adeleke, Rasheed A

2014-12-01

The quest for quality mineral resources has led to the development of many technologies that can be used to refine minerals. Biohydrometallurgy is becoming an increasingly acceptable technology worldwide because it is cheap and environmentally friendly. This technology has been successfully developed for some sulphidic minerals such as gold and copper. In spite of wide acceptability of this technology, there are limitations to its applications especially in the treatment of non-sulphidic minerals such as iron ore minerals. High levels of elements such as potassium (K) and phosphorus (P) in iron ore minerals are known to reduce the quality and price of these minerals. Hydrometallurgical methods that are non-biological involving the use of chemicals are usually used to deal with this problem. However, recent advances in mining technologies favour green technologies, known as biohydrometallurgy, with minimal impact on the environment. This technology can be divided into two, namely bioleaching and biobeneficiation. This review focuses on Biobeneficiation of iron ore minerals. Biobeneficiation of iron ore is very challenging due to the low price and chemical constitution of the ore. There are substantial interests in the exploration of this technology for improving the quality of iron ore minerals. In this review, current developments in the biobeneficiation of iron ore minerals are considered, and potential solutions to challenges faced in the wider adoption of this technology are proposed.

Types of Lasers and Their Applications in Pediatric Dentistry

PubMed Central

Nazemisalman, Bahareh; Farsadeghi, Mahya; Sokhansanj, Mehdi

2015-01-01

Laser technology has been recently introduced into the dental field with the idea to replace drilling. Having a less painful first dental experience by the use of modern instruments like laser can be an efficient preventive and therapeutic strategy in pediatric dentistry. Pedodontists need to learn the new less invasive technologies and adopt them in their routine practice. This study aimed to review the available types of lasers and their applications in pediatric dentistry. An electronic search was carried out in IranMedex, InterScience, Scopus, Science Direct, PubMed, ProQuest, Medline and Google Scholar databases to find relevant articles published from 2000 to 2014. Relevant textbooks were reviewed as well. Laser can be used as a suitable alternative to many conventional diagnostic and therapeutic dental procedures. It is especially efficient for caries detection and removal, pulp therapy, lowering the risk of infection, inflammation and swelling and reducing bleeding. On the other hand, due to minimal invasion, laser treatment is well tolerated by children. Improved patient cooperation leads to higher satisfaction of the parents, dentists and the children themselves. PMID:26464775

1996 Site environmental report Sandia National Laboratories Albuquerque, New Mexico

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fink, C.H.; Duncan, D.; Sanchez, R.

1997-08-01

Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico (SNL/NM) is operated in support of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) mission to provide weapon component technology and hardware for national security needs, and to conduct fundamental research and development (R&D) to advance technology in energy research, computer science, waste management, electronics, materials science, and transportation safety for hazardous and nuclear components. In support of this mission, the Environmental Safety and Health (ES&H) Center at SNL/NM conducts extensive environmental monitoring, surveillance, and compliance activities to assist SNL`s line organizations in meeting all applicable environmental regulations applicable to the site including those regulating radiological and nonradiologicalmore » effluents and emissions. Also herein are included, the status of environmental programs that direct and manage activities such as terrestrial surveillance; ambient air and meteorological monitoring; hazardous, radioactive, and solid waste management; pollution prevention and waste minimization; environmental restoration (ER); oil and chemical spill prevention; and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documentation. This report has been prepared in compliance with DOE order 5400.1, General Environmental Protection.« less

Progress in ultrafast laser processing and future prospects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugioka, Koji

2017-03-01

The unique characteristics of ultrafast lasers have rapidly revolutionized materials processing after their first demonstration in 1987. The ultrashort pulse width of the laser suppresses heat diffusion to the surroundings of the processed region, which minimizes the formation of a heat-affected zone and thereby enables ultrahigh precision micro- and nanofabrication of various materials. In addition, the extremely high peak intensity can induce nonlinear multiphoton absorption, which extends the diversity of materials that can be processed to transparent materials such as glass. Nonlinear multiphoton absorption enables three-dimensional (3D) micro- and nanofabrication by irradiation with tightly focused femtosecond laser pulses inside transparent materials. Thus, ultrafast lasers are currently widely used for both fundamental research and practical applications. This review presents progress in ultrafast laser processing, including micromachining, surface micro- and nanostructuring, nanoablation, and 3D and volume processing. Advanced technologies that promise to enhance the performance of ultrafast laser processing, such as hybrid additive and subtractive processing, and shaped beam processing are discussed. Commercial and industrial applications of ultrafast laser processing are also introduced. Finally, future prospects of the technology are given with a summary.

Robotic surgery in gynecologic cancer.

PubMed

Yim, Ga Won; Kim, Young Tae

2012-02-01

The development of robotic technology has facilitated the application of minimally invasive techniques for complex operations in gynecologic oncology. The objective of this article is to review the published literature regarding robotic surgery and its application to gynecologic cancer. To date, 20 articles addressing radical hysterectomy, six articles of radical trachelectomy, seven articles of surgical procedure in advanced or recurrent cervical cancer, 14 articles of endometrial cancer staging, and two articles solely on ovarian cancer all performed robotically are published in the literature. The majority of publications on robotic surgery are still retrospective or descriptive in nature. However, the data for gynecologic cancer show comparable results of robotic surgery compared with laparoscopy or laparotomy in terms of blood loss, length of hospital stay, and complications. Computer-enhanced technology with its associated benefits appears to facilitate the surgical approach for technically challenging operations performed to treat selected cases of cervical, endometrial, and ovarian cancer as evidenced by the current literature. Continued research and clinical trials are needed to further elucidate the equivalence or superiority of robot-assisted surgery to conventional methods in terms of oncologic outcome and patients' quality of life.

Study of power management technology for orbital multi-100KWe applications. Volume 2: Study results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mildice, J. W.

1980-01-01

The preliminary requirements and technology advances required for cost effective space power management systems for multi-100 kilowatt requirements were identified. System requirements were defined by establishing a baseline space platform in the 250 KE KWe range and examining typical user loads and interfaces. The most critical design parameters identified for detailed analysis include: increased distribution voltages and space plasma losses, the choice between ac and dc distribution systems, shuttle servicing effects on reliability, life cycle costs, and frequency impacts to power management system and payload systems for AC transmission. The first choice for a power management system for this kind of application and size range is a hybrid ac/dc combination with the following major features: modular design and construction-sized minimum weight/life cycle cost; high voltage transmission (100 Vac RMS); medium voltage array or = 440 Vdc); resonant inversion; transformer rotary joint; high frequency power transmission line or = 20 KHz); energy storage on array side or rotary joint; fully redundant; and 10 year life with minimal replacement and repair.

A Novel Approach to High Definition, High-Contrast Video Capture in Abdominal Surgery

PubMed Central

Cosman, Peter H.; Shearer, Christopher J.; Hugh, Thomas J.; Biankin, Andrew V.; Merrett, Neil D.

2007-01-01

Objective: The aim of this study was to define the best available option for video capture of surgical procedures for educational and archival purposes, with a view to identifying methods of capturing high-quality footage and identifying common pitfalls. Summary Background Data: Several options exist for those who wish to record operative surgical techniques on video. While high-end equipment is an unnecessary expense for most surgical units, several techniques are readily available that do not require industrial-grade audiovisual recording facilities, but not all are suited to every surgical application. Methods: We surveyed and evaluated the available technology for video capture in surgery. Our evaluation included analyses of video resolution, depth of field, contrast, exposure, image stability, and frame composition, as well as considerations of cost, accessibility, utility, feasibility, and economies of scale. Results: Several video capture options were identified, and the strengths and shortcomings of each were catalogued. None of the commercially available options was deemed suitable for high-quality video capture of abdominal surgical procedures. A novel application of off-the-shelf technology was devised to address these issues. Conclusions: Excellent quality video capture of surgical procedures within deep body cavities is feasible using commonly available equipment and technology, with minimal technical difficulty. PMID:17414600

How to get the best from robotic thoracic surgery.

PubMed

Ricciardi, Sara; Zirafa, Carmelina Cristina; Davini, Federico; Melfi, Franca

2018-04-01

The application of Robotic technology in thoracic surgery has become widespread in the last decades. Thanks to its advanced features, the robotic system allows to perform a broad range of complex operations safely and in a comfortable way, with valuable advantages related to low invasiveness. Regarding lung tumours, several studies have shown the benefits of robotic surgery including lower blood loss and improved lymph node removal when compared with other minimally invasive techniques. Moreover, the robotic instruments allow to reach deep and narrow spaces permitting safe and precise removal of tumours located in remote areas, such as retrosternal and posterior mediastinal spaces with outstanding postoperative and oncological results. One controversial finding about the application of robotic system is its high capital and running costs. For this reason, a limited number of centres worldwide are able to employ this groundbreaking technology and there are limited possibilities for the trainees to acquire the necessary skills in robotic surgery. Therefore, a training programme based on three steps of learning, associated with a solid surgical background and a consistent operating activity, are required to obtain effective results. Putting this highest technological innovation in the hand of expert surgeons we can assure safe and effective procedures getting the best from robotic thoracic surgery.

A comprehensive overview of radioguided surgery using gamma detection probe technology

PubMed Central

Povoski, Stephen P; Neff, Ryan L; Mojzisik, Cathy M; O'Malley, David M; Hinkle, George H; Hall, Nathan C; Murrey, Douglas A; Knopp, Michael V; Martin, Edward W

2009-01-01

The concept of radioguided surgery, which was first developed some 60 years ago, involves the use of a radiation detection probe system for the intraoperative detection of radionuclides. The use of gamma detection probe technology in radioguided surgery has tremendously expanded and has evolved into what is now considered an established discipline within the practice of surgery, revolutionizing the surgical management of many malignancies, including breast cancer, melanoma, and colorectal cancer, as well as the surgical management of parathyroid disease. The impact of radioguided surgery on the surgical management of cancer patients includes providing vital and real-time information to the surgeon regarding the location and extent of disease, as well as regarding the assessment of surgical resection margins. Additionally, it has allowed the surgeon to minimize the surgical invasiveness of many diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, while still maintaining maximum benefit to the cancer patient. In the current review, we have attempted to comprehensively evaluate the history, technical aspects, and clinical applications of radioguided surgery using gamma detection probe technology. PMID:19173715

Status of a Power Processor for the Prometheus-1 Electric Propulsion System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pinero, Luis R.; Hill, Gerald M.; Aulisio, Michael; Gerber, Scott; Griebeler, Elmer; Hewitt, Frank; Scina, Joseph

2006-01-01

NASA is developing technologies for nuclear electric propulsion for proposed deep space missions in support of the Exploration initiative under Project Prometheus. Electrical power produced by the combination of a fission-based power source and a Brayton power conversion and distribution system is used by a high specific impulse ion propulsion system to propel the spaceship. The ion propulsion system include the thruster, power processor and propellant feed system. A power processor technology development effort was initiated under Project Prometheus to develop high performance and lightweight power-processing technologies suitable for the application. This effort faces multiple challenges including developing radiation hardened power modules and converters with very high power capability and efficiency to minimize the impact on the power conversion and distribution system as well as the heat rejection system. This paper documents the design and test results of the first version of the beam supply, the design of a second version of the beam supply and the design and test results of the ancillary supplies.

Ambulatory Assessment.

PubMed

Carpenter, Ryan W; Wycoff, Andrea M; Trull, Timothy J

2016-08-01

In recent years, significant technological advances have changed our understanding of dynamic processes in clinical psychology. A particularly important agent of change has been ambulatory assessment (AA). AA is the assessment of individuals in their daily lives, combining the twin benefits of increased ecological validity and minimized retrospective biases. These benefits make AA particularly well-suited to the assessment of dynamic processes, and recent advancements in technology are providing exciting new opportunities to understand these processes in new ways. In the current article, we briefly detail the capabilities currently offered by smartphones and mobile physiological devices, as well as some of the practical and ethical challenges of incorporating these new technologies into AA research. We then provide several examples of recent innovative applications of AA methodology in clinical research, assessment, and intervention and provide a case example of AA data generated from a study utilizing multiple mobile devices. In this way, we aim to provide a sense of direction for researchers planning AA studies of their own.

Endoscopic Management of Early Adenocarcinoma and Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Esophagus: Screening, Diagnosis, and Therapy.

PubMed

di Pietro, Massimiliano; Canto, Marcia I; Fitzgerald, Rebecca C

2018-01-01

Because the esophagus is easily accessible with endoscopy, early diagnosis and curative treatment of esophageal cancer is possible. However, diagnosis is often delayed because symptoms are not specific during early stages of tumor development. The onset of dysphagia is associated with advanced disease, which has a survival at 5 years lower than 15%. Population screening by endoscopy is not cost-effective, but a number of alternative imaging and cell analysis technologies are under investigation. The ideal screening test should be inexpensive, well tolerated, and applicable to primary care. Over the past 10 years, significant progress has been made in endoscopic diagnosis and treatment of dysplasia (squamous and Barrett's), and early esophageal cancer using resection and ablation technologies supported by evidence from randomized controlled trials. We review the state-of-the-art technologies for early diagnosis and minimally invasive treatment, which together could reduce the burden of disease. Copyright © 2018 AGA Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Accelerating Commercial Remote Sensing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

Through the Visiting Investigator Program (VIP) at Stennis Space Center, Community Coffee was able to use satellites to forecast coffee crops in Guatemala. Using satellite imagery, the company can produce detailed maps that separate coffee cropland from wild vegetation and show information on the health of specific crops. The data can control coffee prices and eventually may be used to optimize application of fertilizers, pesticides and irrigation. This would result in maximal crop yields, minimal pollution and lower production costs. VIP is a mechanism involving NASA funding designed to accelerate the growth of commercial remote sensing by promoting general awareness and basic training in the technology.

Fracture mechanics technology for optimum pressure vessel design.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bjeletich, J. G.; Morton, T. M.

1973-01-01

A technique has been developed to design a maximum efficiency reliable pressure vessel of given geometry and service life. The technique for ensuring reliability of the minimum weight vessel relies on the application of linear elastic fracture mechanics and fracture mechanics concepts. The resultant design incorporates potential fatigue and stress corrosion crack extension during service of a worst case initial flaw. Maximum stress for safe life is specified by the design technique, thereby minimizing weight. Ratios of pressure and toughness parameters are employed to avoid arbitrary specification of design stress level which would lead to a suboptimum design.

Mobile Phone Messaging During Unobserved "Home" Induction to Buprenorphine.

PubMed

Tofighi, Babak; Grossman, Ellie; Sherman, Scott; Nunes, Edward V; Lee, Joshua D

2016-01-01

The deployment of health information technologies promises to optimize clinical outcomes for populations with substance use disorders. Electronic health records, web-based counseling interventions, and mobile phone applications enhance the delivery of evidence-based behavioral and pharmacological treatments, with minimal burden to clinical personnel, infrastructure, and work flows. This clinical case shares a recent experience utilizing mobile phone text messaging between an office-based buprenorphine provider in a safety net ambulatory clinic and a patient seeking buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder. The case highlights the use of text message-based physician-patient communication to facilitate unobserved "home" induction onto buprenorphine.

Rotor dynamic considerations for large wind power generator systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ormiston, R. A.

1973-01-01

Successful large, reliable, low maintenance wind turbines must be designed with full consideration for minimizing dynamic response to aerodynamic, inertial, and gravitational forces. Much of existing helicopter rotor technology is applicable to this problem. Compared with helicopter rotors, large wind turbines are likely to be relatively less flexible with higher dimensionless natural frequencies. For very large wind turbines, low power output per unit weight and stresses due to gravitational forces are limiting factors. The need to reduce rotor complexity to a minimum favors the use of cantilevered (hingeless) rotor configurations where stresses are relieved by elastic deformations.

Aerospace Environmental Technology Conference

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitaker, A. F. (Editor)

1995-01-01

The mandated elimination of CFC's, Halons, TCA, and other ozone depleting chemicals and specific hazardous materials has required changes and new developments in aerospace materials and processes. The aerospace industry has been involved for several years in providing product substitutions, redesigning entire production processes, and developing new materials that minimize or eliminate damage to the environment. These activities emphasize replacement cleaning solvents and their application verifications, compliant coatings including corrosion protection systems, and removal techniques, chemical propulsion effects on the environment, and the initiation of modifications to relevant processing and manufacturing specifications and standards. The Executive Summary of this Conference is published as NASA CP-3297.

Basics of Compounding: Hot Melt Extrusion.

PubMed

DePasquale, Seth

2017-01-01

Hot Melt Extrusion, a production process that has been around for quite some time, has the ability to produce innovative compounds not previously achievable with conventional methods. However, many variables need to be considered prior to production. The use of small-scale extruders and 3D printers provides compounders a pathway for developing new dosage forms at a minimal cost while initial research is being completed. This article discusses the uses of Hot Melt Extrusion, the equipment used, the current and future applications, and the challenges with the technology. Copyright© by International Journal of Pharmaceutical Compounding, Inc.

Insights into energy delivery to myocardial tissue during radiofrequency ablation through application of the first law of thermodynamics.

PubMed

Bunch, T Jared; Day, John D; Packer, Douglas L

2009-04-01

The approach to catheter-based radiofrequency ablation of atrial fibrillation has evolved, and as a consequence, more energy is delivered in the posterior left atrium, exposing neighboring tissue to untoward thermal injury. Simultaneously, catheter technology has advanced to allow more efficient energy delivery into the myocardium, which compounds the likelihood of collateral injury. This review focuses on the basic principles of thermodynamics as they apply to energy delivery during radiofrequency ablation. These principles can be used to titrate energy delivery and plan ablative approaches in an effort to minimize complications during the procedure.

[TITANIUM NICKELIDE TECHNOLOGIES IN MINIMALLY INVASIVE SURGERY OF KIDNEY AND UPPER URINARY TRACT].

PubMed

Feofilov, L V

2015-01-01

The most common pathology of the kidney and upper urinary tract includes nephrolithiasis, ureteral strictures and renal cysts. In the treatment of patients with these diseases, the majority of surgeons prefer minimally invasive techniques, including endoscopic surgery. The complication rate of percutaneous surgery is a major factor in encouraging the search for new treatments. We have analyzed the results of 402 x-ray-endoscopic operations performed with the use of technologies based on titanium nickelide materials in patients with nephrolithiasis, ureteral strictures and kidney cysts. The high effectiveness and reliability of porous titanium nickelide cryoapplicator was noted in control of percutaneous channel bleeding and prevention. The proposed suspension nephropexy with fine titanium granules in coexisting nephrolithiasis and nephroptosis demonstrated 1.5 times greater effectiveness compared to the traditional nephropexy, reducing duration of nephrostomy and rehabilitation by almost 3 times. The proposed methods of intubation by permanent and temporary stents with shape memory after percutaneous ureteropelvic junction stricture correction are promising in the treatment of patients with this pathology of the upper urinary tract. Application of titanium nickelide implants in simple renal cyst surgery has led to a significant increase in the effectiveness of these operations, improvement in long-term results and patients' quality of life.

Energy Efficient High-Pressure Turbine Leakage Technology Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gardner, W. B.

1980-01-01

The leakage test program was one of such supporting technology programs structured to provide guidance to the Energy Efficient Engine High Pressure Turbine Component Design Effort. Leakage reduction techniques were identified and evaluated. Test models were used to simulate component leak paths and to evaluate leakage reduction techniques. These models simulated the blade/disk attachment, the vane inner platform attachment, and the vane outer platform attachment combined with the blade outer airseal. Disk blade attachment testing indicated that leakage in this area could be reduced to very low levels by paying careful attention to the tolerances along the contact surface between the blade vibration damper and the blade platform contact surface. The aim of feather seal testing was to achieve a goal for an effective leakage gap of one mil (.001 inch) per inch of feather seal length. Results indicated that effective gaps even below the goal level were achievable by (1) maintaining close tolerances between feather seals and their slots to minimize end gaps and limit seal rotation, (2) avoiding feather seal overlap, and (3) minimizing feather seal intersections. W seals were shown to be effective leakage control devices. Wire rope, in its present state of development, was shown not to be an effective sealing concept for application to the component design.

Image registration: enabling technology for image guided surgery and therapy.

PubMed

Sauer, Frank

2005-01-01

Imaging looks inside the patient's body, exposing the patient's anatomy beyond what is visible on the surface. Medical imaging has a very successful history for medical diagnosis. It also plays an increasingly important role as enabling technology for minimally invasive procedures. Interventional procedures (e.g. catheter based cardiac interventions) are traditionally supported by intra-procedure imaging (X-ray fluoro, ultrasound). There is realtime feedback, but the images provide limited information. Surgical procedures are traditionally supported with pre-operative images (CT, MR). The image quality can be very good; however, the link between images and patient has been lost. For both cases, image registration can play an essential role -augmenting intra-op images with pre-op images, and mapping pre-op images to the patient's body. We will present examples of both approaches from an application oriented perspective, covering electrophysiology, radiation therapy, and neuro-surgery. Ultimately, as the boundaries between interventional radiology and surgery are becoming blurry, also the different methods for image guidance will merge. Image guidance will draw upon a combination of pre-op and intra-op imaging together with magnetic or optical tracking systems, and enable precise minimally invasive procedures. The information is registered into a common coordinate system, and allows advanced methods for visualization such as augmented reality or advanced methods for therapy delivery such as robotics.

Micromachined TWTs for THz Radiation Sources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Booske, John H.; vanderWeide, Daniel W.; Kory, Carol L.; Limbach, S.; Downey, Alan (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The Terahertz (THz) region of the electromagnetic spectrum (about 300 - 3000 GHz in frequency or about 0.1 - 1 mm free space wavelength) has enormous potential for high-data-rate communications, spectroscopy, astronomy, space research, medicine, biology, surveillance, remote sensing, industrial process control, etc. It has been characterized as the most scientifically rich, yet under-utilized, region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The most critical roadblock to full exploitation of the THz band is lack of coherent radiation sources that are powerful (0.001 - 1.0 W continuous wave), efficient (> 1%), frequency agile (instantaneously tunable over 1% bandwidths or more), reliable, and comparatively inexpensive. To develop vacuum electron device (VED) radiation sources satisfying these requirements, fabrication and packaging approaches must be heavily considered to minimize costs, in addition to the basic interaction physics and circuit design. To minimize size of the prime power supply, beam voltage must be minimized, preferably 10 kV. Solid state sources satisfy the low voltage requirement, but are many orders of magnitude below power, efficiency, and bandwidth requirements. On the other hand, typical fast-wave VED sources in this regime (e.g., gyrotrons, FELs) tend to be large, expensive, high voltage and very high power devices unsuitable for most of the applications cited above. VEDs based on grating or inter-digital (ID) circuits have been researched and developed. However, achieving forward-wave amplifier operation with instantaneous fractional bandwidths > 1% is problematic for these devices with low-energy (< 15 kV) electron beams. Moreover, the interaction impedance is quite low unless the beam-circuit spacing is kept particularly narrow, often leading to significant beam interception. One solution to satisfy the THz source requirements mentioned above is to develop micromachined VEDs, or "micro-VEDs". Among other benefits, micro-machining technologies provide superior high frequency wall conductivity as a result of superior surface smoothness compared with conventional mechanical or electric discharge machining approaches. Micro-VED technologies are already being applied to the development of millimeter-wave klystrons at Stanford Linear Accelerator Center and submillimeter-wave klystrons at the University of Leeds. We are investigating the use of micro-machining technologies to develop THz regime TWTs, with emphasis on folded-waveguide TWTs. The folded-waveguide TWT (FW-TWT) has several features that make it attractive for THz-regime micro-VED applications. It is a relatively simple circuit to design and fabricate, it is amenable to precision pattern replication by micro-machining, and it is has been demonstrated capable of forward-wave amplification with appreciable bandwidth. We are conducting experimental and computational studies of micro-VED FW-TWTs to examine their feasibility for applications at frequencies from 200 - 1000 GHz.

ACTS broadband aeronautical experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abbe, Brian S.; Jedrey, Thomas C.; Estabrook, Polly; Agan, Martin J.

1993-01-01

In the last decade, the demand for reliable data, voice, and video satellite communication links between aircraft and ground to improve air traffic control, airline management, and to meet the growing demand for passenger communications has increased significantly. It is expected that in the near future, the spectrum required for aeronautical communication services will grow significantly beyond that currently available at L-band. In anticipation of this, JPL is developing an experimental broadband aeronautical satellite communications system that will utilize NASA's Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) as a satellite of opportunity and the technology developed under JPL's ACTS Mobile Terminal (AMT) Task to evaluate the feasibility of using K/Ka-band for these applications. The application of K/Ka-band for aeronautical satellite communications at cruise altitudes is particularly promising for several reasons: (1) the minimal amount of signal attenuation due to rain; (2) the reduced drag due to the smaller K/Ka-band antennas (as compared to the current L-band systems); and (3) the large amount of available bandwidth. The increased bandwidth available at these frequencies is expected to lead to significantly improved passenger communications - including full-duplex compressed video and multiple channel voice. A description of the proposed broadband experimental system will be presented including: (1) applications of K/Ka-band aeronautical satellite technology to U.S. industry; (2) the experiment objectives; (3) the experiment set-up; (4) experimental equipment description; and (5) industrial participation in the experiment and the benefits.

Mobile diagnostics: next-generation technologies for in vitro diagnostics.

PubMed

Shin, Joonchul; Chakravarty, Sudesna; Choi, Wooseok; Lee, Kyungyeon; Han, Dongsik; Hwang, Hyundoo; Choi, Jaekyu; Jung, Hyo-Il

2018-03-26

The emergence of a wide range of applications of smartphones along with advances in 'liquid biopsy' has significantly propelled medical research particularly in the field of in vitro diagnostics (IVD). Herein, we have presented a detailed analysis of IVD, its associated critical concerns and probable solutions. It also demonstrates the transition in terms of analytes from minimally invasive (blood) to non-invasive (urine, saliva and sweat) and depicts how the different features of a smartphone can be integrated for specific diagnostic purposes. This review basically highlights recent advances in the applications of smartphone-based biosensors in IVD taking into account the following factors: accuracy and portability; quantitative and qualitative analysis; and centralization and decentralization tests. Furthermore, the critical concerns and future direction of diagnostics based on smartphones are also discussed.

Environmental control and life support system analysis tools for the Space Station era

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blakely, R. L.; Rowell, L. F.

1984-01-01

This paper describes the concept of a developing emulation, simulation, sizing, and technology assessment program (ESSTAP) which can be used effectively for the various functional disciplines (structures, power, ECLSS, etc.) beginning with the initial system selection and conceptual design processes and continuing on through the mission operation and growth phases of the Space Station for the purpose of minimizing overall program costs. It will discuss the basic requirements for these tools, as currently envisioned for the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS), identifying their intended and potential uses and applications, and present examples and status of several representative tools. The development and applications of a Space Station Atmospheric Revitalization Subsystem (ARS) demonstration model to be used for concent verification will also be discussed.

Towards quantum chemistry on a quantum computer.

PubMed

Lanyon, B P; Whitfield, J D; Gillett, G G; Goggin, M E; Almeida, M P; Kassal, I; Biamonte, J D; Mohseni, M; Powell, B J; Barbieri, M; Aspuru-Guzik, A; White, A G

2010-02-01

Exact first-principles calculations of molecular properties are currently intractable because their computational cost grows exponentially with both the number of atoms and basis set size. A solution is to move to a radically different model of computing by building a quantum computer, which is a device that uses quantum systems themselves to store and process data. Here we report the application of the latest photonic quantum computer technology to calculate properties of the smallest molecular system: the hydrogen molecule in a minimal basis. We calculate the complete energy spectrum to 20 bits of precision and discuss how the technique can be expanded to solve large-scale chemical problems that lie beyond the reach of modern supercomputers. These results represent an early practical step toward a powerful tool with a broad range of quantum-chemical applications.

Novel Uses of Video to Accelerate the Surgical Learning Curve.

PubMed

Ibrahim, Andrew M; Varban, Oliver A; Dimick, Justin B

2016-04-01

Surgeons are under enormous pressure to continually improve and learn new surgical skills. Novel uses of surgical video in the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative setting are emerging to accelerate the learning curve of surgical skill and minimize harm to patients. In the preoperative setting, social media outlets provide a valuable platform for surgeons to collaborate and plan for difficult operative cases. Live streaming of video has allowed for intraoperative telementoring. Finally, postoperative use of video has provided structure for peer coaching to evaluate and improve surgical skill. Applying these approaches into practice is becoming easier as most of our surgical platforms (e.g., laparoscopic, and endoscopy) now have video recording technology built in and video editing software has become more user friendly. Future applications of video technology are being developed, including possible integration into accreditation and board certification.

Novel engineered systems for oral, mucosal and transdermal drug delivery.

PubMed

Li, Hairui; Yu, Yuan; Faraji Dana, Sara; Li, Bo; Lee, Chi-Ying; Kang, Lifeng

2013-08-01

Technological advances in drug discovery have resulted in increasing number of molecules including proteins and peptides as drug candidates. However, how to deliver drugs with satisfactory therapeutic effect, minimal side effects and increased patient compliance is a question posted before researchers, especially for those drugs with poor solubility, large molecular weight or instability. Microfabrication technology, polymer science and bioconjugate chemistry combine to address these problems and generate a number of novel engineered drug delivery systems. Injection routes usually have poor patient compliance due to their invasive nature and potential safety concerns over needle reuse. The alternative non-invasive routes, such as oral, mucosal (pulmonary, nasal, ocular, buccal, rectal, vaginal), and transdermal drug delivery have thus attracted many attentions. Here, we review the applications of the novel engineered systems for oral, mucosal and transdermal drug delivery.

The numerical simulation of flow field characteristics for single vortex column in different shapes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shangchang, Yu; Hanxiao, Liu; Wenhua, Li; Ying, Guo

2017-11-01

The coagulation technology of turbulence can improve the PM2.5 removal efficiency of ESP effectively, which is a hot technology researched by the scholars and manufacture. The turbulence produced by vortex column is the main power supply in the turbulence coagulation device, the velocity distribution, turbulence intensity, turbulence viscosity and pressure loss of single vortex column in different shapes and sizes were calculated in this paper. The turbulence produced by angle-steel had a better velocity and character than cylindrical vortex, and if the size of angle-steel and cylindrical vortex was bigge, the turbulence effect of the flow field would become better, but the pressure loss of different shapes would increase. We need to ensure the turbulence effect as well as minimize unnecessary pressure loss in practical applications.

Contour Crafting Simulation Plan for Lunar Settlement Infrastructure Build-Up

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Khoshnevis, B.; Carlson, A.; Leach N.; Thangavelu, M.

2016-01-01

Economically viable and reliable building systems and tool sets are being sought, examined and tested for extraterrestrial infrastructure buildup. This project focused on a unique architecture weaving the robotic building construction technology with designs for assisting rapid buildup of initial operational capability Lunar and Martian bases. The project aimed to study new methodologies to construct certain crucial infrastructure elements in order to evaluate the merits, limitations and feasibility of adapting and using such technologies for extraterrestrial application. Current extraterrestrial settlement buildup philosophy holds that in order to minimize the materials needed to be flown in, at great transportation costs, strategies that maximize the use of locally available resources must be adopted. Tools and equipment flown as cargo from Earth are proposed to build required infrastructure to support future missions and settlements on the Moon and Mars.

Earth resources technology satellite /ERTS/ data collection and transmission buoys for inland, neritic and oceanic waters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chapman, W. S.; Yen, H. H.

1974-01-01

As a result of a consortium of several industries and organizations, an economical, versatile, and stable data collection and transmission buoy has been designed, developed, and deployed to gather and transmit water quality data to a ground receiving station at three-minute intervals and to the earth resources technology satellite (ERTS) as it passes over the deployed buoy every 12 hours. The buoy system, designed for both fresh and salt water application, gathers data inclusive of temperature measurement, conductivity, relative acidity, dissolved oxygen, current speed, and direction. The mechanical design philosophy used to determine and satisfy boundary conditions involving stability, ease of deployment, servicing and maintenance, minimal manufacturing costs, and fresh and salt water installation capability is discussed. The development of peripheral handling equipment and anchoring systems is described.

25th Anniversary Article: Rational Design and Applications of Hydrogels in Regenerative Medicine

PubMed Central

Annabi, Nasim; Tamayol, Ali; Uquillas, Jorge Alfredo; Akbari, Mohsen; Bertassoni, Luiz E.; Cha, Chaenyung; Camci-Unal, Gulden; Dokmeci, Mehmet R.

2014-01-01

Hydrogels are hydrophilic polymer-based materials with high water content and physical characteristics that resemble the native extracellular matrix. Because of their remarkable properties, hydrogel systems are used for a wide range of biomedical applications, such as three-dimensional (3D) matrices for tissue engineering, drug-delivery vehicles, composite biomaterials, and as injectable fillers in minimally invasive surgeries. In addition, the rational design of hydrogels with controlled physical and biological properties can be used to modulate cellular functionality and tissue morphogenesis. Here, the development of advanced hydrogels with tunable physiochemical properties is highlighted, with particular emphasis on elastomeric, light-sensitive, composite, and shape-memory hydrogels. Emerging technologies developed over the past decade to control hydrogel architecture are also discussed and a number of potential applications and challenges in the utilization of hydrogels in regenerative medicine are reviewed. It is anticipated that the continued development of sophisticated hydrogels will result in clinical applications that will improve patient care and quality of life. PMID:24741694

Multi-petascale highly efficient parallel supercomputer

DOEpatents

Asaad, Sameh; Bellofatto, Ralph E.; Blocksome, Michael A.; Blumrich, Matthias A.; Boyle, Peter; Brunheroto, Jose R.; Chen, Dong; Cher, Chen -Yong; Chiu, George L.; Christ, Norman; Coteus, Paul W.; Davis, Kristan D.; Dozsa, Gabor J.; Eichenberger, Alexandre E.; Eisley, Noel A.; Ellavsky, Matthew R.; Evans, Kahn C.; Fleischer, Bruce M.; Fox, Thomas W.; Gara, Alan; Giampapa, Mark E.; Gooding, Thomas M.; Gschwind, Michael K.; Gunnels, John A.; Hall, Shawn A.; Haring, Rudolf A.; Heidelberger, Philip; Inglett, Todd A.; Knudson, Brant L.; Kopcsay, Gerard V.; Kumar, Sameer; Mamidala, Amith R.; Marcella, James A.; Megerian, Mark G.; Miller, Douglas R.; Miller, Samuel J.; Muff, Adam J.; Mundy, Michael B.; O'Brien, John K.; O'Brien, Kathryn M.; Ohmacht, Martin; Parker, Jeffrey J.; Poole, Ruth J.; Ratterman, Joseph D.; Salapura, Valentina; Satterfield, David L.; Senger, Robert M.; Smith, Brian; Steinmacher-Burow, Burkhard; Stockdell, William M.; Stunkel, Craig B.; Sugavanam, Krishnan; Sugawara, Yutaka; Takken, Todd E.; Trager, Barry M.; Van Oosten, James L.; Wait, Charles D.; Walkup, Robert E.; Watson, Alfred T.; Wisniewski, Robert W.; Wu, Peng

2015-07-14

A Multi-Petascale Highly Efficient Parallel Supercomputer of 100 petaOPS-scale computing, at decreased cost, power and footprint, and that allows for a maximum packaging density of processing nodes from an interconnect point of view. The Supercomputer exploits technological advances in VLSI that enables a computing model where many processors can be integrated into a single Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). Each ASIC computing node comprises a system-on-chip ASIC utilizing four or more processors integrated into one die, with each having full access to all system resources and enabling adaptive partitioning of the processors to functions such as compute or messaging I/O on an application by application basis, and preferably, enable adaptive partitioning of functions in accordance with various algorithmic phases within an application, or if I/O or other processors are underutilized, then can participate in computation or communication nodes are interconnected by a five dimensional torus network with DMA that optimally maximize the throughput of packet communications between nodes and minimize latency.

Educational Technology and Distance Education: The Convergence and the Futures.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Panda, Santosh

1990-01-01

Establishes the connection between educational technology and distance education, instructional design, and delivery. Concludes that, although technology has had minimal influence in traditional classrooms, it is inextricably from distance education. (SK)

The future of cerebral surgery: a kaleidoscope of opportunities.

PubMed

Elder, James B; Hoh, Daniel J; Oh, Bryan C; Heller, A Chris; Liu, Charles Y; Apuzzo, Michael L J

2008-06-01

The emerging future of cerebral surgery will witness the refined evolution of current techniques, as well as the introduction of numerous novel concepts. Clinical practice and basic science research will benefit greatly from their application. The sum of these efforts will result in continued minimalism and improved accuracy and efficiency of neurosurgical diagnostic and therapeutic methodologies.Initially, the refinement of current technologies will further enhance various aspects of cerebral surgery. Advances in computing power and information technology will speed data acquisition, storage, and transfer. Miniaturization of current devices will impact diverse areas, such as modulation of endoscopy and endovascular techniques. The increased penetrance of surgical technologies such as stereotactic radiosurgery, neuronavigation, intraoperative imaging, and implantable electrodes for neurodegenerative disorders and epilepsy will enhance the knowledge and experience in these areas and facilitate refinements and advances in these technologies. Further into the future, technologies that are currently relatively remote to surgical events will fundamentally alter the complexity and scale at which a neurological disease may be treated or investigated. Seemingly futuristic concepts will become ubiquitous in the daily experience of the neurosurgeon. These include diverse fields such as nanotechnology, virtual reality, and robotics. Ultimately, combining advances in multiple fields will yield progress in diverse realms such as brain tumor therapy, neuromodulation for psychiatric diseases, and neuroprosthetics. Operating room equipment and design will benefit from each of the aforementioned advances. In this work, we discuss new developments in three parts. In Part I, concepts in minimalism important for future cerebral surgery are discussed. These include concrete and abstract ideas in miniaturization, as well as recent and future work in microelectromechanical systems and nanotechnology. Part II presents advances in computational sciences and technological fields dependent on these developments. Future breakthroughs in the components of the "computer," including data storage, electrical circuitry, and computing hardware and techniques, are discussed. Additionally, important concepts in the refinement of virtual environments and the brain-machine interface are presented, as their incorporation into cerebral surgery is closely linked to advances in computing and electronics. Finally, Part III offers insights into the future evolution of surgical and nonsurgical diagnostic and therapeutic modalities that are important for the future cerebral surgeon. A number of topics relevant to cerebral surgery are discussed, including the operative environment, imaging technologies, endoscopy, robotics, neuromodulation, stem cell therapy, radiosurgery, and technical methods of restoration of neural function. Cerebral surgery in the near and distant future will reflect the application of these emerging technologies. As this article indicates, the key to maximizing the impact of these advancements in the clinical arena is continued collaboration between scientists and neurosurgeons, as well as the emergence of a neurosurgeon whose scientific grounding and technical focus are far removed from those of his predecessors.

Clinical and laboratory applications of slide-based cytometry with the LSC, SFM, and the iCYTE imaging cytometer instruments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bocsi, Jozsef; Luther, Ed; Mittag, Anja; Jensen, Ingo; Sack, Ulrich; Lenz, Dominik; Trezl, Lajos; Varga, Viktor S.; Molnar, Beea; Tarnok, Attila

2004-06-01

Background: Slide based cytometry (SBC) is a technology for the rapid stoichiometric analysis of cells fixed to surfaces. Its applications are highly versatile and ranges from the clinics to high throughput drug discovery. SBC is realized in different instruments such as the Laser Scanning Cytometer (LSC) and Scanning Fluorescent Microscope (SFM) and the novel inverted microscope based iCyte image cytometer (Compucyte Corp.). Methods: Fluorochrome labeled specimens were immobilized on microscopic slides. They were placed on a conventional fluorescence microscope and analyzed by photomultiplayers or digital camera. Data comparable to flow cytometry were generated. In addition, each individual event could be visualized. Applications: The major advantage of instruments is the combination of two features: a) the minimal sample volume needed, and b) the connection of fluorescence data and morphological information. Rare cells were detected, frequency of apoptosis by myricetin formaldehyde and H2O2 mixtures was determined;. Conclusion: LSC, SFM and the novel iCyte have a wide spectrum of applicability in SBC and can be introduced as a standard technology for multiple settings. In addition, the iCyte and SFM instrument is suited for high throughput screening by automation and may be in future adapted to telepathology due to their high quality images. (This study was supported by the IZKF-Leipzig, Germany and T 034245 OTKA, Hungary)

Analysis and Simulation of Traffic Control for Resource Management in DVB-Based Broadband Satellite Access Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Impemba, Ernesto; Inzerilli, Tiziano

2003-07-01

Integration of satellite access networks with the Internet is seen as a strategic goal to achieve in order to provide ubiquitous broadband access to Internet services in Next Generation Networks (NGNs). One of the main interworking aspects which has been most studied is an efficient management of satellite resources, i.e. bandwidth and buffer space, in order to satisfy most demanding application requirements as to delay control and bandwidth assurance. In this context, resource management in DVB-S/DVB-RCS satellite technologies, emerging technologies for broadband satellite access and transport of IP applications, is a research issue largely investigated as a means to provide efficient bi-directional communications across satellites. This is in particular one of the principal goals of the SATIP6 project, sponsored within the 5th EU Research Programme Framework, i.e. IST. In this paper we present a possible approach to efficiently exploit bandwidth, the most critical resource in a broadband satellite access network, while pursuing satisfaction of delay and bandwidth requirements for applications with guaranteed QoS through a traffic control architecture to be implemented in ground terminals. Performance of this approach is assessed in terms of efficient exploitation of the uplink bandwidth and differentiation and minimization of queuing delays for most demanding applications over a time-varying capacity. Opnet simulations is used as analysis tool.

Advanced stitching technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scardino, Frank L.

1992-01-01

In the design of textile composites, the selection of materials and constructional techniques must be matched with product performance, productivity, and cost requirements. Constructional techniques vary. A classification of various textile composite systems is given. In general, the chopped fiber system is not suitable for structural composite applications because of fiber discontinuity, uncontrolled fiber orientation and a lack of fiber integration or entanglement. Linear filament yarn systems are acceptable for structural components which are exposed to simple tension in their applications. To qualify for more general use as structural components, filament yarn systems must be multi-directionally positioned. With the most sophisticated filament winding and laying techniques, however, the Type 2 systems have limited potential for general load-bearing applications because of a lack of filament integration or entanglement, which means vulnerability to splitting and delamination among filament layers. The laminar systems (Type 3) represented by a variety of simple fabrics (woven, knitted, braided and nonwoven) are especially suitable for load-bearing panels in flat form and for beams in a roled up to wound form. The totally integrated, advanced fabric system (Type 4) are thought to be the most reliable for general load-bearing applications because of fiber continuity and because of controlled multiaxial fiber orientation and entanglement. Consequently, the risk of splitting and delamination is minimized and practically omitted. Type 4 systems can be woven, knitted, braided or stitched through with very special equipment. Multiaxial fabric technologies are discussed.

Quantifying innovation in surgery.

PubMed

Hughes-Hallett, Archie; Mayer, Erik K; Marcus, Hani J; Cundy, Thomas P; Pratt, Philip J; Parston, Greg; Vale, Justin A; Darzi, Ara W

2014-08-01

The objectives of this study were to assess the applicability of patents and publications as metrics of surgical technology and innovation; evaluate the historical relationship between patents and publications; develop a methodology that can be used to determine the rate of innovation growth in any given health care technology. The study of health care innovation represents an emerging academic field, yet it is limited by a lack of valid scientific methods for quantitative analysis. This article explores and cross-validates 2 innovation metrics using surgical technology as an exemplar. Electronic patenting databases and the MEDLINE database were searched between 1980 and 2010 for "surgeon" OR "surgical" OR "surgery." Resulting patent codes were grouped into technology clusters. Growth curves were plotted for these technology clusters to establish the rate and characteristics of growth. The initial search retrieved 52,046 patents and 1,801,075 publications. The top performing technology cluster of the last 30 years was minimally invasive surgery. Robotic surgery, surgical staplers, and image guidance were the most emergent technology clusters. When examining the growth curves for these clusters they were found to follow an S-shaped pattern of growth, with the emergent technologies lying on the exponential phases of their respective growth curves. In addition, publication and patent counts were closely correlated in areas of technology expansion. This article demonstrates the utility of publically available patent and publication data to quantify innovations within surgical technology and proposes a novel methodology for assessing and forecasting areas of technological innovation.

Clinical study on minimally invasive liquefaction and drainage of intracerebral hematoma in the treatment of hypertensive putamen hemorrhage.

PubMed

Liang, Ke-Shan; Ding, Jian; Yin, Cheng-Bin; Peng, Li-Jing; Liu, Zhen-Chuan; Guo, Xiao; Liang, Shu-Yu; Zhang, Yong; Zhou, Sheng-Nian

2017-12-04

This study aims to compare the curative effect of different treatment methods of hypertensive putamen hemorrhage, in order to determine an ideal method of treatment; and to explore the curative effect of the application of soft channel technology-minimally invasive liquefaction and drainage of intracerebral hematoma in the treatment of hypertensive putamen hemorrhage. Patients with hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage, who were treated in our hospital from January 2015 to January 2016, were included into this study. Patients were divided into three groups: minimally invasive drainage group, internal medical treatment group and craniotomy group. In the minimally invasive drainage group, puncture aspiration and drainage were performed according to different hematoma conditions detected in brain CT, the frontal approach was selected for putamen and intracerebral hemorrhage, and drainage was reserved until the hematoma disappeared in CT detection. Drug therapy was dominated in the internal medical treatment group, while surgery under general anesthesia was performed to remove the hematoma in the craniotomy group. Post-treatment neurological function defect scores in minimally invasive drainage group and internal medical group were 16.14 ± 11.27 and 31.43 ± 10.42, respectively; and the difference was remarkably significant (P< 0.01). Post-treatment neurological function defect scores in the minimally invasive drainage group and craniotomy group were 16.14 ± 11.27 and 24.20 ± 12.23, respectively; and the difference was statistically significant (P< 0.05). There was a remarkable significant difference in ADL1-2 level during followed-up in survival patients between the minimally invasive drainage group and internal medical treatment group (P< 0.01), and there was a significant difference in followed-up mortality between these two groups (P< 0.01). Clinical observation and following-up results revealed that minimally invasive drainage treatment was superior to internal medical treatment and craniotomy.

Microneedles for Transdermal Biosensing: Current Picture and Future Direction.

PubMed

Ventrelli, Letizia; Marsilio Strambini, Lucanos; Barillaro, Giuseppe

2015-12-09

A novel trend is rapidly emerging in the use of microneedles, which are a miniaturized replica of hypodermic needles with length-scales of hundreds of micrometers, aimed at the transdermal biosensing of analytes of clinical interest, e.g., glucose, biomarkers, and others. Transdermal biosensing via microneedles offers remarkable opportunities for moving biosensing technologies and biochips from research laboratories to real-field applications, and envisages easy-to-use point-of-care microdevices with pain-free, minimally invasive, and minimal-training features that are very attractive for both developed and emerging countries. In addition to this, microneedles for transdermal biosensing offer a unique possibility for the development of biochips provided with end-effectors for their interaction with the biological system under investigation. Direct and efficient collection of the biological sample to be analyzed will then become feasible in situ at the same length-scale of the other biochip components by minimally trained personnel and in a minimally invasive fashion. This would eliminate the need for blood extraction using hypodermic needles and reduce, in turn, related problems, such as patient infections, sample contaminations, analysis artifacts, etc. The aim here is to provide a thorough and critical analysis of state-of-the-art developments in this novel research trend, and to bridge the gap between microneedles and biosensors. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Minimal Absent Words in Four Human Genome Assemblies

PubMed Central

Garcia, Sara P.; Pinho, Armando J.

2011-01-01

Minimal absent words have been computed in genomes of organisms from all domains of life. Here, we aim to contribute to the catalogue of human genomic variation by investigating the variation in number and content of minimal absent words within a species, using four human genome assemblies. We compare the reference human genome GRCh37 assembly, the HuRef assembly of the genome of Craig Venter, the NA12878 assembly from cell line GM12878, and the YH assembly of the genome of a Han Chinese individual. We find the variation in number and content of minimal absent words between assemblies more significant for large and very large minimal absent words, where the biases of sequencing and assembly methodologies become more pronounced. Moreover, we find generally greater similarity between the human genome assemblies sequenced with capillary-based technologies (GRCh37 and HuRef) than between the human genome assemblies sequenced with massively parallel technologies (NA12878 and YH). Finally, as expected, we find the overall variation in number and content of minimal absent words within a species to be generally smaller than the variation between species. PMID:22220210

Distributed Energy Resources On-Site Optimization for Commercial Buildings with Electric and Thermal Storage Technologies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lacommare, Kristina S H; Stadler, Michael; Aki, Hirohisa

The addition of storage technologies such as flow batteries, conventional batteries, and heat storage can improve the economic as well as environmental attractiveness of on-site generation (e.g., PV, fuel cells, reciprocating engines or microturbines operating with or without CHP) and contribute to enhanced demand response. In order to examine the impact of storage technologies on demand response and carbon emissions, a microgrid's distributed energy resources (DER) adoption problem is formulated as a mixed-integer linear program that has the minimization of annual energy costs as its objective function. By implementing this approach in the General Algebraic Modeling System (GAMS), the problemmore » is solved for a given test year at representative customer sites, such as schools and nursing homes, to obtain not only the level of technology investment, but also the optimal hourly operating schedules. This paper focuses on analysis of storage technologies in DER optimization on a building level, with example applications for commercial buildings. Preliminary analysis indicates that storage technologies respond effectively to time-varying electricity prices, i.e., by charging batteries during periods of low electricity prices and discharging them during peak hours. The results also indicate that storage technologies significantly alter the residual load profile, which can contribute to lower carbon emissions depending on the test site, its load profile, and its adopted DER technologies.« less

Dosimetry in radiotherapy using a-Si EPIDs: Systems, methods, and applications focusing on 3D patient dose estimation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCurdy, B. M. C.

2013-06-01

An overview is provided of the use of amorphous silicon electronic portal imaging devices (EPIDs) for dosimetric purposes in radiation therapy, focusing on 3D patient dose estimation. EPIDs were originally developed to provide on-treatment radiological imaging to assist with patient setup, but there has also been a natural interest in using them as dosimeters since they use the megavoltage therapy beam to form images. The current generation of clinically available EPID technology, amorphous-silicon (a-Si) flat panel imagers, possess many characteristics that make them much better suited to dosimetric applications than earlier EPID technologies. Features such as linearity with dose/dose rate, high spatial resolution, realtime capability, minimal optical glare, and digital operation combine with the convenience of a compact, retractable detector system directly mounted on the linear accelerator to provide a system that is well-suited to dosimetric applications. This review will discuss clinically available a-Si EPID systems, highlighting dosimetric characteristics and remaining limitations. Methods for using EPIDs in dosimetry applications will be discussed. Dosimetric applications using a-Si EPIDs to estimate three-dimensional dose in the patient during treatment will be overviewed. Clinics throughout the world are implementing increasingly complex treatments such as dynamic intensity modulated radiation therapy and volumetric modulated arc therapy, as well as specialized treatment techniques using large doses per fraction and short treatment courses (ie. hypofractionation and stereotactic radiosurgery). These factors drive the continued strong interest in using EPIDs as dosimeters for patient treatment verification.

Can Wing Tip Vortices Be Accurately Simulated?

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-07-01

additional tail buffeting.2 In commercial applications, winglets have been installed on passenger aircraft to minimize vortex formation and reduce lift...air. In military applications, wing tip In commercial applications, winglets have been installed on passenger aircraft to minimize increases with downstream distances.

Applications of advanced data analysis and expert system technologies in the ATLAS Trigger-DAQ Controls framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Avolio, G.; Corso Radu, A.; Kazarov, A.; Lehmann Miotto, G.; Magnoni, L.

2012-12-01

The Trigger and Data Acquisition (TDAQ) system of the ATLAS experiment is a very complex distributed computing system, composed of more than 20000 applications running on more than 2000 computers. The TDAQ Controls system has to guarantee the smooth and synchronous operations of all the TDAQ components and has to provide the means to minimize the downtime of the system caused by runtime failures. During data taking runs, streams of information messages sent or published by running applications are the main sources of knowledge about correctness of running operations. The huge flow of operational monitoring data produced is constantly monitored by experts in order to detect problems or misbehaviours. Given the scale of the system and the rates of data to be analyzed, the automation of the system functionality in the areas of operational monitoring, system verification, error detection and recovery is a strong requirement. To accomplish its objective, the Controls system includes some high-level components which are based on advanced software technologies, namely the rule-based Expert System and the Complex Event Processing engines. The chosen techniques allow to formalize, store and reuse the knowledge of experts and thus to assist the shifters in the ATLAS control room during the data-taking activities.

AMTEC: High efficiency static conversion for space power

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bankston, C. P.; Shirbacheh, M.

1986-01-01

Future manned and unmanned space missions will require reliable, high efficiency energy conversion systems. For a manned Mars mission, power levels in the range of 10 to 100 kWe will be needed. The Alkali Metal Thermoelectric Converter (AMTEC) is a direct energy conversion technology with the potential to meet these needs. The AMTEC is a thermally regenerative electrochemical device that derives its operation from the sodium ion conducting properties of beta-alumina solid electrolyte (BASE). To date, an efficiency of 19%, area power density of 1 W/sq cm, and a lifetime of 10,000 hours at high temperature were demonstrated in laboratory devices. Systems studies show that projected AMTEC systems equal or surpass the performance of other static or dynamic systems in applications of 1 kWe-1 MWe. Thus, the laboratory experiments and applications studies conducted to date have shown that the AMTEC posseses great potential. In order to bring this technology to the stage where prototype units can be built and operated, several technical issues must be addressed. These include the need for long life, high power electrodes, minimization of radiative parasitic losses, and high temperature seals. In summary, the evidence shows that if AMTEC is developed, it can play a significant role in future space power applications.

Autologous Blood Transfusion for Postpartum Hemorrhage.

PubMed

Greenawalt, Julia A; Zernell, Denise

Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is a leading contributor to maternal morbidity and mortality in the United States and globally. Although the rate of PPH is generally decreasing nationally, severity of PPH appears to be increasing, potentially related to the various comorbidities associated with women of childbearing age. There is increasing evidence of risks associated with allogeneic blood transfusion, which has historically been the classic therapeutic approach for treatment to PPH. Pregnant women are particularly susceptible to the implications of sensitization to red cell antigens, a common sequela to allogenic blood transfusion. Autologous blood transfusion eliminates the potential of communicable disease transmission as well as the conceivable threat of a blood transfusion reaction. Recent technological advances allow cell salvage coupled with the use of a leukocyte filter to be used as an alternative approach for improving the outcome for women experiencing a PPH. Modest changes in standard operating procedure and continued training in use and application of cell salvaged blood may assist in minimizing negative outcomes from PPH. Salvaged blood has been demonstrated to be at least equal and often superior to banked blood. We discuss nursing implications for application of this technology for women with PPH. Continued research is warranted to evaluate the impact that application of cell salvage with filtration has on the patient experiencing a PPH.

Elastic Inflatable Actuators for Soft Robotic Applications.

PubMed

Gorissen, Benjamin; Reynaerts, Dominiek; Konishi, Satoshi; Yoshida, Kazuhiro; Kim, Joon-Wan; De Volder, Michael

2017-11-01

The 20th century's robotic systems have been made from stiff materials, and much of the developments have pursued ever more accurate and dynamic robots, which thrive in industrial automation, and will probably continue to do so for decades to come. However, the 21st century's robotic legacy may very well become that of soft robots. This emerging domain is characterized by continuous soft structures that simultaneously fulfill the role of robotic link and actuator, where prime focus is on design and fabrication of robotic hardware instead of software control. These robots are anticipated to take a prominent role in delicate tasks where classic robots fail, such as in minimally invasive surgery, active prosthetics, and automation tasks involving delicate irregular objects. Central to the development of these robots is the fabrication of soft actuators. This article reviews a particularly attractive type of soft actuators that are driven by pressurized fluids. These actuators have recently gained traction on the one hand due to the technology push from better simulation tools and new manufacturing technologies, and on the other hand by a market pull from applications. This paper provides an overview of the different advanced soft actuator configurations, their design, fabrication, and applications. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

75 FR 27344 - Agency Information Collection Request. 30-Day Public Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-14

... techniques or other forms of information technology to minimize the information collection burden. To obtain...-NEW--Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. Abstract: Recognizing the potential of health information technology (IT), Congress incorporated the Health Information Technology for...

75 FR 65354 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-22

... of information technology to minimize the information collection burden. 1. Type of Information... information technology (HIT) and certified electronic health records (EHRs) will improve the quality and value... for Health Information Technology (ONC). The functionality of certified EHR technology should...

The Role of Ceramics in a Resurgent Nuclear Industry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Marra, J

2006-02-28

With fuel oil and natural gas prices near record highs and worldwide energy demands increasing at an alarming rate, there is growing interest in revitalization of the nuclear power industry within the United States and across the globe. Ceramic materials have long played a very important part in the commercial nuclear industry with applications throughout the entire fuel cycle; from fuel fabrication to waste stabilization. As the international community begins to look at advanced fuel cycles that minimize waste and increase proliferation resistance, ceramic materials will play an even larger role. Many of the advanced reactor concepts being evaluated operatemore » at high-temperature requiring the use of durable, heat-resistant materials. Ceramic fuels are being investigated for a variety of Generation IV reactor concepts. These include the traditional TRISO-coated particles as well as advanced inert-matrix fuels. In order to minimize wastes and legacy materials, ceramic processes are also being applied to fuel reprocessing operations. Ceramic materials continue to provide a vital contribution in ''closing the fuel cycle'' by stabilization of associated low-level and high-level wastes in highly durable grout, ceramics, and glass. In the next five years, programs that are currently in the conceptual phase will begin laboratory- and engineering-scale demonstrations. This will require production-scale demonstrations of several ceramic technologies from fuel form development to advanced stabilization methods. Within the next five to ten years, these demonstrations will move to even larger scales and will also include radioactive demonstrations of these advanced technologies. These radioactive demonstrations are critical to program success and will require advances in ceramic materials associated with nuclear energy applications.« less

Applications of FBG sensors on telecom satellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abad, S.; Araújo, F. M.; Ferreira, L. A.; Pedersen, F.; Esteban, M. A.; McKenzie, I.; Karafolas, N.

2017-11-01

Monitoring needs of spacecraft are rapidly increasing due to new and more challenging missions, along with demands to reduce launching costs by minimizing the manufacture, assembly, integration and test time and employing new low weight materials balanced by the need for maximizing system lifetime while maintaining good reliability. Conventional electronic sensors are characterized by their low multiplexing capability and their EMI/RF susceptibility and it is in this scenario that Fiber Optic Sensors (FOS) in general, and more specifically Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) technology offers important benefits, improving in various ways the already deployed sensing subsystems (e.g. reducing the weight associated with sensor cabling, increasing the number of sensing points) and enabling new monitoring applications that were not possible by using conventional sensing technologies. This work presents the activities performed and the lessons learnt in the frame of ESA's ARTES-5 project "Fiber Optic Sensing Subsystem for Spacecraft Health Monitoring in Telecommunication Satellites". This project finished in July 2009, with the implementation and testing of two different demonstrators employing FBG sensor technology: FBG sensors for temperature monitoring in high voltage environments, and in particular in several parts of electric propulsion subsystems [1], and FBG sensors for thermal monitoring of array-antennas during RF testing [2]. In addition, the contacts performed with different actors within the space community allowed the identification of a special area of interest for the substitution of regular thermocouple instrumentation by FBG technology for thermal vacuum ground testing of satellites.

Laser safety considerations for a mobile laser program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flor, Mary

1997-05-01

An increased demand for advanced laser technology, especially in the area of cutaneous and cosmetic procedures has prompted physicians to use mobile laser services. Utilization of a mobile laser service allows physicians to provide the latest treatments for their patients while minimizing overhead costs. The high capital expense of laser systems is often beyond the financial means of individual clinicians, group practices, free-standing clinics and smaller community hospitals. Historically rapid technology turnover with laser technology places additional risk which is unacceptable to many institutions. In addition, health care reform is mandating consolidation of equipment within health care groups to keep costs at a minimum. In 1994, Abbott Northwestern Hospital organized an in-house mobile laser technology service which employs a group of experienced laser specialists to deliver and support laser treatments for hospital outreach and other regional physicians and health care facilities. Many of the hospital's internal safety standards and policies are applicable to the mobile environment. A significant challenge is client compliance because of the delicate balance of managing risk while avoiding being viewed as a regulator. The clinics and hospitals are assessed prior to service to assure minimum laser safety standards for both the patient and the staff. A major component in assessing new sites is to inform them of applicable regulatory standards and their obligations to assure optimum laser safety. In service training is provided and hospital and procedures are freely shared to assist the client in establishing a safe laser environment. Physician and nursing preceptor programs are also made available.

Sustainable Remediation for Enhanced NAPL Recovery from Groundwater

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Javaher, M.

2012-12-01

Sustainable remediation relates to the achievement of balance between environmental, social, and economic elements throughout the remedial lifecycle. A significant contributor to this balance is the use of green and sustainable technologies which minimize environmental impacts, while maximizing social and economic benefits of remedial implementation. To this end, a patented mobile vapor energy generation (VEG) technology has been developed targeting variable applications, including onsite soil remediation for unrestricted reuse and enhanced non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) recover at the water table. At the core of the mobile VEG technology is a compact, high efficiency vapor generator, which utilizes recycled water and propane within an entirely enclosed system to generate steam as high as 1100°F. Operating within a fully enclosed system and capturing all heat that is generated within this portable system, the VEG technology eliminates all emissions to the atmosphere and yields an undetected carbon footprint with resulting carbon dioxide concentrations that are below ambient levels. Introduction of the steam to the subsurface via existing wells results in a desired change in the NAPL viscosity and the interfacial tension at the soil, water, NAPL interface; in turn, this results in mobilization and capture of the otherwise trapped, weathered NAPL. Approved by the California Air Resources Control Board (and underlying Air Quality Management Districts) and applied in California's San Joaquin Valley, in-well heating of NAPLs trapped at the water table using the VEG technology has proven as effective as electrical resistivity heating (ERH) in changing the viscosity of and mobilizing NAPLs in groundwater in support of recovery, but has achieved these results while minimizing the remedial carbon footprint by 90%, reducing energy use by 99%, and reducing remedial costs by more than 95%. NAPL recovery using VEG has also allowed for completion of source removal historically stalled, thereby eliminating ongoing and future groundwater impacts; in turn, this has increased project efficiency and stakeholder satisfaction by as much as 100%.

Influence of hospital-level practice patterns on variation in the application of minimally invasive surgery in United States pediatric patients.

PubMed

Train, Arianne T; Harmon, Carroll M; Rothstein, David H

2017-10-01

Although disparities in access to minimally invasive surgery are thought to exist in pediatric surgical patients in the United States, hospital-level practice patterns have not been evaluated as a possible contributing factor. Retrospective cohort study using the Kids' Inpatient Database, 2012. Odds ratios of undergoing a minimally invasive compared to open operation were calculated for six typical pediatric surgical operations after adjustment for multiple patient demographic and hospital-level variables. Further adjustment to the regression model was made by incorporating hospital practice patterns, defined as operation-specific minimally invasive frequency and volume. Age was the most significant patient demographic factor affecting application of minimally invasive surgery for all procedures. For several procedures, adjusting for individual hospital practice patterns removed race- and income-based disparities seen in performance of minimally invasive operations. Disparities related to insurance status were not affected by the same adjustment. Variation in the application of minimally invasive surgery in pediatric surgical patients is primarily influenced by patient age and the type of procedure performed. Perceived disparities in access related to some socioeconomic factors are decreased but not eliminated by accounting for individual hospital practice patterns, suggesting that complex underlying factors influence application of advanced surgical techniques. II. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A novel hydrogel electrolyte extender for rapid application of EEG sensors and extended recordings.

PubMed

Kleffner-Canucci, Killian; Luu, Phan; Naleway, John; Tucker, Don M

2012-04-30

Dense-array EEG recordings are now commonplace in research and gaining acceptance in clinical settings. Application of many sensors with traditional electrolytes is time consuming. Saline electrolytes can be used to minimize application time but recording duration is limited due to evaporation. In the present study, we evaluate a NIPAm (N-isopropyl acrylamide:acrylic acid) base electrolyte extender for use with saline electrolytes. Sensor-scalp impedances and EEG data quality acquired with the electrolyte extender are compared with those obtained for saline and an EEG electrolyte commonly used in clinical exams (Elefix). The results show that when used in conjunction with saline, electrode-scalp impedances and data across the EEG spectrum are comparable with those obtained using Elefix EEG paste. When used in conjunction with saline, the electrolyte extender permits rapid application of dense-sensor arrays and stable, high-quality EEG data to be obtained for at least 4.5 h. This is an enabling technology that will make benefits of dense-array EEG recordings practical for clinical applications. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

40 CFR 230.74 - Actions related to technology.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 25 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Actions related to technology. 230.74 Section 230.74 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) OCEAN DUMPING SECTION... Minimize Adverse Effects § 230.74 Actions related to technology. Discharge technology should be adapted to...

40 CFR 230.74 - Actions related to technology.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 25 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Actions related to technology. 230.74 Section 230.74 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) OCEAN DUMPING SECTION... Minimize Adverse Effects § 230.74 Actions related to technology. Discharge technology should be adapted to...

40 CFR 230.74 - Actions related to technology.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 26 2012-07-01 2011-07-01 true Actions related to technology. 230.74 Section 230.74 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) OCEAN DUMPING SECTION... Minimize Adverse Effects § 230.74 Actions related to technology. Discharge technology should be adapted to...

40 CFR 230.74 - Actions related to technology.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 26 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Actions related to technology. 230.74 Section 230.74 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) OCEAN DUMPING SECTION... Minimize Adverse Effects § 230.74 Actions related to technology. Discharge technology should be adapted to...

40 CFR 230.74 - Actions related to technology.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 24 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Actions related to technology. 230.74 Section 230.74 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) OCEAN DUMPING SECTION... Minimize Adverse Effects § 230.74 Actions related to technology. Discharge technology should be adapted to...

Mini-Membrane Evaporator for Contingency Spacesuit Cooling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Makinen, Janice V.; Bue, Grant C.; Campbell, Colin; Petty, Brian; Craft, Jesse; Lynch, William; Wilkes, Robert; Vogel, Matthew

2015-01-01

The next-generation Advanced Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AEMU) Portable Life Support System (PLSS) is integrating a number of new technologies to improve reliability and functionality. One of these improvements is the development of the Auxiliary Cooling Loop (ACL) for contingency crewmember cooling. The ACL is a completely redundant, independent cooling system that consists of a small evaporative cooler--the Mini Membrane Evaporator (Mini-ME), independent pump, independent feedwater assembly and independent Liquid Cooling Garment (LCG). The Mini-ME utilizes the same hollow fiber technology featured in the full-sized AEMU PLSS cooling device, the Spacesuit Water Membrane Evaporator (SWME), but Mini-ME occupies only approximately 25% of the volume of SWME, thereby providing only the necessary crewmember cooling in a contingency situation. The ACL provides a number of benefits when compared with the current EMU PLSS contingency cooling technology, which relies upon a Secondary Oxygen Vessel; contingency crewmember cooling can be provided for a longer period of time, more contingency situations can be accounted for, no reliance on a Secondary Oxygen Vessel (SOV) for contingency cooling--thereby allowing a reduction in SOV size and pressure, and the ACL can be recharged-allowing the AEMU PLSS to be reused, even after a contingency event. The first iteration of Mini-ME was developed and tested in-house. Mini-ME is currently packaged in AEMU PLSS 2.0, where it is being tested in environments and situations that are representative of potential future Extravehicular Activities (EVA's). The second iteration of Mini-ME, known as Mini-ME2, is currently being developed to offer more heat rejection capability. The development of this contingency evaporative cooling system will contribute to a more robust and comprehensive AEMU PLSS.

Evaluation of cellular glasses for solar mirror panel applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Giovan, M.; Adams, M.

1979-01-01

An analytic technique was developed to compare the structural and environmental performance of various materials considered for backing of second surface glass solar mirrors. Cellular glass was determined to be a prime candidate due to its low cost, high stiffness-to-weight ratio, thermal expansion match to mirror glass, evident minimal environmental impact and chemical and dimensional stability under conditions of use. The current state of the art and anticipated developments in cellular glass technology are discussed; material properties are correlated to design requirements. A mathematical model is presented which suggests a design approach which allows minimization of life cost; and, a mechanical and environmental testing program is outlined, designed to provide a material property basis for development of cellular glass hardware, together with methodology for collecting lifetime predictive data. Preliminary material property data from measurements are given. Microstructure of several cellular materials is shown, and sensitivity of cellular glass to freeze-thaw degradation and to slow crack growth is discussed. The effect of surface coating is addressed.

Eye aberration analysis with Zernike polynomials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molebny, Vasyl V.; Chyzh, Igor H.; Sokurenko, Vyacheslav M.; Pallikaris, Ioannis G.; Naoumidis, Leonidas P.

1998-06-01

New horizons for accurate photorefractive sight correction, afforded by novel flying spot technologies, require adequate measurements of photorefractive properties of an eye. Proposed techniques of eye refraction mapping present results of measurements for finite number of points of eye aperture, requiring to approximate these data by 3D surface. A technique of wave front approximation with Zernike polynomials is described, using optimization of the number of polynomial coefficients. Criterion of optimization is the nearest proximity of the resulted continuous surface to the values calculated for given discrete points. Methodology includes statistical evaluation of minimal root mean square deviation (RMSD) of transverse aberrations, in particular, varying consecutively the values of maximal coefficient indices of Zernike polynomials, recalculating the coefficients, and computing the value of RMSD. Optimization is finished at minimal value of RMSD. Formulas are given for computing ametropia, size of the spot of light on retina, caused by spherical aberration, coma, and astigmatism. Results are illustrated by experimental data, that could be of interest for other applications, where detailed evaluation of eye parameters is needed.

Mercury removal from water streams through the ion exchange membrane bioreactor concept.

PubMed

Oehmen, Adrian; Vergel, Dario; Fradinho, Joana; Reis, Maria A M; Crespo, João G; Velizarov, Svetlozar

2014-01-15

Mercury is a highly toxic heavy metal that causes human health problems and environmental contamination. In this study, an ion exchange membrane bioreactor (IEMB) process was developed to achieve Hg(II) removal from drinking water and industrial effluents. Hg(II) transport through a cation exchange membrane was coupled with its bioreduction to Hg(0) in order to achieve Hg removal from concentrated streams, with minimal production of contaminated by-products observed. This study involves (1) membrane selection, (2) demonstration of process effectiveness for removing Hg from drinking water to below the 1ppb recommended limit, and (3) process application for treatment of concentrated water streams, where >98% of the Hg was removed, and the throughput of contaminated water was optimised through membrane pre-treatment. The IEMB process represents a novel mercury treatment technology with minimal generation of contaminated waste, thereby reducing the overall environmental impact of the process. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Applications of Emerging Parallel Optical Link Technology to High Energy Physics Experiments

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chramowicz, J.; Kwan, S.; Prosser, A.

2011-09-01

Modern particle detectors depend upon optical fiber links to deliver event data to upstream trigger and data processing systems. Future detector systems can benefit from the development of dense arrangements of high speed optical links emerging from the telecommunications and storage area network market segments. These links support data transfers in each direction at rates up to 120 Gbps in packages that minimize or even eliminate edge connector requirements. Emerging products include a class of devices known as optical engines which permit assembly of the optical transceivers in close proximity to the electrical interfaces of ASICs and FPGAs which handlemore » the data in parallel electrical format. Such assemblies will reduce required printed circuit board area and minimize electromagnetic interference and susceptibility. We will present test results of some of these parallel components and report on the development of pluggable FPGA Mezzanine Cards equipped with optical engines to provide to collaborators on the Versatile Link Common Project for the HI-LHC at CERN.« less

Bouncing dynamics of liquid drops impact on ridge structure: an effective approach to reduce the contact time.

PubMed

Li, Tao; Zhang, Lishu; Wang, Zhichao; Duan, Yunrui; Li, Jie; Wang, Junjun; Li, Hui

2018-06-20

Surfaces designed so that liquid metals do not stick to them but instead rebound as soon as possible have received considerable attention due to their significant importance in many practical technologies. We herein design a ridge structure that can induce the drop to rapidly rebound through the combination effect of centre-drawing recoil and the resulting faster retraction velocity. The suitable sharp-angle of the ridge for minimizing the contact time is determined as 20-30°. Further analysis reveals that multi-ridge structure or two-ridge structure with gaps can reduce more contact time. We also highlight the role the impact velocity played in minimizing the contact time, which has been a neglected parameter previously. Our studies would open up a new way to reduce the contact time and control the bouncing dynamics of metal drops, which provides guidance for some potential applications, such as preventing splashing molten drops from depositing on clean surface.

Engineering Design and Automation in the Applied Engineering Technologies (AET) Group at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wantuck, P. J.; Hollen, R. M.

2002-01-01

This paper provides an overview of some design and automation-related projects ongoing within the Applied Engineering Technologies (AET) Group at Los Alamos National Laboratory. AET uses a diverse set of technical capabilities to develop and apply processes and technologies to applications for a variety of customers both internal and external to the Laboratory. The Advanced Recovery and Integrated Extraction System (ARIES) represents a new paradigm for the processing of nuclear material from retired weapon systems in an environment that seeks to minimize the radiation dose to workers. To achieve this goal, ARIES relies upon automation-based features to handle and processmore » the nuclear material. Our Chemical Process Development Team specializes in fuzzy logic and intelligent control systems. Neural network technology has been utilized in some advanced control systems developed by team members. Genetic algorithms and neural networks have often been applied for data analysis. Enterprise modeling, or discrete event simulation, as well as chemical process simulation has been employed for chemical process plant design. Fuel cell research and development has historically been an active effort within the AET organization. Under the principal sponsorship of the Department of Energy, the Fuel Cell Team is now focusing on technologies required to produce fuel cell compatible feed gas from reformation of a variety of conventional fuels (e.g., gasoline, natural gas), principally for automotive applications. This effort involves chemical reactor design and analysis, process modeling, catalyst analysis, as well as full scale system characterization and testing. The group's Automation and Robotics team has at its foundation many years of experience delivering automated and robotic systems for nuclear, analytical chemistry, and bioengineering applications. As an integrator of commercial systems and a developer of unique custom-made systems, the team currently supports the automation needs of many Laboratory programs.« less

Minimally invasive surgery: national trends in adoption and future directions for hospital strategy.

PubMed

Tsui, Charlotte; Klein, Rachel; Garabrant, Matthew

2013-07-01

Surgeons have rapidly adopted minimally invasive surgical (MIS) techniques for a wide range of applications since the first laparoscopic appendectomy was performed in 1983. At the helm of this MIS shift has been laparoscopy, with robotic surgery also gaining ground in a number of areas. Researchers estimated national volumes, growth forecasts, and MIS adoption rates for the following procedures: cholecystectomy, appendectomy, gastric bypass, ventral hernia repair, colectomy, prostatectomy, tubal ligation, hysterectomy, and myomectomy. MIS adoption rates are based on secondary research, interviews with clinicians and administrators involved in MIS, and a review of clinical literature, where available. Overall volume estimates and growth forecasts are sourced from The Advisory Board Company's national demand model which provides current and future utilization rate projections for inpatient and outpatient services. The model takes into account demographics (growth and aging of the population) as well as non demographic factors such as inpatient to outpatient shift, increase in disease prevalence, technological advancements, coverage expansion, and changing payment models. Surgeons perform cholecystectomy, a relatively simple procedure, laparoscopically in 96 % of the cases. Use of the robot as a tool in laparoscopy is gaining traction in general surgery and seeing particular growth within colorectal surgery. Surgeons use robotic surgery in 15 % of colectomy cases, far behind that of prostatectomy but similar to that of hysterectomy, which have robotic adoption rates of 90 and 20 %, respectively. Surgeons are using minimally invasive surgical techniques, primarily laparoscopy and robotic surgery, to perform procedures that were previously done as open surgery. As risk-based pressures mount, hospital executives will increasingly scrutinize the cost of new technology and the impact it has on patient outcomes. These changing market dynamics may thwart the expansion of new surgical techniques and heighten emphasis on competency standards.

Political Minimalism and Social Debates: The Case of Human-Enhancement Technologies.

PubMed

Rodríguez-Alcázar, Javier

2017-09-01

A faulty understanding of the relationship between morality and politics encumbers many contemporary debates on human enhancement. As a result, some ethical reflections on enhancement undervalue its social dimensions, while some social approaches to the topic lack normative import. In this essay, I use my own conception of the relationship between ethics and politics, which I call "political minimalism," in order to support and strengthen the existing social perspectives on human-enhancement technologies.

Center for Global Health announces grants to support portable technologies

Cancer.gov

NCI's Center for Global Health announced grants that will support the development and validation of low-cost, portable technologies. These technologies have the potential to improve early detection, diagnosis, and non-invasive or minimally invasive treatm

Microrobotics for future gastrointestinal endoscopy.

PubMed

Menciassi, Arianna; Quirini, Marco; Dario, Paolo

2007-01-01

The impulse given by robotic technologies and imaging techniques to the development of a new way to conceive and perform surgery is clearly visible. Nowadays, minimally invasive surgical (MIS) procedures are often performed with the assistance of robots, such as the Da Vinci master-slave system, the AESOP robot with voice control, etc. In addition, mechatronic technologies are becoming the elective technologies for designing advanced hand-held surgical tools. The introduction of robotic technologies in endoscopy has been slower than in MIS, since the development of miniaturized robotic components for entering the small orifices of the human body is difficult. On the other hand, the large contribution that robotic technologies could bring to endoluminal techniques has been evident since the first development of instrumented catheters. In the 1990s, there was an increasing activity in the application of robotic technologies to improve endoscopic procedures in the gastrointestinal tract. The objective of robotic colonoscopy and gastroscopy was to obtain more effective diagnoses in terms of reduced pain for the patients, and to make uniform the diagnostic procedures, which too often depended on the manual abilities of the endoscopist. Currently, the availability of more reliable robotic technologies for miniaturization of size and integration of functions has allowed to conceive and develop robotic pills for the early screening of the digestive tract, with dramatic potential advantages for patients, endoscopists, and healthcare system.

Training Schrödinger's cat: quantum optimal control. Strategic report on current status, visions and goals for research in Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glaser, Steffen J.; Boscain, Ugo; Calarco, Tommaso; Koch, Christiane P.; Köckenberger, Walter; Kosloff, Ronnie; Kuprov, Ilya; Luy, Burkhard; Schirmer, Sophie; Schulte-Herbrüggen, Thomas; Sugny, Dominique; Wilhelm, Frank K.

2015-12-01

It is control that turns scientific knowledge into useful technology: in physics and engineering it provides a systematic way for driving a dynamical system from a given initial state into a desired target state with minimized expenditure of energy and resources. As one of the cornerstones for enabling quantum technologies, optimal quantum control keeps evolving and expanding into areas as diverse as quantum-enhanced sensing, manipulation of single spins, photons, or atoms, optical spectroscopy, photochemistry, magnetic resonance (spectroscopy as well as medical imaging), quantum information processing and quantum simulation. In this communication, state-of-the-art quantum control techniques are reviewed and put into perspective by a consortium of experts in optimal control theory and applications to spectroscopy, imaging, as well as quantum dynamics of closed and open systems. We address key challenges and sketch a roadmap for future developments.

NASA's activities in the conservation of strategic aerospace materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stephens, J. R.

1980-01-01

The United States imports 50-100 percent of certain metals critical to the aerospace industry, namely, cobalt, columbium, chromium, and tantalum. In an effort to reduce this dependence on foreign sources, NASA is planning a program called Conservation of Strategic Aerospace Materials (COSAM), which will provide technology minimizing strategic metal content in the components of aerospace structures such as aircraft engines. With a proposed starting date of October 1981, the program will consist of strategic element substitution, process technology development, and alternate materials research. NASA's two-fold pre-COSAM studies center on, first, substitution research involving nickel-base and cobalt-base superalloys (Waspaloy, Udimet-700, MAE-M247, Rene 150, HA-188) used in turbine disks, low-pressure blades, turbine blades, and combustors; and, second, alternate materials research devoted initially to investigating possible structural applications of the intermetallic alloys nickel aluminide and iron aluminide.

Recent technological advances in pediatric brain tumor surgery.

PubMed

Zebian, Bassel; Vergani, Francesco; Lavrador, José Pedro; Mukherjee, Soumya; Kitchen, William John; Stagno, Vita; Chamilos, Christos; Pettorini, Benedetta; Mallucci, Conor

2017-01-01

X-rays and ventriculograms were the first imaging modalities used to localize intracranial lesions including brain tumors as far back as the 1880s. Subsequent advances in preoperative radiological localization included computed tomography (CT; 1971) and MRI (1977). Since then, other imaging modalities have been developed for clinical application although none as pivotal as CT and MRI. Intraoperative technological advances include the microscope, which has allowed precise surgery under magnification and improved lighting, and the endoscope, which has improved the treatment of hydrocephalus and allowed biopsy and complete resection of intraventricular, pituitary and pineal region tumors through a minimally invasive approach. Neuronavigation, intraoperative MRI, CT and ultrasound have increased the ability of the neurosurgeon to perform safe and maximal tumor resection. This may be facilitated by the use of fluorescing agents, which help define the tumor margin, and intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring, which helps identify and protect eloquent brain.

Utilization of targeted near-infrared molecular imaging to improve pulmonary metastasectomy of osteosarcomas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Predina, Jarrod D.; Newton, Andrew; Deshpande, Charuhas; Low, Philip; Singhal, Sunil

2018-01-01

Pulmonary metastasectomy for osteosarcoma provides a select group of patients an opportunity for long-term survival and possible cure. Unfortunately, a complete metastasectomy is challenging due an inability to accurately identify lesions that lay below the threshold of preoperative imaging or intraoperative visual and tactile inspection. Growing evidence suggests that osteosarcomas express a number of unique molecular markers, including the folate receptor alpha. In this case report, we describe the application of a folate receptor-targeted, near-infrared optical contrast agent (OTL38) to improve osteosarcoma localization during minimally invasive pulmonary resection. In addition to localizing preoperatively identified lesions, this technology helped identify additional disease that was undetected on preoperative imaging or with traditional intraoperative techniques. This report marks the first successful utilization of a molecular imaging probe useful for osteosarcomas. This technology may provide a unique approach to improve pulmonary metastasectomy of osteosarcomas.

Ultrasound tissue analysis and characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaufhold, John; Chan, Ray C.; Karl, William C.; Castanon, David A.

1999-07-01

On the battlefield of the future, it may become feasible for medics to perform, via application of new biomedical technologies, more sophisticated diagnoses and surgery than is currently practiced. Emerging biomedical technology may enable the medic to perform laparoscopic surgical procedures to remove, for example, shrapnel from injured soldiers. Battlefield conditions constrain the types of medical image acquisition and interpretation which can be performed. Ultrasound is the only viable biomedical imaging modality appropriate for deployment on the battlefield -- which leads to image interpretation issues because of the poor quality of ultrasound imagery. To help overcome these issues, we develop and implement a method of image enhancement which could aid non-experts in the rapid interpretation and use of ultrasound imagery. We describe an energy minimization approach to finding boundaries in medical images and show how prior information on edge orientation can be incorporated into this framework to detect tissue boundaries oriented at a known angle.

[The investigation and simulation of a novel spatially modulated micro-Fourier transform spectrometer].

PubMed

Kong, Yan-mei; Liang, Jing-qiu; Wang, Bo; Liang, Zhong-zhu; Xu, Da-wei; Zhang, Jun

2009-04-01

Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) is widely used in science and industry for the measurement of electromagnetic spectra, and it's trend of minimization is particularly pronounced in many applications. A novel model of a micro FTS with no moving parts is proposed and analyzed. During the analysis, the gradients which mainly introduce the phase error are accounted for in details. Based on these assumptions and the improved Mertz phase correcting method, the spectrum of the signal is simulated, given the real extended light source. The resolution can reach 3.43 nm@800 nm, with high SNR limiting resolving ability 6.8 dB. The novel micro FTS could be made by MOEMS technology, which has some advantages over the conventional micro dispersive spectrometers based on the traditional technology, and this method can also afford some new concepts on the design of spectrometers. The research work is underway to demonstrate the theory.

RFID-based information visibility for hospital operations: exploring its positive effects using discrete event simulation.

PubMed

Asamoah, Daniel A; Sharda, Ramesh; Rude, Howard N; Doran, Derek

2016-10-12

Long queues and wait times often occur at hospitals and affect smooth delivery of health services. To improve hospital operations, prior studies have developed scheduling techniques to minimize patient wait times. However, these studies lack in demonstrating how such techniques respond to real-time information needs of hospitals and efficiently manage wait times. This article presents a multi-method study on the positive impact of providing real-time scheduling information to patients using the RFID technology. Using a simulation methodology, we present a generic scenario, which can be mapped to real-life situations, where patients can select the order of laboratory services. The study shows that information visibility offered by RFID technology results in decreased wait times and improves resource utilization. We also discuss the applicability of the results based on field interviews granted by hospital clinicians and administrators on the perceived barriers and benefits of an RFID system.

Technology Utilization House Study Report. [For Energy Conservation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1974-01-01

The objectives of Project TECH are: (1) to construct a single family detached dwelling for demonstrating the application of advanced technology and minimizing the requirement for energy and utility services, and (2) to help influence future development in home construction by defining the interaction of integrated energy and water management systems with building configuration and construction materials. Components and methods expected to be cost effective over a 20 year span were studied. Emphasis was placed on the utilization of natural heating and cooling characteristics. Orientation and location of windows, landscaping, natural ventilation, and characteristics of the local climate and microclimate were intended to be used to best advantage. Energy conserving homes are most efficient when design for specific sites, therefore project TECH should not be considered a prototype design suitable for all locations. However, it does provide ideas and analytical methods which can be applied to some degree in all housing.

Transcriptome Analysis at the Single-Cell Level Using SMART Technology.

PubMed

Fish, Rachel N; Bostick, Magnolia; Lehman, Alisa; Farmer, Andrew

2016-10-10

RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) is a powerful method for analyzing cell state, with minimal bias, and has broad applications within the biological sciences. However, transcriptome analysis of seemingly homogenous cell populations may in fact overlook significant heterogeneity that can be uncovered at the single-cell level. The ultra-low amount of RNA contained in a single cell requires extraordinarily sensitive and reproducible transcriptome analysis methods. As next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies mature, transcriptome profiling by RNA-seq is increasingly being used to decipher the molecular signature of individual cells. This unit describes an ultra-sensitive and reproducible protocol to generate cDNA and sequencing libraries directly from single cells or RNA inputs ranging from 10 pg to 10 ng. Important considerations for working with minute RNA inputs are given. © 2016 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Optical sensors based on photonic crystal: a new route

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romano, S.; Torino, S.; Coppola, G.; Cabrini, S.; Mocella, V.

2017-05-01

The realization of miniaturized devices able to accumulate a higher number of information in a smallest volume is a challenge of the technological development. This trend increases the request of high sensitivity and selectivity sensors which can be integrated in microsystems. In this landscape, optical sensors based on photonic crystal technology can be an appealing solution. Here, a new refractive index sensor device, based on the bound states in the continuum (BIC) resonance shift excited in a photonic crystal membrane, is presented. A microfluidic cell was used to control the injection of fluids with different refractive indices over the photonic crystal surface. The shift of very high Q-factor resonances excited into the photonic crystal open cavity was monitored as a function of the refractive index n of the test liquid. The excellent stability we found and the minimal, loss-free optical equipment requirement, provide a new route for achieving high performance in sensing applications.

Ground Vehicle Convoying

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gage, Douglas W.; Pletta, J. Bryan

1987-01-01

Initial investigations into two different approaches for applying autonomous ground vehicle technology to the vehicle convoying application are described. A minimal capability system that would maintain desired speed and vehicle spacing while a human driver provided steering control could improve convoy performance and provide positive control at night and in inclement weather, but would not reduce driver manpower requirements. Such a system could be implemented in a modular and relatively low cost manner. A more capable system would eliminate the human driver in following vehicles and reduce manpower requirements for the transportation of supplies. This technology could also be used to aid in the deployment of teleoperated vehicles in a battlefield environment. The needs, requirements, and several proposed solutions for such an Attachable Robotic Convoy Capability (ARCC) system will be discussed. Included are discussions of sensors, communications, computers, control systems and safety issues. This advanced robotic convoy system will provide a much greater capability, but will be more difficult and expensive to implement.

Reliable quantum certification of photonic state preparations

PubMed Central

Aolita, Leandro; Gogolin, Christian; Kliesch, Martin; Eisert, Jens

2015-01-01

Quantum technologies promise a variety of exciting applications. Even though impressive progress has been achieved recently, a major bottleneck currently is the lack of practical certification techniques. The challenge consists of ensuring that classically intractable quantum devices perform as expected. Here we present an experimentally friendly and reliable certification tool for photonic quantum technologies: an efficient certification test for experimental preparations of multimode pure Gaussian states, pure non-Gaussian states generated by linear-optical circuits with Fock-basis states of constant boson number as inputs, and pure states generated from the latter class by post-selecting with Fock-basis measurements on ancillary modes. Only classical computing capabilities and homodyne or hetorodyne detection are required. Minimal assumptions are made on the noise or experimental capabilities of the preparation. The method constitutes a step forward in many-body quantum certification, which is ultimately about testing quantum mechanics at large scales. PMID:26577800

2195 Aluminum-Copper-Lithium Friction Plug Welding Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Takeshita, Rike P.; Hartley, Paula J.; Baker, Kent S.

1997-01-01

Technology developments and applications of friction plug welding is presented. This friction repair welding technology is being studied for implementation on the Space Transportation System's Super Light Weight External Tank. Single plug repairs will be used on a vast majority of weld defects, however, linear defects of up to several inches can be repaired by overlapping plug welds. Methods and results of tensile, bend, simulated service, surface crack tension and other tests at room and cryogenic temperatures is discussed. Attempts to implement Friction Plug Welding has led to both tool and process changes in an attempt to minimize expansive tooling and lengthy implementation times. Process control equipment and data storage methods intended for large scale production will also be addressed. Benefits include increased strength and toughness, decreased weld repair time, automated and highly reliable process, and a lower probability of having to re-repair defect locations.

Financial analysis of biogas utilization : input cattle, pig feces and coffee waste in Karo, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ginting, N.; Zuhri, F.; Hasnudi; Mirwandhono, E.; Sembiring, I.; Daulay, A. H.

2018-02-01

The community's need for renewable energy was very urgent. In addition, efforts to preserve the environment from waste caused biogas technology feasible to apply. This study aims to provide biogas technology with minimal cost and utilize agricultural waste that were coffee and livestock waste. The study was conducted from July to October 2016. The theoretical and empirical methods used in this study were included data from officials resources, field survey on 16 biogas locations, focus group discussion and interview with stake holders. Data were tabulated by Excel Program which then were analysed by SAS. Parameters were included Production Cost, Production Result, Profit Loss Analysis, Revenue Cost Ratio (R/C Ratio), Return On Investment (ROI), Net B/C, and IRR. The result of this research showed that the application of bioplastic gas with cow dung and coffee waste as bioplasticgas input cause the best results.

Treatment of a mud pit by bioremediation.

PubMed

Avdalović, Jelena; Đurić, Aleksandra; Miletić, Srdjan; Ilić, Mila; Milić, Jelena; Vrvić, Miroslav M

2016-08-01

The mud generated from oil and natural gas drilling, presents a considerable ecological problem. There are still insufficient remedies for the removal and minimization of these very stable emulsions. Existing technologies that are in use, more or less successfully, treat about 20% of generated waste drilling mud, while the rest is temporarily deposited in so-called mud pits. This study investigated in situ bioremediation of a mud pit. The bioremediation technology used in this case was based on the use of naturally occurring microorganisms, isolated from the contaminated site, which were capable of using the contaminating substances as nutrients. The bioremediation was stimulated through repeated inoculation with a zymogenous microbial consortium, along with mixing, watering and biostimulation. Application of these bioremediation techniques reduced the concentration of total petroleum hydrocarbons from 32.2 to 1.5 g kg(-1) (95% degradation) during six months of treatment. © The Author(s) 2016.

Laparoscopic Whipple procedure: review of the literature.

PubMed

Gagner, Michel; Palermo, Mariano

2009-01-01

Laparoscopic pancreatic surgery represents one of the most advanced applications for laparoscopic surgery currently in use. In the past, minimally invasive techniques were only used for diagnostic laparoscopy, staging of pancreatic cancer, and palliative procedures for unresectable pancreatic cancer. With new advances in technology and instrumentation, some sophisticated procedures are currently available, such as the Whipple procedure, one of the most sophisticated applications of minimally invasive surgery. A review of the literature shows that 146 laparoscopic Whipple procedures have been published worldwide since 1994. The authors analyzed blood loss, mean operating time, hospital stay, conversion rate, mean age, mortality rate, lymph nodes in the pathologic findings, follow up, and complications. Mean age was 59.1 years; mean operating time was 439 min. The average blood loss for the reviewed literature was 143 mL; median hospital stay was 18 days; conversion rate was 46%; number of lymph nodes in the pathologic findings was 19; and mortalities related to the procedure was low, 2 patients (1.3%) and the complication rate was 16% (23/46 patients). Complications included 2 hemorrhages, 4 bowel obstructions, 1 stress ulcer, 1 delay of gastric emptying, 4 pneumonias, and 11 leaks. This review demonstrates that the laparoscopic Whipple procedure is not only feasible but also safe, with low mortality and acceptable rates of complications.

Admission Control Over Internet of Vehicles Attached With Medical Sensors for Ubiquitous Healthcare Applications.

PubMed

Lin, Di; Labeau, Fabrice; Yao, Yuanzhe; Vasilakos, Athanasios V; Tang, Yu

2016-07-01

Wireless technologies and vehicle-mounted or wearable medical sensors are pervasive to support ubiquitous healthcare applications. However, a critical issue of using wireless communications under a healthcare scenario rests at the electromagnetic interference (EMI) caused by radio frequency transmission. A high level of EMI may lead to a critical malfunction of medical sensors, and in such a scenario, a few users who are not transmitting emergency data could be required to reduce their transmit power or even temporarily disconnect from the network in order to guarantee the normal operation of medical sensors as well as the transmission of emergency data. In this paper, we propose a joint power and admission control algorithm to schedule the users' transmission of medical data. The objective of this algorithm is to minimize the number of users who are forced to disconnect from the network while keeping the EMI on medical sensors at an acceptable level. We show that a fixed point of proposed algorithm always exists, and at the fixed point, our proposed algorithm can minimize the number of low-priority users who are required to disconnect from the network. Numerical results illustrate that the proposed algorithm can achieve robust performance against the variations of mobile hospital environments.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

On behalf of the Department of Energy's Office of FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technologies, we are pleased to introduce the Fiscal Year (FY) 2004 Annual Progress Report for the Advanced Combustion Engine R&D Sub-Program. The mission of the FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technologies Program is to develop more energy efficient and environmentally friendly highway transportation technologies that enable Americans to use less petroleum for their vehicles. The Advanced Combustion Engine R&D Sub-Program supports this mission by removing the critical technical barriers to commercialization of advanced internal combustion engines for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty highway vehicles that meet future Federal and state emissionsmore » regulations. The primary objective of the Advanced Combustion Engine R&D Sub-Program is to improve the brake thermal efficiency of internal combustion engines from 30 to 45 percent for light-duty applications by 2010; and 40 to 55 percent for heavy-duty applications by 2012; while meeting cost, durability, and emissions constraints. R&D activities include work on combustion technologies that increase efficiency and minimize in-cylinder formation of emissions, as well as aftertreatment technologies that further reduce exhaust emissions. Work is also being conducted on ways to reduce parasitic and heat transfer losses through the development and application of thermoelectrics and turbochargers that include electricity generating capability, and conversion of mechanically driven engine components to be driven via electric motors. This introduction serves to outline the nature, current progress, and future directions of the Advanced Combustion Engine R&D Sub-Program. The research activities of this Sub-Program are planned in conjunction with the FreedomCAR Partnership and the 21st Century Truck Partnership and are carried out in collaboration with industry, national laboratories, and universities. Because of the importance of clean fuels in achieving low emissions, R&D activities are closely coordinated with the relevant activities of the Fuel Technologies Sub-Program, also within the Office of FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technologies. Research is also being undertaken on hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engines to provide an interim hydrogen-based powertrain technology that promotes the longer-range FreedomCAR Partnership goal of transitioning to a hydrogen-fueled transportation system. Hydrogen engine technologies being developed have the potential to provide diesel-like engine efficiencies with near-zero emissions.« less

The design and implementation of the HY-1B Product Archive System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Shibin; Liu, Wei; Peng, Hailong

2010-11-01

Product Archive System (PAS), as a background system, is the core part of the Product Archive and Distribution System (PADS) which is the center for data management of the Ground Application System of HY-1B satellite hosted by the National Satellite Ocean Application Service of China. PAS integrates a series of updating methods and technologies, such as a suitable data transmittal mode, flexible configuration files and log information in order to make the system with several desirable characteristics, such as ease of maintenance, stability, minimal complexity. This paper describes seven major components of the PAS (Network Communicator module, File Collector module, File Copy module, Task Collector module, Metadata Extractor module, Product data Archive module, Metadata catalogue import module) and some of the unique features of the system, as well as the technical problems encountered and resolved.

High-density patterned media fabrication using jet and flash imprint lithography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Zhengmao; Ramos, Rick; Brooks, Cynthia; Simpson, Logan; Fretwell, John; Carden, Scott; Hellebrekers, Paul; LaBrake, Dwayne; Resnick, Douglas J.; Sreenivasan, S. V.

2011-04-01

The Jet and Flash Imprint Lithography (J-FIL®) process uses drop dispensing of UV curable resists for high resolution patterning. Several applications, including patterned media, are better, and more economically served by a full substrate patterning process since the alignment requirements are minimal. Patterned media is particularly challenging because of the aggressive feature sizes necessary to achieve storage densities required for manufacturing beyond the current technology of perpendicular recording. In this paper, the key process steps for the application of J-FIL to pattern media fabrication are reviewed with special attention to substrate cleaning, vapor adhesion of the adhesion layer and imprint performance at >300 disk per hour. Also discussed are recent results for imprinting discrete track patterns at half pitches of 24nm and bit patterned media patterns at densities of 1 Tb/in2.

Automatic Generation of OpenMP Directives and Its Application to Computational Fluid Dynamics Codes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yan, Jerry; Jin, Haoqiang; Frumkin, Michael; Yan, Jerry (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

The shared-memory programming model is a very effective way to achieve parallelism on shared memory parallel computers. As great progress was made in hardware and software technologies, performance of parallel programs with compiler directives has demonstrated large improvement. The introduction of OpenMP directives, the industrial standard for shared-memory programming, has minimized the issue of portability. In this study, we have extended CAPTools, a computer-aided parallelization toolkit, to automatically generate OpenMP-based parallel programs with nominal user assistance. We outline techniques used in the implementation of the tool and discuss the application of this tool on the NAS Parallel Benchmarks and several computational fluid dynamics codes. This work demonstrates the great potential of using the tool to quickly port parallel programs and also achieve good performance that exceeds some of the commercial tools.

New trends in the virtualization of hospitals--tools for global e-Health.

PubMed

Graschew, Georgi; Roelofs, Theo A; Rakowsky, Stefan; Schlag, Peter M; Heinzlreiter, Paul; Kranzlmüller, Dieter; Volkert, Jens

2006-01-01

The development of virtual hospitals and digital medicine helps to bridge the digital divide between different regions of the world and enables equal access to high-level medical care. Pre-operative planning, intra-operative navigation and minimally-invasive surgery require a digital and virtual environment supporting the perception of the physician. As data and computing resources in a virtual hospital are distributed over many sites the concept of the Grid should be integrated with other communication networks and platforms. A promising approach is the implementation of service-oriented architectures for an invisible grid, hiding complexity for both application developers and end-users. Examples of promising medical applications of Grid technology are the real-time 3D-visualization and manipulation of patient data for individualized treatment planning and the creation of distributed intelligent databases of medical images.

A model for flexible tools used in minimally invasive medical virtual environments.

PubMed

Soler, Francisco; Luzon, M Victoria; Pop, Serban R; Hughes, Chris J; John, Nigel W; Torres, Juan Carlos

2011-01-01

Within the limits of current technology, many applications of a virtual environment will trade-off accuracy for speed. This is not an acceptable compromise in a medical training application where both are essential. Efficient algorithms must therefore be developed. The purpose of this project is the development and validation of a novel physics-based real time tool manipulation model, which is easy to integrate into any medical virtual environment that requires support for the insertion of long flexible tools into complex geometries. This encompasses medical specialities such as vascular interventional radiology, endoscopy, and laparoscopy, where training, prototyping of new instruments/tools and mission rehearsal can all be facilitated by using an immersive medical virtual environment. Our model recognises and uses accurately patient specific data and adapts to the geometrical complexity of the vessel in real time.

Herding Elephants: Coping with the Technological Revolution in our Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tunison, Scott

2002-01-01

Considers the extent to which schools need to address computer technology, and discusses which strategies can be employed to maximize the benefits and minimize the difficulties in integrating computer technology into the current educational framework. Advocates incorporation of computer technology into educational practices. (Contains 17…

Implementing AORN recommended practices for electrosurgery.

PubMed

Spruce, Lisa; Braswell, Melanie L

2012-03-01

Technology is constantly changing, and it is important for perioperative nurses to stay current on new products and technologies in the perioperative setting. AORN's "Recommended practices for electrosurgery" addresses safety standards that all perioperative personnel should follow to minimize risks to both patients and staff members during the use of electrosurgical devices. Recommendations include how to select electrosurgical units and accessories for purchase, how to minimize the potential for patient and staff member injuries, what precautions to take during minimally invasive surgery, and how to avoid surgical smoke hazards. The recommendations also address education/competency, documentation, policies and procedures, and quality assurance/performance improvement. Perioperative nurses should consider the use of checklists and safety posters to remind staff members of the dangers of electrosurgery and the steps to take to minimize the risks for injury. Copyright © 2012 AORN, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Applications of low-cost sensing technologies for air quality monitoring and exposure assessment: How far have they gone?

PubMed

Morawska, Lidia; Thai, Phong K; Liu, Xiaoting; Asumadu-Sakyi, Akwasi; Ayoko, Godwin; Bartonova, Alena; Bedini, Andrea; Chai, Fahe; Christensen, Bryce; Dunbabin, Matthew; Gao, Jian; Hagler, Gayle S W; Jayaratne, Rohan; Kumar, Prashant; Lau, Alexis K H; Louie, Peter K K; Mazaheri, Mandana; Ning, Zhi; Motta, Nunzio; Mullins, Ben; Rahman, Md Mahmudur; Ristovski, Zoran; Shafiei, Mahnaz; Tjondronegoro, Dian; Westerdahl, Dane; Williams, Ron

2018-07-01

Over the past decade, a range of sensor technologies became available on the market, enabling a revolutionary shift in air pollution monitoring and assessment. With their cost of up to three orders of magnitude lower than standard/reference instruments, many avenues for applications have opened up. In particular, broader participation in air quality discussion and utilisation of information on air pollution by communities has become possible. However, many questions have been also asked about the actual benefits of these technologies. To address this issue, we conducted a comprehensive literature search including both the scientific and grey literature. We focused upon two questions: (1) Are these technologies fit for the various purposes envisaged? and (2) How far have these technologies and their applications progressed to provide answers and solutions? Regarding the former, we concluded that there is no clear answer to the question, due to a lack of: sensor/monitor manufacturers' quantitative specifications of performance, consensus regarding recommended end-use and associated minimal performance targets of these technologies, and the ability of the prospective users to formulate the requirements for their applications, or conditions of the intended use. Numerous studies have assessed and reported sensor/monitor performance under a range of specific conditions, and in many cases the performance was concluded to be satisfactory. The specific use cases for sensors/monitors included outdoor in a stationary mode, outdoor in a mobile mode, indoor environments and personal monitoring. Under certain conditions of application, project goals, and monitoring environments, some sensors/monitors were fit for a specific purpose. Based on analysis of 17 large projects, which reached applied outcome stage, and typically conducted by consortia of organizations, we observed that a sizable fraction of them (~ 30%) were commercial and/or crowd-funded. This fact by itself signals a paradigm change in air quality monitoring, which previously had been primarily implemented by government organizations. An additional paradigm-shift indicator is the growing use of machine learning or other advanced data processing approaches to improve sensor/monitor agreement with reference monitors. There is still some way to go in enhancing application of the technologies for source apportionment, which is of particular necessity and urgency in developing countries. Also, there has been somewhat less progress in wide-scale monitoring of personal exposures. However, it can be argued that with a significant future expansion of monitoring networks, including indoor environments, there may be less need for wearable or portable sensors/monitors to assess personal exposure. Traditional personal monitoring would still be valuable where spatial variability of pollutants of interest is at a finer resolution than the monitoring network can resolve. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Accelerated construction

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2004-01-01

Accelerated Construction Technology Transfer (ACTT) is a strategic process that uses various innovative techniques, strategies, and technologies to minimize actual construction time, while enhancing quality and safety on today's large, complex multip...

A self-consistent model of an isothermal tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McNamara, Steven; Lilley, Matthew

2014-10-01

Continued progress in liquid lithium coating technologies have made the development of a beam driven tokamak with minimal edge recycling a feasibly possibility. Such devices are characterised by improved confinement due to their inherent stability and the suppression of thermal conduction. Particle and energy confinement become intrinsically linked and the plasma thermal energy content is governed by the injected beam. A self-consistent model of a purely beam fuelled isothermal tokamak is presented, including calculations of the density profile, bulk species temperature ratios and the fusion output. Stability considerations constrain the operating parameters and regions of stable operation are identified and their suitability to potential reactor applications discussed.

Pairwise alignment of chromatograms using an extended Fisher-Rao metric.

PubMed

Wallace, W E; Srivastava, A; Telu, K H; Simón-Manso, Y

2014-09-02

A conceptually new approach for aligning chromatograms is introduced and applied to examples of metabolite identification in human blood plasma by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). A square-root representation of the chromatogram's derivative coupled with an extended Fisher-Rao metric enables the computation of relative differences between chromatograms. Minimization of these differences using a common dynamic programming algorithm brings the chromatograms into alignment. Application to a complex sample, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Standard Reference Material 1950, Metabolites in Human Plasma, analyzed by two different LC-MS methods having significantly different ranges of elution time is described. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Aerospace Environmental Technology Conference: Exectutive summary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitaker, A. F. (Editor)

1995-01-01

The mandated elimination of CFC's, Halons, TCA, and other ozone depleting chemicals and specific hazardous materials has required changes and new developments in aerospace materials and processes. The aerospace industry has been involved for several years in providing product substitutions, redesigning entire production processes, and developing new materials that minimize or eliminate damage to the environment. These activities emphasize replacement cleaning solvents and their application verifications, compliant coatings including corrosion protection systems, and removal techniques, chemical propulsion effects on the environment, and the initiation of modifications to relevant processing and manufacturing specifications and standards. The papers from this conference are being published in a separate volume as NASA CP-3298.

Ultrasound artifacts: classification, applied physics with illustrations, and imaging appearances.

PubMed

Prabhu, Somnath J; Kanal, Kalpana; Bhargava, Puneet; Vaidya, Sandeep; Dighe, Manjiri K

2014-06-01

Ultrasound has become a widely used diagnostic imaging modality in medicine because of its safety and portability. Because of rapid advances in technology, in recent years, sonographic imaging quality has significantly increased. Despite these advances, the potential to encounter artifacts while imaging remains.This article classifies both common and uncommon gray-scale and Doppler ultrasound artifacts into those resulting from physiology and those caused by hardware. A brief applied-physics explanation for each artifact is listed along with an illustrated diagram. The imaging appearance of artifacts is presented in case examples, along with strategies to minimize the artifacts in real time or use them for clinical advantage where applicable.

New Developments in Nickel-Hydrogen Dependent Pressure Vessel (DPV) Cell and Battery Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Caldwell, Dwight B.; Fox, Chris L.; Miller, Lee E.

1997-01-01

THe Dependent Pressure Vessel (DPV) Nickel-Hydrogen (NiH2) design is being developed as an advanced battery for military and commercial, aerospace and terrestrial applications. The DPV cell design offers high specific energy and energy density as well as reduced cost, while retaining the established Individual Pressure Vessel (IPV) technology flight heritage and database. This advanced DPV design also offers a more efficient mechanical, electrical and thermal cell and battery configuration and a reduced part count. The DPV battery design promotes compact, minimum volume packaging and weight efficiency, and delivers cost and weight savings with minimal design risk.

Approaches to resource recovery in controlled ecological life support systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bubenheim, D. L.; Wydeven, T.

1994-01-01

Recovery of resources from waste streams in a space habitat is essential to minimize the resupply burden and achieve self sufficiency. The ultimate goal of a Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) is to achieve the greatest practical level of mass recycle and provide self sufficiency and safety for humans. Several mission scenarios leading to the ultimate application could employ CELSS component technologies or subsystems with initial emphasis on recycle of the largest mass components of the waste stream. Candidate physical/chemical and biological processes for resource recovery from liquid and solid waste streams are discussed and the current fundamental recovery potentials are estimated.

Design and fabrication of an IPMC-embedded tube for minimally invasive surgery applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Jiayu; Wang, Yanjie; Zhao, Dongxu; Zhang, Chi; Chen, Hualing; Li, Dichen

2014-03-01

Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) is receiving much attention for a number of reasons, including less trauma, faster recovery and enhanced precision. The traditional robotic actuators do not have the capabilities required to fulfill the demand for new applications in MIS. Ionic Polymer-Metal Composite (IPMC), one of the most promising smart materials, has extensive desirable characteristics such as low actuation voltage, large bending deformation and high functionality. Compared with traditional actuators, IPMCs can mimic biological muscle and are highly promising for actuation in robotic surgery. In this paper, a new approach which involves molding and integrating IPMC actuators into a soft silicone tube to create an active actuating tube capable of multi-degree-of-freedom motion is presented. First, according to the structure and performance requirements of the actuating tube, the biaxial bending IPMC actuators fabricated by using solution casting method have been implemented. The silicone was cured at a suitable temperature to form a flexible tube using molds fabricated by 3D Printing technology. Then an assembly based fabrication process was used to mold or integrate biaxial bending IPMC actuators into the soft silicone material to create an active control tube. The IPMC-embedded tube can generate multi-degree-of-freedom motions by controlling each IPMC actuator. Furthermore, the basic performance of the actuators was analyzed, including the displacement and the response speed. Experimental results indicate that IPMC-embedded tubes are promising for applications in MIS.

Application of the holmium:YAG laser for prostatectomy.

PubMed

Kabalin, J N; Gilling, P J; Fraundorfer, M R

1998-02-01

The authors review the current knowledge regarding the application of the Holmium: YAG laser for prostatectomy. Conventional surgical therapies for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) are effective but associated with relatively high morbidity. Laser prostatectomy, using either Neodymium:YAG or potassium-titanyl-phosphate lasers, has emerged as a new and much safer operative approach to relieve symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia. However, these laser wavelengths possess key disadvantages that have limited their acceptability and dissemination in everyday urologic practice. THE authors review their own extensive experience in the development of clinical application of Holmium: YAG laser technology for prostatectomy, as well as the published reports in the current medical literature now dealing with this subject. In multiple clinical trials, Holmium:YAG laser resection of the prostate has proven efficacious in relieving symptomatic BPH. Both objective urodynamic measures of voiding outcomes and symptomatic improvement have been shown to be equivalent to standard electrocautery resection of the prostate. At the same time, these studies have demonstrated the superior safety and hemostasis of Holmium:YAG laser prostatectomy compared to electrocautery resection, similar to prior laser prostatectomy procedure. Unlike prior forms of laser prostatectomy, Holmium:YAG laser resection of the prostate acutely removes all obstructing prostate tissue, so that the postoperative catheterization requirement is typically only overnight and improvement in voiding is immediate. Current operative techniques and the latest technological developments to facilitate Holmium:YAG laser prostatectomy are described. Holmium: YAG laser prostatectomy combines the best features of prior laser prostatectomy technologies, including minimal complications and morbidity, with the efficacy and immediacy of voiding outcomes associated with conventional electrocautery resection of the prostate.

Image-guided thoracic surgery in the hybrid operation room.

PubMed

Ujiie, Hideki; Effat, Andrew; Yasufuku, Kazuhiro

2017-01-01

There has been an increase in the use of image-guided technology to facilitate minimally invasive therapy. The next generation of minimally invasive therapy is focused on advancement and translation of novel image-guided technologies in therapeutic interventions, including surgery, interventional pulmonology, radiation therapy, and interventional laser therapy. To establish the efficacy of different minimally invasive therapies, we have developed a hybrid operating room, known as the guided therapeutics operating room (GTx OR) at the Toronto General Hospital. The GTx OR is equipped with multi-modality image-guidance systems, which features a dual source-dual energy computed tomography (CT) scanner, a robotic cone-beam CT (CBCT)/fluoroscopy, high-performance endobronchial ultrasound system, endoscopic surgery system, near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging system, and navigation tracking systems. The novel multimodality image-guidance systems allow physicians to quickly, and accurately image patients while they are on the operating table. This yield improved outcomes since physicians are able to use image guidance during their procedures, and carry out innovative multi-modality therapeutics. Multiple preclinical translational studies pertaining to innovative minimally invasive technology is being developed in our guided therapeutics laboratory (GTx Lab). The GTx Lab is equipped with similar technology, and multimodality image-guidance systems as the GTx OR, and acts as an appropriate platform for translation of research into human clinical trials. Through the GTx Lab, we are able to perform basic research, such as the development of image-guided technologies, preclinical model testing, as well as preclinical imaging, and then translate that research into the GTx OR. This OR allows for the utilization of new technologies in cancer therapy, including molecular imaging, and other innovative imaging modalities, and therefore enables a better quality of life for patients, both during and after the procedure. In this article, we describe capabilities of the GTx systems, and discuss the first-in-human technologies used, and evaluated in GTx OR.

Network connectivity enhancement by exploiting all optical multicast in semiconductor ring laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siraj, M.; Memon, M. I.; Shoaib, M.; Alshebeili, S.

2015-03-01

The use of smart phone and tablet applications will provide the troops for executing, controlling and analyzing sophisticated operations with the commanders providing crucial documents directly to troops wherever and whenever needed. Wireless mesh networks (WMNs) is a cutting edge networking technology which is capable of supporting Joint Tactical radio System (JTRS).WMNs are capable of providing the much needed bandwidth for applications like hand held radios and communication for airborne and ground vehicles. Routing management tasks can be efficiently handled through WMNs through a central command control center. As the spectrum space is congested, cognitive radios are a much welcome technology that will provide much needed bandwidth. They can self-configure themselves, can adapt themselves to the user requirement, provide dynamic spectrum access for minimizing interference and also deliver optimal power output. Sometimes in the indoor environment, there are poor signal issues and reduced coverage. In this paper, a solution utilizing (CR WMNs) over optical network is presented by creating nanocells (PCs) inside the indoor environment. The phenomenon of four-wave mixing (FWM) is exploited to generate all-optical multicast using semiconductor ring laser (SRL). As a result same signal is transmitted at different wavelengths. Every PC is assigned a unique wavelength. By using CR technology in conjunction with PC will not only solve network coverage issue but will provide a good bandwidth to the secondary users.

Advanced Life Support Project Plan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

Life support systems are an enabling technology and have become integral to the success of living and working in space. As NASA embarks on human exploration and development of space to open the space frontier by exploring, using and enabling the development of space and to expand the human experience into the far reaches of space, it becomes imperative, for considerations of safety, cost, and crew health, to minimize consumables and increase the autonomy of the life support system. Utilizing advanced life support technologies increases this autonomy by reducing mass, power, and volume necessary for human support, thus permitting larger payload allocations for science and exploration. Two basic classes of life support systems must be developed, those directed toward applications on transportation/habitation vehicles (e.g., Space Shuttle, International Space Station (ISS), next generation launch vehicles, crew-tended stations/observatories, planetary transit spacecraft, etc.) and those directed toward applications on the planetary surfaces (e.g., lunar or Martian landing spacecraft, planetary habitats and facilities, etc.). In general, it can be viewed as those systems compatible with microgravity and those compatible with hypogravity environments. Part B of the Appendix defines the technology development 'Roadmap' to be followed in providing the necessary systems for these missions. The purpose of this Project Plan is to define the Project objectives, Project-level requirements, the management organizations responsible for the Project throughout its life cycle, and Project-level resources, schedules and controls.

34 CFR 645.21 - What assurances must an applicant include in an application?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... services and promote collaborations so that more students can be served. (b) An applicant for an Upward... target area in order to minimize the duplication of services and promote collaborations so that more... in the target area in order to minimize the duplication of services and promote collaborations so...

(BRI) Direct and Inverse Design Optimization of Magnetic Alloys with Minimized Use of Rare Earth Elements

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-02-02

Earths ”, MS&T15-Materials Science and Technology 2015 Conference, Columbus, Ohio, October 4-8, 2015. 3. Dulikrvich, G.S., Reddy, S., Orlande, H.R.B...Schwartz, J.and Koch, C.C., “Multi-Objective Design and Optimization of Hard Magnetic Alloys Free of Rare Earths ”, MS&T15-Materials Science and Technology...AFRL-AFOSR-VA-TR-2016-0091 (BRI) Direct and Inverse Design Optimization of Magnetic Alloys with Minimized Use of Rare Earth Elements George

WE-B-BRD-01: Innovation in Radiation Therapy Planning II: Cloud Computing in RT

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Moore, K; Kagadis, G; Xing, L

As defined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, cloud computing is “a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.” Despite the omnipresent role of computers in radiotherapy, cloud computing has yet to achieve widespread adoption in clinical or research applications, though the transition to such “on-demand” access is underway. As this transition proceeds, new opportunities for aggregate studies and efficient use of computational resources are set againstmore » new challenges in patient privacy protection, data integrity, and management of clinical informatics systems. In this Session, current and future applications of cloud computing and distributed computational resources will be discussed in the context of medical imaging, radiotherapy research, and clinical radiation oncology applications. Learning Objectives: Understand basic concepts of cloud computing. Understand how cloud computing could be used for medical imaging applications. Understand how cloud computing could be employed for radiotherapy research.4. Understand how clinical radiotherapy software applications would function in the cloud.« less

MEMS device for mass market gas and chemical sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kinkade, Brian R.; Daly, James T.; Johnson, Edward A.

2000-08-01

Gas and chemical sensors are used in many applications. Industrial health and safety monitors allow companies to meet OSHA requirements by detecting harmful levels of toxic or combustible gases. Vehicle emissions are tested during annual inspections. Blood alcohol breathalizers are used by law enforcement. Refrigerant leak detection ensures that the Earth's ozone layer is not being compromised. Industrial combustion emissions are also monitored to minimize pollution. Heating and ventilation systems watch for high levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) to trigger an increase in fresh air exchange. Carbon monoxide detectors are used in homes to prevent poisoning from poor combustion ventilation. Anesthesia gases are monitored during a patients operation. The current economic reality is that two groups of gas sensor technologies are competing in two distinct existing market segments - affordable (less reliable) chemical reaction sensors for consumer markets and reliable (expensive) infrared (IR) spectroscopic sensors for industrial, laboratory, and medical instrumentation markets. Presently high volume mass-market applications are limited to CO detectros and on-board automotive emissions sensors. Due to reliability problems with electrochemical sensor-based CO detectors there is a hesitancy to apply these sensors in other high volume applications. Applications such as: natural gas leak detection, non-invasive blood glucose monitoring, home indoor air quality, personal/portable air quality monitors, home fire/burnt cooking detector, and home food spoilage detectors need a sensor that is a small, efficient, accurate, sensitive, reliable, and inexpensive. Connecting an array of these next generation gas sensors to wireless networks that are starting to proliferate today creates many other applications. Asthmatics could preview the air quality of their destinations as they venture out into the day. HVAC systems could determine if fresh air intake was actually better than the air in the house. Internet grocery delivery services could check for spoiled foods in their clients' refrigerators. City emissions regulators could monitor the various emissions sources throughout the area from their desk to predict how many pollution vouchers they will need to trade in the next week. We describe a new component architecture for mass-market sensors based on silicon microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology. MEMS are micrometer-scale devices that can be fabricated as discrete devices or large arrays, using the technology of integrated circuit manufacturing. These new photonic bandgap and MEMS fabricataion technologies will simplify the component technology to provide high-quality gas and chemical sensors at consumer prices.

76 FR 36130 - Agency Information Collection Request. 60-Day Public Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-21

... of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology to minimize the... within 60-days. Proposed Project: Health Information Technology Research Center (HITRC) User Experience...) adoption and health information exchange (HIE) by establishing the Health Information Technology Extension...

SP-100 reactor with Brayton conversion for lunar surface applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mason, Lee S.; Rodriguez, Carlos D.; Mckissock, Barbara I.; Hanlon, James C.; Mansfield, Brian C.

1992-01-01

Examined here is the potential for integrating Brayton-cycle power conversion with the SP-100 reactor for lunar surface power system applications. Two designs were characterized and modeled. The first design integrates a 100-kWe SP-100 Brayton power system with a lunar lander. This system is intended to meet early lunar mission power needs while minimizing on-site installation requirements. Man-rated radiation protection is provided by an integral multilayer, cylindrical lithium hydride/tungsten (LiH/W) shield encircling the reactor vessel. Design emphasis is on ease of deployment, safety, and reliability, while utilizing relatively near-term technology. The second design combines Brayton conversion with the SP-100 reactor in a erectable 550-kWe powerplant concept intended to satisfy later-phase lunar base power requirements. This system capitalizes on experience gained from operating the initial 100-kWe module and incorporates some technology improvements. For this system, the reactor is emplaced in a lunar regolith excavation to provide man-rated shielding, and the Brayton engines and radiators are mounted on the lunar surface and extend radially from the central reactor. Design emphasis is on performance, safety, long life, and operational flexibility.

Ultrashort laser pulse processing of wave guides for medical applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ashkenasi, David; Rosenfeld, Arkadi; Spaniol, Stefan B.; Terenji, Albert

2003-06-01

The availability of ultra short (ps and sub-ps) pulsed lasers has stimulated a growing interest in exploiting the enhanced flexibility of femtosecond and/or picosecond laser technology for micro-machining. The high peak powers available at relatively low single pulse energies potentially allow for a precise localization of photon energy, either on the surface or inside (transparent) materials. Three dimensional micro structuring of bulk transparent media without any sign of mechanical cracking has been demonstrated. In this study, the potential of ultra short laser processing was used to modify the cladding-core interface in normal fused silica wave guides. The idea behind this technique is to enforce a local mismatch for total reflection at the interface at minimal mechanic stress. The laser-induced modifications were studied in dependence of pulse width, focal alignment, single pulse energy and pulse overlap. Micro traces with a thickness between 3 and 8 μm were generated with a spacing of 10 μm in the sub-surface region using sub-ps and ps laser pulses at a wavelength of 800 nm. The optical leakage enforced by a micro spiral pattern is significant and can be utilized for medical applications or potentially also for telecommunications and fiber laser technology.

Nitrogen removal by recycle water nitritation as an attractive alternative for retrofit technologies in municipal wastewater treatment plants.

PubMed

Gil, K I; Choi, E

2004-01-01

The recycle water from sludge processing in municipal wastewater treatment plants causes many serious problems in the efficiency and stability of the mainstream process. Thus, the design approach for recycle water is an important part of any biological nutrient removal system design when a retrofit technology is required for upgrading an existing plant. Moreover, the application of nitrogen removal from recycle water using the nitritation process has recently increased due to economic reasons associated with an effective carbon allocation as well as the minimization of aeration costs. However, for the actual application of recycle water nitritation, it has not been fully examined whether or not additional volume would be required in an existing plant. In this paper, the addition of recycle water nitritation to an existing plant was evaluated based on a volume analysis and estimation of final effluent quality. It was expected that using the reserve volume of the aeration tank in existing plants, recycle water nitritation could be applied to a plant without any enlargement. With the addition of recycle water nitritation, it was estimated that the final effluent quality would be improved and stabilized, especially in the winter season.

Active food packaging evolution: transformation from micro- to nanotechnology.

PubMed

Imran, Muhammad; Revol-Junelles, Anne-Marie; Martyn, Agnieszka; Tehrany, Elmira Arab; Jacquot, Muriel; Linder, Michel; Desobry, Stéphane

2010-10-01

Predicting which attributes consumers are willing to pay extra for has become straightforward in recent years. The demands for the prime necessity of food of natural quality, elevated safety, minimally processed, ready-to-eat, and longer shelf-life have turned out to be matters of paramount importance. The increased awareness of environmental conservation and the escalating rate of foodborne illnesses have driven the food industry to implement a more innovative solution, i.e. bioactive packaging. Owing to nanotechnology application in eco-favorable coatings and encapsulation systems, the probabilities of enhancing food quality, safety, stability, and efficiency have been augmented. In this review article, the collective results highlight the food nanotechnology potentials with special focus on its application in active packaging, novel nano- and microencapsulation techniques, regulatory issues, and socio-ethical scepticism between nano-technophiles and nano-technophobes. No one has yet indicated the comparison of data concerning food nano- versus micro-technology; therefore noteworthy results of recent investigations are interpreted in the context of bioactive packaging. The next technological revolution in the domain of food science and nutrition would be the 3-BIOS concept enabling a controlled release of active agents through bioactive, biodegradable, and bionanocomposite combined strategy.

Overview of free-piston Stirling engine technology for space power application

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Slaby, Jack G.

1987-01-01

An overview is presented of free-piston Stirling engine activities, directed toward space power applications. One of the major elements of the program is the development of advanced power conversion. Under this program the status of the 25 kWe opposed-piston Space Power Demonstrator Engine (SPDE) is presented. Initial differences between predicted and experimental power outputs and power output influenced by variations in regenerators are discussed. Technology work was conducted on heat-exchanger concepts to minimize the number of joints as well as to enhance the heat transfer in the heater. Design parameters and conceptual design features are also presented for a 25 kWe, single-cylinder free-piston Stirling space power converter. Projections are made for future space power requirements over the next few decades along with a recommendation to consider the use of dynamic power conversion systems, either solar or nuclear. A cursory comparison is presented showing the mass benefits of a Stirling system over a Brayton system for the same peak temperature and output power. A description of a study to investigate the feasibility of scaling a single-cylinder free-piston Stirling space power module to the 150 kWe power range is presented.

Colorimetric and Fluorescent Biosensors Based on Directed Assembly of Nanomaterials with Functional DNA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Juewen; Lu, Yi

This chapter reviews recent progress in the interface between functional nucleic acids and nanoscale science and technology, and its analytical applications. In particular, the use of metallic nanoparticles as the color reporting groups for the action (binding, catalysis, or both) of aptamers, DNAzymes, and aptazymes is described in detail. Because metallic nanoparticles possess high extinction coefficients and distance-dependent optical properties, they allow highly sensitive detections with minimal consumption of materials. The combination of quantum dots (QDs) with functional nucleic acids as fluorescent sensors is also described. The chapter starts with the design of colorimetric and fluorescent sensors responsive to single analytes, followed by sensors responsive to multiple analytes with controllable cooperativity and multiplex detection using both colorimetric and fluorescent signals in one pot, and ends by transferring solution-based detections into litmus paper type of tests, making them generally applicable and usable for a wide range of on-site and real-time analytical applications such as household tests, environmental monitoring, and clinical diagnostics.

Evidence-based pain management: is the concept of integrative medicine applicable?

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

This article is dedicated to the concept of predictive, preventive, and personalized (integrative) medicine beneficial and applicable to advance pain management, overviews recent insights, and discusses novel minimally invasive tools, performed under ultrasound guidance, enhanced by model-guided approach in the field of musculoskeletal pain and neuromuscular diseases. The complexity of pain emergence and regression demands intellectual-, image-guided techniques personally specified to the patient. For personalized approach, the combination of the modalities of ultrasound, EMG, MRI, PET, and SPECT gives new opportunities to experimental and clinical studies. Neuromuscular imaging should be crucial for emergence of studies concerning advanced neuroimaging technologies to predict movement disorders, postural imbalance with integrated application of imaging, and functional modalities for rehabilitation and pain management. Scientific results should initiate evidence-based preventive movement programs in sport medicine rehabilitation. Traditional medicine and mathematical analytical approaches and education challenges are discussed in this review. The physiological management of exactly assessed pathological condition, particularly in movement disorders, requires participative medical approach to gain harmonized and sustainable effect. PMID:23088743

An integrated dexterous robotic testbed for space applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Li, Larry C.; Nguyen, Hai; Sauer, Edward

1992-01-01

An integrated dexterous robotic system was developed as a testbed to evaluate various robotics technologies for advanced space applications. The system configuration consisted of a Utah/MIT Dexterous Hand, a PUMA 562 arm, a stereo vision system, and a multiprocessing computer control system. In addition to these major subsystems, a proximity sensing system was integrated with the Utah/MIT Hand to provide capability for non-contact sensing of a nearby object. A high-speed fiber-optic link was used to transmit digitized proximity sensor signals back to the multiprocessing control system. The hardware system was designed to satisfy the requirements for both teleoperated and autonomous operations. The software system was designed to exploit parallel processing capability, pursue functional modularity, incorporate artificial intelligence for robot control, allow high-level symbolic robot commands, maximize reusable code, minimize compilation requirements, and provide an interactive application development and debugging environment for the end users. An overview is presented of the system hardware and software configurations, and implementation is discussed of subsystem functions.

An update on SCARLET hardware development and flight programs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jones, P.A.; Murphy, D.M.; Piszczor, M.F.

1995-10-01

Solar Concentrator Array with Refractive Linear Element Technology (SCARLET) is one of the first practical photovoltaic concentrator array technologies that offers a number of benefits for space applications (i.e. high array efficiency, protection from space radiation effects, a relatively light weight system, minimized plasma interactions, etc.) The line-focus concentrator concept, however, also offers two very important advantages: (1) low-cost mass production potential of the lens material; and (2) relaxation of precise array tracking requirements to only a single axis. These benefits offer unique capabilities to both commercial and government spacecraft users, specifically those interested in high radiation missions, such asmore » MEO orbits, and electric-powered propulsion LEO-to-GEO orbit raising applications. SCARLET is an aggressive hardware development and flight validation program sponsored by the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO) and NASA Lewis Research Center. Its intent is to bring technology to the level of performance and validation necessary for use by various government and commercial programs. The first phase of the SCARLET program culminated with the design, development and fabrication of a small concentrator array for flight on the METEOR satellite. This hardware will be the first in-space demonstration of concentrator technology at the `array level` and will provide valuable in-orbit performance measurements. The METEOR satellite is currently planned for a September/October 1995 launch. The next phase of the program is the development of large array for use by one of the NASA New Millenium Program missions. This hardware will incorporate a number of the significant improvements over the basic METEOR design. This presentation will address the basic SCARLET technology, examine its benefits to users, and describe the expected improvements for future missions.« less

Mass cytometry: a highly multiplexed single-cell technology for advancing drug development.

PubMed

Atkuri, Kondala R; Stevens, Jeffrey C; Neubert, Hendrik

2015-02-01

Advanced single-cell analysis technologies (e.g., mass cytometry) that help in multiplexing cellular measurements in limited-volume primary samples are critical in bridging discovery efforts to successful drug approval. Mass cytometry is the state-of-the-art technology in multiparametric single-cell analysis. Mass cytometers (also known as cytometry by time-of-flight or CyTOF) combine the cellular analysis principles of traditional fluorescence-based flow cytometry with the selectivity and quantitative power of inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Standard flow cytometry is limited in the number of parameters that can be measured owing to the overlap in signal when detecting fluorescently labeled antibodies. Mass cytometry uses antibodies tagged to stable isotopes of rare earth metals, which requires minimal signal compensation between the different metal tags. This unique feature enables researchers to seamlessly multiplex up to 40 independent measurements on single cells. In this overview we first present an overview of mass cytometry and compare it with traditional flow cytometry. We then discuss the emerging and potential applications of CyTOF technology in the pharmaceutical industry, including quantitative and qualitative deep profiling of immune cells and their applications in assessing drug immunogenicity, extensive mapping of signaling networks in single cells, cell surface receptor quantification and multiplexed internalization kinetics, multiplexing sample analysis by barcoding, and establishing cell ontologies on the basis of phenotype and/or function. We end with a discussion of the anticipated impact of this technology on drug development lifecycle with special emphasis on the utility of mass cytometry in deciphering a drug's pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics relationship. Copyright © 2014 by The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.

[Treatment of inflammatory complications of colic diverticular disease at the emergency surgical care hospital].

PubMed

Reznitsky, P A; Yartsev, P A; Shavrina, N V

To assess an effectiveness of minimally invasive and laparoscopic technologies in treatment of inflammatory complications of colic diverticular disease. The study included 150 patients who were divided into control and main groups. Survey included ultrasound, X-ray examination and abdominal computerized tomography. In the main group standardized treatment algorithm including minimally invasive and laparoscopic technologies was used. In the main group 79 patients underwent conservative treatment, minimally invasive (ultrasound-assisted percutaneous drainage of abscesses) and laparoscopic surgery that was successful in 78 (98.7%) patients. Standardized algorithm reduces time of treatment, incidence of postoperative complications, mortality and the risk of recurrent inflammatory complications of colic diverticular disease. Also postoperative quality of life was improved.

Anesthesia for minimally invasive neurosurgery.

PubMed

Prabhakar, Hemanshu; Mahajan, Charu; Kapoor, Indu

2017-10-01

With an ultimate aim of improving patients overall outcome and satisfaction, minimally invasive surgical approach is becoming more of a norm. The related anesthetic evidence has not expanded at the same rate as surgical and technological advancement. This article reviews the recent evidence on anesthesia and perioperative concerns for patients undergoing minimally invasive neurosurgery. Minimally invasive cranial and spinal surgeries have been made possible only by vast technological development. Points of surgical interest can be precisely located with the help of stereotaxy and neuronavigation and special endoscopes which decrease the tissue trauma. The principles of neuroanethesia remain the same, but few concerns are specific for each technique. Dexmedetomidine has a favorable profile for procedures carried out under sedation technique. As the new surgical techniques are coming up, lesser known anesthetic concerns may also come into light. Over the last year, little new information has been added to existing literature regarding anesthesia for minimally invasive neurosurgeries. Neuroanesthesia goals remain the same and less invasive surgical techniques do not translate into safe anesthesia. Specific concerns for each procedure should be taken into consideration.

Energy-Efficient ZigBee-Based Wireless Sensor Network for Track Bicycle Performance Monitoring

PubMed Central

Gharghan, Sadik K.; Nordin, Rosdiadee; Ismail, Mahamod

2014-01-01

In a wireless sensor network (WSN), saving power is a vital requirement. In this paper, a simple point-to-point bike WSN was considered. The data of bike parameters, speed and cadence, were monitored and transmitted via a wireless communication based on the ZigBee protocol. Since the bike parameters are monitored and transmitted on every bike wheel rotation, this means the sensor node does not sleep for a long time, causing power consumption to rise. Therefore, a newly proposed algorithm, known as the Redundancy and Converged Data (RCD) algorithm, was implemented for this application to put the sensor node into sleep mode while maintaining the performance measurements. This is achieved by minimizing the data packets transmitted as much as possible and fusing the data of speed and cadence by utilizing the correlation measurements between them to minimize the number of sensor nodes in the network to one node, which results in reduced power consumption, cost, and size, in addition to simpler hardware implementation. Execution of the proposed RCD algorithm shows that this approach can reduce the current consumption to 1.69 mA, and save 95% of the sensor node energy. Also, the comparison results with different wireless standard technologies demonstrate minimal current consumption in the sensor node. PMID:25153141

Temperature and pressure fiber-optic sensors applied to minimally invasive diagnostics and therapies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamel, Caroline; Pinet, Éric

2006-02-01

We present how fiber-optic temperature or pressure sensors could be applied to minimally invasive diagnostics and therapies. For instance a miniature pressure sensor based on micro-optical mechanical systems (MOMS) could solve most of the problems associated with fluidic pressure transduction presently used for triggering purposes. These include intra-aortic balloon pumping (IABP) therapy and other applications requiring detection of fast and/or subtle fluid pressure variations such as for intracranial pressure monitoring or for urology diagnostics. As well, miniature temperature sensors permit minimally invasive direct temperature measurement in diagnostics or therapies requiring energy transfer to living tissues. The extremely small size of fiber-optic sensors that we have developed allows quick and precise in situ measurements exactly where the physical parameters need to be known. Furthermore, their intrinsic immunity to electromagnetic interference (EMI) allows for the safe use of EMI-generating therapeutic or diagnostic equipments without compromising the signal quality. With the trend of ambulatory health care and the increasing EMI noise found in modern hospitals, the use of multi-parameter fiber-optic sensors will improve constant patient monitoring without any concern about the effects of EMI disturbances. The advantages of miniature fiberoptic sensors will offer clinicians new monitoring tools that open the way for improved diagnostic accuracy and new therapeutic technologies.

Manipulation and handling processes off-line programming and optimization with use of K-Roset

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gołda, G.; Kampa, A.

2017-08-01

Contemporary trends in development of efficient, flexible manufacturing systems require practical implementation of modern “Lean production” concepts for maximizing customer value through minimizing all wastes in manufacturing and logistics processes. Every FMS is built on the basis of automated and robotized production cells. Except flexible CNC machine tools and other equipments, the industrial robots are primary elements of the system. In the studies, authors look for wastes of time and cost in real tasks of robots, during manipulation processes. According to aspiration for optimization of handling and manipulation processes with use of the robots, the application of modern off-line programming methods and computer simulation, is the best solution and it is only way to minimize unnecessary movements and other instructions. The modelling process of robotized production cell and offline programming of Kawasaki robots in AS-Language will be described. The simulation of robotized workstation will be realized with use of virtual reality software K-Roset. Authors show the process of industrial robot’s programs improvement and optimization in terms of minimizing the number of useless manipulator movements and unnecessary instructions. This is realized in order to shorten the time of production cycles. This will also reduce costs of handling, manipulations and technological process.

Energy-efficient ZigBee-based wireless sensor network for track bicycle performance monitoring.

PubMed

Gharghan, Sadik K; Nordin, Rosdiadee; Ismail, Mahamod

2014-08-22

In a wireless sensor network (WSN), saving power is a vital requirement. In this paper, a simple point-to-point bike WSN was considered. The data of bike parameters, speed and cadence, were monitored and transmitted via a wireless communication based on the ZigBee protocol. Since the bike parameters are monitored and transmitted on every bike wheel rotation, this means the sensor node does not sleep for a long time, causing power consumption to rise. Therefore, a newly proposed algorithm, known as the Redundancy and Converged Data (RCD) algorithm, was implemented for this application to put the sensor node into sleep mode while maintaining the performance measurements. This is achieved by minimizing the data packets transmitted as much as possible and fusing the data of speed and cadence by utilizing the correlation measurements between them to minimize the number of sensor nodes in the network to one node, which results in reduced power consumption, cost, and size, in addition to simpler hardware implementation. Execution of the proposed RCD algorithm shows that this approach can reduce the current consumption to 1.69 mA, and save 95% of the sensor node energy. Also, the comparison results with different wireless standard technologies demonstrate minimal current consumption in the sensor node.

Development and analysis of a STOL supersonic cruise fighter concept

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dollyhigh, S. M.; Foss, W. E., Jr.; Morris, S. J., Jr.; Walkley, K. B.; Swanson, E. E.; Robins, A. W.

1984-01-01

The application of advanced and emerging technologies to a fighter aircraft concept is described. The twin-boom fighter (TBF-1) relies on a two dimensional vectoring/reversing nozzle to provide STOL performance while also achieving efficient long range supersonic cruise. A key feature is that the propulsion package is placed so that the nozzle hinge line is near the aircraft center-of-gravity to allow large vector angles and, thus, provide large values of direct lift while minimizing the moments to be trimmed. The configurations name is derived from the long twin booms extending aft of the engine to the twin vertical tails which have a single horizontal tail mounted atop and between them. Technologies utilized were an advanced engine (1985 state-of-the-art), superplastic formed/diffusion bonded titanium structure, advanced controls/avionics/displays, supersonic wing design, and conformal weapons carriage. The integration of advanced technologies into this concept indicate that large gains in takeoff and landing performance, maneuver, acceleration, supersonic cruise speed, and range can be acieved relative to current fighter concepts.

The era of micro and nano systems in the biomedical area: bridging the research and innovation gap.

PubMed

Lymberis, A

2011-01-01

The area of Micro and Nano systems (MNS) focuses on heterogeneous integration of technologies (e.g. electronics, mechanics and biotechnology) and implementation of multiple functionalities (e.g. sensing, processing, communication, energy and actuation) into small systems. A significant amount of MNS activities targets development and testing of systems enabling biomedicine and personal health solutions. Convergence of micro-nano-bio and Information & communication technologies is being leading to enabling innovative solutions e.g. for in-vitro testing and in vivo interaction with the human body for early diagnosis and minimally invasive therapy. Of particular interest are smart wearable systems such as smart textiles aiming at the full integration of sensors/actuators, energy sources, processing and communication within the clothes to enable non-invasive personal health, lifestyle, safety and emergency applications. The paper presents on going major R&D activities on micro-nano-bio systems (MNBS) and wearable systems for pHealth under the European Union R&D Programs, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) priority; it also identifies gaps and discusses key challenges for the future.

AC Electric Field Communication for Human-Area Networking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kado, Yuichi; Shinagawa, Mitsuru

We have proposed a human-area networking technology that uses the surface of the human body as a data transmission path and uses an AC electric field signal below the resonant frequency of the human body. This technology aims to achieve a “touch and connect” intuitive form of communication by using the electric field signal that propagates along the surface of the human body, while suppressing both the electric field radiating from the human body and mutual interference. To suppress the radiation field, the frequency of the AC signal that excites the transmitter electrode must be lowered, and the sensitivity of the receiver must be raised while reducing transmission power to its minimally required level. We describe how we are developing AC electric field communication technologies to promote the further evolution of a human-area network in support of ubiquitous services, focusing on three main characteristics, enabling-transceiver technique, application-scenario modeling, and communications quality evaluation. Special attention is paid to the relationship between electro-magnetic compatibility evaluation and regulations for extremely low-power radio stations based on Japan's Radio Law.

Separators - Technology review: Ceramic based separators for secondary batteries

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nestler, Tina; Schmid, Robert; Münchgesang, Wolfram

Besides a continuous increase of the worldwide use of electricity, the electric energy storage technology market is a growing sector. At the latest since the German energy transition ('Energiewende') was announced, technological solutions for the storage of renewable energy have been intensively studied. Storage technologies in various forms are commercially available. A widespread technology is the electrochemical cell. Here the cost per kWh, e. g. determined by energy density, production process and cycle life, is of main interest. Commonly, an electrochemical cell consists of an anode and a cathode that are separated by an ion permeable or ion conductive membranemore » - the separator - as one of the main components. Many applications use polymeric separators whose pores are filled with liquid electrolyte, providing high power densities. However, problems arise from different failure mechanisms during cell operation, which can affect the integrity and functionality of these separators. In the case of excessive heating or mechanical damage, the polymeric separators become an incalculable security risk. Furthermore, the growth of metallic dendrites between the electrodes leads to unwanted short circuits. In order to minimize these risks, temperature stable and non-flammable ceramic particles can be added, forming so-called composite separators. Full ceramic separators, in turn, are currently commercially used only for high-temperature operation systems, due to their comparably low ion conductivity at room temperature. However, as security and lifetime demands increase, these materials turn into focus also for future room temperature applications. Hence, growing research effort is being spent on the improvement of the ion conductivity of these ceramic solid electrolyte materials, acting as separator and electrolyte at the same time. Starting with a short overview of available separator technologies and the separator market, this review focuses on ceramic-based separators. Two prominent examples, the lithium-ion and sodium-sulfur battery, are described to show the current stage of development. New routes are presented as promising technologies for safe and long-life electrochemical storage cells.« less

Separators - Technology review: Ceramic based separators for secondary batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nestler, Tina; Schmid, Robert; Münchgesang, Wolfram; Bazhenov, Vasilii; Schilm, Jochen; Leisegang, Tilmann; Meyer, Dirk C.

2014-06-01

Besides a continuous increase of the worldwide use of electricity, the electric energy storage technology market is a growing sector. At the latest since the German energy transition ("Energiewende") was announced, technological solutions for the storage of renewable energy have been intensively studied. Storage technologies in various forms are commercially available. A widespread technology is the electrochemical cell. Here the cost per kWh, e. g. determined by energy density, production process and cycle life, is of main interest. Commonly, an electrochemical cell consists of an anode and a cathode that are separated by an ion permeable or ion conductive membrane - the separator - as one of the main components. Many applications use polymeric separators whose pores are filled with liquid electrolyte, providing high power densities. However, problems arise from different failure mechanisms during cell operation, which can affect the integrity and functionality of these separators. In the case of excessive heating or mechanical damage, the polymeric separators become an incalculable security risk. Furthermore, the growth of metallic dendrites between the electrodes leads to unwanted short circuits. In order to minimize these risks, temperature stable and non-flammable ceramic particles can be added, forming so-called composite separators. Full ceramic separators, in turn, are currently commercially used only for high-temperature operation systems, due to their comparably low ion conductivity at room temperature. However, as security and lifetime demands increase, these materials turn into focus also for future room temperature applications. Hence, growing research effort is being spent on the improvement of the ion conductivity of these ceramic solid electrolyte materials, acting as separator and electrolyte at the same time. Starting with a short overview of available separator technologies and the separator market, this review focuses on ceramic-based separators. Two prominent examples, the lithium-ion and sodium-sulfur battery, are described to show the current stage of development. New routes are presented as promising technologies for safe and long-life electrochemical storage cells.

Advanced High-Temperature Engine Materials Technology Progresses

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

The objective of the Advanced High Temperature Engine Materials Technology Program (HITEMP) is to generate technology for advanced materials and structural analysis that will increase fuel economy, improve reliability, extend life, and reduce operating costs for 21st century civil propulsion systems. The primary focus is on fan and compressor materials (polymer-matrix composites--PMC's), compressor and turbine materials (superalloys, and metal-matrix and intermetallic-matrix composites--MMC's and IMC's) and turbine materials (ceramic-matrix composites--CMC's). These advanced materials are being developed by in-house researchers and on grants and contracts. NASA considers this program to be a focused materials and structures research effort that builds on our base research programs and supports component-development projects. HITEMP is coordinated with the Advanced Subsonic Technology (AST) Program and the Department of Defense/NASA Integrated High-Performance Turbine Engine Technology (IHPTET) Program. Advanced materials and structures technologies from HITEMP may be used in these future applications. Recent technical accomplishments have not only improved the state-of-the-art but have wideranging applications to industry. A high-temperature thin-film strain gage was developed to measure both dynamic and static strain up to 1100 C (2000 F). The gage's unique feature is that it is minimally intrusive. This technology, which received a 1995 R&D 100 Award, has been transferred to AlliedSignal Engines, General Electric Company, and Ford Motor Company. Analytical models developed at the NASA Lewis Research Center were used to study Textron Specialty Materials' manufacturing process for titanium-matrix composite rings. Implementation of our recommendations on tooling and processing conditions resulted in the production of defect free rings. In the Lincoln Composites/AlliedSignal/Lewis cooperative program, a composite compressor case is being manufactured with a Lewis-developed matrix, VCAP. The compressor case, which will reduce weight by 30 percent and costs by 50 percent, is scheduled to be engine tested in the near future.

Channel access schemes and fiber optic configurations for integrated-services local area networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nassehi, M. Mehdi

1987-03-01

Local Area Networks are in common use for data communications and have enjoyed great success. Recently, there is a growing interest in using a single network to support many applications in addition to traditional data traffic. These additional applications introduce new requirements in terms of volume of traffic and real-time delivery of data which are not met by existing networks. To satisfy these requirements, a high-bandwidth tranmission medium, such as fiber optics, and a distributed channel access scheme for the efficient sharing of the bandwidth among the various applications are needed. As far as the throughput-delay requirements of the various application are concerned, a network structure along with a distributed channel access are proposed which incorporate appropriate scheduling policies for the transmission of outstanding messages on the network. A dynamic scheduling policy was devised which outperforms all existing policies in terms of minimizing the expected cost per message. A broadcast mechanism was devised for the efficient dissemination of all relevant information. Fiber optic technology is considered for the high-bandwidth transmisison medium.

Low-Cost Composite Materials and Structures for Aircraft Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Deo, Ravi B.; Starnes, James H., Jr.; Holzwarth, Richard C.

2003-01-01

A survey of current applications of composite materials and structures in military, transport and General Aviation aircraft is presented to assess the maturity of composites technology, and the payoffs realized. The results of the survey show that performance requirements and the potential to reduce life cycle costs for military aircraft and direct operating costs for transport aircraft are the main reasons for the selection of composite materials for current aircraft applications. Initial acquisition costs of composite airframe components are affected by high material costs and complex certification tests which appear to discourage the widespread use of composite materials for aircraft applications. Material suppliers have performed very well to date in developing resin matrix and fiber systems for improved mechanical, durability and damage tolerance performance. The next challenge for material suppliers is to reduce material costs and to develop materials that are suitable for simplified and inexpensive manufacturing processes. The focus of airframe manufacturers should be on the development of structural designs that reduce assembly costs by the use of large-scale integration of airframe components with unitized structures and manufacturing processes that minimize excessive manual labor.

Channel access schemes and fiber optic configurations for integrated-services local area networks. Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nassehi, M. Mehdi

1987-01-01

Local Area Networks are in common use for data communications and have enjoyed great success. Recently, there is a growing interest in using a single network to support many applications in addition to traditional data traffic. These additional applications introduce new requirements in terms of volume of traffic and real-time delivery of data which are not met by existing networks. To satisfy these requirements, a high-bandwidth tranmission medium, such as fiber optics, and a distributed channel access scheme for the efficient sharing of the bandwidth among the various applications are needed. As far as the throughput-delay requirements of the various application are concerned, a network structure along with a distributed channel access are proposed which incorporate appropriate scheduling policies for the transmission of outstanding messages on the network. A dynamic scheduling policy was devised which outperforms all existing policies in terms of minimizing the expected cost per message. A broadcast mechanism was devised for the efficient dissemination of all relevant information. Fiber optic technology is considered for the high-bandwidth transmisison medium.

Dynamic modulated brachytherapy (DMBT) and intensity modulated brachytherapy (IMBT) for the treatment of rectal and breast carcinomas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Webster, Matthew Julian

The ultimate goal of any treatment of cancer is to maximize the likelihood of killing the tumor while minimizing the chance of damaging healthy tissues. One of the most effective ways to accomplish this is through radiation therapy, which must be able to target the tumor volume with a high accuracy while minimizing the dose delivered to healthy tissues. A successful method of accomplishing this is brachytherapy which works by placing the radiation source in very close proximity to the tumor. However, most current applications of brachytherapy rely mostly on the geometric manipulation of isotropic sources, which limits the ability to specifically target the tumor. The purpose of this work is to introduce several types of shielded brachytherapy applicators which are capable of targeting tumors with much greater accuracy than existing technologies. These applicators rely on the modulation of the dose profile through a high-density tungsten alloy shields to create anisotropic dose distributions. Two classes of applicators have been developed in this work. The first relies on the active motion of the shield, to aim a highly directional radiation profile. This allows for very precise control of the dose distribution for treatment, achieving unparalleled dose coverage to the tumor while sparing healthy tissues. This technique has been given the moniker of Dynamic Modulated Brachytherapy (DMBT). The second class of applicators, designed to reduce treatment complexity uses static applicators. These applicators retain the use of the tungsten shield, but the shield is motionless during treatment. By intelligently designing the shield, significant improvements over current methods have been demonstrated. Although these static applicators fail to match the dosimetric quality of DMBT applicators the simplified setup and treatment procedure gives them significant appeal. The focus of this work has been to optimize these shield designs, specifically for the treatment of rectal and breast carcinomas. The use of Monte Carlo methods and development of optimization algorithms have played a prominent role in accomplishing this. The use of shielded applicators, such as the ones described here, is the next logical step in the rapidly evolving field of brachytherapy.

Coverage with Evidence Development: applications and issues.

PubMed

Trueman, Paul; Grainger, David L; Downs, Kristen E

2010-01-01

The aim of this study was to describe the current issues surrounding Coverage with Evidence Development (CED). CED is characterized by restricted coverage for a new technology in parallel with targeted research when the stated goal of the research or data collection is to provide definitive evidence for the clinical or cost-effectiveness impact of the new technology. Presented here is information summarized and interpreted from presentations and discussions at the 2008 Health Technology Assessment International (HTAi) meeting and additional information from the medical literature. This study describes the differences between CED and other conditional coverage agreements, provides a brief history of CED, describes real-world examples of CED, describes the areas of consensus between the stakeholders, discusses the areas for future negotiation between stakeholders, and proposes criteria to assist stakeholders in determining when CED could be appropriate. Payers could interpret the evidence obtained from a CED program either positively or negatively, and a range of possible changes to the reimbursement status of the new technology may result. Striking an appropriate balance between the demands for prompt access to new technology and acknowledging that some degree of uncertainty will always exist is a critical challenge to the uptake of this innovative form of conditional coverage. When used selectively for innovative procedures, pharmaceuticals, or devices in the appropriate disease areas, CED may provide patients access to promising medicines or technologies while data to minimize uncertainty are collected.

Chemical and biological treatment technologies for leather tannery chemicals and wastewaters: a review.

PubMed

Lofrano, Giusy; Meriç, Sureyya; Zengin, Gülsüm Emel; Orhon, Derin

2013-09-01

Although the leather tanning industry is known to be one of the leading economic sectors in many countries, there has been an increasing environmental concern regarding the release of various recalcitrant pollutants in tannery wastewater. It has been shown that biological processes are presently known as the most environmental friendly but inefficient for removal of recalcitrant organics and micro-pollutants in tannery wastewater. Hence emerging technologies such as advanced oxidation processes and membrane processes have been attempted as integrative to biological treatment for this sense. This paper, as the-state-of-the-art, attempts to revise the over world trends of treatment technologies and advances for pollution prevention from tannery chemicals and wastewater. It can be elucidated that according to less extent advances in wastewater minimization as well as in leather production technology and chemicals substitution, biological and chemical treatment processes have been progressively studied. However, there has not been a full scale application yet of those emerging technologies using advanced oxidation although some of them proved good achievements to remove xenobiotics present in tannery wastewater. It can be noted that advanced oxidation technologies integrated with biological processes will remain in the agenda of the decision makers and water sector to apply the best prevention solution for the future tanneries. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

TELMA: Technology-enhanced learning environment for minimally invasive surgery.

PubMed

Sánchez-González, Patricia; Burgos, Daniel; Oropesa, Ignacio; Romero, Vicente; Albacete, Antonio; Sánchez-Peralta, Luisa F; Noguera, José F; Sánchez-Margallo, Francisco M; Gómez, Enrique J

2013-06-01

Cognitive skills training for minimally invasive surgery has traditionally relied upon diverse tools, such as seminars or lectures. Web technologies for e-learning have been adopted to provide ubiquitous training and serve as structured repositories for the vast amount of laparoscopic video sources available. However, these technologies fail to offer such features as formative and summative evaluation, guided learning, or collaborative interaction between users. The "TELMA" environment is presented as a new technology-enhanced learning platform that increases the user's experience using a four-pillared architecture: (1) an authoring tool for the creation of didactic contents; (2) a learning content and knowledge management system that incorporates a modular and scalable system to capture, catalogue, search, and retrieve multimedia content; (3) an evaluation module that provides learning feedback to users; and (4) a professional network for collaborative learning between users. Face validation of the environment and the authoring tool are presented. Face validation of TELMA reveals the positive perception of surgeons regarding the implementation of TELMA and their willingness to use it as a cognitive skills training tool. Preliminary validation data also reflect the importance of providing an easy-to-use, functional authoring tool to create didactic content. The TELMA environment is currently installed and used at the Jesús Usón Minimally Invasive Surgery Centre and several other Spanish hospitals. Face validation results ascertain the acceptance and usefulness of this new minimally invasive surgery training environment. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Flexible Graphene Transistor Architecture for Optical Sensor Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ordonez, Richard Christopher

The unique electrical and optoelectronic properties of graphene allow tunable conductivity and broadband electromagnetic absorption that spans the ultraviolet and infrared regimes. However, in the current state-of-art graphene sensor architectures, junction resistance and doping concentration are predominant factors that affect signal strength and sensitivity. Unfortunately, graphene produces high contact resistances with standard electrode materials ( few kilo-ohms), therefore, signal is weak and large carrier concentrations are required to probe sensitivity. Moreover, the atomic thickness of graphene enables the potential for flexible electronics, but there has not been a successful graphene sensor architecture that demonstrates stable operation on flexible substrates and with minimal fabrication cost. In this study, the author explores a novel 3-terminal transistor architecture that integrates twodimensional graphene, liquid metal, and electrolytic gate dielectrics (LM-GFETs: Liquid Metal and Graphene Field-Effect Transistors ). The goal is to deliver a sensitive, flexible, and lightweight transistor architecture that will improve sensor technology and maneuverability. The reported high thermal conductivity of graphene provides potential for room-temperature thermal management without the need of thermal-electric and gas cooling systems that are standard in sensor platforms. Liquid metals provide a unique opportunity for conformal electrodes that maximize surface area contact, therefore, enable flexibility, lower contact resistance, and reduce damage to the graphene materials involved. Lastly, electrolytic gate dielectrics provide conformability and high capacitances needed for high on/off rations and electrostatic gating. Results demonstrated that with minimal fabrication steps the proposed flexible graphene transistor architecture demonstrated ambipolar current-voltage transfer characteristics that are comparable to the current state-of-the-art. An additional investigation demonstrated PN junction operation and the successful integration of the proposed architecture into an optoelectronic application with the use of semiconductor quantum dots in contact with the graphene material that acted as optical absorbers to increase detector gain. Applications that can benefit from such technology advancement include Nano-satellites (Nanosat), Underwater autonomous vehicles (UAV), and airborne platforms in which flexibility and sensitivity are critical parameters that must be optimized to increase mission duration and range.