Novel graphical environment for virtual and real-world operations of tracked mobile manipulators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, ChuXin; Trivedi, Mohan M.; Azam, Mir; Lassiter, Nils T.

1993-08-01

A simulation, animation, visualization and interactive control (SAVIC) environment has been developed for the design and operation of an integrated mobile manipulator system. This unique system possesses the abilities for (1) multi-sensor simulation, (2) kinematics and locomotion animation, (3) dynamic motion and manipulation animation, (4) transformation between real and virtual modes within the same graphics system, (5) ease in exchanging software modules and hardware devices between real and virtual world operations, and (6) interfacing with a real robotic system. This paper describes a working system and illustrates the concepts by presenting the simulation, animation and control methodologies for a unique mobile robot with articulated tracks, a manipulator, and sensory modules.

System Definition of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lundquist, Ray; Aymergen, Cagatay; VanCampen, Julie; Abell, James; Smith, Miles; Driggers, Phillip

2008-01-01

The Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM) for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) provides the critical functions and the environment for the four science instruments on JWST. This complex system development across many international organizations presents unique challenges and unique solutions. Here we describe how the requirement flow has been coordinated through the documentation system, how the tools and processes are used to minimize impact to the development of the affected interfaces, how the system design has matured, how the design review process operates, and how the system implementation is managed through reporting to ensure a truly world class scientific instrument compliment is created as the final product.

A coherent optical feedback system for optical information processing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jablonowski, D. P.; Lee, S. H.

1975-01-01

A unique optical feedback system for coherent optical data processing is described. With the introduction of feedback, the well-known transfer function for feedback systems is obtained in two dimensions. Operational details of the optical feedback system are given. Experimental results of system applications in image restoration, contrast control and analog computation are presented.

Virtual- and real-world operation of mobile robotic manipulators: integrated simulation, visualization, and control environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, ChuXin; Trivedi, Mohan M.

1992-03-01

This research is focused on enhancing the overall productivity of an integrated human-robot system. A simulation, animation, visualization, and interactive control (SAVIC) environment has been developed for the design and operation of an integrated robotic manipulator system. This unique system possesses the abilities for multisensor simulation, kinematics and locomotion animation, dynamic motion and manipulation animation, transformation between real and virtual modes within the same graphics system, ease in exchanging software modules and hardware devices between real and virtual world operations, and interfacing with a real robotic system. This paper describes a working system and illustrates the concepts by presenting the simulation, animation, and control methodologies for a unique mobile robot with articulated tracks, a manipulator, and sensory modules.

Symmetries, chirp-free points, and bistability in dispersion-managed fiber lines.

PubMed

Turitsyn, S K; Nijhof, J H; Mezentsev, V K; Doran, N J

1999-12-15

We show from an elementary symmetry analysis that, in dispersion-compensated systems for which a lossless model is valid, nonlinearity requires a chirp-free point at the center of symmetry (if such exists) of the map for any kind of unique periodic solution. We also present an example of a more-complex map when the periodic solution is not unique.

Building an Integrated Student Information System in a K-12 School System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steenkamp, Annette Lerine; Basal, Abdelraheem

2010-01-01

The task of managing an IT system in a school environment poses unique challenges. For example, one of the greatest challenges facing individual schools is the lack of integration between various information systems. The present situation in many schools is that there are many disconnected systems managing many different tasks. Systems with…

TFA Systems: A Unique Group Treatment of Spouse Abusers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clow, Daniel R.; And Others

1992-01-01

Presents a group treatment model using Thought-Feeling-Action (TFA) Systems, an offense- and offender-specific group treatment for abusers. Describes use of TFA Systems in group of court-referred male spouse-abusers. Reviews evolution of TFA Systems, then focuses on TFA Systems treatment of spouse abusers. Notes that system can be adapted to other…

Assessment of Operational Automated Guideway Systems - Airtrans (Phase I)

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1976-09-01

This report presents the results of an evaluation study of AIRTRANS, a unique, automated guideway system located at the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. AIRTRANS was designed to move passengers, employees, baggage, mail, trash and supplies. The newest and ...

Evaluation of 3M(TM) Scotchlite linear delineation system : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2004-09-01

Major construction projects present many hazards for drivers to negotiate. Detours, lane shifts and confusing curves : present unique challenges to all drivers. At night, the difficulties in negotiating these obstacles are amplified due to : reduced ...

Inverse medium scattering from periodic structures with fixed-direction incoming waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gibson, Peter; Hu, Guanghui; Zhao, Yue

2018-07-01

This paper is concerned with inverse time-harmonic acoustic and electromagnetic scattering from an infinite biperiodic medium (diffraction grating) in three dimensions. In the acoustic case, we prove that the near-field data of fixed-direction plane waves incited at multiple frequencies uniquely determine a refractive index function which depends on two variables. An analogous uniqueness result holds for time-harmonic Maxwell’s system if the inhomogeneity is periodic in one direction and remains invariant along the other two directions. Uniqueness for recovering (non-periodic) compactly supported contrast functions are also presented.

A Machine Vision Quality Control System for Industrial Acrylic Fibre Production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heleno, Paulo; Davies, Roger; Correia, Bento A. Brázio; Dinis, João

2002-12-01

This paper describes the implementation of INFIBRA, a machine vision system used in the quality control of acrylic fibre production. The system was developed by INETI under a contract with a leading industrial manufacturer of acrylic fibres. It monitors several parameters of the acrylic production process. This paper presents, after a brief overview of the system, a detailed description of the machine vision algorithms developed to perform the inspection tasks unique to this system. Some of the results of online operation are also presented.

Three-component laser anemometer measurement systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goldman, Louis J.

1991-01-01

A brief overview of the different laser anemometer (LA) optical designs available is presented. Then, the LA techniques that can be used to design a three-component measurement system for annular geometries are described. Some of the facility design considerations unique to these LA systems are also addressed. Following this, the facilities and the LA systems that were used to successfully measure the three components of velocity in the blading of annular-flow machines are reviewed. Finally, possible LA system enhancements and future research directions are presented.

Business Process Reengineering towards an Integrated Learning Management System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Basal, Abdelraheem Mousa

2010-01-01

The task of managing an information technology (IT) system in a school environment poses unique challenges. For example, one of the greatest challenges facing individual schools is the lack of integration among various information systems. The present situation in many schools is that there are many disconnected systems managing many different…

Alu polymorphic insertions reveal genetic structure of north Indian populations.

PubMed

Tripathi, Manorama; Tripathi, Piyush; Chauhan, Ugam Kumari; Herrera, Rene J; Agrawal, Suraksha

2008-10-01

The Indian subcontinent is characterized by the ancestral and cultural diversity of its people. Genetic input from several unique source populations and from the unique social architecture provided by the caste system has shaped the current genetic landscape of India. In the present study 200 individuals each from three upper-caste and four middle-caste Hindu groups and from two Muslim populations in North India were examined for 10 polymorphic Alu insertions (PAIs). The investigated PAIs exhibit high levels of polymorphism and average heterozygosity. Limited interpopulation variance and genetic flow in the present study suggest admixture. The results of this study demonstrate that, contrary to common belief, the caste system has not provided an impermeable barrier to genetic exchange among Indian groups.

Ghost free systems with coexisting bosons and fermions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kimura, Rampei; Sakakihara, Yuki; Yamaguchi, Masahide

2017-08-01

We study the coexistence system of both bosonic and fermionic degrees of freedom. Even if a Lagrangian does not include higher derivatives, fermionic ghosts exist. For a Lagrangian with up to first derivatives, we find the fermionic ghost free condition in Hamiltonian analysis, which is found to be the same as requiring that the equations of motion of fermions be first order in Lagrangian formulation. When fermionic degrees of freedom are present, the uniqueness of time evolution is not guaranteed a priori because of the Grassmann property. We confirm that the additional condition, which is introduced to close Hamiltonian analysis, also ensures the uniqueness of the time evolution of the system.

Apparatus for controlling system state based on unique identifiers

DOEpatents

Drotning, William D.

2002-01-01

An apparatus allows workers to assert and release control over the energization of a system. The apparatus does not require the workers to carry any additional paraphernalia, and is not be easily defeated by other workers. Users asserting and releasing control present tokens uniquely identifying each user to a reader, and the apparatus prevents transition of the system to an undesired state until an appropriate number of users are currently asserting control. For example, a dangerous manufacturing robot can be prevented from energizing until all the users that have asserted control when entering the robot's controlled space have subsequently released control when leaving the robot's controlled space.

New Boundary Constraints for Elliptic Systems used in Grid Generation Problems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaul, Upender K.; Clancy, Daniel (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

This paper discusses new boundary constraints for elliptic partial differential equations as used in grid generation problems in generalized curvilinear coordinate systems. These constraints, based on the principle of local conservation of thermal energy in the vicinity of the boundaries, are derived using the Green's Theorem. They uniquely determine the so called decay parameters in the source terms of these elliptic systems. These constraints' are designed for boundary clustered grids where large gradients in physical quantities need to be resolved adequately. It is observed that the present formulation also works satisfactorily for mild clustering. Therefore, a closure for the decay parameter specification for elliptic grid generation problems has been provided resulting in a fully automated elliptic grid generation technique. Thus, there is no need for a parametric study of these decay parameters since the new constraints fix them uniquely. It is also shown that for Neumann type boundary conditions, these boundary constraints uniquely determine the solution to the internal elliptic problem thus eliminating the non-uniqueness of the solution of an internal Neumann boundary value grid generation problem.

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) in the NPS : 2005 baseline inventory and preliminary program assessment

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-01-19

This report presents the current status of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) within the 398 national parks managed by the National Park Service (NPS), discusses the potential of ITS to address the often unique transportation challenges faced b...

NASA ground-based and space-based laser ranging systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fitzmaurice, M. W.

1978-01-01

Laser ranging is expected to help unlock the mysteries of the earthquake phenomenon by producing unique results of crustal motions of the Earth. The current state of the art and future projections are presented, including principal applications and characteristics of typical systems.

The Loci Multidisciplinary Simulation System Overview and Status

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Luke, Edward A.; Tong, Xiao-Ling; Tang, Lin

2002-01-01

This paper will discuss the Loci system, an innovative tool for developing tightly coupled multidisciplinary three dimensional simulations. This presentation will overview some of the unique capabilities of the Loci system to automate the assembly of numerical simulations from libraries of fundamental computational components. We will discuss the demonstration of the Loci system on coupled fluid-structure problems related to RBCC propulsion systems.

NASA Earth Observation Systems and Applications for Health: Moving from Research to Operational End Users

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haynes, J.; Estes, S. M.

2017-12-01

Health providers and researchers need environmental data to study and understand the geographic, environmental, and meteorological differences in disease. Satellite remote sensing of the environment offers a unique vantage point that can fill in the gaps of environmental, spatial, and temporal data for tracking disease. This presentation will demonstrate NASA's applied science programs efforts to transition from research to operations to benefit society. Satellite earth observations present a unique vantage point of the earth's environment from space, which offers a wealth of health applications for the imaginative investigator. The presentation is directly related to Earth Observing systems and Global Health Surveillance and will present research results of the remote sensing environmental observations of earth and health applications, which can contribute to the health research. As part of NASA approach and methodology they have used Earth Observation Systems and Applications for Health Models to provide a method for bridging gaps of environmental, spatial, and temporal data for tracking disease. This presentation will provide a venue where the results of both research and practice using satellite earth observations to study weather and it's role in health research and the transition to operational end users.

Summary of the Orbiter mechanical systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kiker, J.; Hinson, K.

1979-01-01

Major mechanical systems of the Orbiter space vehicle are summarized with respect to general design details, manner of operation, expected performance, and, where applicable, unique features. A synopsis of data obtained during the five atmospheric flight tests of spacecraft OV-101 and status of the systems for the first orbital spacecraft STS-1 are presented.

A Unique Large-Scale Undergraduate Research Experience in Molecular Systems Biology for Non-Mathematics Majors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kappler, Ulrike; Rowland, Susan L.; Pedwell, Rhianna K.

2017-01-01

Systems biology is frequently taught with an emphasis on mathematical modeling approaches. This focus effectively excludes most biology, biochemistry, and molecular biology students, who are not mathematics majors. The mathematical focus can also present a misleading picture of systems biology, which is a multi-disciplinary pursuit requiring…

An Observational Assessment of Accountability Systems for Our "Handicapped" Students and Their Impact on Educators.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kunzweiler, Charles

1981-01-01

Present systems of accountability, which require excessive paperwork and force teachers into the "Directive Teaching Model," cause special education teachers to be accountable to the system rather than to self-actualization needs of students. Special education teachers must have the freedom and training to create "unique"…

Lithium ion conducting electrolytes

DOEpatents

Angell, Charles Austen; Liu, Changle; Xu, Kang; Skotheim, Terje A.

1999-01-01

The present invention relates generally to highly conductive alkali-metal ion non-crystalline electrolyte systems, and more particularly to novel and unique molten (liquid), rubbery, and solid electrolyte systems which are especially well suited for use with high current density electrolytic cells such as primary and secondary batteries.

Nondeducibility-Based Analysis of Cyber-Physical Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gamage, Thoshitha; McMillin, Bruce

Controlling information flow in a cyber-physical system (CPS) is challenging because cyber domain decisions and actions manifest themselves as visible changes in the physical domain. This paper presents a nondeducibility-based observability analysis for CPSs. In many CPSs, the capacity of a low-level (LL) observer to deduce high-level (HL) actions ranges from limited to none. However, a collaborative set of observers strategically located in a network may be able to deduce all the HL actions. This paper models a distributed power electronics control device network using a simple DC circuit in order to understand the effect of multiple observers in a CPS. The analysis reveals that the number of observers required to deduce all the HL actions in a system increases linearly with the number of configurable units. A simple definition of nondeducibility based on the uniqueness of low-level projections is also presented. This definition is used to show that a system with two security domain levels could be considered “nondeducibility secure” if no unique LL projections exist.

Dental care in children with developmental disabilities: attention deficit disorder, intellectual disabilities, and autism.

PubMed

Charles, Jane M

2010-01-01

The Federal government reports that 13% of Americans between birth and 18 years of old meet the definition of a child with special health care needs. These children and young adults present unique challenges for both pediatric and general dentists to provide access to the oral health care system--establishing a treatment plan for those with unique medical, behavioral and dental needs and maintaining oral health over the lifetime. The purpose of this article was to describe the characteristics of 3 common developmental disabilities and the challenges these issues present to the oral health care practitioner.

Open web system of Virtual labs for nuclear and applied physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saldikov, I. S.; Afanasyev, V. V.; Petrov, V. I.; Ternovykh, M. Yu

2017-01-01

An example of virtual lab work on unique experimental equipment is presented. The virtual lab work is software based on a model of real equipment. Virtual labs can be used for educational process in nuclear safety and analysis field. As an example it includes the virtual lab called “Experimental determination of the material parameter depending on the pitch of a uranium-water lattice”. This paper included general description of this lab. A description of a database on the support of laboratory work on unique experimental equipment which is included this work, its concept development are also presented.

Surveying the Sky at Low Frequencies with the Commensal VLITE System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clarke, Tracy; Kassim, Namir E.; Richards, Emily; Peters, Wendy; Polisensky, Emil

2017-05-01

We present details of a new commensal observing program on NRAO's Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA). The VLA Low-band Ionosphere and Transient Experiment (VLITE) provides a simultaneous sub-GHz data stream during all Cassegrain (1-50 GHz) observations. This unique low frequency opportunity opens up over 6000 hours per year of VLA observing time to the low frequency community. In the first 2 1/4 years of operation, VLITE processed images cover regions containing 2,322 unique exoplanets in 62,000 individual scans. VLITE observations provide a large database to observe samples of nearby stellar systems, enabling a powerful means of monitoring these systems for stellar activity as well as emission from exoplanets.

Conferring Virulence: Structure and Function of the chimeric A2B5 Typhoid Toxin

PubMed Central

Song, Jeongmin; Gao, Xiang; Galán, Jorge E.

2013-01-01

Salmonella Typhi differs from most other salmonellae in that it causes a life-threatening systemic infection known as typhoid fever1. The molecular bases for its unique clinical presentation are unknown2. Here we found that in an animal model, the systemic administration of typhoid toxin, a unique virulence factor of S. Typhi, reproduces many of the acute symptoms of typhoid fever. We identified specific carbohydrate moieties on specific surface glycoproteins that serve as receptors for typhoid toxin, which explains its broad cell target specificity. We present the atomic structure of typhoid toxin, which shows an unprecedented A2B5 organization with two covalently-linked A subunits non-covalently-associated to a pentameric B subunit. The structure provides insight into the toxin’s receptor-binding specificity and delivery mechanisms and reveals how the activities of two powerful toxins have been coopted into a single, unique toxin that can induce many of the symptoms characteristic of typhoid fever. These findings may lead to the development of potentially life-saving therapeutics against typhoid fever. PMID:23842500

Multisensory Associative Guided Instruction Components-Spelling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hamilton, Harley

2016-01-01

This article describes a multisensory presentation and response system for enhancing the spelling ability of dyslexic children. The unique aspect of MAGICSpell is its system of finger-letter associations and simplified keyboard configuration. Sixteen 10- and 11-year-old dyslexic students practiced the finger-letter associations via various typing…

The Ground Control Room as an Enabling Technology in the Unmanned Aerial System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gear, Gary; Mace, Thomas

2007-01-01

This viewgraph presentation reviews the development of the ground control room as an required technology for the use of an Unmanned Aerial system. The Unmanned Aerial system is a strategic component of the Global Observing System, which will serve global science needs. The unmanned aerial system will use the same airspace as manned aircraft, therefore there will be unique telemetry needs.

Existence and uniqueness theorems for impulsive fractional differential equations with the two-point and integral boundary conditions.

PubMed

Mardanov, M J; Mahmudov, N I; Sharifov, Y A

2014-01-01

We study a boundary value problem for the system of nonlinear impulsive fractional differential equations of order α (0 < α ≤ 1) involving the two-point and integral boundary conditions. Some new results on existence and uniqueness of a solution are established by using fixed point theorems. Some illustrative examples are also presented. We extend previous results even in the integer case α = 1.

NASA Satellite Observations: A Unique Asset for the Study of the Environment and Implications for Public Health

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Estes Sue M.

2010-01-01

This slide presentation highlights how satellite observation systems are assets for studying the environment in relation to public health. It includes information on current and future satellite observation systems, NASA's public health and safety research, surveillance projects, and NASA's public health partners.

Face recognition in the thermal infrared domain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kowalski, M.; Grudzień, A.; Palka, N.; Szustakowski, M.

2017-10-01

Biometrics refers to unique human characteristics. Each unique characteristic may be used to label and describe individuals and for automatic recognition of a person based on physiological or behavioural properties. One of the most natural and the most popular biometric trait is a face. The most common research methods on face recognition are based on visible light. State-of-the-art face recognition systems operating in the visible light spectrum achieve very high level of recognition accuracy under controlled environmental conditions. Thermal infrared imagery seems to be a promising alternative or complement to visible range imaging due to its relatively high resistance to illumination changes. A thermal infrared image of the human face presents its unique heat-signature and can be used for recognition. The characteristics of thermal images maintain advantages over visible light images, and can be used to improve algorithms of human face recognition in several aspects. Mid-wavelength or far-wavelength infrared also referred to as thermal infrared seems to be promising alternatives. We present the study on 1:1 recognition in thermal infrared domain. The two approaches we are considering are stand-off face verification of non-moving person as well as stop-less face verification on-the-move. The paper presents methodology of our studies and challenges for face recognition systems in the thermal infrared domain.

Field Evaluation of Detection-Control System

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-10-01

High-speed signalized intersections present unique challenges to improving highway safety. Techniques for achieving safety often have an adverse effect on efficiency, and techniques for achieving efficiency sometimes have an adverse effect on safety....

An Integrated Nutrition Education Program for Dental Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DePaola, Dominick P.; And Others

1978-01-01

Presents a diagonal system of nutrition education in a dental program that integrates didactic, clinical work, and community sites. Discusses the three phases including educational methodology, evaluation strategy, and unique program features. (MA)

Where systems biology meets postharvest

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Interpreting fruit metabolism, particularly tree fruit metabolism, presents unique challenges. Long periods from tree establishment to fruiting render techniques directed towards reducing the complexity of metabolic mechanisms, such as genomic modification, relatively difficult. Consequently, holi...

Infrared sensing of non-observable human biometrics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willmore, Michael R.

2005-05-01

Interest and growth of biometric recognition technologies surged after 9/11. Once a technology mainly used for identity verification in law enforcement, biometrics are now being considered as a secure means of providing identity assurance in security related applications. Biometric recognition in law enforcement must, by necessity, use attributes of human uniqueness that are both observable and vulnerable to compromise. Privacy and protection of an individual's identity is not assured during criminal activity. However, a security system must rely on identity assurance for access control to physical or logical spaces while not being vulnerable to compromise and protecting the privacy of an individual. The solution resides in the use of non-observable attributes of human uniqueness to perform the biometric recognition process. This discussion will begin by presenting some key perspectives about biometric recognition and the characteristic differences between observable and non-observable biometric attributes. An introduction to the design, development, and testing of the Thermo-ID system will follow. The Thermo-ID system is an emerging biometric recognition technology that uses non-observable patterns of infrared energy naturally emanating from within the human body. As with all biometric systems, the infrared patterns recorded and compared within the Thermo-ID system are unique and individually distinguishable permitting a link to be confirmed between an individual and a claimed or previously established identity. The non-observable characteristics of infrared patterns of human uniqueness insure both the privacy and protection of an individual using this type of biometric recognition system.

Aircraft Landing Dynamics Facility - A unique facility with new capabilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, P. A.; Stubbs, S. M.; Tanner, J. A.

1985-01-01

The Aircraft Landing Dynamics Facility (ALDF), formerly called the Landing Loads Track, is described. The paper gives a historical overview of the original NASA Langley Research Center Landing Loads Track and discusses the unique features of this national test facility. Comparisons are made between the original track characteristics and the new capabilities of the Aircraft Landing Dynamics Facility following the recently completed facility update. Details of the new propulsion and arresting gear systems are presented along with the novel features of the new high-speed carriage. The data acquisition system is described and the paper concludes with a review of future test programs.

Houston, TX, USA

NASA Image and Video Library

1991-09-18

This color photo view of Houston (29.5N, 95.0W) was taken with a dual camera mount for comparitive film type testing. Compare this scene with STS048-106- 034 for an analysis of the unique properties of each type. Comparitive tests such as this aids in determining the kinds of information unique to each film system and evaluates and compares photography taken through hazy atmospheres. Color film is best at presenting the image as it appears to the human eye.

Medical Treatment Facility Workload Documentation Guide.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-04-15

to the system implementation should be presented. This document is intended as a guidebook for determining the site specific characteristics of an...wide volume analysis of a communications system. Prior to collecting any data, objectives and initial operating characteristics of the system(s...unique characteristics involved. An on-site inspection of all spaces to be impacted by NIS implementation is required initially. During this inspection

The Social Effectiveness of Internet Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ovsiannikov, A. A.; Monakhov, S. V.

2007-01-01

A system of education is a unique social institution, the purpose of which is to develop and multiply human capital. Based on the education system it is possible to judge the situation in the country and society not only at the present time but also in the future. A system of education also should be seen as an ideological institution: it produces…

Viking orbiter system primary mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goudy, J. R.

1977-01-01

An overview of Viking Orbiter (VO) system and subsystem performances during the primary mission (the time period from VO-1 launch on August 20, 1975, through November 15, 1976) is presented. Brief descriptions, key design requirements, pertinent historical information, unique applications or situations, and predicted versus actual performances are included for all VO-1 and VO-2 subsystems, both individually and as an integrated system.

Load-Flow in Multiphase Distribution Networks: Existence, Uniqueness, Non-Singularity, and Linear Models

DOE PAGES

Bernstein, Andrey; Wang, Cong; Dall'Anese, Emiliano; ...

2018-01-01

This paper considers unbalanced multiphase distribution systems with generic topology and different load models, and extends the Z-bus iterative load-flow algorithm based on a fixed-point interpretation of the AC load-flow equations. Explicit conditions for existence and uniqueness of load-flow solutions are presented. These conditions also guarantee convergence of the load-flow algorithm to the unique solution. The proposed methodology is applicable to generic systems featuring (i) wye connections; (ii) ungrounded delta connections; (iii) a combination of wye-connected and delta-connected sources/loads; and, (iv) a combination of line-to-line and line-to-grounded-neutral devices at the secondary of distribution transformers. Further, a sufficient condition for themore » non-singularity of the load-flow Jacobian is proposed. Finally, linear load-flow models are derived, and their approximation accuracy is analyzed. Theoretical results are corroborated through experiments on IEEE test feeders.« less

Load-Flow in Multiphase Distribution Networks: Existence, Uniqueness, Non-Singularity, and Linear Models

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

Bernstein, Andrey; Wang, Cong; Dall'Anese, Emiliano

This paper considers unbalanced multiphase distribution systems with generic topology and different load models, and extends the Z-bus iterative load-flow algorithm based on a fixed-point interpretation of the AC load-flow equations. Explicit conditions for existence and uniqueness of load-flow solutions are presented. These conditions also guarantee convergence of the load-flow algorithm to the unique solution. The proposed methodology is applicable to generic systems featuring (i) wye connections; (ii) ungrounded delta connections; (iii) a combination of wye-connected and delta-connected sources/loads; and, (iv) a combination of line-to-line and line-to-grounded-neutral devices at the secondary of distribution transformers. Further, a sufficient condition for themore » non-singularity of the load-flow Jacobian is proposed. Finally, linear load-flow models are derived, and their approximation accuracy is analyzed. Theoretical results are corroborated through experiments on IEEE test feeders.« less

Common modeling system for digital simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Painter, Rick

1994-01-01

The Joint Modeling and Simulation System is a tri-service investigation into a common modeling framework for the development digital models. The basis for the success of this framework is an X-window-based, open systems architecture, object-based/oriented methodology, standard interface approach to digital model construction, configuration, execution, and post processing. For years Department of Defense (DOD) agencies have produced various weapon systems/technologies and typically digital representations of the systems/technologies. These digital representations (models) have also been developed for other reasons such as studies and analysis, Cost Effectiveness Analysis (COEA) tradeoffs, etc. Unfortunately, there have been no Modeling and Simulation (M&S) standards, guidelines, or efforts towards commonality in DOD M&S. The typical scenario is an organization hires a contractor to build hardware and in doing so an digital model may be constructed. Until recently, this model was not even obtained by the organization. Even if it was procured, it was on a unique platform, in a unique language, with unique interfaces, and, with the result being UNIQUE maintenance required. Additionally, the constructors of the model expended more effort in writing the 'infrastructure' of the model/simulation (e.g. user interface, database/database management system, data journalizing/archiving, graphical presentations, environment characteristics, other components in the simulation, etc.) than in producing the model of the desired system. Other side effects include: duplication of efforts; varying assumptions; lack of credibility/validation; and decentralization in policy and execution. J-MASS provides the infrastructure, standards, toolset, and architecture to permit M&S developers and analysts to concentrate on the their area of interest.

Television broadcast from space systems: Technology, costs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cuccia, C. L.

1981-01-01

Broadcast satellite systems are described. The technologies which are unique to both high power broadcast satellites and small TV receive-only earth terminals are also described. A cost assessment of both space and earth segments is included and appendices present both a computer model for satellite cost and the pertinent reported experience with the Japanese BSE.

Wetland harvesting systems -- developing alternatives for sustainable operation

Treesearch

Robert B. Rummer; Bryce J. Stokes; Alvin Schilling

1997-01-01

Wetland forests represent some of the most productive forest lands in the Southeast. They are also an environmentally sensitive ecotype which presents unique problems for forest operations. Sustaining active management in these areas will require systems which can operate on weak soil conditions without adversely affecting soil properties or stand regeneration. The...

NASA Earth Observation Systems and Applications for Public Health and Air Quality Models and Decisions Support

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Estes, Sue; Haynes, John; Omar, Ali

2013-01-01

Health and Air Quality providers and researchers need environmental data to study and understand the geographic, environmental, and meteorological differences in disease. Satellite remote sensing of the environment offers a unique vantage point that can fill in the gaps of environmental, spatial, and temporal data for tracking disease. This presentation will demonstrate the need for collaborations between multi-disciplinary research groups to develop the full potential of utilizing Earth Observations in studying health. Satellite earth observations present a unique vantage point of the earth's environment from space, which offers a wealth of health applications for the imaginative investigator. The presentation is directly related to Earth Observing systems and Global Health Surveillance and will present research results of the remote sensing environmental observations of earth and health applications, which can contribute to the public health and air quality research. As part of NASA approach and methodology they have used Earth Observation Systems and Applications for Public Health and Air Quality Models to provide a method for bridging gaps of environmental, spatial, and temporal data for tracking disease. This presentation will provide an overview of projects dealing with infectious diseases, water borne diseases and air quality and how many environmental variables effect human health. This presentation will provide a venue where the results of both research and practice using satellite earth observations to study weather and it's role in public health research.

NASA Earth Observation Systems and Applications for Public Health and Air Quality Models and Decisions Support

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Estes, Sue; Haynes, John; Omar, Ali

2012-01-01

Health and Air Quality providers and researchers need environmental data to study and understand the geographic, environmental, and meteorological differences in disease. Satellite remote sensing of the environment offers a unique vantage point that can fill in the gaps of environmental, spatial, and temporal data for tracking disease. This presentation will demonstrate the need for collaborations between multi-disciplinary research groups to develop the full potential of utilizing Earth Observations in studying health. Satellite earth observations present a unique vantage point of the earth's environment from space, which offers a wealth of health applications for the imaginative investigator. The presentation is directly related to Earth Observing systems and Global Health Surveillance and will present research results of the remote sensing environmental observations of earth and health applications, which can contribute to the public health and air quality research. As part of NASA approach and methodology they have used Earth Observation Systems and Applications for Public Health and Air Quality Models to provide a method for bridging gaps of environmental, spatial, and temporal data for tracking disease. This presentation will provide an overview of projects dealing with infectious diseases, water borne diseases and air quality and how many environmental variables effect human health. This presentation will provide a venue where the results of both research and practice using satellite earth observations to study weather and it's role in public health research.

Modular Fixturing System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Littell, Justin Anderson (Inventor); Street, Jon P. (Inventor)

2017-01-01

The modular fixturing system of the present invention is modular, reusable and capable of significant customization, both in terms of system radius and system height, allowing it to be arranged and rearranged in numerous unique configurations. The system includes multiple modular stanchions having stanchion shafts and stanchion feet that removably attach to apertures in a table. Angle brackets attached to the modular stanchions support shelves. These shelves in turn provide support to work pieces during fabrication processes such as welding.

The International Society for Developmental Psychobiology Annual Meeting Symposium: Impact of Early Life Experiences on Brain and Behavioral Development

PubMed Central

Sullivan, Regina; Wilson, Donald A.; Feldon, Joram; Yee, Benjamin K.; Meyer, Urs; Richter-Levin, Gal; Avi, Avital; Michael, Tsoory; Gruss, Michael; Bock, Jörg; Helmeke, Carina; Braun, Katharina

2007-01-01

Decades of research in the area of developmental psychobiology have shown that early life experience alters behavioral and brain development, which canalizes development to suit different environments. Recent methodological advances have begun to identify the mechanisms by which early life experiences cause these diverse adult outcomes. Here we present four different research programs that demonstrate the intricacies of early environmental influences on behavioral and brain development in both pathological and normal development. First, an animal model of schizophrenia is presented that suggests prenatal immune stimulation influences the postpubertal emergence of psychosis-related behavior in mice. Second, we describe a research program on infant rats that demonstrates how early odor learning has unique characteristics due to the unique functioning of the infant limbic system. Third, we present work on the rodent Octodon degus, which shows that early paternal and/or maternal deprivation alters development of limbic system synaptic density that corresponds to heightened emotionality. Fourth, ajuvenile model of stress is presented that suggests this developmental period is important in determining adulthood emotional well being. The approach of each research program is strikingly different, yet all succeed in delineating a specific aspect of early development and its effects on infant and adult outcome that expands our understanding of the developmental impact of infant experiences on emotional and limbic system development. Together, these research programs suggest that the developing organism’s developmental trajectory is influenced by environmental factors beginning in the fetus and extending through adolescence, although the specific timing and nature of the environmental influence has unique impact on adult mental health. PMID:17016842

Thriving on Chaos: The Development of a Surgical Information System

PubMed Central

Olund, Steven R.

1988-01-01

Hospitals present unique challenges to the computer industry, generating a greater quantity and variety of data than nearly any other enterprise. This is complicated by the fact that a hospital is not one homogenous organization, but a bundle of semi-independent groups with unique data requirements. Therefore hospital information systems must be fast, flexible, reliable, easy to use and maintain, and cost-effective. The Surgical Information System at Rush Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago is such system. It uses a Sequent Balance 21000 multi-processor superminicomputer, running industry standard tools such as the Unix operating system, a 4th generation programming language (4GL), and Structured Query Language (SQL) relational database management software. This treatise illustrates a comprehensive yet generic approach which can be applied to almost any clinical situation where access to patient data is required by a variety of medical professionals.

Humans vs Hardware: The Unique World of NASA Human System Risk Assessment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anton, W.; Havenhill, M.; Overton, Eric

2016-01-01

Understanding spaceflight risks to crew health and performance is a crucial aspect of preparing for exploration missions in the future. The research activities of the Human Research Program (HRP) provide substantial evidence to support most risk reduction work. The Human System Risk Board (HSRB), acting on behalf of the Office of Chief Health and Medical Officer (OCHMO), assesses these risks and assigns likelihood and consequence ratings to track progress. Unfortunately, many traditional approaches in risk assessment such as those used in the engineering aspects of spaceflight are difficult to apply to human system risks. This presentation discusses the unique aspects of risk assessment from the human system risk perspective and how these limitations are accommodated and addressed in order to ensure that reasonable inputs are provided to support the OCHMO's overall risk posture for manned exploration missions.

Rotorcraft Health Management Issues and Challenges

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zakrajsek, James J.; Dempsey, Paula J.; Huff, Edward M.; Augustin, Michael; Safa-Bakhsh, Robab; Ephraim, Piet; Grabil, Paul; Decker, Harry J.

2006-01-01

This paper presents an overview of health management issues and challenges that are specific to rotorcraft. Rotorcraft form a unique subset of air vehicles in that their propulsion system is used not only for propulsion, but also serves as the primary source of lift and maneuvering of the vehicle. No other air vehicle relies on the propulsion system to provide these functions through a transmission system with single critical load paths without duplication or redundancy. As such, health management of the power train is a critical and unique part of any rotorcraft health management system. This paper focuses specifically on the issues and challenges related to the dynamic mechanical components in the main power train. This includes the transmission and main rotor mechanisms. This paper will review standard practices used for rotorcraft health management, lessons learned from fielded trials, and future challenges.

What Every Textbook Evaluator Should Know.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muther, Connie

1985-01-01

Presents information on textbook design and marketing practices, and their consequences for textbook content; recommends that selection committees firmly define the role of the textbook in curriculum, and adapt published materials to their school system's unique requirements. (MCG)

Special Education: A Microcosm of Bureaucracy. Part Two: The Elements of the System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Ann D.

1971-01-01

Delineates a case study of special education that provides a unique microcosm of the emergence of an educational subsystem with inherent and forceful bureaucratic controls that were present from its inception. (Author)

A unique case of spontaneous regression of metastatic papillary renal cell carcinoma: a case report

PubMed Central

Lim, Rebecca; Tan, Puay Hoon; Cheng, Christopher; Agasthian, Thirugnanam; Tan, Hwei Ling; Teh, Bin Tean

2009-01-01

Spontaneous regression of cancer is a rare, but well documented, phenomenon. We present a unique case of an 82 year old Chinese male who experienced spontaneous regression of histologically-verified metastatic type II papillary renal cell carcinoma in the absence of intervening systemic therapy or surgery. This is the first reported case of spontaneous regression of papillary renal cell carcinoma. The mechanism of spontaneous regression remains unknown, and represents a challenge for existing oncology paradigms. PMID:19918481

Efficient Privacy-Enhancing Techniques for Medical Databases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schartner, Peter; Schaffer, Martin

In this paper, we introduce an alternative for using linkable unique health identifiers: locally generated system-wide unique digital pseudonyms. The presented techniques are based on a novel technique called collision-free number generation which is discussed in the introductory part of the article. Afterwards, attention is payed onto two specific variants of collision-free number generation: one based on the RSA-Problem and the other one based on the Elliptic Curve Discrete Logarithm Problem. Finally, two applications are sketched: centralized medical records and anonymous medical databases.

Economically effective material forms for composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woolstencroft, Dave

This paper will consider advanced composites and the new degrees of freedom that are available to the composites engineer to be able to make parts that combine both an economic performance superior to existing systems, with no additional production investment, and high mechanical property translations. This unique advantage comes about through some pioneering and innovative work in the different forms of material into which the reinforcing fibers can be configured. The presentation will highlight the unique advantages and show a pioneering aerostructural application of this material form.

Global stability of a multiple infected compartments model for waterborne diseases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yi; Cao, Jinde

2014-10-01

In this paper, mathematical analysis is carried out for a multiple infected compartments model for waterborne diseases, such as cholera, giardia, and rotavirus. The model accounts for both person-to-person and water-to-person transmission routes. Global stability of the equilibria is studied. In terms of the basic reproduction number R0, we prove that, if R0⩽1, then the disease-free equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable and the infection always disappears; whereas if R0>1, there exists a unique endemic equilibrium which is globally asymptotically stable for the corresponding fast-slow system. Numerical simulations verify our theoretical results and present that the decay rate of waterborne pathogens has a significant impact on the epidemic growth rate. Also, we observe numerically that the unique endemic equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable for the whole system. This statement indicates that the present method need to be improved by other techniques.

A Genomic View of the Sea Urchin Nervous System

PubMed Central

Burke, RD; Angerer, LM; Elphick, MR; Humphrey, GW; Yaguchi, S; Kiyama, T; Liang, S; Mu, X; Agca, C; Klein, WH; Brandhorst, BP; Rowe, M; Wilson, K; Churcher, AM; Taylor, JS; Chen, N; Murray, G; Wang, D; Mellott, D; Olinski, R; Hallböök, F; Thorndyke, MC

2007-01-01

The sequencing of the Strongylocentrotus purpuratus genome provides a unique opportunity to investigate the function and evolution of neural genes. The neurobiology of sea urchins is of particular interest because they have a close phylogenetic relationship with chordates, yet a distinctive pentaradiate body plan and unusual neural organization. Orthologues of transcription factors that regulate neurogenesis in other animals have been identified and several are expressed in neurogenic domains before gastrulation indicating that they may operate near the top of a conserved neural gene regulatory network. A family of genes encoding voltage-gated ion channels is present but, surprisingly, genes encoding gap junction proteins (connexins and pannexins) appear to be absent. Genes required for synapse formation and function have been identified and genes for synthesis and transport of neurotransmitters are present. There is a large family of G-protein-coupled receptors, including 874 rhodopsin-type receptors, 28 metabotropic glutamate-like receptors and a remarkably expanded group of 161 secretin receptor-like proteins. Absence of cannabinoid, lysophospholipid and melanocortin receptors indicates that this group may be unique to chordates. There are at least 37 putative G-protein coupled peptide receptors and precursors for several neuropeptides and peptide hormones have been identified, including SALMFamides, NGFFFamide, a vasotocin-like peptide, glycoprotein hormones, and insulin/insulin-like growth factors. Identification of a neurotrophin-like gene and Trk receptor in sea urchin indicates that this neural signaling system is not unique to chordates. Several hundred chemoreceptor genes have been predicted using several approaches, a number similar to that for other animals. Intriguingly, genes encoding homologues of rhodopsin, Pax6 and several other key mammalian retinal transcription factors are expressed in tube feet, suggesting tube feet function as photosensory organs. Analysis of the sea urchin genome presents a unique perspective on the evolutionary history of deuterostome nervous systems and reveals new approaches to investigate the development and neurobiology of sea urchins. PMID:16965768

Tutorial: Radiation Effects in Electronic Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pellish, Jonathan A.

2017-01-01

This tutorial presentation will give an overview of radiation effects in electrical, electronic, and electromechanical (EEE) components as it applies to civilian space systems of varying size and complexity. The natural space environment presents many unique threats to electronic systems regardless of where the systems operate from low-Earth orbit to interplanetary space. The presentation will cover several topics, including: an overview and introduction to the applicable space radiation environments common to a broad range of mission designs; definitions and impacts of effects due to impinging particles in the space environment e.g., total ionizing dose (TID), total non-ionizing dose (TNID), and single-event effects (SEE); and, testing for and evaluation of TID, TNID, and SEE in EEE components.

Calibrating Charisma: The many-facet Rasch model for leader measurement and automated coaching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barney, Matt

2016-11-01

No one is a leader unless others follow. Consequently, leadership is fundamentally a social judgment construct, and may be best measured via a Many Facet Rasch Model designed for this purpose. Uniquely, the MFRM allows for objective, accurate and precise estimation of leader attributes, along with identification of rater biases and other distortions of the available information. This presentation will outline a mobile computer-adaptive measurement system that measures and develops charisma, among others. Uniquely, the approach calibrates and mass-personalizes artificially intelligent, Rasch-calibrated electronic coaching that is neither too hard nor too easy but “just right” to help each unique leader develop improved charisma.

Crew system dynamics - Combining humans and automation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Connors, Mary

1989-01-01

Some of the human factor issues involved in effectively combining human and automated systems are examined with particular reference to spaceflights. The concepts of the crew system and crew systems dynamics are defined, and the present status of crew systems is summarized. The possibilities and potential problems aasociated with the use of automated systems are discussed, as are unique capabilities and possible errors introduced by human participants. It is emphasized that the true integration of human and automated systems must allow for the characteristics of both.

Aberrant heartworm migration to the abdominal aorta and systemic arteriolitis in a dog presenting with vomiting and hemorrhagic diarrhea.

PubMed

Grimes, Janet A; Scott, Katherine D; Edwards, John F

2016-01-01

A 2-year-old Dachshund was presented for vomiting and diarrhea. Abdominal ultrasound revealed Dirofilaria immitis in the abdominal aorta and an avascular segment of small intestine. The dog was euthanized. Necropsy revealed D. immitis in the abdominal aorta and widespread necrotizing arteriolitis. This is a unique presentation of aberrant migration of D. immitis.

Development and approach to low-frequency microgravity isolation systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grodsinsky, Carlos M.

1990-01-01

The low-gravity environment provided by space flight has afforded the science community a unique arena for the study of fundamental and technological sciences. However, the dynamic environment observed on space shuttle flights and predicted for Space Station Freedom has complicated the analysis of prior microgravity experiments and prompted concern for the viability of proposed space experiments requiring long-term, low-gravity environments. Thus, isolation systems capable of providing significant improvements to this random environment are being developed. The design constraints imposed by acceleration-sensitive, microgravity experiment payloads in the unique environment of space and a theoretical background for active isolation are discussed. A design is presented for a six-degree-of-freedom, active, inertial isolation system based on the baseline relative and inertial isolation techniques described.

A proposed UAV for indoor patient care.

PubMed

Todd, Catherine; Watfa, Mohamed; El Mouden, Yassine; Sahir, Sana; Ali, Afrah; Niavarani, Ali; Lutfi, Aoun; Copiaco, Abigail; Agarwal, Vaibhavi; Afsari, Kiyan; Johnathon, Chris; Okafor, Onyeka; Ayad, Marina

2015-09-10

Indoor flight, obstacle avoidance and client-server communication of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) raises several unique research challenges. This paper examines current methods and associated technologies adapted within the literature toward autonomous UAV flight, for consideration in a proposed system for indoor healthcare administration with a quadcopter. We introduce Healthbuddy, a unique research initiative towards overcoming challenges associated with indoor navigation, collision detection and avoidance, stability, wireless drone-server communications and automated decision support for patient care in a GPS-denied environment. To address the identified research deficits, a drone-based solution is presented. The solution is preliminary as we develop and refine the suggested algorithms and hardware system to achieve the research objectives.

Recent scientific advances in the use of radar in scientific hydrology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Engman, Edwin T.

1993-01-01

The data needs in scientific hydrology involve measurements of system states and fluxes. The microwave region is particularly well suited for measuring the system states of soil moisture and snow and the major flux into the earth as rainfall. This paper discusses the unique data needs of hydrology and presents some recent examples from AIRSAR experiments.

Using Systems Theory to Understand the Identity of Academic Advising: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bridgen, Sean

2017-01-01

For decades, advising practitioners and scholars have worked toward developing an identity for advising as a unique field of scholarly inquiry and practice. To date, the identity crisis in advising remains. This study presents an examination and description of the function, purpose, and identity of a university advising system through comparisons…

A Leadership Opportunity for School Social Workers: Bridging the Gaps in School Reentry for Juvenile Justice System Youths

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldkind, Lauri

2011-01-01

Social work is frequently missing when policy and practice conversations turn to juvenile justice system youths. However, school social workers are well positioned to have a vital role in the readmission and reentry process for these young people. Formerly incarcerated youths present unique challenges for themselves, their families, and…

"AfterZone:" Outcomes for Youth Participating in Providence's Citywide After-School System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kauh, Tina J.

2011-01-01

This report presents findings from a two-year quasi-experimental evaluation of the "AfterZone"--a citywide system-building effort in Providence, Rhode Island, that aims to provide high-quality, accessible out-of-school-time services to middle school youth. The AfterZone model is unique in that it is built on a network of…

Accessing a personalized bibliography with a searchable system on the World Wide Web

Treesearch

Malchus B. Baker; Daniel P. Huebner; Peter F. Ffolliott

2000-01-01

Researchers, educator's and land management personnel routinely construct bibliographies to assist them in managing publications that relate to their work. These personalized bibliographies are unique and valuable to others in the same discipline. This paper presents a computer data base system that provides users with the ability to search a bibliography through...

Spacecraft IF switch matrix for wideband service applications in 30/20 GHz communications satellite systems: Proof-of-concept model, executive summary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ho, P. T.; Coban, E.; Pelose, J.

1983-01-01

The design and development of a unique coupler crossbar 20 x 20 microwave switch matrix are described. The test results of the proof of concept model that meets the requirements for a high speed satellite switched, time division multiple access (SS-TDMA) system are presented.

Status of NASA full-scale engine aeroelasticity research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lubomski, J. F.

1980-01-01

Data relevant to several types of aeroelastic instabilities were obtained using several types of turbojet and turbofan engines. In particular, data relative to separated flow (stall) flutter, choke flutter, and system mode instabilities are presented. The unique characteristics of these instabilities are discussed, and a number of correlations are presented that help identify the nature of the phenomena.

Reversible shear-induced crystallization above equilibrium freezing temperature in a lyotropic surfactant system

PubMed Central

Rathee, Vikram; Krishnaswamy, Rema; Pal, Antara; Raghunathan, V. A.; Impéror-Clerc, Marianne; Pansu, Brigitte; Sood, A. K.

2013-01-01

We demonstrate a unique shear-induced crystallization phenomenon above the equilibrium freezing temperature in weakly swollen isotropic and lamellar mesophases with bilayers formed in a cationic-anionic mixed surfactant system. Synchrotron rheological X-ray diffraction study reveals the crystallization transition to be reversible under shear (i.e., on stopping the shear, the nonequilibrium crystalline phase melts back to the equilibrium mesophase). This is different from the shear-driven crystallization below , which is irreversible. Rheological optical observations show that the growth of the crystalline phase occurs through a preordering of the phase to an phase induced by shear flow, before the nucleation of the phase. Shear diagram of the phase constructed in the parameter space of shear rate vs. temperature exhibits and transitions above the equilibrium crystallization temperature , in addition to the irreversible shear-driven nucleation of in the phase below . In addition to revealing a unique class of nonequilibrium phase transition, the present study urges a unique approach toward understanding shear-induced phenomena in concentrated mesophases of mixed amphiphilic systems. PMID:23986497

Double-Acting Sleeve Muscle Actuator for Bio-Robotic Systems.

PubMed

Zheng, Hao; Shen, Xiangrong

2013-11-25

This paper presents a new type of muscle-like actuator, namely double-acting (DA) sleeve muscle actuator, which is suitable for the actuation of biologically-inspired and biomedical robotic systems, especially those serving human-assistance purposes (prostheses, orthoses, etc .). Developed based on the traditional pneumatic muscle actuator, the new DA sleeve muscle incorporates a unique insert at the center. With the insert occupying the central portion of the internal volume, this new actuator enjoys multiple advantages relative to the traditional pneumatic muscle, including a consistent increase of force capacity over the entire range of motion, and a significant decrease of energy consumption in operation. Furthermore, the insert encompasses an additional chamber, which generates an extension force when pressurized. As such, this new actuator provides a unique bi-directional actuation capability, and, thus, has a potential to significantly simplify the design of a muscle actuator-powered robotic system. To demonstrate this new actuator concept, a prototype has been designed and fabricated, and experiments conducted on this prototype demonstrated the enhanced force capacity and the unique bi-directional actuation capability.

Banknote authentication using chaotic elements technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ambadiyil, Sajan; P. S., Krishnendu; Mahadevan Pillai, V. P.; Prabhu, Radhakrishna

2017-10-01

The counterfeit banknote is a growing threat to the society since the advancements in the field of computers, scanners and photocopiers, as they have made the duplication process for banknote much simpler. The fake note detection systems developed so far have many drawbacks such as high cost, poor accuracy, unavailability, lack of user-friendliness and lower effectiveness. One possible solution to this problem could be the use of a system uniquely linked to the banknote itself. In this paper, we present a unique identification and authentication process for the banknote using chaotic elements embedded in it. A chaotic element means that the physical elements are formed from a random process independent from human intervention. The chaotic elements used in this paper are the random distribution patterns of such security fibres set into the paper pulp. A unique ID is generated from the fibre pattern obtained from UV image of the note, which can be verified by any person who receives the banknote to decide whether the banknote is authentic or not. Performance analysis of the system is also studied in this paper.

Apollo experience report: Descent propulsion system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hammock, W. R., Jr.; Currie, E. C.; Fisher, A. E.

1973-01-01

The propulsion system for the descent stage of the lunar module was designed to provide thrust to transfer the fully loaded lunar module with two crewmen from the lunar parking orbit to the lunar surface. A history of the development of this system is presented. Development was accomplished primarily by ground testing of individual components and by testing the integrated system. Unique features of the descent propulsion system were the deep throttling capability and the use of a lightweight cryogenic helium pressurization system.

Temporal information partitioning: Characterizing synergy, uniqueness, and redundancy in interacting environmental variables

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goodwell, Allison E.; Kumar, Praveen

2017-07-01

Information theoretic measures can be used to identify nonlinear interactions between source and target variables through reductions in uncertainty. In information partitioning, multivariate mutual information is decomposed into synergistic, unique, and redundant components. Synergy is information shared only when sources influence a target together, uniqueness is information only provided by one source, and redundancy is overlapping shared information from multiple sources. While this partitioning has been applied to provide insights into complex dependencies, several proposed partitioning methods overestimate redundant information and omit a component of unique information because they do not account for source dependencies. Additionally, information partitioning has only been applied to time-series data in a limited context, using basic pdf estimation techniques or a Gaussian assumption. We develop a Rescaled Redundancy measure (Rs) to solve the source dependency issue, and present Gaussian, autoregressive, and chaotic test cases to demonstrate its advantages over existing techniques in the presence of noise, various source correlations, and different types of interactions. This study constitutes the first rigorous application of information partitioning to environmental time-series data, and addresses how noise, pdf estimation technique, or source dependencies can influence detected measures. We illustrate how our techniques can unravel the complex nature of forcing and feedback within an ecohydrologic system with an application to 1 min environmental signals of air temperature, relative humidity, and windspeed. The methods presented here are applicable to the study of a broad range of complex systems composed of interacting variables.

Applications of Optical Fiber Assemblies in Harsh Environments, the Journey Past, Present and Future

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ott, Melanie N.; LaRocca, Frank; Thomas, William Joe; Switzer, Robert; Chuska, Richard; Macmurphy, Shawn

2008-01-01

Over the past ten years, NASA has studied the effects of harsh environments on optical fiber assemblies for communication systems, lidar systems, and science missions. The culmination of this has resulted in recent technologies that are unique and tailored to meeting difficult requirements under challenging performance constraints. This presentation will focus on the past mission applications of optical fiber assemblies including; qualification information, lessons learned and new technological advances that will enable the road ahead.

Non-unique monopole oscillations of harmonically confined Yukawa systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ducatman, Samuel; Henning, Christian; Kaehlert, Hanno; Bonitz, Michael

2008-11-01

Recently it was shown that the Breathing Mode (BM), the mode of uniform radial expansion and contraction, which is well known from harmonically confined Coulomb systems [1], does not exist in general for other systems [2]. As a consequence the monopole oscillation (MO), the radial collective excitation, is not unique, but there are several MO with different frequencies. Within this work we show simulation results of those monopole oscillations of 2-dimensional harmonically confined Yukawa systems, which are known from, e.g., dusty plasma crystals [3,4]. We present the corresponding spectrum of the particle motion, including analysis of the frequencies found, and compare with theoretical investigations.[1] D.H.E. Dubin and J.P. Schiffer, Phys. Rev. E 53, 5249 (1996)[2] C. Henning at al., accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Lett. (2008)[3] A. Melzer et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 115002 (2001)[4] M. Bonitz et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 075001 (2006)

High-power direct-diode laser successes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haake, John M.; Zediker, Mark S.

2004-06-01

Direct diode laser will become much more prevalent in the solar system of manufacturing due to their high efficiency, small portable size, unique beam profiles, and low ownership costs. There has been many novel applications described for high power direct diode laser [HPDDL] systems but few have been implemented in extreme production environments due to diode and diode system reliability. We discuss several novel applications in which the HPDDL have been implemented and proven reliable and cost-effective in production environments. These applications are laser hardening/surface modification, laser wire feed welding and laser paint stripping. Each of these applications uniquely tests the direct diode laser systems capabilities and confirms their reliability in production environments. A comparison of the advantages direct diode laser versus traditional industrial lasers such as CO2 and Nd:YAG and non-laser technologies such a RF induction, and MIG welders for each of these production applications is presented.

Apollo experience report guidance and control systems: Lunar module abort guidance system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kurten, P. M.

1975-01-01

The history of a unique development program that produced an operational fixed guidance system of inertial quality is presented. Each phase of development, beginning with requirement definition and concluding with qualification and testing, is addressed, and developmental problems are emphasized. Software generation and mission operations are described, and specifications for the inertial reference unit are included, as are flight performance results. Significant program observations are noted.

Talking points for the Olympic Games' transportation plan for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1995-04-27

The Olympic Games in Atlanta present a unique and timely : opportunity for the United States to showcase traveler : information services and technologies associated with Intelligent : Transportation Systems (ITS), with the goals of stimulating : furt...

Levofloxacin-resistant-Streptococcus mitis endophthalmitis: a unique presentation of bacterial endocarditis.

PubMed

Dinani, Amreen; Ktaich, Nessrine; Urban, Carl; Rubin, David

2009-10-01

Endogenous endophthalmitis is a rare complication of infective endocarditis and has been decreasing due to the availability of effective antibiotics. We highlight a case of endogenous endophthalmitis due to levofloxacin-resistant Streptococcus mitis presenting as infective endocarditis. Endogenous endophthalmitis should be considered as a manifestation of an underlying systemic disease, especially in patients who present with non-specific signs and symptoms with no obvious source of precipitating infection.

Gesture Analysis for Astronomy Presentation Software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robinson, Marc A.

Astronomy presentation software in a planetarium setting provides a visually stimulating way to introduce varied scientific concepts, including computer science concepts, to a wide audience. However, the underlying computational complexity and opportunities for discussion are often overshadowed by the brilliance of the presentation itself. To bring this discussion back out into the open, a method needs to be developed to make the computer science applications more visible. This thesis introduces the GAAPS system, which endeavors to implement free-hand gesture-based control of astronomy presentation software, with the goal of providing that talking point to begin the discussion of computer science concepts in a planetarium setting. The GAAPS system incorporates gesture capture and analysis in a unique environment presenting unique challenges, and introduces a novel algorithm called a Bounding Box Tree to create and select features for this particular gesture data. This thesis also analyzes several different machine learning techniques to determine a well-suited technique for the classification of this particular data set, with an artificial neural network being chosen as the implemented algorithm. The results of this work will allow for the desired introduction of computer science discussion into the specific setting used, as well as provide for future work pertaining to gesture recognition with astronomy presentation software.

U.S. Space Shuttle GPS navigation capability for all mission phases

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kachmar, Peter; Chu, William; Montez, Moises

1993-01-01

Incorporating a GPS capability on the Space Shuttle presented unique system integration design considerations and has led to an integration concept that has minimum impact on the existing Shuttle hardware and software systems. This paper presents the Space Shuttle GPS integrated design and the concepts used in implementing this GPS capability. The major focus of the paper is on the modifications that will be made to the navigation systems in the Space Shuttle General Purpose Computers (GPC) and on the Operational Requirements of the integrated GPS/GPC system. Shuttle navigation system architecture, functions and operations are discussed for the current system and with the GPS integrated navigation capability. The GPS system integration design presented in this paper has been formally submitted to the Shuttle Avionics Software Control Board for implementation in the on-board GPC software.

Implementation of a thesaurus in an electronic photograph imaging system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Partlow, Denise

1995-11-01

A photograph imaging system presents a unique set of requirements for indexing and retrieving images, unlike a standard imaging system for written documents. This paper presents the requirements, technical design, and development results for a hierarchical ANSI standard thesaurus embedded into a photograph archival system. The thesaurus design incorporates storage reduction techniques, permits fast searches, and contains flexible indexing methods. It can be extended to many applications other than the retrieval of photographs. When photographic images are indexed into an electronic system, they are subject to a variety of indexing problems based on what the indexer `sees.' For instance, the indexer may categorize an image as a boat when others might refer to it as a ship, sailboat, or raft. The thesaurus will allow a user to locate images containing any synonym for boat, regardless of how the image was actually indexed. In addition to indexing problems, photos may need to be retrieved based on a broad category, for instance, flowers. The thesaurus allows a search for `flowers' to locate all images containing a rose, hibiscus, or daisy, yet still allow a specific search for an image containing only a rose. The technical design and method of implementation for such a thesaurus is presented. The thesaurus is implemented using an SQL relational data base management system that supports blobs, binary large objects. The design incorporates unique compression methods for storing the thesaurus words. Words are indexed to photographs using the compressed word and allow for very rapid searches, eliminating lengthy string matches.

On Maximal Hard-Core Thinnings of Stationary Particle Processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirsch, Christian; Last, Günter

2018-02-01

The present paper studies existence and distributional uniqueness of subclasses of stationary hard-core particle systems arising as thinnings of stationary particle processes. These subclasses are defined by natural maximality criteria. We investigate two specific criteria, one related to the intensity of the hard-core particle process, the other one being a local optimality criterion on the level of realizations. In fact, the criteria are equivalent under suitable moment conditions. We show that stationary hard-core thinnings satisfying such criteria exist and are frequently distributionally unique. More precisely, distributional uniqueness holds in subcritical and barely supercritical regimes of continuum percolation. Additionally, based on the analysis of a specific example, we argue that fluctuations in grain sizes can play an important role for establishing distributional uniqueness at high intensities. Finally, we provide a family of algorithmically constructible approximations whose volume fractions are arbitrarily close to the maximum.

Linear Temporal Logic (LTL) Based Monitoring of Smart Manufacturing Systems.

PubMed

Heddy, Gerald; Huzaifa, Umer; Beling, Peter; Haimes, Yacov; Marvel, Jeremy; Weiss, Brian; LaViers, Amy

2015-01-01

The vision of Smart Manufacturing Systems (SMS) includes collaborative robots that can adapt to a range of scenarios. This vision requires a classification of multiple system behaviors, or sequences of movement, that can achieve the same high-level tasks. Likewise, this vision presents unique challenges regarding the management of environmental variables in concert with discrete, logic-based programming. Overcoming these challenges requires targeted performance and health monitoring of both the logical controller and the physical components of the robotic system. Prognostics and health management (PHM) defines a field of techniques and methods that enable condition-monitoring, diagnostics, and prognostics of physical elements, functional processes, overall systems, etc. PHM is warranted in this effort given that the controller is vulnerable to program changes, which propagate in unexpected ways, logical runtime exceptions, sensor failure, and even bit rot. The physical component's health is affected by the wear and tear experienced by machines constantly in motion. The controller's source of faults is inherently discrete, while the latter occurs in a manner that builds up continuously over time. Such a disconnect poses unique challenges for PHM. This paper presents a robotic monitoring system that captures and resolves this disconnect. This effort leverages supervisory robotic control and model checking with linear temporal logic (LTL), presenting them as a novel monitoring system for PHM. This methodology has been demonstrated in a MATLAB-based simulator for an industry inspired use-case in the context of PHM. Future work will use the methodology to develop adaptive, intelligent control strategies to evenly distribute wear on the joints of the robotic arms, maximizing the life of the system.

Ground test challenges in the development of the Space Shuttle orbiter auxiliary power unit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chaffee, N. H.; Lance, R. J.; Weary, D. P.

1984-01-01

A conventional aircraft hydraulic system design approach was selected to provide fluid power for the Space Shuttle Orbiter. Developing the power unit, known as the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU), to drive the hydraulic pumps presented a major technological challenge. A small, high speed turbine drive unit powered by catalytically decomposed hydrazine and operating in the pulse mode was selected to meet the requirement. Because of limitations of vendor test facilities, significant portions of the development, flight qualification, and postflight anomaly testing of the Orbiter APU were accomplished at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) test facilities. This paper discusses the unique requirements of attitude, gravity forces, pressure profiles, and thermal environments which had to be satisfied by the APU, and presents the unique test facility and simulation techniques employed to meet the ground test requirements. In particular, the development of the zero-g lubrication system, the development of necessary APU thermal control techniques, the accomplishment of integrated systems tests, and the postflight investigation of the APU lube oil cooler behavior are discussed.

IUSThrust Vector Control (TVC) servo system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Conner, G. E.

1979-01-01

The IUS TVC SERVO SYSTEM which consists of four electrically redundant electromechanical actuators, four potentiometer assemblies, and two controllers to provide movable nozzle control on both IUS solid rocket motors is developed. An overview of the more severe IUS TVC servo system design requirements, the system and component designs, and test data acquired on a preliminary development unit is presented. Attention is focused on the unique methods of sensing movable nozzle position and providing for redundant position locks.

Uncertainty management in intelligent design aiding systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, Donald E.; Gabbert, Paula S.

1988-01-01

A novel approach to uncertainty management which is particularly effective in intelligent design aiding systems for large-scale systems is presented. The use of this approach in the materials handling system design domain is discussed. It is noted that, during any point in the design process, a point value can be obtained for the evaluation of feasible designs; however, the techniques described provide unique solutions for these point values using only the current information about the design environment.

Aeropropulsion 1987. Session 2: Aeropropulsion Structures Research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1987-01-01

Aeropropulsion systems present unique problems to the structural engineer. The extremes in operating temperatures, rotational effects, and behaviors of advanced material systems combine into complexities that require advances in many scientific disciplines involved in structural analysis and design procedures. This session provides an overview of the complexities of aeropropulsion structures and the theoretical, computational, and experimental research conducted to achieve the needed advances.

"That Dog Won't Hunt!": Exemplary School Change Efforts within the Kentucky Reform.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolf, Shelby A.; Borko, Hilda; Elliott, Rebekah L.; McIver, Monette C.

2000-01-01

Presents case studies of four exemplary schools as they worked to meet the demands of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) and the assessment system, the Kentucky Instructional Results Information System. Finds that the ways schools met the challenges were unique to each site, but outlines aspect common to teachers in all four sites. (SLD)

High pressure rotary piston coal feeder

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gardner, J. F.; Gencsoy, H. T.; Strimbeck, D. C.

1977-01-01

This feeder concept uniquely combines the functions of solids feeding, metering, and pressurization into one compact system. Success with the rotary-piston concept would provide a lower-cost alternative to lock-hopper systems. The design of the feeder is presented, with special emphasis on the difficult problem of seal design. Initial tests will be to check seal performance. Subsequent tests will evaluate solids-feeding ability.

Millimeter Wave Radar Applications to Weapons Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-06-01

meter wave region compared with the high attenuation in the optical region. It is this unique characteristic of millimeter waves to penetrate fog...miiliaeter wave radars in graund-to-- air , ground-to-ground, and air -to-ground weapons systems aye presented. The advantages and limitation~s¶ of operating...MILLIMETER WAVE RADAR CHARACTERISTICS ..... ............ .. 27 A, General ................ ......................... ... 27 B. Ground-to- Air Millimeter

Chandrasekhar equations and computational algorithms for distributed parameter systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burns, J. A.; Ito, K.; Powers, R. K.

1984-01-01

The Chandrasekhar equations arising in optimal control problems for linear distributed parameter systems are considered. The equations are derived via approximation theory. This approach is used to obtain existence, uniqueness, and strong differentiability of the solutions and provides the basis for a convergent computation scheme for approximating feedback gain operators. A numerical example is presented to illustrate these ideas.

A VHDL Core for Intrinsic Evolution of Discrete Time Filters with Signal Feedback

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gwaltney, David A.; Dutton, Kenneth

2005-01-01

The design of an Evolvable Machine VHDL Core is presented, representing a discrete-time processing structure capable of supporting control system applications. This VHDL Core is implemented in an FPGA and is interfaced with an evolutionary algorithm implemented in firmware on a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) to create an evolvable system platform. The salient features of this architecture are presented. The capability to implement IIR filter structures is presented along with the results of the intrinsic evolution of a filter. The robustness of the evolved filter design is tested and its unique characteristics are described.

The Use of Environmental Test Facilities for Purposes Beyond Their Original Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fisher, Terry C.; Marner, W. J.

2000-01-01

Increasing demands from space flight project offices are requiring environmental testing facilities to become more versatile with increased capabilities. At the same time, maintaining a cost-effective approach to test operations has driven efforts to use these facilities for purposes beyond their original design. This paper presents an overview of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's efforts to provide JPL's space flight projects with test facilities to meet unique test requirements and to serve the needs of selected outside customers. The large number of recent Mars Missions, including the Mars Pathfinder project, have required testing of components and systems in a Martian surface environment in facilities originally designed for deep space testing. The unique problems associated with performing these tests are discussed, along with practical solutions. Other unique test requirements are discussed including the use of space simulation chambers for testing high altitude balloon gondolas and the use of vacuum chambers for system level test firing of an ion propulsion engine.

The Interdependence of Adult Relationship Quality and Parenting Behaviours among African American and European Couples in Rural, Low-Income Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zvara, Bharathi J.; Mills-Koonce, W. Roger; Heilbron, Nicole; Clincy, Amanda; Cox, Martha J.

2015-01-01

The present study extends the spillover and crossover hypotheses to more carefully model the potential interdependence between parent-parent interaction quality and parent-child interaction quality in family systems. Using propensity score matching, the present study attempted to isolate family processes that are unique across African American and…

Immunology of BVDV vaccines

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The use of vaccination to control bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) infections presents exceptional challenges due to the nature of the virus, the unique interaction of the virus with the immune system, and its ability to establish persistent infections. The lack of proof reading function during th...

Biometric template revocation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arndt, Craig M.

2004-08-01

Biometric are a powerful technology for identifying humans both locally and at a distance. In order to perform identification or verification biometric systems capture an image of some biometric of a user or subject. The image is then converted mathematical to representation of the person call a template. Since we know that every human in the world is different each human will have different biometric images (different fingerprints, or faces, etc.). This is what makes biometrics useful for identification. However unlike a credit card number or a password to can be given to a person and later revoked if it is compromised and biometric is with the person for life. The problem then is to develop biometric templates witch can be easily revoked and reissued which are also unique to the user and can be easily used for identification and verification. In this paper we develop and present a method to generate a set of templates which are fully unique to the individual and also revocable. By using bases set compression algorithms in an n-dimensional orthogonal space we can represent a give biometric image in an infinite number of equally valued and unique ways. The verification and biometric matching system would be presented with a given template and revocation code. The code will then representing where in the sequence of n-dimensional vectors to start the recognition.

Airborne Wind Profiling With the Data Acquisition and Processing System for a Pulsed 2-Micron Coherent Doppler Lidar System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beyon, Jeffrey Y.; Koch, Grady J.; Kavaya, Michael J.

2012-01-01

A pulsed 2-micron coherent Doppler lidar system at NASA Langley Research Center in Virginia flew on the NASA's DC-8 aircraft during the NASA Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP) during the summer of 2010. The participation was part of the project Doppler Aerosol Wind Lidar (DAWN) Air. Selected results of airborne wind profiling are presented and compared with the dropsonde data for verification purposes. Panoramic presentations of different wind parameters over a nominal observation time span are also presented for selected GRIP data sets. The realtime data acquisition and analysis software that was employed during the GRIP campaign is introduced with its unique features.

Reconciling the Structural Attributes of Avian Antibodies*

PubMed Central

Conroy, Paul J.; Law, Ruby H. P.; Gilgunn, Sarah; Hearty, Stephen; Caradoc-Davies, Tom T.; Lloyd, Gordon; O'Kennedy, Richard J.; Whisstock, James C.

2014-01-01

Antibodies are high value therapeutic, diagnostic, biotechnological, and research tools. Combinatorial approaches to antibody discovery have facilitated access to unique antibodies by surpassing the diversity limitations of the natural repertoire, exploitation of immune repertoires from multiple species, and tailoring selections to isolate antibodies with desirable biophysical attributes. The V-gene repertoire of the chicken does not utilize highly diverse sequence and structures, which is in stark contrast to the mechanism employed by humans, mice, and primates. Recent exploitation of the avian immune system has generated high quality, high affinity antibodies to a wide range of antigens for a number of therapeutic, diagnostic and biotechnological applications. Furthermore, extensive examination of the amino acid characteristics of the chicken repertoire has provided significant insight into mechanisms employed by the avian immune system. A paucity of avian antibody crystal structures has limited our understanding of the structural consequences of these uniquely chicken features. This paper presents the crystal structure of two chicken single chain fragment variable (scFv) antibodies generated from large libraries by phage display against important human antigen targets, which capture two unique CDRL1 canonical classes in the presence and absence of a non-canonical disulfide constrained CDRH3. These structures cast light on the unique structural features of chicken antibodies and contribute further to our collective understanding of the unique mechanisms of diversity and biochemical attributes that render the chicken repertoire of particular value for antibody generation. PMID:24737329

AOIPS - An interactive image processing system. [Atmospheric and Oceanic Information Processing System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bracken, P. A.; Dalton, J. T.; Quann, J. J.; Billingsley, J. B.

1978-01-01

The Atmospheric and Oceanographic Information Processing System (AOIPS) was developed to help applications investigators perform required interactive image data analysis rapidly and to eliminate the inefficiencies and problems associated with batch operation. This paper describes the configuration and processing capabilities of AOIPS and presents unique subsystems for displaying, analyzing, storing, and manipulating digital image data. Applications of AOIPS to research investigations in meteorology and earth resources are featured.

Exact controllability for a Thermodiffusion System with locally distributed controls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Moraes, F. G.; Schulz, R. A.; Soriano, J. A.

2018-03-01

In this work we establish a exact controllability result for a thermodiffusion system, modeled by Cattaneo's law, posed in a one-dimensional domain. In the present model the control mechanisms are effective in a small subinterval of the domain. To obtain the desired results, we prove an observability inequality for the adjoint system which, together with the multiplier methods and the Hilbert Uniqueness Method (HUM) developed by J.L. Lions, gives the controllability.

Test Before You Fly - High Fidelity Planetary Environment Simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Craven, Paul; Ramachandran, Narayanan; Vaughn, Jason; Schneider, Todd; Nehls, Mary

2012-01-01

The lunar surface environment will present many challenges to the survivability of systems developed for long duration lunar habitation and exploration of the lunar, or any other planetary, surface. Obstacles will include issues pertaining especially to the radiation environment (solar plasma and electromagnetic radiation) and lunar regolith dust. The Planetary Environments Chamber is one piece of the MSFC capability in Space Environmental Effects Test and Analysis. Comprised of many unique test systems, MSFC has the most complete set of SEE test capabilities in one location allowing examination of combined space environmental effects without transporting already degraded, potentially fragile samples over long distances between tests. With this system, the individual and combined effects of the lunar radiation and regolith environment on materials, sub-systems, and small systems developed for the lunar return can be investigated. This combined environments facility represents a unique capability to NASA, in which tests can be tailored to any one aspect of the lunar environment (radiation, temperature, vacuum, regolith) or to several of them combined in a single test.

Apollo experience report: Food systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, M. C., Jr.; Rapp, R. M.; Huber, C. S.; Rambaut, P. C.; Heidelbaugh, N. D.

1974-01-01

Development, delivery, and use of food systems in support of the Apollo 7 to 14 missions are discussed. Changes in design criteria for this unique program as mission requirements varied are traced from the baseline system that was established before the completion of the Gemini Program. Problems and progress in subsystem management, material selection, food packaging, development of new food items, menu design, and food-consumption methods under zero-gravity conditions are described. The effectiveness of various approaches in meeting food system objectives of providing flight crews with safe, nutritious, easy to prepare, and highly acceptable foods is considered. Nutritional quality and adequacy in maintaining crew health are discussed in relation to the establishment of nutritional criteria for future missions. Technological advances that have resulted from the design of separate food systems for the command module, the lunar module, The Mobile Quarantine Facility, and the Lunar Receiving Laboratory are presented for application to future manned spacecraft and to unique populations in earthbound situations.

Brain-computer interface with language model-electroencephalography fusion for locked-in syndrome.

PubMed

Oken, Barry S; Orhan, Umut; Roark, Brian; Erdogmus, Deniz; Fowler, Andrew; Mooney, Aimee; Peters, Betts; Miller, Meghan; Fried-Oken, Melanie B

2014-05-01

Some noninvasive brain-computer interface (BCI) systems are currently available for locked-in syndrome (LIS) but none have incorporated a statistical language model during text generation. To begin to address the communication needs of individuals with LIS using a noninvasive BCI that involves rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) of symbols and a unique classifier with electroencephalography (EEG) and language model fusion. The RSVP Keyboard was developed with several unique features. Individual letters are presented at 2.5 per second. Computer classification of letters as targets or nontargets based on EEG is performed using machine learning that incorporates a language model for letter prediction via Bayesian fusion enabling targets to be presented only 1 to 4 times. Nine participants with LIS and 9 healthy controls were enrolled. After screening, subjects first calibrated the system, and then completed a series of balanced word generation mastery tasks that were designed with 5 incremental levels of difficulty, which increased by selecting phrases for which the utility of the language model decreased naturally. Six participants with LIS and 9 controls completed the experiment. All LIS participants successfully mastered spelling at level 1 and one subject achieved level 5. Six of 9 control participants achieved level 5. Individuals who have incomplete LIS may benefit from an EEG-based BCI system, which relies on EEG classification and a statistical language model. Steps to further improve the system are discussed.

Study of lubricant circulation in HVAC systems. Volume 1: Description of technical effort and results; Final technical report, March 1995--April 1996

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

Biancardi, F.R.; Michels, H.H.; Sienel, T.H.

1996-10-01

The purpose of this program was to conduct experimental and analytical efforts to determine lubricant circulation characteristics of new HFC/POE pairs and HFC/mineral oil pairs in a representative central residential HVAC system and to compare their behavior with the traditional HCFC-22/mineral oil (refrigerant/lubricant) pair. A dynamic test facility was designed and built to conduct the experimental efforts. This facility provided a unique capability to visually and physically measure oil circulation rates, on-line, in operating systems. A unique on-line ultraviolet-based measurement device was used to obtain detailed data on the rate and level of lubricant oil circulated within the operating heatmore » pump system. The experimental and analytical data developed during the program are presented as a function of vapor velocity, refrigerant/lubricant viscosity, system features and equipment. Both visual observations and instrumentation were used to understand ``worst case`` oil circulation situations. This report is presented in two volumes. Volume 1 contains a complete description of the program scope, objective, test results summary, conclusions, description of test facility and recommendations for future effort. Volume 2 contains all of the program test data essentially as taken from the laboratory dynamic test facility during the sequence of runs.« less

Social Constructivism and Case-Writing for an Integrated Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doubleday, Alison F.; Brown, Blase; Patston, Philip A.; Jurgens-Toepke, Pamela; Strotman, Meaghan Driscoll; Koerber, Anne; Haley, Colin; Briggs, Charlotte; Knight, G. William

2015-01-01

Case-writing within an integrated, systems-based health professions education curriculum presents many unique challenges. Specifically, case-writing in this context must consider integration of multidisciplinary learning objectives and synthesis of biomedical and clinical sciences. Establishing an effective process for content integration and…

Acousto-ultrasonic system for the inspection of composite armored vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Godinez, Valery F.; Carlos, Mark F.; Delamere, Michael; Hoch, William; Fotopoulos, Christos; Dai, Weiming; Raju, Basavaraju B.

2001-04-01

In this paper the design and implementation of a unique acousto-ultrasonics system for the inspection of composite armored vehicles is discussed. The system includes a multi-sensor probe with a position-tracking device mounted on a computer controlled scanning bridge. The system also includes an arbitrary waveform generator with a multiplexer and a multi-channel acoustic emission board capable of simultaneously collecting and processing up to four acoustic signals in real time. C-scans of an armored vehicle panel with defects are presented.

Initial flight qualification and operational maintenance of X-29A flight software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Earls, Michael R.; Sitz, Joel R.

1989-01-01

A discussion is presented of some significant aspects of the initial flight qualification and operational maintenance of the flight control system softward for the X-29A technology demonstrator. Flight qualification and maintenance of complex, embedded flight control system software poses unique problems. The X-29A technology demonstrator aircraft has a digital flight control system which incorporates functions generally considered too complex for analog systems. Organizational responsibilities, software assurance issues, tools, and facilities are discussed.

Multi-Resolution Climate Ensemble Parameter Analysis with Nested Parallel Coordinates Plots.

PubMed

Wang, Junpeng; Liu, Xiaotong; Shen, Han-Wei; Lin, Guang

2017-01-01

Due to the uncertain nature of weather prediction, climate simulations are usually performed multiple times with different spatial resolutions. The outputs of simulations are multi-resolution spatial temporal ensembles. Each simulation run uses a unique set of values for multiple convective parameters. Distinct parameter settings from different simulation runs in different resolutions constitute a multi-resolution high-dimensional parameter space. Understanding the correlation between the different convective parameters, and establishing a connection between the parameter settings and the ensemble outputs are crucial to domain scientists. The multi-resolution high-dimensional parameter space, however, presents a unique challenge to the existing correlation visualization techniques. We present Nested Parallel Coordinates Plot (NPCP), a new type of parallel coordinates plots that enables visualization of intra-resolution and inter-resolution parameter correlations. With flexible user control, NPCP integrates superimposition, juxtaposition and explicit encodings in a single view for comparative data visualization and analysis. We develop an integrated visual analytics system to help domain scientists understand the connection between multi-resolution convective parameters and the large spatial temporal ensembles. Our system presents intricate climate ensembles with a comprehensive overview and on-demand geographic details. We demonstrate NPCP, along with the climate ensemble visualization system, based on real-world use-cases from our collaborators in computational and predictive science.

On the Materials Science of Nature's Arms Race.

PubMed

Liu, Zengqian; Zhang, Zhefeng; Ritchie, Robert O

2018-06-05

Biological material systems have evolved unique combinations of mechanical properties to fulfill their specific function through a series of ingenious designs. Seeking lessons from Nature by replicating the underlying principles of such biological materials offers new promise for creating unique combinations of properties in man-made systems. One case in point is Nature's means of attack and defense. During the long-term evolutionary "arms race," naturally evolved weapons have achieved exceptional mechanical efficiency with a synergy of effective offense and persistence-two characteristics that often tend to be mutually exclusive in many synthetic systems-which may present a notable source of new materials science knowledge and inspiration. This review categorizes Nature's weapons into ten distinct groups, and discusses the unique structural and mechanical designs of each group by taking representative systems as examples. The approach described is to extract the common principles underlying such designs that could be translated into man-made materials. Further, recent advances in replicating the design principles of natural weapons at differing lengthscales in artificial materials, devices and tools to tackle practical problems are revisited, and the challenges associated with biological and bioinspired materials research in terms of both processing and properties are discussed. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Air Cushion Vehicle Operator Training System (ACVOTS) Problem Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-11-01

Appendix A - Discussion of Fundemental Training Analysis Requirements. Appendix B - Data Sources. 9 SECTION II APPROACHES TO TRAINING PRESENT ASSAULT CRAFT...the training system is worth the investment of time and resources required to produce that output. A unique feature which distinguishes ISD from more...when they have been considered in the context of making alternative investment decisions. Investments in technology for certain long high-flow

Design of a video teleconference facility for a synchronous satellite communications link

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Richardson, M. D.

1979-01-01

The system requirements, design tradeoffs, and final design of a video teleconference facility are discussed, including proper lighting, graphics transmission, and picture aesthetics. Methods currently accepted in the television broadcast industry are used in the design. The unique problems associated with using an audio channel with a synchronous satellite communications link are discussed, and a final audio system design is presented.

Ab initio relaxation times and time-dependent Hamiltonians within the steepest-entropy-ascent quantum thermodynamic framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Ilki; von Spakovsky, Michael R.

2017-08-01

Quantum systems driven by time-dependent Hamiltonians are considered here within the framework of steepest-entropy-ascent quantum thermodynamics (SEAQT) and used to study the thermodynamic characteristics of such systems. In doing so, a generalization of the SEAQT framework valid for all such systems is provided, leading to the development of an ab initio physically relevant expression for the intrarelaxation time, an important element of this framework and one that had as of yet not been uniquely determined as an integral part of the theory. The resulting expression for the relaxation time is valid as well for time-independent Hamiltonians as a special case and makes the description provided by the SEAQT framework more robust at the fundamental level. In addition, the SEAQT framework is used to help resolve a fundamental issue of thermodynamics in the quantum domain, namely, that concerning the unique definition of process-dependent work and heat functions. The developments presented lead to the conclusion that this framework is not just an alternative approach to thermodynamics in the quantum domain but instead one that uniquely sheds new light on various fundamental but as of yet not completely resolved questions of thermodynamics.

Measurement of resilience and its application to enterprise information systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, J. W.; Gao, F.; Ip, W. H.

2010-05-01

In this article, we present a measure for resilience in the context of enterprise information systems or service systems in a more general sense. Resilience of the system is a property of the system, which focuses on the recovery ability of the system after a partial damage of the system. Enterprise information systems such as enterprise resource planning, supply chain management, customer relationship management, manufacturing execution system, etc. play a critical role in the daily operation of modern enterprises by timely and sustainable delivery of information. Therefore, resilience is especially important for the enterprise information systems. The proposed measure for resilience is based on the recovery ability of the system, which departs from the existing approaches in literature and presents a unique contribution. An example is given to illustrate how the proposed measure works.

Unobtrusive Biometric System Based on Electroencephalogram Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riera, A.; Soria-Frisch, A.; Caparrini, M.; Grau, C.; Ruffini, G.

2007-12-01

Features extracted from electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings have proved to be unique enough between subjects for biometric applications. We show here that biometry based on these recordings offers a novel way to robustly authenticate or identify subjects. In this paper, we present a rapid and unobtrusive authentication method that only uses 2 frontal electrodes referenced to another one placed at the ear lobe. Moreover, the system makes use of a multistage fusion architecture, which demonstrates to improve the system performance. The performance analysis of the system presented in this paper stems from an experiment with 51 subjects and 36 intruders, where an equal error rate (EER) of 3.4% is obtained, that is, true acceptance rate (TAR) of 96.6% and a false acceptance rate (FAR) of 3.4%. The obtained performance measures improve the results of similar systems presented in earlier work.

Computer-generated tailored feedback letters for smoking cessation: theoretical and empirical variability of tailoring.

PubMed

Schumann, Anja; John, Ulrich; Ulbricht, Sabina; Rüge, Jeannette; Bischof, Gallus; Meyer, Christian

2008-11-01

This study examines tailored feedback letters of a smoking cessation intervention that is conceptually based on the transtheoretical model, from a content-based perspective. Data of 2 population-based intervention studies, both randomized controlled trials, with total N=1044 were used. The procedure of the intervention, the tailoring principle for the feedback letters, and the content of the intervention materials are described in detail. Theoretical and empirical frequencies of unique feedback letters are presented. The intervention system was able to generate a total of 1040 unique letters with normative feedback only, and almost half a million unique letters with normative and ipsative feedback. Almost every single smoker in contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance had an empirically unique combination of tailoring variables and received a unique letter. In contrast, many smokers in precontemplation shared a combination of tailoring variables and received identical letters. The transtheoretical model provides an enormous theoretical and empirical variability of tailoring. However, tailoring for a major subgroup of smokers, i.e. those who do not intend to quit, needs improvement. Conceptual ideas for additional tailoring variables are discussed.

Pharmacologic modulation of protein kinase C isozymes: the role of RACKs and subcellular localisation.

PubMed

Csukai, M; Mochly-Rosen, D

1999-04-01

Protein kinase C (PKC) isozymes are highly homologous kinases and several different isozymes can be present in a cell. Each isozyme is likely to mediate unique functions, but pharmacological tools to explore their isozyme-specific roles have not been available until recently. In this review, we describe the development and application of isozyme-selective inhibitors of PKC. The identification of these inhibitors stems from the observation that PKC isozymes are each localised to unique subcellular locations following activation. Inhibitors of this isozyme-unique localisation have been shown to act as selective inhibitors of the functions of individual isozymes. The identification of isozyme-specific inhibitors should allow the exploration of individual PKC isozyme function in a wide range of cell systems. Copyright 1999 The Italian Pharmacological Society.

Mobile DNA in the pathogenic Neisseria

PubMed Central

Obergfell, Kyle P.; Seifert, H. Steven

2015-01-01

The genus Neisseria contains two pathogenic species of notable public health concern: Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Neisseria meningitidis. These pathogens display a notable ability to undergo frequent programmed recombination events. The recombination mediated pathways of transformation and pilin antigenic variation in the Neisseria are well studied systems that are critical for pathogenesis. Here we will detail the conserved and unique aspects of transformation and antigenic variation in the Neisseria. Transformation will be followed from initial DNA binding through recombination into the genome with consideration to the factors necessary at each step. Additional focus is paid to the unique type IV secretion system that mediates donation of transforming DNA in the pathogenic Neisseria. The pilin antigenic variation system uses programed recombinations to alter a major surface determinant which allows immune avoidance and promotes infection. We discuss the trans- and cis- acting factors which facilitate pilin antigenic variation and present the current understanding of the mechanisms involved in the process. PMID:25866700

Monitoring Students with ADHD within the RTI Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haraway, Dana L.

2012-01-01

Students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders (ADHD) can present unique behavioral and academic challenges within the school environment. The Response to Intervention (RTI) and Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) movements have sought to formalize intervention systems to address the needs of all children. An integral…

Identification of propulsion systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Merrill, Walter; Guo, Ten-Huei; Duyar, Ahmet

1991-01-01

This paper presents a tutorial on the use of model identification techniques for the identification of propulsion system models. These models are important for control design, simulation, parameter estimation, and fault detection. Propulsion system identification is defined in the context of the classical description of identification as a four step process that is unique because of special considerations of data and error sources. Propulsion system models are described along with the dependence of system operation on the environment. Propulsion system simulation approaches are discussed as well as approaches to propulsion system identification with examples for both air breathing and rocket systems.

Identification codes for organizations listed in computerized data systems of the U.S. Geological Survey

USGS Publications Warehouse

Blackwell, C.D.

1988-01-01

Codes for the unique identification of public and private organizations listed in computerized data systems are presented. These codes are used by the U.S. Geological Survey 's National Water Data Exchange (NAWDEX), National Water Data Storage and Retrieval System (WATSTORE), National Cartographic Information Center (NCIC), and Office of Water Data Coordination (OWDC). The format structure of the codes is discussed and instructions are given for requesting new books. (Author 's abstract)

Expert system verification and validation study. Delivery 1: Survey and interview questions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

The NASA funded questionnaire is presented to help define the state-of-the-practice in the formal evaluation of Expert Systems on current NASA and industry applications. The answers to this questionnaire, together with follow-up interviews, will provide realistic answers to the following questions: (1) How much evaluation is being performed; (2) What evaluation techniques are in use; and (3) What, if any, are the unique issues in evaluating Expert Systems.

Satellite switched FDMA advanced communication technology satellite program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Atwood, S.; Higton, G. H.; Wood, K.; Kline, A.; Furiga, A.; Rausch, M.; Jan, Y.

1982-01-01

The satellite switched frequency division multiple access system provided a detailed system architecture that supports a point to point communication system for long haul voice, video and data traffic between small Earth terminals at Ka band frequencies at 30/20 GHz. A detailed system design is presented for the space segment, small terminal/trunking segment at network control segment for domestic traffic model A or B, each totaling 3.8 Gb/s of small terminal traffic and 6.2 Gb/s trunk traffic. The small terminal traffic (3.8 Gb/s) is emphasized, for the satellite router portion of the system design, which is a composite of thousands of Earth stations with digital traffic ranging from a single 32 Kb/s CVSD voice channel to thousands of channels containing voice, video and data with a data rate as high as 33 Mb/s. The system design concept presented, effectively optimizes a unique frequency and channelization plan for both traffic models A and B with minimum reorganization of the satellite payload transponder subsystem hardware design. The unique zoning concept allows multiple beam antennas while maximizing multiple carrier frequency reuse. Detailed hardware design estimates for an FDMA router (part of the satellite transponder subsystem) indicate a weight and dc power budget of 353 lbs, 195 watts for traffic model A and 498 lbs, 244 watts for traffic model B.

Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) for the Space Shuttle solid rocket motor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Russell, D. L.; Blacklock, K.; Langhenry, M. T.

1988-01-01

The recertification of the Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) and Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) has included an extensive rewriting of the Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and Critical Items List (CIL). The evolution of the groundrules and methodology used in the analysis is discussed and compared to standard FMEA techniques. Especially highlighted are aspects of the FMEA/CIL which are unique to the analysis of an SRM. The criticality category definitions are presented and the rationale for assigning criticality is presented. The various data required by the CIL and contribution of this data to the retention rationale is also presented. As an example, the FMEA and CIL for the SRM nozzle assembly is discussed in detail. This highlights some of the difficulties associated with the analysis of a system with the unique mission requirements of the Space Shuttle.

Linear Temporal Logic (LTL) Based Monitoring of Smart Manufacturing Systems

PubMed Central

Heddy, Gerald; Huzaifa, Umer; Beling, Peter; Haimes, Yacov; Marvel, Jeremy; Weiss, Brian; LaViers, Amy

2017-01-01

The vision of Smart Manufacturing Systems (SMS) includes collaborative robots that can adapt to a range of scenarios. This vision requires a classification of multiple system behaviors, or sequences of movement, that can achieve the same high-level tasks. Likewise, this vision presents unique challenges regarding the management of environmental variables in concert with discrete, logic-based programming. Overcoming these challenges requires targeted performance and health monitoring of both the logical controller and the physical components of the robotic system. Prognostics and health management (PHM) defines a field of techniques and methods that enable condition-monitoring, diagnostics, and prognostics of physical elements, functional processes, overall systems, etc. PHM is warranted in this effort given that the controller is vulnerable to program changes, which propagate in unexpected ways, logical runtime exceptions, sensor failure, and even bit rot. The physical component’s health is affected by the wear and tear experienced by machines constantly in motion. The controller’s source of faults is inherently discrete, while the latter occurs in a manner that builds up continuously over time. Such a disconnect poses unique challenges for PHM. This paper presents a robotic monitoring system that captures and resolves this disconnect. This effort leverages supervisory robotic control and model checking with linear temporal logic (LTL), presenting them as a novel monitoring system for PHM. This methodology has been demonstrated in a MATLAB-based simulator for an industry inspired use-case in the context of PHM. Future work will use the methodology to develop adaptive, intelligent control strategies to evenly distribute wear on the joints of the robotic arms, maximizing the life of the system. PMID:28730154

Using Best Practices to Extract, Organize, and Reuse Embedded Decision Support Content Knowledge Rules from Mature Clinical Systems.

PubMed

DesAutels, Spencer J; Fox, Zachary E; Giuse, Dario A; Williams, Annette M; Kou, Qing-Hua; Weitkamp, Asli; Neal R, Patel; Bettinsoli Giuse, Nunzia

2016-01-01

Clinical decision support (CDS) knowledge, embedded over time in mature medical systems, presents an interesting and complex opportunity for information organization, maintenance, and reuse. To have a holistic view of all decision support requires an in-depth understanding of each clinical system as well as expert knowledge of the latest evidence. This approach to clinical decision support presents an opportunity to unify and externalize the knowledge within rules-based decision support. Driven by an institutional need to prioritize decision support content for migration to new clinical systems, the Center for Knowledge Management and Health Information Technology teams applied their unique expertise to extract content from individual systems, organize it through a single extensible schema, and present it for discovery and reuse through a newly created Clinical Support Knowledge Acquisition and Archival Tool (CS-KAAT). CS-KAAT can build and maintain the underlying knowledge infrastructure needed by clinical systems.

New Developments in FPGA: SEUs and Fail-Safe Strategies from the NASA Goddard Perspective

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berg, Melanie D.; Label, Kenneth A.; Pellish, Jonathan

2016-01-01

It has been shown that, when exposed to radiation environments, each Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) device has unique error signatures. Subsequently, fail-safe and mitigation strategies will differ per FPGA type. In this session several design approaches for safe systems will be presented. It will also explore the benefits and limitations of several mitigation techniques. The intention of the presentation is to provide information regarding FPGA types, their susceptibilities, and proven fail-safe strategies; so that users can select appropriate mitigation and perform the required trade for system insertion. The presentation will describe three types of FPGA devices and their susceptibilities in radiation environments.

New Developments in FPGA: SEUs and Fail-Safe Strategies from the NASA Goddard Perspective

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berg, Melanie D.; LaBel, Kenneth; Pellish, Jonathan

2015-01-01

It has been shown that, when exposed to radiation environments, each Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) device has unique error signatures. Subsequently, fail-safe and mitigation strategies will differ per FPGA type. In this session several design approaches for safe systems will be presented. It will also explore the benefits and limitations of several mitigation techniques. The intention of the presentation is to provide information regarding FPGA types, their susceptibilities, and proven fail-safe strategies; so that users can select appropriate mitigation and perform the required trade for system insertion. The presentation will describe three types of FPGA devices and their susceptibilities in radiation environments.

Generating a Reduced Gravity Environment on Earth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dungan, Larry K.; Cunningham, Tom; Poncia, Dina

2010-01-01

Since the 1950s several reduced gravity simulators have been designed and utilized in preparing humans for spaceflight and in reduced gravity system development. The Active Response Gravity Offload System (ARGOS) is the newest and most realistic gravity offload simulator. ARGOS provides three degrees of motion within the test area and is scalable for full building deployment. The inertia of the overhead system is eliminated by an active motor and control system. This presentation will discuss what ARGOS is, how it functions, and the unique challenges of interfacing to the human. Test data and video for human and robotic systems will be presented. A major variable in the human machine interaction is the interface of ARGOS to the human. These challenges along with design solutions will be discussed.

Recent Applications of 2D Inorganic Nanosheets for Emerging Energy Storage System.

PubMed

Oh, Seung Mi; Patil, Sharad B; Jin, Xiaoyan; Hwang, Seong-Ju

2018-04-03

Among many types of nanostructured inorganic materials, highly anisotropic 2D nanosheets provide unique advantages in designing and synthesizing efficient electrode and electrocatalyst materials for novel energy storage technologies. 2D inorganic nanosheets boast lots of unique characteristics such as high surface area, short ion diffusion path, tailorable compositions, and tunable electronic structures. These merits of 2D inorganic nanosheets render them promising candidate materials as electrodes for diverse secondary batteries and supercapacitors, and electrocatalysts. A wide spectrum of examples is presented for inorganic nanosheet-based electrodes and electrocatalysts. Future perspectives in research about 2D nanosheet-based functional materials are discussed to provide insight for the development of next-generation energy storage systems using 2D nanostructured materials. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Hydrogen/Oxygen Propellant Densifier Thermoacoustic Stirling Heat Engine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, C. T.; Yeckley, A. J.; Schieb, D. J.; Haberbusch, M. S.

2004-06-01

A unique, patent pending, thermoacoustic propellant densifier for the simultaneous densification of hydrogen and oxygen propellants for aerospace vehicles is introduced. The densifier uses a high-pressure amplitude, low-frequency Thermoacoustic Stirling Heat Engine (TASHE) coupled with a uniquely designed half-wave-length resonator to drive a pulse tube cryocooler using a Gas Helium (GHe) working fluid. The extremely reliable TASHE has no moving parts, is water cooled, and is electrically powered. The helium-filled TASHE is designed to ASME piping codes, which enables the safe inspection of the system while in operation. The resonator is designed to eliminate higher-order harmonics with minimal acoustic losses. A system description will be presented, and experimental data on both the TASHE and the resonator will be compared with analytical results.

On the long time behavior of non-autonomous Lotka-Volterra models with diffusion via the sub-supertrajectory method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Langa, José A.; Rodríguez-Bernal, Aníbal; Suárez, Antonio

In this paper we study in detail the geometrical structure of global pullback and forwards attractors associated to non-autonomous Lotka-Volterra systems in all the three cases of competition, symbiosis or prey-predator. In particular, under some conditions on the parameters, we prove the existence of a unique nondegenerate global solution for these models, which attracts any other complete bounded trajectory. Thus, we generalize the existence of a unique strictly positive stable (stationary) solution from the autonomous case and we extend to Lotka-Volterra systems the result for scalar logistic equations. To this end we present the sub-supertrajectory tool as a generalization of the now classical sub-supersolution method. In particular, we also conclude pullback and forwards permanence for the above models.

Analyzing the Mechanical Behavior of Polymer and Composite Materials by Means of Unique Method of Deformation Calorimetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bessonova, N. P.; Chvalun, S. N.

2018-06-01

Results are presented from long-term investigations of a wide range of polymer systems, varying from elastomers and thermoplastic elastomers to plastics and fibers. The thermophysical properties of both initial and modifying additive-containing polysiloxanes, block copolymers, and poleolefins that differ in chemical nature, structure, and composition are analyzed. It is shown that deformation calorimetry allows the simultaneous registration of mechanical (from 5 × 10-3 kg) and thermal effects (at a sensitivity of 2 × 10‒7 J/s), and the determination of changes in enthalpy, internal energy, and intra- and intermolecular contributions to the formation of the tensile stress response. In other words, it provides a unique opportunity to analyze the deformation mechanism of investigated systems and its dependence on the changing parameters.

Sarcoidosis onset simulating a unique hepatic metastasis.

PubMed

Diéguez Castillo, Carmelo; Martín-Lagos Maldonado, Alicia; Ríos Pelegrina, Rosa María; Díaz Alcázar, María Del Mar; Roa Colomo, Amparo; Ruiz Escolano, Elena

2018-06-22

Sarcoidosis is a systemic granulomatous disease with an uncertain etiology, characterized by the production of non-necrotizing granulomas. The most frequent presentation is pulmonary and mediastinal, although it might affect any other organ. Hepatic alterations occur in 50 to 65% of the cases. Nevertheless, it is commonly subclinical or detected during a study of the alteration of liver enzymes. It is very unusual that disease onset occurs as an isolated hepatic tumor. A hepatic biopsy is usually required to confirm the diagnosis. A differential diagnosis must be established via any hepatic granulomatous disease, infectious or autoimmune disease as well as the exclusion of malignancy. We present a clinical case of a female diagnosed with an isolated hepatic sarcoidosis that simulated a unique hepatic metastatic lesion. The hepatic biopsy was diagnostic.

Isotachophoresis for fractionation and recovery of cytoplasmic RNA and nucleus from single cells.

PubMed

Kuriyama, Kentaro; Shintaku, Hirofumi; Santiago, Juan G

2015-07-01

There is a substantial need for simultaneous analyses of RNA and DNA from individual single cells. Such analysis provides unique evidence of cell-to-cell differences and the correlation between gene expression and genomic mutation in highly heterogeneous cell populations. We present a novel microfluidic system that leverages isotachophoresis to fractionate and isolate cytoplasmic RNA and genomic DNA (gDNA) from single cells. The system uniquely enables independent, sequence-specific analyses of these critical markers. Our system uses a microfluidic chip with a simple geometry and four end-channel electrodes, and completes the entire process in <5 min, including lysis, purification, fractionation, and delivery to DNA and RNA output reservoirs, each containing high quality and purity aliquots with no measurable cross-contamination of cytoplasmic RNA versus gDNA. We demonstrate our system with simultaneous, sequence-specific quantitation using off-chip RT-qPCR and qPCR for simultaneous cytoplasmic RNA and gDNA analyses, respectively. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Spiders spinning electrically charged nano-fibres

PubMed Central

Kronenberger, Katrin; Vollrath, Fritz

2015-01-01

Most spider threads are on the micrometre and sub-micrometre scale. Yet, there are some spiders that spin true nano-scale fibres such as the cribellate orb spider, Uloborus plumipes. Here, we analyse the highly specialized capture silk-spinning system of this spider and compare it with the silk extrusion systems of the more standard spider dragline threads. The cribellar silk extrusion system consists of tiny, morphologically basic glands each terminating through exceptionally long and narrow ducts in uniquely shaped silk outlets. Depending on spider size, hundreds to thousands of these outlet spigots cover the cribellum, a phylogenetically ancient spinning plate. We present details on the unique functional design of the cribellate gland–duct–spigot system and discuss design requirements for its specialist fibrils. The spinning of fibres on the nano-scale seems to have been facilitated by the evolution of a highly specialist way of direct spinning, which differs from the aqua-melt silk extrusion set-up more typical for other spiders. PMID:25631231

Spiders spinning electrically charged nano-fibres.

PubMed

Kronenberger, Katrin; Vollrath, Fritz

2015-01-01

Most spider threads are on the micrometre and sub-micrometre scale. Yet, there are some spiders that spin true nano-scale fibres such as the cribellate orb spider, Uloborus plumipes. Here, we analyse the highly specialized capture silk-spinning system of this spider and compare it with the silk extrusion systems of the more standard spider dragline threads. The cribellar silk extrusion system consists of tiny, morphologically basic glands each terminating through exceptionally long and narrow ducts in uniquely shaped silk outlets. Depending on spider size, hundreds to thousands of these outlet spigots cover the cribellum, a phylogenetically ancient spinning plate. We present details on the unique functional design of the cribellate gland-duct-spigot system and discuss design requirements for its specialist fibrils. The spinning of fibres on the nano-scale seems to have been facilitated by the evolution of a highly specialist way of direct spinning, which differs from the aqua-melt silk extrusion set-up more typical for other spiders. © 2015 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

Patterns of Hierarchical Structure in the Medical Lexicon

PubMed Central

Michael, Patricia A.; Cole, William G.; Stewart, James; Blois, Marsden S.

1987-01-01

Concepts in basic and clinical medical science cover a wide range of levels of description, from the subatomic level to the level of the patient as a whole. Medical language may have usage regularities consistent with this hierarchical nature of medical knowledge. Preliminary studies of word occurrence in abstracts drawn from three medical journals representing three broadly defined levels of description (chemical system, physiologic system, and patient as a whole) demonstrated a nonuniform word usage, with many words unique to one or another journal. In this present study, word occurrence was examined in an expanded pool of medical text consisting of sixteen textbooks representing ten different levels of description: atom/ion, micromolecule, macromolecule, organelle, cell, tissue, organ, physiologic system, major body part (or multiple physiologic systems) and patient as a whole. Word usage was found to be nonuniform, with many words unique to specific levels. The presence of such usage regularities may provide a basis for facilitating the automatic classification and retrieval of medical text.

Extensible Adaptable Simulation Systems: Supporting Multiple Fidelity Simulations in a Common Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McLaughlin, Brian J.; Barrett, Larry K.

2012-01-01

Common practice in the development of simulation systems is meeting all user requirements within a single instantiation. The Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) presents a unique challenge to establish a simulation environment that meets the needs of a diverse user community while also spanning a multi-mission environment over decades of operation. In response, the JPSS Flight Vehicle Test Suite (FVTS) is architected with an extensible infrastructure that supports the operation of multiple observatory simulations for a single mission and multiple mission within a common system perimeter. For the JPSS-1 satellite, multiple fidelity flight observatory simulations are necessary to support the distinct user communities consisting of the Common Ground System development team, the Common Ground System Integration & Test team, and the Mission Rehearsal Team/Mission Operations Team. These key requirements present several challenges to FVTS development. First, the FVTS must ensure all critical user requirements are satisfied by at least one fidelity instance of the observatory simulation. Second, the FVTS must allow for tailoring of the system instances to function in diverse operational environments from the High-security operations environment at NOAA Satellite Operations Facility (NSOF) to the ground system factory floor. Finally, the FVTS must provide the ability to execute sustaining engineering activities on a subset of the system without impacting system availability to parallel users. The FVTS approach of allowing for multiple fidelity copies of observatory simulations represents a unique concept in simulator capability development and corresponds to the JPSS Ground System goals of establishing a capability that is flexible, extensible, and adaptable.

Development of a master health facility list in Nigeria.

PubMed

Makinde, Olusesan Ayodeji; Azeez, Aderemi; Bamidele, Samson; Oyemakinde, Akin; Oyediran, Kolawole Azeez; Adebayo, Wura; Fapohunda, Bolaji; Abioye, Abimbola; Mullen, Stephanie

2014-01-01

Abstract. Routine Health Information Systems (RHIS) are increasingly transitioning to electronic platforms in several developing countries. Establishment of a Master Facility List (MFL) to standardize the allocation of unique identifiers for health facilities can overcome identification issues and support health facility management. The Nigerian Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) recently developed a MFL, and we present the process and outcome. The MFL was developed from the ground up, and includes a state code, a local government area (LGA) code, health facility ownership (public or private), the level of care, and an exclusive LGA level health facility serial number, as part of the unique identifier system in Nigeria. To develop the MFL, the LGAs sent the list of all health facilities in their jurisdiction to the state, which in turn collated for all LGAs under them before sending to the FMOH. At the FMOH, a group of RHIS experts verified the list and identifiers for each state. The national MFL consists of 34,423 health facilities uniquely identified. The list has been published and is available for worldwide access; it is currently used for planning and management of health services in Nigeria. Unique identifiers are a basic component of any information system. However, poor planning and execution of implementing this key standard can diminish the success of the RHIS. Development and adherence to standards is the hallmark for a national health information infrastructure. Explicit processes and multi-level stakeholder engagement is necessary to ensuring the success of the effort.

Applied oceanography

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

Bishop, J.M.

This book combines oceanography principles and applications such as marine pollution, resources, and transportation. It is divided into two main parts treating the basic principles of physical oceanography, and presenting a unique systems framework showing how physical oceanography, marine ecology, economics, and government policy may be combined to define the newly developing field of applied oceanography.

A Primer on Consultation Theory: Building a Flexible Worldview.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brack, Greg; And Others

1993-01-01

Presents broad introduction to learning, gestalt, systems, organizational, psychoanalytic, and chaos theories of consultation. Demonstrates how consultant can map each of these theories onto consultation environment to produce unique perspective that each theory alone cannot provide. Describes each theory as to how it views and frames consultation…

Some recent developments in headspace gas chromatography

Treesearch

J.Y. Zhu; X.-S. Chai

2005-01-01

In this study, recent developments in headspace gas chromatography (HSGC) are briefly reviewed. Several novel HSGC techniques developed recently are presented in detail. These techniques were developed using the unique characteristics of the headspace sampling process implemented in commercial HSGC systems and therefore can be easily applied in laboratory and...

Forest residues management guidelines for the Pacific Northwest.

Treesearch

John M. Pierovich; Edward H. Clarke; Stewart G. Pickford; Franklin R. Ward

1975-01-01

Forest residues often require treatment to meet land management objectives. Guideline statements for managing forest residues are presented to provide direction for achieving these objectives. The latest research information and the best knowledge of experts in various land management disciplines were used to formulate these statements. A unique keying system is...

Importance, preservation and management of riparian habitat: A symposium; Tucson, Arizona; July 9, 1977

Treesearch

R. Roy Johnson; Dale A. Jones

1977-01-01

Twelve presented and 15 contributed papers highlight what is known about this unique, diminishing vegetative type: characteristics, classification systems, associated fauna, use conflicts, management alternatives, and research needs. Speakers stressed the continuity and interrelationships of riparian ecosystems, their wildlife and vegetation, historic and current uses...

Discrimination in Elite Public Schools: Investigating Buffalo

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Orfield, Gary, Ed.; Ayscue, Jennifer B., Ed.

2018-01-01

School choice is an increasingly important part of today's educational landscape and this timely volume presents fresh research about the competitive admissions policies of choice systems. Based on their investigation of a unique civil rights challenge to school choice admissions policies in politically and racially divided Buffalo, New York, and…

GLOBE and the Earth SySTEM Model in Teacher Preparation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jabot, M.; Moore, J.; Dorofy, P.

2017-12-01

This presentation will share the growing body of work linking ArcMap and GLOBE and the Earth SySTEM approach in the development of preservice teachers. Our work is linking the power of ArcMap with the vast database of GLOBE in a unique way that links the power of geospatial technologies in shaping the planning for and delivery of science instruction in the P-5 classroom.

We Can Do Better: Sharing Responsibility to Better Meet the Needs of Dual-Status Youth. WisKids Count Policy Brief, Spring 2014

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bergman, Emily

2014-01-01

While only a minority of children who have been abused or neglected engage in delinquent behavior, they are at a significantly higher risk. When youth do become involved in both the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, they present unique needs that require collaboration between the numerous systems and people involved in their lives. The…

Performance optimization of an online retailer by a unique online resilience engineering algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azadeh, A.; Salehi, V.; Salehi, R.; Hassani, S. M.

2018-03-01

Online shopping has become more attractive and competitive in electronic markets. Resilience engineering (RE) can help such systems divert to the normal state in case of encountering unexpected events. This study presents a unique online resilience engineering (ORE) approach for online shopping systems and customer service performance. Moreover, this study presents a new ORE algorithm for the performance optimisation of an actual online shopping system. The data are collected by standard questionnaires from both expert employees and customers. The problem is then formulated mathematically using data envelopment analysis (DEA). The results show that the design process which is based on ORE is more efficient than the conventional design approach. Moreover, on-time delivery is the most important factor from the personnel's perspective. In addition, according to customers' view, trust, security and good quality assurance are the most effective factors during transactions. This is the first study that introduces ORE for electronic markets. Second, it investigates impact of RE on online shopping through DEA and statistical methods. Third, a practical approach is employed in this study and it may be used for similar online shops. Fourth, the results are verified and validated through complete sensitivity analysis.

Mechanical Components Branch Test Facilities and Capabilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oswald, Fred B.

2004-01-01

The Mechanical Components Branch at NASA Glenn Research Center formulates, conducts, and manages research focused on propulsion systems for both present and advanced aeronautical and space vehicles. The branch is comprised of research teams that perform basic research in three areas: mechanical drives, aerospace seals, and space mechanisms. Each team has unique facilities for testing aerospace hardware and concepts. This report presents an overview of the Mechanical Components Branch test facilities.

Using DNA-labelled nano- and microparticles to track particle transport in the environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McNew, Coy; Wang, Chaozi; Dahlke, Helen; Lyon, Steve; Walter, Todd

2017-04-01

By utilizing bio-molecular nanotechnology developed for nano-medicines and drug delivery, we are able to produce DNA-labelled nano- and microparticle tracers for use in a myriad of environmental systems. The use of custom sequenced DNA allows for the fabrication of an enormous number of uniquely labelled tracers with identical transport properties (approximately 1.61 x 1060 unique sequences), each independently quantifiable, that can be applied simultaneously in any hydrologic system. By controlling the fabrication procedure to produce particles of custom size and charge, we are able to tag each size-charge combination uniquely in order to directly probe the effect of these variables on the transport properties of the particles. Here we present our methods for fabrication, extraction, and analysis of the DNA nano- and microparticle tracers, along with results from several successful applications of the tracers, including transport and retention analysis at the lab, continuum, and field scales. To date, our DNA-labelled nano- and microparticle tracers have proved useful in surface and subsurface water applications, soil retention, and even subglacial flow pathways. The range of potential applications continue to prove nearly limitless.

Readings in Systems Engineering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoban, Francis T. (Editor); Lawbaugh, William M. (Editor)

1993-01-01

This present collection was inspired by seven papers prepared by the NASA Alumni League, illustrating the members' systems engineering experience. These papers make up the heart of this collection. We have supplemented them with papers describing industry processes and other governmental practices to illustrate the diversity of systems engineering as it is formulated and practiced. This is one discipline that clearly benefits from cross-fertilization and infusion of new ideas. There is also a wide variety of tools and techniques described herein, some standard and some unique.

Some properties of correlations of quantum lattice systems in thermal equilibrium

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

Fröhlich, Jürg, E-mail: juerg@phys.ethz.ch; Ueltschi, Daniel, E-mail: daniel@ueltschi.org

Simple proofs of uniqueness of the thermodynamic limit of KMS states and of the decay of equilibrium correlations are presented for a large class of quantum lattice systems at high temperatures. New quantum correlation inequalities for general Heisenberg models are described. Finally, a simplified derivation of a general result on power-law decay of correlations in 2D quantum lattice systems with continuous symmetries is given, extending results of McBryan and Spencer for the 2D classical XY model.

Dynamics of the stochastic low concentration trimolecular oscillatory chemical system with jumps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Yongchang; Yang, Qigui

2018-06-01

This paper is devoted to discern long time dynamics through the stochastic low concentration trimolecular oscillatory chemical system with jumps. By Lyapunov technique, this system is proved to have a unique global positive solution, and the asymptotic stability in mean square of such model is further established. Moreover, the existence of random attractor and Lyapunov exponents are obtained for the stochastic homeomorphism flow generated by the corresponding global positive solution. And some numerical simulations are given to illustrate the presented results.

Integration of pyrotechnics into aerospace systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bement, Laurence J.; Schimmel, Morry L.

1993-01-01

The application of pyrotechnics to aerospace systems has been resisted because normal engineering methods cannot be used in design and evaluation. Commonly used approaches for energy sources, such as electrical, hydraulic and pneumatic, do not apply to explosive and pyrotechnic devices. This paper introduces the unique characteristics of pyrotechnic devices, describes how functional evaluations can be conducted, and demonstrates an engineering approach for pyrotechnic integration. Logic is presented that allows evaluation of two basic types of pyrotechnic systems to demonstrate functional margin.

Accessing Earth science data from the EOS data and information system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcdonald, Kenneth R.; Calvo, Sherri

1993-01-01

An overview of the Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) is presented, concentrating on the users' interactions with the system and highlighting those features that are driven by the unique requirements of the Global Change Research Program and the supported science community. However, a basic premise of the EOSDIS is that the system must evolve to meet changes in user needs and to incorporate advances in data system technology. Therefore, the development process which is being used to accommodate these changes and some of the potential areas of change are also addressed.

The role of criteria in design and management of space systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blair, J. C.; Ryan, R. S.

1992-01-01

Explicit requirements and standards arising in connection with space systems management serve as a framework for technical management and furnish legally binding control of development, verification, and operations. As a project develops, additional requirements are derived which are unique to the system in question; these are designated 'derived requirements'. The reliability and cost-effectiveness of a space system are best ensured where a balance has arisen between formal (legally binding) and informal. Attention is presently given to the development of criteria consistent with total quality management.

Towards sustainable traumatic brain injury care systems: healthcare leadership imperatives in Canada.

PubMed

Caro, Denis

2011-01-01

Traumatic brain injuries pose strategic population health challenges in the face of burgeoning clinical demands that continue to tax capital, financial, and social resource capacities. The sustainability of traumatic brain injury care systems depends on paradigmatic shifts in healthcare leadership thinking. In quest for high-performance care and sustained quality of life for traumatic brain injury patients, this article presents a unique paradigm of seven care performance layers and seven health leadership imperatives that together form the paradigm for the systemic sustainability of TBI care systems of the future.

Concepts for the design of an antimatter annihilation rocket

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morgan, D. L., Jr.

1982-01-01

Matter-antimatter annihilation is considered for spacecraft propulsion. Annihilation produces considerably more energy per unit mass of propellant than any other known means of energy production. An antimatter annihilation rocket requires several systems and components that are unique to its nature. Among these are an antimatter storage system, a means to extract the antimatter from storage, a system to transport the antimatter to the rocket engine, and the engine wherein annihilation occurs and thrust is produced. Design concepts of these systems and components are presented and discussed.

A heterogeneous hierarchical architecture for real-time computing

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

Skroch, D.A.; Fornaro, R.J.

The need for high-speed data acquisition and control algorithms has prompted continued research in the area of multiprocessor systems and related programming techniques. The result presented here is a unique hardware and software architecture for high-speed real-time computer systems. The implementation of a prototype of this architecture has required the integration of architecture, operating systems and programming languages into a cohesive unit. This report describes a Heterogeneous Hierarchial Architecture for Real-Time (H{sup 2} ART) and system software for program loading and interprocessor communication.

GPS and GPRS Based Telemonitoring System for Emergency Patient Transportation

PubMed Central

Satyanarayana, K.; Sarma, A. D.; Sravan, J.; Malini, M.; Venkateswarlu, G.

2013-01-01

Telemonitoring during the golden hour of patient transportation helps to improve medical care. Presently there are different physiological data acquisition and transmission systems using cellular network and radio communication links. Location monitoring systems and video transmission systems are also commercially available. The emergency patient transportation systems uniquely require transmission of data pertaining to the patient, vehicle, time of the call, physiological signals (like ECG, blood pressure, a body temperature, and blood oxygen saturation), location information, a snap shot of the patient, and voice. These requirements are presently met by using separate communication systems for voice, physiological data, and location that result in a lot of inconvenience to the technicians, maintenance related issues, in addition to being expensive. This paper presents design, development, and implementation of such a telemonitoring system for emergency patient transportation employing ARM 9 processor module. This system is found to be very useful for the emergency patient transportation being undertaken by organizations like the Emergency Management Research Institute (EMRI). PMID:27019844

Concentrating photovoltaic solar panel

DOEpatents

Cashion, Steven A; Bowser, Michael R; Farrelly, Mark B; Hines, Braden E; Holmes, Howard C; Johnson, Jr., Richard L; Russell, Richard J; Turk, Michael F

2014-04-15

The present invention relates to photovoltaic power systems, photovoltaic concentrator modules, and related methods. In particular, the present invention features concentrator modules having interior points of attachment for an articulating mechanism and/or an articulating mechanism that has a unique arrangement of chassis members so as to isolate bending, etc. from being transferred among the chassis members. The present invention also features adjustable solar panel mounting features and/or mounting features with two or more degrees of freedom. The present invention also features a mechanical fastener for secondary optics in a concentrator module.

A study of parameter identification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Herget, C. J.; Patterson, R. E., III

1978-01-01

A set of definitions for deterministic parameter identification ability were proposed. Deterministic parameter identificability properties are presented based on four system characteristics: direct parameter recoverability, properties of the system transfer function, properties of output distinguishability, and uniqueness properties of a quadratic cost functional. Stochastic parameter identifiability was defined in terms of the existence of an estimation sequence for the unknown parameters which is consistent in probability. Stochastic parameter identifiability properties are presented based on the following characteristics: convergence properties of the maximum likelihood estimate, properties of the joint probability density functions of the observations, and properties of the information matrix.

The cetaceopteryx: A global range military transport aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brivkalns, Chad; English, Nicole; Kazemi, Tahmineh; Kopel, Kim; Kroger, Seth; Ortega, ED

1993-01-01

This paper presents a design of a military transport aircraft capable of carrying 800,000 lbs of payload from any point in the United States to any other point in the world. Such massive airlift requires aggressive use of advanced technology and a unique configuration. The Cetaceopteyx features a joined wing, canard and six turbofan engines. The aircraft has a cost 1.07 billion (1993) dollars each. This paper presents in detail the mission description, preliminary sizing, aircraft configuration, wing design, fuselage design, empennage design, propulsion system, landing gear design, structures, drag, stability and control, systems layout, and cost analysis of the aircraft.

The Ames Virtual Environment Workstation: Implementation issues and requirements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fisher, Scott S.; Jacoby, R.; Bryson, S.; Stone, P.; Mcdowall, I.; Bolas, M.; Dasaro, D.; Wenzel, Elizabeth M.; Coler, C.; Kerr, D.

1991-01-01

This presentation describes recent developments in the implementation of a virtual environment workstation in the Aerospace Human Factors Research Division of NASA's Ames Research Center. Introductory discussions are presented on the primary research objectives and applications of the system and on the system's current hardware and software configuration. Principle attention is then focused on unique issues and problems encountered in the workstation's development with emphasis on its ability to meet original design specifications for computational graphics performance and for associated human factors requirements necessary to provide compelling sense of presence and efficient interaction in the virtual environment.

Development of space simulation / net-laboratory system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Usui, H.; Matsumoto, H.; Ogino, T.; Fujimoto, M.; Omura, Y.; Okada, M.; Ueda, H. O.; Murata, T.; Kamide, Y.; Shinagawa, H.; Watanabe, S.; Machida, S.; Hada, T.

A research project for the development of space simulation / net-laboratory system was approved by Japan Science and Technology Corporation (JST) in the category of Research and Development for Applying Advanced Computational Science and Technology(ACT-JST) in 2000. This research project, which continues for three years, is a collaboration with an astrophysical simulation group as well as other space simulation groups which use MHD and hybrid models. In this project, we develop a proto type of unique simulation system which enables us to perform simulation runs by providing or selecting plasma parameters through Web-based interface on the internet. We are also developing an on-line database system for space simulation from which we will be able to search and extract various information such as simulation method and program, manuals, and typical simulation results in graphic or ascii format. This unique system will help the simulation beginners to start simulation study without much difficulty or effort, and contribute to the promotion of simulation studies in the STP field. In this presentation, we will report the overview and the current status of the project.

Experimental investigation of the ORC system in a cogenerative domestic power plant with a scroll expanders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaczmarczyk, Tomasz Z.; Ihnatowicz, Eugeniusz; Żywica, Grzegorz; Kiciński, Jan

2015-11-01

The paper presents the results of experimental investigations of the ORC system with two scroll expanders which have been used as a source of electricity. Theworking fluidwas HFE7100 - a newly engineered fluid with a unique heat transfer and favourable environmental properties. In the ORC system three heat exchangers were used (evaporator, regenerator, condenser) and before expanders the droplet separator was installed. As a source of heat an innovative biomass boiler was used. Studies have been carried out for the expanders worked in series and in parallel. The paper presents the thermal and fluidflow properties of the ORC installation for the selected flow rates and different temperatures of the working medium. The characteristics of output electrical power, operating speed and vibrations for scroll expanders were also presented.

A Goal Seeking Strategy for Constructing Systems from Alternative Components

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Valentine, Mark E.

1999-01-01

This paper describes a methodology to efficiently construct feasible systems then modify feasible systems to meet successive goals by selecting from alternative components, a problem recognized to be n-p complete. The methodology provides a means to catalog and model alternative components. A presented system modeling Structure is robust enough to model a wide variety of systems and provides a means to compare and evaluate alternative systems. These models act as input to a methodology for selecting alternative components to construct feasible systems and modify feasible systems to meet design goals and objectives. The presented algorithm's ability to find a restricted solution, as defined by a unique set of requirements, is demonstrated against an exhaustive search of a sample of proposed shuttle modifications. The utility of the algorithm is demonstrated by comparing results from the algorithm with results from three NASA shuttle evolution studies using their value systems and assumptions.

Developing a Cognitive Model of Expert Performance for Ship Navigation Maneuvers in an Intelligent Tutoring System

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-03-01

nature of ship navigation and the requirements for the intelligent tutor presented unique challenges for development. This paper describes how the...the context of improving training. 1. Project Overview The Conning Officer Virtual Environment (COVE) is a ship-handling simulation system used...Corporation, 2009), is used to provide students with ship-handling training without the cost or risk to equipment of at-sea exercises. One downside

Earth Observatory Satellite (EOS) Definition Phase Report, Volume 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1971-01-01

System definition studies were conducted of the Earth Observatory Satellite (EOS). The studies show that the concept of an Earth Observatory Satellite in a near-earth, sun-synchronous orbit would make a unique contribution to the goals of a coordinated program for acquisition of data for environmental research with applications to earth resource inventory and management. The technical details for the proposed development of sensors, spacecraft, and a ground data processing system are presented.

Analysis and implementation of the foveated vision of the raptor eye

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Long, Aaron D.; Narayanan, Ram M.; Kane, Timothy J.; Rice, Terence F.; Tauber, Michael J.

2016-05-01

A foveated optical system has non-uniform resolution across its field of view. Typically, the resolution of such a lens is peaked in the center region of field of view, such as in the human eye. In biological systems this is often a result of localized depressions on the retina called foveae. Birds of prey, or raptors, have two foveae in each eye, each of which accounts for a localized region of high magnification within the raptor's field of view. This paper presents an analysis of the bifoveated vision of raptors and presents a method whereby this unique optical characteristic may be achieved in an optical system using freeform optics and aberration correction techniques.

Innate and adaptive immune responses in male and female reproductive tracts in homeostasis and following HIV infection

PubMed Central

Nguyen, Philip V; Kafka, Jessica K; Ferreira, Victor H; Roth, Kristy; Kaushic, Charu

2014-01-01

The male and female reproductive tracts are complex microenvironments that have diverse functional demands. The immune system in the reproductive tract has the demanding task of providing a protective environment for a fetal allograft while simultaneously conferring protection against potential pathogens. As such, it has evolved a unique set of adaptations, primarily under the influence of sex hormones, which make it distinct from other mucosal sites. Here, we discuss the various components of the immune system that are present in both the male and female reproductive tracts, including innate soluble factors and cells and humoral and cell-mediated adaptive immunity under homeostatic conditions. We review the evidence showing unique phenotypic and functional characteristics of immune cells and responses in the male and female reproductive tracts that exhibit compartmentalization from systemic immunity and discuss how these features are influenced by sex hormones. We also examine the interactions among the reproductive tract, sex hormones and immune responses following HIV-1 infection. An improved understanding of the unique characteristics of the male and female reproductive tracts will provide insights into improving clinical treatments of the immunological causes of infertility and the design of prophylactic interventions for the prevention of sexually transmitted infections. PMID:24976268

Phase-ambiguity resolution for QPSK modulation systems. Part 2: A method to resolve offset QPSK

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nguyen, Tien Manh

1989-01-01

Part 2 presents a new method to resolve the phase-ambiguity for Offset QPSK modulation systems. When an Offset Quaternary Phase-Shift-Keyed (OQPSK) communications link is utilized, the phase ambiguity of the reference carrier must be resolved. At the transmitter, two different unique words are separately modulated onto the quadrature carriers. At the receiver, the recovered carrier may have one of four possible phases, 0, 90, 180, or 270 degrees, referenced to the nominally correct phase. The IF portion of the channel may cause a phase-sense reversal, i.e., a reversal in the direction of phase rotation for a specified bit pattern. Hence, eight possible phase relationships (the so-called eight ambiguous phase conditions) between input and output of the demodulator must be resolved. Using the In-phase (I)/Quadrature (Q) channel reversal correcting property of an OQPSK Costas loop with integrated symbol synchronization, four ambiguous phase conditions are eliminated. Thus, only four possible ambiguous phase conditions remain. The errors caused by the remaining ambiguous phase conditions can be corrected by monitoring and detecting the polarity of the two unique words. The correction of the unique word polarities results in the complete phase-ambiguity resolution for the OQPSK system.

PointCom: semi-autonomous UGV control with intuitive interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rohde, Mitchell M.; Perlin, Victor E.; Iagnemma, Karl D.; Lupa, Robert M.; Rohde, Steven M.; Overholt, James; Fiorani, Graham

2008-04-01

Unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) will play an important role in the nation's next-generation ground force. Advances in sensing, control, and computing have enabled a new generation of technologies that bridge the gap between manual UGV teleoperation and full autonomy. In this paper, we present current research on a unique command and control system for UGVs named PointCom (Point-and-Go Command). PointCom is a semi-autonomous command system for one or multiple UGVs. The system, when complete, will be easy to operate and will enable significant reduction in operator workload by utilizing an intuitive image-based control framework for UGV navigation and allowing a single operator to command multiple UGVs. The project leverages new image processing algorithms for monocular visual servoing and odometry to yield a unique, high-performance fused navigation system. Human Computer Interface (HCI) techniques from the entertainment software industry are being used to develop video-game style interfaces that require little training and build upon the navigation capabilities. By combining an advanced navigation system with an intuitive interface, a semi-autonomous control and navigation system is being created that is robust, user friendly, and less burdensome than many current generation systems. mand).

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

Gann, Gabriel D. Orebi

Solar neutrinos offer a unique opportunity to study the interaction of neutrinos with matter, a sensitive search for potential new physics effects, and a probe of solar structure and solar system formation. This paper describes the broad physics program addressed by solar neutrino studies, presents the current suite of experiments programs, and describes several potential future detectors that could address the open questions in this field. This paper is a summary of a talk presented at the Neutrino 2014 conference in Boston.

Janus structured Pt–FeNC nanoparticles as a catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction

DOE PAGES

Kuttiyiel, Kurian A.; Sasaki, Kotaro; Park, Gu -Gon; ...

2017-01-03

Here, we present a new Janus structured catalyst consisting of Pt nanoparticles on Fe–N–C nanoparticles encapsulated by graphene layers for the ORR. The ORR activity of the catalyst increases under potential cycling as the unique Janus nanostructure is further bonded due to a synergetic effect. The present study describes an important advanced approach for the future design of efficient, stable, and low-cost Pt-based electrocatalytic systems.

New Developments in FPGA Devices: SEUs and Fail-Safe Strategies from the NASA Goddard Perspective

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berg, Melanie; LaBel, Kenneth; Pellish, Jonathan

2016-01-01

It has been shown that, when exposed to radiation environments, each Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) device has unique error signatures. Subsequently, fail-safe and mitigation strategies will differ per FPGA type. In this session several design approaches for safe systems will be presented. It will also explore the benefits and limitations of several mitigation techniques. The intention of the presentation is to provide information regarding FPGA types, their susceptibilities, and proven fail-safe strategies; so that users can select appropriate mitigation and perform the required trade for system insertion. The presentation will describe three types of FPGA devices and their susceptibilities in radiation environments.

Utah State University's T2 ODV mobility analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davidson, Morgan E.; Bahl, Vikas; Wood, Carl G.

2000-07-01

In response to ultra-high maneuverability vehicle requirements, Utah State University (USU) has developed an autonomous vehicle with unique mobility and maneuverability capabilities. This paper describes a study of the mobility of the USU T2 Omni-Directional Vehicle (ODV). The T2 vehicle is a mid-scale (625 kg), second-generation ODV mobile robot with six independently driven and steered wheel assemblies. The six wheel, independent steering system is capable of unlimited steering rotation, presenting a unique solution to enhanced vehicle mobility requirements. This mobility study focuses on energy consumption in three basic experiments, comparing two modes of steering: Ackerman and ODV. The experiments are all performed on the same vehicle without any physical changes to the vehicle itself, providing a direct comparison these two steering methodologies. A computer simulation of the T2 mechanical and control system dynamics is described.

Stabilization and control of distributed systems with time-dependent spatial domains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, P. K. C.

1990-01-01

This paper considers the problem of the stabilization and control of distributed systems with time-dependent spatial domains. The evolution of the spatial domains with time is described by a finite-dimensional system of ordinary differential equations, while the distributed systems are described by first-order or second-order linear evolution equations defined on appropriate Hilbert spaces. First, results pertaining to the existence and uniqueness of solutions of the system equations are presented. Then, various optimal control and stabilization problems are considered. The paper concludes with some examples which illustrate the application of the main results.

Large-Scale Wireless Temperature Monitoring System for Liquefied Petroleum Gas Storage Tanks.

PubMed

Fan, Guangwen; Shen, Yu; Hao, Xiaowei; Yuan, Zongming; Zhou, Zhi

2015-09-18

Temperature distribution is a critical indicator of the health condition for Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) storage tanks. In this paper, we present a large-scale wireless temperature monitoring system to evaluate the safety of LPG storage tanks. The system includes wireless sensors networks, high temperature fiber-optic sensors, and monitoring software. Finally, a case study on real-world LPG storage tanks proves the feasibility of the system. The unique features of wireless transmission, automatic data acquisition and management, local and remote access make the developed system a good alternative for temperature monitoring of LPG storage tanks in practical applications.

The Winter Park Amputee Ski Teaching System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Leary, Hal

The three track method of teaching amputees to ski is presented in the illustrated manual. Problems unique to amputee skiers--care of hands, conditioning, care of stump, fatigue, excessive standing, wind, and balance--are discussed in terms of their implications to the amputee skier and practical solutions in attempting to solve them. Specific…

The state of the system and steps toward resilience of distrubance-dependent oak forests

Treesearch

Tricia G. Knoot; Lisa A. Schulte; John C. Tyndall; Brian J. Palik

2010-01-01

Current ecological, economic, and social conditions present unique challenges to natural resource managers seeking to maintain the resilience of disturbance-dependent ecosystems, such as oak (Quercus spp.) forests. Oak-dominated ecosystems throughout the U.S. have historically been perpetuated through periodic disturbance, such as fire, but more...

Interventions for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Inclusive School Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koegel, Lynn; Matos-Freden, Rosy; Lang, Russell; Koegel, Robert

2012-01-01

Students with ASD present unique challenges to school systems. Despite these challenges, federal laws require that schools implement research-based practices in the least restrictive environment (LRE). The LRE is often deemed to be the general education classroom and the primary intervention agent is often the classroom teacher. Ensuring students…

Innovative Moments in Grief Therapy: Reconstructing Meaning Following Perinatal Death

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alves, Daniela; Mendes, Ines; Goncalves, Miguel M.; Neimeyer, Robert A.

2012-01-01

This article presents an intensive analysis of a good outcome case of constructivist grief therapy with a bereaved mother, using the Innovative Moments Coding System (IMCS). Inspired by M. White and D. Epston's narrative therapy, the IMCS conceptualizes therapeutic change as resulting from the elaboration and expansion of unique outcomes (or as we…

A Decision Support System for Predicting Students' Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Livieris, Ioannis E.; Mikropoulos, Tassos A.; Pintelas, Panagiotis

2016-01-01

Educational data mining is an emerging research field concerned with developing methods for exploring the unique types of data that come from educational context. These data allow the educational stakeholders to discover new, interesting and valuable knowledge about students. In this paper, we present a new user-friendly decision support tool for…

Issues in Putting Outcome-Based Education into Practice at the District Level: A Panel Discussion.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Norton, Deborah

This conference presentation describes the AUEN (Addressing Unique Education Needs) system of assessing educational outcomes which is used by the Rochester (Michigan) Community Schools to help establish accountable and effective special education support programs and services. The AUEN provides an innovative and practical approach to assessment,…

Granular flow: Dry and wet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitarai, N.; Nakanishi, H.

2012-04-01

Granular material is a collection of macroscopic particles that are visible with naked eyes. The non-equilibrium nature of the granular materials makes their rheology quite different from that of molecular systems. In this minireview, we present the unique features of granular materials focusing on the shear flow of dry granular materials and granule-liquid mixture.

An Attempt to Compare EMCS with TOXLINE.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lorent, Jean-Pierre; Schirner, Hedi

1978-01-01

Sixteen queries, performed on the two systems, resulted in 247 unique relevant references from EMCS and 559 from TOXLINE. The overlap varied considerably, from 6 to 50 percent. It is remarkable that TOXLINE, with nine subfiles specially compiled for toxicology, can be supplemented by EMCS, which in the present study delivered 31 percent of all the…

Data management for Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bryant, W. A.; Smith, M. R.

1984-01-01

Analysis of data flow through the design and manufacturing processes has established specific information management requirements and identified unique problems. The application of data management technology to the engineering/manufacturing environment addresses these problems. An overview of the IPAD prototype data base management system, representing a partial solution to these problems, is presented here.

All Things Considered: Still Life with Glass and Lemon

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

School Arts: The Art Education Magazine for Teachers, 2004

2004-01-01

This brief article presents describes Pablo Picasso's oil on canvas painting, "Still Life with Glass and Lemon, 1910." Composed of abstract, monochromatic shapes, this painting's original subject is surprisingly a glass and lemon. The artist, Pablo Picasso, developed this unique system of breaking down objects into their basic geometric parts with…

Integrating Computers in the Classroom: Barriers and Teachers' Attitudes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zyad, Hicham

2016-01-01

In recent years, several attempts have been made to reform instructional practices in the Moroccan educational system, marking the turn of the new millennium as a unique historical period pregnant with potential, aspirations and challenges. In light of the spirit of this millennium, the present paper aims to report a study that investigated…

The Children Left Behind

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gillard, Sarah A.; Gillard, Sharlett

2012-01-01

This article explores some of the deficits in our educational system in regard to non-hearing students. It has become agonizingly clear that non-hearing students are being left out of the gallant sweep to enrich our children's educations. The big five areas of literacy, at best, present unique challenges for non-hearing students and, in some…

A Social-ecological framework for urban stewardship network research to promote sustainable and resilient cities

Treesearch

Michele Romolini; R. Patrick Bixler; Morgan Grove

2016-01-01

To realize more sustainable and resilient urban social-ecological systems, there is great need for active engagement from diverse public agencies, non-profit organizations, businesses, natural resource managers, scientists, and other actors. Cities present unique challenges and opportunities for sustainability and resilience, as issues and organizations are frequently...

[Exploring New Drug Targets through the Identification of Target Molecules of Bioactive Natural Products].

PubMed

Arai, Masayoshi

2016-01-01

With the development of cell biology and microbiology, it has become easy to culture many types of animal cells and microbes, and they are frequently used for phenotypic screening to explore medicinal seeds. On the other hand, it is recognized that cells and pathogenic microbes present in pathologic sites and infected regions of the human body display unique properties different from those under general culture conditions. We isolated several bioactive compounds from marine medicinal resources using constructed bioassay-guided separation focusing on the unique changes in the characteristics of cells and pathogenic microbes (Mycobacterium spp.) in the human body under disease conditions. In addition, we also carried out identification studies of target molecules of the bioactive compounds by methods utilizing the gene expression profile, transformants of cells or microbes, synthetic probe molecules of the isolated compounds, etc., since bioactive compounds isolated from the phenotypic screening system often target new molecules. This review presents our phenotypic screening systems, isolation of bioactive compounds from marine medicinal resources, and target identification of bioactive compounds.

NDE for the 21st century: industry 4.0 requires NDE 4.0 (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meyendorf, Norbert G.

2017-04-01

Industry 4.0 stands for the fourth industrial revolution that is ongoing at present. Industry 4.0 is a terminology preferred used in Europe to characterize the integration of production and communication technologies, the so called "smart factory". The first industrial revolution was the mechanization of work. The second was mass production and the assembly line. While the third revolution was the computer integrated manufacturing. Industry 4.0 encompasses the complete networking of all industrial areas. Lowering costs and efficient in-time production will be possible also for low numbers of very unique parts for example by additive manufacturing (3D printing). A significant aspect is also quality and maintainability of these sometimes unique structures and components. NDE has to follow these trends, not only by adapting NDE techniques to the new technologies, but also introducing the capability of cyber systems into the inspection and maintenance processes. The requirements and challenges for this new technological area will be discussed. Chances for applications of new technologies and systems for NDE will be demonstrated online.

Building and measuring a high performance network architecture

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

Kramer, William T.C.; Toole, Timothy; Fisher, Chuck

2001-04-20

Once a year, the SC conferences present a unique opportunity to create and build one of the most complex and highest performance networks in the world. At SC2000, large-scale and complex local and wide area networking connections were demonstrated, including large-scale distributed applications running on different architectures. This project was designed to use the unique opportunity presented at SC2000 to create a testbed network environment and then use that network to demonstrate and evaluate high performance computational and communication applications. This testbed was designed to incorporate many interoperable systems and services and was designed for measurement from the very beginning.more » The end results were key insights into how to use novel, high performance networking technologies and to accumulate measurements that will give insights into the networks of the future.« less

Unique Testing Capabilities of the NASA Langley Transonic Dynamics Tunnel, an Exercise in Aeroelastic Scaling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ivanco, Thomas G.

2013-01-01

NASA Langley Research Center's Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT) is the world's most capable aeroelastic test facility. Its large size, transonic speed range, variable pressure capability, and use of either air or R-134a heavy gas as a test medium enable unparalleled manipulation of flow-dependent scaling quantities. Matching these scaling quantities enables dynamic similitude of a full-scale vehicle with a sub-scale model, a requirement for proper characterization of any dynamic phenomenon, and many static elastic phenomena. Select scaling parameters are presented in order to quantify the scaling advantages of TDT and the consequence of testing in other facilities. In addition to dynamic testing, the TDT is uniquely well-suited for high risk testing or for those tests that require unusual model mount or support systems. Examples of recently conducted dynamic tests requiring unusual model support are presented. In addition to its unique dynamic test capabilities, the TDT is also evaluated in its capability to conduct aerodynamic performance tests as a result of its flow quality. Results of flow quality studies and a comparison to a many other transonic facilities are presented. Finally, the ability of the TDT to support future NASA research thrusts and likely vehicle designs is discussed.

Cost Estimation of Post Production Software Support in Ground Combat Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-09-01

request, year of the request, EINOMEN (a word description of the system), and a PRON (a unique identifier containing the year and weapons system...variance. The fiscal year of request, descriptive name (coded as EINOMEN), unique program identifier ( PRON ), amount funded, and total amount requested...entire data set loses this sophistication. Most of the unique PRONs in the database map to a specific ground combat system, as described in the

Development of a Master Health Facility List in Nigeria

PubMed Central

Azeez, Aderemi; Bamidele, Samson; Oyemakinde, Akin; Oyediran, Kolawole Azeez; Adebayo, Wura; Fapohunda, Bolaji; Abioye, Abimbola; Mullen, Stephanie

2014-01-01

Abstract Introduction Routine Health Information Systems (RHIS) are increasingly transitioning to electronic platforms in several developing countries. Establishment of a Master Facility List (MFL) to standardize the allocation of unique identifiers for health facilities can overcome identification issues and support health facility management. The Nigerian Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) recently developed a MFL, and we present the process and outcome. Methods The MFL was developed from the ground up, and includes a state code, a local government area (LGA) code, health facility ownership (public or private), the level of care, and an exclusive LGA level health facility serial number, as part of the unique identifier system in Nigeria. To develop the MFL, the LGAs sent the list of all health facilities in their jurisdiction to the state, which in turn collated for all LGAs under them before sending to the FMOH. At the FMOH, a group of RHIS experts verified the list and identifiers for each state. Results The national MFL consists of 34,423 health facilities uniquely identified. The list has been published and is available for worldwide access; it is currently used for planning and management of health services in Nigeria. Discussion Unique identifiers are a basic component of any information system. However, poor planning and execution of implementing this key standard can diminish the success of the RHIS. Conclusion Development and adherence to standards is the hallmark for a national health information infrastructure. Explicit processes and multi-level stakeholder engagement is necessary to ensuring the success of the effort. PMID:25422720

Uniqueness of solutions for a mathematical model for magneto-viscoelastic flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schlömerkemper, A.; Žabenský, J.

2018-06-01

We investigate uniqueness of weak solutions for a system of partial differential equations capturing behavior of magnetoelastic materials. This system couples the Navier–Stokes equations with evolutionary equations for the deformation gradient and for the magnetization obtained from a special case of the micromagnetic energy. It turns out that the conditions on uniqueness coincide with those for the well-known Navier–Stokes equations in bounded domains: weak solutions are unique in two spatial dimensions, and weak solutions satisfying the Prodi–Serrin conditions are unique among all weak solutions in three dimensions. That is, we obtain the so-called weak-strong uniqueness result in three spatial dimensions.

Addressing Unison and Uniqueness of Reliability and Safety for Better Integration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huang, Zhaofeng; Safie, Fayssal

2015-01-01

For a long time, both in theory and in practice, safety and reliability have not been clearly differentiated, which leads to confusion, inefficiency, and sometime counter-productive practices in executing each of these two disciplines. It is imperative to address the uniqueness and the unison of these two disciplines to help both disciplines become more effective and to promote a better integration of the two for enhancing safety and reliability in our products as an overall objective. There are two purposes of this paper. First, it will investigate the uniqueness and unison of each discipline and discuss the interrelationship between the two for awareness and clarification. Second, after clearly understanding the unique roles and interrelationship between the two in a product design and development life cycle, we offer suggestions to enhance the disciplines with distinguished and focused roles, to better integrate the two, and to improve unique sets of skills and tools of reliability and safety processes. From the uniqueness aspect, the paper identifies and discusses the respective uniqueness of reliability and safety from their roles, accountability, nature of requirements, technical scopes, detailed technical approaches, and analysis boundaries. It is misleading to equate unreliable to unsafe, since a safety hazard may or may not be related to the component, sub-system, or system functions, which are primarily what reliability addresses. Similarly, failing-to-function may or may not lead to hazard events. Examples will be given in the paper from aerospace, defense, and consumer products to illustrate the uniqueness and differences between reliability and safety. From the unison aspect, the paper discusses what the commonalities between reliability and safety are, and how these two disciplines are linked, integrated, and supplemented with each other to accomplish the customer requirements and product goals. In addition to understanding the uniqueness in reliability and safety, a better understanding of unison and commonalities will further help in understanding the interaction between reliability and safety. This paper discusses the unison and uniqueness of reliability and safety. It presents some suggestions for better integration of the two disciplines in terms of technical approaches, tools, techniques, and skills to enhance the role of reliability and safety in supporting a product design and development life cycle. The paper also discusses eliminating the redundant effort and minimizing the overlap of reliability and safety analyses for an efficient implementation of the two disciplines.

Molecular profile of the unique species of traditional Chinese medicine, Chinese seahorse (Hippocampus kuda Bleeker).

PubMed

Zhang, Ning; Xu, Bin; Mou, Chunyan; Yang, Wenli; Wei, Jianwen; Lu, Liang; Zhu, Junjie; Du, Jingchun; Wu, Xiaokun; Ye, Lanting; Fu, Zhiyan; Lu, Yang; Lin, Jianghai; Sun, Zizi; Su, Jing; Dong, Meiling; Xu, Anlong

2003-08-28

A cDNA library of male Chinese seahorse (Hippocampus kuda Bleeker) was constructed to investigate the molecular profile of seahorse as one of the most famous traditional Chinese medicine materials, and to reveal immunological and physiological mechanisms of seahorse as one of the most primitive vertebrates at molecular level. A total of 3372 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) consisting of 1911 unique genes (345 clusters and 1566 singletons) were examined in the present study. Identification of the genes related to immune system, paternal brooding and physiological regulation provides not only valuable insights into the molecular mechanism of immune system in teleost fish but also plausible explanations for pharmacological activities of Chinese seahorse. Furthermore, the occurrence of high prevalent C-type lectins suggested that a lectin-complement pathway might exert a more dominant function in the innate immune system of teleost than mammal. Carbohydrate recognition domain (CRD) without a collagen-like region in the lectins of seahorse was likely an ancient characteristic of lectins similar to invertebrates.

Review of Combustion-acoustic Instabilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oyediran, Ayo; Darling, Douglas; Radhakrishnan, Krishnan

1995-01-01

Combustion-acoustic instabilities occur when the acoustic energy increase due to the unsteady heat release of the flame is greater than the losses of acoustic energy from the system. The problem of combustion-acoustic instability is a concern in many devices for various reasons, as each device may have a unique mechanism causing unsteady heat release rates and many have unique boundary conditions. To accurately predict and quantify combustion-acoustic stabilities, the unsteady heat release rate and boundary conditions need to be accurately determined. The present review brings together work performed on a variety of practical combustion devices. Many theoretical and experimental investigations of the unsteady heat release rate have been performed, some based on perturbations in the fuel delivery system particularly for rocket instabilities, while others are based on hydrodynamic processes as in ramjet dump combustors. The boundary conditions for rocket engines have been analyzed and measured extensively. However, less work has been done to measure acoustic boundary conditions in many other combustion systems.

Using Best Practices to Extract, Organize, and Reuse Embedded Decision Support Content Knowledge Rules from Mature Clinical Systems

PubMed Central

DesAutels, Spencer J.; Fox, Zachary E.; Giuse, Dario A.; Williams, Annette M.; Kou, Qing-hua; Weitkamp, Asli; Neal R, Patel; Bettinsoli Giuse, Nunzia

2016-01-01

Clinical decision support (CDS) knowledge, embedded over time in mature medical systems, presents an interesting and complex opportunity for information organization, maintenance, and reuse. To have a holistic view of all decision support requires an in-depth understanding of each clinical system as well as expert knowledge of the latest evidence. This approach to clinical decision support presents an opportunity to unify and externalize the knowledge within rules-based decision support. Driven by an institutional need to prioritize decision support content for migration to new clinical systems, the Center for Knowledge Management and Health Information Technology teams applied their unique expertise to extract content from individual systems, organize it through a single extensible schema, and present it for discovery and reuse through a newly created Clinical Support Knowledge Acquisition and Archival Tool (CS-KAAT). CS-KAAT can build and maintain the underlying knowledge infrastructure needed by clinical systems. PMID:28269846

Use of Ubiquitous Technologies in Military Logistic System in Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jafari, P.; Sadeghi-Niaraki, A.

2013-09-01

This study is about integration and evaluation of RFID and ubiquitous technologies in military logistic system management. Firstly, supply chain management and the necessity of a revolution in logistic systems especially in military area, are explained. Secondly RFID and ubiquitous technologies and the advantages of their use in supply chain management are introduced. Lastly a system based on these technologies for controlling and increasing the speed and accuracy in military logistic system in Iran with its unique properties, is presented. The system is based on full control of military logistics (supplies) from the time of deployment to replenishment using sensor network, ubiquitous and RFID technologies.

Iris segmentation using an edge detector based on fuzzy sets theory and cellular learning automata.

PubMed

Ghanizadeh, Afshin; Abarghouei, Amir Atapour; Sinaie, Saman; Saad, Puteh; Shamsuddin, Siti Mariyam

2011-07-01

Iris-based biometric systems identify individuals based on the characteristics of their iris, since they are proven to remain unique for a long time. An iris recognition system includes four phases, the most important of which is preprocessing in which the iris segmentation is performed. The accuracy of an iris biometric system critically depends on the segmentation system. In this paper, an iris segmentation system using edge detection techniques and Hough transforms is presented. The newly proposed edge detection system enhances the performance of the segmentation in a way that it performs much more efficiently than the other conventional iris segmentation methods.

Development of the Data Acquisition and Processing System for a Pulsed 2-Micron Coherent Doppler Lidar System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beyon, Jeffrey Y.; Koch, Grady J.; Kavaya, Michael J.

2010-01-01

A general overview of the development of a data acquisition and processing system is presented for a pulsed, 2-micron coherent Doppler Lidar system located in NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, USA. It is a comprehensive system that performs high-speed data acquisition, analysis, and data display both in real time and offline. The first flight missions are scheduled for the summer of 2010 as part of the NASA Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP) campaign for the study of hurricanes. The system as well as the control software is reviewed and its requirements and unique features are discussed.

SHM reliability and implementation - A personal military aviation perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindgren, Eric A.

2016-02-01

Structural Health Monitoring has been proposed as a solution to address the needs of military aviation to reduce the time and cost to perform nondestructive inspections. While the potential to realize significant benefits exist, there are considerations that have to be addressed before such systems can be integrated into military platforms. Some considerations are pervasive to all aviation, such as how to assess the reliability and reproducible capability of these systems. However, there are other challenges unique to military aviation that must be overcome before these types of systems can be used. This presentation and paper are intended as a complement to the review of the outcome of the SAE G-11 SHM committee special workshop on SHM reliability in April of 2015. It will address challenges unique to military aviation that stem from different approaches to managing structural integrity (i.e. safety), frequency of use, design differences, various maintenance practices, and additional descriptions addressing differences in the execution of inspections. The objective of this presentation is to improve the awareness of the research and development community to the different and unique requirements found in military aviation, including the differences between countries, services, and aircraft type. This information should assist the research and development community in identifying and attacking key challenges. It is not intended to be comprehensive overview of all stakeholders' perspectives, but to serve as a launch point for additional discussion and exploration of opportunities to realize the potential of Structural Health Monitoring to assist in the management of military aviation assets. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the United States Air Force, Department of Defense, or the United States Government.

A Simple Approach to Achieve Modified Projective Synchronization between Two Different Chaotic Systems

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

A new approach, the projective system approach, is proposed to realize modified projective synchronization between two different chaotic systems. By simple analysis of trajectories in the phase space, a projective system of the original chaotic systems is obtained to replace the errors system to judge the occurrence of modified projective synchronization. Theoretical analysis and numerical simulations show that, although the projective system may not be unique, modified projective synchronization can be achieved provided that the origin of any of projective systems is asymptotically stable. Furthermore, an example is presented to illustrate that even a necessary and sufficient condition for modified projective synchronization can be derived by using the projective system approach. PMID:24187522

Recent Experiments Involving Few-Nucleon Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tornow, W.

2014-08-01

Recent experimental results are presented for reactions involving A = 3 to A = 6 nuclear systems. The emphasis is on unique data obtained at new experimental facilities. It is shown that the inertial confinement fusion facilities OMEGA and NIF provide a largely unexpected opportunity for experimental few-body physics to both obtain data of unprecedented quality and extend previous measurements to energies not accessible in the past. Whenever possible, data are compared to state-of-the-art theoretical calculations.

Using computers in the exam room.

PubMed

McGrath, Debra

2009-01-01

Purchasing an electronic health records system is the first step to assimilation of the new system into the fabric of a practice. The next hurdle is use of the electronic health record as close to the point of patient care as possible, which requires the clinician to use a computer. This article presents some of the unique challenges of using computers to document patient encounters and some practical advice and considerations for improving the use of computers at the bedside.

Near Identifiability of Dynamical Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hadaegh, F. Y.; Bekey, G. A.

1987-01-01

Concepts regarding approximate mathematical models treated rigorously. Paper presents new results in analysis of structural identifiability, equivalence, and near equivalence between mathematical models and physical processes they represent. Helps establish rigorous mathematical basis for concepts related to structural identifiability and equivalence revealing fundamental requirements, tacit assumptions, and sources of error. "Structural identifiability," as used by workers in this field, loosely translates as meaning ability to specify unique mathematical model and set of model parameters that accurately predict behavior of corresponding physical system.

A CMake-Based Cross Platform Build System for Tcl/Tk

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-11-01

expressing the logic for generating user-installable packages of the finished package. While specific com- pilation instructions are typically unique to each...Windows com- pilation . This presented a difficulty for the BRL- CAD project in that neither of these systems inte- grated well with BRL-CAD’s own build...build files. 2. Implement enough of the Tcl/Tk–specific com- pilation macro logic in CMake to support build- 1Twylite’s Coffee project uses CMake to

Community control of health services. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Health Center's community management system.

PubMed

Tichy, N M; Taylor, J I

1976-01-01

This article presents the case of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Health Center's unique community management system in which neighborhood workers have been developed to assume managerial responsibilities and are directing the Center. The Martin Luther King Center experience is instructive because the Center was able to achieve significant community control by focusing primarily on the internal dimension of control, namely, management, without experiencing destructive conflicts and the deterioration of health services.

Pastoral research: past, present, and future.

PubMed

Gleason, John J

2004-01-01

In healthcare environments of excellence, clinically trained chaplains are valued members of the medical treatment team. There are skills and values they hold in common with medicine and allied health disciplines: enhancing the health and well-being of the patient as a unity of body, mind, and spirit within a unique family and cultural system. This article examines the past, present, and future of pastoral research, including the chaplain's moral imperative to examine practice and to share what is found.

Simple Chaotic Flow with Circle and Square Equilibrium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gotthans, Tomas; Sprott, Julien Clinton; Petrzela, Jiri

Simple systems of third-order autonomous nonlinear differential equations can exhibit chaotic behavior. In this paper, we present a new class of chaotic flow with a square-shaped equilibrium. This unique property has apparently not yet been described. Such a system belongs to a newly introduced category of chaotic systems with hidden attractors that are interesting and important in engineering applications. The mathematical model is accompanied by an electrical circuit implementation, demonstrating structural stability of the strange attractor. The circuit is simulated with PSpice, constructed, and analyzed (measured).

The Future of the Andrew File System

ScienceCinema

Brashear, Drrick; Altman, Jeffry

2018-05-25

The talk will discuss the ten operational capabilities that have made AFS unique in the distributed file system space and how these capabilities are being expanded upon to meet the needs of the 21st century. Derrick Brashear and Jeffrey Altman will present a technical road map of new features and technical innovations that are under development by the OpenAFS community and Your File System, Inc. funded by a U.S. Department of Energy Small Business Innovative Research grant. The talk will end with a comparison of AFS to its modern days competitors.

Electrostatic Precipitation in Nearly Pure Gaseous Nitrogen

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buhler, Charles; Calle, Carlos; Clements, Sid; Cox, Bobby; Ritz, Mindy

2008-01-01

Electrostatic precipitation was performed in a nearly pure gaseous nitrogen system as a possible remedy for black dust contaminant from high pressure 6000 psi lines at the NASA Kennedy Space Center. The results of a prototype electrostatic precipitator that was built and tested using nitrogen gas at standard atmospheric pressures is presented. High voltage pulsed waveforms are generated using a rotating spark gap system at 30 Hz. A unique dust delivery system utilizing the Venturi effect was devised that supplies a given amount of dust per unit time for testing purposes.

Assessment of Ethanol Trends on the ISS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perry, Jay; Carter, Layne; Kayatin, Matthew; Gazda, Daniel; McCoy, Torin; Limero, Thomas

2016-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS) Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) provides a working environment for six crewmembers through atmosphere revitalization and water recovery systems. In the last year, elevated ethanol levels have presented a unique challenge for the ISS ECLSS. Ethanol is monitored on the ISS by the Air Quality Monitor (AQM). The source of this increase is currently unknown. This paper documents the credible sources for the increased ethanol concentration, the monitoring provided by the AQM, and the impact on the atmosphere revitalization and water recovery systems.

On-Orbit Compressor Technology Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Deffenbaugh, Danny M.; Svedeman, Steven J.; Schroeder, Edgar C.; Gerlach, C. Richard

1990-01-01

A synopsis of the On-Orbit Compressor Technology Program is presented. The objective is the exploration of compressor technology applicable for use by the Space Station Fluid Management System, Space Station Propulsion System, and related on-orbit fluid transfer systems. The approach is to extend the current state-of-the-art in natural gas compressor technology to the unique requirements of high-pressure, low-flow, small, light, and low-power devices for on-orbit applications. This technology is adapted to seven on-orbit conceptual designs and one prototype is developed and tested.

Crew emergency return vehicle - Electrical power system design study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Darcy, E. C.; Barrera, T. P.

1989-01-01

A crew emergency return vehicle (CERV) is proposed to perform the lifeboat function for the manned Space Station Freedom. This escape module will be permanently docked to Freedom and, on demand, will be capable of safely returning the crew to earth. The unique requirements that the CERV imposes on its power source are presented, power source options are examined, and a baseline system is selected. It consists of an active Li-BCX DD-cell modular battery system and was chosen for the maturity of its man-rated design and its low development costs.

Design study LANDSAT follow-on mission unique communications system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

Spacecraft subsystem design, performance evaluation, and system tradeoffs are presented for the LANDSAT follow-on mission (LF/O) spacecraft to TDRSS link for the transmission of thematic mapper (TM) and multispectral scanner (MSS) data and for the LF/O spacecraft to STDN and other direct users link for the transmission of TM data. Included are requirements definition, link analysis, subsystem and hardware tradeoffs, conceptual selection, hardware definition, and identification of required new technology. Cost estimates of the recommended communication system including both recurring and non recurring costs are discussed.

RADIATION DETECTOR SYSTEM

DOEpatents

Gundlach, J.C.; Kelley, G.G.

1958-02-25

This patent relates to radiation detection devices and presents a unique detection system especialiy desirable for portable type instruments using a Geiger-Mueller for a high voltage battery, thereby reducing the size and weight of the instrument, by arranging a one-shot multivibrator to recharge a capacitance applying operating potential to tho Geiger-Mueller tube each time a nuclear particle is detected. When detection occurs, the multivibrator further delivers a pulse to an appropriate indicator doing away with the necessity for the pulse amplifier conventionally intermediate between the detector and indicator in pulse detection systems.

4MOST systems engineering: from conceptual design to preliminary design review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bellido-Tirado, Olga; Frey, Steffen; Barden, Samuel C.; Brynnel, Joar; Giannone, Domenico; Haynes, Roger; de Jong, Roelof S.; Phillips, Daniel; Schnurr, Olivier; Walcher, Jakob; Winkler, Roland

2016-08-01

The 4MOST Facility is a high-multiplex, wide-field, brief-fed spectrograph system for the ESO VISTA telescope. It aims to create a world-class spectroscopic survey facility unique in its combination of wide-field multiplex, spectral resolution, spectral coverage, and sensitivity. At the end of 2014, after a successful concept optimization design phase, 4MOST entered into its Preliminary Design Phase. Here we present the process and tools adopted during the Preliminary Design Phase to define the subsystems specifications, coordinate the interface control documents and draft the system verification procedures.

The Future of the Andrew File System

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

Brashear, Drrick; Altman, Jeffry

2011-02-23

The talk will discuss the ten operational capabilities that have made AFS unique in the distributed file system space and how these capabilities are being expanded upon to meet the needs of the 21st century. Derrick Brashear and Jeffrey Altman will present a technical road map of new features and technical innovations that are under development by the OpenAFS community and Your File System, Inc. funded by a U.S. Department of Energy Small Business Innovative Research grant. The talk will end with a comparison of AFS to its modern days competitors.

Presenting Critical Space Weather Information to Customers and Stakeholders (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viereck, R. A.; Singer, H. J.; Murtagh, W. J.; Rutledge, B.

2013-12-01

Space weather involves changes in the near-Earth space environment that impact technological systems such as electric power, radio communication, satellite navigation (GPS), and satellite opeartions. As with terrestrial weather, there are several different kinds of space weather and each presents unique challenges to the impacted technologies and industries. But unlike terrestrial weather, many customers are not fully aware of space weather or how it impacts their systems. This issue is further complicated by the fact that the largest space weather events occur very infrequently with years going by without severe storms. Recent reports have estimated very large potential costs to the economy and to society if a geomagnetic storm were to cause major damage to the electric power transmission system. This issue has come to the attention of emergency managers and federal agencies including the office of the president. However, when considering space weather impacts, it is essential to also consider uncertainties in the frequency of events and the predicted impacts. The unique nature of space weather storms, the specialized technologies that are impacted by them, and the disparate groups and agencies that respond to space weather forecasts and alerts create many challenges to the task of communicating space weather information to the public. Many customers that receive forecasts and alerts are highly technical and knowledgeable about the subtleties of the space environment. Others know very little and require ongoing education and explanation about how a space weather storm will affect their systems. In addition, the current knowledge and understanding of the space environment that goes into forecasting storms is quite immature. It has only been within the last five years that physics-based models of the space environment have played important roles in predictions. Thus, the uncertainties in the forecasts are quite large. There is much that we don't know about space weather and this influences our forecasts. In this presentation, I will discuss the unique challenges that space weather forecasters face when explaining what we know and what we don't know about space weather events to customers and policy makers.

Quality, Safety and Patient Centered Care--A Dream Come True in the Mountains of Northern Pakistan. An Award winning project of "2015 Quality, Safety & Patient Centered Care Award" at, Chicago USA.

PubMed

Jassani, Kashif; Essani, Rozina Roshan; Abbas, Syed Nadeem Husain

2016-01-01

Northern Pakistan remains very challenging terrain due to harsh weather all year round presenting an infrastructura, human resource and supply chain challenge of its own. Many times the facility had to move to different locations on emergency and ad hoc basis due to landslides, earthquakes affecting continuity of care. Providing quality healthcare to often resource constraint hard-to-reach areas has always been AKHS,P's unique forte. Breaking barriers for catchment population to access quality healthcare, AKHS,P embarked on an initiative of implementing, achieving and sustaining ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System international standards certification. This article shares the unique experience of AKHS,P in achieving and sustaining ISO 9001:2008 International Quality Management System Certification. After untiring efforts and the hard work of ground staff; AKHS,P achieved ISO 9001:2008 International Quality Management System Certification as well as 1st Surveillance Audit which itself proved that AKHS,P sustained quality systems and ensured continuous quality improvement in the Mountains of Northern Pakistan.

Integrated Canada-U.S. Power Sector Modeling with the Regional Energy Deployment System (ReEDS)

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

Martinez, A.; Eurek, K.; Mai, T.

2013-02-01

The electric power system in North America is linked between the United States and Canada. Canada has historically been a net exporter of electricity to the United States. The extent to which this remains true will depend on the future evolution of power markets, technology deployment, and policies. To evaluate these and related questions, we modify the Regional Energy Deployment System (ReEDS) model to include an explicit representation of the grid-connected power system in Canada to the continental United States. ReEDS is unique among long-term capacity expansion models for its high spatial resolution and statistical treatment of the impact ofmore » variable renewable generation on capacity planning and dispatch. These unique traits are extended to new Canadian regions. We present example scenario results using the fully integrated Canada-U.S. version of ReEDS to demonstrate model capabilities. The newly developed, integrated Canada-U.S. ReEDS model can be used to analyze the dynamics of electricity transfers and other grid services between the two countries under different scenarios.« less

Review of water disinfection techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Colombo, Gerald V.; Sauer, Richard L.

1987-01-01

Throughout the history of manned space flight the supply of potable water to the astronauts has presented unique problems. Of particular concern has been the microbiological quality of the potable water. This has required the development of both preflight water system servicing procedures to disinfect the systems and inflight disinfectant addition and monitoring devices to ensure continuing microbiological control. The disinfectants successfully used to date have been aqueous chlorine or iodine. Because of special system limitations the use of iodine has been the most successful for inflight use and promises to be the agent most likely to be used in the future. Future spacecraft potable, hygiene, and experiment water systems will utilize recycled water. This will present special problems for water quality control. NASA is currently conducting research and development to solve these problems.

Nanowire humidity optical sensor system based on fast Fourier transform technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rota-Rodrigo, S.; Pérez-Herrera, R.; Lopez-Aldaba, A.; López Bautista, M. C.; Esteban, O.; López-Amo, M.

2015-09-01

In this paper, a new sensor system for relative humidity measurements based on its interaction with the evanescent field of a nanowire is presented. The interrogation of the sensing head is carried out by monitoring the fast Fourier transform phase variations of one of the nanowire interference frequencies. This method is independent of the signal amplitude and also avoids the necessity of tracking the wavelength evolution in the spectrum, which can be a handicap when there are multiple interference frequency components with different sensitivities. The sensor is operated within a wide humidity range (20%-70% relative humidity) with a maximum sensitivity achieved of 0.14rad/% relative humidity. Finally, due to the system uses an optical interrogator as unique active element, the system presents a cost-effective feature.

Evaluation of health information systems research in information systems research: A meta-analysis.

PubMed

Haried, Peter; Claybaugh, Craig; Dai, Hua

2017-04-01

Given the importance of the health-care industry and the promise of health information systems, researchers are encouraged to build on the shoulders of giants as the saying goes. The health information systems field has a unique opportunity to learn from and extend the work that has already been done by the highly correlated information systems field. As a result, this research article presents a past, present and future meta-analysis of health information systems research in information systems journals over the 2000-2015 time period. Our analysis reviewed 126 articles on a variety of topics related to health information systems research published in the "Senior Scholars" list of the top eight ranked information systems academic journals. Across the selected information systems academic journals, our findings compare research methodologies applied, health information systems topic areas investigated and research trends. Interesting results emerge in the range and evolution of health information systems research and opportunities for health information systems researchers and practitioners to consider moving forward.

Update on the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority`s spinning reserve battery system

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

Taylor, P.A.

1996-11-01

The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority completed start-up testing and began commercial operation of a 20MW/14MWh battery energy storage facility in April 1995. The battery system was installed to provide rapid spinning reserve and frequency control for the utility`s island electrical system. This paper outlines the needs of an island utility for rapid spinning reserve; identifies Puerto Rico`s unique challenges; reviews the technical and economic analyses that justified installation of a battery energy system; describes the storage facility that was installed; and presents preliminary operating results of the facility.

Data Acquisition System Architecture and Capabilities At NASA GRC Plum Brook Station's Space Environment Test Facilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Evans, Richard K.; Hill, Gerald M.

2012-01-01

Very large space environment test facilities present unique engineering challenges in the design of facility data systems. Data systems of this scale must be versatile enough to meet the wide range of data acquisition and measurement requirements from a diverse set of customers and test programs, but also must minimize design changes to maintain reliability and serviceability. This paper presents an overview of the common architecture and capabilities of the facility data acquisition systems available at two of the world?s largest space environment test facilities located at the NASA Glenn Research Center?s Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio; namely, the Space Propulsion Research Facility (commonly known as the B-2 facility) and the Space Power Facility (SPF). The common architecture of the data systems is presented along with details on system scalability and efficient measurement systems analysis and verification. The architecture highlights a modular design, which utilizes fully-remotely managed components, enabling the data systems to be highly configurable and support multiple test locations with a wide-range of measurement types and very large system channel counts.

Data Acquisition System Architecture and Capabilities at NASA GRC Plum Brook Station's Space Environment Test Facilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Evans, Richard K.; Hill, Gerald M.

2014-01-01

Very large space environment test facilities present unique engineering challenges in the design of facility data systems. Data systems of this scale must be versatile enough to meet the wide range of data acquisition and measurement requirements from a diverse set of customers and test programs, but also must minimize design changes to maintain reliability and serviceability. This paper presents an overview of the common architecture and capabilities of the facility data acquisition systems available at two of the world's largest space environment test facilities located at the NASA Glenn Research Center's Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio; namely, the Space Propulsion Research Facility (commonly known as the B-2 facility) and the Space Power Facility (SPF). The common architecture of the data systems is presented along with details on system scalability and efficient measurement systems analysis and verification. The architecture highlights a modular design, which utilizes fully-remotely managed components, enabling the data systems to be highly configurable and support multiple test locations with a wide-range of measurement types and very large system channel counts.

CCMC: Serving research and space weather communities with unique space weather services, innovative tools and resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Yihua; Kuznetsova, Maria M.; Pulkkinen, Antti; Maddox, Marlo

2015-04-01

With the addition of Space Weather Research Center (a sub-team within CCMC) in 2010 to address NASA’s own space weather needs, CCMC has become a unique entity that not only facilitates research through providing access to the state-of-the-art space science and space weather models, but also plays a critical role in providing unique space weather services to NASA robotic missions, developing innovative tools and transitioning research to operations via user feedback. With scientists, forecasters and software developers working together within one team, through close and direct connection with space weather customers and trusted relationship with model developers, CCMC is flexible, nimble and effective to meet customer needs. In this presentation, we highlight a few unique aspects of CCMC/SWRC’s space weather services, such as addressing space weather throughout the solar system, pushing the frontier of space weather forecasting via the ensemble approach, providing direct personnel and tool support for spacecraft anomaly resolution, prompting development of multi-purpose tools and knowledge bases, and educating and engaging the next generation of space weather scientists.

Tracking Control of Mobile Robots Localized via Chained Fusion of Discrete and Continuous Epipolar Geometry, IMU and Odometry.

PubMed

Tick, David; Satici, Aykut C; Shen, Jinglin; Gans, Nicholas

2013-08-01

This paper presents a novel navigation and control system for autonomous mobile robots that includes path planning, localization, and control. A unique vision-based pose and velocity estimation scheme utilizing both the continuous and discrete forms of the Euclidean homography matrix is fused with inertial and optical encoder measurements to estimate the pose, orientation, and velocity of the robot and ensure accurate localization and control signals. A depth estimation system is integrated in order to overcome the loss of scale inherent in vision-based estimation. A path following control system is introduced that is capable of guiding the robot along a designated curve. Stability analysis is provided for the control system and experimental results are presented that prove the combined localization and control system performs with high accuracy.

A prototype case-based reasoning human assistant for space crew assessment and mission management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Owen, Robert B.; Holland, Albert W.; Wood, Joanna

1993-01-01

We present a prototype human assistant system for space crew assessment and mission management. Our system is based on case episodes from American and Russian space missions and analog environments such as polar stations and undersea habitats. The general domain of small groups in isolated and confined environments represents a near ideal application area for case-based reasoning (CBR) - there are few reliable rules to follow, and most domain knowledge is in the form of cases. We define the problem domain and outline a unique knowledge representation system driven by conflict and communication triggers. The prototype system is able to represent, index, and retrieve case studies of human performance. We index by social, behavioral, and environmental factors. We present the problem domain, our current implementation, our research approach for an operational system, and prototype performance and results.

Unusual presentation of adult Marfan syndrome as a complex diaphragmatic hiatus hernia.

PubMed

Thakur, Shruti; Jhobta, Anupam; Sharma, Brij; Chauhan, Arun; Thakur, Charu S

2017-07-01

Marfan syndrome is multisystem connective tissue disorder that primarily involves the skeletal, cardiovascular, and ocular systems. The gastrointestinal complications in Marfan syndrome are rare, with only a few case reports described in the literature. We present a 25-year-old woman who presented with acute abdominal pain for 1 day. The imaging features revealed complex diaphragmatic hiatus hernia with organoaxial gastric volvulus. This is a unique case report about an adult patient with Marfan syndrome who presented with symptomatic paraesophageal hernia and organoaxial gastric volvulus. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Taiwan.

Diplopia as the primary presentation of foodborne botulism.

PubMed

Khakshoor, Hamid; Moghaddam, Ali Akbar Saber; Vejdani, Amir Hossein; Armstrong, Blair K; Moshirfar, Majid

2012-05-01

Foodborne botulism is a serious condition caused by Clostridium botulinum neurotoxin. Clinically, botulism presents as bilateral cranial nerve neuropathy and descending paralysis. We report a unique presentation of botulism to remind clinicians of this potentially fatal condition. In this observational case report initial evaluation showed only esodeviation. This progressed to unilateral cranial nerve six (CN VI) paresis along with systemic signs. Clinical diagnosis was made based on in-depth history and concurrent symptoms in three other patients. Foodborne botulism presenting as diplopia and unilateral motility deficits is rare and can represent a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge to the ophthalmologist.

Diplopia as the primary presentation of foodborne botulism

PubMed Central

Khakshoor, Hamid; Moghaddam, Ali Akbar Saber; Vejdani, Amir Hossein; Armstrong, Blair K.; Moshirfar, Majid

2012-01-01

Foodborne botulism is a serious condition caused by Clostridium botulinum neurotoxin. Clinically, botulism presents as bilateral cranial nerve neuropathy and descending paralysis. We report a unique presentation of botulism to remind clinicians of this potentially fatal condition. In this observational case report initial evaluation showed only esodeviation. This progressed to unilateral cranial nerve six (CN VI) paresis along with systemic signs. Clinical diagnosis was made based on in-depth history and concurrent symptoms in three other patients. Foodborne botulism presenting as diplopia and unilateral motility deficits is rare and can represent a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge to the ophthalmologist. PMID:22993467

ELM-ART--An Interactive and Intelligent Web-Based Electronic Textbook

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weber, Gerhard; Brusilovsky, Peter

2016-01-01

This paper present provides a broader view on ELM-ART, one of the first Web-based Intelligent Educational systems that offered a creative combination of two different paradigms--Intelligent Tutoring and Adaptive Hypermedia technologies. The unique dual nature of ELM-ART contributed to its long life and research impact and was a result of…

Restorative Justice Experiences of Juvenile Female Offenders: School, Community, and Home

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Kimberly Lee

2010-01-01

Problem. The number of delinquent female youth across the country is on the rise (U.S. Department of Justice, 2007). These young women present unique challenges for their schools, communities, and homes. A Midwest suburb created a diversion program, a Youth Justice Initiative, to address the entire family system of the youth who were committing…

System Learning in an Urban School District: A Case Study of Intra-District Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Redding, Christopher; Cannata, Marisa; Miller, Jason

2017-01-01

This paper presents evidence from a unique reform model that allowed teachers and other educators in a large urban district to collaborate with one another in the development of an innovation meant to improve student ownership and responsibility. In this longitudinal case study, we describe school stakeholders' learning about the design, the…

Developing a Student Respite Provider System for Children with Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Openden, Daniel; Symon, Jennifer B.; Koegel, Lynn Kern; Koegel, Robert L.

2006-01-01

Many parents of children with autism and other severe disabilities report heightened levels of stress due to the unique challenges their children present. Respite care is likely to alleviate some of the stress associated with caring for a child with a severe disability. However, it is often difficult for families to identify motivated and…

OSIRIS-REx NASA Social

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-09-07

Tim Linn, chief system engineer with Lockheed Martin, discusses the unique design of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft during a NASA Social with social media followers in the Operations Support Building II at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The presentation took place before launch of the agency’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft.

Lessons from the Past and Directions for the Future

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xu, Yonghong Jade

2012-01-01

There is a steady line of research to understand faculty diversity and its impact on the work life quality of faculty and learning outcomes of students in the U.S. higher education systems. What makes this volume unique is that, rather than treating diversity as a static and simplistic concept, the chapter authors presented information to show…

Phonological Process and Accuracy Measures in Typically Developing Punjabi Speaking Children between 3-5 Years

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaur, Simran; John, Sunila; Veena, K. D.; Rajashekhar, B.

2013-01-01

Phonology is an area of linguistics that is concerned with the sounds of language. Since each language has its own unique system of sound patterns, there is a need to study phonological development in different languages. However, lack of published data necessitates the present study on phonological developmental pattern in Punjabi language…

Landscape and the intermontane Northwest: an environmental history.

Treesearch

William G. Robbins; Donald W. Wolf

1994-01-01

Traces the natural and cultural processes involved in shaping the environment in the intermontane northwest from the Indian period of domination to the present. Emphasizes the increasing influence of humans as modifiers of landscapes and ecosystems, especially with the coming of the market system to the region and the onset of the industrial era. Focuses on the unique...

System Learning in an Urban School District: A Case Study of Intra-District Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Redding, Christopher; Cannata, Marisa; Miller, Jason M.

2018-01-01

This paper presents evidence from a unique reform model that allowed teachers and other educators in a large urban district to collaborate with one another in the development of an innovation meant to improve student ownership and responsibility. In this longitudinal case study, we describe school stakeholders' learning about the design, the…

Vertical interferometer workstation for testing large spherical optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Truax, B.

2013-09-01

The design of an interferometer workstation for the testing of large concave and convex spherical optics is presented. The workstation handles optical components and mounts up to 425 mm in diameter with mass of up to 40 kg with 6 axes of adjustment. A unique method for the implementation of focus, roll and pitch was used allowing for extremely precise adjustment. The completed system includes transmission spheres with f-numbers from f/1.6 to f/0.82 incorporating reference surface diameters of up to 306 mm and surface accuracies of better than 63 nm PVr. The design challenges and resulting solutions are discussed. System performance results are presented.

COLD-SAT feasibility study safety analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mchenry, Steven T.; Yost, James M.

1991-01-01

The Cryogenic On-orbit Liquid Depot-Storage, Acquisition, and Transfer (COLD-SAT) satellite presents some unique safety issues. The feasibility study conducted at NASA-Lewis desired a systems safety program that would be involved from the initial design in order to eliminate and/or control the inherent hazards. Because of this, a hazards analysis method was needed that: (1) identified issues that needed to be addressed for a feasibility assessment; and (2) identified all potential hazards that would need to be controlled and/or eliminated during the detailed design phases. The developed analysis method is presented as well as the results generated for the COLD-SAT system.

Chiral plasmonics

PubMed Central

Hentschel, Mario; Schäferling, Martin; Duan, Xiaoyang; Giessen, Harald; Liu, Na

2017-01-01

We present a comprehensive overview of chirality and its optical manifestation in plasmonic nanosystems and nanostructures. We discuss top-down fabricated structures that range from solid metallic nanostructures to groupings of metallic nanoparticles arranged in three dimensions. We also present the large variety of bottom-up synthesized structures. Using DNA, peptides, or other scaffolds, complex nanoparticle arrangements of up to hundreds of individual nanoparticles have been realized. Beyond this static picture, we also give an overview of recent demonstrations of active chiral plasmonic systems, where the chiral optical response can be controlled by an external stimulus. We discuss the prospect of using the unique properties of complex chiral plasmonic systems for enantiomeric sensing schemes. PMID:28560336

Fabry-Perot confocal resonator optical associative memory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burns, Thomas J.; Rogers, Steven K.; Vogel, George A.

1993-03-01

A unique optical associative memory architecture is presented that combines the optical processing environment of a Fabry-Perot confocal resonator with the dynamic storage and recall properties of volume holograms. The confocal resonator reduces the size and complexity of previous associative memory architectures by folding a large number of discrete optical components into an integrated, compact optical processing environment. Experimental results demonstrate the system is capable of recalling a complete object from memory when presented with partial information about the object. A Fourier optics model of the system's operation shows it implements a spatially continuous version of a discrete, binary Hopfield neural network associative memory.

MyOcean Central Information System - Achievements and Perspectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Dianous, Rémi; Jolibois, Tony; Besnard, Sophie

2015-04-01

MyOcean (http://www.myocean.eu) is providing a pre-operational service, for forecasts, analysis and expertise on ocean currents, temperature, salinity, sea level, primary ecosystems and ice coverage. Since 2009, three successive projects (MyOcean-I, MyOcean-II and MyOcean-Follow-on) have been designed to prepare and to lead the demonstration phases of the future Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service. The main goal of these projects was to build a system of systems offering the users a unique access point to European oceanographic data. Reaching this goal at European level with 59 partners from 28 different countries was a real challenge: initially, each local system had its own human processes and methodology, its own interfaces for production and dissemination. At the end of MyOcean Follow-on, any user can connect to one web portal, browse an interactive catalogue of products and services, use one login to access all data disseminated through harmonized interfaces in a common format and contact a unique centralized service desk. In this organization the central information system plays a key role. The production of observation and forecasting data is done by 48 Production Units (PU). Product download and visualisation are hosted by 26 Dissemination Units (DU). All these products and associated services are gathered in a single system hiding the intricate distributed organization of PUs and DUs. This central system will be presented in detail, including notably the technical choices in architecture and technologies which have been made and why, and the lessons learned during these years of real life of the system, taking into account internal and external feedbacks. Then, perspectives will be presented to sketch the future of such system in the next Marine Copernicus Service which is meant to be fully operational from 2015 onwards.

Monitoring and guidance of HIFU beams with dual-mode ultrasound arrays.

PubMed

Ballard, John R; Casper, Andrew J; Ebbini, Emad S

2009-01-01

We present experimental results illustrating the unique advantages of dual-mode array (DMUA) systems in monitoring and guidance of high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) lesion formation. DMUAs offer a unique paradigm in image-guided surgery; one in which images obtained using the same therapeutic transducer provide feedback for: 1) refocusing the array in the presence of strongly scattering objects, e.g. the ribs, 2) temperature change at the intended location of the HIFU focus, and 3) changes in the echogenicity of the tissue in response to therapeutic HIFU. These forms of feedback have been demonstrated in vitro in preparation for the design and implementation of a real-time system for imaging and therapy with DMUAs. The results clearly demonstrate that DMUA image feedback is spatially accurate and provide sufficient spatial and contrast resolution for identification of high contrast objects like the ribs and significant blood vessels in the path of the HIFU beam.

Estradiol targets T cell signaling pathways in human systemic lupus.

PubMed

Walters, Emily; Rider, Virginia; Abdou, Nabih I; Greenwell, Cindy; Svojanovsky, Stan; Smith, Peter; Kimler, Bruce F

2009-12-01

The major risk factor for developing systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is being female. The present study utilized gene profiles of activated T cells from females with SLE and healthy controls to identify signaling pathways uniquely regulated by estradiol that could contribute to SLE pathogenesis. Selected downstream pathway genes (+/- estradiol) were measured by real time polymerase chain amplification. Estradiol uniquely upregulated six pathways in SLE T cells that control T cell function including interferon-alpha signaling. Measurement of interferon-alpha pathway target gene expression revealed significant differences (p= 0.043) in DRIP150 (+/- estradiol) in SLE T cell samples while IFIT1 expression was bimodal and correlated moderately (r= 0.55) with disease activity. The results indicate that estradiol alters signaling pathways in activated SLE T cells that control T cell function. Differential expression of transcriptional coactivators could influence estrogen-dependent gene regulation in T cell signaling and contribute to SLE onset and disease pathogenesis.

Microfluidic and nanofluidic phase behaviour characterization for industrial CO2, oil and gas.

PubMed

Bao, Bo; Riordon, Jason; Mostowfi, Farshid; Sinton, David

2017-08-08

Microfluidic systems that leverage unique micro-scale phenomena have been developed to provide rapid, accurate and robust analysis, predominantly for biomedical applications. These attributes, in addition to the ability to access high temperatures and pressures, have motivated recent expanded applications in phase measurements relevant to industrial CO 2 , oil and gas applications. We here present a comprehensive review of this exciting new field, separating microfluidic and nanofluidic approaches. Microfluidics is practical, and provides similar phase properties analysis to established bulk methods with advantages in speed, control and sample size. Nanofluidic phase behaviour can deviate from bulk measurements, which is of particular relevance to emerging unconventional oil and gas production from nanoporous shale. In short, microfluidics offers a practical, compelling replacement of current bulk phase measurement systems, whereas nanofluidics is not practical, but uniquely provides insight into phase change phenomena at nanoscales. Challenges, trends and opportunities for phase measurements at both scales are highlighted.

On the unique structure of the magnetic fields of Uranus and Neptune

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dolginov, Sh. SH.

1993-01-01

The magnetic fields of Uranus and Neptune, which have comparable dipole, quadrupole, and octupole harmonics, are unique in the present-day solar system, but they resemble the geomagnetic field at the epochs of excursions and reversals known from paleomagnetic data. The precession dynamo model, in which the dominant role in the generation of the planetary magnetic fields is played by external gravitational forces, allows us to propose two scenarios for the formation of the unique topology of the magnetic fields of Uranus and Neptune. In the first case, tidal flows in the 'oceans' of these two planets extend down to the depths where the matter has a noticeable electric conductivity and velocity. A hydromagnetic interaction of the moving conducting fluid with the planetary magnetic field outside the generation region results in the deformation of the field and the deceleration of the motion under the action of the radial magnetic field. In the second case, the deformation of the field facilitates drastic changes in cyclonic cells within the generation region causing instabilities that result in a multi-polar field structure, excursions, and inversions. This paper considers this problem in greater detail by using the Neptune-Triton system as an example.

A multiplex protein-free lateral flow assay for detection of microRNAs based on unmodified molecular beacons.

PubMed

Javani, Atefeh; Javadi-Zarnaghi, Fatemeh; Rasaee, Mohammad Javad

2017-11-15

Lateral flow assays (LFAs) have promising potentials for point-of-care applications. Recently, many LFAs have been reported that are based on hybridization of oligonucleotide strands. Mostly, biotinylated capture DNAs are immobilized on the surface of a nitrocellulose membrane via streptavidin interactions. During the assay, stable colorful complexes get formed that are visible by naked eyes. Here, we present an inexpensive and unique design of LFA that applies unmodified oligonucleotides at capture lines. The presented LFA do not utilize streptavidin or any other affinity protein. We employ structural switch of molecular beacons (MB) in combination with base stacking hybridization (BSH) phenomenon. The unique design of the reported LFA provided high selectivity for target oligonucleotides. We validated potential applications of the system for detection of DNA mimics of two microRNAs in multiplex assays. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

SeaWiFS technical report series. Volume 17: Ocean color in the 21st century. A strategy for a 20-year time series

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abbott, Mark R.; Brown, Otis B.; Evans, Robert H.; Gordon, Howard R.; Carder, Kendall L.; Mueller-Karger, Frank E.; Esaias, Wayne E.; Hooker, Stanford B.; Firestone, Elaine R.

1994-01-01

Beginning with the upcoming launch of the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS), there should be almost continuous measurements of ocean color for nearly 20 years if all of the presently planned national and international missions are implemented. This data set will present a unique opportunity to understand the coupling of physical and biological processes in the world ocean. The presence of multiple ocean color sensors will allow the eventual development of an ocean color observing system that is both cost effective and scientifically based. This report discusses the issues involved and makes recommendations intended to ensure the maximum scientific return from this unique set of planned ocean color missions. An executive summary is included with this document which briefly discusses the primary issues and suggested actions to be considered.

Rotating Rake Turbofan Duct Mode Measurement System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sutliff, Daniel L.

2005-01-01

An experimental measurement system was developed and implemented by the NASA Glenn Research Center in the 1990s to measure turbofan duct acoustic modes. The system is a continuously rotating radial microphone rake that is inserted into the duct. This Rotating Rake provides a complete map of the acoustic duct modes present in a ducted fan and has been used on a variety of test articles: from a low-speed, concept test rig, to a full-scale production turbofan engine. The Rotating Rake has been critical in developing and evaluating a number of noise reduction concepts as well as providing experimental databases for verification of several aero-acoustic codes. More detailed derivation of the unique Rotating Rake equations are presented in the appendix.

A two-layered classifier based on the radial basis function for the screening of thalassaemia.

PubMed

Masala, G L; Golosio, B; Cutzu, R; Pola, R

2013-11-01

The thalassaemias are blood disorders with hereditary transmission. Their distribution is global, with particular incidence in areas affected by malaria. Their diagnosis is mainly based on haematologic and genetic analyses. The aim of this study was to differentiate between persons with the thalassaemia trait and normal subjects by inspecting characteristics of haemochromocytometric data. The paper proposes an original method that is useful in screening activity for thalassaemia classification. A complete working system with a friendly graphical user interface is presented. A unique feature of the presented work is the adoption of a two-layered classification system based on Radial basis function, which improves the performance of the system. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Demonstration of an efficient cooling approach for SBIRS-Low

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nieczkoski, S. J.; Myers, E. A.

2002-05-01

The Space Based Infrared System-Low (SBIRS-Low) segment is a near-term Air Force program for developing and deploying a constellation of low-earth orbiting observation satellites with gimbaled optics cooled to cryogenic temperatures. The optical system design and requirements present unique challenges that make conventional cooling approaches both complicated and risky. The Cryocooler Interface System (CIS) provides a remote, efficient, and interference-free means of cooling the SBIRS-Low optics. Technology Applications Inc. (TAI), through a two-phase Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program with Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), has taken the CIS from initial concept feasibility through the design, build, and test of a prototype system. This paper presents the development and demonstration testing of the prototype CIS. Prototype system testing has demonstrated the high efficiency of this cooling approach, making it an attractive option for SBIRS-Low and other sensitive optical and detector systems that require low-impact cryogenic cooling.

A system identification technique based on the random decrement signatures. Part 2: Experimental results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bedewi, Nabih E.; Yang, Jackson C. S.

1987-01-01

Identification of the system parameters of a randomly excited structure may be treated using a variety of statistical techniques. Of all these techniques, the Random Decrement is unique in that it provides the homogeneous component of the system response. Using this quality, a system identification technique was developed based on a least-squares fit of the signatures to estimate the mass, damping, and stiffness matrices of a linear randomly excited system. The results of an experiment conducted on an offshore platform scale model to verify the validity of the technique and to demonstrate its application in damage detection are presented.

Large-Scale Wireless Temperature Monitoring System for Liquefied Petroleum Gas Storage Tanks

PubMed Central

Fan, Guangwen; Shen, Yu; Hao, Xiaowei; Yuan, Zongming; Zhou, Zhi

2015-01-01

Temperature distribution is a critical indicator of the health condition for Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) storage tanks. In this paper, we present a large-scale wireless temperature monitoring system to evaluate the safety of LPG storage tanks. The system includes wireless sensors networks, high temperature fiber-optic sensors, and monitoring software. Finally, a case study on real-world LPG storage tanks proves the feasibility of the system. The unique features of wireless transmission, automatic data acquisition and management, local and remote access make the developed system a good alternative for temperature monitoring of LPG storage tanks in practical applications. PMID:26393596

Unique organization and unprecedented diversity of the Bacteroides (Pseudobacteroides) cellulosolvens cellulosome system

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

Zhivin, Olga; Dassa, Bareket; Moraïs, Sarah

The organization of the B. cellulosolvens cellulosome is unique compared to previously described cellulosome systems. In contrast to all other known cellulosomes, the cohesin types are reversed for all scaffoldins i.e., the type II cohesins are located on the enzyme-integrating primary scaffoldin, whereas the type I cohesins are located on the anchoring scaffoldins. Many of the type II dockerin-bearing ORFs include X60 modules, which are known to stabilize type II cohesin–dockerin interactions. In the present work, we focused on revealing the architectural arrangement of cellulosome structure in this bacterium by examining numerous interactions between the various cohesin and dockerin modules.more » In total, we cloned and expressed 43 representative cohesins and 27 dockerins. The results revealed various possible architectures of cell-anchored and cell-free cellulosomes, which serve to assemble distinctive cellulosome types via three distinct cohesin–dockerin specificities: type I, type II, and a novel-type designated R (distinct from type III interactions, predominant in ruminococcal cellulosomes). The results of this study provide novel insight into the architecture and function of the most intricate and extensive cellulosomal system known today, thereby extending significantly our overall knowledge base of cellulosome systems and their components. The robust cellulosome system of B. cellulosolvens, with its unique binding specificities and reversal of cohesin–dockerin types, has served to amend our view of the cellulosome paradigm. Revealing new cellulosomal interactions and arrangements is critical for designing high-efficiency artificial cellulosomes for conversion of plant-derived cellulosic biomass towards improved production of biofuels.« less

Unique organization and unprecedented diversity of the Bacteroides (Pseudobacteroides) cellulosolvens cellulosome system

DOE PAGES

Zhivin, Olga; Dassa, Bareket; Moraïs, Sarah; ...

2017-09-07

The organization of the B. cellulosolvens cellulosome is unique compared to previously described cellulosome systems. In contrast to all other known cellulosomes, the cohesin types are reversed for all scaffoldins i.e., the type II cohesins are located on the enzyme-integrating primary scaffoldin, whereas the type I cohesins are located on the anchoring scaffoldins. Many of the type II dockerin-bearing ORFs include X60 modules, which are known to stabilize type II cohesin–dockerin interactions. In the present work, we focused on revealing the architectural arrangement of cellulosome structure in this bacterium by examining numerous interactions between the various cohesin and dockerin modules.more » In total, we cloned and expressed 43 representative cohesins and 27 dockerins. The results revealed various possible architectures of cell-anchored and cell-free cellulosomes, which serve to assemble distinctive cellulosome types via three distinct cohesin–dockerin specificities: type I, type II, and a novel-type designated R (distinct from type III interactions, predominant in ruminococcal cellulosomes). The results of this study provide novel insight into the architecture and function of the most intricate and extensive cellulosomal system known today, thereby extending significantly our overall knowledge base of cellulosome systems and their components. The robust cellulosome system of B. cellulosolvens, with its unique binding specificities and reversal of cohesin–dockerin types, has served to amend our view of the cellulosome paradigm. Revealing new cellulosomal interactions and arrangements is critical for designing high-efficiency artificial cellulosomes for conversion of plant-derived cellulosic biomass towards improved production of biofuels.« less

Modeling Multi-wavelength Stellar Astrometry. III. Determination of the Absolute Masses of Exoplanets and Their Host Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coughlin, J. L.; López-Morales, Mercedes

2012-05-01

Astrometric measurements of stellar systems are becoming significantly more precise and common, with many ground- and space-based instruments and missions approaching 1 μas precision. We examine the multi-wavelength astrometric orbits of exoplanetary systems via both analytical formulae and numerical modeling. Exoplanets have a combination of reflected and thermally emitted light that causes the photocenter of the system to shift increasingly farther away from the host star with increasing wavelength. We find that, if observed at long enough wavelengths, the planet can dominate the astrometric motion of the system, and thus it is possible to directly measure the orbits of both the planet and star, and thus directly determine the physical masses of the star and planet, using multi-wavelength astrometry. In general, this technique works best for, though is certainly not limited to, systems that have large, high-mass stars and large, low-mass planets, which is a unique parameter space not covered by other exoplanet characterization techniques. Exoplanets that happen to transit their host star present unique cases where the physical radii of the planet and star can be directly determined via astrometry alone. Planetary albedos and day-night contrast ratios may also be probed via this technique due to the unique signature they impart on the observed astrometric orbits. We develop a tool to examine the prospects for near-term detection of this effect, and give examples of some exoplanets that appear to be good targets for detection in the K to N infrared observing bands, if the required precision can be achieved.

Inertial Fusion Power Plant Concept of Operations and Maintenance

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

Anklam, T.; Knutson, B.; Dunne, A. M.

2015-01-15

Parsons and LLNL scientists and engineers performed design and engineering work for power plant pre-conceptual designs based on the anticipated laser fusion demonstrations at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). Work included identifying concepts of operations and maintenance (O&M) and associated requirements relevant to fusion power plant systems analysis. A laser fusion power plant would incorporate a large process and power conversion facility with a laser system and fusion engine serving as the heat source, based in part on some of the systems and technologies advanced at NIF. Process operations would be similar in scope to those used in chemical, oilmore » refinery, and nuclear waste processing facilities, while power conversion operations would be similar to those used in commercial thermal power plants. While some aspects of the tritium fuel cycle can be based on existing technologies, many aspects of a laser fusion power plant presents several important and unique O&M requirements that demand new solutions. For example, onsite recovery of tritium; unique remote material handling systems for use in areas with high radiation, radioactive materials, or high temperatures; a five-year fusion engine target chamber replacement cycle with other annual and multi-year cycles anticipated for major maintenance of other systems, structures, and components (SSC); and unique SSC for fusion target waste recycling streams. This paper describes fusion power plant O&M concepts and requirements, how O&M requirements could be met in design, and how basic organizational and planning issues can be addressed for a safe, reliable, economic, and feasible fusion power plant.« less

Inertial fusion power plant concept of operations and maintenance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knutson, Brad; Dunne, Mike; Kasper, Jack; Sheehan, Timothy; Lang, Dwight; Anklam, Tom; Roberts, Valerie; Mau, Derek

2015-02-01

Parsons and LLNL scientists and engineers performed design and engineering work for power plant pre-conceptual designs based on the anticipated laser fusion demonstrations at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). Work included identifying concepts of operations and maintenance (O&M) and associated requirements relevant to fusion power plant systems analysis. A laser fusion power plant would incorporate a large process and power conversion facility with a laser system and fusion engine serving as the heat source, based in part on some of the systems and technologies advanced at NIF. Process operations would be similar in scope to those used in chemical, oil refinery, and nuclear waste processing facilities, while power conversion operations would be similar to those used in commercial thermal power plants. While some aspects of the tritium fuel cycle can be based on existing technologies, many aspects of a laser fusion power plant presents several important and unique O&M requirements that demand new solutions. For example, onsite recovery of tritium; unique remote material handling systems for use in areas with high radiation, radioactive materials, or high temperatures; a five-year fusion engine target chamber replacement cycle with other annual and multi-year cycles anticipated for major maintenance of other systems, structures, and components (SSC); and unique SSC for fusion target waste recycling streams. This paper describes fusion power plant O&M concepts and requirements, how O&M requirements could be met in design, and how basic organizational and planning issues can be addressed for a safe, reliable, economic, and feasible fusion power plant.

Simulation of Unique Pressure Changing Steps and Situations in Psa Processes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ebner, Armin D.; Mehrotra, Amal; Knox, James C.; LeVan, Douglas; Ritter, James A.

2007-01-01

A more rigorous cyclic adsorption process simulator is being developed for use in the development and understanding of new and existing PSA processes. Unique features of this new version of the simulator that Ritter and co-workers have been developing for the past decade or so include: multiple absorbent layers in each bed, pressure drop in the column, valves for entering and exiting flows and predicting real-time pressurization and depressurization rates, ability to account for choked flow conditions, ability to pressurize and depressurize simultaneously from both ends of the columns, ability to equalize between multiple pairs of columns, ability to equalize simultaneously from both ends of pairs of columns, and ability to handle very large pressure ratios and hence velocities associated with deep vacuum systems. These changes to the simulator now provide for unique opportunities to study the effects of novel pressure changing steps and extreme process conditions on the performance of virtually any commercial or developmental PSA process. This presentation will provide an overview of the cyclic adsorption process simulator equations and algorithms used in the new adaptation. It will focus primarily on the novel pressure changing steps and their effects on the performance of a PSA system that epitomizes the extremes of PSA process design and operation. This PSA process is a sorbent-based atmosphere revitalization (SBAR) system that NASA is developing for new manned exploration vehicles. This SBAR system consists of a 2-bed 3-step 3-layer system that operates between atmospheric pressure and the vacuum of space, evacuates from both ends of the column simultaneously, experiences choked flow conditions during pressure changing steps, and experiences a continuously changing feed composition, as it removes metabolic CO2 and H20 from a closed and fixed volume, i.e., the spacecraft cabin. Important process performance indicators of this SBAR system are size, and the corresponding CO2 and H20 removal efficiencies, and N2 and O2 loss rates. Results of the fundamental behavior of this PSA process during extreme operating conditions will be presented and discussed.

An efficient approach to ARMA modeling of biological systems with multiple inputs and delays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perrott, M. H.; Cohen, R. J.

1996-01-01

This paper presents a new approach to AutoRegressive Moving Average (ARMA or ARX) modeling which automatically seeks the best model order to represent investigated linear, time invariant systems using their input/output data. The algorithm seeks the ARMA parameterization which accounts for variability in the output of the system due to input activity and contains the fewest number of parameters required to do so. The unique characteristics of the proposed system identification algorithm are its simplicity and efficiency in handling systems with delays and multiple inputs. We present results of applying the algorithm to simulated data and experimental biological data In addition, a technique for assessing the error associated with the impulse responses calculated from estimated ARMA parameterizations is presented. The mapping from ARMA coefficients to impulse response estimates is nonlinear, which complicates any effort to construct confidence bounds for the obtained impulse responses. Here a method for obtaining a linearization of this mapping is derived, which leads to a simple procedure to approximate the confidence bounds.

Mine-hunting dolphins of the Navy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, Patrick W.

1997-07-01

Current counter-mine and obstacle avoidance technology is inadequate, and limits the Navy's capability to conduct shallow water (SW) and very shallow water (VSW) MCM in support of beach assaults by Marine Corps forces. Without information as to the location or density of mined beach areas, it must be assumed that if mines are present in one area then they are present in all areas. Marine mammal systems (MMS) are an unusual, effective and unique solution to current problems of mine and obstacle hunting. In the US Navy Mine Warfare Plan for 1994-1995 Marine Mammal Systems are explicitly identified as the Navy's only means of countering buried mines and the best means for dealing with close-tethered mines. The dolphins in these systems possess a biological sonar specifically adapted for their shallow and very shallow water habitat. Research has demonstrated that the dolphin biosonar outperforms any current hardware system available for SW and VSW applications. This presentation will cover current Fleet MCM systems and future technology application to the littoral region.

A system identification technique based on the random decrement signatures. Part 1: Theory and simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bedewi, Nabih E.; Yang, Jackson C. S.

1987-01-01

Identification of the system parameters of a randomly excited structure may be treated using a variety of statistical techniques. Of all these techniques, the Random Decrement is unique in that it provides the homogeneous component of the system response. Using this quality, a system identification technique was developed based on a least-squares fit of the signatures to estimate the mass, damping, and stiffness matrices of a linear randomly excited system. The mathematics of the technique is presented in addition to the results of computer simulations conducted to demonstrate the prediction of the response of the system and the random forcing function initially introduced to excite the system.

How to induce multiple delays in coupled chaotic oscillators?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhowmick, Sourav K.; Ghosh, Dibakar; Roy, Prodyot K.; Kurths, Jürgen; Dana, Syamal K.

2013-12-01

Lag synchronization is a basic phenomenon in mismatched coupled systems, delay coupled systems, and time-delayed systems. It is characterized by a lag configuration that identifies a unique time shift between all pairs of similar state variables of the coupled systems. In this report, an attempt is made how to induce multiple lag configurations in coupled systems when different pairs of state variables attain different time shift. A design of coupling is presented to realize this multiple lag synchronization. Numerical illustration is given using examples of the Rössler system and the slow-fast Hindmarsh-Rose neuron model. The multiple lag scenario is physically realized in an electronic circuit of two Sprott systems.

Challenges in verification and validation of autonomous systems for space exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brat, Guillaume; Jonsson, Ari

2005-01-01

Space exploration applications offer a unique opportunity for the development and deployment of autonomous systems, due to limited communications, large distances, and great expense of direct operation. At the same time, the risk and cost of space missions leads to reluctance to taking on new, complex and difficult-to-understand technology. A key issue in addressing these concerns is the validation of autonomous systems. In recent years, higher-level autonomous systems have been applied in space applications. In this presentation, we will highlight those autonomous systems, and discuss issues in validating these systems. We will then look to future demands on validating autonomous systems for space, identify promising technologies and open issues.

Recombinant drugs-on-a-chip: The usage of capillary electrophoresis and trends in miniaturized systems - A review.

PubMed

Morbioli, Giorgio Gianini; Mazzu-Nascimento, Thiago; Aquino, Adriano; Cervantes, Cesar; Carrilho, Emanuel

2016-09-07

We present here a critical review covering conventional analytical tools of recombinant drug analysis and discuss their evolution towards miniaturized systems foreseeing a possible unique recombinant drug-on-a-chip device. Recombinant protein drugs and/or pro-drug analysis require sensitive and reproducible analytical techniques for quality control to ensure safety and efficacy of drugs according to regulatory agencies. The versatility of miniaturized systems combined with their low-cost could become a major trend in recombinant drugs and bioprocess analysis. Miniaturized systems are capable of performing conventional analytical and proteomic tasks, allowing for interfaces with other powerful techniques, such as mass spectrometry. Microdevices can be applied during the different stages of recombinant drug processing, such as gene isolation, DNA amplification, cell culture, protein expression, protein separation, and analysis. In addition, organs-on-chips have appeared as a viable alternative to testing biodrug pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, demonstrating the capabilities of the miniaturized systems. The integration of individual established microfluidic operations and analytical tools in a single device is a challenge to be overcome to achieve a unique recombinant drug-on-a-chip device. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Specificity of Nitroxyl Chemistry Is Unique Among Nitrogen Oxides in Biological Systems

PubMed Central

Flores-Santana, Wilmarie; Salmon, Debra J.; Donzelli, Sonia; Switzer, Christopher H.; Basudhar, Debashree; Ridnour, Lisa; Cheng, Robert; Glynn, Sharon A.; Paolocci, Nazareno; Fukuto, Jon M.; Miranda, Katrina M.

2011-01-01

Abstract The importance of nitric oxide in mammalian physiology has been known for nearly 30 years. Similar attention for other nitrogen oxides such as nitroxyl (HNO) has been more recent. While there has been speculation as to the biosynthesis of HNO, its pharmacological benefits have been demonstrated in several pathophysiological settings such as cardiovascular disorders, cancer, and alcoholism. The chemical biology of HNO has been identified as related to, but unique from, that of its redox congener nitric oxide. A summary of these findings as well as a discussion of possible endogenous sources of HNO is presented in this review. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 14, 1659–1674. PMID:21235346

Mass Spectrometry for Planetary Probes: Past, Present and Future

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Niemann, Hasso B.; Harpold, Dan N.; Jamieson, Brian G.; Mahaffy, Paul R.

2005-01-01

Atmospheric entry probes present a unique opportunity for performing quantitative analysis of extra-terrestrial atmospheres in cases where remote sensing alone may not be sufficient and measurements with balloons or aircraft is not practical. An entry probe can provide a complete vertical profile of atmospheric parameters including chemical composition, which cannot be obtained with most other techniques. There are, however, unique challenges associated with building instruments for an entry probe, as compared to orbiters, landers, or rovers. Conditions during atmospheric entry are extreme, there are inherent time constraints due to the short duration of the experiment, and the instrument experiences rapid environmental changes in temperature and pressure as it descends. In addition, there are resource limitations, i.e. mass, power, size and bandwidth. Finally, the demands on the instrument design are determined in large part by conditions (pressure, temperature, composition) unique to the particular body under study, and as a result there is no one-size-fits-all instrument for an atmospheric probe. Many of these requirements can be more easily met by miniaturizing the probe instrument. Our experience building mass spectrometers for atmospheric entry probes leads us to believe that the time is right for a fundamental change in the way spaceflight mass spectrometers are built. The emergence over the past twenty years of Micro-electro- mechanical Systems (MEMS), utilizing lithographic semiconductor fabrication techniques to produce instrument systems in miniature, holds great promise for application to spaceflight mass spectrometry. A highly miniaturized, high performance and low-power mass spectrometer would be an enormous benefit to future entry probe missions, allowing, for example, parallel measurements (e.g., multiple simultaneous gas chromatographic analyses and direct atmospheric leaks.) Such an instrument would also enable mass spectrometry on board small multiple entry probes. In the development of a MEMS Mass Spectrometer, the challenge facing us is to move beyond the proof-of-concept, where research dollars tend to focus, and carry out the detailed work of developing a high performance mass spectrometer system on a chip which meets the unique technical requirements for an atmospheric entry probe described above.

Management information systems in the HMO environment.

PubMed

Neal, P A

1982-01-01

Realization of the unique potential of a health maintenance organization is dependent on the availability of adequate, accurate, and timely information. The particular data needed are determined by the structure of the organization; the physician compensation plans; requirements for state, federal, or other reporting; and many other factors. The author introduces the concept and objectives of the HMO, and presents the management information systems necessary for planning and monitoring HMO performance: patient information, utilization information, and management information for the staff and nonstaff HMO.

What is a wiki, and how can it be used in resident education?

PubMed

Kohli, Marc D; Bradshaw, John K

2011-02-01

Training as a radiology resident is a complex task. Residents frequently encounter multiple hospital systems, each with unique workflow patterns and heterogenous information systems. We identified an opportunity to ease some of the resulting anxiety and frustration by centralizing high-quality resources using a wiki. In this manuscript, we describe our choice of wiki software, give basic information about hardware requirements, detail steps for configuration, outline information included on the wiki, and present the results of a resident acceptance survey.

High-speed noncontacting instrumentation for jet engine testing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scotto, M. J.; Eismeier, M. E.

1980-03-01

This paper discusses high-speed, noncontacting instrumentation systems for measuring the operating characteristics of jet engines. The discussion includes optical pyrometers for measuring blade surface temperatures, capacitance clearanceometers for measuring blade tip clearance and vibration, and optoelectronic systems for measuring blade flex and torsion. In addition, engine characteristics that mandate the use of such unique instrumentation are pointed out as well as the shortcomings of conventional noncontacting devices. Experimental data taken during engine testing are presented and recommendations for future development discussed.

Neurobiology as Information Physics

PubMed Central

Street, Sterling

2016-01-01

This article reviews thermodynamic relationships in the brain in an attempt to consolidate current research in systems neuroscience. The present synthesis supports proposals that thermodynamic information in the brain can be quantified to an appreciable degree of objectivity, that many qualitative properties of information in systems of the brain can be inferred by observing changes in thermodynamic quantities, and that many features of the brain’s anatomy and architecture illustrate relatively simple information-energy relationships. The brain may provide a unique window into the relationship between energy and information. PMID:27895560

Oral health considerations in anorexia and bulimia nervosa. 1. Symptomatology and diagnosis.

PubMed

Bassiouny, Mohamed A

2017-01-01

Eating disorders have captured the attention of medical and dental professionals as well as the public for decades and continue to raise concern today. The literature devoted to anorexia and bulimia highlights myriad psychological, systemic, and dental health complications. Dental practitioners are in a unique position to discover early manifestations of these disorders. The present article reviews anorexia and bulimia, summarizing telltale behavioral traits, systemic manifestations, and dental features to facilitate recognition and enable accurate diagnosis.

Cometary dust at the nanometre scale - the MIDAS view after perihelion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bentley, M. S.; Torkar, K.; Jeszenszky, H.; Romstedt, J.; Schmied, R.; Mannel, T.

2015-10-01

The MIDAS instrument on-board the Rosetta orbiter [1] is a unique combination of a dust collection and handling system and a high resolution Atomic Force Microscope (AFM). By building three-dimensional images of the dust particle topography with nano- to micrometre resolution, MIDAS addresses a range of fundamental questions in Solar System and cometary sciences. The greatest number of particles is expected to be collected around perihelion and the initial results of imaging these will be presented.

Gas chromatographic analysis of trace impurities in chlorine trifluoride.

PubMed

Laurens, J B; Swinley, J M; de Coning, J P

2000-03-24

The gas chromatographic determination of trace gaseous impurities in highly reactive fluorinated gaseous matrices presents unique requirements to both equipment and techniques. Especially problematic are the gases normally present in ambient air namely oxygen and nitrogen. Analysing these gases at the low microl/l (ppm) level requires special equipment and this publication describes a custom-designed system utilising backflush column switching to protect the columns and detectors. A thermal conductivity detector with nickel filaments was used to determine ppm levels of impurities in ClF3.

Everything under the Sun: A review of solar neutrinos

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

Gann, Gabriel D. Orebi

2015-07-15

Solar neutrinos offer a unique opportunity to study the interaction of neutrinos with matter, a sensitive search for potential new physics effects, and a probe of solar structure and solar system formation. This paper describes the broad physics program addressed by solar neutrino studies, presents the current suite of experiments programs, and describes several potential future detectors that could address the open questions in this field. This paper is a summary of a talk presented at the Neutrino 2014 conference in Boston.

Everything under the sun: A review of solar neutrinos

DOE PAGES

Gann, Gabriel D. Orebi

2015-07-15

Solar neutrinos offer a unique opportunity to study the interaction of neutrinos with matter, a sensitive search for potential new physics effects, and a probe of solar structure and solar system formation. This paper describes the broad physics program addressed by solar neutrino studies, presents the current suite of experiments programs, and describes several potential future detectors that could address the open questions in this field. This paper is a summary of a talk presented at the Neutrino 2014 conference in Boston.

Pediatric emergencies.

PubMed

Ryan, Erin

2015-03-01

It is important that pediatric critical care nurses possess a thorough understanding of their patient and be able to provide exceptional care, especially during emergent situations in the operating room. This care is accomplished by assessing the pediatric patient, dosing medications accurately and effectively, and performing effective Pediatric Advanced Life Support. Pediatric patients present with unique anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology. Emergencies are reviewed according to organ system, with a focus on definition, presentation, pathophysiology, management, and special considerations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Computer-aided testing of pilot response to critical in-flight events

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Giffin, W. C.; Rockwell, T. H.

1984-01-01

This research on pilot response to critical in-flight events employs a unique methodology including an interactive computer-aided scenario-testing system. Navigation displays, instrument-panel displays, and assorted textual material are presented on a touch-sensitive CRT screen. Problem diagnosis scenarios, destination-diversion scenarios and combined destination/diagnostic tests are available. A complete time history of all data inquiries and responses is maintained. Sample results of diagnosis scenarios obtained from testing 38 licensed pilots are presented and discussed.

Core Knowledge and the Emergence of Symbols: The Case of Maps

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Yi; Spelke, Elizabeth S.

2015-01-01

Map reading is unique to humans but is present in people of diverse cultures, at ages as young as 4 years old. Here, we explore the nature and sources of this ability and ask both what geometric information young children use in maps and what nonsymbolic systems are associated with their map-reading performance. Four-year-old children were given…

Data mining and visualization techniques

DOEpatents

Wong, Pak Chung [Richland, WA; Whitney, Paul [Richland, WA; Thomas, Jim [Richland, WA

2004-03-23

Disclosed are association rule identification and visualization methods, systems, and apparatus. An association rule in data mining is an implication of the form X.fwdarw.Y where X is a set of antecedent items and Y is the consequent item. A unique visualization technique that provides multiple antecedent, consequent, confidence, and support information is disclosed to facilitate better presentation of large quantities of complex association rules.

Toward High-Energy-Density, High-Efficiency, and Moderate-Temperature Chip-Scale Thermophotovoltaics

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-04-02

this architecture include concentrated solar photovoltaics , thermoelectrics , and fuel cells. System Testing. Themicroreactorwas ignitedbyhydrogen...2, 3), thermoelectrics (4, 5), and thermophotovoltaics (TPVs) (6, 7). TPVs present an extremely appealing approach for small-scale power sources due...into spectrally confined thermal radiation, optically coupled to low-bandgap photovoltaic (PV) diodes that are electrically interfaced with a unique

NASA Space Rocket Logistics Challenges

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bramon, Chris; Neeley, James R.; Jones, James V.; Watson, Michael D.; Inman, Sharon K.; Tuttle, Loraine

2014-01-01

The Space Launch System (SLS) is the new NASA heavy lift launch vehicle in development and is scheduled for its first mission in 2017. SLS has many of the same logistics challenges as any other large scale program. However, SLS also faces unique challenges. This presentation will address the SLS challenges, along with the analysis and decisions to mitigate the threats posed by each.

NetMap: a new tool in support of watershed science and resource management.

Treesearch

L. Benda; D. Miller; K. Andras; P. Bigelow; G. Reeves; D. Michael

2007-01-01

In this paper, we show how application of principles of river ecology can guide use of a comprehensive terrain database within geographic information system (GIS) to facilitate watershed analysis relevant to natural resource management. We present a unique arrangement of a terrain database, GIS, and principles of riverine ecology for the purpose of advancing watershed...

The Availability of Instructional Media for Teaching Mentally Retarded Students in Nyanza Region, Kenya

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Odero, Orao Remi

2016-01-01

Learners with mental retardation pose a unique problem to the education system, one not presented by any other exceptionality. In view of the challenges and limitations of these learners, modification of both social and educational environment is fundamental in-order to attain effective schooling for them. One of the best proven medium of teaching…

Use of Learner-Centered Strategies in the Preparation of Community and Technical College Leaders: Assessments by Participating Doctoral Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Browne-Ferrigno, Tricia; Muth, Rodney

2010-01-01

This paper presents assessments by students actively engaged in a recently redesigned Doctor of Education (EdD) program, delivered at a research-extensive university participating in the the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED), to prepare leaders for a statewide system of community and technical colleges. Because a unique feature of…

Clinical limitations of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) classification of uterine fibroids.

PubMed

Laughlin-Tommaso, Shannon K; Hesley, Gina K; Hopkins, Matthew R; Brandt, Kathleen R; Zhu, Yunxiao; Stewart, Elizabeth A

2017-11-01

To determine the reproducibility of classifying uterine fibroids using the 2011 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) staging system. The present retrospective cohort study included patients presenting for the treatment of symptomatic uterine fibroids at the Gynecology Fibroid Clinic at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, USA, between April 1, 2013 and April 1, 2014. Magnetic resonance imaging of fibroid uteri was performed and the images were independently reviewed by two academic gynecologists and two radiologists specializing in fibroid care. Fibroid classifications assigned by each physician were compared and the significance of the variations was graded by whether they would affect surgical planning. There were 42 fibroids from 23 patients; only 6 (14%) fibroids had unanimous classification agreement. The majority (36 [86%]) had at least two unique answers and 4 (10%) fibroids had four unique classifications. Variations in classification were not associated with physician specialty. More than one-third of the classification discrepancies would have impacted surgical planning. FIGO fibroid classification was not consistent among four fibroid specialists. The variation was clinically significant for 36% of the fibroids. Additional validation of the FIGO fibroid classification system is needed. © 2017 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.

Recent advances in medical device triage technologies for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear events.

PubMed

Lansdowne, Krystal; Scully, Christopher G; Galeotti, Loriano; Schwartz, Suzanne; Marcozzi, David; Strauss, David G

2015-06-01

In 2010, the US Food and Drug Administration (Silver Spring, Maryland USA) created the Medical Countermeasures Initiative with the mission of development and promoting medical countermeasures that would be needed to protect the nation from identified, high-priority chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) threats and emerging infectious diseases. The aim of this review was to promote regulatory science research of medical devices and to analyze how the devices can be employed in different CBRN scenarios. Triage in CBRN scenarios presents unique challenges for first responders because the effects of CBRN agents and the clinical presentations of casualties at each triage stage can vary. The uniqueness of a CBRN event can render standard patient monitoring medical device and conventional triage algorithms ineffective. Despite the challenges, there have been recent advances in CBRN triage technology that include: novel technologies; mobile medical applications ("medical apps") for CBRN disasters; electronic triage tags, such as eTriage; diagnostic field devices, such as the Joint Biological Agent Identification System; and decision support systems, such as the Chemical Hazards Emergency Medical Management Intelligent Syndromes Tool (CHEMM-IST). Further research and medical device validation can help to advance prehospital triage technology for CBRN events.

Extrinsic and intrinsic mechanisms by which mesenchymal stem cells suppress the immune system

PubMed Central

Coulson-Thomas, Vivien J.; Coulson-Thomas, Yvette M.; Gesteira, Tarsis F.; Kao, Winston W.-Y.

2016-01-01

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a group of fibroblast-like multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells that have the ability to differentiate into osteoblasts, adipocytes, and chondrocytes. Recent studies have demonstrated that MSCs possess a unique ability to exert suppressive and regulatory effects on both adaptive and innate immunity in an autologous and allogeneic manner. A vital step in stem cell transplantation is overcoming the potential graft-versus-host disease, which is a limiting factor to transplantation success. Given that MSCs attain powerful differentiation capabilities and also present immunosuppressive properties, which enable them to survive host immune rejection, MSCs are of great interest. Due to their ability to differentiate into different cell types and to suppress and modulate the immune system, MSCs are being developed for treating a plethora of diseases, including immune disorders. Moreover, in recent years, MSCs have been genetically engineered to treat and sometimes even cure some diseases, and the use of MSCs for cell therapy presents new perspectives for overcoming tissue rejection. In this review, we discuss the potential extrinsic and intrinsic mechanisms that underlie MSCs’ unique ability to modulate inflammation, and both innate and adaptive immunity. PMID:26804815

Propulsion System for Very High Altitude Subsonic Unmanned Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bents, David J.; Mockler, Ted; Maldonado, Jaime; Harp, James L., Jr.; King, Joseph F.; Schmitz, Paul C.

1998-01-01

This paper explains why a spark ignited gasoline engine, intake pressurized with three cascaded stages of turbocharging, was selected to power NASA's contemplated next generation of high altitude atmospheric science aircraft. Beginning with the most urgent science needs (the atmospheric sampling mission) and tracing through the mission requirements which dictate the unique flight regime in which this aircraft has to operate (subsonic flight at greater then 80 kft) we briefly explore the physical problems and constraints, the available technology options and the cost drivers associated with developing a viable propulsion system for this highly specialized aircraft. The paper presents the two available options (the turbojet and the turbocharged spark ignited engine) which are discussed and compared in the context of the flight regime. We then show how the unique nature of the sampling mission, coupled with the economic considerations pursuant to aero engine development, point to the spark ignited engine as the only cost effective solution available. Surprisingly, this solution compares favorably with the turbojet in the flight regime of interest. Finally, some remarks are made about NASA's present state of development, and future plans to flight demonstrate the three stage turbocharged powerplant.

Space Plasma Exploration by Active Radar (SPEAR induced modifications of the high latitude (78°N) ionosphere observed by both coherent and incoherent radars (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baddeley, L. J.; Haggstrom, I.; Wright, D. M.; Isham, B.; Gallop, P.

2010-12-01

The SPEAR (Space Plasma Exploration by Active Radar) system, which is the newest operational heating facility, is located on Svalbard at 78°N (75° CGM) latitude and, as such, is the highest latitudinally located heating system. The unique geomagnetic location of SPEAR also allows it to be inside the Polar Cap at all local times. It is co-located with several facilities, including the EISCAT Incoherent Scatter Radar. The system is also inside the fields of view of several SuperDARN Coherent Scatter Radars. An overview of the SPEAR system, specific operating modes, as well as data from new, currently undergoing and planned experiments conducted in 2010 will be presented and discussed. Procedures for any future collaborative experiments will also be presented.

Hybrid ODE/SSA methods and the cell cycle model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, S.; Chen, M.; Cao, Y.

2017-07-01

Stochastic effect in cellular systems has been an important topic in systems biology. Stochastic modeling and simulation methods are important tools to study stochastic effect. Given the low efficiency of stochastic simulation algorithms, the hybrid method, which combines an ordinary differential equation (ODE) system with a stochastic chemically reacting system, shows its unique advantages in the modeling and simulation of biochemical systems. The efficiency of hybrid method is usually limited by reactions in the stochastic subsystem, which are modeled and simulated using Gillespie's framework and frequently interrupt the integration of the ODE subsystem. In this paper we develop an efficient implementation approach for the hybrid method coupled with traditional ODE solvers. We also compare the efficiency of hybrid methods with three widely used ODE solvers RADAU5, DASSL, and DLSODAR. Numerical experiments with three biochemical models are presented. A detailed discussion is presented for the performances of three ODE solvers.

Rapid Quench in an Electrostatic Levitator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

SanSoucie, Michael P.; Rogers, Jan R.; Matson, Douglas M.

2016-01-01

The Electrostatic Levitation (ESL) Laboratory at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is a unique facility for investigators studying high-temperature materials. The ESL laboratory's main chamber has been upgraded with the addition of a rapid quench system. This system allows samples to be dropped into a quench vessel that can be filled with a low melting point material, such as a gallium or indium alloy, as a quench medium. Thereby allowing rapid quenching of undercooled liquid metals. Up to eight quench vessels can be loaded into a wheel inside the chamber that is indexed with control software. The system has been tested successfully with samples of zirconium, iron-cobalt alloys, titanium-zirconium-nickel alloys, and a silicon-cobalt alloy. This new rapid quench system will allow materials science studies of undercooled materials and new materials development. In this presentation, the system is described and some initial results are presented.

Analysis of strain-specific genes in glutamic acid-producing Corynebacterium glutamicum ssp. lactofermentum AJ 1511.

PubMed

Nishio, Yousuke; Koseki, Chie; Tonouchi, Naoto; Matsui, Kazuhiko; Sugimoto, Shinichi; Usuda, Yoshihiro

2017-07-11

Strains of the bacterium, Corynebacterium glutamicum, are widely used for the industrial production of L-glutamic acid and various other substances. C. glutamicum ssp. lactofermentum AJ 1511, formerly classified as Brevibacterium lactofermentum, and the closely related C. glutamicum ATCC 13032 have been used as industrial strains for more than 50 years. We determined the whole genome sequence of C. glutamicum AJ 1511 and performed genome-wide comparative analysis with C. glutamicum ATCC 13032 to determine strain-specific genetic differences. This analysis revealed that the genomes of the two industrial strains are highly similar despite the phenotypic differences between the two strains. Both strains harbored unique genes but gene transpositions or inversions were not observed. The largest unique region, a 220-kb AT-rich region located between 1.78 and 2.00 Mb position in C. glutamicum ATCC 13032 genome, was missing in the genome of C. glutamicum AJ 1511. The next two largest unique regions were present in C. glutamicum AJ 1511. The first region (413-484 kb position) contains several predicted transport proteins, enzymes involved in sugar metabolism, and transposases. The second region (1.47-1.50 Mb position) encodes restriction modification systems. A gene predicted to encode NADH-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase, which is involved in L-glutamate biosynthesis, is present in C. glutamicum AJ 1511. Strain-specific genes identified in this study are likely to govern phenotypes unique to each strain.

Loss of functionally unique species may gradually undermine ecosystems

PubMed Central

O'Gorman, Eoin J.; Yearsley, Jon M.; Crowe, Tasman P.; Emmerson, Mark C.; Jacob, Ute; Petchey, Owen L.

2011-01-01

Functionally unique species contribute to the functional diversity of natural systems, often enhancing ecosystem functioning. An abundance of weakly interacting species increases stability in natural systems, suggesting that loss of weakly linked species may reduce stability. Any link between the functional uniqueness of a species and the strength of its interactions in a food web could therefore have simultaneous effects on ecosystem functioning and stability. Here, we analyse patterns in 213 real food webs and show that highly unique species consistently tend to have the weakest mean interaction strength per unit biomass in the system. This relationship is not a simple consequence of the interdependence of both measures on body size and appears to be driven by the empirical pattern of size structuring in aquatic systems and the trophic position of each species in the web. Food web resolution also has an important effect, with aggregation of species into higher taxonomic groups producing a much weaker relationship. Food webs with fewer unique and less weakly interacting species also show significantly greater variability in their levels of primary production. Thus, the loss of highly unique, weakly interacting species may eventually lead to dramatic state changes and unpredictable levels of ecosystem functioning. PMID:21106593

A Cryogenic, Insulating Suspension System for the High Resolution Airborne Wideband Camera (HAWC)and Submillemeter And Far Infrared Experiment (SAFIRE) Adiabatic Demagnetization Refrigerators (ADRs)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Voellmer, George M.; Jackson, Michael L.; Shirron, Peter J.; Tuttle, James G.

2002-01-01

The High Resolution Airborne Wideband Camera (HAWC) and the Submillimeter And Far Infrared Experiment (SAFIRE) will use identical Adiabatic Demagnetization Refrigerators (ADR) to cool their detectors to 200mK and 100mK, respectively. In order to minimize thermal loads on the salt pill, a Kevlar suspension system is used to hold it in place. An innovative, kinematic suspension system is presented. The suspension system is unique in that it consists of two parts that can be assembled and tensioned offline, and later bolted onto the salt pill.

Use of decision support systems as a drought management tool

USGS Publications Warehouse

Frevert, D.; Lins, H.; ,

2005-01-01

Droughts present a unique challenge to water managers throughout the world and the current drought in the western United States is taxing facilities to the limit. Coping with this severe drought requires state of the art decision support systems including efficient and accurate hydrologic process models, detailed hydrologic data bases and effective river systems management modeling frameworks. This paper will outline a system of models developed by the Bureau of Reclamation, the US Geological Survey, the University of Colorado and a number of other governmental and university partners. The application of the technology to drought management in several key western river basins will be discussed.

A Kinematic, Kevlar(registered) Suspension System for an ADR

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Voellmer, George M.; Jackson, Michael L.; Shirron, Peter J.; Tuttle, James G.

2003-01-01

The High Resolution Airborne Wideband Camera (HAWC) and the Submillimeter And Far Infrared Experiment (SAFIRE) will use identical Adiabatic Demagnetization Refrigerators (ADR) to cool their bolometer detectors to 200mK and 100mK, respectively. In order to minimize thermal loads on the salt pill, a Kevlar@ suspension system is used to hold it in place. An innovative, kinematic suspension system is presented. The suspension system is unique in that it consists or two parts that can be assembled and tensioned offline, and later bolted onto the salt pill. The resulting assembly constrains each degree of freedom only once, yielding a kinematic, tensile structure.

Kerosene-base fuels in small gasoline engines. Final report

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

Failla, C.C.; Pouring, A.A.

1991-01-01

This document presents the results of an engineering study to demonstrate the technology for converting small gasoline spark-ignited engines, to burn kerosene type fuels to power small generators (0.5 to 3.0 kw). Commercially available (plus those in the developmental stage), reciprocating, two-stroke, four stroke and rotary engines were evaluated for their conversion potential. Unique combustion systems were identified and trade-off studies conducted on engine type, combustion systems, and modification required to burn kerosene type fuels, with special emphasis given to minimizing life cycle cost. Recommendations for the most feasible system are given.

Adaptive tracking control for a class of stochastic switched systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Hui; Xia, Yuanqing

2018-02-01

The problem of adaptive tracking is considered for a class of stochastic switched systems, in this paper. As preliminaries, the criterion of global asymptotical practical stability in probability is first presented by the aid of common Lyapunov function method. Based on the Lyapunov stability criterion, adaptive backstepping controllers are designed to guarantee that the closed-loop system has a unique global solution, which is globally asymptotically practically stable in probability, and the tracking error in the fourth moment converges to an arbitrarily small neighbourhood of zero. Simulation examples are given to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed schemes.

Development of automated optical verification technologies for control systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Volegov, Peter L.; Podgornov, Vladimir A.

1999-08-01

The report considers optical techniques for automated verification of object's identity designed for control system of nuclear objects. There are presented results of experimental researches and results of development of pattern recognition techniques carried out under the ISTC project number 772 with the purpose of identification of unique feature of surface structure of a controlled object and effects of its random treatment. Possibilities of industrial introduction of the developed technologies in frames of USA and Russia laboratories' lab-to-lab cooperation, including development of up-to-date systems for nuclear material control and accounting are examined.

Fronts in extended systems of bistable maps coupled via convolutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coutinho, Ricardo; Fernandez, Bastien

2004-01-01

An analysis of front dynamics in discrete time and spatially extended systems with general bistable nonlinearity is presented. The spatial coupling is given by the convolution with distribution functions. It allows us to treat in a unified way discrete, continuous or partly discrete and partly continuous diffusive interactions. We prove the existence of fronts and the uniqueness of their velocity. We also prove that the front velocity depends continuously on the parameters of the system. Finally, we show that every initial configuration that is an interface between the stable phases propagates asymptotically with the front velocity.

Bilateral Neuroretinitis and a Unilateral Superior Hemivein Occlusion with Frosted Branch Angiitis Pattern Presenting Simultaneously in Behçet's Disease.

PubMed

Schwartz, Roy; Borok, Sara; Goldstein, Michaella; Kesler, Anat; Regev, Keren; Elkayam, Ori; Habot-Wilner, Zohar

2016-01-01

To report a unique case of Behçet's disease that presented with atypical ocular manifestations. Case report. A 23-year-old homosexual male presented with bilateral anterior uveitis, vitritis, neuroretinitis and a unilateral superior hemivein occlusion with frosted branch angiitis pattern. These were accompanied by systemic findings of recurrent oral aphthous ulcers, erythema nodosum, and neurological and gastrointestinal involvement. A positive HLA-B51 examination supported the diagnosis of Behçet's disease. Neuroretinitis and frosted branch angiitis may be the clinical manifestations of Behçet's disease and may present simultaneously.

Bilateral Neuroretinitis and a Unilateral Superior Hemivein Occlusion with Frosted Branch Angiitis Pattern Presenting Simultaneously in Behçet's Disease

PubMed Central

Schwartz, Roy; Borok, Sara; Goldstein, Michaella; Kesler, Anat; Regev, Keren; Elkayam, Ori; Habot-Wilner, Zohar

2016-01-01

Purpose To report a unique case of Behçet's disease that presented with atypical ocular manifestations. Methods Case report. Results A 23-year-old homosexual male presented with bilateral anterior uveitis, vitritis, neuroretinitis and a unilateral superior hemivein occlusion with frosted branch angiitis pattern. These were accompanied by systemic findings of recurrent oral aphthous ulcers, erythema nodosum, and neurological and gastrointestinal involvement. A positive HLA-B51 examination supported the diagnosis of Behçet's disease. Conclusion Neuroretinitis and frosted branch angiitis may be the clinical manifestations of Behçet's disease and may present simultaneously. PMID:27065852

New insights into the reduction systems of plastidial thioredoxins point out the unique properties of thioredoxin z from Arabidopsis.

PubMed

Bohrer, Anne-Sophie; Massot, Vincent; Innocenti, Gilles; Reichheld, Jean-Philippe; Issakidis-Bourguet, Emmanuelle; Vanacker, Hélène

2012-11-01

In plants, thioredoxins (TRX) constitute a large protein disulphide oxidoreductase family comprising 10 plastidial members in Arabidopsis thaliana and subdivided in five types. The f- and m-types regulate enzymes involved mainly in carbon metabolism whereas the x, y, and z types have an antioxidant function. The reduction of TRXm and f in chloroplasts is performed in the light by ferredoxin:thioredoxin reductase (FTR) that uses photosynthetically reduced ferredoxin (Fd) as a reductant. The reduction system of Arabidopsis TRXx, y, and z has never been demonstrated. Recently, a gene encoding an atypical plastidial NADPH-dependent TRX reductase (NTRC) was found. In the present study, gene expression analysis revealed that both reductases are expressed in all organs of Arabidopsis and could potentially serve as electron donors to plastidial TRX. This ability was tested in vitro either with purified NTRC in presence of NADPH or with a light-driven reconstituted system comprising thylakoids and purified Fd and FTR. The results demonstrate that FTR reduces the x and y TRX isoforms but not the recently identified TRXz. Moreover, the results show that NTRC cannot be an efficient alternative reducing system, neither for TRXz nor for the other plastidial TRX. The data reveal that TRXf, m, x, and y, known as redox regulators in the chloroplast, have also the ability to reduce TRXz in vitro. Overall, the present study points out the unique properties of TRXz among plastidial TRX.

Temporal Information Partitioning Networks (TIPNets): A process network approach to infer ecohydrologic shifts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goodwell, Allison E.; Kumar, Praveen

2017-07-01

In an ecohydrologic system, components of atmospheric, vegetation, and root-soil subsystems participate in forcing and feedback interactions at varying time scales and intensities. The structure of this network of complex interactions varies in terms of connectivity, strength, and time scale due to perturbations or changing conditions such as rainfall, drought, or land use. However, characterization of these interactions is difficult due to multivariate and weak dependencies in the presence of noise, nonlinearities, and limited data. We introduce a framework for Temporal Information Partitioning Networks (TIPNets), in which time-series variables are viewed as nodes, and lagged multivariate mutual information measures are links. These links are partitioned into synergistic, unique, and redundant information components, where synergy is information provided only jointly, unique information is only provided by a single source, and redundancy is overlapping information. We construct TIPNets from 1 min weather station data over several hour time windows. From a comparison of dry, wet, and rainy conditions, we find that information strengths increase when solar radiation and surface moisture are present, and surface moisture and wind variability are redundant and synergistic influences, respectively. Over a growing season, network trends reveal patterns that vary with vegetation and rainfall patterns. The framework presented here enables us to interpret process connectivity in a multivariate context, which can lead to better inference of behavioral shifts due to perturbations in ecohydrologic systems. This work contributes to more holistic characterizations of system behavior, and can benefit a wide variety of studies of complex systems.

Economic modeling of fault tolerant flight control systems in commercial applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Finelli, G. B.

1982-01-01

This paper describes the current development of a comprehensive model which will supply the assessment and analysis capability to investigate the economic viability of Fault Tolerant Flight Control Systems (FTFCS) for commercial aircraft of the 1990's and beyond. An introduction to the unique attributes of fault tolerance and how they will influence aircraft operations and consequent airline costs and benefits is presented. Specific modeling issues and elements necessary for accurate assessment of all costs affected by ownership and operation of FTFCS are delineated. Trade-off factors are presented, aimed at exposing economically optimal realizations of system implementations, resource allocation, and operating policies. A trade-off example is furnished to graphically display some of the analysis capabilities of the comprehensive simulation model now being developed.

Head pose estimation in computer vision: a survey.

PubMed

Murphy-Chutorian, Erik; Trivedi, Mohan Manubhai

2009-04-01

The capacity to estimate the head pose of another person is a common human ability that presents a unique challenge for computer vision systems. Compared to face detection and recognition, which have been the primary foci of face-related vision research, identity-invariant head pose estimation has fewer rigorously evaluated systems or generic solutions. In this paper, we discuss the inherent difficulties in head pose estimation and present an organized survey describing the evolution of the field. Our discussion focuses on the advantages and disadvantages of each approach and spans 90 of the most innovative and characteristic papers that have been published on this topic. We compare these systems by focusing on their ability to estimate coarse and fine head pose, highlighting approaches that are well suited for unconstrained environments.

Simultaneous presentation of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) after enteroviral infection: can ADEM present as the first manifestation of SLE?

PubMed

Kim, J-M; Son, C-N; Chang, H W; Kim, S-H

2015-05-01

Central Nervous System (CNS) involvement of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) includes a broad range of neuropsychiatric syndromes. Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM) is a demyelinating CNS disorder characterized by encephalopathy and multifocal lesions predominantly involving the white matter on brain magnetic resonance imaging. ADEM associated with SLE has been only rarely reported. We report an unusual case of a 17-year-old girl who developed ADEM after enteroviral infection as the first manifestation of SLE. The authors emphasize that the patient's illness was preceded by enteroviral infection and that ADEM occurred before any other symptoms of SLE, which makes this case unique. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

Electrokinetic focusing injection methods on microfluidic devices.

PubMed

Fu, Lung-Ming; Yang, Ruey-Jen; Lee, Gwo-Bin

2003-04-15

This paper presents an experimental and numerical investigation into electrokinetic focusing injection on microfluidic chips. The valving characteristics on microfluidic devices are controlled through appropriate manipulations of the electric potential strengths during the sample loading and dispensing steps. The present study also addresses the design and testing of various injection systems used to deliver a sample plug. A novel double-cross injection microfluidic chip is fabricated, which employs electrokinetic focusing to deliver sample plugs of variable volume. The proposed design combines several functions of traditional sample plug injection systems on a single microfluidic chip. The injection technique uses an unique sequence of loading steps with different electric potential distributions and magnitudes within the various channels to effectuate a virtual valve.

Recurrent Fevers for the Pediatric Immunologist: It's Not All Immunodeficiency.

PubMed

Broderick, Lori

2016-01-01

Autoinflammatory diseases are disorders of the innate immune system, characterized by systemic inflammation independent of infection and autoreactive antibodies or antigen-specific T cells. Similar to immunodeficiencies, these immune dysregulatory diseases have unique presentations, genetics, and available therapies. Given the presentation of fevers, rashes, and mucosal symptoms in many of the disorders, the allergist/immunologist is the appropriate medical home for these patients: to appropriately rule out immunodeficiencies, evaluate for allergic disease, and diagnose and treat recurrent fever disorders. However, many practicing physicians are unfamiliar with the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of autoinflammatory disorders. This review will focus on understanding the signs and symptoms of classic autoinflammatory disorders, introduce newly described monogenic and polygenic disorders, and address the approach to the patient with recurrent fevers to distinguish autoinflammation from immunodeficiency and autoimmunity.

Research on air sprays and unique foam application methods. Phase II report. Laboratory investigation of foam systems

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

Not Available

1982-06-01

The objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of air sprays and foam systems for dust control on longwall double-drum shearer faces. Laboratory testing has been conducted using foam systems and promising results have been obtained. Upon Bureau approval, underground testing will be scheduled to assess the effectiveness of foam systems under actual operating conditions. Laboratory testing of air sprays is being conducted at present. This report presents the results of the laboratory testing of foam systems. Specifically, the results obtained on the evaluation of selected foaming agents are presented, the feasibility investigation of flushing foam through themore » shearer-drum are demonstrated, and conceptual layout of the foam system on the shearer is discussed. The laboratory investigation of the selected foaming agents reveal that the Onyx Microfoam, Onyx Maprosyl and DeTer Microfoam foaming agents have higher expansion ratios compared to the others tested. Flushing foam through the shearer drum is entirely feasible and could be a viable technique for dust suppression on longwall faces.« less

A Study of the Surface Structure of Polymorphic Graphene and Other Two-Dimensional Materials for Use in Novel Electronics and Organic Photovoltaics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grady, Maxwell

For some time there has been interest in the fundamental physical properties of low- dimensional material systems. The discovery of graphene as a stable two-dimensional form of solid carbon lead to an exponential increase in research in two-dimensional and other re- duced dimensional systems. It is now known that there is a wide range of materials which are stable in two-dimensional form. These materials span a large configuration space of struc- tural, mechanical, and electronic properties, which results in the potential to create novel electronic devices from nano-scale heterostructures with exactly tailored device properties. Understanding the material properties at the nanoscale level requires specialized tools to probe materials with atomic precision. Here I present the growth and analysis of a novel graphene-ruthenium system which exhibits unique polymorphism in its surface structure, hereby referred to as polymorphic graphene. Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) investigations of the polymorphic graphene surface reveal a periodically rippled structure with a vast array of domains, each exhibiting xvia unique moire period. The majority of moire domains found in this polymorphic graphene system are previously unreported in past studies of the structure of graphene on ruthenium. To better understand many of the structural properties of this system, characterization methods beyond those available at the UNH surface science lab are employed. Further investigation using Low Energy Electron Microscopy (LEEM) has been carried out at Sandia National Laboratory's Center for Integrated Nanotechnology and the Brookhaven National Laboratory Center for Functional Nanomaterials. To aid in analysis of the LEEM data, I have developed an open source software package to automate extraction of electron reflectivity curves from real space and reciprocal space data sets. This software has been used in the study of numerous other two-dimensional materials beyond graphene. When combined with computational modeling, the analysis of electron I(V) curves presents a method to quantify structural parameters in a material with angstrom level precision. While many materials studied in this thesis offer unique electronic properties, my work focuses primarily on their structural aspects, as well as the instrumentation required to characterize the structure with ultra high resolution.

Three-dimensional analysis of the uniqueness of the anterior dentition in orthodontically treated patients and twins.

PubMed

Franco, A; Willems, G; Souza, P H C; Tanaka, O M; Coucke, W; Thevissen, P

2017-04-01

Dental uniqueness can be proven if no perfect match in pair-wise morphological comparisons of human dentitions is detected. Establishing these comparisons in a worldwide random population is practically unfeasible due to the need for a large and representative sample size. Sample stratification is an option to reduce sample size. The present study investigated the uniqueness of the human dentition in randomly selected subjects (Group 1), orthodontically treated patients (Group 2), twins (Group 3), and orthodontically treated twins (Group 4) in comparison with a threshold control sample of identical dentitions (Group 5). The samples consisted of digital cast files (DCF) obtained through extraoral 3D scanning. A total of 2.013 pair-wise morphological comparisons were performed (Group 1 n=110, Group 2 n=1.711, Group 3 n=172, Group 4 n=10, Group 5 n=10) with Geomagic Studio ® (3D Systems ® , Rock Hill, SC, USA) software package. Comparisons within groups were performed quantifying the morphological differences between DCF in Euclidean distances. Comparisons between groups were established applying One-way ANOVA. To ensure fair comparisons a post-hoc Power Analysis was performed. ROC analysis was applied to distinguish unique from non-unique dentures. Identical DCF were not detected within the experimental groups (from 1 to 4). The most similar DCF had Euclidian distance of 5.19mm in Group 1, 2.06mm in Group 2, 2.03mm in Group 3, and 1.88mm in Group 4. Groups 2 and 3 were statistically different from Group 5 (p<0.05). Statistically significant difference between Group 4 and 5 revealed to be possible including more pair-wise comparisons in both groups. The ROC analysis revealed sensitivity rate of 80% and specificity between 66.7% and 81.6%. Evidence to sustain the uniqueness of the human dentition in random and stratified populations was observed in the present study. Further studies testing the influence of the quantity of tooth material on morphological difference between dentitions and its impact on uniqueness remain necessary. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Secure ADS-B authentication system and method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Viggiano, Marc J (Inventor); Valovage, Edward M (Inventor); Samuelson, Kenneth B (Inventor); Hall, Dana L (Inventor)

2010-01-01

A secure system for authenticating the identity of ADS-B systems, including: an authenticator, including a unique id generator and a transmitter transmitting the unique id to one or more ADS-B transmitters; one or more ADS-B transmitters, including a receiver receiving the unique id, one or more secure processing stages merging the unique id with the ADS-B transmitter's identification, data and secret key and generating a secure code identification and a transmitter transmitting a response containing the secure code and ADSB transmitter's data to the authenticator; the authenticator including means for independently determining each ADS-B transmitter's secret key, a receiver receiving each ADS-B transmitter's response, one or more secure processing stages merging the unique id, ADS-B transmitter's identification and data and generating a secure code, and comparison processing comparing the authenticator-generated secure code and the ADS-B transmitter-generated secure code and providing an authentication signal based on the comparison result.

The performance of spatially offset Raman spectroscopy for liquid explosive detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loeffen, Paul W.; Maskall, Guy; Bonthron, Stuart; Bloomfield, Matthew; Tombling, Craig; Matousek, Pavel

2016-10-01

Aviation security requirements adopted in 2014 require liquids to be screened at most airports throughout Europe, North America and Australia. Cobalt's unique Spatially Offset Raman Spectroscopy (SORS™) technology has proven extremely effective at screening liquids, aerosols and gels (LAGS) with extremely low false alarm rates. SORS is compatible with a wide range of containers, including coloured, opaque or clear plastics, glass and paper, as well as duty-free bottles in STEBs (secure tamper-evident bags). Our award-winning Insight range has been specially developed for table-top screening at security checkpoints. Insight systems use our patented SORS technology for rapid and accurate chemical analysis of substances in unopened non-metallic containers. Insight100M™ and the latest member of the range - Insight200M™ - also screen metallic containers. Our unique systems screen liquids, aerosols and gels with the highest detection capability and lowest false alarm rates of any ECAC-approved scanner, with several hundred units already in use at airports including eight of the top ten European hubs. This paper presents an analysis of real performance data for these systems.

Magnetic-graphitic-nanocapsule templated diacetylene assembly and photopolymerization for sensing and multicoded anti-counterfeiting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nie, Xiang-Kun; Xu, Yi-Ting; Song, Zhi-Ling; Ding, Ding; Gao, Feng; Liang, Hao; Chen, Long; Bian, Xia; Chen, Zhuo; Tan, Weihong

2014-10-01

Molecular self-assembly, a process to design molecular entities to aggregate into desired structures, represents a promising bottom-up route towards precise construction of functional systems. Here we report a multifunctional, self-assembled system based on magnetic-graphitic-nanocapsule (MGN) templated diacetylene assembly and photopolymerization. The as-prepared assembly system maintains the unique color and fluorescence change properties of the polydiacetylene (PDA) polymers, while also pursues the superior Raman, NIR, magnetic and superconducting properties from the MGN template. Based on both fluorescence and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) T2 relaxivity, the MGN@PDA system could efficiently monitor the pH variations which could be used as a pH sensor. The MGN@PDA system further demonstrates potential as unique ink for anti-counterfeiting applications. Reversible color change, strong and unique Raman scattering and fluorescence emission, sensitive NIR thermal response, and distinctive magnetic properties afford this assembly system with multicoded anti-counterfeiting capabilities.Molecular self-assembly, a process to design molecular entities to aggregate into desired structures, represents a promising bottom-up route towards precise construction of functional systems. Here we report a multifunctional, self-assembled system based on magnetic-graphitic-nanocapsule (MGN) templated diacetylene assembly and photopolymerization. The as-prepared assembly system maintains the unique color and fluorescence change properties of the polydiacetylene (PDA) polymers, while also pursues the superior Raman, NIR, magnetic and superconducting properties from the MGN template. Based on both fluorescence and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) T2 relaxivity, the MGN@PDA system could efficiently monitor the pH variations which could be used as a pH sensor. The MGN@PDA system further demonstrates potential as unique ink for anti-counterfeiting applications. Reversible color change, strong and unique Raman scattering and fluorescence emission, sensitive NIR thermal response, and distinctive magnetic properties afford this assembly system with multicoded anti-counterfeiting capabilities. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c4nr03837a

A direct method for calculating instrument noise levels in side-by-side seismometer evaluations

USGS Publications Warehouse

Holcomb, L. Gary

1989-01-01

The subject of determining the inherent system noise levels present in modem broadband closed loop seismic sensors has been an evolving topic ever since closed loop systems became available. Closed loop systems are unique in that the system noise can not be determined via a blocked mass test as in older conventional open loop seismic sensors. Instead, most investigators have resorted to performing measurements on two or more systems operating in close proximity to one another and to analyzing the outputs of these systems with respect to one another to ascertain their relative noise levels.The analysis of side-by-side relative performance is inherently dependent on the accuracy of the mathematical modeling of the test configuration. This report presents a direct approach to extracting the system noise levels of two linear systems with a common coherent input signal. The mathematical solution to the problem is incredibly simple; however the practical application of the method encounters some difficulties. Examples of expected accuracies are presented as derived by simulating real systems performance using computer generated random noise. In addition, examples of the performance of the method when applied to real experimental test data are shown.

Evaluation of the Kloswall longwall mining system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guay, P. J.

1982-04-01

A new longwal mining system specifically designed to extract a very deep web (48 inches or deeper) from a longwall panel was studied. Productivity and cost analysis comparing the new mining system with a conventional longwall operation taking a 30 inch wide web is presented. It is shown that the new system will increase annual production and return on investment in most cases. Conceptual drawings and specifications for a high capacity three drum shearer and a unique shield type of roof support specifically designed for very wide web operation are reported. The advantages and problems associated with wide web mining in general and as they relate specifically to the equipment selected for the new mining system are discussed.

Systems of care for individuals with autism spectrum disorder and serious behavioral disturbance through the lifespan.

PubMed

Lubetsky, Martin J; Handen, Benjamin L; Lubetsky, Michelle; McGonigle, John J

2014-01-01

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder present with unique characteristics, and the interventions designed to address associated challenging behaviors must be highly individualized to best meet their needs and those of their families. This article reviews systems of care to support the child, adolescent, or adult with Autism Spectrum Disorder and/or Intellectual Disability. The review describes mental health/behavioral health services, Intellectual Disability and other support systems, and the systems involved in a child and adolescent's life and transition to adulthood. The types of systems and services, as well as barriers, are delineated with a brief listing of Web sites and references. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Speech-based Class Attendance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faizel Amri, Umar; Nur Wahidah Nik Hashim, Nik; Hazrin Hany Mohamad Hanif, Noor

2017-11-01

In the department of engineering, students are required to fulfil at least 80 percent of class attendance. Conventional method requires student to sign his/her initial on the attendance sheet. However, this method is prone to cheating by having another student signing for their fellow classmate that is absent. We develop our hypothesis according to a verse in the Holy Qur’an (95:4), “We have created men in the best of mould”. Based on the verse, we believe each psychological characteristic of human being is unique and thus, their speech characteristic should be unique. In this paper we present the development of speech biometric-based attendance system. The system requires user’s voice to be installed in the system as trained data and it is saved in the system for registration of the user. The following voice of the user will be the test data in order to verify with the trained data stored in the system. The system uses PSD (Power Spectral Density) and Transition Parameter as the method for feature extraction of the voices. Euclidean and Mahalanobis distances are used in order to verified the user’s voice. For this research, ten subjects of five females and five males were chosen to be tested for the performance of the system. The system performance in term of recognition rate is found to be 60% correct identification of individuals.

TDRSS S-shuttle unique receiver equipment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weinberg, A.; Schwartz, J. J.; Spearing, R.

1985-01-01

Beginning with STS-9, the Tracking and Date Relay Satellite system (TDRSS) will start providing S- and Ku-band communications and tracking support to the Space Shuttle and its payloads. The most significant element of this support takes place at the TDRSS White Sands Ground Terminal, which processes the Shuttle return link S- and Ku-band signals. While Ku-band hardware available to other TDRSS users is also applied to Ku-Shuttle, stringent S-Shuttle link margins have precluded the application of the standard TDRSS S-band processing equipment to S-Shuttle. It was therfore found necessary to develop a unique S-Shuttle Receiver that embodies state-of-the-art digital technology and processing techniques. This receiver, developed by Motorola, Inc., enhances link margins by 1.5 dB relative to the standard S-band equipment and its bit error rate performance is within a few tenths of a dB of theory. An overview description of the Space Shuttle Receiver Equipment (SSRE) is presented which includes the presentation of block diagrams and salient design features. Selected, measured performance results are also presented.

Re-inventing NDE as science — How student ideas will help adapt NDE to the new ecosystem of science and technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meyendorf, Norbert

2018-04-01

Industry 4.0 stands for the fourth industrial revolution that is ongoing at present. Industry 4.0 is a terminology generally used in Europe to characterize the integration of production and communication technologies, the so called "smart factory". Lowering costs and efficient in-time production will be possible for low numbers of unique parts, for example by additive manufacturing (3D printing). A significant aspect is also quality and maintainability of these sometimes unique structures and components. NDE has to follow these trends, but introduce the capability of cyber systems into the inspection and maintenance processes. The author initiated in his NDE introductory class student projects where small groups of students had to identify everyday problems that can be solved by NDE techniques and suggest technical solutions based on today's technology. The results where exiting. After discussing the ecosystem and the present situation of NDE as a science, several of these ideas were presented. Let us listen to the ideas and needs of the young generation to re-invent NDE!

Challenges and models in supporting logistics system design for dedicated-biomass-based bioenergy industry.

PubMed

Zhu, Xiaoyan; Li, Xueping; Yao, Qingzhu; Chen, Yuerong

2011-01-01

This paper analyzed the uniqueness and challenges in designing the logistics system for dedicated biomass-to-bioenergy industry, which differs from the other industries, due to the unique features of dedicated biomass (e.g., switchgrass) including its low bulk density, restrictions on harvesting season and frequency, content variation with time and circumambient conditions, weather effects, scattered distribution over a wide geographical area, and so on. To design it, this paper proposed a mixed integer linear programming model. It covered from planting and harvesting switchgrass to delivering to a biorefinery and included the residue handling, concentrating on integrating strategic decisions on the supply chain design and tactical decisions on the annual operation schedules. The present numerical examples verified the model and demonstrated its use in practice. This paper showed that the operations of the logistics system were significantly different for harvesting and non-harvesting seasons, and that under the well-designed biomass logistics system, the mass production with a steady and sufficient supply of biomass can increase the unit profit of bioenergy. The analytical model and practical methodology proposed in this paper will help realize the commercial production in biomass-to-bioenergy industry. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Controlling tissue microenvironments: biomimetics, transport phenomena, and reacting systems.

PubMed

Fisher, Robert J; Peattie, Robert A

2007-01-01

The reconstruction of tissues ex vivo and production of cells capable of maintaining a stable performance for extended time periods in sufficient quantity for synthetic or therapeutic purposes are primary objectives of tissue engineering. The ability to characterize and manipulate the cellular microenvironment is critical for successful implementation of such cell-based bioengineered systems. As a result, knowledge of fundamental biomimetics, transport phenomena, and reaction engineering concepts is essential to system design and development. Once the requirements of a specific tissue microenvironment are understood, the biomimetic system specifications can be identified and a design implemented. Utilization of novel membrane systems that are engineered to possess unique transport and reactive features is one successful approach presented here. The limited availability of tissue or cells for these systems dictates the need for microscale reactors. A capstone illustration based on cellular therapy for type 1 diabetes mellitus via encapsulation techniques is presented as a representative example of this approach, to stress the importance of integrated systems.

Targeting of Repeated Sequences Unique to a Gene Results in Significant Increases in Antisense Oligonucleotide Potency

PubMed Central

Vickers, Timothy A.; Freier, Susan M.; Bui, Huynh-Hoa; Watt, Andrew; Crooke, Stanley T.

2014-01-01

A new strategy for identifying potent RNase H-dependent antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) is presented. Our analysis of the human transcriptome revealed that a significant proportion of genes contain unique repeated sequences of 16 or more nucleotides in length. Activities of ASOs targeting these repeated sites in several representative genes were compared to those of ASOs targeting unique single sites in the same transcript. Antisense activity at repeated sites was also evaluated in a highly controlled minigene system. Targeting both native and minigene repeat sites resulted in significant increases in potency as compared to targeting of non-repeated sites. The increased potency at these sites is a result of increased frequency of ASO/RNA interactions which, in turn, increases the probability of a productive interaction between the ASO/RNA heteroduplex and human RNase H1 in the cell. These results suggest a new, highly efficient strategy for rapid identification of highly potent ASOs. PMID:25334092

Soda pans of the Pannonian steppe harbor unique bacterial communities adapted to multiple extreme conditions.

PubMed

Szabó, Attila; Korponai, Kristóf; Kerepesi, Csaba; Somogyi, Boglárka; Vörös, Lajos; Bartha, Dániel; Márialigeti, Károly; Felföldi, Tamás

2017-05-01

Soda pans of the Pannonian steppe are unique environments regarding their physical and chemical characteristics: shallowness, high turbidity, intermittent character, alkaline pH, polyhumic organic carbon concentration, hypertrophic condition, moderately high salinity, sodium and carbonate ion dominance. The pans are highly productive environments with picophytoplankton predominance. Little is known about the planktonic bacterial communities inhabiting these aquatic habitats; therefore, amplicon sequencing and shotgun metagenomics were applied to reveal their composition and functional properties. Results showed a taxonomically complex bacterial community which was distinct from other soda lakes regarding its composition, e.g. the dominance of class Alphaproteobacteria was observed within phylum Proteobacteria. The shotgun metagenomic analysis revealed several functional gene components related to the harsh and at the same time hypertrophic environmental conditions, e.g. proteins involved in stress response, transport and hydrolase systems targeting phytoplankton-derived organic matter. This is the first detailed report on the indigenous planktonic bacterial communities coping with the multiple extreme conditions present in the unique soda pans of the Pannonian steppe.

Neurobiological Underpinnings of Math and Reading Learning Disabilities

PubMed Central

Ashkenazi, Sarit; Black, Jessica M.; Abrams, Daniel A.; Hoeft, Fumiko; Menon, Vinod

2013-01-01

The primary goal of this review is to highlight current research and theories describing the neurobiological basis of math (MD), reading (RD), and comorbid math and reading disability (MD+RD). We first describe the unique brain and cognitive processes involved in acquisition of math and reading skills, emphasizing similarities and differences in each domain. Next we review functional imaging studies of MD and RD in children, integrating relevant theories from experimental psychology and cognitive neuroscience to characterize the functional neuroanatomy of cognitive dysfunction in MD and RD. We then review recent research on the anatomical correlates of MD and RD. Converging evidence from morphometry and tractography studies are presented to highlight distinct patterns of white matter pathways which are disrupted in MD and RD. Finally, we examine how the intersection of MD and RD provides a unique opportunity to clarify the unique and shared brain systems which adversely impact learning and skill acquisition in MD and RD, and point out important areas for future work on comorbid learning disabilities. PMID:23572008

48 CFR 211.274-2 - Policy for item unique identification.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Policy for item unique identification. 211.274-2 Section 211.274-2 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEFENSE ACQUISITION REGULATIONS SYSTEM, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE ACQUISITION PLANNING DESCRIBING AGENCY NEEDS Using and Maintaining...

48 CFR 211.274-2 - Policy for unique item identification.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Policy for unique item identification. 211.274-2 Section 211.274-2 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEFENSE ACQUISITION REGULATIONS SYSTEM, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE ACQUISITION PLANNING DESCRIBING AGENCY NEEDS Using and Maintaining...

48 CFR 211.274-2 - Policy for unique item identification.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Policy for unique item identification. 211.274-2 Section 211.274-2 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEFENSE ACQUISITION REGULATIONS SYSTEM, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE ACQUISITION PLANNING DESCRIBING AGENCY NEEDS Using and Maintaining...

48 CFR 211.274-2 - Policy for unique item identification.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Policy for unique item identification. 211.274-2 Section 211.274-2 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEFENSE ACQUISITION REGULATIONS SYSTEM, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE ACQUISITION PLANNING DESCRIBING AGENCY NEEDS Using and Maintaining...

48 CFR 211.274-2 - Policy for unique item identification.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Policy for unique item identification. 211.274-2 Section 211.274-2 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEFENSE ACQUISITION REGULATIONS SYSTEM, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE ACQUISITION PLANNING DESCRIBING AGENCY NEEDS Using and Maintaining...

Graphene based biosensors

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

Gürel, Hikmet Hakan, E-mail: hhakan.gurel@kocaeli.edu.tr; Salmankurt, Bahadır

2016-03-25

Nanometer-sized graphene as a 2D material has unique chemical and electronic properties. Because of its unique physical, chemical, and electronic properties, its interesting shape and size make it a promising nanomaterial in many biological applications. It is expected that biomaterials incorporating graphene will be developed for the graphene-based drug delivery systems and biomedical devices. The interactions of biomolecules and graphene are long-ranged and very weak. Development of new techniques is very desirable for design of bioelectronics sensors and devices. In this work, we present first-principles calculations within density functional theory to calculate effects of charging on nucleobases on graphene. Itmore » is shown that how modify structural and electronic properties of nucleobases on graphene by applied charging.« less

Dynamics of a durable commodity market involving trade at disequilibrium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panchuk, A.; Puu, T.

2018-05-01

The present work considers a simple model of a durable commodity market involving two agents who trade stocks of two different types. Stock commodities, in contrast to flow commodities, remain on the market from period to period and, consequently, there is neither unique demand function nor unique supply function exists. We also set up exact conditions for trade at disequilibrium, the issue being usually neglected, though a fact of reality. The induced iterative system has infinite number of fixed points and path dependent dynamics. We show that a typical orbit is either attracted to one of the fixed points or eventually sticks at a no-trade point. For the latter the stock distribution always remains the same while the price displays periodic or chaotic oscillations.

Native Geoscience: Pathways to Knowledge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bolman, J. R.; Seielstad, G.

2006-12-01

We are living in a definite time of change. Distinct changes are being experienced in our most sacred and natural environments. This is especially true on Native lands. Native people have lived for millennia in distinct and unique ways. The knowledge of balancing the needs of people with the needs of our natural environments is paramount in all tribal societies. This inherent accumulated knowledge has become the foundation on which to build a "blended" contemporary understanding of western science. The Dakota's and Northern California have embraced the critical need of understanding successful tribal strategies to engage educational systems (K-12 and higher education), to bring to prominence the professional development opportunities forged through working with tribal peoples and ensure the continued growth of Native earth and environmental scientists The presentation will highlight: 1) past and present philosophies on building and maintaining Native/Tribal students in earth and environmental sciences; 2) successful educational programs/activities in PreK-Ph.D. systems; 3) current Native leadership development in earth and environmental sciences; and 4) forward thinking for creating proaction collaborations addressing sustainable environmental, educational and social infrastructures for all people. Humboldt State University (HSU) and the University of North Dakota's Northern Great Plains Center for People and the Environment and the Upper Midwest Aerospace Consortium (UMAC) have been recognized nationally for their partnerships with Native communities. Unique collaborations are emerging "bridging" Native people across geographic areas in developing educational/research experiences which integrate the distinctive earth/environmental knowledge of tribal people. The presentation will highlight currently funded projects and initiatives as well as success stories of emerging Native earth system students and scientists.

Genomic and Proteomic Dissection of the Ubiquitous Plant Pathogen, Armillaria mellea: Toward a New Infection Model System

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Armillaria mellea is a major plant pathogen. Yet, no large-scale “-omics” data are available to enable new studies, and limited experimental models are available to investigate basidiomycete pathogenicity. Here we reveal that the A. mellea genome comprises 58.35 Mb, contains 14473 gene models, of average length 1575 bp (4.72 introns/gene). Tandem mass spectrometry identified 921 mycelial (n = 629 unique) and secreted (n = 183 unique) proteins. Almost 100 mycelial proteins were either species-specific or previously unidentified at the protein level. A number of proteins (n = 111) was detected in both mycelia and culture supernatant extracts. Signal sequence occurrence was 4-fold greater for secreted (50.2%) compared to mycelial (12%) proteins. Analyses revealed a rich reservoir of carbohydrate degrading enzymes, laccases, and lignin peroxidases in the A. mellea proteome, reminiscent of both basidiomycete and ascomycete glycodegradative arsenals. We discovered that A. mellea exhibits a specific killing effect against Candida albicans during coculture. Proteomic investigation of this interaction revealed the unique expression of defensive and potentially offensive A. mellea proteins (n = 30). Overall, our data reveal new insights into the origin of basidiomycete virulence and we present a new model system for further studies aimed at deciphering fungal pathogenic mechanisms. PMID:23656496

Genetic and molecular dosimetry of HZE radiation (7-IML-1)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nelson, Gregory A.

1992-01-01

The objectives of the study are to determine the kinetics of production and to characterize the unique aspects of genetic and developmental lesion induced in animal cells by radiation present in the space environment. Special attention is given to heavy charged particles. The organism Caenorhabditis elegans, a simple nematode, is used as a model system for a coordinated set of ground-based and flight experiments.

Charge-coupled device image sensor study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1973-01-01

The design specifications and predicted performance characteristics of a Charge-Coupled Device Area Imager and a Charge-Coupled Device Linear Imager are presented. The Imagers recommended are intended for use in space-borne imaging systems and therefore would meet the requirements for the intended application. A unique overlapping metal electrode structure and a buried channel structure are described. Reasons for the particular imager designs are discussed.

NASA Space Flight Vehicle Fault Isolation Challenges

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Neeley, James R.; Jones, James V.; Bramon, Christopher J.; Inman, Sharon K.; Tuttle, Loraine

2016-01-01

The Space Launch System (SLS) is the new NASA heavy lift launch vehicle in development and is scheduled for its first mission in 2018.SLS has many of the same logistics challenges as any other large scale program. However, SLS also faces unique challenges related to testability. This presentation will address the SLS challenges for diagnostics and fault isolation, along with the analyses and decisions to mitigate risk..

50 years of computer simulation of the human thermoregulatory system.

PubMed

Hensley, Daniel W; Mark, Andrew E; Abella, Jayvee R; Netscher, George M; Wissler, Eugene H; Diller, Kenneth R

2013-02-01

This paper presents an updated and augmented version of the Wissler human thermoregulation model that has been developed continuously over the past 50 years. The existing Fortran code is translated into C with extensive embedded commentary. A graphical user interface (GUI) has been developed in Python to facilitate convenient user designation of input and output variables and formatting of data presentation. Use of the code with the GUI is described and demonstrated. New physiological elements were added to the model to represent the hands and feet, including the unique vascular structures adapted for heat transfer associated with glabrous skin. The heat transfer function and efficacy of glabrous skin is unique within the entire body based on the capacity for a very high rate of blood perfusion and the novel capability for dynamic regulation of blood flow. The model was applied to quantify the absolute and relative contributions of glabrous skin flow to thermoregulation for varying levels of blood perfusion. The model also was used to demonstrate how the unique features of glabrous skin blood flow may be recruited to implement thermal therapeutic procedures. We have developed proprietary methods to manipulate the control of glabrous skin blood flow in conjunction with therapeutic devices and simulated the effect of these methods with the model.

Design, characterization and control of the Unique Mobility Corporation robot

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Velasco, Virgilio B., Jr.; Newman, Wyatt S.; Steinetz, Bruce; Kopf, Carlo; Malik, John

1994-01-01

Space and mass are at a premium on any space mission, and thus any machinery designed for space use should be lightweight and compact, without sacrificing strength. It is for this reason that NASA/LeRC contracted Unique Mobility Corporation to exploit their novel actuator designs to build a robot that would advance the present state of technology with respect to these requirements. Custom-designed motors are the key feature of this robot. They are compact, high-performance dc brushless servo motors with a high pole count and low inductance, thus permitting high torque generation and rapid phase commutation. Using a custom-designed digital signal processor-based controller board, the pulse width modulation power amplifiers regulate the fast dynamics of the motor currents. In addition, the programmable digital signal processor (DSP) controller permits implementation of nonlinear compensation algorithms to account for motoring vs. regeneration, torque ripple, and back-EMF. As a result, the motors produce a high torque relative to their size and weight, and can do so with good torque regulation and acceptably high velocity saturation limits. This paper presents the Unique Mobility Corporation robot prototype: its actuators, its kinematic design, its control system, and its experimental characterization. Performance results, including saturation torques, saturation velocities and tracking accuracy tests are included.

Classical many-particle systems with unique disordered ground states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, G.; Stillinger, F. H.; Torquato, S.

2017-10-01

Classical ground states (global energy-minimizing configurations) of many-particle systems are typically unique crystalline structures, implying zero enumeration entropy of distinct patterns (aside from trivial symmetry operations). By contrast, the few previously known disordered classical ground states of many-particle systems are all high-entropy (highly degenerate) states. Here we show computationally that our recently proposed "perfect-glass" many-particle model [Sci. Rep. 6, 36963 (2016), 10.1038/srep36963] possesses disordered classical ground states with a zero entropy: a highly counterintuitive situation . For all of the system sizes, parameters, and space dimensions that we have numerically investigated, the disordered ground states are unique such that they can always be superposed onto each other or their mirror image. At low energies, the density of states obtained from simulations matches those calculated from the harmonic approximation near a single ground state, further confirming ground-state uniqueness. Our discovery provides singular examples in which entropy and disorder are at odds with one another. The zero-entropy ground states provide a unique perspective on the celebrated Kauzmann-entropy crisis in which the extrapolated entropy of a supercooled liquid drops below that of the crystal. We expect that our disordered unique patterns to be of value in fields beyond glass physics, including applications in cryptography as pseudorandom functions with tunable computational complexity.

Decentralized energy systems for clean electricity access

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alstone, Peter; Gershenson, Dimitry; Kammen, Daniel M.

2015-04-01

Innovative approaches are needed to address the needs of the 1.3 billion people lacking electricity, while simultaneously transitioning to a decarbonized energy system. With particular focus on the energy needs of the underserved, we present an analytic and conceptual framework that clarifies the heterogeneous continuum of centralized on-grid electricity, autonomous mini- or community grids, and distributed, individual energy services. A historical analysis shows that the present day is a unique moment in the history of electrification where decentralized energy networks are rapidly spreading, based on super-efficient end-use appliances and low-cost photovoltaics. We document how this evolution is supported by critical and widely available information technologies, particularly mobile phones and virtual financial services. These disruptive technology systems can rapidly increase access to basic electricity services and directly inform the emerging Sustainable Development Goals for quality of life, while simultaneously driving action towards low-carbon, Earth-sustaining, inclusive energy systems.

Solar System Exploration Augmented by In-Situ Resource Utilization: Human Mercury and Saturn Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Palaszewski, Bryan

2015-01-01

Human and robotic missions to Mercury and Saturn are presented and analyzed. Unique elements of the local planetary environments are discussed and included in the analyses and assessments. Using historical studies of space exploration, in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), and industrialization all point to the vastness of natural resources in the solar system. Advanced propulsion benefitted from these resources in many way. While advanced propulsion systems were proposed in these historical studies, further investigation of nuclear options using high power nuclear thermal and nuclear pulse propulsion as well as advanced chemical propulsion can significantly enhance these scenarios. Updated analyses based on these historical visions will be presented. Nuclear thermal propulsion and ISRU enhanced chemical propulsion landers are assessed for Mercury missions. At Saturn, nuclear pulse propulsion with alternate propellant feed systems and Titan exploration with chemical propulsion options are discussed.

The UARS and open data concept and analysis study. [upper atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mittal, M.; Nebb, J.; Woodward, H.

1983-01-01

Alternative concepts for a common design for the UARS and OPEN Central Data Handling Facility (CDHF) are offered. Costs for alternative implementations of the UARS designs are presented, showing that the system design does not restrict the implementation to a single manufacturer. Processing demands on the alternative UARS CDHF implementations are then discussed. With this information at hand together with estimates for OPEN processing demands, it is shown that any shortfall in system capability for OPEN support can be remedied by either component upgrades or array processing attachments rather than a system redesign. In addition to a common system design, it is shown that there is significant potential for common software design, especially in the areas of data management software and non-user-unique production software. Archiving the CDHF data are discussed. Following that, cost examples for several modes of communications between the CDHF and Remote User Facilities are presented. Technology application is discussed.

D3D augmented reality imaging system: proof of concept in mammography.

PubMed

Douglas, David B; Petricoin, Emanuel F; Liotta, Lance; Wilson, Eugene

2016-01-01

The purpose of this article is to present images from simulated breast microcalcifications and assess the pattern of the microcalcifications with a technical development called "depth 3-dimensional (D3D) augmented reality". A computer, head display unit, joystick, D3D augmented reality software, and an in-house script of simulated data of breast microcalcifications in a ductal distribution were used. No patient data was used and no statistical analysis was performed. The D3D augmented reality system demonstrated stereoscopic depth perception by presenting a unique image to each eye, focal point convergence, head position tracking, 3D cursor, and joystick fly-through. The D3D augmented reality imaging system offers image viewing with depth perception and focal point convergence. The D3D augmented reality system should be tested to determine its utility in clinical practice.

A Systems Engineering Approach to Architecture Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Di Pietro, David A.

2014-01-01

Architecture development is conducted prior to system concept design when there is a need to determine the best-value mix of systems that works collectively in specific scenarios and time frames to accomplish a set of mission area objectives. While multiple architecture frameworks exist, they often require use of unique taxonomies and data structures. In contrast, this presentation characterizes architecture development using terminology widely understood within the systems engineering community. Using a notional civil space architecture example, it employs a multi-tier framework to describe the enterprise level architecture and illustrates how results of lower tier, mission area architectures integrate into the enterprise architecture. It also presents practices for conducting effective mission area architecture studies, including establishing the trade space, developing functions and metrics, evaluating the ability of potential design solutions to meet the required functions, and expediting study execution through the use of iterative design cycles.

A compact eyetracked optical see-through head-mounted display

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hua, Hong; Gao, Chunyu

2012-03-01

An eye-tracked head-mounted display (ET-HMD) system is able to display virtual images as a classical HMD does, while additionally tracking the gaze direction of the user. There is ample evidence that a fully-integrated ETHMD system offers multi-fold benefits, not only to fundamental scientific research but also to emerging applications of such technology. For instance eyetracking capability in HMDs adds a very valuable tool and objective metric for scientists to quantitatively assess user interaction with 3D environments and investigate the effectiveness of various 3D visualization technologies for various specific tasks including training, education, and augmented cognition tasks. In this paper, we present an innovative optical approach to the design of an optical see-through ET-HMD system based on freeform optical technology and an innovative optical scheme that uniquely combines the display optics with the eye imaging optics. A preliminary design of the described ET-HMD system will be presented.

Asymptotic behaviors of a cell-to-cell HIV-1 infection model perturbed by white noise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Qun

2017-02-01

In this paper, we analyze a mathematical model of cell-to-cell HIV-1 infection to CD4+ T cells perturbed by stochastic perturbations. First of all, we investigate that there exists a unique global positive solution of the system for any positive initial value. Then by using Lyapunov analysis methods, we study the asymptotic property of this solution. Moreover, we discuss whether there is a stationary distribution for this system and if it owns the ergodic property. Numerical simulations are presented to illustrate the theoretical results.

The 11th Space Simulation Conference

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bond, A. C. (Editor)

1980-01-01

Subject areas range from specialized issues dealing with the space and entry environments to the environmental testing of systems and complete spacecraft of present-day vintage. Various papers consider: the test and development of several key systems of the orbiter vehicle; integrated tests of complete satellites; new and unique test facilities developed to meet the demanding requirements of high fidelity simulation of test environments; and contamination species, including the instrumentation for detection and measurement of such. Special topics include improved thermal protection methodologies and approaches, sophisticated sensor developments, and other related testing and development areas.

The impact of aging physiology in critical care.

PubMed

Walker, Mandi; Spivak, Mark; Sebastian, Mary

2014-03-01

Aging physiology greatly impacts care delivery in the geriatric patient population. Consideration should be given to addressing the patient-specific needs regarding the systemic changes seen in the aging patient. Each major body system presents its own unique challenges to the critical care practitioner, and a comprehensive understanding of these changes is necessary to effectively care for this patient population. This article summarizes these changes and provides key points for the practitioner to consider when caring for the aging patient in the critical care arena. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Initial processing and analysis of forward- and side-looking data from the Spectrally Agile Frequency-Incrementing Reconfigurable (SAFIRE) radar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ranney, Kenneth; Phelan, Brian; Sherbondy, Kelly; Kirose, Getachew; Smith, Gregory; Clark, John; Harrison, Arthur; Ressler, Marc; Nguyen, Lam; Narayanan, Ram

2017-05-01

A new, versatile, UHF/L band, ultrawideband (UWB), vehicle-mounted radar system developed at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) has recently been exercised at an arid U.S. test site. The unique switching scheme implemented to record data from all receive channels is described, along with the current calibration procedure. Radar and global positioning system (GPS) data collected in both forwardand side-looking configurations are processed, and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images are formed. Results are presented for various target emplacement scenarios.

Rethinking pedagogy for second-order differential equations: a simplified approach to understanding well-posed problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tisdell, Christopher C.

2017-07-01

Knowing an equation has a unique solution is important from both a modelling and theoretical point of view. For over 70 years, the approach to learning and teaching 'well posedness' of initial value problems (IVPs) for second- and higher-order ordinary differential equations has involved transforming the problem and its analysis to a first-order system of equations. We show that this excursion is unnecessary and present a direct approach regarding second- and higher-order problems that does not require an understanding of systems.

Frequency stabilization for mobile satellite terminals via LORAN

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ernst, Gregory J.; Kee, Steven M.; Marquart, Robert C.

1990-01-01

Digital satellite communication systems require careful management of frequency stability. Historically, frequency stability has been accomplished by continuously powered, high cost, high performance reference oscillators. Today's low cost mobile satellite communication equipment must operate under wide ranging environmental conditions, stabilize quickly after application of power, and provide adequate performance margin to overcome RF link impairments unique to the land mobile environment. Methods for frequency stabilization in land mobile applications must meet these objectives without incurring excessive performance degradation. A frequency stabilization scheme utilizing the LORAN (Long Range Navigation) system is presented.

Optical interconnect for large-scale systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dress, William

2013-02-01

This paper presents a switchless, optical interconnect module that serves as a node in a network of identical distribution modules for large-scale systems. Thousands to millions of hosts or endpoints may be interconnected by a network of such modules, avoiding the need for multi-level switches. Several common network topologies are reviewed and their scaling properties assessed. The concept of message-flow routing is discussed in conjunction with the unique properties enabled by the optical distribution module where it is shown how top-down software control (global routing tables, spanning-tree algorithms) may be avoided.

Digital processing of mesoscale analysis and space sensor data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hickey, J. S.; Karitani, S.

1985-01-01

The mesoscale analysis and space sensor (MASS) data management and analysis system on the research computer system is presented. The MASS data base management and analysis system was implemented on the research computer system which provides a wide range of capabilities for processing and displaying large volumes of conventional and satellite derived meteorological data. The research computer system consists of three primary computers (HP-1000F, Harris/6, and Perkin-Elmer 3250), each of which performs a specific function according to its unique capabilities. The overall tasks performed concerning the software, data base management and display capabilities of the research computer system in terms of providing a very effective interactive research tool for the digital processing of mesoscale analysis and space sensor data is described.

Estimates of Monthly Ground-Water Recharge to the Yakima River Basin Aquifer System, Washington, 1960-2001, for Current Land-Use and Land-Cover Conditions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Vaccaro, J.J.; Olsen, T.D.

2007-01-01

Unique ID grid with a unique value per Hydrologic Response Unit (HRU) per basin in reference to the estimated ground-water recharge for current conditions in the Yakima Basin Aquifer System, (USGS report SIR 2007-5007). Total 78,144 unique values. This grid made it easy to provide estimates of monthly ground-water recharge for water years 1960-2001in an electronic format for water managers, planners, and hydrologists, that could be related back to a spatially referenced grid by the unique ID.

Optical synthesizer for a large quadrant-array CCD camera: Center director's discretionary fund

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hagyard, Mona J.

1992-01-01

The objective of this program was to design and develop an optical device, an optical synthesizer, that focuses four contiguous quadrants of a solar image on four spatially separated CCD arrays that are part of a unique CCD camera system. This camera and the optical synthesizer will be part of the new NASA-Marshall Experimental Vector Magnetograph, and instrument developed to measure the Sun's magnetic field as accurately as present technology allows. The tasks undertaken in the program are outlined and the final detailed optical design is presented.

Update on the genomics and basic biology of Brachypodium: International Brachypodium Initiative (IBI).

PubMed

Catalan, Pilar; Chalhoub, Boulos; Chochois, Vincent; Garvin, David F; Hasterok, Robert; Manzaneda, Antonio J; Mur, Luis A J; Pecchioni, Nicola; Rasmussen, Søren K; Vogel, John P; Voxeur, Aline

2014-07-01

The scientific presentations at the First International Brachypodium Conference (abstracts available at http://www.brachy2013.unimore.it) are evidence of the widespread adoption of Brachypodium distachyon as a model system. Furthermore, the wide range of topics presented (genome evolution, roots, abiotic and biotic stress, comparative genomics, natural diversity, and cell walls) demonstrates that the Brachypodium research community has achieved a critical mass of tools and has transitioned from resource development to addressing biological questions, particularly those unique to grasses. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

PSEMA: An Algorithm for Pattern Stimulated Evolution of Music

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mavrogianni, A. N.; Vlachos, D. S.; Harvalias, G.

2008-11-01

An algorithm for pattern stimulating evolution of music is presented in this work (PSEMA). The system combines a pattern with a genetic algorithm for automatic music composition in order to create a musical phrase uniquely characterizing the pattern. As an example a musical portrait is presented. The initialization of the musical phrases is done with a Markov Chain process. The evolution is dominated by an arbitrary correspondence between the pattern (feature extraction of the pattern may be used in this step) and the esthetic result of the musical phrase.

Aeroelastic characteristics of composite bearingless rotor blades

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bielawa, R. L.

1976-01-01

Owing to the inherent unique structural features of composite bearingless rotors, various assumptions upon which conventional rotor aeroelastic analyses are formulated, are violated. Three such features identified are highly nonlinear and time-varying structural twist, structural redundancy in bending and torsion, and for certain configurations a strongly coupled low frequency bending-torsion mode. An examination of these aeroelastic considerations and appropriate formulations required for accurate analyses of such rotor systems is presented. Also presented are test results from a dynamically scaled model rotor and complementary analytic results obtained with the appropriately reformulated aeroelastic analysis.

Checkpoints to the Brain: Directing Myeloid Cell Migration to the Central Nervous System

PubMed Central

Harrison-Brown, Meredith; Liu, Guo-Jun; Banati, Richard

2016-01-01

Myeloid cells are a unique subset of leukocytes with a diverse array of functions within the central nervous system during health and disease. Advances in understanding of the unique properties of these cells have inspired interest in their use as delivery vehicles for therapeutic genes, proteins, and drugs, or as “assistants” in the clean-up of aggregated proteins and other molecules when existing drainage systems are no longer adequate. The trafficking of myeloid cells from the periphery to the central nervous system is subject to complex cellular and molecular controls with several ‘checkpoints’ from the blood to their destination in the brain parenchyma. As important components of the neurovascular unit, the functional state changes associated with lineage heterogeneity of myeloid cells are increasingly recognized as important for disease progression. In this review, we discuss some of the cellular elements associated with formation and function of the neurovascular unit, and present an update on the impact of myeloid cells on central nervous system (CNS) diseases in the laboratory and the clinic. We then discuss emerging strategies for harnessing the potential of site-directed myeloid cell homing to the CNS, and identify promising avenues for future research, with particular emphasis on the importance of untangling the functional heterogeneity within existing myeloid subsets. PMID:27918464

On Time Delay Margin Estimation for Adaptive Control and Optimal Control Modification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nguyen, Nhan T.

2011-01-01

This paper presents methods for estimating time delay margin for adaptive control of input delay systems with almost linear structured uncertainty. The bounded linear stability analysis method seeks to represent an adaptive law by a locally bounded linear approximation within a small time window. The time delay margin of this input delay system represents a local stability measure and is computed analytically by three methods: Pade approximation, Lyapunov-Krasovskii method, and the matrix measure method. These methods are applied to the standard model-reference adaptive control, s-modification adaptive law, and optimal control modification adaptive law. The windowing analysis results in non-unique estimates of the time delay margin since it is dependent on the length of a time window and parameters which vary from one time window to the next. The optimal control modification adaptive law overcomes this limitation in that, as the adaptive gain tends to infinity and if the matched uncertainty is linear, then the closed-loop input delay system tends to a LTI system. A lower bound of the time delay margin of this system can then be estimated uniquely without the need for the windowing analysis. Simulation results demonstrates the feasibility of the bounded linear stability method for time delay margin estimation.

Fine grained event processing on HPCs with the ATLAS Yoda system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Calafiura, Paolo; De, Kaushik; Guan, Wen; Maeno, Tadashi; Nilsson, Paul; Oleynik, Danila; Panitkin, Sergey; Tsulaia, Vakhtang; Van Gemmeren, Peter; Wenaus, Torre

2015-12-01

High performance computing facilities present unique challenges and opportunities for HEP event processing. The massive scale of many HPC systems means that fractionally small utilization can yield large returns in processing throughput. Parallel applications which can dynamically and efficiently fill any scheduling opportunities the resource presents benefit both the facility (maximal utilization) and the (compute-limited) science. The ATLAS Yoda system provides this capability to HEP-like event processing applications by implementing event-level processing in an MPI-based master-client model that integrates seamlessly with the more broadly scoped ATLAS Event Service. Fine grained, event level work assignments are intelligently dispatched to parallel workers to sustain full utilization on all cores, with outputs streamed off to destination object stores in near real time with similarly fine granularity, such that processing can proceed until termination with full utilization. The system offers the efficiency and scheduling flexibility of preemption without requiring the application actually support or employ check-pointing. We will present the new Yoda system, its motivations, architecture, implementation, and applications in ATLAS data processing at several US HPC centers.

Novel materials for electrochemical power sources—introduction of PUREBLACK ® Carbons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barsukov, Igor V.; Gallego, Maritza A.; Doninger, Joseph E.

Graphitization heat treatment of a precursor carbon black was seen to effectively produce a wide variety of forms of partially graphitized nano-sized carbonaceous materials with a set of unique properties, some of which are reported in this paper in comparison with those properties of the precursor carbon material. These novel materials were given the name of PUREBLACK ® Carbons. Among some of the unique properties are: higher conductivity than that of acetylene type carbon blacks due to PUREBLACK ® Carbon's particles having more graphitic structure; very low to zero volatile content (external oxygen, sulfur, etc., groups, which are often believed to be the cause of initiation of self-discharge reactions in batteries); very low equilibrium moisture pickup (20 ppm level), which makes it particularly attractive in lithium metal or lithium-ion based electrochemical systems; high purity. Electrochemical testing of the newly proposed PUREBLACK ® Carbons in several battery systems offers significant promise that it presents a viable solution to the needs of industry.

Generating unique IDs from patient identification data using security models.

PubMed

Mohammed, Emad A; Slack, Jonathan C; Naugler, Christopher T

2016-01-01

The use of electronic health records (EHRs) has continued to increase within healthcare systems in the developed and developing nations. EHRs allow for increased patient safety, grant patients easier access to their medical records, and offer a wealth of data to researchers. However, various bioethical, financial, logistical, and information security considerations must be addressed while transitioning to an EHR system. The need to encrypt private patient information for data sharing is one of the foremost challenges faced by health information technology. We describe the usage of the message digest-5 (MD5) and secure hashing algorithm (SHA) as methods for encrypting electronic medical data. In particular, we present an application of the MD5 and SHA-1 algorithms in encrypting a composite message from private patient information. The results show that the composite message can be used to create a unique one-way encrypted ID per patient record that can be used for data sharing. The described software tool can be used to share patient EMRs between practitioners without revealing patients identifiable data.

Medial prefrontal cortex and the emergence of self-conscious emotion in adolescence

PubMed Central

Somerville, Leah H.; Jones, Rebecca M.; Ruberry, Erika J.; Dyke, Jonathan P.; Glover, Gary; Casey, BJ

2013-01-01

In the present study, we examined the relationship between developmental modulation of socioaffective brain systems and adolescents’ preoccupation with social evaluation. Child, adolescent, and adult participants viewed cues indicating that a camera was alternately off, warming up, or projecting their image to a peer during the acquisition of behavioral-, autonomic-, and neural-response (functional MRI) data. Believing that a peer was actively watching them was sufficient to induce self-conscious emotion that was stronger in adolescents than in children and adults. Autonomic arousal was uniquely heightened in adolescents. These behavioral patterns were paralleled by emergent engagement of the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) and striatum-MPFC connectivity during adolescence, which are thought to promote adolescent-motivated social behavior. These findings demonstrate that adolescents’ self-consciousness is related to age-dependent sensitivity of brain systems critical to socioaffective processes. Further, unique interactions between the MPFC and striatum may provide a mechanism by which social-evaluation contexts influence adolescent behavior. PMID:23804962

The vacuole system is a significant intracellular pathway for longitudinal solute transport in basidiomycete fungi.

PubMed

Darrah, P R; Tlalka, M; Ashford, A; Watkinson, S C; Fricker, M D

2006-07-01

Mycelial fungi have a growth form which is unique among multicellular organisms. The data presented here suggest that they have developed a unique solution to internal solute translocation involving a complex, extended vacuole. In all filamentous fungi examined, this extended vacuole forms an interconnected network, dynamically linked by tubules, which has been hypothesized to act as an internal distribution system. We have tested this hypothesis directly by quantifying solute movement within the organelle by photobleaching a fluorescent vacuolar marker. Predictive simulation models were then used to determine the transport characteristics over extended length scales. This modeling showed that the vacuolar organelle forms a functionally important, bidirectional diffusive transport pathway over distances of millimeters to centimeters. Flux through the pathway is regulated by the dynamic tubular connections involving homotypic fusion and fission. There is also a strongly predicted interaction among vacuolar organization, predicted diffusion transport distances, and the architecture of the branching colony margin.

Development of the NASA-Ames low disturbance supersonic wind tunnel for transition research up to Mach 2.5

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wolf, Stephen W. D.; Laub, James A.; King, Lyndell S.; Reda, Daniel C.

1992-01-01

A unique, low-disturbance supersonic wind tunnel is being developed at NASA-Ames to support supersonic laminar flow control research at cruise Mach numbers of the High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT). The distinctive aerodynamic features of this new quiet tunnel will be a low-disturbance settling chamber, laminar boundary layers on the nozzle walls and steady supersonic diffuser flow. Furthermore, this new wind tunnel will operate continuously at uniquely low compression ratios (less than unity). This feature allows an existing non-specialist compressor to be used as a major part of the drive system. In this paper, we highlight activities associated with drive system development, the establishment of natural laminar flow on the test section walls, and instrumentation development for transition detection. Experimental results from an 1/8th-scale model of the supersonic wind tunnel are presented and discussed in association with theoretical predictions. Plans are progressing to build the full-scale wind tunnel by the end of 1993.

Systemic characterization and evaluation of particle packings as initial sets for discrete element simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morfa, Carlos Recarey; Cortés, Lucía Argüelles; Farias, Márcio Muniz de; Morales, Irvin Pablo Pérez; Valera, Roberto Roselló; Oñate, Eugenio

2018-07-01

A methodology that comprises several characterization properties for particle packings is proposed in this paper. The methodology takes into account factors such as dimension and shape of particles, space occupation, homogeneity, connectivity and isotropy, among others. This classification and integration of several properties allows to carry out a characterization process to systemically evaluate the particle packings in order to guarantee the quality of the initial meshes in discrete element simulations, in both the micro- and the macroscales. Several new properties were created, and improvements in existing ones are presented. Properties from other disciplines were adapted to be used in the evaluation of particle systems. The methodology allows to easily characterize media at the level of the microscale (continuous geometries—steels, rocks microstructures, etc., and discrete geometries) and the macroscale. A global, systemic and integral system for characterizing and evaluating particle sets, based on fuzzy logic, is presented. Such system allows researchers to have a unique evaluation criterion based on the aim of their research. Examples of applications are shown.

Fifteen Years of Operation at NASA's National Transonic Facility with the World's Largest Adjustable Speed Drive

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sydnor, George H.; Bhatia, Ram; Krattiger, Hansueli; Mylius, Justus; Schafer, D.

2012-01-01

In September 1995, a project was initiated to replace the existing drive line at NASA's most unique transonic wind tunnel, the National Transonic Facility (NTF), with a single 101 MW synchronous motor driven by a Load Commutated Inverter (LCI). This Adjustable Speed Drive (ASD) system also included a custom four-winding transformer, harmonic filter, exciter, switch gear, control system, and feeder cable. The complete system requirements and design details have previously been presented and published [1], as well as the commissioning and acceptance test results [2]. The NTF was returned to service in December 1997 with the new drive system powering the fan. Today, this installation still represents the world s largest horizontal single motor/drive combination. This paper describes some significant events that occurred with the drive system during the first 15 years of service. These noteworthy issues are analyzed and root causes presented. Improvements that have substantially increased the long term viability of the system are given.

Systemic characterization and evaluation of particle packings as initial sets for discrete element simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morfa, Carlos Recarey; Cortés, Lucía Argüelles; Farias, Márcio Muniz de; Morales, Irvin Pablo Pérez; Valera, Roberto Roselló; Oñate, Eugenio

2017-10-01

A methodology that comprises several characterization properties for particle packings is proposed in this paper. The methodology takes into account factors such as dimension and shape of particles, space occupation, homogeneity, connectivity and isotropy, among others. This classification and integration of several properties allows to carry out a characterization process to systemically evaluate the particle packings in order to guarantee the quality of the initial meshes in discrete element simulations, in both the micro- and the macroscales. Several new properties were created, and improvements in existing ones are presented. Properties from other disciplines were adapted to be used in the evaluation of particle systems. The methodology allows to easily characterize media at the level of the microscale (continuous geometries—steels, rocks microstructures, etc., and discrete geometries) and the macroscale. A global, systemic and integral system for characterizing and evaluating particle sets, based on fuzzy logic, is presented. Such system allows researchers to have a unique evaluation criterion based on the aim of their research. Examples of applications are shown.

Development of the International Space Station (ISS) Fine Water Mist (FWM) Portable Fire Extinguisher

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rodriquez, Branelle; Graf, John; Carlile, Christie; Young, GIna

2012-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is developing a Fine Water Mist (FWM) Portable Fire Extinguisher (PFE) for use on the International Space Station (ISS). The ISS presently uses two different types of fire extinguishers: a water foam extinguisher in the Russian Segment, and a carbon dioxide extinguisher in the United States Orbital Segments, which include Columbus and Kibo pressurized elements. Currently, there are operational concerns with the emergency breathing equipment and the carbon dioxide extinguisher. The toxicity of the carbon dioxide requires the crew members to have an oxygen supply present during a fire event, therefore inherently creating an unsafe environment. The FWM PFE extinguishes a fire without creating a hazardous breathing environment for crew members. The following paper will discuss the unique functional and performance requirements that have been levied on the FWM PFE, identify unique microgravity design considerations for liquid and gas systems, as well as discuss the NASA ISS specific fire standards that were developed to establish an acceptable portable fire extinguisher s performance.

Rationally designed fluorescently labeled sulfate-binding protein mutants: evaluation in the development of a sensing system for sulfate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shrestha, Suresh; Salins, Lyndon L E.; Mark Ensor, C.; Daunert, Sylvia

2002-01-01

Periplasmic binding proteins from E. coli undergo large conformational changes upon binding their respective ligands. By attaching a fluorescent probe at rationally selected unique sites on the protein, these conformational changes in the protein can be monitored by measuring the changes in fluorescence intensity of the probe which allow the development of reagentless sensing systems for their corresponding ligands. In this work, we evaluated several sites on bacterial periplasmic sulfate-binding protein (SBP) for attachment of a fluorescent probe and rationally designed a reagentless sensing system for sulfate. Eight different mutants of SBP were prepared by employing the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to introduce a unique cysteine residue at a specific location on the protein. The sites Gly55, Ser90, Ser129, Ala140, Leu145, Ser171, Val181, and Gly186 were chosen for mutagenesis by studying the three-dimensional X-ray crystal structure of SBP. An environment-sensitive fluorescent probe (MDCC) was then attached site-specifically to the protein through the sulfhydryl group of the unique cysteine residue introduced. Each fluorescent probe-conjugated SBP mutant was characterized in terms of its fluorescence properties and Ser171 was determined to be the best site for the attachment of the fluorescent probe that would allow for the development of a reagentless sensing system for sulfate. Three different environment-sensitive fluorescent probes (1,5-IAEDANS, MDCC, and acylodan) were studied with the SBP171 mutant protein. A calibration curve for sulfate was constructed using the labeled protein and relating the change in the fluorescence intensity with the amount of sulfate present in the sample. The detection limit for sulfate was found to be in the submicromolar range using this system. The selectivity of the sensing system was demonstrated by evaluating its response to other anions. A fast and selective sensing system with detection limits for sulfate in the submicromolar range was developed. Copyright 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 78: 517-526, 2002.

Understanding Plasmas with a High Degree of Correlation Through Modeling: From Rydberg and Fermionic Plasmas to Penning Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christlieb, Andrew

2015-09-01

Ultra cold neutral plasmas have gained attention over the past 15 years as being a unique environment for studying moderately to strongly coupled neutral systems. The first ultra cold neutral plasmas were generated by ionizing a Bose Einstein condensate, generating a plasma with .1K ions and 2-4K electrons. These neutral plasmas have the unique property that the ratio of their potential energy to their kinetic energy, (Γ = PE / KE), can greatly exceed 1, leading to a strongly correlated system. The high degree of correlation means that everything from wave propagation through collision dynamics behaves quite differently from their counterpart in traditional neutral plasmas. Currently, a range of gases and different methods for cooling have been used to generate these plasmas from supersonic expansion, through penning trap configurations (reference Tom, Jake and Ed). These systems have time scales form picoseconds to milliseconds have a particle numbers from 105 to 109. These systems present a unique environment for studying the physics of correlation due to their low particle number and small size. We start by reviewing ultra cold plasmas and the current sate of the art in generating these correlated systems. Then we introduce the methods we will use for exploring these systems through direct simulation of Molecular Dynamics models; Momentum Dependent Potentials, Treecodes and Particle-Particle Particle-Mesh methods. We use these tools to look at two key areas of ultra cold plasmas; development of methods to generate a plasma with a Γ >> 1 and the impact of correlation of collisional relaxation. Our eventual goal is to use what we learn to develop models that can simulate correlation in large plasma systems that are outside of the scope of Molecular Dynamics models. In collaboration with Gautham Dharmuman, Mayur Jain, Michael Murillo and John Verboncoeur. This work it supposed by Air Force Office of Scientific Research.

Status of the NPP and J1 NOAA Unique Combined Atmospheric Processing System (NUCAPS): recent algorithm enhancements geared toward validation and near real time users applications.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gambacorta, A.; Nalli, N. R.; Tan, C.; Iturbide-Sanchez, F.; Wilson, M.; Zhang, K.; Xiong, X.; Barnet, C. D.; Sun, B.; Zhou, L.; Wheeler, A.; Reale, A.; Goldberg, M.

2017-12-01

The NOAA Unique Combined Atmospheric Processing System (NUCAPS) is the NOAA operational algorithm to retrieve thermodynamic and composition variables from hyper spectral thermal sounders such as CrIS, IASI and AIRS. The combined use of microwave sounders, such as ATMS, AMSU and MHS, enables full atmospheric sounding of the atmospheric column under all-sky conditions. NUCAPS retrieval products are accessible in near real time (about 1.5 hour delay) through the NOAA Comprehensive Large Array-data Stewardship System (CLASS). Since February 2015, NUCAPS retrievals have been also accessible via Direct Broadcast, with unprecedented low latency of less than 0.5 hours. NUCAPS builds on a long-term, multi-agency investment on algorithm research and development. The uniqueness of this algorithm consists in a number of features that are key in providing highly accurate and stable atmospheric retrievals, suitable for real time weather and air quality applications. Firstly, maximizing the use of the information content present in hyper spectral thermal measurements forms the foundation of the NUCAPS retrieval algorithm. Secondly, NUCAPS is a modular, name-list driven design. It can process multiple hyper spectral infrared sounders (on Aqua, NPP, MetOp and JPSS series) by mean of the same exact retrieval software executable and underlying spectroscopy. Finally, a cloud-clearing algorithm and a synergetic use of microwave radiance measurements enable full vertical sounding of the atmosphere, under all-sky regimes. As we transition toward improved hyper spectral missions, assessing retrieval skill and consistency across multiple platforms becomes a priority for real time users applications. Focus of this presentation is a general introduction on the recent improvements in the delivery of the NUCAPS full spectral resolution upgrade and an overview of the lessons learned from the 2017 Hazardous Weather Test bed Spring Experiment. Test cases will be shown on the use of NPP and MetOp NUCAPS under pre-convective, capping inversion and dry layer intrusion events.

A cricket Gene Index: a genomic resource for studying neurobiology, speciation, and molecular evolution

PubMed Central

Danley, Patrick D; Mullen, Sean P; Liu, Fenglong; Nene, Vishvanath; Quackenbush, John; Shaw, Kerry L

2007-01-01

Background As the developmental costs of genomic tools decline, genomic approaches to non-model systems are becoming more feasible. Many of these systems may lack advanced genetic tools but are extremely valuable models in other biological fields. Here we report the development of expressed sequence tags (EST's) in an orthopteroid insect, a model for the study of neurobiology, speciation, and evolution. Results We report the sequencing of 14,502 EST's from clones derived from a nerve cord cDNA library, and the subsequent construction of a Gene Index from these sequences, from the Hawaiian trigonidiine cricket Laupala kohalensis. The Gene Index contains 8607 unique sequences comprised of 2575 tentative consensus (TC) sequences and 6032 singletons. For each of the unique sequences, an attempt was made to assign a provisional annotation and to categorize its function using a Gene Ontology-based classification through a sequence-based comparison to known proteins. In addition, a set of unique 70 base pair oligomers that can be used for DNA microarrays was developed. All Gene Index information is posted at the DFCI Gene Indices web page Conclusion Orthopterans are models used to understand the neurophysiological basis of complex motor patterns such as flight and stridulation. The sequences presented in the cricket Gene Index will provide neurophysiologists with many genetic tools that have been largely absent in this field. The cricket Gene Index is one of only two gene indices to be developed in an evolutionary model system. Species within the genus Laupala have speciated recently, rapidly, and extensively. Therefore, the genes identified in the cricket Gene Index can be used to study the genomics of speciation. Furthermore, this gene index represents a significant EST resources for basal insects. As such, this resource is a valuable comparative tool for the understanding of invertebrate molecular evolution. The sequences presented here will provide much needed genomic resources for three distinct but overlapping fields of inquiry: neurobiology, speciation, and molecular evolution. PMID:17459168

Consolidated principles for screening based on a systematic review and consensus process.

PubMed

Dobrow, Mark J; Hagens, Victoria; Chafe, Roger; Sullivan, Terrence; Rabeneck, Linda

2018-04-09

In 1968, Wilson and Jungner published 10 principles of screening that often represent the de facto starting point for screening decisions today; 50 years on, are these principles still the right ones? Our objectives were to review published work that presents principles for population-based screening decisions since Wilson and Jungner's seminal publication, and to conduct a Delphi consensus process to assess the review results. We conducted a systematic review and modified Delphi consensus process. We searched multiple databases for articles published in English in 1968 or later that were intended to guide population-based screening decisions, described development and modification of principles, and presented principles as a set or list. Identified sets were compared for basic characteristics (e.g., number, categorization), a citation analysis was conducted, and principles were iteratively synthesized and consolidated into categories to assess evolution. Participants in the consensus process assessed the level of agreement with the importance and interpretability of the consolidated screening principles. We identified 41 sets and 367 unique principles. Each unique principle was coded to 12 consolidated decision principles that were further categorized as disease/condition, test/intervention or program/system principles. Program or system issues were the focus of 3 of Wilson and Jungner's 10 principles, but comprised almost half of all unique principles identified in the review. The 12 consolidated principles were assessed through 2 rounds of the consensus process, leading to specific refinements to improve their relevance and interpretability. No gaps or missing principles were identified. Wilson and Jungner's principles are remarkably enduring, but increasingly reflect a truncated version of contemporary thinking on screening that does not fully capture subsequent focus on program or system principles. Ultimately, this review and consensus process provides a comprehensive and iterative modernization of guidance to inform population-based screening decisions. © 2018 Joule Inc. or its licensors.

Consolidated principles for screening based on a systematic review and consensus process

PubMed Central

Hagens, Victoria; Chafe, Roger; Sullivan, Terrence; Rabeneck, Linda

2018-01-01

BACKGROUND: In 1968, Wilson and Jungner published 10 principles of screening that often represent the de facto starting point for screening decisions today; 50 years on, are these principles still the right ones? Our objectives were to review published work that presents principles for population-based screening decisions since Wilson and Jungner’s seminal publication, and to conduct a Delphi consensus process to assess the review results. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review and modified Delphi consensus process. We searched multiple databases for articles published in English in 1968 or later that were intended to guide population-based screening decisions, described development and modification of principles, and presented principles as a set or list. Identified sets were compared for basic characteristics (e.g., number, categorization), a citation analysis was conducted, and principles were iteratively synthesized and consolidated into categories to assess evolution. Participants in the consensus process assessed the level of agreement with the importance and interpretability of the consolidated screening principles. RESULTS: We identified 41 sets and 367 unique principles. Each unique principle was coded to 12 consolidated decision principles that were further categorized as disease/condition, test/intervention or program/system principles. Program or system issues were the focus of 3 of Wilson and Jungner’s 10 principles, but comprised almost half of all unique principles identified in the review. The 12 consolidated principles were assessed through 2 rounds of the consensus process, leading to specific refinements to improve their relevance and interpretability. No gaps or missing principles were identified. INTERPRETATION: Wilson and Jungner’s principles are remarkably enduring, but increasingly reflect a truncated version of contemporary thinking on screening that does not fully capture subsequent focus on program or system principles. Ultimately, this review and consensus process provides a comprehensive and iterative modernization of guidance to inform population-based screening decisions. PMID:29632037

ROSAT x ray survey observations of active chromospheric binary systems and other selected sources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramsey, Lawrence W.

1993-01-01

The connection between processes that produce optical chromospheric activity indicators and those that produce x-rays in RS CVn binary systems by taking advantage of the ROSAT All-Sky Survey (RASS) results and our unique ground-based data set was investigated. In RS CVn systems, excess emission in the Ca 2 resonance (K & H) and infrared triplet (IRT) lines and in the Balmer lines of hydrogen is generally cited as evidence for chromospheric activity, which is usually modeled as scaled up solar-type activity. X-ray emission in RS CVn systems is believed to arise from coronal loop structures. Results from spectra data obtained from RASS observations are discussed and presented.

Contaminant Permeation in the Ionomer-Membrane Water Processor (IWP) System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kelsey, Laura K.; Finger, Barry W.; Pasadilla, Patrick; Perry, Jay

2016-01-01

The Ionomer-membrane Water Processor (IWP) is a patented membrane-distillation based urine brine water recovery system. The unique properties of the IWP membrane pair limit contaminant permeation from the brine to the recovered water and purge gas. A paper study was conducted to predict volatile trace contaminant permeation in the IWP system. Testing of a large-scale IWP Engineering Development Unit (EDU) with urine brine pretreated with the International Space Station (ISS) pretreatment formulation was then conducted to collect air and water samples for quality analysis. Distillate water quality and purge air GC-MS results are presented and compared to predictions, along with implications for the IWP brine processing system.

Slurry Coating System Statement of Work and Specification

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

Chan, S. M.

2017-02-06

The Slurry Coating System will be used to coat crystals with a polymer to support Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC (LLNS) research and development at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The crystals will be suspended in water in a kettle. A polymer solution is added, temperature of the kettle is raised and aggregates of the crystals and polymer form. The slurry is heated under vacuum to drive off the solvents and slowly cooled while mixing to room temperature. The resulting aggregates are then filtered and dried. The performance characteristics and fielding constraints define a unique set of requirements for amore » new system. This document presents the specifications and requirements for the system.« less

Contamination Control Assessment of the World's Largest Space Environment Simulation Chamber

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Snyder, Aaron; Henry, Michael W.; Grisnik, Stanley P.; Sinclair, Stephen M.

2012-01-01

The Space Power Facility s thermal vacuum test chamber is the largest chamber in the world capable of providing an environment for space simulation. To improve performance and meet stringent requirements of a wide customer base, significant modifications were made to the vacuum chamber. These include major changes to the vacuum system and numerous enhancements to the chamber s unique polar crane, with a goal of providing high cleanliness levels. The significance of these changes and modifications are discussed in this paper. In addition, the composition and arrangement of the pumping system and its impact on molecular back-streaming are discussed in detail. Molecular contamination measurements obtained with a TQCM and witness wafers during two recent integrated system tests of the chamber are presented and discussed. Finally, a concluding remarks section is presented.

Image Reconstruction for a Partially Collimated Whole Body PET Scanner

PubMed Central

Alessio, Adam M.; Schmitz, Ruth E.; MacDonald, Lawrence R.; Wollenweber, Scott D.; Stearns, Charles W.; Ross, Steven G.; Ganin, Alex; Lewellen, Thomas K.; Kinahan, Paul E.

2008-01-01

Partially collimated PET systems have less collimation than conventional 2-D systems and have been shown to offer count rate improvements over 2-D and 3-D systems. Despite this potential, previous efforts have not established image-based improvements with partial collimation and have not customized the reconstruction method for partially collimated data. This work presents an image reconstruction method tailored for partially collimated data. Simulated and measured sensitivity patterns are presented and provide a basis for modification of a fully 3-D reconstruction technique. The proposed method uses a measured normalization correction term to account for the unique sensitivity to true events. This work also proposes a modified scatter correction based on simulated data. Measured image quality data supports the use of the normalization correction term for true events, and suggests that the modified scatter correction is unnecessary. PMID:19096731

Image Reconstruction for a Partially Collimated Whole Body PET Scanner.

PubMed

Alessio, Adam M; Schmitz, Ruth E; Macdonald, Lawrence R; Wollenweber, Scott D; Stearns, Charles W; Ross, Steven G; Ganin, Alex; Lewellen, Thomas K; Kinahan, Paul E

2008-06-01

Partially collimated PET systems have less collimation than conventional 2-D systems and have been shown to offer count rate improvements over 2-D and 3-D systems. Despite this potential, previous efforts have not established image-based improvements with partial collimation and have not customized the reconstruction method for partially collimated data. This work presents an image reconstruction method tailored for partially collimated data. Simulated and measured sensitivity patterns are presented and provide a basis for modification of a fully 3-D reconstruction technique. The proposed method uses a measured normalization correction term to account for the unique sensitivity to true events. This work also proposes a modified scatter correction based on simulated data. Measured image quality data supports the use of the normalization correction term for true events, and suggests that the modified scatter correction is unnecessary.

Millimeter-scale MEMS enabled autonomous systems: system feasibility and mobility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pulskamp, Jeffrey S.

2012-06-01

Millimeter-scale robotic systems based on highly integrated microelectronics and micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) could offer unique benefits and attributes for small-scale autonomous systems. This extreme scale for robotics will naturally constrain the realizable system capabilities significantly. This paper assesses the feasibility of developing such systems by defining the fundamental design trade spaces between component design variables and system level performance parameters. This permits the development of mobility enabling component technologies within a system relevant context. Feasible ranges of system mass, required aerodynamic power, available battery power, load supported power, flight endurance, and required leg load bearing capability are presented for millimeter-scale platforms. The analysis illustrates the feasibility of developing both flight capable and ground mobile millimeter-scale autonomous systems while highlighting the significant challenges that must be overcome to realize their potential.

Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia presenting with facial nerve paresis: a unique presentation.

PubMed

Smith, Lorie B; Valdes, Yamily; Check, William E; Britt, Peter M; Frankel, Lawrence S

2007-11-01

Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) is a distinct myeloproliferative malignancy of early childhood with a varied clinical presentation that may include failure to thrive, malaise, fever, bleeding, pallor, lymphadenopathy, and hepatosplenomegaly. Skin, pulmonary, and gastrointestinal involvement have also been reported. There are no reports of central nervous system (CNS) involvement at diagnosis of this disease. This is a report of a 21-month old boy who had a right facial paresis at presentation. A brain mass was demonstrated on magnetic resonance imaging and cerebrospinal fluid analysis confirmed CNS leukemic infiltration. We report the presence of CNS infiltration as a part of the natural course of JMML and provide a review of the literature.

Modeling and numerical simulations of the influenced Sznajd model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karan, Farshad Salimi Naneh; Srinivasan, Aravinda Ramakrishnan; Chakraborty, Subhadeep

2017-08-01

This paper investigates the effects of independent nonconformists or influencers on the behavioral dynamic of a population of agents interacting with each other based on the Sznajd model. The system is modeled on a complete graph using the master equation. The acquired equation has been numerically solved. Accuracy of the mathematical model and its corresponding assumptions have been validated by numerical simulations. Regions of initial magnetization have been found from where the system converges to one of two unique steady-state PDFs, depending on the distribution of influencers. The scaling property and entropy of the stationary system in presence of varying level of influence have been presented and discussed.

Modeling and numerical simulations of the influenced Sznajd model.

PubMed

Karan, Farshad Salimi Naneh; Srinivasan, Aravinda Ramakrishnan; Chakraborty, Subhadeep

2017-08-01

This paper investigates the effects of independent nonconformists or influencers on the behavioral dynamic of a population of agents interacting with each other based on the Sznajd model. The system is modeled on a complete graph using the master equation. The acquired equation has been numerically solved. Accuracy of the mathematical model and its corresponding assumptions have been validated by numerical simulations. Regions of initial magnetization have been found from where the system converges to one of two unique steady-state PDFs, depending on the distribution of influencers. The scaling property and entropy of the stationary system in presence of varying level of influence have been presented and discussed.

Sample Manipulation System for Sample Analysis at Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mumm, Erik; Kennedy, Tom; Carlson, Lee; Roberts, Dustyn

2008-01-01

The Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument will analyze Martian samples collected by the Mars Science Laboratory Rover with a suite of spectrometers. This paper discusses the driving requirements, design, and lessons learned in the development of the Sample Manipulation System (SMS) within SAM. The SMS stores and manipulates 74 sample cups to be used for solid sample pyrolysis experiments. Focus is given to the unique mechanism architecture developed to deliver a high packing density of sample cups in a reliable, fault tolerant manner while minimizing system mass and control complexity. Lessons learned are presented on contamination control, launch restraint mechanisms for fragile sample cups, and mechanism test data.

Robust decentralized power system controller design: Integrated approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veselý, Vojtech

2017-09-01

A unique approach to the design of gain scheduled controller (GSC) is presented. The proposed design procedure is based on the Bellman-Lyapunov equation, guaranteed cost and robust stability conditions using the parameter dependent quadratic stability approach. The obtained feasible design procedures for robust GSC design are in the form of BMI with guaranteed convex stability conditions. The obtained design results and their properties are illustrated in the simultaneously design of controllers for simple model (6-order) turbogenerator. The results of the obtained design procedure are a PI automatic voltage regulator (AVR) for synchronous generator, a PI governor controller and a power system stabilizer for excitation system.

Versatile light-emitting-diode-based spectral response measurement system for photovoltaic device characterization.

PubMed

Hamadani, Behrang H; Roller, John; Dougherty, Brian; Yoon, Howard W

2012-07-01

An absolute differential spectral response measurement system for solar cells is presented. The system couples an array of light emitting diodes with an optical waveguide to provide large area illumination. Two unique yet complementary measurement methods were developed and tested with the same measurement apparatus. Good agreement was observed between the two methods based on testing of a variety of solar cells. The first method is a lock-in technique that can be performed over a broad pulse frequency range. The second method is based on synchronous multifrequency optical excitation and electrical detection. An innovative scheme for providing light bias during each measurement method is discussed.

Safe gas handling and system design for the large scale production of amorphous silicon based solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fortmann, C. M.; Farley, M. V.; Smoot, M. A.; Fieselmann, B. F.

1988-07-01

Solarex is one of the leaders in amorphous silicon based photovoltaic production and research. The large scale production environment presents unique safety concerns related to the quantity of dangerous materials as well as the number of personnel handling these materials. The safety measures explored by this work include gas detection systems, training, and failure resistant gas handling systems. Our experiences with flow restricting orifices in the CGA connections and the use of steel cylinders is reviewed. The hazards and efficiency of wet scrubbers for silane exhausts are examined. We have found it to be useful to provide the scrubbler with temperature alarms.

Development of a cross-polarization scattering system for the measurement of internal magnetic fluctuations in the DIII-D tokamak

DOE PAGES

Rhodes, Terry L.; Peebles, William A.; Crocker, Neal A.; ...

2014-08-05

The design and performance of a new cross-polarization scattering (CPS) system for the localized measurement of internal magnetic fluctuations is presented. CPS is a process whereby magnetic fluctuations scatter incident electromagnetic radiation into a perpendicular polarization which is subsequently detected. A new CPS design that incorporates a unique scattering geometry was laboratory tested, optimized, and installed on the DIII-D tokamak. Plasma tests of signal-to-noise, polarization purity, and frequency response indicate proper functioning of the system. Lastly, CPS data show interesting features related to internal MHD perturbations known as sawteeth that are not observed on density fluctuations.

Heat-pump cool storage in a clathrate of freon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomlinson, J. J.

Presented are the analytical description and assessment of a unique heat pump/storage system in which the conventional evaporator of the vapor compression cycle is replaced by a highly efficient direct contract crystallizer. The thermal storage technique requires the formation of a refrigerant gas hydrate (a clathrate) and exploits an enthalpy of reaction comparable to the heat of fusion of ice. Additional system operational benefits include cool storage at the favorable temperatures of 4 to 7 C (40 to 45 F), and highly efficient heat transfer ates afforded by he direct contact mechanism. In addition, the experimental approach underway at ORNL to study such a system is discussed.

Overview of the Altair Lunar Lander Thermal Control System Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stephan, Ryan A.

2010-01-01

NASA's Constellation Program has been developed to successfully return humans to the Lunar surface by 2020. The Constellation Program includes several different project offices including Altair, which is the next generation Lunar Lander. The planned Altair missions are very different than the Lunar missions accomplished during the Apollo era. These differences have resulted in a significantly different thermal control system architecture. The current paper will summarize the Altair mission architecture and the various operational phases. In addition, the derived thermal requirements will be presented. The paper will conclude with a brief description of the thermal control system designed to meet these unique and challenging thermal requirements.

A modern space simulation facility to accommodate high production acceptance testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glover, J. D.

1986-01-01

A space simulation laboratory that supports acceptance testing of spacecraft and associated subsystems at throughput rates as high as nine per year is discussed. The laboratory includes a computer operated 27' by 30' space simulation, a 20' by 20' by 20' thermal cycle chamber and an eight station thermal cycle/thermal vacuum test system. The design philosophy and unique features of each system are discussed. The development of operating procedures, test team requirements, test team integration, and other peripheral activation details are described. A discussion of special accommodations for the efficient utilization of the systems in support of high rate production is presented.

Monte-Carlo Simulation for Accuracy Assessment of a Single Camera Navigation System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bethmann, F.; Luhmann, T.

2012-07-01

The paper describes a simulation-based optimization of an optical tracking system that is used as a 6DOF navigation system for neurosurgery. Compared to classical system used in clinical navigation, the presented system has two unique properties: firstly, the system will be miniaturized and integrated into an operating microscope for neurosurgery; secondly, due to miniaturization a single camera approach has been designed. Single camera techniques for 6DOF measurements show a special sensitivity against weak geometric configurations between camera and object. In addition, the achievable accuracy potential depends significantly on the geometric properties of the tracked objects (locators). Besides quality and stability of the targets used on the locator, their geometric configuration is of major importance. In the following the development and investigation of a simulation program is presented which allows for the assessment and optimization of the system with respect to accuracy. Different system parameters can be altered as well as different scenarios indicating the operational use of the system. Measurement deviations are estimated based on the Monte-Carlo method. Practical measurements validate the correctness of the numerical simulation results.

A drive unit for the instrument pointing system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Birner, R.; Roth, M.

1981-01-01

The requirements, capabilities, and unique design features of the instrument pointing system drive units (DU) are presented. The DU's are identical for all three gimbal axes (elevation, cross elevation, and azimuth) and provide alternating rotation of shaft versus the housing of + or - 180 deg. The design features include: two ball bearing cartridges using cemented carbide balls coated with TiC a layer; redundant brushless torque motors and resolvers; a load by-pass mechanism driven by a dc torque motor to off-load the bearings during ascent/descent, ground transportation, and to provide an emergency breaking capability; and cabling over each gimbal axis by means of cable follow-up consisting of 13 signal and 15 power flat band cable loops. Test results of disturbance torque characteristics are presented.

Results of NASA's First Autonomous Formation Flying Experiment: Earth Observing-1 (EO-1)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Folta, David C.; Hawkins, Albin; Bauer, Frank H. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

NASA's first autonomous formation flying mission completed its primary goal of demonstrating an advanced technology called enhanced formation flying. To enable this technology, the Guidance, Navigation, and Control center at the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) implemented a universal 3-axis formation flying algorithm in an autonomous executive flight code onboard the New Millennium Program's (NMP) Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) spacecraft. This paper describes the mathematical background of the autonomous formation flying algorithm and the onboard flight design and presents the validation results of this unique system. Results from functionality assessment through fully autonomous maneuver control are presented as comparisons between the onboard EO-1 operational autonomous control system called AutoCon(tm), its ground-based predecessor, and a standalone algorithm.

Engineering education as a complex system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gattie, David K.; Kellam, Nadia N.; Schramski, John R.; Walther, Joachim

2011-12-01

This paper presents a theoretical basis for cultivating engineering education as a complex system that will prepare students to think critically and make decisions with regard to poorly understood, ill-structured issues. Integral to this theoretical basis is a solution space construct developed and presented as a benchmark for evaluating problem-solving orientations that emerge within students' thinking as they progress through an engineering curriculum. It is proposed that the traditional engineering education model, while analytically rigorous, is characterised by properties that, although necessary, are insufficient for preparing students to address complex issues of the twenty-first century. A Synthesis and Design Studio model for engineering education is proposed, which maintains the necessary rigor of analysis within a uniquely complex yet sufficiently structured learning environment.

Ambiguity assessment of small-angle scattering curves from monodisperse systems.

PubMed

Petoukhov, Maxim V; Svergun, Dmitri I

2015-05-01

A novel approach is presented for an a priori assessment of the ambiguity associated with spherically averaged single-particle scattering. The approach is of broad interest to the structural biology community, allowing the rapid and model-independent assessment of the inherent non-uniqueness of three-dimensional shape reconstruction from scattering experiments on solutions of biological macromolecules. One-dimensional scattering curves recorded from monodisperse systems are nowadays routinely utilized to generate low-resolution particle shapes, but the potential ambiguity of such reconstructions remains a major issue. At present, the (non)uniqueness can only be assessed by a posteriori comparison and averaging of repetitive Monte Carlo-based shape-determination runs. The new a priori ambiguity measure is based on the number of distinct shape categories compatible with a given data set. For this purpose, a comprehensive library of over 14,000 shape topologies has been generated containing up to seven beads closely packed on a hexagonal grid. The computed scattering curves rescaled to keep only the shape topology rather than the overall size information provide a `scattering map' of this set of shapes. For a given scattering data set, one rapidly obtains the number of neighbours in the map and the associated shape topologies such that in addition to providing a quantitative ambiguity measure the algorithm may also serve as an alternative shape-analysis tool. The approach has been validated in model calculations on geometrical bodies and its usefulness is further demonstrated on a number of experimental X-ray scattering data sets from proteins in solution. A quantitative ambiguity score (a-score) is introduced to provide immediate and convenient guidance to the user on the uniqueness of the ab initio shape reconstruction from the given data set.

A ten-meter optical telescope for deep-space communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shaik, Kamran; Kerr, Edwin L.

1990-01-01

Optical communications using laser light in the visible spectral range is being considered for future deep-space missions. Such a system will require a large telescope in earth vicinity to be used as a receiving station for data return from the spacecraft. A preliminary discussion for a ground-based receiving station consisting of a 10-meter hexagonally segmented primary with high surface tolerance and a unique sunshade is presented.

The BepiColombo/SERENA package: Serena Integrated Test campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orsini, S.; De Angelis, E.; Livi, S.; Lichtenegger, H.; Barabash, S.; Milillo, A.; Wurz, P.; Olivieir, A.; D'Arcio, L.; Philips, M.; Laky, G.; Wieser, M.; Camozzi, F.; Di Lellis, A. M.; Rispoli, R.; Jeszenesky, H.; Mura, A.; Aronica, A.; Lazzarotto, F.; Vertolli, N.

2017-09-01

The activities related to the BepiColombo/ MPO/SERENA Integrated Test (SIT, held in February-March 2017 inside the thermal vacuum facility at the University of Bern, Phys. Inst.) are presented. This campaign has been a unique opportunity to test the experiment performances, with all the four flight-spare instruments of SERENA (ELENA, STROFIO, PICAM, and MIPA, simultaneously operated by the System Control Unit (SCU), in a fully operational configuration.

Total-System Approach To Design And Analysis Of Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Verderaime, V.

1995-01-01

Paper presents overview and study of, and comprehensive approach to, multidisciplinary engineering design and analysis of structures. Emphasizes issues related to design of semistatic structures in environments in which spacecraft launched, underlying concepts applicable to other structures within unique terrestrial, marine, or flight environments. Purpose of study to understand interactions among traditionally separate engineering design disciplines with view toward optimizing not only structure but also overall design process.

Some General Principles in Cryogenic Design, Implementation, and Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dipirro, Michael James

2015-01-01

Brief Course Description: In 2 hours only the most basic principles of cryogenics can be presented. I will concentrate on the differences between a room temperature thermal analysis and cryogenic thermal analysis, namely temperature dependent properties. I will talk about practical materials for thermal contact and isolation. I will finish by describing the verification process and instrumentation used that is unique to cryogenic (in general less than 100K) systems.

VISION: Illuminating the Pathways to a Clean Energy Economy - JISEA 2016 Annual Report

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

2016-03-01

This report demonstrates JISEA's successes over the past year and previews our coming work. The 2016 Annual Report highlights JISEA accomplishments in low-carbon electricity system research, international collaboration, clean energy manufacturing analysis, 21st century innovation strategy, and more. As we look to the coming year, JISEA will continue to navigate complex issues, present unique perspectives, and envision a clean energy economy.

[Buying and distribution of drugs: perceptions of officers of a network of primary health care in the interior of the state of Sao Paulo].

PubMed

Juliani, C M

1995-12-01

The study present analyse the process to buy and distribution of medicaments for the Basic Unit of Health in municipal district of state São Paulo. To achieve some general considerations about the National Politic of Medicaments in Brazil, to emphasize feature relative the its structuration in the Unique System of Health.

Hazards in the theater.

PubMed

Rossol, M; Hinkamp, D

2001-01-01

The authors offer a survey of the myriad and unique safety and health hazards faced past and present by performers and theatrical workers, from preproduction work, through the show, and during the strike (dismantling). Special emphasis is given to health hazards posed by the many new plastic resin systems and adhesives used in set, prop, and costume construction; the hazards of special-effect fogs, smokes, haze, dusts, and pyrotechnic emissions; and theatrical makeup.

WFIRST: Science in the Solar System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milam, Stefanie N.; Holler, Bryan J.; Bauer, James M.; West, Robert; WFIRST Solar System Working Group

2018-01-01

Future space telescopes offer unprecedented sensitivity and spatial resolution at wavelengths that are inaccessible from the ground due to the Earth’s atmosphere, and will work in concert with future in situ robotic crafts and large ground-based facilities to address key questions for planetary science. Additionally, they provide broader perspectives in both targets and timelines for planetary missions that orbit, land, or fly by a given target. Space observatories are not constrained to a specific target, and provide global context as well as source-to-source comparisons that are not always achieved from directed missions.WFIRST will provide imaging and spectroscopic capabilities from 0.6-2.0 μm and will be a potential contemporary and eventual successor to JWST. Observations of asteroids, the giant planets and their satellites, Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs), and comets will be possible through both the Guest Investigator (GI) and Guest Observer (GO) programs. Surveys of minor bodies and time domain studies of variable surfaces and atmospheres are uniquely well-suited for WFIRST with its 0.28 deg2 field of view (at ~0.11”/pixel). We will present our recent study of the capabilities for solar system science and highlight unique cases presented in the WFIRST white paper (arXiv: http://arxiv.org/abs/1709.02763).

Experience of Implementing ISO 15189 Accreditation at a University Laboratory

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

The present article summarizes the authors’ experience with the implementation of a quality management system based on ISO 17025 and ISO 15189 standards at university laboratories. The accreditation of the analytical procedures at the Universidad Mariano Gálvez represented a challenge due to the unique nature of an educational institution and the difference in nature to the standards implemented. Sample handling and care of the patient were combined to achieve an integrated management system. We explain the development of the management system, the obstacles and benefits of the system and concluding that it is possible to design a management system based on ISO 15189 for the university lab that allowed delivering results assuring technical competence to patient care and welfare. PMID:27683499

Application of lasers and pulsed power to coating removal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Young, Chris M.; Moeny, William M.; Curry, Randy D.; McDonald, Ken; Bosma, John T.

1995-03-01

Lasers and other pulsed power systems are uniquely suited for removal of coatings from a wide variety of substrates. Coatings which can be removed by these systems include paint, adhesives, epoxies, dips, rust, scale, and bird droppings. Suitable substrates include wood, metal, cloth, stone, ceramic, plastics, and even skin. These systems have the advantage over chemical stripping or mechanical abrasion in that the substrate is left virtually unharmed and in many cases the residue is reduced to a form that is more easily disposed of without toxic byproducts or expensive refurbishment. Furthermore, laser and other pulsed power based systems can be operated using only local containment without the need for special operator protective gear or complete enclosure of the substrate structure. Additional advantages are gained in these systems because they typically combine multiple removal mechanisms for greater effectiveness. For example, pulsed lasers create rapid heating of the coating. This rapid heating can result in chemical breakdown of the coating, thermomechanical stress induced dislocation, shock wave agitation, and physical ablation. This paper presents some of the latest research findings on coating removal using these systems. A comparative survey of the system technology, effectiveness, cost, and application is presented. Also presented is a survey of the commercial potential for the systems. Systems which are presented include lasers (CW, pulsed, Infrared, UV, etc.), flashlamps, electro-cathodic debonders, electron beams, and glow discharges.

Existence and uniqueness, attraction for stochastic age-structured population systems with diffusion and Poisson jump

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Huabin

2013-08-01

In this paper, the problems about the existence and uniqueness, attraction for strong solution of stochastic age-structured population systems with diffusion and Poisson jump are considered. Under the non-Lipschitz condition with the Lipschitz condition being considered as a special case, the existence and uniqueness for such systems is firstly proved by using the Burkholder-Davis-Gundy inequality (B-D-G inequality) and Itô's formula. And then by using a novel inequality technique, some sufficient conditions ensuring the existence for the domain of attraction are established. As another by-product, the exponential stability in mean square moment of strong solution for such systems can be also discussed.

A data set for evaluating the performance of multi-class multi-object video tracking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakraborty, Avishek; Stamatescu, Victor; Wong, Sebastien C.; Wigley, Grant; Kearney, David

2017-05-01

One of the challenges in evaluating multi-object video detection, tracking and classification systems is having publically available data sets with which to compare different systems. However, the measures of performance for tracking and classification are different. Data sets that are suitable for evaluating tracking systems may not be appropriate for classification. Tracking video data sets typically only have ground truth track IDs, while classification video data sets only have ground truth class-label IDs. The former identifies the same object over multiple frames, while the latter identifies the type of object in individual frames. This paper describes an advancement of the ground truth meta-data for the DARPA Neovision2 Tower data set to allow both the evaluation of tracking and classification. The ground truth data sets presented in this paper contain unique object IDs across 5 different classes of object (Car, Bus, Truck, Person, Cyclist) for 24 videos of 871 image frames each. In addition to the object IDs and class labels, the ground truth data also contains the original bounding box coordinates together with new bounding boxes in instances where un-annotated objects were present. The unique IDs are maintained during occlusions between multiple objects or when objects re-enter the field of view. This will provide: a solid foundation for evaluating the performance of multi-object tracking of different types of objects, a straightforward comparison of tracking system performance using the standard Multi Object Tracking (MOT) framework, and classification performance using the Neovision2 metrics. These data have been hosted publically.

Validation and Demonstration of the NOAA Unique Combined Atmospheric Processing System (NUCAPS) in Support of User Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nalli, N. R.; Gambacorta, A.; Tan, C.; Iturbide, F.; Barnet, C. D.; Reale, A.; Sun, B.; Liu, Q.

2017-12-01

This presentation overviews the performance of the operational SNPP NOAA Unique Combined Atmospheric Processing System (NUCAPS) environmental data record (EDR) products. The SNPP Cross-track Infrared Sounder and Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (CrIS/ATMS) suite, the first of the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) Program, is one of NOAA's major investments in our nation's future operational environmental observation capability. The NUCAPS algorithm is a world-class NOAA-operational IR/MW retrieval algorithm based upon the well-established AIRS science team algorithm for deriving temperature, moisture, ozone and carbon trace gas to provide users with state-of-the-art EDR products. Operational use of the products includes the NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS), along with numerous science-user applications. NUCAPS EDR product assessments are made with reference to JPSS Level 1 global requirements, which provide the definitive metrics for assessing that the products have minimally met predefined global performance specifications. The NESDIS/STAR NUCAPS development and validation team recently delivered the Phase 4 algorithm which incorporated critical updates necessary for compatibility with full spectral-resolution (FSR) CrIS sensor data records (SDRs). Based on comprehensive analyses, the NUCAPS Phase 4 CrIS-FSR temperature, moisture and ozone profile EDRs, as well as the carbon trace gas EDRs (CO, CH4 and CO2), are shown o be meeting or close to meeting the JPSS program global requirements. Regional and temporal assessments of interest to EDR users (e.g., AWIPS) will also be presented.

Col-OSSOS: Colors of the Interstellar Planetesimal 1I/‘Oumuamua

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bannister, Michele T.; Schwamb, Megan E.; Fraser, Wesley C.; Marsset, Michael; Fitzsimmons, Alan; Benecchi, Susan D.; Lacerda, Pedro; Pike, Rosemary E.; Kavelaars, J. J.; Smith, Adam B.; Stewart, Sunny O.; Wang, Shiang-Yu; Lehner, Matthew J.

2017-12-01

The recent discovery by Pan-STARRS1 of 1I/2017 U1 (‘Oumuamua), on an unbound and hyperbolic orbit, offers a rare opportunity to explore the planetary formation processes of other stars and the effect of the interstellar environment on a planetesimal surface. 1I/‘Oumuamua’s close encounter with the inner solar system in 2017 October was a unique chance to make observations matching those used to characterize the small-body populations of our own solar system. We present near-simultaneous g‧, r‧, and J photometry and colors of 1I/‘Oumuamua from the 8.1 m Frederick C. Gillett Gemini-North Telescope and gri photometry from the 4.2 m William Herschel Telescope. Our g‧r‧J observations are directly comparable to those from the high-precision Colours of the Outer Solar System Origins Survey (Col-OSSOS), which offer unique diagnostic information for distinguishing between outer solar system surfaces. The J-band data also provide the highest signal-to-noise measurements made of 1I/‘Oumuamua in the near-infrared. Substantial, correlated near-infrared and optical variability is present, with the same trend in both near-infrared and optical. Our observations are consistent with 1I/‘Oumuamua rotating with a double-peaked period of 8.10 ± 0.42 hr and being a highly elongated body with an axial ratio of at least 5.3:1, implying that it has significant internal cohesion. The color of the first interstellar planetesimal is at the neutral end of the range of solar system g ‑ r and r ‑ J solar-reflectance colors: it is like that of some dynamically excited objects in the Kuiper Belt and the less-red Jupiter Trojans.

Potential Impacts of Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winkler, J. A.

2011-12-01

Climate change is projected to have substantial impacts in the Great Lakes region of the United States. One intent of this presentation is to introduce the Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments Center (GLISA), a recently-funded NOAA RISA center. The goals and unique organizational structure of GLISA will be described along with core activities that support impact and assessment studies in the region. Additionally, observed trends in temperature, precipitation including lake effect snowfall, and lake temperatures and ice cover will be summarized for the Great Lakes region, and vulnerabilities to, and potential impacts of, climate change will be surveyed for critical natural and human systems. These include forest ecosystems, water resources, traditional and specialized agriculture, and tourism/recreation. Impacts and vulnerabilities unique to the Great Lakes region are emphasized.

CMS: A Web-Based System for Visualization and Analysis of Genome-Wide Methylation Data of Human Cancers

PubMed Central

Huang, Yi-Wen; Roa, Juan C.; Goodfellow, Paul J.; Kizer, E. Lynette; Huang, Tim H. M.; Chen, Yidong

2013-01-01

Background DNA methylation of promoter CpG islands is associated with gene suppression, and its unique genome-wide profiles have been linked to tumor progression. Coupled with high-throughput sequencing technologies, it can now efficiently determine genome-wide methylation profiles in cancer cells. Also, experimental and computational technologies make it possible to find the functional relationship between cancer-specific methylation patterns and their clinicopathological parameters. Methodology/Principal Findings Cancer methylome system (CMS) is a web-based database application designed for the visualization, comparison and statistical analysis of human cancer-specific DNA methylation. Methylation intensities were obtained from MBDCap-sequencing, pre-processed and stored in the database. 191 patient samples (169 tumor and 22 normal specimen) and 41 breast cancer cell-lines are deposited in the database, comprising about 6.6 billion uniquely mapped sequence reads. This provides comprehensive and genome-wide epigenetic portraits of human breast cancer and endometrial cancer to date. Two views are proposed for users to better understand methylation structure at the genomic level or systemic methylation alteration at the gene level. In addition, a variety of annotation tracks are provided to cover genomic information. CMS includes important analytic functions for interpretation of methylation data, such as the detection of differentially methylated regions, statistical calculation of global methylation intensities, multiple gene sets of biologically significant categories, interactivity with UCSC via custom-track data. We also present examples of discoveries utilizing the framework. Conclusions/Significance CMS provides visualization and analytic functions for cancer methylome datasets. A comprehensive collection of datasets, a variety of embedded analytic functions and extensive applications with biological and translational significance make this system powerful and unique in cancer methylation research. CMS is freely accessible at: http://cbbiweb.uthscsa.edu/KMethylomes/. PMID:23630576

CMS: a web-based system for visualization and analysis of genome-wide methylation data of human cancers.

PubMed

Gu, Fei; Doderer, Mark S; Huang, Yi-Wen; Roa, Juan C; Goodfellow, Paul J; Kizer, E Lynette; Huang, Tim H M; Chen, Yidong

2013-01-01

DNA methylation of promoter CpG islands is associated with gene suppression, and its unique genome-wide profiles have been linked to tumor progression. Coupled with high-throughput sequencing technologies, it can now efficiently determine genome-wide methylation profiles in cancer cells. Also, experimental and computational technologies make it possible to find the functional relationship between cancer-specific methylation patterns and their clinicopathological parameters. Cancer methylome system (CMS) is a web-based database application designed for the visualization, comparison and statistical analysis of human cancer-specific DNA methylation. Methylation intensities were obtained from MBDCap-sequencing, pre-processed and stored in the database. 191 patient samples (169 tumor and 22 normal specimen) and 41 breast cancer cell-lines are deposited in the database, comprising about 6.6 billion uniquely mapped sequence reads. This provides comprehensive and genome-wide epigenetic portraits of human breast cancer and endometrial cancer to date. Two views are proposed for users to better understand methylation structure at the genomic level or systemic methylation alteration at the gene level. In addition, a variety of annotation tracks are provided to cover genomic information. CMS includes important analytic functions for interpretation of methylation data, such as the detection of differentially methylated regions, statistical calculation of global methylation intensities, multiple gene sets of biologically significant categories, interactivity with UCSC via custom-track data. We also present examples of discoveries utilizing the framework. CMS provides visualization and analytic functions for cancer methylome datasets. A comprehensive collection of datasets, a variety of embedded analytic functions and extensive applications with biological and translational significance make this system powerful and unique in cancer methylation research. CMS is freely accessible at: http://cbbiweb.uthscsa.edu/KMethylomes/.

Round-Trip System Available to Measure Path Length Variation in Korea VLBI System for Geodesy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oh, Hongjong; Kondo, Tetsuro; Lee, Jinoo; Kim, Tuhwan; Kim, Myungho; Kim, Suchul; Park, Jinsik; Ju, Hyunhee

2010-01-01

The construction project of Korea Geodetic VLBI officially started in October 2008. The construction of all systems will be completed by the end of 2011. The project was named Korea VLBI system for Geodesy (KVG), and its main purpose is to maintain the Korea Geodetic Datum. In case of the KVG system, an observation room with an H-maser frequency standard is located in a building separated from the antenna by several tens of meters. Therefore KVG system will adopt a so-called round-trip system to transmit reference signals to the antenna with reduction of the effect of path length variations. KVG s round-trip system is designed not only to use either metal or optical fiber cables, but also to measure path length variations directly. We present this unique round trip system for KVG.

Acute acalculous cholecystitis in systemic lupus erythematosus: a rare initial manifestation.

PubMed

Manuel, Valdano; Pedro, Gertrudes Maria; Cordeiro, Lemuel Bornelli; de Miranda, Sandra Maria da Rocha Neto

2016-01-01

Acute acalculous cholecystitis is a very rare gastrointestinal manifestation in systemic lupus erythematosus and becomes rarer as an initial manifestation. There are only two cases reported. The authors report a 20-year-old black woman that presented acute acalculous cholecystitis revealed by abdominal computed tomography. During hospitalization, she was diagnosed systemic lupus erythematosus. Conservative treatment with antibiotics was performed with complete remission of the symptoms. Corticosteroid was started in ambulatory. Cholecystectomy has been the treatment of choice in acute acalculous cholecystitis as a complication of systemic lupus erythematosus. The patient responded well to conservative treatment, and surgery was not required. This case is unique in the way that corticosteroid was started in ambulatory care. We should not forget that the acute acalculous cholecystitis can be the initial presentation of systemic lupus erythematosus although its occurrence is very rare. Conservative treatment should be considered. Abdominal computed tomography was a determinant exam for better assessment of acute acalculous cholecystitis. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Analysis of high vacuum systems using SINDA'85

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spivey, R. A.; Clanton, S. E.; Moore, J. D.

1993-01-01

The theory, algorithms, and test data correlation analysis of a math model developed to predict performance of the Space Station Freedom Vacuum Exhaust System are presented. The theory used to predict the flow characteristics of viscous, transition, and molecular flow is presented in detail. Development of user subroutines which predict the flow characteristics in conjunction with the SINDA'85/FLUINT analysis software are discussed. The resistance-capacitance network approach with application to vacuum system analysis is demonstrated and results from the model are correlated with test data. The model was developed to predict the performance of the Space Station Freedom Vacuum Exhaust System. However, the unique use of the user subroutines developed in this model and written into the SINDA'85/FLUINT thermal analysis model provides a powerful tool that can be used to predict the transient performance of vacuum systems and gas flow in tubes of virtually any geometry. This can be accomplished using a resistance-capacitance (R-C) method very similar to the methods used to perform thermal analyses.

Integrating observation and statistical forecasts over sub-Saharan Africa to support Famine Early Warning

USGS Publications Warehouse

Funk, Chris; Verdin, James P.; Husak, Gregory

2007-01-01

Famine early warning in Africa presents unique challenges and rewards. Hydrologic extremes must be tracked and anticipated over complex and changing climate regimes. The successful anticipation and interpretation of hydrologic shocks can initiate effective government response, saving lives and softening the impacts of droughts and floods. While both monitoring and forecast technologies continue to advance, discontinuities between monitoring and forecast systems inhibit effective decision making. Monitoring systems typically rely on high resolution satellite remote-sensed normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and rainfall imagery. Forecast systems provide information on a variety of scales and formats. Non-meteorologists are often unable or unwilling to connect the dots between these disparate sources of information. To mitigate these problem researchers at UCSB's Climate Hazard Group, NASA GIMMS and USGS/EROS are implementing a NASA-funded integrated decision support system that combines the monitoring of precipitation and NDVI with statistical one-to-three month forecasts. We present the monitoring/forecast system, assess its accuracy, and demonstrate its application in food insecure sub-Saharan Africa.

A dense array stimulator to generate arbitrary spatio-temporal tactile stimuli

PubMed Central

Killebrew, Justin H.; Bensmaïa, Sliman J.; Dammann, John F.; Denchev, Peter; Hsiao, Steven S.; Craig, James C.

2007-01-01

The generation and presentation of tactile stimuli presents a unique challenge. Unlike vision and audition, in which standard equipment such as monitors and audio systems can be used for most experiments, tactile stimuli and/or stimulators often have to be tailor-made for a given study. Here, we present a novel tactile stimulator designed to present arbitrary spatio-temporal stimuli to the skin. The stimulator consists of 400 pins, arrayed over a 1 cm2 area, each under independent computer control. The dense array allows for an unprecedented number of stimuli to be presented within an experimental session (e.g., up to 1200 stimuli per minute) and for stimuli to be generated adaptively. The stimulator can be used in a variety of modes and can deliver indented and scanned patterns as well as stimuli defined by mathematical spatio-temporal functions (e.g., drifting sinusoids). We describe the hardware and software of the system, and discuss previous and prospective applications. PMID:17134760

An Advanced Photovoltaic Array Regulator Module

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Button, Robert M.

1996-01-01

Current trends in satellite design are focused on developing small, reliable, and inexpensive spacecraft. To that end, a modular power management and distribution system is proposed which will help transition the aerospace industry towards an assembly line approach to building spacecraft. The modular system is based on an innovative DC voltage boost converter called the Series Connected Boost Unit (SCBU). The SCBU uses any isolating DC-DC converter and adds a unique series connection. This simple modification provides the SCBU topology with many advantages over existing boost converters. Efficiencies of 94-98%, power densities above 1,000 W/kg, and inherent fault tolerance are just a few of the characteristics presented. Limitations of the SCBU technology are presented, and it is shown that the SCBU makes an ideal photovoltaic an-ay regulator. A set of photovoltaic power system requirements are presented that can be applied to almost any low Earth orbit satellite. Finally, a modular design based on the series connected boost unit is outlined and functional descriptions of the components are given.

A spectroscopic and photometric study of the unique pre- main sequence system KH 15D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamilton, Catrina Marie

2004-09-01

As a class, T Tauri stars are YSOs, some which are surrounded by circumstellar disks, and are recognized as the final stage of low-mass star formation. They also represent the earliest stage of stellar evolution that is optically visible, and, therefore, can be easily studied in detail. Understanding the processes through which these young stars interact with and eventually disperse their circumstellar disks is critical for understanding how they evolve from the T Tauri phase to the zero age main sequence (ZAMS), and how this affects the formation of planets, as well as their rotational evolution. KH 15D is a unique eclipsing system that could provide invaluable insight into the evolution of circumstellar disk material, as well as clues to the close stellar environment. Discovered in 1997, this star system has been observed to undergo an eclipse every 48 days in which the star's light is diminished by 3.5 magnitudes. What is so unusual about the eclipse is that the length of the eclipse has evolved over time, growing in length from 16 days initially, to ˜25 days in 2002/2003. Evolution of disk material on these timescales has never been observed before, and therefore provides us with a unique opportunity to refine our theories about remnant disks around young stars, how they transition, possibly into planets, and what role they play as the star matures and arrives on the zero age main sequence. Additionally, high resolution spectra obtained at specific phases during the December 2001 eclipse showed that as the obscuring matter cut across the star, dramatic spectral changes in the Hα and Hβ lines were seen. Its unique eclipse produces a “natural coronographic” effect in which the stellar photosphere is occulted, revealing details of its magnetosphere and surroundings during eclipse. There is evidence that the weak-lined T Tauri star (WTTS) central to the system is actively accreting gas, although probably not at the rate of a typical classical T Tauri star, calling into question the common practice of associating WTTS characteristics with the absence of an accretion disk. Here I present an investigation of the photometric and spectroscopic properties of the KH 15D eclipsing system, and discuss the implications that this system holds for the future research of T Tauri stars.

Evaluation of immunization data completeness within a large community health care system exchanging data with a state immunization information system.

PubMed

Hendrickson, Bryan K; Panchanathan, Sarada S; Petitti, Diana

2015-01-01

Information systems are used by most states to maintain registries of immunization data both for monitoring population-level adherence and for use in clinical practice and research. Direct data exchange between such systems and electronic health record systems presents an opportunity to improve the completeness and quality of information available. Our goals were to describe and compare the completeness of the Arizona State Immunization System, the electronic health record at a large community health provider in Arizona exchanging electronic data with the Arizona system, and personal immunization records in an effort to contribute to the discussion on the completeness of state-run immunization registries and data exchange with these registries. Immunization histories from these sources were collected and reviewed sequentially. Unique dates of vaccination administrations were counted for each patient and tagged on the basis of comparisons across sources. We quantified completeness by combining information from all 3 sources and comparing each source with the complete set. We determined that the state registry was 71.8% complete, the hospital electronic health record was 81.9% complete, and personal records were 87.8% complete. Of the 2017 unique vaccination administrations, 65% were present in all 3 sources, 24.6% in 2 of the 3 sources, and 10.4% in only 1 source. Only 11% of patients had records in complete agreement across the 3 sources. This study highlights issues related to data completeness, exchange, and reporting of immunization information to state registries and suggests that there is some degree of deficiency in completeness of immunization registries and other sources. This study indicates that there is a need to strengthen links between electronic data sources with immunization information and describes potential improvements in completeness that such efforts could provide, enabling providers to better rely on state immunization registries and to improve research utilization of immunization information systems.

Operation modes for a linear array of optical flexible reflective analog modulators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doucet, Michel; Picard, Francis; Niall, Keith K.; Jerominek, Hubert

2005-05-01

A unique MEMS based spatial light modulator has been developed by INO and its partners for projection display applications. This unique device incorporates a linear array of micromirrors. Each micromirror is a 25 μm x 25 μm microbridge. Electrostatic actuation allows the control of the curvature of each micromirror independently. Combined with appropriate optics, this allows display of images with well over a thousands columns at a frame rate of 60 Hz. Operation and performance of this modulator have already been reported in the literature (SPIE Proceeding, Vol. 4985, p. 44-55; SPIE Proceeding, Vol. 5289, p. 284-293). In the latter paper, a brief description of various possible operation modes of this modulator has been presented. The objective of the present article is to provide an in-depth study of these operation modes. The study is done using numerical simulations. Several methods are employed to propagate the laser beam illuminating the micromirrors through the optical system. The gaussian beam superposition method is used to propagate the laser beam from the system input to the micromirrors. The reflexion on the micromirrors is computed by ray tracing. Finally, the angular spectrum of plane waves method is used to propagate the reflected coherent beam through Schlieren optics which converts the curvature of the micromirror into gray levels. The simulated optical response of the system as a function of the micromirror curvature is provided for various operation modes.

A Single-Vector Force Calibration Method Featuring the Modern Design of Experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parker, P. A.; Morton, M.; Draper, N.; Line, W.

2001-01-01

This paper proposes a new concept in force balance calibration. An overview of the state-of-the-art in force balance calibration is provided with emphasis on both the load application system and the experimental design philosophy. Limitations of current systems are detailed in the areas of data quality and productivity. A unique calibration loading system integrated with formal experimental design techniques has been developed and designated as the Single-Vector Balance Calibration System (SVS). This new concept addresses the limitations of current systems. The development of a quadratic and cubic calibration design is presented. Results from experimental testing are compared and contrasted with conventional calibration systems. Analyses of data are provided that demonstrate the feasibility of this concept and provide new insights into balance calibration.

NOAA Unique CrIS/ATMS Processing System (NUCAPS) Environmental Data Record and Validation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Q.; Nalli, N. R.; Gambacorta, A.; Iturbide, F.; Tan, C.; Zhang, K.; Wilson, M.; Reale, A.; Sun, B.; Mollner, A.

2015-12-01

This presentation introduces the NOAA sounding products to AGU community. The NOAA Unique CrIS/ATMS Processing System (NUCAPS) operationally generates vertical profiles of atmospheric temperature (AVTP), moisture (AVMP), carbonate products (CO, CO2, and CH4) and other trace gases as well as outgoing long-wave radiation (OLR). These products have been publicly released through NOAA CLASS from April 8, 2014 to present. This paper presents the validation of these products. For AVTP and AVMP are validated by comparing against ECMWF analysis data and dedicated radiosondes. The dedicated radiosondes achieve higher quality and reach higher altitudes than conventional radiosondes. In addition, the launch times of dedicated radiosondes specifically fit Suomi NPP overpass times within 1 hour generally. We also use ground based lidar data provided by collaborators (The Aerospace Corporation) to validate the retrieved temperature profiles above 100 hPa up to 1 hPa. Both NOAA VALAR and NPROVS validation systems are applied. The Suomi NPP FM5-Ed1A OLR from CERES prior to the end of May 2012 is available now for us to validate real-time CrIS OLR environmental data records (EDRs) for NOAA/CPC operational precipitation verification. However, the quality of CrIS sensor data records (SDRs) for this time frame on CLASS is suboptimal and many granules (more than three-quarters) are invalid. Using the current offline ADL reprocessed CrIS SDR data from NOAA/STAR AIT, which includes all CrIS SDR improvements to date, we have subsequently obtained a well-distributed OLR EDR. This paper will also discuss the validation of the CrIS infrared ozone profile.

Recognition of exchange striction as the origin of magnetoelectric coupling in multiferroics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yahia, G.; Damay, F.; Chattopadhyay, S.; Balédent, V.; Peng, W.; Elkaim, E.; Whitaker, M.; Greenblatt, M.; Lepetit, M.-B.; Foury-Leylekian, P.

2017-05-01

The magnetoelectric coupling, a phenomenon inducing magnetic (electric) polarization by application of an external electric (magnetic) field and first conjectured by Curie in 1894, is observed in most of the multiferroics and used for many applications in various fields such as data storage or sensing. However, its microscopic origin is a long-standing controversy in the scientific community. An intense revival of interest developed in the beginning of the 21st century due to the emergence of multiferroic frustrated magnets in which the ferroelectricity is magnetically induced and which present an inherent strong magnetoelectric coupling. The Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) well accounts for such ferroelectricity in systems with a noncollinear magnetic order such as the RMnO3 manganites. The DMI effect is, however, inadequate for systems presenting ferroelectricity induced by quasicollinear spin arrangements such as the prominent RMn2O5 manganites. Among different microscopic mechanisms proposed to resolve this incompatibility, the exchange-striction model stands as the most invoked candidate. In this scenario, the polar atomic displacements originate from the release of a frustration caused by the magnetic order. Despite its theoretical description 15 years ago, this mechanism had yet to be unambiguously validated experimentally. The breakthrough finally comes from SmMn2O5 presenting a unique magnetic order revealed by powder neutron diffraction. The unique orientation of its magnetic moment establishes the missing element that definitely validates the exchange striction as the effective mechanism for the spin-induced ferroelectricity in this series. More generally, this is a proof of concept that validates this model on actual systems, facilitating the development of a new generation of multiferroics with unrivaled magnetoelectric properties.

An Immunological Fingerprint Differentiates Muscular Lymphatics from Arteries and Veins

PubMed Central

Bridenbaugh, Eric A.; Wang, Wei; Srimushnam, Maya; Cromer, Walter E.; Zawieja, Scott D.; Schmidt, Susan E.; Jupiter, Daniel C.; Huang, Hung-Chung; Van Buren, Vincent

2013-01-01

Abstract The principal function of the lymphatic system is to transport lymph from the interstitium to the nodes and then from the nodes to the blood. In doing so lymphatics play important roles in fluid homeostasis, macromolecular/antigen transport and immune cell trafficking. To better understand the genes that contribute to their unique physiology, we compared the transcriptional profile of muscular lymphatics (prenodal mesenteric microlymphatics and large, postnodal thoracic duct) to axillary and mesenteric arteries and veins isolated from rats. Clustering of the differentially expressed genes demonstrated that the lymph versus blood vessel differences were more profound than between blood vessels, particularly the microvessels. Gene ontology functional category analysis indicated that microlymphatics were enriched in antigen processing/presentation, IgE receptor signaling, catabolic processes, translation and ribosome; while they were diminished in oxygen transport, regulation of cell proliferation, glycolysis and inhibition of adenylate cyclase activity by G-proteins. We evaluated the differentially expressed microarray genes/products by qPCR and/or immunofluorescence. Immunofluorescence documented that multiple MHC class II antigen presentation proteins were highly expressed by an antigen-presenting cell (APC) type found resident within the lymphatic wall. These APCs also expressed CD86, a co-stimulatory protein necessary for T-cell activation. We evaluated the distribution and phenotype of APCs within the pre and postnodal lymphatic network. This study documents a novel population of APCs resident within the walls of muscular, prenodal lymphatics that indicates novel roles in antigen sampling and immune responses. In conclusion, these prenodal lymphatics exhibit a unique profile that distinguishes them from blood vessels and highlights the role of the lymphatic system as an immunovascular system linking the parenchymal interstitium, lymph nodes and the blood. PMID:24044756

Space Acceleration Measurement System-II: Microgravity Instrumentation for the International Space Station Research Community

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sutliff, Thomas J.

1999-01-01

The International Space Station opens for business in the year 2000, and with the opening, science investigations will take advantage of the unique conditions it provides as an on-orbit laboratory for research. With initiation of scientific studies comes a need to understand the environment present during research. The Space Acceleration Measurement System-II provides researchers a consistent means to understand the vibratory conditions present during experimentation on the International Space Station. The Space Acceleration Measurement System-II, or SAMS-II, detects vibrations present while the space station is operating. SAMS-II on-orbit hardware is comprised of two basic building block elements: a centralized control unit and multiple Remote Triaxial Sensors deployed to measure the acceleration environment at the point of scientific research, generally within a research rack. Ground Operations Equipment is deployed to complete the command, control and data telemetry elements of the SAMS-II implementation. Initially, operations consist of user requirements development, measurement sensor deployment and use, and data recovery on the ground. Future system enhancements will provide additional user functionality and support more simultaneous users.

Stranger in a strange land

PubMed Central

Hunt, Joan S.

2006-01-01

Summary Mammalian mothers and their embryos/fetuses are almost invariably genetically different, which raises the question of how the mother’s immune system is diverted so as to permit cohabitation with the ‘foreign’ body. Several decades of research have shown that multiple cooperative systems sanction uteroplacental immune privilege. These systems include production of several varieties of soluble immunosuppressive molecules in the uterus and the placenta and strict regulation of the molecules expressed on or by placental trophoblast cells. Trophoblast, a unique lineage without counterpart in adult tissues, is in direct contact with maternal blood and tissue. The major graft rejection-promoting molecules, human leukocyte antigens (HLAs), are tightly regulated in these cells, with none of HLA-A, HLA-B, or HLA class II antigens expressed. The HLA class Ib antigens, HLA-E, HLA-F, and HLA-G, are detectable on some subpopulations. Our studies have focused on the expression, regulation, and functions of the soluble isoforms of HLA-G, which circulate in maternal blood and are present at high levels in the pregnant uterus. These isoforms are derived from the single HLA-G gene by alternative splicing and are now known to have immunosuppressive properties. Ours and other studies indicate that soluble HLA-G proteins may comprise a unique tolerogenic system for establishing local immune privilege during pregnancy. PMID:16972895

Evaluation of the automatic optical authentication technologies for control systems of objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Averkin, Vladimir V.; Volegov, Peter L.; Podgornov, Vladimir A.

2000-03-01

The report considers the evaluation of the automatic optical authentication technologies for the automated integrated system of physical protection, control and accounting of nuclear materials at RFNC-VNIITF, and for providing of the nuclear materials nonproliferation regime. The report presents the nuclear object authentication objectives and strategies, the methodology of the automatic optical authentication and results of the development of pattern recognition techniques carried out under the ISTC project #772 with the purpose of identification of unique features of surface structure of a controlled object and effects of its random treatment. The current decision of following functional control tasks is described in the report: confirmation of the item authenticity (proof of the absence of its substitution by an item of similar shape), control over unforeseen change of item state, control over unauthorized access to the item. The most important distinctive feature of all techniques is not comprehensive description of some properties of controlled item, but unique identification of item using minimum necessary set of parameters, properly comprising identification attribute of the item. The main emphasis in the technical approach is made on the development of rather simple technological methods for the first time intended for use in the systems of physical protection, control and accounting of nuclear materials. The developed authentication devices and system are described.

The TSS-1R Electrodynamic Tether Experiment: Scientific and Technological Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stone, Nobie H.; Raitt, John

1998-01-01

The bi-national, US-Italian, Tethered Satellite System (TSS) program was designed to provide a unique opportunity to explore certain space plasma- electrodynamic processes and the orbital mechanics of a gravity-gradient stabilized system of two satellites linked by a long conducting tether. The second flight, TSS-LR, was launched February 22, 1996 on STS-75 and satellite deployment began at MET 3/00:27. A unique data set was obtained over the next five hours, as the tether was deployed to a length of 19695 meters, which has allowed significant science to be accomplished. This presentation will focus on electrodynamic processes generated by the tether--in particular, the collection of electrical current from the ionospheric plasma. Of particular significance is an apparent transition of the physics of current collection when the potential of the collecting body becomes greater than the ram energy of the ionospheric atomic oxygen ions. Previous theoretical models of current collection were electrostatic--assuming that the orbital motion of the system, which is highly subsonic with respect to electron thermal motion, was un- important. This may still be acceptable for the case of relatively slow-moving sounding rockets. However, the TSS-LR results show that motion relative to the plasma must be accounted for in orbiting systems.

Vibrational energy harvesting by exploring structural benefits and nonlinear characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Chongfeng; Jing, Xingjian

2017-07-01

Traditional energy harvesters are often of low efficiency due to very limited energy harvesting bandwidth, which should also be enough close to the ambient excitation frequency. To overcome this difficulty, some attempts can be seen in the literature typically with the purposes of either increasing the energy harvesting bandwidth with a harvester array, or enhancing the energy harvesting bandwidth and peak with nonlinear coupling effect etc. This paper presents an alternative way which can achieve tuneable resonant frequency (from high frequency to ultralow frequency) and improved energy harvesting bandwidth and peak simultaneously by employing special structural benefits and advantageous displacement-dependent nonlinear damping property. The proposed energy harvesting system employs a lever systems combined with an X-shape supporting structure and demonstrates very adjustable stiffness and unique nonlinear damping characteristics which are very beneficial for energy harvesting. It is shown that the energy harvesting performance of the proposed system is directly determined by several easy-to-tune structural parameters and also by the relative displacement in a special nonlinear manner, which provides a great flexibility and/or a unique tool for tuning and improving energy harvesting efficiency via matching excitation frequencies and covering a broader frequency band. This study potentially provides a new insight into the design of energy harvesting systems by employing structural benefits and geometrical nonlinearities.

Advances in field-portable ion trap GC/MS instrumentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diken, Eric G.; Arno, Josep; Skvorc, Ed; Manning, David; Andersson, Greger; Judge, Kevin; Fredeen, Ken; Sadowski, Charles; Oliphant, Joseph L.; Lammert, Stephen A.; Jones, Jeffrey L.; Waite, Randall W.; Grant, Chad; Lee, Edgar D.

2012-06-01

The rapid and accurate detection and identification of chemical warfare agents and toxic industrial chemicals can be critical to the protection of military and civilian personnel. The use of gas chromatography (GC) - mass spectrometry (MS) can provide both the sensitivity and selectivity required to identify unknown chemicals in complex (i.e. real-world) environments. While most widely used as a laboratory-based technique, recent advances in GC, MS, and sampling technologies have led to the development of a hand-portable GC/MS system that is more practical for field-based analyses. The unique toroidal ion trap mass spectrometer (TMS) used in this instrument has multiple benefits related to size, weight, start-up time, ruggedness, and power consumption. Sample separation is achieved in record time (~ 3 minutes) and with high resolution using a state-of-the-art high-performance low-thermal-mass GC column. In addition to providing a system overview highlighting its most important features, the presentation will focus on the chromatographic and mass spectral performance of the system. Results from exhaustive performance testing of the new instrument will be introduced to validate its unique robustness and ability to identify targeted and unknown chemicals.

Thermal imaging as a biometrics approach to facial signature authentication.

PubMed

Guzman, A M; Goryawala, M; Wang, Jin; Barreto, A; Andrian, J; Rishe, N; Adjouadi, M

2013-01-01

A new thermal imaging framework with unique feature extraction and similarity measurements for face recognition is presented. The research premise is to design specialized algorithms that would extract vasculature information, create a thermal facial signature and identify the individual. The proposed algorithm is fully integrated and consolidates the critical steps of feature extraction through the use of morphological operators, registration using the Linear Image Registration Tool and matching through unique similarity measures designed for this task. The novel approach at developing a thermal signature template using four images taken at various instants of time ensured that unforeseen changes in the vasculature over time did not affect the biometric matching process as the authentication process relied only on consistent thermal features. Thirteen subjects were used for testing the developed technique on an in-house thermal imaging system. The matching using the similarity measures showed an average accuracy of 88.46% for skeletonized signatures and 90.39% for anisotropically diffused signatures. The highly accurate results obtained in the matching process clearly demonstrate the ability of the thermal infrared system to extend in application to other thermal imaging based systems. Empirical results applying this approach to an existing database of thermal images proves this assertion.

NASA Johnson Space Center Usability Testing and Analysis facility (UTAF) Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitmore, Mihriban; Holden, Kritina L.

2005-01-01

The Usability Testing and Analysis Facility (UTAF) is part of the Space Human Factors Laboratory at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The facility performs research for NASA's HumanSystems Integration Program, under the HumanSystems Research and Technology Division. Specifically, the UTAF provides human factors support for space vehicles, including the International Space Station, the Space Shuttle, and the forthcoming Crew Exploration Vehicle. In addition, there are ongoing collaborative research efforts with external corporations and universities. The UTAF provides human factors analysis, evaluation, and usability testing of crew interfaces for space applications. This includes computer displays and controls, workstation systems, and work environments. The UTAF has a unique mix of capabilities, with a staff experienced in both cognitive human factors and ergonomics. The current areas of focus are: human factors applications in emergency medical care and informatics; control and display technologies for electronic procedures and instructions; voice recognition in noisy environments; crew restraint design for unique microgravity workstations; and refinement of human factors processes and requirements. This presentation will provide an overview of ongoing activities, and will address how the UTAF projects will evolve to meet new space initiatives.

Raman spectroscopic instrumentation and plasmonic methods for material characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanaka, Kazuki

The advent of nanotechnology has led to incredible growth in how we consume, make and approach advanced materials. By exploiting nanoscale material properties, unique control of optical, thermal, mechanical, and electrical characteristics becomes possible. This thesis describes the development of a novel localized surface plasmon resonant (LSPR) color sensitive photosensor, based on functionalization of gold nanoparticles onto tianium dioxide nanowires and sensing by a metal-semiconducting nanowire-metal photodiode structure. This LSPR photosensor has been integrated into a system that incorporates Raman spectroscopy, microfluidics, optical trapping, and sorting flow cytometry into a unique material characterization system called the microfluidic optical fiber trapping Raman sorting flow cytometer (MOFTRSFC). Raman spectroscopy is utilized as a powerful molecular characterization technique used to analyze biological, mineralogical and nanomaterial samples. To combat the inherently weak Raman signal, plasmonic methods have been applied to exploit surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), increasing Raman intensity by up to 5 orders of magnitude. The resultant MOFTRSFC system is a prototype instrument that can effectively trap, analyze, and sort micron-sized dielectric particles and biological cells. Raman spectroscopy has been presented in several modalities, including the development of a portable near-infrared Raman spectrometer and other emerging technologies.

Dirac Cellular Automaton from Split-step Quantum Walk

PubMed Central

Mallick, Arindam; Chandrashekar, C. M.

2016-01-01

Simulations of one quantum system by an other has an implication in realization of quantum machine that can imitate any quantum system and solve problems that are not accessible to classical computers. One of the approach to engineer quantum simulations is to discretize the space-time degree of freedom in quantum dynamics and define the quantum cellular automata (QCA), a local unitary update rule on a lattice. Different models of QCA are constructed using set of conditions which are not unique and are not always in implementable configuration on any other system. Dirac Cellular Automata (DCA) is one such model constructed for Dirac Hamiltonian (DH) in free quantum field theory. Here, starting from a split-step discrete-time quantum walk (QW) which is uniquely defined for experimental implementation, we recover the DCA along with all the fine oscillations in position space and bridge the missing connection between DH-DCA-QW. We will present the contribution of the parameters resulting in the fine oscillations on the Zitterbewegung frequency and entanglement. The tuneability of the evolution parameters demonstrated in experimental implementation of QW will establish it as an efficient tool to design quantum simulator and approach quantum field theory from principles of quantum information theory. PMID:27184159

A cellulosic responsive "living" membrane.

PubMed

Qin, Guokui; Panilaitis, Bruce J; Kaplan, Zhongyuan Sun David L

2014-01-16

Bacterial cellulose has been demonstrated to be a remarkably versatile biomaterial and widely used in biomedical applications due to its unique physical properties. Here we reported for the first time a "living membrane" system based on recombinant Escherichia coli bacterial strains entrapped in cellulosic membranes produced by Gluconacetobacter xylinus. Biologically driven detection and identification of a range of target molecules presents unique challenges, and requires that detection methods are developed to be rapid, specific and sensitive. The compatibility of G. xylinus and recombinant E. coli strains was first investigated for co-cultivation, and the relationship between the number of entrapped E. coli and the level of inducible signal achieved was further explored by fluorescent signal observation in confocal microscopy. Finally to amplify the response to inducers for maximum fluorescent signal, a positive-feedback genetic amplifier was designed within recombinant E. coli strain entrapped in the living cellulosic membrane system, allowing for the detection mechanism to be extremely sensitive and resulting in a significant fluorescent signal from a single receptor binding event. The living membrane system proposed here will create devices of greater complexity in function for applications in biological and chemical detection. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Building a citywide, all-payer, hospital claims database to improve health care delivery in a low-income, urban community.

PubMed

Gross, Kennen; Brenner, Jeffrey C; Truchil, Aaron; Post, Ernest M; Riley, Amy Henderson

2013-01-01

Developing data-driven local solutions to address rising health care costs requires valid and reliable local data. Traditionally, local public health agencies have relied on birth, death, and specific disease registry data to guide health care planning, but these data sets provide neither health information across the lifespan nor information on local health care utilization patterns and costs. Insurance claims data collected by local hospitals for administrative purposes can be used to create valuable population health data sets. The Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers partnered with the 3 health systems providing emergency and inpatient care within Camden, New Jersey, to create a local population all-payer hospital claims data set. The combined claims data provide unique insights into the health status, health care utilization patterns, and hospital costs on the population level. The cross-systems data set allows for a better understanding of the impact of high utilizers on a community-level health care system. This article presents an introduction to the methods used to develop Camden's hospital claims data set, as well as results showing the population health insights obtained from this unique data set.

OMV man/system simulation integration: A preliminary analysis and recommendation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rogers, Jon G.

1988-01-01

The Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle (OMV) presents a series of challenges to the human operator. Some are unique to the OMV system itself, and are largely due to remote control versus control from the cockpit. Other challenges are not necessarily unique to the OMV, but are characteristic of many man-machine space flight systems. All of these challenges affect the operator's ability to perform his portion of the mission, and could lead to human error which might jeopardize the vehicle, mission, or both. It is imperative to make every effort to design the control and displays to facilitate the operator's task. The experimental program should address the perceptual, mediational, and motor dimensions of operator performance. With this in mind, a literature review with relevant design considerations was initiated, and a comprehensive outline of control/display parameters were developed. Out of this, a series of questions not answered in the literature was derived which can be converted into experimental protocols for the simulation program. A major task of the aircraft pilot as well as the OMV operator is prediction. Certain display principles have proved to enhance the pilot's ability to predict. A brief examination of some of these principles in relationship to OMV may be useful.

The Science and Prospects of Astrophysical Observations with New Horizons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, Chi; Zemcov, Michael; Cooray, Asantha; Lisse, Carey; Poppe, Andrew

2018-01-01

Astrophysical observation from the outer solar system provides a unique and quiet vantage point from which to understand our cosmos. If properly designed, such observations enable several niche science cases that are difficult or impossible to perform near Earth. NASA's New Horizons mission includes several instruments with ~10cm telescopes that provide imaging capability from UV to near-IR wavelengths with moderate spectral resolution. A carefully designed survey can optimize the expendable propellant and limited data telemetry bandwidth to allow several unique measurements, including a detailed understanding of the cosmic extragalactic background light in the optical and near-IR, studies of the local and extragalactic UV background, measurements of the properties of dust and ice in the outer solar system, searches for moons and other faint structures around exoplanets, and determinations of the mass of planets far from their parent stars using gravitational microlensing. New Horizons is currently in an extended mission, that will conclude in 2021, designed to survey distant objects in the Kuiper Belt at high phase angles and perform a close flyby of KBO 2014 MU69. Afterwards, the astrophysics community will have a unique, generational opportunity to use this mission for astronomical observations at heliocentric distances beyond 50 AU. In this poster, we present the science case for an extended 2021 - 2026 astrophysics mission, and discuss some of the practical considerations that must be addressed to maximize the potential science return.

Crack stability in a representative piping system under combined inertial and seismic/dynamic displacement-controlled stresses. Subtask 1.3 final report

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

Scott, P.; Olson, R.; Wilkowski, O.G.

1997-06-01

This report presents the results from Subtask 1.3 of the International Piping Integrity Research Group (IPIRG) program. The objective of Subtask 1.3 is to develop data to assess analysis methodologies for characterizing the fracture behavior of circumferentially cracked pipe in a representative piping system under combined inertial and displacement-controlled stresses. A unique experimental facility was designed and constructed. The piping system evaluated is an expansion loop with over 30 meters of 16-inch diameter Schedule 100 pipe. The experimental facility is equipped with special hardware to ensure system boundary conditions could be appropriately modeled. The test matrix involved one uncracked andmore » five cracked dynamic pipe-system experiments. The uncracked experiment was conducted to evaluate piping system damping and natural frequency characteristics. The cracked-pipe experiments evaluated the fracture behavior, pipe system response, and stability characteristics of five different materials. All cracked-pipe experiments were conducted at PWR conditions. Material characterization efforts provided tensile and fracture toughness properties of the different pipe materials at various strain rates and temperatures. Results from all pipe-system experiments and material characterization efforts are presented. Results of fracture mechanics analyses, dynamic finite element stress analyses, and stability analyses are presented and compared with experimental results.« less

Present capabilities and future requirements for computer-aided geometric modeling in the design and manufacture of gas turbine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Caille, E.; Propen, M.; Hoffman, A.

1984-01-01

Gas turbine engine design requires the ability to rapidly develop complex structures which are subject to severe thermal and mechanical operating loads. As in all facets of the aerospace industry, engine designs are constantly driving towards increased performance, higher temperatures, higher speeds, and lower weight. The ability to address such requirements in a relatively short time frame has resulted in a major thrust towards integrated design/analysis/manufacturing systems. These computer driven graphics systems represent a unique challenge, with major payback opportunities if properly conceived, implemented, and applied.

Proceedings of the drug testing laboratory managers symposium, 28 January--1 February 1974. Final report

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

Noe, E.R.; Romanchick, W.A.; Ainsworth, C.A. III

1975-06-01

This report deals with broad concepts of managing mass screening programs for drugs of abuse; e.g., morphine, barbiturate, amphetamine, cocaine, and methaqualone. The interactions of the screening process and of the rehabilitation program were covered. Psychotherapy and group therapy are both utilized in rehabilitation programs. The semiautomated radioimmunoassay (RIA) screening procedures are both sensitive and specific at nanogram quantities. Future evaluations of a wafer disk transferral system and of a latex test for morphine are presented. The unique quality control system employed by military drug abuse testing laboratories is discussed. (Author) (GRA)

Orbital Spacecraft Consumables Resupply System (OSCRS). Volume 3: Program Cost Estimate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perry, D. L.

1986-01-01

A cost analysis for the design, development, qualification, and production of the monopropellant and bipropellant Orbital Spacecraft Consumable Resupply System (OSCRS) tankers, their associated avionics located in the Orbiter payload bay, and the unique ground support equipment (GSE) and airborne support equipment (ASE) required to support operations is presented. Monopropellant resupply for the Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO) in calendar year 1991 is the first defined resupply mission with bipropellant resupply missions expected in the early to mid 1990's. The monopropellant program estimate also includes contractor costs associated with operations support through the first GRO resupply mission.

The application of holography as a real-time three-dimensional motion picture camera

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kurtz, R. L.

1973-01-01

A historical introduction to holography is presented, as well as a basic description of sideband holography for stationary objects. A brief theoretical development of both time-dependent and time-independent holography is also provided, along with an analytical and intuitive discussion of a unique holographic arrangement which allows the resolution of front surface detail from an object moving at high speeds. As an application of such a system, a real-time three-dimensional motion picture camera system is discussed and the results of a recent demonstration of the world's first true three-dimensional motion picture are given.

Interplay of node connectivity and epidemic rates in the dynamics of epidemic networks

DOE PAGES

Kostova, Tanya

2010-07-09

We present and analyze a discrete-time susceptible-infected epidemic network model which represents each host as a separate entity and allows heterogeneous hosts and contacts. We establish a necessary and sufficient condition for global stability of the disease-free equilibrium of the system (defined as epidemic controllability) which defines the epidemic reproduction number of the network. When this condition is not fulfilled, we show that the system has a unique, locally stable equilibrium. As a result, we further derive sufficient conditions for epidemic controllability in terms of the epidemic rates and the network topology.

Some factors affecting the use of lighter than air systems. [economic and performance estimates for dirigibles and semi-buoyant hybrid vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Havill, C. D.

1974-01-01

The uses of lighter-than-air vehicles are examined in the present day transportation environment. Conventional dirigibles were found to indicate an undesirable economic risk due to their low speeds and to uncertainties concerning their operational use. Semi-buoyant hybrid vehicles are suggested as an alternative which does not have many of the inferior characteristics of conventional dirigibles. Economic and performance estimates for hybrid vehicles indicate that they are competitive with other transportation systems in many applications, and unique in their ability to perform some highly desirable emergency missions.

Supraglacial sulfur springs and associated biological activity in the Canadian high arctic - signs of life beneath the ice

USGS Publications Warehouse

Grasby, Stephen E.; Allen, Carlton C.; Longazo, Teresa G.; Lisle, John T.; Griffin, Dale W.; Beauchamp, Benoit

2003-01-01

Unique springs, discharging from the surface of an arctic glacier, release H2S and deposit native sulfur, gypsum, and calcite. The presence of sulfur in three oxidation states indicates a complex series of redox reactions. Physical and chemical conditions of the spring water and surrounding environment, as well as mineralogical and isotopic signatures, suggest biologically mediated reactions. Cell counts and DNA analyses confirm bacteria are present in the spring system, and a limited number of sequenced isolates suggests that complex communities of bacteria live within the glacial system.

Modeling Tools Predict Flow in Fluid Dynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2010-01-01

"Because rocket engines operate under extreme temperature and pressure, they present a unique challenge to designers who must test and simulate the technology. To this end, CRAFT Tech Inc., of Pipersville, Pennsylvania, won Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts from Marshall Space Flight Center to develop software to simulate cryogenic fluid flows and related phenomena. CRAFT Tech enhanced its CRUNCH CFD (computational fluid dynamics) software to simulate phenomena in various liquid propulsion components and systems. Today, both government and industry clients in the aerospace, utilities, and petrochemical industries use the software for analyzing existing systems as well as designing new ones."

CSBF Engineering Overview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orr, Dwayne

CSBF Engineering Overview Dwayne Orr (Presenting Author) Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility, Palestine, Texas (USA) Dwayne.Orr@csbf.nasa.gov The Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility (CSBF) at Palestine, Texas provides operational and engineering support for the launch of NASA Scientific Balloons. Over the years with the support of the NASA Balloon Program Office, CSBF has developed unique flight systems with the focus of providing a highly reliable, cost effective medium for giving Scientist’s access to a near space environment. This paper will provide an overview of the CSBF flight systems with an emphasis on recent developments and plans for the future.

A unique facility for V/STOL aircraft hover testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Culpepper, R. G.; Murphy, R. D.

1979-01-01

The paper discusses the Navy's XFV-12A tethered hover testing capabilities utilizing NASA's Impact Dynamic Research Facility (IDRF) at Langley. The facility allows for both static and dynamic tethered hover test operations to be undertaken with safety. The installation which consists of the 'Z' system (tether), restraint system, static tiedowns and the control room and console, is presented in detail. Among the capabilities demonstrated were the ability to recover the aircraft anytime during a test, to rapidly and safely define control limits, and to provide a realistic environment for pilot training and proficiency in VTOL flight.

The Phantom in our opera - or the hidden ways of the autonomic nervous system in cardiac patients

PubMed Central

van Tellingen, C.

2004-01-01

The role of the autonomic nervous system in the understanding of pathophysiological mechanisms in a variety of cardiovascular clinico-pathological conditions is highlighted from a clinician's point of view with the focus on coronary mimicry, enhanced sympathetic tone and syndrome X. A unique case is presented where sinus node dysfunction in pandysautonomia seemed to be an early sign of hypothalamic glioblastoma. In addition, relevant literature on this topic is addressed to put distinct clinical patterns into a broader perspective. ImagesFigure 1Figure 2Figure 3Figure 4Figure 5Figure 6 PMID:25696275

Quantum key distribution protocol based on contextuality monogamy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Jaskaran; Bharti, Kishor; Arvind

2017-06-01

The security of quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols hinges upon features of physical systems that are uniquely quantum in nature. We explore the role of quantumness, as qualified by quantum contextuality, in a QKD scheme. A QKD protocol based on the Klyachko-Can-Binicioğlu-Shumovsky (KCBS) contextuality scenario using a three-level quantum system is presented. We explicitly show the unconditional security of the protocol by a generalized contextuality monogamy relationship based on the no-disturbance principle. This protocol provides a new framework for QKD which has conceptual and practical advantages over other protocols.

Microassembly of Heterogeneous Materials using Transfer Printing and Thermal Processing

PubMed Central

Keum, Hohyun; Yang, Zining; Han, Kewen; Handler, Drew E.; Nguyen, Thong Nhu; Schutt-Aine, Jose; Bahl, Gaurav; Kim, Seok

2016-01-01

Enabling unique architectures and functionalities of microsystems for numerous applications in electronics, photonics and other areas often requires microassembly of separately prepared heterogeneous materials instead of monolithic microfabrication. However, microassembly of dissimilar materials while ensuring high structural integrity has been challenging in the context of deterministic transferring and joining of materials at the microscale where surface adhesion is far more dominant than body weight. Here we present an approach to assembling microsystems with microscale building blocks of four disparate classes of device-grade materials including semiconductors, metals, dielectrics, and polymers. This approach uniquely utilizes reversible adhesion-based transfer printing for material transferring and thermal processing for material joining at the microscale. The interfacial joining characteristics between materials assembled by this approach are systematically investigated upon different joining mechanisms using blister tests. The device level capabilities of this approach are further demonstrated through assembling and testing of a microtoroid resonator and a radio frequency (RF) microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) switch that involve optical and electrical functionalities with mechanical motion. This work opens up a unique route towards 3D heterogeneous material integration to fabricate microsystems. PMID:27427243